In October 2024, Solana achieved a remarkable milestone of over 120 million active addresses, signifying a 42% increase from the previous month. This rapid expansion highlights Solana’s significant competitive advantage in user activity and transaction efficiency over Ethereum. The surge is primarily driven by meme coin trading, with platforms like Pump.fun and Raydium playing pivotal roles by facilitating substantial volumes
On November 3, the X (formerly Twitter) account of renowned rapper Wiz Khalifa was hacked, causing a significant stir among his substantial following of 35.7 million users. The hack led to the promotion of a fraudulent meme coin, $WIZ, claiming Khalifa’s involvement in the launch. The hackers impersonated Khalifa and announced that he and his team had developed the token
A significant milestone in bridging blockchain technology with traditional payment systems has been achieved through a successful pilot program executed by Swift, UBS Asset Management, and Chainlink. The initiative demonstrates the potential to streamline inefficient processes within the subscription and redemption of mutual funds—a sector that has traditionally been beset by manual interventions, delayed settlements, and limited real-time transparency. These
NatWest has partnered with Mastercard to introduce a groundbreaking mobile virtual card payment solution called Approval2Buy with Mobile Virtual Cards, poised to transform the way businesses in the UK manage corporate transactions. This collaboration marks a significant milestone, as it is the first implementation of Mastercard’s mobile virtual card app in Europe, offering enhanced flexibility, control, and security for corporate
The recent announcement of OSL Group acquiring a controlling stake in CoinBest, a regulated cryptocurrency exchange in Japan, has garnered significant attention in the financial world. With this strategic move, the Hong Kong-listed financial services powerhouse has signaled its intent to make a considerable entry into the well-regulated and mature digital asset market of Japan. By acquiring 81.38% of CoinBest
Mastercard’s recent unveiling of Pay Local, a groundbreaking service designed to streamline card payments through local digital wallets, has created quite a buzz in the financial technology landscape. Launched strategically before the Singapore FinTech Festival, Pay Local is expected to facilitate transactions for residents and international travelers by allowing them to link their credit or debit cards to digital wallets
Keppel Ltd., through its private fund Keppel Data Centre Fund II (KDCF II), has made a significant move to bolster its presence in the Asian data center market by acquiring a data center development project in Tokyo, Japan. This facility, known as Keppel Data Centre Tokyo 2, marks Keppel’s first foray into developing such projects in Japan, and it stands
The rapidly growing sector of decentralized finance (DeFi) leverages blockchain technology to offer a variety of financial services, such as lending, borrowing, and trading, with the promise of high returns and innovation. However, as enticing as these opportunities may seem, they come with several critical risks that investors must be aware of. Understanding these risks is crucial for anyone looking
Ingenico, a leader in payment services, and the crypto trading platform Crypto.com have announced a partnership to enable crypto payments for Ingenico merchants worldwide. This innovative “plug-and-play” solution allows Ingenico merchants to accept cryptocurrency payments seamlessly, meeting the needs of over 680 million consumers. Central to this offering is Ingenico’s new merchant wallet, integrated with AXIUM Android terminals to streamline
MeaWallet, a renowned leader in digital payments specializing in card tokenization, has recently introduced innovative features to support Click to Pay, an online payment method designed to offer a seamless, secure, and faster online shopping experience. This development is set to elevate convenience for both consumers and merchants by enhancing the checkout process. Click to Pay functions similarly to contactless
The 2024 Chargeback Field Report, released by Chargebacks911 alongside Edgar, Dunn & Company, reveals a concerning trend affecting businesses both large and small: over the past three years, 72% of merchants have experienced an increase in chargebacks, predominantly due to first-party misuse, commonly referred to as “friendly fraud.” As businesses grapple with this surge, many are resorting to raising prices
Catizen recently revealed the advent of RoOLZ as the second project on its dedicated launchpool platform. This marks a significant milestone for the expanding platform, as it continues to diversify and enhance its offerings for its user base. To participate, users must stake their CATI tokens and digital Cats to earn GODL in return. RoOLZ merges the burgeoning Anime market
