Evening News | Hong Kong real estate tycoon Zheng Zhigang's fund plans to raise $500 million to invest in crypto assets; Wintermute's unpaid DeFi debt reaches $200 million
Aptos announced that the mainnet will be launched between September 23 and December 22; MicroStrategy announced the recent purchase of 301 bitcoins at an average price of $19,851.Organizer: Jessy, Chain Catcher
"What Important Events Happened in the Last 24 Hours"
1. Aptos Mainnet to Launch Between September 23 and December 22
Aptos official Mod announced in the Discord group that the Aptos mainnet will launch between September 23 and December 22, with specific timing to be announced later. Meanwhile, the developer network has also been updated.
2. Digital Fraud Prevention Solution Sardine Completes $51.5 Million Series B Funding, Led by a16z
Digital fraud prevention solution Sardine has completed a $51.5 million Series B funding round, led by a16z, with participation from Visa, ConsenSys, ING Ventures, Cross River Digital, Eric Schmidt, and Google Ventures.
Sardine's CEO and co-founder Soups Ranjan previously served as the head of risk at Coinbase and led the crypto division at Revolut before founding Sardine in early 2020. According to Soups Ranjan, the company has had over 135 clients since its inception, including FTX, Blockchain.com, and Brave.
Earlier this year in February, Sardine completed a $19.5 million Series A funding round, led by a16z, with participation from XYZ, SweatEquity Ventures, 11.2 Capital, Village Global, NYCA, Experian Ventures, and over 30 angel investors in the fintech and crypto space. (Source Link)
3. MicroStrategy Announces Recent Purchase of 301 Bitcoins at an Average Price of $19,851
MicroStrategy announced that it purchased approximately 301 Bitcoins for about $6 million in cash between August 2, 2022, and September 19, 2022, with an average price of $19,851 per Bitcoin.
As of September 19, 2022, MicroStrategy, along with its subsidiaries, holds approximately 130,000 Bitcoins, with a total purchase price of about $3.98 billion and an average purchase price of approximately $30,639 per Bitcoin. (Source Link)
4. Wintermute: Will Pay 10% Bounty if Hacker Returns $160 Million in Stolen Assets
Crypto market maker Wintermute's founder Evgeny Gaevoy stated that the hack is related to the Ethereum vault used by Wintermute for on-chain DeFi trading operations. If all funds are returned, Wintermute will offer the hacker a 10% bounty, worth $16 million.
Additionally, the $160 million vulnerability was caused by internal human error, but Wintermute will not fire any employees, change any strategies, raise additional funds, or stop its DeFi operations.
Chain Catcher previously reported that Wintermute lost $160 million in a DeFi hack, while its CeFi and OTC businesses remain unaffected. Wintermute's services may be disrupted today and in the coming days, after which they will return to normal. (The Block)
5. Wintermute Has $200 Million in Outstanding DeFi Debt, CEO Claims Company Remains Solvent Despite the Hack
According to on-chain data, the crypto market maker Wintermute, which was hacked for $160 million, owes over $200 million in DeFi debt to several trading counterparties. The largest debt is a $92 million Tether (USDT) loan issued by TrueFi, which is due on October 15. Wintermute's loan book also includes a $75 million debt owed to Maple Finance and a $22.4 million debt owed to Clearpool.
Wintermute's CEO Evgeny Gaevoy stated on Twitter that the company remains solvent. (Coindesk)
6. Huobi Technology Releases Circular, Proposes Company Rename to "New Huo Technology Holdings Limited"
Hong Kong-listed Huobi Technology released a board circular proposing to rename the company to "New Huo Technology Holdings Limited" and stated that this move will give the company a new corporate image and identity, benefiting the group's future business development.
Additionally, the circular also suggests re-electing independent non-executive directors and other matters. The above proposals will take effect after being approved by a vote at a special shareholders' meeting. (Source Link)
7. Hong Kong Real Estate Tycoon Adrian Cheng's C Capital Plans to Raise $500 Million for Crypto Asset Investments
According to Bloomberg, C Capital, a fund under Hong Kong New World Group's Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Adrian Cheng, plans to raise $500 million over the next 18 months for investments in crypto assets, credit, and private equity, betting on private companies and digital assets. (Bloomberg)
"What Interesting Articles Are Worth Reading in the Last 24 Hours"
1. “Behind the PandaDAO Dissolution Proposal: Can Efficiency and Democracy Only Choose One?”
On September 19, PandaDAO released a "Community Refund and Dissolution Proposal" on Snapshot. As of now, over 80% of community members support the proposal, although the voting deadline has not yet arrived. It can be predicted that this organization, incubated by People DAO, which raised 1,900 ETH and was once the largest DAO on Dework, will ultimately dissolve in less than a year. The impending dissolution of Panda DAO reflects the common governance issues faced by DAO organizations today.
Why must there be multiple trusted computers shared by the world? Why can't these computers be interconnected using real TCP/IP and instead require cross-chain communication protocols? What is the trust layer? How valuable is Web3's TCP/IP? And most importantly, among so many cross-chain protocol projects, which ones have a higher chance of success? This article answers these questions based on an analysis and deduction of underlying logic.
3. “Quick Read | What Did the Big Names Discuss on the First Day of the Wanxiang Conference?”
September 20 was the first day of the eighth Wanxiang Blockchain Summit, held online. In fact, the off-site events of the Wanxiang Blockchain Week are often more exciting than those inside, both in terms of attendance and the sparks generated. This year's blockchain industry event has shifted from bars, cafes, and clubs in Shanghai to the streets, guesthouses, and parks in Dali. Although there won't be an offline After Party to enjoy, this article will focus on the summit's content and summarize the viewpoints of this year's big names.
