Every year, we see new blockchain networks being developed to tackle specific niches within certain industries, each blockchain having specialized functions based on its purpose. For example, layer-2 scaling solutions like Polygon are built to have ultra-low transaction fees and fast settlement times. The increase in the number of new blockchain networks is also a result of the recognition that there is no one perfect solution that will be able to meet all of the needs associated with blockchain technology all at once. Therefore, as more organizations become aware of this rising technology and its capabilities, the interconnection of these …

The last few years have seen blockchain platforms becoming the centerpiece of many tech conversations across the globe. This is because the technology not only lies at the heart of almost all cryptocurrencies in existence today but also supports a range of independent applications. In this regard, it should be noted that the use of blockchain has permeated into a host of novel sectors, including banking, finance, supply chain management, healthcare and gaming, among many others. As a result of this growing popularity, discussions pertaining to blockchain audits have increased considerably, and rightly so. While blockchains allow for decentralized peer-to-peer …

An independent Web3 gaming company has unveiled its very first project — and is vowing to offer an immersive, powerful experience for players. Digital Insight Games says its debut title will be known as Cloud Castles. It's scheduled to be released in 2023 — and promises to blend beloved elements from role-playing games with cutting-edge real-time strategy and tactics. In lush battlegrounds rendered in stunning detail using the latest technology, including Unreal Engine 5, Cloud Castles will give gamers the chance to collect and evolve fantasy creatures, and deploy them in fast-paced battles. Of course, a key tenet of Web3 …

As we approach the date of Ethereum’s Merge, users have speculated about what it will mean for projects and the wider ecosystem. Some argue the Merge will have little impact on gas fees and believe transaction speeds might improve. However, in general, most ordinary users will not notice much change. The real changes for average users will only be seen after the sharding mechanism is introduced six months later. The Merge will reduce energy consumption and increase security The Merge is a planned update to the Ethereum network scheduled for Sept. 15. It will move transaction validation from proof-of-work (PoW) …

Over a decade after the release genesis block on the Bitcoin network, blockchain technology has changed how people invest their money, with many platforms in the crypto space having much more relaxed requirements for investors when compared to traditional finance. It’s easier for investors to buy into cryptocurrency when compared to traditional assets. Anybody can download a free Bitcoin (BTC) or multi-crypto wallet and sign up for one of the many available cryptocurrency exchanges. Many exchanges still don’t require users to verify their identity, while others only require ID verification once certain limits have been reached. Compare this to buying …

Bitcoin (BTC) changed the world as a decentralized and non-governmental form of currency that can facilitate peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions that transcend national borders. But, despite this functionality, Bitcoin’s role as a payment mechanism has been called into question due to its low transaction throughput. The Bitcoin blockchain can handle up to seven transactions per second, which means that network demand has seen the average transaction fee on the network reach an all-time high above $62 during specific periods. In order to address low throughput and high transaction fees, developers made the Lightning Network — a layer-2 scaling solution that allows …

Crypto exchange Uniswap engaged in talks with multiple nonfungible token (NFT) lending protocols, according to a social media post from Uniswap's head of NFT product Scott Lewis. In the tweet, Lewis highlights the company’s interest in tackling both liquidity issues and “information asymmetry” surrounding NFTs. uniswap is the interface for all nft liquidity. we are now in talks with 7 nft lending protocols. we will be working with each one to solve for liquidity fragmentation and information asymmetry. this is the first step to building nft financialization. — Scott (@Scott_eth) August 23, 2022 While Uniswap’s goal of these talks and …

While mainstream coverage of cryptocurrency has been overwhelmingly negative in the wake of the collapse of the Terra ecosystem, the bankruptcy of Celsius and the fall of Three Arrows Capital, these events ultimately show why more of the financial system should operate on-chain, bringing more transparency and information to market participants. In all three cases, the damage was caused and exacerbated by opaque, off-chain entities. And while the reason for the trio of events is important, it has also caused considerable damage to the overall reputation of the industry. These events have made it clear that the industry is in …

On Monday, developers of decentralized nonfungible tokens (NFTs) borrowing and lending protocol Bend DAO proposed new emergency measures in an attempt to stabilize the ecosystem. The same day, it was revealed that the project had just as little as 15 wrapped Ether (wETH) worth $23,715 to pay back lenders. Approximately 15,000 ETH was lent using the mechanism. To save the protocol from a credit crisis, the Bend Dao dev team suggested that the liquidation threshold for collateral would be constrained to 70% of the loan value, down from 85%. Next, the auction period for NFTs on its platform would be …

According to a new post by Acala Network co-founder Bette Chen, the community has voted to burn 2.97 billion worth of Acala USD (aUSD) stablecoin. Acala is a decentralized finance platform built on the Polkadot (DOT) ecosystem. The week prior, the price of aUSD fell to less than one-cent from its dollar-peg after it was discovered that 3.022 billion aUSD were erroneously minted through a misconfiguaration of the iBTC/aUSD liquidity pool, which went live on August 14. The misconfiguration has since been rectified, and wallet addresses that received the erroneously minted aUSD have been identified via on-chain tracing. Over 99% …

A new report from Juniper Research analyzed the trajectory of the nonfungible token (NFT) market over the next five years. According to the study, global transactions related to NFTs will escalate from 24 million in 2022 to nearly 40 million by 2027. One of the top catalysts to push NFT adoption will be those linked to metaverse use cases, according to the study. This niche of NFTs will be the fastest growing in the next five years. Metaverse-related NFTs will experience an increase in transactions from 600,000 transactions in 2022 to 9.8 million by 2027. A good indicator for brands …

The Ethereum ecosystem continues to witness a flurry of activity that has individuals and organizations deploying token contracts, adding liquidity to pools and deploying smart contracts to support a wide range of business models. While notable, this growth has also been riddled with security exploits, leaving decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols vulnerable to hacks and scams. For instance, recent findings from crypto intelligence firm Chainalysis show that crypto-related hacks have increased by 58.3% from the beginning of the year through July 2022. The report further notes that $1.9 billion has been lost to hacks during this timeframe — a figure that …