![Sunday Review 20/08/2023](/content/images/size/w1200/2023/08/Observers-Sunday-Review-20.08.2023-1.png)
By the time you read this, the world will likely have a new champion, as the ladies of England and Spain are due to line up for the Women’s World Cup Final as I write.
But while the women of the footballing world will have a definitive new champion, the women (and men) of the crypto world champion new projects almost daily. So which are winning (and losing) this week?
Going one behind early in the game this week was Bitcoin price, which saw its biggest one day fall since the FTX collapse. Some blamed China, some blamed SpaceX, some said it was just the periodic flushing out of leveraged positions and nothing to worry about.
Also coming out weak was SEI, which launched its ultrafast blockchain this week, but got flak from supporters for a badly pitched airdrop.
Hedera Hashgraph stuck a couple of balls in the back of the net as the Dropp merchant payments platform was featured in the FedNow Service Providers Showcase, and Calaxy brought the social economy to the Hedera blockchain.
Telegram messenger saw extra time added to its popular independent @wallet app, as TON Space introduced non-custodial wallets and apps to the platform. Meanwhile Stellar, which has long had a partnership with MoneyGram, has officially bought itself a minority stake and a seat on the company’s board.
China is continuing to push forward with its digital yuan pilot, with the latest schemes including airdrops to users at vegetable market, and even for foreigners attending the Asian Games sports event in September/October.
Conceding late goals were Prime Trust, which seemed to find the back of its own net as it filed bankruptcy, and Binance Connect which shut down its operations completely.
Finally, bringing a win to the NFT market, was Coca Cola, which released the second phase of its reasonably-priced Masterpiece collection to Coinbase’s new L2 blockchain.