Online dating has already become a commonplace activity in modern-day romance. Data from Statista forecasted nearly 280 million online dating users by 2024. Now with data from a recent survey conducted by Dating.com, an online matchmaking platform, the numbers say many singles are ready to take their search for love into the metaverse. According to the survey, those looking for love continue to turn to technology, with 33% of singles planning to date in the metaverse. The survey highlighted that the use of metaverse avatars can help put an emphasis on, “communication and digital intimacy before in-person discovery." Moreover, the …

The appointment of one of Activision Blizzard's highest-ranking executives to a leadership position at Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) parent Yuga Labs has been seen as a boon for its metaverse efforts and another sign of validation of the crypto industry. On Dec. 19, Yuga Labs confirmed it has appointed Daniel Alegre, the current president and chief operating officer of Activision Blizzard as its new CEO, who will take the helm of the company in the first half of 2023, succeeding the current CEO Nicole Muniz. Activision Blizzard, a gaming giant with a market cap of around $60 billion, according …

As borders open up following prolonged COVID-induced travel restrictions, the Metaverse, one of the latest sub-crypto ecosystems, is set to help travelers decide on the destinations they want to experience in person, reveals a new survey conducted by Booking.com personally. Popular online travel agency Booking.com surveyed 24,179 respondents across 32 countries, which revealed travelers’ strong interest in virtually exploring destinations as they decide on their itinerary. Out of the lot, people most likely to try out travel experiences in the metaverse were Gen Z (45%) and Millennials (43%). Nearly half, or 43% of the respondents, confirmed their will to use …

Over the last year the crypto, and greater Web3 industry has seen a rollercoaster of loss, growth and innovation - and the data shows. In the latest industry report from cryptocurrency exchange Huobi, "Global Crypto Industry Overview and Trends", trends and stats were pulled from the industry on everything from nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse, to centralized exchange (CEX) usage and regulations. Despite the turmoil of major events like the FTX collapse, LUNA’s implosion, and 3AC bankruptcy, the industry still accounted for approximately 320 million crypto users worldwide in the last year. While the total amount of investment and …

The Japanese government is set to ease tax requirements for local crypto firms, as it pushes to stimulate growth in the domestic finance and tech sectors. At present, Japanese firms that issue crypto are required to pay a set 30% corporate tax rate on their holdings, even if they haven’t realized a profit through a sale. As such, a number of domestically founded crypto/blockchain firms and talent have reportedly chosen to set up shop elsewhere over the past few years. Japan’s ruling party, the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) tax committee held a meeting on Dec. 15 and approved a proposal …

Web3 tools and innovations are making their way into various mainstream industries across the world. Some such as the sports and music industries have made a big leap into adoption. However the world of cinema has not been as vocal on its adoption. Some filmmakers in the past have touched on DAOs as a tool to boost community engagement around cinematic projects. Recently, big names in cinematic entertainment like Disney have made more swift moves into the space by hiring Web3-related lawyers and bringing the Polygon blockchain network into its accelerator program. Cointelegraph sat down with Director Stephen Fung, who …

The metaverse is coming for users at full speed. Companies and brands are jumping into digital reality, and according to a recent survey, consumer interest is climbing alongside all the activity. At the same time, as more users join in on metaverse activity, the risk grows for nefarious activity in digital reality. A report from cybersecurity firm Kaspersky revealed that exploitation and abuse in the metaverse are set to rise in the next year. Threats range from scams, to be expected with digital interactions but also avatar-related identity theft and abuse. For a better understanding of the dangers and risks …

The metaverse and digital reality experiences are barreling toward consumers, whether they are ready or not. However, there are certain places in the world that are more ready to embrace a digital future from a technological standpoint. A new study by Uswitch, an internet and telephone service researcher, looked at a combination of fixed broadband speeds, broadband package prices, the number of blockchain financial start-ups and the price of high technology exports to determine which countries have the capacity to embrace the metaverse. At the top of the list is the Netherlands, with the most hospitable conditions to cater to …

Soulbound tokens (SBTs) are becoming a mainstay in the Web3 space for users and projects to define themselves in digital reality. A Dec. 13 announcement from Cobo, a digital asset custodian and blockchain technology developer, revealed a new SBT project which unites crypto industry giants to cater to users’ developing digital identities. Cobo, MetaMask Institutional and Gnosis DAO teamed up to create “Evolution,” an SBT project, a tool to help users define themselves in digital reality and stay up to date on industry trends. A spokesperson for Cobo told Cointelegraph that since SBTs cannot be sold on the market, it …

Microsoft’s attempt to acquire Activision Blizzard — a move originally aimed toward building Metaverse initiatives — hit a roadblock after an intervention by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC sought to block Microsoft from acquiring the gaming giant as a way to promote fair competition in high-performance gaming consoles and subscription services. However, Microsoft CEO and chairman Satya Nadella had previously stated that acquisition would “play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms.” #BREAKING: FTC seeks to block Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Inc.: https://t.co/ukewjn6MUX /1 — FTC (@FTC) December 8, 2022 In a …

The Metaverse as a concept exploded last year, especially after social media giant Facebook rebranded to Meta. And while there have been a number of different virtual world projects released, interoperability and integrations are still lacking. Generally, users are provided with a virtual reality that has already been shaped for them. Not only that, limitations regarding protocols, integrations and the use of NFTs are still dominating the Metaverse sector. Yet, in the true spirit of crypto and blockchain tech, innovative projects like Bluemoon are redefining what the Metaverse can be. By bringing the executive, decision-making role to the user, Bluemoon …

Central bank digital currency (CBDC) development aims squarely at inclusion, both for the central bank in the national economy and for the people it serves. Meanwhile, the technology for cross-border payments is being developed elsewhere for the most part, according to a new report on the payments industry. The Digital Money Institute (DMI), part of the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum think tank, released its third annual Future of Payments report on Dec. 8. The report was sponsored by several payments companies and crypto exchange Binance, and those companies penned sections that supplemented DMI's findings. This was the first …