 Coinbase announced a beta NFT marketplace with social engagement that allows users to create online profiles and buy and sell NFTs. More: - More than 8.4 million email addresses were on the waitlist for the marketplace, which will become available to users 18 years and above.
- The platform will resemble a cross between OpenSea and social media platforms.
- Sanchan Saxena, VP of product, noted that the crypto space is built upon the community to allow user engagement and interaction with other platform users.
The focus is on building community - "When you create a community, they're your advocates. As a single creator, I don't have a big team. So the people that share your vision, your long-term goals, those are the people you want to have engaged with you … NFTs are inherently a social thing," says Lucrece, an NFT creator on Coinbase’s platform.
- The platform also operates with the principle that users and lawmakers decide "the law of the land."
- The company also plans to "decentralize more features," such as users' comments in the near future.
Coin Telegraph 
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 ApeCoin prices soared to $16.72, a 36% increase, as Yuga Lab's metaverse land sale rumors began circulating in the crypto community. More: - ApeCoin (APE), the BAYC Ethereum-based token, rallied on Wednesday, and according to Cointelegraph, the price climbed 55% in three days.
- Other factors that may have caused the token to jump in value include:
- ApeCoin got listed on the Gemini exchange, but most likely, it's due to the rumors of the upcoming metaverse called Otherside.
- Otherside is an MMORPG game that will allow users to employ their NFTs as avatars.
- A leaked company presentation shows that Yuga Labs is expected to generate $178M by selling digital plots of land.
- The project's land sale will also include airdrops for people that own BAYC and other Yuga Labs NFT collections.
- APE is managed by ApeCoin DAO, which is affiliated with BAYC and not Yuga Labs.
Decrypt
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Claim your playbook
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 Update: This week, we read about Beanstalk losing $182M cryptocurrency in a matter of seconds. So what happened? Let's take a closer look at how the events unfolded. More: - The attack was possible because the bad actor borrowed $80M in cryptocurrency, which allowed them to buy majority voting rights in the DAO that controls Beanstalk.
- The rights allowed them to approve the actions needed to take the money.
How did someone take out an $80M loan? - The attacker took out a flash loan that allows you to borrow any available assets without putting up collateral.
- Flash loans are special transactions that allow borrowing on an asset, as long as it is returned (with a fee) back to the protocol within one block transaction.
- Only developers with the right technical know-how of EVM, programming, and smart contracts can use this feature.
- Developers can access the liquidity of the pool but only for reserves for which borrowing is enabled.
- It's important to note that in flash loans, the lender assumes no risk because the loan cannot be made without being repaid, and the lender also collects a fee.
- The attacker then passed an emergency resolution to steal the funds in seconds. Then sold the rights, returned the loan, and began transferring the money to themselves.
- A proposal had to be submitted, and in this case, it said "donate $250K to Ukraine," which triggered extra contracts.
The Guardian
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The Sandbox, the Ethereum-based blockchain play-to-earn game, is looking to raise $400M at a $4B valuation from both existing and new investors. The new funding will enable the company to expand beyond just gaming. More: - The metaverse platform allows its users to buy, sell, and trade digital assets in the virtual world.
- The company also released iOS, Android, and Windows versions of a game that allows users to create their own metaverses.
- Users buy non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that represent either a plot of land or any other digital item.
- HSBC also bought a plot of virtual land in The Sandbox, and the company has several partnerships with celebrities like Snoop Dogg, retail brands, The Walking Dead, and more.
- In late 2021, the company raised $93M from Softbank's vision round in a Series B round. Other investors that participated in the round include True Global Ventures, Square Enix, Galaxy Interactive, and Angelhub.
Coin Desk
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Purpose Investments Inc launched the Purpose Crypto Corner, a hub to educate investors and advisors about cryptocurrency investments. The firm also plans to launch a Purpose Ether ETF, which will give investors access to promising crypto projects. More: - The Bitcoin ETF will be launched in Australia in partnership with Cosmos Asset Management end of April.
- Since the announcement, the price of ether has been volatile, and the team remains optimistic about the prospects of Ethereum.
- Purpose Ether ETF has become popular among retail investors and institutions alike.
- It's gaining the popularity and trust of investors because of its ability to accurately track the performance of the underlying ether tokens.
- The tracking capability gives the fund a competitive advantage over futures-based products and non-redeemable trusts.
Yahoo Finance
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Plutonians, a Solana-based NFT game, announced the launch of two new tokens on April 19 in an effort to accelerate the development of its metaverse ecosystem. More: - Plutonians, an RPG built on the Solana blockchain, is launching tokens, PLD and RPC, to offer digital assets in the metaverse.
- The two tokens will have a total supply of 350 million and 35 billion; however, during launch, it will only unveil 4.5 million for PLD and 450 million for RPC.
- The company is partnering with Aldrin Labs and will use its Buzz Solana wallet.
- Ahead of the launch, Till Meyer, CTO of Plutonians, said, "To qualify as a metaverse, you need three things: VR capability, compatibility, and blockchain persistent state. Plutonians is one of the only projects out there that hits all three."
- PLD token will be sold at $0.125, and RPC will go on sale for $0.00125.
Block Telegraph
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- Emirates, a UAE-based airline, is to launch its very own NFT.
- Cardalonia raised $420,000 for its NFT-powered metaverse.
- Inside Meta's proposal to charge a 47.5% fee for NFTs.
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 |  | 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. | |
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