cDAI

Katherine Ross

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao will remain in the US until his sentencing date, a judge ruled Thursday.



Judge Richard Jones sided with the government’s motion to prevent Zhao from returning to the United Arab Emirates — where he resides with his partner and children. Originally, Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida leaned towards letting Zhao return to the UAE until his sentencing hearing.&nbsp;



However, Judge Jones put a <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/binance-changpeng-zhao-us">temporary hold on the decision</a> until the government could file its motion. The government, in its filing, argued that while they don’t believe that Zhao needs to be detained while he awaits sentencing, the US does not have an extradition treaty with the UAE.&nbsp;



“The government contends that the absence of an extradition treaty with the UAE, combined with the defendant’s significant assets and strong connections to the UAE, would allow him to evade his obligation to return to the United States for sentencing,” the filing said.&nbsp;



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/binance-changpeng-zhao-deal-unpacked">Here are the details of Binance and Changpeng Zhao’s plea deal</a>



The government is also under the belief that the UAE offered Zhao citizenship and wouldn’t be inclined to extradite Zhao.



Zhao’s legal team argued that he self-surrendered to the government and took “full responsibility for past actions” with his plea agreement. He also has no prior criminal history.



The bail package, which was originally set by Judge Tsuchida and would have allowed <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/changpeng-zhao">Zhao</a> to leave the country, is hefty but not enough to prevent Zhao from leaving and not returning, Judge Jones ruled.



Zhao’s sentencing is set for Feb. 23.



The former CEO, who has a very active presence on X, has been giving little updates on what’s next for him. Earlier this week, he <a href="https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1732260036834099258">posted</a> “learning again, by meeting founders.”



When <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/changpeng-zhao-binance-steps-down#:~:text=Binance%20CEO%20Changpeng%20Zhao%20reportedly,dollar%20settlement%20with%20US%20regulators.">Zhao announced his resignation</a> as part of his plea deal, he <a href="https://twitter.com/cz_binance/status/1727063503125766367">posted</a> that he would be taking a break and then would “probably do some passive investing, being a minority token/shareholder in startups in areas of blockchain/Web3/DeFi, AI and biotech.”



“I am happy that I will finally have more time to spend looking at DeFi,” he added.



The government announced plea agreements with both Zhao and Binance at the end of November. As part of the agreement, Zhao is banned from operating or managing the exchange for a period of three years. He pleaded guilty to violating the Bank Secrecy Act.&nbsp;



<a href="https://blockworks.co/news/doj-indictment-binance-changpeng-zhao">Binance paid a $4.3 billion settlement</a> to the US, and pleaded guilty to operating as an unlicensed money transmitting business.



In addition to the plea agreements, <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/binance">Binance</a> and Zhao still face a lawsuit from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which claims that the exchange and its former executive <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/binance-sec-no-evidence-of-commingling">commingled funds as well as offering</a> and selling unregistered securities.&nbsp;



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It’s official: Former Binance CEO must stay in US until sentencing

Jack Kubinec

Jito, the Solana-based liquid staking protocol, opened an airdrop for users to claim 90 million of its JTO governance tokens starting Thursday morning — an amount worth around $165 million at the time of publication.&nbsp;



Jito sent tokens based on how much of its JitoSOL liquid staking token the addresses held and lent to DeFi protocols, alongside rewards for validators and MEV searchers. According to the protocol’s developers, the JTO tokens will be used to govern the DAO and treasury for the staking platform.&nbsp;



Jito lets users stake their Solana (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/sol">SOL</a>) in exchange for the protocol’s JitoSOL token, which can then be traded or used as collateral — similar to how Lido’s staked ether (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/steth">stETH</a>) product works.&nbsp;



Jito and a protocol named Marinade are essentially tied as Solana’s largest liquid staking providers, with around $425 million each in total value locked (TVL) <a href="https://defillama.com/protocols/liquid%20staking/Solana">according</a> to DeFiLlama. For context, Lido boasts a TVL of $21.45 billion.&nbsp;



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/jto-airdrop-market-reaction">Jito’s JTO soars hours into airdrop, analysts say altcoin rally has steam left&nbsp;</a>



Thanks to the airdrop, Jito’s DAO now has a governance token — and $490 million Jito (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/jto">JTO</a>) in its <a href="https://gov.jito.network/dao/Jito">treasury</a>.&nbsp;



Based on Jito’s “<a href="https://www.jito.network/blog/introducing-jito-points-powering-the-jito-ecosystem/">points</a>” system for allocating the airdrop, Dan Smith from Blockworks research <a href="https://twitter.com/smyyguy/status/1732814474673795533">wrote</a> on X that moving $40 of JitoSOL around could have netted users nearly $10,000 in JTO.&nbsp;



On the whole, the Jito team followed on a well-trodden path of upstart protocols airdropping governance tokens to their users.&nbsp;



Other examples include the blue-chip DeFi protocol Uniswap’s airdrop of 150 million of its UNI governance token to users in September 2020, worth over $900 million at today’s <a href="https://blockworks.co/price/uni">prices</a>. A large majority of the UNI airdrop recipients ultimately sold their tokens, but the wealth effect may have still fueled Uniswap development. Syncracy Capital’s Ryan Watkins <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanWatkins_/status/1306432490656145408">likened</a> the UNI airdrop to a stimulus check at the time. 



The JTO drop is drawing similar <a href="https://x.com/MikeIppolito_/status/1732819015695794413?s=20">comparisons</a> as potential fuel for a recent resurgence in activity on Solana. The token recovered from its <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/solana-community-remains-bullish-despite-ftx-fallout">association with FTX</a> to more than quadruple in price over the past year. <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/solanas-nft-marketplace-tensor">Solana’s NFT market</a> has seen positive signs, and Solana decentralized exchanges churned $7.3 billion in <a href="https://defillama.com/dexs/chains/solana">volume</a> in November, by far their busiest month ever. 



Wallet owners have 18 months in which to claim the JTO airdrop. This would allow users to defer their claims —&nbsp;<a href="https://blockworks.co/newsletter/issue/33615213">and any accompanying tax implications</a> — into 2024, Ryan West from Blockworks Research wrote about the airdrop.&nbsp;



Despite the long claim window, 54 million out of 90 million of the newly available tokens, or 60%, were <a href="https://flipsidecrypto.xyz/marqu/jito-jto-airdrop-claim-progress-cex-supply-jito-jto-airdrop-claim-progress-cex-supply-8isZkm">claimed</a> within four hours of the airdrop, according to a Flipside Crypto dashboard.&nbsp;



JTO whales appeared to stay put in the wake of the airdrop — the same dashboard shows only three of the 20 largest recipients sold their tokens. 



Another Solana DeFi protocol named <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/solana-jupiter-token-airdrop">Jupiter announced a token last month</a>, saying 40% of the supply would be airdropped to the community.



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What to know about Jito’s $165M JTO airdrop

Ben Strack

Investing app Robinhood has expanded its crypto trading offering to the European Union, though analysts note it is entering a crowded market.&nbsp;



The platform supports 25 cryptocurrency assets. Customers receive a monthly bitcoin rebate, based on a percentage of their total trading volume, as announced by the company on Thursday.



Owen Lau, executive director at Oppenheimer &amp; Co., called the EU “a competitive market” — noting existing players serving the region include Bybit, OKX, Kraken, Coinbase, eToro, Crypto.com and Binance.&nbsp;&nbsp;



But after the collapse of crypto exchange FTX last year and <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/binance-settlement-message-to-crypto-industry">Binance’s settlement with the US Department of Justice</a>, some customers may look to move funds to a more reputable platform, he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Robinhood noted in its Monday blog <a href="https://newsroom.aboutrobinhood.com/robinhood-launches-crypto-trading-in-the-eu/">post </a>that it has chosen to take “a more conservative approach” than competitors when it comes to supporting digital assets.



“[As] a public company listed in the US, it may give them an advantage to take some share in the EU,” Lau said. “But it is unclear how much return on investments they can generate from this expansion.”



Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev said during the company’s earnings call last month that crypto benefits from “a relatively clear regulatory framework” in the EU.



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/ireland-crypto-vasps-coinbase">Why crypto companies are flocking to Ireland ahead of MiCA</a>



Launching in Europe “will expand the addressable market of customers that we serve by hundreds of millions,” Tenev added at the time.&nbsp;



The launch comes after Robinhood’s transaction-based revenues on cryptocurrencies <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/robinhood-earnings-q3-2023">declined to $23 million during the third quarter</a> — a 55% quarter-over-quarter drop.&nbsp;



It wasn’t the only company to see such a slowdown. In Q3, <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/coinbase-q3-earnings-analysis">Coinbase’s total transaction revenue</a> fell 12% from the prior three-month period. Analysts pointed to weakness in cryptocurrency markets and low volatility as reasons for such declines.



Robinhood has reported more recent momentum on the digital asset front amid a crypto rally in recent weeks. Its November crypto notional trading volumes were roughly 75% above their October levels, according to a Monday <a href="https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001783879/3ee2f926-14be-4eb7-b14f-5a7e773073d8.pdf">filing</a>.&nbsp;



Morningstar analyst Michael Miller noted <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/robinhood">Robinhood’s</a> launch of EU crypto trading is part of a broader expansion. The company last week rolled out brokerage services for customers in the United Kingdom.



“I would see the two moves as being tied together,” Miller indeed. “That said, it’s hard to tell how successful this will be for the company since it is entering a crowded market as a relative newcomer.”



Miller added that crypto trading revenue made up roughly 7% of Robinhood’s net revenue in the first nine months of this year.&nbsp;



“So being able to expand its cryptocurrency business to the EU would be helpful,” the analyst said. “But I don’t know if the impact would be that dramatic unless it significantly outperformed its US operations.”



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Robinhood looks to jumpstart crypto trading revenue via EU expansion

Casey Wagner

After an explosive week for bitcoin, traders turned their attention to JTO, Solana-based Jito’s new governance token, which gained as much as 75% upon its launch Thursday.&nbsp;



Jito, a staking project built on Solana, released its JTO token at 11 am ET Thursday. By 11:45 am ET, around 30% of the airdrop had been claimed, and none of the top 14 claiming addresses by size had sold.



Eligible recipients have 18 months to collect their assets, making the claim window unusually large for an airdropped token. Typical windows tend to give users 30 to 90 days to make their claims.&nbsp;



<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/jto">JTO’s</a> market capitalization at time of publication was around $211 million.&nbsp;



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitcoin-rallied-whats-next">Bitcoin has rallied. But where is the price going next?</a>



Decentralized exchange Aevo practically crashed after a surge of futures market activity around the time of the airdrop. Coinbase and Binance also announced plans to list the token.&nbsp;



JTO’s launch comes as <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitcoin-ether-altcoins-etf">altcoins continue to soar this year</a>. Solana’s native token (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/sol">SOL</a>) is up more than 550% year-to-date. Polygon (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/matic">MATIC</a>) and Chainlink (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/link">LINK</a>), which both posted rallies last month, still each maintained around a 16% gain over the month Thursday.&nbsp;



Bitcoin (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/btc">BTC</a>) pulled back Thursday to around $43,100, after surpassing $44,000 earlier in the week. Ether (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/eth">ETH</a>) on the other hand extended its rally Thursday, gaining an additional 4.2% over the past 24 hours.&nbsp;



<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/altcoins">Altcoin</a> market share of total crypto trade volume surged to 67% last week, its highest level since March 2022, analysts from crypto research firm Kaiko found.



“Daily altcoin trade volume spiked above $20 billion in early November for the first time since April 2023,” Kaiko analysts added. “While altcoin volumes continue to be driven by offshore markets, Binance’s influence has shrunk, with its market share of global altcoin volume dropping to 46% last week, down from 60% in September 2022.”



It’s not just crypto-native traders taking an interest in altcoins, either. Exchange-traded products (<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/etps">ETPs</a>) holding Solana increased 99% in assets under management last month, according to research from crypto investment firm Fineqia.



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/solanas-nft-marketplace-tensor">Solana’s NFT marketplace booms, with Tensor in top spot</a>



“This follows the 172% growth recorded in October,” Fineqia analysts added. “In the last two months, ETPs holding SOL as underlying [assets] increased by 443%, representing 77% of the altcoins index assets under management growth.”



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Jito’s JTO soars hours into airdrop, analysts say altcoin rally has steam left 

David Canellis

Much has been said of Solana’s recovery since the whole Sam Bankman-Fried thing. But one of the network’s primary rivals, Avalanche, is also having a bit of a moment.



Blink and you might have missed it: Avalanche (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/avax">AVAX</a>) has flipped bitcoin cash (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/bch">BCH</a>), polygon (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/matic">MATIC</a>), polkadot (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/dot">DOT</a>), tron (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/trx">TRX</a>) and chainlink (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/link">LINK</a>) over the past two weeks.



At $9.8 billion, AVAX is now a top-10 cryptocurrency by market cap (if you don’t count Lido Staked ETH), its highest rank all year.&nbsp;



In US dollar terms, AVAX has jumped 150% year to date — almost all of it over the past month. Bitcoin (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/btc">BTC</a>) has returned slightly more, with <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitcoin-price-bull-market-compare">BTC’s rallies largely credited with</a> turning crypto into a sea of green after a dark, lengthy bear market.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-flourish wp-block-embed-flourish"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="Interactive or visual content" src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/16049872/embed#?secret=vYlNRrwxMF" data-secret="vYlNRrwxMF" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="575" width="700"></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Hit play to see Avalanche flip its way into the top 10</figcaption></figure>



Avalanche’s outsized gains are more apparent when tracking its price against bitcoin. Of the top 30 or so cryptocurrencies, AVAX’s bitcoin ratio is the second-best performer over the past three months, having risen 60%, trailing Solana’s, which nearly doubled.



That means a hypothetical crypto trader who sold BTC for AVAX three months ago could now get 60% more bitcoin back on that play — all while BTC itself has rallied 70% against the US dollar.



As of earlier today, ether’s bitcoin ratio had meanwhile slipped by about one-fifth — half as bad as Binance’s BNB. Anyone who sold bitcoin for ether (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/btc">ETH</a>) at the start of September would get almost 20% less BTC if closing those positions today. 



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-flourish wp-block-embed-flourish"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="Interactive or visual content" src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/16050430/embed#?secret=RDr3YwMZAH" data-secret="RDr3YwMZAH" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="575" width="700"></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Notice how SOL and LINK’s bitcoin ratios pumped first, with AVAX following a few weeks later?</figcaption></figure>



Much like Solana, Ethereum, Tron and Polygon, Avalanche is a <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/the-investors-guide-to-avalanche-avax">layer-1 blockchain</a> that supports stablecoins, DeFi applications, memecoins and even <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/avalanche-ordinals-asc20-transaction-record">Ordinals-like inscriptions</a>.&nbsp;



Still, why are markets favoring Avalanche?&nbsp;



Vivek Raman, head of proof of stake at boutique digital asset unit BitOoda, pointed out that all the “alternative layer-1” networks outside of Ethereum are having tremendous runs.



“Solana is up more than seven times from its cycle lows after dropping 95% from its 2021 peak,” Raman said.



“Avalanche is the next major layer-1 that is having a mean reversion bounce and is therefore outperforming right now,” Raman continued. “The major two crypto assets — ETH and BTC — were down much less than altcoins, and this Avalanche move is simply part of a catchup move.”



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-flourish wp-block-embed-flourish"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="Interactive or visual content" src="https://flo.uri.sh/visualisation/16056295/embed#?secret=1ex1tN93HP" data-secret="1ex1tN93HP" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="575" width="700"></iframe>
</div><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Avalanche is still down more than 80% from all-time high set in November 2021</figcaption></figure>



Avalanche’s tech stack was also used for a recent Project Guardian pilot, led by JPMorgan Onyx, which explored the potential benefits of tokenized investment portfolios.&nbsp;



The actual Avalanche mainnet wasn’t used, though, with the banks <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/avalanche-ordinals-asc20-transaction-record">playing around with a fresh permissioned (private) version</a> of the blockchain.&nbsp;



Still, Raman reasoned that JPMorgan’s tests&nbsp; “could be a fundamental driver for the [Avalanche] ecosystem.”



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Avalanche flips MATIC, TRX and LINK to become a top-10 crypto

Ark Invest has sold nearly $59 million of Coinbase from various funds this week.



The sum comes after three days of sales with Ark selling roughly $1.4 million in Coinbase stock on Monday. And on Tuesday and Wednesday, Ark sold around $33 and $24 million respectively.&nbsp;



Looking at the sales in stock, Ark sold a little over 10,000 shares on Monday, 230,000 shares from various funds on Tuesday and 180,000 shares on Wednesday according to <a href="https://ark-funds.com/funds/arkf/?utm_campaign=idt_arkf&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=285522351&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_FiRfM5aN1jyFtuVwLoRRMvKmJFERKbtB8FkmDbMenYMyzrHyMyIFUMAd5ldZ9Ptr9sl7FFdwjAaW52bRJ41UjfBl4-w&amp;utm_content=idt_1262023&amp;utm_source=IDT">filings</a>.



But when looking at the funds and the overall portfolio weights, Ark could be selling to balance the fund. The asset manager has Coinbase in three funds — the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF), ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) and the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK).&nbsp;



As of Dec. 7, Ark holds 6.7 million shares of Coinbase in ARKK, over 949,000 shares in ARKF and 1.3 million shares in ARKW.



Coinbase dominates as the top holding in each of those funds, according to their <a href="https://ark-funds.com/funds/arkk/?utm_campaign=idt_arkk&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=285522351&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--QBks9AkyYmMMOO52D2aStKlHjN5Jiyap2kHeKgpYJh27djTULECN8iv-G5BpgSeyTIYlPFpZQymaJnDoJWPbKwlzjsA&amp;utm_content=idt_1262023&amp;utm_source=IDT">pages</a>.&nbsp;



<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/ark-invest">Ark</a> unloaded Coinbase throughout the last week as well, selling roughly $15 million of stock as the stock benefited from the recent bitcoin rally.&nbsp;



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/cathie-wood-spot-btc-etf">Spot bitcoin ETF would be ‘final seal of approval’ for institutions: Cathie Wood</a>



The stock has been climbing towards its 52-week high of $147 throughout the week, though it’s currently hovering around $135 at time of publication. It closed at $134 on Wednesday. Year-to-date, the stock is up roughly 284%.



Ark’s last purchase of <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/coinbase">Coinbase</a> shares happened back in June after the US Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against the crypto exchange, which sent its shares lower.



Outside of Coinbase, Ark has also been actively selling its shares of Grayscale bitcoin trust (<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/gbtc">GBTC</a>). It’s sold roughly 267,700 shares of GBTC since Tuesday, for a combined total of $9.4 million. Shares of the trust are held by the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF, which has over 4 million shares according to recent data.&nbsp;



GBTC also benefited from the price surge in bitcoin (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/btc">BTC</a>) which is currently trading at $43,000 at the time of publishing. GBTC is trading around $34.



Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart have previously said that there’s a possibility that Ark <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/ark-invest-21shares-gain-edge-bitcoin-etfs">chooses to offload its shares of GBTC</a> to port the assets over the ARKB, if the SEC gives its spot bitcoin ETF application the green light.



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Ark funds sell $59M worth of Coinbase shares as stock dominates funds

While Marathon Digital extended its hash rate lead on North American competitors in the past month, Riot Platforms and Bitfarms are among those looking to catch up via major machine buys ahead of the bitcoin halving.



Meanwhile, Hut 8 recently closed its merger with US Bitcoin Corp in a move executives have said helps the firm not only boost mining capacity, but further diversify its revenue streams.&nbsp;



The plethora of miner moves comes as <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/anniversary-of-2016-btc-halving">the next bitcoin halving looms</a>. Slated for April, industry watchers expect the event that cuts per-block miner awards from 6.25 bitcoin (<a href="https://blockworks.co/price/btc">BTC</a>) to 3.125 BTC to put stress on industry players.



“It seems like the upcoming halving and this year’s market rebound from the 2022 bottom has bolstered mining companies’ capital expenditure,” BlocksBridge Consulting said in a Thursday research <a href="https://theminermag.com/news/2023-12-07/miner-weekly-bitcoin-halving-investment?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=email">post</a>.&nbsp;



This year, a dozen public mining companies have placed orders for Bitcoin (BTC) mining machines. According to data from BlocksBridge&#8217;s resource The MinerMag, these orders total more than 70 exahash per second (EH/s) in capacity.



The commitments made in 2023 amount to roughly $1.2 billion, with about $750 million in deals inked over the past two months.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1480" height="1118" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=1024&amp;h=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-75225" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=1480 1480w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=1024 1024w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=768 768w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=340 340w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=346 346w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=290 290w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/MinerMag-Chart.jpg?w=80 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1480px) 100vw, 1480px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Who has been most aggressive?</h2>



Dan Weiskopf, a co-portfolio manager of the Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF (<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/blok">BLOK</a>), previously told Blockworks that large-scale miners “need to be bold and think two steps ahead of [their] peers” — adding some in the space “will not survive the halving.”



<a href="https://blockworks.co/news/riot-plots-hash-rate-growth">The largest miner purchase of the year came from Riot Platforms</a> on Monday, in the form of 66,560 MicroBT machines for $290.5 million. The largest hash rate purchase in the company’s history, it amounts to about 18 EH/s of mining capacity, Riot said.&nbsp;



Riot’s deployed hash rate was 12.4 EH/s at the end of November, the company said Wednesday.&nbsp;



The company can purchase up to 265,000 more MicroBT miners on the same terms in the future, which would add 75 EH/s to the company’s self-mining capacity.



Bitfarms has also added miners, last week buying nearly 36,000 Bitmain T21 miners as part of “a transformative fleet upgrade plan.” The buy, as well as an option to purchase offer a pathway to increase the miner’s hashrate — at 6.3 EH/s on Nov. 27 — to 17 EH/s by the latter half of next year.



“This strategy is expected to significantly increase efficiencies along with lower unit production costs and dramatic hashrate growth, positioning us well for the upcoming halving and beyond,” Bitfarms CEO Geoff Morphy said in a statement.



CleanSpark is another miner set to add substantial hash rate, making a deal in October to buy 4.4 EH/s worth of Antminer machines. The company reported a hashrate of about 10.1 EH/s at the end of November and expects to start adding the recently acquired machines in January.&nbsp;



Hut 8 and US Bitcoin Mining Corp is now one company with an installed hash rate capacity of 7.5 EH/s. But Hut 8 CEO Jaime Leverton has said the company is “not here to simply chase exahash,” noting <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/hut8-mining-q2-earnings-revenue">its focus on diversifying the business</a>.



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/new-look-hut-8-eyes-ai-related-opportunities-after-merger">New-look Hut 8 eyes AI-related opportunities after merger</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Marathon, Core Scientific in the lead&nbsp;</h2>



While others look to quickly add hash rate, Marathon Digital continues to lead its North American rivals in that category. Core Scientific, which is expecting an <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/core-scientific-new-ceo-2">exit from its bankruptcy</a> by year’s end, is close behind.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Marathon increased its domestic energized hash rate by 20% in November to 23.1 EH/s.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The company, which has focused on <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/marathon-mining-bitcoin-halving">expanding globally and diversifying its mining methods</a>, has 2.5 exahash and 0.2 exahash online in Abu Dhabi and Paraguay, respectively.&nbsp;



Core Scientific’s energized hash rate stood at 21.6 EH/s on Nov. 30.



<a href="https://blockworks.co/news/core-scientific-bitmain-bitcoin-mining-business">Bitmain agreed to invest $53 million in the company</a> in September as part of a deal that supplies Core Scientific with 27,000 Bitmain S19J bitcoin mining servers, or 4.1 EH/s of hashrate.&nbsp;



Core Scientific CEO Adam Sullivan said in a statement, “we remain very well positioned for growth and value creation after our planned emergence from reorganization next month.” This comment comes as the company anticipates receiving 6.6 EH/s worth of bitcoin miners over the next seven months.



Marathon Digital and Core Scientific last month produced 1,151 BTC and 954 BTC, respectively. CleanSpark generated 666 bitcoins, while Riot followed with 552 BTC.



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Crypto miners keep busy ahead of halving with accelerated machine buys

There are some pretty weird things being brought on-chain nowadays.



Real-world-asset (RWA) tokenization is one of the hottest topics in crypto as industry participants eye the impending bull run. With how rapidly the RWA market is growing, now is the opportune time for crypto enthusiasts to begin exploring the topic.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1183" height="638" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-75219" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png?w=1183 1183w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png?w=1024 1024w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png?w=768 768w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png?w=428 428w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png?w=470 470w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png?w=389 389w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image-1.png?w=80 80w" sizes="(max-width: 1183px) 100vw, 1183px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The value of RWAs on-chain crossed $3 billion in August | Source: <a href="https://x.com/glxyresearch/status/1697617833075568977?s=20">Galaxy Research</a></figcaption></figure>



RWA tokenization brings crypto into the real world, drastically expanding crypto utility across various use cases, the most prominent of which are financial assets, including precious metals and real estate.



Outliers are currently being tokenized as well. This article explores some of the strangest.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">From NFTs to glasses clinking&nbsp;</h2>



Fine wine and spirits producers seek three key insights to connect with customers better: buyer identity, current owner, and consumption history. That’s according to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-ritchie-8a289214?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F">Jamie Ritchie</a>, former worldwide chair of wines and spirits at Sotheby’s, who left the auction house to join <a href="https://blockbar.com/">BlockBar</a> in the Web3 industry.&nbsp;



Through BlockBar&#8217;s blockchain marketplace, fine alcohol producers can now sell directly to clients, eliminating middlemen.



Here’s how it works.



Every bottle is tokenized with an NFT issued to the purchaser. The bottle is stored in a fully insured, temperature-controlled environment until clients decide they want it. When they do, they trade in the NFT and BlockBar transports the bottle.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote">
“The distribution model of wines and spirits, particularly at the higher end, isn’t working well. The bottles aren’t getting to the right people – the people who appreciate them – before they go through too many different steps. It’s better to reduce those steps. Let’s say you’re consuming 10 [bottles a year], and I’m consuming none, but I’m the one buying from the producer – where does the producer want to focus their efforts? If we can give them that information, which blockchain enables, they’re going to be happy.”
<cite>— Jamie Ritchie, COO of BlockBar</cite></blockquote>



Tokenization plays a crucial role in ensuring authenticity as well.



Sotheby&#8217;s rare bottle auctions require stringent authenticity checks to combat forgers, but the risk of counterfeit or tampered bottles increases the more times bottles change hands. Bottles could also have been kept in suboptimal conditions. 



With BlockBar, bottles move directly from the producer to storage, guaranteeing authenticity so long as they remain stored. While stored, owners can sell or gift bottles via the NFT. The NFT&#8217;s journey is recorded on the blockchain, offering producers valuable insights into bottle consumption.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tokenization transforms nuclear and solar energy</h2>



Currently, about <a href="https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/plans-for-new-reactors-worldwide.aspx">440 nuclear reactors supply 10% of global electricity</a>, with 60 more under construction.



While nuclear power is seen as the future of clean energy, uranium trading has traditionally been opaque due to safety concerns and trade restrictions.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="750" height="520" src="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image.png" alt="" class="wp-image-75218" srcset="https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image.png?w=750 750w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image.png?w=300 300w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image.png?w=371 371w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image.png?w=376 376w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image.png?w=316 316w, https://blockworks-co.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/image.png?w=80 80w" sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Historical price of uranium | Source: <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/uranium">Trading Economics</a></figcaption></figure>



Typically, uranium attracts buyers like utility companies, governments, and trading houses, with retail investors being left out of the equation. $U, a uranium-backed fungible token from <a href="https://twitter.com/Uranium3o8">Uranium3o8</a>, aims to change that.&nbsp;



“Other than buying uranium directly from a miner like Madison on a sales contract basis, the only other way ‘Joe Retail’ could play in uranium as a commodity was through either a participation agreement or through the purchase of futures.” Duane Parnham, CEO of Madison Metals



The initiative is being supported by <a href="https://www.juniorminingnetwork.com/junior-miner-news/press-releases/3155-cse/gren/148046-uranium3o8-tokenizes-uranium-to-democratize-commodity-access-and-ownership.html#:~:text=Uranium3o8%20is%20now%20possible%20due,Madison%20and%20Sanmiguel%20Capital%20Investment">Madison Metals Inc.</a>, a leading mining firm with several decades of experience.



Uranium isn’t the only renewable energy source being tokenized; through the efforts of companies like <a href="https://auroralabs.dev/">Aurora Labs</a>, solar energy is also being brought into this new reality.



Instead of tokenizing the energy itself, Aurora’s technology is being used by <a href="https://www.powergold.tech/#presale">PowerGold</a>, an Enpower affiliate specializing in green energy investments, to tokenize their energy company. The move offers an investment opportunity (currently in the private sales stage) that was once exclusive to institutions and high-net-worth individuals. This innovative approach aligns people&#8217;s actions with their sustainability goals, democratizing access to green energy investments.&nbsp;



Leveraging, <a href="https://auroracloud.dev/?utm_source=blockworks&amp;utm_medium=pr&amp;utm_campaign=cloud_launch">Aurora Cloud</a>, PowerGold was able to tackle the regulatory challenges associated with its token sale and successfully achieved its objective of facilitating seamless ENP token transactions within a secure and compliant network. PowerGold is poised to revolutionize the renewable energy investment sector, with a strong emphasis on transparency, compliance, and, most importantly, accessibility—all made possible with the support of Aurora Cloud.



Tokenizing the energy company itself, as exemplified by Aurora and PowerGold, offers a new paradigm in the renewable energy industry. It enables individuals to invest in sustainable energy ventures, contributing to a more environmentally conscious future. This transformative approach, in combination with other efforts and innovations related to Solar tokenization, is set to reduce energy costs, enhance availability, and evolve supply chains to better manage energy surpluses, among other pivotal aspects of the energy landscape.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Breaking boundaries through tangible assets</h2>



Crypto’s expansion outside of the typical DeFi utilities that the industry has grown accustomed to marks the start of an impactful new era.



Whether real estate, diamonds, or crazy assets like booze, solar companies and energy, and uranium, crypto has an abundance of opportunities ahead of it through RWA tokenization. It’s a play that brings crypto from URL to IRL, with the power to rapidly accelerate adoption by touching the lives of millions globally.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>



This content is sponsored by <a href="https://auroralabs.dev/">Aurora Labs</a>.



The RWA crypto movement is exactly what Aurora is bringing value to through Aurora Cloud, a fully integrated suite of blockchain products aimed to help businesses leverage the power of blockchain. Over 260 applications are already benefiting from the Aurora network, with use cases in supply chain management, gaming, customer loyalty programs, and much more.



<a href="https://auroracloud.dev/?utm_source=blockworks&amp;utm_medium=pr&amp;utm_campaign=cloud_launch">Learn more about Aurora Cloud</a>.



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Uranium, booze and blockchain

Preorders for Block’s self-custody bitcoin wallet Bitkey launched across the world on Thursday.



According to a press release, the wallet can be preordered in 95 countries, with shipping set to start in early 2024.



“Bitkey includes a mobile app, hardware device and a set of recovery tools in case the customer loses the phone, their hardware, or both,” the release <a href="https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231207228680/en/Self-Custody-Bitcoin-Wallet-Bitkey-Built-by-Block-Inc.-Launches-Globally-Widening-Access-to-True-Financial-Ownership">said</a>.



It uses three keys to secure bitcoin in the wallet, though a customer can use any two of those keys to access and change security settings, launch a recovery or transfer bitcoin. The app acts as one key, and the hardware device acts as a second key. The final key is on the Bitkey server, and is the only one the company has access to.



The Bitkey wallet also allows users to set an optional daily spending limit on their phones. This feature utilizes the mobile key in conjunction with the server key to co-sign transactions up to the set daily limit. The intent is to provide security and convenience, enabling users to spend safely on the go without making it necessary to carry their hardware device everywhere. This system ensures that even if someone gains access to the user&#8217;s phone, they cannot access all of the user&#8217;s funds.



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/blocks-cash-app-bitcoin-revenue-up-investment-holdings-now-above-breakeven">Block’s Cash App bitcoin revenue up, investment holdings now above breakeven</a>



The hardware gives “an extra layer of security to co-sign money movements (based on a customer-set limit); and enables recovery when customers lose their phone.”



Bitkey’s global beta launched back in June. Beta testers were able to test out the hardware device and mobile app.



At the time of the beta launch, it also <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/coinbase-bitkey-partnership">announced a Coinbase partnership</a>. Users were able to buy bitcoin on Coinbase and initiate the transfer through Coinbase Pay.



<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/cash-app">Cash App</a>, which is also in Block’s portfolio, will also integrate its product into the Bitkey app. Cash App was launched by Square — now Block — back in 2013. In August, Cash App noted that the amount of <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/block-earnings-cash-app-bitcoin">bitcoin sold to customers during the second quarter</a> of 2023 jumped up to $2.39 billion. This marked a year-over-year increase of 34%.



When customers receive their wallets, they’ll be able to transfer bitcoin from both Cash App and Coinbase though the ability to transfer bitcoin from other places and the buy and transfer features will be rolled out in a “staggered” approach.



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Block announces preorders for Bitkey bitcoin wallet

Former Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon may be on his way to the US, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.



The Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-jones-12-07-2023/card/exclusive-montenegro-plans-to-extradite-fallen-crypto-tycoon-do-kwon-to-u-s--go9pVSEoANWEjPKGAfD6?page=1">reports</a> that Montenegro plans to extradite Kwon to the US rather than South Korea. Kwon faces charges in both countries.



Kwon has been held in prison in Montenegro since March after authorities alleged that he falsified travel documents. He was sentenced to four months in prison back in June.&nbsp;



The US Securities and Exchange Commission has an open case against both Kwon and Terraform Labs, alleging the offer and sale of unregistered securities. South Korea charged Kwon with fraud and violations of the country’s capital markets laws.&nbsp;



Both the company and Kwon faced scrutiny from regulators after the collapse of the algorithmic stablecoin TerraUSD (UST). The stablecoin’s failure triggered a $40 billion crash in the crypto market and spurred the bankruptcies of multiple lenders with exposure to UST, including Celsius and Voyager.&nbsp;



Kwon’s extradition was approved by a court last month. Justice Minister Andrej Milovic was given the decision on where to send Kwon. According to <a href="https://rtcg.me/vijesti/drustvo/495069/stigla-zalba-na-odluku-o-izrucenju-do-kvona.html">local media reports</a> in Montenegro, Kwon attempted to appeal the extradition.



The Journal report cites unnamed sources and quotes Milovic as saying that the “public will be informed of the decision in a timely manner.”



In the US, the SEC and Terraform have gone back and forth in regards to a deposition from Kwon — <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/do-kwon-us-deposition-impossible">which Kwon’s lawyers argued was “impossible”</a> — and a summary judgment from Judge Jed Rakoff.&nbsp;



The SEC wants Rakoff to rule on whether or not the tokens offered were indeed securities, as the regulator alleges, so that the <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/sec-judge-oversee-terrform-ruling">decision is not up to a jury</a>.



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Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon faces US extradition: WSJ

Jess Sun

Sam Bankman-Fried faces a maximum sentence of 115 years in prison for FTX’s loss of customer funds.&nbsp;



If sentenced to over 100 years, his punishment will match that of serial killers and rapists, child molestors, mass shooters, cult leaders and top gangsters. Only a handful of US fraudsters in history have ever been sentenced to over 100 years. Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150, but his fraud was the scale of $64 billion versus Bankman-Fried’s mere 10.



With all that in mind, should Bankman-Fried spend the rest of his life behind bars?



The natural inclination of many, myself included, is no. White collar financial crime doesn’t “hurt” anybody — its instruments aren’t guns and intimidation, but meetings and signatures. If they hurt anyone, they hurt faceless corporations and the already rich. Losing your freedom for life for cheating people who have money to lose and “know the risk” feels harsh.



But the thing is, the economic well-being of everyday Americans is becoming increasingly tied with giant corporations.&nbsp;



Americans have long heard from politicians that the economy is powered by small businesses, but this is a misconception. Most Americans now work for large employers — <a href="https://www.wsj.com/graphics/big-companies-get-bigger/">more than a quarter</a> of all US employees work at firms of 10,000 people or more. And these large companies account for more sales of products and services than smaller companies do.



In addition to wages and the cost of goods, corporate activity touches households in the form of their relationships with their suppliers (who in turn employ people), investments and taxes as well. While high-income households benefit more from corporate prosperity than lower income ones do, corporations still dominate the economy and its growth, a trend that’s likely to continue.



In 2021, corporate fraud committed by public companies alone destroyed an estimated <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11142-022-09738-5#Sec9">$830 billion in value in 2021</a> — 4% of US GDP that year, a figure greater than the overall GDP growth rate from 2022 to 2023.



When corporate leaders misbehave, their victims usually don’t know it or end up with a neat, sensational, true crime-worthy story to tell. And as such, these <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2631309X19888501">victims usually go unstudied</a>. But corporate fraud bears real costs to us all. Corporate fraud means significantly less wealth flows from the economy’s main driver to American households, and it’s impossible to know the true extent to which our emotions, health and relationships are impacted. After all, money is a predictor of health, divorce rate, job satisfaction and longevity, and the correlation between money and quality of life is set to only get stronger as our social fabric continues to fray.&nbsp;



Read more from our opinion section: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/sam-bankman-fried-trial-reputation">Sam Bankman-Fried will not haunt us forever</a>



It’s easier to bear losses as a collective than it is individually, which is one explanation for why white collar criminals are prosecuted less aggressively and sentenced to less time when they’re found guilty. In <a href="https://trac.syr.edu/reports/708/#:~:text=During%20FY%202022%20out%20of,for%20these%20in%20FY%202004">2022</a>, prosecution of white collar crime reached an all-time low since it started being tracked, and was prosecuted at almost half the rate of drug offenses. <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2735864">A 2016 empirical study</a> found that judges regularly sentence fraud cases at the exact bottom of the sentencing guideline range.&nbsp;



If fraud is punished less because its damage is spread out, the converse should be true as well.&nbsp;In the rare cases when fraud is punished, we should feel no guilt for doing so to the full extent.



For Bankman-Fried to spend the remainder of his prime in prison would serve as an important reminder of two things: that greed still has an effect, and none of us live in a vacuum. Upholding ideals like fairness and interdependence means we’ll sometimes have to act in ways that feel unnatural, especially as life becomes more digital and financialized. Though I feel for Bankman-Fried as a human, he should pay the fair price for his crimes.



<hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/>


<div class="wp-block-post-author-biography">Jess Sun is an independent writer and content strategist. She loves bringing good ideas to light, helping the people behind them shine, and bridging gaps in understanding. Follow her on Twitter or LinkedIn. Go to her website to learn about working with her.</div>


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Financial crimes deserve a life sentence

Spot bitcoin ETFs could be just around the corner.



A new Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-bitcoin-etf-issuer-talks-with-sec-have-advanced-key-details-sources-2023-12-07/">report</a> said that the US Securities and Exchange Commission is working with asset managers to hammer out “key technical details.”&nbsp;



21Shares president Ophelia Snyder said in an interview in late November that the regulator engagement felt different and that the applicants are in a “pattern break.” Together, 21Shares and Ark form one of 13 spot bitcoin ETF applicants.



The SEC has been engaging with the firms on various details in the applications from the surveillance-sharing agreement — of which many applicants named Coinbase. The majority of the applicants also tapped Coinbase as a custodian.&nbsp;



Amendments to applications have steadily poured in, even as the SEC continues to delay its decision on the ETF hopefuls.&nbsp;



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/21shares-bitcoin-etf-approval-incoming">Bitcoin ETF saga reaches ‘pattern break’ as amendments pile up</a>



ETF experts, including Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas and Van Buren Capital’s Scott Johnsson, noted that the amendments are a “<a href="https://twitter.com/SGJohnsson/status/1726655289280369069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1726655292312825880%7Ctwgr%5E92b729223eb7159aad0758a7d13eec23ff9c4ad4%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fblockworks.co%2Fnews%2F21shares-bitcoin-etf-approval-incoming">good sign</a>.”



Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Seyffart believes that — if the SEC is looking to approve the applications — <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/pinning-down-bitcoin-etf-approval-dates">a slew of acceptances could take place</a> between Jan. 8 and Jan. 10. Ark and 21Shares bitcoin ETF proposal has a Jan. 10 deadline.&nbsp;



The approvals could even be “<a href="https://twitter.com/SGJohnsson/status/1730324392238809533">lined up</a>” so that the SEC greenlights multiple applications at once. A phenomenon that Balchunas dubbed the “Bitcointucky Derby.”



“What [people] don&#8217;t realize is there&#8217;s never in <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/etfs">ETF</a> history been a case where multiple products that basically do the same thing have launched on same day,” Balchunas said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/EricBalchunas/status/1730239437743759505">post</a> on X.



Bloomberg Intelligence analysts <a href="https://twitter.com/EricBalchunas/status/1729860124817125600">believe</a> that the odds of approval by Jan. 10 are roughly 90%.



Ark Invest CEO Cathie Wood is also <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/cathie-wood-spot-btc-etf">feeling optimistic about the bitcoin ETFs</a>.&nbsp;



“I think the fact we’re seeing very material differences in this round of the spot process versus prior rounds is a very promising indication of a different outcome,” Wood said on a webinar Wednesday.



Aside from Ark and 21Shares, <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/blackrock-bitcoin-etf-wolf">BlackRock</a>, Franklin Templeton, WisdomTree and VanEck have also thrown their hats in the ring. Pando Asset, a Swiss-based asset manager, rounded the applications up to 13 when it <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/pando-joins-spot-bitcoin-etf-hopefuls">filed for a spot bitcoin ETF at the end of November</a>.&nbsp;



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SEC, bitcoin ETF hopefuls hammer out ‘key details:’ Reuters

Bessie Liu

The NFT trading platform Tensor, which launched earlier this year, has taken the number one spot in Solana’s NFT marketplace, overtaking Magic Eden in trading volume on the network.



Over the past month, Tensor has seen an NFT trading volume of over $1 million, almost double Magic Eden’s, according to analytics platform <a href="https://tiexo.com/analytics?activeMetric=dashboard">TIEXO</a>.&nbsp;



This means that Tensor makes up an estimated 60% of the total NFT trading market share on Solana, with Magic Eden coming in under 30% of total volume.



Magic Eden still has more unique wallet users than Tensor, however, with roughly 116 thousand wallets and a 70% engagement rate compared to Tensor’s 86 thousand wallets and 52% engagement rate.



The implication is that many Tensor traders are trading higher with volumes, while Magic Eden may cater to more casual NFT buyers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Becoming the Solana NFT leader</h2>



According to Ilja Moisejevs, the co-founder of Tensor, the path to building Tensor and attracting NFT traders was not an easy one.



“At first [we did] a lot of stuff that doesn’t scale,” Moisejevs told Blockworks. “We got our first 50 users by literally hopping into the DMs of top traders and asking them to try the product. Many said no, but some said yes, and that was enough to get started.”



Tensor shipped various products in order to appeal to its audience, Moisejevs said, noting that the first version of its product looked similar to the Bloomberg terminal, an approach which appealed to more financial and analytical folks.&nbsp;



“[We] listened to user feedback and kept iterating; we’ve turned the product over like thirty times,” he said.&nbsp;



Tensor’s identity is linked strongly to the Solana ecosystem, Moisejeves added. Even when the price of SOL, Solana’s native token, dipped to $8, the team did not leave for other ecosystems, “We stayed and doubled down,” Moisejeves said.



He adds that in order for Tensor to be successful, Solana itself must be a massive success.



“That&#8217;s why we&#8217;re not shopping chains and 10x-ing our focus on Solana. We really think Solana can be the chain that brings crypto and NFTs in particular to the masses,”&nbsp; Moisejevs said.&nbsp;



Like Blur — the Ethereum NFT trading platform — Tensor initially started off as a trading platform for pro-traders. Though this cohort of customers is still prioritized by the team, Moisejevs notes that it is slowly moving towards appealing to retail traders as well.&nbsp;



Further, there has been <a href="https://twitter.com/defi_airdrops/status/1730208509067682260">speculation</a> from community members that Tensor would introduce a similar airdrop strategy to <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/blur-nft-volume-opensea">Blur</a>. Most recently, community members were encouraged by speculators to purchase the Tensorian NFT, Tensor’s own NFT collection which would give buyers unique access to its pro trading product, and access to exclusive chat rooms.



The Tensorian collection currently has a trading volume of <a href="https://dune.com/ilemi/solana-nfts">$11.5 million</a>, making it one of the most popular on Solana.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Loyal customers</h2>



NFT trader that goes by the pseudonym <a href="https://twitter.com/weekend_whale">Weekend Whale</a> told Blockworks that Tensor became an instant ‘home’ for NFT trading after it came around.



“I did a little bit of trading on OpenSea, and then I used Magic Eden quite a bit when it was the dominant NFT market on Solana. When I used ME, I always felt like there was no way from a UI and speed standpoint it would ever scale well enough to be practical for someone of my portfolio size and activity level,” Weekend Whale said.



They note that the collapse of FTX actually played a large role in the decision to became a Tensor trader.&nbsp;



“All I really had after FTX collapsed was my Solana on-chain, and there wasn&#8217;t another CEX with anything particularly interesting to offer me, so I was in a perfect position to pivot to NFT trading full-time,” they said.&nbsp;



Tensor was initially presented to Weekend Whale as a marketplace which would be familiar to traders who were used to trading on centralized exchanges, and this proved to be true.&nbsp;



Then there was their belief in the potential for a significant future.&nbsp;



“That&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve stuck around and stayed loyal despite the hard times we went through on Solana and other marketplaces&#8217; and blockchains&#8217; attempts to lure us away,” Weekend Whale added.



Pseudonymous trader <a href="https://twitter.com/retiredchaddev">Retired Chad Dev</a> shares similar experiences. After taking an interest in <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/crypto-exchange-solana-spot-trading">MadLads</a> NFTs he began looking for a platform to purchase the NFT from.



“Everything felt so intuitive with Tensor, I can clearly see the prices with and without royalties, can see how the prices were moving up and the trends, just filter for traits and see how the listings have been doing in the history,” <a href="https://twitter.com/retiredchaddev">Retired Chad Dev</a> told Blockworks.



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/coinbase-crypto-ux-adoption">Coinbase and other crypto companies hope to boost adoption with UX</a>



As a former market maker and token trader on centralized exchanges, the “Tensor’s UI makes me feel right at home,” they said.



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Solana’s NFT marketplace booms, with Tensor in top spot

Babylon has raised $18 million to develop a protocol that lets users put up bitcoin to secure proof-of-stake blockchains.



Polychain Capital and Hack VC led the round, which also drew participation from Framework Ventures, Polygon Ventures, and OKX Ventures.



Bitcoin’s continued price run has coincided with growing <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitcoin-miners-bag-cash">dry powder deployment in mining companies</a>. But Babylon’s raise points to investor interest in something beyond funding GPUs: finding new use cases for bitcoin.



Babylon originated in a blockchain lab at Stanford. It <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitcoin-staking-babylon">spun up a novel way to stake bitcoin</a> as an economic security token on blockchains that use proof-of-stake to reach consensus. Proof-of-stake chains typically use their native tokens for staking — ether secures the Ethereum network, for instance — which can compromise security on chains where the native token isn’t sought-after. 



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitcoin-staking-babylon">Let’s talk Bitcoin staking: Babylon’s litepaper</a>



Babylon’s staking service joins <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitcoin-ordinals-ethereum-flippening">bitcoin ordinals</a> as an attempt to put bitcoin to use aside from its being a store of value. A vocal segment of bitcoin’s community <a href="https://x.com/LukeDashjr/status/1732204937466032285?s=20">contest</a> novel use cases for bitcoin, but Babylon founder David Tse believes there is demand for his product among the asset’s holders.



“I think a good number of them do want to participate in a yield-generating opportunity, and those are the ones we are targeting. So for those folks who really believe bitcoin is just gold, then we just have to, you know, leave them with that belief,” Tse said.



Tse said Babylon will hit testnet in January 2024. The protocol would ideally like to go to mainnet by the time of bitcoin’s “<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/bitcoin-halving">halving</a>,” when bitcoin rewards given to miners are cut in half, in April. Tse noted the mainnet deployment depends largely on the outcome of security audits on Babylon’s testnet.&nbsp;



“Several” bitcoin miners participated in the funding round, Tse said, though he declined to disclose Babylon’s valuation.



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Bitcoin staking protocol closes $18M round led by Polychain and Hack VC

Macauley Peterson

German conglomerate Bosch, a major player in sensor manufacturing, has multiple Web3 initiatives underway. The latest is a small device capable of generating data on real world conditions such as weather, light and noise pollution, and seismic activity.



Connected to Web3 rails, it’s part of a growing segment of crypto known as Decentralized physical infrastructure networks (<a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/depin">DePIN</a>).



The new device, known as Bosch XDK110 Rapid Prototyping Kit, is a smart sensor that allows users to earn crypto rewards by providing data, without involving a centralized intermediary.



Each device is outfitted with a unique digital identity that enables it to interact with <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/peaq">peaq</a>, whose &#8220;krest&#8221; network is running on Polkadot &#8220;canary network&#8221; <a href="https://blockworks.co/price/ksm">Kusama</a>. Peaq has secured a full <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/polkadot-rethinks-parachain-auctions">Polkadot parachain</a> lease, which is not yet in use.



A third partner, Fetch.ai, provides autonomous AI agents that can optimize the devices&#8217; activity to maximize owner rewards, the companies say. Fetch’s DeltaV marketplace enables data consumers to connect with a network of decentralized suppliers.



Bosch is “not really focused on one blockchain or on one decentralized marketplace,” Peter Busch, product owner of the company’s distributed ledger technologies mobility team, told Blockworks.



“So in terms of data sovereignty, privacy, security, what we can accomplish with these decentralized technologies — self-sovereign identity — is really that we are using [our personal data] in a more anonymous way.”



The trio of companies showcased a proof-of-concept at a recent hackathon at the University of Applied Sciences in Saarbruecken, Germany.



Fetch has been working with Bosch for quite a while, aiming to create privacy preserving data sharing around the use of AI agents, as part of MoveID, a publicly funded project led by Bosch, which has similar goals.



“One of the key aspects is to enable self-sovereign identities in vehicles and in mobility infrastructure,” Maria Minaricova, Fetch’s business development lead, told Blockworks.



“You give the machines identity, and they can operate autonomously,” she said.



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/drive-to-earn-app-dynamic-maps-crypto-rewards">‘Drive-to-earn’ app aims to bootstrap ‘dynamic maps’ with crypto rewards</a>



Taking control of privacy and monetizing user-generated data is one of the chief narratives around Web3 technologies, generally. And the EU is making a large push in this area, Busch said, even as the role of crypto is politically fraught.



“We are looking for alternative technologies apart from the classic cloud technologies from Google and Amazon,” he said. “They are in [the car] already and they take more and more parts of the car, and this is quite a dangerous situation.”



“Together with peaq, for example, we have a use-case where you can show how the car interacts with the charging [point] in a decentralized way,” Busch said, while preserving the privacy of the driver’s data.



Token incentives bootstrap the deployment of such devices and services — Helium’s wireless mobile data is one notable example.



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/helium-cell-plan-goes-nationwide">Unlimited Helium Mobile cell plan goes nationwide for $20 a month</a>



Payments can settle on different blockchains — not only on Fetch.ai, a Cosmos-based blockchain, but also peaq, on Polkadot, and even, to existing Web2 systems, through the use of APIs.



Updated Dec. 7, 2023 at 9:13 am ET: Clarified that while peaq has a Polkadot parachain, it&#8217;s not currently in use.



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Bosch DePIN device lets you share data and earn crypto

Anatoly Legkodymov, founder of the dark web-tied crypto exchange Bitzlato, has pleaded guilty to operating an unlicensed money transmitting business in a New York court.&nbsp;



The Department of Justice originally filed charges against the Hong Kong-based exchange’s majority owner last January.&nbsp;



Bitzlato “sold itself to criminals as a no-questions-asked cryptocurrency exchange, and reaped hundreds of millions of dollars worth of deposits as a result,” US attorney Breon Peace said in a statement at the time.



According to the DOJ, Legkodymov will dissolve Bitzlato and “release any claim over approximately $23 million in seized assets of Bitzlato” as part of the plea agreement. A sentencing date has not been set yet.



Read more: <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitzlato-law-enforcement-significance">Bitzlato may make crypto scoff, but law enforcement thinks otherwise</a>



“We are dismantling and disrupting the cryptocrime ecosystem using all tools available — including criminal prosecution. In January, the Department and our partners took down Bitzlato’s infrastructure and seized its cryptocurrency. Today’s conviction of Bitzlato’s founder is the latest product of our efforts,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a press release.



The <a href="https://blockworks.co/tag/doj">DOJ</a> and German authorities shut down Hydra Market — which allegedly specialized in being a marketplace for drugs and stolen financial information — back in 2022. The online marketplace exchanged roughly $700 million worth of crypto with Bitzlato, the authorities said.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<a href="https://blockworks.co/news/bitzlato-founder-held-without-bail">Legkodymov was denied bail</a> at a hearing back in March due to his status as a Russian national in the US on a visa and his “access” to crypto, cited as reasons to keep him detained.



The initial <a href="https://blockworks.co/news/doj-busts-crypto-exchange">DOJ announcement surprised some in crypto</a>, with some taking to X to post that they had never heard of the exchange before.&nbsp;&nbsp;



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