Animoca Brands makes key appointment to drive Japanese market expansion

Laser Digital Expands Global Presence with New Tokyo OfficeLaser Digital Asset Management, the digital asset subsidiary of Japanese financial giant Nomura, is taking significant steps in its global expansion strategy by opening a new office in Tokyo, Japan. That’s according to a statement published by the firm on Monday.Photo by Jaison Lin on UnsplashNomura executive appointmentTo lead this strategic move, Hideaki Kudo, a seasoned professional with a distinguished career at Nomura, has been appointed as the Representative Director and Head of Laser Digital’s Japanese operations.Kudo’s impressive journey within the Nomura Group began in 2007 when he joined Nomura Asset Management, where he later held the position of Senior Portfolio Manager. Over the years, he played a pivotal role in contributing to the group’s success. His expertise caught the attention of Nomura’s Digital Company, where he served as an Executive Director, responsible for shaping the group’s digital asset strategy. Kudo’s track record includes spearheading essential projects such as the development of security tokens and orchestrating Japan’s first-ever real estate security token offering.Commenting on his new role at Laser Digital, Kudo expressed his excitement, stating:“It’s exciting to join Laser as they expand operations to Japan. Since 2019, I have been managing Nomura’s advancements into the digital asset space, and I am delighted to now join the Laser team on their journey.”Earlier this year the firm strengthened its venture capital arm through the appointment of industry veteran Florent Jouanneau as a new partner.Zurich-headquartered Laser Digital, launched by Nomura last autumn, is led by Co-Founders Steven Ashley and Jez Mohideen. Ashley, a former leader of Nomura’s wholesale division, emphasized the importance of having 24/7 operational management to optimize support for their trading business.Setting their sights on Japan for expansion into the Far East, Kudo’s extensive experience at the Digital Company is expected to be invaluable for Laser Digital’s development and growth. Laser Digital uniquely combines the discipline and capabilities of global investment banking with the expertise of a crypto-native team.Broader expansion strategyLaser Digital’s expansion into Japan aligns with a broader trend of crypto companies seeking growth opportunities in Asia, as noted by Laser Digital CEO Jez Mohideen. In a recent interview, Mohideen expressed optimism about the crypto ecosystems in Japan and Hong Kong, highlighting the potential for significant growth in the region.He also emphasized the importance of regulatory clarity in Asia and the Middle East, suggesting that these factors would play a pivotal role in driving crypto adoption. In August, Laser Digital secured a crypto license from Dubai’s virtual asset regulatory authority, enabling the provision of virtual asset broker-dealer and investment services from its Dubai entity. Last month the company received in-principle approval from the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), further solidifying its presence in the Middle East.As Laser Digital continues to expand its global footprint, the appointment of Hideaki Kudo and the establishment of a new office in Tokyo mark significant milestones in the company’s journey to provide comprehensive digital asset solutions to clients worldwide. With Kudo’s leadership and Nomura’s backing, Laser Digital is attempting to position itself for further success in the burgeoning crypto industry.

Memeland Coin Launch Secures $10M for the ProjectMemeland, a Web3 venture studio, made headlines on Thursday as its token sale for MEME tokens reached $10 million in commitments just after going live. The people behind the project are the Hong Kong-based team that is also associated with the popular meme-sharing site, 9GAG.Memeland represents a collection of 9,999 utility-enabled profile pictures (PFPs).9GAG is a meme-centric Hong Kong-based entertainment website that gained a significant following since its launch in 2008. With millions of followers across various social media platforms, 9GAG’s foray into the Web3 space through Memeland was eagerly awaited. Memeland had already introduced several NFT projects, including Captainz, Potatoez, and MVP, prior to launching its native token on Thursday.Photo by Nattanan Kanchanaprat on Pixabay42 minute sell-outSupporters of the project had joined a waitlist prior to them being granted access to the sale. Earlier in the week, the project had tweeted out that the MEME tokens that it was gearing up to sell had “No utility. No roadmap. No promises. No expectation of financial return. Just 100% memes.” In fact, this mantra has been etched into the project’s whitepaper from the outset. “$MEME is completely useless and for entertainment purposes only,” the whitepaper clarifies.Even though the sale had already sold out in record time, it was scheduled to continue until Friday morning. During this extended period, those who have previously joined the waitlist can gain access to the tokens.The team behind Memeland, having clocked up experience previously via 9GAG, has made them no strangers to the world of online humor and entertainment. The Memeland project introduces an array of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and innovative applications that fuse elements from the metaverse, gaming, and NFTs.Project pipelineMemeland is gearing up to launch various additional platforms in the near future. These include Holders.com, a travel service; GMGM.com, a video-sharing platform; Stakeland, which will be a crypto staking application; and Petsland, a service centered around pets.MEME tokenomicsThe MEME token has a total supply of 69,000,000,000 MEME, with an initial price per token set at US$0.001. According to the Memecoin team, 2.75% of the total supply will be unlocked on the first day, with the remaining amount unlocked daily over the next 18 months.The token distribution breakdown is as follows:Private sale: 6,900,000,000 (10%) — Exclusively for Memeland Captainz holdersContributors: 13,800,000,000 (20%) — Partners and team members contributing to the Memeland projectFire sale: 8,280,000,000 (12%) — Reserved for the allowlist and certain waitlist participantsAirdrops: 17,250,000,000 (25%)Ecosystem fund: 22,770,000,000 (33%)Those who possess specific NFTs from the Memeland ecosystem have received varying allocations during the Fire Sale, depending on the type, rarity, and quantity of their holdings.With a strong foundation rooted in meme culture and a team experienced in delivering internet humor to millions, Memeland’s potential development going forward may be as exciting as the memes that inspired it.

Intella X and CARV Team Up to Revolutionize Web3 GamingIntella X, the Web3 blockchain gaming platform developed by South Korean gaming company Neowiz, has entered into a partnership with CARV, a company that is currently building gaming credential infrastructure. Together, they intend to lead the era of innovative and cutting-edge Web3 gaming by improving the gaming experience, such as boosting player engagement and fostering an active gaming community.Photo by Mateov on UnsplashElevating the gaming experienceCARV’s platform provides a multifaceted experience for gamers, allowing them to explore a diverse range of games, collect rewards, and interact with fellow gamers around the world. In particular, they can also create a profile where they can organize all of their gaming achievements into verified and evolving credentials. On the other hand, Intella X offers service protocols like Proof of Contribution to cater to game developers and users in its ecosystem.Expanding horizonsUnder the partnership, CARV will onboard a selection of Intella X games to its CARV Play platform, the first of which will be the mobile Play-to-Earn (P2E) game Crypto Golf Impact and the MMORPG EOS Gold. The company will also support Intella X in order for it to expand its global presence and gain a larger user base, which entails leveraging CARV’s data analysis technology to create effective marketing and in-game quest campaigns to optimize user acquisition.“CARV is excited to partner up with Intella X in an effort to help their games scale by providing targeted user acquisition through player credentials as well as providing user insights that allow Intella X games to truly understand their communities. The Intella X team is filled with industry veterans who know how to disrupt an industry. CARV couldn’t be happier to align with such a strong brand in the space,” said Paul Delio, Head of Business Development at CARV.