Top-tier German soccer club Borussia Dortmund, or BVB, is entering a multi-year partnership with the crypto trading platform Bybit. At present, details of what the partnership will involve, beyond mutual brand outreach, remain slight. In a statement for Cointelegraph, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou pointed to BVB's huge popularity, characterizing its fan base as the seventh-largest in the world. He said: "With the partnership, Bybit intends to increase its global reach and branding, as the Bybit logo and slogans will be presented virtually on BVB's matches, their websites and social platforms." A forthcoming high-profile match with Bayern Munich, in which the …

Natus Vincere, a Ukrainian multi-game organization, has announced plans to launch a fan token on blockchain-based platform Socios. According to a Nov. 4 announcement, the token will enable a number of new fan engagement opportunities, including the right to vote in polls as well as the chance to earn unique rewards linked to the organization. The maximum supply of fan tokens will be capped at 5 million coins, with a limited number of tokens available at a fixed price of $1. An initial flash sale is expected to take place in the coming months, Socios said. Following the flash sale, …

A Japanese professional soccer player is launching his own cryptocurrency to boost fan engagement. Keisuke Honda, former Japan midfielder and currently a captain of the Brazilian professional league team Botafogo, has launched his own token to build new connections with his fans, Cointelegraph Japan reported on Oct. 22. The so-called “KSK Honda Coin” was launched on Thursday via Rally.io, a blockchain platform for creating video streaming and gaming applications. The new coin is intended to enable fans to interact with Honda. Holders of KSK Honda token will be able to get exclusive content from Honda as well as interact with …

Zenit St. Petersburg — the top soccer club in Russia’s Premier League — has signed on to the Ethereum blockchain-based fantasy soccer Sorare platform. As of Oct. 15, Zenit players will be released as collectible and tradeable digital cards within the blockchain-based game, joining 100 other international soccer clubs, among them Juventus, PSG, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Blockchain player cards can be exchanged with other managers, and gamers can play games as soon as they have a minimum of five digital cards. The score of each player card is tied to their real-life performances in soccer league tables. Sorare …

A football team in Cyprus won against its rivals after it allowed fans to use blockchain technology and fan tokens to vote on its match lineup and formation, taking fan engagement to a new level. Apollon FC, using fan token platform Socios.com, won in a friendly match against rivals Aris Limassol, Socios said in a post. Apollon won six goals to zero. With Socios, fans of Apollon who bought its fan token APL had the opportunity to vote in a series of polls. These determined the team’s formation on the pitch and to select its attacking players. The fans chose …

Another major soccer club is entering the cryptocurrency industry by tapping a partnership with a cryptocurrency exchange. SS Lazio, an Italian professional sports club, signed a multiyear deal with crypto trading platform StormGain. Announcing the news on Wednesday, StormGain said that it is now the “official crypto trading partner” of SS Lazio. According to the firm, the newly announced deal will enable StormGain and Lazio to boost fan engagement through unique giveaways like exclusive VIP suite hospitality at Lazio home matches. As part of the initiative, StormGain will be providing access to private tours and events at the Stadio Olimpico, …

In the last two months, the decentralized finance industry has seen a dramatic surge of interest, as new platforms promising to disrupt the way people manage their money, transact, earn and entertain themselves have launched in rapid succession in recent months. Much of this growth has been catalyzed by the meteoric rise of DeFi lending platforms like MakerDAO and Aave, which together now compose more than 40% of the DeFi market. But a wave of new DeFi products that are targeting practically every traditional and digital industry is now making the rounds, expanding the benefits of DeFi to casual consumers …

Turkish football club Trabzonspor is the latest team to issue their own fan tokens using the Blockchain voting and rewards app, Socios.com, which will be available via the Chiliz exchange. According to the announcement, $TRA token holders will be able to vote in various polls and earn rewards for their engagement with the football club. Rewards could include VIP stadium attendee status, and even the ability to meet with players once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed. Socios’ app will also enable users to compete to become the #1 fan in their region or country. Sinan Zengin, general manager at Trabzonsport, …

Chiliz.net and Socios.com, a major industry tandem specializing in blockchain-based fan tokens, are rolling out their Visa debit card. As officially announced on Aug. 14, the Socios.com Visa debit card allows global fans to “be more than a fan” — earn fan tokens-powered financial rewards and club-related benefits from making purchases through the card. Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO at Chiliz and Socios, told Cointelegraph that the new debit card is now being tested by a limited pool of users. According to the executive, the Socios.com visa debit Card will roll out for mainstream users in early Q3 2020. According to the …

Popular Twitter personality Dave Portnoy, famous for his motto “stocks only go up,” now wants to learn about Bitcoin (BTC) from Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. In a Twitter clip extracted from his latest daily show on August 4, Portnoy tells the Winklevoss twins he’d like them to “explain Bitcoin in a way that I would understand,” he said. Portnoy stressed that he wants them to come in “their little rowing outfits,” in a reference to the movie The Social Network, where they were shown competing in Harvard’s rowing team. Both Tyler and Cameron accepted the invite shortly after. …

Socios.com, a blockchain startup aiming to tokenize the sports industry, has secured a major regulatory license allowing it to issue its own payments and loyalty card. Issued by the Estonian Financial Intelligence Unit, or FIU, the new license has been granted to the new Estonia-based entity called Socios Entertainment OU. Announcing the news on July 30, Socios’ partner project Chiliz.net noted that the FIU is the responsible authority for licensing crypto-related firms in the country. Socios’ prepaid fiat-crypto card is “due in the very near future” The new license allows Socios to provide virtual currency and fiat exchange services and …

Richard Heart’s controversial HEX token has launched an advertising blitz in the U.K., plastering ads on London public transportation, in newspapers, and during English Premier League soccer games. As reported by Twitter user Metallic Elmo, scrolling text appeared behind players at the series of soccer matches on July 26. “HEX price went up 11,500% in 129 days,” the ads stated, directing viewers to visit the ERC-20 token’s website. Four months ago — March 19 — the altcoin was priced at $0.0000359 according to crypto analytics site CoinMarketCap, compared to $0.004394 on July 26, an increase of 12,139%. User hexhivist posted …