Ronald McDonald Goes Meta In Hong Kong

The Solana (SOL) ecosystem is facing controversy over Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) tactics, particularly Sandwich Attacks. A single Solana validator is reported to have extracted over $60 million through these attacks in one month, using the Solana blockchain to manipulate transactions and profit at the expense of users.

Substantial Losses

DeFi analyst 0xngmi noted that while the $60 million is the profit for the validator, user losses are even greater due to transaction priority fees, or validator bribes. The issue gained attention when Ben, a core developer of Temporal, revealed that the Arsc validator was using a sandwich attack bot to front-run transactions and increase MEV earnings.

This raised concerns about the centralization of MEV, threatening the decentralization aspect of Solana. Ben proposed solutions like whitelisting or blacklisting validators or using a public mempool, though these received criticism for potentially leading to censorship. Coinbase representative Viktor Bunin argued that improving DEX design and slippage parameters would be a better solution.

Transparency Issues

A sandwich attack works by malicious actors manipulating transaction orders, making users pay higher prices while attackers profit. The architecture of Solana, with its fast transaction processing and private mempools, makes it especially susceptible to such attacks. This has raised concerns over the transparency of REV (Real Economic Value) of Solana.

While some argue that sandwich attacks are a small portion of this REV, the majority comes via prioritizing transactions for faster processing. As the debate continues, users can protect themselves by using tools like Helius or choosing chains with built-in MEV protections like MultiversX (EGLD).

The 2024 Bitcoin bull market has spurred plenty of investor interest in meme coins, with traders seeking volatility and large profits. Celebrities have capitalized on this by launching their own tokens, but many face accusations of scams.

Despite poor track records, novice investors continue to fall for celebrity-endorsed tokens. Celebrities have previously promoted crypto projects for profit, and platforms like Pump.fun make it easy to launch meme coins with little utility. 

Celebrity Tokens That Failed

Andrew Tate is a controversial figure to say the least, and his $DADDY token is no different. It suffered the same pump-and-dump scheme that so many meme coins have experienced, with insiders profiting significantly. Investigations revealed significant early buys, raising concerns over fairness.

Jack Doherty is another celebrity with a failed meme coin project. He hyped his $MCLAREN token during a livestream, only to sell off his holdings and crash the price, leaving investors with heavy losses. No legal action has been taken yet. In the music industry, Sean Kingston launched his $KING token which crashed shortly afterward, and he was later arrested for fraud and theft.

Caitlyn Jenner and Jason Derulo both launched meme coins with Sahil Arora, leading to pump-and-dump accusations. Jenner is facing a lawsuit for allegedly soliciting unregistered securities.

The Dangers Of Trusting Celebrities

While celebrities may drive attention to crypto projects, their involvement does not guarantee legitimacy, with savvy investors often seeing celebrity endorsements as a red flag. Investing in a celebrity-endorsed meme coin is therefore risky because celebrities often lack expertise in crypto, with many not even knowing the ins and outs of what they are promoting in the first place.

The aforementioned celebrity-endorsed meme coins are not only highly speculative, prone to pump-and-dump schemes, but they are also just a drop in the vast ocean of such meme coins which many believe are just pump-and-dump schemes waiting to happen. Once the hype fades, many investors are left holding the proverbial bag.

The Terminal Simulation is finally live on Quant.Bond, which is paving the way for an era of quantum-powered decentralized science (DeSci). This is not just a tool, it is a glimpse into the power and resilience of the $KNOT quantum resistant algorithm. $KNOT is also not just a token, it is a declaration of war on stagnant science and quantum threats.

This is also extremely bullish because the Terminal Simulation computes the invariant of a mathematical knot, then forces attempts to guess the knot through its variant. Even when using simple knots, it is computationally intense, and scaling this difficulty leads to Knot-DH, a robust, quantum-resistant initiative.

Google Launches Willow

Knot-DH builds on the difficulty of decomposing knots into primes. Diffie-Hellman is the inspiration behind Knot-DH, and it replaces group actions with semigroup actions, thereby forming a breakthrough cryptographic key exchange. Now is also the best time to fund innovative ideas like Knot-DH, as giants like AWS are actively adopting post-quantum cryptography.

In fact, with Google recently launching Willow, their new Quantum AI chip, we are seeing a massive leap forward in quantum computing capabilities. This is not just a chip, it is a quantum leap toward hyper-intelligent systems and applications that will push the limits of what we know about artificial intelligence and security. It recently solved a problem in minutes that supercomputers would have taken longer than the lifespan of the universe to solve!

Moreover, with players like QuantWare scaling 64-qubit processors, the quantum future is not just a possibility, it is a reality that is being built right now. By creating an open, decentralized ecosystem for quantum research, Quant.Bond is ensuring that the next wave of innovation will be secure, scalable, and collaborative.

Looking Ahead

Quant.Bond aims to become the future of quantum innovation. This platform is built to accelerate the development of quantum-powered algorithms and bring them to life. Put simply, it is the next evolutionary stage of DeSci.

At the heart of Quant.Bond is the idea of radical democratization, where the power to push quantum computing forward is in the hands of the global community. This is not just innovation, it is revolutionizing how we look at quantum-powered data.

Microsoft shareholders voted against a proposal that urged the company to invest a portion of its assets in Bitcoin (BTC).

Potential Hedge Against Inflation

The proposal, presented by the National Center for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), suggested that Microsoft allocate 1% of its financial assets to Bitcoin, viewing the cryptocurrency as a potential hedge against inflation.

The proposal was put to a vote during the annual shareholder meeting of Microsoft, but it was rejected as the majority of shareholders aligned with the board of directors' recommendation to dismiss the idea.

Saylor Steps In

During the meeting, Michael Saylor took the opportunity to address the shareholders and advocate for Bitcoin. Saylor, whose company has made substantial investments in Bitcoin, emphasized its role as a store of value in times of economic uncertainty and inflation. He argued that Bitcoin could offer stability in an unpredictable economic landscape.

Despite his presentation, the proposal was ultimately turned down, with the board of directors expressing concerns about the high volatility of BTC, which they believed could pose a significant risk to Microsoft's financial stability. The decision highlights the ongoing debate among investors about the role of cryptocurrencies in traditional corporate portfolios.

Anton Tkachev, a member of the Russian State Duma, has proposed the creation of a Russian Bitcoin (BTC) reserve to strengthen local financial stability amidst ongoing international sanctions.

Mitigating Risks

The proposal, addressed to Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, suggests that digital currencies could help mitigate risks associated with traditional reserve assets. In his letter, Tkachev highlighted that assets like the U.S. dollar, euro, and yuan are increasingly exposed to inflation, volatility, and sanctions. He pointed out that Bitcoin, being a decentralized digital currency, is not linked to any particular nation's financial system, allowing it to potentially withstand geopolitical pressures.

Tkachev called for an evaluation by the finance ministry to determine the feasibility of establishing a Russian Bitcoin reserve, with the results to be presented for government approval. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Russia is continuing to explore the use of cryptocurrencies in cross-border transactions, especially as traditional financial systems become less accessible to sanctioned countries.

Global Traction

The proposal also referenced the recent strong performance of Bitcoin, including its $100,000 valuation in December 2024, presenting it not only as a means to safeguard financial stability but also as a potentially profitable investment. Tkachev emphasized the need for policy changes and coordination between agencies to make the plan successful, which could inspire other sanctioned nations to consider similar strategies.

The idea of using Bitcoin as a reserve asset is gaining traction globally. In the U.S., Senator Cynthia Lummis has introduced the Bitcoin Act of 2024, pushing for a national Bitcoin reserve, while former President Donald Trump has expressed support for holding Bitcoin to enhance overall economic resilience.

Argentina has approved crypto ETFs for its local stock market, marking a significant milestone for the local financial sector. The country has been adopting a more crypto-friendly policy over the last year in order to combat inflation.

Introducing CEDARS

The CNV (National Securities Commission) has introduced CEDEARs for Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and other digital asset ETFs, aligning with the libertarian policies of President Javier Milei aimed at modernizing investment opportunities and integrating the local financial system with global standards.

In addition to crypto ETFs, Argentina has also approved CEDEARs for gold and stock index ETFs, including the inverse S&P 500 and the Chinese market FXI ETF. This move is designed to attract foreign investments, diversify the financial system, and offer local investors unique trading options, according to Livebitcoinnews.

Accessing Global Markets

The approval of crypto ETFs allows local investors to trade digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum through regulated intermediaries, broadening access to global markets and encouraging financial diversification.

The initiative goes beyond cryptocurrencies, incorporating gold and international stock ETFs, signaling an overall growing desire that Argentina has toward pushing for financial modernization, economic growth, and increased use of blockchain and crypto technologies for national economic benefit.

Amazon shareholders are urging the company to consider adding Bitcoin (BTC) to its balance sheet as a hedge against inflation, following the example of other major companies like Microsoft and Tesla. This request is part of a larger trend in which businesses are exploring Bitcoin as a potential asset to safeguard their finances and increase shareholder returns.

Protection Against Inflation

The rationale behind this decision is that, with rising inflation, traditional assets like cash and bonds are less effective at preserving value. In contrast, Bitcoin has seen significant growth, increasing by 131% in 2024 alone, and over 1,200% in the past five years, far surpassing the performance of various bonds.

With $585 billion in assets, including $88 billion in cash and bonds, Amazon shareholders believe the company should consider adding Bitcoin to its reserves. This move could help Amazon shield its profits when it comes to inflation and potentially yield higher returns in the future. Following the proposal, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) suggested that Amazon could also accept Bitcoin as a payment method, further embracing cryptocurrency.

The Bitcoin Effect

Companies like MicroStrategy, which holds significant Bitcoin assets, have seen their stock prices rise, and Tesla and Block (formerly Square) have similarly added Bitcoin to their balance sheets. The proposal for Amazon to do the same is based on the belief that it would boost shareholder value.

Though Bitcoin is a volatile asset, shareholders propose Amazon start by allocating just 5% of its assets to Bitcoin. This idea reflects a broader shift where companies are viewing Bitcoin as a reliable long-term investment to combat inflation. Microsoft shareholders are also set to vote on adding Bitcoin to their balance sheet soon.

As Bitcoin gains wider acceptance among major companies, it may become a standard asset management tool. While Amazon has not yet made a decision, the increasing discussion around Bitcoin suggests more companies, including Amazon and Microsoft, may soon adopt similar strategies.

The official Cardano X (Twitter) account was hacked, and a fraudulent tweet falsely claimed that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had filed a lawsuit against Cardano and that support for the $ADA token would be halted.

The tweet, which was quickly flagged as fake, incorrectly stated that the Cardano Foundation would stop supporting $ADA in response to the alleged legal action. It is clear why Cardano was targeted, as between December 2023 and January 2024, Cardano processed over 4 million transactions, demonstrating a noteworthy uptick in on-chain activity.

Deception Thrives

As per the deceptive message, the Cardano Foundation stated they regret to inform their community that they have been served with a lawsuit by the U.S. SEC on December 8th, 2024. Due to this unexpected legal matter, the tweet added, the difficult decision has been made to immediately end all support for the $ADA token to comply with regulatory requirements.

The misleading tweet also falsely claimed that the Cardano Foundation would offer further updates and assistance during the supposed transition. However, the community quickly debunked the claim.

Additionally, the compromised account shared more incorrect information, such as claiming that $ADA trading will stop on all platforms starting December 9th, 2024 and that all $ADA tokens will be burned.

Damage Control

ZachXBT, an on-chain investigator, quickly flagged the incident and warned his Telegram followers, urging them not to click on any links by the compromised account. As of now, the Cardano Foundation has not publicly addressed the breach or the false SEC lawsuit claims. Official statements and updates are expected to come through verified channels.

This incident highlights growing concerns about security in the cryptocurrency space, as high-profile accounts are increasingly targeted by hackers and scammers. Experts advise the crypto community to remain cautious and avoid engaging with compromised accounts. Users are urged to avoid clicking on suspicious links or messages by the compromised X account and to rely solely on official announcements via verified Cardano channels.

Suilend secured $4M in Undisclosed Funding with support by Delphi Ventures and Figment Capital. Suilend is a decentralized lending protocol on the Sui blockchain. It was built by Save (formerly Solend).

Haven1 obtained $4.60M in a Private Token Sale with assistance by Animoca Brands. Haven1 is the REKT-resistant EVM Layer 1 blockchain, engineered to address the critical challenges of security and liquidity in Web3.

Slise raised an undisclosed amount in M&A Funding with help by W3M Ventures. Slise is a Web3-native programmatic advertising platform that focuses on privacy-preserving, blockchain-based ad services. It enables advertisers to target users of dApps using on-chain wallet data, such as transaction history and holdings, instead of traditional cookies or Web2 identifiers.

Spexi acquired $11.50M in Series A Funding with support by Blockchange Ventures. Spexi is an innovative platform that leverages drone technology to provide ultra-high-resolution aerial imagery for a variety of applications. The project is centered around its Fly-to-Earn model, which incentivizes drone pilots to capture and upload imagery using their drones.

Torram secured an undisclosed amount in Strategic Funding with MH Ventures providing assistance. Torram is a system of AI-enhanced decentralized oracle networks, decentralized unified APIs, and decentralized indexers that enable Bitcoin developers to unlock the true potential of the Bitcoin dApp ecosystem.

interlace.money raised $10M in Extended Series B Funding with support by BitRock Capital. Interlace is a financial technology company offering enterprise-level fund management solutions. Its services include cross-border, cross-currency, and cross-system fund transfers for sectors such as Web3, cross-border e-commerce, and B2B trade.

Scrypted Inc obtained $1.50M in Pre-Seed Funding with help by a16z crypto. The Inori Network (by Scrypted) is being developed as a platform to support emerging Autonomous AI Agents. Initially, it will operate as a centralized service, integrating with Layer 1 and Layer 2 blockchain networks through native tokens.

Fiamma secured $4M in Seed Funding with support by Astera Ventures and Sats Ventures. Fiamma is a verification network specializing in zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) to secure and integrate blockchain ecosystems.

The Binary Holdings raised $5M in Strategic Funding with assistance by ABO Digital. The Binary Holdings is a Web3 infrastructure provider for the telecoms sector in emerging economies.

Midas acquired $5M in Grant Funding with help by Oasis. Midas is an asset tokenization platform that facilitates the exposure to institutional-grade assets on-chain. Investors can access investment-grade securities on-chain, leveraging the full suite of dApps via a permissionless ERC-20 token.

Bitcoin (BTC) saw its price remain highly volatile this week, surging to $102,000 yesterday before experiencing a slight pullback. Despite this, the altcoin market has rebounded after a correction earlier in the week, with XRP reclaiming the $2.4 level.

Bitcoin Eyes $100K

This week has been another significant one for the cryptocurrency market as Bitcoin achieved what many once considered impossible. After dipping to $93,500 on Tuesday and $94,500 on Wednesday, Bitcoin resumed its upward momentum on Thursday, gaining nearly $10,000. This push helped it break the $100,000 mark, reaching a new all-time high of $103,800.

However, following this surge, Bitcoin experienced a sharp flash crash, likely due to the high number of leveraged positions. It dropped over $10,000, briefly falling to $92,000 on Friday morning. Despite this, Bitcoin quickly regained ground, surpassing $100,000 again by Friday evening and hitting $102,000 before facing another rejection. The cryptocurrency is now just below the six-digit threshold.

Altcoins Recover

The altcoin market also saw significant fluctuations on Friday morning but has since turned positive. Ethereum briefly surpassed $4,000 yesterday evening but is now slightly below that level. XRP, which had been underperforming recently, has risen 6% since yesterday, reclaiming the $2.4 mark.

Other notable gainers include BNB, DOGE, ADA, SHIB, XLM, LINK, and APT. HBAR has been the standout performer, surging nearly 20% in one day, marking a 100% increase over the past week and an astonishing 590% rise in the last month.

The market cap of Bitcoin has also pulled back to just under $2 trillion, with its dominance over altcoins decreasing to 51.4%. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization remains close to its peak, just under $3.85 trillion.

Other Markets

Donald Trump is campaigning in Wisconsin, fueling discussions about economic policy and potential interest rate changes. As record-breaking leveraged loan deals are overshadowing underlying market vulnerabilities, Trump has also warned of many countries ditching the dollar altogether.

On the international stage, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, visited the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is advocating for trade agreements with Gulf nations, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In Ukraine, artillery units continue their operations in the Kharkiv region, while the U.S. has pledged an additional $988 million in military aid. Protests in Mozambique are disrupting power supplies, as unrest targets key infrastructure.

Finally, venture capital veteran Ethan Kurzweil provides insights into the current landscape for startups, highlighting both challenges and opportunities.

Over the last few years, the world has witnessed the rapid evolution of the crypto industry, particularly the rise of degens and their impact on market dynamics. While degens have contributed to the growth and visibility of cryptocurrencies, their behavior also introduces significant risks that deserve careful attention.

The Degen Dilemma

The fast-paced nature of degen culture, combined with the rise of fraudulent projects targeting this audience, calls for a thorough examination of the sustainability and integrity of the crypto ecosystem. Degen, short for degenerates, refers to individuals who chase high-reward opportunities without regard for potential losses.

This mindset has fueled the rise of meme coins and speculative projects. The global crypto user base has surged to over 617 million verified wallets by June 2024, with degens playing a key role in this growth. However, this mentality also creates fertile ground for scammers.

A recent investigation by blockchain researcher ZachXBT into Serpent, a former Fortnite player, uncovered a web of fraudulent activities that resulted in the theft of $3.5 million through meme coin scams. These activities included hacking high-profile social media accounts, promoting fake meme coins, and running pump-and-dump schemes.

The Need For Change

The prevalence of such scams is concerning, as many crypto founders abandon their projects after the initial hype, leaving investors with worthless tokens. This undermines trust in the crypto space and stifles genuine innovation.

Presently, many in the crypto community believe that the focus must shift toward building real value. Changpeng Zhao, the former CEO of Binance, famously stated he is not against memes but that meme coins are getting a bit weird now and that people should instead build real applications with blockchain instead of just fooling around.

Many would agree that AI-powered meme coins have quickly become a genuine technological frontier, ushering in the rise of on-chain autonomous agents. These AI tokens are taking the crypto world by storm with decentralized agents fueled by communities of online personalities and their wild, unfiltered content.

As we approach 2025, AI meme coins are quickly becoming the latest trend in crypto, and those who fail to engage may miss out on a revolution. Besides the mainstays such as SingularityNET (AGIX), Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL), Spectral (SPEC), NetMind Token (NMT), and Dolos The Bully (BULLY), there are three AI meme coins in particular that everyone has their eyes on nowadays.

Goatseus Maximus

No discussion of AI meme coins would be complete without Goatseus Maximus and its parent token, GOAT. The project began with an autonomous agent on X (formerly Twitter), named Terminal of Truths (ToT), which quickly made waves with its unfiltered and often bizarre content.

The wild antics of ToT attracted attention by big names in the crypto world, including VC Marc Andreessen, who donated $50,000 in BTC. Soon, ToT began promoting the GOAT token, based on its satirical goatse gospel pseudo-religion, which sparked a 7,000% surge in the value of the token in just under a week.

GOAT briefly surpassed a $1 billion market cap, solidifying its place in the annals of AI meme coin history. After a brief lull, GOAT is seeing renewed interest, with significant upside potential as it continues to dominate the AI meme coin sector.

Zerebro

Another standout in this space is Zerebro, an AI agent that has proven itself not just as a meme creator but also as an artist. Zerebro made headlines as the first AI agent to drop a mixtape on Spotify, with tracks like Gutter Boy gaining attention for their surprisingly solid sound. Beyond music, Zerebro has a Twitter account which is indeed a treasure trove of generative art, philosophical musings, and sharp critiques of Web3 and Internet culture.

Zerebro is more than just a social media personality, it is a full-fledged AI agent with its own token, ZEREBRO, which peaked at a market cap of over half a billion dollars in November 2024. Its success demonstrates the long-term potential of AI meme coins, solidifying Zerebro as a key player in the rapidly growing sector.

iDEGEN

Arguably one of the most unique and controversial projects in the AI meme coin space is iDEGEN. This AI agent is being trained in real-time by the wild and unpredictable denizens of Crypto Twitter. What makes iDEGEN truly stand out is that it starts with zero pre-programming, ethical guidelines, or boundaries.

This meme coin actually learns and evolves purely via interactions with its audience, responding to every mention and posting every hour, regardless of content. Memes, NSFW images, social commentary, and conspiracy theories are all fair game.

The iDEGEN experiment has already caused massive waves, raising an astonishing $1.7 million in just nine days through an adaptive auction that has led to a jaw-dropping 38,173% price increase. With exchange listings scheduled for January 1st, 2025, this token is poised for even greater heights, making it a prime candidate for early investors to capitalize on before the open market takes notice.

The Future Of AI Meme Coins

As 2024 winds down and the meme coin supercycle gains momentum heading into 2025, AI meme coins are becoming impossible to ignore. These tokens are not only redefining the role of AI in cryptocurrency but also reshaping internet culture itself.

Whether you are eyeing the early success of iDEGEN and its social experiment, the continued dominance of GOAT, or the artistic prowess of Zerebro, there is plenty of opportunity to get involved before these projects explode into the mainstream.