DEFI
What is DeFi?
Decentralized Finance, DeFi as a concept is to be able to offer almost all the financial services available with legacy and centralized institutions, typically banks, but on the blockchain. Whatever traditional services financial institutions provide can be expected to be offered through DeFi. In short, Defi is blockchain-based financial services that traditional financial services map into, creating new services or derivatives stemming from blockchain's unique features. Although we have had concepts like distributed computing and decentralized computing for decades, DeFi is in fact a new concept and an expansion of the application scope of blockchain as infrastructure.
Decentralized Finance, DeFi as a concept is to be able to offer almost all the financial services available with legacy and centralized institutions, typically banks, but on the blockchain. Whatever traditional services financial institutions provide can be expected to be offered through DeFi. In short, Defi is blockchain-based financial services that traditional financial services map into, creating new services or derivatives stemming from blockchain's unique features. Although we have had concepts like distributed computing and decentralized computing for decades, DeFi is in fact a new concept and an expansion of the application scope of blockchain as infrastructure.
Curve Founder Proposes Venus Protocol Deployment on Ethereum Mainnet
Michael Egorov of Curve Finance proposes launching Venus Protocol on Ethereum Mainnet, incorporating Curve's stablecoin crvUSD and CRV as collaterals, with community support for growth.
Coin98 Debuts Decentralized App Store on NEAR's Blockchain Operating System
Coin98 has launched a decentralized app store on NEAR's Blockchain Operating System, providing seamless access to top L2 and DeFi protocols for over 7 million users.
Voltage Park's $1 Billion Cloud Infrastructure Targets ML Compute Shortage
Voltage Park, launching on October 29, 2023, introduced a $1 billion cloud infrastructure housing around 24,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs, aimed at redressing the ML compute resource crunch. A subsidiary of the Navigation Fund, Voltage Park aspires to democratize ML compute access, thereby catalyzing AI innovation across the spectrum.
Aptos Unveils Winners of the Singapore World Tour Hackathon
Aptos Network announced the winners of its #AptosWorldTour Hack Singapore on October 27, 2023, showcasing 14 innovative projects across five tracks, including NFTs, DeFi, Infrastructure, and Web3 x AI, with winners like @IntoTheVerse_, @aptospayment, dAptoRator, @EconiaLabs, and @aptscan_ai.
Hong Kong FinTech Week 2023 "Fintech Redefined"
Hong Kong FinTech Week 2023, scheduled from October 30 to November 5, themed "Fintech Redefined," aims to shape fintech's future. Organized by Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and InvestHK, it's expected to attract over 30,000 attendees and 5 million online views from 90+ economies. The event will feature 300+ speakers, 540 exhibitors, and various sessions exploring global fintech developments including AI, Web3, and green finance. It'll also showcase metaverse experiences and hold special events like the Global Scaleup Competition and a dedicated day for cross-boundary synergies between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Chainlink Unveils Constellation: A Grand Hackathon Event
Chainlink announces its largest hackathon, Constellation, from November 8 to December 10, 2023, with a $350,000 prize pool across seven core tracks. This event follows the trajectory of growth from Chainlink's inaugural hackathon in 2020. The hackathon is open to Web3 engineers of all experience levels and covers a broad spectrum of blockchain applications. It not only serves as a competition but a learning platform offering extensive educational resources and technical support to participants.
dYdX Transitions to Public Benefit Corporation
dYdX Trading Inc. has updated its charter to become a Public Benefit Corporation on 17 October 2023, as announced by its founder, Antonio. This move aims at aligning the company more closely with the web3 community, promoting global economic and technological advancement through open-source and decentralized crypto asset exchanges. This transition, a first of its kind in the DeFi sector, enables dYdX to balance shareholder value with public benefit.
Fantom Foundation Wallets Compromised in Suspected Chrome Exploit
Fantom Foundation's wallets were reportedly compromised with a suspected Google Chrome zero-day exploit. While the breach resulted in a loss of $550K from the Foundation's funds, over 99% of their assets remain secure. The attacker demonstrated expertise in the DeFi ecosystem, with total gains estimated at $6.7 million.
Platypus Recovers 90% of Stolen Funds from Recent Exploit
Platypus DeFi protocol has recovered 90% of the funds stolen in the recent 12 October 2023 exploit, reducing the net loss to about 18,000 AVAX. The protocol acknowledged the community's support in swiftly resolving the crisis and is making arrangements for the withdrawal of liquidity providers. Amidst ongoing investigations and enhanced security measures, Platypus continues to work on a compensation plan for affected users from previous attacks.
Uniswap V4 Open-Source Directory Sparks Controversy Over New KYC Hook
A newly revealed open-source directory for Uniswap v4 hooks has stirred a debate within the crypto community over a KYC verification hook. This hook enables KYC checks on users before trading in token pools, resonating with the standard financial practice to mitigate money laundering and other illicit financings. The KYC hook, an opt-in feature introduced by a community developer, necessitates an NFT for verification completion, marking a notable intersection of regulatory compliance and decentralized finance as global governmental scrutiny over DeFi intensifies.