# Top 29 Web3 News in 2023 *Year In Review* By [Web3 Academy](https://paragraph.com/@web3academy) · 2023-12-27 web3, cryptocurrency, blockchain, nft --- **GM DOers!** 😎 In the spirit of the holidays, I'm keeping it brief but exciting.  Today's newsletter is a special one: a quick dive into the top 29 crypto and web3 stories of 2023.  These highlights are handpicked to give you a snapshot of the year's most significant developments. Here’s an infographic with the top news from 2023. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/1a03f9e22386521e2ef446b4dd2ea95a.png) Now, if you’ve got some time to spare, let’s take a deeper look into each event. ⏬ * * * 🤝 [](https://bit.ly/paragraph_nl)[**Together with Paragraph**](https://bit.ly/paragraph_nl) [![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/919d4b01f3b4a976fef2bb4781b2c311.png)](https://bit.ly/paragraph_nl) Paragraph powers modern newsletters, enabling readers to own their content and creators to share revenue with fans. Web3 Academy has already transitioned to Paragraph because it’s the future of newsletters. If you're a creator, writer, or keen reader, explore Paragraph's early opportunities! [Check Out Paragraph Today](https://bit.ly/paragraph_nl) * * * **January 1st – Solana Dead at $8?** 💀 --------------------------------------- Things didn’t look good for Solana at the start of the year – every metric was at all-time lows! * $SOL was at $8 * TVL was at $200 million * Daily onchain volume barely surpassed $50 million When that happened, we published [a report on Solana](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/w3a-pro-is-solana-following-eth), suggesting that its best times were still ahead.  What a comeback it's been for Solana!!  **January 25th – dotSWOOSH Studio Launch** 👟 --------------------------------------------- Nike introduced their web3 studio, which allows the community to co-create Nike products. [![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/1fac63c92405d98fc58fdf5e1c138678.png)](https://blog.swoosh.nike/collab-with-us-announcing-swoosh-studio-1d233b9c58e6) **February 14th – $BLUR Airdrop** 🎈 ------------------------------------ The airdrop was probably the biggest part of a [great marketplace war](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/the-great-nft-marketplace-war-whos), which started in 2022 with the launch of Sudoswap – a marketplace without royalties.  The NFT community woke up to the fact that royalties weren’t enforceable onchain… So Blur launched its marketplace in October 2022, with no royalties and a 0.5% platform fee (cheaper than anyone), and promised an airdrop, which happened on February 14th. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1518705644450291713/X2FLVDdn_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/blur_io) [Blur](https://twitter.com/blur_io) [@blur\_io](https://twitter.com/blur_io) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/blur_io/status/1625566146241114112) $BLUR is now LIVE All traders across all marketplaces in the last 3 months, Care Package holders, and Creators are eligible for the airdrop. You have 60 days to claim your BLUR ![⏰](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/23f0.png) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fo8ryeWaEAAza4T.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 5,301](https://twitter.com/blur_io/status/1625566146241114112)[ 0:12 • 15 Feb 2023 ](https://twitter.com/blur_io/status/1625566146241114112) As a reaction, OpenSea dropped their platform fees and made creator royalties optional. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1736855021562544128/cAY8pDi-_normal.png)](https://twitter.com/opensea) [OpenSea](https://twitter.com/opensea) [@opensea](https://twitter.com/opensea) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1626682043655507969) We’re making some big changes today: 1) OpenSea fee → 0% for a limited time 2) Moving to optional creator earnings (0.5% min) for all collections without on-chain enforcement (old & new) 3) Marketplaces with the same policies will not be blocked by the operator filter [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 7,480](https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1626682043655507969)[ 2:06 • 18 Feb 2023 ](https://twitter.com/opensea/status/1626682043655507969) Despite their efforts, OpenSea continued to lose market share because traders were flocking to Blur to farm the Season 2 airdrop. In August, OpenSea decided to drop royalties entirely. Yuga Labs said they were leaving OpenSea as a result. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1399966612405592065/irAtrWtO_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/yugalabs) [Yuga Labs](https://twitter.com/yugalabs) [@yugalabs](https://twitter.com/yugalabs) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/yugalabs/status/1692627502999691453) On [@opensea](https://twitter.com/opensea)'s decision to sunset their Operator Filter. ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F31p5BYWcAAeHyp.png) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 3,964](https://twitter.com/yugalabs/status/1692627502999691453)[ 1:30 • 19 Aug 2023 ](https://twitter.com/yugalabs/status/1692627502999691453) On Nov 21st, BLUR Season 2 airdrop was complete, while OpenSea was still lagging behind.  [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1518705644450291713/X2FLVDdn_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/blur_io) [Blur](https://twitter.com/blur_io) [@blur\_io](https://twitter.com/blur_io) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/blur_io/status/1726755847651623386) Season 2 is COMPLETE NFT traders on Blur and Creators are eligible for the Season 2 airdrop. You have 45 days to claim your $BLUR ![⏰](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/23f0.png) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_arSjIbMAAGqMp.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 2,956](https://twitter.com/blur_io/status/1726755847651623386)[ 5:44 • 21 Nov 2023 ](https://twitter.com/blur_io/status/1726755847651623386) A big year for NFT marketplaces. **February 23rd – Coinbase Announces Base L2** ⛓ ------------------------------------------------ The ‘onchain’ narrative was born with the announcement of Base. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1484586799921909764/A9yYenz3_normal.png)](https://twitter.com/coinbase) [Coinbase 🛡️📞](https://twitter.com/coinbase) [@coinbase](https://twitter.com/coinbase) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/coinbase/status/1628760201254903809) 1/ ![🔵](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f535.png) We’re excited to announce [@BuildOnBase](https://twitter.com/BuildOnBase). Base is an Ethereum L2 that offers a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly way for anyone, anywhere, to build decentralized apps. Our goal with Base is to make onchain the next online and onboard 1B+ users into the cryptoeconomy. ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1628752120533995520/pu/img/Wdfg_7Hx9C8POWX1.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 11.3K](https://twitter.com/coinbase/status/1628760201254903809)[ 19:44 • 23 Feb 2023 ](https://twitter.com/coinbase/status/1628760201254903809) **March 16th – Arbitrum Airdrop** 🔵 ------------------------------------ Arbitrum Foundation dropped 1.162 billion $ARB tokens, worth a whopping $1.4 billion today. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1653532864309239810/ZjT_zBAS_normal.png)](https://twitter.com/arbitrum) [Arbitrum (💙,🧡)](https://twitter.com/arbitrum) [@arbitrum](https://twitter.com/arbitrum) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/arbitrum/status/1636352104913666050) Wen? Now. ![🧑‍🚀](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f9d1-200d-1f680.png)![💙](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f499.png)![🧡](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f9e1.png) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/amplify_video_thumb/1636351777044934656/img/yuA-3KRP8DUhSRwt.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 24.6K](https://twitter.com/arbitrum/status/1636352104913666050)[ 18:31 • 16 Mar 2023 ](https://twitter.com/arbitrum/status/1636352104913666050) It was by far the biggest airdrop this year. Fun Fact: Over $55 million in $ARB tokens were not claimed – this money went to the Arbitrum DAO treasury. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1682245611767181313/uJJuH8Rd_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [Web3 Academy 🟣](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [@web3academy\_](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1706254975741866432) Crazy that ~$55 million in $ARB airdrops were not claimed. ![🤯](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f92f.png) [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1653532864309239810/ZjT_zBAS_normal.png)](https://twitter.com/arbitrum) [Arbitrum (💙,🧡)](https://twitter.com/arbitrum) [@arbitrum](https://twitter.com/arbitrum) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/arbitrum/status/1706144649428050198) The 69,448,385 unclaimed ARB remaining in the token claim contract has officially been moved to the [#ArbitrumDAO](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArbitrumDAO) treasury as outlined in AIP-7 Tx link: [arbiscan.io/tx/0xa2477f2f1…](https://t.co/vto7Vr7r44) AIP-7: [tally.xyz/gov/arbitrum/p…](https://t.co/2VggkBH9W9) You cannot claim those tokens anywhere. Please be safe out there!![💙](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f499.png)![🧡](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f9e1.png) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 1](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1706254975741866432)[ 16:01 • 25 Sept 2023 ](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1706254975741866432) **March 17th – Balaji’s $1M Bet** 😲 ------------------------------------ Balaji made a crazy $1 million bet that Bitcoin would go to $1 million in just 90 days because the dollar would hyper inflate. He lost!  [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1406974882919813128/LOUb2m4R_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/balajis) [Balaji](https://twitter.com/balajis) [@balajis](https://twitter.com/balajis) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1636797265317867520) I will take that bet. You buy 1 BTC. I will send $1M USD. This is ~40:1 odds as 1 BTC is worth ~$26k. The term is 90 days. All we need is a mutually agreed custodian who will still be there to settle this in the event of digital dollar devaluation. If someone knows how to do this… ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FrcSSYuagAAVevh.jpg) [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1343045735936245768/cRORtnYI_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/jdcmedlock) [James Medlock](https://twitter.com/jdcmedlock) [@jdcmedlock](https://twitter.com/jdcmedlock) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/jdcmedlock/status/1636480393007489024) I'll bet anyone $1 million dollars that the US does not enter hyperinflation [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 12.4K](https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1636797265317867520)[ 0:00 • 18 Mar 2023 ](https://twitter.com/balajis/status/1636797265317867520) While we’d love for Bitcoin to be at $1 million right now, we’re grateful that the dollar didn’t hyper inflate – that would’ve been very dark for the economy. **April 12th – Ethereum’s Staking Unlocked** 🔗 ----------------------------------------------- Ethereum’s Shappella upgrade occurred successfully on April 12th, allowing any stakers to unstake their positions. While many were expecting a big withdrawal, new stakers actually flocked to stake onchain.  [Learn more in our staking-as-a-service report.](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/staking-as-a-service-trillion-dollar-industry)  **May 11th – WorldCoin x Optimism** 👁 -------------------------------------- WorldCoin is a project aiming to distribute digital currency to as many people as possible worldwide, using a unique biometric orb to scan users' irises for identity verification. [Learn more about WorldCoin here.](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/what-in-the-world-is-worldcoin)  In May, they announced that they’re building their platform on top of the Optimism mainnet. Sam Altman, the most important CEO in tech right now, is building on an Ethereum L2. 🤯 [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1683371529269137409/1VQdZPHJ_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/worldcoin) [Worldcoin](https://twitter.com/worldcoin) [@worldcoin](https://twitter.com/worldcoin) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/worldcoin/status/1656653377152114689) World ID & World App are coming to the @OptimismFND Mainnet ![🪩](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1faa9.png) ![🔴](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f534.png) [ ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1734953328025452544/O88j1kOm?format=jpg&name=800x320_1) worldcoin.org Worldcoin commits to Optimism’s Superchain vision ahead of mainnet launch ------------------------------------------------------------------------- As a first step, World ID will be available on OP Mainnet, followed by World App. ](https://t.co/0utgzeWihY) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 2,310](https://twitter.com/worldcoin/status/1656653377152114689)[ 19:01 • 11 May 2023 ](https://twitter.com/worldcoin/status/1656653377152114689) **May 16th – Ledger Recover FUD** 😨 ------------------------------------ Ledger decided to launch ‘Recover’ – an optional & paid service which would help users regain access to their secret phrase in case they lost it.  [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1522608646043181060/QQRjVYhi_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/Ledger) [Ledger](https://twitter.com/Ledger) [@Ledger](https://twitter.com/Ledger) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/Ledger/status/1658458714771169282) Exciting update, Ledger has a new product, Ledger Recover, that’s launching soon: [ledger.com/recover](https://t.co/nT1VHnnSYz) ![🧵](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f9f5.png)Here’s what Ledger Recover is and what it isn’t, explained by [@P3b7\_](https://twitter.com/P3b7_) & in the thread below. ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1658455954336227335/pu/img/Tv1khs7CWu4hQypJ.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 2,059](https://twitter.com/Ledger/status/1658458714771169282)[ 18:35 • 16 May 2023 ](https://twitter.com/Ledger/status/1658458714771169282) The crypto community raised concerns about the security, wondering how it’s possible for Ledger to find out your secret phrase. Many started to boycott Ledger, [but we clarified the situation here](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/is-ledger-stealing-your-crypto).  **May 19th – Pudgy Toys on Amazon** 🐧 -------------------------------------- The NFT project of the year, Pudgy Penguins, [launched their Pudgy Toys on Amazon.](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/pudgy-penguin-toys-on-amazon) ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/92c2146c0556e3f58b3c481092f55e7f.png) **June 5th & 6th – SEC Sues Binance & Coinbase** 🧑‍⚖ ----------------------------------------------------- Binance was sued for commingling funds, while Coinbase was sued for ‘operating as an unregistered broker’. While people thought these lawsuits were identical, they weren’t. The Coinbase lawsuit was a nothing burger while the suit against Binance proved to be a big problem. [More here.](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/sec-takes-on-binance-and-coinbase) **June 8th – 55 Cryptocurrencies Deemed Securities** ---------------------------------------------------- The reason Binance, Coinbase and even Kraken got sued was because ‘they listed securities on their platform’. Along with the lawsuit, the SEC issued that these 55 currencies were securities. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/ff058d00c1c3a78f72dfa1d5cae1c7c3.png) Just 1 months after this, they said that XRP wasn’t a security (keep reading 👇), which means that most of these aren’t either. **June 16th – BlackRock Spot Bitcoin ETF** 🟠 --------------------------------------------- [BlackRock’s Spot Bitcoin ETF filing](https://newsletter.w3academy.io/p/bitcoin-to-1000000-once-this-is-live) marked one of the biggest milestones for crypto in 2023, as it totally legitimized this space and sped up the process of getting a Spot ETF approved for Bitcoin.  **July 14th – XRP is Not A Security** 🥳 ---------------------------------------- After many years spent in court battling against the SEC, [XRP was deemed **not** a security.](https://newsletter.w3academy.io/p/the-sec-says-xrp-is-not-a-security) [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1682245611767181313/uJJuH8Rd_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [Web3 Academy 🟣](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [@web3academy\_](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1679522944131686401) BREAKING: The SEC does NOT categorize Ripple’s $XRP as a security. BIG win for this industry. Cheers ![🍻](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f37b.png) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F07dN1hXgAEl65_.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 13](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1679522944131686401)[ 21:37 • 13 Jul 2023 ](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1679522944131686401) This means that 90% of cryptocurrencies today are also not a security, which marks them as safe!  **August 1st – BASE Onchain Summer** 🟡 --------------------------------------- Coinbase’s L2 – Base – went live in late July and a meme token called $BALD rose to almost $100 million market cap.  This generated a lot of attention for Base, who, on August 1st, launched possibly one of the greatest marketing campaigns in web3  – Onchain Summer – a 30-day period of daily NFT mints & other fun onchain activities.  [Even Coca Cola got involved.](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/what-is-onchain-summer)  **August 7th – Paypal Launches USD Stablecoin** 💲 -------------------------------------------------- [PayPal announced the launch of their own stablecoin](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/paypal-stablecoin-pyusd): $PYUSD, an Ethereum-based token. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1682245611767181313/uJJuH8Rd_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [Web3 Academy 🟣](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [@web3academy\_](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1688541564954632193) BREAKING: PayPal launches a stablecoin called $PYUSD (PayPal USD). ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F27nmeHXwAAyYHf.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 16](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1688541564954632193)[ 18:54 • 7 Aug 2023 ](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1688541564954632193) Later, this stablecoin was integrated into Venmo, a neo-bank used by 83 million Americans.  **August 11th – FriendTech Goes Wild** 🫂 ----------------------------------------- FriendTech, a social app where users can hold the keys of their favorite influencers, launched on Base and saw overwhelming success. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1678058640274763777/suWn898y_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/friendtech) [friend.tech](https://twitter.com/friendtech) [@friendtech](https://twitter.com/friendtech) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/friendtech/status/1689751486857887744) We are provisioning more resources again. We genuinely did not realize there were still so many people into crypto [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 1,136](https://twitter.com/friendtech/status/1689751486857887744)[ 3:02 • 11 Aug 2023 ](https://twitter.com/friendtech/status/1689751486857887744) This application then went on to generate insane value for an entire ecosystem. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e22dc6e853cde3ba1ece00ee1ae29ab2.png) [Read our FriendTech onchain report here.](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/friend-tech-value-accrual) **August 29th – Grayscale Wins Lawsuit Against SEC** 🏆 ------------------------------------------------------- Grayscale filed a lawsuit against the SEC for being discriminated against in the SEC’s decision of disapproving the Spot Bitcoin ETF. [Grayscale won this lawsuit](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/grayscale-wins-sec-suit) & the SEC had to review their application again.  **September 5th – Visa on Solana** 💳 ------------------------------------- Visa announced that they were extending their stablecoin settlement capabilities to Solana. In my opinion, this is what started to make people realize that Solana isn’t dead. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1550945166688546816/NUMZ6qI3_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/cuysheffield) [Cuy Sheffield](https://twitter.com/cuysheffield) [@cuysheffield](https://twitter.com/cuysheffield) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/cuysheffield/status/1699031109080945049) 1/ We are excited to announce that Visa has expanded our stablecoin settlement capabilities to merchant acquirers launching pilots with [@Worldpay\_Global](https://twitter.com/Worldpay_Global) and [@Nuvei](https://twitter.com/Nuvei) utilizing the Solana blockchain [ ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1734291548114685952/6ZiWxzRi?format=jpg&name=600x600) businesswire.com Visa Expands Stablecoin Settlement Capabilities to Merchant Acquirers --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in payments, announced its next step in modernizing cross-border money movement. Visa is expanding its stablecoin sett ](https://t.co/E0TjMO5xiH) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 5,318](https://twitter.com/cuysheffield/status/1699031109080945049)[ 17:35 • 5 Sept 2023 ](https://twitter.com/cuysheffield/status/1699031109080945049) Shortly after this, [MakerDAO looked to fork Solana](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/makerdao-chooses-solana), who became the hottest kid on the block. **September 24th – Pudgy Toys in Walmart** ------------------------------------------ [Pudgy Penguins launched its toys in Walmart](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/pudgy-toys-launched-in-walmart) in what probably was the biggest week for NFTs in the past years. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1682245611767181313/uJJuH8Rd_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [Web3 Academy 🟣](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [@web3academy\_](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1707769717669143021) The Biggest Week for NFTs in the Last 2 Years ![🤯](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/1f92f.png) \- [@pudgypenguins](https://twitter.com/pudgypenguins) launched Pudgy Toys in 2,000 Walmart stores \- [@Courtyard\_NFT](https://twitter.com/Courtyard_NFT) brought Pokemon cards onchain \- [@veefriends](https://twitter.com/veefriends) partnered with [@Mattel](https://twitter.com/Mattel) to launch action figures Let's break each story down. ![⏬](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/23ec.png) 1\. Pudgy NFTs in Walmart… ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F7M3EYQWUAAQxfE.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 30](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1707769717669143021)[ 20:20 • 29 Sept 2023 ](https://twitter.com/web3academy_/status/1707769717669143021) **October 11th – Farcaster Goes Public** 🌐 ------------------------------------------- The first fully onchain and decentralized social application, [Farcaster opened its doors for everyone](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/farcaster-is-permissionless), putting pressure on competitors like Lens & DeSo to open up themselves. **November 3rd – SBF Found Guilty** 🖕 -------------------------------------- After FTX’s collapse in 2022, Sam Bankman-Fried's fraud trial concluded with a guilty verdict, and he faces decades in prison​​. **November 9th –  BlackRock ETH ETF** ------------------------------------- BlackRock didn’t just file for a Bitcoin Spot ETF this year, they also applied for one for Ethereum.  [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1641221212578754562/DfiC0KW2_normal.png)](https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru) [Watcher.Guru](https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru) [@WatcherGuru](https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru/status/1725112879429406851) JUST IN: BlackRock files S-1 application for its Spot Ethereum ETF. [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 10.8K](https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru/status/1725112879429406851)[ 16:55 • 16 Nov 2023 ](https://twitter.com/WatcherGuru/status/1725112879429406851) Once the BTC ETF is approved, one for ETH will follow shortly. **November 21st – Binance DOJ Settlement** ------------------------------------------ Binance accepts a $4 billion fine in their settlement agreement with the DOJ while CZ pleads guilty to fraud charges and steps down as CEO. [Full story here.](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/binance-pays-fine) **November 28th – Illuvium on Epic Games Store** ------------------------------------------------ The most anticipated web3 game (built on Immutable) launched on the Epic Games Store, a platform used by over 230 million gamers. [![User Avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1590313342966677510/GH-pglrs_normal.jpg)](https://twitter.com/illuviumio) [Illuvium](https://twitter.com/illuviumio) [@illuviumio](https://twitter.com/illuviumio) [![Twitter Logo](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/logo.png)](https://twitter.com/illuviumio/status/1726691986751869277) November 28 on [@EpicGames](https://twitter.com/EpicGames) ![⚔️](https://twemoji.maxcdn.com/v/14.0.2/72x72/2694.png) ![](https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1726640477850718208/pu/img/FTXxAnOyMmfGhtvE.jpg) [![Like Icon](https://paragraph.xyz/editor/twitter/heart.png) 2,453](https://twitter.com/illuviumio/status/1726691986751869277)[ 1:30 • 21 Nov 2023 ](https://twitter.com/illuviumio/status/1726691986751869277) **December 1st – Solana Airdrop SZN Begins** -------------------------------------------- The $PYTH, $JUP & $JTO airdrops injected over $1 billion into the ecosystem, and every other project started to tease airdrops.  [We wrote about top airdrop farming opportunities here.](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/dont-miss-these-solana-airdrops) Also, this led to [onchain points becoming the new meta](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/is-onchain-points-the-new-meta) for the rest of the year.  **December 7th – Flipkart Launches L2** --------------------------------------- Flipkart, the Amazon of India, with 350 million customers, [launched an L2](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/flipkart-just-launched-an-l2) using Polygon’s CDK tool-kit to scale its onchain loyalty program. **December 15th – Ledger & NFT Trader Hacks** --------------------------------------------- The Ledger Connect Kit – aka the ability for users to connect to dApps using their Ledger – was exploited. Users were asked to DO NOTHING – anything they did would make things worse. A few hours later, NFT Trader got exploited and everyone who used this platform in the past had their NFTs exposed – instead of doing nothing, people were asked to revoke all permissions. 2 of the biggest hacks this year happened within hours – insane.  **December 19th – Inscriptions Going Mad** ------------------------------------------ Inscription NFTs made their way from Bitcoin to EVM chains & congested a bunch of networks. * 90% of all transactions on Avalanche were inscriptions * Arbitrum went down for over 1h because of congestion What are inscriptions? [Read all about 'em here](https://paragraph.xyz/@web3academy/inscriptions-are-killing-blockchains). **Wrapping Up** 🧵 ------------------ What a year…  * $BTC, $ETH & $SOL are up 100s of % YTD * Billions of dollars have been airdropped * Solana had the greatest comeback of all time  * Pudgy is definitely the NFT project of the year * The SEC got its ass whooped * Onchain apps have started to go mainstream * We got rid of all bad actors in crypto * We’re closer than ever to a Spot Bitcoin ETF And guess what? It can only get better from here!  On January the 1st, a newsletter will hit your inbox, containing our top predictions for 2024. We’re more bullish than ever & I suspect you are too. Here’s to an even better year in crypto. 🍻 * * * Thanks for reading. And remember, you're strong, you’re powerful, you’re alpha! ❤ ### **How'd you feel about our read today?** * ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [Loved it!](https://bit.ly/five_star_feedback) * ⭐⭐⭐ [Decent!](https://bit.ly/three_stars_feedback) * ⭐ [Kyle, step it up!](https://bit.ly/one_star_feedback) * * * ### **Are You Fairly New to Crypto & Web3?** Let us help you wrap your head around this industry that’s constantly transforming. Take our Free 1-hour Web3 Rabbit Hole Course to learn the foundational components you need to start building and investing successfully. [Take Free Rabbit Hole Course Now](https://bit.ly/web3academy_rabbithole_nl) * * * [_Join us on Discord_](https://w3academy.io/web3-academy-membership/) | [_Follow us on Twitter_](https://twitter.com/web3academy_) [_Advertise with Web3 Academy_](https://forms.gle/sJQ74htKuPU2qJHo6) _Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not financial advice. Conduct your own research and consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions or taking any action based on the content._ --- *Originally published on [Web3 Academy](https://paragraph.com/@web3academy/2023-year-in-review)*