Chart of the Week
Blast, a Layer-2 blockchain developed by the team behind NFT marketplace Blur, launched its mainnet. Following the launch, which allowed the unlocking of billions of staked cryptocurrencies, approximately 180,000 Blast users withdrew an initial amount of US$400 million from the network. Its TVL peaked at $2.7 billion on 29 February and dropped to $1.5 billion at the time of writing.
Blast stands out as an Ethereum Layer-2 solution that offers native yields for ETH and stablecoins to its users.
New Project Spotlight
NFT Collectibles
[Live] D10S – The Maradona Collection
Created with Hermit Crab, ‘D10S – The Maradona Collection’ is a portal back to Maradona’s era. The tribute collection features over 1,500 avatars, and each holder will receive exclusive access to exciting experiences. Plus, some lucky winners will also receive Maradona t-shirts, fileteado – a decorative style originating from Argentina – art pieces, and more.
[Upcoming] Verses of Forgotten Girls
A Crypto.com NFT veteran, CSLIM is a generative artist who creates new worlds with the help of AI. ‘Verses of Forgotten Girls’ tells the story of a girl living on Earth-92 in 4,202 AD. A fifth-generation immigrant from our Earth, she began having mysterious and vivid dreams about being other people. Collectors have the chance to win physical photobooks and bonus NFTs.
The following table shows selected top games by weekly volume in USD:
Gaming Token Performance
The total market cap for gaming tokens now stands at $33.34 billion, increasing by +12.79% from last week.
News Highlights
- Magic Eden, an NFT marketplace primarily on Solana, launched its marketplace on the Ethereum blockchain. It partnered with Yuga Labs to advocate for creators’ rights and ethical practices in the NFT space. It emphasises strict royalty protection measures to ensure regular income streams for artists. To celebrate its launch, Magic Eden is lowering royalty rates for the first 69 days.
- Circle announced a collaboration with Krafton, the team behind the popular game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), to introduce a create-to-earn gaming hub called ‘Overdare’ focused on NFTs and the metaverse. Overdare aims to revolutionise the creative landscape by allowing creators to earn USDC rewards through the integration of Circle’s Web3 wallets.
- Pudgy Penguins partnered with Unstoppable Domains to introduce exclusive ‘.pudgy’ domain names, allowing owners to establish a direct connection to their NFTs.
- Crypto gaming firm Gala Games announced the launch of GalaSwap, a decentralised exchange (DEX) built on its proprietary GalaChain network. Currently, the exchange supports trading between Ethereum-based tokens within the Gala ecosystem, with plans to expand to NFT trading in the future.
Recent Research Reports
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| AI Tokens | Restaking and EigenLayer: Recent Developments | Crypto ETFs |
| AI Tokens |
|---|---|
| Restaking and EigenLayer: Recent Developments |
| Crypto ETFs |
- AI Tokens: Exploring the AI token market through the lens of emergent decentralised AI solutions of today.
- Restaking and EigenLayer: Recent Developments: EigenLayer is seeing significant TVL growth and ecosystem developments. Multiple liquid restaking protocols have also emerged.
- Crypto ETFs: This report explores what crypto ETFs are, providing an overview of the current crypto ETF market and looking into how they work as investment vehicles. Plus, we explore their features, significance, advantages, and drawbacks.
Recent University Articles
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Intent-Centric Design for Blockchain: What It Is and Why Everyone Is Talking About It | What Is Ethereum’s EIP-4844 Update? How Proto-Danksharding Can Reduce Gas Fees | How to Calculate ROI for Crypto |
| Intent-Centric Design for Blockchain: What It Is and Why Everyone Is Talking About It |
|---|---|
| What Is Ethereum’s EIP-4844 Update? How Proto-Danksharding Can Reduce Gas Fees |
| How to Calculate ROI for Crypto |
- Intent-Centric Design for Blockchain: What It Is and Why Everyone Is Talking About It: Intent-centric systems allow users to delegate tasks to solvers, for efficiency, reduced transaction fees, and enhanced privacy.
- What Is Ethereum’s EIP-4844 Update? How Proto-Danksharding Can Reduce Gas Fees: Learn about Ethereum’s Cancun-Deneb upgrade, a major protocol update to reduce gas fees and enhance scalability through Proto-Danksharding.
- How to Calculate ROI for Crypto: What is crypto ROI? Learn how to calculate ROI for your crypto assets and use it as a tool to evaluate the performance of your investments.
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Authors
Research and Insights Team
Disclaimer
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