Another week, another plot twist in the crypto saga.

Stablecoins are shaking up global finance as Japan launches a game-changing USDC initiative, Europe tightens its grip on Binance, and US banks get the green light to dive into digital assets.

Meanwhile, governments are making big moves — Trump is rumored to be stacking XRP, SOL & ADA, El Salvador is doubling down on Bitcoin, and China might be quietly building its own BTC reserve.

On the Web3 adoption front, PayPal, Reddit & LINE Messenger are bringing blockchain to the masses, while Coinbase is eyeing tokenized stocks. Oh, and someone wants to put TikTok on-chain — because why not?

With all these shifts, the line between TradFi, DeFi, and government control is getting blurrier by the day. Let’s dive into what’s happening and what it means for crypto’s future.

And finally, for those attending events: Sheeets.xyz currently has a side event schedule for SXSW going - Enjoy!

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

📰 Global Stablecoin Shakeup as Japan, Europe and US Banks Transform Digital Money

New developments in stablecoins are popping up all across the globe. Japan is gearing up for a game-changing move as SBI VC Trade is set to launch the first global dollar stablecoin for USDC transactions starting Wednesday, a step that could seriously shake up cross-border payments.

Over in Europe, regulators are prompting Binance to pull the plug on USDT and several other stablecoins, underscoring an evolving compliance landscape.

Meanwhile, Tether is taking transparency to the next level by appointing a new CFO as part of its drive toward a full financial audit.

On top of that, new rules now allow US banks to offer crypto and stablecoin services, which could further integrate traditional finance with the crypto world.

📰 On-Chain TikTok? Web2 Giants Embrace Crypto as PayPal, Reddit and LINE Messenger Make Bold Moves

Traditional players are dipping their toes into blockchain waters. For instance, PayPal has revealed that its ultimate goal is to blend crypto with traditional payments, hinting at a future where everyday transactions might be powered by blockchain tech.

Adding to the trend, a Reddit co-founder is eyeing a move to bring TikTok on-chain, which could radically change how social media operates.

And over in Asia, LINE Messenger is boosting adoption by integrating Kaia-powered mini dapps directly into its app.

Lastly, Coinbase is venturing into tokenizing traditional equities, showing that even the established finance world is ready for a blockchain makeover.

📰 World Governments Go Crypto Crazy: Trump, El Salvador, India & China Set Bold Digital Asset Rules

Governments across the globe are stepping up as digital assets reshape economies. In the US, Trump has officially signed the executive order to build a crypto reserve including XRP, SOL, and ADA, signaling a bold move to integrate crypto into national financial strategy.

El Salvador is fast-tracking its Bitcoin purchases, even as challenges with the IMF persist, reaffirming its pioneering stance in the crypto space.

Over in the UK, authorities are setting strict precedents by sentencing the country’s first illegal crypto ATM operator to four years in prison, while India is preparing to monitor digital activities, including cryptocurrency holdings starting April 2026.

Rumors are also swirling that China is working on a strategic Bitcoin reserve, highlighting how government actions on crypto are gaining traction worldwide.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• White House Crypto Summit Not Expected to Announce Capital Gains Tax Exemptions, Cryptocurrency Prices Drop

• South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service Set to Approve BTC ETFs Soon, Following Japan’s Lead

• Netherlands Ranks as the Most Crypto-Obsessed Country in the World

• Crypto Market Is Becoming a Weapon, Warns CryptoQuant CEO

• OnlyFans Star Amouranth Shoots Armed Robber During $20M Bitcoin Heist Attempt

• David Sacks Confirms Selling Crypto Holdings Before Joining Trump Administration

• Kraken to Start Second Phase of FTX Creditor Repayments in May

• Bhutan's $1B Bitcoin Reserves Fund Salaries, Boost Economy with Hydropower Mining

• Why Indians Are Embracing Crypto Despite the Government Opposing It?

• Chainlink (LINK) Indicators Suggest Mixed Signals After an 11% Weekly Gain

• Traders Are Disproportionally Favoring Options Over Futures for Bitcoin Compared to Ethereum

• PancakeSwap Surpasses $80B in Monthly Volume, Thanks to BNB Chain’s Recovery

• How Bitcoin Donations Can Transform Global Aid and Reduce Your Tax Bill

• Singapore’s Interior Minister Warns Citizens to Avoid Cryptocurrencies

• US Urged to Sell Government’s 1.4 Billion lbs of Cheese Reserves to Buy Bitcoin

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• DeFi Lender Aave Weighs Changing Tokenomics to “Fee Switch on Steroids”

• Ethereum Devs Activate Pectra Upgrade on Sepolia Testnet in Last Phase Before Mainnet Rollout

• Crypto IPO Wave: Gemini, Kraken, and BitGo Target Public Listings

• Ondo Finance TVL Surpasses $1B, Becoming Largest RWA Platform

• Binance Will Allow Community Votes on Token Listings and Delistings

• BNB Chain Reveals Mainnet Launch Details for Pascal Hardfork

• Canary Capital Registers SUI ETF in Delaware

• Cardano Foundation Aims to Accelerate Blockchain Adoption in Brazil’s Public Sector

• Méliuz Becomes First Publicly-Traded Brazilian Company to Invest in Bitcoin, Allocates 10% of Cash Reserves

💀 RUG PULLS & LEGAL UPDATES

• SEC To Drop Lawsuit Against Kraken As War on Crypto Collapses

• SEC Drops Yuga Labs Investigation into BAYC NFTs and ApeCoin

• UK Sentences First Illegal Crypto ATM Operator to Four Years in Prison

• Beijing Court Sides with Justin Sun in Landmark Defamation Dispute

• US Authorities Seize $31M in Crypto Tied to Uranium Finance Hack

• Meme Coin Rug Pullers Could Face 20 Years in Prison Under New York’s Proposed Bill

• US Senate Votes to Repeal IRS DeFi Reporting Rule

• Yescoin Founder Arrested by Police Amid Repeated Delays in Token Launch

• China Warns About DeepSeek Crypto Scams Targeting Investors

• Federal Seizure Recovers $8.2M in Crypto from Text Message Scam

• Sam Bankman-Fried Discusses Legal Case and Crypto Regulation in Prison Interview

• AI and Crypto Scams Predicted to Escalate in 2025, Warns North American Securities Watchdog

• GrokCoin: How Elon Musk’s AI Triggered a $25M Token Surge and Sparked Scam Fears

👔 WEB3 JOBS

Interested in listing your job openings on 0xcareers and Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

• Finance Manager at OKX

• Head of Financial Crime at BCB Group

• Junior DeFi Software Engineer at Blockchain.com

• Executive Assistant at Bitpanda

And many many more web3 jobs!

Interested in advertising in Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the Coins or NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

The crypto market may be throwing some curveballs this week, but the real action is happening behind the scenes.

This week, we’re seeing a historic shift — President Trump is set to host the first-ever White House Crypto Summit, the SEC is easing up on key cases, and states are battling it out over Bitcoin reserve bills.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s wild ride has traders on edge, dipping below $80K before bouncing back.

And with NFT gaming heating up, 2025 could be the year blockchain games finally break into the mainstream.

Finally, We’re making moves off Twitter. Hit us with a follow on LinkedIn and help us build a stronger crypto community where the algo isn’t out to wreck us.

PS — SXSW is this week and … we’ve got you covered. Check out our side events list at sheeets.xyz and make sure you don’t miss the best parties.

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

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📰 Crypto Summit at the White House?

The markets may be down, but this week’s crypto news from the States is looking pretty exciting. President Trump is gearing up to host the first-ever White House Crypto Summit, which has got everyone talking.

Speaking of Trump, his new crypto-friendly SEC is proving to be quite chill. They’re dropping the probe into Robinhood, nixing the MetaMask lawsuit, and ditching the case against Uniswap as well as Consensys. They’ve also made it clear at last that meme coins aren’t considered securities, degens rejoice!

Although OKX has to pay up for legal charges with the US DOJ, other exchanges are having a great time.

On the state side, while Montana shot down its Bitcoin Reserve Bill along with South Dakota, Texas passed theirs in an overwhelming majority. It’s a sign that even in the midst of optimism, there’s still plenty of debate on how best to move forward.

📰 Don’t Panic! Here’s Why Your BTC Bags Dumped (& Why They’re Back Up)

Bitcoin took quite a big hit this week. With ETF outflows firing off bear market warnings, Bitcoin dropped below $80K. Some analysts are even saying it could slide down to around $75K, which could mean more choppy waters ahead.

One expert explained why Bitcoin is crashing and reassured everyone that it isn’t because of Trump tariffs, but rather a regular market correction setting the stage for a rebound. In other words, while it feels rough now, these corrections are part of Bitcoin’s natural rhythm.

After a low sentiment for most of the week, recent bullish news, renewed institutional confidence, and positive regulatory signals have pushed Bitcoin back to the $90K mark now, so that dip may have been a perfect setup for the next big move.

📰 2025 NFT Gaming Explosion: Deadfellaz, Pudgy Penguins & MapleStory Set to Change the Game

Whenever memecoin season cools off and BTC starts trading sideways, I look toward NFT gaming as the likely next wave. With clearer regulations around crypto and NFTs expected in 2025, gaming adoption is set to boom.

First up is Death Touch from the Deadfellaz team, which has gained some recent buzz on X. Slated for a Q1 2025 launch, this mobile-first TCG is set to break barriers with zero gas fees on Skale and a killer mix of NFT lore and gameplay. Along with two other games in the works and a secret test the other day, DFZ could spark the NFT gaming flame very soon.

Beyond that, Pudgy Penguins is dropping a fresh title in early 2025 that promises to reinvent social elimination royale games. MapleStory is even in on the action, recently completing their second round of check-in rewards for the upcoming Maplestory N - a reimagined classic turned AVAX-powered playground that blends nostalgia with blockchain tech.

With top-notch production and a smoother experience for new players, it looks like NFT gaming is ready to break out of its niche. Get ready, 2025 is shaping up to be a game changer!

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Binance Founder CZ’s First DEX Trade Triggers a 50% Rally for TST Meme Coin

• Safe Wallet Found Responsible for ByBit’s $1.5 Billion Hack

• Russia’s Power Grid Hit by Unauthorized Crypto Mining, Losing Over 1.3 Billion Rubles

• GameStop CEO confirms receiving Bitcoin investment proposal from Strive CEO

• Metaplanet and El Salvador Add to Bitcoin Holdings Before Price Drop

• TradFi coalition urges Trump to overhaul ‘restrictive’ Biden-era crypto policies

• Bernstein expects crypto market liquidity to move away from ‘useless’ memecoins and back to DeFi, gaming and NFTs

• CZ unveils crypto investment portfolio with a 98.5% allocation to BNB, 1.3% to BTC

• Bitcoin or Nothing: Altvest’s Board Chairman Dismisses Other Blockchain Projects

• Aya Miyaguchi to become president of Ethereum Foundation

• Errol Musk Visits Dubai: $MuskIt Token Takes Center Stage in the Future of Musk Institute

• APT Price Jumps as Bitwise Files for an Aptos ETF in Delaware

• Hyperliquid Flips PumpFun to Become Top 3 Revenue Generator in DeFi

• Trump Organization Files Patent for TRUMP Metaverse

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• US financial giants Bank of America look to enter stablecoin market as PayPal advances PYUSD

• Tether Co-Founder to Launch Yeild Bearing Stablecoin USP

• Circle’s USDC and EURC become first DFSA-approved stablecoins in Dubai

• Tokenized time platform Time.fun goes live on Solana following Base debut

• Monad Testnet is Now Live: Significant Milestone in the Early Stage

• Justin Sun says USDT on Tron is going ‘gas-free’ next week

• MetaMask Announces Wallet Updates and US Debit Card Release

• From EA SPORTS & Nike Basketball to Invincible GG: Glenn Chin Debuts Web3 Vision at ETHDenver

• BTCC Exchange unveils $1M ‘Trade to Win’ campaign featuring Tesla Cybertruck for TOKEN2049 in Dubai

• Bitget Introduces Bank Deposits with Callpay Integration, Enabling ZAR Access for South African Users

• MEXC launches campaign for ENA & USDe with $1,000,000 rewards

• PumpFun’s In-house DEX Could Spell Doom for Raydium

• Berachain Surpasses Major Blockchains in TVL Within 20 Days of Mainnet Launch

💀 RUG PULLS & LEGAL UPDATES

• Stablecoin Bank Infini Loses $49.5 Million in Hack, Just Days After Bybit Attack

• $31 Million in Crypto Recovered from Uranium Finance Hack

• Mask Network Founder Suji Yan Hacked for $4M in Crypto During Birthday, Funds Converted to ETH and Split

• How scammers used the ‘GrassCall’ meeting app to drain crypto wallets

• Gotbit founder extradited to US to face market manipulation and fraud charges

• Democrats push ‘MEME Act’ to ban politicians from profiting off meme coins

• LIBRA & MELANIA insiders allegedly launder funds via meme coin amid DOJ probe

• Stablecoin legislation is subcommittee’s first priority, says Lummis

• South Korean police investigate murder tied to suspected failed crypto deal

• Zachxbt Joins Paradigm as Incident Response Advisor, Returning Over $350 Million to Victims

• US House tax committee moves forward on bill to overturn controversial crypto IRS rule

• Pump.fun’s X account hacked to promote fraudulent tokens

• Cybercriminals ditch Bitcoin for stablecoins as illicit trades potentially surpassed $51 Billion in 2024 – Chainalysis

• UK lawmakers advance bill to strengthen crypto seizure powers

👔 WEB3 JOBS

Interested in listing your job openings on 0xcareers and Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

• Smart Contract Auditor at Nethermind

• Communications Manager at AVA Labs

• KOL & Influencer Manager at Bitpanda

• PR Director at OKX

And many many more web3 jobs!

Interested in advertising in Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the Coins or NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

Hope your bags are pumping and your wallets are not getting drained, unlike ByBit’s… 👀 $1.5 billion just vanished in the biggest crypto heist ever, XRP is flexing with its first spot ETF, and somehow, Coinbase finessed the SEC without paying a cent. What a time to be alive.

But forget the FUD for a second — ETH Denver is this week! Whether you’re here for the alpha, the airdrops, or just the free food, we’ve got you covered. Check out our side events list at sheeets.xyz and make sure you don’t miss the best parties (and panels, I guess).

Now, let’s get into the chaos. 🚀

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

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📰 ByBit Hit with Largest Crypto Theft in History

The ByBit Exchange has just taken a huge blow. One of the largest in crypto history, in fact, with a whopping $1.5 billion stolen, reportedly from a cold wallet.

North Korea’s Lazarus Group, known for state-sponsored cyber attacks, seems to be behind the heist, according to blockchain researchers ZachXBT and Arkham. ByBit has offered a 10% reward to anyone with information leading to the recovery of the stolen funds.

This attack is bigger than any previous crypto hack in scope and audacity. Analysts note that the breach of a cold wallet, previously seen as a safer storage method, poses serious questions about business practices and insider risks.

As global regulators begin to scrutinize crypto platforms more closely, this attack could accelerate calls for greater transparent security practices, rigorous audits, and mandatory insurance to protect user balances.

📰 Brazil Approves Spot XRP ETF as Trump Shows Ripple Support

Brazil just gave XRP a huge lift by approving its first spot ETF for the token, showing that altcoins are gaining ground in Latin America.

Donald Trump even showed some love for the token on Truth Social, sparking more interest from institutions.

All of this could pave the way for broader adoption of XRP and other altcoins, especially if high-profile endorsements and official regulatory nods keep rolling in.

📰 Coinbase and the SEC Patch Things Up With No Fines

The SEC finally seems to be on crypto’s side, dropping their lawsuit against Coinbase with no fines to pay, pending final approval.

It seems like a sign that regulators might be shifting to a more cooperative stance. It also gives a bit of breathing room for U.S. exchanges hoping to stay on the right side of the law without long legal battles.

However, their battle with Coinbase may now be a bit more personal, with their decision to register their own yield-bearing Stablecoin. Looks like more regulatory clarity could be rolling in soon, which can go a long way in this market.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• OpenSea to Modify Points Program Amid Community Backlash

• $725 Billion Bernstein Suggests U.S. Fund Strategic Bitcoin Reserve by Selling Gold, Triggering Global Race

• CZ refutes Binance sale rumors but open to minority stake offers over time

• Cardano ratifies blockchain constitution, embracing full decentralization

• Vitalik Buterin Proposes Argentina as Host for Devconnect Event, President Javier Milei Supports Initiative

• Tether Treasury Transfers $800 Million USDT on February 19, 2025, Raising Speculation on Institutional Buying

• More than 50 non-crypto native companies are building on Ethereum

• ECB eyes blockchain-based payment settlement layer

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Kanye West to Launch Memecoin YZY on February 23, Mimicking TRUMP Token

• Kanye West plans ‘Swasticoin,’ eyes blockchain launch, and claims ‘only broke boys rug pull’

• Binance.US restores USD deposits and withdrawals after two-year suspension

• Cardano founder outlines post-quantum security strategy amid Microsoft chip milestone

• BNB Chain's $4.4 Million Meme Token Liquidity Program Starts February 18, 2025, with $BROCCOLI as First Winner

• Pi Network’s Mainnet Goes Live After Six Years of Development

• Monad Launches Testnet and Sends Test Tokens to 9 Million Wallets

• StanChart, Animoca Brands and HKT launch joint venture to develop Hong Kong dollar-backed stablecoin

• Google exploring ‘Sign in with Google’ for Bitcoin wallets

• Kraken, Crypto.com among exchanges planning stablecoin launches in EU

• TON builders reveal there’s ‘zero relationship’ with Telegram

💀 RUG PULLS & LEGAL UPDATES

• FTX Begins $16 Billion Creditor Repayments on February 18, 2025, with Initial $1.2 Billion for Claims Under $50,000 and $2.06 Billion in SOL Unlocking March 1

• Nigeria Sues Binance for More than $81 Billion in Fines and Taxes

• Pump.fun Sees Decline in New Users Following LIBRA Token Controversy

• Indian Authorities Seize $190 Million in BitConnect Crypto Assets

• Myanmar Leader’s X Account Potentially Hacked to Promote Fake Crypto

• Iran and Other Sanctioned Nations Are Using Crypto to Skirt Global Regulations

• Argentine President Milei Remorseless After Promoting LIBRA Scam

• SEC Launches Cyber Unit to Combat Blockchain Fraud

• Arthur Hayes Argues Donald Trump’s Memecoin Will Upend Politics

👔 WEB3 JOBS

Interested in listing your job openings on 0xcareers and Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

• Account Executive at Nansen

• 3D / 2D artist at Luno

• Junior Data engineer at Figment

• Product Manager - Midas at Falcon X

• QA engineer at Bitpanda

And many many more web3 jobs!

Interested in advertising in Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the Coins or NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

We’re back from NFT Paris, and let’s just say — what a ride! From killer panels to side events that went way too late, it was a blast connecting with you IRL. If you missed it, don’t worry — we’ll be at plenty more events this year.

Speaking of which…

We’ve put together a list of 300+ upcoming side events at ETH DENVER on Sheeets.xyz, so you won’t have to miss an alpha-packed conference, hackathon, or degen meetup next week.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s crypto chaos. Here are my top 3 picks:

• Could Jack Dorsey be Satoshi Nakamoto?

• OpenSea Teases $SEA Token Airdrop

• Doodles Set to Launch Official Token $DOOD on Solana

Next to this, there was a The LIBRA Memecoin Scandal, Stablecoins under the microscope, ETF action heating up, and the memecoin frenzy cooling down. Buckle up! 🚀

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

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📰 The LIBRA Memecoin Scandal

Argentine President Javier Milei, known for his libertarian views and pro-crypto stance, recently became embroiled in a major cryptocurrency scandal. With the backing of Kelsier Ventures, Milei helped launch a memecoin called LIBRA, claiming it would support Argentina’s economic development.

The token quickly surged to a $4.5 billion fully diluted valuation, attracting massive trading volume. However, it was later revealed that 95% of the supply was allocated to insiders and the project team. As the token price soared, liquidity was strategically removed, allowing Kelsier Ventures to cash out over $110 million before the inevitable crash. When LIBRA’s price collapsed to $300 million, Milei distanced himself from the project, but this wasn’t enough to avoid consequences — he has since been charged with fraud in Argentina.

The scandal has sent shockwaves through the Solana ecosystem, with SOL dropping 10% and many related DeFi and meme tokens suffering losses of 20–40%. Some believe this marks the end of Solana’s high-risk “casino” culture — at least for now.

Meanwhile, Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain have begun to outperform, as investors look for safer alternatives. The LIBRA debacle highlights the ongoing risks in the crypto space, where high-profile endorsements and rapid price movements often mask deeper manipulations behind the scenes.

📰 Stablecoins and ETFs Steal the Spotlight

Crypto regulations continue to ramp up, now focusing on stablecoins and ETFs. Fed Chair Jerome Powell says stablecoins need proper rules, while Rep. Maxine Waters is pushing a bipartisan bill for oversight that could be passed in as little as six months.

Tether’s CEO also confirmed they’re in talks with U.S. lawmakers to shape stablecoin policies.

On the ETF side, the SEC is reviewing Grayscale’s XRP and Dogecoin applications, and South Korea is looking to launch a crypto ETF of its own. If approved, these moves could open the door to more institutional money in altcoins.

📰 Memecoin Frenzy Cools, Focus Shifts to Top Crypto

Memecoins seem to be losing their shine as traders switch back to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other blue chip coins.

Analytics firm Santiment notes a drop in retail speculation on tokens with no real use cases.

Even Elon Musk’s recent X rebrand which briefly sparked a new meme frenzy couldn’t reignite the hype for long.

But classic memes stand strong, with some analysts now seeing a Dogecoin ETF as more likely than Solana or XRP, given DOGE’s brand recognition.

Pump.fun is also trying to keep the hype alive by launching a mobile app.

📰 Ethereum, Solana, & BNB Roll Out Major Upgrades

Ethereum’s Pectra network upgrade is in the works, aiming to boost transaction speeds, and Vitalik Buterin wants a 10x gas limit hike for faster, cheaper operations.

Over on Solana, the chain is positioning itself for real world assets, and BNB Chain plans gasless transactions and AI-powered features by 2025.

Plus, TON is integrating LayerZero to enable cross-chain transfers across 100+ blockchains, pushing crypto closer to true interoperability.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• BNB Chain Beats Solana in Daily Transaction Fees

• Bitcoin Blocks Are Going Out Half Full as Layer 2s Take Off

• CZ Says Binance’s Token Listing Process is ‘Broken’

• GameStop & Bitcoin? Stock Rises 10% After CEO Meets Strategy Executive Chair

• Mike Novogratz Predicts Bitcoin Will Appear on US Balance Sheet in Six Months

• USDC market cap surges past $56B as stablecoin demand reaches new highs

• Ripple Rebrands With a Focus on Cross-Border Payments and Stablecoins

• Ethereum’s political identity is on trial (again)

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Uniswap Labs Launches DeFi-Focused Ethereum Layer 2 Unichain

• The Sandbox Introduces Major Enhancements for Creators and Brands to Build in the Metaverse

• Pi Network to Launch Its Open Mainnet on February 20

• Berachain’s Post-Launch Performance Highlights Challenges for New Blockchains

• Franklin Templeton Launches Tokenized Money Fund on Solana Blockchain

• Doodles Set to Launch Official Token $DOOD on Solana

• SafeMoon to Launch Solana Meme Coin as Part of Community-Driven Transition

• Crypto.com obtains new MiCA license to officially service European customers

• Gemini Secures Malta Regulatory Approval, Advances European Crypto Trading Plans

• BitGo plans to go public as early as Q2 2025

• Visa’s token service fuels $3.5B in Latin American payment transactions

💀 RUG PULLS & LEGAL UPDATES

• Japan's FSA to Classify Crypto as Securities, Propose Tax Cuts to 20% and Bitcoin ETFs by 2026

• Trump-Putin deal frees Russian crypto founder tied to $4 billion Bitcoin laundering

• Arizona, Utah, and Oklahoma Take the Lead in Strategic Bitcoin Reserves Legislation

• North Carolina becomes 20th US state to introduce legislation for a Bitcoin reserve

• Trump Eyes to Appoint a16z’s Brian Quintenz as CFTC Chair, Says Bloomberg

• Trump picks former Bitfury exec Jonathan Gould to lead the OCC, signaling ongoing shift to crypto-friendly regulators

• Many memecoins likely fall outside SEC jurisdiction, says Commissioner Hester Peirce

• OpenSea refutes ‘false’ KYC rumors for speculative token airdrop

• World Liberty Financial Co-Founder Hacked to Promote Fake BARRON Meme Coin

• SEC to hold key meeting today: will Ripple finally reach a settlement?

• Coinbase engages with Indian regulators, eyes market re-entry after year-long hiatus

• SEC Signals That It Will Drop Lawsuit Against Coinbase

• Crypto scammers net over $9B in 2024 as AI supercharges fraud

• US Officials Crack Down on Bitcoin Mining Hardware Imports

👔 WEB3 JOBS

Interested in listing your job openings on 0xcareers and Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

• Director Corporate Communications at Bitpanda

• VP of Marketing at O(1) Labs

• Product Manager, Mobile at BitGo

• Business Development Executive at Nethermind

• Sr. Growth Manager - Scandinavia at OKX

And many many more web3 jobs!

Interested in advertising in Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the Coins or NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

The crypto market has been wild this week.

Bitcoin is flexing its dominance while Ethereum stumbles—raising big questions about where things are headed next. Meanwhile, meme coins are making (and losing) billions, with Trump’s TRUMP token profits surpassing Bored Ape’s Otherside launch, and Elon Musk is throwing his weight behind blockchain to help the U.S. Treasury fight fraud.

On the policy side, Trump’s new tariffs just triggered $2 billion in liquidations, shaking up the market in ways we haven’t seen before. At the same time, new meme coin listings on major exchanges are starting to look bearish, with insiders suggesting the hype cycle may be breaking down. Analysts are also pointing fingers at PumpFun for wreaking havoc on the altcoin market, and let’s not forget; memecoins have shed $47 billion in market cap since TRUMP launched.

For those of you in Europe, NFT Paris is happening this week! If you’re looking for side events, check out sheeets.xyz, and don’t forget to join the Telegram group for last-minute alpha.

See you there?

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

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📰 New U.S. Policies Could Redefine the Bitcoin Market Cycle

Trump is continuing to shake up the crypto space. His recent IEEPA tariff orders and EU tax reversals could fuel less global reliance on the US Dollar, increasing Bitcoin’s appeal as a hedge. Meanwhile, Trump Media is pushing plans for Bitcoin and America-First-themed ETFs, which may accelerate mainstream adoption even more.

Adding to the momentum, this 2025 Bitcoin cycle is looking quite different from past cycles, hinting that new dynamics are unfolding in how BTC trades over time. On the legislative front, Utah is moving ahead with its Bitcoin Reserve Fund, while other States continue to propose similar bills despite critics on the matter, suggesting that state-level governments might soon use Bitcoin for fiscal and strategic purposes.

📰 Ethereum’s Future: Big Drops and Bold Upgrades

Ethereum just weathered its worst single-day price drop in four years, sending shockwaves through the broader crypto market. Yet, even amid this volatility, the network is pressing forward technologically, having increased its gas limit to enable more transactions per block.

Meanwhile, research from Sygnum suggests that, once regulatory frameworks become clearer, Ethereum may emerge as the biggest winner, outpacing other blockchains due to its robust developer ecosystem and enterprise adoption. Hong Kong is also now even allowing the possibility of visa support for Ethereum investors, alongside Bitcoin.

At the same time, co-founder Vitalik Buterin is doubling down on his vision of the blockchain rejecting the “Degen Casino” approach, emphasizing the importance of real-world use cases and sustainable growth over speculative mania.

📰 Europe is Speeding Up Crypto and Blockchain Adoption

European nations and companies are starting to embrace crypto at a rapid pace. Blocksquare has now introduced an EU-compliant framework for real estate tokenization, a sign of real-world asset integration.

The Czech Republic is especially active, with the national bank considering a $7.3B Bitcoin allocation, and President Petr Pavel approving a law eliminating capital gains tax on long-term BTC holdings.

Also, Sweden saw the launch of the world’s second staked Cardano ETP, expanding institutional-grade crypto offerings.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Elizabeth Warren flips on crypto vows to end debanking

• US Treasury Faces Legal Action Over D.O.G.E’s Access to Financial Data

• El Salvador Buys the Dip, Adds 11 BTC to Its Holdings

• Bitcoin Dominance Hits New Cycle High

• Kraken revenue surges 128% to $1.5 billion

• UAE Taps Shiba Inu for Blockchain Integration Across Government Services

• Uniswap V4 is live on 12 chains

• Solana Became The Most Used Blockchain In Jan As Trading Volume

• US Marshals missed deadline for report on Silk Road Bitcoin to Senator Lummis

• Bitcoin Eyes $100K After Market Crash, Trump Approves US Sovereign Wealth Fund: Weekly Crypto Recap

• SEC Opens Door to New Wave of Crypto ETFs with Multiple Application Reviews

• Japan’s crypto policy shift: PM Ishiba calls digital assets ‘extremely important’

• Coinbase demands action from US bank regulators in a move to clarify crypto banking rules

• Solana celebrates a year without network failures as ecosystem thrives

• South Korea’s crypto seizure crackdown: will it stop tax evasion?

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Adin Ross and FaZe Banks Plan Crypto-Powered GTA 6 Server

• Coinbase Adds PENGU, POPCAT, and MORPHO on Listing Roadmap

• Trump Approves US Sovereign Wealth Fund, Will it Buy Bitcoin?

• Hester Peirce Details SEC’s New Crypto Task Force

• MetaMask Introduces a Feature Allowing Users to Pay Gas Fees with Tokens

• Coinbase Wallet to Integrate Farcaster Feed, Tapping 800,000 Ethereum Wallets

• Binance Pay Collaborates with xMoney to Boost Crypto Payments Across Europe

• Trivago Integrates Travala's 2.2 Million Hotels, Enabling Crypto Payments for Millions

• JPMorgan Survey Finds 29% of Institutional Traders Will Trade Crypto This Year

• Winklevoss-owned Gemini considering going public as regulatory tides shift

• Berachain mainnet debuts as BERA token hits $1B market cap

• Sen. Hagerty to introduce stablecoin legislation: Bloomberg

• Coinbase Expands UK Operations with New Regulatory Approval

• XRP Ledger’s hour-long halt sparks debate over consensus tradeoffs

• Binance Test Token Pumps to $37M After Accidental Name Reveal

💀 RUG PULLS & LEGAL UPDATES

• Tornado Cash co-founder just got out of prison

• Web3 Hacks Surge in 2024—What Went Wrong?

• Kanye West Rejects $2 Million Offer to Promote Fake ‘Ye’ Token

• Good News for Crypto? US SEC to Scale Back Its Enforcement Division

• US Prosecutors Charge Canadian Hacker in $65M Crypto Heist

• Crypto Fraudster Antonia Hernandez Sentenced to 30 Months for Forcount Scam

• Coinbase Users Were Scammed Out of $65 Million in a Month

• FTX Settles $700M Lawsuit With K5 Global to Maximize Creditor Recoveries

• Crypto phishing scams drained $10.25 million in January

• Pumpfun hit with federal lawsuit over alleged $500M pump-and-dump scheme

• Former Malaysian PM’s X Account Hacked to Promote Scam Meme Coin

• Ransomware extortion drops 35% in 2024 amid crypto exchange crackdowns and increasing refusal to pay: Chainalysis

• Canadian Hacker Charged in $65M Cryptocurrency Platform Thefts

• EmpiresX founders fined over $130M for fraudulent crypto scheme

👔 WEB3 JOBS

Interested in listing your job openings on 0xcareers and Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

• Cyber Security Analyst at Luno

• Creative Lead at Alchemy

• Senior Auditor at Bitpanda

• Marketing Campaign Manager at Bitpanda

• Senior Product Manager at Hiro

And many many more web3 jobs!

Interested in advertising in Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the Coins or NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

If you haven’t been keeping up with the news, you might not have noticed — but Wall Street money is making big moves, and it’s shaking up crypto’s playing field in a major way. You won’t see the full impact overnight, but from a long-term perspective, this could be a game-changer.

BlackRock isn’t just dipping its toes in Bitcoin — it’s diving in headfirst with a billion-dollar splash. Meanwhile, central banks and governments are no longer just watching from the sidelines; they’re suiting up and getting in the game.

On top of that, Eric Trump has allegedly confirmed that U.S.-based crypto projects could be exempt from capital gains tax. Feels like we’ve entered a new era, doesn’t it?

At the same time, Ripple finally caught a break, exchanges are juggling legal battles and global expansion, and Trump’s executive order on digital assets might just disrupt the four-year cycle as we know it. Oh, and institutions? They’re eyeing “1000x” returns— which means we might just be getting started.

Strap in — it’s another wild week in crypto. Let’s break it all down.

P.S. For those of you who love attending crypto and Web3 conferences, we’ve been working on Side Event calendars for NFT Paris, ETH Denver, and SXSW. You can access them at sheeets.xyz — see you in Paris?

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

The next part of this newsletter is sponsored content. While we partner with carefully selected projects, we want to be transparent about these integrations.

You’re invited to Haus of Nouns at ETHDenver!

On February 28 we’re hosting a pop-up event at

with community artwork, merch customization and live music performances for all Nouns DAO fans: Haus of Nouns (RSVP HERE).

📰 Institutional Players Double Down on Crypto

Institutions and governments are showing interest toward upping their Bitcoin and crypto involvement. BlackRock dropped $1 billion into BTC, and now holds around 2.7% of the total supply.

Meanwhile, Arizona is continuing with their crypto investment strategy, and Czech Central Bank Governor Aleš Michl proposed a €7 billion Bitcoin reserve. More from the US, pro-crypto Scott Bessent is now Treasury secretary, Fed Chair Jerome Powell gave the greenlight for banks to work with crypto clients, and the SEC has approved a combined Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF from Bitwise.

Beyond that, Coinbase reports institutions seem to be eyeing “1000x” gains, and Russian power grid operators are toying with Bitcoin mining. All this comes as Trump’s crypto executive order promotes a US “digital asset stockpile” that could potentially disrupt the four-year cycle as we know it. It’s clear from central banks to governments that Bitcoin’s mainstream rise isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

📰 Ripple Finally Catches a Break

At long last, Ripple is getting some much needed legal wins. In a surprise move, the SEC removed civil litigation records against the company, giving XRP a nice price bump. Meanwhile, Ripple also secured Money Transmitter Licenses in both New York and Texas, boosting its legitimacy in two crucial U.S. markets.

Altogether, these milestones point to a brighter outlook for XRP, suggesting that regulatory hurdles may finally be easing up.

📰 Crypto Exchanges: Legal Battles & Global Moves

Crypto exchanges are riding a rollercoaster of wins and losses this week. On one hand, Binance is under the microscope in France for alleged money laundering, and KuCoin just coughed up $300 million after pleading guilty to U.S. charges.

In the meantime, Crypto.com has to comply with Europe’s new MiCA rules by delisting USDT and nine other tokens, while Kraken is back in action with staking in 39 U.S. states after settling with the SEC. Over at Coinbase, global expansion is going full steam ahead as they’ve nabbed a VASP license in Argentina and are also looking to self-certify Solana futures.

So while the regulatory hammer is coming down in some places, others are throwing open the doors to digital assets.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Burnt Toast Becomes New CEO of Doodles, Succeeding Julian Holguin

• Tether Announces a Record $13 Billion Profit

• LTC, HYPE, and Aethir jump up to 25% as Fed rate pause fuels crypto rally

• Pump.fun Sets New Record with $15.4M in Fees; Processes $4.16B in Transactions and Transfers $20.5M in SOL to Kraken

• Solana dominates DEX activity with 50% market share driven by retail adoption

• Solana’s market structure mirrors Bitcoin and Ether, strengthening its bid for US ETF approval

• Tesla’s Bitcoin Holdings Boost Q4 Earnings by $600 Million With New Accounting Rule

• Bitcoin Wallets Holding 100 to 1,000 BTC Hit Record High

• Gemini survey finds Gen Z leads crypto adoption, over half of respondents own digital assets

• Arkansas Senate rejects bill to ban crypto mining near military facilities: report

• El Salvador Lawmakers Fast-Track Bitcoin Reform After IMF Deal

• Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev advocates for updated SEC investor rules to foster tokenization

  ---

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Phantom wallet adds support for Layer 1 Sui in latest multi-chain push

• Elon Musk’s father plans to raise up to $200 million with ‘Musk It’ meme coin to fund new think tank

• Trump’s media company launches Truth.Fi, a fintech with crypto ambitions

• Solana-Based Social-Fi Protocol Tribe.Run Takes Off

• Tether’s USDT stablecoin returns to Bitcoin with Lightning Labs partnership

• Hong Kong grants crypto licenses to two new exchanges

• Pudgy Penguins-linked Ethereum Layer 2 Abstract launches on mainnet

• Erik Voorhees' Venice Launches VVV Token on Ethereum Layer 2 Base, Airdrops 50% Supply; 400,000 Users Registered

• Cardano plans transition to ‘full decentralized governance’ after Wednesday’s Plomin hard fork

• Venmo Co-Founder Releases Fair-Launch Token for New Platform, JellyJelly

• Elon Musk’s dream of digital payments for X users takes shape with Visa partnership

• Sui blockchain’s SMS feature promises wider adoption in underserved areas

• Odin.fun Launches Fast-Transaction Platform for Bitcoin Meme Coins

  ---

💀 RUG PULLS & LEGAL UPDATES

• Crypto Taxation in 2025: Navigating Complex Tax Laws for Digital Assets

• Ross Ulbricht Loses $12 Million on Pump.fun Due to Liquidity Error

• Pump.fun sued for $500M: Is the memecoin market at legal risk?

• Scammers Get Scammed as DogWifTools Gets Exploited for $10 Million

• Scammers hijack Visa, Dean Norris social media accounts to promote fake Solana tokens

• Bitcoin's Ordinals Plummet to Lowest Levels Since February 2024

• Arthur Hayes Forecasts Bitcoin Collapsing to $70,000

• Crypto Hacks Total $74M in January and CeFi Accounts for 93% of Losses

• US investigates DeepSeek over possible use of banned AI chips: report

• Coinbase CEO calls for crypto listing reform as 1 million tokens flood market weekly

• Tether and Tron’s T3 Unit Freeze $26.4 Million in Money Laundering Scheme

  ---

👔 WEB3 JOBS

Interested in listing your job openings on 0xcareers and Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

• Copywriter at AVA Labs

• Software Engineer at BitGo

• Head of FinCrime, Internal Audit at OKX

• Staff Backend Engineer at Uniswap Labs

• Character Artist at Azra Games

And many many more web3 jobs!

Interested in advertising in Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the Coins or NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

We’ve got some news: starting this week, we’re shifting our newsletter sendouts to Monday afternoons (CET). We hope this change helps you start your week informed and ahead of the curve. We also believe this will better serve our growing audience of professional readers.

Additionally, a big Thank You for the incredible engagement on last week’s newsletter — you all exceeded expectations! It’s clear that we’re building something meaningful together, and your support is what keeps us going strong.

Speaking of backing things up … remember when we mentioned Trump’s inauguration might impact crypto forever? Not long after, the $Trump memecoin was launched, sparking unexpected momentum across the space. This frenzy delivered a huge boost to the Solana network, driving SOL to a new all-time high and propelling DEX tokens upward.

However, the rapid spike in activity also highlighted some growing pains. Solana’s infrastructure was tested, leading to delays on Coinbase. In response to user frustration and calls for greater transparency, Coinbase committed to strengthening its systems to support faster Solana deposits and withdrawals going forward.

It’s been a week of surprises, innovation, and lessons learned—exactly the kind of developments that make this space so dynamic. We’ll continue to track these trends and deliver timely insights every Monday.

Looking forward to next week,

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

The next part of this newsletter is sponsored content. While we partner with carefully selected projects, we want to be transparant about these integrations.

You’re invited to Haus of Nouns at ETHDenver!

On February 28 we’re hosting a pop-up event at ETHDenver with community artwork, merch customization and live music performances for all Nouns DAO fans: Haus of Nouns (RSVP HERE).

📰 How EU and US Institutions are Fueling Crypto Adoption

Crypto regulations are heating up on both sides of the Atlantic this week. Crypto.com just became the first exchange to snag a MiCA license in the EU, with OKX already scoring a pre-authorization under the same framework.

Meanwhile, Crypto.com’s new platform for U.S. investors shows how big exchanges are tailoring services to different regions. Trump has now signed an executive order pushing for a strategic Bitcoin reserve, and states like California, Massachusetts, and Wyoming are getting in on the action. While President Trump also plans to block Central Bank Digital Currencies to support new crypto regulations, it’s looking like digital assets aren’t just for private players anymore.

On the institutional side, a Bitcoin ETF with downside protection is on the way. Goldman Sachs has invested $710 million into them, despite claiming the dollar’s not in danger. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink even predicts Bitcoin could soar to $700k, and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong is bullish enough to call for multimillion-dollar BTC down the line.

Plus, Coinbase’s partnership with Morpho to offer Bitcoin-backed loans on Base is just one more sign that crypto and traditional finance are merging faster than ever before.

📰 Trump’s New SEC Means Big Changes for Crypto

Further leaning into his crypto-friendly approach, Trump has unveiled an SEC task force dedicated to clarifying the rules of the crypto game. “Crypto Mom” Hester Peirce is taking the lead, and with Gensler heading out, Trump’s choice of Mark Uyeda, a more crypto-friendly voice, as acting chair signals a possible shake-up. Trump has also appointed crypto advocate Caroline Pham as the CFTC’s acting chair, adding another pro-crypto voice in the government mix.

Meanwhile, the SEC is still pressing forward on its Ripple appeal, and Helium’s founder is gearing up to fight an agency lawsuit.

On a brighter note, the latest SEC ruling gives banks the green light to custody crypto, hinting at a more open regulatory landscape ahead.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Views from inside the Crypto Ball

• How stablecoins are dollarizing Brazil’s economy

• Justin Sun proposes plan to drive Ethereum to $10,000

• Pump.fun set single-day revenue record, raking in $15.5 million

• Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, fulfilling campaign promise

• Coinbase Traces 430 BTC Worth $47 Million to Ross Ulbricht

• Trump and Doge meme coins get ETF filings as Trump begins second term in office

• Litecoin Surges on ETF Speculation

• Retail is Coming: Google Searches for Cryptocurrency Hit Five-Year Peak

• Why top signals could be less obvious this cycle

• Bank of America CEO on When Banks Will Embrace Crypto for Payments

• Bernstein says some may cringe, but Trump memecoin is a ‘paradigm shift’ in US crypto approach

• Charles Hoskinson Outlines Chainlink Partnership, Bitcoin Liquidity and Stablecoin Focus for Cardano

• Ethereum Developer Eric Conner Steps Down, Blames “Lost Passion” Amid Leadership Issues

• Vitalik Buterin defends Ethereum Foundation leader Aya Miyaguchi amid community attack

• Vitalik Buterin suggests the Ethereum Foundation is considering staking its ETH holdings

• CBDC Incoming? Bank of England Advances Digital Pound Project with New Testing Laboratory

  ---

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Top 5 Crypto Airdrops to Watch for the Fourth Week of January

• Over 40% of TRUMP Meme Coin Holders are First-Time Investors, Survey Claims

• Legal and Tax Implications of Trump’s Meme Coin Launch: What You Need to Know

• US Senate creates first-ever digital asset subcommittee

• Mark Cuban Suggests Launching Meme Coin and Mocks Rug Pulls

• TON Blockchain Becomes Telegram’s Sole Crypto Infrastructure

• LINE introduces Telegram-style Dapps to boost Web3 adoption in Asia

• Bitget Research Claims 20% of Gen Z and Alpha are Open to Crypto-based Pensions

• Senate Banking Committee Names Sen. Cynthia Lummis Chair of Digital Assets Subcommittee

• El Salvador Adds More BTC to Its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in January

• Rumble Makes its First Bitcoin Purchase As a Part of its $20 Million Treasury Plan

  ---

💀 RUG PULLS & LEGAL UPDATES

• NFTs Endure One of Their Weakest Years Since 2020 in Trading and Sales

• Telegram Malware Scams Surge 2,000%, Overtaking Phishing Attacks

• Ethereum’s $4,000 Hope Diminishes as Dominance Hits a 4-Year Low

• FBI Shuts Down $20 Million Crypto Laundering Operation, Indian Man Gets 10 Years in Prison

• Trump family’s memecoin launches spark frenzy of scam tokens

• Coinbase Would Delist Tether’s USDT If New US Legislation Requires

• Ledger Co-Founder Involved In Strange Kidnapping Hoax

• Fake US Treasury XRP wallet scam exposed through on-chain analysis

• North Korea hack group possibly behind $70 million Phemex exploit, experts say

• Scammers Hack Former Brazilian President’s Social Media to Promote Meme Coin

• China Sells 194K Bitcoin Worth Nearly $20 Billion, Contradicting Treasury Claims

• Vivek Ramaswamy Resigns as D.O.G.E Co-Lead to Run for Ohio Governor: Report

  ---

👔 WEB3 JOBS

Interested in listing your job openings on 0xcareers and Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

• Head of Compliance EU at BCB Group

• Community - APAC at Uniswap Labs

• Junior Account Manager, Institutional (EMEA) at OKX

• Lead Content Marketing Manager at Figment

• People Operations Partner at Luno

And many many more web3 jobs!

Interested in advertising in Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the Coins or NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

It's been a while — my apologies! 2024 turned out to be more hectic than I anticipated, with my focus split between launching the 0xcareers web3 job board (and Telegram Channel), maintaining Sheeets.xyz, training for a marathon, and managing my 9-to-5 job.

Fortunately, things are about to change!

After extensive discussions with my close friend Bru, we’ve decided to restart and maintain the newsletter together, ensuring we can send it out weekly. To make this sustainable, we’ve partnered with Benjamin, studio director at eponymous studio and Nouns Town ⌐◨-◨ host, who will sponsor the newsletter over the coming weeks.

Just in time, if you ask me — because exciting times are ahead!

This Monday, January 20th, marks the inauguration of President Trump, an event the entire crypto ecosystem is eagerly anticipating. With various promises already made (more about this below), he’s even earned the nickname “the crypto president.”

And finally, for the Alphafellaz in Europe: don’t forget about NFT Paris! It’s less than a month away, and I’m already working on the side event list. Will I see you there?

PS - Enjoyed this newsletter? Please forward it to a friend. It only takes 18 seconds, while making this one took us over 8 hours.

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

📰 Trump Administration Fuels Crypto Bull

Donald Trump’s inauguration could kickstart some serious momentum for crypto. States like Texas, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and North Dakota are already floating bills to invest in Bitcoin or set up strategic reserves. Trump himself is signaling a willingness to set up digital coin reserves on a National level, even meeting with industry leaders like Ripple execs to discuss including XRP, USDC, and Solana.

Pro-crypto voices in Congress, such as Tom Emmer, are stepping into key roles, and surveys show more financial advisors are embracing crypto post-election.

On the regulatory front, Trump’s presidency might speed up approvals of Bitcoin ETFs and other crypto products. Anthony Pompliano and other influential figures are calling for a U.S. Bitcoin Reserve and an advisory committee during Trump’s first 100 days, which could reshape how digital assets are treated under US federal law.

The SEC is expected to revisit its crypto approach, and rumored crypto-focused executive orders could pave the way for broader adoption.

All in all, Trump’s inauguration may not just be a “sell-the-news” moment, but a catalyst for new policy, more investor confidence, and further mainstream acceptance. After all, his own bags are on the line with his new Ordinals collection, $1 million in USDC donations, and cashing out Silk Road’s $6.5 billion Bitcoin stash.

📰 Claim Your $16B FTX Repayment Today

January 20th means more than inauguration day for anyone still waiting on FTX funds. The exchange has announced it will start repaying up to $16 billion worth of claims by February 2025, but the deadline to file for a payout ends very soon. Don’t wait, if you had money in FTX, double-check your eligibility, submit the necessary documentation, and keep an eye on official updates.

Meanwhile, the group of former FTX executives behind Backpack Exchange have purchased FTX EU in an effort to expand in Europe, despite FTX's lack of awareness of the purchase. Looks like it’s still a rough road ahead for FTX.

📰 What’s Next for XRP?

Ripple has been getting cozy with the Trump administration, and soaring network activity has brought XRP to its highest level in years at $3, yet they still can’t catch a break from the SEC.

In another twist in the ongoing legal battle, the agency is appealing a 2023 ruling that had partially favored Ripple. Despite the regulatory uncertainty, XRP’s recent price action and expanding ecosystem suggest that investor confidence remains strong.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Yuga Labs Denies Rumors of CryptoPunks Copyright Sale, NFT Price Soars 15%

• Italy’s Largest Bank Makes History With €1M BTC Purchase

• Tether is Relocating to El Salvador After Securing Major License

• Spot Bitcoin ETF Inflows Surge to 6-week High of Nearly $1B

• Bitcoin Mining Giant Marathon Has Lent Out $730M in BTC

• ETF Issuers Are Buying Bitcoin 20 Times Faster than Total Mining Output

• Binance Reports 78% Altcoin Trading Volume in January 2025

• Vitalik Buterin Weighs In On Soneium Blockchain Amid Centralization Concerns

• TikTok’s potential US ban has already sent a Chinese memecoin 100x

• Financial advisors allocating crypto to clients doubles to 22% in 2024: survey

• Daily Web3 Users Grew to 18 Million in December 2024: Report

• Bitwise Says Nations Holding Bitcoin Will Double in 2025

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• MoonPay Acquires Helio for $175 Million in Its Largest Merger Deal

• What is DeFAI? The Rise of Robot Traders Where AI Meets DeFi

• Justin Sun unveils USDD 2.0 with 20% APY: ‘Simply because we have plenty of money’

• BlackRock Launches Canadian Bitcoin ETF with Dual-Currency Trading Options

• Jupiter DEX Announces 700M Token Distribution Plan for January 2025

• Berachain gets flooded with $1.6B in pre-launch liquidity

• Hong Kong introduces ‘supervisory incubator’ to guide banks in blockchain adoption

• Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City Plans to Create Strategic Crypto Reserve

• TON Blockchain Appoints New President, Launches U.S. Expansion

💀 RUG PULLS & LEGAL UPDATES

• Crypto industry alarmed as 7 million OpenSea email users’ leak resurfaces

• Coinbase Gains Major Court Win in SEC Legal Battle Over Securities Law

• US Supreme Court Rejects Binance Petition to Avoid Class Action Lawsuit

• Crypto.com Faces CFTC Review for Super Bowl Betting Contracts

• Crypto thieves behind $2.2 million scam to be served lawsuit via NFT

• Russia to Sell $10M in Bitcoin Seized in Hack Case

• US SEC Sues Elon Musk Over Failure to Timely Disclose Twitter Ownership

• Hackers Target X Accounts of Crypto Firms to Promote Scam Tokens

• BitMEX slapped with $100M penalty for US Bank Secrecy Act violations

• Warning: The Telegram Verification Bot Could Empty Your Crypto Wallet

• Undead Apes rug pull reminds that magic internet money is totally real

• Burwick law takes legal action against Pump.fun meme coins on behalf of investors

• NFT trading volume last year was the worst since 2020: DappRadar

👔 WEB3 JOBS

Interested in listing your job openings on 0xcareers and Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

• Tether now hiring AI filmmakers to manage brand storytelling

• DevSecOps Security Expert at OKX

• Chief of Staff at Uniswap Labs

• Head of Partnerships at Magic

• UX Designer at FalconX

And many many more web3 jobs!

Interested in advertising in Alpha Schedule? Email radass@alphaschedule.io

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the Coins or NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

In exactly a week, I’ll touch down in New York for the NFT NYC conference - I’m beyond excited, especially as our Side Event Tracker has over 135 events listed already! Our Telegram group already contains over 360 degens. Let’s go! : ))

Anyway - I noticed y’all loved our newsletter's new WEB3 Jobs chapter, so I’ve added 7 other job listings to the bottom, containing vacancies for Azuki, Pudgy Penguins, Oasis Protocol Foundation, and more.

In the meanwhile, here are some interesting reads:

• The Bitcoin halving is about a month away

• Vitalik Buterin Unveils Ethereum Rainbow Staking

• DOJ Lawsuit Sheds Light on Apple’s Treatment of Crypto

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

EU Updates Rules For Crypto Transactions

The European Union has updated its Anti-Money Laundering Regulation (AMLR) in a bid to combat money laundering and terrorism financing in the area. According to a recent post from Patrick Breyer, a member of the European Parliament, the new rules will apply to all financial institutions, including crypto-asset service providers (CASPs).

Under the new law, anonymous crypto transactions over 3,000 euros will be banned in commercial transactions.

Google Search Now Displays Wallet Balances for ENS Domains

Google has expanded its native support for Ethereum wallet balances to include Ethereum Name Service (ENS) domains.

This development was revealed by former ENS core team member Brantly Millegan.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Someone bought a CryptoPunk for $16M, again

• SEC’s Move To Classify ETH As A Security

• Bored Ape sold for 83% less than what Kevin Hart paid

• Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao to launch Giggle Academy

• Dogwifhat memecoin’s iconic photo sold as NFT for $4.3 million

• Bitcoin Ordinals NFT interest soars as NodeMonkes records 53% surge

• Gary Gensler’s SEC Requests $2.6 Billion to Crackdown on Crypto

• SBF lawyers slam ‘death-in-prison’ sentence proposal citing lack of losses

• No one seems to want $1,200 Coachella NFTs that double as VIP passes

• Coinbase secures CFTC approval to list Dogecoin futures

• BTC Under $10K? Bitcoin Price Flash Crashed on BitMEX to $8.9K

• Celsius looks to recover $2 billion withdrawn by 2% of accounts

• US Lawmakers believe crypto regulation could become law by Election Day

• OKX Ends Operations in India Due to Regulatory Constraints

• OKX Founder Could Be Under Investigation by US Authorities

• Russian Binance Alternative, CommEX, Closes Down

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah to drop new tracks as Bitcoin Ordinals

• X (Twitter) AI Grok Hints at Dogecoin Payments

• Immutable and Polygon Labs launch Inevitable Games Fund 

• Foundation Launches to Pioneer the Future of Decentralized Crypto Trading

• Figure raises $60M in bid to build a ‘differentiated’ crypto exchange

• Moondance Labs Raises $6 Million to Boost Tanssi Protocol Growth

• Alipay+ launches Web3-enabled voucher program on Avalanche

• Venture Capitalists Pour Millions Into AI Tokens

• Web3 Base Layer – Mystiko.Network Completed a 18 Million USD Seed Funding Round

• Unstoppable Domains Partners With Bitget To Deliver Digital Identities to 25M Users

💀 RUG PULLS

• Netherlands indictment alleges Alexey Pertsev aided in laundering $1.2 billion through Tornado Cash

• Here’s How a Hong Kong Housewife Lost $908K to Crypto Scammers

• Meme Coin Project Accidentally Destroyed All Its Tokens, Losing $10 Million

• US SEC Charges 17 in $300M Crypto Ponzi Scheme

• Genesis settles with SEC for $21M over Gemini Earn

• North Korean hackers have stolen $3B in crypto to bankroll weapons program

• Hacker Transfers $10M from 2023 Phishing Attack to Tornado Cash

👔 WEB3 JOBS

• Lead Writer @ Chiru Labs (Azuki)

• Crypto Engineering Manager @ Token Metrics

• Storyboard + Animatics Artist @ Pudgy Penguins

• Junior Project Manager @ Kadena

• Head of Risk @ FalconX

• Incubator Lead @ Nethermind

• Events Coordinator @ Oasis Protocol Foundation

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

I have to be honest: I was a bit nervous about sending out the previous newsletter, especially since it had been a year since the last one. I was particularly curious about how a year-long hiatus would affect my open rates and reader numbers. As it turns out, my concerns were unfounded: y’all picked up right where we left off (see here)!!

Therefore, I want to say THANK YOU for being so loyal to my newsletters and for reading them in such large numbers - I really appreciate it. 🙏🙏

To return the favor, I've started a new chapter at the bottom of the newsletter: WEB3 Jobs. We're kicking off with some exciting opportunities at Rarible, Uniswap, Magic Eden, and OKX!

I'd also like to restart the section on web3 memes, but I haven't found anything cool or funny this week. Does anyone want to help me look? Feel free to forward them or tag me on social media! :)

Anyway - let’s kick things off with some interesting reads:

• What is the crypto 4-year cycle? 

• Portugal elections 2024: Why are they important for crypto adoption and Bitcoin rally?

• Cheatsheet: MicroStrategy has now outperformed Nvidia this year

• El Salvador Drops Income Taxes on Foreign Investments

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

ETHEREUM’S DENCUN UPGRADE IS NOW LIVE

Ethereum successfully implemented the Dencun upgrade this Wednesday, which is set to lower gas fees for its layer-2 (L2) blockchains. The reduction is made possible by spaces reserved on Ethereum blocks called ‘blobs’, which will store transaction data sent by the L2 networks. 

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Yuga Labs requests court sanction on Ryder Ripps for destroying private keys in ‘bad faith’

• Wright is not Satoshi, UK High Court rules

• MetaMask, Mastercard Test Blockchain-Powered Payment Card

• SEC Under Fire: Coinbase Alleges Law Breaking

• Arbitrum DAO cancels proposal to fund Tornado Cash developers

• South Korea plans crypto management system against tax evasion

• Binance Faces Renewed Legal Trouble as U.S. Court Revives Class Action Lawsuit

• Hong Kong Eyes Spot Ethereum ETF Launch Ahead of U.S

• MicroStrategy spends $821 million to grow its Bitcoin hoard to 205,000

• El Salvador’s Bitcoin Bet Pays Off: Profits Soar to $84 Million Amidst Crypto Surge

• $1.4 billion of bitcoin was mined last year by once bankrupt Core Scientific

• Coinbase sells $1 billion bond as crypto and the company’s stock prices soar

• Judge orders former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao to ‘surrender’ Canadian passport

• Crypto Founder Faces up to 20 Years in Prison for Money Laundering Charges

• Elon Musk forecasts Dogecoin payment option for buying Tesla cars ‘at some point’

• Cetera Financial Group rolls out Bitcoin ETF policy for financial advisors

• Crypto.com hit with €2.85 million fine by Dutch Central Bank for regulatory noncompliance

• US Senators urge SEC Chairman to deny new crypto ETFs

• Axie Infinity’s Ronin Chain Sees Renaissance As Gamers Return

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Jack Dorsey’s Block Launches Next-Gen Bitcoin Hardware Wallet

• Binance spins off $10 billion venture arm

• Iconic MMORPG MapleStory moves to Web3 with Avalanche

• Studio369 secures $5 million for advanced development of Web3 MMO MetalCore

• Movies Plus joins Wikipedia, Microsoft in embracing Bitcoin payments

• Solana NFT marketplace Tensor issuing TNSR governance token

• Cardano Foundation Joins Forces with Dubai Police for Blockchain Solutions

• NFT lending protocol NFTfi raises $6 million in series A1 funding

• Bitpanda and Leadblock Partners Launch €50 Million Fund to Invest in Early Stagedigital Assets Startups

• Eclipse secures $50M ahead of mainnet launch

• BRICS Is Developing a Blockchain Payment System

• Telos and Web3 Incubator Atka Announce Strategic Partnership

• ChainGPT Unveils $1M Grant Scheme for Startups Supercharging Web3-AI Innovation

💀 RUG PULLS

• The Milady treasury was drained and lost 110 NFTs.

• Starbucks shutting down Odyssey Beta NFT program

• How Vitalik Buterin Plans to Make Ethereum Safe From Quantum Attack

• These Crypto Scams Stole $47 Million from 57,000 People in February

• $104 million in crypto lost to phishing incidents within two months of 2024

• X (Formerly Twitter) Remains a Haven for Scammers as Phishing Incidents Claim $104M

• Tether collaborates with FBI to recover $1.4 million in scam targeting seniors

• SEC charges 17 people in $300 million crypto Ponzi scheme targeting Latino investors

• Hackers like Lazarus continue to use Tornado Cash despite US sanctions

• Bybit flagged by Hong Kong regulator as suspicious crypto platform

👔 WEB3 JOBS

• Social Media Manager @ Rarible 

• Social Media Manager @ Serotonin

• Senior Front End Engineer @ Ava Labs

• IT Operations Engineer @ Uniswap Labs

• Senior Product Manager @ OKX

• Senior Accounting Manager @ Magic Eden

• Business Lead @ Magic Eden

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

It feels like ages since my last newsletter, and for that, I'm really sorry. After diving into the whirlwind that was NFTNYC last year, life got pretty wild. I found myself helping out with some web3 projects, even got a TV series off the ground (which, by the way, picked up a few award nominations), and had a ton of other stuff keeping me busy.

Despite the chaos, I've kept a close eye on the ever-evolving world of Web3 and continued to make my rounds at the biggest crypto events, like NFT Paris. I've been working behind the scenes these past few weeks, laying the groundwork to bring this newsletter back to life. 

So, let's not wait any longer; here's everything you've missed recently. If you've missed these updates as much as I missed sending them out, let me know – and feel free to share with any new degen friends you've met! 

Let’s kick things off with some interesting reads:

• Coinbase crashes again, the third episode in recent weeks

• SEC Delays Spot Ethereum ETF Decisions

• Binance Recovers $4.4 Billion in Digital Assets for Users

• Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT Crashed 189%, Sinks to August 2021 Low

• Arkham Reveals Tesla and SpaceX’s Bitcoin (BTC) Stash

• Coachella gives NFTs a second try after the FTX integration debacle

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

How You Doin’ NFTNYC?

We're bracing ourselves for NFT NYC in less than a month, so make sure to bookmark our Google document which tracks interesting NFT community events and parties.

I also created a dedicated NFTNYC Telegram group which now contains over 500 members!

Rare Alien CryptoPunk Sells for $16 Million

A highly sought-after Alien CryptoPunk has changed hands for a staggering $16 million worth of Ether. The transaction represents the second-highest recorded sale of a CryptoPunk.

The anonymous buyer offered 4,500 ETH for CryptoPunk 3100, one of only nine Alien Punks in the collection of 10,000 NFTs. The bid was accepted after a previous offer of 4,250 ETH failed to elicit a positive response from the seller.

Kevin Rose sells $1.2 million worth of NFTs

Kevin Rose, co-founder of NFT project PROOF, has liquidated over $1.2 million worth of NFTs, but denied rumors that he’s exiting the Web3 space entirely.

“I’ve been pruning my NFT collection lately. Primarily because I believe mass adoption is still further out, and classic cryptocurrency will outperform,” Rose wrote in a post on X. “That said, I’m still collecting.”

On March 9, Rose liquidated several high-worth NFTs, including a work in the Fidenza series by Tyler Hobbs for 142 ETH and a one-of-one work by artist XCOPY for 151.2 ETH. Rose also burned two ENS domains and revoked the record for his main domains, claiming the move was in the interest of privacy.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Vitalik Buterin Dumps $100,000 Ethereum

• FTX, Alameda Settle with BlockFi, Set to Pay $874 Million

• SEC Requests Court Intervenes in Binance Discovery Process

• Coinbase met with SEC over spot Ethereum ETFs

• Bitcoin ordinals volume jumps while ERC-404 experiment loses steam

• BlackRock Now Holds 196,065 BTC, Surpassing MicroStrategy’s Holdings

• Ether price hits $4,000 for the first time in more than two years

• Pantera Capital Wants To Buy Up SOL From FTX Estate

• Binance will let users bet on futures platform token listings

• Crypto firms Genesis and Gemini discussed possible merger in 2022, court filings show

• A16z Eyes $6.9 Billion AI Investment, Pauses Crypto Fund Expansion

• Farcaster Loses 60% of Users In One Month As Interest In SocialFi Wanes

• Coinbase-backed Wormhole airdropping 617 million tokens to ecosystem users

• Solana, ZachXBT, and BlackRock among CMC Crypto Awards 2024 winners

• Bitcoin miner sells Quebec site for $6.1 million amidst declining BTC production

• Ethereum Foundation Sells ETH Worth $13.3 Million Amidst Price Surge

• Coinbase legal chief downplays court ruling on crypto as securities

• Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest offloaded $45 million worth of Coinbase shares

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Astar Network Unveils ‘Yoki Origins’

• Coachella gives NFTs a second try after FTX integration debacle

• Proof of Talk returns to the Louvre Palace as agenda-setting event for Web3

• Nokia Eying Metaverse Expansion In 2030 Strategy

• Grayscale announces fund aimed at optimizing staking rewards

• Web3 App Store Magic Square Launches $66M Grant Program

• Crypto.com inks deal with Altava Group to boost Web3 through fashion

• Hedgehog, a protocol for hedging against crypto transaction fees, raises pre-seed round

💀 RUG PULLS 

• Do Kwon’s Extradition to the US Revoked

• AI Crypto Project Pulls Exit Scam, Stealing $665,000

• BRC-20 Token Bridge Conducts $1.40 Million Exit Scam

• Crypto Investment Fraud Spiked 53% in 2023

• Crypto influencer gets over $211,000 drained by airdrop-related phishing scam

• Fantom seeks to liquidate Multichain Foundation to recover assets from July exploit

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

It's been a while since I last sent out a newsletter, and I apologize for the radio silence. After attending NFT Paris, my schedule became jam-packed with various activities such as relocating to another country, re-launching an affiliate blog, and preparing for an exciting pitch that I'll share more details about soon.

Although my schedule has been hectic, I've been closely following the fast-paced developments in the Web3 sphere and have condensed the most significant events from the past few months ... in this newsletter!

Next to this, some notable events have occurred in the social media world; Twitter and Substack have been involved in a feud, which has resulted in my inability to share my newsletter on Twitter or include any tweets in the newsletter. My plan is to observe the situation to see how it unfolds in the long run before I start looking for solutions.

Lastly, I'm excited to announce that NFT NYC is just around the corner! As usual, I've created an NFT NYC travel guide, a schedule of NFT NYC side events, and a Telegram chat group for anyone who's planning to attend NFT NYC. 🗽

Without any more delay, here's a rundown of everything you might have missed in the past few weeks. If you've missed my newsletter as much as I have, don't hesitate to let me know!

As always, let’s start off with some interesting reads:

• There’s a looming web3 bloodbath no one is talking about …

• Long List of Crypto, the 'Web3 Yellow Pages'

• Twitter's new recommendation algorithm

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

OpenSea Rebrands Gem to OpenSea Pro

OpenSea has announced the rebranding and "polishing" of its NFT aggregator Gem V2 as 'OpenSea Pro,' which it says is the fastest and most powerful NFT marketplace aggregator currently available.

The platform offers a massive level of optionality, selection, and control for pro collectors and has been upgraded from Gem's previous designs to provide a larger and more reliable suite of features to help collectors discover the best deals across 170  different NFT marketplaces.

NFT Collector Destroys $129K CryptoPunk

Crypto investor Brandon Riley reported he had “accidentally burned” CryptoPunk #685. The health, fitness, and finance influencer was trying to wrap his CryptoPunk NFT.

Wrapping extends the smart contract functionality of the NFT so that it can be listed to trade on Ethereum NFT markets. That includes popular NFT exchanges such as OpenSea and Rarible.

But the NFT collector made a tragic mistake, entering an incorrect address while following the instructions to wrap his NFT for the first time. As a result, he irretrievably sent his NFT to nowhere, destroying a third of his net worth from investing in cryptocurrency.

SushiSwap hacked; 'revoke all chains'

Decentralized exchange SushiSwap has fallen victim to an exploit, which led to the loss of more than $3.3 million from at least one user, known as 0xSifu on Twitter.

The exploit involves an approve-related bug on the RouterProcessor2 contract — which PeckShield and SushiSwap Head Chef Jared Grey recommend revoking on all chains.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• Reddit Avatar’s Drop, season 3, is taking place today, the 10th of April. This announcement about the 3rd generation of Reddit NFTs is receiving positive feedback from the online discussion forum participants.

• Yuga Labs is partnering with Gucci and has launched Otherside-Themed Jewelry

• Deadfellaz has entered the world of Wagmi-San’s 10KTF.

• PROOF has announced its next art venture 'Moonbirds: Diamond Exhibition'; a 10,000-piece digital art collection featuring works from 22 highly talented digital artists, including Beeple.

• Decentraland Metaverse Fashion Week attendance plummets 76% amid ‘worrisome’ trading volume

• FTX stored private keys to its crypto wallets on AWS, highlighting the disorganized storage of billions of dollars worth of crypto assets.

• Solana announced the introduction of state compression, a new feature that will significantly reduce the cost of minting NFTs.

• The fees on LooksRare, a marketplace for NFTs, have been reduced by 75% as part of the platform’s update to version 2.

• London loses ground to Paris in battle for crypto conference crown, as Both Token2049 and Blockworks' Digital Assets Summit have decided not to return to London.

• Y00ts NFT collection finds its new home on Polygon after leaving Solana

• Adidas plunges deeper into NFTs by launching Adidas ALTS. This was accompanied by an event in Berlin that took place on the 25th of March.

• Riot Platforms is pushing back against a ‘Misguided’ Texas Mining Bill

• As of the end of the first quarter of 2023, Russia ranked as the world’s second most powerful Bitcoin mining provider.

• Donald Trump NFT Sales Quadrupled After His Arrest

• Bob Lee, a former chief technology officer of Square and founder of

  Cash App, has died after a stabbing in San Francisco. 

• The chief operating officer at video game company Activision Blizzard has officially stepped into the CEO role at Yuga Labs. 

• Coinbase tests Chatgpt AI Assistant for Token Risk Analysis

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Amazon’s upcoming NFT marketplace will be on a private blockchain, though future multichain compatibility is not yet ruled out

• The British rock band The Rolling Stones will unveil 40 photos linked to NFTs, focussed on “historical moments captured from various tours over the 1960s-1990s” and be priced between $199 to $300.

• Storied American fashion brand Ralph Lauren has announced the opening of a new "Luxury Concept" store in downtown Miami and along with it several Web3-facing integrations.

• Ticketmaster has launched a feature that allows artists to grant NFT owners special access to events, marking another use case for the evolving technology powering digital collectibles.

• NFT airline tickets are beginning to take off; Technology startup TravelX is helping an Argentinian airline offer NFT tickets to its customers

• Open exchange, or “OPNX,” the crypto exchange created by Su Zhu and Kyle Davies, the founders of the bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital has officially launched.

💀 RUG PULLS

• A number of DeFi protocols that have suffered attacks over the past year have been able to successfully recover at least part of their stolen funds, due in part to post-attack-negotiated bounty offers.

• Terra Luna Classic’s DeFi Project Terraport Hacked, 15 Billion LUNC Stolen

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

Last week, I failed to report the newest hype: Bitcoin Ordinals. The introduction of the Ordinals Protocol, which enables the development of Bitcoin-based NFTs, has coincided with significant activity and transaction size changes. Since its launch, over 100K ordinals minted on Bitcoin, and someone even forked Bitcoin ordinals NFTs onto Litecoin network. Worth a deep dive if you haven’t already!

In the meanwhile, here are some interesting articles from last week. Food for thought!

• Research: NFT projects content, brand identity, and marketing strategy

• Insight: How projects position themselves in regard to WEB3 royalty revenue

• Insight: Projects are starting to block utility for assets that didn’t pay royalties.

• Alpha: Rumblerz, a stop motion show aimed to introduce web3's IP to the world, is set to launch in March.

This Friday, NFT Paris will take place! As always, I’ve started a party schedule that contains over 30+ side events, a telegram group for onsite updates, and a travel guide for the convention. Feel free to reach out if you’re planning to attend and want to get some drinks 😀 🍻

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

YouTube's new CEO actually gets NFTs

Crypto fans have another reason to be hopeful of Web2 giants going Web3: YouTube has a new chief executive officer who once floated integrating NFTsinto the video sharing platform.

Susan Wojcicki, YouTube’s long-serving CEO and one of its earliest employees, stepped down last week, ending her 25-year-long stint at the Google subsidiary.

She has been replaced by Indian-American tech executive Neal Mohan, who joined Google in 2008 and became a senior executive in the company’s display and video advertising business.

Mohan, an engineering graduate from Stanford University, was appointed chief product officer at YouTube in 2015. He was instrumental in building some of the platform’s biggest projects including YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium.

During his long tenure shaping YouTube’s offerings, Mohan has kept an open mind about the evolution of the internet and its assorted platforms. Last year, he disclosed in a blog post that YouTube was looking at ways it could possibly integrate Web3 technology, whether by “making YouTube more immersive” by leveraging the metaverse or tapping technology like NFTs, unique digital tokens that are often used to assert ownership of online content.

Blur debuts token while Opensea drops fees

Blur's native token is finally live, marking a long-awaited milestone for the NFT marketplace that may be primed to go head-to-head with market leader OpenSea.

"It's time for $Blur," the company posted to Twitter on Monday, advising people to "double check" they are following Blur's official account when claiming tokens, a warning almost certainly meant to help prevent holders from being scammed.

Tuesday's token drop comes on the heels of revelations that Blur raised enough money to achieve the much-coveted unicorn status, meaning a valuation north of $1 billion. The trading activity has kept hitting record levels, even after finishing its crypto airdrop.

This resulted in the largest NFT Marketplace, OpenSea, dropping its fees, citing a shift in the NFT ecosystem (here is why! + some memes). Shortly after Blur made its case for creators to list on its platform rather than OpenSea, it tweeted that it had started “started to see meaningful volume and users move to NFT marketplaces that don’t fully enforce creator earnings.” 

This while NFT marketplace Magic Eden axed roughly 15% of its staff as part of its company-wide restructuring efforts this year, and Ebay’s NFT platform KnownOrigin published a lot of new vacancies, including a head of community, a content designer, a tech lead, and crypto counsel.

Moonbirds creator cancels NFT conference over low interest

Moonbirds NFT collection creator Kevin Rose has confirmed the cancellation of the “PROOF of Conference” event scheduled for May over low interest from participants.

PROOF of Conference is the flagship event organized by Moonbird for holders of the PROOF NFT collection. The NFT event was scheduled to be held between May 11 and May 13 in Los Angeles.

However, due to recent market downturns and declining interest in NFT events, the team has decided to cancel the PROOF of Conference.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• The EU is working hard to push through tough capital rules for banks that hold crypto assets, as the global Basel Committee of banking regulators has set a January 2025 deadline. The rules are for capital requirements for banks exposed to cryptocurrencies and stablecoins.

• The gaming streamer who won the top prize in Yuga Labs' debut game Dookey Dash has put the NFT up for sale on OpenSea for 2,222 ETH, or about $3.7 million. 

• Global leading crypto exchange Binance allegedly moved $400 million to a private company linked to Changpeng Zhao, Binance CEO. The shocking news was sourced from the reputable publication Reuters.

• FTX Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, will resume crypto and fiat withdrawals from Feb. 21.

• NFT marketplace Magic Eden inked a partnership with Web3 payment platform MoonPay to add payment alternatives to its platform, according to Fintech Finance.

• Blur is allegedly taking your data and building highly invasive profiles that include your job history, browser history, psych profiles, and more.

• Reddit’s MOON token is growing in value and becoming more popular. A single MOON is now worth more than 100 fiat currencies.

• Yuga Labs Co-Founder, Greg Solano, announced that Bored Ape Kennel Club would change its logo following copyright allegations against the company related to images from Easy Drawing Guides, a learn-to-draw company.

• Norwegian Police authority disclosed that it has seized up to 60 million krone (worth roughly US$5.9 million) of assets stolen from the Axie Infinity hack.

• Helium Network migration to Solana now has a proposed date as it is set to happen on March 27.

• Alexey Pertsev, the developer of Tornado Cash , an open-source crypto-mixing protocol, will continue to be detained until his next hearing on April 21, according to a ruling by a Dutch court.

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• VeeFriends, the popular NFT project founded by serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, has announced the release of a new platform called "Burn Island."

• Degen Toonz has announced a partnership with Xiaohongshu “Little Red Book”, one of China’s leading lifestyle platforms (over 200 million active monthly users).

• X2Y2 is introducing NFT Loan Refinances

• A California regulator has launched a crypto scam tracker based on complaints from consumers and investors.

• Yield Guild Games (YGG), a top web3 gaming guild, is entering the venture capital space, raising $75 million for its first fund.

• Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) received 22 NFT donations this week. The digital works were curated by an anonymous NFT collector who goes by the alias Cozomo de’ Medici.

• The NFT marketplace VeVe is now partnering with the Italian company Lamborghini in order to release a new NFT car collection.

• Superplastic has announced that Amazon's Alexa Fund is the leading contributor in its recent Series A-4 funding round of $20 million USD.

💀 RUG PULLS

• The Ethereum Denver conference website was duplicated by cybercriminals, who used it to start a phishing scheme that culminated in the theft of almost $300,000 worth of Ethereum. NFT Paris reported a similar warning on their socials.

• Galois Capital – a cryptocurrency hedge fund based in San Francisco – reportedly shut down as a consequence of the collapse of FTX.

• Jaime Rogozinski, the founder of WallStreetBets, filed a complaint against Reddit this week, saying that the platform violated his trademark rights by removing him as a moderator in 2020 (for monetizing the community).

• Last week, in advance of Rihanna’s hotly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show, an NFT collection featuring royalty rights from her 2014 song “Bitch Better Have My Money” was taken down and delisted from OpenSea.

• Former NBA player Paul Pierce agreed to pay $1.409 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as penalties for his undisclosed promotion of the unregistered securities token EthereumMax.

• Gilbert Armenta – the former boyfriend of Ruja Ignatova (more famous as the “Cryptoqueen”) – will reportedly spend five years in jail for participating in the fraudulent cryptocurrency project OneCoin.

😂 LAUGH OUT LOUD

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

You might have noticed, but we have been overwhelmed with news in the web3 space for the past two weeks. It took me a little bit longer to compile this newsletter, but I promise you: it’s filled with interesting news items.

From legal precedents (Yuga Labs, MetaBirkins,..) and new brands entering the space (WeTransfer, Reddit x Super Bowl Collectibles, Rihanna, Paris Hilton,..) to updates from established brands (Coinbase NFT, Opensea, UTA,…) ... this newsletter contains something that should interest everyone!

Additionally, here are some other articles that caught my attention:

• Bill Murray Stuns Fans at Exclusive NFT Gated Event

• Hal Finney explaining Bitcoin at $1, 12 years ago.

• How Polygon can disrupt the ticket industry

• The connection between Yuga Labs, Juliet De Baubigny, and Ghilaine Maxwell

Finally, NFT Paris is around the corner! As always, I’ve started a party schedule, a telegram group, and a travel guide for the convention. Feel free to reach out if you’re planning to attend and want to get some drinks : -)

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

WeTransfer Enters The NFT Industry

Digital file-sharing service WeTransfer is partnering with blockchain platform Minima to launch NFTs on the network, allowing users to generate NFTs directly from their phones.

“This partnership will explore the practical use of NFT technology, something which interests not only the crypto industry, but will be a test case to demonstrate the potential of wider adoption of this innovative digital tool," said Minima CEO Hugo Feiler.

OpenSea introduces a 3hr Hold Period

OpenSea recently introduced a 3-hour hold period to mitigate the risk of theft-related activities. This measure is aimed at preventing sellers from accepting offers on certain items for 3 hours after some transfers and sales.

The hold period is crucial in ensuring the safety of transactions and that the digital assets are not stolen. The hold period of 3 hours was carefully selected to prevent any suspicious activity that could result from speedy transfers and resales.

This timeframe helps OpenSea, its community, and theft victims detect stolen items and lessens the chances that buyers end up with later reported stolen items. The 3-hour hold period is a significant step in ensuring the safety of transactions and keeping the platform secure.

The marketplace also launched a suite of tools to support individuals and organizations in creating and launching their own NFT projects. The toolkit encompasses deploying smart contracts across all supported Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains, setting up drop mechanisms, and customizing landing pages.

MetaBirkins lost to Hermès

The legal web3 landscape was handed a groundbreaking decision in favor of Hermès in the extremely heated battle between the luxury fashion house and artist Mason Rothschild over an allegedly infringing NFT collection known as ‘MetaBirkins.’

After a year of back-and-forth litigation, the Court revealed the nine-member jury decision, holding Rothschild liable for trademark infringement with respect to his MetaBirkins NFT collection, in favor of Hermès. 

If there is anything to take away from this case, it’s that the jury DID NOT decide that NFTs aren't art, despite what much of the media coverage has already depicted and misconstrued.

Rather, we have just witnessed the first-ever trademark trial involving an NFT, where the jury was given a heavy burden -- to decide how far "artistic expression" goes in this particular scenario by establishing a precedent that will now be applied in cases involving consumer products, digital art, and questions centered around an already established trademark.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEKS

• NFT Project Cool Cats recently updated their NFT OWNERSHIP LICENSE to add more freedom to creators while making it easy to read and understand. They are also introducing “The Cool Score” to reward holders for their engagement.

• Yuga Labs has settled a legal dispute regarding the involvement of Thomas Lehman in a marketplace selling “counterfeit” versions of their collection. In the meanwhile RR/BAYC still disputes Yuga’s trademark application.

• Ethereum wallet provider MetaMask introduced new security and privacy functions for new and existing users, while making it easier for them to change their RPC providers.

• Poopie, the founder of the NFT project Doodles, has borrowed 250 ETH against 49 of his doodles, a loan that expires in 6 days. He explained it as “Avoiding realizing cap gains”.

• Blue-chip NFT collection Bored Ape Yacht Club has frozen the leaderboard for players of Dookey Dash, with nearly $73 million in trading volume. The team is now actively looking to remove cheaters from the leaderboard, as many different cheating mechanisms have been found. Additionally: 3,000 sewer passes were never claimed.

• After fumbling the announcement of a new Web3 fund called Flux, Ryan Carson (host of The Daily Dose) has been subject to a harsh interrogation by the NFT community.

• Sam Bankman-Fried showered politicians with tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions before his FTX empire imploded in November. Now, the bankrupt crypto exchange wants that money back.

• Polygon has outpaced Ethereum in NFT sales on OpenSea for the second consecutive month in terms of low-cost assets as the network continues to pave the way and leave a name in the NFT industry.

• Coinbase NFT announced it paused new drops after an artist took to Twitter to say an upcoming release would not be debuting on the marketplace.

• Ronin Network, the firm building the Ronin blockchain on which Axie Infinity is built, partnered with the crypto lender MetaLend to facilitate the loans.

• Hollywood and web3 talent representative United Talent Agency has signed Bobby Kim, co-creator of the popular NFT collection Adam Bomb Squad. 

• Jean-Michel Pailhon, the chief of staff to Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier, has left the hardware wallet developer to launch his own NFT art project. 

• MetaMask has incorrectly flagged the Manifold domain as a phishing site.

• Binance to suspend USD bank deposits and withdrawals while resolving an "administrative issue."

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Shopify NFT Merchants can now use Tokengating Features

• Paris Hilton is to play matchmaker in the metaverse: she has teamed with the gaming virtual world The Sandbox to create Parisland, which falls somewhere between game and interact TV show.

• Royalties of singer Rihanna’s smash hit song “Bitch better have my money” are being sold as NFTs, and the collection sold out within minutes of the announcement. At the current rate, it takes 100 years to recoup the investments.

• The single edition NFT of professional basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo was sold for 113.9 ETH ($187,000).

• Probably Nothing (a Web3 culture studio and fashion label) is teaming up with Jarritos (a Mexican soda brand) to launch “fourteen-twenty-three,” a new NFT collection commemorating Valentine’s Day.

• Yuga Labs has announced the latest addition to its Punks Legacy Project: They have donated CryptoPunk #110 to the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, one of the world’s leading contemporary art museums.

• Reddit is on a roll with its Polygon-based digital collectibles as it announces a major collaboration with the NFL for Super Bowl LVII. The collectibles are free to claim. Since its release, over 1.3 million official Super Bowl LVII NFT avatars have already been minted.

• UFC fighter Jon Jones inked a deal to become the NFT collection Kanpai Pandas brand ambassador.

💀 RUG PULLS

• MetaMask has warned users against revealing their secret recovery phrase via a phishing email sent from Namecheap, as the emailing service was breached.

• Ishan Wahi, a former product manager at the largest US-based crypto exchange Coinbase, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

😂 LAUGH OUT LOUD

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

Last week I mentioned how proud I was for being crowned as the Funniest Fella in the “TOP OF THE HORDE”-awards. This week, I decided to show my gratitude to this community by painting a giant mural in the center of Antwerp together with my friend RISE ONE. Below is a quick snapshot of the mural; make sure to consult my Twitter thread for detailed pictures, the location, the easter eggs, and the behind-the-scenes!

Making this newsletter, it surprised me how much NFT-related news stayed under the radar. I’ll highlight them in detail below, but here are a few of my favorite headlines to spark your interest already:

• NFT LA announced its expansion into Outer Edge LA.

• The NFT-funded film, Calladita, won the top prize at the Sundance film festival.

• Binance has admitted to not keeping customers’ funds and the platform’s separate

• OREO is making its way into the metaverse. 

• Amazon is planning a new initiative using NFTs

• California’s DMV is going to use NFTs for the digitization of car titles.

Next to these highlights, there are a few of the most interesting tweets I came across:

• Would you trust Ledgers sold at convenience stores?

• How to secure your portfolio using 3 wallets.

• Did you know? A quarter of all US taxes are just to pay the interest on their debt!

Before we dive into last weeks’ news, a quick question: NFT Paris is coming up fast. Do I have readers who’ll be attending this conference?

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

Yuga Labs co-founder takes leave of absence

Yuga Labs co-founder Wylie Aronow disclosed on Twitter that he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and is taking a leave of absence.

“Some heavy news: a few days ago I was told by my doctor I have congestive heart failure. Symptoms started last year out of the blue and I put off seeking help (like an idiot) so I could keep working. But after testing, my doctor called and asked me to radically change my life,” Aronow wrote.

“The condition is progressing pretty fast and that means I need to make some serious changes,” Aronow said.

Aronow said he would remain as a board member and strategic advisor to Yuga Labs.

Moonbirds creator Kevin Rose hacked 

Kevin Rose, the co-founder of the Moonbirds NFT collection, has fallen victim to a phishing scam, losing over $1.1 million worth of NFTs from his personal collection. Rose confirmed the hack on Twitter, and a glance at the transaction history for Rose’s wallet on OpenSea reveals the extent of the hack; Rose lost several NFTs, such as OnChainMonkeys, Squiggles, and Cool Cats.

However, Rose saved his most valuable NFTs by keeping them in a separate vault. These NFTs include a Zombie CryptoPunk (CryptoPunk #5066), of which there are only 87 other NFTs. Users speculated that the wallet in question was compromised because Rose signed a malicious seaport bundle. A seaport bundle allows users to trade multiple assets for other items of the same value. Rose, on his part, urged users to avoid purchasing Squiggle NFTs while his team worked on getting them flagged as stolen. 

Arran Schlosberg, vice president of engineering at the NFT collection organization Proof Collective, confirmed its NFTs are safe.

Porsche Hits Brakes on NFT Mint

Porsche is the latest luxury brand to hop on the NFT bandwagon, however, buyers have not been getting on board.

The sports car manufacturer launched an NFT collection featuring its 911 model in a series of 7,500. Apparently, in celebration of its iconic vehicle, Porsche has set the mint price for each at 0.911 Ethereum (about $1,490 each). However, the price does not seem to reflect market sentiment, as one day after the launch, roughly 6,000 are still available, some 80% of inventory.

Criticism of the collection mounted on Twitter, with creators and collectors sharing their thoughts on the company racing into a Web3 strategy without considering the overall state of the NFT market. As a result, Porsche decided to halt the mint of its collection. As a result, the floor price surged by over 350%, but their own team was sweeping the floor to get the sales going.

Another reason for this bold move might be the fact that Porsche set a precedent in NFT land with the inclusion of a 14-day return period in the terms of its collection. 

Despite the fact that consumer laws have been in play for EU and UK customers since before NFTs were created, the idea that you could return an NFT for the full amount you paid, even if the floor price has gone to zero, has set Twitter abuzz. 

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEK

• An NFT-funded film, Calladita, has won the top prize at the Sundance film festival.

• Binance has admitted to not keeping customers’ funds and the platform’s separate, according to a Bloomberg report. The cryptocurrency exchange has “mistakenly” mixed some of its Binance-peg tokens (B-Tokens) with customers’ funds into one specific wallet.

• Doodles 2 will launch on the Flow blockchain, a distributed ledger created by the prolific NFT studio Dapper Labs.  

• Doodles announced that it has agreed on terms to acquire award-winning animation studio, Golden Wolf.

• Kaigani has joined Doodles as a consultant/advisor helping the team revamp the DoodleBank, strategic direction, and roadmap for the fund.

• The Australia-based crypto casino Stake.com has signed a $100 million partnership with the Alfa Romeo Formula One team in a sign that sponsorship is returning to crypto.

• Fractal, the Web3 gaming platform founded by Justin Kan, a co-founder behind Twitch's popular streaming service, has just announced that his platform is expanding to the Polygon ecosystem.

• Digital Currency Group subsidiary Genesis Global Capital has filed for bankruptcy protection. It owes over $3.5 billion to its top 50 creditors.

• Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a "stealth address system" to improve transactional privacy on the Ethereum blockchain.

• Crypto investment firm Pantera Capital released a ‘Year Ahead’-letter to investors in which it disclosed data showcasing the blockchain industry’s resilient nature.

• U.S. senator Elizabeth Warren urged banking and environmental regulators to fight crypto fraud along with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• NFT LA – the largest gathering of cultural influencers and Web3 innovators to hit the American West Coast – announced its expansion into Outer Edge LA.

• California’s Department of Motor Vehicles will test the Tezos network for the digitization of car titles as NFTs.

• OREO, the world’s most popular cookie, has recently announced that it is making its way into the metaverse. 

• Little Red Book, the Chinese version of Instagram, integrates Conflux Network as a permissionless blockchain allowing users to showcase NFTs minted on Conflux on their profile page in the digital collection section called ‘R-Space’.

• Amazon is planning a new initiative using NFTs that could be launched in the spring.  

• Brevan Howard Digital added to its senior leadership ranks, hiring former Dragonfly general partner Kevin Hu to focus on investing in listed digital assets. 

💀 RUG PULLS

• NFT collection Azuki’s official Twitter account was compromised on Friday afternoon. As a result of the hack, over $750,000 worth of USDC was compromised, along with 11 NFTs and 3.9 ETH, thanks to the malicious land mining links posted by the attacker. 

• Robinhood's Twitter account was hacked and used to promote a fraudulent crypto project.

• The FBI confirmed that Lazarus Group was responsible for last year’s attack on Harmony’s Horizon Protocol.

• U.S. Attorneys want to restrict FTX founder and ex-CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s access to encrypted messaging services and bar communication with former FTX and Alameda employees after prosecutors suggested he was trying to influence witnesses, according to court documents.

• U.S Federal prosecutors seized around $700 million in cash and assets associated with its founder and former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried.

😂 LAUGH OUT LOUD

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

I’ve got some great news to start the day: the past week, I’ve been voted “Funniest community member” in Deadfellaz's Top of The Horde awards. This title is accompanied by a free Deadfellaz NFT, but those close to me know how much pride I take in such a title ☺️. Thank you for your votes!

In the meanwhile crypto Twitter has been on fire as well: I’ve seen a lot of multinationals (like LEGO, Porsche,..) making their first moves in the web3 space, but I’ve also noticed an overwhelming amount of scams and rug pulls taking place. They are all listed below, so keep in mind: stay vigilant.

Without further ado: here is my curated list of NFT news articles that you should read up on!

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

Wallets of NFT GOD drained in OBS malware attack

NFT Influencer who goes by ‘NFT God’ on Twitter lost all his digital assets in a hack on Jan. 14, as he downloaded the video streaming service OBS. However, he used a sponsored link on Google that contained malware-infected software. Cybersecurity expert John Hammond warned people against the fake OBS software two weeks ago.

A couple of hours later, a follower alerted Alex that his Twitter account had been compromised, his wallets had been drained of cryptocurrencies and NFTs, and the hackers had also taken control of his Gmail, Discord, and Substack.

The main reason why his wallets were drained is that he imported his cold wallet instead of connecting it.

Yuga Labs Launches Dookey Dash Skill-Based NFT Game

Yuga Labs, the company behind the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection, has unveiled a new NFT mint, which will require players to compete in a skill-based game.

The game, called Dookey Dash, can be played by anyone holding the Sewer Pass NFT and is a skill-based ‘endless runner’ game similar to Subway Surfers and Temple Run. Holders of BAYC and MAYC NFTs are able to claim a ‘Sewer Pass’ for free.

Dookey Dash went live a few days ago, and players will have three weeks to try and achieve the highest score possible by collecting items and completing quests in the fame. As expected, some of them already tried cheating the system.

Azuki Begins Development on Metaverse City Hilumia

The blue-chip NFT project Azuki has launched a virtual city called Hilumia.

Hilumia boasts a toy store, arcade center, gym, and even a romance competition called "Love Island." The virtual city launched earlier this week to celebrate Azuki's one-year anniversary, and the project's trading volume spiked 86% on the day of the announcement.

"Hilumia is an interactive virtual city that is shaped by the community and will expand over time," adding that its native Physical Backed Token (PBT) threads its ecosystem together. "PBT will also play a part in how Azuki bridges digital and physical. For example, the owners of the physical golden skateboard, upon scanning the PBT, will be enshrined in the Ruins."

MoonPay acquires web3 creative studio

According to their press release, crypto payments turned Web3 infrastructure company MoonPay has just acquired Web3 creative agency Nightshift, rounding out its suite of services for brands building into Web3.

With this latest acquisition, MoonPay believes it will be able to provide a complete set of services to its current and future clients, offering “world-class, end-to-end support,” as mentioned by MoonPay CEO Ivan Soto-Wright in the press release.

In light of this acquisition, the Toronto-based Nightshift is rebranding to Otherlife. Crucially, Nightshift’s existing clients will see no interruption of services, as the agency will continue to serve said clients under this new name.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEK

• Fox News host Tucker Carlson theorized that recent bullish market moves were due to the U.S. government buying Bitcoin to pay ransomware attackers.

• Woodstock has announced its plans to bring its famed festival to the metaverse through a partnership with Sequin AR.

• YouTube influencer Logan Paul will create a refund plan for his troubled CryptoZoo NFT project, as announced in a Twitter video on Jan. 13.

• Disgraced 3AC founders Su Zhu and Kyle Davies want to raise $25 million for their new exchange – GTX.

• Crypto Industry Booms: Report Shows 100% Increase in Developers in Two Years

• After a little more than a year as a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most prolific investors in web3 technologies, James Gwertzman announced he is stepping down at the end of the month.

• The new drop from Yuga Labs, Sewer Pass, has crossed over $4M in trading volume within a couple of hours of launch as it unlocks mysterious surprises for the holders.

• Yuga Labs has blacklisted addresses from marketplaces that don’t support royalties for NFTs like its latest Sewer Pass mint.

• NFT marketplace Rarible has expanded its marketplace builder to include Polygon-based NFT collections.

• Virtual land developer LandVault announced it has signed with talent agency Creative Artists Agency. 

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• LEGO could soon be launching a variety of metaverse games and experiences, based on recent job listings for roles for its newly created GAME initiative.

• Mcdonald's has entered the metaverse and teamed up with celebrated artist Karen X Cheng to celebrate the coming of the Lunar New Year.

• After seven years of development, Apple is said to be close to revealing a mixed-reality headset that will include over a dozen cameras for hand tracking and to show its wearer video of the real world, as first reported by Bloomberg.

• A California-based cannabis seed bank has turned to blockchain technology and smart contracts to verify the efficacy of its medicinal plants.

• Crypto investing platform Robinhood has launched its self-custody wallet.

• Payments giant Mastercard has expanded its reach in the blockchain sector again, this time by launching a spotlight program for emerging musical artists built atop the Polygon blockchain.

• Multichain web3 wallet Cypher announced a $4.3 million seed round, led by startup accelerator Y Combinator.

• Mahesh Ramakrishnan and Salvador Gala, two 27-year-old Goldman Sachs alumni, have raised $25 million for Escape Velocity’s, their crypto-focused venture firm's first fund. 

• Digital fashion brand Syky completed a $9.5 million Series A round led by Seven Seven Six.

💀 RUG PULLS

• Mailchimp has announced that it was subject to a hack that compromised the account of Yuga Labs. However, the NFTs themselves are safe, Yuga Labs confirmed.

• The founder of cryptocurrency exchange Bitzlato was arrested and charged with processing $700 million in illicit funds, part of the Justice Department's efforts to take down a "money laundering engine" which it says "fueled a high-tech axis of cryptocrime."

• A mysterious wallet purchased 6193.46 Rocket Pool (RPL) tokens 10 minutes before Binance announced the token’s listing, according to Wu Blockchain. Ten minutes after Binance’s announcement, the investor sold all RPL tokens and collected $55,397 in profit.

• $323 million from FTX and $90 million from FTX US have been classified as “unauthorised third party transactions” since the bankruptcy petition.

• MetaMask is warning its users against a growing new crypto scam called “address poisoning,” which rather relies on human psychology and the mechanics of crypto transactions

• Nikhil Wahi – brother to former Coinbase product manager Ishan Wahi – has been sentenced to 10 months in prison following his guilty plea to leveraging his familial connection for insider trading of crypto tokens. 

😂 LAUGH OUT LOUD

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

Welcome to the first Alpha Schedule of the new year, I hope everyone had an amazing start to the new year?

In order to try new things, I started my year by setting my goal for 2023; I plan to make turn it into the Year of the Grind. As a result, I will run all my projects as “Open Startups,” which means that I will be sharing my progress, struggles, and income reports on a monthly basis via a separate newsletter. The main reason is to hold myself accountable - should be fun!

Speaking about fun: I was invited by CryptoCafé Ghent to talk about personal branding in the web3 space. It was incredible presenting a keynote to a crypto-native audience and not having to explain the basics. Hello 👋 to my new friends and subscribers!

Before we dive into this week’s newsletter, here is a list of interesting articles I stumbled upon over the past week.

• How can blockchain technology improve the current ticketing system?

• Roberto Nickson talks about growing @themetav3rse over 1M followers

• 2022's biggest web3 legal headlines

• Insights into a new wave of Japanese NFTs

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

Sappy Seals Launch an AI Meme Machine

NFT Project Sappy Seals introduced Meme Machine over the weekend, a platform with generative memes tailored specifically to the NFT of their holders.

In addition to helping build Memes, the Meme Machine website will be a place for holders to check out their personalized meme database. Want to use those memes quickly? Sappy Seals has a solution for that - Sappy React. 

Sappy React is a Google Chrome extension that will allow you to insert custom memes directly on Twitter.

Logan Paul Plans to Sue Coffeezilla

In a three-part series created by a viewer-supported Youtube channel, Coffeezilla accused Logan Paul of engaging in fraudulent activities with his NFT game Crypto Zoo.

Crypto Zoo was launched in 2021 on Binance Smart Chain. To play the game, all users had to do was buy “eggs” that hatch into hybrid animals. People reportedly purchased nearly $2.5 million worth of eggs even before it was launched. In fact, its native ZOO token skyrocketed in value, reaching over a $2 billion market cap pre-launch.

However, its social media channels have not been active over the past eight to nine months, brewing concerns of abandonment by Paul. Coffeezilla, whose real name is Stephen Findeisen, accused the 27-year-old Podcaster of allegedly stealing millions of dollars through the business.

Internet personality Logan Paul hit back at these claims that his CryptoZoo NFT game is a scam, blaming bad hiring choices for the lack of progress in the project’s development.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEK

• Yuga Labs, creators of the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club, received a counterclaim in an ongoing lawsuit against an artist and his business partner who allegedly forged “copycat” versions of their NFT collection. 

• Kia’s first NFTs raised funds for more than 22,000 pets in need

• Liquidators found a unique way to subpoena Three Arrows Capital co-founders Kyle Davies and Su Zhu, issuing them a copy of the subpoena via Twitter. 

• On-chain evidence linked FTX to the purchase of 101 Bored Apes from Sotheby's for 24.4M back in 2021

• Regulators in the Bahamas are holding $3.5 Billion in FTX Customer Assets

• The SBF trial is scheduled for October 2nd, 2023

• NFT collector Borovik claims DeGods is actually broke and argues why

• Sartoshi_nft, the creator of the mfers NFT project, is back as Sartoshi_rip.

• NFT-related trademarks fell for 10 straight months after March 2022. 

• Tron founder Justin Sun plans to lay off roughly 20% of Huobi’s staff, Reuters reported on Jan. 6.

• The blockchain gaming platform Animoca Brands seeks to raise around $1 billion for its latest Web3 and Metaverse investment fund during the year’s first quarter.

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Axie Infinity Releases Homeland

• Europe’s largest bank, HSBC ($11 trillion in assets), is entering the NFT market

• Indonesia plans to establish a national crypto exchange amid broader financial sector reform.

💀 HOW TO RECOGNIZE A RUG PULL

• An official NFT collection from the Manchester United Football Club has been accused of copying the work of NFT artist DesLucrece.

• Bitcoin core developer Luke Dashjr revealed that he lost over 200 BTCs when his wallet was compromised just before the new year. Dashjr addressed the community, stating that a PGP key compromise resulted in the loss of his funds.

• 3Commas, one of the largest and most popular crypto portfolio management tools, has leaked the APIs of over 100,000 users on its platform.

• Mutant Ape Planet, the creator of a Mutant Ape Yacht Club rip-off line, has been detained in New York and accused of running a rug pull scam to swindle investors out of $2.9 million.

• Nikhil Gopalani, the COO of RTFKT, took to Twitter to reveal losing a significant number of NFTs from his wallet in a phishing attack.

• The founder of Goobers NFT, who goes by the name DNP3, blamed a gambling addiction for why he gambled and lost user funds.  

• Magic Eden revealed that it would refund all the users who mistakenly bought unverified NFTs that showed up on the collection pages as a result of a recent breach.

😂 LAUGH OUT LOUD

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

Before we jump into this week’s newsletter, I want to take the time to reflect on everything that occurred this year; from crazy news stories to amazing web3 events, from making new friends to gathering a thousand newsletter subscribers. 2022 has been a crazy year in so many aspects, where I experienced immense personal growth.

Cheers to an amazing New Year 🥂 - I’m incredibly excited to dive into 2023 with each of you, and I cannot express how much I appreciate your continued support as we get set to tackle 2023 head-on.

In the meanwhile, here are my favorite snippets from the past week:

• It looks like Art Fair Tokyo is bringing many Asian artists to web3.

• How many Bored Apes are lost forever?

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

DeGods announce Bridge to Ethereum

The top Solana NFT collections DeGods and y00ts announced their departure from Solana earlier today on Twitter. DeGods will switch to the more well-known Ethereum, while y00ts will be moved to Polygon, an Ethereum sidechain.

Meanwhile, a Reddit post alleges that DeGods and y00ts asked the Solana Foundation for millions to remain on the blockchain. The user u/real_mooshi also claimed that Polygon reportedly paid $5 million to bridge y00ts. The user also stated the amount Ethereum paid is unknown.

Yuga Labs Kicks Off The Trial Of Jimmy The Monkey

After weeks of waiting, Bored Ape Yacht Club officially kicked off the long-awaited Trial of Jimmy the Monkey will commence this Christmas. It’s “some really weird shit,” said the BAYC co-founder Greg Solano. The video teaser generated many reactions due to its surprising end scene and the large number of hints and easter eggs.

According to a company statement, “this is the first chapter in a new saga that will provide a first-of-its-kind experience for all BAYC and MAYC holders. Pieces of the narrative will be released along the way, pay attention to the signs – details might be important down the line. It all will come to a head in late January with a free, playable, interactive mint experience for BAYC and MAYC holders.”

LastPass admits attackers have a copy of customers’ password vaults

Password locker LastPass has warned customers that the August 2022 attack on its systems saw unknown parties copy encrypted files that contain customers' stored passwords.

In an update about the incident, LastPass brings customers up to date by explaining that the August 2022 attacker also copied “customer vault” data – the file in which LastPass stores the passwords that users entrust to it.

This means that the ‘secure notes’, which are not encrypted and might store seed phrases for your crypto wallet, are now leaked. Spicy detail: You can’t change your wallet address, so you should consider creating a new wallet and transferring your assets.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEK

• Jenkins The Valet, a digital character based on BAYC IP, is launching a new digital character, Rufus the deadfellaz.

• Companies are actively sweeping the CryptoMories floor, in order to give their teams and families free lifetime mental healthcare.

• Betty, Co-founder of Deadfellaz, has been teasing for the past few weeks about launching a new NFT project.

• The BNB Chain has announced that the total number of unique addresses on the BNB Chain has overtaken Ethereum.

• Crypto.com had an NFT campaign on Facebook prohibited by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK’s advertising authority.

• OpenSea is now prohibiting digital artists from all nations sanctioned by the United States, including Cuba.

• Riot Games, an American company famous for developing the video game

  League of Legends, reportedly filed a motion to end its collaboration with FTX. 

• Sam Bankman-Fried was released on a $250 million bail package after making his first US court appearance to face fraud charges over the collapse of FTX.

• Caroline Ellison and Gary Wang apparently turned on SBF regarding the FTX saga, rattling him out to the Feds.

• Federal judge Ronnie Abrams, who used to oversee the case against Sam Bankman-Fried, Caroline Ellison, and Gary Wang, has formally recused herself.

• A Tornado Cash developer identified as “Gozzy” has initiated a proposal to receive $240,000 in remuneration to continue development activities on the sanctioned mixing protocol.

• The Pokémon Company is taking an Australian crypto game company to court for using characters from the Pokémon franchise without permission.

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Twitter introduced a new cryptocurrency feature on its platform that allows users to check the current price of bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH). 

• NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen’s NFT collection broke the OpenSeas sales record set by actor Anthony Hopkins, after his digital-asset collection sold out in less than one-and-a-half minutes.  

• Shilly, one of the first "NFT Community Produced Recording Artists", has recently released his debut single, "I'm Boring".

• Yuga Labs's NFT collection Meebits launched a music album that's also collectable as ERC-1155 NFTs.

• Mercedes-Benz group, the German luxury automobile, is planning to expand its empire in the virtual world by filing trademark applications for NFTs and similar purposes.

• Opensea created an option to gift NFTs to all your friends.

• Visa has proposed a blockchain account design that could allow Ethereum users to arrange auto-payments from a self-custodied wallet.

😂 LAUGH OUT LOUD

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

You might have noticed, but it has been a while since we sent out our Alpha Schedule. This is because we traveled to Art Basel (Miami edition), but also because we had to change to another newsletter platform as Elon Musk decided to axe Revue.

On the other hand, this email now includes more memes, as we’ve been hoarding up on those!

Next to these memes, I stumbled upon a few very insightful Twitter post, which you should also want to read up on:
- Consider creating a digital persona to be the face of a brand.
- Did Betty DFZ tease a new NFT project?
- Why you should use Twitter Spaces as a content creator and Web3 participant.

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

Yuga Labs Appoints Activision's Daniel Alegre as CEO

Activision Blizzard COO Daniel Alegre is leaving the gaming giant to take over as CEO of Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club. Yuga’s first and current CEO, Nicole Muniz, will remain a strategic advisor.

“Nicole, Greg, and I have been on the hunt for someone with Daniel’s skill set for some time,” said Yuga co-founder Wylie Aronow in a press release. The crypto company wanted to appoint a gaming veteran as CEO to help work on projects like Otherside, its metaverse gaming platform. As an executive who oversaw franchises like “Call of Duty,” “World of Warcraft” and “Candy Crush,” Alegre fits the bill.

Metamask Partners With PayPal

PayPal has partnered with the non-custodial wallet MetaMask to allow users to purchase cryptocurrencies via the MetaMask platform using their PayPal accounts.

Through this partnership, PayPal aims to make it easier for users to get started with cryptocurrencies. To this end, the company behind MetaMask, ConsenSys, has agreed to add an integration in its crypto wallet that will allow users to purchase cryptocurrencies in a straightforward way using their PayPal accounts. 

Sam Bankman-Fried Behind Bars

Sam Bankman-Fried, 30, was arrested in the Bahamas on Monday and is accused of misusing billions of dollars in customer money to prop up his Alameda Research crypto fund and influence US public policy.

The FTX founder faces two counts of wire fraud, two of wire fraud conspiracy, and one of the money-laundering charges, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, the DOJ said in a statement. He’s also charged with conspiracy to commit commodities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the US and commit campaign finance violations, each carrying a maximum five-year term.

Congress sets the statutory maximum terms, but a judge will ultimately determine the length of the sentence. 

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEK

• Despite his seemingly poor market timing, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s recently launched collection of digital “baseball cards” sold out within 24 hours of their release. Turns out he minted a thousand of his own nfts to his vault wallet, including rare 1/1’s.

• The court denied the defendant's motion to dismiss and strike in Yuga Labs v. Ryder Ripps, except for Yuga's claim of unjust enrichment.

• Over $8 billion has been withdrawn from Binance recently - The massive outflow was triggered at the start of the week, with Coinsdesk reporting a $902 million outflow within 24 hours.

• Mike McCaffrey, the former CEO of crypto news publication The Block, has resigned after it was revealed that he was taking undisclosed loans of roughly $43 million USD from FTX.

• Cool Cats had a change in their management team, as Elu stepped in the role of advisor and stepped back from the day-to-day brand and biz dev.

• Jordan Castro, the founder of Doodles, has shared some updates and deadlines regarding their roadmap.

• RTFKT, the creator-led studio that became a Nike subsidiary in December 2021, announced the release of Cryptokicks. However, the community was hugely disappointed as only U.S.-based folks will be able to actually make the purchase.

• OnlyFans Model Vanessa Sierra Rugpulled her NFT Project and blamed the recent general crypto bear market.

• Alexey Pertsev, the creator of Tornado Cash's crypto mixer, will be detained in a Dutch jail for another three months, Pertsev's wife Ksenia Malik confirmed.

• More than 40 celebrities and companies are defendants in a lawsuit brought against Yuga Labs and Moonpay over their alleged use to misleadingly promote NFTs. Here is a breakdown of this 95-page doc lawsuit.

• EU announced that new laws would restrict crypto purchases above 10k € and that there would be significant regulatory restrictions on digital assets transactions above 1000€.

• NFT Project Nouns will donate 100 ETH ($123,000) to zachxbt to fund their investigative journalism.

• STAXX has released 5 planets into the STAXX Galaxxy storyline through special editions.

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Luxury car manufacturer Porsche has become the latest brand to enter the Web3 space by launching its own NFT collection.

• Leading cross-chain NFT platform, Magic Eden, announced the launch of its Magic Eden Rewards program that allows collectors to create their own profile across wallets enabling them to receive rewards directly on the platform.

• The Tiny Digital Factory has teamed up with luxury sports car brand Aston Martin to launch a limited edition range of “digital diecast.”

• The digital assets security firm Ledger announced the release of a new device called Ledger Stax

• Starbucks has launched the beta test of its highly anticipated Odyssey experience, which integrates customer loyalty benefits with an NFT collection and other gamified aspects.

• Tokenproof is rumored to collab with SaaSy to create a legally binding on-chain licensing solution for IP licensing.

• Discord partnered with Solana to launch “Linked Roles”

💀 HOW TO RECOGNIZE A RUG PULL

A scammer stole 14 BAYCs worth over 852 ETH ($1.07 million) through a month-long social engineering scam.

The scammer contacted the victim and asked to license IP rights for BAYC #2060. They claimed to be a casting director working for "Forte Pictures" which is an LA based Emmy award winning company with offices at Sony Pictures Studio.

The alias "Jason Brubeck" is fake and does not exist, however, Forte Pictures and Marcus Mizelle are both real and legitimate. The scammers registered and build a website 118 days ago, so they could pose as the Emmy award-winning company and pretended they were creating an NFT-related film called "The Return of Time" in collaboration with "Unemployd".

After going through contracts and discussing the terms, they sent an email stating they "sent a bid" through Unemployd. The scammer told him to visit their website to "sign the contract" where the wallet drain took place.

😂 LAUGH OUT LOUD

• The song that killed crypto and NFTs

• Wondering where all my money went

• How cryptocurrency works

• You spent 525,600 minutes ...

• FTX Wrapped

• Web3 founders vs. their community

• How NFT MFers make financial decisions

🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.

Since our last newsletter, Binance backed out of the FTX rescue, which caused FTX to go bankrupt and triggered a lot of shady stuff to happen in the aftermath. I decided not to go deeper into this FTX story, and all the details but rather focus on the other stories and positive developments in the web3 and NFT space during the past week.

Here are a few of my favorite articles I came across; make sure to scroll down to learn all about them!

• Yuga Labs acquires Beeple's 10KTF

• Nike to debut its platform for web3 wearables

• Azuki to Race in F1

• X2Y2 to reinstate Creator Royalties

• Sony tries to patent NFT usage in games

• Adidas Originals launches NFT wearables collection

• Adidas Originals World Cup Commercial has hidden NFT and web3 references

... and so much more!

Next to news articles, I stumbled upon a few very insightful Twitter threads, which you should also want to read up on.

• A tl;dr about the Japanese NFT market

• A tl;dr about the 30-page FTX court filings

• A fun Yuga Labs Easter Egg

• A list of web3/NFT events for 2023

• How to read Etherscan

PS - I'll be traveling to Art Basel Miami from 24 Nov to 5 Dec! Feel free to reach out if you want to hang out (we're attending the Miami Heat and Miami Dolphins game before Art Basel takes place), and don't hesitate to access my party and event schedule at alphaschedule.io and the corresponding Telegram channel.

— 🩸💀 AMERICAN RADASS

Yuga Labs acquires Beeple’s 10KTF

The Bored Ape Yacht Club creators acquired the artist's NFT platform Wenew and its flagship NFT collection, 10KTF. Beeple, whose real name is Mike Winkelmann, will become an advisor to the company.

The move follows Yuga Labs’ acquisition of the CryptoPunks and Meebits NFT collections from Larva Labs earlier this year. 10KTF is an interoperable digital storefront where holders from top NFT collections such as BAYC, Cool Cats, and Moonbirds can mint and collect one-of-a-kind NFTs featuring their digital avatars on digital wearables.

Nike to debut its own platform for web3 wearables

Sports brand Nike is already one of the most successful brands in web3. Now, it's going to promote virtual shoes and other items on its own platform.

Currently in beta but expected to launch its first digital collection next year, .Swoosh (pronounced “dot swoosh”) will let Nike fans collect and even co-create virtual items with the company.

Community members will "soon" be able to wear the items in digital games and immersive experiences, according to a company statement.

Here is a fun tl;dr from the perspective of someone with almost 20 years in Sportwear Fashion, which I stumbled upon!

Azuki to Race in F1

Oracle Red Bull Racing announced that its Principal Team partners, crypto exchange Bybit, and Azuki creators Chiru Labs, will soon be showcased on its cars.

The NFT, Lei the Lightning Azuki will ride shotgun with ORBR’s renowned Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez during the closing race of the season.

Lei, the Lightning Azuki, technically known as Azuki #8494, has an ambitious storyline as a race car builder and five-time champion in the Azuki world “The Alley.”

Between Chiru Lab’s trailblazing innovation with developing Bybit, the crypto exchange, and the creative culture and community behind Azuki’s IP, the ORBR team will bring its lead in F1 to the Web3 space while gaining a couple of thousand new supporters.

📰 OTHER NEWS FROM THE PAST WEEK

• Woodies linked wearables collection is live on Decentraland.

• Adidas Originals World Cup Commercial has hidden NFT and web3 references

• Coolman's Universe has been selected by Meta to be one of the first artists to premier digital collectibles.

• It looks like Solana is less liquid than Yuga Labs.

• X2Y2 has recently stated that it would strictly enforce creator-set royalties on all NFT collections.

• Adidas Originals unveils a limited collection of blockchain-based virtual wearables, released as NFTs, which they call "Virtual Gear".

• Tom Brady, Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors, and other high-profile celebrities sued for endorsing FTX.

• Crypto.com’s cold store information revealed a suspicious transfer of 320,000 ETH to a wallet address linked to Gate.io, which was later returned.

• Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong sold 29,000 Coinbase shares for $1.6 million

• FTX created over 16,000 “wrapped” Bitcoins that now CANNOT be unwrapped.

• The names and deposit amounts of every single FTX customer could become public in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

✨ NEW IN THE SPACE

• Cristiano Ronaldo has launched his first NFT collection

• Japanese gaming giant Sony Interactive Entertainment is trying to patent a system for tracking unique in-game digital assets using tokens on a distributed ledger.

• Snoop, Billy Ray, and The Avila Brothers have partnered with the metaverse entertainment company, Animal Concerts to develop an upcoming fan-centric NFT experience alongside the record.

😂 LAUGH OUT LOUD

• Inside the Solana Blockchain

• Welcoming back Ligma & Johnson!

😊 ENJOYED THIS WEEK'S ALPHA?

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🤓 DISCLAIMER: NFA & DYOR

This newsletter is a curated overview of the most exciting things I’ve read the past week, the projects I’ve researched, and the NFTs I’ll be trying to buy.

This means I’m - per definition - biased, so don’t consider this as financial advice, and keep doing your own research if you see something you like.