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Sam Kessler

Sam Kessler

Sam is CoinDesk's deputy managing editor for tech and protocols. His reporting is focused on decentralized technology, infrastructure and governance. Sam holds a computer science degree from Harvard University, where he led the Harvard Political Review. He has a background in the technology industry and owns some ETH and BTC. Sam was part of the team that won a 2023 Gerald Loeb Award for CoinDesk's coverage of Sam Bankman-Fried and the FTX collapse.

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Umee aims to be a hub for cross-chain DeFi. (Akinori UEMURA/Unsplash)
Finance
Cosmos
Cosmos Builder Ignite, 11 VCs Put Up $150M to Invest in Multichain Crypto Teams
The accelerator includes backing from Sam Bankman Fried’s Alameda Research, KuCoin Ventures and others.
Umee aims to be a hub for cross-chain DeFi. (Akinori UEMURA/Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
Apr 12, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. UTC
Apr 12, 2022
CosmosAccelerators
(CHUTTERSNAP/Unsplash)
Technology
Rollup
Ethereum Rollup Arbitrum to Release Major Update
The update will halve fees, increase transaction speed, and make it easier for Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible apps to build on Arbitrum.
(CHUTTERSNAP/Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
Apr 8, 2022 at 7:01 p.m. UTC
Apr 8, 2022
rollupArbitrumEthereum
(Benjamin Voros/Unsplash)
Technology
Cosmos
Cosmos-Based Gravity DEX Rebrands and Moves Chains
The re-launch as “Crescent” comes after Gravity DEX struggled to establish itself as a larger player within the broader Cosmos ecosystem.
(Benjamin Voros/Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
Apr 8, 2022 at 10:30 a.m. UTC
Apr 8, 2022
CosmosDeFiTendermint
(Randall Bruder/Unsplash)
Technology
Cosmos
Cosmos-Based Juno Blockchain Pushed Offline in Apparent Attack
A malicious smart contract has put the network out of commission for over 24 hours and comes less than a month after a controversial governance vote.
(Randall Bruder/Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
Apr 6, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. UTC
Apr 6, 2022
CosmosJunoAttack
CoinDesk placeholder image
Consensus Magazine
Valid points
Ronin Attack Shows Cross-Chain Crypto Is a ‘Bridge’ Too Far
Last week’s $625 million exploit of the Axie Infinity sidechain underscores the risks of sacrificing decentralization for scale, Ethereum boosters say.
CoinDesk placeholder image
By Sam KesslerSage D. Young
Apr 5, 2022 at 7:45 p.m. UTC
Apr 5, 2022
Valid PointsAxie Infinity EthereumEthereum 2.0The Protocol
(Emil Kalibradov/Unsplash)
Technology
Bug
DeFi Lender Inverse Finance Exploited for $15.6M
It is the third multimillion-dollar crypto attack to make headlines in recent days.
(Emil Kalibradov/Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
Apr 2, 2022 at 6:24 p.m. UTC
Apr 2, 2022
BugDeFiExploitsInverse Finance
(Denny Müller/Unsplash)
Technology
Exploits
Ola Finance Exploited for $3.6M in Re-Entrancy Attack
The attack targeted Fuse Lending, which is an implementation of Ola Finance on the EVM-compatible Fuse blockchain.
(Denny Müller/Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
Mar 31, 2022 at 3:56 p.m. UTC
Mar 31, 2022
ExploitsBugDeFi
GameFi investors are still chasing the next Axie. (Jakub Sisulak/Unsplash)
Finance
Gaming
Money Continues to Pour Into GameFi, but Will Developers Follow?
One of the hottest sectors for investors is seeing mixed reactions from top talent.
GameFi investors are still chasing the next Axie. (Jakub Sisulak/Unsplash)
By Andrew ThurmanSam Kessler
Mar 28, 2022 at 8:25 p.m. UTC
Mar 28, 2022
GamingGameFiDeFi
(Spencer Watson/Unsplash)
Consensus Magazine (layer2)
Mining
Crypto Carbon: Can Blockchain Networks Fix Carbon Offsets?
A budding movement within the crypto industry says it can keep carbon out of the atmosphere by locking it on a blockchain. Can it succeed?
(Spencer Watson/Unsplash)
By Sam Kessler
Mar 27, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. UTC
Mar 27, 2022
MiningMining-week-2022Carbon EmissionsESG
(Adam Berry/Getty Images)
Finance
Polkadot
Acala, VCs Commit $250M for Polkadot DeFi Investments
The fund will back companies with use cases for Acala’s aUSD stablecoin.
(Adam Berry/Getty Images)
By Sam Kessler
Mar 23, 2022 at 4:01 p.m. UTC
Mar 23, 2022
PolkadotDeFiStablecoins