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Metafy signs with Lucky Kat to License Leading Sui Blockchain IP, Kumo, into its next stage of growth

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MONTREAL, Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – Metafy, a leader in applying the benefits of blockchain technology to both legacy and emerging IP to create innovative consumer products, and part of IP house JCorp licensing group, has signed a deal to license Kumo – the flagship brand built on the Sui blockchain and owned by game developer Lucky Kat. 

Kumo was successfully released as an NFT collection in September 2024, selling out in under 40 minutes and has since been trending on the charts, fueling continual follower growth on social media.

The deal incorporates Metafy merchandising, manufacturing and distributing Kumo-branded apparel, SMART toys and accessories, taking Kumo into its next stage of growth. The partnership will capitalize on Metafy’s expertise in brand monetization skills across both traditional and web3 commercial landscapes, leveraging the power of their deep-rooted distribution network across both e-tail and retail channels – in combination with the gaming and digital asset communities of Lucky Kat and parent company Fragbite Group.

“What Lucky Kat has been able to achieve through their unified blockchain gaming ecosystem, they are uniquely positioned to redefine the intersection of digital assets, gaming experiences, and real-world utility, with Kumo as the perfect embodiment of this strategy.” says Cole Gurman, CEO and Founder, Metafy.

“We’re thrilled to extend Metafy’s vision for activated products across a range of product lines that will live within both the Kumo and Lucky Kat ecosystems, starting with fully abstracted, NFC-enabled collectibles. This collaboration will empower players to bring their digital assets to life in the physical world, creating a fully connected experience that unlocks new levels of engagement and value, paving the way for the next generation of consumer crypto users.”

The first exclusive collection of Kumo-branded plushies will be released in Q1 2025 with the presale planned for Christmas 2024. The collection will merge physical products with blockchain-infused digital tie-ins, onboarding the retail consumer into the digital Kumo world via QR codes and NFC chips. Kumo buyers will also be provided benefits in the soon to be publicly launched $KOBAN token ecosystem of games.

“The market response to the Kumo NFT collection has clearly demonstrated that this brand has potential, and we are excited to be moving Kumo forward on a path very few web3 brands have ventured on before,” says Zara Zamani, CEO, Lucky Kat.

“We are fortunate to partner with Metafy who are not only highly experienced in licensing and marketing consumer products, but the perfect partner for us since they also operate in the web3 environment. Together we will leverage the Lucky Kat communities and Metafy’s expertise and distribution channels to establish Kumo as a household brand with traditional audiences.”

About Kumo:
Kumo the Kat is the clumsy but loveable brand mascot of Lucky Kat and its web3 game ecosystem. In September 2024 a collection of 2,222 unique NFTs was successfully released, offering NFTs with utility and interoperability which means the possibility of utilising Kumo across the ecosystem and enjoying continuous benefits, rewards and functions after the upcoming public launch of the $KOBAN token. Since release, Kumo has enjoyed popularity and has recently been upgraded as a dynamic NFT collection, allowing owners to swap out the characteristics of their digital cat. The NFT:s can be bought and sold on the Tradeport marketplace. For more information about Kumo visit the website or social media channels: X, Telegram and Instagram.

About Metafy:
Metafy is the prototypical unicorn – where expertise, experience and ambition have come together to seize the opportunity that the transition in the marketplace from Web 2 to Web 3 offers up. Metafy uniquely blends capabilities rooted in the analog worlds of licensed consumer product development and production, and mass market and online retailing, with the digital world of the blockchain and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. Metafy is an IP-house in name and function, devising and executing customer engagement and brand monetization plans that leverage the places where these worlds overlap. The Metafy team has brought to market, products for frontier facing brands such as SOMO, Creepz and Pudgy Penguins. For more information about Metafy visit the website.

About Lucky Kat:
Lucky Kat is an award-winning game development studio with a portfolio of over 100 mobile games that has reached more than 250 million downloads. Lucky Kat has onboarded millions of mobile players into web3 through their interoperable gaming ecosystem and upcoming utility token $KOBAN. Currently, Lucky Kat is one of the flagship gaming projects on the rapidly growing Sui blockchain with prominent web3 games Panzerdogs and Cosmocadia. Founded in 2015 and based in the Netherlands, Lucky Kat is part of Fragbite Group, a publicly listed company active in gaming, esports and web3.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/metafy-signs-with-lucky-kat-to-license-leading-sui-blockchain-ip-kumo-into-its-next-stage-of-growth-302317933.html

SOURCE Metafy x Inc.

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VNET Announces Changes to Leadership Team

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BEIJING, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — VNET Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNET) (“VNET” or the “Company”), today announced that Mr. Qiyu Wang has resigned from his position as VNET’s Chief Financial Officer for personal reasons, effective April 30, 2026. Mr. Wang’s resignation is not due to any disagreement with the Company, nor does it relate to the Company’s operations, policies, practices, accounting matters, or procedures.

Mr. Josh Sheng Chen, Founder, Executive Chairperson and Interim Chief Executive Officer of VNET, commented, “On behalf of the Company, I would like to thank Qiyu for his contributions during his tenure. His financial discipline and strategic insight have been instrumental to the Company’s growth. We wish him every success in his future endeavors.”

In February 2026, the Company announced the appointment of Mr. Peter Zhihua Zhang as Senior Vice President, Operational Finance of VNET, to oversee the Company’s financial operations and to serve as the Company’s “principal accounting officer” in accordance with applicable U.S. federal securities laws, SEC rules, and Nasdaq requirements. Since joining VNET in 2019, Mr. Zhang has demonstrated extensive expertise in multiple key roles within the Company’s finance operations.

About VNET

VNET Group, Inc. is a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data center services provider in China. VNET provides hosting and related services, including IDC services, cloud services, and business VPN services to improve the reliability, security, and speed of its customers’ internet infrastructure. Customers may locate their servers and equipment in VNET’s data centers and connect to China’s internet backbone. VNET operates in more than 30 cities throughout China, servicing a diversified and loyal base of over 7,000 hosting and related enterprise customers that span numerous industries ranging from internet companies to government entities and blue-chip enterprises to small- to mid-sized enterprises.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “target,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement as well as VNET’s strategic and operational plans contain forward-looking statements. VNET may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about VNET’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: VNET’s goals and strategies; VNET’s liquidity conditions; VNET’s expansion plans; the expected growth of the data center services market; expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, VNET’s services; VNET’s expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with customers; VNET’s plans to invest in research and development to enhance its solution and service offerings; and general economic and business conditions in the regions where VNET provides solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in VNET’s reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and VNET undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations Contact:

Xinyuan Liu
Tel: +86 10 8456 2121
Email: ir@vnet.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vnet-announces-changes-to-leadership-team-302747154.html

SOURCE VNET Group, Inc.

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Steven Rivera Appointed Chief Revenue Officer of NRI North America

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NEW YORK, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Nomura Research Institute (NRI), a leading global provider of consulting and technology services, today announced that Steven Rivera has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) for North America.

In this role, Rivera will oversee revenue-related functions across the region, including sales, marketing, demand generation, strategic partnerships, and client engagement.

Rivera brings more than 26 years of experience to the role, having held sales and marketing leadership positions within the cybersecurity, managed services, and consulting sectors. Over the course of his career, he has led the development of integrated go-to-market strategies and supported organizations in strengthening client relationships and operational alignment.

Prior to joining NRI, Rivera served as Chief Revenue Officer at Logically, where he was responsible for coordinating revenue functions across sales, marketing, client support, and pricing. His work focused on improving organizational alignment and supporting consistent business performance.

“Steven’s experience across revenue leadership and his background in cybersecurity and consulting are well-aligned with our priorities in North America,” said Toshi Oiwa, Chief Executive Officer of NRI North America. “We believe his perspective will contribute to the steady advancement of our regional capabilities and support our efforts to further deepen relationships with our clients over the long term.”

Rivera’s areas of expertise include enterprise sales leadership, revenue operations, cloud and cybersecurity solutions, and financial planning. He also brings experience in security consulting, risk analysis, program management, and governance, risk & compliance (GRC).

About NRI

In North America, NRI is a business and technology solutions consultancy. Guiding our clients from insight to execution, we design and deliver solutions that fuel growth, grow profitability, and result in lasting innovation. NRI has more than 16,000 employees in 16 countries and regions including New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. NRI reports annual sales above US $4.8 billion and is rated “A” by S&P Global Ratings Japan. Learn more at www.nri-na.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/steven-rivera-appointed-chief-revenue-officer-of-nri-north-america-302746068.html

SOURCE NRI

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Ionic Digital Announces March 2026 Mining and Operations Update

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AUSTIN, Texas, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ionic Digital Inc. (“Ionic Digital” or the “Company”), a digital infrastructure company supporting the expanding needs of AI and high-performance computing, today issued its unaudited Mining and Operations Update for March 2026.

In March, Ionic Digital mined 28.05 Bitcoin (“BTC”), a decrease of 14.9% compared to the prior month. The Company’s site production varied in line with strategic adjustments, following fleet consolidation.

The decline in production was driven by a 19.4% decrease in average hashrate and a 6.8% reduction in network block production, partially offset by a 3.3% decline in the global hashrate. Ionic’s share of the global hashrate declined 16.6% month-over-month to 0.21%, reflecting a sharper reduction in company output relative to the total network.

At our four Midland sites, production was 24.26 BTC, a 4.7% month-over-month increase, as the most efficient miners from the Oklahoma GXD facility came online at Midland. At GXD, production was 3.79 BTC, a planned decrease of 61.2% month-over-month due to continued de-racking and reduced operational contribution.

The daily average hashrate was 2.04 EH/s, down 19.4% compared to the prior month, due to the discontinuation of the GXD hosting contract and removal of miners (-62.5%), while Midland remained relatively stable (-1.2%).

Ionic Digital continues to maintain its zero-debt position and liquidated no BTC in March. As of March 31, 2026, the Company held 2,815.6 BTC, an increase of approximately 28.2 BTC over the prior month.

Key Mining and Operating Metrics Summary

Metric

March 2026

Capacity (MW)1

112.0

Efficiency (J/THs)2

29.1

Daily Average Hashrate (EH/s)3

2.04

BTC Mined4

28.05

Average BTC Mined/Day5

0.90

BTC Sold

0.0

BTC Holdings6

2,815.6

Total current energy available at the four Midland sites, representing a change in previous reporting.
Previous reporting only measured total current capacity for mining activities available at hosted and directly
owned sites.Represents the capabilities of active miners during the reporting period.The reported hashrate is derived from internal performance data. Hashrate values reflect miner downtime
and curtailment.Gross BTC mined of 28.05 BTC. No hosting fees were paid in BTC for March 2026.Average BTC/Day in the prior month was 1.18.BTC Holdings excludes 0.9 BTC earned but in transit as of month-end, a change of -0.2 BTC from prior
month. The BTC balance at the end of the prior month was 2,787.4 BTC.

About Ionic Digital 
Ionic Digital Inc. is a digital infrastructure company that develops strategic powered land assets for data centers, high-performance computing (HPC) and cryptocurrency mining. Learn more at www.ionicdigital.com or follow us on X and LinkedIn.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ionic-digital-announces-march-2026-mining-and-operations-update-302746771.html

SOURCE Ionic Digital Inc.

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