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Arbitrum Awards Biggest-Ever Foundation Grant to Lotte, the South Korean Megacorp

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Arbitrum, the largest layer-2 network on top of Ethereum, has awarded its biggest-ever developer grant to Lotte Group, the multibillion-dollar South Korean conglomerate known for its vast portfolio of shopping malls, media companies and entertainment properties. According to Offchain Labs, the developer behind Arbitrum, the grant cements Arbitrum as the main blockchain infrastructure provider for Caliverse, Lotte’s metaverse gaming platform.

Offchain Labs shared the news at CES 2025, the technology tradeshow happening this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. A representative for the company declined to disclose the exact size of the grant «at this stage.» It was technically awarded by the non-profit Arbitrum Foundation, which periodically doles out grants in $ARB tokens to help spur development in the Arbitrum ecosystem.

«Lotte is Arbitrum Foundation’s largest grant recipient to date. And we’re proud to be working with partners so closely aligned with our vision,» said John Park, Head of Korea at The Arbitrum Foundation.

Lotte’s Arbitrum integration could signal renewed interest from traditional companies in building blockchain-based virtual worlds—the «metaverse» concept that earned mainstream buzz a few years ago but has since become less top-of-mind for many technologists and investors. Lotte first showed interest in releasing metaverse-related products in 2022 and announced that it was entering a «strategic partnership» with Arbitrum last year.

Caliverse is mainly a venue where the South Korean megacompany experiments with emerging tech trends like artificial intelligence, virtual reality and crypto. Caliverse users can explore virtual worlds featuring differing kinds of media content and futuristic shopping experiences. The app currently features content from a grab-bag of big brands, ranging from 7-Eleven to the Tomorrowland music festival. Much of the content on Caliverse comes from fashion and beauty companies like Givenchy, MCM, and L’Occitane.

Users can currently shop for those brands or experience concerts and other kinds of media within the Caliverse app. The new integration with Arbitrum means that blockchain users will be able to pay for certain services using crypto, and systems like in-game transactions could start running on-chain.

The Arbitrum blockchain has become a popular choice among gaming platforms, with the network experiencing a 72% year-over-year growth in 2024 for gaming, according to Offchain Labs. According to a press release the company shared with CoinDesk, Arbitrum currently hosts 119 game titles and 23 gaming-focused blockchains through its Arbitrum Orbit stack, a customizable toolkit that lets developers create their own blockchains based on Arbitrum’s technology.

“Arbitrum’s blockchain is the ideal home ground for Lotte Caliverse, delivering industry-leading 250ms block times that ensure high-quality performance within virtual worlds and gaming experiences,” said Steven Goldfeder, the co-founder and CEO of Offchain Labs. “With Arbitrum now powering Lotte Caliverse, in-game transactions will be seamlessly integrated on-chain and will eliminate transaction latency, providing users with a smooth, consumer-friendly experience that sets a new standard for Arbitrum-based interactions in virtual worlds.”

Read more: Trading Platform Robinhood, Layer-2 Arbitrum Team Up To Offer Swaps To Users

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UK’s FCA Seeks Views on Stablecoins, Crypto Custody to Prevent Firm Failures

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The U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seeking additional views on its upcoming stablecoins regime, it said on Wednesday.

«In support of the opportunities stablecoins present to financial services and the broader economy, the FCA will explore adding a specific focus on stablecoins to its innovation services in the coming months,» the FCA’s statement said.

The FCA’s proposed rules are meant to ensure stablecoins maintain their value and seek to reduce the likelihood of stablecoin and crypto custody companies failing.

Stablecoins have been something regulators have been watching carefully following the collapse of the algorithmic stablecoin terraUSD in 2022 that resulted in investors losing out on their life savings.

The FCA has been establishing its new crypto regime since 2023. In 2023 it published a discussion paper with proposals for a stablecoins regime. The regulator has since upped its efforts to regulate the sector by releasing a series of discussion papers for the industry and the U.K. government is working on establishing new legislation to ensure the country’s regulators have all the powers they need to launch their new regimes for the digital asset sector.

The FCA will be working with the Bank of England to regulate stablecoins.

«For those stablecoins that expect to operate at systemic scale, the Bank of England will publish a complementary consultation paper later this year, including responding to industry feedback around allowing some return on backing assets,» Sarah Breeden, deputy governor for financial stability at the Bank of England said.

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Bitcoin and Web3 Wallet Firm Ledger Brings ‘Crypto Life’ Visa Card to U.S. Users

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Cryptocurrency hardware wallet firm Ledger has launched its Crypto Life (CL) Visa card in the U.S., offering users 1% cashback in bitcoin (BTC) or USDC on purchases and the ability to directly deposit paychecks into the on-chain card account via bank transfer.

Ledger’s CL Visa card is facilitated by fiat-to-on-chain card enabler Baanx, which also provides self-custody crypto cards for the likes of MetaMask, Tools for Humanity and most recently wallet firm Exodus.

Big card networks Mastercard and Visa are aligning themselves with the self-custodial crypto world and the rapid growth in areas like stablecoin payments. Data on CL card usage shows household purchases dominated crypto card usage at 63% of total transactions, with entertainment and fashion categories showing the strongest growth.

Jean-Francois Rochet, EVP of Consumer Services at Ledger, said the collaboration brings the CL card to millions of users in the U.S. with attractive cashback features for bitcoin holders. “Living the crypto life means having ownership, access and real world utility over your digital assets,” he said in a statement.

“The CL Card, designed for Ledger, is a step toward mainstream, non-custodial crypto payments—right in your pocket”, said Simon Jones, Chief Commercial Officer of Baanx.

The CL Card will be available in the U.S. (excluding New York and Vermont) on June 30, 2025.

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VivoPower Raises $121M to Launch XRP Treasury Strategy With Saudi Royal Backing

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VivoPower International (VVPR), a Nasdaq-listed energy company, said on Wednesday it has secured $121 million in a private share placement to fund its pivot to digital asset treasury focusing on XRP XRP, the fourth largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

The raise was led by Saudi Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Abdulaziz Al Saud, investing $100 million, a spokesperson to the company told CoinDesk. The company sold 20 million ordinary shares priced at $6.05 per share.

Adam Traidman, a former Ripple executive who led the SBI Ripple Asia, is joining the company as chairman of the board of advisors, according to the press release. Ripple is an enterprise-focused blockchain service provider closely related to the XRP Ledger.

VivoPower shares surged as much as 26% on the news before giving back some of the gains. Recently, they were up over 11%, trading around $6.75.

The move is the latest example of public firms raising money to purchase and add digital assets to their treasuries, a playbook popularized by Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR) that has become the largest corporate holder of bitcoin BTC. While BTC has been the most sought-after asset among these firms, recent newcomers like DeFi Development and SharpLink Gaming directed their focus to Solana’s SOL SOL and Ethereum’s ether ETH, respectively.

VivoPower, founded in 2014, aims to be the first publicly traded company with a crypto treasury strategy centered around XRP. It also plans to spin off its legacy business.

«After reviewing a number of listed vehicles seeking to embrace a digital asset treasury model, we selected VivoPower given its strategic focus on XRP and its objective to contribute to building out of the XRPL ecosystem,» Prince Abdulaziz said in a statement. «We have been investors in the digital asset sector for a decade and have been long-term holders of XRP.»

Read more: Dubai Unveils Real Estate Tokenization Platform on XRP Ledger Amid $16B Initiative

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