July VIP Industry Research Report
Preface
With the arrival of the scorching July summer, the market's heat seems to be lagging behind. Although the market has not experienced significant fluctuations compared to the previous month, signs of market recovery are evident in the activity within certain sectors.
Traditional DeFi projects have shown renewed vitality as they establish themselves in their respective niches and continue to grow. The 3-year-long legal battle between XRP and SEC has finally come to an end, with XRP emerging victorious, imbuing the market with a boost of confidence. ETF applications are being submitted one after another, and significant projects are continuously being financed, driving BTC's price to a new high for this year…
When we extend the time scale to a 4-year cycle, the recovery in July may not seem particularly remarkable. However, it is crucial to recognize that qualitative transformations stem from the cumulative effects of quantitative shifts. c
1. Macroeconomics
1.1 The U.S. Passed Two Crypto Bills on July 26
On July 26, local time, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee approved two cryptocurrency-related bills, the "Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act" and the "Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act," with a vote of 35 to 15. The "Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act" aims to set forth regulations for crypto companies, dictating the appropriate timing for their registration with either the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The "Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act" aims to provide guidance and eliminate barriers and requirements for "blockchain developers and service providers" such as miners, multi-signature service providers, and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. (Source: Cointelegraph)
1.2 Federal Reserve Raises Federal Fund Rate Target Range by 25 Basis Points on July 26
On July 26, local time, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the United States announced its latest rate decision, raising the federal fund rate target range by 25 basis points to between 5.25% and 5.5%, reaching the highest level in 22 years. This is also the 11th interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve since March of last year. Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, stated that despite a slight slowdown in inflation in the United States since the middle of last year, the inflation rate remains well above the 2% target. The future rate-hiking process will be data-dependent, and the decision to raise rates will continue to be made on a meeting-by-meeting basis. In fact, the Federal Reserve's rate hike this time was in line with market expectations. The market's attention is centered on whether July will mark the Federal Reserve's final rate hike. Powell pointed out that the Fed has not made any decisions on future actions and that if the data supports it, there may be another rate hike in September. (Source: Forbes)
1.3. Google Cloud Aims to Play a Bigger Role in the Rapidly Developing Web3 Space
James Tromans, the head of Google Cloud Web3, told Blockworks that the technology giant's cloud computing service department will continue to build services with its blockchain node engine. He added that helping customersbecome transformative participants in the Web3 ecosystem is now a core part of the company's mission.
The executive did not provide specific details about any potential measures that may be under consideration.
Google Cloud is collaborating with players in the financial services and gaming industries to explore how Web3 technology can streamline their operations and unlock alternative business models and revenue streams.
The company is also focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), an area highly valued by some cryptocurrency companies. However, others state that the potential use cases of this technology in their business are still inconclusive.
(Source: Blockworks)
1.4 Putin Signs Digital Ruble Bill to Take Effect on August 1
Russian President VladimirPutin signed the Digital Ruble bill on July 24, and its implementation is scheduled for August 1, 2023.
The new legislation officially authorizes the Central Bank of Russia to launch the first CBDC pilot aimed at real consumers in August. Earlier, the government had planned to launch the pilot with 13 local banks, including major banks like Sberbank, in April.
Under the newly signed law, the Central Bank of Russia will become the main operator of the Digital Ruble infrastructure and will be responsible for all stored assets. The design of the Digital Ruble is intended as a payment and transfer method rather than an investment.
(Source: Finance Magnates)
1.5 Binance Initiates Motion to Dismiss CFTC's Lawsuit in the United States
According to a recent court filing on July 24 (Monday), cryptocurrency exchange giant, Binance, has filed a motion for permission with the U.S. Northern District of Illinois court, seeking to submit a legal memorandum to initiate a motion to dismiss the U.S. CFTC's lawsuit.
Earlier this year, in March, Binance, along with its CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ), former chief legal officer Samuel Lim, Binance Holdings Limited, Binance Holdings (IE) Limited, Binance (Services) Holdings Limited, and other entities, faced a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the federal court of Chicago. The charges against Binance were for knowingly violating the law by providing unregistered cryptocurrency derivatives trading services in the United States, violating federal laws.
According to the latest document, the deadline for Binance to respond to the CFTC lawsuit is July 27. However, considering the complexity of the case, Binance has formally petitioned the court to increase the page limit for the legal memorandum from 15 pages to 50 pages. Moreover, the company has stated that it has engaged in discussions with CFTC lawyers regarding this proposal.
(Source: Finance Magnates)
2. MEXC Updates
2.1 MEXC Official Information
2.1.1 MEXC Futures Launches the “21-200x Futures Leverage Challenge”
Beginning in July, MEXC has continuously launched various futures bonus reward events. By trading futures with leverages ranging from 21x to 200x, every MEXCer has the opportunity to receive great rewards.
For new users: During the event, first-time traders who trade any event futures trading pairs with leverages ranging from 21x to 200x and accumulate a total futures trading volume exceeding 30,000 USDT will receive a free futures bonus airdrop.
For high-volume traders: Similar to the M-Day event rules, during the event, users who trade any event futures trading pairs with leverages ranging from 21x to 200x and accumulate a corresponding total futures trading volume exceeding 90,000 USDT will receive a free futures bonus airdrop once the conditions are met.
2.1.2 MEXC Futures Launches the “July Futures Competition”
MEXC kicked off its July Futures Competition on July 18. The registration period started on the 18th and ended on the 31st, lasting a total of 13 days. During the period, users with an account equity greater than 300 USDT were eligible to participate in the competition.
During the event, MEXC specially designed two types of profit opportunities for the participants, which are the Daily Checkpoint Challenge rewards and the PNL Amount Ranking rewards. The Daily Checkpoint Challenge had a daily total prize pool of 36,000 USDT, while the PNL Amount Ranking had a total prize pool of 100,000 USDT.
2.1.3 MEXC App Upgrade to v4.1.5
To provide MEXCers with a better user experience featuring enhanced services and improved functionality, the MEXC App underwent an upgrade on July 28, 2023, at 01:00 (UTC). The update implemented comprehensive improvements across various aspects of the MEXC App.
2.1.3.1 New Features and Enhanced User Experience: Update Aims to Create a Smoother and More Efficient User Experience
For example:
An information section has been added to the futures trading interface for each futures trading pair, allowing MEXCers to gain an understanding of the underlying asset for the selected futures pair.
K-line chart drawing tools have been enhanced for optimized technical trading analysis.
2.1.3.2 Security and Stability Enhancement: Update Aims to Provide Stronger Security and Stability
For example: To ensure account security, MEXCers who log in to multiple accounts simultaneously on the app will receive an email or SMS every time they switch between accounts, notifying them of logins from other devices.
2.1.3.3 Performance Optimization: Update Aims to Enable Faster Loading and Smoother Running
For example: The layout and style of app menus have been optimized, allowing MEXCers to adjust preference settings quickly.
2.2 Product/Function Update
2.2.1 MEXC Futures Now Supports Multi-Chart Mode for TradingView K-Line on the Website
Website:
Feature Description: A feature that allows simultaneous viewing of multiple K-line charts has been added to Trading View on the MEXC website. With this feature, users can customize the layout settings for multiple K-line charts and seamlessly switch between multiple charts in full-screen mode.
2.2.2 The Futures Trading Page has Added Crypto Overview and Trading Rules
Visual Representation
Website:
App:
Feature Description: On both the MEXC website and app, the futures trading page has been enhanced to include crypto overviews and corresponding trading rules for each trading pair.
2.2.3 Notifications Sent to Users Upon Detection of MEXC App Logins From Other Devices
Visual Representation:
Feature Description: MEXCers who log in to multiple accounts simultaneously on the app will receive an email or SMS every time they switch between accounts (e.g., switching from Account A to Account B), notifying them of the login from another device.
2.3 National Line Popular Events
2.3.1 Turkey
Kickstarter Series
Event Venue: Twitter
Event Details:
At the beginning of July, the MEXC Turkey Team hosted a series of Kickstarter events, successfully garnering a total of 422 participating MEXCers in the first event.
Detailed Reward Rules: A total prize pool of 500 USDT was shared among 50 MEXCers.
2.3.2 Vietnam
Go MEXCer - Born Pink
Event Venue: Telegram group
Event Details:
Vietnamese MEXCers had the opportunity to win two Born Pink concert tickets and share 500 USDT worth of futures bonuses by referring at least 3 new users to sign up on the platform.
Detailed Reward Rules
Referrer:
Have a spot trading volume ≥ 500 USDT or futures trading volume ≥ 5,000 USDT.
At the same time, the referrer must refer at least 3 new users to sign up on the platform.
Referral:
Complete KYC verification.
Have a spot trading volume ≥ 500 USDT or futures trading volume ≥ 500 USDT.
2.3.3 Russia
MEME 2.0
Event Venue: Twitter
Event Details:
MEXCers had the opportunity to share a total prize pool of 2,000 USDT by retweeting the MEME 2.0 poster and having a futures trading volume ≥ 10 USDT at the same time.
2.3.4 Japan
MEXC Tanabata Festival
Event Venue: Twitter
Event Details:
MEXCers had the opportunity to receive a free airdrop of a token of their choice worth 10,000 Japanese Yen simply by making a wish and stating their desired token in the comment section.
Detailed Reward Rules: One participant will be selected daily to receive 10,000 Japanese Yen worth of crypto, with the total value of the event rewards being 30,000 Japanese Yen.
2.3.5 Korea
BTC Price Change Prediction
Event Venue: Twitter
Event Details:
MEXCers had the opportunity to receive a free airdrop reward by predicting the price change of BTC. A total of 199 MEXCers received the reward.
3. MX Updates
3.1 MX Official Information
3.1.1 2023 Q2 MX Buyback and Burn Announcement
On July 15, 2023, MEXC issued an official announcement to the MEXC community regarding the MX token’s burning situation for Q2. The burn was carried out based on MEXC's previous "buyback and burn'' plan and the community voting results for the MX Token 2.0 proposal.
MX tokens burned during 2023 Q2: 1,562,500 MX
For detailed information about the burn, please check the Burn Address.
"Buyback and Burn" Plan Review: MEXC allocates 40% of its quarterly profits to repurchasing and burning MX tokens from the market, with the aim of maintaining the circulating supply of MX tokens at 100 million.
3.2 MX Monthly Insights
3.2.1 MX July Feast, More Privileges to be Unlocked
As we entered July, the scale of free MX airdrops did not decrease. MEXC brings over 20 free airdrops to all MX holders every week, totaling over 100 airdrops per month.
According to calculations by MEXC's data team, the average return for each airdrop is 2 USDT. Optimistically, if you do not miss any airdrop rewards throughout the month, you will receive 200 USDT by the end of the month. Additionally, the returns from each airdrop will increase with the arrival of the bull market, leading to higher overall gains.
Since July, mainstream token trading has become active due to the "halving mechanism" of various major cryptocurrencies. On one hand, the substantial market capitalization of major cryptos has boosted the overall cryptocurrency market sentiment. On the other hand, it has led to a one-sided surge in low cap cryptos on various exchanges. The "celebration" of low cap cryptos indicates that the cryptocurrency bull market is approaching.
According to MEXC's last semi-annual report, the price of MX has grown an incredible 350% in the past six months, gaining increasing popularity among MEXCers. Currently, MX ranks 111th, not far from the top 100. It is predicted that the number of MX token holders will increase by 30% and the total trading volume will increase by 40% in 2023.
(Source: CoinMarketCap)
As an important part of the MEXC ecosystem, MX token not only allows you to earn passive income by participating in Launchpool and Kickstarter events, it also enables you to join MEXC's commission program! If you hold a certain amount of MX tokens, you can earn commissions by actively referring new users to register and trade.
You can receive up to 70% of your referral’s trading fees.
3.3 MX Popular Events
3.3.2 Launchpool and Kickstarter
3.3.2.1 July: Endless Benefits
In July, MEXC's new tokens listings remained strong, leading to the booming popularity of two important sections: Launchpool and Kickstarter. Throughout July, every MEXCer participating in the events from these two sections received over 100 airdrop rewards. In fact, if you check MEXC's Twitter, you'll find more than 30 events happening every week. The high frequency of events led to higher returns, allowing more frequent zero-cost acquisitions of "original'' tokens.
From July 1 to July 23, if you simultaneously participated in Launchpool and Kickstarter with just 1,000 MX (the minimum amount), you could have potentially earned 111.30 USDT. Excluding ongoing and upcoming events, your July yield rate could have reached 4.03% (based on the highest USDT price point). Conservatively, your APY could exceed 48%. These returns only account for passive income and do not include potential gains from increases in MX token‘s price.
Across various exchanges, July's hottest sector was "Meme 2.0," with many related concept tokens experiencing explosive growth after listing, such as XRP2.0, PEPE2.0, etc. For many MEXCers who are enthusiastic about collecting these crypto assets, this is undoubtedly good news. Additionally, high-quality tokens have enormous growth potential.
In the first half of the year alone, these tokens saw astonishing growth on MEXC: PEPE’s token price increased by as much as 11,399.75%; MONG’s token price increased by 10,756.63%; SCT’s token price increased by 3,479.00%.
4. An Analysis of Hot Topics in the Blockchain Industry
4.1 NFT Cooling and the Azuki Incident
4.1.1 Overview of the NFT Market
Since June 2023, the NFT market may be facing one of the most severe winters in its history. According to data from the NFT browser NFTGO, the NFT Blue Chip Index, which reflects the price performance of the NFT market, has dropped by over 30% within a month since June. Many blue-chip NFTs have experienced significant declines, and countless NFTs have been heavily affected. Among them, the blue-chip Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has fallen from 45 ETH in June to a low of 30 ETH in July. The blue-chip Azuki, influenced by the "Azuki Elemental Beans mint mishap," experienced the largest decline, plummeting from 16 ETH in June to nearly 5 ETH at present.
Data Source: NFTGO
In addition to the decline in NFT prices, the overall market capitalization and liquidity of the NFT market are also entering a "decline phase." Over the past three months, the overall valuation of the NFT market has decreased by 23.28%, down to 3.15 million ETH, approximately $6 billion. The trading volume has shrunk by more than half, leaving only 1.04 million ETH, around $2 billion.
Data Source: NFTGO
4.1.2 Introduction to Azuki
Azuki is currently one of the most successful NFT brands. It offers 10,000 character images to its community members. In addition to NFT sales, it plans to establish offline streetwear brand stores, organize meet-ups, and host live music events in the future.
Since entering the market in January 2022, Azuki has gained popularity among many fans due to its unique Japanese anime style, quickly attaining NFT blue-chip status. During this time, the Azuki community has introduced various NFT protocols and innovative gameplay, such as the ERC721A protocol and the Azuki partner BEANZ series. However, due to the impact of the "mint mishap" during the release of Azuki Elemental Beans, Azuki's former glory has faded.
It all started in late June when the Azuki official team launched the offline event themed "Follow the Rabbit" in Las Vegas. At the end of the month, they announced the new Azuki Elementals series of NFTs and immediately commenced the pre-sale.
4.1.3 Azuki Elemental Beans Mint Mishap
The "Azuki Elemental Beans Mint Mishap" occurred on June 28, 2023, at midnight when Azuki's new series, Azuki Elemental Beans, was officially released for sale. As soon as the sale began, all Azuki Elemental Beans were quickly sold out at a price of 2 ETH each. Some users who couldn't purchase Azuki Elemental Beans during the initial sale even resorted to buying them at higher prices in the secondary market. According to data from NFTScan, the trading volume and floor price of Azuki Elemental Beans at the time of sale reached 9,422.2074 ETH and 2.2139 ETH, respectively.
Data Source: NFTScan
Even though the Azuki project team did not disclose the specific utility of the artwork before its official release, they generated excitement with a captivating promotional video. As a leading NFT project, users firmly believe that Azuki will take this opportunity to launch an exceptional piece of work.
With the unveiling of Azuki Elemental Beans, users were astonished to find that Azuki Elemental Beans was almost an exact replica of the original Azuki artwork. Some went so far as to say that Azuki Elemental Beans completely copied the original Azuki artwork. The image on the left is Azuki, and the image on the right is Azuki Elemental Beans.
Image Source: Twitter
After the unveiling of Azuki Elemental Beans, the entire community was filled with disappointment and anger. Numerous Azuki holders started selling their Azuki tokens. As shown in the chart below, before the opening of Azuki Elemental Beans, the price of Azuki was relatively stable and even experienced an increase, reaching around 16 ETH at one point. However, after the opening of Azuki Elemental Beans, the price of Azuki plummeted all the way down to around 5 ETH. Azuki Elemental Beans also experienced a rapid decline and, at the time of writing, has already dropped to around 1 ETH.
Data Source: NFT Price Floor
During the cryptocurrency bear market, the NFT market already had limited liquidity. Azuki's actions not only drained the scarce liquidity in the market but also triggered a trust crisis that dealt a severe blow to the entire NFT market.
4.2 XRP’s Legal Victory
4.2.1 U.S. Judge Rules XRP is Not a Security
On July 14, a U.S. judge ruled that the XRP token is "not necessarily a security on its face" and its sale did not violate federal securities laws, bringing an end to the three-year-long legal battle between Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This positive news led to a surge in the entire cryptocurrency market, especially for tokens like XRP, SOL, MATIC, ADA, FIL, SAND, and others that were previously considered securities by the SEC.
The entire Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit is a microcosm of the current global cryptocurrency market. The emerging cryptocurrency market still faces many uncertainties in terms of regulations and oversight. Due to the lack of clarity in the scope and responsibilities of regulations, cryptocurrency companies find it challenging to have stable expectations regarding regulatory measures. The cryptocurrency market urgently needs well-defined regulatory frameworks to reduce potential market turmoil. The outcome of this lawsuit could serve as a pivotal moment for cryptocurrency regulatory reform and carry historic significance.
4.2.2 Introduction to XRP
Ryan Fugger founded RipplePay in 2004 with the core idea of creating a peer-to-peer payment network that could replace the traditional banking system. In 2012, Ryan Fugger handed over RipplePay to early Bitcoin pioneer Jed McCaleb, who then invited Chris Larsen to serve as the executive chairman. Together, they launched the OpenCoin project, which later became Ripple Labs at the end of 2013, and was eventually renamed to Ripple in 2015.
In January 2013, the company introduced the cryptocurrency XRP, with a total supply limited to 100 billion tokens. XRP's initial private sale price was extremely low, reportedly at $0.0000001. The purpose of XRP's issuance was for international remittances. Traditional international remittances were typically conducted through SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), which incurred high costs and required long transfer times. Using XRP for remittances could significantly reduce the required time and fees. Due to the potential and innovation of XRP in the field of international remittances, notable investment firms such as Google Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz participated in XRP's first round of private fundraising. XRP went through a total of four rounds of financing, as shown in the following figure.
Data Source: RootData
Unlike other cryptocurrencies, XRP does not operate on a traditional blockchain. Instead, it utilizes a distributed ledger technology called XRP Ledger and an authorized algorithm known as the Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm (RPCA). In contrast to Bitcoin's proof-of-work mechanism (POW), XRP only requires approval from 80% of validators to validate transactions and does not involve mining. As a result, blocks can be quickly added to the XRP ledger, allowing XRP to process up to 1500 transactions per second and complete payments within 5 seconds.
4.2.3 The History of the XRP and SEC Lawsuit
In December 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Ripple. According to the document, from 2013 to the present, Ripple and its founders sold a total of 14.6 billion XRP, raising over $1.3 billion in funds. The defendants did not register the offering and sales of XRP with the SEC and did not obtain an exemption from registration, which the SEC alleges violated U.S. federal securities laws. Under the SEC's regulations, individuals or cryptocurrency companies must register securities offerings with regulatory authorities or apply for an exemption. Following the SEC's lawsuit, many exchanges delisted XRP, causing a 20% price drop.
It's worth noting that the SEC had previously stated that due to the decentralized nature of Bitcoin and Ethereum, they can be considered cryptocurrencies rather than securities. The SEC chose XRP as a significant target in the crypto space for two reasons: ① Ripple has operated as a company with a clear entity and team, and ② Ripple has repeatedly proposed collaboration with European and American banks and third-party payment and financial institutions, demonstrating its significant presence in penetrating traditional financial systems, which is comparable to other mainstream cryptocurrencies.
In February 2021, after the SEC filed the complaint, Ripple responded to the SEC's allegations, asserting that XRP is a cryptocurrency and does not meet the definition of a security because it lacks contracts, investor rights, and issuer obligations. Subsequently, the two parties engaged in a court battle that lasted for over two years.
On July 14, 2023, local time in the United States, a federal judge finally issued a ruling stating that “XRP is not necessarily a security on its face”, and Ripple's sale of XRP tokens through exchanges does not violate U.S. federal securities laws. This marked a significant milestone in the long-standing confrontation between the parties, with Ripple achieving a partial victory. Following the release of the ruling, XRP surged, with its price increasing by over 70% at one point.
The reason the U.S. federal judge ruled XRP not a security is that Ripple's sale of XRP through exchanges does not meet the third prong of the Howey Test - "expectation of profits."
The court considered XRP's sales as "blind” transactions because the majority of investors who purchased XRP from exchanges did not do so for investment purposes or with the expectation of profits. They were not aware of where the funds from purchasing XRP would flow, and they did not reasonably expect profits from Ripple's operations.
Data Source: Twitter
After the verdict was announced, Ripple's General Counsel, Stuart Alderoty, expressed on Twitter that this was a tremendous victory for Ripple. He stated, "as a matter of law - XRP is not a security. Also a matter of law - sales on exchanges are not securities. Sales by executives are not securities. Other XRP distributions - to developers, to charities, to employees are not securities."
4.2.4 The Significance of XRP's Legal Victory for the Industry
① Creating a more lenient environment for innovation in the industry.
Securities are subject to strict regulation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as various processes, including registration and issuance, need to pass SEC scrutiny. With XRP being ruled not a security, it doesn't need to undergo the complex regulatory process of the SEC, and the same would apply to other cryptocurrency projects. Additionally, if exchanges can sell XRP, they can also trade other cryptocurrencies, as per the precedent set, other cryptocurrencies should also not be classified as securities. These two points will create a more lenient environment for innovation in the industry.
② Cryptocurrency companies' first legal victory against the SEC.
In the U.S. judicial system, precedents carry significant weight, meaning previous rulings are taken into consideration when making judgments. If other cryptocurrency projects have disputes with the SEC, the court can refer to the ruling on XRP. Therefore, this ruling sets a precedent for future cryptocurrency cases, potentially becoming a crucial turning point for the cryptocurrency industry.
4.3 EthCC 2023
4.3.1 Introduction to EthCC
EthCC, organized by the non-profit organization Ethereum France, has been held in Paris since 2018. It aims to provide more networking opportunities for startups and investors. On July 17, 2023, “EthCC 6” officially commenced in Paris, France, and the conference went on for four days.
For both Ethereum developers and the entire cryptocurrency community, EthCC 2023 is the most anticipated event after EDCON in Montenegro this year. The conference boasts a diverse range of participants, including prominent projects such as Ethereum, Coindesk, Uniswap, Starknet, and others. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin attended the event and delivered a public speech on the history and future of account abstraction.
4.3.2 Summary of Vitalik Buterin's Speech
Currently, Ethereum accounts and keys are closely coupled, meaning if you control the private key, you have control over the account.
Account abstraction will decouple the entities (accounts) in the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) from the entities (key pairs or signers) holding ownership of mobile assets. As long as a Contract Account (CA) supports specific functionalities, such as signature verification, it can act as an account.
Account abstraction essentially allows users to define the security model for their accounts, making Ethereum more adaptable to different use cases. For instance, this feature enables users to set their own transaction validation rules, such as multi-signature requirements or spending limits. They can also make their accounts compatible with future cryptographic algorithms.
Vitalik described account abstraction as allowing Ethereum accounts to be controlled by smart contract code instead of private keys. His vision is that in the future, people will switch from the current Externally Owned Account (EOA) wallets to smart contract-based wallets. If successful, managing crypto wallets would become as simple as managing email accounts.
4.3.3 Four Noteworthy Projects
① Uniswap Launches Cross-AMM Protocol UniswapX
Uniswap, one of the well-established decentralized exchanges, was launched in 2018 and currently supports millions of users. During the EthCC conference, Uniswap announced the release of UniswapX, a permissionless, open source, and Dutch auction-based cross-AMM protocol. Currently, the opt-in beta version of this protocol is available on the Uniswap Labs interface for the Ethereum mainnet, with plans to expand other chains and Uniswap wallets in the future.
UniswapX will gradually implement the following features: aggregating liquidity sources to improve exchange value, protection against MEV (Maximal Extractable Value), gas-free swapping, no cost for failed transactions, and expanding to support gas-free cross-chain gasless swap within a few months.
② Lens Protocol Officially Released V2 Version
On May 18, 2022, Lens Protocol was launched on the Polygon mainnet as a decentralized social protocol, and it has garnered 120,000 users to date. During the EthCC conference in Paris, Lens Protocol announced the release of its V2 version. The V2 version focuses on openness and composability, allowing users to directly execute external smart contract operations within Lens publications. Additionally, Lens V2 has introduced the capability to interact with smart contracts within social media platforms.
The highlights of Lens Protocol V2 are as follows: The introduction of ERC-6551 to aggregate value into NFTs rather than wallets. Addition of third-party operation permissions, including whitelist addition, and more.
③ Chainlink Launches Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP)
Chainlink is a decentralized oracle project designed to securely and reliably connect blockchain smart contracts to off-chain systems, providing secure and reliable data sources for blockchains.
On July 18, Chainlink announced the launch of the Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), designed for cross-chain applications and services. Currently, CCIP provides early users with real-time access on various blockchains such as Avalanche, Ethereum, Optimism, and Polygon.
④ Starknet Launches Starknet Appchains
Starknet is a Layer2 blockchain network built by the StarkWare team, operating as a ZK Rollup on Ethereum. According to data from L2BEAT, Starknet's Total Value Locked (TVL) has seen a rapid surge since the 10th and has now surpassed $115 million.
Data Source: L2BEAT
At the EthCC conference, StarkNet officially announced the launch of StarkNet Appchains, which improves transaction processing speed and enhances user experience. With this update, transactions are no longer subject to the long processing times of 5-10 minutes as before. Additionally, StarkNet also unveiled the high-performance sequencer Madara, which enhances the capabilities of the Cairo VM using the Substrate framework, further improving the appchains' capabilities and Starknet's interoperability and on-chain privacy levels.
4.4 Curve Finance Crisis
Due to a bug in certain versions of the Ethereum programming language Vyper, four Curve Finance pools were exploited and the funds were stolen. The potential crisis was exacerbated as the founder of Curve Finance had used a significant amount of CRV tokens as collateral for loans on multiple lending platforms, putting CRV at risk of potential liquidation.
4.4.1 Reentrancy Attacks
On July 30, at 21:34, the NFT lending protocol was suspected of being under attack. Subsequently, Curve Finance reported that JPEG'd had suffered a read-only reentrancy attack, causing the pETH price on the pETH-ETH pool on Curve to drop to $383. (Note: pETH is a derivative asset of ETH issued by JPEG'd.)
At 22:50, the msETH-ETH pool on Curve was attacked.
At 23:34, the alETH-ETH pool on Curve was attacked.
On July 31, at 0:44, the Ethereum programming language Vyper tweeted that the reentrancy locks in versions 0.2.15, 0.2.16, and 0.3.0 were ineffective.
At 0:45, Curve’s official Twitter account posted that many stablecoin pools using Vyper 0.2.15 (alETH / msETH / pETH) were attacked due to a reentrancy lock failure, while other pools are safe.
At 3:08, CRV-ETH was attacked, with the lowest CRV on the chain falling to around 0.08.
At 7:50, c0ffeebabe.eth, the deployer of the Mev Bot that frontrun the CRV/ETH Pool, returned 2,879.54 ETH worth approximately $5.39 million to Curve Finance deployer.
At 9:37, Upbit, South Korea’s largest exchange, suspended CRV deposit and withdrawal services.
4.4.2 Impact of Reentrancy Attacks
According to DefiLlama data, Curve Finance's Total Value Locked (TVL) decreased by 43.6% in the span of 24 hours, dropping to $2.28 billion, with liquidity reduced by 63%.
Data Source: DefiLlama
This reentrancy attack mainly involved several pools that utilized specific versions of Vyper. Currently, Curve Finance has suspended deposit and staking features for these affected pools. Additionally, they have delisted the corresponding pools from their platform, abandoning their use, and introduced new secure pools.
4.4.3 Liquidation Crisis
The liquidation crisis stems from Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov's collateral loans on lending platforms, including Frax Finance and Aave. Michael's loan positions are as follows:
On Aave v2, he supplied 257.44 million CRV tokens and borrowed 49.25 million USDT, with a liquidation price of approximately $0.35.
On Frax Finance, he supplied 38.6 million CRV tokens and borrowed 9.19 million FRAX tokens, with a liquidation price of approximately $0.3.
On Abracadabra, he supplied 46.65 million CRV tokens and borrowed 12 million MIM tokens.
On Inverse Finance, he supplied 29.1 million CRV tokens and borrowed 7.7 million DOLA tokens.
If liquidation occurs, not only will Curve Finance suffer significant asset losses, the lending platforms involved will also face substantial economic losses. Both borrowers and lenders will have to face the pressure of dealing with the repercussions of this loan arrangement.
4.4.4 Loan Resolution
Currently, Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov is using over-the-counter (OTC) sales of CRV tokens to repay his loans.
According to @EmberCN's monitoring, Michael has sold a total of 54.5 million CRV tokens at an average price of $0.4. The buyers include DWFLabs (12.5 million CRV), Justin Sun (5 million CRV), Jeffrey Huang (3.75 million CRV), Cream.Finance (2.5 million CRV), and others.
The root cause of the Curve incident lies in the issue with the Ethereum programming language Vyper, which eventually led to user funds being compromised on Curve. This event may serve as a wake-up call for DeFi projects to place even greater emphasis on ensuring user asset security and isolation.
5. BTC & ETH Analysis
5.1 Bitcoin
In terms of token price, the trends of Bitcoin and Ethereum largely represent the overall market trends in the industry. However, when it comes to assessing whether the entire industry is experiencing a recovery and resurgence, price is only one part of the equation. Our aim is to provide more support for making judgments by analyzing some underlying data.
5.1.1 Price
Following the positive trend from the previous month, the price of Bitcoin fluctuated around $30,000 in this month. Based on the chart from Look Into Bitcoin, it is evident that most of the time, the price remained above $30,000. On July 14, the price of Bitcoin reached its highest point this year at $31,544.7.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
5.1.2 Institutional Holdings
5.1.2.1 Grayscale Investments
According to CoinGlass data, Grayscale Investments have been consistently reducing their BTC holdings this year. In July, they reduced their BTC holdings by approximately 1,000 BTC, and in the past 7 days, they reduced their holdings by 380 BTC. Currently, they hold approximately 624,700 BTC.
The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) currently has a primary market price of $26.4 and a secondary market price of $19.04, with a premium rate of -27.88%.
Data Source: 2023 Grayscale Investments BTC Holdings Data
5.1.2.2 Publicly Listed Companies
The Bitcoin Treasuries website compiles data on 41 publicly listed companies that hold BTC, including well-known entities like MicroStrategy, Tesla, Coinbase, Meitu, and others.
According to the data from the chart, we can calculate the average cost of holdings for these companies: MicroStrategy at $29,647, Tesla at $34,722, Coinbase at $12,342, and Meitu at $52,609. With the current market price of BTC being $29,316, most of these companies are still in a loss-making position.
Data Source: Chart of BTC holding cost value for 41 publicly listed companies (partial)
5.1.2.3 Centralized Exchanges
According to CoinGlass data, a total of 20 exchanges, including but not limited to Binance, Coinbase, OKX, Bybit, Kraken, Huobi, Kucoin, Gate, and Bitmex, saw an outflow of 18,618.85 BTC in the past month. The main contributor to the outflow was Coinbase, which saw an outflow of 27,065.56 BTC.
However, data from the past 7 days shows that these 20 exchanges are experiencing an inflow trend, with a total inflow of 17,159.89 BTC. The main contributor to the inflow was Binance, which saw an inflow of 10,729.99 BTC.
Data Source: Exchanges’ Bitcoin Wallet Balances in July
Data Source: Exchanges’ Bitcoin Wallet Inflow and Outflow in July
5.1.2.4 Governments
The Bitcoin Treasuries website also compiles data on BTC holdings for four countries and regions, including Ukraine, the United States, El Salvador, and the state of Georgia. El Salvador is a pioneer in BTC adoption, being the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. According to the data, El Salvador's average cost of BTC holdings is around $45,006, indicating that it is currently in a loss-making position.
Data Source: Bitcoin Treasuries
5.1.2.5 Comparison of BTC Holding Positions by Different Entities
Data Source: Bitcoin Treasuries
5.1.3 Return on Investment (ROI)
From the institutional holdings data above, we can see that most of the holding institutions are still at a loss. According to CoinGlass's monthly investment return data, Bitcoin showed a negative return rate of -0.42% in July. In comparison, the return rate for June was the third-highest this year, reaching 11.98%.
Data Source: Bitcoin Investment Return Rate For The Past Years (Monthly Data)
5.1.4 Volatility
Volatility is used to measure the uncertainty of asset returns and reflects the level of risk in financial assets. Higher volatility means more significant fluctuations in the price of financial assets and greater uncertainty in asset returns. Lower volatility, on the other hand, indicates smoother price movements and higher certainty in asset returns.
According to CoinGlass's volatility chart, Bitcoin's volatility reached its peak in March this year, and the volatility in June decreased by one percentage point and remained between 2.4% and 2.6%. In July, Bitcoin's volatility decreased by another percentage point, with the highest volatility being only 1.39%. Bitcoin's price fluctuated relatively smoothly in July, mostly between $29,000 and $30,000.
Data Source: Bitcoin Volatility in 2023
5.1.5 Funding Rate
Looking at the funding rate chart for this month, almost all rates are positive. This data indicates that the overall market still has a bullish sentiment, expecting prices to rise. However, the overall market trend cannot solely rely on one chart but requires combining more data to make judgments.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
The number of active Bitcoin addresses is still maintained at over 930,000, with little difference compared to the data from the previous month. At its peak activity, the number of addresses still did not surpass 1 million.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
From the holding data, there are different trends for large investors and retail investors.
The number of addresses holding more than 0.01 BTC increased by 100,000 in July compared to June, reaching 12.16 million. The number of addresses holding more than 0.1 BTC increased by 22,000, reaching 4.41 million.
The number of addresses holding more than 1 BTC increased by 4,300, reaching 1.01 million. The number of addresses holding more than 10 BTC increased by 200, reaching 156,000.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
However, for whale addresses holding more than 1,000 BTC, the holdings are decreasing. The number of addresses holding more than 1,000 BTC decreased by nearly 20, leaving only 2,018 addresses still holding more than 1,000 BTC.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
According to data from CoinMarketCap, in the cryptocurrency market share over the past month, the proportion of Bitcoin has shown a slight decline after July 14, decreasing by 1%.
Data Source: CoinMarketCap
Similarly, the global cryptocurrency market cap shows a similar trend. After reaching a peak on July 14, the market cap quickly returned to fluctuate around the average value for the past month.
Data Source: CoinMarketCap
The date July 14 appears repeatedly in the charts and data we have seen, as July 14 is when XRP won the lawsuit, driving the overall market's surge. As the excitement surrounding the event fades, the market enthusiasm also subsides.
5.2 Ethereum
5.2.1 Price
Compared to Bitcoin, ETH experienced larger price fluctuations in July. On July 14, the Ethereum price reached its monthly high, approaching $2,000. At its lowest point, the price almost touched the $1,800 mark.
Data Source: Fei Xiao Hao
5.2.2 Institutional Holdings
Grayscale Investments
Similar to Bitcoin, Grayscale Investmentshas been reducing its holdings of ETH this year. In July, it sold more than 6,000 ETH, and in the past 7 days, it sold over 2,000 ETH. It is currently holding 2.9936 million ETH, according to the data from the CoinGlass website.
The current primary market price of Grayscale Investments EETH is $17.86, and the secondary market price is $10.44, with a premium rate of -41.55%.
Data Source: 2023 Grayscale Investments ETH Holdings Data
Centralized Exchanges
Among the 20 centralized exchanges tracked by CoinGlass, there was a total outflow of 112,519.67 ETH in the past month. OKX and Huobi had significant outflows, with 91,326.95 ETH and 70,234.22 ETH respectively. In the past 7 days, there was a total outflow of 19,512.76 ETH, primarily due to Huobi's outflow of 59,376.02 ETH, and Binance's inflow of 96,311.16 ETH.
Data Source: Exchanges’ ETH Wallet Balances in July
Data Source: Exchanges’ ETH Wallet Inflow and Outflow in July
5.2.3 Return on Investment
Based on CoinGlass's monthly investment return data, ETH has shown relatively low fluctuations in ROI since April. However, in July, it had the first negative ROI of the year, which was -3.99%.
Data Source: ETH Investment Return Rate for the Past Years (Monthly Data)
5.2.4 ETH Lockup Amount and Yield Rate
Despite Grayscale Investments' continuous reduction in ETH holdings, data from Fei Xiao Hao shows that the on-chain lockup amount of ETH has been steadily increasing. Even after the Shanghai upgrade, the originally unlocked ETH did not change this trend and continued to be staked and locked.
As the lockup amount continues to increase, the yield shows a declining trend. It has currently decreased from a peak of over 20% to below 5%.
Data Source: ETH Lockup Amount
Data Source: ETH Yield Rate
5.2.5 ETH Inflation and Burning
After introducing the ETH-1559 burning protocol, Ethereum's previous inflation model now has the potential for deflation, reducing the overall circulating supply of ETH.
According to data from Fei Xiao Hao, Ethereum was in a deflationary state in July, with daily burning exceeding the amount of new issuance, which benefits ETH holders.
Data Source: July ETH Inflation
Data Source: Daily ETH Burning Amount
In addition, according to data from Token Terminal, in the past month, Ethereum's revenue increased by 1.83%, fees increased by 3.87%, total market value decreased by 2.12%, and daily active users decreased by 13%. However, the number of core developers increased by 5%, and the total code commits increased by 8.1%.
The increase in developer count and code commits is likely related to relatively more activities in the past month, mainly focusing on EthCC-related events and local activities in Japan.
Data Source: Token Terminal
5.2.6 Conclusion
Based on the market trends and data of Bitcoin and Ethereum, there are no clear signs of a rebound. We need to exercise more patience and wait for the bull market to arrive.
For long-term holders, waiting seems to have become a habit, and persistence will eventually lead to the dawn of victory. For users skilled in short-term trading, every market fluctuation serves as a test of their strategies, making effective risk management particularly crucial.
Market recovery still requires time and capital injection. Let's remain hopeful that we will all be here to witness its arrival.
6. Closing Remarks
According to data from RootData, there have been 68 financings in the cryptocurrency market in the past 30 days, equivalent to an increase of 11.84%. The total financing amount was $618 million, equivalent to an increase of 26.99%.
Data Source: RootData
Capital is mainly concentrated in investment infrastructure projects. Among the top 10 blockchain projects in terms of financing amount, half of them belong to infrastructure projects, while the rest include exchanges, Layer 1 public chains, music NFT platforms, etc.
Data Source: RootData
As capital enters the market and market sentiment begins to brew, it seems as if, just like the familiar saying, "everything is coming back." We have traversed the winter, patiently waiting for the bull market's arrival, and all the waiting preceding this moment will prove to be worthwhile.
7. List of References
https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-regulatory-framework-bill-pass-house-congressional-committee
https://www.lookintobitcoin.com/charts/bitcoin-funding-rates/
https://www.lookintobitcoin.com/charts/bitcoin-active-addresses/
https://www.lookintobitcoin.com/charts/addresses-greater-than-1000-btc/
https://tokenterminal.com/terminal/projects/ethereum?ref=bankless.ghost.io
https://blockchair.com/bitcoin/charts/average-transaction-fee-usd
https://blockchair.com/litecoin/charts/average-transaction-fee-usd
https://dune.com/ataraxiae/linea-goerli-testnet-zk-rollup-by-consensys
https://twitter.com/Linea_Ecosystem/status/1679430944158289921
https://twitter.com/Starknet/status/1681603967787122688?s=20
https://www.nftscan.com/0x3af2a97414d1101e2107a70e7f33955da1346305
https://opensea.io/collection/lens-protocol-profiles?tab=items
https://www.rootdata.com/Projects/detail/Worldcoin?k=MTg0Mw%3D%3D
https://optimistic.etherscan.io/token/0xdc6ff44d5d932cbd77b52e5612ba0529dc6226f1#balances
Preface
With the arrival of the scorching July summer, the market's heat seems to be lagging behind. Although the market has not experienced significant fluctuations compared to the previous month, signs of market recovery are evident in the activity within certain sectors.
Traditional DeFi projects have shown renewed vitality as they establish themselves in their respective niches and continue to grow. The 3-year-long legal battle between XRP and SEC has finally come to an end, with XRP emerging victorious, imbuing the market with a boost of confidence. ETF applications are being submitted one after another, and significant projects are continuously being financed, driving BTC's price to a new high for this year…
When we extend the time scale to a 4-year cycle, the recovery in July may not seem particularly remarkable. However, it is crucial to recognize that qualitative transformations stem from the cumulative effects of quantitative shifts. c
1. Macroeconomics
1.1 The U.S. Passed Two Crypto Bills on July 26
On July 26, local time, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee approved two cryptocurrency-related bills, the "Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act" and the "Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act," with a vote of 35 to 15. The "Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act" aims to set forth regulations for crypto companies, dictating the appropriate timing for their registration with either the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The "Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act" aims to provide guidance and eliminate barriers and requirements for "blockchain developers and service providers" such as miners, multi-signature service providers, and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms. (Source: Cointelegraph)
1.2 Federal Reserve Raises Federal Fund Rate Target Range by 25 Basis Points on July 26
On July 26, local time, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the United States announced its latest rate decision, raising the federal fund rate target range by 25 basis points to between 5.25% and 5.5%, reaching the highest level in 22 years. This is also the 11th interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve since March of last year. Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, stated that despite a slight slowdown in inflation in the United States since the middle of last year, the inflation rate remains well above the 2% target. The future rate-hiking process will be data-dependent, and the decision to raise rates will continue to be made on a meeting-by-meeting basis. In fact, the Federal Reserve's rate hike this time was in line with market expectations. The market's attention is centered on whether July will mark the Federal Reserve's final rate hike. Powell pointed out that the Fed has not made any decisions on future actions and that if the data supports it, there may be another rate hike in September. (Source: Forbes)
1.3. Google Cloud Aims to Play a Bigger Role in the Rapidly Developing Web3 Space
James Tromans, the head of Google Cloud Web3, told Blockworks that the technology giant's cloud computing service department will continue to build services with its blockchain node engine. He added that helping customersbecome transformative participants in the Web3 ecosystem is now a core part of the company's mission.
The executive did not provide specific details about any potential measures that may be under consideration.
Google Cloud is collaborating with players in the financial services and gaming industries to explore how Web3 technology can streamline their operations and unlock alternative business models and revenue streams.
The company is also focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), an area highly valued by some cryptocurrency companies. However, others state that the potential use cases of this technology in their business are still inconclusive.
(Source: Blockworks)
1.4 Putin Signs Digital Ruble Bill to Take Effect on August 1
Russian President VladimirPutin signed the Digital Ruble bill on July 24, and its implementation is scheduled for August 1, 2023.
The new legislation officially authorizes the Central Bank of Russia to launch the first CBDC pilot aimed at real consumers in August. Earlier, the government had planned to launch the pilot with 13 local banks, including major banks like Sberbank, in April.
Under the newly signed law, the Central Bank of Russia will become the main operator of the Digital Ruble infrastructure and will be responsible for all stored assets. The design of the Digital Ruble is intended as a payment and transfer method rather than an investment.
(Source: Finance Magnates)
1.5 Binance Initiates Motion to Dismiss CFTC's Lawsuit in the United States
According to a recent court filing on July 24 (Monday), cryptocurrency exchange giant, Binance, has filed a motion for permission with the U.S. Northern District of Illinois court, seeking to submit a legal memorandum to initiate a motion to dismiss the U.S. CFTC's lawsuit.
Earlier this year, in March, Binance, along with its CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ), former chief legal officer Samuel Lim, Binance Holdings Limited, Binance Holdings (IE) Limited, Binance (Services) Holdings Limited, and other entities, faced a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the federal court of Chicago. The charges against Binance were for knowingly violating the law by providing unregistered cryptocurrency derivatives trading services in the United States, violating federal laws.
According to the latest document, the deadline for Binance to respond to the CFTC lawsuit is July 27. However, considering the complexity of the case, Binance has formally petitioned the court to increase the page limit for the legal memorandum from 15 pages to 50 pages. Moreover, the company has stated that it has engaged in discussions with CFTC lawyers regarding this proposal.
(Source: Finance Magnates)
2. MEXC Updates
2.1 MEXC Official Information
2.1.1 MEXC Futures Launches the “21-200x Futures Leverage Challenge”
Beginning in July, MEXC has continuously launched various futures bonus reward events. By trading futures with leverages ranging from 21x to 200x, every MEXCer has the opportunity to receive great rewards.
For new users: During the event, first-time traders who trade any event futures trading pairs with leverages ranging from 21x to 200x and accumulate a total futures trading volume exceeding 30,000 USDT will receive a free futures bonus airdrop.
For high-volume traders: Similar to the M-Day event rules, during the event, users who trade any event futures trading pairs with leverages ranging from 21x to 200x and accumulate a corresponding total futures trading volume exceeding 90,000 USDT will receive a free futures bonus airdrop once the conditions are met.
2.1.2 MEXC Futures Launches the “July Futures Competition”
MEXC kicked off its July Futures Competition on July 18. The registration period started on the 18th and ended on the 31st, lasting a total of 13 days. During the period, users with an account equity greater than 300 USDT were eligible to participate in the competition.
During the event, MEXC specially designed two types of profit opportunities for the participants, which are the Daily Checkpoint Challenge rewards and the PNL Amount Ranking rewards. The Daily Checkpoint Challenge had a daily total prize pool of 36,000 USDT, while the PNL Amount Ranking had a total prize pool of 100,000 USDT.
2.1.3 MEXC App Upgrade to v4.1.5
To provide MEXCers with a better user experience featuring enhanced services and improved functionality, the MEXC App underwent an upgrade on July 28, 2023, at 01:00 (UTC). The update implemented comprehensive improvements across various aspects of the MEXC App.
2.1.3.1 New Features and Enhanced User Experience: Update Aims to Create a Smoother and More Efficient User Experience
For example:
An information section has been added to the futures trading interface for each futures trading pair, allowing MEXCers to gain an understanding of the underlying asset for the selected futures pair.
K-line chart drawing tools have been enhanced for optimized technical trading analysis.
2.1.3.2 Security and Stability Enhancement: Update Aims to Provide Stronger Security and Stability
For example: To ensure account security, MEXCers who log in to multiple accounts simultaneously on the app will receive an email or SMS every time they switch between accounts, notifying them of logins from other devices.
2.1.3.3 Performance Optimization: Update Aims to Enable Faster Loading and Smoother Running
For example: The layout and style of app menus have been optimized, allowing MEXCers to adjust preference settings quickly.
2.2 Product/Function Update
2.2.1 MEXC Futures Now Supports Multi-Chart Mode for TradingView K-Line on the Website
Website:
Feature Description: A feature that allows simultaneous viewing of multiple K-line charts has been added to Trading View on the MEXC website. With this feature, users can customize the layout settings for multiple K-line charts and seamlessly switch between multiple charts in full-screen mode.
2.2.2 The Futures Trading Page has Added Crypto Overview and Trading Rules
Visual Representation
Website:
App:
Feature Description: On both the MEXC website and app, the futures trading page has been enhanced to include crypto overviews and corresponding trading rules for each trading pair.
2.2.3 Notifications Sent to Users Upon Detection of MEXC App Logins From Other Devices
Visual Representation:
Feature Description: MEXCers who log in to multiple accounts simultaneously on the app will receive an email or SMS every time they switch between accounts (e.g., switching from Account A to Account B), notifying them of the login from another device.
2.3 National Line Popular Events
2.3.1 Turkey
Kickstarter Series
Event Venue: Twitter
Event Details:
At the beginning of July, the MEXC Turkey Team hosted a series of Kickstarter events, successfully garnering a total of 422 participating MEXCers in the first event.
Detailed Reward Rules: A total prize pool of 500 USDT was shared among 50 MEXCers.
2.3.2 Vietnam
Go MEXCer - Born Pink
Event Venue: Telegram group
Event Details:
Vietnamese MEXCers had the opportunity to win two Born Pink concert tickets and share 500 USDT worth of futures bonuses by referring at least 3 new users to sign up on the platform.
Detailed Reward Rules
Referrer:
Have a spot trading volume ≥ 500 USDT or futures trading volume ≥ 5,000 USDT.
At the same time, the referrer must refer at least 3 new users to sign up on the platform.
Referral:
Complete KYC verification.
Have a spot trading volume ≥ 500 USDT or futures trading volume ≥ 500 USDT.
2.3.3 Russia
MEME 2.0
Event Venue: Twitter
Event Details:
MEXCers had the opportunity to share a total prize pool of 2,000 USDT by retweeting the MEME 2.0 poster and having a futures trading volume ≥ 10 USDT at the same time.
2.3.4 Japan
MEXC Tanabata Festival
Event Venue: Twitter
Event Details:
MEXCers had the opportunity to receive a free airdrop of a token of their choice worth 10,000 Japanese Yen simply by making a wish and stating their desired token in the comment section.
Detailed Reward Rules: One participant will be selected daily to receive 10,000 Japanese Yen worth of crypto, with the total value of the event rewards being 30,000 Japanese Yen.
2.3.5 Korea
BTC Price Change Prediction
Event Venue: Twitter
Event Details:
MEXCers had the opportunity to receive a free airdrop reward by predicting the price change of BTC. A total of 199 MEXCers received the reward.
3. MX Updates
3.1 MX Official Information
3.1.1 2023 Q2 MX Buyback and Burn Announcement
On July 15, 2023, MEXC issued an official announcement to the MEXC community regarding the MX token’s burning situation for Q2. The burn was carried out based on MEXC's previous "buyback and burn'' plan and the community voting results for the MX Token 2.0 proposal.
MX tokens burned during 2023 Q2: 1,562,500 MX
For detailed information about the burn, please check the Burn Address.
"Buyback and Burn" Plan Review: MEXC allocates 40% of its quarterly profits to repurchasing and burning MX tokens from the market, with the aim of maintaining the circulating supply of MX tokens at 100 million.
3.2 MX Monthly Insights
3.2.1 MX July Feast, More Privileges to be Unlocked
As we entered July, the scale of free MX airdrops did not decrease. MEXC brings over 20 free airdrops to all MX holders every week, totaling over 100 airdrops per month.
According to calculations by MEXC's data team, the average return for each airdrop is 2 USDT. Optimistically, if you do not miss any airdrop rewards throughout the month, you will receive 200 USDT by the end of the month. Additionally, the returns from each airdrop will increase with the arrival of the bull market, leading to higher overall gains.
Since July, mainstream token trading has become active due to the "halving mechanism" of various major cryptocurrencies. On one hand, the substantial market capitalization of major cryptos has boosted the overall cryptocurrency market sentiment. On the other hand, it has led to a one-sided surge in low cap cryptos on various exchanges. The "celebration" of low cap cryptos indicates that the cryptocurrency bull market is approaching.
According to MEXC's last semi-annual report, the price of MX has grown an incredible 350% in the past six months, gaining increasing popularity among MEXCers. Currently, MX ranks 111th, not far from the top 100. It is predicted that the number of MX token holders will increase by 30% and the total trading volume will increase by 40% in 2023.
(Source: CoinMarketCap)
As an important part of the MEXC ecosystem, MX token not only allows you to earn passive income by participating in Launchpool and Kickstarter events, it also enables you to join MEXC's commission program! If you hold a certain amount of MX tokens, you can earn commissions by actively referring new users to register and trade.
You can receive up to 70% of your referral’s trading fees.
3.3 MX Popular Events
3.3.2 Launchpool and Kickstarter
3.3.2.1 July: Endless Benefits
In July, MEXC's new tokens listings remained strong, leading to the booming popularity of two important sections: Launchpool and Kickstarter. Throughout July, every MEXCer participating in the events from these two sections received over 100 airdrop rewards. In fact, if you check MEXC's Twitter, you'll find more than 30 events happening every week. The high frequency of events led to higher returns, allowing more frequent zero-cost acquisitions of "original'' tokens.
From July 1 to July 23, if you simultaneously participated in Launchpool and Kickstarter with just 1,000 MX (the minimum amount), you could have potentially earned 111.30 USDT. Excluding ongoing and upcoming events, your July yield rate could have reached 4.03% (based on the highest USDT price point). Conservatively, your APY could exceed 48%. These returns only account for passive income and do not include potential gains from increases in MX token‘s price.
Across various exchanges, July's hottest sector was "Meme 2.0," with many related concept tokens experiencing explosive growth after listing, such as XRP2.0, PEPE2.0, etc. For many MEXCers who are enthusiastic about collecting these crypto assets, this is undoubtedly good news. Additionally, high-quality tokens have enormous growth potential.
In the first half of the year alone, these tokens saw astonishing growth on MEXC: PEPE’s token price increased by as much as 11,399.75%; MONG’s token price increased by 10,756.63%; SCT’s token price increased by 3,479.00%.
4. An Analysis of Hot Topics in the Blockchain Industry
4.1 NFT Cooling and the Azuki Incident
4.1.1 Overview of the NFT Market
Since June 2023, the NFT market may be facing one of the most severe winters in its history. According to data from the NFT browser NFTGO, the NFT Blue Chip Index, which reflects the price performance of the NFT market, has dropped by over 30% within a month since June. Many blue-chip NFTs have experienced significant declines, and countless NFTs have been heavily affected. Among them, the blue-chip Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has fallen from 45 ETH in June to a low of 30 ETH in July. The blue-chip Azuki, influenced by the "Azuki Elemental Beans mint mishap," experienced the largest decline, plummeting from 16 ETH in June to nearly 5 ETH at present.
Data Source: NFTGO
In addition to the decline in NFT prices, the overall market capitalization and liquidity of the NFT market are also entering a "decline phase." Over the past three months, the overall valuation of the NFT market has decreased by 23.28%, down to 3.15 million ETH, approximately $6 billion. The trading volume has shrunk by more than half, leaving only 1.04 million ETH, around $2 billion.
Data Source: NFTGO
4.1.2 Introduction to Azuki
Azuki is currently one of the most successful NFT brands. It offers 10,000 character images to its community members. In addition to NFT sales, it plans to establish offline streetwear brand stores, organize meet-ups, and host live music events in the future.
Since entering the market in January 2022, Azuki has gained popularity among many fans due to its unique Japanese anime style, quickly attaining NFT blue-chip status. During this time, the Azuki community has introduced various NFT protocols and innovative gameplay, such as the ERC721A protocol and the Azuki partner BEANZ series. However, due to the impact of the "mint mishap" during the release of Azuki Elemental Beans, Azuki's former glory has faded.
It all started in late June when the Azuki official team launched the offline event themed "Follow the Rabbit" in Las Vegas. At the end of the month, they announced the new Azuki Elementals series of NFTs and immediately commenced the pre-sale.
4.1.3 Azuki Elemental Beans Mint Mishap
The "Azuki Elemental Beans Mint Mishap" occurred on June 28, 2023, at midnight when Azuki's new series, Azuki Elemental Beans, was officially released for sale. As soon as the sale began, all Azuki Elemental Beans were quickly sold out at a price of 2 ETH each. Some users who couldn't purchase Azuki Elemental Beans during the initial sale even resorted to buying them at higher prices in the secondary market. According to data from NFTScan, the trading volume and floor price of Azuki Elemental Beans at the time of sale reached 9,422.2074 ETH and 2.2139 ETH, respectively.
Data Source: NFTScan
Even though the Azuki project team did not disclose the specific utility of the artwork before its official release, they generated excitement with a captivating promotional video. As a leading NFT project, users firmly believe that Azuki will take this opportunity to launch an exceptional piece of work.
With the unveiling of Azuki Elemental Beans, users were astonished to find that Azuki Elemental Beans was almost an exact replica of the original Azuki artwork. Some went so far as to say that Azuki Elemental Beans completely copied the original Azuki artwork. The image on the left is Azuki, and the image on the right is Azuki Elemental Beans.
Image Source: Twitter
After the unveiling of Azuki Elemental Beans, the entire community was filled with disappointment and anger. Numerous Azuki holders started selling their Azuki tokens. As shown in the chart below, before the opening of Azuki Elemental Beans, the price of Azuki was relatively stable and even experienced an increase, reaching around 16 ETH at one point. However, after the opening of Azuki Elemental Beans, the price of Azuki plummeted all the way down to around 5 ETH. Azuki Elemental Beans also experienced a rapid decline and, at the time of writing, has already dropped to around 1 ETH.
Data Source: NFT Price Floor
During the cryptocurrency bear market, the NFT market already had limited liquidity. Azuki's actions not only drained the scarce liquidity in the market but also triggered a trust crisis that dealt a severe blow to the entire NFT market.
4.2 XRP’s Legal Victory
4.2.1 U.S. Judge Rules XRP is Not a Security
On July 14, a U.S. judge ruled that the XRP token is "not necessarily a security on its face" and its sale did not violate federal securities laws, bringing an end to the three-year-long legal battle between Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This positive news led to a surge in the entire cryptocurrency market, especially for tokens like XRP, SOL, MATIC, ADA, FIL, SAND, and others that were previously considered securities by the SEC.
The entire Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit is a microcosm of the current global cryptocurrency market. The emerging cryptocurrency market still faces many uncertainties in terms of regulations and oversight. Due to the lack of clarity in the scope and responsibilities of regulations, cryptocurrency companies find it challenging to have stable expectations regarding regulatory measures. The cryptocurrency market urgently needs well-defined regulatory frameworks to reduce potential market turmoil. The outcome of this lawsuit could serve as a pivotal moment for cryptocurrency regulatory reform and carry historic significance.
4.2.2 Introduction to XRP
Ryan Fugger founded RipplePay in 2004 with the core idea of creating a peer-to-peer payment network that could replace the traditional banking system. In 2012, Ryan Fugger handed over RipplePay to early Bitcoin pioneer Jed McCaleb, who then invited Chris Larsen to serve as the executive chairman. Together, they launched the OpenCoin project, which later became Ripple Labs at the end of 2013, and was eventually renamed to Ripple in 2015.
In January 2013, the company introduced the cryptocurrency XRP, with a total supply limited to 100 billion tokens. XRP's initial private sale price was extremely low, reportedly at $0.0000001. The purpose of XRP's issuance was for international remittances. Traditional international remittances were typically conducted through SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), which incurred high costs and required long transfer times. Using XRP for remittances could significantly reduce the required time and fees. Due to the potential and innovation of XRP in the field of international remittances, notable investment firms such as Google Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz participated in XRP's first round of private fundraising. XRP went through a total of four rounds of financing, as shown in the following figure.
Data Source: RootData
Unlike other cryptocurrencies, XRP does not operate on a traditional blockchain. Instead, it utilizes a distributed ledger technology called XRP Ledger and an authorized algorithm known as the Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm (RPCA). In contrast to Bitcoin's proof-of-work mechanism (POW), XRP only requires approval from 80% of validators to validate transactions and does not involve mining. As a result, blocks can be quickly added to the XRP ledger, allowing XRP to process up to 1500 transactions per second and complete payments within 5 seconds.
4.2.3 The History of the XRP and SEC Lawsuit
In December 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Ripple. According to the document, from 2013 to the present, Ripple and its founders sold a total of 14.6 billion XRP, raising over $1.3 billion in funds. The defendants did not register the offering and sales of XRP with the SEC and did not obtain an exemption from registration, which the SEC alleges violated U.S. federal securities laws. Under the SEC's regulations, individuals or cryptocurrency companies must register securities offerings with regulatory authorities or apply for an exemption. Following the SEC's lawsuit, many exchanges delisted XRP, causing a 20% price drop.
It's worth noting that the SEC had previously stated that due to the decentralized nature of Bitcoin and Ethereum, they can be considered cryptocurrencies rather than securities. The SEC chose XRP as a significant target in the crypto space for two reasons: ① Ripple has operated as a company with a clear entity and team, and ② Ripple has repeatedly proposed collaboration with European and American banks and third-party payment and financial institutions, demonstrating its significant presence in penetrating traditional financial systems, which is comparable to other mainstream cryptocurrencies.
In February 2021, after the SEC filed the complaint, Ripple responded to the SEC's allegations, asserting that XRP is a cryptocurrency and does not meet the definition of a security because it lacks contracts, investor rights, and issuer obligations. Subsequently, the two parties engaged in a court battle that lasted for over two years.
On July 14, 2023, local time in the United States, a federal judge finally issued a ruling stating that “XRP is not necessarily a security on its face”, and Ripple's sale of XRP tokens through exchanges does not violate U.S. federal securities laws. This marked a significant milestone in the long-standing confrontation between the parties, with Ripple achieving a partial victory. Following the release of the ruling, XRP surged, with its price increasing by over 70% at one point.
The reason the U.S. federal judge ruled XRP not a security is that Ripple's sale of XRP through exchanges does not meet the third prong of the Howey Test - "expectation of profits."
The court considered XRP's sales as "blind” transactions because the majority of investors who purchased XRP from exchanges did not do so for investment purposes or with the expectation of profits. They were not aware of where the funds from purchasing XRP would flow, and they did not reasonably expect profits from Ripple's operations.
Data Source: Twitter
After the verdict was announced, Ripple's General Counsel, Stuart Alderoty, expressed on Twitter that this was a tremendous victory for Ripple. He stated, "as a matter of law - XRP is not a security. Also a matter of law - sales on exchanges are not securities. Sales by executives are not securities. Other XRP distributions - to developers, to charities, to employees are not securities."
4.2.4 The Significance of XRP's Legal Victory for the Industry
① Creating a more lenient environment for innovation in the industry.
Securities are subject to strict regulation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as various processes, including registration and issuance, need to pass SEC scrutiny. With XRP being ruled not a security, it doesn't need to undergo the complex regulatory process of the SEC, and the same would apply to other cryptocurrency projects. Additionally, if exchanges can sell XRP, they can also trade other cryptocurrencies, as per the precedent set, other cryptocurrencies should also not be classified as securities. These two points will create a more lenient environment for innovation in the industry.
② Cryptocurrency companies' first legal victory against the SEC.
In the U.S. judicial system, precedents carry significant weight, meaning previous rulings are taken into consideration when making judgments. If other cryptocurrency projects have disputes with the SEC, the court can refer to the ruling on XRP. Therefore, this ruling sets a precedent for future cryptocurrency cases, potentially becoming a crucial turning point for the cryptocurrency industry.
4.3 EthCC 2023
4.3.1 Introduction to EthCC
EthCC, organized by the non-profit organization Ethereum France, has been held in Paris since 2018. It aims to provide more networking opportunities for startups and investors. On July 17, 2023, “EthCC 6” officially commenced in Paris, France, and the conference went on for four days.
For both Ethereum developers and the entire cryptocurrency community, EthCC 2023 is the most anticipated event after EDCON in Montenegro this year. The conference boasts a diverse range of participants, including prominent projects such as Ethereum, Coindesk, Uniswap, Starknet, and others. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin attended the event and delivered a public speech on the history and future of account abstraction.
4.3.2 Summary of Vitalik Buterin's Speech
Currently, Ethereum accounts and keys are closely coupled, meaning if you control the private key, you have control over the account.
Account abstraction will decouple the entities (accounts) in the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) from the entities (key pairs or signers) holding ownership of mobile assets. As long as a Contract Account (CA) supports specific functionalities, such as signature verification, it can act as an account.
Account abstraction essentially allows users to define the security model for their accounts, making Ethereum more adaptable to different use cases. For instance, this feature enables users to set their own transaction validation rules, such as multi-signature requirements or spending limits. They can also make their accounts compatible with future cryptographic algorithms.
Vitalik described account abstraction as allowing Ethereum accounts to be controlled by smart contract code instead of private keys. His vision is that in the future, people will switch from the current Externally Owned Account (EOA) wallets to smart contract-based wallets. If successful, managing crypto wallets would become as simple as managing email accounts.
4.3.3 Four Noteworthy Projects
① Uniswap Launches Cross-AMM Protocol UniswapX
Uniswap, one of the well-established decentralized exchanges, was launched in 2018 and currently supports millions of users. During the EthCC conference, Uniswap announced the release of UniswapX, a permissionless, open source, and Dutch auction-based cross-AMM protocol. Currently, the opt-in beta version of this protocol is available on the Uniswap Labs interface for the Ethereum mainnet, with plans to expand other chains and Uniswap wallets in the future.
UniswapX will gradually implement the following features: aggregating liquidity sources to improve exchange value, protection against MEV (Maximal Extractable Value), gas-free swapping, no cost for failed transactions, and expanding to support gas-free cross-chain gasless swap within a few months.
② Lens Protocol Officially Released V2 Version
On May 18, 2022, Lens Protocol was launched on the Polygon mainnet as a decentralized social protocol, and it has garnered 120,000 users to date. During the EthCC conference in Paris, Lens Protocol announced the release of its V2 version. The V2 version focuses on openness and composability, allowing users to directly execute external smart contract operations within Lens publications. Additionally, Lens V2 has introduced the capability to interact with smart contracts within social media platforms.
The highlights of Lens Protocol V2 are as follows: The introduction of ERC-6551 to aggregate value into NFTs rather than wallets. Addition of third-party operation permissions, including whitelist addition, and more.
③ Chainlink Launches Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP)
Chainlink is a decentralized oracle project designed to securely and reliably connect blockchain smart contracts to off-chain systems, providing secure and reliable data sources for blockchains.
On July 18, Chainlink announced the launch of the Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP), designed for cross-chain applications and services. Currently, CCIP provides early users with real-time access on various blockchains such as Avalanche, Ethereum, Optimism, and Polygon.
④ Starknet Launches Starknet Appchains
Starknet is a Layer2 blockchain network built by the StarkWare team, operating as a ZK Rollup on Ethereum. According to data from L2BEAT, Starknet's Total Value Locked (TVL) has seen a rapid surge since the 10th and has now surpassed $115 million.
Data Source: L2BEAT
At the EthCC conference, StarkNet officially announced the launch of StarkNet Appchains, which improves transaction processing speed and enhances user experience. With this update, transactions are no longer subject to the long processing times of 5-10 minutes as before. Additionally, StarkNet also unveiled the high-performance sequencer Madara, which enhances the capabilities of the Cairo VM using the Substrate framework, further improving the appchains' capabilities and Starknet's interoperability and on-chain privacy levels.
4.4 Curve Finance Crisis
Due to a bug in certain versions of the Ethereum programming language Vyper, four Curve Finance pools were exploited and the funds were stolen. The potential crisis was exacerbated as the founder of Curve Finance had used a significant amount of CRV tokens as collateral for loans on multiple lending platforms, putting CRV at risk of potential liquidation.
4.4.1 Reentrancy Attacks
On July 30, at 21:34, the NFT lending protocol was suspected of being under attack. Subsequently, Curve Finance reported that JPEG'd had suffered a read-only reentrancy attack, causing the pETH price on the pETH-ETH pool on Curve to drop to $383. (Note: pETH is a derivative asset of ETH issued by JPEG'd.)
At 22:50, the msETH-ETH pool on Curve was attacked.
At 23:34, the alETH-ETH pool on Curve was attacked.
On July 31, at 0:44, the Ethereum programming language Vyper tweeted that the reentrancy locks in versions 0.2.15, 0.2.16, and 0.3.0 were ineffective.
At 0:45, Curve’s official Twitter account posted that many stablecoin pools using Vyper 0.2.15 (alETH / msETH / pETH) were attacked due to a reentrancy lock failure, while other pools are safe.
At 3:08, CRV-ETH was attacked, with the lowest CRV on the chain falling to around 0.08.
At 7:50, c0ffeebabe.eth, the deployer of the Mev Bot that frontrun the CRV/ETH Pool, returned 2,879.54 ETH worth approximately $5.39 million to Curve Finance deployer.
At 9:37, Upbit, South Korea’s largest exchange, suspended CRV deposit and withdrawal services.
4.4.2 Impact of Reentrancy Attacks
According to DefiLlama data, Curve Finance's Total Value Locked (TVL) decreased by 43.6% in the span of 24 hours, dropping to $2.28 billion, with liquidity reduced by 63%.
Data Source: DefiLlama
This reentrancy attack mainly involved several pools that utilized specific versions of Vyper. Currently, Curve Finance has suspended deposit and staking features for these affected pools. Additionally, they have delisted the corresponding pools from their platform, abandoning their use, and introduced new secure pools.
4.4.3 Liquidation Crisis
The liquidation crisis stems from Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov's collateral loans on lending platforms, including Frax Finance and Aave. Michael's loan positions are as follows:
On Aave v2, he supplied 257.44 million CRV tokens and borrowed 49.25 million USDT, with a liquidation price of approximately $0.35.
On Frax Finance, he supplied 38.6 million CRV tokens and borrowed 9.19 million FRAX tokens, with a liquidation price of approximately $0.3.
On Abracadabra, he supplied 46.65 million CRV tokens and borrowed 12 million MIM tokens.
On Inverse Finance, he supplied 29.1 million CRV tokens and borrowed 7.7 million DOLA tokens.
If liquidation occurs, not only will Curve Finance suffer significant asset losses, the lending platforms involved will also face substantial economic losses. Both borrowers and lenders will have to face the pressure of dealing with the repercussions of this loan arrangement.
4.4.4 Loan Resolution
Currently, Curve Finance founder Michael Egorov is using over-the-counter (OTC) sales of CRV tokens to repay his loans.
According to @EmberCN's monitoring, Michael has sold a total of 54.5 million CRV tokens at an average price of $0.4. The buyers include DWFLabs (12.5 million CRV), Justin Sun (5 million CRV), Jeffrey Huang (3.75 million CRV), Cream.Finance (2.5 million CRV), and others.
The root cause of the Curve incident lies in the issue with the Ethereum programming language Vyper, which eventually led to user funds being compromised on Curve. This event may serve as a wake-up call for DeFi projects to place even greater emphasis on ensuring user asset security and isolation.
5. BTC & ETH Analysis
5.1 Bitcoin
In terms of token price, the trends of Bitcoin and Ethereum largely represent the overall market trends in the industry. However, when it comes to assessing whether the entire industry is experiencing a recovery and resurgence, price is only one part of the equation. Our aim is to provide more support for making judgments by analyzing some underlying data.
5.1.1 Price
Following the positive trend from the previous month, the price of Bitcoin fluctuated around $30,000 in this month. Based on the chart from Look Into Bitcoin, it is evident that most of the time, the price remained above $30,000. On July 14, the price of Bitcoin reached its highest point this year at $31,544.7.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
5.1.2 Institutional Holdings
5.1.2.1 Grayscale Investments
According to CoinGlass data, Grayscale Investments have been consistently reducing their BTC holdings this year. In July, they reduced their BTC holdings by approximately 1,000 BTC, and in the past 7 days, they reduced their holdings by 380 BTC. Currently, they hold approximately 624,700 BTC.
The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) currently has a primary market price of $26.4 and a secondary market price of $19.04, with a premium rate of -27.88%.
Data Source: 2023 Grayscale Investments BTC Holdings Data
5.1.2.2 Publicly Listed Companies
The Bitcoin Treasuries website compiles data on 41 publicly listed companies that hold BTC, including well-known entities like MicroStrategy, Tesla, Coinbase, Meitu, and others.
According to the data from the chart, we can calculate the average cost of holdings for these companies: MicroStrategy at $29,647, Tesla at $34,722, Coinbase at $12,342, and Meitu at $52,609. With the current market price of BTC being $29,316, most of these companies are still in a loss-making position.
Data Source: Chart of BTC holding cost value for 41 publicly listed companies (partial)
5.1.2.3 Centralized Exchanges
According to CoinGlass data, a total of 20 exchanges, including but not limited to Binance, Coinbase, OKX, Bybit, Kraken, Huobi, Kucoin, Gate, and Bitmex, saw an outflow of 18,618.85 BTC in the past month. The main contributor to the outflow was Coinbase, which saw an outflow of 27,065.56 BTC.
However, data from the past 7 days shows that these 20 exchanges are experiencing an inflow trend, with a total inflow of 17,159.89 BTC. The main contributor to the inflow was Binance, which saw an inflow of 10,729.99 BTC.
Data Source: Exchanges’ Bitcoin Wallet Balances in July
Data Source: Exchanges’ Bitcoin Wallet Inflow and Outflow in July
5.1.2.4 Governments
The Bitcoin Treasuries website also compiles data on BTC holdings for four countries and regions, including Ukraine, the United States, El Salvador, and the state of Georgia. El Salvador is a pioneer in BTC adoption, being the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. According to the data, El Salvador's average cost of BTC holdings is around $45,006, indicating that it is currently in a loss-making position.
Data Source: Bitcoin Treasuries
5.1.2.5 Comparison of BTC Holding Positions by Different Entities
Data Source: Bitcoin Treasuries
5.1.3 Return on Investment (ROI)
From the institutional holdings data above, we can see that most of the holding institutions are still at a loss. According to CoinGlass's monthly investment return data, Bitcoin showed a negative return rate of -0.42% in July. In comparison, the return rate for June was the third-highest this year, reaching 11.98%.
Data Source: Bitcoin Investment Return Rate For The Past Years (Monthly Data)
5.1.4 Volatility
Volatility is used to measure the uncertainty of asset returns and reflects the level of risk in financial assets. Higher volatility means more significant fluctuations in the price of financial assets and greater uncertainty in asset returns. Lower volatility, on the other hand, indicates smoother price movements and higher certainty in asset returns.
According to CoinGlass's volatility chart, Bitcoin's volatility reached its peak in March this year, and the volatility in June decreased by one percentage point and remained between 2.4% and 2.6%. In July, Bitcoin's volatility decreased by another percentage point, with the highest volatility being only 1.39%. Bitcoin's price fluctuated relatively smoothly in July, mostly between $29,000 and $30,000.
Data Source: Bitcoin Volatility in 2023
5.1.5 Funding Rate
Looking at the funding rate chart for this month, almost all rates are positive. This data indicates that the overall market still has a bullish sentiment, expecting prices to rise. However, the overall market trend cannot solely rely on one chart but requires combining more data to make judgments.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
The number of active Bitcoin addresses is still maintained at over 930,000, with little difference compared to the data from the previous month. At its peak activity, the number of addresses still did not surpass 1 million.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
From the holding data, there are different trends for large investors and retail investors.
The number of addresses holding more than 0.01 BTC increased by 100,000 in July compared to June, reaching 12.16 million. The number of addresses holding more than 0.1 BTC increased by 22,000, reaching 4.41 million.
The number of addresses holding more than 1 BTC increased by 4,300, reaching 1.01 million. The number of addresses holding more than 10 BTC increased by 200, reaching 156,000.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
However, for whale addresses holding more than 1,000 BTC, the holdings are decreasing. The number of addresses holding more than 1,000 BTC decreased by nearly 20, leaving only 2,018 addresses still holding more than 1,000 BTC.
Data Source: Look Into Bitcoin
According to data from CoinMarketCap, in the cryptocurrency market share over the past month, the proportion of Bitcoin has shown a slight decline after July 14, decreasing by 1%.
Data Source: CoinMarketCap
Similarly, the global cryptocurrency market cap shows a similar trend. After reaching a peak on July 14, the market cap quickly returned to fluctuate around the average value for the past month.
Data Source: CoinMarketCap
The date July 14 appears repeatedly in the charts and data we have seen, as July 14 is when XRP won the lawsuit, driving the overall market's surge. As the excitement surrounding the event fades, the market enthusiasm also subsides.
5.2 Ethereum
5.2.1 Price
Compared to Bitcoin, ETH experienced larger price fluctuations in July. On July 14, the Ethereum price reached its monthly high, approaching $2,000. At its lowest point, the price almost touched the $1,800 mark.
Data Source: Fei Xiao Hao
5.2.2 Institutional Holdings
Grayscale Investments
Similar to Bitcoin, Grayscale Investmentshas been reducing its holdings of ETH this year. In July, it sold more than 6,000 ETH, and in the past 7 days, it sold over 2,000 ETH. It is currently holding 2.9936 million ETH, according to the data from the CoinGlass website.
The current primary market price of Grayscale Investments EETH is $17.86, and the secondary market price is $10.44, with a premium rate of -41.55%.
Data Source: 2023 Grayscale Investments ETH Holdings Data
Centralized Exchanges
Among the 20 centralized exchanges tracked by CoinGlass, there was a total outflow of 112,519.67 ETH in the past month. OKX and Huobi had significant outflows, with 91,326.95 ETH and 70,234.22 ETH respectively. In the past 7 days, there was a total outflow of 19,512.76 ETH, primarily due to Huobi's outflow of 59,376.02 ETH, and Binance's inflow of 96,311.16 ETH.
Data Source: Exchanges’ ETH Wallet Balances in July
Data Source: Exchanges’ ETH Wallet Inflow and Outflow in July
5.2.3 Return on Investment
Based on CoinGlass's monthly investment return data, ETH has shown relatively low fluctuations in ROI since April. However, in July, it had the first negative ROI of the year, which was -3.99%.
Data Source: ETH Investment Return Rate for the Past Years (Monthly Data)
5.2.4 ETH Lockup Amount and Yield Rate
Despite Grayscale Investments' continuous reduction in ETH holdings, data from Fei Xiao Hao shows that the on-chain lockup amount of ETH has been steadily increasing. Even after the Shanghai upgrade, the originally unlocked ETH did not change this trend and continued to be staked and locked.
As the lockup amount continues to increase, the yield shows a declining trend. It has currently decreased from a peak of over 20% to below 5%.
Data Source: ETH Lockup Amount
Data Source: ETH Yield Rate
5.2.5 ETH Inflation and Burning
After introducing the ETH-1559 burning protocol, Ethereum's previous inflation model now has the potential for deflation, reducing the overall circulating supply of ETH.
According to data from Fei Xiao Hao, Ethereum was in a deflationary state in July, with daily burning exceeding the amount of new issuance, which benefits ETH holders.
Data Source: July ETH Inflation
Data Source: Daily ETH Burning Amount
In addition, according to data from Token Terminal, in the past month, Ethereum's revenue increased by 1.83%, fees increased by 3.87%, total market value decreased by 2.12%, and daily active users decreased by 13%. However, the number of core developers increased by 5%, and the total code commits increased by 8.1%.
The increase in developer count and code commits is likely related to relatively more activities in the past month, mainly focusing on EthCC-related events and local activities in Japan.
Data Source: Token Terminal
5.2.6 Conclusion
Based on the market trends and data of Bitcoin and Ethereum, there are no clear signs of a rebound. We need to exercise more patience and wait for the bull market to arrive.
For long-term holders, waiting seems to have become a habit, and persistence will eventually lead to the dawn of victory. For users skilled in short-term trading, every market fluctuation serves as a test of their strategies, making effective risk management particularly crucial.
Market recovery still requires time and capital injection. Let's remain hopeful that we will all be here to witness its arrival.
6. Closing Remarks
According to data from RootData, there have been 68 financings in the cryptocurrency market in the past 30 days, equivalent to an increase of 11.84%. The total financing amount was $618 million, equivalent to an increase of 26.99%.
Data Source: RootData
Capital is mainly concentrated in investment infrastructure projects. Among the top 10 blockchain projects in terms of financing amount, half of them belong to infrastructure projects, while the rest include exchanges, Layer 1 public chains, music NFT platforms, etc.
Data Source: RootData
As capital enters the market and market sentiment begins to brew, it seems as if, just like the familiar saying, "everything is coming back." We have traversed the winter, patiently waiting for the bull market's arrival, and all the waiting preceding this moment will prove to be worthwhile.
7. List of References
https://cointelegraph.com/news/crypto-regulatory-framework-bill-pass-house-congressional-committee
https://www.lookintobitcoin.com/charts/bitcoin-funding-rates/
https://www.lookintobitcoin.com/charts/bitcoin-active-addresses/
https://www.lookintobitcoin.com/charts/addresses-greater-than-1000-btc/
https://tokenterminal.com/terminal/projects/ethereum?ref=bankless.ghost.io
https://blockchair.com/bitcoin/charts/average-transaction-fee-usd
https://blockchair.com/litecoin/charts/average-transaction-fee-usd
https://dune.com/ataraxiae/linea-goerli-testnet-zk-rollup-by-consensys
https://twitter.com/Linea_Ecosystem/status/1679430944158289921
https://twitter.com/Starknet/status/1681603967787122688?s=20
https://www.nftscan.com/0x3af2a97414d1101e2107a70e7f33955da1346305
https://opensea.io/collection/lens-protocol-profiles?tab=items
https://www.rootdata.com/Projects/detail/Worldcoin?k=MTg0Mw%3D%3D
https://optimistic.etherscan.io/token/0xdc6ff44d5d932cbd77b52e5612ba0529dc6226f1#balances