Safeheron launches world’s first open-sourced Intel SGX TEE for Web3

NFT Game Slime World’s Creator Join Forces with Blockchain Investor AssemblockKorean video game developer Nada Digital has recently announced its strategic partnership with blockchain investment fund Assemblock. The two entities will collaborate on accelerating the development and innovation of mobile games and blockchain technology with an aim to expand their presence on the global stage.Photo by Martin Martz on UnsplashSlime World and NADA Protocol TokenNada Digital’s creation, Slime World, is a blockchain-powered, play-to-earn (P2E) game whose system is underpinned by NADA Protocol Token. The NADA token is set to play the role of the key currency for the game publisher’s forthcoming blockchain services. Players can earn Orichalcum rewards during gameplay and exchange them for NADA at an in-game exchange.Assemblock’s localization consultingAs an investor and accelerator, Assemblock is involved in supporting and guiding blockchain projects in pursuit of shaping an environment for the blockchain industry. In particular, it focuses on assisting projects in successfully entering and thriving in the Korean and Chinese markets through localization consulting.Eva Yoon, CEO of Assemblock, has held positions at payment service company Danal, mobile game developer Party Games (now Nexture), and large game company NHN Entertainment. With her wealth of experience, Yoon has led initiatives to facilitate the international growth of Korean gaming enterprises and blockchain startups.

AEON, a modular payment protocol that aims to standardize and unify crypto payments, has launched a QR code payment system on the BNB Chain, with a view towards expanding crypto payments in Southeast Asia. The project clarified in a press release published on Nov. 11 that its BNB-based QR code payment system has been established in collaboration with Terminus, a payment association project that bridges crypto and real-world transactions through banks, e-wallets and fiat settlement networks. The new service means that merchants can now access AEON’s payment system without having to acquire additional hardware, while crypto payments are settled in fiat currency. AEON believes that the new offering provides greater convenience for users and merchants, while also supporting the BNB Chain ecosystem through the promotion of a seamless payment experience at offline locations throughout the Southeast Asian region.Lara Jameson on PexelsIntegrating with Asian payment networksUsers can now rely on assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC) and Binance Coin (BNB) as a source of funds for payments, which can be made in-store by scanning a QR code via a network of merchants throughout Southeast Asia. Once a transaction is confirmed, funds are converted to fiat currency in real time. The offering minimizes friction for the merchant, making it easy for them to accept crypto as a means of payment. This scan-to-pay feature has now been integrated with national payment networks like VietQR, a money transfer service in Vietnam that enables customers to scan and pay across the mobile apps of the Southeast Asian nation’s banks. Similarly, AEON has integrated with another such service in Thailand known as ThaiQR, which is supported by a number of leading Thai banks.  Connecting Web2 with Web3In an article posted to X last month, Terminus outlined that acting as a “payment association” isn’t just a label but an attempt by the company to take an approach that seeks to connect Web2 with Web3 in a manner previously thought impossible. It believes that it is creating a powerful ecosystem by taking disparate payments providers and joining them together via a cohesive payments association. In bridging Web2 and Web3 Terminus says that it is laying “the groundwork for a future where payments are not only efficient but universally accessible.” Network integrations seem to be key where crypto payment solutions providers are concerned. With that, AEON has been active in bringing about other such integrations beyond this collaboration with Terminus. In September, it entered into a partnership with Singapore’s Alchemy Pay, a crypto-to-fiat payment gateway, with a view towards combining Alchemy’s expertise in payments with AEON’s payments infrastructure and protocol. In October AEON integrated with the TRON layer-1 blockchain network. The collaboration means that decentralized applications within the TRON ecosystem can accept crypto payments over AEON’s payments infrastructure.

Daegu Recruits First Cohort of Youth Blockchain Startup SchoolThe Daegu Metropolitan City Public Agency for Social Service has opened applications for the first cohort of the new Youth Blockchain Startup School, which aims to foster a blockchain-based ecosystem in Daegu by offering education and support for local youth in pursuing entrepreneurship.Photo by topaz sun on UnsplashNurturing innovation among the youthA comprehensive program will be offered at the school, covering a wide range of areas from theory to entrepreneurship and consisting of five stages: theoretical and practical education on blockchain and digital assets, exploration of blockchain-based startup models, selection of viable startup models, support for practical entrepreneurship and growth, and monitoring business acceleration and issue support.The theoretical education courses will be led by Park Sung-joon, Director of the Blockchain Research Center at Dongguk University, and the practical education will be led by Professor Choi Sei-woong from the same university, according to the agency.The school will be in session for three separate programs, with the first starting this September, the second in January of next year, and the third scheduled for May 2024. Each program is set to span a period of four months. The upcoming inaugural program will run from September 1 to December 31.Application detailsApplications are open until August 31 to all youth, both as a team or individually. They can be submitted through the Daegu agency’s lifelong learning online website.