62 days ago • coindesk
Celo, Shopping for Blockchain Partner, Turns to the Delicate Issue of Money
A standalone blockchain, Celo is looking to migrate to become a layer-2 network atop Ethereum. The months-long selection process has started to look like "The Bachelorette," with teams behind the Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon and zkSync networks all vying to win the technology mandate.
212 days ago • cryptodaily
Ronaldinho’s Crypto Controversy: Soccer Star Misses Scam Hearing
Brazilian football legend Ronaldinho Gaúcho is embroiled in a cryptocurrency scandal, facing potential detention due to his alleged involvement in a pyramid scheme.
Missed Testimony and Legal Implications
The former football star's iconic status reportedly led to financial losses for numerous investors. As a result, he was summoned by the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies’ Financial Pyramids Committee to testify on August 24 regarding his alleged association with the companies 18kRonaldinho and LBLV.
However, adverse weather conditions disrupted his travel plans, resulting in the cancellation of flights to the hearing's location in Porto Alegre.
The committee has granted Ronaldinho another chance to testify, rescheduling the hearing for August 31. If he fails to appear again, authorities have warned that law enforcement agents could take more drastic measures.
Key Players and Allegations
Other than the former football player, the investigators are also looking into his brother Assis and business partner Marcelo Lara in their involvement in the venture. The firm, 18kRonaldinho, has been accused of orchestrating a cryptocurrency scam reminiscent of a pyramid scheme by allegedly promising daily returns exceeding 2%.
The company lured investors to commit at least $30 worth of cryptocurrency. These investors are now demanding approximately 300 million reais or $61 million for the damages incurred. They claim the venture deceived them through false promises and illegitimate use of Ronaldinho's name and image.
Ambassador or Accomplice?
Despite the allegations, Ronaldinho is maintaining his innocence in the matter. His legal team has contended that he was merely an "ambassador" for the company, asserting that his name and image were exploited without proper authorization. They argue that he was also a victim of the fraudulent operation, similar to many investors.
Despite Assis' claims that Ronaldinho has cooperated with investigations and provided clarifications to the nation's Public Ministry, lawmakers remain skeptical. They insist that Ronaldinho must testify in person to provide a firsthand account of his involvement.
However, this isn't the first legal issue Ronaldinho has faced. In 2020, he and his brother Assis were arrested in Paraguay for using forged passports. This incident, combined with Assis' involvement in the ongoing cryptocurrency investigation, raises questions about their credibility.
As the rescheduled hearing approaches, Ronaldinho's fate hangs in the balance. The authorities will scrutinize the football star's credibility and alleged role in the cryptocurrency scandal. Investors and fans alike await further developments in this unfolding controversy.
Many other football players and sportsperson have hitched their wagons to several crypto projects. Ronaldinho himself has several other projects brewing in the space.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
227 days ago • cryptodaily
Affyn Backs Singapore Government Initiative During F1 Singapore
Singapore-based Web 3 gaming firm Affyn is set to participate in the annual Grand Prix Season Singapore (GPSS), a 10-day event supported by the Singapore Tourism Board that culminates during the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix weekend. According to the team statement, Affyn entered a strategic partnership with GPSS to present a metaverse event to the fans of the Grand Prix.
"We are proud to partner with GPSS as it underlines Affyn’s intent to bolster Government initiatives and bring Web 3.0 development to the next level,” said Affyn CEO Lucaz Lee. “As the only official Web 3.0 company partnering with GPSS, an event supported by STB, it is an incredible opportunity to drive awareness of developments in the industry.”
The event, titled ‘Web 3.0 | Art Meets Metaverse’, is set to run on Saturday, 16th September 2023, at Suntec City’s Synthesis from 1 PM to 4 PM (local time). The event will include NFT exhibitions from artists around Singapore, a celebrity-hosted panel talk show and experiential zones that allow guests to delve into the metaverse.
With Singapore rising as a crypto hub in the East, the involvement of crypto in such a global sporting event blends well in maintaining its verve as the leading crypto hub in Asia. The event aims to educate non-crypto fans on the developments of the metaverse in the art world, dive into discussions on the state of the metaverse industry, interact during the exhibition and learn from experts via their talk shows. In addition, attendees can interact and share with other enthusiasts and dive into how blockchain and the metaverse affect art in the real world today.
In other news, Affyn-based gaming title Nexus World Land City will be launching its third wave of land parcels starting August 23. Players will have the chance to claim their land parcels in eight cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Manilla, Sydney, and Zurich.
Crypto companies’ relationship with F1 extends
Despite the recent departures of FTX and Tezos, who sponsored the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Scuderia AlphaTauri, respectively, crypto partnerships with F1 teams have grown, as evidenced by Affyn’s Singapore GP event. Earlier this year, British F1 team Williams Racing entered a strategic partnership with Kraken Exchange to launch a competition to see NFTs showcased around this year's Singapore GP.
Other crypto partners in F1 include Bybit, sponsoring Redbull Racing Team in a $150 million deal and Stake.com, an Alfa Romeo Formula One Team sponsor.
227 days ago • cryptodaily
Affyn Backs Singapore Government Initiative During F1 Singapore
Singapore-based Web 3 gaming firm Affyn is set to participate in the annual Grand Prix Season Singapore (GPSS), a 10-day event supported by the Singapore Tourism Board that culminates during the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix weekend. According to the team statement, Affyn entered a strategic partnership with GPSS to present a metaverse event to the fans of the Grand Prix.
"We are proud to partner with GPSS as it underlines Affyn’s intent to bolster Government initiatives and bring Web 3.0 development to the next level,” said Affyn CEO Lucaz Lee. “As the only official Web 3.0 company partnering with GPSS, an event supported by STB, it is an incredible opportunity to drive awareness of developments in the industry.”
The event, titled ‘Web 3.0 | Art Meets Metaverse’, is set to run on Saturday, 16th September 2023, at Suntec City’s Synthesis from 1 PM to 4 PM (local time). The event will include NFT exhibitions from artists around Singapore, a celebrity-hosted panel talk show and experiential zones that allow guests to delve into the metaverse.
With Singapore rising as a crypto hub in the East, the involvement of crypto in such a global sporting event blends well in maintaining its verve as the leading crypto hub in Asia. The event aims to educate non-crypto fans on the developments of the metaverse in the art world, dive into discussions on the state of the metaverse industry, interact during the exhibition and learn from experts via their talk shows. In addition, attendees can interact and share with other enthusiasts and dive into how blockchain and the metaverse affect art in the real world today.
In other news, Affyn-based gaming title Nexus World Land City will be launching its third wave of land parcels starting August 23. Players will have the chance to claim their land parcels in eight cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Manilla, Sydney, and Zurich.
Crypto companies’ relationship with F1 extends
Despite the recent departures of FTX and Tezos, who sponsored the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Scuderia AlphaTauri, respectively, crypto partnerships with F1 teams have grown, as evidenced by Affyn’s Singapore GP event. Earlier this year, British F1 team Williams Racing entered a strategic partnership with Kraken Exchange to launch a competition to see NFTs showcased around this year's Singapore GP.
Other crypto partners in F1 include Bybit, sponsoring Redbull Racing Team in a $150 million deal and Stake.com, an Alfa Romeo Formula One Team sponsor.
232 days ago • cryptodaily
Barcelona To Host Record-Breaking European Blockchain Convention on October 24
Barcelona, Spain, August 9th, 2023, ChainwireBarcelona is poised to host Europe’s largest blockchain event from October 24-27. European Blockchain Convention 9 (EBC9), scheduled to take place in the Catalan capital, will be the largest event of its kind for H2, 2023. It will also be the largest European Blockchain Convention since the event started in 2018 with an estimated 5,000 delegates.Barcelona will be abuzz on the last weekend in October as EBC9 comes to town and industry experts flock to the three-day crypto event. The conference also coincides with the highly anticipated El Clásico clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid.300 founders, CEOs, and industry experts will be in attendance to speak at European Blockchain Convention 9 including C-level execs from Nansen, Fidelity, Fabric Ventures, and Animoca Brands. In addition to senior figures from leading blockchain companies, there will be speakers from traditional companies including Banco Santander and Volkswagen. Senior personnel from Binance Labs and Galaxy Digital will also be in attendance.Victoria Gago, co-founder of European Blockchain Convention, said: “We have seen a significant increase in registrations and interest from exhibitors and sponsors alike after the overwhelmingly positive feedback we got from our previous edition. Building on that momentum, we are moving EBC9 to Fira Barcelona, a much larger venue. As the largest convention centre in Spain, it offers ample space for exhibitors, a greater variety of content, and more engaging experiences.”"We are extremely excited to bring together the worlds of TradFi, digital assets and web3,” shared fellow co-founder Daniel Salmeron. “The participation of so many traditional banks and financial institutions demonstrates their commitment and optimism about the future of crypto and digital assets.”The ninth edition of European Blockchain Convention will incorporate a diverse agenda that addresses regulatory challenges, CBDCs, privacy, the institutionalization of crypto, DeFi, sustainability, tokenization, and the ascent of AI.In addition to panel discussions and workshops hosted across three stages, the program includes a 3,000 sqm exhibition area for sponsors and exhibitors. There will also be AMA sessions with speakers, a 1-to-1 meeting area, and five themed networking lounges. Other events scheduled for EBC9 include an investor meetup, an art gallery, and the second edition of the EBC Start-up Awards.At the top of the side event list, there will also be a Hackathon where 200+ hackers, 30+ mentors and 20 teams are expected to participate in a 48 hours hackathon.To learn more about European Blockchain Convention, including sponsorship, ticketing details and the full list of speakers, visit the official website at www.eblockchainconvention.comAbout European Blockchain ConventionLaunched in 2018, European Blockchain Convention is the most influential blockchain event in Europe, connecting industry professionals, startups, and technology leaders. The event provides a platform for sharing insights, fostering collaborations, and exploring the vast potential of blockchain, crypto, and digital assets.ContactAleix Moreno [email protected]
244 days ago • cryptodaily
Missing Crypto Influencer’s Dismembered Remains Found In Suitcase
Authorities in Argentina have launched a murder investigation after a group of children discovered the dismembered body parts of missing crypto influencer Fernando Perez Algaba.
The influencer had been reported missing since the 18th of July.
Murder Investigation Launched
The remains of the influencer were discovered by children playing near a stream in the country of Argentina. According to the authorities, the children found a red suitcase while playing by a stream near the city of Ingeniero Budge in the Buenos Aires Province. The parents notified the relevant authorities, who, upon investigating the suitcase, discovered the missing influencer’s legs and forearm inside. They also discovered another arm floating in the stream. Later, the police also found Algaba’s head and torso.
Authorities were able to establish the identity of Algaba thanks to his fingerprints and the numerous tattoos on his body. A subsequent autopsy suggested that the victim was shot at least three times before the body was cut into pieces. Furthermore, the body parts were cleanly cut, suggesting the murder was a professional hit job.
An Extravagant Lifestyle
According to the authorities, Algaba had accumulated millions by renting luxury vehicles and selling cryptocurrency, making sure that he advertised his extravagant lifestyle to his over 900,000 followers on Instagram. Algaba was based in Barcelona but had been staying in Argentina since a week prior to his alleged murder. He had also rented an apartment for himself and was supposed to return the keys to the landlord on the 19th of July. However, the property owner stated that he failed to show up on the scheduled date or answer any phone calls.
The murder marks a tragic end for the influencer, known as Lechuga (Lettuce), to his friends. According to friends, Algaba had started working from the age of 14, selling sandwiches on his bicycle and working his way to purchasing vehicles, repairing, and then reselling them. The influencer’s hard work and dedication seemed to have paid off, as by the time he turned 24, he had a warehouse filled with high-end cars, motorcycles, and jet skis. He also founded a luxury car and jet ski rental firm in Miami before moving to Barcelona earlier in the year, and also opened a cryptocurrency trading office in Argentina, employing 25 people.
Everything Not As It Seems
However, the influencer’s rise to riches was not all that it was made out to be. Authorities in Argentina have already made one arrest in connection with the murder. While the motive is yet to be established, police believe that Algaba was murdered thanks to his numerous debts. According to Argentina’s tax agency, Algaba had racked up irrecoverable debts, and his company, Motors Lettuce SRL, was also in considerable debt and began bouncing cheques just a year after its 2018 opening. Algaba’s phone also had notes that revealed he had lost significant money on his crypto investments.
To make matters worse, the influencer had also reportedly upset the Barra Bravas, a violent Argentinean gang that is heavily involved in the country’s burgeoning football scene. The gang had reportedly been demanding that Algaba pay them a $40,000 loan. He had already warned his friends in a message, stating that if anything happened to me, everyone is already warned.
Not Involved With Criminals
The deceased influencer’s brother, Rodolfo Perez Algaba, denied that his sibling was involved with or had anything to do with criminal rings. He added that he was not a scammer as many claimed and was just a simple car salesman who did not do well with his Bitcoin investments. Rodolfo also stated that their father died when he was 17 and had left him an inheritance which Algaba used to start his business empire, suggesting that the influencer’s rags-to-riches story was not as it seemed.
The two brothers had not seen each other for months following an argument, with Rodolfo claiming that Algaba was under psychiatric treatment for an anxiety disorder. He also appealed to the authorities to apprehend the individuals involved in his brother’s murder, stating in an interview with local media agencies,
“I’ve been here for three days and hardly sleep, thinking, breaking my head, how could this happen. But I’m not going to sit still. I’m not going to do justice with my own hands, but I hope that justice will be done.”
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
251 day ago • cryptodaily
Worldcoin Completes Migration To OP Mainnet
Sam Altman-founded Worldcoin has completed its migration to the Optimism ecosystem, with critical components such as the World ID and World App technology stack already migrated to the OP mainnet.
The project announced the news on Twitter, adding that user migration is currently ongoing.
A Significant Step
The Worldcoin Foundation (Worldcoin’s initial steward) and other early contributors, such as Tools for Humanity (Lead Software Contributor), had announced a collaboration with the Optimism Collective. As part of the partnership between the organizations, the World App and the World ID protocol would migrate from Polygon to the Optimism mainnet. Worldcoin Foundation and Tools for Humanity had stated at the time,
“With more than 1.6 million sign-ups in beta and 500,000+ monthly active World App users, the deployments on OP Mainnet will expand access and help Worldcoin reach a values-aligned ecosystem of developers and users.”
With the World App and World ID migration to Optimism complete, World App has now begun the process of user migration from Polygon to Optimism, intending to scale Web3 identity and governance on the Optimism Superchain. World App users and World ID holders will see a plethora of changes, such as the Worldcoin protocol migrating to Ethereum to support World ID. Additionally, a majority of Safe wallets have been deployed on the OP mainnet, with the remainder set to be deployed on user-initiated migration. Following the migration, World App also supports Uniswap on the OP mainnet.
A Boost For Optimism
Worldcoin believes that the migration of World ID to the OP mainnet could significantly boost the capabilities of Optimism’s Citizen House. Citizen House works in tandem with the Token House to govern the larger Optimism Collective. World ID could also help enhance Optimism Collective’s AttestationStation, a shared database designed to make the verification of information easier, and creates a strong network of trust on OP chains within the Superchain.
World ID SDK Publicly Available
Worldcoin has also made its World ID software development kit (SDK) publicly available to developers through a limited waitlist. Worldcoin’s World ID software development kit has been critical in building over 100 projects, including flagship integrations such as Okta’s Auth0 and Talent Protocol. The former is a global authentication and authorization platform, while the latter is a social and economic platform designed for Web3 builders based in Europe.
The World ID software development kit includes a developer portal, web widget (JS), development simulator, and a comprehensive guide. Thanks to its permissionless architecture, it can support open identity standards and currently supports OAuth 2.0 and OIDC (OpenID Connect). There are plans to introduce support for Verifiable Credentials (VCs), Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs), and Sign in with Ethereum (SIWE) in the near future.
Just last week, Worldcoin hit a significant milestone, registering 2 million World ID signups in its beta phase. The signups are an indication of World ID’s global reach and appeal, with users registering from several cities, such as Buenos Aires, New York, Berlin, Barcelona, Tokyo, and Seoul.
Optimism’s Superchain
Optimism’s Superchain is a network of Layer 2 solutions that share security and communication layers. Worldcoin began its collaboration with Optimism almost a year ago when they jointly contributed to EIP-4844. This Ethereum improvement proposal looked to improve Ethereum’s scalability beyond what was achievable with current Layer 2 networks. According to Worldcoin, EIP-4844 would reduce Layer 2 fees by a factor of 10. At the time, Worldcoin had noted,
“EIP-4844 is now expected to be included in the next hard fork of Ethereum. Its potential to accelerate adoption in the Optimism ecosystem could also enable a significant boost in World App transactions across Ethereum L2s with the World App wallet’s migration to OP Mainnet.”
World ID and World App’s migration to the OP mainnet is the latest step in realizing Optimism’s Superchain vision.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
254 days ago • cryptodaily
The altcoins that moved today
With bitcoin flat and slightly down on the day, the same could be said of the altcoins, with the exception of just a few.
A flat bitcoin
Bitcoin remains in its sideways accumulation as it has done for the last three days. The market is waiting for that next big move, and whether this is to the upside or the downside is still to be decided.
The fact that the king of the cryptocurrencies made another higher high is all to the good, and even if there is a dip to $28,000 or thereabouts a higher low will have easily been put in.
Others.D
The high end of the crypto market has had a flat day so far, but this is not the case for certain altcoins lower down. The Others.Dominance chart is the market cap of cryptos excluding the top ten cryptocurrencies.
This chart is 13.3% up for the day so far compared with slightly negative percentages for other Total market caps. So with such a good move to the upside for this section of the market, which were the alts that made the most percentage gains?
$SUSHI
Sushi ($SUSHI), one of the main competitors to Uniswap, has put on 11.9% thus far. A double bottom looks to have been found at $0.48, and today’s rise to $0.76 has met $0.80 but has since returned to hopefully flip resistance into support at $0.76.
$CELO
Celo ($CELO), the mobile, carbon negative, EVM-compatible blockchain ecosystem has also risen just over 11% up to now. The decent move upwards here is probably due to the announcement that Celo devs will migrate the blockchain from a layer1 to a layer2-based on OP stack, improving security and bringing more use cases to ethereum.
Celo has found its own double bottom which fell as far as $0.34. An uptrend has still not formed, but a range between $0.41 and $0.91 is currently being adhered to.
$1INCH
1inch ($1INCH), another decentralised swaps exchange like Sushi and Uniswap, was perhaps the biggest mover of the day, reaching $0.59, which equated to a 36.8% rise before retracing nearly all of those gains back down at $0.43. This surge came on the back of a 29% growth over the previous two days, so perhaps traders decided to take profits on this one.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.