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Blockchain’s lack of accessibility will limit its potential

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

Crypto research firm founder accused of promoting ICO for compensation

Self-described crypto influencer charged with violating SEC regulations by trading and promoting an initial coin offering under undisclosed financial terms.

Do Kwon says “not on the run” as S.Korea calls for Interpol’s red notice

South Korean prosecutors are in the process of requesting Interpol to issue a red notice for Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Kwon Do-hyung, also known as Do Kwon, according to media reports.  See related article: Terra CEO Do Kwon faces ‘illegal alien’ status in Singapore as Seoul cancels passport Fast facts An Interpol […]

Owning a piece of history: How NFTs can help maintain our collective memory

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

Will Ethereum ever surpass Bitcoin? This is “The Flippening”

Many believe Ethereum is destined to overtake Bitcoin’s dominance in an event known as “The Flippening.” Find out if Ethereum’s reign is inevitable in this Forkast explainer.

Animoca Brand’s Sandbox to launch metaverse in Dubai, other global cities

The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands Corp. Ltd., the Hong Kong-based game software and venture capital company, will be taking its Hong Kong metaverse strategy to a new market in Dubai, launching a “Dubaiverse,” the company said at the 62nd edition of the True Global Ventures Conference on Thursday.  Animoca Brand’s Dubai-themed metaverse will […]

Why the crypto space needs more women — as employees and at the top

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.

JPMorgan, LRC bet on blockchain startup Ownera in US$20 mln Series A

London-based Ownera has raised US$20 million in a Series A funding round from investors including banking giant JPMorgan and private asset management firm LRC Group. See related article: Tokenized assets may make up 10% of global GDP by 2030: report Fast facts The funds will be used to deploy a global interoperability network to unlock […]

Binance launches Ethereum staking ahead of Merge upgrade

Top blockchain and crypto news: Binance bets on Ethereum Merge. What does Terra’s sudden resurgence mean? China seeks to expand e-CNY ecosystem.

China’s two systems for crypto: Trading is banned, but virtual assets can be protected

In a decision involving Litecoin, a Chinese court says there are no rules ‘that negate the protectability of cryptocurrency itself as virtual property.’

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?
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Why Ethereum Merge won’t be able to overcome the ‘Scalability Paradox’

Ethereum’s completion of its much anticipated ‘Merge’ this week will unlikely improve the network’s long-term speed or scalability, writes Mark Lurie of Shipyard Software. Why is this so, and why will it still be good for innovation?

Ethereum has had problems since its inception. Will the ‘Merge’ solve them?

Ethereum has long grappled with centralization, which the Merge will unlikely address in a meaningful way, writes Daniel Dizon of Swell Network.

Markets: Bitcoin sole gainer in crypto top ten, Ether dips, Polkadot leads losers

Bitcoin held weekend gains to move toward US$22,000 in Monday morning trading in Asia, while other tokens in the top 10 by market capitalization were flat to lower. Ether slipped, along with Polkadot and XRP. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether little changed; Polkadot leaps Dogecoin into crypto top ten Fast facts Bitcoin rose 0.3% […]

The metaverse is already here. What’s holding back the party?

Interoperability is a key characteristic for the metaverse to be useful, writes Dr. Dimitry Mihaylov of National Univ. of Singapore. But the technology and laws are still lacking.

Markets: Bitcoin back above US$20,000, Ether rallies, Solana leads gains in Top 10

Bitcoin and Ether rallied in late Friday afternoon trading in Asia, helping drive up the global cryptocurrency market capitalization more than 5% to back above the US$1 trillion mark.  Solana led the gains among tokens in CoinMarketCap’s top 10 by market capitalization.  See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether little changed; Polkadot leaps Dogecoin into crypto […]

Queen Elizabeth artwork NFTs flood into OpenSea marketplace

Demand for non-fungible tokens connected to the late monarch surge along with prices.

Why the real Ethereum killer might just be Bitcoin

Bitcoin is the most secure blockchain, and Ethereum’s proof-of-stake move will expose it to more security risks, writes Jagdeep Sidhu of Syscoin Network.

Binance pushes out USDC in aggressive move to boost its own stablecoin

Top blockchain and crypto news: USDC gets the boot from Binance. MicroStrategy looks for Lightning strikes. STEPN heads to Hong Kong.

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.

Australia establishes federal crypto police unit

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have set up a crypto crime unit that will trace and seize illicit cryptocurrency linked to money laundering and other criminal activity, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) reported Monday. See related article: Ukraine National Police takes down crypto fraud cybercrime group Fast facts Launched in August, the unit will help […]

Why play-to-earn gaming is losing steam and where GameFi must go next

Axie Infinity’s decline shows that earning can’t be everything, writes Riaz Lalani of Gambit Games. What went wrong with P2E and what can we learn from it?

Markets: Bitcoin rises slightly, Ether and Ethereum Classic gain amid price run for alternatives

Bitcoin rose slightly in Tuesday morning trading in Asia after falling below the key resistance line of US$20,000 on Monday morning. Ether posted the greatest gains in the crypto top ten by market cap as the rest of that list rose or fell by less than 1%. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether edge up; […]

China to speed up, expand digital yuan smart contracts, PBOC official says

Mu Changchun, head of the central bank’s digital currency institute, says the agency is developing a platform to review and register smart contracts for e-CNY, the country’s new digital currency in trial.

Where will DeFi be after crypto winter ends?

The collapse of Celsius and Anchor wasn’t a failure of DeFi, writes Kaaran Kalantari of WingRiders. They failed to assess risk, and crypto Darwinism took shape.

Blockchain unchained: How crypto can empower women

How can blockchain help women gain financial independence? And how can female participation be boosted? Social entrepreneur Wendy Diamond explains

Ethereum Merge’s impact on NFTs

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – September 2, 2022, presented by Joel Flynn. Coming up on today’s show: Could Ethereum’s Merge cause chaos for the NFT market? Number of unique NFT buyers falls below 500,000. We’ll take a deep dive into that in this episode of The Daily Forkast September 2.

IMF looks to build platform for cross-border CBDC transactions

The director and division chief of IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department will soon publish a paper laying out a blueprint for a platform to support CBDC clearing and settlement transactions between multiple countries. See related article: Inter-country use key for CBDCs to reach potential: report Fast facts See related article: US Digital Dollar Project […]

Hong Kong hosts Digital Asset Series seminars for mass literacy

Hong Kong is hosting the Digital Asset Series (DAS) educational seminars, which started in August to continue into November this year. See related article: Why children around the world need crypto education Fast facts The free educational seminars will be delivered by industry experts, legal professionals, regulators and scholars from the finance-technology (fintech) sector, according […]

US Digital Dollar Project to work with Ripple on CBDC technical sandbox

The U.S.-based Digital Dollar Project said it will work with Ripple and a few other digital asset firms to launch a technical sandbox program to further study a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC). See related article: CBDCs better poised for cross-border payments than Bitcoin, stablecoins: ECB study Fast facts The non-profit initiative announced on […]

Tether pushes back at WSJ doubts on its reserves

In response to the Wall Street Journal alleging that Tether’s USDT stablecoin is not adequately backed by reserves, Tether called the report a series of “unsubstantiated conclusions” that tried to “discredit Tether’s work on transparent and honest communications to the public.” See related article: Should Tether’s shrinking cash reserves be cause for investor worry? Fast […]

Crypto.com refunded user US$7 million instead of US$68 – took 7 months to realize

Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com in May 2021 transferred AU$10.4 million (US$7.15 million) to an Australian woman instead of an intended refund of AU$100 (US$68), and took seven months to recognize the mistake, the Herald Sun newspaper reported. See related article: Bitcoin sent by mistake, recipient will not be punished for keeping it: South Korea ruling […]

An internet of blockchains: Interoperability in a multi-chain future

Interoperability among blockchains will be central to the next phase of the technology’s evolution, says Cosmos cofounder Ethan Buchman.

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.

How Web3 can reduce concert ticket fraud and clean up the industry

The $65-billion event ticketing industry is riddled with skulduggery, but NFT technology can transform it for the common good, writes Josh Katz of Yellowheart.

Huobi warning issued; Singapore’s blockchain aims

Huobi in hot water after being put on investor alert list. Meanwhile, we take a closer look into crypto regulation in Asia.

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.

S. Korea tax authority says crypto airdrops subject to gift tax: report

Virtual asset airdrops could be subject to gift taxes in South Korea, local publication Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday, citing tax authorities. See related article: S. Korea’s 20% crypto tax delayed by two more years Fast facts In response to a tax law interpretation inquiry, a government official said recipients of free virtual asset […]

Problems with tokenizing real estate and how to fix it

Real estate as an investment is not very liquid, composable or accessible, writes Joel Lin of CitaDAO. Can tokenization and DeFi transform this market?

Australia to keep pace with crypto laws with “token mapping”

The Australian Treasury under the ruling Albanese Government will prioritize “token mapping” in 2022 to help regulations Down Under keep pace and adapt with the crypto sector.  See related article: Singapore’s MAS to further strengthen crypto regulations Fast facts “Token mapping”, the primary step in the government’s reform agenda, intends to identify the appropriate direction […]

If successful, Ethereum’s Merge will cause a sea change in ETH supply and value

The Merge, one of this year’s biggest crypto events, is now due to happen next month. Why is it so hotly anticipated — and feared?

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether gain; BNB best performer among top 10 tokens

Bitcoin and Ether rose with most of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization in Monday morning trading in Asia. The gains follow a flash crash last Friday afternoon that dragged the world’s leading cryptocurrency below US$21,000 on Saturday for the first time in almost a month. Bitcoin is still down about 12% in the […]

Keeping it real: How metaverses connect to the physical world

Metaverses are more than gamified virtual spaces — they’re a different way to live real life, says Metapolis cofounder Sandra Helou.

Tether to release monthly USDT reserves report with new auditor BDO Italia

Tether Holdings Limited, the issuer of USDT, the world’s largest stablecoin by market capitalization, has roped in accounting firm BDO Italia for its regular reports of USDT reserves. See related article: Tether says USDT reserves have no Chinese commercial paper Fast facts Tether said in a statement shared with Forkast that it began working with […]

Coinbase would shut down ETH staking under regulatory threat, says CEO

Responding to a hypothetical scenario on Twitter, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said that the company would shut down its Ethereum staking services to preserve the blockchain network’s integrity, in the event of a regulatory crackdown. See related article: BlackRock, Coinbase partner to extend crypto trading to institutional investors Fast facts The hypothetical question was posted […]

U.K. consortium to test stablecoin payments

Digital FMI Consortium, a group of private-sector companies, plans to examine cross-border payments and make recommendations to the Bank of England using its own sterling-backed coin, dSterling. See related article: Next step for spot Bitcoin ETF in the US may be a courtroom battle Fast facts The consortium announced Project New Era, which will deploy […]

BAYC NFT sells for 777 Eth, worth US$1.4 million, amid crypto downturn

Non-fungible token (NFT) Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) #5383 sold for 777 Eth on Wednesday, worth some US$1.4 million, amid a crypto downturn. See related article: Bored Apes — NFTs take over the planet | NFT Moments in History Ep. 11 Fast facts Following the sale, the floor price for BAYC on Thursday sank its […]

Eqonex closes crypto exchange as market woes prompt cost-cutting

Top blockchain and crypto news: Eqonex shutters exchange operation. Huobi denies sale report. Taiwan beefs up cyber defenses.

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.

Tencent’s Huanhe allows NFT refunds, halts further sales

Tencent’s non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Huanhe says it will allow buyers to refund purchased NFTs but will no longer issue the digital assets, citing a “focus on the company’s core strategic considerations.” See related article: Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com offers NFTs despite state media criticisms Fast facts The marketplace’s app will remain, but it will […]

Fed issues guidelines for crypto banks to enter central banking system

The U.S  Federal Reserve published what it called “final guidelines” for how crypto banks could be granted “master accounts” that are needed to transact directly with the Fed and the broader global banking system.  See related article: Federal Reserve to taper bond purchases, prompting concerns over BTC impact  Fast facts The Fed referred to these […]

Establishing standards will be key to the metaverse’s future success

Virtual worlds currently exist in silos, and there is no easy way to communicate between ecosystems — which limits their value, writes Witek Radomski of Enjin.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether, DOGE fall amid slowing activity in China, SHIB edges up

Bitcoin and Ethereum fell in late evening trade in Hong Kong as appetite for risk assets tapered in the wake of data showing that China’s economic activity slowed across the board in July. Dogecoin (DOGE) reversed gains from the morning, while Shiba Inu token (SHIB) edged up. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin little changed, Ether […]

Why crypto firms should embrace regulations and compliance 

Regulatory compliance will be critical to improving crypto’s ‘Wild West’ image and public acceptance, writes Karen Er and Benjamin Bai of Amber Group. Here’s why.
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Reality intrudes: How TradFi banks can help build the metaverse economy

The crypto winter may have chilled many in Web3, but metaverses are an increasingly hot prospect in traditional finance, says DBS Bank’s legal chief

Simping in Web3 to follow the DAO of Irene

Can blockchain technology help starstruck little guys profit from being superfans of popular e-girls? Joel Stein joins Irene Zhao’s IreneDAO to find out.

Despite the bear market, enterprise blockchain has nothing to fear

Crypto’s volatility may be top of mind right now, but blockchain’s practical uses will be the industry’s future, writes Johannes Schweifer of CoreLedger.

Binance-WazirX spat heats up as investors yank funds from Indian exchange

Top blockchain and crypto news: Binance spurns WazirX amid India probe. BlackRock bets on Coinbase. Crypto influencers in China’s crosshairs.

Why crypto remains niche and far from the mainstream

The crypto world is plagued by products that are hard to use and have little utility, writes Roman Kashcheev of Quantfury. What can turn things around?

Polygon cofounder says bear market is an opportunity for blockchain builders

The current bear market is an opportunity for blockchain developers to focus on building while there is no “noise,” Polygon cofounder Sandeep Nailwal said during a panel at Korea Blockchain Week 2022 on Monday. See related article: MATIC crypto skyrockets as Polygon joins Disney accelerator Fast facts “In the bear market, the best part is […]

Affairs of the art: Why NFT creators have fallen for Tezos

Tezos has become a leading art blockchain, even in China, where NFTs are barely tolerated. Its regional chief, Katherine Ng, explains its success

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.

What NFT.NYC missed that Coachella got right

2022’s marquee NFT event in America’s biggest city failed to capitalize on its namesake technology, while an iconic music festival in the California desert understood the possibilities, writes Mirwan Suwarso of Mola TV.

After Nomad and Solana, ZB.com gets hacked for US$4.8 mln

Crypto trading platform ZB.com, which halted withdrawals on Tuesday citing maintenance, may have been hacked to the tune of US$4.8 million, blockchain analytics firm PeckShield said on Wednesday. See related article: Nomad Bridge alerts law enforcement amid US$200 mln attack Fast facts According to PeckShield, hackers drained 21 different tokens from ZB.com, including USDT, USDC, […]

Filecoin on a tear as cautious optimism returns to crypto markets

Top blockchain and crypto news: Filecoin leads in market uptick. CryptoPunks in new glow as Tiffany jewelry. Chinese firms flock to Singapore.

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.

Meta’s attempts at building a metaverse will ‘misfire’: Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin predicts the metaverse will be built, but any existing corporation trying to intentionally build one will not succeed, adding that efforts by Meta (formally Facebook) to do so will “misfire.” See related article: Will Facebook’s metaverse future transform how we live online? Fast facts In a Twitter thread over the weekend, the Ethereum […]

Back to the future: Blockchain returns to the real world

As the once febrile crypto market cools, it’s time to look again at the enterprise capabilities of blockchain, says the Hyperledger Foundation’s Daniela Barbosa