FIFA Drops NFTs That Offer Chance at World Cup Final Tickets

Hi NoRamp Community,

Daily News:

1) Oasys Taps Rollup Platform AltLayer to Simplify Metaverse Deployment

2) El Salvador Offers Citizenship to Those With $1M Bitcoin or Tether

3) FIFA Drops NFTs That Offer Chance at World Cup Final Tickets

4) Paymentology Names Marqeta’s Jeff Parker as New CEO

5) DTCC Completes Acquisition of Securrency

Oasys Taps AltLayer to Simplify Metaverse Deployment:

• Oasys, a gaming-focused blockchain, has partnered with AltLayer, a zero-knowledge rollup platform, to facilitate the development and deployment of blockchain games and metaverses within the Oasys network.

• Launched in February 2022, Oasys aims to increase the mainstream adoption of play-to-earn (P2E) blockchain games. The network is known for its "zero gas fee experience" and asset portability between projects. The partnership with AltLayer will provide a simpler experience for builders, especially targeting smaller game developers.

• Oasys director Daiki Moriyama emphasized the importance of supporting the growing number of small and medium-sized game developers. The collaboration aims to make it easier to create gaming environments or "Verses" within Oasys' two-layer architecture. Moriyama also noted the evolving environment of blockchain gaming, with increased interest from various industries and the emergence of blockchain-gaming-focused marketing businesses.

El Salvador Offers Citizenship to Those With $1M Bitcoin or Tether:

• El Salvador, in collaboration with stablecoin issuer Tether, has launched a "Freedom Visa" program, offering visas and potential citizenship to individuals who invest $1 million in Bitcoin or Tether. This initiative makes El Salvador the only country to accept cryptocurrency investments for visa and citizenship pathways.

• The program is part of El Salvador's continued expansion of Bitcoin-friendly initiatives, with the country's Bitcoin investments currently valued at $120 million. The visa program is designed to attract investment in the nation's economic development, cultural enrichment, and social programs.

• The program is limited to 1,000 participants per year, emphasizing its exclusivity and impact on El Salvador's future prosperity. Adriana Mira, El Salvador’s vice minister of foreign affairs, described the program as an opportunity to shape a prosperous future, while Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino highlighted the initiative's commitment to financial freedom and innovation.

FIFA Drops NFTs That Offer Chance at World Cup Final Tickets:

• FIFA is set to release a limited number of digital collectibles, with the first drop including 100 rare collectibles offering holders the chance to secure tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. Additionally, 900 other digital collectibles will be issued on the Polygon network and made available on the OpenSea platform.

• Originally minted on Algorand, FIFA's NFTs are transitioning to Polygon for the second stage of the upcoming collection. Polygon, popular among web3 gaming projects, will also be utilized for future FIFA digital collectible launches. The move aligns with FIFA's goal of providing football fans worldwide the opportunity to affordably own unique digital collectibles.

• FIFA has announced that Modex will take over the strategic management of its digital collectible platform, which has already released several football-branded collections. The initiative aims to enhance fan engagement with favorite players, teams, and the sport. This approach mirrors the trend of using professional sports as a platform for blockchain and crypto companies to connect with consumers, as seen with other partnerships in the industry.

Paymentology Names Marqeta’s Jeff Parker as New CEO:

• Paymentology, a U.K. card issuer, has appointed Jeff Parker, a former Marqeta executive, as its new CEO. Parker, who recently stepped down as managing director of Marqeta, will replace interim Co-CEOs Abe Smith and Angy Watson.

• Jeff Parker brings over 20 years of international payments experience to Paymentology, having worked across four continents. His tenure at Marqeta involved building the company's international operations and expanding its services in Europe and the Asia/Pacific region. Prior to Marqeta, Parker held executive roles at World First, Macquarie Bank, JP Morgan, Accenture, and OFX.

• In his new role, Parker aims to strengthen Paymentology's position as a leading global neo-processor for fintechs, telcos, corporates, and challenger banks. His appointment follows his recent departure from Marqeta, where he experienced rapid growth and innovation in the issuer processing and card payments sector. Paymentology recently partnered with Nelo to increase financial inclusion in Mexico, supporting Nelo's Mastercard and physical card launches.

DTCC Completes Acquisition of Securrency:

• The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has finalized the acquisition of Securrency, a digital asset infrastructure provider, for an undisclosed amount. Following the acquisition, DTCC is retiring the Securrency brand and rebranding the business as DTCC Digital Assets.

• DTCC Digital Assets will function internally under DTCC, with Lynn Bishop serving as the managing director and CIO. The acquisition, originally announced in October, aims to merge DTCC's post-trade market infrastructure with Securrency's blockchain technology to explore the potential of institutional DeFi (Decentralized Finance).

• The integration of Securrency's technology will enhance DTCC's enterprise digital asset platform, allowing the incorporation of digital assets into existing products and services. Furthermore, DTCC plans to license Securrency's technology to other companies for the development of new, regulatory-compliant blockchain-based digital asset services. Securrency, established in 2015, has previously raised significant funding, including a $17.6 million Series A in 2020 and a $30 million Series B in 2021.

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