Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.

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NFTs news

• Payments giant Visa launched the Visa Creator Program, an initiative that aims to help digital-first artists start using NFTs. The program aims to offer mentorship, community building, exposure to Visa’s partners, and a one-time stipend for chosen projects.
• US men’s soccer league Major League Soccer (MLS) teamed up with NFT platform Sorare to expand their existing partnership. Sorare Managers have been able to collect and play with Major League Soccer cards since June 2020, but starting from the 2022 season, Managers will be able to see the full kits and jerseys, they added.

DeFi news

• Blockchain interoperability protocol Komodo (KMD) launched ShibaDEX, a cross-chain decentralized exchange (DEX) for the Shiba Inu (SHIB) community. Users can store and trade SHIB (ERC-20 and BEP-20 versions), LEASH, BONE, and more tokens from the ShibaDEX wallet.
• Blockchain project Polygon (MATIC) announced Polygon ID, a zero-knowledge identity for Web3, which lets users verify their identity without revealing personal information. They added that they have devoted USD 1bn to zero-knowledge-related projects.

Investments news

• Fund manager Huobi Tech is seeking to expand its exchange-traded fund (ETF) business in Hong Kong with a financial product that tracks cryptoassets for retail investors, the South China Morning Post reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The ETF would be available to investors with less than HKD 8m (USD 1m) in assets.
• Security tokens exchange ADDX announced a partnership with private markets investment firm Hamilton Lane to offer tokenized access to one of their private assets funds. The so-called GPA Fund will be accessible to ADDX investors at a minimum ticket size of USD 10,000, they added.
• Blockchain-focused venture capital firm gumi Cryptos Capital (gCC) announced it completed raising a USD 110m early-stage fund to invest in blockchain startups. The Fund now has 36 portfolio companies, including an investment NFT marketplace OpenSea and a seed investment into Yield Guild Gaming.
• Market infrastructure provider TP ICAP is expanding its Digital Assets Platform custody network to include cryptoasset custodians BitGo and Komainu. The company has also submitted its application to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and will only launch once that registration process has been completed.

Blockchain news

• The EOS Network Foundation (ENF), an entity that is overseeing the development of the EOS Network, said it has completed the first stage of its planned technical improvement of the EOSIO core software, divided into four main “Blue Papers” and development branches. “With the Blue Paper research now complete, the next stage is execution,” the ENF said without providing a timeline.

Regulation news

• Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai assigned the Ministry of Finance to prepare the necessary legal documents that need amending in order to complete the legal framework for the management of various crypto-related assets, per Tienphong News.

Mining news

• Core Scientific announced that their total revenue for 2021 increased to USD 544.5m, or by 803%, while their gross profit increased 2,443%, to USD 238.9m in 2021. Additionally, as of December 31, 2021, the company had a total bitcoin (BTC) balance of 5,296.

Career news

• Christine Brown, trading app Robinhood’s crypto Chief Operating Officer (COO), announced that she’s leaving the company. She revealed that she’s staying in the crypto space, but did not disclose her new position or company.
• Blockchain project Chainlink Labs announced the appointment of Dr. Dahlia Malkhi, former financial network Diem Association chief technology officer, as Chief Research Officer. They have also onboarded Mike Derezin, formerly the VP of the social network LinkedIn, as COO.
• Viktor Radchenko, the founder of crypto wallet Trust Wallet, announced he is stepping down from running the project. He will be replaced by Eowyn Chen, former Head of Central Marketing and Growth at crypto exchange Binance, while he takes “some time off to recharge”.
• Crypto-focused asset manager Hashdex announced the appointment of Laurent Kssis, formerly Managing Director and Global Head of ETPs at Swiss issuer 21Shares, as Managing Director and Head of Europe. He will spearhead Hashdex’s European expansion, they added.

   

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(Updated at 15:44 UTC with the Blockchain news section.)