Facebook will support nonfungible tokens (NFTs) with a “digital collectibles” tab on creators’ timelines to display their work. Meta technical program manager Navdeep Singh displayed screenshots of NFTs and a creator’s page Thursday on Twitter.
A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, told TechCrunch the same day that the rollout of NFTs on Facebook would be gradual, beginning with select creators in the United States. Eventually, NFT creators will be able to cross-post between Facebook and Instagram, another Meta property. Instagram is also testing NFTs in its Spark AR augmented reality platform.
We're launching NFTs on Facebook! Excited to share what I've been working on with the world. pic.twitter.com/TaV66zRanV
— Navdeep Singh (@navdeep_ua) June 29, 2022
Instagram expanded its NFT trial from the U.S. to international users last week. The app allows NFTs minted on Ethereum and Polygon to be displayed, with other NFTs from Solana and Flow planned as well.
Meta announced in May that it was beginning tests of NFTs on Instagram, with Facebook to follow suit “soon,” according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Other Meta-owned apps, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, will get NFT display capabilities eventually, he added.
Related: Meta’s Reality Labs posts $2.9B loss: ‘I recognize it’s expensive,’ says Zuck
Facebook rebranded as Meta in October 2021. It has been striving to expand in Web3, but not all of its efforts have been successful. Meta gave up on it attempt to launch the Diem stablecoin in February after significant opposition from regulators worldwide. Nonetheless, Meta filed trademark applications for a Meta Pay payments platform in May and Zuckerberg announced on June 22 that Meta Pay would replace Facebook Pay.
Meta Pay will be available on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Zuckerberg said. However, a company spokesperson told TechCrunch that Meta “said that it won’t offer the ability to turn digital collectible posts into ads for now” on Facebook, so it appears that Meta will not launch NFT sales there.
The sale of NFTs is expected to launch on the company’s Meta Quest app store, which supplies app and games for Meta’s Metaverse.
ByteDance is expanding its AI efforts with Doubao, a chatbot now capable of generating realistic videos from text and images. This move strengthens ByteDance's position in China's fast-growing AI market, though it faces tough competition from rivals like Kuaishou.
WeatherlyA South Korean court upheld a bank’s decision to fire an employee for “habitual” crypto gaming and improper private money lending to clients, uncovered in an internal audit. The employee appealed, claiming the dismissal was unjust.
KikyoFour foreign nationals were arrested in Thailand for a robbery on 8 November, where they forced a Ukrainian tourist, Viacheslav Leibov, to transfer 250,000 USD in cryptocurrency. The suspects, who had prior connections to the victim, were charged with armed robbery, unlawful detention, and coercion.
WeatherlyDespite over 50% drop in TON’s TVL since July, Bitget Wallet and Foresight Ventures are reinforcing support for Telegram’s Mini App ecosystem with a $20 million grant to boost growth and innovation.
CatherineAlameda Research has filed a lawsuit against Waves founder Aleksandr Ivanov, seeking to recover $90 million allegedly lost in fraudulent transactions involving the Waves token and Vires.Finance. The lawsuit claims Ivanov inflated the value of WAVES while siphoning funds from Vires, and later failed to cooperate in attempts to recover the assets.
AnaisThe Vatican has unveiled an AI-driven digital twin of St. Peter's Basilica, developed with Microsoft and Iconem to enhance visitor management and preservation. Pope Francis supports AI’s potential but emphasizes ethical, responsible use as a bridge to the future.
CatherineThe FTX bankruptcy estate claims SBF’s $1.76 billion repurchase deal with Binance in July 2021 was a fraudulent transfer due to FTX’s insolvency. The lawsuit seeks to recover billions for FTX creditors, alleging the transaction was fraudulent.
KikyoTether’s WDK toolkit offers an open-source, self-custodial solution for creating BTC and USDT wallets for both humans and AI. Scalable and modular, it supports platforms from mobile to robotics, with future updates bringing UI templates and multi-blockchain support for Tether-backed stablecoins.
CatherineIn Thailand, armed robbers forced a Ukrainian man to transfer $250,000 in USDT under threat. They restrained him and warned against reporting the crime before fleeing. Thai police soon arrested four suspects, including a regular USDT buyer from the victim.
KikyoHuangzhou-based Nano Labs saw a slight share price increase after announcing it will accept Bitcoin as payment for its products and services.
Catherine
