We’re moving The Alpha to Beehiiv! That’s why this week’s edition of the newsletter looks a bit different. Still the latest in news and trending topics around AI and Web3, curated just for you.

Positive Affirmation for This Week

Remember to move towards what feels good and expansive vs what leaves you drained and energetically restricted.

This Week in Web3...

📈TradFi enters the chat. Between EDX markets and Blackrock’s Bitcoin ETF, institutional attention on crypto is at an ATH this week.

• EDX Markets is a new crypto exchange backed by Citadel, Fidelity and Schwab that borrows ideas from TrafdFi markets to hopefully sway new investors into crypto.

• Investment management heavyweight Blackrock files for a spot Bitcoin ETF (exchange-traded funds) late last week. Most filing attempts for Bitcoin ETFs are unsuccessful, but this one has our attention because it named Coinbase as a custodian, and Nasdaq as the entity overseeing pricing data (market manipulation is the reason most ETFs are denied). Blackrock’s record for getting ETFs approved is 575-1.

• Banking giant DeutscheBank applied for regulatory permission to run a crypto custody service.

• Green candles all around for this institutional news, with BTC reaching $30k.

🕹 Fortnite x Nike's .SWOOSH. Nike and Epic Games partnership kicks off with Airphoria, an Air-Max themed Fortnite experience. Players who play “Airphoria” for 10 minutes or more can receive the Air Max 1 '86 Back Bling within Fortnite, and players who link their Epic Games account with their Nike account during the time, introducing Fortnite’s massive user base to Nike’s web3 entity, .SWOOSH.

👀 Truth Labs’ Goblintown Easter Egg. "Only Up" is blowing up on @Twitch with 100,000s of viewers watching popular streamers play the addictive 3D “Jack and the Beanstalk” style game that challenges players to escape from Goblintown. The reference to the project is subtle, but the floor on the NFTs doubled anyway.

🙈 Yuga FUD = ATH. With BAYC below 40ETH and MAYC below 8 ETH, there’s no shortage of influencers and thread writers with hot takes about Yuga Labs. Yuga announced a June 29 start for its eagerly anticipated HV-MTL, but many are questioning if Yuga’s reign as NFT leader is over and/or if they’ve diluted their ecosystem too far, too fast.

👜 Luxury fashion brands crossover into web3, as NFC tag strategies for exclusive content, authenticity, and customer insights gain popularity. Stapleverse, 9dcc, and Kiki are all featured in this Glossy article on the topic.