Block subsidiary TBD has announced plans to build a new decentralized web centered around Bitcoin (BTC), underscoring founder Jack Dorsey’s belief that the largest blockchain network will play a major role in the internet’s evolution. The new project, called “Web5,” represents the latest Bitcoin-centric endeavor to be pursued by Dorsey since stepping down as CEO of Twitter in November 2021. Whereas Web3 incorporates blockchain technology and tokenization to decentralize the internet, Web5 is being envisioned as an identity-based system that only utilizes one blockchain: Bitcoin. Twitter user Namcios broke down the concept of Web5 in a series of tweets that …

Legendary New York hip-hop artist and producer, Jay-Z has joined forces with the founder of Cash App, Jack Dorsey, to launch "The Bitcoin Academy," an educational program advocating for the democratic vision that “education is power.” Exclusively available for residents of the Marcy Project public housing complex in New York City, the scheme will commence June 22 and run until Sept. 7 with options for both in-person and online attendance. The free educational program is designed to enhance access to financial information and promote inclusive opportunities. Taught by educators Lamar Wilson of the Black Bitcoin Billionaire and Najah J. Roberts …

Block, the pro-Bitcoin (BTC) umbrella company that hosts Cash App, Square and Afterpay, continues its growth in 2022. According to its Shareholder letter, in the first quarter of 2022, gross profits are “up 34% year over year.” In total, the group netted $1.29 billion in gross profits. However, operating costs were also up “$1.52 billion in the first quarter of 2022, up 70% year over year.” The group explains that the acquisition of Afterpay, a buy now pay later service, could explain the increasing costs. In total net Block’s revenues reached $3.96 billion from January to March 2022, down 22% …

The nonfungible token (NFT) of the first-ever tweet made on Twitter by founder Jack Dorsey is currently struggling to attract a bid even 1% of its sale price last year. The iconic genesis tweet was sold for 1,630 Ether (ETH), valued at $2.9 million about a year ago on March 22, 2021. The highest current bid for this attempt to auction it is 10.3 ETH, worth about $31,739 at the time of writing, on NFT marketplace OpenSea. The nonfungible token of the first-ever tweet made on Twitter by founder Jack Dorsey is currently struggling to attract a bid even 1% …

On March 21, mobile banking application Dave announced a partnership with FTX US to provide cryptocurrency payments on the platform. It also announced a $100 million investment from FTX Ventures. In the statement, Dave said the investment would aid its strategy for future crypto-related initiatives, with FTX US serving as its partner for cryptocurrencies. Both companies said they’re currently exploring ways to introduce crypto payments into Dave’s platform. FTX US President Brett Harrison commented that it looks to align with companies that can help drive widespread adoption of digital assets, believing Dave was a fit in that regard. Jason Wilk, …

Kyash, a Tokyo-based digital wallet, announced a $41.2 million usd, or 4.9 billion yen, raise in a Series D round. Since launching in 2015, the cashless mobile app and corresponding credit card has grown its total funding to an estimated $108 million, or 12.8 billion yen. Both global investors and Japanese banks joined the round, including Japan Post Investment Corporation, Jack Dorsey's Block, which is formerly known as Square, as well as Altos Ventures Goodwater Capital and StepStone Group in the U.S. Additional investment came from Greyhound Capital in the U.K., SMBC Nikko Securities, JAFCO Group, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Capital …

In his monthly crypto tech column, Israeli serial entrepreneur Ariel Shapira covers emerging technologies within the crypto, decentralized finance and blockchain space, as well as their roles in shaping the economy of the 21st century. Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s ex-CEO and Bitcoin (BTC) aficionado, is not a big fan of Web3 — or at least of what its grand vision is shaping up to be. Users won’t own the next iteration of the internet, he asserts again and again. Instead, venture capital funds pumping millions into blockchain and Web3 projects will be the ones to hold the reins. But, will they, …

Crypto-friendly digital payments tech firm Block, Inc. (formerly known as Square) posted $1.18 billion worth of gross profit in Q4, representing a growth of 47% over the same period in 2020. The firm led by Bitcoin maxi Jack Dorsey has multiple business arms including Cash App, Square, and the freshly acquired buy now pay later (BNPL) firm Afterpay after the $29 billion deal officially closed at the end of last month. Block’s 2021 Q4 report was posted on Feb. 24, and the firm revealed significant gross profit increases across Cash App and Square, with each firm generating $518 million and …

“Rampant” issues relating to minting counterfeit nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, have forced popular platform Cent to halt some operations. Founded in 2017, Cent kicked off as a “social network and informal platform for creative experimentation.” In 2020, the team also launched an NFT platform called Valuables to mint and auction iconic tweets. Jack Dorsey’s first tweet, “just setting up my twttr,” sold for $2.9 million on the platform in March last year. On February 6th, the platform ceased NFT trading due to “a spectrum of activity” that "shouldn’t be happening." Cameron Hejazi, co-founder of Cent told Cointelegraph: “People in this …

Twitter co-founder and Block (previously Square) CEO Jack Dorsey discussed the implications of a Bitcoin (BTC)-powered universal basic income (UBI) strategy with US congressional candidate and a full-time elementary school teacher, Aarika Rhodes. “Obscurity of information forces and incentivizes people to negative (financial) behaviors that don’t work for them, their community or family,” said Dorsey while pointing out the lack of transparency within the existing centralized financial system. “If there’s one thing to focus on in Bitcoin — the operations are transparent, the code is transparent, the policy is transparent.” This base foundation of BTC is what Dorsey believes has …

Is Bitcoin (BTC) in a bull market or a bear market? Has the current market cycle already peaked or can we expect another leg higher? Venture capital funds don’t seem to care either way. They’re too busy building equity in promising blockchain plays. This week’s Crypto Biz newsletter features two major funding rounds from the world of blockchain, as well as Jack Dorsey’s scathing critique of Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse plans. We also highlight a company that’s making it easier for employees to start getting paid in BTC. So, while it’s easy to get bogged down in the bull versus bear …

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey said that Meta’s failed cryptocurrency project Diem was “wasted effort and time,” and it should have focused its efforts on “making Bitcoin more accessible for everyone.” MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor interviewed Dorsey on Tuesday at his company’s “Bitcoin for Corporations 2022” conference about how corporations could integrate and use Bitcoin (BTC). Dorsey said that although Facebook probably started Diem for “the right reasons,” it should’ve used an open-ended protocol like Bitcoin rather than attempting to create its own currency. “This whole thing with Libra and then Diem, I think there’s a ton of lessons there,” Dorsey …