 FTX has begun its move into the European market after gaining approval from financial regulators in Cyprus. FTX will offer its products to European clients by way of a licensed investment firm with passportable licenses across the European Economic Area. More: - The European Economic Area includes EU counties as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway
- FTX Europe will be headquartered in Switzerland.
- The new entity will be led by the partner of Swiss legal firm Crypto Lawyers LLC Patrick Gruhn.
- The Cyprus regulatory approval also gives FTX access to the Middle Eastern market.
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Ukraine has spent $15M of its crypto donations on military gear like bulletproof vests, food packages, bandages, and night-vision devices. About 40% of the suppliers accepted the crypto as payment, while for the rest, Ukraine had to convert the BTC and ETH into euros and dollars. More: - In addition to ETH and BTC, Ukraine has also received donations in Tether, Polkadot, Solana, and NFTs, with one being a CryptoPunk.
- Ukraine's two-year-old deputy ministry of Digital Transformation is the government entity responsible for managing crypto donations.
- The ministry has ~250 employees, mostly under 35 years old, and is led by former technology entrepreneur Alex Bornyakov.
- Ukraine has raised $50M in crypto, a figure it expects to double in the next 2-3 days.
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Axie Infinity is increasing its marketplace fees to 5.25% while it plans to redistribute extra revenue to the platform's creators. The fee increase debuted in parallel with the launch of "Creator Codes." When users use a creator's code on the Axie Infinity marketplace, 1% of that transaction's value goes to the creator. More: - Before Creator Codes, Axie Infinity had no formal mechanism to reward the platform's content creators, many of whom have been onboarding and educating new players while juggling 9-to-5 jobs.
- Axie hopes that the launch of creator codes will incentivize the creation of new social media content promoting the game.
- Axie commented that the increased marketplace fee would fuel increased marketing and growth initiatives.
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Internet personality and entrepreneur Tai Lopez launched a slew of NFTs that entitle their holders to various exclusive experiences. Lopez is one of the world's most infamous "hustle-preneurs," whose business is primarily based on selling courses about starting and running businesses. Lopez is often mocked on the internet but still has a rabid base of followers and students. Although the sales have all ended, some NFTs are available on secondary markets. The Tiers: - Lopez's NFT project, called Original Garage Social Club, is separated into three tiers: Silver, Gold, and Black.
- The silver card includes access to crypto, blockchain, DeFi, and NFT training and mentorship, or to a VIP section of his nightclub.
- The silver floor is around 0.4 ETH on OpenSea.
- With a floor price of 3 ETH, the gold card gives holders access to a range of experiences, including:
- Watch a movie with Tai Lopez and his friends;
- VIP table at a nightclub with Tai Lopez;
- NBA suite tickets with Lopez and friends;
- A group workout session with Tai Lopez.
- The black card is not currently available on secondary but gives holders access to a range of experiences, including:
- A 1-1 private jet trip with Tai Lopez;
- A 1-1 courtside NBA game with Tai Lopez;
- 1-1 private mentorship by Lopez;
- Play a 1-1 game of HORSE against Lopez for $10,000.
More: - Each card has its own specific benefit
- All provide access to courses, community, etc.
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Quick Hits - More than half of U.S. organizations said they currently spend $1M to $50M on AI initiatives every year, while another 15% are spending $51M or more, according to LXT’s new executive report.*
- Binance resumed euro and pound bank transfers.
- Fantom TVL dropped on reports that star developer Andre Cronje is quitting DeFi.
- Filings show Morgan Stanley holds at least $458M in Grayscale Bitcoin Trust shares.
- Virginia banks will begin offering Bitcoin custody services.
- Not getting what you need from your payments processing company? Maybe it’s time for a new one.*
*This is a sponsored post.
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 |  | Trevor Grant is an entrepreneur, investor, and writer based out of Chicago, Illinois. His primary area of interest is web3 venture capital, social tokens, and infrastructure. Other pursuits include screenwriting, yoga, and traveling. He holds a BS in biomedical engineering. Connect with him on Twitter @trevorisonline |   | | Editor | Aaron Crutchfield is based in the high desert of California. Over the last two decades, he has spent time writing and editing at various local newspapers and defense contractors in California. When he's not working, he can often be found looking at the latest memes with his kids or working on his 1962 Ford. | |
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