The Block
Quick Take Fractal Bitcoin launched its mainnet today, deploying a Bitcoin scaling solution that leverages the core codebase. The project is led by Unisat and Block Space Force, both acting as core contributors.
Bitcoin is holding above the $68,500 mark after a surge in cryptocurrency market liquidations over the weekend.QCP Capital analysts note rising demand for $75,000 call options expiring in November and heightened volatility in U.S. election-day options.
Crypro investment products attracted another $2.18 billion worth of net inflows globally last week, bringing year-to-date figures to a record $29.2 billion, according to CoinShares.The firm’s head of research, James Butterfill, said the weekly inflows were driven by “election euphoria” over a Republican win.
Tron founder Justin Sun and Sonic Labs co-founder Andre Cronje claimed Coinbase charges substantial listing fees.Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong asserted that asset listings are free.The distinction is allegedly related to fees for Coinbase’s Earn and Custody programs being linked to potential listings, Sun and Cronje claimed.
Quick Take OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer said a new platform built ‘from the ground up’ will be launching next month. While the NFT trading platform’s market share of trading volumes has improved in recent months, overall non-fungible token sales have sunk to their lowest levels since 2021.
Quick Take Vlayer has raised $10 million in a pre-seed funding round from a16z CSX, Credo Ventures, BlockTower and others. The startup is developing “verifiable data infrastructure” or “Solidity 2.0,” which will introduce new functions to Ethereum’s programming language.
Quick Take An influx of crypto-friendlier candidates could be elected on Tuesday as funds from crypto firms ballooned in this election cycle. Senate races in Ohio and Montana could influence how crypto legislation is taken up next year. Whether Democrats or Republicans take the House and Senate would also determine who leads key committees that would take a lead on bills to regulate crypto and stablecoins.
Quick Take Polymarket’s prediction market for the 2024 U.S. presidential election winner hit $3.13 billion on Nov. 4 — one day before the election. Republican candidate Donald Trump amassed $1.2 billion in betting volume, while Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris accrued $782.5 million.
Quick Take Crypto traders are capitalizing on the death of Peanut the squirrel, a euthanized pet that has become a conservative cause célèbre.
Quick Take a16z crypto, the web3 venture capital arm of the investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, pledged over $23 million to Fairshake and its affiliated political action committees to support pro-crypto candidates ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. Tron founder Justin Sun and Sonic Labs co-founder Andre Cronje accused Coinbase of charging substantial “listing fees” despite the crypto exchange’s CEO Brian Armstrong recently reasserting that its asset listings are free. Standard Chartered-backed digi
