LianGuai Daily | Flashbots raises $60 million in funding; Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI launch cutting-edge model forum.

Flashbots raises $60 million in funding, while Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI launch a cutting-edge model forum.

Today’s News Highlights:

1. Reuters: U.S. Congress to vote on cryptocurrency bill for the first time this week

2. Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI launch cutting-edge model forum

3. Sellers on the Xianyu platform are selling Worldcoin iris authentication, reminding users to be cautious of risks

• Vitalik Buterin Proof of Personhood based on biometric identification is more effective in the short term, but technology based on social graph is more robust in the long term.
• Ethereum Foundation’s 10th AMA Highlights Validator Set, Randomness, DVT, and Technical Direction
• Ethereum Foundation 10th AMA Highlights Validator Set, Randomness, DVT, Technical Direction

4. Insider: Ant Group plans to divest its blockchain business to pave the way for Hong Kong IPO

5. Binance withdraws its application for a cryptocurrency license in Germany

6. Avalanche Foundation to allocate $50 million to purchase tokenized assets on its chain

7. Flashbots completes $60 million financing at a valuation of $1 billion

8. Venture capital firm Valhalla Ventures launches a flagship fund of $66 million

Regulatory News

The SEC accuses Quantstamp of conducting an unregistered cryptocurrency security ICO in 2017

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accused Quantstamp of conducting an unregistered initial coin offering (ICO) of cryptocurrency securities in 2017. According to legal documents, Quantstamp raised over $28 million by selling QSP tokens to approximately 5,000 investors. The documents also state that the company planned to use the proceeds from the ICO to develop a protocol on the Ethereum blockchain that would provide automated security audits for smart contracts.

It is alleged that the company led QSP purchasers to expect an increase in the value of the tokens with the success of Quantstamp’s business. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission stated in a press release last week that it has taken measures to allow these tokens to be traded on third-party digital asset trading platforms. Quantstamp has agreed to settle the charges without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings, paying a civil penalty of $1 million, as well as disgorgement of nearly $2.5 million in ill-gotten gains and prejudgment interest. The company’s automated smart contract security auditing platform, which was completed in June 2019, is no longer operational.

Reuters: U.S. Congress to vote on cryptocurrency bill for the first time this week

According to Reuters, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee will vote on several bills this week aimed at establishing a regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency industry, marking a milestone in Congress’s efforts to formalize federal regulation of the digital asset industry. The legislation being considered by the House Financial Services Committee includes a bill that would define when a cryptocurrency is a security or commodity, as well as another bill that would establish a regime for supervising stablecoins (digitally-issued tokens typically backed by traditional assets such as the U.S. dollar). This is the first time that cryptocurrency regulation bills will be voted on in Congress, a victory for cryptocurrency advocates who have pushed lawmakers to provide clear regulation for the industry.

However, whether these bills will receive support from the Democratic Party remains to be seen, as many believe this factor is crucial for the bills’ chances of becoming law. These measures may also face obstacles in the Democratic-led Senate, with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown expressing uncertainty about the need for additional legislation to regulate cryptocurrencies. Representative Patrick McHenry, the Republican chairman of the committee, said his top priority is advancing a cryptocurrency market structure bill that would expand the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) oversight of the cryptocurrency industry while clarifying the jurisdiction of the SEC, which many cryptocurrency advocates complain has overstepped its bounds. It is expected that his committee will consider the bill during markup on Wednesday, while the House Agriculture Committee will consider the same bill on Thursday.

South Korean Virtual Asset Crime Joint Investigation Team officially established

According to the report from the Korean News Agency, the “Virtual Asset Crime Joint Investigation Team” in South Korea has been officially established. Lee Young-seok, the Korean Prosecutor General, stated at the inauguration ceremony of the “Virtual Asset Crime Joint Investigation Team” that by eliminating illegal activities and other risks, it is hoped to improve transparency and reliability, and contribute not only to the protection of market participants but also to the development of the national economy. In addition, just like the operation of the “Virtual Asset Enforcement Bureau” by the U.S. Department of Justice, strengthening measures against virtual asset crimes is a global trend.

NFT

AI

OpenAI: ChatGPT Android version now available for download and use in the United States, India, Bangladesh, and Brazil

OpenAI announced that the ChatGPT Android version is now available for download and use in the United States, India, Bangladesh, and Brazil. OpenAI plans to expand the availability to more countries next week.

Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI launch Frontier Model Forum

Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI have launched the Frontier Model Forum. The forum is an industry institution dedicated to ensuring the safe and responsible development of cutting-edge artificial intelligence models. The Frontier Model Forum will leverage the technical and operational expertise of its member companies to benefit the entire AI ecosystem. For example, by advancing technical assessments and benchmarks, as well as developing a public solutions repository to support industry best practices and standards.

Project Updates

Musk retweeted a video tweet related to DogeDesigner X, DOGE rose 9% in the short term

Elon Musk retweeted a tweet by DogeDesigner, the creator of Dogecoin and the self-hosted Dogecoin wallet MyDoge, featuring a video related to the new logo X. As a result, DOGE experienced a short-term surge, rising by approximately 9%, and then fell back. It is currently trading at $0.0816.

Merchants on the Xianyu platform are selling Worldcoin iris authentication, users are reminded to be cautious of risks

According to LianGuaiNews, merchants on the Xianyu platform are selling Worldcoin iris authentication at prices ranging from 280 yuan to 600 yuan, promising “regular human supervision, iris uniqueness, no duplicate accounts,” etc. LianGuaiNews reminds users to be cautious of the risks.

Japanese company Earlyworks, which operates proprietary private blockchain technology, has been approved for listing on NASDAQ

Earlyworks Co., Ltd., a Japanese company that operates proprietary private blockchain technology called Grid Ledger System (GLS), announced today the initial public offering of 1,200,000 American Depositary Shares (ADS). The ADS has been approved for trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market with the stock code “ELWS.” The pricing is set at $5 per share, and before deducting underwriting discounts and other related expenses, the company expects to receive a total income of $6 million from this offering.

In addition, the company also grants underwriters the option to purchase up to an additional 180,000 American Depositary Shares at the public offering price minus the underwriting discount for a period of 45 days after the end of the offering. The offering is expected to be completed around July 27, 2023, subject to customary closing conditions. The proceeds from this offering will be used for the research and development of GLS and GLS System Development Kit (“SDK”), global talent recruitment, strengthening of internal corporate governance, and investment in blockchain-based products and services.

DeFi lending protocol Exactly Protocol announces the distribution of EXA token airdrop

DeFi lending protocol Exactly Protocol announces the distribution of EXA token airdrop, which started on July 26, 00:00 (Beijing time), with a 1% airdrop ratio and a linear unlocking period of 4 months. The eligibility criteria will be proportional to the OP rewards allocated through the reward controller by July 19, 2023, 3:00. Users who have been allocated OP rewards but have not claimed them are also eligible for the airdrop. It is reported that EXA token is the native governance token of Exactly DAO, with a total supply of 10 million tokens, distributed as follows: 4.5 million EXA tokens will be distributed to the community, 4.5 million EXA tokens will be distributed to the team, advisors, and investors, and 1 million EXA tokens will be distributed to the DAO treasury.

Earlier, DeFi lending protocol Exactly Protocol announced a $2 million financing round with leading investors including Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix, Daedalus, co-founder of Decentraland, and Esteban Ordano, co-founder of Decentraland. Other participating investors include Bodhi Ventures, Newtopia, NXTP Ventures, and Kaszek Ventures.

Evmos, the Cosmos ecosystem EVM-compatible chain, will launch Evmos 2.0 on August 2

Evmos, the Cosmos ecosystem EVM-compatible chain, announced the launch of Evmos 2.0 on August 2. This version is not only a brand refresh but also a major reset. Updates include enabling StakeFi and IBC composability through Evmos EVM extensions, a token economic model for Evmos v2 that incentivizes continuous growth, and software licensing to create value consistency with future Evmos SDK chains.

SlowMist: Malware targeting Apple macOS system appears, capable of stealing cryptocurrencies, passwords, and other information

23pds, the Chief Information Security Officer of SlowMist, tweeted that a new malware called Realst has emerged, targeting the Apple macOS system, including the latest macOS 14 Sonoma. It is written in the Rust language and steals cryptocurrency assets and sensitive information such as passwords from victims after being attacked.

Binance withdraws its application for a cryptocurrency license in Germany

According to CoinDesk, Binance has voluntarily withdrawn its license application submitted to the German financial regulatory authority BaFin. A spokesperson for Binance stated, “The global market and regulatory landscape have undergone significant changes. Binance still intends to apply for the appropriate license in Germany, but the content of our submission must accurately reflect these changes, which is crucial.”

Insiders: Ant Group plans to divest its blockchain business to pave the way for its Hong Kong IPO

According to sources cited by Bloomberg, Ant Group is planning a restructuring to divest some of its businesses that are not part of its core Chinese financial-related operations, in order to pave the way for its initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong. Insiders say the company is considering separating its blockchain, database management services, and international business from a major entity, which will be used to apply for a financial holding license in China. Insiders say the plan has been communicated to some shareholders. The plan has not been finalized and may change.

Insiders say that some Chinese state-owned enterprises that participated in Ant Group’s early financing are planning to participate in the buyback. One insider said that shareholders must make a decision before early August.

Binance announces a delay in the listing of stablecoin FDUSD

Binance has announced that trading of the FDUSD currency pair will be suspended on July 26, 2023, at 17:45 (Beijing time) due to technical issues encountered by the liquidity provider, in order to ensure maximum protection for users. BNB/FDUSD, FDUSD/BUSD, and FDUSD/USDT spot trading pairs will resume trading on July 26, 2023, at 22:00 (Beijing time).

Avalanche Foundation to allocate $50 million to purchase tokenized assets on its chain

According to TechCrunch, the Avalanche Foundation will allocate up to $50 million to purchase tokenized assets created on its Layer-1 blockchain. The program, called Avalanche Vista, aims to highlight the value of tokenization in various fields such as stocks, credit, real estate, and commodities.

PGN, a Layer2 network based on OP Stack, officially launches its mainnet

The Public Goods Network (PGN), a Layer2 network based on OP Stack and supported by Gitcoin, has announced the official launch of its mainnet and is open for development. After six months of mainnet launch, PGN will evaluate and allocate fees based on accumulated impact data. Gitcoin Grants 18 will run on PGN, making PGN a digital settlement point for funding Gitcoin and other public goods.

Investment and Financing

Flashbots completes $60 million financing at a valuation of $1 billion

Ethereum infrastructure service provider Flashbots has raised approximately $60 million, with a valuation of $1 billion. The funds will be used to develop the Suave platform, which allows users to “trade on the blockchain more cheaply and privately.” The company confirmed that it has fully subscribed to the Series B financing round due to the participation of “leading venture capital firms, Layer-2 networks,” angel investors, decentralized exchanges and applications, and MEV supply chain participants.

Documents submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 21 show that the company has raised about $30.4 million of its target amount. According to a source, two additional SEC filings are expected to be made public in the coming days, which will show that the company has raised the total amount needed.

Valhalla Ventures, a venture capital firm, has launched a flagship fund of $66 million to invest in early-stage startups in the technology and gaming sectors.

Valhalla Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, has launched a flagship fund of $66 million to invest in early-stage startups in the deep tech and gaming sectors. The company aims to support “bold entrepreneurs” who challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of science and engineering. Since early 2022, it has invested in 15 startups.

Valhalla Ventures was founded in 2020 by Devan Malhotra, Matthew King, and Rohan Pujara. Prior to raising its first fund, Valhalla invested $27 million through SPVs in eight companies in the deep tech, gaming, and blockchain sectors. Among the blockchain projects that Valhalla Ventures has invested in are Lit Protocol, a Web3 encrypted network.

LianGuaiNews APP Points – PT (Grape) officially launched, join Read to Earn!

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