Arbitrum, the largest Ethereum scaling solution by total value locked (TVL), is experiencing a surge in activity amid increased interest in the Ethereum ecosystem as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is deciding whether to approve the first Ethereum spot exchange-traded fund (ETF).

According to data from growthepie, the number of active addresses on the layer 2 (L2) broke above the 1 million mark for the first time on May 18. The following day, it reached a new record high of over 1.1 million. Thanks to a steady increase in the number of users since the start of May, Arbitrum has surpassed Base and zkSync Era to take the leading position in terms of active users.

On May 19, transaction count on Arbitrum exceeded 3.4 million, which was the third-best day after mid-December 2023, when the daily number of transactions hit 5 million. Arbitrum’s 7-day average transaction count is at a record high, surpassing Base and Optimism.

Over the past month, the most active applications on Arbitrum have been decentralized exchange Uniswap, bridge solution LayerZero, and Xai, a Layer 3 chain for AAA gaming. Transactions involving USDT and USDC recorded the highest volumes.

TVL on Arbitrum has been recovering since the end of April. DefiLlama data shows that the L2 has attracted $3.1 billion worth of crypto, which is close to Arbitrum’s record set on March 13 at over $3.2 billion. The largest DeFi apps on Arbitrum are lending platform Aave, derivatives trading platform GMX, and Uniswap.

Arbitrum and other Ethereum L2s may experience a further increase in activity if the SEC approves the first Ethereum ETF, which may bring new inflows from institutional investors. As of this writing, the SEC discussions on the ETF approval have started, and the final result will be available in a few hours.

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Ethereum futures exchange-traded fund (ETF) volumes surged to record highs on Tuesday, as Ethereum had experienced the biggest daily bullish candle the previous day when its price surged from $3,070 to $3,661.

Data from TheBlock shows that all three Ethereum futures ETFs, EETH (ProShares Ether Strategy ETF), EFUT (VanEck Ethereum Strategy ETF), and AETH (Bitwise Ethereum Strategy ETF), saw record trading volumes on Tuesday, reaching a total of $47.7 million.

EETH, which is traded on the NYSE Arca at a price of about $80 per share, has the largest share of the three. It saw its trading volumes surging from about $1 million on May 2 to over $43 million on May 21.

Meanwhile, Grayscale’s Ethereum Trust, traded on over-the-counter markets with the ticker ETHE, saw its daily trading volume soaring to $687 million, the highest since H1 2021. ETHE’s volume bounced from less than $30 million the previous week.

The sudden in Ethereum futures ETF trading volume has been driven by a spike in the price of Ethereum. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap has outperformed Bitcoin this week amid the crypto market recovery, gaining about 20% on Monday alone.

Investors are growing confident that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will finally approve Ethereum spot ETFs later this month.

On Monday, Bloomberg ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart increased their expectations of spot Ethereum ETF approval from 25% to 75%.  

All eyes are on the SEC, which will decide on Thursday, May 23, whether it gives the green light to VanEck’s spot Ethereum ETF application. While markets were certain that the SEC would postpone its decision for a later date, the regulator’s requirement for VanEck to amend and refile its ETF filing was regarded as a positive sign.

If the SEC approves the first Ethereum ETF tomorrow, the cryptocurrency’s price may continue its bull run to new highs.

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Quick take:

Orange will also leverage Pyth Price Feeds to empower the creation of UGC games and virtual worlds for its developers.

Pyth offers a permissionless data oracle that allows users to access asset prices on-chain with low latency.

Web3 developers on Orange will use the price feeds to monetise content using the Orange UGC platform.

Orange, a layer-1 blockchain platform that offers User Generated Content (UGC) tools for gaming, AI, and the metaverse has announced the integration of Pyth Price Feeds. Pyth Price Feeds is a permissionless data oracle that allows users to access asset prices on-chain with low latency.

The integration enables developers on Orange to tap into over 500 real-time data feeds for digital and traditional assets. Web3 developers on Orange will use the price feeds to monetise content using the Orange UGC platform.

“By teaming up with Pyth, Orange is harnessing the power of real-time financial data to supercharge the GameFi ecosystem on our platform. This collaboration not only boosts transparency but also opens the door to exciting new possibilities for both creators and users,” Wayne, the CMO of Orange Web3 said in a press release shared with NFTgators.

Orange offers a USG-driven ecosystem that includes a GameFi economy creation that allows users to build and manage in-game economies and financial systems, a leaderboard and rewards system that incentivises user engagement, an AI avatar creation for designing unique digital characters, and an NFT toolkit enabling seamless deployment of NFTs in games. Users can also leverage the Voice-Activated Builders tool for easy in-game and in-world asset creation.

The integration of Pyth Price Feeds into the Orange ecosystem empowers developers in a variety of ways including giving them “access to sub-second price information for digital assets, [which] can help ensure that in-game transactions are based on the most current and accurate data.” 

“The potential of pull oracles in enhancing creator platforms are largely untapped, and we’re all geared up to explore this frontier. Together with Pyth, we’re setting the stage to empower and elevate the next wave of Web3 creators,” Wayne added.

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Quick take:

Kelp’s Ethereum liquid restaking protocol has already surpassed $950 million TVL according to DeFiLlama.

The company will use the capital to enhance the platform’s capabilities, expand to other ecosystems like Solana and Bitcoin and revamp its restaking solutions.

Bankless Ventures, Draper Dragon, Cypher Capital, GSR, Longhash, Side Door Ventures, HTX Ventures and DWF Ventures were among those who joined the round.

Kelp DAO, an Ethereum-based restaking protocol has completed a $9 million private sale in a round co-led by the Bahamas-based proprietary trading firm SCB Capital and Nomura’s digital asset arm Laser Digital.

The fundraising also attracted participation from Bankless Ventures, Hypersphere, Draper Dragon, DACM, Cypher Capital, ArkStream, Cluster Capital, GSR, Longhash, Side Door Ventures, NOIA Capital, HTX Ventures, Avid3, ViaBTC Capital, DWF Ventures and Coinseeker, among others.

Kelp DAO plans to use the fresh capital to enhance the platform’s capabilities, expand to other ecosystems like Solana and Bitcoin and revamp its restaking solutions.

The protocol has also caught the attention of leading crypto investors with Scott, Cofounder of Gitcoin; Alex, CEO Nansen; Sam K, Cofounder Frax; Marc Zeller, Aave Chan Initiative; Saurabh Sharma, Jump Crypto; Amrit, COO Altlayer; Anthony, Cofounder of Swissborg; Winslow Strong, Mr. Block among the current list of angel investors.

Kelp DAO has experienced a surge in TVL this year, which increased from $216 million in February to the current level of $959 million, DeFiLlama data shows.

Source: DeFiLlama

“These funds build on more than [$950 million] in Total Value Locked (TVL) and more than 40,000 active restakers on the platform,” Kelp DAO wrote in an announcement shared with NFTgators.

According to Kelp DAO, the funding round showcases confidence from global investors as demonstrated by the participation of several notable angel investors in the crypto community.

Dheeraj Borra, Co-founder of Kelp DAO said in a statement:  “This fundraise propels our expansion in the market and sharpens our focus on building customer-centric solutions. It’s truly thrilling to have our investors share that vision.”

Jez Mohideen, CEO of Laser Digital, which co-led the round added: “We are very excited to support Kelp DAO and the passionate team in its journey towards building innovative restaking infrastructure solutions.”

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Quick take:

Solv Protocol is now the 32nd largest decentralised finance (DeFi) protocol according to DeFiLlama rankings.

The protocol uses SolvBTC to tokenise CeFi and DeFi yields for Bitcoin holders.

Solv has also launched SolvBTC on Arbitrum, BNB Chain, and Merlin Chain.

Solv Protocol, a unified yield and liquidity layer for major digital assets has crossed the $1 billion TVL (total value locked) becoming the 32nd largest decentralised finance (DeFi) protocol according to DeFiLlama rankings.

As of this writing, Solv had a TVL of $1.11 billion spread across multiple chains. The protocol leverages multi-chain integration to provide holders of different assets with a source of “high-quality” returns.

Source: DeFiLlama

Solv’s liquid yield token SolvBTC tokenises centralised finance (CeFi) and DeFi for Bitcoin holders, while its multi-chain integration enables SolvBTC to boost liquidity in emerging BTCFi ecosystems across Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks.

“Reaching this significant milestone is a testament to the strong demand for Solv’s suite of products and the growing adoption of our flagship SolvBTC offering,” said Ryan, founder of Solv Protocol. “As the largest protocol in the BTCFi space by TVL, we are excited to continue driving innovation and unlocking new opportunities for Bitcoin holders and DeFi participants alike.”

Solv has also launched SolvBTC on Arbitrum, BNB Chain, and Merlin Chain as it continues building an ecosystem where users can bridge SolvBTC to farm points in new blockchain reward programs such as a 1.5x multiplier in zkLinkNova’s Aggregation Parade.

According to the DeFiLlama data, the Merlin chain accounts for the highest TVL in Solv Protocol, with its $785 million representing more than 70%.

Source: DeFiLlama

Solv Protocol has also introduced the Solv Point System, where users can exchange points for SOLV token airdrops to incentivise engagement.

The protocol boasts backing from some of the leading Web3 companies and venture firms including Binance Labs, Blockchain Capital, and Laser Digital among others.

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Quick take:

The partnership expands Chiliz’s presence in South Korea after recently partnering with K League.

The company provides a blockchain infrastructure solution for sports teams enabling them to improve engagement with their fans.

Naver Pay is using the partnership as part of its global expansion campaign as it looks to integrate “cutting-edge Web3 technologies.”

South Korean payments giant, Naver Pay has announced a partnership with blockchain-based fan engagement solutions provider Chiliz. The two companies will collaborate on exclusive ticketing and payment services alongside hosting fan events.

Chiliz is one of the leading providers of fan engagement solutions for sports teams. The company recently announced a partnership with South Korea’s K League, expanding its global network of fan sports fan token offerings. 

Chiliz has partnered with some of the biggest sports teams in the world including Tottenham Hotspurs, FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Manchester City. Its recent partnership with K League and French Ligue 1 extends its offering beyond single teams to entire leagues.

On the other hand, Naver Pay boasts 33 million registered users with 18 million daily users, which it believes presents “a compelling solution for businesses seeking to streamline payments and enhance customer engagement via rewards.”

According to a press release shared with NFTgarors, Naver Pay is using the partnership as part of its global expansion campaign as it looks to integrate “cutting-edge Web3 technologies.”

Commenting on the announcement, Park Sang-jin, CEO of Naver Pay said in a statement: “This partnership with Chiliz marks a significant milestone in our journey towards integrating cutting-edge web3 technologies as part of our global expansion. Together, we aim to transform the way our users engage with sports and entertainment, enhancing their experiences with innovative solutions tailored to their passions.”

Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz commented: “South Korea is a very important market for us due to the maturity of both its sports and crypto sectors. We’re excited to partner with Naver Pay to introduce unique experiences that leverage the power of blockchain and bring value to the sporting community.”

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Quick take: 

A16z crypto, Haun, USV, Variant, and Standard Crypto were among the VCs that joined the round.

Romero said his company’s goals for the year include growing daily users and adding developer primitives to the protocol.

The platform has already reached 350,000 paid sign-ups since going permissionless last October and realised a 50x increase in network activity.

Farcaster, the Ethereum-based social media platform built on the Optimism stack has announced a $150 million funding round led by Paradigm. The fundraising also attracted participation from Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm (A16z crypto), Haun Ventures, Union Square Ventures (USV), Variant, and Standard Crypto.

Commenting on the announcement via a blog post, Farcaster founder Dan Romero said the company will use the capital to “support our work on Farcaster for many years to come.”

According to the announcement, the company is also looking to expand its team as it looks to add to its staff-level engineers.

Farcaster leverages smart contract technology to control social interactions within its network. Users can create public social profiles and communities to interact with others, supports both mobile and Web, with in-house built Warpcast available on iOS and Android.

Romero said Farcaster has two main goals to achieve in 2024, including growing daily users and adding developer primitives to the protocol.

Earlier this month, the creators of the blockchain-based publisher platform Mirror sold to rivals Paragraph to concentrate on developing a Web3 social app “Kiosk” on Farcaster.

The company has already reached 350,000 paid sign-ups since going permissionless last October and realised a 50x increase in network activity, Romero wrote in a statement. “There are hundreds of developers building on the protocol and a growing number of apps and frames for people to use,” he added.

Introduced earlier this year, Frames allow apps to run within posts, thus keeping the conversations and activity within the Farcaster protocol.

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Quick take:

COTI Foundation is also setting aside 400M in $COTI tokens for a new grant program allowing developers to experiment and build with this technology.

The program incentivises developers to innovate with new use cases as they explore the full range of opportunities a privacy-centric Web3 ecosystem can provide.

Teams can leverage a range of development tools including a NodeJS SDK, a Python SDK, and a faucet to cover gas for on-chain activity among others.

COTI, a “fast and light” confidentiality layer built on Ethereum has launched Coti V2, a privacy-centric development platform enabling Web3 builders to explore an extensive range of use cases without compromising the confidentiality of the underlying personal information.

According to COTI, its advanced blockchain layer facilitates data sharing, verification, and multi-party computation, unlocking multiple use cases that “were previously impossible to develop using a Web3 ecosystem.”

The launch was accompanied by the announcement of a grant program that will allow developers to build with the technology and be rewarded for their contribution. COTI Foundation, the organisation behind COTI is setting aside 400M in $COTI tokens for a new grant program as part of its strategy to supercharge ecosystem growth.

The tokens will be allocated to Ambassadors, Builders, and Creators as they look to bring real-world privacy solutions to the masses, the company said in a statement. Selected projects and teams will receive grants ranging from $1000 to $100K.

The program incentivises developers to innovate with new use cases as they explore the full range of opportunities a privacy-centric Web3 ecosystem can provide. Builders will be able to leverage a range of development tools on the platform including a NodeJS SDK, a Python SDK, and a faucet to cover gas for on-chain activity among others.

Commenting on the announcement, Shahaf Bar-Geffen, COTI CEO, said in a statement: “We’re opening our doors to the world with the COTI V2 Developer Network. With our Builders program, we’re inviting teams around the world to take part in COTI V2’s developer network and share what you’re building. We have an incredible year ahead of building new things, making new partners, and growing COTI’s network.”

COTI describes its technology toolkit as “garbling protocols” — which essentially is a cryptographic system that allows two mistrusting parties to jointly evaluate a function over their private inputs without the presence of a trusted third party. According to COTI, this unction allows teams to “envision the full power of Web3 including the many different use cases, dApps, and protocols that depend on an impenetrable confidentiality layer.”

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Raydium, the largest decentralized exchange (DEX) on Solana, continues to see an increase in its total value locked (TVL). On May 20, DefiLlama data shows that the DEX’s TVL is at $951 million, the highest level since mid-January 2022. This represents a 60% increase over the last month and a 650% increase since the start of the year.

Data shared via Dune shows that Raydium’s market share by DEX volume has increased to a record 53.2% earlier in May. Meanwhile, Orca, which accounted for over two-thirds of Solana DEX volume at the beginning of 2023, is left with a market share of 22%.

Although Raydium experiences the highest TVL in years and its DEX volume share is at the highest on record, actual volume figures have been declining from March peaks. In March, Raydium handled a record $13.2 billion in transactions, a tenfold increase from the previous month. As of mid-May, the DEX has processed over $5.4 billion in trades.

Meanwhile, data from Artemis shows that the number of active addresses has also been declining from March levels, although it has been recovering from April lows.

Meme coins have been the main drivers of Raydium activity in 2024.

As of this writing, DEX Screener data shows that Raydium is currently the most active DEX across all chains. Out of the top 10 most traded pairs in the last 24 hours, 7 are on Raydium. All of them are meme coins, including kiki, GME, Slothana, PONKE, and MANEKI.

The most traded pair is also on Solana. The WIF/SOL pair on Orca has generated a daily trading volume of $36 million.

Solana has one of the most active meme coin ecosystems. Crypto analyst Crypto Koryo said on X that Coinmarketcap had registered record numbers of new meme coins in March and April 2024, and more than half of them are hosted by Solana.

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Quick take:

The studio is building the Astar zkEVM ‘Developer Console’, which offers a complete plug-and-play platform with embedded smart wallet solutions including customizable UI kits, game analytics payment flows, transaction APIs and more.

Astar Studio also offers access to the latest game development technologies including Unity, Unreal Engine, and mobile SDKs.

The Astar zkEVM ‘Developer Console’ solution is powered by Sequence and will debut with a Credit Grant valued at a total of $200,000.

Astar Network has announced a partnership with Sequence, an all-in-one development platform for integrating web3 into games to launch Astar Studio.

The new Web3 gaming studio is building the Astar zkEVM ‘Developer Console’, which offers a complete plug-and-play platform with embedded smart wallet solutions including customizable UI kits, game analytics payment flows, transaction APIs and more.

This announcement comes just weeks after Astar Network launched Astar zkEVM, a layer-2 solution built to scale Web3 experiences on Ethereum for the mass adoption of users.

According to Astar Network, Astar Studio will streamline the development process of Web3 projects by placing innovation and control directly in the hands of developers. The studio will also open up more revenue opportunities for users enabling them to trade and sell digital collections both in the primary and secondary markets, the company said. 

Astar Studio plans to achieve these while also “enhancing user acquisition, growth, monetization, and retention tactics powered by modular components within the white label solution.”

Commenting on the partnership, Shaun Wang, Chief Technology Officer at Astar Network said in a statement: “By combining Astar zkEVM with Sequence’s development platform, we’re empowering developers to build next-generation web3 dApps in easy mode. This partnership fosters a smooth and familiar development experience while ensuring low transaction fees and scalability. We’re excited to see the innovative and engaging experiences that developers will create with Astar Studio and look forward to working with Sequence.”

The two companies have also agreed to work together to offer developers the Astar Studio Credit Grant worth $200,000 to boost the growth of the Astar zkEVM ecosystem. The two companies will jointly decide which projects receive the grants and how much is awarded to each project.

Issei Kashima, APAC Business Development and Partnerships Manager at Sequence commented: “Integrating Astar zkEVM into Sequence Builder allows developers to start building within Astar’s growing ecosystem with their same workflows and our familiar tools and SDKs.”

“We believe this partnership will be a major catalyst for the growth of web3 gaming and the Astar ecosystem.”

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Ethereum ‘hodlers’ – investors holding ETH for one year or longer – possess a record 100.87 million ETH, according to data from IntoTheBlock. Meanwhile, the amount held by short-term traders has declined to the lowest level since 2016. Also, the balance held by ‘cruisers’ – those who hold crypto for weeks or months – is maintaining close to multi-year lows.

Historical data show that hodlers tend to reduce their holdings late into bull cycles. The current record number might be the result of the bull cycle that took off in the last quarter of 2024. Ethereum has been correcting since its $4,000 level in mid-March. A visible decline in the hodlers’ balances would suggest that the pullback marks the end of the bull cycle, but this is not happening yet.

Interestingly, the number of Ethereum addresses holding between 0.01 ETH and 0.1 ETH (~$31 and $310) are at a record high, totaling 20.8 million.

The number of addresses holding less than 0.01 ETH (under $31) has increased by about 10% since the start of the year to a record 93.2 million.

Data from IntoTheBlock shows that more than 80% of all addresses have experienced a positive return since adding ETH, and only 10% of them have acquired ETH at a higher price than the current one. The largest portion of the profitable addresses, about 29.5 million of them, purchased ETH at an average price of $250.

The number of profitable addresses shares a direct relationship with the Ethereum price, and it reaches 100% when ETH reaches a new record.

Earlier this year, Ethereum failed to replicate Bitcoin’s achievement of reaching a new all-time high. The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap hit a record peak in November 2021 at $4,878.  

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Quick take:

There are still conflicting reports about how much was stolen with Stacc saying it’s $80 million while on-chain data seems to point towards $2 million.

The attacker used flash loans to exploit Pump.fun memecoin bonding curves.

Pump.fun uses bonding curves to protect users from potential rug pulls by ensuring that all created tokens are safe.

A former employee has taken credit for the Pump.fun exploit. The platform was on Thursday attacked using flash loans which enabled the attacker to get enough SOL to buy out the bonding curve for Pump.fun memecoins.

And unlike many crypto exploits, the attacker in this case has posted on X taking credit. Stacc seems to suggest that mental health may have played a part in his actions, adding that the resurrection of his dead mother is the only ‘ransom’ he would accept. 

According to ‘Stacc’, working for horrible bosses in the blockchain industry contributed to the current state of his mind, as he seems to believe that his actions will change the course of the industry. “Stacc” does not also seem to care about the repercussions of the action, which could include going to jail.

Currently, there are conflicting reports about how much the attacker has managed to steal. One X user by the name of Sakuzi is putting the figure at $80 million, the amount Stacc declared to have stolen.

Wintermute researcher Igor Igamberdiev had a figure of about 2,000 SOL or about $300,000 earlier before revising it higher to 12,000 SOL, or approximately $2 million.

On Pump.fun, users select a token and then buy it on a bonding curve, the formula that determines a token’s price based on its supply. The platform uses bonding curves to protect users from potential rug pulls by ensuring that all created tokens are safe.

This is not the first attack on a platorm used for token launches. Last month, Hedgey Finance, a token infrastructure platform on Arbitrum was exploited for nearly $45 million. 

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Quick take:

Stacc’s seems to suggest the exploit is in the tune of $80 million but other sources citing on-chain data indicate approximately $2 million has been stolen so far.

The attacker used flash loans to exploit Pump.fun memecoin bonding curves.

Pump.fun uses bonding curves to protect users from potential rug pulls by ensuring that all created tokens are safe.

Someone has taken credit for the Pump.fun exploit. The platform was on Thursday attacked using flash loans which enabled the attacker to get enough SOL to buy out the bonding curve for Pump.fun memecoins.

And unlike many crypto exploits, the attacker in this case has posted on X taking credit. Stacc seems to suggest that mental health may have played a part in his actions, adding that the resurrection of his dead mother is the only ‘ransom’ he would accept. 

‘Stacc’ seems to suggest working for the wrong bosses in the blockchain industry contributed to the current state of his mind, as he seems to believe that his actions will change the course of the industry without caring about the repercussions which could include going to jail.

Currently, there are conflicting reports about how much the attacker has managed to exploit. One X user by the name of Sakuzi who believes ‘Stacc’ is a former employee of Pump.fun, is putting the figure at $80 million.

Wintermute researcher Igor Igamberdiev had a figure of about 2,000 SOL or about $300,000 earlier before revising it higher to 12,000 SOL, or approximately $2 million.

On Pump.fun, users select a token and then buy it on a bonding curve, the formula that determines a token’s price based on its supply. The platform uses bonding curves to protect users from potential rug pulls by ensuring that all created tokens are safe.

This is not the first attack on a platorm used for token launches. Last month, Hedgey Finance, a token infrastructure platform on Arbitrum was exploited for nearly $45 million. 

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Quick take: 

The fundraising comes ahead of the studio’s planned launch of its native token $PARAM.

Param Labs is also developing its first game, Kiraverse, a play-to-earn, multiplayer shooter game.

The studio is mainly interested in building AAA multiplayer blockchain games and the technology that makes them user-friendly.

Web3 gaming studio, Param Labs has completed a $7 million funding round led by Animoca Brands with participation from Delphi Ventures and Cypher Capital, among others.

The company is developing “Kiraverse” a play-to-earn multiplayer shooter game, and its first title, which it started making in 2021. Its second title “Pixel-to-Poly” has been in development since 2023.

This fundraising comes ahead of Param Labs’ planned launch of its native token $PARAM, which will be used to govern the new gaming ecosystem. 

Based in the United Arab Emirates, Param describes its gaming ecosystem as one that focuses on building AAA multiplayer blockchain games and the technology that makes them user-friendly. 

We are “an independent game and technology development studio, specialising in multiplayer blockchain games, AAA design, and innovative technology development,” a statement on the studio’s website reads.

According to Param, its platorm aims to seamlessly connect the worlds of Web2 and Web3 by leveraging emerging technology to provide user-generated value, digital ownership of gaming assets, and unique gaming experiences to the mainstream, adding that its products are designed to onboard millions of new users into Web3 seamlessly.

Commenting on the announcement, Yat Siu, the Animoca Brands co-founder and executive chairman who also made a strategic investment in Param Labs said in a statement: “This collaboration aligns with our shared vision to redefine the gaming landscape, ensuring that gamers are the true owners of their digital assets.”

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The number of daily new crypto addresses using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) reached a new record high of 236,600 on May 11, according to data compiled by IntoTheBlock. The latest data shows that the total number of addresses using NFTs has reached a record high of 13.84 million.

While the source doesn’t specify which chain accounts for the largest share of activity, CryptoSlam data points to Solana.

Last month, we reported that Solana NFT buyers had reached a new all-time high on April 23. On that day, over 61,000 unique buyers acquired Solana NFTs.

Solana updated the record on May 8. The number of Solana NFT sellers also hit a record peak on that day. Data shows that more than 64,000 unique addresses sold Solana NFTs, while a record 59,200 purchased them. Interestingly, sales volume in USD terms has been declining to the lowest level since November 2023, suggesting the average price of Solana NFTs has been declining.

The number of Solana NFT buyers surged by over 1,329% in the last week, exceeding the 150,000 mark. The number of sellers surged more than 900% during the same period, breaking above the 100k mark. Solana experienced the largest weekly increase in the number of NFT traders among all chains.

Bitcoin, Polygon, and Immutable also saw three-digit gains in the number of buyers and sellers, as per CryptoSlam.

Nevertheless, despite the significant increase in percentage terms, the number of traders on most chains pales in comparison with Solana. The weekly number of NFT buyers on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Blast ranges between 22k and 25.2k. Only Polygon gets closer to Solana, with over 91,000 unique buyers during the last seven days.

DappRadar data shows that fantasy.top on Blast remains the most popular NFT collection by the number of traders despite the 36% decline.

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Quick take:

Supra’s Decentralised Oracle Agreement (DORA) enables enhanced real-time data accessibility for GameFi, DeFi and other dApps.

Its decentralised verifiable randomness (dVRF) ensures the integrity of random outcomes in blockchain games and prize draws on ApeChain.

Supra is powered by the Supra Moonshot Consensus, a protocol that has recorded 530K transactions per second throughput in the testing stage.

Supra, a leading data oracle and verifiable randomness provider has integrated with ApeChain to become the first oracle price feeds protocol and verifiable randomness protocol to deploy on the new layer-3 on Arbitrum.

ApeChain will leverage Oracle price feeds protocol and Distributed Oracle Agreement (DORA) to enable real-time data accessibility for GameFi, DeFi and other decentralised applications being built on the L3.

On the other hand, Supra’s decentralised verifiable randomness protocol will be used to ensure the integrity of random outcomes in blockchain games, prize draws and other scenarios that require full transparency to ensure trust.

Supra is powered by the Supra Moonshot Consensus, a protocol which it says has recorded 530K transactions per second throughput with 500-millisecond optimistic finality and ~1.5–2 secs full block finality in the advanced global testing phase.

The platform’s oracle protocol, DORA, is designed to enable efficient validation and communication of real-world data to deterministic blockchain networks. According to Supra, DORA already boasts over 475 active price feeds and continues to grow steadily.

The company says its two lead solutions DORA and dVRF solve the problem of generating unpredictable outcomes for dApps via decentralised randomness in a trustless and verifiable way.

Commenting on the integration of Supra with ApeChain, Hervé Larren, ApeCoin DAO Special Council and co-author of ApeChain said in a statement: “Supra is pioneering solutions with integrations across all major ecosystems and will now empower ApeChain through Bridges, Oracles, Automation, and Randomizers. The ApeCoin DAO eagerly anticipates the innovative creations that builders will craft, leveraging Supra’s best-in-class stack for games, DeFi, and beyond!”

ApeChain hopes to leverage this partnership to accelerate the mass adoption of Web3 gaming by ensuring trust with reliable data and “verifiably fair outcomes.”

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Quick take:

The oversubscribed round was structured as a simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) with token warrants.

The company is building a DeFi protocol that focuses on maximising trader extractable value (TEV).

Shogun plans to release its on-chain routing tool in the second quarter of this year alongside its native token GUN.

Intensity Labs, a crypto trading company leveraging multiple liquidity sources to give traders the best available rates has completed a $6.9 million seed round led by Polychain Capital and DAO5. 

The oversubscribed round also attracted participation from Arrington Capital, Arthur Hayes’ family office Maelstrom and Build-a-Bera, with Cobie, Ansem, Ser Shokunin and Meltem Demirors joining as angel investors.

The fundraising was structured as a simple agreement for future equity (SAFE) with token warrants, co-founder Rahul Patel told The Block. 

Intensity is building Shogun, an intent-focused DeFi protocol, which Patel says has the specific ‘intent’ of maximising trader extractable value (TEV). 

According to Intensity Labs, Shogun “maximises TEV by proactively routing liquidity through a hybrid model of intent-based fulfilment through market makers and centralised exchanges, combined with on-chain fulfilment for long-tail assets through decentralised exchanges and passive liquidity vaults,” The Block reported.

Patel said the platform allows users to access “every token” on “every blockchain”, eliminating the need for different wallets or accounts for different chains. “it’s all one interface,” he said.

Traders can also explore multiple trading tools and features including the company’s trading bot, desktop/mobile UI and trading widgets hosted on other apps.

Patel likens Shogun to the Plaid (the fintech app) for Web3, adding that “any non-crypto company will be able to add DeFi to their apps with little to no effort.”

This announcement comes ahead of Intensity Labs’ planned release of its on-chain routing tool in the second quarter of this year. The company also plans to launch a native token under the ticker symbol $GUN.

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Quick take:

Portal allows users to consolidate all their Web3 games, digital assets, and user accounts into a single access point.

The platform offers a wallet, companion app, multi-chain functionality, a launchpad, and a native token – PORTAL, thus removing complexities and fragmentation in Web3 gaming.

This partnership comes on the heels of Portal’s recent collaboration with Web3 gaming IP Pixelmon.

Portal, a consolidated gaming platform for Web3 games, has announced a partnership with Studio369, the developers of the player-versus-player AAA shooter game MetalCore. In March, he studio raised $5 million in a round backed by Bitkraft Ventures, Delphi Digital, Sanctor Capital, SpartanGroup, Arrington Capital and others.

Portal allows players to consolidate all their Web3 games, digital assets, and user accounts into a single access point.

The platform offers a comprehensive Web3 gaming ecosystem that includes a wallet, companion app, multi-chain functionality, a launchpad, and a native token – PORTAL, thus removing complexities and fragmentation in Web3 gaming.

Portal is on a mission to address one of the blockchain gaming industry’s biggest challenges, a fragmented gaming experience. 

By integrating with Portal, MetalCore will access a powerful interface, removing the complexities of navigating blockchain bridges and liquidity pools. The two companies hope to eliminate onboarding barriers and bring millions of new users to the game.

Commenting on the partnership, Matt Candler, CEO of Studio369 said in a statement: “We feel that bringing MetalCore into this fold will enhance the value of both products. This space is going to need AAA titles to support growth, but also the means to connect players and assets. We believe we’re at the cutting edge of building such an ecosystem.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Portal’s recent partnership with one of the leading Web3 IPs, Pixelmon, which brings a robust player community to its consolidated gaming ecosystem.

“The team here at Portal knows how important it is to have the most innovative titles available through our platform. We want players to consider us the obvious access point for their favourite Web3 games. Partnering with AAA offerings like MetalCore is essential to that vision.” said Justin Taylor, a member of the Portal team.

Portal is looking to revolutionise Web3 gaming with an ecosystem that connects a variety of blockchain networks, enabling users quick access to gaming assets including NFTs, tokens and more.

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Quick take:

Kingsway Capital led the round with participation from Animoca Brands, Blockchain.com and Shima Capital.

The company plans to use the fresh capital to expand its team and build more partnerships.

The announcement comes ahead of Humanity Protocol’s testnet launch in Q2 with a waitlist of about 500,000.

Humanity Protocol, a digital identity startup using blockchain technology to verify people’s online identities by scanning their palms has raised $30 million in a seed round that values the startup at $1 billion, Bloomberg reported.

The UK-based investment management firm Kingsway Capital led the round with participation from Web3  investment companies Animoca Brands and Blockchain.com and venture firm, Shima Capital.

Humanity Protocol Founder Terence Kwok said his company also raised about $1.5 million from influential crypto figures in a “key opinion leader” round.

Both fundraisings were completed via simple agreements for future tokens (SAFTs), according to the report. 

His company is building a blockchain-based system that addresses one of the biggest concerns about the emergent industries of artificial intelligence, deepakes and digital IP, proving whether or not someone is a real person online.

Funded late in 2023, Humanity Protocol plans to use the fresh capital to expand its team of about 20 people and build more partnerships.

The fundraising also comes ahead of the decentralised identity startup’s planned testnet launch in Q2, having already onboarded 500,000 users to the waitlist.

Highlighting the growing need for fool-proof online identity verification systems, the Humanity Protocol founder Terence Kwok said:  “We look at artificial intelligence. We look at all the deepfake videos that are coming on.”

Humanity Protocol has established a clear action plan, with Kwok stating that the next steps will see his company release an app that “can use a phone camera to scan people’s palm prints to determine their identity.”

Humanity Protocol now joins Sam Altman’s Worldcoin, which uses an orb to scan individuals’ eyes for identity verification. Worldcoin has faced multiple challenges with several regulatory authorities banning it from their countries amid security risks. 

However, Kwok believes that biometrics technology has matured in recent years, with leading smartphone maker Apple also implementing FaceID in its iPhones. 

According to Kwok, the Humanity Protocol system is less invasive in the way it verifies human identity. “It’s not your face and it’s also not your eyeballs,” he said. “It’s much less dystopian.”

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Quick take:

The fundraising is being announced alongside the Web3 gaming project’s token generation event.

The token will be listed on crypto exchange platforms Bybit, KuCoin, GATE and MEXC.

The total raised is now $23.5 million including $15 million raised from investors and a $5 million community round.

Web3 gaming project Cross The Ages (CTA) has completed a $3.5 million equity round led by Animoca Brands. The fundraising also attracted participation from Sebastien Borget of The Sandbox and Nicolas Jeuffrain of Tenergie.

Cross The Ages has now raised $23.5 million in total including a $3 million seed round and a $9 million private round announced in 2022. The company also raised $3 million in a token pre-sale last year and an additional $5 million from the community in February 2024.

This announcement comes alongside CTA’s token generation event and will also see the game’s native token list on crypto exchange platforms Bybit, KuCoin, GATE and MEXC.

The company plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate its growth initiatives as it builds the Cross The AGes universe and ecosystem.

According to the announcement, Since the release of its virtual trading card game in March 2023, CROSS THE AGES has garnered over 400k downloads and 148k monthly active users.

The game has also sold over 35 million digital cards, with more than 3.5 million NFTs minted.

Commenting on the announcement, Sami Chlagou, CEO and Co-founder of Cross The Ages expressed his excitement for having Animoca Brands, one of the leading players in the blockchain gaming industry as its lead investor in its first equity round. 

“This collaboration signifies a shared commitment and a vote of confidence for CTA’s gaming universe to expand the IP amongst Animoca brands ecosystems and partners,” Chlagou said.

On the other hand, Yat Siu, the executive chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands highlighted the important movement that blockchain gaming is in bringing “true digital ownership to the masses.” 

“Cross The Ages perfectly embodies the values of this movement, enabling users to live experiences in a virtual environment solidly founded upon personal ownership.”

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