LensLinks: Issue 24

A blockchain news roundup, brought to you by Regiment LLC

Author

Len Pacek
November 04, 2022

Today in LensLinks:

  • Binance CEO Chao Wants to Buy Banks

  • Lens Protocol (love that name) and Web3 interoperability

  • Singapore Wants to be Blockchain Hub

  • Latin America embraces Metaverse for workers

  • Bored Apes: Web3 "Only Plausible Solution to Manage Metaverse Economy"?

  • Elton John has his on Roblox land

  • And Much, Much, More...

QUOTABLE... 

“There are people who hold certain types of local licenses, traditional banking, payment-service providers, even banks. We’re looking at those things."

- Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao

NOTABLE...  

Singapore wants to be a hub for blockchain in finance, just not speculative crypto trading, MAS says

The city-state has shown its approval for blockchain technology and has embarked on various projects such as Project Ubin and Project Guardian.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/03/singapore-wants-to-be-a-crypto-hub-but-not-for-crypto-speculation.html

KEY POINTS

Singapore has ambitions to become a global cryptocurrency hub, but has not been friendly toward cryptocurrencies due to their volatile and speculative nature, sending mixed signals to the industry.

Singapore wants to be a hub for digital assets, just not for trading and speculating in cryptocurrencies, Ravi Menon, managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, said at the Singapore Fintech Festival.

The city-state has shown its approval for blockchain technology and has embarked on various projects such as Project Ubin and Project Guardian which test blockchain applications in financial services.

 Metaverse & Gaming

Latin America open to metaverse move, but what are the concerns?

Nearly 60% of all workers in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil appear ready to take their careers to the metaverse, a new survey finds. An even higher number of professionals are sure it will happen soon. Virtual work in Latin America is indeed ready to launch. For some respondents — particularly in Colombia and Brazil — virtual meetings […]

https://yucatanmagazine.com/latin-america-open-to-metaverse-move-but-what-are-the-concerns/

Virtual work in Latin America is indeed ready to launch. For some respondents — particularly in Colombia and Brazil — virtual meetings are affordable alternatives to traveling to a conference room.

In Mexico, business professionals cited fewer distractions and opportunities for time-wasting small talk.

 Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi

Binance CEO Zhao Considering Buying Banks: Report

Zhao wants his crypto exchange to become a bridge between traditional finance and crypto, according to a Bloomberg report.

https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/11/02/binance-ceo-zhao-considering-buying-banks-report/

Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao is looking into potentially buying banks as a way of bridging the gap between the worlds of traditional finance and crypto, according to an interview Zhao did with Bloomberg at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon.

Zhao did not name any specific targets, and also said he's open to either minority investments or a full acquisition.

 Crypto Trading

Did Sponsoring Stadiums Bring New Crypto Traders, or Tourists?

By some metrics, Crypto.com and FTX’s stadium sponsorship campaigns were a remarkable success. Whether they succeeded in onboarding a new generation of crypto traders remains to be seen.

https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/11/03/did-sponsoring-stadiums-bring-new-crypto-traders-or-tourists/

Last November, at the height of the bull market, Crypto.com announced it had obtained the naming rights to the stadium that houses the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Los Angeles Lakers, and on Christmas Day 2021, the venue was renamed the Crypto.com arena.

Months prior, FTX won the rights to rename the American Airlines Arena, which houses the NBA's Miami Heat, to the FTX Arena.

But the question remains: Throughout the prolonged crypto winter, are the investments in stadium branding proving to be worthwhile? Are they leading to a new cohort of retail users?

Metaverse & Gaming - A Little More...

Bored Apes Otherside Builder: Web3 ‘Only Plausible Solution’ to Manage Metaverse Economy - Decrypt

Improbable CEO Herman Narula argued that Web3 solutions are “the only means to efficiently share value in the metaverse.”

https://decrypt.co/113380/bored-apes-otherside-creator-web3-only-plausible-solution-manage-metaverse-economy

Elton John has created his own ‘Roblox’ land that will host a special virtual performance

Elton John has designed his own 'Roblox' land that will host a special virtual performance and act as a "digital time capsule"

https://www.nme.com/news/gaming-news/elton-john-has-created-his-own-roblox-land-that-will-host-a-special-virtual-performance-3341289

Blockchain, Tokens & Defi - A Little More...

Blockchain Gaming Giant Releases Its Utility-Centric Cryptocurrency Token | Bitcoinist.com

October 25, 2022 – Catheon Gaming, the leading blockchain video gaming giant, is excited to announce the release of its cryptocurrency token, $CATHEON. The

https://bitcoinist.com/blockchain-gaming-giant-releases-its-utility-centric-cryptocurrency-token/

BAYC Owner Yuga Labs: Metaverse NFT Open Standards Coming ‘Very Soon’ - Decrypt

The Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) creators are hard at work on open standards to enable NFTs to migrate between Otherside and other metaverses.

https://decrypt.co/113394/bayc-owner-yuga-labs-metaverse-nft-open-standards-coming-very-soon

Decentralized gaming IDs provide another avenue of interoperability in Web3

The gaming IDs will allow players to connect their profiles across all of the Crypto Unicorn franchise web and mobile NFT gaming platforms.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/decentralized-gaming-ids-provide-another-avenue-of-interoperability-in-web3

Crypto Trading - A Little More...

Union Bank of Philippines: Crypto Trading Services Now Available

The Union Bank of the Philippines along with METACO, a Swiss cryptocurrency firm, offers crypto trading services in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

https://beincrypto.com/union-bank-of-philippines-has-entered-the-chat-crypto-trading-services-now-available/

Alphabet Blames Crypto Ad Spend for a Revenue Slowdown | The Motley Fool

But even without wanton crypto spending, digital ads can still grow.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/11/03/alphabet-blames-crypto-ad-spend-for-a-revenue-slow/

 ESG (Environment, Social & Governance)

Accelerating digital transformation with ESG compliance initiatives

Maturing NFT applications and blockchain offer companies the foundation for an accelerated sustainability and digital ecosystem supply network transformation strategy.

https://www.scmr.com/article/accelerating_digital_transformation_with_esg_compliance_initiatives

Dear reader: You made it to the bottom.  How about forwarding LensLinks to a friend or reposting/re-tweeting?  Click the handy links at the top to do so easily.  Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer: This note is distributed by Regiment, LLC for informational purposes only and is sourced from publicly available media reports.  It is not an investment recommendation or solicitation for any investment.  The information is current as of date and subject to change. In such case Regiment, LLC does not undertake to provide any updates.  Recipients must be aware that any private, alternative investments discussed are speculative in nature, often illiquid, and subject to loss of capital.