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Hong Kong rail operator MTR Corporation announced Thursday that it will partner with The Sandbox on a metaverse project to build a subway-themed virtual world theme park. See related article: Sandcastles in cyberspace and the rise of the metaverse Fast facts The rail operator said it will partner with The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca […]

Sales volume of the popular non-fungible token (NFT) series shot up about 519% in the past 24 hours, according to CryptoSlam data, after Pudgy Penguins teased an Antarctic map that resembles a gaming metaverse. See related article: New owner gives Pudgy Penguins NFTs happy feet Fast facts Penguin fans speculate the project is hinting at […]

The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange hired former Financial Conduct Authority official Steven McWhirter as a director of regulatory policy to better manage its compliance function.  See related story: Binance wants to play ball with regulators Fast facts McWhirter will lead the global regulatory policy team for Binance and brings over 20 years of experience in […]

South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) Thursday said it approved GOPAX as the country’s fifth digital asset exchange to provide cash-to-crypto services. See related article: South Korea’s crypto crackdown: What you need to know Fast facts Cash-to-crypto services on GOPAX starts Apr. 28. Last September, South Korea mandated strict licensing requirements for crypto exchanges to […]

TRON founder Justin Sun announced on Thursday a new decentralized dollar-pegged algorithmic stablecoin on the Tron blockchain called USDD. See related article: What are stablecoins, and why are some governments so afraid of them? Fast facts The TRON Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) intends to raise US$10 billion within the next year to fund a crypto […]

Can blockchain embody the values of Earth Day? Consider its growing role in ESG and the energy-efficiency of newer crypto, writes Eddie Hui of MVGX.

Under Chinese copyright law, the court ruled a marketplace’s failure to ensure the uniqueness of an NFT constituted aiding infringement.

A panel of 35 crypto professionals have grown collectively less confident on the year-end target price for Bitcoin, although they expect the dominant cryptocurrency to end significantly higher than current levels and even set a new all-time high, according to a report by Finder. See related article: Bitcoin crosses $47,000 mark as crypto surges in […]

Coinbase’s non-fungible token (NFT) platform launched its beta version for select customers on Wednesday. See related article: Coinbase and Binance move to diversify; Stablecoins under scrutiny Fast facts Only a few customers of the three million on the waitlist can access the beta market, but it is also open for public view. The beta platform […]

A Porsche dealership in Baltimore, Maryland, has begun accepting mainstream crypto payments for vehicles, along with DOGE and Shiba Inu, according to a Tweet by U.S.-based crypto payment service provider BitPay. See related article: Lamborghini’s last all-gas Aventador to be auctioned with NFT Fast facts See related article: Hic Hic Hurray! Scottish distillery Ardbeg to […]

Binance.US, the American crypto exchange set up by Binance cofounder Changpeng Zhao, will exit lobby group Blockchain Association and allocate resources to its own lobbying workforce in Washington, D.C. and state capitals, according to a media report.   See related article: Binance.US wins license in Puerto Rico to fuel growth Fast facts Binance.US is establishing its […]

A desire to stay in line with global anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism norms is forcing the city state’s hand when it comes to regulating cryptocurrency exchanges.

Ink, the Ashton Kutcher and Mark Cuban-backed Web 3.0 platform that allows artists and creators to sign, draw or write on any form of digital content into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), launched Wednesday. See related article: Warner Music is ready to play in The Sandbox metaverse Fast facts By digitally signing any existing photo, album cover, […]

The U.S. sanctioned Russian cryptocurrency miner Bitriver and its 10 subsidiaries on Wednesday, in an attempt to further isolate Russia from the global economy for invading Ukraine.  See related article: Russia proposes Bitcoin payments for oil and energy exports Fast facts “Russia has a comparative advantage in crypto mining due to energy resources and a […]

The Dogecoin community hoping for a price rally was disappointed on “Doge Day” as ApeCoin stole the spotlight with a 30% climb. See related article: Will the dog have its day on Doge Day? Fast facts DOGE investors were hoping to recreate last year’s success when DOGE rallied over 500% in the days leading to […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Crisis response brings crypto relief. North Korea’s Lazarus Group named in Ronin hack. NFTs face new risks in China.

Holders of the world’s leading memecoin are hoping for a repeat of 2021 where a community effort helped propel the token’s price into the stratosphere. But one industry watcher says the market is a very different place now.

Alibaba-owned Ele.me announced the launch of its first non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Tuesday with the Hangzhou Cuisine Museum, featuring traditional Hangzhou dish cod meatballs. See related article: Chinese tech giant Huawei debuts NFTs Fast facts See related article: China’s largest broadcaster’s NFT series becomes a trilogy

Robinhood announced Tuesday it will purchase London-based crypto firm Ziglu as part of the trading platform’s global expansion. See related article: SHIB price pumps on Robinhood listing with SOL, MATIC, COMP Fast facts U.K.-based users of Robinhood can access 11 cryptocurrencies with Ziglu, earn yield, pay with debit cards, and send crypto across borders.  Robinhood […]

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) is reportedly planning to designate local crypto exchange Upbit owner Dunamu as an enterprise subject to limitations on mutual investment, which would add more regulations to the entity. See related article: Two crypto exchanges reach unicorn status in South Korea Fast facts A company with total assets over 10 […]

Cofounders of the Binance-backed Indian crypto exchange WazirX have reportedly moved to Dubai amid regulatory uncertainty and taxation, local media report. See related article: India’s crypto tax will incur losses for government, says WazirX CEO Fast facts Nischal Shetty and Siddharth Menon have reportedly moved to Dubai along with their families.  “Crypto has no boundaries,” […]

In the short history of DeFi, bridge hacks have accounted for an enormous amount of stolen funds, writes Joshua Tobkin. What can stop these attacks?

Binance.US has obtained a money transmitter license in Puerto Rico, as the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange continues to expand globally while seeking to become more mindful of compliance. See related article: Binance.US valued at $4.5B following first seed round Fast facts Binance.US CEO Brian Shroder on Tuesday said that Puerto Rico is an important market […]

Australia’s mass retail appetite for cryptocurrency is about to be tested as two Bitcoin and one Ethereum spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been approved for listing. See related article: New Australian ETF grants exposure to Bitcoin mining sector Fast facts All three ETFs are set to go live on Cboe (formally Chi-X) Exchange on April […]

Crypto trading platform KuCoin, through its venture capital arm KuCoin Ventures and KuCoin NFT marketplace — Windvane — is introducing a US$100 million “creators fund,” the company said in a statement. See related article: How Southeast Asia’s NFT ecosystem lifts up local artists Fast facts The fund will support and incubate early stage non-fungible token […]

An attempt to assuage Axie Infinity players miffed by falling earnings isn’t turning out too well for developer Sky Mavis, Forkast learns, as loyalists bemoan it may be too little, too late.

Indian cryptocurrency exchange CoinDCX’s latest funding comes as investors double down on the country’s potential to emerge as the world’s top market despite government apathy.  See related story: CoinDCX’s Sumit Gupta on CBDCs, regulation and India’s potential for crypto in 2021 Fast facts Series D funding was led by Pantera and Steadview Capital, the company […]

Hyundai Motor plans to support its own non-fungible token (NFT) community with an initial token release in collaboration with Meta Kongz this week, and a dedicated NFT website to launch in May. See related article: 20,000 line up for South Korean convenience store’s NFTs on White Day Fast facts Hyundai Motor, South Korea’s leading automobile […]

State-owned broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) ‘s online branch will launch a new NFT series on Thursday to celebrate the seventh China Space Day.  See related article: China’s industry lobbies join NFT bashing chorus Fast facts CCTV’s first NFT collection was issued for free during Chinese New Year on Tencent’s blockchain. The second batch was […]

Binance has entered into a joint venture agreement in collaboration with billionaire Sarath Ratanavadi’s Gulf Energy Development to set up a crypto exchange in Thailand. See related article: Binance wins Abu Dhabi nod for another MENA outpost Fast facts Once the joint venture is established, it will apply for a digital asset exchange license with […]

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of the Treasury allege North Korea’s Lazarus Group and APT38 were responsible for stealing cryptocurrencies worth about US$620 million off the Ethereum sidechain Ronin. See related article: Axie Infinity blockchain Ronin hacked for over $600M Fast facts The hack was perpetrated by the Democratic People’s […]

Andre Cronje, former Fantom Foundation technical adviser and Yearn.finance founder, resurfaced Monday after announcing his departure last month.  See related article: DeFi wizard Cronje’s departure sends TVL sinking  Fast facts In a “Crypto is dead. Long live Crypto” post, Cronje says regulations will protect cryptocurrencies. “It’s like a child trying to stick their finger into […]

NFT technology became famous for $69 million digital art, but what will change the world are its myriad practical uses, writes Jan Hartmann of Banxa Labs.

The cryptocurrency market returned strong from the Easter holidays with Terra LUNA leading major coins with an 18.5% rebound to trade at US$91.43, on Tuesday morning Asia time. See related article: Is Terra — whose LUNA coin is now at another all-time high — really where the smart money is? Fast facts Terra reached its […]

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are going to be increasingly important with the rise in time spent on metaverses, Jayant Sinha, a member of parliament and Chairman of India’s Standing Committee on Finance, told The Economic Times on Monday.  See related article: India to make life hell for crypto investors: MP Fast facts Sinha’s comments come at […]

Zhou Xiaochuan, the former governor of the People’s Bank of China, said in a speech on Saturday that the digital yuan is designed to focus on transactions for people and merchants and not to replace SWIFT or weaponize the currency. See related article: The digital yuan’s de-dollarization Fast facts See related article: Hong Kong makes […]

Top-rated Tsinghua University Friday established China’s first metaverse culture laboratory to promote the study and development of the country’s growing metaverse space. See related article:  China will soon have its first bachelor’s program in blockchain. Why isn’t the talent-starved industry more excited? Fast facts The new laboratory will be used for research in the future […]

Xiamen, a major city in China’s southeastern province Fujian, Friday issued China’s first batch of digital commemorative subway tickets based on Alibaba’s blockchain, AntChain. See related article: More courts in China accept blockchain-stored evidence Fast facts The digital ticket bears a likeness to a decorative metal badge,  and is themed with a combination of Xiamen […]

Bitcoin miners saw a 1.26% drop in mining difficulty on Thursday, the third time this year, while the price fell to less than US$40,000. See related article: Cryptos slump over inflation, Shanghai lockdown and war concerns Fast facts The mining difficulty level is now at 28.23 trillion at block height 731,808, after it saw an […]

Crypto exchanges in India are switching to facilitating user-to-user bank transfers and inward remittances to work around a withdrawal of support from the developer of the country’s ubiquitous UPI payments system, local media report.   See related article: Coinbase snafu sets the cat among the crypto pigeons in India Fast facts Indian cryptocurrency exchanges are trying […]

In Part 1 of a special Forkast series, crypto newcomer Joel Stein dips a toe into Bitcoin and Doge by opening his first-ever crypto wallet.

Xinhua News Agency’s affiliate newspaper, Economic Information Daily, Thursday published an op ed suggesting measures for the further adoption of the digital yuan. See related article: The digital yuan’s de-dollarization Fast facts See related article:Hong Kong makes apt testbed for e-CNY cross-border use

The online arm of People’s Daily said it will cooperate with state-owned enterprise China Arts and Entertainment Group to develop non-fungible tokens (NFTs) themed on Chinese traditional and modern paintings. See related article: Resist the temptation on NFTs, Chinese state-backed developer says Fast facts Announcement from the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the […]

Circle, the issuer of the world’s second-largest stablecoin USDC, has raised US$400 million in its latest funding round with major investments from BlackRock and Fidelity Management and Research, as the stablecoin issuer looks to explore possibilities with the traditional financial world. See related article: Circle’s growth outpaces Tether as it doubles valuation Fast facts Circle […]

The stablecoin market cap grew by US$23 billion in an otherwise lackluster market for crypto assets, according to a quarterly report by CoinGecko. See related article: Bitcoin follows blue chips south amid market turmoil Fast facts Stablecoins were among the biggest beneficiaries from investor “derisking” into stablecoins, CoinGecko said in its report, with USDT remaining […]

In an exclusive interview with Forkast, the head of government-founded Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) cautioned against packaging NFTs as investment products despite the temptation to profit off the euphoria.

LINE, Japan’s dominant mobile chatting app, on Wednesday officially launched its non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace LINE NFT through its Osaka-based blockchain subsidiary LVC. See related article: Asia Primed For NFT Growth Fast facts Users can purchase and trade NFTs on the platform and store them on the LINE BITMAX Wallet, which can be accessed via […]

China’s top government agency that oversees the development of museums has called on cultural institutions to hit the brakes when it comes to non-fungible tokens (NFTs).  See related article: China’s industry lobbies join NFT bashing chorus Fast facts The National Cultural Heritage Administration Tuesday held a nationwide online symposium in Beijing on digital collectibles and […]

The metaverse promises to radically change how we work, play and do business. How do we avoid its real-world security risks and pitfalls?

The Scottish distillery Thursday announced a limited edition buried-brewed whiskey Ardbeg Fon Fhòid (Gaelic for “under the turf”) will be released along with a non-fungible token (NFT).  See related article: Lamborghini’s last all-gas Aventador to be auctioned with NFT Fast facts Ardbeg Fon Fhòid’s limited release of 456 bottles will be available for purchase on […]

OpenSea sales volume dropped by 67% over the past 30 days, according to DappRadar, as newer platforms offer rewards to lure users away from the leading non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. See related article: NFT buyers dip for a second straight month Fast facts Sales volume on OpenSea totaled US$2.64 billion in the past 30 days, […]

FLUID aims to disrupt the virtual asset market-making industry by lowering fees and latency. Fast facts Blockchain investors GSR, Ghaf Capital, and 21Shares led the round. FLUID aims to tackle a multi-trillion-dollar market problem of illiquidity in virtual assets. The firm wants to enhance liquidity across spot trading, derivatives, futures, synthetics, tokenized assets, and security […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Market contagion hits crypto. Ethereum developer pays price for bad Korea move. China whacks more crypto miners.

Self-regulatory bodies overseeing China’s banking and securities industries are urging members to “resolutely curb” the “financialization and securitization” wave of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Coinbase’s showcasing of support by government-backed National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) set the ball rolling on the cryptocurrency exchange being yanked from the ubiquitous Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), one of the largest financial service providers in the U.S., unveiled “Project Lithium” to test infrastructure in support of a U.S. digital currency using blockchain technology.  See related article: 5 US digital dollar pilots launching to chase China’s CBDC lead Fast facts Project Lithium is based on blockchain […]

Huawei’s cloud computing arm Tuesday airdropped the brand’s first batch of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), making it the latest Chinese tech giant to join the trend. See related article: China’s Xpeng joins the bandwagon in selling NFTs on Alibaba Fast facts See related article: China’s Communist Party wants to regulate NFTs

Meta, formerly Facebook, started a trial program enabling a handful of creators to charge for what they are building for Horizon Worlds, the firm’s metaverse platform. See related article: India’s biggest telecom firm latches onto metaverse Fast facts Meta will work with a handful of creators under a test program that will enable them to […]

Former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith was sentenced to prison and fined US$100,000 for violating international sanctions against North Korea by speaking at a cryptocurrency conference in the Hermit Kingdom in April 2019. See related article: North Korea hacked US$400M of crypto in 2021, says Chainalysis Fast facts At the conference, Griffith explained blockchain technology’s use […]

Robinhood added four new cryptocurrencies to its platform on Tuesday, including Shiba Inu token (SHIB), a listing the memecoin community has pleaded for since its inception. See related article: What is the real value of joke coins like Dogecoin and SHIB? Fast facts SHIB gained 30% following the news and has slightly retraced its pump […]

The development allows the city to emerge as a top destination for asset managers looking to launch cryptocurrency-themed funds for professional investors. See related article: More traditional investors are eyeing cryptocurrency to diversify their portfolios Fast facts The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC)-licensed blockchain and virtual assets manager can manage portfolios that may comprise up […]

The fund aims to support and speed up the time-to-market of early-stage projects that have already initiated development.

Bitcoin and Ethereum were down more than 5% each in Asian trading hours as cryptocurrency markets slumped in lockstep with traditional assets.

A shadow fork of the Ethereum mainnet went live on Tuesday, bringing it a step closer to the transition from proof of work (PoW) to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism for the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade. See related article: Can Ethereum’s proof-of-stake transition save the planet? Fast facts The Ethereum Foundation is currently working on a […]

Trading volumes at India’s major cryptocurrency exchanges slumped to their lowest in years after new taxes kicked in on April 1, according to research by Crebaco. See related article: Coinbase’s India launch hits road bump Fast facts U.S. dollar trading volume dropped by 72% on WazirX, 59% on ZebPay, 52% on CoinDCX and 41% on […]

South Korean mobile services company T Scientific announced Monday it will purchase a 60.36% stake in PlutusDS, the operator of local cryptocurrency exchange Hanbitco. See related article: South Korea crypto exchange underdogs: Where are they now? Fast facts T Scientific, a South Korean company specializing in the provision of mobile coupons and mobile commerce services, […]

Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng is selling “digital collectibles” as part of its marketing campaign to mark the 100,000th rollout of a complete vehicle. See related article: Lamborghini’s last all-gas Aventador to be auctioned with NFT Fast facts See related article: China’s Communist Party wants to regulate NFTs

Providing access to global customers and higher income, NFTs are changing lives in some of the poorest places in the world, writes Katherine Ng.

Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands has acquired French racing game studio Eden Games, as Animoca expands its blockchain gaming business. See related article: Animoca Brands halts services to Russians: report Fast facts The acquisition is aimed at developing a series of new blockchain-based racing games, Animoca said. The US$16 million purchase comes after Animoca bought game […]

Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) will make its silver screen debut in a film trilogy produced in partnership with Coinbase, the Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange announced on Tuesday. See related article: Apes Gone Wild! BAYC ‘selling like crazy’ amid otherwise sluggish NFT market Fast facts The first film in the short animated trilogy entitled “The Degen […]

Crypto market downturns can dredge up bad memories of ICOs. What lessons can investors learn from the past — and how is Bitcoin different?

India’s Ministry of Education was one of the latest victims in a series of hacks against verified Twitter accounts promoting fake Azuki non-fungible token (NFT) airdrops.  See related article: Azuki spikes past Bored Apes in daily sales Fast facts India’s University Grant Commission (UGC), which has more than 295,000 followers on Twitter, was hacked on […]