With the markets roaring back to life after a wild 2022, retail interest is slowly seeping back into the space.

In 2021, NFTs were responsible for onboarding huge waves of retail into crypto.

In 2023, as retail interest returns, an emerging sector, #NFTFi, could benefit. 1/ If NFTs and DeFi had a child, it would be NFTFi

NFTFi is essentially the intersection of DeFi and NFTs, bringing functions that are traditionally rooted in finance to the NFT space.

Think: borrowing, lending, derivatives, all with your NFTs.

The Interchain Alliance and Why It Won't Take Off

@stablekwon is back, and back with a new proposal for Cosmos security in the form of the Interchain Alliance, as part of a lengthy proposal on the Terra governance forum.

It's not without merits, but here's why it won't work🧵👇 1/ Background

But before we get into that, let's set the stage on what's been going down in the #Cosmos, namely:

• Interchain Security
• Mesh Security

1.5 billion @instagram users will be able to mint, buy and sell #Polygon NFTs directly on the app.

This has the potential to onboard MILLIONS of users and creators into Web3.

Let's dive into how it works 🧵👇 1/

With this update, users can now support their favourite creators by buying digital collectibles directly on Instagram.

The app will offer an end-to-end toolkit — from creation (starting with the Polygon blockchain) and showcasing, to selling.

Modular blockchains are the NEXT BIGGEST innovation in Blockchain Infrastructure.

Here are 3 reasons why @CelestiaOrg is poised to achieve unparalleled scalability, flexibility and interoperability 🧵 👇 1/ Monolithic vs Modular

Blockchains generally fall into two categories: Monolithic or Modular.

Monolithic: Consensus, Settlement, Execution and Data Availability all in one layer.

Modular: Functions of the blockchain are split into 2 or more layers.

Why Everyone Is Talking About the Art Gobblers 👽

If you've spent anytime on Twitter in the last 24h, surely you would've heard of the Art Gobblers.

But what are @artgobblers, how do they work and what do they mean for the future of NFTs?

Let's take a look 🔎 1/ WHAT are Art Gobblers?

Art Gobblers are an NFT collection launched by @paradigm and @JustinRoiland.

Launching on Halloween, the collection has since surged from a free mint to a floor price of 15 ETH at its peak and raked in more than 6,800 ETH in volume.

But so what?

1/ In 2016, an important smart contract on the Ethereum blockchain called The DAO got hacked. A hacker found a loophole in the code allowing him to steal 3.6M ETH.

But if code is law and the claim is made through terms of the smart contract…

Is it really theft?

A thread 🧵 2/

What is The DAO?

DAO is now a generic term for Decentralized Autonomous Organization. But this was THE DAO, the first of its kind.

There was a flaw in the smart contract of The DAO that allowed a hacker to drain $70 million in Ether from it.

@LooksRare just enabled zero-royalty trading on their marketplace, but with a twist!

Creators will also earn a share of protocol fees from the platform.

Let's see what this means for LooksRare, buyers/sellers and creators 🧵

https://twitter.com/LooksRare/status/1585647538635689985

1/

Traditionally, NFT marketplaces charge two types of fees on transactions:

1. Protocol fees: A % fee implemented by the platform
2. Royalties: A % fee implemented by NFT creators

What's important here to note is that royalties are nearly impossible to enforce on-chain.

While @SuiNetwork $SUI and @AptosFoundation $APT share many similarities like TPS and programming language, the two upstart Layer 1 chains are far from the same.

Here are 3 KEY severely overlooked differences and the reasons why we're building on #Sui 🧵 👇 1/ Parallel Execution

As smart contract platforms increase in adoption, smart contract execution increasingly becomes a major bottleneck for blockchain throughput.

To achieve higher TPS, both Aptos and Sui apply parallelization at the execution layer.

Almost all projects succeed at acquiring users in a bull run.

But once a bear market hits, many projects suddenly suck at marketing.

Here are 6 tips to market in a bear market better than your competitors 🧵 Every community is different, but the way they achieve growth happens in a similar order.

It starts with a small group of people with similar interests.

Then, it builds out from the core, into a larger community.

Aptos just launched their mainnet recently and airdropped many curious users with a generous 4-figs worth in $APT.

If you received it, congrats 🎉

If you did not, no use crying over spilt milk. Instead, prepare for the future airdrops!

Here are 5 that we are watching!🧵 👇 1 / If you've been anywhere in the L2 space, you'd definitely have heard of the @optimismFND airdrop

Good news is that was only 5% of the 19% $OP allocated to airdrops!

How do we get in for the next 14%?

How Can #Soulbound Tokens AND #ZeroKnowledge Tech Be Integrated?

In the final instalment of this 3-part series, we present our implementation of private Soul Bound Tokens (SBT) using #zkSNARK tech👇

For the devs, the #Solidity code included below! 1/ Check out the full article below:
medium.com/@spartanlabs/t…

Most X-to-Earn Models Are Unsustainable.

In the past year, many X-to-Earn projects rose to fame. As quickly as they rose, many also fell as they were simply unsustainable.

We explore the X-to-Earn model and how to fix it in our latest research piece!👇
medium.com/@spartanlabs/m… 2/ The X-to-Earn model began first with @AxieInfinity, a Play-to-Earn game involving battles between pets, known as Axies, to earn $SLP.

The game exploded in popularity and even became a source of income for many in SEA especially in light of COVID-19 lockdowns.

1/ Dutch Auctions are Great for NFT Pricing, Here’s Why 🧵

If you’re into NFTs, then you’d likely have seen the term “Dutch Auction” at least once somewhere.

What exactly is a Dutch Auction? And why is it such a great concept?

Let’s jump in! 2/ At the moment, most NFTs still launch using the standard method of a fixed mint price that is usually announced before the mint. Here, all minters will pay the same price to acquire their NFT.

This is simple and easy to understand by most users.

Why Are #Soulbound Tokens (SBTs) So Hyped Up?

When the SBT concept was first dropped, it took the crypto world by storm.

But what are #SBTs and why should we care?

In this 3-part series, we explore all things SBTs: definitions, uses and improvements!👇

medium.com/@spartanlabs/t… 2/ In May’22, @VitalikButerin co-authored a white paper on SBT with fellow authors @glenweyl and @pujaohlhaver.

Within the white paper, they detailed their vision for a fully decentralised society and how the concept of “Soulbound” tokens could make it a reality.

1/ Gm!

Today, we are proud to introduce the launch of @TheSpartanLabs Twitter account, freshly minted and spun out from @TheSpartanGroup!

But let’s start from square one, WHO are we and WHAT do we do? 2/ Spartan Labs is a Web3 venture studio, backed by @TheSpartanGroup, aiming to bring the smartest people together to build the coolest things in Web3.

With $100m set aside to #buidl, Labs seeks to invent and launch breakthrough products to make an impact in the Web3 space.