The Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget wants to defend the Metaverse from the Big Tech giants aiming to make a foray into the nascent market. In a recent interview, Borget said that he is not very keen on big tech companies such as Meta joining the Metaverse. He explained further that major technology companies could threaten the decentralization of the Metaverse as their business model goes against it. The Sandbox co-founder went on to add that it’s not about the competition, rather more about an open, decentralized future. Tech giants hold the monopoly over Web 2.0, something the Web 3.0 technologies …

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 …

The nonfungible token (NFT) market is hot right now, and the future forecasts that it will only be getting hotter. The creation of the Metaverse opens the gateway for NFT luxury brands to reach $56 billion by 2030. As the production of NFTs continues to create new forms of fashion consumption, more and more premium brands are jumping on this fast-moving train, investing in their new digital collectibles businesses. As more aspects of people's lives are moving online, the demand for digital fashion and goods will increase significantly in the coming years. The Metaverse, virtual spaces where people can interact …

Join Cointelegraph host and analyst Benton Yaun alongside resident market experts Jordan Finneseth and Marcel Pechman as they break down the latest news in the markets this week. Here’s what to expect in this week’s markets news breakdown: Bitcoin (BTC) may continue to consolidate until Q1 of 2022. With $2.5 billion liquidated in the cryptocurrency market this week, should investors still be optimistic about the current cycle? Bitcoin dipped just below $50,000 as Evergrande defaulted. The Chinese property development giant may have caused Bitcoin’s most recent price drop. Will this price point serve as firm support? $1.1 billion in Bitcoin …

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 …

Understanding the metaverse concept is complex, especially since it doesn't necessarily exist yet, although many industry pioneers are coming close. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected with services, products and capabilities melding together into a single experience, the metaverse, in turn, becomes a clear successor to the internet and a concept that is close in reach. However, defining the concept remains blurry, with many people's first instincts being shaped by fictional movies. Although some aspects of this concept may be similar, the projects pioneering this space in the real world are the ones that hold the power to determine what …

A virtual anime version of Sophia, the world-famous humanoid artificial intelligence (AI) robot, is set to be tokenized and auctioned off as part of an up-and-coming Metaverse project dubbed “Noah’s Ark.” Sophia was developed by Hong Kong-based firm Hansen Robotics in 2016 and is known across the globe for her conversation skills and articulate speaking ability. In her first 5 years, Sophia has addressed the United Nations and obtained Saudi citizenship. Earlier this month, former Hansen Robotics CEO and Sophia co-creator Jeanne Lim launched a virtual anime version of the robot dubbed “Sophia beingAI” at her new company beingAI under …

Digital land is in high demand in what is already a highly lucrative market as the past week’s NFT and Metaverse sales figures revealed. Data from the industry metrics platform, NonFungible, indicates that over the past week there have been more than $300 million in NFT sales. Of that total, almost a quarter have been for digital land in the Sandbox Metaverse. Over the past week, each one of the top ten NFT Metaverse sales across the top five collections were for in-game digital land. The Sandbox traded a total volume of $70.5 million for 4,433 assets over the past …

In her monthly Expert Take column, Selva Ozelli, an international tax attorney and CPA, covers the intersection between emerging technologies and sustainability, and provides the latest developments around taxes, AML/CFT regulations and legal issues affecting crypto and blockchain. On Nov. 14, Tezos-based nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace Hic Et Nunc — which in Latin means “here and now” — abruptly shut down. Artists became worried about their NFTs on exhibit at the Hermitage Museum’s first-ever NFT exhibition, “Ethereal Aether” (Nov. 10 to Dec. 10), as well as Art Basel Miami’s first-ever NFT exhibition, “Humans + Machines: NFTs and the Ever-Evolving World …

This week, Ether (ETH) price reached a new 2021 high against Bitcoin (BTC), bringing its year-to-date returns slightly above 350% and according to technical analysis, the rally could extend even further. On Dec. 1, bids for the ETH/BTC pair hit 0.0835 BTC on Coinbase for the first time this year. The upside move came as a part of an uptrend that started mid-October after Ether bottomed out against Bitcoin at 0.0630 BTC to carve out almost 41% price retracement. Growing adoption propels Ether's boom The ETH/BTC price rally reflect deep interest in Ethereum, which is currently the world's leading smart …

On Thursday, Adidas announced it was entering the Metaverse in collaboration with Bored Ape Yacht Club, gmoney NFT, and PUNKS comic. In an article posted on the Adidas mobile app, the developers behind the initiative said the following: This autumn, Adidas, known for celebrating ideas at the bleeding edge of originality, it settling in at the frontier of creativity: The Metaverse. Our goal there? To see every one of its inhabitants thrive. The Metaverse is where anyone can express their most original ideas and be their most authentic selves, in whatever form they might take. And thanks to the blockchain …