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• The top 3 trending cryptocurrencies in the last 24 hours according to CoinMarketCap are Arbitrum (ARB), PancakeSwap (CAKE), and Ethereum (ETH).
• ARB experienced a massive sell-off after its airdrop, causing its price to crash terribly.
• Despite heightened US government regulation, Bitcoin and Ethereum have been doing well and the number of profitable Ethereum addresses has increased to approximately 64 million.

Trending Cryptocurrencies

The cryptocurrency market is currently experiencing positive momentum after having recovered from a dismal spell that lasted throughout February. According to CoinMarketCap, the three most trending cryptocurrencies in the last 24 hours are Arbitrum (ARB), PancakeSwap (CAKE), and Ethereum (ETH).

Arbitrum (ARB)

The buzz around the Arbitrum (ARB) airdrop created much attention for the native governance token ARB. Unfortunately, due to a massive sell-off after the airdrop, the price crashed terribly. Additionally, it has been reported that hackers used vanity addresses to steal $500,000 worth of tokens from the layer-2 scaling solution Arbitrum’s March 23rd airdrop. According to CMC, the current price of ARB is $1.27 USD with a 24-hour trading volume of $1,645,717,128 USD. The currency has seen an overall decrease of 3.99% in the past 24 hours and 89% in 7 days.

PancakeSwap (CAKE)

PancakeSwap (CAKE) is one of the leading decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges running on BNB Chain since 2022. It recently released a new proposal for creating Syrup Pool in collaboration with Ternoa which is layer 1 blockchain infrastructure built with NFT adoption in mind. CAKE tokens may be staked for CAPS tokens on Pancake Swap according to brief provided by them. According to CMC data today’s price stands at $3.71 USD with 24-hour trading volume of $45,299,776 USD which is an increase by 0.81% over past 24 hours..

Ethereum (ETH)

Data indicates Ethereum investors have made money after series of price increases since start of 2021 as per Glassnode analytics business reports that number of profitable Ethereum addresses now stands at approximately 64 million which is highest level recorded for over one year period when ETH dropped below $1,200 last year allowing investors opportunity buy more cryptocurrency at lower prices then before..

Conclusion

Due heightened US government regulations Bitcoin and Ethereum have been performing well despite recent bearish market trends whereas Altcoins like ARB faced sell off after its Airdrop causing it lose value drastically over past 7 days . Overall crypto market seems optimistic about future prospects as number profitable wallets increasing steadily .

• MakerDAO voted in favor of increasing their existing US Treasury holdings.
• 70% of Maker’s total income was from RWA-based investments in 2022.
• DeFi lenders are pushing forward and making multichain enhancements available to users, such as the ability to withdraw staked Ether when Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade is complete.

MakerDAO Votes in Favor of Increasing US Treasury Holdings

MakerDAO, the issuer of the DAI stablecoin, has voted in favor of increasing its allocation to existing US Treasury holdings. This follows an investment by MakerDAO last year into $500 million worth of U.S Treasuries which diversifies DAI’s liquid backing with exposure to real-world assets (RWA). In December 2022, 70% of Maker’s total income came from RWA-based investments.

Crypto Native Lending Affected By Bear Market

The crypto-native lending industry was hit hard during a year-long bear market which caused many people to fail on large lending holdings and declare bankruptcy. The bear drop was compounded by the Terra and FTX crashes which impacted this market segment particularly hard, leading some prominent names like Voyager and Celsius to fail. These events have led to fears that the entire DeFi ecosystem may collapse due to other crypto-based lenders discontinuing their frontend platforms.

DeFi Lenders Push Forward

Despite these events, DeFi lenders are still pushing forward with multichain enhancements being made available for users such as Aave and Compound protocols. When Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade is complete, it will enable users with the ability to withdraw staked ether which will play a pivotal role in the resulting liquid staking derivatives market.

Increase in Government Treasury Bond Investments

This increase in investments in government treasury bonds aims to further diversify DAI’s stablecoin liquid backing with exposure to real world assets (RWA). Furthermore, switching from crypto native lending into RWAs allows greater protection against future market shocks thus providing stability for DAI holders within the protocol.

Conclusion

Overall, MakerDAO has taken steps towards protecting both themselves and their users against sudden drops or shocks within the cryptocurrency markets by diversifying their portfolio into RWAs like US Treasuries as well as adapting new features that allow more secure ways of investing such as withdrawing staked ether when Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade is complete.

• The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue has appointed Janice L. deGarmo as Chief Operating Officer.
• deGarmo served as Director of the Office of Management Strategy and Solutions at the U.S. Department of State, where she created the Center for Analytics (CfA) and served as the State Department’s first-ever Acting Chief Data Officer.
• In her new role, deGarmo will bring a data-driven mindset to deliver operational and management excellence to scale the Institute and effectively deliver on its unique value as the global leader of the new category of Tech Statecraft.

Krach Institute Appoints Senior US Official as COO

The Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue has appointed Senior U.S. State Department Official Janice L. deGarmo as Chief Operating Officer, effective March 13th. deGarmo brings an extensive record of transformational leadership following 15 years of service at the U.S. Department of State that included creating their Center for Analytics (CfA) and serving as the department’s first Acting Chief Data Officer to elevate data-informed diplomacy.

deGarmo Brings Transformational Leadership and Data-Driven Diplomacy

In her new role, deGarmo will bring a data-driven mindset to deliver operational and management excellence to scale the Institute and effectively deliver on its unique value as the global leader of a new category of Tech Statecraft known as “Tech Diplomacy”. Keith Krach, Chairman of The Krach Institute said: “Janice is an impact player… She has the rare ability of challenging the status quo while inspiring, empowering, and unifying a high performance team to achieve a noble mission.”

deGarmo’s Previous Service at US Department Of State

Prior to being appointed COO, deGarmo served as Director

• Mysten Labs, a web3 infrastructure company, has partnered with Metagame Industries to build Abyss World, an action role-playing video game.
• The game will be built on Sui Network and is backed by AMD, Microsoft, and IGN.
• Abyss World will launch its open beta version in Q3 2023 and early holders of NFTs will have the chance to participate in content and reap rewards.

Partnership between Metagame Industries and Mysten Labs

Mysten Labs, a web3 infrastructure company, has partnered with Metagame Industries an interconnected web3 gaming ecosystem to build Abyss World – a web3-based action role-playing video game. The partnership aims to create a seamless experience that bridges web2 and web3 users through the use of Sui Network’s high performing blockchain technology.

Backed by AMD, Microsoft & IGN

Abyss World is backed by AMD, Microsoft and IGN which makes it primed to be the first AAA-level action role-playing open-world game in web3 space. This collaboration between two companies will enable them to unleash their expertise in creating exciting interactive games with secure blockchain technology which can provide players with next generation gaming experience that is both immersive and valuable.

Launch of Open Beta Version

Metagame Industries has announced plans to expand its team further develop its product as well as increase marketing efforts ahead of the launch of Abyss Worlds open beta version in Q3 2023. This would allow early holders of NFTs (non fungible tokens) to participate in different game content as well as reap exciting rewards from it.

About Mysten Labs

Mysten Labs is a team of leading distributed systems programming languages and cryptography experts whose founders have extensive experience working on blockchain technologies for over 10 years now. Their mission is focused on bringing innovative ideas for better development for decentralized networks to life by leveraging the power of blockchain technology .

About Metagame Industries

Metagame Industries is an interconnected gaming ecosystem whose core focus lies on providing gamers with unique interactive experiences while also developing tools that help them monetize their skillset effectively through playtime or competitions using cryptocurrency payments. They strive towards connecting gamers across platforms enabling them access endless opportunities within one platform regardless of geographic location or device type they are playing on

Mawari Launches Testnet in Japan

• Mawari Corp, the leader in cloud rendering and XR streaming, is thrilled to announce that Japanese telecommunications giant KDDI Corporation will join the Mawari Network Testnet in Japan.
• This GSMA Foundry Project will showcase the world’s first Web3, decentralized XR content delivery platform that scales real-time 3D rendering and streaming to XR wearable devices via 5G.
• Over the past 6 years Mawari has developed proven and widely demonstrated cutting-edge technologies including patent-pending Split Rendering frameworks and 3D streaming CODECs of the Mawari Engine which will power the Mawari Network Testnet.

KDDI Joins as Collaborating Partner

Japanese operator KDDI joins as the first collaborating partner. They will be providing edge rendering, validating, and storage nodes, in addition to the last-mile 5G network. “KDDI is pleased to continue our ongoing partnership with Mawari… now continues at a new, more advanced level to create new life experiences in the Beyond 5G and 6G era,” says Katsuhiro Kozuki of KDDI Corporation.

GSMA Foundry Project

This GSMA Foundry Project will showcase a decentralized XR content delivery platform that can scale real-time 3D rendering and streaming over 5G networks. Alex Sinclair of GSMA states: “The project will also explore the benefits brought by the GSMA Open Gateway API for Quality on Demand and how it exposes operator network capabilities…”

Mawari Technologies

Mawari has developed various proprietary technologies over 6 past years such as patent-pending Split Rendering frameworks and 3D streaming CODECs of their own engine—the ‘Mawari Engine’—which will power their testnet. Founder Luis Oscar Ramirez Solorzano explains that this testnet opens doors for developers so they can push creativity to its limits.

2023 Use Case Exploration

In 2023, KDDI & Mawari are planning on conducting use case exploration in Japan within consumer & entertainment verticals using XR wearables with Qualcomm T’s cooperation.

• Curio Research (“Curio”) has closed a $2.9 million seed round for its on-chain gaming lab building the next generation of crypto Web3 games.
• The round was led by Bain Capital Crypto, with additional participation from TCG Crypto, Formless Capital, Smrti Lab, and Robot Ventures.
• Curio’s mission is to fully democratize the gaming space by expanding user-generated content within games, utilizing smart contracts and creating new in-game mechanics that were not previously feasible.

Curio Closes $2.9 Million Seed Round

Curio Research (“Curio”), an on-chain gaming lab building the next generation of crypto Web3 games, today announced the close of its $2.9 million seed round. The round was led by Bain Capital Crypto, with participation from TCG Crypto, Formless Capital, Smrti Lab, and Robot Ventures, among others.

Advancements in Web3 Gaming Projects

In 2022, Web3 gaming projects saw a meteoric rise as both gamers and blockchains alike realized the extensive possibilities and profitability of games that incorporate and leverage crypto through tokening in-game assets as NFTs and ERC-20s. While these games were certainly revolutionary, many have still not evolved the fundamental game mechanics and gameplay styles of their Web2 counterparts.

The Mission of Curio Research

Curio’s mission is to fully democratize the gaming space, tapping into a new realm of possibilities by expanding the dimension of user-generated content within games. Founded in 2022 by veteran engineers and gamers Kevin Zhang and Yijia Chen, Curio is building Web3 games that create benefits for gamers far beyond simple financial incentives. As with any new generational defining technology such as real time databases or the Macintosh computer – radically new types of games are being created with brand new in-game mechanics that were not feasible prior.

Curio Platform Powered By Smart Contracts

Curio’s on-chain games are powered entirely by smart contracts which create a new way of multiplayer computation that enables all participants to contribute to a shared universe of code and data — allowing for maximum transparency while enabling players to be creative when it comes to crafting content for their game universes. This allows users to tokenize in-game assets such as Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) as well as providing increased security guarantees than traditional methods could provide alone..

Launch Of Treaty Game In January 2023

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
  Curio’s first game Treaty launched in January 2023 — demonstrating how players are able to write and deploy smart contracts called Treaties which allow them to draft rules around how they interact with other players in the game — furthering their mission towards full democratization within gaming spaces worldwide

• Bakkt announced the discontinuation of its consumer app as of March 16th.
• The platform added Ethereum support in March 2021, and offered users to buy and trade cryptocurrency, acquire gift cards, and spend their coins in stores.
• The Bakkt Visa debit card will no longer allow for new transactions as of March 16th.

Bakkt Announces Discontinuation of Consumer App

Bakkt, a platform for managing digital assets, has announced it would discontinue its consumer app as of March 16th in favor of providing companies with crypto and loyalty experiences for their customers through SaaS and API solutions.

Features of the Bakkt Consumer App

In March 2021, Bakkt launched as a Bitcoin-only product; Ethereum support was added later that year. The goal of the consumer app was to let users buy and trade cryptocurrency, acquire gift cards, and spend their coins in stores to accumulate incentives. Starbucks, Best Buy, Choice Hotels, Fiserv, and GolfNow are just a few of the more than 200 businesses that have associated with Bakkt.

Bakkt Acquires Apex Crypto

This news comes after Bakkt agreed to purchase Apex Crypto from Apex Fintech Solutions in a $200 million transaction in November. Customers will still be able to see their cash and crypto balances, purchase and trade crypto make withdrawals to a valid bank account, or obtain crypto transaction records for tax reasons under Bakkt’s new service.

Discontinuation Of The Bakkt Debit Card

The firm has announced that as of March 16th ,the Bakk Visa debit card will no longer allow for new transactions such as purchasing or managementgift cards or tracking reward programmes or points .

Conclusion

Bakkts decision to discontinue its consumer app reflects its shift towards providing companies with SaaS & API solutions which allows them to interact directly with customers. Despite this change customers can still access all other features available on the consumer app prior shutdown on March 16th

DataStax Launches Astra Block

• DataStax, the real-time AI company, has announced the launch of Astra Block, a new service that enables developers to quickly build and scale Web3 applications using the Ethereum blockchain dataset.
• Astra Block allows developers to stream enhanced data from the blockchain in minutes and scale Web3 experiences virtually infinitely on Astra DB — the serverless cloud database built on Apache Cassandra®.
• It provides advanced querying and real-time analytics capabilities for developers to build new blockchain-based functionality into their applications.

What is Astra Block?

Astra Block is a service delivered within the Astra DB cloud database that empowers developers to quickly build and scale Web3 applications powered by the entire, real-time dataset from the Ethereum blockchain. With this service, users can stream enhanced data from the industry’s dominant blockchain in mere minutes, then scale Web3 experiences virtually infinitely on Astra DB—a serverless cloud database built on Apache Cassandra®. Moreover, it provides advanced querying and real-time analytics capabilities which allow developers to create new blockchain-based functionalities into their applications.

Benefits of Using Astra Block

Astra Block makes it possible for users to clone the entire Ethereum chain with a single click, taking advantage of Apache Cassandra’s unparalleled speed, massive scalability, and zero downtime features. This enables users to run sophisticated analytics operations in sub-second speeds for an array of use cases such as analyzing any transactions within a certain period or verifying non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Furthermore, users can leverage this technology for more complex tasks such as healthcare management systems or identity verification services.

Applications of Blockchain Technology

The potential of blockchain technology is immense due to its distributed ledger structure that allows immutable data storage and secure information sharing over multiple channels simultaneously. This groundbreaking innovation is set to revolutionize various industries including finance & banking (cryptocurrencies), healthcare (patient records), logistics & supply chain (tracking goods), music (copyright protection) among many others.

Conclusion

In summary, DataStax has launched an innovative service called Astra Block that gives Web3 developers unprecedented power and flexibility when building decentralized applications using Ethereum’s vast dataset in a matter of minutes. This new development opens up exciting possibilities across various industries by allowing them to securely store data while enabling instant access and analysis through advanced query operations facilitated by Apache Cassandra’s lightning quick speed at massive scales with no downtime whatsoever.

• Mastercard is launching a three-day event in partnership with Femme It Forward honoring Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary and celebrating Black Women entrepreneurship
• The event will include an immersive “Small Business City” in Meta Horizon Worlds, a TikTok challenge, the kickoff of a Fearless Fund grant contest and a national ad campaign to help Black women entrepreneurs thrive
• Lil Kim, Salt-N-Pepa and Coi Leray will join others in a three-part, celeb-studded panel discussion series as part of the initiative

Mastercard Launches “She Runs This” Program Celebrating Entrepreneurship for Black Women in Business and Hip-Hop

In honor of GRAMMY® Week and Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary, Mastercard has announced its ‘She Runs This’ program. This three day event celebrates entrepreneurship amongst black women in business and hip hop. It features an immersive “Small Business City” hosted in Meta Horizon Worlds, a TikTok challenge, the kickoff of the Fearless Fund grant contest as well as a national ad campaign to help empower black women entrepreneurs.

Celebrity Panel Discussion Series

The She Runs This program includes Lil Kim, Salt N Pepa, Coi Leray joining forces with other celebrities for an exclusive three part panel discussion series hosted by Femme It Forward. These discussions will focus on highlighting the successes that black female entrepreneurs have achieved across various industries such as music and business.

Fearless Fund Grant Contest

The Fearless Fund grant contest provides financial resources to further empower black female entrepreneurs who are starting their own businesses or creating platforms that celebrate diversity. A total of 10 recipients will be selected out of hundreds of applicants from around the country. Each recipient will receive up to $10K towards their business needs or projects which include new product launches or marketing campaigns.

National Ad Campaign

Mastercard is also launching an extensive national ad campaign to raise awareness about its ‘She Runs This’ program which highlights the challenges that many black female entrepreneurs face when it comes to gaining access to financial resources needed to pursue their dreams. The brand aims to change this narrative by offering support through educational initiatives as well as grants provided through its Fearless Fund contest.

Conclusion

Overall Mastercard hopes that this initiative will not only provide financial resources but also inspire other black female entrepreneurs around the country who may be facing similar obstacles when it comes to pursuing their goals due to systemic racism and bias found within society today.

• Bitcoin (BTC) Mining Difficulty has achieved a new All Time High of 39 trillion.
• The difference between mining cost and actual BTC price is $2,567.
• SHA-256 algorithm is used to calculate the difficulty level.

Bitcoin (BTC) Mining Difficulty Reaches New All Time High

The world of cryptocurrency has seen many ups and downs in the past year, with Bitcoin (BTC) leading the charge. Recently, BTC mining difficulty has reached an all time high of 39 trillion at the height of 774,286. This marks an 11.27% increase in 30 days and shows that miners are now putting more effort into mining blocks.

What is BTC Mining Difficulty?

Mining difficulty is a measure used to identify how hard it is for miners to solve cryptographic puzzles when creating new Bitcoin blocks. As difficulty increases, it takes more computing power to find a solution, thus making it harder for attackers to hack into the blockchain network and steal funds or data from users.

SHA-256 Algorithm Used for Calculating Difficulty Level

The SHA-256 algorithm is used to calculate the difficulty level of each block so that it can be re-targeted accordingly by miners every two weeks or so. Currently, the average time taken to create a block is around 9.36 minutes and this number could change as difficulty rises further in line with increased hash rate from miners.

Costs versus Price Difference

According to MacroMicro – a global data consolidator – the price of BTC currently stands at $21,176 while its mining cost peaked at $35,957 on April 17th 2021; leaving miners with a profit margin difference of $2,567 per coin mined . This indicates that despite increasing costs associated with mining due to higher difficulty levels, miners are still able to make profits from their efforts as long as prices remain above their costs..

Conclusion

To conclude; although BTC mining difficulty has reached an all time high which means more resources must be utilized by miners in order to successfully solve blocks; they are still able to make profits if prices remain above their costs – meaning there’s still money left over after paying for electricity bills etc.. In addition; SHA-256 algorithm helps ensure security by making it more difficult for attackers who try to hack into blockchain networks and steal user funds or data..