Category: AI

TheStellarDevelopmentFoundationandglobalpaymentgiantMastercardhaveteameduptoenablethelabelingofremittancesandpeer-to-peertransfersontheStellarnetwork.ThepartnershipwillalsointegrateMastercard’sCryptoCredentialsystemintotheStellarnetwork. MastercardandtheStellarDevelopmentFoundationagreedonagoalthataimstoembedtheStellarnetworkwithMastercard’sCryptoCredentialSystem.Thesystem’sintegrationwillunlocklegitimateandapprovedinteractionsbetweenotherpublicblockchainnetworksandStellar. StellarintegratescryptographiccredentialsintotheStellarnetwork Todayat#Meridian2024inLondon,weannouncedanewpartnershipwith@Mastercardtointegratethecompany’sCryptoCredentialsolutionwiththeStellarnetwork.https://t.co/twivBHsrpt —Stellar(@StellarOrg)October15,2024 Thetwoentitiesalliedinresponsetoanexistingbarrierinthecomplexuserexperienceofcryptocurrencytransfers.TheCryptoCredentialSystemwillensureusersintheStellarecosysteminitiateandcompletecrypto-poweredtransactionsusingonlytherecipient’semailaddress.Thesystemwillassociatethesenderandtherecipientsbehindthescenestoensurethetransactionexecutesasintendedincompliancewithpaymentregulations. OncesuccessfullyintegratedintoStellar’sblockchain,theremittancesystemwillunlockarangeofcompliantandsecureutilitiesfordigitalassetwalletproviderslikeCoins.ph,MercadoBitcoin,andWirex. Thesystemwillalsooverseetrustworthyinteractionsbetweencustomersandbusinesses,ensuringallusersmeetpredeterminedverificationstandards.Thetechnologywillalsopromotecertaintyamongusersbyallowingtheexchangeofmetadataandvitalinformationthatusersmayneedtorelay,especiallywhenexecutingcross-borderpaymentsandinternationaltransactions. Thetwoentitieswillinitiallyaimtopermitcredentialingforpeer-to-peertransfersandremittancesonStellar’sblockchain.ThedealwillthenextendtoinvestigatinghowSteller’secosystemcanbenefitfromMastercard’sservicestounlocknewandtransformativeapplicationsforWeb3development. MastercardCryptoCredentialontheStellarnetworksimplifiestransactionsandimprovessecurity,makingblockchaintechnologymoreaccessibleandappealingtomoreusersglobally. DenelleDixon,CEOoftheStellarDevelopmentFoundation,saidthecollaborationwillmaketransactionsontheStellarnetworkmoreefficientthantheycurrentlyare,allowingthenetworktounlockawiderrangeofusecases. “CollaboratingwithMastercardtointegrateMastercardCryptoCredentialintotheStellarecosystemwillmaketransferringfundssaferandfaster,enablingawiderangeofusecasesandfurtherdrivingadoptionofblockchaintechnology.” -DenelleDixon Mastercardpushesforcryptomainstreamadoption Mastercardhascontinuouslyspearheadedtheintegrationofcryptocurrenciesandblockchaintechnologyintotraditionalmainstreamfinance.ThemultinationalpaymentcardservicecorporationpioneeredthelaunchoftheCryptoCredentialsystemon29thMaytosimplifycryptotransactionsbyreplacingcomplexblockchainaddresseswithuser-friendlytagssuchasemailaddresses. Lastmonth,thepaymentcardservicecompanypioneeredanewdebitcardfornon-custodialwalletsthatsupportsmultipledigitalassets,includingBitcoin.TheinnovativedevelopmentwasduetoapartnershipwithMercuryo,aEuropeancryptopaymentsprovider. TheMastercard-powereddebitcardcalledSpendfacilitatescardownerstospendtheircryptoassetsdirectlyfromtheirwalletsacrossdifferentchains.ThecardfunctionsasatypicaldebitcardwithinteroperabilityacrossMastercard’snetworkofmerchants.TheSpenddebitcardalsointegrateswithGooglePlayandApplePayplatformstofacilitatecryptopaymentsolutionsonline. cryptopolitan.com

Tesla,theelectricvehicleleader,hastransferreditsentireBitcoin(BTC)holdings,worthapproximately$765million,toaseriesofunidentifiedwallets,raisingquestionsaboutthecompany’sstrategytowardcrypto. AccordingtoArkhamIntelligencedata,thetransfersinvolved11,500Bitcointhatweremovedover26distincttransactionstomultiplenewaddresses.Despitethelarge-scaleshift,thefundshavenotbeenlinkedtoanycryptoexchanges,indicatingthatTeslamaynotbeliquidatingitsBitcoinatthistime. ThemovemarksthefirsttimeTesla’sBitcoinwallethasseenactivitysinceJune2022.Priortothetransfers,thewallethadbeendormant,leavingmanyindustryobserverstospeculateonthefirm’splans. TeslafirstenteredtheBitcoinmarketinFebruary2021,purchasing$1.5billionworthofthecrypto.Inthemonthsfollowing,thecompanysoldportionsofitsholdings,including4,320BTCinearly2021andanadditional29,160BTCin2022. CEOElonMuskbrieflyallowedBitcoinasapaymentoptionforTeslavehiclesin2021,butthedecisionwasquicklyreversedduetoenvironmentalconcerns.However,helaterstatedonsocialmediathatthefirmwouldacceptBTCpaymentsagainonce55%ofthepowerusedforthenetworkcamefromrenewablesources. Thelatesttransferhasreignitedspeculation,butthecompanyhasyettomakeapublicstatementaboutthemovement.Musk’sotherventure,SpaceX,continuestohold8,285BTC,valuedatover$553million,makingitoneofthelargestprivateBitcoinholders. FurtherinsightintoTesla’sBitcoinstrategymayemergeduringthecompany’sthird-quarterfinancialreport,expectedonOct.23. ThemarketresponsetoTesla’slatestBitcoinactivityhasbeenminimal,withtheflagshipcryptocontinuingtodisplaybullishsignsamidsustainedmarketoptimismforhigherprices. Asofpresstime,Bitcoinwastradingat$67,270,up2.2%overthepast24hours,basedonCryptoSlatedata. cryptoslate.com

Ethereum,whichhasseenastronguptickinthepastday,madeoneofthebiggestreturnsonthecryptocurrencymarketduringQ4.Followingweeksofsluggishrecovery,Ethereum\'spricehasexperiencedasharpincrease,anditiscurrentlyexhibitingthestrongestrevivalsincethestartofthequarter.Aftersurpassingseveralsignificantresistancelevels,ETHiscurrentlytradingatabout$2,616. Thisrecentsurgecanbeattributedinlargeparttothenotableincreaseinopeninterest.Anincreaseinopeninterestindicatesthatmoreinvestorsandtradersarejoiningthemarket,whichfrequentlyresultsinincreasedvolatilityandthepossibilityofadditionalpriceincreases. Sincemorelongandshortpositionsarebeingopened,anincreaseinopeninterestusuallysignifiesgrowingmarketconfidence.Technicallyspeaking,Ethereumhasclearedsignificantresistancelinesthathaveheldtheassetdownformonthsandrecoveredfromitsmostrecentsupportlevelsaround$2,400.Thepriceperformancehasalsomovedinthedirectionofanupwardtrend. Thebreakofthe50-daymovingaverage,whichfrequentlymarksthestartofamorerobustbullishtrend,hasoccurred.ThereisstillmoreresistanceforEthereumtoovercome,though,especiallyinthe$2,800pricerange,whichmightbedifficulttodowithoutenoughbuyingpressure. WhetherEthereumcanmaintainthismomentumoverthenextfewdaysisthequestionathand.Therecentspikeinopeninterestmayindicatethattradersaregearingupformoresignificantmarketmovements,butitremainstobeseenifthiswillresultinanothersignificantpushorifprofit-takingwillhalttherally. ShibaInuuptrendahead? ShibaInulookstobeabouttomoveintoanewbullishphasebasedonrecentpriceactivitythatpointstoapossibleupwardtrend.Combininganoteworthyincreaseinpricewithon-chainactivity,SHIBmaybeasignofimprovedmarketperformanceinthenearfuture. Apossiblebullishreversalhasbegun,accordingtotechnicalanalysis,asSHIBhasbrokenoutofasignificantresistancelevelatapproximately$0.000018.Asustainedholdabovethislevelcouldindicateanewupwardtrendforthememecoin,sotradersandinvestorsshouldkeepacloseeyeonit.Bullishinvestorsmaysettheirsightson$0.000020asthenexttargetifthepricecanmaintainitsholdabovethiscruciallevel. AbreakoutabovethislevelwouldindicateamoresubstantialreversalandmightforceSHIBtorevisithigherresistancelevelsfromearlierintheyear. Itisimportanttorememberthatthereisstilluncertaintyonthecryptocurrencymarketasawhole,andSHIBwillrequiresteadybuyingpressuretomaintainitsupwardmomentum.Investorslookingtoconfirmthebeginningofanewbullishmarketphaseshouldkeepacloseeyeonbothpriceactionandon-chainsignals. Solanafacessomerisks Onitschart,Solanalookstobedevelopingapossibledouble-toppattern,whichcouldindicatetroubleforthestockinthenearfuture.Inrecentweeks,SOL\'spricehasbeenrisingsteadily,gettingclosertothecrucial$155mark. Becausetheassethashistoricallyshownthispricepointtobeastrongresistancelevel,thereisrisingconcernthatthemarketmightnothaveenoughmomentumtoovercomeit.Generallyregardedasabearishformation,thedouble-toppatternhappenswhenthepricetestsaresistanceleveltwiceandfailstobreakaboveit,leadingtoadecline. InSolana\'scase,thechartindicatesthattheassethadpreviouslyhitthis$155markandhadexperiencedalargepullbackduetoitsinabilitytomaintainanyfurthergains.Tradersandinvestorsarenowwaryoftheprospectsofanotherreversal,asSOLisgettingclosertothisleveloncemore. Therefore,Solanaisnotbenefitingfromthecurrentstateofthemarket.Thiskindofincreaseintradingvolumethatwouldnormallyaccompanyastrongbreakouthasnotoccurred,despitethepricemovementupward. Withimmediatesupportlevelsat$140and$135,Solanamayexperiencealargedeclineifitisunabletobreachthe$155resistanceoncemore.Tradersshouldcloselymonitorthe$155thresholdforthetimebeing.AbearishphaseforSolanacouldsoonbeginiftheassetisunabletobreakoutandconfirmsthedouble-toppattern. u.today

TherecentreportbyPhoenixGroupshowsthatUniswapistheleadingDEXthatgatheredthemostwebtrafficwithinthelastmonth.ThestatisticsprovideadeeperunderstandingofthewebtrafficdistributionindifferentpopularDEXplatforms,indicatingshiftsinactivityratesandgeographicalprevalence. #WEBTRAFFICTODEXESFORTHELASTMONTH#Uniswap#PancakeSwap#Sushi#Raydium#1inch#Osmosis#LFJ#Quickswap#Balancerpic.twitter.com/qOCfoiDQrn —PHOENIX–CryptoNews&Analytics(@pnxgrp)October15,2024 UniswapDominatesDespiteaDecline Uniswap,amajordecentralizedexchangebuiltontheEthereumnetwork,recordedthehighesttotalvisits,at2.8M,lastmonth.Eventhoughitwitnessedaslumpof24.8%intrafficinthepreviousmonth,Uniswapremainsahead.Acrossthesites,theuser’saveragepageviewpersessionwasabout4.45,andmosttrafficseemedtobefromtheUnitedStates,India,andBrazil,showingtheplatform’spopularityandimpactworldwide. PancakeSwap:HoldingStronginSecondPlace PancakeSwap,DEXonBinanceSmartChain,receivedthesecond-largesttrafficwith1.2Mvisits.Thesitesawa16.7%declineintrafficthismonthbutremainssteadywithitsusers.ThismadePancakeSwapstandoutwithanaveragepagepervisitof5.81,whichimpliesthatusersaremoreinvolvedwiththisplatform. Sushi:ThirdbutStable Sushi,anotherlargeactorwithintheDEXspace,saw869kvisitslastmonth,a21.1%dropintraffic.Again,itreflectsanengaginguserlevelbydisplaying5.21pagesviewedpervisit. RaydiumFacestheSteepestDrop OfallleadingDEXs,Raydium,whichfunctionsontheSolananetwork,recordedthehighestdecrease,withatrafficdropof35.0%.Theplatformrecorded864Kvisits,andthenumberofpages/visitswas4.52. 1inch:NotableGrowth Incontrasttooveralltraffic,whichhasdippedslightlythismonth,the1inchexchangehasreporteda69,9%increaseinmonthlyvisits,reaching598K.Itwasobservedthatitsusersvisiteditanaverageof6.04pagespervisit. OsmosisandOtherPlatforms Osmosis,aDEXconnectedtotheCosmosecosystem,got223Kvisitsandhada25.3%declineintraffic.AnotherrelativelyunknownplatformwasLFJ,whichwitnessedadropof45.7%andhasvisitsof210K.Atthesametime,QuickSwapreceived198Kvisits,whichis25.7%morethaninthepreviousmonth.Balancersawfewervisits,with88.1Kuniquevisits;theoverallvisitsdeclinedby23.9%fromthelastmonth.Fromthereport,itiseasytoseethatinterestandusageofdecentralizedexchangesarequitevolatileglobally,butUniswapremainsdominantdespitethedropinactivity.ThesenumberssignifythatDEXsaregraduallyplayingasignificantroleinthecryptocurrencymarket,thoughusers’interactionschangeeachmonth. blockchainreporter.net

Crypto-focusedventurecapitalfirmsarestrugglingtoraisefundsdespitethebullishcryptomarkets,accordingtothelatestreportfromGalaxyDigitalResearch.Thereport,whichexaminescryptoVCfundraisingandthenumberofnewfunds,showsthattherewereonlyeightnewfundsinQ3of2024,andtheyraisedacombined$140million,thelowestsinceQ3of2020. Accordingtothereport,thedeclineincapitalallocationtocryptoVCcontinuesatrendthatstartedinQ3of2023.Sincethen,theallocationhasbeenfallingquarteronquarter(QoQ)toitscurrentlevel.Thereportattributedthistoeventsin2022and2023,whichcausedmanyinvestorstowithdrawfromthecryptosector. Itsaid: “Themacroenvironmentandturmoilinthecryptomarketfrom2022and2023hascombinedtodissuadesomeallocatorsfrommakingthesamelevelofcommitmentstocryptoventureinvestorsthattheydidin2021andearly2022.” Withthecontinuousdeclineincapitalallocation,thiscouldbecometheworstyearforcryptoVCintermsoffundraisingsince2020.Sofar,39newfundshaveraisedjust$1.91billion,andmostoftheVCshaveraisedsmallercapital.Theaverageandmedianfundsizesin2024arethelowestsince2017. VCinvestmentsintocryptocompaniesfall20%inQ32024 Meanwhile,justasfewernewVCfundsfocusoncrypto,existingVCshavealsopulledbackontheircryptoinvestments.Inthethirdquarterof2024,VCsinvestedonly$2.4billionintoblockchainandcryptostartupsacross478deals.Thisrepresentsa20%QoQdeclineinvalueanda17%fallinthenumberofdeals. Asthereportnoted,acontinuationofthistrendcouldsee2024endatthesamelevelorslightlylowerthan2023regardingVCinvestingincrypto.Already,thisyearhasmarkedasharpdeparturefromthecorrelationbetweenBitcoinperformanceandinvestmentincryptostartups. Thisisduetomultiplefactors,includingBitcoinnowenjoyingmostoftheattention,thankstothespotexchange-tradedfunds(ETFs)thathavefueledthiscurrentbullrun.BesidesBTC,memecoinhasalsobeenresponsibleformostoftheon-chainactivity,forcingmanytraditionalVCstoshiftattentionawayfromcrypto. “Weakallocatorinterestincryptoventure,andventurebroadly,combinedwithmarketnarrativesthatfavorBitcoinandhaveleftoutmanyofthehotnarrativesfrom2021canpartiallyexplainthedivergence.” Still,crypto-focusedVCsarepouringmoneyintotheindustry,evenifnotatpreviouslevels.Mostinvestments(85%)wereinearly-stagecompanies,whiletherestwereinmoreestablishedcompanies.However,theVCpullbackfromcryptostartupsisalsounderstandable,givenhowthevaluationofthesedealsplummeted.Thepositivenewsisthatvaluationisstartingtorebound,withtheaveragedealsizebyQ3of2024nowat$3.5millionandthemedianpre-moneyvaluationat$23million,thehighestlevelsince2022. DeFi,Layer-1networks,andAIcategoriesattractingthemostVCinvestment DespitetheVCs’fundallocationfallinginQ3,distributionwasuneven.MostVCfundraisingcurrentlyfavorsstartupsinthedecentralizedfinancesector,whichareprojectsfocusedonlending,trading,exchanges,andinvesting. Companiesinthesesectorsraised$462.3million(18.43%)ofallVCfundraisinginQ3of2024.Othertop-performingsectorsincludetheLayer-1sector,withover$400million,andtheWeb3/NFT/Gaming/DAOsector,withover$350. However,theWeb3sectorsawa39%declineinitsVCfundingthisquarter,comparedtotheDeFisector,whichsawa50%increase.Nevertheless,theAI-focusedcryptoprojectssawthemostincreaseinVCfunding,witha500%risethatledtoover$250millioninfundraising.ThisprovesthatVCsarehotforartificialintelligence,eveninthecryptoindustry. Interestingly,cryptostartupsbasedintheUSsawthemostfundingfromVCs,as44%ofthedealshadrecipientsintheUS.Thishappeneddespitethecountry’slackofregulatoryclarity,butitdoesnotcomeasatotalshockgiventhat55%ofthecapitalinvestmentswerealsofromUS-basedVCs. cryptopolitan.com

Ascryptoregainsitsvalueandevenmorevaluabletokensarelaunched,attacksagainstindividualwalletsareaccelerating.OnlyinthefirsttwoweeksofOctober,around$41Mwaslosttophishingattacks. Morethan$41MwaslosttophishingattacksinOctobersofar.EstimatesonphishingattacksinSeptembercountincidentsthatstole$46M.Certik’sestimationismuchhigher,withanincreaseinalltypesofattacksinQ3.Asmorenewcomerstryoutcrypto,walletphishingandmaliciouslinksarebecomingmorecommon.Inthepast24hoursalone,anotheraccountlost$1.57Maftersigningapermit. 🚨3hoursago,anothervictimlost$1.57Maftersigninga\"permit\"phishingsignature.💸pic.twitter.com/wDGZIMdJ7N —ScamSniffer|Web3Anti-Scam(@realScamSniffer)October15,2024 DefiHackLabsdiscoveredatotalofeightexploitsinOctober,withattackvaluesrangingfrom$100Kto$2.4M,dependingonindividualwallets.Thesumisrelativelysmallcomparedtotheoverallexploitsofexchangesinthepastfewweeks.However,theubiquityoftheattacksandtheeffectsonretailtradersmakephishingoneofthesignificantthreatsinWeb3usage. Thelosseswerealsomuchhardertorecover,ashackersmovedthemthroughDEXormixers.PhishinghacksaddtothelossesfrommoreelaborateattackslikethevalidatoraddresshacksandMEVexploits. Phishingattacksusuallyaskforactionstobesignedthroughtheuser’swallet,basedondemandstoapproveacontractorsignanothertypeoftransferorpermission.Fakephishingtokensalsotargetwalletswithcryptobalances,inanattempttoredirectfundstoafakeaddress.Permitphishingisespeciallyharmful,asitcangainpermissiontomovemultipletokens.Onesuchexamplehappenedjustdaysagowhenawalletwashackedfor$1.4Mworthofmemetokens. Thosetypesofattackshaveexistedbefore,butareacceleratinginOctober,duetoaninflowofusers.MostoftheattacksaffectEthereum,oneofthemostliquidchains,withwell-understoodsmartcontracts.Hackersoftenuseopen-sourcecontractstogeneratemaliciouslinksorevenspecificallybuiltsmartcontractsthatlookrealistic. HackedXaccountsdeliverfakelinks AsthecryptocommunityismostlyactiveonX,accountsareatriskofhacking.Octoberisanextremelyriskyperiod,asthememetokenfrenzycoincideswiththegeneralmarketrecovery.Allassetsarefairgame,fromBTCandbluechipstothelastnewmemetokenthatmaygrow1,000timesormore. OneoftheattackvectorshackedXhandles,sometimesbelongingtoinfluencersormemetokenaccounts.Insteadofsigningtobuyatoken,usersseetheirwalletsemptied.Evenpressing‘connectwallet’toalinkfromsocialmediamaycostalltheassetswithinthatwallet.Sometimes,amaliciouslinkwillbemaskedasatokenrecoverytoolorevenaprotectionagainsthacks. LinksmayappearthroughGoogleads,invitinguserstonewchains.Again,thescamwebsitewillasktheusertoconnectawallet–andinthatcase,thebestapproachistoonlyriskthetestwithanewemptywallet. Promisingairdropsorpointfarmingisalsoawaytoconvinceuserstoputtheirskepticismtosleepandgrantpermissiontotheirwallets.OneofthelatestXhandlestobehackedbelongedtotheSPX6900hotmemetoken,exposingpotentialbuyerstoamaliciousaddress.Sometimes,linkshideinwhatseemslikeharmlessoffersordownloadlinks.Withmorenewcomerstomemetokens,keepingtheirwalletsreadyfortradingatalltimes,suchincidentswillonlyaccelerate. Scamadvertisingonsocialmedia,aswellasscamreplies,areoftenanothercarrierofmaliciouslinks.CompromisedDiscordserversorexpiredinvitations,aswellascallstoinstallsoftware,maydrainwallets,oreveninstallsoftwaretocompromiseprivatekeys. cryptopolitan.com

CoinbasehasfiledamotionwiththeUSDistrictCourtfortheDistrictofColombia,wantingtheSecuritiesandExchangesCommission(SEC)todisclosedocumentsdetailingitscryptoassetclassification. However,thecommissionhasfoughtagainstCoinbase’slawsuit,askingthecourtfora3-yearwaitbeforereleasinganydocumentstotheexchange. CoinbasewantstheSECtorevealallitsdocumentsoncryptoclassification Coinbase,withthehelpofitsconsultingfirmHistoryAssociatesInc.,hassubmittedamotiontotheDistrictCourtofColumbia,requestingapartialsummaryjudgmentinitscaseagainsttheSEC.Theexchangewantstheregulatortoproducedocumentsonitscryptoclassification. Initsfiledmotion,theexchangestatedthatthecommission’sseriesofdenialsofitsFOIArequestssubmittedmorethanayearagohavepushedittoseeklegalapproval. Legally,theFOIAallowsthepublictoaskforaccesstofederalagencies’records. However,accordingtotheexchange,thecommissionclaimedthattheFOIAexemption,7(A)“maynolongerapplybasedonunspecifieddevelopments”andfailedtoprovideanyresponsivedocuments. EleanorTerrett,ajournalistatFoxBusiness,remarked: CoinbaselawyerssaytheSEChasbeenstonewallingitsattemptstogetthesedocumentsthroughFOIArequests,despitetheexchangesuingtheagencytogetaccesstothem. EleanorTerrett TheSECnowwantsthecourttograntitathree-yeartimelinetoallowittore-reviewandpotentiallyreleasethedocumentstotheexchange. CoinbaseconsultingfirmHistoryAssociatesInc.,however,hascriticizedtheSEC’srequesttothecourt,claimingtheexchangeisdelayingthedocumentrelease. Coinbase’searlierFOIArequestsfocusedontwomajorinvestigationsthattheSEChadconducted.ThefirstcenteredaroundEnigmaMPC,acryptostartupthathadtosettlewiththecommissionin2020overaccusationsofunlawfultokensale.TheotherlookedintoZacharyCoburnofEtherDelta,whosettledwiththeSECin2018,withtheexchangeinbothinstancesrequestingtheinvestigationrecords. TheSecuritiesandExchangesCommissionchargedCoinbaseInJune2023 Aboutayearago,theSECchargedCoinbasewithrunninganunregisteredsecuritiesbrokerplatformandillegallysellingandofferingsecurities. AccordingtoGurbirS.Grewal,thethendirectoroftheSEC’sdivisionofenforcement,Coinbaseknewoftheregulator’ssecuritieslaw’sapplicabilitybutchosetooverlookit.Hearguedthattheexchange’sfailuresdeprivedinvestorsofassetprotections,includinginspectionbytheSEC,recordkeepingrequirements,andsafeguardsagainstconflictsofinterests. TheSECevenrequestedthecourttoimposeinjunctionsanddisgorgementsonitsgainsandpenaltiestotheexchange.AsidefromtheSECcomplaintsbroughttocourt,CoinbasealsosuedtheSEC,hopingtocompeltheregulatortoactonapetitionforrulemakingithadfiledin2022. cryptopolitan.com

UsingdecentralizedeSIMs,travelersanddigitalnomadscaneasilyaccessglobalmobilenetworksandtheinternetwithoutneedingtousetraditionalcarriersorpayingexpensiveroamingfees. Boundless,thelatestentryinthegrowingdecentralizedphysicalinfrastructurenetworks(DePIN)industry,willlaunchitsappforinternaltestinglaterthisweekandistargetingmid-Novemberforanofficiallaunch.TheBoundlessservicewillprovideinternetaccess,isprivate,andrequiresnoKYCtopurchase,accordingtoIsaacRodgin,whoheadsBusinessDevelopmentatLiquify,ablockchaininfrastructureproviderthatmanagesvalidatornodesandsupportsblockchainprojects. BoundlessisbeinglaunchedinpartnershipwithDent,developersoftheDentnetblockchain. “EverytimeIflytoadifferentcountry,IhavetobuyeighteSIMS,”Rodginsaid,assertingthatBoundlesswillsolvethatproblem. “It\'snotaninfrastructureplayforblockchain,andit\'snotthe5Gmarketplace,”headded.“It\'sthisnewproductthat\'sacomfortablefrontendforbuying5Gdata.WeofferedtoabstractawayallthecomplexityandgivejustaWeb2userinterfacetoconnecttocomplicatedthings.” RodginsaidthatBoundless\'smainsellingpointisprivacy.“Theprivacyadvantage,becauseofdecentralization,isobfuscationofdata,”Rodginsaid.“Yourdataissenttoanaggregatedpool,andbasicallyobfuscatedandnottiedtoyouraccount.” Ofcourse,thisanonymityisonlyassecureasthewebsitesandactivitiesoftheuser.“Ifyouaredoingmaliciousthings,youcanbecaughtandtrackeddown,andyoushouldbe,”hesaid. CompetitorsbuildingdecentralizedtelecommunicationtechnologyincludeBloxsim,Helium,DCConnectGlobal,andRoam.E-commercewebsiteBitRefillofferseSIMcardsthatcustomerscanpurchasewithGooglePay,ApplePay,CreditCards,andagrowinglistofcryptocurrencies,includingBitcoin,Ethereum,USDT,andDogecoin. AccordingtoRodgin,whentheBoundlessservicefullylaunchesnextmonth,5Gdataplanscanbepurchasedusingacreditcard,Bitcoin,Ethereum,USDC,orDentX,thenativetokenoftheDentnetblockchain.Whilepricinghasnotbeendivulgedyet,RodginacknowledgedthataBoundlessplancouldendupbeingexpensiveandisforpeoplewhoaren’tafraidtopayalittlemoreforprivacy. “Priceisn\'twherewe\'reoutcompetingpeople,”hesaid.“Ifsomeone\'sjusttryingtolooktosaveafewpennies,wemightnotbethebestsolution.Andthat\'salsookay.It\'sreallygearedtowardspeoplewhowantpseudonymity,andcryptopayments.” decrypt.co

Bitcoin(BTC)infrastructurefirmBlockstreamisraisinghundredsofmillionsofdollarsinfundingaheadofBTC’snextbigwave. InapostonthesocialmediaplatformX,Blockstreamconfirmsthatitjustconcludeda$210,000,000fundingroundledbyFulgurVentures. FulgurVenturesisaventurecapitalfirmspecializinginBitcoinandLightningNetworkstart-ups. AccordingtoBlockstream,thefundswillbeusedtoquickenlayer-2developments,expandBTCminingoperationsandcontinuetogrow“oneoftheworld’slargestBTCtreasuries.” SaysBlockstreamCEOAdamBackonthesuccessfulfundraisingroundandtheadditionofanewexecutive: “ThisfundraiseispivotalinourjourneytobridgeBitcoinwithbroaderfinance. We’reexcitedtobringonMichaelMinkevichasCOO(ChiefOperationsOfficer),andtohaveFulgurVentures’supportinadvancingBitcoinfinance.” The$210,000,000financingroundwasclosedinconvertiblenotes,short-termdebtinstrumentsthatcanbeconvertedintoequity(shares)inacompanyatalaterdate,usuallyduringafuturefinancinground. Accordingtotheannouncement,thisfundingroundisconsideredacrucialstepinBlockstream’smissiontoconnectBitcoinwiththebroaderfinancesector,potentiallyhavingsignificantimplicationsforthefutureofBitcoinandthefinancialindustry. dailyhodl.com

U.S.publicly-listedcryptoexchangeCoinbaseannouncedTuesdayitisendingitsPaycheckDirectDepositservice,afeaturethathadpreviouslyalloweduserstoallocatepartoralloftheirpaychecktobepaidincrypto. “StartingNovember25,we\'llnolongersupportpaycheckdirectdepositonCoinbase,”theexchange’steamsaidinanemailsenttousersMonday.“PleaseremoveyourCoinbaseaccountfromyourpaychecktoavoiddelaysingettingpaid.” However,thedecisionhassparkedfrustration. Customersusingthepaycheckfeaturehavespokenoutonsocialmediaabouttheunexpectedchange,promptingcomplaintsfromthosewhohadreliedonitformakingconsistentcryptoinvestments. Hey@Coinbase,thissucks. I’vebeenDCAingonyourplatformforyears,andhavebeenhappytopaymarginallyhigherfeesonyourplatformfortheaddedconvenienceofdirectdepositandintegrationwithmytaxplatform.Butnowitjustdoesn’tmakessensetocontinueusing…pic.twitter.com/EhfwuFwKDe —BrandonMarshall🧙🏻‍♂️(@marshallmixing)October14,2024 ACoinbasespokespersontoldDecryptthatit“hasmadethedecisiontowinddown”thefeaturebutthatthecompanywill“bringbackabetterretaildirectdepositexperienceinthefuture.” “We’veannouncedournewCoinbaseWalletDirectDepositfeature,whichwillrolloutinthecomingmonthstoeligibleusers—furtherhelpingusersbringtheirfinanciallivesfullyon-chain,”theysaid. DirectdepositsarecomingtoCoinbaseWallet. Soonyou\'llbeabletogetpaiddirectlyincrypto,rightinyourwallet.AvailablenowinArgentina+moreregionsinthecomingmonths.pic.twitter.com/YU4kw3Hgl8 —CoinbaseWallet🛡️(@CoinbaseWallet)October14,2024 Thenewfeature,settorolloutoverthenextfewmonthstoeligibleusers,willallowcustomerstogetpaiddirectlyincrypto,whichwillbedepositedrightintotheirCoinbasewallet. Coinbasehasyettoannounceaspecificdateforthelaunchofthenewwalletservice,presentingapossiblegapbetweenthediscontinuationofthecurrentfeatureandthelaunchofthenewone. Inatweetreplytoadisgruntledcustomer,theofficialCoinbaseSupportaccountacknowledgedthat“havingagapinservicereallycanbelimiting”butaddedthat“hopefully,thiswillleadtoimprovementsdowntheline.” EditedbySebastianSinclair decrypt.co