Donovan Choy

Kaia, a Layer-1 blockchain, officially <a href="https://chainwire.org/2024/08/29/kaia-announces-mainnet-launch-with-lines-next-web-sdk-to-accelerate-consumer-adoption/?hsa_acc=509545724&amp;hsa_cam=662141343&amp;hsa_grp=230213043&amp;hsa_net=linkedin&amp;hsa_ver=3">launched</a> its mainnet this past Thursday. This initiative is a collaboration between South Korean and Japanese Web2 messaging giants Kakao and LINE, resulting from the merger of their previously launched Layer-1 blockchains, Klaytn and Finschia.



Taking a page out of Telegram’s TON blockchain playbook, Kaia builders will be able to leverage a suite of available SDKs and APIs to create native dApps that can be integrated directly within the LINE messenger.



As part of the Kaia Wave builder support program, developers using the NEXT WEB SDK package will be eligible for grants, with up to $1.2 million available per team for marketing, technical, and business support.



Kakaotalk is used by 96% of South Koreans, while LINE messenger is the leading messenger app in Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand. Together, they have an estimated combined user base of more than 250 million, according to a press release provided to Blockworks. For comparison, Telegram has a user base of 900 million monthly active users.



Dr. Sam Seo, Chairman of Kaia DLT Foundation, said: “The much-anticipated launch of the Kaia mainnet heralds a new era for the mass consumer adoption of blockchain-based services. Kaia will bring web3 to the rest of the world, starting from Asia.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Coinbase continues partnership with Borussia Dortmund</h2>



Coinbase announced back in August 2022 that it had initiated a partnership with Borussia Dortmund (BVB), one of Germany&#8217;s most successful football clubs. This partnership initially involved running Coinbase ads on the video screens at Dortmund&#8217;s home stadium, Signal Iduna Park, during matches.



This week, Coinbase and BVB <a href="https://sportfive.com/press-media/borussia-dortmund-extends-partnership-with-coinbase">renewed</a> and significantly expanded their partnership. The collaboration now extends beyond Germany to include Europe and Singapore, with a broader range of marketing activities. Coinbase&#8217;s presence in BVB’s home stadium will increase, with the company serving as the presenter of all home game substitutions.



“Coinbase has a growing team in Germany, and we were the first crypto platform licensed by the German financial regulator,” Jan Sell, Managing Director of Coinbase Germany said, “We are thrilled to expand our partnership beyond Germany to reach BVB fans in other markets.”



The partnership will see collaboration between Coinbase and BVB on “easy-to-use blockchain-based activations for fans,” said the press release.



BlockDAG, the blockchain company behind DAG chain, also announced a $10 million three-year partnership with BVB on Wednesday.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">One interesting stat:</h2>



Donald Trump’s fourth NFT trading card collection “Series 4: The America First Collection” has sold <a href="https://polygonscan.com/token/0x7c8176fc9eb40905ed971198301521903cb23754">24,475</a> editions, raising $2.42 million at $99 per mint at time of publication.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Also of note:</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>The PGA Tour, Stratton Studios, and Chain Games Ireland are collaborating to launch a blockchain-powered mobile golf game called PGA TOUR RISE in 2026. The partnership intends to release the first minigame from this project in late 2024.</li>



<li>Lombard Finance, a DeFi platform incubated by Polygon, launched a liquid yield-bearing token called LBTC on Wednesday. The token, which is backed 1:1 by Bitcoin, allows users to earn yield while holding BTC and can be utilized across various DeFi protocols.</li>
</ul>



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football

Web3 Watch: Kakao and LINE unite to launch the L1 mainnet Kaia

Morgan Chittum

<div id="highlights-block_623b4bbd4efac" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>The NFT marketplace will partner with video game developer Square Enix and entertainment franchise Yoshimoto Kogyo</li>
 <li>Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce company, announced its own marketplace for blockchain-based digital collectibles last month</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



Japanese messaging giant Line Corp. announced the launch of its forthcoming NFT marketplace on Wednesday.&nbsp;



The marketplace, which is slated to go live on April 13, will run on the LINE blockchain — the company&#8217;s proprietary network. Users can hold their digital collectibles in the company’s LINE BITMAX wallet.&nbsp;



The platform, called Line NFT, will sell over 100 kinds of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), per a Coinpost <a href="https://coinpost.jp/?p=332888" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">report</a>. NFTs will be integrated as avatars for Line’s messaging services in the future. 



The marketplace will partner with various Japanese companies including video game developer Square Enix, entertainment franchise Yoshimoto Kogyo and Patlabor.&nbsp;



Z Holdings, another subsidiary of SoftBank, will <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2022/03/11/softbanks-internet-unit-plans-nft-investments-to-expand-global-reach/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reportedly</a> build a similar marketplace, DOSI, in 180 countries. Line&#8217;s platform, however, is separate from Z Holdings’ NFT plans.



“It’s possible Web3 will herald a world where life is completely different, and we don’t want the company to miss out on the huge growth opportunity,” Kentaro Kawabe, co-chief executive of Z Holdings, said in an <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2022/03/11/softbanks-internet-unit-plans-nft-investments-to-expand-global-reach/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interview</a>.



The formation of both subsidiaries of the Japanese conglomerate follow closely on the heels of e-commerce company Rakuten’s NFT plans.



Rakuten <a href="https://cms.blockworks.co/japans-e-commerce-giant-rakuten-launches-nft-marketplace/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced</a> its marketplace for blockchain-based assets on Feb. 25 and will allow users to buy, sell and trade cryptoassets based on Japanese manga and TV shows.



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LINE

SoftBank Messaging Giant To Launch NFT Marketplace in Japan

Sebastian Sinclair

<div id="highlights-block_62030c6fc3a48" class="highlights">
 <ul>
 <li>LINE Pay will begin trialling payments in LINK to select merchants via its messaging app</li>
 <li>The trial will take place on LINE&#8217;s blockchain network and will run from March through to December</li>
 </ul>
 
</div>



A subsidiary of the Japan-based messaging giant LINE Corporation will begin trialing its native token for use in payments to select merchants via its messaging app.



LINE Pay, the operator of the company&#8217;s digital wallet and fintech services, will be tasked with connecting LINE&#8217;s LINK (LN) token (not to be confused with ChainLink&#8217;s LINK token) with its payment solution, according to a <a href="https://linecorp.com/zh-hans/pr/news/global/2022/99" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a> Tuesday.



LINE said it is aiming to expand users&#8217; &#8220;payment options, increase convenience, and grow the real-life usages&#8221; for LINK. It is the first time since 2020 that the messaging giant has made significant efforts to push ahead with its crypto efforts.



Trials will commence March 16 through Dec. 26, enabling customers to use LINK at LINE Pay online merchants in the same way LINE Points are transacted, the company said. The company&#8217;s blockchain network will be used for the trial.



As of Q3 2020, LINE&#8217;s messaging app boasted roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/560545/number-of-monthly-active-line-app-users-japan/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">84 million monthly active users</a> in its domestic market, around 66% of Japan&#8217;s total population.



The company has been quietly building its payment infrastructure after launching its native token back in 2018. 



Last year, LVC, LINE&#8217;s crypto exchange operator and blockchain business unit, debuted a crypto lending service, allowing users to lend bitcoin and other cryptos to its BITMAX exchange in return for a rental fee.



LN, whose market cap stands at $867.8 million, is changing hands for $144.2 and is up 23.8% over a seven-day period, according to data by provider <a href="https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/link" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CoinGecko</a>.



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