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NEAR & Gaming: Putting Gamers in the Driver’s Seat

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Video games are portals to alternate realities. They are the means of escape for the more than three billion players worldwide who value the journey and experience of gameplay. Unfortunately, the journey through imaginative landscapes has been threatened by the prevalence of microtransactions and in-game currencies offering less and less to players. 

As industry-wide revenues are forecasted to surpass $200B in 2022, many gamers are looking for a more prominent voice in where and how they invest their time and money in virtual worlds. Blockchain and Web3 have thrown gas on the fire of gaming innovation with their underlying technology and the ease with which people can interact with each other on a global scale. 

Never before has there been as wide an array of platforms, developers, publishers, and gamers as exists now. Blockchains like NEAR have generated mass appeal in crypto gaming, boosted by incentives in play-to-earn mechanics. Players can now monetize their time and attention to find, craft, and seamlessly generate NFT assets of in-game digital items while establishing connections along the way. Self-governing inclusive communities in the form of decentralized autonomous organizations, or DAOs, serve as a foundation for gamers empowered to take on leadership roles. 

From arcade to massively multiplayer to casual mobile gaming, NEAR is powering the next generation of games through blockchain technologies like NFTs, DeFi, and DAOs, unlocking substantial rewards for players’ time invested. A radical transformation in gameplay, the Web3 approach gives power and control to the players. Beyond helming the controls, significant players in the gaming industry are truly putting gamers in the driver’s seat.

Building the future of gaming, one block at a time

OPGames, a Web3 arcade gaming platform, fuses the worlds of gaming and NFTs with a vision of revolutionizing game development and publishing. Their HTML5 arcade is a profound transformation in gameplay and development that shifts power to the players. OPGames’ developers utilize fractionalized NFTs to grant the community the ability to own a piece of the games they play. 

Arcadia, OPGames’ community-owned gaming universe, invites players to step into virtual worlds by discovering games, joining tournaments, and experiencing limitless gaming in entirely new ways. Their end-to-end solution promotes game discovery and seamless distribution in a novel way. 

Through collective ownership, gamers’ time and attention are effectively monetized through NFT price appreciation as any game grows in success. The OPGames DAO establishes a relationship between players and developers, with real dialogue about how the game evolves over time. Together, these facets combine to make the perfect toolbox for game developers to jump from Web2 to Web3.

The OPGames DAO gives the community a direct line of communication with game developers. This opens up dialogue on upcoming enhancements, new levels, or the latest in-game assets that players can buy, own, and trade through gameplay. Most gaming platforms lockdown digital collectibles in their ecosystem, but OPGames users are given the freedom to bring accomplishments and skins from other games. This model affords players more meaningful rewards for the time they invest in virtual worlds.

Arcadia is an inclusive gaming universe that lowers the barriers of game ownership and truly serves as a platform for everyone. Gamers, game creators, and communities alike can share fun experiences through an ever-expanding roster of games with an ecosystem feature set that continues to evolve.

A GameFi ecosystem for the players, by the players

Vorto Gaming is a prominent blockchain gaming company with a mission of creating a new gaming economy owned by the players. Vorto Network’s marketplace allows users to browse, buy, sell, and trade NFTs and other in-game assets. Their “the more you play, the more you earn” model empowers players to monetize their time and attention to find, craft, and generate NFT assets of in-game digital items. 

Hash Rush, the first title launched on the Vorto Network, is a massively multiplayer real-time strategy game featuring play-and-earn mechanics. By establishing Crypto Crystal mining colonies, players play-to-earn as they mine, complete quests, and defeat enemies. Through tokenization and P2P trading, the gaming industry’s status quo model is flipped. “Instead of players working for the game, the game should work for them,” says CEO Kris Vavoids.

In early 2022, Vorto revealed an exclusive partnership with Gold Town Games in developing a blockchain cricket game, Cricket Star Manager. Inspired by sports simulation titles and play-to-earn games, Cricket Star Manager lets players create their own cricket team and compete for the highest title in their country. For the first time, the cricket community has an opportunity to earn real money from their passion through gaming.

Vorto has created a platform that allows gamers to easily manage their digital game items, whether collecting, selling, or trading. Their APIs allow game studios access to item creation, inventory management, and transaction reporting, while gamers benefit from an online storefront with a peer-to-peer marketplace. Not only does this bring an unprecedented level of autonomy to gamers, but it also puts them in control of their achievements and virtual legacy on and off the platform.

Bringing Web3 fun to Web2 games

playEmber is bringing Web3 to the hyper-casual and casual gaming space, with ambitions to onboard at least one million new crypto gamers. The first wave of play-to-earn games were lousy offerings, or as CEO Hugo Furneaux bluntly says, “a bit crap.” 

“Rather than fun games, they seemed to be reverse engineered gamified staking platforms, giving the player a sub-optimal gaming experience,” he adds.

playEmber’s player-centric focus is rooted in three tenants: fun, interoperability, and ownership. They recognize that if the main target is to earn, the core of gaming’s appeal–escapism through joy and pure fun–is lost. 

“We think that is key to putting gamers back in the driving seat,” says Furneaux. “It shouldn’t be a job, it should be a passion.”

By bringing blockchain gaming to existing mobile gamers, their everyday experience is enhanced by enabling the interoperability of game assets. Players have power by playing multiple games with the same avatar and storing and trading their game achievements and progress. For gaming studios, a new audience of Web3 gamers is unlocked without the complexities of worrying about core elements like smart contracts, tokens, and NFTs.

Players make substantial investments in virtual worlds with their time and resources. As such, gamers should retain ownership of the characters, weapons, avatars, and NFTs they’ve invested and improved upon. For playEmber, this is non-negotiable. Their OG NFT collection partners with many of the top NEAR collections that allow followers to play, earn, reward, and compete in thousands of mobile games. 

CMO Jon Hook says that a key focus is an ongoing commitment to greater inclusivity and governance within the greater community. “We are looking forward to welcoming key strategic studio partners into our DAO to inform and decide future product developments,” he says. 

Having a seat at the table is a powerful and exciting way to empower players to control their future.

Leveling up Web3 gaming on NEAR

Thanks to NEAR’s robust framework and infrastructure, gaming in the Web3 era is limited only by the collective imaginations of developers and players. NEAR’s robust, stable, and feature-rich blockchain also achieves a level of energy efficiency and impact unheard of in other blockchains. Its scaling technology divides computation across parallel “shards,” which optimize the already super cheap, high-speed, and outstandingly secure platform. So with NEAR, developers now have the toolkit to level up worldbuilding and gameplay experiences.  

Extremely versatile, DAOs are one component of NEAR’s commitment to facilitating the network’s decentralization to a worldwide creative community and beyond. Through their democratic, flexible, and collaborative foundations, DAOs empower like-minded individuals to come together and decide how the gameplay journey will unfold. 

Building the next hit Web3 game on NEAR is possible through supporting documentation and open source repositories available to all. Any developer can build on existing concepts and choose different elements to get their next idea from concept to fruition. And a low barrier to entry for developers, creators, and players translates to massive exposure and accessibility to the global gaming community.

As gamers are put in the driver’s seat in the era of Web3, the industry’s development and evolution know no limits on the road ahead. 

The post NEAR & Gaming: Putting Gamers in the Driver’s Seat appeared first on NEAR Protocol.

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Canada to advance global nature conservation and climate action at upcoming United Nations conferences

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OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 16, 2026 /CNW/ — In a more uncertain and increasingly unstable world, Canada is stepping up to build a safer and more resilient future. Addressing climate change and biodiversity loss requires ambitious action at home and around the world. By advancing progress on both, Canada will protect nature, build resilient communities, and create lasting prosperity for future generations. International cooperation is key to achieving these goals.

That is why the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, will lead Canada’s efforts as Head of Delegation at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) and the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).

At COP17, Minister Dabrusin and the Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature), will work with international partners to accelerate implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework. From October 19 to 30, 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia, Canada will champion the critical role of Indigenous peoples in conservation and advocate for practical solutions to mobilize global resources for biodiversity finance. Canada will showcase its leadership through two Canadian-led official side events focused on innovative nature finance and the essential role of Indigenous leadership in advancing conservation efforts at home and around the world. The delegation will also take part in strategic bilateral meetings, high-level roundtables, and civil society events to strengthen cooperation, advance solutions, and drive action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

From November 9 to 20, 2026, in Antalya, Türkiye, Canada will participate in the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31). Building on multilateral engagements, including the 10th Ministerial on Climate Action, Canada will continue working with international partners, Indigenous representatives, civil society, youth, and other stakeholders to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities; reduce methane emissions; accelerate electrification; and mobilize finance and investments from public and private sources. For the fifth consecutive year, Canada will host a national pavilion at COP31, showcasing Canadian climate leadership and innovation. The Canada Pavilion will serve as a hub for connection and collaboration.

Canada’s international leadership is backed by action at home. To accelerate electrification, Canada is building major clean energy projects across the country, including with the largest clean energy investment in North American history in Churchill Falls. Through A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect Nature and $3.8 billion in investments and funding, Canada is advancing its commitment to conserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030 through strong partnerships and innovative approaches to conservation. Canada recently reinforced this commitment by joining the 30×30 for Nature and People Ministerial Declaration at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. Prime Minister, Mark Carney, recently announced a historic investment of $1.2 billion to better protect Canada’s oceans and the life they sustain. This will increase monitoring, strengthen ocean science and ecosystem protections, and improve marine incident prevention and preparedness. These priorities will be a key focus at both upcoming conferences.

Canada’s delegations to COP17 and COP31 will bring together the diverse perspectives from across Canadian society, including Indigenous representatives, civil society, the private sector, youth, and provincial and territorial government representatives. Working with international partners, these delegations help advance practical solutions to protect nature, strengthen resilience, and support sustainable economic prosperity.

Quotes

“Climate change and biodiversity loss are global challenges that no country can solve alone. At COP17 and COP31, Canada will work with partners from around the world to strengthen implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Paris Agreement and collective efforts to address nature protection and climate change. Through international cooperation, Indigenous leadership, innovative solutions, and a collective commitment to conservation and climate action, we will build a sustainable future for people and nature alike.”
– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

“Nature loss is a global challenge that requires countries to work together and turn shared commitments into action. At COP17, Canada will share its experiences in advancing nature finance, including innovative approaches to valuing natural capital and mobilizing private investment for conservation. By exchanging ideas, lessons learned, and practical solutions with international partners, we can accelerate progress toward our global biodiversity goals and recognize nature as a foundation of long-term economic prosperity and resilience.”
– The Honourable Nathalie Provost, Secretary of State (Nature)

Quick facts

As the second largest country in the world, Canada has a vast amount of natural capital, including 24% of the world’s boreal forest, 37% of lakes, 25% of wetlands, and approximately 80,000 species. We have both a responsibility to steward these resources as well as a competitive advantage because of these assets.Canada hosted the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) in Montréal in 2022, which resulted in the adoption of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework: an ambitious global plan to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.Canada supports the Armenian COP17 presidency and its approach to strengthen implementation of the Kunming–Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework toward meeting the Framework’s goals and targets.In September 2026, Canada and China co-chaired the Kunming Dialogue in Kunming, China. The Dialogue was a multilateral working-level meeting to discuss progress and challenges in the implementation of the Framework ahead of COP17.The Canada Pavilion at the United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) is a key space to show Canadian climate leadership and innovation.Reducing methane emissions remains one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to limit the rise of near-term global temperatures. Canada serves as co-convenor of the Global Methane Pledge, which counts 159 participating countries and the European Commission, with participants agreeing to take voluntary actions toward a collective goal of reducing global methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 (from 2020 levels).In April 2026, Canada announced a new goal of delivering $13 billion in international climate finance over the next five years.

Associated links

A Force of Nature: Canada’s Strategy to Protect NaturePrime Minister Carney Announces Historic Investment to Protect Canada’s OceansCanada Pavilion at the Conference of the Parties (COP)

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s X page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Facebook page
Environment and Natural Resources in Canada’s Facebook page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s LinkedIn page
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Instagram page

SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada

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DGEN TECHNOLOGIES (FORMERLY CHINA KELI ELECTRIC COMPANY) COMPLETES ACQUISITION AND NAME CHANGE AND FILES CSE LISTING STATEMENT

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VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 16, 2026 /CNW/ — DGEN Technologies Corp. (formerly China Keli Electric Company Ltd.) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of DGEN Financial Holdings Corp. (formerly DGEN Technologies Corp.) (“DGEN”) pursuant to a share exchange agreement dated December 9, 2025, as amended on August 17, 2026 (the “SEA”) on October 14, 2026 (the “Transaction”).

Pursuant to the Transaction, the Company acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of DGEN in exchange for the issuance of an aggregate of 9,550,360 common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”) and 7,000,360 Common Share purchase warrants (“Warrants”) to certain former shareholders of DGEN. Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.25 until October 14, 2028. As a result of the Transaction, DGEN became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. As of the date hereof, the Company has 29,161,364 Common Shares and 7,000,360 Warrants issued and outstanding.

In connection with the completion of the Transaction, the Company changed its name from “China Keli Electric Company Ltd.” to “DGEN Technologies Corp.” and, hereinafter, will carry on the business of DGEN.

Listing Statement

Following the closing of the Transaction, the Company has filed a CSE Form 2A listing statement dated October 14, 2026 (the “Listing Statement”) on SEDAR+ under its profile relating to the Transaction and the proposed CSE listing. Investors are encouraged to review the Listing Statement, which provides detailed information about the Transaction, the Company and its operations.

The Company has received conditional approval to list the Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “CSE”) and has delisted the Common Shares from the TSX Venture Exchange in anticipation of listing on the CSE. The Common Shares are expected to commence trading on the CSE under the symbol “DGEN” on or about October 20, 2026.

Board of Directors and Management

Following completion of the Transaction, the directors and officers of the Company are Cole Goodwin, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Philip Lo, Chief Financial Officer, Corporate Secretary and Director, Sean Webster, Director, and Yee Man Cheung, Director.

Mr. Goodwin is a business executive with over 10 years of experience in alternative and traditional investment markets, financial technology and corporate operations. His experience includes senior management and board roles with publicly traded companies, including as Chief Operating Officer of Hyper Bit Technologies Ltd. Mr. Goodwin provides the Company with strategic and operational oversight in respect of its technology platform, including development and commercialization of payment infrastructure, integration of payment gateways, technology deployment and vendor management.

Escrow

At the time of listing, the Company will have 2,496,000 Common Shares and 1,000,000 Warrants held by related persons subject to escrow pursuant to an escrow agreement dated October 14, 2026 among the escrowed securityholders, the Company and Odyssey Trust Company, as escrow agent, subject to a 36-month release schedule pursuant to National Policy 46-201 – Escrow for Initial Public Offerings.

About DGEN Technologies Corp.

DGEN Technologies Corp. is a Vancouver-based technology company developing a cloud-based payment platform intended to integrate point-of-sale, kiosk and mobile payment systems into a unified and scalable solution. The Company’s platform is currently in beta stage and is operational, but has not yet been commercialized or generated revenue.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved, or disapproved, and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including, without limitation, statements with respect to: the expected listing of the Common Shares on the CSE; the satisfaction of any remaining conditions to listing; the business and operations of the Company following completion of the Transaction; the Company’s platform, including its development, commercialization, functionality, market adoption and ability to generate revenue; the Company’s intended business objectives; the escrow arrangements applicable to certain Common Shares and Warrants; and future plans and expectations of the Company. Forward-looking information is based on management’s current expectations, estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions as of the date of this news release.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the possibility that the Common Shares may not commence trading on the CSE when expected or at all; risks relating to the Company’s early stage of development; the fact that the platform is in beta stage, has not yet been commercialized and has not generated revenue; risks associated with development, commercialization and market adoption of the platform; competition from established payment technology providers; reliance on third-party contractors and service providers; additional financing and dilution risks; market volatility; regulatory, compliance, cybersecurity and data privacy risks; risks relating to escrowed securities; and the other risks described in the Listing Statement. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information, which speaks only as of the date of this news release. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE DGEN Technologies Corp.

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ASSA ABLOY sells PKI business unit to Vista Equity Partners

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STOCKHOLM, Oct. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ASSA ABLOY has signed an agreement to sell HID’s PKI business unit to Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”).

The PKI business unit (Public Key Infrastructure) provides digital trust, identity, authentication, encryption, and certificate management solutions. The business unit includes PKI SaaS – IdenTrust and HydrantID – credential management, and ZeroSSL.

“I find it very satisfying that with Vista, the PKI business unit and its employees and customers gain a committed long-term investor, creating new opportunities for the future and I wish them every success,” says Nico Delvaux, President and CEO of ASSA ABLOY.

“Our PKI team has built a strong business with a strong customer base, and Vista has the expertise to take it forward as the market evolves,” says Björn Lidefelt, EVP and Head of HID. “We are pleased with this outcome for our customers, our employees, and for HID.”

The divested business had sales in 2025 of MUSD 58 (approx. MSEK 570) with a strong operating margin.

The divestiture is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2026.

For more information, please contact: 
Nico Delvaux, President and CEO, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 82
Erik Pieder, CFO and Executive Vice President, tel. no: +46 8 506 485 72
Björn Tibell, Head of Investor Relations, tel. no: +46 70 275 67 68, e-mail: bjorn.tibell@assaabloy.com

About ASSA ABLOY
ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in access solutions. Every day we help people feel safe, secure and experience a more open world. We operate worldwide with 64,000 employees and sales of SEK 152 billion, with leading positions in areas such as efficient door openings, trusted identities and entrance automation. Our innovations enable safe, secure and convenient access to physical and digital places.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

https://news.cision.com/assa-abloy/r/assa-abloy-sells-pki-business-unit-to-vista-equity-partners,c4410007

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