Seizing the first-meme advantage 🪙

Meanwhile, big changes are afoot for both Bitcoin and Solana.

Author

Ryan Ozawa
April 12, 2024

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

📝 What you need to know

Sam Bankman-Fried asks for a do-over, Solana developers fast-track a potential fix for congestion issues, attendees at a Bitcoin Core developer meetup get subpoenas from the FBI, and Animoca Brands Chairman Yat Siu says NFTs are bound to boom as Bitcoin hits new highs.

Also: We’re a week away from the halving and Decrypt has it covered from every angle: financial (it will “add propellant to a raging firesale of crypto assets,” says Arthur Hayes), technical (mining difficulty has spiked), and whimsical (here’s our roundup of Bitcoin Ordinals and Runes to watch). Stick with us—it'll be a wild ride.

📰 Top Stories

FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Appeals 25-Year Jail Sentence

The founder of collapsed crypto exchange FTX has filed an appeal to his federal conviction and his sentencing.

Solana Congestion Fix Nears as Devs Ask Validators to ‘Upgrade ASAP’

Solana developers have pushed a congestion fix to a devnet and are urging validators to "please upgrade ASAP" so it can be tested.

Bitcoin PUPS Up 81% Amid ‘First Meme Coin’ on BTC Network Controversy

Bitcoin meme coin, PUPS, found itself in the middle of controversy with viral crypto trader Ansem colorfully coming to its defense.

💬 Quote of the Day

❝

“We are the first not first meme coin on Bitcoin.”

@PupsToken

🌐 From Our Hubs

🎮 GG: BitBoy One Preview: Everything You Need to Know About the Bitcoin Gaming Handheld

Another crypto gaming handheld is hitting the market, this time taking inspiration from the Game Boy. Here’s what you need to know.

decrypt.co/226086/bitboy-one-preview-bitcoin-gaming-handheld-price-date

🤖 EMERGE: Adam Schiff Pitches AI Transparency Law and Hollywood Is Into It

The proposed bill would require AI developers to disclose all of the copyrighted content used in training their models.

🖼️ SCENE: Inside VanEck’s Crypto Takeover of the New York Stock Exchange

Worlds collide as Decrypt reporter Sander Lutz heads to the floor of the NYSE to witness a special closing bell ceremony hosted by VanEck in honor of Web3. Featuring Choose Rich Nick, VanEck Head of Web3 Matt Bartlett, and more!

📚 Dive Deeper

🎓LEARN: What is Saga? The Gaming Network, Play-to-Airdrop Push, and Token Launch

Saga is a new layer-1 blockchain with a major gaming focus, and the SAGA token is about to launch after a record-breaking Binance campaign.

📹 WATCH: We Do A Little with Weesh

We’ve taken the man who is usually behind the camera and put him in front of it. Our producer, Weesh, shares how he fell in love with art and became a collector, his biggest wins in crypto, and so much more.