Nigeria Plans Nationwide AI and Blockchain Research Centers

The Nigerian government's National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to establish research centers focused on emerging technologies across the country's six geopolitical zones.

Top crypto news, curated by CoinChapter.

1. Nigeria Plans Nationwide AI and Blockchain Research Centers

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) of the Nigerian government has announced plans to establish research centers across the country’s six geopolitical zones. These centers will focus on emerging technologies critical to the nation's development.

Specifically, the centers will cover technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), additive manufacturing, and robotics.

Through innovation sandboxes, NITDA aims to support Nigerian startups in developing products utilizing these technologies. The agency is also participating in the government's 3 Million Technical Talent program, which aims to train and empower three million Nigerians by 2027.

This initiative, combined with Nigeria's large youth population and thriving startup ecosystem, positions the country as a potential "Africa's next Silicon Valley."

2. Crypto News: Polkadot Won’t Survive Beyond 2026

Recent financial reports and expert analyses indicate that the blockchain platform Polkadot might be facing an uncertain future. According to the latest figures, the platform’s treasury currently holds just under $245 million. However, at the current spending rate, Polkadot might exhaust its budget within two years.

To put this into perspective, the platform spent $87 million in the first half of 2024, which is 2.4 times higher than the latter half of 2023. A significant portion of this spending ($36.7 million) went into marketing efforts, including collaborations with Lionel Messi and various sponsorships.

Despite this lavish spending, the number of active accounts has declined, raising concerns about the platform’s long-term viability.

3. MiniPay Now Offers USDT and USDC

Opera is upgrading the cryptocurrency wallet on its mobile browser Opera Mini by integrating Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC stablecoins. MiniPay, the built-in wallet, is introducing a new feature called Pockets. This will enable one-click swaps between these stablecoins and the Celo dollar (cUSD).

The Pockets feature allows users to easily switch between USDC, USDT, and cUSD using a drag-and-drop motion. This upgrade aims to simplify asset swapping in Web3, making it more accessible to users.

4. Crypto News: Binance Executive’s Trial Resumes

The trial against Binance executives Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla is set to resume on July 5 in Nigeria. Gambaryan has been detained since February, facing money laundering charges, while Anjarwalla reportedly fled to Kenya in March.

Gambaryan’s health has deteriorated during his 128-day detention, suffering from pneumonia, malaria, and ongoing pains. His family is concerned about his ability to endure the trial and frustrated with the slow response from authorities.

Gambaryan’s wife, Yuki, has been in contact with U.S. officials, stating that disputes between Binance and Nigerian authorities should not involve her husband.

5. DWF Labs Launches $20M Fund for Web3 Projects in China

Web3 investor DWF Labs has announced the launch of the Cloudbreak Fund, a $20 million early-stage fund designed to support Web3 projects in Chinese-speaking regions.

The fund will provide both investment and strategic resources to accelerate the growth of promising projects in sectors ranging from gaming finance and social finance to memecoins, derivatives, and layer-1/layer-2 projects.

DWF Labs hopes that this fund will reinvigorate projects’ ability to continue building despite current challenges and ensure that they have the resources necessary to thrive in difficult times.

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