Tech
Behind the scenes as consensus grows among the greatest
Crowds have begun arriving in Austin, Texas, for Consensus, CoinDesk’s annual cryptocurrency conference, which runs Wednesday through Friday. We are incredibly excited about all the blockchain technology programming, as well as the ability to connect IRL with many industry contacts.
Here is our rundown of all the key programming in blockchain technology. (Along with a couple of helpful links to all the side events and parties!) We also have a preview of our program Decentralized AI Summit. (The undersigned will host the Protocol Village stage for a full day and a half and interview the creator of Ordinals/Runes Casey Rodarmor on the main stage Friday. We will also do a live recording of The Protocol podcast on Thursday.)
On Tuesday, as things were heating up in the city, I made the rounds: attending a summit on how to fund Bitcoin Core developers, an event hosted by the DePIN Akash project with crypto OG Eric Vorhees, and a happy hour party hosted by developer Sui Mysten Labs, Axelar developer Interop Labs, and Big Brain Holdings, an early-stage cryptocurrency investment firm. I also walked around the show floor and took some photos. Look down.
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.
Grayscale Ethereum Trust’s discount to its net asset value (NAV) has narrowed with regulatory progress on Ethereum exchange-traded fund proposals. (Coin Metrics)
IMPLICATIONS OF THE ETH ETF – The United States Securities and Exchange Commission approved key regulatory documents for proposed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tied to the price of the Ethereum blockchain’s native cryptocurrency, ether (ETH) – after months of speculation that regulators would likely deny the instruments. While most Ethereum supporters probably applauded the move, as the price of the ETH token increased, developer shop Consensys couldn’t resist the opportunity to tweet that “this seemingly last-minute approval is yet another example of the SEC’s problematic ad hoc approach to digital assets.” Consent, that is reporting the agency, argued that the approval could mean Ethereum is no longer under threat of being declared a security, which would trigger tough regulations. The approval is not final, because the SEC has only approved 19b-4 filings for the proposals, as opposed to S-1 registration statements that would be required before ETFs can begin trading; the green light for those it could still take months. (This distinction caused a small controversy on the Polymarket betting platform, as some bettors who had bet on a denial claimed they had not officially lost.) What is clear from last week is that the SEC will not allow ETF issuers to stake their tokens ETH – essentially depriving holders of the tool to gain the extra yield. From a blockchain security perspective, this could mean that it exists less supply of ETH circulating available for use in Ethereum’s proof-of-stake consensus mechanism. “The inability for issuers to stake ETH could have potential downstream implications for ETH supply dynamics, the health of the Ethereum consensus layer, and the staking ecosystem as a whole,” according to a Tuesday report from analyst firm Coin Metrics. Another question might be how well new ETF buyers would actually understand how smart contract blockchain works.
DOGE DIRECTS: Kabosu, the Shiba Inu dog whose viral meme image inspired the creation of dogecoin, he died last week at 5pm. The success of DOGE then gave rise to a whole host of dog-themed tokens such as Shiba Inu (SHIB) and floki (FLOKI), which have since become one of the largest sectors in the industry overall. The Solana blockchain has dogwifthat (WIF). Tesla billionaire and X owner Elon Musk, whose tweets about DOGE have sent the token’s price soaring in the past, posted that “OG Doge has ascended to heaven.” In a few minutes, the the price went up up to 5% for a session high.
In a postscript to the Protocol report from last week on the discovery that two prominent researchers at the Ethereum Foundation had accepted paid consulting deals with the restaging platform EigenLayer, the foundation’s executive director, Aya Miyaguchi, wrote on X that “we have been working on a formal policy” to address potential conflicts of interest. “It is clear that relying on culture and individual judgment has not been sufficient,” she wrote.
Last week’s top picks from our Protocol Village column, highlighting the main updates and innovations in blockchain technology.
Ledger’s new “Stax” touchscreen hardware wallet (Ledger)
1. Registerthe crypto hardware wallet manufacturer, announced that Stax, a new touchscreen device, is now shipping to customers who have placed pre-orders. According to the team: “Stax is the first secure touchscreen device, offering clarity and security in signing transactions and securing your digital value. It was designed by Tony Fadell, maker of the iPod. New orders for Stax will be available this summer .”
3. Ethereum Name Service Labsthe company behind the ENS domain name protocol, proposed on Tuesday to go through a complete architectural redesign this would turn the network into a layer-2 blockchain. The proposal, called “ENSv2,” will overhaul the project’s ledger system as part of the transformation into a layer 2, which is an auxiliary network that provides cheaper transaction fees that can then be settled to the underlying blockchain, Ethereum.
4. Definity Foundationa major contributor to the Internet Computer (ICP), announced that his “EVM RPC canister”, described as “a new API that allows ICP smart contracts to read and write data across different chains”, is now live. According to the team: “The EVM RPC is another milestone in the development of Dfinity Chain fusion structure. It allows Internet Computer smart contracts to interact directly with all major blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, other EVMs and soon Solana, without having to rely on any intermediaries.”
5. Horizon Laboratoriesone of the main developers behind the Horizen blockchain, is launching “zkVerify, a dedicated zero-knowledge proof verification network designed for payment optimization, to address the largest expense that zkRollups and zkApps currently face and that limits scalability and efficiency,” according to the team: “ZkVerify alleviates the computationally intensive proof verification, allowing blockchains to focus on core functions. It integrates with several SNARK test schemes and reduces verification costs by up to 91%. It currently supports Ethereum and Bitcoin L2, with plans to expand to other architectures.
Our great annual conference begins Wednesday in Austin, Texas. We walked around and took some photos.
Crypto OG Eric Vorhees, who is now working on permissionless AI chat app Venice.ai, spoke Tuesday in Austin at a side event with Greg Osuri, CEO of Overclock Labs, creator of Akash, an open network that facilitates the secure and efficient buying and selling of computing resources. (Bradley Keun)
At the Bitcoin Network Longevity Summit on Tuesday, investors, developers and businesspeople discussed ways to provide funding to Bitcoin Core programmers. (Bradley Keun)
The show rises. The frequency of blinking will be high. (Bradley Keun)
CoinDesk programming coordinators perform a dress rehearsal with technical staff. (Bradley Keun)
Scene from the happy hour hosted by Sui developer Mysten Labs, Axelar developer Interop Labs, and Big Brain Holdings, an early-stage crypto investment company. (Bradley Keun)
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.
-
Videos9 months ago
Crypto News: Bitcoin, ETH Price, CPI Print, PYTH, WIF & MORE!!
-
Videos9 months ago
Crypto News: Bitcoin Price, ETF, ETH, WIF, HNT & MORE!!
-
DeFi9 months ago
Metasphere Labs announces follow-up event regarding
-
Videos9 months ago
Solana price potential?! Check out THIS update if you own SOL!!
-
Videos8 months ago
Who Really CONTROLS THE MARKETS!! Her plans REVEALED!!
-
DeFi6 months ago
Pump.Fun Overtakes Ethereum in Daily Revenue: A New Leader in DeFi
-
News6 months ago
New bill pushes Department of Veterans Affairs to examine how blockchain can improve its work
-
DeFi6 months ago
Degens Can Now Create Memecoins From Tweets
-
News6 months ago
Lawmakers, regulators to study impact of blockchain and cryptocurrency in Alabama • Alabama Reflector
-
Bitcoin6 months ago
1 Top Cryptocurrency That Could Surge Over 4,300%, According to This Wall Street Firm
-
Ethereum8 months ago
Comment deux frères auraient dérobé 25 millions de dollars lors d’un braquage d’Ethereum de 12 secondes • The Register
-
Videos8 months ago
Cryptocurrency News: BTC Rally, ETH, SOL, FTM, USDT Recover & MORE!