Interchain Accounts is the biggest upgrade to Cosmos since Stargate

February 17, 2022 Coin Telegraph

The protocols would enable nearly all aspects of data-sharing between blockchain protocols, such as oracle data, governance voting, etc.

On Thursday, the Interchain Foundation, a nonprofit steward of the Cosmos ecosystem, announced the release of Interchain Accounts.

The I nter-Blockchain Communications protocol (IBC) enables an entire blockchain to control an account on a separate chain. It is the largest software upgrade to the Cosmos ecosystem since Stargate. To date, there are 38 projects utilizing IBC, including Terra, Crypto.org Chain and Gravity Bridge, with 8.4 million transactions in the past 38 days.

With Interchain Accounts, one blockchain can access the application features of another blockchain, such as staking, voting, swapping tokens, etc. “Enabling composability in IBC allows innovation in distinct applications to be deployed without needing to upgrade the entire Interchain,” said Charleen Fei, IBC product lead at the Interchain Foundation.

The same day, deBridge, a cross-chain interoperability and liquidity transfer protocol, announced the launch of its mainnet. Through deBridge, users will be able to transfer assets and data between blockchain networks starting with Ethereum, BNB Chain, Heco Chain, Arbitrum, and Polygon. For example, Solana users can interact with protocols in Polygon directly from their Phantom wallets without switching wallets or networks.

Similar to Cosmos' Interchain Accounts, projects can also integrate with deBridge's infrastructure to tap into the various cross-chain opportunities the protocol enables, such as asset swaps and transfers, governance voting, farming strategies, nonfungible tokens, oracle data, and much more. DeBridge has been audited by Halborn, Zokyo, and Ackee Blockchain and maintains an ongoing bug bounty program on Immunefi.

In addition to its public mainnet, deBridge is launching its official partnerships with decentralized exchange aggregators 1inch and ParaSwap for cross-chain swaps. DeBridge uses a lock and mint approach that continuously validates the current state of the protocol and checks if the total supply of the wrapped asset is entirely backed by its collateral.

If a wrapped asset loses its peg, security monitoring can automatically pause the protocol. Validator nodes also continuously update the state of the token balances on each supported blockchain and never allow total withdrawals of an asset to exceed its total deposits.

Institutions Go for New Terra (LUNA), Tezos (XTZ) and Cosmos (ATOM) Investment Products: CoinShares

February 15, 2022 The Daily Hodl

Injective Protocol (INJ) rallies 100%+ after launching cross-chain support for Cosmos

February 13, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Altcoin Watch

INJ books a 100%+ gain shortly after the release of the Injective Bridge v2 and the launch of DEX-based perpetual futures for ATOM.

Trading perpetual futures contracts in decentralized apps is a crypto sub-sector ripe for growth, especially as discussions of regulation, taxation and mandatory KYC at centralized exchanges continue to take place.

One DEX platform that has begun to gain traction is Injective (INJ), an interoperable layer-one protocol designed to facilitate the creation of cross-chain Web3 decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that after hitting a low of $3.91 on Feb. 3, the price of INJ has rallied 157.8% to a daily high of $10.08 on Feb. 11 amidst a 1,756% spike in its 24-hour trading volume to $306 million.

*INJ/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView*

Three reasons for the spike in demand for INJ include the addition of support for new assets in spot and perpetual markets, the release of Injective Bridge v2 and a climbing total value locked on the protocol as a result of staking and the addition of new assets.

Injective Bridge v2

The most recent development that helped kick off the price growth for INJ was the release of the Injective Bridge v2 at the end of January, which included a variety of upgrades designed to help facilitate cross-chain compatibility with Cosmos (ATOM) and Ethereum (ETH).

The new Injective Bridge is here!

Injective Bridge V2 brings a vastly superior user experience for all @ethereum and @cosmos users.

The bridge will serve as a core launchpad for new cross-chain Web3 projects looking to deploy on Injective

https://t.co/tzN9czynjS
— Injective (@InjectiveLabs) January 28, 2022

According to Injective, the new bridge is capable of supporting any ERC-20 token and multiple Cosmos-based tokens including ATOM, Osmosis (OSMO) and Terra (LUNA).

Over time, Injective looks to have the bridge become a launchpad of sorts for new Web3 projects that want to allow users to transfer assets from the Ethereum network for zero fees.

There are also zero bridge fees when transferring funds into the Inter-blockchain communication protocol (IBC)-enabled chains.

Injective Protocol adds support for new assets

A second development helping to bring fresh momentum to Injective has been the addition of new assets to the DEX, including the first-ever decentralized perpetual futures for ATOM.

Along with a perpetual futures contract for ATOM, Injective also added spot trading for the Cosmos-based project Chihuahua (HUAHUA) and there is also an active community vote to add Juno.

The addition of new assets helped lead to an increase in trading volume on the protocol over the past few days after hitting its lowest level in several months on Feb. 2.

*Inject DEX daily trading volume. Source: Injective*

While it has excited the Injective community to see an uptick in trading volume on the protocol, it's worth noting that the current volume is but a small fraction of the volume seen on the top perpetual futures protocol dYdX, which saw a daily volume of $3.2 billion on Feb. 10 and $2.8 billion on Feb. 11.

TVL soars

The release of Injective Bridge v2 was also followed by a surge in the total value locked on the platform, and data from DeFi Llama shows the metric hitting a new all-time high.

*Total value locked on Injective. Source: Defi Llama*

As of Feb. 11, the total value looked on Injective is $147.35 million, an increase of more than $100 million from its low of $43.96 million on Jan. 23.

The TVL on INJ consists of assets that are deposited for trading purposes as well as INJ tokens that are staked on the network earning an APR of 9.15%.

VORTECS™ data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro also began to detect a bullish outlook for INJ on Feb. 6 prior to the recent price rise.

The VORTECS™ Score, exclusive to Cointelegraph, is an algorithmic comparison of historical and current market conditions derived from a combination of data points including market sentiment, trading volume, recent price movements and Twitter activity.

*VORTECS™ Score (green) vs. INJ price. Source:* *Cointelegraph Markets Pro*

As seen in the chart above, the VORTECS™ Score for INJ spiked into the green zone and hit a high of 75 on Feb. 6, around 39 hours before the price began to increase 117% over the next three days.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.

Analyst Says One Altcoin Primed To Skyrocket, Gives Update on Ethereum (ETH), Terra (LUNA) and Avalanche (AVAX)

February 10, 2022 The Daily Hodl

Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX) and Two More Altcoins Will Survive ‘Crypto Winter’: Morgan Creek’s Mark Yusko: Report

February 8, 2022 The Daily Hodl

2022 Will Be Big Year for Cosmos (ATOM), According to Coin Bureau – Here’s Why

February 7, 2022 The Daily Hodl

Winter is coming! Here are 5 ways to survive a crypto bear market

February 5, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Airdrop

The multi-month pullback in crypto prices are giving veteran investors flashbacks of the 2018 crypto winter. Here are 5 things investors can do to survive a bear market.

The cryptocurrency market has an interesting way of catching even the most seasoned veterans off guard as each bull and bear market initially shows similarities to previous cycles only to veer off in an unexpected direction and wipe out the fortunes of newly minted crypto millionaires.

This was the case with the weak close of 2021 which completely went against the bullish $100,000 BTC price estimates that crypto analysts and influencers were peddling nonstop.

Currently, Bitcoin price is more than 50% away from its $69,000 all-time high and altcoins have fared worse, with many down more than 60% in the last 2 months. In times like these, traders need to regroup and re-evaluate their investment strategy, rather than just buying every price dip.

Here are five strategies traders can use to survive an unexpected crypto winter and retain as much value in one’s portfolio as possible.

Reduce exposure to highly volatile altcoins

Once a widespread market downturn commences, the first step to take is to reevaluate current positions and reduce exposure to the most volatile assets.

Oftentimes these are new projects that have come out of the trending sectors of the crypto market such as meme coins, NFTs or rebase projects like Wonderland (TIME), because many of the token holders are new to the community and not long term investor like the user bases for more established projects.

$TIME to pack it up. pic.twitter.com/hJI3jB6eU0
— humble defi farmer (@PaikCapital) January 25, 2022

A good way to begin the evaluation process is by looking at a project’s GitHub account to see the level of activity and the number of developers dedicated to building out the protocol.

If there is hardly any development despite flashy marketing gimmicks and big promises, the project may be one an investor should cut when the market begins to lose momentum.

Traders could then put these funds in stablecoins that can be staked to earn yield or buy future market dips.

Dollar-cost averaging

Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) is the process of buying an asset in tranches over time to average out the price paid and account for volatility-induced changes in price.

There's a reason that bitcoiners have the most aggressive dollar-cost-averaging community.

They correctly identify work and true scarcity, and understand it. It's hard to rival that force and utility of something that *can't* be increased in supply.
— Lyn Alden (@LynAldenContact) January 31, 2022

While DCA strategy is a good way to increase exposure to fundamentally sound projects over time, it is usually best to wait until after the dust has settled somewhat and a period of consolidation has commenced.

The focus of dollar-cost averaging should be on projects that have active development, engaged communities and a roadmap that lays out how the project will continue to grow and remain viable in the future.

Staking

Staking is perhaps the simplest way to increase the value of a portfolio long-term and it removes the pressure of obsessing over daily price fluctuations since the staked asset is continuing to accrue tokens.

Most layer-one protocols offer the ability to stake their native token on the network to earn a yield, including Solana, Cardano, Polygon and Avalanche.

⚡️Top Projects by Total Staked Value
25 January 2022$SOL $ADA $ETH $LUNA $AVAX $DOT $BNB $ATOM $ICP $NEAR $MATIC $FTM $XTZ $ALGO $CAKE pic.twitter.com/X9IgsonWKr
— CryptoDep (@Crypto_Dep) January 25, 2022

Ether holders can also stake their tokens on the beacon chain for Eth2, but it’s important to note that staking rewards will not be able to be claimed until Eth2 is fully launched.

There are many other staking options out there from gaming protocols like Axie Infinity and Illuvium to NFT marketplaces like LooksRare, so once a deep dive has been made and fundamentally sound projects are chosen, staking becomes a matter of setting it and forgetting it.

Find projects with growing ecosystems and perks

Projects that help token holders earn via staking, liquid staking, borrowing and airdrops are also worth considering when the market turns bearish.

Staking is the simplest form of this as the number of tokens increases over time, but other options include token launchpads, NFT marketplaces and protocols known for offering airdrops to community members.

One example of a protocol where early adopters are being rewarded is the Cosmos (ATOM) network and its growing community of projects connected via the Interblockchain Communication Protocol (IBC).

Best site to keep track of @Cosmos Airdrops https://t.co/XzOOIb5TAG

Builders: submit your upcoming airdrop on that site if you want to increase awareness.@CosmosUplink pic.twitter.com/IPoDqZ8ymp
— Cryptocito | YouTuber ⚛️ (@Cryptocito) January 26, 2022

ATOM stakers and those who have engaged with the Osmosis (OSMO) decentralized exchange have been rewarded with a long list of airdrops from projects launching within the ecosystem as a way to help bootstrap activity within their communities.

Invest in yourself

One of the most personally beneficial things an investor can do during a down market is to invest in themselves by learning something new.

Not only will this help investors to avoid the urge to sell and miss out on future gains, but it can also lead to new avenues to build wealth.

Level up and invest in yourself:

- read more books
- work out well more often
- spend time with family and friends
- take a course and learn a new skill
- invest in a hobby to share w/others

You get out of life what you put into it.

Find your values and invest in them.
— Wealthy Tree (@WealthyTree) February 1, 2022

Despite the market downturn, cryptocurrencies continue to advance along the path to mass adoption and the number of jobs in the blockchain sector is only going to increase moving forward.

Whether it’s learning to program in Solidity, experimenting with graphic and digital design to create a new line of NFTs or just doing research to gain a deeper understanding of the various sectors of the market.

Ultimately, the key to surviving a bear market is staying positive and being patient.

Want more information about trading and investing in crypto markets?

Crypto staking: How to pick the best staking coins for passive income
Web3 innovations are replacing middlemen with middleware protocols
How to pick or analyze altcoins?
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Cosmos