Oman’s Crypto Mining Expansion Signals Further Economic Diversification

KOMSCO and KEPCO Cooperate on Blockchain TechnologyKorea Minting and Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) have recently agreed to cooperate on blockchain technology, as well as other information and communication technology, according to a press release by KOMSCO.©Pexels/Savvas StavrinosConnect and develop modelLast Thursday, KOMSCO held a seminar on tech cooperation with KEPCO in Daejeon, home to many Korean government agencies. At the seminar, both sides decided to embrace a connect and develop model, which is more advantageous than closed research and development models in terms of agility and cost-effectiveness.Digital transformationThe two agencies possess a wealth of advanced technologies: KOMSCO excels in NFT authentication and blockchain-based payments systems, while KEPCO holds a competitive edge in blockchain platforms. Both parties will explore various ways to collaborate in these areas to promote Korea’s digital transformation.More stable electricity gridFurthermore, KOMSCO is continuously expanding infrastructure for information technology, and deploying its security solutions to KEPCO is expected to bolster the stability of the country’s electricity grid.

Hong Kong and Israel Collaborate to Expand CBDC Access Beyond BanksIn a collaborative effort, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Bank of Israel (BoI), and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub have jointly released a comprehensive report on Project Sela, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) initiative.Photo by POURIA 🦋 on UnsplashBroadening the role of intermediariesThe report was published to the BIS website on Tuesday. In keeping with the trend of many CBDC projects, Project Sela is characterized by a robust public-private partnership. However, its particular focus lies in broadening the spectrum of intermediaries, aiming to offer retail CBDC services through a more diverse array of service providers, thereby reducing dependency on traditional banks and major payment providers.Andrew Abir, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel, emphasized the importance of fostering a dynamic and open ecosystem with a wide variety of service providers. He stated:“Competition and innovation require a flourishing and open ecosystem with many different types of service providers. This was our initial goal in Project Sela as a proof-of-concept, and the project proved the feasibility of the model we had in mind.”Involving retail banksIn a previous model explored through Hong Kong’s Project Aurum, retail banks were entrusted with customer-facing tasks while maintaining the central bank’s operation of the wholesale ledger for the eHKD. In contrast, Project Sela introduces a novel approach where the central bank operates the retail ledger — a model akin to Israel’s digital shekel.The primary actors in Project Sela, known as Access Enablers (AEs), notably do not have control over CBDC balances, distinguishing them from conventional payment providers. Moreover, AEs are not required to maintain liquidity to support CBDC services. Their role encompasses facilitating user onboarding and CBDC access, fulfilling know-your-customer (KYC) and compliance obligations, and routing payments. The role of banks and other “funding institutions” primarily revolves around enabling the conversion of cash and deposits into CBDC.The rationale behind this approach is rooted in the emergence of technological advancements in open banking and DeFi, which have demonstrated the potential to disentangle financial services by granting users greater access to their financial data and control over their own funds.Enabling participation among the unbankedProject Sela envisions the unbanked population utilizing ATMs to convert cash into CBDC. A similar approach has recently been taken by the Chinese authorities. In the resort city of Sanya, authorities have introduced e-CNY ATMs in order to enable e-CNY access for foreign tourists.However, it is noteworthy that in many countries, the primary function of ATMs is to dispense cash rather than accept it. Consequently, the inclusion of AEs could pose challenges to traditional banking institutions, as CBDC adoption could potentially impact bank deposits.Privacy and cybersecurity considerations are implicated within Project Sela. As the central bank operates the retail ledger, ensuring the confidentiality of personal information becomes imperative. To safeguard privacy, AEs employ a hashing mechanism to obfuscate personal identifiers, although the report does not delve into the subject in detail.While Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron admitted that a CBDC can never be anonymous, he claimed that “if we choose to issue a digital cash shekel, it will provide at least as much privacy as other digital means of payment.”

LINE NEXT Captivates NFT Aficionados with Beta Launch of DOSI LandLINE NEXT, an American-based NFT platform subsidiary of Tokyo-headquartered messaging app developer Line Corporation, has launched the beta version of DOSI Land, the FINSCHIA token (FNSA) reward program on its global non-fungible token (NFT) platform, DOSI. This program aims to provide opportunities for its membership owners, known as DOSI Citizens, to win FNSA.Photo by Markus Winkler on PexelsWeekly token rewardsDOSI Land is a weekly program that rewards FNSA to lottery winners. However, only DOSI Citizens with Level 2 or above are eligible to participate in this event. DOSI Citizens are categorized into four levels, ranging from Level 1 to Level 4. Users can achieve attendance goals, invite friends, and make NFT transactions to elevate their Citizen status. It’s important to note that this program is not available in some countries, including the United States and Japan.DOSI Land comprises three lands: Emerald Orbit, Sapphire Starlight, and Golden Galaxy. Each land is accessible to Citizen Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 users, respectively. Every week, a total of 3,000 FNSA will be distributed, with each land offering different chances of winning the token. Furthermore, each land has three zones, and users can participate in one zone per land. Participation in each zone requires DON, a membership point earned based on the total NFT transaction amount, and Level-up Passes, which are needed to improve Citizen status.DOSI operates the DOSI Citizen Membership system, which rewards users based on their contributions to the ecosystem. Alongside DOSI Land, DOSI has also implemented other reward programs such as DOSI Adventure and DOSI Arcade, offering a variety of NFTs to membership owners.As part of its efforts to expand the DOSI ecosystem, LINE NEXT incentivizes FNSA rewards to users actively engaging in DOSI through DOSI Land. The company plans to continue offering various benefits to DOSI users.DOSI’s presenceSince its beta launch, DOSI has attracted 4.6 million membership owners, facilitating over 410,000 transactions and involving 190,000 traders. These figures are as of May 2023. LINE NEXT cites NFT data analysis platform NFT Go’s statistics to state that DOSI is Asia’s largest and the world’s third largest platform in terms of monthly NFT traders. With its mission to establish a global ecosystem for NFTs and Web3, LINE NEXT aims to foster a thriving NFT platform business.The Finschia FoundationIn March of this year, the Finschia Foundation was established in Abu Dhabi, UAE, by Line Tech Plus, a Singaporean-based subsidiary of Line Corporation. This establishment was an effort to expand the corporation’s global Web3 endeavors. Line Corporation is a subsidiary of Z Holdings, jointly owned by South Korea’s Internet search engine provider Naver and Japanese technology investor Softbank Group.The Finschia Foundation operates Line’s open blockchain mainnet Finschia and rebranded its native crypto asset LINK (LN) to FINSCHIA (FNSA) last month. FNSA is currently listed on crypto exchanges Bithumb, Bittrex, and Huobi, according to CoinMarketCap.