LayerZero, the bridging protocol that allows different crypto networks to communicate with each other, plans to connect to Bitcoin sidechain Rootstock in what would be its first integration with the world’s original blockchain. Rootstock aims to end Bitcoin’s “isolation” from other blockchains due to its lack of native smart contracts, a barrier that LayerZero is … Read more
Layer 1 blockchain MANTRA has launched a startup accelerator program aimed at advancing the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), with backing from Google Cloud. The initiative, dubbed RWAccelerator, offers startups funding, expert mentorship, AI-driven resources and technical support as they build solutions in sectors like real estate, financial products and alternative assets, the companies announced … Read more
Metaplanet (3350) has now accumulated 2,100 bitcoin (BTC), now holding 0.01% of the total BTC supply that will ever be mined, which is 21 million BTC. Metaplanet purchased 68.59 BTC for $6.6 million at an average purchase price of $96,335 per bitcoin. According to Dylan Le Clair, Metaplanet has raised $20 million in equity capital … Read more
Secondary token markets SecondSwap on Thursday launched its mainnet on Ethereum with the aim of providing a more efficient market for illiquid assets by eliminating intermediaries and establishing fair token value in the open market. SecondSwap uses a liquidity routing algorithm that optimizes trade execution and minimizes price slippage to ensure secure and scalable trading … Read more
HONG KONG – CoinDesk Indices launched two index products tracking the price gyrations of memecoins and the top hundred tokens by market capitalization, meeting demand from institutional and professional investors who seek upside in different crypto sectors, the firm announced at Consensus Hong Kong. The CoinDesk Memecoin Index will track the largest fifty memecoins by … Read more
The era of memecoins as a supposedly fair trading opportunity is “unquestionably over,” according to Nic Carter, a partner at Castle Island Ventures. In a post on X, Carter argued that memecoins—tokens with little to no utility beyond speculative trading—were initially attractive because they appeared to offer an even playing field for retail investors. However, … Read more
Bitcoin (BTC) quickly bounced back from the Tuesday dip to $93,000, but downside pressure still persists risking a deeper pullback to $86,000, CryptoQuant analysts said. Waning demand, faltering blockchain activity and lack of liquidity inflows to crypto are among the factors that could drag BTC lower, the report said. Demand for bitcoin, which picked up … Read more
Welcome to The Protocol, CoinDesk’s weekly wrap-up of the most important stories in cryptocurrency tech development. I’m Margaux Nijkerk, CoinDesk’s Ethereum reporter, filling in for Ben Schiller. In this issue: Story Protocol launches to let people register IP and get paid for it Ethereum developers release new initiative to simplify cross-chain transactions Ethereum L1 monad … Read more
Nearly every big name in the crypto industry has signed onto a letter calling for Congress to eliminate a U.S. tax policy they say could jeopardize decentralized finance (DeFi) technology by shoehorning much of that space into the field of brokers subject to data collecting and reporting. The Internal Revenue Service — the U.S. Treasury … Read more
Despite all of the positive news about digital assets coming from the new administration, the crypto ecosystem still isn’t fully integrated with the U.S. banking system. Even with the removal of “Operation Chokepoint 2.0” restrictions, institutions and individuals aren’t able to access the money markets with the level of efficiency that traditional Main Street, let … Read more