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- 10/23/24: Gambryan Is Free š¦ šš
10/23/24: Gambryan Is Free š¦ šš
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1. Nigeria drops charges and releases detained Binance exec
šØš³š¬Big Breaking: Nigeria dropped money laundering charges against #Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan after spending 264 days in jail. x.com/i/web/status/1ā¦
ā The Crypto Times (@CryptoTimes_io)
10:46 AM ā¢ Oct 23, 2024
āāŖ-āŖ ā Gambaryan is FREE! Nigeria has officially dropped charges and released U.S. citizen and Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan. The man spent seven months in jail on alleged money laundering charges, which were ultimately dropped due to concerns over his deteriorating health. His condition had become so poor that he was at risk of permanent damage, potentially losing the ability to walk.
However, the case itself isnāt over. The court denied Gambaryanās lawyerās motion for acquittal, meaning the EFCC will continue its money laundering case against Binance. Gambaryan was clearly just a pawnāa means to pressure Binance through human leverage.
This whole saga underscores the need for decentralized solutions in global financial infrastructure. When thereās a perceived single point of failure or control, bad actors will find ways to exploit it, using whatever or whoever they can. In a decentralized world (like Bitcoin), thereās no central point of leverage to manipulateālike getting pulled over by a cop, but your car doesnāt have a steering wheel or pedals for them to seize control of.
I'm relieved Gambaryan is free and finally on his way home. That said, Iām disappointed in the U.S. government for allowing a citizen to be held hostage and deteriorate for this long.
Up next, FREE ROSS!
2. Pump.Fun launches tokenized video memecoins
you can now tokenize videos on pump fun š¹
upload your vid, choose a thumbnail, and make your coin stand out: everyone on the main page will see it š«Ø
what will you create?
ā pump.fun (@pumpdotfun)
5:46 PM ā¢ Oct 22, 2024
āāŖ-āŖ ā Video memecoins have arrived. Pump.Fun, the leading memecoin launcher, just released a new feature that lets users tokenize videos as the foundation for their memecoins. At first glance, this might seem simple, but itās actually a smart move with the potential for profound cultural ripple effects.
Think about itāvideo clips and gifs are by far the most viral content format today. Theyāre not only more information-dense but also favored by all major social media platformsā algorithms. I love roasting the speculative and gambling side of memecoins as much as anyone, but there's something culturally significant happening here.
Weāre moving toward a future where memecoinsāwhether static images, videos, or something elseābecome the canonical version of an idea, permanently etched in the blockchain, ready to capture attention and be monetized in new ways. If a microphone converts physical energy (sound waves) into electrical energy, then memecoins are a transducer that converts attention into monetary energy. And video memecoins will do this even more efficiently.
This reminds me of Telegramās feature that lets creators monetize emojis and stickers, but with videosāalmost like a GIPHY, but monetizable. Itāll be interesting to see what old viral videos get retroactive memecoins issued from their original creators, much like what we saw with Nyan Cat and DOGE.
3. Vitalik publishes pt. 4 of his Ethereum Roadmap on āThe Vergeā
Possible futures of the Ethereum protocol, part 4: The Verge
vitalik.eth.limo/general/2024/1ā¦
ā vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin)
4:19 AM ā¢ Oct 23, 2024
āāŖ-āŖ ā Vitalik is on a roll, with over 5 blog posts in under 30 days! His recent post is a continuation of his series: Possible Futures of the Ethereum Protocol. This one focuses on Phase 4 of the Ethereum Roadmap, The Verge.
In his blog post, Vitalik outlines the key purpose of The Verge: making fully verifying the chain so computationally affordable that every mobile wallet, browser wallet, and even smartwatch can do it by default. Itās a pretty simple idea that, if achieved, could enable massive decentralizationājust think about the number of internet-connected devices in your house alone.
This isn't just about security; itās about reshaping power dynamics in the blockchain ecosystem. The Verge could break down the last remaining barriers between the average person and true participation in the network. No more relying on large node operators or centralized validatorsāeveryone with a smartwatch or a toaster (okay, maybe not toasters...yet) becomes a mini-validator.
But wait, thereās more. Vitalik also discusses quantum resistance and whether Verkle trees are even the best technology here, as theyāre vulnerable to quantum computingādespite originally being the leading idea for stateless validation. So The Verge isnāt just about more nodes; itās about long-term survival and resilience.
If Ethereum pulls this off, it wonāt just be the decentralized finance layer of the internetāit could become the backbone of a fully decentralized digital infrastructure where validation and security are as ubiquitous as WiFi.
Everything Else
āļø Crypto & DeFi
Peter Todd goes into hiding after HBO documentary
SUI integrates with Google Cloud for real-time blockchain data
Solana Elmnts launches tokenized mineral rights platform
SOL's Realms is under new management
XRP Ledger pushes into tokenized RWAs with $1B fund for data centers
Justin Sun might be good for Wrapped Bitcoin
š¦ Wallstreet & VC
Spot Bitcoin ETFs shift to negative flows after 7-day inflow run
Michael Saylor plans to give away Bitcoin like Satoshi
Bitcoiners cancel Michael Saylor for an anti-self-custody stance
River Financial unveils Bitcoin interest product
Billionaire Paul Tudor Jones says heās long Bitcoin due to inflation
Azura raises $6.9M to build one-stop-shop for DeFi
šļø Legal & Regulatory
Rep. Khanna becomes 1st Democrat congressman to endorse BTC reserve
Gary Gensler approaches the end of his reign over U.S. crypto regulation
GameStop meme stock craze prompted SEC to change market plumbing
Tether CEO expects U.S. to catch up in crypto regulation
Bipartisan hope grows that crypto laws will pass before the year ends
Rep. French Hill remains hopeful for crypto legislation in 2024
š Rest of the World
Buenos Aires adds ZK proofs to city app to boost residents' privacy
India considers banning Bitcoin and Ether in favor of CBDC
United Arab Emirates launches DAO framework in Free Zone
Metaplanet raises $66M through stock acquisition rights
South Korea regulations stipulate no memecoin listings for 2 years
š¼ļø NFTs & Metaverse
Valko and Farokh hosting CryptoPunks space today
Farcaster only generates $10k revenue so far in October
Marc Andreesen discusses $GOAT memecoin on podcast
Terminal of Truths is now worth $3.4M, with $1.4M in $GOAT
Azuki launches teaser for next anime episode
Pump.Fun nears 1M SOL in lifetime fees
Magic Eden adds support for BeraChain and ApeChain
Decentraland launches revamped virtual world with enhanced performance
Coinbase partners with NBA team GoldenState Warriors
Foundation rebrands to Rodeo to focus on social network