Under the Preferred Lenders Program, OptimumBank is now authorized to make final credit decisions on behalf of the SBA. This significantly accelerates the loan approval timeline and enhances the Bank's ability to provide flexible financing solutions to small business owners.

OptimumBank Achieves SBA Preferred Lender Status

11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As businesses prepare for 2025, SmartFinds Marketing, an award-winning digital marketing agency, urges companies to reassess their marketing efforts and break free from stagnation that may be holding them back. With over 37 years of experience

SmartFinds Marketing Encourages Businesses to Break Free from the Status Quo in 2025

The PlayStation Network is the critical backbone of Sony’s entertainment infrastructure, supporting tens of millions of gamers worldwide. Today, our digital, ever-connected world depends on these services staying online – and if they go down, players everywhere will panic.

Is PlayStation Network Down? - How to Check PSN Server Status - Insider Gaming

Nisus Finance Services IPO GMP: Unlisting shares of Nisus Finance Services are currently trading at Rs 232 apiece in the grey market, which is 28.89 per cent higher than the issue price of Rs 180, signalling a decent listing for the IPO.

Nisus Finance Services IPO: Check Subscription Status, GMP Today - News18

Keith’s note: Astrobiologist Dale Andersen is back in Antarctica at Lake Untersee for another field season of Research (preview). Dale’s work is coordinated through the SETI Institute. We’ll be posting his updates here. You can read about his prior exploits here.

Dale Andersen’s Astrobiology Antarctic Status Report: 3 November 2024: Preparing For Science Diving - Astrobiology

KB Financial Group has been named the top financial company in South Korea by the globally renowned brand evaluation agency, Brand Finance, in its

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Overall, the IPO subscribed 224.10 times on the final day of the bidding. From the total, the portion reserved for Non-Institutional Investors (NII) oversubscribed by 511.65x, followed by Retail Individual Investors (RIIs) portion that oversubscribed by 144.03x.

Manba Finance IPO Shares Allotment Finalised: How To Check Status Online? Latest GMP, Listing Details - Goodreturns

Manba Finance IPO 2024 GMP Review Subscription Status Live Updates: The company's issue has been subscribed more than 224 times. While it was booked fully on the first very first day of launch.

Manba Finance IPO 2024 Live Updates: Check GMP, allotment status, and other key details - IPO News | The Financial Express

STMicroelectronics Announces Status ofCommon Share Repurchase Program Disclosure of Transactions in Own Shares – Period from Aug 12, 2024 to Aug 16, 2024 AMSTERDAM – August 19, 2024 -- STMicroelectronics N.V. (the “Company” or “STMicroelectronics”), a global semiconductor leader ...

STMicroelectronics Announces Status of Common Share Repurchase Program

Status

status

The next project on the Crypto Countdown series is an endeavour called Status. I personally didn’t know that much about this project until I did a bit of research earlier this week; however, compared to a lot of abstract concepts in the crypto space, this is relatively relatable. Status is a mobile operating system built for Ethereum that enables your mobile device to become a light client node on the Ethereum network. Breaking it all down This is not an official definition provided by the Status team but, it outlines the core premise of the Status project — in somewhat more technical terms! As this is an education process, let’s break down the main concepts. an operating system, or OS, is very familiar to us all. iOS updates on your iPhone anyone? Simply put, it is software on your device (laptop/phone) that allows it to run things like applications or programmes. In the same way that our phones have apps, decentralised networks like Ethereum have decentralised apps — or . So with that in mind, it makes a lot of sense for users to interact with an operating system to discover and access their dApps. Mobile operating system: dApps Ethereum is an open source (not privately guarded code) platform based on that allows people to build and deploy dApps. It is the infrastructure layer upon which a lot of dApps are built. Ethereum: blockchain as blockchains are mostly decentralised, you are relying on a network of people to always be up to date, and agree, on everything. This requires a lot of data to be passed around. When you end up with loads of cool dApps, your phone may not be able to process all of the information flying around the network. Light client node: Status: rephrased Thus in short, Status allows you to discover and interact with cool Ethereum dApps, without making your phone download huge amounts of data — or as the Status team describe it: A mobile, Ethereum, OS What is the goal of Status? Status aims to give you access to all of Ethereum’s decentralised applications through an app on your smartphone. In theory, by giving you, as users, an experience comparable to iOS or Android, Status can speed up the mass adoption of Ethereum based dApps by putting them at your fingertips (or on your smartphone). As per the mantra of the blockchain world, Status is In this instance, open source means that everyone can contribute to Status as well as having their fair say in how the network is governed. open source! What are we waiting for? The Status team are spinning up collaborations left, right and centre which, for their specific project makes a lot of sense! You can keep track of their progress on . At the moment the project is only in (meaning: not quite ready and being tested to see what problems there are). Any interested parties can sign up for the beta on iPhone and Android as well as contributing their thoughts and feedback. This would be a useful way of getting to learn more about both Status and the blockchain space, so I would highly recommend it! Twitter beta Status has already got some interesting dApps and projects listed on their website. A few of these projects will be explored in detail as part of the Crypto Countdown series; however, as a quick overview we have: A blockchain identity system that allows you to govern your own identity. uPort: A crowdsourced prediction market. Gnosis: Trading Ethereum-based tokens between parties without a centralised party to facilitate the transaction. Oasis Exchange: Others projects include: Ethlance , Aragon , Etherisc , Ujo . How will we interact with Status in the future? The Status website lists a few interesting ways in which you can interact with the Status app. To give an overview of how useful this app could be, in the context of the blockchain dApp space, I have given a quick overview: users of the Status apps can send, receive and store their cryptocurrencies in a secure way. As this is designed as a network of people who can trade with each other, Status allows you to find people nearby in order to trade assets, services and even ideas! Make payments: as previously mentioned, Status is designed to give you fast access to find and use dApps. The Ethereum ecosystem could, in theory, become as large as the app stores of today. Browse dApps: Status has its own messenger within the app, which is always convenient. However, in a similar vein to popular apps over in China, Status is integrating payments and other cool features into chats. The fundamental difference is that the Status app, by default, encrypts your messages (jumbles them up so no one else can read them) and sends them directly between you and another person within relying on a — thus your information is not stored in one place, controlled by a single entity. Chat securely: centralised server Source: https://status.im/ And there we have it — the messenger/app store/payment enabler? As with many projects in the blockchain space, Status is not quite ready, but it is worth keeping an eye on. An interesting point from my side, that stands Status apart from the majority of projects on the crypto Top100, is the fantastic user interface. Decentralisation shouldn’t need to force users to adopt a new interaction pattern and, from what Status have shown, their design team is doing a great job of merging a great user experience with some new features. future & LinkedIn Twitter

(3/100) Crypto Countdown: Status

How to Track the YARN Task Status in DolphinScheduler

The Internet is only nearly 25 years old. In my mind, the Internet has been normal since Google appeared in 1998. That was 26 years ago. Since it was born, there have been a lot of exciting things that were hard to even imagine until they took off and finally came. In the first 10 years of the Internet, people came up with blockchain and cryptocurrency. They later figured out how neural networks and machine learning could be used effectively to solve complex modern problems. If you don’t know, the neural network finds patterns in arrays of information and builds on these patterns to create new information that we need. Development of AI model In general, a neural network is a model—a set of files representing algorithms and tables that together form what, in some sense, can be called artificial intelligence. Development is taking place in several directions, including developing more optimal algorithms and increasing the size of the tables. The latest existing models are of such a size that it would not take 1000 years to train this on a single video card. However, all models today are centralized, and it is the responsibility of a specific person or organization to train them. So only the TOP players like Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft can afford to train the biggest models nowadays. Ordinary people have to make do with models that are, on average, 100-1000 times smaller than the top models available to these companies. The Concept of Decentralization In 2008, the first decentralized blockchain appeared. The essence was that any user could receive virtual coins to help maintain the virtual network at the expense of computing resources on his or her computer. The properties of this network also allowed the transfer of these coins to each other, which allowed this network to eventually grow into a whole financial system based on mining, decentralization, and encryption. The pros of this approach primarily represent the possibility of cross-border, uncensored payments that occur with nothing more than the Internet and the processing power of the network's computers. Think about it—there are only 2 factors—the Internet and computer processing power. That's all it took to create a whole new financial system, and that's just the first 10 years of the Internet. Decentralization of AI Decentralization means the absence of the main person or entity. The main thing about decentralization is the consensus among the smallest units of the system. With this consensus, we can build more than a new financial system. Let's imagine for a moment that mining could create something more than just wasting resources to keep the network running in search of a random number. What if each miner computed a small part of a huge artificial intelligence model on his working machine without having to train the whole model? The essence of this idea is to efficiently distribute the training, using the computing resources of different machines - from video cards to ASICs, to obtain a fully complete model or even for its constant additional training on new and new data sets. Miners would receive certain coins to train the model, which could be used in the future to use the computing resources of the AI model. At some point, the model would be fully trained, and it would seem that anyone could download it to a computer for free, but they would never have the resources to run it themselves. The same mining is required to run the model. One person requests the network, and the network issues a response. It will be like working with the ChatGPT-4 API. Each request would cost the user a few tokens, depending on the rates of the miners. The miners collectively decentralize these requests and produce the results. There could be a myriad of models, and they could all exist on a single blockchain in the form of smart contracts. Namely, someone—a person or a group of people—creates an AI as a smart contract in the blockchain network, attracts people to train it, and then earns money together to keep the model running. Implications of Decentralized AI If such a system is created, the largest companies will lose the status of monopoly on owning the largest AI models in the world. Very soon, the largest AI models will exist in a decentralized way and in no other way. Joint use of huge amounts of computing resources will very soon produce more useful work in total than separate supercomputers of TOP IT companies. This is the next step in the development of technology and the next step towards full autonomy of everyone, rather than dependence on the strongest. The flow of technology available today is gradually increasing the capabilities of everyone on the planet. Over time, everyone's autonomy will only increase. We can get endless amounts of information from the Internet on any topic we want. We can get energy in our homes thanks to solar panels. Decentralized money came unexpectedly to everyone and many people have not even understood its essence yet, but the consequences are huge. Perhaps in the future, there will even be an analog of the free, decentralized Internet. And the future artificial intelligence will be in everyone's home and will not belong to anyone, helping with household chores or working in your garden. Now we have entered a time when we need to develop these decentralized technologies and just let artificial intelligence grow and grow exponentially larger and larger, just like the computing power of the Bitcoin network is growing. What do I think about Internet Computer Protocol (ICP)? ICP is pushing boundaries in decentralized AI with some genuinely unique features that aren't just hype—they're solving real problems. First is data privacy. In the traditional AI world, data is usually funneled through centralized servers, which can be a goldmine for breaches. ICP changes the game by processing data across a decentralized network of nodes. No central server means your data isn’t sitting in one big vulnerable target. This setup is particularly important for sensitive applications like healthcare AI, where privacy isn’t just nice to have—it’s mandatory. Another area where ICP shines is in its governance. Most AI platforms are controlled by a handful of big players, leading to decisions that prioritize profit over progress. ICP flips this on its head with a community-driven governance model. Developers and users have a real voice in how the network operates. It’s not just lip service to the idea of decentralization; it’s putting power back into the hands of the people who actually build and use these AI tools. Then there's the technical side—ICP’s architecture supports what you might call "true decentralization". Many so-called decentralized AI platforms still rely on traditional cloud infrastructure at some level. ICP eliminates the middleman, running AI applications directly on a decentralized web. This isn't just an incremental improvement. It’s a foundational shift that reduces dependency on any single provider and ensures continuous uptime. And let's talk about speed and efficiency. AI workloads are demanding, and ICP's ability to scale computation independently from storage is a big deal. In essence, ICP is pioneering a new way forward for decentralized AI by addressing the core issues—privacy, governance, true decentralization, and technical flexibility—that have held back the field. The Internet is only nearly 25 years old. In my mind, the Internet has been normal since Google appeared in 1998. That was 26 years ago. Since it was born, there have been a lot of exciting things that were hard to even imagine until they took off and finally came. In the first 10 years of the Internet, people came up with blockchain and cryptocurrency. They later figured out how neural networks and machine learning could be used effectively to solve complex modern problems. If you don’t know, the neural network finds patterns in arrays of information and builds on these patterns to create new information that we need. Development of AI model In general, a neural network is a model—a set of files representing algorithms and tables that together form what, in some sense, can be called artificial intelligence. Development is taking place in several directions, including developing more optimal algorithms and increasing the size of the tables. The latest existing models are of such a size that it would not take 1000 years to train this on a single video card. However, all models today are centralized, and it is the responsibility of a specific person or organization to train them. So only the TOP players like Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft can afford to train the biggest models nowadays. Ordinary people have to make do with models that are, on average, 100-1000 times smaller than the top models available to these companies. The Concept of Decentralization In 2008, the first decentralized blockchain appeared. The essence was that any user could receive virtual coins to help maintain the virtual network at the expense of computing resources on his or her computer. The properties of this network also allowed the transfer of these coins to each other, which allowed this network to eventually grow into a whole financial system based on mining, decentralization, and encryption. The pros of this approach primarily represent the possibility of cross-border, uncensored payments that occur with nothing more than the Internet and the processing power of the network's computers. Think about it—there are only 2 factors—the Internet and computer processing power. That's all it took to create a whole new financial system, and that's just the first 10 years of the Internet. Decentralization of AI Decentralization means the absence of the main person or entity. The main thing about decentralization is the consensus among the smallest units of the system. With this consensus, we can build more than a new financial system. Let's imagine for a moment that mining could create something more than just wasting resources to keep the network running in search of a random number. What if each miner computed a small part of a huge artificial intelligence model on his working machine without having to train the whole model? The essence of this idea is to efficiently distribute the training, using the computing resources of different machines - from video cards to ASICs, to obtain a fully complete model or even for its constant additional training on new and new data sets. Miners would receive certain coins to train the model, which could be used in the future to use the computing resources of the AI model. At some point, the model would be fully trained, and it would seem that anyone could download it to a computer for free, but they would never have the resources to run it themselves. The same mining is required to run the model. One person requests the network, and the network issues a response. It will be like working with the ChatGPT-4 API. Each request would cost the user a few tokens, depending on the rates of the miners. The miners collectively decentralize these requests and produce the results. There could be a myriad of models, and they could all exist on a single blockchain in the form of smart contracts. Namely, someone—a person or a group of people—creates an AI as a smart contract in the blockchain network, attracts people to train it, and then earns money together to keep the model running. Implications of Decentralized AI If such a system is created, the largest companies will lose the status of monopoly on owning the largest AI models in the world. Very soon, the largest AI models will exist in a decentralized way and in no other way. Joint use of huge amounts of computing resources will very soon produce more useful work in total than separate supercomputers of TOP IT companies. This is the next step in the development of technology and the next step towards full autonomy of everyone, rather than dependence on the strongest. The flow of technology available today is gradually increasing the capabilities of everyone on the planet. Over time, everyone's autonomy will only increase. We can get endless amounts of information from the Internet on any topic we want. We can get energy in our homes thanks to solar panels. Decentralized money came unexpectedly to everyone and many people have not even understood its essence yet, but the consequences are huge. Perhaps in the future, there will even be an analog of the free, decentralized Internet. And the future artificial intelligence will be in everyone's home and will not belong to anyone, helping with household chores or working in your garden. Now we have entered a time when we need to develop these decentralized technologies and just let artificial intelligence grow and grow exponentially larger and larger, just like the computing power of the Bitcoin network is growing. What do I think about Internet Computer Protocol (ICP)? ICP is pushing boundaries in decentralized AI with some genuinely unique features that aren't just hype—they're solving real problems. First is data privacy. In the traditional AI world, data is usually funneled through centralized servers, which can be a goldmine for breaches. ICP changes the game by processing data across a decentralized network of nodes. No central server means your data isn’t sitting in one big vulnerable target. This setup is particularly important for sensitive applications like healthcare AI, where privacy isn’t just nice to have—it’s mandatory. Another area where ICP shines is in its governance. Most AI platforms are controlled by a handful of big players, leading to decisions that prioritize profit over progress. ICP flips this on its head with a community-driven governance model. Developers and users have a real voice in how the network operates. It’s not just lip service to the idea of decentralization; it’s putting power back into the hands of the people who actually build and use these AI tools. Then there's the technical side—ICP’s architecture supports what you might call "true decentralization". Many so-called decentralized AI platforms still rely on traditional cloud infrastructure at some level. ICP eliminates the middleman, running AI applications directly on a decentralized web. This isn't just an incremental improvement. It’s a foundational shift that reduces dependency on any single provider and ensures continuous uptime. And let's talk about speed and efficiency. AI workloads are demanding, and ICP's ability to scale computation independently from storage is a big deal. In essence, ICP is pioneering a new way forward for decentralized AI by addressing the core issues—privacy, governance, true decentralization, and technical flexibility—that have held back the field.

Decentralized AI: Largest Companies Will Lose the Status of Monopoly

বিকেন্দ্রীভূত AI: বড় কোম্পানিগুলি একচেটিয়া অবস্থা হারাবে

Dezentrale KI: Die größten Unternehmen verlieren ihren Monopolstatus

IA descentralizada: las empresas más grandes perderán su condición de monopolio

IA décentralisée : les plus grandes entreprises perdront leur statut de monopole

विकेंद्रीकृत एआई: सबसे बड़ी कंपनियां एकाधिकार की स्थिति खो देंगी

分散型AI：大企業は独占の地位を失う

분산형 AI: 대기업은 독점적 지위를 상실할 것이다

IA descentralizada: as maiores empresas perderão o status de monopólio

Децентрализованный ИИ: крупнейшие компании потеряют статус монополистов

Merkezi Olmayan Yapay Zeka: En Büyük Şirketler Tekel Statüsünü Kaybedecek

AI phi tập trung: Các công ty lớn nhất sẽ mất vị thế độc quyền

去中心化人工智能：最大的公司将失去垄断地位

Elon Musk v OpenAI, Court Filing, retrieved on April 30, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series. You can jump to any part of this filing here. This part is 23 of 29. COUNT XI: UNFAIR COMPETITION UNDER CALIFORNIA BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS CODE §§ 17200 et seq. (Against All Defendants) 299. Plaintiff re-alleges and incorporates by reference paragraphs 1 through 298 inclusive, as though fully set forth herein. 300. Defendants engaged in unfair competition and other unlawful and/or fraudulent business practices by soliciting contributions from Musk and others under the false pretense that such funds would be used for the non-profit purposes articulated in OpenAI, Inc.’s Certificate of Incorporation, Charter, website, online marketing, blog posts, emails, and other communications. 301. By founding OpenAI, Inc. as a non-profit, Defendants were able to solicit significant “donations,” including from Musk, to purportedly develop AI/AGI, which was to be made largely open source for the public benefit and good of humanity—not closed and proprietary for profit. 302. Defendants actively deceived Musk and the public by effectively using these “donations” as free start-up capital to develop valuable technology which they have concealed for their own personal gain, as described herein. Such conduct has deceived, and will likely continue to deceive, the public, and is unethical, immoral, substantially injurious to consumers, and violates public policy. 303. But for Defendants’ false, misleading, and unlawful practices, Musk would not have made his significant contributions to OpenAI, Inc. Defendants intentionally concealed their wrongful conduct, which prevented Musk from discovering their scheme, notwithstanding his exercise of due diligence. 304. As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ conduct, acts, and omissions alleged hereinabove, Musk is entitled to recover the damages he sustained and will sustain, including any income, gains, compensation, profits, and advantages obtained, received, or to be received by Defendants, or any of them, arising from the wrongfully obtained contributions Musk made to OpenAI, Inc., which amount vastly exceeds $75,000, including prejudgment interest. 305. Defendants’ wrongful conduct, acts, and omissions have proximately caused and will continue to cause Musk substantial injury and damage, much of which cannot be reasonably or adequately measured or compensated in money damages. The harm this wrongful conduct will cause to Musk is both imminent and irreparable, and the amount of damage sustained by Musk will be difficult to ascertain if such wrongful conduct is allowed to continue without restraint. Musk has no adequate remedy at law with respect to Defendants’ ongoing unlawful conduct. 306. Pursuant to Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17203, Musk is entitled to an injunction during the pendency of this action, and permanently enjoining Defendants, their officers, agents, and employees, and all persons acting in concert with them, from engaging in such further acts of unfair competition. Continue Reading Here. About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings.
This court case retrieved on August 05, 2024, deadline.com is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. Elon Musk v OpenAI, Court Filing, retrieved on April 30, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series. You can jump to any part of this filing here. This part is 23 of 29. Elon Musk v OpenAI, Court Filing, retrieved on April 30, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series . You can jump to any part of this filing here . This part is 23 of 29. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here COUNT XI: UNFAIR COMPETITION UNDER CALIFORNIA BUSINESS & PROFESSIONS CODE §§ 17200 et seq. (Against All Defendants) 299. Plaintiff re-alleges and incorporates by reference paragraphs 1 through 298 inclusive, as though fully set forth herein. 300. Defendants engaged in unfair competition and other unlawful and/or fraudulent business practices by soliciting contributions from Musk and others under the false pretense that such funds would be used for the non-profit purposes articulated in OpenAI, Inc.’s Certificate of Incorporation, Charter, website, online marketing, blog posts, emails, and other communications. 301. By founding OpenAI, Inc. as a non-profit, Defendants were able to solicit significant “donations,” including from Musk, to purportedly develop AI/AGI, which was to be made largely open source for the public benefit and good of humanity—not closed and proprietary for profit. 302. Defendants actively deceived Musk and the public by effectively using these “donations” as free start-up capital to develop valuable technology which they have concealed for their own personal gain, as described herein. Such conduct has deceived, and will likely continue to deceive, the public, and is unethical, immoral, substantially injurious to consumers, and violates public policy. 303. But for Defendants’ false, misleading, and unlawful practices, Musk would not have made his significant contributions to OpenAI, Inc. Defendants intentionally concealed their wrongful conduct, which prevented Musk from discovering their scheme, notwithstanding his exercise of due diligence. 304. As a direct and proximate result of Defendants’ conduct, acts, and omissions alleged hereinabove, Musk is entitled to recover the damages he sustained and will sustain, including any income, gains, compensation, profits, and advantages obtained, received, or to be received by Defendants, or any of them, arising from the wrongfully obtained contributions Musk made to OpenAI, Inc., which amount vastly exceeds $75,000, including prejudgment interest. 305. Defendants’ wrongful conduct, acts, and omissions have proximately caused and will continue to cause Musk substantial injury and damage, much of which cannot be reasonably or adequately measured or compensated in money damages. The harm this wrongful conduct will cause to Musk is both imminent and irreparable, and the amount of damage sustained by Musk will be difficult to ascertain if such wrongful conduct is allowed to continue without restraint. Musk has no adequate remedy at law with respect to Defendants’ ongoing unlawful conduct. 306. Pursuant to Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 17203, Musk is entitled to an injunction during the pendency of this action, and permanently enjoining Defendants, their officers, agents, and employees, and all persons acting in concert with them, from engaging in such further acts of unfair competition. Continue Reading Here. Continue Reading Here . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case retrieved on August 05, 2024, deadline.com is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case retrieved on August 05, 2024, deadline.com is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. deadline.com

OpenAI Accused of Exploiting Non-Profit Status

SEC v. Consensys Software Inc. Court Filing, retrieved on June 28, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series. You can jump to any part in this filing here. This part is 16 of 26. D. SAND 196. “SAND” was created on the Ethereum blockchain as the native token of the Sandbox platform, a virtual gaming platform first released in 2012 by Pixowl, Inc. (“Pixowl”) as a game for download on mobile phones. Pixowl, which is headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 2011 by Arthur Madrid (“Madrid”) and Sebastien Borget (“Borget”). In 2018, Animoca Brands, Inc. (“Animoca”), headquartered in Hong Kong, acquired Pixowl and announced its intention to build a new 3D version of the Sandbox by leveraging blockchain technology. After Pixowl’s acquisition, the Sandbox’s intellectual property, along with the rest of Pixowl’s assets, were transferred to TSB Gaming Ltd (“TSB”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Animoca. Madrid is CEO of TSB, and Borget is the COO. 197. According to Sandbox’s website, SAND is required to access the Sandbox platform, participate in the platform’s governance, and earn rewards through the staking program on the platform. 198. On or about May 23, 2019, before the minting of SAND in July 2019, Animoca raised approximately $2.5 million in cash and crypto assets through TSB via the issuance of Simple Agreements for Future Equity (“SAFEs”) and SAND tokens, to “fund the development of the upcoming blockchain version of The Sandbox.” According to Animoca’s May 23, 2019 press release, the majority of investors allocated their investment to the purchase of both SAND tokens and future equity in TSB via the SAFE agreements (in the amount of $2 million), while some investors allocated their investment exclusively to the purchase of SAND tokens ($500,000). Per the release, the funding round was led by Hashed, for approximately $1 million, and also included a number of other crypto venture capital investors. 199. TSB then minted a total supply of 3 billion SAND on the Ethereum blockchain in or around July 2019 and offered and sold SAND through purportedly private sales and in an IEO that raised $3 million on the Binance.com crypto asset trading platform starting August 13, 2020. 200. SAND has been available for buying and selling through the MetaMask Swaps platform since approximately October 2020. 201. The information TSB publicly disseminated has led SAND holders, including those who have purchased SAND since May 2022, reasonably to view SAND as an investment in and to expect to profit from TSB’s efforts to grow the Sandbox protocol, which, in turn, would increase the demand for and the value of SAND. 202. On its blog posts announcing “exchange listings,” Sandbox touted its efforts to obtain “listings” and the SAND token’s liquidity in the secondary market. For example, in a September 21, 2021, Medium blog post, Sandbox stated that “$SAND is listed on over 60 global cryptocurrency exchanges, including a dozen of the top exchanges by market capitalization.” 203. In addition, the Sandbox stated that it would pool the proceeds from the private token sales and the IEO to develop and promote use of the platform. For example, the May 23, 2019, press release stated: “[t]he funds raised through this transaction will be used to grow the development team and infrastructure for the [Sandbox] Game Platform, support marketing efforts through the acquisition of creators and IP licenses, and provide for security, legal, and compliance expenses as well as general and administrative costs.” The Sandbox whitepaper similarly described identical uses for the $3 million in funds intended to be raised during the IEO. 204. Moreover, according to the Sandbox whitepaper, of the 3 billion SAND tokens that were initially minted, 19% were to be allocated to the Sandbox founders and team, and another 25.8% were to be allocated to the Company Reserve. 205. In addition, the Sandbox’s Medium blog post on July 25, 2019, stated that “an interesting feature of [the $SAND] token is that it can accrue in value over time, due to the fact that it is scarce. There will be a limited supply of 3 billion units of $SAND available.” 206. Moreover, TSB stated publicly that it would take steps to manage the market for SAND, including the SAND whitepaper stating that the Sandbox team controls the supply of SAND tokens and has implemented a “controllable supply mechanism, such as purchasing SAND from multiple exchanges,” and that “while the total supply of SAND is fixed, the initial amount of SAND offered will provide a scarcity effect reducing the SAND available per capita and therefore fostering demand.” 207. Additionally, in many instances, Animoca has touted the backgrounds of Pixowl, TSB, and the Sandbox core members, including Madrid and Borget, in describing the success and future development of the Sandbox: • After the acquisition of Pixowl, Yat Siu, the co-founder and director of Animoca, stated in a press release, dated August 27, 2018 (the “2018 Press Release”) that “Pixowl’s experienced developers will significantly increase our development capabilities. Its founders are highly respected game industry veterans who have developed multimillion dollar franchises. We believe the blockchain version of The Sandbox has incredible potential … We look forward to utilising the many opportunities for growth conferred by this acquisition.” • In the 2018 Press Release, Madrid also commented: ‘“Animoca Brands is a perfect fit for Pixowl and we are happy to add our brand relationships to its portfolio while accelerating growth for our key IP, The Sandbox …” • The 2018 Press Release also touted that “Ed Fries, the creator of Microsoft Game Studios and co-founder of the Xbox project, is a special advisor to The Sandbox’s original game developer Pixowl” and will therefore continue to serve on the advisory team. • The Sandbox whitepaper further provided: “We have a strong product roadmap ahead and a top team to execute a strong vision to build a unique virtual world gaming platform where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences and spread the power of blockchain as the lead technology in the gaming industry.” 208. Moreover, the Sandbox whitepaper describes that the role of the “Sandbox Foundation” is to support the ecosystem of the Sandbox by, among other things, offering grants to incentivize high quality content and game production on the platform and further notes that the “overall valuation of the metaverse grows through the valuation of all games funded by the Foundation, creating a virtuous circle to enable funding bigger games.” The Sandbox’s Gitbook also notes that the Sandbox Foundation has, among other things, (a) supported play-to-earn tournaments and cross-gaming to encourage the broader adoption of SAND and (b) supported marketing activities contributing to the growth of awareness about NFTs, Metaverse and SAND adoption, including co-marketing with exchanges and influencers. Continue Reading Here. About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings.
This court case retrieved on June 28, 2024, storage.courtlistener.com is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. SEC v. Consensys Software Inc. Court Filing, retrieved on June 28, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series. You can jump to any part in this filing here. This part is 16 of 26. SEC v. Consensys Software Inc. Court Filing, retrieved on June 28, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series . You can jump to any part in this filing here . This part is 16 of 26. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here D. SAND 196. “SAND” was created on the Ethereum blockchain as the native token of the Sandbox platform, a virtual gaming platform first released in 2012 by Pixowl, Inc. (“Pixowl”) as a game for download on mobile phones. Pixowl, which is headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 2011 by Arthur Madrid (“Madrid”) and Sebastien Borget (“Borget”). In 2018, Animoca Brands, Inc. (“Animoca”), headquartered in Hong Kong, acquired Pixowl and announced its intention to build a new 3D version of the Sandbox by leveraging blockchain technology. After Pixowl’s acquisition, the Sandbox’s intellectual property, along with the rest of Pixowl’s assets, were transferred to TSB Gaming Ltd (“TSB”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Animoca. Madrid is CEO of TSB, and Borget is the COO. 197. According to Sandbox’s website, SAND is required to access the Sandbox platform, participate in the platform’s governance, and earn rewards through the staking program on the platform. 198. On or about May 23, 2019, before the minting of SAND in July 2019, Animoca raised approximately $2.5 million in cash and crypto assets through TSB via the issuance of Simple Agreements for Future Equity (“SAFEs”) and SAND tokens, to “fund the development of the upcoming blockchain version of The Sandbox.” According to Animoca’s May 23, 2019 press release, the majority of investors allocated their investment to the purchase of both SAND tokens and future equity in TSB via the SAFE agreements (in the amount of $2 million), while some investors allocated their investment exclusively to the purchase of SAND tokens ($500,000). Per the release, the funding round was led by Hashed, for approximately $1 million, and also included a number of other crypto venture capital investors. 199. TSB then minted a total supply of 3 billion SAND on the Ethereum blockchain in or around July 2019 and offered and sold SAND through purportedly private sales and in an IEO that raised $3 million on the Binance.com crypto asset trading platform starting August 13, 2020. 200. SAND has been available for buying and selling through the MetaMask Swaps platform since approximately October 2020. 201. The information TSB publicly disseminated has led SAND holders, including those who have purchased SAND since May 2022, reasonably to view SAND as an investment in and to expect to profit from TSB’s efforts to grow the Sandbox protocol, which, in turn, would increase the demand for and the value of SAND. 202. On its blog posts announcing “exchange listings,” Sandbox touted its efforts to obtain “listings” and the SAND token’s liquidity in the secondary market. For example, in a September 21, 2021, Medium blog post, Sandbox stated that “$SAND is listed on over 60 global cryptocurrency exchanges, including a dozen of the top exchanges by market capitalization.” 203. In addition, the Sandbox stated that it would pool the proceeds from the private token sales and the IEO to develop and promote use of the platform. For example, the May 23, 2019, press release stated: “[t]he funds raised through this transaction will be used to grow the development team and infrastructure for the [Sandbox] Game Platform, support marketing efforts through the acquisition of creators and IP licenses, and provide for security, legal, and compliance expenses as well as general and administrative costs.” The Sandbox whitepaper similarly described identical uses for the $3 million in funds intended to be raised during the IEO. 204. Moreover, according to the Sandbox whitepaper, of the 3 billion SAND tokens that were initially minted, 19% were to be allocated to the Sandbox founders and team, and another 25.8% were to be allocated to the Company Reserve. 205. In addition, the Sandbox’s Medium blog post on July 25, 2019, stated that “an interesting feature of [the $SAND] token is that it can accrue in value over time, due to the fact that it is scarce. There will be a limited supply of 3 billion units of $SAND available.” 206. Moreover, TSB stated publicly that it would take steps to manage the market for SAND, including the SAND whitepaper stating that the Sandbox team controls the supply of SAND tokens and has implemented a “controllable supply mechanism, such as purchasing SAND from multiple exchanges,” and that “while the total supply of SAND is fixed, the initial amount of SAND offered will provide a scarcity effect reducing the SAND available per capita and therefore fostering demand.” 207. Additionally, in many instances, Animoca has touted the backgrounds of Pixowl, TSB, and the Sandbox core members, including Madrid and Borget, in describing the success and future development of the Sandbox: • After the acquisition of Pixowl, Yat Siu, the co-founder and director of Animoca, stated in a press release, dated August 27, 2018 (the “2018 Press Release”) that “Pixowl’s experienced developers will significantly increase our development capabilities. Its founders are highly respected game industry veterans who have developed multimillion dollar franchises. We believe the blockchain version of The Sandbox has incredible potential … We look forward to utilising the many opportunities for growth conferred by this acquisition.” • In the 2018 Press Release, Madrid also commented: ‘“Animoca Brands is a perfect fit for Pixowl and we are happy to add our brand relationships to its portfolio while accelerating growth for our key IP, The Sandbox …” • The 2018 Press Release also touted that “Ed Fries, the creator of Microsoft Game Studios and co-founder of the Xbox project, is a special advisor to The Sandbox’s original game developer Pixowl” and will therefore continue to serve on the advisory team. • The Sandbox whitepaper further provided: “We have a strong product roadmap ahead and a top team to execute a strong vision to build a unique virtual world gaming platform where players can build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences and spread the power of blockchain as the lead technology in the gaming industry.” 208. Moreover, the Sandbox whitepaper describes that the role of the “Sandbox Foundation” is to support the ecosystem of the Sandbox by, among other things, offering grants to incentivize high quality content and game production on the platform and further notes that the “overall valuation of the metaverse grows through the valuation of all games funded by the Foundation, creating a virtuous circle to enable funding bigger games.” The Sandbox’s Gitbook also notes that the Sandbox Foundation has, among other things, (a) supported play-to-earn tournaments and cross-gaming to encourage the broader adoption of SAND and (b) supported marketing activities contributing to the growth of awareness about NFTs, Metaverse and SAND adoption, including co-marketing with exchanges and influencers. Continue Reading Here. Continue Reading Here . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case retrieved on June 28, 2024, storage.courtlistener.com is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case retrieved on June 28, 2024, storage.courtlistener.com is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. storage.courtlistener.com

SEC Challenges SAND Token's Security Status

On-chain asset tokenization represents a long-term trend with the potential to shake up the existing financial landscape. Within this arena, tokenized government bonds make up an increasingly important segment. The segment experienced a stellar growth of nearly seven-fold in 2023 and is quickly recovering from a brief slump at the end of 2023. The article dives into the current situation and some exciting trends in tokenized government bonds and the tokenized real-world assets (RWA) sector as a whole. Current Situation Tokenized government bonds and other tokenized real-world assets (RWA) have witnessed significant growth, propelled by rising interest rates joining forces with relatively low DeFi yields. This development has reflected investors’ appetite for asset classes that offer more stable, predictable returns. More and more investors, especially those seeking to strike a balance between the traditional financial market and the cryptocurrency market, are favoring these tokenized RWA products. A estimates that tokenization of global illiquid assets will reach $16 trillion, or 10% of global GDP by 2030. This includes both on-chain asset tokenization and traditional asset fractionalization (e.g. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)). Considering the potential market size, even capturing a small portion of this vast market would signify significant growth opportunities for the crypto industry. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report Players in the RWA Ecosystem RWA Infrastructure Infrastructure providers in the RWA ecosystem, also known as RWA rails, provide the regulatory, technical, and operational infrastructure upon which RWAs are brought into crypto. They serve as the foundation for the entire ecosystem, and the development of RAW rails is vital to the sustainable growth of the RWA sector. Asset Providers Additionally, there are asset providers that focus on originating and creating demand for RWAs across various asset classes， including real estate, fixed income, equities, and others, contributing to the sector’s diversity and breadth. Market Size RWAs are the 11th largest sector in DeFi based on protocols tracked by , with a combined TVL of over $4 billion. According to a , the number of holders of tokens associated with RWA protocols reached over 67,000 on the Ethereum blockchain, more than doubling in the last 12 months. Within this sector, the total value of the tokenized Treasury segment increased to $719 million as of Mar 20, 2024, from around $379 million a year earlier, according to RWA monitoring platform . The average Yield-to-Maturity was at 5%. DeFi Llama Dune Analytics dashboard by @j1002 RWA.xyz That said, the combined TVL of RWAs has been slumping for the last several months after peaking at $6.271B last October. The value of the tokenized Treasury segment also dropped from $771 million at the end of last November, but it has moved back to an uptrend since February this year. As the broader crypto market recovers from the bear market, it seems that some people are pivoting to higher-yielding markets like DeFi lending and liquid restaking. User Profiles and Behaviors We’ve attempted to analyze the profiles and behaviors of RWA users to understand the underlying user demand. We observed that most RWA users are native to the cryptocurrency ecosystem, indicating that the early adopters did not come from traditional investment avenues. One of the facts that can demonstrate this observation is that the average creation date of RWA token holders’ wallet addresses predates the time when RWAs were tokenized on the blockchain. This means that the RWA userbase is a subgroup that evolved from the broader crypto community rather than a community that rose from influxes of traditional investors. RWA users often have a strong grasp of blockchain technology and many have entered DeFi long before RWAs become buzzed. We used the number of RWA token holders as a proxy to gauge RWA adoption. Both the number of RWA token holders and the unique interactions with RMA tokens have been on a continuous rise despite the recent drop in RWA protocols’ combined TVL. We believe this is a sign of the RWA sector’s increased awareness and positive expectations among investors. With a time-series analysis of the RWA holders’ wallet addresses, we’ve found that most of the addresses have been in use for a long time and have participated in various blockchain activities. This means that the RWA sector is largely participated by a healthy group of long-term crypto users. That said, we did notice growing participation from new wallet addresses as well. This probably means the RWA sector is gradually permeating into more traditional user groups as more traditional financial institutions, including Franklin Templeton and Wisdom Tree, embrace RWAs. RWAs are bridging the divide between crypto and traditional finance, but they also carry inherent risks and limitations from the real world. Most RWA interactions require checks from traditional financial systems, such as KYC/AML, credit checks, and minimum balance requirements. These prerequisites limit RWAs’ potential to extend financial inclusivity. Competitive Landscape We conducted an in-depth comparison of different projects in terms of market share, growth rates, pricing, and user experience to assess the competitive landscape. In the tokenized government bond sector, Franklin Templeton, leveraging its extensive accumulation and brand advantage in traditional finance, holds the largest market share. Ondo Finance and Matrixdock have different user demographics due to their different marketing strategies. Emerging companies like Hashnote and Superstate, while having smaller market shares, are experiencing rapid growth, demonstrating market vitality and diversity. With respect to pricing, different projects have different management fee rates, reflecting their strategies for market positioning and cost control. For example, Franklin Templeton and Ondo Finance have lower management fee rates, which help attract large institutional investors. On the other hand, Matrixdock and Maple Finance have relatively higher management fee rates, possibly to compensate for revenue pressures stemming from their smaller market shares. In terms of user experience, providing clear, intuitive, and user-friendly interfaces is crucial for attracting and retaining users due to the nature and complexity of tokenized government bond products. Additionally, with intensified market competition, enhancing service quality and customer support will become key differentiators for each project. To summarize, tokenized government bond projects are in a phase of rapid development, with significant differences among projects in market share, growth rate, pricing strategy, and user experience. Their prospects will be greatly influenced by the global economic environment, regulatory policies, and relevant technological innovations. To remain competitive, they need to continuously optimize their product features, enhance user experience, and adapt to evolving market and regulatory conditions. Major Players in Tokenized Government Bond Products Franklin Templeton Franklin Templeton is a US-based global asset manager with over $1.3 trillion in assets under management. As a traditional investment firm actively exploring the blockchain industry, Franklin Templeton has launched several blockchain-focused venture capital and equity funds in the past. Market Share: 48.6% Government Bond Product’s Market Value: $350,077,608 Management Fee: 0.15% Market Share Change in the Past Quarter: -5.51 percentage points Ondo Finance Ondo Finance launched three tokenized bond products by investing in multi-billion dollar, highly liquid, exchange-traded funds managed by the world’s preeminent bond managers, including BlackRock and Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO). They are the U.S. Government Bond Fund (OUSG), Short-Term Investment Grade Bond Fund (OSTB), and High-Yield Corporate Bond Fund (OHYG). Market Share: 17.01% Government Bond Product’s Market Value: $122,511,877 Management Fee: 0.15% Market Share Change in the Past Quarter: -6.69 percentage points Matrixdock Matrixdock is an on-chain treasury bond platform launched by Matrixport, a Singaporean asset management platform. STBT is Matrixdock’s first product, introducing a risk-free rate based on US government bonds. Market Share: 10.78% Government Bond Product’s Market Value: $77,674,902 Management Fee: 0.3% Market Share Change in the Past Quarter: -2.11 percentage points Backed Finance Backed is a Swiss start-up bridging real-world assets on-chain. The company has issued blB01, a tokenized short-term U.S. government bond ETF, on Coinbase’s Layer2 Base. Market Share: 6.73% Government Bond Product’s Market Value: $48,485,006 Management Fee: 0% Market Share Change in the Past Quarter: -0.4 percentage points Hashnote Hashnote is a regulated company under the oversight of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA). It is a fully regulated, institutional-grade DeFi asset management platform, offering comprehensive service support, zero counterparty risk, and customizable risk/reward strategies to consumers. Market Share: 5.92% Government Bond Product’s Market Value: $42,613,396 Management Fee: 0% Market Share Change in the Past Quarter: +0.2 percentage points Superstate Superstate is a blockchain-based asset-management firm. It raised $14 million in venture capital to develop regulated, on-chain funds that U.S. investors can access last November. In February 2024, it debuted its first tokenized U.S. Treasury fund offering on the Ethereum blockchain. Market Share: 4.16% Government Bond Product’s Market Value: $29,985,969 Management Fee: 0.15% Market Share Change in the Past Quarter: +4.16 percentage points Open Eden Open Eden is a crypto startup established in early 2022. It was co-founded by Jeremy Ng and Eugene Ng, Gemini’s ex-Asia-Pacific head and former Head of Business Development for the region. Market Share: 3.24% Government Bond Product’s Market Value: $23,328,886 Management Fee: 0% Market Share Change in the Past Quarter: -1.12 percentage points Maple Finance Maple Finance is an institutional capital marketplace that provides credit experts with tools to run an on-chain lending business connecting institutional lenders and borrowers. It has been a market leader in private credit. In April 2023, it introduced a new cash management pool allowing non-U.S. accredited investors and entities to participate directly in U.S. Treasury investments using USDC. Market Share: 1.45% Sovereign Debt Product Market Value: $10,428,616 Management Fee: 0.5% Market Share Change in the Past Quarter: -3.23 percentage points Predicting Future Developments We believe six trends will drive the development of the tokenized government bond segment of the RWA market. These trends will transform the market landscape and provide investors with new opportunities. The tokenized government bond segment will witness a deeper integration of on-chain technology with traditional financial assets. This trend will enable more efficient asset tokenization processes and more timely synchronization of on-chain and off-chain data, significantly improving the efficiency and transparency of transactions. This will, in turn, lead to faster and more trustworthy trading experiences for investors, potentially attracting more capital into the area. Deeper Integration of On-chain and Off-chain Mechanics With increased regulatory attention around digital assets, tokenized government bond projects will be forced to strengthen their compliance. We believe more blockchain-based compliance solutions, such as those using smart contracts for compliance checks, will emerge to meet increasingly stringent regulatory requirements. This will boost investor confidence and encourage more institutions to participate in this market. Increased Compliance with Advances in RegTech Solutions Advancements in cross-chain technologies will enable seamless interoperability of tokenized government bond products on various blockchain platforms, enhancing liquidity and accessibility across the entire market. This will provide investors with more choices and flexibility and reduce market risks. Additionally, increased cross-chain interoperability will promote the convergence of international markets, creating more global investment opportunities. Increased Cross-Chain Interoperability We expect projects to introduce more customized and personalized products to meet the specific needs of different investor groups. These products will include those that precisely target an investor’s risk preference and investment objectives, enabling them to achieve their financial goals better. This movement, in general, will allow investors to have a more diversified range of investment choices. More Customized and Personalized Products Projects are expected to place greater emphasis on transparency and security, leveraging blockchain technology’s traceability and tamper-proof nature to enhance investor trust and confidence. This will attract more risk-sensitive investors to participate in the market and help mitigate market manipulation risks. Enhanced Transparency and Security The application of artificial intelligence for market analysis and predictions, as well as the generation of automated investment strategies, will be a significant innovation direction for the Sovereign Debt RWA market in the future. With these innovative developments, investors will be better informed and empowered to seize market opportunities. Integration of Cutting-Edge Financial Technologies like AI Promising Project Types Based on the above understanding, we believe the following five types of projects will be worth paying attention to. Amid more and more stringent regulatory requirements, projects that have a high level of compliance and offer high transparency are more likely to gain favor in the market. These projects will be able to establish a trustworthy reputation and attract more investors. High Compliance Projects Projects that fully leverage cutting-edge technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and big data, particularly those capable of providing efficient trading and investment strategies, are poised to secure a place in the market. These projects will bring faster and smarter investment experiences. Technology-Driven Innovative Projects Projects that boast seamless interoperability across different blockchain platforms, especially those providing a broader selection of assets with optimized liquidity, will have a clear competitive advantage. Cross-Chain Compatible Projects Platforms that are easy to use and provide comprehensive customer support and educational resources will be more popular, especially among non-professional investors. User-Friendly Platforms Projects that excel in cost control and operational efficiency, such as those offering low management fees and highly automated services, will be able to win out in the competitive market. Low-Cost, High-Efficiency Solutions In conclusion, investors are more inclined to seek higher-yield investment opportunities under a hiking Federal Reserve. The growth of the RWA market indicates that despite macroeconomic pressures, its potential for high returns has attracted a significant amount of capital. With regulatory improvements and technological advancements, we expect the tokenized government bond market to continue to grow, especially given the increasing adoption of digital currencies like stablecoins and CBDCs. That said, tokenized government bond projects may face stricter regulatory requirements in the future, particularly in anti-money laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC). As the regulatory environment becomes more stable, these projects are expected to integrate more seamlessly into the traditional financial system while providing investors with new investment channels and risk management tools. To mitigate the inherent risks associated with RWA products, we believe tokenized government bond issuers should adopt decentralized governance decision-making mechanisms, such as the DAO framework used by many issuers in the private credit category. Such mechanisms enhance transparency, allow for better risk assessment and mitigation and also help ease regulatory compliance. Also published . here

The Status Quo and Six Trends in Tokenized Government Bonds: Analyzing the Current State and Future 

স্থিতাবস্থা এবং টোকেনাইজড সরকারি বন্ডের ছয়টি প্রবণতা: বর্তমান অবস্থা এবং ভবিষ্যত বিশ্লেষণ করা

Der Status Quo und sechs Trends bei tokenisierten Staatsanleihen: Analyse des aktuellen Zustands und der Zukunft

El status quo y seis tendencias en los bonos gubernamentales tokenizados: análisis del estado actual y el futuro

Le statu quo et six tendances des obligations d'État tokenisées : analyse de l'état actuel et futur

टोकनयुक्त सरकारी बांडों में यथास्थिति और छह रुझान: वर्तमान स्थिति और भविष्य का विश्लेषण

トークン化国債の現状と6つの傾向：現状と将来を分析する

토큰화된 국채의 현황과 6가지 동향: 현황과 미래 분석

O status quo e seis tendências em títulos governamentais tokenizados: analisando o estado atual e o futuro

Статус-кво и шесть тенденций в токенизированных государственных облигациях: анализ текущего состояния и будущего

Tokenleştirilmiş Devlet Tahvillerinde Statüko ve Altı Eğilim: Mevcut Durumun ve Geleceğin Analizi

Hiện trạng và sáu xu hướng về trái phiếu chính phủ được token hóa: Phân tích hiện trạng và tương lai

代币化政府债券的现状和六大趋势：分析现状和未来

The US dollar remains the world’s favorite reserve currency, but its dominance has come under unprecedented levels of scrutiny in recent times. Could USD be at risk of falling behind new rivals? And will this impact its status in the ? world of forex International trade and transactions historically revolve around the dollar, but recent geopolitical conflicts have made more nations wary about their dependence on US currency. “The risk of de-dollarization, which is a periodically recurrent theme throughout post-war history, has returned into focus due to geopolitical and geostrategic shifts,” , Strategic Research analyst at J.P. Morgan. warns Alexander Wise As more economic headwinds have lingered throughout 2022 and 2023 such as high inflation rates and subsequent Fed interest rate hikes, the dollar is not only becoming less trustworthy but more expensive to use. We’re already seeing de-dollarization in action in South America. July 2023 saw in paying for imports and exports using the Chinese renminbi. Bolivia join Brazil and Argentina In addition to this, a new gold rush has been taking place since the beginning of 2022 as nations consciously seek to move away from their heavy reliance on the dollar. According to , monetary authorities across several nations made net purchases of 387 metric tons of gold in the first half of 2023 alone, after buying a record-breaking 1,083 tons throughout 2022. data from State Street Global Advisors The move has occurred as more nations seek to diversify their assets in a bid to improve their balance sheets and gain liquidity without credit risk. De-Dollarization and FX In a nutshell, de-dollarization takes place when countries intend to reduce the influence of the dollar over their respective economies. Dollars have historically been favored as a reserve currency for many economies because it’s widely used and show relative strength in which to execute international trades and transactions efficiently. The issue here is that when economic headwinds begin to impact the strength of the dollar, countries can become interested in utilizing a new reserve currency. Finding a currency to replace the dollar can be hard work, and major alternatives have generally included the euro, yen, and British pound sterling. However, in recent years, China has ramped up the capabilities of its renminbi as an attractive reserve currency to the dollar. While we’ve seen widespread adoption among central banks, particularly in South America, the currency’s share of global reserves remains at . Despite this, the rise of renminbi reserves accounts for around a quarter of the decline in the distribution of the dollar, with Russia holding a third of all reserves in the Chinese currency. less than 2.5% While we’re also seeing de-dollarization lead to a rise in central bank holdings in gold, the impact of the movement across FX markets is becoming increasingly clear. "De-dollarization is evident in FX reserves where USD share has declined to a record as share in exports declined, but is still emerging in commodities," . claimed JPMorgan This has made the forex landscape a surprising geopolitical battleground where the US continues to fight to preserve the status of the dollar. While USD has begun to lose ground to gold due to rising central bank adoption, the currency still holds a strong 43% share of SWIFT payments, signifying its dominance. Battling the BRICs for USD Dominance Forex markets have shown that one of the biggest threats to the dollar comes in the form of the emerging BRIC nations of yesteryear. Now with many of the BRIC nations emerging as powerhouses in their own right, USD is facing fresh competition throughout the FX ecosystem. Brick alliances formed a catalyst for de-dollarization in early 2023 with some nations looking into abandoning the dollar for brokering global trades. Despite the dollar’s 43% share of SWIFT, is becoming more of a reality, with more nations considering the merits of abandoning USD. this BRIC initiative While there are forming with the dollar, we’re yet to see China’s push to compete with USD manifest itself on forex markets. tangible levels of distrust Recent USD/CNY trends have seen the trading pair move more sideways without either currency capable of breaking the deadlock. “As China has shown a stronger determination lately to defend the CNY and sentiment is already very weak, we have lowered our expectation of the pace of CNY weakening against the USD,” . explained a Danske Bank economist How can Forex Traders Anticipate De-Dollarization? Should forex traders be looking for de-dollarization? Is the strength of the dollar set to come under greater pressure in the coming months? Evidence suggests that no single successor will overpower USD, but the emergence of multiple alternatives may point to a fragmented landscape. This push for a more diverse network of reserve assets could significantly impact the forex landscape. Even assets like corporate debt, real estate, and alternative currencies could come into play when it comes to reserve asset blocks. "This is the process that is underway. The dollar is going to be used less in the global system,” , managing director of Toscafund Hong Kong. explains Mark Tinker While this will bring more uncertainty to the FX markets of tomorrow, the arrival of new reporting features from MetaQuotes designed for its flagship MetaTrader 5 terminal could help traders to more accurately that can illustrate the relative strength of the dollar against its rivals. observe the performance of key symbols The new reporting format, which was launched as part of a major update in September 2023, can help to provide traders with a more direct overview of specific pairs, their respective profit factors, and percentage-based performance over time. This ability to observe trends surrounding the performance of USD in a more holistic manner alongside external asset performance can help to more accurately adapt their strategy based on the climate surrounding de-dollarization. forex traders As economic headwinds and geopolitical frictions persist, the dollar may be facing an unprecedented level of uncertainty regarding its dominant status in FX. Traders should adapt to this changing environment by incorporating these factors into their fundamental analysis. Whether the push for de-dollarization is sustainable or not, we’re likely to see the battle for dominance played out throughout the world of forex.

Will De-dollarization Affect the USD’s FX Status?

ডি-ডলারাইজেশন কি USD এর FX স্থিতিকে প্রভাবিত করবে?

Wird sich die Entdollarisierung auf den Devisenstatus des USD auswirken?

¿La desdolarización afectará el estatus cambiario del dólar?

La dédollarisation affectera-t-elle le statut de change du dollar américain ?

क्या डी-डॉलरीकरण यूएसडी की एफएक्स स्थिति को प्रभावित करेगा?

脱ドル化は米ドルの為替状況に影響を与えるのでしょうか?

달러화 해제가 USD의 외환 상태에 영향을 미칠까요?

A desdolarização afetará o status cambial do dólar americano?

Повлияет ли дедолларизация на валютный статус доллара США?

Dolarsızlaştırma USD'nin Döviz Statüsünü Etkileyecek mi?

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The essence of LSDFi is to combine liquid staking with DeFi to provide users with more novel staking and lending opportunities. Building upon LSD, LSDFi constantly innovates and explores niche application areas. The current staking ratio of ETH is relatively low, significantly below the average level of other PoS chains. This indicates that the LSDFi (Liquidity Staking Derivative Finance) market still has tremendous growth potential, especially as the staking ratio increases and more institutional funds enter the market. The inflow of institutional funds not only enhances the market depth but also brings more confidence to the sector. It presents more opportunities for LSDFi projects and is set to drive market expansion and product innovation. Offering competitive yields is one of the key appeals of the LSDFi market. As a result, a yield war is constantly brewing among LSDFi protocols that aim to attract users with higher yield rates. Protocols like Pendle Finance and Lybra Finance have garnered widespread attention through their unique yield models and strategies. This competition drives continuous innovation in the LSDFi space, bringing new yield opportunities that are more efficient and sustainable. The Essence of LSDFi The essence of LSDFi is to combine liquid staking with DeFi to provide users with niche staking and lending opportunities. The development of LSDFi is driven by various factors, including staking ratio growth, infrastructure upgrades, re-staking mechanisms, institutional fund inflow, and yield competition. As LSDFi continues to evolve, we can expect the emergence of more attractive LSDFi products and protocols. Specifically, the current staking ratio of ETH is relatively low, indicating significant growth potential compared to other chains. As the staking ratio increases, the LSD market’s size will continue to expand, creating more opportunities for LSDFi’s development. Additionally, infrastructure upgrades will also have a positive influence on LSDFi. With technological advancements and improved infrastructure, LSDFi can efficiently facilitate staking and lending operations, providing a better user experience. Re-staking mechanisms are another crucial factor driving LSDFi’s development. By innovating re-staking mechanisms, LSDFi can incentivize more participants to reinvest their staked assets in the market, increasing liquidity and market activity. These mechanisms lower the barrier to staking while providing more yield opportunities, which will ultimately attract more users and funds into the LSDFi market. Competitive Landscape in the LSDFi Space The competition in the LSD market revolves around vying for ETH held by borrowers. Both centralized and decentralized market players are joining this competition with various staking and lending schemes to attract users and gain market shares. On the centralized side, LSD services provided by exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken enjoy high visibility. These institutions have established market shares and attracted a large number of users. They typically offer convenient interfaces and processes, appealing to less crypto-native users who prefer using centralized services. Decentralized players are also competitive. Projects such as Lido, Rocket Pool, Ankr, Frax Finance, Stader Labs, and StakeWise offer decentralized LSDFi solutions. These projects are decentralized in design and run on smart contacts, enabling them to offer enhanced security and trustworthiness while helping users achieve better returns. The LSDFi ecosystem also encompasses various projects in terms of business models, from protocols that use LSDs as collateral to mint stablecoins (such as Curve, Lybra Finance, Raft, and Prisma) to index protocols that issue tokens representing a basket of LSDs (such as Index Coop and unshETH), and protocols that offer automated yield strategies (such as Instadapp, Pendle, Flashstake, Swell, and Asymetrix). To quantify this competition, market shares and the Total Value Locked (TVL) are important metrics for assessing the competitiveness of various solutions. At present, the LSDFi market is pretty concentrated, with the top five players occupying over 80% of the overall TVL, meaning that a few projects hold significant influence. But, as time goes on and the sector further develops, new projects and innovative solutions are expected to continue to emerge, reshaping the competitive landscape. Prospects of the LSDFi Sector Regarding the prospects of LSDFi, there are several questions worth exploring, such as how the competitive landscape will evolve and how LSDFi should change to make fuller use of the staking mechanism to contribute to the long-term health of public blockchains while preventing systemic risks. To achieve the sustainable development of the LSDFi sector, the first step should be to design more simplified staking processes that could reduce the barriers to user participation and optimize user experience. Simple and friendly staking processes will attract more participants to the market, increasing overall liquidity. Meanwhile, it is also crucial to introduce security measures such as validator deposits, liquidity restrictions, and self-guarantees to effectively prevent malicious behavior and systemic risks. These security mechanisms will instill confidence in users, enhancing market stability and reliability. Furthermore, improving governance and consensus mechanisms is also key to the long-term healthy development of LSDFi. With robust governance and consensus mechanisms that properly balance the interests of all parties involved, the rights of stakers and validators can be protected, minimizing potential disputes. Thus, these mechanisms help provide a stable operating environment necessary for the LSDFi sector to grow in the long term. Based on the above understanding, we believe that future competition will focus on two areas: safe and reliable yield aggregators and innovative LSDFi reinvesting services. With advances in these areas, better safety, improved efficiency, and more value-adds will be on the table. We believe there will emerge aggregator protocols that can aggregate the best staking protocols and provide users with safer and more diversified yield options with the selection, aggregation, and coordination of various yield opportunities while lowering the potential systemic risks. They will become vital portals drawing more users and diversified sources of funds into the LSDFi space. More innovative reinvesting options will emerge to provide users with extra returns. With innovative SDKs, staked native coins can be converted to liquid staking derivatives without being unstaked first. Building on this, more reinvesting options will emerge, for example, venture DAOs or actively managed funds that employ quant investing strategies or provide exposure to pre-listing opportunities to LSDFi investors. These innovations will support the LSDFi market’s further growth. In summary, as an integral part of the public chain ecosystem, the LSDFi sector requires simplified staking processes, the introduction of security measures, and improved governance and consensus mechanisms to enable long-term health. Meanwhile, the sector will likely see reduced market concentration, thriving innovation, and attempts to achieve cross-chain interoperability. These trends will drive the continuous prosperity of the sector and bring a more friendly experience to users. Amid these trends, new opportunities will arise for all market participants as the competitive landscape changes.

The Status Quo and Future Prospects of LSDFi

There’s a saying in sports: the best team doesn’t always win. It usually is preceded by an all-time great regular season that has just crashed down to earth in the playoffs or a young upstart shocking everyone with an unexpected performance. Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers in history, put it this way: “The best team doesn’t always win the Champions League. You have to pay attention to all the small details. The strong teams are the ones that achieve their goals.” There are a lot of things that translate between the sports and business worlds. Competition is competition. But the more I think about this idea, the less I believe it. In my experience, the best teams always win in business. do I think it’s because building a company or innovating in a new space isn’t just a single game or season. While luck still exists, it is a much more insignificant part of entrepreneurship. An elite team will find a way to get there in the end. People, Government, and the Trust Principle I had the chance to sit down with to discuss his unique career that has taken him from manufacturing to tech to diplomacy and back. Keith Krach for the Success Story podcast He was for his work with the U.S. State Department, helping develop foreign economic policy and battling Chinese interference. nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize He reiterated this idea of building the best team. When he got to Washington, he immediately looked outside of the regular political sphere to fill his office. Instead, bright minds from Silicon Valley and elsewhere were brought in to make a more well-rounded group. “The company with the best people wins,” Keith told me, only furthering what I had already been thinking about lately. He even pointed out that while being nominated for a Nobel Prize was obviously an honor, it was his team that deserved the credit. Trust Over Power Discussing foreign policy and world economic power struggles is a bit out of my realm of expertise. But one thing that I found incredibly interesting was Keith’s creation of the “Trust Principle.” In his case, it was used by the U.S. government to establish better relations with Taiwan, help battle China’s attempt to monopolize 5G communication, and create a better telecommunication network between the biggest economic nations in the world. But there is an interesting entrepreneurial view of it too. Basically, the point is that we are more likely to do business with someone that we trust than someone exhibiting the most power. It focuses on: Integrity Accountability Reciprocity Transparency Respect In my view, this is the blueprint for team and network building. These five things should be the basis of all business connections, whether hiring an entry-level employee or partnering with a multinational corporation. Let’s get a little deeper into what each represents. Integrity Integrity is the foundation of trust in any relationship, be it personal or professional. In the business world, integrity means consistently adhering to a set of moral and ethical principles. It involves honesty, fairness, and the ability to make the right decisions, even when no one is watching. For a team or a network to function effectively, each member must exhibit strong integrity, as it fosters trust and confidence in their capabilities and actions. Accountability Accountability is the willingness to own one's actions, decisions, and consequences. In a team or business partnership, members must be responsible for their roles and deliver on commitments. This includes being answerable for any errors or shortcomings, learning from them, and taking corrective action where necessary. Accountability strengthens the trust between team members and associates, as it shows reliability and commitment to the organization's overall success. Reciprocity Reciprocity is the act of mutual exchange, where each party benefits from the relationship. In a business context, it means supporting each other’s goals and working together to achieve success. This may involve sharing resources, ideas, and knowledge. Reciprocity fosters trust by creating an environment where everyone feels valued and recognized for their contributions. By recognizing and appreciating Transparency Transparency involves open and honest communication, as well as the willingness to share information, both positive and negative, that might impact the team or partnership. Transparent decision-making and communication processes allow everyone to understand expectations, progress, and potential challenges clearly. Transparency fosters trust, eliminating hidden agendas and ensuring that all team members and partners are working toward the same vision and goals. Respect Respect is essential for building trust in any relationship, as it demonstrates recognition of each party's worth, value, and opinions. This means treating each team member and partner fairly, listening to their ideas and feedback, and acknowledging their contributions, regardless of their position or hierarchy. When people feel respected, they are more likely to trust their colleagues and collaborators, which in turn promotes a more collaborative and harmonious working environment. Spotting Paradigm Shifts While those five characteristics are an excellent start, I can’t help but add a sixth of my own: adaptability. Even that can be broken down further into two things that I think every high-performing team has: The ability to embrace change The ability to see change coming The first part is a lot easier than the second. You can foster growth in the company, supporting teammates as they take on new challenges, push their boundaries, and elevate their skill levels. But the second, predicting the need for change, is a whole other ballgame—just ask companies like Blockbuster, Kodak, or Borders. Monitor Technology Nothing is more important than staying ahead of the technological curve. That doesn’t mean you must necessarily incorporate every advancement into your business, but you better know what the rest of the market is doing. Every piece of content marketing right now has “leverage automation and AI” somewhere. The winners, those teams that always find themselves on top, aren’t following that advice—they’re the reason it exists. Innovate or die. Embrace Outliers If a smaller company in your industry deals with way bigger margins, gets far more engagement, or spends a ton less on marketing, don’t chalk it up to luck or good fortune. Find out what they’re doing, who is doing it, and why it is being done. Embrace and celebrate those outliers, as they could indicate the larger market trends. Track Policy True paradigm shifts usually follow (or are followed by) massive political change. Stay informed about upcoming legislation, policy changes, and other factors affecting your industry by regularly tracking the political and regulatory landscape. Don’t Change, Do the Changing “You cannot predict the future. But you can create it.” – Peter Drucker. The famous quote often misattributed to Abraham Lincoln, is especially poignant here. But it is so well known that you might have rolled your eyes just now. Instead, why don’t we circle back to the sports connection at the beginning of the article? How about: “The best defense is a good offense.” Well, it turns out that’s much older than the NFL teams that quote it all the time, too. But regardless, the idea is the same. You can’t always spot and adapt to industry shifts if you let other companies create them. If you drive that change yourself, you’ll constantly lead the charge instead of playing catch-up. Invest in innovation, professional development, and new technologies that might end up being useless. That’s what it means to be the best team, the best people, and the one that wins—again and again. Final Thoughts There is so much more meat on the bone to my interview with Keith. Whether you’re interested in politics or business, he deserves your ear. Check out the for our full discussion, which also goes into how he combined Silicon Valley sensibilities with governmental tools and resources. Success Story YouTube page Otherwise, go focus on your team! If you enjoyed this article, I’d love to hear from you. Write me at or at me , and I’ll do my best to get back to everyone! scott@scottdclary.com tweet @ScottDClary Also published . here

Challenging the Status Quo: Why The Best Team Always Wins

In a political landscape often filled with empty promises, one presidential candidate dares to defy the establishment and champion the cause of cryptocurrency and personal liberty. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in an exclusive interview with The New York Post, boldly declares his opposition to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), decrying them as tools of control and oppression. With fervent support for Bitcoin and a commitment to safeguard individual rights, Kennedy Jr. emerges as a beacon of hope for those seeking a leader unafraid to challenge the status quo. Delve into the thought-provoking insights shared by this unconventional candidate, as he calls out the SEC, warns of encroaching tyranny, and champions freedom of speech. On June 22nd, Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sat down for an and discussed various topics including Artificial Intelligence, Elon Musk, Bitcoin, and CBDCs. interview with Lydia Moynihan of The New York Post When asked about cryptocurrency, RFK Jr. boldly stated that he opposes central bank digital currencies because “they are instruments of control and oppression, and are certain to be abused.” Earlier this year, RFK Jr. also by claiming they “grease the slippery slope to financial slavery and political tyranny”. criticized CBDCs “I will make sure that we have policies that support bitcoin and the freedom to transact and that allow individuals to manage their own bitcoin wallets, nodes, and passwords. I will allow only the narrowest controls that are necessary to prevent money laundering.” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Last month, RFK Jr. made headlines when behind linking the SEC’s war on crypto to directly causing the multiple bank collapses we saw earlier this year. he threw support Ellen Brown and her article Clearly Kennedy Jr. has no problem making enemies with the SEC as he calls them out on their tyrannical behavior, in regards to cryptocurrency. “While cash transactions are anonymous, a CBDC will allow the government to surveil all our private financial affairs. The central bank will have the power to enforce dollar limits on our transactions restricting where you can send money, where you can spend it, and when money expires. A CBDC tied to digital ID and social credit score will allow the government to freeze your assets or limit your spending to approved vendors if you fail to comply with arbitrary diktats, i.e. vaccine mandates. The Fed will initially limit its CBDC to interbank transactions but we should not be blind to the obvious danger that this is the first step in banning and seizing bitcoin as the Treasury did with gold 90 years ago today in 1933. Watch as governments, which never let a good crisis go to waste, use Covid-19 and the banking crisis to usher in a new wave of CBDCs as a safe haven from germ-laden paper currencies or as protection against bank runs.” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. While discussing the potential ramifications of censorship, RFK Jr. claimed that he is a fan of Elon Musk because he “supports freedom of speech”. Further emphasizing his stance, the presidential candidate identified himself as a libertarian on matters of free expression, asserting that greater freedom fosters increased opportunities. I tend to stay away from all things related to politics, but it seems that crypto and politics are becoming more and more entwined as time goes on. Amidst this political landscape, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands out as a breath of fresh air amongst the sea of conventional politicians. His thoughtful and engaging discourse on these topics instills a sense of belief that he transcends the archetype of a typical politician, igniting hope that he may actually fulfill his promises if elected. However, this is hard to actually believe because it feels like a politician’s job is to promise the world and then deliver nothing. Ultimately, it is truly inspiring to see a presidential candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking a bold stand against central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), while also supporting Bitcoin and individual freedoms. What are your thoughts on this news? Do you have any opinions on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and any of his stances? If RFK Jr. is elected, do you believe actual changes would come about? Are there any other political figures you have noticed that are pro-crypto or anti-CBDC? Check out my Socials: https://linktr.ee/zerorequiem0x See ya! Also published . here

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