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Bitcoin rose but failed to break through US$26,000. Ether slipped, while other top 10 crypto were mixed as SEC chair Gary Gensler doubled down on reasons for suing U.S. crypto exchanges.

South Korea, China, Japan — East Asia’s three industrial powerhouses are taking their economic rivalry to the virtual world. Each is developing a domestic metaverse in a race to become the region’s industry leader. This first account in a three-part series takes a look at what’s happening in South Korea.

Recursive inscriptions, an update that allows Ordinals inscriptions to reference another inscription, is set for deployment later this week.

Ghassan Jumblat, fintech director at financial services company Integrated Communications Channel discusses the evolution of the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, as the city positions itself as a future hub for digital assets.

BNB token of crypto exchange Binance dropped 5.5% in 24 hours amid lawsuits against the exchange by the U.S. SEC.

Bitcoin Ordinals are also called NFTs, but intellectual property laws may not treat them the same as Ethereum- and Solana-minted NFTs, writes Cameron Pick.

Jiangning, a district in China’s Nanjing city, released a metaverse plan on Saturday that includes training thousands of professionals for the industry.

Local legislator suggests global cryptocurrency exchanges such as U.S.-based Coinbase set up operations in Hong Kong as the city’s new licensing regime for crypto retail trading took effect on June 1.

Bitcoin fell below US$26,000, while Solana, Cardano and BNB posted hefty weekly losses after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission targeted exchanges with lawsuits.

NFT Community Resilience: Amid SEC scrutiny, builders thrive with Bitcoin NFTs soaring, Polygon’s mystery unveil, art sales surging, and IP licensing advancements.

Sebastien Borget of The Sandbox and Yehudah Petscher of Forkast Labs discuss the promise of the metaverse, the role of NFTs and the potential impact of Apple’s Vision Pro.

Bitcoin recovered above the US$26,000 psychological level after a brief dip, as investors seemingly shrugged at the SEC’s crackdown on Binance and Coinbase. The quick crypto recovery could be a sign of a maturing asset class, industry experts told Forkast.

The Official Journal of the European Union published on Friday the European Union’s landmark Markets in Crypto Assets law (MiCA), stating that the regulation would enter into force in 20 days from the date of publication.

Bitcoin rose and Ether fell, while most top 10 cryptos inched up following the U.S. SEC’s lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase.

Binance.US, a cryptocurrency trading platform set up by Binance chief Changpeng Zhao to serve U.S. clients, said on Friday that it has suspended U.S. dollar deposits to protect customers amid intensifying regulatory pressure.

AliExpress, the global online platform of China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, will launch NFTs on June 25 working with NFT project “the Moment3!”.

From US crackdowns on Binance and Coinbase to new business-friendlier frameworks in Hong Kong and Europe, seismic shifts in crypto regulations are under way.

Bitcoin fails to break US$27,000 ceiling. Binance’s BNB gained 2%, even as latest SEC filing alleges customer funds were moved to private accounts, a charge Binance rejected.

Pudgy Penguins CEO Luca Netz says he aims to revolutionize the NFT marketplace, shifting focus from creating virtual assets out of “thin air” to generating real-world revenue via licensing.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler allegedly offered to serve as an advisor to Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, in 2019, according to a CNBC report on Wednesday that cited documents filed by the regulator. 

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has submitted a new court filing to support its lawsuit against the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Binance, Coinbase in SEC firing line. Solana NFTs slump as Bitcoin’s surge. New dawn in Hong Kong crypto regulations.

Bitcoin and Ether rose but most top 10 cryptos were unable to escape the gravity of the SEC’s lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase.

The SEC lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase have sent alt coins tumbling. Binance’s BNB lost 15.7% over the past week.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been ordered on Tuesday by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit to respond to cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase’s pending petition for rulemaking within seven days. 

Most top 10 cryptos rebounded, despite the SEC suing Coinbase exchange a day after it sued Binance’s U.S. arm.

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (Swift) and blockchain data provider Chainlink will work with more than 12 major banks across the world to test the use of existing Swift infrastructure to transfer tokenized assets across public and private blockchain networks, Swift said on Tuesday.  See related article: SWIFT, Chainlink announce cross-chain interoperability partnership […]

CCTV, China’s largest national TV broadcaster, ran about a minute-long segment on Tuesday flagging SEC’s lawsuit against Binance and its founder Changpeng Zhao.

Circle Singapore said Wednesday it has received a Major Payment Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Small cryptos often rise and fall with BTC and ETH — the market’s two biggest players. The concentration risk is profound, and here’s why you should care.

Nearly all top 10 tokens rebounded as investors look beyond U.S. regulator’s lawsuits against two of the world’s most influential crypto exchanges.

Apple’s Vision Pro VR is the new door to the metaverse. This headset may not be the first, but like CryptoPunks, it’s set to redefine how we see and use NFTs

The U.S. SEC sued Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., for allegedly breaching securities rules, less than 24 hours after the regulator sued Binance on similar charges. 

The SEC sued Binance on Monday, amid mounting regulatory scrutiny of crypto exchanges. Industry experts shared insights on what this could mean for Binance and how it could drive crypto innovation out of the U.S.

MUFG, Japan’s leading bank, is pioneering the crypto industry by supporting stablecoin issuance on the Progmat Coin platform, offering an alternative route for entry and exit in the volatile cryptocurrency market.

The U.S. SEC has extended the list of cryptocurrencies it considers unregistered securities to cover US$115 billion worth of tokens following its Monday lawsuit against crypto exchange Binance, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

Ledger’s attempt to simplify self-custody and key recovery triggered a community revolt. Was this inevitable or could Ledger have sidestepped this fiasco?

All top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies took a sharp fall Tuesday morning in Asia, after the SEC sued Binance over alleged securities violations.

The U.S. regulator alleges Binance and its leader of unregistered offers, sale of tokens, defrauding investors and manipulating trade volumes.

JPMorgan has reportedly launched a pilot project with top private lenders in India for interbank dollar transaction settlements through its blockchain platform, Onyx. 

Bitcoin drops below US$27,000 on Monday amid mixed crypto market. Litecoin, BNB see losses while XRP, Tron, Solana gain.

FATF’s travel rule is looming over the crypto industry as an existential threat, writes Jack Jia of Unlimit. Here’s why it’s especially worrying to DeFi and self-custody wallet users.

A court in Montenegro approved a second bail request for Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon, who faces allegations of using fake passports.

Bitcoin, Ether traded little changed Monday morning in Asia, along with most other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies. However, both Solana and XRP rose.

NFTs reach new heights as May sees record-breaking transactions, hinting at widespread adoption.

OSL is one of only two digital assets trading platforms in Hong Kong licensed to offer services to professional investors.

A significant drop in Solana’s monthly NFT sales coincides with a boom in Bitcoin NFTs. Experts believe Bitcoin could soon challenge Ethereum’s dominance in the market.

Bitcoin gained 1.08% on Friday afternoon and Ether strengthened 1.78%.

Japan’s All Nippon Airways, or ANA Group, has launched a non-fungible token platform known as “ANA GranWhale NFT MarketPlace” to trade art and photograph collectibles through its metaverse subsidiary ANA NEO, the company tweeted on Thursday.

DeFi has the potential to revolutionize finance, but hacks, poor user experience, and a lack of a regulations make many wary, writes Arthur Firstov of Mercuryo.

Bitcoin fell Friday morning in Asia to trade below US$27,000. Ether and most other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded flat to lower. Litecoin gained.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Miners dodge tax bullet. Blur, Binance heat up NFT lending. Chinese cities’ plans reveal nationwide Web3 ambition.

Bitcoin fell 1.36% to US$26,805 in 24 hours. Ether slipped 0.82% to US$1,854.

Bitcoin’s mining difficulty level rose 3.4% on Thursday to an all-time high, as the network’s hashrate also increased to a record high.

Decentralized autonomous organizations are the future of business, writes Lomesh Dutta. The key is designing them to avoid management and voting pitfalls.

Bitcoin fell on Thursday morning in Asia to post the first monthly loss of the year. Ether and all other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens also traded lower.

Virtual assets will receive the same regulatory clarity in Hong Kong as their real-world counterparts, says former Hong Kong SFC regulator Angelina Kwan.

A downturn impacted Bitcoin and Ether, along with the majority of top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies in Wednesday’s Hong Kong trading session. XRP remained the sole exception, maintaining its positive performance from the morning.

Tether, the issuer of the world’s most traded stablecoin, will invest in power generation and Bitcoin mining in Uruguay to tap the country’s renewable energy resources, the company said on Tuesday.

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority have agreed to strengthen cooperation in regulating virtual assets.

Dubai-headquartered Bybit said it will exit the Canadian crypto market and stop accepting new accounts from Wednesday, citing a “recent regulatory development.”

Bitcoin traded flat on Wednesday morning in Asia, after briefly breaching US$28,000. Ether dipped while other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded mixed.

China’s possible entry into NFTs, Russia’s crypto payments, and new token standards fuel market optimism.

Ordinals’ BRC-721E token standard is set to introduce NFT transfers from Ethereum to Bitcoin through a burn and claim process.

Bitcoin and Ether inched up during Tuesday afternoon trading hours in Hong Kong, while the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization were mixed.

A proposed tax on electricity used by cryptocurrency miners in the U.S. has been scrapped in the deal to raise the country’s debt ceiling, according to Republican congressman Warren Davidson.

Bitcoin fell in Tuesday morning trading in Asia. Ether and most other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens also logged losses, while XRP gained.

NFT-backed lending and borrowing can unlock liquidity and expand investment opportunities. Here are the best practices — and risks.

Leaders in Hong Kong’s Web3 industry announced the formation of two new associations, Hong Kong Licensed Virtual Assets Association (HKLVAA) and Web3 Harbour, on Monday.

Temasek, Singapore’s state-owned investment firm, said on Monday that it has cut the pay of senior management and the investment team involved in the decision to invest in the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange.

Bitcoin couldn’t maintain its Monday morning gains as the world’s largest cryptocurrency dropped below US$28,000 in the afternoon.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and others led to predictions of big shifts away from centralized finance. James Wo examines why that hasn’t happened yet.