Com2uS Integrates Summoners War: Chronicles into Blockchain Mainnet XPLA

China’s Bitmain Makes Plans to Unveil World’s First 1XJ/T Bitcoin MinerBitmain, the leading player in the cryptocurrency mining equipment business, is set to host the upcoming 2023 Global Digital Mining Summit (WDMS 2023) in Hong Kong, using the event as a springboard to launch its latest Bitcoin miner.The Beijing-headquartered mining equipment manufacturer set out its summit and equipment launch plans on Chinese social media platform WeChat on Monday.Photo by Dmitry Demidko on UnsplashIntroducing the ANTMINER S21With the theme “Empower the Bull Market, Mine with Timing,” the summit will aim to assist clients in strategically positioning themselves in the mining sector to reap the rewards of the next crypto bull market. During the event, Bitmain will introduce its latest research and development achievement — the ANTMINER S21 mining machine.The ANTMINER S21 is likely to take its place at the forefront of Bitcoin mining, given that Bitmain’s ANTMINER series has dominated the mining sector in recent years. Bitmain claims that with the S21, it is introducing a miner with unmatched computing power and efficiency, ushering the global mining industry into the 1XJ/T (Joules/Terahash) era.Ever greater efficiencyBitmain has consistently led the industry’s technological innovations, starting with the S9 model, which first broke the 100J/T barrier, to the S19 series with efficiency ratings of 34.5J/T, 29.5J/T, 21.5J/T, and 20.8J/T. The upcoming S21 is expected to continue this track record of ever greater Bitcoin miner efficiency.In addition to technological advancements, Bitmain is using the summit as a mechanism to offer benefits to attendees. The company will launch a customer points system, allowing clients to apply for credit limits for S21 miners based on their points, enabling them to mine first and pay later. Moreover, the points system will facilitate conversion of points into exclusive coupons for the ANTMINER S21.Hong Kong venueHong Kong has been chosen as the venue for this summit and that’s likely by design rather than by coincidence. Over the course of the past twelve months, the Chinese autonomous territory has been making huge strides in its efforts to become a center for blockchain and crypto-related business.In recent months, Hong Kong has announced several supportive blockchain policies, attracting a significant pool of Web3 talent. The summit will also feature keynote speeches from local government officials, indicating the willingness of the local administration to take every opportunity to further Hong Kong’s strategic objective of furthering crypto, blockchain, and Web3 in the city.Bitcoin mining has proven to be ruthless in its drive towards ever greater efficiency. This is playing out mainly on two different fronts. Firstly, in terms of the cost of the energy input. Miners continue to innovate in this area, to the extent that at this point, it’s difficult to remain competitive if an operation is not tapping into an energy source with a near zero input cost. This is being exploited by sourcing energy that is surplus to energy grid requirements, oftentimes renewable energy, that would otherwise be wasted.The second major factor is the efficiency of the miners themselves. Entities that gain early access to the latest generation of miners from Bitmain and other mining equipment manufacturers immediately become more efficient than the other mining outfits that they compete with to unlock Bitcoin mining rewards on the Bitcoin network.

Korean Telecommunications Firms Ramp Up ESG Efforts with NFTsSouth Korea’s top three leading telecommunications companies — SK Telecom (SKT), KT, and LG Uplus — are using non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to boost their corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts and engage younger audiences in their initiatives.Photo by Noah Buscher on UnsplashKT’s Raon NFT projectEarlier this year, KT launched an internal collaborative project between its device division and its blockchain division, KT MINCL, to issue profile picture (PFP) NFTs of its intellectual property — the feline character Raon. The project consists of four editions of NFT mintings, each with a different concept promoting mindful consumerism. 3,000 NFTs each were minted for the first two editions back in December and June, and KT is gearing up to release the third edition soon, according to industry reports on Sunday (local time). A portion of the proceeds from the upcoming third edition sale will also be donated under the project’s name. Notably, all 3,000 NFTs from the first edition were sold out in just a minute.KT has designed the NFT purchase system to encourage ESG-related activities. Buyers can receive items that reflect ESG values, such as bags from The Fair Story, a company that promotes fair trade products made by brands from developing countries. “We will continue to work with companies related to our ESG values to develop household products, miscellaneous goods, and more that are linked to NFTs,” KT said.LG Uplus and SKT’s ESG-led collaborationsLG Uplus and SKT have followed suit by incorporating eco-friendly themes into their own blockchain technologies. In particular, SKT recently signed a business agreement with WinCL, a carbon credit marketplace encouraging carbon offset efforts. The deal aims to combine SKT’s NFT marketplace, TopPort, and WinCL’s carbon credit system to issue NFTs for companies that need help managing their ESG performance indicators.On October 18, LG Uplus announced that a select number of holders of its Moono Crew NFT will be the first to purchase NFTs from the Incheon Heroes NFT collection — a collection launched on the Klaytn Mainnet as part of Incheon City’s Incheon Universe Project, aimed at introducing Incheon’s natural, cultural, historical, and technological heritage, and motivating participation in eco-friendly activities from younger generations. The company had collaborated with Incheon and Lotte Home Shopping to promote and expand the ecosystem of the collection.

Recognition of Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 6 has led to many crypto proponents in Asia foreseeing a positive outcome for crypto within the Asian region, and globally.Photo by Kevin Lanceplaine on UnsplashBright future for cryptoAccording to a report published by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), crypto proponents in China are expectant of a bright future for crypto both on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong. The mindset seems to be that a pro-crypto stance in the U.S. will lead to other jurisdictions taking a similar approach. HashKey CEO Livio Weng expressed such a view, stating:“Trump’s pro-crypto stance is expected not only to invigorate the US virtual-asset industry, but also to encourage Hong Kong to further relax its own virtual-asset policies in its quest to become a global Web3 hub.”  Prior to being elected, Trump had promised to fire Gary Gensler, who as Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has pursued a strategy of regulation by enforcement, a course of action that has been broadly criticized by crypto market participants in the United States. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse wasted no time in calling on Trump to act, and to fire Gensler. Influencing regulatory attitudesThere seems to be a consensus among commentators that the regulatory approach to crypto in the U.S. is going to become crypto-friendly. Crypto analyst Miles Deutscher suggests that “a Trump victory is a WIN for US tech innovation, as it would solidify [the United States’] status as a crypto powerhouse.” Weng believes that “this shift could also positively influence regulatory attitudes toward virtual assets in mainland China.” That view is mirrored in South Korea by KP Jang, head of Xangle Research. Jang asserts that “if Trump implements bold virtual asset policies while improving existing regulations, it is expected to accelerate regulatory reforms in Korea as well.” Sumit Gupta, CEO and co-founder of India’s largest crypto exchange, CoinDCX, outlined on X that Trump’s victory is a pivotal moment for global crypto, adding:”The direct effects of Trump’s policies might not alter India’s regulatory environment right away. However, global sentiment and investor behaviour will be influenced, eventually reaching India.” The CoinDCX CEO believes that should Trump now appoint regulatory leadership that’s crypto-positive, any resultant crypto regulatory framework adopted by the U.S. could become a blueprint for use by other nations. Gupta identified further potential upside insofar as the implementation of positive crypto policies by Trump would lead to a more attractive environment for crypto, “potentially opening up enhanced funding opportunities and partnerships for Indian startups as investors seek global growth.” Bitcoin price surgeAt the time of writing, the Bitcoin unit price is up 0.64% over the course of the past 24 hours, at $74,884. American business news channel CNBC reported that Bitcoin could reach $100,000 before Trump even takes office.  Matthew Hougan, chief investment officer (CIO) at crypto asset fund manager Bitwise, said that Trump’s election victory could herald in a “golden age of crypto,” with a friendlier regulatory environment leading to greater institutional investment and mainstream adoption.