Tag: artists

El Salvador's Crypto Experiment: A Win for Artists, a Wake-Up Call for SEC

El Salvador's Crypto Experiment: A Win for Artists, a Wake-Up Call for SEC

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Imagine this: a young artist in rural Cambodia, struggling to make ends meet, finally able to sell her intricate silk paintings directly to collectors in New York, bypassing gallery commissions and predatory middlemen. That’s the promise El Salvador’s crypto experiment has opened up. It’s not just about Bitcoin, but to...

Ubisoft's Web3 Gamble: Empowering Artists or Exploiting Fans?

Ubisoft's Web3 Gamble: Empowering Artists or Exploiting Fans?

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I actually first encountered Anya in a little cafe in Hanoi last year. She’s a phenomenal digital artist—it’s hard to explain, but she makes these deeply atmospheric landscapes based in Vietnamese mythology. We all know Anya’s work is gorgeous, but she can’t even afford to pay her internet bill. She...

NFTs Reborn? How Southeast Asia's Artists Are Redefining Digital Ownership

NFTs Reborn? How Southeast Asia's Artists Are Redefining Digital Ownership

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The NFT market is dead, right? That's what the headlines scream. A 93% decline in trading volume since 2021? A 98% project failure rate in 2024? Justin Bieber’s Bored Ape NFT dropping nearly 94% in value? It all paints a bleak picture. Let me tell you something: those headlines are...

Web3 E-Learning Revolution: Southeast Asia's Artists Lead the Way

Web3 E-Learning Revolution: Southeast Asia's Artists Lead the Way

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The future of education isn’t determined in a Silicon Valley board room. Rather than coming fully-formed, TED’s next big thing is being built, pixel by pixel, in the innovative studios and creative cities of Southeast Asia. And it's powered by Web3. You might think art and blockchain are strange bedfellows,...

Polygon's NFT Win: Southeast Asia's Artists Get a Web3 Lifeline?

Polygon's NFT Win: Southeast Asia's Artists Get a Web3 Lifeline?

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Is the art world finally becoming democratized? For too long, white galleries and gatekeepers have decided behind closed doors who gets to be seen, who gets visibility and who gets paid. Now, something is stirring. And it’s happening on Polygon.Polygon overtook Ethereum in weekly NFT sales volume recently. $22.3 million...

Crypto's Southeast Asia Opportunity Compliance Opens Doors for Artists

Crypto's Southeast Asia Opportunity Compliance Opens Doors for Artists

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The U.S. regulatory landscape is shifting. So what? Why should an artist based in, say, Yangon, even remotely interested in this provision, care? Because this seemingly small amendment opens the door to an exciting new creative future for Southeast Asian artists. It's time to connect the dots.Regulation Isn't a Dirty...

Web3's Ticket to Inclusion: How NFTs Can Empower Southeast Asian Artists

Web3's Ticket to Inclusion: How NFTs Can Empower Southeast Asian Artists

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Southeast Asia pulses with creativity. My favorite part is the magic these artists produce on bustling streets of Bangkok. They bring their buzzing creativity to life by painting the peaceful rice fields of Bali. Too often, their voices are silenced, their chances stifled by a rigged structure that benefits insiders...

Stablecoins for Artists? Why ING's Move Matters in Southeast Asia

Stablecoins for Artists? Why ING's Move Matters in Southeast Asia

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ING's quiet foray into the stablecoin arena, spurred by the EU's MiCA regulations, might seem like another blip on the radar of global finance. For artists in Southeast Asia, it may be a quiet revolution underway. Why? That’s because it’s about access, stability, and yes, at the end of the...

Africa's Web3 Gaming Revolution: Will it Empower or Exploit Artists?

Africa's Web3 Gaming Revolution: Will it Empower or Exploit Artists?

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The promise is seductive: Web3 gaming, a digital frontier where African artists and gamers are not just consumers, but owners. Dawn of Fearless with its USD 700K funding shot and promises of decentralized liberation looks like a Movie Trailers Special Effects $$$$$ boom. Let's push back on this hype train....

XYO's DePIN: How It Can Empower Southeast Asian Artists & Creators

XYO's DePIN: How It Can Empower Southeast Asian Artists & Creators

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Envision a colorful reality in which Southeast Asian artists experience boundless artistic freedom. They set the conditions for their artistic production and directly benefit from the fruits of their creativity. This isn't some utopian fantasy; it’s a tangible possibility enabled by XYO's decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN).Artistic Freedom, Verifiable AuthenticitySoutheast Asia...

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...