Articles by
Pradipta Mukherjee
Pradipta Mukherjee is a business reporter and has worked for Bloomberg News and Business Standard in India. An MBA and a post-graduate in Economics, Mukherjee focuses on financial markets and corporates. She is a Mary Morgan Hewett award recipient for Women in Journalism. She has also won the Jefferson Fellowship; the Thomson Reuters Foundation fellowship on ‘Social Media and Digital Journalism’ at The Chinese University of Hong Kong; the Kiplinger Fellowship at Ohio University, USA; and most recently, the National Press Foundation's fellowship on 'International Trade.'
March 2022
EarnU taps Indian crypto sports enthusiasts
EarnU, a play-to-earn crypto sports and esports prediction platform, has forayed into India, to target betting Indians looking to earn crypto rewards for correct predictions. See related article: How sports and crypto are knocking it out of the park Fast facts EarnU is a game that is free to play for BETU token holders. While […]
Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan ponies up tax on NFT sale
Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan is in the crosshairs of Indian tax authorities again, this time for NFT sales.
BAYC creator Yuga Labs raises valuation to $4B
Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs announced on Wednesday Asia time that it has raised US$450 million in a funding round, bringing the Web 3.0 company to a total valuation of US$4 billion. See related article: The future is decentralized: How Web3 can reshape the world Fast facts The funding round was led by […]
India rules out offsetting losses against gains in new crypto tax law
In a move that may adversely impact crypto adoption in the country, India’s government said its pending tax law for virtual digital assets will not allow offsetting gains on one crypto with losses from another. See related article: India may impose 28% GST on crypto transactions Fast facts India’s government plans to collect a 30% […]
India may impose 28% GST on crypto transactions
The Indian government is working to determine whether cryptocurrencies can be classified as goods or services, which can impose a different taxation scheme on digital assets, local media reported. See related article: India’s crypto tax will incur losses for government, says WazirX CEO Fast facts Government officials believe crypto trading is similar to gambling and […]
Bitcoin, crypto market in the green after Fed rate hike
Bitcoin and most of the top cryptocurrencies by market capitalization landed in the green on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday. See related article: Is Bitcoin really a hedge against inflation? Fast facts The U.S. central bank hiked its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 basis points, for the first time […]
Bitcoin wakes up to pass $40,000 before going back to sleep
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, crossed the US$40,000-mark on Wednesday morning Asia time after a sudden surge before returning to its pre-surge price in less than two hours. See related article: Bitcoin leads market-wide downturn as Russia fears rise Fast facts Bitcoin’s price has remained steady for the past five days, and its […]
Singapore targets designated Russian banks amid sanctions
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has imposed financial measures targeting designated Russian banks, entities and activities in Russia, and fundraising activities benefiting the Russian government, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. See related article: Singapore prohibits crypto, NFT transactions in sanctions against Russia Fast facts An MAS notice named the designated banks as […]
How Singapore is reimagining its ‘Asian crypto hub’ image
The Lion City has been the place to be for crypto firms, but retail activity is slowing down while the central bank continues to build a haven for institutional investors.
NFTs subject to existing tax rules in Singapore, FM says
Income from non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in Singapore will be subject to existing income tax rules, the Business Times reported, citing Singapore Finance Minister Lawrence Wong’s Friday speech in parliament. See related article: Singapore prohibits crypto, NFT transactions in sanctions against Russia Fast facts However, individuals who receive capital gains from NFT transactions will not be […]
India’s crypto tax will incur losses for government, says WazirX CEO
India’s plans for a 1% tax deducted at source (TDS) on every crypto transaction will result in huge losses for the government, Indian crypto exchange WazirX founder Nischal Shetty said on Wednesday. See related article: Indians see future in crypto, government sees revenue, FM says Fast facts Shetty argued more revenue is to be expected […]
Indians see future in crypto, government sees revenue, FM says
Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday the government will discuss its position on cryptocurrencies after completing an ongoing consultation process. See related article: India government, central bank in ‘complete harmony’ on crypto: FM Fast facts Sitharaman said many Indians see a future in cryptocurrencies and the government sees opportunities for revenue in the […]
CoinDCX chimes in on India’s growing blockchain education needs
CoinDCX has partnered with the Birla Institute of Technology & Science Pilani for crypto research, development and innovation among students, the crypto exchange said in a statement on Tuesday. See related article: India’s blockchain courses ramp up to meet demand for learning Fast facts Over 100 students are expected to be trained in blockchain technology […]
NFT startup Immutable valued at $2.5 billion in Temasek-led financing
Australian non-fungible tokens (NFTs) startup Immutable has raised fresh funding in a round led by Singapore’s Temasek, bringing its valuation to US$2.5 billion, the company said in a statement on Monday. See related article: Jump in NFT demand reflects crypto prices, right? Wrong Fast facts Immutable raised US$200 million in a Series C funding led […]
Singapore prohibits crypto, NFT transactions in sanctions against Russia
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has prohibited transactions involving digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in its sanctions against Russian banks and entities, the central bank said in a statement. See related article: USDT-RUB volume outpaces Bitcoin pair as Russia sanctions pile Fast facts Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, MAS will […]
OpenSea blocks Iranian users, citing US sanctions list
OpenSea users based in Iran claim their accounts have been suspended from the U.S.-based non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, in a growing list of users experiencing restrictions from cryptocurrency-related service providers due to sanctions against the Iranian government, CoinDesk reported. Fast facts See related article: Binance may join sanctions imposed on Russian targets Many OpenSea users […]
India’s blockchain courses ramp up to meet demand for learning
Recruiters from the public and private sectors are on the hunt for top blockchain talent. Educational institutions are catching up with customized courses.
Nomura Holdings plans new digital assets company
Nomura Holdings will restructure its Future Innovation Company into a newly established company to leverage the rise of digital assets, effective April 1. Fast facts See related article: IBM, Nomura to use blockchain for plastics recycling in new consortium The Japanese financial services giant revealed in a statement its plans to expand its private markets […]
February 2022
Russian soldiers offered Bitcoin in exchange for white flag
Russian soldiers surrendering to Ukraine will receive 5 million rubles worth of crypto or cash, according to Masha Efrosinina, local TV host and honorary ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine. See related article: Ukraine’s crypto demand soars; Russian sanctions tighten Fast facts Efrosinina said in an Instagram post that surrendering soldiers of […]
India top court queries crypto legality over $2.6B Bitcoin scam
The Supreme Court of India has sought clarification from the government on the legality of cryptocurrencies in the country in the wake of surging Bitcoin scams, local media reported. See related article: Indian crypto scam investigated Fast facts A bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Surya Kant asked additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati […]
Putin’s attack triples Ukrainian crypto exchange’s trading volume
Trading volume in Ukrainian crypto exchange Kuna has more than tripled by Friday since Russia invaded the Eastern European nation, according to CoinGecko data. See related article: Bitcoin, crypto market tank as Putin declares war on Ukraine Fast facts The 24-hour trading volume at Kuna was at around US$1.5 million on Thursday morning Asia time, […]
Terra bullish trend continues; rest of crypto top 10 in red
Terra LUNA is continuing its bullish trend from where it left off on Wednesday, up almost 7% to trade at $59.39 on Thursday morning, Asia time. Fast facts See related article: Is Terra — whose LUNA coin is now at another all-time high — really where the smart money is? The currency has been as […]
Why India’s Bitcoin premium is now higher than South Korea’s
The RBI is casting a cloud of regulatory uncertainty over the local digital assets industry, but the nation’s Bitcoin premium shows India wants crypto.
Hedera gears up for smart contract upgrade, leads market rebound
Hedera’s HBAR is leading a crypto market bounce with a 14% surge over the last 24 hours to trade at US$0.2306 on the back of the HederaStarter launch announcement as the ecosystem preps for its smart contract era. See related article: Hedera Hashgraph provides provenance for data from Syrian war Fast facts HederaStarter is slated […]
Solana, Terra join Bitcoin in free fall as markets continue tumbling
Solana joined Bitcoin’s free fall along with other cryptocurrencies on Tuesday, after being among the few cryptos standing in the green during a red day in the crypto market on Monday. See related article: What Solana prices will be at the end of 2021 and beyond Fast facts Solana — currently at US$83.50 – is […]
‘Extreme fear’: Bitcoin continues bear run, while Solana is up
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, continues to tank along with other cryptocurrencies in the global market, with investor sentiment at “extreme fear” at Bitcoin’s Fear and Greed Index. See related article: Bitcoin leads market-wide downturn as Russia fears rise Fast facts Bitcoin is currently down by almost 2% to trade at US$39,185. Bitcoin’s […]
Indian dating app attempts to start metaverse dating trend
Dating platform Mingout has introduced metaverse dating in India by organizing a virtual date for two of its users in a moon-based setting. See related article: Phillips to auction metahuman-made NFTs for Valentine’s Day Fast facts Metaverse or virtual dating is a nascent concept in India, and Mingout hopes to create a dating revolution and […]
Indian media giant’s Fully Faltoo NFTs sell out in 48 hours
Indian media staple Viacom18’s Youth, Music and English Entertainment Cluster (YME) released 3,000 Fully Faltoo non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that sold out within 48 hours since launching, the company said in a press release on Wednesday. See related article: WazirX launches India’s first NFT marketplace Fast facts Fully Faltoo is a local award-winning sitcom program that […]
RBI is causing crypto hesitancy among Indian banks
India’s crypto tax plan was expected to bolster adoption, but the central bank’s hold on the banking sector puts a check on crypto-related services.
Pakistani central bank echoes RBI’s concerns over crypto
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) governor Reza Baqir said in this year’s MASIC Annual Investment Forum that cryptocurrency risks far outweigh their benefits and threaten financial and monetary stability for developing countries. Fast facts The SBP recommended a ban on cryptocurrencies last month, with one of the nation’s largest banks quickly heeding the advice by […]
DBS Digital Exchange hits new high in trading value
DBS Digital Exchange (DDEx), one of Asia’s first bank-backed digital exchanges, recorded over SG$1.1 billion (US$818 million) in trading value in FY2021, the company said in a press release on Tuesday. Fast facts DDEx is currently a members-only exchange that provides corporate and institutional investors, accredited investors, and family offices that bank with DBS, access […]
India government, central bank in ‘complete harmony’ on crypto: FM
The Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are working in “complete harmony” and any decision on cryptocurrency will be made jointly, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in a press conference on Monday. Fast facts Discussions on crypto have been ongoing between the government and the RBI — India’s central bank — even […]
Bitcoin outperforms tech stocks by 12% average in last 30 days
Bitcoin has continued to outperform traditional investment vehicles with the digital asset leading over major tech stocks in the last 30 days, according to Finbold. Fast facts Bitcoin outperformed the top six tech stocks by an average return on investment (ROI) of 12.24% as of Feb. 13. Bitcoin significantly outpaced Meta by 46.74%, followed by […]
Crypto is ‘not even a tulip,’ India’s central bank chief says
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said in a press conference that cryptocurrencies have no underlying value and that they are “not even a tulip,” warning investors of its risks. Fast facts Das’s comments come just over a week after India’s central government announced a 30% taxation plan on income from crypto assets as well […]
JPMorgan predicts $150,000 Bitcoin price in the long run
American banking giant JPMorgan predicts Bitcoin’s price will approach US$150,000 in the long term, strategist Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou wrote in an investors note cited by Bloomberg. Fast facts Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, is currently trading at about US$43,830, but JPMorgan pegs its fair value at around US$38,000, about 15% lower than its current […]
Indian crypto exchange CoinDCX crosses 10 million user mark
Indian crypto trading exchange CoinDCX says it has crossed the 10 million user mark. Fast facts CoinDCX had 3.5 million customers as of August last year. CoinDCX became India’s first crypto unicorn after its Series C funding round led by former Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin’s B Capital and others. Established in 2018, the company’s milestone […]
Polygon raises $450M led by Sequoia Capital India
Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Polygon has raised US$450 million from several big name investors including Sequoia Capital India, SoftBank, Galaxy Digital and Tiger Global, boosting its war chest as demand for its services grow. Fast facts Polygon is one of the most prominent Ethereum scalers whose tools allow developers to create decentralized apps (dApps) and […]
India’s digital rupee to run on state-backed e-wallets
The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) digital rupee will run on a government-mandated electronic wallet that will allow the central bank to be the middleman between merchants and customers, a top government official told the Press Trust of India. Fast facts The government official said the nation’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) is likely to […]