Tag: Consensys

  • ConsenSys Raises $450 Million in a Series D Funding Round

    ConsenSys Raises $450 Million in a Series D Funding Round

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    ConsenSys, a  blockchain  technology solutions provider, announced on Tuesday that it had closed a $450 million financing round, bringing its valuation to over $7 billion. According to the press release, ParaFi Capital led the funding raise.

    New investors joined them, including Temasek, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Microsoft, Anthos Capital, Sound Ventures, and C Ventures. The United Talent Agency’s venture fund, UTA VC, and Third Point also participated in this round of funding. In this transaction, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP acted as ConsenSys’ legal advisor.

    “I think of ConsenSys as a broad and deep capabilities machine for the decentralized protocols ecosystem, able to rapidly capitalize at scale on fundamental new constructs that emerge, such as developer tooling, tokenization, token launches, wallets, security audits, DeFi (1.0, 2.0 and beyond), NFTs, bridges, Layer-2 scaling, DAOs, and more. This view has resonated with our crypto native and growth investors in a Series D that will enable us to execute powerful growth strategies,” Joseph Lubin, Founder and CEO of ConsenSys, commented.

    According to ConsenSys’ treasury strategy, the proceeds from this round will be converted to ETH in order to rebalance the ratio of ETH to USD equivalents. They added to ConsenSys’ “ultra sound money” position in advance of Ethereum’s merger to Proof of Stake.

    A significant amount of Ethereum, stablecoins, and other crypto assets have been accumulated by ConsenSys over the years, which is actively investing them in DeFi protocols and via  staking  using its own financial infrastructures, such as MetaMask Institutional and Codefi Staking.

    MyCrypto Acquisition

    Recently, ConsenSys announced the acquisition of MyCrypto, a market-leading Web3 wallet. Following the acquisition, ConsenSys will combine MyCrypto with its popular MetaMask wallet.

    MetaMask and MyCrypto will integrate their efforts under a shared brand to enhance the security of all their products and build a cohesive user experience across browser, extension, mobile and desktop wallets.

    ConsenSys, a  blockchain  technology solutions provider, announced on Tuesday that it had closed a $450 million financing round, bringing its valuation to over $7 billion. According to the press release, ParaFi Capital led the funding raise.

    New investors joined them, including Temasek, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Microsoft, Anthos Capital, Sound Ventures, and C Ventures. The United Talent Agency’s venture fund, UTA VC, and Third Point also participated in this round of funding. In this transaction, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP acted as ConsenSys’ legal advisor.

    “I think of ConsenSys as a broad and deep capabilities machine for the decentralized protocols ecosystem, able to rapidly capitalize at scale on fundamental new constructs that emerge, such as developer tooling, tokenization, token launches, wallets, security audits, DeFi (1.0, 2.0 and beyond), NFTs, bridges, Layer-2 scaling, DAOs, and more. This view has resonated with our crypto native and growth investors in a Series D that will enable us to execute powerful growth strategies,” Joseph Lubin, Founder and CEO of ConsenSys, commented.

    According to ConsenSys’ treasury strategy, the proceeds from this round will be converted to ETH in order to rebalance the ratio of ETH to USD equivalents. They added to ConsenSys’ “ultra sound money” position in advance of Ethereum’s merger to Proof of Stake.

    A significant amount of Ethereum, stablecoins, and other crypto assets have been accumulated by ConsenSys over the years, which is actively investing them in DeFi protocols and via  staking  using its own financial infrastructures, such as MetaMask Institutional and Codefi Staking.

    MyCrypto Acquisition

    Recently, ConsenSys announced the acquisition of MyCrypto, a market-leading Web3 wallet. Following the acquisition, ConsenSys will combine MyCrypto with its popular MetaMask wallet.

    MetaMask and MyCrypto will integrate their efforts under a shared brand to enhance the security of all their products and build a cohesive user experience across browser, extension, mobile and desktop wallets.

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  • Visa Teams Up With Consensys To Build Payment Infrastructure For CBDCs

    Visa Teams Up With Consensys To Build Payment Infrastructure For CBDCs

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    Visa and ConsenSys, a blockchain software startup, are working to develop a central bank digital currency (CBDC) pilot program to explore retail applications such as cards and wallets.

    Both firms will first meet with an estimated 30 central banks to discuss the goals that governments hope to achieve with government-backed digital currency. The pilot program is scheduled to begin in the spring of this year.

    Visa To Pilot CBDC In Select Countries

    Visa (V) announced on Thursday that it will take its crypto services to the next level by teaming with blockchain software company Consensys to create a central bank digital currency onramp (CBDC).

    The payments giant plans to launch a “CBDC sandbox” in the spring, where central banks can try out the technology after minting it on Consensys’ Quorum network.

    visa

    Visa Trades At $214. Source: TradingView

    Customers will be able to use their CBDC-linked Visa card or digital wallet anyplace Visa is accepted globally, according to Catherine Gu, Visa’s head of CBDC, who spoke with ConsenSys in a blog post Q&A.

    Gu Said:

    “If successful, CBDC could expand access to financial services and make government disbursements more efficient, targeted and secure – that’s an attractive proposition for policy makers.”

    A CBDC is a type of central bank obligation that is issued in digital form and can be used by the general public, comparable to the US dollar.

    Related article | Visa Survey Shows Crypto Payments Could Boom In 2022

    Countries Are Launching CBDCs

    The decision comes as regulators around the world struggle to figure out how to treat CBDCs in a changing financial landscape dominated by cryptocurrencies. The notion that crypto and digital money will upend financial markets or replace fiat currency is a major issue.

    Mastercard also announced the launch of a CBDC test platform in 2020, which allowed banks to simulate the issuance, distribution, and exchange of CBDCs amongst banks, financial service providers, and consumers.

    “Central banks are moving from research to actually wanting to have a tangible product they can experiment with,” Chuy Sheffield, Visa’s head of crypto.

    If Visa is successful, it might help bridge the gap between central banks and financial institutions. Visa is accepted by over 80 million merchant locations worldwide.

    In the last year and a half, the number of countries investigating CBDCs has more than doubled. According to the Atlantic Council’s CBDC tracker, at least 87 different countries — accounting for 90% of global GDP — are considering financial technology in some way.

    China has already started a number of digital yuan pilot initiatives and plans to accept the currency for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Nigeria and the Bahamas have their own CBDCs in circulation.

    In early December, Visa announced the formation of a worldwide crypto advisory practice to assist financial institutions in developing their cryptocurrency operations as demand for crypto goods grows.

    Related article | Visa Is Building A Payment Channel Network On Ethereum

    Featured image from Pixabay, chart from TradingView.com

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