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National Payments Corporation of India refuses to ban cryptocurrency trading, putting decision on whether to block trades in hands of lenders. India’s national payments authority has handed banks the responsibility for deciding whether or not to ban cryptocurrency trading. The National Payments Corporation of India has advised lenders across the country to impose bans on […]

ConsenSys Codefi’s Q1 report on decentralized finance (DeFi) trends also saw 7x growth in stablecoins and predicts flashbots dominating the Ethereum network.

Where is the NFT market headed, and has the bubble burst? Consider a world where any asset could be tokenized and sold fractionally to investors.

Tie-up between Bitcoin trading platform and fintech firm will allow bank customers to use the cryptocurrency in their accounts. NYDIG, the Bitcoin subsidiary of alternative asset manager Stone Ridge, and fintech heavyweight FIS have joined forces in an industry-first partnership that will allow banks to offer customers the ability to buy, sell and hold Bitcoin […]

South Korea’s finance department on Wednesday announced a new rule imposing a 20% capital gains tax on cryptocurrency transaction gains starting in 2022. However, cryptocurrency investors are entitled to a tax deduction for expenses incurred during mining. The country’s Ministry of Economy and Finance explained cryptocurrency transaction gains exceeding 2.5 million won (about US$2,230) would […]

Football team adds world’s biggest crypto asset manager to roster of corporate sponsors as sector firms make inroads into sports. The New York Giants have announced an exclusive partnership agreement with digital currency asset manager Grayscale Investments, which had $46.6 billion of assets under management as of April 30. The arrangement, a first in the […]

Finland-based mobile phone manufacturer Nokia unveiled its blockchain-enabled Nokia Data Marketplace on Wednesday, said to offer monetized data exchange and analysis capabilities. In a statement, the company said the service would allow its partners from various industries to collaborate via private blockchain, leveraging AI and automated mechanisms in real time to address rapidly growing data […]

Institutional interest propels cryptocurrencies into mainstream for wealthy investors looking to diversify portfolios. High net worth Australians are committing increasing sums in cryptocurrencies as digital assets move from the fringes of investment markets and become steadily more mainstream. Leigh Travers, executive director of technology investment firm DigitalX, says he has observed a growing trend toward […]

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: S&P Dow Jones launches Bitcoin and Ethereum indices. Will China crack down on more crypto miners?

India’s cryptocurrency exchanges are calling on local banks not to block their transactions. Cryptocurrency exchanges in Mumbai are reportedly struggling with payment gateways and banks, which they accuse of blocking their transactions by citing an old Reserve Bank of India (RBI) policy to ban digital currency dealings. They claim the policy had been struck down […]

The days of ‘DeFi’ being an insider buzzword are over. But gas fees remain high and the road bumpy. Will Uniswap V3 and smartBCH change anything?

‘Gypsy King’ looks to blockchain-powered marketplace to tap demand for celebrity collectibles Two-time world heavyweight champion boxer Tyson Fury is partnering with HoDooi.com to launch his brand as a collectible in the non-fungible token market. HoDooi.com was founded by Matt Luczynski, who is also the co-founder of the blockchain travel business Travala.com. Commenting on the […]

Dogecoin’s price is now at an all-time high of 69 cents, and the joke crypto is now bigger than Ford and Nintendo. Are DOGE investors high on Gemini?

The private sector-led Digital Dollar Project is planning CBDC pilots for the US. How are central bank digital currency efforts and progress different in Asia?

From Manila to Beijing, the Asian art universe is changing as non-fungible tokens gain traction as assets. In Manila, friends and NFT collectors Gabby Dizon and Colin Goltra opened Narra Art Gallery early this year to provide the cryptocurrency community with a venue in which they could shop for digital art. The virtual gallery offers […]

Biziondo, a Spanish medical group specializing in spinal health, announced plans to accept cryptocurrency payments, citing the start of the “Bitcoin revolution.” “It is clear that the Bitcoin revolution has already started in an economic context in which, in 2020, 60% of the world’s money was printed by European, United States, and Japanese central banks. […]

Do you want to own a piece of Hollywood history? More than 800 limited edition collectibles from one of the most storied movie franchises in history are now up for auction in the Starcoll NFT marketplace beginning Tuesday (May 4), Starcoll announced on its website. “Over 800+ limited edition Star Wars collectible will be released […]

The cryptocurrency exchange INX has completed the first-ever security token offering registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The initial public offering (IPO) closed with $85 million in proceeds from over 7,200 investors. In addition to the previous private token sales and the cash in private placement equity, INX has raised a total of […]

Changpeng Zhao, Binance CEO, has cautioned on the challenges that cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin could face upon the launch of the digital dollar. He made these comments during an interview. Zhao explained that the central bank digital currency (CBDC) would lack properties like “freedom of use” and “limited supply” that make cryptocurrencies unique. He added that […]

Binance Coin, or BNB, has set another record after posting a new all-time high above $660. The altcoin’s market cap first crossed the $50 billion benchmark in the first few days of April. However, the market cap jumped more than 100% in less than a month. As of this writing, BNB is trading around $661, […]

Digital Currency Group, the parent company of the digital asset manager Grayscale, has decided to up its purchase of Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) by $500 million. The firm plans to purchase $750 million worth of GBTC shares instead of the initial $250 million. The GBTC has been trading at a premium for some months for […]

A survey by credit card provider Mastercard shows that a growing number of consumers prefer using cryptocurrency when making their purchases. Mastercard’s New Payments Index polled more than 15,000 online respondents from North America, Latin America, the Asia Pacific region, The Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. The study shows 40% of those polled plan […]

U.S.-based payments solutions provider Ripple announced two key appointments on Monday, with former U.S. Treasurer Rosa “Rosie” Gumataotao Rios joining its board of directors and Kristina Campbell joining the firm as its new chief financial officer. Ripple chief executive officer Brad Garlinghouse said on the company’s official website, “These two exceptional leaders join Ripple at […]

Spanish spinal care specialist Biziondo says it will start accepting cryptocurrency payments, citing the “Bitcoin revolution.”

China’s DCEP digital currency, not yet officially launched, take another leap forward with unveiling of prototype ATMs that convert foreign money to e-CNY.

In new court filings, the SEC says allowing XRP holders’ to join SEC v. Ripple lawsuit as third-party defendant would cause delays and ‘sow chaos.’

Struggling Argentines are looking to cryptocurrency for opportunities to stave off rising prices, a devaluing currency and US dollar shortage.

Microsoft has partnered with Intel to roll out a threat detection feature to protect endpoints from cryptojacking malware. The new feature extends Intel’s Threat Detection Technology (TDT) function on Microsoft Defender to flag suspicious activities. It also mitigates the threats before they occur on the computer. The boom of cryptocurrencies has brought about new threats […]

The NBA Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, has called “Robinhood’s withdrawal policy “the greatest inhibitor” to Dogecoin’s growth. The billionaire tweeted recently that businesses will start embracing Dogecoin because many people use it for transactions. According to Cuban, since people can’t spend DOGE on Robinhood, this could be the “greatest indicator to Dogecoin’s growth.” Cuban […]

The on-chain data analytics firm Glassnode reported that miners have continued accumulating Bitcoin. According to the tweet, Bitcoin miners had lowered their spending compared to early January when outflow was high. Bitcoin outflow by miners has dropped to the lowest level in four months and currently sits around 49.9 BTC per day. Miners accumulation has […]

Bitcoin’s energy consumption has been a critical issue among experts, governments, and industry players. Reuters reported that Beijing officials are investigating crypto mining establishments to determine how much energy they consume. On April 27, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information has ordered the city’s data centers to report the amount of power consumed […]

According to a report, Binance could face investigation from European regulators over the issued stock tokens. The largest crypto exchange issued its first tokenized stock early this month, starting with Tesla stocks. The U.K Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had revealed last week that it is working to understand the product to know whether Binance has […]

In its SEC filings, the asset management firm BNY Mellon revealed that the poor performance of its exchange-traded fund (ETF) was due to its non-exposure to assets invested in Bitcoin. The bank noted that its BNY Mellon Opportunistic Small Cap Fund (DSCVX) performance was partly because it had no exposure to MicroStrategy. MicroStrategy bought its […]

Fast-growing DeFi — still a largely unregulated industry — gives FATF an earful over its proposed ‘travel rule’ and expanded anti-money laundering rules.

Filipino-owned assets management company SAM Digital Technologies says adoption of blockchain could promote ‘digital footprints’ in the island nation. The country’s central bank is also interested in the technology.

DOGE fans push Dogecoin price to all-time high (ATH) after eToro lists the joke coin for 20 million users, days before ‘Dogefather’ Musk appears on SNL.

Thailand has issued fresh orders to tighten regulations on new cryptocurrency accounts, requiring customers to appear in person.

XRP is up 600% since the start of the year and its holding steady as Ripple released one billion XRP over the weekend.

As ETH prices hit a new ATH and continue to the moon, Ethereum’s visionary creator Vitalik Buterin becomes the youngest ever crypto billionaire.

Large capacity hard drives are selling like hotcakes in Vietnam as locals capitalize on China’s demand for Chia mining power.

The RegTech grant, although not directed towards cryptocurrency, could have a profound impact on the industry.

Are Binance stock tokens in Tesla, Coinbase and Apple mere tokens or company shares by a different name? Securities regulators are taking a close look.

Turkish authorities arrested six individuals in connection with the Thodex exchange fraud case.

The charity arm of Binance is sending 175 oxygen connectors to India to aid in the coronavirus relief effort.

DBS Bank says it has over US$60 million in crypto under custody and plans to expand trading hours to 24/7.

The ASEAN region has 290 million unbanked, and only 18% have access to credit. Here’s how decentralized finance (DeFi) can lift lives via mobile phones.

With Inner Mongolia banning crypto-mining and Xinjiang expected to soon follow, China’s crypto miners are turning to green energy or moving overseas.

JPMorgan, DBS Bank and Temasek jointly form a new company, Partior, to develop a blockchain platform for cross-border payments and settlements.

Binance’s BUSD and Huobi’s HUSD dominated their stablecoin rivals in the first three months of this year. Why is Asia hungry for alternatives to fiat?

Ripple asks court to stop SEC from using MOU requests to get info on XRP from overseas regulators and pushes for access to SEC’s internal communications.

US and Singapore have licensing laws that give investors more confidence in crypto firms. Stephen Richardson of Fireblocks urges Hong Kong to follow suit.

Other top blockchain and crypto news: China’s internet giants JD.com and Ant Group reveal extent of digital yuan support. Turkey rethinks crypto ban.

Japan’s regulated crypto trading breaks new records in a land known to be the world’s most crypto-averse. Is the tide turning for crypto adoption in Japan?

More than selling art and basketball mementos in a new way, NFTs can also transform copyright enforcement, royalties, real estate and financial markets.

Is Binance Smart Chain’s meteoric rise from PancakeSwap and cryptocurrency SafeMoon sustainable, and is an ‘Ethereum killer’ now finally closer to reality?

Binance, the crypto exchange with more than 50 million users around the world, wants a piece of the fast-growing NFT minting, trading and auction business.

Loss of faith in elections may be at an all-time high around the world. Here is how blockchain voting and decentralization can restore public trust.

China intensifies its nationwide digital currency testing via JD.com paying employee salaries in digital yuan and Ant Group’s MYbank offering e-yuan services.

Solana blockchain — a rising alternative to Ethereum for DeFi and NFTs — hit an all-time high this week while other cryptocurrencies stagnated. How come?

Tether’s battle with New York may be resolved for now, but legal obligations have company on the defensive. Is Tether’s USDT regulated or just registered?

SEC says info on Ripple and XRP transactions overseas is important to lawsuit. But of the nine foreign regulators the SEC asked, two refused to help.

Taiwan has enacted anti-money laundering regulations for cryptocurrency exchanges effective July 1. What will this mean for Taiwan’s growing crypto scene?

In a new legal filing, the SEC asks court to dismiss Ripple’s ‘lack of due process and fair notice’ defense that the XRP token could be deemed a security.

Angered by cryptocurrency tax laws and a government official’s remarks on crypto investing, over 51,000 South Koreans are trying to push back via petitions.

Beijing’s new warning against cryptocurrency comes days before regulations aimed at preventing illegal crypto fundraising take effect May 1.

BTC is down more than 24% from its all-time high of US$64,787, set just last week with the Coinbase public offering. Will Bitcoin’s downward spiral continue?

XRP joins the growing list of cryptocurrencies now available as exchange traded products (ETP). What does this mean for crypto investors?

When Diem launches and central banks roll out digital currencies, what role will each play? Here is a look at the world’s financial and payments future.

The Crypto Climate Accord — a joint effort that includes World Economic Forum, ConsenSys and Ripple — is aiming for net-zero crypto emissions by 2040.

Huobi’s institutional-grade crypto funds will invest in Bitcoin, Ether and crypto mining now that Hong Kong’s ‘very friendly’ regulators gave their thumbs up.

The Lion City’s status as Asia’s crypto haven was no accident, writes Shaun Djie of Digix. What can other countries learn from Singapore’s fintech success?

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Can China be warming up to digital assets and crypto investing? Ethereum ETFs roll out in Canada.