Bitcoin Halving Imminent, Sparking Buzz and a Launch Bonanza

Amidst the fervour of the upcoming Bitcoin halving, the blockchain community eagerly anticipates the quadrennial event. Estimated to occur in the next few days, the halving has generated significant excitement, in stark contrast to the previous halving in 2020, which coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, an array of project launches and lucrative competitions are scheduled to coincide with the halving, reflecting the surge in "building-on-Bitcoin" projects spurred by the Ordinals protocol and BitVM.

Bitcoin Halving Imminent, Sparking Excitement and a Flurry of Launches

Amidst the anticipation of this week's Bitcoin halving, the blockchain community is abuzz with a mix of excitement and speculation. This quadrennial event, estimated to occur on or around April 20th, will reduce the block reward for Bitcoin miners by half, a significant shift in the cryptocurrency's fiscal economics.

Contrast to Past Halving

Unlike the halving of 2020, which coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, this event finds the community brimming with anticipation and a backdrop of IRL celebrations planned around the globe.

Project Launches and Competitions

The approaching halving has also spurred an unprecedented flurry of project launches and on-chain competitions timed to coincide with the moment. This surge in activity reflects the growing trend of "building-on-Bitcoin" and the momentum gained by protocols such as Ordinals and BitVM.

Network News

In preparation for the halving, various launches and competitions are underway, demonstrating the maturation of the Bitcoin ecosystem.

• Runes Protocol for 'Sh!tcoins': Casey Rodarmor's protocol, designed to enable the creation of asset-backed tokens on Bitcoin, is set to go live at the time of the halving.
• Miners Race for 'Epic Sat' Pot: The halving will incentivize miners to secure the network, with the potential for a "Mega Sat" block reward worth millions of dollars.
• Overhaul for Stacks: The Bitcoin Layer 2 solution Stacks is poised for a major update, expanding its capabilities and enhancing the user experience.
• Goldman Sachs Cautions on Extrapolations: While some predict a substantial price rally post-halving, Goldman Sachs advises against extrapolating previous halving cycles for accurate price predictions.
• JPMorgan: Rally May Have Occurred Prematurely: JPMorgan suggests that some of the anticipated post-halving rally may have already transpired, driven by Bitcoin's outperformance in recent months.
• Bernstein Advocates Buying Miners: In anticipation of the halving's positive impact on miner revenue, Bernstein recommends investing in Bitcoin mining companies.

Solana's Patch and Ethereum's Pectra Upgrade

Amidst the Bitcoin halving excitement, other notable developments within the blockchain space have emerged.

• Solana's Network Congestion Addressed: Developers have released a software update to alleviate the network congestion that has plagued Solana in recent months.
• Ethereum's Pectra Upgrade: Developers are focusing on the blockchain's next major upgrade, named "Pectra," which aims to improve the user experience of Ethereum wallets and introduce significant code changes.

Rare 'Satoshi Era' Bitcoin Transfer

Adding to the week's news, an early crypto miner has moved 50 bitcoin after 14 years of inactivity, marking a rare instance of "Satoshi era" bitcoin being transferred.

Vitalik Buterin Advocates Privacy

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has highlighted the importance of privacy in the crypto space, emphasizing that privacy is a fundamental aspect of financial freedom.

Crypto Engineer Salaries

According to a compensation report by Dragonfly, senior crypto engineer salaries range from $187,000 to $236,000 at U.S.-based companies and $137,000 to $186,000 at international-based companies.

Layering On with Layer 2s

The trend of high-profile crypto projects launching their own Layer 2 chains continues, with the following recent announcements:

• OKX's Polygon-Powered X Layer: OKX Exchange's Layer 2 solution, X Layer, has been launched on the Polygon network.
• Sam Altman's Worldcoin Builds Layer 2 Chain: Worldcoin, a crypto project backed by Sam Altman, is developing its own Layer 2 blockchain.

Protocol Village Highlights

Our Protocol Village column spotlights the following blockchain tech upgrades and developments:

• AO Ventures Incubator Program: AO Ventures, founded by Tate Berenbaum, will foster development on Arweave and AO through a 10-week incubator program.
• Kraken's Self-Custodial Wallet: Kraken has joined the competitive crypto wallet market with the launch of its self-custodial wallet, available to both Kraken users and non-users.
• Suku Pay: Free Global Money Transfer Solution: Suku, in collaboration with Alchemy and Privy, has introduced SukuPay, a free and fully non-custodial global money transfer solution leveraging account abstraction.
• Internet Computer Protocol Primed as Bitcoin Layer Zero: ICP aims to become Bitcoin Layer Zero with the implementation of threshold-Schnorr, enabling the creation of Runes and unlocking DeFi and Web3 potential.
• Layer N: A Network of Rollups: Layer N, a Layer 2 network on Ethereum, has launched its testnet, designed to optimize the execution layer for numerous applications.

'DePIN': Venture Capital's Latest Obsession

Venture capitalists are increasingly investing in decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), with over $1 billion raised by top projects. These projects aim to connect the digital and physical worlds by running infrastructure with blockchains, such as Helium's wireless network or Filecoin's data storage platform.

Fundraisings

• **Nebra Raises $4.5 Million**: Nebra, a research organization focused on blockchain privacy and scaling, has secured $4.5 million in funding.
• **Berachain Secures $100 Million**: Blockchain platform Berachain has closed an oversubscribed Series B funding round, raising $100 million.
• **Puffer: $18 Million Series A**: Liquid restaking protocol Puffer has raised $18 million in a Series A funding round.
• **Mayan Finance: $3 Million Seed Round**: Cross-chain swap auction protocol Mayan Finance has announced a $3 million seed round.
• **Crypto Valley Exchange: $7 Million Raised**: Crypto Valley Exchange, a DeFi protocol for crypto futures and options trading, has raised $7 million in pre-seed and seed rounds.

Data and Tokens

• SEC's Uniswap Suit: An Attack on DeFi: The SEC's lawsuit against Uniswap marks a significant challenge to the DeFi sector, raising concerns about regulatory overreach.
• Avail: Token Airdrop Eligibility Outlined: Blockchain data availability project Avail has outlined the eligibility criteria for its upcoming token airdrop.
• Chaos at MarginFi in Solana's DeFi Landscape: MarginFi's recent troubles have shaken up the Solana DeFi ecosystem, highlighting concerns about the liquidity of borrow-and-lend protocols.
• Ethena Labs Stirs Terra Memories: Ethena Labs' high-yield offerings have drawn scrutiny, evoking memories of the Terra ecosystem collapse.
• Gold-Backed PAXG: Surge Amid Geopolitical Tensions: The gold-backed PAXG token has experienced a spike in value amid global geopolitical uncertainties.
• Meme Tokens Show Staying Power: Dogecoin and Shiba Inu's sticky liquidity suggest that meme tokens have gained a foothold in the market.
• **Ether.Fi Inks $500M Restaking Deal**: Ether.Fi has partnered with RedStone Oracles for a $500 million restaking agreement.
• Pepe Coin Surges: Pepe Coin has surged in response to Coinbase International's plans to list perpetual futures on the token.
• Botanix: EVM on Bitcoin: Willem Schroé is developing Botanix, a Bitcoin Layer 2 that aims to bring the Ethereum Virtual Machine to Bitcoin.

Upcoming Events

• Token2049, Dubai (April 18-19)
• Next Bitcoin Halving (Estimate: April 20)
• Bitcoin Asia, Hong Kong (May 9-10)
• Consensus, Austin Texas (May 29-31)
• Bitcoin Seoul (May 29-31)
• Apex: XRP Ledger Developer Summit (June 11-13)
• EthCC, Brussels (July 8-11)
• Bitcoin 2024, Nashville (July 25-27)
• Web3 Summit, Berlin (Aug. 19-21)
• Solana Breakpoint, Singapore (Sept. 19-21)
• Korea Blockchain Week, Seoul (Sept. 1-7)
• Messari Mainnet, New York (Sept. 30-Oct. 2)
• Permissionless, Salt Lake City (Oct. 9-11)
• Cosmoverse, Dubai (Oct. 21-22)
• Cardano Summit, Dubai (Oct. 23-24)
• Chainlink SmartCon, Hong Kong (Oct. 30-31)
• Devcon 7, Bangkok (Nov 12-14)
• North American Blockchain Summit, Dallas (Nov. 20-21)
• ConsensusHK, Hong Kong (Feb. 19-20, 2025)