Today in Crypto: Visa’s ‘Ambitious Crypto Product Roadmap’, Bitget’s On-ramp Service for Visa & Mastercard Crypto Purchases, Fractal & XRPL Partner on KYC/AML, Aptos Labs Teams Up with Ledger

Get your daily, bite-sized digest of cryptoasset and blockchain-related news – investigating the stories flying under the radar of today’s crypto news.
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Payments news

• Cuy Sheffield, head of crypto at Visa, announced a new and “ambitious” crypto-related project developed by the firm. The company is looking for senior software engineers to help it drive mainstream adoption of public blockchain networks and stablecoin payments. “Particularly interested in experience using Github Copilot and other AI assisted engineering tools to write and debug smart contracts,” Sheffield said.

Exchange news

• Bitget announced the launch of a new on-ramp service specifically designed for purchasing crypto using VISA and Mastercard. The new service will support more than 140 fiat currencies and will allow their use for direct purchase of USDT, BTC, and BGB via credit or debit card on the Bitget exchange platform, said the press release.
• Bitfinex announced its sponsorship of Penguin Academy’s three-week introductory coding bootcamp in Paraguay. Dedicated exclusively to women, the bootcamp is set to take place from May 3 to May 24, in Ciudad del Este. It includes the fundamentals of Python coding, workshops in robotics, IoT, and web development, and lessons in blockchain fundamentals and microelectronics. Per the press release, the bootcamp will culminate in a five-day hackathon and demo day, and three top contenders will be awarded scholarships for this year’s Plan B Summer School held in Lugano, Switzerland.

Blockchain news

• Identity solution provider for Web3 Fractal and XRPL, decentralized and public blockchain led by a global developer community, partnered to bring KYC/AML processes to the XRPL ecosystem, said an announcement. “Fractal offers a streamlined solution for users to access various dapps on XRPL, without the need for multiple KYC processes,” it said, adding that, by implementing the KYC/AML technology, users can switch between dapps without additional authentication. The off-chain registry is open to all, it stated, thus promoting wider adoption while ensuring a secure and trustworthy ecosystem.
• NEAR Balkans, the regional hub for everyone learning about, using, or building on the NEAR protocol in the Balkan countries, and blockchain data platform Nansen are teaming up to bring advanced analytics tools and data-driven insights to the NEAR ecosystem, said the press release, as well as to accelerate the widespread adoption of decentralized applications (dapps). “Nansen’s analytics will be helpful in providing users with a comprehensive view of blockchain activity, including transaction flows, wallet holdings, and on-chain activity,” it added.

Wallet news 

• Aptos Labs, the team behind the layer 1 blockchain Aptos Network, said it would offer support for the Ledger Nano hardware wallet via integration with Petra, the Aptos-based wallet. “The integration will provide next-level security in crypto asset management for users and decentralized applications (dapps) built on the Aptos network,” said the announcement. The integration will allow Petra users to manage their crypto transactions while keeping private keys protected offline on their hardware devices.

Investment news

• Regulated blockchain platform Swarm announced that it is adding seven more public stocks for both retail and institutional investors to trade on its regulated decentralized finance (DeFi) platform: Blackrock, Coinbase, Coupang, Intel, Microsoft, Microstrategy, and NVIDIA.
• Peaq Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting Web3 network peaq, and peaq’s canary network krest, partnered with EWOR, a combination of an entrepreneurship academy and an early-stage VC firm, revealing a Web3-focused program for founders building decentralized applications for machines, robots, and vehicles. Per the press release, this 10-month program will grant prospective builders various skills, mentoring, and networking, while backing them with funding opportunities of up to €150,000 ($165,270).
• Digital asset market maker Keyrock partnered with the global incubator for fintech Tenity to launch an acceleration program for Web3 native and fintech startups. Per the press release, the program is open for applications and will conclude with a Demo Day event in December 2023 where startups will compete for up to €100,000 ($110,180) investments from Keyrock.
• Fineqia AG, a subsidiary of Fineqia International Inc., a digital asset business that builds and targets investments in early and growth stage technology companies, is collaborating with global index provider FTSE Russell to expand its Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) with access to FTSE Russell’s indexing and analytics capabilities. “Fineqia’s use of FTSE Russell indices is expected to significantly enhance the transparency and liquidity of its digital asset investment products […] The binding agreement between FTSE Russell and Fineqia was signed on April 21, 2023,” said the press release.

Entertainment news

• Web3 story studio Toonstar announced the premiere of its new adult-animated series “Space Junk”, a workplace comedy about garbage collectors in space, created and written by Dominic Russo, starring Jon Heder and Tony Cavalero, with episodes available to stream from May 19. The series will be powered by Theta Network, the media and entertainment blockchain, and will feature a character voiced entirely by AI, said the press release.

Career news

• Aegis Trust, a US-based qualified digital asset custodian, announced that Anthony Botticella was appointed as the new President of the company, as well as its global custodian entities, effective immediately. Per the announcement, Botticella previously served as the CEO of BitGo Trust and was the Chief Trust Officer of Prime Trust.