Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati partnered with XRP Ledger to enter the Web3 space. The main goal is to launch its first-ever digital collectible, which is a video sequence of all the Ducati logos that have appeared on the tanks of motorbikes produced in Borgo Panigale from 1946 to the present day.
The first release is essentially a gift to Ducati fans as it pivots into the Web3 world and is scheduled to be launched on Wednesday, 26 July. Users are required to sign up within seven days of the release date. Following the traditional route of NFT drops, Ducati announced that those who get the first collectible will have access to subsequent projects.
According to the blog post, upcoming projects by the motorcycle manufacturing giant will be deployed using Ripple, which is tasked with providing technical support on the fast, low-cost, and carbon-neutral XRP Ledger (XRPL) blockchain.
Ducati plans to develop a series of Web3 activities over the next few months through the creation of new digital aggregation spaces, NFT collections, and other opportunities. The company said the move represents the “natural evolution of its digital strategy.”
For the initiative, Ducati has also teamed up with Web3 Pro, which had previously worked with its parent company, Lamborghini, for brand engagement on an NFT collection called “The Epic Road Trip.”
Commenting on the latest development, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali said,
“Entering WEB 3.0 is another way to get closer to the Ducatisti community by further extending the number of services offered to them. It also represents an opportunity to meet and make ourselves known to a new community of NFT enthusiasts, giving them the opportunity to live unique Ducati-style experiences and collect the digital assets that we will develop exclusively for this new dimension of the brand.”
The development comes more than a year since the Bologna-based motorcycle manufacturer announced plans to embrace the sector and, interestingly, on the heels of Ripple’s partial win against the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In Q1, the San Francisco-based blockchain company noted that on-chain activity on XRPL remained strong, with transactions surging by 9% to 116 million, as compared to 106 million from the previous quarter. It further stated that “NFTs continue to drive activity,” and more than a million assets have been minted on the Ledger since XLS-20 went live on the mainnet.
