The blockchain bridge application “Transporter,” developed by data provider Chainlink (LINK), was revealed on Thursday. It enables users to transfer data and cryptocurrency assets between different networks. In an interview on Telegram, a Chainlink representative described the bridge’s goal as providing “a cost-efficient way to make high-value token transfers across blockchains with peace of mind”

A $10 million fundraising round headed by Framework Ventures has been announced by Uplink, a business that aims to democratize internet access.The company operates in the Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN) space, which according to data source Messari may have a $3.5 trillion market cap by 2028. DePIN initiatives link blockchain technology to tangible processes and frequently provide tokens as a means of encouraging crowdsourcing of the infrastructure. Uplink aims to improve distributed and user-operated infrastructure by offering decentralized network connectivity. The company claims that the goal is to lessen dependency on conventional, centralized telecommunications providers. Tokens will be awarded to users and businesses for their contributions to and use of the network.They can install gear that is compatible with the Uplink network or integrate their current infrastructure into it for their business or community. Later this year, the business intends to create a token. “By creating financial incentives that encourage people to increase DePin-powered internet access, more users will then be able to access connectivity wherever Uplink offers coverage and flag areas of need where it does not,” the company said in the press release. Most DePIN projects, including Helium, have traditionally approached the early distribution of the network and hardware with a retail-focused strategy, according to Framework Ventures. With a market valuation of around $1 billion, Helium is undoubtedly one of the biggest and original DePIN initiatives. “Uplink is instead prioritizing large enterprise

P2P.org, a staking service, announced that its Staking-as-a-Business (SaaB) model for institutions is already operational.The product is designed to assist platforms such as exchanges, wallet providers, and custodians in expanding their business opportunities by integrating staking and decentralized finance (DeFi) services.The business claimed to have more than a million staked Ethereum (ETH) and to have recently crossed the $7.4 billion total value locked, or TVL, threshold. By staking their bitcoin assets, investors can generate passive income without having to sell them.The way institutional staking works is similar, except it happens in bulk.Staking providers come in two varieties: non-custodial and custodial.A press announcement stated that in addition to staking infrastructure, the SaaB model will include marketing, legal, and sales support. “This holistic support ensures a smooth transition for businesses venturing into staking & Defi services, guaranteeing a successful and profitable implementation,” said Artemiy Parshakov, head of product at P2P.org. In April of last year, P2P.org received $23 million in funding from three major players in the cryptocurrency space, including Jump Crypto.In the past year, several more institutional staking firms have emerged; Northstake, for example, raised $3 million from PreSeed Ventures.According to the news announcement, P2P.org is a validator for Ethereum and thirty other blockchains.

Token Relations, a new crypto communications firm, is the brainchild of crypto entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano and former TechCrunch reporter Jacquelyn Melinek. According to the two, Token Relations is not so much a PR company nor a media brand, but rather a direct route for customers to communicate with their “community” about KPIs, milestones, and product launches—the types of things that don’t necessarily fit neatly into a marketing plan. With regard to almost every piece of material currently provided by cryptocurrency organizations, X, formerly known as Twitter, will be partially replaced by Token Relations. cryptocurrency According to Pompliano, businesses are unable to reach their target audiences using Twitter’s “one-to-many” distribution mechanism. “We’re stepping in as a dedicated effort to communicate to your existing stakeholders,” the podcast host and investor said. He called Token Relations a “third bucket” separate from “marketing intended to get new users,” and “PR, intended to talk to the press.” Token Relations steps into a field where the most vocal people are probably used to discussing media theory and the merits—or lack thereof—of speaking to the media. Balaji Srinivasan, a well-known entrepreneur, derided PR firms last week, calling them a “sleeper cell” for journalists he claimed were anti-tech, and instead urged creators to approach them “direct.” Avalanche, Optimism, and Aptos are among the companies Pompliano and Melinek represent as clients; they aren’t exactly setting up a PR shop for them.The company is placing more of its bets on direct methods, such as newsletters sent to cryptocurrency enthusiasts who wish to be the most informed or video interviews. The company aims to resolve a problem that is distinctly crypto-related. The mix of stakeholders in this market is unmatched, with interests ranging from the financially motivated (token holders) to the career driven (developers) to the cultural. The founders of Token Relations say that people want to know what’s happening straight from the horse’s mouth, without any media filter. The communications environment of cryptocurrency is also chaotic:Unlike publicly traded corporations and their investor relations websites, token-issuing startups are not being pressured by any authority to create simplified portals for the purpose of providing essential information to its stakeholders. Rather, Pompliano pointed out that social media algorithms are like a “black box,” suppressing and losing information.

As the new Global Head of Capacity Building, Lee will work closely with tax authorities, law enforcement, financial institutions, and regulators to provide advice on how to use Chainalysis’ data and technologies to increase their ability to combat cryptocurrency criminality. After leading IRS-CI for three years and working for the IRS for a total of 29 years, Lee retired from the IRS in March.He oversaw IRS-CI’s shutdown of the darknet marketplace Hydra and the seizure of cryptocurrency from Hamas.The removal of Welcome to Video, a darknet marketplace that sold child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) and took cryptocurrency payments, was also led by Lee.23 children were saved and 337 child abusers were taken into custody following the shutdown. Chainalysis also played a role in each of those three cases. “Crypto is the future of finance, which also means it’s the future of crime,” Lee wrote in a Monday blog post on Chainalysis’ website. He added that each of the cases were “reflective of the fact that cryptocurrency is, at least in

Under the direction of Conflux Network, the Chinese government has introduced a brand-new public blockchain infrastructure platform.As to a Conflux Network article from April 1st on X, the new platform named “Ultra-Large Scale Blockchain Infrastructure Platform for the Belt and Road Initiative” intends to provide an underlying public blockchain for cross-border applications. “The main focus of the project is to create a public blockchain infrastructure platform. This platform will be able to support the implementation of cross-border cooperation projects along the Belt and Road Initiative. It will provide the base for developing applications that showcase collaboration across borders.” Managed by the Conflux Foundation, formerly the Shanghai Tree-Graph Blockchain Research Institute, Conflux Network is a multichain blockchain ecosystem. The mainland Chinese government is still pushing for a blockchain program, despite their disapproval of cryptocurrencies.Since the government of China ordered the closure of Chinese Bitcoin exchanges in 2017, the country has been increasing its control over the cryptocurrency market. According to a survey released in December 2023 by Vietnamese venture capital firm Kyros Ventures, 58.6% of Vietnamese investors own huge amounts of stablecoins, but 33.3% of Chinese investors do the same. This puts China in second place after Vietnam.The trade embargo has not stopped mainland Chinese traders from finding methods to do business.An analysis by Kyros Ventures indicates that most investors in the nation opt to trade on centralized cryptocurrency exchanges.China outlawed cryptocurrency mining and trading in 2021, as well as the provision of services by offshore exchanges within the nation. Two-thirds of all Bitcoin mining power was held by China prior to the crypto crackdown that grew more intense in 2021. China is going to significantly alter its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws to encompass cryptocurrency-related transactions, in response to calls for increased industry oversight.Stricter standards are intended to prevent money laundering related to cryptocurrencies. This is the first significant adjustment to China’s anti-money laundering regulations since 2007.A Dec. 24, 2023 article claims that so-called “virtual currency trading platforms” enabled a $2.2 billion covert banking operation to get over the nation’s FX limitations.

The business that created the social network Farcaster, Merkle Manufactory, is expected to reach a $1 billion valuation through a new investment round, according to a Bloomberg article that cited people with knowledge of the situation.The cryptocurrency investment company Paradigm, whose holdings include significant cryptocurrency companies like Coinbase, Blur, dYdX, Compound, and Citadel Securities, is leading the round.In 2020, Varun Srinivasan and Dan Romero, two former executives of Coinbase, co-founded Merkle.Warpcast, the company’s flagship social media app, was developed on top of Farcaster, a decentralized social media app network. Romero verified that Merkle is soliciting money in a post on March 28.“Wanted to inform all individuals that Merkle Manufactory is concluding a fresh funding round.”Paradigm has not acknowledged being involved.In July 2022, Merkle received $30 million from A16z Crypto, a venture capital firm. With the launch of Warpcast’s Frames feature, which enables apps to run inside articles without leaving the platform, the Farcaster platform has witnessed a notable increase in user activity since January.With Frames, for example, users can generate nonfungible tokens (NFTs), transact, view external blog entries, and answer surveys all within the app. User interaction has greatly increased as a result of the change.Based on data from Dune Analytics, the Farcaster network has over 249,000 daily active members on March 30 compared to about 5,000 on January 28. Decentralized social media platforms are a novel category of social media networks that utilize blockchain technology to grant users control over their data, content, and interactions. This marks a departure from the centralized management characteristic of conventional social media.Features like content monetization without middlemen and resistance to censorship are what define these platforms.Friend.tech, Minds, and Mastodon are well-known brands in this industry.Two industry executives claim that user retention is one of the main issues that decentralized social media platforms deal with.

layer-1 blockchain with an emphasis on gaming The tenth-largest blockchain by activity, Worldwide Asset Exchange (WAX), has agreed to use AWS and include its network into the AMB (Amazon Managed Blockchain) service. The purpose of the AMB service is to help developers create decentralised applications, or dapps, on public and private blockchains. WAX developers will

The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) in partnership with Chainlink Labs has made public the outcomes of a recent initiative to establish a connection between the Ethereum and Avalanche blockchain networks for on-chain settlement solutions. ANZ demonstrated how clients would be able to access, trade, and settle tokenized assets across networks in different

As it looks to expand its blockchain efforts into sports and entertainment, Exaion, a subsidiary of France’s state-owned energy company EDF, joined one of the nation’s top soccer teams in securing the network that hosts fan token trading for Socios.com. Exaion also became a network validator for the Chiliz Chain. As per an email statement,

Crypto investment powerhouse Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has referred to Wyoming as a “oasis” due to the state’s establishment of a new legal framework for in-state decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO) NGOs. A bill that was signed into state law by Governor Mark Gordon expands the laws already in place for DAOs in Wyoming, where they were previously permitted to form as limited liability companies.DAOs can now legally identify as nonprofit associations without incorporation. Miles Jennings, general counsel at a16z Crypto, called it a “major breakthrough” that will give the groups “much-needed protections and empower them to keep blockchain networks open,” according to a blog entry posted Friday. This new recognition as “decentralized unincorporated nonprofit associations” (DUNAs) will help the blockchain stewards ensure “that the network remains