In the dynamic realm of cryptocurrency investments, Galaxy Digital is now under the spotlight, courtesy of a bullish appraisal from Canaccord Genuity. As of February 20, 2024, Canaccord has initiated research coverage on Galaxy Digital (BRPHF), assigning it a Buy rating alongside a one-year price target of C$17, marking a potential upside of over 28% from its recent closing price.

Galaxy Digital stands out as one of the most diversified avenues for investors keen on navigating the digital asset landscape. Known for its comprehensive exposure to the cryptocurrency ecosystem across its balance sheet and operations, Galaxy Digital represents an attractive investment opportunity. Analysts at Canaccord laud the company’s strategic positioning and foresee a promising trajectory amid the evolving dynamics of the cryptocurrency market.

The rationale behind Canaccord’s optimistic outlook stems from Galaxy’s institutional trading business, which is poised to capitalize on multiple favorable catalysts. Notably, the anticipated launch of Galaxy One, the company’s innovative crypto prime brokerage platform, is expected to catalyze growth.

Moreover, the approval of various spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States and the impending Bitcoin halving are anticipated to drive spot prices upward, thereby enhancing trading volumes and volatility—a scenario conducive to Galaxy’s trading operations.

The analysts at Canaccord expressed their confidence in Galaxy Digital’s positioning, stating, “Overall, we view Galaxy as well positioned against what we believe should be an improving landscape for digital assets in 2024.”

Galaxy Digital, known for its comprehensive exposure to the cryptocurrency ecosystem across its balance sheet and operations, stands out as one of the most diversified avenues for investors keen on navigating the digital asset landscape. The rationale behind Canaccord’s optimistic outlook stems from Galaxy’s institutional trading business, which is poised to capitalize on multiple favorable catalysts.

Notably, the anticipated launch of Galaxy One, the company’s innovative crypto prime brokerage platform, is expected to catalyze growth. Moreover, the approval of various spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States and the impending Bitcoin halving are anticipated to drive spot prices upward, thereby enhancing trading volumes and volatility—a scenario conducive to Galaxy’s trading operations.

Galaxy Digitalis now under the spotlight, courtesy of a bullish appraisal from Canaccord Genuity. As of February 20, 2024, Canaccord has initiated research coverage on Galaxy Digital (BRPHF), assigning it a Buy rating alongside a one-year price target of C$17, marking a potential upside of over 28% from its recent closing price.

Fairshake has raised almost $5 million.

Winklevoss twins Cameron and Tyler who cofounded Gemini have given $4.9 million to Fairshake, the crypto-focused super political action committee, according to a Bloomberg report citing federal filings. Fairshake has also raised millions of dollars from Coinbase, Ripple, and Kraken, as well as from venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz.

The filings show the super PAC raised $6.3 million in January of 2024, including the funds from the billionaire Winklevoss brothers, who cofounded the crypto trading platform Gemini and are prominent bitcoin investors.

The development comes following a December announcement from Fairshake that said they raised $78 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 “to support leaders who support American crypto and blockchain innovation and responsible regulation in the forthcoming 2024 elections.”

The group aims to support pro-crypto politicians who are intent on advancing blockchain technology and the digital asset sector.

ZKSYNC transactions, and addresses deploying contracts are Surging

In the world of blockchain and decentralized applications (dApps), gas fees have been a persistent challenge. Users often need to pay these fees in Ether (ETH), which can be inconvenient and limiting.

ZKSync has emerged as a powerful solution for scaling Ethereum. With its innovative zero-knowledge rollup approach, zkSync achieves high throughput and low fees while maintaining security.

However, zkSync, a layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum, introduces an innovative feature called Paymasters, which offers a powerful solution to this problem.

Paymasters are smart contracts that act as intermediaries between users and the zkSync network. They handle gas fees on behalf of users, allowing for more flexibility and convenience. Whether enabling gasless transactions or facilitating fee payment in specific ERC20 tokens, paymasters bring unparalleled flexibility to dApps.

The Power of Paymasters

Gasless Transactions: With Paymasters, users no longer need to hold ETH to pay for transaction fees. Instead, they can use other tokens (such as stablecoins or utility tokens) to cover the costs. This opens up new possibilities for seamless user experiences.

Custom Fee Payment: Paymasters allow developers to define custom fee payment logic. For example, an application could allow users to pay fees using their favorite ERC20 token or even a specific NFT. This customization enhances user engagement and simplifies fee management.

Web2 Developers’ Perspective: While zkSync is a Web3 technology, Paymasters are particularly relevant for Web2 developers. They bridge the gap between traditional web applications and blockchain networks, making it easier for developers familiar with Web2 tools and practices to integrate zkSync into their projects.

To demonstrate how Paymasters work, let’s consider a scenario where an application wants to allow users to pay transaction fees using an ERC20 token instead of ETH.

Creating a Custom Paymaster: Developers can create their own custom Paymaster contracts that handle fee payments. These contracts define the logic for accepting tokens and executing transactions on behalf of users.

ZKsync transactions, active addresses, and addresses deploying contracts are all skyrocketing in February 2024 as the FOMO towards its mainnet and Airdrop approaches which is evident in the below graph according to Blockworks.

On Ethereum, deploying a smart contract involves sending a transaction to the zero address (0x000…000) with the data field containing the contract bytecode concatenated with constructor parameters. This process ensures that the contract is correctly initialized.

In contrast, zkSync introduces a novel approach to contract deployment. To deploy a contract on zkSync Era, a user calls the create function of the ContractDeployer system contract. This function requires the hash of the contract to be published and the constructor arguments. The actual bytecode of the contract is supplied in the factory_deps field of the transaction (as it’s an EIP712 transaction).

If the contract is a factory (capable of deploying other contracts), these contracts’ bytecodes should also be included in factory_deps. We recommend using tools like the hardhat-zksync-deploy plugin to simplify deployment. This plugin handles bytecode hashing and other deployment requirements.

The Nigerian Senate has taken a firm stand against the Ministry of Power’s proposal to increase electricity tariffs and remove subsidies, citing the prevailing economic challenges gripping the nation.

During a plenary session on Wednesday, the Senate unanimously rebuffed these plans, highlighting the need to alleviate the burdens already weighing heavily on Nigerians.

The upper chamber also directed its Committee on Power to investigate the N2 trillion subsidy requirement, as stated by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, along with other outstanding debts within the sector. Additionally, they were tasked with examining the state of metering across the country.

Senator Aminu Abbas (PDP, Adamawa Central), who moved the motion, urging the retention of electricity subsidies, voiced the Senate’s collective concern.

Speaking on the alarming indebtedness of DisCos to power generating companies and gas companies, which currently stands at a staggering sum exceeding N3 trillion, Abbas said: “[the] Senate notes with greatest dismay the plan to increase electricity tariff by the relevant statutory authority in gross disregard of increased economic challenges with attendant widespread poverty and high cost of living.”

He added, “The Senate may note that the Minister of Power was reported as saying that the nation must begin to move towards a cost-effective tariff model, as the country is currently indebted to the tune of N1.3tn to generating companies (GenCos) and $1.3bn owed gas companies.

“According to him, out of over N2tn needed for the subsidy, only N450 billion was budgeted this year.

“The same electricity businesses are collecting money from customers for services not rendered when they have not added anything to the equipment, they inherited it from PHCN.

“Communities buy transformers to replace damaged ones in addition to overburden bills and arbitrary estimates for unmetered customers.”

“The prospect of higher electricity bills is untenable in a country where a significant portion of the population lives below the poverty line,” Abbas asserted.

He noted the dire consequences the situation has put individuals and small businesses in, especially amidst stagnant wages and skyrocketing inflation rates.

The Senate’s resistance to the proposed tariff hike was partly buoyed by the outcry of consumers over exorbitant charges levied on unmetered customers by Distribution Companies (DisCos). Senator Abbas condemned the DisCos for their unjust billing practices, which further compounds the financial strain on vulnerable segments of society.

Echoing Abbas’s sentiments, Senator Aminu Tambuwal (PDP, Sokoto South) denounced the notion of raising electricity tariffs during times of economic hardship, labeling it counterproductive and insensitive to the plight of the populace.

Senator Orji Kalu (APC, Abia North) echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the urgent need to prioritize improvements in transmission and distribution infrastructure overburdening consumers with additional costs.

The Senate’s resolution underscores the need for a comprehensive inquiry into the financial health of the power sector, encompassing outstanding debts and the state of metering nationwide. The Committee on Power has been tasked with conducting a thorough investigation into the N2 trillion subsidy requirement and other outstanding sectoral debts, to formulate actionable recommendations to tackle the underlying challenges.

Nigeria’s electricity sector continues to grapple with inadequate generation capacity, hovering around 4,137.60MW as of February 2024. This shortfall has resulted in heavy reliance on alternative power sources, further straining household budgets, particularly in the wake of skyrocketing fuel prices following the removal of petrol subsidies last June.

The prevalence of estimated billing due to insufficient metering also exacerbates the financial burden on consumers, impeding efforts to justify any proposed tariff adjustments. Consequently, Nigerian lawmakers said the DisCos must be held accountable for their billing practices and be compelled to prioritize metering initiatives to ensure transparency and fairness in electricity billing.

The Senate’s rejection of the proposed electricity tariff hike and subsidy removal, while it protects consumers from further exploitation, exposes once again the voids in the power sector. Experts have called for concerted efforts to address systemic challenges within the power sector and enhance service delivery.

Moreover, the implications of poor electricity supply on the economy cannot be overstated. Inconsistent power provision stifles industrial productivity, inhibits business growth, and undermines investor confidence. The manufacturing sector, in particular, bears the brunt of erratic power supply, resulting in increased production costs and diminished competitiveness in the global market.

Furthermore, unreliable electricity access hampers technological advancements and innovation, hindering the transition to a knowledge-based economy. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which form the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, are disproportionately affected, grappling with operational challenges and constrained growth opportunities.

The cumulative effect of epileptic power supply translates into reduced employment opportunities, heightened poverty levels, and constrained economic growth. Addressing the systemic deficiencies within the power sector is thus imperative for unlocking Nigeria’s full economic potential and fostering sustainable development.