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- Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos and more Week 33 2024
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cosmos and more Week 33 2024
Keeping you updated on crypto, web3 and blockchain
TL;DR
S. Korea Pension Fund Buys $34m MicroStrategy Shares
Miner Capitulation Hints at Bitcoin Bottom
Aleph Zero Launches zkOS-Powered Ethereum Layer 2
Vitalik Donates $500K in Memecoins to Charity
USDC ‘Tap-and-Go’ Feature Set for iPhone Launch
Cronos zkEVM Launches with Ethereum Bridge
Dubai Court Approves Crypto Salary Payments
SEC Subpoenas Crypto VCs, Expands Crackdown
and much more!
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Bitcoin Highlights of the Week
South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS) invested $34 million in MicroStrategy shares, acquiring around 245,000 shares after the recent 10-for-1 stock split. This investment offers the NPS indirect exposure to Bitcoin, given MicroStrategy’s 226,500 BTC holdings. As the largest institutional investor in South Korea, with $777 billion in assets, the NPS joins other major global funds like Norway’s central bank and the Swiss National Bank.
MicroStrategy’s stock has nearly doubled this year as more institutions adopt it as a Bitcoin proxy. The company’s leveraged Bitcoin strategy, coupled with growing institutional interest, highlights Bitcoin’s emergence as a key treasury asset.
Goldman Sachs has revealed a $418.65 million investment across several U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. Their holdings include $238.6 million in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, $79.5 million in Fidelity’s FBTC, and $56.1 million in Invesco Galaxy’s Bitcoin ETF, along with smaller stakes in other funds. This diverse approach positions Goldman as the third-largest holder of IBIT.
Mathew McDermott, Goldman’s head of digital assets, called Bitcoin ETFs a “big psychological turning point.” The bank’s move coincides with Bitcoin’s recent recovery, trading at $60,890, marking a 7% weekly gain.
Over 1 million Bitcoin addresses now hold at least 1 BTC, indicating robust adoption. According to Bitcoin Magazine Pro, 1,012,650 addresses meet this threshold, removing a substantial portion of the 21 million total BTC from circulation. This trend highlights growing long-term confidence in Bitcoin, especially as institutions like MicroStrategy and U.S. Bitcoin ETFs collectively hold massive amounts of BTC.
The rapid increase in these addresses over the past two years reflects both retail and institutional accumulation. With only 21 million BTC available and 19 million already mined, the demand for securing Bitcoin’s limited supply continues to rise.
The SEC has approved the MSTX ETF, the first leveraged single-stock ETF targeting MicroStrategy. Issued by Defiance ETFs, MSTX offers 175% of MicroStrategy’s daily returns, amplifying exposure to Bitcoin due to the company’s substantial holdings of 226,500 BTC.
This leveraged ETF allows investors to gain enhanced access to Bitcoin’s market moves within an ETF structure. However, it carries heightened risks due to leverage and its concentration on a single stock. As the first ETF of its kind, MSTX’s success hinges on investor demand and MicroStrategy’s continued role as a Bitcoin proxy.
Bitcoin miners have ramped up their network hashrate to a record 627 exahash per second, despite recent price drops and tightening profit margins. This increase follows a miner capitulation event on August 5, when outflows spiked to 19,000 BTC as prices hit $49,000, marking the highest outflow since March. Miners sold to cover costs as margins shrank to 25%.
Historically, miner capitulations have aligned with local Bitcoin price bottoms, as seen in early 2023. The renewed hashrate expansion indicates positive miner sentiment, suggesting a possible price rebound as BTC hovers above $61,000.
Ethereum Highlights of the Week
An early Ethereum ICO participant has transferred 48,500 ETH, valued at $154 million, to OKX. On-chain data reveals the whale initially received 1 million ETH during the 2015 ICO at a price of $0.311 per coin. Despite this recent movement, the whale still holds over 680,000 ETH, with 345,000 ETH staked and 287,000 ETH retained in the original address.
The transfer occurs as Ethereum sees a 10% price recovery over the past week. Additionally, Ethereum gas fees have reached a five-year low, significantly dropping compared to previous highs, signaling a notable shift in network activity.
Vitalik Buterin has donated over $500,000 worth of animal-themed memecoins to the Effective Altruism Funds’ Animal Welfare Fund. On August 14, Buterin transferred 200 ETH, valued at $532,398, to the charity. He encouraged the memecoin community to direct their tokens to charities and promoted more effective public goods funding in 2024.
The donation follows a high-profile sale of Neiro Ethereum (NEIRO) tokens, which led to a 60% price drop but later surged by 200%. Buterin's action highlights his criticism of celebrity memecoins and his support for projects with tangible societal benefits.
Restaking protocol Symbiotic has launched its devnet on Ethereum's Holesky test network ahead of a planned mainnet in Q3. Competing with EigenLayer, Symbiotic supports multiple ERC-20 tokens for securing third-party protocols.
The platform distinguishes itself with slashing features to enforce node operator integrity, attracting projects like Ethena and LayerZero. After raising $5.8 million, Symbiotic hit $1 billion in total value locked within a month. Full mainnet deployment is expected later in Q3 following security audits.
EigenLayer will soon introduce Permissionless Token Support, allowing any ERC-20 token to be used as a restakable asset. This update will enable application-specific validators (AVSs) to incorporate various ERC-20 tokens into their security models, expanding their partnership opportunities and enhancing token utility.
The feature, currently in testing, will first be implemented by EigenDA and is expected on the EigenLayer web app by Q3. This move could diminish Symbiotic's competitive edge in restaking, potentially affecting their launch timeline and market position.
Aleph Zero has launched its Ethereum-compatible layer-2 solution on the mainnet, integrating Arbitrum Orbit technology and zkOS privacy tools. This new layer aims to enhance blockchain privacy and transaction speed, reducing block times to 250 milliseconds. The solution utilizes Aleph Zero’s Substrate-based WASM layer 1 for data availability and the AZERO token for gas transactions.
The mainnet, developed with rollup-as-a-service provider Gelato, will support Ethereum-compatible applications and feature zkOS privacy tools in Q4. Aleph Zero also announced a $50 million funding program to support developers and advance blockchain adoption.
Cosmos Highlights of the Week
pSTAKE Finance has launched the Babylon Rush program, offering up to 100,000 $PSTAKE tokens to early adopters of its Bitcoin Liquid Staking service. Users who deposit BTC before August 21, 2024, into pSTAKE’s solution will receive rewards, including $PSTAKE tokens, boosted pSats, and benefits from the upcoming Babylon launch.
The initiative celebrates reaching $1M TVL and aims to enhance user experience by avoiding higher fees and optimizing yields through its advanced staking mechanisms. Depositors will benefit from higher potential rewards and simplified user experience compared to staking directly on Babylon.
Secret Network has integrated its Confidential Computing Layer with Sei Network, boosting Sei’s ecosystem with advanced decentralized confidential computing (DeCC) capabilities. This integration enhances privacy for Sei’s dApps, crucial in high-frequency trading and DeFi, by encrypting data during computation via Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs).
The collaboration introduces encrypted order books, reducing front-running risks, and enables confidential DeFi services like private lending. It also supports secure random number generation in gaming and NFTs, enhancing user trust. This integration marks a significant step in combining privacy with scalability, paving the way for innovative, privacy-first blockchain applications.
Circle is preparing to enable USDC ‘tap-and-go’ payments on iPhones following Apple’s decision to allow third-party developers access to its NFC chip and Secure Element technology. Starting with iOS 18.1, developers can offer contactless payments using blockchain addresses for seamless transactions.
This innovation could enhance crypto payment adoption by allowing iPhone users to pay merchants directly with USDC authenticated via FaceID, offering a more integrated experience. This move signals a broader shift, with developers exploring uses beyond stablecoins, like NFTs for ticketing. However, Apple’s NFC access remains limited to select countries, excluding the EU for now.
Chainlink has integrated its Data Streams and Verifiable Random Function (VRF) services on Base’s Layer-2 blockchain, giving developers access to its full suite of products. The integration aims to enhance decentralized applications (dApps) on Base by improving performance, security, and reliability.
Data Streams offer low-latency market data for responsive DeFi applications, while VRF provides secure random number generation, crucial for smart contracts and improving user experience. This collaboration allows Base developers to build more competitive dApps with centralized exchange-level efficiency, boosting the blockchain’s scalability and expanding its DeFi and Web3 capabilities.
Cronos Labs has launched its highly anticipated zkEVM mainnet, developed with zkSync’s support. The network, which enhances the existing Cronos ecosystem, features a native Ethereum bridge and an extensive dApp ecosystem. Users can benefit from triple-yield opportunities through staking, DeFi rewards, and loyalty points.
The mainnet launch follows a successful testnet with over 3 million wallets. zkCRO, the network's gas token, powers transactions, while multiple wallets and major dApps have integrated with the platform. The alpha phase runs until September, offering Ethereum users a new Layer-2 experience focused on scalability and yield generation.
Other Highlights of the Week
Dubai’s Court of First Instance has officially recognized cryptocurrency as a valid form of salary payment in employment contracts. This landmark decision marks a shift from a 2023 ruling that denied a similar claim due to valuation issues with the crypto involved.
The recent case, involving a dispute over wages paid in EcoWatt tokens, saw the court rule in favor of the employee, mandating payment in crypto without fiat conversion. This development signals growing acceptance and integration of digital currencies into legal and economic frameworks in the UAE, promoting a progressive approach to Web3 financial transactions.
David Smillie, founder of the Canadian crypto exchange ezBtc, has been found guilty of defrauding investors of over $9.5 million. The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) investigation revealed that Smillie misappropriated approximately 2,300 Bitcoin and 600 Ethereum, with 935 Bitcoin and 159 Ethereum diverted for personal expenses and gambling.
The exchange, which operated from 2016 to 2019, went offline in September 2019, leaving users unable to access their funds. The BCSC is expected to impose sanctions, including financial penalties and bans from market participation.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued subpoenas to at least three crypto venture capital firms, marking an escalation in its scrutiny of the cryptocurrency sector. These subpoenas are part of an investigation into whether violations of federal securities laws have occurred.
The SEC is examining contracts related to token deals, potentially targeting VCs involved in early-stage funding of crypto startups. This move suggests the SEC is focusing on the initial capital sources for crypto ventures, and could signal a broader crackdown following previous actions against entities like Binance and Coinbase.
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