ChainCatcher news, recently, Hong Kong listed company Blueport Interactive (8267.HK) affiliated crypto research institution LK Venture announced that it has co-led an investment in the Bitcoin cross-chain bridge project XLink through the Bitcoin network ecological investment management fund BTC NEXT.XLink is a Bitcoin cross-chain bridge project developed by the AlexLabs team, aimed at connecting Bitcoin DeFi with the liquidity of Ethereum and other ecosystems, and providing liquidity aggregation for protocol assets based on the Bitcoin mainnet such as BRC20, ARC20, Runes, and Bitcoin Layer2 ecological assets. Since its launch on December 1, 2023, XLink's total trading volume has exceeded 60 million USD.

ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong listed company Blueport Interactive (8267.HK) affiliated crypto investment and research institution LK Venture announced that it has invested in the Bitcoin Layer2 scaling solution Merlin Chain through the Bitcoin network ecological investment management fund BTC NEXT.Merlin Chain is a Bitcoin Layer2 that integrates ZK-Rollup network, decentralized oracle network, and on-chain BTC anti-fraud module, dedicated to empowering native assets, protocols, and products on Bitcoin Layer1 through Layer2 network, making Bitcoin interesting again. Bitmap Tech is the parent company of Merlin Chain, with a total market value of over 500 million USD, and its BRC-420 "Blue Box" series has become one of the hottest assets on Ordinals.LK Venture founding partner Leo Deng stated that through the differentiated strategy of "first having the ecosystem, then having Layer2," Merlin Chain will bring the Bitcoin Layer1 assets represented by the Blue Box and the strong user community consensus of Bitmap holders into Bitcoin Layer2, endowing it with rich asset reserves and user base. We appreciate the efforts made by the team behind Merlin Chain, Bitmap Tech, in focusing on the Bitcoin ecosystem over the years, and look forward to the technological upgrades of Merlin Chain and the further expansion of its DApp ecosystem.

ChainCatcher News, recently, Hong Kong-listed company LanGao Interactive (8267.HK) affiliated with the crypto investment and research institution LK Venture announced that it has participated in the first round of financing for the Bitcoin DeFi infrastructure bitSmiley through the Bitcoin network ecological investment management fund BTC NEXT.It is reported that bitSmiley is a Bitcoin blockchain protocol based on the Fintegra framework, consisting of three main components: a decentralized over-collateralized stablecoin protocol; a local trustless lending protocol; and a derivatives protocol. These components together provide a comprehensive financial ecosystem on the Bitcoin blockchain, enhancing its functionality and practicality in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space.LK Venture stated that they are optimistic about bitSmiley's potential to innovate and change the Bitcoin DeFi landscape. Similar to the Bitcoin ecosystem's MakerDAO+Compound, bitSmiley will help users enjoy more DeFi financial services such as stablecoins, lending, and derivatives based on the Bitcoin ecosystem by providing comprehensive solutions for Bitcoin DeFi.In early November 2023, LK Venture launched the Bitcoin network ecological investment management fund BTC NEXT, with a scale of 15 million USD, focusing on investing in emerging crypto assets and projects within the Bitcoin network ecosystem. Currently, it has invested in projects such as UniSat, ALEX Labs, MAP Protocol, BiHelix, and other emerging assets in the Bitcoin ecosystem. LK Venture is also a founding member of BTC Security Lab.

ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong listed company Blueport Interactive's LK Venture announced on platform X that it has made a strategic investment in the Bitcoin RGB infrastructure BiHelix through the Bitcoin network ecological investment management fund BTC NEXT.

ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong listed company Blueport Interactive's LK Venture announced a comprehensive strategic partnership with Web3Labs, aimed at further strengthening investment and incubation in the Web3 field, and jointly promoting technological innovation and commercial applications in the industry.Through this collaboration, both parties will focus on areas such as the Bitcoin network ecosystem, the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and Web3, blockchain gaming, Ethereum Layer 2 applications, and emerging blockchain technology stacks. They will leverage LK Venture's experience in crypto investment and research, along with Web3Labs' expertise in incubating and accelerating innovative projects, to jointly develop and support innovative Web3 projects, striving to provide a more comprehensive development platform for global Web3 entrepreneurs.Next, LK Venture and Web3Labs will successively disclose cooperation plans regarding investment and incubation in the Web3 field, empowering the development of more high-quality innovative projects.Wang Feng, Chairman of Blueport Interactive and Founder of LK Venture, stated that Blueport Interactive is accelerating its layout in Web3 technology and applications. LK Venture will fully utilize its professional investment research advantages in the Web3 field to provide more resource support for innovative projects. We hope that through this collaboration with Web3Labs, we can bring new vitality and innovative opportunities to the development of the Web3 industry.Web3Labs CEO Huang Junlang expressed that they are pleased to collaborate with an industry-leading institution like LK Venture, which will greatly enhance their support for Web3 entrepreneurial projects in Hong Kong and globally, providing richer and higher-quality resources for innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors.

ChainCatcher news, recently, Hong Kong listed company LanGao Interactive (08267.HK) affiliated crypto investment and research institution LK Venture announced that it has made a strategic investment in the Bitcoin L2 infrastructure MAP Protocol through the Bitcoin network ecological investment management fund BTC NEXT.The MAP Protocol was established in 2019 and completed after 5 years of development. It is a Bitcoin L2 infrastructure focused on peer-to-peer cross-chain interoperability. By leveraging the security mechanisms of the Bitcoin network and the ZK-based Bitcoin light clients technology, the MAP Protocol Bitcoin L2 infrastructure not only ensures security guaranteed by the Bitcoin network but also allows assets and users from other public chains to interact seamlessly with the Bitcoin network. Currently, MAP Protocol has over 620,000 on-chain users, and its second-layer ecological applications are comprehensive, covering a complete range of Bitcoin L2 applications including project launches, asset trading, lending, cross-chain asset transfers, on-chain gaming, and NFTs.LK Venture partner Deng Peng stated: "With the approval of the Bitcoin spot ETF, we expect a significant increase in demand around the Bitcoin ecosystem. We are optimistic about MAP Protocol's leading technological foundation and its ability to build the Bitcoin L2 ecosystem, and we look forward to promoting more innovations in the Bitcoin ecosystem and DeFi applications through this collaboration."

ChainCatcher news, Bitcoin financial layer solution ALEX Labs has received a strategic investment from LK Venture under Blue Harbor Interactive through the Bitcoin network ecological investment management fund BTC NEXT, with the investment amount undisclosed.ALEX Labs, established in 2021, is a DeFi protocol built for Bitcoin and BRC-20 tokens, focusing on the next generation of Bitcoin users, innovators, and the broader ecosystem.

ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong listed company Blueport Interactive (08267.HK) under the crypto investment and research institution LK Venture announced a strategic investment in the one-stop DeFi service platform ALEX Lab through the Bitcoin network ecological investment management fund BTC NEXT.According to the crypto data platform RootData, ALEX Labs is a Bitcoin DeFi platform based on the Stacks blockchain. It has now become a DeFi protocol built on Bitcoin and BRC-20 tokens, focusing on the next generation of Bitcoin users, innovators, and the broader ecosystem.

ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong listed company Linekong Interactive will launch a seed fund for Bitcoin network ecological asset management, BTC NEXT, with a scale of $15 million. According to Wang Feng, the founder of Linekong Interactive and initiator of Element, this asset management fund will mainly participate in emerging crypto assets within the Bitcoin network ecosystem (including second layers like the Lightning Network), including but not limited to asset issuance protocols, trading markets, NFTs, and GameFi games.Linekong Interactive will further embrace Web3 and will highlight the brand empowerment of Hong Kong listed companies in the Web3 field, actively recommending the innovative value that can be realized based on the Bitcoin network ecosystem to the market. This year, Linekong Interactive has launched the LK Venture and NAGA one-stop Web3 gaming platform.

ChainCatcher news, Hong Kong listed company Blueport Interactive Group (08267.HK) announced the restructuring of [Consensus Lab](https://www.rootdata.com/zh/Investors/detail/Consensus Lab?k=Mjg0) and officially established LK Venture in Hong Kong, entering the Web3 industry and cryptocurrency investment market. LK Venture will set up primary and secondary market funds, and Blueport Interactive will jointly participate as cornerstone investors with multiple institutions.It is reported that Blueport Interactive founder [Wang Feng](https://www.rootdata.com/zh/member/detail/Fred Wang?k=MTMxNDc=) began laying out Web3 since 2018, owning crypto business entities such as Mars Finance, Consensus Lab, and the NFT trading market Crypto Elements. Established in 2017, Consensus Lab is a mainstream investment research institution focused on discovering and investing in global blockchain technology. (Source link）