GM Digest #495 — We are Back!

Good Morning with Valuable Alpha / News

Gm gm,

In today’s gm digest, we focus on the latest developments shaping Web3 and AI. From new mainnet launches to major protocol upgrades and strategic partnerships, these updates highlight the progress being made to improve usability, scalability, and integration across the space.

Projects like Sophon and Ink are making blockchain adoption more seamless, Sahara and Masa are advancing AI ecosystems, and collaborations like Usual and Ethena are bringing TradFi and DeFi closer together. Here’s a closer look at what’s driving innovation this week.

Sophon Mainnet

• @sophon Mainnet has launched, focusing on intuitive, user-friendly crypto adoption with features like automated account creation, gasless transactions, and instant finality

• The $SOPH token is live in a non-transferable state to cover network fees initially, with full transferability expected in Q1 2025. Node rewards will start accruing on Jan 1

• Additionally, Phase 2 of its farming program begins with the mainnet launch as well

Sahara AI Testnet & Points

• @SaharaLabsAI has launched the testnet phase of its Data Services Platform, enabling users to contribute knowledge and earn rewards while supporting AI development

• Contributors are onboarded to participate in tasks across industries like gaming, sciences, and trading, earning Sahara Points that help create datasets for training AI models

• Season 1 focuses on data contributors, with plans to onboard AI developers in future phases for model development and dataset access

• Whitelisted users can begin participating, while others can join the waitlist for Season 2

Eigen Slashing

• @eigenlayer is introducing slashing, a protocol upgrade to enforce cryptoeconomic commitments

• The upgrade includes Unique Stake Allocation, allowing operators to isolate risks by assigning specific portions of their stake to individual AVSs, and Operator Sets, enabling AVSs to organize operators into groups with custom slashing conditions and tasks

• Slashing penalizes operator faults while rewarding performance, creating cryptoeconomic guarantees for AVSs and fostering trust among users

• Slashing went live on the Holesky testnet on December 19, 2024, with a mainnet launch expected in Q1 2025

BUIDL in DeFi

• @usualmoney, @ethena_labs, and the tokenized BlackRock digital fund (BUIDL) are partnering up to improve liquidity, yield, and composability

• BUIDL provides institutional-grade liquidity, Usual introduces an RWA-backed stablecoin (USD0) tied to on-chain T-bills, and Ethena offers high-yield delta-neutral strategies through its synthetic dollar protocol

• This collaboration bridges TradFi and DeFi, enabling USD0 to unify RWA liquidity and boost yield with integrated assets like sUSDe

dTRINITY Live

• @dTRINITY_DeFi has launched its stablecoin lending protocol on Fraxtal L2, featuring dUSD, a stablecoin backed 1:1 by on-chain collateral including USDC, FRAX, and DAI

• Borrowers of dUSD on dLEND receive interest rebates funded by reserve earnings, lowering borrowing costs and potentially resulting in negative interest rates at low utilization levels

• Initially live on Fraxtal, dTRINITY plans to expand to Ethereum and other blockchains

Beets 2.0

• Beethoven X is transitioning to @beets_fi 2.0 as Fantom evolves into the @SonicLabs ecosystem

• The migration introduces new features aligned with Sonic's scalable infrastructure, including advanced liquid staking tools, optimized tokenomics, and liquidity solutions like Boosted Pools via Balancer v3

• BEETS will serve as the hub for liquid staking tokens (LSTs), integrating staking, liquidity provision, and lending under one platform

• The migration also includes a rebranding effort and technical upgrades to improve user experience and governance

Paradex Token

• @tradeparadex is launching its native token, $DIME. Their platform combines exchange, asset management, and borrow/lend functionalities

• The Paradex platform offers a unified trading experience with features like multi-strategy asset management vaults, a synthetic yield-bearing dollar (XUSD), and integrated money markets

• $DIME will serve as the ecosystem's gas token and provide utility in trading fees, staking, and governance

• Additionally, a community Airdrop will distribute 20% of the supply to active users

• Paradex operates as an Layer 2, utilizing zk-STARKs

Masa x Virtuals Protocol

• @getmasafi announced their strategic partnership with @virtuals_io. Masa’s real time social data will now power the next generation of sentient AI agents in the Virtuals ecosystem

• This partnership allow AI agents on Virtuals Protocol to become more sentient, self-improving and competitive. Agents who have access to real time social data will be able to read and respond to current events, trends and social conversations, adapt dynamically to live user input and cues and evolve at a rapid pace

• Additionally, this partnership introduces Tao Cat, a Bittensor native agent built with Bittensor Subnet 19's Large-Languague Model, powered by Masa’s Bittensor Subnet 42's real-time data. Tao Cat is a Tao maxi who spends her days championing $TAO while delivering roasts across CT

Introducing Panoptic Mainnet

• @Panoptic_xyz is an on-chain permissionless options protocol revolutionizing trading and liquidity provision. The team announced the launch of their mainnet

• With Panoptic live on Ethereum, traders are able to trade perps and options, LPs (passive or active) are able to earn yield and tokens are able to launch by bootstrapping liquidity from the lending markets

• Additionally, the team also announced that points are live and users are able to earn pips on their deposits and trades

Ink Live

• @krakenfx's L2 @inkonchain has launched it’s mainnet as part of the Optimism Superchain ahead of schedule

• Ink focuses on Ethereum-based security, scalability through Optimism, and interoperability via SuperchainERC20

• Permissionless fault proofs are planned for January 2025 as part of its move toward stage 1 decentralization

Introducing Valhalla

• @valhallaperps has launched as the first fully on-chain perpetuals exchange, built on @megaeth_labs’ MegaETH

• It offers access to more markets, yield-bearing collateral, faster listings, and new financial strategies by leveraging on-chain composability

• Traditional exchanges' limitations are addressed by integrating perpetuals with DeFi, enabling features like funding rate farming and using positions as collateral

• Currently they have a waitlist active that anyone can join

Ethena x WLFI

• @ethena_labs has submitted a governance proposal that seeks to introduce $sUSDe as an eligible collateral asset for the @worldlibertyfi Aave v3 instance, pending its approval and launch

• This integration aims to leverage $sUSDe's popularity, which has driven significant growth in Aave Core and Lido instances, increasing stablecoin utilization and supply rates

• Incentives will include Ethena's rewards program and $WLFI token rewards

Ozean x Polytrade

• Ozean, a blockchain platform for Real-World Asset (RWA) yields launched by @ClearpoolFin, has partnered with @Polytrade_fin, a major RWA marketplace, to bring $4.5 billion worth of RWAs to its mainnet

• Polytrade aggregates 95% of public chain RWAs, covering over 7,000 assets from 70+ issuers across nine categories

• This partnership will allow Polytrade to integrate its marketplace into Ozean’s ecosystem, enabling asset discovery, trading, lending, and DeFi integration on Ethereum Layer 2 as part of the Optimism Superchain

• Additionally, the collaboration will support primary RWA launches and serve Ozean’s WaveMaker accelerator

Introducing the DataDEX

• @withvana introduced the @VanaDataDex, a decentralized exchange powering the open data economy on the Vana network

• The DataDex features:

⇢ Data tokens from DataDAOs on Vana

⇢ Concentrated and full-range liquidity

⇢ Near-instant finality & low fees

⇢ Pre-audited smart contracts

• For DataDAOs, DataDex offers essential infrastructure for their tokens allowing communities to effectively coordinate around unique datasets and collectively owned AI models

Introducing the DPP

• The Decentralized Parlay Platform (DPP), powered by @SmooviePhone ($SP), enables crypto-based betting with any token and turns parlay bets into tradeable NFTs

• Built on Arbitrum Stylus, the platform offers compounded payouts for correct multi-game bets

• Users can "Be the Bank" by depositing tokens into a rewards pool to share profits when bets fail

• They also have kAia, an AI betting assistant, that resolves bets, provides live support, manages data for fair odds, and handles marketing updates on X

sBTC Live on Stacks

• sBTC is now live on the @Stacks Mainnet, enabling Bitcoin to be programmable and accessible for DeFi while maintaining trust

• In its first phase, sBTC has a 1:1 Bitcoin backing, a 1,000 BTC liquidity cap, and offers up to ~5% annual rewards paid every two weeks

• Withdrawals and increased caps are planned for Q1 2025

Aura on Base

• @auraonchain launched on Base on Dec 16. It allows users to create AI agents by connecting their X accounts, using public profile data for training

• These agents can be interacted with through "Souls," an in-app key system for trading and unlocking Auras

• As more Souls are purchased, their price increases on a bonding curve. Future interactions will include the use of $AURA

Perena on Solana

• @Perena__ is launching on Solana to provide liquidity for stablecoins by creating on-chain swap pools similar to Curve's 3pool on Ethereum

• It enables stablecoin holders to trade between assets and earn yield by lending into the pools

• The project aims to support the growing prominence of stablecoins as a medium of exchange and store of value. Perena also plans to introduce a CDP-based stablecoin, backed by other stablecoins, to create more resilient "synthetic money" akin to MakerDAO's DAI

Misc News

• @inkonchain announced that Ink is live on mainnet