Interest in the metaverse is accelerating at a global rate, with countries all over the world joining in the rush to get involved. In Japan, a country often associated with its legacy technology sector, a group of well-known tech companies entered into an agreement on Feb. 27 to forward the creation of the “Japan Metaverse Economic Zone." Along with creating the Japan Metaverse Economic Zone, the agreement's focus is on building an open metaverse infrastructure called “Ryugukoku," which will spark the next wave of metaverse development. This open metaverse infrastructure will help create interoperable tools available for users and developers …

A proposal seeking to create a $200 million fund dedicated to early-stage Web3 startups was submitted on Feb. 26 by Mantle Core on BitDAO's governance forum. The ecosystem fund aims to boost the adoption of Mantle's network among developers and Dapps. Mantle is an Ethereum layer-2 network developed by the BitDAO ecosystem. According to the proposal, a capital pool of $200 million would be deployed within the Mantle ecosystem over the next three years. BitDAO's treasury would provide $100 million USD Coin (USDC), while another $100 million would be supplied by external matching capital from "strategic venture partners". Funds that …

Over $2.5 billion was stolen in cross-chain crypto bridge hacks from 2021 to 2022, according to a report by Token Terminal. But, despite several attempts by developers to improve bridge security, a debate from December 2022 to January 2023 on the Uniswap DAO forums has laid bare security weaknesses that continue to exist in blockchain bridges. In the past, bridges like Ronin and Horizon used multisig wallets to ensure that only bridge validators could authorize withdrawals. For example, Ronin required five out of nine signatures to withdraw, whereas Horizon required two out of five. But attackers figured out how to …

The World Wide Web, as its name implies, is borderless, and so is crypto. The internet and cryptocurrency’s common ethos is wide-open communication and exchange, unimpeded by national boundaries. On the ground, however, as crypto has become a more significant player in the financial system, nations have begun to consider issues of sovereignty and regulation. While many countries have so far remained open to crypto, others have restricted its use or outright banned it. The same reason that some have advocated for crypto and blockchain technology — as a means of revolutionizing the international financial system — has alarmed plenty …

Some 2,500 crypto-curious blockchain believers descended on Barcelona’s Hyatt Tower conference suites last week in a networking bonanza. The 8th edition of the European Blockchain Convention, and the fourth occurrence in Barcelona, also coincided with Bitcoin (BTC) sitting tight below $25,000. Despite an over 60% crypto drawdown, the conference was packed, and reportedly 2,500 attendees from banks, blockchain companies and crypto drank in the sights and sounds of the cosmopolitan capital of Spain’s Catalonia region. Nonetheless, the crypto scars of 2022 are still tender and raw; many attendees raised real concerns about regulation and rules. Among the clarion calls for …

Music streaming platform Spotify expands its Web3 efforts by testing token-enabled playlists in several key markets. Overlord, a Web3 gaming ecosystem, reported on Feb. 22 the start of its partnership with Spotify. The token-enabled community-curated playlist from Overlord may now be accessed via Web3 wallets of those who hold the Creepz nonfungible tokens (NFTs) on Spotify. For now, only Android users from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and New Zealand can unlock the playlists. Other participants in the three-month pilot are Fluf, Moonbirds and Kingship metaverse communities. While Fluf and Moonbirds didn’t share any details on their partnership …

Cryptocurrency exchange Gate.io is gearing up to launch a presence in Hong Kong following the local government's planned $6.4 million (50 million Hong Kong dollar) cash injection into Web3 as per the city’s 2023-24 budget. Gate Group said on Feb. 22 that it will apply for a crypto license in Hong Kong allowing it to launch “Gate HK.” The firm's local company, Hippo Financial Services, gained a license in August 2022 to provide virtual asset custodial services. It comes as Hong Kong financial secretary, Paul Chan, announced the Web3-related funding and the creation of a crypto task force in a …

Google's cloud computing arm has added another string to its Web3 bow, with a new partnership to see it becoming a network validator, or "corporate baker" to the Tezos blockchain. On Feb. 22, Tezos Foundation, a Swiss non-profit foundation supporting the Tezos blockchain announced it has teamed up with Google Cloud which will allow customers of the cloud computing business to deploy Tezos nodes and build Web3 applications on the blockchain. Tezos is a blockchain-based smart contract platform used to power decentralized applications, similar to Ethereum, Cardano and among others. Corporates that have used Tezos include gaming giant Ubisoft and …

The Web3 Domain Alliance, a member-led coalition that aims to provide a standardized framework for Web3 naming services, has announced 51 new members, including Blockchain.com, Rarible, Wyre, Bitdegree, WazirX, and Klever. These firms will help promote the development of the Web3 naming industry and the functioning of Web3 domain registries, according to the company We’re excited to announce that 52 new members are joining the Web3 Domain Alliance including @blockchain, @rarible, @sendwyre, @bitdegree_org, @WazirXIndia, and @klever_io, along with dozens of other naming systems, projects and companies! #W3DA Why this is great news [1/4] pic.twitter.com/rzSlYKYpEh — unstoppable.nft (@unstoppableweb) February 22, 2023 …

Blockchain technology is often a valuable tool in solving various business challenges due to its ability to create secure, trusted, and transparent data sources and has gained traction across industries as businesses seek efficiency and cost reductions. Daniela Barbosa, the Executive Director at the open-source blockchain development firm the Hyperledger Foundation, spoke to Cointelegraph about how blockchain for enterprise is transforming global markets and industries. Barbosa noted blockchain technology has already demonstrated its value in various enterprise use cases, such as provenance tracking, logistics, and cross-border payments. By providing efficiency and cost-saving solutions while saving time and labor, enterprise blockchain …

The growing GameFi sector has caught the attention of the video game industry, leading many brands to create their own unique blockchain games. However, despite the popularity of these projects, many lack engaging gameplay mechanics and the entertainment value found in successful traditional games. With a focus on high production values, replayability and entertainment, the upcoming blockchain gaming project Undeads aims to bring these much-needed elements to the forefront of the Web3 space. Undeads’ head of community Jan Emil Christiansen will get into more detail about the ambitious gaming project in an AMA on Feb. 22, 3:00 pm UTC. Undeads …

Smartphones could become an integral part of blockchain networks, powering connectivity between smart devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) industry. Nodle is the firm behind a connectivity platform that incentivizes users to become nodes of an IoT network. Making use of the increasing proliferation of smartphones worldwide, the network uses Bluetooth connectivity to rent computing power, storage and Bluetooth capability of devices to broaden the footprint of IoT networks. Nodle CEO Micha Anthenor Benoliel outlined details of the project in an interview with Cointelegraph, which looks to tap into a global network of electronic devices connected through Bluetooth Low …