The potential behind the metaverse is becoming greater as virtual and physical worlds converge. Market intelligence firm Contrive Datum Insights recently found that the global metaverse market is estimated to surpass $1.3 trillion by 2030. According to the study, this growth will be driven by newly adopted virtual economy trends, combined with the rise of both crypto and online games. Additionally, a recent survey conducted by CoinWire highlighted that the metaverse would likely reshape social lifestyles. CoinWire found that 69% of respondents believe that the metaverse will eventually modify social lifestyles due to new approaches taken for entertainment and activities. …

Bitcoin documentaries play an important role in educating and informing the public about the cryptocurrency space. They can help to demystify complex concepts and technology, making them more accessible to a wider audience. Additionally, documentaries can provide a historical perspective on the development of Bitcoin (BTC) and the cryptocurrency industry, helping to contextualize current events and trends. By highlighting the potential benefits and drawbacks of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, documentaries can also contribute to public discourse and decision-making. They can also help to raise awareness of issues, such as financial inclusion, privacy and security, which are vital considerations for the …

Kazakhstan, one of the biggest Bitcoin (BTC) mining destinations in the world, issued a consultation paper to gauge public interest in proposed amendments to improve the cryptocurrency trading framework. The policy paper, released on Jan. 27, was laid down by the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), a Kazakh regulator. The AFSA pointed out that the AIFC Digital Asset Trading Facility (DATF) regulatory framework dates back to 2018 and that the amendments seek to introduce certain enhancements. AFSA’s analysis highlighted problems related to the ongoing supervision of crypto exchanges — revealing “contradictions, inefficient provisions and uncertain definitions within the regime.” It …

Blockchain-powered fantasy sports firm Sorare has sealed a deal with the English Premier League to mint Ethereum-based digital player cards on its platform. Sorare has driven an interesting use case for Ethereum-based fantasy sports and digital card trading in recent years, offering fans the ability to mint, collect and trade various player cards with other users across a variety of nonfungible token (NFT) marketplaces. Cointelegraph reached out to Sorare to clarify details of their latest deal which brings the Premier League to the fingertips of football fans. While the partnership was officially announced on January 30, a Sorare spokesperson said …

Credit card giant MasterCard has teamed up with the world’s largest crypto exchange Binance to launch another prepaid crypto card in Latin America. On Jan. 30, Binance announced the launch of the Binance Card in Brazil. The new card is issued by Dock, a payment institution regulated by the Brazilian Central Bank. It will allow new and existing Binance users in the country with valid national IDs to make purchases and pay bills with crypto assets. The card is in a beta testing phase and will be “widely available in the coming weeks,” according to Binance. Brazil is the second …

Twitter chief Elon Musk has reportedly instructed his developers to build the platform’s payments system in such a way that crypto functionality can be added in the future. According to a Jan. 30 Financial Times report, two people familiar with Twitter’s plans said the payments feature will support fiat currencies to start but be built to accommodate cryptocurrencies should the opportunity arise. Twitter has long teased bringing payments to the social media platform — forming part of Musk’s stated plan to make Twitter an “everything app.” Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app — Elon Musk …

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has become the first national park in the world to run a Bitcoin (BTC) mine in an effort to protect its forests and wildlife. Cointelegraph spoke with Sébastien Gouspillou, CEO of Big Block Green Services, and the man who introduced Bitcoin mining to the park. Speaking via video call, Gouspillou said with a smile: “Bitcoin mining saved the park from bankruptcy.” Virunga is Africa's oldest protected park and a symbol of the continent's biodiversity. A report by journalist Adam Popescu, published in MIT Technology Review, explained that the region was …

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazović has announced on Twitter that his country is pursuing a digital currency in conjunction with Ripple. Abazović met with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and vice president James Wallis at Davos. Wallis is Ripple's vice president for central bank engagements and CBDCs. Abazović apparently had something like a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in mind in his announcement, as he stated in the thread: “In cooperation with @Ripple and the Central Bank, we launched a pilot project to build the first digital currency or stablecoin for Montenegro.” The exact nature of the potential future digital currency …

Last year proved that the Web3 space is not just a phenomenon but rather the future of digital interactions. However, as pervasive as the space has become, many are still skeptical as to how it can and will be a part of their lives. Many developers are seeking ways to bridge the gap between these two iterations of the web. Cointelegraph spoke with Bruno Guez, the CEO of Revelator, to understand why he believes already existing Web2 financial tools like credit cards can actually be bridges to usher new users into Web3. Revelator, which works in the music industry that …

Bitcoin (BTC) use in Guatemala is on the up. The Latin American country that borders El Salvador boasts Guatemalan-grown Bitcoin companies such as Ibex and Osmo, several Bitcoin Beach-inspired projects including Bitcoin Lake, and now, free BTC tattoos. A Bitcoin merchant adoption competition hosted by Osmo Wallet in 2022, a Guatemala-based Bitcoin company, led to the free ink promotion. Cointelegraph spoke to Piero Coen, the co-founder of Osmo Wallet, and Steven Marroquin, the owner of Soul’s Anchor, a tattoo parlor in Guatemala City. Coen explained how it that the mission is to get more people to use Bitcoin: “So we …

The recent launch of a nonfungible token (NFT) protocol on the Bitcoin mainnet has the crypto community divided over whether it’ll be good for the Bitcoin ecosystem. The protocol, referred to as “Ordinals,” was created by software engineer Casey Rodarmor, who officially launched the program on the Bitcoin mainnet following a Jan. 21 blog post. The protocol essentially allows for the Bitcoin version of NFTs — described as “digital artifacts” on the Bitcoin network. These “digital artificats” can comprise of JPEG-like images, PDFs, video and audio formats. The introduction of the protocol has the Bitcoin community divided however, with some …

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) in Nigeria has skyrocketed to well above market levels amid continued efforts by the central bank to push its citizens into digitalized cash. At the time of writing, the price of 1 BTC on Nigerian crypto exchange NairaEX is currently 17.8 million Naira, equating to a whopping $38,792. This represents more than a 60% premium over the current market price of Bitcoin, which is around $23,700 at the time of writing. It comes as the Central Bank of Nigeria has continued to impose limits on ATM cash withdrawals amid an ongoing effort to accelerate its …