Animoca Brands has joined the Chiliz Chain as a new validator, aligning its blockchain innovation with Chiliz’s SportFi initiative to boost fan engagement and monetized interactions in the sports sector.
SportFi, pioneered by Chiliz, represents the intersection of the sports industry with blockchain-based commodification. It enhances the way fans interact financially with their favorite sports entities by allowing fans to become involved in the clubs and brands they love.
Through this collaboration, both entities aim to pioneer sport-based Web3 applications, with Chiliz continuing to solidify its position as the primary blockchain infrastructure for the sports and entertainment industry.
13 November 2023: Chiliz announced today that Animoca Brands has joined Chiliz’s blockchain network as a validator and leading participant, further decentralizing the governance of Chiliz Chain. Launched earlier this year, the Chiliz Chain is a catalyst for Web3-ready projects aimed at empowering sports brands to reward their fan bases through engagement via blockchain.
Animoca Brands is widely recognized as a leading institution in blockchain innovation across gaming and digital entertainment, and has a strategic focus on the sports sector, with products such as ONE Fight Arena, AFL Mint, REVV Motosport (which includes MotoGP™ Ignition, MotoGP™ Guru, Formula E: High Voltage, REVV Racing, Torque Drift 2), and Anichess. By becoming a node validator on the Chiliz Chain, Animoca Brands becomes an active driver in shaping the future of the Chiliz SportFi ecosystem. This move allows Animoca Brands to integrate within Chiliz’s thriving ecosystem of elite sports brands and Web3 sports operators.
Animoca Brands joins an existing network of validators that includes Ankr, Paribu, Meria, Luganoes, and InfStones, all operating on the Chiliz Chain using the Proof of Stake Authority (PoSA) node. Validators play a crucial role in the network’s governance and security by authorizing and enabling the creation of Fan Tokens, NFTs, and decentralized applications (dApps), in addition to verifying Chiliz Chain transactions and ensuring the secure execution of smart contracts.
The emerging Chiliz ecosystem
Chiliz Chain is fast becoming the home for leading sports brands in Web3, with the door open for builders to explore innovative ways to pioneer SportFi applications. Chiliz has opened up the Chiliz Chain ecosystem by removing the whitelist, making it easier for developers to deploy SportFi solutions. More than 80 Fan Tokens from leading sports clubs like FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Juventus, S.S.C Napoli, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Arsenal, Atlético Madrid, and A.S. Roma have already been deployed on the Chiliz Chain via Socios.com. Driven by their increasing utility, Fan Tokens are the most widely adopted digital asset for fan engagement in the sports sector, and can now be exchanged in multiple marketplaces, including Binance, OKX, Bitget, Paribu, ChilizX, and others. There are already various community apps in the Chiliz ecosystem (such as Socios.com), custodial solutions (such as BitGet Wallet, Magic Link, Fireblocks), and upcoming DeFi lending and DEX solutions (Lenx, PepperSwap). The Chiliz ecosystem also boasts various metaverse-based sports games, football and football manager games, rewards and engagement-driven community platforms, social gaming platforms, and digital sports collectibles.
The next chapter in Chiliz Chain and SportFi
With the entry of Animoca Brands into the ecosystem, Chiliz reinforces its commitment to being the primary blockchain infrastructure for the sports and entertainment sectors and begin a dynamic and far-reaching collaboration. Both entities are amplifying a network effect that spans GameFi, DeFi, and SportFi, marking a strategic alliance poised to shape the future of these interconnected digital realms.
Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, emphasized, “Becoming a participant in the Chiliz Chain is an opportunity to meld our expertise in NFTs and gaming with the robust sports and entertainment Chiliz ecosystem. We have already seen the rise of DeFi and GameFi, and we believe that SportFi represents the next major growth area that will redefine fan engagement and create new financial dynamics in the sports industry. We look forward to the impactful innovations that will emerge from this collaboration.”
Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz, added: “We’re not just operational; we’re spearheading SportFi through the Chiliz Chain. Bringing Animoca Brands onboard as a validator heralds a pivotal acceleration in our journey to become the de facto blockchain for sports and Web3 convergence, bringing more value to sports properties, fans, users, and blockchain developers.”
