a16z crypto has released a trend list for the cryptocurrency industry in 2024, which includes: entering a new era of decentralization; resetting the future of UX user experience; the rise of modular technology stacks; the combination of artificial intelligence and blockchain; P2E (Play to earn) becoming P+E (play and earn); when artificial intelligence becomes a game maker, cryptocurrency provides guarantees; formal verification becomes more accessible; NFT becomes ubiquitous brand assets; SNARK (succinct non-interactive argument of knowledge) becomes mainstream.

Hashlock, an Australian blockchain security and smart contract auditing company, announced the acquisition of StealthTest, which is an API-based Web3 developer platform and toolset with a private testing network. Areta (formerly Web3 Studios) is a global investment company focused on Web3 and digital asset economies, serving as the exclusive financial advisor for this transaction.<br>The decision by Hashlock to acquire StealthTest is in line with its commitment to provide enhanced privacy, security, and functionality to its clients. As part of the acquisition, Hashlock will integrate StealthTest into its existing ecosystem to create a full-stack developer suite for building, testing, auditing, and deploying on Web3.

The three major US stock indexes collectively opened lower, with the Dow Jones falling 0.57%, the Nasdaq falling 0.95%, and the S&amp;P 500 index falling 0.76%. Blockchain concept stocks are strong, with Marathon Digital rising more than 12%, Canaan Technology and Riot Platforms rising more than 10%, and MicroStrategy rising more than 7%. Bitcoin broke through $42,000 in intraday trading today, continuing to hit new highs since April 2022, with a total market value of $820 billion. Meta fell more than 2%, with Mark Zuckerberg selling more than 560,000 shares of Meta stock, cashing in nearly $200 million.

Blockchain technology startup Block Odyssey announced that it has received preliminary certification for the Information Security Management System (ISMS) from the Korea Internet &amp; Security Agency (KISA). The company is preparing to apply for a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license.

On December 4th, blockchain insurance technology company Igloo completed a $36 million Series C pre-financing round, led by French investment company Eurazeo, with participation from Openspace Ventures and La Maison. This round of financing will be used to support next year's acquisition work and strengthen its data infrastructure. In November 2022, according to Techcrunch, blockchain insurance technology start-up Igloo received an additional $27 million investment, completing a total of $46 million in Series B financing, with participation from Insu Resilience Investment Fund II under Germany's KfW, WAM, Finnfund, La Maison, and Cathay Innovation.

Blockchain analysis company TRM Labs has partnered with Australian cryptocurrency exchange Swyftx to combat fraud in the country. The program will be first tested globally, and Australian cryptocurrency users who activate two-factor authentication on their crypto accounts will receive AUD 10 (USD 6.6) worth of bitcoin. The launch of the campaign coincides with the Australian government's Scams Awareness Week (27 November to 1 December). The announcement states that the trial will test incentivizing crypto customers to protect their accounts and educate themselves on avoiding investment fraud.

Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. has applied for a patent for a "data processing method and related products based on blockchain network", with the publication number CN117130823A and the application date of May 2022.

Game Layer3 solution XAI announced on X platform that the Xai test network has exceeded 60 million transactions, making it one of the largest test networks in the industry's history. This is just the beginning. We are excited to continue to drive the development of blockchain games forward.

Shanghai city-level blockchain digital infrastructure "Pujiang Shulian" has recently gone online. Li Xiaoshan, vice president of Shanghai Data Group, introduced that Pujiang Shulian is equivalent to a network operator, which reduces the cost of data circulation and helps to solve the contradiction between data usage and data privacy protection through distributed digital identity, cross-chain, and smart contract technology. It is reported that more than 80 companies have settled in Pujiang Shulian, especially those that require multi-party data interaction for business development.

Blockchain technology is gaining popularity in the film industry as it allows for decentralized investment and faster project launches. The trend towards tokenization in entertainment is growing, with the Spanish documentary Bull Run becoming the first tokenized film in history. The film's backers were given BULL tokens, which represent the debt issued for the film and grant certain rights to the film's profits. Bull Run explores the director's personal journey with crypto trading and highlights the potential of blockchain technology to improve legacy systems. The director of Bull Run, Rubio, has shifted her perspective on cryptocurrency from viewing it as a speculative asset to understanding its potential to improve centralized systems. She now considers herself a Bitcoin believer and holder, but also acknowledges the potential dangers of cryptocurrency addiction.