17/08/2022 Tencent stops sales on its NFT platform Huanhe a year after launch as scrutiny mounts

Tencent in Beijing

HONG KONG, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings'(0700.HK)non-fungible token (NFT) platform Huanhe will no longer release digital collectibles to the public, it said on Tuesday, as regulatory scrutiny of NFTs mounts in the country.

The Shenzhen-based company said that Huanhe, officially launched early last August, will no longer release new NFTs to users from Tuesday. But the company said that owners of existing collectibles will still be able to hold, display or request a refund for their possessions.

"Based on the company's consideration to focus on its core strategy, Huanhe is making adjustments to its business," Tencent said in a statement.

Huanhe is one of the biggest NFT platforms in China, with new collectibles often sold out instantly upon launch.

The move marks a major retreat by Tencent from the NFT market, which has come under increased scrutiny from Chinese regulators. Digital collectibles in the form of NFTs have become popular around the world in recent years, in large part thanks to an active if not highly speculative secondary market.

After state media repeatedly highlighted issues around NFT speculation in the country, tech giants including Tencent and Ant Group in June signed a pact to stop the secondary trading of digital collectibles and "self-regulate" their activities in the market.

The potential shutdown of Huanhe was first reported by Chinese media last month. In its statement on Tuesday, Tencent did not elaborate on what will happen to the Huanhe brand.

Chinese tech giants have trodden carefully with their NFT platforms within mainland China. Most domestic platforms mostly avoid the wording NFT, opting to describe them as "digital collectibles" instead in a bid to distance them from cryptocurrencies, which are banned in China.

Arts

https://www.reuters.com/technology/tencent-stops-sales-its-nft-platform-huanhe-year-after-launch-scrutiny-mounts-2022-08-16/

Interesting NFTs
#55876
By OthersideDeployer
Source Code for the WWW
OWNER: Sir Tim Berners-Lee Sir Tim Berners-Lee, b. 1955 Source Code for the WWW 1990-1991 Work includes: Original archive of dated and time-stamped files containing the source code, written between 3 October 1990 and 24 August 1991. These files contain code with approximately 9,555 lines, the contents of which include implementations of the three languages and protocols invented by Sir Tim; HTML (Hypertext Markup Language); HTTP (Hyper Transfer Protocol); and URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers), as well as the original HTML documents that instructed early web users on how to use the application Animated visualization of the code being written (Video, black & white, silent), lasting 30 minutes 25 seconds A Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) representation of the full code (A0 841mm wide by 1189 mm high), created by Sir Tim from the original files using Python, with a graphic representation of his physical signature at lower right A letter written in the README.md file (in “markdown” format) by Sir Tim in June of 2021, reflecting upon the code and his process of creating it Non-fungible Token ERC-721 Minted on June 15, 2021, ed. 1/1 Smart Contract Address: 0x86ade256037d80d6d42df8df96d5be21cd25bd8f
The Moth Catcher
In this psychologically bed-headed portrait, a creature sets in a trance; his eyes devolved and vestigal, his third eye open but hardened and in a form resembling a Sharingan. The imagery therefore expresses an awareness existing in corporeal introspection. The creature’s mind sprouts, on the left side, an emerging face, grinning. To the right side of the head, red tentacles and fingers intertwine–a collaboration of invertebrate and vertebrate consciousness cooperatively handling paint brushes of the sort used to build an oil painting. The neck and throat bristle with random thorns, as from a rose or the upper portions of a beak sprouting from its flesh. The neck itself disassociates into layers of membranous material, terminating upon an abstracted base of convoluted forms composing its body. The nose is virtually non existent, more a sinus reiterative of the shape of the third eye. Set against the exposed teeth peering out of thick, meaty cheeks, a skeleton-like impression results. That impression sets behind a visceral set of lips and tongue, which is the creature’s prime seat of awareness. Sensual, organic, the tongue organ hangs, meaty, and with consciousness of a sea cucumber. It illuminates at the tip, drawing the attraction of a nearby moth–with mystery of purpose.
CryptoKitties
*hissing noises*! I'm Kitty #446373. I'm a professional Skydiving Instructor and I love chocolate. I once got in a fight with a goose, and won. Can you make my wondrous dreams come true?
Finite.
⨍