After whitelist giveaway campaigns in June and July, ZKSpace, the leading zk-Rollup-based Ethereum layer-2 (L2) protocol, is set to roll out the public sale of the James Rodríguez “Zurda” nonfungible token (NFT) collection on Aug. 15, 2022. Zurda — meaning “left foot” in Spanish — is an official collection of commemorative NFTs created in collaboration with football superstar James Rodríguez to be issued on ZKSea, the NFT minting and trading platform of the ZKSpace ecosystem.
The “Zurda” NFT series is the first digital asset collection that assembles all key highlights from James Rodríguez’s illustrious football career spanning three continents.
This limited-edition NFT collection contains 1,500 pieces in four rarity levels: one Platinum, 10 Gold, 400 Silver and 1,089 Bronze. With exquisite artwork digitally hand-painted by professional artists, these digital collectibles give fans a chance to relive iconic moments and build connections with the sports influencer’s global fan community of 70 million.
James Rodríguez is one of the greatest Colombian attacking midfielders of all time. Having a magical left foot and being able to play anywhere behind the front line, he is regarded as one of the most creative players in the game. He previously played for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Everton FC, winning a list of honors, including two Champions Leagues, two FIFA Club World Cups and a World Cup Golden Boot.
In launching his commemorative collection, James Rodríguez has joined the likes of athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo — who previously announced his partnership with Binance — in exploring the possibilities of promoting the sport and engaging fans via the influential blockchain innovation of NFTs.
Online assets combined with physical gifts has proven to be a modern and fashionable way to bring fans closer to teams and players. The convergence of the sports industry and the exciting blockchain sub-sector NFT has also seen great success, one example being NBA Top Shot, the marketplace selling basketball video clips, generating over $230 million in sales within a year of its launch.
The different rarity tiers in the “Zurda” NFT collection attach a higher value to the rare collectibles. By selling NFTs of different undisclosed moments through mystery boxes, it also makes the buying process fun and exciting, as no one knows when or what they will own, including the tier of rarity, until a box is opened.
NFTs with digital and real-world benefits
During the public sale, the Platinum and Gold NFTs, which are based on some of the most memorable moments of Rodríguez’s career, will be offered through an auction while the Silver and Bronze NFTs will be sold through mystery boxes two days after the auction closes.
The sole Platinum and 10 Gold NFTs were inspired by a total of 11 memorable moments, including Rodríguez’s 2014 Puskas Award-winning goal. The auction will begin on Aug. 15, 2022, at 7 am UTC, on ZKSea.
The mystery box sale will go live on Aug. 17, 2022, 7 am UTC. The price of the mystery boxes is 0.15 Ether (ETH), and they contain “Zurda” NFTs in Silver and Bronze grades. Whitelisted participants will be able to purchase the mystery boxes for just 0.12 ETH.
“Zurda” NFT holders can win signed jerseys and photos that ZKSpace has disclosed on Twitter, a video call or video recorded by James Rodríguez and access to multiple events on ZKSpace, including stake-to-earn events, future NFT giveaways and the ZKSpace Football Metaverse — all in celebration of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Why issue on ZKSpace?
ZKSpace — formerly ZKSwap — is a full-featured L2 protocol leveraging zk-Rollups technology to provide users with an ultra-fast, cheap and secure way to transact cryptocurrencies. ZKSwap’s version 1.0 mainnet launched in February 2021 as the first Ethereum L2 zk-Rollup-based decentralized exchange.
It implements all the functions of Uniswap on L2 and solves the problems of slow transaction speeds and high gas fees on the Ethereum mainnet. So far, ZKSwap has gone through three major version iterations — ZKSwap rebranded and upgraded to ZKSpace at the end of 2021 — and has carried out hundreds of function iterations and optimizations without any security incidents.
ZKSea is the world’s first zk-Rollups-based platform supporting layer-1-to-L2 NFT mutual transferring and is the designated NFT-launch, -mint and -trade marketplace of the ZKSpace ecosystem. It is the blockchain technology partner of some prestige brands, including Coach New York, GQ Magazine, Shu Uemura, Atta and more. Moving forward, ZKSea will feature some exclusive NFT drops aside from the James Rodríguez commemorative-edition NFT collection, proving a popular alternative to L1 marketplaces and allowing more people to get involved in NFTs.
For new users looking to be a part of the NFT movement, ZKSpace also features a user-friendly fiat on-ramp, boosting usability and democratizing access to the exciting future of NFTs for anyone worldwide.
The Netherlands Crime Agency (FIOD) said it arrested a 29-year-old who is a suspected developer of Tornado Cash, the crypto mixer that was slapped with US sanctions earlier this week.
The platform, which mixes cryptocurrencies into the decentralized ethereum network and hides the origin of users’ tokens, was prohibited from operating in the United States earlier this week after the US Treasury said North Korean hackers had been using the service for money laundering.
US Treasury officials say the platform has laundered around $7 billion in crypto, and an analysis by TRM Labs shows North Korean hackers are responsible for $1 billion of the laundered funds.
Regulators did not name the suspect, but said he was detained on Wednesday and will be presented to a judge today in the Netherlands for helping money laundering and concealing other criminal financial activity on Tornado Cash’s platform.
“Multiple arrests are not ruled out. These advanced technologies, such as decentralised organisations that may facilitate money laundering are receiving extra attention from the FIOD,” regulators said in a statement.
The sanctions on Tornado Cash are the latest development as regulators crack down on the crypto industry and turn the screws on decentralized finance firms. 2022 has seen a wave of high profile crypto hacks and cyberthefts.
Earlier this year, North Korean hackers stole $625 million in cryptocurrency from Axie’s Infinity Ronin Network, one of the largest thefts in history of the blockchain. Another $100 million was stolen from Harmony Bridge – with evidence that 98% of those funds were later laundered through Tornado Cash, according to an analysis from Elliptic.
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The Blockchain Associations Forum, dubbed the “United Nations” of blockchain, is hosting its virtual second annual summit on Sept. 17 with the theme “cryptoassets, national policies and the future of global economy.” The summit will be chaired and hosted by The British Blockchain Association.
Blockchain Associations Forum (BAF) is a neutral, transnational, decentralized harmonization forum comprising 53 blockchain and digital asset associations from 46 countries across six continents.
With the aim to foster nations’ collective wisdom, BAF is a unique, interdisciplinary platform committed to debating emerging trends, discussing common pressing issues and exploring solutions for the many challenges that the industry faces.
Some of the confirmed keynotes, guest speakers and session chairs include:
- Senator Andrew Bragg from the Government of Australia
- Caroline Pham of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Chris Holmes from Richmond MBE FBBA from the United Kingdom House of Lords
- Naseem Naqvi and barrister Racheal Muldoon from the British Blockchain Association
- Caroline Malcolm from Chainalysis
- David Lee from Global FinTech Institute in Singapore
- Markus Lehtonen from Helsinki Blockchain Center
- Koleya Karringten from Canadian Blockchain Consortium
- Tom Duff Gordon from Coinbase
- Senator Ihenyen from Siban Nigeria
- Juan Zaballos from Alastria
- Stephen Macaskill from BlockchainNZ
- Asih Karnengsih from Asosiasi Blockchain Indonesia
- Tasos Oureilidis from Hellenic Blockchain Association
BAF held its inaugural summit in 2021 with representation from 45 participating countries and the heads of their national and regional blockchain associations.
Only 30 tickets remain for members of the public to register.
To sponsor the summit, contact the BBA or its deputy secretary Brian Scudder.
British Blockchain Association
Established in 2017, British Blockchain Association is the world’s leading industry body advancing evidence-based adoption of distributed ledger technologies. BBA has authored the U.K.’s National Blockchain Roadmap and is home to the Journal of The British Blockchain Association, the Center for Evidence-Based Blockchain, The Blockchain Associations Forum, BBA Fellowships, Blockchain International Scientific Conferences and other world-class blockchain initiatives. BBA also has its headquarters in the Metaverse.
Billionaire bitcoin bull Mike Novogratz believes the forced deleveraging of the cryptocurrency market is over and that investors can expect new narratives to shape the space following a brutal quarter for digital assets.
His optimism comes after a rocky year for crypto investors, following the crash of the Terra stablecoin and the related Luna token, which set off a domino effect of losses and bankruptcies across the sector. Crypto has enjoyed a few rallies since then, but the bitcoin and ethereum are still down around 60% from their November highs.
“We had a forced deleveraging that happened because of a lot of imprudent credit policies at lots of places, that I think exacerbated how bad the move would be,” Novogratz said in an interview with CNBC.
But Novogratz thinks that the cycle is ending, with the potential for more positive change in the crypto market to come this quarter.
“The worst is over,” he said of last quarter’s big sell-off. “There is no more forced deleveraging that’s going to happen. And so now, the market hits an equilibrium, and it waits for new narratives.”
Developments like ethereum’s upcoming merge could be a big narrative shift for the market, one that generates renewed enthusiasm among investors, Novogratz said. The merge is one out of five planned updates to the ethereum blockchain, CoinDesk reported, and will switch the blockchain over from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake system to increase efficiency.
Bitcoin may also be on a new path, with Coinbase’s recent partnership with BlackRock: “That’s like a monumental announcement,” Novogratz said.
Bitcoin’s steady adoption in mainstream finance is keeping Novogratz bullish on the largest crypto by market cap. He added he was particularly optimistic about the outlook for the coin in the current economic climate.
“I think bitcoin remains a really good macro asset for an environment where the macro is pretty uncertain,” Novogratz said.
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Ripple Labs Inc, which is embroiled in a high-profile battle with the U.S. securities regulator, is interested in potentially purchasing assets of bankrupt crypto lender Celsius Network, according to a company spokesperson.
“We are interested in learning about Celsius and its assets, and whether any could be relevant to our business,” the spokesperson said, declining to say if Ripple was interested in acquiring Celsius outright.
Ripple has continued to grow through the crypto market turmoil and “is actively looking for M&A opportunities to strategically scale the company,” the spokesperson said.
New Jersey-based Celsius froze withdrawals in June citing “extreme” market conditions and filed for bankruptcy in New York last month, listing a $1.19 billion deficit on its balance sheet.
Last week, lawyers for Ripple submitted filings to the bankruptcy court seeking to be represented in the proceedings. The court approved the filing earlier this week. Ripple is not among Celsius’ major creditors, Celsius’ bankruptcy filings show. Ripple provided the comment in response to Reuters’ queries regarding the court filings.
A lawyer approved to represent Ripple declined to comment. Celsius did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cryptocurrencies have had a rocky year, with the world’s largest, bitcoin, down nearly 70% from its all-time high of $69,000 in November. Markets were shaken by the collapse of the popular terraUSD and luna tokens in May, which caused widespread losses for several major industry players.
According to bankruptcy filings, Celsius’ assets include digital assets held in custody accounts, loans, a bitcoin mining business, the company’s own CEL token and bank cash and cryptocurrencies that Celsius has on hand.
Privately owned Ripple has not previously done any major deals. It was valued at around $15 billion following a private stock buyback in January, the company said, although industry valuations have fallen significantly during a cryptocurrency price crash over the past few months that helped topple Celsius and other cryptocurrency firms.
Ripple’s total sales of its cryptocurrency XRP, net of purchases, were $408.9 million in the second quarter, compared with $273.27 million in the first quarter, according to a report the company put out in July.
The company was sued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2020 over XRP. The agency alleges that Ripple and its current and former chief executives have been conducting a $1.3 billion unregistered securities offering by selling XRP, which Ripple’s founders created in 2012.
Ripple and the executives have denied the allegations, and the company has argued that XRP has traded and been used as a digital currency.
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Hundreds of Blockchain specialists are heading to Santa Clara in California on Oct. 5 and 6, 2022 to share their insights about the most recent developments within the blockchain ecosystem. This year’s edition will include high-level speakers representing some of the most exciting brands in the industry, including Pfizer, Oracle, PayPal, Johnson and Johnson and many more.
The event serves as the perfect opportunity to network with the sector’s leaders, learn more about the newest developments and join thought-provoking discussions about blockchain. Visitors will benefit from two days of interactive panel discussions and inspiring presentations delivered by leading industry experts.
The Blockchain Expo is part of six co-located events, all taking place at the same time. This includes IoT Tech Expo, AI and Big Data, blockchain, cyber security and cloud congress, Digital Transformation Week and the Edge Computing Expo.
This year’s edition is bringing some of the biggest blockchain specialists. During the event, the attendees will have a chance to listen to talks from:
- Chris Johnson — director, head of international data governance at Walmart
- Flora Nanda — blockchain technology lead at Pfizer
- Anita Rao — director at PayPal
- Mark Christianson — digital experience delivery senior lead at Mars
- Medha Parlikar — chief technical officer and co-founder of CasperLabs
Not to mention representatives from Oracle, Wells Fargo, Johnson and Johnson, LinkedIn and many more.
Lia Richards, head of conference at Blockchain Expo, said, “It’s great to be back in North America with such an exciting lineup. We are expecting 5,000 attendees, with over 250 speakers spread across six co-located events — for everyone involved in digital technologies, this expo is a must-attend.”
Tickets for the expo floor are available free of charge, while one-day passes for conference tracks start from $399. However, TechEx is offering complimentary two-day passes for industry leaders and senior executives. The number of complimentary passes is limited and can be requested.
Registration for free expo passes is open.
The tech investment world has grown rapidly in the 20 years since the Dotcom boom. Investors have gone from investing in microchip manufacturing companies to internet marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay.
Even though investors understand the rapid changes and growth of the tech world, they have been apprehensive about investing in Web3 (crypto, blockchain, etc.) and the Metaverse. However, this all changed when Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta is building the Metaverse.
The Metaverse concept coming to reality helped investors understand how the world will shift from Web2, which runs on a centralized internet, to Web3, which works seamlessly in a decentralized fashion.
Moreover, this has allowed investors to see that the value crypto brings is not just about tokens that rise and fall in price, but that crypto is about a peer-to-peer transaction system that is fast and connected to all aspects of Web3 and the Metaverse, and that this is how tech will evolve and be pushed to the next level.
Since then, governments around the world have announced billions of dollars in funding for Metaverse and Web3 development.
In fact, the Dubai government aims to create 40,000 jobs in the Metaverse over the next five years as well as add $4 billion into the economy through Metaverse and Web3 development. It’s for this reason that a summit such as MetaVSummit exists. MetaVSummit helps bring the top Web3 and Metaverse companies from over 20 countries to meet investors and strategic partners in Dubai.
With the help of title sponsor CyCoin, which is one of the largest Web3 ecosystem projects with its own Metaverse, MetaVSummit will bring together hundreds of founders and engineers from the Metaverse and Web3 world to showcase companies and innovations in Dubai on Sept. 14 and 15, 2022.
MetaVSummit continues to focus on making sure that Dubai and GCC investors and strategic partners are being educated to maximum capacity on Web3 and Metaverse developments.
The event will continue to push for this mission, as the belief in a Web3 decentralized world is strong and much-needed for humanity to progress without borders.
America’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has reported a massive loss in both revenue and profit in the June quarter – logging $1.1 billion in net loss as revenue declined from $2.033 billion to $803 million from a year-ago quarter which is a drop of nearly 60 percent.
In quarterly terms, net revenue of Coinbase was down 31 percent compared to Q1, driven by lower trading volume.
“Q2 was a tough quarter, with trading volume and transaction revenue each down by 30 percent and 35 percent sequentially, respectively. Both metrics were influenced by a shift in customer and market activity, driven by macroeconomic and crypto credit factors alike,” the company said after reporting its Q2 results late on Tuesday.
“On the expense side, we’ve taken several steps to streamline our cost structure, including an 18 percent employee reduction in June,” it revealed.
“The current downturn came fast and furious, and we are seeing customer behaviour mirror that of past down markets,” the company said in its shareholder letter.
Total trading volume declined to $217 billion, down 30 per cent compared to Q1. In contrast, total crypto spot trading volume declined 3 percent on a sequential basis, resulting in lower trading volume market share, said the company.
“Q2 was a test of durability for crypto companies and a complex quarter overall. Dramatic market movements shifted user behavior and trading volume, which impacted transaction revenue, but also highlighted the strength of our risk management programme,” said Coinbase.
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Trippin’ Ape Tribe, a community-first profile picture nonfungible token (NFT) project recently launched on Solana, is already shattering records. With hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter before its mint event even began, this community-backed project broke Solana’s record for 24-hour sales volume on its first day in the market. At OpenSea and Magic Eden, it topped the charts for 24-hour sales volume and seven-day sales volume, beating blue-chip Ethereum projects by a large margin.
These overwhelming sales numbers also supplemented Solana’s run to surpass Ethereum’s daily NFT sales volume for the first time. With $14.5 million in sales, Trippin’ Ape contributed more revenue to this total volume than any other NFT collection.
Trippin’ Ape Tribe breaks records at Solana
As 10,000 Trippin’ Apes ascend into the NFT realm, this list of broken records doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. The collection also broke the record for the highest opening price on the secondary market, trading several times the mint price.
One of the critical factors of the collection’s success and continuous growth is its engaged community. Community members and believers take to social media, especially Twitter and Discord, to show their support and raise awareness for the project, often by using the artwork as a profile picture.
Talking about the overwhelming response the collection has received, Fenrus, the marketing lead behind Trippin’ Ape Tribe, said, “It’s been exciting to see our project break all sorts of records for hype and sales volume right out of the gate. It shows how much the community has connected with the art, storytelling and mystique — really, the brand — we’ve been building. At the same time, it’s humbling to recognize we’re standing on the shoulders of giants. Solana is going through a massive influx right now, and it feels good to be a part of it.”
Building exciting new partnerships
To continue with an approach of building relentlessly, the Trippin’ Apes team is creating exciting new partnerships with the best projects in the industry. This includes Magic Eden, a key NFT marketplace on Solana; NFT Technologies, a leading investor and incubator; IBC Group, an industry-leading incubator and accelerator in the blockchain space; and numerous collaborations with Solana NFT projects and known personalities in the space. These partnerships will help Trippin’ Ape Tribe catalyze its operations, community and marketing growth.
Moreover, Lysergic, the co-founder of the collection, owns and operates various music festivals and live events in the United States, boasting a decade of experience. Backed by Lysergic’s expertise, the team also partnered with some of the biggest names in the Solana ecosystem to organize a major event at NFT NYC 2022 last month.
About Trippin’ Apes
Aside from its central focus on community development, what sets Trippin’ Ape Tribe apart from other Solana NFT projects is its strong and ownable branding, cheeky storytelling and innovative long-term utility. The project is built around the story of 10,000 apes who have fallen under the trance of a mysterious, charismatic leader, Chorles, who promises salvation to his followers but insists he is building a tribe, not a cult.
Operating under a parent company, Valhalla Labs, the founding team has ambitious plans to leverage its diverse experience in software development, branding and event production to add tangible value to Trippin’ Ape holders and the ecosystem as a whole. Most recently, Valhalla Labs has added its new creative director Tim Deasy, former design director for luxury fashion brand Off-White. Deasy will draw from nearly 13 years of experience to create a standalone apparel brand that appeals not only to the Web3 community but also to the global mainstream.
Trippin’ Ape holders have already received a free, mysterious airdrop that has led to speculation and fan theories around its role in the project’s lore and a gamified quest to ascension. Bucking the trend of a traditional roadmap, the team has maintained an air of mystery surrounding the next steps for the project in the spirit of storytelling and rewarding holders with the strongest conviction.
The project will continue to focus on developing rich lore and engaging on-chain utility that moves the entire space forward. In addition, Valhalla Labs intends to onboard new community members into Web3 by launching and establishing connections to physical brands and live events and eventually fueling the community’s growth and sustainability.
The first edition of Next Block Expo will be held in Berlin on Nov. 23 and 24, 2022 with more than 5,000 attendees. In four months from now, the Berlin Station will be the most important place in the European blockchain map, linking together the most important names in the industry.
“We are bringing founders, investors and blockchain experts together to redefine and discover Web3’s future,” said Next Block Expo co-founder Tom Kopera.
Along with the 5,000 in-person attendees, another 10,000 will be watching online. The venue has ample space to host more than 100 exhibitors and sponsors, while everyone will get the chance to listen to more than 50 top blockchain speakers.
Next Block Expo is the biggest blockchain festival in Europe dedicated to Web3 startups, no matter the stage of development. The event brings together founders, angel and retail investors, venture capital firms, developers and software houses, and all kinds of industry experts.
There will be six types of events to attend. The most influential people in the blockchain space will share their visions about Web3 from the main stage in the form of presentations, while round tables will provide an opportunity to understand different perspectives from specialists and experts. During Workshops, experts will share their insight and knowledge with participants. All exhibitors will be able to submit their projects to the pitch contest, where the best startups will be selected by experts. Hackathons are also planned for hardcore developers who want to learn hands-on, as well as side events organized directly by startups for their communities.
The conference will be divided into six content tracks:
- DeFi
- Blockchain gaming
- Metaverse/NFTs
- Scaling and infrastructure
- Web3 discovery
- Fundraising and investing
“It is a unique opportunity to either find partners for your project, talk to investors and venture capital firms, see what is ‘hyped’ and maybe find the next big thing to invest into,” said Kopera. “But most importantly, we want to focus on the future of Web3 — we are witnessing a new economy that is a combination of what Web3 already created, and now traditional sectors are jumping in. So let’s discuss, brainstorm and share our vision of the future.”
Next Block Expo is an extension of a previous event series held under the name Cryptocurrency World Expo over the last six years.