SynFutures Completes Series B Funding Round and V3 Launch

OKX announces delisting of 26 trading pairsCryptocurrency exchange OKX has made a significant announcement regarding the delisting of more than 20 trading pairs, with a view towards its ongoing maintenance of strict listing criteria and performance monitoring. This decision will impact a considerable number of trading pairs across various cryptocurrencies, with the process scheduled to commence later this week.OKX outlined details of this recent trading pair purge in a statement published to its website on Monday. Among the trading pairs set for removal are CELO-USDC, AXS-USDC, APE-BTC and the HNT-USDT trading pair, which will be delisted on Nov. 10. Notably, Bytom (BTM), a Chinese crypto project, which has experienced a substantial 46% drop in value since Monday, is also among the tokens to be delisted.The exchange is advising users to manage their assets accordingly in preparation for the changes. Withdrawals for these tokens will cease on Jan. 10, 2024. During this transitional period, OKX recommends that users cancel any open orders linked to the impacted trading pairs to avoid automatic cancellations, which could result in processing delays.Photo by Maxim Hopman on UnsplashSAITAMA delistingDeposits for the affected tokens, including HNT, BTM, and SAITAMA, were halted by OKX on Nov. 3. SAITAMA, an Ethereum-centric ERC20 token, is the primary payment medium on the Saitama platform. There were mixed reactions to the delisting of the coin. One community member took to X, stating:“I will say I do think it isn’t cool for OKX to delist #Saitama considering we didn’t get on there for the reasons specified of delisting. The listing was won through hours of Spaces and helping people get VPNs to win a contest. Regardless of what the market is doing we won fairly.”Another Saitama project supporter took a more pragmatic view, stating:“Delisting Is a tragedy? I don’t think so. What did the OKX listing for the token price? What is the difference between holding or selling with or without okx? Volume was too low, and this isn’t a news, so they will delist. They will relist again….#SAITAMA”OKX has embarked upon several initiatives over the course of 2023 in an effort to further the user proposition offered by the platform. From a marketing perspective, the company took the decision in October to retire the Okcoin brand, rebranding its various sub-platforms instead to OKX.The Seychelles-incorporated company indicated in September that it expects to have secured a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license in Hong Kong by June of next year.Delisting banksTokens are not the only items to be delisted by the exchange recently. Alongside competitor Bybit, the company decided to delist sanctioned Russian banks Tinkoff Bank and Sberbank from its peer-to-peer exchange platform.This move by OKX reflects the exchange’s efforts towards maintaining a high level of integrity and performance. Listing coins that fall below a minimum acceptable level of liquidity and trading volume can leave them much more exposed to the risk of manipulation. By adhering to stringent listing criteria and promptly addressing issues, the company is making a greater effort towards maintaining a position as a trusted and secure trading platform for cryptocurrency enthusiasts and investors.

The Ethereum Foundation is set to make a significant impact on the Southeast Asian Ethereum community as it announces Bangkok as the location for Devcon 7.Photo by Viktor Forgacs on UnsplashFocusing on Southeast AsiaThe Ethereum developer conference will be held in the Thai capital from Nov. 12 to 15. The decision signifies a broadened vision for the event, shifting from a city-focused approach to embracing the entire Southeast Asia region as the backdrop for this community gathering. To underscore the Foundation’s intent, it has renamed the event from Devcon 7 to "Devcon Southeast Asia." Expressing enthusiasm about the potential and rapid growth of the Ethereum community in Southeast Asia, the Ethereum Foundation sees the scheduling of Devcon 7 for 2024 as an opportunity to deeply engage with local communities, providing meaningful support and empowerment. This shift aims to make Devcon 7 a more inclusive and regionally focused event, aptly named "Devcon Southeast Asia" to highlight its broader reach and impact. There has already been a positive reaction from crypto community members in the region in response to the choice of Bangkok for the conference. Navaporn Nalita, the founder of Crypto City Connext in Thailand wrote that “Bangkok's collaborative ecosystem, welcomes Devcon 2024 with open arms (and open blockchains)! Thailand's vibrant dev scene is primed to ignite alongside the world's brightest minds.” In short order, community builders have been looking to make the most out of the opportunity. Aligning with crypto growth potentialAccording to the blog post published by the Ethereum Foundation outlining the announcement, the choice of Bangkok as the host city aligns with the region's crypto adoption growth. Countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand have shown remarkable positions in the Global Crypto Adoption Index, underscoring the pivotal role of Southeast Asia in the global Ethereum landscape. To support Ethereum events, grassroots communities and educational initiatives in Southeast Asia, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) initiated the Road to Devcon (RTD) Grants round on June 29. This grant round is specifically aimed at individuals in Southeast Asia actively building communities, developing educational activities, and contributing to the growth of the Ethereum ecosystem. Encouraging smaller meet-ups over large events, the EF set the maximum grant at $1,000. The initiative aims to empower the Southeast Asian Ethereum community by providing support along the Road to Devcon. In a recent Chainalysis research report, Vietnam has emerged as the leader in cryptocurrency adoption within Southeast Asia, claiming the top spot in the region and ranking third globally in the Global Crypto Adoption Index for 2023. This index considers transaction volumes, protocols, web traffic patterns and factors like population size and purchasing power. The competition among Southeast Asian countries to establish themselves as crypto hubs is evident. Each nation adopts different regulatory approaches, with Singapore and Thailand implementing stricter measures. There has been a steady stream of Ethereum developer-centric conferences in recent years. 2022 featured EthDenver, Avax Barcelona, Devconnect Amsterdam, Devcon Bogota and EthSF (San Francisco). EthDenver, EthCC Paris and Devconnect Istanbul followed in 2023. As Devcon Southeast Asia approaches, the Ethereum Foundation anticipates fostering deeper connections and collaboration in this vibrant and evolving ecosystem. 

As Solana (SOL) gains institutional momentum through new investment products and major platform integrations, the blockchain is also becoming a target for sophisticated phishing scams in South Korea.Photo by GuerrillaBuzz on UnsplashFake websites and impersonatorsAccording to a recent Etoday report, attackers have been impersonating the Solana Foundation and Superteam Korea, a developer community within the Solana ecosystem. Using fake group chats on messaging platforms like KakaoTalk and Telegram, the scammers deploy official branding and fabricated partnership announcements to appear legitimate. Victims are lured with promises of five SOL tokens for creating wallets on fraudulent websites mimicking Solflare, a widely used Solana wallet. Users are then instructed to stake their tokens in exchange for daily yield, enabling the scammers to access their funds. The schemes have become more advanced, with perpetrators using names and photos of Superteam Korea members and generating fake wallet interfaces that display fabricated token balances. When victims attempt to withdraw funds, they are removed from chats, blocked from further communication and left with inactive websites as evidence is wiped. The Solana Foundation and Superteam Korea have issued public warnings, stating they do not solicit investments through messaging platforms or request payments to specific accounts. They have noted an increase in phishing sophistication and advised users to be cautious of unsolicited offers, particularly those that promise guaranteed returns. Solana adoption gains momentumThese scams stand in contrast to Solana’s recent growth. The Rex-Osprey Solana + Staking ETF, launched in the U.S., recorded $12 million in inflows and $33.6 million in trading volume on its first day. It is the first U.S.-listed ETF to offer SOL exposure with staking rewards available directly through brokerage accounts. Additionally, PancakeSwap’s V3 liquidity pool went live on Solana, offering up to 84% of trading fees to liquidity providers and enabling swaps starting at 0.01%.Amid these developments, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan and Head of Research Ryan Rasmussen expressed cautious optimism about Solana, predicting it could set new all-time highs this year, though likely with more difficulty than Bitcoin. They pointed to rising interest in stablecoins, ETF approvals and the emergence of treasury firms focused on SOL and Ethereum (ETH) as key factors that could support long-term value. The pair also reaffirmed Bitwise’s $200,000 price target for Bitcoin, citing sustained institutional demand.