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L2BEAT just launched a privacy dashboard for Ethereum privacy protocols, starting with Tornado Cash, Railgun and Privacy Pools. Honestly good to see. The last few years felt dominated by points, airdrops, memes and short-term games. Privacy was supposed to be one of crypto’s core values, not a niche side quest. Hope we see a real community push around it again.

My $VVV thesis is less “AI coin go up” and more: Venice might sit between closed AI platforms and local models. More private than ChatGPT/Claude. Much easier than running models yourself. Tokenomics now tied more clearly to usage/burns. Wrote the full breakdown here: https://paragraph.com/@yannis/weekly-alpha-58-why-im-paying-attention-to-venice-ai-and-vvv

Gm

Base active addresses just jumped 125% in 24 hours. - Base is abandoning the OP Stack entirely, consolidating into a single self-operated stack: base/base. Less external dependency, full control over their roadmap. - This move unlocks 6 hard forks/year vs. the current 3. Faster iteration means Base can ship upgrades before they become bottlenecks. - V1 replaces optimistic proofs with TEE/ZK proofs. Shorter finality windows, stronger security guarantees 🔐 - Base stays Stage 1 decentralized through the transition. This isn't a speed vs. security tradeoff, it's both.

Bearish targets for the end of the year: • $ETH at $8k • $PENGU at $1.2 • @pudgypenguins at $225k

It’s a great day to use DeFi. Whether the market is up or down, there are always new opportunities.

Aave Labs proposes directing 100% of product revenue (aave, mobile app, Aave Pro) to the DAO treasury while requesting operational funding. Currently generates ~$10M annually from swap fees alone, with V4 enabling new revenue streams beyond the existing $100M+ protocol fees. AAVE will win.

I’m really bullish on x402 and what it will enable for the future of programming. The Core Problem: Traditional payments can’t handle machine-to-machine micropayments. When your iMessage agent orders pizza through Uber’s API, it triggers a chain: inventory check, routing, delivery confirmation. Each step costs money. Why traditional systems fail: • Credit cards: 2-3% fees + $0.30 minimum kills microtransactions • Bank transfers: Take days, need human KYC Why Crypto: 1. Permissionless: Any agent can transact instantly without contracts 2. Instant settlement: USDC settles in 12 seconds vs 3-5 days 3. Programmable: Smart contracts enable escrow/refunds 4. Global: No forex or correspondent banks What x402 does: Standard for “payment required” API responses Example: You: “Order pizza” → Agent pings Uber (x402: “8 USDC”) → Pings restaurant → Smart contract locks funds → Delivery confirmed → Funds split instantly​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

This year is starting rough for DeFi, but I’ve never been more excited about its future. Even though we’re losing talent to AI, what’s being built is incredible: ERC-8004, aave V4, agentic Ethereum wallets, and much more. I remain very optimistic on crypto and DeFi in particular. Developer activity always slows during crypto downtrends, but once it catches back up, it will be a new era for crypto.

This year I’m going to do more DeFi hackathons. My productivity has exploded with Cursor, and it’s a great way to build my ideas with a based team.

Crypto is going to be huge for the AI agentic economy. I’d rather top up my agent with USDC and let it pay other agents directly than risk it racking up charges on my credit card. The infrastructure for this is wide open right now. Some really exciting projects to build here.

Comfy with my USDC deposited in Wasabi Protocol earning yield and Wasabi Points on my favorite Trading App with Real Yield.

Ape first, think later.

Sad to miss ETH Denver this year!

Gm

The next few months are going to be interesting https://x.com/leadingreport/status/2017630354593435664?s=46

Bitcoin just dropped below $80k

X has become increasingly doomist. The content that performs best now is relentlessly negative about the world. I’m struggling to see the value in staying.

I’ve completely moved from X to Farcaster, Lens, and Substack. I just don’t vibe with X anymore. The feed has become toxic

Life is simple, we just make it complicated.