Social media is an enormous part of the everyday lives of people worldwide. Because of the magnitude of the audience that is globally accessible through social media channels, many have now become international stars. And we’re not only talking about people, this includes pets, babies, and even imaginary friends in the form of rocks and twigs. The global stage that social media opens up has allowed creators to express themselves in new and exciting ways. One example of such a surprise star is the French Bulldog named Isabella. She broke the internet all the way back in 2017 by becoming …

The metaverse and digital reality experiences are barreling toward consumers, whether they are ready or not. However, there are certain places in the world that are more ready to embrace a digital future from a technological standpoint. A new study by Uswitch, an internet and telephone service researcher, looked at a combination of fixed broadband speeds, broadband package prices, the number of blockchain financial start-ups and the price of high technology exports to determine which countries have the capacity to embrace the metaverse. At the top of the list is the Netherlands, with the most hospitable conditions to cater to …

Soulbound tokens (SBTs) are becoming a mainstay in the Web3 space for users and projects to define themselves in digital reality. A Dec. 13 announcement from Cobo, a digital asset custodian and blockchain technology developer, revealed a new SBT project which unites crypto industry giants to cater to users’ developing digital identities. Cobo, MetaMask Institutional and Gnosis DAO teamed up to create “Evolution,” an SBT project, a tool to help users define themselves in digital reality and stay up to date on industry trends. A spokesperson for Cobo told Cointelegraph that since SBTs cannot be sold on the market, it …

DOGAMÍ, an augmented reality mobile game involving nonfungible token (NFT) pet companions, has completed a $14 million seed funding round, according to a Dec. 12 press release provided to Cointelegraph. The Web3 mobile gaming company raised $7 million led by VC firm XAnge after initially securing $6 million from industry leaders in January 2022. DOGAMÍ, with community members in over 80+ countries, indicated that it has already sold 12,000 NFTs of dog avatars and 12,000 NFTs of canine accessories through a collaboration with omni-channel clothing retailer GAP. The company has also launched its first mobile application, "DOGA House", which allows …

Following the collapse of FTX and its bankruptcy filing on Nov. 11, $73 million worth of its political donations are currently at risk of being recalled to repay the failed exchange’s creditors, according to a report by Bloomberg. Speculators online allege that the former FTX CEO and his executives sought to influence industry regulations with their generous multi-million dollar donations to politicians and super-PACs. Sam Bankman-Fried, along with his executives Ryan Salame and Nishad Singh, are believed to have been among high paying donors to both the Republican and Democratic U.S. political parties. Many politicians who were at the receiving …

Taproot support across the industry is still crawling one year after the Bitcoin soft fork, indicating a strong potential for innovation and broader adoption of Web3 solutions to be unlocked through the world's largest cryptocurrency, sources told Cointelegraph. "Since early on, Satoshi predicted that layers being built on top of the Bitcoin blockchain would enable Bitcoin to move beyond being only sound money by adding programmability, which makes Bitcoin the optimal framework to build out Web3 capabilities," noted Alex Miller, CEO of the Web3 developer platform Hiro. The Taproot upgrade took place in November 2021 and laid the foundation for …

The third quarter of 2022 saw a reduction in venture capital activity across the entire blockchain industry. Investors appear to be moving away from decentralized finance (DeFi) and into Web3. The crypto industry tends to have a problem with overusing buzzwords, like the way “DeFi” was everywhere just a couple of years ago. In 2022, it seems like every new startup and established blockchain company alike is taking up the “Web3” mantle. But what exactly is Web3? Cointelegraph Research delved into the matter in its recently released Q3 2022 Venture Capital Report. To further understand the subject, it held a …

Web3 investment firm Paradigm has released a Rust implementation of Ethereum, according to a Dec. 7 announcement from the company’s chief technology office, Georgios Konstantopoulos. The new software, called “Reth,” allows Ethereum validators to launch their nodes using Rust instead of Go, Java, or other languages. A previous Rust implementation had been released by Erigon in June, but the Erigon team stopped supporting it in November when they learned that Reth was under development, according to a post by the Erigon team. In the announcement, Konstantopoulos stated that the software has been released in order to “[contribute] to Ethereum’s stability …

For the uninitiated, the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology can be daunting, confusing and difficult to comprehend. Three industry experts and a skeptical economist explore the past, present and future of the burgeoning technology in a new online learning series. Masterclass is a web-based education platform that offers “classes” from subject matter experts in their respective spheres of influence. You can learn how to cook with Gordon Ramsay, explore the art of acting with Natalie Portman or master the tennis racket with Serena Williams. Its newly launched series on cryptocurrencies, blockchain and Web3 technology follows in the same vein. …

The web3 space is rapidly growing, but the security aspect of it still has to go through an evolution in order to meet the expectations of the community. Following the major shock of the FTX crisis and the now notorious hack of the exchange, crypto enthusiasts and investors are looking for ways to secure their assets and protect themselves from malicious actors and scammers. And while web3 is steadily infiltrating the everyday lives of people globally, there is a lot to be done in terms of security practices in the space. The key components of creating a reliable relationship of …

The Japanese financial group Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC) is moving to explore the benefits of Web3 by issuing soulbond tokens (SBTs). Proposed by Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin, SBTs refer to digital identity tokens that represent the characteristics or reputation of a person or entity, or a “soul.” Such tokens are non-transferable and are designed for the decentralized society and Web3. SMBC officially announced on Dec. 8 an initiative focused on the practical use of SBTs in partnership with the digital asset firm HashPort. The companies plan to conduct research on SBTs to find out their practical uses for communities, …

Despite turbulent market conditions over the last year, the metaverse and its potential utility remain steady in the minds of consumers. According to data from a new survey by Capgemini, a business and technology strategy advisor, over three-quarters of consumers expect their interactions with brands and individuals to be impacted by the metaverse. This also goes for organizations, as 7 out of 10 believe that the metaverse and immersive experiences will be a market differentiator in terms of customer experience. The report surveyed 8,000 consumers, along with 1,000 organizations in 12 countries across different sectors to understand metaverse competency, interest …