Author: Jeremy Ryan

The TON network has slowed down significantly following a surge in activity that some attribute to the launch of processes known as “inscriptions.” The TON Foundation has published a “Technical Incident Report”. TON20’s “inscription” feature, similar to BRC20, caused the blockchain to generate more than 2 million transactions in half an hour, and network usage increased 61 times. As a result, the TON network was severely overloaded, and the verification was delayed, as @WuBlockchain described the problem on their X (Twitter). According to TonStat, a website that provides data on TON, there were about 2 million transactions as of December…

BBVA Switzerland, the Swiss branch of one of the largest Spanish banks, has announced it will use Ripple-owned tech firm Metaco’s Harmonize platform for its crypto custody operations with institutional investors. According to the press release published on Dec. 7, BBVA, which has been providing Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) custody since 2021, migrated its infrastructure to Harmonize to achieve more agility and security: “In this environment, transaction validation is more agile and crypto assets are held in custody according to the highest security standards required by regulators.” Harmonize will let the bank connect to blockchains other than Bitcoin and…

The United Nations (UN) has signaled an intention to equip 22,000 employees with Web3 and blockchain technology skills. The plan for blockchain and Web3 upskilling is the brainchild of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), an agency of the UN focused on eradicating poverty via economic and human development initiatives, according to multiple sources. The UNDP hopes to launch a blockchain academy in partnership with the Algorand Foundation in 2024 to equip third-world countries with modern digital skills to bridge the economic gap with developed countries. The first step involves training UNDP’s 22,000 staff across 170 nations on blockchain technology…

Sotheby’s, the distinguished auction house, recently launched an online Bitcoin Ordinals auction, featuring the BitcoinShrooms NFT collection. This online auction, which began its journey from December 6, will run until December 13, explores Bitcoin’s many facets.BitcoinShrooms CollectionDesigned by Shroomtoshi, the BitcoinShrooms collection renders Bitcoin’s elements in a fresh, creative blend, unveiling intriguing symbolisms and narratives. The collection pushes the boundaries of conventional digital art by employing pixelated art pieces as a medium.Shroomtoshi vividly depicts Bitcoin’s historical, cultural, and technical dimensions, which are integral to the collection. The primordial journey of Bitcoin, its cultural impacts, and technical intricacies all find their…

PEZ, the illustrious candy company known for its wide-ranging and vibrant dispensers, has announced a partnership with Quidd, a digital collectibles and NFT marketplace. This partnership, orchestrated by PEZ’s Licensing Agency, Lisa Marks Associates (LMA), marks PEZ’s debut in the NFT space.Nostalgia Meets Modernity: PEZ’s Limited Edition NFT CollectionFounded in the 1920s, PEZ has endeared itself to many generations and is set to launch a limited edition series of NFTs in 2023. The digital tokens will showcase artwork inspired by the company’s most cherished dispensers and candies, interweaving nostalgia with contemporary technology.Currently, the company has two locations in Orange, Connecticut…

Manipur, a rapidly developing state in Northeast India, has recently embarked on a new initiative. The Manipur Department of Education, in collaboration with the DFINITY Foundation, a Swiss non-profit and a key contributor to the Internet Computer Blockchain (ICP), has announced the deployment of a unique educational product suite. This suite is designed to verify and securely store educational certificates on the Internet Computer, ensuring their authenticity and accessibility globally​​. Revolutionizing academic credential verification The product suite will utilize ICP technology, including the innovative Internet Identity, to ensure that all relevant information is both accessible and tamper-proof. The Horizon, a…

Sportswear brand Reebok is jumping into the metaverse—with both feet. The shoemaker, which is owned by Adidas, has entered an exclusive partnership with crypto tech startup Futureverse to develop numerous AI- and blockchain-backed games and digital experiences, both companies jointly announced Thursday. The stated aim of the collaboration is to extend Reebok’s brand presence into virtual realms and “revolutionize fashion in the digital world.” While the partnership appears poised to upload numerous Reebok styles into digital wearable versions linked to NFTs, as shoe brands including parent company Adidas and rival Nike have recently done, Reebok appears particularly intent on creating…

Blocknative, a blockchain infrastructure company that cut staff in October after suspending work on a major business project, is releasing a new tool to examine the “mempool” of pending transactions awaiting processing on Ethereum, an effort that could ultimately help to reduce instances of block-level manipulation and protect users from front-running bots. The real-time explorer tool is called ethernow.xyz, which gives insights into Ethereum mempool data and the block building process, and Blocknative CEO Matt Cutler described it as the Etherscan for pre-chain data. The tool, made possible through a grant from the Ethereum Foundation, is supposed to solve “observability”…

The growth of asset tokenization could contribute to greater financial stability risks from unbacked crypto and stablecoins, the Bank of England said in its Financial Stability report. Banks are becoming more positive about using crypto technologies such as programmable ledgers and smart contracts for the tokenization of money and real-world assets (RWA), the central bank said in the biannual report published Wednesday. Tokenization, the process of issuing a digital representation of an asset, is a growing part of the crypto ecosystem and is forecast to become a $10 trillion market by 2030, according to asset management company 21.co. Last month,…

Flare, the cutting-edge smart contract platform, has taken a monumental step towards revolutionizing decentralized data access by onboarding renowned infrastructure providers Ankr, Figment, Restake, and NorthStake. This collaboration signifies a paradigm shift in the blockchain landscape, as these institutional validators not only serve as validators but also as data providers for Flare‘s native oracles, marking the first instance of such integration on a smart contract platform. Flare’s innovative approach involves merging validation processes with data provision, presenting developers with an unprecedented opportunity for fully decentralized access to an extensive array of data, all at scale and with minimal cost implications.…