LensLinks: Issue 88

A blockchain news roundup, brought to you by Regiment LLC

Author

Len Pacek
February 07, 2023

Today in LensLinks:

  • 84% of Job Cuts Last Month: Crypto Exchanges

  • Newzoo: Gen Z’s gaming habits foreshadow the metaverse

  • NFT holders are using their digital art as collateral to borrow record amounts of cryptocurrency

  • Winklevoss twins' crypto exchange Gemini to contribute $100 million to Genesis bankruptcy recovery

  • Decentralized Lending Protocol Clearpool to Start Institutional Borrowing Platform

  • Institutional Traders Shifting Attention from Blockchain to AI: JP Morgan - Decrypt

  • Roofstock onChain Sells Alabama Home as an NFT, Purchased With Stablecoins on Ethereum

  • Super Bowl 2023 Sees Stark Contrast to Previous Year as Crypto Ads Absent

  • Crypto exchanges pledge to aid Turkey’s earthquake victims

  • The Singularity: Google $300M in AI; ChatGPT and How AI Disrupts Industries

  • And Much, Much More…

QUOTABLE

❝

“We are working hard to restart the service as soon as possible. […] All other methods of buying and selling crypto remain unaffected.”

- Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) via Twitter

NOTABLE

Crypto Exchanges Made up 84% of Job Cuts Last Month: CoinGecko - Decrypt

As layoffs at crypto companies soared in January, exchanges turned out to be the worst hit, according to recent research from CoinGecko.

decrypt.co/120644/crypto-exchanges-accounted-84-job-cuts-last-month-coingecko

Metaverse & Gaming

Newzoo: Gen Z’s gaming habits foreshadow the metaverse

A recent Newzoo report suggests Gen Z is actively engaged with digital media in a manner that suggests they may engage with the metaverse.

venturebeat.com/games/newzoo-gen-zs-gaming-habits-foreshadow-the-metaverse

Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi

NFT holders are using their digital art as collateral to borrow record amounts of cryptocurrency

DeFi protocol NFTfi reported a record 4,399 loans disbursed in January, nearly double the previous peak hit in March 2022.

markets.businessinsider.com/news/commodities/nft-holders-crypto-collapse-investors-borrowing-ftx-tokens-markets-finance-2023-2

Crypto Trading

Winklevoss twins' crypto exchange Gemini to contribute $100 million to Genesis bankruptcy recovery

Gemini, the crypto exchange controlled by the Winklevoss twins, will contribute $100 million in cash to a recovery plan for bankrupt crypto lender Genesis.

www.cnbc.com/2023/02/06/gemini-to-contribute-100-million-to-genesis-bankruptcy-recovery-plan.html

Metaverse & Gaming - a little more…

Latent Technology raises $2.1M to blend AI and game animations

Latent Technology has raised $2.1 million to build the next-generation animation technology for virtual worlds and game characters.

venturebeat.com/games/latent-technology-raises-2-1m-to-blend-ai-and-game-animations

Doritos to Give Away $25,000 in Polygon (MATIC) Metaverse Partnership By DailyCoin

Doritos to Give Away $25,000 in Polygon (MATIC) Metaverse Partnership

www.investing.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/doritos-to-give-away-25000-in-polygon-matic-metaverse-partnership-2996322

Blockchain, Tokens & DeFi - a little more…

Decentralized Lending Protocol Clearpool to Start Institutional Borrowing Platform

Clearpool Prime will allow institutional borrowers to create permissioned borrowing pools with their own loan terms.

www.coindesk.com/markets/2023/02/06/decentralized-lending-protocol-clearpool-to-start-institutional-borrowing-platform

Institutional Traders Shifting Attention from Blockchain to AI: JP Morgan - Decrypt

Nearly three out of four institutional traders "have no plans to trade crypto," according to the latest annual JP Morgan survey.

decrypt.co/120639/institutional-trader-survey-jp-morgan-crypto-artificial-intelligence

Roofstock onChain Sells Alabama Home as an NFT, Purchased With Stablecoins on Ethereum

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roofstock, the leading digital real estate platform specializing in single-family rental (SFR) properties, today announced the sale of an Alabama rental property

www.bakersfield.com/ap/news/roofstock-onchain-sells-alabama-home-as-an-nft-purchased-with-stablecoins-on-ethereum/article_d9be01aa-6404-504b-9593-f6f6c3fd4150.html

Crypto Trading - a little more…

Super Bowl 2023 Sees Stark Contrast to Previous Year as Crypto Ads Absent

NFL Super Bowl broadcaster has confirmed that there will be no crypto advertisements during this year's event as firms trim marketing budgets.

beincrypto.com/super-bowl-stark-contrast-to-2022-crypto-ads-absent

Crypto exchanges pledge to aid Turkey’s earthquake victims

Following a devastating earthquake in Turkey, crypto exchanges have already started to prepare aid packages for those affected.

finbold.com/crypto-exchanges-pledge-to-aid-turkeys-earthquake-victims

Binance to temporarily suspend bank transfers in US dollars beginning Feb. 8

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has announced the suspension of U.S. dollar bank transfers for international users with two days’ warning.

cointelegraph.com/news/binance-to-temporarily-suspend-bank-transfers-in-us-dollars-beginning-feb-8

The Singularity: AI, Quantum Computing, Robotics, Bio-engineering & Other Stuff on the way

Google invested $300 million in AI firm founded by former OpenAI researchers

The startup, Anthropic, is developing a rival to ChatGPT.

www.theverge.com/2023/2/3/23584540/google-anthropic-investment-300-million-openai-chatgpt-rival-claude

ChatGPT and How AI Disrupts Industries

ChatGPT, from OpenAI, shows the power of AI to take on tasks traditionally associated with “knowledge work.” But the future won’t just involve tasks shifting from humans to machines. When technology enables more people to complete a task, with help from a machine, the result is typically entirely new systems with new business models and jobs and workflows. AI will be no different: To truly unlock the potential of ChatGPT, the world will need new and different kinds of organizations.

hbr.org/2022/12/chatgpt-and-how-ai-disrupts-industries

ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance)

Environmental, Social & Governance: The state of ESG in the digital asset space

Amidst regulatory push, there's no guarantee that imposing laws would be key to having universal ESG standards for firms, and Dr. Lerong Lu believes investor influence is still the most favorable route.

coingeek.com/environmental-social-governance-the-state-of-esg-in-the-digital-asset-space

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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.