Headlines
Trump uses BTC for first cryptocurrency transaction
Odaily Planet Daily reported that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used Bitcoin to buy a cheeseburger at PubKey Bar in New York City, which is considered his first transaction using Bitcoin. Trump called it a historic moment. The official X account of PubKey Bar released the news and mentioned that the transaction occurred at block height 861871. Trump then distributed burgers to bar customers, calling them crypto burgers. Earlier this week, Trump helped launch World Liberty Financial, a decentralized financial project that his sons have been developing. (The Block)
Ethereum developers confirm plans to split Pectra upgrade into two executions
Odaily Planet Daily News Ethereum developers agreed on Thursday to split the upcoming hard fork Pectra into two batches, aiming to make large-scale upgrades less cumbersome and reduce the risk of mistakes or errors. It is reported that the first software package may be launched in 2025 (as early as February). Among them, the first part of Pectra will include Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), including EIP-7702, which aims to improve wallets. The second part will see EIPs aimed at upgrading the Ethereum Virtual Machine (called EOF). (Coindesk)
Industry News
Odaily Planet Daily reported that according to SoSoValue data, yesterday (September 18, Eastern Time), the total net outflow of Bitcoin spot ETF was US$52.827 million.
Yesterday, Grayscale ETF GBTC had a single-day net outflow of US$8.1347 million. The current historical net outflow of GBTC is US$20.069 billion.
Grayscales Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF BTC had a single-day net inflow of US$2.6634 million. Currently, the total historical net inflow of Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust BTC is US$385 million.
As of press time, the total net asset value of the Bitcoin spot ETF was US$54.846 billion, the ETF net asset ratio (market value as a percentage of the total market value of Bitcoin) reached 4.61%, and the historical cumulative net inflow has reached US$17.444 billion.
Odaily Planet Daily reported that according to SoSoValue data, yesterday (September 18, Eastern Time), the total net outflow of Ethereum spot ETF was US$9.738 million.
Yesterday, Grayscales Ethereum Trust ETF ETHE had a daily net outflow of $14.6629 million, and the current historical net outflow of ETHE is $2.768 billion. Grayscales Ethereum Mini Trust ETF ETH had a daily net outflow of $0.00, and the current historical total net inflow of Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETH is $263 million. The Ethereum spot ETF with the largest daily net inflow yesterday was BlackRocks ETF ETHA, with a daily net inflow of $4.9249 million, and the current historical total net inflow of ETHA reached $1.035 billion.
As of press time, the total net asset value of the Ethereum spot ETF was US$6.302 billion, the ETF net asset ratio (market value as a percentage of Ethereums total market value) reached 2.25%, and the historical cumulative net outflow has reached US$616 million.
Binance CEO: The working group is working hard to rescue Tigran Gambaryan, whose health is worrying
Odaily Planet Daily News Binance CEO Richard Teng said his team has been working day and night to bring Tigran Gambaryan, an executive arrested in Nigeria, back to the United States because his health is deteriorating. We have repeatedly called on the Nigerian government to release Tigran so that he can go home and get the proper treatment he needs.
“There is no need to detain our employee. He has been detained unjustly and unfairly,” Teng said at the TOKEN 2049 conference in Singapore on September 19.
“This is painful for all of us,” he said, “especially for his family. For Binance, this is our top priority. We have a task force working around the clock internally to find different avenues from legal to political (to help Tigran return home).”
Teng hopes the U.S. can designate Gambaryan as illegally detained to expedite the process. He added that Binance is also trying to appeal to the Nigerian government to release Tigran on humanitarian grounds.
He also claimed that Gambaryan had contracted malaria and pneumonia twice since being held in Nigeria. His deteriorating health even caused him to suddenly faint during a court appearance in May. (Cointelegraph)
Odaily Planet Daily News: Konstantin Richter, founder of blockchain infrastructure company Blockdaemon, said the company may go public in 2026. Blockdaemons website shows that the US company, founded in 2017, has acquired more than 400 institutional clients, with supporters including Goldman Sachs Group, JPMorgan Chase and Citi Ventures Inc.
Richter said Blockdaemon was last valued at about $3.3 billion. He said on Wednesday that Hong Kong is a better place to list than the United States right now because the latters cryptocurrency regulatory environment is really bad. He added that the U.S. regulatory environment will improve after the U.S. election in November, regardless of the outcome. He also said that Asia is a growth driver for its business and the company may double the size of its team in the region within a year.
Blockdaemon was valued at $3.25 billion in a $207 million funding round in 2022, with participation from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, according to a press release. (Bloomberg)
Project News
Solana Mobile Chapter 2 renamed Solana Seeker, scheduled for release in 2025
Odaily Planet Daily News Solana Mobile officially announced the details of the next-generation Web3 smartphone Solana Seeker. Formerly known as Chapter Two, the device is scheduled to be released in 2025 and will offer a number of improved features. Seeker has received more than 140,000 reservations, and the Solana mobile development community has actively embraced Seeker and developed a large number of exclusive dApps and features for the device. Seekers core features include a built-in self-hosted Seed Vault wallet, Solana Mobile dApp store, Seeker Genesis Token (a soul-bound NFT), and upgraded hardware configuration. Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko said Seeker will offer a higher standard than Saga at a more affordable price, aiming to become the most defining Web3 mobile device next year.
Sonic Labs launches Sonic Gateway, a cross-chain bridge between Ethereum and Sonic
Odaily Planet Daily reported that according to official news, Sonic Labs announced the launch of Sonic Gateway, a decentralized, trustless bridge between Ethereum and Sonic that eliminates custody risks.
According to reports, Sonic Gateway uses Sonics validator network for secure ERC-20 token transfers, and users always retain full control of their funds. Transfers from Ethereum to Sonic take up to 10 minutes, and transfers from Sonic to Ethereum take up to 1 hour. In addition, its fail-safe mechanism allows users to retrieve assets on Ethereum in the event of a 14-day failure of Sonic Gateway.
Odaily Planet Daily reported that according to community reports, the Banana Gun associated wallet was suspected to have been attacked and the funds of some users were stolen.
The Banana Gun team said in its official TG channel: We are investigating this issue and have currently suspended the bot service.
Community member yannickcrypto.eth posted on X: So far, 36 victims have been stolen from the mainnet for nearly 563 ETH ($1.4 million). I wouldnt say that Banana Gun itself was hacked, there arent enough victims. (The Block)
Privy launches native account abstraction
Odaily Planet Daily News: Web3 authentication and private key management tool Privy announced the launch of a native account abstraction function, allowing users to automatically configure smart wallets and unlock gas fee payment, transaction batching and other functions.
World Liberty Financial: Major announcements coming this week and next
Odaily Planet Daily News: Trump family crypto project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) announced on the X platform: Thanks to X Spaces for the huge amount of feedback. The support and recognition from listeners and industry leaders is truly overwhelming. Stay tuned. Several important announcements are planned for this week and next week.
UTXOSwap plans to airdrop tokens in the fourth quarter
Odaily Planet Daily reported that UTXOSwap, a DEX project of RGB++ on the second layer of the Bitcoin network, published an article on the X platform, announcing its roadmap and planning to airdrop for early LP providers in the fourth quarter of this year.
Yuga Labs co-creation: Workshop team releases the first ApeChain native product Top Trader
Odaily Planet Daily News According to Yuga Labs co-founder Garga.eth (Greg Solano), the Workshop team released the first ApeChain native product Top Trader, an on-chain trading simulation game that allows users to trade with 1000x leverage without real financial risk. Top Trader integrates multiple tools, such as Ape Portal to support cross-chain payment of buy-in fees, Yuga ID to achieve seamless account abstraction, Gas sponsorship transactions to improve user experience, and manage tournament rewards through the restart protocol.
Regulatory trends
Fed Chairman Powell: The Fed will speed up, slow down or pause rate cuts as needed
Odaily Planet Daily News: Fed Chairman Powell said at a press conference that there is no sign in the forecast that the Fed is rushing. If appropriate, the Fed can speed up or slow down, or even pause rate cuts. If the economy remains solid, we can slow down the pace of rate cuts. Similarly, if the labor market deteriorates, we can respond. Our forecasts are not plans or decisions, and we will adjust policies as needed. Taking all the risks into consideration, we cut interest rates by 50 basis points today. This adjustment will help maintain the strength of the economy and the labor market. Powell also said that if the Fed sees the non-farm payrolls report released a few days after the July resolution in advance, it may cut interest rates for the first time at the July interest rate meeting. The July non-farm payrolls report in the United States showed a weak labor market in the United States. Powell pointed out that the Federal Reserve remains firmly focused on its dual mission goals. The U.S. economy is generally strong, and the labor market has cooled from its previous overheated state. Our decision today reflects increasing confidence that the strength of the labor market can continue, and the Federal Reserve is committed to maintaining a strong economy. The unemployment rate has risen, but it is still low. The labor market environment continues to cool, the labor market is not a source of high inflationary pressure, and the downside risks to employment have increased.
ECBs Centeno: ECB may have to cut rates faster
Odaily Planet Daily News: In an interview with Politico, Portuguese central bank governor and ECB board member Centeno said that the European Central Bank may have to speed up the pace of interest rate cuts because data released since last weeks rate cut showed that economic growth and inflation may be lower than the ECBs new forecasts.
“Given where we are right now, in the monetary policy cycle, we really have to minimize the risk of lower-than-expected rates because that’s the primary risk,” Centeno said. Centeno’s comments were the clearest sign yet that an October rate cut remains a possibility.
The European Central Bank is grappling with how quickly it should ease policy as the economy struggles to build momentum but also struggles to completely curb inflation. ECB President Christine Lagarde signaled last week that no further action would be taken before December as the ECB cut rates for the second time this year. Although ECB Chief Economist Ryan confirmed on Monday that policymakers should remain selective about cutting rates in October, hawks on the Governing Council stressed that a major shift would be needed to consider a succession of rate cuts. (Jinshi)
Investment and Financing
According to official news, Web3 security company CertiK announced a strategic upgrade of its products and services at the Token 2049 event, aiming to cover security protection throughout the project life cycle. The upgrade includes the launch of free community security tools such as Token Scan and Wallet Scan to help users effectively protect asset security.
In addition, CertiK Ventures announced the establishment of a $45 million fund to focus on supporting high-potential Web3 projects. As a Web3 security track unicorn with a valuation of $2 billion, CertiK has provided security services to more than 4,700 projects in more than 150 countries and regions around the world.
Odaily Planet Daily News: Solana Ecosystem DeFi platform Drift announced the completion of a $25 million Series B financing round, led by Multicoin Capital, with participation from Blockchain Capital, Primitive Ventures, Folius Ventures, etc. The new financing brings Drifts total financing to $52.5 million. The company plans to double its headcount from 25 to 50 next year.
Drift Labs co-founder Cindy Leow said the goal is to make Drift the Robinhood of cryptocurrency by building a suite of financial services tools on Solana, including spot and derivatives trading and prediction markets. She added that about half of Drifts leadership team are women. (Fortune)
Odaily Planet Daily reported that Solana developer platform Helius announced the completion of US$21.75 million in financing, with participation from Haun Ventures, Founders Fund, Foundation Capital, 6th Man Ventures, Chapter One and Spearhead.
Odaily Planet Daily News: Brightband, a startup founded by a former Google executive, aims to use artificial intelligence to improve weather forecasts. The company said on Thursday that it has received $10 million in Series A financing, led by Prelude Ventures, with participation from investors including Bain Capitals Future Back Ventures and Slack co-founder Carl Henderson. The company was launched this summer by former Google executive Julian Green and three scientists with the goal of developing a paid product and an open source artificial intelligence forecasting model trained on raw weather observations. Amy McGovern, co-founder of Brightband and professor of computer science and meteorology at the University of Oklahoma, said in an interview that Brightband will initially focus on predicting the behavior of extreme weather, including heat waves and tropical cyclones, a few days ahead of traditional forecasts. (Jinshi)
Aptos Receives Multimillion-Dollar Strategic Investment from Foresight Ventures
Odaily Planet Daily News Foresight Ventures announced a multi-million dollar strategic investment in L1 blockchain Aptos.
According to a press release, the funds will be used to accelerate product development, enhance liquidity, and support the development of Aptos’ scalable and upgradeable L1 blockchain infrastructure.
Aptos CTO Avery Ching noted that the partnership will help expand the blockchain’s influence in the Asia-Pacific region while promoting the development and innovation of Web3 applications. (The Block)
Odaily Planet Daily News: Bitcoin ecosystem decentralized verification infrastructure Bool Network announced on X that it has completed a $2 million seed round of financing, with participation from Antalpha Ventures, ViaBTC Capital, Spark Digital Capital, Cogitent Ventures, Web3Port, Satoshi Lab, D 11 Labs, Sharding Capital and others.
The new funding will be used to further develop Bool Networks decentralized infrastructure, with a focus on unlocking the potential of BTCFi. The integration of DHC technology and Taproot enables Bitcoin holders to seamlessly interact with DeFi applications (including stablecoins, re-staking, and bridging) while maintaining self-custody and ensuring asset security.
Tether makes $1.5 million strategic investment in Sorted Wallet
Odaily Planet Daily reported that according to official news, Tether announced a strategic investment of US$1.5 million in Sorted Wallet. It is reported that the platform provides users in emerging markets with access to cryptocurrencies, aiming to enhance financial inclusion in Africa and South Asia.
SunPump strategically invests in SunDog to empower the TRON Meme ecosystem
Odaily Planet Daily News: SunPump announced on the official X platform that it has made a strategic investment in SunDog. The specific amount has not been disclosed. Since its launch, SunDogs market value has exceeded 360 million US dollars within one month. At present, SUNDOG has been launched on 17 mainstream exchanges, with a 24-hour trading volume of 180 million US dollars, and the liquidity pool size in decentralized exchanges has reached 5.27 million US dollars.
Character*Voice
BlackRock: Market volatility could rise after Fed cuts rate by 50 basis points
Odaily Planet Daily reported that BlackRock Investment Institute head Boyven said in a report that the US Federal Reserves decision to cut interest rates by 50 basis points may boost the market in the short term, but if US inflation and economic growth do not meet the Feds expectations, the risk of increased market volatility in the coming months will also increase.
Given the extremely uncertain outlook and the divergence of opinion ahead of the Feds regulatory period, the near-unanimous decision may be more surprising than one dissent. Data from LSEG Refinitiv showed that the market expects the Fed to cut interest rates by a further 71 basis points in 2024. We still believe that market expectations for rate cuts will ultimately be disappointed, and instead, positive news will come from resilient economic growth, said Boyven. (Jinshi)
Odaily Planet Daily News ByBit Institutional Director Chris Aruliah has a different view on the impact of rate cuts on the crypto market. Aruliah wrote in an emailed statement: The general slowdown in the global economy caused by weaker economic indicators and geopolitical complexities is weakening investor sentiment. Therefore, while the Feds 0.5% cut in policy rates may boost the cryptocurrency market in the short term, it is critical to remain vigilant to the potential challenges posed by economic uncertainty and market volatility.
BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes pointed out in an interview that he believes that an overall interest rate cut is unnecessary. A 50 basis point rate cut will trigger a short-term market rebound, but will ultimately expose deeper problems in the global financial system, leading to further price declines.
He said: At a high level, I dont think they should raise interest rates. I believe the U.S. economy is quite strong. If you look at the GDP data for the past eight or nine quarters, you will find that it has been growing continuously. If they decide to continue to cut interest rates, inflation will accelerate into the fourth quarter. (CoinDesk)
SkyBridge founder: Some cryptocurrency supporters are trying to push Harris away from Gary Gensler
Odaily Planet Daily News SkyBridge Capital founder and managing partner Anthony Scaramucci said that some American cryptocurrency supporters are currently working with US Vice President Kamala Harris to push the Democratic Party away from Senator Elizabeth Warren and SEC Chairman Gary Gensler. Anthony Scaramucci said that this may lead to more positive legislation and more clear provisions for stablecoins and the broader cryptocurrency regulatory framework. The election of former President Donald Trump may trigger an avalanche of his campaign opponents, which may bring danger that hinders the United States from reaching a bipartisan consensus on cryptocurrency policy. (The Block)
