KEY POINTS Mastercard launches second season of artist accelerator program, introducing exclusive Music Pass NFTs. Collaborating with OnesToWatch, the program aims to guide artists in embracing Web3 technologies. NFT holders gain access to AI music studio, exclusive content, and more. Mastercard has started the second season of its artist accelerator program, debuting exclusive Music Pass non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as part of the initiative. Introduced last year to support artists in navigating Web3 and discovering new revenue avenues, this year’s program sees Mastercard teaming up ..read more

KEY POINTS Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and the LDP spearhead Japan’s Web3 venture, focusing on robust regulatory measures and tailored strategies for the cryptocurrency sector. Despite promising advancements, Japan’s Web3 journey faces turbulence as a corruption scandal casts doubt on Kishida and the LDP, overshadowing their efforts. With by-elections looming and leadership contests on the horizon, the fate of Japan’s Web3 trajectory hangs in the balance. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in conjunction with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is leading Japan’s ambitious venture into ..read more

KEY POINTS The EPRS has highlighted both the educational potential and inherent risks for children within the metaverse in a recent letter. While acknowledging the benefits of immersive learning and social interaction, the EPRS underscores concerns about children’s exposure to inappropriate content in virtual environments. The EPRS calls for stricter measures to safeguard children’s experiences in the metaverse, echoing similar efforts by organizations like the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU). The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), the internal research arm of ..read more

In a ground-breaking shift from traditional pitch competitions, Proof of Pitch emerges as a transformative platform uniquely combining Artificial Intelligence (AI) insights with the strategic acumen of the world’s leading Web3 venture capitalists. Proof of Pitch participants will showcase their presentation to an exclusive audience of speakers and VCs, including CEOs, founders of leading blockchain companies, and top Web3 VC partners. Next to the competition’s main sponsor zkSync, distinguished partners and jurors are participating, including Pantera Capital, Borderless Capital ..read more

KEY POINTS Google Cloud unveils Web3 portal, offering blockchain development tools including NFT creation. Mixed community response: some praise Google’s move while others express skepticism about potential monopolization. Google’s gradual embrace of Web3 technologies since 2022 signals a significant shift in its approach to blockchain and digital assets. Google Cloud has unveiled a new Web3 portal aimed at empowering developers to build on blockchain technology, including the creation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Despite this effort, the response from the community has been mixed ..read more

Yuga Labs, the company behind the popular non-fungible token (NFT) collection, Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), is undergoing layoffs as part of what it describes as a “restructuring” effort. The announcement was made via a post on X (Twitter) on Friday, April 26, by Yuga Labs CEO, Greg Solano.  gm, really tough day today. I am hellbent on transforming yuga and getting us back to our roots, and that means making hard decisions. by far the hardest is saying goodbye to some talented team members. here was my message to the team this morning. pic.twitter.com/gBkoNf2iK3 — Garga.eth (Greg Solan ..read more

The historic Bitcoin halving on April 20 coincided with the launch of the Runes token standard by Casey Rodarmor, the renowned developer who previously introduced the Ordinal protocols on the Bitcoin network.  Runes has significantly driven the mining revenue for Bitcoin miners. In the first week since its launch, Runes has generated transaction fees of more than 2,129 BTC, equivalent to $135 million. Runes can be used to create fungible tokens such as memecoins. According to Dune analytics, Runes transactions have dominated the network activity, clocking 3 million transactions since its ..read more

NFA Labs has recently joined forces with Quantix Capital, a move that has garnered a substantial $10 million capital commitment. This infusion of funds is poised to propel the growth and expansion of NFA Labs’ ecosystem, enabling the company to further solidify its position in the DeFi landscape. $200 million Lost to Hacks and Rug Pulls The surge in the adoption of cryptocurrencies and DeFi platforms has been accompanied by a parallel increase in illicit activities, with a notable 15.4% surge in stolen funds, amounting to over $200 million lost to hacks and rug pulls in the initial two months ..read more

Anichess, the non-fungible token (NFT) -based chess game by Animoca Brands, Chess.com, and five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen, recently concluded a funding round, securing nearly $2 million for further development and enhancements. The $1.8 million funding round, led by Sfermion and Amber Group, with participation from Fenbushi Capital, Aspen Digital, and others, aims to support game development, marketing efforts, and team expansion. This recent funding adds to the $1.5 million raised in 2023, bringing the total investment to $3.3 million. Since its launch earlier this year, Anich ..read more

KEY POINTS Ethereum reclaims top spot in daily NFT sales, surpassing Bitcoin with $7.8 million in transactions. Leading Ethereum NFT sales include Azuki #5869, fetching $211,900, and several CryptoPunks selling for over $100,000 each. Despite a decrease from March, Ethereum maintains dominance in all-time NFT sales, with a volume exceeding $43 billion. Ethereum has reclaimed its top spot in daily non-fungible token (NFT) sales, outpacing its competitor Bitcoin. According to data from CryptoSlam, Ethereum-based NFTs have raked in $7.8 million in sales within the past 24 hours, surpas ..read more