technology
Visa and ConsenSys to build bridging tech for CBDCs in latest collaboration
The payment services behemoth intends to enable user transactions via digital wallets or CBDC-enabled Visa cards International payment services company Visa has partnered with software tech firm ConsenSys to create on-ramp tech for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). The partnership reported first by Bloomberg earlier today seeks to advance sovereign digital currency networks. Visa said it would build a CBDC sandbox that will be available in the coming spring. This isolated testing environment would help central banks test CBDC prototypes and pilot programs. The global financial company hopes that this initiative will help bridge the existing rift between financial systems and CBDCs “We’ve spoken with nearly 30 central banks to understand their perspectives on CBDCs and to...
Russian protest group Pussy Riot seeks to tackle gender inequality in the NFT space
Russian punk rock collective Pussy Riot is planning to launch a DAO for LBTQ+ and women artists. As the group’s co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova told Cointelegraph, the DAO will be working on reducing the gender inequality that still marks the nonfungible token (NFT) space and, more broadly, the crypto industry. Despite the large gender gap in crypto — around 60% of US crypto investors are white men, according to a survey from August 2021 — Nadya is convinced that it is still early enough for Pussy Riot to make an impact. “The NFT space is still so small, I feel that with a good enough effort you can actually change it,” she said. Nadya is already using her follower base to promote the work of women and LGBTQ+ artists and connect them with potential collectors. The DAO will continue doi...
What should the crypto industry expect from regulators in 2022? Experts answer, Part 2
Michelle is the CEO of the Association for Digital Asset Markets, which works in partnership with financial firms and regulatory experts to devise a code of conduct for digital asset markets. “2021 was the year Washington woke up to the digital assets industry. The year started with the rushed FinCEN “Unhosted Wallets” proposal, which the industry was able to voice its concerns and delay. At the same time, pro-digital asset Senator Cynthia Lummis joined the Senate. As the Biden Administration got up to speed on digital assets, it seemed like all of Washington was studying the industry in some shape or form. Then came the Infrastructure Bill, which contained a rushed provision defining a broker for tax reporting purposes. This flawed language unleashed digital ...
What should the crypto industry expect from regulators in 2022? Experts answer, Part 1
Hatu is the co-founder and chief strategy officer of DAO Maker, which creates growth technologies and funding frameworks for startups while simultaneously reducing risks for investors. “2021 has been a stop-start year for crypto and DeFi, as regulatory bodies have not clarified their stance on the industry. This has held back the retail population from getting involved, and this is a huge opportunity cost for the industry. However, with El Salvador adopting Bitcoin as legal tender and more countries embracing crypto, the future looks brighter. In 2021, yes, there have been multiple deliberations at various levels regarding crypto and its regulatory status. Governments and regulatory authorities across the globe have expressed reservations against the mainstreaming of crypto. Howe...
Mozilla puts crypto support on hold following intensified heat on initial decision
Distanced Mozilla founder vehemently lambasted the move in a tweeted response to the tweet announcing the decision The Mozilla Foundation yesterday announced that it was putting a hold on crypto donations following a discussion with involved parties and the larger community. On New Year’s Eve, the foundation revealed that it had partnered with crypto payment service BitPay to introduce support for crypto donations. The announcement was followed with heavy backlash and trenchant criticism as many users expressed their disapproval of the decision. Some brought to the fore a company blog from January last year in which the chief executive Mitchell Baker asserted that the organisation was devoted to positive climate efforts. Others even noted that they would entirely stop donating to the devel...
South Korean company LG to integrate NFT feature in flagship TVs
Investors have raised questions and expressed concerns about the feasibility of conducting NFT trades on TVs One day after Samsung revealed plans to introduce a new NFT feature onto its lead line up of TVs this year, LG also announced a similar endeavour. The South Korea-based electronics company ran a press conference in which its head of home entertainment business division Park Hyung-se said LG “definitely” plans to introduce NFT capability into its TVs. Further, he mentioned that the company’s recent organic light-emitting diode TVs are optimized for art display. The move to venture into NFTs is only a continuation of what the market space saw last year. Users have warmed up to the idea of enabling displaying art on TV screens but not so much on trading on the TV. Given that as it is, ...
Old BlackBerry Phones To Stop Working From Tuesday
FB IMG 1641327297984 Facebook WhatsApp Reddit Twitter Shares Nostalgic for those mobile phones with a physical keyboard? Brace yourself, because as of Tuesday many models of the once-indispensable BlackBerry devices will no longer work. The Canadian company has decided to pull the plug on new updates of its operating system, meaning most BlackBerry phones that became synonymous with the emerging mobile digital culture of recent decades — and were embraced by politicians and business executives — will not operate correctly after January 4. .u9ae455a4559a2b58192f03c5ee4961b4 { padding:0px; margin: 0; padding-top:1em!important; padding-bottom:1em!important; width:100%; display: block; font-weight:bold; background-color:inherit; border:0!important; border-left:4px solid #16A085!imp...
Samsung uses blockchain technology to address climate change
Samsung Electronics America announced Monday at the CES Tech Conference in Las Vegas its partnership with veritree, a blockchain-based climate solutions platform, to plant 2 million mangrove trees in Madagascar over the next three months. veritree uses blockchain technology to manage the reforestation process and verify each tree that is planted. The tree-planting initiative is part of Samsung’s nature-based action plan on environmental sustainability, specifically to capture and sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The goal is to restore roughly 200 hectares of land and sequester roughly 1 billion pounds of CO2 over a 25-year period. Veritree, developed by tentree, a sustainable apparel company that plants 10 trees for every item of clothing sold, will handle the logistics....
Twitter Gives Permanent Boot to Grimy GOPer Marjorie Taylor Greene
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty Twitter kicked off the New Year by clearing out the rubbish, as it permanently suspended the account of controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). According to reports, Twitter confirmed that they made the move to ban the volatile congresswoman on Sunday (January 2nd) due to her repeatedly spreading misinformation with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy,” a spokesperson for the social media platform said when contacted by the press. They would not disclose what was the tweet that earned Greene that permanent suspension. Related Stories The representative from Georgia had her account prev...
Bank of Mexico to issue a digital currency by 2024
The sovereign digital currency will not replace rather will coexist with the Mexican currency On Wednesday evening, the government of Mexico shared on Twitter that the Bank of Mexico was looking to launch a digital currency within the next three years. The government considers digital currencies important in advancing the nation’s financial position, according to the shared post. “The Banxico reports that by 2024 it will have its own digital currency in circulation, considering these new technologies and the next-generation payment infrastructure are extremely important as options of great value to advance financial inclusion in the country,” the translated tweet read. The news comes not long after the Bank of Mexico Deputy Governor Jonathan Heath revealed that the ...
What were the biggest crypto outcomes of 2021? Experts Answer, Part 1
Hatu is the co-founder and chief strategy officer of DAO Maker, which creates growth technologies and funding frameworks for startups while simultaneously reducing risks for investors. “For a space as dynamic as blockchain, it is tough to pinpoint the reasons behind the industry evolving during the year. However, I feel the adoption of smart contracts has bolstered the growth of the industry and its relevance in the traditional setup. From optimizing supply chains to building a corporate structure around them, smart contracts are assisting everywhere. DAOs have emerged as a new wave of democratization of firms and associations. By transferring ownership to everyone involved and reducing centralized authority, DAOs and community governance are here to stay. In 2021, we could see m...
Crypto mainstream adoption: Is it here already? Experts Answer, Part 3
Sebastian is the chief strategy officer at Coinsource, a Bitcoin ATM provider in the United States. “In 2022, we expect more countries to follow El Salvador’s lead and adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, particularly countries across Latin America and Asia. As a result, we anticipate an increase in the number of Bitcoin ATMs across Latin America, and also in Europe. As new countries adopt, it is likely U.S. dominance in the crypto industry will be reduced. Regulation of crypto will continue into 2022, which is generally a good thing. However, it must be reasonable and fairly applicable to all. We have the potential to solve compliance in many of the protocols once and for all, so we need to double down on this. The industry is on a good path to increase the standards by whic...
