Major Updates in the World of Crypto Projects

The current CoinMarketCap top 15 features Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, Solana, BNB, Dogecoin, XRP, USDC, Cardano, TRON, Shiba Inu, TON, Avalanche, Sui, and Pepe.

This lineup features three meme tokens, two stablecoins, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and eight altcoins.

We’ve spent hours navigating the official channels of these projects to provide you with a brief, insightful summary of the most interesting, authentic news.

Looking ahead, we plan to maintain this as a regular feature and will also keep tabs on lower-ranking projects so you don’t miss out on potential future entries to the top 15.

Bitcoin (BTC)

On November 4, Bitcoin Core developers revealed the deployment of update 27.2.

The update resolves all identified issues from the prior release and boosts overall performance.

A key improvement is the elimination of a medium-severity security flaw that allowed potential block delivery delays by malicious actors, which could have led to network degradation and performance slowdowns.

Ethereum (ETH)

Mekong, a short-term testnet for the Pectra fork, has been launched.

Aimed at wallet developers and stakers, Mekong provides a testing ground for user experience modifications, helping build confidence for the coming changes. The testnet will include all EIPs necessary for Pectra.

Ethereum supporters can join a QA session on November 27 and a community call on December 5.

Until November 15, Bangkok is hosting Devcon with Ethereum’s leader Vitalik Buterin, followed by the start of the three-day ETHBangkok hackathon.

Tether (USDT)

Tether’s USDT has achieved a milestone with a market cap reaching $126 billion, including an $8 billion boost since November 5. This surge in liquidity has played a part in Bitcoin’s rally to $93,000.

Tether has also unveiled its Wallet Development Kit (WDK), an open-source, modular toolkit for developers. This new suite allows app developers and non-custodial wallet creators to seamlessly integrate USDT and Bitcoin on any device.

SOLANA (SOL)

The Galaxy app, enabling group calls and chats, has officially launched on the Solana platform.

The number of product development proposals at the Radar hackathon for Solana has soared to a record-breaking 1,359. The last record was set during the Renaissance hackathon in March 2024.

Despite past reliability issues, Solana maintains its leading position in blockchain infrastructure development, with the team referring to this period as a “Renaissance.”

BNB

November 19 marks the completion of the Fusion fork in the BNB Beacon Chain network. This fork aims to integrate the functions of BNB Beacon Chain into the main BNB Smart Chain (BSC), leading to the complete decommissioning of BNB Beacon Chain.

Comprehensive instructions for the migration process can be accessed here.

Check out: Blockchain hard fork: why split the network into two chains?

This November, BNB Chain also rolled out a new “one-stop” asset tokenization service aimed at small businesses. This platform enables the tokenization of both physical and non-physical assets for business owners.

Related reading: Tokenization of Real World Assets (RWA): A Comprehensive Review

Dogecoin (DOGE)

DOGE, one of the oldest Proof-of-Work blockchains, emerged more as a cultural phenomenon than a technological one.

With the passing of Kabosu, the beloved Shiba Inu behind the DOGE meme, in 2024, many wondered, “What does this idea stand for now?”

Donald Trump and Elon Musk provided an unexpected twist. The new U.S. administration created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Now, reminders of DOGE will appear on American TV screens daily.

A new normal on CNN. Source: Reddit Dogecoin

Ripple (XRP)

In September, the XRP Ledger network underwent an upgrade to Version 2.2.3.

The team is now focusing on the bug report phase as part of their ongoing bounty program.

Community members and ecosystem developers are invited to attend the monthly virtual forum on November 22, as well as two in-person gatherings in Rome (November 22-23) and Paris (December 11).

USDC

Circle, the company that issues the USDC stablecoin, has published a guide on implementing AI agents on the blockchain. Developers working on USDC-based payment systems can use a provided template to create automated trading and payment solutions.

Circle further announced that USDC will be integrated with Uniswap’s Layer 2 solution, Unichain.

CARDANO

Cardano will hold a committee meeting on November 28 to vote on the budget for 2025. Community members are encouraged to take part in both the vote and the survey.

ADA found renewed momentum when it was relisted on Robinhood, having previously been removed amid SEC issues.

Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, hosted a new stream titled “I'm Back,” where he offered an unexpected apology to the Bitcoin, XRP, Cardano, and Solana communities, admitting he hadn’t always been fair or empathetic in past responses.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87BhFqL92SA?t=358s

TRON

Tron has launched TRON-Peg USD Coin on its blockchain, a cross-chain solution that enables seamless USDC transfers between Ethereum and TRON networks, functioning as a bridge.

Tron's founder, Justin Sun, was honored again as “Innovator of the Year 2024” at the AI+WEB3 Expo.

Sun will be attending the Emergence2024 conference in Prague on December 5-6, where Tron will serve as the main sponsor.

Shiba Inu (SHIB)

There is an ongoing discussion within the SHIB community about investing $1.2 billion to $2.35 billion in creating a physical blockchain hub named S.H.I.B (Strategic Hub for Innovation in Blockchain) in a U.S. city. The hub could host labs, incubators, co-working areas, office spaces, accelerators, an electric taxi network, and a Shibarium blockchain-based city network.

TON

Partnering with Tonhub and Visa, TON has introduced a new debit crypto card that allows payments via direct conversions of TON and USDT from users’ accounts.

For those curious, the 15-minute presentation “The Path to Decentralization Keynote,” presented by Steve Yun, President of The Open Network Foundation, and Jack Booz, co-founder of Ton Community, explores updates to TON's governance structure.

Avalanche (AVAX)

The blockchain platform Avalanche has become the new home for MeWe, a prominent decentralized social network with a focus on user privacy.

Currently, around 1.3 million MeWe users have made the transition to Avalanche, and over 675,000 users now own their social graphs.

SUI

VanEck, an investment management company, has launched exchange-traded notes (ETN) tied to SUI, the blockchain’s native cryptocurrency. These ETNs will be traded on the Euronext exchanges in Amsterdam and Paris.

For more information on ETNs, check out our detailed article.

Additionally, the community was briefed on a plan to distribute 500 million new governance tokens for SuiNS, the Sui Name Service.

РЕРЕ

The third major meme entry in the crypto top 15.

Following several significant listings, such as those on Coinbase and Upbit, PEPE saw a weekly increase of over 109%, making it the second-best performer among the top 100 cryptocurrencies. Only the now-infamous “squirrel with a nut,” which saw an incredible boost from an Elon Musk tweet, ranks higher.

Apart from that, PEPE is all about fun. Don’t expect any technological innovations here.

Their plan for the future (taken directly from PEPE’s roadmap, not a guess—see below) is to keep playfully mocking their meme competitors, with no regard for political correctness.