infrastructure / 24 posts found
MetaMask Adds New Bank and PayPal Cash-Out Feature
MetaMask, the world’s largest crypto wallet (and internet browser extension) finally introduced a way for users in the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom to quickly convert their crypto holdings into fiat currencies (USD, GBP, UK). Through the new “Sell” feature, MetaMask users are presented with real-time options, similar to how it works with Venmo or Cash App, to convert their Ethereum holdings (ETH) into their preferred fiat currencies – assuming they are available in their region. All they have to do is go to MetaMask and access the platform’s Portfolio section. This new feature comes just five months […]
Roofstock OnChain Sells Third Property as an NFT
Roofstock onChain and Origin Story announced their latest celebration as they executed their third blockchain-infused property sale on September 1st through the Roofstock onChain NFT marketplace, powered by Origin Story. The property, located at 332 Montclaire Ln in West Columbia, South Carolina, features three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and it was sold for 204,000 USDC ($204,000 USD). Roofstock onChain, a subsidiary of Roofstock, Inc., offers tokenized single-family rentals. Developed by Origin Story, the Roofstock onChain marketplace enables the trading of real estate as NFTs, to speed up the overall transaction process, while keeping costs relatively low. Unique to this sale […]
Visa Taps Solana to Enhance Cross-Border Payments
Visa announced its next steps in modernizing cross-border money movement on September 5 by extending its stablecoin settlement capabilities to the Solana blockchain. In doing this, Visa is working directly with merchant acquirers Worldpay and Nuvei to enhance the efficiency and speed of settlement processes for merchants worldwide to help optimize the often unseen process of transferring funds between banks – specifically, from the issuer’s bank to the acquirer’s bank. As a world leader in digital payments, Visa facilitates transactions across more than 200 countries and territories – spanning consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities. By leveraging Visa’s own […]
Europe’s Lufthansa Airline Group Launches NFT Loyalty Program
Lufthansa Group, the second largest airline fleet in Europe, just announced its NFT-infused loyalty program. It will allow passengers to scan their boarding pass in the Uptrip mobile app and exchange it for NFT trading cards to unlock airline miles, business vouchers, and other travel rewards. Powered by Polygon’s proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain protocol, the new program is the brainchild of Lufthansa’s digital innovation unit, Lufthansa Innovation Hub, and its frequent flyer program, Miles & More. Since its soft launch in spring 2023, Uptrip has experienced 20,000+ registered users with over 200,000 NFT trading cards issued. According to the August 31 […]
Google Introduces Watermarks to ID AI-Generated Images
Google’s DeepMind and Google Cloud revealed a new tool that will help it to better identify when AI-generated images are being utilized, according to an August 29 blog post. SynthID, which is currently in beta, is aimed at curbing the spread of misinformation by adding an invisible, permanent watermark to images to identify them as computer-generated. It is currently available to a limited number of Vertex AI customers who are using Imagen, one of Google’s text-to-image generators. This invisible watermark is embedded directly into the pixels of an image created by Imagen and remains intact even if the image undergoes […]
MoonPay Launches Venture Division For Web3 Startups
MoonPay unveiled its investment arm, MoonPay Ventures, on August 29, which will help nurture early-stage startups spanning Web3, gaming, and adjacent fintech sectors. MoonPay Ventures aims to allocate investments ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, specifically targeting seed and Series A funding rounds. With a portfolio boasting over 25 companies, including names like BCB Group, Ledger, BRUT, and Mythical Games, MoonPay Ventures is demonstrating its commitment to backing pioneering ventures in this dynamic landscape. The next-gen infrastructure firm, best known for building robust payment ecosystems for the crypto space, is currently valued at $3.4 billion and boasts more than 5 […]
OpenAI Branches Into Video Games With Minecraft Clone
OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, recently announced its acquisition of a small “digital product company” called Global Illumination. Global Illumination, founded by Thomas Dimson, Taylor Gordon, and Joey Flynn, will reportedly be working on OpenAI’s “core products, including ChatGPT.” The team, according to the blog post, has previously designed and built products early on at Instagram and Facebook, including having “made significant contributions” at YouTube, Google, Pixar, and Riot Games. Notably, Global Illumination’s standout creation is an open-source video game called “Biomes,” which the OpenAI community has already started to draw comparisons of the game’s graphic design to Microsoft’s […]
Solana Pay Joins Shopify as New Payment Method
Shopify will now be integrating Solana Pay as its newest Web3-native payment solution that will allow merchants to have real-time access to their money while enhancing their digital storefront’s capital, liquidity, and liability protection – with no middleman or intermediary involved. Solana Pay is the brainchild of the San Francisco-based tech company Solana Labs that is built on its decentralized Solana network. Known for its high transaction speeds (no waiting for clearinghouses), near-zero fees, and sustainability, Solana Pay has become an industry-preferred tool for helping companies like Shopify scale their businesses to integrate Web3-native payment solutions to provide a better […]
Twitter Blue Users Can Now Hide Their Blue Check, “X” Rebrand Continues
Twitter Blue, which is currently undergoing yet another rebranding process to “X Blue” under the direction of Elon Musk, has introduced a feature allowing Blue subscribers to hide their “earned” blue checkmarks. This development provides users with the discretion to mask the fact that they are paying for the platform’s premium services, sidestepping potential ridicule and memes that mockingly poke fun at the blatant display of an individual’s proud blue check. The blue checkmark, a symbol that has been synonymous with Twitter’s verification system, in addition to Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, has undergone several transformations over the years. Originally, it […]