October 2022
Binance says will help Busan city grow blockchain industry from bottom up
Busan, S. Korea’s designated blockchain city, plans to make itself a global center for the technology. Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, plans to help.
Hong Kong set to relaunch itself as digital asset hub with revamped policies
When China banned cryptocurrency trading and mining in September 2021, it was feared that policy would make its way into Hong Kong. Seems that concern is getting a rethink.
FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried says action needed on global rules for cryptocurrencies
Bankman-Fried says the global crypto industry needs a “passporting” policy framework that lowers barriers for crypto businesses.
More than just a JPEG? Digital Art Fair Hong Kong explores NFTs for data streaming and display
Pixelated pictures and cartoonish drawings have typically dominated the world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), but some exhibits at Hong Kong’s Xperience art fair show new means of applying the technology.
Singapore court issues ‘huge’ NFT decision, allows papers to be served via blockchain
The lead counsel for the plaintiff in the case has called Friday’s ruling a decision with implications for the global blockchain industry
Taiwan singer Annie Yi taps LGBT NFTs with artist son to advocate inclusion
The singer-actress and son Harrison Yu said they launched the Theirsverse NFT brand in New York to engage marginalized groups in the early building of Web 3.0.
NFT marketplaces ditching standard royalty fees labeled “short-sighted”
After Solana’s Magic Eden marketplace said it was bowing to pressure and making payment of royalties “optional” to NFT creators, industry insiders tell Forkast the policy is wrongheaded and damaging.
First Digital Trust says HK, Singapore can join hands on crypto initiatives
In a Q&A with Forkast, First Digital Trust Chief Executive Officer Vincent Chok shared his views on Hong Kong getting back into crypto, regulations, and how the crypto pie in Asia is big enough for rivals Singapore and Hong Kong.
South Korea indicates fugitive Do Kwon’s passport still valid; his location unknown
Kwon has been issued with an Interpol “red notice” requesting his extradition on charges brought by South Korea related to the implosion of the Terra Luna cryptocurrency project he founded
Coinbase mulls lawsuit against users who made millions from pricing error
“No finders keepers’ law”: Coinbase considers legal action against some 1,000 users in east Europe’s Georgia who took advantage of a pricing glitch on the platform.
One country, two systems? Hong Kong seems set to diverge from China on digital assets
Hong Kong seems set to put out a new welcome mat for the blockchain and crypto industries, but will it work after concern about regulatory restrictions convinced many cryptocurrency operators to leave?
Crypto hackers on track for bonanza year as theft surges, Chainalysis says
Decentralized finance sites are the preferred choice of hackers as crypto heists look to be on course to hit a record high this year.
India’s crypto taxes provide headache for many, opportunity for some
One company says it’s bringing solutions for confused investors in digital assets in India who grapple with hours of tax calculations.
Binance to hard fork BNB Smart Chain amid heated debate around decentralization
The crypto world has been watching how one of the world’s largest blockchains responds to a hack last week and the questions it raises about the state of decentralization in the industry.
What is the future for cryptocurrency mixers after U.S. sanctions on Tornado Cash?
Tornado Cash, the Ethereum coin mixer slapped with sanctions by the U.S. Treasury back in August, has returned to the software hosting website GitHub amid a flurry of lawsuits against the Treasury for its action.
Vincent van Gogh Sites Foundation launches legendary artist into Web3
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) can be used to preserve and spread fine art and cultural heritage, tapping into new generations of audiences and patrons, said stakeholders.
Game Space to launch a dozen games by mid 2023, says investor Livio Weng
The former CEO of Huobi Global has jumped into the GameFi space.
Binance targets expansion in Philippines, Turkey, executive says
The world’s largest crypto exchange’s regional head of Asia says the Philippines’ GameFi community and rampant inflation in Turkey present opportunities for Binance.
NFTs from art and the burning question of their physical origins
Original artworks are being set on fire and destroyed to be digitally reborn on the blockchain as non-fungible tokens. But, how far is too far in this recent incendiary trend?
Privacy vs. security: an international debate on Tornado Cash
Panelists at Forkast’s live-streamed event ‘Crypto Rising: The Role of Law: An International Debate post Tornado Cash’ co-hosted by Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) said the significance of the sanctions could not be understated.
China’s international blockchain push may face Huawei-like obstacles
China spent billions on its ‘belt and road’ infrastructure network to expand trade so what are its plans for a domestic and international digital infrastructure built on blockchain?
US Treasury says Congress needs to act to mitigate crypto risk to stability
The Financial Stability Oversight Council report says the lack of clear regulations in the cryptocurrency industry could pose a risk to overall U.S. financial stability and urges congress to write up new rules of the road.
September 2022
Tokenize plans acquisitions, fund raising to build exchange network
As the crypto slump drives job cuts and worse, some exchanges are seeing opportunity for expansion in the downturn, call it the fortune-favors-the-brave mantra.
Institutional finance, role of regulators in focus at TOKEN2049 crypto conference
The second Forkast report on Asia Crypto Week’s anchor event explores what bets TradFi players are making, how Asian investment patterns differ from those elsewhere, and what cooperation between crypto companies and regulators should look like
Cryptocurrency crowd shrugs off market woes at upbeat TOKEN2049 conference
In the first of a two-part report on this year’s cryptocurrency gathering in Singapore, defiance outshone defeatism despite industry’s struggles.
Cryptocurrencies much more than trading tools, says Caselin at AAX exchange
Who will regulate the regulators is a time-honored question and one Bitcoin enthusiasts raise when talking about the benefits of the token’s fixed supply versus the tendency of central banks to switch the money spigots off and on.
China busts ‘world’s dumbest thieves’ in digital yuan money laundering case
Chinese authorities can track e-CNY wallet transaction history, if warranted, thanks to its ‘managed anonymity’ design.
South Korea’s Busan city wants to be blockchain central. Did everyone get the memo?
The coastal city was a prominent manufacturer of footwear, fabric and other light industries during the 1970s and 80s, and then grew into one of the world’s biggest container ports. Now it’s trying to reinvent itself in the digital world of blockchain.
Binance stablecoin conversion controversial, but what does it mean for users?
Binance generated controversy when it told customers it would convert their holdings in three stablecoins to its own stablecoin. Some analysts say the concerns are overblown, others disagree.
Binance’s US$7.5 billion woman sees plenty of promise in bear markets
Yi He, who manages the multibillion-dollar portfolio at Binance Labs, is looking to invest in Web 3.0 projects from infrastructure, application and data to analytics and security.
For South Korea, making Do Kwon pay for his alleged crimes easier said than done
A member of the prosecuting team tells Forkast additional charges are likely to be leveled against Terraform Labs Chief Executive Officer Do Kwon following this week’s issuance of an arrest warrant for violating the country’s Capital Markets Act.
Terra CEO Do Kwon faces ‘illegal alien’ status in Singapore as Seoul cancels passport
Prosecutors investigating the man behind the US$37 billion wipeout of the Terra-LUNA cryptocurrency project are raising the stakes to get him back to South Korea.
SEC’s Gensler says proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies may be securities
When is a cryptocurrency a security and when is it not? Financial regulators around the world are raising that question. The answer that comes out of the U.S. may set the tone, but South Korea is also ahead in tackling it.
Women in India start to plug into cryptocurrency trading
Crypto exchanges in India say the number of female investors isn’t huge, but it is growing even as prices slide and new taxes eat into revenue.
Ethereum says Merge upgrade successfully completed, more to come
The Merge is a milestone in slashing electricity use on the Ethereum blockchain, but there are plenty more upgrades in the pipeline.
Fungible after all? Duplicates may disrupt NFT industry after Ethereum Merge
The Merge is the most anticipated event in the crypto industry in years, but could the multibillion dollar non-fungible token industry become an unexpected casualty?
All aboard the good ship Ethereum for The Merge. Next stop?
The most critical upgrade in Ethereum’s history is just around the corner, so what will it mean for prices of cryptocurrency?
US raises red flag on crypto mining with concerns over carbon emissions
White House says carbon footprint of crypto industry does not align with goals to decarbonize the economy.
China has seen blockchain’s future and it doesn’t include cryptocurrencies
China’s Blockchain-based Service Network wears two hats in building blockchains: one for business in China and one for everywhere else, but it doesn’t see a role for crypto in either.
World Economic Forum argues for CBDCs, Australia latest to test use-case technology
With over 100 countries experimenting with the technology behind Central Bank Digital Currencies, the World Economic Forum of Davos fame lays out its views on the potential benefits and drawbacks of CBDCs.
Binance move to remove USDC and others raise questions about market conduct
The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange said the move was designed to “enhance liquidity and capital-efficiency for users.”
India crypto exchanges plan long-term future as day traders flee
In facing a government hostile to cryptocurrency trading, Indian exchanges are trying to attract new business with suites of different investment products.
Do I really need another picture of an ape? NFT market slumps in August
The NFT hype from earlier in the year is dying off as the market continues its downward path into the final third of the year. Fire sale coming for apes and cats?
South Korea’s taxman keeps circling crypto – airdrops look to be the next target
South Korea last week said crypto token airdrops are subject to a gift tax of as much as 50% under existing laws, but what is the likelihood this rule can be applied to digital holdings?
August 2022
The X-to-Earn model: Eat, sleep, do almost anything and get paid in crypto
Are you a good runner? Or eater? Or sleeper? Chances are whatever you’re good at, there’s a Web3 project out there to reward you in crypto. But do the tokenomics stack up?
India’s CoinDCX says it’s hiring to prepare for DeFi expansion
Despite the Indian government’s hostility towards cryptocurrencies, the CoinDCX exchange says more traditional financial products will shift to DeFi platforms.
Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy
The city-state hosted a seminar with a title that it hopes sums up its crypto approach: “Yes to digital asset innovation, No to cryptocurrency speculation.”
Siloed regulatory efforts unlikely to help bring oversight to highly decentralized crypto industry
Panelists speaking at Forkast’s recently live-streamed event “Crypto Rising: The future of crypto regulation: APAC and Beyond,” co-hosted by Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI), said there need to be international cooperation among regulators from around the world to make any oversight of the crypto industry effective.
Crypto miners plan to fork Ethereum, will it make a difference to the Merge?
Ethereum has by far the most developers from DeFi projects to NFTs so how are they expected to respond to a plan by Etheruem miners to fork the network, a move miners argue is needed to stay in business.
OSL Digital placed a ‘tokenized bond’ in July — what’s next for blockchain securities?
Financial instruments sold and traded on a public blockchain could be the next big thing, so Forkast caught up with OSL to hear about what’s planned.
Australia’s crypto industry split on Treasury’s ‘token mapping’ scheme
The Treasury Department says its plan for how to regulate cryptocurrencies is unlike anything else in the world, but the country’s crypto industry isn’t sure that’s a good thing.
Liquidity crunch may loom for Bored Ape-collateralized loans as floor price slides
Not every NFT collection is facing the same issue, but due to the collection’s outsized influence it could have a significant impact on the rest of the Ethereum NFT ecosystem.
Who fared worse in cryptocurrency slump: criminals or legitimate users?
Report by Chainalysis says both use cases fell in dollar terms in first half of year and while legitimate usage by value far exceeds criminal, illicit activities fell by a much narrower margin.The report attempts to explain why.
Chandler Guo tells why he is the man who would hard fork Ethereum
In a Q&A, the former cryptocurrency miner explains his methods for trying to pull together a band of Ethereum mining brethren in order to keep their rigs running. The idea started at a party at his house.
Coinhako crypto exchange sees Asia expansion opportunity as rivals stumble
Cross currents: BlackRock Inc, the world’s biggest money manager, is talking about Bitcoin opportunities amid a market slump. Singapore’s Coinhako looks to have similar ideas.
Crypto exchanges’ race to the bottom on fees scalps Eqonex
Nasdaq-listed Eqonex’s decision to shutter its low-fee crypto exchange business to focus on asset management and custodial services may prompt similar moves in the highly commoditized industry.
Australia’s Holon Global got ahead of BlackRock with funds shrugging off crypto winter
Australia’s retirement fund industry, the world’s fifth largest at US$2.3 trillion, is one future target for investment funds offering cryptocurrencies.
BlackRock backflips on Bitcoin as latest institution to see promise in crypto
Something of a sea change? Financial institutions that once turned up their noses at cryptocurrencies are now figuring out ways to get access for their clients.
Korea Blockchain Week points to games leading the way into a Web3 savvy world
Follow the money? Korea Blockchain Week concludes this weekend in Seoul and one of the overarching themes is enthusiasm for blockchain-based gaming as the key to opening up a Web3 world to a broader audience.
Klaytn chief says reducing ‘human elements’ can prevent hacks
After high-profile cyberattacks on decentralized apps, the blockchain industry is in a hurry to ramp up security. Sam Sangmin Seo, head of Klaytn, tells Forkast that minimizing human error may be the key.
India crypto traders try to dodge fallout from WazirX woes, spat with Binance
What’s a crypto trader to do when the government freezes exchange assets, sparking a war of words between supposedly ‘merged’ exchanges?
Welcome to Web3, (hopefully) not a bigger monster than its version 2 sibling
How does a centralized internet browser plan for a decentralized future? Reinvention, and finding a receptive audience. First stop, Southeast Asia.
New US bill to give CFTC oversight of cryptocurrencies may speed up crypto legislation in other markets
The U.S. bill to bring cryptocurrencies under the oversight of the Commodities Futures and Trading Commission is likely to hasten legislation of such digital assets around the world.
South Korea’s all-encompassing crypto law is coming — what we know so far
Lawmakers are pulling together regulations for trading in digital assets. If all goes to plan, the so-called Digital Asset Basic Act will be in shape by the first half of 2023.
Blockchain in India got off on wrong foot, says former finance chief
India’s government doesn’t like cryptocurrencies and has made that clear in statements and with heavy taxes on the asset class, but what does that say about blockchain adoption?
Chinese mining rig maker Canaan says global expansion on track despite ‘crypto winter’
Beijing’s drive to stamp out crypto mining and the slump in crypto prices are headwinds that Canaan says it knows how to deal with, adding that the crypto winter may be shorter than expected.
NFT sales limp into August with a 25% drop from June to July amid crypto slump
Market analysts are mixed on outlook for non-fungible tokens, as some see mostly gloom, others point to glimmers of optimism.
July 2022
Covid restrictions drive some Chinese Web 3.0 firms to Singapore
A lack of certainty over future regulation and a long lockdown in Shanghai are pushing some Chinese Web3 companies to set up shop in Singapore.
Bad actors in North Korea, Russia send record-high funds to crypto mixers
A new report by Chainalysis shows that sanctioned actors, especially in North Korea and Russia, are sending record sums to crypto mixers.
Scarred by Terra-LUNA, South Korea moves ahead with digital asset reform
Aiming to uncover the next “BTS in finance,” Chairman Kim Joo-hyun of the Korean Financial Services Commission (FSC) is calling for “bold reforms” in financial regulations, including in crypto assets.
Philippine central bank governor says no plan to ban crypto
New Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla is no fan of crypto, but in an exclusive interview with Forkast, he said there’s no plan to outlaw the digital asset.
How crypto trading can become a life-consuming addiction
Residential rehabilitation centers around the world are starting to see a new kind of patient with an old problem: gambling addiction focused on crypto trading.