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Russia is planning to use its central bank digital currency (CBDC) in testing, the digital ruble, to carry out mutual settlements with China, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a senior Russian lawmaker. See related article: Is cryptocurrency a workaround for sanctions against Russia? Fast facts Anatoly Aksakov, head of the financial committee in Russia’s lower […]

The man behind Terra-LUNA contradicts the basis of the new action South Korean authorities took to corner and locate him.

Crypto tycoon Jihan Wu’s crypto mining firm Bitdeer Technology Holdings is leading a US$250 million fund to acquire mining rigs from distressed miners amid the cryptocurrency bear market, according to Bloomberg. See related article: China mining rig maker Canaan expands despite crypto winter  Fast facts See related article: Bitmain cuts mining rig price amid crypto […]

Alex Mashinsky, the chief executive officer of cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network LLC which has filed for bankruptcy, has resigned from his position, according to a statement released by the company on Tuesday. See related article: Regulator alleges Celsius resembled Ponzi scheme in new filing Fast facts The company’s chief financial officer, Chris Ferraro, has been […]

Christie’s, the 256-year-old fine art auction house, is debuting Christie’s 3.0, an Ethereum-based NFT marketplace with the launch of an exclusive collection from leading Web 3.0 visual artist Diana Sinclair.  See related article: Naver and LINE launch NFT platform for K-pop fans Fast facts The New York-based auction house has made waves in the space, […]

Bitcoin traded back in the US$19,000 range on Wednesday morning in Asia after breaching US$20,000 the previous day in a broader market surge. Ether was little changed, while Solana, Cardano and XRP on the list of top 10 by market capitalization lost ground. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price rises above US$20,000, XRP rebounds, Ether […]

Japan is planning to introduce remittance rules to prevent money laundering through cryptocurrencies, Nikkei Asia reported Tuesday. See related article: China says it busted US$5.6B crypto money laundering ring Fast facts The Japanese authorities plan to revise “The Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds” to require exchanges to provide user data when sending […]

Hong Kong’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project with three other central banks and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) has completed its pilot, an advisor from the BIS and a specialist from Thailand’s central bank said on Tuesday. See related article: Future of CBDCs & Stablecoins Fast facts The mBridge pilot saw 20 commercial […]

Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange FTX US will acquire all the assets of bankrupt cryptocurrency brokerage Voyager Digital, beating off rivals with a US$1.422 billion bid. See related article: Voyager gives Sam Bankman-Fried’s ‘low-ball’ bailout offer a single digit Fast facts FTX will acquire “all Voyager cryptocurrency at a to-be-determined date in the future,” which […]

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission faces criticism from cryptocurrency industry as opposition grows over “unprecedented” charges against the Ooki DAO.

Bitcoin rallied above US$20,000 in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia, along with almost all the top 10 coins by market capitalization. XRP rebounded from losses in the morning. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price back above US$19,000; Ether, Polkadot gain; XRP leads losers Fast facts Bitcoin rose 6.94% in the past 24 hours to trade […]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Monday it filed and settled a US$1 million fine against Friedman LLP, Tether’s former auditing firm, over “serious violations of the federal securities laws.” See related article: What is the right approach to regulating stablecoins?  Fast facts See related article: Should Tether’s shrinking cash reserves be cause for […]

Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is using fees it collected from Luna Classic (LUNC) transactions to establish a crypto monitoring center in a gesture to help compensate for the losses from the Terra-LUNA debacle, according to local media reports. See related article: Interpol issues red notice for Do Kwon, says South Korean prosecutor Fast […]

Chinese authorities can track e-CNY wallet transaction history, if warranted, thanks to its ‘managed anonymity’ design.

Polkadot updated its roadmap on Monday, expecting to deploy a technique called “asynchronous backing” on its development-testing network Kusama before the end of 2022, as a prelude to upgrading the mainnet for boosting the transaction speed. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price back above US$19,000; Ether, Polkadot gain; XRP leads losers Fast facts See related […]

Terra Classic (LUNC), the original crypto token of the Terra-LUNA blockchain that collapsed back in May, gained over 50% on Tuesday following an announcement by Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by volume, that it would support a burn mechanism for the network. See related article: For South Korea, making Do Kwon pay for his […]

South Korea’s crypto market was worth 23 trillion won (about US$16.1 billion) in the first half of 2022, down 58% from 55.2 trillion won in the six-month period at the end of last year, according to data from the Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU). See related article: South Korea seizes US$184 mln in crypto towards unpaid […]

Beyond the bear market, Web3 technology is shining bright in gaming and music, writes Hannes Graah of Gro. Are we at a tipping point for mass adoption?

Changwon is the latest addition to South Korea’s growing list of cities seeking a presence in the metaverse, signaling the country’s adoption of Web3.

Bitcoin broke above the US$19,000 resistance level in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, as most other tokens on the top 10 list by market capitalization gained ground. XRP continued its slide from Monday to lead the decliners, but remains higher over the past seven days. See related article: Markets: XRP reverses gains, Bitcoin stuck under […]

Chinese police said they have busted a criminal group that used cryptocurrencies to launder 40 billion yuan (US$5.6 billion) as authorities crack down on illicit fund flows in the country. See related article: China lashes out at crypto fraud on World Consumer Rights Day Fast facts Police in Hengyang, a county in China’s southern province […]

Bitcoin remained stuck below a US$19,000 ceiling in Monday afternoon trading in Asia as concern about inflation and rising interest rates prompted selling across most asset classes. XRP slipped but remained well ahead for the week. Ether and all the other top 10 coins by market capitalization lost ground, with Solana logging the largest fall. […]

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on Monday published a whitepaper on its central bank digital currency (CBDC), or “eAUD,” pilot project that will start in January 2023 and has invited industry participants to submit use cases with economic and social benefits. See related article: World Economic Forum argues for CBDCs, Australia latest to test […]

The Philippines now ranks 2nd in the world for crypto adoption, but its path ahead is unclear, writes Emman Navalan. What are the hurdles it must overcome?

A bill that proposed a regulatory and licensing framework for crypto companies was rejected by Gov. Gavin Newsom amid a broader national debate concerning the policing of digital assets.

Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology has renamed its 25-year-old Information Engineering Department as the Metaverse Engineering Department. The university says it’s the first in China to offer a metaverse major, according to a local media report. See related article: South Korea and Meta to ramp up metaverse safety  Fast facts See related article: […]

South Korea is pursuing different options to get custody of Do Kwon as the Terraform Labs CEO faces charges for his alleged involvement in the multibillion collapse of the Terra-LUNA stablecoin project.

Bitcoin traded below the US$19,000 mark in early Monday trading in Asia after fluctuating around the resistance level all week. Ethereum and most other tokens in the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization lost ground. XRP once again defied broader market forces and was up on the day. See related article: Markets: XRP soars 23%, […]

The coastal city was a prominent manufacturer of footwear, fabric and other light industries during the 1970s and 80s, and then grew into one of the world’s biggest container ports. Now it’s trying to reinvent itself in the digital world of blockchain.

The Helium network is set to deploy on the Solana blockchain as 81% of its community voted in favor of HIP 70, an improvement proposal for operational efficiency and better user experience. See related article: Helium announces new token to scale 5G in multi-network expansion Fast facts The proposal will move Helium’s proof-of-coverage algorithm and […]

DeFi infrastructures powered by Jump Crypto will support blockchain Aptos and have been deployed on its development net.

The World Economic Forum is launching a new Crypto Sustainability Coalition, consisting of 30 partners within the intersection of sustainable development and web3, crypto, and blockchain technologies, the international non-government organization (NGO) announced in a Webinar on Wednesday in New York, U.S.

Bitcoin continued trading above US$19,000 in Friday afternoon trading in Asia. Ether rose along with most of the top 10 coins by market capitalization following the completion of the first phase of Cardano’s Vasil hard fork. XRP led gains with its price soaring over 20% in the past 24 hours. See related article: Markets: Cryptocurrencies […]

DBS Bank Ltd., Southeast Asia’s largest lender, has launched a self-directed cryptocurrency trading service for accredited wealth clients.  See related article: Asia banking giant DBS jumps into The Sandbox metaverse Fast facts The bank’s wealth clients have been favoring self-directed options, with digital trades dominating 90% of equity transactions, DBS said in a press release […]

Dunamu Inc., the mother company of South Korea’s largest crypto exchange Upbit, will focus its future endeavors on Levvels, its Los Angeles-based non-fungible token (NFT) joint venture with Hybe Co., Ltd., the entertainment agency behind K-pop group BTS. See related article: Dunamu’s NFT venture with BTS’s HYBE to launch services later this year Fast facts […]

Coinbase, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, has obtained regulatory approval in the Netherlands, as the U.S.-based exchange looks to expand its presence globally. See related article: Coinbase hit with lawsuit over allegedly poor security Fast facts Coinbase said on Thursday in a statement that it has registered with De Nederlandsche Bank, the central […]

The United Kingdom has introduced a bill that would enable its law enforcement agencies to “seize, freeze and recover” crypto assets, to prevent cyber crime and money laundering.  See related article: UK watchdog: Crypto firms fall short on anti-money laundering rules Fast facts The reforms to the governmental Companies House, including issues beyond crypto, are […]

The Chinese province of Gansu says that it will “strictly prohibit crypto mining” in the server rooms for China’s mega digital Eastern Data and Western Computing infrastructure project, according to a policy document. See related article: GBA among regions for China’s blockchain-powered data hubs  Fast facts See related article: China’s Zhejiang busts state-owned entities on […]

The Cardano blockchain’s long-awaited upgrade, the Vasil hard fork, successfully completed its first phase early Friday morning, according to Cardano operator Input Output Global Hong Kong’s official Twitter page. See related article: Cardano’s Vasil hard fork upgrade confirmed for Sept. 22 Fast facts Vasil will bring improvements to the Cardano network, making it more scalable […]

Bitcoin bounced back above US$19,000 in Friday morning trading in Asia as Cardano announced a successful hard fork to their upgraded Vasil network. XRP led gains among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. See related article: Cryptocurrency lobby group gets court approval to weigh in on SEC vs Ripple’s XRP lawsuit Fast facts Bitcoin […]

Tokyo-based financial services group Nomura Holdings, Inc., recently announced its new digital asset subsidiary named Laser Digital and respective holding company Laser Digital Holding, which will be active in Switzerland. See related article: Japan’s government approves policy to drive Web 3.0 adoption Fast facts Laser Digital will focus on secondary trading, venture capital and investor […]

Binance has tapped Max Baucus, a former U.S. senator and ambassador to China, to chair its new global advisory board, to advise the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange on regulatory, political and social issues. See related article: Binance stablecoin conversion controversial, but what does it mean for users? Fast facts Binance said on Thursday in a […]

Linda Jeng, chief regulatory officer and general counsel at the Crypto Council for Innovation said the U.S. has seen the writing on the wall and is expanding the conversation about cryptocurrency, in comments at Forkast’s “Crypto Rising: CBDCs & Stablecoins: The Asia Perspective.”

Bitcoin traded below US$19,000 Thursday afternoon in Asia after dropping below that resistance level earlier, following the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates by 75 basis points. Ether also fell. XRP was the biggest gainer among the 10 largest coins by market capitalization, while most other top 10 tokens were little changed. See […]

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Director Mhel Plabasan said the central bank has adopted a flexible approach on the digital assets.

Cryptocurrency lobby group Chamber of Digital Commerce (CDC) has received approval from a U.S. federal court to be an amicus curiae (Latin for friend of court) in the lawsuit that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed in 2020 against Ripple Labs. See related article: Ripple objects to SEC’s relief suggestion in XRP lawsuit […]

Crypto exchange Huobi Global’s Hong Kong-listed sister company, Huobi Technology Holdings, is proposing renaming the group to “New Huo Technology Holdings Limited,” while its sister company, the crypto exchange Huobi Global, is reportedly seeking a buyer for the majority of its company. See related article: Huobi-incubated Chinese NFT platform iBox ends international operations  Fast facts […]

Panelists at Forkast’s “Crypto Rising: CBDCs & Stablecoins: The Asia Perspective,” co-hosted by the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI), said tackling the technology requires international cooperation and flexibility to not stifle innovation.

Binance generated controversy when it told customers it would convert their holdings in three stablecoins to its own stablecoin. Some analysts say the concerns are overblown, others disagree.

Cryptocurrency assets seized from alleged tax delinquents in South Korea in 2021 and 2022 amounted to nearly 260 billion Korean won (US$184.3 million), according to local media reports. See related article: South Korea’s taxman keeps circling crypto – airdrops look to be the next target Fast facts The highest amount of crypto seized from a […]

Bitmain announced on Tuesday that it is cutting the price of one of its latest mining rig models, the S19 Pro, to US$19 per terahash (TH), which is 41% less than the price index shown on the mining rig data website Hashrate Index. See related article: US raises red flag on crypto mining, concern over […]

South Korea-based internet giant Naver Corp. launched its non-fungible token (NFT) platform, NOW.Drops, with LINE NEXT on Wednesday. The platform will let K-pop music fans create customized NFTs. See related article: Naver’s Zepeto metaverse starts blockchain initiative with Solana Fast facts NOW.Drops allows users to mint NFTs of their favorite musical acts that they crop […]

Sam Bankman-Fried‘s FTX is in talks with potential investors about a funding round that would keep the company’s valuation in line with prior financing at the start of the year, CNBC reported Wednesday.  See related article: Binance and FTX lead bidding for bankrupt Voyager Fast facts FTX Trading Ltd.’s latest funding round in January raised […]

Blockchain technology remains a world divided by silos that keep out developers and users, writes Manu Siddaligegowda of Lisk. What are the solutions?

Bitcoin fell below US$19,000 in Thursday morning trading in Asia after briefly moving above that resistance level overnight as investors digested the U.S. Federal Reserve decision to raise interest rates by 75 basis points, or in line with expectations. All the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization lost ground, with Ether the biggest loser.  See […]

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, rose more than 3% on Thursday to recover from a sharp drop to under US$19,000 after the Federal Open Market Committee said it would raise interest rates by 75 basis points, or in line with market expectations, to rein in inflation. See related article: Digital dollar takes another […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Where is Do Kwon hiding out? Ethereum Merge mood fading fast. China’s digital yuan draws scrutiny Down Under.

Bitcoin remained below the US$19,000 level in Wednesday evening trading in Asia as the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with the exception of XRP, traded lower. See related article: Ripple objects to SEC’s relief suggestion in XRP lawsuit Fast facts Bitcoin fell 2.2% in the past 24 hours to trade at US$18,906 at 4:30 […]

While India’s central bank has adopted a hostile stance towards cryptocurrency, the South Asian nation has recognized the potential for blockchain technology.  See related article: Women in India start to plug into cryptocurrency trading Fast facts Use of blockchain technology is going to rise by about 46% in the next few years, India’s finance minister […]

Ripple Labs Inc. has objected to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s suggestion that it may seek additional time and pages if other amici curiae (Latin for friends of the court) submit briefs, as the lawsuit the SEC filed in 2020 against Ripple drags on. See related article: SEC, Ripple seek summary judgment in attempt […]

The entirety of the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Hebei and Sichuan will be piloting the e-CNY by end 2022, says central bank official.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Tuesday, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s global head of payments Takis Georgakopoulos said that demand for cryptocurrencies as a payment method has seen a drastic decline in the past six months.  See related article: JPMorgan, LRC bet on blockchain startup Ownera in US$20 mln Series A Fast facts […]

J-pop is increasing ties with immersive metaverse technology, with Japan’s top record producer Akimoto recently announcing his ambitious virtual idol project.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) claimed on Tuesday in a news conference that the country accounted for more than 84 percent of the world’s blockchain patent applications, despite the country’s ban on cryptocurrencies. See related article: Ant Group and Tencent obtain the most blockchain patents in China: report Fast facts See related […]

Crypto exchanges FTX and Binance have reportedly made the highest bids on bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital Ltd. and its assets, but neither offer had been accepted as of Tuesday, according to a Wall Street Journal report.  See related article: Sam Bankman-Fried lashes out at Voyager for rejecting FTX’s proposal  Fast facts The WSJ article […]

Bitcoin fell below the US$19,000 resistance level for the second time in a week in early Wednesday trading in Asia. Ether and most other tokens in the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization lost ground. XRP was the exception, gaining on news the token’s issuer, Ripple Labs Inc, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission […]

Sam Bankman-Fried’s trading firm Alameda Research will repay around US$200 million in cryptocurrencies to bankrupt digital assets broker Voyager Digital by Sept. 30. See related article: Voyager Digital issues notice of default to 3AC Fast facts Alameda owes Voyager about 6,553 Bitcoins, more than 51,000 Ether and smaller amounts in various tokens including USDC, DOGE […]

CoinDCX, India’s first crypto unicorn, asked users not to click on any link or messages from its official Twitter handle as the company lost control of the social media account following a hack. See related article: How Twitter hackers social-engineered their way into VIP accounts to shill for bitcoin Fast facts “We are in the […]

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the city’s de-facto central bank, Tuesday said it concluded its market consultations on technical and policy grounds towards the city’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), estimating at least two to three years to build the wholesale system.  See related article: Hong Kong flirts with e-HKD as it talks of […]

Crypto markets continued their recovery streak in Tuesday evening trade in Asia with Bitcoin rising over 4% in the past 24 hours to be the second-highest gainer among the top 10 tokens by market capitalization, only behind XRP. Despite a 4.3% recovery, Ethereum was still down over 20% over the past seven days in the […]

South Korea’s top financial watchdog Monday said it is difficult for the country to establish laws overseeing the cryptocurrency industry in the country ahead of a common global regulatory framework as cross-border enforcement would be a key determinant of effectiveness.

The U.S. Department of Treasury is seeking public opinion on the “responsible development of digital assets” and has requested comments from the general public on national security and illicit financing risks posed by digital assets.  See related article: Singapore’s central bank says cryptocurrencies have ‘no fundamental value’ Fast facts Comments can be submitted until Nov. […]