Articles by

Zoltan Vardai

Zoltan is a writer at Forkast with a deep passion for storytelling and blockchain. Prior to joining the team, he worked as a marketing and content writer, focused on software and technology. Zoltan holds a master’s degree from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and is interested in the future of global financial decentralization.

Author's profile on Twitter @ZVardai
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March 2023

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin pops above US$29,000, market shrugs off Binance legal woes

With a U.S. regulator coming after Binance with a lawsuit and the seeming mounting pile of warnings and fines against other exchanges in the country, Bitcoin briefly skidded below US$26,677 only to rebound and pop up above US$29,000 on Thursday. Since then it has moved along the US$28,000 line, so what does this lawsuit by the heavyweight Commodity Futures Trading Commission mean for the broader crypto market?

Bitcoin, Ether fall; top 10 cryptos mixed; gold closes March 8% higher

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Friday, while the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization were mixed, amid mounting allegations against Binance

Bitcoin rises; Ether, other top 10 cryptos fall amid fresh Binance allegations

Bitcoin, the only gainer in the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, rose during Asian trading hours on Thursday.

EU lawmakers impose €1,000 cap on anonymous crypto, cash transactions

European lawmakers have adopted legislation imposing a €1,000 (US$1,084) cap on anonymous cryptocurrency transactions, as part of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) package.

Bitcoin rebounds above US$28,000, XRP leads gains among top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin rallied above US$28,000 in Wednesday afternoon trade in Asia after losing ground earlier in the week when U.S. regulators filed a lawsuit against Binance, the world’s biggest crypto exchange, for allegedly breaching trading rules.
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Bankman-Fried charged with paying millions in bribes to Chinese government officials

Sam Bankman-Fried allegedly paid US$40 million in cryptocurrency bribes to at least one Chinese government official in November 2021.

Asia leads crypto regulations, innovation may leave the US, says Ripple’s Long

Asia-Pacific nation are leading the way in developing global cryptocurrency regulations that favor innovation, which is something that U.S. regulators should also take note of, said Ripple Labs Inc. President Monica Long

Bitcoin, Ether extend declines amid U.S. lawsuit against Binance; Asian equities mixed

Bitcoin and Ether continued to fall in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia, along with most other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, after regulators in the U.S. pulled up Binance, the world’s biggest crypto exchange, for allegedly violating trading mandates.
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MicroStrategy buys 6,555 Bitcoin worth US$150 mln

MicroStrategy acquired 6,555 Bitcoin for around US$150 million, at an average price of US$23,238 per coin, between Feb. 16 and March 23

Bitcoin rises, most top 10 cryptos drop, amid mixed signals on state of banking sector

Bitcoin rose while Ether and most of the other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies fell during afternoon trading in Asia on Monday.
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Zipmex buyer misses payment, could risk US$100 million buyout: Bloomberg

Zipmex cryptocurrency exchange’s US$100 million venture capital buyout may be in danger, after buyer V Ventures missed the US$1.25 million payment due on March 23

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin hovers around US$28,000 as banking concerns return. Will it hit US$30,000?

As banking contagion worries reignited, Bitcoin traded firmly above US$28,000 for most of the week. Considering that Bitcoin was made for a potential banking crisis, industry experts are eyeing the US$30,000 mark for BTC.

Bitcoin, Ether, Forkast 500 NFT index rise; gold nears year-high over banking sector concerns

Bitcoin and Ether rose during Asian trading hours on Friday, along with most of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with Litecoin posting the biggest gains.

South Korea confirms identity of man arrested in Europe as Terra-Luna fugitive Do Kwon, seeks extradition

South Korea’s police said they confirmed the identity of a man arrested in Montenegro, Europe, as the Terraform Labs co-founder Kwon Do-hyung, who is wanted on charges of fraud related to the collapse of the stablecoin and cryptocurrency project he led.
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Bitcoin, Ether, Forkast 500 NFT index fall, gold rises, as Janet Yellen rules out broad bank deposit insurance

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Friday, along with most of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with Binance’s BNB sustaining the biggest loss in the top 10.

Centralized intermediaries were cause of crypto failures in 2022, says Voorhees

If there was a lesson from the crypto implosions of 2022, it is the demonstration of the superiority of open code and decentralization over central intermediaries, argues Voorhees at DC Blockchain Summit.

Bitcoin rises above US$28,000; XRP biggest gainer in top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin continued to trade above US$28,000 on Wednesday afternoon in Asia. Ether also rose, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies with XRP and Cardano leading gains.
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Bitcoin Fear & Greed index rises to 16-month high as investors seek safe-haven assets

The Bitcoin Fear & Greed index rose to a 16-month high of 68 points today, signaling that investors are becoming more greedy than fearful.

Bitcoin, Ether extend losses; all eyes on U.S. interest rates

Bitcoin and Ether fell in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia after rallying through the past week, while financial authorities injected cash into markets to ease liquidity pressures and took other steps to address concerns over a banking sector crisis in the U.S. and Europe. 
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Over 80 Web3 firms in line to set up shop in HK, ahead of crypto regulations taking effect in June

Over 80 foreign and Mainland China companies have expressed their interest in establishing a Web3 company in Hong Kong, ahead of new crypto regulations that will take effect from June

Bitcoin rises past US$28,000, most other top 10 cryptos gain

Bitcoin traded above US$28,000 on Monday afternoon in Asia, a gain of 25% over last week, as a banking crisis in the U.S. and Europe prompted traders to see Bitcoin as a safe haven.
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Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin rises above US$26,000, as ‘store of value’ narrative strengthens amid bank failures

As the U.S. banking system stared into the pit of bank runs and collapsing share prices, the authorities acted swiftly to try and pull everything back from the edge. However, Bitcoin seemed unperturbed. Is this what a safe haven looks like?

Bitcoin, Ether rise; relief for investors as major banks get liquidity lifeline

Bitcoin and Ether rallied by the end of Asian trading hours on Friday afternoon, together with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Bitcoin, Ether, Forkast 500 NFT index fall; euros rises amid Credit Suisse’s loan

Bitcoin and Ether declined by the end of Asian trading hours on Thursday afternoon, with all the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies also falling, apart from Binance’s BNB.

Web3 crowdfunding launchpad Poolz Finance hacked for US$390,000 on BSC, Polygon

Poolz Finance, a cross-chain crowdfunding launchpad for Web3 projects, has been exploited for US$390,000 worth of digital assets

Bitcoin, Ether, Forkast 500 NFT index extend gains; U.S. banking crisis concerns ease as inflation slows to 6%

Bitcoin and Ether rose on Wednesday afternoon in Asia, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Solana and Polygon were the biggest gainers, both rising above 5% in the last 24 hours.
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Bitcoin breaks US$26,000 as inflation cools in February

Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, rallied past the US$26,000 mark at 09:15 p.m. in Hong Kong, shortly after the release of the United States Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Bitcoin, Ether extend gains as U.S. regulators take charge of banking industry turmoil

Bitcoin and Ether rose the most in the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization on Tuesday afternoon in Asia. Cryptocurrencies have been on a rebound since U.S. regulators took charge of the failures in the banking industry and moved to protect deposits across crypto-linked banks.
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Banks are bringing systemic risks to crypto, says Circle’s Disparte

The recent U.S. bank failures are proof that the banking system is introducing systemic risks to the crypto industry, not vice versa, says Circle chief strategy officer Dante Disparte.

Bitcoin, Ether gain after U.S. regulators take charge to shield deposits across crypto-related banks

Bitcoin and Ether gained in Monday afternoon trade in Asia, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, after U.S. regulators took charge of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, both with exposure to crypto industry, protecting deposits and confirming that no losses will be borne by the taxpayer. 
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Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin falls below US$20,000 as Silvergate collapse, rate hike concerns rise

Bitcoin fell below US$20,000 for the first time since Jan. 13 on the back of crypto bank Silvergate’s collapse and the U.S. Fed signaling higher than expected interest rate hikes.

Bet on the Black? Take a punt on the Red? Or maybe put it all down on an NFT?

Savvy traders are quick to extract liquidity to reinvest into the “slot machines” of the NFT casino, according to CryptoSlam’s NFT strategist.

Bitcoin, Ether, Forkast 500 NFT index close lower on the day

Bitcoin and Ether tumbled during Asia trading hours on Friday afternoon, with Dogecoin leading losses among the top 10 largest non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, pressured by crypto bank Silvergate’s liquidation

Voyager gains court approval to sell assets to Binance U.S. in US$1.3 bln deal

Bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital received court approval from bankruptcy Judge Michael Wiles on Tuesday to sell its assets and transfer its customers to Binance’s U.S. arm, in a US$1.3 billion deal.

Bitcoin, Ether inch up as investors await U.S. Fed chair’s comments; Forkast NFT 500 index dips 0.44%

Bitcoin and Ether gained in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia, along with most other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies. Polygon’s Matic token led gains followed by XRP and Dogecoin.
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Kraken to launch U.S. crypto bank amid regulatory headwinds

U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange Kraken is working on establishing its own bank, despite the recent regulatory headwinds

Bitcoin gains, all other top 10 cryptos in the red amid Silvergate fallout

Bitcoin gained in Monday afternoon trade in Asia while all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization posted losses.
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Momoguro NFTs sell out in 9 hours, generates US$7.6 mln of sales

Momoguro: Holoself, an Ethereum-native non-fungible token (NFT) collection launched by Emmy-winning animation studio, Baobab Studios, generated over 12,000 sales worth US$7.6 million on the first day of its launch, according to NFT data aggregator CryptoSlam. See related article: Weekly NFT sales drop, unique buyers surge amid Coinbase’s new NFT airdrop Fast facts See related article: […]

Weekly Market Wrap: Bulls fight to keep Bitcoin above US$22,300, as industry experts predict ‘crab walk’

With 69% of Bitcoin supply in profit, BTC is struggling to stay above the US$22,300 support level. A daily close below US$22,300 could see Bitcoin retest the US$21,450 support level. Industry experts share their end-of-March Bitcoin price predictions with Forkast.

Bitcoin, Ether fall; Litecoin is biggest loser of day

Bitcoin and Ether fell by the end of Asian trading hours on Friday afternoon, together with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, weighed by the financial woes of crypto-focused bank Silvergate.

Bitcoin, Ether fall along with most top 10 cryptos amid potential for larger interest rate hikes

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Thursday, along with all top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Bitcoin Punks exceed 1,145 ETH in daily trading volume as Bitcoin Ordinals gain traction

Less than two months since the launch of the Ordinals protocol, Bitcoin Ordinals are gaining traction. Yuga Labs announced its first Bitcoin-native NFT collection, on the same day Bitcoin Punks saw over 1,145 ETH in trading volume. Industry commentators told Forkast what this could be for the Bitcoin network.

Bitcoin, Ether rise along with most top 10 cryptos, amid ‘bull trap’ warning

Bitcoin and Ether gained in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia, along with most other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Asian equities mostly rose on Wednesday as investors digested economic recovery indications as Hong Kong ended its mask mandate.
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February 2023

Yuga Labs to launch its first Bitcoin-based NFTs TwelveFold

Yuga Labs announced that it will launch TwelveFold later this week, its first NFT collection on the Bitcoin network.

Bitcoin, Ether prices fall; Solana biggest loser in top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin and Ether fell in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, despite U.S. equities rising on Monday after last week’s selloff. Asian stock markets mostly rose on Tuesday as investors absorbed key economic indicators across the region.  
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At least US$577 million of Blur-linked NFT sales are wash trades, CryptoSlam says

NFT data aggregator Cryptoslam has flagged more than half a billion dollars worth of NFT wash trades related to Blur since the marketplace’s Valentines airdrops started

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin lingers at US$24,000 level after Wall Street’s worst day in 2023 so far

Bitcoin remained resilient around the US$24,000 level on Tuesday despite Wall Street’s worst day of the year so far. Industry experts are eyeing a potential retest of the US$25,000 psychological level, as a failure to reclaim it may result in a downtrend to around US$21,500.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall along with all top 10 cryptos as investors await consumption index

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Friday, along with all the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Most Asian equities were down, despite Wall Street’s overnight performance.

Creepz NFT sales surge 239% following Spotify partnership news

The sales volume of Creepz by Overlord surged by 239% in the 24 hours to 11:00 p.m. on Thursday in Hong Kong, after its creator announced a partnership with music streaming giant Spotify.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether rise along with top 10 cryptos despite Fed signals to raise interest rates

Bitcoin and Ether rose during Asian trading hours on Thursday, along with all top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Asian equities were down

Binance, Ingenico begin crypto payments in France

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has partnered France-based global payments giant Ingenico to offer in-store crypto payments in France using Binance Pay.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether extend losses; Polygon, Solana biggest losers

Bitcoin and Ether fell in Wednesday afternoon trade in Asia, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.
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Polygon Labs cut 20% of workforce

Polygon Labs is firing 20% of its workforce, or about 100 positions, as part of its business consolidation.

Bitcoin exceeds 154,000 inscriptions in a month as Litecoin Ordinals launches

The Bitcoin Network has recorded over 154,554 inscriptions since the launch of Bitcoin Ordinals on Jan. 21, a fork that enables digital assets to be inscribed on satoshis (sats)

Markets: Bitcoin gains, returns to US$25,000; XRP biggest winner in top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin and Ether prices rose in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia, while all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies were mixed. XRP led gains at 2.37%, while Solana and Polygon dropped saw the largest declines.
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Bitcoin surpasses Visa’s market cap to be 11th largest asset in the world

Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency, gained 15% in the past week to trade at US$24,885 and 7 p.m. in Hong Kong, surpassing payments giant Visa in market capitalization for the third time in history. See related article: Industry reacts: US cracks down on crypto, India calls for regulatory collaboration Fast facts See related article: Bitcoin […]

Markets: Bitcoin rises above US$24,000; Solana gains most in top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin rose above US$24,000 in Monday afternoon trade in Asia while all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies were mixed. Ether gained 0.18%, while Solana strengthened the most across the top 10 cryptos.
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Industry reacts: US cracks down on crypto, India calls for regulatory collaboration

The cryptocurrency industry this week reacted to the recent moves by U.S. authorities against Kraken and Paxos. Meanwhile, India has been calling for a collaborative approach to crypto regulations.

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin rises above US$23,000 after its first weekly ‘death cross’

Bitcoin briefly climbed above US$25,000 for the first time since August 2021, before declining to US$23,764 after its first weekly “death cross.” Investors liquidated over US$70 million worth of Bitcoin short positions in the past 24 hours, according to data aggregator GlassNode, contributing to BTC’s rally.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall along with most top 10 cryptos following hawkish U.S. Fed remarks

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Friday, following hawkish remarks from U.S. Federal Reserve officials on more upcoming interest rate hikes.

Markets: Bitcoin rallies over 11% as top 10 cryptos gain, memecoin Floki surges 82%

Bitcoin posted the biggest gains during Asian trading hours on Thursday, along with increases in the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies

Web3 isn’t just about money, it’s about equality and transparency, says Mysten Labs co-founder

Investors may view Web3 through the lens of financial opportunities and revenue, but that misses the point of trying to build a fairer and more transparent infrastructure, with content creators at the forefront, says Mysten Labs co-founder Evan Cheng
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Sam Bankman-Fried banned from using VPNs while on bail: Bloomberg

Sam Bankman-Fried, the co-founder of the now-bankrupt FTX exchange, has been banned from using virtual private networks (VPNs) while out on bail, as the judge cited similar concerns to the co-founder’s use of encrypted messaging apps, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. See related article: Bankrupt FTX threatens legal action to claw back donations to politicians, charities […]

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether extend gains; Cardano rises most among top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin and Ether prices strengthened in Wednesday afternoon trade, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Cardano led gains at 6.91%, followed by Dogecoin at 5.21%, though prices of top 10 tokens remain subdued on the week.  
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Paxos ordered to stop issuing Binance USD stablecoin: report

Paxos Trust Company has been ordered by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) to stop issuing the U.S. dollar-pegged Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin

Stablecoin issuer Paxos probed by New York regulator

Paxos Trust, the issuer of Binance’s BUSD stablecoin, is reportedly being investigated by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS).

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin retreats below US$22,000 after a record January. Is the strong start to 2023 reversing?

After the strongest January price increase since 2013, Bitcoin gave up some of its gains this week to dip below the US$22,000 support line on Friday. The crypto market was buffeted by bearish comments on interest rates by U.S. Federal Reserve officials this week, along with concerns about a regulatory crackdown. Is this the start of a downtrend, a healthy correction, or the beginning of a so-called “crab” market moving sideways?

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall along with top 10 cryptos; SOL biggest loser

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Friday, along with the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Solana’s native token notched the biggest loss, following rumors of a potential ban on crypto staking for retail investors in the U.S.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; Matic sees biggest gain as top 10 cryptos decline

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Thursday, along with the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with Polygon’s Matic posting the biggest gains.

Gemini agrees to put US$100 mln to Earn asset recovery efforts

Gemini has agreed to put up US$100 million to the asset recovery of Earn users as part of bankrupt crypto lender Genesis Capital’s in-principle agreement with parent firm DCG and other creditors.

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin breaches US$23,000 in best monthly performance since October 2021

Bitcoin climbed more than 39% in January to break through the US$23,000 resistance ceiling in its best monthly performance since October 2021. Can the world’s first and biggest cryptocurrency maintain the upward momentum? Industry commentators share their views with Forkast.

India working with IMF, FSB on crypto regulations, says economic affairs secretary

India, the current holder of the G20 presidency, has been working with the IMF and the Financial Stability Board FSB to develop a regulatory approach for cryptocurrencies.