Friday Market Talk x @thehellolabs & @ShiftRWA 🎙️

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@shotguncaioSep 5, 2025

The Spaces brought together Hello Labs (Nathan), Shift RWA (Michael), host Shotgun, Era, MD (Andy), and Jose for a fast-moving market and product discussion centered on a stealth launch of Hello DEX and the rising Real-World Assets (RWA) narrative. Nathan outlined Hello DEX’s quiet rollout, early UX refinements, and a fee-sharing model that returns 87% of fees to founders, LPs, and Hello Club members, with broader marketing and Season 2 ahead. Shotgun recapped markets and notable NFT/game updates (e.g., Pudgy Penguins initiatives, OpenSea integrations). Era described a personal pivot toward artist-led NFTs and OpenSea’s momentum, while MD (Andy) noted weaker new-mint quality, a focus on blue-chip collections, and a content shift into AI and IP utility. Jose highlighted thin NFT liquidity and an emerging profit-sharing trend. Michael detailed Shift’s soft launch of tokenized stocks/ETFs on Solana (SPY, MicroStrategy, Bitmine, Meta Planet), MiCA-compliant asset-reference tokens (non-securities), a liquidity path from mint to Orca pools, early-minter multipliers with up to ~78% APY plus partner boosts, and multichain and partner expansion (Hello Labs incubator, Cointelegraph, Jupiter, BNB). He emphasized rapid deployment (<24h), community-driven asset selection, future integration with DeFi/perps, and a roadmap spanning commodities, private deals, and localized “stable ETF” constructs.

Friday Market Talk with Hello Labs and Shift RWA – Full Notes

Participants and Roles

  • Shotgun (Host, in Brazil): Runs the Friday market talk; moderates discussion, shares market recap, and leads Q&A.
  • Nathan (Hello Labs, behind main account): Provides updates on Hello Labs and the new HELLO DEX.
  • Michael (Co-founder, Shift): Main guest; deep dive on Shift’s RWA platform, strategy, compliance, incentives, partnerships, and roadmap.
  • Era (NFT collector/creator): Shares perspective on art-focused NFTs and current trading stance; hosts artist talks.
  • MD (creator/collector, Miami): Perspective on NFT market, collecting OGs, and pivot to AI/content/IP utilization.
  • Jose: Cross-chain NFT observer; notes trends like profit sharing and web2 integrations.
  • Others mentioned: Maurice (briefly referenced), MV, Bitkin (expected to join), Sander (Hello Labs team), partners/teams like Camino, Cointelegraph, Jupiter, GMX, Meteora, MaxBid.

Quick Market Recap (as stated live)

  • Crypto majors largely flat on the day; Bitcoin “about 112k” (as stated by host).
  • LibertyFi reportedly blacklisted certain Justin Sun–affiliated tokens for violations.
  • Stripe launched a payments-focused blockchain called “Tempo” on testnet; potentially bullish for stablecoin adoption and real-world problem-solving via blockchain.
  • PUMP (by Pump.fun) up ~10% after a further ~$12M in buybacks (across PUMP and ecosystem tokens).
  • NFTs: Mixed. Punks up ~2%; some blue chips (e.g., BAYC and others) down ~1%; “abstract NFTs” mostly red; Roach Racing up ~10% on the day.
  • Pudgy Penguins: “Pudgy Party” game launched (no wallet/NFT required). A soulbound token (SBT) claimable via MetaMask Portfolio. Pudgy Payments named OpenSea as its official home; “Penguin” token-teasing context and new XP/quests.

Hello Labs – HELLO DEX Stealth Launch Update (Nathan)

  • Stealth launch went live this week; initial access focused on the HELLO community and Telegram.
  • Early feedback was strong; first update already shipped focused on UX/UI polish rather than core tech (thanks to prior tester phase).
  • Actively engaging projects/founders about adding LPs. Key differentiator: fee distribution.
    • 87% of fees are returned to founders, LPs, and HELLO Club members (vs. fees accruing to DEXes/centralized exchanges in typical models).
  • Currently a soft/stealth rollout: no major marketing push yet. Expect official announcements, broader rollout, and HELLO Club Season 2 to follow.

State of NFTs – Sentiment, Trading, and Direction

  • Era
    • Not actively trading NFTs; recently did a livestream discussing Pudgy Club/OpenSea moves.
    • Positive on OpenSea’s recent direction; hopes for a significant airdrop.
    • Pivoting focus to art NFTs from “real” artists building interesting, development-driven projects.
    • Hosts weekly art talks (Wednesdays) with artists; cites artists cooking in the background.
    • Highlights an artist “Samurai” dropping a free open edition across 4 days; collecting all editions yields a unique piece.
  • MD
    • Posting fewer watchlists due to scarcity of high-quality upcoming mints.
    • Focused on accumulating OG collections he has long wanted (mentions Chimpers, Elementals, aiming for Azuki and MAYC).
    • Less active trading; pivot to value-centric content: AI, content creation, and enabling holders to use/monetize their IP meaningfully.
    • Advocates creators diversify formats (not just threads): videos, prompts, mixed media to stay adaptive.
  • Jose
    • Cross-chain view suggests market-wide NFT liquidity is thin; new launches draw less attention.
    • OG/high-profile collections still see bids (e.g., sweeps of CryptoPunks, focus on Azuki and similar).
    • Notices a rising “profit sharing” narrative across several Base projects and broader NFT builders—more structure, web2 integrations, and RWAs.

Shift RWA – Why Tokenized Stocks/ETFs Matter (Michael)

  • Short answer for crypto natives: potential to make money.
  • Longer-form rationale:
    • Preserve purchasing power via real-world, productive assets—while unlocking DeFi yield on top.
    • Example: LP in an S&P 500 (SPY) pool could collect fees/DeFi yields while holding a fundamentally valuable underlying.
    • Everything that can be safely backed/proven can be tokenized (even collectibles like Pokémon cards), opening broad, compliant on-chain exposure.

Shift’s Current Launch: What’s Live and What’s Coming

  • Soft launch of first RWA tokens on Solana: SPY (S&P 500), MicroStrategy, Bit Mining, and Metaplanet.
  • Compliance/regulatory stance: EU MiCA classification as Asset-Referenced Tokens (ART) – non-securities.
    • Key differentiator: No broker-dealer license required for buy/sell by Shift or partners.
    • Positions Shift distinctly from security-token models; broadens retail/incentive/DeFi integration avenues.
  • Incentivization and TGE
    • Heavily incentivized early phase with SHIFT token points that convert to tokens at TGE (expected Q4).
    • Points accrue to minters/LPs/users; specific boosts through partners.
  • Partnerships and ecosystem
    • Hello Labs incubator (trust, intros, media strategy, KOLs, messaging, amplification).
    • Cointelegraph (PR), Jupiter (video/alpha), BNB Chain (announced), Camino (smart vaulting/rebalancing), plus more to be announced.
    • Market tailwinds: momentum across tokenized stocks and RWA platforms (e.g., xStocks, Ondo news).

Liquidity Flow and Launch Mechanics

  • Liquidity loop
    • Starts at the Shift minting platform (heavily incentivized). Users swap stablecoins to mint RWA tokens instantly.
    • A minimum liquidity threshold (~$200k) per asset before pushing to DEX pools (Orca) to avoid skewed pools.
    • Team says the threshold is already met; aiming to enable Orca pools around the third week of September (pending final technical checks).
    • Post-mint, tokens can be used across DeFi: swapping, LPing, lending, smart vaults (e.g., via Camino), etc.
    • Shift plans educational content to onboard non-crypto users and illustrate low-risk yield strategies.

Incentives for Minters and LPs

  • Early minters receive higher multipliers for SHIFT token bonuses.
  • Up to ~78% APY equivalent in bonuses for holding RWA tokens at least 30 days (declining if held for less).
  • Additional activity-based boosts: trading competitions, testnet/mainnet DEX activities, etc.
  • Optional leverage via partners (e.g., MaxBid offers spot leverage up to 50x) for risk-tolerant users.

Boost Programs and Partner-Specific Rewards

  • Baseline public incentive program for all interacting wallets.
  • Extra boosts with partners such as Turtle Club, Jupiter, Meteora, Camino (and more to be disclosed).
  • Expect a “seasonal” campaign with layered tranches, hidden quests/backdoors, and a dashboard to track points, leaderboards, and activities.

Compliance Advantage and Speed to Market

  • MiCA ART (non-security) design enables rapid deployment:
    • Can deploy a new tokenized asset in under a day versus ~1–3 weeks for some security-token models.
    • Envisions a community “nursery”: users signal demand (e.g., for a fast-moving stock); Shift tokenizes next day, keeping mindshare and momentum.

Multichain Strategy

  • Built first for EVM (with smart contract support for corporate actions like splits/mergers), then Solana.
  • Evaluating Cosmos, Move, and other chains.
  • Engaging with Base, BNB Chain (announced), Etherlink, Monad, and others—goal is true multichain deployment wherever demand exists.

Perp Stacks, Money Markets, and 24/7 Trading

  • Perp stack integration
    • Today: perps can use price feeds, but these shut off when TradFi markets are closed.
    • Shift aims to support 24/7 trading; however, using RWAs as collateral on perps requires stable, deep spot liquidity to support liquidations at correct prices.
    • Working with GMX informally as a design partner/friend to stage this in phases; collateralization on perps is a later-stage integration once liquidity is proven.
  • Near-term DeFi fit (Grade 2)
    • Looping, lending/borrowing, smart vaulting, and rebalancing strategies (e.g., via Camino) for fixed APY-style exposures.
    • Manual looping possible, but automated vaults preferred for risk-managed compounding.
  • Outlook
    • 24/7 token trading even when underlying markets are closed (with suitable oracle/market protections).
    • Increasing AI-driven portfolio management expected over time; near-term cautious use with clear risk limits.

KOL Strategy and Marketing Realities

  • Era’s question on KOL selection amid contentious “paid list” revelations.
  • Michael’s stance:
    • Tier-1 KOLs are expensive and often operate like paid advertisers now (less skin in the game).
    • Preference for micro-KOLs who care, ask questions, and would actually use/buy the product; reputation matters.
    • Goal: value-aligned partners over one-off paid promotions.

Why Hello Labs Incubator?

  • Longstanding support from Sander and the Hello team (warm intros, trust building, media/KOL strategy, messaging).
  • Accelerates credibility and reach in a category (RWA) where trust is paramount.

Future Vision – Beyond Stocks/ETFs

  • Potential next asset classes: real estate, art/luxury, pre-IPO/private deals, physical goods, gold/metals, debt/CLOs, corporate treasuries, green assets.
  • Community-driven tokenization: if it can be safely backed, held, and proven—Shift can legally tokenize it.
  • Localized stable ETF baskets: inflation-resistant instruments pegged to local economic performance vs. fiat pegs—support local economies instead of routing value into USD/government bonds.

Closing Notes

  • Strong alignment that RWA will be a major 2025 narrative.
  • Shift aims to make tokenized TradFi assets accessible, incentivized, multichain, and deeply integrated with DeFi—while handling compliance and UX.
  • Hello Labs’ HELLO DEX is live in stealth, iterating quickly, with a fee-sharing model designed to appeal to LPs, founders, and HELLO Club members; broader marketing and Club Season 2 ahead.
  • Thanks and acknowledgments to all speakers and the community; next Friday market talk at the same time.