Kategorie: Crypto Business

• Aptos Labs has partnered with NBCUniversal’s Universal Pictures to release a Web3 game for the Dracula movie Renfield.
• Players stand a chance to win several prizes, including digital collectibles.
• Renfield will be released in theaters on 14 April 2023.

Layer 1 blockchain platform Aptos has announced a new Web3 game based on the “Renfield”, a horror-comedy starring Nicholas Cage and Nicholas Hoult.

The Hollywood venture for Aptos comes as part of a collaboration with NBCUniversal, the parent company of Universal Pictures, the Aptos Labs team revealed on Friday.

Aptos goes to Hollywood 😎

We’re bringing movies to the Web3 era with FREE RENFIELD The Game, based on the horror-comedy Renfield!

🧛🎮 We joined forces with @NBCUniversal to pull fans deeper into Dracula’s universe.

Cinema magic meets Web3 innovation – brought to life by… pic.twitter.com/74M4rEhmSQ

— Aptos (@Aptos_Network) March 24, 2023

Renfield the Web3 game is on Aptos

Renfield is a vampire-themed movie that has Nicholas Cage starring as the centuries-long Count Dracula, and Aptos’ game offers players a chance for an immersive experience into the vampire’s universe, with a chance to win various prizes.

“NBCUniversal chose Aptos to bring FREE RENFIELD to life with digital collectibles, so fans can savor every last drop of the Renfield universe,” the Aptos team tweeted.

Among the prizes on offer with the free Renfield game are movie-inspired digital collectibles, custom Dracula inspired-jewelry, 24 carat gold bug jewelry, vintage Dracula film posters and a rare 1967 Dracula horror-themed pinball machine.

According to Aptos Labs, the game is currently open to residents in 50 states in the United States, including the District of Columbia. Only legal residents aged 18 or older are allowed. Renfield will be in theaters on 14 April 2023.

It’s the real f*cking Dracula and he’s one sucky boss🧛🏼‍♂️! Watch the new trailer for #RenfieldMovie, only in theaters April 14th. Get your tickets today: https://t.co/g9Sw3BlHBf pic.twitter.com/d0OsauyFtd

— Universal Pictures (@UniversalPics) March 22, 2023

Aptos Labs has over the past several months grown to be one of the biggest platforms for Web3 gaming developers.

In February this year, they debuted a new Software Development Kit (SDK) offering game developers tools that enhance interoperability and transparency in the gaming ecosystem. This followed its partnership with NPIXEL, a leading South Korea-based game developer, in November 2022.

The platform also has partnerships with digital payments provider MoonPay and Google Cloud.

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Key takeaways

• NASDAQ said custody is the first step in its digital asset push.

• The stock exchange operator plans to launch its crypto custody service before the end of next quarter.

• More traditional financial institutions are making a push into the cryptocurrency space.

NASDAQ’s crypto custody service will launch next quarter

Nasdaq Inc. is planning to launch its custody services for digital assets by the end of the second quarter of 2022. This latest development is according to a report by Bloomberg on Friday.

The stock exchange market operator joins a host of other traditional financial firms that are making their way into the cryptocurrency space. According to the report, NASDAQ is pushing ahead to get the necessary technical infrastructure and regulatory approvals in place.

Ira Auerbach, senior vice president and head of Nasdaq Digital Assets, revealed this during an interview in Paris. The NASDAQ exec added that the firm has applied to the New York Department of Financial Services for a limited-purpose trust company charter, a licence that would allow it to oversee the business. 

This latest cryptocurrency news comes after the firm revealed its intention to enter the crypto space. In September 2022, NASDAQ announced that it would offer custody services for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) to institutional investors.

The firm went ahead to hire Ira Auerbach, a former Gemini employee, to head the new Nasdaq Digital Assets unit

More financial institutions could enter the crypto market soon

The recent collapse of Silvergate and Signature banks has left a space in the cryptocurrency space, and experts believe more traditional financial companies, such as NASDAQ, could enter to fill the gap. 

NASDAQ’s entry into the cryptocurrency space could prove a positive signal for mainstream cryptocurrency adoption, a situation that could help attract more companies to the market. 

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Key takeaways

• ConsenSy’s MetaMask Institutional has launched a staking marketplace.

• The marketplace was launched to enable companies and investment firms to choose from a wide range of staking services.

• MetaMask Institutional partnered with Allnodes, Blockdaemon and Kiln to launch this service.

Institutional investors now have a staking marketplace

ConsenSys, a software developer for the Ethereum blockchain, announced earlier today that its Metamask Institutional wallet had launched a new marketplace for staking services.

Thanks to this latest cryptocurrency news, the company said the marketplace would provide companies and institutional investors with the opportunity to choose from a wide range of staking services. 

Companies and institutional investors would have access to a wide range of staking services provided by ConsenSys Staking Allnodes, Blockdaemon and Kiln. 

A unique feature of this marketplace is the standardisation of terms and conditions, the company added. Johann Bornman, product lead for MetaMask Institutional, added that companies could easily view and compare the rates on the marketplace. He said;

“We’ve been very thoughtful in terms of the user experience.”

Ethereum network prepares for the Shanghai hard fork

The launch of the marketplace comes a few weeks before the Ethereum network’s much-anticipated Shanghai hard fork. 

Once the Shanghai upgrade is completed, stakers will finally be able to unstake their ETH, some of which have been locked up since 2021. The upgrade is expected to take place in the middle of next month and will be the first time Ethereum users can withdraw their ETH from the proof-of-stake network.

With the Shanghai upgrade just a few weeks ahead, experts anticipate more Ethereum staking services to be launched over the coming weeks and months. 

Ethereum remains the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap and remains a mainstay in the market since it was launched in 2015 as a split-off from the Bitcoin blockchain.

The network transitioned into a proof-of-stake mechanism last year, abandoning its original proof-of-work system that many consider to be more energy intensive. 

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• PwC is now a technology integration & development partner of Chainlink Labs.
• The strategic joint business collaboration targets accelerating enterprise adoption of blockchain technology.
• Companies looking to tap into the blockchain economy will leverage Chainlink’s infrastructure and technology.

Chainlink developer Chainlink Labs and PwC Germany have announced a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the adoption of enterprise blockchain.

The joint business relationship will see Chainlink Labs provide support to mainstream companies that currently work with PwC Germany but are yet to integrate with the blockchain economy. 

Suppporting enterprise adoption of blockchain technology

According to details in a press release sent to CoinJournal, Chainlink Labs will help empower these companies in relation to development of smart contracts and node infrastructure deployment. On the other hand, PwC will offer “strong technical expertise” and help ensure the onboarding is fully compliant with applicable regulatory laws. 

The goal is to help organizations and enterprises develop and deploy bespoke blockchain solutions that leverage Chainlink’s technology for productivity and profitability.

“PwC Germany and Chainlink Labs aim to help accelerate enterprise adoption of blockchain technology in key enterprise sectors such as capital markets, ushering in a new era of transactional security, transparency, and efficiency.”

PwC Germany’s footprint in the blockchain space encompasses multiple in-house solutions, including Blockchain Explorer and Transaction Analyzer (BETA), Tokenization Framework, Smart Contract Formal Verification Framework, and Digital Asset Valuation Model. 

The platform also provides several blockchain-focused services, including technology assessment, ecosystem management, and blockchain consulting.

The post Chainlink Labs and PwC Germany partner to accelerate enterprise blockchain adoption appeared first on CoinJournal.

• MetaMask and MoonPay have partnered to enable more Nigerians to buy crypto directly via instant bank transfers.
• About 12.4 million Nigerians own crypto, with the country the third largest MetaMask market in the world.
• ConsenSys said in a press release that the integration will help expand crypto adoption across Africa.

Nigerians can now buy crypto with bank transfers directly from their MetaMask wallet app, Web3-focused crypto company ConsenSys has announced. 

The offering follows a partnership between MetaMask and Web3 payment provider MoonPay, ConsenSys said in a press release on Tuesday.

Crypto and Web3 adoption in Africa

Africa is one of the fastest growing cryptocurrency markets, with millions of people using crypto for payments and as an investment. 

The integration of seamless crypto purchases via bank transfers means buying bitcoin or other crypto in Nigeria will significantly improve, given nearly 90% of attempts to do so with credit or debit card often failed, the company noted.  

According to MetaMask Senior Product Manager Lorenzo Santos, expanding MoonPay’s payment infrastructure in Nigeria is a step towards reducing challenges that come with fiat on-ramps.

“This is an essential next step in a critical market that has embraced crypto and web3 but faces serious challenges when using fiat to crypto on-ramp. We are reducing friction and bringing down barriers to keep supporting Nigerians as they onboard into web3,” he noted.

MetaMask and MoonPay’s integration also means that people looking to buy cryptocurrencies in Nigeria can do so without having to open accounts on centralized crypto exchanges.

Recent research shows that Nigeria ranks highest on the continent in terms of crypto owners, with an estimated 12.4 million Nigerians, or 5.7% of the country’s population, said to own cryptocurrencies. Meanwhile, Nigeria is the third largest MetaMask market globally in terms of mobile active users.

ConsenSys and MoonPay plan to extend the on-ramp experience to more users across Africa, with the service set for rollout in Kenya, South Africa and Botswana in April.

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