If you follow crypto Twitter, you most likely heard about Aptos’ launch. The hype stems from the network using Meta’s Move language, which is supposed to make Aptos fast and secure. 

But it’s not only the tech. Aptos is a so-called “VC chain,” meaning it’s heavily supported by some of the industry’s largest investment funds. In this regard, it’s similar to Solana. Does that mean APT will do as well as SOL did? 

I don’t know. But I know that you should pay attention to Aptos and its rivals over the coming weeks and, probably, during the next bull run. Most likely, there’s money to be made there.

Aptos Mainnet Launched, Tokenomics Revealed

Aptos launched its mainnet on October 17 and almost immediately got listed on top-tier exchanges like Coinbase, FTX, and Binance. There’s already substantial hype around the project.

If you followed my previous newsletter and tested Aptos, you might have APTOS: ZERO NFT, a collection of technically free and unlimited NFTs offered by the core team. If you did, congratulations; you can claim 150 APT (~$1,110) here. If you didn’t, don’t fret, you might get airdrops from the projects you used later. The allocation of APT tokens is as follows.

  • Community            51.02% –  510,217,359.767 tokens 
  • Core Contributors  19.00% – 190,000,000.000 tokens 
  • Foundation            16.50% – 165,000,000.000 tokens 
  • Investors                13.48% –  134,782,640.233 tokens 

Although Aptos is perceived as a VC chain, only a small portion (~13.5%) of tokens is allocated to early investors. However, these tokens will earn staking rewards, which these parties will likely instantly dump.

Ultimately though, I don’t think you should be worried about early investors yet. Aptos just started, and the bulk of the VCs’ tokens are locked for at least a year. So, they will likely try to increase awareness about Aptos and support it in all ways possible, which should lead to an APT price increase.

Besides, many opportunities will lie in using new Aptos-based apps like Enchanter Finance, Tsunami Finance, and Pontem Network, or in buying NFTs like Rekt Dogs and Aptoads on marketplaces like Souffl3 and Topaz. You can view the list of Aptos ecosystem projects here. If you participate in it, I bet you won’t be disappointed.

Tailride Profitable Traders

STFX is a social trading platform where users can create or invest in other peoples’ trading strategies. Imagine if you could invest with your favorite TradingView account, that would be close to what STFX is doing.

The angel investors backing STFX include some leading crypto influencers like Nic Carter, The Crypto Dog, Moon Overlord, and CL. The platform provides a solution for traders to grow their following and earn fees without much hassle.

The platform launched its alpha version on October 17. There’s a chance to receive an airdrop as a strategy creator or investor. The tokenomics of STFX has some tokens reserved for early users, so there’s high confidence you will be rewarded.

Community incentives for early STV participants (Source: STFX docs).

To use the STFX’s alpha version, follow this link. The minimum amount to participate as an investor is $20. You’ll also need some ETH on Arbitrum to pay for gas. You can add ETH to Arbitrum from your Metamask using a bridge or withdraw from an Arbitrum-supported centralized exchange like Binance or FTX.

Drifting Towards Freebies

Drift Protocol is a derivatives exchange on Solana. The project raised investment from prominent crypto venture capitalists like Alameda Research, Multicoin Capital, and Jump Capital.

Currently, the team is running a devnet and gated mainnet. Users of these iterations will likely receive an airdrop of Drift’s native token in the future.

To access the devnet, you need to connect your wallet to the Solana devnet. If you’re using Phantom, click on the wallet section in the top right-hand corner of the browser extension, then select Developer Settings > Change Network > Devnet.

You can access Drift’s devnet portal here, use the password CRGurlQ0 to enter. Request funds from Drift’s faucet by clicking on the Deposit/Withdraw.

Next, in the Manage Balances pop-up window, click on airdrop SOL to pay for fees and USDC to deposit collateral for testing the platform.

To increase your chances for eligibility, you can trade with some real money on a gated mainnet. Go to the project’s Discord, and fill out this form to sign up for early access. The moderators approve the applications of the project’s Discord, so feedback on devnet and other engagements should help improve your chances of gaining access codes for the gated mainnet.

That’s all for today. I hope you will get a lot out of using the applications I mentioned and the growing Aptos ecosystem. Till next time, and good luck.

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