TLDR Crypto 2022-02-24

StarkWare's StarkNet layer 2 protocol is ready for the deployment of decentralized apps. StarkNet uses zero-knowledge rollup technology to solve Ethereum's scaling problem. ZK rollups batch together hundreds of transactions into one to be written onto the Ethereum blockchain. They reduce gas fees significantly as only one transaction is processed instead of hundreds of individual smaller transactions. StarkNet is expected to achieve one order of magnitude higher transactions per second than Ethereum at a cost at least two orders of magnitude lower by the end of 2022.

Vesta Equity is a real estate startup that is rolling out a service that allows homeowners to sell a fraction of their equity through fractionalized NFT sales. It will use the Algorand blockchain for its marketplace. The fractionalized NFTs will not give owners residential rights. They are registered as securities with the SEC. The NFTs will allow holders to build a portfolio of real estate assets.

1Password has teamed up with crypto wallet provider Phantom to allow Phantom wallet users to store their wallet passwords and keys with 1Password. Many people lose access to their cryptocurrencies by losing their seed phrases, keys, or passwords. People often do not follow best security practices. 1Password aims to make security easy. The company has hinted at plans to add more wallet integrations in the future.

Opera browser has integrated decentralized finance trading platform DeversiFi. Its Android app will be the first mobile browser with a layer 2 Ethereum wallet. DeversiFi aims to help traders avoid high gas fees through its platform. Opera's Crypto Browser Project launched in beta earlier this month. It features a wallet that allows users to switch between apps without having to sign in for every new tab.

Ren Labs has raised $7.5 million to develop a new automatic market maker called Catalog. Catalog will be the first application built on the Ren blockchain. The AMM will attempt to mitigate impermanent loss, a type of loss associated with liquidity farming, with single-sided staking. It will be able to interact directly with users' bank accounts for easy deposits and withdrawals. The Ren team is aiming to launch Catalog in April.

An article published earlier in the week claimed to identify the hacker who stole 3.6 million from The DAO. One of the blockchain analysis methods described in the article allegedly involved de-mixing Wasabi transactions. Wasabi has been criticized before on their privacy practices, with several parties claiming to be able to deanonymize transactions made by the wallet. Other mixing concepts like Coinjoin and Tornado Cash have also been criticized and are likely able to be deanonymized. While the cryptography underlying the systems work, it is difficult for people to use the systems in ways that don't leak information.

Lens is a decentralized social graph protocol created by the AAVE team. It allows accounts to create and follow profiles, publish and collect posts, and more. The protocol creates connections between creators and their communities through on-chain interactions. It allows users to access their social graphs without any intermediaries. Details about how each part of the protocol works are available in the article.

The ETHDenver conference wrapped up on Sunday afternoon after 10 days of talks, networking, announcements, and hackathons. Many prominent developers and founders, including Vitalik Buterin, attended the conference. This article gives an overview of what went on at the conference, covering the highlights of the event.

Using translation software to try to read Chinese crypto Twitter will likely result in a lot of confusion. This article provides ten translations for phrases related to crypto trading. Knowing these terms helps give insight into what projects Chinese communities are excited about.