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China’s Agricultural Bank launches fintech center in ‘smart city’ of Xiong’an

Agricultural Bank of China has set up a fintech innovation center in Xiong’an, a model for a so-called smart city.
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Huobi bans users in China, Taiwan from crypto derivatives trades

Chinese cryptocurrency exchange Huobi has stopped providing crypto derivative trading services to users in China and Taiwan.
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Why big investors are pouring money into blockchain data analytics for crypto

Nansen, a Singapore startup, is the latest darling of venture capitalists like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) bullish on the growing field of crypto analytics.
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Ethereum’s institutional outflows hit record US$50M, CoinShares data says

Ethereum is bearing the brunt of negative sentiment on crypto, with net outflows from institutional products related to the token hitting a record of US$50 million last week.
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Samsung Asset Management launches metaverse fund

Samsung Asset Management, South Korea’s biggest asset manager, has launched a fund tied to a virtual world known as the metaverse.
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Mexican finance minister reiterates crypto ban after bank unveils Bitcoin plan

Mexico’s finance minister reiterated his country’s ban on cryptocurrencies on Monday, saying they are not legal tender and are not to be treated as currencies within the country
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Bitcoin hashrate falls to lowest in 22 months amid China mining clampdown

Bitcoin’s hashrate fell to 58.7971 exa hashes per second on Sunday — the lowest point since August 2019.
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Singapore central bank joins IMF, World Bank to push state digital currencies

The Monetary Authority of Singapore is inviting proposals for retail central bank digital currency innovations to improve payment services.
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Britain bans Binance UK, but users continue business on crypto exchange

FCA says Binance is not permitted to offer regulated activities in the UK, but users of the world’s largest crypto exchange remain unaffected — for now.
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FATF: Most countries have yet to implement anti-terrorism crypto ‘travel rule’

Why are so few adopting FATF guidance for VASPs? Money laundering watchdog decries ‘continued misuse of virtual assets through jurisdictional arbitrage.’
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South Korean crypto exchange fee revelations deal blow to sector’s credibility

Payment for listings raises questions over integrity of cryptocurrencies’ credit scores as compliance deadline nears.
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How enterprises are fueling blockchain adoption among SMEs

What is blockchain and how can it help smaller companies? A special panel sponsored by Blockchain-based Service Network explores the use cases.
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Kazakhstan’s Bitcoin gold rush gathers pace as Chinese miners keep piling in

As China shuts down crypto mining over environmental concerns, miners are moving next door to Kazakhstan, one of the most coal-rich countries in the world.
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Hong Kong to press ahead with digital dollar, e-CNY plans

Hong Kong’s financial secretary has reiterated the city’s determination to develop digital versions of the Hong Kong dollar and the mainland Chinese yuan.
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Lawmaker clarifies Paraguay won’t try to make Bitcoin legal tender

Lawmaker Carlos Rejala tamped down speculation that Paraguay might follow El Savador’s footsteps in making Bitcoin legal tender.
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Shiba Inu price jumps 25% after Elon Musk throws new Twitter bone on dog

Elon Musk set off a new SHIB price rally after tweeting that he would name his Shiba Inu—the dog breed that the joke meme coin is named after—’Floki.’
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SEC seeks to stop Ripple from calling ex-SEC director for XRP testimony

SEC does not want its former head of Corporation Finance to testify or answer question about XRP. Who is William Hinman — and what might he tell Ripple?
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What will Ethereum’s London hard fork do as an upgrade?

A major Ethereum upgrade via London hard fork — which experts call a ‘seismic shift’ for the industry — is coming soon. Are ‘Ethereum killers’ doomed?
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China sets out stall with digital yuan. Here comes the sales pitch

Urged on by the authorities, banks have wasted little time in putting e-CNY infrastructure in place, but now comes the hard part — getting people to use it.
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Crypto exchange Gemini buys carbon offsets, pledges carbon-neutrality

Crypto exchange Gemini has bought US$4 million in carbon credits to offset the environmental impact of its Bitcoin holdings
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Australian blockchain project targets construction sector traceability

Accountancy giant KPMG is partnering with Australian property group Mirvac to create a blockchain platform to track the provenance of buildings.
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Palestine looks to launch central bank digital currency

Following Israel’s recent tests of a digital shekel, the Palestinian Monetary Authority is looking to launch its own central bank digital currency.
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Mining rig maker Bitmain halts sales amid flood of second-hand machines

Chinese crypto mining rig maker Bitmain has decided to suspend global spot sales of its Antminer machines, as some of its clients are reselling their rigs.
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Blockchain data cruncher Chainalysis raises $100M to expand in Asia Pacific

Chainalysis, the blockchain and cryptocurrency data analytics firm, announced today that it has raised US$100 million in a Series E funding round with a US$4.2 billion valuation. Fast facts: Headquartered in New York, Chainalysis provides blockchain-based software that enables governments and businesses to detect and prevent cryptocurrency crime and money laundering. Chainalysis’ series E round […]
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Tesla, Facebook and Netflix stock tokens launch on Solana blockchain

Swiss-based Digital Assets AG, a firm focused on the design of tokenized stock infrastructure, has launched over 50 tokenized stocks on the Solana public blockchain.
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Suspects arrested in US$500M ransomware crypto laundering case

Law enforcement agencies in several countries have arrested suspected members of a crypto-linked cybercrime group believed to be responsible for laundering more than US$500 million from ransomware attacks.
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How blockchain traceability can help our world prevent a resource spiral

Blockchain technology promotes a circular economy of reuse that is vital to our planet’s future. Leanne Kemp, CEO of Everledger, explains how it works.
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Paraguay university to accept crypto for tuition fees

A university in Paraguay has announced that it will begin accepting cryptocurrency as payment for tuition starting from August.
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Bitcoin ETFs start trading on Brazil, Dubai stock exchanges

QR Capital’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund — the first Bitcoin ETF in Latin America — has been listed on Brazil’s stock exchange.
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Israeli central bank tests digital shekel using Ethereum

The Bank of Israel is testing its central bank digital currency, the digital Shekel, in a private permissioned ecosystem using Ethereum.
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Following forced closure, Hong Kong’s Apple Daily preserved on blockchain

A tech-savvy activist is using blockchain technology to preserve content from Hong Kong’s Apple Daily, which was yesterday forced by the government to shut down.
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China’s Ant Group launches blockchain-boosting transmission network

Ant Chain, Ant Group’s technology brand, has launched a new blockchain communication technology at Ant Chain’s first developer conference.
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South Korea points to crypto regulation efforts after calls for watchdog to quit

South Korea’s presidential office has reacted defensively to a petition calling for the chief of the country’s main finance sector regulator to step down over comments he made about cryptocurrencies.
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Survey: 32% of novice traders only invested in crypto in past year

Nearly one in three novice traders reported making no traditional investments outside crypto over the past year, according to a survey published today by Overbit, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange. In contrast, 85.3% of professional traders reported diversifying their investment portfolios to stock, real estate or other traditional assets. Fast facts: The survey of 3,000 traders […]
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Australian auction house begins accepting crypto for all items

Auction house Lloyds Auctions Australia has begun accepting cryptocurrency for all purchases on its marketplace.
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Rig maker Bitmain offers help to Chinese miners looking to relocate abroad

Chinese mining rig maker Bitmain is offering assistance to clients that want to relocate their cryptocurrency mining operations from China to other countries.
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Binance NFT marketplace launches with auction of Dali, Warhol

Crypto exchange Binance is launching a non-fungible token marketplace, auctioning NFTs of artworks by Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali.
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Court grants Ripple access to SEC’s internal trading policies on XRP

A judge has granted Ripple’s request to force the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to reveal its non-public policies regarding whether agency employees may buy and sell XRP and other cryptocurrencies, according to a screenshot of a new legal filing shared by the lawyer representing XRP holders. Fast facts: Earlier this month, Ripple sought the […]
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John McAfee dead by suicide in Spanish jail before extradition to US

John McAfee has died by suicide in a prison cell in Barcelona after a Spanish court authorized his extradition to the US where he faced tax evasion charges.
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Bitcoin: Follow the money. Titan goes Titan-ic. China’s footloose miners.

Top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bitcoin’s still winning. Titan’s troubles as a teachable moment. Beijing creates a crypto mining diaspora.
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Chinese crypto mining rig maker Bitmain suspends sales as prices drop

Chinese mining rig maker Bitmain has stopped selling in-stock cryptocurrency mining equipment amid a plunge in the prices following a shutdown of major mining pools in China.
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What lies ahead for CBDCs, Bitcoin and other digital currencies?

In a new report, Bank for International Settlements extols central bank digital currency (CBDC) as the future of money. Will CBDCs replace Bitcoin someday?
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Bitcoin mining rig maker Canaan breaks ground in Kazakhstan

Canaan, one of the world’s biggest crypto mining rig makers, has launched its own crypto mining business in Kazakhstan.
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South Korean crypto exchange Upbit in dock in trading tech case

South Korean crypto exchange Upbit — the country’s biggest — is facing a lawsuit filed by a university foundation alleging patent infringement.
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Taiwan developing Covid-19 blockchain platform to track jab history

A team of doctors and engineers in Taiwan is developing a blockchain-based platform that could keep track of residents’ vaccination histories and health conditions.
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U.S. SEC settles with Loci over unregistered securities offering

The U.S. SEC has settled charges against Loci and its CEO, John Wise, for allegedly making false statements in connection with a sale of digital asset securities.
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Indian crypto investors could be stung by 2% foreign operator levy

Indian cryptocurrency investors could face a 2% levy on transactions made through foreign-owned crypto exchanges operating in the country.
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Iran seizes record haul of 7,000 crypto mining machines

Iranian police have confiscated 7,000 cryptocurrency mining machines from an abandoned factory in western Tehran, the largest batch discovered in recent days.
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Chinese payment giant Alipay starts selling NFTs

Chinese payment app Alipay has started selling non-fungible token artwork, finding buyers for a combined 8,000 editions of two artworks within one day.
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U.S. Treasury nominees pledge beefed-up crypto AML enforcement

Two nominees to the U.S. Treasury Department have promised, if they are confirmed in their posts, to implement new regulations relating to cryptocurrency.
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Bitcoin price rebounds after falling below $30K for first time in 6 months

After a spate of bad news, Bitcoin’s price tumbled to its lowest level this year before climbing back up to $34,000. Where are BTC prices likely to go next?
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Report: US cryptocurrency crimes surging by 300% a year

Crypto-related crime in the US increased an average of over 300% per year from 2017 to 2020with a total of 82,135 cases last year alone.
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Polkadot DeFi hub Acala’s Karura network wins first Kusama auction

Decentralized finance hub Acala Network’s sister network, Karura, has won the first parachain lease auction on Kusama, Polkadot’s pre-production network, and is now successfully producing blocks, according to an announcement today. Fast facts: The successful completion of Kusama’s first parachain slot auction and Karura’s launch brings Polkdot ever closer to its rollout. Karura raised more […]
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What is Ethereum, and could it become the future of blockchain?

Ethereum is much more than a cryptocurrency, and it has already attracted huge interest among investors. What’s all the fuss about? Forkast.News explains.
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Chinese crypto miners head west as Beijing’s crackdown gains pace

Kazakhstan offers nearby bolthole as North America and Europe beckon.
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How NFTs can increase efficiency in trade finance

Better known for uses in art and collectibles, non-fungible tokens can also improve supply chains and prevent fraud. Richard Crook of LAB577 explains how.
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South Korean crypto exchange Upbit to sue Pica Project after delisting coin

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit is preparing legal action against crypto coin issuer Pica Project, whose tokens it has delisted from its platform.
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French central bank, SEBA Bank wrap CBDC securities settlement test

France’s central bank has successfully completed a central bank digital currency experiment involving the settlement of listed securities with Switzerland’s SEBA Bank.
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Bearish crypto sentiment focused on Bitcoin, CoinShares says

Bitcoin is in its sixth consecutive week of institutional outflows, with US$89 million exiting the coin, according to a weekly fund flows report.
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Iron Finance’s DeFi bank run — and how Mark Cuban got ‘rekt’

Iron Finance, once a DeFi darling, went from billions to bust in a day. Should investors have seen the crash coming? How stable are algorithmic stablecoins?
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Bybit joins growing list of crypto exchanges in Canadian regulator’s crosshairs

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is seeking to bring enforcement action against Singapore-based crypto derivatives exchange Bybit for allegedly violating the Canadian province’s securities laws, according to a statement. Fast facts: “Bybit, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, is operating an unregistered crypto asset trading platform, encouraging Ontarians to use the platform, and allowing Ontario […]
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Sotheby’s will accept Bitcoin and Ether for 101-carat diamond auction

Sotheby’s has announced it will be accepting cryptocurrency as payment in an upcoming auction for a 101.38-carat diamond with flawless clarity.
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Chinese central bank orders lenders to cut cryptos’ financial lifelines

The People’s Bank of China has told the country’s big banks and other finance sector heavyweights to cut off financing sources for cryptocurrency transactions.
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Bitcoin and Ethereum prices fall: Is the crypto market in an over-leveraged bubble?

Against a backdrop of El Salvador’s BTC boosts, famed investor Michael Burry warns about a crypto price bubble and China intensifies its crypto clampdown.
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Iran bans blockchain association, citing regulatory breaches

Iran’s interior ministry has suspended the Iran Blockchain Association over alleged breaches of government regulations.
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Over 3,000 ATMs in Beijing now support digital yuan withdrawals

Two of China’s largest state-owned banks, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), are now offering two-way exchange between fiat cash yuan and e-CNY digital currency through more than 3,000 ATMs in Beijing, according to reports in local media.  Over 3,000 ATMs in Beijing managed by ICBC […]
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S. Korean banks start crypto exchange reviews as contract renewals loom

South Korean lenders have started money laundering risk assessments of the country’s “big four” cryptocurrency exchanges, with which they have contracts to provide real-name accounts.
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CoinShares partners with Germany’s Finanzen Zero on crypto ETPs

European digital asset manager CoinShares hasannounced a partnership with German financial news portal Finanzen.net to bring crypto exchange traded products to investors with no trading fees.
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Bitcoin hashrate plunges as Chinese crypto mining crackdown hits Sichuan

The Bitcoin hashrate plunged over the weekend following a clampdown on cryptocurrency mining by the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan.
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Paraguay may adopt Bitcoin as lawmaker seeks to follow El Salvador

Following El Salvador’s move to become the first country in the world to recognize Bitcoin as legal tender, a Paraguayan congressman has announced plans to do the same in the South American nation next month.
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Asia’s newest unicorn, crypto trading firm Amber Group, raises $100 million

Forkast.News speaks with Michael Wu, Amber Group’s co-founder and CEO, on how the crypto firm is going from $100 million to $1 billion in valuation.
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Survey: Crypto investing gender gap is narrowing in Australia

The number of Australian women investing in cryptocurrency has grown this year from 7% in January to 11% in June.

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