Survey predicts crypto will rival or replace fiat within 10 years
Cryptocurrency and other digital assets are expected to rival or displace fiat currencies within the next decade, according to Deloitte’s 2021 Global Blockchain Survey. Fast facts More than three quarters of the 1,280 executives and practitioners surveyed by Deloitte, the global consulting, tax services and auditing firm, think that digital assets “will serve as a […]
Taiwanese startup XREX raises $17 million to advance crypto payment services
XREX’s fundraise reflects Taiwan’s ambition to be part of fintech and blockchain innovation in spite of the island’s strict banking regulations.
Coinbase launches in Japan: Binance users take legal action
Coinbase launches in Japan while Binance users take legal action
Canadian regulator seeks enforcement action against crypto exchange OKEx
The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is seeking to bring an enforcement action against Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd., which operates the OKEx platform, for allegedly violating Ontario securities law, according to a statement. Fast facts According to the statement of allegations filed by the OSC’s enforcement team on Aug. 18, Seychelles-incorporated Aux Cayes — which […]
Cardano hits new all-time high as upcoming smart contracts send ADA into new price discovery
Cardano’s Alonzo upgrade is fueling ADA’s price growth into top-3 cryptocurrency. Major crypto players are now also signaling bullishness on Cardano.
China shuts down website and social media of high-profile blockchain center
China continues its crackdown on certain illegal social organizations, as authorities shut down the website and social media accounts of the China Blockchain Application Center — a organization once led by some of the nation’s most prominent crypto industry leaders, state media China National Radio reported yesterday. Fast facts The China Blockchain Application Center was […]
Binance users burned by outage band together to take legal action
Crypto traders who suffered losses on Binance due to tech outages are turning to arbitration and crypto litigation finance.
Blockchain investment goes green: Court says bitcoin legally protected
Blockchain investment goes green while Court says bitcoin legally protected
Thailand publishes CBDC study results, pilot test to start in 2022
The Bank of Thailand today published the results of its retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) study and public survey, which the central bank says will guide the development of the country’s CBDC pilot test. Fast facts The Bank of Thailand underscored that a CBDC for the general public “must not adversely affect monetary policy […]
Netherlands warns Binance is illegally offering crypto services
The central bank of the Netherlands has issued a warning that Binance — the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world by trading volume — is illegally operating in the country. Fast facts Binance is providing crypto services in the Netherlands without the required legal registration with De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), according to the regulator. “This […]
Poly Network offers hacker a job: NFTs support Afghan families
Poly Network offers hacker a job meanwhile NFTs support Afghan families
OpenSea dumps Pepe the Frog NFT series
Despite having verified it, and with investors already spending millions on the project, OpenSea has delisted the NFT series after being notified by its creator.
BIT Mining revenue soars despite losses from operational pivot
Operating costs and crypto bear market suck up cash after former lottery operator bets on digital assets
Crypto exchanges diving into esports sponsorships to engage young digital natives
Bybit, a cryptocurrency exchange based in Singapore, announced today a multi-year partnership with popular esports team NAVI (“Natus Vincere”), which will display Bybit’s logo on NAVI’s jerseys as well as charity initiatives, school projects, and anti-hate and anti-bullying campaigns. Fast facts “The Covid-19 pandemic has changed many established conventions in a number of human experiences,” […]
Binance names new global anti-money laundering chief as it beefs up compliance efforts
Binance — the world’s biggest cryptocurrency by trading volume — today announced the appointment of Greg Monahan, a former U.S. Treasury criminal investigator, as its global anti-money laundering officer, according to a company statement. Fast facts Monahan’s appointment comes as Binance seeks to bolster its compliance efforts amid increasing scrutiny from regulators around the world — […]
BC Group’s OSL digital asset revenues jump 70% in first half
BC Technology Group, a Hong Kong-listed technology digital asset company and parent of OSL, the first licensed digital asset platform in the city, today announced that its group revenues rose 54% year on year to HK$153 million (US$20 million) in the first half of 2021, driven by a 70% increase in OSL’s digital asset business […]
Union Bank of Philippines partners with Hex Trust to enter digital asset ecosystem
Union Bank of the Philippines and Hex Trust, a Hong Kong-based digital asset custodian, today announced that the bank was partnering with Hex Trust to provide digital asset custody services to it as it enters the digital asset sector. Fast facts As part of the collaboration, Hex Trust will provide digital asset custody as an […]
Solana hits all time high: GoSats launches bitcoin reward card
Solana hits all time high as GoSats launches bitcoin reward card
Blockchain, crypto investment soars in H1 2021
Global investment in blockchain and cryptocurrencies leapt in the first half of 2021, with US$8.7 billion raised and 548 deals sealed, according to consulting firm KMPG’s latest Pulse of Fintech H1’21 report. Fast facts Global fintech investment in H1 2021 reached US$98 billion in 2,456 deals, compared to US$121.5 billion for the whole of 2020, […]
Poly Network assets returned; OKEx lists Baby Doge
Poly Network assets returned also OKEx lists Baby Doge
Amber Group partners with ETH Zurich, China’s Southern University of Science & Tech on crypto risk management
Hong Kong-based crypto finance firm Amber Group has announced a collaboration with the Institute of Risk Analysis, Prediction and Management (Risks-X) on a crypto risk management research project, according to a company statement. Fast facts Risks-X is a research institute collaboration between ETH Zurich, a public research university in Zurich, and the Southern University of […]
Poly Network hackers say they wanted to ‘save the world,’ return over 50% of stolen funds
Poly Network hackers have returned stolen assets worth around US$340 million so far.
Total crypto market cap reaches $2 trillion again
The total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies has just broken the milestone of US$2 trillion for the first time since May, reflecting a bullish trend since earlier this month. Fast facts On Wednesday night Hong Kong time, the total crypto market cap reached US$2.007 trillion and stood at US$2.002 trillion on Thursday at noon, according to […]
Largest hack in DeFi history; ADA hits two month high
Largest hack in DeFi history while ADA hits two month high
Chinese DeFi platform Poly Network suffers US$600M hack
Impact of one of the biggest heists in the industry looks set to be mitigated as hackers agree to return funds.
NFTs and the music industry: K-pop’s new token economy | Part 2
K-pop superstars Brave Girls, Se7en and A.C.E. are among the latest to jump on the non-fungible token bandwagon. Are fans buying it?
HK artists embrace NFT’s; NFTs new top K-Pop merchandise
Hong Kong artists embrace NFTs. NFT’s to become must-have merchandise for K-Pop fans. And an Indonesian resort offers NFT timeshares. We’ll have more on that story — and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world — in this episode of The Daily Forkast, August 10th. Transcript Welcome to The Daily Forkast, August 10th 2021. […]
Unocoin offers bitcoin vouchers; Alonzo upgrade onboards users
Unocoin offers bitcoin vouchers as Alonzo upgrade onboards users
Crypto miners set to be snared by U.S. infrastructure 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?
Cardano’s Alonzo Purple testnet begins onboarding users
Cardano’s much-anticipated Alonzo Purple upgrade has begun onboarding users to its testnet, according to a 12-part Twitter thread by developer Input Output Hong Kong. Fast facts Alonzo Purple is the third and final stage of the Alonzo upgrade, following Blue and White, and when complete will be the first fully public Cardano testnet to support […]
Ripple expands XRP into NFTs amid escalating legal battles
As court grants CEO request to obtain info from Binance to bolster defense in SEC lawsuit, Ripple seeks to expand use cases for XRP Ledger.
Ether price and trading volume surging as Ethereum upgrade goes live
Ethereum’s London hard fork sees a smooth launch as the crypto market sends Ether’s price soaring.
China continues e-CNY pilot; Google allows crypto advertising
China continues e-CNY pilot also Google allows crypto advertising
DBS Bank’s digital exchange assets surge 60% in Q2
DBS eyes bigger investor base as digital assets under custody top US$100 million.
Rothschild’s RIT Capital leads funding round for Aspen Digital to provide crypto services for institutional investors
Hong Kong-based Aspen Digital, a digital asset management platform for institutional investors, announced on Wednesday that it has secured US$8.8 million in pre-A funding to develop a one-stop shop for asset managers to invest in digital assets and manage their clients’ portfolios. Fast facts The funding round was led by RIT Capital Partners, the London-based […]
Ethereum upgrade closely watched; India launches e-RUPI voucher
Ethereum upgrade closely watched also India launches e-RUPI voucher
Taxing times for crypto. Ethereum hard fork takes knife to fees. Tencent bets on NFTs.
Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Ethereum’s price flatlining on eve of revolution? Uncle Sam wants pay to play. China’s Big Tech toes the line with NFTs.
Ethereum prices hit resistance as major London Upgrade looms
ETH rose in a historic run in anticipation of ‘Ethereum halving’ — but dipped on the eve of the London hard fork. Forkast.News asks top cryptocurrency analysts to find out why.
Tencent climbs aboard NFT bandwagon with new trading app
Chinese internet giant Tencent is making a foray in the world of non-fungible tokens, launching an NFT trading platform named Huanhe. Fast facts The tech conglomerate has rolled out the Huanhe app — built on the company’s own Zhixin chain — on its Android application platform. Its debut sales feature 300 audio NFTs created based […]
China maintains crypto market pressure; J-Pop stars offer NFT advice
China maintains crypto market pressure. On the other hand, J-Pop stars offer NFT advice.
Binance in Malaysia ban as it ends derivatives trading in Germany, Italy, Netherlands
World’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange steps up compliance and cuts product offerings, with a ban in Malaysia and end of lucrative derivatives business in three EU nations.
Singapore crypto financial services unicorn Matrixport closes fundraise
Matrixport, a Singapore-based digital asset financial services platform, today announced the completion of a series-C funding round, bringing the company’s valuation to more than US$1 billion. Fast facts The funding round was led by partners of DST Global, C Ventures and K3 Ventures, with other investors including Qiming Venture Partners, CE Innovation Capital and Tiger […]
Busan plans digital asset exchange; Tencent launches digital IOUs:
Busan plans digital asset exchange meanwhile Tencent launches digital IOUs.
10 key blockchain developments in healthcare toward Covid-19 in 2021
Blockchain technology is part of the important work being done toward a safer and healthier world. Lucas Schweiger of Blockdata summarizes this year’s strides forward.
Crypto exchange FTX.US daily trading volumes jump 150-fold in a year
FTX.US, the U.S. affiliate of Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange FTX, saw its average daily trading volumes soar 150-fold in June compared to the same month a year before, according to the company’s mid-year results. Fast facts The company reported that FTX.US had a daily volume that ranged between US$150 million and US$1 billion in the […]
IMF wants to be part of world’s transition to a digital economy
The International Monetary Fund says it has a mandate to help countries around the world adopt and adapt to digital currencies, but only if the digital money is in the public interest — which Bitcoin is not, according to an IMF report published yesterday. Fast facts While the IMF recognizes the potential benefits of digital […]
Over 220 million people are now crypto users, says new report
The number of crypto users around the world grew to 221 million in June, double the number in January, according to a report released today by Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange, Crypto.com. Fast facts Bitcoin drove the growth in crypto use from January to April, with companies such as Microstrategy, PayPal, Tesla and Visa buying into […]
Crypto retirement plans are on the rise. Are they a good idea?
Tokenization is creating new ways to invest. 3 crypto firms are partnering to also offer crypto retirement portfolios and inheritance planning.
India admits no crypto data; Korean crypto investor numbers plummet
Number of new South Korean crypto investors have tanked in the month of June as crypto mining investments boom outside China.
Crypto mining rig giant Bitmain divests from AntPool, the world’s biggest mining pool
Bitmain’s move comes amid China’s crypto mining crackdowns and AntPool’s shrinking hashrate. Is Bitmain gussying up for an IPO?
Battle for blockchain talent is heating up. What and where are the crypto jobs?
Flush with capital, blockchain and crypto firms are on a hiring spree. Here’s how the battle for crypto talent is playing out.
Bitmain spins off Antpool; Binance CEO willing to step down
Binance CEO CZ confirms that a new executive may lead the organization. Meanwhile, Bitmain spins off one of the world’s largest mining pool Antpool.
Amazon’s brush with Bitcoin. Robinhood IPO looms. Huobi backs out of Beijing.
Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Amazon taking up BTC? Robinhood’s share sale deserves scrutiny. Did Huobi jump or was it pushed?
Binance CEO reiterates willingness to replace self, beefs up KYC
Binance also tightens withdrawal limits and unveils new tax reporting tool, to counter recent flurry of government investigations and bad publicity.
Digital asset custody platform Fireblocks completes $310 million fundraise
Capital increase takes company’s valuation to US$2 billion as it looks to grow customer base, partnerships.
Huobi deregisters Beijing entity; K-drama takes crypto back in time
Huobi deregisters Beijing entity while K-drama takes crypto back in time
Bit Mining pivots overseas; Ethereum creator joins ‘Stoner Cats’ cast
Bit Mining pivots overseas as Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin joins animated crypto series ‘Stoned Cats’ cast.
Chinese crypto firms donate millions of yuan to flood-hit Henan
Three blockchain and crypto-related companies have donated hundreds of millions of yuan to China’s Henan Province, which has suffered deadly floods since last week. Fast facts Bitmain, a crypto mining firm was the first to announce a donation of 10 million yuan (US$1.54 million) on July 23 to a charity federation in Zhengzhou, the provincial […]
Binance expands in Singapore amid global crackdown
Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, appears to be expanding its Singapore office. At the time of publishing, Linkedin showed that it had 261 job vacancies in Singapore — where its CEO, Changpeng Zhao, allegedly lives — among 964 vacancies globally. Fast facts The talent Binance is seeking ranges from futures growth […]
NFTs, smart contracts come to ADA as Alonzo mainnet debut approaches
Wolfram Blockchain Labs and Cardano are set to host a livestream event in which items from Wolfram’s computational universe will be “Liveminted” as NFTs on the Cardano network. Details of the event were shared on the website of Cardano’s parent company, Input Output Hong Kong recently, which said it would take place on July 28. […]
Crypto-ransomware connection draws U.S. Senate scrutiny
Amid growing concerns surrounding ransomware attacks in the U.S., Senator Gary Peters has announced a bipartisan investigation of how cryptocurrencies could be facilitating such activity, Bitcoin.com reports. Fast facts In a statement, Sen. Peters, who is also the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said: “The increased use of cryptocurrencies as the […]
Binance and FTX slash leverage limit from 100x to 20x amid crypto regulations heat
FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried says it’s time to move on from high leverage in crypto trading. Binance also seeks new CEO with a stronger regulatory background.
India issues CBDC update; Korea threatens to block exchanges
India updates its CBDC plans and Korea threatens to block exchanges
Binance chief ‘CZ’ seeks regulatory expert to lead as exchange looks to boost image
Speaking at an SCB 10X DeFi virtual summit, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao says an IPO is not out of the question, but that the exchange first needs to set up corporate structures as it navigates increased regulatory scrutiny.
How Asia is leading the way for digital currencies
Despite growing global interest, CBDCs are not all at the same stage of development. Amit Ghosh of R3 explains how countries in Asia are paving the way.
Ping An trials e-CNY; Core Scientific to go public
Ping An trials e-CNY while Core Scientific is the next to get on the SPAC train.
NFT platform Mintable to auction collection of comics legend Stan Lee
Mintable — a Singapore-based, Mark Cuban-backed non-fungible token platform — today announced the launch of a limited-edition NFT collection featuring comic book legend Stan Lee. Fast facts The collection, which includes three paintings by artist Rob Prior and a selection of photographs and videos of Lee taken by his friend and later caretaker, will be […]
Blockchain gaming unicorn Animoca Brands and Brinc launch NFT accelerator
Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming company Animoca Brands and global venture accelerator Brinc have launched Launchpad Luna, a new accelerator program to identify, mentor, and invest in promising blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFT) startups, according to a company statement. Fast facts Projects accepted into the accelerator program will receive training, end-to-end support and funding of up […]
FTX closes record fundraise; China Mobile gets hot wallet patent
FTX closes record fundraise. Additionally, China Mobile gets hot wallet patent.
FTX crypto derivatives exchange closes record $900M Series B with $18B valuation
Fast-growing FTX just pulled off the largest-ever fundraise for a crypto exchange to date. Will heightened regulatory scrutiny lie in its near future?
Senators urge E-CNY ban; Russia woos crypto-miners
US Senators urge E-CNY ban while Russia woos crypto-miners
Cryptocurrency payments appear to stall in Singapore
Retailers reluctant to accept currency they are said not to trust even as large finance sector players offer crypto products and beef up their holdings.