Cryptocurrency
Animoca still bullish on blockchain games, awaits license for metaverse fund

Blockchain-based games have been a hot topic in the cryptocurrency space over the past two years, accounting for considerable growth and daily activity on a number of protocols despite prolonged bear market conditions.
Market research estimates that Web3 gaming pulled in around $4.5 billion in funding in 2022 as asset managers, investment funds and venture capitalists look to cash in on the burgeoning sector.
In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu highlighted the firm’s renewed optimism in the blockchain gaming sector and gave an update on its anticipated metaverse fund which grabbed headlines in late 2022.
Metaverse fund awaiting license
Animoca Brands originally earmarked up to $2 billion for a proposed metaverse fund in November 2022 which intends to invest in a variety of mid to late-stage startups building metaverse products and experiences.
The company was forced to scale back on its original investment target as per reports in 2023, reducing the amount to $1 billion in January. Reports citing unnamed sources in March then indicated that the fund would be further reduced to $800 million due to volatility affecting the cryptocurrency space.
Related: NFT games are ‘only scratching the surface’ of what’s possible — Animoca’s Yat Siu
When queried about the current state of the proposed metaverse fund, Siu told Cointelegraph that the firm was still awaiting a license before it can begin to put its money to work.
“That’s the gating factor. But Animoca has made many investments this year and we are over 450 portfolio companies today. That doesn’t come from sitting back and being passive.”
Siu added that Animoca continues to invest in a variety of early stage startups through its venture arm while the majority of investments still come directly from the company’s balance sheet.
Upcoming ‘AAA’ blockchain games on the horizon
While licensing remains a hurdle for Animoca’s Metaverse fund, Siu expects a number of ‘AAA’ titles in which the company has invested in to hit the market by the end of 2023 or early next year.
“That’s one of the reasons we’re so bullish about the segment, hopefully at least one of them will work out.”
Siu added that the quality of titles that Animoca is backing is sound and that blockchain-based games don’t necessarily need to have immediate breakout success to be sustainable, stating, “Most importantly, all these games are built on open protocol systems, like Ethereum or Polygon, meaning they’re on chain, which allows third parties to do some pretty cool stuff.”
Animoca’s co-founder sees a generation of AAA-level blockchain games coming out by the end of 2024, highlighting the shift in focus, capital and talent from mainstream gaming to the sector.
“They’re built by people who know how to make games whereas maybe three years ago, a lot of games came out built by excited blockchain guys, but who knew very little about what it takes to make a game,” he said.
Blockchain games need to do business in the biggest markets
Another factor that has ramped up the development and quality of upcoming blockchain games and those in beta has been the advent of scaling protocols like Polygon and technological advances like zero-knowledge proofs.
Immutable @0xPolygon
We are joining forces in an industry-defining partnership to accelerate the development and adoption of web3 gaming. The future of gaming begins today with the announcement of the Immutable zkEVM, powered by Polygon.https://t.co/7FEyidsydV pic.twitter.com/IkhbWrLIaq
— Immutable (@Immutable) March 20, 2023
Siu highlighted the likes of layer-2 platform Immutable which has made use of zkEVM to reduce costs and improve transaction speeds of NFT generation for blockchain games. The infrastructure alone has made a difference, but Siu added that choosing the right chain also has a massive role to play in the success of a title.
“Because it’s a blockchain game, you need to do business in the biggest market there is and that happens to be Ethereum.”
Siu added that early blockchain games were hamstrung by game design that held onto “Web2 thinking” which was focused on monopolizing network effects of Web2. Siu said bootstrapping to decentralized protocols like Ethereum had an upside and a downside: “The more you open up your network effects. And the more inclusive you become, actually, the more value you end up generating, but there is a loss of control when you do that.”
He also admitted that taking a potential AAA, first-person shooter completely on-chain would be “really hard.” Adopting a hybrid on-chain approach might be better suited as the industry moves towards truly decentralized games.
Magazine: 2023 is a make-or-break year for blockchain gaming: Play-to-own
“Provenance, skins and certain things that don’t requireall the time and data is probably a good starting point,” he said.
Siu said that the established culture of gaming around the world could allow for gaming firms to design and implement blockchain elements as audiences continue to come to grips with Web3 functionality:
“There’s interfaces that we can design that are familiar to the gamer, and essentially introduce the whole experience of crypto and Web3, which comes also with financial literacy onboarding.”
Cryptocurrency
Coinbase Tanks 11% Pre-Market After $1.5B Q2 Revenue Miss

Coinbase shares fell sharply after the company reported second-quarter earnings that missed expectations. Total revenue for the quarter came in at $1.5 billion, representing a 26% decline from the previous quarter.
The shortfall was largely driven by weaker-than-expected transaction revenue, which fell 39% quarter-over-quarter to $764 million.
Missing Expectations
In the official release, Coinbase revealed that its subscription and services revenue also declined 6% to $656 million. Despite efforts to reduce variable costs, operating expenses climbed 15% to $1.5 billion. Coinbase attributed this largely to the $307 million hit related to the data breach disclosed in May.
The crypto exchange recorded a net income of $1.4 billion, but this figure included $1.5 billion in pre-tax unrealized gains from strategic investments, including in Circle, as well as a $362 million pre-tax gain from its crypto investment portfolio. On an adjusted basis, net income stood at just $33 million, with adjusted EBITDA reaching $512 million.
Coinbase’s trading activity also underperformed the broader crypto spot market, as global and US crypto spot volumes declined 31% and 32% respectively. Meanwhile, its total trading volume fell 40% to $237 billion, and the consumer segment witnessed a 45% drop to $43 billion.
Consumer transaction revenue plunged 41% to $650 million, as volume shifted toward Simple trades amid low volatility. Institutional transaction revenue also saw a similar pattern, down 38% in both volume and revenue.
While Base Chain activity grew, other transaction revenue dropped 21% as average revenue per transaction declined.
As of the close on the previous trading day, Coinbase (COIN) shares were priced at $377.76, up slightly by $0.28. However, pre-market trading shows a sharp decline, with the stock down $42.30 (-11.20%) to $335.46. This steep drop suggests a strong negative reaction from investors, likely in response to recent earnings results.
Despite grappling with declining revenues and rising costs, Coinbase is doubling down on product innovation.
“Everything App”
Earlier this month, Coinbase rebranded its Wallet as the Base app, launching a crypto-focused “everything app” that merges trading, social media, USDC payments, mini-apps, and tokenized posts.
Announced at its “A New Day One” conference, the app runs on Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 network and integrates Farcaster for social feeds, Zora for post tokenization, and encrypted XMTP chat. Users can earn from tips, interact with AI agents, and make one-tap payments.
The platform also introduced Base Pay for Shopify merchants and plans 1% USDC cashback in the US. The app is in beta, while a full public release and developer tools are expected soon.
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Cryptocurrency
Dogecoin Slides 8% but Long-Term Channel Holds, Can DOGE Rebound?

TL;DR
- Dogecoin dropped to $0.20, moving in a $0.23 to $0.20 range during heavy selling.
- Analysts see support in the long-term channel and a wedge pattern aiming for $0.265.
- Large holders bought 310 million coins, while Bit Origin added 40 million to reserves.
Dogecoin Records Sharp Daily Decline
Dogecoin (DOGE) fell 8% in the past 24 hours, dropping from $0.22 to $0.21. This was one of the steepest daily moves for the token in July. The price action moved within a $0.23 to $0.20 range, facing resistance at the top and heavy selling near the session close.
However, trading volumes spiked, with a midnight surge to 1.25 billion DOGE, which points to large liquidations and cascading sell orders from leveraged positions.
Dogecoin trades at $0.20 as of press time, down 11% over the past week, giving it a market cap of $31 billion.
Long-Term Channel Remains Intact
Trader Tardigrade shared a 1-month chart showing DOGE inside a long-term ascending channel that has held since 2014. DOGE has often bounced from the lower boundary of this channel, shown in pink on the chart.
$Doge/M1#Dogecoin Long term Channel has been established pic.twitter.com/m8nfq29Q8M
— Trader Tardigrade (@TATrader_Alan) August 1, 2025
Meanwhile, the current price is near the lower-middle part of the channel, an area that has led to multi-month rallies when the trend held. Dogecoin’s long-term structure stays intact while it trades within this ascending channel, even after the recent decline.
In addition, Trader Tardigrade also noted that Dogecoin’s monthly candle closed as the third consecutive bullish engulfing candle, which he described as a setup for a potential “move to Valhalla.”
Short-Term Wedge and Institutional Activity
Ali Martinez noted that DOGE may be forming a falling wedge on the 1-hour chart, with a projected target of $0.265. A move above $0.229–$0.230 would confirm bullish momentum, while $0.215–$0.210 remains key support if the wedge fails.
Dogecoin $DOGE could be forming a falling wedge, which projects a target of $0.265! pic.twitter.com/P9WQbMrXfI
— Ali (@ali_charts) July 31, 2025
Institutional wallets acquired 310 million DOGE during the correction. Bit Origin added 40 million DOGE to its treasury under a $500 million diversification program. Broader crypto markets remain pressured by macroeconomic uncertainty, with inflation and equity risk shaping short-term demand.
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Cryptocurrency
Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) Presale Picks Up Pace as Ethereum (ETH) Hovers Over $3,600

[PRESS RELEASE – Covina, United States, August 1st, 2025]
Within the Ethereum ecosystem, Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) has entered its presale phase. Described as a meme token with integrated utility and cultural references, $PEPD introduces a tokenomics structure intended for long-term application. Certain Ethereum wallet holders have initiated ETH transfers to the presale, indicating early transactional activity.
Overview of $PEPD’s Positioning
Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) enters the market as a parody token referencing central banking themes, aiming to engage users through cultural commentary and decentralized finance (DeFi) mechanisms. Unlike traditional meme tokens, which often adopt simplified or repetitive token structures, $PEPD integrates design elements that combine cultural motifs associated with Pepecoin and components of DeFi architecture.
Comparison to Prior Meme Tokens
Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) enters the Ethereum ecosystem following the emergence of other meme tokens such as Pepecoin ($PEPE), $BONK, $LILPEPE, and $HYPER. The $PEPD model incorporates a tokenomics framework that includes a burn mechanism framed as a commentary on centralization. Its listing on CoinMarketCap has contributed to broader visibility. On-chain data indicates that several large Ethereum wallets have begun transacting with the token during its presale phase.
Pepe Dollar Presale – ETH’s Capital Rotation
Pepe Dollar’s presale architecture and project identity offer a compelling setup:
Presale Fundamentals:
- Current Price: $0.004688
- Tokens Sold: 166,938,905
- Next Presale Price (Stage 2): $0.006495
- Launch Price: $0.03695
Tokenomics and Supply
Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) will have a fixed supply of 3.6951 billion tokens. According to the project, 29% of the total supply is scheduled to be permanently removed at launch through a mechanism termed the “Federal Burn,” which is framed as a symbolic reference to traditional inflationary monetary systems.
Additional details disclosed by the development team include:
- No developer tax mechanisms
- No backdoor unlock functions
- A publicly documented tokenomics model
Ethereum-Native Infrastructure
Pepe Dollar is designed to launch natively on Ethereum and integrate with existing Ethereum-based DeFi tools. The protocol includes functionality to support a meme asset minting platform, enabling users to create, deploy, and govern new assets using $PEPD. The project describes itself as operating at the intersection of cultural commentary and decentralized finance.
Project Links and Official Channels
About Pepe Dollar ($PEPD)
Pepe Dollar ($PEPD) is a decentralized Layer-2 payment infrastructure designed for the meme economy. Positioned as a satirical digital asset, $PEPD offers an alternative approach to traditional financial systems and aims to facilitate value creation within decentralized ecosystems.
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