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Will the next wave of FTX victims be unwitting tax cheats?

When a crypto exchange fails, will your transaction records vanish, too? Here’s why investors should take responsibility over their own trading data.

S.Korean prosecutors mull second request of arrest warrant for Terra cofounder Daniel Shin

Seoul judge dismisses prosecutors’ request for arrest warrant for Terra’s Daniel Shin, derails their plan to investigate Shin in custody

Australian crypto exchange Swyftx cuts 40% of jobs amid fallout from FTX collapse

Australian cryptocurrency exchange Swyftx cut 90 staff members — or 40% of its workforce — to prepare for a “worst-case scenario” in the market from the collapse of FTX.com.

Coinbase CEO Armstrong says Bankman-Fried’s US$8 bln ‘accounting error’ doesn’t stand up

Coinbase Global Inc. Chief Executive Brian Armstrong said Sam Bankman-Fried’s explanation of sloppy accounting as the reason US$8 billion moved from his crypto exchange FTX to brokerage arm Alameda Research doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

Sam Bankman-Fried ‘not sure’ if he will testify before Congress on Dec. 13

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and former chief executive officer of failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, tweeted on Monday morning Hong Kong time that he may not testify before the U.S. Congress on Dec. 13.

Wemade in talks with Binance for custody of WEMIX cryptocurrency

Wemade Co. Ltd. said its in talks to have Binance Institutional Services take custody of its native cryptocurrency, WEMIX.

Crypto exchange Bybit to cut 30% of staff to ‘navigate market slowdown’

Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit plans to cut 30% of its staff as part of a company reorganization, cofounder and chief executive officer Ben Zhou said in a statement shared with Forkast on Sunday.

Markets: Bitcoin back above US$17,000, Ether gains along with other top 10 crypto

Bitcoin traded above US$17,000 Monday morning in Asia, with all the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market cap gaining ground.

Cold comfort: Is Crypto Winter the right time to invest in Web3?

Amid the current crypto market carnage, Web3’s appeal for investors remains solid — and perhaps even stronger — says CVP NoLimit Holdings founder Gin Chao.

Hong Kong crypto exchange AAX has lost most staff, unlikely to reopen, says former executive

The exchange has gone silent since pausing withdrawals and liquidating all futures positions, with users fearing a repeat of the FTX collapse.

DeFi protocol Ankr to buy US$5 mln of BNB to cover funds lost in exploit

Decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol Ankr will buy US$5 million worth of BNB – the token of cryptocurrency exchange Binance – to compensate liquidity providers affected by Friday’s exploit

Digital ID Ready?

As the Philippine government ties to roll out a hugely ambitious ID system, we take a look at how blockchain could make data more secure.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether slip; Dogecoin leads decline across most top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin and Ether fell in Asian trading on Thursday afternoon, with other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies also mostly down

NFT sales rise for first time in 7 months in November despite crypto price slump

NFT investors seemingly see opportunities in a month full of surprises and headwinds for the broader cryptocurrency market.

MetaComp becomes the latest crypto exchange to receive Singapore license

Singapore-based crypto exchange MetaComp has been granted Singapore’s license, enabling it to offer digital asset exchange and custody services to institutional investors.

S.Korea court to settle MIR4 maker Wemade, WEMIX legal battle

Following a hearing on Friday, the court is expected to finalize its decision on an injunction Wemade filed against four exchanges.

Coinbase disables NFT transfer on iOS app, citing hefty in-app fees

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has disabled its non-fungible token transfer feature for iOS users, citing a dispute over Apple’s in-app purchase policy.

Terra cofounder Daniel Shin makes court appearance for arrest warrant review

Terra cofounder Daniel Shin attended a court hearing on Friday morning in South Korea that will decide on local prosecutors’ request to issue an arrest warrant.

Sam Bankman-Fried says not aware of any improper use of funds in FTX downfall

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, said he did not know of any improper use of customer funds at his company, in an interview with ABC News. 

S. Korea energy conglomerate builds US$84 mln metaverse fund

Daesung’s venture capital subsidiary recently established a fund worth 110 billion Korean won (US$84.5 million) for expanding investments into metaverse startups.

Markets: Bitcoin dips back below US$17,000, Ether falls, Dogecoin leads losers list

Bitcoin fell back below US$17,000 in Friday morning trading in Asia. Ether and all other non-stablecoin top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization also lost ground.

Blockchain Security Issues

The blockchain sphere has been hit with a ton of security issues over 2022. What can we do about it to make things better?

VPN in China may be at risk as users report connection issues on Twitter

VPN services, a reliable tool for Chinese internet users to bypass the Great Firewall, are reporting connectivity issues in the mainland after anti-lockdown protest content flooded Twitter.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether rise with Polygon topping gains in most top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin and Ether increased in Asian trading Thursday afternoon, with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies mixed

Sam Bankman-Fried points blame for FTX collapse to Alameda, says he was blindsided

Bankman-Fried beamed into New York from the Bahamas to give his version of what happened at FTX, mentioning his own failure of oversight and being “frankly surprised” by what was going on at his company’s sister brokerage.

FTX collapse will blunt activities of North Korea hackers, analyst says

The collapse of FTX.com and its far-reaching impacts will hinder North Korea’s ability to profit from cryptocurrency hacks, says one analyst.

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg is still optimistic about the metaverse

Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg said that he remains optimistic about the future of the metaverse over a “five-to-ten-year horizon” despite widespread skepticism of his company’s venture into the technology.

Troubled Hong Kong crypto exchange AAX unlikely to reopen, says former executive

Hong Kong-based crypto exchange AAX is likely to end operations and restructure, former head of communications, Ben Caselin, told CoinDesk TV on Wednesday.

South Korea’s Shinhan Bank starts ‘metaverse’ services, according to local media

Shinhan has opened a metaverse to provide financial and non-financial services, claiming to be the first bank in the country to provide such a platform.

U.S. crypto exchange Kraken to lay off 30% of its workforce, cites ‘market conditions’

U.S.-based crypto exchange Kraken said it will lay off 30% of its global workforce, or approximately 1,100 people, to “adapt to current market conditions.”

Indonesia central bank releases whitepaper on digital rupiah, to develop wholesale CBDC first

Indonesia’s central bank has released a whitepaper detailing plans for its central bank digital currency (CBDC), as the country looks to “advance digital transformation.”

Telegram plans decentralized crypto exchange, wallets following FTX collapse

Telegram plans to build non-custodial wallets and decentralized exchanges for cryptocurrencies following the collapse of the FTX exchange says CEO Pavel Durov.

It’s time for more institutions to adopt blockchain and crypto: Opinion

Despite the myriad benefits of blockchain and cryptocurrency, institutional interest remains mixed in Asia Pacific. What lessons should the industry learn from 2022 to overcome the barriers to adoption?
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Markets: Bitcoin, crypto, rise after Fed Chair Powell hints at easing rate hikes

Bitcoin and Ether rose as Fed Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that the central bank may start easing interest rate hikes.

Philippines’ Blockchain Future

The Philippines might have moved on from Axie Infinity and other NFT collections, but its still steaming ahe

Binance re-enters Japan with acquisition of regulated Sakura Exchange BitCoin

Binance returned to the Japanese market with the acquisition of regulated crypto exchange Sakura Exchange BitCoin (SEBC), according to a blog post on Wednesday.  See related article: Binance to help S. Korea’s Busan build first city-backed exchange Fast facts See related article: Crypto exchange Binance in regulators’ crosshairs as scrutiny mounts 

Philippine Blockchain Week: Blockchain adoption struggles in the Philippines as businesses ‘invest to survive’

Blockchain adoption in the Philippines is struggling because businesses are focused on survival, according to Dr. Donald Lim, lead convenor at Philippine Blockchain Week in Manila.

Grayscale holdings questioned amid crypto investment giant’s silence

Top blockchain and crypto news: Grayscale’s cryptic reserves. Binance rides to the rescue? China hit by protests and digital dissent.

S.Korea requests warrant to bring Terra-Luna cofounder Daniel Shin into custody

A court in South Korea will review if prosecutors are allowed to arrest and bring Terraform cofounder Daniel Shin and seven others into custody, for charges including fraud.

Markets: Bitcoin rises, Ether leads gains across most top 10 non-stablecoin cryptos

Bitcoin and Ether strengthened in Asian trading on Wednesday afternoon, with Ether the biggest gainer among top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies that also generally increased.  See related article: Diverging paths of two CEOs running FTX’s Alameda Research may meet again in court  Fast facts See related article: Dominica releases ‘world’s first national’ crypto token with Huobi, […]

China activists use NFTs, decentralized technology to counter censorship

Many are minting NFTs and posting articles on Matters, a decentralized content-sharing platform, amid protests across China against Covid-19 lockdowns that turned political.

Diverging paths of two CEOs running FTX’s Alameda Research may meet again in court

Employee accounts of life at Sam Bankman-Fried’s flagship cryptocurrency trading arm Alameda Research paint a picture of overworked and inexperienced millennials running a ship headed for the rocks: one seemingly escaped.

FTX’s LedgerX prepping US$175 mln for bankrupt parent firm

FTX subsidiary LedgerX is reportedly preparing US$175 million for its parent company’s bankruptcy proceedings, according to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg on Wednesday.

Sony launches motion capture wearables for the metaverse

Sony Japan unveiled Mocopi, a set of wearable motion-tracking sensors that captures user movements that are reflected by virtual avatars

Dominica releases ‘world’s first’ national crypto token with Huobi, Tron

The Commonwealth of Dominica in the Caribbean reportedly issued its national crypto token, DMC, on Tuesday, in partnership with crypto exchange Huobi Global, TronDAO and DMC Labs.

Swiss crypto bank SEBA Bank expands to Hong Kong

Swiss crypto bank SEBA Bank announced on Wednesday the opening of its Hong Kong office to serve global institutional clients as part of its Asia-Pacific expansion. See related article: Hong Kong said it remains upbeat on digital assets after FTX debacle  Fast facts See related article: Hong Kong needs engineering talent to reclaim role as […]

Digital Currency Group receives offers to buy CoinDesk: report

CoinDesk, an online crypto news site, has attracted potential buyers to take over the media outlet from Digital Currency Group amid market turmoil, Semafor reported.

S. Korea’s Wemade files injunction against country’s top 4 crypto exchanges

The blockchain game maker fights delisting of its symbolic WEMIX crypto token.

S. Korea releases ethical guidelines for the metaverse

South Korea’s science ministry released a guideline of core ethical principles for metaverse application participants.

Coinbase wallet ends support for ETC, BCH, XRP, XLM

The largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc. announced that its wallet will no longer be supporting Ethereum Classic (ETC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), XRP and Stellar (XLM).

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether gain as China eases Covid rules amid protests; Dogecoin jumps

Bitcoin and Ether both rose in Wednesday morning trading in Asia, with all other non-stablecoin top 10 cryptocurrencies also gaining ground as China on Tuesday said it will relax some Covid rules in response to protests.

CeFi vs DeFi

FTX’s collapse has now led to another crypto service filing for bankruptcy. Could this be the end for centralized exchanges?

India to roll out retail CBDC on Dec. 1

India will launch its retail CBDC pilot on Thursday with plans to gradually expand trials, the RBI announced on Tuesday.

CeFi must adopt DeFi’s transparency following FTX collapse, Justin Sun says

Justin Sun says CeFi must adopt DeFi’s transparency to regain public trust as 1inch Network cofounder Sergej Kunz sees crypto’s struggles as an opportunity for DeFi.
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Markets: Bitcoin, Ether rise; top 10 crypto mostly higher with Dogecoin leading gains

Bitcoin and Ether rose in Asian trading on Tuesday afternoon. Top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies also mostly strengthened, led by gains in Dogecoin and Litecoin

FTX to resume paying wages

FTX Trading and its affiliates will resume paying wages to employees globally and to some non-U.S. contractors and service providers

BlockFi files for bankruptcy protection, set to sue Sam Bankman-Fried over collateral

The cryptocurrency lender was hit by the earthquake set off across the industry by the collapse and bankruptcy of the FTX crypto exchange this month, and other companies are looking vulnerable.

ECB’s Christine Lagarde: Further crypto regulation ‘absolute necessity’ following FTX collapse

Christine Lagarde of the European Central Bank said regulating cryptocurrency in the EU is an “absolute necessity” following the collapse of Bahamas-based exchange FTX.com.

Kraken pays over US$360K to US Treasury to settle Iran sanctions allegations

U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has agreed to pay over US$362,000 to settle claims that it violated sanctions against Iran, the Treasury said Monday.

Will the future metaverse amplify the good or the evils of the real world?

The metaverse has the potential to improve access to opportunities and create a better version of the offline world. How do we prevent it from perpetuating society’s ills?

U.S. cryptocurrency lender BlockFi files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, will lay off about 200 staff

Crypto lender BlockFi Inc. and eight of its affiliates have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization in the U.S.
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Markets: Top 10 crypto fall as BlockFi enters bankruptcy, macroeconomic concerns spread

Bitcoin and Ether fell in Tuesday morning trading in Asia as U.S.-based crypto lender Blockfi filed for bankruptcy overnight in what is seen as another casualty of the collapse of the FTX exchange this month.

Making DeFi Fairer

Why does making the most of the crypto ecosystem remains out of reach for many?

LINE’s crypto exchange BITFRONT announces closure, to suspend trading by 2023

LINE’s cryptocurrency exchange based in the U.S., BITFRONT, has announced closure on Monday to shift its focus to developing LINE’s blockchain ecosystem.

Blockchain is transforming capital markets, and Singapore is leading the way: Opinion

Asset tokenization and DeFi hold tremendous potential for the finance sector, writes Han Kwee Juan of DBS Bank. Here’s how the Singaporean government is at the forefront of change.

U.S., S. Korea applied for over 75% of world’s metaverse patents: report

Companies based in the U.S. and South Korea have filed for more than 75% of patent applications related to the metaverse, VR and AR.

NFT images of anti-lockdown protests in China flood OpenSea

Pictures taken from protests against China’s zero-Covid policy across the mainland are now for sale on OpenSea, the largest NFT marketplace, as non-fungible tokens (NFT).  See related article: ‘Voice of April’ NFTs highlight Shanghai struggles amid lockdown  Fast facts See related article: Bitcoin price follows slide in Asia equity markets amid growing China protests against […]

Nigeria seeks distinction between digital assets and crypto 

Nigeria seeks to advance digital asset trading in the country but is drawing a distinction between digital assets and cryptocurrencies.

Terra-Luna cofounder Daniel Shin may face fraud charges in South Korea, prosecutors say

South Korean prosecutors may charge Terraform Labs cofounder Daniel Shin with fraud for promoting the Terra stablecoin as a payment method despite multiple warnings from financial regulators that it was against the law.

Changpeng Zhao says Binance has ‘no negative balances involved’ in proof of reserves

Changpeng Zhao tweeted that Binance’s proof of reserves have “absolutely no negative balances involved” after the exchange released its PoR on Friday.

Bitcoin price follows slide in Asia equity markets amid growing China protests against Covid-19 lockdowns

Reports of civil disobedience, protests and clashes with the police in cities and universities in China are unnerving financial markets in Asia

Australian fintech firm launches new AUD stablecoin, AUDE

Australian blockchain fintech startup Ettle Pty Ltd. has completed the first transaction on its recently launched Australian dollar-pegged stablecoin, AUDE.