Search results: MAS

London-headquartered banking giant Standard Chartered announced on Thursday that it had invested in the blockchain-based interbank settlement platform Partior, a joint venture of JP Morgan, DBS bank and Temasek.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) wants to build the city-state into a “crypto hub” fueled by instant settlements, tokenized assets and programmable money, not “speculating in cryptocurrencies,” Ravi Menon, the central bank’s managing director, said at the Singapore FinTech Festival on Thursday. 

The MAS launched Project Ubin+ on Thursday, a collaborative initiative with international partners to explore cross-border foreign exchange settlements using wholesale CBDC.

What are soulbound tokens, and how can they end the ‘credit paradox’ that has been holding back the unbanked masses? Fakhul Miah of CreDA explains.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Hong Kong rethinks digital assets. CBDC to debut in India. China’s e-yuan privacy problem.

Singapore-based StraitsX, a payments infrastructure for digital assets, will pilot stablecoin applications at the ongoing Singapore Fintech Festival. 

Huobi Global, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, plans to move its headquarters to the Caribbean, its new advisory board member Justin Sun said.

DBS, the largest bank in Southeast Asia, said it tested trading of foreign exchange and government bonds using permissioned decentralized finance (DeFi) liquidity pools on a public blockchain as part of the city-state’s Project Guardian exploration of blockchain in finance.

The bank is in the center of developments shepherded by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to explore digital financial technologies emerging around blockchain.

The issuer of the world’s second-largest stablecoin is joining a fleet of companies in the digital asset industry moving into Singapore. What’s the attraction?

Deputy director of monetary and capital markets at the IMF, Dong He, said at Hong Kong Fintech Week on Tuesday that his message to the crypto industry is to embrace regulation.

Cryptocurrency exchanges in Singapore are shifting focus to heavy-hitter investors, such as family offices and financial institutions, in line with the central bank’s warnings about the risks in retail crypto trading.

Hong Kong will increase funding for startups, including fintech companies, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said on Tuesday.

A hybrid middle ground between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 is necessary before full Web 3.0 integration, argued Jehan Chu, co-founder and managing partner of blockchain venture capital firm Kenetic Capital, adding that “it’s not the fully decentralized future we were promised, but it’s the one we’re going to get first.”

DBS Bank, the largest lender in Southeast Asia, has partnered the Singapore government’s Open Government Products (OGP) to pilot purpose-bound money-based vouchers (PBM) using tokenized Singapore dollars to facilitate live transactions with selected merchants. 

The Bitcoin white paper, published 14 years ago this day, launched an industry that is now subsidizing clean energy and turning waste into digital gold, writes Will Szamosszegi of Sazmining.

The founder of crypto exchange FTX, which moved out of Hong Kong in 2021, said that the city could emerge as a Web3, blockchain and cryptocurrency hub.

Visa International Service Association on Oct. 22 filed two trademark applications that hinted at plans of launching a crypto wallet.

The use of blockchain technology in finance will have an impact similar to that of YouTube on the media industry, said Lee Jun-haeng, CEO of South Korea-based blockchain company Streami.

When the Grim Reaper comes, will he take all your Bitcoins, too? Here’s how to ensure your crypto wealth will survive and live on for your heirs.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao believes education is key to a wider, safer adoption of blockchain technology.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Aptos launch falls short. Why FTX chief is calling for crypto regulations. Is Hong Kong paving way for a retail CBDC?

The central bank is also considering options such as banning crypto firms from offering credit facilities, leverage or staking services to retail traders.

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX will reimburse US$6 million lost by users in a phishing attack over the weekend, according to founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

Cryptocurrency was created to be accessible to the masses. So why are retail investors getting shut out from the best analytical and trading tools?

A lack of regulations means anyone can say bad things about crypto to stir up fear — and push you to sell. Even if they stand to make money from your losses.

Institutional adoption of Web3 in finance means getting traditional banks involved, which will in turn reshape the way banks work, says SC Ventures’ Alex Manson.

Why has Ripple Labs been in the U.S. SEC’s crosshairs and what’s the difference between Ripple and XRP?

Bitcoin and Ether both fell in Wednesday morning trading in Asia amid news the European Union is considering a bill to restrict the mining of energy-intensive cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. Most of the rest of the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also declined, with the exception of Polygon. See related article: Bitcoin, […]

Markets: Bitcoin price rises amid sweeping gains across top 10 crypto, Polygon increases 7%

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?

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission of the U.S. are investigating whether bankrupt crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) misled investors about its balance sheet and failed to register with the two agencies, according to a Bloomberg report which cites two people familiar with the matter. See related article: […]

The Japanese government approved amendments to existing financial regulations to prevent money laundering utilizing cryptocurrencies and increase penalties on those involved, according to local media reports. See related article: North Korea’s Lazarus Group attacks Japanese crypto firms, police say Fast facts The Cabinet, Japan’s executive body, approved the revisions to laws associated with the country’s […]

Bitcoin and Ether rose as all top 10 tokens by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, gained in Tuesday morning trading in Asia. Polygon led the list. Solana followed on news a leading non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace will suspend transaction fees. See related article: Gold commodities market could enter the blockchain, according to new industry initiative Fast […]

Centralized lenders like Celsius and Voyager have proven hugely problematic, but DeFi also has big issues. What if we pursue a hybrid approach?

Cryptocurrency exchange Blockchain.com has received in-principle approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for a license to offer “digital payment token” services in the city-state.  See related article: Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy Fast facts Blockchain.com is the second crypto exchange to earn the central bank’s in-principle approval […]

Mango Markets, a decentralized platform hosted on the Solana blockchain, was exploited for over US$100 million. See related article: What is the Solana ecosystem and how is it fueling SOL’s stratospheric rise? Fast facts Mango’s token MNGO was severely impacted, dropping 42.9% in the past 24 hours to US$0.023 as of 11:15 a.m. in Hong […]

Singapore-based Coinhako cryptocurrency exchange, one of a handful to have a full license to operate in the city-state, has launched “Coinhako Treasures” to offer more products that suit the needs of institutional clients, like corporates and family offices, as it seeks to grow its institutional user base.   See related article: How a market slump may […]

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc. received a digital assets license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the firm announced Tuesday. See related article: Coinbase blames India’s central bank for exit Fast facts They were granted “in-principle approval” under the Payment Services Act to provide “regulated Digital Payment Token products and services” in Singapore, including “our […]

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.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore is exploring blockchain-based payments solution to solve the challenges in cross-border transactions.  See related article: Singapore warms up to crypto industry — on its own terms Fast facts The current state of cross-border payments “is slow, costly, opaque, and inefficient, relying on an archaic network of correspondent banks,” Ravi Menon, […]

Web3 communities need to join forces with policymakers to draft rules for the next iteration of the online world, says Haun Ventures’ Tomicah Tillemann

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?

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said illegal crypto-related businesses are operating in the city state and it is working with the police to identify and prosecute them. See related article: Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy Fast facts In a reply to a Parliamentary question, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, senior minister […]

The tradition-bound wine world is not always open to change, writes Sebastian Schier of vinID. But new technology can solve the age-old problem of wine fraud.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Celsius founder in hot water. European bank woes cast crypto shadow. Will BSN’s Chinese roots thwart its global ambitions?

Bankrupt crypto lender Celsius’ cofounder and chief strategy officer S. Daniel Leon has resigned, a week after the company’s CEO Alex Mashinsky stepped down, according to an internal company memo viewed by CNBC. See related article: Alex Mashinsky steps down as Celsius CEO  Fast facts The company’s previous global tax director, Lior Koren, is taking […]

‘Crypto Winter’ has touched all elements of the crypto market, and non-fungible tokens are no different.

Alex Mashinsky, who resigned as chief executive officer of Celsius on Sept. 27, reportedly withdrew US$10 million from the crypto exchange in May, weeks before it filed for bankruptcy and froze withdrawals in June, according to the Financial Times. See related article: Celsius on thin ice well before its bankruptcy: CNBC report Fast facts A […]

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.

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

The SEC has filed charges against Hydrogen Technology Corporation and former chief executive Michael Ross Kane for alleged sales of unregistered “crypto asset securities” in the form of Hydro tokens. See related article: SEC’s Gensler says proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies may be securities Fast facts Moonwalkers Trading Limited CEO, Tyler Ostern, is also being charged for allegedly […]

In the first of a two-part report on this year’s cryptocurrency gathering in Singapore, defiance outshone defeatism despite industry’s struggles.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman Rostin Behnam said Thursday the crypto industry has “a massive opportunity for institutional inflows that will only occur if there’s a regulatory structure,” pushing for his office to lead the effort. See related article: Crypto community pushes back following CFTC charges against Ooki DAO Fast facts “Growth might occur […]

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.

Chinese authorities can track e-CNY wallet transaction history, if warranted, thanks to its ‘managed anonymity’ design.

Beyond the bear market, Web3 technology is shining bright in gaming and music, writes Hannes Graah of Gro. Are we at a tipping point for mass adoption?

The Philippines now ranks 2nd in the world for crypto adoption, but its path ahead is unclear, writes Emman Navalan. What are the hurdles it must overcome?

Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology has renamed its 25-year-old Information Engineering Department as the Metaverse Engineering Department. The university says it’s the first in China to offer a metaverse major, according to a local media report. See related article: South Korea and Meta to ramp up metaverse safety  Fast facts See related article: […]

Digital ownership enabled by Web3 tech can challenge the monopolistic dynamics of Web2 and give people real equity, says Animoca Brands chief Yat Siu

The World Economic Forum is launching a new Crypto Sustainability Coalition, consisting of 30 partners within the intersection of sustainable development and web3, crypto, and blockchain technologies, the international non-government organization (NGO) announced in a Webinar on Wednesday in New York, U.S.

Sam Bankman-Fried‘s FTX is in talks with potential investors about a funding round that would keep the company’s valuation in line with prior financing at the start of the year, CNBC reported Wednesday.  See related article: Binance and FTX lead bidding for bankrupt Voyager Fast facts FTX Trading Ltd.’s latest funding round in January raised […]

Blockchain technology remains a world divided by silos that keep out developers and users, writes Manu Siddaligegowda of Lisk. What are the solutions?

The U.S. Department of Treasury is seeking public opinion on the “responsible development of digital assets” and has requested comments from the general public on national security and illicit financing risks posed by digital assets.  See related article: Singapore’s central bank says cryptocurrencies have ‘no fundamental value’ Fast facts Comments can be submitted until Nov. […]

Already a big part of global finance, interest rate swaps can be a boon for DeFi — if it can overcome these challenges, writes Simon Jones of Voltz Labs.

These PoW forks were created to keep revenue flowing for Ethereum’s miners, but plummeting prices put that plan at risk.

Non-fungible tokens aren’t merely novelty items — they can play a valuable a role in preserving history and culture, says Artifact Labs chief Gary Liu

The Fed will continue its CBDC research as Republicans pressure the central bank to clarify its stance on digital dollar issuance.

The crypto labor force skews heavily male, which could impede the industry’s future growth, writes Lottie Wells of Wirex. Here are some ways to increase women’s participation.

Amid its bankruptcy proceedings, crypto lender Celsius Network LLC has sought court approval to sell and/or exchange its stablecoin holdings for U.S. dollars in order to generate liquidity and help fund its operations.  See related article: Goldman Sachs said to raise US$2B for Celsius assets: report Fast facts “Celsius currently owns eleven different forms of […]

ETHPoW, the Ethereum hard fork blockchain intended to preserve proof-of-work after the native chain transitioned to proof-of-stake, is facing technical difficulties despite months of anticipation.  See related article: Ethereum says Merge upgrade successfully completed, more to come Fast facts Prior to the fork, it was announced that ETHW tokens would be airdropped to Ethereum holders. […]

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is preparing for the future of finance by exploring distributed ledger technology use cases, such as asset tokenization and cross-border payments, the city-state’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Thursday at an event organized by the central bank.  See related article:  Filecoin service provider RRMine leaves China for […]