Hong Kong firms move forward with staking services

MARBLEX Introduces New Update to Multichain ServiceSouth Korean gaming developer Netmarble announced last Friday that its blockchain subsidiary, MARBLEX, has updated its multichain service Warp.Photo by Shubham Dhage on UnsplashCross-chain accessibilityWarp is a bridge service that enables the exchange between its native token, MARBLEX (MBX), and bridge token, MBXL, while allowing MBX tokens to move across blockchain networks. With this update, BNB Chain users can now access services within the MBX ecosystem, including games and NFTs. The recent update is expected to attract an influx of BNB Chain users after MARBLEX previously entered into a strategic partnership with the network in February to expand its multichain ecosystem.Furthermore, MARBLEX intends to continue applying its convenient user-friendly service approach by maintaining its existing system for gas fee payments.Celebratory eventsMARBLEX is hosting special events worth a total of $240,000 to mark the new update, including an offering of liquidity pools in two forms — BNB-MBX pairs and USDT-MBX pairs — on the decentralized exchange PancakeSwap. The company also plans to reward MBX for staking in Syrup Pools within PancakeSwap, which are special staking processes where users can earn free tokens.The developer also plans to hold an online community event for service users.

Haechi Labs Joins Hands with Oasys for Entry into Japanese MarketHaechi Labs, a South Korean blockchain service and digital wallet provider, announced Thursday that it has signed a business deal with Japanese blockchain gaming platform Oasys to establish a footing in the Japanese market.Photo by Erika Fletcher on UnsplashFostering collaborationThrough the new partnership, the companies plan to share their technical expertise and promote mutual growth. In particular, Haechi Labs’ digital wallet, Face Wallet, will be onboarded on the Oasys mainnet. This integration will allow Oasys users to easily access Web3 services using their existing social media accounts. Face Wallet supports login through various social media platforms such as Google, Discord, Twitter, Facebook, Apple, and Kakao, thereby reducing entry barriers for users who are new to Web3.Haechi Labs will also provide a software development kit (SDK) for Face Wallet, enabling game developers operating their games on the Oasys platform to integrate the wallet into their services.“We expect that Face Wallet’s integration into the Oasys mainnet will streamline the onboarding process for Web3 games,” said Moon Geon-gi, CEO of Haechi Labs. “We will continue to pursue close cooperation with various companies in the future.”Gaming focusOasys’ multi-layered blockchain network is centered around gaming, consisting of a built-in L2 scalability solution. It has worked with various major gaming companies such as SEGA, Ubisoft, Bandai Namco, Nexon, and Netmarble, who participate in the network as validator nodes.

India’s NPCI Looks to Recruit Blockchain TalentIndia’s National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), a collaborative initiative led by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in partnership with 247 Indian financial services companies, is actively seeking an experienced blockchain technologist to spearhead efforts in exploring the potential applications of blockchain technology within contemporary payment systems.The NPCI, responsible for operating India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI), a domestically developed instant payment system, plays a pivotal role in facilitating inter-bank peer-to-peer and person-to-merchant transactions across the country. The organization has recently posted a job listing for a Head of Blockchain on LinkedIn, demonstrating its interest in harnessing the power of blockchain technology.Photo by Siddharth K Rao on UnsplashIdentifying blockchain use casesThe ideal candidate for this critical role should be a seasoned technologist with a minimum of six years of hands-on experience in the development and implementation of blockchain solutions. Their primary responsibility will be to identify and evaluate potential use cases for blockchain-driven solutions within the payments ecosystem.Additionally, the senior leadership position demands a profound technical grasp of various blockchain platforms and a track record of involvement in at least two pilot blockchain projects.UPI has been a remarkable success in bolstering India’s payment infrastructure, so much so that other countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), France, Nepal, and the UK have expressed interest in adopting the UPI payment system to varying degrees.Potential blockchain integrationDespite UPI's runaway success, it’s likely that the NCPI foresees more change coming down the tracks with a need to respond appropriately. Recently, Indian billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani suggested that his company, multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries (RIL), would delve further into the use of blockchain technology, particularly where central bank digital currency (CBDC) is concerned.V Subramanian, Managing Director of one of Ambani’s companies, Reliance Retail, stated that India’s digital rupee CBDC would eventually outperform UPI. Incorporating blockchain elements into UPI could potentially introduce blockchain technology to millions of users, instantly validating its transformative capabilities.The NPCI’s job posting for a blockchain leader has already garnered significant attention, with over 600 applicants expressing their interest at the time of publication. It is anticipated that the NPCI’s recruitment drive for blockchain expertise will expand in the near future as promising blockchain use cases are uncovered and developed.The NPCI has been paying attention to the development of blockchain technology over a number of years already. In 2020, it launched a project to build a blockchain-based payments platform called Vajra, albeit that it looked to implement a permissioned blockchain model to ensure that only authorized parties could access the network. Truly decentralized networks can’t control who chooses to use such networks.The blockchain is designed such that the NPCI acts as a Clearing House Node, with overall admin rights over the network. Its Notary Node level features Aadhaar authentication, with a view to securing the network. Participant Nodes feature authorized banks and payment services providers, who have the requisite permissions to read and write transactions on the blockchain.