Issue #3 - Solana's Metaverse & Tennis Ball NFTs 🎾

gm shifters,

The majority of web3 exists online. Discords, Twitter Spaces, and even metaverse platforms are recreating how modern communities operate. These new tools foster permissionless networking and an incredible flow of ideas, yet they can be exhausting and disconnected. Web3 is rewriting the modern internet, but it deserves to be celebrated in person.

For any LA-nomads, Shift is hosting its first crypto get-together of the year tomorrow on Venice Beach 4:45 PST. Go for the incredible web3 connections and stay for the drinks and awesome company. Register here: https://lu.ma/8ozrwu12.

In Today's Issue

→ Paypal Explores A Stablecoin

→ Binance Buys Office Space...In the Metaverse

→ The Australian Open Releases 6,776 NFT Tennis Balls 

1. Paypal Might Launch A Stablecoin 🪙

Fintech giant Paypal is considering launching its own stablecoin, a cryptocurrency that offers price stability in a world of volatile market movements.

- Paypal's stablecoin, like many others, will be pegged to the US Dollar, meaning that every stablecoin will be equal to 1 USD. The coin might be called a "PayPal Coin" according to leaked code and internal images.

- This move follows months of active efforts to make cryptocurrency buying, trading, and transferring more accessible within the PayPal ecosystem. While we expect the future of web3 to be fully decentralized, innovative web2 players will be crucial in bridging the gap between mainstream financial services and web3.

2. Binance is Building an Office in the Solana Metaverse  🛸

Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange that famously runs a remote workforce has plans to build a virtual office space in Portals, a metaverse project built on the Solana network.

- Portals is an NFT collection comprised of 5,000 access cards that correspond to customizable spaces in the virtual world.

- Portals is attempting to recreate an office environment that allows companies to operate as usual with greater convenience and efficiency. While in-person offices cater to the physical presence of workers, virtual offices that are built on the blockchain cater to a distributed & remote workforce.

- "We are creating a space in the metaverse for the Binance.US community to come together. It’s the first of many steps we’re taking to be forward-looking as we build and reach our community in new environments.”

3. Australian Open + Decentraland = Tennis Ball NFTs 🎾

'Sports meets web3' might just be the catchphrase that defines 2022, at least for us. The Australian Open just announced that they will be releasing 6,776 tennis ball NFTs as a way to engage and incentivize fans during this year's Grand Slam tennis tournament.

- The NFTs have utility: each collectable is randomly assigned to a section of the tennis court. When a winning shot lands on your section, you'll receive an airdrop with footage of the point, virtual wearables, and merch.

- The NFT holder who 'owns' the winning point in a championship match will be send the physical ball in a custom engraved case.

- Minting for the collection will take place tomorrow, January 13th, for 0.067 ETH (~$350) apiece.

web3 content we’re munching on 🍿

1.  The Mirrortable by Balaji Srinivasan

2. Messari's Crypto Theses for 2022

3. On Web3 Infrastructure by suzuha.eth

4. Building and Running a DAO: Why Governance Matters by Tarun Chitra

5. What is Web3? The Decentralized Internet of the Future Explained by Nader Dabit

Jobs 🤓

1. Frontend Engineer @ Solana Labs

2. Head of Marketing and Growth @ Aleph

3. FWB Curator @ Friends With Benefits

4. Founding Product Designer @ Layer3

5. Fullstack Engineer @ Syndicate

Bounties 💸

1. Successfully refer an engineering hire to Index ($1,114)

2. Write a guide: How to bridge ETH and mint xToken products ($88.76)

3. Get Verified on BrightID (100xp on RabbitHole)

Have a great rest of the week!

Sincerely, 

Noah from Shift