Crypto_Bilawal

The son of a World War II veteran who drove a milk truck and an orphan who worked as a waitress and then as a nursing assistant at a hospital, David Hoffmann grew up poor but happy in the small town of Washington, Missouri. In high school, he considered becoming a barber or working in sales at a nearby vinyl manufacturer but he eventually went to college, first on an athletic scholarship (for both football and baseball). When he lost the scholarship due to injuries, he put himself through school working in factories and baling hay.

After graduating with a degree in industrial safety and occupational health, he spent a decade working for other people and companies, Hoffmann struck out on his own. In 1989 at age 33, he put two mortgages on his house and started an executive search firm, DHR Global. A few years later, Hoffmann called up automotive legend Lee Iacocca to do a reference check on a CEO candidate. The two hit it off, and before long the retired Chrysler chief (often credited for creating the Ford Mustang) pitched Hoffmann on an electric bike venture. It was Hoffmann’s first investment outside his core business. “I was caught up a little bit in [Iacocca’s] star power,” he says. He wanted to sell the e-bikes through Walmart, but the pair went with Iacocca’s idea to sell foldable bikes in car dealerships. EV Global collapsed in less than three years, and Hoffmann lost nearly $1 million. “It was a little bit before its time.”

Next, he teamed up with former R.R. Donnelley & Sons chairman (and briefly AT&T president) John Walter whose daughter worked at DHR. Their venture Reliable Power promised to keep the electricity on when generators failed. It landed customers including General Electric and Deere, but when the technology proved . . . er, unreliable, it shut down. His third flop was a new sort of beer tap that had no spillage or runoff. He cofounded the business with Gary Grom, the former head of Human Resources at Sara Lee who has a house in Naples, Florida near Hoffmann’s, to sell at sports arenas but it eventually lost its accounts to better performing rivals.

Rather than throw in the towel, Hoffmann, whose family didn't even have running hot water until he was in high school, switched tactics from early-stage investing to more mature, historic businesses with cash flow. One of the first successes with this new strategy was his investment in Orange Line Oil in California, a bulk oil wholesaler and distributor in southern California (It’s now part of Reladyne).

Today his Hoffmann Family of Companies has investments in over 125 businesses in various industries including Linstol, the largest maker of in-flight passenger comforts and accessories such as headsets and amenities bags; Archer Wire, which made over 1.1 million football face masks last year, supplying all types of teams, from youth leagues to the NFL and Oberweis Dairy, which delivers pasteurized milk in glass bottles. DHR, the firm that seeded it all, now has 50 offices. “In all business you learn the coke formula of what makes that business tick and then you exploit it,” says Hoffmann, who is now worth an estimated $2.5 billion. “We do that in all of our operating companies worldwide.”

Hoffmann, 73, stepped down as CEO in 2022 and handed the day-to-day reins to his sons Geoff, who is CEO of the private equity arm, and Greg, who is CEO of the real estate ventures. But he’s still very involved in making the deals and closing acquisitions including 13 in just 2025. Among them: the Aspen Daily News; Bay Area Herbs & Specialties, a supplier of specialty produce; and Olympus Limo, a luxury transportation provider serving the Tampa Bay area.

This year is starting out with an even bigger bang as Hoffmann closes two ofhis most high profile deals yet. He’s acquiring a majority stake in Lee Enterprises, the publisher of 72 newspapers, and will serve as its board chair. With his sons, Hoffmann is also buying a controlling stake in the Pittsburgh Penguins, pending the NHL’s approval.

As for the lessons he’s learned from failure over the years, Hoffmann says, “I would tell my 20-year-old self to look at the downside as well as the upside, and always ask, why hasn’t someone else made this investment?,” adding that “I would be patient and go with trusted performance, if I had it to do all over again.”

M

Plasma is more than just another blockchain. It is a platform built with developers in mind, designed to make creation easier while still offering a strong foundation for real‑world financial applications. It fully supports Ethereum compatibility, offers high‑speed stablecoin settlement, and provides practical features that developers care about. These strengths make Plasma a compelling choice for builders looking to launch the next generation of financial applications.
In this blog, we will explore why developers choose Plasma, what makes it developer‑friendly, and how its unique features create opportunities for innovation.
Plasma Is Simple to Get Started With
One of the biggest hurdles for developers working in blockchain is the learning curve. New chains often require learning new languages, frameworks, and tools. Developers who have already built on Ethereum know how valuable it is to stay within familiar technology.
Plasma solves this by being 100 percent compatible with Ethereum’s Virtual Machine (EVM). This means that developers can write smart contracts using Solidity, the same language used on Ethereum, and deploy them with tools like Hardhat or Remix without needing to rewrite their codebase for a new system. Existing applications can often be ported straight over with minimal changes. This “plug‑and‑play” experience dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for developers who already know Ethereum development.
For many builders, this compatibility is the difference between waiting to learn a new system and starting immediately to build products that users can interact with.
Built for Financial Applications From Day One
Another major challenge developers face is building financial applications that are actually usable by everyday people. Many blockchains are general‑purpose but lack features that make financial products feel smooth and affordable for users.
Plasma takes a different approach. Instead of being a general sandbox, it focuses on stablecoin payments and financial services. The network supports zero‑fee USDT transfers using a built‑in mechanism called a paymaster. This paymaster system covers gas costs for standard transfers, so developers can build apps where users don’t have to worry about paying fees every time they send money.
This feature is huge for applications that aim for mainstream use, such as consumer payment apps, remittance services, or any product where users are sensitive to transaction costs. It means developers can design products that feel closer to Web2 experiences, where transactions are free or nearly free for users.
Plasma also allows custom gas tokens, meaning developers can let users pay fees in tokens other than the native token (XPL). This flexibility gives builders more options when tailoring the economics of their apps.
High Performance and Strong Security
Developers want their apps to be reliable and fast. They want transactions to finalize quickly so user interfaces feel responsive. Plasma’s design includes a consensus mechanism called PlasmaBFT, which provides fast finality and supports the throughput needed for payment‑focused applications.
Plasma also uses a trust‑minimized Bitcoin bridge, which anchors security to the Bitcoin network. This gives developers and users confidence that the underlying layer is secure and stable, helping attract more users and institutional partners.
This combination of high throughput and strong security is not common. Many competing chains either offer speed but sacrifice security, or are secure but slow. Plasma aims to deliver both.
Binance and Major Partners Supporting Plasma
Another reason developers choose Plasma is the backing and integration with major players in the crypto ecosystem, especially Binance, one of the largest and most influential blockchain platforms in the world. Binance has integrated Plasma into its ecosystem in multiple ways, making it easier for developers to reach users and liquidity.
Binance has listed Plasma’s native token, XPL, and included it in programs like the Binance HODLer Airdrop, distributing millions of tokens to users and boosting initial liquidity. Plasma’s XPL token was launched through Binance’s Simple Earn and On‑Chain Yield products, and has multiple trading pairs including USDT, USDC, BNB, FDUSD, and TRY.
More importantly, Binance Earn integrated Plasma’s on‑chain USDT yield products, allowing users to earn yield and interact with the Plasma network directly within Binance. This brings millions of users into the Plasma ecosystem without requiring them to leave a familiar interface.
Across the broader ecosystem, investors and partners including Bitfinex, Tether, Framework Ventures, and institutional traders have supported Plasma’s development and liquidity. In fundraising and subscription drives, Plasma reached large stablecoin deposit caps quickly, showing strong market interest.
All of this means developers are not building on an isolated chain but rather on a network with real liquidity, users, and financial infrastructure backing it.
A Platform With Real Users and Traffic
For developers, it’s not just about building. It’s about building useful applications that people will actually use. A new blockchain can have all the technical features in the world, but if there are no users, applications will struggle.
Plasma’s focus on stablecoins and payments puts it in the center of real‑world economic activity. Stablecoins like USDT are among the most widely used tokens for payments, remittances, and cross‑border transfers. Plasma’s zero‑fee stablecoin transactions take a big step toward making these services accessible and affordable at scale.
Because stablecoins are integral to many financial applications, developers can build products that have immediate addressable users: wallets, payment apps, remittance platforms, consumer applications, and yield products. Many of these applications don’t feel like abstract financial experiments but rather tools that everyday users could adopt.
A Positive Cycle of Growth
Plasma’s strategy creates a positive feedback loop. Its developer‑friendly features attract builders. The builders then launch applications that draw users. As more users come, more liquidity flows into the ecosystem. That activity, in turn, makes Plasma a more attractive platform for even more developers.
This cycle is what many successful ecosystems have used to grow, from Ethereum itself to ecosystems like iOS and Android in mobile. Plasma’s focus on lowering development barriers, giving developers useful financial primitives, and integrating with existing infrastructure like Binance accelerates this growth.
What It Means for the Future
When developers can focus on building instead of fighting the infrastructure, innovation accelerates. Plasma’s compatibility with existing tools like Solidity and Hardhat means developers don’t waste time learning new languages or frameworks. Its stablecoin‑first design means builders can focus on user experience. Its integrations with major platforms like Binance mean access to liquidity and users from day one.
Developers choose Plasma because it lets them start quickly, build powerful financial tools, and reach real users without the usual friction that new blockchain platforms impose. This is exactly what builders want a platform that feels familiar, but better tuned for real‑world financial applications.
Plasma is not just another blockchain. It’s a developer‑friendly ecosystem built around real financial use‑cases, strong partnerships, and practical technology. And for developers looking to create the next generation of financial applications, that combination is hard to ignore.
#plasma @Plasma $XPL

Plasma is more than just another blockchain. It is a platform built with developers in mind, designed to make creation easier while still offering a strong foundation for real‑world financial applications. It fully supports Ethereum compatibility, offers high‑speed stablecoin settlement, and provides practical features that developers care about. These strengths make Plasma a compelling choice for builders looking to launch the next generation of financial applications.
In this blog, we will explore why developers choose Plasma, what makes it developer‑friendly, and how its unique features create opportunities for innovation.
Plasma Is Simple to Get Started With
One of the biggest hurdles for developers working in blockchain is the learning curve. New chains often require learning new languages, frameworks, and tools. Developers who have already built on Ethereum know how valuable it is to stay within familiar technology.
Plasma solves this by being 100 percent compatible with Ethereum’s Virtual Machine (EVM). This means that developers can write smart contracts using Solidity, the same language used on Ethereum, and deploy them with tools like Hardhat or Remix without needing to rewrite their codebase for a new system. Existing applications can often be ported straight over with minimal changes. This “plug‑and‑play” experience dramatically lowers the barrier to entry for developers who already know Ethereum development.
For many builders, this compatibility is the difference between waiting to learn a new system and starting immediately to build products that users can interact with.
Built for Financial Applications From Day One
Another major challenge developers face is building financial applications that are actually usable by everyday people. Many blockchains are general‑purpose but lack features that make financial products feel smooth and affordable for users.
Plasma takes a different approach. Instead of being a general sandbox, it focuses on stablecoin payments and financial services. The network supports zero‑fee USDT transfers using a built‑in mechanism called a paymaster. This paymaster system covers gas costs for standard transfers, so developers can build apps where users don’t have to worry about paying fees every time they send money.
This feature is huge for applications that aim for mainstream use, such as consumer payment apps, remittance services, or any product where users are sensitive to transaction costs. It means developers can design products that feel closer to Web2 experiences, where transactions are free or nearly free for users.
Plasma also allows custom gas tokens, meaning developers can let users pay fees in tokens other than the native token (XPL). This flexibility gives builders more options when tailoring the economics of their apps.
High Performance and Strong Security
Developers want their apps to be reliable and fast. They want transactions to finalize quickly so user interfaces feel responsive. Plasma’s design includes a consensus mechanism called PlasmaBFT, which provides fast finality and supports the throughput needed for payment‑focused applications.
Plasma also uses a trust‑minimized Bitcoin bridge, which anchors security to the Bitcoin network. This gives developers and users confidence that the underlying layer is secure and stable, helping attract more users and institutional partners.
This combination of high throughput and strong security is not common. Many competing chains either offer speed but sacrifice security, or are secure but slow. Plasma aims to deliver both.
Binance and Major Partners Supporting Plasma
Another reason developers choose Plasma is the backing and integration with major players in the crypto ecosystem, especially Binance, one of the largest and most influential blockchain platforms in the world. Binance has integrated Plasma into its ecosystem in multiple ways, making it easier for developers to reach users and liquidity.
Binance has listed Plasma’s native token, XPL, and included it in programs like the Binance HODLer Airdrop, distributing millions of tokens to users and boosting initial liquidity. Plasma’s XPL token was launched through Binance’s Simple Earn and On‑Chain Yield products, and has multiple trading pairs including USDT, USDC, BNB, FDUSD, and TRY.
More importantly, Binance Earn integrated Plasma’s on‑chain USDT yield products, allowing users to earn yield and interact with the Plasma network directly within Binance. This brings millions of users into the Plasma ecosystem without requiring them to leave a familiar interface.
Across the broader ecosystem, investors and partners including Bitfinex, Tether, Framework Ventures, and institutional traders have supported Plasma’s development and liquidity. In fundraising and subscription drives, Plasma reached large stablecoin deposit caps quickly, showing strong market interest.
All of this means developers are not building on an isolated chain but rather on a network with real liquidity, users, and financial infrastructure backing it.
A Platform With Real Users and Traffic
For developers, it’s not just about building. It’s about building useful applications that people will actually use. A new blockchain can have all the technical features in the world, but if there are no users, applications will struggle.
Plasma’s focus on stablecoins and payments puts it in the center of real‑world economic activity. Stablecoins like USDT are among the most widely used tokens for payments, remittances, and cross‑border transfers. Plasma’s zero‑fee stablecoin transactions take a big step toward making these services accessible and affordable at scale.
Because stablecoins are integral to many financial applications, developers can build products that have immediate addressable users: wallets, payment apps, remittance platforms, consumer applications, and yield products. Many of these applications don’t feel like abstract financial experiments but rather tools that everyday users could adopt.
A Positive Cycle of Growth
Plasma’s strategy creates a positive feedback loop. Its developer‑friendly features attract builders. The builders then launch applications that draw users. As more users come, more liquidity flows into the ecosystem. That activity, in turn, makes Plasma a more attractive platform for even more developers.
This cycle is what many successful ecosystems have used to grow, from Ethereum itself to ecosystems like iOS and Android in mobile. Plasma’s focus on lowering development barriers, giving developers useful financial primitives, and integrating with existing infrastructure like Binance accelerates this growth.
What It Means for the Future
When developers can focus on building instead of fighting the infrastructure, innovation accelerates. Plasma’s compatibility with existing tools like Solidity and Hardhat means developers don’t waste time learning new languages or frameworks. Its stablecoin‑first design means builders can focus on user experience. Its integrations with major platforms like Binance mean access to liquidity and users from day one.
Developers choose Plasma because it lets them start quickly, build powerful financial tools, and reach real users without the usual friction that new blockchain platforms impose. This is exactly what builders want a platform that feels familiar, but better tuned for real‑world financial applications.
Plasma is not just another blockchain. It’s a developer‑friendly ecosystem built around real financial use‑cases, strong partnerships, and practical technology. And for developers looking to create the next generation of financial applications, that combination is hard to ignore.
#plasma @Plasma$XPL

January 31, 2026

Universal has launched what it calls the UAE’s first Central Bank-registered US dollar stablecoin, USDU. On paper, this is a serious milestone. Not a flashy crypto announcement, not a meme token with a flag wrapped around it, but a piece of financial plumbing that has quietly been missing.

The Central Bank of the UAE has now registered a foreign payment token that allows compliant US dollar settlement for digital assets. That sounds dry. It is also exactly how real financial power tends to arrive.

To understand why this matters, it helps to look at who has been winning the last 20 years and who has not. The US has compounded innovation into market dominance, while Europe has regulated itself into respectable stagnation.

Digital Dirham to be launched soon
Digital Dirham to be launched soon

Read More
This is represented by data compiled by the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) in the chart below, which compares the value of $100 invested in US versus European technology large and mid-cap indices since 2011.

Made with Flourish • Create a map
This is the context in which the UAE decision should be read. The country is making a deliberate effort not to repeat the European mistake of being technically sophisticated but structurally hostile to innovation.

Instead, it is opting to be a place where new financial infrastructure is allowed to exist, supervised, constrained where necessary, but not smothered. The result is that the UAE is no longer just positioning itself as a regional hub. It is behaving like a global one.

At the heart of this announcement is a simple truth about money. The US dollar is the global language of finance. You can translate from other currencies, and many do, but speaking USD directly is always faster, cheaper and operationally cleaner.

Even with the dirham pegged to the dollar, cross-border transactions still involve friction – settlement delays, conversion fees, operational overheads and the small but persistent complexity tax that institutions despise. A regulated US dollar stablecoin removes that friction almost entirely. Accounting systems, invoices, contracts and treasury functions already live in dollars. This plugs straight in.

There is also a psychological dimension that should not be underestimated. For global investors and institutions, operating natively in US dollars feels natural. A dirham stablecoin, even a well designed one, still requires mental conversion. A UAE-based US dollar stablecoin makes the local ecosystem feel like an extension of the global dollar system rather than a side branch that needs explaining.

Where this becomes genuinely interesting is regulation. USDU is not just dollar-backed. It carries a Central Bank of the UAE registration under the Payment Token Services Regulation, with reserves held onshore at Emirates NBD and Mashreq, and monthly independent attestations.

This matters because most existing dollar stablecoins are regulated elsewhere. For conservative institutions, that introduces counterparty and jurisdictional risk, even if the tokens themselves are widely used. A UAE central bank-approved structure offers something different. A digital dollar forged inside a framework that global banks and sovereign institutions already respect.

That opens the door to capital that has so far stayed firmly on the sidelines. Large asset managers, banks and sovereign entities do not fear technology. They fear ambiguity. Remove that, and adoption becomes a question of process rather than principle. In that sense, USDU is less about crypto and more about giving institutions a compliant bridge into a market they already know is coming.

There is also a strategic angle that goes beyond finance. Trade routes once defined economic power. Today, the rails on which money moves matter just as much. By positioning itself as a hub for regulated digital dollars, the UAE is inserting itself into the future settlement layer of global trade. Energy, logistics and commodities are obvious candidates. Programmatic, near-instant settlement in dollars is not a “nice-to-have”. It is a competitive advantage.

All of that said, a little scepticism is healthy. The world does not suffer from a shortage of USD stablecoins. USDT (Tether) alone has spawned a long list of “me-toos”, each claiming slightly better compliance, transparency, or governance. For an institution to adopt any one of them requires more than enthusiasm. It requires due diligence, onboarding, systems integration, risk committees and internal buy-in. Even if every token equals one dollar, each comes with its own operational and regulatory risk profile. Homogeneous in price does not mean homogeneous in risk.

It also remains to be seen how much demand the UAE-home-grown label actually creates. Launching a stablecoin is mechanically easy. Doing it compliantly is harder. Achieving meaningful adoption is the hardest part by far. This will not be won by press releases but by usage.

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Still, even if the commercial outcome for USDU takes time to materialise, the broader signal is unambiguous. The UAE continues to lean into new technology, whether crypto, AI or robotics, while many jurisdictions prefer to sit it out and wait for certainty that never really arrives. New technologies are volatile by nature. That volatility is precisely why conservative systems avoid them. It is also why entire regions can slowly fall behind.

Henri Arslanian, co-founder of ACX Compliance, summed it up nicely. “This is a positive development for the UAE to play a bigger role in the $300 billion stablecoin ecosystem. The UAE is arguably now the global crypto hub and this further solidifies that role.”

USDU may or may not become the dominant regulated digital dollar. That is still an open question. What is far clearer is that the UAE is making a calculated bet on being part of the infrastructure of global finance, not just a user of it. And history suggests that is usually where the real compounding happens.

Yevgeny Bebnev is an investment professional and multi-manager fund specialist based in Dubai. He is also the founder and CIO of Alaris Capital

Updated: February 01, 2026, 9:25 AM
Cryptocurrency
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Hong Kong Financial Secretary Highlights Global Market Volatility
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has released an essay titled 'Maintaining a Positive and Prudent Approach,' addressing the current global market volatility. According to Odaily, Chan noted that international capital movements have been significantly affected by the turbulent global market conditions. Even assets traditionally considered safe havens have experienced price corrections after reaching record highs.
Chan cited the example of gold, which saw a sharp increase of nearly 30% in January, reaching a historic high of $5,600. However, in recent days, it has experienced a notable decline, dropping over 12% from its peak. Despite these fluctuations, Hong Kong's financial system remains stable and operates smoothly, with total bank deposits exceeding HKD 19 trillion.
Chan emphasized that the rapidly changing global political and economic landscape suggests that risks and volatility will persist over the coming year.

valuation.

The SEC’s complaint also includes Villar Land President Cynthia Javarez and independent directors Ana Marie Pagsibigan, and Garth Castañeda as respondents. Also charged were Infra Holdings Corp. and MGS Construction, together with their officers and authorized signatories including Virgilio Villar, the tycoon’s brother. Both companies engaged in trades that created artificial demand and influenced Villar Land’s share price, the SEC said.

In its statement Saturday, the SEC alleged Villar Land and its officers misled the public with its 2024 financial statements disclosed in March that showed a substantial increase in total assets and net income when the company’s external audit wasn’t yet completed.

Apart from his real estate business, Villar—who ran for president in 2010—has interests in energy, media, retail and restaurants. He has a real-time net worth of $4.5 billion, down from $11 billion in August when the list of the Philippines’ 50 richest was published

Topline
Bitcoin fell sharply Saturday as investors reassessed the outlook for U.S. interest rates following President Donald Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh for chair of the Federal Reserve.

Key Facts
Bitcoin was priced around $84,000 Friday, but it abruptly dropped Saturday and has fallen to $77,900 at the time of writing, down more than 7% in the past 24 hours and approaching levels last seen when Trump was elected as president in 2024.

At its peak in October, bitcoin reached a price of $126,198, but it has mostly dipped since then as investors pulled back from riskier assets amid uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s path on interest rates.

The decline was not limited to bitcoin, with the broader cryptocurrency market also sliding this week as major tokens including Ethereum, BNB, XRP and Solana all falling at least 10% in the past week, according to Coindesk.

Bitcoin’s drop comes as gold surpassed a record price of $5,300 earlier in the week, though it began to fall after news of Warsh’s nomination, coinciding with the U.S. dollar strengthening and posting its largest gain since May, according to Bloomberg.

Key Background
Despite Bitcoin’s drop, Warsh has spoken highly of the cryptocurrency, calling it the “new gold” for people under 40 during a 2021 interview. His opinion on bitcoin didn’t waver in 2025, when he said it did not make him nervous, saying in July: “With every passing day (Bitcoin is) getting new life as an alternative currency.”

Why Has Warsh’s Nomination Has Caused Bitcoin To Drop?
Warsh’s nomination could spell bad news for bitcoin, according to 10x Research founder Markus Thielen, who told Coin Desk the Federal Reserve nominee’s “emphasis on monetary discipline, higher real rates, and reduced liquidity frames crypto not as a hedge against debasement but as a speculative excess that fades when easy money is withdrawn.” Warsh has been described as a “monetary policy hawk,” after signaling support for central bank digital currency frameworks. Trump’s nomination Friday reshaped expectations for interest rates, a key driver of crypto prices, according to Yahoo Finance. When rates are expected to stay higher, investors often pull money from riskier assets like cryptocurrencies and shift safer investments.

The future of decentralized applications is being reshaped by the convergence of AI and blockchain infrastructure.
By the way Vanar Chain stands at the forefront of this transformation offering a progressive roadmap for AI native capabilities that elevate app for the intelligence from basic automation to full scale intelligent Systems.
These serve as the entry point but their readiness for sophisticated workloads is near zero powerful infrastructure matures we enter the realm of smart Automation where rule based systems and the are best incentives and predictive models begin to streamline on chain Processes.
@Vanar

Most crypto privacy projects sell one dream only. Privacy. Hide everything. No one sees anything. That sound cool until you ask a harder question. How do markets work like this. How do funds companies regulated products operate when everything is public or everything is totally hidden. This tension is why privacy became a trap in crypto.
When privacy is optional nobody uses it and the chain stay public. When privacy is absolute institutions panic because they need rules audits reports proof. Dusk is trying to escape this trap by building somewhere else entirely.
ALSO READ: Dusk Network And The Uncomfortable Truth About Real Finance
Privacy Plus Proof Not Privacy Versus Proof
Dusk is a Layer 1 with confidential smart contracts. Transactions are private by default but proofs can be revealed when required. This is the core idea. Privacy plus proof. Not privacy against proof.
The thesis is simple but strong. Users should be protected by privacy not by falsehood. That alone separate Dusk from privacy coins that chase anonymity at all cost.
Privacy Is Market Hygiene Not Luxury
In real finance privacy is not a bonus. It is hygiene. If all trades bids balances and contract terms are public in real time markets break. You get front running copy trading intimidation and information warfare. Public by default chains reward the richest watchers.
But regulators still need access. Courts need evidence. Auditors need records. Issuers need compliance. Dusk aim to mirror how real markets work. Discreet by default provable when necessary. That is very different from total anonymity.
Why Confidential Smart Contracts Matter
Most chains can hide transfers but business is not transfers. Business is logic. If X then Y. If identity verified then trade. If collateral enough then settle.
Dusk support confidential smart contracts meaning logic can run while sensitive inputs stay hidden. You can put real financial logic on chain without publishing private information to the internet.
This matter because valuable things should never be public. Salaries cap tables bond terms OTC trades company financials. The world does not want an open ledger HR system.
Validator Privacy Is Also Critical
Many people miss this. Hiding users is not enough. If validator selection is public powerful actors can game it.
Dusk uses Segregated Byzantine Agreement with Proof of Blind Bid. Validators bid blindly to lead blocks. Identity and bid stay hidden. This reduce targeting bribery and attacks.
The philosophy is clear. Privacy is infrastructure not a feature toggle.
From Theory To Real Blocks
Dusk moved from research to mainnet. On ramp contracts activated December 20 2024. Mainnet cluster December 29. First immutable block January 7.
This matter because now promises become execution. Developers experience tooling incentives security upgrades and real apps decide outcome not whitepapers.
The Token As Security Budget Not Stock
The DUSK token is not equity. It is fuel and insurance. Staking secure the network. Minimum stake around 1000 DUSK maturity and unstaking rules exist.
Blind bid staking act as market filter. You are not just locking coins you are competing under hidden rules. This reduce whale advantage and improve fairness.
Auditability Beyond Regulators
Auditability is not only for regulators. Developers and users also need to trust code. Dusk invest in verifiable builds reproducible outputs versioning. This is boring work but builds trust over time.
Institutions think like this. They want to explain test and defend systems not just admire innovation.
What Dusk Is Not Trying To Be
Dusk is not meme chain. Not DeFi playground. Not copy paste liquidation casino. It is built for controlled assets regulated markets private settlement business grade contracts.
The market is splitting. Open everything crypto and regulated on chain finance. Dusk bet on second lane.
The Hard Part Adoption
Technology is not biggest risk adoption is. Institutions move slow. Privacy tech is complex. Liquidity need incentives. Builders resist change.
Also marketing is hard. Dusk story is subtle not slogan friendly. Privacy by default provable when needed is system not meme.
What Success Would Look Like
Success mean real apps where privacy is default. Markets prefer Dusk because safer. Selective disclosure feel natural not surveillance.
Dusk is not trying escape system. It try protect people while still allowing truth when required.
That is rare bet in crypto.
my take
I think Dusk is doing something most crypto avoid because it is hard to explain and slow to adopt. But it match reality. Regulation is not going away. Privacy without proof is fantasy. Proof without privacy is dangerous. Execution and tooling will decide everything. If Dusk can make this simple for developers it could become serious infrastructure. If not it stay great idea loved by researchers only. But direction is correct and that already make it worth watching.
@Dusk #dusk $DUSK
DUSKUSDT
Perp
0.11247
+0.41%

Most crypto privacy projects sell one dream only. Privacy. Hide everything. No one sees anything. That sound cool until you ask a harder question. How do markets work like this. How do funds companies regulated products operate when everything is public or everything is totally hidden. This tension is why privacy became a trap in crypto.
When privacy is optional nobody uses it and the chain stay public. When privacy is absolute institutions panic because they need rules audits reports proof. Dusk is trying to escape this trap by building somewhere else entirely.
ALSO READ: Dusk Network And The Uncomfortable Truth About Real Finance
Privacy Plus Proof Not Privacy Versus Proof
Dusk is a Layer 1 with confidential smart contracts. Transactions are private by default but proofs can be revealed when required. This is the core idea. Privacy plus proof. Not privacy against proof.
The thesis is simple but strong. Users should be protected by privacy not by falsehood. That alone separate Dusk from privacy coins that chase anonymity at all cost.
Privacy Is Market Hygiene Not Luxury
In real finance privacy is not a bonus. It is hygiene. If all trades bids balances and contract terms are public in real time markets break. You get front running copy trading intimidation and information warfare. Public by default chains reward the richest watchers.
But regulators still need access. Courts need evidence. Auditors need records. Issuers need compliance. Dusk aim to mirror how real markets work. Discreet by default provable when necessary. That is very different from total anonymity.
Why Confidential Smart Contracts Matter
Most chains can hide transfers but business is not transfers. Business is logic. If X then Y. If identity verified then trade. If collateral enough then settle.
Dusk support confidential smart contracts meaning logic can run while sensitive inputs stay hidden. You can put real financial logic on chain without publishing private information to the internet.
This matter because valuable things should never be public. Salaries cap tables bond terms OTC trades company financials. The world does not want an open ledger HR system.
Validator Privacy Is Also Critical
Many people miss this. Hiding users is not enough. If validator selection is public powerful actors can game it.
Dusk uses Segregated Byzantine Agreement with Proof of Blind Bid. Validators bid blindly to lead blocks. Identity and bid stay hidden. This reduce targeting bribery and attacks.
The philosophy is clear. Privacy is infrastructure not a feature toggle.
From Theory To Real Blocks
Dusk moved from research to mainnet. On ramp contracts activated December 20 2024. Mainnet cluster December 29. First immutable block January 7.
This matter because now promises become execution. Developers experience tooling incentives security upgrades and real apps decide outcome not whitepapers.
The Token As Security Budget Not Stock
The DUSK token is not equity. It is fuel and insurance. Staking secure the network. Minimum stake around 1000 DUSK maturity and unstaking rules exist.
Blind bid staking act as market filter. You are not just locking coins you are competing under hidden rules. This reduce whale advantage and improve fairness.
Auditability Beyond Regulators
Auditability is not only for regulators. Developers and users also need to trust code. Dusk invest in verifiable builds reproducible outputs versioning. This is boring work but builds trust over time.
Institutions think like this. They want to explain test and defend systems not just admire innovation.
What Dusk Is Not Trying To Be
Dusk is not meme chain. Not DeFi playground. Not copy paste liquidation casino. It is built for controlled assets regulated markets private settlement business grade contracts.
The market is splitting. Open everything crypto and regulated on chain finance. Dusk bet on second lane.
The Hard Part Adoption
Technology is not biggest risk adoption is. Institutions move slow. Privacy tech is complex. Liquidity need incentives. Builders resist change.
Also marketing is hard. Dusk story is subtle not slogan friendly. Privacy by default provable when needed is system not meme.
What Success Would Look Like
Success mean real apps where privacy is default. Markets prefer Dusk because safer. Selective disclosure feel natural not surveillance.
Dusk is not trying escape system. It try protect people while still allowing truth when required.
That is rare bet in crypto.
my take
I think Dusk is doing something most crypto avoid because it is hard to explain and slow to adopt. But it match reality. Regulation is not going away. Privacy without proof is fantasy. Proof without privacy is dangerous. Execution and tooling will decide everything. If Dusk can make this simple for developers it could become serious infrastructure. If not it stay great idea loved by researchers only. But direction is correct and that already make it worth watching.
@Dusk #dusk $DUSK
DUSKUSDT
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Walrus (WAL) is a decentralized storage and data availability protocol designed to securely and efficiently store large, unstructured data (such as AI datasets, media files, and NFTs). Built on the Sui blockchain, Walrus provides a cost-effective, censorship-resistant alternative to traditional cloud storage, allowing for rapid retrieval and high scalability.
What is the Walrus Coin ($WAL)?
The WAL token is the native utility token of the Walrus protocol, serving several crucial functions within its ecosystem:
Storage Payments: Users pay for decentralized data storage using WAL tokens.
Staking & Security: Node operators must stake WAL tokens to secure the network, and token holders can delegate their tokens to these nodes to earn rewards.
Governance: WAL allows holders to participate in protocol governance, voting on system upgrades and economic decisions.
Tokenomics: The token is designed with a deflationary mechanism, where a portion of transaction fees is burned, reducing supply over time.
Key Features of Walrus
Efficient Storage: Uses an innovative encoding method called "Red Stuff" to ensure data remains available even if some nodes fail.
Cost-Effective: Offers storage costs significantly lower than traditional options, aiming to be up to 1/100th of existing solutions.
Integration with Sui: Leverages the Sui blockchain for high performance, with finality times of 0.59 seconds.
AI Data Market: Positioned as a foundational data layer for AI, enabling decentralized, programmable data markets.
Walrus ($WAL) Price and Chart
As of early February 2026, the Walrus (WAL) token has been listed on exchanges like Binance following a HODLer airdrop.
Current Price: ~$0.108 - $0.12 (as of Feb 1, 2026).
Circulating Supply: ~1.47 billion - 1.58 billion WAL.
Maximum Supply: 5 billion WAL.
Recent Performance: The token has shown consolidation near recent lows, with a 90-day change indicating a 51% drop from previous highs.
For the live chart, you can visit trackers like Binance (Binance Walrus Price), CoinMarketCap, or TradingView.
text
[INSERT LIVE CHART HERE - Example: Binance.com/en/price/walrus-xyz]
Team and Development
Walrus is developed by Mysten Labs, the same team behind the Sui blockchain, including key members Evan Cheng (Co-Founder & CEO) and Sam Blackshear (Co-Founder & CTO).
Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency investments are volatile. This information is based on data from early 2026 and should not be considered financial advice. Blackshear – Co-Founder/CTO Mysten Labs

The creator of the Move programming language, specifically designed for blockchain development. Initially conceived for Meta’s Libra/Diem project, Move later became the core foundational technology of the Sui Blockchain.
Prior to Mysten Labs, he served as a Principal Engineer at Meta (2015–2021), where he was a key contributor to Libra/Diem – a global stablecoin initiative.
CTO Walrus
Source: Linkedin
Adeniyi Abiodun – Co Founder/CPO Mysten Labs

Former Product Lead at Novi (Crypto) – Meta (Facebook)
Novi Crypto Platform – Facebook’s wallet and payment platform
Collaborated with Sam Blackshear to help build the current Move ecosystem
Walrus CPO
Source: Linkedin
Walrus Team
Source: Cryptorank
Observations

Walrus Protocol is being developed by the founding team of Mysten Labs – comprised of exceptional former engineers and leaders from Meta, Apple, and Oracle. Their extensive experience in both academic research and real-world product development indicates a deep understanding of blockchain technology at the infrastructure level, as well as the ability to make it accessible to end-users.

Backed by such a highly skilled team, the launch of Walrus Protocol positions it to spearhead a new era of decentralized big data within web3, particularly in sectors like AI and Payments.

2.2. Product & Business Model
Walrus Protocol offers a decentralized storage model where users pay for data storage using the wal token. Logo
About
Portfolio
Products
News & Insights
Table of Contents
1. Executive Summary
2. Overview
2.1. Team
2.2. Product & Business Model
Business Model Observations
2.3. Competitive Landscape
2.4. Tokenomics
Analysis & Observations
Further Reading
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Walrus Protocol – A Comprehensive Overview
Walrus Protocol – A Comprehensive Overview
BlockBase -
May 9, 2025
0
8516
1. Executive Summary
Token Overview

Ticker: $WAL
Sector: Blockchain Storage
Investment Thesis

Walrus Protocol offers a pioneering data storage solution on the Sui ecosystem with low storage costs. It addresses the challenge of storing large data files, PDFs, and images, particularly AI and 3D data, which the market has yet to effectively achieve on blockchain.

Total Raised Funds: $140M from Tier 1 Funds.

Funding was secured through a token sale at $0.4 per token to prominent funds like A16z and Franklin Templeton, valuing the Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) at $2B USD on paper. The project is directly developed and funded by its parent company, Mysten Labs.

Tokenomics: Strong in the short term but potentially less promising long term. In the first year, only 1% of the total supply unlocks per month (~$13M USD). Compared to a 24-hour trading volume of $100M, the selling pressure is insignificant, and there is no immediate selling pressure from investors. However, risks may arise from strategies to educate the community and airdrops to other projects on $WAL.

Wal Price Potential: Driven by key catalysts in 2025. Lower actual circulating supply than reported (supply squeeze) initiated by the project in the short term. Expansion of the Walrus Data Storage platform with integrations on other Layer 1 blockchains like Solana and Ethereum. The boom of 3D Gaming & AI and Payments on the Sui ecosystem -> direct use cases driving $WAL’s price increase.

2. Overview
Walrus Protocol is a decentralized data storage project designed for cost-effective and high-performance storage of large binary files (blobs). It utilizes a proprietary Red Stuff encoding technology, based on fountain codes, to achieve significantly lower storage costs compared to solutions like Filecoin.

Built on the Sui blockchain, Walrus launched its mainnet on March 27, 2025, with the aim of supporting web3 applications such as NFTs, AI Data, and SocialFi.

Walrus is an application development platform
Source: Walrus
2.1. Team
Evan Cheng – Co Founder/CEO Mysten Labs

Possessing over 20 years of experience in the software and infrastructure systems industry, with a notable track record in programming languages, compilers, and performance optimization.
He has held senior leadership positions at major corporations such as Apple and Facebook.
At Novi Financial (Meta), serving as the Director of R&D, he demonstrated an ability to balance academic research with practical application.
Walrus Co-Founder & CEO
Source: Linkedin
Sam Blackshear – Co-Founder/CTO Mysten Labs

The creator of the Move programming language, specifically designed for blockchain development. Initially conceived for Meta’s Libra/Diem project, Move later became the core foundational technology of the Sui Blockchain.
Prior to Mysten Labs, he served as a Principal Engineer at Meta (2015–2021), where he was a key contributor to Libra/Diem – a global stablecoin initiative.
CTO Walrus
Source: Linkedin
Adeniyi Abiodun – Co Founder/CPO Mysten Labs

Former Product Lead at Novi (Crypto) – Meta (Facebook)
Novi Crypto Platform – Facebook’s wallet and payment platform
Collaborated with Sam Blackshear to help build the current Move ecosystem
Walrus CPO
Source: Linkedin
Walrus Team
Source: Cryptorank
Observations

Walrus Protocol is being developed by the founding team of Mysten Labs – comprised of exceptional former engineers and leaders from Meta, Apple, and Oracle. Their extensive experience in both academic research and real-world product development indicates a deep understanding of blockchain technology at the infrastructure level, as well as the ability to make it accessible to end-users.

Backed by such a highly skilled team, the launch of Walrus Protocol positions it to spearhead a new era of decentralized big data within web3, particularly in sectors like AI and Payments.

2.2. Product & Business Model
Walrus Protocol offers a decentralized storage model where users pay for data storage using the wal token.

Walrus Product
Source: Walrus Protocol
According to the whitepaper, the product employs Red Stuff encoding for data, enabling low-cost storage and rapid recovery in case of errors.
Users can select storage durations of up to two years, with the option to either delete or retain the data afterward, enhancing flexibility.
The pricing for data storage and writing is determined in advance by node voting (requiring 66.67% based on stake weight), utilizing a prepayment mechanism with distribution occurring at the end of each epoch.
The economic mechanism encompasses

Rewards: Incentives are provided for successfully responding to challenges, assisting with data writing, and recovering data fragments.
Penalties: Token burning is implemented for failure in challenges (above 50%) or failure to recover data fragments, thereby enhancing network security.
Business Model Observations
Focused on providing large data storage infrastructure (PDFs, images, files, etc.) on the blockchain. The target customer base is organizations (B2B) requiring storage for AI data, 3D game play, payment systems, etc., offering low storage costs. However, the platform will need time to prove its capabilities compared to existing competitors in the market.

With the launch of Walrus by its parent company, Mysten Labs, a crucial factor emerges:

It positions Walrus as a vital core data storage platform for Sui and the Sui Ecosystem in the future.
This reflects Sui’s long-term strategic vision for AI, Fully Onchain 3D Gaming, and Payments.
RoadMap 2025: Not publicly disclosed

2.3. Competitive Landscape
Walrus competes with decentralized storage platforms like Filecoin and Arweave. In comparison to its rivals:

Walrus distinguishes itself with its low costs, attributed to Red Stuff encoding, deep integration with Sui, and strong scalability potential. Walrus claims to potentially reduce storage costs by up to 100 times compared to Filecoin and Arweave, while also supporting programmable storage, making it well-suited for web3 applications.

Criteria Walrus Filecoin Arweave
Storage Cost 4–5x replication, low cost 25x replication, higher cost Full replication, very high cost
Encryption Red Stuff (fountain codes) Reed-Solomon, lower performance Unknown, depends on the node
Blockchain Integration Strong coordination with Sui Native Filecoin, more complex Arweave, not deeply integrated
Scalability Blob-level sharding, infinite scale Limited as node count increases Limited due to full replication
2.4. Tokenomics
Token Info

Total Supply: 5B
Circulating Supply: 1.25B ~ 25%
Price: $0.42
Market Cap: $525M
FDV: $2.1B
Raised Fund

Total Raised Fund: $140 million USD
Investors Tier 1 & 2: Standard Crypto, A16z, Electric Capital, Franlink Templeton Investment.
Walrus Funding Insights
Source: Cryptorank
Token Use Case

Payment
Gov
Security
Token Allocation & Vesting

Walrus Token Allocation
Source: Tokenomics Walrus
5,000,000,000 Allocated Percentage TGE Unlock Locked up (Months) Vesting Initial TGE Supply USD Amount at TGE
Community reserve 2,150,000,000 43.00% 32.10% 0 Released over 96 months 690,150,000 $289,863,000
Early Contributor 1,000,000,000 20.00% 0.00% 12 Released over 36 months 0 $0
Mysten Labs 500,000,000 10.00% 10.00% 0 10% TGE, released over 60 months 50,000,000 $21,000,000
Subsidies 500,000,000 10.00% 0.00% 0 Released over 50 months 10,000,000 $4,200,000
Investor 350,000,000 7.00% 0.00% 12 Released over 1 month 0 $0
Initial airdrop 200,000,000 4.00% 100.00% 0 100% TGE 200,000,000 $84,000,000
Futures Airdrop 300,000,000 6.00% 100.00% 0 100% TGE (in the future) 300,000,000 $126,000,000
Total 5,000,000,000 100.00% 1,250,150,000 $525,063,000
Analysis & Observations
The Token Generation Event (TGE) and listing will have 1.25 billion $WAL tokens in circulation, representing 25% of the total supply. This allocation comes from various rounds [Community Reserve, Mysten Labs, Subsidies, Initial Airdrop, Futures Airdrop]. Notably, 4% of the total supply is designated for airdrops, and 21% is held by the project. It’s crucial to monitor two key catalysts that will influence the token’s price:

Walrus’s upcoming strategies for community education and growth.
The potential for the project to intentionally limit the actual circulating supply on the market, which could drive up the price of Walrus.
The project raised a single round of funding totaling $140 million USD through token sales. Based on calculations, investors received 7% of the total supply, equivalent to approximately 350 million $WAL tokens, purchased at a price of $0.4 per token (currently at a +5% ROI). These tokens are locked until March 2026, indicating no immediate selling pressure from investors within the next year.

In the short term (under one year), a potential growth phase for $WAL can be anticipated, driven by the “low actual circulating supply” catalyst. However, this opportunity is accompanied by risks such as:

Community education and growth strategies implemented through airdrop campaigns.
The project potentially gradually exiting investor capital through Over-The-Counter (OTC) deals or providing liquidity with their allocated tokens.
Regarding the long term, there is less optimism for wal due to the anticipated selling pressure from investor unlocks occurring within a single month. As a subsidiary project of Mysten Labs, $SUI is expected to be the primary focus and hold greater long-term potential.

The information provided in this article is for reference only and should not be taken as investment advice. All investment decisions should be based on thorough research and personal evaluation.

Further Reading
U.S GENIUS Act (S. 394) – Implications and Investment Opportunities Now
Particle Network Overview

#walrus @WalrusProtocol

#Walrus ($WAL ) Coin Supply
Maximum Supply: 5 billion WAL tokens.
Total Supply: 5 billion WAL tokens.
Circulating Supply: Approximately 1.57 billion to 1.58 billion WAL tokens.
Token Model: Deflationary, with token-burning mechanisms from penalties, slashing, and, in the future, transaction fees.
Allocation: 43% for the community reserve, 30% for core contributors, 10% for user airdrops, 10% for subsidies, and 7% for investors.
Buyers and Transaction Activity (Per Second/Daily)
Daily Trading Volume: Approximately $10 million to $20 million USD in the last 24 hours.
Buyers Per Second: Specific, real-time data for the exact number of buyers per second is not public. However, with a 24-hour volume of ~$20M and price around $0.09-$0.12, trading activity is consistent but varies by exchange (most active on Binance and Kraken).
Active Markets: The token is listed on major exchanges including Binance, Kraken, KuCoin, Bybit, and Gate.io, with significant trading in the WAL/USDT pair.
Additional Information
Protocol Use: The @Walrus 🦭/acc token is used to pay for storage (blobs) and to stake to secure the network.
Context: The project was developed by Mysten Labs and raised $140 million to build decentraliz
ed storage.