Brokerage firm eToro introduced MetaverseLife, a new smart portfolio covering stocks and crypto-assets from within the growing metaverse industry, on Jan 11. The company stated that its goal is to offer a diverse range of investments made for long-term exposure. Currently included in the portfolio are Meta Platforms, the new parent company behind Facebook, Roblox and other blockchain-based metaverse developments like Decentraland, Sandbox and Enjin. There are also a few companies listed in this portfolio that aren’t exclusively blockchain-based but have still contributed to metaverse adoption and development. These include tech firms like Microsoft, Amazon and Nvidia. Dani Brinker, head …

Within months after its launch in April 2021, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has become one of the main reasons Wall Street should take the emerging nonfungible token (NFT) market seriously, thanks to its recent sales turnover of over $1 billion. Celebrities ape into BAYC For the uninitiated, BAYC is a collection of 10,000 cartoons of anthropomorphic apes with stylish clothes and disreputable expressions. Each ape is practically an image file that should be worthless in a sane world. Nonetheless, they have been managing to fetch astonishing sums, sometimes from some of the world's most renowned celebrities. For instance, Jimmy …

Although the traditional payment system is effective in many ways, no solution ever arose to address cross-border transactions, transparency and fees lost to intermediaries, giving the world a digital currency to rally behind. Unfortunately, for the average investor to take advantage of these benefits, the process was often cumbersome, met with the complexity of navigating multiple platforms. In some cases, this may include a separate wallet and numerous trading platforms, depending on the currencies or projects a user is interested in holding, each of which may be met with their own sign-up and account creation processes. These concerns are in …

Social media has overtaken the world as a place to share details about our personal lives, connect with distant friends and build entire communities about our interests and passions. While Facebook led the charge, YouTube followed shortly after as a medium to distribute video blogs, how-tos and other entertaining media. Unfortunately, what many fail to realize is the vast potential of money-making opportunities that exist on social media. When used correctly, social media can be lucrative, even providing some with a stable income. The difference is recognizing social media as more than a platform for connecting with people. Rather, it …

Dear Lord Sugar Mountain, Attention: to my Facebook friend who is building a version of the metaverse that nobody wants as a starter. The last few years must certainly not have been easy. Your business model centered around polarization and, subsequently, outrage has ironically unified many of us against relying too much on your social media platform. Your government — whose sniper rifle accuracy you know all too well as they took out your ill-conceived stablecoin project shortly after your expensive global advertising campaign went live — has tuned in to the many whistleblowers exposing how your company captures and …

Even as nonfungible token (NFT) transactions have taken off and made headlines, to most people outside the crypto world, they’re just a gimmick. The metaverse will change that. There’s always a tipping point when new technologies go from incomprehensible fringe interest to, suddenly, part of life. That point usually comes from the confluence of a number of drivers and, right now, we’re experiencing what happens when two such trends hit the inflection point together. Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to rebrand Facebook to Meta was enough to propel the metaverse into major headlines around the world, although the concept has been around …

Despite some senators in the United States opposing Meta launching its digital currency products, the development of the social media giant's digital wallet, Novi, continues apace. Stephane Kasriel, the head of Meta’s cryptocurrency and fintech unit Novi, officially announced on Dec. 8 that Meta’s messenger subsidiary WhatsApp has started testing transactions through Meta’s Novi wallet. According to the exec, the new feature is available for a “limited number of people” in the United States, allowing users to send and receive money on WhatsApp “instantly and with no fees.” There's a new way to try the @Novi digital wallet. Starting today, …

Blaine Luetkemeyer, a House Representative from Missouri, revisited the issue of major companies exerting control over vast swaths of the Internet, something he expressed concerns about encroaching in the crypto space. Speaking at a Wednesday hearing on digital assets with the The House Committee on Financial Services, Luetkemeyer addressed Bitfury CEO and former Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks in saying that major tech firms including Instagram, Facebook — now Meta — and Twitter “control people on their platforms.” Luetkemeyer asked whether this level of control could extend to undue influence for the rollout of a digital dollar. “The …

In his monthly crypto tech column, Israeli serial entrepreneur Ariel Shapira covers emerging technologies within the crypto, decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain space, as well as their roles in shaping the economy of the 21st century. Sometimes a project’s name tells you all you need to know about it, no matter how niche. Take Kryptomon, for example, the NFT game that recently completed a 24-hour sale in one second. You understand, based on its name, that some kinds of cutesy monstrosities evolving and fighting one another must be involved, and you know it must be blockchain-based. Clear, concise and to …

Mysten Labs, the research and development firm founded by former engineers from social media giant Facebook, has announced the completion of a $36 million funding round towards its goal developing a Web 3.0 infrastructure platform. In a Monday announcement on Medium, the team behind Mysten Labs said the firm had raised $36 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Redpoint, Lightspeed, Coinbase Ventures, Electric Capital, Standard Crypto, NFX, Slow Ventures, Scribble Ventures, Samsung NEXT, and others. According to a CNBC report, CEO Evan Cheng said Mysten would use the funds to build the …

Cryptocurrency exchange Okcoin has announced Randi Zuckerberg — the sister of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg — will be joining the platform’s brand advisory council in its aim to bring more women into crypto. In a Thursday announcement, Okcoin said that in addition to hiring Zuckerberg, the exchange would be committing $1 million in an attempt to reach a 50% female user base by 2025. Zuckerberg was the former director of market development and a spokesperson for Facebook until she resigned in 2011, moving on to start her own social media firm in addition to founding the Zuckerberg Institute — a …

Social media and metaverse marketplace Meta has expanded eligibility requirements for running cryptocurrency advertisements on Facebook, giving companies more leeway to market digital asset product offerings. Meta announced Wednesday that, effective immediately, it will recognize 27 regulatory licenses from advertisers, up from just three previously. This means many more applications for running cryptocurrency ads will be accepted. The changes are reflected in section 10 of Facebook’s updated advertising policy titled, “Cryptocurrency Products and Services.” Before the update, only a narrow segment of crypto companies was able to advertise on Facebook because the platform recognized a small number of regulatory licenses. …