Vitalik Buterin said that he was donating all the animal-themed coins he received last year to a charity organization that protects animals. At the same time, Circle plans to add contactless NFC transactions for USDC payments on the iPhone. These and other top cryptocurrency news that have shaken up the industry over the past 24 hours are covered in the article.
Contactless NFC Payments for USDC on iPhone
On 14 August, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire announced that USDC Tap-to-Pay will soon be available on iPhone in response to Apple’s recent update.
In his profile on the social network X, he wrote: “Tap to pay using USDC on iPhones incoming soon. Wallet devs, start your engines.”
The upcoming feature will use Apple’s latest decision to allow third-party developers to use the Near Field Communication (NFC) chip and Secure Element (SE) technology in the iPhone. Apple will charge a fee for the use of its technology.
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Allaire noted that previously, NFC functions were limited to Apple Wallet and Apple Pay. To facilitate seamless USDC transactions, the new policy will allow merchants to directly interact with blockchain-enabled iPhone wallets. For example, a USDC-enabled iOS wallet could allow users to send funds to NFC-enabled devices, such as payment terminals or other iPhones, with a single tap.
Aller noted that the new feature will not be limited to USDC. It will also be applied to other digital assets, such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and various stablecoins such as EURC.
NFC technology is widely used in mobile payment systems, as it allows users to make quick transactions with a simple tap. The integration of the technology into the crypto ecosystem can also provide many benefits. Currently, cryptocurrency payments are becoming increasingly common around the world.
In particular, cryptocurrency payment platforms such as CryptoPay, BitPay, Whitepay, and others provide a simplified process for conducting cryptocurrency transactions. With the help of such platforms, users have the opportunity to pay for purchases in cryptocurrency in many home appliances, clothing, grocery stores, and even cars.
Floki Partners with Premier League’s Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club and Floki, the cryptocurrency ecosystem, have formally partnered for the next Premier League season. This was announced by Floki on the social network X on 15 August. As an official partner of Nottingham Forest, Floki will receive:
– A stadium presence: 3 minutes of on-camera LED advertising during all home matches
– Media presence: Brand placement on the official set for interviews and press conferences of the Premier League
– Integration into social networks: The Floki brand will appear in matchday results and substitution announcements across all Nottingham Forest social media channels
– Print media: Full page presence in matchday programs and brand logo on the cover.
– Exclusive experience: Including autographed merchandise and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ‘play on the pitch’ at the end of the season.
In addition, Floki will also be highlighting its sister brand, Valhalla, an MMORPG game. The partnership will provide the cryptocurrency ecosystem and the football club with significant visibility across stadiums, digital platforms, and social media.
Paul Bell, Chief Operating Officer of Nottingham Forest, said: “We are delighted to welcome Floki as an official partner and look forward to working closely with them as we head into the 2024/25 season. As one of the most innovative companies within this sector, we’re excited to work collaboratively with the Floki community.”
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Crypto Debit Card MetaMask with Mastercard
The popular crypto wallet MetaMask is launching a debit card in cooperation with Mastercard and Baanx. According to an official statement, MetaMask Card testing began on 14 August and is currently limited to a select group of users in the EU and the UK. Interested users can check their eligibility by visiting the MetaMask Portfolio online resource.
Additional features and regional availability are planned for later this year. The MetaMask card will support transactions using Linea, an Ethereum-based network. Consensys, Metamask’s parent company, said the network will ensure speed and efficiency of transactions. The MetaMask card functions similarly to a traditional debit card, but with the added benefit of self-service.
This will allow users to retain control of their cryptocurrency until the transaction is completed. In addition, users can set spending limits and make purchases wherever Mastercard is accepted.
New DeFi Protocol Nudge Aims to unlock the hidden value in users’ wallets
Nudge has told Cointelegraph that it has launched a new DeFi protocol on Ethereum designed to unlock the economic value hidden in users’ wallets. Its goal is to create a two-way market where Web3 protocols will pay users incentives – or ‘Nudges’ – to redirect assets, and liquidity, and participate in the supply chain. Representatives of the company note that they will launch a new DeFi primitive called ‘Re: allocation Value’, which will reflect the economic value of users’ activities on the network.
According to Nudge, users can get a significant part of this value by receiving money or ‘pushing’ protocols to redistribute these scarce goods in the network. Nudge’s programmable smart contracts allow protocol participants to develop ‘complex eligibility and payout criteria’ for incentive programs.
“I think we have reached peak airdrop,” Jonathan Joseph, co-founder of SmartFunds, a real-world asset platform, told Cointelegraph. “We need constructive models that get liquidity into new protocols in a way that adds value to all stakeholders involved.”
Nudge could be an alternative to existing reward mechanisms on the network, such as airdrops, which have been failing due to poor performance and controversy over arbitrary payout criteria. Nudge will be initially launched on Ethereum and later “extend across various ecosystems, including Solana, Bitcoin L2s, and more,”
Vitalik Buterin Donates Over $500K To Charity
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has announced that he has donated all the animal-themed coins he received last year to an animal welfare charity. On 15 August, Buterin published a post on the social network X, in which he said that he had completed the process of transferring the coins and shared a receipt for the transfer of funds to the Effective Altruism Foundation. It shows that on 14 August, the expert sent 200 Ether worth $532,398 to the charity.
In addition, the Ethereum co-founder called on the meme coin community to send the coins they plan to credit him directly to charities. He also emphasized that in 2024, the community should make more“sophisticated public goods funding,” referring to his blog post about meme coins.
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