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Bitcoin (Unsplash/Shubham's Web3)

April 30, 2024

Bitcoin Mining Profits Plunge as ‘Hashprice’ Hits All-Time Low

While Bitcoin’s new non-fungible feature, Runes, has attracted attention and initially buffered the bottom lines of miners, its usage quickly plummeted.

PODCASTS

Bitcoin Layer 2s Aim to Attract Ethereum-Like Dapps. Will They Succeed? - Ep.638

Episode #638 | April 30, 2024

Bitcoin Layer 2s Aim to Attract Ethereum-Like Dapps. Will They Succeed?

Build on Bitcoin (BOB), Botanix, and Citrea plan to bring DeFi, perps, stablecoins, and much more to the Bitcoin ecosystem. Here’s how.

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April 11, 2024

Empire DAO: A New Blockchain Approach to Co-Working Spaces?

Mike Fraietta, founder of Empire DAO, wants to transform how people interact with each other in the home office era.

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Bitcoin

April 30, 2024

Bitcoin Mining Profits Plunge as ‘Hashprice’ Hits All-Time Low

Not long after bitcoin miner revenues surged thanks to transaction fees from the Runes fungible token’s launch on the halving, the profitability levels of miners has fallen to an all-time low. At least as defined by “hashprice,” which measures projected mining earnings from a defined amount of hashrate, or computational …

April 30, 2024

Bitcoin Layer 2s Aim to Attract Ethereum-Like Dapps. Will They Succeed?

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pods, Fountain, Overcast, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. In this episode of Unchained, host Laura interviews Alexei Zamyatin, co-founder of Build on Bitcoin, Willem Schroé, founder of Botanix Labs, and Orkun Kılıç, …

April 30, 2024

Bitcoin Testnet Griefing Attack Sparks Debate About Testnet Reset

Bitcoin developers are increasingly frustrated with a griefing attack on testnet that has disrupted its operations, interrupted node syncing and created thousands of new blocks per hour. Jameson Lopp, cofounder and chief technology officer of Bitcoin security provider Casa, claimed responsibility for the attack. “My griefing attack on Bitcoin testnet …

April 29, 2024

zkSNACKs Blocks US Users From Wasabi Wallet

As US regulators turn their attention to self-custodial services, some service providers have opted to exit the market. zkSNACKs, the company behind the open-source privacy-focused Wasabi Wallet, said it would be immediately barring US citizens and residents from accessing its products and services, and visiting its website.  The zkSNACKs coordinator …

Business

April 30, 2024

Crypto Market Retreats as Investors Wonder if There Are Enough Bullish Catalysts

The market is witnessing significant declines on Tuesday, driven by a number of factors, including a confluence of regulatory uncertainties and economic indicators that suggest a challenging path ahead.  Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) have all posted notable losses, with broader implications as investors brace for potential shifts …

April 30, 2024

Hong Kong Doesn’t Define Ether as a Security, Says Issuer as Spot Crypto ETFs Go Live

Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have started trading on the Hong Kong stock exchange, after much anticipation that another timezone will now be trading crypto ETFs albeit with lower optimism about the pace of inflows these funds will see. Hong Kong-based asset managers China Asset Management, Harvest Global Investments, …

April 26, 2024

New Bitcoin Exchange Traded Product Launches in Germany, Chasing 24/7 Trading

A fresh entrant to the exchange traded spot bitcoin market has launched with an extended-hours trading twist. ETC Group, a crypto exchange traded product (ETP) issuer with about $1.5 billion of assets under management, on Thursday launched its ETC Group Core Bitcoin ETP. It trades on the German stock exchange …

April 26, 2024

Weekly Recap: DOJ Action on Samourai Wallet, SEC Attorneys Resign

In this weekly recap, we cover: DOJ Cracks Down on Crypto Privacy Tools: Founders of Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused crypto wallet, were arrested under charges of money laundering, as the DOJ intensifies its scrutiny of crypto mixing services. SEC Attorneys Resign After Court Reprimand: Following a court’s decision that chastised …

DeFi

April 30, 2024

Renzo and Kamino Tokens Tank as Airdrops Go Live

Two decentralized finance platforms — liquid restaking protocol Renzo and lending venue Kamino — released tokens Tuesday, both marked by steep price drops as volatility mounted in very short order following their market debuts. REZ, the governance token for Renzo, dropped 54% a scant six hours after its premiere at …

April 26, 2024

Weekly Recap: DOJ Action on Samourai Wallet, SEC Attorneys Resign

In this weekly recap, we cover: DOJ Cracks Down on Crypto Privacy Tools: Founders of Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused crypto wallet, were arrested under charges of money laundering, as the DOJ intensifies its scrutiny of crypto mixing services. SEC Attorneys Resign After Court Reprimand: Following a court’s decision that chastised …

April 25, 2024

The Chopping Block: Uniswap’s SEC Scrutiny, Token2049 Flood Catastrophe, and Bitcoin’s Halving Impact

Welcome to The Chopping Block, where Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner dissect the crypto world’s topics of the day. In this episode, we delve into the SEC’s recent scrutiny of Uniswap, exploring the potential legal and regulatory impacts on the DeFi landscape. We also discuss the …

April 24, 2024

Renzo’s ezETH Depeg Amid Criticism of Airdrop Underlines Broader Risks in Restaking

Following its airdrop announcement, Renzo Protocol’s liquid restaking token, ezETH, deviated from its one-to-one peg to ether (ETH), sparking community criticism regarding poor execution of the planned event. The price of the liquid restaking token (LRT) plummeted as it de-pegged, reaching a low of $688 on decentralized exchange Uniswap. ezETH …

Ethereum

April 30, 2024

A16z Makes $90 Million Private Purchase of Optimism’s OP Token

Prominent venture capital firm a16z has snapped up about $90 million of Optimism’s native OP token, according to two sources familiar with the matter, marking the latest institutional bet on the Ethereum Layer 2.  The investment, said to be executed under a two-year vesting period, follows a flurry of activity …

April 29, 2024

5 Reasons E-Beggars Are Not Happy With EigenLayer’s Airdrop

EigenLayer’s hotly anticipated airdrop, unveiled on Monday, has already come under fire. The plan governing the release of EigenLayer’s token, EIGEN, took heat for a number of its provisions, including preventing token holders from transferring EIGEN after claiming tokens. Others took issue with the percentage allotted for the community airdrop.  …

April 29, 2024

Should You Sell ETH Before the Just-Announced EigenLayer Airdrop?

EigenLayer finally announced its long-anticipated airdrop on Monday, and in addition to imposing a number of unconventional standards, it has many wondering what its impact will be on ether when it launches in early May. With billions of ETH restaked in EigenLayer directly and via liquid restaking tokens with their …

April 29, 2024

Optimism Patches Issues With Testnet Fraud Proofs After Alert From Offchain Labs

OP Labs, the entity behind the Ethereum layer 2 network Optimism, has patched two vulnerabilities with the fraud proof system deployed on the testnet. The fix was disclosed by Offchain Labs, the developers of Arbitrum, another popular layer 2 network that is widely considered to be a competitor to Optimism.  …

NFTs

April 26, 2024

How OpenSea’s Weekly NFT Volumes Plummeted From $1 Billion to $20 Million in Just 2 Years

OpenSea, long the dominant NFT marketplace, has struggled to reverse its fortunes since losing its trading volumes lead.  OpenSea’s dropoff comes as the competitive landscape — and the business tactics that derive profits — for non-fungible token marketplaces has shifted.  Nearly two years ago, before the launch of rivals Blur …

April 26, 2024

Weekly Recap: DOJ Action on Samourai Wallet, SEC Attorneys Resign

In this weekly recap, we cover: DOJ Cracks Down on Crypto Privacy Tools: Founders of Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused crypto wallet, were arrested under charges of money laundering, as the DOJ intensifies its scrutiny of crypto mixing services. SEC Attorneys Resign After Court Reprimand: Following a court’s decision that chastised …

April 19, 2024

Weekly Recap: Avi Eisenberg Found Guilty, Hong Kong’s ETFs Approval

In this weekly recap, we cover: Mango Markets Fraud Conviction: Avi Eisenberg faces up to 40 years after being found guilty of commodities fraud and other charges in a landmark DeFi case, setting a critical precedent for crypto market regulations. Hong Kong Approves Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs: The Hong Kong …

April 3, 2024

Crypto: The Game’s Second Installment Maxes Out Player Roster in 15 Minutes

The second season of Crypto: The Game, completed its public mint today within 15 minutes of it going live, with 800 players signing up to play in the next installment of the popular onchain game. NFT’s required to play the game sold for 0.1 ETH each, contributing to a winning …

Regulation

April 30, 2024

How Binance Founder CZ’s Sentence Compares to Other Recent Crypto and Banking Prosecutions

Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao was sentenced on Tuesday to four months in prison for his role in the crypto giant’s anti-money laundering failures.  Known to the crypto world as CZ, Zhao is one of the wealthiest people in the industry, as well as the world at large, with …

April 30, 2024

Binance Founder and Former CEO Changpeng Zhao Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison

A federal judge in Seattle, Washington sentenced Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of the crypto exchange, to four months in prison at a hearing on Tuesday.  “This [case] is unprecedented in terms of volume, scale, and massiveness in dollar impact of noncompliance,”  said Judge Richard Jones before issuing his sentence, …

April 29, 2024

Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao’s Sentencing on Tuesday: What to Expect

On Tuesday, April 30, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao will face sentencing before a federal court in Seattle, Washington. Zhao founded Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, leading it as CEO until the Department of Justice brought charges against the exchange and Zhao in November for Bank Secrecy Act failures. …

April 26, 2024

Weekly Recap: DOJ Action on Samourai Wallet, SEC Attorneys Resign

In this weekly recap, we cover: DOJ Cracks Down on Crypto Privacy Tools: Founders of Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused crypto wallet, were arrested under charges of money laundering, as the DOJ intensifies its scrutiny of crypto mixing services. SEC Attorneys Resign After Court Reprimand: Following a court’s decision that chastised …

Tech

April 29, 2024

5 Reasons E-Beggars Are Not Happy With EigenLayer’s Airdrop

EigenLayer’s hotly anticipated airdrop, unveiled on Monday, has already come under fire. The plan governing the release of EigenLayer’s token, EIGEN, took heat for a number of its provisions, including preventing token holders from transferring EIGEN after claiming tokens. Others took issue with the percentage allotted for the community airdrop.  …

April 29, 2024

What Base’s Rapidly Growing Revenue and Usage Means for Coinbase Stock

In August of 2023, Coinbase, the top US cryptocurrency exchange, officially launched Base, its own Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain network. Built on the OP Stack, Base has seen a surge in activity in recent months, including a whopping 3,200% increase in daily new users after the Ethereum Dencum upgrade, and …

April 26, 2024

Weekly Recap: DOJ Action on Samourai Wallet, SEC Attorneys Resign

In this weekly recap, we cover: DOJ Cracks Down on Crypto Privacy Tools: Founders of Samourai Wallet, a privacy-focused crypto wallet, were arrested under charges of money laundering, as the DOJ intensifies its scrutiny of crypto mixing services. SEC Attorneys Resign After Court Reprimand: Following a court’s decision that chastised …

April 25, 2024

Why Many ‘Zombie Blockchains’ Still Have Market Caps in the Billions of Dollars

When a public company falters and is delisted to the penny stock arena, trading grinds to a halt and its valuation plummets as stockholders cut their losses and move on. Equities trade upon a set of near-universal fundamentals that take the rise and fall of their company’s fortunes into account. …

In Case You Missed it

The Chopping Block: Uniswap's SEC Scrutiny, Token2049 Flood Catastrophe, and Bitcoin's Halving Impact - Ep. 636

Episode #636 | April 25, 2024

The Chopping Block: Uniswap’s SEC Scrutiny, Token2049 Flood Catastrophe, and Bitcoin’s Halving Impact

Unraveling the SEC’s Uniswap Probe: A Deep Dive into DeFi’s Legal Challenges. Plus: Dubai’s Flood Impact on a Major Crypto Event and the Crypto Community’s Resilience. Also, Decoding Bitcoin’s Latest Halvening: What Does it Mean for Inflation and Market Dynamics?

The Chopping Block: The EVM Parallelization Dilemma, Solana's Network Congestion, and Avi Eisenberg's Legal Battle - Ep. 631

Episode #631 | April 11, 2024

The Chopping Block: The EVM Parallelization Dilemma, Solana’s Network Congestion, and Avi Eisenberg’s Legal Battle

The Chopping Block: Dissecting Monad’s Monumental Raise, The EVM Parallelization Puzzle, Solana’s Congestion Crisis, and Avi Eisenberg’s Courtroom Clash!

For Beginners

blobscriptions

April 18, 2024

BlobScriptions: A New Type of Inscription on Ethereum

BlobScriptions made waves in the Ethereum community as a new type of inscription, similar to Ordinal inscriptions on Bitcoin.

Runes token protocol

April 17, 2024

What Are Runes? A Guide to the New Fungible Token Protocol on Bitcoin

The Runes protocol brings a new fungible token standard to Bitcoin that improves on its predecessor BRC-20.

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