Report: Terror Groups Using South African Financial System to Move Funds

July 28, 2022 Bitcoin.com

UN Report: Venezuela Ranks Third Among Countries With Most Crypto Adoption

July 11, 2022 Bitcoin.com

UNFCCC weighs blockchain use cases to fight climate change with Cointelegraph

June 12, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Art

During the DigitalArt4Climate press conference, Cointelegraph editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr took over the stage to understand the various blockchain initiatives that actively fight climate change.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) along with climate change entrepreneurs and Cointelegraph delved into discussing the role of emerging technologies such as blockchain in solving global issues including climate change.

During the DigitalArt4Climate press conference, Cointelegraph editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr took over the stage to understand the various blockchain initiatives that actively fight climate change. Starting off the conversation was Anna Dart, a digital avatar by DigitalArt4Climate who shared the idea of bringing together artists to inspire climate change:

“We are blessed with having the opportunity to impact our world with the transformational power of art and eco-friendly blockchain technology together.”

As part of the initiative, the digital arts of the finalists will be exhibited as clean nonfungible tokens (NFT) across various UN initiatives related to climate change. Miroslav Polzer, the founder and CEO of IAAI and the strategic director of the Climate Chain Coalition, took over the conversation as he explained the next phase of the initiative — which involves mobilizing the resources or funds.

Panelists at the UN Climate Change conference. Source: UNFCCC

Polzer explained that the sale of the clean NFT aims to support United Nations’ youth-focused Sustainable Development Goals initiative — with 15% of the revenue going to the artists, 35% to the Youth Climate Action Fund. The remaining 50% will be dedicated to institutional and technological infrastructure for non-party stakeholders including DigitalArt4Climate management, the United Citizens Organization DAO set-up, education and GloCha GoodLifeApp.

Diving into the technical aspects of NFTs for climate change, Irina Karagyaur, the head of ecosystem growth and BD at Unique Networks, spoke about bringing back the power to creators and people.

She supported Unique Networks’ decision to build proof-of-stake (PoS) NFTs over Polkadot citing the need for a lower carbon footprint, especially when fighting climate change:

“In general, the industry is transitioning to PoS to enable climate and ESG initiatives and to improve and reduce energy consumption by 99%.”

Dolphine Magero, the CEO of Global Youth Climate Action Fund Institution, too, highlighted the importance of including artists that wish to join in on the global fight against climate change.

According to Karagyaur, minting an NFT on Unique equates to emitting a carbon footprint of a single human breath, which can be used to power climate action. Eyeing widespread adoption of the technology, Unique Networks launched an open NFT marketplace wherein artists can mint eco-friendly NFTs to power various climate change initiatives:

“There is a blue ocean for doing good, please reach out to us, pitch us your idea and be part of the movement.”

Dell’s edge solutions team announced the onboarding of Iota Foundation, climate change-focused technology company ClimateCHECK and BioE to develop a solution on top of Dell’s in-house Data Confidence Fabric (DCF) and Project Alvarium initiatives.

We've partnered w/ @Iota, BioE, & @ClimateCHECK to develop real-time carbon footprint tracking through a #data confidence fabric!

Hear how #ProjectAlvarium accurately tracks carbon footprints w/ #DellTech Edge solutions.

https://t.co/u5CxmbMBAL @Intel #IOTA #Sustainability pic.twitter.com/52RENnEW3X
— Dell Edge & Telecom (@Dell_Edge) June 6, 2022

Mathew Yarger, head of sustainability at the Iota Foundation, stated:

“Transparency and trust in data is paramount for addressing the global issues of climate change and transitioning to climate action.”

UN agency head sees ‘massive opportunities’ in crypto: WEF 2022

May 31, 2022 Coin Telegraph

CBDC

“Crypto is just another technology, it’s a matter of how is it being used. It can be used for good or for bad. From where we sit, we see massive opportunities," says the director of the UNICC.

The United Nations is smitten with distributed ledger technology (DLT). In a conversation with Cointelegraph at WEF 2022, United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) director Sameer Chauhan explained the “massive opportunities” he sees in cryptocurrencies.

A former traditional finance executive and head of the UNICC since 2018, Chauhan has seen the rise and fall of cryptocurrency markets. He shared that groups such as the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) do not want to “miss the boat” when it comes to DLTs.

Chauhan explained that cryptocurrencies are neutral technologies:

“It’s a tool. You could use it for good or you could use it for profiting—which is not bad. [...] In the future, crypto will be a very strong component of how the world interacts and how they transact, making it a more level playing field.”

A powerful vehicle in terms of “bridging the digital divide,” or “transparency,” cryptocurrencies can encourage outcomes the UNICC promotes, he said. The key is the implementation of cryptocurrencies to ensure that they can be “leveraged correctly.”

Central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, could be the implementation of distributed ledger technologies on which UNICC settles. To the last question posed in the Davos Ice Hockey Stadium, Chauhan answers, “CBDCs bring the cost down” and are more powerful than fiat, or government-issued, money.

Nonetheless, there is “no one stance” when it comes to UN agencies concerning CBDCs as there are high levels of independence and autonomy among UN agencies. From refugees to food crises to women’s welfare, the UN seeks to resolve these problems—and a CBDC could be a solution:

“Maybe if we can find the right model, leverage some kind of CBDC, the interaction with the constituents we are designed to serve could be frictionless—could be smoother, more transparent.”

A hot topic at the WEF 2022, some bankers called to pump the brakes of any CBDC rollout as there are still too many unknowns. The payments network SWIFT was brought into question during a CBDC panel discussion at the WEF, where Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach joked that SWIFT would not exist in five years' time.

Whether it's a CBDC or a stablecoin with which the UN has already experimented while aiding Ukrainian refugees, Chauhan conclude that when it comes to crypto, “from where we sit, we see massive opportunities.”

FBI Issues Alert Concerning Malicious State-Sponsored North Korean Hackers Targeting Crypto Firms

April 19, 2022 Bitcoin.com

OFAC Update Claims Ronin Hack Is Tethered to North Korea’s Hacker Syndicate Lazarus Group

April 15, 2022 Bitcoin.com

UN agency accepts first stablecoin donations worth $2.5M to help Ukrainian refugees

April 6, 2022 Coin Telegraph

UN agency accepts first stablecoin donations worth .5M to help Ukrainian refugees

Coin Telegraph

Crypto donations have proven vital for Ukraine and its people, as the country has received over $100 million in crypto donations since the conflict broke out.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a UN agency for refugees, has accepted its first-ever crypto donations toward humanitarians aid for Ukrainians fleeing the war-torn nation.

UNHCR accepted $2.5 million in Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin donations from Binance Charity that would be utilized to rehabilitate and support refugees fleeing to neighboring countries from Ukraine.

According to a report from the USA for UNHCR, more than 10 million people have been displaced from their homes in Ukraine, and the agency will use crypto stablecoin charity funds to provide legal and social assistance.

Marie Grey, Executive Director and CEO of USA for UNHCR said that the crypto donation will prove vital in its efforts to help as many families as possible. Grey also lauded the global crypto community for helping Ukrainians at this time of crisis and said:

“This generous support will make a life-changing difference for families forced to flee, and more importantly, it shows families that a caring and committed global community is stepping forward to help during their darkest times.”

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has created a humanitarian crisis in the region. Cryptocurrencies have proven to be one of the biggest mediums of aid for the troubled nation as it has received over $100 million in tracked crypto donations since the war began.

When Ukraine was pleading with other countries for assistance and had raised several calls for aid in any form, crypto donors from around the world came together to donate millions. These crypto funds have already proven vital for the country to support various evacuations and rehabilitation efforts to help and save as many lives as possible.

Ukraine has not just embraced crypto for donations; the country legalized digital assets and even launched its own nonfungible token collection to raise more funds.

Unicef Receives $2.5 Million in Crypto for Ukraine From Binance Charity Foundation

March 9, 2022 Bitcoin.com

UNICEF calls for child safeguards amid mainstream crypto adoption

January 31, 2022 Coin Telegraph

bitcoin regulation

UNICEF’s latest report on mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies highlights the possibility of greater financial inclusion along with the need for new child safeguards.

The United Nations Children's Fund has called for incorporating child safeguards into online child protection initiatives, citing financial and exploitative threats posed by unregulated crypto markets.

UNICEF’s “Prospects for children in 2022” report, which examines the impact of global trends on children, anticipates further mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies — “demonstrating both the promise of greater financial inclusion and the need for new child safeguards.”

The report shows that digital currencies have gained widespread interest in 87 countries by the end of 2021, with the majority of jurisdictions experimenting on their own versions of a central bank digital currency. UNICEF expects a similar growth trajectory in 2022, as the report states:

“A potential alliance between governments, large banks and investment firms against challenger banks and blockchain-based finance could arise in many countries.”

The push for crypto’s mainstream adoption is also fueled by the economic pressures levied by the COVID-19 pandemic. As UNICEF reported, the economic recovery in high-income countries will slow will see an increase this year despite factoring in future disruptions from the pandemic.

UNICEF also expects the collaboration of governments, large banks and investment firms with crypto and blockchain firms:

“These developments will eventually require the emergence of national and international legal and regulatory frameworks. As we wait to see what direction these trends take us in, the implications for children hang in the balance.”

With mainstreaming of cryptocurrencies, UNICEF acknowledges the significant benefits bestowed via financial inclusion and “frictionless remittances and more instant, transparent and efficient social assistance programs.”

However, the United Nations agency warns about the threats posed by unregulated markets to the well-being of children, such as stability of financial systems and deteriorating government revenues.

Calling out for new child safeguarding reforms, the report also highlights some of the possible negative impacts of unregulated transactions that support child trafficking, sexual exploitation, the sale and purchase of content depicting child abuse, and defrauding and extortion of children. On an end note, UNICEF suggested:

“Now is the time to begin incorporating cryptocurrency and digital currency child safeguards into online child protection initiatives.”

A Crypto.com report predicts that global crypto users could reach one billion by the end of 2022. As Cointelegraph reported, the global crypto population increased by 178% in 2021, rising from 106 million in January to 295 million in December.

Crypto.com’s report estimates that “If we extrapolate a similar rate of increase in 2022, we are on track to reach 1 billion crypto users by the end of 2022.”

Nifty News: FLUF World and Snoop Dogg fundraise, Adidas and Prada NFTs, WAX gifts 10M NFTs

January 23, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Coin Telegraph

FLUF World and Snoop Dogg give back to Auckland charity, Adidas Originals and Prada call on fans to contribute to NFT project, UNICEF celebrates 75 years with an NFT collection and WAX to carry out largest NFT airdrop.

There was so much Nifty News this week that a second round-up was necessary to catch up on the latest nonfungible token (NFT)-related news.

FLUF World and Snoop Dog partner for charity

FLUF World, Beyond VR studio and Snoop Dogg teamed up to raised over $1 million via a one-day charity NFT auction on behalf of the Kiwi nonprofit organization Auckland City Mission.

Seven FLUF World NFTs were paired with seven limited-edition Snoop Dogg-themed Burrows designed by Beyond and sold on OpenSea. The partnership with the rapper included a 500 Snoop Dogg studio drop announced this past week.

What. The. Fluf.

Over $1 Million NZD raised in just 12 hours in our @SnoopDogg Burrow & Fluf Auction for the @AKcitymission. We're blown away

Thanks to our partner @beyondvrgames, all who gave generously and everyone who tuned in to show their support.

We love you all ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0C1aYM3Vg5
— FLUF (@FLUF_World) January 20, 2022

Non-Fungible Labs, who own FLUF World first made a Christmas donation of $100,000 to Auckland City Mission last month. Just as Fluf avatars can find a home in Burrows in the metaverse, Aukland City Mission helps locals in need of housing.

Adidas Originals

Adidas Originals launches the 'adidas for Prada re-source' project in collaboration with digital artist Zach Lieberman on SuperRare. A majority of the proceeds from the NFT sales will be donated to Slow Factory, a non-profit organization and institute dedicated to improving sustainability and environmental literacy.

Adidas and Prada invite their communities to share anonymized photographs to the open-Metaverse NFT project. 3,000 community-sourced artworks will be chosen and minted as NFTs. Digital artist Zach Lieberman will then compile the images as tiles in a single mass-patchwork NFT design. Contributors will maintain full ownership rights over their individual NFT tiles.

Introducing adidas for @Prada re-source —an ambitious first-of-its-kind NFT project featuring user-generated and creator-owned art, in collaboration with digital artist @zachlieberman.

3,000 tiles, 1 canvas. Play.

Learn more at https://t.co/biHgWL4rQq #adidasforPradaNFT pic.twitter.com/bKBnmkWDWI
— adidas Originals (@adidasoriginals) January 20, 2022

UNICEF celebrates 75 years with NFT collection

On the eve of UNICEF’s 75th anniversary, the UN children’s agency launched its largest 1,000 data-driven NFT collection in support of internet connectivity at schools. So far $740,000 has been raised.

The first 1,000 NFT pieces raised $550,000, and the pre-sale for a limited-edition piece and four others last week at a St. Moritz auction raised $140,000. UNICEF also secured an arrangement with secondary auction platforms to receive 20% royalty of all future sales, which brought in the additional $50,000 in one week, according to the organization. This royalty structure may allow UNICEF to continue raising funds for its Giga school-connectivity initiative via re-sales for years to come.

WAX to airdrop 10M NFTs

WAX recently reached 11 million total wallets accounts on the WAX platform and decided to celebrate by airdropping a total of 10 million free NFT collectibles to the first 10 million wallet holders. This is the largest single NFT drop to date, according to the company, and will allegedly emit zero carbon emissions.

The free NFTs span 10 different digital pins, each marking a different moment in WAX's history. From its launch on Mainnet in 2019 to its WAX Cloud Wallet launches and its collaboration with AMC and Spiderman.

Other Nifty News

Social media networks made NFT headlines this week as well. Meta reportedly plans to integrate NFTs on Facebook and Instagram profiles to allow their users to display their NFTs. Meta may also be in discussion about launching an NFT marketplace.

Twitter, on the other hand, announced its rollout for NFT, hexagonal avatars. For now, only paid subscribers of Twitter Blue using iOS, which costs $2.99 per month, have access. Twitter users were quick to point out, however, that anybody can simply right-click-save any NFT from a Twitter profile, mint it, and then use it as their avatar.

United Nations

FLUF World and Snoop Dog partner for charity

Adidas Originals

UNICEF celebrates 75 years with NFT collection

WAX to airdrop 10M NFTs

Other Nifty News

Share this video