Block 1 : Essential news
- NFTs soon on YouTube?
Susan Wojcicki, YouTube's iconic CEO, has stepped down after 25 years at Google and is being replaced by Neal Mohan, a Web3 advocate who envisions the use of NFTs to help creators leverage emerging technologies. The move could allow YouTube to diversify its revenue streams and gain a strategic advantage in the face of growing competition from platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Twitch. Non-fungible tokens (NFT) could, for example, complement YouTube's offerings in the form of paid subscriptions, loyalty programs, exclusive rewards or access to unique content. Neal Mohan also mentioned the metaverse, highlighting YouTube's desire to make the visual experience more immersive.
- Binance wants to allow French people to pay everywhere in cryptocurrencies
Binance has announced a partnership with Ingenico, the world's largest payment terminal manufacturer, to enable French merchants to accept more than 50 cryptocurrencies in their stores. The partnership is based on the Axium payment terminal solution produced by Ingenico and provides a turnkey solution for merchants to accept multiple payment methods, including cryptocurrencies, with a single device. The partnership paves the way for wider adoption of cryptocurrencies for retail payments in France. Binance and Ingenico are also working on a crypto-fiat payment solution to allow customers to pay cryptocurrencies and merchants to receive euros directly. For now, the initiative is in a test phase in two stores in Paris, before a potential nationwide rollout.
- Microsoft accelerates in Web3
Tech giant Microsoft has announced a collaboration with startup Ankr, which provides services related to blockchain infrastructure. Ankr will deploy its node services for enterprises through Microsoft's Azure platform, providing access to information stored in blockchains. The announcement had an immediate impact on the price of the ANKR cryptocurrency, which rose more than 45 percent in 15 minutes. Ankr's CEO said that this partnership with the tech behemoth across the Atlantic would be beneficial for businesses and Web3 projects under construction. To be continued.
- Google is expanding on the Tezos blockchain
Google Cloud has announced a partnership with the Tezos blockchain (XTZ), becoming a validator and supporting other entities in the Web3 ecosystem such as Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL). This partnership will enable enterprises and developers to easily host and deploy nodes for Web3 applications. Startups will be able to collect Google Cloud credits and be supported through the Google for Startups Cloud Program.
Block 2 : This week's cryptic analysis
Coinbase, the largest U.S. crypto-currency platform, has big plans for its Ethereum scaling product. The project, named Base, built in collaboration with Layer 2 network Optimism on OP Stack under license from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), aims to reduce ETH transaction fees to 1 cent, and serve as a springboard for the company's "master plan" to bring 1 billion people into crypto by "buying, building or investing" in "open financial system projects." Yes, just that.
1/ 🔵 We’re excited to announce @BuildOnBase.
— Coinbase (@coinbase) February 23, 2023
Base is an Ethereum L2 that offers a secure, low-cost, developer-friendly way for anyone, anywhere, to build decentralized apps.
Our goal with Base is to make onchain the next online and onboard 1B+ users into the cryptoeconomy. pic.twitter.com/RmwZFJzGGs
Block 3 : Gainers & Losers