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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler has reiterated over time that most stablecoins are securities and should, therefore, fall under the purview of the securities watchdog. Now, Gensler is one step closer to achieving his aim of regulating stablecoins. Fast facts The U.S. Treasury Department and other agencies are putting together a report […]

While the government signals it is ready to promote the industry, the country’s banks remain unimpressed. ANZ has already settled its de-banking case with Allan Flynn, but as the tribunal with Westpac concluded over the weekend, what should we expect from the outcome?

Payments giant Mastercard and cryptocurrencies firm Bakkt Holdings Inc. announced on Monday they have partnered to facilitate cryptocurrency debit and credit card payments. The partnership will make it easier for merchants, banks and fintechs in the U.S. to offer a broad set of cryptocurrency services and ​​enable consumers to buy and sell digital assets through […]

As the crypto market lit up with green across the board this morning, the price of Solana (SOL) jumped 6% in a few hours overnight to reach a new all-time high of US$218.73, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Solana’s price has since lost some of this ground, however, and was trading at US$208.57 at press […]

Crypto investment products saw record inflows last week of US$1.47 billion, with Bitcoin accounting for 99% of the inflows, according to digital assets fund manager CoinShares. Total crypto assets under management also reached a new peak of US$79.2 billion. Fast facts Bitcoin investment products saw record inflows of US$1.45 billion last week. “The record inflows […]

Hong Kong-based blockchain technology company digiXnode Technology Ltd. today officially launched an exclusive service portal — for users in Hong Kong and Macau — that grants access to the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), China’s public-private nationwide infrastructure project to spur mass adoption of blockchain technology. Fast facts By subscribing to the service from digiXnode’s website […]

Mainland China’s recent ban on crypto, the most draconian yet, did not come as a surprise to those in the know, says Angelina Kwan of HashKey Group. How will this affect the crypto hub of Hong Kong?

Nigeria, a country with one of the world’s highest cryptocurrency adoption rates, is set to become the first African nation to launch its own central bank digital currency (CBDC) today as President Muhammadu Buhari formally launches the eNaira. Fast facts Nigeria’s CBDC, the eNaira, was initially scheduled to be launched on Oct. 1. The launch […]

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc., a U.S. Bitcoin mining and power generation company, has announced it plans to ramp up its operation across the U.S. by more than doubling its previous order with Chinese mining rig maker Bitmain. Fast facts Nasdaq-listed Greenidge said Thursday in a statement it plans to significantly expand beyond its current operating […]

Less than a week out from its historic launch, ProShares is already seeking to amend its Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund — the first in the U.S. — by filing for an exemption from trading limits at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where the fund purchases its futures contracts, according to an article in Barron’s. Fast facts […]

Dogecoin copycat token SHIB jumped almost 60% in less than 24 hours on Sunday to reach a new all-time high of US$0.00004442, as DOGE also surged over the weekend. SHIB was trading at US$0.00003937 at press time, and is now the 13th largest token by market cap, according to data from CoinMarketCap.com. Fast facts This […]

The Australian government sees blockchain’s enormous benefits and is now actively developing the technology, writes Chami Akmeemana. What can other countries learn from this?

New technologies like blockchain and AI are transforming financial services, writes Myles Bertrand of Mambu. But APAC banks are lagging behind.

A lawmaker claims authorities gave the country’s largest crypto exchange privilege in meeting government requirements.

Chinese internet giant Tencent reportedly plans to bet big on the metaverse — a trending idea on building a virtual world typically with the support of virtual and augmented reality technologies — and is looking to build an advanced gaming studio for that, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with […]

Kazakhstan — one of the popular destinations for Chinese crypto miners as they look for more regulation-friendly shores — continues to face power shortages, with its national grid operator last week rationing power after some failures occurred in a few power units. Fast facts Kazakhstan electricity grid operating company KEGOC said in a statement last […]

Canadian crypto miner Hut 8 Mining announced yesterday that it would buy 12,000 new MicroBT mining machines for US$58.7 million from Inchigle Technology Hong Kong Ltd., as the mining company continues to expand its North American presence. Fast facts Hut 8 Mining said the new machines will represent an aggregate incremental production of 1.17 exahashes […]

In another sign of increased adoption of the world’s leading cryptocurrency, Walmart has installed 200 Bitcoin ATMs in stores across the U.S. in a partnership between Coinstar and Coinme, according to reporting from Reuters. Fast facts The pilot program involves Coinstar, best known for its machines that allow customers to exchange U.S. coins for paper […]

The Senate unveiled its most comprehensive look at blockchain regulation, hoping to transform the country into a global industry leader.

Valkyrie Bitcoin Strategy Fund, the second Bitcoin futures exchange traded fund (ETF) in the U.S., is set to start trading today, while VanEck’s Bitcoin futures ETF, which also received approval this week, is expected to launch early next week. Fast facts ProShares Bitcoin Strategy Fund, the first U.S. Bitcoin futures ETF, started trading on the […]

“For now, we do not have any plan for using e-CNY in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries yet,” China’s central bank chief said at the 2021 G30 International Banking Seminar, regarding the electronic yuan (e-CNY), the world’s first major central bank digital currency that is being slowly rolled out in China. Meanwhile, authorities […]

Ethereum prices surged to new heights ahead of next week’s Altair Beacon Chain upgrade but then pulled back. How do crypto experts make sense of it?

China’s Ministry of Commerce, along with 23 other central departments, on Tuesday jointly issued “The 14th Five-Year Plan for Service & Trade Industries.” It outlines how China will integrate blockchain into the process of global trading, including applying blockchain on bills of lading, building a blockchain-based global shipping information network, and using blockchain to record […]

Just three months after closing a record US$1 billion series B, the two-year-old cryptocurrency exchange is now valued at US$25 billion. Fast facts The US$420,690,000 Series B-1 funding round saw the participation of 69 investors, with prominent names the lineup, including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, via its Teachers’ Innovation Platform, Singapore’s state-owned investment firm […]

Despite its legal troubles in the U.S., San Francisco-based blockchain payments company Ripple has been pushing ahead to bring faster and cheaper cross-border payments using XRP in Asia and the Middle East. Fast facts Ripple and Tranglo, a Malaysia-based cross-border payments provider, today announced that Tranglo has launched its first live On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service […]

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com is giving away free non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to those who sign up for its annual technology conference JD Discovery, in a move to jump on the NFT bandwagon following its rivals Alibaba and Tencent. Fast facts JD.com’s tech arm JD Technology said yesterday in a social media post it is giving […]

When the world’s largest cryptocurrency last reached a price high, China had yet to crack down on crypto mining, and there was no U.S. Bitcoin futures ETF. What do changing market conditions mean for the growth of Bitcoin and the crypto industry?

DeFi is a real-world experiment testing out a new model for finance, writes Alex Grebnev of Oxygen. What is the future of banking without Wall Street?

Lotte World Adventure, one of the most popular South Korean amusement parks, is opening a virtual replica on Naver’s Zepeto metaverse. Fast facts Lotte World Adventure constructed “Magic Island,” its outdoor section of the park, onto the Zepeto metaverse, which opens tonight at 6 p.m. Korea time. Upon entering the Lotte World map on the […]

Electric carmaker Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA) on Wednesday reported that its third-quarter revenue surged 57% to US$13.76 billion from US$8.77 billion last year, and a net income of US$1.62 billion for the quarter. However, the company’s digital assets were hit by a Bitcoin-related impairment of US$51 million, down to US$1.26 billion in digital assets from […]

In a special Q&A, CEO Louis Liu describes the hoops FOMO Pay jumped through to win Singapore’s first crypto license and calls its regulator a ‘collaborator.’

Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming, metaverse and non-fungible token (NFT) company, has closed a capital raise for US$65 million at a pre-money valuation of US$2.2 billion, according to a company statement. Fast facts Investors in the round included Liberty City Ventures, Ubisoft Entertainment, Sequoia China, Dragonfly Capital, Token Bay Capital and Justin Sun, […]

Bitcoin set another record as it traded above US$67,000 Wednesday, one day after ProShares’ first-day trading volume reached nearly US$1 billion

On the morning after the successful debut of the first U.S.-approved Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund, Bitcoin’s price surpassed $65,000, reaching an all-time high. Fast facts On Wednesday, Bitcoin reached a high of US$67,276.79, according to Coingecko. Bitcoin’s previous peak was US$64,804.72 on April 14, 2021. The first U.S. Bitcoin-futures exchange-traded fund, ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, […]

In a sign that non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are hitting home, media personality and businesswoman Martha Stewart, perhaps the biggest influencer on modern American home life and middle-class domestic strivings, just launched online store FRESH Mint that will sell Halloween-themed NFTs featuring pumpkin crafts and costumed images of America’s domestic goddess herself.  Fast facts The NFT collection is launched in partnership […]

Huobi Japan has been granted approval to offer crypto derivatives as a Type I Financial Instruments Business by Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) — the regulator for financial services in Japan — according to a company statement this week. Fast facts Huobi Japan currently offers spot trading for 14 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Huobi […]

Top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bitcoin grows up. Facebook’s metaverse journey. China’s crypto investors find a workaround.

More industry players are exiting the Chinese mainland market amid tougher crackdown.

Bitcoin miners saw another mining difficulty adjustment on Tuesday, with an increase of 0.95%, according to data from BTC.com. Fast facts The mining difficulty level is now at 20.08 trillion at block height 705,600, reflecting the most difficult level since a previous adjustment on May 30, the data show. The latest adjustment follows six increases after four consecutive […]

A group of U.S. lawmakers called on Facebook to halt its cryptocurrency and digital wallet project Novi hours after its pilot launch began on Tuesday, amid the company’s ongoing trust crisis. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tina Smith (D-MN) said the tech giant “cannot be trusted […]

Money, culture and community are now converging in NFTs and the token economy, writes Lily Z. King. Welcome to a new world where ‘money Lego’ meets ‘culture Lego.’

After iron-fisted regulations closed down many exchanges, remaining trading platforms look for alternatives to transaction fees.

More than one-third — or 37% — of Singapore residents are already using or are interested in using cryptocurrencies to pay for purchases, according to the latest research from Worldpay from FIS, a payment platform. But nearly half — or 47% — of Singaporean respondents said that they were not interested in using cryptocurrencies for payments. […]

Singapore-based Atlas Mining today announced that it is expanding its cryptocurrency mining operations in the United States in a multi-year hosting service agreement with Compute North, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency mining infrastructure provider. Fast facts The deal will see Compute North providing over 100 megawatts colocation capacity — enough to power a small city — for […]

JD.com, an online retailing platform ranked by trading volume as No. 1 in China and No. 13 globally by Deloitte, said it will accept electronic yuan (e-CNY) payments during the upcoming Double 11 shopping festival and will issue digital yuan coupons during the event. Fast facts The Double 11 shopping festival refers to a Chinese […]

New York state Attorney General Letitia James has ordered two “unregistered crypto lending platforms” — one of which has appeared to be Nexo — to cease operations in New York, and requested another three platforms to provide information about their activities. Fast facts James said in a press release published on Monday: “Cryptocurrency platforms must […]

Some are registering companies overseas, via — you guessed it — Taobao vendors.

As the price of Bitcoin hovers just under its all-time high, a report released today by Australia-based comparison site Finder.com is predicting that the world’s largest cryptocurrency will peak at US$80,021 later in 2021 before ending the year slightly lower at US$71,415. Fast facts Bitcoin was trading at US$62,294 at publishing time, just below its […]

Amid a national conversation on debanking of crypto businesses, one of Australia’s “Big Four” banks — ANZ — has settled a case brought by local exchange operator Allan Flynn, who argued ANZ debanked him due to his occupation in cryptocurrency. Fast facts Flynn, crypto trader and owner of the Australian exchange CanberraBitcoin, announced the settlement […]

Singapore-based crypto trading platform Coinhako has launched “Coinhako Privé,” a digital assets platform for high net worth individuals (HNWIs) and institutions, according to a company announcement today. Fast facts The Coinhako Privé platform will provide members with institutional grade digital asset services and white glove services, such as a dedicated relationship manager, personalized support from […]

Facebook says it will create 10,000 jobs in the European Union over the next five years to build its highly anticipated metaverse — a digital platform that utilizes technology such as virtual and augmented reality that the company says has the potential to unlock new creative, social and economic opportunities. Fast facts According to a […]

Singapore is a major crypto hub. But for whom? In this primer, Malcolm Tan explains the island-state’s regulatory evolution and which groups are no longer in its favor.

Estonia revoked more than 70% of all crypto licenses last year. Its recently appointed anti-money-laundering chief wants to nullify the rest.

As excitement grew over the imminent approval of Bitcoin futures exchange traded funds (ETFs) in the United States, Bitcoin investment products saw inflows of US$70 million last week — the fifth consecutive week of inflows — while Ethereum saw outflows of US$1 million, according to digital assets manager CoinShares. Fast facts According to CoinShares, the total […]

The first US Bitcoin futures EFT is set to begin trading today. Will this exchange-traded fund bring Bitcoin closer to the masses?

Dalian announced it is promoting the adoption of e-CNY within one of its districts. More than 90% of government employees in the Gaoxin district, including affiliated institutions, have settled transactions using personal e-CNY wallets. Fast facts The Northeast city of Dalian has been included in the second batch of e-CNY pilot cities since October 2020, […]

Conglomerates including Samsung continue to invest in blockchain and crypto startups despite a government crackdown on the industry.

Tether, the issuer of the world’s most popular stablecoin USDT, has been fined US$41 million by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over “untrue or misleading” claims that its USDT stablecoin was fully backed by corresponding fiat currencies. Fast facts The CFTC said in a Friday statement that from at least June 1, 2016 to […]

U.S.-based Bakkt, a cryptocurrency custodian and trading platform, went public Monday on the New York Stock Exchange after an announcement by Intercontinental Exchange, or ICE, which owns Bakkt and the NYSE. Fast facts Unlike its competitor Coinbase, which chose a direct listing on Nasdaq, Bakkt is going public by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, […]

Authorities encourage new ways to apply blockchain across various industries, although there’s no room for crypto

Traditional finance evolved over centuries while DeFi is coming into its own in a few years, writes Adi Ben-Ari of Applied Blockchain. Are its risks inevitable?

Two of the largest PC video game stores, Steam and Epic Games, have adopted different approaches to blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT)-based games — Steam has shunned them while Epic is open to it. Fast facts As NFT games like Axie Infinity are soaring in popularity, Valve, which operates Steam, has added games “built on […]

The U.S. could see a long-awaited Bitcoin futures ETF trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq in the next few days. Forkast.News spoke with market watchers to find out what it means for the industry.

Candidates and possible contenders in South Korea’s next presidential election call for delaying a plan to tax virtual assets — currently scheduled to begin in January — in a bid to appeal to millennial and Generation Z voters. Fast facts Lawmakers from both the ruling democratic party and the opposition party have spoken out against […]

But Ripple says its 5,000 pages of requests for admission to SEC are reasonable and could cut down on trial time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday at the United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference the country needs to uphold an innovation-driven approach and create more drivers for development. He specifically mentioned in his remarks the integration of blockchain. Fast facts Xi said more should be done to develop smart transport and smart logistics and […]

Hidden mining tracked by IP addresses to state agencies, enterprises, institutions, schools

The soft rollout of the electronic Chinese yuan (e-CNY) continues across China in advance of its expected formal launch in time for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. In the latest sign, Beijing Capital International Airport has become the first airport in the country to support payment by the central bank digital currency (CBDC), which […]

Ripple, a San Francisco-based blockchain payments company, has joined the Digital Pound Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting the implementation of a digital pound in the United Kingdom, according to a Ripple blog post. Fast facts As a foundation member, Ripple will be represented on the board by Susan Friedman, Ripple’s head of policy. Other foundation […]

Sotheby’s, the 277-year-old auction house, is launching its own immersive digital experience to offer prospective buyers a new way of engaging with the latest art-world craze — non-fungible token (NFT) artworks — according to a press release shared with Forkast.News. Fast facts Sotheby’s is creating a metaverse to allow users to explore and learn about […]

The state-run Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and telecommunications service giant China Mobile on Wednesday jointly announced the launch of a fiat digital-yuan hard wallet that allows equipped phones to transact in e-CNY without a mobile network. Fast facts The wallet, SIM Pay, is a super-SIM card with near-field communication (NFC) technology. NFC […]

Binance — the world’s biggest cryptocurrency by trading volume — today announced the appointment of Mark McGinness, former head of international relations at the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), as its chief regulatory liaison officer, according to a company statement. Fast facts McGinness’ appointment comes as Binance bolsters its compliance efforts and navigates regulatory headwinds […]