Some of Japan’s largest crypto gamers are gearing as much as make new non-fungible token (NFT) and blockchain strikes – with Rakuten, Line and Coincheck getting ready new initiatives.
Rakuten, which operates one of many nation’s largest e-commerce platforms, as nicely an e-pay service, a crypto trade and content material streaming platforms, has introduced that it’ll launch an NFT enterprise unit subsequent yr. In a press launch, the corporate said that the brand new arm, named Rakuten NFT, would debut in Spring 2022, and would give attention to sports activities and leisure choices.
The agency has quite a few sports-related tie-ins. It sponsors a professional soccer crew within the Japanese leagues, and is the present shirt sponsor of the European footballing heavyweight FC Barcelona. It additionally operates quite a few entertainment-based choices, together with the video-on-demand platform Rakuten TV.
The firm mentioned that its new enterprise arm would “mix an NFT market” with “a gross sales platform,” and promised “mental property holders” the flexibility to “concern and distribute NFTs” on the platform “with out having to develop their very own expertise.”
The agency added that it might enable its prospects to purchase NFTs utilizing Rakuten loyalty factors.
Rakuten has additionally been in search of crypto expertise: a LinkedIn job posting from a number of weeks in the past indicated that the agency is trying to appoint new members for its blockchain lab in Tokyo, writing that it wished candidates with a “sturdy curiosity in each market and expertise of blockchain and cryptocurrency.”
More just lately, the chat app Line, utilized by round 84 million smartphone customers in Japan, additionally posted a job advert indicating that it was trying to bolster its blockchain crew.
Line wrote that it was in search of “mid-senior stage” builders, additionally to be based mostly in Tokyo, to work on the Line blockchain mainnet, a wise contract infrastructure, consensus algorithms and Line’s token economic system plans. The firm, which operates home and worldwide crypto exchanges in addition to its personal hyperlink (LN) cryptoasset, has additionally moved into the NFT world. On Tuesday, it announced that it was launching an NFT tie-in with its common emoji sequence Line Friends.
The firm was based by the South Korean tech big Naver, and has just lately merged with the SoftBank-affiliated Yahoo Japan.
Meanwhile, one of many nation’s largest crypto exchanges – the Monex Group’s Coincheck – has introduced that it’ll launch an NFT tie-in with trend manufacturers. Per Nikkei, the agency will work with Tomo Koizumi on a brand new vary of NFT releases. Koizumi has famously created apparel for the likes of Lady Gaga. The designer additionally created the gown worn by the Japanese singer Misia on the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics throughout her efficiency of the Japanese nationwide anthem.
Coincheck has just lately unveiled its personal NFT market – with a variety of corporations now competing to supply buying and selling platforms for J-pop, manga, anime, drama, and sports-themed “cultural contents.”
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Learn extra:
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– Chat App Giant Line to Hand out its Link Crypto to E-pay Customers
– Giant Rakuten Lets Customers Charge E-Pay Accounts with BTC, ETH, BCH
