Exciting Updates in the Crypto World: July 18 Highlights

Shape, a creator-focused layer-2 network atop Ethereum and part of the Optimism Superchain, has announced the availability of its testnet, with GA going live in Q3. The network is designed to be an open space where creators can freely express themselves, from high art to weird experiments. Shape ensures that creators who thrive on the network share in its success through ‘Gasback,’ a mechanic that rewards cultural impact directly by giving 80% of sequencer fees back to smart contract owners. Powered by Optimism, Shape also contributes 15% of sequencer fees to the Optimism Collective to fund public goods.

In other news, Chainlink has released the Chainlink Digital Assets Sandbox (DAS) to accelerate digital asset innovation within financial institutions. Bitrue Ventures has launched a $40 million fund for nascent Web3 companies, offering up to $200,000 in investment funds to individual recipients. InfStones has launched a node-as-a-service (NaaS) product to empower emerging protocols to jumpstart their DePIN projects. Raise has partnered with Parity Technologies to provide payment rails for the Polkadot mobile app, enabling DOT payments at over 1 million stores and websites across the U.S.

Zivoe, a real-world asset credit protocol on Ethereum, has raised $8.35 million to broaden credit access by connecting blockchain liquidity with real-world borrowers. Nuklai, an AI-focused layer-1 chain, has announced the launch of the Nuklai DAO for governance and the allocation of funds. Polygon, Google Cloud, and Accenture have released a white paper on Web3 loyalty programs to build high-margin loyalty programs. Chainbase has raised $15 million to grow its omnichain data network, with Tencent Investment Group, Matrix Partners, and Hash Global among the investors.

Fantom Foundation and Sonic Labs have partnered with Alchemy to provide RPC support for developers on Fantom’s Opera chain. Outlier Ventures has partnered with Morgan Creek Digital to launch an accelerator program in Latin America. Allium Labs, a data platform providing blockchain data to companies like Visa and Stripe, has raised $16.5 million in Series A funding. Pundi X has launched a crypto payment solution, Pundi X Pay, for merchants, making it easier for them to embrace cryptocurrency payments. BitGo has integrated Stacks, enabling delegate and solo stacking for its clients.

Zeebit, Solana’s first on-chain casino, is launching a decentralized risk-on gaming platform on Solana using SonicSVM infrastructure. Aethir, a DePIN project, has teamed up with Beamable to empower game studios to develop, build, scale, and distribute live games entirely in the cloud. TON Foundation has launched TON Teleport BTC, a trustless bridge facilitating secure bitcoin transfers to and from the TON blockchain for DeFi purposes. IoTeX is launching its 2.0 platform to democratize access to DePIN by partnering with various projects to enhance data availability, storage, computation, and sequencing.

These developments in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space showcase the continued innovation and growth of the industry, with a focus on empowering creators, financial institutions, and developers to explore new possibilities and opportunities in the decentralized world.