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Binance’s Changpeng Zhao emerges as ‘winner on all fronts’ of FTX acquisition
Commonly known as “CZ,” the Chinese-Canadian founder of Binance appears to have stolen Sam Bankman-Fried’s shine, coming out of the FTX acquisition with the most to gain.
Binance boosts emergency insurance fund to US$1 billion on market volatility
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has raised its emergency insurance fund “SAFU” to US$1 billion equivalent in cryptocurrencies, founder Changpeng Zhao said in a Tweet on Wednesday.
Crypto exchanges see more withdrawals over fears of FTX liquidity
Large volumes of stablecoins moved out of exchanges, including KuCoin, OKX, Kraken, Huobi and Binance over the past week.
What could Binance gain from FTX’s wider investments?
FTX has invested in many projects through its FTX Ventures arm, contributing to two of the 10 biggest blockchain and crypto funding rounds in the industry. Here are the top five investments FTX has been involved in.
Binance set to swallow FTX as run on exchange allows CZ to swoop
Top blockchain and crypto news: FTX concedes defeat in long battle with Binance. Crypto eyes Congress races. Hong Kong U-turns on digital assets.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether slump eases but market sell-off continues
Bitcoin recovered slightly in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia after hitting a year-low of US$17,604 this morning amid news of Binance’s takeover of the FTX exchange following speculation of solvency issues at FTX, although several coins extended their declines.
‘Pharma bro’ Martin Shkreli to Do Kwon: jail isn’t that bad
“Pharma bro” Martin Shkreli has tried to reassure Terra chief Do Kwon that life in jail is “not the worst”, while they discussed the Binance-FTX deal on the UpOnlyTV podcast.
Binance’s pending acquisition of FTX may attract attention of antitrust regulators
Binance chief executive officer Changpeng Zhao already runs the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange so just what are his ambitions?
Binance becomes white knight for fallen FTX: How did we get here?
Binance steps in with deal to buy FTX.com, but with so many moving parts to consider how messy could this pending acquisition get?
Coinbase says it has minimal exposure to FTX, downplays risk
Coinbase said new users have registered on the exchange, while the crypto exchange claimed it has limited exposure to the underwater crypto exchange FTX.
Binance buys FTX: Updates on what it means for the crypto industry
The following is a running compilation of views and comments on Binance’s takeover of the FTX exchange amid speculation of solvency problems at FTX.
Markets: Bitcoin hits year low, Ether slumps as Binance rescue of FTX unnerves investors
Bitcoin fell to a year’s low of US$17,603 in Tuesday morning trading in Asia as Binance Global Inc.’s takeover of the FTX exchange unnerved investors.
Binance agrees to acquire FTX following liquidity crunch
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has agreed to acquire rival exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried announced on Tuesday.
Japan’s NTT Docomo to develop Web 3.0 with Accenture, Astar Network
NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, has partnered information technology firm Accenture and blockchain infrastructure Astar Network to explore Web 3.0 adoption.
Bitcoin miner Riot Blockchain’s stock drops amid widening Q3 losses
Stocks of Nasdaq-listed Riot fell 4.87% in pre-market trading on Tuesday, after U.S. Bitcoin miner Riot Blockchain on Monday reported weaker revenues in the third quarter of this year.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether prices drop; Matic the only coin to gain
Bitcoin and Ether slumped in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia, with almost every other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also losing ground. For the second consecutive day, polygon was the only coin that strengthened.
U.S. midterms: gridlock… and progress on crypto industry regulation?
In a period of toxic divide between the Democrats and Republicans, the need to figure out how to regulate the growing cryptocurrency industry is one of the few issues both parties seem to agree on.
Japan’s Web 3.0 lawmaker urges further easing of country’s crypto regulation
Japan needs to further relax rules for its crypto industry, said lawmaker of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party Masaaki Taira.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX token falls more than 20% amid Binance feud
Crypto exchange FTX’s native token, FTT, fell more than 20% in afternoon trading in Asia amid speculation rival exchange Binance is selling off the FTX token.
Alameda says ‘wasn’t us’ amid speculation about BitDAO’s 20% plunge
BitDAO, or BIT, the token supported by crypto exchange Bybit, dropped more than 20% within an hour at one stage around noon on Tuesday in Asia.
DeFi still has a long way to go before mass adoption
Decentralized finance will stay niche unless the sector overcomes its myriad problems, including a lack of a credit system and regulations that inspire greater trust, writes Brian Pasfield.
Seizure, guilty plea in US$3.36 bln stolen Silk Road Bitcoin case
The U.S. Department of Justice revealed on Monday that in 2021 it seized US$3.36 billion worth of stolen Bitcoin from Georgia real estate developer James Zhong.
CZ vs. SBF tweet exchange is no ‘fight,’ Binance CEO claims
Binance chief executive officer Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said in a Twitter thread that he had no intention of picking a fight with FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
Zuckerberg’s Meta plans to lay off thousands of employees: WSJ report
Meta Platforms Inc. is planning its first significant mass layoff later this week that may affect many thousands of employees.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether prices fall with most of crypto top 10, Polygon flips Solana
Bitcoin dipped below US$21,000 in Tuesday morning trading in Asia as Ether and most other tokens in the cryptocurrency top ten by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, lost ground.
Stablecoin, CBDC issues take center stage at Singapore’s Future of Finance Forum
Central bank digital currencies draw fire over inflation, privacy and threat to innovation, as questions raised over status of stablecoins in digital asset ecosystem.
SEC gets more time to file reply briefs in XRP lawsuit against Ripple
The U.S. SEC has received approval from the court to extend the time for all parties to submit reply briefs, in the ongoing lawsuit the SEC filed in 2020 against Ripple.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; Dogecoin interest fades
Bitcoin and Ether dropped in afternoon trading in Asia along with almost every other top 10 cryptocurrency by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins. MATIC was the only coin to gain.
How sustainable is that fast-fashion minidress? Blockchain can help you find out
Fashion’s ‘greenwashing’ scandals could be a thing of the past if blockchain is used to hold companies accountable, writes Lars Rensing of Protokol.
Hong Kong needs engineering talent to reclaim role as digital asset hub
Hong Kong’s latest FinTech policies indicate it wants to reclaim its position as a hub for cryptocurrencies and digital assets, but that means finding the right people for the job.
Indian crypto exchange WazirX introduces profit, loss function
WazirX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trade volume, has introduced a profit and loss function for users to analyze and calculate their investments.
Bitcoin mining difficulty falls 0.2% in latest adjustment
Bitcoin mining difficulty nudged down 0.2% in Monday’s biweekly adjustment, according to data from BTC.com.
LG Electronics seeks Web3 talent for blockchain, NFT efforts
LG Electronics is recruiting chief technical officers (CTOs) to lead the company’s growing Web3 business.
Half a million users move to decentralized alternative Mastodon following Elon Musk Twitter grab
Amid uncertainty and criticism following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, nearly half a million users have flocked to Mastodon, a decentralized alternative.
Binance to sell FTX token holdings amid questions over trading arm Alameda finances
Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said Binance will liquidate its remaining FTT tokens issued by the second-largest crypto exchange FTX amid questions over Alameda Research.
South Korea’s online KakaoBank to open accounts for Coinone exchange users this month
KakaoBank, one of South Korea’s online-only banks with nearly 20 million users, said it will start providing accounts for users of Coinone exchange in November.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether prices pull back after weekend gain on sign U.S. inflation may be easing
Bitcoin and Ether fell in Monday morning trading in Asia as the crypto market gave up some gains made on the weekend on the back of U.S. job numbers on Friday.
Crypto asset manager HashKey gets Singapore’s in-principle license
HashKey Capital Singapore, an investment arm of Hong Kong-based HashKey Group, said on Friday that it received an in-principle approval for the Capital Markets Services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Chainlink, green asset exchange MVGX to explore crypto carbon trading
Singapore blockchain-based carbon credits exchange Metaverse Green Exchange (MVGX) will partner crypto data provider Chainlink to explore tokenized carbon trading.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether gain; DOGE leads top 10 crypto losses; Hang Seng rises 5%
Bitcoin and Ether gained with mixed results across the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins. The Hong Kong Hang Seng Index gained 5.30% amid speculation that the Chinese economy will soon reopen.
India forms new crypto advocacy body with Coinbase, Polygon
Cryptocurrency exchanges and Web 3.0 companies, including Coinbase and Polygon, have formed the Bharat Web3 Association in India to strengthen regulation and consumer protection for the industry.
Token price of Ethereum-based play-to-earn company Gala Games falls some 20% after hacking scare
The network says the apparent attack was just a preemptive safeguard against an issue with a cross-chain bridge.
Canada to examine risks from crypto, stablecoins, CBDCs in budget
The Canadian government will begin a consultation on the risks that digital assets and currencies may pose to the country’s traditional financial system.
Dashcam maker Hivemapper issues crypto HONEY for road image contribution
San Francisco-based dashcam maker and decentralized mapping service provider Hivemapper issued cryptocurrency tokens HONEY to reward dashcam users for contributing driving data and road imagery on Friday Hong Kong time, according to a press release shared with Forkast.
Goldman Sachs launches crypto explainer, trend tool for institutional clients
After dabbling in cryptocurrency product offerings, Goldman Sachs is now offering a service to clients to help analyze tokens and market trends.
Crypto fugitive Do Kwon said to be hiding in Europe, mocks ‘cops from world over’ in series of tweets
The South Korean founder of the collapsed Terra stablecoin faces multiple allegations of wrongdoing, the latest being price manipulation.
Curiosity ‘always’ fuels innovation, says blockchain co-creator Stuart Haber
U.S. computer scientist Stuart Haber, recognized with Scott Stornetta as the co-inventor of blockchain, says he is excited to see the evolution of the technology, not only in the financial sector, but also in entertainment, business, and technology industries.
Bitcoin, Ether prices rise, Polygon leads top 10 in gains, Doge, Shib retreat
Bitcoin and Ether rose in Friday morning trading in Asia. Polygon’s Matic led gains in the top 10 tokens after Instagram said it would use Polygon to integrate NFTs into its platform.
Standard Chartered invests in Partior blockchain payments platform
London-headquartered banking giant Standard Chartered announced on Thursday that it had invested in the blockchain-based interbank settlement platform Partior, a joint venture of JP Morgan, DBS bank and Temasek.
‘End of the beginning’ in blockchain development, Singapore FinTech Festival speakers declare
Bursting of speculative bubble described as a turning point in the evolution of digital assets as industry players and observers welcome promise of mainstream adoption and better governance.
Singapore still aims to be a crypto hub, minus speculative trading
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) wants to build the city-state into a “crypto hub” fueled by instant settlements, tokenized assets and programmable money, not “speculating in cryptocurrencies,” Ravi Menon, the central bank’s managing director, said at the Singapore FinTech Festival on Thursday.
Singapore’s Project Ubin+ to study cross-border FX with CBDCs
The MAS launched Project Ubin+ on Thursday, a collaborative initiative with international partners to explore cross-border foreign exchange settlements using wholesale CBDC.
OpenSea unveils features to freeze stolen NFTs and malicious links
OpenSea will pilot a system that freezes the trading of NFTs involved in suspicious sales while it reviews the transaction.
Digital wallet Cryptillian seeks to back Ripple against SEC in XRP lawsuit
Digital wallet service provider Cryptillian Payment Systems has requested to file an amicus brief to support Ripple Labs Inc. in the latter’s ongoing court battle against the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC).
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; top 10 crypto mixed following Fed rate hike
Bitcoin and Ether dropped in Thursday afternoon trading in Asia, while the rest of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, posted mixed results.
Crypto leaders differ over Do Kwon blame in May’s market crash
‘Bad actor’ or a ‘sliding market’? Blockchain industry leaders at Hong Kong FinTech Week offer insights into the Terra-LUNA crash.
Binance will re-enter South Korea’s crypto market, CZ says
Binance is preparing to operate in South Korea’s crypto market, said CEO Changpeng Zhao at the Web Summit 2022 held in Lisbon.
Binance considers buying banks, bridging gap between crypto, TradFi
The world’s largest crypto exchange seeks to become a bridge between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies.
Instagram to allow creators to mint and sell NFTs through the platform
Instagram will soon allow creators to mint and sell NFTs through the platform to buyers both on and off Instagram using an ‘end-to-end toolkit.’
Crypto Winter will only get worse as industry adjusts: Tezos cofounder
The ongoing Crypto Winter is ‘only going to get worse’ as the industry is re-evaluated amongst tighter interest rates, the cofounder of Tezos predicts.
How soulbound tokens can lift billions of lives around the world
What are soulbound tokens, and how can they end the ‘credit paradox’ that has been holding back the unbanked masses? Fakhul Miah of CreDA explains.
Singapore fintech fest raises profile of industry that wants to ‘disappear’
Digital asset and blockchain highlights of event draw huge crowds, even as industry figures say they want the technology behind them to become just a normal component of the finance system.
Markets: Bitcoin and Ether fall with crypto top 10 as Fed raises rates 75 bps
Markets: Bitcoin and Ether fall with crypto top 10 as Fed raises rates 75 bps
India’s finance minister urges G20 nations to come on board to regulate crypto
Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged all Group of 20 (G20) nations, as well as international bodies like the International Monetary Fund and Financial Stability Board, to come together to help regulate crypto assets. See related article: India’s finance minister sees 46% growth in blockchain technology use in next few years Fast facts Sitharaman […]
BIS’ ‘Project Mariana’ to explore CBDC integration with DeFi
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has launched a new project with the central banks of Singapore, France and Switzerland to study the possibility of integrating some decentralized finance (DeFi) features with central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). See related article: mBridge participants to end domestic payments of foreign CBDCs Fast facts The BIS announced on […]
Hong Kong crypto policy turns on hopes of economic revival
Top blockchain and crypto news: Hong Kong rethinks digital assets. CBDC to debut in India. China’s e-yuan privacy problem.
Payments platform StraitsX to show real-world stablecoin use at Singapore Fintech Festival
Singapore-based StraitsX, a payments infrastructure for digital assets, will pilot stablecoin applications at the ongoing Singapore Fintech Festival.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether drop; Dogecoin rally ends
Bitcoin and Ether dropped in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia amid losses among all top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, led by Shiba Inu.
Can blockchain tech in green finance attract more investors and deter bad actors?
As governments look towards zero carbon emission goals, new means of creating climate-related financial products are being tested on the blockchain.
Huobi plans to move HQ to the Caribbean, Justin Sun says
Huobi Global, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, plans to move its headquarters to the Caribbean, its new advisory board member Justin Sun said.
NEAR sets up Web3 hub in South Korea, eyes Asia expansion
NEAR Foundation is establishing a Web3 hub in South Korea to expand its allegiance with blockchain projects in Korea and Asia.
NFT sales decline for sixth straight month despite tailwinds
While October saw the emergence of two very popular NFT collections, sales failed to break US$500 million in the lowest figures since July 2021.