hodler

20 Mar 2026, 10:50

Hong Kong Web3 Festival Unveils 2026 Speaker Lineup, Featuring Leaders from BlackRock, OKX, Solana, Sharplink and Ondo

This content is provided by a sponsor. Hong Kong Web3 Festival (“Web3 Festival”), co-hosted by Wanxiang Blockchain Labs and HashKey Group, is Asia’s premiere crypto conference since 2023. Now in its 4th year, this four-day event will once again bring tens of thousands of Web3 professionals, investors, and enthusiasts from around the globe to connect,

20 Mar 2026, 10:36

Ray Dalio Says Bitcoin Has No Privacy — This Cryptocurrency Has Nothing But

Ray Dalio does not mince words. The billionaire hedge fund founder, speaking on the All-In Podcast on March 3, 2026, delivered what may be his most pointed critique of Bitcoin yet: "Bitcoin does not have privacy. Any transactions can be monitored and then indirectly perhaps controlled." For an investor who has spent decades studying the rise and fall of monetary systems, this was not a casual observation. It was a structural diagnosis. And coming days after he warned Tucker Carlson that central bank digital currencies would create a world with "no privacy" where governments could monitor every transaction in real time, the message was clear: Dalio believes financial privacy is the defining issue of this era — and Bitcoin does not solve it. He is right about Bitcoin. But he may be unaware that the cryptocurrency he described — one with true privacy, sound monetary policy, and no corporate or government control — already exists. The All-In Critique Dalio's argument on the All-In Podcast was precise and multi-layered. Asked why Bitcoin has underperformed gold during the current macro cycle, he pointed to three structural weaknesses: Privacy: "Bitcoin does not have privacy. Any transactions can be monitored and then indirectly perhaps controlled." Institutional suitability: Bitcoin's transparency makes it unsuitable for sovereign reserves — any nation-state's holdings and movements would be visible to adversaries. Market structure: Bitcoin remains "a relatively small market" with "a relatively controllable market" dynamic, trading with "a pretty high correlation with tech stocks." The first two concerns are directly addressed by privacy-preserving cryptocurrency technology. The third is a function of Bitcoin's current investor base, not an inherent property of blockchain technology. What makes Dalio's critique significant is that he is not dismissing cryptocurrency wholesale. He has owned Bitcoin. He has spoken favorably about the concept of decentralized money. His concern is specific: Bitcoin's transparency makes it vulnerable to the very surveillance and control that it was designed to circumvent.The Tucker Carlson Warning Weeks before his All-In appearance, Dalio sat down with Tucker Carlson to discuss America's debt crisis and the potential for central bank digital currencies. His warning was stark: "There's a great deal of appeal because of the fact that it's easy and so on… And I think it'll be done." But he cautioned that all CBDC transactions would be "known to the government," enabling not just tax collection and anti-money laundering enforcement, but potentially the ability to "cut off politically disfavored individuals or entities from the system." When Carlson pressed on whether a government could use CBDCs to financially exclude dissidents, Dalio acknowledged the concern was legitimate. The implication was clear: financial privacy is not just a cypherpunk ideal — it is a safeguard against authoritarian overreach. Enter Mimblewimble If Dalio's framework identifies the problem — digital money that is transparent to governments is digital money that is controllable by governments — then the solution must be a digital asset that provides privacy at the protocol level. Not as an add-on. Not as an option. As a default. This is precisely what the Mimblewimble protocol delivers. Developed from a 2016 paper by an anonymous researcher, Mimblewimble is a blockchain design that achieves consensus and prevents double-spending without recording transaction details on a public ledger. There are no addresses on the chain. Amounts are hidden through Pedersen commitments. The transaction graph is invisible because inputs and outputs are aggregated across blocks. The result is a blockchain that proves its own integrity — no inflation, no double-spends, no counterfeiting — without revealing who sent what to whom. Epic Cash: The Bitcoin That Dalio Hasn't Heard Of Epic Cash ( epiccash.com ) is a Mimblewimble-based cryptocurrency that launched in 2019 with a design philosophy that reads like a response to every objection Dalio has raised about Bitcoin: On privacy: Every Epic Cash transaction is private by default. There is no transparent mode. No addresses appear on-chain. No chain analytics firm can trace the flow of funds. This is not privacy through obscurity — it is privacy through cryptographic certainty. On institutional suitability: A central bank holding Epic Cash would not have its positions visible to adversarial nations, competitors, or domestic political opponents. The asset satisfies the same privacy requirements that make gold suitable for sovereign reserves. On monetary soundness: Epic Cash has a hard cap of 21 million coins and follows the exact same emission schedule as Bitcoin — identical halving events, identical inflation curve. It is proof-of-work mined with a hybrid algorithm (RandomX, ProgPow, Cuckoo Cycle) that prevents mining centralization. On fair launch: No premine. No ICO. No venture capital allocation. Every EPIC was mined into existence through computational work. In a market where most tokens were pre-allocated to insiders, Epic Cash's distribution mirrors Bitcoin's: purely merit-based. On track record: Five-plus years of 100% uptime since March 2021, continuous development. EPICT, a tokenization layer, is currently in development. Epic Cash was created by Max Freeman — not "founded" by a corporation or a foundation. There is no company behind it, no board of directors, no quarterly earnings pressure. Like Bitcoin, it exists as an open-source protocol maintained by a decentralized community.Digital Gold — With Actual Privacy Dalio's implicit benchmark is gold. He called gold "the most established money" and "the second largest reserve currency that central banks hold." His preference for gold over Bitcoin comes down to two properties: privacy and fungibility. Gold transactions are not recorded on a public ledger. One ounce of gold is identical to every other ounce. Epic Cash satisfies both criteria. Every EPIC is fungible because there is no transaction history to create "clean" and "dirty" coins. Every transaction is private because the Mimblewimble protocol does not record the information necessary to trace it. If Dalio's framework is correct — and it is hard to argue with the logic — then the natural conclusion is not that cryptocurrency fails as a reserve asset, but that the wrong cryptocurrency has been in the spotlight. Bitcoin proved that decentralized, scarce, digitally native money is possible. Epic Cash adds the privacy and fungibility that make it viable. Epic Cash trades today on NonKYC.io and CoinEx . More information is available at epiccash.com . The debate over whether cryptocurrency can be sound money is over. The only remaining question is which cryptocurrency actually qualifies Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

20 Mar 2026, 10:17

Ethereum Cements RWA Dominance As Amundi Tokenizes $100M SAFO Fund

Amundi, Europe’s largest asset manager, is launching the Spiko Amundi Overnight Swap Fund (SAFO), a tokenized fund on Ethereum and Stellar starting with about $100 million in committed assets. A Traditional Fund With A Tokenized Wrapper Institutions historically related to TradFi have found a way to not to be left behind on the crypto curve in tokenized assets. In a statement published on Amundi’s website , the investment fund announced its collaboration with Spiko, a French-law regulated specialist tokenization platform, to launch SAFO as a tokenized sub-fund of SPIKO SICAV. 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘: Europe’s largest asset manager Amundi (€2.3 trillion AUM) & Spiko launch new tokenized mutual fund (SAFO) powered by Chainlink. Chainlink is how the world’s leading institutions & tokenization platforms are unlocking the issuance & distribution of tokenized funds. pic.twitter.com/2GQshwqCrC — Chainlink (@chainlink) March 19, 2026 Structurally, SAFO it’s a traditional fund, just with a tokenized wrapper: it’s designed for corporate treasury and collateral management, an “on‑chain cash parking” with low risk and overnight liquidity. The fund invests using fully collateralized total return swaps with top‑tier banks, aiming to deliver stable yields slightly above risk‑free rates while still letting investors get their money back on an overnight basis. It supports multiple currencies (EUR, USD, GBP, CHF) and can be subscribed from as little as 1 unit, which is unusually low for institutional‑grade cash products. The firm highlighted that the fund enables almost immediate settlement, supports multiple ways to hold assets, provides live visibility into the shareholder register, and allows fund shares to move globally around the clock, with automated access through APIs or smart contracts. In the statement, Jean-Jacques Barbéris, Head of Institutional and Corporate Clients, and ESG at Amundi, said: SAFO provides professional investors with a fast and transparent access to cash management solutions. This initiative is part of our ambition to contribute to the rise of tokenized solutions. Where Ethereum Comes In The shareholder register and fund shares live on Ethereum and Stellar, with Ethereum chosen for its smart‑contract and DeFi composability, while Stellar supports faster, lower‑cost transfers and 24/7 transferability of fund units. Chainlink’s network of data providers puts SAFO’s fund value directly on the blockchain and acts as the connector between Ethereum, Stellar, and traditional systems. This gives tokenized funds a secure, standardized way to share information, building on tests Chainlink has already run with DTCC and other major institutions. SAFO is Amundi’s second tokenized fund in a few months. Back in November , the fund rolled out a tokenized share class of a money market fund on Ethereum, working together with CACEIS, one of Europe’s top asset-servicing providers and transfer agents, as reported by Bitcoinist. Amundi’s new venture adds to a growing universe of tokenized money‑market products from players like BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, and Franklin Templeton, and reinforcing Ethereum’s position as the primary settlement layer for institutional RWAs. A €2.3 trillion incumbent plugging into Ethereum and Chainlink cements the thesis that the next leg of the crypto cycle is driven by tokenized cash, bonds, and funds rather than purely speculative DeFi. Cover image from Perplexity, ETHUSDT chart from Tradingview

20 Mar 2026, 09:05

Polygon Validators Face Crucial Vote on Groundbreaking Fee Distribution Overhaul

BitcoinWorld Polygon Validators Face Crucial Vote on Groundbreaking Fee Distribution Overhaul A pivotal governance discussion is unfolding within the Polygon ecosystem, centering on a transformative proposal to overhaul how network fees are distributed among validators. This initiative directly tackles a growing economic disparity, where a small group of large validators captures a dominant share of revenue, potentially threatening the network’s long-term decentralization and security. The community’s decision could set a significant precedent for proof-of-stake blockchain economics globally. Polygon Network Fees Proposal Aims to Redistribute Validator Rewards The core proposal, currently under community review on the Polygon governance forum, advocates for a more equitable distribution of transaction fees generated on the Polygon network. According to the detailed analysis submitted by the proposal’s author, the current fee distribution model has led to significant concentration. Specifically, the top five validators on the network collectively control 42.1% of all fee revenue. This concentration creates a competitive environment where smaller validators struggle to remain economically viable. Furthermore, the proposal highlights a critical statistic: approximately 66% of all validators operating on the Polygon network cannot cover their estimated monthly operating costs, which average 8,523 POL (approximately $929 at current valuations). This financial pressure risks forcing smaller participants to shut down their operations, thereby reducing the total number of independent validators and increasing the network’s reliance on a few large entities. The new system would allocate a portion of fees into a communal pool for subsequent equal distribution, supplementing the existing proportional rewards. The Economic Challenge for Smaller Validators Operating a blockchain validator requires substantial and ongoing investment. Validators must run high-availability servers, maintain robust internet connections, and ensure constant uptime to avoid penalties. For proof-of-stake networks like Polygon, validators must also stake a significant amount of the native POL token as collateral. The monthly cost of 8,523 POL represents a considerable hurdle, especially when fee income is insufficient. This economic model creates a potential centralization force. Larger entities with more capital can afford to operate multiple validator nodes and absorb lower returns, while smaller operators face existential financial threats. Historically, other blockchains have grappled with similar centralization pressures in their validator sets. The Polygon proposal seeks to intervene before this dynamic becomes entrenched, using economic incentives to preserve a broad and diverse validator base, which is a cornerstone of network security and censorship resistance. Expert Analysis on Validator Economics Blockchain economists often point to validator profitability as a key health metric for proof-of-stake networks. A system where only the largest players profit is considered vulnerable. “A decentralized validator set is not just a philosophical goal; it’s a security requirement,” explained Dr. Anya Petrova, a researcher specializing in cryptoeconomic design at the Digital Assets Governance Institute. “If economic rewards become too concentrated, the network’s resilience to coercion or coordinated failure diminishes. Proposals that carefully recalibrate incentives to support a wider base of operators are critical for long-term sustainability.” The Polygon community must now weigh several factors. They must balance the principle of proportional reward (where those who stake more and process more transactions earn more) against the need for systemic health. Other networks have experimented with similar concepts, such as minimum reward floors or subsidized infrastructure programs, but a direct, equal redistribution of a fee pool segment is a novel approach for a network of Polygon’s scale. Potential Impacts and Implementation Timeline If the proposal passes the requisite community vote and subsequent technical implementation, the impacts would be multifaceted. For smaller validators, it could mean the difference between sustainable operation and shutting down. For the network, it could enhance decentralization metrics by making validation more accessible. However, critics might argue it reduces the reward for efficiency and scale, potentially disincentivizing investment in high-performance infrastructure. The governance process typically involves a temperature check, followed by a formal on-chain vote using the POL token. A successful vote would then trigger development work by the core engineering teams to implement the new fee distribution logic within the network’s protocol. This process could span several months, given the need for rigorous testing and audits on a live network handling billions of dollars in value. Conclusion The debate over Polygon network fees distribution represents a mature evolution in blockchain governance, moving beyond technical upgrades to address fundamental economic design. The proposal to create a more equitable validator reward system confronts the persistent challenge of centralization in proof-of-stake networks. The community’s final decision will not only shape the economic landscape for Polygon validators but also contribute to the broader industry conversation on creating truly robust and decentralized blockchain infrastructures. The outcome of this vote will be closely watched by other ecosystems facing similar validator economics dilemmas. FAQs Q1: What is the main goal of the Polygon fee distribution proposal? The primary goal is to prevent revenue monopolization by large validators and ensure a broader base of operators can cover their operating costs, thereby strengthening network decentralization and security. Q2: How much do the top validators currently earn? According to the proposal, the top five validators on the Polygon network collectively control 42.1% of all fee revenue generated by the network. Q3: Why can’t many validators cover their costs? The analysis states that 66% of validators cannot meet the estimated average monthly operating cost of 8,523 POL (about $929), as their share of the proportionally distributed fees is too low. Q4: How would the new distribution system work? While technical details are pending, the core idea is to allocate a portion of total network fees into a pool that is then distributed equally among all active validators, supplementing the existing proportional rewards. Q5: What happens if the proposal is rejected? If rejected, the current proportional fee distribution model would remain. This could lead to continued financial pressure on smaller validators, potentially resulting in a more concentrated validator set over time. This post Polygon Validators Face Crucial Vote on Groundbreaking Fee Distribution Overhaul first appeared on BitcoinWorld .

20 Mar 2026, 09:02

Bittensor price jumps 17% on Nvidia buzz: can TAO reach $500?

Bittensor (TAO) rose sharply on Friday, jumping more than 17% in intraday gains to hit highs above $300. While the token is trading slightly below its 24-hour peak, bullish sentiment suggests that TAO could extend its V-shaped recovery and target further upside movement. Could the attention brought by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Chamath Palihapitiya to Bittensor’s decentralized AI ecosystem push prices higher? What did Nvidia CEO say about Bittensor? As noted, Bittensor’s price rose sharply amid the latest commentary from industry leaders on the blockchain project's decentralized AI advancements. Chamath Palihapitiya and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang have both endorsed Bittensor’s large language model training. They shared their comments on the All-In Podcast. According to Chamath Palihapitiya, the training of a “4 billion parameter LLaMA model” via a distributed network is a “pretty crazy technical accomplishment.” NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang responded positively, stating that decentralized and proprietary AI models can coexist harmoniously in the market, emphasizing “these two things are not A or B; it’s A and B.” This aligns with Bittensor’s peer-to-peer compute-sharing model, which rewards participants with TAO tokens. Notably, the buzz relates to how Huang’s take ties into Bittensor’s Covenant 72B-parameter model. TAO price reacts, jumps to $300 Covenant is fully trained on the decentralized Subnet 3 platform, with over 70 contributors utilizing standard internet connectivity. Anticipation around the 72B Covenant has reinforced investor confidence in its potential growth. Many predict Bittensor could become a defining part of the AI-crypto intersection, and TAO is up as excitement skyrockets. Analysts note Palihapitiya and Huang’s endorsement of decentralized AI could bolster the broader AI-crypto sector. TAO and other cryptocurrencies in the category are posting notable gains, including Render, Kite, and Internet Computer. Bittensor price pumped to highs above $300. Data from CoinMarketCap indicates the market cap of the AI and Big Data category has increased 4% in the past 24 hours to $17.2 billion. Bittensor price outlook: Is 500 next for TAO? TAO price is currently up by more than 28% over the past week and 56% this past month. At current levels, Bittensor has formed a V-shaped recovery from lows of $240 a day earlier. Bullish momentum has also flipped prices from lows of $143 on February 11, 2026. The uptick since the breakout from an ascending triangle pattern sees TAO testing resistance levels last seen in December 2025. From a technical perspective, short-term optimism holds as prices hover above both the 100 and 200 EMAs on the daily chart. Breaching immediate resistance at $310 could bring targets at $365 and $450 into play. TAO reached its all-time high of $767 in April 2024. However, the daily RSI is in the overbought territory around 76, signaling a potential reversal. Also, the MACD remains above its signal line, but the shrinking green histograms suggest momentum could be fading. Bittensor price chart by TradingView If sell-off pressure mounts, key support remains at the 100-day and 200-day EMAs at $233 and $265, respectively. The post Bittensor price jumps 17% on Nvidia buzz: can TAO reach $500? appeared first on Invezz

20 Mar 2026, 08:30

Apex Group and Coinbase Asset Management Launch Tokenized Bitcoin Fund

Apex Group and Coinbase Asset Management have debuted a tokenized bitcoin yield fund on the Base network to modernize fund distribution. On 19 March, 2026, Apex Group Ltd and Coinbase Asset Management (CBAM) announced the launch of the tokenized Coinbase Bitcoin Yield Fund on the Base blockchain. This collaboration utilizes the ERC-3643 permissioned token standard