S.Korea Busan Bank employee allegedly embezzles US$1.1 mln to invest in Bitcoin
An employee on the foreign exchange team of South Korea’s BNK Busan Bank allegedly embezzled 1.48 billion Korean won (US$1.1 million) in customer funds to invest in Bitcoin, local media reported. See related article: Illegal foreign exchange trading with Bitcoin ‘Kimchi Premium’ probed in S.Korea Fast facts The employee, whose name was not released, reportedly […]
Bitcoin, Ethereum fall back after posting monthly gains for July
Bitcoin ended July trading at US$23,737 for a monthly gain of nearly 24% — its highest since October last year when it rose 40%. Ethereum gained about 60% in July. See related article: Bitcoin, Ether rally continues in Friday afternoon trading in Asia Fast facts Bitcoin fell about 1% on Monday morning in Asia, with […]
Bitcoin, Ether rally continues in Friday afternoon trading in Asia
The cryptocurrency market continued its rally in afternoon trading in Asia on Friday, with Bitcoin and Ethereum up 4.4% and 5.7%, respectively, over the past 24 hours. See related article: Crypto continues tear while Vitalik Buterin says Eth2 ‘not priced in’ Fast facts Bitcoin was at one point changing hands above the US$24,000 mark in […]
Amid Ripple XRP, Coinbase wrangles, Gary Gensler flexes SEC muscle
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler Friday reiterated the agency’s attempt to bring cryptocurrency exchanges under oversight and “register where appropriate as securities.” See related article: US crypto bill leaves ‘open question’ on securities: Tessler Fast facts See related article: SEC fails to block XRP holders from aiding in Ripple case
British law body recommends categorizing crypto as a new type of property
The Law Commission of England and Wales recommended classifying cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as a new type of property in a consultation paper published on Thursday. See related article: Basel Committee starts public consultation on banks’ crypto asset exposures Fast facts The Law Commission, an independent statutory body responsible for reviewing and reforming laws, […]
Bored Ape Yacht Club’s ApeCoin native token to fund 24-hour news website
The APE decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) approved a proposal to fund the 24-hour news website covering BAYC creator Yuga Labs and the community on Thursday. See related article: Majority of ApeCoin token holders vote to stay on Ethereum Fast facts The Bored Ape Gazette website will become a 24-hour style news site complete with a […]
Nirvana’s ANA token down more than 80% after US$3.5 mln hack
Solana-based decentralized finance protocol Nirvana Finance was exploited in a flash loan attack for US$3.49 million on July 28, the firm announced in a Twitter post, causing its tokens to topple by more than 80%. See related article: C.R.E.A.M. Finance suffers $28M flash loan hack Fast facts Using flash loans on lending protocol Solend, the […]
Komainu latest to get Dubai’s approval to operate
Digital assets company Komainu has received a provisional license from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to offer cryptocurrency products and services to institutional clients in Dubai, CoinDesk said in a report. See related article: Dubai could be crypto’s promised land, Citi says Fast facts Komainu is the latest to receive approval from Dubai […]
Crypto lender Voyager ordered to stop misleading claims over deposit insurance
U.S. banking regulators have ordered crypto lender Voyager Digital to stop making “false and misleading” claims that its customer’s funds were insured by the government. See related article: Three Arrows, Voyager failures raise questions of who is next in crypto fall from grace Fast facts The Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) […]
Terra allegedly ramped up its numbers with insider trading: report
Terraform Labs and affiliates allegedly ramped up the numbers of its decentralized finance (DeFi) service Anchor Protocol by investing their own capital, a claim that South Korean prosecutors are currently looking into, state broadcaster KBS reported. See related article: S.Korea slaps ‘notification upon arrival’ on Terra’s Do Kwon Fast facts The local media outlet claims […]
Zipmex seeks moratorium from creditors in Singapore court
Zipmex is seeking protection from potential claims or adverse actions for six months, citing “all efforts to focus on resolving the liquidity situation,” according to an announcement by the crypto exchange. See related article: Zipmex targets raising US$50 mln to cover exposure to embattled crypto lenders Fast facts See related article: Babel Finance says liquidity […]
Bitcoin rig maker Canaan to deploy self-mining soon in US, executive says
Chinese crypto mining rig maker Canaan is ramping up its mining business and will soon start self- or joint-mining operations in the U.S., Edward Lu, a senior vice president of Canaan, told Forkast in an interview on Thursday. See related article: Bitcoin rig maker Canaan reports over US$200 mln in Q1 revenue Fast facts “Today […]
Crypto continues tear while Vitalik Buterin says Eth2 ‘not priced in’
The crypto market continued its tear overnight Thursday in Asia with Bitcoin and Ethereum trading up 4% and 6%, respectively, in the 24 hours before business hours on Friday. See related article: Crypto, traditional markets see bump as Fed raises rates Fast facts Bitcoin was changing hands at its highest point in over a week […]
Harmony’s compensation plan upsets hack victims
Harmony Protocol announced on Wednesday a reimbursement plan for wallets affected by the US$100 million hack on its Horizon cross-chain bridge last month, which was met by mostly negative feedback. See related article: North Korea said to be responsible for Harmony Horizon hack Fast facts The reimbursement will be with Harmony’s ONE cryptocurrency, distributed monthly […]
Lido Finance floats 2nd proposal to sell LDO to Dragonfly Capital
Just two days after its initial plan failed to pass a community vote, staking giant Lido Finance submitted a new proposal on Monday for the sale of 10 million Lido DAO (LDO) tokens, about 2% of its total supply, to Dragonfly Capital. See related article: Fireblocks provides institutional investors access to Terra DeFi Fast facts […]
SEC fails to block XRP holders from aiding in Ripple case
A U.S. federal district court dismissed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s motion to revoke the “amici curiae” or “friends of the court” status granted to XRP holders in an order on Tuesday. See related article: SEC wins time to resist crucial document handover to Ripple in XRP lawsuit Fast facts In a letter to […]
Immutable lays off 6% of workforce
Immutable has let go of about 6% of its workforce, including lead designer James Wakeham who was involved in the development of the game developer’s popular non-fungible token (NFT) game Gods Unchained. See related article: Play-to-earn game developers pivot to engaging fans Fast facts A spokesperson from Immutable’s U.S. branch told gaming media outlet Kotaku […]
Ethereum price surges amid bounceback, tenth shadow fork going live
Ethereum has been on a tear, gaining 14% in the past 24 hours. The world’s second-biggest cryptocurrency by market capitalization is now up more than 47% in the past 14 days ahead of the Merge. See related article: Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum to be 55% complete post-merge Fast facts Ethereum is up 13.9% over the […]
Creditors take hostile action as crypto firm Vauld seeks bankruptcy protection
Crypto lender Vauld, which halted withdrawals earlier this month, is facing hostile action from multiple creditors, according to a new affidavit reviewed by Moneycontrol. See related article: Nexo in talks to buy out Vauld Fast facts As per the affidavit, Vauld has received two demand letters and two civil claims from four creditors. One of […]
Dubai police launch 2nd edition of NFTs, see use case for digital assets
Dubai police are dropping a second round of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), as digital assets conform to their interests in innovation, security and communication. In a statement on their website, Dubai police claim to be the first government entity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to create its own digital assets and the first police organization […]
Tether says USDT reserves have no Chinese commercial paper
Tether, the issuer of USDT, the world’s most traded stablecoin, said it doesn’t hold Chinese commercial paper in its reserves and it plans to reduce its commercial paper holdings overall. See related article: Tether slashes commercial paper, shows more reserves than liabilities Fast facts In a statement published on Wednesday, Tether said it “holds no […]
Hong Kong to launch US$637 mln tech fund for startups: report
Hong Kong will launch a HK$5 billion (US$637 million) fund to support startups seeking to reach unicorn status, the city’s Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said. See related article: Hong Kong’s Cyberport invests in digital asset custodian Hex Trust Fast facts See related article: Animoca Brands ups valuation to US$5.9B despite slumping markets
Crypto, traditional markets see bump as Fed raises rates
Both crypto and traditional markets saw significant gains overnight Monday in Asia after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a 75-basis point interest rate increase to battle the worst inflation in the country in some 40 years. See related article: Fed may increase interest rates amid rising inflation Fast facts Interest rates in the U.S. are […]
US stablecoin bill draft may be released this week: report
Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are pushing to introduce a stablecoin bill draft this week before the House breaks for August recess, according to four unnamed sources “familiar with the plan” cited by The Block. See related article: Hold onto your crypto bags, the regulators are coming Fast facts The proposal on stablecoin […]
3,000 Biggie Smalls-inspired NFTs sell out in 10 minutes
The 3,000 generative non-fungible token (NFT) collection featuring late rapper Christopher Wallace, better known as Notorious B.I.G. or Biggie Smalls, sold out in about 10 minutes at marketplace OneOf. See related article: China’s ‘Instagram’ gets into virtual fashion with users strutting NFT clothes Fast facts Sky’s the Limit is an NFT profile picture collection that […]
Crypto startup VC funding reaches US$17.5B in H1 2022: report
Venture capitalists (VCs) poured at least US$17.5 billion into the crypto and blockchain industry in the first half of this year, Reuters reported, citing PitchBook data. See related article: Blockchain, crypto investment soars in H1 2021 Fast facts VC investments in blockchain and crypto startups topped US$26.9 billion in 2021. North American startups were at […]
Crypto market quickly rebounds after IMF predicts increased recession risk
Bitcoin quickly rebounded above US$21,000 coming into Asian trading hours on Wednesday after falling below the mark overnight since the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global growth outlook for this year and next, warning that the world economy may soon be on the cusp of an outright recession. See related article: IMF says crypto crash […]
MicroStrategy shares fall after Jefferies downgrade to ‘underperform’
Investment banking firm Jefferies downgraded the MicroStrategy stocks from “hold” to “underperform.” See related article: Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy buys more Bitcoin Fast facts MicroStrategy, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, has a premium valuation for a low-growth asset, Jefferies said in a research report released on Tuesday. Jefferies kept the MicroStrategy price target unchanged at […]
HK crypto exchange OSL sells security tokens to institutional investors
Hong Kong-based digital asset trading platform OSL has started selling security tokens to institutional investors via a private placement, with the first purchasers including blockchain game company Animoca Brands, according to a press release on Tuesday. See related article: Chinese logistics network plans US fundraise via tokenized offerings Fast facts Each security token represents a […]
S.Korea slaps ‘notification upon arrival’ on Terra’s Do Kwon
South Korean prosecutors investigating Terra-LUNA have requested the Ministry of Justice to place a “notification upon arrival” on Terraform Labs chief executive officer Do Kwon and a travel ban on Terra cofounder Shin Hyun-seung, according to local media reports. See related article: South Korean prosecutors said to have raided Terra cofounder Shin’s residence Fast facts […]
Crypto exchange Bullish’s 2Q average daily volume rises 3-fold on the quarter
Average daily volumes (ADV) at Bullish cryptocurrency exchange in the second quarter of the year rose by about 212% to US$522 million, up from US$167 million in the first quarter, according to a business update released on July 26. The exchange is operated by Bullish (GI) Limited and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission. […]
Crypto exchange Kraken reportedly under investigation for Iran sanctions breach
U.S.-based crypto exchange Kraken is reportedly under investigation by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Control for allegedly violating economic sanctions against Iran, according to the New York Times. See related article: US charges two Europeans with helping N.Korea evade sanctions with crypto Fast facts Kraken allegedly allowed users in Iran and elsewhere to […]
IMF says crypto crash hasn’t quite harmed broader financial system
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Tuesday that the cryptocurrency market turmoil hasn’t quite affected global financial stability. See related article: Crypto volatility hasn’t had macroeconomic implications so far: Jerome Powell Fast facts In a report published Tuesday, the IMF said crypto assets have “experienced a dramatic selloff” that has led to losses in crypto […]
Female founders underrepresented in Web3.0: survey
Male-dominated workplaces, lack of proper educational resources, challenge women and act as barriers for them to engage in Web3.0, according to a survey by KuCoin. See related article: NEAR Foundation, Forkast partner to showcase talented, socially mindful women in Web3 Fast facts Despite challenges, 60% of female professionals recognize their unique value in facilitating better […]
Singapore’s FOMO Pay partners with Ripple for XRP-based treasury payments
FOMO Pay will partner with Ripple, the San Francisco-based blockchain payments company, to utilize its XRP-based tool that enables instant low cost settlement without the need to hold pre-funded capital in a destination market, the Singapore based company said. See related article: CrossTower in pact with Ripple to offer NFTs on XRP Ledger Fast facts […]
‘Soft rug pull’ sees US$4.5 mln in TEDDY memecoin sold over weekend
The price of BNB Chain-based Teddy Doge (TEDDY) fell over 99.9% in 24 hours on Monday in Asia as over US$4.5 million of the token was sold over the weekend, in what some analysts described as a “soft rug pull.” The token was trading at just a fraction of a dollar on Tuesday in Asia. […]
HTC partners with Japan’s pixiv to launch 3D anime avatars in the metaverse
Taiwan-based smartphone and virtual reality (VR) headset maker HTC is partnering with Japanese creator platform pixiv to launch Japanese anime-style three-dimensional (3D) avatars on its metaverse platform VIVERSE, a press release said. See related article: HTC launches metaverse phone with Ethereum, Polygon support Fast facts “The partnership with pixiv will rapidly increase the number of […]
Bitcoin, Ether trade lower ahead of FOMC meeting
Bitcoin and Ether were trading lower in anticipation of an upcoming U.S. Fed meeting that is widely expected to raise interest rates by 75 basis points. See related article: Crypto market pain will continue but still bullish on Bitcoin lending: Silvergate Fast facts Bitcoin was trading at US$21,130 at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday HKT, down […]
Illegal foreign exchange trading with Bitcoin ‘Kimchi Premium’ probed in S.Korea
Prosecutors in South Korea are reportedly investigating foreign remittances of over 2 trillion Korean won (US$1.5 billion) at the country’s banks on suspicions of money laundering by crypto speculators. See related article: US$1.5B South Korean ‘kimchi premium’ crypto scheme prompts 33 arrests Fast facts The Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office is examining foreign exchange transactions […]
Zipmex targets raising US$50 mln to cover exposure to embattled crypto lenders
Crypto exchange Zipmex, which announced that it is in serious discussions with potential investors on Monday, is looking to raise US$50 million to cover its exposure to Babel Finance and Celsius Network, Bloomberg reported. See related article: Zipmex says considering possible offer Fast facts Zipmex’s fundraising target is close to its exposure to Babel Finance, […]
Sam Bankman-Fried lashes out at Voyager for rejecting FTX’s proposal
After bankrupt crypto broker Voyager Digital rejected a proposal to buy out its assets and loans — except the loan to insolvent crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital — FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) took to Twitter to lash out. See related article: FTX proposes buying out Voyager assets and loans except for 3AC to […]
Aptos raises US$150 mln from FTX Ventures, Jump Crypto
Founded by former employees of Meta stablecoin arm Diem, blockchain company Aptos Labs announced a US$150 million Series A funding round led by FTX Ventures and Jump Crypto on Monday, according to a press release. See related article: Crypto startup funding falls by 26% in H1 2022: report Fast facts Venture capital and crypto firms […]
KuCoin dismisses rumors, eyes India for growth: report
Cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has “no exposure to LUNA & wLUNA,” and its recent fundraising “has nothing to do with the market downtrend,” the firm’s CEO said on his verified Twitter handle. See related article: How cold storage can ward against this crypto winter’s freeze Fast facts KuCoin CEO Johnny Lyu was responding to rumors about […]
Binance’s Changpeng Zhao sues Bloomberg publisher in HK
Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao is suing the Hong Kong publisher of Bloomberg Businessweek for defamation for an article published last month. See related article: Binance fined by Dutch central bank for improper registration Fast facts Zhao Monday filed a lawsuit in Hong Kong against Modern Media Co. Ltd., which publishes the Chinese edition […]
Metaverse real estate sales to grow by $5B by 2026: report
From 2021 to 2026, the metaverse real estate market is expected to grow by $5.37 billion, at a compound annual growth rate of 61.74%, driven by the growing popularity of mixed reality and cryptocurrencies, according to a report from global market research firm Technavio. See related article: K-pop logs in to the metaverse strung by […]
FTX proposes buying out Voyager assets and loans except for 3AC to provide early liquidity to customers
Crypto exchange FTX launched a joint offer with West Realm Shires, which runs FTX.US, and Alameda Ventures, on Friday, which would allow bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital customers to get their hands on their bankruptcy claims in advance. See related article: Voyager crypto refund plan unconfirmed; fiat to be returned in full Fast facts Regarding […]
Crypto market pain will continue but still bullish on Bitcoin lending: Silvergate
The bear market in digital assets hasn’t ended with more exchanges and crypto funds likely to suffer for several quarters, Alan Lane, the Chief Executive of crypto-focused bank Silvergate said. See related article: Wall Street seems to sense opportunity in distressed crypto markets Fast facts Investors should not compare the current crypto price decline to […]
SEC says 9 out of 25 assets in crypto insider trading case are securities
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleged in a civil suit filed last week that nine of the 25 crypto assets traded in the first-ever cryptocurrency insider trading case were securities and that leaking confidential information, therefore, amounted to securities fraud. See related article: Former Coinbase manager arrested on insider trading charges Fast facts […]
Tesla’s Bitcoin dump leaves accountants puzzled: report
Tesla’s announcement to convert bulk of its Bitcoin holdings to fiat currency has opened a Pandora’s box for accountants, a Bloomberg report said. See related article: Bitcoin falls as Tesla announces it sold 75% of BTC holdings Fast facts Based on Tesla’s letter to shareholders, the sale of Bitcoin added US$936 million in cash to […]
Japanese bank SMBC plans to develop NFT business
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group), which runs one of Japan’s largest banks, said Friday it will work together with blockchain startup HashPort to develop non-fungible token (NFT) and Web3 projects. See related article: PSG sells US$220,000 NFT tickets for first Japan tour in 27 years Fast facts SMBC and HashPort plan to set up […]
FTX said to be in talks to acquire S. Korea crypto exchange Bithumb
Crypto derivatives exchange FTX is reportedly in talks to purchase Bithumb, one of South Korea’s top five cryptocurrency exchanges. See related article: BlockFi’s deal with Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX will prioritize clients Fast facts The two exchanges have been discussing the deal for several months, according to an anonymous source who told Bloomberg. Neither Bithumb nor […]
Total number of crypto users likely to reach 1 billion by 2030: report
The adoption of cryptocurrencies is still low compared to traditional investment classes such as equities, payment technologies and private equity allocation by institutions, a joint report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Bitget and Foresight Ventures said. See related article: Led by Vietnam and India, global crypto adoption jumps over 880% Fast facts The report estimates […]
Complete anonymity never a consideration for CBDC: PBoC official
Authorities can inquire about and use users’ personal information in accordance with the law in the event of suspicious transactions, People’s Bank of China officials said in response to questions about the privacy of the digital yuan on Sunday. See related article: Central banks double down on CBDC issuance: BIS report Fast facts See related […]
DeFi TVL plunged 67% in Q2
The total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi) plunged 66.9% in the second quarter of this year amid market turmoil, according to data from DefiLlama. See related article: Sinking TRON takes DeFi TVL to US$63B, lowest since April 2021 Fast facts The DeFi space recorded US$220 billion in TVL at the beginning of the […]
Dunamu’s NFT venture with BTS’s HYBE to launch services later this year
Dunamu, the operator of South Korea’s Upbit crypto exchange, told local media that Levvels, its Los Angeles-based joint venture established in May this year with HYBE Co., will start services in the latter half of this year. See related article: NFT credit card in the works for top S. Korean crypto exchange Fast facts Dunamu […]
Zipmex says considering possible offer
Singapore-based crypto exchange Zipmex said on Sunday it’s in serious discussions with potential investors looking to buy the firm, days after halting all customer withdrawals citing market volatility and financial difficulty at some partners. See related article: Crypto exchange Zipmex freezes withdrawals Fast facts One of the interested parties has offered to start financial due […]
South Korean prosecutors said to have raided Terra cofounder Shin’s residence
South Korean prosecutors’ search and seizure campaign on Terra-LUNA and affiliates includes raiding the private home of Terraform Labs cofounder Daniel Shin, or Shin Hyun-seung, among others on Wednesday, local media reported. See related article: S.Korea prosecutors raid crypto exchanges as part of Terra-LUNA investigation Fast facts Shin, who founded Terraform Labs with current chief […]
3AC cofounders resurface after five weeks, deny allegations
Three Arrows Capital (3AC) cofounders Su Zhu and Kyle Davies denied allegations by 3AC liquidators that they moved money out of the crypto hedge fund before its collapse. See related article: 3AC founders moved money out of troubled hedge fund, allege liquidators Fast facts Zhu and Davies claimed that they were forced into hiding due […]
Tencent to cut domestic NFT marketplace team, look overseas: report
Tencent will lay off an undisclosed number of staff on its mainland China non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace team and adjust the platform’s business strategy, as it prepares another NFT marketplace serving overseas users, sources close to Tencent said, Chinese financial media Caixin reported on Thursday. See related article: Tencent to shut Huanhe NFT marketplace: report […]
KuCoin raises US$10 mln despite cool off in crypto venture funding
KuCoin raised US$10 million from quantitative trading firm Susquehanna International Group (SIG), the crypto exchange said on Friday. See related article: How the crypto winter is laying groundwork for Web3 to reach its potential Fast facts KuCoin plans to use the funds to upgrade the platform’s infrastructure and improve product line-up, the company said. KuCoin […]
Vitalik Buterin says Ethereum to be 55% complete post-merge
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said on Thursday that Ethereum will be about 55% complete after the “merge,” when the network moves from proof-of-work (PoW) to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus system. See related article: Eth2 merger closer as ninth shadow fork goes live Fast facts “Proof of stake is much more secure than proof of work, […]
Thai SEC seeks additional clarification from Zipmex
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand (Thai SEC), has sought clarification from cryptocurrency exchange Zipmex on its decision to freeze withdrawals, according to a statement on its website. See related article: Celsius bankruptcy deepens chill over crypto sector Fast facts The regulatory authority for Thailand’s capital markets, in a letter dated July 20 issued […]
Former Coinbase manager arrested on insider trading charges
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested former Coinbase product manager Ishan Wahi and his brother, Nikhil Wahi, on allegations of wire fraud in a first-ever cryptocurrency insider trading scheme, the agency said in a statement on Thursday. See related article: Former OpenSea employee arrested amid insider trading allegations Fast facts The Wahi brothers are […]
Taiwan says credit cards can’t be used to buy crypto
Taiwan’s financial regulator is asking banks and credit card companies not to allow credit cards as a means of payment for virtual assets services, local media reported Thursday. See related article: Taiwan has a chance to develop crypto amid China’s clampdown, Filecoin Foundation director says Fast facts Taiwan’s Financial Supervisory Commission Friday told Forkast that […]
S.Korean metaverse firm Anipen raises US$8 mln in Series C
South Korean metaverse platform Anipen drew investments worth around 11 billion Korean won (US$8.3 million) in its Series C round ahead of its planned initial public offering (IPO) next year. See related article: South Korea places $185M bet on the metaverse Fast facts The list of investors includes Medici Investment, Ulmus Investment and Korea Development […]
Indonesia’s wholesale CBDC to be ready for bank use by year end: report
Indonesia’s central bank is working on releasing the conceptual design of its own digital currency for banks to use by the end of this year, Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo said on Thursday. See related article: Governments pushing for CBDCs smell blood in Terra Classic’s struggles Fast facts Bank Indonesia’s digital rupiah will be the […]
Bitcoin mining difficulty records largest fall in a year
Bitcoin mining difficulty dropped by 5.01% on Friday, marking the third decline in a row and the largest fall since July 2021, according to data from BTC.com. See related article: Celsius Network could add to crypto mining struggles Fast facts The mining difficulty reading is now at 27.69 trillion at a block height of 745,920, […]
Zipmex extends withdrawal freeze until Friday; no time specified
Singapore-based crypto exchange Zipmex said on Thursday night Hong Kong time (HKT) it will prolong its customer withdrawal freeze until Friday “to prevent any technical issues,” without specifying a time. See related article: Singapore’s MAS to further strengthen crypto regulations Fast facts See related article: Singapore crypto lender reportedly owes retail investors US$363 million
Kakao’s Ground X forms business alliance to expand NFT use cases, services
South Korean internet giant Kakao’s blockchain subsidiary Ground X has formed GRID, an alliance of some 50 local companies to popularize and expand use cases in the non-fungible token (NFT) ecosystem, the company announced Thursday. See related article: Kakao’s Klaytn partners with OpenSea for NFT expansion in Asia Fast facts Ground X will support companies […]
Minecraft developers not looking to integrate NFTs
Developers behind Minecraft, one of the biggest video games in the world, said they are not looking to support integration with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or blockchain technology, arguing they “encourage profiteering.” See related article: Polium’s NFT/Web3 game console plan meets with plenty of skepticism Fast facts In a recent blog post, developer Mojang Studios said […]
Tencent to shut Huanhe NFT marketplace: report
Tencent this week will shut down Huanhe, the Chinese tech giant’s non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace that has been operating for less than a year, according to unnamed Tencent sources cited in a report by Shanghai-based technology news outlet Jiemian on Wednesday. See related article: WeChat bans NFT accounts, citing ‘crypto speculation’ Fast facts Tencent has […]
Bitcoin falls as Tesla announces it sold 75% of BTC holdings
Bitcoin fell 5% on Thursday morning in Asia — after briefly moving above US$24,000 overnight — as Tesla Inc. said it had sold 75% of its Bitcoin holdings. The cryptocurrency was at US$22,767 in midday trading, per CoinMarketCap. See related article: Ethereum price breaks US$1,600, Ethereum Classic surges 22% Fast facts In a shareholder letter […]