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- Crypto Saving Expert Newsletter - Issue 126
Crypto Saving Expert Newsletter - Issue 126
Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve! 🎄✨ Let’s take a deep dive into what’s happening behind the scenes with bitcoin and the broader Web3 market. 👇
This week's issue will feature technical analysis of bitcoin, ETH, AAVE, and APT as well as important dates and key news stories.
Table of Contents
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Bitcoin Freezes Over For Christmas
Bitcoin has cooled down after hitting above $108,000, alluding to a volatility slowdown amid the Christmas week.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin dropped sharply from the $108,384 all-time high last week.
The price has since come into a key zone around the $91,000-$93,000 levels. In addition, bitcoin could have formed a double bottom while trading around this zone.
If bitcoin breaks the downtrend, it could rapidly bounce back towards $100,000.
Sign up for a Stonksy plan today and begin benefiting from the indicator’s performance: https://www.stonksy.io/signup
ETH
Stonksy caught the aggressive drop across the market last week.
The above image shows the ETH 1-hour chart, with the indicator capturing the sell-off in the price from $3,850 down to $3,100.
AAVE
While some altcoins are yet to witness a relief rally, AAVE has bounced significantly over the last few days.
Stonksy caught the whole bounce in the price as AAVE reversed its downside move, with Stonksy also identifying support and resistance along the way during this 15-minute time frame chart.
APT
APT is one of the altcoins that has yet to bounce, with Stonksy still red on the 1-hour chart and the price remaining close to its local lows.
The chart shows that the indicator caught the whole downside move, providing superb returns for users who took the trade.
Sign up for a Stonksy plan today and begin benefiting from the indicator’s performance: https://www.stonksy.io/signup
Fear & Greed Index
The Fear and Greed Index resides at 73, dropping into the Greed section following bitcoin’s fall over the past week.
The Index was within Extreme Greed, but appears sentiment is now at a tipping point should bitcoin recover or fall lower.
Gainers
Losers
Unlocking the Greatest Potential from the Game Verse With AgoraHub
Web3 technology has redefined the gaming ecosystem. Instead of game developers being the sole earners, Web3 allows everyone involved (developers and players) to profit from their endeavours.
AgoraHub is a one-stop shop for anyone seeking to profit from the gaming ecosystem. Designed to meet the needs of project creators, investors, and users, it offers a cohort of products to upscale its gamified services. The company recently expanded its geographical reach to regulatory-compliant platforms.
This article highlights AgoraHub’s products and other exciting announcements.
What is AgoraHub?
AgoraHub is a hub where gamified experience blends with leading projects, users, and investors. Tapping into humans’ inborn desire for fun and aspiration, AgoraHub envisions the creation of a playground where Web3 projects, users, and forward-looking investors play to their fill and earn big. Showing its commitment to reaching as many users as possible, the game-centric platform has expanded its supported blockchains: Ethereum, Arbitrum, BNB Chain, Polygon, and Solana.
The game-focused project seeks to bring the most utilities to its ecosystem. To this end, it offers products such as the decentralised Loot Box System (DLS), a native token (AGA), and a non-fungible token (NFT) collection. These projects have attracted over 5,000 users and 32 projects on Agora.
Up until now, AgoraHub has partnered with various platforms to aid its growth, such as SwissBorg, BorgPad, XBorg, and Wormhole. Some of these projects have invested thousands of dollars in the game-centric platform.
AGA Token
The AGA token is the lifeblood of the AgoraHub ecosystem. Holding the digital asset allows users to access diverse utilities within the game-centric platform, such as staking, governance, service discounts, and additional rewards like NFTs and Loot Boxes.
With a commitment to bringing utility to AGA holders, the AgoraHub team and its partners have announced a strategic shift to devote the token’s liquidity exclusively to decentralised exchanges (DEXs) on the Solana network. This reduces market-making costs tied to centralised exchanges (CEXs), allows the developer team to regain complete control of the liquidity, and bolsters transparency. The Solana mainnet lets users tap into the fast and energy-efficient layer-1 network.
To expand AGA to as many blockchains as possible, the AgoraHub team partnered with Wormhole, a cross-chain protocol that enables secure data transfer across different blockchain networks. Following the collaboration, AGA became accessible on three additional networks: Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon.
Furthermore, in an exciting development, AGA secured a listing on SwissBorg, a European crypto exchange and AgoraHub’s long-time partner. Starting 20 December, SwissBorg will offer AGA on its platform to over 900,000 local investors who have undergone a Know Your Customer (KYC) assessment.
The listing will enable investors to access the on/off ramp, support direct bank deposits and withdrawals in 16 fiat currencies, and enhance their trading experience. To facilitate greater accessibility, SwissBorg revealed that it would allow for AGA usage across Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon. AGA will also benefit from the SwissBorg Smart Engine, which bridges the token with major CEXs and six Solana-based DEXs.
AgoraHub Products
Here are Agora’s flagship products:
Loot Box Flash
Loot Box Flash (LBF) is a fun lottery system in the AgoraHub ecosystem. The system lets users win rewards like USDC, NFTs, and AGL tokens when they buy loot boxes. Users can unlock valuable rewards that enhance their experience and financial gains by connecting their wallets and choosing the number of loot boxes. LBF uses Chainlink VRF to ensure fair and transparent draws. It also has loyalty levels and special edition boxes, giving users more chances to win as they engage more with the platform.
Before participating in Loot Box Flash events, users must ensure they have compatible wallets and sufficient funds on the supported blockchain networks. Participation may require specific tokens and a small amount of the network’s native cryptocurrency for gas fees.
Loot Box Prime
Loot Box Prime is a gamified launchpad within the AgoraHub ecosystem designed to facilitate early investments in tokens and NFTs. It empowers projects to launch their offerings with ease and engagement and provides a platform for users to access exclusive assets. The platform supports multiple blockchain networks, including Ethereum, Arbitrum, BNB Chain, and Polygon. Additionally, there are plans to integrate Solana and Avalanche in the future, expanding the reach and accessibility of Loot Box Prime.
Loot Box Prime simplifies creating and managing loot boxes, enabling projects to mint, distribute, and market their offerings across these blockchain networks. The tool enhances community engagement through customisable loot boxes and smart contract integration, ensuring a seamless experience for projects and users.
By providing comprehensive support from setup to marketing, Loot Box Prime ensures that projects can maximise their reach and impact within the Web3 ecosystem. This approach fosters a dynamic environment where users can discover and invest in emerging projects while projects benefit from increased exposure and community involvement.
Loot Box Ads
Loot Box Ads introduces a fresh approach to advertising by incorporating elements of gaming into user engagement. The feature allows projects to create dynamic ad campaigns that motivate users to participate by offering rewards, such as loot boxes. By combining traditional advertising with gamification, Loot Box Ads enhances user interaction, increases the visibility of platforms, and drives more meaningful engagement. Notably, tailored campaigns can be crafted to target specific demographics, ensuring effective communication and higher conversion rates while keeping the experience both fun and rewarding for the audience.
Loot Box Athena
Loot Box Athena redefines how loot boxes are created and managed, providing an AI-driven platform that automates the entire process. Tailored for Web3 projects, Degens, and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), it simplifies the launch of gamified loot boxes for token sales, NFT drops, airdrops, and referral campaigns. Users can quickly set up and manage loot boxes with minimal effort. By staking AGA tokens, users gain access to Athena’s AI Agent, which streamlines the process of configuring loot box balances, refining project setups, and enhancing smart contract performance.
Additionally, the platform offers valuable marketing tools, including strategic social media campaigns and access to a network of influential KOLs, ensuring that each launch gets the attention it deserves. With support for significant blockchains like Polygon, Arbitrum, BNB Chain, Ethereum, and Solana, Loot Box Athena ensures broad network compatibility and reach.
NFT Utilities
AgoraHub offers exclusive NFTs that boost referral program earnings. On the Solana network, these NFTs feature avatars like Minotaur, Medusa, Cyclops, and Hydra. They provide revenue multipliers: 1.5x for Minotaur, 2x for Medusa, 3x for Cyclops, and 4x for Hydra. These multipliers enhance income without staking, ensuring a fair experience for all holders.
AgoraHub’s exclusive NFTs offer significant benefits for boosting referral program earnings. It also provides powerful tools for Web3 project development through the Athena AI Agent NFT. Holding the Athena AI Agent NFT grants access to exclusive features designed to enhance users’ projects. These non-transferable Soulbound Tokens (SBTs), tied to users’ blockchain identities, provide AI-driven support for tasks such as setting up loot boxes, managing smart contracts, and generating links. Athena also automates marketing, enhancing users’ project reach through social media campaigns and KOL connections.
Conclusion
AgoraHub has gone beyond being a gaming platform to becoming a hub where projects, investors, and users come together to have fun and make money. The platform has also taken its AGA token to new frontiers, bringing it to the European market through its partner, SwissBorg. This integration will allow for increased adoption of the game-centric platform.
Is Bitcoin's 21m Supply Cap Truly Fixed? BlackRock's Disclaimer Sparks Debate
Bitcoin’s 21m supply cap is under scrutiny after BlackRock’s explainer video added a disclaimer suggesting it might not be permanent. Discover what experts say about the possibility of changing Bitcoin’s hard-coded supply limit.
The debate over Bitcoin’s fixed 21m supply cap reignited after BlackRock released a bitcoin explainer video with a notable disclaimer. The video described Bitcoin’s supply as capped at 21m but added, “There is no guarantee that Bitcoin’s 21m supply cap will not be changed.”
Why Bitcoin’s Fixed Supply Matters Bitcoin’s fixed supply is one of its core value propositions, supporting its status as a digital store of value. Any changes to this limit could impact its investment appeal, shaking the foundation of its scarcity-driven market narrative.
BlackRock’s video described Bitcoin’s hard-coded supply cap as essential to controlling supply, preserving purchasing power, and avoiding the "misuse of printing more currency." However, the disclaimer prompted speculation among crypto enthusiasts and sceptics alike.
MicroStrategy Chairman and Bitcoin advocate Michael Saylor reposted the video, stirring further debate. Critics like Dashpay’s Joel Valenzuela remarked that a potential cap increase could be framed as something that "was always part of the plan."
Ethereum developer Antiprosynthesis added, “BlackRock understands Bitcoin better than Bitcoiners.”
Can Bitcoin’s 21M Supply Cap Be Changed? Theoretically, Bitcoin’s supply cap could be altered, but only through a consensus-driven hard fork, explained Super Testnet, a Bitcoin developer behind BitVM. This process would involve agreement among miners, node operators, developers, and investors.
Such a change would require developers to propose a formal improvement, sparking community discussion before integrating it into Bitcoin Core. A hard fork would occur if most miners and node operators supported the update, creating a new blockchain with updated rules.
However, Super Testnet emphasised that removing the supply cap would fundamentally change Bitcoin:
“The inflation cap is definitional to Bitcoin... Eliminate that, and whatever you have isn’t Bitcoin anymore.”
Essentially, a version of Bitcoin with an uncapped supply would no longer align with Satoshi Nakamoto’s original vision outlined in the Bitcoin whitepaper.
Why Would Anyone Want to Change the Supply Cap? Bitcoin's long-term security model hinges on miner incentives. Miners earn Bitcoin through block subsidies and transaction fees, but the block subsidy halves every 210,000 blocks, reducing their rewards.
Currently, miners receive 3.125 BTC per block, worth approximately $316,950. After the next halving in 2028, this will drop to 1.625 BTC. If Bitcoin's price or transaction fees do not rise significantly, miners might struggle to stay profitable.
While some argue that increased network activity from Bitcoin-based decentralised finance (DeFi) projects could help sustain miners, historical trends show that such activity has been cyclical.
Bitcoin mining pool viaBTC has advocated for developing Bitcoin’s application layer to ensure miners remain adequately compensated through transaction fees as block rewards diminish toward 2140, when the last Bitcoin is expected to be mined.
Historical Precedent: The Blocksize War The idea of miners driving a successful hard fork isn't new. During the Blocksize War of 2016-2017, 95% of Bitcoin miners supported increasing Bitcoin’s block size to enhance scalability. However, most node operators and investors rejected the proposal, leading developers to focus on building layer-2 scaling solutions like the Lightning Network instead.
Final Thoughts While altering Bitcoin’s 21m supply cap is technically possible, achieving consensus would be nearly impossible given the decentralised nature of its ecosystem. As Super Testnet put it, removing Bitcoin’s supply cap would create something fundamentally different—something that isn’t Bitcoin at all.
Stablecoins Surge to New All-Time High on Ethereum Layer-2 Networks
Discover how stablecoin holdings on Ethereum layer-2 networks have hit record highs, driven by growing demand and expanding use cases in the cryptocurrency ecosystem.
The quantity of stablecoins locked onto Ethereum layer-2 (L2) networks has surged to an all-time high, highlighting rising demand for cryptocurrencies and decentralised finance (DeFi) services. This trend underscores the growing relevance of stablecoins as essential components of the broader blockchain ecosystem.
Top Stablecoin Market Leaders: USDT, USDC, and USDe
As of 20 December, the Ethereum blockchain holds $13.5bn worth of stablecoins. The combined circulation of all stablecoins across blockchains has surpassed $205bn, reinforcing their increasing utility in real-world applications.
The market remains dominated by top stablecoins like Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC), and Ethena’s USDe, which collectively drive the majority of on-chain liquidity.
Explosive Growth in Ethereum Layer-2 Networks
In a 15 December post on X, Matthias Seidl, co-founder of the block space analytics firm growthepie.xyz, emphasised the rapidly growing supply of stablecoins on Ethereum L2 networks. The total value locked across all L2s has neared $12bn.
"One of crypto's killer use cases in this cycle is stablecoins. Layer 2s just reached a new all-time high in stablecoins locked on them," Seidl stated.
Leading Ethereum Layer-2 Networks by Stablecoin Holdings:
Arbitrum One: $6.75bn
Base: $3.56bn
Data from DefiLlama confirms that stablecoin market capitalisation hit $202bn as of 11 December, excluding algorithmic stablecoins. Unlike asset-backed stablecoins, algorithmic versions rely on protocols to maintain their peg, making their exclusion notable.
Stablecoin Market Cap Shows Sustained Growth
The stablecoin market has been steadily rising since November 2023. On 11 December, the total market cap crossed $200bn, a sharp increase from its previous all-time high of $167bn in March 2022. However, the market suffered a significant dip to $135bn later that year.
Leading the charge is Tether (USDT), with its market cap reaching $140bn by 19 December, according to DefiLlama data. Meanwhile, Circle's USD Coin (USDC) has climbed to $42bn, still trailing its June 2022 all-time high of $55.8bn.
Future Outlook: A Regulatory-Driven Boom?
Looking ahead to 2025, stablecoins are positioned for continued growth. In a 17 December report, Arthur Azizov, CEO of B2BINPAY, projected explosive stablecoin expansion fueled by the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.
Additionally, Bitwise's investment chief Matt Hougan and research head Ryan Rasmussen speculated that stablecoin assets could double to $400bn next year if the US passes comprehensive stablecoin legislation. They argue that stablecoins are already reshaping global payments and remittances, with assets under management expanding with the broader crypto economy.
Conclusion
The remarkable rise of stablecoins on Ethereum layer-2 networks underscores their growing importance in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. With favourable regulatory developments and increasing adoption in DeFi and payments, stablecoins seem poised for further expansion into 2025 and beyond.
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