Hooked Protocol(HOOK)

Cathie Woods, the mastermind behind ARK Invest, recently shook the crypto world with her prediction that the upcoming Bitcoin “halving” will significantly redefine the crypto market. In the interview with Yassine Elmandjra, CEO of ARK Invest, Woods states, “The rate of supply growth is going to be cut in half to just under 1% per […]

Shiba Inu shook hands with the only boxer who has held world titles in four different decades.

Ripple shook hands with Uphold "to underpin and enhance its cross-border payments infrastructure."

A hook that enables Know Your Customer (KYC) verification on Uniswap V4 pools is fueling debates about DeFi's future.

The U.S. Treasury Department has finally unveiled its definition of a "broker" for the crypto industry, defining how crypto companies and investors will need to meet tax reporting obligations and answering a years-old question over whether decentralized finance platforms and miners will need to gather their users' personal data.

Prominent stablecoin issuer Circle announces the launch of its Web3 Programmable Wallets public beta version for developers on three blockchains. The First Product of Circle’s Web3 Services Line On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, global fintech company Circle, known for its USDC stablecoin, announced the launch of Programmable Wallets, the first product of the platform’s Web3 Services product line. The public beta version of Programmable Wallets is now available for businesses, developers, and builders. The product currently supports Ethereum, Polygon, and Avalanche networks, with other chains coming soon. Programmable Wallets allows developers to seamlessly integrate secure crypto wallets into any application, thus expediting the adoption of Web3 and blockchain technologies. “​​Programmable Wallets bridge the gap between today’s internet and blockchain networks by abstracting complexities such as private key security, blockchain node operations, transaction management, interoperability across blockchains, and many others to enable developers to iterate on applications faster,” reads the statement on the Circle’s website. One of Programmable Wallets’ key features is that it gives developers the freedom to customize the crypto wallet experience to best fit their use case. This helps greatly increase customer satisfaction because different types of apps (DeFi, games, e-commerce, etc.) will use their crypto wallet in different ways. Programmable Wallets offers a self-service, end-to-end solution, enabling developers to register, build, and implement their first wallets and transactions within minutes. The developer console provides all the necessary tools for debugging, launching, and scaling Web3 applications. According to the company’s press release, these are the core features of Programmable Wallets: User-controlled wallets: gives end-users full control of their assets; Developer-controlled wallets: allows developers manage assets on behalf of users; REST APIs manage both user-controlled and developer-controlled wallets; iOS and Android SDKs speed up development processes and facilitate wallet UI customization; Webhooks keep users updated on their incoming or outgoing transactions; Wallet operations dashboard enables developers to monitor transactions; Multiparty computation (MPC) is a built-in cryptographic security configuration; Blockchains Agnostic allows to build a wallet once and use it across different blockchains; Pay-as-you-grow provides a rebate on USDC usage, starting at $0.05/Monthly Active Wallet. Other features such as Gas Abstraction and Smart Contract Wallets should be rolled out shortly. Circle Expands the Range of Its Web3 Solutions Earlier this year, Circle launched a Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) to allow permissionless transfers of USDC natively across supported blockchains. A couple of months later, the platform announced the operationalization of its CCTP on Arbitrum, a Layer 2 scaling solution for the Ethereum network, with the aim to make the USDC transfers faster and more secure. “With USDC, CCTP, Programmable Wallets, and our broader Web3 Services offering, our goal is to make it easy for developers to rapidly build, deploy, and scale blockchain-powered apps for a variety of use cases, regardless of the blockchain network they choose to build on,” the Senior Director of Product Management at Circle, Gagan Mac, wrote in the statement. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Prominent stablecoin issuer Circle announces the launch of its Web3 Programmable Wallets public beta version for developers on three blockchains. The First Product of Circle’s Web3 Services Line On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, global fintech company Circle, known for its USDC stablecoin, announced the launch of Programmable Wallets, the first product of the platform’s Web3 Services product line. The public beta version of Programmable Wallets is now available for businesses, developers, and builders. The product currently supports Ethereum, Polygon, and Avalanche networks, with other chains coming soon. Programmable Wallets allows developers to seamlessly integrate secure crypto wallets into any application, thus expediting the adoption of Web3 and blockchain technologies. “​​Programmable Wallets bridge the gap between today’s internet and blockchain networks by abstracting complexities such as private key security, blockchain node operations, transaction management, interoperability across blockchains, and many others to enable developers to iterate on applications faster,” reads the statement on the Circle’s website. One of Programmable Wallets’ key features is that it gives developers the freedom to customize the crypto wallet experience to best fit their use case. This helps greatly increase customer satisfaction because different types of apps (DeFi, games, e-commerce, etc.) will use their crypto wallet in different ways. Programmable Wallets offers a self-service, end-to-end solution, enabling developers to register, build, and implement their first wallets and transactions within minutes. The developer console provides all the necessary tools for debugging, launching, and scaling Web3 applications. According to the company’s press release, these are the core features of Programmable Wallets: User-controlled wallets: gives end-users full control of their assets; Developer-controlled wallets: allows developers manage assets on behalf of users; REST APIs manage both user-controlled and developer-controlled wallets; iOS and Android SDKs speed up development processes and facilitate wallet UI customization; Webhooks keep users updated on their incoming or outgoing transactions; Wallet operations dashboard enables developers to monitor transactions; Multiparty computation (MPC) is a built-in cryptographic security configuration; Blockchains Agnostic allows to build a wallet once and use it across different blockchains; Pay-as-you-grow provides a rebate on USDC usage, starting at $0.05/Monthly Active Wallet. Other features such as Gas Abstraction and Smart Contract Wallets should be rolled out shortly. Circle Expands the Range of Its Web3 Solutions Earlier this year, Circle launched a Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) to allow permissionless transfers of USDC natively across supported blockchains. A couple of months later, the platform announced the operationalization of its CCTP on Arbitrum, a Layer 2 scaling solution for the Ethereum network, with the aim to make the USDC transfers faster and more secure. “With USDC, CCTP, Programmable Wallets, and our broader Web3 Services offering, our goal is to make it easy for developers to rapidly build, deploy, and scale blockchain-powered apps for a variety of use cases, regardless of the blockchain network they choose to build on,” the Senior Director of Product Management at Circle, Gagan Mac, wrote in the statement. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) began advertising roles to expand its cryptocurrency investigation team. The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is actively recruiting for senior roles to carry out cryptocurrency investigations. The NCA seeks to expand its task force on digital asset investigations and has posted four job opportunities on its website. The NCA appoints four senior investigators to join its Complex Financial Crime Team (CFTC) to assist with digital asset-related crimes. The CFTC “conducts high-end proactive illicit finance investigations,” and the newly advertised roles fall under the scope of its newly formed Digital Assets Team (DAT). The DAT will ensure “complex investigations into Blockchain-enabled crime are fully in compliance with the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (CPIA).” According to the NCA website, “It involves enquiries into criminal activity within virtual arenas, high end of high harm cryptocurrency and virtual assets fraud and money laundering offences carried out by significant organised crime groups and state actors.” The positions require individuals to work alongside and collaborate with CPS, investigators, intelligence and analysis staff to ensure disclosure requirements are accordingly dealt with. UK Sets Up Investigative Unit to Deal With Illicit Crypto-Related Activities Along with the need for a more comprehensive need for crypto regulation, so too does the market exist for teams and agencies to investigate crypto-related activities. The UK’s NCA established its digital asset team earlier this year due to the massive investor losses incurred by numerous scandals that shook the industry. The country’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) undertook a mission to shut down all illicit crypto ATM sites and successfully put an end to 26 locations in July. The UK has also made strides in crypto regulation. The UK Parliament passed a bill last month that could help authorities seize and freeze cryptocurrencies that have been used in criminal activities. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) began advertising roles to expand its cryptocurrency investigation team. The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is actively recruiting for senior roles to carry out cryptocurrency investigations. The NCA seeks to expand its task force on digital asset investigations and has posted four job opportunities on its website. The NCA appoints four senior investigators to join its Complex Financial Crime Team (CFTC) to assist with digital asset-related crimes. The CFTC “conducts high-end proactive illicit finance investigations,” and the newly advertised roles fall under the scope of its newly formed Digital Assets Team (DAT). The DAT will ensure “complex investigations into Blockchain-enabled crime are fully in compliance with the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (CPIA).” According to the NCA website, “It involves enquiries into criminal activity within virtual arenas, high end of high harm cryptocurrency and virtual assets fraud and money laundering offences carried out by significant organised crime groups and state actors.” The positions require individuals to work alongside and collaborate with CPS, investigators, intelligence and analysis staff to ensure disclosure requirements are accordingly dealt with. UK Sets Up Investigative Unit to Deal With Illicit Crypto-Related Activities Along with the need for a more comprehensive need for crypto regulation, so too does the market exist for teams and agencies to investigate crypto-related activities. The UK’s NCA established its digital asset team earlier this year due to the massive investor losses incurred by numerous scandals that shook the industry. The country’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) undertook a mission to shut down all illicit crypto ATM sites and successfully put an end to 26 locations in July. The UK has also made strides in crypto regulation. The UK Parliament passed a bill last month that could help authorities seize and freeze cryptocurrencies that have been used in criminal activities. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Hooked Protocol is a gamified on-ramp layer hosting learn-and-earn projects that also facilitates onboarding onto Web3. Find out about the Hooked ecosystem and how it works.

[Press Release – July 13th, 2023] BNB Chain’s Hackvolution is receiving support from COMBO, Google Cloud, CyberConnect, Hooked Protocol, and Ultiverse, as well as several world-leading universities for the upcoming hackathon The Hackathon aims to unleash the power of opBNB and Greenfield to transform developers into successful project founders BNB Chain, the world’s largest smart […]

Uniswap users can now start swapping their Avalanche tokens on the Uniswap website, as the decentralized exchange has now launched on the Avalanche network. Uniswap’s C-Chain Debut Leading decentralized exchange (DEX) and automated market maker (AMM), Uniswap, has made its debut on Avalanche C-Chain, marking another significant expansion of the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector on the Avalanche blockchain. Uniswap's move follows in the footsteps of other prominent DeFi platforms like Curve and Aave, who have already established a presence on Avalanche. This expansion was made possible through a governance proposal initiated by the University of Michigan's blockchain club, Michigan Blockchain. The proposal, aiming to promote a diverse and robust multi-chain future, received overwhelming support during the on-chain vote, with an impressive 95% majority in favor of the deployment. Ava Labs Head Welcomes Uniswap The integration of LayerZero, an interoperability protocol facilitating Avalanche's BTC.b, played a crucial role in enabling the deployment. LayerZero acts as a communication bridge between Ethereum and Avalanche, allowing for seamless cross-chain asset transfers and governance proposals. Expressing excitement about the integration, Luigi D'Onorio DeMeo, the Head of DeFi and Developer Relations at Ava Labs, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome battle-tested DeFi mainstay Uniswap to C-Chain, strengthening the competition between DEXes on Avalanche. The opportunity set for DEXes on Avalanche is huge. As new Subnets launch, more liquidity for DEXes like Uniswap will likely come to C-Chain. Furthermore, Avalanche Warp Messaging creates other unique opportunities for DEXes that aren’t possible on other EVM chains.” Leading DEX For Traders And Liquidity Providers Uniswap, originally launched on Ethereum in 2018, revolutionized the market with its innovative AMM model. By facilitating trades through liquidity pools, the platform offered traders and liquidity providers an efficient and indirect trading method. With over 139 million trades conducted and a trading volume exceeding $1.5 trillion, Uniswap remains a dominant force in the AMM space. The current iteration, known as V3, introduces concentrated liquidity, allowing liquidity providers to allocate their assets within specific price ranges. This feature empowers liquidity providers to customize their strategies for each pool, potentially generating higher fees. Uniswap's integration into Avalanche's ecosystem, alongside other pioneering Avalanche-native exchanges like Trader Joe, Dexalot, and DeltaPrime, further enriches the DEX options available to users. Uniswap V4 Uniswap's recent expansion onto the Avalanche blockchain aligns with its upcoming upgrade to version 4 (V4), a highly anticipated development that hinges on the Ethereum Cancun upgrade, which is expected to be deployed in September. According to a developer from Uniswap Labs, the V4 upgrade will grant users the ability to construct their own features, paving the way for endless possibilities. Among the notable advancements in V4 is the introduction of a novel smart contract variant known as "hooks." This feature empowers developers to create innovative solutions on top of Uniswap's liquidity pools, further expanding the platform's capabilities. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

The latest statement from the Uniswap Foundation has claimed that the launch of version 4 of the protocol depends on Ethereum’s upcoming Cancun upgrade. Cancun, Audit, Then V4 The Uniswap Foundation recently put forth an announcement elaborating its plans for the much-awaited Uniswap v4 protocol. Although the foundation’s Governance Lead, Erin Koen, has disclosed that the launch is scheduled for later this year, the fact is that a lot depends on the successful deployment of Ethereum’s upcoming Cancun upgrade, which is scheduled to go live around the end of September. Uniswap v4 will also require thorough auditing before it goes live, a process that can only start after Cancun and can take as long as one to four months. V4 To Reinvent Uniswap The v4 launch will bring forth a major reinvention for the Uniswap platform, which is already the largest decentralized exchange protocol. One of the most noteworthy changes that will be incorporated will be “hooks” or smart contracts that can enable additional customization of the protocol’s liquidity pools to create a more modular exchange structure through features like dynamic fees, on-chain limit orders, and tailored on-chain oracles. Another revolutionary feature that is to be incorporated with the v4 launch is a “flash accounting” system, which will reduce fees for liquidity providers and is being predicted to contribute significantly to gas savings. This mechanism leverages "transient storage," which will be activated by the proposed EIP-1153 change in Ethereum's protocol, set to be integrated during Cancun. Additionally, in contrast to the v3 model, which involved transferring assets into and out of pools after each swap, the new method will only transfer net balances. Roadmap For V4 For now, the next “protocol code frozen” stage will focus on incorporating the EIP-1153 into the protocol code for the next version. Ideally, the EIP-1153 will be successfully integrated into Etheruem’s Cancun upgrade, which will allow the Uniswap Foundation to roll out the v4 protocol. Koen has claimed that the foundation will not be rushing the process and instead take the necessary time to do due diligence and ensure the integrity of the Uniswap ecosystem and user safety. Therefore v4 launch will only go ahead after the necessary parameters are satisfied. The Ethereum community is eagerly anticipating the upcoming Cancun upgrade, fueling even more excitement for the potential advancements in the next version of Uniswap. This pivotal moment holds great significance for the DeFi space, as these developments have the potential to reshape the industry and reinvent decentralized exchanges. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

The largest decentralized cryptocurrency exchange Uniswap has unveiled plans for Uniswap v4, the next iteration of the hugely popular crypto platform. The exchange has also open-sourced the draft code, enabling the community to build on it. Uniswap v4 Uniswap v4 brings with it several customizable features. Furthermore, for the first time ever, Uniswap Labs, the entity behind the DeFi platform, is inviting community feedback on Uniswap v4 before its eventual public launch. Speaking about the upgrade, lead smart contract engineer at Uniswap Labs, Sara Reynolds, stated that the possibilities are endless and open-sourcing the source code could allow the community to “take it anywhere.” Uniswap noted in a blog post, “We’re thrilled to introduce our vision for Uniswap v4, which we believe will open up a world of possibilities for how liquidity is created and how tokens are traded on-chain. We are releasing the draft code now so that v4 can be built in public, with open feedback and meaningful community contribution.” According to Uniswap, the idea behind incorporating community feedback before the public launch of its latest iteration is to underscore the protocol’s dedication to decentralization. Decentralization is a key difference that separates traditional centralized exchanges (CEX), such as Coinbase and Binance, from decentralized exchanges, such as Uniswap. Both Coinbase and Binance are facing lawsuits filed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Expanding Its Capabilities Uniswap is widely known for popularizing AMMs (Automated Market Makers), which is a type of smart contract. Automated Market Makers facilitate trades between different cryptocurrencies without requiring any intermediaries. The protocol’s current v3 version debuted in 2021 on the Ethereum blockchain and made waves with the introduction of the above-mentioned Automated Market Makers, along with multiple fee tiers and on-chain price oracles. Currently, Uniswap v3 is the largest decentralized exchange in terms of trading volume and has processed over $1 trillion in transactions since its introduction, according to data from DeFiLlama. The v4 upgrade looks to expand the protocol’s coin-swapping capabilities, introducing a new type of smart contract called “hooks” and custom liquidity pools. Hayden Adams, Uniswap Labs CEO, described hooks as plugins that allow the customization of how pools, swaps, fees, and liquidity provider positions interact. This allows developers to expand on already existing liquidity pools. New Features And Performance Improvements Adams also stated that the new functionalities in v4 could pave the way for added features such as dynamic fees and on-chain limit orders. These features are typically available on traditional platforms but are more difficult to implement on blockchains that do not feature intermediaries or centralized order books. Adams also added that v4 would introduce several performance improvements and fee reductions. Anyone will be able to create pools thanks to Uniswap’s permissionless nature and facilitate the purchase and sale of crypto. Furthermore, the Uniswap Labs CEO added that network gas fees which are required to list new pools, will be reduced by 99% in v4. The protocol is also releasing its plans for Uniswap v4 to the public to gauge their feedback, although Adams stated that it could take several months for v4 to go public. “It’s really here as an initial implementation of this protocol and a vision for what it will be, but it’s not finished. There’s time for people to give feedback, time for people to find improvements and optimizations, time for people to also start preparing to build on top of it.” Moving Towards Increased Decentralization With community feedback, Uniswap is adopting an even more decentralized approach. This comes against the backdrop of stringent regulatory action by US regulators against centralized exchanges such as Binance and Coinbase, both of whom are facing lawsuits. Currently, it remains to be seen how the Securities and Exchange Commission could initiate action against decentralized exchanges such as Uniswap. However, it has clarified that it intends to increase its oversight of the decentralized finance ecosystem. Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Uniswap v4 features “hooks” that add much more customization to its liquidity pools.

The recent SEC allegations shook the crypto world, labeling Polygon and several other cryptos as securities. This regulatory scrutiny has led platforms like Robinhood to delist these tokens, including Polygon’s MATIC. With investor panic on the rise, MATIC’s value plummeted by nearly 30% on 10 June. Moreover, as more investors withdraw their tokens from various […]

The new version features “hooks” that will allow for more customized options, but it will not be implemented until more feedback is obtained from the community.

Bitcoin shook off the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) latest enforcement actions to climb back up to as high as $27,300.13 today, according to CoinGecko.

Earlier last week, Binance (BNB) bears had a stopover above a crucial level following a consistent roller coaster since late April. It recovered a bit and now resumes selling towards that level. Despite the relative calmness across the crypto space for some days now, the bears are not letting go off the hook as they […]

The plaintiff, a Texan woman, initially blamed Binance for losing $8 million in a pig butchering scam that began on Tinder.

Financial infrastructure firm Stripe has announced expanded access to its crypto on-ramp by introducing a new hosted option for Web3 companies, making it easier for US-based customers to purchase cryptocurrencies. The fintech firm has been actively expanding its initiatives in the crypto and Web3 space to provide better financial infrastructure for businesses and facilitate the adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain-enabled experiences. The fiat-to-crypto on-ramp service is designed to address the "cold start problem" faced by Web3 companies, which refers to the initial barrier faced by companies offering cryptocurrency and blockchain-enabled services when their customers do not have the required cryptocurrencies in their wallets to carry out transactions. Such an issue often arises because many potential users are unfamiliar with cryptocurrencies or do not possess any at the time they want to engage with Web3 services. Consequently, these users may find it challenging to start using the services, which in turn, hinders the adoption and growth of the Web3 ecosystem. The new hosted fiat-to-crypto on-ramp addresses this challenge by allowing customers to purchase cryptocurrencies at the exact moment they need them, streamlining the process of acquiring and using cryptocurrencies for Web3 services. This on-ramp allows U.S. customers to purchase crypto at the exact moment they need it, with two implementation options: an embeddable on-ramp that can be integrated into a website or app, and a Stripe-hosted on-ramp at crypto.link.com, available to all Web3 users. Stripe's on-ramp is designed to optimize conversion and authorization rates while ensuring compliance with KYC and regulatory requirements. The platform includes built-in fraud tools and identity verification to support companies in meeting these requirements. Stripe's infrastructure simplifies growth for businesses by enabling them to accept fiat globally, facilitate easy payouts with crypto (USDC), lower fraud, and ensure smooth onboarding. The company has partnered with various Web3 companies, including Brave, Safe, 1inch, and Lens Protocol, to integrate its fiat-to-crypto on-ramp, allowing them to focus on their core offerings while Stripe handles critical tasks. Guillaume Poncin, head of engineering for crypto at Stripe, stated that the on-ramp would handle various compliance-related tasks, such as conversion and authorization optimization, identity verification, and fraud prevention. Poncin claims that this will help customers use Web3 services quickly and safely by providing built-in fraud detection and identity verification tools have also been implemented to support companies in meeting Know Your Customer (KYC) and compliance requirements. The new fiat-to-crypto on-ramp offers a seamless and efficient solution for Web3 companies, allowing platforms to integrate for free while users cover the fees. With just a few lines of code, the on-ramp provides real-time quotes, automated KYC, and multi-chain support. It also features an embeddable widget that can be customized to match a company's brand. The on-ramp supports various payment methods, such as credit, debit, ACH, and Google Pay, and offers an array of cryptocurrencies like ETH, SOL, MATIC, BTC, and USDC on different networks. Notably, platforms have no fraud liability as Stripe handles all disputes and offers webhook generation for every status change within a session. Returning users may benefit from a 1-click checkout with Link, Stripe's consumer account infrastructure. This innovative solution is currently available in the US, excluding Hawaii, with certain limitations on specific currencies in New York and live mode only for MATIC, USDC (Solana), and USDC (Polygon). Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

Phantom Wallet CEO Brandon Millman argues airdrops may not be worth the hype and self-custody wallets are not off the hook regarding regulation.

A change to R&D tax rules means that a tech company could lose more than $1 million — but still be on the hook for hundreds of thousands in taxes.