Archives

Two Chinese intelligence officers allegedly paid a double agent to help steal files related to a federal investigation into a China-based global telecom firm, reported to be Huawei.

As a leading financial institution of South Korea, Shinhan is gearing up for business expansion into crypto — while a local ban remains on the books.

Meta is collaborating with a Taiwan LGBT advocacy group and a local cryptocurrency exchange to issue charity NFTs as part of the Taiwan Pride celebration.

Lawmakers in the British Parliament’s lower house voted in favor of recognizing cryptocurrency assets as regulated financial instruments and products Tuesday.

The lead counsel for the plaintiff in the case has called Friday’s ruling a decision with implications for the global blockchain industry

The Australian Government has clarified that cryptocurrency will continue to be taxed as an asset class instead of a foreign currency in its 2022 budget released on Tuesday.

Survey reveals popularity of crypto ownership among voters, their hopes for the industry’s growing potential and the need for regulation to protect consumers.

South Korea’s Busan signs agreements global cryptocurrency exchanges Crypto.com and Gate.io to grow the city’s blockchain ecosystem.

Bitcoin was trading above US$20,000 for the first time in almost three weeks on Wednesday morning trading in Asia.

Reddit non-fungible token (NFT) avatar trade volumes hit an all-time high, with sales exceeding US$2.5 million in the past 24 hours.

Bitcoin traded flat on Tuesday afternoon in Asia hours, while Ether edged higher in a mixed day for prices among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins. XRP led the losers for the second consecutive day. Polygon’s Matic token held onto recent gains and Dogecoin also moved higher.

The singer-actress and son Harrison Yu said they launched the Theirsverse NFT brand in New York to engage marginalized groups in the early building of Web 3.0.

Family offices and high net worth individuals (HNWI) will drive the adoption of digital assets across Asia, according to a joint report by professional services firm KPMG China and Hong Kong-based crypto asset management platform Aspen Digital. See related article: Hong Kong, BIS explore CBDC-backed stablecoins in retail prototype Fast facts The report, largely based […]

Apple is allowing NFTs in applications, but will not allow them to be used to unlock in-app content or features.

Genesis 2.0 aims to explore tokenized carbon credits and IoT facilities to monitor green bond issuers’ emission-reducing commitment.

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX will reimburse US$6 million lost by users in a phishing attack over the weekend, according to founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

Meta shareholder Altimeter Capital’s CEO Brad Gerstner wrote a letter to Mark Zuckerberg suggesting a cut in headcount and in metaverse investments.

Cryptocurrency was created to be accessible to the masses. So why are retail investors getting shut out from the best analytical and trading tools?

Bitcoin dipped in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, but held above the US$19,000 support line where it has been fluctuating for several weeks.

Rishi Sunak, who previously spearheaded the UK’s crypto hub ambitions as finance minister, has been elected by the Conservative Party on Monday following Liz Truss’ resignation last week. 

Bitcoin mining difficulty has reached a new high after a 3.44% increase in Monday’s biweekly adjustment, according to data from BTC.com.

The BIS Innovation Hub Hong Kong Centre has completed its CBDC study, Project Aurum, which examined the feasibility of intermediated CBDCs and CBDC-backed stablecoins.

Bitcoin rose in Monday evening trading in Asia in a mixed day across the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins. Ether gained more than 2% and Polygon had a strong run up of more than 6%. XRP fell. Different picture for Hong Kong stocks, where the Hang Seng Index plunged to lows last […]

A lack of regulations means anyone can say bad things about crypto to stir up fear — and push you to sell. Even if they stand to make money from your losses.

The U.S. SEC has filed a legal rebuttal to Ripple’s motion for summary judgment, a day after Ripple took a similar move against the SEC.

iQIYI, one of China’s largest online video platforms with over 100 million subscribers, is tapping Ethereum smart contract standard ERC-3475 to solve copyright-related issues, according to a press release on Sunday from the standard’s inventor, decentralized bond protocol DeBond.

WEMADE, a South Korean blockchain game developer, recently launched its stablecoin, WEMIX$, for growing its blockchain ecosystem, which houses NFTs and DeFi.

Bitcoin and Ether were both gaining in Monday morning trading in Asia, as were all other top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins.

Why has Ripple Labs been in the U.S. SEC’s crosshairs and what’s the difference between Ripple and XRP?

India’s lack of regulatory clarity on crypto and Web 3.0 is a driving force of critical human capital flight, according to a new report by Nasscom.

Bitcoin traded at US$19,045.18 at 4 p.m. in Hong Kong, while Ether fell 0.48% to US$1,286.01, according to data from CoinMarketCap. 

The international police organization Interpol has launched its own metaverse to assist law enforcement in protecting communities in virtual realms. The development comes after wanted Terraform Labs cofounder Do Kwon quietly slipped from Singapore to Dubai and possibly elsewhere. See related article: India police launch blockchain-based complaint portal on Polygon  Fast facts Interpol claims theirs […]

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. will launch Lord of The Rings non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Eluvio, as part of the entertainment giant’s Web 3.0 movie experience coined “Movieverse.”

After Solana’s Magic Eden marketplace said it was bowing to pressure and making payment of royalties “optional” to NFT creators, industry insiders tell Forkast the policy is wrongheaded and damaging.

South Korean police raided local software company Hancom and home of chairman Kim Sang-cheol on Thursday amid speculation that Kim created a slush fund using crypto token Arowana, according to local media reports.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has handed over internal documents to Ripple Labs Inc. containing comments by former SEC Corporation Finance Division director William Hinman on cryptocurrencies, Ripple’s general counsel Stuart Alderoty said on his verified Twitter handle on Friday.

Bluesky, the decentralized social media protocol founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, announced on Friday morning Hong Kong time that 30,000 people had signed up on its preview app waitlist 48 hours after it was announced.

Bitcoin fell, but traded back above the US$19,000 support level in Friday morning trading in Asia. Ether lost ground along with most other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, but leading memecoin Dogecoin rose and Tron also edged higher. See related article: Twitter user prevents 200 billion BitBTC bridge exploit, highlighting major vulnerability […]

Sachin Tendulkar, Indian cricket legend and former captain of the national cricket team, has partnered with cricket non-fungible token (NFT) platform Rario to launch exclusive digital collectibles. See related article: 55,000 Meta Cricket League NFTs sell out in nine minutes Fast facts Rario has existing partnerships with cricket icons, like Zaheer Khan, Kevin Pietersen, Jonty […]

South Africa’s financial markets regulator has declared crypto assets as a financial product, setting the legal grounds to bring cryptocurrencies under regulatory purview. See related article: Nigeria to become 1st African country to launch a central bank digital currency Fast facts Crypto is not issued by a central bank but can be traded, transferred and […]

JP Morgan Chase has hired former Celsius executive Aaron Lovine as executive director of digital assets regulatory policy, the latest move in the bank’s oscillating regard for the crypto industry.  See related article: JPMorgan Chase executive says crypto usage for payments decreasing   Fast facts A JPMorgan spokesperson confirmed the appointment after Lovine, who headed policy […]

A Twitter user highlighted a vulnerability in BitBTC’s Optimism bridge and averted what could have been the latest in a string of bridge exploits this month.

South Korea is mulling the uploading of headshots of sex offenders rendered on the three-dimensional metaverse, to help the public identify offenders, said Minister of Gender Equality and Family Kim Hyun-sook on Tuesday in a local radio interview. See related article: S.Korea’s science ministry announces ethical principles for the metaverse Fast facts Kim mentioned the […]

The crypto market continued its sluggish performance during Thursday evening trading in Asia, with Bitcoin and Ether lower and XRP’s 0.63% rise marking the biggest gain among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins. See related article: Japan eases token vetting process to expand crypto offerings: report Fast facts Bitcoin fell 0.35% in […]

Fidelity Digital Assets will allow clients to trade Ether from Oct. 28, according to a company email shared by Fidelity’s customers via Twitter. See related article: Fidelity considers Bitcoin trading on brokerage platform: WSJ Fast facts Institutional investors will be able to buy, sell and trade ETH, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. “With the […]

In a Q&A with Forkast, First Digital Trust Chief Executive Officer Vincent Chok shared his views on Hong Kong getting back into crypto, regulations, and how the crypto pie in Asia is big enough for rivals Singapore and Hong Kong.

Japan’s Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (JVCEA), the self-regulatory body that oversees local crypto exchanges, will allow platforms to list cryptocurrencies without an existing lengthy screening process, according to Bloomberg. See related article: Japan pushes for tougher crypto AML regulations amid N. Korean cyberattacks Fast facts The easing is expected to take place as […]

Hong Kong-based digital asset management firm JKL Group will set up a US$50 million fund to buy more mining machines to further expand its mining facilities, despite the current crypto winter.

Kwon Do-hyung, the cofounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd., also known as Do Kwon, left Singapore last month and landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, South Korean prosecutors confirmed with Forkast.

The crypto sector operates mainly in English, but more than 6 billion people — many of whom crypto would benefit the most — use other languages, writes Wei Zhou of Coins.ph.

Bitcoin and Ether both fell in Thursday morning trading in Asia and with the exception of stablecoins, all other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization lost ground.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Mark Zuckerberg’s empty metaverse. South Korea to roll out blockchain IDs. Macau bets on digital money.

Bitcoin also received additional entries to the annual list, now a record holder for the “oldest cryptocurrency,” the “most valuable cryptocurrency” and the “first blockchain.”

Bitcoin fell in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia along with the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, with XRP holders suffering the steepest losses at 3.93%.

Kwon has been issued with an Interpol “red notice” requesting his extradition on charges brought by South Korea related to the implosion of the Terra Luna cryptocurrency project he founded

The perpetrator of the US$9.1 million Moola Market exploit returned close to the entirety of the loot in exchange for an undisclosed ransom on Wednesday, according to the project’s social media update.   See related article: ‘Hacktober’ continues with US$1 mln taken from BitKeep token swap service Fast facts Decentralized finance (DeFi) project Moola Markets announced […]

The blockchain network was built by former members of the Meta stablecoin project, with well-known investors and considerable buzz as the new ‘Solana killer.’

German crypto bank Nuri (formerly known as Bitwala) has asked customers to withdraw their funds by Dec. 18 so that the “business can be terminated and liquidated.”

This isn’t the first time the bloc has examined cracking down on Bitcoin mining, and it comes amid a growing push from regulators to examine the industry’s carbon footprint.

An unidentified hacker stole over US$1 million in Binance Coin (BNB) tokens from decentralized multi-chain wallet BitKeep’s token swap service on Monday, according to a Tuesday statement by the company. See related article: Crypto hackers on track for bonanza year as theft surges, Chainalysis says Fast facts “Our development team managed to contain the emergency […]

The IRS updated its annual income tax instructions in a Monday draft that does away with the taxable category “virtual currency” and replaces it with the term “digital assets,” which explicitly includes NFTs.

Bitcoin and Ether both fell in Wednesday morning trading in Asia amid news the European Union is considering a bill to restrict the mining of energy-intensive cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. Most of the rest of the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also declined, with the exception of Polygon. See related article: Bitcoin, […]

The first XRP Ledger (XRPL) Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible sidechain has gone live on the parallel test network, XRPL Devnet, Ripple developers announced on Monday.

Markets: Bitcoin price rises amid sweeping gains across top 10 crypto, Polygon increases 7%

“No finders keepers’ law”: Coinbase considers legal action against some 1,000 users in east Europe’s Georgia who took advantage of a pricing glitch on the platform.

Hong Kong seems set to put out a new welcome mat for the blockchain and crypto industries, but will it work after concern about regulatory restrictions convinced many cryptocurrency operators to leave?

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission of the U.S. are investigating whether bankrupt crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) misled investors about its balance sheet and failed to register with the two agencies, according to a Bloomberg report which cites two people familiar with the matter. See related article: […]

The Japanese government approved amendments to existing financial regulations to prevent money laundering utilizing cryptocurrencies and increase penalties on those involved, according to local media reports. See related article: North Korea’s Lazarus Group attacks Japanese crypto firms, police say Fast facts The Cabinet, Japan’s executive body, approved the revisions to laws associated with the country’s […]

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based video game company, announced a recruitment effort for 13 new positions to integrate its game titles with Web3 and metaverse technologies. See related article: NFTs may be the next killer app for video games, but some traditional players object Fast facts The game developer is planning to launch […]

What are the different kinds of NFT wash trading, and what are the red flags that a prospective investor should look for? Anndy Lian explains.

Bitcoin and Ether rose as all top 10 tokens by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, gained in Tuesday morning trading in Asia. Polygon led the list. Solana followed on news a leading non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace will suspend transaction fees. See related article: Gold commodities market could enter the blockchain, according to new industry initiative Fast […]

Global payments company Mastercard intends to enable financial institutions to offer crypto services to customers with its new Crypto Source program. See related article: Binance partners Mastercard to launch card in Argentina for bill payment, everyday purchases Fast facts The program will allow financial institutions to tap into Mastercard’s partners to buy, hold and sell […]