Search results: The Merge

Cryptocurrency exchanges flying flags of convenience is sure to annoy China’s regulators and may no longer be a viable business strategy.

DeFi’s explosive growth may be the cryptocurrency world’s biggest story in 2020. But is the industry ignoring risks and cybersecurity gaps?

After some early turbulence, Filecoin is now opening up applications like video streaming and social networks that used to exist only in centralized Web 2.0.

Most artists earn a pittance and have little bargaining power against record labels and streaming platforms. But blockchain could level the playing field.

Risks, bugs and mistakes are a necessary part of DeFi’s evolution — just like the early days of the internet, writes Justin Banon of Boson Protocol

Other top news: OKEx cryptocurrency exchange freezes services amid police investigation. Investors bet $100 million on ‘neobank’ Razorpay in India

Regulatory finesse toward cryptocurrency and DeFi will spur investment while not stifling innovation, says Alex Tapscott of Blockchain Research Institute

The risk of getting scammed is real, but DeFi also offers investors opportunities to earn yields in this pandemic economy, says Two Prime CEO Marc Fleury.

Proposed federal laws would upend SEC rules for digital tokens and give CFTC sweeping powers. Will it be enough to rein in crypto’s Wild West ways?

More top news: OKLink offers free cryptocurrency tracker. Trade fair in China introduces blockchain ideas to 20,000 companies.

As China muscles DCEP to market and the U.S. enlists MIT for a future digital dollar, South Korea struggles to find its place in the crypto economy.

In other news: Public gets sneak peek at China’s digital currency DCEP in flash testing. US-China trade war threatens SMIC and bitcoin mining.

Despite China’s bans on crypto and ICOs, the permissionless blockchain protocol has also done a ‘regulatory compliant fundraise.’ How is Conflux pulling it off?

ETC’s recent hacks may be an occupational hazard of ‘proof-of-work’ blockchains, including BTC and ETH. Is going ‘proof of stake’ the answer?

From CryptoKitty pets to metaverses like Minecraft and Decentraland, blockchain video games are redefining what it means to own virtual property.

By promoting transparency and data security, blockchain is poised to transform international trade. Dr. Geoff Jiang of Ant Group explains how.

Also: Japan’s deputy PM Taro Aso urges greater blockchain cooperation. Inner Mongolia raises bitcoin mining costs. Fintech investments in S. Korea.

Many blockchain protocols claim to be decentralized, but industry practices show the opposite. Even Bitcoin is largely controlled by a few.

In a special Forkast.News interview, the CEO who co-founded Ethereum discusses the deal with JPMorgan, DeFi’s rise, and expectations for Ethereum 2.0.

Other top news: $50 billion in cryptocurrency leaves China. Severe flooding in Sichuan destroys bitcoin mining farms. DeFi in India.

Other top news: USPS explores blockchain for voting. Coinbase offers crypto loans. Huobi launches Global DeFi Alliance.

New perpetual contracts — a crypto derivatives product — can be ‘inversed’ and priced in BTC rather than tied to fiat. What does this mean for investors?

China’s CBDC — the world’s first major government-issued digital currency — could launch this year. Are we ready for its financial and geopolitical impact?

Here are our favorite and best-in-class apps for the decentralized work place. Plus, the Web3 dApps that could disrupt them.

Covid-driven monetary policies are spurring growing investor interest in crypto assets and derivatives, says Richard Byworth, CEO of Diginex and EQUOS.io.

The $660 billion Paycheck Protection Program — intended to help America’s small businesses survive the pandemic — also gave financial aid to crypto firms accused of fraud, a Forkast.News investigation found.

Covid is accelerating telemedicine and patient data protection needs. Here’s how digital ledger applications can take healthcare to the next level.

Regulatory uncertainties over crypto — coupled with Indians’ tendency not to rebel — have prevented decentralized finance from taking off in India despite the unbanked’s tremendous needs, says Siddharth Verma of Nuo Network.

Management guru Don Tapscott and his son Alex Tapscott — co-authors of the best seller, “Blockchain Revolution” — explain how blockchain’s “internet of value” can transform healthcare, the economy and more.

While Asia is united in masking up, US and Europe remain fractured over face mask use. A viral immunologist and face mask expert explains the deadly consequences.

The US is gold standard for global financial regulations. But if US does not get its act together over crypto, other nations will emerge as leaders in this growing space.

India’s cryptocurrency market has vast potential — what’s holding it back? A continued lack of regulatory clarity as well as crypto education, says CoinDCX co-founder Neeraj Khandelwal.

Could robot nurses, drones, facial recognition and other AI artillery help us win the war against Covid-19?

What lies ahead for the global economy, US-China geopolitics, emerging markets and sectors like real estate in the next 5 years? GreaterX’s unique focus group — ‘from farmers to a billionaire’ — offers a crystal ball.

India and DeFi could be headed for a symbiotic relationship — unless the government cracks down on crypto again and forces a breakup.

Covid stimulus needs and China’s new CBDC have heightened interest in digital assets, but US lawmakers are still trying to make sense of new technologies. In an interview with Forkast.News, Perianne Boring of Chamber of Digital Commerce also discusses prospects for a U.S. digital dollar, and more.

Money is part of a nation’s financial infrastructure, and the dollar needs a digital upgrade for this changing world, says Giancarlo, former CFTC chair who now heads the Digital Dollar Project, in an exclusive interview with Forkast.News.

Cinemas are closed, Netflix is here, but torrent providers renew their careers!

Covid-19’s disruption of global economies could speed up changes to financial systems around the world. Will cash become obsolete?

Online teaching and presenting are not just for these Covid times, but part of a revolution in how we work and learn. Master these skills for career success.

Other top news: IBM’s Covid medical supply network. China now has over 1,000 blockchain firms. Startups in Japan, India and Singapore.

David Jevans, CEO of CipherTrace, explains FATF’s global influence and recent enforcement actions that have proven to be expensive for those caught.

Other top news: Courier giant YTO forms blockchain logistics lab. 224 more blockchain firms get official thumbs up. VC in Singapore, UK and US.

Other top news: Bitcoin halving frenzy. New Huawei tech zone. Blockchain company busted for defective face masks. VC in Hong Kong and Canada.

Central bank digital currencies could change government, the economy, and even society, writes Digivault CEO.

The U.S. backed away from a digital dollar in its coronavirus relief package. But a tokenized dollar would be better for America — and bring us closer to a true central bank digital currency, says a director of the Digital Dollar Project.

Distributed ledger technology can help flatten the curve of Covid-19 through telemedicine, supply-chain security, rapid payments and more.

Other top headlines from around the world: Microsoft wants to power mining with brain waves. Crypto exchanges Huobi and OKEx under fire. China shifts to digitally sweep ancestral graves.

How are crypto companies complying with the travel rule, and what does it mean for decentralization and privacy? In a Forkast.News exclusive, industry experts analyze FATF’s impact on regulations around the world and what to expect next.

BTC’s recent tumbles and movements with the rest of market may be an anomaly and opportunity for investors.

In this newsletter and podcast, we bring you top headlines around the world, including: A new proposal to create a digital dollar. Coinbase’s legal chief heading U.S. Treasury. A Bitcoin-Red Cross coronavirus fundraiser in Italy. Universal basic income’s revival. Steem’s hard fork into Hive, and more.

Coronavirus fears spread panic as well as infection. Face masks, hand washing and social isolation are best practices.

FATF is setting international standards, shifting the crypto world from a “wild west” mentality to a more compliant space, says CoolBitX CEO Michael Ou.

Also: Blockchain voting after the Voatz debacle, IOTA limps back after cyber attack, smart cities in China, and Forkast.News insights to help you make sense of the top headlines.

What’s up with South Korea’s new blockchain regulations? And where is bitcoin now legal tender? (Mai oui!) Other headlines around the world: a storm over STEEM, the new Baseline protocol for privacy, HTC’s Exodus 5G Hub, and how the coronavirus has affected blockchain firms in China.

Gold bars are unwieldy. Gold futures and ETFs carry risks. Can gold-backed crypto, or tokenized gold, be a safer hedge during the current market tumult?

CEO of Hedera Hashgraph explains how distributed ledgers can help front-line doctors and scientists in the battle against Covid-19, and how the emerging techology may be the future of international disaster relief.

Blockchain phones aren’t yet able to offer the ability to provide total security for your data.

The uncertain legal status of cryptocurrencies is under the microscope in India.

What are the best face masks to wear to protect against Covid-19, and how to wear them? Which masks are the worst and could increase your risk of illness? A medical doctor and face mask researcher explains all.

As bold-face names in entertainment and sports like PewDiePie, Manny Pacquiao and Spencer Dinwiddie dabble in blockchain technology, their use of cryptocurrency signal a growing shift toward grassroots financing and cutting out traditional middlemen. But some celebrities are finding a legal minefield.

The Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) is seeking ways to bridge the traditional financial sector to new blockchain-related industries, including ways to open bank accounts, says said SBA deputy CEO August Benz.

Distributed ledger technology could be used by front-line health care responders dealing with the coronavirus epidemic to submit information in real-time around the world regardless of censorship. HashLog, a dashboard designed to publicly track coronavirus developments via distributed public ledger Hedera Hashgraph, could mitigate political influence involved in spreading information, according to Hedera Hashgraph cofounder and CEO Mance Harmon.

China hopes to provide affordable basic health care to all its citizens by 2020. Now that the private sector has joined public initiatives, the country is starting to see medical care efficiencies thanks to blockchain implementation.

Telecom operators are using blockchain technology for digital identity management, more efficient roaming and combating fraud.

China has received the largest number of patent applications globally. Intellectual property applications themselves are a revenue source for the government, which generated $35 billion in fees paid for using IP rights.

Innovations in privacy-enhancing technology can address the challenges confronting enterprises from a regulatory, security and competitive perspective, writes Jonathan Rouach, CEO and cofounder of QEDIT.

Smith + Crown focuses its attention on headlines and projects it considers as key developments likely to prove influential in determining the course of blockchain events in 2020.

As China’s digital currency is said to be “progressing smoothly,” Indonesia is also working on releasing their own white paper this year, according to Indonesian Blockchain Association cofounder Pandu Sastrowardoyo.

Indonesia is a country of 17,508 islands and 260 million people, including 171 million internet users. It’s a huge market, dominated by the digital economy that’s ripe for blockchain disruption.

SIX Digital Exchange’s blockchain-based digital assets platform and distributed central securities depository are designed to democratize investment. The digital exchange platform is a subsidiary of leading Swiss stock exchange SIX.

The central bank’s digital currency efforts, ironically, would give it more control over the economy.