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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

The post Bitcoin’s rise and the role of regulation: what is the MiCA’s impact appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.

Advertisement

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:

Advertisement

• 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.

Advertisement

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.

The post The GAM3 Awards 2024 Winners Announced appeared first on News, Events, Advertising Options.

Advertisement

The acquisition allows clients to compliantly make payments to third parties, pay bills, and pay employees with a one-click on/off ramp feature.

PARIS, Nov. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Request Finance, a leader in crypto and fiat financial operations, has announced its acquisition of Pay.so Lithuania, a regulated VASP. The acquisition enables Request Finance to provide a fully compliant, one-click on/off ramp payment solution that bridges crypto and fiat, streamlining global transactions for businesses of all sizes. Now, Request provides a multi-payee on/off ramp, consolidating its position as the one-stop shop for all finance operations of businesses of all sizes.

Pay.so Lithuania operates under one of the strongest and most reliable regulatory frameworks for companies providing services on digital assets. Pay.so has grown tenfold in just nine months, solidifying its position as a key partner for significant corporations adopting digital currencies. With one of the broadest currency coverages in the market, Pay.so has been providing Request Finance’s clients with fiat payouts in a wide range of currencies for several months now, including USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CHF, SGD, NZD, THB, HKD, IDR, CAD, INR, AED, KRW, JPY, MYR, and PHP.

By acquiring its trusted long-term partner, Request Finance now powers the smoothest Fiat2Crypto onramps and Crypto2Fiat offramps for $100 to $100 million transactions.

This acquisition brings uniquely powerful on/off ramp for its clients, as simple as in one click. Clients can now make offramps and onramps to and from third parties. This applies to direct payments, multi-payee bill payments, and employee payments.

Advertisement

Chris Butcher, CEO of Pay.So US, commented, “The acquisition of this regulated Lithuanian entity puts Request in a prime position to double down on fiat payments and extend its lead as the number one crypto accounting and payment solution.”

Cameron Butcher, CTO of Pay.so US, added, “Request has inherited a unique platform, processing millions of dollars of volume daily, on local payment rails worldwide, all while maintaining airtight compliance”.

Valentin Faye, Head of Legal & Compliance at Request Finance, added, “Acquiring a VASP and pursuing MiCA compliance is essential for building trust and long-term growth in our digital finance landscape. We ensure that our operations meet the highest security and transparency standards and that our clients transact confidently across borders in full compliance with regulations. This positions us to support the largest enterprises as they adopt digital currencies. Plus, offering our users the first in a long line of regulated services enables them to manage all their operations with and from our platform.”

Christophe Lassuyt, CEO of Request Finance, mentioned, “This is a game changer for Request Finance which now supports a broad range of hybrid businesses, from those who want to earn revenues in digital currencies without touching crypto, with no crypto on the balance sheet, to those who run compliant finances without a bank account“.

Check out what finance leaders say about Request Finance’s new feature:

Advertisement

1. Diego Casanova, Sr Finance Operations Analyst at Decentraland Foundation, mentioned: “We have been using Request Finance since 2022 to streamline our crypto payments. One of the most valuable features for us has been the batch payment option, which simplifies complex transactions. A few months ago, we were introduced to a new feature within the platform, allowing us to make seamless fiat payments using crypto through its off-ramp services. Since then, our experience has been outstanding, with consistent support from the Request Finance team, always attentive to our needs and inquiries.”
2. Daniel Lustig, Head of Operations and BI at Ocean Protocol, added: “Since the Request team introduced crypto-to-fiat payments, our workflow has become incredibly streamlined. The new solution has enabled us to handle both crypto and fiat transactions seamlessly, allowing us to focus more on our core business without worrying about complex conversions and payment tracking. It’s been a game-changer for our team, providing a new level of transparency we’ve been looking for. Needless to say our auditors love it, too.”
3. Krisztin Lipárdi, COO at Galaxis.xyz, highlights that “Request Finance has honestly changed the way how I at Galaxis handle payments. Earlier I had to use several platforms and I had to separate Crypto and Fiat payments. Seeing all the invoices at one place and the Crypto to Fiat feature has made my life so much easier. The multi-currency options are perfect for my clients across the globe. I really wouldn’t want to go back to anything else!”

About Request Finance:

Request Finance‘s mission is to enhance crypto adoption by compliant businesses. The all-in-one finance platform for crypto and fiat operations already offers Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Accounting, and direct payments to 190+ countries.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2355868/RF_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/request-finance-acquires-payso-lithuania-launches-revolutionary-one-click-cryptofiat-payment-solution-302295754.html