🌍 This Week in Web3forGood
HBD Tether 🥳
gm gm,
Happy 10th Birthday, Tether (USDT) 🥳🎂🎉! Ten years ago on October 6, the stablecoin USDT was first issued, paving the way for global stablecoin adoption and innovation. Today, stablecoins track all kinds of local currencies and connect millions of people all over the world to the global financial system. (We ❤ stablecoins).
To mark the big 1-0, Tether is releasing a documentary ‘Stability and Freedom in Chaos: The Story of USDT’ today. We know what we’ll be watching this weekend 👀.
And if you’re reading this and thinking, “What is Tether? 🤔,” you’re in the right place… we have the TLDR for you, below 👇
Speaking of stablecoins… the market cap hit an *all time high.* $168 billion (that’s BILLION with a B). This tech isn’t going anywhere anytime soon 🪙.
Could Vitalik win a Nobel prize? Two very smart economics professors, speaking on their economics podcast, seem to think it's a possibility. TBD… the award will be announced on Monday. Ok, maybe this is a sensational headline, but they have some good points. We’d give it to him 🏆.
WAGMI (we are going to make an impact!)
P.S. We’ve been compiling this newsletter every week for more than 2.5 years now, and we’re thinking about what’s next. How else can we help you / your colleagues / your peers learn more about and onboard into this industry?
What’s Inside
📣 Latest News
🔍 TLDR: Tether
📚 What We’re Thinking About
🔈 Podcasts & Spaces
🚀 Opportunities
🎪 Events
📡 On Our Radar
✨ And one more thing
📣 Latest News
Coti Foundation partners with Gitcoin to deliver $500,000 in new grants to privacy projects
Crypto-native travel platform Travala integrates with Skyscanner for 2.2M hotels
Stripe Follows Through on Crypto Payment Support in USDC Following Six-Year Hiatus
USDT and USDC on the Celo network are now available with MoonPay
Global Policy, Regulation, and Adoption News
South Korea plans to regulate cross-border stablecoin transactions
Colombian Neobank Connects OpenTrade With Avalanche for Interest-bearing USD Accounts
Ethiopia’s share of the global Bitcoin mining hashrate is on the rise
Georgia opposition debuts civil blockchain project ahead of critical elections
🔍TLDR: Tether
New to Web3? Welcome! TLDR is where we offer a simplifed explanation of a term used often in this newsletter or a big topic in the news this week. If there's anything you're curious about, reply and let us know.
In the news this week: Tether, best known for the stablecoin $USDT, celebrated their 10th birthday by teasing an upcoming documentary ‘Stability and Freedom in Chaos: The Story of USDT’ (which will be released TODAY). ’ Here’s what you need to know 👇
What is Tether?: Tether (USDT) is a type of cryptocurrency known as a stablecoin, which means it keeps its value steady compared to other digital currencies. While Bitcoin and Ethereum can go up and down in value a lot, Tether is always worth about 1 US dollar. That’s because every $USDT is backed by real-world assets like cash or bonds, so it doesn’t have the wild swings you see with other coins. This makes it a popular choice for people who want to enjoy the benefits of crypto without the risk of losing value overnight.
Why does it matter?: In times of economic chaos, Tether has become a lifeline for millions. Countries like Venezuela and Argentina, which struggle with massive inflation, have seen people turn to $USDT to protect their savings. With their local currencies losing value fast, people can use Tether to store their money in a safe, stable way. Plus, Tether lets them send and receive money internationally without the hassle of traditional banks, making it a powerful tool for everyday transactions.
But Tether isn’t just about protecting savings—it’s also about freedom. By using $USDT, people can access the global economy, even if they live in places with strict financial regulations. Tether makes it easy to move money, invest, and trade, all while avoiding high fees and long wait times. Whether it’s businesses handling international trade or individuals sending money to family members abroad, Tether offers a simple and fast way to manage finances.
And the Tether ecosystem doesn’t stop with the US dollar. There are also versions pegged to other major currencies like the Euro (€T) and Chinese yuan (CNH₮), expanding its usefulness worldwide. Operating on multiple blockchains like Ethereum, Tron, and Solana, Tether is built to be fast, secure, and easy to access. More than just a stablecoin, Tether is helping people gain control over their money in a world where financial freedom can sometimes feel out of reach.
TLDR: Tether is a blockchain-based stablecoin pegged to the value of traditional currencies, primarily the US dollar, and is widely used in the crypto ecosystem to provide liquidity and stability for trading and transactions across various exchanges and decentralized platforms.
📚 What We’re Thinking About
🌱 Latin America’s Search for Economic Stability: The Rise of Stablecoins Amid Volatility. (Chainalysis)
🛑 Australia, Canada, and Colombia are pumping the breaks on central bank digital currencies,but the opposition isn’t just coming from citizens on the ground. Central banks are voicing concerns. (Cointelegraph)
🌋 SEC Commissioner admits the agency’s crypto approach has been a disaster. (Watcher.Guru)
🤖 AI in DAOs: The Ultimate Guide to Smarter, Decentralized Organizations. (Accelerating Good)
😊 5 uplifting crypto donor stories from the summer. (The Crypto Philanthropist)
🏆 Economists Vouch for Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin as Nobel Prize Contender. (Decrypt)
🏦 Digital Assets Regulation - Insights from Jurisdictional Approaches. (World Economic Forum)
Kevin Owocki connect two complementary pieces of this puzzle - Regen and Restaking - to address Vitaliks prompt: Ethereum contributing positively to important challenges facing humanity…
🔈 Podcasts & Spaces
ReFi Podcast - Season 4 The Regeneration Nexus - Episode 4 - Ecoweaving with Tony Lai
Crypto Altruism Podcast - Episode 174 - Special Live Episode - Exploring the Octant Ecosystem
Crypto Altruism Podcast - Episode 175 - Open Forest Protocol - Redefining the Value of Nature with Verifiable Onchain Environmental Assets
The Giving Block - Episode 20- This Week in Crypto Philanthropy Podcast.
Boys Club - Episode 170 - Feelings Check-In on Leadership and Building Equitable Financial Systems with Denelle Dixon, the CEO and Executive Director of the Stellar Development Foundation
Upcming spaces to join:
Funding the Commons - FtC x EC Hackathon: Holonym Spotlight is happening TODAY October 11.
ReFi Podcast- S4 Ep4 Community Discussion – Ecoweaving with Tony Lai is happening TODAY October 11. Episode discussions will happen every week on Fridays at the same time.
Climate Coordination Network X Spaces happen weekly, every Thursday. Learn more and join.
@civilmonkey’s Curated X Spaces focus on using Web3 for positive impact in the real world (+ recordings). Learn more and join.
🚀 Opportunities & Calls to Act
Apply: Stellar Development Foundation is hiring for multiple positions across tech, marketing, comms, and more.
Apply: Cabin Labs is hiring a lead for Content & Community Growth.
Apply: The Optimism Foundation is hiring a Head of Strategy.
Win: The Octant Public Goods Sweepstakes will reward someone who funds public goods in Octant, even with very small amounts of their rewards.
Volunteer: ETHGlobal is seeking volunteers for their San Francisco hackathon October 18-20.
🎪 Events
🆕= New to the roundup this week
Virtual
The Tech We Want Online Summit is happening October 17.
Superchain Ecosystem Workshop: Transitioning Celo to the OP Superchain is happening October 24. 🆕
MiCA Applied to the Celo Ecosystem Workshop is happening October 31. 🆕
Raising Funds for Web3 Workshop is happening November 7. 🆕
IRL
REGEN MSTRMND at TDF — A Regenerative Content Creator Mastermind Intensive is happening October 12-19 in Alentejo, Portugal.
The Token for Good Summit is happening on October 15 in Geneva.
California Blockchain Policy & Law Enforcement Summit is happening October 16 in Sacramento. 🆕
The SolarPunk Summit is happening October 17-21 in Kingsbury, Texas.
The Feelings Check-In LIVE by Boys Club -- featuring a chat about decentralized science basics, hormone health, data privacy, and a vision for the future of reproductive health tech -- is happening October 17 in NYC. 🆕
ETHGlobal San Francisco is happening October 18-20 in San Francisco.
Escaping the Memory Hole: Internet Archive’s annual celebration is happening October 23 in San Francisco.
DC Privacy Summit is happening October 24 in DC.
IMPACT FESTIVAL, Europe’s biggest B2B event for sustainable innovation, is happening October 30-31 in Frankfurt, Germany.
FIL Dev Summit 5 is happening November 6-8 in Bangkok.
LabWeek Web3 is happening November 7-13 in Bangkok.
LabWeek Opening Party is happening November 7 in Bangkok. 🆕
Protocol Labs Hub kicks off November 7 in Bangkok. 🆕
Earth Commons: Bangkok 2024 is happening November 9 in Bangkok.
Settlement Day is hosted by Celo Foundtion happening November 11 in Bangkok.
FIL Bangkok: DePIN Meets AI is happening November 11 in Bangkok.
Boston Institutional Digital Assets Forum 2024 is happening December 3 in Boston.
Oasis Oncahin is happening January 30 - February 2 in Nassau, Bahamas.
ETHDenver is happening February 23 - March 2 in Denver.
Recurring
Monthly Earth Day is a global event that happens on the 22nd every month, not just once a year. Get involved on October 22 and share on X to @HighlyArtistic with the hashtag #MonthlyEarthDay.
Hosting an event that you’d like to see listed? Reply here or send us a DM.
📡 On Our Radar
LaborDAO provides certification for Web3 organizations, verifying that they meet specific standards of legitimacy and fairness toward their contributors and employees.
Sensorica is committed to the design and deployment of intelligent sensors and sensemaking systems (IoT + AI + p2p infrastructures), which allow communities to optimize interactions with our physical environment and realize full human potential.
Voices Onchain is a new initiative from a16z that highlights creators who have turned to blockchain technologies to unlock new creative possibilities, build deeper connections with fans, and discover more ways to monetize their work.
Drakula is an app that is like TikTok, but videos are minted onchain. It's now available on the app store
✨ And One More Thing
