Tech
Analyzing the Impact of Runes as the Bitcoin Fee Bonanza Fades
Last week’s once-in-four-year Bitcoin halving has come and gone, just as Satoshi Nakamoto planned it 15 years ago. But the big surprise was the rapid adoption of Casey Rodarmor’s new Runes protocol, his second major success on the original blockchain in two years. Now, it appears that upfront fees are vanishing, and the question is whether Runes transactions will provide a sustainable source of ongoing revenue for miners, especially now that block rewards have been halved. We have the summary.
This article appears in the latest issue of The protocolour weekly newsletter exploring the technology behind cryptocurrencies, one block at a time. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. We also invite you to consult our weekly magazine The protocol podcasts.
The graph shows that Bitcoin fees increase dramatically after the launch of Runes, and then decrease slightly. (BitDigest)
RUN THE PARTY? The “halving” of Bitcoin, which occurs every four years, was supposed to lead to sharp cut in revenue for cryptocurrency miners, as their compensation for new data blocks would decrease by 50%. Simultaneous, however, is the launch of the new Casey Rodarmor brand Rune protocol – to mint digital tokens on the oldest and largest blockchain – has proved so popular that it has caused massive network congestion, sending transaction fees to record levels and showering Bitcoin miners with a windfall like never before. On a halving watch the party hosted by Tone Vays, longtime Bitcoin experts expressed shock at transaction fees exceeding $2 million in some blocks, compared to a more typical level of under $100,000. The big questions now are whether rune fever will last and, if so, how Bitcoin will adapt. The BitDigest newsletter released a chart (above) showing a sharp drop in fees as the initial post-Runes launch faded. But the discussion in the community immediately turned to the question of whether the extra traffic could push developers to accelerate their attempt to develop and improve Bitcoin layer-2 networks. On Monday, one of the most notable projects, Stacks, launched its long-awaited “Nakamoto“, meant to significantly increase speed. “Anything that causes an increase in fees will probably push people to look for other solutions,” said Ava Chow, developer of Bitcoin Core. he said in an interview with CoinDesk’s Daniel Kuhn. Rodarmor, who created the Ordinal protocol for “Bitcoin NFT” last year, shaking up conservative blockchain culture, he famously claimed that the Runes protocol was nothing more than a way to throw “sh!tcoin” on Bitcoin – a risky proposition given the way bitcoiners Long-time anti-altcoins tend to be. Now there is speculation that the best collections of Ordinals may move to airdrop runes, another practice imported from other blockchains. The Bitcoin NFT Runestones project, led by the pseudonymous developer Leonidasit is reportedly being airdropped DOG Coins to the holders of his registrations. Meanwhile, some of the newly minted runes are getting shocking ratings listed on various cryptocurrency exchanges. Bitcoin.com valued that a rune called “Z•Z•Z•Z•Z•FEHU•Z•Z•Z•Z•Z,” or “Z•FEHU” for short, already has a fully diluted valuation of over $2 billion. (By the way, to type that dot in the middle of the trading ticker, a Rune Convention, type option-8 on your Mac keyboard. I had to ask our markets editor how to do it. At this rate, it might be something we all need to learn.)
CELO’S CHOICE. The lead developer behind the Celo layer 1 blockchain, after a months-long search for a technology provider for its migration to become a layer 2 network on Ethereum, chose to recommend OP Stack by Optimism. Teams representing rival Tier 2 networks Arbitrum, Polygon and zkSync had competed for Celo’s business, with the selection process starting to resemble that of TV”The hen party.”
COSMOS 🐞– Asymmetric Research, a security firm that contributes to the Wormhole interoperability protocol, has revealed details of a vulnerability affecting the Cosmos blockchain ecosystem. could have put more than $150 million at risk.
BEEPSTER: Bitcoin Core Developer Ava Chow led the nomination process to name five new editors for the BIPs, or Proposals for improving Bitcoin – the standard for proposing non-binding software updates that will change the Bitcoin protocol in some way, our Daniel Kuhn reported. The months-long search effort was finalized Monday, after Jonatack did so changes at BIP GitHub. A lingering question is whether adding editors will make it easier to push through proposals like the pending one OP_CATwhich, despite the formal process, has not been assigned a PIF number reports that originally suggested otherwise.
Last week’s top picks from our Protocol Village column, highlighting the main updates and innovations in blockchain technology.
1. Metis has unveiled phase 2 of its decentralized sequencer, adding new technical features and introducing “Sequencer Mining” to users, according to the team.
Screenshot from Metis’ video showing how its decentralized sequential architecture (Metis) works
2. Neurathe EVM-compatible layer 1 blockchain for AI from the Ankr team, based on Cosmos SDKhas just released its public testnet, now available to developers who want to build dApps that blend AI and Web3, according to the team.
Neura’s high-level architecture. (Neura)
3. (EXCLUSIVE VILLAGE PROTOCOL) Omni Foundationwhich supports Omni Network, which is a Layer 1 chain and Ethereum-centric interoperability protocol based on restaging EigenLayer, announced the launch of the Omni Network mainnet on the Ethereum Arbitrum and Optimism layer-2 networks.
4. (EXCLUSIVE VILLAGE PROTOCOL) The DODO team, who previously developed the “Proactive Market Maker”, algorithm and features including a cross-exchange aggregator, announced the launch DODOcatenaan Omni Trading Layer3, based on Arbitrum Orbit, EigenLayer and AltLayer, according to the team.
5. (EXCLUSIVE VILLAGE PROTOCOL): Alchemya blockchain development company, launched “Conducts,” a new tool that allows engineers to create and maintain a data pipeline with just a few clicks, according to the team.
Turnkey Co-Founders Jack Kearney and Bryce Ferguson (Turnkey)
Turnkeya company that builds wallet infrastructure for blockchain developers, has raised 15 million dollars in a Series A funding round led by Lightspeed Faction and Galaxy Ventures.
Runes DEXan automated market maker (AMM) platform for runes on Bitcoin, has announced the successful closing of its $2 million seed investment round, according to a Press release.
Gavin Wood gave a presentation on JAM at Token 2049 in Dubai last week. (@mattunchiviaPolkadot)
Web3 Foundation (W3F)the foundation behind the Polkadot ecosystem, announced 10 million POINT ($74.5 million) prize pool, “to promote diversity in the development of JAMa protocol that combines elements of Polkadot and Ethereum,” according to the team.
Regulatory, political and legal
Talk to some venture capitalists in the Bitcoin ecosystem and you’ll hear a variety of explanations for why there isn’t more top-down investment in blockchain-focused startups. One is that the largest investors in Bitcoin tend to be HODLers and see no reason to part with their BTC to invest money in a startup. Another is that many cryptocurrency companies, in exchange for their dollars, expect an allocation of digital tokens that would ultimately increase the price, and this is not really an option for Bitcoin startups, since the community at large is (or was, until recently) opposed to anything non-BTC. A final reason is that Bitcoin developer culture (again, until recently) was so conservative that it didn’t attract the kind of experimentation and entrepreneurship witnessed at other chains.
But there is now a growing cottage industry of venture capitalists and investment firms willing to put money into Bitcoin-focused startups, like Trammell Venture Partners (TVP) e Ten31. In February, Dan Held, a former marketing executive at Kraken who most recently served as fractional CMO for Taproot Wizards and Trust Machines, announced was joining Joe McCann’s crypto fund, Asymmetric financeas a general partner, with plans to lead a new Bitcoin DeFi Venture Fund I, aiming to raise $21 million.
TVP earlier this month published a research brief titled “The emerging Bitcoin-native venture capital landscape,” to illustrate the opportunity. The chart below shows that BTC represents more than half of the market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies, but comprises only a small fraction of the dollars in risk and number of trades:
(Trammell Venture Partner)
June 11-13: ApexXRP Ledger Developer Summit, Amsterdam.
8-11 July: EthCCBrussels.
Tech
Hollywood.ai by FAME King Sheeraz Hasan Promulgates a Complete Ecosystem that Unites Web3, Cryptography, AI and Entertainment for Spectacular Global Tech Innovation
The one and only FAME King Sheeraz Hasan is launching Hollywood.ai, a revolutionary platform designed to integrate the cutting-edge realms of Web3, cryptocurrency, AI, finance and entertainment. This revolutionary initiative is set to create a seamless, interactive and intuitive ecosystem where the world’s leading technology luminaries can collaborate on innovations, ultimately redefining the future of digital interaction.
Hollywood.ai represents the convergence of the most complex technologies of all time. Fusing Web3 principles, cryptocurrency utilities, AI advances, and financial machinery, Sheeraz’s platform aims to become the nucleus for innovation and modernization. It provides a high-tech environment where technology and creativity collide harmoniously, paving the way for new paths in the digital economy.
A defining feature of Hollywood.ai is the integration of cryptocurrency into the AI ecosystem, transforming AI into a tokenized asset with full cryptographic utility. Sheeraz’s novel approach presents new avenues to leverage the myriad capabilities of AI in the financial realm, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for developers and users alike. Through the amalgamation of AI and cryptocurrency, Hollywood.ai is paving the way for an incredibly interconnected digital space unlike anything seen before.
The platform’s design emphasizes the undeniable symbiosis between various technology sectors. Under Sheeraz’s careful orchestration, Web3 technologies facilitate decentralized collaboration, while AI tools offer enhanced potential for data analytics, content creation, and audience engagement. Additionally, the inclusion of financial innovations ensures rapid mobility of both monetization and investments, providing a holistic environment that meets the ever-evolving demands of the technology and entertainment segments.
Sheeraz’s Hollywood.ai is poised to become the premier hub for industry leaders, developers, and creators to support and empower the next generation of digital experiences. This initiative aspires to drive the emergence of new tools, applications, and services that set new standards for advanced engagement and interaction.
Known for making the impossible possible, Sheeraz envisions a future where global audiences actively participate in designing the next A-list stars from scratch. Hollywood.ai will allow users to watch their creations evolve from simple concepts to 3D talents that can act, sing and perform just like human actors.
The Hollywood.ai platform leverages AI technology to deliver personalized fan engagement, real-time sentiment analysis, and informed content creation. By combining cutting-edge AI capabilities with Sheeraz’s deep understanding of celebrity branding, Hollywood.ai gains immense control over public figures.
Undeniably, FAME’s number one strategist Sheeraz Hasan continues to cement his reputation as a pioneer in the fields of FAME and technology. The power and influence of this latest development brings him closer to total world domination.
Tech
Online Broker Futu Offers Cryptocurrency Trading in Hong Kong, With Nvidia and Alibaba Stock as Rewards
Futu Securities International, Hong Kong’s largest online broker, has launched retail cryptocurrency trading in the city, offering shares of Alibaba Holding Group AND Nvidia as a reward in an attempt to attract investors. Futu has begun allowing Hong Kong residents to trade Bitcoin and ether, the world’s two largest cryptocurrencies, directly on the brokerage platform using Hong Kong or U.S. dollars, the company announced Thursday.
The online retail broker said last month that it had received an upgrade to its securities license from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), allowing Futu to offer virtual asset trading services to both professional and retail clients in the city.
Futu’s move comes as Hong Kong seeks to boost its attractiveness as a business hub for virtual assets, with the city government launching a series of new cryptocurrency policy initiatives over the past two years, including a mandatory licensing regime for cryptocurrency exchanges.
In addition to offering cryptocurrency trading on its flagship brokerage app, Futu is also seeking a cryptocurrency trading license for its new PantherTrade platform. That platform is among 11 in Hong Kong that are currently “deemed licensed” for cryptocurrency trading, an arrangement that allows them to operate in the city while they await full approval from the SFC.
Hong Kong’s progress in becoming a crypto hub has encountered various challenges, including exit of the major global platforms and relatively low trading activity for cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds offered on local stock exchanges.
Futu is now offering a series of incentives to potential investors, amid a cryptocurrency bull market that has seen the price of bitcoin rise 45 percent this year.
Hong Kong investors who open accounts in August and deposit HK$10,000 (US$1,280) over the next 60 days can receive HK$600 worth of bitcoin, a HK$400 supermarket voucher or a single Chinese stock. e-commerce giant Alibaba. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
By holding 80,000 U.S. dollars for the same period, users can get 1,000 Hong Kong dollars in bitcoin or a share of U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) chip maker Nvidia, whose shares have risen more than 140 percent this year.
A Futu representative said the brokerage firm will also waive cryptocurrency trading fees starting Thursday until further notice.
Futu is the first online brokerage in Hong Kong to allow retail investors to buy cryptocurrency directly on its platform. SFC rules require it to offer this service through a tie-up with a licensed cryptocurrency exchange. Futu is partnering with HashKey Exchange, one of only two licensed exchanges in Hong Kong, according to the representative.
Futu’s local rival Tiger Brokers also said in May that it had begun offering cryptocurrency trading services to professional investors on its platform following a license update. The SFC defines professional investors as those with more than HK$8 million in their investment portfolios or corporate entities with assets exceeding HK$40 million.
Tech
Tech Crash: $2.6 Trillion Market Cap Vanishes as ‘Magnificent 7’ Prices Stumble
A group of seven megacap tech stocks, often called the Magnificent 7, have lost more than $2.6 trillion in value over the past 20 days, or an average of $125 billion per day over the period. In total, these stocks have lost “three times the value of the entire Brazilian stock market.”
This according to the economic news agency Letter from Kobeissiwho noted on the microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter) that the Magnificent 7 batch “is worth as much as Nvidia’s entire current market cap in 20 days,” with Nvidia itself having lost $1 trillion from its high.
Source:Letter from Kobeissi on the X
The group, which includes Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Meta and Tesla, has undergone a significant correction: in the last 20 days Nvidia has lost 23% of its value, or about $800 billion, while Tesla has fallen 19%, losing $164 billion.
Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta all posted losses of between 9% and 15%, losing between $257 billion and $554 billion in market capitalization, wiping out a total of $200 billion more “than every single German stock market tock combined.”
Tech titans, which have outperformed the broader S&P 500 index since the market bottom of 2022, are now facing a reckoning as investors grow increasingly wary about the sustainability of their meteoric rise, with Nvidia taking the lead soaring 110% since the beginning of the year and over 2,300% in the last five years.
Earnings reports from these companies, starting with Microsoft and culminating with Nvidia in late August, will be closely watched for signs of weakness. Their performance could set the tone for broader market sentiment, with implications for everything from cryptocurrency to other high-risk assets.
Their poor performance comes after a leading macroeconomist, Henrik Zeberg, reiterated his forecast of an impending recession that will be preceded by a final wave in key sectors of the market, but which can potentially be the worst the market has seen since 1929the worst bear market in Wall Street history.
In particular, the Hindenburg Omen, a technical indicator designed to identify potential stock market crashes, began flashing just a month after its previous signal, raising concerns about a possible impending stock market downturn.
The indicator compares the percentage of stocks hitting new 52-week highs and lows to a specific threshold. When the number of stocks hitting both extremes exceeds a certain level, the indicator is said to be triggered, suggesting a greater risk of a crash.
Featured Image via Disinfect.
Tech
Trump Fights for Cryptocurrency Vote at Bitcoin Conference
To the Bitcoin Conference 2024 In Nashville, Tennessee, former President Donald Trump delivered a keynote speech.
Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, used the platform to appeal to the tech community and solicit donations for the campaign. During the conference, He said:
I promise the Bitcoin community that the day I take the oath of office, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ anti-crypto crusade will be over… If we don’t embrace cryptocurrency and Bitcoin technology, China will, other countries will. They will dominate, and we can’t let China dominate. They are making too much progress as it is.
Trump’s speech focused heavily on cryptocurrency policy, positioning it as a partisan issue. He said that if reelected, he would fire SEC Chairman Gary Gensler on his first day in office, a statement that drew enthusiastic applause from the audience. This statement marked a stark contrast to Gensler’s tenure, which has been characterized by rigorous oversight of the cryptocurrency industry.
The former president outlined several pro-crypto initiatives he would undertake if elected. These include transforming the United States into a global cryptocurrency hub, keeping all government-held Bitcoin as a “national Bitcoin reserve,” establishing a presidential advisory council on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, and developing power plants to support cryptocurrency mining, emphasizing the use of fossil fuels.
Trump’s current embrace of cryptocurrencies represents a reversal from his stance in 2021, when described Bitcoin as a “scam against the dollar.” He also noted that his campaign has received $25 million in donations since accepting cryptocurrency payments two months ago.
The event featured other political figures, including Republican Senators Tim Scott and Tommy Tuberville, as well as Democratic Representatives Wiley Nickel and Ro Khanna. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also spoke at the conference.
Trump’s appearance at Bitcoin 2024 reflects growing support for his campaign from some tech leaders, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and cryptocurrency entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.
While Trump has described the current administration as “anti-crypto,” Democratic Congressman Wiley Nickel said Vice President Kamala Harris is taking a “forward-thinking approach to digital assets and blockchain technology.”
This event underscores the growing political importance of cryptocurrency policy in the upcoming presidential election.
Kamala Harris and Democrats Respond on Cryptocurrencies
In a strategic move to repair strained relations, Vice President Kamala Harris’ team has initiated a dialogue with major cryptocurrency industry players. This outreach aims to restore the Democratic Party’s stance on digital assets and promote a more collaborative approach.
THE Financial Times reports that Harris’s advisors have reached out to representatives from industry leaders like Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple Labs. This move comes as the cryptocurrency community increasingly supports Republican candidate Donald Trump, reflecting growing dissatisfaction with the current administration’s cryptocurrency policies.
THE disclosure follows a letter from Democratic lawmakers and 2024 candidates urging the party to reevaluate its approach to digital assets. Harris’s team stresses that this effort is less about securing campaign contributions and more about engaging in constructive dialogue to develop sensible regulations.
The move is part of a broader strategy to reshape the Democratic Party’s image among business leaders, countering perceptions of an anti-business stance. Harris’ campaign aims to project a “pro-business, responsible business” message.
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