Search results: The Merge

Billed as Asia’s largest crypto event, Token 2049 took place over Sept. 13-14 in the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore. Drawing over 10,000 attendees from all parts of the world, there was excitement about blockchain adoption in the region. But repeat references to one man were a reminder of the U.S. regulatory concerns weighing heavily on the crypto industry.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Binance.US undergoes staffing shakeup. Ethereum NFTs at risk. India to take a stand on crypto.

Bitcoin’s NFT sales dip mirrors early challenges of Ethereum; is the pioneer blockchain set for a comeback in the collectibles market?

To solve DAOs’ people problems with mismanagement and bad actors, they need to lean into automation — and take more matters out of human hands.

KEB Hana Bank, one of South Korea’s largest financial institutions, will offer digital asset custody services from the latter half of 2024.

In the first installment of Forkast’s ‘Crypto in Sport’ series, we visit the U.K. and the homeground of Real Bedford — the world’s first Bitcoin-funded football team. Can the team’s rock-n-roll rebrand under Bitcoin evangelist Peter McCormack propel the team up the English football pyramid? Or will the crypto winter put a freeze on its progress?

After Grayscale’s legal win, the SEC decided to postpone its decision on spot Bitcoin ETF applications. Will these proposals be greenlit? And when?

While Grayscale’s favorable verdict over the SEC could pave the way for the first spot Bitcoin ETF in the U.S., it failed to bring Bitcoin above the US$28,000 support level.

A U.S. court’s landmark decision to side with Grayscale on its Bitcoin ETF application to the SEC sent crypto prices upward Wednesday morning in Asia.

This final installment of a 3-part series on the U.K. digital asset industry looks at the politics driving the British crypto conversation. PM Rishi Sunak is a believer, but an election’s coming up, and his rivals appear less keen on turning the U.K. into a global crypto hub.

Good governance of a DAO can be hampered by a disengaged community and whale dominance. What can be done when 1% of stakeholders holds 90% of voting power?

Bitcoin fell Wednesday morning in Asia to trade below US$26,000. Ether also dropped as all other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded flat to lower.

Bitcoin holds its ground above US$26,000, but the top 10 cryptocurrencies see a dip. BNB remains subdued as Binance’s payment partner woes intensify.

Despite the outrage against Sam Bankman-Fried and the now-bankrupt exchange, everyone would be better off with a relaunched FTX 2.0, writes Rachel Lin, CEO of SynFutures.

Fractionalizing assets on-chain can greatly increase liquidity, security and market efficiency, writes Hamilton Keats. Here are the key trends and challenges.

A U.S. district court has concluded that the Treasury Department’s sanctions on cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash are valid.

This first installment in a 3-part series on the U.K. digital asset industry looks at recent efforts to regulate crypto and expand the sector.

Digital ID verified via blockchain can greatly expand economic opportunities for the world’s poor. But the market is fragmented and faces a rocky road of regulations, writes Tamas Kadar, CEO of SEON.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Singapore steps up stablecoin rules. DeGods decline. Hong Kong’s third crypto license.

Bitcoin traded flat on Tuesday afternoon in Asia. Ether dipped, while most other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded flat to lower. Solana rose.

Most countries allow only government to mint currency, but in the land of public-private partnerships, legal tender HKD notes are issued by private banks.

Bitcoin edged higher on Tuesday morning in Asia. Ether also edged up, while other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded flat to higher. Solana led the winners.

Australian banks are heightening scrutiny on digital asset exchanges and restricting crypto payments due to rising scams and frauds. Caroline Bowler, CEO of BTC Markets highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry in the country.

Storing crypto on an exchange risks theft and hacks. But DIY can also be perilous — just ask the guy who accidentally trashed a hard drive and his Bitcoin fortune.

Bitcoin rose on Wednesday morning in Asia to trade above US$29,700. Ether also logged gains along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies.

As explored in the first installment of this two-part series, crypto funding is being used to provide small but important items to troops on the frontline. But beyond the battlelines, how can crypto help get aid to civilians in times of crisis?

Speaking at the WebX Asia conference in Tokyo, Circle’s Singapore-based vice president of strategy and policy discusses U.S. regulation, growing pains in the crypto industry and Asia’s burgeoning role as a Web3 innovator.

CyberKongz plans a shift to the Ronin blockchain alongside Axie Infinity as Sky Mavis gears up for its first PFP collection and third-party NFT mint.

The value of crypto is typically tied to its correlation with fiat money. What if tokens can be earned only through good deeds and helping others?

Top blockchain and crypto news: Ripple not clear of hurdles | NFTs in historically slow period | Hong Kong banks dither

Bitcoin and Ether both recaptured key support levels. Institutional interest remains upbeat following a slew of Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications, industry experts told Forkast.

Bitcoin and Ether both fell below key price levels earlier but returned above as investors remained optimistic after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accepted the second Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) application for review, from asset manager Valkyrie.

China’s Zhejiang province, the home province of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group,has established a metaverse industrial association.

Bitcoin dipped under US$30,000 in early Asia trade before recovering. Ether and other top 10 cryptocurrencies fell, while NFT trading slumped.

Scrutiny on the stablecoin’s reserves has intensified since USDT’s latest depegging scare. Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Tether and Bitfinex, delves into the composition of USDT reserves, explaining how the firm ensures dollar redemptions, irrespective of secondary market prices.

Global warming and rising sea levels are threatening to submerge countries like Maldives and Kiribati. Can blockchain technology help avert disaster?

Top blockchain and crypto news: Standard Chartered eyes US$120,000 per Bitcoin | Another week of declines in NFT market | Sega and Line team up.

As stores of our identity, customs and creativity, NFTs will drive Web3 adoption and become central to the new digital economy, writes Yat Siu, executive chairman of Animoca Brands.

Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Thailand have regulations supporting the growth of tokenization, showing the world the benefits of fractionalizing assets.

From pay-to-play arcade video games to sales of home consoles, gaming’s evolution into peer-to-peer marketplaces is posing a new challenge to the status quo, writes Jackson Poon.

Dmitri Cherniak’s generative art NFT, ‘The Goose’, sold for US$5.4 million at Sotheby’s. The sale, a second highest for generative art, signals NFT art’s growing prominence and potential in the Web3 era.

The market now has 26,000 different cryptocurrencies and the total number of coins in circulation approaches infinity. How do those tokenomics make any sense?

China Mobile, a leading telecommunication company of China, launched a metaverse alliance on Wednesday, whose members include Huawei, Xiaomi and Unity China. 

Geisha, kimono, tea ceremony — the Japanese city of Kyoto is a place rich in traditional culture. But as the national government pivots toward the cutting edge potential of digital assets and Web3, the city is this week playing host to one of Asia’s largest crypto get-togethers.

Collaborative venture building involves pooling resources, expertise and ideas — a strategy ideal for Web3 startups to succeed, writes Katherine Ng.

Shanghai on Wednesday released a three-year plan to build its culture and tourism metaverse.

Despite its potential, Web3 gaming has had mixed reviews from gamers and developers, writes Freddie Ng. Here are the challenges and opportunities.

Bitcoin shrugged off Prime Trust’s cease order, as risk appetite was bolstered by several TradFi alumni entering the crypto space this week. Could we see more spot Bitcoin ETF applications next week?

Bitcoin traded above US$30,000 to hold onto the strong gains made this week on the back of growing institutional interest in the token as an emerging asset.

As the US grapples with crypto regulation, Hong Kong and Dubai are emerging as leaders in the global digital economy, writes Ben Caselin of MaskEX.

Amid growing regulatory scrutiny in the U.S., crypto firms eye Hong kong for its strategic location and friendly regulations, yet Singapore and Dubai remain strong competitors, says FinTech Association of Hong Kong’s Neil Tan.

In this week’s Forkast IQ with Megha Chaddah, we dive into the U.S. SEC’s crypto crackdown and the state of the East Asian metaverses.

Bitcoin, Ether and most top 10 non-stablecoin cryptos rose in Friday afternoon trading in Asia after weeklong slump.

The final story in a three-part series on Asia metaverse developments looks at China’s national strategy, which has seen dozens of cities and provinces release spending plans and training schemes to adopt this digital world in real-world industries. China’s initiatives, however, face challenges from regulation and global competition.

Jiangning, a district in China’s Nanjing city, released a metaverse plan on Saturday that includes training thousands of professionals for the industry.

From US crackdowns on Binance and Coinbase to new business-friendlier frameworks in Hong Kong and Europe, seismic shifts in crypto regulations are under way.

The U.S. SEC sued Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., for allegedly breaching securities rules, less than 24 hours after the regulator sued Binance on similar charges. 

Bitcoin drops below US$27,000 on Monday amid mixed crypto market. Litecoin, BNB see losses while XRP, Tron, Solana gain.

Bitcoin fell Friday morning in Asia to trade below US$27,000. Ether and most other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded flat to lower. Litecoin gained.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Miners dodge tax bullet. Blur, Binance heat up NFT lending. Chinese cities’ plans reveal nationwide Web3 ambition.

The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority have agreed to strengthen cooperation in regulating virtual assets.

NFT-backed lending and borrowing can unlock liquidity and expand investment opportunities. Here are the best practices — and risks.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and others led to predictions of big shifts away from centralized finance. James Wo examines why that hasn’t happened yet.

Beijing’s local government on Saturday released a white paper outlining plans and challenges for development of the city’s Web 3.0 industry.

The stock price boost for tech giant Nvidia on the back of an AI chip boom has sent AI-related cryptocurrencies on a surge.

Surge of interest in AI chipmaker Nvidia extends to crypto, Binance and Blur vie for top NFT lender spot, while uncertainty abounds over U.S. debt talks.

Just how decentralized are today’s DAOs? When compared to the world’s largest transnational corporations, not so much, says Pat Rawson, co-founder of Web3 innovation network Curve Labs.

For every PayPal or Google, countless other startups from the bubble days of yore took investor money down the toilet, writes Naveen Agnihotri. What makes this AI boom any different?

Bitcoin traded below the US$27,000 mark for most of the week, as investor sentiment was weighed down by the prospect of the U.S. government’s potential default. Investors will be closely monitoring the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Fighting words over USDT erupt on Twitter. Litecoin surges amid memecoin fever. Chinese city bids for blockchain business.

Bitget is looking to hire 300 more people across operations, compliance, research and development, and customer support, the cryptocurrency exchange said.

China’s top legal authority issued a commentary on Monday about the risks and potential in NFTs, highlighting the need for legislation.