Aurelia Butler

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  • 88 Shares99 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Parallel Finance Wins Polkadot’s Fourth Parachain Auction

    Parallel Finance has appeared as Polkadot’s fourth parachain auction winner, securing its place in the Polkadot ecosystem for almost two years. Polkadot parachains are respective blockchains that merge into the main Polkadot Relay Chain via ‘slots’ and are interoperable with each other via bridges.Projects compete to win slots through the method of parachain auctions. To win a slot in the Polkadot ecosystem’s parachain auctions, patrons and investors cast votes by staking DOT tokens. Parallel Finance secured its slot, the project reached over 10.75 million DOT tokens, which was equivalent to approximately $306 million.Parallel Finance Founder, Rubo Yuan, expresses gratitude towards the contributors:Likewise, this drove Parallel Finance, the project with the third-largest DOT support in the Polkadot parachain auctions so far. In fact, it is slightly ahead of Astar, who got the third parachain auction.This is a big jump from Acala and Moonbeam. Respectively, the first and second parachain auction winners. Acala placed forward a contribution of approximately 32.5 million DOT, and Moonbeam a contribution of around 35.75 million DOT.Parallel Finance earned more contributions than other considerable projects contending for a parachain slot, such as the Efinity NFT and metaverse project, which now sits in sixth place with about 4.5 million DOT staked on its behalf.The Parallel Finance lease will be granted the slot on December 17 this year, which will last until October 20, 2023. In addition, the contributors will be rewarded with the PARA token. The reward rate should be around 25 PARA tokens per DOT contributed. According to the project’s team, these lock-up rewards will be distributed in nine batches throughout the lease, with the first round slated to be spread on December 22.Founded in April of this year, Parallel Finance is an institutional-grade lending protocol for DeFi. With major supporters like Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alameda Research, and Sequoia. It seeks to deliver unique lending solutions tailored to Polkadot while ensuring users’ safety and security.Continue reading on CoinQuora More

  • 163 Shares129 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Micah Johnson's NFT Astronaut Aku comes to life in Miami Art week Exhibition

    The Black NFT astronaut, Aku, will be the cynosure of all eyes at a three-day comprehensive event created in collaboration with FTX US, one of the US-regulated cryptocurrency exchanges. The event, centered on the theme, “Aku World,” will bring about the Black NFT astronaut’s character to reality and make his character applicable to various spheres of life such as music, art, fashion, and of course, technology— all in one place.Read Also: YGG Partners with ‘Big Time’ Through Time Machine NFTsAll participants of this occasion will be shown different art installations, some curated exhibitions, and the opportunity to obtain a limited edition in the “Merch Room.” In addition, the retail section during the event will have a golden opportunity to advertise some top exclusive collaborative pieces by some of the big hits in arts and entertainment, which also includes Pusha-T and Aleali May, big names in entertainment and art.The participants will also have the privilege of getting their crypto wallets and, in the process, obtain NFTs scattered all through the 30,000 square foot space via hidden QR codes. The Attendees can then use their collections to purchase various Aku digital works and Raf Grassetti’s artworks.While speaking to the press, Johnson said, “Aku World is a world built around dreams, it was imperative to incorporate talented artists and designers who have achieved their dreams into the world, and it’s our mission to inspire everyone who walks through the door.”Aku World Miami unit will be open to the general public between 12 pm – 7 pm December 2 to 4th in Miami, Florida. The event is another milestone in the evolution of NFTs as the world continues to embrace the idea of digital arts more than ever.Continue reading on BTC Peers More

  • 125 Shares179 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Microsoft leads startup Palm NFT Studio's $27M series B round

    Other principal backers of the Series B raise include RRE, The LAO, SK Inc, Warner Bros, Griffin Gaming Partners, and Third Kind Venture Capital, and Sfermion.Read Also: Mnemonic Partners with NFT Companies to Launch Platform to Revolutionize Digital OwnershipA statement issued on the company’s website explained that the raise would help the team in its quest to raise the Studio’s technology platform and even offer it to third parties interested in deploying NFT projects like movies, games, music, and art alongside the necessary environmental sustainability and regulatory compliance. Dan Heyman, CEO, and co-founder of Palms NFT Studio, believes that in three years’ time, most NFTs will be not be sold but given away for free. Explaining further, he said, “We will see a shift away from NFTs as exclusive collectibles toward mass community engagement, and Palm NFT Studio is leading that evolution. We envision programs that mint millions of NFTs with utility; social objects that connect communities, drive engagement, and reward true fans. We’re grateful that incredible partners like M12 share that vision.”Palm NFT Studio also collaborated to create the Palm Network, an Etheruem based sidechain that gives users the power to create NFTs. According to the company, all NFTs made on the Ethereum mainnet or Palm Network can be bridged across both sides—from the Ethereum mainnet to Palm Network sidechain and back.As major partners in the project, M12 also published a statement. Explaining their reason for the collaboration, a part of the statement read, “NFTs (non-fungible tokens) represents a unique opportunity for crypto and distributed ledger technology to operationalize and monetize an existing offline behavior: collecting—whether it’s digital fashion, audio, and music, video, sports moments, game assets, or fine art. These are just some of the early and obvious uses, but the potential of NFTs extends far beyond the conversion of physical assets to the digital world. Any scenario where a smart contract could streamline efficiency and safety—including real estate transactions, for example—could see NFT applicability.”Continue reading on BTC Peers More

  • 125 Shares99 Views

    in Economy

    China says it will focus on economic stability in 2022

    China will continue to implement a prudent monetary policy and a proactive fiscal policy, said the statement, issued after the annual Central Economic Work Conference held from Dec. 8-10 and published by the official Xinhua news agency. “Next year’s economic work should prioritise stability and all regions and departments should shoulder the responsibility of stabilising the macroeconomy,” Xinhua quoted the statement as saying, adding that China would bring forward policies conducive to economic stability next year in an appropriate way.China will maintain “a stable and healthy economic environment” for the 20th Party Congress next year, Xinhua said.”We must see that China’s economic development is facing the triple pressure of shrinking demand, supply shock and weakening expectations,” Xinhua said, citing the meeting.The world’s second-largest economy faces multiple challenges heading into 2022, due to a property downturn and strict COVID-19 curbs that have hit consumer spending.China will implement new tax and fee cuts and front-load infrastructure investment next year in an appropriate way, Xinhua said.China will also step up cross-cyclical policy adjustments and support key areas such as employment, financing, trade and investment, and prevent financial risks, it said.The meeting called for coordinated fiscal and monetary policies and combined cross-cyclical and counter-cyclical policy adjustments, as well as the implementation of a strategy to expand domestic demand, Xinhua said.The central bank said on Monday it would cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for banks on Dec. 15, its second such move this year, releasing 1.2 trillion yuan ($188 billion) in long-term liquidity to bolster slowing growth.China will strengthen anti-monopoly efforts and ensure fair competition and supervision, step up the protection of intellectual property rights and create a sound development environment for firms with various ownerships, Xinhua said. China will give full play to the positive role of capital while effectively controlling its negative role, setting up “traffic lights” for capital by strengthening supervision, Xinhua said.Top leaders reiterated that “housing is for living, not for speculation”, and pledged to promote the healthy development of the property market and better meet reasonable demand of home buyers, Xinhua said.($1 = 6.3696 Chinese yuan renminbi) More

  • 100 Shares109 Views

    in Economy

    U.S. awarding $12.6 million for marine highway projects

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Transportation Department on Friday said it is awarding $12.6 million in grants for nine marine highway projects as part of ongoing efforts to improve ports and address supply chain issues.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement the funds “will help us move more goods, more quickly and more efficiently” and ease the movement of goods along navigable waterways.The $1 trillion infrastructure law signed last month by President Joe Biden provides an additional $25 million to support marine highway projects beyond Friday’s awards.In total, Congress approved $17 billion to revamp U.S. ports.Many U.S. ports have bridge or depth limitations that restrict their ability to receive larger vessels, while a surge of cargo is straining land operations at some ports.The marine highway program “ encourages  the use of America’s navigable waterways for the movement of freight and people as an alternative to land-based  transportation,” said Acting Maritime Administrator Lucinda Lessley.The new awards include $1.4 million to help fund a new bridge crane in Kentucky to transport steel products by inland river barge from the Ports of Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky and Indiana.A $1 million grant for a North Carolina container on barge shuttle operation  which will eliminate some truck traffic. Currently containerized cargo bound for the Port of Virginia from Edenton, N.C. must reach its destination via trucks.  A project to modify a deck barge for deliveries in New York Harbor between New York and New Jersey is receiving $1.5 million. The project will allow for deliveries of up to 36 trailers between Brooklyn and Newark  on  one daily round trip, 260 days per year.A Houston, Texas area project is getting $3 million to help fund two purpose-built barges to transport up to 56,000 containers annually to and from surrounding ports.  The Virginia Port Authority is getting $3 million to  improve lighting within the Richmond Marine Terminal perimeter  allowing for barge operations beyond daylight hours.   More

  • 138 Shares169 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Gamer-hate: Ubisoft's new NFT project vid gets a 96% dislike ratio

    The company uploaded the official trailer for “Ubisoft Quartz” onto their YouTube channel within the last 24 hours at the time of writing, and it has generated quite an overwhelming amount of negative feedback. The video, which runs for 1:19 seconds, does not seem to do justice to the project massively heralded by a plethora of media activities.Related post: Game titan Ubisoft to bring NFTs to in-game items this weekMany feelers have analyzed the video to represent Ubisoft’s cluelessness and unclear direction. According to the video, Ubisoft Quartz itself does not have much control over anything, passing off most of that responsibility to the blockchain technology. For example, some of those who reacted believed Ubisoft lacks the power to reverse or cancel transactions or be liable for damages or any liability. However, it also clearly states that it is aware of the weaknesses and limitations of blockchain technology, making it susceptible to cyber security attacks. Essentially, Ubisoft absolves itself of all forms of potential liabilities posed by “the use of this new technology”.Read Also: Ubisoft creates the Quartz, an energy-efficient NFT platformThe announcement seems to portray a lack of respect for the Ubisoft customer base from top to bottom. As a result, many fans have chosen the YouTube channel to air their grievances, from endorsing what their fans consider a scam technology to the blatant contempt on display.Last month, YouTube made a public gesture by announcing the removal of the “dislike” button from its platform, underlining its intention to protect creators from harassment and to protect corporations and big wigs from the PR implications of having a roundly disliked video on their page. However, despite this announcement, the dislike button remains a visible feature on the platform and has been utilized by fans to register their displeasure with the NFT teaser.Read more: Ubisoft is bringing NFT gear to Ghost ReconThe video has 148,881 views, 24,000 dislikes, and a paltry 1,000 likes at the time of writing.Continue reading on BTC Peers More

  • 113 Shares179 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Pantone' Color of the Year' Gets the NFT Treatment

    Pantone announced on Wednesday that the periwinkle vibe had won its esteemed Pantone Color Of The Year 2022 award. Pantone revealed why the color was deemed worthy of the award in a statement made available on its website. Part of the statement read, “A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is elegant in its simplicity. Suggestive of the sky at dusk, the reassuring qualities of the thought-provoking PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue highlight our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”However, in a fashion very much in tune with 2021, Pantone, the developers of the modern color matching system, will be releasing the color via a collection of Non-Fungible Tokens hosted on the Tezos blockchain. The collection will feature a series of NFTs made by an artist who goes by the moniker ‘Polygon1993’, with each piece of artwork featuring the color.Pantone explained in a press release that it decided to host the NFTs on Tezos blockchain because it had shown itself to be a “fast, secure, and an energy-efficient network.””Creating a new color for the first time in the history of our Pantone Color of the Year educational color program reflects the global innovation and transformation taking place,” Laurie Pressman, vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, further said in the release.Tezos had earlier dominated the news when gaming giants Ubisoft chose the blockchain to host their debut NFT project, Ubisoft Quartz. In addition, Ubisoft announced that it would premier in-game NFTs into its latest offering, Tom Clancy: Ghost Recon. The news sent the stock prices of XTZ, the parent company of the blockchain, flying.Related: Game titan Ubisoft to bring NFTs to in-game items this weekFrom inside information supplied by a Tezos representative, it is expected that while Very Peri Blue is Pantone’s first foray into NFTs, it’s highly unlikely to be its last as further NFT plans are already in the works.2021 has indeed been a year of the NFTs. This year has seen unprecedented acceptance levels from individuals, corporations, industries, and sectors. It is hoped that this can go on even to surpass expectations as the years wind up.Continue reading on BTC Peers More