Mastercard may soon make a significant investment to fully enter the crypto space. According to Reuters, the company is in advanced talks to acquire Zero Hash for roughly $1.5 to $2 billion, a move that, if completed, would fold a regulated crypto-settlement network into one of the world’s largest payment processors. On the surface, it […]
The post Has Mastercard accepted the inevitability of crypto? Spends $2B on tokenization platform appeared first on CryptoSlate.
As the stablecoin sector sees global momentum grow, white label event management infrastructure provider Rhuna has raised $2 million in seed funding to expand stablecoin payments in the entertainment industry. Related Reading: BNB Chain Memecoin Season? 70% Of Investors In Profit As Four.Meme Surpasses Pump.Fun Rhuna Raises $2 Million In Seed Round On Thursday, Romania-based infrastructure platform Rhuna announced the completion of a $2 million seed round, led by Aptos Labs, to continue providing on-chain payments, access, identity, and rewards infrastructure for the entertainment industry. The seed round saw the participation of Acc Ventures, X Ventures, NewTribe Capital, Keyrock, CoinarketCap Labs, FunFair, Lémanique, and other investors. Notably, Rhuna provides event organizers with a single, programmable layer for wallet-native checkout and POS, ticketing, access control, and real-time stablecoin settlement, acting as a “universal entertainment pass” at different events, powered by stablecoin settlement and on-chain identity. “Organizers can use Rhuna to issue tickets, verify access, run loyalty, accept wallet-native payments, and settle value through a secure, composable layer that feels familiar to users and verifies on-chain,” the platform explained. According to the statement, the new funding aims to strengthen Rhuna’s payments and settlement rails, expand organizer tooling and integration, and accelerate the launch of the platform’s consumer app, designed to “bring discovery, access, and wallet-native checkout into one seamless experience.” Aptos Labs co-founder and CEO, Avery Ching, affirmed that Rhuna is “bridging the gap between digital innovation and real-world experiences.” “We’re proud to support Rhuna in making on-chain payments, access, and rewards seamless and accessible for millions of users across the global entertainment economy,” he added. A Bridge For Stablecoin Payments Rhuna has already supported over 2 million users across its pilot deployments, bridging fiat payments and stablecoin settlement, and reportedly processing over $90 million in volume. Moreover, the platform’s infrastructure has powered over 165 events and major festivals, including UNTOLD, Neversea, and Kapital. The platform highlighted that more than 450,000 attendees of UNTOLD, one of the world’s top music festivals, held in Romania, used Rhuna-powered payments and access systems across the festival grounds. Sveatoslav Vizitiu, Rhuna’s co-founder and CEO, considers that “Entertainment runs on transactions and trust,” affirming that the platform aims to make every step, from the venue gate to the ride home, “verifiable, programmable, and portable so that operators run smarter businesses and fans actually own their experience.” Related Reading: Ethereum 23% Rally Pushes BitMine’s ETH Treasury Holdings To $13.4 Billion The announcement added that the platform has also expanded across continents to power Dubai’s first mega festival, UNTOLD Dubai, which will take place in early November, and to “further validate its scalability across global entertainment ecosystems.” Vizitiu stated that the platform is entering a new phase with the expansion. “With global events like UNTOLD Dubai, we’re bringing more of the entertainment experience on-chain,” he continued, “from Buy Now, Pay Later and our upcoming consumer app, where users can create their own events, to innovative tools for organizers covering payments, mobility, ticketing, and more.” Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com
Crypto industry executives share with Cointelegraph what they expect for the now $200 billion stablecoin market next year.
Latin America continues to be a center of blockchain integration with Nuvei and partners' new e-commerce solution for merchants.
Singapore Gulf Bank looks to sell equity stake to fund product expansion and a 2025 stablecoin payments acquisition.
The Utopia Labs team will join the Base network to accelerate Coinbase Wallet's on-chain payments buildout.
Stripe has expanded its cryptocurrency integration in the European market, allowing EU clients to purchase cryptocurrencies using their credit or debit cards.