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Spain’s Largest Telecom Company Telefónica Now Accepts Crypto Payments

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

Telefónica, Spain’s largest telecom company, is now accepting cryptocurrency payments for the purchasing of devices or products on its technology marketplace.

The crypto payment feature is provided by Bit2Me, a Spanish cryptocurrency exchange with vested interest in e-commerce solutions. Telefónica’s partnership with Bit2Me to bring crypto payments to their marketplace was initially revealed when Bit2Me took to their Twitter and said:

“Telefónica chooses Bit2Me Commerce to accept crypto payments on tu.com🤝 @Telefonica enables for the 1st time crypto payment for purchasing devices, and does it by the hand of Bit2Me Commerce, the payment gateway for companies🚀”

The crypto payment method is now live on the Tu.com platform. Customers can now buy any product or device using a wide range of digital currencies hosted on Bit2Me.

Aside from the partnership, it was also reported that Telefónica has also invested in the Spanish exchange company, Bit2Me. Further details about the investment are on track to be released in the coming weeks.

In addition, Telefónica’s grip in the Web3 world is being showcased with its NFT marketplace which users can explore and acquire any listed NFT of their choice. This marketplace is live on the polygon network, and it is integrated with the cryptocurrency wallet, Metamask. Additionally, as most firms in the industry are pitching their way into the Metaverse and trying to establish their ground with the developing technology. Telefónica also appears not to be missing out.

The Telecom company recently collaborated with Qualcomm, an American multinational corporation that creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. This partnership is billed to help advance the development of the company’s metaverse drive.

“Telefónica sees many possibilities in combining immersive devices with powerful networks and decentralized Web3 technologies.” Said Telefónica in the announcement of the collaboration with Qualcomm, “This agreement opens the opportunity to deliver new experiences to customers merging the digital and analog worlds, re-imagining commerce, entertainment, and communication in the Metaverse.”

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Uzbekistan Announces Monthly Fees for Crypto Firms

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

The National Agency for Perspective Projects (NAPP), an agency that regulates cryptocurrency markets in Uzbekistan, has announced new directives that require licensed crypto companies to pay a monthly fee that will mostly go toward the country’s budget.

An official document published on Wednesday but seen on Friday shows that the new rule is registered with the Department of Justice and is effective immediately.

The law set out by the NAPP, the Finance Ministry, and the State Tax Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan is already in force.

The tariffs to be paid vary based on the type of services these companies provide. For instance, cryptocurrency exchanges are expected to pay 120 million soums ($11,000) per month. The document also highlighted proportionally smaller payments required from custodial services, mining pools, cryptocurrency stores, as well as individual miners.

According to the new rules, 20% of the monthly fees paid by crypto users and firms will go to the treasury of the NAPP while the rest (80%) will go to the country’s budget.

Firms that fail to pay the new fee will face penalties including the suspension of their licenses. “Failure to pay the fee within one month is grounds for suspension of the license. If the company fails to pay the monthly fee twice within a year, the license may be cancelled,” the document stated.

Enhancing Oversight in The Market

Last month, Uzbekistan’s crypto regulator blocked access to international exchanges, as part of the government’s efforts to keep alternative payment systems under strict control. Blockchain.News reported the matter.

On August 12, the NAPP blocked foreign exchanges because they were operating in the country without the licenses they are legally required to obtain.

During that incident, Binance exchange confirmed its services were blocked and said it was in negotiations with the government about its status in Uzbekistan.

Efforts to regulate the trade in digital currencies started in 2018 when Uzbekistan legalized crypto trading. In April, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev issued a decree that reinforced rules governing the industry, boosting regulation of cryptocurrency trading and mining in the country.

Under the regulations, crypto exchanges are required to get a license in Uzbekistan. The NAPP expects as of January 1, 2023, Uzbek citizens and companies to only conduct transactions with licensed crypto exchanges.

According to the regulator, licensed providers are required to verify users’ identities and store data about every transaction for five years. Forcing these entities to get licenses allows the government to track and tax them.

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Tagged : Crypto Firms / MONTHLY FEES / News / Uzbekistan

MetaMask’s New Beta Portfolio dApp to Provide All-In-One Access to Cryptos, NFTs

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

MetaMask has launched a beta portfolio dApp that allows users to have an overview of their cryptos and non-fungible token (NFT) in one place. To do so, the app connects their accounts and crypto assets across multiple chains in one interface.

The portfolio dApp is available to extension and mobile users. Users must click the “portfolio” link on their browser’s extension home screen to connect multiple accounts to access it.

Self-custodial wallet MetaMask is a crypto wallet & gateway to blockchain apps. It is also a tool for interacting with decentralized applications (dApps).

The dApp’s “watch any wallet” feature allows users to add their offline or hardware wallet.

MetMask is also currently developing a feature that will show NFT value and pricing estimate information along with an integrated view of the NFT collection.

Portfolio dApp currently supports assets from seven different networks: Ethereum, Optimism, BNB Smart Chain, Polygon, Fantom, Abritrum and Avalanche. Users can also add their friend’s ENS domain or public address to their watchlist through the dApp, and several tokens can also be added to the watchlist.

However, according to the wallet firm, non-MetaMask users can use portfolio view by using the “watch any account” feature.

Per Metamask developer Consensys, as of March 15, 2022, the Ethereum-based wallet had reached 30 million monthly average users (MAUs).

MetaMask has also said that they plan to add more features to their dApp.

MetaMask added Apple Pay integration early this year, increasing options for buying cryptocurrencies.

The integration has allowed users to buy cryptocurrencies with debit or credit cards through the mobile app without transferring cryptocurrencies from crypto exchanges.

MetaMask uses two payment gateways, Wyre and Transak, to support transactions. Users can now buy ETH with credit cards (Visa and Mastercard) stored in Apple Pay and deposit up to $400 in their wallets through the Wyre API.

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Tagged : Blockchain / Crypto / Dapp / Enterprise / Metamask / NFT

Warner Music Group Artists to Own NFT Page on OpenSea

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

OpenSea, the world’s biggest marketplace for trading non-fungible token (NFT) marketplaces, has partnered with US-based global music and entertainment company Warner Music Group to help attract music fans through NFT drops.

According to a press release issued by Warner Music Group, artists signed to Warner Music Group will have their own pages on OpenSea to expand their fan community in Web3 to increase fan loyalty.

As part of the partnership, Warner Music Group musicians will have early access to OpenSea’s new NFT drop offering and will also have a dedicated page for limited-edition projects.

Shiva Rajaraman, Vice President of Product at OpenSea said that:

“For artists and musicians, NFTs represent a new creative medium and a mechanism to build community, engage directly with fans, and express themselves across borders and languages. As a massive music fan myself, I’m thrilled to work with a partner who understands the significance of this technology, and wants to use it for good – to empower artists to own their fan connections directly. We’re excited to provide the support and infrastructure to help welcome the Warner family of artists into the exciting NFT ecosystem.”

In February, US-based popular entertainment label Warner Music Group (WMG) announced a partnership with blockchain gaming company Splinterlands. It hopes to give artists more options to showcase their creativity.

According to a press release issued by the company, the partnership with Splinterlands will enable WMG artists to create and develop unique, play-to-earn (P2E) arcade-style blockchain games.

In May, Swedish audio streaming and media service provider Spotify announced that it was testing a new feature that would allow artists to promote their NFTs on their profiles.

The new option is only available to “very few artists”. The company said the test is currently available to some Android users in the U.S.

In August, OpenSea, the world’s biggest marketplace for trading NFT marketplace, updated its new policy governing the handling of stolen digital arts and general theft on its platform.

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Tagged : Blockchain / NFT / Opensea / WARNER MUSIC GROUP

Meta Introduces Digital Collectibles NFT Features on Instagram & Facebook

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

On September 29, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced that users on Facebook and Instagram in the US can now connect their wallets and share their digital collectables.

The company said that users of both platforms will be able to cross-post digital collectables they own and connect their associated wallets on Facebook and Instagram.

Additionally, there are no fees for posting or sharing digital collectables on Instagram, and it supports users in 100 countries to share non-fungible tokens.

The Meta platform also revealed in August that it had increased the number of compatible blockchain networks, including Flow from Dapper Labs. Based on this, investors can now upload their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from Ethereum, Polygon, and Flow, respectively.

The company also plans to make its non-ft features on Instagram seamlessly accessible globally and has added support for Coinbase and Dapper wallets to complement its earlier integrations with Rainbow, MetaMask, and Trust wallets.

In May, Instagram announced a trial run of NFTs in the US to select creators.

In addition to Instagram, a non-NFT test on Facebook is also in developing, with the NFT feature being rolled out to some US creators in early July this year.

Since NFTs help build authentic intellectual property, this is one of the key drivers expected to push the sector to a $97.6 billion valuation by 2028, according to a report by Research and Markets.

Besides Meta, other social media platforms, including Twitter and Reddit, are also taking their NFT drives to new heights.

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Tagged : Blockchain / Facebook / Instagram / Meta / NFT

Meta Introduces Cross-posting Digital Collectibles Feature on Instagram & Facebook

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

On September 29, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced that users on Facebook and Instagram in the US can now connect their wallets and share their digital collectables.

The company said that users of both platforms will be able to cross-post digital collectables they own and connect their associated wallets on Facebook and Instagram.

Additionally, there are no fees for posting or sharing digital collectables on Instagram, and it supports users in 100 countries to share non-fungible tokens.

In May, Instagram announced a trial run of NFTs in the US to select creators.

In addition to Instagram, a non-NFT test on Facebook is also in developing, with the NFT feature being rolled out to some US creators in early July this year.

Since NFTs help build authentic intellectual property, this is one of the key drivers expected to push the sector to a $97.6 billion valuation by 2028, according to a report by Research and Markets.

Besides Meta, other social media platforms, including Twitter and Reddit, are also taking their NFT drives to new heights.

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Tagged : Blockchain / Facebook / Instagram / Meta / NFT

Warner Music Group Artists to Own NFT Page on OpenSea

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

According to a press release issued by Warner Music Group, artists signed to Warner Music Group will have their own pages on OpenSea to expand their fan community in Web3 to increase fan loyalty.

As part of the partnership, Warner Music Group musicians will have early access to OpenSea’s new NFT drop offering and will also have a dedicated page for limited-edition projects.

Shiva Rajaraman, Vice President of Product at OpenSea said that:

According to a press release issued by the company, the partnership with Splinterlands will enable WMG artists to create and develop unique, play-to-earn (P2E) arcade-style blockchain games.

In May, Swedish audio streaming and media service provider Spotify announced that it was testing a new feature that would allow artists to promote their NFTs on their profiles.

The new option is only available to “very few artists”. The company said the test is currently available to some Android users in the U.S.

In August, OpenSea, the world’s biggest marketplace for trading NFT marketplace, updated its new policy governing the handling of stolen digital arts and general theft on its platform.

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Tagged : Blockchain / NFT / Opensea / WARNER MUSIC GROUP

Bitcoin Miner Rhodium Plans to List on Nasdaq through Reverse Merger

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

Bitcoin miner Rhodium Enterprises is planning to list on Nasdaq under the ticker “RHDM” through a reverse merger with business consulting firm SilverSun Technologies Inc., Bloomberg reported on Sept. 30.

The deal is scheduled to close by the end of this year, and investment bank B. Riley will serve as Rhodium’s financial advisor.

Rhodium, one of the few major Bitcoin miners that use a proprietary liquid-cooling system, has been seeking a listing since last year that delayed its debut in the $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion valuation range on the Nasdaq earlier this year due to a sharp drop in the price of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) plans for a public offering.

According to the official filing, SilverSun shareholders will receive a cash dividend of at least $1.50 per share, for a total of $8.5 million and additional stock dividends.

Under the merger agreement’s terms, Rhodium will also create stock in a new subsidiary that incorporates SilverSun’s traditional business. SilverSun’s board members will continue to serve after the transaction closes.

Rhodium CEO Chase Blackmon said in a statement that:

“We believe access to U.S. capital markets is paramount to sustainable, long-term success in our capital-intensive industry. We believe this strategic transaction will unlock long-term accretive value for Rhodium’s shareholders.”

Rhodium, which recently closed an $11.9 million financing round, plans to raise $30 million through debt, options, and securities, according to SEC filings earlier this month.

The company had planned to issue 7.69 million shares for $12 to $14 apiece, according to IPO documents filed with the SEC in January.

Texas-based Rhodium mines bitcoins on its own using “proprietary liquid-cooled mining technology,” allowing it to average $2,507 in electricity bills per bitcoin it mines throughout 2021, according to the company’s website.

For the nine months ended Sept. 30, Rhodium recorded a net income of $46.1 million, or $0.10 per share, on revenue of $82.1 million.

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Tagged : Bitcoin / Blockchain / Enterprise / Listing / Mining / Nasdaq / RHODIUM

Binance Secures Registration in New Zealand, to Open Local Office

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

Binance has gained access to open up a local office soon in New Zealand as the cryptocurrency exchange platform successfully registered with the country’s Ministry of Businesses Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Binance acquired the registration on September 10, allowing the crypto firm to trade non-fungible tokens (NFTs), spot trading and staking.

“We see New Zealand as a bit of a pioneer, so from that perspective, I think there’s a lot to be learned here with our local team working with Kiwis to envisage the future of currency, transactions, and the web,” Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said in a statement.

New Zealand residents can now also access the local Binance website.

Talks about digital assets began in the country last year as the central bank said it would engage in public consultations about the topics surrounding cryptos such as bitcoin, stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).

Besides New Zealand, Binance is on the move to registering locally with financial authorities around the globe. Countries including France, Italy and Spain have already registered Binance.

In Asia, Binance’s recent target has been Japan.

Japan’s easing of crypto policy has attracted Binance to ask for reentry to the island nation after failing to do so four years ago due to stringent measures, according to Bloomberg.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s plan of revamping the economy has spurred growth in Web3 firms as it has become one of his key agendas as the country’s leader. Therefore, Binance has been seeking an operational licence in the nation to enhance crypto growth and adoption.

However, Binance was recently fined €3.3 million (now about $3.2 million) by the Netherlands’s central bank for providing crypto services in the country without registration.

The crypto exchange said last year that it was planning to apply for registration in a European country. It has also confirmed after getting fined that it was in the process of applying for registration there.

In one of the company’s major developments recently, it has launched an inaugural crypto-sponsored vacation dubbed crypto tourism meant to illustrate simple, secure, and efficient travel in Web 3.0, according to Blockchain.News.

As per the announcement from Binance: “to demonstrate what is possible when you forgo traditional currency and globetrot exclusively using crypto, Binance has teamed up with leading travel influencers Lauren Bullen and Jack Morris.”

Binance’s campaign intends to show that crypto-backed travel is no longer complicated during exploring the world. Shortlisted participants will have the chance to walk away with $50,000 in Binance Coin (BNB).

Furthermore, it seeks to revamp the travel industry as it continues getting on its feet based on challenges, such as geopolitical conflict, market volatility, and the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Tagged : Binance / Bitcoin / Blockchain / Crypto / Cryptocurrency / Exchanges

Senator Cynthia Lummis Defends Bitcoin Again, Says it “Cannot be Stopped”

by Blockchain NewsSeptember 30, 2022

The advocacy for Bitcoin took a new bullish dimension when Senator Cynthia Lummis reiterated her trust in the asset class as a viable asset class.

In an interview with Hard Money host, Natalie Brunell, Senator Lummis boldly affirmed that Bitcoin “Can’t be stopped” after the host pointed out how a lot of people still do not understand crypto as a “Powerful Tool” that can change lives.

“I love that it can’t be stopped, especially because I’m concerned about our national debt, I’m concerned about inflation… We see things that are inflationary… It’s actually comforting to know that Bitcoin is there,” the senator said.

In the American Senate chamber today, Senator Lummis is far ahead of the curve in being awakened to the potential of digital currency. Her advocacy is firsthand as she acquired her first Bitcoin back in 2013 at a price of $320. With her Bitcoin growing to almost $70,000 in November 2021, she was more convinced that the nascent asset is worth a hedge against inflation.

As a lawmaker, Sen Lummis confirmed that she has not sold any of her Bitcoin stashes and even acquired more last year. As she noted, one of her focuses now is to join the education of other lawmakers to see how the new asset works.

“As people learn more about Bitcoin and become comfortable and familiar with an asset that is online, they’ll begin to see it as … behind them, and they’ll have it for their long-term savings and long-term future.”

Her advocacy for Bitcoin and the broader crypto world made her the brain behind the bipartisan compromise that was contained in the crypto clause in the Infrastructure Bill that was passed last year. Her latest public comments about Bitcoin show she still believes the cryptocurrency is a freedom-friendly type of currency.

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Tagged : Advocacy / Bitcoin / Crypto / Cynthia Lummis / News / Senator