Well-known for his public stance in favor of crypto-currencies and in particular Bitcoin (BTC), Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has announced the launch of a collection of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain (ETH). This will be co-produced by Time, Mastercard and Salesforce and will see the light of day in December.
Miami launches its collection of NFTs
The city of Miami once again confirms its interest in Web3. Mayor Francis Suarez announced this Thursday the launch of a collection of 5000 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain (ETH). To make this project possible, the city has partnered with Time magazine, as well as Mastercard and Salesforce.
The NFTs were designed through a collaboration of 56 Miami-based artists. The number is a direct reference to the city’s size: 56 square miles. For now, the city has not yet communicated the artistic features of this collection.
Future NFT holders will have access to a special program offered by Mastercard, including unique experiences at local restaurants, private tours and cultural activities within Miami.
Time magazine will use its nearly century-old brand image to guide the strategy, develop the creative, and promote the collection. Finally, Salesforce will handle the technical side of the mint and sales of the collection through its new dedicated platform, called NFT Cloud.
The mayor of Miami said that the collection will not be launched until the end of 2022. This is because the city wants to wait until the Ethereum blockchain has migrated to a network running on Proof-Of-Stake (PoS), “a change that will reduce the initiative’s carbon emissions by an estimated 99% or more.”
Miami, the new Eldorado for crypto fans?
It is now no surprise, Francis Suarez wants to make Miami a pioneer city in the crypto-currency industry. Thus, the Republican politician has been exploring various methods to integrate Bitcoin (BTC) in his metropolis.
As a reminder, he launched a cryptocurrency specifically dedicated to Miami. Entitled the MiamiCoin, it allowed people to invest in the city and be rewarded with Bitcoin (BTC). In the space of 6 months, no less than 21 million dollars were generated by the staking and redistributed to the inhabitants.
The figurehead of this movement is Francis Suarez himself. In order to put his money where his mouth is, the mayor of Miami paid himself in Bitcoin for the month of November 2021. An initiative that had actually promoted Strike, the cryptocurrency wallet based on the Lightning Network.
“The City of Miami has been at the forefront of the web3 revolution and we will continue to employ these new technologies to support our existing businesses while attracting new businesses, raising capital and providing experiences for our citizens and those who visit this great city.”
After a predominant focus on Bitcoin, this is the first time Francis Suarez has explored other Web3 horizons. Despite the beginning of a down cycle in the cryptocurrency market, Miami is multiplying initiatives and persisting in its ambition to become a major player in the new Web3 world.
