Bitcoin (BTC) is a dynamic monetary asset with the potential of being both — a commodity and a currency. For instance, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) classified BTC as a commodity, whereas El Salvador made Bitcoin a legal tender in 2021. So, does this make BTC a store of value or a medium of exchange? It can do both — On one hand, BTC can be added to treasuries as an inflationary hedge. On the other hand, it could also serve the retail purpose of paying for routine expenses. Almost over a decade ago, the first person to utilize …

Walmart’s global chief technology officer (CTO) Suresh Kumar has tipped cryptocurrency to become a "major" area of disruption, particularly in how customers pay for virtual and physical goods in the future. Speaking at the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit on Oct. 17, Kumar outlined Walmart’s positive stance on digital assets, noting that “crypto will become an important part of how customers transact” for both physical and virtual goods. “I think that there are three major areas of disruption. Crypto falls in sort of the middle of it,” he said, explaining that “the way in which customers are getting inspired and …

In this week’s newsletter, read about how UNICEF is using nonfungible tokens (NFTs) to help connect schools to the internet and how post offices are able to revive the philately sector through NFTs. Check out how an NFT gaming project lets many aspects of its game be customizable and sold as NFT packs. In other news, Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu spoke with Cointelegraph and shared his thoughts about Asia’s perception of NFTs. And, don’t forget this week’s Nifty News featuring Walmart’s entry to the Metaverse. UNICEF Giga NFTs to connect schools in developing countries to internet Humanitarian aid organization …

American retail giant Walmart has taken its first steps into the Metaverse with the launch of Walmart Land and Walmart's Universe of Play on Roblox. According to the company's Monday announcement, Walmart Land focuses on "immersive experiences" with key features including a physics-defying Ferris wheel, unlockable tokens and badges, an interactive piano walkway and a D.J. booth for users. See Walmart like never before Walmart Land is our new world on #ROBLOX with fun & games for all. From film to fashion — whatever you’re into, let’s have some fun with it. Come for the inspo, stay for the verch …

It appears that retail giant Walmart Inc. is getting ready to enter the Metaverse with patent filings indicating that it plans to create its own cryptocurrency and NFT collection. The multinational retailer filed several new trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Dec. 30, however, they remained unnoticed until a Jan. 16 report by CNBC shed more light on Walmart’s ambitions. Walmart filed a total of seven patent applications at the time, including three under its existing advertising division “Walmart Connect”. The applications included plans to create and sell “virtual goods,” including the likes of electronics, toys, appliances, …

Walmart has partnered with coin-cashing machine company Coinstar and crypto-cash exchange Coinme to install 200 Bitcoin (BTC) ATMs in its stores across the United States. Although the pilot includes only 200 kiosks, the broader launch plans to eventually see the installation of 8,000 Bitcoin ATMs across the country, according to Bloomberg. There have been no further details on timelines as of yet. According to Coin ATM Radar, there are currently over 25,000 Bitcoin ATMs at select grocery stores and service stations in the United States. Coinstar operates 4,400 kiosks enabled for Bitcoin purchases across 33 states. Sam Doctor, chief strategy …

The price of Litecoin (LTC) rose to more than $237 earlier on Monday following erroneous reports from major news outlets that United States retailer Walmart would be introducing a payment option for the cryptocurrency on all of its e-commerce websites. CNBC, Reuters, Decrypt and others reported on Monday that Walmart planned to have a “Pay with Litecoin Option” for its retail websites starting on Oct. 1 as part of a partnership with the Litecoin Foundation, the organization financing and promoting adoption of the Litecoin ecosystem. The reports seemed to spawn from a single press release through distribution service GlobeNewsWire. The …

North American retail giant Walmart is looking for an experienced crypto expert who can develop and drive an ambitious digital currency strategy and product roadmap. In the listing for the role, Walmart indicates it is looking for someone who has a track record in leading and scaling businesses, with at least 10 years of experience in product/program management and technology-based product commercialization. The ideal candidate should have expertise in cryptocurrencies and blockchain-related technologies and in-depth knowledge of the crypto ecosystem and its core actors. Walmart has hinted at the focus of its future digital currency strategy by noting that it …

Shopping using cryptocurrencies is a hot-button topic right now — but how do you find the keys to the kingdom of crypto e-commerce? Here, Cointelegraph talks to Shopping.io CEO Arbel Arif about his vision for the future, the milestones that have been achieved since the platform launched six months ago, and the high-profile partnerships that have been instrumental for the site’s success. 1. Hello! Can you describe Shopping.io in a nutshell? Shopping.io is the bridge between crypto and retail. We are the leading provider of mainstream e-commerce solutions in crypto. We are the only company that offers you the ability …

While it’s notable that some enterprises are beginning to deploy blockchain solutions this year, it’s important to point out that very few have done so. A report from Everest Group Research published in June shows that while 79% of projects have completed their pilot phases, only 7% have been deployed to production in 2020. That being said, it’s impressive that one of the world’s largest retailers has successfully deployed and implemented a blockchain solution. Walmart Canada has adopted DL Freight, a blockchain-based supply chain platform, as its national standard for freight invoices and payment management to be used among 60-plus …

Gamified shopping loyalty platform StormX will now let its users earn cashback in cryptocurrencies when shopping at Walmart. According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph on August 14, StormX users can now earn up to 4% cashback in crypto for purchases made at Walmart. Users who achieve a “Diamond” rank can earn up to 14%. StormX CEO Simon Yu said that he believes this Walmart partnership will bring new users to the service: “As the only crypto cashback program for Walmart worldwide, we are confident that users will take advantage of the rewards program to earn their favorite cryptocurrency while …

Blockchain technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) can solve some of the food industry’s most pressing challenges and save it $100 billion a year, according to a recent report by Cointelegraph Consulting and VeChain. The report forecasts that $300 billion worth of food items will be traced along the supply chain annually within seven years. The lack of transparency and accountability in the global food industry’s supply chain costs billions of dollars annually. To take one example, it’s believed that as much as 20% of global wine sales are counterfeit, worth $6 billion. And things get even fishier when …