NFTs in M’sia this week: Selfies for sale, i-City to build an RM10mil metaverse attraction

Previously, we learnt there is actually a larger interest in the build-up for NFT infrastructure developing in Malaysia that goes beyond art.

More along the path has been revealed this week, where we’re seeing players pushing forth the adoption of NFTs in our country in the form of utilities.

Without further ado, here are our finds this week.

From server meetings to an IRL one

Neon City NFT held its first event in late January. It’s where crypto and NFT fanatics in Malaysia who’ve likely been internet friends for a while could finally meet each other IRL at Skyhill Garden, located in Avante Hotel, PJ. 

Not leaving the homebodies or global audiences out, the event was also livestreamed on the metaverse too. Physically, the event saw a turnout of about 150 pax (the bar houses up to 400 pax).

Apart from drinking and eating, guests also had the pleasure of listening to Malaysian speakers in the NFT space like:

Luno and Bitcoin Malaysia were some important names that joined the chat too. 

A free NFT airdrop (distribution) in the form of a Neon City VIP pass was given as a door gift to all its attendees, a fitting end to the event. Now this ticket will live on forever in the blockchain, becoming a permanent reminder of the event for guests.

i-City to spend RM10 million on a metaverse attraction

With the metaverse being the latest buzzword, i-City, a theme park in Shah Alam better known for its LED attractions and snow park, is hopping on board.

i-City has announced that it will invest RM10 million to enhance its theme park with a metaverse experience. The project will be done in collaboration with China Mobile International (CMIM) and will be unveiled to ring in the new year for 2023. 

Details of the project are still being kept under wraps, but what we do know is that it will involve i-City’s City of Digital Lights, and perhaps 3D projections in the form of avatars and structures. 

This experience is expected to draw 10 million visits to the theme park next year.

NFT selfies for sale

While some NFTs on the market are sold by artists who’ve poured their heart and soul into their designs, you’ve also got some doing it for the “lolz”. 

Don B (he previously went by Bernard), the co-founder of a disabled-friendly clothing brand and modelling agency, had taken a selfie every day between 2020-2022 to document his hair growth journey. 

His initial goal was to create a timelapse video to put up on his YouTube channel. But when the news of Ghozali from Indonesia and Irene from Singapore earning millions from selling their NFT selfies reached Don, he knew it was his opportunity to do the same.

Don acknowledged that it seemed ridiculous, but also argued that it’s usually the more humorous works that moon (see a spike) in the NFT world.

Now, his goal is to have a trending NFT collection on OpenSea which he hopes will put Malaysia on the map in the NFT realm. His NFT selfies are being sold for ETH0.01 (about RM129.43 at the time of writing).

The real goal of Pentas.io

This week, we published the story of Pentas.io (Pentas) that detailed the challenges the team went through. Pentas is a Malaysian NFT marketplace that preserves digital assets (artworks) with heritage, cultural, and traditional values on its platform. 

Co-founder and CEO, Irsyad Saidin told us that the intention behind launching the marketplace is to first expose and educate Malaysians about the world of NFTs. After all, art NFTs have been garnering massive interest from the Malaysian public.

Once that’s achieved, Pentas plans to build a larger ecosystem where NFTs are used as utilities, such as storing immutable data like vaccine certs or ticket stubs on the blockchain.

In fact, the team is already working on several B2B projects behind the scenes, where one of them involves the use of NFTs as royalties in the local recording industry.

But you can’t provide services without service providers

As companies in Malaysia begin providing more products and services leveraging blockchain, crypto, and NFTs, they first need to have a team.

Thus, we’ve compiled a list of several NFT-related careers in Malaysia which include roles such as NFT content writers, digital designers, website developers, and more. Pentas.io, Etherscan.io, and INMAGINE are some of the companies on this list looking to fill such positions.

While the number of companies in Malaysia recruiting NFT-informed talent is still limited, we are expecting to see more of such roles crop up in due time as the acceptance of NFTs becomes more widespread.

Featured Image Credit: Neon City NFT / i-City / Don B