Search results: Hong Kong

Presidential candidates from South Korea’s democratic and conservative parties have said on Wednesday that initial coin offerings (ICO) should make a comeback in the nation, as crypto continues to be a key theme in the March elections. Fast facts ICOs have been banned by financial regulator in South Korea since 2017 in a booming cryptocurrency […]

What’s behind the crypto cheerleading by U.S. mayors? Are their city coins savvy moves — or will the bespoke crypto end up worthless?

Top blockchain and crypto news: CBDCs at the crossroads. A token gesture from Samsung. NFTs survive in China.

Yosuke Matsuda, president of Square Enix — the game developer behind Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts — recently reiterated the company’s blockchain ambitions while acknowledging ongoing concerns about the new trend. Fast facts In a new year’s letter posted on the company website, Matsuda emphasized that incorporating blockchain technology into gaming holds “the […]

Countries acted to encourage — or discourage — cryptocurrency and other blockchain-based assets, sending markets wildly up and down.

While increasing crypto adoption was predictable, 2021 also saw much that was unexpected. Here are the events that shocked even crypto natives.

With Ethereum usage at all-time high, a Cosmos ‘bridge’ to other blockchains and Mastercard rollups aim to solve a major problem plaguing the Eth network.

Gaming is increasingly defined by NFTs, play-to-earn and the metaverse, writes Charlie Baillie of Ampverse. Will Asia continue to lead the hottest gaming trends?

With economic security as a top priority, the Kishida administration anticipates the release of competing CBDCs.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) featuring famous traditional Chinese paintings by culture studio Rongbaozhai have been successfully transferred from China’s Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) WenChang Chain to the OpenSea marketplace on the Ethereum blockchain, a milestone in the development of interchain NFT technology. Fast facts The transfer was made on Nov. 16 across four blockchains: WenChang Chain […]

Panel looks at best practices in news coverage from Decrypt Media, CoinDesk, South China Morning Post.

Amid the global energy crisis, nine companies from four countries — China, Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia — announced they will jointly build a blockchain documentation platform to speed up customs clearance and cargo delivery to trade the commodities of energy, chemical products and metal. Fast facts Platform participants includes Sinochem Energy, Mitsui.Co, Macquarie CGM, Saudi […]

Red Date Technology, the company China tapped to manage its Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), said today it plans to fully launch an infrastructure for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by the end of January 2022. Fast facts Red Date revealed on Friday an NFT infrastructure plan — BSN-Distributed Digital Certificate (DDC) — at its BSN Open Permissioned […]

DeFi is a real-world experiment testing out a new model for finance, writes Alex Grebnev of Oxygen. What is the future of banking without Wall Street?

As non-crypto players like Twitter and PayPal take up digital assets, Coinbase, Binance and others look for ways to expand offerings.

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

Officials are concerned that many investors may not be aware crypto trading is taxed in a similar way to share trading.

DeFi tokens like dYdX soared after China’s latest move to throttle crypto. Is this a short-term spurt or decentralized finance shifting into high gear?

NH Nonghyup is the third bank in South Korea to invest in a virtual asset custody service while they are prohibited from running their own.

Huobi’s diversified businesses outside of China reached nearly 70% in terms of trading volumes, and have been on the rise, its co-founder tells Forkast.News.

The Indian ministry of finance has formed a panel to examine how income from crypto investments can be taxed, according to a report by Inc42. Fast facts The panel will evaluate whether crypto income can be taxed as capital gains or if it requires the formation of a new category. The committee is required to […]

Nirmala Sitharaman says ‘a futuristic thing can’t be shut out’ as the country considers crypto regulation, including a possible blanket ban.

The government of Laos has authorized six firms to trade and mine cryptocurrencies, ending a ban imposed in 2018, according to a recent notice from the prime minister’s office.  Fast facts Laos had implemented a complete ban on cryptocurrencies three years ago, including on trading and mining activities. As recently as last month, the country’s […]

El Salvador’s Bitcoin embrace may be a domino for some emerging markets, but a fierce rival to the BTC is also coming to the fore.

Algorand’s ALGO cryptocurrency prices have surged by 90% over the past seven days, crossing the US$2 mark and hit a two-year high of US$2.44 today, according to CoinGecko data. ALGO, ranked the 17th largest cryptocurrency by market value, has not seen such price heights since its launch in 2019. Fast facts Algorand is an open-source, […]

It’s hard to move forward on a CBDC when those in charge can’t agree. Is time running out for an American digital dollar?

As the blockchain industry shifts to ‘proof of stake,’ staking’s bonding period can lock up capital. What are the alternatives?

As governments and citizens embrace digital currencies of all kinds, from Bitcoin to CBDCs, here’s what the world and daily life could look like.

Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) — one of the hottest non-fungible token projects at the moment — released its Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFTs over the weekend through a free airdrop to existing Bored Ape holders as well as a public auction of 10,000 Mutant Apes. The price for Mutant Apes started at three […]

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

While the funds stolen in last week’s cyberattack on Liquid are yet to be returned, the Japanese exchange has secured a US$120 million loan from fellow exchange FTX to cover losses. Fast facts Sam Bankman-Fried, the billionaire CEO of Hong-Kong based FTX, took to Twitter to make the announcement, saying he had always admired Liquid’s […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Is another Bitcoin bull run coming soon? Punks rocking NFTs. Why crypto contracts may not be enforceable in China.

Circle, issuer of the world’s second-largest stablecoin USDC, has announced plans to be 100% backed by cash and short-term U.S. Treasuries by September. The company’s most recent attestation showed USDC’s US$22.2 billion supply was backed by only 61% “cash and cash equivalents.” Fast facts Circle had indicated earlier in the month that it wishes to […]

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.

Accounting and consultancy giant Accenture has become the latest major victim of a ransomware attack. After Accenture initially reported that it had repelled a hacker group named Lockbit, encrypted files belonging to Accenture began to be published today, according to a report by Decrypt. Fast facts An Accenture spokesperson said in a statement: “Through our […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: NFT wave buoys OpenSea. Are dollars and sense a lifeline for Tether? Tencent gets a target on its back.

After nearly a year under investigation, crypto exchange and derivatives trading platform Bitmex has agreed to pay as much as US$100 million to settle charges brought by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, according to a company blog post. Fast facts Alex Höptner, BitMEX’s CEO, told Forkast.News in a […]

Amid a period of increasing regulatory interest in stablecoins, Circle, the digital payment company that issues USDC, the world’s second-largest stablecoin , has announced plans to become a full-reserve national digital currency bank in the U.S. Fast facts In a company blog post, CEO and co-founder Jeremy Allaire said the company was prepared to operate […]

In an effort to curb runaway inflation, Venezuela’s central bank is removing six zeros from its currency and putting a digital bolivar into circulation on Oct. 1, according to reporting by Bloomberg. Fast facts An example of a central bank digital currency, the digital bolivar was announced by the Venezuelan central bank’s Twitter account yesterday […]

The next half decade will see mass adoption of decentralized technology, writes Max Kordek of Lisk. Here are the leading uses.

Cryptocurrencies are gaining traction in Singapore, especially among younger investors. A survey of 1,000 Singaporeans carried out by Toluna, a consumer insights provider, has shown that 43% of Singaporeans own crypto and that 74% of them have increased their wealth by using it as an investment.  Fast facts The survey is said to have been […]

The Reserve Bank of Australia is researching the implementation of a central bank digital currency — despite not seeing a need for it.

What does it mean to own an NFT, and why are some NFTs vanishing? Alexander Hobbs of Zenotta explains the weaknesses in NFTs’ underlying technology.

Twitter’s founder and CEO says the integration of Bitcoin layer-2 payments — the Lightning Network — into the social media platform may be on the horizon.

The current dip aside, what are Bitcoin and Ethereum’s longer-term price forecasts? Finder’s brain trust of 35 crypto experts peers into a crystal ball.

Non-fungible tokens may be a boon for art and sports collectibles, but the technology is also spawning a host of thorny regulatory and legal issues.

In a paper released today by a Senate committee, the Australian government announced it is seeking help in establishing a crypto regulatory framework.

American consumers have lost an estimated US$80 million in cryptocurrency investments since October 2020, according to new data from the Federal Trade Commission, which calculated that digital currency scams had jumped tenfold year on year.

It’s only a matter of time that digital currency ‘is going to overshadow all the other forms of money,’ says Neeraj Khandelwal of CoinDCX.

More than selling art and basketball mementos in a new way, NFTs can also transform copyright enforcement, royalties, real estate and financial markets.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Can China be warming up to digital assets and crypto investing? Ethereum ETFs roll out in Canada.

Bitcoin booms to new all-time highs but Asian retail investors are wooed by higher gains in altcoins while Binance tokenizes Coinbase.

As the world increasingly turns to Bitcoin, stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies, a brain trust of central bankers want to take back control.

NEM’s Symbol blockchain will be interoperable, enable NFTs and allow assets like whiskey to be tokenized for investing. What will happen to XEM and NIS1?

GameStop’s drama is over, but it may signal big changes ahead for finance. Here’s why one former banker thinks ‘DeFi is going to absorb traditional finance.’

The Blockchain Research Institute-led report for Biden’s administration also outlines recommendations for crypto regulations and a national blockchain strategy.

Formerly named Libra, the Diem stablecoin is now awaiting regulatory approval, writes Ilia Maksimenka of PlasmaPay. What are Diem’s odds of success?

How high will bitcoin prices go — and will 2021 be the year of the bitcoin ETF and advanced crypto derivatives? Jay Hao of OKEx looks to the future.

Now renamed e-CNY, China’s new digital yuan has now been tested by 250,000 shoppers in two cities. Is it finally close to launch?

OKEx CEO speaks candidly on how 2020 was difficult for his crypto exchange, and offers his predictions for DeFi, regulations and CBDCs in year to come.

Securities and Exchange Commission’s acting enforcement chief Marc Berger helped lead high-profile lawsuits against crypto firms, including Ripple and Telegram.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bank of International Settlements considers stablecoins. China sends PlusToken scam ringleaders to prison.

As nations grapple with fitting cryptocurrency into existing tax regimes, OECD examines the crypto tax gaps and issues at its blockchain forum this week.

A push past $18,000 means bitcoin prices could reach all-time highs — but this time, without shady ICOs driving demand. Forkast.News analyzes why.

Trading volume on decentralized exchanges has slowed, but BTC prices and cryptocurrency market cap are at all-time highs. Is this 2017 all over again?

More top news: OKLink offers free cryptocurrency tracker. Trade fair in China introduces blockchain ideas to 20,000 companies.

Ethereum Classic Labs CEO Terry Culver calls the hash rental market shady “like under a rock somewhere…. They’re basically money laundering operations.”

ETC’s recent hacks may be an occupational hazard of ‘proof-of-work’ blockchains, including BTC and ETH. Is going ‘proof of stake’ the answer?

Other top news: $50 billion in cryptocurrency leaves China. Severe flooding in Sichuan destroys bitcoin mining farms. DeFi in India.

India and DeFi could be headed for a symbiotic relationship — unless the government cracks down on crypto again and forces a breakup.

Game of Thrones at the world’s largest bitcoin mining rig maker culminates, in this week’s episode, with a once-exiled company founder storming and seizing back the corporate castle.