Goldman Sachs has reportedly ranked Bitcoin as the best-performing asset year to date, ahead of gold, the US Treasury, and the S&P 500.

There is some truth to this assessment, as Bitcoin has managed to outperformed several major financial institutions in the traditional market, while maintaining a risk-adjusted return of 3.1. Typically, the higher this ratio, the better the currrency, stock, or investment in terms of risk-adjusted returns.

On shorter timescales, Bitcoin continues its pursuit to reclaim lost ground. The flagship cryptp is slowly but surely attempting to break above the $23,800 resistance level. In search of bullish momentum, Bitcoin appears to be making a healthy pullback below the resistance line.

Notwithstanding recent crises in the crypto sector including the collapse of Terra and FTX, the market has nevertheless noticed a gradual return of investors and traders on various crypto exchanges as of late.

Meanwhile, interest in not just crypto but other technologies such as NFTs, the metaverse, and particularly AI continues to skyrocket especially with the recent introduction of ChatGPT.
 

The Shanghai upgrade has successfully been shadow forked by developers for the purposes of testing it on an iteration of the main Ethereum network. The upgrade test occurred at approximately 5:30 AM Eastern Time.

Essentially, a shadow fork refers to a test version of the mainnet that allows developers to determine whether a piece of code from the proposed upgrade would even work properly on the actual blockchain.

According to Marius Van Der Wijden, a Geth developer, there were a few minor technical issues with the nodes on Ethereum which utilize Geth clients after the fork. Developers have since been able to resolve the issues, and all nodes are now in agreement. Van Der Wijden added that they will conduct additional testing to guarantee that everything works properly.

Moreover, through Shanghai, withdrawals will reportedly be enabled on the mainnet in March, allowing users to access their staked coins which were rendered temporarily inaccessible during the the Merge transition last year. Also, whereas withdrawals shall be the main feature, developers have completed various other improvements directed at optimizing gas costs for specific activities.

Binance Charity, the charitable branch of the biggest crypto exchange in the world, plans to provide over 30,000 scholarships to students interested in pursuing a career in Web3 this year. Binance Charity will also benefit from the popular non-profit blockchain education portal, Binance Academy.

The BCSP (Binance Charity Scholar Program) will therefore offer free Web3 education and training courses in 2023, allowing tech-savvy students to upskill without incurring any unnecessary financial costs. More than 82,000 applicants have expressed an interest in wanting to be a part of the next BCSP cohort, which roughly equates to a 37% acceptance rate.

Many institutions are also already interested, with University of Western Australia, University of Nicosia in Cyprus, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management in Germany, and Nigerian-based technology hub Utiva among those involved in the program.

Additionally, Binance Charity stated that they collaborated with Ukraine-based departments to retrain Ukrainians who might have lost their jobs as a result of the war with Russia. Meanwhile, a collaboration with Women In Tech will aim to train approximately 3,000 women in rural South Africa and Brazil in order to support future female entrepreneurs and boost the local economies.

Stargate Finance, a completely composable liquidity transport protocol, recently announced their deployment on Metis Andromeda, an organization dedicated to constructing a resilient and fully decentralized Layer 2 infrastructure to empower the Web3 economy.

What should we expect?

The integration marks the first instance of Stargate becoming involved with blockchain expansion outside of the LayerZero ecosystem, thereby enabling an omni-chain bridge using LayerZero technology. The expansion shall therefore allow projects to use Stargate for the purposes of realizing their cross-chain as well as omni-chain goals.

In a nutshell, the expansion to Metis will utilize LayerZero technology to give projects more flexibility in managing their treasury, funds, and yield techniques. Moreover, the collaboration aims to make crypto increasingly accessible to end users while simultaneously accelerating mainstream adoption.

The Metis team is pleased to welcome Stargate into the Metis Ecosystem, said CEO and Co-Founder Elena Sinelnikova, who further indicated that Web3 represents both community and decentralization, two crucial aspects which must start with infrastructure before anything else. Metis is confident that the collaboration with Stargate will serve as a significant step toward removing barriers between blockchains and ushering in a more decentralized and multi-chain economy.

Why does this matter?

The fragmented nature of blockchains prevents users from properly leveraging the potential of decentralization. Theoretically, network composability solves this problem by allowing blockchains to seamlessly communicate with one another. To date, however, cross-chain bridging has posed as much risk as reward, with over $2.5 billion stolen from cross-chain bridges in the last two years alone.

To make matters worse, it was recently discovered that about 50% of DeFi exploits take place on cross-chain bridges. LayerZero improves cross-chain composability by enabling developers to construct richer and more user-friendly applications by providing easy and safe messaging capabilities across various blockchains.

Where does the new partnership fit in?

LayerZero will act as the inaugural trustless omnichain interoperability protocol designed for lightweight cross-chain messaging, enabling developers to launch inter-chain applications such as cross-chain decentralized exchanges, lending protocols, and yield aggregators without the use of middle-chain bridges.

Furthermore, by being a fully composable native asset bridge, native cross-chain transfers in a single transaction are also made possible. The collaboration thus provides Metis users with a more efficient market alongside the ability to vastly benefit from DeFi across multiple ChainZero-supported chains.

Lastly, Metis and Stargate intend to continue working together in the future, as Stargate will initially support USDT for Metis across Avalanche, BNB Chain, and Ethereum, although there are plans of further expansion down the line.

Genesis Global Holdco LLC has reportedly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This is also the parent company of notable crypto lender Genesis Global Capital. Additionally, the company recently announced that it would be laying off 30% of its workforce, reducing it to 145 employees.

Genesis Global Holdco LLC, Genesis Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd, and Genesis Global Capital LLC filed three voluntary petitions with the bankruptcy court. All three are owned by Digital Currency Group. As of this moment, Genesis has requested that the cases be handled jointly to simplify the entire process.

Genesis Global Capital was estimated to have over 100,000 creditors and between $1 billion and $10 billion in assets and liabilities in its filing. It is also anticipated that sufficient funds would be left over after the restructuring process to pay unsecured creditors, a group which may very well be wiped out in bankruptcy cases should the situation prove to be catastrophic.

In the past, Genesis Global Capital had no choice but to suspend customer withdrawals shortly after FTX filed for bankruptcy last November, adversely affecting customers of a yield product that was offered by the Gemini crypto exchange.

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Starting up a blockchain project can be daunting if youre a newcomer, but that doesnt mean it has to be completely out of reach. The key is to pick an approach thats intriguing and not too taxing to take up.

To give you a bit of inspiration, here are a few examples of projects that might mesh well with anyone taking their first steps into blockchain development.

Make A Voting Tool Powered By The Blockchain

Voting is an important part of democracy, but it can be vulnerable to tampering and fraud. Thats why using blockchain technology to power voting systems could offer much-needed security and transparency.

You could create an online voting system that would use the decentralized ledger technology to store votes securely without any third-party interference or manipulation, and use it within your business or organization. Simply try to:

• Use cryptographic hashing functions such as SHA256 or RIPEMD160 for authentication purposes
• Create smart contracts with Solidity or other programming languages
• Build consensus mechanisms like Proof of Stake (PoS) and Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) algorithms
• Research various techniques used in digital ballot boxes such as zero knowledge proofs and homomorphic encryption

Build An App To Process Charitable Donations

Charitable donations play an important role both nationally and internationally however there are still issues surrounding trustworthiness when it comes to organizations handling these funds responsibly. This is where the power of distributed ledger technologies comes into play.

 With a background in programming languages like JavaScript, Python or Ruby on Rails, you could build an app powered by the Ethereum network that processes donations directly from donors wallets with complete transparency over how those funds are being used by charities through detailed reports generated from smart contracts written on top of its platform.

Working on ideas like this is a great way to become a skilled blockchain developer, especially if youve already got a grounding in other software development skills. Just remember to:

• Design user friendly interfaces so non tech savvy users can easily interact with your app
• Utilize secure payment gateways such as Stripe API or PayPal SDK
• Implement ERC20 tokens which represent monetary value within its ecosystem

Try Out Blockchain-Based Web Hosting

Web hosting is one industry which has been ripe for disruption thanks to the decentralized nature of blockchain technology. With a little bit of knowledge in web development, and training in crypto, you could create an efficient web hosting platform that would offer users more control over their websites and data.

This way, businesses could save on hosting costs while still having reliable access to their website content without relying on third-party services. Why not:

• Design a secure storage system for files using technologies like InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) or Swarm
• Implement consensus protocols such as Ethereums Proof-of-Work algorithm
• Develop smart contracts which can automate various processes related to domain registration, renewal fees etc
• Enable payment processing through cryptocurrency gateways

Final Thoughts

It should go without saying, but beginners in blockchain development will be better off if they aren't total newcomers to tinkering with coding in other contexts. This will make the aforementioned projects much simpler to embrace.

The Central Bank of Iran is reportedly collaborating with the Russian government to launch a new cryptocurrency backed by gold. The goal of the partnership is to develop a token of the Persian Gulf region which can be used as a reliable payment method for the purposes of international trade.

As per Alexander Brazhnikov, Executive Director of the Russian Association of Crypto Industry and Blockchain, the token will be issued in the form of a stablecoin that is backed by gold that also seeks to replace fiat currencies such as the US dollar, Russian Ruble, and Iranian Rial in cross-border transactions.

According to various reports, the new crypto would operate in an Astrakhan special economic zone, where Russia has already begun to accept Iranian cargo shipments.

Furthermore, Russian lawmaker Anton Tkachev emphasized that a joint stablecoin project would be feasible only after the digital asset market in Russia becomes fully regulated. After much back and forth, Russia has apparently promised to begin regulating cryptocurrency transactions this year.

Russia and Iran are two of several nations which have prohibited their citizens from using cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and stablecoins like Tether to make payments. Simultaneously though, these two have also been working to adopt crypto as a tool for foreign trade.

Educational adoption of Bitcoin and crypto-related courses has been steadily increasing alongside a gradually recovering market, with Texas A&M becoming the latest institution in the U.S to offer a Bitcoin course to its student body of over 74,000.

The announcement was made on January 13th by Associate Professor Korok Ray of the Mays Business School, who will teach the Bitcoin Protocol course to students in the College of Engineering and Mays Business School when the Spring Semester begins on January 17th.

According to crypto researcher Josh Cowell, a lack of high-quality crypto education is a key barrier in taking adoption to the next level. Having the right educational resources can hence certainly improve overall financial literacy, he said.

As such, the legal and regulatory implications of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are now being taught at several universities and colleges in the United States.

Professor Thomas Hook from Boston University recently announced that the law school now offers a course about crypto regulation course for students who have an interest in understanding how crypto-oriented lawyers and companies may best navigate regulatory uncertainties as they look to bring their products and services to market.

In a collaboration between crypto-satellite developer Cryptosat and global hackathon organizer DoraHacks, the first successful experiment to launch a ZK (Zero-Knowledge) proof system in space recently occurred onboard the International Space Station (ISS).

According to DoraHacks and Cryptosat, the experiment performed onboard the ISS showcased the capability of a satellite-based computation environment to successfully perform part of the trusted setup process required to use a ZK proof protocol.

According to Cryptosat, which is attempting to launch a constellation of cubesats into orbit and build out its satellite fleet, the success of the ZK proof experiment is a crucial component in demonstrating the efficacy of space-bound computational environments.

The procedure entailed sending pre-uploaded open source programs to the ISS through a secure link in order to generate a string file for the ZK proof-based voting program. Cryptosat has also already launched two mug-sized satellites, Crypto1 and Crypto2, the latter of which is currently being tested.

El Salvador has just passed landmark legislation which will provide the legal framework required for a Bitcoin-backed bond, known as the Volcano Bond.

The Volcano Bond shall reportedly be utilized to pay down sovereign debt in addition to funding the construction of the proposed Bitcoin City. The bill was officially passed on January 11th, 2023, with 62 votes in favor and 16 votes against, and it will become law after President Nayib Bukele ratifies it.

The Volcano Bond will therefore enable El Salvador to generate capital to successfully create Bitcoin mining infrastructure as well as for the aforementioned purposes, according to Bitfinex.

The volcano descriptor is understandably derived from Bitcoin City, which is set to become a renewable crypto-mining hub that is completely powered via hydrothermal energy from the nearby Conchagua volcano.

As per Bitfinex, the city would function as a special economic zone, similar to those in China, offering tax breaks, crypto-friendly regulations, and other incentives to Bitcoin businesses for its residents. The bonds are expected to generate $1 billion for the country, with 50% of the proceeds going toward the construction of the special economic zone.

Moreover, the tokenized bonds would be denominated in USD, have a 10 year maturity date, and a 6.5% annual interest rate, as noted in the initial proposal.

Lastly, apart from those issued on Bitcoin, the bill also includes a legal framework for all digital assets which are not Bitcoin and establishes a new regulatory agency in charge of applying the securities law and deterring bad actors.

Blockchains are designed to be highly secure and self-contained ecosystems, meaning they struggle along to connect with external resources like APIs and data services for real-world event verifications. This is where the oracle issue comes in, and its the primary barrier preventing everyday contracts operating on blockchain infrastructures. Fortunately, theres a way to jump over the issue by using hybrid smart contracts, which use oracles to retrieve off-chain data. The oracle forms a link to the outside world, but it also secures any data passed through. The most well-known oracle in the blockchain space is Chainlink, which is what we are here to discuss below.

What Is Chainlink?

Chainlink, which is currently priced at $5.96, is the most adopted oracle and is used by countless Defi solutions to secure billions of dollars. Instead of running one oracle network, Chainlink utilizes several parallel networks, which increases service capacity without causing cross-dependencies with external oracles.

The end goal for Chainlink is to allow developers to construct any number of oracles, for example, reputation services, payment penalties, multiple notes, data sources, and aggregation methods. The versatility of the solution has allowed for a number of use cases to emerge, which we have outlined below. However, you can learn more about Chainlink by following the link, where you will find a high-quality Chainlink abridged report.

Government Uses

The majority of society will rarely agree on a given topic, but thats not the case when it comes to creating a transparent world, where institutions have accountability. Blockchain has paved the way for new infrastructures to be built, which would track government processes and use smart contracts to eliminate tampering efforts. By using an oracle, these new tracking platforms can be linked to real-time data, which would avoid the need for centralized interpretations. The following are examples of oracle use cases within the government:

• Voting. The 14th December 2021 vote, which saw Joe Biden take office, was shrouded in vote tampering claims - further highlighting how insecure the current vote system is. Blockchain provides a potential solution, where private keys are used to access voting and oracles are used to verify identification. Once votes are cast on the chain, they are encrypted and can never be hacked or changed.
• Regulation. Governments have little control over blockchains in their basic form. However, oracles can be used to manipulate smart contracts and force government authorization before completion - read this case study for an example.
• Certificates, Permits, and Deeds. Smart contracts can be utilized to add greater transparency to government issues certifications. Additionally, Chainlink can be used to ensure privacy when verifying identities, thanks to its acquisition of privacy-preserving oracle DECO.

 Identity and Authorization

Blockchains are inherently designed for anonymity, but there is a growing need for identity verification to be combined with blockchain solutions. By using Chainlink oracles, identity pools including government databases and social media profiles can be used to prove on-chain identities. This is essential for following government regulations - you can find useful examples below.

• Biometrics. Smart contracts can be verified through biometrics, which is a popular feature on smartphones and other devices. Providing there's a reputable identity database, Chainlink's oracles can pull data on-chain.
• E-signatures. Digital signatures are readily available through platforms like Adobe, but they are pretty easy to forge, especially as Adobe saves signatures for future applications. Chainlink oracles can improve Adobe and DocuSign processes, guaranteeing the security of e-signatures.
• KYC/AML. Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering laws require additional features to be added to blockchain technology, especially where finance is concerned. Fortunately, Chainlink oracles can bring personal financial histories and identities into the blockchain, while staying 100% secure.

Utilities

Utilities like energy, internet, and water make the world turn, so there is no surprise blockchains and oracles can be used within this industry. Managing utilities is essential for the health of society, yet they currently rely on outdated infrastructures centered around business dynamics. However, through integration with smart contracts, utility management can move towards a more transparent and automated means of operation - see these use cases:

• Water. The water network is monitored to ensure homes are constantly connected with a healthy supply. Using IoT devices, water consumption, and quality can be tracked remotely. If these devices are integrated with Chainlink, smart contracts could generate usage invoices, issue penalties, and release emergency funds.
• Energy. Energy providers are responsible for maintaining electrical grids, but they are currently under fire amidst the rising bill costs. However, the Chainlink oracle can filter real-time usage metrics into smart contracts, which can issue penalties when households use more than projected or agreed. Blockchain-based energy market Dipole is already integrating Chainlink.
• Internet. The majority of internet packages are based on fixed pricing, even though some people use much less data, which feels unfair. With the introduction of Chainlink, ISPs can monitor real-time usage and charge accordingly by applying smart contracts. This would work both ways, as customers wouldn nott have to pay for any downtime or insufficient services.
• Emissions and Waste. smart contracts and IoT infrastructures have the ability to revolutionize the waste disposal industry. For example, Chainlink can measure waste in real-time and can trigger payments to regulatory bodies for over usage or unnecessary waste.
• Credentials. Blockchain solutions are revolutionary, but they're open to proof of credential issues without external support. Using Chainlink, blockchain solutions can obtain information regarding sufficient funds, property keys, and much more. Once external criteria have been met, on-chain smart contracts will activate. 

Conclusion

Chainlink is the perfect connection for blockchain developers to reach external services while maintaining the integrity of high security and transparency. The parallel network infrastructure allows Chainlink to be used in practically any industry, and the areas discussed above barely scratch the surface. However, they provide a solid foundation for any developer looking for innovation with blockchain solutions. As more businesses realize the power of blockchain tech, Chainlink's application and value will explode, making LINK a worthwhile investment (some predictions place it in the region of $250 by the end of 2030).

FSTB (Financial Services & The Treasury Of Hong Kong) Secretary Christopher Hui first learned about crypto from friends who ran investment funds and invested in digital assets. Fast forward to today, he now focuses his attention on developing viable policies for the growing sector.

Hong Kong is currently testing an NFT offering, one of several pilots being run by the aforementioned regulator, including tokenizing green bonds and a CDBC known as the e-HKD.

In Hong Kong, crypto is currently regulated by several agencies. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is investigating stablecoins, while the Securities and Futures Commission is in charge of enforcement. The FSTB establishes a more macro-level approach to regulation.

Going forward, the approach appears to be to incorporate crypto into financial regulation and hopefully provide an opening of areas for discussion, like enabling crypto investment under the incoming regulatory framework, which was previously ruled out.

The attempt by Hong Kong to re-establish itself as a crypto hub comes after a year of market turmoil that witnessed the Terra and FTX crashes, VC funds be liquidated, and jurisdictions such as Singapore tighten crypto regulation.