Tigerair Taiwan Ltd (台灣虎航) is to issue 15 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) with each one set at a floor price of NT$150,000, the airline said in a statement yesterday.
In partnership with cryptocurrency exchange Maicoin Ltd (現代財富科技), the airline is to auction the 15 tokens from today to Thursday, allowing only Taiwanese to participate, the low-cost carrier said.
Consumers can purchase the tokens by credit card, it said.
Photo: Wu Cheng-ting, Taipei Times
The NFT issuance would be the first among Taiwanese airlines. The Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Cultural Group (明華園戲劇總團) and Shiyun (師園) fried chicken shop issued NFTs in recent months.
Tigerair Taiwan is providing substantial perks to holders of its NFT tokens, such as allowing buyers to fly standby for free on any of its flights from July to the end of next year, it said.
“NFT buyers could get on a flight at the last minute if there is an unoccupied seat, although there is no guarantee of boarding when flying standby,” a Tigerair Taiwan official said in an interview with the Taipei Times.
Sometimes those who fly standby choose a different destination if they cannot get on their desired flight, but overall, it is an opportunity to save quite a bit of money, the official said.
Token buyers would also be eligible to take three complimentary trips on the airline’s new Airbus SE 320neo jets when the aircraft are delivered, the statement said.
SEEKING CLARITY: Washington should not adopt measures that create uncertainties for ‘existing semiconductor investments,’ TSMC said referring to its US$165 billion in the US Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) told the US that any future tariffs on Taiwanese semiconductors could reduce demand for chips and derail its pledge to increase its investment in Arizona. “New import restrictions could jeopardize current US leadership in the competitive technology industry and create uncertainties for many committed semiconductor capital projects in the US, including TSMC Arizona’s significant investment plan in Phoenix,” the chipmaker wrote in a letter to the US Department of Commerce. TSMC issued the warning in response to a solicitation for comments by the department on a possible tariff on semiconductor imports by US President Donald Trump’s
The government has launched a three-pronged strategy to attract local and international talent, aiming to position Taiwan as a new global hub following Nvidia Corp’s announcement that it has chosen Taipei as the site of its Taiwan headquarters. Nvidia cofounder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Monday last week announced during his keynote speech at the Computex trade show in Taipei that the Nvidia Constellation, the company’s planned Taiwan headquarters, would be located in the Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei. Huang’s decision to establish a base in Taiwan is “primarily due to Taiwan’s talent pool and its strength in the semiconductor
An earnings report from semiconductor giant and artificial intelligence (AI) bellwether Nvidia Corp takes center stage for Wall Street this week, as stocks hit a speed bump of worries over US federal deficits driving up Treasury yields. US equities pulled back last week after a torrid rally, as investors turned their attention to tax and spending legislation poised to swell the US government’s US$36 trillion in debt. Long-dated US Treasury yields rose amid the fiscal worries, with the 30-year yield topping 5 percent and hitting its highest level since late 2023. Stocks were dealt another blow on Friday when US President Donald
UNCERTAINTY: Investors remain worried that trade negotiations with Washington could go poorly, given Trump’s inconsistency on tariffs in his second term, experts said The consumer confidence index this month fell for a ninth consecutive month to its lowest level in 13 months, as global trade uncertainties and tariff risks cloud Taiwan’s economic outlook, a survey released yesterday by National Central University found. The biggest decline came from the timing for stock investments, which plunged 11.82 points to 26.82, underscoring bleak investor confidence, it said. “Although the TAIEX reclaimed the 21,000-point mark after the US and China agreed to bury the hatchet for 90 days, investors remain worried that the situation would turn sour later,” said Dachrahn Wu (吳大任), director of the university’s Research Center for