Express Crypto News: 60-Second Recap, November 16th 2023

Last week in crypto, Bitcoin dipped down, and at time of writing/recording sits at $36,290. 

The news we’re most excited about though, Blockchain.com closed a $110M round of funding, led by UK-based Kingsway Capital, the latest sign that crypto-focused venture capital investments are picking up amid this year’s rebound in digital-asset prices. 

Disney and Dapper Labs are collaborating on a new NFT collectibles platform called Disney Pinnacle. Inspired by Disney's physical pins, the platform will offer digital collectibles based on Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars characters, minted as NFTs on the Flow blockchain. Characters like Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Disney Princesses, and Darth Vader will be featured. While Marvel is not mentioned at launch, Dapper Labs CEO hinted at potential future additions. Disney Pinnacle is designed for mobile use and aims to strike a balance between accessibility for fans and limited or even super limited edition assets for collectors. The platform's waitlist is open, and a gradual onboarding process for beta testing will begin before public launch. Dapper Labs, known for NBA Top Shot's success, introduced Disney to NFTs, and the collaboration signifies the broader application of NFTs beyond sports.

Uniswap Labs, the developer of the decentralized exchange Uniswap, has launched its Android app, catering to approximately 430,000 users on the waitlist. This move is part of Uniswap Labs' strategy to expand its user base globally, given Android's 70% market share worldwide. The Android app, following a beta release in October, complements the previously launched iOS app in April. To enhance international reach, Uniswap Labs is adding more languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. A few weeks ago, we talked about Uniswap Labs’ decision to charge a 15 basis point fee on certain tokens, which has generated nearly $1 million in revenue, a strategy that’s been implemented on both the iOS and Android apps too.