 Coinbase is set to launch a three-part animation series based on the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT project. The short films, called "The Degen Trilogy," will be produced by Coinbase, created and approved by Yuga Labs. More: - The animated series will debut during the NFT.NYC in June and will be based on the 10,000 Bored Ape NFTs and ApeCoin. The series will tie into Coinbase's NFT marketplace.
- Marketing director William Swann at Coinbase said, "We really look to [Bored Apes] as sort of our North Star in the NFT space. They've created such a massive and engaging community."
- The company will potentially collaborate with NFT holders to feature their characters in the upcoming film.
- BAYC NFT holders can submit their characters for consideration here.
- The Coinbase Wallet is not required to view the animated series but will be required to enter the film site.
- Bored Ape Yacht Club has made several new announcements this year, including the launch of the ApeCoin token on March 18 and the acquisition of CryptoPunks by BAYC's parent company, Yuga Labs.
Decrypt 
| |
The Biden Administration and Capitol Hill policymakers will target stablecoins for stricter regulations. A Republican committee member released a draft bill on crypto regulation last week and said: "Stablecoins are the logical place to start and the place where there's the most interest in starting." More: - Stablecoins have risen in popularity amongst crypto investors for trading other cryptocurrencies.
- The stablecoin market is valued at $185B, and lawmakers are looking for ways to regulate the broader $2T cryptocurrency industry.
- Various stablecoins now exist on the market, which grew 500% in value over a 12-month period.
- Lawmakers want to ensure that one stablecoin is redeemable for one dollar. Biden is looking to pass legislation that would treat stablecoins like banks, but how this new legislation will get passed is still unclear as the debates continue.
Washington Post
| |
 A message from DEFI SAVER Protect your MakerDAO vaults from liquidation using new strategies from DeFi Saver DeFi Saver introduced Automated Strategies. The major update of its flagship Automation feature, now provides new ways to stay safe from liquidation. Stop Loss, Take Profit, and Savings Liquidation Protection strategies are now finally available to MakerDAO CDP owners. Classical market order types in a trustless and non-custodial way. Famous for its Automation service, DeFi Saver saved thousands of DeFi positions from liquidation during big market crashes. It’s Automation provides automatic liquidation protection and leverage management when borrowing, lending, and leveraging DeFi assets. Stay safe with the most powerful MakerDAO CDP management dashboard in the entire DeFi ecosystem. Connect your trustless, non-custodial wallet and automate your DeFi management with peace of mind. Invest safely in DeFi
| |
 Circle announced a $400M funding round and a new partnership with American Investment firm BlackRock. The UDC coin issuer and peer-to-peer payments provider raised capital from Fidelity Management and Research, the London-based hedge fund Marshall Wace, and Fin Capital. More: - The partnership with BlackRock is aimed at a broader strategic cooperation, which will help the company explore capital market applications for the USDC coin.
- The fresh funding will be used for marketing efforts, including promoting the digital currency Circle. Co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire said:
- "This funding round will drive the next evolution of Circle's growth. It's particularly gratifying to add BlackRock as a strategic investor in the company. We look forward to developing our partnership."
Coin Telegraph
| |
 Cryptocurrency mining activity is thought to increase greenhouse gas emissions, which is clashing with New York State's environmental sustainability efforts. More: - Crypto's primary energy issue arises from the dominant method of mining coins, known as "proof of work."
- This process puts the New York grid under pressure as a tremendous amount of energy is used in the process, leading to greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel power plants.
- The mining process can lead to more than air pollution. For example, the cooling water discharged from Lake Seneca's Greenidge Generating Station is causing the lake to heat up (up to 108F) which is impacting local aquatic life.
- Environmental Protection Agency emissions data shows that CO2 emissions increased from 119,013 tons to 203,833 in three months from the facility.
- The energy consumption relating to bitcoin mining activity also complicates NY's effort to meet the Paris Agreement goal.
- President Biden has taken steps to study the effects of cryptocurrency mining and its environmental impacts.
What are some sustainable options for crypto mining? - Crypto mining can potentially be fueled by renewables as opposed to fossil fuels.
- Jack Dorsey's Block is partnering with Blockstream to develop Solar based crypto mining facility that will rely on Tesla's technology.
- Other options include a mass migration to "proof of stake," which will make transactions cheaper and less energy-intensive than proof of work.
The Ticker
| |
 A message from EQUITYBEE Finally, you can participate in the success of the startup you helped build. Equitybee connects startup employees to investors who are willing to fund the costs of exercising their stock options, so they can share the potential stock value when an IPO or M&A happens. And if the startup fails? You don’t need to pay back anything. Why is this so important? - Many startup employees calculate options as part of their remuneration packages - but most of them never exercise them and never get to enjoy them.
- The average employee needs $140K in cash to exercise fully. That’s not an amount most of us have just lying around.
Interested in learning more? Visit EquityBee
| |
An analyst has lowered Coinbase's (NASDAQ: COIN) target price per share to $150 from $190. The move comes as Coinbase loses ground to its rivals. More: - Crtypto.com and other rivals are gaining market share at a faster rate than Coinbase, causing Mizuho analysts to become "increasingly worried about looming retail pricing pressure and the long-term sustainability of COIN's business model."
- Crypto.com has launched aggressive marketing campaigns with partnerships in the sports industry, including naming rights to the former Staples Center, home to the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, and partnerships with UFC and LeBron James.
- Despite the analyst's position on Coinbase, the popular crypto exchange has been noted as the lowest risk marketplace for trading digital assets by CryptoCompare.
- Coinbase secured a premium AA rating for anti-money laundering and customer ID process.
- Vishal Gupta, head of Coinbase, said: "Coinbase Exchange provides global access to one of the deepest pools of liquidity of a regulated crypto spot exchange on over 165 assets."
Investing.com
| |
 Mastercard filed 15 crypto, NFT, and metaverse trademarks, signaling the firm's move into Web3 and crypto. The application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on a 1b basis, which means there is the intention to use them in the future. More: - The company filed for trademarks on April 7, including NFTs, payments processing in the metaverse, and a digital goods marketplace.
- Mastercard's trademarks include "downloadable computer software for facilitating the transfer of a virtual payment card to an electronic mobile wallet."
- The difference between 1a applications and 1b applications:
- 1a is created for "actual use," and 1b applicants do not require evidence that the trademarks are currently being used.
- In legal terms, 1b is called the "bonafide intent" to use the trademark at a future date.
- Other payment giants like Visa and American Express also filed similar trademarks.
- American Express defined the metaverse as a means for "transaction authentication services, routing, authorization and settlement services, and fraud detection and control services in the metaverse and other virtual worlds."
- Mastercard described it as "financial sponsorship of cultural events, charitable events, concerts, sporting events, travel experiences, fine dining events, festivals and awards shows in the metaverse and other virtual worlds."
The Block Crypto
| |
QUICK HITS - B2B businesses are switching to e-commerce. Now, it's your turn. Learn three persuasive approaches that communicate the value of digital to decision-makers.*
- Check out Chris Dixon's journey from crypto to becoming the world's top venture capitalist.
- Robinhood added Shiba Inu and other cryptocurrencies to its platform. Note: Inside.com's founder and CEO, Jason Calacanis, is an investor in Robinhood.
- A look inside Cathy Wood's crypto portfolio.
- Celsius will stop adding crypto interests on its trading platform.
- A new summer camp for kids includes cryptocurrency and Web3 education.
*This is sponsored content.
| |
Upcoming Events: - April 12 - Venturing in VC: Episode #15 with Katelin Holloway (Seven Seven Six) (Register Here)
- April 13 - Achieve 1M+ Record/Second Kafka Ingest without Sacrificing Query Latency. (Register Here) *
- April 14 - Shopping In The Metaverse (Register Here)
- April 21 - Why a Disaster Recovery Plan is Vital for SMBs (Register Here) *
- April 26 - Need To Know NoCoder - Gautam Nimmagadda (Quixy) (Register Here)
- April 28 - Alternative Investments 2: Crypto Safety Standards (Register Here)
- May 12 - Making Metaverse Dating a Reality (Register Here)
- May 19 - Understanding Fractionalization (Register Here)
- May 24 - Meet Our Fund 3 (Register Here)
- May 31 - Ethereum Merge with Anthony Donofrio (Ethereum) (Register Here)
- June 01 - Selling Consumer Goods in Web3 (Register Here)
- June 09 - Empowering Content Creators with No Code (Register Here)
*This is a sponsored listing.
| |
 |  | Gia Mattu is based in Calgary, Alberta. She is an entrepreneur with experience in climate technology, drones, AI, machine learning, and blockchain technology. When she's not working, she loves to hike the Canadian Rockies, try new cuisine, and travel. | | | | 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. | |
DeFi Saver is your one-stop dashboard for creating, managing and tracking DeFi positions. | |
| |
