Blockchain
Valkyrie, VanEck, and HKUST Join The TRON Grand Hackathon 2022 as Strategic Partners and Judges
Singapore, Singapore–(Newsfile Corp. – March 7, 2022) – TRON DAO and BitTorrent Chain (BTTC) are thrilled to announce that Valkyrie Investments, VanEck, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) will be joining as strategic partners and judges on the TRON Grand Hackathon 2022.
TRON Grand Hackathon 2022 Strategic Partners and Judges
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Meet our Strategic Partners
Valkyrie Investments
Valkyrie Investments is an investment manager focused on digital assets. Headquartered in Nashville, Valkyrie’s team combines deep technical expertise in this emerging asset class with decades of experience launching investment vehicles for a wide variety of market participants. The firm is led by financial industry veterans with decades of experience across firms.
Joining as an advisor and judge is Kristy-Leigh Minehan, the Technical Advisor of Valkyrie Investments with over a decade of experience in the blockchain industry. Prior to joining Valkyrie, Minehan worked at companies including Core Scientific, Genesis Mining, and others across multiple countries and blockchains. Kristy’s experience includes writing, mining, managing software, and contributing to the design and development of various proof-of-work and proof-of-stake protocols.
“We believe in investing in the future of decentralized technologies, and the TRON Grand Hackathon represents one of the most enterprising programs,” said Kristy-Leigh Minehan.
VanEck
VanEck, founded in 1955 and headquartered in New York City, is a leading global fund management company. VanEck was among the first asset managers to submit a Bitcoin ETF application to the SEC. They launched Bitcoin ETN (VBTC) in 2020, followed by Ethereum ETN (VETH) in 2021. The listing of TRON ETN (VTRX) follows Bitcoin and Ethereum, which is gaining market recognition as a leading blockchain platform globally.
Today, VanEck offers strategies with exciting exposures supported by well-designed investment processes. As of December 31, 2021, VanEck managed approximately $81.7 billion in assets, including mutual funds, ETFs, and institutional accounts. The firm’s capabilities range from core investment opportunities to more specialized exposures to enhance portfolio diversification.
Last September, the VanEck Vectors TRON ETN (VTRX) was listed in 14 EU countries, including on the Deutsche Börse, Euronext Paris, and Amsterdam.
Gabor Gurbacs, Director of Digital Assets Strategy at VanEck, will be judging the Hackathon projects built on TRON or BTTC. Gabor is a pioneer in the digital assets space. He is a leading voice in digital asset investing and market structure discussions with the U.S. and global regulators vital to the evolution of the first industry-standard digital assets indices.
“VanEck is excited to support the TRON Grand Hackathon. Events like this are crucial to build, grow and support the ecosystem,” said Gabor Gurbacs.
Tune into the Around the Block podcast on March 11 to hear Dave Uhryniak, Director of Blockchain Strategy at TRON DAO, and Gabor Gurbacs discuss exploring blockchain implementation and use cases from a macro perspective.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
HKUST is a public research university located at Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, HKUST is commonly regarded as one of the fastest-growing universities in the world. It was ranked 27th in the world and second in Hong Kong by QS 2021.
As the Director of Crypto Fintech Lab at HKUST, Professor Kani Chen will be joining us on the judging panel and on the Around the Block podcast on March 4 to discuss blockchain technology, use cases, and growth potential.
“I’m both honored and excited to be a part of the TRON Grand Hackathon 2022,” said Prof. Chen, also the Program Director of MSc in Financial Mathematics and Co-Director of Risk Management and Business Intelligence. “Looking forward to more in-depth collaborations between TRON DAO and HKUST.”
Make sure to check out the TRON DAO Forum, where members can interact, create threads, have questions answered, and participate in discussions about the crypto community.
Also, as part of the Hackathon, we will be hosting a few of our judges and partners on the Around the Block podcast series streamed live on TRON DAO Youtube and DLive Protocol (a truly decentralized live streaming platform).
About TRON DAO
TRON is dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet via blockchain technology and decentralized applications (dApps). Founded in September 2017 by H.E. Justin Sun, the TRON network has continued to deliver impressive achievements since MainNet launch in May 2018. July 2018 also marked the ecosystem integration of BitTorrent, a pioneer in decentralized services boasting nearly 100M monthly active users. The TRON network has gained incredible traction in recent years, with over 79 million users on the blockchain, upwards of 2.8 billion transactions, and over $8 billion in total value locked. In addition, TRON hosts the largest circulating supply of USD Tether stablecoin across the globe, overtaking USDT on Ethereum in April 2021. The TRON network completed full decentralization in December 2021 and is now a purely community-governed DAO.
Website | Telegram | Medium | Twitter | Reddit | Forum
TRON Grand Hackathon Contact:
Alexis Schreiber
[email protected]
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/115779
Blockchain
Web3 Startups Raise Nearly $1.9B in Q1 2024 Despite Overall Downtrend in Crypto VC Interest
Venture capital funding for cryptocurrency and blockchain projects has seen a notable resurgence in the first quarter of 2024, marking its first quarterly rise since 2021. Crunchbase data released today indicates that Web3 startups secured nearly $1.9 billion in funding across 346 deals during this period. This represents a substantial 58% increase from the previous quarter, offering a glimmer of hope amidst the ongoing downward trend in overall crypto VC interest.
The recent surge in funding can be attributed to investors adopting a more long-term perspective on Web3, as opposed to the hype-driven “tourist investors” predominant in recent years. Chris Metinko, the author of the report, notes that investors are shifting their focus to the AI sector, indicating a change in investment strategy. There is a growing interest in supporting the foundational infrastructure of the decentralized internet, rather than solely concentrating on crypto wallets and lending platforms, which attracted significant investments during the peak period of 2021 to 2022.
While large funding rounds were relatively uncommon in Q1, several notable investments stood out. Exohood Labs, a company integrating AI, quantum computing, and blockchain, secured a remarkable $112 million seed round at a valuation of $1.4 billion. EigenLabs, an Ether token “restaking” platform, raised $100 million in a Series B round led by a16z crypto. Additionally, Freechat, a decentralized social network leveraging blockchain technology, secured $80 million in a Series A round. These investments, among others, contributed to the increase in valuations and the emergence of four new Web3 unicorns in Q1.
Despite the recent progress, the future trajectory of Web3 remains uncertain. Metinko suggests that the next few quarters will be pivotal in determining the industry’s direction. While investors anticipate a rebound in investment as the decentralized internet evolves, it may take another year for venture capital activity to stabilize after the exuberance of 2021. Factors such as the approval of U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds and the upcoming Bitcoin halving could also influence the market, given the rising prices of Bitcoin and Ether.
A noteworthy example of significant funding in the Web3 space is Monad Labs’ recent successful funding round, which secured $225 million led by Paradigm. Monad Labs is a layer-1 blockchain compatible with Ethereum, offering faster transaction processing. This funding round harkens back to the golden era of crypto funding in 2021-2022, when L1 solutions attracted substantial investments.
Earlier this year, Balance, a digital asset custodian based in Canada, announced that it had once again reached $2 billion in assets under custody (AUC) amidst the recent market recovery. Similarly, Korea Digital Asset (KODA), the largest institutional crypto custody service in South Korea, has experienced remarkable growth in crypto assets under its custody, expanding by nearly 248% in the second half of 2023.
Analysts at Bernstein Research project that crypto funds could reach an impressive $500 billion to $650 billion within the next five years, representing a significant leap from the current valuation of approximately $50 billion. This forecast underscores the growing optimism and potential for substantial growth within the crypto industry in the coming years.
Source: cryptonews.com
The post Web3 Startups Raise Nearly $1.9B in Q1 2024 Despite Overall Downtrend in Crypto VC Interest appeared first on HIPTHER Alerts.
Blockchain
ASIC cracks down on blockchain mining firms
Three blockchain mining companies – NGS Crypto, NGS Digital, and NGS Group – along with their directors, Brett Mendham, Ryan Brown, and Mark Ten Caten, are facing legal action from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) for allegedly operating without a license, in violation of Australia’s Corporations Act. ASIC initiated legal proceedings against these entities on April 9, citing concerns about their non-compliance with financial regulations and their solicitation of Australian investors.
According to ASIC, the NGS companies promoted blockchain mining packages with fixed-rate returns to Australian investors, encouraging the transfer of funds from regulated superannuation funds to self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) for conversion into cryptocurrency. Approximately 450 Australians invested a total of around USD 41 million in these packages, raising concerns about potential financial losses.
The legal action filed by ASIC alleges that the companies violated section 911A of the Corporations Act, which prohibits companies from providing financial services without a valid Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL). ASIC is seeking interim and final court orders to prohibit the NGS companies from offering financial services in Australia without an AFSL.
ASIC Chair Joe Longo emphasized the importance of investors carefully considering the risks before investing in crypto-related products through their SMSFs. Longo stated that ASIC’s actions send a message to the crypto industry about the regulator’s commitment to ensuring compliance with regulations and protecting consumers.
In a separate development, the Federal Court appointed receivers for the digital currency assets associated with the NGS companies and their directors to safeguard these assets amid concerns about the risk of dissipation. Mendham was also issued a travel restriction order, preventing him from leaving Australia.
While a court date for the proceedings has not been set, ASIC’s investigation is ongoing, with the regulator continuing to gather evidence and build its case. It is worth noting that the investigated companies share a similar name with NGS Super, a legitimate Australian pensions provider, leading to potential confusion among investors. NGS Super clarified that it is not involved in selling cryptocurrency or related products and has taken legal action to protect its trademark and members’ interests.
Source: iclg.com
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Blockchain
Crypto and Blockchain Weave Deeper Into the Biometrics Space – Identity News Digest
AuthID Inc. has formed a strategic partnership with the National Notarial Centralized Verification System (NNCVS) to integrate biometric identity verification into NNCVS’s online notary platform. NNCVS, a provider of nationwide online services for notaries, aims to transition from a local, in-person framework to a more secure, digital model. By leveraging AuthID’s platform, NNCVS will authenticate the identities of notarial agents and their clients using biometric checks that compare selfies with ID document photos. This enhancement ensures heightened security throughout users’ interactions with the service.
iVALT has introduced a mobile app called OnDemandID, designed to enable users to verify the identity of individuals during phone calls, video calls, or online interactions with a single click. The app employs multiple verification elements, including biometrics, device ID, and location-based parameters like geofencing and time windowing, to prevent deepfake attacks and identity fraud. OnDemandID prioritizes user privacy by storing biometric data locally on the device and refraining from tracking user movements. Additionally, iVALT offers integration into existing enterprise mobile apps, providing a solution to enhance caller verification processes within corporate environments.
Keyless, a company specializing in secure facial recognition, has partnered with EnQualify, an AI-powered Know Your Customer (KYC) verification provider, to enhance online identity verification. Keyless’s privacy-centric ZKB technology will integrate with EnQualify’s AI for initial user verification, enabling a seamless and secure authentication process. This collaboration eliminates the need for repetitive steps and data storage, offering a faster and more user-friendly verification experience while ensuring robust security measures.
Australian fintech Waave has launched its Wallet app to enhance security and convenience for online payments. Integrated with Waave’s Pay by Bank system, Wallet utilizes fingerprint or facial recognition for secure authentication, eliminating the need for passwords and card details. This approach addresses concerns about online fraud, providing a streamlined payment process for consumers and merchants alike. Additionally, Wallet will introduce expense tracking features later in 2024, further enhancing its utility for users.
BeatBit Wellness Lab has introduced the CUDIS ring, a wearable device focused on user-controlled health data management. Powered by Solana blockchain technology, CUDIS tracks biometric data and offers personalized health insights using AI algorithms. Users can contribute anonymized data to a research network and earn rewards, emphasizing data ownership and privacy. The CUDIS ring integrates securely with other Solana and Web3 products, offering users a comprehensive health monitoring solution within the decentralized ecosystem.
Worldcoin has unveiled World Chain, a new blockchain platform designed to prioritize verified human users over bots, aiming to reduce network congestion and transaction fees. Integrated with the Worldcoin protocol’s Proof of Personhood, World Chain provides verified users with priority blockspace and gas allowances. This Layer 2 solution, secured by Ethereum, offers developers access to a large pool of verified users for deploying utility applications. World Chain is set to be open source and permissionless, with plans for community-based governance in the future.
New South Wales (NSW) has launched an Australia-first trial to test digital birth certificates, involving over 18,000 children associated with specific educational institutions. Led by the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in collaboration with the Department of Customer Service, the pilot explores the use of digital certificates with the same legal validity as traditional paper versions. Digital birth certificates aim to simplify administrative tasks and offer enhanced security and convenience, particularly in disaster-prone areas where paper documents could be compromised.
Source: findbiometrics.com
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