Mainstream hype for the nonfungible token (NFT) market cooled down significantly in 2022, but that didn’t stop a host of popular and wealthy figures from stinking up the space with dreadful collections last year. In the 2022 edition of the worst influencer and celebrity NFT cash grabs, Cointelegraph takes a look at four projects seemingly designed to milk capital out of their fans pockets, while delivering very little. Tai Lopez — OG (Original Garage) Social Club First on the list is the oddball entrepreneur Tai Lopez, best known for his cheesy marketing campaigns that used to plague YouTube not so …

In the midst of the 2018 crypto price slump, a young entrepreneur invested all her funds and personal money into a prototype that combined fintech and crypto services to offer virtual debit cards and crypto payment services for subscriptions. But because it was a bear market, no one wanted to invest the capital to put the solution on the market. In the latest episode of Cointelegraph’s “Crypto Stories” series, Josipa Majic explains how she and her partners built a crypto company during a bear market at a time when investors were fleeing the crypto space. “Everyone said no the moment …

Binance marked its presence among the Middle East investors by running various licensed operations in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other regions. Targeting efforts in United Arab Emirate's (UAE) mainstream corporate sector, Binance partnered with business lender Virtuzone, allowing new entrepreneurs to repay loans using cryptocurrencies. Virtuzone joins the list of mainstream businesses in the UAE, such as JA Resorts and Hotels and Majid Al Futtaim, to officially accept cryptocurrencies after integrating Binance Pay into its payment gateway. In addition, by providing businesses the option to repay seed and other forms of funding through cryptocurrencies, the company intends to reduce barriers …

The rich get richer. According to the Wealth-X consulting company, in 2020, the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals worth $5 million–$30 million in the world increased by 1.7% to 295,450 people; the combined net worth of this group increased by 2% to $35.5 trillion. Observing the investment preferences of rich individuals and institutional investors is instructive. They have access to exclusive information and analytics to inform their investment decisions, and their investments are often supported by an army of advisers, employees of family offices and wealth managers. Due to the instability in world politics and high inflation in many parts of …

A Bitcoin (BTC) hostel is coming to Portugal’s shores. As it’s Europe’s first Bitcoin-only hostel, Cointelegraph spoke with the founders to find out how Bitcoin shapes the business model, from planning to architecture to the community. The Bitcoin Hostel is a homestay and hangout where Bitcoin (Lighting or on-chain) is the only acceptable payment method — a space where “the spirit of Bitcoin” shapes the decision-making process. The hostel was founded by Berliners Albert Wolframm and his girlfriend, Valeria Padimiglio. “She’s the business part, and I’m the architecture part, but I’m also more into Bitcoin,” he jokes. The Bitcoin Hostel …

Forbes has named 15 youthful crypto business leaders on the 2022 edition of its 30 under 30 list. Despite its misleading name, the annual Forbes 30 under 30 list is actually comprised of 600 people aged 30 and under from a total of 20 categories such as finance, gaming and music. Notable alumni from last year’s edition include FTX and Alameda Research founder Sam Bankman-Fried, and Brian Tubergen, the co-founder of U.S.-based initial token offering and exchange platform CoinList. In the latest edition published on Dec. 1, Forbes noted that the latest batch of under 30s raised more than $1 …

The AFR’s list contains 87 of Australia’s richest entrepreneurs aged 40 and under, with each boasting a net worth greater than AUD 36 million ($26.9 million). The list is topped by Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, the co-founder and chief operating officer (COO) of popular graphic design software providers Canva. The married couple has an estimated net worth of AUD 16.5 ($12.3) billion between them. Seven crypto luminaires have debuted on the Australian Financial Review’s (AFR) “Young Rich” list of 2021, including the minds behind some of the leading protocols in the decentralized finance (DeFi) and nonfungible token (NFT) sectors. …

Solverse, a Solana-focused accelerator program, has tapped 21 subject matter experts to advise on up-and-coming Solana projects, setting the stage for further development of the high-performance blockchain network. Representatives from 21 companies were selected to join the Solverse mentorship program. The mentors themselves come from diverse backgrounds, including global investment banking, blockchain infrastructure and media. Representatives from Alameda Research, Axia8 Ventures, Bitscale, Lemniscape and many others will make up the mentorship panel. The infrastructure provided by Solana will bring De-Fi capacity and sophistication to the next level,” said Wayne Lin, founder of Axia8 Ventures. “Our goal with Solverse is to …

A team of software developers supported by serial entrepreneur Mark Cuban has launched the digital currency Ethereum-based Mercury Protocol for the communication industry on Aug. 24. The protocol’s system is underpinned by the ERC20 token called the “Global Messaging Token” (GMT). According to Mercury Protocol lead Blockchain developer Preethi Kasireddy, the protocol uses the GMT token as a utility metric for communication platform participation. Concept of Mercury Protocol Based on the white paper released by the protocol’s developers, Mercury Protocol is designed as an alternative to centralized communication platforms that aims to ensure the privacy of its users. By using …