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Collection of fine South African wines sold as NFTs

South African fine wine collections were recently sold as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with one lot selling for $79,000. Immediately after the auction, two lots were paid for with bitcoin.

Many exceed estimates

Collections of fine wines made by some of South Africa’s top producers have been sold as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in what has been described as a first for the country’s wine industry. At the auction, which was run by art auction house Strauss & Co, some lots, such as Klein Constantia’s Vin de Constance vertical collection from 1986-2027, sold for $79,000 (R1,251,800).

Other lots that exceeded estimated prices include winemaker Meerlust’s “50-year-old vertical of the famous Rubicon,” which sold for $68,000. Vilafonté Series C 2003-2027 raised over $36,000 while Mullineux Olerasay 1-20 would have raised $20,000. Kanonkop Paul Sauer’s 2000-2025 collection sold for $16,000.

Protecting South Africa’s Fine Wine Heritage

Speaking after the sale, Roland Peens, fine wine specialist at Strauss & Co, said:

This is a huge step towards securing South Africa's fine wine heritage! These pristine old bottles are now safe on the blockchain for future transactions and fun. We believe this new technology is the most powerful way to package and market vintage wines, especially when provenance is so vital.

A statement issued after the sale said that while each collection is an NFT, the individual bottles will also be “minted” as NFTs and “can be withdrawn or exchanged at any time on any NFT platform worldwide.” Immediately after the sale, two lots were paid for with bitcoin, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the release revealed that a total of $6,000 was raised simultaneously for charities that are critical to the South African wine industry.

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Coinbase wants to make a $3 billion acquisition of Turkish cryptocurrency exchange

Major US crypto exchange Coinbase is in talks to buy BtcTurk, a Turkey-based digital asset trading platform.

In a new report, Turkish publication Webrazzi says that Coinbase could buy BtcTurk for $3.2 billion.

Negotiations are at an advanced stage and the two companies have already signed a term of commitment. At over $3 billion, the acquisition is about a tenth of the current market capitalization of the US cryptocurrency exchange.

BtcTurk was started in July 2013 by Kerem Tibuk, according to the Crunchbase business database.

Cryptocurrency tracking platform CoinMarketCap ranks the Turkish exchange at position 70, with a score of 4.6 out of ten. Coinbase, on the other hand, is second only to Binance with an exchange score of 8.3.

BtcTurk manages only a fraction of Coinbase’s trading volumes: roughly $183 million in the last 24 hours versus the US crypto exchange’s more than $2 billion.

Reports of Coinbase’s efforts to acquire BtcTurk coincide with the US crypto exchange’s announcement that it was recruiting a country director for Turkey who would be responsible for driving the growth of the business.

Less than 12 months ago, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the US crypto exchange’s goal was to expand internationally and “increase the reach of cryptocurrencies by enabling secure and easy-to-use on-ramps across all markets.” countries in which we can operate”.

Earlier this month, Coinbase debuted cryptocurrency trading on its platform in India, where it was already an investor in two of the country’s largest digital asset exchanges: CoinDCX and CoinSwitch Kuber.

Earlier this year, Coinbase acquired futures exchange FairX for an undisclosed amount. Coinbase’s other recent acquisition was crypto security firm Unbound Security, which was completed in December 2021.

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Crypto Firm Exmo Leaves Russia and Belarus Selling Part of Its Business

Russia-linked cryptocurrency exchange Exmo will no longer provide services to users in Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

London-based crypto exchange Exmo is the latest crypto trading platform to formally suspend its business in Russia and Belarus due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Exmo is selling its digital assets business in Russia and Belarus to a Russia-based software development company, Exmo officially announced on April 18. At the time of this writing, the new owner and size of the company have not been disclosed.

“Unfortunately, we can no longer keep the high-risk part of the business, as a global group does not want to put global expansion plans at risk by keeping high-risk markets in its structure,” Exmo CEO Serhii said. Zhdanov. he told Cointelegraph.

The deal includes Exmo’s client accounts in Russia and Belarus, as well as local trust systems, Zhdanov said. The technical code of the platform is not sold and belongs entirely to the Exmo group.

As part of the deal, Exmo’s beneficial owner, Eduard Bark, will also leave the company, transferring his stake to Zhdanov.

In addition to Russia and Belarus, the deal also includes Exmo’s business in Kazakhstan, as the new owner’s team is based in Kazakhstan. The undisclosed buyer owns a Russian software development company and a Kazakhstan-based legal entity for a cryptocurrency exchange, the CEO noted.

“We put a lot of effort into the Russian part of the business, so we can assure you that it is now in good hands. The new owner not only follows the roadmap we created earlier, but will also reach new heights much more easily. We made this decision for the benefit of both parties,” Zhdanov said. The company said it will not penalize ordinary people or block accounts due to the sanctions in mid-March.

As part of Exmo’s exit from Russia and Belarus, Exmo amended its user agreement to state that Russian, Belarusian, and Kazakh residents will no longer be integrated into its platform. The exchange deactivated Russian ruble trading pairs on April 15.

Exmo is a major cryptocurrency exchange founded by Russian entrepreneurs Ivan Petuhovski and Pavel Lerner in 2013. The company’s departure from Russia will have a significant impact on the exchange, as Russia was one of its main markets, Zhdanov admitted, stating:

“A significant part of our business was located in Russia. We will have a revenue reduction of around 30%. However, in the long term, we are confident that this will accelerate our exponential growth and allow the company to become a unicorn in the next three years.”

“We consider going back when Russia is no longer classified as a high-risk country,” Zhdanov said.

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NFL’s First Crypto Partnership: Dallas Cowboys Partner with Blockchain.com

The Dallas Cowboys strike the first cryptocurrency deal in NFL history with Blockchain.com, becoming the team’s “exclusive digital asset partner”.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and Peter Smith, CEO and co-founder of Blockchain.Com, emphasized the implementation of cooperation, which could lead to Blockchain.com being an “exclusive digital asset partner”.

Related Reading | Crypto.com is the official sponsor of the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Blockchain.com will be able to take advantage of promotional and branding opportunities and develop a space at AT&T Stadium with social and digital integration rights and access to radio, television and digital as a result of this commercial agreement.

In his statement, Jones said;

When you get the chance to really dive into the kind of future you have in the digital world, I wanted the Dallas Cowboys to be a part of that future in every way possible.

Blockchain.com is one of the oldest and most trusted digital asset platforms in the world. According to Jones, “they are bringing Wall Street to Main Street, making digital assets available to anyone, anywhere in the world.”

Since its inception in 2011, Blockchain.com has grown to host over 80 million customers in 200 countries with $1.2 trillion in digital transactions.

The Cowboys Are Making Big Business With Blockchain.com

Minutes of the Cowboys collaboration also include Blockchain.com, a digital exchange that would provide exclusive benefits such as fan experience and prizes. In addition, events held by players, video games and VIP trips are some of the rewards of the promotion.

According to Smith, Blockchain.com preferred the Cowboys because of their excellent experience in sports brands.

In a statement, Smith noted;

Having grown up in rural America, where football is deeply rooted in culture, I am incredibly honored to join forces with the world's most valuable sports franchise and the Jones family, who have dedicated their lives to building a world-class franchise.

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most valuable sports franchises in terms of a $6.5 billion valuation. Additionally, Jones pioneered corporate sponsorships tied to his team, making them an excellent choice for selecting a shipping brand.

Bitcoin Trying to Hold $40,000 Support Level Down 1.72% | Source: Tradingview.com BTC/USD chart

Sports fans are a sensitive audience for digital currency, and cryptocurrency companies are becoming major sports advertisers and sponsors. For example, the Super Bowl garnered 101 million viewers in the United States and included promotions on five cryptocurrency exchanges.

Related Reading | Denver Broncos: These Crypto Fans Are Rushing To Get $4 Billion To Own The NFL Team

The purchase of the naming rights to the former Staples Center in Los Angeles, the King Hockey team, the Lakers and Clippers basketball teams and the Sparks women’s basketball team last year was Crypto.com’s biggest deal. According to Los Angeles Times reports in November, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange paid over $700 million for twenty-year naming rights.

Last month, Crypto.com was named a unique digital currency trading platform during the FIFA World Cup, which is believed to be the biggest nomination deal in the history of the sport.

In October, the NBA signed its first sponsorship deal with Coinbase.com.

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Amazon CEO: Crypto Will Get Bigger, NFT Will Grow ‘Very Significantly’

The CEO of e-commerce giant Amazon is bullish on cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). He says that over time, cryptocurrencies will “get bigger” and NFTs will continue to “grow very significantly.”

Amazon CEO accepts cryptocurrency payments and sells NFTs

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy discussed cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in an interview with CNBC on Thursday. Jassy replaced Jeff Bezos as chairman and CEO of Amazon in July of last year. Previously, he led Amazon Web Services (AWS) from its inception in 2003.

On whether Amazon will accept cryptocurrencies for product payments on its platform, the CEO stated: “We are probably not close to adding cryptocurrencies as a payment mechanism in our retail business.” However, he noted:

I think over time you will see cryptocurrencies get bigger.

Commenting on whether he owns any cryptocurrency, the Amazon executive revealed: “I don’t own bitcoin.”

When asked if Amazon might one day sell NFTs, Jassy replied, “I think it’s possible in the future on the platform.” Revealing that he does not own any NFTs personally, the Amazon boss opined:

I expect NFTs to continue to grow very significantly.

The e-commerce giant is hiring cryptocurrency experts for various divisions of the company. In November of last year, AWS posted a job listing for a digital asset specialist who can “help drive adoption in the global digital asset community.”

Amazon also posted a job posting for a blockchain and digital currency specialist for its payment acceptance and customer experience team in June last year, with the goal of developing the company’s blockchain and digital currency strategy. company as well as a product roadmap.