What is the outlook for crypto in 2023 and beyond?
Tokenization, stablecoins and DeFi will be growth areas, but regulatory uncertainty is still holding back adoption, writes John Avery of FIS.
Coinbase CEO says he will “happily defend” crypto staking service against claim it’s a securities product
CEO Brian Armstrong said that the company will defend its staking services in court against claims that they need to be classified as securities.
Securities and Exchange Commission may sue BUSD stablecoin issuer Paxos, WSJ reports
The U.S. SEC may sue the Paxos Trust Company for allegedly violating investor protection laws in its issue of the Binance USD (BUSD) stablecoin.
Huobi to expand in Hong Kong as it bets on China
Huobi Global plans to expand its operations in Hong Kong, anticipating that Mainland China will soon follow the city’s recent pro-crypto shift, says Justin Sun.
Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin retreats below US$22,000 after a record January. Is the strong start to 2023 reversing?
After the strongest January price increase since 2013, Bitcoin gave up some of its gains this week to dip below the US$22,000 support line on Friday. The crypto market was buffeted by bearish comments on interest rates by U.S. Federal Reserve officials this week, along with concerns about a regulatory crackdown. Is this the start of a downtrend, a healthy correction, or the beginning of a so-called “crab” market moving sideways?
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall along with top 10 cryptos; SOL biggest loser
Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Friday, along with the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Solana’s native token notched the biggest loss, following rumors of a potential ban on crypto staking for retail investors in the U.S.
A house divided? SEC Commissioner Peirce attacks agency’s fines against Kraken exchange
Hester Peirce said using enforcement action to dictate law in an emerging industry is the act of a “lazy” regulator, after the SEC fined the U.S.-based Kraken crypto exchange for failing to register staking programs.
Lessons from FTX: crypto investment risks and how to avoid them
The recent spate of crypto exchanges freezing customer accounts should be a wake-up call to investors everywhere. What can you do to better protect yourself?
Markets: Bitcoin slumps in broad sell off amid SEC charges against Kraken, regulation worries
Bitcoin sank below US$22,000 on Thursday morning in Asia after the U.S. SEC slapped a fine on the Kraken exchange, sparking concerns that regulators are set to take a tougher line on crypto trading.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; Matic sees biggest gain as top 10 cryptos decline
Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Thursday, along with the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with Polygon’s Matic posting the biggest gains.
China tech giant Baidu reveals AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT
The AI chat bot party is heating up in China, with Baidu revealing its ChatGPT rival – ERNIE Bot.
Blockchain developers have taken a decentralized interest in cloud storage – will it shake up the industry?
Blockchain developers want a piece of the multi-billion dollar cloud computing pie. Do current heavyweights in the industry – Amazon, Google and Microsoft – have cause for concern?
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says SEC has ‘terrible’ idea to ban crypto staking for U.S. retail customers
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is considering a ban on cryptocurrency staking for retail customers in the country, said Brian Armstrong, the chief executive of Coinbase Global Inc.
Robinhood aims to buy-back its shares seized by Department of Justice in FTX failure
Robinhood Markets Inc., the U.S.-based financial services company, aims to purchase the 55 million of its shares that FTX-linked Emergent Fidelity Technologies bought in May 2022, according to its earnings report released Wednesday.
CBDCs are coming. Here’s why you should worry
Governments are pushing central bank digital currencies to exert more control over macro policy, writes Josef Tětek of Trezor. But your money and privacy are also at stake.
Alameda wallets activate, transfer millions in FTT tokens
Wallets linked to Alameda Research became active over the past week, transferring millions worth of FTX’s native token, FTT, according to Arkham Intelligence.
Binance makes Korea comeback with GOPAX acquisition
Top blockchain and crypto news: GOPAX deal sees Binance return to South Korea. Inflation fight spooks crypto markets. Chinese liquor giant gives cheers to NFTs.
South Korea prosecutors say Serbia ready to help fraud investigation into Terra’s Do Kwon
Prosecutors flew to Serbia earlier this month as part of an investigation into Terraform Labs chief Do Kwon, who faces fraud accusations related to the US$40 billion collapse of his Terra-Luna cryptocurrency project in May last year.
Beijing regulator warns about NFT speculation, illegal fundraising. Crackdown coming?
Beijing’s market regulator warned that projects marketed in the country as non-fungible tokens or with metaverse-related concepts risk being involved in illegal fundraising or fraudulent activities.
DCG to sell Grayscale holdings at a discount to pay creditors: report
Digital Currency Group has started to sell shares of its cryptocurrency funds at a significant discount, according to a Tuesday report from the Financial Times.
Gemini agrees to put US$100 mln to Earn asset recovery efforts
Gemini has agreed to put up US$100 million to the asset recovery of Earn users as part of bankrupt crypto lender Genesis Capital’s in-principle agreement with parent firm DCG and other creditors.
Markets: Bitcoin rises as Polygon gains most in top 10 cryptos
Bitcoin prices gained in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia while Ethereum dropped with most other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.
JPMorgan report shows institutional trader interest shifting to AI from blockchain after crypto slump
Nearly three out of four institutional traders surveyed “have no plans to trade crypto,” while most see Artificial Intelligence as the next big disrupter.
NFTs inspired by K-drama Crash Landing on You coming from Crypto.com, Studio Dragon
Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com has partnered with Korean drama distributor Studio Dragon to issue NFTs inspired by popular Korean drama series, including the hit Crash Landing on You, the exchange said on Monday.
Binance suspends international U.S. dollar transfers, CEO indicates issues with banks
Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, will suspend all deposits and withdrawals of U.S. dollars at its international exchanges from Feb. 8.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall with bearish U.S. equities, but Bitcoin long bets jump
Bitcoin and Ether dipped in Tuesday morning trading in Asia along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies as Wall Street fell overnight on concern the Fed may crank up interest rates for longer than expected.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether extend losses: Solana, Polygon biggest losers
Bitcoin and Ethereum prices dropped in afternoon trading on Monday in Asia, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Bitcoin continued trading under US$23,000, while Solana and Polygon led losses.
Filecoin developer Protocol Labs cuts 21% staff amid ‘crypto winter’
Crypto layoffs last month matching 41% of the total industry job cuts in 2022, a new study finds.
Bankrupt FTX threatens legal action to claw back donations to politicians, charities
The move marks a shift in tone from December when recipients of FTX donations were requested to “voluntarily” return the funds.
South Korea issues guideline on cryptocurrencies as securities tokens ahead of planned legalization
South Korea published guidelines on Monday for defining what specific cryptocurrencies would fall under regulations applicable to financial securities.
Binance tells Indian crypto exchange WazirX to remove funds from its platform as feud escalates
Binance has stopped providing wallet services to Indian crypto exchange WazirX, asking it to withdraw any remaining assets held in Binance wallets by Feb. 3.
Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin breaches US$23,000 in best monthly performance since October 2021
Bitcoin climbed more than 39% in January to break through the US$23,000 resistance ceiling in its best monthly performance since October 2021. Can the world’s first and biggest cryptocurrency maintain the upward momentum? Industry commentators share their views with Forkast.
Binance re-enters S. Korea through GOPAX equity purchase: report
Binance has returned to South Korea after a two-year break by acquiring a majority stake in the local cryptocurrency exchange GOPAX, Bloomberg reported Friday.
Crypto exchange PayBito begins to integrate ChatGPT into its platform
Cryptocurrency exchange PayBito announced its plans to integrate ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot developed by research firm OpenAI, on Friday.
Markets: Bitcoin and Ether down, Polkadot biggest winner among top 10 cryptos
Bitcoin and Ether fell during Asian trading hours on Friday, along with the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with Polkadot’s DOT posting the biggest gains.
China should reconsider its ban on cryptocurrencies, says former central bank official
China’s blanket ban on cryptocurrency trading can have the country miss critical opportunities for technological development, says former PBOC official.
Silvergate probed by US prosecutors over FTX, Alameda accounts: Bloomberg
U.S. prosecutors are investigating California-based cryptocurrency bank Silvergate Capital Corp. for how it handled accounts tied to now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX and its brokerage arm Alameda Research, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Markets: Bitcoin dips to US$23,500, Ether inches up, other top 10 crypto mixed
Bitcoin and Ether traded mostly little changed Friday morning after a strong run up in the week, with other top 10 cryptocurrencies prices mixed.
Markets: Bitcoin and Ether up, Matic tops gains as investors wait for ECB’s decision on interest rates
Bitcoin and Ether rose during Asian trading hours on Thursday, along with the rest of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Polygon’s Matic posted the biggest gains
Why the cloud will be critical to US competitiveness in world finance
The future global financial system will be reliant on the cloud, especially when it comes to CBDCs and stablecoins, writes Michael Greenwald and Logan Weber.
South Korea arrests head of Bithumb crypto exchange for alleged embezzlement
A South Korean court approved the prosecutor’s request to issue an arrest warrant for Kang Jong-hyun for alleged embezzlement.
Crypto hackers stole record US$3.8 bln in 2022, mostly from DeFi and cross-chain bridges: Chainalysis
Hackers stole at least US$3.8 billion in cryptocurrencies throughout 2022, a record-breaking year for crypto heists, says blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis.
Bankrupt FTX held US$1.4B in cash at the end of 2022
Bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX.com had around US$1.4 billion in cash reserves at the end of 2022, according to a financial update released Tuesday.
Cardano’s Djed stablecoin locks US$10 mln in reserves on its first day
Djed, a Cardano-based algorithmic stablecoin, has collected over US$10 million in its reserves within the first 24 hours since it was launched on Wednesday.
Markets: Bitcoin stays above US$23,000; Cardano leads gains in top 10 cryptos
Bitcoin traded above US$23,000 throughout Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia, while Ethereum and other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies were mixed. Cardano led gains with 2.03% followed by XRP’s 1.13%.
Bitcoin mining fund soars as BTC powers into 2023
Top blockchain and crypto news: BTC mining ETF outperforms. SBF under pressure as accusations mount. ‘China’s Instagram’ embraces NFTs.
India crypto industry on ‘Stairway to Heaven’ as government ignores requests in Budget
Cryptocurrency exchanges in India had lobbied the government to reduce taxes introduced last year, arguing the levies were backfiring by driving local investment offshore.
New Bitcoin protocol may shake up the NFT market
Bitcoin has long been the world’s largest cryptocurrency blockchain, but non-fungible tokens or NFTs were always the domain of Ethereum. A new protocol could change that, and some in the Bitcoin community are not too pleased.
Judge rules secondary sale of LBC does not classify as security in SEC vs LBRY appeal
In the SEC’s case against decentralized publishing platform LBRY Inc., the judge ruled that the secondary sale of LBC does not qualify as a security.
Markets: Bitcoin climbs back above US$23,000 as most top 10 crypto tokens gain ground
Bitcoin prices broke back above US$23,000 in Wednesday morning trading in Asia.
Hong Kong to mandate stablecoin licensing as early as this year
The HKMA said in a consultation conclusion that algorithmic stablecoins will not be allowed in the city.
Celsius misled investors, spent customer funds, bankruptcy examiner claims
Celsius Network may have misled its investors and spent customer funds, an independent examiner said in a Tuesday court filing.
Alameda Research sues Voyager Digital for US$445.8 mln
Alameda Research has sued bankrupt digital assets lender Voyager Digital to reclaim US$445.8 million worth in loan payments before FTX filed for its own bankruptcy.
Crypto’s Biggest Concern
There’s always the possibility of a bigger scam or a bigger hack this year than the ones we saw in 2022. So what can the crypto industry do to survive 2023?
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether drop; Dogecoin rebounds
Bitcoin and Ethereum prices fell during Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia along with most other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies. Dogecoin was the exception in that list as it rebounded from morning losses.
January weekly crypto product investment reaches highest since July, says CoinShares report
Digital asset investment products reached US$117 million in the week ending Jan. 27 — the highest since July 2022 — with nearly all of that going into Bitcoin.
What we must learn from FTX so that history does not repeat itself
Tighter regulations are necessary but not enough. The industry also needs to address its issues with custody and transparency, writes Chen Zhuling of RockX.
Valkyrie’s WGMI Bitcoin Miners ETF named best-performing U.S. fund, surges 105% in 2023
Valkyrie’s Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin Miners exchange-traded fund (ETF), WGMI, has been the best-performing fund of 2023 so far, rising over 105% throughout January.
Bitcoin trades higher in Nigeria amid cashless economy drive
Bitcoin price was trading at a premium in Nigerian cryptocurrency exchanges on Monday following the central bank’s limit on ATM cash withdrawals.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether extend gains; Solana leads among top 10 cryptos
Bitcoin and Ethereum were up in Monday afternoon trading in Asia, while all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies were mixed. Solana led gains at 5.08%.
A crypto regulatory storm front is coming in 2023. Are we ready for it?
Laws to prevent another FTX blowup, crackdowns on crypto tax cheats, and a ruling on Ripple are likely imminent. A bull’s eye is also on DeFi, writes Gergo Varga of SEON.
S.Korea to adopt crypto tracking software in the first half of 2023
The South Korean Ministry of Justice (MOJ) announced Thursday that it will adopt a cryptocurrency tracking system within the first half of 2023.
China’s Hainan province to step up NFT supervision
Hainan province, a popular tourist destination in South China, published a notice on Sunday vowing to step up oversight on non-fungible tokens, or “digital collectibles,” which authorities said come with risks of fraud, money laundering and illegal fundraising.
Biden administration urges U.S. congress to pursue crypto regulation
Four senior officials in U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration called for Congress to “step up its efforts” in regulating the cryptocurrency market.
Markets: Bitcoin closes in on US$24,000, lifts crypto top 10
Bitcoin was up on Monday morning in Asia, reaching its highest price in five months. Ether also rose along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies, with Solana and Litecoin posting the biggest gains.
DOJ, FBI hack Hive Network, save US$130 mln from crypto ransomware attacks
The FBI and the DOJ have concluded a month-long disruption campaign against the Hive ransomware group, preventing victims from having to pay US $130 million.
Bankrupt BlockFi asks court to approve bonuses to keep staff
BlockFi said it needed bonus payments to keep employees from fleeing the company. But creditors argue the plan is excessive when compared to other crypto bankruptcies.
Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin rebounds above $23,000. Can it maintain momentum?
Bitcoin this week broke through the US$23,000 price ceiling for the first time since Aug. 2022. Can the benchmark cryptocurrency maintain its momentum? Industry commentators share their views with Forkast on what the market is telling investors and the signals from the U.S. Federal Reserve on interest rates.
Markets: Bitcoin up, Ether down; MATIC tops gains among top 10 cryptos
Bitcoin was up and Ether was down by the end of Asian trading hours on Friday afternoon when most of the top coins fell slightly. Polygon’s MATIC saw the biggest gains among the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies
More bad news for South Korea’s Bithumb exchange with “Kimchi coin” manipulation allegations
Prosecutors raided the Bithumb crypto exchange on Thursday on allegations of price manipulation and fraudulent transactions in local tokens,
Markets: Bitcoin dips but holds above US$23,000, Ether slips, Polygon biggest gainer in top 10
Bitcoin and Ether gave up some of their January gains in Friday morning trading in Asia, though both are still higher for the week.
Coinbase fined US$3.6 mln by Dutch central bank
The Dutch central bank (DNB) has fined U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase €3.3 million (US$3.6 million) for failing to obtain correct registrations