Table of Contents:

Development, Releases, and Technology

Rucknium, a member of the Monero Research Lab, reported that some centralized mining pools are delaying the first confirmation of Monero transactions by a full minute, on average. Decentralized mining pool P2Pool was found to add new transactions to their block templates the fastest. After Rucknium’s research was released, it was reported that HashVault and MoneroOcean mining pools have both changed their configuration to update their block templates much more frequently. More information can be found on Rucknium’s blog and in their Reddit post here.

pool-comparison-tx-eligibility-boxplot — https://rucknium.me/posts/monero-pool-transaction-delay/

Monero Time published a Twitter thread looking into Monero’s proposed Seraphis and Jamtis network upgrade planned for 2024. Seraphis is a next-generation transaction protocol that builds off the many things that have been learned about protocol design since CryptoNote was first made public in 2013. Check out the tweet thread below, or the video from Justin Berman at Monerokon 2022. In depth resources regarding Seraphis and Jamtis can be found here.

Monero Time @MoneroTime

🧵🔥A major update in the Monero protocol is coming and is called Seraphis & Jamtis and will require a fork and this will roll out in 2024.

UnstoppableSwap GUI v0.4.6 has been released by binarybaron. This release includes a couple of new features and fixes such as adding tooltip explanations to provider chips. More information can be found here. Additionally, check out the BTC to XMR atomic swap demo using UnstoppableSwap below.

The Farcaster Project has released version 0.8.4 of the Farcaster cross-chain atomic swap node. Give Farcaster Testnet XMR-BTC Atomic Swaps a try by installing the node and using the in-browser GUI. Check out their GitHub or this Reddit post for more information.

Elite Labs have released Elite Wallet, a free, privacy-focused open-source multi-currency wallet for IOS and Android. It is a noncustodial, serverless wallet that utilizes trusted community nodes and has a built-in exchange. You can also buy XMR in-app via credit/debit card, and sell via bank transfer. Some Monero community members have pointed out that it is a fork of Cake Wallet with the commit history removed, and also pings CoinGecko for price data. It is available for download from the Google Play Store or as an .APK, and will be available for iOS and desktop soon. More information can be found here and here.

Feather Wallet, a free and open-source Electrum-style Monero wallet, has released v2.2.3. It includes a fix for an issue that caused Feather Wallet to be unable to connect to Trezor devices on macOS. Feather Wallet v2.2.2 was also released and included even greater upgrades. Feather Wallet releases are now bootstrappable, meaning that they are able to build their entire toolchain and dependencies from source code. The release included support for Raspberry Pi and Linux ARM64, macOS builds now shipping as a .dmg file, and many other cool updates. Check out the Feather Wallet Changelog for more information. Download Feather Wallet here.

Monerujo, an android wallet for Monero that includes Ledger hardware wallet support, has released v3.1.0. It now shows you when you receive a locked transaction. Check out this tweet for more information! Download the wallet here.

Monerujo @monerujowallet

Ok, first new version of the new year is out! 3.1.0 comes with fixed @sideshiftai exchange function and a beautiful and super useful feature that shows you when you receive a locked transaction.

Cake Labs have released Cake Wallet v4.5.6 and Monero.com Wallet v1.2.5. You can find more information here.

Cake Wallet @cakewallet

[UPDATE] Cake Wallet 4.5.6 supports #Haven 3.0! Update your wallets to continue using Haven after the network upgrade on January 9th. @HavenXHV #XHV This update also includes #Bitcoin/#Litecoin transaction screen bug fixes.

cakelabs.comHaven 3.0 Athena Support with Cake Wallet 4.5.6Cake Wallet 4.5.6 supports Haven 3.0.0 “Athena” and the network upgrade occuring on January 9th, 2023. Update your wallet to continue using Haven after the 9th. This update also includes bug fixes for the Bitcoin and Litecoin transaction history screens. Thanks for using Cake Wallet!

Stack Wallet v1.5.28 has been released. Stack Wallet is an open-source, non-custodial, privacy-preserving cryptocurrency wallet that supports Monero. More information can be found here.

https://github.com/cypherstack/stack_wallet/releases/tag/build_102

LocalMonero/AgoraDesk has released v1.0.49 for their mobile apps. It includes a variety of bug fixes and new features. Release notes and download links can be found here.

https://github.com/AgoraDesk-LocalMonero/agoradesk-app-foss/releases

Trocador.app has released Monero Bridge (formerly Monero Tunnels), a feature that allows a user to trade between two different blockchains. If someone has funds on a transparent blockchain like Bitcoin and wants to switch to another transparent blockchain like Ethereum, Trocador.app calculates the price of the exchange by channeling funds over Monero between two different exchanges, helping to increase liquidity. The service was first released hoping to increase the anonymity of wallets, however, after community discussion, it was decided that the privacy benefits were limited and the primary benefit would be to increase liquidity. Read more about Monero Bridge (Monero Tunnels) here.

The team behind the exchange aggregator Trocador.app has also released a new BTCPay server plugin that accepts Monero. The plugin also works with JavaScript disabled and includes features such as allowing the customer to pay in any cryptocurrency easily using Trocador, customization according to store colors, naming payments in fiat, or changing the name of the payment method. Learn more about Trocador’s new BTCPay server plugin here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/10gyi70/new_btcpay_server_plugin_that_accepts_monero_and/

The Monero ATM Project, a do-it-yourself automated teller machine running on free software, announced their project might be completed in time for MoneroKon 2023. According to the Monero Observer, the team behind the project has “already received most of the parts, including the shady bill acceptor module from Romania!”. Check out this post or the project’s website for more information.

Ora_pro_vivis, the developer of an open-source point-of-sale app for Monero, announced that development is ongoing, but the alpha release has been delayed. Ora_pro_vivis also announced that the project now has an official project name, Kasejo, which means checkout in Esperanto. They also plan to launch a logo contest with prizes in Monero. Ora_pro_vivis also purchased another domain name, rezisto.net, which will serve as a headquarters for hosting code and other relevant content. Finally, Ora_pro_vivis also announced the launch of Lumo, and are inviting people to test it out. Lumo is a Node JS server that allows for self-hosting a semi-transparent and auditable Monero wallet for donation and charity purposes. More information can be found here.

The P2Pool mining pool will upgrade (hardfork) to new consensus rules on March 18th, 2023, at 21:00 UTC. According to P2Pool developer SChernykh, “the hardfork is necessary to improve P2Pool scalability and reduce the impact on Monero blockchain”. If you use P2Pool, you will need to update to P2Pool v3.0 or a newer version before this time. More information can be found here. You can also check out the tweet thread below discussing the upgrade.

hundehausen 🌱 @hundehausen

1/7 Is #p2pool bad for actually bad for #Moneros privacy? I researched for the past few days and what I found out is in this twitter thread 🧵

PSA: It is highly recommended you run a node to help secure the Monero network. You can also solo mine via the official Monero GUI wallet which can be found here or partake in the decentralized and permission-less P2Pool. The official Monero website getmonero.org or sethforprivacy.com are fantastic places to find help to get started running a node or mining.

Check out this video from CryptoCasts showing you how to install and connect to your own Monero node using macOS X Monterrey and the iOS Cake Wallet iPhone app.

You can even mine Monero on an Android device thanks to XMRig! Check out this tutorial video from Cursed Mining.

In the past 24 hours, there have been 11k+ Monero nodes observed on the network worldwide. To add context, Ethereum also has approximately 11k active nodes.

dsmlegend is seeking community feedback regarding the scripts for a series of new Monero adoption animation videos. You can read the scripts on Gitlab or Monero subreddit, and join the community discussion here.

https://gitlab.com/monero-videos/monero-adoption-animated-videos/-/blob/main/Video%202%20Script.md

Monerujo dev anhdres provided a progress report on Monero Garden, a new project he is working on that is an ELI5, beginner-friendly information source for new (or existing) members of the Monero community. Check out the report here.

https://repo.getmonero.org/monero-project/ccs-proposals/-/merge_requests/346

Do you want to create a Monero decoy wallet by adding some basic protection from Evil Maid Attacks to your wallet seeds? Monero Observer published a short guide on using the Monero CLI wallet to create a decoy XMR wallet. Check it out here.

Image by monero.graphics from: https://monero.observer/cypherpunk-transmission-011-decoy-wallets-seed-offset-passphrase-monero-cli/

Monero Observer has released a new Monero Dev Activity Report to provide a big-picture view of Monero's development activity throughout the past week. If you’re interested in the nitty gritty, check it out here.

https://monero.observer/monero-dev-activity-report-week-3-2023/

General News

The Monero Standard, a new book soon to be released revealed their chapter listing. According to the website, “The Monero Standard is about how we can use money to fundamentally revolutionize societies incentive structures, the challenges we face in society today & how we overcome them to build a long-lasting platform for freedom and prosperity”. You can order a digital or hard copy today from MoneroStandard.com.

The Monero Standard (Pre-Order Now) @MoneroBook

Chapter 1: The History of Money Chapter 2: The Fiat Ponzi Chapter 3: Revolutionary Cycles Chapter 4: Globalism & Technocracy Chapter 5: PoW and Privacy as a basis for Money Chapter 6: The Monero bible Chapter 7: Monero vs Bitcoin Chapter 8: The Monero Standard PRE-ORDER TODAY

Vik Sharma, the founder of Cake Wallet, published a post detailing Cake Wallet’s journey over the past five years. It’s a great read that gives insight into their beginnings and how far they’ve come since launch. Check it out here.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/10f7qrs/cake_wallet_the_5_year_journey/

Monero Magazine recently interviewed tech-focused YouTuber Luke Smith. They talk about a range of topics including globalism, freedom, and Monero’s role in the future. Check it out here.

Monero Magazine also interviewed Rafael LaVerde to discuss Monero’s role as digital cash within society. Check out the interview here.

Monero Talk live-streamed Monerotopia Episode #100. It features a Monerotopia 2023 conference update, a price report with BawdyAnarchist, and special guest Elian from the Decred Project. Check out the video here.

There is a new Monero-focused subreddit - r/MoneroMeansMoney. Moderated by bawdyanarchist, MoneroMeansMoney is “an outlet for off-topic, controversial, and taboo subjects among Monero peers”. If there is a sensitive or somewhat NSFW topic regarding Monero that you’d like to share, then this may be the forum for you.

https://www.reddit.com/r/MoneroMeansMoney/

For those who previously participated in or who are looking to join a Monero community on XMPP, please note the host address has changed to monero@chat.yax.im.

The Monero Standard #37 newsletter has been published. Check it out to keep up with Monero news!

Revuo Monero Issue #155 has been published. Check it out for a weekly dose of Monero news.

Altcoin Daily @AltcoinDailyio

Privacy coins like #Monero and #Zcash are gaining mainstream awareness as more people seek to protect their financial data from government & 3rd party surveillance. #crypto #privacy

Monero was mentioned in the Netflix series The Lørenskog Disappearance.

Vik Sharɱa 🇺🇸 @vikrantnyc

#Monero mentioned on a #netflix - The Lorenskog Disappearance. #XMR

MAGIC Grants’ MAGIC Monero Fund 2023 Election took place recently. MAGIC Grants used a ranked-choice voting method to select three new MAGIC Monero Fund committee members for 2 year terms. MajesticBank, monerobull, and artlimber will be joining Rucknium and kayabaNerve on the committee at the end of the month. MAGIC Grants is a public charity that provides undergraduate scholarships for students interested in Monero and cryptocurrencies, and supports various critical cryptocurrency public payment infrastructure.

https://magicgrants.org/Monero-Fund-2023-Election-Results/

George Nicholas, an award-winning filmmaker and Monero enthusiast previously involved with making the Monero Means Money documentary film, has written and directed an independent, 38-minute live-action film titled Mark of Distinction. The film, which was shot in Tijuana, Mexico, features Monero, but is not focused on it. Monero features in the film in the form of a Monero Casascius Coin, and a Crypt0 Bear Monero themed song can also be heard in one of the scenes. The film is in need of funds for the release phase which includes getting it in front of festivals and promoting it there, hiring a publicist, running an awards campaign. The Monero community is being asked to help and in return the community will receive an acknowledgement in the credits and the film will be a way to expose more people to Monero. The CCS request has received a lot of feedback in the past 48 hours. Check out the CCS request and feel free to leave your feedback.

https://repo.getmonero.org/markofdistinction_/ccs-proposals/-/raw/master/coin_squeeze.gif — Monero Casascius Coin in the film - https://repo.getmonero.org/monero-project/ccs-proposals/-/merge_requests/371

https://repo.getmonero.org/markofdistinction_/ccs-proposals/-/raw/master/MarkOfDistinction_16x9_1280x720.jpg — https://repo.getmonero.org/monero-project/ccs-proposals/-/merge_requests/371

Events

A Monero Research Lab (MRL) meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 25th, 2023 at 1700 UTC. You can find more information about the meeting here, thanks to the Monero Observer. The MRL meeting will take place in the #monero-research-lab channel on IRC if you want to lurk in real-time.

Monero's Research Lab Launched New Crowdfunding Campaign | CryptoGazette - Cryptocurrency News — https://www.getmonero.org/resources/research-lab/

The next Community Workgroup Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 28th, 2023 1600 UTC in the #monero-community IRC channel. The community workgroup meeting will discuss things such as CCS proposals and updates, community highlights, and workgroup reports.

A Seraphis Wallet Workgroup meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 30th, 2023 18:00 UTC in the #no-wallet-left-behind channel. More information can be found here.

The second-ever Monerotopia conference is taking place in Mexico City on May 6-7th, 2023. Monerotopia is a conference for privacy, tech, and freedom enjoyers. They already have an amazing lineup of confirmed speakers which includes a variety of Monero developers and contributors. Head to the Monerotopia website and grab a ticket to one of the hottest Monero conferences! Use the Promo Code moneromoon8ar for a 10% discount!

After the successful return of Monero Konferenco in 2022, the ‘MoneroKon’ 2023 Conference will be held at La Fabrika in Prague, Czech Republic on the 23rd-25th of June 2023. MoneroKon is an annual meeting of privacy advocates, cypherpunks, scientists, and philosophers and is designed to disseminate scientific and technical results in privacy and financial technologies like censorship-resistant digital cash. More information can be found here in the MoneroKon 2023 CCS proposal and on the MoneroKon website.

If you would like to volunteer to help out at MoneroKon 2023 in return for a free ticket or just because you are a Monero-loving person, then apply by filling out this form here!

The next MoneroKon 2023 Planning Meeting is scheduled to take place on January 28th, 2023 at 18:00 UTC in the #monero-events IRC channel. More information can be found here.

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Exchanges and Merchants

Want to buy or sell something for XMR? Check out MoneroMarket.io and browse the listings or post your own. Please note that some of the items for sale may be considered NSFW. They also offer escrow services. Check out the website here.

AllArk is now offering a service that allows users to cash out XMR to any bank in the world via SWIFT wire transfers, with a maximum limit of $2 million. The service allows users to place an order for the amount of XMR they want to sell, specify deposit details and then receive the funds with no need for back and forth or waiting around. More information can be found here.

ShopinBit, an online retailer that offers a 3% discount if you pay in XMR, now has a fashion category with clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, shoes, and over 3000 different watches! Check out their store here.

CryptoPost allows you to buy shipping labels from popular carriers like DHL and USPS, and pay using Monero. CryptoPost only collects the information it takes to get your package from A to B, and they claim to wipe their servers every 7 days. More information can be found here.

The Humane Society of Independence County, an animal shelter located in Batesville, Arkansas, now accepts donations in Monero. Check out their website and donate here.

MoneroSupplies.com have launched their first ever exclusive Monerochan item, a physical Monerochan acrylic standee. Check out their website for more details.

PeaceAnDWar @PeaceeAnDWar

#Monero the true digital money spotted in Ilhéus - BA, Brazil

Community Crowdfunding

Several crowdfunding proposals are awaiting community feedback before they can start accepting funds through the Community Crowdfunding System (CCS). For now, they are just proposals, but if they receive some positive feedback from the community they will be moved to a “Funding Required” stage so that they can accept Monero donations through the CCS.

CCS proposals currently open:

CCS Projects requiring funding or have been recently funded:

There are no CCS Projects that require funding at the moment, however you can still support the Monero Project by donating to the Monero General Fund.

https://ccs.getmonero.org/funding-required/

Trading and Speculation

Check this extensive tweet thread written by John Foss (yep, that’s me) that discusses various metrics, bringing to light the possibilities of where Monero may be headed in 2023.

John Foss @johnfoss69

#Monero in 2023 – A New Beginning ☀️ This short thread focuses on various metrics, bringing to light the possibilities of where Monero may be headed in 2023 and beyond. Buckle up! 🧵 1/n

Morpheus from Moneroj.net published Monero begins 2023 as the privacy sovereign. The blog post analyzes Monero’s performance in 2022 and discusses what may come in 2023. Check out the article here.

https://moneroj.net/article/Monero-begins-2023-as-the-privacy-sovereign/

On the XMR/USD weekly chart, Monero has been in an uptrend in price since June 2022, and has printed a higher low and higher high. A higher high plus a higher low is an indicator of the expected and continued rise in the value of a security or asset.

On the XMR/USD monthly chart, Monero is attempting to breakout from its down trending channel dating back to May 2021.

Opportunity from chaos @cryptocomicon

Lifetime history of $XMR : $BTC. When appropriate, ask yourself: Why did this not die?

Performance

Total Monero in Circulation — 18,222,417 XMR

Monero Total Marketcap — $2,743,021,366

Coinmarketcap Ranking — #23

XMR/USD Price — $179 USD

XMR/BTC Price — 0.007770 BTC

LocalMonero.co Peer to Peer Street Price — $195USD

Average Transaction Fee — 0.00032 XMR ($0.058)

Monero Network Hashrate —2.662 Ghash/s

Monero Mining Pools Hashrate Distribution —

Entertainment

https://i.redd.it/508n57fswdda1.jpg — https://www.reddit.com/r/Monero/comments/10hkzvi/comment_if_you_are_going_to_monerotopia_2023_cant/

https://twitter.com/MyMonero/status/1614344221892268034/photo/1

r/moonero - Word On The Street. — https://www.reddit.com/r/moonero/comments/10hcovz/word_on_the_street/https://twitter.com/monero_max/status/1611710219326787584/photo/1

r/moonero - CBDC vs Monero — https://www.reddit.com/r/moonero/comments/10gbcnx/cbdc_vs_monero/

https://twitter.com/monero_max/status/1611710219326787584/photo/1

r/moonero - All roads lead to Monero. — https://www.reddit.com/r/moonero/comments/10ejlsc/all_roads_lead_to_monero/

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49koJtBLRCjcfqVD93fosJGKLYFPZuBUz1iRvqJdMz9yBXV93UgKdSyDSbwUkdsytdSRvwKZhRTPp3de4fXzcioQGAFzWUU

Have we missed something?

Please contact me if you believe I have missed an important piece of news, or want something included in a future issue.

Support Monero

Want to help contribute to the Monero Project? Developers, marketers, event coordinators, translators, Instagram personalities, meme creators, public speakers — whatever your skills may be, it is extremely likely there is something you can do to assist. Reach out to the Monero community on Reddit, IRC, GitHub, Twitter, or Telegram. The official Monero website is GetMonero.org.

Past Issues

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DISCLAIMER: This publication contains opinions for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Information may contain errors and omissions. Use solely at your own risk. The author of this publication and/or the authors of articles linked to or from this site may have financial investments that may bias their opinions, including ownership of Monero currency. Always do your own research, form your own opinions, and never take risks with money or trust third parties without verifying their credibility.

The Monero Moon

The Monero Moon (Issue 61)