Happy Wednesday, Blockfolians!
The Lede
One of the most remarkable features of cryptocurrency is that they enable value exchange outside of the bounds of traditional money systems. While it is of course the case that authorities are trying to wrestle crypto to fit within their financial frameworks, they remain a nimble tool for those doing things the state doesn’t approve of.
In many parts of the world, that means anti-authoritarian activism. Two recent pieces on CoinDesk highlight this.
The first is about Alexei Navalny, one of Putin’s most notable opponents who has used bitcoin to raise funds for political organizing.
The second is about the growing use of stablecoins in Hong Kong in the wake of the enactment of the much contested national security law. People are clearly more concerned with financial surveillance in the context of the new power structure.
Taken together, these stories reflect one of the most important roles for cryptocurrencies outside of financial speculation.
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Highly Relevant Reading
Uh oh! Coinbase, Binance, and Gemini’s Twitter accounts were all compromised and used to promote a scam
Hurriacnes are driving the Bahamas towards digital currencies
Check out this $1m US Department of Energy grant for studying how blockchain could help power grid security
A Tencent food delivery giant is the latest test partner for China’s new CBDC
Community Commentary
There are worse ways to spend an afternoon…
This is one to watch.
A Really Big Number We Should Be Paying Attention To
$3,000,000
That’s the size of the just announced token sale of buzzy DeFi lending protocol Aave
Final Thought
Chainlink literally can’t be stopped