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Sunny skies and wide open spaces may seem the perfect place to mine Bitcoin using cheap solar power, but one industry insider tells Forkast there’s much more to it than that.

Government indecision on crypto regulation prompted some businesses to move abroad. Investors and crypto professionals may follow if uncertainty prolongs.

Dogecoin is expected to close this year at US$0.163, a fraction of a penny less than the memecoin’s February peak of US$0.168, according to Finder’s panel of 33 cryptocurrency and fintech experts.  See related article: Ethereum price expected to hit $7,609 in 2022: report Fast facts The panel predicted Dogecoin’s price to double to US$0.32 […]

The brand has long centered around connecting people and seems determined to carry that branding to its next stage as a metaverse company.

The cryptocurrency market took a nosedive in what was already seeming like a day in the red zone after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a “special military operation” for the “demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine.”  See related article: Crypto market tumbles amid uncertainty over Russia and Ukraine Fast facts The global cryptocurrency market cap dipped […]

Terra LUNA is continuing its bullish trend from where it left off on Wednesday, up almost 7% to trade at $59.39 on Thursday morning, Asia time. Fast facts See related article: Is Terra — whose LUNA coin is now at another all-time high — really where the smart money is? The currency has been as […]

A new electricity rate hike for crypto miners in China’s southeastern province Zhejiang is a penalty, not a green light, province capital Hangzhou authorities said, the China Times reported on Wednesday.  See related article: China’s Zhejiang province busts dozens of state-owned entities for mining crypto Fast facts Zhejiang Province announced this month that it would […]

When the world’s biggest crypto exchange acquires a major stake in the business publication it once sued for defamation, should we worry?

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) will close its blockchain payment venture due to slow profits, Japan’s largest bank announced on Tuesday.  See related article: Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ to issue yen-pegged stablecoin: report Fast facts MUFG said it is preparing to halt and liquidate Global Open Network Japan, Inc. (GO-NET Japan). GO-NET Japan, set up in […]

CasperLabs, a smart contracts protocol, is set to power part of China’s state-backed non-fungible token (NFT) network, to support the legal issuance of NFTs in mainland China. See related article: BSN to integrate Neo’s chain to bolster NFT issuance in China Fast facts The Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) will add Casper Network-powered Fuzhou Chain to […]

All cryptocurrency ads in India will carry standard disclaimers to warn investors of risks associated with crypto beginning April 1, as per guidelines released by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Wednesday.  See related article: Indian court seeks standardized disclaimers on crypto ads Fast facts The disclaimer must read: “Crypto products and NFTs […]

Moscow moves to regulate crypto. OpenSea’s security struggle. Will China cool its metaverse mania?

Jupiter Meta on Wednesday launched a fully curated non-fungible token marketplace in India focusing on music, film and gaming.  See related article: WazirX launches India’s first NFT marketplace Fast facts The NFT marketplace is built on Jupiter Meta’s Rubix blockchain, which the company claims has zero gas fees and is sustainable.  Jupiter Meta has also […]

The RBI is casting a cloud of regulatory uncertainty over the local digital assets industry, but the nation’s Bitcoin premium shows India wants crypto. 

Heilongjiang province in northeastern China has joined the bid to compete with 10 other cities to become the next digital yuan pilot city, it announced on Monday.  See related article: E-CNY chief says digital dollar poses no threat to China Fast facts See related article: Hong Kong makes apt testbed for e-CNY cross-border use

Binance inked a partnership with an SM Entertainment subsidiary to explore non-fungible token (NFT) opportunities, the second K-pop agency to sign with Binance in February.  See related article: Animoca Brands, K-pop agency Cube form metaverse joint venture Fast facts The pair will build what they call a “play-to-create” ecosystem, which aims to let fans reproduce […]

China’s legal system is looking into blockchain technology to improve its online smart court system and enhance information sharing and evidence submission. See related article: How blockchain technology is shaking up courtrooms in Asia Fast facts China’s supreme court released on Tuesday a set of rules allowing courts to verify and recognize evidence submitted through […]

Alibaba is rewarding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on its first blockchain game Ant Adventure, which can be played through the Alipay mobile application, one of China’s leading mobile payment providers.  See related article: Ant Group’s NFT arm punishes users for digital collectible resales Fast facts Ant Adventure is powered by Alibaba’s blockchain AntChain, and takes users […]

Hedera’s HBAR is leading a crypto market bounce with a 14% surge over the last 24 hours to trade at US$0.2306 on the back of the HederaStarter launch announcement as the ecosystem preps for its smart contract era.  See related article: Hedera Hashgraph provides provenance for data from Syrian war Fast facts HederaStarter is slated […]

The high court of China’s southeastern Guangdong province has ruled cryptocurrency investment activities are not protected by law, further clarifying that crypto is not a legitimate currency in the mainland.  See related article: China customs seizes 49 second-hand crypto mining rigs for export Fast facts The Guangdong high court on Tuesday listed a crypto-related virtual […]

Tether cut its commercial paper holdings by 21% last quarter according to the stablecoin operator’s latest quarterly assurance opinion released Monday.  See related article: Tether unveils reserves and backing for its USDT stablecoin in new report Fast facts Auditor MHA Cayman completed an attestation, finding Tether’s reserves held for its digital assets exceed the amount […]

Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands and K-pop agency Cube Entertainment announced on Tuesday the completion of a new joint venture named AniCube Entertainment, as Korean music labels race to cash in on their loyal fan bases through metaverse and non-fungible token (NFT) projects. See related article: K-pop agency Cube bets big on NFT and metaverse Fast […]

Dongguan customs in China’s southeast seized 49 second-hand Ant miners declared “shoe material” for export, at least the third seizure in February, state media reported on Monday.  See related article: Kazakhstan busts 13 illegal Bitcoin mining farms amid power concerns Fast facts See related article: China to ‘outdate’ crypto mining industry with more restrictions

Jingtan, Alibaba affiliate Ant Group’s non-fungible token (NFT) platform, has placed limitations on at least 56 accounts for participating in the resale of digital collectibles, after various collections surged in popularity in online second-hand markets.  See related article: CCTV NFTs hit resale market before transfer permitted Fast facts Jingtan, developed by AntChain, said it has […]

Amber Group has secured US$200 million in a funding round led by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek, raising the cryptocurrency platform’s valuation to US$3 billion.  See related story: Temasek-founded Affinidi launches new business unit to bring Web 3.0 to financial services to Southeast Asia Fast facts Existing investors including Sequoia China, Pantera Capital, Tiger Global […]

A former owner of a rare Bored Ape Yacht Club non-fungible token (NFT) is suing marketplace OpenSea for US$1 million or the token’s return after an exploit on the platform saw the NFT sold for a fraction of its market value. See related article: OpenSea NFT marketplace hacked for 332 ETH Fast facts Texas man […]

Dunamu, the operator of crypto exchange Upbit, signed a memorandum of understanding with credit card company BC Card on Monday to develop a non-fungible token (NFT) and metaverse-based credit card. See related article: South Korean crypto exchange acquires stake in major bank Fast facts Certain items purchased offline via the Dunamu BC Card will be […]

Solana joined Bitcoin’s free fall along with other cryptocurrencies on Tuesday, after being among the few cryptos standing in the green during a red day in the crypto market on Monday.  See related article: What Solana prices will be at the end of 2021 and beyond Fast facts Solana — currently at US$83.50 – is […]

NH-Amundi Asset Management listed its second metaverse exchange-traded fund (ETF) Tuesday that will specifically invest in metaverse-related companies in the U.S. See related article: Hong Kong gears up for its first metaverse ETF Fast facts The HANARO U.S. Metaverse iSelect ETF follows 20 key players in the U.S. metaverse, virtual and augmented reality, and the […]

Kazakhstan’s energy authority has identified and disconnected 13 unauthorized crypto mining farms in the country, as the government continues to ramp up efforts to regulate the sector. See related article: Crypto mining’s Great Migration continues — out of Kazakhstan Fast facts The Ministry of Energy said on Monday that an inspection team has shut down […]

China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) said on Monday that 16,000 trademarks containing the word “metaverse” have been filed.  See related article:  Why the metaverse is a trillion dollar opportunity Fast facts CNIPA opposed the high number of filings, vowing to crack down on “malicious registrations” of trademarks, such as piggybacking on the rising popularity […]

Charitable giving in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is growing by leaps and bounds. Michael B. Greenwald and Logan Weber explain the risks and benefits.

Play-to-earn superstar Axie Infinity became the first non-fungible token (NFT) series to cross the US$4 billion mark in historic sales early Tuesday morning Asia time, according to CryptoSlam data. See related article: Axie Infinity fans play their way to payday as game token prices soar Fast facts Running on the Ethereum sidechain Ronin, Axie Infinity’s […]

An asset bought and valued in crypto becomes decoupled from crypto prices, a split that reflects the differences between crypto investors and NFT buyers.

Blockchain technology allows musicians to sell songs directly and earn more per song, writes Adi Ben-Ari of Applied Blockchain.

Although India hoped that taxation would be a step toward regulation rather than a ban, the high tax rates and proposed rules seem to be geared toward dissuading crypto trading.

Indian authorities arrested 11 individuals over the weekend, connected with a crypto scam case that allegedly used the allure of high gains to dupe 2,000 investors out of US$5.4 million (INR 400 million), local media reported.  Fast facts Four of the accused were apprehended on Saturday after being on the run since March last year, […]

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), or digital collectibles, issued by China Central Television (CCTV), the nation’s largest state-owned broadcast media, are appearing in China’s largest online second-hand market for at least 10 times the original price in a pre-sale bid, even before trade embargoes on the assets have lifted.  See related article: China’s mouthpiece newspaper is giving […]

Trading volumes on non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace LooksRare dropped by more than half its daily volume since developers withdrew roughly US$30 million of its native LOOKS token and cashed out in wrapped Ether (wETH) Fast facts LooksRare was averaging daily sales volumes of around US$550 million but fell more than 50% overnight in early February […]

Cardano is projected to skyrocket to US$58.04 by the start of the next decade, while closing 2022 at more than double its current value at US$2.79, according to Finder’s panel of 17 crypto experts.  See related article: Ethereum price expected to hit $7,609 in 2022: report Fast facts Cardano, which was trading at US$0.96 at […]

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, continues to tank along with other cryptocurrencies in the global market, with investor sentiment at “extreme fear” at Bitcoin’s Fear and Greed Index.  See related article: Bitcoin leads market-wide downturn as Russia fears rise Fast facts Bitcoin is currently down by almost 2% to trade at US$39,185. Bitcoin’s […]

South Korea’s KB Asset Management launched a committee on Monday that will develop investment strategies for releasing digital asset products such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs). See related article: South Korean banks find workaround to cash in on crypto services Fast facts The ‘Digital Asset Management Preparatory Committee’ aims to be the first to launch digital […]

BIT Mining, a Hong Kong-headquartered cryptocurrency miner, has terminated its data center construction in Kazakhstan due to an unstable local power supply, the company said in its quarterly report. See related article: Crypto mining’s Great Migration continues — out of Kazakhstan Fast facts BIT Mining now abandons a US$9.3 million pledge to a Kazakh data […]

OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer has responded to an apparent phishing scam that targeted its users in a US$1.7 million theft of popular non-fungible tokens (NFTs) such as Bored Ape Yacht Club and Azuki.  Fast facts “As far as we can tell, this is a phishing attack. We don’t believe it’s connected to the OpenSea website. […]

Circle’s USDC, the world’s second-largest stablecoin, is gunning for the title of the world’s top stablecoin as it closes in on Tether’s market capitalization after doubling its valuation to US$9 billion in a revised merger deal.  See related article: Stablecoin issuer Circle to go public in US$4.5B SPAC deal Fast facts USDC’s market cap has […]

Azuki, an anime avatars NFT collection, is in a tight race with the CryptoPunks for the weekly sales volume title, building on its successful debut month in January, according to CryptoSlam data.  See related article: ‘All eyes are on it:’ CryptoPunks at center of copyright legal dispute Fast facts Azuki traded the top spot with […]

While the government cultivates the booming metaverse industry, experts say laws fail to protect youth from abuse within virtual and digital realms.

Animoca Brand’s nWayPlay sold out second batch of Bing Dwen Dwen mascot NFTs on Thursday as prices of first set fetched 900% in average resale value.

Hong Kong’s first metaverse-themed exchange-traded fund (ETF), the CSOP Metaverse Concept ETF, is scheduled to be listed on Feb. 21 on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, according to a CSOP Asset Management disclosure document.  See related article: NFTs, metaverse listed as top ‘must watch’ security risks in Hong Kong Fast facts The metaverse ETF […]

Investor relief at last week’s slight market rebound gave way to concerns over military tensions in Ukraine, sending crypto and traditional markets reeling.

Foshan city of China’s southeastern province Guangdong launched a blockchain-based corporate social credit system with an automated credit rating function, state-backed media reported on Thursday.  Fast facts See related article: Beijing budgets $37M for government affairs blockchain platform Foshan’s blockchain-based corporate social credit system rates enterprises into four credit levels using data from various sources.  […]

Dating platform Mingout has introduced metaverse dating in India by organizing a virtual date for two of its users in a moon-based setting. See related article: Phillips to auction metahuman-made NFTs for Valentine’s Day Fast facts Metaverse or virtual dating is a nascent concept in India, and Mingout hopes to create a dating revolution and […]

South Korea’s Hoseo University will issue non-fungible token (NFT) degrees and certificates to all 2,830 graduates of its 2021 batch at its graduation ceremony on Friday. See related article: Samsung-backed university to issue NFTs to select graduates Fast facts The university hopes the pivot from a paper-based degree to NFTs will improve access to administrative […]

Israel’s capital market watchdog is asking major cryptocurrency exchange Binance for clarifications on its services in the country and licenses under which it operates, local media reported Thursday. See related article: Binance US under probe for ties with trading affiliates: report Fast facts Binance has stopped all Israel-focused activities and marketing, the Globes reported, citing […]

Bitcoin led a market-wide sell-off Thursday night Asia time by losing almost 8% coming into business hours Friday Asia time, and was trading at US$40,578 at press time. See related article: Is Bitcoin’s rocky start to 2022 a sign of things to come? Fast facts All other major tokens were down around the same amount, […]

President Biden’s executive order directing agencies to devise a comprehensive strategy to regulate cryptocurrencies and other digital assets and examine a digital dollar may be issued next week, according to Yahoo! Finance. Fast facts The order, expected weeks ago, was delayed by a disagreement between the White House and the Treasury over its scope, Bloomberg […]

Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) has announced Brisbane-based crypto exchange Swyftx will be the league’s first official crypto sponsor until 2025, with a one-year extension option. See related article: Crypto.com inks AU$27M deal with the Australian Football League Fast facts For an undisclosed amount, Swyftx will support all NRL and NRLW games and finals, as […]

The city’s global reach, Hong Kong dollar and mainland ties make it a good fit for Chinese authorities to trial e-CNY international payments.

Hong Kong-based blockchain unicorn Animoca Brands’ Japanese strategic subsidiary started operations on Tuesday to bridge the nation’s exclusive intellectual property (IP) with the Web 3.0 ecosystem. See related article: Animoca Brands valued at US$5B after latest fundraise Fast facts The subsidiary, Animoca Brands KK, is building a blockchain-powered platform for Japanese IP holders to launch […]

The Chinese State Council approved on Wednesday a plan to build computing and data hubs that use blockchain technology to secure data in four regions including the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Fast facts See related article: China writes blockchain and digital currency into nation’s future The four hubs are set to join four more approved […]

The price of NEO climbed by 6.2% over the last 24 hours to US$25.13 on Thursday morning Asia time, following China-based Neo’s Tuesday announcement of its Jiuquan Chain’s integration to China’s state-backed blockchain network. See related article: BSN to integrate Neo’s chain to bolster NFT issuance in China Fast facts NEO hit a daily high […]

Indian media staple Viacom18’s Youth, Music and English Entertainment Cluster (YME) released 3,000 Fully Faltoo non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that sold out within 48 hours since launching, the company said in a press release on Wednesday. See related article: WazirX launches India’s first NFT marketplace Fast facts Fully Faltoo is a local award-winning sitcom program that […]

Two of South Korea’s top cryptocurrency exchanges, Upbit and Bithumb, are among the seven local businesses that achieved unicorn status last year, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) reported on Tuesday. Fast facts The nation’s top four crypto exchanges dominated 96% of total deposits in the South Korean market, while exchange GOPAX is attempting […]

DeFi can put investors at risk if they don’t understand how it works, writes Korapat Arunanondchai. Here’s how to improve user experience.

Oracle Red Bull’s Formula 1 (F1) racing team announced on Wednesday a multi-year sponsorship deal with Singapore-based derivative exchange Bybit in what it claims to be the largest annual crypto sponsorship to date. Fast facts While the scale of the sponsorship hasn’t been disclosed officially, media accounts cited an unnamed source in reporting the deal […]

Over 1,200 non-fungible token (NFT)-related trademarks were registered in the U.S. in 2021, a 420-fold increase from the previous year, according to data acquired by Finbold. Fast facts More than 400 trademarks were filed in the month of December 2021 while none were filed in January 2021. There were 450 filings in January 2022, a […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Super Bowl score for digital asset exchanges. CryptoPunks holders face copyright conundrum. Hong Kong warns of NFT risks.

The Philippines is offering residency in one of its special economic zones known as ecozones with low tax rates for users staking the utility token of Oz Finance, TOTOZ.  Fast facts The residency is offered at the Freeport Area of Bataan, one of over 400 operating ecozones in the Philippines, which is located across the […]

The rapidly growing crypto market could pose a threat to global financial stability, according to a Financial Stability Board (FSB) report published on Wednesday. Fast facts The FSB, an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system, identified vulnerabilities related to unbacked assets such as Bitcoin, stablecoins such as USDT and […]

Binance has rebranded its two blockchains as one BNB Chain on Tuesday, in a push toward the metaverse and decentralized finance (DeFi), an ecosystem the company calls “MetaFi.”  Fast facts Binance has taken its name out of its two blockchains, the Binance Chain and Binance Smart Chain, which are now respectively called BNB Beacon Chain […]

India’s crypto tax plan was expected to bolster adoption, but the central bank’s hold on the banking sector puts a check on crypto-related services.

The U.S. securities watchdog has launched a probe into crypto exchange Binance’s relationship with two trading firms with ties to founder Changpeng Zhao, the Wall Street Journal reported. Fast facts The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is examining whether Binance’s U.S. arm properly discloses to users its links to two trading firms — Sigma Chain […]