🌑 BitMEX sent 1 BTC to the moon On January 8, 2024, cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX announced the launch of a Vulcan rocket to the moon. On its board is a cryptocurrency wallet in the form of a physical coin with an access key containing 1 BTC. The spacecraft is expected to land on the moon on February 23, 2024. Exchange officials said the mission demonstrates the potential of bitcoin and blockchain technology to create a "borderless financial system beyond Earth."

🍬 Flamingo Swap integration and voting management added to nDapp.org The nDapp.org platform, dedicated to the discovery of Neo dApps, has recently added new features aimed at facilitating user interaction within the Neo ecosystem. These updates include the integration of Flamingo Finance for token swaps, and advanced tools for NEO holders to manage their votes.

🚀 Swell's liquid staking protocol sees over $125 million of inflows in December Liquid staking protocol Swell has seen its total value locked double this month to 108,000 ether worth about $245 million. Since the start of December, Swell has recorded nearly $125 million in ETH deposits, elevating it to the fourth-largest liquid staking protocol. It currently ranks behind leading protocols such as Lido with 9 million ETH, Rocket Pool with 846,000 ETH, and Frax with 236,000 ETH, according to Dune data aggregated by Dragonfly analyst Hildobby. The surge in Swell inflows coincides with its team announcing "Pearl" rewards in the form of points for users who mint its liquid staking token, swETH, and also "restake" it on the EigenLayer platform.

🟥 Taiwan authorities announced a ban on betting on cryptocurrency sweepstakes Polymarket Taiwanese authorities said that as the presidential election scheduled for January 13, 2024 approaches, more and more of the country's citizens are getting involved in betting games organized by DeFi platform Polymarket. Taiwanese residents are using Polymarket's decentralized prediction platform to bet on the outcome of the vote. Engaging in such gambling, officials said, is strictly prohibited in Taiwan and violates provisions of election laws. Officials reminded that the consequences of violating the law can carry up to six months in jail or a fine of more than $3,000.

🔥 Ethereum L2 Protocol Blast Sets New TVL Record above $900M Blast’s growth in TVL is indicative of most institutional investors’ bullish stance for Ethereum and the DeFi market. In a breakthrough moment for Layer 2 (L2) scaling solution, Blast Network, a new record has been set, surpassing a Total Value Locked (TVL) of over $900 million. Data from DefiLlama, a leading authority in monitoring and analyzing Decentralized Finance (DeFi) trends, revealed Blast’s contact address, launched by Blur founder Pacman, has about $928.35 million TVL. This achievement marks a significant stride in the evolution of Layer 2 technologies, highlighting the growing importance and adoption of solutions that aim to enhance the scalability and efficiency of blockchain networks.