Search results: blockchain global

War-mongering Russia is finding itself increasingly isolated. Can cryptocurrency help the rogue state soften the blow of sanctions?

Nine U.S. senators are backing a bill that aims to crack down on China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the e-CNY or digital yuan, which they claim could allow Russia to bypass financial sanctions imposed on its banks and entities.  See related article: Digital yuan pilot attracts Chinese province bordering Russia Fast facts “If left […]

Global cryptocurrency exchange FTX’s European arm announced a partnership with Tomorrowland on Thursday with goals to bring blockchain and Web 3.0 applications to the popular electronic music festival. Fast facts The partners will explore Web 3.0 applications such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for art, music, ticketing, as well as crypto payments and metaverse events.   The […]

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis announced the launch of two screening tools on Friday that will allow cryptocurrency wallet owners to determine if wallets are compliant with global sanctions efforts and will be provided free of charge to the crypto industry.  See related article: Coinbase blocks 25,000 Russian crypto wallet addresses Fast facts Centralized exchanges widely […]

As Russia’s economy began to tank, data shows many turned to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a store of value and means of transacting.

Australian non-fungible tokens (NFTs) startup Immutable has raised fresh funding in a round led by Singapore’s Temasek, bringing its valuation to US$2.5 billion, the company said in a statement on Monday.  See related article: Jump in NFT demand reflects crypto prices, right? Wrong Fast facts Immutable raised US$200 million in a Series C funding led […]

Stranded away from home, Web 3.0 company Everstake founder Sergey Vasylchuck realized he could still help his war-torn homeland Ukraine by raising funds through a DAO.

Bitcoin and other cryptos are being used on both sides of the fight, raising ethical issues that cut to the core of decentralization, says AAX’s Ben Caselin

As the public tires of Big Tech’s privacy abuses, Web3’s premise of decentralization has never looked better, writes Edward Chen of Huobi.

Nomura Holdings will restructure its Future Innovation Company into a newly established company to leverage the rise of digital assets, effective April 1.  Fast facts See related article: IBM, Nomura to use blockchain for plastics recycling in new consortium The Japanese financial services giant revealed in a statement its plans to expand its private markets […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Digital currency battling Russian invasion. Ethereum remains NFT projects’ chain of choice. China to lock up crypto traders.

With limited access to donations through traditional crowdfunding, cryptocurrencies and NFTs offer immediate help, Trippy Labs tells Forkast.

A blockchain is a database that can record all transactions and transfers for the entire world. All users can use public blockchain explorers to verify all data is correct.  Blockchain facilitates transactions of virtual currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Transactions that take place are fast, cheap, tamper-proof and irreversible.  But blockchain technology is not limited […]

Ukrainian Bitcoin ATM developer Intellogate is expanding its services to Asia through a new partnership with two South Korean firms. See related article: Singapore crypto ATMs shut down to comply with central bank rules Fast facts South Korean blockchain service provider Publish and kiosk producer Lincrux signed a memorandum of cooperation with Intellogate to leverage […]

The multi-faceted metaverse provides new channels for gaming, socialization, art exhibitions and more. Who’s leading the race and how?

Russia’s war on Ukraine is battering crypto prices, but what does the more distant future hold for BTC and ETH? Fintech experts offer predictions.

Russian soldiers surrendering to Ukraine will receive 5 million rubles worth of crypto or cash, according to Masha Efrosinina, local TV host and honorary ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine.  See related article: Ukraine’s crypto demand soars; Russian sanctions tighten Fast facts Efrosinina said in an Instagram post that surrendering soldiers of […]

Measures to detect sanctioned entities’ crypto transactions can come into play, experts say.

More people in the region are in thrall to play-to-earn gaming as it adapts to offer real-world uses, says Infinity Ventures Crypto founding partner Brian Lu.

Around 30 South Korean crypto and blockchain firms have officially started partnering with CODE, a joint venture formed to meet the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) travel rule. See related article: What lies ahead for crypto regulations in 2022 Fast facts FATF’s travel rule is a global set of guidelines for virtual asset service providers […]

Sunny skies and wide open spaces may seem the perfect place to mine Bitcoin using cheap solar power, but one industry insider tells Forkast there’s much more to it than that.

The RBI is casting a cloud of regulatory uncertainty over the local digital assets industry, but the nation’s Bitcoin premium shows India wants crypto. 

Amber Group has secured US$200 million in a funding round led by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek, raising the cryptocurrency platform’s valuation to US$3 billion.  See related story: Temasek-founded Affinidi launches new business unit to bring Web 3.0 to financial services to Southeast Asia Fast facts Existing investors including Sequoia China, Pantera Capital, Tiger Global […]

An asset bought and valued in crypto becomes decoupled from crypto prices, a split that reflects the differences between crypto investors and NFT buyers.

As businesses wake up to the potential of the metaverse, we ask The Sandbox’s Sebastien Borget whether its creator-driven promise will persevere.

Hong Kong-based blockchain unicorn Animoca Brands’ Japanese strategic subsidiary started operations on Tuesday to bridge the nation’s exclusive intellectual property (IP) with the Web 3.0 ecosystem. See related article: Animoca Brands valued at US$5B after latest fundraise Fast facts The subsidiary, Animoca Brands KK, is building a blockchain-powered platform for Japanese IP holders to launch […]

Over 1,200 non-fungible token (NFT)-related trademarks were registered in the U.S. in 2021, a 420-fold increase from the previous year, according to data acquired by Finbold. Fast facts More than 400 trademarks were filed in the month of December 2021 while none were filed in January 2021. There were 450 filings in January 2022, a […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Super Bowl score for digital asset exchanges. CryptoPunks holders face copyright conundrum. Hong Kong warns of NFT risks.

The Philippines is offering residency in one of its special economic zones known as ecozones with low tax rates for users staking the utility token of Oz Finance, TOTOZ.  Fast facts The residency is offered at the Freeport Area of Bataan, one of over 400 operating ecozones in the Philippines, which is located across the […]

Popular video game Genshin Impact developer miHoYo announced on Monday the launch of HoYoverse for its global expansion while hinting its entry into the metaverse race. Fast facts The China-based game developer wants to provide a virtual world with a “high level of freedom and immersion,” miHoYo CEO Haoyu Cai said in a statement.  MiHoYo […]

Ransomware revenue in crypto in 2021 has been traced to strains connected to Russia with most of the extorted funds laundered through services that primarily cater to Russian users, blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis reported. Fast facts Around 74% of the over US$400 million worth of crypto ransomware revenue last year was directed to strains that […]

As more countries announce plans for central bank digital currencies, will that break crypto’s promise as the future of money?

Netmarble revealed Thursday that it has formed a strategic partnership with Binance to establish a global blockchain gaming ecosystem. Fast facts Binance will provide its blockchain platform and tech infrastructure to Netmarble. Netmarble will build a new sidechain on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) for developing GameFi and an initial game offering (IGO) on the […]

Upcoming digital yuan trial to piggyback on Hong Kong’s popular Faster Payment System for smoother cross-border transactions.

The announcement of a crypto tax dispelled fears of a ban but left exchanges wondering whether they may be hurt in the long run.

Cryptocurrencies categorized as fan tokens surged by 27.53% in global sales volume over the past seven days while non-fungible tokens (NFTs) dropped by 31.66%, according to CryptoSlam data.   Fast facts The market capitalization of fan tokens surged in tandem, rising by 41.3% over the same timeframe as NFTs also jumped by 30.4% in this measurement.   […]

Bandai Namco is investing 15 billion Japanese yen (US$130 million) into building an “IP Metaverse” with its array of games and content, the Japanese entertainment conglomerate announced on Tuesday. Fast facts “Through the IP Metaverse, we will establish communities among Bandai Namco and fans, as well as among fans themselves,” the company wrote in its […]

The new token economy offers unparalleled opportunities for content creators, writes Weiwei Geng of Unite.io. Improving user experience will be key.

By returning data ownership and reshaping human-machine interactions, the third generation of the internet promises an interconnected future.

Last weekend’s rally shows there is still life left in memecoins. Industry insiders weigh in on where they stand in the long run.

Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Polygon has raised US$450 million from several big name investors including Sequoia Capital India, SoftBank, Galaxy Digital and Tiger Global, boosting its war chest as demand for its services grow.  Fast facts Polygon is one of the most prominent Ethereum scalers whose tools allow developers to create decentralized apps (dApps) and […]

After a poor start to the year, the market needed some good news. Industry watchers urge caution.

Unique non-fungible token (NFT) buyers hit an all-time high (ATH) in January with more than 895,000 shoppers, according to data tracker CryptoSlam. Fast facts The new ATH recorded an almost 3,000% year-over-year increase and a 6.5% month-over-month growth. The number of unique sellers grew by almost 14% from December to January with 741,865 vendors, just […]

The beloved Pinkfong Baby Shark franchise is getting its own blockchain-based play-to-earn (P2E) game, set for a worldwide release in the first half of this year, South Korean developer CityLabs announced on Thursday. Fast facts The Baby Shark Bubble Pong Friends game has been teased as a bubble-shooter puzzle game where players transact in cryptocurrencies […]

The two most popular NFT-related crimes, money laundering and wash trading, resulted in illicit profits of US$10 million in 2021, according to a report released Wednesday by blockchain forensics firm Chainalysis. Fast facts While the US$10 million of global NFT criminal activity is relatively small, Chainalysis reported a spike in the use of illicit funds […]

Crypto regulations are lagging the market’s needs, and the industry should help create order to gain greater public trust, writes Imgesu Cetin of Defy Trends.

The recent crypto price plunge has done little to rattle new investors. Are they just buying the dip, or is there more to it? Q9 Capital’s James Quinn explains.

South Korean game developer Netmarble announced its crypto and play-to-earn (P2E) strategies at a press conference on Thursday, including plans to issue its own cryptocurrency. Fast facts Netmarble CEO Kwon Young-sik said the company is preparing to issue and list a crypto token that would act as a key currency for Netmarble games. Netmarble has […]

CBDCs can increase financial inclusion and prevent crime, according to blockchain expert Tiana Laurence. What’s not to like about state-backed digital money?

The amount of cryptocurrency used in money laundering activities increased 30% in 2021 compared to the year before, but represents a smaller portion of total transactions, according to an annual crypto money laundering report by Chainalysis, a blockchain data analytics firm.  Fast facts Cybercriminals laundered US$8.6 billion worth of cryptocurrency last year, with the total […]

Political chaos and power shortages are causing miners to flee a nation that only recently became the world’s second-largest Bitcoin producer.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Market chills make investors shiver. Hacking storm at OpenSea. Has Beijing tamed NFTs?

Mark Lamb of CoinFLEX takes a 20-year view of crypto and predicts ‘infinitely bigger’ growth than imagined today, with stablecoins leading the transformation.

Crypto regulations run the gamut from wait-and-see to total prohibition. What are the dos and don’ts of smart regulation?

Despite Singapore’s reputation as a crypto-friendly hub, the truth is more complicated. Is the city-state purposely keeping out small companies?

Fantom has overtaken Binance Smart Chain (BSC) to become the third-largest blockchain in decentralized finance (DeFi) as measured by total value locked (TVL), according to DeFiLlama. Fast facts Fantom’s TVL bucked the global crypto market downtrend and increased more than 60% to US$12.2 billion over the past week, as of publishing time. Fantom is an […]

The Bitcoin mining difficulty level rose to an all-time high in its latest adjustment on Friday while the total Bitcoin hashrate also reached an all-time-high during a global cryptocurrency sell-off. Fast facts The mining difficulty level rose by 9.32% to 26.64 trillion at block height 719.712, reflecting its most difficult level in history, according to […]

K-pop fans are waging online campaigns against their favorite artists over NFTs, denouncing the technology’s carbon footprint. How polluting are NFTs?

Global NFT sales are exploding in 2022, but experts predict this is only the beginning of a bigger surge in Asia.

A pro basketball player and an ex-banker are aiming for a slam-dunk with a ‘creator first’ content platform. Calaxy co-founder Solo Ceesay explains how.

The fast-growing crypto exchange Crypto.com discloses large amounts of Bitcoin and Ether were stolen from 483 customers.

Alternative approaches to governance have never been more important, writes Alexander Filatov of TON Labs. Here is how DAOs can change the world.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Asian governments target crypto. Managing MATIC. China’s expanding metaverse.

Malaysian exchange will offer equity tokens representing direct shares on the blockchain, claiming it will be the world’s first fully regulated equity-token IPO.

Binance signed a memorandum of understanding with Bangkok-based power company Gulf Energy Development to establish a digital asset exchange in Thailand, the Southeast Asian nation with a population of 70 million people.  Fast facts According to Gulf Energy’s letter to the Thai Stock Exchange on Monday, its local resources coupled with Binance’s exchange technology would […]

In the latest sign of growing blockchain adoption, the tennis tournament expands to the metaverse, offering rewards and participation through NFTs.

Cardano’s ADA edged out Bitcoin as the currency of choice in a Twitter poll posted by Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin on a hypothetical future without ETH. Fast facts Buterin asked his 3.1 million followers on Friday what currency, aside from Ethereum, they would prefer to be used in 80% of all global transactions by 2035, […]

If 2021 was a breakout year for crypto, this year may mark a similar advance for regulation of the industry, says Caroline Malcolm, Chainalysis’ new policy chief.

The NFT platform crosses $1B in sales volume within a week after launch, but with a controversial incentive structure and so-called ‘vampire’ attack.

Palau will issue a stablecoin to support plans for a digital overhaul of its economy, according to its president. Fast facts President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. said the Pacific archipelago was also working on establishing a crypto exchange, a corporate registry and digital wallets for each resident in its digital revamp. Palau is planning a […]

Traditional banks are not going away and decentralized finance is here to stay, writes Edan Yago of Sovryn. Here’s how an amalgam of the two can take shape.

Stablecoins and CBDCs will likely co-exist in the city, experts say, as Hong Kong looks to thrive as crypto hub.