Year: 2023

Ethereum layer 2 developer, Polygon Labs, commences Polygon 2.0 ecosystem aimed at establishing an interconnected Ethereum system with high throughput and low fee transactions. This ecosystem evolution highlights the adaptability of blockchain technology but raises questions about the impacts on established contracts and practices.

Ramp Network, a start-up providing payment infrastructure, adopted the Pix payment system of the Brazilian Central Bank fostering its penetration into South America. This integration not only increases accessibility to cryptocurrencies but also ignites market volatility concerns due to regulatory uncertainties.

“Deutsche Bank has partnered with cryptocurrency platform, Taurus, aiming to offer cryptocurrency custody to its customers. Taurus will provide custody and tokenization technology compliant with local regulations. Despite its forward-thinking approach, the volatile nature of crypto markets presents a financial risk.”

“EY has invested $1.4 billion in AI technologies, targeting the development and launch of the EY.ai platform to aid organizations in adopting AI. The architecture is rooted in EY’s large language model, and gains extra potential through a partnership with Microsoft. The investment is also geared towards integrating AI into existing EY services.”

“The Web3 ecosystem is progressively altering the blockchain narrative through the Ethereum Merge, which transitions from energy-intensive proof-of-work consensus to a greener, environmentally friendly proof-of-stake system. This change attracts eco-conscious activists, triggers innovation in regenerative finance, and encourages blockchain-based projects to offset their carbon footprint.”

“Google Cloud is partnering with Web3 startup, Orderly Network, to develop user-centric developer tools with an aim to mainstream decentralized finance (DeFi). The goal is to lower barriers preventing widespread adoption of decentralized technology amid growing interest in blockchain workloads.”

Goldman Sachs views the boom of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as not a bubble, but the beginning of an AI revolution. The firm predicts global AI investments to reach $200 billion by 2025, attributing this expected surge to the expansive economic opportunities offered by generative AI. Despite this optimism, cautious investment approach has been advised.

“Southeast Asian tech giant, Grab collaborates with stablecoin operator Circle to test a Web3 wallet in their superapp, offering non-fungible token (NFT) vouchers to users. They aim to mainstream blockchain tech and integrate stablecoins into daily transactions. However, issues around data privacy and security underscore the need for clear regulation in this largely uncharted territory.”

“Sui Network has announced the integration of a Zero Knowledge Login (zkLogin) feature, allowing users to interact with decentralized applications (DApps) through their social media details. This approach aims to simplify DApps access, especially for users with limited knowledge on ‘web3’.”

“Grab, Southeast Asia’s largest tech startup, has partnered with Circle to bring Web3 services to Singapore through ‘Grab Web3 Wallet’, encouraging the adoption of stablecoins, digital assets, and smart contracts. However, this move comes amidst a market environment filled with regulatory uncertainty, particularly concerning digital currencies, causing us to question whether these technologies will be allowed to flourish or be stifled by regulation.”

“Mauve, a decentralized exchange, is among the first non-custodial exchanges legitimized as a virtual asset service provider by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority. The exchange aims to trade compliant, real world assets, thus opening up avenues for secondary markets for on-chain real-world assets such as fixed income securities.”