Google to accept crypto payments, collaborates with Coinbase

Google to accept crypto payments for cloud services

Google on Tuesday announced its partnership with crypto exchange Coinbase and that it will soon accept crypto payments via an integration with Coinbase (COIN).

The announcement was made at Google’s Cloud Next conference. Shortly after, Coinbase announced that it will build its data-related applications on Google's Cloud. These were previously stored using Amazon Web Services.

Recent developments:

Recently, Google Cloud partnered with NEAR protocol to support developers building dApps (decentralised applications) and web3 projects.

The firm has also partnered with the BNB chain, Sky Mavis, Nansen, and others. In January this year, the firm set up a Google Cloud Digital Assets Team to assist clients in creating, trading, storing value, and launching new products on blockchain-based platforms.

Web3 fan engagement platform for cinephiles

It’s not everyday that you meet three tech founders trying to make a break into the glitz of entertainment. Ritesh Kant, CEO of Fangage Labs Private Limited, grew up admiring Hindi superstar Amitabh Bachchan while his co-founders, Saravana Sai Natarajan (CTO) and Karikalan G (COO) loved actors Kamal Hassan and Vikram, and actor Vijay respectively.

This love for all things movies led them to build Fangage Labs. Now, it wants to change the way fans interact with celebrities through its brand Wow Talkies.

Currently, it is in beta mode and will be made available by the end of October. Both the web and the mobile platforms, which will be available on both Android and iOS, will be deployed using Polygon blockchain.

How is it different?

What makes Wow Talkies different is its collectibles. The form of these collectibles won’t be limited to just static images – they can be face filters, face swaps, downloadable stickers, and avatars. For instance, you can use the in-built augmented reality (AR) feature of the app to superimpose the caricature of your favourite celebrity sitting at your office desk and click a picture. 

You could also use the artificial intelligence capabilities of this app to swap your face with that of a celebrity and take a selfie. The startup says it is using the latest in generative adversarial networks to build and train deep learning models for these purposes. 

Uniswap Labs raises $165M

Uniswap Labs, the creator of Uniswap (a leading decentralised exchange for trading and automated liquidity provision on Ethereum), on Thursday announced it has raised $165 million in Series B funding to "bring Web3 to everyone".

The round was led by Polychain Capital, along with participation from longtime investors—a16z crypto, Paradigm, SV Angel, and Variant.

Recent developments:

Earlier this year, in April, Uniswap Labs launched UniSwap Labs Ventures—focusing on investing in Web3 startups developing consumer-facing apps, developer tools, and blockchain infrastructure.

Uniswap has also invested in 11 firms including Tenderly, LayerZero, MakerDAO, Aave, Compound Protocol, and PartyDAO.

Mango Markets hit by potential $100M exploit

Earlier this week, solana-based decentralised finance (DeFi) exchange Mango Markets was exploited and as per reports, over $100 million funds were drained in the exploit. Headquartered in California, Mango Markets is a space for trading digital assets on Solana blockchain.

Around 5:06 AM (IST), the firm took to Twitter to explain that it was investigating a breach where funds were drained by an attacker via oracle price manipulation.

Recent hacks:

Earlier last week, $100 million was stolen from Binance Smart Chain. In February this year, hackers stole $325 million from the Defi platform Wormhole. The missing funds could not be recouped.

In June, a hacker stole $100 million from Harmony’s Horizon Bridge. In March, Ronin Network, a platform powering the popular game Axie Infinity, was exploited and hackers were able to steal funds worth $625 million.

Pillow raises $18M in a Series A round

Singapore-based crypto management app Pillow on Thursday raised $18 million in a Series A funding round led by Accel, Quona Capital, Elevation Capital, and Jump Capital.

The company will use the funds to expand its services in emerging markets like Nigeria, Ghana, and Vietnam, among others.

How does it work?

Founded in 2021 by Arindam Roy, Rajath KM, and Kartik Mishra, Pillow has more than 75,000 users in over 60 countries. On the Pillow app, users can invest and get returns on their crypto (BTC, ETH, and stablecoins like USDC and USDT) in a simple manner.

In fact, Pillow claims users can earn up to 17.8% returns on their stablecoins and up to 7.05% returns on BTC and ETH. The startup's research team scouts 500+ protocols across 10 different chains to find the safest way to invest user funds and generate these returns.

Meta partners with Microsoft for VR push

Facebook parent Meta announced this week its partnership with tech giant Microsoft to integrate the Office 365 suite with its Quest VR headset. The collaboration aims to strengthen the former's metaverse initiatives.

This move will enable Meta Quest users to conduct immersive team meetings where they can interact with content from Microsoft apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and SharePoint within virtual reality.

The announcement was made during Meta's annual Connect developer conference. As per reports, Microsoft’s streaming game service, Xbox Cloud Gaming, will soon arrive on Quest devices.