Opera Crypto Browser Integrates Elrond, Blockdaemon Partners With a Banking Giant, KuCoin Going Glocal + More News

Sead Fadilpašić
Last updated: | 4 min read
Source: AdobeStock / monticellllo

 

Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.
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Adoption news

  • Opera Crypto Browser, the Web3-focused browser with native support for decentralized applications (dapps) and a non-custodial wallet, is announcing plans to expand its suite of networks by integrating the Elrond (EGLD) blockchain. Following the implementation planned for the end of 2022, users will be able to send and receive EGLD via the built-in Opera crypto wallet and will gain access to Elrond-based dapps.

Investment news

  • Blockdaemon, an institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure company for node management and staking, has joined forces with Delio, South Korea’s largest crypto bank, to debut institutional-grade staking services for retail customers. Per an announcement, the staking service expands on the crypto bank’s existing offerings, such as lending, deposit, and deposit accounts.
  • Immunefi, a bug bounty and security services platform for web3, protecting over $60 billion in users’ funds, has announced it has raised a $24 million Series A funding round led by Framework Ventures. Other participants include Electric Capital, Polygon Ventures, Samsung Next, P2P Capital, North Island Ventures, Third Prime Ventures, Lattice Capital, and Stratos DeFi.
  • consola.finance, a blockchain startup that streamlines back-end financing processes for DAOs, dapps, centralized exchanges, and NFT platforms, has raised €1.1M ($1.08M) in a pre-Seed financing from top VCs including Speedinvest, Blockchain Founders Fund, and Diamond Hands Ventures – led by the founders of Bitpanda. The fresh capital will allow the company to enhance its platform’s features and functionalities, bolstering a better client experience, said the press release.
  • Crypto tax reporting app Binocs announced a $4M seed funding round led by BEENEXT and Arkam, with participation from Accel, Saison Capital, Premji Invest, Blume, and Better Capital. With this new funding round, they plan to cater to institutional crypto investors and enter geographies like the US, UK, Australia, etc.  
  • Digital collectibles company PopEx has closed a $3.5 million seed funding round, valuing the company at $40 million, and it launched a new all-in-one digital collectibles platform designed specifically for the music industry. Per an announcement, the funding round was led by Animoca Brands and included Shima Capital, UOB Bank, Cudos, Outlier Ventures, and Tileyard. The new platform allows musicians to create and sell NFTs and other exclusive items and experiences.
  • Clout.art, a platform that allows for the free minting and marketing of social media postings, is migrating to the Hedera network to facilitate the development, expansion, and introduction of next-generation solutions that assist creators in better monetising their audiences, said an announcement. Therefore, Clout.art will be moving its services and tools from Polygon (MATIC) to the Hedera network, and it will also offer a dedicated fund to assist artists and creators in their NFT journey, they added.

Exchange news

  • KuCoin will set up regional headquarters in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Dubai, and other regions, calling the move “going glocal”. A number of KuCoin staff who previously worked remotely will move to these offices. They will open about 200 positions in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, and Dubai at the first “Glocal” stage, said the press release.
  • Binance announced the creation of its new Global Advisory Board (GAB), comprised of experts in public policy, government, finance, economics, and corporate governance, and chaired by former US Senator and Ambassador to China, Max Baucus, said the announcement. The board recently convened in Paris, France, and its purpose is to advise Binance on some of the most complex regulatory, political, and social issues the crypto industry faces as it grows and evolves at a fast pace, it added.
  • The Insurance and Savings Capital Market Authority (ISACA) granted Bits of Gold a crypto financial services provider license, said a press release shared with Cryptonews.com. This is the first and only active company in Israel, it said, which allows customers to buy, sell, and store digital currencies, to get licensed.
  • Binance.US said it has become the largest on-chain staking provider in the US by adding the SKALE and Threshold cryptocurrencies to its staking platform, bringing the total number of stakeable assets to 15. Earlier this month – and prior to The Merge – Binance.US announced that Ethereum (ETH) was available for staking on its platform, offering a starting annual percentage yield (APY) rate of 6%, it added.
  • Coinbase registered with the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) as a crypto service provider, allowing the exchange to offer its full suite of retail, institutional, and ecosystem products to customers in the Netherlands. The announcement said that Coinbase is the first major global crypto exchange to receive DNB registration approval.

Payments news

  • Calypso Pay, an all-in-one crypto processing and acquiring platform, implemented support for recurring payments and subscriptions in crypto. Now Calypso Pay customers can integrate subscription payment widgets on their website, said the announcement. Clients can create invoices and/or use a payment widget to accept payments, initiate payouts for individuals, or make payments to up to 1000 recipients simultaneously.

Gaming news

  • Zilliqa (ZIL) blockchain protocol announced the launch of its hardware gaming console and gaming hub with an embedded Web3 wallet specifically for blockchain games. Integrating Web3 capabilities, such as mining, the two products will pave the way to onboard millions of players to Zilliqa’s gaming ecosystem, said the announcement.