Those who studied history well might remember the city-states of medieval Europe. Back then, caravans of merchants traveled from one city-state to another, bringing luxury goods and news from far-away places. It was this lifestyle that enabled these merchants with freedom of mobility and choice. It is a very similar concept to the one described by Michael Ondaatje in his book The English Patient. The author envisioned complete freedom, without borders or nationalities limiting people in their strive for development and progress. Today, broader access to the financial markets through decentralized finance marks the beginning of the open world. DeFi …

The rise of the Metaverse has resulted in an entirely new digital economy, one defined by virtual experiences and interactions. In turn, metaverse ecosystems consisting of avatars are also emerging, allowing individuals to express themselves through digital customizable 3D characters. This idea was recently broadcasted to the mainstream when Facebook’s parent company, Meta, introduced a series of inclusive avatars. While the Metaverse may sound futuristic, recent findings from technology research and consulting company Gartner predict that 25% of people will have spent at least one hour per day in the Metaverse by 2026. Gartner vice president Marty Resnick has also …

True Tickets, the blockchain-based digital ticketing platform, made its Broadway debut last Fall in collaboration with the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City. After a "successful" run thus far delivering digital tickets to the Trouble in Mind play and Caroline, or Change musical, Matthew Zarracina, Co-founder and CEO of True Tickets, talks blockchain and ticketing with Cointelegraph. When a prospective theatre-goer completes a ticket purchase on the Roundabout website and chooses a digital delivery, as opposed to picking up a ticket at will call or printing it at home, that's True Tickets cue to come in. Built on the …

The influence of blockchain technology on the ongoing digital revolution cannot be overstated as the rise of the Metaverse and the integration of virtual reality is transforming the way humans interact on a global scale. One project that is beginning to gain traction in its effort to bridge the old world with the new is Decentraland (MANA), a virtual reality (VR) ecosystem built on the Ethereum network that allows users to create, engage with and monetize digital content through a variety of interactive experiences. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that over the past two weeks, the price …

The world of decentralized gaming has seen significant growth in 2021 as the rise of play-to-earn (P2E) gaming merged with NFTs to open the first pathway to the Metaverse. Aavegotchi is currently making inroads in the blockchain-based gaming sector with a somewhat novel approach that incorporates features from P2E gaming, NFTs and decentralized finance (DeFi). Data from TradingView shows that since hitting a low of $1.56 on Oct. 1, the price of GHST, Aavegotchi's native token, has rallied 53% to a daily high at $2.40 on Oct. 29 as its 24-hour trading volume spiked 45% to $135.8 million. Three reasons …

Europe knows it will have to embrace a digital euro soon. To become a global digital leader and avoid dependence on American and Asian technological infrastructures, European policymakers and regulators have to make progressive decisions. A critical stumbling block for Europe’s digital economic thinking is so-called stablecoins. Stablecoins can be privately issued and have the potential to become globally accepted and systemically relevant, disrupting long-established financial systems. Consequently, today’s political discussions surrounding stablecoins are dominated by concerns over financial stability and orderly monetary policy. Related: Stablecoins present new dilemmas for regulators as mass adoption looms Current regulatory plans undercut innovation …

Brazil's Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, said during an online event this Tuesday that Brazil "is about to" join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and that the Brazilian government has plans to launch a public offering of shares (IPO) for the newly-created digital bank of Caixa Econômica Federal. Caixa Econômica Federal created a digital bank during the pandemic to help the government send financial aid to around 64 million Brazilians. Guedes’ comments came during the Milken Institute Global Conference, during which he said that the Central Bank is working to attract new investors for the country. One …

Speaking at the online launch event for the Global Digital Asset & Cryptocurrency Association on Friday — a Chicago-based group focused on regulatory clarity and industry security — U.S. Representative Bill Foster explained the importance of a "secure digital identity." "You can have the most rock-solid cryptographic guarantees of a blockchain or equivalent and it doesn't do you any good if people are fraudulently participating on it under anonymous names," Foster said during his brief speech at the event. He mentioned trading as an example, noting some less-than-honest characters in the industry could conduct illegal trading activities using fake names. …

The Korean financial services commission and the Seoul metropolitan government have announced plans to invest $16 million in training digital finance experts for four years on Feb. 12. The application period to win the grant is March 4-6. Details of the new program The FSC explained that the demand for specialists in financial technology is increasing. The program aims to ensure educational opportunities for the next generation of fintech professionals. The program is going to start the second half of 2020 and will run until 2023 in the financial center in Yeouido district in the capital, Seoul. It is open …

Digital transformation is a national priority for China, and it’s being integrated into both enterprise and banks and other services industries. According to a Feb. 4 report from Economic Information Daily, chairman of Minsheng Bank Hong Qi said: “The full adoption of digital technologies such as blockchain is expected to accelerate the digital transformation and upgrade its agriculture, manufacturing, finance and other services in the next 10 years.” China Minsheng Bank is the first national commercial bank owned principally by non-government enterprises. It is famous for making loans to small and medium-sized enterprises. It is also one of the earliest …