Evening News | Starknet releases the latest roadmap; Optimism launches "Superchain Token List" feature
Kraken and Coinbase have collectively withdrawn 870,688 ETH from staking nodes; Visa will launch crypto products for public blockchain networks and stablecoin payments.Organizer: Biscuit, ChainCatcher
"What Important Events Happened in the Last 24 Hours"
1. Starknet Releases Roadmap, Aiming for Decentralization in 2024
According to official news, Starknet has published an article clarifying its goals and roadmap for 2023. Based on the roadmap, Starknet will primarily focus on enhancing network performance and UX in 2023, including improving network efficiency, reducing transaction costs, and implementing a fee market. Additionally, Starknet plans to focus on achieving decentralization in operations and decision-making by 2024. (Source link)
2. Optimism Launches "Superchain Token List" Feature to Simplify Token Bridging Process
According to the official blog, Ethereum Layer 2 solution Optimism announced the launch of the "Superchain Token List" feature, which will provide important continuity between these chains. This unified token list will simplify the process of bridging tokens between Ethereum and various OP chains, making token discovery and management easier. The workflow for this feature allows developers to create a PR (Pull Request) in the Superchain Token List's GitHub repository, where each token added to the list will be automatically validated based on the data provided by the requester.
In this process, Optimism will verify the on-chain information of the tokens and check whether the assets can be bridged using standard methods. The token creation and release process will also be automated. Once a token is merged into the token list repository, it will be immediately deployed to the Superchain Token List.
Previously reported, Optimism announced the establishment of a unified chain network called "Superchain," which can be seen as a "platform for chains," bringing together many originally isolated L2 chains into an interoperable and composable system, aiming to make launching L2 as simple as deploying smart contracts to Ethereum today. The collaboration with Coinbase regarding Base is also part of this plan. (Source link)
3. Whale Address Holding Nearly 80,000 BTC Activated After 12 Years of Silence, But No Transfers Initiated
Lookonchain monitoring data shows that three whales holding 8,199 BTC (worth $225 million) awakened within just five days. Meanwhile, a whale holding 79,957 BTC (worth $2.19 billion) also received a transfer; this address had been silent for 12 years, with the BTC received at a price of only $0.93.
It is reported that the address holding 79,957 BTC is marked as "Mt Gox Hacker" on the explorer, and it did not initiate any transfers. On April 24, it received four transfers of about $0.5, suspected to be a "dusting attack." (Source link)
4. Visa to Launch Crypto Products for Public Blockchain Networks and Stablecoin Payments
Visa's cryptocurrency head Cuy Sheffield announced a new cryptocurrency-related project being developed by the company on Twitter. Sheffield pointed out that Visa's upcoming crypto products aim to promote public blockchain networks and stablecoin payments.
According to a previous job posting by Visa, the company's crypto department is building next-generation products to facilitate digital commerce in everyday life. (Source link)
5. Base Testnet to Undergo First Hard Fork on April 28 to Enhance Security
Coinbase Layer 2 network Base will conduct its first hard fork "Regolith" on the Base testnet at 1:00 AM Beijing time on April 28, following the Optimism Regolith hard fork upgrade on March 17. This will enable changes to the timestamp-based configuration of the OP Stack's Rollup nodes and execution engine, aiming to make Base more secure and reliable. (Source link)
6. Ark Invest Purchases $8.6 Million in Coinbase Stock Yesterday
Cathie Wood's Ark Invest purchased nearly $8.6 million in Coinbase stock yesterday. Among them, the ARK Innovation ETF bought 122,083 shares of Coinbase, while the ARK Next Generation Internet ETF increased its holdings by 20,327 shares. Meanwhile, the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF purchased 14,633 shares.
According to ChainCatcher's morning report, Coinbase is suing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to compel the SEC to respond to its petition aimed at establishing specific rules for digital assets. (Source link)
7. Data: Kraken and Coinbase Withdraw a Total of 870,688 ETH, Accounting for 78.3% of Total Staked Withdrawals
According to Nansen data, Kraken and Coinbase are the top two institutions for principal withdrawals after the Ethereum Shanghai upgrade, with a total withdrawal of 870,688 ETH, accounting for 78.3% of total principal withdrawals (67.2% from Kraken and 11.1% from Coinbase).
Additionally, the third round of withdrawals occurred about 20 hours ago, with 61,608 ETH withdrawn and 63,009 ETH deposited. The total amount of locked ETH is currently 18,629,009 ETH. (Source link)
"What Exciting Articles Are Worth Reading in the Last 24 Hours"
1. "Dialogue with Multicoin: Layer 2 Cannot Scale Ethereum, Optimistic About Filecoin"
MultiCoin is very interested in the intersection of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, believing there are three major directions with opportunities, including providing token incentives for human feedback in reinforcement learning.
Additionally, MultiCoin remains skeptical about the mainstream narrative of Layer 2 scaling Ethereum, citing limitations in inheriting L1 security and the importance of speed and time sensitivity. Finally, MultiCoin expresses optimism about Filecoin.
2. "RWA, the Next Growth Engine for DeFi, or Just a Flash in the Pan?"
RWA (Real-World Assets), seen as the next growth engine for DeFi, is gaining momentum. According to crypto data platform Rootdata, there are nearly 50 projects in the RWA sector, with many innovative projects focused on lending and real estate. Notable investors in projects like Goldfinch, Centrifuge, and Maple Finance include a16z, Coinbase Ventures, and Distributed Capital.
3. "Analysis of the Upcoming Hong Kong Virtual Asset (VASP) Licensing Regime Effective June 1"
On December 7, 2022, the Hong Kong Legislative Council passed the latest amendments to the "2022 Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Ordinance" ("2022 Amendment Ordinance"). Once the VASP regime is officially implemented, all centralized virtual asset exchanges operating in Hong Kong or actively promoting their services to Hong Kong investors, regardless of whether they offer securities token trading services, will need to obtain a license from the SFC and be regulated by it.
U.S. regulatory agencies have recently taken frequent actions against the crypto industry, and Coinbase has taken the lead in suing, suggesting that the issue of regulatory clarity in the crypto industry has reached a critical point that must be addressed.
