Oops, I think they broke the blockchain – TechCrunch

Hello and welcome back to the Chain Reactionpodcast, where we unpack and explain the latest crypto news, drama and trends, breaking it down block by block for the crypto curious.

On this weeks episode, we talked about the virtual land sale that (temporarily) broke the blockchain. Yuga Labs now-infamous NFT drop was to put it lightly chaotic. Users swarmed the sale like it was a Supreme drop in 2017, overwhelming the entire Ethereum network and resulting in lots of failed transactions and exorbitantly high gas fees. We explained what went wrong and explored some (potential?) conspiracy theories about the fiasco, which seem to spring up anytime a major event happens in the web3 world.

Next, we went through some big news from an OG of the decentralized internet Wikipedia thats decided to reject crypto donations, and talked about the beef between regulators and crypto that heated up this week after a major flex by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Jill Gunter occupies a unique spot within the crypto world as both a venture partner at Slow Ventures and co-founder of a new layer-one blockchain project, Espresso Systems (you can learn more about that in Anitas article here). As a former credit trader at Goldman Sachs, Jill is used to explaining the nuances of crypto to friends and colleagues in the tradfi (traditional finance) world. We were excited to have her on the show to break down some complex concepts in simple, understandable terms, from why popular blockchains dont maintain user privacy to how new projects should approach developer acquisition.

Chain Reaction podcast episodes come out every Thursday at 12:00 p.m. PDT. Subscribe to us on Apple,Spotify or your alternative podcast platform of choice to keep up with us every week.

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Oops, I think they broke the blockchain - TechCrunch

Analysis: Blockchain needs MP3 music moment to win over markets – Reuters

LONDON, May 11 (Reuters) - Blockchain needs its own music industry 'MP3' moment as fragmented regulation and technology hamper the development of a digital securities industry that could help realise its full potential, industry officials said.

Blockchain, or distributed ledger technology (DLT), underpins cryptoassets like bitcoin and allows many parties to access a single version of data at the same time.

But extending its application to issuing, trading and settling securities like stocks and bonds requires a common digital format for the securities themselves, said Gerd Hartung, head of new digital markets at Deutsche Boerse.

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"The real topic is how do we get to the MP3 digital format you see in the music industry. The next level we are getting to is digitisation of the financial instrument itself," he said.

The digital MP3 file format, with its inferior audio quality, did not look like a disruptive technology until the arrival of MP3 players and streaming systems dramatically altered the music industry, removing a slew of middle men and almost all the barriers to entry faced by an artist.

A similar pivot in financial markets would allow an instrument to be issued in hours rather than days or weeks, better targeting specific markets and taking advantage of windows of calm to reach more investors faster and free of data errors, industry officials say.

But it would also challenge banks' dominant position in the revenue chain for issuing and trading securities.

A further step from pilot project to live markets came this week with the launch of LedgerEdge, described as the first regulated, DLT-based corporate bond platform.

"Everyone is looking for greater clarity on the regulatory definition of digital assets," said David Nicol, chief executive and co-founder of LedgerEdge.

But with many elements yet to fall into place, Arjun Jayaram, founder and chief executive of blockchain company Baton Systems, warned there was unlikely to be a "big bang" moment.

Banks still use "very old" technology, making it harder to interface with DLT platforms, he said, while Javier Hernani, head of securities services at SIX which runs the Zurich and Madrid stock exchanges, said hooking up to blockchain was a cost that needed to be phased in.

Hernani also pointed to the need for digital versions of currencies such as the dollar, euro or sterling to speed up payment and achieve the full benefits of DLT, something the relevant central banks have yet to decide on, let alone launch. read more

Instead a "bridge" would be needed to allow digitised assets to be traded, but paid for in fiat currencies, he suggested.

Regulators also need time to get to grips with the new technology, with the European Union and Britain preparing to test DLT in market infrastructure.

"We intend to have this up and running next year, and if it teaches us that we need to update the relevant legislation, then we will do that too," Britain's financial services minister John Glen said in a speech last month.

The EU said its pilot regime would allow policymakers to identify obstacles in regulation.

HSBC and Wells Fargo are already using blockchain from Baton Systems to settle bilateral foreign currency trades, and in July Deutsche Boerse will use its digital central register to offer same day-issuance and paperless processing for digitised certificates and warrants in its Clearstream settlement arm. read more

"We have done the proof of concepts in the past, but now it's really about bringing the real, fully-fledged financial, digital market infrastructure in place, and that needs to be productive and scalable," Hartung said.

Rival Euroclear has joined blockchain consortium Fnality - backed by banks including Santander, Barclays, Credit Suisse, MUFG and UBS - which is aiming to open a payments account for tokenised assets at the Bank of England in October. read more

Meanwhile, the U.S. Depository Trust & Clearing Corp's platform that leverages DLT is moving to a development phase for same-day settlement of securities trades, compared with two days at present.

Consultants estimate potential savings of 50% from using blockchain in areas like settlement, mainly through cutting time-consuming 'reconciliation' or the fixing of mismatches in transaction data.

Faster completion of trades also means less risk and therefore less capital tied up in backing transactions.

Looking at the derivatives market, Deloitte estimates a "single shared version of trade data" could reduce costs by one-third.

Combining DLT with a machine-readable blueprint for how derivatives are managed and traded could cut the cost base for derivatives dealers by $3.2 billion, it says.

SIX, which launched a digital bond in November, senses progress this year. read more

"We are going from proof of concept to the real world, slowly," the company's Hernani said.

"We will continue to see some real business, but still in the small numbers. I think there will be parallel systems for a while."

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Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Kirsten Donovan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Analysis: Blockchain needs MP3 music moment to win over markets - Reuters

Flow Launches $725 Million Blockchain Development Fund With A16z, Digital Currency Group And Other Investors – Forbes

NBA Top Shot is one of the most valuable NFT collections running on Flow

NBA Top Shots host blockchain, Flow, is getting a $725 million boost through a new ecosystem fund backed by its developers companys investment arm, Dapper Ventures, and a high-profile group of investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Coatue and Digital Currency Group, among others.

The joint venture will provide the blockchains 7,500+ developers with wide-ranging support including accelerators and incubators, investments and FLOW token grants in a bid to accelerate Flows growth in various areas such as gaming and decentralized finance.

Flows fund is only the latest in a series of nine and ten-figure incentive programs aimed at further adoption. Some of the largest such efforts include Binances $1 billion fund for its Binance Smart Chain and NEARs DeFi-focused $800 million fund. But instead of having one team distribute the funds, Flows new vehicle will accommodate participating investors individual allocation decisions.

I think that's really important because it allows for a diversity of thought and I think will lead to a much more diverse ecosystem, says Dapper Labs chief business officer Mik Naayem. [The fund] is creating a way for us to support any type of entrepreneur in a way that is kind of tailored to them.

For instance, Greenfield One will provide office space for developers based in Berlin. Liberty City Ventures will be offering two scholarships for college students to work in Flow-related projects. Miranda Ventures will be bringing in strategic collaboration opportunities for Flow projects with cryptocurrency exchange Bybit and BitDAO, one of the largest decentralized investment funds backed by Bybit and Peter Thiel, according to the announcement.

Naayem says the initiative has been a few months in development, but the funds launch comes at a time when rising interest rates and geopolitical tensions are pushing cryptocurrencies, along with stocks and commodities, to new multi-month lows. Flows native token FLOW has shed over 25% over the past week, topping losses of leading cryptocurrencies, bitcoin and ether, which have dropped nearly 20% over the period.

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Despite the volatility, activity of Flow is thriving. Flow saw daily transactions triple since September 2021 to over 700,000, and the number of active accounts on the network has shot up to a new all-time high of more than half a million this week, according to blockchain analytics platform Flowscan. Some of Flows most popular projects include sports collectibles such as NBA Top Shot and NFL ALL DAY.

On Sunday, CoinDesk reported that Instagram is planning to test NFT integrations with a few blockchains including Flow. Naayem was not able to provide additional details but essentially confirmed the pilot saying We are grateful to have been included in that initial list. It should be a big moment for the industry.

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Flow Launches $725 Million Blockchain Development Fund With A16z, Digital Currency Group And Other Investors - Forbes

Avalanche Will Be the ‘Apple of the Blockchain World’: Ava Labs Exec – Business Insider

In 2010, 16-year-old Kevin Sekniqi saw a post on Reddit detailing a new peer-to-peer money called Bitcoin. He later began mining the cryptocurrency out of his childhood bedroom in Brooklyn, New York.

"It was early enough that I remember a time when I didn't know where to even buy bitcoin," Sekniqi told Insider, adding that it was worth only a few cents. "The only place you could buy it was from some guy on Craigslist."

While working towards his Ph.D. at Cornell University in 2016, he worked on a research project that would later become Ava Labs the developer behind layer-1 blockchain Avalanche with Professor Emin Gn Sirer and fellowdoctorate student Maofan "Ted" Yin.

Bitcoin, Sekniqi said, had its shortcomings and he wanted to build an open, permissionless system "from the ground up" in a "totally different way."

"I was familiar enough with Bitcoin technology to know that it's great in a lot of ways and faulty in a lot of other ways," he said.

Avalanche is dubbed a likely competitor to Ethereum. Unlike the largest smart contract network, however, Avalanche fully operates on a proof-of-stake system, which lends itself to faster transaction speeds and lower gas fees. But Ethereum still has an overwhelming dominance in the multi-billion-dollar decentralized finance, or DeFi market.

The company is reportedly looking to raise $350 million at a $5.25 billion, according to a Bloomberg report from April 13, citing sources familiar with the matter. It announced a $230 million private token sale on September 16, led by crypto funds Three Arrows Capital and Polychain.

Ava Labs previously partnered with consulting giant Deloitte to use its blockchain as a way to streamline funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

While many see crypto as a speculative asset class, developers are investing in blockchain technology in a different way by building DApps, or decentralized applications on their networks. This is how, Sekniqi said, Avalanche will become the "Apple of the blockchain world."

The layer-1 distinguishes itself from competitors because it has the optionality to both build on its blockchain and provide existing infrastructure for builders to customize their own. After launching in September, Ava Labs said it could handle 4,500 transactions per second.

"We want to make this process completely seamless," the 28-year-old exec said.

Popular DeFi projects like Chainlink, SushiSwap, and Aave have all built on Avalanche.

"Developers of these custom blockchains have complete control over the design, with the only requirement being to participate in securing the core platform," John Wu, president of Ava Labs, previously told CNBC.

A competitor to the layer-1 includes Solana, which offers similar low transaction fees. In the coming months, Ethereum is slated to begin a series of upgrades on its network called "The Merge" or Eth2. This will cut the blockchain's transaction time significantly, giving competitors, dubbed"Ethereum killers,"a run for their money.

There are no Ethereum killers, Ryan Wyatt, CEO of Polygon Studios, told Insider.

"Ethereum is here to stay. It's going to be a critical layer-1 for the world," the former Google executive said.

Avalanche's native token, AVAX, experienced a steep price decline in tandem with broader markets. The token, which is the 12th largest by market cap , is down 41.6% on the month, per crypto research firm Messari.

The token, however, had a brief bump in its price after crypto investment firm Valkyrie announced an Avalanche Trust for accredited investors to gain exposure to its ecosystem. As of May 4th, the fund has reportedly secured $25 million, according to Coindesk.

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Avalanche Will Be the 'Apple of the Blockchain World': Ava Labs Exec - Business Insider

Citi backs Crowdz, a Pipe competitor that just raised $10M for its blockchain-powered invoice financing marketplace – TechCrunch

Recurring revenue as an asset class is a relatively new concept, and made more popular by startups such as Pipe, which has built a marketplace connecting investors to companies with businesses that have predictable, recurring revenues.

While Pipe has gone on to so far raise over $300 million and was valued at $2 billion last year, another player has quietly been building a company in the same space with a laser focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operating in global supply chains. That player, Crowdz, recently secured $10 million in financing co-led by Citi and Dutch growth equity firm Global Cleantech Capital, with participation from Bold Capital Partners, TFX Ventures and Augment Ventures.

Put simply, Crowdz started out by giving small and medium-sized businesses a way to sell invoices for financing to funders. Now, the company aims to help companies with recurring revenue access upfront capital they need without having to dilute their equity by taking venture dollars or take on loans. Specifically, its latest offering is designed to serve subscription, membership and SaaS (software-as-a-service) service companies. For its part, Pipe came out of the gate with the same SaaS focus but has since expanded to working with non-SaaS companies as well.

Payson Johnston and Steven Lee started Crowdz in 2014 after working as B2B supply-chain senior managers for global processes at Cisco. That experience led the pair to start Crowdz, and they bootstrapped the company for its first five years. In 2019, Barclays Bank and Bold Capital Partners co-led a $5.5 million Series A funding round for Crowdz. To date, the startup has raised a total of $25.5 million.

A major challenge when running a business is getting enough funds to cover operating costs, especially in the early stages, Johnston said. While revenue you generate from the sale of products and services can pay for some expenses, it may not be enough to cover costs that need lump-sum working capital for example, opening a new store, marketing new products or buying expensive equipment. We are focused on how we can help the SMEs improve their cash flow so they can thrive. Thats really a main driver for us.

With this latest investment, Crowdz and Citi plan to collaborate based on that goal of giving SMEs rapid and efficient access to the working capital needed to keep their businesses running. Crowdz claims to be the only non-bank fintech that is offering both invoice-based and recurring revenue financing.

Over time, Crowdz has financed $55 million in receivables by funding more than 20,000 invoices. In other words, it has provided more than $55 million in working capital for SMEs. The company has loaded about $2.2 billion of receivables on its platform, and its goal is to help more than 25,000 SMEs by financing over $1 billion in receivables by next year. It recently signed a signficant deal with Facebook to finance up to $100 million worth of invoices for minority and diverse-owned businesses throughout the United States. Crowdz makes money by taking a basis point from dollars funded. With its new recurring revenue offering, it is starting to look at subscription models.

So while Campbell, California-based Crowdz operates a marketplace as Pipe does the startup says it goes beyond connecting SMEs with investors. It also integrates with SMEs accounting, payment processing and banking systems with the goal of allowing SMEs to get paid early at competitive rates. By offering invoice and recurring revenue financing, Crowdz says it wants to help SMEs have a greater shot at success by opening up access to capital.

We both service the SMEs by being able to buy receivables, invoices and SaaS contracts through our marketplace, which brings other funders together, said Johnston, who serves as the companys CEO. Or, we can white label it out with organizations like Citi, Meta and the city of Detroit. Our big thing now is signing these channel agreements that we are going to expand very rapidly.

The companys strategy is currently focused on that white label offering, which today generates about 80% of its revenue, Johnston told TechCrunch.

Were not trying to go directly to SMEs were really going through enterprises and financial institutions, Johnston said.

But perhaps what is most unique about what Crowdz is doing is that it was built on Ethereum since 2017.

We are a tech play underneath, Johnston explains. The startup has filed 10 patents so far and Johnston and Lee say data science is at the heart of everything the company does.

For example, Crowdz has developed what the startup describes as proprietary risk scoring that gives banks, financial institutions and DeFi lenders access to attractive risk-adjusted, diversified returns, while helping to plug the SME finance gap.

Right now the way banks and other financial institutions risk rate companies is they look at their financial statements, their cash flow, balance, cash flow statements, and profit and loss. They may use nine months of historical data to try to predict future behavior, Lee told TechCrunch. Through the use of these micro-transactions called invoices, were able to incorporate that data and be able to predict the financial health of a company in almost real time.

The companys latest financing is part of an ongoing $200 million investment from Citi into technology creating social impact, and was led by its Spread Products Investment Technologies (SPRINT) team, the strategic investing arm of the banks Global Spread Products division. It follows Crowdz recent partnership with Meta to power the social media giants SME financing program.

Katya Chupryna, Citi, head of SPRINT, told TechCrunch via email that her team set out initially looking for a company focusing on SaaS receivables space.

Its thesis, she added, was that the uniformity and reliability of enterprise SaaS fees would make such cash flows attractive targets for asset-backed financing and, eventually, securitization essentially creating a new asset class.

We quickly found that most incumbents focusing solely on the financing of SaaS receivables lacked reliable data and market traction to sufficiently validate their business models, Chupryna said. Crowdz, however, had an established invoice receivables marketplace product and a stress-tested risk scoring methodology, two key elements that gave us confidence in their ability to expand to recurring revenue financing.

She said Citi saw an opportunity to build accretive relationships between the startup and the financial institutions existing portfolio companies, many of whom could greatly benefit from reliable access to non-dilutive working capital.

Chupryna believes Crowdz product offerings are both multifaceted and flexible and applicable to a wide range of disparate business areas.

When we analyze potential investment opportunities, we lean towards companies that can solve multiple pain points and create opportunities for multiple Citi businesses, effectively widening and diversifying our strategic commercialization plan with the company, she said. In other words, SPRINT is looking for long-term partners with whom we can commercialize various undertakings.

For his part, co-founder Lee said he grew up in a pretty rough part of LA and has always been viewed as an underdog. He joined the U.S. Army, and is a combat veteran an experience that left him disabled.

Truly for me, Crowdz is an underdog story, because we want to help out the small and medium-sized businesses and put them on a level playing field with the bigger guys, he told TechCrunch. My dad himself owned a laundromat so I know how much he struggled as a small business owner. I continue to live this underdog story and the fact that our company is really focused on small and medium businesses is extremely compelling and inspirational for me.

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Citi backs Crowdz, a Pipe competitor that just raised $10M for its blockchain-powered invoice financing marketplace - TechCrunch

What Is Blockchain And What Are The Legal Challenges? – Fin Tech – Ireland – Mondaq

To print this article, all you need is to be registered or login on Mondaq.com.

This technology only emerged over 10 years ago from a paper "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic CashSystem" written by Satoshi Nakamoto (or a person orpersons using a pseudonym... the mystery continues). Is it allabout Bitcoin? No. It's more than all thecryptocurrencies.

Like many technologies, it was invented to solve one problem andothers saw its potential for use elsewhere.

Matheson's Technology and Innovation Group have prepared aninteractive Introduction to Blockchain publication toanswer key questions such as:

Our publication sets out a number of examples ofhow Blockchain is being used, or new projects that are underway,including:

As with all new technologies, new legal challenges emerge thatneed to be addressed and solved, including:

Trust comes with greater global awareness (without the hype andhorror stories), actively delivering on the promise of a greenerfuture, and solving the legal challenges head-on.

The content of this article is intended to provide a generalguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be soughtabout your specific circumstances.

POPULAR ARTICLES ON: Technology from Ireland

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There has been a large coverage in the media about NFT and Metaverse during the last year which also continues this year. Indeed the "tokenmania" that has taken roots within the ...

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What Is Blockchain And What Are The Legal Challenges? - Fin Tech - Ireland - Mondaq

Applied Blockchain Announces Upcoming Conference Participation – GlobeNewswire

DALLAS, May 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Blockchain, Inc. (Nasdaq: APLD) ("Applied Blockchain" or the "Company") today announced its participation in the 17th Annual Needham Technology & Media Conference, the 22nd Annual B. Riley Institutional Investor Conference and the D.A. Davidson Bitcoin & Blockchain Conference.

17th Annual Needham Technology & Media ConferenceThe 17th Annual Needham Technology & Media Conference is being held virtually and in New York, New York May 16-18, 2022. Applied Blockchain management will be hosting one-on-one meetings with investors and Chairman and CEO Wes Cummins is scheduled to present on May 17, 2022 at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Time. Those interested in attending the presentation may join here and a replay will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Companys website.

22nd Annual B. Riley Institutional Investor ConferenceThe 22nd Annual B. Riley Institutional Investor Conference is being held in Los Angeles, California May 25-26, 2022. Applied Blockchain management will be hosting one-on-one meetings with investors and Chairman and CEO Wes Cummins is scheduled to present on May 26, 2022 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

D.A. Davidson Bitcoin & Blockchain ConferenceThe D.A. Davidson Bitcoin & Blockchain Conference is being held in New York, New York on June 2, 2022. Applied Blockchain management will be hosting one-on-one meetings with investors.

About Applied BlockchainApplied Blockchain Inc. (Nasdaq: APLD) is a builder and operator of next-generation data centers across North America which provide substantial compute power to blockchain infrastructure and support Bitcoin mining. The Company has partnered with the most recognized names in the industry to develop, deploy, and scale its business. Find more information at http://www.appliedblockchaininc.com. Follow us on Twitter at @APLDBlockchain.

Investor Relations ContactsMatt Glover or Jeff Grampp, CFAGateway Group, Inc.(949) 574-3860APLD@gatewayir.com

Media ContactCatherine AdcockGateway Group, Inc.(949) 574-3860APLD@gatewayir.com

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Applied Blockchain Announces Upcoming Conference Participation - GlobeNewswire

Utah Governor approves of blockchain and digital innovation task force – Cointelegraph

After nearly a three-year-long discussion about establishing a task force to oversee blockchain and crypto initiatives, the governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, signed a bill to create the Blockchain and Digital Innovation Task Force.

The Utah State Legislature first saw the introduction of the house bill (H.B. 335) in early February 2022, which took nearly two months to pass through several senates, house and fiscal actions before finally being signed by Governor Cox on March 24.

Some of the primary duties assigned to the task force involve making policy recommendations related to blockchain and related technologies. A part of the bill reads:

According to the bill, the task force in Utah will consist of up to 20 members with diverse expertise in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency and financial technologies. Out of the lot, up to five members will be appointed by the president of the Senate, up to five members by the speaker of the House of Representatives and up to five members by the governor, among others.

In addition, the bill also requires the Utah Division of Finance to provide staff support to the task force. The policy recommendations also entail the development of non-financial incentives for industries in the state related to blockchain, financial technology and digital innovation.

Upon establishment, the task force is required to report annually on or before November 30 to two committees of the Utah State Senate the Business and Labor Interim Committee and the Legislative Management Committee.

Related: SEC doubles down on crypto regulation by expanding unit

As state and federal regulators explore the least disruptive scope of crypto adoption, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced plans to double the number of personnel responsible for safeguarding investors in cryptocurrency markets.

As Cointelegraph reported, the SECs Cyber Unit, which includes the Crypto Assets and Cyber team, will hire 20 new people for 50 dedicated positions including investigative staff attorneys, trial lawyers and fraud analysts.

SEC Chairperson Gary Gensler welcomed the move while highlighting the success of the Cyber Unit in bringing down fraudulent activities in the crypto space, stating:

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Utah Governor approves of blockchain and digital innovation task force - Cointelegraph

Tailor Insight Releases Report on ‘Main Trends of Blockchain and Crypto in 2022’ – Yahoo Finance

HONG KONG, CHINA / ACCESSWIRE / May 9, 2022 /Tailor Insight, the Asia based market research institute, has released a report on 'Main Trends of Blockchain and Crypto in 2022'. In 2022, it is unexpected that the booming of De-Fi market, as well that of NFT. In addition, a growing number of traditional financial organizations entering the crypto scene, increasingly believing crypto are here to stay. Here are some interesting trends of blockchain industry:

First, Blockchain technology appears the most suitable way to the various 5G IoT challenges

It can potentially help to solve many problems around security as well as scalability due to the automated encrypted and immutable nature of blockchain. It is expected to hear about more pilot projects and initial use cases in this field during 2022.

Metaverse application is another top blockchain trend in 2002

Metaverse is the emerging universe where there will be 'immersive' experiences with new technologies like blockchain, augmented reality, virtual reality etc. Without blockchain technology the Metaverse would be incomplete because everything would be stored in the centralised network.

Blockchain will enable the upcoming of a new wave of social networks that could be bigger and even better than the existing ones that are now synonymous with the word social media. Blockchain in 2022 is expected to run multiple platforms on Metaverse with NFTs and cryptocurrencies. Digital assets like NFTs will thereby De-Fine ownership on the Metaverse and cryptocurrencies will power the new digital economy.

CBDCs is becoming popular

With 80% of the world's central banks now exploring Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) projects during 2021, according to the Bank of International Settlement, the year 2022 will see a further breakthrough. Governments worldwide realise that cryptocurrencies are here to stay and the majority of CBDCs are being introduced to ensure their monetary system stays relevant to consumer demands and not necessarily to eradicate the use of Bitcoin and other private cryptocurrencies.

Story continues

De-Fi is quickly emerging as a transparent and permissionless way for users.

This year the value of assets in De-Fi reached more than $180 bn and expectations are that this will further rise in 2022. As there is an increasing need to replicate physical items properties like uniqueness, ownership proof, we will see a further uptake of the De-Fi market as well as the arrival of more dedicated De-Fi applications. Upcoming regulation, as well as the growing acceptance that crypto is here to stay, may in the longer term lead to more convergence between traditional or centralised finance (CeFi) and decentralised finance (De-Fi).

NFTs is a new story

The remarkable growth of the NFT market in 2021 is expected to continue in 2022. As almost everything is becoming digital, there is an increasing need to replicate physical items properties like more uniqueness, ownership proof and scarcity. The Metaverse concept that was earlier described will bring plenty of new opportunities for innovative NFT use cases.

Various new use cases including gaming, music, ticketing, post on social media etc. are entering the NFT market attracted by the various benefits and the profits that can be made.

However, the risks and challenges this market is confronted with will ask for regulatory intervention. This raises the importance of having an international regulatory body of non-fungible tokens for its better regulation and legalization. The outcome could have a great impact and will be decisive for the future of NTFs. It is however still uncertain how that will proceed.

About Tailor Insight

Tailor Insight offers deep insight into industry trends in the financial market. Tailor Insight provides easy and quick solutions that allow customers to capture, monitor, and audit market data from a holistic view down to an individual task on market research and industry trend insights, especially in AI, AR, VR and Blockchain industries.

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Brand: Tailor Insight LimitedContact: Eric Lee, Crypto and Blockchain Industry Analyst at Tailor InsightAddress: Rm C21, G-Floor Greenland Court, No. 88 Ma Tau Wai Road, Kowloon, Hong KongEmail: cs@TailorInsight.comWebsite: https://www.tailorinsight.com

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Tailor Insight Releases Report on 'Main Trends of Blockchain and Crypto in 2022' - Yahoo Finance

Lootex makes headway in the blockchain space, co-curates the first Metaverse Fashion show in Asia – PR Newswire

The collaboration with Lootex and OneOffs is a step in the right direction for the first metaverse NFT fashion show in Taiwan. The co-curation of "Fashion in The Metaverse,'' has collected artists from The Sandbox Foundation: An An, TongYangChicken, Nest, Beryll Chen, Carina Chen, and game art designer Nora C. These talented artists were invited to design: a futuristic sci-fi fashion catwalk with the avatars created in The Sandbox'sVoxEdit. Each avatar is casted into a limited-edition NFT and put on the Lootex website forsale. The exclusivity of each avatar will only enhance the collector's experience in the ever-growing metaverse. It is still to be given a date but buyers of these avatars can expect some cool perks that will allow them to show off not just the art in the real world but also flex their stylistic choices in the metaverse.

Recap of Lootex Metaverse Fashion Event:View Here

The latest collaboration extends the existing partnership betweenLootex and The Sandbox, which started in2018.This is part of a broader partnership between Lootex and The Sandbox that also adds The Sandbox Co-Founder Sebastien Borget as an advisor and investor of Lootex. The CEO and Co-Founder of Lootex, Justine Lu, is the organizer of the Global Blockchain Game Alliance, also co-hosted the VoxEdit NFT creation event and Game Jam game design competitions for The Sandbox. Lootex is proud to be a long-term partner with The Sandbox, and expects to see more game developers and creators utilizing The Sandbox to make the next generation of metaverse assets and games," Lu said. The support from such a huge contributor to the future of the metaverse and its assets makes it clear that Lootex is on the path to not just being pioneers in their fieldbut a major player in NFT marketplaces.

Beyond The Sandbox, Lootex's player-centric, cross-chain NFT trading platform is constantly updated to reflect the latest developments in blockchain games. The creativity interwoven with both physical and virtual worlds is the reason Lootex is on its way to being the one-stop-shop that can't be denied. Providing their 80,000 active users with a decentralized multi-chain NFT marketplace, Lootex will surely open the path to more impressive projects. Coupled with the appreciation for the artists that are showcasing their amazing works, we would not be surprised to see more collaborations of this caliber.

About Lootex

Lootex is a player-centric, cross-chain NFT trading platform that shares the latest blockchain game info. It is devoted to building a gamer-centric game asset marketplace where anyone can easily browse and trade game assets across multiple blockchains.

For the latest updates and announcements, follow Lootex on these channels:

Website: http://www.lootex.io

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LootexIO

Telegram (EN):www.t.me/lootexIO

Telegram (CN): http://www.t.me/lootex

Medium: http://www.medium.com/lootex

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/lootexio

Facebook:www.facebook.com/lootex.io

Media contact:[emailprotected]

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Lootex makes headway in the blockchain space, co-curates the first Metaverse Fashion show in Asia - PR Newswire

GOSH launches as the first ever Git blockchain – PR Newswire

Developers will be able to transparently track and verify all the code they build while ensuring malicious code will be noticeable immediately.

KYIV, Ukraine, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Announced at DockerCon, GOSH launched as the first blockchain in history custom-built for git on-chain. GOSH has partnered with Docker to secure the software supply chain with the GOSH Docker extension. GOSH's mission is to offer a comprehensive solution to securing the global software supply chain, which has long been a big problem for businesses, and capturing the value locked in open source projects.

"Storing git on-chain is a no-brainer," said Mitja Goroshevsky, CTO of EverX and GOSH co-founder, "Attacks happen daily, and blockchain is the only technology which is widely used and is incredibly secure. The only problem: it was impossible to store git on-chain, until now. But GOSH isn't just about security, it's about offering developers a better git overall.

"Git management systems available today, apart from not being secure, are also not tailored to open source. The management of the software always involves handing over code to a centralized party, and there has so far been no community management of code. GOSH changes this by allowing developers to turn their git repositories into a DAO and build consensus around your code."

The current software supply chain is vulnerable to security and transparency risks, and containers are particularly susceptible. Because of this, the team behind GOSH is delighted to announce their first partnership. The GOSH Docker extension is a tool to verify that Docker containers built on GOSH remain secure and unchanged. Developers can be sure that the container itself was built only using the components they indicated in their smart contracts.

Using GOSH requires no workflow adjustments from developers, and is still very much a git. Only now, developers will be able to transparently track and verify all the code they build, instead of just relying on social metrics, such as stars and ratings. Code can be tracked to distribution, and all the elements of software are traceable back to the source code, also ensuring malicious code will be noticeable immediately.

GOSH is already actively working with Amaze and BitRezus on making sure their supply chains are air tight. "Here at Amaze we have become passionate about NFTs. A cornerstone of a new and exciting technology that promises to create great value to our customers, from creators to entrepreneurs, we now offer them the opportunity to mint and create minted templates for NFTs," said Aaron Day, CEO of Amaze, "The nature of the services we provide means safety is top priority. We need to make sure that when users deal with financial tools their funds aren't in any danger. GOSH technology can guarantee that our code is developed and delivered in a secure way so software is never compromised."

BitRezus CEO Konstantinos Antonakopoulosadded: "Astropledge works to prevent cybercrime and securely provide software to satellites using the best technology for the task: the blockchain. Our aim is to protect assets sent to space from the dangers posed from hackers or human error. Adopting GOSH is a natural evolutionary step for us, seeing as it is the only blockchain that secures the services we provide in delivering software to a satellite, securely."

About GOSH

GOSH stands for Git Open Source Hodler. It is a decentralized community Git blockchain, purpose-built for securing the software supply chain. GOSH is the first and only formally verified Git implementation. Built as an advanced scalable multithreaded and multi-sharded blockchain, it allows developers to build a layer of structural security smart contracts therefore making it the first platform where the more code you write the more secure it becomes. It was founded on May 10th, 2022.

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EY Integrates Wharton Executive Education’s Economics of Blockchain and Digital Assets Certification Program Into Its Leadership Development Strategy…

NEW YORK, May 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced a new collaboration with Wharton Executive Education to combine already-leading EY industry experience with a world-class learning institution. The Economics of Blockchain and Digital Assets certification program provides a group of EY professionals with the tools they need to maintain EY's position at the forefront of these emerging topics and technologies.

As a Principals-level member of The Wharton Partnership, a network of corporations and foundations that help field Wharton's contributions to the world, this newest initiative furthers EY's relationship with the School.

"At EY, we take pride in anticipating major industry moves, bringing leading skill sets to our clients, and providing deep industry experience and insight. This kind of investment and collaboration supports that strategy," says Steve Beattie, EY's co-leader for cryptocurrency consulting services.

Throughout this extensive, individually paced program, an initial EY leadership team will participate in a comprehensive curriculum, ideate with their peers, and complete a capstone project to build on existing knowledge of use cases and the economic fundamentals driving blockchain, smart contracts, and digital assets.

This initial EY cohort is part of a broader strategy to expand participation both locally and globally. The program has also been customized to best align with EY's strategic objective to help build, connect, and protect the financial services ecosystem.

"We are excited about this collaboration with EY, which enables Wharton to support a group of industry leaders through a course that will advance their skills in complex topics that are gaining momentum and are vital to the future of a frictionless financial services industry," said Dr. Cathy Barrera, founding economist at Prysm Group and industry lead of the program.

"These topics promise to offer a potential new way of conducting business, whether it's progressive use of cryptocurrency, tokenization of products, or even communicating and sharing in new ways within the metaverse," said Beattie. "It's an exciting time to invest in our leadership on these topics."

This initial cohort will be underway in May, with future waves of leaders participating going forward.

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping create long-term value for clients, people, and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform, and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax, and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data, and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation, are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

ABOUT THE WHARTON SCHOOL

Founded in 1881 as the world's first collegiate business school, the Wharton Schoolof the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With a faculty of more than 235 renowned professors, Wharton has 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education'sindividual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 100,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. For more information, visit http://www.wharton.upenn.edu.

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2 Key Employers Takeaways from Professional Sports Continued Adoption of Crypto and Blockchain Technology – JD Supra

As cryptocurrency and blockchain technology continue their way into the mainstream, one key industry that stands out for its adoption of blockchain technology is professional sports. Professional leagues and teams have been among the first employers to realize the potential use cases for Blockchain technology and its ability to create an unmatched fan experience. Within the last month alone, two of the largest sports leagues in the world, the UFC and the NBA, have launched various cryptocurrency initiatives designed to enhance the fan experience. And the path they have begun to walk could provide helpful guideposts for employers in all industries as they consider how to properly integrate crypto and blockchain in their businesses.

UFC and NBA Lead the Way

Mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) began paying its fighters bonuses in Bitcoin payments through a partnership with the UFCs cryptocurrency partner Crypto.com. The bonuses are paid through a voting process where the fans chose the top three fights from a PPV called the Fan Bonus of the Night and began earlier this month at UFC 273.

Meanwhile, the NBA Playoffs are in full gear and many of the series have been very exciting. The playoffs are the NBAs prime season and this year the NBA minted Association NFTs unique digital assets recorded on the blockchain that indicate ones ownership over the asset that look like digital basketball cards for every player in the playoffs. Whats really interesting is that these NFTs are marketed as Dynamic because the players image, as well as the background and frame of the NFT, will evolve based on the players real-time performance and their teams performance.

2 Key Considerations for Employers

There are two key considerations that these developments can teach employers in all industries: the consideration of employee v. independent contractor status, and the importance of collective bargaining where necessary.

Paying Independent Contractors v. Employees

While both new crypto initiatives should help create a more immersive and engaged fan experience, these projects also highlight issues for employers to consider. First, there is no doubt that paying employees in cryptocurrency has been a hot topic in 2022 as employers and businesses are working hard to understand what they need to know about this relatively new practice.

UFC fighters, however, are not considered employees of the UFC. Rather, the UFC, like the WWE and many other competitive professional sports conferences, leagues, and teams, have been known to utilize independent contractor arrangements for their competitors.

Paying independent contractors in cryptocurrency can provide several unique advantages to both the business and the independent contractors over their typical payment system. As one example, if a business pays an independent contractor in cryptocurrency, the independent contractor will be paid quicker. Not only is paying in cryptocurrency inexpensive, but it is nearly instantaneous which can serve as a significant recruiting benefit allowing a business to recruit top talent. Considering the ever-growing global remote workforce, and especially the diverse pool of talent from different countries, introducing crypto payment can be a seamless and cost-effective payday solution.

Moreover, in the typical business setting, retaining independent contractors can provide massive savings on labor costs, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, taxes, and benefits. It can also reduce potential liability relating to most wage-and-hour and discrimination laws and issues under Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and immigration laws.

Despite these benefits, the risk of misclassification is significant. It has consistently been a hotly contested issues for litigation in both individual and class action lawsuits. Employers evaluating whether to pay independent contractors in cryptocurrency or fiat dollars should consider the following: It is the law in the state in which you operate that defines whether someone is truly an independent contractor, not the contract that they signed.

Depending on where you operate, the elements of the legal test determining contractor status may look slightly different. However, a misclassification finding, no matter where you are, will expose you to a same set of problems: claims of unpaid wages, meal and rest breaks violations, unpaid overtime, and related penalties. In certain cases, these problems can also turn into complicated class actions that will undoubtedly pose a straining financial burden for your team.

If you have independent contractor relationships, whether you pay them in crypto or traditional methods, you should consider consulting with your workplace counsel to ensure the arrangement is legally proper in your area.

Collective Bargaining Considerations

Another key issue for many employers that can be taken from these developments relates to collective bargaining obligations. Similar to just about every professional sports league in the country, many employers have employees that are represented by a union. The National Labor Relations Act requires leagues to bargain with their players union over any change to the players wages, hours, or other terms or conditions of employment. These categories are interpreted broadly in favor of a collective bargaining obligation.

Understanding the scope of this obligation is critical, as a failure to bargain can result in an unfair labor practice charge and prolonged proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board. Outside of professional sports, the same requirements exist for employers when attempting to make changes in these categories.

In some cases, collective bargaining is relatively straightforward, with each side making proposals and eventually compromising in one direction or another. In the context of professional sports, as well as general labor negotiations, the negotiations can be drawn out and contentious. In the professional sports context, it is not unusual for there to be either a strike or a lockout of the players by the league. Within the last 20 years, each of the major U.S. professional sports leagues have endured a work stoppage during collective bargaining negotiations.

Items like NFTs, which may impact revenue generation, receive extra attention at the bargaining table. The key question is typically how revenue will be allocated among players (or workers) and owners. For sports that use a salary cap tied to league revenue, the parties also need to decide whether revenue generated from NFTs should be included. In a typical employer-union relationship, this could include questions such as increases in wages, additional paid time off, and improved retirement, health insurance, or other benefits.

The NBA, for its part, was one of the first professional sports leagues to develop NFTs. It has worked with blockchain company Dapper Labs since 2019 on the popular NBA Top Shot. While NFTs are not defined specifically in the current NBA Players Association collective bargaining agreement, the league has the right to market media (broadly defined to include, among other things, digital media). But any use of any players player attributes in promotional activities must be jointly licensed by the NBA Players Association. Consistent with these provisions, The Association NFTs for this years playoffs are jointly licensed by both the league and the players union.

As it relates to collective bargaining, ensuring that there is meaningful bargaining over any change to an employees wages, hours, or other terms or conditions of employment is critical. You should pay careful attention to the terms used in your CBAs, especially in areas of emerging or changing technologies or practices such as crypto and blockchain. Again, the best way to determine your legal obligations in this regard is to consult with your workplace counsel before starting down this path.

Conclusion

While the law surrounding NFTs may still be unclear, NFTs are unmistakably transforming the future of sports memorabilia.

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2 Key Employers Takeaways from Professional Sports Continued Adoption of Crypto and Blockchain Technology - JD Supra

Blockchain-Based Climate Impact Projects Respond to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Request for Information on Climate…

SAN FRANCISCO, May 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, in response tothe White House Office of Science and Technology Policy's (OSTP)Request for Information on the Energy and Climate Implications of Digital Assets, the Blockchain Infrastructure Carbon Offset Working Group along with over 30 projects leveraging blockchain technology for climate impact have independently and jointly submitted public comments for consideration by the OSTP. The submissions signal the entrance of the rapidly scaling ReFi industry into federal policy discussions around future regulatory frameworks for digital assets and blockchain technology.

Led by the Blockchain Infrastructure Carbon Offset Working Group (BICOWG), whose membership includes cutting-edge ReFi projects likeKlimaDAO,Offsetra, andRegen Network, as well as representatives from the largest blockchain infrastructure service providers likeF2Pool for Bitcoin mining pools andstakefish of proof-of-stake validators, the industry today presented its formal response to the OSTP's request for information along with President Biden'sExecutive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets. Key recommendations made by the industry include:

BICOWG's 5 Recommendations

Recommendation 1:Accept expert advisory and due diligence blockchain solutions being adopted for carbon markets to ensure appropriate verification, governance, and transparency.

Recommendation 2. Regulate in favor of mechanistically resilient methodologies provided by on-chain solutions that can satisfy the needs of improving today's traditional carbon markets.

Recommendation 3:Allow Web3 tools to help carbon registries lower the cost of auditing claims to as close to zero as possible and de-incentivize opaque auditing processes.

Recommendation 4:Support integration between existing standards-setting bodies and Web3 technologies through the articulation of their standards to be adopted in the Web3 ecosystem. These can include the management of cryptographic keys and oversight of the composable protocols that interact with each other in a setting of composable blockchain applications in the climate ecosystem.

Recommendation 5:Support the Web3 carbon bridge sector in its task to increase the transparency and integrity of carbon accounting systems, challenging carbon registries.

Daniel Hwang, from BICOWG, said, "The climate crypto ecosystem of operators within thetokenized carbon market have understood the responsibilities for addressing the climate impacts of blockchain and have made significant innovative strides in climate impact financing and novel climate-neutral products"

The BICOWG is extending an invitation to officials and organizations for a comprehensive dialogue around data points and use-cases at the intersection of digital assets, climate change, and blockchain technology.

"Blockchain technology brings unparalleled transparency, accessibility, and functionality to the carbon markets. In the last 6 months, more than $2B USD worth of carbon assets has been traded on the blockchain. In the process, the market has established clear pricing and deep liquidity for carbon assets enabling new investment into environmental projects that generate real action toward the fight against climate change," said Sy Zygy, product lead at KlimaDAO.Said Sy Zygy, Co-founder of KlimaDAO.

The BICOWG believes that organizations using Web3 tools to finance climate change reversal are uniquely positioned to assist regulators in determining how to achieve the goals set forth by the Biden Administration.

For additional information, please contact Natacha Rousseau at BICOWG's Press Office.

Natacha Rousseaunatacha@loalabs.io

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Open the new experience with Bitkub Blockchain Technology – Nation Thailand

NFT Creator Studio zone With the first time grand opening to the users, NFT Creator Studio will allow any users to mint NFT on their own. In addition, NFT Creator Studio is a new feature on Bitkub NFT, the NFT leading platform in Thailand, which will be rolled out soon in the near future. Also, on the NFT Creator Studio zone, the users will be able to receive free NFT to set as profile pictures on social media by using the Bitkub NEXT wallet. After finishing the trial from this zone, the users will receive the NFT key as a reward to redeem a special gift at the event.

Metaverse zone With the first time grand opening to the users, Bitkub Metaverse will allow the users to open new experiences in the virtual world via VR technology. After finishing the trial from this zone, the users will receive the NFT key as a reward to redeem a special gift at the event.

Merchandise Store by Bitkub Academy zone In this zone, the users can enjoy shopping for merchandise from the Bitkub Academy zone. Indeed, after collecting all NFT keys, the users can redeem them for a special gift which is the DEV KUB Hybrid shirt limited edition, exclusively for developers. In the future, the owner of this limited shirt will be allowed to participate in the Bitkub Chain developer project. After finishing the trial from this zone, the users will receive the NFT key as a reward to redeem a special gift at the event. Do not miss it! Lets join Bitkub Chain at the event and collect all NFTs for special gift redemption including DEV KUB limited edition shirt, Bitkub M Social privilege, NFT from PunkKUB and another special gift from Bitkub Chain.

Follow for more news and updates

Website : https://www.bitkubchain.com/

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/bitkubchainofficial

Twitter : https://twitter.com/bitkubchain

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Telegram : https://t.me/+jiM6dAP5cxUzZTM1

#BitkubChain #BitkubBlockchainTechnology #CryptoExpo2022 #KUBCoin

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IKA BLOCK signed a cooperation agreement with CYBAVO, the leading blockchain information security in Asia. – GlobeNewswire

Hongkong, China , May 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IKA BLOCK, a hong kong blockchain developer, announced that it has signed a cooperation agreement with CYBAVO, a leading Asian blockchain information security company in Taiwan, to expand the Asian and APAC markets and provide professional security services for all Hong Kong companies planning to develop blockchain business. Ensure the security of corporate virtual currency assets.

Taiwan's blockchain security team "CYBAVO VAULT" - CYBAVO was established in 2018 by a group of senior information security experts with backgrounds in blockchain security, cryptography, computer security, malware analysis and network security. It is safe and powerful, it is a digital asset management platform that mainly assists different companies to provide the best solution for protecting assets in their cryptocurrency industry. The CYBAVO team has a lot of international experience and foresight to provide a sound password management mechanism for the information security of digital assets. In the middle of last year, CYBAVO stood out in the Pitch event held by the 2021 SelectUSA Investment Summit, the highest standard business event organized by the US Department of Commerce, and won the first place in the information security briefing competition.

IKA BLOCK, a local blockchain developer, was jointly established by several senior software engineers in 2017. It is the first hong kong blockchain technology company focusing on blockchain technology, project development, wallet security and assisting customers to promote blockchain projects. Harry Chan, director of blockchain technology of IKA BLOCK, believes that the virtual currency market has developed rapidly in the past few years, and the security protection of assets is the foundation of all development. How to balance security and convenience in Private Key management is also the most challenging problem at present. There is a lack of secure institutional-level end-to-end solutions. Due to financial security issues, such as many exchanges, wallets, and celebrity NFT projects have been hacked and stolen, many traditional companies are afraid to enter the blockchain market. Therefore, blockchain security is definitely the most important battlefield in the blockchain industry. Through cooperation with CYBAVO, IKA BLOCK is confident that it can protect the assets of more companies and witness the new era of "fiat to crypto assets" with CYBAVO .

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CYBAVO announces partnership with IKA BLOCK to expand footprint in APAC

https://www.cybavo.com/blog/cybavo-ikablock-partnership/

CYBAVO official website: https://cybavo.com

IKA BLOCK official website: https://ikablock.com

Media Details:

Name: IKA BlockEmail:media@ikablock.comCity: HongKongCountry: HongKong

There is no offer to sell, no solicitation of an offer to buy, and no recommendation of any security or any other product or service in this article. Moreover, nothing contained in this PR should be construed as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any investment or security, or to engage in any investment strategy or transaction. It is your responsibility to determine whether any investment, investment strategy, security, or related transaction is appropriate for you based on your investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. Consult your business advisor, attorney, or tax advisor regarding your specific business, legal, or tax situation. Newsroom: abrelease.submitmypressrelease.com

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IKA BLOCK signed a cooperation agreement with CYBAVO, the leading blockchain information security in Asia. - GlobeNewswire

The latest NFT? The Salvation Army is releasing an album by Houstons Billy Dorsey on the blockchain – Houston Chronicle

The Salvation Armys most famous fundraiser for families in need is a decidedly analogue affair: volunteers, sometimes dressed as Santa Claus, ringing bells next to red kettles into which kind passersby can place their change. But its newest fundraiser resides on the blockchain.

The Salvation Army is releasing an NFT - music recorded by Houstons Grammy Award winner Billy Dorsey, who was once homeless in the Fifth Ward. Dorsey won a Grammy for co-producing Houston rapper Lecraes album Gravity, and has his own solo album, Marathon.

TOMLINSON: Take Megan Thee Stallions advice, get on the blockchain

An NFT is a digital token indicating ownership of a unique asset; they have drawn headlines for allowing the sale of things that before would have been difficult to claim ownership of, including memes, digital sports cards and Jack Dorseys first Tweet.

In the Salvation Armys case, the NFT will provide ownership of a unique piece of art and unlock access to The Safest Place, an album by Dorsey written specifically for the fundraiser. It will also serve as a ticket to the premier of The Safest Place documentary, which will be shown in Houston.

After I overcame being homeless, I knew that I wanted to help others get off the street and back on their feet, Dorsey said in a release. Now, by bringing my passion for music together with the popularity of NFTs, we will be able to create more of an impact to continue to support the amazing work done by the Salvation Army.

On HoustonChronicle.com: The gospel according to Marathon man Billy Dorsey

The NFTs original release date, spring of 2020, was pushed back because of the COVID pandemic, according to the projects website. Already, it has brought in more than $2.5 million, which has been used to help house more than 407 families.

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The latest NFT? The Salvation Army is releasing an album by Houstons Billy Dorsey on the blockchain - Houston Chronicle

Vigor Loop Is Introducing A New Way Of Commerce Implementing Blockchain Technology – Benzinga – Benzinga

With $OVO Coin, Vigor Loop is bringing reality beyond fiction and redefining the future of businesses.

Over the past few years, Blockchain technology has evolved significantly, and now it is time to see businesses implement it. Six ambitious entrepreneurs launched Vigor Loop with the mission to bring to the world the most innovative company introducing and implementing the Blockchain system. With them, the business of tomorrow has arrived and we may be entering a new era of commerce.

They believe that Blockchain has the potential to give humanity the means to make the world a better place. Aiming to move this future forward by finding new and engaging ways to accelerate mass adoption and bring non-crypto people on board. It has never been done before and was time to give a newest utility to crypto outside its speculative bubble, and start bringing real benefits to huge masses of people.

Introducing Vigor Loop and the $OVO Coin as the ideal business model of nowadays which breaks all the established standards. Vigor Loop is the first company with unlimited ownership giving investors the possibility to own and manage a part of it by purchasing $OVO Coins. Those investors would constantly receive passive income from the profits made by the company after sell

Vigor Loop began its commercialisation in May, with over 20 products available including their unique Energy Drink among other clothing and GYM Accessories.

The Vigor Loop Original Energy Drink was carefully designed to improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle as it contains botanical extracts, vitamins and nootropics, while excluding the harmful ingredients found in many other beverages.

Along with this key product, the team works hard to expand and diversify their commercial branches to reach huge quantities of customers by creating new products without losing sight of their values.

As part of their ambitious roadmap, they claim and prove that they are developing other concepts for deployment in the last quarters of this year. A mobile App is under development and will bring to its users features including: free workout programs, eLearning platform and a personalized space for their investors where users will be able to control their investments, monitor finances, trade and stake the $OVO Coins. This App will be released in the summer while their first NFT collection will start minting. By that time they will be settled for their biggest deployment of 2022, the VL Smart Recycling Box. This concept will play an important role in sustainability, as it will allow everyone to easily recycle containers of beverages while being rewarded. Through the use of the VL Smart Boxes, users will receive rewards via the mobile App and indistinguishably the material of the container recycled, they will receive $0.07/container allowing them to directly donate it or exchange it for $OVO Coins.

Being the exclusive token within the Vigor Loop ecosystem along with BNB, the $OVO Coin is built for maximum efficiency and utility. Its main purpose is to symbolize the shares of the corporation. It can also be traded like any other crypto coin, however the Vigor Loop team highly recommends every investor to stake their $OVO Coins in order to receive attractive monthly income.

One of the Vigor Loop CO-Founders, Dylan Sanz Garcia, announced that the company has been successfully settled after achieving all rights and approvals required. This led his team to publish the day of the $OVO Coin Launch on 18th of May. Furthermore, the presale and fundraising for the project will start on the 15th of May from 12:00 PM (GMT), taking place on the Pinksale platform. All kinds of traders and investors regardless their location or financial status are welcomed to partake.

For more information visit:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/vigorloop

Website: https://vigorloop.com

Telegram: https://t.me/VigorLoop

For updates follow @VigorLoop on Twitter and Instagram.

Media ContactCompany Name: Vigor Loop CoContact Person: Dylan Sanz Garcia Email: Send EmailCity: LondonCountry: United KingdomWebsite: vigorloop.com

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BTCS Adds Kava to its Blockchain Infrastructure Operations – The Bakersfield Californian

Silver Spring, MD, April 27, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BTCS Inc. (Nasdaq: BTCS) (BTCS or the Company), a blockchain technology-focused company, announces the addition of Kava (Kava) to its blockchain infrastructure operations. Growing from a $3M Initial Exchange Offering in 2019, Kava is now a $913M layer-1 blockchain protocol with a decentralized lending platform at its core.

What is Kava? Kava is the native token of the Kava.io platform, which allows users to borrow the stable coin, USDX, and deposit a robust variety of other digital assets to earn a high yield. Kava uses price oracles to maintain the USDX price with the U.S. dollar. Price oracles can be thought of as data feeding bridges that are able to receive pricing information from the outside world and bring that data to a network.

In addition to decentralized lending, Kava is used for validator rewards that are distributed for maintaining the network. Kava can also be staked to earn voting rights that can determine proposal outcomes such as expansion decisions, new crypto asset support, and new features on the platform.

Kavas Unique One Network, Two Chains Approach Kava takes a cross-chain approach to decentralized finance (DeFi). Upon its launch, it became the first DeFi project deployed on the Cosmos blockchain. Instead of just relying on one cryptocurrency, Kava allows its users to leverage and hedge almost any asset that they want, supporting a multitude of different assets. Yet, despite being built on Cosmos, Kava supports Ethereum by enabling Ethereums developers and decentralized applications to build on the Kava platform. To this end, Kava founded a $750M initiative called Kava Rise aimed at onboarding developers to its platform.

Kavas cross-chain infrastructure speaks to a major part of the BTCS mission because it runs on two different Proof-of-Stake blockchain networks already supported by our infrastructure operations Cosmos and Ethereum, Michael Prevoznik, Chief Financial Officer of BTCS, said.

In addition to holding 250,543 Kava with a fair market value of approximately $1.3M, the Company secures Ethereums consensus layer by running 240 Ethereum validator nodes, which is similar to Bitcoin mining, and has staked 8,213 ETH. Further, the Company has staked 83,716 ATOM, the native token of Cosmos.

BTCS Kava Validator Node Generating Revenue In addition to generating revenue by running a Kava validator node, BTCS has completed the technical work to integrate Kava into its planned staking-as-a-service platform once launched. The process of blockchain validation includes special intellectual property (IP), technical know-how, and regular maintenance to ensure efficiency. Staking allows users to generate an annual percentage yield (APY) on their staked assets whereas validator node operators charge a fee on users staked asset rewards in addition to earning an APY on staked crypto. The highly scalable nature of both staking Kava as well as allowing users to stake Kava to earn token rewards is the premise behind BTCS Staking-as-a-Service platform that is currently being developed.

About BTCS: BTCS is an early mover in the blockchain and digital asset ecosystem, and the first Pure Play U.S. publicly traded company focused on blockchain infrastructure and technology. Through its blockchain infrastructure operations, the Company secures Proof-of-Stake blockchains by actively validating blockchain transactions and is rewarded with native digital tokens. The Company is developing a proprietary Staking-as-a-Service platform to allow users to stake and delegate supported cryptocurrencies through a non-custodial platform, which it plans to integrate with its Digital Asset Dashboard, now in beta release. BTCS proprietary Digital Asset Platform currently supports six exchanges and over 800 digital assets, and the Company plans to further broaden its suite of performance-tracking tools, add additional centralized and decentralized exchanges, as well as wallets, and stake pool monitoring. For more information visit: http://www.btcs.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements. Certain statements in this press release, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws including statements including its plans for its staking as a service platform and its non-custodial platform. Words such as may, might, will, should, believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, continue, predict, forecast, project, plan, intend or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation the rewards and costs associated with staking or validating transactions on blockchains, continued drop in crypto prices, significant decrease in value of our digital assets and rewards while locked up, loss or theft of the private withdrawal keys resulting in the complete loss of digital assets and reward, unanticipated issues which delay the development of our platforms, and regulatory issues as it relates to our planned platform and activities as well as risks set forth in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investor Relations: Dave Gentry RedChip Companies, Inc. Phone: (407) 491-4498 btcs@redchip.com

Public Relations: Mercy Chikowore m.chikowore@btcs.com

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BTCS Adds Kava to its Blockchain Infrastructure Operations - The Bakersfield Californian

Evanston Capital Announces Final Closing of Blockchain Venture Fund of Funds – Business Wire

EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evanston Capital Management, LLC (Evanston Capital), an alternative investment management firm, announced that it completed the final close of ECM Blockchain Fund I LP with $58 million in capital commitments. The fund closed above its original target of $50 million.

Evanston Capital believes that blockchain technology has the potential to contribute to breakthrough advances in a variety of business applications globally across industries. The fund provides investors with access to what Evanston Capital believes are leading blockchain venture capital managers that are primarily focused on early-stage investing. The fund intends to provide global exposure across blockchain investment verticals, including infrastructure, gaming, NFTs, Web3, decentralized finance and other segments that have the potential to deliver asymmetric returns.

Weve been following the rapid developments in the blockchain space and investing in strategies with blockchain exposure for more than five years, said Adam Blitz, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Evanston Capital. We established a dedicated investment committee to develop expertise, source and underwrite ideas in this space, leveraging our longstanding private markets network. Members of the blockchain investment committee include Blitz, Maneesh Gandhi and Michael Liddy, all partners at Evanston Capital.

A concentrated fund-of-funds approach allows greater diversification, providing exposure to a wider spectrum of emerging blockchain investment opportunities than a single manager approach. We are very optimistic about how blockchain technology can be applied to create new disruptive business models in financial services, real estate, consumer services and other industries, and we are starting to see glimpses of this occurring, said Maneesh Gandhi.

Blockchain has become a magnet for entrepreneurs and software development talent, and we think that foreshadows rapid advancement of real-world applications that investors should want exposure to early in their lifecycles, added Michael Liddy.

Evanston Capital expects the funds capital to be nearly fully committed to underlying funds by the middle of 2022.

About Evanston Capital

Evanston Capital Management, LLC (Evanston Capital) is an active investor in hedge funds, private equity, venture capital and blockchain and other strategies such as thematic equity that it believes can meet investors needs for total return, alpha, and diversification. Since Evanston Capitals inception in 2002, a key focus of the firm has been identifying early-stage investment managers it believes are capable of generating long-term value-added returns in complex, innovative strategy areas. Today Evanston Capital has more than 175 institutional investor relationships entrusting the firm with approximately $4.8 billion in assets under management (including uncalled capital commitments). For more information, please visit http://www.evanstoncap.com

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Evanston Capital Announces Final Closing of Blockchain Venture Fund of Funds - Business Wire