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Tether’s stablecoin to be integrated into Bitcoin Lightning
Lightning Labs, the company behind Bitcoin layer 2 Lightning Network, is using the Taproot Assets protocol to integrate Tether’s USDT stablecoin.
Tether said it’s bringing its namesake stablecoin to Bitcoin through the layer 2 scaling service, the Lightning Network.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino and Lightning Labs CEO Elizabeth Stark announced the partnership on stage at the Bitcoin-focused Plan B conference in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Jan. 30.
Tether said in a blog post that Lightning Labs — the firm behind the Lightning Network — built the solution by leveraging the Taproot Assets protocol, which expanded the Bitcoin network’s functionality to support tokenized assets in 2022.
Tether is the largest stablecoin with a market cap of $139.4 billion, nearly three times more than its closest rival — Circle’s USD Coin at $53.1 billion, CoinGecko data shows. Read More
Sonic Now ‘Golden Standard’ of Layer-2s After Scaling Transactions to 16,000+ per Second, Says Andre Cronje
The newly rebranded layer-1 blockchain Sonic (S) is being called the “golden standard” of layer-2s (L2s) by Andre Cronje, the project’s co-founder.
Cronje claims on the social media platform X that Sonic, formerly known as Fantom, is the “only actual decentralized stage 3 L2.”
“No fee extraction, all submits 100% to ETH, no ‘centralized value extraction’. Decentralized sequencing. Decentralized bridges.
While the rest of the L2s continue to fake pretend to ‘decentralize’ (why would they when they get millions of fees per year?), we already did it.
Scaled transactions per second to 16,000+ on the L1. Decreased storage by 98% even on archival nodes. Scaled L1 and jumped to the ‘golden standard’ of L2. Not even mentioning FeeM, FeeSub, and Dynamic Fees.”
A South Korean computer scientist launched Fantom (FTM) in 2018. The project aimed to serve as a tool to aggregate smart contracts into decentralized applications (dApps). Read More
Cardano’s Plomin hard fork sets stage for full decentralized governance
Cardano is set to transition to a fully decentralized voting system thanks to its forthcoming major upgrade.
The Cardano blockchain will transition to a decentralized governance structure after the Plomin hard fork takes effect, the Cardano Foundation said in a Jan. 29 X post, writing:
“The Plomin hard fork takes effect, marking the transition to full decentralized governance. $Ada holders gain real voting power—on parameter changes, treasury withdrawals, hard forks, and the blockchain’s future.”
The upgrade will enable Cardano tokenholders to delegate voting power to delegated representatives who vote on governance actions, including protocol parameter changes, treasury withdrawals and hard fork initiations.
Hard forks require staking pool operators to upgrade their nodes and approve the upgrade with a 51% majority. As of Jan. 22, 78% of Cardano’s network nodes had upgraded to the new version, according to a Jan. 23 report from Emurgo — a voting member of Cardano’s Interim Constitutional Committee (ICC) that supported the hard fork. Read More
DeepSeek, explained: What it is and how it works
DeepSeek is an AI model (a chatbot) that functions similarly to ChatGPT, enabling users to perform tasks like coding, reasoning and mathematical problem-solving. It is powered by the R1 model, which boasts 670 billion parameters, making it the largest open-source large language model as of Jan. 28, 2025.
DeepSeek developed two models: v3 and R1. DeepSeek’s R1 model excels in reasoning by producing responses incrementally, mimicking human thought processes. This approach reduces memory usage, making it more cost-effective than many competitors. DeepSeek stands out among AI-powered chatbots for its cost-efficiency. It is said to have cost just $6 million to develop, a fraction of the $100-million-plus price tag for OpenAI’s GPT-4.
Methods employed by DeepSeek to create this model remain uncertain. DeepSeek’s founder reportedly stockpiled Nvidia A100 chips, which have been sanctioned for export to China since September 2022, for high-end use in his AI system. This cache, potentially exceeding 50,000 units, coupled with less advanced but more affordable H800 chips at the lower end, reportedly led to the development of a powerful but lower-cost AI model.
With the ability to work concurrently with a subset of the model’s parameters and a training cost that is a fraction of the investment made by industry giants, DeepSeek has stood out among competitors such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Grok AI and Claude AI.
DeepSeek R1 has made its code open-source, though it still keeps the training data proprietary. This transparency allows for verification of the company’s claims. Moreover, the model’s computational efficiency promises faster and more affordable AI research, opening doors for broader exploration. This accessibility may also facilitate deeper investigations into the mechanics of large language models (LLMs). Read More
Major Cardano Hard Fork Will Give ADA Holders a Say in Network's Future
Cardano's Plomin hard fork is set to go live late Wednesday, letting ADA token holders participate in network governance.
Cardano is changing via its Plomin hard fork Wednesday, with the aim of giving users of one of the world’s biggest blockchains more say on how the network runs.
The proof-of-stake network’s upgrade on Wednesday night will give those holding ADA “real voting power,” according to the Cardano Foundation, allowing them to weigh in on changes to the protocol and future upgrades.
Cardano is the blockchain network behind the ninth-biggest cryptocurrency by market cap, ADA. As a blockchain, it competes with the likes of Ethereum—which Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson helped create before departing the project—and allows developers to build smart contracts upon it.
Wednesday’s upgrade will be a “a milestone in blockchain governance,” the foundation said via X (formerly Twitter).
In the crypto world, hard forks sometimes occur when developers working on the network no longer agree on the best way to upgrade the network and break away to form a new project—usually creating a new coin in the process. Read More
The Significance Of Markethive Amidst The Crypto Renaissance
A profound economic transformation is on the horizon, driven by the transformative power of cryptocurrency and the decentralized technologies of Web 3. This seismic shift will be remembered as a pivotal moment in human history, rivaling the transformative impact of the original Renaissance. In the 15th century, groundbreaking innovations like ledgers and the printing press sparked the Renaissance and forever altered the course of global development. Similarly, the crypto renaissance is set to bring about positive changes in the global economy, offering a sense of optimism and reassurance.
This article highlights the correlation between the historical Renaissance, where populations were essentially freed from a life of serfdom, and the pervading crypto renaissance we see unfolding today. We also discuss the importance of Markethive’s position and how it aligns with this economic resurgence. Markethive, a decentralized platform, plays a crucial role in this revolution, enabling autonomy, financial sovereignty, and wealth distribution in a dynamic crypto-enabled ecosystem. It marks the creation of a renaissance within Markethive, positioning it as a key player in the crypto renaissance.
In medieval times, access to education was primarily reserved for the upper echelons of society. Fewer than one in twenty individuals received any kind of formal instruction, which frequently excluded basic literacy skills. However, the Renaissance era ushered in two groundbreaking technological advancements that would have a lasting impact on human history: the development of ledgers and the invention of the Gutenberg printing press. Read More
El Salvador rushes in new Bitcoin law to comply with IMF deal: Report
El Salvador’s Congress has reportedly swiftly approved legislation to amend its Bitcoin laws to comply with a deal struck with the International Monetary Fund to adjust its exposure to crypto.
The bill was ratified by the country’s Legislative Assembly just minutes after President Nayib Bukele sent it the legislation, Reuters reported on Jan. 29
El Salvador struck a $1.4 billion loan deal with the IMF in December, with the agency requiring the Bukele’s government to scale back its involvement in Bitcoin and make BTC optional and voluntary for private sector merchants.
The reform was passed with 55 votes in favor and only two against. Previously, it was a legal requirement for businesses to accept Bitcoin as payment.
Ruling party lawmaker Elisa Rosales said the amendment was needed to guarantee Bitcoin’s “permanence as legal tender” while facilitating its “practical implementation.”
El Salvador has continued its accumulation of Bitcoin, purchasing an additional 12 BTC for the country’s strategic reserves.
An El Salvador Bitcoin Office spokesperson told Cointelegraph last month that the country intends to keep buying Bitcoin, with plans to “intensify in 2025.”
“We have achieved not only the greatest rebrand in history, but we are now an actual case study for a winning country strategy,” the spokesperson said. Read More
South Dakota Seeks to Establish Bitcoin Reserve as More States Join the Trend
The state-level Bitcoin reserve push aligns with Trump’s pro-crypto stance, driving renewed interest for crypto in U.S. financial policy.
South Dakota is expected to begin debating a bill that seeks to add Bitcoin to its financial reserves, a move that would officially recognize the crypto as part of the state's assets.
“I am proud to say I will be bringing a bill in the South Dakota House that would create a strategic Bitcoin reserve,” Logan Manhart, South Dakota’s State Representative, wrote on X on Tuesday. “Now is one of the few chances government has at being proactive.”
A timeframe for when the bill would be introduced into the state’s House of Representatives was not provided. Decrypt has reached out to learn more about the timing and details of the bill.
The state-level push for Bitcoin reserves is closely tied to President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance, which has led to renewed interest in integrating Bitcoin into U.S. financial policy. Read More
Transforming NFTs into tools for real-world use: Here’s How
DeWiCats, an NFT project, uses DePIN to bring real-world utilities to NFTs, showing how digital collectibles can provide practical benefits.
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have captured the attention of enthusiasts, offering unique opportunities for ownership and creativity. However, NFT projects are often targets of widespread criticism for their limited real-world utility, shallow community engagement and perceptions as purely speculative assets. As the NFT ecosystem matures, the challenge lies in demonstrating their potential to deliver tangible value beyond the digital realm.
With Web3 advancing, projects are exploring ways to combine engaging digital art with practical applications. Integrating NFTs with decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePINs) can enable real-world use cases such as decentralized wireless systems and resource-sharing platforms, offering tangible value while fostering deeper community engagement and sustainable growth. Read More
Coinbase gains approval to expand service offering in Argentina
Crypto exchange Coinbase has received a green light from Argentina’s regulators to expand services in the country, where it has operated since 2019.
Argentina’s National Securities Commission (CNV) signed off on a virtual asset service provider (VASP) registration for Coinbase, allowing it to start offering several new services, including local payment methods in the Argentine peso, the exchange said in a Jan. 28 blog post.
Coinbase first introduced crypto-to-crypto conversions and trading in Argentina in April 2019. According to Coinbase, it can now operate within the country’s legal framework for virtual assets as it gradually rolls out more services over the coming months.
A Coinbase spokesperson told Cointelegraph the exchange previously didn’t have a license but “wasn’t working illegally” through its operations in the country.
“Coinbase couldn’t operate the way it will now. Previously, certain functionalities were offered within the legal framework, but now, with the license, it’ll be able to offer more products in pesos,” the spokesperson said.
It comes as Binance received the same VASP approval in Argentina last October, becoming registered as an official crypto service provider in the country. Read More
Utah House committee passes bill for state to buy crypto
A Utah House committee has passed a bill that would allow the state to invest a portion of public funds into crypto, with the measure now heading to the House for a vote.
The Utah House Economic Development Committee passed HB 230, the Blockchain and Digital Innovation Amendments, by an 8-1 vote on Jan. 28.
Utah Representative Jordan Teuscher proposed the bill on Jan. 21. It would give the state’s treasurer authority to allocate up to 5% of certain public funds to buy “qualifying digital assets,” such as those with a market capitalization over $500 billion or approved stablecoins.
The second substitute version of the original bill was updated on Jan. 28 with provisions for crypto mining zoning restrictions.
The bill will now head to the full House, where it will need majority approval both there and in the Senate before it is given to the governor to sign or veto. Read More
Disclaimer: These articles are provided for informational purposes only. They are not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other advice.
Featured Image Source: Pixabay
