LensLinks: Issue 75

A blockchain news roundup, brought to you by Regiment LLC

Author

Len Pacek
January 19, 2023

Today in LensLinks:

  • BIS Economists Recommend 3 Crypto Policies for Regulators Worldwide to Adopt

  • Is it crypto spring already?

  • Lido TVL Spiked 33% in Past Month to Become Largest DeFi Protocol

  • "Samcoins" - "SBF Gamed Markets" per Rivals

  • Upland CEO Unveils Super-App at Davos

  • Neal Stephenson discusses his Metaverse Vision

  • Polygon Hard Forks with only 13 Validators Receiving Criticism

  • Russia and Iran in Talks to Launch Gold-backed Cryptocurrencies

  • RETRO: What did Time think of SBF in May of 2022?

  • And Much, Much, More...

QUOTABLE...

“The crypto ecosystem is expected to see massive worldwide adoption over the next few years. There is an opportunity to shape an inclusive and sustainable future to ensure we maximize the benefits and minimize the risks ahead. This project aims to bring together leaders to accomplish just this.”

- Sheila Warren, Head of Blockchain at the World Economic Forum

NOTABLE...

BIS Economists Recommend 3 Crypto Policies for Regulators Worldwide to Adopt – Regulation Bitcoin News

Economists at the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) have recommended three crypto policies regulators worldwide can adopt.

https://news.bitcoin.com/bis-economists-recommend-3-crypto-policies-for-regulators-worldwide-to-adopt/

“Authorities can now consider a variety of policy approaches and at the same time work to improve the existing monetary system in the public interest.”

 Metaverse & Gaming

Is it crypto spring already? The projects to look out for in 2023

After two months of low trading activity and overall gloom sentiment on the crypto markets, the mood is starting to change. Bitcoin rallied 21% in a week, dragging along the whole crypto space and...

https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/Is-it-crypto-spring-already-The-projects-to-look-out-for-in-2023--42760151/

This week’s cryptoassets’ price action can be indicative not only of their individual potential, but also of market expectations from their respective sectors. In this regard, it is interesting to recall the most high-profile projects that were announced in the previous year(s) and can be launched in 2023.

 Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi

Lido’s Total Value Locked Spiked 33% In Past Month, Becoming Largest DeFi Protocol by TVL, Says DeFiLlama

Users have deposited $7.8 billion into Lido to reap rewards for the protocol’s community-led validator staking service, heating up the liquid staking derivatives space.

https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/01/18/lidos-total-value-locked-spiked-33-in-past-month-becoming-largest-defi-protocol-by-tvl-says-defillama/

The forerunner of the liquid staking derivatives market, Lido became the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) app by total value locked (TVL) earlier this month, surpassing MakerDAO.

Lido’s claim to the throne comes after a period of steady growth for the staking-as-a-service provider. In just the last month its TVL has spiked 33% at press time, according to data from DeFiLlama.

Users have locked $7.8 billion on Lido. The vast majority of that sum comes from Ethereum, with smaller amounts from other blockchains, including Solana.

Crypto Trading

FTX Founder Gamed Markets, Crypto Rivals Say

Sam Bankman-Fried found ways to control the prices of digital coins to benefit his companies, FTX and Alameda, according to cryptocurrency investors.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/18/business/ftx-sbf-crypto-markets.html

In Sam Bankman-Fried’s quest to keep his cryptocurrency empire looking profitable, the disgraced founder of FTX often promoted newfangled digital currencies that crypto aficionados came to call “Samcoins.”

Mr. Bankman-Fried wooed the developers of these new coins with names like Serum and Maps, insisting that they make their trading debuts on the FTX exchange. Then his hedge fund, Alameda Research, would buy some of these newly listed Samcoins to prop up their value, while Mr. Bankman-Fried used FTX’s influence in the crypto industry to drum up interest in those coins and persuade other investors to also buy significant amounts.

Metaverse & Gaming - A Little More...

Upland CEO Unveils 'Metaverse Super-App' To World Leaders At Blockchain Hub Davos 2023

This week marks the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting and Blockchain Hub Davos 2023 which runs concurrently on Jan. 16-19 in Davos, Switzerland.

https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cryptocurrency/23/01/30453844/upland-ceo-unveils-metaverse-super-app-to-world-leaders-at-blockchain-hub-davos-2023

Davos 2023: Thirty years on, author Neal Stephenson discusses his metaverse vision with Meta

The author who first envisioned the metaverse 30 years ago sat down on Wednesday with a top executive from the company investing billions in building it and agreed there were formidable hurdles to bringing it to the masses. Neal Stephenson, who coined the term in his 1992 novel "Snowcrash", and Chris Cox, the chief product officer at Meta, laid out an array of engineering breakthroughs needed to allow millions of people to move seamlessly through immersive virtual worlds displayed on head-mounted devices. "We've got a ways to go," said Stephenson, who as well as writing science fiction has worked for technology companies including rocket maker Blue Origin.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/davos-2023-thirty-years-author-164426194.html

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

Ethereum price technicals hint at 35% gains versus Bitcoin in 2023

The Ethereum market dominance has doubled since the lunch of its staking contract in December 2020.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereum-price-technicals-hint-at-35-gains-versus-bitcoin-in-2023

Polygon Receives Criticism as it Completes Hard Fork With Only 13 Validators

The Polygon network implemented a hard fork to reduce gas fees, which increased the value of its native token MATIC token by 17% over the past week.

https://www.investopedia.com/polygon-receives-criticism-after-hard-fork-7096331

Crypto Trading - A Little More...

Crypto Industry Continues Balancing Contagion with Cleanup Post-FTX

A spate of layoffs and shutdowns in the crypto world have been countered by a mix of expansions, as the industry tries to recover following FTX's collapse.

https://www.pymnts.com/cryptocurrency/2023/crypto-industry-continues-balancing-contagion-with-cleanup-post-ftx/

Russia And Iran Eye Up Trade Using Cryptocurrencies To Avoid Dollars And Sanctions

Russia and Iran are in talks over a plan to launch a new cryptocurrency backed by gold, which could be used in their bilateral trade deals.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dominicdudley/2023/01/18/russia-and-iran-eye-up-trade-using-cryptocurrencies-to-avoid-dollars-and-sanctions/?sh=72d5fe361a10

Industry Retro (How far we have come)

Sam Bankman-Fried: The 100 Most Influential People of 2022

Find out why Sam Bankman-Fried is on this year’s list

https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2022/6177770/sam-bankman-fried/

Here's a look back to just last May. How far we have come...

" In a crypto landscape ridden with scams, hedonism, and greed, Bankman-Fried offers a kinder and more impactful vision brought forth by the nascent technology."

- Time Magazine, May 2022

ESG (Environment, Social & Governance)

Unifying Cryptocurrency ESG Efforts Key to Boost Global Adoption

New accelerator dedicated to shaping the future of crypto-enabled ESG efforts

https://www.weforum.org/press/2022/01/unifying-cryptocurrency-esg-efforts-key-to-boost-global-adoption/

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