Trump confirms participation in September 10 presidential debate with Harris
Former US President Trump said on the social platform Truth Social that he will participate in the presidential election debate with US Vice President Harris on September 10 (next Tuesday), which will be hosted by the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Trump had previously accused ABC of bias and threatened to withdraw from the debate completely. Trump said in a statement today that the rules of the debate will be the same as last time, candidates are not allowed to bring notes or "cheats", and neither side will get questions in advance. Trump also said that the third debate, which may be hosted by NBC News, has not yet been agreed by the Democratic Party. Trump said that the rules of this debate will be the same as the last debate held by CNN, candidates are not allowed to bring notes or "cheats", and neither side will get questions in advance. The microphones of the two candidates will be muted throughout the debate unless it is the candidate's turn to speak. There will be no studio audience in this debate.
According to the French newspaper Canard Chain de l'Elysée, sources said that Telegram CEO Pavel Durov told the police that he was supposed to have dinner with French President Macron on the day of his arrest. Paris officials denied the news. French politician Florian Philippot expressed doubts about Macron's statement and said on social media X that it was entirely possible for the president to carry out such deception to complete the "master's mission." He also asked Macron to explain this. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that Russia's request for Durov's visit to France was under review.
Earlier news said that French President Macron has always been a loyal user of Telegram .
Trump releases fourth batch of his NFT trading card series
According to CoinDesk, former President Trump has released the fourth batch of NFT trading card series. This new series will provide buyers with a fragment of the suit worn by Trump during the debate with Biden. The high-end card, priced at $24,750, also comes with Trump sneakers, cocktails, and the opportunity to have dinner at Trump National Golf Club. Although this series of NFTs has brought considerable benefits to Trump, it has nothing to do with his political campaign funds, but has entered his personal account.
PANews reported on the scene that the Web3 conference "WebX 2024" officially opened today. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sent a video greeting and expressed his expectation for the innovation of Web3.0 and blockchain technology in solving various social issues. Since 2020, the Japanese government has adopted a series of policies to promote digital transformation, and has provided open space for technological innovation in continuous updating and improvement.
In his speech, Kishida mentioned the "New Capitalism" policy promoted by his government and reiterated the policy of solving social problems as an engine of economic growth. In this context, "Web3 and blockchain technology are positioned as the foundation for solving social problems." In addition, Kishida said, "We also evaluated the positive dynamics in the private sector, such as the business transformation of large companies observed in the past year. In this regard, the government has also explained that we have been taking concrete measures, such as implementing tax reforms and legal reforms, to make it easier for Web3 startups to raise funds. In addition, as a future policy direction, in the Basic Policy 2024, we will strive to create an environment that is conducive to the utilization of Web3 tokens, smooth payments, and the revitalization of the content industry, while taking into account user protection."
OpenAI plans to release a new reasoning AI model codenamed "Strawberry" as early as this fall
As OpenAI seeks to raise more money, its researchers are trying to launch a new AI product that they believe can solve tough problems better than existing AI, according to The Information. Two people involved in the project said that researchers plan to launch a new AI model code-named "Strawberry" (formerly known as Q*, pronounced Q Star) as early as this fall as part of a chatbot that may be integrated into ChatGPT. "Strawberry" can solve math problems that have never been seen before - something that current chatbots cannot do, and it is also trained to solve problems involving programming. But it is reportedly not limited to answering technical questions.
Vitalik Buterin responded to the discussion about ETH as a store of value by saying that he holds about 90% of his net assets in ETH, showing his confidence in it as a store of value. He also pointed out that the EIP-4844 proposal supported by the Ethereum Foundation has saved users more than $100 million in transaction fees.
According to information shared by Josh Stark, a member of the Ethereum Foundation (EF), cited by Vitalik, the EF is about to release a new report covering 2022 and 2023, which is expected to be released before Devcon SEA. The report shows that the internal expenditure of the Ethereum Foundation accounts for about 38%, and the external expenditure accounts for 62%. Internal expenditures are mainly used for research and development work of teams such as Geth, Privacy and Extension Exploration (PSE), Solidity, and Crypto Research. External expenditures are mainly distributed in the form of grants to organizations such as Nomic Foundation, Decentralization Research Centre, L2Beat, and 0xPARC Foundation, aiming to enhance and support the Ethereum ecosystem in the long term. In addition, Vitalik Buterin also revealed that his annual salary is 182,000 Singapore dollars (about 139,500 US dollars).
The Ton network was down and no blocks were generated for nearly 3 hours
According to community feedback, the Ton network is paralyzed and no blocks have been generated for nearly 3 hours. Binance has reportedly suspended withdrawals from the Ton network. In addition, Bybit issued an announcement stating that due to network instability, Bybit has suspended all deposits and withdrawals through the Toncoin (TON) network. Any ongoing deposits and withdrawals will experience delays until the network is deemed stable. In addition, Tonscan data shows that the latest block of the Ton network was 06:11:46 Beijing time.
On-chain analyst Yu Jin said on the X platform that Bybit and FTX exchanged platform coins in early November 2021: Bybit exchanged 100 million BIT for FTX's 3.36 million FTT, and both parties promised not to sell within 3 years. Now there are only 2 months to the 3-year mark, and it is likely to be sold after the restricted sale ends. At that time, it was an equal exchange, but now the value gap is very different: 100 million BIT is worth 57.73 million US dollars; 3.36 million FTT is worth only 4.47 million US dollars. It is reported that BitDAO (BIT) has been upgraded to Mantle (MNT).
Sony Launches Soneium Minato Testnet and Web3 Developer Incubator
According to Cointelegraph, Sony Block Solutions Labs (SonyBSL) launched the Soneium Minato public testnet and Soneium Spark incubator on August 28. The Layer2 blockchain Soneium, developed by Sony's subsidiary Singapore Startale Labs, debuted a week ago, which is Sony's boldest move to enter the Web3 field so far. SoneiumSpark will offer developers a series of benefits, including investments of up to $100,000 and other financing opportunities through partners of the program. Sota Watanabe, director of Sony Block Solutions Labs, said in a statement that eligible developers will also receive "official support from Sony Group, Astar Network and Startale." Astar Network is a "special partner" of this emerging blockchain and will support Soneium Spark participants together with USDCoin issuer Circle, Ethereum second-layer solution developer Optimism, development platform Alchemy, decentralized index system TheGraph, and oracle network Chainlink. Soneium uses Optimism's OP Stack code base. Sony's subsidiaries will also participate in Soneium Spark, including its music, film and education divisions, its Innovation Fund, and its Inzone gaming headset division.
According to Zhitong Finance, Guofu Innovation (0290.HK) issued an announcement that the board of directors has approved the company to further increase its investment in cryptocurrencies and virtual asset funds, and the company has conducted a series of transactions on the open market from March 2024 to August 2024 to purchase Bitcoin (BTC) with a total value of approximately HK$36 million (excluding transaction costs) (Purchase of Bitcoin). The above-mentioned purchase of Bitcoin was funded by the proceeds from the group's fundraising activities and internal resources.
Celsius Creditors Consider Liquidating Bitcoin Mining Firm Ionic Digital
According to Bloomberg, some former customers of Celsius Network are exploring liquidation of Ionic Digital Inc., a bitcoin mining company they co-own with other Celsius creditors. Joseph Sarachek, an attorney representing Celsius creditors, told a New York bankruptcy judge on Tuesday that "numerous shareholders" had contacted his office in recent weeks to ask whether to force liquidation of Ionic's assets. Another Celsius creditor said at a court hearing that other shareholders were trying to replace Ionic's board of directors. Ionic lawyer Gregory Pesce said at a hearing on Tuesday that Ionic is cash flow positive and has about $200 million in cash and cryptocurrency. Ionic now plans to go public "sometime in 2025." He added that it may take a few more weeks to hire a new audit firm. The former audit firm RSM US terminated its cooperation not because of disagreements with the company on accounting principles, but because it decided not to accept cryptocurrency clients. According to previous news, Ionic Digital acquired all of Celsius' mining assets as part of Celsius' exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings at the beginning of this year. Documents filed by Celsius' bankruptcy administrator with the court on Monday show that more than $2.53 billion has been paid to about 251,000 creditors. These payments cover about two-thirds of Celsius' eligible creditors (by number) and about 93% of eligible value.
Bitwise Bitcoin ETF to Acquire All Assets of Osprey Bitcoin Trust
According to The Block, Osprey Funds, the sponsor of Osprey Bitcoin Trust (OBTC), has reached an agreement with Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) and Bitwise Asset Management, and BITB will acquire all assets of the OBTC fund. In March of this year, Osprey said it was considering other strategic moves such as selling or merging with the Bitcoin ETF. Osprey must complete the sale or merger by September 1, 2024, otherwise it will liquidate OBTC. Osprey Funds said in a statement: "As part of this transaction, OBTC share holders will receive BITB shares as part of the OBTC liquidation distribution. For existing BITB holders, there will be no changes to their shares, and there will be no changes to BITB's operations." Before BITB acquired OBTC, Bitwise acquired ETC Group, a London-based cryptocurrency ETP issuer, on August 19. Data shows that BITB's asset size accounts for 4.69% of the Bitcoin spot ETF market.
BlackRock to List Ethereum ETF on Brazil’s B3 Exchange on Wednesday
According to CoinDesk, citing local media Portal do Bitcoin, BlackRock will list its iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) on the Brazilian B3 exchange on Wednesday. The ETF will be traded in the form of Brazilian depositary receipts (BDRs) with the stock code ETHA39. BDRs are certificates representing foreign company stocks traded in South American countries. Nicolas Gomez, head of ETFs, index investments and products for Latin America at BlackRock, said: "The launch of ETHA39 now allows investors to invest in the two cryptocurrencies with the largest market capitalization." Earlier in March this year, BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) also began trading on the Brazilian Stock Exchange. In addition to Bitcoin and Ethereum, the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) recently approved two Solana-based ETFs to be listed on B3.
Decentralized finance (DeFi) giant MakerDAO has changed its name to "Sky" and will launch a new USDS stablecoin and SKY governance token on September 18. Existing DAI and MKR tokens will continue to circulate, and users can choose to voluntarily exchange them. DAI can be exchanged for USDS at a 1:1 ratio, while each MKR token can be exchanged for 24,000 SKY tokens. The move is part of its Endgame plan to expand DeFi to a larger scale, even beyond the USDT issued by Tether. The Sky platform also plans to split its platform into independent entities called "Stars", the first of which is Spark, a Sky-based lending platform.
Crypto Bank Xapo to Partner with Hilbert Capital to Manage $200 Million Bitcoin Hedge Fund
According to CoinDesk, crypto bank Xapo will work with Hilbert Capital to manage a Bitcoin-denominated hedge fund with an initial capital of $200 million. The fund will be launched in September and will be open to enterprises, commercial institutions and professional investors. Xapo director Joey Garcia said the move is intended to provide participants with not only Bitcoin price exposure, but also a structured way to increase the value of Bitcoin investments. The fund's fees will be lower than traditional hedge funds with a 2% management fee and a 20% performance fee.
Nasdaq and CF Benchmarks submit application to SEC to launch Nasdaq Bitcoin Index Options
According to GlobeNewswire, Nasdaq, in cooperation with CF Benchmarks, has submitted an application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch the Nasdaq Bitcoin Index Options (XBTX). The option will be based on the CME CF Bitcoin Real-Time Index (BRTI) and provide market participants with tools to manage cryptocurrency investments and hedge risks. This cooperation aims to promote the maturity and liquidity of the digital asset market by combining the stability of traditional securities markets with the innovation of cryptocurrencies. In addition, XBTX will adopt European exercise and cash settlement mechanisms to further enhance market transparency and investor confidence.
According to The Block, Web3 game development studio Gameplay Galaxy raised $11.17 million in the latest seed round of extended financing, led by Blockchain Capital and Merit Circle, with other anonymous investors participating. This round of financing brings the company's valuation to $71 million. Gameplay Galaxy was founded in 2022 by the founding team of the Trial Xtreme series, and plans to transform its successful extreme sports game brand into a Web3 ecosystem. The studio is currently developing its first Web3 game, Trial Xtreme Freedom, and plans to officially release it in the first quarter of next year, while issuing game tokens.
Solana restaking protocol Solayer completes $12 million seed round led by Polychain Capital
According to The Block, Solana's re-staking protocol Solayer has completed a $12 million seed round of financing, led by Polychain Capital. Other investors include Big Brain Holdings, Hack VC, Nomad Capital, Race Capital, ABCDE and Arthur Hayes' family office Maelstrom. Solayer co-founder Rachel Chu said the round ended in May and it valued Solayer at $80 million. Solayer plans to use the new funds to expand the team, integrate new protocols and prepare for the second phase of the platform. The project plans to recruit more employees in functions such as growth, institutional partners and engineering. Solayer also plans to launch its native token in the future, which Chu said is "under design." Earlier this month, Binance Labs said it had invested in Solayer. Chu said Binance's investment was part of the seed round. Last month, Solayer also announced a pre-seed financing round of undisclosed size, with angel investors including Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko and Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal. Solayer is a Solana-based re-staking protocol that allows users to lock their staked assets in different protocols to earn additional rewards.
Space and Time Completes $20 Million Series A Funding, Led by Framework Ventures and Others
According to Fortune, Space and Time, a startup backed by Microsoft, has completed a $20 million Series A round of financing, led by Framework Ventures, Lightspeed Faction, OKX Ventures, Arrington Capital, and Hivemind Capital. The company focuses on combining blockchain technology with artificial intelligence to ensure the verifiability and transparency of AI-generated content. Space and Time previously received $20 million in financing led by Microsoft's M12 Ventures in September 2022. This round of financing will further promote its technological development and enable it to take a leading position in the field of AI and blockchain integration.
A whale deposited 19,000 ETH into Coinbase for sale
According to Lookonchain monitoring, a whale user is selling 19,000 ETH, worth about $49.17 million. The user applied to withdraw 30,007 stETH (worth about $78.67 million) 4 days ago and received 19,000 ETH 30 minutes ago. The user is currently recharging these ETH to the Coinbase exchange for sale. According to Aunt Ai, the whale is Wintermute.
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