Crypto_NFT

2022-09-05 11:47:24 ​​Kyiv Tech Summit organizers provided Unchain.Fund donors with the opportunity to visit the hackathon

The organizers of the Kyiv Tech Summit hackathon launched the Donate to Participate campaign. People who wish to join the forum but are not Web3 developers can attend the event by donating 150 USDT to Unchain.Fund.

The hackathon will be held from 6 to 9 September in Kyiv. Its participants will create a Web3 solution to combat the consequences of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.

The forum is hosted by the Unchain.Fund charitable foundation, the decentralized autonomous organization UkraineDAO and the social metauniverse Atlantis World.

Sponsors and partners of the Kyiv Tech Summit will be NEAR, Aurora, Nym, Aragon, Consensys Academy, Amazon, Celo and a number of other companies and blockchain projects.

Non-developers in the community can transfer Unchain.Fund 150 USDT and receive an invitation to the event. To do this, you need to fill out a special form. As part of the promotion, only 90 tickets will be distributed.

According to the organizers, the funds received as part of the donations will help cover the costs associated with the hackathon. The rest of the money will be given to Ukrainian children affected by the war.

Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum, who previously sent donations to Unchain.Fund, has already paid attention to the hackathon. Open / Comment

2022-09-05 11:43:30 ​​LG Electronics launches NFT platform based on Hedera Hashgraph

The South Korean corporation LG Electronics has launched an NFT platform with the support of Hedera developers.

LG Art Lab allows users to buy, sell and display digital collectibles through TVs.

“All LG products running webOS 5.0 will be able to interact with the app,” the announcement says.

Representatives of the Hedera project emphasized that almost a fifth of TV sets sold worldwide are produced by LG Electronics.

The new solution is available in the USA. One of the options of LG Art Lab allows you to view the profiles of authors and get acquainted with their upcoming works. There is also a countdown for future "drops" of non-fungible tokens.

Transactions are carried out using the patented Wallypto crypto wallet.

In March LG Electronics included blockchain and cryptocurrencies in corporate goals. Open / Comment

2022-09-04 14:07:10 ​​ConsenSys to release green NFTs in honor of The Merge

ConsenSys has announced the launch of a collection of “stable” non-fungible tokens (NFTs), timed to coincide with the activation of The Merge update on the Ethereum network.

According to a press release, NFTs are being developed in collaboration with artist Chris Skinner and animation firm Keithcity Group.

All tokens in the Regenesis collection will be free. To receive them, you need to connect your MetaMask wallet and submit an application on the day of activation of The Merge - approximately September 15-16.

Each NFT depicts "a carefully detailed world that embodies one of the main advantages of the merger: sustainability, security, and scalability."

Recall that supporters of the Ethereum PoW fork called it inevitable. They intend to cancel EIP-1559, which implies the burning of part of the transaction fees.

Earlier, the largest mining pool in the Ethereum network, Ethermine, launched a staking service for the second largest cryptocurrency by capitalization. Open / Comment

2022-09-04 14:04:17 ​​Neuroimaging won the art competition

Enthusiast won the fine art competition at the Colorado State Fair by submitting the work of an AI algorithm.

American Jason Allen took first place with the painting Théâtre D'opéra Spatial, created using the Midjourney neural network. According to him, it took several weeks to fine-tune the request and more than a hundred generation attempts to select the three most successful images, improve them using Gigapixel AI and print them on canvas.

Some netizens have said that AI drawings should not compete with the work of artists. Others noted that they do not see a problem in using Midjourney, since creating a high-quality image using a neural network takes a lot of time. Open / Comment

2022-09-04 13:57:51 ​​FED called the DeFi sector a potential threat to financial stability

With the growing capitalization of the cryptocurrency market, the DeFi sector may create long-term risks to financial stability. This was stated by the experts of the FED research group.

According to analysts, the threat is related to the lack of clear rules for regulating decentralized applications. In a published study, they noted that the sector has not yet become "systemically important", but government departments need to pay more attention to it.

“The rapid growth of the role of [programmable] blockchains suggests that policymakers should begin to seriously consider the full range of financial stability issues that could arise if such activities become systemically important,” the document says.

FED stressed that regulators do not have the necessary tools to enforce laws and regulations in DeFi. According to experts, sector players will "seize any and all profitable opportunities, regardless of the fears of the supervisory authorities."

FED also published a separate study on the impact of digital assets on financial stability. Analysts noted the need for stricter control over crypto companies that work with client funds.

“Surveillance, comprehensive disclosure, and capital and liquidity requirements where appropriate can increase the resilience of organizations in the digital asset ecosystem. For example, centralized entities that act as counterparties to retail users generally do not have capital, liquidity or comprehensive disclosure requirements,” the report says.

According to analysts, the cryptocurrency industry is “prone to accumulating financial vulnerabilities.” However, the Fed called the risks to economic stability "minor". The reason is the limited relationship of digital assets with the traditional market.

“If the digital financial system becomes more interconnected with the traditional one or expands the scope of financial services, these risks could quickly become significant,” they added.

Recall that in July 2022, FED Vice Chairman Lael Brainard called for tougher regulation of the cryptocurrency industry. Open / Comment

2022-09-02 16:28:40 ​​LG's plans to release a crypto wallet based on Hedera Hashgraph

South Korean tech giant LG Electronics is preparing to launch a Wallypto cryptocurrency wallet based on the Hedera Hashgraph network in the third quarter of 2022. It is reported by News1.

In August, the corporation began beta testing of the application as the last stage of verification.

According to the publication, LG has registered the name and logo of the wallet as trademarks in Korea and abroad.

Initially, Wallypto supports Hedera-based HTS and NFT tokens. It is expected that after the official release, developers will expand the list of integrated networks and assets.

The journalists recalled that in March the company included “the development and sale of blockchain-based software” in the founding documents.

In their opinion, the new direction can create a synergy effect with such core activities of the company as household appliances and electronics. Presumably, the wallet will be able to interact with IoT devices built on the LG ThinQ platform.

“From the point of view of an electronics manufacturer, they are more than anyone interested in the payment system, because they can control it and receive high-quality data,” commented Kim Seung-joo, professor at the Graduate School of Information Security at Korea University.

Such information is extremely useful for developing new business models and services, he stressed.

Recall that back in 2019, LG Electronics filed a patent application for a crypto wallet and announced the production of blockchain smartphones. The company exited the mobile device market in 2021.

In January 2022, LG, following Samsung, introduced a line of smart TV models with NFT support. Open / Comment

2022-09-02 16:25:31 ​​DeepMind taught AI agents how to play football

DeepMind researchers have developed AI agents capable of playing virtual football.

According to the engineers, the AI ​​agents learned the game almost from scratch. First, virtual robots learned to walk, and then run and kick the ball.

At each new stage, artificial intelligence systems were shown videos with real football players. This allowed them to learn the basics of the game, imitate the movements of professional athletes while participating in real high-level events.

As soon as the robot learned to play alone, it was paired with another AI agent. As the skills of virtual soccer players improved, the number of players increased.

As a result, the researchers formed small groups competing against each other.

“The result was a team of coordinated humanoid football players exhibiting complex behavior at different scales, quantified by a range of analyzes and statistics, including those used in real-life sports analytics,” the study says.

According to the engineers, each football player robot makes a decision during the game on its own. However, they recognized some simplifications in the rules. For example, the system does not take into account fouls, and an invisible border is set around the field, preventing the ball from going out of its borders.

The researchers also noted that it took a long time to train the agents. This could make it harder to scale the technology to physical robots, they added.

Recall that in July, DeepMind's AlphaFold algorithm predicted almost all proteins known to science.

In August 2021, the laboratory presented a universal architecture for creating artificial intelligence.

In June, scientists at DeepMind said that reinforcement learning was enough to achieve artificial general intelligence. Open / Comment

2022-09-02 16:21:49 ​​Reuters: US Authorities Request Binance CEO Records to Investigate Money Laundering

U.S. prosecutors have asked crypto exchange Binance for inside information about its anti-money laundering checks, as well as reports involving CEO Changpeng Zhao. Reuters writes about it.

The law enforcement officers made a request at the disposal of the agency in December 2020.

The Money Laundering Section of the Department of Justice allegedly asked Binance to voluntarily pass messages from Zhao and 12 other executives and partners regarding the exchange's detection of illegal operations and recruitment of clients in the United States.

The Department of Justice was also interested in any company records with instructions to “destroy, modify or remove documents from Binance files” or “transferred from the United States.”

Sources told Reuters that the Justice Department's request was part of an ongoing investigation into the exchange's compliance with U.S. financial crime laws.

Authorities are also looking into potential violations of the Bank Secrecy Law by Binance. Its rules require companies to register with the Treasury and comply with anti-money laundering regulations if they do “substantial” business in the US.

Legislation to protect the country's financial system provides for prison terms of up to 10 years, Reuters noted.

“Regulators around the world are looking to every major crypto exchange to better understand our industry. This is a standard process for any regulated company. We are constantly working with the agencies to resolve any issues they may have,” Patrick Hillmann, Director of Communications at Binance, responded to a question about the investigation.

The security and compliance team has 500 people, he said. Among them are former regulators and law enforcement officials, Hillmann added.

In January, Reuters wrote that Binance repeatedly withheld information from regulators, neglected KYC procedures, and acted contrary to the recommendations of the compliance department.

In June, the agency’s analysts said that in the period from 2017-2021, attackers laundered at least $2.35 billion through Binance.

Recall that the Indian authorities suspected the WazirX exchange of laundering money in the amount of more than $350 million. In 2019, Binance announced the acquisition of the platform.

Zhao said that his company had no connection with the Indian crypto trading platform. According to him, the deal did not take place.

WazirX co-founder Nishal Shetty denied a number of statements by the head of Binance regarding the relationship of the platforms. Open / Comment

2022-09-01 18:14:10 ​​California legislature approves cryptocurrency regulation project

The California legislature has approved a bill that provides for the licensing of companies to provide crypto-financial services in the state. The document has been sent for Gov. Gavin Newsom's signature.

By September 30, Newsom must either sign the bill or veto it. If approved, the document will enter into force in January 2025.

The California Digital Financial Assets Act is based on the New York State BitLicense rules introduced in 2015.

“While the novelty of cryptocurrencies is part of what makes investing exciting, it also carries risks for consumers as companies in the space are not adequately regulated and do not have to follow many of the same rules that apply to everyone else,” said the author of the bill. Timothy Grayson.

Among the requirements of the California document is a ban on the issuance of stablecoins by issuers that do not have the status of a bank or have not received a license from the State Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. The restriction will be phased out by 2028.

Another stablecoin rule requires issuers holding securities to hold them for at least the “total value of outstanding coins issued or sold in the United States.”

In general, the bill introduces stricter regulation and supervision of the industry. The NYC BitLicense Code of Practice has been repeatedly criticized for being too strict. His action led to the departure of some crypto companies from the state. The need for easing the rules was even announced by the State Financial Services Authority.

The California option was opposed by the industry lobbying organization Blockchain Association.

“The bill introduces short-sighted and unhelpful restrictions that will hinder the work of crypto innovators and push many out of the state,” the group said in a statement.

Recall that in July, against the backdrop of a market collapse, the US Federal Reserve called for tougher regulation and supervision of the crypto industry at the federal level. Open / Comment

2022-09-01 18:09:52 ​​OpenSea drops support for potential Ethereum forks

In the event of a potential fork after The Merge update, non-fungible tokens in the Ethereum PoW network will not receive support on the OpenSea marketplace. This was reported by the platform management.

“We are committed to exceptional token support on the upgraded PoS [Proof-of-Stake] chain. We are preparing the product to ensure a smooth transition. […] We will monitor, manage and communicate throughout the process,” the statement said.

According to Cryptoslam, the volume of NFTs issued on the Ethereum blockchain is estimated at $29.6 billion.

In early August, some exchanges, including Poloniex and MEXC, launched trading tokens of potential ETHPoS (ETHS) and ETHPoW (ETHW) forks. The assets are traded as IOUs issued at a 1:1 peg to Ethereum.

Opinions regarding support for a possible PoW fork of Ethereum in the crypto community are divided. For example, crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX offered a futures based on ETHPoW. Huobi, Digifinex, and OKX said they would look into listing the asset.

The Chainlink decentralized oracle network has refused to support a potential fork. The Frax Finance team urged the community not to issue the FRAX algorithmic stablecoin on the PoW network.

Recall that CoinShares experts were skeptical about the prospects of the proposed fork.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin noted that stablecoin issuers will determine the future of Ethereum’s controversial hard forks. Open / Comment