Hanna Yang

President Trump stated that 'significant progress' was made following the US-China Geneva talks, leading to speculation that the two countries may have reached a consensus on the major issue of tariff reduction. On the 11th, President Trump posted on the social networking service (SNS) Truth Social, saying, 'We had very good talks with China in Switzerland today,' and 'Many things were discussed, and many agreements were reached.' He further evaluated that there was a 'comprehensive reset of (US-China trade relations) in a friendly but constructive manner,' and added, 'We want to see China open its market to American industries for the benefit of both China and the United States,' stating that 'significant progress was made.'

Art Cube 2R2, located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, announced on the 8th that it will host a photo exhibition by artist Seo Dae-ho titled 'Approaching Memory' from May 9 to June 11. The artist has been experimenting with giving visual language to the immaterial concept of memory, crossing the boundaries between photography and painting. Faces covered, dyed fabrics, frontally arranged objects, flowing shadows, and sculptural order structure the sense of memory. For him, color is the language of emotion, and the structure of memory gradually reveals itself through light, space, texture, and arrangement. This exhibition will feature a total of 15 photographic works along with digital art collaborated with Art Token's NFT Studio. Hong Ji-sook, CEO of Art Token, said, "This exhibition shows how deeply the medium of photography and emotion can harmonize," adding, "It is a place where visitors can approach their own memories following the visual clues presented by the artist and feel the depth of the senses. We hope visitors will recall the precious emotions and memories that remain within us along with the works." The artist graduated from the Department of Photography at Chung-Ang University and has participated in numerous domestic and international advertising and art projects, including the '2020 CONNECT, BTS' project and Lotte World Tower's Charlotte 'Art of Chocolate'. Recently, he has been actively holding solo exhibitions at the Seoul Arts Center, Le Mois Cheongdam Gallery, and Lotte World Tower About Project Lounge.

Art Token announced on the 15th that it will host a two-person exhibition 'First Wish' by artists Lee Dong-wook and Mimi at the Art Cube 2R2 Gallery located on Seolleung-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, from the 17th to February 19th. This exhibition aims to convey messages of hope and positivity through the works of the two artists, providing a special occasion to instill courage for new beginnings and wishes in the New Year. Artist Lee Dong-wook expresses the power of finding hope through balloons that illuminate and soar, while artist Mimi presents Pygmies that embody a pure heart flying freely beyond the world's expectations. The works of the two artists will deliver hope and courage from different perspectives, offering warm comfort and positive energy to the audience. Additionally, Art Token will participate in the 'World Art Expo 2025' held at Coex, 3rd floor, Hall C, Seoul, from the 16th to the 19th. This art expo is a global art fair in collaboration with the International Association of Art (IAA), showcasing a variety of art pieces from artists around the world. Beyond exhibiting works by seven artists, it will also present projects that offer differentiated and unique experiences in hotel spaces through collaboration with art. In particular, through collaboration with artist Yoon Song-ah, they propose a modern and sophisticated space by adding artistic sensibility to various interior elements such as hotel amenities, furniture, cushions, and rugs. Through this, customers can experience a new visual experience in a special space where art is reflected. Hong Ji-sook, CEO of Art Token, stated, "By harmoniously exhibiting art pieces, furniture, and props, we aim to provide empathy and enjoyment to customers, allowing them to feel art closely in their daily lives through meticulous curation tailored to the brand image and space characteristics," adding, "We will strive to enhance the brand value of companies like hotels by utilizing the artist's IP (intellectual property) and enable more people to experience a new daily life with art."

Asia's largest blockchain venture capital (VC), Hashed, is establishing a branch in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and accelerating support for domestic startups' entry into the Middle East. Part of Hashed Venture Fund 3, which will be conducted until the first quarter of next year, is aimed at entrepreneurs in the UAE region, and Fund 4 will be established based in Abu Dhabi. On the 10th (local time), Kim Seo-joon, CEO of Hashed, announced at the 'Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2024 (ADFW2024)' gmAD event held in Abu Dhabi from the 9th to the 12th, “Hashed will open a new office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) following San Francisco, Singapore, and Bangalore, and actively support the entry of outstanding entrepreneurs into Abu Dhabi.” Hashed is partnering with Hub71, a startup incubator under the Abu Dhabi government, to assist promising domestic startups in entering the Middle East and is exploring business opportunities with various strategic partners in the region. Abu Dhabi has recently made attracting technology companies and startups a core national agenda as part of its policy to diversify its economy away from oil dependency. Currently, more than 240 startups across 24 industries worldwide are active in Hub71. In particular, ADGM is an international financial hub in Abu Dhabi and a concentrated area for the virtual asset industry, with companies like Blockdaemon, Laser Digital, and QCP Capital having entered, and Circle and Chainlink Labs planning to establish branches. Notably, last month, the world's largest asset manager, BlackRock, reportedly obtained a business license in ADGM. Hashed plans to build a Web3 community in Abu Dhabi based on its experience hosting Web3 conferences in Korea and other Asian regions. Starting next year, it plans to operate the blockchain developer training program 'Protocol Camp', run jointly with domestic conglomerates, in Abu Dhabi with Hub71. CEO Kim stated that Hashed will assist not only in the blockchain field but also in the entry of all innovative technology startups, including IT, into Abu Dhabi. He said, “Various Korean startups and unicorn companies in Hashed’s portfolio, such as sports tech company Fitogether, second-hand clothing platform Charan, fashion platform Musinsa, and Web3 K-pop project Modehouse, are entering the UAE.” At this ADFW event, Hashed also opened a souvenir sales booth at the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and showcased the virtual asset payment system (PoC) ‘Cashnote.io’. By scanning a QR code with a smartphone, payments are made in Polygon-based USD Coin (USDC), and settlements are made to the seller in the local currency, Dirham. CEO Kim said, “This payment system was showcased as a symbolic event in a region aiming to be a hub for digital assets and blockchain technology.” Meanwhile, CEO Kim expressed gratitude for collaborating with excellent partners like Hub71 to build the Abu Dhabi Web3 ecosystem, stating, “We will go beyond being a simple venture capital and emerge as an active ecosystem builder with strategic initiatives.” Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) = Yang Hanna, Bloomingbit Reporter sheep@bloomingbit.io

“We should pay attention to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a country where the digital and physical worlds can create synergy.” Kim Seo-joon, CEO of Hashed (pictured), stated this during his keynote speech at the Venture Stage of the Middle East's largest financial event, 'Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW)', held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on the 11th. Kim said, “Recently, people and companies are moving to countries with better regulatory environments to develop new technologies and finance,” adding, “UAE is a region where the government and the digital world are well harmonized, and it is the place where the most billionaires have gathered this year.” He also saw that the government could create new synergies through blockchain. Kim said, “Government, technology, and companies are the three important elements that make up society, but recently they have been in conflict rather than in harmony,” adding, “Blockchain technology, with its characteristics of fairness and transparency, can solve this and create a better future.” He explained that UAE is a place where traditional and digital environments can harmonize, as it has a suitable environment for blockchain-related regulation and financial development. Kim further noted that as modern people spend more time in the digital world than in the physical world, the importance of blockchain technology is increasing. He said, “Recently, money, IDs, content, and various property rights are being digitized,” adding, “The number of users entering the digital world is much faster than in the physical world.” He continued, “The problem is that a few large IT companies control users' data, which can threaten the fairness of much internet data. AI development is also being done by a few companies and countries, which can lead to bias,” adding, “Decentralized technology will be the solution. Blockchain protocols cannot be arbitrarily changed and remain as they are.” Meanwhile, Peter Abou Hachem, Head of Hub71, who took the stage for a panel discussion, introduced Abu Dhabi as a region that provides a unique environment where everyone can connect and collaborate. Hub71 is an accelerator under the Abu Dhabi government, collaborating with Hashed and supporting Korean Web3 companies. Peter said, “Abu Dhabi is interested in not only Web3 but also the entire innovation industry,” adding, “When innovative technology emerges, it provides the foundation to develop it. It creates an ecosystem necessary for startups, and this ecosystem helps startups succeed.” He explained that Abu Dhabi, with its geographical advantage at the crossroads of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, is differentiated from other tech hub regions. Peter said, “Abu Dhabi is a unique place where you can meet everyone you need with one or two meetings on a small island,” adding, “Hub71 has attracted more than 200 startups and 100 partners so far, and through programs like 'Hub71+ Digital Assets' and 'Hub71+ AI', it helps startups focus on creating the right value.” It was also predicted that blockchain technology, along with AI and quantum computing, will emerge as promising industry trends in Abu Dhabi within the next 3-5 years. Philippe Bekhazi, Founder of XBTO, who discussed with Peter, said, “AI, quantum computing, and other fields will be integrated into one, and many people will benefit greatly from it,” adding, “Putting everything on the blockchain will be an important trend. Eventually, payment systems will also move to blockchain-based systems.” He added, “I think Abu Dhabi is a great place to conduct in-depth technical experiments.” 'ADFW 2024', held from December 9-12, was sponsored by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Executive Committee, with ADQ participating as the main partner. The event was attended by over 20,000 leaders and senior executives from the financial services industry, managing assets worth over $42.5 trillion. It consisted of more than 60 events and 350 thematic sessions, featuring 600 influential speakers. The most notable speakers included Ray Dalio, Founder of Bridgewater Associates, and Larry Fink, Chairman of BlackRock. In addition, senior officials from the Abu Dhabi government, as well as heads of renowned financial institutions such as BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, HSBC, Citigroup, BNY, Lunate, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and Aldar, took the stage. Abu Dhabi, UAE = Hanna Yang, Bloomingbit Reporter

Addition of Holder Verification-Based Coin Community New AI-Based Features like 'AI Report' Added Launch of Bloomingbit Membership Hankyung Media Group's virtual asset (cryptocurrency) affiliate, Bloomingbit, announced on the 29th that it has officially launched version 2.0 of its Bloomingbit service. Bloomingbit is the largest virtual asset investment information platform in Korea, used by 200,000 investors, aiming to resolve information asymmetry among crypto investors and assist in investment decision-making. Specialized crypto journalists and AI bots provide nonstop news and information on domestic and international crypto markets 24/7. In the official version of Bloomingbit 2.0, the UI (User Interface) of the existing news service has been significantly improved to provide a more enhanced UX (User Experience). Additionally, various new features such as a 'Holder Verification' community and 'AI Report' service based on the existing coin portfolio management function have been launched. A dedicated membership for individual investors and crypto issuing foundations seeking more powerful features has also been released. 'Holder Verification' Based Coin Community The newly added community feature in Bloomingbit 2.0 includes a 'Holder Verification' function that allows users to verify that they are actual holders of specific coins through exchange connections. Bloomingbit users can link their exchange accounts to the Bloomingbit service by issuing an API key from their used exchange. Once the account is linked, users can check their exchange portfolio information within Bloomingbit, and through this, they can automatically verify whether they are actual holders of specific coins and receive a 'Verified Holder' badge. For instance, if a particular user buys and actually holds 'Bitcoin' on a linked crypto exchange, the 'Verified Holder' badge and holding amount will be visible in the Bitcoin community within Bloomingbit. The Verified Holder badge is updated periodically, and if the held cryptocurrency is sold, the badge for that coin will also disappear. Users who have connected their exchange portfolio can receive various additional services such as 'Support the Foundation' and 'View Only News of Held Items' in addition to the Verified Holder badge benefits. More additional features for verified holders are expected to be added in the future. Currently, only Bithumb users can link with Bloomingbit for holder verification, with plans to expand supported exchanges. Strengthening AI-Based Services... Launch of STAT and AI Report In Bloomingbit 2.0, the AI Report service has been launched along with the virtual asset trading data platform 'STAT', strengthening services utilizing AI. AI Report is a feature where AI analyzes market data and community trends in real-time to generate updated reports. When an investor requests report generation, AI identifies the latest data at the time of report creation and writes an analysis report on the coin market and holder sentiment based on it. Unlike reports previously written by humans, AI Report is written based on real-time data at the time of report creation. Therefore, no matter when you view the report, you can always see a real-time analysis report based on the latest information. The AI Report, jointly developed by STAT and Bloomingbit, provides various off-chain information that is hard to find on other platforms, such as the intensity of cash inflow and outflow in domestic coin exchanges, the number of mentions and sentiment analysis data of items in domestic coin communities, top net buying items in real-time, major market analysis based on the latest news, and favorable/unfavorable analysis. More Powerful Features... Launch of Bloomingbit Membership Bloomingbit membership has been launched for individual investors and foundations seeking more powerful features beyond the existing Bloomingbit functions. It consists of three types: 'Premium' membership for individual investors, and 'Standard' and 'Platinum' memberships for foundations. For individual investors, membership allows real-time generation of STAT AI Reports (generated every 2 days for regular members) and access to additional features such as exclusive badges and customized advanced notifications. For foundations, membership provides support for marketing and IR (Investor Relations) activities, use of a foundation-exclusive dashboard within Bloomingbit, and provision of holder analysis reports, among various benefits. Onboarding procedures for foundations will begin in July. Meanwhile, Bloomingbit was launched in May 2021 as a virtual asset specialized affiliate of Hankyung Media Group and received a 2.4 billion won Series A investment from Asia's largest crypto investor Hashed, Asia's largest quant trading firm Presto Labs, and venture investor Neo Insight Ventures in November last year. Bloomingbit plans to hold a large-scale event in the third quarter to commemorate the official launch of version 2.0. Kim Sanha, CEO of Bloomingbit, stated, "The official launch of Bloomingbit 2.0 is not the end but the beginning," adding, "In the second half of the year, we are preparing for more powerful feature updates and unprecedented events. Along with this, we will continuously improve the product based on user feedback to establish it as an essential service for crypto investors worldwide, beyond Korea."