ChainCatcher news, the smart contract wallet Argent has launched a Telegram Accelerator Program aimed at connecting Telegram users to Ethereum and Starknet. The application channel is currently open and will close on November 1st.The program aims to launch the next generation of mini-programs and will run for seven weeks, with all applications utilizing the Argent Telegram Wallet SDK and Starknet's L2 scaling solution. The official will fund up to 20 high-quality teams, with each team receiving $25,000 in initial funding, and subsequent funding of up to $1 million.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, decentralized GPU cloud computing provider Aethir has announced the launch of a $100 million Aethir Ecosystem Fund to accelerate innovation in artificial intelligence and gaming. The initiative includes the Aethir Catalyst program, aimed at providing high-performance GPU resources to startups and enterprises. The Aethir Catalyst program is the foundation of the fund, allocating $20 million in grants and subsidies to support over 100 projects.336 million ATH tokens will be distributed evenly between artificial intelligence and gaming projects to establish strategic partnerships and support innovation across various fields. The fund's allocation model is designed to reduce the computing costs for companies integrating artificial intelligence, machine learning, or high-demand gaming applications. In addition to grants, the fund also includes a subsidy program that can cover up to 35% of the costs for external GPU services, allowing businesses to access high-performance computing without upfront costs.

ChainCatcher news, the Bitcoin native Layer 2 project Bitlayer has announced the preliminary shortlist for the first phase of its Developer Acceleration Program (Booster Grants Program), with a total of 11 projects passing the preliminary selection and entering the final selection stage.The Bitlayer Acceleration Program is part of the developer airdrop initiative Ready Player One, primarily aimed at ecological projects that are planned or have been deployed to Bitlayer. Starting from September 12, 2024, the Bitlayer Foundation will select outstanding ecological projects from the registered projects each month, with a maximum allocation of ecological incentives valued at $1 million.Currently, Bitlayer has officially announced the list of projects that passed the preliminary selection in the first phase, covering multiple sub-tracks such as BTC-Fi, AI, and gaming, which are:RollDex: A Bitcoin native perpetual contract and derivatives trading platform within the Bitlayer ecosystem.bullishs: The first full-chain advertising gaming platform using seamless trading technology.Cygnus Finance: The first modular real yield layer that combines non-EVM systems with the EVM ecosystem.DeAgentAI: A decentralized artificial intelligence agent incentive protocol that allows users to create and deploy their own AI agents.Desyn: A decentralized asset management protocol that allows users to create and manage customized portfolios based on liquidity pools through smart contracts.Fun Worlds: A Web3 gaming empowerment platform aimed at building a DAO-governed Web3 value interaction platform.Jasper Vault: A decentralized options protocol designed to provide users with intuitive, simple, and secure options products.Trusta Labs: Building a Web3 authentication system that combines PoH, reputation, and credit infrastructure.Umoja: Provides algorithmic trading liquid staking tokens Smartcoins based on BTC, ETH, and SOL, using DeFi strategies to achieve specific risk returns.UXUY: The first self-custodial multi-chain wallet based on Telegram, now live and supporting third-party Bot connections.Xenobunny: A pioneer in on-chain gaming and guilds.

ChainCatcher news, according to DL News, Youssef Amrani, co-founder and general manager of Atom Accelerator DAO, was dismissed last week, with the core issue of controversy being the planned performance bonuses. On September 25, the employees of Atom Cooperative unanimously voted to remove general manager Youssef Amrani, with September 30 being his last day in the organization.Atom Accelerator co-founder Ryan Orr refused to continue leading the organization and suggested either dissolving it or finding someone "willing to drive the community update plan" to take over. Communications head Syed Choudhury stated he would leave by the end of this year, and CFO Patricia Mizuki also announced her departure.It is reported that Atom Accelerator has distributed millions of dollars in funding to support the Cosmos cryptocurrency, and the organization was founded by Amrani and Orr in 2023, with a small number of employees mostly funded by Cosmos Hub.

According to ChainCatcher news, BoostVC, Draper Associates, and Thesis have launched the BitcoinFi accelerator program, aimed at "supporting founders to bring the next wave of innovation to Bitcoin."The program encourages applications across three core areas: infrastructure, DeFi, and SocialFi. Participants can receive $150,000 in initial funding in exchange for 5% equity, and have the opportunity to secure follow-on investments from a network of investors.The accelerator is currently open for applications, with a deadline of October 23. There will be two selection phases, and the final winners will be announced on November 1. The first batch of courses will start on November 4 and continue until December 13.

ChainCatcher news, BNB Chain's ecological liquidity market THENA recently announced that it has received strategic funding from BNB Chain. The funds will be used to accelerate THENA's SocialFi trading platform and the innovation of THENA ARENA.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, due to the Federal Reserve's decision to cut the federal funds rate by 50 basis points a week ago, the debate over whether this rate cut represents a normalization of overly tight monetary policy aimed at curbing inflation or a preparation for an impending economic downturn has intensified.Risk assets, including Bitcoin and altcoins, rebounded after the Federal Reserve's decision, indicating that the market views this rate cut as a normalization measure. Some analysts predict that once Bitcoin breaks through the resistance level of $65,200, it will accelerate its rise.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the Hong Kong-based stablecoin issuer First Digital Trust stated that Hong Kong should accelerate its regulation in the digital asset space to avoid falling behind in the rapidly evolving industry. Although Hong Kong is committed to becoming a global cryptocurrency hub, currently, there are only two virtual asset trading platforms, Hash Blockchain and OSL Digital Securities, that hold full licenses, while many other exchanges are still waiting for comprehensive operating licenses.First Digital CEO Vincent Chok stated in an interview that it is understandable for Hong Kong to adopt a more conservative and slow approach to trading regulation, as it prioritizes investor protection. However, he pointed out that he hopes to see regulatory acceleration to ensure that the region does not lag behind the pace of industry development. First Digital Trust believes that Hong Kong is not yet ready to regulate dollar-backed stablecoins, while Dubai has taken a more global approach. Chok expressed anticipation for Hong Kong to introduce regulations for dollar-backed stablecoins in the near future.Additionally, Chok does not believe that banks will be eager to provide digital asset custody services, as it exceeds their risk tolerance. Many companies have already established trust structures to offer cryptocurrency custody services.

ChainCatcher news, the blockchain data protocol CARV has announced the launch of a $50 million accelerator program, CARV Labs, to fund a decentralized data ecosystem.In addition to direct financial support, CARV Labs will also provide marketing and growth support, tokenomics advisory services, community building, and priority infrastructure and tool support from CARV network partners.Currently, the program has received investments from blockchain venture capital funds such as HashKey Capital and Consensys. Additionally, the first project incubated by CARV Labs, BANANA, built on the TON ecosystem, has attracted over 8 million users, with more than 1 million daily active users.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Polygon Labs and Fabric Cryptography have launched custom ZK chips to accelerate the development of AggLayer.It is reported that Polygon Labs is currently collaborating with the crypto hardware manufacturer Fabric Cryptography to introduce its Verifiable Processing Unit (VPU) into the AggLayer ecosystem. AggLayer is an interoperability layer currently being developed by Polygon Labs and other core contributors, aimed at facilitating unified liquidity and security across the entire chain network.

ChainCatcher news, a16z Crypto announced the 21 selected companies for the 2024 Fall Crypto Startup Accelerator (CSX) program. The companies cover various aspects of the crypto tech stack, including AI, DeFi, infrastructure, as well as consumer applications like photo sharing and maps. The 21 selected companies include:Anera Labs: Building infrastructure to unify all on-chain liquidity;Banyan: Bridging communication gaps at work using AI to bring clarity to enterprises;Blocksense: Supporting the creation of oracles that leverage internet data and CPU/GPU computation;Cork Protocol: A risk pricing protocol that accelerates on-chain credit;Dot: Transforming user-generated pixel art into game elements for on-chain games;Fermah: Building a universal zero-knowledge proof generation layer;Future Primitive: Creating a new home for internet photo enthusiasts;Kuzco: LLM inference marketplace;MeshMap: Building a 3D map of the world and an AR content network;Opacity Labs: Private verification of web2 data through zkTLS;OpenGradient: Building a blockchain designed to bring world computation on-chain;PIN AI is building an open personal AI platform (data + agents);Pod: A new L1 primitive, leaderless and blockless, relaxing the concept of transaction total order;Sekai: Easily create, share, and monetize interactive narratives;Skyfire: An open payment protocol that enables AI agents to pay for anything;Suave: Enabling DApps to accept any token from any wallet on any blockchain;t1: Real-time proof generation, unifying Ethereum;TACEO: MPC cryptographic computing for Web3;Term Labs: A DeFi lending platform matching fixed-rate borrowers and lenders;vlayer labs: Trustworthy verifiable data infrastructure powered by zero-knowledge proofs;zkSpin: Building a highly parallel blockchain to run high-demand DApps on-chain;a16z CSX will invest at least $500,000 in each selected company. The program will take place in New York City over an 8-week training period, where selected companies will gain firsthand experience from top crypto founders, receive guidance and support from the a16z crypto investment and operations team, and connect with other companies and the broader a16z network.

ChainCatcher news, RWA (Real World Assets - tokenization) is becoming a new trend for cross-border financing for enterprises. Recently, the A-share listed company Langxin Group collaborated with Ant Group to complete the first domestic RWA based on new energy physical assets in Hong Kong, with an amount of approximately 100 million RMB. This is also one of the four tokenization-themed cases in the progress of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's sandbox project. Globally, several international financial institutions, including BlackRock, JPMorgan, and Citibank, have made their first moves in the RWA field, and the entry of giant companies has opened up more imaginative space for RWA. Yu Jianing, co-chairman of the Blockchain Special Committee of the China Communications Industry Association, told reporters that Langxin Group's successful case demonstrates the enormous potential of RWA tokenization in practical applications and provides a demonstration effect for other mainland enterprises to explore similar paths.

ChainCatcher news, TON Accelerator announces the launch of TON:Acc, a new incubation program aimed at supporting startups building on TON.In the first batch of projects for TON:Acc, TON Ventures will select five projects to provide up to $2.5 million in investment to accelerate their development. Over the next three months, these projects will receive support, funding, and expertise to help them develop their business from an idea to a viable product.TON Ventures also plans to launch the TON:Acc Portal ecosystem incubation platform, providing validation, acceleration programs, and mentorship opportunities for early-stage projects.

ChainCatcher news, at the 2024 Korea Blockchain Week, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin stated that artificial intelligence and prediction market technology could accelerate the creation of community notes on the social media platform X. Community notes are a feature on X that allows the community to add contextual information to potentially misleading posts. Contributors can leave "notes" on posts, and if enough contributors find the note useful, it will be publicly displayed below the post.Buterin added that any delay in providing contextual information for posts through community notes is "too much." However, the Ethereum co-founder believes that the solution may be found in prediction markets. Whenever a post is published, there could be a question to determine whether it is worth the community's attention. Buterin said that people could use large language models (LLMs) and bots to place small bets in this prediction market.

ChainCatcher news, Ledn CEO Adam Reeds, a company providing Bitcoin lending services, stated that Bitcoin-backed loans can significantly accelerate the flow of money and capital. Reeds explained that many Bitcoin holders are reluctant to sell BTC for liquidity, and traditional financial institutions typically do not accept Bitcoin as collateral, which leads to ineffective utilization of Bitcoin assets. By taking out loans with Bitcoin as collateral, holders can obtain fiat liquidity for business, consumption, real estate, or purchasing more BTC. Reeds noted that Bitcoin loans are efficient, allowing borrowers to secure financing within days, which is a significant advantage compared to the weeks or months processing time of traditional financial institutions. Furthermore, Reeds believes that the risk of using Bitcoin as collateral is lower than that of real estate or stock loans, as there is no GAAP risk. He also pointed out that Bitcoin-backed loans help address the issue of inadequate banking infrastructure in some regions, particularly in high-inflation countries like Argentina and Nigeria, providing fair financing opportunities for these areas.