blockchain Archives

Ethereum decreased its annual CO2 emissions by over 21M tons

Over 109M more trees would have been needed to offset Ethereum’s CO2 emissions prior to its switch to a more efficient consensus.

Ethereum switched to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus last year in an event called The Merge. Regardless of personal views on Ethereum and the wider blockchain and web3 space, The Merge was broadly seen as an incredible feat of open-source engineering.

The Merge is the first major step on the road to Ethereum 2.0 which aims to tackle the...

23 January 2023 | Blockchain

Visa will ‘actively contribute’ to web3 development

Visa refuses to become a dinosaur and will “actively contribute” to developing the web3 and crypto ecosystem.

Aside from maximalists, few experts believe that crypto poses an existential threat to fiat currencies. Legacy payment processors like Visa and Mastercard have increasingly been joining the web2-era disruptors like PayPal and Square in supporting the web3 and crypto ecosystem.

Greater public adoption of “crypto” will likely come through CBDCs (Central...

20 December 2022 | Altcoins

Sam Bankman-Fried deepfake aims to scam FTX collapse victims

A deepfake of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried aims to scam victims of the exchange’s collapse.

FTX was the third-largest cryptocurrency exchange and Bankman-Fried was seen as the face of crypto in Washington. The exchange enjoyed many celebrity endorsements and secured a 19-year, $135 million sponsorship agreement with Miami-Dade county that included the local stadium being renamed the FTX Arena.

All of that success went up in smoke when concerns around the...

22 November 2022 | Altcoins

Nike deepens its web3 presence with .SWOOSH platform

Nike is going deeper down the web3 rabbit hole with the unveiling of its own platform.

The iconic brand is launching .SWOOSH (pronounced “dot swoosh”), a platform where fans can buy – and even co-create – virtual items.

“Web3 digital technology has opened the door for creators and collectors like never before (shoutout to our friends and mentors at RTFKT for leading the charge and helping us understand what’s even possible),” the company explained in a blog...

15 November 2022 | Blockchain Applications

Decentralized Storage Alliance launches with Filecoin, AMD among founders

A new alliance called the Decentralized Storage Alliance aims to increase adoption and bridge the chasm between Web2 and Web3.

Founding members of the alliance include Filecoin, AMD, Ernst & Young, and Seagate. The members bring vast experience which spans both Web2 and Web3.

“With top-tier leaders across Web2 and Web3 coming together to explore the unrealized potential of decentralised technology, this Alliance has the power to transform the foundation of the...

31 October 2022 | Blockchain Applications

‘Solana killer’ Aptos soared to $100 on Binance before plunging

Aptos, a blockchain created by former Meta employees, debuted on Binance this week and soared to $100 before plunging to around $8.

The project has been called the “Solana killer” due to its claims of being able to process an incredible 130,000 transactions per second (tps).

As of writing, Aptos is processing around 24tps. This has led to many within the crypto community saying that Aptos’ performance claims are misleading.

Aptos co-founder Mo Shaikh has...

19 October 2022 | Altcoins

Blockchain Expo: Maturing blockchain industry paves the way for enterprise adoption

A session at this year’s Blockchain Expo Europe highlighted that blockchain is reaching a stage of maturity that paves the way for enterprise adoption.

The session was presented by Pedro Lopez-Belmonte, Senior Manager of Web3 and Technology Innovation at Richemont, on day one of Europe’s leading blockchain conference.

One of the first charts presented during the session was Gartner’s hype cycle, which shows blockchain platforms now leaving the trough of...

20 September 2022 | Blockchain

CasperLabs: On delivering ‘the vision for Ethereum 3.0’ today

CasperLabs believes its blockchain has solved Vitalik Buterin’s infamous trilemma and is already delivering “the vision for Ethereum 3.0”.

The Block caught up with Casper Labs’ CTO and Co-Founder Medha Parlikar, and Senior Business Development Manager Niamh O’Connell, to hear more about the blockchain that claims to be several years ahead of Ethereum in technical advancements.

The Block: Vitalik Buterin’s “blockchain trilemma” suggests that any blockchain...

26 August 2022 | Altcoins

Binance exec deepfake fools ‘highly intelligent’ people

A deepfake of Binance Chief Communications Officer Patrick Hillmann is reportedly fooling “highly intelligent” people.

The attackers are using what Hillman describes as an “AI hologram” of himself to fool representatives of various projects that the CCO is helping them get listed on the exchange.

In a blog post last week, Hillmann revealed that he received several online messages from project teams thanking him for taking the time to meet with them. However, it...

24 August 2022 | Blockchain

Alex Reinhardt, PLC Ultima: On building a crypto ecosystem for ‘daily life’

PLC Ultima aims to spread opportunity with an ecosystem that anyone can use in their daily lives.

The Block caught up with Alex Reinhardt, Founder of PLC Ultima, to learn more about the project and get the crypto expert’s views on the uncertain regulatory environment.

The Block: How is PLC Ultima bridging the gap between traditional business and crypto?

Alex Reinhardt: I originally conceived PLC Ultima as a universal financial instrument that can be...