Search results: Metaverse

Many gamers still oppose NFTs and blockchain gaming, overlooking the myriad benefits of the latest technology, writes Ramona Ciocea of Protokol.

Square Enix announced Wednesday that it will launch its first Web3 game Symbiogenesis on the Polygon blockchain.

Blockchain protocol Conflux Network and China’s second-largest wireless carrier China Telecom have partnered to build a “blockchain-enabled SIM card” (BSIM).

DBS Digital Exchange (DDEx), one of Asia’s first bank-backed digital exchanges, has reported a year-on-year increase of 80% in Bitcoin traded in financial year 2022, while the number of Bitcoin custodized with the bank doubled from 2021. 

The United Arab Emirates plans to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC), among other initiatives, to become a financial and digital payment hub.

China’s Beijing Guoan Football Club has launched its first NFT collection, while building a virtual replica of its stadium.

Beijing’s market regulator warned that projects marketed in the country as non-fungible tokens or with metaverse-related concepts risk being involved in illegal fundraising or fraudulent activities.

Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com has partnered with Korean drama distributor Studio Dragon to issue NFTs inspired by popular Korean drama series, including the hit Crash Landing on You, the exchange said on Monday.

NFTs and DAOs can help support Japan’s national strategy dubbed ‘Cool Japan’ to attract investment and expand the economy.

India-focused accelerator Graviton has announced an initiative to help Indian Web 3.0 start-ups get up to US$50,000 in funding

Bitcoin’s price has had its best weekly run up since February 2021 in the seven days through Jan. 18, but is that the start of a bull run or setting up the optimists for a sucker punch? Experts share their predictions with Forkast.

Bitcoin and Ether rose in Thursday afternoon trading in Asia, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies, as investors anticipate signs of slower inflation in the upcoming Thursday release of the U.S. Consumer Price Index for December.

Animoca Brands Corp. has scaled down the target amount for its Web 3.0 and metaverse investment fund to US$1 billion.

Yosuke Matsuda, the president of Square Enix, has reaffirmed the gaming company’s commitment to blockchain technology.

Bitcoin and Ether prices gained on Friday morning in Asia, while other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization were mixed.

Bitcoin and Ether dropped slightly during Asian trading hours on Thursday afternoon, with XRP leading losses across the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

From Terra and FTX crises to Ethereum’s triumphant Merge and China’s inventive NFT industry, Forkast reviews a rollercoaster year and its consequences.

After a year of new all-time highs for major cryptocurrencies in 2021, 2022 was a challenging year for Web3. Industry experts tell Forkast what crypto has in store for 2023 and beyond.

While the collapse of FTX may invite more scrutiny for centralized exchanges, Binance’s Patrick Hillmann believes it could benefit the industry through more decentralization.

With Christmas around the corner we look at how religions are embracing blockchain and the metaverse.

Despite blockchain’s potential, barriers to use still stand in the way, writes Andrew Vranjes of Blockdaemon. Solving security issues and reducing risk will be key.

Top blockchain and crypto news: US senators push for crypto KYC. SBF faces the music in US courts. Alibaba Cloud to launch blockchain node.

With highly anticipated blockchain games set to hit the shelves in 2023, Animoca Brand’s Yat Siu sees the next opportunity to onboard the generation of crypto users.

The travel sector has many pain points and is ripe for disruption, writes Freddie Hickman of Hyper SQ. Here’s what blockchain can do, from tracking baggage to letting you resell your no-longer-wanted air ticket.

Several venture funds tell Forkast they have become conservative and are only investing in ‘true believers’ of Web 3.0

Japan’s ruling party approved a proposal that exempts companies issuing crypto from taxes on unrealized gains on retained tokens.

The trillion-dollar concert ticketing sector is plagued by scalping and other Web2-era problems, writes Ryan Kenny of SeatlabNFT. Here’s how blockchain can help fans and artists.

Stablecoins in USD are becoming the digital world’s default currency — which burdens ordinary crypto users and monetary policies in smaller nations, writes Wei Zhou of Coins.ph.

Bitcoin and Ether inched up in Asian trading on Thursday afternoon, with Shiba Inu leading gains across most top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether drop as SEC’s Gensler says crypto firms running out of time to comply with securities laws Fast facts See related article: FTX failure a ‘wake-up call’ for […]

Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin provider, will include the CNHT stablecoin on Justin Sun’s Tron network.

Amid the current crypto market carnage, Web3’s appeal for investors remains solid — and perhaps even stronger — says CVP NoLimit Holdings founder Gin Chao.

NFT investors seemingly see opportunities in a month full of surprises and headwinds for the broader cryptocurrency market.

Singapore-based crypto exchange MetaComp has been granted Singapore’s license, enabling it to offer digital asset exchange and custody services to institutional investors.

Bitcoin fell back below US$17,000 in Friday morning trading in Asia. Ether and all other non-stablecoin top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization also lost ground.

Employee accounts of life at Sam Bankman-Fried’s flagship cryptocurrency trading arm Alameda Research paint a picture of overworked and inexperienced millennials running a ship headed for the rocks: one seemingly escaped.

The Commonwealth of Dominica in the Caribbean reportedly issued its national crypto token, DMC, on Tuesday, in partnership with crypto exchange Huobi Global, TronDAO and DMC Labs.

Singapore-based DBS bank, the largest lender in Southeast Asia, has said it is the first bank in Asia to complete an intraday repurchase transaction on a blockchain-based network. 

The NFT ecosystem is doing better than what selective data would have us believe, writes Long Do of Anomura. But the sector should know that people want more than just a pretty picture.

NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, has partnered information technology firm Accenture and blockchain infrastructure Astar Network to explore Web 3.0 adoption.

Japan needs to further relax rules for its crypto industry, said lawmaker of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party Masaaki Taira.

Meta Platforms Inc. is planning its first significant mass layoff later this week that may affect many thousands of employees.

By excising cryptocurrencies from the ecosystem, crypto-hostile China could steal a march in enterprise blockchain, says Red Date Technology chief Yifan He.

People have been waiting seemingly forever for the arrival of Web3. So why hasn’t it changed our lives yet?

HashKey Capital Singapore, an investment arm of Hong Kong-based HashKey Group, said on Friday that it received an in-principle approval for the Capital Markets Services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Singapore blockchain-based carbon credits exchange Metaverse Green Exchange (MVGX) will partner crypto data provider Chainlink to explore tokenized carbon trading.

U.S. computer scientist Stuart Haber, recognized with Scott Stornetta as the co-inventor of blockchain, says he is excited to see the evolution of the technology, not only in the financial sector, but also in entertainment, business, and technology industries.

Bursting of speculative bubble described as a turning point in the evolution of digital assets as industry players and observers welcome promise of mainstream adoption and better governance.

Instagram will soon allow creators to mint and sell NFTs through the platform to buyers both on and off Instagram using an ‘end-to-end toolkit.’

Interconnectivity is on the way, even as various segments of the Web 3.0 ecosystem are largely disconnected from reality and one another, said Web 3.0 experts at Hong Kong Fintech Week on Tuesday.

A hybrid middle ground between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is necessary before full Web 3.0 integration, argued Jehan Chu, co-founder and managing partner of blockchain venture capital firm Kenetic Capital, adding that “it’s not the fully decentralized future we were promised, but it’s the one we’re going to get first.”

A hearing is scheduled in Singapore on a lawsuit filed against Terraform Labs’ Do Kwon on behalf of investors who lost about US$57 million in the collapse of Terra-LUNA.

Visa International Service Association on Oct. 22 filed two trademark applications that hinted at plans of launching a crypto wallet.

It is the one-year anniversary of Facebook’s rebrand as Meta, a major step in the company’s foray into virtual reality and Web3. However, in actual reality, not everything has gone to plan for the platform’s new parent company.

Meta’s metaverse division Reality Labs lost US$3.7 billion in the third quarter of this year, bringing its accumulated losses in 2022 to US$9.4 billion.

As a leading financial institution of South Korea, Shinhan is gearing up for business expansion into crypto — while a local ban remains on the books.

Meta is collaborating with a Taiwan LGBT advocacy group and a local cryptocurrency exchange to issue charity NFTs as part of the Taiwan Pride celebration.

The singer-actress and son Harrison Yu said they launched the Theirsverse NFT brand in New York to engage marginalized groups in the early building of Web 3.0.

Apple is allowing NFTs in applications, but will not allow them to be used to unlock in-app content or features.

Institutional adoption of Web3 in finance means getting traditional banks involved, which will in turn reshape the way banks work, says SC Ventures’ Alex Manson.

Fidelity Digital Assets will allow clients to trade Ether from Oct. 28, according to a company email shared by Fidelity’s customers via Twitter. See related article: Fidelity considers Bitcoin trading on brokerage platform: WSJ Fast facts Institutional investors will be able to buy, sell and trade ETH, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. “With the […]

Japan’s Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (JVCEA), the self-regulatory body that oversees local crypto exchanges, will allow platforms to list cryptocurrencies without an existing lengthy screening process, according to Bloomberg. See related article: Japan pushes for tougher crypto AML regulations amid N. Korean cyberattacks Fast facts The easing is expected to take place as […]

The crypto sector operates mainly in English, but more than 6 billion people — many of whom crypto would benefit the most — use other languages, writes Wei Zhou of Coins.ph.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Mark Zuckerberg’s empty metaverse. South Korea to roll out blockchain IDs. Macau bets on digital money.

The cryptocurrency market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to grow 10 times, according to a new report from MENA blockchain ecosystem, Crypto Oasis, released Monday at a blockchain conference organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre.  See related article: New hire in Saudi Central Bank to work on crypto regulations: report Fast […]

The apparel and luxury goods industry is leading in tradable non-fungible token (NFT) adoption, with major brands launching their own NFT collections, according to a new research study by CoinGecko. See related article: Apes still rule among the bears: NFT market falls for fifth straight month Fast facts The independent cryptocurrency aggregator found the apparel […]

Emerging markets dominated the 2022 Global Crypto Adoption Index, with Latin America second in transaction volume growth.

Original artworks are being set on fire and destroyed to be digitally reborn on the blockchain as non-fungible tokens. But, how far is too far in this recent incendiary trend?

Taiwanese laptop maker Asus has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) platform, marking its first attempt to venture into the burgeoning Web 3.0 industry, the company announced on Tuesday.  See related article: Apple iPhone maker’s founder distances himself from crypto fraudsters using his image Fast facts Asus launched Art Black hole on Tuesday, a platform for […]

The crypto market has been down for months, but the industry’s long-term future is brighter than ever, writes Guilhem Chaumont of Flowdesk. Here’s why.

‘Crypto Winter’ has touched all elements of the crypto market, and non-fungible tokens are no different.

Warner Music Group (WMG) has partnered with non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea, to allow some of the entertainment conglomerate’s artists to build their fan base in Web 3.0. See related article: Warner Bros., Nifty’s release ‘Space Jam’ movie NFTs Fast facts WMG artists will get early access to OpenSea’s new “drop” product, an initiative that […]

Amendments drafted by European Parliament members on anti-money laundering (AML) regulation removed provisions seeking compulsory identification for crypto transfers involving non-custodial wallets, according to crypto news outlet The Block reported on Thursday. See related article: EU seeks to limit banks’ crypto exposure  Fast facts See related article: Bitcoin, proof-of-work ban removed from European Union’s MiCA