LikhaCert: Securing Digital Artworks with Tamper-Proof Certificates

LikhaCert: Securing Digital Artworks with Tamper-Proof Certificates

Friday, January 26, 2024

In the digital age, the threat of art theft has become a significant concern for artists and art collectors alike. Likha, a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace powered by BayaniChain, introduces LikhaCert, a revolutionary solution that leverages blockchain technology to protect artists' intellectual property and authenticate their artworks. LikhaCert is making a mark in the art industry, with a particular focus on its recent collaboration during the Apl.de.Ap X Bitto Phygital Art Launch.

LikhaCert, integrated into the Likha platform, employs blockchain to provide a tamper-proof and permanent Certificate of Authenticity (COA) for digital artworks. This addresses the growing issue of COA fraud in the art industry, offering a safeguard for artists and their collectors. Gelo Wong, co-founder and CEO of Likha, emphasizes the platform's commitment to preserving the artist's legacy by ensuring the validity of their artwork for generations to come.

During the recent Apl.de.Ap X Bitto Phygital Art Launch, Likha showcased its innovative approach to art creation and collection. In a collaboration with GCash, Likha introduced a "phygital" experience, seamlessly integrating the physical and digital aspects of art. By leveraging blockchain technology, Likha airdrops the corresponding digital asset or NFT to the buyer's account when a physical artwork is purchased, serving as both a COA and protection against art theft.

The "Agents of Peace and Love" phygital art collection, a collaboration between Apl.de.Ap and Bitto, showcases the fusion of physical and digital elements. Likha's approach goes beyond traditional NFTs, allowing buyers to physically experience and appreciate the artwork, enhancing confidence in the digital asset ownership.

The collaboration with GCash played a pivotal role in the success of the Apl.de.Ap X Bitto Phygital Art Launch. Likha and GCash aim to make NFTs and phygital art easily accessible to the Filipino community. Through this partnership, Likha not only introduces a unique digital collection but also aims to revolutionize the art industry by providing a seamless phygital experience and tamper-proof security to the 81 million GCash users.

Likha's partnership with GCash is just the beginning. The collaboration seeks to advance the project further, offering limitless possibilities for artists, collectors, and GCash users. BayaniChain and its group of companies plan to expand partnerships in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, contributing to decentralization and digital asset adoption.

LikhaCert's innovative use of blockchain technology in the art industry, coupled with its phygital approach, marks a significant step towards securing digital artworks and enhancing the overall art ownership experience. As Likha continues to bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3, its collaborations and partnerships aim to revolutionize the art industry and pave the way for a future where blockchain technology opens opportunities for all. To learn more, visit BayaniChain's official website.

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From brands to fandoms: How Mintoo fosters customer loyalty and community by owning power of NFTs

From brands to fandoms: How Mintoo fosters customer loyalty and community by owning power of NFTs

Thursday, October 5, 2023

In today’s era of digital innovation, the emergence of virtual currencies such as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) have opened up new opportunities for businesses and brands to connect and engage with their audiences.

However, navigating its complex nature makes many Filipinos hesitate to embrace the relatively niche and new market. Collectors are wary of the fluctuating and unpredictable nature of the prices, as well as their lack of technical expertise and knowledge. They are also concerned of selling NFT projects fast while maintaining a competitive price point.

Mintoo, the exclusive NFT marketplace partner of PDAX, the Philippines’ leading homegrown cryptocurrency exchange and supervised by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, recognizes this gap. By providing a welcoming and accessible space for digital collectors and NFT creators alike, Mintoo aims to revolutionize the way Filipinos perceive and engage with this technology by providing relatable and fun ways to engage with various target markets. This way, Mintoo can start owning the power and potential of community-driven NFTs in the digital space.

With Mintoo, collectors can purchase from carefully curated and exclusive collections with Philippine pesos, while artists can launch their projects through the platform without requiring from them any prior background or technical expertise knowledge on NFTs.

Mintoo is built on the Polygon proof-of-stake (PoS) protocol, a widely used Ethereum-scaling blockchain network that has attracted high adoption for NFT transactions because of its faster transaction speeds and lower gas fees. 

To further push NFT adoption in the country, Mintoo partners with brands, local artists and creators, and local communities to give their target audiences a highly localized and customized experience of having and enjoying the benefits of digital collectibles. Just after its launch in March this year, Mintoo has already collaborated with different organizations for tailor-fit, customer-centric programs.

Making NFTs mainstream through communities

The promising potential of NFTs are slowly being realized through the real-life uses and cases being pursued by Mintoo. By making NFTs’ value relevant to certain niche communities, Mintoo is able to capitalize on NFTs’ growing significance. By making NFTs more accessible to the general public, mainstream adoption becomes increasingly more possible.

Just recently, Mintoo collaborated with Newport World Resorts to launch a special edition Ang Huling El Bimbo digital collectible, wherein the special edition NFTs sold on Mintoo also acted as tickets to the event itself. These ticket holders were eligible for exclusive vouchers from partnered food merchants and digital souvenirs.

Mintoo, in partnership with local popular brand Pickup Coffee, also provided complimentary NFTs to all attendees of the brand’s app launch event through a QR code. Aside from brands, Mintoo also collaborated with fan-led communities in the country. In an event of ONCE HQ, the Filipino fans of K-pop group TWICE, Mintoo provided digital collectibles to those who purchased event tickets on their platform.

Companies can also utilize NFTs to foster community engagement among its employees. During the Gcash’s iGnite Innovation Summit last August 2023, employees who attended talks, or exhibits, or workshops received a free NFT as their Proof of Attendance. Those who attended the in-person culminating event held at the Globe Tower BGC also received a special edition digital collectible that gave them a chance to win exclusive prizes from partner brands such as Landers and PDAX. 

Aside from these partnerships, Mintoo has also launched their own NFT Project called Tambay OG. As a means to celebrate everything good and funny about being a Filipino, the Tambay OG project featured 505 pieces of unique Tambays that took inspiration from the nostalgic quirks of living in a Filipino neighborhood. Tambay OG resonated with many Pinoy netizens, gaining a cult following by making financial freedom topics relevant through distinct and relatable Pinoy humor. 

This project made use of two functions in the Mintoo Marketplace. First, the Whitelist Function allowed the collection to be sold at P250 to an exclusive set of collectors for a certain period of time, before the pieces were sold to the public at P500. Second is the Timed Image Reveal wherein collectors won’t know what piece they’re getting until the reveal.

Creating change through impact 

After delivering concrete and impactful results through these series of activities, Mintoo has proven that learning how to utilize NFTs in marketing and internal HR campaigns is an effective way to capture and pique audiences’ interest.

“With the NFTs that we’ve released, we came to the realization that the NFTs are the ultimate engagement tool, not just for customers but everyone that comes in contact with the brand: employees, vendors, partners.,” Meg Amat, Head of Marketing and Strategy of Mintoo, said.

“NFTs are appealing for brands because you now have a way to make grassroots efforts, word of mouth, cult followings attributable,” she added. “Once you have them in the hands of your target audience, the campaigns that you run through them are endless. You can conduct multiple campaigns, reprogramming the promo mechanics endlessly to reach your business objectives.”

Mintoo aims to build thriving communities within a brand’s ecosystem through accessibility and first-hand assistance. By offering unique and high-quality digital assets by local creators, as well as comprehensive educational guides about digital collectibles, Mintoo is growing to be a platform for local creators to showcase their talent and artistry to a wider audience.

Through partnerships with Mintoo, brands can continuously adapt and innovate multiple campaigns to resonate with the evolving preferences of their customers, as well as maintain a sense of belongingness among the users. NFTs and digital collectibles serve as tangible rewards to both loyal and new customers.

For Mintoo, creating a sense of ownership and belongingness, focusing on versatility and creativity, and building lasting connections with their communities is a way of redefining brand interactions in the digital age.

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BayaniChain CEO bags Blockchain Champion Award at Philippine Blockchain Week 2023

BayaniChain CEO bags Blockchain Champion Award at Philippine Blockchain Week 2023

Friday, September 29, 2023

BayaniChain CEO Paul Soliman receives an NFT as trophy for being named Blockchain Champion at the Philippine Blockchain Week Block Awards 2023.

Next-gen tech firm BayaniChain made its presence felt in the much-anticipated Philippine Blockchain Week (PBW) series of events by not only taking the stage to showcase its technology, but also bringing home one of the events’ top recognitions.

Paul Soliman, BayaniChain CEO and co-founder, received the Block Awards 2023 Blockchain Champion Award for his major contributions in advocating the widespread adoption of blockchain technology. In the past few years, Soliman has been passionately and tenaciously promoting the use of digital assets, localized blockchain, and other Next-gen tech in order to solve various real-life challenges and create a future where everyone benefits. 

“When I began researching blockchain in 2015 to 2016, I knew it’s inevitable for us to be able to use blockchain as the alternative of the normal database since it has immutability and verifiability for the truth of whatever you want to store there,” said Soliman.

He was referring to the technology’s inherent qualities and design that make it tamper-proof and secure enough to handle sensitive information and critical contracts.

Soliman is the First Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Business Applications & Regional Director in the Philippines. He studied Computer Technology and Robotics Technology and is also the founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Technology Officer of Hacktiv Colab Inc.

Co-presenting New-gen tech

At the PBW, BayaniChain was one of the presenters that demonstrated cutting-edge technology. In particular, it showcased its “R-Wards” app, which aims to transform customer engagement by allowing businesses to benefit from tokenizing digital assets via membership and loyalty programs in the Next-Generation Web ecosystem. Brands and publishers can use this app to avoid bogus coupons and gift cards while providing new experiences for customers.

BayaniChain also launched “BridgePass,” a platform that allows any user to conveniently access the decentralized webspace using familiar web credentials such as a Google or Facebook account. This allows more people to explore the opportunities available in the next-gen web and possibly reap the benefits of early adoption.

Soliman stated that BayaniChain is open to partners in both the public and private sectors who share the same mission of bolstering blockchain technology for enhancing transparency, security, and efficiency as he emphasizes, “We are here to help, and I will commit to that vision and duty.”

Upon receiving his award, Soliman thanked his wife, as well as his family in BayaniChain and Likha, a homegrown non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. He took home an NFT trophy showing the SariManok, designed by National Artist Abdulmari Imao and his son TOYM Imao.

The Philippine Blockchain Week Block Awards 2023 is an award-giving body that recognizes global thought leaders and pioneers in the blockchain industry. Dr. Donald Patrick Lim, founding president of the Blockchain Council of the Philippines, led the awarding ceremony at the Marriott Grand Ballroom, Newport World Resorts Manila.

The Block Awards 2023 is sponsored by DynaQuest Technology Services. 

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