DD
MM
YYYY

PAGES

DD
MM
YYYY

spot_img

PAGES

Home Blog Page 3987

Elvis Presley NFT Avatars Set to Launch in Ethereum Game, The Sandbox

0

The Sandbox, a popular blockchain-based virtual world game, has announced a partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises to create and sell digital representations of the King of Rock and Roll as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). According to a press release, the collaboration will allow players to purchase and use Elvis-themed NFT avatars, wearables, and assets in The Sandbox metaverse. The NFTs will be based on iconic images and outfits of Elvis from different stages of his career, such as his 1956 debut album cover, his 1968 comeback special, and his Aloha from Hawaii concert.

NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, are unique digital assets that can represent anything from art and music to games and collectibles. They are stored on a blockchain, which ensures their authenticity and scarcity. NFTs have exploded in popularity in recent years, as more creators and collectors seek to monetize and showcase their digital creations.

One of the most exciting applications of NFTs is the creation of avatars, or digital representations of oneself. Avatars can be used to express one’s personality, style, and preferences in various online platforms and metaverses. They can also serve as a form of social currency, as owning a rare or desirable avatar can boost one’s status and influence in the digital world.

However, creating and owning an avatar is not as simple as uploading a picture or choosing a preset. There are many factors to consider, such as the quality, originality, and value of the avatar, as well as the legal and ethical implications of using someone else’s likeness or intellectual property. Moreover, there are different types of NFT avatars, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

The Sandbox is a decentralized gaming platform that allows users to create, own, and monetize their own voxel-based experiences using the native SAND token and NFTs. The game has attracted over 40 partners and IPs, including Atari, Smurfs, Care Bears, Deadmau5, and now Elvis Presley.

Some of the other notable partners that have joined The Sandbox are:

The Walking Dead: The popular zombie apocalypse franchise will bring its characters, locations, and items to The Sandbox as NFTs.

Snoop Dogg: The rap legend will have his own virtual mansion in The Sandbox, where fans can visit and interact with him and his NFT collection.

Richie Hawtin: The techno pioneer will create an immersive musical experience in The Sandbox, featuring his Plastikman persona and NFTs.

Binance: The leading cryptocurrency exchange will have its own virtual space in The Sandbox, where users can learn about crypto and blockchain.

Sebastien Borget, COO and Co-Founder of The Sandbox, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Elvis Presley Enterprises to bring the King of Rock and Roll to The Sandbox metaverse. This is a great opportunity for fans to celebrate and honor the legacy of Elvis Presley in a new and innovative way, as well as to introduce him to a new generation of gamers and creators.”

Marc Rosen, Executive Vice President of Entertainment at Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which owns Elvis Presley Enterprises, said: “Elvis was a visionary who constantly pushed the boundaries of music, film and entertainment. We are excited to continue his legacy of innovation by launching his first-ever NFT collection in The Sandbox. This will allow fans around the world to connect with Elvis in a whole new way and experience him like never before in an immersive and interactive virtual world.”

The Elvis Presley NFT collection will be available for purchase on The Sandbox’s marketplace later this year. The exact date and price of the NFTs have not been revealed yet.

Dogecoin vs. VC Spectra: Top Cryptos to Buy Now for 10x Serious Returns

0

Investors are constantly on the lookout for top-performing digital assets with the potential for significant returns. Dogecoin (DOGE) has once again sparked excitement due to a subtle yet impactful change in Elon Musk’s Twitter bio, igniting rumors of possible integration into his ventures. Meanwhile, VC Spectra (SPCT) has rapidly gained traction in the market, securing an impressive $2.4 million within a mere two-week period through its private seed sale, thereby setting ambitious growth objectives for the future.

Let’s explore the growth potential of these coins.

>>BUY SPCT TOKENS NOW<<

Elon Musk’s Twitter Bio Sparks Excitement for Dogecoin (DOGE)

Dogecoin (DOGE) has once again captured the spotlight, and this time, the credit goes to a subtle yet meaningful alteration in Elon Musk’s Twitter bio. The influential tech billionaire, whose tweets frequently impact the cryptocurrency market, has been dropping hints about the potential integration of Dogecoin (DOGE) into his diverse projects. This recent change in his Twitter bio has sparked renewed speculation that Dogecoin (DOGE) could soon find its way into the payments system of what he playfully refers to as his “everything app.”

The buzz started on July 25 when Twitter rebranded, and Musk’s profile displayed both an “X” and a “D,” with the “X” representing the platform’s new branding. Given Musk’s history with Dogecoin (DOGE), the “D” was immediately associated with the cryptocurrency.

This subtle change in Musk’s Twitter bio didn’t go unnoticed by the crypto community, and it had a notable effect on Dogecoin’s (DOGE) price. On the same day, the price of Dogecoin (DOGE) surged by 10%, climbing from $0.74 to $0.82.

While the excitement following Musk’s tweet subsided, Dogecoin (DOGE) experienced a net increase between July 25 and August 2, amounting to 4.7%. The price rose from $0.74 to $0.78 during this period.

Musk’s continuous fascination with and potential integration of Dogecoin (DOGE) into his ventures creates a solid foundation for promising growth ahead.

>>BUY SPCT TOKENS NOW<<

VC Spectra (SPCT) Unveils Unique Investment Opportunities

VC Spectra (SPCT) emerges as a groundbreaking pioneer, offering a distinctive opportunity for investors to participate in early-stage projects. By providing exclusive token allocations before public launches, VC Spectra (SPCT) introduces an innovative approach that holds significant potential for substantial returns.

VC Spectra (SPCT) platform stands out through a rigorous due diligence process, meticulously evaluating each project’s viability, technology, team, roadmap, and market fit. Operating on the BRC-20 standard, VC Spectra (SPCT) token facilitates exchanges, decentralized trading, asset management, and transaction fee coverage.

With the current public presale in Stage 2, VC Spectra (SPCT) investors can acquire SPCT tokens at $0.011, representing an impressive 37.5% increase from the initial value of $0.008.

Looking ahead to Stage 3, projections suggest VC Spectra (SPCT) tokens reaching $0.025, presenting investors with a remarkable 127.27% increase from the current price.

Early investors who purchased VC Spectra (SPCT) tokens during Stage 2 are poised to reap substantial benefits as the presale reaches its peak at $0.08. This remarkable price surge signifies a staggering tenfold growth from VC Spectra’s initial value of $0.008.

Under these circumstances, seizing the chance to join the VC Spectra (SPCT) ecosystem promptly offers investors a favorable opportunity to capitalize on its potential for growth.

Find out more about the VC Spectra presale here:

Presale: https://invest.vcspectra.io/login

Website: https://vcspectra.io/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/spectravcfund

Telegram: https://t.me/VCSpectra

SEC Receives 11 Ethereum Futures ETF Applications in a Week

0

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has received a surge of applications for Ethereum futures exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the past week. According to the SEC website, 11 firms have filed for approval to launch ETFs that would track the performance of Ethereum futures contracts, which are derivatives that allow investors to bet on the future price of the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.

The applicants include well-known names such as VanEck, WisdomTree, Invesco, and ProShares. If approved, these ETFs would provide a new way for investors to gain exposure to the Ethereum market without having to buy or store the underlying asset. In the past week, 11 firms have filed their proposals with the regulator, hoping to launch the first ETF that tracks the price of Ether, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network.

Ethereum futures ETFs are similar to Bitcoin futures ETFs, which were approved by the SEC in October 2021 and have attracted billions of dollars in inflows. These ETFs do not hold the underlying cryptocurrency directly, but instead invest in futures contracts that are traded on regulated exchanges such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). Futures contracts are agreements to buy or sell an asset at a specified price and date in the future.

The advantage of futures ETFs is that they can provide exposure to the cryptocurrency market without the need to deal with the technical and regulatory challenges of custody, security, and taxation. However, they also come with some drawbacks, such as higher fees, tracking error, and contango. Contango is a situation where the futures price is higher than the spot price, which means that the ETF has to pay more to roll over its contracts and maintain its exposure.

The 11 firms that have filed for Ethereum futures ETFs are:

Volatility Shares LLC, which filed for the Ether Strategy ETF (ETHU) on July 28.

ProShares Trust, which filed for the ProShares Ether Strategy ETF and the ProShares Inverse Ether Strategy ETF on August 2.

VanEck Associates Corp., which filed for the VanEck Ethereum Strategy ETF on August 2.

Bitwise Asset Management LLC, which filed for the Bitwise Ethereum Strategy ETF on August 2.

Grayscale Investments LLC, which filed for the Grayscale Ethereum Futures ETF (ETHG) on August 2.

Roundhill Investments LLC, which filed for the Roundhill Ether Strategy ETF on August 2.

Direxion Investments LLC, which filed for the Direxion Bitcoin Ether Strategy ETF on August 2.

Galaxy Digital Capital Management LP, which filed for the Galaxy Ethereum Futures ETF on August 3.

Kryptoin Investment Advisors LLC, which filed for the Kryptoin Ethereum Futures Trust on August 3.

WisdomTree Trust, which filed for the WisdomTree Ethereum Futures Fund on August 3.

Valkyrie Investments Inc., which filed for the Valkyrie Ethereum Futures Trust on August 4.

The SEC has not yet approved any of these applications, and it has up to 75 days to review them and make a decision. The regulator has been cautious about approving cryptocurrency-related products, citing concerns about market manipulation, investor protection, and compliance with existing laws. However, some analysts believe that the approval of Bitcoin futures ETFs has opened the door for other cryptocurrency futures ETFs, especially those based on Ether, which is the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization and has a more diversified use case than Bitcoin.

Ether is not only used as a medium of exchange and store of value, but also as a fuel for running decentralized applications (Dapps) and smart contracts on the Ethereum network. Ethereum is also undergoing a major upgrade known as Ethereum 2.0, which aims to improve its scalability, security, and energy efficiency by transitioning from a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism to a proof-of-stake (PoS) one. This could potentially increase the demand and value of Ether in the long term.

Ether is trading at around $1,841 as of August 4, down more than 250% year-to-date. The total market capitalization of Ether is about $305 billion, accounting for about 18% of the total cryptocurrency market. The CME launched Ether futures contracts in February 2021, and they have seen a steady growth in volume and open interest since then. As of August 3, there were about 5,800 Ether futures contracts outstanding on the CME, representing about $15 million in notional value.

If the SEC approves any of the Ethereum futures ETF applications, it could boost the liquidity and adoption of Ether as an asset class and provide investors with more options to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency market. However, investors should also be aware of the risks and challenges involved in investing in such products, such as volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and operational complexity.

Ethereum’s Cancun Deneb Upgrades to Improve Scalability and Security

0

Ethereum is a decentralized platform that enables users to create and run smart contracts, decentralized applications, and other innovations on a global network. Ethereum is constantly evolving and improving, and one of the most anticipated upgrades is the Cancun Deneb upgrade hard fork. This upgrade will introduce several enhancements and features that will make Ethereum more scalable, secure, and user-friendly.

The Cancun Deneb upgrade is the next planned upgrade to the Ethereum blockchain, following the recent activation of the Shanghai upgrade. The Cancun Deneb upgrade consists of two parts: Cancun and Deneb. Cancun represents an additional upgrade to Ethereum’s execution layer, which is responsible for processing transactions and smart contracts. Deneb represents the upgrade to Ethereum’s consensus layer, which is responsible for securing the network and reaching agreement on the state of the blockchain.

The Cancun Deneb upgrade will include several Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs), which are documents that describe new features or changes to the Ethereum protocol. Some of the most notable EIPs that are expected to be included in the Cancun Deneb upgrade are:

EIP-4844: Proto-Danksharding. This EIP introduces a simplified version of sharding, which is a technique that aims to improve the scalability of the Ethereum network by dividing it into smaller partitions called shards. Each shard will operate independently, processing transactions and smart contracts in parallel, thereby increasing the network’s capacity to handle a higher transaction throughput. Proto-Danksharding will also increase data availability for rollups, which are a Layer 2 technology that bundles together transactions and processes them off-chain, reducing congestion and fees on the main chain.

EIP-2537: Precompile for BLS12-381 curve operations. This EIP adds a new precompiled contract that allows smart contracts to perform operations on a specific elliptic curve called BLS12-381. This curve is used for various cryptographic purposes, such as signature aggregation, verifiable random functions, and threshold signatures. By adding this precompile, smart contracts will be able to perform these operations more efficiently and securely, enabling new use cases and applications on Ethereum.

EIP-4788: Beacon state root in EVM. This EIP adds a new opcode that allows smart contracts to access the state root of the Beacon chain, which is the core component of Ethereum 2.0. The Beacon chain is responsible for coordinating the transition from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS), as well as managing the sharding system. By accessing the Beacon state root, smart contracts will be able to verify cross-shard transactions and communicate with other shards, enhancing interoperability and functionality.

The Cancun Deneb upgrade is important because it will bring significant benefits and improvements to the Ethereum network and its users. Some of the main advantages of the Cancun Deneb upgrade are:

Scalability: The Cancun Deneb upgrade will increase the scalability of the Ethereum network by introducing Proto-Danksharding and enhancing data availability for rollups. This will result in reduced congestion and lower fees, making Ethereum more efficient and user-friendly.

Security: The Cancun Deneb upgrade will enhance the security of the Ethereum network by transitioning from PoW to PoS, as well as adding new cryptographic features such as BLS12-381 curve operations. PoS will ensure that malicious actors have more to lose if they attempt to disrupt the network, promoting a higher level of security and stability. BLS12-381 curve operations will enable new forms of cryptography that will improve privacy and verifiability on Ethereum.

Usability: The Cancun Deneb upgrade will improve the usability of the Ethereum network by simplifying the transaction fee mechanism with EIP-1559, as well as enabling new smart contract functionality with EIP-4788. EIP-1559 will make transaction fees more predictable and efficient for users, providing a better user experience. EIP-4788 will allow smart contracts to access the Beacon state root, enabling cross-shard communication and verification.

The exact date for the Cancun Deneb upgrade has not been announced yet, but it is anticipated to go live in the second half of 2023. The upgrade will require a hard fork, which means that all nodes on the network will have to update their software to be compatible with the new protocol rules. The developers are currently working on testing and finalizing the specifications for the upgrade, as well as coordinating with various stakeholders such as miners, validators, exchanges, wallets, and Dapp developers. The upgrade will be preceded by several TestNet deployments, which will allow the developers and the community to test the upgrade and identify any potential issues or bugs.

The upgrade will be mostly backward compatible, which means that most of the existing applications and transactions on Ethereum will continue to work as usual. However, you may want to keep an eye on the official announcements and updates from the Ethereum developers and community, as well as your preferred service providers such as exchanges, wallets, and Dapps. You may also want to monitor the network activity and performance before and after the upgrade, as there may be some fluctuations or disruptions during the transition.

If you are an Ethereum developer, you may want to familiarize yourself with the new features and changes that the Cancun Deneb upgrade will bring to the Ethereum protocol. You may also want to update your code and tools to be compatible with the new protocol rules, as well as test your applications on the testnets before the mainnet launch. You may also want to take advantage of the new opportunities and possibilities that the Cancun Deneb upgrade will enable for your applications and users.

The Cancun Deneb upgrade is a major milestone in the ongoing evolution of the Ethereum network. The upgrade will introduce several enhancements and features that will improve the scalability, security, and usability of the Ethereum network. The upgrade is expected to go live in the second half of 2023, following extensive testing and coordination. The upgrade will bring significant benefits and opportunities for both users and developers on Ethereum, advancing towards a brighter future for the decentralized space.

Tinubu Notifies Nigeria’s National Assembly of Sanctions, Military Action Against Niger

0

President Bola Tinubu has formally informed the National Assembly regarding ECOWAS’ planned military intervention and additional sanctions against the military officials who recently executed a coup in Niger Republic.

This notification was conveyed through an official letter addressed to the Senate, which was presented during a plenary session by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Friday.

The move is coming despite warnings by Nigerians and several countries to Tinubu, not to sanction a military action against Niger.

The letter, which bears the caption, “Political situation in Niger” reads partly:

“Following the unfortunate political situation in Niger Republic culminating in the overthrow of its President, ECOWAS under my leadership condemned the coup in its entirety and resolved to seek the return of the democratically elected govt. in a bid to restore peace, ECOWAS convened a meeting and came out with a communiqué.

“Closure and monitoring of all land borders with Niger Republic and reactivating of the border drilling exercise.

“Cutting off Electricity supply to Niger Republic

“Mobilizing international support for the implementation of the provisions of the ECOWAS communiqué

“Preventing the operation of commercial and special flights into and from Niger Republic.

“Blockade of goods in transit to Niger especially from Lagos and eastern seaports.

“Embarking on sensitization of Nigerians and Nigeriens on the imperative of these actions particularly via social media

“Military buildup and deployment of personnel for military intervention to enforce compliance of the military junta in Niger should they remain recalcitrant.”

On July 26, 2023, a coup d’état unfolded in Niger, leading to the arrest of President Mohamed Bazoum and the establishment of General Abdourahamane Tchiani as the leader of a newly formed military junta.

This has resulted in a diplomatic row with many countries, including Niger neighbors Nigeria. Both the African Union and the Economic Committee of West African States (ECOWAS) have been engaging Niger in talks while exploring military options.

During their recent meeting on Sunday, regional leaders in West Africa imposed sanctions on the individuals behind the coup, and they granted the military junta a one-week ultimatum to relinquish control or potentially face a military intervention.

Niger has severed ties with Nigeria, Togo, France, and the United States in response to the sanctions announced by those countries.

Nigeria has been leading the way as pressure mounts on the coupists to restore the democratic elected president Bazoum. With the majority of Western countries in support of a military action in Niger, Tinubu, who had earlier warned that coup will no longer be tolerated in Africa, appears determined to remove the junta.

However, Nigerians are showing their displeasure over the move, which many see as a way Tinubu, who doubles as the AU Chairman, wants to receive recognition from the West. Tinubu’s election is being contested in the Presidential Election Tribunal (PEPT) due to allegations of rigging, and many world leaders have refused to recognize his presidency based on that.

Nigerians believe that the country already has enough to contend in its fight against terrorists that is far from being won. Starting a fresh conflict with Niger, amid the economic crisis currently rocking the nation, is not a move Nigerians want the president to make.

“The crisis in the Republic of Niger requires diplomatic engagements, and that must mean that the channels for dialogue should be well sustained,” former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said.

“While the world expects Nigeria to take a leading role in this process of peaceful conflict resolution, it must be clear to the military insurrectionists in the Republic of Niger that the world cannot afford to wait for too long before this crisis is resolved reasonably.”

Former Senator Shehu Sani said senators should weigh the implications and consequences of their decisions, especially those senators representing states along the Niger Border.

“The Nigerian Senate should NOT approve any military action against Niger Republic. This country should not be plunged into war and eventually stuck in war in the Sahel. President Tinubu shouldn’t allow himself to be misled by foreign powers. Saudi in Yemen, America in Afghanistan and now Russia in Ukraine should teach us a lesson that war doesn’t end in days, weeks or months,” he said.