# Newsletter #3: AO Mainnet Hype, DeFi on the Rise, and Bazar Collections Gain Momentum

**Published by:** [in simulacra](https://paragraph.com/@afmedia/)
**Published on:** 2024-12-20
**Categories:** permaweb
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@afmedia/newsletter-3

## Content

Happy Friday, everyone! There’s been a lot happening in the Arweave and AO ecosystem recently. Here’s a quick roundup of what’s new.Arweave UpdateBotega surpasses $1M monthly volume: In its first month, Botega achieved over $1M in monthly DeFi trading, driven by autonomous financial agents.Dumdumz NFTs trading for 30+ wAR: The popular NFT collection on AO has seen renewed interest, with floor prices climbing to 38 wAR after the announcement of the Dumverse AO game.StarGrid Battle Tactics teases game art: Crypto games often promise a lot but deliver little. As a pro gamer and crypto enthusiast, David Kong is determined to change the stigma and create “a crypto game that doesn’t suck!”For daily updates on Arweave, check out Arweavehub Today.Bazar SpotlightBazar usage spikes Activity on Bazar has been climbing, driven by the increased trading in collections like Dumdumz, Meka Humans, and AO Hood Rats as well as key UX updates with Vouch and Stamps.The anticipation for AO mainnet is also creating excitement throughout the AO consumer app ecosystem! Check out this dope hype video for mainnet. ao @aoTheComputer Bitcoin started a revolution, AO continues that legacy. AO mainnet. February 8, 2025. The countdown begins. 751 10:00 AM • Dec 12, 2024 Pixl trading gains traction The Bazar (UCM) rewards token, Pixl, is seeing increased activity as wAR/Pixl trading pools are now live on Botega and Permaswap. This token is rewarded to Vouched users that maintain a daily buying streak on Bazar. Learn more about Pixl here. NFAPIXL/wAR trading pair on Dexi.New collection dropping soon AO Hood Rats creator, Eltio, is gearing up to release the Goddesses collection created with the popular HashLips Art Creator Studio. ElTío @TRue_JDHarmony Are we ready for the @HoodRatNFTs Goddesses on @OurBazAR? Because my precious ones are almost ready! #Arweave #BazAR #DigitalCollectables 23 11:56 PM • Dec 18, 2024 What I’m ConsumingBlogA Brief History of Memecoins: Their Past and FutureMemecoins are having a moment in AO, and this post gave me some context on the history of memes, memecoins and their potential future trajectories. While many criticize memecoins as apart of the "casino" side of crypto, there can actually be benefits to building a well-rounded online community. An insightful tweet from Arweave/AO founder Sam also adds depth to the discussion on memecoins. 🐘🔗 sam.arweave.dev @samecwilliams I think memecoins are a good thing for crypto. It's not why I build decentralized technologies, but I think the trend is healthy. It seems obvious that there is PMF for people trading on memetic prominence. This already happened in traditional finance (forms of money, certain… 80 11:10 AM • Dec 7, 2024 BookNotes from Underground - Fyodor Dostoevsky"Shall the world go to hell, or shall I not have my tea? I say let the world go to hell, but I should always have my tea."This book has me reflecting on the rational and irrational nature of humans. We often do inexplicable things, and sometimes there’s no clear reason why, hence memecoins. Overall, it’s a reminder to stay grounded and always enjoy your tea, even when the world seems to have gone crazy. Wishing you a wonderful weekend and happy holidays! -AlexHeader image by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash

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