w3.fund weekly web3 gems //cw36 2022
what's up in web3?
✅ Ethereum’s ‘Bellatrix’ Upgrade Goes Live
The merge is approaching - fast. This week the Bellatrix upgrade went live, “which prepares the chain for the merge,” said Vitalik Buterin. A little hiccup happened where 5% of the Beacon Chain Nodes didn’t validate on time. However, there was no effect on the network.
🤑 NBA and NBPA partner with NFT fantasy sports company, hoping to find its next Top Shot
After NBA-TopShot, the NBA is taking a further leap into the web3 world. The National Basketball Association has partnered with French-based NFT-platform Sorare. The two parties struck a deal to create a fantasy basketball league game. According to the VP of NBA, there had multiple web3 companies trying to license their rights, but Sorare's sheer success in the football world convinced them to do this.
😱 Binance to Delist Three Stablecoins and Fold Balances into BUSD
The world-largest exchange is making a move on the stablecoin market. According to CZ, the exchange will convert three currently trading stablecoins on the platform to the protocols native BUSD to merge liquidity. However, some critiques cry out loud, saying that this is just a “delisting” so BUSD can prosper.
📈 NFT and metaverse trademark applications for 2022 have already eclipsed 2021's total
Silently but continuously big companies and celebrities are protecting their IP online and filling in trademark applications - more than ever. After a bullish 2021 for NFTs and web3, 2022 has been more of a tumbling if you look at the charts. But not trademark-wise as this year already surpassed last year's numbers of applications.
⚽ FIFA launches digital World Cup collectables project on Algorand
To NBA Topshot, FIFA’s answer is FIFA+. A platform with a wide range of football entertainment. From streaming matches to games the platform will also offer digital collectables. These can represent iconic moments of the world cup and enable everybody to own a part of it.
🤔 Crypto.com reportedly pulls out of $495m UEFA football sponsorship at last minute
$99 million per year over the next five years - the deal between Crypto.com and the UEFA is now off the table. The exchange pulled out at a late stage of the negotiations with no legal commitment. It is unsure why, but there have been multiple incidents where crypto companies could not provide the necessary liquidity. In the case of Crypto.com, that is questionable as they have struck several multi-million dollar deals all over the sports industry.
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w3.fund hand-picked articles/podcasts of the week
articles
1) “Metaversity Is In Session As Meta And Iowa’s VictoryXR Open 10 Virtual Campuses”, by Emma Whitford
An education over a VR headset? Yes, that is happening. Multiple colleges around the US have been part of an initiative by Meta, Facebook's parent company. They were given various headsets without charge to enable students to experience an immersive experience studying from the comfort of one's room. If you want to know more about the future of education, have a read.
2) “Forget About DeFi Summer: NFT Autumn is Arriving?”, by Reza Jafery
What exactly are NFTs from a technical perspective - altcoins with pictures? If you agree, you have to read this, and if you don't, then even more of a reason to. An interesting opinion on what Sudoswap is doing for NFTs is what Uniswap did for Defi and how the whole royalties discussion might vanish.
3) “Will the Metaverse Be Open or Closed?”, by** ana.mirror.xyz
What are the exact definitions of an open and closed metaverse? When can you consider it open? Anastasia dives into the pros and cons of each and what they mean for our future.
podcasts
1) “How a16z’s New NFT Licenses Hope to Solve Rights Problems for Creators and Buyers”, by Unchained
What legal rights come with NFTs? Do you have IP rights to your collectables? How can the legal framework projects use for their IP be fundamental to its success? A16z worked on a standard legal solution that provided more clarity and an overview of this matter.
2) “ZK Wars | ETH Price Predictions | The Merge | GameStop News w/ Robbie Ferguson”, by Overpriced JPEGs
In this episode, Carly reviews some of the weekly news regarding merge, Gamestop IP and other things. She also dives deeper into Asia as a frontrunner in crypto and what ZK Wars mean.
3) “Arthur Hayes, Former Ethereum Skeptic, on Why the Merge Makes Him Bullish on ETH”, by Unchained
Arthur Hayes has been around for most of us. He famously was bearish on ETH at its ICO but has been more bullish than ever since then. To know more about his macroeconomic outlook and his take on the effects of the merge, have a listen.
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Wish all of you a wonderful weekend! ☀️