LensLinks: Issue 7

A blockchain news roundup, brought to you by Regiment LLC

Author

Len Pacek
October 12, 2022

Today in LensLinks:

  • Is "Mass Adoption Terrible for Crypto"?

  • Are Crypto Systems Becoming More Decentralized?

  • Is Blockchain Drawing Institutional Interest?

  • Chairman of China’s ZQGame Holds Metaverse Wedding

  • Ethereum After the Merge

  • 101: Crypto for Beginners

  • And Much, Much More...

QUOTABLE...

“I would say 80% of my customers are all institutions and prop shops. More than anything, even if a company decides not to get involved with crypto, they want to be smart about it and stay well informed of the latest developments.”

- Tongtong Gong, COO and co-founder of the digital asset data firm Amberdata

NOTABLE...

Morgan Stanley Says Crypto Ecosystem Is Becoming Less Decentralized

The Ethereum blockchain has become more centralized following the shift to proof-of-stake as 60% of validators are managed by only four companies, the report said.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/morgan-stanley-says-crypto-ecosystem-111622341.html

The crypto ecosystem is becoming less decentralized, Morgan Stanley (MS) said in a research report on Wednesday.

The underlying blockchains themselves may be decentralized, but as crypto regulation develops the need to run a large part of the blockchain on a single or small group of cloud providers becomes a potential risk, the report said.

 Metaverse & Gaming

Homa raises another $100 million for its data-driven mobile gaming tools

French startup Homa has raised a $100 million Series B funding round. Quadrille Capital and Headline are leading the round. Homa partners with indie mobile game studios so that their games are perfectly optimized to become a hit game on the App Store and Google Play. In other words, Homa builds tools that help third-party […]

https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/11/homa-raises-another-100-million-for-its-data-driven-mobile-gaming-tools/

In other words, Homa builds tools that help third-party developers build games. The reason for that is that it has become incredibly challenging to stand out when you build a hypercasual, casual or board game with a small dev team.

Other investors in the Series B include Northzone, Fabric Ventures, Bpifrance, Eurazeo and Singular. With Voodoo, Homa is one of the companies that have turned mobile gaming development into a methodical, data-driven process.

 Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi

Despite stagnant prices, institutions continue to show interest in blockchain technology

Despite floundering crypto prices in 2022, institutional interest in the industry continues to rise as companies look to stay well-informed and adaptable.

https://www.kitco.com/news/2022-10-12/Despite-stagnant-prices-institutions-continue-to-show-interest-in-blockchain-technology.html

Institutional investment into the cryptocurrency sector has long been hyped as the thing that will bring legitimacy to the nascent asset class as the world's largest financial institutions are expected to throw their weight behind digital assets as the next financial frontier.

Crypto Trading

Crypto's Grayscale blasts SEC over ‘special harshness’ toward bitcoin trading

Crypto asset manager Grayscale Investments LLC, which manages the world’s largest bitcoin investment fund, told a federal appeals court on Tuesday that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is so suspicious of bitcoin spot trading that it blocked a proposal to make it easier and safer for investors to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/cryptos-grayscale-blasts-sec-over-special-harshness-toward-bitcoin-trading-2022-10-12/

That is the only reasonable conclusion, Grayscale argued in a new brief filed with the District of Columbia U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, to be drawn from the SEC’s decision last June to reject a proposal from the New York Stock Exchange to convert Grayscale’s $15 billion bitcoin investment trust into an exchange-traded fund, despite the commission’s previous approval of exchange-traded funds based on bitcoin futures. (Challenges to final SEC orders are heard by federal appellate courts, not trial courts.)

Metaverse & Gaming - A Little More...

The Metaverse Spectrum Announces the METAVERSE 100 - Grit Daily News

The first-ever METAVERSE 100 list from Metaverse Spectrum is the 100 companies determining the future of the metaverse.

https://gritdaily.com/the-metaverse-spectrum-announces-the-metaverse-100/

Chairman of China's ZQGame Holds Metaverse Wedding, Launches Digital Wedding App - Pandaily

Li Yilun, chairman of Shenzhen-based publicly listed online game company ZQGame, held China's first "metaverse wedding" based on his own actual wedding on October 8. Li took over the firm's chairmanship from his father just five months ago.

https://pandaily.com/chairman-of-chinas-zqgame-holds-metaverse-wedding-launches-digital-wedding-app/

Blockchain, Tokens & Defi - A Little More...

Mass adoption will be terrible for crypto

From reversible transactions to increased regulation and a rising tide of censorship, mass adoption is going to make crypto look more like the systems we’re trying to escape.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/mass-adoption-will-be-terrible-for-crypto

Cryptocurrency for Beginners - The European Business Review

In this crypto for beginners article, we explain what cryptocurrencies are, how they work, and how to invest in these assets.

https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/cryptocurrency-for-beginner/

Currencies Replace Crypto at Forefront of Market Trading Chaos

The atmosphere at a conference was markedly different from the previous few years: there was a buzz.

https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/currencies-replace-crypto-at-forefront-of-market-trading-chaos-71665477512028.html

Crypto Trading - A Little More...

First Mover Americas: Bitcoin Due for Big Move, Solana's TVL Tanks After Mango Exploit

The latest price moves in crypto markets in context for Oct. 12, 2022.

https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2022/10/12/first-mover-americas-bitcoin-due-for-big-move-solanas-tvl-tanks-after-mango-exploit/

Crypto Strategist Says New Bitcoin Trend Underway, Predicts Next Rally Will Catch Traders off Guard - The Daily Hodl

A popular crypto strategist and trader says Bitcoin (BTC) is gearing up for a rally that leaves many traders on the sidelines.

https://dailyhodl.com/2022/10/12/crypto-strategist-says-new-bitcoin-trend-underway-predicts-next-rally-will-catch-traders-off-guard/

ESG (Environment, Social & Governance)

Ethereum After the Merge – What’s Next - The Daily Hodl

Just like the stock market, cryptocurrency isn’t faring too well in 2022. Most charts you open these days are going to be in the red for the year, and the economic crisis is probably influencing almost every asset in your portfolio right now.

https://dailyhodl.com/2022/10/11/ethereum-after-the-merge-whats-next/

Disclaimer: This note is distributed by Regiment, LLC for informational purposes only and is sourced from publicly available media reports. It is not an investment recommendation or solicitation for any investment. The information is current as of date and subject to change. In such case Regiment, LLC does not undertake to provide any updates. Recipients must be aware that any private, alternative investments discussed are speculative in nature, often illiquid, and subject to loss of capital.