Our weekly updates are put together by folks deep in the crypto scene, giving you a clear picture of what's happening without overwhelming you.
To Watch This Week
AIRDROPS + ALPHANov 19, 2024
Markets
Hedera Price Jumps 29% on Rumors Brian Brooks Could Get Another Trump Nod
Imagine the price action if Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler joined the board of a crypto project. Well, maybe that's not plausible. But crypto traders have got themselves fired up over rumors that a current crypto board member could be in the frame to replace Gensler at the SEC. The price of Hedera's HBAR token shot up 29% in the past day on rumors that board member Brian Brooks, who was briefly CEO of Binance.US, has landed himself on the shortlist to take over as he...
Oct 11, 2024
Business
Karate Combat Launches Layer-2 Network to License Game Model to Other Sports
Fighting organization Karate Combat is set to launch a Hedera layer-2 network called UP in Q1 2025. This will enable the league to license its “Up Only Gaming” tech stack that powers its app to other sports, leagues, and projects—maybe even meme coins. Karate Combat, which counts MMA legends Bas Rutten and Georges St-Pierre as ambassadors, has grown in popularity in recent years thanks, in part, to its push into crypto and its token-hungry user base. Karate Combat’s mobile and web app allows us...
Apr 24, 2024
Markets
Hedera Jumps 113% Amid BlackRock Confusion
One of BlackRock’s funds has been tokenized on Hedera, a distributed ledger akin to a blockchain, according to a Tuesday announcement. This news led to the price of Hedera’s HBAR token skyrocketing 113% in the 12 hours that followed the announcement, according to CoinGecko. But now the price is dropping as more precise details emerge and BlackRock denies a direct link to the move. Digital asset exchange Archax has expanded its range of tokenized fund shares to now offer BlackRock’s ICS U.S. Trea...
Mar 23, 2024
Business
Why Karate Combat Is Risking It All on Crypto
Karate Combat has professional fighters, former UFC champions, and crypto influencers facing off in fast paced fights with minimal rules—while over 40,000 users bet on who will win. The league has been running fights since 2018, but over the past year has slowly garnered more and more attention, all culminating with its most recent fight—where beleaguered influencer Ben “BitBoy” Armstrong faced off against More Light, the founder of meme coin HarryPotterObamaSonic10Inu. Through the use of no-lo...
Apr 19, 2023
Coins
Karate Combat Secures $18 Million for Crypto-Driven Martial Arts
The future of martial arts is more than just wax on, wax off. In a move that would make Mr. Miyagi proud, Karate Combat has landed an $18 million funding round to realize its vision of tech-enhanced full-contact sports. Launched in 2018, Karate Combat mixes full-contact karate with immersive computer generated environments and extended reality (XR) technology using the Unreal Engine from Epic Games. Investors joining fund lead Bitkraft Ventures in the raise include Delphi Digital, The Operating...
Feb 3, 2022
Gaming
Gaming Giant Ubisoft Dives Further Into Crypto With Hedera Network
Ubisoft’s recent move to launch Tezos-powered in-game NFT items to its games might have been met with pushback from gamers—like many recent gaming-centric NFT projects—but that isn’t stopping the publisher from making more moves in the crypto industry. Today, the firm announced that it has entered into an agreement with The HBAR Foundation to support the growth of the Hedera network. Ubisoft will join the Hedera Governing Council and have a say in the future of the network, as well as operate a...
Jul 1, 2021
Business
NBA’s Spencer Dinwiddie Raises $7.5 Million for Crypto Social Token App
Brooklyn Nets player Spencer Dinwiddie has been one of the most outspoken advocates for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in professional sports, even selling tokenized shares of his NBA contract in 2020. Earlier this year, Dinwiddie launched a new crypto app called Calaxy, designed to help fellow athletes and celebrities sell social tokens to their fans. Today, the startup announced that it has raised $7.5 million in funding to build out the platform and grow its team, and it has brought some other f...
Feb 10, 2021
Technology
NBA’s Spencer Dinwiddie Dishes on His Crypto-based App for Creators
Spencer Dinwiddie, a guard with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, first bought into Bitcoin in 2017. Now he’s helping athletes and performers make their own cryptocurrency tokens. The power of decentralized technology to create both “trust and transparency” and a “seamless flow of value” inspired him to take the concept to the entertainment industry, where athletes in particular struggle to make the most of their fame before it flames out. The result is a tokenized social ecosystem built on Hedera Hash...
Jan 25, 2021
Technology
How Hedera is Ensuring the Safety of Pfizer’s COVID Vaccine
The first wave of COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out globally, with an estimated 65 million doses already administered according to Bloomberg. It’s a sign of relief for many the world over, but some of the vaccines require very careful handling and storage to be viable. The first vaccine approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), co-developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, must be kept at a temperature between -80°C and -60°C in cold storage, and between 2°C and 8°C for up to fiv...