Crypto Highlights of 2023.

1. Solana's Remarkable Turnaround:

   • January 1st: Solana faced a tough start at $8, but a subsequent report hinted at brighter days ahead.

   • Notable metrics included $SOL at $8, TVL at $200 million, and daily onchain volume barely exceeding $50 million.

2. Innovations in NFT Marketplaces:

   • January 25th: Nike's dotSWOOSH Studio allowed community collaboration in creating Nike products.

   • February 14th: The $BLUR airdrop fueled a marketplace war, challenging the NFT community's perception of royalties.

   • August: OpenSea faced challenges as traders flocked to Blur for the Season 2 airdrop, prompting OpenSea to drop royalties entirely.

3. Key Developments in Blockchain Technology:

   • February 23rd: Coinbase introduced Base L2, shaping the 'onchain' narrative.

   • March 16th: Arbitrum Foundation's massive $ARB airdrop, the largest of the year.

   • November 21st: Grayscale's lawsuit win against the SEC over the Spot Bitcoin ETF.

4. Regulatory Landscape:

   • June 8th: SEC lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase, marking a distinction between the outcomes.

   • June 16th: Declaration by the SEC that XRP is not a security, impacting the classification of other cryptocurrencies.

5. Institutional Involvement:

   • June 16th: BlackRock's filing for a Spot Bitcoin ETF, a significant milestone for crypto legitimacy.

   • November 9th: BlackRock's application for an Ethereum ETF.

6. Major Incidents:

   • August 29th: Binance's $4 billion DOJ settlement and leadership changes.

   • December 15th: Exploits involving Ledger Connect Kit and NFT Trader, two significant hacks within hours.

7. Technological Challenges:

   • December 19th: Network congestion due to the popularity of Inscription NFTs on EVM chains.