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Exploring the Thriving NFT Market and the Rise of Bitcoin NFTs

Exploring the Thriving NFT Market and the Rise of Bitcoin NFTs

According to data provided by NFT aggregation site CryptoSlam, non-fungible token (NFT) sales saw a significant rise of 8.5% during the period from February 10 to February 16 on a global scale.

The total sales volume for the week reached a staggering US$304 million, marking an increase from the previous week’s US$280 million in NFT sales.

The last two days of this seven-day period saw a notable spike in sales, with Thursday alone accounting for over 30% of the total sales volume, reaching a daily sales sum of US $92.9 million.

This single-day sales figure is the highest it has been since May 2022. The average price for NFT assets sold on Thursday was US $463.09, which is approximately 265% higher than the average price of US $175.57 on Tuesday.

According to Yohann Calpu, the chief marketing officer at CryptoSlam, this sudden surge in sales can be largely attributed to the Blur token airdrop that occurred on Tuesday.

The NFT market continues to thrive, with significant increases in sales indicating a growing interest in this innovative and exciting sector.

Blur, a feeless NFT marketplace, recently unveiled its Blur tokens and granted a 60-day window for users to collect their airdropped coins. As of 2:30 p.m. Singapore time, the cryptocurrency was valued at US $0.90, based on CoinGecko data.

Based on the DappRadar, Blur’s NFT marketplace has experienced a trading volume of US $471.7 million in the last 30 days, overtaking OpenSea, the current market leader with US 448.9 million.

While many are talking about Blur, I am watching Bitcoin NFTs closely.

Bitcoin NFTs are quickly becoming a hot new trend in the world of digital collectibles. The launch of the Ordinals protocol on the Bitcoin blockchain by software engineer Casey Rodarmor has provided a novel way to mint NFTs on the Bitcoin blockchain.

This has led to a surge in interest in Bitcoin assets, with many people excited about the possibilities of this new technology.

The Ordinals protocol allows users and builders to inscribe each “sat” (short for Satoshi) with data, including smart contracts, which can then be used to create NFTs on the blockchain.

One of the key differences between Ethereum-based NFTs and Bitcoin NFTs is that Ethereum NFTs typically point to off-chain data on the IPFS system, while all the data for Bitcoin NFTs is inscribed on-chain using the Ordinals protocol.

This provides a more secure and trustworthy way of creating and trading NFTs.

The introduction of Ordinal Punks is expected to change the game for Bitcoin NFTs. These digital collectibles are tradeable artifacts that are inscribed on the Bitcoin blockchain, and they have been incredibly popular with buyers so far.

The 10,000-piece collection has already been sold out, with some individual pieces selling for millions of dollars. However, one of the challenges with the project is that there is currently no centralized marketplace to buy and sell the crypto art once it has been minted.

This means that buyers and sellers must rely on social media channels like Discord to find each other and negotiate transactions.

Despite the popularity of Bitcoin NFTs, some Bitcoin maximalists have pushed back against the trend, arguing that it goes against the idea of Bitcoin as a financial asset. They believe that NFTs are simply a waste of network space and resources.

However, proponents of Bitcoin NFTs believe that they represent a new and exciting way to create digital collectibles that are secure, trustworthy, and unique.

Scott Tripp, President of Redecentralise Canada, commented: “Bitcoin is often considered to be one of the most decentralized cryptocurrencies due to its distributed network of nodes and miners.

The Bitcoin blockchain is maintained by a decentralized network of nodes that are spread across the globe and work together to validate transactions and add new blocks to the chain.

The decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network may appeal to creators and collectors who are looking for a more secure and censorship-resistant platform for their NFTs. Overall, while the potential for Bitcoin NFTs exists, it remains to be seen how popular they will become in the future.”

To buy a Bitcoin NFT, users must first download a Bitcoin-compatible wallet and make it compatible with Ordinals. They can then either create and inscribe their own Ordinal or find an existing owner and purchase one from them.

However, buying Bitcoin NFTs can be a risky process as there is no centralized marketplace or regulation. Buyers and sellers must navigate social media channels and online communities to find each other, and there is always the risk of fraud or scams.

Despite these challenges, the growing popularity of Bitcoin NFTs suggests that they are here to stay and will likely continue to evolve and grow in the coming years.

Intergovernmental expert and best-selling book author Anndy Lian echoed, “Bitcoin NFTs, as unique digital assets created and traded on the Bitcoin blockchain, can certainly be seen as a decentralized innovation.

While the technical limitations of the Bitcoin network mean that the creation and transfer of NFTs may not be as seamless as it is on other blockchain platforms such as Ethereum, the potential for Bitcoin NFTs to be a more decentralized and secure option for creators and collectors is certainly noteworthy.”

Some people in the NFT industry have expressed concerns about the environmental impact of Bitcoin NFTs. Bitcoin is known for its high energy consumption due to its consensus mechanism, which uses a lot of computational power.

Minting NFTs on Bitcoin could therefore contribute to the carbon footprint of the blockchain.

Despite the concerns, the rise of Bitcoin NFTs and the Ordinals protocol has created a new avenue for the NFT industry to explore.

As the industry continues to evolve, we can expect to see more experimentation with different blockchain protocols and the emergence of new use cases for NFTs beyond art and collectibles.

In conclusion, the rise of Bitcoin NFTs and the Ordinals protocol has created a new way of minting and owning unique digital collectibles on the Bitcoin blockchain. While the concept may face some backlash, it also presents an opportunity for the NFT industry to evolve and expand.

 

Source:  https://hackernoon.com/exploring-the-thriving-nft-market-and-the-rise-of-bitcoin-nfts

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com
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What Are Crypto Venture Capitalists (VCs) Investing in This Bearish Market?

What Are Crypto Venture Capitalists (VCs) Investing in This Bearish Market?

(Image credits: A Golden Bear Market by Anndy Lian)

 

The value of a cryptocurrency can be influenced by various factors, including news about the cryptocurrency and its underlying technology, government regulations, and overall market conditions.

The market can also be influenced by investor sentiment, which can be affected by a wide range of events.

There are many different types of investments in the cryptocurrency space, and the popular specific investments can vary over time. In general, some of the most popular types of cryptocurrency investments include:

Bitcoin: Bitcoin is a decentralized cryptocurrency that was the first of its kind. It is often considered a store of value and is widely recognized and accepted as a form of payment.

Ethereum: Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts, which are applications that execute automatically when certain conditions are met. It is also used as a platform for building decentralized applications (dApps).

Decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens: DeFi refers to financial applications built on the blockchain and decentralized, meaning that they are not controlled by a single entity. DeFi tokens are often used to access or participate in these applications.

Security tokens: Security tokens are digital assets representing ownership in an asset, such as a company or real estate. They are subject to federal securities laws and are often issued through initial coin offerings (ICOs).

Stablecoins: Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that are pegged to a stable asset, such as the US dollar, to reduce price volatility.

There are many different investment theses for cryptocurrencies. Some people believe that cryptocurrencies have the potential to replace traditional fiat currencies. In contrast, others think they will be used primarily as a store of value or a means of exchange.

Still, others believe that the underlying blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries, from supply chain management to identity verification.

These Are Some Specific Investment Theses for Cryptocurrencies:

The use of cryptocurrency as a means of exchange: Some people believe that cryptocurrencies will eventually be used as a primary means of exchange, replacing traditional fiat currencies.

The store of value thesis: Some people believe that cryptocurrencies will eventually be used as a store of value, similar to gold.

The blockchain revolution thesis: Some people believe that the underlying blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries and that investing in cryptocurrencies is a way to get in on the ground floor of this technological revolution.

The “greater fool” theory: Some people believe that the price of a cryptocurrency will continue to go up as long as someone is willing to buy it at a higher price, even if there is no intrinsic value to the cryptocurrency. This is sometimes referred to as the “greater fool” theory of investing.

Venture capitalists (VCs) are investors who provide capital to early-stage companies in exchange for equity ownership. In the cryptocurrency space and especially after witnessing the fall of FTX, many VCs have started to be interested in investing in companies that are working on infrastructure and applications for the blockchain, rather than investing directly in cryptocurrencies themselves.

Some Specific Areas of Interest for VCs in the Cryptocurrency Space.

Blockchain infrastructure: VCs have invested in companies working on building out the infrastructure for the blockchain, such as companies that are developing new consensus algorithms or building out decentralized storage solutions.

New blockchains get good support too. Shardeum is the world’s first EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine)-based sharded blockchain mainnet.

With dynamic state sharding technology, the blockchain can linearly scale and increase TPS (transaction per second) with every node added to the network.

The network can maintain low gas fees indefinitely. It was co-founded by Nischal Shetty, a co-founder of WazirX, India’s largest crypto exchange by trading volume.

They have raised $18.2 million in a seed funding round from more than 50 investors, including Jane Street and The Spartan Group joined this seed round along with Wemade and others.

Web3 solutions: Web3, also known as Web 3.0, is the next iteration of the World Wide Web, and it is built on blockchain technology. It is designed to be more decentralized, secure, and open than the current Web.

VCs are looking for projects that align with the core principles of Web3 and have the potential to drive its adoption and growth. This is another rising trend.

The Venom Foundation, a Layer-1 blockchain licensed and regulated by the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), and Iceberg Capital, an ADGM-regulated investment manager, have announced a partnership to launch the Venom Ventures Fund (VVF), a $1 billion venture fund.

The fund aims to invest in innovative protocols and Web3 dApps, focusing on long-term trends such as payments, asset management, DeFi, banking services, and GameFi.

The VVF will be blockchain-agnostic, meaning it will not be limited to any specific blockchain and will invest in projects based on their potential regardless of the underlying blockchain. The fund aims to become the leading supporter of next-generation digital technologies and entrepreneurs.

I noted that the VCs in my network are also looking at blockchain applications.

VCs have also invested in companies that are using the blockchain to build new applications, such as supply chain management platforms, decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, and decentralized identity solutions.

Interoperability and cross-chain solutions, for example, aim to enable different blockchain networks to communicate and interact with each other and are also one of the top investment choices.

When I showed this article to some of my friends before publishing, they asked me why didn’t VCs consider investing in crypto exchanges.

The truth is that most of the VCs who understand how the crypto market works would know that exchanges are facing tremendous stress from the regulators. Having a license does not necessarily mean good, honestly. There are new travel rules that will tighten how crypto moves.

The new rules may even force DEXs to new unknown territories where the realization of profits can be deemed a nuisance for many investors. The older existing exchanges usually have very high operating costs, overspending habits on marketing, sponsorships, and staffing.

Moreover, the valuation is way too high for a good entry point, in my humble opinion.

Therefore, I believe investing in blockchain infrastructure and applications will support the development and growth of the cryptocurrency ecosystem and potentially generate more sustainable returns for its investors in this bear run.

It is also important to note that VC investment in the cryptocurrency space is just one aspect of the broader cryptocurrency ecosystem.

There are many other types of investors, such as hedge funds, family offices, and individual investors, who may have different investment theses and strategies.

Having said this, there are still many opportunities in this volatile market. I commented in the South China Morning Post yesterday, “Gold may be a safe haven”, but there were many other [crypto] opportunities elsewhere for investors “to profit from price fluctuations.”

Take a recent market movement, for example. A fellow investor in Singapore reacted quickly to short bitcoin after the US report of 6.5% CPI inflation. He made money. During the same week, he noted that the resistance level had hit its low and would bounce upward soon.

He injected another $10m to long it. Bitcoin went over $21,000. He made money again. And when he heard rumors that PBOC might start to print more money as a stimulus, he sold his crypto holdings into Chinese A-shares as he saw a higher upside in the longer run.

As a licensed fund manager and a VC myself for over a decade, this is my humble note to all.

“Believe in the underlying technology, aim for community growth and ride on the right waves for the best crypto returns.”- Anndy Lian.

Not financial advice, of course.

 

 

Source: https://hackernoon.com/what-are-crypto-venture-capitalists-vcs-investing-in-this-bearish-market

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com
j j j

The domino effects from FTX’s issue. Bitcoin, Ether in a sea of red. What next for the cryptocurrency market?

The domino effects from FTX’s issue. Bitcoin, Ether in a sea of red. What next for the cryptocurrency market?

The FTX’s situation is not promising at the time of publishing. These are the additional comments I had.

Before the FTX incident, we analysed that there was a chance for the market to see one last pump before the end of the year.

After the incident and if there is no bailout for FTX, I would think this would be another black swan event. Based on what we see right now, there is only an $8 billion liquidity gap. Still, the numbers can go very high if you look at the ecosystem, Defi loan products and the various parties such as leading venture funds, sovereign wealth funds, and pension funds involved. The domino effects could be greater than the Terra/ UST event.

I know of a few venture capital companies who just did a restructure and are in the middle of another fundraising from the previous loss due to Terra. Now, they are being hit once again. I do not think their LPs are going to give them more money. They are gone. You will see them in the news very soon.

If you are not part of FTX ecosystem and have no exposure to them, you should continue to focus on your community, continue to build and ignore the noises. If you have exposure to FTX, my friendly advice is to protect your principal investment, exit while you can to stay afloat. The ride will be very bumpy.

Bitcoin, Ether in a sea of red. What next for the cryptocurrency market?

The scrapping of the Binance-FTX deal has shaken the confidence of investors already licking their wounds following the collapse of Terraform Labs, Three Arrows Capital and Celsius Network

The cryptocurrency market continued its death spiral for the second consecutive day after Binance scrapped a deal to acquire rival exchange FTX.

Prices of major digital assets tumbled to monthly lows, led by Bitcoin, which headed towards $15,000 before rebounding to about $16,800, still down about 10% over the past 24 hours.

Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalisation, dropped to $1,087.08 before staging a mini-rally and settling at about $1,180, about 10 percent lower over the past day.

It’s been a turbulent week for cryptocurrencies as the market reacted to reports surrounding two of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Binance, the world’s largest digital asset exchange by volume, said on November 8 it agreed to buy FTX and rescue billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried’s startup from a liquidity crunch.

However, Binance made a U-turn barely 24 hours later. It said that after due diligence and reports regarding mishandled customer funds and alleged US agency investigations, it decided to not pursue the FTX acquisition.

According to a Coindesk report, the native FTT tokens of the FTX, which are also owned by the company, were found in large quantities on the balance sheet of Alameda Research, a cryptocurrency trading company run by Bankman-Fried, prompting widespread criticism of the token.

This meant that Alameda was primarily based on a coin that a sister company created rather than on a standalone asset like fiat money or another cryptocurrency.

 

Fretting investors

Scurrying for cover amid rumours that the FTX would go bankrupt, investors liquidated their FTX-linked coins to reduce possible losses. Binance, which had more than $500 million worth of FTT on its books, began to sell its holdings, exacerbating the woes of an already ailing market.

The blow-hot-blow-cold relationship between Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao and Bankman-Fried shook the market’s confidence as investors fretted over every development in a sector already licking its wounds following the collapse of Terraform Labs, Three Arrows Capital and Celsius Network.

Among other major cryptocurrencies, Binance (BNB) was down 10 percent, Ripple (XRP) was 5 percent lower, Cardano (ADA) dropped 6 percent, Dogecoin (DOGE) declined 7 percent, and Solana (SOL) had plunged 30 percent when this was written.

While some experts said this may be an opportune time for institutional investors, others emphasised the urgent need for greater regulation of the crypto market.

Raj Kapoor, founder of India Blockchain Alliance, said individual investors may become inactive for a while and institutional investors will probably take advantage of the current discounts and hedge their bets.

“This development will give other exchanges a boost and investors should transfer their altcoins into Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other stablecoins and store them in a cold wallet until the market stabilises and wait for the upswing,” Kapoor said.

He added that the FTT fall may trigger a chain reaction of liquidations because FTX’s lenders may also collapse, taking investors down with them.

“I see a lot of other businesses and endeavours going out of business or filing for bankruptcy,” Kapoor said.

Sharat Chandra, cofounder of India Blockchain Forum, said the FTX fiasco exposes the lack of disclosure and transparency that afflict the current digital asset ecosystem.

 

Investor protection

“After the Terra Luna debacle, the FTX incident presents another opportunity to regulators to frame stringent regulations, which might end up stifling innovation. It’s time the G-20 members act swiftly and frame global regulations to avoid regulatory arbitrage and ensure investor protection,” he said.

Anndy Lian, author of NFT: From Zero to Hero, said if there is no bailout for FTX, this would be another Black Swan event. Looking at the ecosystem’s liquidity gap, Defi (decentralised finance) loan products and various parties such as leading venture funds, sovereign wealth funds and pension funds involved, the numbers can go very high.

“The domino effects could be greater than the Terra/UST event. If you are not part of the FTX ecosystem and have no exposure to them, you should continue to focus on your community, continue to build and ignore the noises. If you have exposure to FTX, my advice is to protect your principal investment, exit while you can to stay afloat. The ride will be very bumpy,” Lian said.

 

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/cryptocurrency/bitcoin-ether-in-a-sea-of-red-what-next-for-the-cryptocurrency-market-9488591.html

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

www.anndy.com
j j j