Howdy howdy howdy! It’s Taylor, your friendly neighborhood CEO who shows up in your inbox every week to talk about cyber money. My company (Hedgehog) makes it easy to track all of your crypto investments across various wallets and exchanges. You can figure out your net worth on any given day without having to update a spreadsheet!

Remember the giveaway at the end of every newsletter. Each week I give a Ledger Nano S hardware wallet to one lucky winner. Not sure what that is or why you need one? Learn all about it on the Hedgeblog, and keep your funds SAFU, fam!

Right now, all anyone is talking about is Ukraine being invaded by Russia, the upwelling of resistance by brave, enraged Ukrainians, plus the outpouring of support from the rest of the free world. Most of us feel heartsick and helpless — but we’re not, not entirely.

None of us are able to punch Putin in the nose with brass knuckles (I assume this urge is widespread) but the internet connects us all, which provides new options. The story of the 21st century is the story of humanity exploring those options.

Naturally this event is making a big splash in the crypto world. Not least because…

  • The official Ukraine crypto addresses have received $23.8 million in BTC and ETH (by Wednesday afternoon, probably lots more by the time you get this email).
  • Ukraine, once again the actual country, will airdrop a reward (probably an NFT) to crypto donors (most likely just those who sent ETH). Unsurprisingly this announcement dramatically accelerated donations by triggering Crypto Twitter’s FOMO.

Edit: Oops, change of mind!

  • Riveting story about Ukrainians who work in crypto using the industry to help their countrymen. And another one. These people are dedicated, fast, and resourceful! Round of applause!
  • Uniswap: “The address shared by the Ukrainian government is a centralized exchange that appears to accept only USDT and ETH. We built this interface so anyone who wants to donate but holds other ERC-20 tokens can do so with one click.”
  • Kraken CEO Jesse Powell refused to cut off Russian users without a legal order to do so: “Sometimes the hardest thing about having power is knowing when not to use it. Our mission is better served by focusing on individual needs above those of any government or political faction.” Kraken isn’t the only exchange choosing not to deplatform Russians unless forced. It’s interesting to note that even centralized crypto companies highly value the crypto ecosystem’s dedication to decentralization.
  • One of various Ukraine-themed NFT drops for fundraising: “Blending folk art-inspired motifs in a generative NFT project of 10,000 editions, Bubki aims to harness the power of web3 to rally material support for Ukrainian organizations at this pivotal moment. 100% of the proceeds and royalties will be donated to Unchain.fund.” The designs are actually quite lovely (which is… not universally true of NFTs).

Overall, the permissionless innovation paradigm of the crypto industry is a boon in times of sudden strife. Collaborative projects to help Ukraine were born as soon as the news hit. And while the traditional financial system locks in around Russia, normal everyday Russians have fewer and fewer options to protect their wealth.

It is easy to censor fiat onramps and offramps such as centralized exchanges, but self-custodied crypto assets offer unparalleled control over your own funds. Something to keep in mind throughout the rest of this century.

In totally unrelated news, apparently virtual land in various metaverse projects is holding value well, partially due to the company formerly known as Facebook reinvigorating interest in the space. “Yes, that’s right, real estate in the virtual world had tracked the larger market’s surge to all time highs last fall but rather than drop it’s remained elevated despite some tapering.”

Giveaway question of the week: If you owned metaverse land, what would you “build” on it? Reply to this email with your answer to be entered to win a Ledger Nano S hardware wallet.

Never give up, never surrender,
— Taylor

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