Highlights for Next Week
March 17
CME Group plans to launch SOLANA (SOL) futures on March 17;
Ethereum to launch Hooli testnet on March 17;
KiloEx to conduct TGE on March 17;
March 20
(2:00) The Fed will announce its interest rate decision, followed by a press conference by Powell;
March 21
March 23
Ethena Labs' third season airdrop activity will continue until March 23;
Others (Specific Time TBD)
From March 17 to March 23, here are more noteworthy events in the industry.
March 17
CME Group plans to launch SOLANA (SOL) futures on March 17
Odaily report: CME Group plans to launch SOLANA (SOL) futures on March 17.
Ethereum to launch Hooli testnet on March 17
Odaily report: Ethereum core developers announced that the new Hooli testnet will go live on March 17, for final testing of the Pectra upgrade, with the goal of deploying it to the mainnet by the end of April or early May. Previously, Pectra failed testing on the Sepolia and Holesky testnets due to configuration errors, and Holesky was down for several weeks. Hooli will conduct Pectra upgrade testing on March 26, and if successful, the developers plan to launch the mainnet upgrade 30 days later.
KiloEx to conduct TGE on March 17
Odaily report: KiloEx, a perpetual contract DEX invested by YZi Labs, announced on the X platform that its TGE will be held on March 17. Details on airdrop rules and eligibility criteria will be published soon.
The result of the Cronos proposal to restore 70 billion CRO tokens will be determined on March 17
Odaily report: The voting on the Cronos proposal to restore the 70 billion CRO tokens burned in 2021 is expected to end on March 17. Cronos previously proposed to reissue the 70 billion burned tokens to create a Cronos strategic reserve.
March 18
Initia wallet extension will be deactivated on March 18, users need to migrate data
Odaily report: Initia officially announced that it will deactivate the Initia wallet browser extension. Users need to complete wallet migration before March 18 UTC 3:00, or they will not be able to access testnet data, including testnet Jennie tokens and related data. Migration can be done through the official website.
In the future, Initia will focus on developing wallet Widget functionality, allowing users to connect existing EVM or Cosmos wallets to different virtual machines' Interwoven Rollups.
Parallel TCG to launch mobile version on March 18
Odaily report: AI blockchain game project Parallel announced on X that Parallel TCG (trading card game) will launch its mobile version on March 18. Users will be able to download it on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The team has currently opened the pre-registration channel.
March 19
WazirX: Voting on the proposed restructuring plan will be held from March 19 to March 28
Odaily report: Indian crypto exchange WazirX posted on the X platform that the next key step is to vote on the proposed restructuring plan. Voting period: planned from March 19 to March 28, 2025. Asset rebalancing distribution: after rebalancing, if the majority of creditors vote in favor, approximately 85% of the account balance (as of 1 PM IST on July 18, 2024) will be distributed to the scheme creditors within 10 business days after the restructuring plan takes effect.
Babylon Foundation: Airdrop registration deadline extended to March 19
Odaily report: The Babylon Foundation posted on the X platform that due to many users being able to register for the airdrop only recently, the airdrop registration deadline has been extended by 4 days to March 19 at 8 AM UTC.
March 20
The Fed will announce its interest rate decision, followed by a press conference by Powell
Odaily report: At 2:00 am Beijing time on March 20, the FOMC of the Federal Reserve will announce its interest rate decision and economic outlook summary. Subsequently, at 2:30 am, Fed Chair Powell will hold a monetary policy press conference.
Nvidia to hold its first "Quantum Day" on March 20 this year
Odaily report: U.S. chip company Nvidia announced that it will designate March 20 this year as the first "Quantum Day" to strengthen partnerships and promote the development of quantum computing technology. Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang will engage in dialogues with executives from major quantum technology companies such as Alice and Bob, Atomic Computing, IonQ, and D-Wave on "Quantum Day". The first "Quantum Day" coincides with Nvidia's graphics processing unit technology conference in San Jose, California, which will focus on the rapid progress in the quantum computing field.
BNB Chain to undergo the Pascal hard fork upgrade on March 20, supporting EIP-7702
Odaily report: BNB Chain will undergo a mainnet Pascal hard fork upgrade on March 20, 2025, to enhance EVM compatibility and become one of the first blockchains to adopt EIP-7702. This upgrade will introduce features like gas abstraction, EOA wallet smart contract-ization, and batch transactions, providing users with a smoother experience and developers with greater flexibility.
Through the EIP-7702 proposal, BNB Chain will allow external owned accounts (EOAs) to temporarily possess smart contract functionality during transactions while maintaining account security. This upgrade will significantly lower the barrier for users to enter Web3. For example, gas fee abstraction will allow users to complete on-chain interactions without holding the native token for gas fees, and dApps can sponsor gas fees for users, along with batch transactions, to enhance the user's on-chain experience.
March 21
According to Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett's post on X platform, two people familiar with the matter said that the US SEC Crypto Assets Working Group will hold a series of roundtable discussions with industry participants, titled "Spring Sprint Towards Crypto Clarity". The first session is tentatively scheduled for March 21 at the SEC office in Washington, D.C., and the topic may be "Defining the State of Security".
BNB Chain: The TVL Incentive Program will be extended by 1 month until March 21
Odaily reports that BNB Chain has announced on X platform that the TVL Incentive Program will be extended by 1 month, with the new deadline being March 21, 2025.
March 22
None
March 23
Odaily reports that the Ethereum Foundation website has updated the information, extending the application submission deadline for the 2025 Academic Grants Program to 23:59 AoE on March 23. It is reported that this round of funding has a total of $2 million available to support academic work related to Ethereum.
Ethena Labs' third season airdrop activity will continue until March 23
Odaily reports that Ethena Labs' third season airdrop activity will last 6 months, until March 23, 2025.
Others (specific time not set)
Odaily reports that Farcaster founder Dan Romero said Farcaster will collaborate with developers/projects that want to airdrop to users. Users can join and perform the required operations (using the framework, participating in channels, etc.) to establish a good user reputation and receive airdrops in the future. Ultimately, developers can decide the target users (the data is permissionless), and the first airdrop will be conducted next week.
Dan Romero added that it needs to be clear that the airdrops come from the frameworks built by the ecosystem developers, not Farcaster.
