China Makes History by Settling Cross-Border Oil Deal with Digital Yuan

Com2uS Platform, a blockchain subsidiary of South Korean game company Com2uS Holdings, announced today that it will sell NFTs to fund subway advertisements celebrating the upcoming fan meeting of Choushinsei Flashman, a Japanese live-action superhero series produced by Toei Animation. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the show’s introduction to Korea. Photo by Choong Deng Xiang on UnsplashSpecial event for South Korean fansThis “Cosmo Sword NFTs” campaign has been launched by Com2uS Platform, backed by local fans’ voluntary participation and their enthusiasm towards the series. It has a special meaning for the fandom as it is the first time that the stars of Choushinsei Flashman are visiting Korea. The entire proceeds will be used to put advertisements on subway stations. This promotion is expected to attract a lot of fans as they can take selfies against the advertisement display or put paper notes containing messages for Flashman actors on the board.  Fan meeting to take place in April The Flashman fan meeting is planned to be held on April 20 at Sky Art Hall located in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. The event will feature seven actors and actresses from Flashman, including Tarumi Tota who starred as “Red Flash,” a main protagonist, and Hagiwara Sayoko who performed as the villain “Ray Nefel.” Participants will be able to enjoy on-site giveaway events and collective exhibitions.  Blockchain-enabled event tickets Fan-meeting NFT tickets can be exclusively purchased from X-PLANET, an NFT marketplace. VIP seats have already been sold out. The NFT tickets utilize blockchain technology which allows only ticket buyers to enjoy the show. They are resistant to forgery or counterfeiting since every process from purchasing to admission is recorded onchain, keeping scalpers at bay.  Run by Com2uS Platform, X-PLANET strives to showcase various artworks in the realms of games and K-pop to NFT enthusiasts in the global Web3 market. The platform is committed to producing high-quality NFT content in collaboration with skillful artists and various organizations.

Korea’s Internet Agency Encourages More Blockchain Tech Adoption to Overcome Crypto WinterVirtual asset and blockchain technology needs to be more broadly adopted to overcome crypto winter, an official from the Korea Internet and Security Agency (KISA) said at the 2023 Blockchain Meetup Conference on Wednesday.©Pexels/Helena LopesUser-friendly apps and regulatory supportPark Sang-hwan, the leader of the blockchain technology promotion group at KISA, encouraged the blockchain industry to develop user-friendly applications to give positive impressions, adding that blockchain-based apps should be faster and efficient to meet users’ expectations.He also said the blockchain industry needs regulatory support, explaining that regulatory issues can hinder the growth of the industry’s growth.KISA’s support for blockchain industryAccording to Park, the quasi-government internet agency introduced a business quality control system to offer advice on legal, technological, and business issues to companies, as well as to provide them with business problem-solving support. KISA will continue driving the development of key blockchain technologies, create new business plans for Web 3.0, and devise a mid- to long-term roadmap for research and development, he said.Blockchain projects in KoreaDuring his speech at the conference, Park presented several KISA-led public sector projects that will unfold this year, as reported by the Korean economics newspaper Hankyung. They include blockchain-based online voting systems, the establishment of digitally formed national licenses, and the verification of personal identification.Endeavors in the private sector were also revealed, including NFT-based concert tickets, oil waste disposal systems, and identification using soulbound tokens.

Funding Round Sees HashKey Target Unicorn ValuationLeading financial technology company, Hong Kong-based HashKey Group, is looking to raise between $100 million and $200 million based on a $1 billion dollar company valuation that sees it take on unicorn status.According to an initial report by Bloomberg, early stage talks on the fund raise are progressing positively. It cites sources familiar with the matter in suggesting that as the fund raise negotiations progress, the terms of the offering, extent of the capital raise, and the valuation upon which its all based could change.Photo by Annie Spratt on UnsplashLeveraging a crypto-friendly environmentThe Web3 infrastructure developer and digital asset management firm has decided to take advantage of favorable conditions in Hong Kong in order to raise capital. The current business backdrop in the Chinese autonomous territory is particularly positive, and something that’s likely to make the capital raise a much easier task.Hong Kong has sought to create a crypto-friendly environment by way of both word and deed over the course of the past six months. With that being the case, it’s logical that there is tremendous opportunity for businesses like HashKey to achieve rapid growth in the nascent digital assets sector.Under the supervision of the Hong Kong regulator, Hashkey has already started to offer its services, one of only two companies (alongside OSL) to be permitted to trade in advance of the full implementation of licensing next month.While there have been some difficulties relative to banking the digital assets sector in Hong Kong, ZA Bank, Hong Kong’s largest virtual bank, has stepped up with the aspiration of banking the sector. ZA Bank is expected to facilitate crypto-fiat conversions with both of the currently licensed exchanges, HashKey and OSL, where customers can swap crypto into fiat currencies. The bank will also offer basic banking services to local web3 startups, a category that is currently underserved by traditional financial institutions.HashKey itself is cognizant of the conditions being right on the ground in Hong Kong and the opportunity that presents. Its chairman, Xiao Feng stated that Hong Kong is “very serious about building an international virtual asset center,” when speaking at the city’s Web3 Festival recently, an event that drew 13,000 attendees on its first day.Diversified service offeringThe firm’s activities in Hong Kong extend to HashKey Pro, a Hong Kong-compliant virtual asset exchange, and HashKey Capital, an investment firm. In April, the company established HashKey Wealth.This wealth management service offers investors access to a wide range of digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies, together with alternative investments such as decentralized finance (DeFi) projects and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).The program is designed to meet the needs of both institutional and high net worth individual investors. The investment strategies offered vary, ranging from passive to actively managed portfolios. Different risk profiles are employed to suit investors’ preferences. The program also provides a range of other services, including custody, trading, and portfolio rebalancing, to ensure that investors can manage their investments with ease.