Stellar Launches Smart Contract Platform
VanEck's BTC ETF Soars 1K% In Volume, Circle Ends Support For Tron, STRK Drops 53% Amid Airdrop Criticism
Welcome to Coinfeeds Daily Digest! Today we cover USDC issuer Circle ending support for the Tron network due to concerns about risk management, safety, and transparency of the USD-pegged stablecoin. Users will have until February 2025 to transfer their USDC to other chains. In airdrop world, Starknet's STRK distribution has faced criticism from the community for allocating only half of the supply to community initiatives and the other half to staff/partners/investors, while Optimism is successfully distributing 10.3M OP worth around $41M to Optimism Collective's NFT artists in its 4th airdrop. Also, Mastercard and Swoo Pay are launching crypto payments coverage in regions where Google Pay hasn't yet, MetaMask has implemented Blockaid security alerts across multiple chains, and Stellar has launched its own smart contracts platform called Soroban.
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Stellar Launches 'Soroban' Smart Contracts Platform
The Stellar blockchain network has recently made headlines with the successful implementation of its 'Protocol 20' upgrade, marking a significant leap in its technological capabilities. This upgrade introduces the Soroban smart contract platform to the Stellar ecosystem, a move that could potentially reshape the landscape of dApps and digital finance on Stellar. | Read More
VanEck Bitcoin ETF's Volume Jumps Over 1000% Day Before Lower Fees
VanEck's spot bitcoin ETF has seen an unprecedented surge in trading volume. The ETF's volume skyrocketed, surpassing $300 million, which is over a 1000% increase compared to its most active day previously. The major cause of this, VanEck's decision to lower its fees, is seen as a strategic move to enhance its competitiveness against other ETF providers such as BlackRock and Fidelity. | Read More
Optimism Distributes Over 10M OP Worth Nearly $41M in 4th Airdrop
Optimism, a key player in Ethereum's Layer 2 scaling solutions, has recently executed its fourth airdrop. This generous distribution saw over 10.3 million OP tokens, with an estimated value of nearly $41 million, being shared among 22,998 addresses. This initiative was not just about disbursing tokens but was specifically designed to honor the creative contributions of NFT artists to the Optimism Collective. | Read More
USDC Issuer Circle Ends Support For Tron Network
Circle, the company behind the popular USD Coin stablecoin, has announced its decision to cease support for USDC on the Tron blockchain. By phasing out USDC on Tron, Circle aims to maintain the integrity and safety of its stablecoin, which is pegged to the US dollar and is used widely across the cryptocurrency ecosystem for trading and transactions. | Read More
Starknet's STRK Token Plummets 53% Amid Token Issuance Criticism
The core of the controversy lies in Starknet's 2022 token generation event. The company decided to distribute approximately 728 million STRK tokens based on the users' involvement with the blockchain and its community. While this approach aimed to reward community members, the execution has faced criticism. Starknet allocated 50.1% of the supply for community initiatives, with the remaining tokens divided between StarkWare's staff and partners (32%) and early donors and investors (24.68%). | Read More
Mastercard Launches Crypto Loyalty Scheme, Aims To Plug Google Pay Gaps
Mastercard has partnered with Swoo Pay, a mobile payments app, to introduce a novel cryptocurrency loyalty rewards program. This initiative is particularly aimed at bridging the service gaps left by Google Pay in regions like Africa and Southeast Asia. They are strategically focused on areas where Google Pay's presence is minimal or non-existent, especially prevalent in regions where affordable, non-Google-sanctioned devices, dominate the market due to US sanctions. | Read More