Earn Cashback Rewards with Crypto Payments: Fluidity and Request Finance Team Up

• Fluidity Money, a DeFi protocol, has launched a cashback program with Request Finance.
• The rewards are paid out in stablecoins and can be earned by users and merchants that use Fluidity and Request Finance.
• Fluidity Money’s “Fluid Assets” are obtained by depositing stablecoins into the app, with 80% of the yield generated used to finance cashback rewards.

Fluidity Money Launches Cashback Program

Fluidity Money, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, has launched a cashback program with Request Finance, an enterprise crypto payments app. The cashback program allows businesses to reward customers who pay in crypto as well as merchants who accept crypto payments. Each time a payment is made in the app, both the sender and recipient can earn stablecoins randomly distributed into their wallets after each payment.

Rewards Paid Out In Stablecoins

The rewards are currently paid out in stablecoins. However, Fluidity Money has plans to expand its offering to other loyalty programs which could see other types of rewards like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) being disbursed in the future. Depending on what the NFTs represent this could include tickets to token-gated experiences, merchant credits like air miles, digital collectibles and more.

How It Works Under The Hood

Fluidity Money provides crypto payment apps like Request Finance with a novel way of financing rewards that pay out in stablecoins without imposing high fees on merchants or high-interest rates on consumers. To mint a Fluidity stablecoin an equivalent amount of that specific stablecoin like USDC or USDT must be deposited into a smart contract. The deposited stablecoins are then lent to other DeFi protocols such as Compound and eighty percent of the yield generated is used to finance the cashback rewards. As more people use Fluidity Money’s wrapped stablecoins, larger cashback payouts will be possible for all involved parties.

On The Flipside

Shahmeer Chaudhry CEO of Fluidity Money said: „Request Finance helps thousands of enterprise teams and DAOs use stablecoins easily – we wanted to work with them to introduce this cashback program as a fun way of rewarding people for using stablecoins for payments.“

Conclusion

Fluidity Money’s new cashback program is great news for businesses who want to reward customers when they make payments in crypto as well as merchants who accept these payments – all whilst enjoying low fees and no interest rate charges! With plans underway for expanding their offering further it looks likely that even more exciting opportunities may become available soon!

Wemade Partners with Space and Time to Power Blockchain Gaming

• Wemade Co., Ltd. has announced a strategic partnership with Space and Time (SxT), a leader in decentralized data warehousing.
• The partnership will allow Wemade to power its blockchain and gaming services with Space and Time’s suite of developer tools.
• WEMIX has also announced plans to launch an Ethereum layer-2 utilizing zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) protocols that will improve scalability while still ensuring users‘ privacy and security.

Wemade Partners with Space and Time

Wemade Co., Ltd (KOSDAQ:112040), one of the largest publicly-listed gaming companies in South Korea with a market capitalization of US$1.4 billion, has announced a strategic partnership with Space and Time (SxT), a leader in decentralized data warehousing.

Strengthening Blockchain Infrastructure Capabilities

The partnership will allow Wemade to power its blockchain and gaming services with Space and Time’s decentralized suite of developer tools. This includes real-time, tamperproof indexed blockchain data, a hybrid transactional and analytic (HTAP) data warehouse, and a serverless API gateway for simplified building of fully decentralized applications and faster dApp time-to-market.

WEMIX 3.0

Today, Wemade services more than 20 different play-to-earn (P2E) games across all genres, including MIR M and the world’s no. 1 blockchain game MIR4, on its global open blockchain gaming platform WEMIX PLAY. This is part of the mega-ecosystem that its blockchain developer subsidiary, WEMIX is building which encompasses its own mainnet, WEMIX 3.0; an extensive range of services like NFTs and DeFi; and WEMIX coin – the bridge that connects all of the components of the mega-ecosystem.

Zero Knowledge Proof Protocols

WEMIX has also announced plans to launch an Ethereum layer-2 utilizing zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) protocols that will improve scalability while still ensuring users‘ privacy and security. Queries run in the Space and Time data warehouse are verifiably tamperproof as their novel cryptography allows smart contracts to run tamperproof queries directly opening up powerful use cases built on blockchain technology..

GameFi Development Collaboration

Space

Digital Real CBDC: Brazil to Unlock Fintech Innovation

• Brazil’s Central Bank is launching a pilot project for the country’s digital currency called the “Digital Real” in 2024.
• The “Digital Real” would leverage distributed ledger technology (DLT) to reduce costs and enable access to financial services for people.
• It could also create space for financial technology companies to innovate and offer new services, transforming banking for good.

Brazil’s ‚Digital Real‘: Unlocking Financial Innovation

Brazil’s central bank is looking to launch a revolutionary pilot project: its own digital currency, the „digital real“ in 2024. This move could be a major boost for fintech firms, as well as traditional finance (tradFi). The CBDC could cut costs and enable completely new financial services that can transform banking for good.

Leveraging Distributed Ledger Technology

The „digital real“ will leverage distributed ledger technology (DLT) to democratize access to financial services. Fabio Araujo, the initiative’s coordinator, said that this system would reduce costs and enable significant financial innovation. Services that are currently expensive or only available to banks through repo operations could become accessible with DLT-based technology.

Benefits of Digital Real

The potential benefits of the „digital real“ go beyond digital payments like Pix, which is already popular in Brazil. Instead, it could potentially reduce the cost of credit and return on investments through innovative fintech solutions. This could democratize access to the market and offer new services not previously available before now.

CBDCs Around The World

Brazil is far from alone in its pursuit of CBDCs; according to the Atlantic Council almost every major developed country is at some stage of research and development of its own CBDCs. These digital currencies are based on fiat money but leverage DLT similar to crypto assets such as Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Conclusion

CBDCs have great potential to revolutionize finance by reducing costs and enabling access to financial services previously unavailable due to their high cost or lack of infrastructure necessary for traditional finance options like repo operations. Once launched, Brazil’s „digital real“ has great potential disrupt tradFi by creating space for fintech solutions that can expand access and create new services – transforming banking for good!

SEC Cracks Down on Crypto: Robinhood Receives Subpoena

• Robinhood, a securities brokerage firm that also offers cryptocurrency services, has revealed that it received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last December relating to its „cryptocurrency listings, custody of cryptocurrencies and platform operations.“
• The company currently lists 18 cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH), and dogecoin (DOGE). If some of these are determined to be unregistered securities by the SEC, they might need to be delisted.
• The SEC’s regulatory crackdown on crypto in the US is part of a wider trend; other companies affected include Kraken, Binance, and Paxos.

Robinhood Receives SEC Subpoena Over Crypto Services

Robinhood, a securities brokerage firm that also offers cryptocurrency services, has revealed that it received a subpoena from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last December in relation to its “cryptocurrency listings, custody of cryptocurrencies and platform operations”. The company currently lists 18 different cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Dogecoin (DOGE). If any of these are deemed unregistered securities by the SEC however, they may need to be delisted.

Crypto Regulatory Crackdown

The SEC’s regulatory crackdown on crypto in the US is part of a wider trend; other companies affected include Kraken, Binance and Paxos. Most recently Kraken was forced to pay a $30 million fine and shut down its staking services due to selling unregistered securities while Paxos was sued by the SEC for similar reasons.

Delisting Cryptocurrencies

In response to the subpoenas received from both the SEC and California Attorney General’s Office seeking information about trading platforms and customer assets among other things – Robinhood disclosed in its 10-K filing that if any of their supported cryptocurrencies are found to be securities then they might have no choice but to delist them from their platform.

FTX Collapse Linked?

It should be noted that this attention Robinhood is receiving from authorities seems linked with recent collapse FTX back late last year – though this hasn’t been officially confirmed yet by either party involved.

Conclusion

Overall it looks like we’re seeing an increasing amount of regulatory pressure being put on crypto firms with even larger ones like Kraken feeling the squeeze at this point. It will definitely be interesting to see how this all plays out over time going forward into 2021!

Bitcoin Surges 15%, Attempts to Breach $25.2K Resistance

• Bitcoin (BTC) has made three attempts since February 16th to break the $25.2k resistance before it can continue on a significant uptrend.
• BTC has gained 15.1% since February 13th and is currently trading at $24,780, attempting to flip the resistance to support.
• If successful in flipping the $25.2k resistance to support, Bitcoin could rally to $30k before its next resistance.

Bitcoin Attempts To Flip Resistance

Bitcoin (BTC) has been making attempts since February 16th to break above the critical $25.2k level before it can proceed on an uptrend. The price of Bitcoin (BTC) surged close to $25,000 in its third attempt, gaining 15.1% since February 13th and pushing year-to-date gains up by 48.9%.

Why Is The $25.2K Level Significant?

The 2017 rally saw the price of Bitcoin explode from $900 and make a run close to $20,000 which is why investors and traders are ecstatic about the price of bitcoin rallying above this level as it could lead to a surge up towards $30k if flipped successfully from resistance into support zone.

What Does Bitcoin Need To Do?

For Bitcoin to break above this level there needs to be a strong bullish momentum driving demand for BTC which is already being seen in the market according to chart analyzer and trading signals provider Material Indicators who noted that if enough buyers clear the current buy wall at around 25k then there’s little friction until 26k with thin air all the way up until 30k is reached.

Current Market Status

As of now, despite being rejected from its attempt at breaking through the 25200 level three times in five days, Bitcoin still trades hands at 24 780 USD with 15 1% gain since 13th Feburary and 48 9% year-to-date gains so far showing that despite not quite reaching its goal yet this bull run continues nonetheless with potential for much higher prices ahead should it finally manage to flip this resistant level into support zone allowing further growth form here on out .

Conclusion

It appears that while we wait for more buyers or other market developments that will help push BTC over 25 200 USD many investors remain optimistic as history may repeat itself once again allowing them an opportunity for investments returns compared against their original input when they first got involved with cryptocurrencies like bitcoin .

Lido DAO Proposes Selling or Staking $30M in ETH to Secure Runway

• Lido DAO (LDO) is considering selling or staking its $30M in ETH ahead of the Shanghai upgrade, which will enable ETH staking withdrawals.
• The proposal outlines a plan to sell all or part of the treasury denominated in ETH and use the funds for additional runway in current market conditions.
• Lido DAO might end up selling part of the ETH and staking what’s left.

Lido DAO Proposes Selling or Staking Its $30M in ETH

Lido DAO (LDO), the governing body behind the largest Ethereum staking provider, is trying to decide what to do with its treasury ether ahead of the Shanghai upgrade, which will enable ETH staking withdrawals. On February 14, Steakhouse Financial, the Lido DAO branch responsible for managing the treasury, made three proposals concerning the 20,304 ETH and surplus stETH that it holds.

Selling vs Staking

One of the proposals outlined a plan to sell all or part of the treasury denominated in ETH with an estimated value of around $30 million. If sold, these funds would be used to secure additional runway in current market conditions as Lido DAO has a monthly run rate between $1.3-$1.5 million per month along with holding $20.1 million in DAI reserves. Additionally, they are also debating whether they should sell their excess stETH holdings to add onto their budgeting capital as well. Another option proposed was to stake both their held ETH and excess stETH holdings instead of selling them off entirely.

ENS Proposal

On top of this debate on how best to manage their funds, Ethereum Name Service (ENS) also passed a proposal recently allowing them to sell 10,000 ETH ($13 million). This decision was made due to ENS wanting to lower their exposure from 100% held in Ether back down towards a more manageable level for their reserves going forward into 2021 and beyond.

Voting Process & Why It Matters

While voting on these proposals has yet to start amongst members within LidoDAO itself people may find it interesting seeing how such an important governance body manages its funds given current market conditions impacting crypto at large today .

Conclusion

In conclusion there is still no definite answer on what direction LidoDAo will take when deciding how best too manage their holdings as this decision could have lasting impacts across Ethereum moving forward into 2021 so stay tuned for more information on this subject matter as it develops !

Rally Ahead? Ethereum Price Could Reach $1,800 or Fall to $1,500

• Ethereum (ETH) experienced a strong rally in January, but has seen a slow February so far.
• The 20-day EMA and RSI indicators are displaying mixed results.
• If the bulls can push the price above $1,680, ETH could rally to $1,800 or even higher; otherwise, it may drop to $1,500 or lower.

Ethereum’s Price Action in February

Ethereum (ETH) has seen a slowdown in extreme price action in February after its January rally. This could be seen as positive sign for the market as it provides some breathing room after the rapid increase in prices.

Analysis of Ethereum’s Price Chart

Currently, ETH is trading close to the $1,680 resistance level. The upward slope of the 20-day exponential moving average (EMA), which stands at $1,586 at the time of writing, favors buyers. However, negative divergence on the relative strength index (RSI) suggests that bullish momentum may be waning. To maintain control of the asset’s price action, bulls need to drive ETH above $1,680.

Potential Outcomes for Ethereum’s Price

If successful at pushing prices beyond this resistance level, ETH could surge up towards $1,800 or even higher if it maintains support levels above $1,680. Conversely should it break below its 20-day EMA and 50-simple moving average (SMA), its price could tumble down to around $1,500 or even lower towards $1 ,352 .

Technical Indicators Point Towards Mixed Results

The 20-day EMA and RSI indicators give mixed signals about Ethereum’s potential future movements and whether or not it will experience further gains or declines from here on out. If bulls can maintain control of ETH’s price action above current resistances then they may have an opportunity to push prices further upwards; however if bears take over then we may see a dip back downwards again soon enough.

Conclusion

At present there is no clear indication as to what direction Ethereum’s price will take next; however examination of technical indicators such as 20-day EMA and RSI can help provide guidance on possible outcomes for ETH’s short term movements and whether we might see further gains or losses soon enough.

Empowering Smart Contracts: Chainlink Enables Decentralized Oracle Solutions

• Chainlink is a decentralized oracle based on Ethereum that connects non-blockchain systems to blockchain networks.
• The goal of Chainlink is to connect data stored on traditional mediums to the emerging blockchain ecosystem.
• The original Chainlink whitepaper was co-authored by Steve Ellis, Sergey Nazarov, and Cornell University Professor Ari Juels to provide an oracle that would provide outside connectivity to on-chain smart contracts.

Chainlink is a decentralized oracle platform based on Ethereum that enables the connection of non-blockchain systems to blockchain networks. The goal of Chainlink is to bridge the gap between traditional data storage methods and the rapidly expanding blockchain industry. The Chainlink platform was created in 2017 by Sergey Nazarov and Steve Ellis, who were aided by Cornell University Professor Ari Juels in producing the original Chainlink whitepaper (v1.0).

The whitepaper argued that while smart contracts have revolutionized the world, they are limited in their ability to access data from outside sources due to the consensus mechanisms employed by smart contracts. This means that smart contracts lack the capacity to retrieve data from key external resources, thus limiting their potential. The solution proposed in the whitepaper was the introduction of an oracle which could provide outside connectivity to on-chain smart contracts, allowing them to become more resilient and secure against attack.

Furthermore, the whitepaper noted the importance of having a decentralized oracle, as this would extend the tamperproof and independent characteristics of smart contracts to their connection with non-blockchain environments. The whitepaper also argued that smart contracts can only reliably replace digital agreements if they are made “externally aware”, and that Chainlink would provide this link between smart contracts and external data sources.

Since its creation, Chainlink has grown in popularity and is now used by a range of enterprises and organizations, including Google Cloud, Oracle, and SWIFT. The platform is seen as a key piece of technology in the world of blockchain and smart contracts, and is seen as necessary for these technologies to reach their full potential. As the use of blockchain technology and smart contracts continues to expand, Chainlink is poised to become one of the most important pieces of infrastructure in the industry.

Crypties Awards: Celebrating the Best of Crypto Gaming

• Decrypt Studios held the inaugural Crypties Awards in Miami on November 30, 2020, recognizing the best in crypto gaming.
• Katrina Wolfe accepted the Cryptie for Crypto Unicorns from presenter Avery Akkineni of Vayner3, with other nominees in the category being Stepn, Zed Run, and Blankos Block Party.
• On December 6, 2022, Decrypt Studios will be hosting onstage panels and interviews from conferences and summits.

Crypto gaming is an increasingly popular and rapidly growing sector of the digital entertainment industry, and on November 30th, 2020, Decrypt Studios held the inaugural Crypties Awards in Miami, Florida to recognize the best in the space. Emceed by Josh Ostrovsky („The Fat Jewish“), the awards ceremony was sponsored by Polygon, Filecoin Foundation, Lamina1, Async, BeetsDAO, The Gold Mask, Gem Set, Breakout, Anonymous, Infinite Objects, Ape Water, Decentralized Pictures, and Vault 721.

At the awards ceremony, Katrina Wolfe accepted the Cryptie for Crypto Unicorns from presenter Avery Akkineni of Vayner3. The other nominees in the same category were Stepn, Zed Run, and Blankos Block Party.

In addition to the awards ceremony, Decrypt Studios is also hosting live events in conjunction with the Crypties Awards. On December 6, 2022, the studio will be hosting onstage panels and interviews from conferences and summits, giving the audience an in-depth look at the world of crypto gaming. For example, on November 3, 2020, Clay Robbins of Slow Ventures, Soona Amhaz of Volt Capital, Sarah Guo of Conviction and formerly Greylock, and Alex Strzesniewski of AngelBlock joined Decrypt’s Jason Nelson at 0xpo Summit in San Francisco for an extensive panel on raising venture money even during Crypto Winter.

The Crypties Awards is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the world of crypto gaming, and Decrypt Studios is leading the way in providing in-depth coverage of the events in the space. With the awards ceremony and the various live events, the studio is helping to highlight the work of the top projects in the industry and is helping to promote the growth of crypto gaming around the world.

Raising Venture Money During Crypto Winter: Experts Weigh In

Bullet Points:
• Lisa Rubin, a blockchain attorney with Paul Hastings, discussed legal misconceptions the industry still holds at 0xpo Crossroads in San Francisco.
• The Crypties 2022 awards gala was held in December 2022 at Art Basel in Miami.
• Kathleen Breitman of Tezos, Clay Robbins of Slow Ventures, Soona Amhaz of Volt Capital, Sarah Guo of Conviction, and Alex Strzesniewski of AngelBlock discussed raising venture money in a bear market at 0xpo Summit in San Francisco.

On November 3, Lisa Rubin, a blockchain attorney with Paul Hastings, sat down with Decrypt’s Jason Nelson at 0xpo Crossroads in San Francisco to discuss legal misconceptions the industry still holds. Rubin discussed how the industry needs to be careful to understand the legal risks associated with launching a crypto company, as many of them don’t understand the full extent of the laws they must abide by in order to operate legally. Rubin emphasized the importance of seeking legal advice before launching any kind of crypto-related project.

In December 2022 at Art Basel in Miami, Decrypt Studios held the inaugural Crypties awards gala. With emcee Josh Ostrovsky („The Fat Jewish“) and presenters from a range of crypto projects, nine statuettes were awarded in categories such as Best ICO, Best DeFi Project, and Best NFT Project. The evening was sponsored by Polygon, Filecoin Foundation, Lamina1, Async, BeetsDAO, The Gold Mask, Gem Set, Breakout, Anonymous, Infinite Objects, Ape Water, Decentralized Pictures, and Vault 721.

Onstage at Web Summit in Lisbon, Tezos co-founder Kathleen Breitman discussed how the Tezos blockchain has used a proof-of-stake mechanism since its inception, her admiration for Tendermint, Ethereum and sharding, progressive decentralization, and NFT gaming with Decrypt’s Stephen Graves.

At 0xpo Summit in San Francisco on November 3, Clay Robbins of Slow Ventures, Soona Amhaz of Volt Capital, Sarah Guo of Conviction and formerly Greylock, and Alex Strzesniewski of AngelBlock joined Decrypt’s Jason Nelson for an extensive panel on raising venture money even during Crypto Winter. They discussed how investors are still looking for good projects and opportunities, even when the market is bearish, and how founders should look at the long-term potential of their projects and strive to build something sustainable in the long run rather than focusing on short-term gains. They also discussed the importance of forming strong relationships with investors and being open to feedback.