Will Fee

Blockchain-based gaming and remittances among top drivers toward adoption in central and South Asia.

Often dismissed as coincidence, October has once again produced an upswing in the crypto market, with excitement around a potential U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF to thank for this year’s ‘Uptober.’

Amid news, fake or otherwise, of an imminent approval for at least one spot Bitcoin ETF, Bitcoin’s price has skyrocketed. Could a year of pain in the crypto industry be over?

Parity CEO Björn Wagner said that despite the need for layoffs, the company’s financial health “remains robust.”

Global regulatory pressure on the world’s largest exchange continues to take its toll.

Few tokens and too many exchanges are a bad recipe for Japan’s smaller crypto trading houses. The experts say there’s room for up to five only. So what happens to the little guy now that the world’s largest exchange Binance has rolled back into town?

The CEO of blockchain services provider Consensys and co-founder of Ethereum spoke to Forkast at the Token 2049 crypto conference in Singapore. He discussed decentralization and what he sees as the crucial role to be played by blockchain in AI and vice-versa.

At the Token 2049 crypto conference in Singapore held Sept. 13 to 14, Google Cloud’s James Tromans spoke to Forkast about a possible marriage between Webs 2 and 3.

In the second in a series of 1-on-1 interviews from the Token 2049 crypto conference in Singapore held Sept. 13-14, Michael Gronager, founder of blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, spoke to Forkast about crypto use in the Ukraine conflict, tracking illicit on-chain activity and digital asset adoption in Asia.

Blockchain analytics are key to understanding the nascent crypto industry. But the analysis sector is far from immune from the pressures of the ongoing crypto bear market. In the first of a series of 1-on-1 interviews from the Token2049 conference held in Singapore Sept. 13-14, Alex Svanevik, CEO of blockchain analytics firm Nansen, sat down with Forkast to discuss current crypto challenges, the Asia growth market and the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the industry.

Billed as Asia’s largest crypto event, Token 2049 took place over Sept. 13-14 in the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore. Drawing over 10,000 attendees from all parts of the world, there was excitement about blockchain adoption in the region. But repeat references to one man were a reminder of the U.S. regulatory concerns weighing heavily on the crypto industry.

In the second installment of Forkast’s ‘Crypto in Sport’ series we head to the land of the rising sun, where J1 League football club Avispa Fukuoka have incorporated a first-of-its-kind DAO into their operations. Can the DAO provide a model for the rest of the sports world to follow? Can it change the way fans engage with their clubs?

This final installment of a 3-part series on the U.K. digital asset industry looks at the politics driving the British crypto conversation. PM Rishi Sunak is a believer, but an election’s coming up, and his rivals appear less keen on turning the U.K. into a global crypto hub.

How can we claim to own something that falls outside traditional categories of personal property? In this second installment in a 3-part series looking at the U.K. digital asset industry, Law Commissioner for England and Wales Sarah Green explains how.

The FTX founder faces charges of wire fraud, securities fraud, commodities fraud and money laundering related to the exchange’s collapse in November.

Speaking at the WebX Asia conference in Tokyo, Circle’s Singapore-based vice president of strategy and policy discusses U.S. regulation, growing pains in the crypto industry and Asia’s burgeoning role as a Web3 innovator.

The U.S. House Financial Services Committee passed a bill Wednesday aimed at defining whether cryptocurrencies are securities or commodities.

The Tokyo WebX Asia conference, which claimed to be the largest of its kind in Asia, wrapped on Wednesday after two days of exhibitions, crypto-themed side events, and debate on what Japan needs to do to be a central part of the future of the digital asset industry.

The Japanese gaming giant is currently somewhere in the Web 2.3 to 2.7 range, says co-Chief Operating Officer Shuji Utsumi.

With the announcement of funding invested in Japanese firm Startale Labs, gaming giant Sony will increase its already active exploration of Web3 and the possibilities inherent in blockchain technologies.

Geisha, kimono, tea ceremony — the Japanese city of Kyoto is a place rich in traditional culture. But as the national government pivots toward the cutting edge potential of digital assets and Web3, the city is this week playing host to one of Asia’s largest crypto get-togethers.

After a slow start, Japan’s development of a domestic metaverse is gaining pace. This second account in a three-part series asks: can the nation compete with rivals China and South Korea in building a 3D virtual world that – according to the promises – would open up new realms of economic prosperity and even potentially ease nagging social problems?

The stock price boost for tech giant Nvidia on the back of an AI chip boom has sent AI-related cryptocurrencies on a surge.

Just how decentralized are today’s DAOs? When compared to the world’s largest transnational corporations, not so much, says Pat Rawson, co-founder of Web3 innovation network Curve Labs.

Circle Vice President of Global Policy Corey Then says he is optimistic that U.S. regulatory developments can eventually benefit local players despite ongoing scrutiny.

While the community might be small, there’s a growing buzz around Web3 in Japan, with overseas companies now taking note. For clues on how to make it big in the land of the rising sun, follow the lead of the nation’s largest firms, says Sebastien Guillemot, co-founder of Paima Studios.

Japan was an early believer in blockchain and cryptocurrencies until exchange hacks brought a crackdown. But that was then. Now the government has become a crypto cheerleader.

The three-day NexTech Week trade show kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, celebrating all things technology, including blockchain and Artificial Intelligence.

Skyrocketing activity has led to a surge in average Bitcoin transaction fees — which rose to US$31.15 as of March 8 — exerting increasing pressure on users in low- and middle- income economies including Bitcoin-reliant communities in El Salvador, the first country to implement mass adoption of the digital currency.

In the final installment of a three-part interview series, Geoff Kendrick, head of crypto research at Standard Chartered Bank, outlines the lender’s approach to crypto and why he thinks exploration of blockchain use cases is just beginning.

In the second installment of a three-part interview series, Geoff Kendrick, head of crypto research and EM FX West at Standard Chartered Bank, talks altcoins, stablecoins and the legitimization of crypto risk through central bank digital assets.

Against a backdrop of increasing turmoil in traditional banking, Bitcoin is on a four-month winning run that could, tailwinds permitting, soon turn into a surge.