Blockchain Press Releases
Key outcomes from a High-Level Roundtable on Voluntary Carbon Markets at The Summit for a New Global Financing Pact
PARIS, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The UAE COP28 Presidency and the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) co-hosted a high-level roundtable on Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs), as an official side event to the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact. His Excellency COP28 President Designate Dr Sultan Al-Jaber and GFANZ Co-Chair and UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance Mark Carney addressed the session, which brought together policymakers, market standard setters, and leaders in business and finance committed to scaling climate finance.
The session confirmed the urgency of ensuring that high-integrity voluntary carbon markets (VCMs) are scaled, given the critical role they can play in mobilizing significant flows of cross-border financing to emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). Participants highlighted the role VCMs can play in financing some of our most urgent priorities, such as nature-based solutions, the accelerated phaseout of coal assets and investment in new climate technologies.
The discussion addressed that mobilizing VCMs, at the pace and scale needed to preserve nature and the carbon budget, would require addressing any remaining uncertainty on how compliance and voluntary, domestic and cross-border markets come together, and providing capacity building for those countries seeking to leverage the VCMs. Common foundations were needed, across a range of credit types, and coalescing around new supply and demand-side standards being developed by ICVCM and VCMI was critical. Important work to develop the supply of new types of credit – including those designed to accelerate much needed energy transition – was addressed.
The session also addressed the need to enable high integrity demand pathway to net zero for corporate buyers, whereby reductions of absolute emissions are prioritized, with appropriately defined scope to recognize compensation of residual emissions. The discussion emphasized that to secure the foundations of a high integrity, liquid market in 2023, efforts to align supply, demand, legal, and accounting standards must be facilitated and supported.
More specifically, participants addressed:
- Overarching purpose and rules. The session highlighted the specific role VCMs play in generating cross-border finance for nature preservation, energy transition, and new climate technologies, and the need to build understanding of how compliance and voluntary, domestic, and cross-border markets complement and interact with each other. It was noted that there need be no tradeoff between domestic mitigation and raising cross-border finance, even where host countries retain emissions reductions from voluntary projects to count towards their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
- High-integrity supply and demand. Speakers applauded progress made on the important work initiated at COP26, to build supply and demand-side standards to secure credibility, integrity, and transparency. Speakers noted the importance of supporting and coalescing around the final standards, led by ICVCM and their Core Carbon Principles and Assessment Framework on the supply side, and VCMI and their provisional Claims Code of Practice on the demand side.
- Building high integrity demand. Lessons learned by corporates and financial institutions seeking to finance high-integrity carbon projects were discussed. Participants noted the need for the private sector to prioritize absolute emissions reductions but with appropriately defined scope to recognize compensation of residual emissions. Participants noted that these efforts sit within a broader architecture of carbon accounting standards and net-zero frameworks and recognized these need to come together in a consistent and efficient way.
- Capacity building and de-risking. The challenges associated with building and scaling high-integrity carbon projects in EMDEs were recognized, as well as the need for innovative financing mechanisms to de-risk these projects in these regions. Attendees also emphasized the need to ensure that local communities and indigenous peoples remain at the core of project design and are able to reap maximum co-benefits.
Following the event, COP28 President-Designate, His Excellency Dr Sultan Al Jaber, said: “Voluntary carbon markets have the potential to be a powerful enabler in financing decarbonization efforts across industries, cities and entire economies, especially in emerging and developing economies. In order to achieve their potential, we must enhance the credibility of carbon markets and ensure that the highest-integrity standards are firmly in place. This can only be done through collaboration between governments, organizations, and civil society to create a supportive regulatory environment, establish a level playing field, and raise universal standards. By working together, acting in unity and focusing on integrity, the value of this vital tool in our collective decarbonization efforts will increase.”
UN Special Envoy on Climate Action and Finance and GFANZ Co-Chair, Mark Carney, said: “With only seven years left to halve emissions and keep 1.5 degrees alive, we cannot afford to leave major sources of climate finance untapped. Voluntary carbon markets could channel hundreds of billions of dollars to nature-based solutions and accelerated coal phaseout. Critical work this year to deliver supply and demand side standards for these markets can support a high ambition path to net zero, where companies prioritize decarbonization and compensate for residual emissions along the way.”
For all media enquiries and requests for interviews, please contact [email protected] For up-to-date COP28 news, follow us on Twitter @COP28_UAE
Notes to Editors:
COP28 UAE:
- COP28 UAE will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30-December 12, 2023. The Conference is expected to convene over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors.
- As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktake – a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals.
- The UAE will lead a process for all parties to agree upon a clear roadmap to accelerate progress through a pragmatic global energy transition and a “leave no one behind” approach to inclusive climate action.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/key-outcomes-from-a-high-level-roundtable-on-voluntary-carbon-markets-at-the-summit-for-a-new-global-financing-pact-301861243.html
Showcasing blockchain’s potential to enable everyday financial transactions
NEW YORK, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Rain, a global card issuing platform built for stablecoins, is helping usher in a new era of onchain finance through its work with Visa.
Today, Rain announced it has joined Visa’s pilot program for stablecoin settlement. Rain has fully tokenized its credit card receivables and has transitioned all settlement transactions for its Visa cards to USDC, to now be able to settle with Visa 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Rain provides backend infrastructure – APIs, compliance layers and settlement logic – that enables fintechs and wallets to build and launch stablecoin-linked card programs. As demand for real time, global payments grow, Rain is seeing strong momentum from partners looking to issue and use onchain cards and settle in stablecoins.
7 Day Stablecoin Settlement
Rain’s proprietary settlement stack brings all authorization logic and settlement onchain. Rain’s technology stack allows for card transactions on the Visa network to be interoperable with stablecoins across multiple blockchains. When a user makes a payment with a Rain-issued Visa card, Visa settles with the merchant acquirer as usual. Rain is programmatically leveraging stablecoins enabling network settlement 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Tokenized Credit Card Receivables
Rain’s platform has also fully tokenized its credit card receivables, enabling more efficient capital management and transparency across the system. These capabilities help fintechs go to market faster with new products. While giving consumers access to digital-first globally interoperable payment experiences.
Rain is also proud to announce a world first: closed loop credit card receivable financing utilizing stablecoins. Rain works with a network of capital partners – borrowing stablecoins to facilitate network settlement for credit card receivables. By borrowing from and programmatically repaying lenders Rain has been able to reduce the total cost of capital for consumer and b2b credit programs while providing lenders access to superior collateral and programmatic repayments powered by smart contracts. This powerful construct has the potential to unlock credit access for users in underdeveloped financial markets, all while unlocking significant operational and capital efficiencies for Rain and Rain powered programs.
“By participating in Visa’s USDC settlement program, we are now able to conduct settlement 7 days a week, 365 days a year, operating outside of traditional banking hours. USDC settlement allows us to be more capital efficient – helping to reduce the need for collateral while providing our counterparties the same level of protection. This sets a new standard for issuers and further enhances digital asset utility,” said Farooq Malik, CEO & Co-founder of Rain.
“Moving money across borders has always been complex, but blockchain technology and stablecoins are helping change that,” said Rubail Birwadker, Head of Growth Products and Partnerships, Visa. “Our work with Rain to help bring payments onchain and enable seven-day settlement is a big step toward helping to simplify global payments.”
This is just the beginning. Rain continues to explore new ways to enhance the utility of stablecoins, such as its asset-agnostic settlement stack and blockchain permissioning, which together enable credit to exist entirely onchain. Rain is paving the way for a more efficient, transparent, and accessible financial ecosystem that reduces working capital, reduces fraud, and drives improvements in operational outcomes.
Visa Principal Membership
A Visa principal member, Rain enables seamless payment solutions at more than 150 million Visa-accepting merchant locations worldwide. By utilizing stablecoins for automated daily settlement with the Visa network, Rain is doubling down on its mission to integrate blockchain technology with traditional financial systems, making digital assets seamlessly interoperable for everyday use cases.
About Rain: Rain is a global card issuing platform powered by stablecoins. The company, which was founded in 2021 by Farooq Malik and Charles Naut, sponsors and operates card programs in multiple markets as a Visa principal member. Rain is backed by Norwest Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Galaxy Ventures, Coinbase Ventures and others. Learn more at https://www.rain.xyz/
CONTACT: Charles Yoo-Naut; [email protected]
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/rain-and-visa-partner-to-accelerate-onchain-credit-cards-302443870.html
Blockchain Press Releases
MEXC Ventures Announces $300 Million Ecosystem Development Fund at Token2049 Event
VICTORIA, Seychelles, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — MEXC Ventures, the investment arm of the global cryptocurrency exchange MEXC, has unveiled a $300 million Ecosystem Development Fund aimed at accelerating blockchain innovation and ecosystem growth over the next five years. The initiative was officially announced at Token2049 in Dubai on April 30, aligning with MEXC’s 7th anniversary and reaffirming the company’s evolution from a trading platform to a full-scale Web3 ecosystem builder.
The new fund marks a strategic pivot in MEXC’s positioning — from a user-focused exchange to a foundational force in blockchain infrastructure. With this move, MEXC plans to foster long-term value across the entire crypto landscape by supporting early-stage technologies, public chains, wallets, and other decentralized tools that drive the future of Web3.
“We see this commitment as an opportunity to position MEXC well above its perceived place in the industry as an exchange service. We can and intend to offer much more through this investment, driving businesses and users to our ecosystem with a value offering built on best practices. Our ultimate vision is to transition from a trading venue to an ecosystem platform that will cater to all the needs of crypto industry participants in unique, innovative, and attractive ways,” as Tracy Jin, COO of MEXC exchange, commented on the upcoming announcement.
The Ecosystem Development Fund foresees the establishment of an investment and cooperation linkage model that will connect the different businesses with the broader MEXC ecosystem to drive value. The trusted basis of MEXC as a leader in innovation will be used to expand and enhance the overall trading experience for users by offering support beyond capital. Cooperation between exchange business and investments will focus on the development of public chains, stablecoins, wallets, and media platforms as part of the MEXC ecosystem. Comprehensive selection criteria will be announced for projects interested in joining the new initiative.
The new development will allow projects to attract investments and attain visibility, thus advancing their integration across industry services. This will, in turn, give users access to new services, upping their overall experience and building trust. Greater integration and cooperation between businesses, projects and users will ultimately positively impact the industry as a whole, advancing innovation and promoting adoption across different markets and regions.
Existing initiatives within the MEXC ecosystem include Ethena, a leading innovator in the stablecoin space. MEXC has made a strategic investment of $16 million in Ethena and has also purchased $20 million worth of USDe, Ethena’s synthetic dollar. In collaboration with Ethena, MEXC launched several joint campaigns that have gained significant traction in recent weeks, driving strong user engagement. ENA, Ethena’s native token, has showcased up to $15 million in trading volume over the past 24-hour timeframe. Such results indicate strong support for the products on the part of users, as well as demand from a liquidity standpoint. MEXC had recently invested in Ethena and launched a number of joint campaigns focused on expanding the use of public chains, wallets, and media platforms.
MEXC is determined to elevate the positioning of the platform beyond its perceived status as a trading venue to its full potential as an industry ecosystem element. Such a transition is aimed at building greater value for users and making the crypto environment more attractive to both businesses and investments. MEXC invites all projects in the crypto space to join its latest initiative.
About MEXC Ventures
MEXC Ventures is a comprehensive fund MEXC dedicated to driving innovation in the cryptocurrency sector through investments in L1/L2 ecosystems, strategic investments, M&A, and incubation. Upholding the principle of “Empowering Growth Through Synergy,” MEXC Ventures is committed to supporting innovative ideas and active builders.
MEXC Ventures is an investor and supporter of TON and Aptos, and looks forward to staying at the forefront of TON and Aptos innovations while actively engaging with builders to drive ecosystem growth.
For more information, visit: MEXC Ventures Website
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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/mexc-ventures-announces-300-million-ecosystem-development-fund-at-token2049-event-302443547.html
Today’s blockchain ecosystem is defined by soaring ambitions, regulatory crosswinds, and an ever-evolving tapestry of decentralized applications. In this edition of Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 30, 2025, we cover five pivotal developments shaping Web3’s next chapter:
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Telegram’s TON Factory Launch – A breakthrough in on-chain scalability.
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EU Data-Protection Ruling Threatens Full Blockchain Histories – The fight between GDPR and immutability.
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One Championship MMA Game Debuts on Sui – A major Web3 foray into mobile gaming.
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U.S. Senate Eyes New Blockchain Act – Bipartisan push to regulate digital assets.
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DMG Blockchain’s AI Data-Center Investment – Convergence of crypto mining and AI infrastructure.
Below, we deliver concise yet detailed analyses of each story, infused with expert commentary on their strategic significance. Read on to understand how these trends will influence protocol adoption, developer incentives, regulatory frameworks, and the future of decentralized networks.
1. Telegram’s TON Factory Boosts On-Chain Scalability
What happened:
Telegram’s Open Network (TON) team officially unveiled TON Factory, a novel toolkit designed to streamline the deployment and scaling of decentralized applications. Built atop TON’s sharded architecture, TON Factory enables developers to spin up isolated “factories”—subnets that can host smart contracts, NFTs, and DeFi modules—while sharing security guarantees with the main chain. According to the announcement, early tests show that each factory can process up to 15,000 transactions per second (TPS) in isolation, with near-instant finality.
Why it matters:
Scalability remains blockchain’s Achilles’ heel. TON Factory’s factory-of-subnets approach promises to lower the barrier to entry for high-throughput dApps—everything from micro-payment systems to real-time gaming. By offering elastic compute and fee-optimization mechanisms, Telegram aims to undercut legacy Layer-1 networks and attract a new generation of builders.
Opinion & Implications:
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Developer Experience: Abstractions like preconfigured factories could accelerate time-to-market for teams lacking deep consensus expertise.
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Network Effects: If TON’s UX outpaces rivals (e.g., Ethereum’s zk-rollups or Solana’s Turbine), we may see a migration of liquidity and talent.
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Security Trade-Offs: Isolating factories can mitigate cross-dApp failures, but adds complexity to transaction routing and dispute resolution. Audits will be essential to validate this novel model.
Source: Cointelegraph – Telegram TON Factory Launch
2. EU Regulators Propose Deleting Entire Blockchains for GDPR
What happened:
European data-protection authorities have floated a radical interpretation of GDPR: the “right to erasure” could extend to purging entire on-chain histories containing personal data. Under this view, controllers operating within the EU must either anonymize linked data or entirely delete chain segments—potentially forcing chains to implement selective pruning or permissions.
Why it matters:
Blockchain’s immutability ethos directly clashes with GDPR’s erasure mandate. If regulators enforce selective deletion, networks may need to retrofit privacy-preserving layers (e.g., zero-knowledge proofs, chameleon hashes) or risk noncompliance fines up to 4% of global turnover.
Opinion & Implications:
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Protocol Evolution: Expect a surge in privacy-by-design protocols that segregate PII off-chain while anchoring proofs on-chain.
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Jurisdictional Fragmentation: Projects may geo-fence EU users or spawn EU-compliant forks—fracturing unified global ledgers.
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Commercial Impact: Exchanges and custodians face urgent deadlines to audit on-chain data holdings and deploy erasure tools—or face hefty penalties.
Source: Daily Hodl – EU Blockchain Erasure
3. One Championship’s MMA Game Launches on Sui for iOS/Android
What happened:
One Championship, Asia’s premier martial-arts league, has partnered with Mysten Labs to release “ONE Fight Manager”—a play-to-earn mobile title powered by the Sui blockchain. Available now on iOS and Android, the game lets users train NFT fighters, compete in PvP leagues, and earn SUI tokens through ranked matches. Mysten Labs touts sub-two-second transaction finality and near-zero gas fees, enabling seamless gameplay even for on-chain microtransactions.
Why it matters:
Gaming remains the killer app for mass blockchain adoption. By leveraging Sui’s Move VM and object-centric model, ONE Fight Manager addresses two critical pain points: UX friction and cost barriers. Real-time, feeless interactions are vital to onboard traditional gamers accustomed to instant feedback loops.
Opinion & Implications:
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User Acquisition: High-profile IP like One Championship can drive millions of installs—and funnel new users into the broader Sui ecosystem.
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Economics & Tokenomics: Careful tuning of token emission and NFT scarcity will determine whether the game sustains long-term engagement or succumbs to “play-to-earn” collapse.
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Cross-Chain Synergy: Success here may inspire similar partnerships on Aptos, Ethereum, or emerging Layer-1s, intensifying competition for flagship gaming titles.
Source: Decrypt – ONE Championship Sui Game
4. Ohio Senator Leads Push for U.S. Blockchain Act
What happened:
Senator J.D. Kerns (R-OH) has introduced the Blockchain Innovation and Consumer Protection Act, aiming to create a federal framework for digital-asset oversight. Key provisions include:
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Defined Classifications: Differentiating between payment tokens, security tokens, and utility tokens.
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Licensing Regime: Establishing a “Digital Asset Services Commission” to grant interstate licenses for exchanges and custodians.
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Consumer Safeguards: Mandatory proof of reserves, clear disclosure requirements, and dispute-resolution protocols.
Why it matters:
After years of fragmented state laws and agency turf wars, this Act represents Congress’s first cohesive effort to legislate blockchain. By preempting state-level divergence, it could streamline compliance for businesses—provided it balances innovation with investor protection.
Opinion & Implications:
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Regulatory Clarity: Clear definitions can foster institutional entry, reducing legal ambiguity that stifles corporate treasuries from adopting crypto.
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Unintended Consequences: Overly stringent licensing could entrench incumbents and erect high barriers for startups.
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Global Competitiveness: U.S. leadership in blockchain law may influence other jurisdictions—critical as Asia and Europe race to craft their own regulatory regimes.
Source: The Street – Blockchain Act Proposal
5. DMG Blockchain Solutions Invests in 2MW of AI Data-Center Gear
What happened:
DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. has announced the acquisition of two megawatts of high-density GPU infrastructure, repurposed for both crypto-mining and AI-model training workloads. Housed in a new Quebec data center, the multi-use clusters will dynamically allocate capacity between proof-of-work operations and commercial AI clients—leveraging off-peak pricing to optimize ROI.
Why it matters:
The convergence of crypto-mining and AI training infrastructure underscores growing synergies between two of the most compute-hungry industries. By offering GPUs for rent during mining downtimes, DMG anticipates 30% higher utilization rates compared to mono-purpose facilities.
Opinion & Implications:
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Revenue Diversification: Dual-use data centers can hedge against crypto price swings and tap into booming AI-as-a-service demand.
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Energy Efficiency: High-efficiency GPUs paired with Quebec’s hydroelectric power may set new benchmarks for sustainable compute.
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Competitive Landscape: Other mining operators may follow suit, catalyzing a wave of AI-crypto hybrid hosting providers.
Source: GlobeNewswire – DMG AI Infrastructure Purchase
Conclusion
April 30, 2025, illuminated blockchain’s boundless dynamism: scalability breakthroughs at Telegram’s TON Factory; privacy versus immutability in the EU’s GDPR debate; mass-market gaming on Sui; legislative clarity from Capitol Hill; and the AI-crypto infrastructure nexus in Quebec. These stories reveal an industry simultaneously innovating at the protocol layer, grappling with regulation, and exploring cross-sector partnerships. For developers, investors, and policymakers alike, the imperative is clear: build resilient architectures that anticipate regulatory shifts, prioritize user experience, and harness synergies across emerging technologies. Stay tuned to Blocks & Headlines tomorrow for your next daily briefing on the pulse of blockchain’s evolving frontier.
The post Blocks & Headlines: Today in Blockchain – April 30, 2025 appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.
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