Key Takeaways Western Digital shares settled at $732.95, declining 1.78% in Monday’s session, yet maintaining a remarkable 200%+ year-to-date advance Discounted Cash Flow analysis indicates an intrinsic value of $931.56 per share, pointing to potential 21.4% additional gains The stock’s current P/E ratio of 39.77x remains beneath its calculated Fair Ratio of 59.27x, indicating further undervaluation Projected quarterly earnings show EPS reaching $3.32, representing a year-over-year doubling The stock carries Zacks’ highest #1 Strong Buy designation, while its Computer-Storage Devices sector ranks among the top 3% industrywide Shares of Western Digital concluded Monday’s trading session at $732.95, registering a 1.78% decline. This downturn exceeded the S&P 500’s more modest 0.37% retreat during the same period.
Western Digital Corporation, WDC
While the single-session performance disappointed, the broader trajectory paints a dramatically different picture. Year-to-date gains exceed 200%, with the previous month alone delivering a stunning 54.09% advance—significantly outstripping the Computer and Technology sector’s 4.52% monthly appreciation.
This raises the critical question for market participants: following such an extraordinary advance, does meaningful upside potential remain?
Valuation Framework Analysis A comprehensive Discounted Cash Flow evaluation establishes WDC’s fundamental worth at $931.56 per share. Based on the stock’s $732.62 trading level at calculation time, this framework indicates approximately 21.4% remaining undervaluation.
The DCF framework anticipates Western Digital’s unlevered free cash flow expanding from approximately $3.51 billion in 2026 to potentially $26.22 billion by 2035. Current trailing twelve-month FCF registers at $2.72 billion.
Examining earnings multiples, WDC commands a 39.77x price-to-earnings ratio. While this exceeds the broader Technology sector’s 24.59x average, it falls considerably short of the peer group’s 63.87x mean.
Simply Wall St’s calculated Fair Ratio for Western Digital stands at 59.27x—a proprietary metric derived from the company’s specific growth characteristics and underlying fundamentals. The current P/E trading below this threshold provides additional evidence supporting further appreciation potential.
Looking ahead, Zacks establishes WDC’s Forward P/E at 74.25x, representing a premium versus the industry’s 25.63x. This elevated multiple reflects substantial earnings expansion expectations already incorporated into current valuations.
Earnings Event Spotlight Western Digital’s approaching quarterly report is capturing significant investor focus. Wall Street analysts forecast EPS of $3.32, marking a 100% year-over-year expansion from the comparable period.
For the complete fiscal year, Zacks Consensus forecasts point toward $10.05 in earnings per share alongside $12.88 billion in total revenue. These figures represent earnings growth exceeding 103% versus the previous year.
Zacks maintains a #1 Strong Buy recommendation on Western Digital. The consensus EPS projection has experienced modest upward revision of 0.37% during the past month, indicating incrementally improving analyst sentiment approaching the release.
The Computer-Storage Devices industry presently maintains a Zacks Industry Rank of 5, positioning it within the top 3% of all monitored sectors. This context matters significantly—Western Digital benefits not merely from company-specific catalysts, but operates within a fundamentally strong industry framework.
Simply Wall St assigns WDC a valuation assessment of 4 out of 6 possible points. The company satisfies numerous criteria across DCF methodologies and comparative valuation analyses.
Throughout the past twelve months, Western Digital has generated returns of 1,116.6%—establishing itself among the technology sector’s premier performers.
The stock’s weekly return measures 12.1%, complemented by a 30-day appreciation of 51.3%.
Bitcoin and altcoins may have become healthier following the correction experienced in recent weeks.
At this point, cryptocurrency market maker Wintermute noted that the recent correction has largely cleared excessive leverage from the crypto market.
According to Wintermute’s analysis, the recent market correction liquidated most leveraged positions and left the market structure healthier than before.
At this point, the problem of excessive leverage in the crypto market has been largely resolved.
Strategy, led by Michael Saylor, stated that its continued Bitcoin purchases helped alleviate concerns about potential selling pressure.
However, analysts note that capital inflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs and key buyers like Strategy are not as strong as in past rallies, making a sideways period more likely for now.
At this point, the firm believes that unless capital inflows improve, Bitcoin and the market are likely to remain in a certain range rather than rise in the foreseeable future.
Wintermute also added that the market could experience a short-term rebound if there is new, stronger, softer US PCE data or if geopolitical tensions in the Middle East ease.
However, this type of rise seems more likely to be a technical rebound rather than a sign that the market has hit its bottom.
*This is not investment advice.
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Cover image via depositphotos.com Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
A major trader on Hyperliquid risks losing a giant XRP position worth more than $30 million in one fell swoop. According to data from the analytics platform Onchain Lens, the address "0xf79C...9BbD" opened a long position of 27.9 million XRP using 20x leverage, while the total value of the open notional position is estimated at $30.9 million.
However, because of the high leverage, the liquidation price is set at $0.92.
At the moment, the trade is already bringing the investor major losses. The current price of the asset has dropped to around $1.10, causing the floating unrealized loss on XRP to exceed -$672,000.
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Account "0xf79C...9BbD" overview on Hyperliquid, Source: HyperbotThe situation is worsened by the fact that the trader is also holding another large position — a long Bitcoin position of 809.9 BTC, worth $50.6 million, also with 20x leverage. At the moment, the total weekly loss across the entire portfolio stands at -$3,400,520, while the available free margin on the account has been completely depleted.
This leaves the trader without the ability to defend the positions unless new funds are deposited.
Calculation for a July reversalDespite the critical situation, the investor's actions may have a clear statistical basis. According to historical price data from CryptoRank, XRP is currently showing a decline of -17.3%, making this June one of the worst in the coin's history.
However, historical statistics show that July has almost always sided with buyers. Over the past 13 years, XRP's average July return has stood at a steady +10.2%, while the median return is +10.8%.
Moreover, exactly one year ago, in July 2025, the asset posted a powerful gain of +35%.
XRP price action over the year since July 2025, Source: TradingViewApparently, the whale consciously took an extreme risk at the end of June, betting on surviving the local storm and catching the traditional July market reversal. If this plan works and the market recovers by at least the standard historical July median, the current million-dollar losses could turn into a colossal profit.
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If the median growth of +10.8% materializes, the XRP price would rise from the current $1.10 to around $1.22, potentially bringing the whale a net profit of around $3.32 million.
This amount would not only fully cover the current paper loss of -$672,000, but also more than double the trader's initial collateral, or margin, adding about $2.65 million in net profit on top.
However, the trader has critically little time left for this triumphant plan to play out. Should the market decline continue in the coming days and XRP reach the $0.92 mark before the start of the next month, the paper position worth more than $30 million will be fully liquidated by the platform, wiping out all deposited margin before the position ever gets the chance to benefit from the historically favorable period.
Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) may be positioned for a catch-up rally if the Federal Reserve refrains from raising interest rates, according to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan.
Since the start of the Iran conflict in late February, U.S. equities have gained roughly 9%, while Bitcoin has slipped 1% and gold has fallen 20%.
In a "The Stack" post on June 22, Grayscale Head of Research Zach Pandl noted that the divergence comes as investors increasingly price in the possibility of tighter monetary policy amid inflation concerns.
One-year Fed rate expectations have risen about 60 basis points, while roughly half of Federal Reserve officials believe rate hikes could be appropriate in 2026, Hougan noted.
The European Central Bank has already moved to raise rates.
Because Bitcoin and gold do not generate yield, higher interest rates increase the opportunity cost of holding those assets relative to cash and bonds, weighing on demand.
Over the past month, Bitcoin’s price has fallen roughly 19%, extending its three-month decline to about 13%.
Why Bitcoin Could BenefitHougan argued that markets may be overestimating the likelihood of future rate hikes.
"Our base case is for the Fed to hold off on rate hikes,” he said. “If we’re right, Bitcoin’s price may catch up with stocks."
While AI-related spending has fueled gains in equities, Bitcoin and gold have lagged partly due to fears that central banks will need to tighten policy further to combat inflation.
If those concerns ease, capital could rotate back into alternative assets such as Bitcoin.
Bitcoin’s Dual RoleUnlike gold, Hougan views Bitcoin as serving two functions within portfolios.
He described Bitcoin as both a scarce digital commodity that acts as a long-term store of value and a public blockchain network that provides exposure to growth in the broader crypto economy.
That combination gives Bitcoin characteristics of both gold and growth equities, potentially making it an attractive portfolio diversifier.
“Bitcoin can act as a portfolio diversifier that, at current levels, appears attractively priced,” Hougan said.
Image: Shutterstock
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Key Takeaways BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes forecasts Bitcoin could drop to approximately $40,000 over the next half-year Speculative capital flowing into AI investments is constraining cryptocurrency growth in the near term Hayes maintains protective put spreads while keeping substantial long-term Bitcoin positions MicroStrategy’s recent acquisition of 520 BTC pushed prices temporarily above $65,000 Federal Reserve’s hawkish stance and increasing rate hike probabilities weigh on Bitcoin momentum Bitcoin currently hovers near $62,000, confronting headwinds from various market forces. Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of BitMEX, has articulated a near-term pessimistic outlook while simultaneously maintaining conviction in long-term appreciation.
Arthur Hayes: Bitcoin's Bottom Is Probably Around $40,000
On June 12, 2026, during an interview with @elliotrades, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes @CryptoHayes shared his prediction for Bitcoin's bottom. When asked about the ultimate bottoming price and timeframe, Hayes… pic.twitter.com/ggfdyXHzEO
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) June 23, 2026
In a June 12 conversation, Hayes projected that Bitcoin will find its floor around $40,000 sometime within the coming six months. This represents approximately a 35% decline from present levels. To protect against this downside scenario, he has established put spread positions.
Yet Hayes clarifies that his overall portfolio remains significantly overweight Bitcoin for the long haul. His year-end projection places Bitcoin between $200,000 and $250,000. “If I’m wrong it doesn’t matter… I’m long, I’m still happy either way,” he remarked.
The AI Trade Is Capturing Speculative Capital According to Hayes, artificial intelligence investments have captured the incremental speculative funds during this market cycle. Capital seekers looking for inflation protection have pivoted toward AI equities instead of cryptocurrency assets.
He recently trimmed positions across multiple digital assets, including Hyperliquid, Near, and Zcash. Part of this capital has been reallocated to U.S. Treasury bills as he awaits more favorable entry points.
“AI is the fastest horse and has proven itself to be the fastest horse,” Hayes commented during a June 22 Bankless podcast appearance.
Hayes’ Thesis: Bitcoin Thrives When AI Collapses Hayes contends that the AI infrastructure expansion could evolve into a credit bubble surpassing the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. He highlighted excessive data center expenditures, reciprocal revenue arrangements, and financing secured by rapidly obsolescing semiconductor hardware.
GPUs are being leveraged through multi-year debt instruments despite accelerating technological advancement cycles. This temporal mismatch between asset depreciation and debt obligation creates systemic vulnerability.
Should this structure collapse, Hayes anticipates governments will deploy massive monetary stimulus programs. “The Fed can’t print Moore’s law,” he stated. He projects the resulting monetary response could propel Bitcoin toward $1 million.
Hayes also identified Ethereum as among the most attractive large-capitalization opportunities currently available. He indicated he would favor Ether over Bitcoin purely from a technical analysis perspective, given its failure to reclaim previous peak valuations.
MicroStrategy Accumulation Meets Fed Tightening MicroStrategy acquired an additional 520 Bitcoin this week while simultaneously increasing cash holdings by $300 million to reach $1.4 billion total. This purchasing activity briefly lifted Bitcoin above the $65,000 threshold.
QCP analysts noted the acquisition likely occurred through a dilutive equity offering mechanism. Wintermute observers highlighted that MicroStrategy’s accumulation pace has decelerated as capital costs escalate.
The Federal Reserve maintained its benchmark rate within the 3.50% to 3.75% corridor while eliminating forward guidance suggesting future cuts. The median 2026 rate forecast increased to 3.8%. Market pricing now assigns 37% probability to a December rate increase, elevated from 24% one month prior.
Market participants are focused on Thursday’s Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation data release. JPMorgan projects institutional investors may reallocate $165 billion from equities into fixed income by month-end, potentially marking the largest such rotation in four years.
Wintermute characterized the present environment: “This is a market stabilizing beneath the surface on lighter positioning and cleaner leverage, not one finding new buyers.”
Key Takeaways MSFT has declined approximately 22% since the start of the year, underperforming other mega-cap technology stocks The company unveiled seven proprietary AI models at Build 2026, decreasing dependency on OpenAI partnerships Azure experienced roughly 39% constant currency growth in Fiscal Q3 2026, while AI revenue reached a $37 billion annual run rate Planned capital expenditures of $190 billion for calendar 2026 are driving free cash flow toward neutral levels Analyst consensus stands at Strong Buy with a mean price target of $562.56, suggesting approximately 50% potential gains Shares of Microsoft have tumbled roughly 22% during 2026, currently hovering near $373.94. This performance marks the company as the laggard among major technology giants. Since its peak last autumn, the software titan has witnessed more than $1 trillion evaporate from its market capitalization.
Microsoft Corporation, MSFT
However, compelling evidence suggests the market may have overreacted.
The Redmond-based company has been strategically pivoting its artificial intelligence approach to reduce exclusive reliance on OpenAI. During the Build 2026 developer conference, Microsoft unveiled seven in-house AI models spanning reasoning capabilities, software development, visual content creation, speech synthesis, and audio transcription.
The lineup features MAI-Thinking-1, MAI-Code-1-Flash, MAI-Image-2.5, MAI-Voice-2, and MAI-Transcribe-1.5. Notably, MAI-Thinking-1 represents the company’s inaugural reasoning model, constructed on a 35 billion active parameter mixture-of-experts framework with a 256K token context window.
According to Microsoft, these proprietary models achieve enterprise-grade performance at approximately one-tenth the cost of rival solutions.
Cloud Platform Momentum Continues Microsoft’s Azure cloud infrastructure posted approximately 39% constant currency expansion during the third fiscal quarter of 2026, surpassing both internal projections and analyst forecasts. Total cloud revenue reached $54.5 billion, representing 29% year-over-year growth, while the Intelligent Cloud segment generated $34.7 billion.
The company’s artificial intelligence business achieved a $37 billion annual revenue run rate, marking 123% year-over-year acceleration.
Management indicates that customer demand continues to outstrip available infrastructure capacity, a dynamic expected to persist through at least December 2026. While this capacity constraint limits Azure’s growth trajectory, it simultaneously validates robust market appetite.
Capital Intensity Concerns Investor anxiety centers primarily on infrastructure investment levels. The company has outlined approximately $190 billion in capital expenditures for calendar 2026, a commitment that compresses adjusted free cash flow near breakeven.
Jefferies analyst Brent Thill notes that Microsoft maintains “no self-imposed ceiling” on capital spending relative to free cash flow generation. This represents a significant strategic posture.
To support this infrastructure expansion, Microsoft recently finalized a two-decade agreement with Chevron for natural gas power supply to an extensive West Texas data center campus. Initial power delivery from this arrangement isn’t anticipated until 2028.
Copilot functionality is receiving expanded prominence. The company is establishing it as an enterprise AI orchestration layer through its “Copilot Super App” framework, integrating Chat, Cowork, Code, and Autopilots. The inaugural Autopilot feature, Scout, operates as a persistent personal assistant across Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft 365 applications.
Financial Metrics and Analyst Sentiment At present trading levels, Microsoft commands a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of approximately 22x, beneath the sector median of roughly 35x. Its price-to-operating cash flow multiple stands at about 16x, likewise below the sector median of 18x.
Wall Street maintains predominantly bullish positioning. TipRanks data shows 35 analysts assign Buy ratings to MSFT, one recommends Hold, and zero advocate Sell. The consensus 12-month price objective stands at $562.56.
CEO Satya Nadella has actively countered pessimistic AI narratives, stating to The Wall Street Journal: “You can’t say, hey, all white-collar jobs are gone and this could even be a weapon.”
MAI-Code-1-Flash, among Microsoft’s compact models, allegedly delivered impressive programming benchmarks using merely 5 billion parameters. MAI-Transcribe-1.5 accommodates 43 languages and operates five times faster than competitive transcription platforms.
Key Takeaways Semiconductor stocks staged a Wednesday recovery following Tuesday’s sharp technology sector decline Micron shares climbed ahead of its fiscal third-quarter earnings announcement scheduled for after market close Qualcomm gained ground following news reports about potential chip supply agreement with ByteDance Cerebras plummeted 11% despite posting robust quarterly performance, as declining margins spooked investors FedEx shares tumbled more than 6% following disappointing full-year earnings guidance Equity markets displayed mixed sentiment Wednesday morning, June 24, as traders attempted to regain momentum following Tuesday’s technology-focused selloff that rattled investor confidence.
Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0.5% during early morning hours, with market participants returning to artificial intelligence-related equities that experienced significant pressure during the previous session.
Semiconductor Sector Stages Comeback Micron Technology surged 3.7% in pre-market activity as market participants anticipated the company’s fiscal Q3 financial results, scheduled for release after Wednesday’s closing bell. These earnings figures are expected to provide crucial insights into sustained demand from artificial intelligence workloads.
Micron Technology, Inc., MU
Qualcomm shares jumped 2.3% following a Reuters report indicating ongoing negotiations to provide customized processors to ByteDance, TikTok’s parent organization. The chipmaker declined to provide official commentary on the matter.
Advanced Micro Devices posted a 1.3% increase, Intel shares moved up 1.5%, and Super Micro Computer added 1.8%, all participating in the broader artificial intelligence sector rebound.
KB Home shares climbed 4% after the residential construction company delivered second-quarter revenue figures exceeding Wall Street forecasts. Management maintained its annual guidance consistent with analyst projections, highlighting that 73% of net orders originated from its custom-build program.
ICON, the clinical trials organization, jumped 6% following first-quarter performance that surpassed expectations. The company reported adjusted earnings of $2.50 per share, generated $2.03 billion in revenue, and expanded its project backlog to $22.7 billion.
Cerebras and FedEx Face Selling Pressure Cerebras Systems declined approximately 11% notwithstanding impressive quarterly performance. The AI chip company reported 94% year-over-year revenue expansion to $193.4 million, while posting a smaller-than-anticipated per-share loss.
The market responded negatively to management’s second-quarter gross margin forecast of 36% to 38%, representing a significant decline from the 47% margin achieved in the opening quarter. This margin deterioration overshadowed announcements of a major OpenAI contract valued above $20 billion and a strategic collaboration with AWS.
Cerebras provided annual revenue projections ranging from $855 million to $865 million, suggesting approximately 69% growth at the median estimate.
FedEx shares declined over 6% despite fourth-quarter performance that exceeded certain metrics. The logistics giant reported 13% year-over-year revenue growth to $25 billion, with adjusted per-share earnings of $6.31 beating analyst forecasts.
The stock’s decline centered on forward guidance. Management projected fiscal 2026 earnings per share between $16.90 and $18.10, with the midpoint trailing Wall Street consensus expectations.
The report also marked FedEx’s inaugural earnings announcement following the completion of its freight division separation earlier this month.
Wendy’s shares skyrocketed 26% following social media activity on Reddit’s WallStreetBets community encouraging members to purchase the fast-food operator’s stock. This movement mirrors previous instances of retail investor-driven equity surges.
Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
TL;DR
Ripple USD Gets Featured in Japan's Two-Tier Stablecoin System: Licensed exchange SBI VC Trade launched Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin for retail users with strict limits, operating alongside JPYSC, an unlimited yen stablecoin engineered for B2B corporate clearing.Bitcoin Split Over Freezing Satoshi's Coins: Investor Fred Krueger backed the BIP-110 proposal to block inactive crypto wallets to prevent quantum computing risks, drawing fierce pushback from Blockstream CEO Adam Back, who denounced it as a technically defective path to a failed network fork.Shiba Inu (SHIB) Set for July Rally: Following a 17.5% decline in June, SHIB is tightly compressed at a rock-solid five-year support floor of $0.00000450, positioning the asset for a historically backed July seasonal reversal (median +8.92%).Crypto Market Outlook: Bitcoin faces severe base-layer congestion from the Runes protocol and massive institutional ETF outflows ($4.4 billion in 30 days), dragging the BTC price to local support ahead of a major macro liquidity test this Friday.Ripple's dollar and SBI's unlimited yen: Japan launches a two-tier stablecoin systemJapan's financial sector has recorded a double precedent in digital assets after licensed exchange SBI VC Trade, a subsidiary of giant SBI Holdings, officially launched trading in Ripple's RLUSD dollar stablecoin. The asset has gone down in history as the first registered "Electronic Payment Instrument No. 4" in Japan.
The entry of the U.S. stablecoin into the Japanese market comes with strict regulatory frameworks from the Financial Services Agency (FSA). At launch, trading is taking place with zero fees, but strict limits apply to retail investors: the maximum size of a single transaction is capped at the equivalent of 1 million yen, and transfers are available exclusively on the Ethereum network.
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To protect local traders, the exchange has introduced automatic refund mechanisms for excess amounts when daily limits are exceeded and has committed to fully freezing token deposits in the event of a strong deviation from the U.S. dollar.
SBI VC Trade regarding historic Ripple USD (RLUSD) listing, Source: X.comAt the same time as Ripple's retail debut, SBI Holdings Group has rolled out infrastructure for large capital by issuing JPYSC, the first yen stablecoin classified as an "Electronic Payment Instrument No. 3." The product, developed jointly with Singapore's Startale Group, uses a trust bank structure to manage reserves.
Unlike RLUSD, JPYSC was created for the B2B sector and has no transaction limits, opening the possibility of multibillion-yen interbank settlements and commercial clearing inside the country.
As of today, a two-tier system of digital settlements has de facto started operating in Japan. While retail users are getting familiar with the dollar-based RLUSD under strict limits, the corporate sector has received unlimited yen in the form of JPYSC to optimize large commercial flows.
Fred Krueger calls for freezing Nakamoto's coins to save BitcoinAs of June 2026, a fierce ideological dispute has continued in the Bitcoin community. The latest escalation came after well-known investor Fred Krueger publicly supported the technical proposal BIP-110 and the accompanying initiative to forcibly block old, inactive crypto wallets. The main target of this measure would be around 1 million BTC that have remained untouched at the addresses of the network's creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.
Supporters of BIP-110, now joined by Krueger, propose giving owners of "dormant" addresses a fixed period to move their coins, after which inactive wallets would be blocked. The stated motive is security: early Bitcoin addresses use older algorithms that could become vulnerable to quantum computers in the future.
The initiative has met strong resistance from key developers, while Blockstream CEO and cypherpunk legend Adam Back continues to call the idea technically defective, stressing that the project has no support either among miners or in the broader ecosystem.
i guess you've been living under a rock. but FYI it's stupid, so technically defective as to be an IQ test. there's neither technical nor ecosystem consensus. they have flag day so it'll just fork off and fail. https://t.co/uEzRLYVCGD
— Adam Back (@adam3us) June 24, 2026 According to Back, any attempt by activists to implement these rules would only lead to a blockchain split and the creation of a stillborn fork — a copy of the network that would immediately lose value.
The main intrigue of the conflict is the blow to Bitcoin's fundamental value: its resistance to censorship. If the community creates a precedent and blocks Satoshi's coins in the name of security, it would destroy the main economic argument about the inviolability of property in a decentralized network.
If the code allows assets to be taken away from the creator, then in the future they could be frozen for any user at the request of regulators.
Price chart and seasonality point to a July rally for SHIBShiba Inu (SHIB) is approaching the end of the first month of summer 2026 on the verge of a historic turning point. After an exhausting six-month decline, the coin is trapped in an extremely narrow price range near five-year lows, around $0.0000045.
This month, the Shiba Inu token has lost another 17.5% of its value, but technical calm on the chart and historical statistics by CryptoRank hint at preparation for a July reversal.
On one hand, large sales are pressing the price down. On-chain data recorded how one early investor moved 3.8 trillion tokens worth around $20.7 million to exchanges, while the community's coin burn rate dropped by 74%.
On the other hand, the current level is a rock-solid support zone below which no real market for SHIB has existed over the past five years. The volume profile shows that this is exactly where the strongest interest from long-term buyers is now concentrated.
Depending on which force prevails, the market is considering two potential outcomes for the token's price action in the near term:
Bull Case: Buyers successfully hold the defense at $0.00000450, driving a 50% rebound toward the nearest resistance at $0.00000680.Bear Case: The critical $0.00000450 support fails, causing the asset to capitulate into the uncharted territory of early 2021.Shiba Inu (SHIB) monthly returns in USD, Source: CryptoRankThe main trigger for a possible jump is the seasonal factor. Historically, June has always been a disastrous month for SHIB, with an average decline of 14.8%, while July has traditionally acted as a lifeline, with median returns of +8.92%. The market is pricing this scenario as a chance for a "relief rally" after a difficult spring.
From a technical point of view, the ultimate resolution of these scenarios will come in the next few days. The market remains highly compressed, meaning the breakout from the current wedge will likely set the definitive trend for the rest of the summer.
Crypto market outlook: ETF outflows push Bitcoin to critical supportThe crypto market, led by Bitcoin, continues to go through deep capitulation due to sustained institutional capital flight, extreme network congestion, and rising regulatory roadblocks across the U.S. and the European Union.
Key checkpoints:
Record institutional ETF drainage: Regulated crypto vehicles recorded their fourth consecutive day of net outflows. Yesterday alone, spot Bitcoin ETFs shed $113.78 million, and Ethereum ETFs lost $82.35 million, with 30-day rolling Bitcoin ETF outflows hitting a record $4.4 billion — the worst capitulation period since inception.Bitcoin network hits a two-year traffic high: On-chain activity has surged to more than 820,000 transactions per day, driven entirely by a massive revival of the Runes protocol. This surge in token standard activity now consumes 25% of all network transaction fees, severely congesting the base layer as BTC tests the local $62,200–$62,700 zone.Political and regulatory gridlock in the U.S.: House hearings on the CLARITY Act are set for July 17, but the bill has completely stalled in the Senate over ethical clauses and Section 604 guidelines. Due to these legislative disputes, Polymarket has aggressively downgraded the probability of the bill passing in 2026 to just 42%.The next macro trigger: On Friday, June 26, the market faces a dual liquidity test with the release of the U.S. PCE inflation index and the quarterly expiration of $10.6 billion in BTC and ETH options. Any further macro pressure will heavily test the $60,000–$62,000 support cluster, risking a cascade toward the $54,000–$58,000 zone. You Might Also Like
XRP price hovered at $1.08 on Wednesday, June 24th, after slipping 1.96% in 24 hours. The token stayed under pressure as the wider crypto market consolidated, with Bitcoin near $62,000. The XRP price has declined by 10% in the last week and has spread the weakness of major altcoins.
Grok AI still predicts a possible rally before 2026 ends. The CLARITY Act includes new policy attention following its House passage on July 17 this year, which retains regulation in the center of discussion among digital asset investors.
XRP Price Rally Ahead? Grok AI Points to 2026 Upside Elon Musk’s Grok AI has projected a strong XRP price rally before 2026 ends. The model opined that XRP would recover when Bitcoin can gain support and liquidity goes back to major altcoins. It also cited the progressive CLARITY Act, ETF interest and expansion of Ripple as institutions as favorable.
Source: Grok Ai Bullish version of case by Grok has XRP to reach 1.60 to 1.80 in 30 days should sentiment turn. A more optimistic base case has XRP between $1.55 and $1.75 at the beginning of July. Nevertheless, the prospect is risky. Additional Bitcoin vulnerability or regulatory delays might drag XRP back into the $1.00 to $1.05 support range initially. Volume, policy progress and BTC are monitored by traders.
XRP Spot ETF Inflows Hit Two-Week High as Bitwise Leads The largest daily inflow into XRP spot ETFs was 5.31 million on June 22, the highest inflow in two weeks. Bitwise XRP ETF registered the entire inflow on SoSOValue Crypto data. The last larger reading was on June 9 when dollars came in at 7.44 million.
Source: Sosovalue data The new demand came when RLUSD got a formal listing in Japan. In the meantime, the XRPL Lending Protocol passed a security audit. Voting on the amendment of v3.2.0 also proceeded throughout the network, introducing another beneficial update to XRP traders.
XRP Price Prediction: Can Bulls Reclaim $2.0 Soon? The XRP price traded at $1.09 on the 4-hour chart, slipping 0.34% at press time.
The token has weakened short-term and is currently testing the $1.10 area. The level has turned into a significant buyer line. A decisive break above $1.10 may help in recovering to $1.15.
The first significant recovery point is at the level of $1.15. With improved momentum, the XRP price might stretch to $1.20.
The RSI is at 31 with a low momentum. The MACD is also in favor of the prudent opinion. The MACD line remains below the signal line. This demonstrates that bearishness has not yet lost its grip.
Source: XRP/USDT 4-hour chart: Tradingview Nevertheless, the risk of downside is still present. If the XRP price loses $1.09, selling pressure may increase. The support target at the next level is around $1.05. A further dissection would reveal the psychological level of $1.00.
Key Highlights On June 24, 2026, Eli Lilly finalized its purchase of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, delivering $38 cash per share to investors. Investors received additional non-transferable contingent value rights worth as much as $9 per share. Following the deal’s closure, Centessa was removed from Nasdaq trading and operates as a fully owned Lilly entity. A comprehensive management restructuring occurred, with all existing Centessa executives and directors stepping down. The transaction places Centessa’s total value near $7.8 billion, focusing on sleep disorder therapeutics. On June 24, 2026, Eli Lilly successfully finalized its purchase of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, delivering a cash payment of $38 for each share — alongside contingent value rights potentially worth up to $9 per share — in a transaction totaling approximately $7.8 billion.
The deal closed via Lilly’s acquisition vehicle, LDH XV Corporation, after receiving authorization through a UK court-approved scheme of arrangement dated June 22, 2026.
Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc, CNTA
CNTA shares reached a record peak of $40.26 before the deal’s completion, representing a 183% price increase year-over-year and a 209% gain on a total return measurement.
At its peak, Centessa’s total market valuation reached $6.22 billion — demonstrating investor anticipation of the transaction’s finalization.
Effective June 24, Centessa transitioned into a completely owned Lilly division. Previous equity holders forfeited all ownership privileges, receiving solely the agreed-upon transaction payment.
The organization promptly initiated procedures to withdraw its American Depositary Shares from Nasdaq and cease its public disclosure requirements.
Centessa simultaneously settled and closed out its loan and security arrangement with Oxford Finance alongside other creditors as part of the closing procedures.
Complete Management Overhaul The acquisition prompted an extensive organizational transformation. Every senior executive and board member at Centessa exited their positions when the deal became effective.
Lilly designated two replacement directors who assumed control of the reconfigured board. The company’s at-the-market equity distribution initiative was simultaneously discontinued.
Centessa’s metamorphosis is now final — evolving from a standalone, Nasdaq-traded biotechnology firm into a wholly incorporated division within Lilly’s organizational framework.
Wall Street Response Financial analysts had previously adjusted their assessments to mirror the transaction parameters. Truist Securities revised CNTA from Buy to Hold after the deal announcement, establishing a $38 price objective — matching the cash payment amount.
Wolfe Research executed a comparable adjustment, transitioning its position from Outperform to Peerperform.
The latest analyst evaluation for CNTA stands at Hold with a $42 target price — marginally exceeding the acquisition price, factoring in the possible CVR distribution.
Lilly’s strategic motivation focuses on strengthening its development portfolio within the sleep disorder therapeutic area, a segment where Centessa had been advancing multiple initiatives.
The Alkermes correlation merits attention: upon the initial Centessa announcement, Alkermes shares climbed 13%, indicating wider market enthusiasm for sleep disorder therapeutics.
Following delisting completion and Centessa’s full integration, CNTA shares no longer exist as publicly available securities.
Key Takeaways Marvell shares have climbed 247% in 2026 year-to-date, with recent trading between $271 and $279 per share. First-quarter revenue reached $2.42 billion, exceeding forecasts and marking a 27.6% increase from the prior year, while EPS hit $0.80. Management projects Q2 fiscal 2027 EPS between $0.88 and $0.98, with full-year revenue growth of 40% to reach $11.5 billion. Bank of America increased its price target to $365, while KeyBanc established a new Street-high forecast driven by data center networking tailwinds. On June 23, CFO Daniel Durn divested 2,250 shares at $281.01 each, trimming his holdings by 24.58%. Marvell Technology (MRVL) has delivered exceptional performance throughout 2026, posting a 247% gain year-to-date with shares hovering near $271. Investors are now questioning whether additional gains lie ahead.
Marvell Technology, Inc., MRVL
Shares experienced a modest retreat Tuesday, declining $28.82 to settle at $279.04 during regular trading. Trading volume exceeded 46 million shares, significantly higher than the 30 million average.
The impressive run has been propelled by accelerating demand in two critical segments: application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for artificial intelligence and optical networking hardware. Both categories are experiencing explosive growth as cloud giants expand their AI infrastructure capabilities.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently proclaimed Marvell as the “next trillion-dollar company.” Such a powerful statement from the semiconductor industry’s most influential voice resonates strongly throughout the investment community.
Regarding quarterly performance, Marvell delivered $2.42 billion in first-quarter revenue—marginally surpassing the $2.41 billion analyst consensus—while posting earnings per share of $0.80, matching projections. This represented a 27.6% revenue increase year-over-year.
For the upcoming period, Marvell forecasts Q2 fiscal 2027 EPS ranging from $0.88 to $0.98. The company anticipates 40% revenue expansion for the complete fiscal 2027, targeting $11.5 billion in total sales.
Key Catalysts: Custom AI Chips and Optical Infrastructure The custom AI processor segment represents the most compelling growth narrative. Industry research from Bloomberg suggests this market could expand to $118 billion by 2033, capturing 19% of overall AI semiconductor revenue. Marvell anticipates its custom silicon business will exceed 100% growth during fiscal 2028.
Optical networking infrastructure provides complementary momentum. Goldman Sachs research indicates this sector could experience ninefold expansion to $154 billion—with Marvell positioned as a primary beneficiary alongside Nvidia and Broadcom. The company’s internal projections call for datacenter interconnect optical product sales to double, reaching $1 billion by fiscal 2028.
Marvell recently introduced its Teralynx T100 switch, delivering 102.4 Tbps throughput designed to eliminate bandwidth constraints in AI-focused data centers.
Wall Street’s Response Financial analysts have delivered a wave of positive revisions and elevated price objectives. Bank of America upgraded its target from $240 to $365 while reaffirming its buy recommendation. KeyBanc established a new industry-leading target. Needham lifted its forecast from $118 to $270 with a buy rating intact.
Among 47 analysts tracking MRVL, 85% maintain buy ratings. The average price target stands at $232.74—notably below current trading levels, illustrating how rapidly the stock has appreciated.
Valuation metrics show a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of 95.56 and a forward P/E of 76. For context, the Nasdaq Composite average P/E hovers around 41.
Institutional ownership accounts for 83.51% of outstanding shares. Multiple investment firms expanded their positions during Q2, including Baird Financial Group, which increased its stake by 22.7%.
Regarding insider transactions, CFO Daniel Durn disposed of 2,250 shares on June 23 at an average price of $281.01, generating approximately $632,000 in proceeds. His remaining position consists of 6,902 shares worth roughly $1.94 million.
Marvell’s 52-week trading range spans from $61.44 to $329.88, with current market capitalization standing at $244 billion.
March 27, 2024 – United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates
XCAD Network – a tokenization platform for YouTubers to connect and reward their viewers with crypto tokens – today announced it has signed MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with multiple governments to expand incentivized Web 3.0 education to millions of people across the globe. By securing the support of several governments, XCAD aims to bridge the gap between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0, and enable more people to partake in the Web 3.0 space.
XCAD Network has announced the first government agreement, which is with Pakistan.
Under this partnership, XCAD will distribute and incentivize the consumption of educational media among Pakistani citizens.
Education is the first step in bringing new people into the Web 3.0 space.
As part of the MOUs, XCAD Network will work with governments to launch pilot campaigns to educate their citizens on Web 3.0.
These campaigns will be joint campaigns launched by governments and the XCAD team alongside select content creators from that country’s jurisdiction.
Users will have to download the XCAD Network application to watch interactive educational content on various Web 3.0 topics.
Upon completing the modules and consuming content, users are rewarded with tokens.
Blockchain, cryptocurrency and the Web 3.0 world will be the key focus areas.
However, governments can also focus education on other subjects, such as financial literacy.
Oliver Bell, chief executive officer of XCAD Network, said,
“Working directly with government entities is incredibly exciting for the XCAD project and the Web 3.0 space as a whole.
“What we’re doing aligns with the government’s vision towards digitization and global blockchain adoption.”
Another way that XCAD plans to work with government entities is by leveraging the XCAD platform to boost travel and tourism engagement in their country.
They want to partner with creators and citizens to create engaging educational content around tourism in their country. Those who consume the content are then rewarded.
XCAD Network has already onboarded some of the biggest YouTubers in the world to issue creator tokens on its platform.
However, getting governments involved gives the project more credibility.
This allows XCAD Network to attract even bigger names to issue creator tokens, stay on top of regulatory requirements and drive more users to the XCAD platform.
About XCAD Network XCAD Network allows YouTube creators to launch personalized tokens and generate dedicated economies around their loyal fanbase.
It also offers new startup creators a way to earn tokens and generate income even before the creator generates traction on YouTube itself.
In addition to helping generate new revenue, XCAD Network fosters deeper engagement through gamification and rewards.
Fans benefit monetarily from the growth of their favorite creators, thus strengthening the bonds between creators and their followers.
The platform is backed by famous YouTubers such as KSI and MrBeast and is home to more than 100 celebrity influencers globally with a combined audience of over 800 million.
The XCAD ecosystem consists of DEXs, a governance portal, a browser plugin with YouTube integration, cross-chain bridges, staking pools and creator swap, which lets users exchange creator tokens.
XCAD Network – a tokenisation platform for YouTubers to connect and reward their viewers with crypto tokens – today announced it has signed MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) with multiple governments to expand incentivised Web3 education to millions of people across the globe.
By securing the support of several governments, XCAD aims to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3, and enable more people to partake in the Web3 Space. XCAD Network has announced the first government agreement, which is with Pakistan. Under this partnership, XCAD will distribute and incentivise the consumption of educational media among Pakistani citizens.
Education is the first step in bringing new people into the Web3 space. As part of the MOUs, XCAD Network will work with governments to launch pilot campaigns to educate their citizens on Web3. These campaigns will be joint campaigns launched by governments and the XCAD team alongside select content creators from that country’s jurisdiction.
Users will have to download the XCAD Network application to watch interactive educational content on various Web3 topics. Upon completing the modules and consuming content, users are rewarded with tokens.
Blockchain, cryptocurrency and the Web3 world will be the key focus areas. However, governments can also focus education on other subjects, such as financial literacy.
Oliver Bell, the Chief Executive Officer of XCAD Network, commented, “Working directly with Government entities is incredibly exciting for the XCAD project and the Web3 Space as a whole. What we’re doing aligns with the government’s vision towards digitisation and global blockchain adoption”
Another way that XCAD plans to work with Government entities, is by leveraging the XCAD platform to boost travel and tourism engagement in their country. They want to partner with creators and citizens to create engaging educational content around tourism in their country. Those who consume the content are then rewarded.
XCAD Network has already onboarded some of the biggest YouTubers in the world to issue creator tokens on its platform. However, getting governments involved gives the project more credibility. This allows XCAD Network to attract even bigger names to issue creator tokens, stay on top of regulatory requirements and drive more users to the XCAD platform.
About XCAD Network XCAD Network allows YouTube creators to launch personalised tokens and generate dedicated economies around their loyal fan-base It also offers new upstart creators a way to earn tokens and generate income even before the creator generates traction on YouTube itself.
In addition to helping generate new revenue, XCAD Network fosters deeper engagement through gamification and rewards. Fans benefit monetarily from the growth of their favourite creators, thus strengthening the bonds between creators and their followers.
The platform is backed by famous YouTubers such as KSI and Mr Beast, and is home to 100+ celebrity influencers globally with a combined audience of over 800M.
The XCAD ecosystem consists of DEXs, a governance portal, a browser plugin with Youtube integration, cross-chain bridges, staking pools, and creator swap, which lets users exchange creator tokens.
For more information, please visit: https://xcadnetwork.com/
XCAD Network, a Watch2Earn tokenization platform for YouTubers, has announced the upcoming launch of its first V2 creator token, $DON, in partnership with Ape Terminal and TheDonato, a renowned South American content creator with over 40 million subscribers and 7 billion views.
The launch has already generated significant interest, with more than 25,000 sign-ups and a remarkable 2,400% oversubscription.
TLDR XCAD Network is launching its inaugural V2 creator token, $DON, in collaboration with Ape Terminal and YouTube star TheDonato. The launch has garnered over 25,000 sign-ups and a 2,400% oversubscription. The strategic listing on Ape Terminal aims to draw TheDonato’s vast fanbase into the crypto space, injecting fresh capital from Web2 users. Fans will be turned into stakeholders through governance and will find deeper engagement with TheDonato through various exclusive offerings. The $DON token has a total supply of 1 billion tokens, with allocations for fan incentives, pre-sale, liquidity, contributors, and marketing. The collaboration between XCAD Network, Ape Terminal, and TheDonato marks a significant milestone in the creator economy, as it aims to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3 by introducing TheDonato’s extensive fanbase to the world of cryptocurrencies.
This strategic move is expected to inject fresh capital into the crypto space, while simultaneously revolutionizing the relationship between content creators and their audiences.
Oliver Bell, CEO and Co-founder of XCAD Network, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating that the launch on Ape Terminal represents a transformative moment for both XCAD Network and the creator economy as a whole.
He emphasized that Ape Terminal’s sophisticated infrastructure provides the perfect launchpad for creator tokens like $DON, ensuring seamless transactions and broad accessibility to both experienced crypto enthusiasts and newcomers from Web2.
The $DON token is designed to turn fans into stakeholders through governance, allowing them to have a say in the direction of TheDonato’s content.
Additionally, fans will enjoy a deeper level of engagement with the creator through exclusive offerings such as meet-and-greet sessions, appearances in TheDonato’s videos, and access to an exclusive Discord community.
Bell further emphasized that the $DON token is just the beginning, as XCAD Network aims to empower creators to deepen connections with their fans while offering unprecedented access and influence over their favorite content.
The collaboration with Ape Terminal and TheDonato will enable XCAD Network to roll out a suite of creator tokens, enhancing the digital content landscape and creating new opportunities for creators and their communities.
The $DON token has a total supply of 1 billion tokens, with allocations distributed as follows: 30% for fan incentives, 20% for pre-sale, 30% for market making and exchange liquidity, and 10% each for contributors and marketing.
Through $DON, fans will transcend traditional boundaries, gaining unparalleled access and influence over TheDonato’s creative journey while being rewarded for their unwavering support.
Oliver Dale
Editor-in-Chief of Blockonomi and founder of Kooc Media, A UK-Based Online Media Company. Believer in Open-Source Software, Blockchain Technology & a Free and Fair Internet for all. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. Contact [email protected]
Another day, another crypto investigation. This time, all eyes are on everyone's favourite YouTuber, MrBeast. With over 320 million subscribers, MrBeast has conquered the video and social media scene.
Always looking to expand beyond his horizon, he ventured into the F&B industry with MrBeast Burgers and Feastables chocolate bars. But this wasn't enough. Trying his hand at degenning, MrBeast jumped onto the crypto craze, which has now landed him in a slew of controversy.
In a report on loock.io, several online sleuths dug into MrBeast's crypto activities, uncovering several alleged pump and dump schemes that could have earned him millions in profits at the expense of his followers and fan base.
Over 50 wallets with transactions allegedly tied to MrBeast revealed gains through token promotion and selling. SuperVerse, ERN, and AIOZ were all allegedly sold at peak prices by MrBeast after receiving them early or at discounted rates. The SuperVerse, which MrBeast endorsed, allegedly earned MrBeast $7.5 million from his initial $100,000 investment.
Transactions on Binance and Gemini supposedly support these findings while additional wallets "BobbieDigital" and "0x4f7" carried out similar trading behaviours - both of which are linked to MrBeast.
NFT project Refinable was specifically highlighted by the report as a crypto project that benefited greatly from MrBeast's support. Not only did MrBeast's follow of the project on X boost its visibility, but his brand was even used on the Refinable website to promote the project's token, FINE.
On April 27 and May 23, 2021, MrBeast's wallet (0x9e67D018488aD636B538e4158E9e7577F2ECac12) received a total of 267,917 FINE tokens, ($610,000 at the time). On-chain data indicates MrBeast sold these holdings post-launch, netting nearly $193,926 in profit. Reaching an all-time high price of $4, FINE soon plunged to under $0.002.
MrBeast's wallet sold FINE holdings around the peaks
Critics claim that sizable profits from projects such as SHOPX, XCAD, Jigstak (STAK) were facilitated by insider trading. Both SHOPX and XCAD were powered by influencer-fueled marketing, with MrBeast and KSI’s promotion often coinciding with token price increases.
MrBeast's on-chain wallet activity allegedly shows him selling near price peaks after promotional boosts from influencers.
9/ $SHOPX by SPLYT (Now @shopxlabs)
SPLYT is another project where MrBeast invested $25k USDT. He made $765k by selling his SPLYT token allocation and is still holding 177k SHOPX tokens. In this project, he shared the spotlight with KSI and Lark Davis. pic.twitter.com/hrOyYmsaBo
— SomaXBT (@somaxbt) October 11, 2024 Here’s a simplified breakdown of the MrBeast's activity across such projects as per the report:
SHOPX
MrBeast received 607k SHOPX tokens on March 31, 2021, transferred them to a side wallet, and gradually sold half of his holdings, profiting $493,730. In total, his SHOPX transactions yielded $509,817 in profit from his $25k investment.
XCAD
Known figures like JMX (involved in a previous crypto scam) and influencers KSI and MrBeast promoted XCAD. MrBeast's on-chain activity shows him receiving and distributing tokens through various wallets, ultimately profiting around $287,801 by selling his holdings.
Jigstack (STAK)
MrBeast received and sold STAK tokens across various wallets, netting a total profit of $1,310,753.
Polychain Monsters (PMON)
MrBeast received allocations of PMON, transferred them to wallets, and incrementally sold his holdings across multiple transactions, netting a profit of approximately $1,724,652.
Boson Protocol (BOSON)
MrBeast’s BOSON tokens were distributed across wallets, with total profits reaching $614,664. The BOSON token price has since significantly declined.
Standard Protocol (STND)
MrBeast’s STND tokens were quickly sold, netting $131,242.10 in profit. The token has since plummeted in value.
Ally Direct (DRCT)
MrBeast received DRCT tokens, which he sold for a total profit of $206,621.17.
Ternoa (CAPS)
MrBeast regularly received CAPS tokens, profiting $681,676.44 by selling his holdings at peak prices.
Metis (METIS)
Through multiple token allocations and wallet transfers, MrBeast made a total profit of $659,043.42.
Meet DWF Partner Eugene Ng - The Alleged Drink Spiker Scrubbed From Company Website
DWF Labs partner Eugene Ng tweeted “today’s gonna be a good day” just hours before allegedly spiking a potential hire’s drink and inviting her to his suite
BlockheadBlockhead
While there is no crime in raking in absurd profits from crypto - it's why we're all in it, let's be honest - it's beyond questionable to use your influence to power the token's price before dumping it and triggering market-wide losses for your followers. MrBeast is yet to respond to the allegations.
Global debt crosses a threshold reminiscent of the darkest hours in economic history. The International Monetary Fund sounds the alarm: public debt reaches levels comparable to those of World War II, in a context nevertheless devoid of global conflict. This drift raises questions far beyond the numbers, as it weakens monetary balances and revives doubts about the stability of currencies.
In Brief Global public debt reaches a level close to 100 % of GDP, an unprecedented threshold since World War II. The IMF warns of a historic break : unlike post-war, debt shows no sign of reduction. States face increasingly complex budgetary trade-offs amid rising borrowing costs. Trust becomes a central issue to maintain global economic and financial balance. Global debt at an unprecedented level since 1945 In an unstable geopolitical context, the IMF warns as global public debt now approaches 100 % of the planet’s GDP, an unprecedented threshold since the end of World War II. The institution describes a deep and worrying development, accompanied by clear warnings about future risks.
It states notably that “governments can no longer postpone difficult budgetary choices”, placing trust at the heart of the current economic equation.
The key points put forward by the IMF help measure the scale of the situation :
Global debt reaches a level close to 100 % of GDP, a historical record in a period without major conflict ; After 1945, debt dropped from 150 % to less than 50 % of GDP over two decades, a dynamic now completely reversed ; Successive crises (financial, health, geopolitical) have fueled a continuous accumulation of debt; Rising borrowing costs complicate states’ budgetary trade-offs ; Current projections indicate continued increase, with no clear reduction path. This break from historical cycles fuels concerns about economies’ ability to stabilize their debt in an environment that has become more constrained.
Towards a financial shift favorable to alternative assets ? Beyond the observation, the IMF reveals increasing pressure on global economic balances, where states’ room for maneuver is rapidly shrinking. Debt accumulation limits policy options and heightens tensions between public spending, financial stability, and growth.
This situation fosters an atmosphere of uncertainty where trust becomes a determining factor, as explicitly highlighted by the institution. Upcoming decisions are expected to be delicate, with budgetary choices that could redefine economic priorities globally.
In this context, certain dynamics are emerging in parallel. Massive indebtedness and consequent monetary policies revive concerns related to inflation and fiat currency depreciation.
This development contributes to increasing interest in alternatives perceived as uncorrelated to the traditional system, notably cryptocurrencies. The text highlights that this potential loss of trust in currencies could benefit instruments like bitcoin or stablecoins, in an environment where financial stability becomes uncertain.
As imbalances deepen, the issue no longer concerns just debt management but the possible transformation of the monetary system itself. Between increased budgetary constraints and the search for new benchmarks, upcoming policy decisions could accelerate the adoption of alternative assets or strengthen the role of decentralized solutions, particularly those of DeFi. The evolution of this debt crisis thus fits into a global perspective, where the lines between traditional finance and crypto could continue to blur.
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Luc Jose A.
Diplômé de Sciences Po Toulouse et titulaire d'une certification consultant blockchain délivrée par Alyra, j'ai rejoint l'aventure Cointribune en 2019. Convaincu du potentiel de la blockchain pour transformer de nombreux secteurs de l'économie, j'ai pris l'engagement de sensibiliser et d'informer le grand public sur cet écosystème en constante évolution. Mon objectif est de permettre à chacun de mieux comprendre la blockchain et de saisir les opportunités qu'elle offre. Je m'efforce chaque jour de fournir une analyse objective de l'actualité, de décrypter les tendances du marché, de relayer les dernières innovations technologiques et de mettre en perspective les enjeux économiques et sociétaux de cette révolution en marche.
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
Bitcoin’s recent parabolic market performance has attracted significant attention to the entire cryptocurrency market. This is both reasonable and expected. Since its inception, the crypto market as a whole has traditionally followed Bitcoin, and to a lesser extent Ethereum.
These days, however, cryptocurrency receives considerable attention from mainstream media channels. Gone are the days when the only access to reliable cryptocurrency news was from crypto-specific websites and media outlets.
Today, cryptocurrency happenings can be regularly found on the pages of major web outlets, including Yahoo Finance and Forbes.
Cryptocurrency and Soccer With this type of increased media attention come greater opportunities for moving into new and promising advertising markets. For example, soccer teams in Europe are beginning to collaborate with and sponsor various crypto projects.
This is positive news for both the blockchain economy and the sports industry. Blockchain projects are experiencing increased visibility in an entirely new space. The sports industry has the opportunity to benefit from various product and service offerings that are made possible by blockchain technology. These include convenience, increased accountability, and fast transactions.
One of the first major blockchain and cryptocurrency collaborations was between Rimini FC 1912, an Italian Serie C soccer club, and blockchain venture Quantocoin. The blockchain technology project offers exchanges, trading, and remittance payments for a potential client base of 2 billion people.
You may also like: Mining Profits Dry Up Across Bitcoin, DOGE, LTC, and BCH Saylor Should Stop Buying Bitcoin, Says CryptoQuant Strengthening Dollar and OG Selling Pressure Keep Bitcoin Bears in Control Quantocoin purchased 25 percent of Rimini entirely with cryptocurrency, precisely its native token, the Quantocoin (QRCt). This is significant, as it was the first time that a soccer team has been purchased using cryptocurrency.
Quantocoin’s mission is to continue along this trajectory, making many more sports-related purchases with cryptocurrency.
According to a press release, English Premier League club, Newcastle United has also partnered with a blockchain project, StormGain. The Newcastle team is well known across Europe, making this a valuable collaboration for StormGain, a platform offering cryptocurrency margin trading.
StormGain’s CEO, Alex Althausen, remarked:
“We are thrilled to be partnering with an exciting and a leading soccer club such as Newcastle United. We believe the collaboration of cryptocurrencies and mainstream sports is inevitable. Therefore it’s a privilege and an honor for StormGain to be the spearhead of the blockchain community colliding with mainstream sports.”
Another interesting blockchain-soccer collaboration comes from Portugal. The famous S.L. Benfica announced in early June that its merchandise would be available for purchase with cryptocurrency. Benfica accepts Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) as well as UTRUST token (UTK).
CoinMarketCap, which provides data services to the cryptocurrency market, also recently entered a sports-based partnership. Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem now wears the CoinMarketCap brand prominently during its matches. Moshe Hogeg, the new owner of the club, is a well-established cryptocurrency pioneer and entrepreneur.
Advertising Too Other recent partnerships with football clubs, such as CoinDeal’s Wolverhampton Wanderers sponsorship renewal, show that this type of exposure for cryptocurrency is growing and becoming more widely accepted in mass markets such as sports.
As the cryptocurrency world finds renewed hope and power in its long-anticipated turnaround from the 2018 bear market, it seems as if all news is good news, at least for now. These alliances with major sports franchises within the soccer world are undoubtedly great news, for supporters of the sport and blockchain technology alike.
Pundi X was one of the most highly anticipated ICOs of 2018. This meant that it was able to hit its $35 million hard cap within 90 minutes.
The project is trying to build a large decentralized crypto point of sale network. They are trying to acheive this through Merchant devices, cards and crypto wallets. If they succeed, they hope to make buying cryptocurrency as easy as "buying bottled water".
However, are these ambitions too grand?
In this Pundi X review I will attempt to answer that. I will also take an in-depth look at the use cases of the NPXS token as well as its long term adoption potential.
Pundi X Technology and Use CasesThe driving force behind the creation of Pundi X is the steep learning curve for those just entering the cryptocurrency ecosystem. With very few exceptions (Robinhood and Coinbase come to mind), current cryptocurrency exchanges are confusing and difficult to learn for new users.
And that doesn’t even touch on the difficulty and confusion associated with juggling multiple wallets, private keys, passphrases and authenticators.
Honestly, even experienced cryptocurrency users can become somewhat frustrated. Pundi X offers to change all this through three interlocking pieces of technology: The Pundi X platform, mobile wallets, and card payments.
One interesting and unique feature of the Pundi X network is that its devices are integrated into two blockchains – Ethereum and NEM. Nem (XEM) was chosen because it is popular with Asian financial institutions, and because it has the technology to enable nearly instantaneous payments.
The PlatformThe Pundi X POS device has begun production in February 2018 following the ICO and has been shipping to merchants since July 2018. The list of merchants has been expanding at an ever increasing pace. You can see a list of all of the global merchants here
It allows customers to pay for goods with cryptocurrencie stored in their mobile wallet, and can also be used to buy cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH, XEM, QTUM, or ACT) to top up the wallet.
During the ICO Pundi has said that they will deliver 100,000-700,000 POS devices to at least 12 different countries over the next three years. In addition to the base model, Pundi is also designing a smaller unit and a desktop version that will be capable of accepting major credit cards, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.
Pundi X POS System Explained
The team is actually doing much better with XPOS devices shipped to more than 25 countries as of November 2019, and expectations for over 100,000 XPOS devices being deployed by 2021.
The POS system also serves merchants as it incorporates inventory, membership and identity management features. Pundi X says the POS system will be far better than Bitcoin ATMs thanks to the increased range of services available and the lower cost.
In addition, the devices are far smaller, enabling them to be installed in many places where a Bitcoin ATM wouldn’t be feasible. The Pundi X token (NPXS) will be used as gas for the network, powering transactions and advertisements, as well as identify customers for qualified discounts.
The initial 500 units were delivered to select locations in late June, and on July 10, 2018 the team announced the first of these, which are located in Hong Kong in four participating FAMA restaurants as part of the RISE 2018 convention. The team also distributed XPASS cards to RISE 2018 participants to demonstrate how easy it is to use cryptocurrencies to make purchases using their technology.
The current and planned Pundi X PoS devices. Image via Pundi X
The team has also said they will focus on Indonesia, which is the largest South-East Asian country, with a population of roughly 250 million. Obviously, Hong Kong has also become a target for early adoption, and the Pundi X team has also said that it has expanded into China.
It’s very exciting to see the team shipping and beta testing the actual hardware, and while it may seem unreal to be able to purchase goods with cryptocurrency, and to purchase cryptocurrency while waiting for your lunch or dinner to be served, this platform could not only make it a reality, but make it widely accepted over the next three years.
Pundi X WalletThe mobile wallet (Pundi XWallet) will simplify key management for users, storing the public and private keys and using a password system similar to any online system.
This feature alone is expected to massively increase adoption of cryptocurrencies by new users, however, there are worries that it could deter existing cryptocurrency users who worry about security and privacy issues.
The wallet is able to hold BTC, ETH, BNB and NSPX, as well as fiat currencies. There are plans to add support for additional currencies over time. The XWallet also includes a virtual XPASS card, or it can be synched with a physical XPASS card.
Screenshots of XWallet in the Google Play Store
The XWallet is available on both iOS and Android devices and are free to download. In terms of feedback on the apps, it has about a 4.3 star rating in the Google Play store. However, there appears to have recently been a number of complaints about the functionality of the app.
Some of these relate to the KYC requirement of Pundi X which is not something that they can really control. However, for those that are technical in nature, the team appears to be quite responsive and - most importantly - receptive.
The Pundi X Card Payment SystemThe company has released a card, which they are naming the XPASS card, which works together with the mobile app and wallet, enabling payments and deposits by card (a familiar medium for most) that are pulled from the mobile wallet.
In addition, users are able to see the current market price of each cryptocurrency before paying for goods and services, allowing them to pay with the cryptocurrency that brings the best value at the time. Currently, the XPASS card has support for BTC, BNB, ETH and NPXS.
This ability to pay for things easily with cryptocurrencies is what will finally give them real value in a widespread sense. The Pundi X whitepaper states that
most cryptocurrencies can only be used to buy other cryptocurrencies, reducing the relevance of them to almost zero for most people
Pundi X Card Payments
Indeed one of the primary arguments of non-crypto believers is that cryptocurrencies have no real value. It is hoped that enabling ease of payments will change that opinion.
It does seem as if the Pundi X team has created a technology system that has the potential to make cryptocurrencies widely accepted and used on a global scale. While the use cases are strong in theory, much of the adoption will depend on how quickly the POS devices can be rolled out, how well they actually work, and how successful the next several years of marketing for the technology is.
It is also notable that Pundi has partnered with iBank for the release and distribution of the XPASS cards. They offer both the standard XPASS card as well as a special edition Cao Jun designed card.
Pundi has also released a Manga themed XPASS card that also supports NEM and Qtum. Eventually, these special edition cards will be made into digital assets on the IOST blockchain.
Pundi Function X - f(x)Function X or f(x) is Pundi’s vision of the blockchain internet and includes not only a decentralized internet model, but also the hardware devices necessary to take advantage of this new blockchain based operating system.
The first device being launched is the Pundi X blockchain phone, being dubbed “BOB” for “Blok on Blok”. In addition to the blockchain based phone, the Pundi X team is also planning on redesigning the XPOS terminals to take advantage of f(x) technology. Finally, there is a Function X physical node in development.
FXTP Protocol With the BOB Smartphone
These are only three examples of hardware that can be created to take advantage of the f(x) operating system. Like everything else the Pundi X team takes on, the concept of the Function X operating system is ambitious, impressive, and far-reaching.
Pundi X TeamThe Pundi X team are a talented group of technologists and entrepreneurs, which seems to be exactly what this project will need for success. In general, the management team is comprised of computer engineers turned serial entrepreneur.
The glaring exception to this is CEO and founder Zac Cheah, who was formerly an HTML games developer, but perhaps this is why he surrounded himself with such a strong team.
The President of Pundi X, Constantin Papadimitrou, has a long history of founding successful fintech companies, and scaling them, which makes him an ideal fit for a project that will need rapid growth and adoption.
From Left: Zac Cheah (CEO), Pitt Huang (CTO), Constantin Papadimitriou (President), Danny Lim (CFO)
The CTO/COO and co-founder Pitt Huang created and sold his first business by the age of 25 and went on to create and sell several more business, including one that had over 200 employees.
The CFO and the third co-founder of the project is Danny Lim. Danny is an APAC financing expert who has product design experience with Baidu and Lenovo. Danny is a PhD Law scholar from Tsinghua University and hold ACMA and CGMA accounting qualifications.
The management team operates out of Jakarta, which the research team largely operates out of Shenzhen. Overall the team has physical offices in Jakarta, London, São Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, Shenzhen and Singapore. As of August 2018 the team is comprised of more than 150 employees, with over half filling research and development roles.
PartnershipsThe Pundi X team has worked diligently, not only on the product and platform, but also on partnerships to help spread the platform and ensure both short-term growth and long-term stability.
The most significant partnership for Pundi X has been the one with NEM. It is this partnership that will allow Pundi X to confirm transactions instantly. Without this the team would almost certainly be able to gain traction with consumers, who are not going to be willing to use a transactional payment system that takes several minutes at the least to confirm transactions. The fast and inexpensive transactions provided by NEM make it possible for Pundi X to gain mainstream adoption.
Pundi X Partnerships
The Pundi team has also spent time positioning itself within the cryptocurrency ecosystem, establishing partnerships with the Indonesian Blockchain Association, the Singapore Fintech Association, the XPOS Consortium, ACCESS, the Fintech Association of Hong Kong, and the Swiss Finance and Fintech Association.
This last led to a further partnership with Swiss company UTRUST, who have committed to deploying 1,000 of the Pundi X POS devices.
Pundi X has been proactive in creating partnerships as a key business development tool. They have also used them to maximize their value proposition, increasing trust, engagement and adoption for both consumers and merchants. This should assist them tremendously in their marketing efforts as they roll out the Pundi X devices and systems throughout Asia and beyond.
Even though the NXPS coin has been languishing along with the rest of the cryptocurrency markets, the project continues to attract members to its various online communities. In fact, it has by far the largest following on Facebook I've ever seen for a blockchain project with over 110,000 followers of its page.
That dwarfs its other social media accounts, although it does have a strong Telegram channel, with over 40,000 followers there.
The project's following on Twitter is pretty solid, with 66,600 followers. The team is also active there, not only tweeting their own stuff but also retweeting useful information from other Twitter users and blockchain projects.
The sub-Reddit for Pundi X is somewhat disappointing, with only 5,534 followers. Posts here are infrequent too. In fact, you'd be better off following the project's YouTube channel, which has a large number of videos and some very good information about Pundi X and NXPS tokens.
It also has over 4,000 subscribers, which is pretty good on Youtube for a blockchain project.
The NPXS TokenAs mentioned earlier, Pundi X held an ICO back in January, raising their $35 million hard cap in just 90 minutes. As we all know, the first quarter of 2018 was a bad one for crypto in general and the NPXS token slowly sank from $0.001 to between $0.0007-0.0008 by April.
That’s where things got interesting after the Bancor Network listed the NPXS token. That took the price to $0.004 or so, but then in May price jumped again, reaching nearly $0.015 before dropping back. Price spiked to an all-time high of $0.015621 on June 17, 2018 when the shipment of the first 500 XPOS devices was announced.
NPXS Price Performance. Image via CMC
Of course, that pump didn’t last and price turned lower almost immediately following the June shipment announcement. There was a brief rally in May 2019, but by October 23, 2019 price was at an all-time low of $0.000159. Several weeks later on November 8, 2019 price has recovered slightly to $0.00018, making NPXS the 94th largest coin by market cap.
Trading & Storing NPXSIf you think now is a good time to buy NPXS, or if you just want to support the project, you’ll find the token listed on dozens of different exchanges.
The largest trade volume can be found at Binance, but Upbit and Hotbit also have good volumes. You could also consider Bithumb, Exrates, BKEX, or Vebitcoin. There are a handful of other exchanges with acceptable trade volumes although you could struggle with larger orders.
Taking a look at the liquidity on an exchange like Binance it appears average. For example, on the BTC / USDT order book the depth is reasonable with a minor bid ask spread however daily turnover is on the lower side. So, larger block orders could lead to some slippage.
Register at Binance and Buy NPXS Tokens
The recommend wallet is the mobile XWallet that is created and released by the Pundi X team. You can get it here and it is perfect for staking too. There are other options such as the Atomic Wallet, and of course, you can store NPXS in any ERC-20 compatible wallets too.
The NPXSXEM TokenIn addition to the NXPS ERC-20 token there is also an NXPSXEM token created from the NEM blockchain. It is a utility token that was created for utilization on NEMXPOS devices.
Pundi plans on manufacturing and deploying 20,000 NEM XPOS units around the world, all of which will run on the NEM blockchain. Of course, it is also openly traded on markets and as of this writing has a value of $0.000171.
NXPSXEM hit its all-time high of $0.004845 on August 8, 2018, just a day after being exchange listed. It’s all-time low was $0.000088 on October 16, 2019. Like NXPS it can also be staked by holding it in the XWallet until the end of 2020.
ConclusionPundi X has taken on an impressive and ambitious task in tackling what could amount to everyday adoption of cryptocurrencies by the masses, if their vision is realized. The technology seems appropriate for what they’re attempting, and the delivery of XPOS devices to more than 25 countries already shows the commitment of the team, and the success of the project to date.
The entire team has substantial experience in both technology and finance, which has been helpful to the start-up. With partnerships in place, and the hope for larger partnerships to be forged, Pundi X is like a sleeping giant.
All that’s left is to see if they can deliver on their promise of 100,000 units in the coming three years, and whether they are able to market those devices appropriately.
With those two pieces in place, you could be seeing a Pundi X device at a retailer near you in the near future. In fact, if you live in Brazil, Southeast Asia or some areas of Europe and Africa you might have already come across Pundi X devices.
And now with the development of Function X Pundi is looking to not only take over cryptocurrency merchant transactions, but they also want to take over the internet. Imagine if they’re successful. Pundi X in twenty years could be like a combination of Google, Apple, and Amazon with a global reach and commanding market presence.
Disclaimer: These are the writer’s opinions and should not be considered investment advice. Readers should do their own research.
Cryptocurrency alongside blockchain is a widely acclaimed and prevalent network in the world. It is being used in many fields of everyday life and is gradually taking over. It is a well-encrypted and protected form of decentralized bank, which is technologically sophisticated and complex. It holds great potential to create tremendous opportunities and is actively gaining a foothold in football as well.
Big clubs implementing cryptocurrencies2019 was a remarkable year when some of the top football clubs decided to align with cryptocurrency. Football superstar like FC Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi came forward to promote different cryptocurrency and blockchain projects, which was very surprising.
The first major club in Europe to actively accept cryptocurrency payments has been Portugalia club Benfica. In June 2019 the club signed a partnership with the UTRUST payment platform. It allowed fans to purchase merchandise with cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin and Ethereum successfully. In September 2019 Benfica sold tickets through the platform to Leipzig fans, and this move was met with approval.
In October 2019 English club Watford FC made an unusual decision. The footballers had the logo of bitcoin on the sleeves of the kit. The board described it as an action to educate people about the benefits of bitcoin.
The most decorated German club Bayern Munich has also decided to join the cryptocurrency system by signing a partnership with Stryking Entertainment. The Bayern officials described it as a great leap forward, and it became possible to acquire various collectibles and player cards for online competitions via tokens and coins.
In January 2019 Juventus with the help of Socios.com, online platform, started the Juventus Official Fan Token. The main reason for the campaign was to incentivize its fans to participate in global cryptocurrency trading actively. Later in August the club launched its customized digital token CHZ. French club PSG was also the one to strike a deal with Socios.com
A Premier football club Gibraltar United gained remarkable attention when the owner Pablo dana declared it would pay its footballers via cryptocurrency. He is an investor in Quantocoin and believes that it is an excellent way to tackle corruption which is very prevalent in football.
English football club Arsenal FC also expressed the willingness to engage in the cryptocurrency system actively and has signed the sponsorship deal with CashBet. Vinai Venkatesham, who is Arsenal's Chief Commercial Officer, said it was a pleasure for the club to work with CashBet.
Turkish club Harunustaspor declared in January 2018 that it became the first club in the world to successfully sign a player using cryptocurrency. A transfer that was carried out using the blockchain was very transparent and had all the information regarding the player.
Why do clubs make their cryptocurrencies? There are plenty of reasons why the clubs choose to implement cryptocurrency: First of all, it is a commercial strategy that attracts thousands of fans worldwide and effectively expands the global audience. Many people actively use cryptocurrency as a form of payment and find it more simple.
Secondly, it serves as the addition to get rid of credit cards and cash systems. Blockchain is a more robust and decentralized system, which allows its customers to feel safe and secure all the time. When the fans look forward to purchasing team kits or match tickets, it seems more convenient.
The third reason is that clubs also want to eradicate any corruption and money laundering, which saw many top officials removed in recent years. Due to its impenetrable and practically unbreakable system, the risks and vulnerabilities of any kind are completely eliminated. The clubs will manage financing matters securely, let alone the fact sponsorship will bring more revenue.
ConclusionCryptocurrency related brands regularly become official partners for football teams. They provide a unique experience and still are in initial stages to further develop. There are a number of reasons why clubs choose to align with them. It is an advantage in terms of reputation, revenue, simplification. More and more football teams are showing their desire to implement cryptocurrency strategies by choosing prominent ones actively. it is hard to predict whether it takes time to get used to it, but clubs are incredibly hopeful they will successfully carry out everything.
Key NotesBinance Pay has partnered with xMoney to provide European users with seamless payments.The collaboration allows direct payments from Binance accounts to merchants, reducing processing times and streamlining checkout procedures across industries.Beyond xMoney, Binance Pay continues to enhance its offerings through partnerships with CoinGate, DT One, Pyypl, and others. Binance Pay, the payments arm of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has partnered with xMoney, a blockchain payment solution provider, to broaden crypto payment access for European customers.
According to a press release shared with Coinspeaker, Binance will leverage xMoney’s robust payment infrastructure to connect its users with an expansive network of merchants. This collaboration will allow customers to make direct payments from their Binance accounts without relying on traditional payment methods, streamlining transactions and reducing processing times at checkout
Enhanced Payment Experience By integrating with xMoney’s merchant network, Binance Pay users will enjoy faster, more efficient transactions when shopping at participating stores across various industries, including gaming, travel, real estate, and e-commerce.
In addition, xMoney has established partnerships with government agencies, such as the National Administration of the Principality of Liechtenstein and the City of Lugano, enabling citizens and residents to pay taxes using digital assets.
Commenting on the partnership, Jonathan Lim, global head of Binance Pay said the partnership comes at a time when digital assets are gaining mainstream adoption, referring to the recent wave of corporate institutions adopting Bitcoin BTC $60 435 24h volatility: 3.4% Market cap: $1.21 T Vol. 24h: $30.90 B as a corporate reserve. He further stated that the deal will enable the firm to deliver real-world use cases for cryptocurrencies.
“The ability to pay for luxury goods, travel, and even government services with crypto demonstrates how digital currencies are becoming a practical tool for everyday transactions. By partnering with xMoney, we are delivering a practical use-case for crypto, meeting the growing demand for secure, efficient, and accessible payment solutions,” Lim said.
Expanding Merchant Network and Partnerships The integration of xMoney’s network has significantly expanded Binance Pay’s merchant ecosystem, growing its own merchant network from 8,900 in December 2023 to over 12,000 by December 2024. The figure represents a 36% year-over-year increase.
Binance Pay said the growth underscores its commitment to offering diverse digital payment solutions, from travel bookings to luxury goods, to meet rising consumer demand.
In addition to its partnership with xMoney, Binance Pay has also joined forces with CoinGate to further enhance its service offerings. Other notable partners include DT One, Pyypl, Lyzi, Weo Games, WordPress, and Despegar, reflecting the company’s multi-faceted approach to expanding its digital payments network.
Since its entry into the crypto market in 2017, Binance Pay has processed more than $120 billion in transactions over the past three years. This latest partnership with xMoney is set to accelerate that growth by simplifying the payment process and providing users with an even more seamless experience when using digital assets for everyday transactions.
Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.
Cryptocurrency News, News
Chimamanda is a crypto enthusiast and experienced writer focusing on the dynamic world of cryptocurrencies. She joined the industry in 2019 and has since developed an interest in the emerging economy. She combines her passion for blockchain technology with her love for travel and food, bringing a fresh and engaging perspective to her work.
Binance‘s cryptocurrency payment service, Binance Pay, has entered into a partnership with leading European Web3 payment provider, xMoney. This collaboration allows Binance Pay users access to xMoney’s extensive commercial network, enabling over 20,000 businesses to accept direct cryptocurrency payments. This initiative aims to streamline transactions in sectors such as luxury goods, travel, gaming, and e-commerce.
A New Era in Cryptocurrency PaymentsThe partnership between Binance Pay and xMoney is set to integrate cryptocurrency usage into daily life. Users will have the ability to purchase services and products from a broader range of businesses using Binance Pay.
Binance Pay – xMoney CollaborationJonathan Lim, Global President of Binance Pay, emphasized the significance of this partnership, stating that it marks a major step toward the acceptance of cryptocurrencies in mainstream commerce and public services. Luxury items, travel, and even government services can now be paid for using cryptocurrency, showcasing the practicality of digital currencies in everyday life.
Expanding Commercial Network and Public SupportxMoney operates across various sectors, including luxury retail, gaming, travel, real estate, and public services. The system boasts a wide user network, including government entities like the Liechtenstein National Administration and the City of Lugano, allowing citizens to pay for public services with cryptocurrency.
Greg Siourounis, Global CEO of xMoney, highlighted the partnership’s importance in strengthening the bridge between blockchain and traditional finance. By integrating Binance Pay into their ecosystem, they offer users greater flexibility and payment options.
xMoney fully complies with the EU’s MiCA regulations, ensuring a secure environment for cryptocurrency transactions. This creates a transparent and regulated payment infrastructure for both businesses and users.
Binance Pay’s global commercial network has reached over 32,000 businesses, showing significant growth from 8,900 in December 2023 to over 12,000 in December 2024, reflecting a 36% annual increase.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article does not constitute investment advice. Investors should be aware that cryptocurrencies carry high volatility and therefore risk, and should conduct their own research.
In a surprising development, Binance Pay, the payment subsidiary of the leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance, has joined hands with xMoney, a blockchain payment solution provider. The strategic collaboration envisions enhancing crypto payment accessibility for customers across the European market.
Notably, this alliance expands the payment platform’s global merchant network to over 32,000 businesses, with xMoney operating in compliance with MiCA regulations. The development aims to foster secure and innovative payment solutions, solidifying the firm’s leading role in the global payment network.
Binance Pay Establishes in Europe via xMoney In an official blog post, Binance announced Binance Pay’s strategic alliance with xMoney, a prominent blockchain payment solution provider in Europe. Using xMoney’s robust payment infrastructure, the firm intends to link its users with a vast network of merchants. Thereby, the move expands Binance Pay’s payment ecosystem across Europe.
Notably, the partnership envisions addressing the growing demand for secure, efficient, and easily accessible payment solutions. Elaborating on the venture’s significance, Jonathan Lim, Global Head of Binance Pay stated:
This collaboration between Binance Pay and xMoney comes at a pivotal moment when cryptocurrency is being embraced in mainstream commerce and public services. The ability to pay for luxury goods, travel, and even government services with crypto demonstrates how digital currencies are becoming a practical tool for everyday transactions.
Partnership to Expand Merchant Network In addition to creating a better crypto payment environment, the move also focuses on expanding Binance Pay’s merchant ecosystem. While xMoney’s merchant network spans diverse areas including luxury retail, gaming, travel, real estate, and public services, it could significantly drive Binance Pay’s connections.
Significantly, association with xMoney has propelled the payment platform’s merchant network to over 32,000 businesses globally. This marks a notable milestone in the firm’s growth trajectory. The expansion underscores the platform’s accelerated growth, with the platform already achieving a notable 36% year-over-year increase in its development.
xMoney CEO Greg Siourounis stated that the partnership will enable the platform to expand and provide customers with greater flexibility. The CEO added, “Partnering with Binance Pay is a significant step in building the bridge between blockchain and traditional finance.”
Another important development that the Binance ecosystem witnessed recently was Binance Lab’s rebranding to YZi Labs. This change reflects the investment firm’s plan to shift its focus towards investments and establish a distinct identity separate from the Binance brand.
Binance Pay Prioritizes Compliance While xMoney fully adheres to the EU’s MiCA regulations, the Binance Pay partnership ensures a highly secured environment for crypto payments and transactions. This joint venture becomes crucial as it comes on the heels of the French investigators’ judicial probe into charges against Binance.
Moreover, the collaborative project operates within a trusted framework, with xMoney’s strong regulatory compliance. This framework fosters cryptocurrency adoption and provides a secure environment for crypto transactions.
Binance Pay, a virtual currency payment platform powered by Binance, today announced a strategic partnership with xMoney, a Web3 transaction hub in Europe. Through this alliance, the two entities are making cryptocurrency payments secure and more seamless for everyone in Europe.
Expanding merchant payment network XMoney’s broad merchant network reaches various industries including real estate, travel, gaming, luxury retail, and even public service. It also supports government clientele like Liechtenstein National Administration and the City Of Lugano where locals can use crypto to pay for public services. This broad merchant network powered by xMoney evolved to accommodate the growing interest in cryptocurrency use in business premises and public sectors in the entire Europe.
Its collaboration with Binance Pay is a crucial development as it enabled it to create a seamless trading connection between traditional finance and the cryptocurrency world. By integrating its infrastructure into Binance Pay, xMoney broadened its ecosystem and provides its users with higher trading options and greater flexibility in how to conduct day-to-day transactions.
Furthermore, customers and merchants have peace of mind accessing xMoney as the platform thrives on trust and regulatory compliance. It remains committed to adhering to the EU’s MiCa laws and emphasizes legal adherence to ensure a safe environment for Web3 accessibility and cryptocurrency transactions.
On the other hand, this alliance allowed Binance Pay users to seamlessly access xMoney’s broad merchant network, allowing more than 20,000 European businesses to accept cryptocurrency directly. This helps simplify transactions across a wide range of industries like e-commerce, gaming, travel, luxury goods, and many more.
As a result, based on this collaboration, Binance Pay’s network has experienced tremendous growth – recently onboarded 32,000 businesses worldwide. This is an indication that this alliance has been an essential initiative. The partnership also enabled Binance Pay to register an impressive 36% year-to-year growth. In just one year, Binance Pay drew in more than 12,000 merchants by December 2024.
This continued growth represents Binance Pay’s commitment to bringing innovative opportunities for crypto applications, including allowing users to book travels, buy luxury items, and access various everyday transactions using cryptocurrency. These innovative offerings coincide with the evolving demand for advanced, accessible, and real-world digital payment solutions.
Dismantling obstacles in crypto payments Based on this collaboration, the two firms jointly offer a more affordable, rapid, and accessible payment experience for both businesses and ordinary customers. Binance Pay users can now smoothly access a broad variety of Web3 and traditional products and services, enabling them to integrate cryptocurrency into their everyday transactions.
This partnership happened at a crucial time when crypto assets are increasingly being adopted in traditional markets and even public service. Paying travel expenses, luxury items, and even government services using cryptocurrency is proof that cryptocurrency is becoming a common instrument for daily transactions.
By collaborating with xMoney, Binance Pay assists in advancing the use of blockchain technology to offer real-world applications to users. This helps fulfill the increasing demand for accessible, seamless, and secure digital payment solutions.
AUTHOR
Nicholas Otieno is a fintech writer specializing in cryptocurrency markets. Since 2019, he has written articles to educate readers about cryptocurrency and its substantial positive impact on global prosperity. Nicholas is a Bitcoin holder, believing firmly in its fundamentals. His work has been featured in publications such as Finance Magnates, Blockchain.News, Bitcoin Magazine, Coincub, and among others. When he's not writing, Nicholas enjoys performing domestic tasks, spending time with friends, listening to music, and watching football.
Sead specializes in writing factual and informative articles to help the public navigate the ever-changing world of crypto. He has extensive experience in the blockchain industry, where he has served...
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Last updated:
April 24, 2025
Sui, a Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform, has partnered with financial platform for businesses xMoney and crypto app xPortal, to bring a custom Sui wallet product and virtual Mastercard to millions across Europe.
The new full-stack digital payment experience is available immediately and will expand worldwide. Per the press release shared with Cryptonews, the US expansion is “on the horizon.”
Sui is going full lifestyle chain 🌊
We’ve partnered with @xPortalApp + @xMoney_com to bring you:
💳 A virtual Sui Mastercard, with Tap to Pay via Apple Wallet and Google Pay
👝 A custom Sui wallet experience inside xPortal
⚡ Card issuance, fiat ramps, and compliance powered by… pic.twitter.com/SUFqqP94WX
— Sui (@SuiNetwork) April 24, 2025 xPortal has integrated Sui into its wallet, which has a user base of about 2.5 million people. At the same time, xMoney provides the financial infrastructure, allowing “seamless spending and real-world utility,” the announcement claims.
Therefore, the collaboration has produced a custom Sui wallet experience within xPortal and a branded virtual Mastercard. European users can add the card to Apple Pay and Google Pay immediately upon launch.
Moreover, the team has confirmed that it plans to launch a physical custom-branded Mastercard by the end of 2025.
It will expand its enterprise-focused, xMoney-powered offerings in the near future and release more products at Sui Basecamp on 1-2 May this year.
Sui Mastercard? @xPortalApp is making that happen AND bringing their 2.5M-user wallet to Sui!
In their app, you can:
→ Spend SUI with a Sui-branded virtual Mastercard
→ Custom wallet UI that reps your favorite chain
→ Built-in access to NFTs, dApps, staking, and more
→… pic.twitter.com/o1gY4QrTZc
— Sui (@SuiNetwork) April 24, 2025 According to Christian Thompson, Managing Director of the Sui Foundation, the “powerful new product is a significant step towards making the Sui ecosystem more accessible to everyday consumers – enabled by the seamless user experience and retail adoption of xPortal […] while xMoney’s extensive licensing work makes it all possible in a compliant and secure way.”
Thompson adds that xPortal’s and xMoney’s innovations “showcase what’s possible when intuitive interfaces blend with strong infrastructure.”
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Compliant xMoney Experiences for Regulated MarketsThe press release claims that the partnership with xMoney and xPortal makes Sui one of the few Layer 1s that support frictionless real-world payments and financial services through a fully compliant platform.
Immediately upon launch, users can pay with SUI at over 20,000 merchants within the xMoney payment solution.
xMoney provides infrastructure, licensing, payment processing, and card issuing, allowing builders to create compliant financial products for regulated markets.
Thanks to @xMoney_com, Sui users will get even more financial infrastructure — like fiat rails and B2B tooling — enabling seamless spending and real-world utility.
→ Card + payment infra, fully EU compliant
→ Accept crypto payments at 20K+ merchants
→ Access fiat on- and… pic.twitter.com/MVD22B8o2V
— Sui (@SuiNetwork) April 24, 2025 “Our mission at xMoney is to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the decentralized economy,” says CEO Greg Siourounis. “Partnering with Sui allows us to provide builders and users with the compliance, infrastructure, and UX required to make crypto payments as easy and intuitive as any banking app.”
At the same time, xPortal allows users to buy, spend, swap, and stake crypto within one interface that “preserves the security and ownership benefits of self-custody.” This way, the announcement argues, the app can boost digital economy innovation and mainstream adoption.
Per Sergiu Biris, CEO of xPortal, “integrating Sui into xPortal aligns perfectly with our mission to make crypto accessible to everyone. This partnership allows our users to seamlessly tap into Sui’s real-world utility, all within a single, beautifully designed super-app.”
At the time of writing, the SUI coin trades at $3.03. It’s up 2.6% in a day, 44% in a week, 26% in a month, and 127% over the past year.
Also, SUI hit its all-time high of $5.35 in January 2025, decreasing by 43% since.
Sui is partnering with xMoney and xPortal to launch a virtual Mastercard for European users, allowing them to spend crypto like cash.
Sui is expanding into everyday payments through a new partnership with financial platform xMoney and crypto super-app xPortal. Together, they are launching a virtual Mastercard that allows European users to spend crypto like cash.
The partnership introduces a full-stack payment solution: a custom Sui (SUI) wallet experience integrated into xPortal’s app, already used by 2.5 million people.
This includes a branded virtual Mastercard that users can add to Apple Pay or Google Pay and use across over 20,000 merchants.
A physical card is expected later in 2025, according to a company note shared with crypto.news.
“This powerful new product is a significant step towards making the Sui ecosystem more accessible to everyday consumers,” said Christian Thompson, Managing Director of the Sui Foundation.
Self custody coupled with spending By leveraging xPortal’s user-friendly interface and xMoney’s licensed infrastructure, the offering combines self-custody with seamless spending.
It positions Sui among the few Layer 1 blockchains enabling real-world payments in a compliant way, starting in the EU.
Sergiu Biris, CEO of xPortal, emphasized Sui’s performance and community as key reasons for the integration, while Greg Siourounis of xMoney highlighted the platform’s goal of bridging crypto with traditional finance.
The company plans to expand in the U.S. and introduce more enterprise services, which will be announced at the upcoming Sui Basecamp event.
TLDR: xMoney integrates with Sui, improving payment speed and multi-chain merchant access globally. zkLogin allows users to access blockchain services using social accounts for simpler onboarding. Merchants gain DeFi liquidity and capital to scale their operations efficiently and securely. Expansion strengthens xMoney’s global multi-chain ecosystem while maintaining MultiversX partnerships.
xMoney has expanded to the Sui blockchain to accelerate payments and merchant adoption. The move provides faster infrastructure, broader liquidity pools, and cross-border payment tools.
Sui’s zkLogin simplifies blockchain onboarding through social accounts like Google or Apple. The expansion complements MultiversX partnerships while enabling global reach.
Sui Integration Boosts Efficiency and Liquidity Sui offers deep liquidity, scalable infrastructure, and fast transaction processing for users and merchants.
These capabilities reduce delays and improve operational efficiency. Besides speed, Sui grants access to DeFi liquidity pools, supporting business growth and funding.
xPortal, a DeFi super app powered by xMoney, recently issued the first Sui-based payment card. This demonstrates practical adoption and ecosystem integration. Moreover, zkLogin allows users to join blockchain networks without complex wallets or private keys.
The integration opens additional capital sources for merchants, enabling faster cash flow and cross-chain customer access. Additionally, broader ecosystem participation allows businesses to leverage Sui’s DeFi financing while expanding revenue streams.
xMoney just plugged into Sui.
Faster rails, bigger reach, and payments that flow.
Let’s build the future of commerce and B2B invoicing. https://t.co/8b0nZ9x1rI
— Sui (@SuiNetwork) September 1, 2025
Benefits and Considerations for Users and Merchants Merchants benefit from access to new capital and DeFi liquidity, improving financial flexibility.
Consequently, businesses can scale efficiently across multiple blockchain networks. Users gain staking, loyalty rewards, governance, and continued cashback in EGLD while exploring Sui utilities.
However, managing multiple ecosystems introduces complexity and potential regulatory uncertainty.
Adoption depends on merchant and user willingness to transition to new tools. Despite these risks, stronger liquidity and cross-chain exposure support long-term sustainability and platform resilience.
xMoney emphasized that this expansion does not replace MultiversX but complements its ecosystem. EGLD rewards, merchant solutions, and xPortal partnerships remain active. Hence, global expansion balances growth with continued support for the original community
Conversations across the crypto space are circling back to blue-chip tokens, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin taking the spotlight. Data from on-chain analytics platform Santiment shows that top market cap cryptocurrencies are dominating the surge in social chatter, with discussions ranging from institutional adoption and ETF speculation to technical barriers and ecosystem growth. Alongside them, Strategy, Tether, and MultiversX are also attracting strong attention.
Bitcoin And Ethereum Dominating Attention Despite price resistance at $112,000 throughout last week, Bitcoin is still the most closely watched cryptocurrency by analysts and investors. According to on-chain analytics platform Santiment, Bitcoin is currently dominating among crypto investors thanks to extensive discussions about its long-term role as digital gold, a monetary network, and a hedge against inflation. Conversations focus heavily on its scarcity, institutional demand, and the importance of self-custody. Traders are also discussing Bitcoin’s liquidity in flash crypto offers that allow instant trading and spending across multiple platforms.
Ethereum is trending, with mentions also tied to its role in flash tokens and its utility across wallets and decentralized platforms. ETH discussions are based on its transferability and use in trading, staking, and gaming, while institutions continue to accumulate large volumes. However, the Ethereum price is also facing technical struggles in breaking above $4,500, having been rejected at $4,480 multiple times in the past seven days.
BTCUSD currently trading at $111,170. Chart: TradingView Strategy And Dogecoin Also Generate Social Buzz Strategy’s and its MicroStrategy ($MSTR) stock are also hot topics due to the company’s massive Bitcoin reserves and its reputation as a leveraged proxy for BTC exposure. Particularly, market chatter has picked up around its potential inclusion in the S&P 500, which could cause institutional buying and fund inflows. At the same time, discussions show that investors are debating whether MSTR shares or Bitcoin ETFs provide better exposure.
Unsurprisingly, the word “Dogecoin” is in the limelight due to multiple developments last week. Most of Dogecoin’s mentions are based on the upcoming Rex-Osprey Dogecoin ETF, which could become a historic first for Dogecoin ETFs in the US financial market. Furthermore, Trump-backed company Thumzup is expanding Dogecoin mining operations by adding 3,500 rigs. Despite choppy price action last week, Dogecoin managed to close above $0.21.
Tether ($USDT) also saw huge mentions last week after the company announced deeper investments into gold, with its reserves now exceeding $8.7 billion. The company aims to expand into mining, refining, and trading, with its CEO calling gold a natural bitcoin. Additionally, new token listings related to Tether are appearing on platforms like BitMart.
MultiversX ($EGLD), meanwhile, is facing a different kind of attention. Social discussions highlight concerns about dilution of its supply and the migration of projects to other chains like SUI, raising doubts about long-term use cases. However, there’s optimism on projects such as xPortal and xMoney, with hopes that buyback mechanisms and upcoming launches could bolster value.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
PANews reported on September 30th, according to BeInCrypto, that xMoney announced it had secured $21.5 million in strategic funding, led by the Sui Foundation and with participation from MultiversX. xMoney claims to have become a MiCA-compliant Licensed EMI and PCI DSS Level 1 certified institution, and is a principal member of Visa and Mastercard, serving over 5,000 merchants (including those in Liechtenstein). The company plans to launch its XMN token in early October and will develop buyback, liquidity, and value-sharing mechanisms. Officials stated that its stablecoin payment infrastructure covers debit cards, subscriptions, and cross-border settlements.
Crypto projects raised $351 million across 13 deals from September 28 to October 4, led by Flying Tulip’s $200 million seed round, as DeFi and finance-focused ventures dominated the week’s funding activity.
Summary
Flying Tulip raised $200m seed at $1b valuation, leading weekly crypto funding. DeFi and finance startups dominate $351m crypto funding across 13 projects. Payments and gaming projects like xMoney and AmbrusStudio secured millions. Here’s a breakdown of this week’s top announcements, according to Crypto Fundraising data:
Flying Tulip Flying Tulip, a full stack on-chain exchange, raised $200 million in a Seed round Backed by Brevan Howard, CoinFund, and DWF Labs, the startup has a fully diluted valuation of $1 billion. xMoney The payment infrastructure platform secured $21.5 million from various investors, including Sui Foundation and MultiversX (formerly Elrond). So far, xMoney has raised $31.5 million. Lava Lava raised $17.5 million ($27.5 million in total). Its backers include Peter Jurdjevic of Qatar Investment Authority, Bijan Tehrani of Stake, Zach White of 8VC, Saurabh Gupta of DST Global, Terry Angelos, formerly of Visa, and Aaron Suplizo, formerly of Block (previously Square). Today we’re proud to announce we've raised $17.5M in additional funding.
We’re also launching our newest product— earn up to 7.5% yield on your USD by funding bitcoin-backed loans on Lava.
2x more than a high-yield savings account, fully backed by BTC. pic.twitter.com/66TluZdkFZ
— lava (@lava_xyz) October 1, 2025 AmbrusStudio (E4C: Final Salvation) Gathered $15 million in an Unknown round E4C token is operating in Gaming, NFT, P2E, and Sports sectors Investment was backed by Capital Projects < $15 Million Ethena Labs, $14 million in an Unknown round KGeN (ex Kratos), $13.5 million in an Unknown round Talus Labs, $10 million in a Strategic round Yield Basis, $5 million in a Public sale Tea Protocol, $3 million in a Public sale BaseVol, $3 million in a Seed round Novastro, $2 million in a Public sale Nolan, $2 million in a Seed round Drake Exchange, $1 million in a Seed round
PANews reported on April 14 that, according to an official announcement, Binance will delist Utrust (UTK) from the spot market to support the project's rebranding plan to xMoney (XMN), and will list it on Binance Alpha.
Token Swap Details: According to the official announcement from the xMoney project team, the project offers users two options for swapping Utrust (UTK) to xMoney (XMN): Option 1 (No Lock-up): 3 UTK = 1 XMN; Option 2 (6-Month Lock-up): 1 UTK = 1 XMN. Binance users can swap UTK to XMN tokens according to the arrangements announced in the project announcement. UTK tokens deposited after 10:00 AM (UTC+8) on April 14, 2026, will not be credited to the user's account. If a user does not withdraw their UTK tokens from their account before 10:30 PM (UTC+8) on April 14, 2026, Binance will process the swap according to Option 1 (3 UTK = 1 XMN). Airdrop Details: In addition to the token swap program, Binance will provide exclusive airdrop incentives for eligible UKT token holders. For every 3 UTK tokens held, eligible users will receive an airdrop of 2 XMN tokens. Eligibility for the airdrop is defined as follows: 1. After 22:30 (UTC+8) on April 14, 2026, Binance will close trading and withdrawals of UTK tokens and airdrop tokens to users still holding UTK at a ratio of 3 UTK = 2 XMN. 2. Binance users holding UTK will receive XMN tokens in their Binance Alpha 2.0 accounts. Please view your token distribution history on this page. For users who cannot use Binance Alpha 2.0 due to national restrictions, the airdrop will be distributed to their Binance spot accounts, and a withdrawal-only mode will be enabled. The approximate distribution time is expected to be after 20:00 (UTC+8) on April 15, 2026. The specific listing time for the XMN token on Binance Alpha will be announced separately.
Immutable Games, the publisher of Ethereum NFT card game Gods Unchained, announced Monday that it will release an expansion pack called Dread Awakening, which will feature a crossover with the upcoming mobile role-playing game Guild of Guardians.
The Dread Awakening set, slated to drop on April 23, will include 148 cards minted on Immutable X, an Ethereum scaling network originally created by the publisher. Guild of Guardians, also from Immutable Games, is set to hold its global launch on May 15.
"This was a really fun expansion for us to work on because we've been able to lean into the creativity and lore of Guild of Guardians, while working really closely and collaboratively with a team that is quite literally sitting right next to me," said Gods Unchained Executive Producer Daniel Paez, in a release.
The expansion's "cosmic horror" theme “introduces new mechanics and cards that will reshape the meta and hint to a bigger world than ever imagined," the announcement added.
"What makes this even more exciting for me is the anticipation of things to come from this collaboration,” added Paez. “IP crossovers are just the tip of the potential we can unleash with web3 gaming—true game interoperability is right around the corner.”
Paez previously spoke with Decrypt’s GG about the potential for interoperability in blockchain games. Gods Unchained previously launched on Ethereum years back, but now uses Immutable X for cheaper and faster transactions. The game recently expanded to iOS and Android, with Immutable claiming a 60% jump in monthly active users.
Editor’s note: This article was written with the assistance of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Andrew Hayward.
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Immutable Games, a global leader in web3 game development and publishing, has announced the release of ‘Dread Awakening’, the next major expansion pack for their leading web3 trading card game, Gods Unchained (GU). The expansion, set to drop on April 23, will feature the first-ever crossover between Gods Unchained and the highly anticipated web3 game, Guild of Guardians, which boasts more than 1 million pre-registered players.
TLDR Gods Unchained (GU) announces the release of ‘Dread Awakening’ expansion pack, featuring the first-ever crossover with Guild of Guardians The 148-card set, dropping on April 23, introduces a Cosmic Horror theme and new mechanics that will reshape the meta The expansion follows the unleashing of the Dread from Guild of Guardians into the world of Eucos in GU Players can unpack packs, build decks, and battle on the go, following the successful mobile release of Gods Unchained in February GU has seen a 60 percent increase in monthly active users since its availability on iOS and Android devices The ‘Dread Awakening’ expansion pack follows the unleashing of the Dread, a malevolent force from the Guild of Guardians universe, as it spills over into the world of Eucos in Gods Unchained. The 148-card set introduces a Cosmic Horror theme, echoing the ominous developments in the universe, and debuts new mechanics and cards that promise to reshape the game’s meta and hint at a larger, interconnected world.
Gods Unchained Executive Producer, Daniel Paez, expressed his excitement about the expansion and the collaboration with the Guild of Guardians team. He emphasized that the IP crossover is just the beginning of the potential that web3 gaming can unleash, with true game interoperability on the horizon.
In addition to the new expansion, players can now enjoy Gods Unchained on the go, following the game’s successful mobile release in February. Since its availability on iOS and Android devices, GU has seen a 60 percent increase in monthly active users. Paez highlighted the growing demand for Gods Unchained and the company’s commitment to innovation, whether it be through launching on new platforms, devices, or introducing new game mechanics.
The ‘Dread Awakening’ expansion pack will be available for purchase on April 23 at 11:00 AM, Sydney local time. Gods Unchained can be played on desktop (PC or Mac) by downloading from the Epic Games Store, while the mobile companion app is available on Google Play and Apple’s App Store.
Oliver Dale
Editor-in-Chief of Blockonomi and founder of Kooc Media, A UK-Based Online Media Company. Believer in Open-Source Software, Blockchain Technology & a Free and Fair Internet for all. His writing has been quoted by Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Investopedia, The New Yorker, Forbes, Techcrunch & More. Contact [email protected]
Crypto as a whole is, I think, at something of an inflection point. With the recent “bull run” either on hold or cut short with prices below 2021 highs, the mounting crypto-speculative mania of the past decade seems to have settled down. That puts a premium on products that deliver, instead of just making big promises.
That includes blockchain-backed gaming, which has been on the horizon since the announcement of Ethereum, and which I’m happy to report is actually becoming a Real Thing. In the past, “blockchain games” have often been hasty cash-ins designed to entice speculators rather than players. But, as an embarrassingly experienced gamer who spent my childhood loading Doom from a DOS command line, I’m happy to report that blockchain games are now emerging fully-cooked: that is, many are at least as enjoyable as games that have nothing to do with crypto.
What follows is a lightning-round of quick reviews of a selection of blockchain games. Each game is judged on standard metrics of gameplay and graphics. But unlike more conventional games, blockchain games should also be evaluated for their onboarding experience and tokenomics.
Onboarding is significant because games are great ways to attract people without crypto experience, and hitting them with a laundry list of complicated tasks before they can play is a great way to lose their interest immediately. And tokenomics matter because they’re hard to get right, and the temptation for developers to be shortsighted and self-interested is strong.
Also worth noting: The reviews below are mostly based on fairly short play time (and few if any of these games are deep enough to demand more.) The reviews are also based on the current state of these games: Roadmaps and projections are all well and good, given the financial stakes, this is a “verify, don’t trust” situation.
Note: I had also planned on reviewing Nifty Island and My Pet Hooligan. But Nifty Island was offline for maintenance when I tried to log in. While My Pet Hooligan (which is in Early Access) looks and feels great offline, it’s a PVP shooter, and the game’s few servers weren’t cooperating when I tried to play.
Hamster Kombat (Mobile/Telegram)Onboarding: A
Gameplay: D
Graphics: A
Tokenomics: D
It’s new, it’s hot, it’s incredibly effective at what it was designed for – but Hamster Kombat isn’t really “a game.” At present, the only ‘gameplay’ proper is clicking one object for points, then spending those points to earn more points. If there’s any actual “Kombat,” it’s completely opaque to me as a new player. Instead, Hamster Kombat, where you play the role of a growth-minded CEO of a crypto exchange, gamifies social engagement, offering in-game “gold” for things like following and promoting the game’s X/Twitter account, or recruiting friends.
The scammy vibes of this pyramid-built-on-nothing element are impossible to ignore, but one thing can’t be denied – it’s working, driving the “game” to huge popularity (see Jeff Wilser’s recent feature on the growth of Hamster Kombat and other TON-based games. The tiny bit of gameplay is impressively addictive (I’m clicking right now …). And, in most other respects, Hamster Kombat is top-tier, with a flawlessly smooth interface and, most impressive of all, a truly effortless onboarding experience that’s integrated directly into Telegram. That both mutes the impression of scamminess, and leads one to believe promises that a real game will emerge from beneath this perpetual self-promotion machine.
Unfortunately, though, gameplay evolution seems to be a low priority for the devs for the moment. The Hamster Kombat roadmap includes gameplay upgrades like “Squad Kombat,” but by far the most focus is on an upcoming airdrop, with a token that is promised to be integrated into gameplay. It seems iffy to release your token before anything resembling an actual game, so between that and the fact that the financial tease is probably leading to a lot of people wasting their lives clicking on a phone, the hamsters get a “D” on tokenomics.
Pixels (Web Browser)Onboarding: C
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A+
Tokenomics: A
Proof that low-hanging fruit can be delicious. Pixels is a resource-gathering and building game, a bit like Farmville, but with a lot more style. Even the writing is good, in its cutesy way, which is really notable. There are also promised and plausible extensions into more active forms of gameplay, such as dungeons, but the simple harvest-cooking-sale loop is already satisfying in itself. There are definitely periods of downtime in the early game, but that’s what you’re signing up for – this is a game you can run in the background and check in on every once in a while (I’m making Popberry Jam while I write this).
The graphics and overall vibes of the game are also excellent. The game is designed in a nostalgic 8-bit style, one seeming reason that Pixels actually has NFT imports. You can play as your Pudgy Penguin or Bored Ape, and the Pixels team has guidelines that allow any collection to submit game versions of PFPs. This unambiguously rocks, increasing the value of the entire Web3 space, and reflecting what seems to be the team’s more general deep alignment with crypto ideas and values. At the same time, there’s an outright downplaying of the possibility of massive growth in token prices, which is equally refreshing.
In what will become a theme, however, I was annoyed by Pixels’ onboarding process, which frankly seems to directly contradict the care and values on display elsewhere in the game. While Metamask login is teased, it no longer works for new players, who must instead download and install a boutique wallet for Sky Mavis’ Ronin Network – an EVM chain that has its own flavor of Wrapped Ether (WETH), but otherwise seems to only handle assets on Mavis’ own Ronin Network. This is an illustration of a common misalignment of incentives in Web3 gaming: there are big incentives to use an attractive game to rope users into your niche network, instead of improving interoperability by using a more widespread public network. It’s a toxic dynamic the industry should be wary of.
Gods Unchained (PC, Mac, iOS, Android)Onboarding: B
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Tokenomics: B
It’s time for a horrifying confession: In 2019, I decided to spend money on Gods Unchained NFT cards instead of buying a Cryptopunk. I could have retired by now on a Punk or two, but it is illegal for anyone to make fun of me for my choices. (Mostly, buying a Punk was just incomprehensibly complex back then.)
In 2019, Gods Unchained was a concept rather than a working game, so I am ecstatic to report that not only has it become a game, it has become a really good game, with a blockchain use case that makes sense. It also has really solid user and trading metrics, with more than 200,000 holders recently trading over $250,000 worth of NFT-based cards per day. I also had great luck with matchmaking – casual queues are very short, indicating a lot of players are online actually playing, not just trading.
One possible criticism of Gods Unchained is that it’s, in essence, a copy of Hearthstone, the World of Warcraft-based CCG. Of course, there are other digital card games out there with similar-enough formats and gameplay, but GU has detailed similarities, down to the points and stats of specific (reskinned) cards. Honestly, though, there’s no real shame in that – Hearthstone is an incredible game, and, having familiar mechanics, makes GU quick to jump into.
Gods Unchained also looks and plays great, though its designs and illustrations are quite generic. Specifically, the way the game marks the rarity of cards is pretty opaque, muting one major fun part of playing a CCG.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t downsides. GU becoming part of the “Immutable Passport” ecosystem adds a seemingly pointless layer of intermediation. Why can’t I just sign in with Ethereum via Metamask, where my cards are, and which the game ultimately connects to anyway? Plus, Immutable itself uses Google or email login rather than its own wallet – which seems convenient until you remember this is an entirely superfluous step already. On the other hand, I was surprised by how smoothly I was able to connect back to my pre-Immutable GU account.
Finally, the tokenomics of Gods Unchained barely matter … and that’s great. You earn cards and packs for playing in a way that, again, will be familiar to Hearthstone players. And there are daily quests that can earn you $GODS tokens, which I would assume can be swapped for real money somehow. But, in stark contrast to Hamster Kombat, these are nice bonuses for playing a game that’s inherently rewarding – not bribes for endlessly clicking on a static image.
Guild of Guardians (iOS and Android)Onboarding: A
Gameplay: F
Graphics and presentation: D
Tokenomics: C
I’ll admit up front this is Not for Me, but somehow, this dungeon roguelite auto-battler with actual animation is less engaging than clicking a still image in Hamster Kombat. “Auto-battlers” strike me as bleak artifacts of our era, games that play themselves with the goal of producing player satisfaction without player effort or skill. In the case of Guild of Guardians, the only gameplay seems to be tapping a few heroic special abilities, if you feel like it – but you’ll “win” either way. I wrote this review while the game was playing for me, and I don’t think I missed much.
The game is also aesthetically janky as hell, from middling graphics to truly bad interface and design, and generally feels like it was built by contractors working to an investor spec rather than actual game designers. On the plus side, it was seamless to log in to, and I didn’t get a cringey crypto-based sales pitch. On the other hand, I can’t imagine any human ever caring about this game enough to connect a crypto wallet to it, and its backend tokenomics are utter boilerplate, with a vesting schedule that seems to privilege insiders.
Rumble Racing Star (PC, Mac)Onboarding: C
Gameplay: D
Graphics and Presentation: D
Tokenomics: F
One thing I noticed during these reviews is that many games built or backed in Asia still appear to be in a token-bubble mindset. The homepage of Rumble Racing Star is a good example, starting with an immediate pop-up encouraging users to spin a wheel and win obscure crypto tokens and NFT prizes. At the same time, I was unable to find any meaningful description of the game’s token design from the front page. Where you’d normally find a white paper there’s only a vague gameplay description.
Unfortunately, the game itself reflects this – it’s basic and, to be blunt, janky as hell. At its core it’s a Mario Kart knockoff with lawnmowers for carts, but the tracks, characters, and vehicles are uninspired, and worst of all, the controls are unreliable and “squishy.” This surely isn’t the last we’ll see of blockchain games that haven’t figured out that they have to be good games first – but hopefully, they’re a dying breed.
Gods Unchained Cards led CryptoSlam’s NFT sales board on Tuesday, with US$930,439.
The Immutable-based collection saw an influx of 7833 transactions.
This surge in sales has significantly impacted Gods Unchained’s all-time sales volume, which now sits at the 16th spot, behind Bored Ape Kennel Club.
In second place, Ethereum-based Autoglyphs recorded a total of US$858,764.77 in sales with only four transactions.
The third-ranking collection for the day, Bored Ape Yacht Club, saw a total of US$586,444 in sales.
The Ethereum-based collection now has an all-time sales volume of US$3.17 billion, which is second in the industry.
It trails the all-time leader Axie Infinity’s US$4.2 billion.
Other notable collections include Solana Monkey Business, which ranked fourth with US$539,249.33 in sales, and DMarket, which came in fifth with US$537,613.07.
Collections such as NodeMonkes and Bitcoin Puppets also made headlines with their sales figures, while π, a BRC-20 NFT, and DogeZuki Collection demonstrated the market’s breadth with their varied price points and buyer engagement.
Azuki, the anime-themed collection, rounded out the top performers for the day.
Gods Unchained, a digital collectible card game, topped CryptoSlam’s non-fungible token (NFT) sales chart on Wednesday for the second consecutive day, though it recorded a drop from the previous day.
Gods Unchained had over US$612,000 in sales on Wednesday, down from US$930,000 on Tuesday.
The Immutable network, where Gods Unchained resides, recorded over US$806,000 in total sales on Wednesday, which was the fifth in the industry.
Ethereum led all chains in NFT sales with US$4.37 billion.
The second-ranking collection for the day was DMarket on the Mythos network. The collection, which represents in-game items, had US$539,193 in daily sales across 26,277 transactions.
Solana Monkey Business took the third spot with daily sales of US$567,134 across 117 transactions. The Solana-based collection has been climbing the all-time charts.
It currently has US$207.7 million in all-time trades and is eyeing the 30th spot, now occupied by SATS, a BRC-20 NFT set, with US$211.4 million.
The Solana blockchain, hosting the Solana Monkey Business collection, reported total sales of US$3.13 million for the day, the second-highest sales tally among blockchains.
DogeZuki Collection on Solana came in fifth for the day with US$414,755 in sales, while c_HyPC on Ethereum came in sixth with US$338,791.
PeiPei, Gods Unchained, and Dymension are the top gainers among the most trending coins today. While PeiPei, Gods Unchained, and Dymension are trending for their price surges, Solciety is trending for its presale. The price of Solciety (SLCTY) started at $0.000963 and it is expected to reach $0.002167 by the end of the presale. PeiPei (ETH), Gods Unchained (GODS), Dymension (DYM), and Solciety (SLCTY) are making significant waves with their unique offerings and promising growth trajectories.
In this article we delve into what makes these tokens stand out, highlighting their distinctive features and potential for substantial returns in the current market.
PeiPei (ETH): merging memes with culture PeiPei (ETH) is a fascinating new entrant in the cryptocurrency market, blending the iconic Pepe meme with the rich tapestry of Asian culture.
This fusion creates a refreshing and captivating digital experience that resonates with a wide audience. PeiPei’s innovative approach to integrating cultural elements into the crypto space sets it apart from traditional meme coins, offering more than just a humorous investment.
The token’s recent performance underscores its potential. With a market cap of $149,403,116 and a 24-hour trading volume of $53,270,261, PeiPei has shown a remarkable surge in value.
Its price has increased by 17.90% in the last 24 hours and by an impressive 246.59% over the past 30 days. This growth trajectory indicates strong investor confidence and a robust community backing.
PeiPei’s unique proposition of combining meme culture with cultural significance appeals to a broad demographic, making it a compelling investment.
Solciety (SLCTY): bridging politics and memes At a time when there are too many PolitiFi tokens especially themed at former president Donald Trump, a new meme coin dubbed Solciety (SLCTY) is set to make a significant impact with its unique blend of political engagement and meme culture.
The token launched on the Solana network on June 18, and it merges politics and memes, offering a rallying point for individuals seeking a political home that resonates with their digital lifestyles.
Solciety features a Meme Campaigner, a tool that empowers users to create and customize memes. With over 200 traits, backgrounds, and fonts, users can craft memes that align with Solciety’s manifesto on the platform.
The platform incentivizes community engagement by rewarding users with presale tokens for sharing their creations, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of content creators.
The SLCTY token presale presents an opportunity for early investors to secure tokens at progressively increasing prices. When the presale started, SLCTY token was going for $0.000963 and is expected to reach $0.002167 by the final stage.
At press time, the token price had already risen to $0.002289 in the fifth presale stage out of the projected 15 presale stages.
Solciety’s strategic choice to launch on Solana, known for its high-speed transactions and low fees, positions it for success.
By capitalizing on current events and trending topics, Solciety bridges the gap between politics and meme culture, offering a unique and engaging investment opportunity.
Gods Unchained (GODS): revolutionizing gaming with blockchain Gods Unchained (GODS) is revolutionizing the gaming industry by integrating blockchain technology into a free-to-play tactical card game.
Led by the former game director of Magic: The Gathering Arena, Gods Unchained allows players to truly own their in-game items, providing freedom to trade, sell, and use their cards as they wish. This approach mirrors the ownership of physical trading cards, adding a layer of authenticity and value to the digital gaming experience.
The GODS token, an ERC-20 token, serves as the premium currency within the Gods Unchained ecosystem. It is used for creating NFTs, making in-game purchases, and participating in the marketplace.
This utility, coupled with the game’s competitive and strategic gameplay, has attracted a dedicated and growing player base.
Recent market performance highlights the token’s potential. With a market cap of $110,593,728 and a 24-hour trading volume of $36,000,179, GODS has seen a 16.66% price increase in the last 24 hours and a staggering 135.76% rise over the past week.
This upward trend reflects the game’s growing popularity and the increasing value of the GODS token within its ecosystem.
Dymension (DYM): pioneering blockchain integration Dymension (DYM) is making headlines with its innovative approach to blockchain integration. The recent launch of the Dymension Name Service (DymNS) has been a game-changer, offering a new user interface for seamless crypto interactions.
DymNS provides human-readable usernames, simplifying transactions across multiple blockchains and RollApps. This integration enhances the user experience, driving adoption and increasing the token’s utility.
Dymension’s Integrated Name Service is coming soon to revolutionize Crypto UX.
Learn more 🧵 👇 pic.twitter.com/PjRerXtvl0
— Dymension (@dymension) July 15, 2024
The DYM token has shown significant growth following the DymNS announcement.
Trading at $2.32, DYM has seen a 26.84% price increase in the last 24 hours and a 68.88% rise over the past week. With a market cap of $443,543,601 and a 24-hour trading volume of $99,575,854, DYM is positioned for further growth.
Analysts predict an 18% increase in the short term, potentially reaching $2.4.
Dymension’s commitment to enhancing transaction handling and integrating multiple blockchain platforms positions it as a leader in the crypto space.
The bullish market sentiment and technical indicators, such as the MACD and CMF, support the token’s continued upward trajectory. Investors seeking a promising and innovative blockchain project should consider adding DYM to their portfolios.
Conclusion In the ever-evolving cryptocurrency landscape, PeiPei (ETH), Gods Unchained (GODS), Dymension (DYM), and Solciety (SLCTY) have emerged as standout tokens, each with its unique value proposition and growth potential.
PeiPei combines memes with cultural significance, Gods Unchained revolutionizes gaming with blockchain, Dymension pioneers blockchain integration, and Solciety bridges politics and memes.
As these projects continue to gain traction, they offer compelling investment opportunities for those looking to diversify their portfolios and capitalize on the latest trends in the crypto space.
Gods Unchained stole the spotlight after topping the NFT collections ranking, courtesy of strong sales. GODS registered a ‘God candle’ as whales demonstrated an interest in the project. Play-to-earn game Gods Unchained [GODS] has experienced a surge in activity in the last two days as the crypto market enjoyed some bullish relief. This contrasted with the slow situation that has gripped the market for weeks.
Recent data indicated a strong uptick in Gods Unchained-related activity. This included transaction activity, especially in relation to in-game NFTs.
According to Cryptoslam.io, Gods Unchained had the highest NFT sales in the last 24 hours at $761,618. This represented a 12.76% uptick during the same period.
Source: Cryptoslam The number of Gods Unchained-related transactions rose by 68.65% during the same 24-hour period and to 89% in the last seven days.
Gods Unchained: Who is driving the momentum? The surge in demand for Gods Unchained NFTs correlated with the demand for the game’s native token. AMBCrypto’s analysis revealed that the robust momentum was whale-driven.
The large holders net flow metric revealed that large holders net flows surged by 952,830 GODS in the last two days.
Source: IntoTheBlock But how has this affected the GODS price? The token pulled off an impressive 221% uptick in the last seven days, with most of the gains occurring between the 15th and the 17th of July.
This aligned with the surge in NFT trading activity that we observed during the same period.
Source: TradingView Pump and dump, or the start of a major rally? GODS’ chart revealed that its price traded at $0.3696 at press time, which represented a 12.46% dip in the last 24 hours. So, there was some profit-taking after the bullish bounce this week.
The dip also signaled that the momentum might not be backed by continuous demand.
Zooming out on the price chart, AMBCrypto discovered that the massive price surge this week occurred after bouncing from near its lowest historic levels.
Therefore, we will continue observing to see if the recent whale activity may attract more attention towards the GODS token and the Gods Unchained game.
If so, there is a likelihood that the bullish momentum might be sustained for longer.
In summary, although the recent price surge and the associated demand for the GODS token has triggered some excitement, there is still a long way to go.
GODS peaked at $8.34 during the 2021 bull run, and it traded at a 95% discount from its all-time high at press time.
Therefore, the GODS token may offer significant gains for traders if it sustained robust bullish demand in the next few months. The fact the game is still registering healthy activity is a good sign.
Solana Monkey Business led the NFT market with a daily sales figure of US$971,164 on Thursday, according to CryptoSlam data.
Solana rose to the top of the NFT market after recording the third-highest sales volume on Wednesday, snapping a two-day streak of Gods Unchained leading.
Solana Monkey Business now has US$208.9 million in all-time sales volume, which is about US$2.5 million away from the sector’s 30th spot, currently occupied by SATS, a BRC-20 NFT.
The Solana blockchain, home to the day’s top-ranking Solana Monkey Business collection, witnessed a 4% increase in its daily sales, reaching US$3.23 million.
Ethereum led all chains with US$4.56 million.
The second-ranking collection for the day is DMarket, with a total sales volume of US$573,154, attributed to 3,137 unique buyers and 2,841 sellers. This collection, which operates on the Mythos blockchain, experienced a slight dip from the previous day’s sales of US$603,635.
Bored Ape Yacht Club, the NFT market’s second all-time leader in sales on the Ethereum blockchain, secured the third position with a daily sales volume of US$519,100.
Gods Unchained Cards fell to the fourth spot after leading the market for two days, while the DogeZuki collection came in at fifth.
Pudgy Penguins also made headlines with a daily sales volume of US$428,658, maintaining its position in the daily top 10 list.
Over the recent 7 days, the non-fungible tokens saw a significant rise in sales. The top NFT collections over this week in terms of sales take into account Solana Monkey Business, DMarket, DogeZuki Collection, Guild of Guardians Heroes, and Gods Unchained Cards. The well-known NFT data aggregator CryptoSlam has provided the respective ranking of the NFT projects.
Solana Money Business Maintains Its Top Position among the Top NFT Projects in Terms of Sales According to the platform, Solana Monkey Business took the 1st position among the NFT collections witnessing significant sales. In this respect, the non-fungible token collection recorded sales of up to $4,185,567 worth this week. This figure indicates a decline of nearly 18.42% in Solana Money Business’ sales over this period. The Mythos-based NFT collection DMarket witnessed $4,108,309 in terms of sales during this week.
CryptoSlam added that DMarket went through a dip of 0.54% in the recent seven days. After that, another Solana-based DogeZuki Collection occupied the 3rd place with sales of nearly $3,291,844 worth. Dissimilar to the above-mentioned two NFT collections, the DogeZuki Collection saw a rise in its sales rather than a slump. The NFT collection experienced a 3.12% in its sales this week. A week ago, the Gods Unchained Cards NFT was standing at the 3rd spot while DogeZuki Collection obtained the 4th position. Additionally, $?? BRC-20 NFT was the 5th on the list at that time.
Gods Unchained Cards Drops from 3rd to 5th Spot The Immutable-Zk-based Guild of Guardians Heroes obtained the 4th spot in the list with a sales volume of almost $3,099,078 worth. The NFT collection made a remarkable spike of up to 235.80%. The last entry in the list includes the Immutable-based Gods Unchained Cards. The NFT collection secured the 5th position with a sales volume of $2,766,701 worth. However, as per CryptoSlam, it went through a 21.12% plunge in sales over the above-mentioned time.
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Gods Unchained, the Ethereum NFT trading card game built on scaling network Immutable X, is set to release its latest expansion "Tower of Dread" on October 10, Immutable Games announced Tuesday.
The expansion features 40 new cards, including seven legendary cards with corresponding one-of-a-kind "Mythic" variants. It continues the game's narrative as players face off against the character Thaeriel in what the company describes as "the largest battle to date."
A key addition is a new gameplay mechanic allowing players to "destroy" their cards to earn points toward discounts on expansion packs. The release also includes two new game boards and trinkets themed around gothic horror.
A screenshot from Gods Unchained's Tower of Dread expansion. Image: Immutable Games"Tower of Dread marks another step in our continued march to make Gods Unchained into the game we all know it can be," said game designer Bryn Welch, in a statement.
🌿 Character Reveal: Narcilla, The Huntress 🏹
In the shadow of the Tower of Dread 🏰, Narcilla rules the Dreadwood, leading the Pursuers who guard the forest 🌲 and track all who approach.
“No one escapes the Dread.” 🌫️
6 down, 1 to go! 🤫 pic.twitter.com/at9BbZNO2U
— Gods Unchained (@GodsUnchained) September 30, 2024
Like the previous expansion, Dread Awakening, Tower of Dread continues the collaboration between Gods Unchained and another Immutable game, Guild of Guardians. The company has described the crossover as "the first steps towards full interoperability of a gaming ecosystem."
”As we continue to improve card text and refine our processes, our small team is excited to bridge the gap and tie into GoG and future IP collabs,” Welch added.
Gods Unchained is free to play across iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac with optional NFT cards available.
Editor’s note: This article was written with the assistance of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Andrew Hayward.
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