Binance.US Expansion in Solana Metaverse
Crypto exchange Binance.US is the latest blockchain firm building a space in Portals, a metaverse platform built on the Solana blockchain that recreates a dense urban environment where users can explore buildings and interactive rooms. “The Hash” hosts discuss the implications for Binance, the Solana network and virtual worlds.

CoinDesk Releases Annual Report Highlighting Key Trends in Crypto
CoinDesk Research Associate George Kaloudis joins the “First Mover” panel to discuss the 2021 CoinDesk Annual Report. Topics include the decline of bitcoin dominance, Ethereum gas fees triggering the rise of scaling-focused altcoins like Polygon and Solana, and how El Salvador’s legalization of bitcoin impacted the crypto market. Plus, a look into the future of bitcoin mining as Kazakhstan, the country that became second only to the US in bitcoin mining hashrate, is suffering the worst protests in 30 years and internet blackouts.

Bitcoin Compared to Ether, Solana and Doge
2022’s first Chart of the Day analyzes the movement of decentralized finance (DeFi) assets over the last seven days, looking closely at BTC, ETH, SOL, and DOGE compared to the CoinDesk DeFi Index (DFX). DeFi assets in the DFX started the new year off with a rally opposed to cryptocurrencies.

Genesis Volatility CEO: 2022 Market Insights
Greg Magadini, CEO of crypto options analytics platform Genesis Volatility, starts off the new year with a discussion about inflation's effect on crypto markets and compares gold and bitcoin as inflation hedges. Plus, his insights on how BTC returns weigh up to the S&P 500 and the potential of Polkadot as a competitor to Ethereum and Solana.

CoinList Releases Survey of Top Crypto Predictions for 2022
Graham Jenkin, CEO of crypto trading platform CoinList, discusses the results from the site's recent survey of top 2022 crypto predictions. Jenkins shares insights into where bitcoin's value will be within a year, the likelihood of Solana and Binance Smart Chain nearing Ethereum’s price, and whether other countries could follow El Salvador's integration of cryptocurrency into their monetary system.

Melania Trump Pitches NFT Plans; ‘Cobalt Blue Eyes’ Captivate Crypto Twitter
While former President Donald Trump famously said he’s “not a fan” of bitcoin, his wife is not shying away from crypto collectibles. Former First Lady Melania Trump tweeted Thursday she's launching her own NFT collection on the Solana blockchain, featuring watercolor-style artwork of her cobalt blue eyes. "The Hash" hosts discuss the latest NFT drop captivating Crypto Twitter.

Steve Aoki and Todd McFarlane on Launching New NFT Marketplace ‘OddKey’
Dim Mak Records founder and DJ Steve Aoki, along with award-winning comic book superhero Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, discuss partnering up to launch Oddkey, a new protocol for buying, selling, and auctioning collectibles on the Solana blockchain.

FTX, Lightspeed, Solana Ventures to Invest $100M in Web 3 Gaming
FTX, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Solana Ventures are investing $100 million in Web 3 gaming development. The funding will go towards gaming studios and technology integrating the Solana blockchain into video games on desktop and mobile platforms. The Hash" group discusses the implications for the initiative, one of the largest capital investments ever in the growing Web 3 gaming space.

Ethereum Alternatives and Gaming Tokens Outperform BTC and ETH
Bitcoin and ether were little changed over the past 24 hours. Yet, digital currencies associated with Solana and Polkadot, both alternatives to the Ethereum blockchain, were outperforming along with gaming tokens like Axie Infinity’s AXS. "The Hash" team discusses the rise of altcoins and wider crypto markets outlook.

ETH and SOL Hit All-Time Highs, CBA to Offer Crypto Services
Ethereum and Solana hit all-time highs. Australia’s CBA to offer crypto services. Hong Kong fintech week underway. We’ll have more on those stories and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world in this episode of “The Daily Forkast.”
