Blockchain & Digital Assets

February 11, 2022 @ 3:51 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ocean Protocol, the decentralized data exchange protocol that taps into data for AI, is pleased to confirm the introduction of DataX Protocol, an initiative financed via OceanDAO, Ocean’s community-curated grants program. DataX Protocol has a lineup of various DeFi tooling solutions for datasets in the… Read More

February 11, 2022 @ 12:07 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

METL is introducing what it claims to be the first-ever decentralized fiat gateway infrastructure of its kind “bridging Web 2 to Web3 in collaboration with Prime Trust and Avalanche.” METL’s roots date back to 2018 when the first MVP was created, in order to demonstrate… Read More

February 11, 2022 @ 9:09 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Algorand Foundation has confirmed the appointment of Staci Warden as its Chief Executive Officer. Warden, who has served on the Algorand Foundation’s Board since September of last year, steps into the additional role of CEO effective February 11, 2022. Warden has reportedly led international… Read More

February 11, 2022 @ 8:46 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Bitcoin payment provider OpenNode has finalized a $20 million Series A round that was led by U.K. firm Kingsway at a $220 million valuation in order support its international  expansion. Other participants in OpenNode’s investment round include Twitter, venture capital investor Tim Draper and Avon… Read More

February 11, 2022 @ 8:38 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Salesforce told its workers at a sales kickoff this Wednesday that the firm intends to launch an NFT (non-fungible token) Cloud. This, according to sources familiar with the matter (and cited by CNBC). As covered, NFTs are provably unique digital assets (and collectibles) that are… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 8:54 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Kirobo this week announced NFT capability has been added to its Liquid Vault, a non-custodial on-chain wallet. The update also expands its capacity to integrate with decentralized finance (DeFi) services on supported blockchains. The DeFi ecosystem has also shot up in total value locked, offering… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 7:07 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

DriveWealth, a provider of fractional investing and embedded finance, recently announced the acquisition and launch of two wholly-owned subsidiaries, DriveLiquidity and DriveDigital, as the company unveiled its plans to offer cryptocurrencies to partners and their retail investors. Following the completed acquisition of Crypto-Systems, DriveWealth’s new… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 5:48 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Aventus Network – the layer-2 blockchain protocol that brings scalability, speed, and lower costs to Ethereum transactions – this week announced its native utility token AVT has been listed on crypto exchange Coinbase. This listing marks a significant breakthrough for Aventus Network, the company said,… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 5:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week, the House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing on stablecoins or digital assets tied to fiat currency. The Hearing was driven by the recent report by the President’s Working Group (PWG) on Financial Markets. While stablecoins are not (yet) systemically worrisome,… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 3:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

As part of a SPAC deal, Binance will invest $200 million in Forbes – the largely business-focused publication. Last year, it was announced that Forbes would merge with SPAC sponsor Magnum Opus Acquisition Ltd (OPA.N), a blank check firm targeting the global consumer, technology, and media… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 2:52 pm By Tony Zerucha  |  

Pillow, a DeFi startup that helps generate yields on crypto, has raised $3M in seed funding led by Elevation Capital and crypto angels including DeFi Pulse co-founder Scott Lewis, Polygon co-founders JD Kanani and Sandeep Nailwal, FalconX co-founder Prabhakar Reddy, and Aniket Jindal, co-founder of… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 12:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Compute North, a key player in sustainable, large-scale computing infrastructure, has announced that it has finalized its growth capital round of $385 million, “comprised of $85 million in the initial Series C equity closing, co-led by Mercuria and Generate Capital with additional investors including National… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 12:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Skale Chains run an EVM client that is based on Ethereum. DappRadar announced that it’s going to be integrating the Skale Network and its ecosystem of decentralized applications (dApps). For now, the team invites dApp developers and end-users to learn more about the scalable, EVM-compatible… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 10:32 am By Omar Faridi  |  

GMX, a decentralized spot and perpetual exchange that supports low swap fees and zero price impact trades, is currently live on Avalanche. Via this integration, users are able to trade AVAX, BTC, and ETH “with up to 30x leverage, with lower risk verifiable liquidation directly… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 9:15 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Mark Zuckerberg‘s Meta is teaming up Fintech Chime in order to go after (alleged) Nigerian scammers that the firms claim have been using social media channels to trick or deceive unsuspecting users out of their hard-earned cash. As reported by Newsweek, the lawsuit marks the… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 9:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Draper Goren Holm, a VC group that is focused on blockchain technologies including DeFi and digital assets – including securities, is returning to an in-person gathering in 2022 as COVID shutdowns diminish. This coming May, DGH will bring together noted crypto investors Tim Draper, Anthony… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 8:23 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Home-grown startup PDAX (in the Philippines) has announced that it acquired over $50 million in funding, led by Tiger Global. Tiger’s investment completes the firm’s Series B round of funding, which began with $12.5 million back in August of last year. Alex Cook, Partner, Tiger… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 8:22 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is watching. It likely will not be long before the first enforcement action against a Non-Fungible Token (NFT) issuer is announced. The 80+ enforcement actions the regulators have taken to date on cryptocurrency, digital assets, and Initial Coin… Read More

February 10, 2022 @ 8:18 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Deel, a Fintech that has been co-founded by Alex Bouaziz, has been expanding its business operations and focusing on UK-based firms. Deel, a remote worker platform, has started taking digital currency payroll payments from firms, which it then provides to working professionals wherever they might… Read More

February 9, 2022 @ 11:01 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Silicon Valley Fintech Alchemy has acquired $200 million, making it the latest crypto firm to achieve unicorn status (valued at $1 billion or more). Led by VCs Lightspeed Partners and Silver Lake, Alchemy’s Series C investment round takes the firm’s valuation to $10.2 billion —… Read More