GATENOX is pleased to announce that GATENOX has received a grant from the NEAR Foundation to integrate Corporate KYC (known as KYB) into the NEAR Protocol.

The explosion of new era digital solutions and blockchains such as NEAR means the old ways of conducting business are being fundamentally disrupted. This creates opportunities and risks in the burgeoning Web3 era. Chief among these risks is not knowing who you are doing business with.

In a decentralised ecosystem, who can you really trust?

Regulated businesses have developed highly complicated and at times difficult to navigate client onboarding processes. This necessitates due diligence however that can and does take time, work and effort. All parties are disrupted in getting business done efficiently and effectively.

The friction this causes has a meaningful impact on trade and commerce. It can be the difference between opening an account or not; signing a lucrative agreement or not; and what is worse, it does not need to be that way. Until now.

Gatenox has been designed specifically with the Web3.0 era in mind and seeks to unlock its full potential for businesses. By combining the best of decentralised and centralised technologies, Gatenox is the fastest, most secure and reliable way to generate trust between businesses, organisations and regulated entities - by generating near real-time verification. By designing our systems to meet your know-your-client (KYC) requirements, Gatenox is the world’s leading provider of compliance for the Web3.0 era.

GATENOX is pleased to announce that GATENOX has received a grant from the NEAR Foundation to integrate Corporate KYC (known as KYB) into the NEAR Protocol.

GATENOX and the NEAR Foundation

Recent years brought us one of the use cases blockchain enthusiasts have been dreaming about: blockchain (or crypto) gaming, usually called Play-to-Earn. The idea was simple - most games have in-game assets - like artifacts, cards, and skins - that can be represented by non-fungible tokens (NFTs). And a token can represent a premium in-game currency and provide additional web3 mechanics like staking. It looks like the dream is here - but if we dive deeper under the hood, we will notice that not everything is perfect.

## Blockchain limitations in web3 games

Why are most crypto games built only around token and NFT ideas?

The first challenge that we face is the finality time. Finality time is the time you need to wait to become sure that your transaction is actually executed. Most blockchains reach finality in minutes. Even the fastest ones - like NEAR with 2s finality time - would **not be capable of handling the traffic** of first-person shooter, racing, or any other type of real-time game. We can completely exclude physics as it runs very heavy computations. In any case, we can use tokens - both fungible and non-fungible - to provide an additional layer in the metagame of such games - skins, auctions, etc.

But if we put attention to turn-based games - we'll face another problem of blockchains in general - **transaction costs**. It's a common practice in Web3 to make users pay for their own transactions, and it works well in the DeFi space, but when it comes to other types of applications, it can become a problem. You just cannot ask a user to verify every action inside the game, as no one would play a game where half of the gameplay is signing transactions with a wallet. In some networks, you can bypass this, allowing the application to spend money to cover transaction costs by providing a clear limit to it. Check out Near Social as an example - but it's still not an answer, and we'll try to explain why.

## Challenges in putting logic on-chain

If you think about putting your game logic in smart contracts, you may come up with the idea that it is not possible. **Game logic transactions would be extremely heavy**, checking a lot of conditions before actually modifying the game state. You can still do it, and even if the transaction costs in the particular network in a fraction of a cent - we can bet that your user would not be happy to pay a dollar for a 5-10 minute session.

Still, there is **value in making that happen**. First, you will have a clear log of every action that happened in your game. Imagine a global chess ledger where all chess games played are stored, so any company can build its own frontend while the global leaderboard is shared and ELO rating is calculated correctly. Second, you can introduce **more complex game economics**, where the resources that people gain and spend are verified by smart contracts - just as in other DeFi applications. Third, you can literally eliminate cheaters - since the transaction log is public and the logic is in smart contracts - there is no way to hack the game if the logic is implemented correctly. We can continue this list, but you can see the pattern - as you move more to the chain, your players should also pay more to cover transaction costs.

Yes, there is a workaround to solve some of the problems mentioned above - **launching your own sidechain**, like Axie Infinity. But be aware of the costs and risks associated with that, that count in millions of USD.

## Private Shard as a revolution for Web3 gaming

What if there is a solution that’s similar to launching your own sidechain but with a fraction of the cost? Introducing Private Shards. Think about the Private Shard as a customizable sidechain run by a professional validator that is connected with the layer one mainnet chain. It allows you to leverage all benefits of public open-source blockchain, make the network protected from activities not connected with your project and be sure that the transaction throughput would be enough to satisfy your users.

Private Shard allows you to start your game and forget about the costs usually associated with blockchain development. Not only do the users not pay for transactions, but you don’t pay for smart contract deployment as well. Since the environment is protected, you can also upgrade contract logic with every new release of your game. Once the game is scaling up and the fact that there is only one owner that controls the whole network - you can delegate the ownership of validators to your community members and turn the private network into a DAO-owned one.

Calimero philosophy is built around simplicity - we believe that the developer should not spend a lot of time fighting with the tools. So every aspect of our platform is built with this idea in mind - you should spend a maximum of one minute to spin up your Shard, one more minute to install the necessary components, and then just visit the Console only to add more functionality - the rest of your time should be spent on your product.

Let’s see how you can utilize different aspects and features of Calimero in your web game.

### Shard
As mentioned above, you should treat a Shard as your own zero-gas network. The interaction experience with the Shard is completely the same as with mainnet - the only thing is that you don’t pay for the transactions.

### Bridge
If you’re not building a game that would be completely disconnected from the outer world (if you do, you should ask yourself twice - do you need blockchain?), the bridge should be an essential part of your solution. We have developed the most secure and flexible bridge available on the market - let’s see how can you use it in your game.

#### NFT connector
Simple and straightforward - you can bridge NFTs that were minted on the mainnet to Calimero or vice versa - depending on your setup. The connector is installed in a minute, and the NFT transfer takes no longer than 5 seconds (actually, that works for every other type of transaction). You can start using NFTs in your game in the same way as other web3 games do - but the private Shard itself opens a lot of additional opportunities. You can mutate the NFT after some in-game actions are happening - like, tracking player experience in the “Player” NFT. Forget about the limits - your transactions are free.

#### FT connector
Even simpler than the NFT connector - bring your existing assets to the Shard with just one transaction. You can deploy your in-game currency token on the mainnet and bridge it to the Shard, where people can enjoy free transactions and send tiny fractions of tokens for various actions. You can also bridge USDT to the Shard - the bridge will keep tracking the consistency of data, so the number of tokens locked in the mainnet would be precisely the same as the number of tokens inside the Shard. There are a lot of opportunities to use this feature, but we believe that free microtransactions would drastically improve the user experience.

#### Cross Shard contract connector
The most exciting part - probably, the one you’ve never seen before. With Calimero bridge, you can write smart contracts that can trigger methods of the contracts that are deployed in another network. This does not sound cool, but think in the following way: now you can separate some parts of your game between public and private networks. NFT minting - probably should be done on a public one. Micropayments and action tracking - probably better to do on a private part. And the bridge is just working, hiding the complexity of cross-chain interaction and turning it into an experience similar to using an API.

### Gateway
The gateway acts like a firewall - you can set up different permissions for different user types. Limit the ability of new players to use some aspects of the game, or ask for KYC if the user wants to withdraw the money, or create “guild masters” that have additional powers in the game - everything is possible (and if it is not possible, we’ll add that feature in 1 month).

## Dream big
After reading this, can you answer the question - what is stopping you from starting your new web3 game? Calimero has delivered a solution that eliminates almost every barrier that separates web2 and web3 gaming - so there is just no option to say, “you can’t do that on blockchain because…..”. Now you can do everything - and we are here to help. Contact us if you’d like to get a free trial, or need help to get started.


Recent years brought us one of the use cases blockchain enthusiasts have been dreaming about: blockchain (or crypto) gaming, usually called Play-to-Earn.

New Opportunities in Blockchain Gaming in 2023



### DELVING DEEPER : NEAR INDIA

Building an inclusive and continuously engaged community that can fully leverage the infinite scalability and usability that NEAR offers requires effective decentralisation; enter NEAR Regional Hubs. NEAR Regional Hubs are region-specific communities led by local Web3 natives, entrepreneurs, and early adopters that help individuals and projects connect, learn, and onboard into the NEAR ecosystem. NEAR India Hub is the latest addition to a growing list of regional hubs helping NEAR achieve its mission around the world.

NEARWEEK had a chance to catch up with the NEAR India Hub team and talk about India’s budding developer space, the hub’s activities, and how it is helping NEAR forward its broader mission for Web3.

### TL;DR

\- The NEAR India Hub is barely a few months old, but its massive potential in a digital-first environment and vibrant developer community makes it ideally positioned to accelerate the mission and vision of NEAR and Web3.

\- The founding team behind the hub has over a decade of combined experience in both traditional finance and Web3.

\- Primarily a ramp for entrepreneurs and developers looking to build on NEAR, the hub is also an education portal for enthusiasts wanting to learn about NEAR and Web3.

\- If you are a developer/entrepreneur in India, look forward to in-person events, hackathons, and entrepreneur residencies.

### A Regional Hub in India Makes Complete Sense

India has seen [exponential growth](https://conquercoding.com/why-are-there-so-many-software-developers-from-india/) in its software technology and developer community over the last decade. Leapfrogging from 81st in 2015 to 40th in 2022 on the Global Innovation index and contributing 7.7% to the country’s GDP are just a few of the exploits of the software technology and engineering industry. But the most impressive of all is that the number of software developers in India is set to [overtake the top spot](https://www.expresscomputer.in/news/with-over-6-million-software-developers-we-see-india-as-a-critical-market-with-a-thriving-startup-ecosystem-sid-puri-retool/84315/#:~:text=in%20Y%20Combinator.-,With%20over%206%20million%20software%20developers%2C%20we%20see%20India%20as,technology%20centers%20of%20the%20world) in the world by 2024, currently trailing only the US (approx. 4.4 million). This rapidly growing developer workforce coincides with NEAR’s vision to onboard one billion users to Web3, making it a potentially mutually beneficial partnership.

As developers branch out into new and innovative technologies or applications that solve everyday problems in their community, NEAR India Hub is ideally positioned as the perfect ramp into a thriving Web3 ecosystem, acting as a connective tissue between the developers/entrepreneurs and an active community of users. According to [Aayush Gupta,](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aayush-gupta-629b1144/) co-founder of the NEAR India Hub, the mission of the hub is centred around “Empowering developers, empowering entrepreneurs to create useful applications on Web3,” and giving direction to a large and eager developer/entrepreneur market in India to push the envelope of innovation.

### Banking on UX & Interoperability

The NEAR India Hub is primarily focused on incubating and supporting local projects that want to build on NEAR or, at the very least, explore the world of Web3. But the team knows their work goes even further, in what Gupta describes as “raising awareness” of NEAR in India. The hub is modelled as a ramp into the NEAR ecosystem by supporting projects with resources such as grants, connections to ecosystem partners, and venture support. In-house, the hub will organise hackathons, meet-up events, and entrepreneur residencies to actively engage and interact with local innovators who want to build on NEAR. In addition, the hub has an education portal for anyone who wants to take their first steps into Web3 and the NEAR ecosystems.

Discussing their objectives, Gupta highlights two unique features that give NEAR an advantage and attractiveness over other L1 ecosystems and will make building on NEAR (and Web3 in general) exciting for developers and entrepreneurs in India; NEAR’s interoperability and the user experience on both the developer and user side.

_‘This is exactly how we think that NEAR is going to onboard the next billion users, basically simplifying it for both users and developers… I feel like NEAR is better equipped than most of the other ecosystems because we are focused fundamentally on the user experience part.’_

Regarding interoperability, Gupta believes NEAR gives project builders the convenience of multiple options within one ecosystem. For example, leveraging the Aurora EVM to build Ethereum-friendly projects. And to make it even better, the developer-side user experience makes it super comfortable for Web2-native developers to seamlessly transition into Web3 by building with languages they are familiar with (JavaScript) or can quickly learn on the fly (Rust) or for developers used to legacy Web3 stacks like Ethereum to feel right at home by building with Solidity.

### Getting busy from day one

Despite being in its nascent stage, the NEAR India Hub team rolled its sleeves from day one and already has a project in active beta, Binocs, a crypto taxation platform that allows users to comprehensively comply with crypto-related tax obligations. Outside of Binocs, Gupta says the team has been working closely with at least five other projects and is hopeful they will go live in the coming months. However, he notes a significant challenge in the current state of the crypto market and the dissuasive effect it has on developers and entrepreneurs. But this challenge has a silver lining: it provides the perfect environment to work with builders with a strong vision and who are in it for the long haul.

_‘Traditionally, the enthusiasm of the users in this space also moves at random with the price action of the market… But in terms of our efforts. I think this is the time to get the more serious entrepreneurs and developers on board.’_

As a budding hub in charge of nurturing immense potential that has to find the right balance between regulations, navigating a challenging market situation, and curating the right projects, the team has its work cut out. But this is where experience comes in, and the team happens to have a lot of it. Co-founders Aayush Gupta and Yash Kanchan both have an extensive background in finance and have been around Web3 for 7+ years.

### Looking Forward; Sustainability & The Next Five Years

Well aware of the opportunity at hand to build something massive for India, NEAR, and the world, the NEAR India Hub team is unfazed by the challenge. Still, it is tempering ambition with a realistic eye. Gupta believes the hub can have success stories and solid projects in its portfolio within a year but will only go as far as projecting the first few years because of how unpredictable the world of crypto is.

_‘Five years is extremely long when it comes to the technology cycle for a Web3 for the crypto ecosystem as a whole, right? So, I think we will go step by step and probably be focused on the first couple of years._**_’_**

Sustainability is one of the critical questions that every hub has to answer and work out for themselves. For Gupta, finding mutually beneficial ways of being intricately linked to projects can guarantee minimal sustainability.

_‘I think a model where the Regional Hub has skin in the game, and receives benefits from a project’s success can be a great recipe for sustainability… that’s what will lead to sustainability for us in the long term.’_

The willingness to support and invest in a project, taking a chance on its risks, implies great trust in the projects and can be a huge confidence boost for innovators knowing that the hub is willing to go that extra mile with them.

The NEAR India Hub is still settling in, but the team is highly ambitious and firmly believes in what they can achieve as a community. With the obvious potential in India and how experienced the team is, it is easy to see why.

Connect and stay up to date with the NEAR India Hub [here](https://twitter.com/nearindia?s=21&t=ZcWaN4AW6buG27lOwI5vXQ).

Written by [Beet](https://twitter.com/Beet2493?s=20)

### About NEAR Protocol

NEAR is a dynamically sharded Proof-of-Stake, carbon-neutral blockchain built for usability and scalability. NEAR combines the power of both PoS and sharding in a technology called Nightshade, making the chain infinitely scalable without compromising security and decentralization.

### About NEARWEEK

NEARWEEK is one of the first decentralized news sources within the NEAR ecosystem. Through the production of quality content, news, and promotional support, NEARWEEK unleashes the full potential of its promotional channels with the aim of becoming the social epicenter of the NEAR ecosystem.



* * *

[DELVING DEEPER : NEAR INDIA](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/delving-deeper-near-india-345766c22f76) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

DELVING DEEPER : NEAR INDIA



The LazyFi journey started close to 3 years ago. Born out of frustration with the lack of engaging learning tools during the pandemic. We have been designing, testing, building and working on all of the various aspects of the business, platform and product ever since. We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved so far and yet we recognise that this is only the beginning.

Thank you to everyone who has joined the community and participated in our beta testing and soft launch on the NEAR testnet. **To those who completed the games and submitted feedback, you will be airdropped your $NEAR after the LazyFi mainnet launch.** You are all the well-placed few who saw the potential for LazyFi as not only an exciting and unique Web3 product with the potential to elevate engagement, learning and rewards within the wider crypto marketplace but also beyond that in the Web2 and commercial markets also.

As we move into phase 2 of our beta campaign we would like to reward you for helping further our testing with the opportunity to **win a 120 $NEAR and a runner-up prize pool in LAZY Tokens (to be claimed post-TGE) for the top 10 participants.** A pool of 20,000 $LAZY will be distributed amongst the campaign winners.

Sound good? Well, read on…

### LazyFi Phase 2 testing campaign

Previously we have asked you to help in testing the gameplay, learning elements, platform UI and rewards. In this phase, we would like our community to test the campaign functionality of the platform and we thought we’d help you all to earn some LAZY rewards.

How does it work?

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*qPkpyPaYr6_YSkOhM2GRYg.png)

Well in a nutshell we want you to create your own LazyFi campaign and share it with your friends, pick any topic (or crypto project) that you’d like, add your questions and launch it to your network. The campaign with the most-new user sign-ups and the most game sessions played will **win the 120 NEAR prize** and the runners-up will each score a LAZY token reward as soon as we complete our public sale later this year.

### What do I need to do?

#### Step 1

Ok, well the first step is to sign up to LazyFi and create an account (if you haven’t already). The easiest way to do this is by clicking on this link, you can also use this link to [create an account.](https://app.lazyfi.gg)

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*FGqNMUx8qGq0triqvZvlGQ.png)

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*qYp3h2J1RjY3tPBd2S41Hg.jpeg)

This button will be available from the 28th January.

#### Step 2

Create a campaign and add your questions. Make these engaging and useful, and include links where your players can source the information.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*doTzfeaR091GX9OpUKZt8g.png)

#### Step 3

Deploy and share

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/1*5HUF-3ZUUNXJ34l5EL1zIw.png)

#### Step 4

Promote the campaign on all your channels, and share it with your friends and family, who knows, your mum might even beat your high score.

For more information about setting up a lazyfi campaign [please read this article](https://medium.com/p/457382d3e9c5)

### When does the second round start?

The Phase 2 campaign competition will run for 7 days from the **28th of Jan 2023** so you have a week to get signed up and start priming your network. We will provide you with customisable social graphics that you can use but should also feel free to create your own.

Get creative, and share your ideas in our Telegram group, we will be promoting this via our partner network also, so this is a great opportunity for you to showcase your concepts to the wider community on NEAR and draw some attention to yourself or a project you support.

We will be providing you with regular updates via our channels and via email so make sure you’re subscribed, we have all the links on the website including our token and NFT whitelist form which you can add yourself to if you are interested.

Looking forward to seeing you all get Lazy

Stay tuned

**The LazyFi Team**

### About LazyFi

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*XhCJknNAcTHPhR82.png)

LazyFi is an educational gaming platform that enables Web3 projects to effortlessly create and deploy their own [#LearnToEarn](https://twitter.com/hashtag/LearnToEarn?src=hashtag_click) campaign via [#PlayToEarn](https://twitter.com/hashtag/PlayToEarn?src=hashtag_click) gaming

[Website](http://lazyfi.gg/)| [Twitter](http://twitter.com/lazyfi_learning) | [Telegram](https://t.me/+1uQgllRrypNkOGNk)



* * *

[The second round of the LazyFi Testnet begins](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/the-second-round-of-the-lazyfi-testnet-begins-a54f09ca7070) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The LazyFi journey started close to 3 years ago. Born out of frustration with the lack of engaging learning tools during the pandemic. We...

The second round of the LazyFi Testnet begins



#### TL;DR

*   **Meta Bonds** enables users to access early liquidity from Meta Yield Launchpad
*   Bonds (IOUs from Meta Yield) can now be traded on **Meta Bonds**
*   Bond sellers are able to access their initial capital earlier, Bond Buyers are able to acquire those assets at a lower rate

#### Overview

We are excited to announce the launch of [**Meta Bonds**](https://metabondmarket.app/), the latest product to join the [Meta Pool ecosystem](https://blog.metapool.app/2022/10/04/meta-pool-ecosystem-overview/). **Meta Bonds** is a marketplace where users that have participated in Meta Yield Launchpad campaigns and still have assets locked can create listings and freely exchange these bonds with others. With **Meta Bonds,** Meta Pool is ushering a new era of capital efficiency on NEAR.

#### Unlocking Liquidity from the Launchpad

In May 2022 we launched our lossless launchpad [— Meta Yield](https://metayield.app/). Meta Yield allows anyone holding stNEAR to back a project, and in exchange earn their native tokens or NFTs. Our unique process means users can lock stNEAR into the project’s vault. During the lock-up period, which can be up to 12 months, all staking rewards go to the project. At the end of the lock-up period the user gets back the equivalent of their initial deposit in stNEAR.

For example, if Carlos deposits 100 NEAR worth in stNEAR, he will obtain 100 NEAR worth of stNEAR at the end of the lockup period. This is because the value of stNEAR increases every epoch as staking rewards come in (see chart below) At the end of the lockup period he will receive less stNEAR but the value will always be equal to the initial deposit.

22/09/2022 100 NEAR = 89.08 stNEAR (1 stNEAR = 1.1225 NEAR)  
18/01/2023 100 NEAR = 86.36 stNEAR (1 stNEAR — 1.1579 NEAR)

![stNEAR price progression](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/898/0*X2yISPI0kfK5UYns.png)

#### Carlos will receive the original 100 NEAR at the end of the lock-up period.

#### The problem

We know that during periods of high volatility and uncertainty, some users are less comfortable with locking away NEAR on Meta Yield Launchpad for long periods of time. We’ve listened to the feedback, and have been working around the clock to introduce **Meta Bonds**.

#### How Meta Bonds works

**Meta Bonds** puts users back in control of their capital by enabling them to list their IOUs or Bonds from Meta Yield Launchpad — assets that are currently held subject to the lockup period of the campaign they participated in.

Bonds are freely traded, namely, **Meta Bonds** facilitate price discovery by allowing a Seller to set the price for their Bonds and to choose between _Buy Now_ or _Auction_ modes. Likewise, Buyers are able to place Bids and buy the Bonds they think represent good value. Bonds usually trade at a discount as the Seller places a higher value on being able to access the assets ahead of their scheduled release — they may have to pay the bills or come across a new investment opportunity. Meanwhile, Buyers are happy to wait as long as they are able to buy at a lower price.

![Meta Bonds Market for Meta Yield Projects](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1024/0*j13qjG-MvBd38r79.png)

**Example**

1.  Alice participated in the [Pembrock](https://metayield.app/project/0) Campaign on Meta Yield Launchpad. Alice locked 100 NEAR worth of stNEAR for 12 months and received PEM tokens in exchange.
2.  After three months, Alice decides she wants to set up her own validator and now needs to access her original allocation currently locked in Meta Yield Launchpad.
3.  Alice goes to [**Meta Bonds**](https://metabondmarket.app/) and lists her 100 NEAR Bond, with a maturity date of 9 months into the future, for 85 NEAR.
4.  Chen thinks that a 15% discount is a great deal and is willing to wait 9 months for the lockup period to end. He purchases the bond off Alice.
5.  Alice received 85 NEAR, and now Chen owns the Bond that used to belong to Alice.

It is important to note that depending on the market conditions, asset, discount offered and lockup time, the Bond may not be purchased. **Meta Bonds** is a Marketplace and can not guarantee the early access of funds unless there is a buyer.

#### What Happens Next

In case you are wondering whether **Meta Bonds** is for you or in which ways you can benefit from its launch, there are three key uses:

*   You participated in a Meta Yield campaign. There are two types of bonds or assets you may want to access earlier — the stNEAR deposited into a vault or the tokens you stand to receive from the project.
*   You are interested in buying these tokens (bonds): if you are willing to wait a little bit, you may be able to find a good deal and buy these assets at a discount.
*   You’re long on NEAR and you want to acquire a NEAR Bond at a discount, with maturity in X months into the future.

Looking forward, the message is clear — you can now enter any Meta Yield Launchpad campaign without worrying about the lockup periods as **Meta Bonds** will enable you to sell those locked assets/tokens (bonds) at any time. Likewise, you should make it a habit to monitor the Bonds Market in case there are good opportunities to buy these assets (bonds) from someone else.

For detailed information about Meta Bonds, visit the project [Gitbook](http://For detailed information about Meta Bonds, visit the project Gitbook.). You can also join the conversation at our official [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/tG4XJzRtdQ) and [Telegram](https://t.me/MetaPoolOfficialGroup) channels.

#### About Meta Pool & stNEAR

Meta Pool is the leading liquid staking solution for $NEAR and wNEAR token holders. With Meta Pool you earn NEAR staking rewards and maintain your liquidity to participate in DeFi protocols on NEAR and [Aurora](https://aurora.dev/).

Users staking $NEAR and wNEAR with Meta Pool receive in exchange stNEAR (staked NEAR) tokens.

stNEAR simultaneously accrues staking rewards and unlocks users’ liquidity enabling them to participate in DeFi activities (e.g. lending, farming, borrowing) on NEAR and Aurora.

#### Stake $NEAR on Meta Pool

~9.27% APY

#### Get stNEAR

Yield-bearing token

#### Go DeFi on NEAR & Aurora

More APY and more rewards

Meta Pool also solves the problems associated with Proof-of-Stake networks staking: illiquidity, immovability and accessibility. Meta Pool also aims to distribute staking in multiple validators to improve censorship-resistance of the NEAR network.

With a TVL of ~9 Million $NEAR and growing, Meta Pool has become in just a few months a cornerstone element of the NEAR ecosystem. Meta Pool is making NEAR Protocol more decentralized and therefore more secure.

In February 2022 Meta Pool has been successfully audited by BlockSec, confirming the implementation of the highest security standards.

For more information visit [https://metapool.app](https://metapool.app/).

![Liquid Stake NEAR - Get stNEAR](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/300/0*mutxiyGGJQcJq-sU.png)

![Liquid Stake wNEAR - Get stNEAR](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/300/0*ZRvq13sGx7WV1Xbi.png)

#### Join Meta Pool & stNEAR Community

If you have any questions or wish to be part of our project, don’t hesitate to join our official platforms and reach out to the team! [Twitter](https://twitter.com/meta_pool) / [Medium](https://medium.com/@meta_pool) [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCftgX55OpiouK8pmHydVT-g) / [Telegram-plane](https://t.me/MetaPoolOfficialGroup) / [Discord](https://discord.gg/tG4XJzRtdQ)



* * *

[Meta Bonds: Ushering a New Era of Capital Efficiency on NEAR](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/meta-bonds-ushering-a-new-era-of-capital-efficiency-on-near-b934a351a280) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Meta Bonds enables users to access early liquidity from Meta Yield Launchpad

Meta Bonds: Ushering a New Era of Capital Efficiency on NEAR

Wallet security can be intimidating, especially for newcomers. But it just got a whole lot easier for NEAR users. NEAR Foundation is excited to announce full integration with Ledger Live, making it easier than ever for NEAR holders to secure their assets using Ledger’s devices and software. 

Ledger Live is Ledger’s all-in-one digital asset management app enabling its users to manage and stake an ever-growing range of digital assets from the security and self-custody of their hardware wallets. Through its single, secure app, anyone from newcomers to crypto natives can follow the market,manage their DeFi portfolio, and explore Web3 with complete control and freedom. 

“We are thrilled to help more people enjoy the benefits of self-custody, no matter what their level of crypto experience,” said Marieke Flament, CEO of the NEAR Foundation. “This new partnership will bring even easier and more secure access to cryptocurrency worldwide, as we remain committed to serving as the de facto entry point to Web3 – simplifying the onboarding experience for users even if they have never used crypto, tokens, keys, or wallets.”

Carl Anderson, VP B2C Engineering at Ledger, adds: “I’m pleased to see a crypto player like NEAR join the Ledger ecosystem. This integration highlights what Ledger Live really is: an all-in-one asset management app where users can manage their digital assets, visualize their NFTs, and explore an ever-growing range of Web3 apps from the security of their hardware wallets.”

## How Ledger Live works
To use Ledger Live, users must have a Ledger hardware wallet and then download the desktop and/or mobile app. This all-in-one digital asset management app allows users to track, buy, sell and swap an ever-growing range of tokens, visualize NFTs, earn rewards, manage NFT collections, and securely stake their digital assets with Ledger by Figment validator while enjoying the benefits of self-custody. 

Users can delegate their NEAR tokens to the Ledger by Figment validator, contributing to the protocol’s security while benefiting from coverage against slashing risks, low commission fees, and earning rewards from that contribution. 

Visit the [Ledger Live](https://www.ledger.com/ledger-live) webpage for more details on using the app and staking with the Ledger by Figment validator. 

NEAR Foundation is excited to announce full integration with Ledger Live, making it easier than ever for NEAR holders to secure their assets using Ledger’s devices and software.

NEAR Now Integrated into Ledger Live For More Security and Ownership



**Veax, a brand new decentralised exchange built on NEAR, offers a trustless DeFi experience by bringing well-known TradFi features to the world of DeFi.**

Following news that the company raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding in November, decentralised derivatives trading platform, [Veax](http://www.veax.com), has announced the launch of its public testnet. The DEX offers a suite of advanced trading features that sets it apart from its peers including advanced liquidity management, adaptable liquidity pools, true margin and derivatives trading and more.

_DeFi has become a bit boring. We’re bringing back the excitement by building a truly unique DEX that merges the worlds of TradFi and DeFi. We believe that the future of finance is blockchain technology, so we’re actively developing the platform of tomorrow._

— Mathias Lundoe Nielsen, CEO of Veax Labs

The architecture of Veax is partly based on academic research by Roger Wattenhofer, an established computer science professor at ETH Zurich and an advisor to the project. Through its concentrated liquidity offering, the platform restructures the traditional multi-fee level structure seen in other DEXes and offers adaptable liquidity pools, which enable liquidity providers to successfully optimise capital deployment and maximise returns in the long-run. In essence, Veax has taken proven concepts from the traditional finance market and optimised them for the world of DeFi.

The Veax team is excited to showcase the full capabilities of the platform! Over the coming weeks, the project will ready itself to launch its mainnet and significantly upgrade the experience of trading digital assets on NEAR, as the DEX offers a trustless solution between the world of traditional and decentralised finance.

The Veax testnet launches Tuesday, January 31st, 2023, and early users will be able to test out various functions and capabilities of the platform. We can’t wait to try it out ourselves!

**About Veax**

Veax is an advanced single-sided liquidity management DEX built natively on the NEAR blockchain with pioneering TradFi-empowered features. The platform is developed by Tacans Labs and has raised $1.2m in pre-seed funding from prominent investors including Circle Ventures, Proximity Labs, Outlier Ventures and more. The leadership team includes award-winning entrepreneur, Mathias Lundoe Nielsen, and industry veterans, James Davies, Ivan Ivaschenko, and Marie Tatibouet.

[Website](https://veax.com/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/veaxlabs), [Medium](https://medium.com/@veaxlabs), [Telegram](https://t.me/veaxlabs)

**About NEAR Protocol**

NEAR is a dynamically sharded Proof-of-Stake, carbon-neutral blockchain built for usability and scalability. NEAR combines the power of both PoS and sharding in a technology called Nightshade, making the chain infinitely scalable without compromising security and decentralisation.



* * *

[Veax Launches Public Testnet of Advanced DEX Built on NEAR](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/veax-launches-public-testnet-of-advanced-dex-built-on-near-2ccbee297470) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Veax, a brand new decentralised exchange built on NEAR, offers a trustless DeFi experience by bringing well-known TradFi features to th...

Veax Launches Public Testnet of Advanced DEX Built on NEAR



As an easy-to-use iOS and Android platform, YouMinter is opening the NFT world to the next millions of users. We break unnecessary entry barriers into Web3 by allowing any level of user from any part of the world to experience NFTs in three easy steps — download, sign up, and create!

As part of our initiative to create a unique experience that sets YouMinter apart from the industry’s noise, we launched the Genesis Sale on 19th January and will run until 30th January 2023. In the meantime, let’s bring you up to speed with what is going on.

### Genesis Sale Details

The Genesis Sale is our first event of Q1 2023, and as the name spells it out, it marks the beginning of a new NFT world where users co-own their engagement platform and have equal voices on decisions that matter. The biggest item of the Genesis Sale is the CameraBox, the user’s key to unlocking all NFT features on YouMinter.

We brought the event before the upcoming Mainnet launch on 31st January to create a uniform experience for all users. Anyone can participate in the Genesis sale, and we will tell you how to do that shortly. In that spirit, we are thrilled to announce that the giveaway phase of the Genesis has just concluded, and we have the winners of the 50 NFT CameraBoxes. Check out our [Twitter](https://twitter.com/youminter?t=Fub8Ld2GezI6VsbMk-eALA&s=09) handle to see how it went down.

![](https://awesomenear-spaces.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com/production/articles/youminter-genesis-sale-details-and-what-we-have-for-you-this-year/0*cWtnxpZmGq8xjP0A)

### What Can You Do with Genesis NFT Cameras?

NFT Cameras will power all NFT-related activities within the YouMinter app. These are special tools that allow you to create and share NFT posts, as well as convert non-NFT posts into NFTs. All NFT Cameras are unique, but their rarity levels differ with the collection and several attributes. Users can always upgrade these attributes to add more value to their NFT Cameras.

While you can acquire the standard non-NFT Camera inside the app or mint it, the tools in the Genesis collection can only be acquired in the ongoing event, making them rarer and even more expensive in secondary marketplaces. Nonetheless, monetization is just a side benefit. The key benefits of owning the NFT Cameras inside the Genesis CameraBox include having the following:

*   Early access to the YouMinter platform after the official launch on Mainnet and all NFT features, including creating, receiving, and sending NFTs and upcoming upgrades;
*   Benefits in Earning System, which means more profitable conditions in Reward System for holders of Genesis NFT Cameras;
*   Common or Uncommon Cameras. It should be noted that you can find the Uncommon NFT Camera only from CameraBox;
*   CameraBoxes for a fixed price. It is during the Genesis Sale that CameraBoxes can be purchased at a fixed price on marketplaces.

### How and Where to Get a CameraBox

The only way to acquire an NFT CameraBox in the Genesis Sale is by buying it at a fixed price or auction bid. Those looking forward to buying directly can visit [**Paras**](https://paras.id/collection/youminter_camerabox.near) or [**Mintbase**](https://www.mintbase.io/contract/youminter_camerabox.near/nfts/only-listed/0) NFT marketplaces. For bidders, [**Boca Chica’s auction**](https://auction.bocachica.io/) is the place to find your key to the boundless NFT world.

Here are the rounded-up steps for acquiring your CameraBox:

*   Follow the ongoing Genesis Sale on Paras, Mintbase, or Boca Chica;
*   Browse the Genesis Collection and collect as many pieces as you want;
*   Connect your NEAR wallet to log in;
*   Choose Buy or Place a bid, depending on the preferred acquisition mode;
*   Approve the purchase in your NEAR wallet;
*   Get the CameraBox in your NEAR wallet;
*   Log in with your NEAR wallet to YouMinter and launch your Genesis NFT once we go live on Mainnet.

It’s worth noting that all these marketplaces are our partners within the bigger NEAR ecosystem umbrella, and we share the same goal and vision of taking the NFT experience to the mainstream arena. That said, most features in the marketplaces can be best experienced if you’re connecting within the NEAR chain and ecosystem.

### About YouMinter

YouMinter is a Web3 social network in an easy-to-use iOS and Android app with an NFT feed, followers, and likes that opens up the world of NFT to everyone and is owned by its users. By taking advantage of YouMinter, users can build their communities, follow bloggers and artists, and communicate with all of them in one single place and with the power of NFTs. Moreover, the more your community grows, the more project’s share you get. We call it Ownership Economy.

[Website](https://youminter.com/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/youminter) | [Discord](http://discord.gg/xXm2Db88n5) | [Telegram](https://t.me/youminter) | [Medium](https://youminter.medium.com/)



* * *

[YouMinter Genesis Sale Details and What We Have for You This Year](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/the-genesis-sale-details-and-what-we-have-for-you-this-year-1a0d91653f93) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As an easy-to-use iOS and Android platform, YouMinter is opening the NFT world to the next millions of users. We break unnecessary entry ...

YouMinter Genesis Sale Details and What We Have for You This Year



The world of DeFi is chaotic and demands energy, focus, and skills from users that want to participate in it. In this environment, finding the right platform for starting your DeFi journey can be a real game changer, and UNO.Farm aims to make DeFi not only more accessible and safer, but also effortless by implementing a novel approach to asset management. UNO.Farm developed an automated cross-chain management of assets so users can invest in the best performing pools and simply sit back while UNO.Farm’s algorithm manages your assets.

#### **Bringing the Best Opportunities Under one Roof**

Keeping up with the world of DeFi can be hard. Users not only need to track their investments across different applications and ecosystems, but also to find the best analytical tools to identify their next move. In order to facilitate this, UNO.Farm built the most comprehensive and easy-to-use platform for managing and discovering new investment opportunities. By bringing together the best farming, lending, and liquidity opportunities under one roof, UNO.Farm provides you with just the right tools to embark on your DeFi journey with peace of mind.

#### **How Does UNO.Farm Work?**

Identifying farm opportunities is a difficult task that requires a lot of time and attention, making the barrier to entry difficult for new users to overcome. UNO.Farm tries to lower entry barriers to DeFi by providing the following set of resources that help users orient themselves and discover new opportunities to efficiently manage their assets.

#### **Data Aggregation**

UNO.Farm aggregates the best farming, lending, and liquidity-providing opportunities in one place effectively allowing users to cut the time spent on manual search.

#### **Careful Selection**

For the past three years the UNO.Farm’s team has been running Mycelium lab, a crypto development company that helped create over thirty crypto and DeFi custom products. Its experienced team will be responsible for selecting reliable products with a solid track record curating a healthy DeFi environment.

#### **Automated Liquidity Management**

Farming involves lending or staking cryptocurrency in exchange for interest and other rewards. It requires a lot of manual work and this might often result in easily preventable mistakes. UNO.Farm bypasses these issues by offering an automated, cross-chain, intelligent solution that continuously analyzes hundreds of carefully selected pools across the entire DeFi ecosystem and moves each user’s liquidity into the most efficient ones.

#### **Personal Profit Analysis**

Users can get a convenient and detailed analysis of all their DeFi investments in one place.

#### **Cross-Chain**

UNO.Farm automatically bridges the liquidity across the chains to access the best pools.

#### **User Friendly UI & UX**

UNO.Farm provides a very intuitive interface that allows users to get started in just a few minutes. Once users have selected their pool they can go ahead to deposit their assets and in no time their funds will be allocated to the best DeFi protocols. Keeping track of their portfolio is equally simple and at any point in time their funds can be redeemed.

#### **UNO.Farm x Aurora**

With UNO.Farm, the Aurora ecosystem is opening the gates of DeFi wide open by making investing in DeFi effortless and secure for anyone. Get your DeFi journey started!

The world of DeFi is chaotic and demands energy, focus, and skills from users that want to participate in it. In this environment, findin...

UNO.Farm: Your DeFi Journey Made Easy



Aurora’s partnership with Etherscan has been a successful one. As the most popular block explorer for Ethereum, Etherscan introduced a familiar set of tools to the Aurora ecosystem facilitating project deployments. However, as Aurora continues to grow and innovate, it needs to develop its own tailor-made robust tooling to fulfill its vision.

Aurora’s mission is to facilitate the adoption of Web3 technology and unlock its potential for any user and business. To achieve this, Aurora needs to provide scalable, convenient and turnkey blockchain infrastructure, able to accommodate a wide range of needs in the most efficient and sustainable way. Relying on vendor-provided core infrastructure components creates potential risks and functional limitations. Hence, the development of our own block explorer becomes imperative.

With the launch of the new Aurora block explorer, innovative use cases will become possible that will open up the gates of Web3 to a wider range of businesses. While the Aurora Labs team works on the new Aurora block explorer — whose launch is expected to take place in the coming months — users will in the meantime be able to rely on our Blockscout-based interim solution to perform their usual tasks, located at [https://explorer.aurora.dev.](https://explorer.aurora.dev./)


Aurora’s partnership with Etherscan has been a successful one. As the most popular block explorer for Ethereum, Etherscan introduced a fa...

Aurora Ends Its Partnership with Etherscan



Complete the tasks below and stand a chance to win a share of $888 in USDC!

**Platform:** Twitter  
**Duration:** 2PM UTC 20 Jan — 2PM UTC 30 Jan

**How to Enter**

*   Participants must adhere to the contest rules as published here and on Orderly Network’s Twitter account.
*   Follow @OrderlyNetwork, like & retweet the post
*   Join our Discord server ([Discord.gg/OrderlyNetwork](http://Discord.gg/OrderlyNetwork))
*   Trade at least $88 on [dex.woo.org](https://dex.woo.org/) across ETH/USDC, WOO/USDC, NEAR/USDC, WBTC/USDC, or Aurora/USDC (spot) trading pairs
*   Submit your Twitter handle, Discord ID & wallet address here: ​​[http://bit.ly/3IHObvh](http://bit.ly/3IHObvh)

**Rewards:**

*   8 Winners (as defined below) will receive a prize of $111 in USDC, which totals up to the amount of $888.

**Terms and Conditions**

*   The contest starts on 20 Jan 2023 at 2PM UTC. The contest ends on 30 Jan 2023 at 2PM UTC.
*   Winners will be announced on Orderly Network’s official Twitter account on 1 Feb 2023.
*   To be qualified for the reward, winners must complete the tasks listed.
*   All Entries must be submitted by the original creator of the Entry.
*   Participants are not eligible to win more than one prize.
*   By submitting an entry, participants agree to the contest terms and conditions.
*   Winners will be selected at random by the Orderly Network team.
*   Winners will receive the prizes within 4 weeks upon completion of submission of the relevant information for the delivery process.
*   The prize is non-negotiable, non-transferable and non-refundable.
*   The cryptocurrency rewards will only be distributed to wallet addresses available on NEAR (including but not limited to: via NEAR Wallet, Sender Wallet, Meteor Wallet) where winners may be subjected to each NEAR wallet’s terms of use respectively.
*   All personal information submitted is for the sole purpose of carrying out the contest (including delivery of the prize) and will be removed upon completion.
*   Orderly Network reserves the right in its sole discretion to amend, change, or cancel this announcement at any time and reason without prior notice. Please visit our official website [https://orderly.network](https://orderly.network) and Twitter [https://twitter.com/OrderlyNetwork](https://twitter.com/OrderlyNetwork) and be cautious of any fraud/phishing website.
*   This is neither a recommendation for investment nor does it constitute an offer, solicitation, or recommendation of any product or service. We are not responsible for any profit and loss made by your investment decision.



Complete the tasks below and stand a chance to win a share of $888 in USDC!

Hop into the Year of the Rabbit with Orderly Network’s Golden Rabbit Race!



In 2022 the [Aurora v2 Validator](https://aurora.dev/blog/near-proof-of-stake-2-0) was set up and launched with the objective of helping Aurora provide an accessible and smooth user experience. In the first year of its operation, 5 million $AURORA were allocated for the Aurora Validator, after a [proposal](https://forum.aurora.dev/t/aurora-validator-v-2-0-setup/100) was accepted by [Aurora DAO](https://aurora.dev/dao). A [new proposal](https://forum.aurora.dev/t/approved-allocate-an-additional-operational-budget/1854) to allocate an additional operational budget has been put forward and recently [approved](https://forum.aurora.dev/t/approved-aurora-validator-2023-2024-setup/1912).

The new parameters envisaged by the proposal are the following:

*   Set up the validator fee to 99% to incentivize delegators of the Validator amidst adverse market conditions;
*   Set up the farm of 20M $AURORA;
*   Establish the length of the farm to 1 year.

The above parameters will allow delegators to get a 19.9%-14.6% range of APY with total stake size in between 11–15M $NEAR, respectively, considering the current price of tokens involved.

Currently, Aurora Labs has been assigned by Aurora DAO as the main service provider and has therefore been the major recipient of the Aurora Validator’s rewards. While in the future this might change, for the coming year, Aurora Labs will continue to run the necessary operations for maintaining and enhancing Aurora.

We want to emphasize that the Aurora Validator allows Aurora to offer an accessible and convenient user experience by subsidizing the [RainbowBridge](https://ethereum.bridgetonear.org/), the [EVM runtime](https://doc.aurora.dev/), [Aurora+](https://aurora.plus/) free transactions and by supporting the development of the Aurora Protocol. We strongly believe that basic functionalities should be accessible for anyone and the Aurora Validator helps us guarantee that Aurora continues to be not just a viable option but a great and affordable option for any user.

You can now easily stake with the [Aurora Validator](https://wallet.near.org/staking/aurora.pool.near), get reasonable rewards, and help Aurora DAO bring you the most convenient blockchain experience!

#### About Aurora

Aurora is an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) based on the layer 1 proof-of-stake blockchain NEAR Protocol. Aurora provides a solution for developers to deploy their apps on an Ethereum-compatible, high-speed, scalable, and future-proof platform with low transaction costs for their users.

**Join Aurora community:** [Website](https://aurora.dev/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/auroraisnear) | [Telegram](https://t.me/auroraisnear) | [Discord](https://discord.com/invite/dEFJBz8HQV) | [Medium](https://auroraisnear.medium.com/) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5inYyvUO10iL65hBPFtpvg)



* * *

[Aurora Relaunches its Validator](https://medium.com/aurora-platform/aurora-relaunches-its-validator-537b402f909c) was originally published in [Aurora Platform](https://medium.com/aurora-platform) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In 2022 the Aurora v2 Validator was set up and launched with the objective of helping ...

Aurora Relaunches its Validator



_This introduction documentation encompasses the basic usage and features of the Few and Far Minting API version 1.2._

The API is a basic RESTful API requiring an API key for authentication and an associated wallet generated by Few and Far for purposes of funding blockchain transactions (i.e. paying for gas and storage) without direct blockchain integration.

By utilizing our minting API you can bypass the need for direct on-chain communication and drastically reduce development time and the need for expertise on a given blockchain.

**Basic Mechanics**

Once business formalities have been completed your development team will be provided with an API key to access our API toolset.

An “integration wallet” for the given blockchain will be created by our team for purposes of funding your off-chain minting requests.

When an API request is made to mint via our REST interface an on-chain call is then made and the minting fee shall be debited directly from the “integration wallet”

Note: It’s imperative that the integration wallet has gas (tokens) to facilitate minting, no gas = no mint.

**Authorization**

All API requests require an API token to be sent in the HTTP request header as seen below. (an API key shall be provided to you by Few and Far)

Authorization: Api-Key xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

**Errors**

Any 4xx-level response will contain a “message” property in the response body containing more information about what went wrong.

**NFT Contract Deployment**

The Few and Far NFT specification allows for deployment of multiple collections within a single contract. A contract can be thought of as a business logic & permissions container for any number of related NFT Collections.

Contracts are currently deployed manually by the Few and Far team, though we do plan to provide tools to deploy and manage contracts via API in the near future.

Deploying a new contract is a fast and easy process; contact your Few and Far representative if you wish to deploy a contract, and we will provide you with its UUID once it has been deployed so that you can utilize the API to create NFT Collections and mint NFTs.

### **Collection Creation Life Cycle**

Creating a Collection consists of three steps:

**_First_**_:_ Creating a Collection Draft (occurs off-chain)

**_Second_**_:_ Attaching assets (media & metadata files) to your Collection Draft

**_Third_**_:_ Finalizing your Collection Draft (this creates the Collection on-chain)

We will explore each of these steps now, as well as endpoints for minting NFTs and updating your collections.

For more information on types, see **Referenced Types** section below.

1.  **Creating a Collection Draft**

POST https://fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft

Content-type: application/json

**Request Body**

contract\_uuid (required; type string)

The contract that this collection will be deployed to:

title (required; type string; max length 256)

description(required; type string; max length 1024)

nft\_title\_separator(optional; type string; max length 16; defaults to “: ”)

public\_mint\_config(optional; type PublicMintConfig)

private\_mint\_config(optional; type PrivateMintConfig)

private\_mint\_accounts(optional; type NearAccountId\[\])

*   These are “allowlisted” accounts that can participate in the private mint.

bypass\_mint\_fee\_accounts(optional; type NearAccountId\[\])

initial\_royalties(optional; type Royalties)

*   Distribution of mint fee. Cannot total more than 95% (5% Few and Far initial royalty will be added before minting)

ongoing\_royalties(optional; type Royalties)

*   Royalties for secondary sales. Cannot total more than 100%.

allow\_approvals(optional; type bool)

*   If false, an NFT owner cannot give approval to a 3rd party account (e.g. marketplace contract) to transfer the token on their behalf.

approvals\_allowed\_accounts(optional; type NearAccountId\[\])

*   If present, listed accounts are the **only** accounts that can be given approval by an NFT owner to transfer the token on their behalf.

approvals\_denied\_accounts(optional; type NearAccountId\[\])

*   If present, listed accounts are the **only** accounts that **cannot** be given approval by an NFT owner to transfer the token on their behalf.

allow\_transfersIf present, listed accounts are the **only** accounts that **cannot** be given approval by an NFT owner to transfer the token on their behalf.

*   If false, an NFT owner cannot transfer their NFT to a new owner (calls to nft\_transfer, nft\_transfer\_call and nft\_transfer\_payout will panic with a useful error message).

transfers\_denied\_accounts ((optional; type NearAccountId\[\])

*   If present, listed accounts are the **only** accounts that NFT **cannot** be transferred to. This could be used by the collection owner to prohibit use of escrow marketplaces that skirt royalty payments.
*   **Response (201) Body** (Collection Draft**:**
*   A Collection Draftobject (see “Referenced Types” section for details)

**Request Body Example**

{  
  "contract\_uuid": "8860a24d-fe5f-45d2-aab1-4d1c8f05702d",  
  "title": "My Collection",  
  "description": "This is a great collection!",  
  "nft\_title\_separator": " - ",  
  "public\_mint\_config": {  
    "price": 10,  
    "starts\_at": 1672645203707,  
    "limit\_per\_account": 1  
  },  
  "private\_mint\_config": {  
    "price": 5.5,  
    "starts\_at": 1672645203707,  
    "ends\_at": 1672645749473,  
    "limit\_per\_account": 1,  
    "limit\_total": 100  
  },  
  “private\_mint\_accounts”: \[“whitelisted-account.near”\],  
  "initial\_royalties": {  
    "myaccount.near": 90,  
    "mycollaborator.near": 5  
  },  
  "ongoing\_royalties": {"myaccount.near": 5},  
  "bypass\_mint\_fee\_accounts": \["myaccount.near"\]  
}

**Get a Collection Draft:**

You can retrieve a Collection Draft by passing its UUID in the following GET request:

GET

[https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft/{collection\_draft\_uuid}](https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft/{collection_draft_uuid})

**2\. Attaching Assets to your Collection Draft (i.e. bulk upload)**

**POST**

[https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft/{collection-draft-uuid}/asset-bulk](https://fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft)

Content-type: multipart/form-data

Maximum request body size: 100MB

Maximum size per file: 1MB

**Request Body:** FormData containing parts as follows:

*   **Asset files** (media files for NFTs that will be minted in this collection)  
    \-These parts should be named “asset\_file”
*   **Reference/Metadata JSON files  
    \-**These parts should be named “reference\_file”  
    \-Each Reference file should correspond to one asset file (these associations are made in the assets\_detail form part)  
    \-Each Reference file should follow the [OpenSea Metadata Standard](https://docs.opensea.io/docs/metadata-standards)
*   **Assets Detail (**string)  
    \-JSON-stringified array of AssetDetail objects, each representing one NFT asset and its optional corresponding JSON metadata. Each AssetDetail object contains the following properties:  
     — asset\_filename (required; string)  
    \-NB: An asset\_subtitle file with this name MUST be present in the form data, or 400 response will be returned.  
    \-asset\_subtitle (optional; string)  
     — The title of individual NFTs in this collection will be formatted as collection\_title + nft\_title\_separator + asset\_subtitle, e.g. **“My Collection: Gold Edition”** where “My Collection” is the collection\_title, “: ”is the nft\_title\_separator and “Gold Edition” is the asset\_subtitle.  
     — NB: The following values can be referenced in asset\_subtitle and will be inserted into the NFT title at view time:

**$ASSET\_ID** (the ID of the asset, commonly used for generative collections that are minted randomly)

**$TOKEN\_NUM** (the number of this token in the sequential order of minting, starting at 1. E.g. the 2nd token minted in a collection would have a TOKEN\_NUM of 2.)

**$TOTAL\_NUM** (the total number of copies for this collection)

*   reference\_filename(optional; string)  
     — If present, a reference subtitlefile with this name MUST be present in the form data  
     — copies(required; integer)  
    \-This part should be named “assets\_detail”  
    \-Only one “assets\_detail” part should be provided in the data form

**Response Success (201) Body** (CollectionDraftAsset\[\]):

*   An array of **CollectionDraftAsset** objects (see “Referenced Types” section for details)

assets\_detail**string example:**

  
'\[{"asset\_filename":"0.png","copies":10},{"asset\_filename":"1.png","referen  
ce\_filename":"1.json","copies":10,"asset\_subtitle":"Gold"}\]'

_A collection created with this_ _assets\_detail string would contain 20 copies total. 10 copies would use asset file 0.png with no JSON and no NFT subtitle, and 10 copies would use asset file 1.png with 1.json reference file and an NFT subtitle of “Gold”._

**cURL Request Example:**

curl — request POST \\

\-url [https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft/{YOUR\_COLLECTION\_DRAFT\_UUID}/asset-bulk](https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft/{YOUR_COLLECTION_DRAFT_UUID}/asset-bulk) \\

\-header ‘Authorization: Api-Key {YOUR\_API\_KEY}’ \\

\-header ‘Content-type: multipart/form-data’ \\form ‘asset\_file=@/Users/username/path/to/asset/file.png’ \\

\-form ‘asset\_file=@/Users/username/path/to/asset/file.png’ \\

\-form ‘assets\_detail=”\[{\\”asset\_filename\\”:\\”file.png\\”,\\”reference\_filename\\”:\\”file.json\\”,\\”copies\\”:10}\]”’ \\

— form ‘reference\_file=@/Users/username/path/to/reference/file.json’

**3\. Finalizing your Collection Draft (creating the on-chain collection)**

*   **POST** [https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft/{collection-draft-uuid/finalize](https://fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft)
*   **_NB: A successful call to this endpoint will use funds from your integration wallet to mint to the blockchain._**
*   **Request Body:** None
*   **Response Success (201) Body:  
    \-**message (string — “success” if action was successful)  
    \-ipfs\_result (IpfsResult — see “Referenced Types” section below)  
    \-contract\_address (string)  
    \-near\_collection (Collection, as defined in FnF-007 Specification docs)

Contains collection\_id (int) property, which is the _blockchain_ _ID_ for the collection and is used within the NFT contract. It is not the same as the collection’s UUID (collection\_uuid), which should be used in Few and Far API requests.

This ID can be used if you wish to prompt users through a direct mint flow using a client-side NEAR wallet integration, rather than an API call. You can direct the user to call nft\_mint on your contract, and pass this collection\_id as “collection\_id”. See “End User (non-API) Minting” section below for more information.

*   collection\_uuid (string — UUID for collection, used in Few and Far API requests)
*   tx\_results (NearTransactionResult\[\] — see “Reference Types” section)  
    \-Contains the result of the collection creation transaction.

**Get a Collection:**

You can retrieve a Collection by passing its UUID in the following GET request:

**GET** [https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection/{collection\_uuid}](https://fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft)

### Minting an NFT for a Collection

The minting request is made via the following API endpoint with a collection UUID that identifies the target collection for the mint.

**POST** [https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection/{collection\_uuid}/mint](https://fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft)

Content-type: application/json

**Request Body:**

*   message(string — “success” if action was successful)
*   token (Token\[\] — as per FNF-007 Specification)
*   tx\_results(NearTransactionResult\[\] — see “Reference Types” section)  
    \-Contains a single NearTransactionResults (for the mint transaction)

**Example Request Body:**

A JSON payload is to be sent in the request body via an HTTP POST method as found below.

{  
  "receiver\_addresses": \["user.near","6ea381017765a0958577fd063a3a359b75075617e880db4c24939e54cbd1b2ac"\]  
}

**Example Request Body:**

{  
 "message": "success",  
      "tokens": \[...\],  
 "tx\_results": \[{...}\],  
}

### End-User (non-API) Minting

If you wish for your users to mint NFTs directly without an API call, utilize a NEAR wallet client-side library to make an nft\_mint function call to the contract address for your collection and pass collection\_id integer as its singular argument.

From there a user will be able to sign a transaction utilizing their NEAR wallet of choice (assuming that a public mint has been configured, or user has been added to a private mint whitelist). The contract will mint the NFT to the method caller’s account.

**Example JS Contract Call**

await wallet.callMethod({  
 contractId,  
 method: "nft\_mint",  
 args: {  
       collection\_id: 1  
  },  
  gas: ONE\_HUNDRED\_TGAS,  
  deposit: MINT\_FEE,  
});

### Updating a Collection Draft

This endpoint allows you to update a Collection Draft that has not yet been finalized.

**PUT**

[https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft/{collection\_draft\_uuid}](https://fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft)

Content-type: application/json

**Request Body:**

*   title (optional; type string; max length 256)
*   description (optional; type string; max length 1024)
*   nft\_title\_separator (optional; type string; max length 16; defaults to “: ”)
*   public\_mint\_config (optional; type PublicMintConfig)
*   private\_mint\_config (optional; type PrivateMintConfig)
*   private\_mint\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])
*   bypass\_mint\_fee\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])
*   initial\_royalties (optional; type Royalties)
*   ongoing\_royalties (optional; type Royalties)
*   allow\_approvals (optional; type bool)
*   approvals\_allowed\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])
*   approvals\_denied\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])
*   allow\_transfers (optional; type bool)
*   transfers\_denied\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])

**Response Success (200) Body:**

*   Updated CollectionDraft object (see “Referenced Types” section for details)

**Example Request Body:**

A JSON payload is to be sent in the request body via an HTTP POST method as found below.

{  
  "description": “An Updated Description”  
}

### Updating a Collection (on-chain)

This endpoint allows you to update a Collection that has already been created on-chain.

**PUT** [https://testnet.fewfar.com/api/v1/collection/{collection\_uuid}](https://fewfar.com/api/v1/collection-draft)

Content-type: application/json

**Request Body:**

*   title (optional; type string; max length 256)
*   description (optional; type string; max length 1024)
*   nft\_title\_separator (optional; type string; max length 16; defaults to “: ”)
*   public\_mint\_config (optional; type PublicMintConfig)
*   private\_mint\_config (optional; type PrivateMintConfig)
*   private\_mint\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])
*   bypass\_mint\_fee\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])
*   initial\_royalties (optional; type Royalties)
*   ongoing\_royalties (optional; type Royalties)
*   allow\_approvals (optional; type bool)
*   approvals\_allowed\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])
*   approvals\_denied\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])
*   allow\_transfers (optional; type bool)
*   transfers\_denied\_accounts (optional; type NearAccountId\[\])

**Response Success (200) Body:**

*   Updated Collection object (see “Referenced Types” section for details)

**Example Request Body:**

A JSON payload is to be sent in the request body via an HTTP POST method as found below.

{  
  "description": “An Updated Description”  
}

**Referenced Types:**

Timestamp: int _\# 13-digit millisecond UNIX timestamp_

NearAccountId: string _\# Named or Implicit NEAR account ID_

PublicMintConfig: {  
 # PublicMintConfig defines the configuration for a public mint, where minters are not required to be whitelisted.  
 price: float # public mint price of NFT, in $NEAR  
 starts\_at: Timestamp  
 ends\_at?: Timestamp  
 limit\_per\_account?: int # if present, a single account won’t be allowed to mint more than this limit  
}

\`

Royalties: Record<string, float> _\# mapping of NEAR account IDs to royalty percentages_

CollectionDraft: {  
    uuid: string # use this to perform further actions on your ContractDraft  
    title: string  
    description: string  
    assets: CollectionDraftAsset\[\]  
    nft\_title\_separator: string  
    public\_mint\_config: PublicMintConfig | null  
    private\_mint\_config: PrivateMintConfig | null  
    private\_mint\_accounts: NearAccountId\[\]  
    initial\_royalties: Royalties  
    ongoing\_royalties: Royalties | null  
    bypass\_mint\_fee\_accounts: NearAccountId\[\]  
    allow\_approvals: bool  
    approvals\_allowed\_accounts: NearAccountId\[\]  
    approvals\_denied\_accounts: NearAccountId\[\]  
    allow\_transfers: bool  
    transfers\_denied\_accounts: NearAccountId\[\]  
    created: Timestamp  
    updated: Timestamp  
}

CollectionDraftAsset: {  
    uuid: string  
    copies: int  
    asset\_filename: string  
    asset\_subtitle: string  
    reference\_filename: string | null  
    created: Timestamp  
    updated: Timestamp  
}

IpfsResult: {  
    cid: string # cid for IPFS directory containing all assets for this collection  
    file\_urls: Record<string, string> # mapping of filenames to IPFS URLs  
    upload\_hashes: IpfsUploadHashRecord\[\]

}

NearTransactionResult: see [https://docs.near.org/concepts/basics/transactions/overview](https://docs.near.org/concepts/basics/transactions/overview#transaction-status)[_#transaction-status_](https://docs.near.org/concepts/basics/transactions/overview#transaction-status)

Collection: {  
  uuid: string  
  name: string  
  description: string | null  
  public\_mint\_config: PublicMintConfig | null  
  private\_mint\_config: PrivateMintConfig | null  
  created: int  
  is\_verified: bool  
}

### Further endpoints available soon:

*   Endpoint for “simple” (non-bulk) asset upload
*   Endpoints to deploy and manage contracts

To learn more about Few and Far’s API solutions, reach out to us on the following [application form](https://forms.gle/D2HssZabFAAQiqWW9). And, join our developer community on [Discord](https://t.co/OhPBkX6bsg)!



* * *

[Introduction to Few and Far Minting: API Docs](https://medium.com/few-and-far/introduction-to-few-and-far-minting-api-docs-8ac5464ac7b2) was originally published in [Few and Far](https://medium.com/few-and-far) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This introduction documentation encompasses the basic usage and features of the Few and Far Minting API version 1.2.

Introduction to Few and Far Minting: API Docs

The NEAR Digital Collective (NDC) is an ambitious project that brings together users, projects, stakeholders and partners of the NEAR ecosystem to create a radically new way of governing itself.  

By creating a framework that allows any member of the network to have a say in how NEAR is run, the NDC’s goal is to combine transparency, collective decision making, evolving governance models, and self-determination in a completely new way.  

The NDC plans on doing this by helping to create the NEAR Constitution, a unifying document that enshrines the ideas of self-governance and decentralization into the core of how the NEAR ecosystem works. 

## Why is this important? 

The NEAR ecosystem is made up of over 1,000 projects, regional hubs, funding nodes, infrastructure providers, and more than 20 million wallets. That’s a lot of people. The NDC was established to help all those involved take an active role in how NEAR evolves. 

Whether that’s how funding is allocated, how elections take place, or who represents the mosaic of interests that make up this thriving and diverse ecosystem. The NDC wants to help everyone have a voice, and for those voices to be recorded on chain.   

## How does it do that? 

The NDC is helping develop a system of governance. Once in place, it will allow people to vote on a wide variety of issues, elect members to different governing councils, and even make amendments to the constitution itself.

The essence of the NDC brings this radical framework to life, and allows the community to then engage and take part in actively shaping the future of NEAR. 

In its current stage, the NDC is working on a governance structure that includes the following sections: 

- Voting Body – This is every active near account, as qualified by the governance framework
- House of Merit – A group of experienced community members appointed by members of the ecosystem to represent them during votes and key decisions. 
- Council of Advisors – Advisors appointed to help shape the direction of the House of Merit.
- Transparency Commission – members of the community appointed to ensure checks and balances, are in place and upheld. 
- Community Treasury – Members of the House of Merit with support from the Council of Advisors help facilitate voting on how community funds are allocated. 
You can find more information on the above here. 

This is a work in progress, and is currently overseen by the Governance Working Group, or GWG. This is a collection of community members working on refining the models of governance that will help everyone have their say.  

The Collective and the GWG invites anyone to share and discuss ideas. All the details on how to do that can be found here. 

## What is the scope of the NDC? 
While the constitution and governance models are key, the NDC will also help to shape, define and deliver the following: 

1. NEAR Constitution. 
2. Create and deploy local and global on-chain decision-making. 
3. Create and deploy a repository of local and global on-chain journals, logs, and minutes. 
4. Establish governing bodies, their operations, powers, and what checks and balances each one needs.
5. Create and maintain a community treasury with a complete set of operating procedures and safeguards.  
6. Create and maintain Community Guidelines, Code of Conduct, and Dispute Resolution protocols. 
7. Create and deploy a communications strategy to ensure the work carried out by the NDC and GWG is easy to access. 
8. A strategy to help the community find, access and use the NDC. 
9. Help develop and deploy a DAO Governance Model
10. Facilitate growth of the NEAR ecosystem more broadly.

## What role does the NEAR Foundation play in the NDC? 
The Foundation is a partner and contributor to the NDC. It supports the work being carried out by the Collective, and will ultimately look to hand over its funding role to the community once it is ready to do so. 

## Who is working on NEAR Digital Collective? 
The Collective is made up for members of the NEAR ecosystem. Some are former members of the Foundation, others are founders of projects, and others still are long term users and supporters of the blockchain and the projects that are built on it. 

Feel free to reach out to any of the team leads. 

## Why is Decentralization Important? 
Decentralization is a term that has become synonymous with blockchain, but has its origins as far back as the French Revolution in the 18th century. 

Decentralization then, and now is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding planning and decision making, are distributed or delegated away from a central, authoritative location or group.

This is important because, as any student of history will tell you, when power becomes overly centralized, the opportunity for abuse increases. In 2022, members of the blockchain community experienced first hand what happens when centralized authorities abuse their power. 

Members of the NEAR Community believe that the goal of decentralization is to improve on what came before. It believes that increasing transparency and democracy creates a fair and more equal community for everyone. 

But to get there requires a commitment to a process. A process that will need to evolve and adapt to the needs of the community, and for that community to take part in shaping it.

Decentralization is vital for the long term health and sustainability of any collection of people and ideas. The NDC is how the NEAR community is trying to achieve that.   

## How do I get involved? 
Any member of the NEAR community is free to join any of the following workgroups:. 

- Constitution
- Governance & Tech Governance
- Legal
- Community Engagement
- Communications

Get started by completing the Governance Working Group (GWG) [onboarding process](https://thewiki.io/gwg-contributor-onboarding).

Or if you’re looking for a deeper dive into how all of this works, you can see the Overview page. 

NEAR Digital Collective (NDC) is an ambitious project that brings together users, projects, stakeholders and partners of the NEAR ecosystem to create a radically new way of governing itself.

What is the NEAR Digital Collective?



**Introducing a platform to unite the projects, investors, and talent building on the Open Web**

NEARWEEK is excited to introduce our brand-new platform: HEROES. HEROES aims to unite the wide range of projects in the Web3 ecosystem with skilled developers and investors, providing a seamless experience for collaboration, innovation and engagement.

**HEROES LIVE  
**With HEROES LIVE, NEARWEEK has put together a live show for emerging projects to showcase their products and gain visibility within the community. The live space will feature pitches from the best start-ups and projects building on NEAR Protocol.

In the show, each project has the opportunity to present their product and answer questions from a panel of industry experts and angel investors, resulting in a unique dynamic setting for projects to showcase and gain valuable feedback from the community.

Essentially, NEARWEEK will let you explain to the world what type of product you’re building and why it’s awesome.Tune in soon and discover the latest and greatest NEAR-based projects under development!

The first episode is set to go live at the end of January 2023 and it will be streamed via our Youtube and Twitter.

**Why HEROES LIVE?**  
In the ever-growing noise of web3, it can be extremely difficult for talented projects to be noticed. Continuous growth, and success, relies on a fine balance between exposure, development, knowledge, and financial backing. From our experience building on NEAR, we found that in order to develop your project in the most optimal way, you need guidance, community, network and funding from the right stakeholders.

At NEARWEEK, we’re building HEROES to facilitate this. We’ve created an entertaining and visually appealing format for pitching and presenting ideas. We hope that this connects the various creators and projects building on NEAR and matches them with potential investors.

> _“In our daily work we often encounter projects with great potential. Unfortunately, these same projects are often missing key pieces in order to get the right exposure and funding to spearhead development.”_

> _\- P3ter, Co-founder of NEARWEEK_

**Want to have your project featured on HEROES LIVE?  
**Are you currently looking for exposure, funding, connections or advice on how to accelerate development of your NEAR project? Your project might be the perfect candidate for our upcoming pitch show HEROES Live!

Please, fill out the form below and we will review your request:

[HEROES Live — Project Submission Form](https://4efdmh2cgdi.typeform.com/HEROES-LIVE)

Further information regarding the launch of HEROES Live will be announced very soon — be sure to follow NEARWEEK and our weekly newsletter to stay updated!

**About NEARWEEK  
**NEARWEEK is one of the first decentralised news sources within the NEAR ecosystem. Via the production of quality content, news, and promotional support, NEARWEEK unleashes the full potential of its media outlets to act as the social epicentre of the NEAR ecosystem.

[Website](http://nearweek.com/) | [Twitter](http://twitter.com/nearweek) | [Newsletter](https://subscribe.nearweek.com/)



* * *

[NEARWEEK LAUNCHES HEROES](https://medium.com/nearprotocol/nearweek-launches-heroes-189bc0a261d8) was originally published in [NEAR Protocol](https://medium.com/nearprotocol) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Introducing a platform to unite the projects, investors, and talent building on the Open Web

Articles

Recent articles on NEAR Protocol, Aurora and ecosystem projects.