SO WHAT?

SO WHAT?

The rise, fall and recovery of Solana—the original alternative to Ethereum

This week we begin a new series looking at Solana, a blockchain firm that might just be the most interesting company in Web3. That’s a bold statement to make but there’s so much about Solana that captures the rollercoaster-like nature of Web3 over the last few years. From

SO WHAT?

Airdrops: How free crypto tokens could change the future of marketing

GM, Can you imagine earning $7,000 for owning a JPEG? Ok, we’re exaggerating a little but that’s roughly what happened when a new Web3 platform called Dymension launched earlier this month. The project gave $7,000-worth of its newly-minted token to holders of some NFT collections, including

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Stablecoins: The essential but controversial bridge between crypto and stability

GM, This week’s issue is the final in our series into how the Web3 space is maturing in 2024. We previously looked in detail at the arrival of US ETFs and the trillion-dollar opportunity of RWA (Real World Assets). Up next is stablecoins. These are hugely influential assets that

SO WHAT?

Real World Assets are a buzzword but also Web3’s trillion-dollar opportunity

GM, Welcome back to SO WHAT and the latest in our series of deep dives into how the Web3 space is maturing in 2024. This week we are focusing on Real World Assets (RWA), a buzzy phrase that essentially describes the concept of tokenizing… real world things. That ranges from

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ETFs will change the game for Bitcoin—we just don’t know how yet

GM, Last week, we started a series exploring three ways in which digital assets will mature in 2023, and today’s installment dives into way #1: US Bitcoin ETFs. This isn’t to pump bags or polish cryptocurrency tokens but to explain that, after years on the fringe, crypto and

SO WHAT?

Web3 grew up in 2023—here's how we expect it to mature in 2024

GM! Welcome to 2024. We aren’t even two weeks into the new year, and it has already been historic: the first Bitcoin ETFs have been approved in the US and are already trading! Which brings us to our first SO WHAT series for 2024 … Web3 is Growing Up.  The

SO WHAT?

Our 3 biggest takeaways from Web3 in 2023

GM, Today, we have a special review of the year that was 2023 through the eyes of Web3. It’s been an eventful year, perhaps mostly for the wrong reasons, but the past few months have seen more positive narratives emerge and hope for brighter markets and skies in 2024.

SO WHAT?

Ordinals have made Bitcoin fun again—but also divided once more

GM, This week we are diving into a controversial topic: Bitcoin Ordinals aka NFTs on the Bitcoin network. Bitcoin purists wish NFTs would stick to places like Ethereum or Solana. Yet the birth of JPEG collections this year on Bitcoin have contributed to Bitcoin’s incredible price surge in recent

SO WHAT?

Two of Web3’s top media outlets sell to crypto exchanges—will they lose their integrity?

GM, This week’s issue is the second of a two-part series on media. We looked at the power that outlets have and now we are looking at the scene after two major outlets—Coindesk and The Block—found new owners in November. The market may be quiet, but there’

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The complicated and conflicted relationship between Web3 and media

GM, Welcome back, we’ve been on a long hiatus but are back with the first of a two-part series on the media in Web3. Last month, media outlet CoinTelegraph posted an erroneous tweet to its 1.9 million followers claiming BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF had been approved. That set

SO WHAT?

Fan Tokens come under fire as supporters continue to lose money

GM, This week we’re looking at sport and Web3 and a polarizing debate around fan engagement. Soccer team Tottenham Hotspur sits top of the English Premier League after its best start to a season since 1980. But despite the feel-good factor around the team, there’s concern after Tottenham

SO WHAT?

Hong Kong regulator goes transparent after two Web3 hacks hit hard

GM, September was a tough month for Hong Kong’s Web3 community.  Hong Kong has emerged as a real beacon for Web3 over the past year with groundbreaking regulation, adoption among traditional industries and a growing community. But two unsavory incidents—a fraud case and a hack—which have seen