Feb. 1: Luganodes, provider of an institutional-grade staking service, is “bringing its muscle” to Stacks, a Bitcoin layer-2 network, according to the team: “This means institutions can now easily earn native BTC rewards while supporting the network and enjoying faster, cheaper transactions with complete Bitcoin security. Luganodes will also be a Signer on the upcoming Nakamoto upgrade, solidifying its commitment to the Stacks ecosystem.” According to a blog post, Luganodes “ranks among the top validators on Polygon, Polkadot, Sui and Tron.”

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Pyth Deploys ‘Pyth Entropy,’ for On-Chain Random Number Generation

Feb. 1: Pyth, a blockchain oracle project, announced the future deployment of Pyth Entropy, “aimed at enhancing on-chain random number generation across various Web3 verticals such as prediction markets and GameFi,” according to the team: “The announcement marks a significant milestone as Pyth Entropy is primed to launch on a blockchain on mainnet for the first time, ushering in a new era for decentralized applications. Additionally, Pyth has unveiled the mainnet deployment of Pyth Price Feeds on LightLink, an Ethereum layer-2 blockchain. This now enables dApps and enterprises to offer users instant, gasless transactions. Starting today, smart contract developers in the LightLink ecosystem can permissionlessly access over 400 real-time price feeds across major asset classes to power their DeFi applications.”

Cube.Exchange Raises $12M From Investors Including 6th Man, Asymmetric

Feb. 1: Cube.Exchange, a soon-to-launch digital asset trading platform, has raised $12 million as part of a Series A fundraise, according to the team: “Investors in the round, led by 6th Man Ventures, include Asymmetric, ParaFi Digital, Foundation Capital, Susquehanna Private Equity Investments, LLLP, GSR Markets, Everstake Capital, Big Brain Holdings, Third Kind Venture Capital, Arche Fund, WW Ventures and prominent angels. Proceeds will be used to expand engineering, customer service, operations, legal and compliance, business development; and to obtain licenses.” This raise came as a result of inbound interest, according to the company, and comes on top of a $9 million seed round announced in October.