Welcome to the OpenSea newsletter, let's review the most important NFT and web3 news of the week.
Doodles' brand new AI tool can transform photos into its signature cartoon style
Doodles launched Doodles AI this week, a new tool that can convert everyday photos into illustrations in the project's iconic style.
The 'Doodle Me' feature released on the X platform allows users to upload images and instantly convert them into doodle-style cartoon characters, without any drawing or design skills. Fans quickly adopted this tool and shared their illustrated selfies on social media.
This release marks Doodles' strong push into AI-driven creative applications, with Doodles founder Burnt Toast posting on X that Prism is 'the beginning of a new era of dynamic world-building,' with its core image model able to 'reinterpret anything through the lens of Doodles.'
He also added that this is just the first version, and future updates may expand to transform creative content into physical items, as well as adding features like video, audio, real-time augmented reality, and game integration.
Burnt Toast wrote: "Doodles AI keeps us in line with the speed and scale of the entire AI industry, and our vibrant world can now seamlessly connect with evolving new technologies to create with us!"
HV-MTL holders can now upgrade their mechs or trade them for pets.
HV-MTL launched a new upgrade system this week, offering holders two upgrade paths.
Users can burn activated HV-MTL cards along with six AMP cards to upgrade to the Evo2 version, which is a more advanced version that includes otherworldly activation, 3D file drops, and full ecosystem support.
Alternatively, they can simply burn the HV-MTL card to receive a unique digital pet companion, with the rarity of the pet related to the number of HV-MTL cards burned through the second method, according to an announcement posted on X.
With the launch of the system, the original Evo1 has effectively been retired.
Azuki TCG pre-sale opens, launching hand-drawn cards with a $100,000 event sponsorship.
Azuki is set to release a physical collectible card game, with the pre-sale of its first card game 'Awakening Gate' announced on X.
This release includes six pre-sale tiers, offering collectors and players various purchasing options, with a limit of one per customer. The pre-sale box will also include an exclusive all-foil pack that will not be available through retail channels.
Each card is hand-drawn by professional illustrators, including Arnold Tsang, and the series is expected to hit local card shops in the summer of 2026, compatible with grading standards from agencies like PSA.
Azuki has assembled a team of veterans from companies such as Pokémon, Blizzard, Riot Games, and Warner Bros., providing a $100,000 prize pool for its first competitive season and launching a companion app for discovering matches.
TCG brings Azuki's digital universe into the physical world, providing collectors with a new way to interact with characters and backstories.
Mastercard payment giant acquires stablecoin infrastructure builder
Mastercard announced the acquisition of BVNK on March 17, a company that builds payment infrastructure for stablecoins.
It was reported that the deal would allow traditional banks and financial services companies to access the blockchain network, while BVNK has already been operating in over 130 countries.
By connecting BVNK's technology to Mastercard's existing payment system, customers will be able to make payments using traditional currency or blockchain-based digital currencies on the same track.
In a press release, BVNK co-founder and CEO Jesse Hemson-Struthers described the collaboration as 'creating unprecedented infrastructure for digital currency-based financial services.'
POAP adjusts strategy to refocus on digital collectibles infrastructure
According to co-founder Isabel Gonzalez, on March 12, the blockchain event attendance badge platform POAP will stop accepting new creators on March 16, allowing the team to rebuild digital collectibles from scratch.
According to the post, seven years of platform operations has given the founders a clear understanding of what works and what doesn't, so they are transitioning existing operations to maintenance mode while focusing on what Gonzalez describes as 'an open collectibles standard with a more powerful technological foundation.'
The POAP platform has attracted the cryptocurrency community as well as brands like Adidas and Porsche during its development, with reports indicating that 6.7 million badges have been issued by 2023. The team states that this success reveals what conditions the next version must meet to support a permissionless environment.
The existing POAP will remain unchanged, and the current platform may connect to any future infrastructure.
PayPal payment company expands its stablecoin business to 70 countries
PayPal announced on March 17 that it would promote PayPal USD to 70 markets globally, expanding the use of a stablecoin that had only been available to U.S. users since 2023.
Users in supported regions can now buy, hold, and send digital tokens directly from their PayPal accounts and can choose to exchange them back for local currency.
This expansion allows regulated stablecoins to be accessible through mainstream payment platforms, benefiting a broader user base than ever before.
Disclaimer: This content is for reference only and should not be considered financial or trading advice. Mentioning specific projects, products, services, or tokens does not constitute endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation by OpenSea. OpenSea does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and readers should independently verify any claims made in this article before taking any action. Readers are responsible for conducting their own due diligence before making any decisions.
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