August 2021
China’s central bank to accelerate digital yuan pilots for Winter Olympics
The Business Administration Department at China’s central bank has said it will push forward pilots of the e-CNY digital currency in the Winter Olympics area to cover all payment scenarios. Fast facts To promote the digital yuan for the Winter Games, two batches of e-CNY red packets were distributed in Beijing in February and June, totaling 50,000,000 yuan […]
Two Chinese provinces use state blockchain platform for export credit insurance worth US$3.27B
Chinese central bank branches in Fujian and Guangxi provinces have announced that their provinces did US$2.4 billion and US$875 million, respectively, of blockchain-based export credit insurance financing for the first half of 2021. Fast facts Fujian Province struck a total of 6,516 insurance deals, and Guangxi Province saw 166 enterprises participate. On May 17, the […]
Crypto mining rig maker Canaan names new CFO
Cryptocurrency mining rig manufacturer Canaan has announced the appointment of James Jin Cheng as its new CFO, following the resignation of his predecessor in February. Fast facts Cheng was previously vice president of Chinese internet recruiting platform Zhaopin Ltd., which listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 before being taken private in 2017. […]
NFT market OpenSea transaction volume hits record high
Non-fungible token marketplace OpenSea’s July transaction volume reached a new high of almost US$325 million, a 118% increase from an historic high attained in June. Fast facts The new numbers make OpenSea the most active NFT marketplace. OpenSea’s July NFT transaction numbers and transaction fees were also records, at 457,700 and US$21.78 million, respectively, breaking […]
July 2021
OKEx parent’s USDK stablecoin revenue dives almost 90%
OKG Technology Holdings, the parent company of crypto exchange OKEx, suffered an 89.8% year-on-year slump in revenue from operating Ethereum stablecoin USDK, its FY 2021 annual report shows. Fast facts Its USDK revenue was just HK$159,000 (US$20,470). Currently, USDK, which launched in 2019, has a market cap of US$28.68 million and a circulating supply of […]
China Mobile discloses virtual currency system patent, joins e-CNY team
China’s largest telecommunications company, China Mobile, has disclosed a patent on a virtual currency management system that can prevent the theft of hot-wallet keys. Fast facts The system achieves theft-prevention by separating the hot-wallet server interacting directly with a public data server via a system wallet server. The patent disclosure shows that China Mobile filed […]
Turkey to debate crypto regulation bill in October
Turkey’s deputy finance minister says a draft bill to create a cryptocurrency regulatory framework will be submitted to parliament in October, according to a report by CNN Türk. Fast facts The bill will define different types of virtual currencies and principles for their issuance and distribution. The country’s Capital Markets Commission will supervise companies handling […]
UK finance watchdog to spend £11M to warn young people off crypto investment
Britain’s financial crimes enforcement agency is set to launch a campaign costing £11 million (US$15.2 million) to warn young people about the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies. Fast facts Financial Conduct Authority CEO Nikhil Rathi said social media users aged 18 to 30 would be the target audience. “As with the GameStop episode, more people see investment as […]
Turkey tells crypto firms to hand controllers’ info to tax office
Turkey’s tax authorities have told companies with cryptocurrency-related business to report information on their ultimate controllers as a part of their tax filings. Fast facts An official document states that the requirement is part of meeting Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines on tax transparency. Crypto companies must submit their first filings by Aug. 31 […]
UK police seize record US$408 million in cryptocurrency in money-laundering investigation
London police announced on Tuesday they have seized a record £294 million (US $408 million) in cryptocurrency in less than a month, as part of an ongoing investigation into money laundering. Fast facts According to London police, their recent £180-million (US$248.8 million) seizure in cryptocurrency comes less than three weeks after a £114-million (US$157.5 million) […]
Stablecoin issuer Circle to go public in US$4.5B SPAC deal
Circle, the issuer of stablecoin USD Coin, has announced that it will go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company Concord Acquisition Corp in a deal valuing Circle at US$4.5 billion. Fast facts Law firm Brodsky & Smith has announced an investigation of the merger agreement, saying it may violate Concord’s fiduciary duties and the law. […]
Chinese blockchain firm Easily Visible reveals US$1.7B loss
Chinese blockchain company Easy Visible has disclosed a loss of more than 11.52 billion yuan (US$1.78 billion) for 2020 in an annual report filed two months late. The loss equates to 1.74 times the company’s July 5 market value of 6.66 billion yuan. Fast facts On May 6 the company was suspended from trading on the […]
Wuhan incubator plan aims to boost blockchain sector
The Bureau of Economics and Information Technology in the Chinese city of Wuhan plans to cultivate more than 100 blockchain companies within three years. Fast facts Authorities in Wuhan issued a document outlining the blueprint, according to which rewards of up to 2 million yuan (about US$309,000) and blockchain technology research program subsidies of 500,000 yuan (US$77,250) […]
Huobi to impose tighter OTC trading restrictions
Crypto exchange Huobi yesterday issued an announcement in simplified Chinese saying that it would implement a “T+1” withdrawal freezing time for all over-the-counter trades, meaning that traders can transfer cryptocurrency out only 24 hours after depositing it. In some cases, the freeze will last up to 36 hours. Fast facts At present, the announcement appears […]
June 2021
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.
‘China’s Robinhood’ halts CME crypto futures services amid sector clampdown
Chinese stock trading app Futu Niuniu has suspended Chicago Mercantile Exchange cryptocurrency futures services and stopped supplying crypto market information.
Chinese blockchain behind financial SOEs to set up new HQ in Chongqing
Yunphant is set to build a second headquarters for its blockchain company in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing, according to a report by China News.
Bitcoin mining difficulty drops twice in a row to new 2021 low
On June 14, the difficulty of Bitcoin mining fell 5.3%, the first time this year that there have been two consecutive downward adjustments.
China reveals e-CNY wallet specifications
China’s central bank has unveiled four specifications of digital wallets for the country’s state-issued digital currency, the e-CNY.