Cipher Mining invested $6M in Dogelon Mars (ELON): explosive growth expected

CryptoSlate chats with Ben Gagnon, the CEO of Bitfarms, a global vertically integrated Bitcoin mining and data center operation.Credits Thanks to Liam 'Akiba' Wright for hosting and producing the episodes.   Connect with CryptoSlate: - X - Substack - Google News - Telegram - Instagram

The latest episode of CryptoSlate's SlateCast podcast welcomed Markus Maier, CEO and Founder of Nudge, and CryptoSlate's Editor-in-Chief Liam “Akiba” Wright and CEO Nate Whitehill. The episode highlighted Nudge's unique approach to decentralizing and optimizing liquidity reallocation across multiple DeFi protocols. With a focus on user-centric incentives and cross-chain liquidity, Nudge aims to transform the traditional airdrop model, offering a more efficient and purposeful method for incentivizing users.What is Nudge?Nudge introduces an innovative approach to liquidity management in decentralized finance (DeFi) through reallocation-based incentives. Unlike traditional airdrops, which often result in minimal user engagement and "mercenary" behavior, Nudge's reallocation model rewards users for meaningful, on-chain actions.Markus Maier described Nudge as a system that’s focused on "driving liquidity where it's needed most". By encouraging users to reallocate their assets to protocols that require liquidity, Nudge aims to create a more active and dynamic DeFi ecosystem."Instead of airdrops rewarding passive holders, we’re rewarding users who actively engage with protocols in a way that benefits the entire system," Maier explained.This shift represents a fundamental departure from the status quo. Rather than distributing tokens broadly to anyone holding an address, Nudge's system ensures that only users who take productive, measurable actions receive incentives.The Flaws of Traditional AirdropsTraditional airdrops have long been a controversial mechanism in DeFi. While they aim to attract users and build loyalty, the outcome often falls short. Recipients of airdropped tokens frequently sell them immediately, causing price volatility and minimal engagement with the underlying protocol.Addressing this issue, Maier stated,“Airdrops are a blunt tool. They're expensive and largely ineffective at driving long-term engagement.”This inefficiency led to the development of Nudg

Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House Communications Director and founder of SkyBridge Capital, shared his insights on the future of crypto regulation in the United States during a recent SlateCast episode. With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, Scaramucci discussed how the outcome could significantly impact the crypto industry, particularly in relation to Bitcoin and broader regulatory approaches.Scaramucci began by analyzing the political stakes, positioning the election as a pivotal moment for the future of crypto in the US. “I still think it’s Trump’s election to lose, by the way, even though she has momentum,” Scaramucci said, referencing Kamala Harris’s current standing. However, he quickly pointed out the potential consequences if Harris fails to support crypto: “If she makes the positive crypto statements that I’m expecting after the convention and after the nomination, then I think Gensler’s gone.”Scaramucci’s comments suggest that the future of SEC Chair Gary Gensler, known for his aggressive stance on crypto, could be tied to Harris’s position on digital assets. He warned that if Harris aligns with figures like Elizabeth Warren, known for their critical view of the crypto industry, it could spell trouble for her campaign: “If she doesn’t make those statements and she’s lining up with the Warren minions… I think she’s going to lose the election.”He elaborated on the political implications, noting the increasing influence of the crypto community. “50 million people own the stuff. 5% of those people are single-issue voters and she will be signaling to them she doesn’t care,” Scaramucci explained, underscoring the potential electoral impact of crypto voters who prioritize the issue.Turning to Donald Trump, Scaramucci highlighted the former president’s evolving stance on crypto. Despite initially dismissing Bitcoin and other digital assets, Trump has begun to shift his position, driven by political calculations. Scaramucci described how Vivek

In a recent episode of SlateCast, CryptoSlate's Senior Editor Liam "Akiba" Wright and CEO Nate Whitehill sat down with Robin Obermaier, the CEO and founder of Liquidium, to discuss the evolving landscape of DeFi on Bitcoin and the future of cross-chain lending.The Rise of Bitcoin DeFiObermaier began by addressing the current state of DeFi on Bitcoin, acknowledging its infancy while highlighting the progress made in fundamental technologies. He stated:"DeFi on Bitcoin is still in its infancy. Despite obviously a lot of people saying like, Bitcoin will have all of the tools that Ethereum has and Solana has within like a couple of months. That's just not realistic because we have so many more challenges on Bitcoin that we still have to overcome."Liquidium's Peer-to-Peer Lending ProtocolThe conversation then shifted to Liquidium's core offering - a peer-to-peer lending protocol for Bitcoin-based assets. Obermaier demonstrated the platform's functionality, explaining how lenders can create loan offers against Ordinals, Runes, and BRC20 tokens, while borrowers can use these assets as collateral to obtain Bitcoin loans."Lenders are creating offers, borrowers are accepting offers, lenders are countersigning, and then the loan starts," Obermaier explained, highlighting the simplicity of the process.Expanding to Eastern MarketsWhen asked about Liquidium's plans to adapt to Eastern markets, which are heavily focused on fungible tokens, Obermaier outlined their strategy:"We started a basically a Chinese Twitter account. We translated our landing page to Chinese already and then also going to translate the application soon. We're also seeing a large influx from the Brazilian market, actually."Bitcoin Layer 2s and Cross-Chain SolutionsThe discussion then turned to the potential of building on Bitcoin Layer 2s. Obermaier expressed a preference for solutions that allow interaction with Layer 1 Bitcoin, citing concerns about fragmentation and the need for users to bridge or wrap ass