xMoney Global, the global, inter-bank and cross crypto/fiat integrated payments platform has appointed award-winning economist Dr. Greg Siourounis as Co-Founder and CEO. The company is a Mastercard principal member, with strategic European licenses, such as e-Money and VASP.

As the digital landscape continues to evolve with the coming MiCA regulation, xMoney Global intends to lead Europe into this new transformative EU regulated stablecoin era. Greg Siourounis will lead the integration of xMoney’s advanced blockchain-enabled payments infrastructure with its upcoming stablecoin program. Stablecoins are a key driver of blockchain adoption in today’s market, now surpassing Bitcoin, remittances, and PayPal in annual transaction volume. As such, xMoney’s Global reputation positions it to bridge Web3 innovation with traditional finance, leading Europe into a new transformative EU regulated stablecoin era.

Dr. Greg, who has played a pioneering role in the growth of Sui Foundation as its former Managing Director and who previously founded Everypay, will drive xMoney Global’s next wave of growth. Beyond the standard reference of his academic work in 2024’s Nobel Prize in Economics, Dr. Greg’s career is also decorated with awards such as the 2005 Young Economist Award from The European Economic Association and the 2008 Austin Robinson Prize from The Royal Economic Society. His immediate target will be to focus on partnerships, regulatory alignment and market expansion, as xMoney Global looks to build a comprehensive payments platform that bridges legacy financial systems with the potential of decentralized finance.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Greg Siourounis, CEO of xMoney Global, said, “As Europe prepares to embrace MiCA regulation, xMoney Global is positioned to redefine what compliant, secure, and seamless digital payments can be. Our goal is to deliver a solid and trusted ecosystem that combines the strengths of traditional finance with the flexibility of blockchain technology to create a future-ready payment experience.”

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Beniamin Mincu, Co-founder of MultiversX, said, “xMoney Global’s mission aligns perfectly with the vision of MultiversX to bring scalable and secure blockchain solutions to mainstream finance. This appointment marks a significant step toward building a more inclusive and resilient financial system.”

The launch of xMoney Global aims to offer a next-gen blockchain-as-a-service module backed by its native stablecoin, with key white-labeled services including acquiring, issuing, onramps/offramps and a sticky loyalty program, all backed by MultiversX’s state-of-the-art sharding technology. Following the surge in crypto markets after Trump’s pro-crypto Presidential win, xMoney will be ideally placed to accelerate real-world adoption as the easiest way for everyone (consumers, retail and e-commerce) to seamlessly access fiat and crypto currencies in an app, card or payment gateway.

The post Former MD of SUI Foundation, Greg Siourounis, Joins xMoney Global as Co-Founder and CEO to build MiCA-Regulated Stablecoin Platform appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.

By Mike Romanenko, CVO and Co-Founder of Kyrrex.

Bitcoin’s recent surge in value has several reasons behind this growth that reflect the broader dynamics of the cryptocurrency market.

Firstly, the global economy plays a huge role. Inflation is still a concern in many parts of the world, and ongoing geopolitical tensions have pushed investors to look for alternatives to traditional assets. Bitcoin, often called “digital gold,” is once again being seen as a hedge against these uncertainties.

The current Bitcoin rally is also influenced by shifting U.S. policy dynamics under Trump’s leadership. Discussions about potentially adopting Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset for the U.S., along with the appointment of pro-crypto advocates to key regulatory roles, signal a more crypto-friendly environment. Notably, Gary Gensler’s resignation as SEC Chair was followed by significant optimism in the market, with Bitcoin reaching record highs amid speculation about potential successors with more balanced crypto approaches.

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Another factor is institutional adoption. We’re seeing more financial giants, including those pursuing Bitcoin ETFs, signaling their confidence in the asset. This kind of backing adds legitimacy to the market and inspires trust among retail investors as well. Bitcoin funds have seen significant inflows recently, with token holdings reaching their highest levels since April 2022. In the past month alone, funds added approximately 22,100 Bitcoin, driven by optimism around Bitcoin ETF approvals and the ongoing rally in the asset. Huge companies like MicroStrategy lead the charge as well. As of November 2024, MicroStrategy holds approximately 331,200 BTC, underscoring their long-term confidence in the asset. Other major players, such as Tesla and Block (formerly Square), also maintain significant Bitcoin holdings on their balance sheets.

Lastly, there’s Bitcoin’s natural rhythm. Its price historically rises in anticipation of the four-year halving cycle, where the reward for mining new blocks is cut in half.

Bitcoin’s growth isn’t just about price increases; it’s about a growing recognition of its role in the financial system. Over time, Bitcoin has proven to be a resilient, decentralized alternative to traditional money. Its success is also a sign of how blockchain technology is pushing innovation in areas like decentralized finance and tokenization.

The role of regulation: connecting Bitcoin’s growth to MiCA

This boom also highlights the importance of clear and fair regulations. Without a solid framework, the market risks instability. That’s where MiCA steps in.

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MiCA is a game-changer for the European crypto space. It aims to bring consistency and transparency to the industry, offering much-needed clarity for both companies and investors. This is crucial not just for Bitcoin’s growth but also for the broader adoption of cryptocurrencies.

What’s exciting is that MiCA can help bridge the gap between traditional finance and the crypto world. With clearer rules, more institutional players are likely to join the market, bringing additional credibility to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. At the same time, the standardization of regulations across Europe could make the region a global hub for crypto innovation.

Bitcoin’s current boom is a sign of its staying power. But as the market grows, it’s equally important for the industry to evolve responsibly. Regulation, like what MiCA offers, will play a key role in shaping this future by creating a safer and more inclusive environment for everyone.

At Kyrrex, we believe that by balancing innovation with responsible practices, we can help build a financial ecosystem that benefits everyone and contributes to the development of the legal market.

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The winners of the GAM3 Awards 2024 have been crowned! The 21 champions were revealed at a live event presented in partnership with Yield Guild Games (YGG) on November 22nd, marking a well-deserved close to the year and celebration of how far the web3 gaming industry has come.

Following an extremely close competition between the top games, creators, and ecosystems in the industry, our GAM3 Awards victors were revealed during the 2-hour in-person event in Manila and across all major live-streaming platforms. Each game, content creator, and ecosystem managed to top their category to stand out amongst their peers based on their tremendous progress made over the past 12 months.

The 2024 Winners

Here is the full list of winners:

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• Best Fighting Game: Champions Ascension
• Best Art Direction: Moonfrost
• Best Browser: Pirate Nation
• Best Mobile Game: Fableborne
• Best RPG: Big Time
• Best Strategy Game: Parallel
• Best Action Game: Off the Grid
• Best Casual Game: Pixels
• Best Sports Game: Sparkball
• Best Adventure Game: Ravenquest
• Best Card Game: Parallel
• Best Shooter Game: Off the Grid
• Best Content Creator: YellowPanther
• Best On-Chain Game: Pirate Nation
• Best Ecosystem: Ronin
• Games’ Choice: Wildcard
• Best Esports Game: Parallel
• Best Multiplayer Game: Off the Grid
• People’s Choice: Pixels
• Most Anticipated Game: MapleStory Universe
• Game of the Year: Off the Grid

Prizes and Partners

Among the exciting updates for our 2024 GAM3 Awards was the increased $5 million prize pool, which consisted of grants, products, services, marketing, and blockchain support from partners such as AWS, XAI, Thirdweb, Aethir, and Community Gaming among others to help finalists and winners grow even further.

This represented a substantial increase from previous years and underscored our event’s commitment to supporting and fostering the next generation of web3 games. In addition to YGG, we also partnered with Arbitrum, Magic Eden, Immutable, Avalanche, and Skale to make this year’s event even bigger and better than previous years.

Jury and Voting

This year’s jury featured over 70 prominent traditional and blockchain gaming figures, with many returning jurors from previous ceremonies. The diverse panel included representatives from powerhouses such as Amazon, Google, Samsung, Ubisoft, Animoca Brands, Immutable, Arbitrum, Blockchain Game Alliance (BGA), Base, Ronin, and Avalanche, as well as content creators and major media outlets such as VentureBeat.

Much like previous years, the voting process saw the jury’s votes represent 90% of the final decision, with the community making up the remaining 10% for most categories except People’s Choice and Best Content Creator, which were both 100% community voting-based, and Games’ Choice, which is based on shortlisted game studios voting for their favorite title game.

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Community voting played a role in deciding the final decisions with over 1 Million votes from over 143k unique voters. Early October marked the GAM3 Awards 2024 announcement. Since then, hundreds of web3 games urged their communities to nominate and vote for them across different categories. Thousands of social posts were spread across partners, games, media outlets, content creators, and community members generating over 60 Million impressions.

Final Thoughts

The GAM3 Awards 2024 ceremony on November 22nd saw a peak viewership of 48k CCV, reaching over 450k views in the first 24 hours alone. Off The Grid by Gunzilla Games took home four awards, including the coveted “Game of the Year” award. This was followed closely by Parallel, who claimed an impressive three awards. Pixels and Pirate Nation took home two awards each!

With over 300+ in-person attendees, viewers got to witness gameplay premiers and exclusive premier trailers from Golden Tides, Unfettered, Elumia, Providence, Shrapnel, Raven Quest, Mighty Bear Games, Revenge, Trail Xtreme, Warped, and more! All of which are a testament to the bright future of web3 gaming as we head into 2025 with the event expected to return next November for its fourth consecutive edition.

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