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Hello Kitty onchain, web3 x education and a new JPYC collab

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Hello Kitty onchain

Gaudiy, the company behind Gaudiy Fanlink, a web3 fan engagement platform, is partnering with Sanrio Company to aid their further exploration of web3. The goal of their collaboration is to combine Sanrio’s character assets, including the famous cat Hello Kitty, with Gaudiy’s blockchain expertise to provide character community services by the first half of 2024 with the potential of future expansion to other blockchains.

This isn’t Hello Kitty’s first onchain appearance. In collaboration with Recur, the famous cat had its first NFT drop earlier this year, allowing fans to collect stamps that could be swapped for location-based pfps. Through the latest collaboration, Sanrio is deepening its web3 involvement and tapping into the potential for co-creation with fans. On Gaudiy Fanlink, users will be able to tap into community services using Sanrio assets and engage with the metaverse business.

Takeaway: The fan economy remains an attractive vector for businesses to explore. Web3 provides unique opportunities to bring fans together, allow them to have a say in the direction characters take, and co-create assets using the underlying IP to enhance value creation for all fans.

Web3 x Education

Nomura Securities, a leading financial firm, and Kudasai have partnered to enhance the content provided through the Web3 Pocket Campus app. The app, released by Nomura in May 2023, offers a structured curriculum and support to enable students to learn about web3 and how blockchain can be used in business contexts. As the interest in security tokens increases, Nomura plans to leverage the app to educate its corporate clients on the potential of blockchain.

Kudasai is behind the largest domestic crypto community and has established itself as a place to go for education and web3 events. Its reach extends beyond Japan and includes working with international web3 projects. Consequently, they will bring web3 native content from companies like Alchemy, SlowMist, and bloxRoute to the Web3 Pocket Campus App. Additionally, Kudasai recently launched a job-matching platform and is planning to set up a Web3 business hub for corporate web3 communities.

This hub will offer events, networking opportunities, consulting, reports, and connections with media to educate and connect corporate clients interested in expanding to web3. The Nomura app fits perfectly with these goals of bringing more interest in crypto to decision-makers.

Takeaway: Despite the appeal of web3, educating business owners on crypto remains a challenge. Apps like the Pocket Campus app promise to deliver education in a convenient manner, allowing users to learn about the space during their commute or whenever they have a few spare minutes. It’s an encouraging sign that one of the biggest financial conglomerates is offering this app, highlighting the corporate support that crypto in Japan enjoys.

New JPYC collab

JPYC, the provider of the Japanese Yen-based stablecoin JPY Coin, has announced their collaboration with あるやうむ (Arayaumu) on October 25th. Part of the collaboration is an investment in the first project of あるやうむ (Arayaumu) via JPYC ventures aimed at expanding its ecosystem. JPYC has been in circulation since January 2021 and is compatible with various EVM chains, including Ethereum, Polygon, Astar Network, Avalanche, and Gnosis.

あるやうむ (Arayaumu) is a Sapporo-based startup that focuses on promoting local revitalization efforts using NFTs in collaboration with local governments leveraging Japan’s unique hometown tax system and NFTs for tourism. The hometown tax system allows taxpayers to prepay their income and residential taxes to municipalities in rural areas instead of where they live. Often, municipalities will offer gifts of local products such as rice or tea to citizens paying taxes in their region.

Through the partnership with JPYC, the startup will allow JPYC payments on its tax NFT portal.

Takeaway: Furusato Nozei is a uniquely Japanese system that is experiencing a digital transformation since the arrival of NFTs and initiatives to boost tourism. It’s fascinating to see how localized approaches to web3 can yield results and potentially help revive rural areas.

In other news📰

Events 📅

Japan Fact: Per capita, rice consumption in Japan peaked in 1962 at 118 kg per person. Since it’s been down only, with the current average Japanese consuming less than half of that per year with just under 51kg, this has sparked the Guardian to write that Japan has fallen out of love with rice. 🍙

Btw No. 1 is Laos, with 262 kg/person/year.

Tags:

Japan Web3BlockchainNFTsCryptoWeb3

Astar Network Team

Astar serves as the gateway for projects across enterprise, entertainment, and gaming to enter Japan and beyond. Driving global adoption of web3 to millions with an ecosystem powered by Polkadot and Polygon as the industry-leading blockchain for the Japan market.