💰 Tether's volume beats Visa & Mastercard

💰 Tether's volume beats Visa & Mastercard 🔥 Polygon's upcoming hard fork to address gas spikes and chain reorganizations for improved UX 🎮 Illuvium launches its third NFT game

GM, frens.

As know, we've been going through a bit of an upgrade. Well, now it's time to show off our new fancy digs! We are officially moving our website domain to http://vemp.xyz!

Say goodbye to http://v-empire.io and say hello to our brand new URL. Our website will automatically redirect, but don't worry - we've got all the other channels of communication covered too! If this new domain looks familiar, it's because we wanted to make sure this unforgettable address would stick with you.

Now for what we have for you today:

💰 Tether's volume beats Visa & Mastercard 

🔥 Polygon's upcoming hard fork to address gas spikes and chain reorganizations for improved UX 

🎮 Illuvium launches its third NFT game

Tether's volume beats Visa & Mastercard

According to Tether, USDT processed $18.2 trillion in transactions in 2022, which is almost as much money as Visa and Mastercard both processed collectively. That's a pretty impressive feat — considering that stablecoins have been around for less than a decade and Visa has been around for almost 70 years.

Stablecoins had a difficult 2022, Tether's MC declined from a peak of $83.13 billion to as low as $65.31 billion, while USDC’s market cap grew to $56 billion before declining. But Tether still looks to be the reigning champion, despite the challengers.

And despite the market conditions, Tether has managed to thrive, its rapid growth has seen it become a key player in the global payments market. This success is particularly evident in countries where local fiat currencies have been weakened by economic and political turmoil. For these countries, adopting stablecoins like Tether appears to be a viable solution for sending and receiving funds safely, quickly and cost-effectively.

So, what does this mean for the world of finance? It means that cryptocurrencies are now an integral part of our financial system and that we can no longer afford to ignore it. As more people around the world become aware of stablecoins, they will begin to understand their potential and start using them as an alternative to traditional payment methods.

Polygon's upcoming hard fork to address gas spikes and chain reorganizations for improved UX

Polygon is aiming to tackle the issues of gas spikes and chain reorganizations head-on with their upcoming hard fork event.

The hard fork is happening on January 17th, and it promises to "fix" the user experience on the Polygon proof-of-stake (POS) chain. And, if all goes to plan, users should be able to enjoy a smoother and more reliable experience.

The Polygon team first mentioned it in their blog post on January 12th, and it's been a hot topic ever since. All over the Polygon Improvement Proposal (PIP) forum page in late December, there was a lot of speculation and excitement about the upcoming hard fork.

Matic devs have always been active when it comes to improving the user experience on the blockchain, nevertheless, the chain was always plagued by many problems. Hopefully, the hard fork and the future updates will be just what the doctor ordered and users will be able to experience the full potential of Polygon.

Illuvium launches its third NFT game

Illuvium launched its third game: Illuvium:Zero, and they've done it in style! Players are now able to create their own industrial complex in the digital world - build their own factories, mine and sell fuel in the game market.

Illuvium's own NFTs have seen a 48% surge in the last week - as it seems that players are responding well to the new game. Also in addition to building and managing their own virtual world, they now have the chance to earn from their NFTs. The company has sold around 20,000 virtual lands to 5,000 players, raising a total of $72 million last year.

As the devs themsevles put it, their goal is to change the negative perception of NFT gaming that companies such as Mojang, Rockstar, Valve and others have reportedly created - and while we're not sure if that's possible, it's definitely a noble goal.