Tag: artist warning

Labubu's Fading Echoes: A Warning for Southeast Asia's NFT Artists?

Labubu's Fading Echoes: A Warning for Southeast Asia's NFT Artists?

• Commentary

You all remember that wide-mouthed, somewhat creepy, but oh so famous elf statuette. It took Asia by storm, stoked by blind boxes, influencer-backed marketing, and the global economy’s most dangerous motivator: the fear of missing out. In the meantime, fortunes were made as Pop Mart’s stock soared. For a little...

Further Reading

Beyond the Hype Will Labubu's Fate Expose Speculative Art?

We’ve all seen it. The frenzy. The lines. The resale prices. Labubu, that already adorable, already creepy little elf-like freak, has made himself a huge and pretty well-deserved success. Are we seeing a true moment in culture, or a strategic bait and switch doomsday device ready to self-destruct? Labubu’s trajectory...

Wall Street Pepe: DeFi's Future or Just Another Pump-and-Dump Scheme?

$WEPE.Wall Street Pepe. The title alone will conjure up a weird mix of internet meme culture gone self-referential and the bloodthirsty shark tank that is Wall Street. You read those stories, those headlines hollering about 230%+ increases, and deep down somewhere, you wanna get in on the action. Everyone wants...

Wall Street Pepe's NFT: Empowering Artists or Just Another PFP?

The $WEPE rocket ship has already launched, on the fumes of promises of wealth and a Pepe-centric revolution. A 230% surge? Alpha Chats spitting out 500% gains? That’s enough to make even the most jaded crypto skeptic do a double take. Without a doubt, they claim that the next frontier...

Is Crypto's 'Easy Street' Dream Dead? A Southeast Asia Perspective

The siren song of crypto: easy money, financial freedom, escape from the 9-to-5 grind. It's a powerful narrative, especially alluring to those of us grinding it out in Southeast Asia's burgeoning economies. Is that actually a reality, or is it just a mirage shimmering in the tropical sun? Are we...

CFTC's Pham Warns Crypto: No 'Easy Street' Under Trump? The Real Story

Caroline Pham’s comments during a recent event are welcome, cold, adult-sized dashes of water on the faces of increasingly bullish crypto enthusiasts. That notion that a Trump administration just automatically unlocks “easy street” for the crypto industry? It's a dangerous fantasy. And Pham, bless her, is calling it out.Pro-Innovation Isn't...

Vietnam's Crypto Law: A Boon for Artists or Another Regulatory Trap?

Mai, a young social entrepreneur in Hanoi, leans over her laptop. She produces lush animated murals and immersive installations that plunge you into the spirited clamor of her hometown—Mexico City. For decades, galleries have thought her pieces were “too futuristic” and as a result, she had to fight to stay...

Vietnam's Crypto Gamble: Will AML Compliance Crush Innovation?

Is going after FATF approval really worth killing the decentralized spirit that makes crypto so disruptive? Vietnam’s new Law on Digital Technology Industry is designed to create an environment where innovation can flourish and FDI is directed. In reality, it could unknowingly suppress the very ecosystem that it aims to...

Bybit's Byreal: Will Solana's New DEX Empower Emerging Artists?

Imagine a world where talent isn't stifled by gatekeepers, where creativity isn't choked by exorbitant fees. That's the promise of decentralized finance (DeFi), and Bybit's new DEX, Byreal, built on Solana, could be a significant step towards realizing it, especially for emerging artists in places like Southeast Asia.Forgotten Voices, Finally...