Runes rock Bitcoin

After the halving, the Bitcoin conversation has shifted to... meme coins?

Author

Andrew Hayward
April 22, 2024

Welcome to the Daily Dispatch from Decrypt. This is Andrew in Chicago bringing you your daily news dose. Catch the latest from across our Hubs here!

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📝 What you need to know

The long-awaited Bitcoin halving took place late Friday without a hitch, and we haven’t seen a big impact on the price of the leading cryptocurrency—not yet, at least. But we have seen a frantic scramble to create and mint Runes tokens, thanks to the new fungible token standard launch on Bitcoin.

Runes excitement drove Bitcoin transaction fees to an all-time high over the weekend, though they’ve since returned to normal levels. And following early adopter gripes, leading NFT marketplace Magic Eden has launched its own Runes support today to try and make them more approachable.

Top Stories

Bitcoin Fees Fall Back to Earth After Hitting All-Time High Amid Runes Launch

After a period of record-setting congestion this weekend, Bitcoin transaction fees have dropped back to levels seen last December.

Bitcoin Price Reclaims $66,000, Ethereum Sees Modest Gains After BTC Halving

Bitcoin reclaimed $66,000 Monday, while Ethereum saw its own modest gains, following the fourth BTC halving event on Friday.

Bitcoin Runes Launch on Magic Eden in Attempt to 'Streamline' BTC Token Trading

Just three days after Bitcoin's Runes protocol launched, Magic Eden has rolled out support for the tokens. Here's what to expect.

Why the 'Notcoin' Token Launch Was Delayed—And When It's Coming

Notcoin co-creator Sasha Plotvinov spoke with Decrypt’s GG at Token 2049 about the NOT delay, and when to expect the launch.

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💬 Quote of the Day

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“We’re seeing people fade Runes just like we saw people fading Ordinals a year ago.”

—Trevor Owens, Bitcoin Frontier Fund GP

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📹 WATCH: Notcoin's Co-Creator Explains the Game's Token Delay—And When to Expect NOT Now

Notcoin co-creator Sasha Plotvinov spoke with Decrypt's Sander Lutz at Token 2049 Dubai to discuss why the NOT token launch was pushed back from the original 4/20 target, when to expect the listing, and more.