In a recent announcement by Chiliz, the layer-1 blockchain has chosen Ankr as its primary RPC Provider. This means that Ankr will be responsible for linking blockchain applications to the actual blockchain, including decentralized applications, crypto wallets, and centralized exchanges.

Ankr and Chiliz bring several benefits to the table. Ankr will facilitate fast and reliable access to the community, specifically targeting the sports segment and facilitating interactions between blockchain applications and Chiliz.

On the other hand, Chiliz aims to drive innovation by bringing together various brands and teams on the network. This objective is spearheaded by Chiliz Labs, an accelerator and incubator for blockchain projects operating in sports and at an early stage of development.

Looking ahead, Chiliz plans to introduce projects such as digital collectibles, Web3 games, NFT ticketing initiatives, and AI platforms. Additionally, Chiliz intends to organize a Chiliz Chain hackathon tournament to encourage developers to engage more with the community. The tournament will take place across four major stadiums and sports arenas worldwide, with further details to be announced by Chiliz in the coming months.

Regarding the partnership between Ankr and Chiliz, the two initially collaborated in February 2022 with a different agenda but aligned goals. Their aim was to lead chain development by becoming node operators to run two specific nodes. The current partnership further solidifies their collaboration to bring their teams closer and advance chain development efforts.

With this partnership, Ankr joins existing validators on the Chiliz Chain, including Paribu, Jump Crypto, and Meria (formerly Just Mining). These validators are tasked with exploring various methods to align communities and fans with teams and brands.

Chandler Song, CEO of Ankr, is confident that developers will be able to create next-generation sports applications offering unique features and benefits of digital assets and blockchain. Chandler expressed excitement about continued collaboration with Chiliz.

The native token has seen a 1.39% increase in the last seven days, with ANKR priced at $0.025 at the time of drafting. Ankr forecasts anticipate the token's value may reach $0.095 by the end of 2023.

Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Chiliz, expressed pride in deepening the partnership with Ankr, emphasizing their commitment to managing the fundamental aspects of Chiliz Chain operations.