SC Ventures cues up $100M crypto startup investment vehicle in UAE

Hong Kong-based digital asset financial services firm HashKey Group has announced its intention to list its platform token, HSK, in Q3 2024. HSK tokenomicsThe company set out details of the HSK listing via a series of posts on the X social media platform. The HSK token is based on the Ethereum ERC-20 token standard. Total token supply will be capped at one billion, 65% of which will be allocated towards ecosystem growth. The team will be incentivized by the allocation of 30% of the supply while 5% will be held back in a reserve fund.  Regarding the token’s burning mechanism, HashKey revealed it retains the discretion to repurchase up to 20% of net profits from specified businesses and subsequently burn the acquired tokens from the total supply.Photo by Zoltan Tasi on UnsplashAirdrop imminentIn a statement shared with The Block, HashKey Group detailed that HSK will be integrated across its various products and applications. The community airdrop, launching in late June, aims to encourage user participation. The company stated:“HSK is scheduled to launch a community airdrop through HashKey's core businesses in late June, encouraging users to contribute to community building.” The company believes that HSK will incentivize ecosystem contributors when it comes to development of its layer-2 ecosystem chain, the HashKey Chain. That incentive structure, the company maintains, will result in contributors “providing robust support,” while acting as a “driving force for on-chain users and assets.”  Integration with external ecosystemsThe firm outlined that the HSK token is designed to integrate with external crypto ecosystems so as to best facilitate synergy between internal and external collaborations. HashKey Group boasts a comprehensive Web3 ecosystem, inclusive of infrastructure, middleware, AI, DeFi, GameFi and the Metaverse. HashKey Group’s core businesses include HashKey Capital, HashKey Tokenisation and HashKey NFT. It also operates HashKey Exchange, a licensed cryptocurrency exchange in Hong Kong, with the exchange business having reached a $500 million assets-under-management (AUM) milestone earlier this month.  HashKey Cloud, a Web3 infrastructure provider, formed a strategic partnership with the Aptos Foundation last month with a view towards progressing projects relative to decentralized identity (DID) and security token offerings (STOs). HashKey Global, a global exchange launched in April, has risen to ninth spot in terms of overall crypto exchange trading volume. In January, HashKey Group announced that it raised nearly $100 million in its Series A financing round, achieving a pre-money valuation above $1.2 billion. In September, the investment arm of the company, HashKey Capital, launched a $100 million fund focused on altcoins.

Jump Trades to Top of NFT MarketplaceJump.trade, which is considered to be the largest NFT marketplace in Asia, has now emerged as the leading NFT marketplace on the Polygon Network, as per a recent report published by DappRadar. This new ranking has placed Jump.trade ahead of other popular NFT marketplaces like OpenSea, Decentraland, and OKX NFT marketplace, among others.©Unsplash/Andrey MetelevJump №1 on PolygonThe firm acknowledged the achievement on social media last week, thanking its community for making the accomplishment a reality. Kameshwaran Elangovan, Co-Founder and COO of Jump.trade, expressed his delight with the recent ranking and called it “an astounding statement of our team’s hard work and the enthusiasm of our community who keep our marketplace always buzzing.”While clearly an “unlocked achievement” as the company itself put it, it’s important to note that NFT marketplace development on the Polygon network has been much more recent. The bulk of NFT marketplace trading volume still occurs on blockchains such as Ethereum with NFT marketplaces OpenSea and upstart Blur dominating and accounting for 90% of NFT trade.First P2E cricket gameIt is worth noting that Jump.trade had introduced the world’s first P2E cricket game NFT collection last year, which consisted of 55,000 NFTs from the Meta Cricket League. Interestingly, this collection had sold out within a mere nine minutes, underlining the immense popularity and demand for NFTs. Jump.trade has also formed partnerships with various renowned brands such as Pepsi and Cadbury to make NFTs more accessible and develop a metaverse ecosystem where both brands and individuals can collaborate.Global ambitionsThe company has set its sights on becoming a major global player in the gaming NFTs market and is expected to benefit from the projected growth in the NFT market. This market is estimated to be worth $231 billion by 2030, with the gaming and sports industries anticipated to be the key drivers of NFT-related products.Jump.trade is a collaboration between Indian firm Appstars Applications and Singapore’s Guardian Blockchain Labs. As an emerging tech superpower, India has a robust technical infrastructure that can enable the NFT industry to penetrate even the remote areas of the country. However, a well-structured regulatory framework will be critical for faster adoption of NFTs and digital collectibles, and ownership will play a crucial role in taking India closer to achieving its goal of an $800 billion digital economy by 2030.Flipkart Labs partnershipJump.trade is also the platform for the upcoming RADDX Racing Metaverse NFTs, and it provides opportunities for brands to leverage Web3/gaming for branding. On Wednesday, Jump.trade announced its partnership with Flipkart Labs, the blockchain and NFT offshoot of Indian e-tailer Flipkart. Both companies are collaborating on the RADDX Web3 advertising innovation.Jump.trade CEO and Co-Founder Ramkumar Subramaniam said that “brands like Flipkart getting into metaverse advertising and Web3 marketing will serve as an encouragement and a beacon for a lot of brands to follow suit.” As part of the deal, Flipkart Labs bought Digital Lands, a digital land parcel within the RADDX Racing Metaverse.

Hong Kong court grants trademark injunction against HuobiThe Hong Kong Special Administrative Region High Court has resolved a trademark dispute between X-Spot Global Limited and Huobi Global Limited, ruling in favor of X-Spot.Back in June, X-Spot alleged that Huobi Global infringed on its trademark rights related to the “Huobi” name. In the legal process which followed, the court sided with X-Spot, compelling Huobi Global to cease using the “Huobi” trademark or any similar name or logo in Hong Kong.Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on UnsplashPotential confusionThe court’s official judgment highlighted concerns about potential confusion among the public and industry professionals arising from Huobi Global’s use of the “Huobi” trademarks. It emphasized that such confusion could lead people to believe that X-Spot Global, as the registered trademark owner, is actively engaged in cryptocurrency business associated with the trademark. In response, the court dismissed Huobi Global’s plea to revoke the service order and halt negotiations, also instructing the covering of X-Spot Global’s legal expenses.Post-acquisition conflictThe background to this dispute originates in the acquisition of Huobi Global last year. It’s widely believed that TRON blockchain network founder Justin Sun purchased the exchange for $1 billion although Sun has subsequently suggested that he is just an advisor to the crypto exchange business. The acquisition was made by About Capital Management, an entity associated with the controversial crypto entrepreneur.In May of this year, Sun claimed that Wei Li, a brother of Huobi founder Leon Li, had unjustly profited from the sale of Huobi’s native HT token. The disagreement escalated and as a consequence of that conflict, it became apparent that the acquisition agreement explicitly prohibited the buyer from using the “Huobi’’ trademark.Leon Li accused the cryptocurrency exchange of violating the acquisition agreement’s rules by unauthorized use of the “Huobi” trademark. This legal battle has shed light on the strained relationship between Leon Li and Justin Sun.The court’s decision adds a layer of complexity to Huobi Global’s legal challenges, intensifying existing regulatory issues. Notably, the cryptocurrency exchange is already grappling with a recent order from Malaysian authorities to cease operations in the country due to alleged illegal activities.The ruling comes at a critical juncture for Huobi Global. In September the business rebranded to HTX, signaling aspirations for global expansion amidst a shifting legal landscape. At the time, Justin Sun provided the rationale behind the rebrand. Taking to the X social media platform, he wrote:“It’s very hard for foreigners, Westerners, to pronounce ‘Huobi’… It doesn’t make any sense to them.” Sun went on to explain that the word Huobi means fire and coin in Chinese, adding, “That’s why we rebranded as HTX for international branding.”In light of this trademark infringement injunction decision, it could equally be speculated that the company was acting in advance of an unfavorable ruling in compliance with the terms of the business acquisition agreement.In reaching a decision on the matter, Judge Mimmie Chan J noted the lack of a defense mounted by Huobi against the trademark infringement action.