Japanese Financial Giant SBI Extends Use of Ripple’s Remittance Tech

Oobit, the mobile crypto payment app based in Singapore, has raised $25 million in a series A funding round with the assistance of leading stablecoin issuer Tether. Funding global expansionThe company aims to broaden its reach across Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, with a strategic focus on bringing its platform to more mainstream users. While the company’s primary markets currently lie within the European Union and the UK, Oobit will be targeting the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and specific jurisdictions such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Canada and Australia. This expansion aligns with the company's goal of accelerating the development of a Web3 gateway. The funding round was led by Tether alongside Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana Labs. Additionally, Germany’s 468 Capital, a technology investment firm, and Hong Kong-headquartered CMCC Global joined as contributors. CMCC invested through its $100 million Titan Fund, which it established last year to support blockchain startups in the Asian region.Photo by micheile henderson on UnsplashEnabling users to spend cryptoOobit's mobile payment app allows consumers to make purchases using cryptocurrencies, while merchants receive payments in fiat currency. The tap-and-pay feature enhances accessibility, enabling users to pay at any point of sale accepting Visa or MasterCard funds from their Oobit wallet. Furthermore, Oobit facilitates the direct purchase of bitcoin, ether and more than 35 other popular cryptocurrencies within its app. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino expressed support for Oobit's development, emphasizing a shared vision for driving widespread cryptocurrency adoption globally. Oobit's co-founder and CEO, Amram Adar, highlighted the funding round as a pivotal moment, propelling the company forward in its mission to offer a straightforward way to pay with digital assets worldwide. Introducing non-custodial paymentsThe company plans to extend its capabilities to third-party wallets, transitioning into a non-custodial crypto payments app. This move will allow payments to and from external e-wallets, bridging the gap between Web3 and real-world spending. A company spokeswoman stated via email:"We have several partnerships in the pipeline that will be announced in the coming months," hinting at Oobit's commitment to ongoing collaboration and expansion. Oobit's vision is to empower crypto holders to Tap & Pay at over 100 million retailers globally, accepting Visa and MasterCard. Merchants can seamlessly embrace digital assets as a form of payment, and customers can conveniently use their digital assets for transactions. Future updates to Oobit will enable customers to make crypto payments, ensuring merchants receive fiat currency in return, mirroring the simplicity of credit card transactions. The native cryptocurrency of Oobit is the OBT token through which the platform rewards its growing community and ecosystem. The token is used for transaction fees and payments. The OBT token is currently trading at $0.0992, according to CoinMarketCap data. With the backing of industry leaders and a user-centric focus, Oobit is attempting to position itself to make significant strides in its mission to facilitate frictionless transactions and promote the adoption of cryptocurrencies on a global scale.

Bithumb Burrito Wallet teams up with Yooldo to expand blockchain gaming networkRotonda, the operator of the digital asset wallet platform Bithumb Burrito Wallet, and blockchain gaming platform Yooldo said Wednesday (local time) that they have jointly signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand their respective blockchain ecosystems and secure a global user base.Photo by Christian Wiediger on UnsplashService integrationUnder the new deal, Rotonda plans to integrate Burrito Wallet into Yooldo’s key decentralized applications (dApps), such as its first in-house developed game Trouble Punk, to build support for the expansion of its web game ecosystem. Users will also be able to use Yooldo’s governance token, YOOL, within Burrito Wallet, thus boosting its utility.Furthermore, they plan to actively collaborate on marketing endeavors such as events and campaigns to attract users.Rotonda mentioned its expectations for a successful collaboration with Yooldo as they share a common goal to make their respective services user-friendly. While Rotonda allows wallet holders to conveniently transfer assets and manage numerous cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in one platform, Yooldo is dedicated to building a sustainable Web3 gaming ecosystem that leverages blockchain technology to offer content, rewards and user-friendly UI and UX designs, making the transition from Web2 to Web3 a seamless process for gamers.Burrito Wallet’s commitment to growing the communityMeanwhile, Burrito Wallet has been at the forefront of expanding the digital ecosystem by promoting the widespread adoption of blockchain and supporting promising startups. The platform recently hosted a hackathon at this year’s Global Blockchain Incheon Conference (GBIC 2023) and is a contributor to Bithumb’s tenth-anniversary project — an entrepreneurship support program that aims to foster young entrepreneurs and startups with groundbreaking ideas.

Wemade Partners with Katnappe to Bring Arcade Game to Blockchain PlatformSouth Korean blockchain game developer Wemade has entered into a partnership with Katnappe sp. z o.o. to introduce Hoomeez, a multiplayer casual arcade game from the Poland-based indie game publisher, onto Wemade’s blockchain gaming platform, WEMIX PLAY.Hoomeez has been developed by Sourena Games Studio and is made accessible to players worldwide through Katnappe, which was established in 2008.Photo by Shubham Dhage on UnsplashAddition of casual gamesThanks to this partnership between these two entities, users of WEMIX PLAY will now have the opportunity to engage in casual games like racing, ball games, hazard elimination, and coin collection, using cartoon avatar Hoomie, and compete with friends from around the world.Through collaborations with game companies across North America, Europe, and Asia, Wemade has been strengthening the competitiveness of WEMIX PLAY, and its commitment extends to acquiring a broader range of games encompassing various genres.Omnichain network developmentWemade’s global collaborations extend beyond the realm of gaming and encompass the development of the Web3 ecosystem. Recently, Wemade’s WEMIX Foundation forged a strategic partnership with oracle solutions provider Chainlink Labs in order to establish an omnichain network named the Unbound Networking and Accelerating Growth Initiative (Unagi). Blockchain oracles allow developers to bring data from off-chain sources onto the blockchain.In this collaborative effort, the two companies will implement the Chainlink Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) into Unagi’s core engine, unagi(x). The integration of CCIP will facilitate the creation of a decentralized omnichain messaging protocol, enhancing the ability to conduct swift and secure transactions between on-chain and off-chain systems.Furthermore, Chainlink Labs will become the inaugural member of the Certified Organizations for Unagi Round Table (COURT), a group dedicated to advancing technological research and development with the aim of nurturing a sustainable omnichain ecosystem.Leveraging the support of Unagi, the WEMIX Foundation is working towards connecting diverse blockchains to construct an extensive Web3 ecosystem. Additionally, the foundation is committed to an ongoing recruitment drive for global partners, seeking to expand the ranks of COURT members in pursuit of technological innovation.Sergey Nazarov, the co-founder of Chainlink Labs, shared his excitement about collaborating with Wemade to further the widespread adoption of Web3 games. He mentioned that Chainlink’s CCIP will open new horizons for unagi(x) in the blockchain sphere and help it secure interoperability between different blockchain networks.Henry Chang, CEO of Wemade, resonated with this perspective. He emphasized that their partnership stems from a mutual goal of advancing technological innovation and shaping the blockchain’s future. Chang expressed that Chainlink’s CCIP will bolster the Korean company’s efforts in enhancing its user-centric Web3 gaming platform.