NFT – Non-Fungible Token

Crypto fall continues meanwhile, is DeFi really decentralized?

Metizens can already attend concerts, visit art galleries and earn money in a metaverse, writes Joe Caselin of Hex Trust. What’s coming next?

Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), one of the most successful non-fungible token (NFT) collections, is joining hands with Animoca Brands — a Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming, metaverse and NFT company — to develop a play-to-earn game utilizing BAYC’s popular avatar NFTs, according to a company statement. Fast facts The new game, which will feature play-to-earn […]

Justin Kan, co-founder of livestreaming platform Twitch, announced he will be launching Fractal, a new marketplace for gaming non-fungible tokens (NFTs). While the OpenSea NFT marketplace may be the largest, Fractal is not competing directly — it is betting on a niche in gaming NFTs. Fast facts The announcement comes days after a Twitch plug-in […]

Non-fungible token minting platform PlayNFT wants to enable Twitch streamers to offer NFTs to their audience without needing to leave the Twitch platform. Fast facts Blockchain games studio Enigma Games is using Enjin’s Efinity blockchain on PlayNFT, the studio’s NFT minting platform, to build a plug-in that will allow Twitch’s 9.2 million streamers to use […]

Gamers and developers gather at the annual Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum to discuss how video games may evolve in the future.

Shibu Inu coin struggles, meanwhile could blockchain an inflation hedge solution?

Gaming is increasingly defined by NFTs, play-to-earn and the metaverse, writes Charlie Baillie of Ampverse. Will Asia continue to lead the hottest gaming trends?

Singapore-based Brytehall is to co-host a new non-fungible token (NFT) art auction with bike manufacturer Specialized on Dec. 16, to sell an artwork of a bicycle named “enishi-E” created by Japanese artist Kosuke Masuda, both physically and digitally in an NFT. Fast facts Kosuke described the bike to be auctioned as an “alive” one, for […]

Animoca Brands — a Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming, metaverse and non-fungible token (NFT) company — said it held US$15.87 billion worth of digital assets at the end of November, reflecting robust growth in its metaverse business units. Fast facts Animoca Brands said in a statement released Wednesday that in the first three quarters of this […]

New OpenSea chief financial officer Brian Roberts has clarified that the company is not actively planning for an initial public offering, days after his comments riled the OpenSea NFT community. Fast facts In a tweet on Wednesday, Roberts wrote: “There was inaccurate reporting about @OpenSea’s plans. Let me set the record straight: there is a […]

Tough measures in India’s crypto bill meanwhile, NFTs are becoming a hot Christmas gift

OpenSea IPO plans in choppy waters. Crypto markets crumble. Bitcoin mining power struggles.

Gaming giant Ubisoft is launching Ubisoft Quartz, a new platform for players to obtain what it calls “Digits” — essentially non-fungible tokens (NFTs) playable in a mainstream game — according to a company statement. Fast facts The first such NFT will appear in beta with Tom Clancy’s “Ghost Recon Breakpoint” on Ubisoft Connect for Windows […]

South Korean game shares fell sharply, just a few weeks after announcements of new NFT metaverse ventures sent the shares up.

Brian Roberts, who recently resigned from ride-sharing firm Lyft, has become the first CFO of OpenSea and is charting a course for its initial public offering, according to a Bloomberg report. Fast facts Roberts, who previously worked at Microsoft and Walmart, is set to step down after a seven-year stint at Lyft. Roberts will, however, continue […]

The lead artist behind the breakthrough non-fungible token series “Bored Ape Yacht Club” (BAYC), known as All Seeing Seneca, has released a new set of NFTs over the weekend at Dfinity’s Iconoclast gallery event at Art Basel Miami, according to the artist’s Twitter profile. Fast facts With over US$1 billion in sales attributed to the […]

Terry Gou, founder of Foxconn, which manufactures components for Apple’s iPhone, said Saturday at an event that mainstream monetary finance could not really be decentralized and only an underground economy would adopt cryptocurrency, as reported by Taiwanese local media Economic Daily News. Fast facts Gou later said in a Facebook post — to clarify comments […]

NFTZ opened for trading on the NYSE in the midst of turmoil and fears of inflation and Omicron.

NFT privacy concerns meanwhile AussieMates raises mental health awareness

Hollywood executive producer Niels Juul, who produced “The Irishman,” has founded a new startup called NFT Studios, in hopes of fully funding a film with non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Fast facts The startup’s first film, “A Wing and a Prayer,” will be based on the true story of Brian Milton, the first man to fly around […]

Much of the world has been living under lockdown over the past few years, and collective mental health has been severely impacted. One Australian firm is looking to raise awareness and funds to address the issue with a new Down Under themed non-fungible token series, according to a press release shared with Forkast.News. Fast facts […]

A new normal forced by the pandemic is bringing out a wave of creators and influencers for a decentralized economy, writes Alex Shkor of DEIP. Here’s what to expect in the year to come.

The non-fungible token (NFT) frenzy has extended to the luxury wine and spirits industry. The Dalmore, best known for its Scottish whiskies, has partnered with BlockBar, an NFT platform for luxury liquor brands, to offer a limited-edition liquor NFT with a set of The Dalmore Decades No.4 Collection, the brand said in a Wednesday statement. […]

The firm behind legendary sci-fi series Star Trek, Roddenberry Entertainment, has immortalized a key moment in entertainment history — in a way that may in time become an equally iconic moment in blockchain history. Gene Roddenberry’s signature on the first contract between himself and Lucille Ball’s Desilu Productions, which made Star Trek a reality, has […]

Shiba Inu and Luna on a tear, also K-pop bets on digital assets

The impresario behind superstars BTOB and (G)I-DLE tells Forkast.News there’s ‘no upper limit’ to how much Cube will invest in NFTs and a metaverse for concerts.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) featuring famous traditional Chinese paintings by culture studio Rongbaozhai have been successfully transferred from China’s Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) WenChang Chain to the OpenSea marketplace on the Ethereum blockchain, a milestone in the development of interchain NFT technology. Fast facts The transfer was made on Nov. 16 across four blockchains: WenChang Chain […]

Omicron hits markets meanwhile Japanese novel released as NFT

SK Square, a new investment firm under one of South Korea’s largest conglomerates, SK Group, chose cryptocurrency exchange Korbit as one of its first investments. The two companies aim to upgrade the trading platform’s environment in order to deliver more accurate and trustworthy investment information to users, and plan future businesses in the metaverse and […]

To mark the release of the third installment in the latest Spider-Man trilogy, theater giant AMC and Sony Pictures are offering 86,000 non-fungible tokens for fans who pre-order tickets to the film, which opens on Dec. 16, AMC CEO Adam Aron announced via Twitter. Fast facts Amid rising concerns of the environmental impact of NFTs […]

Miyuki Ono’s science fiction story “Pure” is being released as NFT (non-fungible token) copies to create a new channel of income for writers and translators who are currently insufficiently compensated for their work. Fast facts “Pure” is one of world’s first Japanese science fiction works released as an NFT, while also being the first NFT […]

Metaverse picks up momentum, on the other hand Binance tweet gets yellow card

As the NFT zeitgeist sweeps the world, the industry’s beating heart is in Asia, writes David Tng of TZ APAC. Here’s how Asia’s NFTs are changing business models.

The metaverse has been the hottest trend in tech this past month and tokens attached to metaverse projects are showing that growth with the Sandbox’s SAND and Decentraland’s MANA are both up over 600% in the past month to reach all-time highs of US$8.51 and US$5.90 yesterday, respectively, according to CoinMarketCap. Fast facts The Sandbox […]

Luxury fashion houses set trends that trickle down to the rest of culture. Here’s where brands like Prada and Burberry are headed on the blockchain curve.

Dunamu, the operator of South Korean crypto exchange Upbit, launched a beta service of “Upbit NFT,” an NFT (non-fungible token) trading platform, while another K-pop agency, FNC Entertainment, plans to launch its first NFT collection. Fast facts Upbit NFT consists of two sections, Drops and Marketplace. Drops is where NFTs will be put up for […]

The digital print of the U.S. Constitution grew an estimated 35% in value by the time Ken Griffin made the winning bid, surely ushering in more NFT interest.

The 118-year-old Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post released a white paper today on its non-fungible-token (NFT) project called ARTIFACT, as well as announcing the launch of the first series of collections of historical events called ARTIFACTs by SCMP. Fast facts ARTIFACT is a project that the SCMP designed to tokenize their reports of […]

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) says some NFTs (non-fungible tokens) will be taxed from next year, overturning the finance minister’s stance on the topic announced just last month. The scope of taxable NFTs is yet to be determined by the tax authorities. Fast facts The FSC’s vice chairman Doh Kyu-sang said at the national […]

American lifestyle guru Martha Stewart auctions a storytelling NFT recounting her first, disastrous Thanksgiving dinner.

Korea stands firm on NFT games, meanwhile Laos introduces crypto regulations

Despite the global boom of play-to-earn games, South Korea will still ban blockchain-based video games that reward cashable NFTs.

As interest in the metaverse continues to gain pace, big names in entertainment including Snoop Dogg, deadmau5 and Shaun Neff have joined leading crypto VC firm Outlier Ventures to invest and advise start-ups to accelerate the Open Metaverse. Fast facts Since launching its Base Camp Accelerator in 2019, Outlier Ventures has helped raise over US$250 […]

Blockchain-powered iVote.ph lets users ‘vote’ on NFTs depicting presidential candidates in the Philippines. Can the underlying technology be trusted?

Taproot unlocks Bitcoin opportunities meanwhile Mintable aims big

Movie director Quentin Tarantino is being sued by Hollywood studio Miramax over his recent plan to auction off a series of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) based on his 1994 film “Pulp Fiction.” Miramax alleges that Tarantino’s planned offerings violate the copyright it holds to the director’s film, including the rights to the property he intends to […]

How to sift through millions of NFTs before buying? NFT marketplace Mintable is hoping to attract more users with these new organizing and ranking features.

South Korea a metaverse hub, also NFTs go from digital to physical

In a speech, Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin notes the rise in cities experimenting with crypto, DAO and NFTs. What are the possibilities of blockchain cities?

Circle invests in JYPC meanwhile Baby Shark NFTs announced

South Korean financial companies bring investors results a month after their metaverse exchange-traded funds were listed, with one fund gathering nearly $170M in net asset value.

The maker of the catchy children’s song and dance video of Pinkfong Baby Shark is launching NFTs (non-fungible tokens) of its globally beloved characters with upgraded design and music. Fast facts SmartStudy, a South Korean educational entertainment company and the creator of the Pinkfong Baby Shark, announced a partnership with MakersPlace, a digital art marketplace. […]

Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming unicorn, announced today that it has teamed up with Cube Entertainment, a major K-pop entertainment agency, to form a joint venture dedicated to building a music metaverse and issuing non-fungible tokens (NFTs), joining a slew of K-pop labels to make forays into the NFT and metaverse space. Fast […]

Charities are just beginning to explore the potential of NFTs, writes Billy Sebell of XinFin Network. Here’s how NFTs can help raise big money beyond artwork auctions.

Only two days after hinting via Twitter that leading social media platform Discord may support Ethereum, company co-founder and CEO Jason Citron has clarified the platform “has no current plans” to integrate the two. Fast facts Tweeting in response to the original post, Citron thanked community members for their perspectives and reiterated the firm is […]

Ethereum’s sprawling Web 3.0 ecosystem — which includes the majority of the decentralized finance (DeFi), stablecoins, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and blockchain gaming worlds — continues to expand and draw users, with 3.4 million Ethereum addresses interacting with DeFi protocols, according to ConsenSys’ Web 3 Q3 2021 report published this week. Led by Ethereum co-founder Joseph […]

In a 48-second, computer-generated 3D animation, ROK uses a decentralized format to offer an ironic take on China’s internet giants crowding to host the shopping holiday.

The digital artist who helped launch the non-fungible token craze earlier this year, Beeple, has sold his first physical artwork and accompanying NFT for US$28.9 million at a live Christie’s auction in New York on Tuesday night. Fast facts Beeple’s first physical work “Human One” is a seven-foot-tall box with LED screens on each side […]

Panel looks at best practices in news coverage from Decrypt Media, CoinDesk, South China Morning Post.

Co-founder and CEO of popular social media platform Discord, Jason Citron, has hinted at integration with Ethereum via wallets such as MetaMask by tweeting a screenshot of Discord connecting to the world’s number two blockchain along with the caption “probably nothing.” Fast facts It came in response to another tweet by writer Packy McCormick, which […]

One of South Korea’s largest entertainment agencies, SM Entertainment, plans to create future content under its SM Culture Universe (SMCU) metaverse in NFTs — according to its founder Lee Soo-man at Solana’s Breakpoint 2021 conference. Fast facts Lee said SM’s own metaverse, the SMCU, needs to be a place for creation where K-pop prosumers can […]

Speaking at the Singapore FinTech Festival, Ethereum’s creator discusses DeFi adoption and why he expects Ethereum’s ‘killer ecosystem’ to grow over the next few years.

Ethereum hits new all-time high meanwhile South Korea says NFTs not virtual assets

The country will follow global crypto guidelines in excluding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from its categorization of virtual assets — meaning income from NFTs may remain untaxed in Korea.

The idea of the metaverse has gone from the realm of science fiction to the latest business model of major companies from Facebook to Nike. What do metaverses powered by blockchain look like, and why is there so much interest in Decentraland?

BTS’ label dreams bigger than just dominating the K-pop world — they want to digitize the IP even more.

Information Technology (IT) firms in South Korea set up shop in the realm of the metaverse, with their first step being non-fungible token (NFT) platforms.

One of Asia’s largest fintech events returns for its sixth year with a hybrid format of live and virtual sessions. Regulators, corporations and experts share what’s important now in crypto.

Sebastien Borget, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox tells Forkast.News how NFTs and an open and decentralized metaverse is transforming the way we live, work and play.

The big-money world of NFTs is also attracting hackers, thieves and con artists. How do you know if that Ape NFT or digital Banksy is fake?

China’s tech cut ties to NFTs as Squid Game token leaves users questioning its legitimacy.