Nansen Launches Query on Google Cloud, Coinme Adds 22,000 ATMs to Cash Network, Mysten Labs Signs MOU with Alibaba Cloud, NFTs Not (Yet) Securities in Germany

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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Blockchain news

• Blockchain data platform Nansen announced the launch of Nansen Query, a new product built on the Google Cloud platform, designed to allow crypto-native teams to “programmatically access to unique, curated datasets and professional integrations in order to inform better decision-making for customer, product, and investment use cases,” said the press release. Query is available immediately for interested parties and is already operating at some of the major crypto teams and investors in crypto, including OpenSea, Google, MakerDAO, a16z, and more, it added.

ATM news

• Coinme added over 22,000 participating ATMs to its cash network in the US, via its API-driven Coinme-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering. According to the press release, these partner ATMs allow for the instant sale of crypto via the Coinme app for physical cash pick-up at participating locations across name-brand retailers, including some of the largest grocery, pharmacy, and convenience stores in the US.

Web3 news

• Mysten Labs, a Web3 infrastructure company and initial developer of the Sui Layer 1 blockchain, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Alibaba Cloud, the digital technology and intelligence arm of Alibaba Group. Alibaba Cloud will aim to provide archival node services and secure cloud infrastructure services for validators as part of Sui Testnet. The two companies will enhance collaboration on developing sustainable Web3 ecosystems, and both parties will explore cooperation opportunities in the e-commerce and payments sectors, they said.

Regulation news

• Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are not classified as securities, German financial regulator BaFin said. “However, it cannot be ruled out that NFT will also be classified as a security in the future. This could be the case if, for example, 1,000 NFT embody the same repayment and interest claims,” it said and added that “NFTs are classified as securities if they embody rights similar to securities, are transferable and can be traded on the financial market.”

Exchange news

• Bitget announced that it became an official sponsor of the Juventus Women’s Team. Per the press release, Juventus Women as they are known, are one of Italy’s most successful football teams. “The Juventus Women’s sponsorship deal also bolsters Bitget’s efforts to entice more female audiences into the crypto space. The industry has traditionally been male-dominated, but a demographic shift is starting to occur, with digital assets becoming more attractive to a broad swathe of web users including women,” it said.

NFT news

• Code Canvas announced today that it launched as “the first long-form generative art NFT marketplace on Solana,” focusing on both primary and secondary markets. Founded by the team behind Exchange.Art, Code Canvas will work alongside generative art creators to launch exclusive, curated NFT drops, and it will offer CoCa Passes, lifetime passes that will be auctioned throughout the year, giving the pass holders exclusive perks. More benefits will be announced in the coming weeks, it said.

Gaming news

• Illuvium, a decentralized studio building an Interoperable blockchain game universe, announced the launch of Illuvium: Beyond, a spin-off interactive adventure and collectible card game on the ImmutableX platform. Funds generated from the sale of Illuvium: Beyond will be directed to a special $15 million “Safety Pool,” designed to mitigate the risk of uncertain macroeconomic conditions by providing a source of runway to sustain decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) operations, it said.

Career news

• Crypto data provider Digital Asset Research (DAR) announced an expansion of its executive team “amidst increased demand for institutional-quality digital asset market data,” it said. Co-founder Erin Friez returned to DAR as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Brian Stern joined as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Their hiring follows Kerstin Krall Walz joining the firm in 2022 as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and comes as DAR continues to add headcount, it stated.