Features / 303 posts found
Can Ripple Leverage the SEC Hinman Emails in Court?
The crypto industry in the U.S. is facing its greatest challenge in the history of its nascent existence. After steadily ramping up anti-crypto rhetoric and the enforcement of securities laws in recent years, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), led by Chair Gary Gensler, filed civil lawsuits against the largest crypto exchanges in existence — Binance and Coinbase —during the week of June 5, 2023. The legal action removed any doubt regarding the regulatory body’s commitment to what many — even dissenting SEC Commissioners — have labeled a “regulation by enforcement” approach to the industry. However, the SEC’s […]
A New Frontier for Bitcoin? Recursive Inscriptions Explained
The Bitcoin community is abuzz with the emergence of something called Recursive Inscriptions. A novel new development building upon the continued hype of the Ordinals Protocol, Recursive Inscriptions seem poised to both disrupt the growing Bitcoin NFT ecosystem and redefine the parameters of blockchain-based file storage as we know it. But how? And why should the NFT space care? Let’s explore. What are Recursive Inscriptions? Recursive Inscriptions can seem a bit complex. But unsurprisingly, they have everything to do with the Ordinals Protocol. Aa s refresher, the Ordinals protocol was first introduced to the world on January 21, 2023, by […]
BRC-721: The Token Standard Defying Bitcoin’s 4MB Storage Limit
On February 1, developer, crypto advocate, and Taproot Wizards founder Udi Wertheimer made history by purposefully orchestrating the largest block and transaction in Bitcoin’s history. In minting the first of many wizards to come, he achieved the absolute maximum BTC block size of 4MB, something that many, up until this point, thought was impossible. Just a few months later, on May 22, members of the Spirit DAO — a coalition of collectors devoted to elevating the Azuki universe — effectively blew Wertheimer’s record out of the water. By minting a 6.9MB Comic Banner on Bitcoin, the DAO stole the crown, solidifying […]
Patronizing vs. Promoting Digital Assets: Where to Draw the Legal Line?
In March 2023, the SEC charged eight celebrities with violating certain provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 in their promotion of cryptocurrency assets. The charges stem from Section 17(b) of the act, an anti-fraud and anti-touting provision that addresses the failure to disclose payments related to promotional activity. The group of celebrities — which included Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, and Ne-Yo —specifically faced accusations of illegally promoting Tron (TRX) and/or BitTorrent (BTT) tokens offered by companies under the direction of Tron founder Justin Sun. While the SEC won the case, the questions at the heart of the matter remain […]
Emily Xie and LACMA Present Interwoven, Inspired by Quilts and Generative Art
Generative artist Emily Xie has teamed up with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to launch her latest collection, Interwoven. Xie, best known for her generative collection Memories of Qilin, is once again using the power of code to create enchanting pieces. This collaboration between the notable artist and museum holds a unique impact, as LACMA has quickly become a hot spot for digital art. The museum started a fund dedicated to acquiring digital art in 2022 and, since then, expanded its collection with NFTs donated by Cozomo de’ Medici. As part of the “Remembrance of Things Future” […]
The SEC Is Suing Binance and Coinbase. What’s Next for Crypto?
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rocked the crypto landscape this week, further intensifying its regulatory scrutiny on the industry by filing civil lawsuits against two of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, Binance and Coinbase. Citing a laundry list of accusations ranging from a failure to protect investors to the mismanagement of customer funds, the SEC also identified several well-known crypto tokens (MATIC, SOL, and ALGO among them) as well as those related to gaming and metaverse platforms (SAND, MANA, and AXS), as potential securities. The lawsuits fall on the week of the 89th anniversary of the SEC, making the […]
Pudgy Penguins’ Luca Netz: NFTs Need to “Shift Away From Ponzinomics”
Luca Netz isn’t afraid to call his shots. Fresh off the headline-grabbing success of the Pudgy Toys launch, which raised more than $500,000 in two days, the Pudgy Penguins CEO has his sights set well beyond simply dominating the Amazon toy charts. “When we talk next, I will be the face of NFTs, and I’ll be on the path to being the number one NFT project in the world with the highest floor price,” he says. “That’s really my objective.” While still an ambitious assertion today, it would have sounded farfetched just a year ago when Pudgy Penguins was reeling […]
These Interactive NFT Projects Are the Wave of the Future
At this current stage of maturation in the NFT space, static JPEGs just don’t cut it anymore. While generative PFP projects or even simplistic text-based collections might’ve dominated the markets of the past, nowadays, utility and experience are the name of the game. This is precisely why interactive NFTs are slowly but surely on the rise. Unlike tokenized minigames, where users play to score points or achieve a goal, interactive NFTs offer a more effortless experience and hedge on a quick-hit type of user enjoyment rather than complex tasks and rewards. What could be better in a space that moves […]
Next Up: Five Ones to Watch in June 2023
In 2021, a new creator economy was born on the blockchain. Since NFTs took center stage, artists have achieved NFT superstardom, billion-dollar brands have been forged in just a few months, and lives have been utterly transformed time and again. Yet, the most inspiring thing about the NFT space is the number of artists of all creeds and mediums who have found community and support by embracing this technology. In keeping with our mission to empower creators, we present Next Up — our monthly franchise dedicated to showcasing rising artists. Although the NFT space has changed significantly over the last […]
5 New Token Standards You Need to Know
The NFT space is changing, but not in the overt ways that those on the blockchain have become accustomed to. Instead of PFPs, open editions, and memecoins leading the charge into a new market phase, innovation is now happening by way of iteration at the token level. While expansion and evolution over time are a given for the many novel technologies being built in Web3, often, advents fly under the radar until they’re ready to truly make an impact. But a slew of new token standards seems poised to change that. Here are the ones you need to know about. […]