🎊Weekly Recap: Crypto Celebrates the Bitcoin Halving

Happy weekend Defiers!

Bitcoin successfully went through its quadrennial halving, slashing the block reward for miners by 50% to 3.125 BTC. Transaction fees on the network soared as the Runes protocol went live, bringing a new fungible token standard to the world’s most valuable blockchain.

In other Bitcoin news, CoreDAO has been gaining significant traction with its Core Chain, which enables BTC holders to earn yield without wrapping their tokens on other blockchains.

It was a volatile week for crypto markets as tensions in the Middle East continued to whipsaw traders. Most digital assets ended the week deeply in the red.

On the regulatory front, new stablecoin legislation has been introduced in the U.S., but industry experts are divided over the bill.

The Ethereum ecosystem saw a flurry of developments, with EigenLayer removing deposit caps and Lido embracing Distributed Validator Technology. Layer 2 network Scroll has launched a points program, and Optimism is offering $22 million in grants to Superchain builders.

Don’t miss this week’s podcast with Li Jin, the co-founder and managing partner at Variant Fund, a venture firm that invests in Web3 and the ownership economy.

Enjoy!

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DEFI ALPHA

Earn Bitcoin Yield with solvBTC on Arbitrum and Merlin

Our resident DeFi degens show you how to earn a yield on your Bitcoin and qualify for a potential Solv airdrop. We also dive into earning Ethena Shards through the Mantle Rewards Station.

Plus, check out our technical analysis covering the recent performance of leading crypto assets!

PODCAST & INTERVIEWS

Five years of building in DeFi: the story of DeFi Saver

DeFi Saver is a management platform that provides advanced automation options and tools for decentralized finance protocols, enabling users to manage, optimize, and interact with their investments on various blockchain platforms.

In our interview with Nenad Palinkasevic, the founder of DeFi Saver, we explore the platform's beginnings, discuss strategies users adopt in different market conditions, delve into their various integrations, and uncover what the future holds for their roadmap.

Memecoins, Web3 Social Media, and the Evolution of Token Models with Li Jin

The Defiant spoke to Li Jin, a prominent figure in the venture capital industry. She is the co-founder and managing partner at Variant Fund, a venture firm that invests in Web3 and the ownership economy.

Before founding Variant, Li Jin worked at Andreessen Horowitz, a leading venture capital firm, where she helped to shape the firm’s views on the emerging tech landscape, including the gig and passion economies.

In this discussion, we delve into memecoins, Web3 social media, and the evolving landscape of token models, examining how these elements are shaping the future of digital economies and influencing user interaction in decentralized networks.

VIDEO & TUTORIALS

Introduction to DeFi: The Future of Finance | Crypto 101

Welcome back to Crypto 101, your comprehensive guide to all things Crypto, where we break down the complex world of blockchain technology into bite-sized pieces.

Saturday

Arbitrum-based Perpetuals DEX Hyperliquid Crosses $450 Million In TVL The decentralized exchange has processed more than $150 billion of trades since launching last year.

Friday

Bitcoin Network Fees Soar as Runes Launch Nears The hype around the new fungible token standard has reached a fever pitch ahead of the imminent Bitcoin halving.
New Stablecoin Bill Draws Mixed Reactions U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kristen Gillibrand have introduced new legislation for stablecoin issuers.
DeFi Protocol Hedgey Finance Suffers $44M Hack The platform suffered two parallel attacks on Arbitrum and Ethereum.

Thursday

Google Searches for 'Bitcoin Halving' Hit All-time High Bitcoin, Ethereum and Dogecoin slide as Wall Street exerts downward pressure on crypto markets.
Worldcoin Launches Optimism-powered Layer 2 Network World Chain will leverage the OP stack and offer special perks to verified Worldcoin users.
CoreDAO Brings Native Staking To Bitcoin The Bitcoin-powered EVM-compatible blockchain enables non-custodial native Bitcoin staking, with rewards paid out in CORE tokens.
Optimism Offers $22M in Grants to Superchain Builders The Optimism Collective is launching its Retro Funding Round 4 on May 23.

Wednesday

Lido Finance Implements Simple DVT to Increase Ethereum Node Operators Distributed Validator Technology helps ease worries about Lido controlling too much staked ETH.
Ordinals Lending Market Heats Up on Ethereum An $80,000 loan was taken out against a rare Nodemonke as ‘Bitcoin NFTs’ continue to soar.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin Take A Plunge Amid Strengthening US Dollar— Could Bitcoin Halving Turn the Tables? Ahead of its April 20 halving, Bitcoin's value dips as the US dollar strengthens.
Layer 2 Scroll zkEVM Introduces Points Program Users can now earn Scroll Marks by bridging assets to the network.
How Real-World Assets Will Survive (and Evolve) in the Bull Market Projects that prioritize structure, compliance, and decentralization will be best positioned to attract institutional capital and drive the long-term growth of the sector.
Ordinals Explorer Ord.io Raises $2M Round Led By Bitcoin Frontier Fund The funding will go towards expanding the platform’s feature set.

Tuesday

Crypto Markets Crater On Rising Geopolitical Tensions Most altcoins plummeted by 30% or more in the past week, while Bitcoin trades at $62,000.
EigenLayer Removes Deposit Caps On Liquid Staking Tokens The move marked the culmination of the Ethereum restaking protocol’s rollout phase.

Monday

Solana Rolls Out Update in Bid To End Network Congestion The network has been under stress in recent months thanks to spam bots and memecoin trading.
Tether CEO Teases Sweeping Tokenization Platform According to Ardoino, the platform will allow firms and protocols to tokenize anything from bonds and stocks to coffee shop rewards.
Solana Real Estate Protocol Parcl to Airdrop Token Tomorrow Solana-based real estate trading protocol Parcl is gearing up to launch its PRCL token. Early Parcl adopters will receive 75 million PRCL.