Michael Saylor sued for tax evasion. FB and IG users can now post NFTs. OpenSea’s volume drops 99%
Recap of the Week
California passes bill for licensing and regulating crypto firms
South Korea arrests 16 individuals connected to $2B crypto forex transactions
Washington sues Michael Saylor and MicroStrategy for tax evasion
Meta says FB and IG users can post NFTs now from digital wallets
a16z proposes a set of licenses for NFTs, based on Creative Commons
Hermès reveals plans for Metaverse fashion shows
OpenSea’s volume drops 99% from all-time high
Crypto.com refunded a user $10.5M instead of $100. Crypto.com realized the mistake 7 months later and filed legal action.
President of Paraguay vetoes crypto regulation law
Ex-Galaxy Digital and Genesis execs are raising a $500M crypto fund
Eminem and Snoop Dogg perform as Bored Ape NFTs at MTV awards
Ticketmaster offers event organizers the ability to offer tickets as NFTs
Reddit co-founder is looking to raise a crypto fund worth $178 million
The founder of Thodex, who fled with $2B in crypto last year, has been arrested
Singapore plans to make it harder for retail investors to trade crypto
Latest Funding Rounds in Crypto
SolanaFM raises $4.5M in Seed Round · Founded in 2021 · Singapore
SolanaFM is a blockchain explorer and analytics services provider. It launched 30 integrations in March 2022.
SolanaFM’s launch was motivated by one of the core problems in Solana, which is that data is packaged efficiently but at the cost of its readability.
The funds will be used to enhance SolanaFM’s services and enlarge its team.
Round led by Sygnum & SBI Group.
Animoca Brands raises $100M at a $5B valuation · Founded in 2014 · Hong Kong
Animoca Brands focuses on driving digital property rights via NFTs and gaming to help build the open metaverse.
The funding will be made via convertible bonds, spokespeople declined to comment what they will be used for.
Round led by Temasek Holdings, Singapore's state investment fund.
PROOF raises $50M in Series A · Founded in 2022 · US
PROOF is an NFT collective, founded by serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist Kevin Rose.
Earlier this year, Proof’s Moonbirds NFT project hit a record-setting trading volume. The collection of 10,000 PFPs registered $200 million in sales, far outpacing Azuki and Bored Ape Yacht Club revenue.
The funds will help the company launch its latest Moonbirds NFT collection and a social platform for NFT collectors.
Round led by a16z crypto.
GreenTrade raises an undisclosed amount · Founded in 2022 · Germany
GreenTrade is a marketplace for nature-based carbon credits and impact claims.
The company aims to accelerate the financing of new carbon projects by creating long-term agreements with project developers and turning those contracts into digital tradable assets.
Round led by Cerulean Ventures & others.
Acquisitions
Liquidx Group acquires Anime Metaverse
70% stake for an undisclosed amount
Liquidx Group is a Web3 venture capital studio for the metaverse.
Anime Metaverse is a publishing and licensing company that focuses on building anime, manga and dorama in Web3.
Anime Metaverse was acquired due to the company’s focus on intellectual property and infrastructure.
Through this acquisition, LiquidX plans to invest heavily in acquiring existing anime IP and grow the brand.