Jan. 29: Immutable, a gaming-focused layer-2 developer, announced the early access launch of its Immutable zkEVM Mainnet, powered by Polygon. According to the team: “Immutable zkEVM is a dedicated chain for games that offers EVM compatibility, low costs, massive scaling and enterprise-grade security. Immutable zkEVM is set to expand capabilities within the gaming industry, unlocking new revenue streams for game studios and providing players with unprecedented control over their digital assets. The lineup of games committed to be among the first to launch on Immutable zkEVM include: Guild of Guardians, Metalcore, Shardbound, Treeverse and more.”
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Swell, Non-Custodial Staking Protocol, Launches Native ‘LRT’
Jan. 29: Swell, a non-custodial staking protocol, has launched its own native liquid restaking token (LRT), restaked Swell ether (rswETH), according to a press release: “The LRT has been audited by leading blockchain security firm Sigma Prime, and its development is supported by expertise from top-tier DeFi risk management firms Gauntlet and Chaos Labs, as well as collaboration with leading Actively Validated Services (AVSs) across the rapidly growing EigenLayer restaking ecosystem.” The project added: “Pearls represent a claim to future SWELL tokens, and EigenLayer Restaked Points measure contribution to the shared security of the EigenLayer ecosystem.”
DYdX Launches Liquid Staking After Governance Vote
Jan. 29: DYdX Chain has officially launched Liquid Staking after a successful governance vote. According to the team: “Liquid Staking further unlocks liquidity for the DYDX token by enabling stakers to avoid the 30 day un-bonding period. Further, users leveraging Liquid Staking may continue to earn dYdX Chain staking rewards while using the applicable liquid-staked DYDX tokens in applications like liquidity pools or lending protocols, greatly enhancing overall accessibility.”
ZkLink Completes Token Sale of $4.68M on CoinList
Jan. 29 (PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE): ZkLink a multi-Chain ZK Rollup and layer-3 protocol, has successfully completed a $4.68 million sale on CoinList in its latest Community Token Sale. According to the team, “The 31,250,000 million tokens offered represented just over 3% of the total supply at a valuation of $150 million FDV.”
Kresus, Tools for Humanity (Developer Behind Worldcoin) to Collaborate on Digital Identity
Jan. 29: Web3 “SuperApp” Kresus and Tools for Humanity, the developer of Worldcoin, “are collaborating to tackle the digital identity problem,” according to the team: “In short, the Kresus App will integrate WorldID, while Kresus Labs will advise the Tools for Humanity team on product strategy and collaborate on technical implementation. With Tools For Humanity’s access to state of the art technology developed by WorldCoin, and the Kresus ‘goof-proof’ Web3 SuperApp, these industry-leading features will further enhance both party’s respective offerings and bolster new technical and strategic offerings in the future.”
Ithaca Protocol , for On-Chain Options, Raises $2.5M, Led by Cumberland, Wintermute
Jan. 29: Ithaca Protocol, a composable option protocol, raised $2.5 million in a pre-seed funding round, co-led by Cumberland and Wintermute Ventures, according to the team: “Focused on moving a significant volume of options trading to blockchain, Ithaca aims to bridge the gap in on-chain options trading, which is currently lower than in spot and perpetual markets. Its goal is to boost the market share of crypto options. The Ithaca Protocol features a matching engine that simplifies option payoffs and supports atomic matching, addressing challenges in the on-chain options market.
BBO, DEX for Perps, Raises $2.7M, Led by Hashed, Arrington Capital
Jan. 29: BBO Exchange, a decentralized exchange for trading perpetual contracts, has raised a pre-seed funding round of $2.7M leaded by Hashed and Arrington Capital, alongside participants like Consensys and CMS Holdings. According to the team: “The platform seeks to innovate DeFi through decentralized derivative trading, leveraging Oracle Extractable Value. Highlights include an inventive auction mechanism and a multi-asset, signal-driven dynamic distribution AMM, allowing LPs to correlate price ranges with other assets. BBOX’s imminent launch on Linea’s zkEVM Layer 2 Network supported by Consensys signals a strategic move for technological advancement in the decentralized finance space.”
Banxa, Payments Infrastructure Provider, Adds SUI to Platform
Jan. 29: Sui, a layer-1 blockchain, announced that Banxa, a leading payments infrastructure provider for the crypto-compatible economy, will add the SUI token to its platform. According to the team: “The integration will increase access to the Sui blockchain for users across the world, thanks to a suite of Banxa’s global and local payment methods, which have processed over $3 billion in transactions since its launch in 2014. Additionally, Mysten Labs’ Sui Wallet will provide users the opportunity to purchase SUI tokens through Banxa’s fiat on-ramp solution and once fully integrated, to utilize its off-ramp solution.”
Centrifuge, Protocol for RWAs, Integrates With Celo Through Axelar
Jan. 25: Centrifuge, a protocol to bring real-world assets (RWAs) onchain, has integrated with the Celo blockchain through cross-chain interoperability project Axelar. “Following the integration, Centrifuge will introduce new assets to the Celo ecosystem, such as tokenized Treasury bills and carbon credit pools,” according to the team: “Centrifuge joins Celo’s robust network of real-world financial solutions such as Jia, Huma Finance, Untangled Finance, Credit Collective and more.”
Powerloom to Hold First Ever Node Mint on Polygon Network
Jan. 25: Powerloom, the composable data network, announced a partnership with Polygon Network, to launch a node mint, according to the team: “To democratize Web3 data accessibility, Powerloom aims to establish 10,000 independently run nodes. This will be facilitated by a node mint scheduled to take place on Feb. 7. Participants who mint a Soul-Bound Token (SBT) will be awarded the right to operate a Powerloom Snapshotter Lite node.”
Chainlink Functions Gets Mainnet Beta Release on Arbitrum One
Jan. 25: Chainlink and Arbitrum announced the mainnet beta release of Chainlink Functions on Arbitrum One.
Colosseum Emerges From Solana as Independent Hackathon Operator, Accelerator
Jan. 25 (PROTOCOL VILLAGE EXCLUSIVE): Colosseum has emerged from the Solana Foundation as a new, independent organization that will run future Solana Foundation online hackathons, an accelerator program and venture fund to invest in Solana builders, according to the team: “Founded by Matt Taylor, Clay Robbins and Nate Levine, Colosseum will be a new arena for the next wave of Solana projects. Hackathon winners who are accepted into Colosseum’s Accelerator Program will receive $250,000 in pre-seed capital. The inaugural event starts on March 4,2024 and interested builders can sign up here.”
DePINscan 1.0, Powered by IoTeX, Launches in Partnership With Helium, Akash, Theta
Jan. 25: Powered by IoTeX, the upgraded DePINscan 1.0 will launch in partnership with the top DePIN projects in the space such as Helium, Akash, Theta and more, “bringing data and visualizations to the public dashboard that enables anyone to view data on these networks,” according to the team: “DePINscan illuminates the DePIN market for the public by offering a comprehensive view of the sector, showcasing device counts/earnings, upcoming projects, mining opportunities and market capitalization.”
Router Protocol Announces Mainnet Launch of Nitro, Redefining Cross-Chain Asset Transfers
Jan. 25: Router Protocol, a layer-1 chain built with Cosmos SDK and designed to be an interoperability layer, announced the mainnet launch of its latest cross-chain solution, Nitro. It’s a “cross-chain intent-based bridge built on the Router Chain,” according to a press release, with “extensive support for EVM, non-EVM and zkEVM chains,” and an “additional security module (ASM) with community watch and oracle security.” According to the team, Nitro “promises a new era of lightning-fast, cost-efficient, and fortified cross-chain transactions.”
Flipside’s ‘Onchain Crypto User Report’ Says Ethereum, Polygon Led Industry in 2023 on User Acquisition
Jan. 25: Flipside Crypto, a leading on-chain data analytics and business intelligence platform, published its “Onchain Crypto User Report,” which examines user acquisition, onchain activity and trends across eight major blockchain networks, including popular EVM chains as well as Solana and Bitcoin. According to the report, Ethereum and Polygon led the industry by each acquiring over 15M new users in 2023.
Warner Music Pick MITH, Muus Collective as Winners of Accelerator Program With Polygon
Jan. 25: Warner Music Group, the global music and entertainment company, is “gearing up to announce the winners of its inaugural accelerator program, celebrating the startups that are reshaping the music industry with blockchain,” according to the Polygon Labs team: “The accelerator is the fruit of a new partnership between WMG and Polygon to empower the next generation of developers and innovators at the intersection of web3 and music. Polygon Labs and WMG have selected MITH and Muus Collective for the Accelerator, two projects helping build the future of the music x Web3 ecosystem on the Polygon network.”
Space and Time Rolls Out Open-Source GPU Acceleration Framework ‘Blitzar’
Jan. 25: Space and Time is introducing an open-source GPU acceleration framework, Blitzar, for Proof of SQL, according to the team: “Created to enhance zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs in the Web3 community, Blitzar resulted from Space and Time’s collaboration with NVIDIA, addressing the need for open-source GPU acceleration frameworks. Proof of SQL, introduced in alpha in August, enables smart contracts to verify data inquiries across diverse sources.”
Aptos Foundation Inks Partnerships With Data Providers Including Dune, Nansen
Jan. 25: Aptos Foundation is launching partnerships with data providers Dune, Nansen, Space x Time, Token Terminal, DappRadar, The Tie, Flipside Crypto and Elliptic, according to the team. The goal is to ensure they “get the most out of building on Aptos; are able to offer a full range of data integration services to everyone in the Aptos ecosystem and community; and mobilize the Move on Aptos programming language to integrate swiftly and securely. These partnerships will also make everything from data standardization to dApp searchability simpler on Aptos.”
VeChain, Enterprise-Grade Layer-1 Public Blockchain, Announces New Developer Program ‘Grant 2.0’
Jan. 25: VeChain, an enterprise-grade L1 public blockchain, announced the launch of Grant 2.0, an upgrade to its existing developer grant program, according to the team: “The new version of the program offers developers up to a new maximum of $100K in funding, a significant increase from its previous $30K limit, in addition to new marketing and microgrants, plus greater mentorship and support for sustainability grant recipients. The updated program is also designed to encourage the development of sustainability-focused decentralized ecosystems in the form of “X-to-earn” applications.”
Digital Asset Platform Web3Intelligence Raises $4.5M Ahead of New Token Rollout
Jan. 25: Web3Intelligence, the developer of Web3 investment app Dopamine, has raised $4.5 million ahead of the launch of of its native token DOPE. The private funding round included participation from DAO MAKER, Shima Capital, and Gate.io, among other investors, according to an emailed announcement shared with CoinDesk on Thursday. DOPE will serve as a utility token for accessing Dopamine, which provides a gamified experience for investment in the decentralized finance (DeFi) world.