Bithumb’s Burrito Wallet holds Partners Day 2024

The global version of Night Crows, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by South Korean game company Wemade, officially launched yesterday, as announced in the company’s press release.  Night Crows Global is currently available across 170 countries, except for South Korea and China. Players can experience the game on mobile and PC in nine languages including English, Japanese and Thai. Photo by Nik Shuliahin 💛💙 on UnsplashPowered by Unreal Engine 5, Night Crows Global maximizes visual performance by delivering highly realistic lighting and shadow effects. The game is set in 13th-century Europe and merges history and fantasy, offering an intriguing in-game universe. Players can enjoy intense battles backed by cutting-edge graphics. They can choose their weapons from four class types –  one-handed sword, staff, two-handed sword and bow – and explore various content including a Unified Exchange.  Tokenomics and character NFTs powered by blockchain technology Night Crows Global implements multi-tokenomics to tokenize a total of seven types of in-game items and adopts character NFTs, which compresses game character data into easily identifiable attributes.  These character NFTs can be exchanged for the game’s main token, CROW, within the WEMIX PLAY blockchain gaming platform, connecting the in-game and real-world economies. In addition, the omnichain network strategy enhances user accessibility, enabling users of other blockchain networks connected to Wemade’s WEMIX3.0 ecosystem to play the game with ease.  Meanwhile, Night Crows has already demonstrated its popularity before the global launch. Since its initial launch in April last year in Korea, the game topped mobile game sales on Google Play and App Store, the two most prominent mobile app markets in the country. Upcoming in-game events In celebration of the global launch, Night Crows Global holds various in-game events for up to four weeks. The month-long celebration comprises a check-in event “Festival 1: Answer to the Call,” a mission event “Festival 2: Birth of a New Member” and a ranking event “Festival 3: News from the Night Crow Perch.” By completing these events, players will be rewarded with various items such as “Dawn’s Lustrous Weapon Style Summon.”  Wemade CEO Henry Chang expressed his excitement about the global launch, saying that Night Crows Global will be able to capture global audiences’ attention by offering new omnichain experiences and high-quality multi-tokenomics. He added that Night Crows Global’s success will revitalize not only WEMIX PLAY but also spur the overall growth of the WEMIX mainnet ecosystem.  

Korea invites distinguished financial officials to discuss digital moneyThe Bank of Korea (BOK), South Korea’s central bank, announced on Friday (local time) its participation in an international conference focused on the economic impact and future prospects of digital currencies. This event, co-hosted by the BOK, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF), the Financial Services Commission (FSC), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is scheduled to take place in Seoul on Dec. 14 and 15.The conference, titled “Digital Money: Navigating a Changing Financial Landscape,” is set to welcome high-ranking officials such as Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director of the IMF; Choo Kyung-ho, the Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MOEF); Rhee Chang-yong, the Governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK); and Kim So-young, the Vice Chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC). This event is particularly significant as it marks the first visit of IMF head Kristalina Georgieva to South Korea.Photo by pan zhen on UnsplashCrypto, stablecoins, CBDCsDuring the conference, MOEF Minister Choo and FSC Vice Chairman Kim will kick off the event with welcome remarks, followed by a keynote speech from IMF’s Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva. Spanning over two days, the conference will include seven sessions, covering a diverse range of topics. These sessions will delve into various aspects of digital money, such as practical use cases of digital currencies, regulatory approaches to cryptocurrencies, and discussions on stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs).The conference will feature prominent financial officials in both its opening and closing sessions. On the first day, Thursday, a distinguished panel, including IMF Chief Georgieva; Stefan Ingves, the former Governor of Sveriges Riksbank; FSC Vice Chairman Kim; David E. Rutter, the Founder of R3; and Shin Hyun-song, the Economic Adviser at the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), will discuss the opportunities and challenges facing digital money.The final session on Friday will see another group of high-level financial authorities sharing their expertise and insights. This session will include BOK Governor Rhee; Eddie Yue, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority; Serey Chea, the Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia; and Veerathai Santiprabhob, the former Governor of the Bank of Thailand. Their discussion will focus on regulatory policies surrounding digital currencies.Live-streaming scheduledThe two sessions of this conference will be accessible to a global audience as they will be live-streamed on the BOK’s official YouTube channel. This provides an opportunity for interested individuals from around the world to tune in and gain insights into the evolving landscape of digital money and its regulatory environment.

Coinbase Acquires License to Enhance Crypto Operations in SingaporeUS crypto exchange business Coinbase has reached a significant milestone in its Singapore operations by obtaining a Major Payment Institution (MPI) license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).The achievement, announced by the firm via a blog post published on Sunday, represents a pivotal moment for Coinbase as it expands its digital payment token services in Singapore to serve both individuals and institutions. The issuance of the full MPI license comes approximately one year after Coinbase initially received in-principle approval from MAS.Photo by Duy Nguyen on UnsplashEnabling broader service offeringThe importance of this development lies in Coinbase’s ability to provide advanced services, not only to individual traders but also to institutional investors. Hassan Ahmed, the country director of Coinbase Singapore, stressed the significance of this full license, stating that it will play a crucial role in strengthening relationships with stakeholders, especially regulated entities like banks. The regulatory milestone is anticipated to further cement Coinbase’s presence in the institutional finance sector in the region.Coinbase’s commitment to the Singaporean market has been evident in its continuous expansion initiatives. The company established a technology hub in Singapore last year, actively recruiting and training product managers and engineers specializing in Web3 technologies.In May the firm extended its product offering to Singaporean customers, introducing fee-less purchases of the USDC stablecoin and introducing digital asset staking. Meanwhile Coinbase Ventures, the firm’s investment arm, has also demonstrated confidence in the region by investing in more than 15 Web3 startups within Singapore over the past three years.Singapore earmarked for growthSingapore has emerged as the focal point for Coinbase’s Asia-Pacific institutional business, owing to its progressive stance on cryptocurrencies and a robust Web3 ecosystem boasting over 700 Web3 companies. According to Coinbase’s surveys, 25% of Singaporeans perceive cryptocurrencies as the future of finance, and 32% have had some form of crypto asset ownership. These statistics underscore Singapore’s growing importance in the global cryptocurrency landscape.Coinbase’s interest in meeting the demands of the local market is evident with the introduction of funding options like PayNow and the banks’ Fast And Secure Transfers (FAST) service, in addition to the integration of the Singpass onboarding system earlier this year.Despite facing regulatory challenges, including a lawsuit from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accusing Coinbase of operating illegally, the exchange continues to explore avenues to grow and expand the business further. In August, Coinbase reported a significant improvement in its financials, with a narrower net loss and higher-than-expected revenue. This performance is reflected in its appreciating stock prices, which have more than doubled in 2023.This move places Coinbase among a select group of just over a dozen firms licensed to offer digital payment token services in Singapore. Last month, institutional investor-focused AsiaNext was officially designated as a Recognized Market Operator (RMO) by MAS. The firm was building on previous success in Singapore, having acquired a Capital Markets Services (CMS) license from MAS in June.That same month USDC stablecoin issuer Circle was awarded a full trading license. Other crypto firms to achieve licensing success in the city-state include Crypto.com and Blockchain.com.