Search results: politics

As the internet fractures into silos degraded by censorship and disinformation, DAOs and public blockchains may offer ways to restore trust.

Singapore investment behemoth Temasek has been in the digital asset space for several years, and it’s doubling down on its commitment, says its blockchain chief.

The downturn is forcing Web3 firms into a reset — and opening opportunities for Web2 entrepreneurs to enter the playing field, writes Lily Z. King of Cobo.

The prospect of tighter codes for the crypto industry has given some players the jitters. Others, such as Crypto.com’s Eric Anziani, see it as an opportunity.

The industry should fasten its seat belt, an industry watcher told Forkast, as the largest of crypto firms headline widespread layoffs amid the 2022 market crunch.

Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Xiong’an New Area announced they are distributing free digital yuan “red packets” to boost local consumption amid China’s economic slowdown fueled by mass Covid lockdowns.  See related article: Covid-19, postponed Asian Games to push digital yuan into the slow lane? Fast facts See related article: What I learned from my role in […]

The Singapore-based banking behemoth may have found its reach constrained in retail crypto markets, but it still has big plans, CEO Piyush Gupta tells Forkast.

Changes in government don’t come about too often in Australia, so there’s always plenty to unpack when it does, including what’s in store for investors in the world of cryptocurrency.

Blockchain was once associated overwhelmingly with cryptocurrencies — and specifically its poster children, Bitcoin and Ethereum. The latter, in particular, has thrust the industry forwards into the realm of smart contracts integration.  Ethereum started to bear fruit arguably most prominently last year amid a boom in non-fungible tokens (NFTs), while decentralized finance (DeFi) offered a […]

In a special op-ed, 2 former CFTC chiefs and a crypto executive make the case for why the US must prioritize policies that support the new Web3 economy.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Terra puts down the fork. Bitcoin loses its shine in Singapore. China’s miners dig in.

There’s never a dull moment in the news business. Now, as media outlets explore blockchain, the Associated Press’s Dwayne Desaulniers says more change is coming.

Joe Biden’s executive order on crypto has put America on course for solid success in the digital asset space, says the Blockchain Association’s Kristin Smith.

The market for non-fungible tokens soared, then slumped. That doesn’t worry Spores Network’s Duc Luu, who’s betting on brands to fuel its future growth.

Bitcoin is now a reserve asset for Terra’s UST. What does this portend for the $186 billion stablecoins market?

The emancipatory promise of decentralization has been both evangelized and excoriated. The Algorand Foundation’s Jason Lee explains why we should be believers.

Aided by crypto like Monero, ransomware crimes are on the rise globally, writes Srinivas Mukkamala of Ivanti. Android users are especially vulnerable.

India’s crypto tax represents both a threat to the industry and an opportunity to create a regulatory framework to support it, says Polygon’s Jaynti Kanani.

Cryptocurrencies have won credit for their role in Ukraine’s war, showing utility that will drive them beyond the battlefield, says Amber Group’s Michael Wu.

Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two divergent narratives about crypto are being told, writes Alex Tapscott. Which version is correct?

Cryptocurrency is being used both to fund Ukraine’s defense and prevent Russia’s ability to skirt sanctions in what may become a pivotal moment for the industry.

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

Look for progress reports on e-CNY, blockchain technology, new digital infrastructure, and subtle mentions of the international sanctions against Russia.

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

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.

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

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

WikiLeaks founder’s legal defense fundraising bonanza. Shiba Inu’s big new leap. NFT fever rises in China.

All eyes will be on Beijing for the upcoming games — will China use the spotlight to officially launch its CBDC?

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.

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 numbers are in: digital yuan’s historical transactions reached 87.565 billion yuan (US$11.238 billion) as of the end of 2021, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) announced on Tuesday.  Fast facts

South Korean lawmaker Lee Kwang-jae announced on Sunday that he has started accepting political donations in cryptocurrencies. Fast facts Donors can use Bitcoin, Ethereum, Kakao’s KLAY, media industry-focused NEWS, and payments-focused Paycoin, while receipts can be issued as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), according to Lee’s website.  The first donor was an anonymous professional from the blockchain […]

How has layer-2 innovation saved Bitcoin from becoming a victim of its own success? Blockstream chief Adam Back explains.

In South Korea, a new presidential administration will be chosen in March. Here’s where the four major candidates stand on Korea’s booming virtual asset space.

Love it or hate it, Bitcoin can be a powerful force for good — and it’s here to stay, writes Peter Vessenes, co-founder of The Bitcoin Foundation.

What are the responsibilities of blockchain companies when it comes to freedom of expression? A controversial cartoonist finds out the boundaries.

Bitcoin’s current price is not indicative of the crypto’s future prospects, says Mark Yusko, who looks forward to the tokenization of everything.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Can stablecoins bankroll democracy? Nike swooshes into the metaverse. Animoca and Bored Apes venture deeper into the gaming jungle.

Decentralized autonomous organizations are ripe for robot takeovers, says SingularityDAO’s Marcello Mari. After all, why do decentralized entities need leaders?

Supply chain woes are deepening as seasonal consumer demand meets a logistics logjam. Dennis Delgado of SyncFab explains how blockchain can help. 

South Korea reaches a tentative agreement to delay a pending tax on virtual assets. Crypto investors in next-door Japan already face taxation up to 55%.

Shenzhen’s special zone for cooperating with Hong Kong, Qianhai District, will allocate 10 million yuan (US$1.57 million) to motivate enterprises to develop e-CNY-compatible businesses, especially in cross-border e-CNY and fintech labs. Fast facts The Qianhai Administration introduces the policies in a document released on Monday called “Interim Measures for Managing Special Funds for Supporting Financial […]

As social media’s influence on broader society continues to grow, decentralized platforms will mean less central moderation — for better or worse.

The promise of financial democratization forms the bedrock of DeFi’s appeal. But who’s in charge — and who to hold responsible when things go south?

Blockchain-powered iVote.ph lets users ‘vote’ on NFTs depicting presidential candidates in the Philippines. Can the underlying technology be trusted?

While a significant legislative achievement for U.S. President Joe Biden, the US$1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law on Monday included provisions relating to cryptocurrency tax reporting requirements that has many in the industry nervous. Fast facts As Forkast.News previously reported, provisions were added to the bill as it was being drafted in August […]

Covid laid bare the gaps in people’s access to banking services. Moeda Seeds is looking not just to fill the gaps but to change the banking paradigm.

The Central American nation is the first to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. As many countries face similar issues of large unbanked population and high remittance fees, will others follow suit?

The country will follow global crypto guidelines in excluding non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from its categorization of virtual assets — meaning income from NFTs may remain untaxed in Korea.

Blockdata co-founder Jonathan Knegtel thinks so. Almost a teenager, Bitcoin is reaching a level of maturity that’s defying the predictions of its critics.

Facebook, now called Meta, is casting off one of the world’s most famous names to retool itself into a metaverse company. Will its $10 billion bet pay off?

Bitcoin is awakening humanity to its own sovereign capacities, says Ben Caselin of AAX. Here’s why the world’s first cryptocurrency is still at the cutting edge of finance and culture.

Candidates and possible contenders in South Korea’s next presidential election call for delaying a plan to tax virtual assets — currently scheduled to begin in January — in a bid to appeal to millennial and Generation Z voters. Fast facts Lawmakers from both the ruling democratic party and the opposition party have spoken out against […]

As luxury brands eye the virtual realm, Zilliqa co-founder Max Kantelia looks forward to a convergence of desirable objects and digital opportunities.

As blockchain nodes multiply around the world, the need for interconnectivity has never been greater. John DeVadoss of InterWork Alliance explains why.

Top blockchain and crypto news: US leads charge in ramping up cybersecurity. Crypto fans crow as Facebook flops. China bears down on metaverses.

Chinese social media has been abuzz since authorities lowered the boom on crypto. Forkast.News has been following the chatter. Here’s what they’re saying on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

Amid China’s new clampdown, why is DeFi surging and the RMB-to-crypto market important? Sam Bankman-Fried analyzes what it all means and why FTX is leaving Hong Kong for a new home.

While a US digital dollar is stuck at pole position, China’s digital yuan is nearing the finish line. Michael B. Greenwald of Tiedemann Advisors explains why it matters to the future global economy.  

As Cardano’s Alonzo upgrade goes live, founder Charles Hoskinson of IOHK calls DeFi a ‘bubble.’ How does he think the regulation that is sure to come will reshape DeFi in the future?

Why is Axie Infinity so popular, and what is the potential of play-to-earn gaming? Two venture capitalists share insights on Asia’s special place as GameFi’s hub.

Too small to fight as individuals, Binance users are now banding together to take on the world’s largest crypto exchange in arbitration. David Kay of Liti Capital explains how it’s done.

Prominent Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan will release his own non-fungible token collection later this year. Fast facts The NFTs will be rolled out on BeyondLife.club, a joint venture between Indian film production company Rhiti Entertainment and Guardian Link, a decentralized legitimacy protocol for NFT exchanges. BeyondLife.club allows users to buy NFTs with credit cards or […]

What is the relationship between crypto assets and stock prices? An analysis week’s market trends.

The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s paper of record for 118 years, is experimenting with NFTs and metaverse technology to bring its storied past into the future.

The ideal metaverse is open and interoperable, says Jamie Burke of Outlier Ventures. Here’s how blockchain gaming and NFTs are closing in on that future.

London hard fork is live and Ethereum users are hoping high gas fees will be a thing of the past. Will ETH improvements phase out layer-2 scaling protocols? Polygon’s co-founder thinks not.

Are DAOs and decentralization always beneficial for the group or the user? Antoni Trenchev of Nexo urges you to think again.

Despite strong lobbying attempts from the crypto industry for last-minute amendments, the Biden administration’s US$1 trillion infrastructure bill passed the Senate last night with heightened tax reporting requirements for crypto “brokers” and possible ramifications for crypto miners, as Yahoo News reports. Fast facts A compromise amendment requiring unanimous consent to be added to the bill […]

A landmark US$1 trillion infrastructure bill moved one step closer to becoming law on Sunday, notably without carve-outs for cryptocurrency miners and network validators. What does it mean for the industry?