El Salvador Schedules World Blockchain Festival in April

The blockchain industry has an exciting event coming up. El Salvador government announced to sponsor The World Blockchain Festival, scheduled in April. The festival will be a discussion forum on blockchain technology, Bitcoin, DeFi, and tokens. Moreover, on April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, participants will be able to join entertainment programs.

Spartan Hill is the organizer of the event. Spartan Hill is a Colombian company, specializing in blockchain projects.

It will be a combination of education, entertainment, and networking. There will be conferences on exciting topics related to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. There are also interactive activities, business opportunities, concerts, and more.

Industry experts and personalities from the international level will be likely to participate in the three-day event.

According to the organizers, it aims to provide a space for attendees to have fun while also providing an event agenda related to the potential of crypto finance and Bitcoin technology.

Besides conferences and educational talks, the World Blockchain Festival features workshops, a shark tank, and a Pluto Beach Club. Organizers say the event will also feature a game room, NFTs, and the Metaverse.

During the first WBF in El Salvador, attendees could experience an immersive experience related to the Metaverse. An app development hackathon, various sessions on the most relevant topics, and even an NFT auction will be an app development hackathon.

ADANFT: A New Exclusive NFT Market On Cardano!

AdaSwap announces ADANFT – an exclusive NFT marketplace designed to provide value to artists, buyers, and holders of ASW tokens. ADANFT will provide its users with a unique voting system and hierarchical structure. Their goal is to avoid common problems with the NFT market.

Additionally, ADANFT will generate rare and ultra-rare NFT exclusivity through its novel tier system. ADANFT users will be divided into three tiers – Silver, Gold, and Platinum – based on their ASW Token holdings at launch. The tier system gives more value to these exclusive NFTs, as only higher tier users can buy them. Ultimately, the tiered system will evolve.

AdaSwap CEO Lennon Qualmann said that they had addressed the new frontiers and changing trends of blockchain technology.

Additionally, the ADANFT voting system will ensure that only the highest quality collectibles and artwork are picked. The system allows users to vote weekly for their chosen NFT art. As a result of voting, moderators selected by the community will edit the best artwork and give the green light for new collection drops. Only the finest artwork graces ADANFT – no inauthentic copies of other NFT collectibles.

Through ADANFT, AdaSwap aims to be the biggest innovator in the Cardano ecosystem.

AdaSwap plans to increase Cardano’s relevance in the NFT space while bringing more users into the AdaSwap ecosystem. Additionally, AdaSwap will create more incentives to hold tokens, creating higher value for ASW tokens tradable on GATE.IO.

Opera Integrates Bitcoin, Solana, Polygon, And Five Other Blockchains

Opera, one of the top crypto-friendly web browsers, announced the integration of eight blockchains to bring Web3 to over 380 million mobile and desktop users worldwide.

In January 2022, Opera launched the Crypto Browser project, a Web3-focused initiative. Opera’s project facilitates navigation between decentralized applications (DApps), games, and the Metaverse platform.

The browser company has added support for eight major blockchain ecosystems — Bitcoin, Solana, Polygon, StarkEx, Ronin, Celo, Nervos Network, and IXO.

Opera said in the announcement that its users now have access to the Polygon and Solana DApp ecosystems. Additionally, they have advantages of Layer 2 DeFi over StarkWare-powered DiversiFi.

The latest integration allows Opera users to access the Polygon Proof-of-Stake blockchain and Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem through StarkEx.

According to the company, the purpose of integrating multiple blockchains is to ensure chain-agnostic and Web3 integration in an environmentally friendly manner.

The announcement further underscores the need for a carbon-neutral solution with low gas fees. This is one of the main reasons to choose Polygon over the Ethereum blockchain.

Back in November 2021, Opera competitor Brave Browser announced plans to integrate the Solana blockchain to enhance its DApp capabilities. However, it has yet to launch.

Washington State Is Passing Legislation Aimed At Expanding Local Blockchain Adoption

Three years and one vote after the original proposal, Washington Governor Jay Inslee today signed legislation to expand the state’s adoption of blockchain technology in various financial and industrial sectors.

The law requires Governor Inslee to order the formation of the Washington Blockchain Task Force, which will explore various potential applications of blockchain technology. The task force will consist of seven government officials and eight leaders from multiple trade associations across the state. It will examine practical applications of blockchain technology and report its findings to Governor Inslee by December 1, 2023.

Republican Senator Sharon Brown, who initially proposed the bill, said that Washington state is demonstrating its readiness to embrace blockchain technology for the benefit of all Washington residents, employers, and workers.

The bill has had a turbulent history in the state legislature. It was first proposed in the Senate in 2019, but the government ultimately rejected it in April 2020. The state legislature then spent nearly two years refining it.

Washington is the latest of many U.S. states to embrace blockchain technology or cryptocurrencies in general, including New York, Texas, and Wyoming.

Wyoming has earned a reputation as a forward-thinking regulatory haven for blockchain companies. It is home to cryptocurrency exchange Kraken Bank and recognizes Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) as legal entities.

New York State is one of the largest cryptocurrency mining locations in the United States. The region accounts for 19.9% of the country’s total Bitcoin hashrate.

Texas is also a major cryptocurrency mining hub, with a hash rate of over 14% of the country due to its cheap electricity and abundant land resources. The state is experimenting with data centers with flexible power sources, allowing them to switch to renewable energy sources when the conventional grid is under stress.

Bengal Energy Company Is Mining Bitcoin Using Stranded Gas Wells In Australia’s Outback

In the Australian outback, Canadian oil and gas company Bengal Energy is diving into Bitcoin mining to tap idle energy from its vast gas wells.

Bengal Energy will launch a pilot program to place around 70 bitcoin mining rigs in a portable building. This building is known locally as a “donga.”

It will be installed on some formerly abandoned gas wells nearby in the Cooper Basin region.

According to Kai Eberspächer, chief operating officer of Bengal Energy, the company acquired the wells from local oil and gas exploration partners Santos Energy and Bridgeport Energy.

Eberspacher added that recently acquired gas wells pose an interesting problem for energy companies because they are so-called “stranded wells.” This means that while the company can technically generate electricity from natural gas on-site, current distribution lines are too far away to reach.

A pipeline that serves remote gas wells in Bengal is currently under construction. However, supply chain issues related to COVID-19 have further exacerbated development delays.

Portable Bitcoin mining rigs from Tonga have been found to solve this problem. The test donga will be equipped with 66 miners that can generate about 0.005 BTC per day, or about $235.

If the attempt is successful, Bengal Energy reportedly hopes to increase its bitcoin mining output by 10 to 20, meaning total revenue could be between $2,000 and $5,000 per day.

Bengal Energy is adding its name to a growing list of mining companies, including ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil, seeking to harness the potential of energy that is often wasted or stranded with portable bitcoin mining operations.

In response to widespread criticism of bitcoin mining for environmental reasons, fossil fuel companies are increasingly working to find new ways to limit harmful by-products from mining operations and use sustainable alternatives wherever possible.

Few Crypto Firms Get Grace Period From UK Financial Regulator

On Wednesday, Britain’s financial watchdog said that it had extended temporary licenses to only a “small number” of cryptocurrency firms ahead of an April 1 deadline to demonstrate adequate anti-money laundering controls.

Crypto companies must obtain licenses and demonstrate sufficient controls to deter money laundering or terrorist financing.

As of Wednesday, companies still operating under temporary licenses included relatively larger companies such as Copper Technologies and Revolut.

This month, FCA policy officer David Raw said that 90 percent of cryptocurrency companies seeking approval of its money-laundering controls have withdrawn or rejected their applications because they failed to meet standards.

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