Welcome to The Blockchain Report, your daily rundown for the latest in crypto with your host, Taylor Nikolai. Our first story: Johnny Depp has just jumped into crypto.
According to Live Bitcoin News, Johnny Depp now has a partnership with the cryptocurrency project TaTaTu. TaTaTu raised $575 million in a pre-sale earlier this Summer.
TaTaTu is a platform created by Andrea Iervolino. The platform uses tokens to pay users and creators. At the moment, the platform is currently developing a biopic on the creation of the Lamborghini which will star Antonio Banderas and Alec Baldwin. Depp will help create new film and digital content for the platform. This is what he had to say about the partnership: “In this era of democratized entertainment, I admire the imaginative ethos of Andrea and look forward to collaborating together in a liberating, progressive manner that will benefit the principals of our respective entities.”
Next up, HTC has released the first blockchain-powered smartphone! According to Fortune, HTC has just launched the first-ever blockchain powered smartphone “EXODUS 1”. EXODUS 1 is completely dedicated to blockchain technology and encryption — so much so that the phone can only be bought using Bitcoin or Ethereum.
The phone will cost 0.15 Bitcoin or 4.78 Ethereum. That comes up to about $1000 USD. Phil Chen, Decentralized Chief Officer at HTC, said: “It’s been both 10 years since the launch of the first Android phone by HTC and nearly 10 years since the launch of Bitcoin and the Genesis Block. EXODUS 1 is a foundational element of the crypto internet… For digital assets and decentralized apps to reach their potential, we believe mobile will need to be the main point of distribution.”
Next, blockchain startups in Israel have tripled! According to Forbes, the number of blockchain startups in Israel have tripled since the beginning of the year. This is based on findings from the Israeli Blockchain Association, which found that there are more than 200 blockchain startups in Israel.
This might come as a surprise to some, as Israel is commonly referred to as a “Startup Nation.”
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Gadi Isaev, Managing Partner of the Israeli Blockchain Association, said: “Israel has a good chance to strengthen its Startup Nation brand, as well as to become a Blockchain Nation. This growth is happening thanks to effective regulation and close cooperation of many blockchain startups with educational and academic research organizations.”
Clip: Quote on screen. Despite this massive increase, it appears many of these companies aren’t doing Initial Coin Offerings and instead using equity financing.
Check out these stories and more in the episode above, and make sure to follow the Blockchain Report on Instagram at @BlockChainReport.
