March 2022
India’s tax bogeyman is scaring off young crypto investors
The country’s attempt to profit from digital asset gains puts off new investors to the asset class, even as existing ones redeploy funds into traditional assets.
Mt. Gox may return Bitcoin worth over $6 billion, Karpeles says
The Japanese trustee for Mt. Gox is likely to distribute the remaining trove of Bitcoins held by the defunct cryptocurrency exchange sooner than later, former CEO Mark Karpeles tells Jake Adelstein in an exclusive interview for Forkast.
DeFi, NFT access at stake as FATF travel rule takes effect in South Korea
Flexibility allowed in new rule requiring crypto companies to comply with anti-money laundering guidelines leads to some confusion.
Apes Gone Wild! BAYC ‘selling like crazy’ amid otherwise sluggish NFT market
Strong sales from leading NFT series may be a sign the market is maturing as investors become more discerning, observers say.
Renewables uptake: Bitcoin the problem or solution?
There is more to transitioning to renewable energy than one might expect, and in Australia, one Bitcoin mining company says the industry can play a role.
Which altcoins will take center stage in 2022?
Investors believe Bitcoin will stand its ground this year but in the altcoins world, some rising stars are brimming with potential.
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.
A crypto bull wins the presidency: What it means for South Korea
ICOs, revamped taxation, and investor protection reverse a past crypto reluctance under the incoming administration.
Russians turn to crypto as Western sanctions hit the ruble
As Russia’s economy began to tank, data shows many turned to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a store of value and means of transacting.
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.
February 2022
Who are the biggest players in the metaverse today?
The multi-faceted metaverse provides new channels for gaming, socialization, art exhibitions and more. Who’s leading the race and how?
Is Bitcoin really a hedge against inflation?
Bitcoin’s recent slumps have been coupled with macroeconomic activities, bringing its status as an inflation hedge into question.
Russia unlikely to turn to crypto if SWIFT sanction is imposed
Measures to detect sanctioned entities’ crypto transactions can come into play, experts say.
Here’s why Australia can’t use its empty deserts to mine Bitcoin
Sunny skies and wide open spaces may seem the perfect place to mine Bitcoin using cheap solar power, but one industry insider tells Forkast there’s much more to it than that.
India’s crypto brain drain may accelerate once again
Government indecision on crypto regulation prompted some businesses to move abroad. Investors and crypto professionals may follow if uncertainty prolongs.
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.
Jump in NFT demand reflects crypto prices, right? Wrong
An asset bought and valued in crypto becomes decoupled from crypto prices, a split that reflects the differences between crypto investors and NFT buyers.
India needs to make up its mind over crypto
Although India hoped that taxation would be a step toward regulation rather than a ban, the high tax rates and proposed rules seem to be geared toward dissuading crypto trading.
South Korea struggles to prevent sexual harassment of minors in the metaverse
While the government cultivates the booming metaverse industry, experts say laws fail to protect youth from abuse within virtual and digital realms.
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.
‘All eyes are on it:’ CryptoPunks at center of copyright legal dispute
The biggest-selling NFT collection of all time has two competing versions, threatening to undermine the value of the tokens and faith in the industry itself.
Indian exchanges scramble to implement crypto tax by April 1 deadline
Exchanges say the crypto tax was announced without key directives. While exchanges await clarity, they struggle to figure out their role in the tax system.
China’s e-CNY pilot to boost Hong Kong as offshore yuan trading center
Upcoming digital yuan trial to piggyback on Hong Kong’s popular Faster Payment System for smoother cross-border transactions.
India crypto tax: Exchanges cheer, investors jeer
A 30% tax doesn’t legalize cryptocurrencies but exchanges no longer worry about a ban, while investors would pay taxes at twice the rate of other asset gains.
Australian Aboriginal sovereign CBDC up and running
In a first for the country, the Sovereign Yidindji Government in Australia has issued a CBDC with its first transaction occurring this week.
January 2022
Crypto mining’s Great Migration continues — out of Kazakhstan
Political chaos and power shortages are causing miners to flee a nation that only recently became the world’s second-largest Bitcoin producer.
NFTs and music: Is the fan outcry over NFTs’ environmental impact warranted? | Part 4
K-pop fans are waging online campaigns against their favorite artists over NFTs, denouncing the technology’s carbon footprint. How polluting are NFTs?
Why Asia is poised to be the next big market for an NFT boom
Global NFT sales are exploding in 2022, but experts predict this is only the beginning of a bigger surge in Asia.
Digital dollar leaps closer to reality with new Fed paper
Though the world’s most powerful central bank does not stake a position, its discussion paper is a big step toward supporting a future US digital currency.
Crypto ‘finfluencers’ are attracting a new following — of regulators
Online influencers may be improving crypto-financial literacy for millions of people. But regulators have growing concerns.
Kazakh crypto miners remain hopeful, assess satellite option amid unrest
Internet blackouts are partially restored but access remains unpredictable to support full crypto mining, industry players say.
Is Bitcoin’s rocky start to 2022 a sign of things to come?
The 2022 crypto market has had a tough start as Bitcoin and Ethereum dipped below significant price points. But crypto experts say it’s not all doom and gloom.
Race to be crypto hotspot heats up in Miami, New York
What’s behind the crypto cheerleading by U.S. mayors? Are their city coins savvy moves — or will the bespoke crypto end up worthless?
Crypto is presidential election campaign issue for South Korea
In South Korea, a new presidential administration will be chosen in March. Here’s where the four major candidates stand on Korea’s booming virtual asset space.
December 2021
Top 5 blockchain trends for 2022 and beyond
Looking beyond this year’s headlines like El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption, here are the key developments in blockchain technology that will have lasting impact in the new year and beyond.
South Korea crypto exchange underdogs: Where are they now?
A regulatory hurricane swept away half of South Korea’s crypto exchanges in 2021. Who are the survivors — and are there larger lessons for the rest of the world?
How to protect crypto privacy in the age of regulation
It’s a myth that crypto transactions are anonymous, writes Warren Paul Anderson of Discreet Labs. Confusing anonymity with privacy is what causes trouble.
Crypto in Asia: 5 top fintech regulatory stories of 2021
Countries acted to encourage — or discourage — cryptocurrency and other blockchain-based assets, sending markets wildly up and down.
What lies ahead for crypto regulations in 2022
From China’s ban to FATF’s travel rule, crypto regulations have been top of mind this year. How might regulatory impulses and current trends play out?
Looking ahead: 3 crypto predictions for 2022
As 2021 draws to a close, what are this year’s milestones and trends to watch in the year ahead? Forkast.News consults experts to find out.
Year in cryptocurrency: biggest surprises of 2021
While increasing crypto adoption was predictable, 2021 also saw much that was unexpected. Here are the events that shocked even crypto natives.
These e-CNY hard wallets might get people talking at the Winter Olympics
China prepares to show off its tech innovation muscles at the Beijing Winter Olympics as it unveils some unusual-looking wallets for its new digital yuan.
Crypto Santa’s naughty and nice list for Christmas 2021
Who in the crypto world deserves Santa love this year, and whose chimney should be snubbed? The elves at Forkast.News help the big man with his list.
Does content moderation on platforms like OpenSea amount to censorship?
What are the responsibilities of blockchain companies when it comes to freedom of expression? A controversial cartoonist finds out the boundaries.
Regulators and the problem of unstable stablecoins
Federal regulators have turned their sights on stablecoins. But is the attempt to tame this digital currency too late?
Venture capitalists are falling for play-to-earn gaming startups
Games like Axie Infinity are now the darlings of big investors. Does it matter that revenue is falling and many players earn less than the minimum wage?
US SPAC’s refusal to merge with Hong Kong crypto firms raises questions
Crypto 1 will consider acquisition targets worldwide but steer clear of digital assets companies in China and Hong Kong. Are the lights dimming on a major crypto hub?
Here comes the crypto derivatives boom
Investment banks’ hunger for a new revenue stream is likely to drive up the popularity and registration of crypto derivatives products.
Australia announces biggest overhaul to payments in 25 years — eyes now set on crypto
As part of a broader attempt to address Australia’s payments industry, the government offers a roadmap to where crypto regulation can lead in 2022.
Bitcoin crash drags down South Korean NFT game stocks
South Korean game shares fell sharply, just a few weeks after announcements of new NFT metaverse ventures sent the shares up.
The digital yuan’s de-dollarization
Why the Federal Reserve and other major central banks are likely to speed up development of retail CBDCs.
November 2021
China’s new mobile payment rules could pave the way for e-CNY, experts say
In the long run, the new rules may ‘lay the perfect foundation’ to improve risk management, says an ICBC expert.
India’s crypto market plummets as parliament schedules debate on bill to ban it
Bitcoin and Ethereum prices fell nearly 24% in India as investors sought to get ahead of a possible crypto prohibition.
How will decentralized hosting change the future of social media? | Part 2
As social media’s influence on broader society continues to grow, decentralized platforms will mean less central moderation — for better or worse.
What decentralization can offer Web 3.0 and social media | Part 1
How blockchain technology can usher in the next stage of the internet and social media, through decentralized hosting and integration with cryptocurrency.
South Korea’s great crypto mystery: What’s up with Upbit at 9 am?
Every morning at Upbit, the nation’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, a brief and odd surge in random altcoin prices takes place. Which crypto will it be tomorrow?
How a 12-year-old boy developed an NFT voting platform for the Philippines
Blockchain-powered iVote.ph lets users ‘vote’ on NFTs depicting presidential candidates in the Philippines. Can the underlying technology be trusted?
Taproot is the biggest Bitcoin upgrade in 4 years — what it means, and price reaction
While Ethereum leads the market in smart contracts, Bitcoin’s Taproot upgrade could help the world’s oldest blockchain emerge as a future contender. Here’s why.
Scams are bullish for crypto
After recent scams were uncovered involving Walmart and Kroger, and Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin, why did the stock prices fall while the crypto prices rallied?
Will El Salvador’s lead on Bitcoin inspire others to follow suit?
The Central American nation is the first to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. As many countries face similar issues of large unbanked population and high remittance fees, will others follow suit?
Fashion, art, games and community: What does a decentralized metaverse mean for you?
The idea of the metaverse has gone from the realm of science fiction to the latest business model of major companies from Facebook to Nike. What do metaverses powered by blockchain look like, and why is there so much interest in Decentraland?
Chinese police raid what may be the nation’s first e-CNY money-laundering case
Police crack a tele-fraud case related to digital yuan money laundering, potentially thanks to the CBDC’s ‘managed anonymity’ feature.
October 2021
Tales from the Crypt, 2021: 10 crypto horror stories
Behind this year’s giddy markets, evil and tragedies abound. Just in time for Halloween, Forkast.News shakes out the skeletons in crypto’s closet.
Unraveling the mystery behind why Bitcoin prices are all over the place
Even the most reliable media can report wildly different crypto numbers. Forkast.News dives into DeFi math and crypto exchange economics to find out who’s right.
Australian crypto industry watches as sole trader charges two top banks with ‘debanking’
While the government signals it is ready to promote the industry, the country’s banks remain unimpressed. ANZ has already settled its de-banking case with Allan Flynn, but as the tribunal with Westpac concluded over the weekend, what should we expect from the outcome?
Midnight for crypto in China, but Hong Kong keeps lights on
Mainland China’s recent ban on crypto, the most draconian yet, did not come as a surprise to those in the know, says Angelina Kwan of HashKey Group. How will this affect the crypto hub of Hong Kong?
China’s crypto investors get creative to bypass domestic trading ban
Some are registering companies overseas, via — you guessed it — Taobao vendors.
What the coming Bitcoin-futures ETF bonanza means for investors
The first US Bitcoin futures EFT is set to begin trading today. Will this exchange-traded fund bring Bitcoin closer to the masses?
Why domestic and overseas Chinese should worry about China’s crypto ban
In a special Q&A, a Canadian law advisor who works with Chinese clients breaks down the ban’s potential legal boundaries and concerns held by overseas Chinese.
September 2021
What does China’s crypto ban really mean? Insights from the ground
China’s hardline stance against crypto is already rippling beyond its borders. A mainland crypto insider explains the global shakeup yet to come.
What does El Salvador’s new Bitcoin law mean for crypto markets?
El Salvador’s Bitcoin embrace may be a domino for some emerging markets, but a fierce rival to the BTC is also coming to the fore.
August 2021
How Bitcoin and Ethereum are rekindling with equities
What is the relationship between crypto assets and stock prices? An analysis week’s market trends.