RaaS #440: Robinhood Announces Arbitrum L2!

Modular Lending With Euler, BTC Mining Difficulty Drops, and Moar!

The Boundless Foundation is here to scale ZK adoption. Spun out from RISC Zero, it focuses on building a multi-zkVM future, backing projects like Taiko and Lido while RISC Zero keeps innovating under the hood.

Crypto TVL just hit a record $375B, driven by stablecoins, staking, and Ethereum dominance. Despite past crashes (RIP Terra), the ecosystem’s maturing fast. Token Terminal’s data backs it, and regulators are finally catching up.

“Thiccy”’s poker metaphors to explain two decision-making principles: cut low-conviction bets early and double down on rare, high-conviction plays. Backed by behavioral science and real-world simulations, it applies to both markets and life.

Avalanche had a strong Q1 2025, boosted by a $100M AI/gaming deal with Aethir, a no-gas Visa card with Rain for USDC/AVAX, and its console-ready game Haunted Space. With rising sentiment and mainstream integrations, it’s betting big on RWA and gamer adoption.

Gigabrain teases the Agent Commerce Protocol with a network map of onchain AI agents, think Axelrod (hedge fund AI), Lushair, and more. Some are verified, some aren’t. But if ACP delivers, it could redefine how AI trades and collaborates onchain.

Echo Protocol (ECHO) becomes the first Aptos project to launch on Binance Alpha (July 2). Alpha Points airdrop model rewards active users, past launches saw 40% spikes, so expect volatility and eyes on Echo’s TGE momentum.

Algorand’s Q1 2025 switch from governance payouts to staking rewards boosted decentralization, with community-held stake jumping 121%. Stablecoin TVL surged 137% (USDC 98% share), and new wallets rose 217%.

Euler Finance’s modular lending platform, featuring vault composability and custom risk, now supports $2.3B in assets with 49% utilization. Post hack, V2 adoption shows DeFi resilience, cutting out middlemen while balancing flexibility and security risk.

It’s okay if you don’t understand (not really)

Blingoh steps into the spotlight, sharing how 3 years of quiet compounding turned a bootstrapped idea into a 30-person team across 17 countries and 7-figure revenue. A rare personal post from someone who usually builds in stealth.

Bitcoin’s biggest difficulty drop since China’s 2021 ban signals miner capitulation, with hashrate falling from 966 to 684 EH/s. While it opens room for more efficient players, it also reflects tightening margins post-halving. Still, security remains well above 2023 lows.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has started the search for Jerome Powell’s successor ahead of his 2028 term end, hinting at a potential Fed pivot. Bessent’s hedge fund roots and outsider profile could shape a break from elite monetary orthodoxy.

Top Gainers: MORI, H, HFT, USELESS, USDUC.

The Spanish police, backed by Europol, busted a $540M crypto fraud ring targeting 5,000+ victims. The case underscores rising AI-powered scams and how DeFi is exploited for laundering, spotlighting the need for stronger global oversight.

To mark Ethereum’s 10th anniversary on July 30, the community is launching an onchain time capsule using threshold cryptography. For 0.001 ETH, users can submit encrypted memories, with proceeds funding Protocol Guild—preserving history while funding the future.

Robinhood is doubling down on crypto—rolling out tokenization, a new L2, staking, and plans for perpetuals (non-US). CEO Vlad Tenev says crypto is key to the future of finance. The timing? Ethereum’s heating up, and Bitmine just surged 48% on a $250M ETH bet.

That’s all for today!