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Metaverse Isn’t Dead: The Sandbox Co-Founder on What Comes Next

A closely followed crypto strategist believes one Ethereum (ETH) competitor is primed to print gains of more than 2x this year.

Pseudonymous analyst Altcoin Sherpa tells his 211,900 followers on the social media platform X that he thinks Solana (SOL) will see new all-time highs this year.

[adinserter block="1"]

But while the crypto strategist is long-term bullish on SOL, he expects the Ethereum rival to witness a pullback before starting a fresh leg up.

“There is going to probably going to be a pullback somewhere in the $200-$250s, but I don’t know how deep it’s going to be.

Still bullish as hell on this one this cycle, it’s the best chain for retail (evidence of memes). Probably $500+ in 2024.” 

Source: Altcoin Sherpa/X At time of writing, SOL is worth $187.90, down over 6% in the past day.

Next up, the trader says that RSS3, a decentralized information processing protocol, appears to be trading in a range with an upper bound of $0.57 and a lower bound of $0.40.

“Still a super strong coin, RSS3 is one I’m still invested in and have a bag. Ranging for now and I think that this has been very strong amidst market volatility.”

Source: Altcoin Sherpa/X RSS3 is trading for $0.448 at time of writing, down 15.4% in the last 24 hours.

Lastly, the trader says he is bullish on Ondo Finance (ONDO), a project focused on tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs) including short-term bonds and US Treasuries.

“ONDO: buy ONDO for financial freedom around $0.43. One of my bags for real-world assets (RWA) this cycle, expecting good things for the future.”

Source: Altcoin Sherpa/X Ondo is trading for $0.422 at time of writing, down more than 12% in the last 24 hours.

Generated Image: Midjourney

Gaming NFT maker Aavegotchi votes to ditch Polygon for Base

In This Article Aavegotchi Founder Made The Proposal To Leave Polygon And Go "All-In On Base"Polygon Vs. Base - Why Did Aavegotchi Leave One For The Other?BONUS: Solaxy (SOLX) Is The First Native L2 On Solana And Just Hit $29.5m In Presale Funding Aavegotchi, an NFT protocol with a focus on Web3 gaming, has opted to abandon blockchain network Polygon and switch to Base, a Coinbase-linked Ethereum layer-2 chain, according to the results of an on-chain vote.

Yesterday (April 8), Aavegotchi’s community members voted 93.25% in favor of a proposal to “Make Aavegotchi Based Again” by shutting down the protocol’s smart contracts on Polygon (POL) and re-deploying on Base.

Let’s Make Aavegotchi Based Again https://t.co/nIoFseAsVi pic.twitter.com/X8UQQXmPnp

— Aavegotchi 👻 (@aavegotchi) April 9, 2025

Aavegotchi Founder Made The Proposal To Leave Polygon And Go “All-In On Base” @coderdannn, the Aavegotchi founder, stated a key reason for the proposal was the competitiveness within the L2 ecosystem and that Polygon “has not shipped any significant updates or features to PoS to enable better ecosystem coherence or discovery for gaming.”

From the proposal back in February, @coderdannn said, “Given our close relationship with the Base team, as well as recent developments in the Base ecosystem, we believe the most +EV move for Aavegotchi (for this cycle, at least) is to sunset Geist (Polygon deployment) and go all-in on Base.”

At the time, Dan also confirmed that Pixelcraft Studios, the developer behind Aavegotchi, “recently made significant team cuts to reduce our burn and extend the runway.”

DISCOVER: CoinPoker Drop CoinMasters Tournament With World Series Event Package and $250K USDT Prizes

Memecoins, GameFi, and NFTs have been some of the hardest-hit crypto sectors over the past 12 months. This situation has only worsened in the last week due to President Donald Trump’s plan to impose sweeping tariffs on most US imports.

The migration to Base from Polygon reflects Aavegotchi’s efforts to adapt to the market downturn by switching to a prominent L2 and leaving one that isn’t making any waves within the Web3 gaming sector.

Base also has the benefit of being launched by Coinbase in 2023. Coinbase is the largest cryptocurrency in the US by trading volume and second in the world behind Binance.

Polygon Vs. Base – Why Did Aavegotchi Leave One For The Other?

(DEFILLAMA)

Aavegotchi’s decision to leave Polygon comes as it faces ongoing challenges in maintaining users and total value locked (TVL) in the face of competition from Ethereum layer-2 chains, such as Arbitrum and Base.

Polygon was once the go-to L2 solution and in 2021 its TVL went as high $10 billion. As of today (April 8), DefiLlama shows its TVL at $716 million. This marks a huge fall from grace while both Base and Arbitrum hold $2.59b and $2b, respectively.

Due to its harsh fall as a top L2 solution, Polygon has fallen outside the top 10 chains and currently ranks 13th, behind Aptos in 12th.

TVL is a key metric used to assess the strength of a blockchain’s DeFi (decentralized finance) sector. It measures the total amount of assets deposited in a protocol, typically for yield-bearing incentives.

It reflects user trust and adoption but also serves as an indicator of available liquidity across the network. Typically, chains with higher TVL are the most popular and widely used. This is evidenced by the top five chains by TVL, which include Ethereum, Solana, BNB Smart Chain, Bitcoin, and Tron.

Aavegotchi is an OG in the web3 gaming space, launching in 20202 via a collaboration between Pixelcraft Studios and Aave, the leading decentralized lending protocol with over $16 billion TVL.

It functions as a blockchain-based game and as a DeFi protocol for staking and NFTs. Users can sell, buy, and upgrade their Gotchi while earning the GHST token and interest based on their activities and staking.

BONUS: Solaxy (SOLX) Is The First Native L2 On Solana And Just Hit $29.5m In Presale Funding Regarding L2’s, the aforementioned Ethereum ecosystem of sidechains is already established as a multi-billion-dollar sector. Solaxy (SOLX) is targeting a niche in the market as the only native L2 solution on Solana.

By introducing a sidechain for Solana, users will experience fewer failed transactions and enhanced speed while maintaining the low cost and security of Solana’s mainnet.

As for developers, it brings confidence in building at scale. And for Solana as a whole, Solaxy could be the missing piece needed to finally become the ‘Ethereum Killer’ it has been touted as since its launch in March 2020.

The SOLX presale offers an opportunity for early positioning. Over $29.5 million has already been secured by eager investors. It represents a perfect opportunity, especially for those who missed Solana when it was trading under $1 in 2020.

To take part in the presale, visit the official Solaxy website and make a purchase using SOL, ETH, USDT, USDC, BNB, or even a bank card.

You can also connect with a supported crypto wallet like Best Wallet to store and view your $SOLX tokens before launch.

Follow Solaxy on X to stay updated, join the growing community on Telegram, and participate in what could be Solana’s next big breakthrough.

Visit The Solaxy Website To Find Out More

EXPLORE: 20+ Next Crypto to Explode in 2025 

Join The 99Bitcoins News Discord Here For The Latest Market Updates

Aave-backed NFT gaming project Aavegotchi leaves Polygon to build on Base chain Aavegotchi founder cites close relationship with Base and its inclusion of GameFi as a key reason for leaving Polygon Base is the 6th largest chain by TVL, with over $2.5bn, while Polygon has fallen to 13th with just $716m Solaxy (SOLX) aims to corner a niche market as the first native L2 on Solana #Presales

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Alex Ioannou

On-Chain Journalist

Alex is a seasoned cryptocurrency trader and market analyst with over seven years of active experience in the digital asset space. Since entering the markets in 2017, Alex has specialized in identifying emerging "meta" trends and high-volatility narratives. Notably, Alex... Read More

Ethereum and BNB chain bridge Router Protocol just closed an oversubscribed funding round to extend the bridge to more networks.

Router Protocol, a modular cross-chain framework for building interoperable applications. By connecting different blockchain ecosystems, bridges play a crucial role in creating a more cohesive and streamlined network.

It was launched in 2022 on the Polygon and BSC chains with the objective of making life easier for future Web3 users.

Router Protocol said in a press release that it has recently raised more than expected funds for further development—but didn't disclose exactly how much. The investment realized from this raise will be used to fuel its own fully operational layer 1 blockchain, thus breaking away from the Binance and Polygon ecosystem.

“Router Chain embodies the evolution of our unwavering vision to build the universal interconnectivity layer between fragmented L1/L2 networks,” Ramani Ramachandran, CEO of Router Protocol, said in a press release.

The goal, he added, is to do away with complexity.

The team is “laser-focused on delivering seamless and intuitive user and developer experience for multi-chain applications,” he added.

According to Shubham Singh, the CTO of Router Protocol, the ecosystem has experienced tremendous growth with cross-chain projects like FolioX and StakeEase, which have decided to take advantage of the Protocol’s unique characteristics to make a name for themselves.

In another development, Router Protocol has achieved a significant milestone with the successful launch of Router Nitro. This cross-chain bridge leverages an innovative reverse-verification method to deliver speed and gas efficiency.

Since its launch, the Nitro bridge has facilitated over $350 million in volume, processed more than 650,000 transactions, and attracted nearly 300,000 unique users within four months.

This underscores the growing demand for seamless cross-chain interactions.

The Protocol will soon launch an Ecosystem Grant for projects with future prospects that build on the Router Chain.

Edited by Stacy Elliott.

Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.

Table of contents

World Mobile Token has developed by integrating Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) to boost cross-chain token exchange and staking. This integration across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, BNB Chain, Base, and Arbitrum, makes user transactions smooth.

World Mobile ensures secure and reliable cross-chain operations, benefiting from CCIP’s security features and risk management protocols. Chainlink shared this strategic integration with Chainlink (LINK) through its official X account.

Expanding Secure Cross-Chain Transfers with Chainlink CCIP Chainlink CCIP introduces arbitrary messaging capabilities, further streamlining the cross-chain process. This allows the World Mobile Token (WMT) network to offer simplified, secure staking across different chains. Consequently, users can stake on one chain and receive rewards on another, improving overall functionality.

World Mobile selected CCIP due to its proven track record of reliability in the Web3 industry. Chainlink’s CCIP is built with an independent Risk Management Network, which monitors cross-chain activities for suspicious behavior. This added layer of protection is crucial, given the exposure historically seen in the cross-chain sector. 

Strengthening the World Mobile Ecosystem Chainlink’s integration brings several critical features to the World Mobile ecosystem. The CCIP Token Transfer solution allows audited token pool contracts to manage minting, locking, and burning tokens, creating an efficient and secure transaction system. Additionally, programmable token transfers enable data to be processed alongside tokens, streamlining developer transactions.

Moreover, CCIP is designed for future scalability. World Mobile Token’s decision to integrate CCIP ensures that new blockchain functionalities can be incorporated without costly upgrades or transitions. Hence, CCIP’s flexibility makes it the ideal solution for cross-chain operations.

This integration comes as World Mobile continues its mission to disrupt the telecom industry by offering decentralized mobile networks, focusing on underserved communities globally. By combining blockchain technology and sharing economy principles, World Mobile Token seeks to provide affordable and high-quality connectivity worldwide.

Chainlink CCIP is designed to be future-proof. It supports continuous updates, allowing World Mobile Token to adapt to new functionalities and blockchain networks. This future flexibility eliminates potential switching costs, making it a cost-effective and scalable solution for World Mobile Token’s growth.

World Mobile’s CEO, Micky Watkins, highlighted the importance of CCIP in securing their ecosystem, stating that it will enable staking across different blockchains while expanding the company’s offerings without compromising security.

AUTHOR

Crypto journalist with years of experience providing in-depth analysis and news on blockchain and decentralized finance. With a keen eye for detail, Shahzaib delivers insightful articles that explore the latest trends, market movements, and innovations within the crypto and blockchain ecosystem. His work focuses on educating readers while offering expert commentary on the evolving landscape of digital assets, DeFi protocols, and the broader impact of blockchain technology.

29.01.2024 - 10:03

Update: 29.01.2024 - 10:03

Cryptocurrency trading platform Unibot team made a new announcement today regarding the UNISOL token to be issued based on Solana.

At this point, Unibot, which initially came out as part of the Ethereum (ETH) ecosystem, announced that it has now adopted the Solana ecosystem and will launch a new token, UNISOL.

The new token, UNISOL, is designed to generate revenue in SOL, Solana's native currency, the team said.

This new token announcement was met with skepticism by investors and caused volatility in UNIBOT's price.

However, the developers assured in their statement that UNISOL can increase the value of UNIBOT.

The team also announced that UNIBOT holders will receive 80% of the UNISOL supply as an airdrop.

This move will allow UNIBOT holders to benefit from the 50% distribution of revenue generated by Unibot on Solana and earn additional earnings through the UNISOL airdrop.

UNIBOT, which experienced an increase of nearly 50% after the announcement, continues to be traded at $ 57 with an increase of approximately 20% at the time of writing.

//ANNOUNCEMENT

We'd like to clear the confusion around the path forward.

The revenue sharing for protocol revenue generated by @UnibotOnSolana is split 50/50 between two pools, described as follows.
Pool #1: simply being a holder of $UNIBOT on Ethereum, no strings attached.… pic.twitter.com/vqEVVhG1FI

— Unibot (@TeamUnibot) January 28, 2024

*This is not investment advice.

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ThunderCore is one of the latest projects that is trying to solve the blockchain trilemma. That constant struggle between Decentralization, Scalability and Security.

The project is the culmination of years of scientific research. It was only launched recently and has already started achieving interesting results. Trading volumes in the Native Thunder Token has also picked up at a rapid pace.

However, can the project really achieve these ends?

In this ThunderCore review I will attempt to answer that. I will also analyse the long term use cases and adoption potential of the Thunder Tokens.

ThunderCore SolutionAs mentioned, the blockchain Trilemma is a pertinent one. Quite simply, it is the notion that any blockchain technology is only able to achieve two of the three following traits at the same time:

DecentralizationScalabilitySecurityThe most famous proponent of this idea is Ethereum’s founder Vitalik Buterin. However, the ThunderCore protocol offers an elegant solution to the problem and believes it has found a way to deliver all three traits at the same time.

It will solve the problem by combining a standard blockchain, which they are calling the “slow chain” and such as you would find on Bitcoin, Ethereum or any other Proof-of-Work chain, with another chain they are calling the “fast path.”

How the Accelerator Network will work

The fast path is a Proof-of-Stake chain that is secured by a committee of 300 stakeholders and is coordinated by the central authority called the “Accelerator.” The Accelerator exists to linearize transactions and data on the fast chain and was created as a simple way to accomplish this task, which is quite difficult to do in a decentralized fashion.

By combining the slow chain and fast path in this manner ThunderCore achieves the following blockchain behavior:

When the network is working properly i.e. not under attack or compromised, it supports instant confirmations and high throughput.If the network does come under attack the blockchain security is maintained as long as the slow chain remains secure and as long as a majority of the stakeholders remain honest. This is true even if the Accelerator is corrupted and acting maliciously.ThunderCore was built and developed with the application developer community in mind. Not only was it built around developer needs, but it also collects data, feedback, and insights on how the platform is being used by developers to create decentralized applications.

Daily Active Users of top 3 dApp platforms. Image via Official Blog

This data is then used to ensure the platform best supports the developer community. One of these supports is that Ethereum dApps can be ported to ThunderCore in under five minutes.

ThunderCore Roadmap and GrowthThe ThunderCore development team spent six months analyzing the data from their testnet and cleaning up bugs in the code before launching a Pre-Release mainnet on February 28, 2019. The Pre-Release Mainnet was only different from a Public Mainnet in that TT tokens could not be staked on the Pre-Release Mainnet.

The number of addresses and transactions seen on the Pre-Release Mainnet was significant, with the total number of addresses growing to more than 40,000 by the end of April 2019, and the number of transactions climbing to nearly 200,000.

On May 14, 2019, the ThunderCore team announced the launch of the official mainnet, which came following the ICO on May 9. Because of the full compatibility ThunderCore has with the Ethereum Virtual Machine dApps can be quickly and easily migrated to the mainnet.

ThunderCore's Extended Roadmap. Image via Official Blog

Now that the mainnet has officially launched the ThunderCore development team will focus on three key areas of the protocol:

Research and Design of the ProtocolBlockchain ImplementationDeveloper and User EnhancementsThe first area of focus has mostly been completed at this time, with the mainnet launch and the implementation of the Proof-of-Stake incentives. This is bringing about large-scale consensus and committee elections.

The third area of focus is also nearly complete for the time being, with the team looking to add portal enhancements for developers. This is expected to be completed sometime in the third quarter of 2019.

The largest changes in the second half of 2019 will be made in the area of Blockchain Implementation. This will see the next release of ThunderCore called Haikili released sometime in the fourth quarter of 2019, and will bring developer funded gas and cross chain assets to ThunderCore.

The final scheduled upgrades on the roadmap are increased privacy support and the ThunderCore Raijin release, which will add additional blockchains to the protocol as fallback measures. These changes aren’t expected until the second quarter of 2021.

The ThunderCore TeamThe ThunderCore team is global, but the majority of the more than 60 team members are located in San Francisco, CA. The core team of ThunderCore consists of highly dedicated blockchain professionals, all of whom have solid experience in blockchain, networking, security, software development and other areas of computer science.

The primary leaders of the team are CEO Chris Wang, co-founder Elaine Shi and co-founder Rafael Pass.

Chris Wang, the CEO of ThunderCore, received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon when he was just 22 years old. He went on to become a co-founder of the gaming company Playdom, which was acquired by Disney in 2010 for $532 million, although it was later shut down.

Elaine Shi is the Chief Scientist at ThunderCore and is one of the co-founders of the project. She also received her Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon, and in addition to co-founding ThunderCore, she is also a co-founder of the Initiative for Cryptocurrency and Contracts (IC3).

ThunderCore "Core" Team members

She is extremely experienced in the blockchain space and can be considered a pioneer as she was the first person to write an academic paper concerning Bitcoin and decentralized smart contracts. She has received numerous awards for her work and was the author of the Thunderella protocol, which became the basis for the ThunderCore protocol.

The other co-founder of ThunderCore is Rafael Pass, who received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology. He also received an additional Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT, and he currently works as a professor at Cornell University.

Pass is considered to be an expert on cryptographic protocols, consensus, and game theory. He was also a co-founder of IC3 alongside Professor Shi, and he helped create the highly scalable ANONIZE computation protocol implemented in the Brave browser with Abhi Shelat.

ThunderCore PartnershipsI normally don’t mention partnerships because in many cases in the blockchain space partnerships are not very meaningful, often created between two blockchain companies neither of which have a viable product. This is not true in the case of ThunderCore and its partners, all of which are already leaders in the blockchain space with solid products.

The first of these partnerships is with TrustWallet, the official cryptocurrency wallet of the Binance Exchange, which now supports the TT token as well. The wallet will also give users access to all the dApps built on the ThunderCore platform.

TrustWallet & Thunder Token. Image via ThunderCore

A second critical partnership has been formed with BlockVigil, who will give ThunderCore advanced integration capability by delivering a transparent API layer to users.

In order to ensure dApp vulnerabilities and protect developers and users, a partnership with Silicon Valley-based blockchain security firm AnChain.ai was formed. The technology developed by AnChain.ai will help determine if the dApps on the ThunderCore platform are safe to interact with.

Last, but not least, is the partnership formed with Liquidity Network, who will be launching their NOCUST payment hub on ThunderCore’s blockchain.

When it comes to increasing adoption and awareness of a cryptocurrency, the community behind said project can be powerful. Hence, I decided to get a better look at the size and engagement of community behind the ThunderCore project.

Firstly, it is important to point out that this project really is global in scope. They have three Telegram channels to support three of their most popular languages.

In the English Telegram channel, they have over 4,900 members. Their Korean channel is on the lighter side with 445 members but they have over 21,000 members in their Chinese channel!

I decided to jump into their English channel to get a better sense of the discussion that was taking place there.

Some of the Discussions in English Telegram

As you can see, the Admins are being quite helpful with those new to the channel and community. There was a bit of price banter and memes that were shared amoung the community but this is normal for most crypto telegram channels.

Taking a look at some other social channels, ThunderCore has a pretty active Twitter account that has just below 10k followers. This is less than we have seen on other official project accounts.

Finally, they also have a Reddit, Discord and official blog. The latter is perhaps one of the best ways to get important updates from the ThunderCore team.

The TT TokenThe TT Token is an ERC-20 token for the ThunderCore blockchain. It acts as a store of value and provides the gas for transaction fees on the blockchain and to underwrite the smart contracts that are created on the ThunderCore blockchain.

It will also be used to build and monetize dApps on ThunderCore. Finally, it can be staked in order to become one of the committee stakeholders or to become the Accelerator and receive incentives for securing the network and processing transactions.

ThunderCore first raised $50 million in private equity during three rounds of private investment. On May 9, 2019, they held an IEO on Huobi Prime Lite, raising $500,000 and selling tokens at $0.015 each.

Thunder Token Price History since IEO. Image via CMC

Given the very short time the token has been in existence its notable that it is currently in the 122 position on CoinMarketCap with a market capitalization of just over $46.5 million.

After its release on May 10, 2019, the TT token immediately jumped higher, hitting its all-time high of $0.02818 on its first day of trading. It dropped quickly and spent the next several weeks trading between the $0.02 and $0.025 level.

By the end of June, it dipped below the $0.02 level however and hit its all-time low of $0.013012 on June 27, 2019. At the time of writing (July 1, 2019) the token is trading at $0.016044.

Buying & Storing Thunder TokensGiven that the Thunder Token was issued in an IEO that took place on the Huobi Exchange, (now HTX), it only makes sense that this would have the most trading volume. However, there is reasonable amounts of volume on exchanges such as Hotbit and Upbit.

What was surprising to me was that the token is not yet listed on Binance. TrustWallet is owned by Binance and they have already started offering support Thunder Token so it looks like a natural fit.

Irrespective of this though, there appears to be decent trading turnover for the Thunder Tokens on the exchanges where they are listed. This means that liquidity should not be an issue when executing large block orders.

Register at HTX and Buy TT Tokens

When you have bought your Thunder Token then you will want to take them off of the exchanges. This is no doubt one of the most prudent things to do given the numerous examples of large exchange hacks.

Given that ThunderCore was built on top of the Ethereum Blockchain, you can store the tokens in any ERC20 compatible wallet. However, you are perhaps best suited to use a secure offline alternative like a hardware wallet.

Having said this, the ThunderCore team is working with other wallet developers to add support for Thunder Token.

ConclusionThe ThunderCore project is an interesting take on smart contracts and dApp creation with a goal of improving blockchain technology across the board. The team behind the project is an impressive one, and the adherence to their own timeline is notable. Now that the public mainnet has launched we can see how well ThunderCore stacks up against its competitors.

The first 10 weeks saw ThunderCore attract 10,000 active users to its platform. The speed of user acquisition was far faster than similar platforms, although that might be due to the maturing dApp communities. We will have to wait and see if growth continues at that pace.

One concern for the project comes in connection with their recent IEO. The price of that IEO was far below the price at the private funding rounds, which were $0.01 in the first round, $0.02 in the second round, and $0.10 in the final round of private funding.

It’s an unwritten rule that the large investors who buy in these private funding rounds are supposed to get the best price for tokens, but ThunderCore has undercut private investors by 85% in their public sale. That could create problems long term, especially if the project intends on securing additional funding.

Business concerns aside, the technical team is a strong one, and they seem to have a good grasp on what they need to do to accomplish their goal of scalability, security, and decentralization in a blockchain.

Tanzeel Akhtar

Journalist

Tanzeel Akhtar

Part of the Team Since

Feb 2018

About Author

Tanzeel Akhtar has been reporting on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology since 2015. Her work has appeared in leading publications including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CoinDesk, Bitcoin...

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April 3, 2024

Origin Protocol token holders have proposed to merge the protocol’s lesser known token Origin DeFi Governance “OGV” with its native decentralized finance (DeFi) Ethereum token OGN.

The OGN protocol is backed by Reddit co-founder and VC investor Alexis Ohanian, Taiwanese-born American YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, and Y Combinator president Garry Tan.

In an announcement, Origin Protocol said the move to integrate the tokens will improve Ethereum liquid staking. This allows anyone to share in the rewards of staking without having to maintain complex staking infrastructure.

“The proposal aims to unify Origin Protocol under a single token,” Matt Liu, co-founder of Origin Protocol told Cryptonews. “If both DAOs align on the merger, OGN will become the cornerstone of Origin’s ecosystem, fostering alignment among the community, investors, and core team for improved value creation,” said Liu.

“At a market capitalization of less than $15 million, the team and its investors feel that acquiring OGV while undervalued will serve as a value-creating event,” said  Origin Protocol in a press release.

What Is Origin Protocol?
Origin Protocol is a blockchain platform designed to enable decentralized marketplaces and sharing economies and claims to cut out the middleman. It aims to disrupt traditional sharing economy companies like Airbnb and Uber by allowing buyers and sellers to interact directly without the need for intermediaries.

The platform utilizes smart contracts to facilitate transactions, reducing fees and increasing transparency. It also allows developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) on top of its infrastructure. 

What Is a Token Merger?A token merger refers to the consolidation of two or more tokens into a single token. This process usually involves transferring the value, functionalities, and user base of the merged tokens into a newly created or existing token.

Token mergers can occur for various reasons such as improving liquidity, simplifying tokenomics, or merging projects to achieve a better synergy. It seems token mergers are becoming more common in the cryptocurrency space. 

Origin Protocol highlights there are several notable token merger projects paving the way for innovative new realignments. There is the merger between Fetch.AI, and Ocean Protocol. Another involves SingularityNet with ChainGPT CEO Ilan Rakhmanov stating the merger will set new standards for the industry.

What Is the Origin Token?Origin Token (OGN) is an Ethereum token that powers the Origin platform, which aims to power decentralized and peer-to-peer marketplaces. OGN can be used for staking, governance, and advertising on the Origin platform.

The Origin Protocol white paper can be found here. 

Origin Protocol went on to add if the OGN-OGV merger proves successful, it will set a benchmark for mergers and acquisitions within the DeFi space.  The merger has generated a buzz within its community and the broader crypto space.

How To Buy KASPA And Everything You Need to Know

Polygon‑incubated Katana has acquired veteran DEX IDEX to launch Katana Perps, folding a decade of exchange tech into its DeFi stack as it races Hyperliquid and dYdX for onchain derivatives volume.

Summary

Polygon‑incubated DeFi chain Katana has acquired veteran DEX IDEX to power Katana Perps, a new perpetual futures platform that natively integrates spot and derivatives trading. CEO Matthew Fisher says the goal is to “own more of the trading stack and the revenue that comes with it” as onchain derivatives volumes and always‑on markets surge. Market makers including GSR, Selini Capital, and Auros are seeding liquidity, positioning Katana as a full‑stack DeFi chain spanning spot, lending, launches, and perps. Katana, a DeFi‑focused Ethereum scaling chain incubated by Polygon Labs and trading firm GSR, has acquired decentralized exchange IDEX, using its infrastructure to launch Katana Perps, a perpetual futures venue built directly into the Katana app. The deal, announced on March 23, 2026, brings nearly a decade of exchange technology from the 2017‑founded DEX into Katana’s stack, with IDEX now “relaunching as Katana Perps” and serving as the native derivatives engine for the chain. “The goal is to own more of the trading stack and the revenue that comes with it,” Katana CEO Matthew Fisher said, calling the acquisition the “first major step” of his tenure as he formalizes the strategy he has led since joining the project.

Fisher argued that as crypto trading migrates to always‑on venues, infrastructure that blends CEX‑like performance with onchain settlement will define winners. “We’re building for 24/7 markets where price discovery happens onchain, not during bank hours,” he said, pointing to U.S. regulators’ recent signals about a path for crypto perpetual futures as an inflection point for the sector. Under the new setup, IDEX’s order book and AMM architecture becomes the backbone for Katana Perps, which routes spot liquidity, perps, and order flow through a single interface rather than siloing derivatives as a separate product.

A full DeFi stack with native perps Katana’s broader DeFi stack now spans four pillars: Sushi for spot trading, Morpho for lending, Kensei for token launches, and Katana Perps for leveraged derivatives, all coordinated by the KAT and vKAT token model. Over time, vKAT holders will be able to direct incentives toward perps markets and earn a share of fees, folding derivatives revenue into the same flywheel that powers spot and lending on the chain. At launch, Katana Perps is supported by major market makers GSR, Selini Capital, and Auros, which Fisher said were drawn by IDEX’s “nearly a decade” of live infrastructure and the chain’s performance‑oriented design.

Founded in 2017, IDEX was “the first decentralized exchange to combine a high‑performance matching engine with onchain settlement” and, through 2019, “consistently ranked first by trading volume and transaction count among all DEX protocols,” Katana noted. Bringing that stack in‑house lets Katana offer a more CEX‑like experience — deep API support, higher throughput, and tighter spreads — while keeping custody and settlement onchain.

Onchain derivatives arms race The acquisition lands as perpetuals DEXes are seeing rising volumes and attracting more professional flow, with venues like Hyperliquid, dYdX, and GMX competing to lock in whales and market makers. Recent crypto.news coverage has highlighted how new onchain products — from Hyperliquid’s HIP‑4 proposal for outcome markets to high‑stakes perps traders posting multi‑million‑dollar PnL — are pulling structurally sticky liquidity into derivatives rails. In that context, Katana’s decision to acquire rather than simply integrate a third‑party DEX is a clear statement: the chain wants to control its own economic engines instead of renting them.

As Fisher put it, “Owning perps is not just owning a product, it’s owning the heartbeat of your chain,” a line that neatly captures where the DeFi race is headed.

TRON founder Justin Sun has offered a hypothetical plan for Ethereum and the Ethereum Foundation (EF) under his leadership. His remarks come amid controversy over EF’s leadership transformation.

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin outlined the reforms’ goals and progress. He highlighted improvements in technical expertise, ecosystem engagement, and operational efficiency.

Justin Sun Outlines Blueprint for Ethereum LeadershipThe TRON executive shared ambitious remarks on how he would lead the Ethereum Foundation if given the opportunity. Sun’s vision, shared on X, outlined a four-point plan to radically restructure EF operations, optimize Ethereum’s economic model, and drive the price of ETH to $10,000.

“If EF and Ethereum were under my leadership, ETH would hit $10,000,” Sun claimed.

Sun proposed an immediate halt to ETH sales for three years to stabilize supply and boost market confidence. He suggested covering EF’s operational costs through DeFi protocols like Aave, staking yields, and stablecoin borrowing, aligning with Ethereum’s deflationary goals.

A key component of his plan involves imposing significant taxes on Layer 2 (L2) solutions, aiming to generate $5 billion annually. The collected taxes would go toward exclusively repurchasing and burning ETH, further enhancing its scarcity and value.

Sun also called for a drastic downsizing of EF staff, retaining only top performers and offering them significant salary increases. This merit-based approach, he argued, would streamline operations and improve efficiency.

Finally, Sun emphasized adjusting node rewards and increasing fee burns to reinforce Ethereum’s deflationary narrative. He proposed redirecting all resources toward Ethereum’s core L1 development, focusing on scalability, security, and adoption. Justin Sun’s plan sparked a mixed response, with some applauding the bold vision.

“These are all very practical suggestions. Please pay attention to them and refer to them, Vitalik Buterin,” core developer 0xSea.eth posed.

Meanwhile, others challenged Sun to focus on TRON and explore bringing decentralized finance (DeFi) to its ecosystem.

“Maybe start with how to make DeFi great on TRON – you should ask your exec team (and yourself), “Why is DeFi nonexistent on TRON despite it being the chain with the most stable coins on it?” If you answer this, maybe TRON can beat eth one day,” ZIGChain co-founder Abdul Rafay Gadit remarked.

Vitalik Buterin Defends Leadership Amid CriticismSun’s proposed solution aligns with Vitalik Buterin’s recent post discussing ongoing changes over the past year, some of which have already been implemented. Buterin emphasized goals such as strengthening the EF’s technical leadership and improving collaboration with ecosystem participants. He also addressed concerns, rejecting the notion that the EF might adopt centralized or politically motivated roles.

“…these things aren’t what EF does and this isn’t going to change. People seeking a different vision are welcome to start their orgs,” Buterin articulated.

Aya Miyaguchi, an EF executive, confirmed the ongoing efforts, expressing excitement about forthcoming announcements. She noted that the reforms aim to solidify Ethereum’s position as a global neutral platform while embracing decentralized and privacy-preserving technologies.

The announcement has stirred controversy within the crypto community. Critics argue that the current leadership has failed to manage Ethereum effectively.

“Respectfully, just let new blood take over. You guys can’t even make a simple Twitter account work—how can you be trusted to lead the second biggest blockchain,” Wazz posed.

Another user, Coinmamba, suggested that pressuring Miyaguchi to resign could result in Ethereum reaching new all-time high. Buterin strongly condemned these comments, defending Miyaguchi and calling out the toxicity of such social media rhetoric.

“No. This is not how this game works,” Buterin retorted. “The person deciding the new EF leadership team is me. If you ‘keep the pressure on,’ then you are creating an environment that is actively toxic to top talent. YOU ARE MAKING MY JOB HARDER,” the Ethereum co-founder lamented.

Buterin also refuted specific claims against Miyaguchi, pointing out inaccuracies in translations and misinterpretations of her statements. He reiterated the need for a “proper board” within EF to enhance governance.

ETH Price Performance. Source: BeInCryptoEthereum’s ETH token was trading at $3,305 as of this writing, representing a modest 0.2% surge since Wednesday’s session opened.

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RLUSD Reaches Cardano Through Wanchain Bridge in Latest Cross-Chain Expansion

TLDR: RLUSD now moves across XRPL, Ethereum, and Cardano using Wanchain bridge infrastructure European banks plan a euro stablecoin using Ripple tech, expanding institutional blockchain use Ripple upgraded custody services with compliance tools and staking for institutional clients RLUSD adoption grows through pilots in payments, settlements, and multi-chain DeFi access Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin continues to expand its reach as new infrastructure and institutional developments reshape its role in digital finance.

Recent updates show progress in cross-chain access, banking collaborations, and custody services, positioning RLUSD within evolving global payment networks.

Cross-chain expansion strengthens RLUSD accessibility RLUSD’s latest development centers on its integration with Wanchain’s bridge infrastructure. This upgrade allows

transfers between the XRP Ledger, Ethereum, Cardano, and Wanchain. As a result, users can move RLUSD without relying on centralized exchanges.

A recent tweet from CoinDesk reported that Wanchain added support for Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin. The post noted that the bridge enables transfers across major blockchain networks. This update confirms RLUSD’s growing presence in multi-chain environments.

The bridge supports two-way transfers, which improves liquidity movement between networks. Users can send RLUSD from the XRP Ledger to Cardano or from Ethereum to Cardano. They can also reverse these transactions with minimal friction.

This setup reduces dependency on wrapped assets and intermediaries. Instead, RLUSD operates across ecosystems in a more direct manner. As liquidity moves freely, trading and decentralized finance activity may become more efficient.

Wanchain acts as a central hub connecting these blockchains. Through this role, it simplifies how assets move between networks. Therefore, RLUSD becomes easier to access for users operating on different chains.

The stablecoin currently holds a market capitalization of about $1.5 billion. Around 382 million tokens circulate on the XRP Ledger. Meanwhile, a larger share remains active on Ethereum, supporting its broader use.

Institutional adoption and infrastructure upgrades progress Beyond technical integration, RLUSD is gaining traction among financial institutions. European banks are preparing to launch a euro-backed stablecoin using Ripple’s technology. ING, UniCredit, and BNP Paribas plan to release it in late 2026.

This initiative focuses on regulated digital payments within the eurozone. It also introduces competition to dollar-based stablecoins. Ripple’s infrastructure will support settlement and transaction processing for the project.

At the same time, Ripple has upgraded its custody platform. The update includes real-time compliance monitoring and cloud-based security systems. These features aim to meet institutional requirements for digital asset management.

The platform also introduces staking capabilities. This addition provides institutions with more flexibility when managing digital assets. As a result, RLUSD becomes easier to integrate into treasury operations.

Institutional use cases are already being tested in real-world scenarios. RLUSD is part of pilot programs for real-time settlements with partners like Kyobo Life Insurance. It is also being explored for credit card settlement processes with Mastercard.

These developments align with Ripple’s broader multichain strategy. RLUSD is also undergoing testing on Ethereum Layer-2 networks such as Base, Optimism, and Ink. These efforts expand its potential use across scaling solutions.

As RLUSD moves across networks and gains institutional support, its role in payments and finance continues to evolve. Its presence across multiple chains and systems reflects ongoing efforts to increase utility and access.

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Crypto markets inch up slowly; Litecoin and Tezos on a charge, BSV falling further back.  Market Wrap As we end another week in crypto land markets are starting to pick up a little. There has been no major breakout for Bitcoin yet but some of the altcoins are doing well and green is back in the tables. As a result total market capitalization is back over $250 billion again.

Yet again Bitcoin pushed just above $7,900 for an intraday high before pulling back. It subsequently dropped below $7,500 again hitting support for a double bottom. At the time of writing BTC is back to $7,900 trading flat on the day.

Ethereum has done virtually nothing over the past 24 hours and is still lulling just below $250. ETH is very unlikely to move until its big brother does, and it will definitely be in the same direction.

There is a little more activity in the top ten during today’s Asian trading action. Green dominates over red and Litecoin is the clear leader with a push of 10 percent to $113. Less than 60 days to the halving is driving momentum for LTC which is likely to climb higher in the coming weeks. Market cap has now surpassed $7 billion and it is very close to flipping BCH for fourth. XRP is the other mover today as it gains 5 percent as rumors of a MoneyGram buyout circulate. BSV continues to get dumped.

The top twenty cryptos have seen a lot of movement from Tezos which has surged 14 percent to $1.36. There does not appear to be a lot fundamentally feeding the fomo aside from rumors that Coinbase Custody is loading up on XTZ. The rest in this section are a percent or two in either direction today.

FOMO: Metaverse ETP Pumps ETP is getting another spike today as it rises 16 percent following a recent Finwise event in Hong Kong. Aside from Tezos, HyperCash is also doing well gaining 13 percent on the day and Decentraland is up 11 percent.

Getting dumped at the messy end of the crypto top one hundred is Maximine Coin sliding 18 percent. Yesterday’s pump, SOLVE, is today’s dump as it drops 14 percent and the crypto stalwart MaidSafeCoin is losing out on the day sliding 11 percent.

Total market cap 24 hours. Coinmarketcap.com Total crypto market capitalization has picked up marginally, adding $3 billion to reach $253 billion. Volume is at $70 billion and the minor move not been enough to signal a wider break out yet. All eyes are still on Bitcoin which has dropped back in dominance slightly at the expense of Litecoin.

Market Wrap is a section that takes a daily look at the top cryptocurrencies during the current trading session and analyses the best-performing ones, looking for trends and possible fundamentals.

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