Aptos and Lotte Group Collaborate on Pink Bear NFTs to Drive Web3 Expansion

Hashed Emergent to Host India Blockchain Week 2023 in DecemberHashed Emergent, a subsidiary of South Korean blockchain venture capital Hashed, will host India Blockchain Week (IBW) 2023 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Bangalore, India, from December 4 to 10.Hashed Emergent is a venture capital firm specializing in investments in early-stage companies bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3 in India. The firm was established by Hashed, a group dedicated to propelling the global adoption of the Web3 ecosystem. Hashed Emergent seeks to tap into the potential of emerging markets.Photo by Still Pixels on PexelsIndia’s Web3 surgeIndia is exhibiting promise in the Web3 market, driven by its economy, population, and tech advancements. Since 2015, there has been an increase of about sixfold in the number of Web3 startups in the country, with the count reaching 450 as of April 2022. Among them are four unicorns, namely Polygon, FalconX, CoinSwitch, and CoinDCX. Investment in Web3 startups has also seen a rise, with the figure touching $1.3 billion between 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. Furthermore, the Indian government appears to be taking a more accommodating stance towards the Web3 industry.Hashed Emergent is organizing this event for the first time to accelerate the expansion of the Web3 ecosystem in the burgeoning Indian market. IBW2023 is an international multi-chain conference that will delve into Web3 conversations across all industries. It is designed to foster connections between blockchain enterprises in India and abroad, uniting participants from the multifaceted blockchain landscape.Echoing the prominence of notable blockchain events like Singapore’s Token2049 and Korea’s Korea Blockchain Week (KBW), IBW2023 is expected to attract blockchain enthusiasts from around the world who are eager to see firsthand the evolving potential of India’s Web3 market.Flagship IBW’23 ConferenceThe flagship event, “IBW’23 Conference,” is set for December 6 to 7 and will spotlight five pivotal themes. Discussions will delve into the latest technical advancements in the blockchain realm, the role of Web3 in emerging markets, how global regulations will shape the blockchain sector, the prospects for Web3 in India, and the opportunities and hurdles facing Web3 expansion.About 120 prominent figures from the Web3 space are set to grace the event as speakers. They include Mo Shaikh, CEO of layer 1 blockchain developer Aptos Labs; Emin Gün Sirer, CEO of Avalanche blockchain builder Ava Labs; Sebastien Borget, co-founder of metaverse platform The Sandbox; and Simon Seojoon Kim, CEO of Hashed. Furthermore, the blockchain hackathon, ETH INDIA, is poised to attract over 1,500 developers, all geared to create the decentralized future of Ethereum.Tak Lee, CEO of Hashed Emergent, highlighted that India has been gaining traction as a major player in the blockchain industry. He shared that both Hashed and Hashed Emergent have been keenly observing the potential of the Indian Web3 market since early 2020. They are dedicated to ensuring IBW2023’s success, envisioning it as the first step towards the explosive growth of the Indian Web3 ecosystem.Meanwhile, Hashed Emergent is currently managing its first fund, Hashed Emergent Fund I, which has raised $20 million to date in multiple closings. In its first year and a half, the fund has invested in 28 portfolio companies, many of which have Indian founders. Major portfolio companies include Web3 game discovery and wallet app Glip, Web3 native incubator BuidlersTribe, and African web3 startup Nestcoin.

NEOPIN and Finschia Foundation to jointly launch Finschia’s first decentralized exchangeCentralized decentralized finance (CeDeFi) protocol NEOPIN and blockchain developer Finschia Foundation have teamed up to launch Finschia Network Swap (FNSwap) — the first automated market maker (AMM) decentralized exchange on Finschia’s public blockchain — in the first quarter of next year, according to an announcement on Finschia’s official website last Friday (KST).Photo by Chris Liverani on UnsplashRevolutionizing DeFiNEOPIN has taken over the development of FNSwap, which will employ a pricing algorithm as an AMM decentralized exchange to set the prices of assets, thus increasing liquidity in liquidity pools. The platform will support crypto deposits, including those made in FNSA and NPT — Finschia and NEOPIN’s respective governance tokens — along with other stablecoins. The list of supported cryptocurrencies will be expanded later on as the mainnet grows, Finschia said.“As Finschia’s first decentralized exchange, Finschia Network Swap is expected to make it more convenient for many users to use crypto services,” said Kim Yong-gi, CEO of NEOPIN. “We plan to actively expand the number of cryptocurrencies supported on the platform in line with the expansion of the Finschia ecosystem.”Ecosystem expansionFNSwap will also be centered around its community of users, providing lucrative DeFi products and incentives like token swapping, staking and rewards, thus establishing a secure and convenient blockchain ecosystem.The two firms committed to exploring other endeavors as well, such as discovering promising Web3 projects through events like hackathons; facilitating interaction between their respective partner firms; and conducting joint promotional campaigns to expand the Finschia ecosystem.“We are pleased to work with NEOPIN to launch the first decentralized exchange of the Finschia ecosystem,” said Ko Young-soo, Chairman of the Finschia Foundation. “We will consistently provide the technical support that NEOPIN needs to successfully launch the Finschia Network Swap.”

Koscom, the technology subsidiary of the nation’s sole securities exchange operator Korea Exchange, has partnered with LG CNS, an information technology service provider, to launch a joint security token platform, according to a Koscom announcement. Task and tech allianceThe collaboration between Koscom and Korean conglomerate LG Group’s affiliate aims to gain a competitive advantage in the increasingly crowded security token market. On Monday, Koscom signed a memorandum of understanding with LG CNS in Seoul to form a task and technology alliance for security token projects.The partnership will combine Koscom’s expertise in building tech-based capital market infrastructure with LG CNS’s blockchain technology to produce fruitful outcomes. The joint project intends to provide distributed ledgers and a joint platform for the issuance and distribution of security tokens. Securities firms operating their own platforms can also choose to use its distributed ledgers. Koscom’s preparationSince last year, Koscom has been conducting research in security token offering and has formed a working group with eight securities firms that have their own security token teams. The working group has been hosting seminars regularly since the second half of last year, and on April 4, Koscom revealed its project plan to 25 other Korean securities firms. LG CNS’s readinessLG CNS has been conducting research and development of security token technologies since last year and has complied with the Korean regulatory framework. The company manages a consortium blockchain network and has completed the development of key technologies for security token services, such as highly secure wallets.Using its corporate blockchain platform Monachain, LG CNS has achieved success in developing multiple projects, such as a pilot for central bank digital currencies involving NH Bank and Woori Bank and a non-fungible token (NFT) trading system for Bithumb Meta, a subsidiary of the major Korean crypto exchange Bithumb.Meanwhile, Koscom will support security token projects of not only securities companies but also fractional investment firms and banks. Currently, Koscom is in talks with relevant entities about building infrastructure.