DeFi: June headlines
- Real-world asset protocols outperform DeFi blue chips due to tokenization wave. The top uncollateralized lending protocols for institutions, TrueFi and Maple, have increased by 26.6% and 117.8%, respectively, in 2023. Centrifuge, a real-world asset tokenization platform, has surged by 32% year to date (source).
- DeFi Platform EigenLayer Rolls Out Restaking Protocol on Ethereum Mainnet, EigenLayer's developers raised $64.5 million in a series of investment rounds (source).
- Arbitrum-Based DeFi Project Chibi Finance Rug Pulled: Over $1 Million Drained: On-chain analysis conducted by blockchain security platform CertiK revealed that Chibi devs deployed a malicious contract that enabled them to steal user funds from the protocol’s smart contracts (source).
- DeFi Protocol Maverick Raises $9M Led by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, the round also included contributions from Pantera Capital, Binance Labs, Coinbase Ventures and Apollo Crypto (source).
- BlackRock Executive: Knowing Who Counterparties Are Is Key to Engaging Institutions in DeFi. Issues such as the automated market making in DeFi instead of central order limits books are just fig leaves, said Chalom. "We need clear understanding of who is in a pool" (source).
#DeFi#trends#June2023
Metaverse: June headlines
- Consumers appear less interested in more futuristic offerings, want real-world applicability, are least interested in fashion and beauty, loosing interest in metaverse socializing - McKinsey & Company (source)
- Apple bets on the metaverse: Apple unveiled its long-awaited entry into virtual reality, or what the tech giant calls “spatial computing,” in the form of the Apple Vision Pro, a $3,500 device that looks like exquisitely designed futuristic ski goggles (source).
- Banks Have Come to the Metaverse. JPMorgan arrived in Decentraland under the brand Onyx, which, according to the company, is “a blockchain-based platform for wholesale payment transactions.” DBS, Singapore’s biggest bank, purchased a large plot of land on The Sandbox to develop interactive experiences aimed at promoting a more sustainable world. South Korea’s Kookmin Bank has its own native metaverse-based financial services as well as one-on-one customer service (source).
#metaverse#trends#June2023
Web3 Creator Economy: June headlines
- Mythical Games Secures First Close of $37 Million Towards Latest Round of Funding. The round was led by digital asset manager Scytale Digital, with participation from ARK Invest, Animoca Brands, PROOF, Stanford Athletics, MoonPay. Existing investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Gaingels, Signum Growth, Struck Capital, and WestCap also participated in the round. Mythical is a next-generation games technology company creating a web3 gaming ecosystem by leveraging blockchain technology and playable NFTs for tools that enable players, creators, artists, brands and game developers to become stakeholders and owners in new “play and own” game economies (source).
- NFT Creation Platform Zora Launches Creator-Focused Layer 2. In a statement to CoinDesk, a spokesperson for Zora said that the platform has been building a "culture of creativity and community" since its inception, putting artists and creators at the forefront of its products (source).
#creatoreconomy#trends#June2023
Wallets / Payment Solutions: June headlines
- PayPal invests in new crypto wallet service. PayPal has announced a substantial investment in Magic, the strategic funding round, led by PayPal Ventures, raised $52 million for Magic, with additional investments from Cherubic, Synchrony, KX, Northzone and Volt Capital (source).
- Atomic Wallet Hackers Use THORChain to Conceal Stolen $35M Funds: the hackers, believed to be North Korean hacking group Lazarus, have been using cross-chain bridges and liquidity protocols to mix stolen funds (source).
- Crypto.com joins ranks of licensed payment institutions in Singapore: with the MPI license, Crypto.com is now authorized to offer its DPT services to customers in Singapore (source).
- Crypto Payments Firm Wyre Winding Down Due to ‘Market Conditions’. Wyre is ceasing operations less than a year after it was valued at $1.5 billion in an abortive acquisition by Bolt (source).
- Binance struggles in Europe continue as it has lost its EURO payment partner - Paysafe,its Euro payment partner, will stop its bank transfers services from September 25 (source).
- Mastercard plans beta for a blockchain ‘app store’ for ‘regulated’ financial apps. Mastercard said it was planning to launch a beta in the U.K. over the summer to test what it calls the Multi Token Network, or an “app store powered by blockchain technologies for building regulated financial applications” (source)
#wallet#paymentsolutions#trends#June2023