Mind The Block | September Week 4

Mind The Block: Your Weekly Dose of Web3 News and Insights

Mind The Block Headlines This Week

• MasterCard partners with Ripple to enhance global payments
• Telegram to host three airdrops in October for emerging projects
• Canada has set a new compliance deadline for stablecoin regulations
• Infinex raises $65.29M from Wintermute and Moonrock
• Empire Crypto Trading launches an educational platform for traders
• Shiba Inu’s ‘Shib The Metaverse’ launch imminent, says Lucie
• Bittensor rises 108% in September, second to Sui
• How do you make untraceable Bitcoin transactions?

News

• MasterCard and Ripple are partnering to enhance global payments efficiency and speed.
• Swiss digital asset investment firm Valour has launched a physically-backed Ethereum staking ETP on the London Stock Exchange.
• EOS Network has completed its upgrade to Spring 1.0, introducing the Savanna consensus algorithm and enhancing transaction finality to 1 second.
• World Mobile has launched its blockchain infrastructure on Base, connecting its unique communications-centric Layer 3 blockchain.
• Bataan, led by Governor Joet Garcia, successfully hosted the Global Blockchain Congress 2024.
• Folks Finance, a rapidly growing DeFi hub, has launched natively cross-chain lending markets on three new blockchains – Ethereum, Avalanche, and Base.
• Terminus Network and Rei Network have formed a strategic partnership to improve Web3 scalability and efficiency.
• Polymarket users have reported mysterious Google login wallet attacks, where attackers swiped their USDC balances using a “proxy” function.
• Block Dojo, a London-based venture builder, has been instrumental in launching significant blockchain startups over the past two years.
• Coin98 has partnered with Zircuit, a zero-knowledge rollup platform, to enhance its role in Web3 development.
• Kusho World has launched the Kusho Shop, a web3 shop that accepts cryptocurrency and fiat payments for apparel purchases.
• Lunex Network’s DeFi protocol attracts Shiba Inu and Dogecoin investors due to the lack of returns in the memecoin markets.
• Camino Network has integrated Fireblocks, a leading liquidity and security layer, to enhance token access and security.
• Audius, a decentralized music-sharing service, has announced that artists can now receive direct stablecoin payouts for their content.
• Onyx plans to relaunch its governance-focused financial network, Onyx Core, following a $3.8 million hack on a security vulnerability.
• Manta Network has launched a 4-year Gas Gain program to return 50% of gas fees in MANTA tokens to its web3 users.

Extras By Mind The Block

• Kima Protocol, a multi-purpose cross-network transfer protocol, has partnered with Web3 and TradFi, achieving synergy.
• BSV’s TypeScript SDK, released in mid-2024, enables developers with TypeScript experience to bring their ideas to reality on the BSV blockchain.
• Pi Network, a rapidly growing blockchain platform with over 60 million active users, seeks business partnerships before its Mainnet launch.
• Bitget Wallet has announced OmniConnect, a new tool that enables developers to link Telegram Mini Apps to multiple blockchains.

Major Companies Making Moves

• South Korea’s Bithumb plans to consider a Nasdaq IPO in 2025, with Samsung Securities as its primary underwriter.
• Ethena Labs is considering launching a decentralized exchange to boost the synthetic dollar USDe.
• Visa has launched its Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP) to assist banks in issuing fiat-backed tokens on the Ethereum network.
• Ripple is integrating XRP into oil trading and cross-border transactions with Saudi banks, unlocking a $500 trillion market for XRP.
• UBXS has partnered with Chainlink, a decentralized oracle network, to enhance its real estate tokenization system.
• Telegram is set to host three upcoming airdrops in October, offering participants the chance to engage with emerging projects.

Government, SEC & Regulation

• The US SEC has charged the cryptocurrency trading platform Mango Markets with offering unregistered crypto tokens identified as security.
• Tether has partnered with the US Department of Justice to freeze over $6m in crypto-scam proceeds, a total of $1.8 billion.
• Olumide Osunkoya has pleaded guilty to managing an illegal crypto ATM network in the UK, facilitating over £2.6 million in transactions.
• Russian companies, including electronics producers and financial institutions, have been granted permission to use cryptocurrencies.
• The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) has warned about the dangers of cryptocurrency pump-and-dump schemes.
• Canada has set a new compliance deadline for crypto platforms to comply with stablecoin regulations.
• Hong Kong’s ZA Bank has become the first virtual bank to obtain an SFC license from the Securities and Futures Commission for Type 1 regulated activity.
• Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) is reviewing cryptocurrency regulations.
• Bolivia’s Central Bank of Bolivia reported a 141% increase in virtual asset transactions in the last three months following the lifting of its Bitcoin ban.
• Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) has approved a re-entrustment model that allows professional investors to access foreign crypto-based ETFs.
• The Philippine Science High School and DOST are collaborating on a project called Digi Cert.

Raises & Major Investments rounds

• Infinex raised $65.29M in a funding round from Wintermute, Framework Ventures, and Moonrock Capital.
• Metaverse platform SecondLive raised $12M in a Private funding round led by Crypto com Capital.

• Initia raised $14M in a Series A funding round led by Theory VC, with participation from Delphi Ventures and Hack VC.
• Mind Network raised $10M in a Series A funding round from Animoca Brands and ArkStream Capital.
• RD Technologies secured US$7.8 million in Series A1 financing, securing strategic investments from industry players like HongShan and Aptos Labs.

Trends & Narrative

• Jesse Walden, managing partner at Variant Fund, predicts that the original cypherpunk values that influenced early blockchains will fade over time.
• Empire Crypto Trading, a social media platform, has launched a dedicated educational platform for crypto traders and enthusiasts.
• LayerZero Labs CEO Bryan Pellegrino discussed blockchain bridges’ complexities and security issues in a podcast with a16z crypto.
• Dominik Schiener discussed the foundation’s focus on real-world applications of blockchain and the ongoing development of IOTA 2.0.
• Crypto-native platforms need on-ramps to grow and leap forward as the industry has grown in popularity.

NFTs, Gaming, Metaverse

• BC.GAME has launched the $BC Mining Rush event, offering a prize pool of 1 billion $BC tokens.
• Bitcoin NFT sales rebounded, with NodeMonkes and Bitcoin Puppets leading the way.
• ProBit Global has launched MetaVirus (MVT), the first Web3 game on the NexGami platform, through its Initial Exchange Offering (IEO).
• Shiba Inu’s marketing lead, Lucie, has revealed that the ‘Shib The Metaverse‘ launch is imminent, sparking investor optimism.
• Indonesia has launched its first NFT postage stamp, featuring the Cenderawasih bird, valued at approximately $9.90.
• Valhalla, an innovative Web3 play-to-earn game, has partnered with Alliance, a leading global esports organization.
• Forgotten Playland will launch on the Epic Games Store in November.
• SunPump has partnered with APENFT to launch the first fair launch platform for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the TRON blockchain.

Onchain Data

• Bitcoin’s recent price surge to $66,000 has sparked optimism, but the market now faces a potential retracement phase due to the $66K resistance level.
• Bittensor, an AI token, rose 108% in September, making it the second best-performing cryptocurrency in the top 100 after Sui.
• Pepe has experienced a strong uptrend of 44.8% over the past two weeks, reaching overbought levels and an RSI of 76.5.
• Toncoin is experiencing heightened transaction volume and user engagement due to the increasing popularity of Telegram Airdrops.
• AVAX bulls should look for key resistance levels before going long, as the price is testing a key level.

Educational Guides and Tips from Mind the Block

• Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs) are a powerful technology with potential financial privacy and identity verification applications.
• What is Flipit? A Complete Guide to the Web3 Platform in 2024.
• 7 confusing crypto terms (almost) nobody understands.
• What Are ICOs? How Token Sales Work and How to Be Safe.
• How to use Uniswap for swapping tokens.
• How do you make untraceable Bitcoin transactions?

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