• VitaDAO, a DeSci startup focused on longevity therapeutics, has raised $4.1 million in a token-based funding round led by Pfizer Ventures.
• The funding will be used to further develop the platform, which focuses on funding early-stage longevity research and commercializing longevity therapeutics.
• The round also included participation from Balaji Srinivasan, L1 Digital, and others.

VitaDAO, a decentralized longevity therapeutics startup, has recently closed a token-based funding round of $4.1 million, led by Pfizer Ventures. The round also included participation from Balaji Srinivasan, Shin Capital, L1 Digital, and other investors. The funding will be used to further develop the platform, which focuses on funding early-stage longevity research and commercializing longevity therapeutics.

VitaDAO is part of a larger project called Molecule, which is aimed at accelerating innovation in the pharmaceuticals sector with innovative technologies such as blockchain and NFTs. Molecule raised $12.7 million in its seed funding round last June, and has since been exploring new ways to revolutionize the pharmaceuticals industry.

VitaDAO is focused on creating a decentralized longevity therapeutics-focused crowdfunding and research system. This system is designed to address the “valley of death” challenge – the challenge of translating academic science into the biotech space. The platform allows users to invest in early-stage longevity research projects, and provides them with access to commercialized longevity therapeutics.

Pfizer Ventures has made it clear that it currently holds VitaDAO’s governance token and has recently participated in the project’s governance proposal. Michael Baran, PfizerVenture’s Executive Director and Partner, has said that “DeSci caught our attention as an emerging area to address the valley of death challenge.”

VitaDAO is planning to use the new funds to continue to develop its DeSci platform and provide users with more access to innovative longevity therapeutics. The platform is also hoping to expand its user base and increase access to early-stage research projects. By providing users with a platform to fund and access early-stage research, VitaDAO is helping to revolutionize the pharmaceuticals industry.

• As of January 18, 2021, there was slightly over 5,701 BTC locked in the Avalanche platform, exceeding the amount of BTC locked in the Lightning Network at 5,229.30 BTC.

• Avalanche is a smart contracting platform that provides developers with an alternative to Ethereum, allowing users to securely move their coins and earn extra rewards and capital gains if BTC prices rise.

• The Bitcoin-Avalanche Bridge, launched in June 2022, is said to be better than bridges offered by competitors due to its cost and speed.

The cryptocurrency space is always evolving, and a new development has been recorded in the Avalanche platform. Data on January 18 revealed that there is more tokenized Bitcoin locked in Avalanche than BTC in the Lightning Network (LN). Verified data indicates that as of Jan.18, there were slightly over 5,701 BTC in Avalanche, exceeding the amount locked in the LN at 5,229.30 BTC.

Avalanche is a smart contracting platform that provides developers with an alternative besides Ethereum. The modern blockchain is scalable, and on-chain fees are low. Over the years, it has developed an active DeFi community as traders opt to use dApps deployed on the network. The spike in the number of BTC tokenized in Avalanche, primarily for DeFi activities, is an endorsement of the protocol.

It is especially so considering that the Bitcoin-Avalanche Bridge was launched in June 2022. Tokenized Bitcoin in Avalanche exists as BTC.b and is redeemable for BTC should the holder wishes to convert. By enabling this feature, BTC holders keen on exploring Avalanche’s DeFi ecosystem could securely move their coins and earn extra rewards and capital gains if BTC prices rise.

Morgan Krupetsky, the director of business development for institutions in Ava Labs, said their cross-chain bridge is better than those offered by competitors. He cited cost and speed as differentiating factors. „A lot of people think that these cross-chain bridges are slow, but Avalanche is one of the fastest bridges available, and it’s also one of the cheapest,” he said.

The surge in the number of Bitcoin locked in Avalanche could be attributed to the innovative features the protocol offers to its users. With its low transaction fees, scalability, and secure bridge, Avalanche provides a viable alternative to Ethereum and other smart contracting platforms. As the DeFi sector continues to grow, it is likely that more users will flock to Avalanche in the near future.

• Ondo Finance has announced the launch of a tokenized fund, allowing stablecoin holders to invest in US Treasuries and bonds.
• The company will offer three share classes: US Government Bond Fund (OUSG), Short-Term Investment Grade Bond Fund (OSTB), and High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (OHYG).
• It will charge a 0.15% per annum management fee, which will be managed by Onto Capital Management.

Ondo Finance, a decentralized investment platform, has recently unveiled the launch of a tokenized fund, allowing stablecoin holders to invest in US Treasuries and bonds. With more than $100 billion of non-yield-bearing stablecoins in the market, this new fund will make traditional capital markets more accessible to investors.

The company will offer three share classes to provide a range of institutional-grade yielding offerings. The US Government Bond Fund (OUSG) will use the Blackrock US Treasuries ETF (SHV) to invest exclusively in short-term US treasuries. The Short-Term Investment Grade Bond Fund (OSTB) will utilize the PIMCO Enhanced Short Maturity Active ETF (MINT) to invest solely in short-term investment grade and corporate bonds. Lastly, the High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (OHYG) will use the Blackrock iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) to invest in high-yield corporate bonds.

Onto Capital Management will take charge as an investment adviser, facilitating the purchase and sale of these ETFs. The firm will charge a 0.15% per annum management fee for its services.

Nathan Allman, who tweeted about the launch, noted that the company’s goal is to make it easier for investors to convert between stablecoins and traditional assets, emphasizing “highly liquid, low-risk products like short-term US Treasuries.” This new fund will enable investors to access a greater range of investment opportunities and hopefully see increased returns.

• Bitcoin core engineer Luke Dashjr lost 200 BTC in a hack on December 31.
• The hack was linked to a previous tweet from Dashjr in which he stated his server had been infected by malware/backdoors.
• Reactions to the hack news included Binance CEO Changpeng „CZ“ Zhao and other members of the Bitcoin community.

On December 31, Bitcoin core engineer Luke Dashjr lost over 200 Bitcoin (BTC) to a hack. Dashjr, a founding member of the Bitcoin network, had reported in a tweet on January 1 that his Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) key had been compromised, leading to the theft of his coins. The wallet address linked to the hack now displays four transactions from 2:08 to 2:16 UTC on December 31, totaling 216.93 BTC, or $3.6 million at the time of writing.

Dashjr did not disclose how the hackers accessed his PGP key, but some members of the Bitcoin community have suggested a connection to a previous tweet from Dashjr on November 17, in which he reported that his server had been infected by new malware/backdoors. In his most recent Twitter thread, Dashjr stated that he had received letters from Coinbase and Kraken regarding failed login attempts.

Reactions to the hack news included a statement from Changpeng „CZ“ Zhao, CEO of Binance, who urged everyone to take extra care when verifying downloads. Other members of the Bitcoin community expressed their shock and dismay at the news, offering support and advice to Dashjr.

The theft of Dashjr’s coins is yet another reminder of the need for extra vigilance when it comes to protecting one’s digital assets. While the use of PGP is generally considered to be a secure way to protect data, it is still vulnerable to attack if users do not take proper precautions. It is also important to ensure that all software is up to date with the latest security patches, and to be aware of any suspicious activity on one’s server.

• Sushiswap is introducing a new tokenomics model designed to tackle the liquidity issues brought about by poor market conditions.
• The new model will promote decentralized ownership and reward liquidity growth via a holistic and sustainable system.
• The team plans to incentivize liquidity providers with scalable volume and non-dilutive token rewards, support the exchange’s product stack improvements, put in place an optimized reward mechanism and revamp its governance with a more equitable model.

Sushiswap, the decentralized exchange (DEX) has recently introduced a new tokenomics model in order to tackle the liquidity issues caused by the current bear market. The liquidity crunch has become a major concern for the platform and its head chef, Jared Grey, made it clear earlier this month that the current token economics and reward system were becoming unsustainable. With this in mind, the team set out to create a sustainable system that would provide long-term security and stability.

The newly proposed Sushi token model aims to properly incentivize behavior that benefits the platform and its users. To that end, the team has outlined four key measures that it plans to take to address the liquidity crisis. The first measure is to incentivize liquidity providers (LPs) with scalable volume and non-dilutive token rewards. This will help to reward those who provide liquidity and encourage more people to do the same. The second measure is to support the exchange’s product stack improvements so that LPs have more opportunities to earn rewards. The third measure is to put in place an optimized reward mechanism to grow Sushi’s market share. Finally, the team plans to revamp its governance with a more equitable model.

By introducing these new tokenomics, Sushiswap hopes to create a more sustainable system that will benefit both the platform and its users. The team believes that these measures will help to address the liquidity crunch and ensure that the DEX remains operational in the long-term. As Jared Grey stated, “We look forward to your questions and feedback” and the team will be monitoring the response to the proposal closely.

• Bitcoin long-term holders are not afraid of the current volatility, as evidenced by the record number of BTC supply last active 10 years ago or more.
• The number of BTC addresses holding at least 100 BTC, worth 1.66 million, and the number of BTC addresses holding at least 1 BTC, worth about $16,600, have also reached all-time highs.
• Despite the recent market downturn, interest in Bitcoin has not been critically damaged, as evidenced by the ongoing exodus of Bitcoin off centralized exchanges.

The Bitcoin (BTC) market has seen a lot of volatility in recent weeks, but this hasn’t stopped long-term holders from maintaining their grip on the asset. On-chain data from blockchain analytics service Glassnode reveals that the amount of Bitcoin supply last active ten years ago or more reached a new all-time high of 2,594,574.300 BTC on December 30th. This suggests that Bitcoin hodlers are not afraid of market volatility and are continuing to accumulate the asset.

The same data also reveals that the number of Bitcoin addresses holding at least 100 BTC, worth 1.66 million as of press time, has also reached a one-time high of 16,133. This indicates that large investors are still highly interested in the asset, despite the recent market downturn. Moreover, the number of Bitcoin addresses holding at least 1 BTC, worth about $16,600 as of press time, has also reached an all-time high of 978,000. This further illustrates the continued interest in Bitcoin, despite the current market volatility.

The data also suggests that public trust in centralized crypto exchanges (CEXs) is still low. Over the 24-hour period to press time on December 30th, $29.1 million worth of Bitcoin left cryptocurrency exchanges, alongside $56.4 million worth of Ethereum (ETH). This is likely due to the recent fall of the major crypto exchange FTX, which has caused many investors to move their assets off of centralized exchanges.

Overall, the data suggests that Bitcoin long-term holders are not afraid of the current volatility, and that interest in the asset remains strong despite the recent market downturn. This is evidenced by the record number of BTC supply last active ten years ago or more, and the high number of Bitcoin addresses holding at least 100 BTC, 1 BTC, and other amounts. In addition, the ongoing exodus of Bitcoin off centralized exchanges further illustrates the lack of trust in those service providers.

•The Bahamas Securities Commission announced that it is temporarily holding over $3.5 billion in assets from FTX customers.
•The assets were given to the commission on Nov.12, following FTX’s and its affiliates filing for bankruptcy in the U.S.
•The commission sought a court injunction to protect digital assets, in order to keep them from being detrimental to FTX customers and creditors.

The Bahamas Securities Commission recently announced that it is temporarily holding over $3.5 billion in assets from FTX customers. The assets were given to the commission on the 12th of November, following the filing for bankruptcy by FTX and its affiliates in the United States.

The Commission found a considerable risk of impending dissipation regarding the digital assets in FTXDM’s custody or control, which would be detrimental to its clients and creditors. As a result, the commission sought and received a court injunction to protect digital assets while exercising its regulatory authority. According to the official press release, the commission is temporarily holding the digital assets until the Bahamas Supreme Court orders it to return the funds to customers and creditors, or the liquidation administrator.

The assets were given to the commission on Nov.12, and the local FTX organization turned over management of the client assets it had been holding to the Bahamian financial market regulator. FTX was based in The Bahamas and was run by Sam Bankman-Fried and his close friends from a Bahamas headquarters.

The commission sought a court injunction to protect digital assets, in order to keep them from being detrimental to FTX customers and creditors. This follows the theft of at least $372 million worth of crypto during a cyberattack on the defunct exchange. The Bahamas Securities Commission confiscated assets in order to ensure that the funds were not dissipated, and to protect FTX customers and creditors.

The notification further stated that these customer monies are no longer accessible to Bankman-Fried or former CTO and co-founder of FTX Gary Wang. The Bahamas Securities Commission is holding the assets until the Bahamas Supreme Court orders it to return the funds to customers and creditors, or the liquidation administrator.

The Commission is working to ensure the safety of the FTX client assets, and to protect customers and creditors from any further risk. This is a reminder of the importance of the regulatory role of the Commission and its commitment to the security of investors and their funds.