Croatia’s national team becomes first to reward fans in crypto
Croatia’s HNS integrates a Kadena-based crypto token into its official app ahead of the 2026 World Cup
- The Croatian Football Federation integrated crypto into its fan store app
- Fans will earn 1% in ‘Vatreni’ token when buying team merch
- Vatreni token migrated from Polygon to the Kadena blockchain
Croatia’s national football team became the first to reward its fans in crypto. On Tuesday, Oct. 7, Kadena announced its collaboration with the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), leveraging its blockchain for fan rewards. The team’s VATRENI token, named after the squad’s nickname, will enable exclusive rewards for fans.
With each merchandise purchase made through the app, fans of the Croatian national team will earn 1% back in VATRENI (VATRENI) tokens. Token holders will gain access to exclusive rewards, including VIP experiences, limited-edition merchandise, and other perks. The federation also announced that the tokens will be redeemable for match tickets in the future.
Blockchain gives sports teams unique benefits
With the Kadena collaboration, the VATRENI token will migrate from Polygon, where it launched in 2023, to the Kadena blockchain. According to Joel Woodman, head of partnerships at Kadena, blockchain enables football teams to unite fragmented solutions for ticketing, merchandise, and membership into one system.
“From the fan’s perspective, the underlying blockchain technology is invisible by design. Our priority is to deliver value through a seamless and familiar user experience, allowing fans to interact naturally without a learning curve. The key benefit, both for the fan and the club, is the ability to offer more relevant, personalized experiences and rewards—powered by superior data and real-time insights—while removing friction from the digital experience.” said Joel Woodman, Kadena.
The VATRENI token is tradable on exchanges, including Binance. Despite this, trading volumes are low. On Oct. 7, 24-hour centralized-exchange volumes were about $17,000, while the token’s market cap was roughly $4.8 million.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
Bitcoin’s Latest Price Drop: The Result of Shifting Macro Policies and Changing Institutional Attitudes
- Bitcoin fell 33% in late 2025 after hitting $126,080, driven by Fed policy shifts and institutional outflows. - Fed hesitation over rate cuts and delayed jobs data reduced December cut odds, triggering risk-off sentiment. - $3.79B ETF outflows and Solana migration highlighted Bitcoin's liquidity sensitivity amid regulatory uncertainty. - S&P 500 declines and $2B in futures liquidations amplified Bitcoin's November selloff amid macro-institutional convergence. - Long-term adoption by Harvard/Metaplanet an

Bitcoin News Today: Macro Trends and Artificial Intelligence Drive ARK's Steadfast $1.5 Million Bitcoin Wager
- ARK Invest maintains $1.5M Bitcoin price target despite volatility, increasing investments in tech stocks and crypto assets like Alphabet, Coinbase , and its ARKB ETF . - Fed easing and institutional adoption drive Bitcoin's macro-driven shift from speculative asset to tradable class, with JPMorgan projecting $240K long-term target. - AI innovation and infrastructure investments (CoreWeave, Meta) reinforce ARK's bullish thesis, while Bitcoin ETF liquidity expansions aim to boost institutional participati

Solana News Today: MOVA's Regulatory-Focused Approach Reshapes the Financial Blockchain Sector
- MOVA challenges Ethereum/Solana with DAG-based ledger enabling asynchronous finality and scalable payment concurrency for real-time settlements. - Protocol-native compliance features like KYC/AML interfaces and invoice NFTs address institutional auditability concerns absent in retrofit solutions. - Role-based node architecture mirrors traditional finance's separation of duties, contrasting homogeneous structures in decentralized chains. - Prioritizing reliability over peak TPS metrics aligns with financi

Klarna’s Stablecoin Avoids SWIFT to Reduce International Transaction Expenses
- Klarna launches KlarnaUSD, a USD-pegged stablecoin on Stripe-Paradigm's Tempo blockchain, becoming the first digital bank to issue a token on the platform. - The stablecoin aims to cut cross-border transaction costs by bypassing SWIFT and will initially operate internally before a 2026 mainnet rollout. - This move aligns with Klarna's strategic shift from BNPL to digital banking, leveraging blockchain to diversify revenue amid declining stock performance. - Regulatory frameworks like the U.S. GENIUS Act

