Bitwise’s latest Ethereum ad can be minted as an NFT

June 21, 2024 Coin Telegraph

‘I don’t own Bitcoin, but I should’ — legendary investor Druckenmiller

October 31, 2023 Coin Telegraph

Veteran investor Stanley Druckenmiller praised Bitcoin for establishing its own “brand” during an interview with hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones.

Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller praised Bitcoin (BTC) for establishing a “brand” over last decade and half — admitting while he doesn’t own any Bitcoin, he ought to.

The billionaire shared his latest thoughts on Bitcoin in an Oct. 30 interview with hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones, where he made comparisons between Bitcoin and gold as a store of value.

“I’m 70 years old, I own gold. I was surprised that bitcoin got going, but you know, it’s clear that the young people look at it as a store of value because it’s a lot easier to do stuff with. 17 years, to me, it’s a brand. I like gold because it’s a 5,000-year-old brand.” He added:

“So, I like them both. I don’t own any Bitcoin to be frank, but I should.”

Stanley Druckenmiller is one of the most successful hedge fund managers on Wall Street and is worth $6,200,000,000.

He says, “Young people look at #bitcoin as a store of value. It’s a brand. I like it. I dont own any, but I should”pic.twitter.com/DXjrnvE1Qc
— Documenting ₿itcoin (@DocumentingBTC) October 30, 2023

Druckenmiller previously held Bitcoin. However in a September 2022 interview, he revealed he had sold it in light of central banks imposing tightening measures.

He did, however, say the digital asset sector would flourish in the event that people lose faith in the central banking system, making an example of the Bank of England after the British pound plummeted in mid-2022.

“I could see cryptocurrency having a big role in a Renaissance because people just aren’t going to trust the central banks."

Druckenmiller founded Duquesne Capital Management in 1981 and closed the fund in 2010. During that time, he achieved an average annual return of 30% and never experienced a down year.

His investment philosophy revolved around holding a group of stocks long, a group of stocks short and using leverage to trade futures in times of rising and falling markets.

He’s also praised blockchain technology, predicting that a ledger-based system could replace the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency in the future.

In 2021, Druckenmiller said Ethereum is like “Myspace before Facebook” and predicted that Ether (ETH) would eventually flip BTC.

Bitcoin’s sentiment from Wall Street firms has warmed up over the last year, most notably evidenced by a wave of propsed Bitcoin exchange-traded fund filings from major financial firms.

The cryptocurrency industry still has its fair share of critics though.

Charlie Munger has called bitcoin Rat Poison.

Warren Buffett has called it Rat Poison Squared.

But here's the thing.

If Rat Poison is a BIG *negative* (eg, -1,000,000), shouldn't Rat Poison Squared be an EVEN BIGGER *positive* (eg, +1,000,000,000,000)?

It's just math, folks! pic.twitter.com/UYobxYU08L
— 10-K Diver (@10kdiver) July 2, 2021

Other well-known veteran investors Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger have long referred to Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies “rat poison” and an asset class which produces no value.

Magazine: Gary Gensler’s job at risk, BlackRock’s first spot Bitcoin ETF and other news: Hodler’s Digest, June 11-17

Shrapnel Web3 shooter won’t let US users cash out, thanks to Gensler

September 14, 2023 Coin Telegraph

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As soon as a gamer cashes out an in-game asset, they realize monetary value, which is where the problem with the SEC comes in, a Shrapnel executive told Cointelegraph.

The creators of blockchain game Shrapnel — an upcoming AAA first-person extraction shooter — will be cutting a part of its game for United States-based players, in order to avoid the potential ire of the country’s securities regulator.

The game, which is due to launch in early access in December, will be unrestricted for players from Europe and Asia but gamers from the U.S. will not be able to cash out at all, says Shrapnel Head of Economy Francis Brankin in a Sept. 13 interview with Cointelegraph at Token 2049.

“They [U.S. users] can do everything every other player can do, but they can't cash out. Because that's what makes it a security to the U.S. player, as soon as they can realize monetary value, that’s where the problem comes in.”

He hopes the issue will be temporary and that Neon — the team behind Shrapnel — will soon enable U.S. users to bridge capital accrued from Shrapnel to their bank accounts.

〉Getting ready to extract. pic.twitter.com/kq6B07Ub97
— SHRAPNEL (@playSHRAPNEL) September 13, 2023

Shrapnel is a first-person extraction shooter set on 2038 Earth, where players scavenge for loot and attempt to extract their winnings — all the while being hunted by enemies and other players.

The game also allows gamers to build open economies and possess the intellectual property rights over in-game assets as opposed to merely creating value from the game itself, Brankin explained.

This was one of the main reasons why the firm’s CEO, Mark Long decided to go down the blockchain route. Users can build a brand, create and then sell in-game assets from the ground up.

“User generated content is clearly a big thing,” Brankin explained, pointing to Roblox and Minecraft as textbook examples.

✦ SHRAPNEL INSIGNIA Beta is now available to the public! ✦

Create your own personalised designs and build out your unique brand!

From intricate emblems to eye-catching symbols, custom patterns and elaborate scenes – you can design whatever your imagination desires!

https://t.co/OVQju6PNdv pic.twitter.com/wZkfyzbCmE
— SHRAPNEL (@playSHRAPNEL) June 16, 2023

Brankin said Neon chose Avalanche because of its scaling capabilities.

Shrapnel can currently process 2 million transactions per hour (555 TPS) which is sufficient for the time being but over time it’ll be easier to scale up on Avalanche, Brankin explained.

Neon will launch an early access version of the game in December to paid users before it evolves into a free-to-play game.

While the limitations imposed on U.S. users serves as a roadblock for Shrapnel’s upcoming launch, the co-founder of Sandbox told Cointelegraph the metaverse (and gaming generally) is dying in the U.S. but thriving in Asia — particularly Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan.

Magazine: Web3 Gamer: GTA owner joins Web3, Bitcoin casino, Sunflower Land review

Here’s how the Akutars NFT project hopes to redefine how culture intersects with Web3

April 22, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Akutars NFT

NFTs are a dime a dozen, but Micah Johnson’s Akutar NFT project aims to bring to light the value of diversity and inclusivity to Web3.

Since the wake of the nonfungible token (NFT) boom, creators have been leaving their Web2 entities in droves and are carving their own lanes in the Web3 world.

It’s not just technologists and artsy-creators who are pivoting toward Web3. For example, former American professional baseball player Micah Johnson pivoted to painting and focused his pieces on representation. In debuting his first digital piece, sä-v(ə-)rən-tē (pronounced “sovereignty') Johnson was not only fueled by adversity but inspired by a question that would change the trajectory of his work.

“Can astronauts be black?” Johnson's four-year-old nephew asked his mother.

Alas, the main character of “Akuverse'' was created in February 2021. Aku is a physical depiction of the confidence and boldness of a little black, astronaut navigating his way through his dreams. The characterization of Aku challenges the notion that dreams are exclusive to certain social identities.

15,000 avatars of a black kid astronaut are going to take over Twitter profile pictures Friday.

That’s important.
— Micah Johnson (@Micah_Johnson3) April 20, 2022

The story of Aku is told via NFTs or chapters that depict the journey of Aku’s dreams. Micah Johnson recently air-dropped 9,241 Akustar mint passes to Aku chapter holders that are now trading at 4.85 Ether (ETH) ($14,331.65). In the last seven days, the Aku Mint Pass amassed over $13.4 million as the Akustars got ready for their largest expedition yet with a proof-of-profile (PFP) launch.

Akutars could be more than just another PFP

Akutars is the three-dimensional 15,000 PFP collection of Akuverse, which will also live on the Ethereum blockchain. The images are meant to empower and the comments on Twitter prove that the story and imagery of Aku resonated with a range of NFT collectors.

“Base” Akutars.

Which one is your favorite? pic.twitter.com/XhMBpnmq5J
— Aku :: Akutars (@AkuDreams) April 13, 2022

According to data from NFTgo, 60% of diamond-hand investors have held their Aku Mint Pass for more than a week, while approximately 30% of owners have held it for less than a week.

Akutar Mint Pass holding period distribution. Source: NFTgo.io

Volume for Akutar Mint Passes has increased by 26% in the last seven days, and the average sale price is up by 89%.

Akutar Mint Pass 7-day avg. sale price / volume. Source: OpenSea

Akutars are not only a symbol of confidence and courage, but also of style. The collection will feature unique items and traits created by some of the most notable names in streetwear like Pharrell Williams, Billionaire Boys Club, ICECREAM, Puma and luxury streetwear expert Upscale Vandal. Roc Nation’s streetwear label Paper Planes and New York-based luxury label Who Decides War also helped design Akutars.

These strategic partnerships are more than just drip for Akutars. Owners of the PFPs will be granted a range of perks and incentives in the Akuverse, along with real life access to exclusive experiences, collaborations and products.

What could be unique about Akutars in relation to other NFTs is the cultural significance of Aku and how his story has impacted key players throughout the ecosystem who want to ensure the story is heard.

Ready to launch

On October 13, 2021, Visa announced its partnership with Micah Johnson and further plans to support the artist and the creator economy. In an interview with NBC, Micah Johnson expressed his realization that there was an “audience saying this is what we want in the world,” and they have shown support by investing in the project .

In just a year, AkuDreams amassed over $60 million in total volume sales across all ten Aku chapter NFTs and Akutar Mint Passes. Johnson has also confirmed that Aku’s story will be made into a feature film where the Aku chapters (NFT) may be reflected in scenes.

As previously mentioned, 9,241 Aku Mint Passes were distributed to all respective Aku chapter holders and 5,500 will be available for the public to mint in a Dutch auction on April 22.

Akutar Public Sale Friday // 2 PM EST

⭐ 5,500 Available
⭐️ Price TBA
⭐ .1 ETH drop every 6 minutes
⭐ Max Mint (3)
⭐ The lowest bid sets the price for everyone

AND...

⭐ .5E Discount off the final price for Akutar Pass Holders. Ex: 3 mints with 3 passes = 1.5E off
— Aku :: Akutars (@AkuDreams) April 19, 2022

In true Dutch auction fashion, the lowest bid within the auction will set the price for everyone. This means that any bid higher than the lowest will pay the lowest bid. Many NFT investors took to Twitter to commend the intention of an “actual” Dutch auction, implying that other projects who employed the same mechanism did not execute it properly.

The increasing number of NFT auctions and drops make them difficult to track and many go unnoticed. In hindsight, Moonbirds' 2.5 Ether ($7,385) lock-in bid seems like a steal when compared to its current price.

This suggests that investors give a lot of thought to the reputation and credibility of a team and their history. It’s possible that Akuverse reflects an evolution where the community resonates with the cultural significance of diversity and inclusivity, rather than simply centering around a product, brand or genre.

Disclaimer. Cointelegraph does not endorse any content of product on this page. While we aim at providing you all important information that we could obtain, readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company and carry full responsibility for their decisions, nor this article can be considered as an investment advice.

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