Month: June 2023

Nansen and Kaiko’s partnership aims to provide comprehensive insights into transactions across centralized and decentralized exchanges. This collaboration offers a “holistic view” of the cryptocurrency market, allowing users to access combined datasets and make more informed investment decisions. However, the dominance of centralized exchanges raises concerns about their influence on the entire market.

The Faroe Islands have introduced “crypto stamps” with nonfungible tokens (NFTs) stored on the blockchain. By blending physical and digital properties, this innovative approach connects stamps to real-time weather data and offers a creative twist to traditional stamp collecting. However, concerns about NFTs’ environmental impact and potential for scams remain.

Algorand’s proof-of-stake blockchain recently introduced a significant protocol upgrade aimed at speeding up transactions and improving application development efficiency. The most notable enhancement is the block time reduction from 3.8 to 3.3 seconds, fostering competitiveness and user confidence in this ever-evolving space.

Bitcoin mining firm CleanSpark acquires two mining sites in Georgia for $9.3 million, aiming to achieve a 16 exahash per second (EH/s) hash power target by 2023. The acquisition contributes to a 15% increase in computing power, positioning CleanSpark as an energy-efficient miner. However, long-term profitability amidst market challenges remains uncertain.

Anichess, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, secured $1.5 million seed funding to develop a decentralized chess game, promising a community-driven, free-to-play experience with magical spells and unique strategic layers. The game aims for an alpha launch in 2024, with support from investors including GameFi Ventures, Coin Operated Group, and Bing Ventures.

A recent study by Yale University researchers found that crypto projects with a higher number of Twitter bot posts tend to have lower long-term returns. Analyzing over a million tweets about 48 cryptocurrencies, the study used an engagement coefficient system to identify artificial activity, revealing that low engagement coefficients correlated with low future returns on these projects.

Singapore-based QCP Capital and Japan-based SBI Alpha Trading executed the first-ever crypto options trade without a clearing house, using bitcoin as collateral on the UK-based Clear Market. The groundbreaking transaction utilized multi-custodian collateral network and innovative risk management techniques to mitigate counterparty risks, aligning with the International Swaps and Derivatives Association’s requirements for uncleared derivatives.

Wimbledon 2023 plans to incorporate AI-generated commentary and player analysis, developed by IBM’s WatsonX technology, to enhance fan engagement and offer insights into key moments across online platforms. However, this raises questions about potential impact on traditional commentary roles and opportunities for human commentators.

Mastercard has expanded its Engage program to facilitate cryptocurrency use in the card industry, aiming to expedite crypto card launches and enable crypto-to-fiat conversions. This move aligns with increasing interest from traditional finance companies in digital assets and showcases Mastercard’s commitment to fostering growth within the digital asset ecosystem.

Coding bootcamps offer immersive programs in technology fields, providing comprehensive training, hands-on projects, and career support. They cover essential programming concepts, web development frameworks, software engineering best practices, and professional skills, helping graduates secure employment in the tech industry.

Binance Labs and CoinFund co-led a $10 million funding round for Neutron, a cross-chain smart contract platform in the Cosmos ecosystem. The investment aims to develop Neutron’s blockchain software, allowing developers to create secure, user-friendly decentralized applications (DApps) across 51 blockchains.