Bitcoin Rollup Citrea Aims to Make BTC a Programmable Asset With ZK Proofs, Raises $14M Series A
The goal of allowing greater utility on the Bitcoin blockchain is one of almost existential importance, according to Citrea
Technology
The Protocol: Crypto Fundraising, Job Losses, Juicy Payouts, Grants for Devs
In this week’s issue of The Protocol, our newsletter on blockchain tech, we’re covering the Optimism’s $42.5M token pledge to Kraken, crypto VC funding, grants for Bitcoin open-source developers, and Polymarket’s (negligible) impact on Polygon’s bottom line.
Kraken Picked Optimism’s ‘Superchain’ After Getting a Pile of OP Tokens
Crypto exchange Kraken announced last week that it will build a layer-2 network atop Optimism’s OP Stack blockchain framework. CoinDesk is first to report that the deal was reached early this year, involving a grant of 25 million OP tokens, at the time worth roughly $100 million.
Astria, Project to Decentralize Crucial Blockchain ‘Sequencers,’ Goes Live With Main Network
Astria component diagram, from the project documentation (Astria)
Polymarket Is Huge Success for Polygon Blockchain – Everywhere But the Bottom Line
One of the major breakout successes this year for the team behind layer-2 blockchain Polygon is Polymarket. But according to data, Polymarket has only brought in about $27,000 of transaction fees for Polygon PoS in 2024.
Improbable, the Company Building Yuga Labs’ Otherside, to Launch Somnia Blockchain DevNet Phase
Improbable, the British metaverse technology company creating Yuga Labs’ Otherside platform, has said the Somnia blockchain will enter its DevNet phase in the coming weeks.
Chainlink Expands to Bitcoin, Helping Original Blockchain With Its Layer-2 Shift
Chainlink’s service is an integral part of many major blockchains but has not featured on Bitcoin until now.
Bitcoin Project BOB Maps Out How the Original Blockchain Could Take Over DeFi
“If Bitcoin breaks, then so does our industry as a whole, so we might as well use Bitcoin security for cross-chain DeFi,” BOB co-founder Alexei Zamyatin, told CoinDesk.
Kraken Picks Optimism for New Layer-2 Network, Joining Coinbase’s Base on ‘Superchain’
The disclosure comes nearly a year after CoinDesk broke the news that Kraken was considering its own layer-2 network, following the runaway success enjoyed by Base after it launched in mid-2023.
Protocol Village: Domain Network D3 Global Partners With Identity Digital to Tokenize Domains
Protocol Village is CoinDesk’s living column chronicling blockchain tech project updates (CoinDesk)