Tag: artists

Gala's Walking Dead NFT Shutdown Betrays Web3's Promise to Artists

Gala's Walking Dead NFT Shutdown Betrays Web3's Promise to Artists

• Commentary

Web3 was supposed to be different. Decentralization, artist empowerment, true ownership – these were the buzzwords. Now, Gala Games is pulling the plug on The Walking Dead: Empires, and the silence from many corners is deafening. This is not just a lost game, this is a broken covenant. Emerging artists...

Apple's NFT Shift: A Win for Artists or Just Another Tech Grab?

Apple's NFT Shift: A Win for Artists or Just Another Tech Grab?

• Commentary

At the moment I’m happily submerged in Southeast Asia’s bubbling creative ecosystem. When I look at the Web3 ecosystem these days, I’m equally enthused and fearful. The promise of NFTs—direct artist-to-collector relationships, bypassing gatekeepers—is incredibly powerful, especially for creators in regions often overlooked by traditional art markets. So, when I...

Claynosaurz Sui Expansion: A Win for Southeast Asian Web3 Artists?

Claynosaurz Sui Expansion: A Win for Southeast Asian Web3 Artists?

• Commentary

The elephant in the room is this: can a dinosaur-themed NFT project actually make a difference in the lives of Southeast Asian artists grappling with the real-world challenges of poverty, censorship, and limited access to global markets? It sounds absurd, right? A cartoon T-Rex impacting real lives? To continue reading,...

5 Ways Australia's Crypto Embrace Can Empower Southeast Asian Artists

5 Ways Australia's Crypto Embrace Can Empower Southeast Asian Artists

• Commentary

Meet Anya, a gifted batik artist from a remote village in Indonesia. While her exquisite creations are dazzling, literally world-class, she can’t quite connect to customers outside her community’s limited market. Middlemen take tens of thousands of dollars in commissions, while international bank transfers rob her pitiful profits. Her story,...

5 XRP NFT Marketplaces Poised to Unleash Southeast Asian Artists in 2025

5 XRP NFT Marketplaces Poised to Unleash Southeast Asian Artists in 2025

• Commentary

The XRPL – the XRP Ledger – typically receives more hype. We constantly see the hype around Ethereum this, and Solana that. Hidden beneath the surface, a vibrant NFT ecosystem is quietly brewing, one that's perfectly positioned to empower a generation of artists often overlooked by the mainstream: Southeast Asian...

MiCA's Crypto Clampdown Crushes Dreams of SEA Artists & Users

MiCA's Crypto Clampdown Crushes Dreams of SEA Artists & Users

• Commentary

MiCA. The very name of it is a return to the bureaucratic nightmare. For artists and everyday users in Southeast Asia, that’s what it risks becoming—precisely because it has been so successful. Meanwhile, the EU is busy patting itself on the back for “regulating crypto.” In doing so, it is...

FIFA's Blockchain: A Win for Artists or Just Another Power Grab?

FIFA's Blockchain: A Win for Artists or Just Another Power Grab?

• Commentary

FIFA’s diving headfirst into the blockchain world, with plans to ditch Algorand for an Ethereum-compatible chain. On the surface, it sounds like progress. Scalability, adaptability, connect with the next generation – it’s got all the jargon buzzwords covered. So let’s get honest. Is this step truly in the service of...

Terminal 3's Digital ID: Empowering Artists or Another Web3 Mirage?

Terminal 3's Digital ID: Empowering Artists or Another Web3 Mirage?

• Commentary

Digital identity. Sounds utopian, right? A future without the annoyance of passwords, where your information belongs only to you. Yet the road to digital paradise is covered with good intentions and a truckload of broken projects. Conveniently, Terminal 3, a colorful new startup from Hong Kong with a mighty $8...

SPACE ID: Empowering Southeast Asia's Artists, One Domain at a Time

SPACE ID: Empowering Southeast Asia's Artists, One Domain at a Time

• Commentary

Picture this future where your art is the star of the show, not an afterthought buried deep in a pile of unrecognizable alphanumeric strings. Imagine a new digital identity that captures the creativity and culture of your work! On the face of it, SPACE ID makes a pretty compelling promise....

UK Crypto Rules: A Win for Innovation or Another Barrier for Artists?

UK Crypto Rules: A Win for Innovation or Another Barrier for Artists?

• Commentary

The UK’s ambition to become a crypto leader. Great. But who gets to thrive, and who gets shut out in this new digital gold rush. The shiny press releases talk about innovation and investor protection, but I see a familiar pattern: regulations crafted by and for the established financial elite,...

Crypto's 'Light-Touch' Regulation Gamble Will It Protect You?

The Senate Committee’s proposed “light-touch” regulatory framework for crypto is a long high-stakes poker game. Are we all truly holding a winning hand, or are we collectively bluffing our way into a future financial crisis? It’s a question every investor, every innovator, and frankly, every citizen should want to know....

Trump Jr. at KBW2025: Web3's Punk Rock Moment or Sellout?

Or I think about Nandar, a wonderful Burmese artist that I met in Yangon, sharing with me her latest NFT collection. Each work exploded with vivid imagery, bravely fighting back against the junta’s repressive hold. She began selling them directly to supporters around the world, allowing her to cleverly sidestep...

KBW2025: Is Trump Jr. Web3's Trojan Horse or its Savior?

Donald Trump Jr. at Korea Blockchain Week? It's a head-scratcher, isn't it? About as easy as locating a MAGA hat at a Burning Man soirée. Before we put this down as just another short-lived publicity stunt, let’s take a closer look at what this could IoTally Web3 means. Cynical ploy...

Schiff's Crypto Ban: Is He Protecting Us or Silencing Innovation?

Senator Adam Schiff's proposed crypto ban, the COIN Act, aimed at preventing the President (read: Donald Trump) from dabbling in digital assets, raises a critical question: Is this genuine protection against corruption, or a veiled attempt to stifle innovation, especially for emerging markets? Let's be real, the optics are terrible....

Immutable's Gamble: Will Gas-Free Trading Save Web3 Gaming?

Yet the hype around Web3 gaming is real, offering gamers true digital ownership and player-driven economies. Let’s get real: that promise usually meets a very different fate. High gas fees and a clunky user experience can quickly derail those intentions. Immutable is taking a big bet with its zkEVM and...

Civitas' Immutable Leap: A Win for Emerging Artists in Web3?

I think back to visiting a small art collective in Yangon just a few years ago. It was a time when the energy was electric, the talent readily evident, but the artists themselves were suffering. They were making amazing digital art and wanted to access the global NFT market. Those...

Kazakhstan's Solana Zone: A Web3 Oasis or Just Another Crypto Mirage?

Is Kazakhstan really developing a true Web3 utopia, or just another playground for the crypto elite? The establishment of a Solana Economic Zone Kazakhstan (SEZ KZ) in Astana has generated much enthusiasm but criticism. The prospect of a blockchain-powered haven in Central Asia, however, is tantalizing. We need to take...