Major Brands Embrace NFT Technology

06.06.2023

NFT Market News:

Companies Continue to Integrate NFT Technology

In a somewhat surprising move, Louis Vuitton is set to release a physical-linked NFT collection named “Via Treasure Trunks”. The fashion behemoth is offering 200-300 digital trunks in select countries, with each NFT priced at a substantial $42,000 according to CoinDesk. Owners of these NFTs will receive a digital and physical version of their Treasure Trunk, which unlocks access to upcoming Louis Vuitton products and immersive events. Interestingly, the tokens are non-transferable, which means that owners can’t sell the Trunks. However, Louis Vuitton claims holders will be able to sell individual items they mint in the future. This initiative is part of a larger project, “Via”, which aims to provide access to future Louis Vuitton physical-linked NFT collections via digital keys.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is betting on the future of entertainment with its second installment in the “WB Movieverse”, this time featuring 1978’s “Superman: The Movie”. The studio is set to release a Superman Web3 Movie Experience, a multimedia NFT bundle, including the film in 4K Ultra HD format, image galleries, and artist renderings by notable DC artists. The Superman NFTs will be priced slightly cheaper than the Louis Vuitton NFTs at $30 for the Standard Edition and $100 for the Premium Edition according to NFTEvening.  Warner Bros. aims to establish a new home-entertainment business model based on NFTs and build an engaged community of fans​.

These exciting developments underscore the increasing interest of Web2 companies in the NFT space. By creating their own collections, these companies not only offer novel experiences to their customer base but also leverage the unique properties of NFTs, such as verifiable digital ownership and the ability to monetize digital assets. As more traditional businesses explore and embrace NFTs, we are witnessing an exciting shift towards the convergence of Web2 and Web3 technologies, offering consumers enhanced and personalized experiences that were previously unthinkable.

Latest News:

WELCOME FRIENDS: Hundreds of institutions and prominent individuals have invested directly in crypto, adopted the value thesis, or started building technology to support digital assets since Wave started tracking these developments in late 2020. Now the rise of the Metaverse, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) is driving mainstream adoption of blockchain technologies everywhere we look. We’re continuing to keep track of it every week here:

• Nike Virtual Studios unveiled a partnership with EA Sports to enable customized Nike virtual apparel to be used in EA SPORTS games. 
• The Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission has released a white paper in a bid to foster innovation and development within the Web3 industry. The commission aims to establish Beijing as a global innovation hub by allocating a minimum of CNY100m ($14m) annually until 2025.
• Voltage, a Bitcoin Lightning infrastructure provider, has partnered with Google Cloud to increase its hosting capacity and locations globally.
• Platinium Group, the leading ticket issuer for Formula 1, is releasing non-fungible token (NFT) race tickets – starting with the Monaco Grand Prix. Platinium Group has teamed up with blockchain infrastructure company Elemint and Web3 agency Bary to help create, mint and sell the NFT tickets.

REGULATORY ROUNDUP: We’re living through the era of regulatory recognition of digital assets. The legislation, litigation, and regulation happening today will dictate the entire future of our industry, and we have a historic chance to shape those changes by staying informed and exerting political influence.

• The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has proposed an overhaul of its rules for risk management, and Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero said the changes should insist firms prepare themselves for crypto volatility and the risks from holding customers’ digital assets. 
• Hong Kong rolled out new rules on Thursday to guide the cryptocurrency industry in the Chinese special administrative region. Crypto exchanges operating in the jurisdiction are now required to get licensed to offer their services to retail traders. Already, Hong Kong’s financial regulator has received several applications.
• EU officials have signed the Markets in Crypto-Assets law (MiCA), which aims to create a consistent regulatory framework for crypto assets among the EU member states, into law following final approval from finance ministers. After the signing ceremony, the framework is expected to go into effect following publication in the Official Journal of the European Union, with many of MiCA’s regulations on crypto firms likely starting sometime in 2024.
• The revised Payment Services Act was promulgated at midnight on June 1, 2023, and now allows Japanese firms to issue stablecoins. Under the terms of the act, all token-issuing firms must be able to prove they have the underlying assets that back their coins, and only regulated banks, fund transfer service providers, trust companies, and other financial industry firms can issue these coins.
• A group of U.K. lawmakers is calling on the government to introduce crypto financial services regulations sooner rather than later and to appoint a dedicated official to oversee the process. In a report published Monday, the Crypto and Digital Assets All Parliamentary Group (APPG) said cryptocurrency is here to stay and needs immediate regulation. The group, which includes lawmakers from different political parties and both houses of parliament, made 53 recommendations for regulating crypto in the country.
• The U.S. SEC sued crypto exchange Binance, the operating company for Binance.US and Binance founder and CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao on allegations of violating federal securities laws on Monday. Binance, Binance.US and CZ offered unregistered securities to the general public in the form of the BNB token and Binance-linked BUSD stablecoin, said the suit, which also alleges that Binance’s staking service violated securities law. 
• The U.S. SEC sued U.S crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) on allegations of violating federal securities law, a day after filing a similar suit against Binance. According to the SEC, Coinbase has operated as an unregistered broker, exchange and clearing agency simultaneously, arguing that it solicited customers, handled orders, allowed for bids and acted as an intermediary all at once. The suit named Coinbase, Inc. and Coinbase Global, Inc. as defendants, but did not name founder and CEO Brian Armstrong or any other executive.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author alone and do not represent Wave Digital Assets LLC or any of its affiliates (collectively, “Wave”). The author and/or Wave may hold investment positions in some of the assets discussed. Nothing in this material or linked information should be interpreted as an offer or recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security or other financial product. This material is not intended to provide accounting, legal or tax advice. Certain information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources, has not been independently verified and should not be viewed as being endorsed by Wave. Such information is believed to be accurate as of the date of its publication. No representation or warranty is made, express or implied, with respect to the accuracy or completeness, and readers should not place undue reliance on the information contained or linked to herein. Certain statements in this material provide predictions and there is no guarantee that such predictions are currently accurate or will ultimately be realized. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Wave is federally regulated by the US Securities & Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. Registration with a federal or state authority does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information including important disclosures about Wave Digital Assets LLC also is available on the SEC’s website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Or, learn more information about Wave at www.wavegp.com.