This is a segment from the 0xResearch newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe . From the storied halls of The Met museum to crafting a new generation of hallowed Hollywood stories, crypto is making inroads. Two novel projects — The Met’s Art Links and Incention’s Emergence — hint at how crypto is evolving audience engagement with art and narrative. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has launched its first blockchain-powered experience, Art Links, in an effort to gamify art history. This interactive game invites players to explore The Met’s collection by identifying thematic connections between artworks. Art Links rewards players with NFT badges and real-world perks, such as private museum tours and exhibition catalogues. Built on Base, the experience offers some in-game purchases using crypto, alongside free NFTs for players. The Met’s project is one that falls in the “Phigital” category — blending digital and physical experiences in a bid to modernize the museum-going experience. The inclusion of “Web3” as one of four connection types in the game shows “how artists across time have engaged with core concepts underpinning the blockchain, such as randomization, security and ledgers,” according to the developer TRLab. In its first week, Art Links recorded nearly 20,000 plays, with over 1,600 NFTs claimed. A new game is set to roll out each Thursday at 12:01 am ET for the next three months. Emergence: Collaborative storytelling While The Met is gamifying art appreciation, Incention and Story Protocol are looking to redefine franchise storytelling. Their new sci-fi project, Emergence — developed with The Dark Knight and Foundation creator David S. Goyer — offers a blockchain-powered platform where fans and creators can co-develop expansive narrative universes. The project uses Story’s blockchain, which recently launched a developer mainnet, to ensure that all contributions — such as characters, worlds and plotlines — are recognized and compensated via smart contracts. Incention’s AI co-pilot, Atlas, is also part of the creative process, supporting the ability to generate ideas, visual assets and narratives. The goal is to allow intellectual property holders to open their worlds to collaborative storytelling while maintaining clear licensing and revenue-sharing models. Is this yet another instance of AI-boosted productivity that streamlines Hollywood’s relationship with digital content creation? Or will AI-driven contributions dilute the originality and emotional depth that comes from human writers? Either way, powerhouse institutions like The Met and Hollywood embracing these tools is indicative of where we’re headed — the lines between creator, audience and collector will continue to blur. Crypto’s applications are primarily financial, but it’s worth being on the lookout for novel ways the provenance of a distributed, shared ledger can unlock new experiences and shape culture in era digitalis. Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter . Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter . Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more. The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

2025-01-29 20:00

This is a segment from the Empire newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe . Let me introduce crypto’s killer app: stablecoins. I know we just talked about stablecoins, but I wanted to, well, circle back. Duong said he’s frequently being asked by institutional investors if some of the forecasts for stablecoins (like Jeremy Allaire of Circle saying that stablecoins will hit $3 trillion by 2030) are realistic. “You think about the level of M2 money supply in the United States, and it’s $21 trillion . So we’re just at around 1% of that if we go to $3 trillion, that’s still only less than 15% of the entire M2 mining supply as it is so I really don’t think that’s far off. I think that the opportunity on that side of things is still huge,” Duong explained. Look at stablecoins go He also thinks that Cicle’s recent acquisition of Hashnote shows its interest in yield-bearing stablecoins, given that Hashnote already has one . Institutions, at least, are very interested in the potential yield-bearing offering due to the macro environment. Basically, high rates lead to more folks sniffing around to see where they can make or save some extra money. Even with the Fed currently going into an easing cycle, Duong thinks that the interest will remain, backing up some of the points made by Marc Boiron of Polygon Labs last week. “In terms of utility, stablecoins are meaningfully disrupting the payments landscape, bringing crypto and fiat banking solutions closer together,” Duong wrote in the report. Stablecoins really seem to be in the can’t stop, won’t stop stage of growth. “Behind this growth lies a simple but powerful fact: Stablecoins can make it faster and cheaper for both businesses and individuals to move money around the globe,” Coinbase wrote. And that, dear readers, is exactly what we want from a potential killer app. Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter . Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter . Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more. The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

2025-01-29 18:00

Institutional investors seeking the most secure and sustainable path to staking rewards have a new advanced option. GlobalStake, the premier next-generation staking platform, joins forces with Ledger, the world leader in Digital Asset security for consumers and enterprises, through its Ledger Enterprise platform. This strategic collaboration delivers a groundbreaking staking solution, setting a new standard for security, unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction, environmental responsibility, and ultra-high-performance services. “Ledger has always prioritized security and innovation, and GlobalStake offers the option for further diversification across providers and technologies,” says Sebastien Badault, VP of Enterprise at Ledger. “Collaborating with GlobalStake perfectly aligns with our mission. Through Ledger Enterprise, we’re setting a new standard for institutional staking, offering unparalleled security, performance, and sustainability.” Revolutionizing Staking: Security and Performance You Can Trust Sophisticated institutions are moving beyond staking providers reliant on centralized clouds like AWS, Google, and Microsoft and the numerous risks of Big Tech dependency. GlobalStake’s industry-leading advantage lies in its self-owned, bare-metal infrastructure housed in globally distributed Tier 4 and Tier 5 data centers. GlobalStake is pioneering the MultiStake model, an evolution of traditional finance’s “multi-prime” approach. This strategy encourages institutions to diversify their staking activities across multiple providers, hardware, and approaches to reduce risks, enhance operational resilience, and optimize returns. This translates to: Unmatched Security: GlobalStake’s SOC 2 Type II and CCSS certifications guarantee institutional-grade security for your assets. Ledger Enterprise’s best-in-class Ledger Vault platform further strengthens the security posture. Unparalleled Choice and Performance: Unlike competitors, GlobalStake offers complete control and flexibility. Stake over 40 blockchains, select specific jurisdictions for regulatory compliance – and experience superior global performance with our independent bespoke staking-tuned infrastructure. Sustainability: Stake with a Conscience : GlobalStake is 100% carbon-negative, removing more greenhouse gases than generated. The more you stake with GlobalStake, the more significant the positive impact on the environment. Cost-Efficiency and Higher Returns : Thanks to GlobalStake’s self-owned infrastructure, this partnership translates to competitive pricing, allowing you to maximize returns on your staked assets. “We’re thrilled to partner with Ledger and bring our advanced infrastructure and superior customer service to their highly demanding clientele,” says Tom Kiblin, Global Head of Infrastructure at GlobalStake. “This collaboration represents a significant leap forward, offering unparalleled value and confidence for institutional investors.” About Ledger Enterprise Ledger is a trusted leader in secure digital asset management, providing cutting-edge solutions for institutions. With a strong focus on security and innovation, Ledger Enterprise helps institutions manage their digital assets with complete confidence. ABOUT GLOBALSTAKE GlobalStake is the leading next-generation non-custodial institutional staking platform. Through self-owned, Web3-tuned bare-metal infrastructure, we deliver superior security, diversification, and returns. Operating globally in Tier 4/5 data centers, GlobalStake is SOC 2 Type II & CCSS certified, and committed to sustainability, with 100% carbon-negative operations. For more information, please visit: globalstake.io enterprise.ledger.com ABOUT LEDGER Celebrating its 10-year anniversary in 2024, Ledger is the world leader in Digital Asset security for consumers and enterprises. Ledger offers connected devices and platforms, with more than 7 million devices sold to consumers in 180 countries and 10+ languages, 100+ financial institutions, and commercial brands. Over 20% of the world’s crypto assets are secured by Ledger. Ledger is the digital asset solution secure by design. The world’s most internationally respected offensive security team, Ledger Donjon, is relied upon as a crucial resource for securing the world of Digital Assets. With over 14 billion dollars hacked, scammed, or mismanaged in 2023 alone, Ledger’s security brings peace of mind and uncompromising self-custody to its community. Don’t buy “a hardware wallet.” Buy a LEDGER™ device. LEDGER™, LEDGER LIVE™, LEDGER RECOVER™, LEDGER STAX™, LEDGER FLEX™ and LEDGER FREE FROM COMPROMISE™ are trademarks owned by Ledger SAS Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and any use of such marks by Ledger is under license. E Ink® is a registered trademark of E Ink Corporation. Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter . Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter . Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more. The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

2025-01-29 17:00

This is a segment from the Lightspeed newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe . Solana watchers will hope 2025 brings some of those fabled bullish unlocks. If you search for “SOL unlocks” on X, you’ll find a cascade of warnings that the token’s circulating supply is set to greatly increase in 2025 alongside grainy screenshots of an unsourced spreadsheet showing big unlock figures. While these unlocks are real, industry watchers I spoke to didn’t seem too concerned that the newly-sellable tokens — which account for a small percentage of the overall supply — will add much downward pressure to the asset. In Solana’s early days, FTX purchased a ton of SOL tokens that came with yearslong lock-ups. After the exchange went bankrupt, the FTX estate sold off a number of still-locked tokens to investors at a significant discount to the market price. The biggest FTX estate Solana unlock is slated for March 1, when $2.58 billion will come available, according to data from Messari. That represents a little more than 2% of Solana’s current market capitalization. 97.5% of SOL is unlocked in total. “The FTX estate sale of Solana tokens … attracted many new investors to SOL. We will soon learn how many of them stick around for the long term,” VanEck head of digital assets research Matthew Sigel said. Matt Maximo, an investor also at VanEck, said the buyers of locked SOL tokens he knew were looking for 10x returns and had some appetite to hold. He doubts too many of the locked SOL tokens will hit the market. A second potential source of SOL selling could come from the Grayscale Solana Trust, an investment vehicle for SOL. Private placement investors were able buy GSOL shares at the net asset value of the trust, which represents a discount against the market value of the shares. These investors agree to a one year lockup before they can sell their shares, and a number of those private placement shares were sold a year ago this week, per SEC filings. When private placement shares unlock, investors can sell those shares to collect their premium, and this sell pressure has already closed some of the gap between GSOL’s market value and NAV. GSOL only has $125 million in assets under management compared to a $112 billion market cap for SOL, so the GSOL premium may disappear, but it likely won’t show up too much in the asset’s overall price movement. “None of the [Solana] price action we’re seeing has to do with Grayscale’s instrument regarding SOL,” Jlabs Digital founding partner Ben Lilly said today on a crypto trading podcast , adding that the unlocked shares represent a small fraction of the total shares. “It is very small, like a drop in the bucket in terms of the size of the market.” Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter . Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter . Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more. The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

2025-01-29 00:02

This is a segment from the Forward Guidance newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe . Blockchain Association published its “consensus position” on digital market structure policies amid optimism of legislative/regulatory progress from a pro-crypto Congress and revamped SEC. The advocacy group crafted these with help from its 100-plus member companies. The 12 points are not exactly groundbreaking; we’ve heard most or all of them before. But I could see it being helpful to lawmakers and regulators needing a refresher on priorities. One bullet calls for a regulatory framework that positions the US as the “preferred hub” for investment and technological advancement. Another seeks to safeguard the right to self-custody digital assets using non-custodial wallets. Further down: “Policies should be carefully designed to avoid favoring specific solutions and focus on regulating specific activities rather than foundational infrastructure.” 3/ Smart, fit-for-purpose regulation must be precise. Our principles on scope and infrastructure emphasize focusing on financial activities while protecting foundational blockchain technology. — Blockchain Association (@BlockchainAssn) January 28, 2025 Then there’s one stressing that developers of open-source software should be protected from liability when the software’s used by separate, bad actors. Does that remind anyone else of the Tornado Cash saga ? Another point with a clear link to the past is making sure there’re clear classifications for tokens — “delineating securities, commodities, and other asset types with precision.” You might remember Gary Gensler not giving a straight answer to whether ETH is a commodity or a security. Or the SEC lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance for alleged securities violations . The agency earlier this month moved ahead with an appeal in its case against Ripple … and the list goes on. The new SEC crypto task force appears to be a step toward change, but what Congress-crafted crypto legislation ends up looking like will be key. The bottom line: lawmakers might want to give these principles a read.

2025-01-28 23:45