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BitDeer, one of China’s biggest crypto mining operators, blocked access to anyone using a mainland Chinese IP address last night.

Global payments giant PayPal plans to let its users move the cryptocurrency they hold on its platform into third-party wallets.

Cashless payment methods are on the rise as governments step up central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) initiatives.

Other top blockchain and crypto news: Australia signals progressive approach to crypto as Hong Kong moves closer to banning retail crypto trading.

Fast-growing Ethereum scaling platform Polygon and decentralized storage network Aleph.im join forces to ‘supercharge’ Polygon’s NFT ecosystem.

Ripple is partnering with Bank Dhofar, Oman’s second largest bank, to facilitate cross border mobile payments through RippleNet.

The U.S. SEC is seeking additional discovery from Ripple on its XRP transactions and documents related to its lobbying efforts.

Ontario Securities Commission is taking enforcement action on crypto exchange Poloniex for its alleged violation of Ontario securities law.

Chinese crypto mining firm BIT Mining is investing US$9.33 million to construct and operate a mining data center in Kazakhstan.

The Chinese region of Inner Mongolia – once a thriving cryptocurrency mining hub that has recently enacted a series of measures to rein in the sector – has unveiled eight new proposals designed to give added force to its recently imposed, all-out ban on crypto mining.

SpaceChain, a Singapore-based startup that focuses on the integration of blockchain with space technology, will be launching two missions to space next month to deploy decentralized satellite infrastructure and multi-signature services for its corporate customers.

Indonesia is planning to launch a digital version of its national currency, central bank Governor Perry Warjiyo said on Tuesday.

Despite recent outflows from crypto, U.S. dollar-linked stablecoin Tether (USDT) has surpassed US$60 billion for the first time this week.

New and innovative lenders are taking advantage of DeFi’s low costs to offer savings account interest rates that Main Street banks simply can’t match.

Amid declines in Bitcoin and Ethereum, Cardano and its native cryptocurrency ADA saw US$10 million inflows as institutional investors switch to proof-of-stake coins.

Chinese authorities’ latest regulatory offensive against the crypto industry may not be as bad for the sector as it appears.

Marathon Digital Holdings has announced a deal with Compute North to host 73,000 of Marathon’s Bitcoin miners at a new data center in Texas.

Bitcoin has rallied to nearly US$40,000, boosted by tweets from Tesla founder Elon Musk and MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor announcing that they have met with North American miners of the cryptocurrency to promote a renewable energy initiative.

Hong Kong is poised to ban small investors from buying cryptocurrencies, while making exchanges get licences. Industry experts discuss how this might play out. 

The current dip aside, what are Bitcoin and Ethereum’s longer-term price forecasts? Finder’s brain trust of 35 crypto experts peers into a crystal ball.

As the crypto sell-off continued over the weekend, Bitcoin once again proved its resilience relative to other cryptocurrencies in not bleeding as much.

PwC and Elwood Asset Management have published their third annual report on the global crypto hedge fund landscape. Here are its findings.

Bitcoin and altcoin prices take heavy hits and sell-off deepens as more bad news, including a blatant DeFi exit scam, continue battering crypto markets.

Crypto exchange Bybit is launching cloud mining to provide exposure to Ether. What happens when Ethereum moves from proof of work to proof of stake?

Kicking the digital won’s development into higher gear, Bank of Korea is calling for bids to be a technology supplier for its digital currency (CBDC) project.

The price of Bitcoin fell by over 10% following an announcement by China’s State Council today that it is planning to crack down on Bitcoin mining and trading and “resolutely prevent the transmission of individual risks to society.” Fast Facts: The 51st meeting of the State Council Financial Stability and Development Committee called for the […]

Cryptocurrency exchanges in Hong Kong will have to obtain licenses from the territory’s markets regulator and limit their service offerings to “professional investors”, according to the results of a consultation published today.

Non-fungible tokens may be a boon for art and sports collectibles, but the technology is also spawning a host of thorny regulatory and legal issues.

Coinbase Pro adds Solana’s native token, opening the doors for US investors after SOL outperforms Bitcoin and most other cryptos amid market crash.

Diversification to allocate funds to Bitcoin is an “opportunity that (fiat) money cannot buy”, says DBS Bank’s chief investment officer.

Bithumb, one of South Korea’s biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, is attempting to disassociate itself from its former chairman amid fears that its links to him may pose a threat to its license to operate.

Hong Kong-listed beauty app Meitu and other companies that have invested in cryptocurrencies have seen millions of dollars wiped off the value of their stock following the huge global Bitcoin sell-off this week.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is calling for business to report cryptocurrency transactions worth more than US$10,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.

As mainstream finance embraces decentralized finance, neither it nor its younger challengers are likely to escape the evolutionary forces at work.

The Booker Group announced that it now holds approximately US$35 million in crypto and plans to invest US$3 million into DeFi in Q2.

U.S. SEC chair Gary Gensler says as technology and markets evolve, regulators should be ready to bring cases involving crypto.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: BlockFi’s accidental BTC millionaires. China’s Inner Mongolia asks citizens to report illegal crypto mining.

NEM Group is launching NFTs with former Liverpool footballer and manager Sir Kenny Dalglish and current Manchester City player Riyad Mahrez.

Chainlink, a data oracle, has joined the Hedera Governing Council, which oversees the distributed governance of the Hedera network, an enterprise-grade public network for the decentralized economy.

Newly elected South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum appears to be leading an embrace of the cryptocurrency sector among lawmakers.

In a win for the SEC, a judge knocks back Ripple’s request to stop the SEC from asking foreign regulators for info on Ripple and XRP transactions overseas.

The Chinese region of Inner Mongolia is urging members of the public to report all cases of cryptocurrency mining, setting up a reporting hotline, an office address and an email address to solicit tips for law enforcement authorities.

Chinese cryptocurrency miner BIT Mining has signed a deal to build a data center in Texas.

DeFi project Maple Finance is launching a $17 million lending pool to provide crypto startups with capital. Is this the start of a DeFi credit underwriting trend?

The world’s biggest cryptocurrency may have found a new trading range after being battered yesterday following an apparent Chinese clampdown on cryptos, partly reversing losses of around 30% seen when investors dumped their coins on Wednesday.

Professional crypto traders appear to be taking the recent plunge in the price of Bitcoin in their stride as they look ahead to an upswing in the cryptocurrency’s fortunes.

Around US$1.5 billion of Bitcoin long positions were liquidated today across some of the world’s top crypto exchanges, including Binance and FTX, according to Bybt data.

In a paper released today by a Senate committee, the Australian government announced it is seeking help in establishing a crypto regulatory framework.

RippleNet has partnered with National Bank of Egypt and UAE-based payment services firm LuLu International Exchange for the processing of cross-border funds transfers from the United Arab Emirates to Egypt.

XRP’s price has slumped almost 7% in the past 24 hours after a so-called whale transferred US$93 million of the cryptocurrency to an unknown wallet on May 18, according to blockchain analytics platform WhaleAlert.

Qingdao-headquartered tech company SOS Ltd. has announced the launch of more than 6,000 ETH and BCT mining rigs, claiming 90% renewable energy sources.

Fan Long, a co-founder of Chinese public blockchain network Conflux, says China’s latest broadside against the use of cryptocurrencies in the financial sector should not be interpreted as a sign that Beijing is intent on shutting down digital currencies.

American Bitcoin miner Riot Blockchain’s mining revenue skyrocketed almost tenfold to US$23.2 million in the first quarter of 2021, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

China has slapped a ban on finance sector businesses, including payment firms, from offering cryptocurrency services.

As Singapore builds Project Dunbar, a cross-border multiple-CBDC platform, its government dives into DeFi learning and ponders a CBDC for the masses.

Privately owned Chinese lender continues to target blockchain opportunities as it remains shut out of Beijing’s digital yuan project.

Deutsche Bank Securities Services in Singapore and Singapore fintech firm Hashstacs, or STACS, today announced the completion of a tokenized securities proof-of-commercialization test named Project Benja.

The final phase of Polkadot’s rollout — with parachains — just kicked off. Here’s what you need to know about Polkadot and parachains, and why it matters.

The appetite in the United Arab Emirates for cryptocurrency investment is growing, with younger Emiratis more bullish about digital assets than their Western counterparts, according to a study by financial services firm Holborn Assets.

In a new court filing, SEC tries to keep out 6 representatives of 17,100 XRP holders from joining as 3rd party defendants in the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple.

A group of cryptocurrency developers has launched a new coin named $STOPELON, aiming to limit Elon Musk’s influence over the cryptocurrency market.

American consumers have lost an estimated US$80 million in cryptocurrency investments since October 2020, according to new data from the Federal Trade Commission, which calculated that digital currency scams had jumped tenfold year on year.

Tesla founder Elon Musk has lost his position as the world’s second-richest person following a 2.2% decline in the electric carmaker’s share price.

Ripple rebuts SEC’s attempt to obtain Ripple’s confidential communications with lawyers over XRP’s legal status and seeks to bolster ‘fair notice’ defense.

ADA price holds strong as investors shift to greener cryptocurrencies and Cardano smart contracts get set to launch blockchain into DeFi and NFTs.

New York-based artist Brian Donnelly, also known as KAWS, is launching his latest project in Britain, “KAWS:HOLIDAY UNITED KINGDOM,” featuring a 42-meter tall hot-air balloon that people can pay cryptocurrency to take rides in. Fast facts Crypto and fiat payment processor FTX Pay has partnered with Hong Kong production company AllRightsReserved to be the official […]

Fund managers have reacted swiftly to the latest price volatility in the cryptocurrency market triggered by recent Elon Musk tweets that have raised doubts over Tesla’s future relationship with Bitcoin, the Financial Times reports. Fast Facts: T Rowe Price President and Head of Investments Rob Sharps recognized the impact of cryptocurrencies across capital markets, but […]

A tweet about Dogecoin by Tesla founder Elon Musk provoked a terse response from high-profile figures in the cryptocurrency industry on Sunday. Fast Facts: Musk responded to a tweet in which Twitter user @itsALLrisky claimed that Dogecoin was superior to Bitcoin, tweeting back: “Ideally, Doge speeds up block time 10X, increases block size 10X & drops […]

A single tweet by Tesla founder Elon Musk wiped more than US$55 billion off the cryptocurrency market after he implied on Sunday that the company might have sold its Bitcoin holdings. Fast Facts: Bitcoin’s price fell to below US$43,500 after Musk appeared to agree with a Twitter post that Tesla should divest its Bitcoin holdings. […]

A dispute over a Bitcoin mine’s environmental impact leads to a push to ban crypto mines in New York state. Will other places follow Albany’s lead?

To improve public trust, South Korea is barring police officers from buying cryptocurrency. Could this presage a broader clampdown on crypto in the country?

What will happen to your Bitcoin keys and crypto wallets when you die? Southeast Asia’s largest bank will now take care of it all for the super wealthy.