Tag: artists

Worldcoin's Orb Mini: Empowering Artists or Exploiting the Global South?

Worldcoin's Orb Mini: Empowering Artists or Exploiting the Global South?

• Commentary

The sleek, smartphone-esque Orb Mini, the brainchild of Tools for Humanity and Sam Altman, promises to solve a problem most of us didn't even know we had: proving we're human online. Two biometric sensors and a shoe-in-the-face camera eyeball scan poofed together and boom, you’re an approved citizen of the...

5 Ways UK's Pro-US Crypto Stance Boosts Southeast Asian Artists

5 Ways UK's Pro-US Crypto Stance Boosts Southeast Asian Artists

• Commentary

So was UK’s decision to cuddle up to US on crypto regulation. That may seem like a bunch of arcane fiscal minutiae occurring far off in the distance. I have lived for years enmeshed in the colorful and frequently eclipsed creative culture of Southeast Asia. Now, I observe a profound...

FIFA's NFT Shift: A Win for Artists or Just Another Power Play?

FIFA's NFT Shift: A Win for Artists or Just Another Power Play?

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FIFA’s relocating its NFT platform, “FIFA Collect,” to a different blockchain. Big deal, right? Maybe. Or perhaps it’s the ultimate step in the long game to further centralize control – all while pretending to move toward a more workable solution. Let's dissect this, especially for those of us in Southeast...

5 Ways Trump's Crypto Embrace Empowers Southeast Asian Artists

5 Ways Trump's Crypto Embrace Empowers Southeast Asian Artists

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Donald Trump. Crypto. Southeast Asian Artists. Three things you probably never thought you’d see in the same sentence. But bear with me, because there’s a remarkably interesting, and potentially really empowering, link developing. While the political noise surrounding Trump's evolving stance on crypto is deafening, let's cut through the static...

Gaming NFTs: Southeast Asia's Artists Are About to Explode

Gaming NFTs: Southeast Asia's Artists Are About to Explode

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The future is more than digital — it’s decentralized. Southeast Asia’s artists are poised to erupt onto the world stage with the help of Gaming NFTs! We’re describing a cultural supernova, powered by blockchain, poised to blow apart the tightly held status quo of the traditional art world. Think DeFi...

Is Australia's Crypto Crackdown Crushing Emerging Artists' Dreams?

Is Australia's Crypto Crackdown Crushing Emerging Artists' Dreams?

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AUSTRAC’s strong approach is much needed, to protect and improve the DCE landscape in Australia. They’re encouraging non-operational exchanges to deregister voluntarily, or else be deregistered through cancellations. 427 registered exchanges? Yikes, now that does sound like a fertile environment for nefarious deed. And nobody wants their hard earned money...

Fed's Crypto U-Turn: A Win for Southeast Asian Artists?

Fed's Crypto U-Turn: A Win for Southeast Asian Artists?

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The Fed just blinked. Their retreat from stringent crypto guidance for banks – specifically, rescinding those 2022 and 2023 supervisory letters – might seem like dry regulatory housekeeping. But for a community often overlooked, this shift could be a lifeline: Southeast Asian artists diving into the Web3 space.Forgotten Voices, Finally...

Inco's Nanny-Level Privacy: Web3's Gateway Drug for Artists?

Inco's Nanny-Level Privacy: Web3's Gateway Drug for Artists?

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Web3. The Wild West of the internet. A land of infinite promise, yet a terrain fraught with possible snares, notably for creatives. We’ve long been sold on the premise of decentralization, but to most creatives, decentralization without privacy seems like decentralized exposure. And that’s a problem. A big one.Are You...

Web3 Security: The Artists' Shield Against Crypto's Dark Side

Web3 Security: The Artists' Shield Against Crypto's Dark Side

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That energetic expanse, created by principles of creativity and openness, is drawing another generation of builders into the fold. Lurking in the shadows is a harsh reality: a Wild West of vulnerabilities that can leave artists, especially those in emerging markets like Southeast Asia, exposed and vulnerable. We’re talking about...

3 Ways SEC Crypto Regulation Can Unleash Southeast Asia's Web3 Artists

3 Ways SEC Crypto Regulation Can Unleash Southeast Asia's Web3 Artists

• Commentary

Let's be honest, when you hear "SEC crypto regulation," your first thought probably isn't Southeast Asian artists thriving. Or, as is more likely, it’s a tidal wave of compliance headaches and innovation quashed. Or, what if I told you that just a well-defined regulatory regime from the SEC might free...

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...