ZkLink Snags $10M Funding Ahead of Mainnet Launch

Libeara gears up to offer tokenized Singapore dollar government bondsStandard Chartered’s fintech investment subsidiary SC Ventures has unveiled Libeara, a platform set to cause a stir with the introduction of the first-ever tokenized Singapore-dollar government bond fund.Once launched, the offering would provide for a significant departure from traditional bond funds, offering a sleek and digital twist to the stable investment option. There’s no fixed date for the product offering as yet, as it will need to be approved by the local regulator, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).Photo by Zhu Hongzhi on UnsplashGreater accessibility and liquidityLibeara’s emergence signifies yet another instance of the convergence of traditional financial instruments in combination with blockchain technology. Through the tokenization of government bonds, Libeara not only aligns with the evolving preferences of modern investors but also promises greater accessibility and liquidity in the bond market.Within Libeara’s distributed ledger-based innovation, each token mirrors a unit of the bond fund, embodying its value and ownership rights. This approach streamlines the investor experience, ensuring a seamless process from onboarding to subscription and redemption of tokenized units. Libeara’s model addresses historical inefficiencies, enhancing the efficiency, transparency and security of bond trading that has long been plagued by cumbersome processes and intermediaries.Aaron Gwak, Founder and CEO of Libeara, provided further details on the new startup’s market offering:“This will be the first time a Singapore-dollar government bond fund will be offered in token format. At Libeara, we care deeply about not only creating a token representing an asset but also about how close the token is to the actual asset. Ensuring that FundBridge’s investors can buy native tokens, where each token represents a unit of the fund, is central to the infrastructure of the tokenisation solution that we have created for FundBridge.”Catering to accredited investorsLibeara’s product proposition caters to accredited investors and is positioned as a collaborative effort with industry leaders. The new start-up is emerging in Singapore, wholly owned by SC Ventures while partnering with FundBridge Capital, both headquartered in the city-state.The firm has partnered with enterprise-grade platform Fireblocks for digital asset infrastructure. There’s further Singaporean involvement by way of partnerships with local entities such as digital assets services group Fazz and digital asset payments infrastructure firm StraitsX for crypto-to-fiat conversions. Chainalysis has been contracted for its on-chain AML capabilities, Hong Kong’s Chekk for KYC solutions and local firm Letsbloom for cloud deployments and compliance.Sue Lynn Lim, CEO and COO of FundBridge Capital, emphasized the transformative potential of the venture, stating:“By partnering with Libeara, we are ensuring that we can provide additional investment opportunities enabled by lower operating costs, higher transparency and higher operational efficiency.”The move not only involves creating a digital representation of an asset but reimagining the asset itself in a digital format for increased accessibility, ease of trade and potential profitability.

Foblgate teams up with GLEN Studio to introduce NFT game to investorsSouth Korean cryptocurrency exchange Foblgate has partnered with GLEN Studio, the operator of the NFT game Random Crypture Defense, to bring the game to users of Foblgate, according to an article published by local news outlet ET News on Thursday (local time). The two firms aim to jointly create and share content for the blockchain and NFT community to engage in.Photo by Arstin Chen on Unsplash“This collaboration will play a crucial role in enhancing Foblgate’s capabilities in discovering and developing diverse content. In the rapidly evolving blockchain market, we aim to provide users with content that aligns with the latest trends,” Foblgate CEO Ahn Hyun-jun said.User-centric, rewards-based gameplayRandom Crypture Defense is a Play-to-Earn (P2E) tower defense game built on the Solana blockchain that is centered around unique and colorful NFT characters. These characters are available for purchase on NFT marketplaces like Magic Eden and SolSea.Players can also play and earn $GLEN, an in-game governance token that gives players voting rights in decisions regarding community wallet usage, sequel game genre planning and project direction, putting players at the forefront of game development and improvement. According to the developer, $GLEN will be listed on decentralized exchanges and will be able to be exchanged with Solana or fiat currencies.Those who wish to participate in a demo play of Random Crypture Defense can do so through Foblgate’s official website. The demo play period is set to last about a month, after which the two companies plan to hold special events for Foblgate users.Foblgate’s expansionFoblgate has recently undertaken various projects in an attempt to grow not only as an exchange but also as a hub for public-oriented, blockchain-related content. Last month, the platform began working with crypto newsletter Conut to display crypto-related news and information on its website that appeals to younger users through trendy vernacular and internet meme references.

NPIXEL Wraps Up 2nd Community Test for Web3 Game “Gran Saga: Unlimited”Korean game developer NPIXEL announced on Tuesday the successful completion of the second community test for its Web3-based PC massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) called “Gran Saga: Unlimited.”The test — conducted over the course of two weeks with some 8,000 global participants — was aimed at enhancing the gameplay environment and strengthening community-based content ahead of the official release of the game.Photo by Andrey Metelev on UnsplashExploring game features and player-based developmentAccording to local news outlet ETnews, participants had the opportunity to try out various features within the game, including new dungeons, a 16-player raid, and a player-versus-player (PvP) battleground called “Chaos Field.” In particular, the “Idol & Fan” system garnered significant attention, where 100 global influencers who received soulbound tokens participated as “idols” to create diverse content with their “fandoms.”NPIXEL’s development team was actively engaged in the testing process, collaborating with users to strategize dungeon conquests and partake in community activities. They implemented real-time communication with users, gathering feedback and opinions to build a game that players directly contributed to.“Proof-of-Play”: The expansion of blockchain in gamingOne of the key features of Gran Saga: Unlimited is its Proof-of-Play technology, NPIXEL explained, much like the Proof-of-Work process used in cryptocurrency. Proof-of-Play involves recording all the in-game items and commodities that a player receives on a blockchain, thus proving and disclosing the items’ randomness of acquisition. The difficulty of obtaining certain items is determined based on in-game demand, and users can search and verify real-time information such as time of acquisition, ownership identification, and random probability.Upcoming launch and exclusive rewardsThe developer is also offering rewards to all 8,000 testers, including a Mount NFT when the game is launched and a chance to win a whitelist spot raffle of Catcha NFT with 1,000 open spots to all testers.NPIXEL will thoroughly review user feedback and opinions collected during the test to further improve the game, after which they plan to officially launch the game through the web-based premier gaming ecosystem, METAPIXEL.METAPIXEL will be developed on the Layer 1 blockchain network Aptos, which is based on NPIXEL’s partnership with Aptos established back in November of last year.