🇺🇸 Louisiana State Government Now Accepts Bitcoin and USDC as Payment.

“Louisiana residents will now be able to pay for state services from their private, secure crypto wallets.” 💬

Binance now offers secure $SOL staking for institutions with $BNSOL rewards.

👌 How does the SEC treat airdrops?

Leading Republican lawmakers have said they want clear answers on how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) treats token drops in the cryptocurrency industry.

✍️ “By prohibiting Americans from participating in cryptocurrency giveaways, the SEC is preventing cryptocurrency users from taking full advantage of blockchain technology,” Emmer and McGenry wrote.

⚖️ SEC Sues 3 Individuals and 5 Companies for Pig Butchering Scam

These are the SEC's first steps toward this type of crypto scam.

Pig butchering is a type of trust-based investment scam in which fraudsters befriend victims on social media or dating apps, gain their trust, and convince them to invest large amounts of money in fictitious crypto platforms before stealing their funds and disappearing.

https://www.coindesk.com/p.../

🇺🇸 US lawmakers Tom Emmer and Patrick McHenry ask Gary Gensler to clarify the agency's position on crypto airdrops.

“As you know, the philosophy of crypto and blockchain technology is based on decentralization.”

"Yet the SEC's regulatory approach appears to make the goal of decentralization impossible to achieve."

“By prohibiting Americans from participating in aurdrops, the SEC is preventing American cryptocurrency users from fully realizing the benefits of blockchain technology.”

“The SEC’s approach during your tenure has only ensured that the next iteration of the internet will not be designed by Americans or with American values, which is not in the best interests of our constituents.”

🇨🇭 ZKB, the fourth largest Swiss bank, offers cryptocurrency trading and custody.

Zurich Cantonal Bank launches crypto services, including trading and storage.

“Our newly launched offering in the cryptocurrency space provides a high level of security and allows the integration of other currencies and applications”
says Alexandra Scriba, Head of Institutional and Multinational Clients at ZKB.

According to her, customers do not need their own wallet and do not have to worry about storing their own private keys, as ZKB handles both functions.

💬 Trump says US crypto startups will "go through hell" if he is not elected.

At the World Liberty Financial launch event, Donald Trump criticized the SEC's approach to crypto regulation.

“If we don’t win the election, those people who were under investigation and are free as birds right now and the people who weren’t being looked at in the crypto world, they’re going to live in hell – because it starts the day after the election if they win.”

https://decrypt.co/249741/...

Daily Memecoin Recap - September 16

Never a dull day in this space

Binance Unexpected Listing
$neiro -> $151m to $70 .83m (-45%)
$neiro -> $14 .9m to $180 .6m (12.1x), CTO Neiro
- After influencers were bragging about the $neiro listing, binance actually listed the OG CTO $neiro
- The market has now chosen their winner
- The one that was listed is the one that VitalikButerin
interacted with
- The influencer pushed one dumped, while the CTO one pumped +1300%

Neiro Related Coins
$neiro -> $5m to $9 .47m (1.89x), on $sol
$ginnan -> $209k to $4 .74m (22.6x), $doge 's brother, on $eth , there's another one sitting at $19m
$rintaro -> hit $1m , " $neiro 's twin brother "

Trump Spaces
$fight -> $3 .83m to $18 .57m (4.84x), on $eth
$djt -> $2 .2m to $10 .2m (4.63x), "TrumpCoin"
$fight -> $200k to $871k (4.35x), on $solworldlibertyfi

Runner Of The Week
$moodeng -> $3m to $7 .63m (2.54x), viral hippo, continues ot push

Fomo Launches A Token
$UwU -> hit $362k , good meme
- $35k + in LP Rewards
- Launched by fomomofosol
, one of the realest & most trusted in the space

Hyped Launches
$dwolf -> $2 .4m to $5 .6m (2.33x), secured exchange listings today
$mushy -> hit $4m

Moonshot
$dev -> $5 .63m to $10 .14m (1.8x),
ChartFuMonkey's coin, $556k + in LP Rewards
$luci -> $1 .31m to $4 .13m (3.15x), $121k + in LP Rewards
$jinx -> $130k to $293k (2.25x), $52k + in LP Rewards, good art
$wade -> hit $454k , good dev, random meme

More Cooks
$ball -> $183k to $1 .78m (9.73x), "Ball Up Top", viral meme
$flash -> hit $393k , cute dog, infinitely memeable
$SBCLTR -> hit $363k , "Subculture"
$larp -> hit $323k , "lame ass roleplaying posers", good ticker
$random -> hit $246k , cool concept, website generates a random image
$bwed -> hit $212k , bread meme
$zeus -> hit $210k , good art, pushed by KOLs
$fud -> hit $179k , good ticker
$wong -> hit $162k , CTO

Uptober soon?

Mea culpa: SEC “regrets” having maintained confusion around the nature of certain cryptocurrencies.

In a complaint against #binance , the SEC admits that it regrets any confusion caused by the use of the term "security."

The admission comes as SEC Director Gary Gensler is under pressure, with critics including the presidential candidate realDonaldTrump calling for his replacement 🔄

This recognition could herald a change of direction for the regulation of cryptocurrencies in the United States 🇺🇸

🚨 According to Vitalik Buterin, solo staking is the key to Ethereum's security.

Vitalik Buterin discussed the risks posed by centralized entities and the role Solo Stakers play in protecting the network from attacks, to ensure its resilience and long-term viability.

Solo stakers are individuals who stake their cryptocurrencies without going through third-party services, centralized entities, or staking pools.

Steps to making your first $100 ,000 in memecoins

1. Follow the right people (I'll make a list soon)
2. Stare at bullx_io's pump vision
3. Write down every runner you see for the day
4. Find what each runner had in common
5. Use volume to your advantage. It's the single best indicator in this space: if you see constant 2-10 sol buys with almost no sells, odds are that someone has alpha on that coin
6. Interact with others on twitter, share your plays, prove that you're a hard worker
7. Join small circles of trench grinders
8. Profit

There really isn't any secrets to making it in this space. anyone can do it

Be terminally online & outwork everyone else

🇺🇸 Republican Rep. John Rose is proposing a bill to establish a joint advisory committee between the SEC and CFTC on digital assets.

It would consist of 20 representatives from the crypto industry and would aim to allow the sector to provide advice to both agencies on their respective rules, regulations and policies 👀

The US is urging Nigeria to release Binance employee Tigran Gambaryan, detained since February. US officials, including Secretary Blinken, have raised concerns over his deteriorating health, pressing for his release on humanitarian grounds.

🇺🇸 Gary Gensler Under Investigation by Congress. SEC May Have Screened Hires Based on Candidates' Political Affiliation.

Released emails show that the director of the Trading and Markets division of the SECGov , Dr Haoxiang Zhu, allegedly made comments suggesting selection based on political affiliation 👀

The House of Representatives believes that an investigation is necessary to verify a possible discriminatory recruitment policy.

If proven, this could constitute a violation of the Civil Service Reform Act 1978 ⚖️

Sentiment is down, and critics have been quick to point out ETH's underperformance against SOL while largely attributing this to a perceived loss of mindshare and users to L2s.

This narrative has sparked a crucial debate: Are L2s Ethereum?

arjunnchand
brings the analysis...

========================================

🤔 Symbiotic or Separatist?
L2s have been a core component of Ethereum's rollup-centric roadmap from the very beginning. They were envisioned as extensions (technical and cultural) of Ethereum, designed to expand its capabilities and attract a broader user base.

At their core, L2s are deeply linked with Ethereum. They share its DNA — relying on ETH as the currency, benefitting from Ethereum's security blanket, and utilizing it for data storage and settlement. It's like a startup leveraging its parent company's infrastructure and brand recognition, a win-win for both.

The symbiotic relationship between L2s and Ethereum is undeniable. L2s thrive on Ethereum's infrastructure and security, while Ethereum benefits from the increased activity and increased demand for ETH, making it a better store of value.

By offering lower fees and faster transaction times, L2s have made it easier for developers to build different types of applications. Look at the explosion of memecoins on Base or the rise of SocialFi platforms like Farcaster creating new markets for users.

Beyond that, L2s are becoming major hubs for DeFi activity, and ETH, the asset, is at the heart of this ecosystem. Look at the numbers:
arbitrum
,
Optimism
,
@base
— these chains are dominated by ETH-related assets.

🧛‍♂️ Vampire attack?
However, one of the primary arguments against the rollup-centric approach to scaling Ethereum is the assumption that L2s may not continue to rely on Ethereum. Sure, L2s and Ethereum seem like a happy family now. But what if L2s build their own empires and ditch Ethereum altogether? No more relying on Ethereum for security, no more ETH as gas, not even needing Ethereum's block space.

This "L2s go rogue" fear is a legitimate concern. Technically, they could build independent ecosystems with their own validators as they would then be able to own the entire modular blockchain stack. So, is this the future – a messy breakup between L2s and Ethereum? Not necessarily.

We can all agree that there are perhaps a few too many L2s. Too many copycats. Too little differentiation. It's like a thousand startups chasing the same market, all promising the same thing. This isn't healthy.

What we need are L2s that matter. L2s that offer something unique, something that sets them apart. Security, app diversity, GTM strategy — these are the areas where we need to see real innovation.

But we must be wary of ‘echo chambers’. These zones of chains should not become isolated universes. A healthy L2 ecosystem is one where chains work together, not in isolation. We need bridges, not moats.

We need collaboration. We need communication. We need education. We need incentives. We need to build shared infrastructure and standards that foster seamless connectivity across L2s. Only then can we truly win together.

💭 Closing Thoughts
You can say that L2s aren’t Ethereum. You can argue L2s aren’t even extensions of Ethereum. But you cannot deny the fact that L2s enhance the utility of Ethereum and ETH.

The "L2s vs. Ethereum" debate is a false dichotomy. This isn't a zero-sum game. Ultimately, Ethereum and L2s are in this together. Let's build a future where Ethereum and L2s thrive as a symbiotic whole, and push the crypto ecosystem forward.

Crypto markets have suffered noticeable pullbacks following September 10’s highly anticipated presidential debate.

In the wake of self-proclaimed ‘Crypto President’ Donald Trump’s performance, scales have tipped in favor of Kamala Harris, with prediction markets illustrating renewed support for the Democrats.

Crypto Markets Tumble as Republican Confidence Wanes
The presidential debate had a resounding effect on the digital asset market. Following the event, $SOL price has dropped 5.1%, sliding from September 10’s high of $137 .9 to currently trade hands at $130 .84.

Beyond asset prices, CoinMarketCap’s Crypto Fear & Greed Index also dropped from a neutral 46.72 to a fearful ranking of 31.6.

The crypto market’s slide is expected to be due to the wider industry’s assumption that a Trump presidency will be favorable for the blockchain industry.

Commentators argue that Trump’s pro-crypto stance will greatly benefit the sector, with many analysts proposing that the approval of a spot SOL ETF hinges on a Republican victory. Meanwhile, some Solana community members expressed that regardless of who emerges triumphant in November, it will make little difference.

Over the past four years, the Biden administration has loomed large over the crypto industry. Gary Gensler and the S.E.C. (Securities and Exchanges Commission) have been widely criticized by the crypto community for their regulation-by-enforcement approach, which has seen the agency hand out a litany of lawsuits to crypto businesses throughout its time in office.

Volume Spikes on Drift Protocol’s Prediction Market
While Trump and Harris clashed heads on camera, traders took their chance to hit the prediction markets. Drift Protocol’s BET platform, a marketplace enabling users to trade the outcomes of real-world events, enjoyed an impressive surge of trading volume during the debate.

According to Dune Analytics, Drift Protocol’s BET protocol witnessed over $851k in daily trading volume. While falling short of market leader PolyMarket’s $14M daily volume, BET’s dramatic volume spike represented a 1,287% increase over the previous day’s trading.

According to BET’s dedicated market, Trump’s chances of winning the presidential election dropped from 54.2% to 49.5% since the debate began.

$TREMP Down, $KAMA Up
Finally, the landmark debate sent waves of volatility through Solana’s PolitiFi memecoin economy.

Unfortunately for $TREMP holders, crypto markets rejected the Presidential hopeful’s debate performance. $TREMP price crumbled under increased selling pressure, plunging 28% from.19 to currently exchange hands at.135, based on Step Finance data.

Meanwhile, the Kamala Harris-inspired $KAMA saw renewed support. $KAMA surged over 34%, rising from 0.007 to currently trade at.0094. Despite $KAMA’s superior performance, the memecoin still has a smaller market cap ($8.3M) than its PolitiFi rival $TREMP ($14.2M).

$STACY second $GIGA ? 👀

What is Hana Network?
Hana Network is a blockchain platform that integrates with EigenLayer and Babylon to enhance security and functionality. It allows users to stake assets on EigenLayer and Babylon while taking advantage of their advanced security protocols. Hana Network uses cryptographic techniques to ensure transaction security and preserve user privacy. It also supports multi-party group broadcasts and anonymous routing protocols. With these integrations, Hana Network aims to offer reliable and secure decentralized solutions for various applications, making blockchain technology more accessible and efficient.

Kamino Finance has partnered with Re7 Labs to expand the Vault Layer in Kamino Lend V2. Re7 Labs, experts in DeFi and risk management, will manage permissionless V2 Lending Vaults, enhancing security and scaling Kamino’s decentralized financial layer on Solana.

After the euphoric highs of Q2, fear and doubt have crept back into crypto markets in recent months.

Amidst the uncertainty Solana’s DeFi ecosystem has shed layers of TVL (Total Value Locked), with the majority of protocol’s losing between 13-18% in USD value on a monthly time frame.

However, despite the market-wide pullback, outperformers have emerged. Which protocols created a liquidity vacuum and expanded their TVL despite ailing markets?

NX FINANCE, LULO LEAD MONTHLY TVL GROWTH
Solana’s DeFi scene has enjoyed newfound momentum and attention throughout 2024. However, the last 30 days indicate a charge in sentiment, with the bulk of Solana protocols suffering significant drops in their TVL.

Despite challenging conditions, several outliers have outperformed the wider market and witnessed continued growth in the face of adversity.

Lending aggregator NX Finance led the charge, enjoying consistent growth in the face of difficult markets. Courtesy of its incentivized rewards program, NX Finance TVL rose 65% in the last 30 days, leading Solana’s top 50 DeFi applications by TVL.

Meanwhile, fellow lending aggregator Lulo Finance continued to rise through the ranks, securing over $30M in Directed Liquidity (DL). With over 92% of its DL, a similar metric similar to TVL, held in stablecoins, Lulo-managed value has increased by 32.27% in the last 30 days.

At first glance, DeFiLlama data suggests that Jupiter’s TVL has risen by 47.22% in the last 30 days. However, this increase is due to the popular analytics platform integrating $jupSOL into Jupiter’s total TVL on August 16, adding approximately $300M worth of funds to the platform.

According to Step Finance data, $jupSOL supply has risen 0.36% in the last 30 days. Coupled with the 2.22% decline in Jupiter perpetual TVL in the same time period, it can be concluded that Jupiter’s total TVL has remained relatively stable in the face of challenging market conditions.

Kamino TVL Climbs Despite Falling Prices
Kamino Finance has been one of Solana DeFi’s most solid performers throughout Q3’s volatility. While lending aggregators like NX Finance and Lulo predominantly hold stablecoins, making them more resilient to market downturn, Kamino accepts deposits from a wider range of more volatile assets.

Despite falling asset prices across the industry, Kamino has emerged as one of Solana’s standout DeFi protocols.

While $SOL price has dropped over 36% since its March 18 high of $202 , Kamino TVL has increased by 12% in USD terms. Denominated in SOL, Kamino TVL has risen by 76% in the same time frame.

JUPITER DOMINATES PERPETUAL TVL ACROSS THE INDUSTRY
Jupiter’s perpetual DEX platform shows no sign of relinquishing its iron grip on derivatives dominance. One of Solana’s largest DeFi protocols, Jupiter’s perpetual DEX is currently the largest onchain derivatives market in the crypto industry.

Boasting over $657M in TVL, Jupiter dominates perpetual market share. According to DeFiLlama data, the Solana-based platform currently accounts for 18.82% of onchain derivatives TVL across the industry.

While Jupiter boasts the highest TVL across all perpetual DEXes, its closest rival still witnesses higher trading volumes. During August, Hyperliquid handled $34 .6B in trading volume compared to Jupiter’s $15 .1B. It’s worth noting that Hyperliquid’s high volume could attributed to its points program, which is expected to influence token allocations ahead of the protocol’s upcoming airdrop

Despite the market downtrend, Solana is the only digital asset seeing inflows for the second straight week. During last week's dry market, solana saw +$6.2M in inflows, while Bitcoin had -$643M in outflows and Ethereum -$98M.

Source: CoinShares

🚨 Bloomberg reports that Kamala Harris could fire Gary Gensler in the coming days.

Kamala Harris donors are privately urging her team to fire Gary Gensler from the SEC.

#btc 🚀

📱❌ SpyAgent, the new threat specialized in cryptocurrency theft, seen in more than 280 Android applications...

McAfee's Mobile Research Team has discovered a new type of mobile malware that targets seed phrases by scanning your device for images that may contain them.

This Android malware cleverly disguises itself as various trustworthy applications, ranging from banking and government services to TV streaming and utility apps.

However, once installed, these fake apps secretly collect and send your text messages, contacts and all images stored on servers.

https://www.mcafee.com/blo.../

A lil weekly recap on #btc

• Analysts: US Fed rate cut could push Bitcoin down 20%
• Bitcoin price dips to new 1-month low after $57K US jobs data 'fakeout'
• Samson Mow: Bitcoin bears base $40K prediction on 'self induced fear'
• Trump vows to make US ‘world capital of crypto,’ taps Musk for new task force
• Coinbase secures partial victory over SEC in motion to compel discovery
• VanEck to shutter Ethereum futures ETF as investors shift to spot ETHV
• Report: US companies forecast to buy $10 .3B in Bitcoin over next 18 months
• Crypto venture capital funding surges to $633M in August rebound
• Chainalysis says Russia’s crypto infrastructure aims to skirt Western sanctions
• Monochrome confident as it files for Australia’s first ETF to hold Ether directly
• Binance CEO says CZ is banned from managing or operating the exchange
• Outlier Ventures says four-year cycle is dead after bitcoin's 'worst price performance following any halving to date.

💸 Tether invests $100 million in the leading agricultural company Adecoagro 🧑‍🌾

Tether acquires a 9.8% stake in Latin American agricultural giant Adecoagro for $100 million to diversify its investments in the agriculture and food sectors

Adecoagro is a major milk producer in Argentina and manages over 193,000 hectares of sugarcane crops in Brazil, producing refined sugar and ethanol.

Bitcoin spot ETFs saw a total net outflow of $170 million on September 6, marking the eighth consecutive day of outflows. The total net asset value has dropped below $50 billion, now standing at $48 .243 billion.

Magic Eden, Solana’s leading NFT marketplace by trading volume, has surprised network participants with an unexpected announcement.

On September 5, the crypto juggernaut revealed it would be splitting its trading platform into two separate sites, Magic Eden International and Magic Eden US.

The move has drawn skepticism from the wider community, who speculate that the regulatory landscape in the U.S. could impact user eligibility for Magic Eden’s highly-anticipated airdrop.

MAGIC EDEN'S U.S. USERS FEAR AIRDROP EXCLUSION
In the official announcement, Magic Eden posited that the U.S. site “will still have great products you know and love while .IO [the international site] will give us the ability to cook up (and sauté) even more features…”, suggesting that the U.S. platform will offer a limited range of services compared to its international equivalent.

Magic Eden users have expressed concerns that these limitations could extend to airdrop eligibility. Throughout the year, Solana users based in the United States have frequently found themselves unable to claim tokens due to geographic restrictions.

Due to regulatory concerns and the ongoing scrutiny of the SEC (Securities and Exchanges Commission), many crypto projects, like Sanctum and Grass, avoid distributing airdropped tokens to U.S. users.

Regulatory clarity around NFTs and digital assets were further exacerbated in late August, when the SEC issued a Wells notice to OpenSea, an alternative NFT marketplace.

Claiming that the platform facilitated the sale of unregistered securities, the notice serves as a preliminary warning and often precedes formal legal action.

In what could be considered a tongue-in-cheek gag, the official Magic Eden 𝕏 account also added a playful line to it’s bio, stipulating that “Tweets are only for non US Residents”.

SolanaFloor engaged the Magic Eden Foundation for clarity sounding the airdrop eligibility of its U.S. users. At press time, the Magic Eden Foundation declined to respond.

$ME TRADES AT.20 DESPITE LACK OF TOKENOMIC CLARITY
Since the initial announcement of the Magic Eden airdrop, pre-market trading for $ME has witnessed volatility. After opening at.08 on August 28, $ME pre-market prices rose as high as.24 before stabilizing at.20.

Despite attracting over $700 ,000 in trading volume, pre-market trading platform Whales Market has been criticized for opening a market for a coin with an unknown supply.

Without any publicly revealed tokenomics, pre-market traders are speculating on $ME at unknown valuations, which could lead to significant losses for participants.

COINGECKO NAMES MAGIC EDEN CRYPTO’S LARGEST NFT MARKETPLACE
Despite 2024’s NFT market suffering challenging conditions and diminishing volumes throughout the year, Magic Eden has managed to reassert its position as the industry’s top marketplace.

Coingecko, a popular cryptocurrency analysis site, recently declared Magic Eden as 2024’s top NFT marketplace. Boasting 36.7% market share, much of Magic Eden’s success this year could be credited to its adoption of the Bitcoin ecosystem, including its integration of Ordinals, BRC-20 tokens, and Runes.

Binance Kazakhstan claimed today that it is the first to secure AFSA's formal consent for a full regulatory license, though AFSA's public directory shows more than 10 companies, including Bybit already operating in Kazakhstan with the same license.

🚨 Three good economic news are to be highlighted today:

👉 Job creation in the non-agricol sector from 89,000 to 142,000.

👉 The unemployment rate has increased from 4.3% to 4.2%

👉 The average hourly wage on the rise

And I'm still talking about recession 🤦🏽

NFT marketplace Magic Eden has announced the launch of separate websites for international users and 🇺🇸 U.S. users. The move comes after OpenSea received an SEC Wells Notice.