The Latest in NFT News | Web3, Art, Gaming, Metaverse, Collectibles and More

Yesterday Fox News broke the scoop that Senator Cynthia Lummis has ben crafting a policy to make Bitcoin a U.S. strategic reserve asset.

They went on to say that it's possible she breaks the news at BTC Nashville this week, but her plans to go public are "in flux" and "could be delayed."

Apparently she hopes to share the news Saturday at the conference and then have Trump endorse it in his closing speech.

This comes after she teased "Big things are in store this week" on her X page, notably using the Bitcoin "B" in the text.

So it's not hard to speculate that something indeed is coming, and very likely at BTC Nashville.

Why It Matters

I've written about this a bit before, but to emphasize the importance:

The U.S. holds $579B worth of Gold.

They currently hold ~$13B of Bitcoin.

Using some basic back of the napkin math looking at market caps, Gold has a $16.2T mc and BTC has a $1.3T mc (8%).

If the U.S. worked up to 8% of its Gold holdings using this logic, they'd ramp up to $46B in BTC - a 250% increase.

And that's likely conservative.

It would also signal to other nation states the importance of BTC, and there's a scenario where countries would "race" to acquire BTC.

It's a bit of a hopium case, but feels very nonzero.

Regardless of future projections, if Lummis announces the policy this weekend then this BTC Nashville conference will go down as one of the most important in history.

Here's hoping it happens.

🚚 What else is happening in NFTs?

Here is the list of other notable headlines from the day in NFTs:

• Ethereum led NFT trading volume with $4.2M (-35%) on the day; Solana was next with $3.7M, and then BTC with $2.1M
• ETH NFT leaders were slightly red on the day; Pudgy even at 10.65 ETH, Milady -2% to 5.5, Azuki -2% to 3.86 and BAYC +1% at 9.35
• PX Quest and Midnight Breeze were notable top movers on the day, up 30-40%
• BTC NFT leaders were very red again; NodeMonkes -6% at 0.137 BTC, Puppets -9% at 0.103 BTC, Quantum Cats -1% at 0.285, OMB -2% at 0.204
• The Runes leaders were also red; DOG -2% at $385M mc, RSIC -5% at $69M mc, PUPS -1% at $49M
• Solana NFTs were red; Mad Lads -2% at 65 SOL, SMB Gen 2 -2% at 28, DeGods -4% at 14.5
• The Otherside Hub went live, allowing Project Dragon players to register their Yuga IDs
• Grant Yun announced a solo exhibition coming in Tokyo for his "Life In Japan" series
• Azuki created a "fully autonomous" AI Bobue to interact with community and audience members, in partnership with Join Hallway

💰 Token, Airdrop & Protocol Tracker

Here's a rundown of major token or airdrop news from the day:

🌎 Around Crypto and Web3

A few other Crypto and Web3 headlines that caught my eye:

• Crypto majors are very red this morning; BTC -3% at $64,200; ETH -9% at $3,173, SOL -5% at $168; over $250M in liquidations took place during the dip
• Memecoin majors are also red with DOGE -7%, PEPE -6%, WIF -4%, BONK -6%, MOG -18%
• Kamala Harris will not speak at this week's Bitcoin Nashville conference after rumors she was considering it
• Coinbase Asset Management is creating a tokenized money market fund, following BlackRock's US Treasuries fund which has already accumulated $500M in assets
• Caldera raised $15M to unify ETH rollups, led by Founders Fund

🚀 Memecoin Movers 

• $SCF (+370%, $20M market cap, SOL)
• $SELFIE (+150%, $30M market cap, SOL)
• $SNIBBU (+82%, $14M market cap, SOL) 
• $MUMU (+68%, $172M market cap, SOL)
• $BILL (+44%, $40M market cap, SOL)

📈 NFT Floor Price Increase (ETH)

• The Undead (300%, 3.6 ETH Floor)
• PX Quest (39%, 0.48 ETH)
• Midnight Breeze (28%, 0.09 ETH)
• Co-Museum (27%, 0.07 ETH)
• Pixl Pets (21%, 0.07 ETH)

🗓 Upcoming Mints and Events

Today is a busy day of mints, mostly focused in art.

Verse has 2 different drops, Emily Edelman has a drop and even Harto is back with a new group but dropping on ETH this time.

See the full list and dive in for more details with Swizzy's daily mint monitor. 

• RGBs (8:00 a.m. ET)
• kcdilla - breather (11:00 a.m. ET)
• artie galerie x Verse - Exhibition (12:00 p.m. ET)
• emily edelman - Covenant (12:00 p.m. ET)
• Harto x Expanded Art - Immutable Memories (12:00 p.m. ET)
• Bright Moments - True Colors (12:00 p.m. ET)

Enjoy this write-up and/or want to sponsor the Morning Minute? Follow along with me on Twitter @tyler_did_it or reach out via email to tyler.warner@luckytrader.com.

Yesterday Igloo, Inc (the Pudgy Penguins parent company) announced a raise of over $11M to develop Abstract chain.

The funding was led by Founders Fund (Peter Thiel's fund), along with 1kx, Everest Ventures Group and more.

Igloo plans to use the funds to build out Cube Labs, a new group which will oversee the development of Abstract.

What Is Abstract?

Luca and team took the opportunity yesterday to more formally introduce Abstract to the world.

In quick summary:

• What: Abstract is the new "blockchain for consumer crypto"
• Who: The teams behind Pudgy Penguins, Ethereum, Frame, and Kubernetes
• How: They plan to win consumer crypto via culture & community, along with dedicated brand & builder support
• Why: Builders will be incentivized via marketing support, connections to partners, tech assistance, proven mass distribution & other incentives
• Where: Abstract will use zksync tech stack and Eigen to provide cheap, fast & secure transactions

They will be launching the Abstract Builder incubator soon (form available now) for interested builders.

Luca commented on the vision: 

"Our vision is to change the dynamic of how users interact with blockchain technology and easily merge both the real and digital worlds."

A big vision indeed.

Why It Matters

We knew the Abstract chain had some heavy hitters behind it, with Luca and the Frame team involved.

And now we know they have heavy hitting investors behind them as well.

This team will have all the resources they need to build and market Abstract.

Builders will face a real choice now with respect to where to build consumer apps (existing L2s like Arb, new ones like Blast, or Abstract). And Abstract will be a sexy choice.

As for users - they are already ready to move on. And as soon as they can engage with Abstract apps, my bet is they will.

Abstract's future is bright...

🎢 ETH ETFs Debut

The price was a roller coaster, currently down 1% at $3,460 and bouncing between $3,400 and $3,500.

But overall, the ETH ETF debut was strong.

The net inflows were $107M on day 1, which included $484M of outflows from ETHE which were totally absorbed.

That's nearly 5% of ETHE holdings.

If the ETHE outflows continue at this pace, the main sell pressure will be gone in a month (similar to BTC ETFs) and then...up only time.

It was a strong start. Now let's see how today goes.

🚚 What else is happening in NFTs?

Here is the list of other notable headlines from the day in NFTs:

• Ethereum led NFT trading volume with $7.2M (+60%) on the day; Solana was next with $3.2M, and then BTC with $1.8M
• ETH NFT leaders were mixed on the day; Pudgy +1% at 10.65 ETH, Milady -1% to 5.6, Azuki -3% to 3.92 and BAYC -1% at 9.24
• Alpha Kongs Club (+100%) and Doodles Genesis Boxes (+70%) were notable top movers on the day
• BTC NFT leaders were mostly red; NodeMonkes -7% at 0.146 BTC, Puppets -10% at 0.113 BTC, Quantum Cats -1.5% at 0.295, OMB -2.5% at 0.21; Boldinals +15% to 0.16
• The Runes leaders were mixed; DOG -2% at $405M mc, RSIC even at $75M mc, PUPS even at $51M
• Solana NFTs were mixed; Mad Lads -2% at 66.5 SOL, SMB Gen 2 even at 28.6, Bando Kids +150% at 2.9
• Doodles introduced "Doodles TV," a direct-to-community media platform allowing artists and communities to "own" cultural moments, with their Super Pass launching on Base next week
• Garga and The Otherside dropped new teasers and info for the Project Dragon: Event 1 taking place this Saturday, including the need for a Yuga ID
• Forgotten Runiverse dropped a new trailer 
• Chimpers dropped their first ever Plushie toy Master Chimp, for sales for $29.99

💰 Token, Airdrop & Protocol Tracker

Here's a rundown of major token or airdrop news from the day:

🌎 Around Crypto and Web3

A few other Crypto and Web3 headlines that caught my eye:

• Crypto majors are mixed this morning; BTC -1% at $66,400; ETH -1 at $3,465, SOL +1% at $178
• Memecoin majors are mostly green with DOGE -1%, PEPE +4%, WIF +1%, BONK even, MOG -5%; MEW soars 15% to $750M
• Solana flipped ETH in 30 day DEX volume for the first time in history this past month
• Kamala Harris is now in talks with the BTC Nashville team to speak at the conference
• VanEck launched a promotional video for its ETH ETF featuring Pudgy Penguins

🚀 Memecoin Movers 

• $HARRIS (+150%, $12M market cap, ETH)
• $HARAMBE (+58%, $32M market cap, SOL)
• $KAMA (+47%, $34M market cap, SOL)
• $MANEKI (+23%, $105M market cap, SOL)
• $GIGA (+23%, $189M market cap, SOL) 

📈 NFT Floor Price Increase (ETH)

• Alpha Kongs Club (100%, 0.09 ETH Floor)
• Genesis Box (70%, 0.05 ETH)
• Mint ID (35%, 0.4 ETH)
• MightNet (25%, 0.2 ETH)
• CryptoPhunks (23%, 0.12 ETH)

🗓 Upcoming Mints and Events

Today is a busier day of mints.

Arthur Hayes is dropping a PFP on BTC called Airhead along with Oyl Wallet.

BTC Machine is back with Mr. Burnz and P1A is the meme card artist.

See the full list and dive in for more details with Swizzy's daily mint monitor. 

• Kaisar Network - Genesis NFT (8:00 a.m. ET)
• Arthur Hayes - Airhead (9:00 a.m. ET)
• Memes by 6529 (11:00 a.m. ET)
• BTC Machine - Mr. Burnz (12:00 p.m. ET)
• Floor - ICONS Series 4 Drop 1 (1:00 p.m. ET)

Enjoy this write-up and/or want to sponsor the Morning Minute? Follow along with me on Twitter @tyler_did_it or reach out via email to tyler.warner@luckytrader.com.

Base is enabling fault proofs on testnet, advancing toward "Stage 1 decentralization."

The Deets

• Fault Proofs: Now live on Base Sepolia testnet.
• Permissionless Proposals: Anyone can make claims about L2 state.
• Challenges Allowed: Faulty claims can be contested by anyone.
• Path to Mainnet: Testing on Sepolia prepares for secure mainnet implementation.

The Bulk

Base is committed to a decentralized future, and the recent activation of fault proofs on the Sepolia testnet marks a significant stride toward this goal. Fault proofs add to a chain's decentralization as they permit anyone to make or challenge claims about the state of the Layer 2 (L2) chain, shifting control away from centralized operators.

Traditionally, only centralized proposers could submit claims about an L2’s state to Ethereum. With fault proofs, this process becomes permissionless, allowing broader participation and enhancing transparency. Moreover, fault proofs enable anyone to challenge fraudulent claims, promoting accountability within the network.

This transition is part of Base's roadmap to reach Stage 1 decentralization, where fault proofs and a collaborative override mechanism ensure the integrity of the L2 state. While Stage 0 centralizes state verification with chain operators, Stage 1 decentralization introduces fault proofs to verify the chain state, reducing reliance on centralized parties.

🔜 What's Next?

Base will continue testing fault proofs on Sepolia, aiming for a secure mainnet launch. 

For more web3 and NFT news, visit the Lucky Trader newsfeed.

Abstract, a new blockchain spearheaded by the Pudgy Penguins parent compnay, hopes to dominate the consumer crypto space by integrating cutting-edge technology and robust community support.

The Deets

• Tech: Uses zk technology from zkSync and EigenDA for secure, fast transactions.
• Community: Focuses on building a strong onchain culture and community.
• Builders: Provides extensive support for developers through marketing, incentives, and technical assistance.
• Contributors: Team includes pioneers from Pudgy Penguins, Ethereum, Frame, and Kubernetes.

The Bulk

Abstract aims to be the go-to blockchain for consumer crypto, targeting billions of potential users. Leveraging zk technology from zkSync and EigenDA, it promises cheap, fast, and secure transactions, while benefiting from Ethereum's foundations. 

To support builders, Abstract plans to offer marketing assistance, user and builder incentives, partner connections, and technical support. This initiative will be spearheaded by the Abstract Builder Incubator, aimed at helping developers create products with mass appeal.

The Abstract team comprises contributors from successful projects like Pudgy Penguins, Ethereum, Frame, and Kubernetes. 

🎤 Platform Prose 

🔜 What's Next?

Abstract is gearing up for early participation through unique social mechanisms on Discord and Telegram. Interested individuals can join its Discord for more details and opportunities.

For more web3 and NFT news, visit the Lucky Trader newsfeed.

Doodles unveils Doodlesᵗᵛ, a token-gated platform for exclusive community-focused premieres of music, films, and digital artwork.

The Deets

• Exclusive Access: Token-gated platform offering early access to premieres.
• Community Engagement: Live chat features with artists and community.
• Unlimited Access: Extended access during the exclusivity window.
• Partnerships: Collaborating with Base for the launch of Super Pass (Season 1).

The Bulk

Doodles is expanding its reach into the digital media landscape with the launch of Doodlesᵗᵛ. This  platform aims to bridge the gap between artists and their communities, offering fans exclusive access to premieres of music, films, and digital artwork. The platform is token-gated, meaning only those with specific tokens can participate in these unique cultural moments.

At the core of Doodlesᵗᵛ is the ability to create, collect, and connect. Users can be the first to experience world premieres, engage in live chats with artists and fellow community members, and enjoy unlimited access to content during the exclusivity window. This creates a more intimate and engaging experience for fans and artists alike.

Next week, Doodles is partnering with Base to launch the Super Pass (Season 1), which unlocks early access to all Doodlesᵗᵛ premiere events. This includes highly anticipated releases like ‘Dullsville and the Doodleverse,’ official music videos from Doodles Records, and on-chain album artwork and film posters. Access to these premieres will require either a Super Pass, a Single Event Pass (coming soon), or owning a Doodles OG or Space Doodles token.

📊 By the Numbers

🔜 What's Next?

 Stay tuned for the launch of the Super Pass (Season 1) and get ready to immerse yourself in the exclusive world of Doodlesᵗᵛ.

Yesterday we got final confirmation that the ETH ETFs will launch today.

They're launching from mostly the same players:

• Franklin Templeton (EZET)
• Van Eck (ETHV)
• Bitwise (ETHW)
• ARK 21Shares (CETH)
• Fidelity (FETH)
• BlackRock iShares (ETHA)
• Invesco (QETH)
• Grayscale Eth Mini-Trust (ETH)

And BlackRock is already launching sales materials for its ETHA iShares ETF, stating "Ethereum's appeal lies in its decentralized nature and its potential to drive digital transformation in finance and other industries."

Interestingly, Grayscale's Ethereum Mini Trust will trade for ~$3/share, offering a much lower price point entry.

Market Impact and Predictions

ETH has been lagging BTC price action for seemingly the entire last year.

And Solana is up 280% against ETH this year.

So will the trends finally buck?

If we look at the BTC ETF early price action, it took a month to absorb the Grayscale outflows and for BTC to flip green again.

Then it marched up to new ATH in basically 1 month.

I'm expecting similar for ETH.

Some net outflows at the beginning, but major inflows across the rest of the year.

BlackRock has accumulated $19.5B of inflows into its BTC ETF product.

ETH seeing ~25% of that number feels like a safe bet, given BlackRock's tokenization plans and looking at market cap ratios.

Assuming the other players can drive any kind of inflows, it seems very feasible for ETH to see $100M/week in average inflows.

That's going to drive the price up.

It also seems bullish for ETH's memecoin leaders (PEPE, MOG) which are positioned to rise in line (and maybe outperform).

The other factor at play here is BTC also moving up during this time period. There are several bullish catalysts coming up, with potential rate cuts, the potential Trump presidency and BTC as a strategic reserve.

Rising BTC will pull up ETH, and then the ETFs cause even more tailwinds.

That leads to my final price targets for ETH for 2024 - $6,000 and a smashing new ATH.

Now let the games begin.

🚚 What else is happening in NFTs?

Here is the list of other notable headlines from the day in NFTs:

• Ethereum led NFT trading volume with $4.8M on the day; Solana was next with $4.1M, and then BTC with $3.3M
• ETH NFT leaders were  mostly green on the day; Pudgy +1% at 10.6 ETH, Milady +5% to 5.7, Remilio +5% to 1.7 and BAYC -1% at 9.34
• IreneDAO (+700%) and inbetweeners (+140%) were notable top movers on the day
• BTC NFT leaders were mostly red; NodeMonkes -7% at 0.156 BTC, Puppets -4% at 0.125 BTC, Quantum Cats +3% at 0.3
• Boldinals minted out and opened at a 0.2 BTC floor with several sales in the 0.2-0.25 BTC range, before falling to 0.144 BTC
• The Runes leaders were very red; DOG -11% at $420M mc, RSIC -4% at $75M mc, PUPS -11% at $51M
• Liquidium completed an $11M airdrop to holders of various Ordinals and to users of their platform, dropping LIQUIDIUM TOKEN runes ($33M mc)
• Solana NFTs were mostly red; Mad Lads -2% at 67 SOL, SMB Gen 2 -1% at 29, DeGods -1% at 15.6
• Azuki's Gold Skateboard, the one signed by Tony Hawk, will be available for co-ownership via Co-Museum starting on July 29

💰 Token, Airdrop & Protocol Tracker

Here's a rundown of major token or airdrop news from the day:

🌎 Around Crypto and Web3

A few other Crypto and Web3 headlines that caught my eye:

• Crypto majors are red this morning; BTC -1% at $66,700; ETH even at $3,495, SOL -2% at $176
• Memecoin majors are very red with DOGE -3%, PEPE -1%, WIF -9%, BONK -9%, MOG -10%
• BlackRock BTC ETF inflows came in at $523M yesterday
• CNBC ran a segment talking about the US holding Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset along with what would happen in that scenario
• NPC Labs announced a $21M raise led by Pantera

🚀 Memecoin Movers 

• $BLUE (+7700%, $17M market cap, SOL)
• $BODEN (+140%, $16M market cap, SOL)
• $SLERF(+33%, $148M market cap, SOL)
• $KAMA (+50%, $24M market cap, SOL)
• $HEHE (+65%, $30M market cap, SOL) 

📈 NFT Floor Price Increase (ETH)

• IreneDAO (770%, 0.19 ETH Floor)
• inbetweeners (140%, 0.1 ETH)
• Supreme Kong (44%, 0.44 ETH)
• Anonthology (30%, 0.05 ETH)
• Flyfish Club (25%, 0.85 ETH)

🗓 Upcoming Mints and Events

Today is a slower day of mints and events to start the week.

The highlight is definitely the ETH ETF launch this morning at market open (9:30 am ET).

Expect some fireworks, with impacts across the ETH NFT and memecoin ecosystem.

See the full list and dive in for more details with Swizzy's daily mint monitor. 

• Swords and Dungeons (8:00 a.m. ET)
• Travess Smalley x Feral File - CRAWL (12:00 p.m. ET)
• Connor Grasso - where one becomes many (12:00 p.m. ET)
• BTC Machine - Zbit Mint (12:00 p.m. ET)
• Bitcoin Cartoons (12:00 p.m. ET)

Enjoy this write-up and/or want to sponsor the Morning Minute? Follow along with me on Twitter @tyler_did_it or reach out via email to tyler.warner@luckytrader.com.

Animoca Brands' Mocaverse and the TON Foundation have partnered to implement an identity-based consumer network across their respective ecosystems.

The Deets

• Identity Integration: Moca ID and TON Society ID will enhance user interaction.
• Token Swap: MOCA Coin and Toncoin swapped to incentivize ecosystem growth.
• Developer Support: Co-branded hackathons and accelerators to empower developers.
• User Engagement: Joint efforts to onboard users through gaming, sports, and IP experiences.

The Bulk

Animoca Brands’ Mocaverse has announced a strategic partnership with MOCA Foundation and The Open Network (TON) Foundation to develop an identity and reputation-based consumer network. This collaboration includes a token swap agreement between MOCA Coin and Toncoin, valued at $20 million, to incentivize user engagement and ecosystem growth.

The partnership aims to integrate Moca ID, Mocaverse’s decentralized identifier, and TON Society ID to facilitate seamless user interaction across both ecosystems. These IDs will allow users to express their identities and values on-chain, promoting interoperability and engagement. The initiative will focus on cultural verticals like social casual gaming, sports, and intellectual property experiences to onboard and engage users.

Mocaverse and the foundations will also launch co-branded hackathons and an accelerator to support talented developers in both ecosystems. They will use their resources to facilitate user cross-pollination and engagement through the Realm Network SDK, integrated into the TON Blockchain, and the Telegram Mini App Platform.

🎤 Founder Feedback

🔜  What's Next?

Future initiatives include further development of the identity and reputation systems and exploration of additional areas for collaboration to drive ecosystem growth.

For more web3 and NFT news, visit the Lucky Trader newsfeed.

Yesterday, President Biden announced he would step down from the 2024 Presidential race via a letter shared to his Twitter page. 

He mentioned it was "in the best interest of [his] party and the country" for him to step down, and then he went on to endorse Kamala Harris as his replacement nomination.

The decision will likely have impacts to several sectors and markets, and crypto has already seen a major impact.

Crypto Market Impact

Crypto majors dipped briefly on the news, then rallied sharply.

• BTC briefly fell to $66,100 before running over $68,000 (now $67,300)
• ETH briefly fell to $3,430 then shot to $3,560 (now $3,490)
• SOL briefly fell to $172 then shot all the way to $184 (now $180)

Solana is clearly leading, up 19% on the week.

Likely due (at least in part) to its memes having a major weekend.

The PoliFi memes saw violent action after the announcement:

• KAMA +57% to $17M (hit $25M at peak)
• OBEMA +58% to $5.8M
• BODEN -58% to $6.5M
• tremp +8% to $46M
• TRUMP -4% to $311M

So KAMA was the big winner, the Trump coins were mostly even and BODEN seems ded.

Other Solana memes had a huge weekend as well:

• WIF +56% on the week to $2.80
• POPCAT reaching $1B
• MEW soaring 45% to $700M
• BILLY reaching $200M
• DMAGA running 10,000x in a single day to $70M+

And several others which saw massive gains. The Solana meme casino is fully back in business.

What's Next?

In politics, the market is pricing in Kamala only at 81% to be the Democratic Nominee.

So there is still some thought that an Open Convention race is still on the table, with talks of folks like Manchin throwing their hat in the ring. And Vivek mentioned he thinks its Michelle Obama (now 10%).

Then there's the market for who she'll pick as VP (if she wins). Roy Cooper is currently in the lead with 33% market share, then Josh Shapiro at 26% and Mark Kelly and Andy Beshear each with 15%.

As for broader crypto, here are the events to watch:

• Today: Mt. Gox started moving some new funds this morning in a sign of more of their $6B in holdings are about to move
• July 23: ETH ETFs to launch
• July 27: Trump speaks at BTC Nashville
• July 31: Next FOMC

This week especially is set up to be a huge one.

The ETFs are launching with some of the biggest tailwinds in months.

Trump is speaking at a BTC conference and expected (speculated on) to share a BTC strategic reserve policy.

And then next week, we are likely to hear about the potential of future rate cuts at FOMC.

Buckle up, the bull market is back on.

🚚 What else is happening in NFTs?

Here is the list of other notable headlines from the day in NFTs:

• Solana led NFT trading volume with $4.65M on the day; ETH was next with $4.55M, and then BTC with $2.4M
• ETH NFT leaders mostly chopped on the day; Pudgy +1% at 10.5 ETH, Milady -1% to 5.4, Azuki -2% to 4.1 and BAYC -1% at 9.34
• Valhalla and OCM were notable top movers on the day, jumping 40-50%
• BTC NFT leaders were mixed; NodeMonkes -2% at 0.168 BTC, Puppets +2% at 0.13 BTC, Quantum Cats -2% at 0.292; Based Angels jumped 22% to 0.01 BTC leading top movers
• The Runes leaders were mostly green; DOG +3% at $470M mc, RSIC -9% at $79M mc, PUPS +16% at $59M
• Solana NFTs were mostly red; Mad Lads -1% at 68 SOL, SMB Gen 2 -3% at 29, DeGods -6% at 16
• A Joe Pease 1/1 "Smoke Break" sold for 55 ETH, one of the biggest 1/1 sales in months
• ApeCoin DAO is voting on a proposal to launch an Ape-themed hotel in Bangkok

💰 Token, Airdrop & Protocol Tracker

Here's a rundown of major token or airdrop news from the day:

🌎 Around Crypto and Web3

A few other Crypto and Web3 headlines that caught my eye:

• Crypto majors are green this morning; BTC +1% at $67,300; ETH -0.3% at $3,490, SOL +4% at $180
• Memecoin majors are mostly green with DOGE +5%, PEPE +1%, WIF +11%, BONK +2%, MOG +4%; DMAGA soared 10,000x to $72M mc in a single day after Elon changed his PFP
• POPCAT became the latest memecoin to hit $1B, briefly reaching the number before dipping to $870M
• The ETH ETFs were formally confirmed by the CBOE to launch for trading on July 23 (tomorrow)
• Retail interest in Bitcoin has reportedly hit levels not seen since it was at $16,000
• Boyaa became the latest company to declare BTC on its balance sheet after a $100M buy
• Wintermute is in talks to raise with a valuation of ~$2B according to Bloomberg

🚀 Memecoin Movers 

• $DMAGA (+10,000%, $70M market cap, SOL)
• $ELON (+80%, $12M market cap, ETH)
• $BILL (+60%, $26M market cap, SOL)
• $KAMA (+50%, $16M market cap, SOL)
• $MEW (+45%, $707M market cap, SOL) 

📈 NFT Floor Price Increase (ETH)

• The Undead (180%, 0.95 ETH Floor)
• Sabotage (58%, 0.78 ETH)
• Valhalla (48%, 0.12 ETH)
• OnchainMonkey (41%, 0.88 ETH)
• Genuine Undead (25%, 0.07 ETH)

🗓 Upcoming Mints and Events

Today is a slower day of mints and events to start the week.

The highlight is Bold Leonidas's Boldinals drop on Bitcoin. With just 100 in supply and priced at 0.01 BTC, there will be big secondary demand for this one. And likely 3-5x+ potential for minters.

See the full list and dive in for more details with Swizzy's daily mint monitor. 

• Bold Leonidas - Boldinals (8:00 a.m. ET)
• Drifterz (10:00 a.m. ET)
• Memes by 6529 (11:00 a.m. ET)
• rudxane x Verse - Piezo (1:00 p.m. ET)

Enjoy this write-up and/or want to sponsor the Morning Minute? Follow along with me on Twitter @tyler_did_it or reach out via email to tyler.warner@luckytrader.com.

Shape, an upcoming L2, wants to become the home for creators in web3. 

The Deets

• Platform for Creators: Shape is a blockchain platform designed for creators to contribute to and shape digital culture.
• Gasback Rewards: Creators receive 80% of sequencer fees, incentivizing cultural impact.
• Inclusive Network: Open to all, with no gatekeepers or boardroom obligations.
• Powered by Optimism: Uses the Optimism Collective’s OP Stack for scalability and reliability.

The Bulk

Shape wants to empower creators to mold and influence digital culture on its L2 built on top of Ethereum. 

One of the standout features of Shape is Gasback, a system that rewards creators with 80% of sequencer fees. This initiative ensures that those who contribute to the platform’s cultural landscape are financially compensated, fostering a vibrant and sustainable creative economy.

Of the additional 20% of fees, 15% will go to the Optimism Collective and 5% to infrastructure and the Shape Foundation. 

Built on the robust infrastructure of the Optimism Collective’s OP Stack, Shape aims to be both scalable and reliable. 

🖼️ The Big Picture

Shape aims to represent a new paradigm in the digital economy, where culture and creativity are not only valued but also tangibly rewarded.

🔜 What's Next?

Follow @Shape_L2 on X for updates and creators can fill out the following form to get in touch with the Shape team. 

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Galaxy Digital announced the acquisition of CryptoManufaktur LLC, enhancing its blockchain infrastructure capabilities.

The Deets

• Strategic Acquisition: Galaxy acquires CryptoManufaktur LLC to bolster its blockchain infrastructure.
• Increased Staking Assets: Adds $1 billion in Ethereum assets under stake, raising Galaxy’s total to $3.3 billion.
• Team Expansion: CMF’s three-person engineering team, led by founder Thorsten Behrens, joins Galaxy.
• Enhanced Services: Strengthens Galaxy’s Oracle Data as a Service offering to clients.

The Bulk

Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd. (TSX: GLXY) announced the acquisition of CryptoManufaktur LLC (CMF), a blockchain node operator. The move will enhance Galaxy’s technical and infrastructural support for key projects, particularly within the Ethereum ecosystem.

CMF, founded in 2020 by Thorsten Behrens, has been a leading provider of secure Ethereum proof-of-stake (PoS) node deployment infrastructure. With this acquisition, Galaxy inherits approximately $1 billion in Ethereum assets under stake, bringing their total to $3.3 billion. This acquisition also expands Galaxy’s capacity to provide enterprise-grade technical expertise and support across various blockchain protocols.

The seasoned three-person engineering team from CMF, led by Thorsten Behrens, will join Galaxy’s Blockchain Infrastructure team. This team will continue to develop and support secure node deployment, initially focusing on Ethereum but also extending to other ecosystems such as Polygon and Optimism.

🎤 Founder Feedback 

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