Animoca Brands, a company that develops gaming software in Hong Kong, has recently announced its foray into the Bitcoin industry by supporting the Opal Foundation, a new Bitcoin ecosystem protocol.

The company aims to establish itself as the leading Web3 ecosystem for gaming, education, and culture, all based on Bitcoin.

Animoca's Bitcoin Strategy

Animoca's strategy for entering the Bitcoin market involves the Opal Protocol and BLIF token, which will serve as the Opal Protocol Runes token and is a joint initiative between Animoca and the metaverse technology platform Darewise.

The company has positioned the upcoming BLIF token as a means to facilitate a "true digital life" on Bitcoin, citing Bitcoin's compatibility with Web3. Yat Siu, the executive chairman and co-founder of the company, highlighted Bitcoin's potential in the Web3 era.

Additionally, six portfolio companies of Animoca have already become Genesis members of the Opal Foundation, with all future Bitcoin-related projects from the company collaborating with the foundation.

The Opal Protocol Overview

The Opal protocol, set to launch in 2024, is described as a "decentralized ecosystem protocol on Bitcoin, powered by BLIF." It seeks to provide a digital extension of reality where various aspects such as banking, entertainment, education, and social interactions coexist seamlessly.

Although the Opal protocol has not been officially launched, it has generated significant interest, attracting over 270,000 subscribers.

Animoca Brands is proud to be the first strategic launch partner for the Opal Foundation to help integrate the open Opal protocol into Bitcoin and beyond.

The announcement of Animoca's entry into Bitcoin coincides with the trading debut of spot Bitcoin and Ether exchange-traded funds (ETF) in Hong Kong on April 30. The ETFs experienced modest trading volumes on the first day, unlike the spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in the United States in January 2024.