Nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace Metaplex has hired a new CEO and appointed an advisory board comprising some of crypto’s most influential voices, setting the stage for the continued growth of the Solana-based project. Adam Jeffries, a developer with career stops at Google, Amazon, Citadel and Kaggle, has been appointed CEO of Metaplex Studios, the company announced Wednesday. Joining him is a new board of advisers that includes blockchain streaming platform Audius; CoinShares chief strategy officer Meltem Demirors; Cultur3 Capital co-founders Alex Yamashita, Mark Streeter and Rolf Hoefer; and Phantom chief product officer Chris Kalani. Rounding out the advisory group are …

Tokenized sport collectibles projects have raised almost $1 billion in funding in the space of a week. On Wednesday Dapper Labs — the firm behind the Flow blockchain and the widely popular tokenized basketball collectibles NBA Top Shot — announced a further $250 million in a funding round led by tech-focused hedge fund Coatue. As reported by Cointelegraph on Wednesday, French-based nonfungible token (NFT) soccer trading card game developer Sorare raised $680 million in Series B funding led by Japanese fintech giant SoftBank. The funding round raised the valuation of the firm to $4.3 billion. The combined funding for the …

Hip-hop icon Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., also known as Snoop Dogg, has revealed himself to be the pseudonymous nonfungible token (NFT) collector “Cozomo de’ Medici.” While Snoop has not provided further clarification beyond a Sept. 21 tweet unveiling his digital identity, Medici’s NFT wallet is worth roughly $17.6 million, according to DappRadar. Snoop’s collection features a long list of NFTs, including highly sought-after CryptoPunks, Meebits and Art Blocks tokens. Snoop’s CryptoPunks represent most of his portfolio’s monetary value, with the tokens estimated to be worth $13.19 million. The collection includes CryptoPunk #3831, which depicts a green alien wearing a mask …

The minimum cost to buy a CryptoPunks nonfungible token (NFT) from secondary marketplaces dropped below 80 Ether (ETH) on Sept. 14. Larva Labs reported that the so-called "CryptoPunk 1417," a pixelated avatar of one of 3840 women created by digital artists Matt Hall and John Watkinson, is listed for sale at 79.99 ETH (almost $266,168). The floor price of CryptoPunks fell below 80 ETH. pic.twitter.com/aD3Cwbl0IK — Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) September 14, 2021 A quick look into the history of transactions involving #1417 showed that its owner sold it for as low as 0.9 ETH (~$159) in January 2020. The new …

Marvel and DC seem to be breaking away from the established tradition of allowing creators and artists to sell original prints of published works due to their reported plans for entry into the nonfungible token (NFT) space. According to Bloomberg, the two comic book staples have barred artists from selling NFTs of the characters they create for the company. Both Marvel and DC reportedly have designs on leveraging their vast collection of comic book art in the expanding NFT scene, potentially a new market for selling collectibles. Indeed, Marvel has already made forays into the NFT space, selling digital collectibles …

Dolce & Gabbana knocking on the Dior of NFTs Luxury Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana is entering the nonfungible token (NFT) sector with a nine-piece collection of tokenized fashion items in collaboration with the Polygon-based UNXD marketplace. The firm was founded by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in 1985 and has since evolved into a multinational giant that offers high-end fashion items for eye-watering prices. Dubbed “Collezione Genesi,” the collection consists of nine one-of-one NFTs that are up for auction starting Sept. 20. The NFTs depict illustrations and digital art of garments designed by Dolce and Gabbana, which …

Blockchain-based music streaming platform Audius announced Thursday that it had launched full Solana NFT integration, allowing its more than six million users to begin featuring digital collectibles from the Solana library. The integration will occur through Phantom, Solana’s multichain wallet and browser extension. The new features will be available to Audius’ silver tier profiles, accounts holding more than 100 of the platform’s native AUDIO tokens. Roneil Rumburg, Audius’ co-founder and CEO, said the partnership gives Solana its first “NFT discovery layer,” adding that: “Tooling from Metaplex and the Audius integration with Phantom made it possible to ship Solana support while …

Three-time NBA champion Stephen Curry has snapped up a Bored Ape Yacht Club nonfungible token (NFT) for 55 Ether (ETH) worth around $206,000 at the time of publication. The Golden State Warriors star purchased an NFT depicting an ape with blue fur wearing a plaid suit on Saturday. Curry’s wallet on OpenSea shows a collection of 20 NFTs, including a 5.69-ETH ($21,000) purchase of Bored Ape Kennel Club NFT on Saturday as well. To the surprise of other collectors, Curry has since been active in the Bored Ape discord group and even changed his Twitter profile picture to display his …

Executives hailing from Singapore-based fund manager Three Arrows Capital (3AC) have launched a fund focused on collecting premium digital art in the form of nonfungible tokens (NFT). The fund, dubbed Starry Night Capital, was founded by Three Arrows Capital CEO Su Zhu, 3AC co-founder Kyle Davies, and pseudonymous NFT collector Vincent Van Dough. Van Dough announced the fund via a tweet on Tuesday, stating, “Our thesis is simple, we believe the best way to gain exposure to the cultural paradigm shift being ushered in by NFTs is owning the top pieces from the most desired sets.” Zhu shared the tweet, …

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) announced on Monday that it would be dropping nonfungible tokens (NFT) depicting WWE Hall of Famer John Cena. Last week, the beloved wrestling organization dropped its first NFT collection featuring The Undertaker, with the highest-selling NFT going for $100,000 through auction. The latest NFT release will see the first tier consisting of a one-of-one “John Cena Platinum NFT” that will be opened up for a 24-hour auction starting on Friday, Aug. 20, in the lead up to this year’s SummerSlam event. THIS FRIDAY Just in time for #SummerSlam, @WWE drops a unique 1-of-1 @JohnCena Platinum NFT! …

As the debate surrounding the impact of major blockchains on the environment continues, an energy-efficient blockchain is releasing an eco-friendly NFT collection designed to reduce carbon emissions. The Worldwide Asset eXchange says Carbon Offset vIRL NFTs will make their debut in August 2021. For every dollar that is “composted,” the National Forest Foundation is going to plant one tree sapling, each of which will offset an average of one tonne of CO2 over their lifetime. WAX co-founder William Quigley said: “WAX is officially setting higher standards for responsibility across the blockchain. We’ve been working tirelessly to ensure our blockchain is …

Digital collectibles platform Terra Virtua has moved from the Ethereum blockchain to Polygon in an attempt to be greener. In a Monday announcement, Terra Virtua said it had switched to Polygon as part of a plan to create a more sustainable nonfungible token, or NFT, ecosystem. The platform claimed the move would reduce the energy necessary to create a single NFT by more than 99%. However, Terra Virtua will also remint all digital collectibles previously unsold on Ethereum in the move to Polygon. “Our mission is to revolutionise how audiences engage with NFTs and make them accessible to everyone, but …