Stuff that happened in crypto today

Crypto Bits & Bytes (from Kraken email)

Bitcoin

• Crypto rewards app Fold launched an augmented-reality crypto scavenger hunt in the style of "Pokémon GO." Fold's AR feature allows users to explore their surroundings while searching for bitcoin and other rewards, including merchant deals and cashback prizes. The app's waitlist went live today, with a full launch slated for later this month.
• United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM), previously known as United Shore Financial, the second-largest mortgage lender in the US that facilitated nearly $183B worth of loans in 2020, announced that it plans to accept bitcoin payments by the end of 2021.
• Netherland-based top-tier football club PSV Eindhoven partnered with a local firm to pay the club an undisclosed amount of bitcoin in a new sponsorship deal.
• The Lightning Network has surpassed 25,000 active nodes for the first time after rising +8% in the last month. According to 1ml, the number of nodes with channels is 14,419 (~58% of all nodes). Since July 15, the number of channels has increased to 65,739 and expanded their capacity by roughly +78% from ₿1,800 to over ₿2,300.

Ethereum

• According to Nansen data, the largest amount of ETH staking by large entities in the ETH 2.0 contract is deposited with Kraken (820,444 ETH). The image below provides an overview of network activity on the Ethereum 2.0 Beacon Chain over the past week:

Dogecoin

• Dogecoin core developer Ross Nicoll announced that the Dogecoin Foundation has been revived with appointed Dogecoin advisor Vitalik Buterin to provide "extremely valuable" advice on setting up a foundation. Elon Musk's representative Jared Birchall will also advise the foundation, which is likely to be headquartered in the crypto-friendly state of Liechtenstein.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)

• Evolve Funds filed a preliminary prospectus with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) for an Evolve Cryptocurrencies ETF.

Mining

• Australia-headquartered bitcoin mining firm Iris Energy submitted a draft proposal in the US seeking a direct listing on Nasdaq.

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

• A new ‘Like-to-Earn’ NFT platform called RARA aims to reward active community members and participants with RARA’s native tokens in exchange for contributing to the platform, either through bidding on or curating NFT auctions.
• Popular spirits company Bacardi is dropping a one-of-one NFT to celebrate the release of the new limited-edition “BACARDĺ Reserva Ocho Sherry Cask Finish” rum line.
• NFT marketplace SuperRare announced an upgrade dubbed “SuperRare 2.0” that introduces independent storefronts, a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), “sovereign smart contracts” and the RARE curation token.
• NHL ice-hockey legend Wayne Gretzky launched an NFT collection on NFL star Tom Brady’s NFT marketplace, Autograph.
• World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) announced that it will drop NFTs depicting WWE Hall of Famer John Cena.

Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

• Chainlink’s price feed oracles are now live on the Ethereum-like Fantom Network.
• Impossible Finance, the DeFi incubator that raised $7M in June, named OpenSwap as the first project to be featured on its DeFi launchpad.
• Social token startup Rally submitted a proposal to decentralize itself into various entities (some corporate, others community-controlled) that would independently expand the RLY ecosystem.
• Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin reported that crypto community needs to move beyond token-based decentralized governance to realize its full potential.

Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)

• The Jamaican Observer reported that the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ), the country’s central bank, said customer protections prevent its ability to trace its CBDC transactions despite the technology enabling the ability to do so, “This information is not shared with the Bank of Jamaica and any other authority due to customers’ confidentiality and data protection. This information can only be shared under a court order.”