📬 Inbox Dump #35

Hello Defiers! Welcome to Inbox Dump where we include the updates and announcements that flood our DMs each week and didn’t make it to The Defiant’s content platforms. Sometimes announcements here didn’t meet the bar to become a news story, sometimes they may have slipped through the cracks, or they came late and we haven’t had a chance to cover.

At The Defiant we cover the most important DeFi-related news and developments but we know many of you are hunting for projects before they are fully developed and before they are newsworthy. Our goal with this installment of the newsletter is to help you find them. Look at this as the starting point to DYOR.

We also include a compilation of DeFi and crypto funding rounds in the past week so you have these in one handy place.

Keep in mind these have been unedited. With that —here we go!

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Inbox Dump!‘

✉️ HM Government of Gibraltar to Integrate Blockchain Technology into Government Systems

Gibraltar – 7th December 2021 – H.M. Government of Gibraltar has today announced that it will begin a process by which it will integrate blockchain technology into its legacy systems in order to streamline government processes. It is envisioned that the implementation, which will initially be rolled out on a pilot basis, will improve the delivery of public services to individuals and organisations residing or operating in Gibraltar.

✉️ Global survey reveals that cryptocurrency adoption penetration is at 14%

DUBLIN, Ireland, (December 07, 2021): Ding, the best way to send international top up, has released its second Global Prepaid Index, revealing that 14% of users hold Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Adoption is even as high as 25% in some developing countries. The report also shows that many consumers are putting digital assets ahead of other, more traditional financial products, such as personal loans.

✉️ Bitfinex Derivatives to Launch Neo (NEOF0:USTF0), Zcash (ZECF0:USTF0) Perpetual Swaps

PROVIDENCE, Mahe, Seychelles, December 8 2021, 14:00 PM CET - Bitfinex Derivatives* offers a derivatives platform accessible through Bitfinex, a state-of-the-art digital token trading platform. Bitfinex Derivatives has today announced the launch of perpetual contracts for Neo (NEOF0:USTF0) and Zcash (ZECF0:USTF0).

✉️ FIGURE UNVEILS FIRST SOLUTION FOR PRIVATE COMPANIES TO RAISE, MANAGE, TRADE EQUITY FROM SINGLE PLATFORM

SAN FRANCISCO - December 8, 2021 - Figure Technologies, Inc. (Figure™), a leader in transforming financial services through the power of blockchain technology, unveiled a first-of-its-kind solution that allows private companies to raise, manage, and trade equity on a single platform.

✉️ UNICEF to launch UN’s largest-ever NFT collection to mark 75th anniversary

NEW YORK, 10 December 2021 – UNICEF plans to sell 1,000 data-driven non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the UN’s largest-ever NFT collection to date, the UN children’s agency said today ahead of commemorations of UNICEF’s 75th anniversary.

✉️ Alethea AI partners with Being AI and collaborates with Binance NFT to introduce the world’s first Intelligent Initial Game Offering of One Hundred Intelligent NFTs

Alethea AI, the creator of Intelligent and Interactive NFTs (iNFTs) is collaborating with beingAI, the world’s first transmedia AI company, and Binance NFT, the official NFT marketplace of Binance to launch the first Intelligent IGO (Initial Game Offering), featuring one hundred Intelligent NFTs.

✉️ Crystal Blockchain Report: $12.1 billion worth of crypto-assets stolen since 2011

Date: -- December 2021 City: Amsterdam — Crystal Blockchain is a globally distributed team of world-class blockchain analysts, has released its bi-annual report Crypto & DeFi Hacks & Scams Report. According to the research, there were 120 security attacks, 73 attacks on DeFi protocols, and 33 fraudulent schemes that have so far resulted in the theft of approximately $12.1 billion worth of crypto assets in total between 2011-2021.

​​✉️ Messari Launches Web3 Governance Participation Platform, Messari Governor

Wednesday, December 8, 2021, 11:00 am ET (New York, NY):Messari today unveiled its first-to-market, governance aggregator and voting platform as a public free-to-use offering. Messari Governor’s initial release facilitates voting participation through multiple Web3 governance frameworks as well as provides a clear view of all proposal information and status for dozens of communities, all in one place. Governor ensures users never miss a major proposal or vote while also providing additional context and analysis on each proposal. Users can vote directly on the platform by connecting their wallets such as Metamask, Coinbase Wallet, or Wallet Connect.

✉️ Connecting MetaMask to Binance Smart Chain and other networks made easy with Umbria’s ‘Connect Portal’

Umbria Network - a project, which has Online Blockchain plc as its co-ordinator, administrator and advisor - is further simplifying DeFi with its Connect Portal. The tool enables anyone in the crypto community to automatically connect a MetaMask wallet to any Ethereum-style/EVM compatible chain - such as Polygon, Binance Smart Chain, Ethereum, Avalanche - almost instantly. This removes the need to manually configure RPC connections, which is a cumbersome and technically challenging process.

✉️ P00LS SECURES $18 MILLION IN SEED FUNDING, LAUNCHES FIRST CREATOR TOKEN WITH DJ & PRODUCER BLOND:ISH

MIAMI, FL — P00LS, a global platform for creator cryptocurrencies, today announced that it closed $18 million in a seed round led by Global Founders Capital, with participation from investors including L2 Ventures, Shift Capital, Maveron, Acrew Capital and Kima Ventures

✉️ Cultos Launches to Revolutionize How Brands Create & Grow Audiences of Fans Through Crypto Rewards

Cultos launches to revolutionize the way brands create and build engaged audiences of fans online. Cultos is the first platform enabling companies to leverage crypto to convert existing customers into active, engaged and influential ambassadors.

Funding

💰 ‘DeFi 2.0’ Platform JellyFi Raises $4.4M Seed Round

JellyFi, a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform specializing in under-collateralized crypto loans, has raised $4.4 million in a seed funding round led by Lemniscap. Also included in the round were ParaFi Capital, Tioga Capital, White Star Capital, DeFiance Capital, True Ventures, Divergence Ventures, AngelDAO, Digital Currency Group and Genesis Trading (both in the same ownership stable as CoinDesk), plus some angel investors.

💰 Slingshot Raises $15M in Funding Round Led by Ribbit Capital

Slingshot, a service that allows users to trade directly from their wallets while aggregating liquidity across a range of decentralized exchanges, has raised $15 million in a funding round led by Ribbit Capital. The Series A fundraising round also included such investors as K5 Global, Shrug Capital, The Chainsmokers, singer Jason Derulo, Swiss entrepreneur Guillaume Pousaz and Austin Rief, a co-founder of media company Morning Brew. Electric Capital and Framework Ventures returned with follow-on investments. Slingshot raised a $3.1 million in a seed round in October 2020, meaning it has now raised $18.1 million.

💰 Crypto veterans raise $6.4m to bring DeFi to the masses

A pair of Australian crypto veterans have raised $6.4 million in a seed funding round from some of the biggest names in the cryptocurrency sector for a product aiming to make the murky world of decentralised finance (DeFi) more accessible to everyday investors. The platform, Block Earner, will launch next year and will offer less crypto-savvy operators a way to invest in DeFi products that provide annual yields, with founders Jordan Momtazi and Charlie Karaboga pitching the service as a way for investors to get consistent returns in a low-interest rate environment.

💰 Zeta Markets Completes $8.5m Strategic Funding Round Led by Jump Capital

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Zeta Markets ("Zeta" or "the Platform"), a cutting-edge decentralized finance (DeFi) futures and options exchange built on Solana, today announced that it completed a $8.5M strategic funding round led by Jump Capital. The round, conducted via private token sale, had participation from Race Capital, Electric Capital, DACM, Airtree Ventures, Amber Group, Wintermute, Sino Global Capital, Genesis Block Ventures, QCP Capital, Alameda Research, Solana Capital, MGNR, 3kVC, Orthogonal Trading, LedgerPrime, and SkyVision Capital. This raise comes off the back of Zeta Market's grand prize win in the Solana Summer hackathon which featured over 13,000 participants worldwide.

💰 Crypto derivatives platform Paradigm nabs $400 million valuation in funding round

Paradigm — a player in the crypto derivatives market — is the latest digital asset trading firm to tap into the wave of capital pouring into the market. On Thursday, the firm announced the close of a funding round that values it at $400 million. Launched in 2019, Paradigm provides a platform for dealers and market makers to execute large trades in options and futures to settle across a wide-range of venues. As per Thursday's announcement, the firm has raised $35 million in a funding round led by crypto trading giants Jump Capital and Alameda Research.

💰 DeFi and Crypto Investors Raises $3.5 Million for izumi Finance Series A Funding Round

izumi Finance, a budding, fresh, and innovative protocol that provides programmable liquidity mining on UniSwap V3 says it realized $3.5 million after a successful Series A fundraising round that it just ended. Adding up this last funding round, izumi has raised a total of $5.6 million. The said funds accrued will go towards facilitating the launch of izumi’s native token, iZi which is expected to take place on December 20. Following that, izumi’s ‘LiquidBox’ platform will be unveiled on December 21.

💰 Stacked Raises $35 Million In Funding Round Co-Led by Alameda Research

The crypto-investing platform has completed its Series A funding round for $35 million on Dec. 6. The funding round was co-led by Alameda Research, a crypto trading firm owned by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and Bybit and BitDAO partner Miranda Ventures. In addition to these two giants. Venture capital (VC) firms like Fidelity International Strategic Ventures, DRW Venture Capital, Alumni Ventures, and Jump Capital. This round puts the total funding for the platform at “nearly $40 million.”

💰 DeFi Platform Zeta Markets Finalizes $8.5M Round Led by Jump Capital

Zeta Markets, a decentralized finance (DeFi) futures and options exchange built on Solana, has announced that it finalized an $8.5M funding round that was led by Jump Capital. The investment round, carried out via private token sale, had participation from Race Capital, Electric Capital, DACM, Airtree Ventures, Amber Group, Wintermute, Sino Global Capital, Genesis Block Ventures, QCP Capital, Alameda Research, Solana Capital, MGNR, 3kVC, Orthogonal Trading, LedgerPrime, and SkyVision Capital.

💰Yield Guild Game’s First SubDAO YGG SEA Raises US$15M in Private Rounds to Focus Exclusively on Southeast Asia

[Friday, 10 December 2021] Yield Guild Games Southeast Asia (YGG SEA), the first regionally-focused subDAO from the decentralized blockchain gaming guild Yield Guild Games (YGG), has raised US$15 million across two rounds of fundraising to support adoption of play-to-earn gaming in Southeast Asia. The guild will initially focus on Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand before expanding throughout the region.

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