Blockchain Press Releases
New partnerships and pro-investment reforms announced as tenth Mongolia Economic Forum takes place in Ulaanbaatar
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia, July 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The tenth Mongolia Economic Forum (MEF) continues in Ulaanbaatar today amidst the announcement by the Government of two new bodies to support investment into the country and of new partnerships with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and leading geo-location company What3Words. This also follows the recent upgrading of Mongolia’s projected economic growth in 2023.
2,200 guests from around the world – including leading representatives from global businesses, the third sector and multilateral organisations – are gathering for this two-day event (9-10 July) to discuss how they can work in partnership with the Mongolian Government to deliver its goal of doubling the country’s GDP by 2030 and establishing Mongolia as a leading country in the region by the middle of the century.
Vision 2050 and the New Recovery Policy announced in 2022 set a clear strategic direction for Mongolia’s sustainable development to inform the Government’s wider policy programme. This direction has enabled rapid progress to date and provides the foundation for the latest round of milestones announced this year at the Forum.
This morning the Government announced the creation of the Private Partnership Centre and the Investment and Trade Agency, to support more investment into the country. The Investment and Trade Agency, for example, will provide ‘a bridge for business in Mongolia‘, providing assistance in the protection of investors’ legitimate rights and interests, helping expand import diversification and to improve the competitiveness of import substituting industries.
In addition, in his keynote address to the Forum this morning, Minister for the Economy and Development and Deputy Prime Minister Khurelbaatar Chimed outlined the opportunities for investment that exist in Mongolia and the Government’s intention to amend the Draft Law on Investment to help facilitate new investment partnerships.
Figures show that the Government’s focus on removing barriers to growth through its US$ 49 billion New Recovery Policy – unveiled in December 2021 – and Vision 2050 blueprint are continuing to deliver results. Following above-forecast growth of 4.8% in 2022 – 1.1% of which was attributable to the New Recovery Policy – and growth of 7.9% in the first quarter of this year, the country’s growth forecast for 2023 has been upgraded from 5% to 6%. The growth forecast for 2024 is now 6.5%.
This growth, particularly following the pandemic, was made possible by working closely with Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Through working together, we achieved remarkable vaccination coverage of Mongolians during the pandemic, with 90% of the target group receiving at least the first dose. This helped us end COVID-19 restrictions in February 2022, and ensured that our mortality rate was five times lower than in other countries. We are delighted that Dr Ghebreyesus has been able to attend this year’s MEF.
A key part of our ‘Vision 2050’ plan is fostering a culture of well-being. Since May 2022, the Government has run a campaign to encourage take-up of early screening and diagnosis services, a key milestone in encouraging the proactive management of our people’s healthcare. I am delighted that 1 million citizens have taken part in this initiative so far.
Two announcements of significant new investment in Mongolia have also been made over recent days, underlining the benefits being delivered by the Government’s pro-growth agenda:
- The Government of Mongolia has entered into an unprecedented alliance with SpaceX, enabling millions of internet users in Mongolia to access high-speed internet through Starlink, particularly benefiting people in rural areas and supporting Mongolia’s digital transformation
- The Government of Mongolia has also forged new strategic alliances with technology company What3Words, supporting the use of Optical Character Recognition technology to streamline postal services, and enabling the increased visibility of Mongolia’s heritage sites and key tourism spots
The Prime Minister of Mongolia, Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, comments:
“I am delighted to welcome guests from around the world to the tenth Mongolia Economic Forum to discuss how we can work in partnership to unlock the economic potential of Mongolia – currently one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
“This follows two major announcements of additional investment in Mongolia, and the commencement of underground production at the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine with Rio Tinto in March, demonstrating Mongolia’s growing attractiveness to international investors.
“Our impressive recovery from the pandemic, supported by the Government’s New Recovery Policy, provides a strong foundation for tackling long-term barriers to sustained high levels of growth. I welcome the opportunity that the Forum provides to discuss how greater collaboration can help us make even more progress in the years ahead.”
This year’s MEF, the tenth since the inaugural Forum in 2010, is being co-hosted by the Prime Minister of Mongolia, Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, and the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rio Tinto Group, Dominic Barton, under the theme of ‘Welcome to Mongolia‘, emphasising the Government’s commitment to offering a warm welcome to visitors to the country whether they’re travelling for business or tourism. In his own keynote address to the Forum this morning, Mr Barton emphasised that the vision, ambition, resource, and talent that Mongolians have can achieve anything, adding that the strong economic conditions of a decade ago had returned to the country.
Highlights of this year’s MEF include:
- A dedicated ‘MEF Youth’ event, exploring how the talent and potential of the majority of Mongolia’s population who are under thirty years old can be harnessed to help the country benefit from the technological and economic advances of the 21st century
- Following the Government’s declaration of 2023 as the ‘Year of Anti-Corruption’, a series of events focused on convening experts from key international organisations to discuss how progress to date in this area can be built upon and Mongolia can learn from best practice around the world. This follows the number of cases referred to the courts by the anti-corruption agency that are resolved having risen from 26% in 2019 to 43% in 2022
- Earlier today, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and leading global environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy announced at MEF the launch later this month of a Conservation Trust Fund (CTF). By establishing a more sustainable system for the financing of conservation projects in Mongolia, the CTF will help Mongolia achieve its sustainable development and climate change goals
- Four plenary sessions and fifteen sub-sessions on topics as varied as the digital economy, food manufacturing, sustainable growth, urban development and capital markets, are being held
A number of Government Ministers are available for media interviews, including in English.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2150557/PM_MEF.jpg
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/new-partnerships-and-pro-investment-reforms-announced-as-tenth-mongolia-economic-forum-takes-place-in-ulaanbaatar-301873109.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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Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2668118/MEXC_new_Logo.jpg
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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