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Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX token falls more than 20% amid Binance feud

Crypto exchange FTX’s native token, FTT, fell more than 20% in afternoon trading in Asia amid speculation rival exchange Binance is selling off the FTX token.

Alameda says ‘wasn’t us’ amid speculation about BitDAO’s 20% plunge

BitDAO, or BIT, the token supported by crypto exchange Bybit, dropped more than 20% within an hour at one stage around noon on Tuesday in Asia.

DeFi still has a long way to go before mass adoption

Decentralized finance will stay niche unless the sector overcomes its myriad problems, including a lack of a credit system and regulations that inspire greater trust, writes Brian Pasfield.

Seizure, guilty plea in US$3.36 bln stolen Silk Road Bitcoin case

The U.S. Department of Justice revealed on Monday that in 2021 it seized US$3.36 billion worth of stolen Bitcoin from Georgia real estate developer James Zhong.

Zuckerberg’s Meta plans to lay off thousands of employees: WSJ report

Meta Platforms Inc. is planning its first significant mass layoff later this week that may affect many thousands of employees.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether prices fall with most of crypto top 10, Polygon flips Solana

Bitcoin dipped below US$21,000 in Tuesday morning trading in Asia as Ether and most other tokens in the cryptocurrency top ten by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, lost ground.

Stablecoin, CBDC issues take center stage at Singapore’s Future of Finance Forum

Central bank digital currencies draw fire over inflation, privacy and threat to innovation, as questions raised over status of stablecoins in digital asset ecosystem.

Digital Transformation Boost

How can collaboration help advance digital age and blockchain technologies?

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; Dogecoin interest fades

Bitcoin and Ether dropped in afternoon trading in Asia along with almost every other top 10 cryptocurrency by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins. MATIC was the only coin to gain.

Indian crypto exchange WazirX introduces profit, loss function

WazirX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trade volume, has introduced a profit and loss function for users to analyze and calculate their investments. 

Bitcoin mining difficulty falls 0.2% in latest adjustment

Bitcoin mining difficulty nudged down 0.2% in Monday’s biweekly adjustment, according to data from BTC.com.

Half a million users move to decentralized alternative Mastodon following Elon Musk Twitter grab

Amid uncertainty and criticism following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, nearly half a million users have flocked to Mastodon, a decentralized alternative.

Binance to sell FTX token holdings amid questions over trading arm Alameda finances

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao said Binance will liquidate its remaining FTT tokens issued by the second-largest crypto exchange FTX amid questions over Alameda Research.

South Korea’s online KakaoBank to open accounts for Coinone exchange users this month

KakaoBank, one of South Korea’s online-only banks with nearly 20 million users, said it will start providing accounts for users of Coinone exchange in November.

The big problem with Web3

People have been waiting seemingly forever for the arrival of Web3. So why hasn’t it changed our lives yet?

Crypto asset manager HashKey gets Singapore’s in-principle license

HashKey Capital Singapore, an investment arm of Hong Kong-based HashKey Group, said on Friday that it received an in-principle approval for the Capital Markets Services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

India forms new crypto advocacy body with Coinbase, Polygon

Cryptocurrency exchanges and Web 3.0 companies, including Coinbase and Polygon, have formed the Bharat Web3 Association in India to strengthen regulation and consumer protection for the industry.

Token price of Ethereum-based play-to-earn company Gala Games falls some 20% after hacking scare

The network says the apparent attack was just a preemptive safeguard against an issue with a cross-chain bridge.

Canada to examine risks from crypto, stablecoins, CBDCs in budget

The Canadian government will begin a consultation on the risks that digital assets and currencies may pose to the country’s traditional financial system.

Dashcam maker Hivemapper issues crypto HONEY for road image contribution

San Francisco-based dashcam maker and decentralized mapping service provider Hivemapper issued cryptocurrency tokens HONEY to reward dashcam users for contributing driving data and road imagery on Friday Hong Kong time, according to a press release shared with Forkast.

Singapore vs Hong Kong

Hong Kong and Singapore are now locked in a battle over the future of crypto in Asia – but who will emerge victorious?

Singapore’s Project Ubin+ to study cross-border FX with CBDCs

The MAS launched Project Ubin+ on Thursday, a collaborative initiative with international partners to explore cross-border foreign exchange settlements using wholesale CBDC.

OpenSea unveils features to freeze stolen NFTs and malicious links

OpenSea will pilot a system that freezes the trading of NFTs involved in suspicious sales while it reviews the transaction.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; top 10 crypto mixed following Fed rate hike

Bitcoin and Ether dropped in Thursday afternoon trading in Asia, while the rest of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, posted mixed results.

Crypto leaders differ over Do Kwon blame in May’s market crash

‘Bad actor’ or a ‘sliding market’? Blockchain industry leaders at Hong Kong FinTech Week offer insights into the Terra-LUNA crash.

Binance will re-enter South Korea’s crypto market, CZ says

Binance is preparing to operate in South Korea’s crypto market, said CEO Changpeng Zhao at the Web Summit 2022 held in Lisbon.

Binance considers buying banks, bridging gap between crypto, TradFi

The world’s largest crypto exchange seeks to become a bridge between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies.

Instagram to allow creators to mint and sell NFTs through the platform

Instagram will soon allow creators to mint and sell NFTs through the platform to buyers both on and off Instagram using an ‘end-to-end toolkit.’

Crypto Winter will only get worse as industry adjusts: Tezos cofounder

The ongoing Crypto Winter is ‘only going to get worse’ as the industry is re-evaluated amongst tighter interest rates, the cofounder of Tezos predicts.

How soulbound tokens can lift billions of lives around the world

What are soulbound tokens, and how can they end the ‘credit paradox’ that has been holding back the unbanked masses? Fakhul Miah of CreDA explains.

India’s finance minister urges G20 nations to come on board to regulate crypto

Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged all Group of 20 (G20) nations, as well as international bodies like the International Monetary Fund and Financial Stability Board, to come together to help regulate crypto assets. See related article: India’s finance minister sees 46% growth in blockchain technology use in next few years Fast facts Sitharaman […]

The Future of Exchanges

Nasdaq’s Head of Asia Pacific and Japan, Ulf Carlsson, tells us how stock exchanges could learn from crypto exchange operations.

BIS’ ‘Project Mariana’ to explore CBDC integration with DeFi

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has launched a new project with the central banks of Singapore, France and Switzerland to study the possibility of integrating some decentralized finance (DeFi) features with central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). See related article: mBridge participants to end domestic payments of foreign CBDCs Fast facts The BIS announced on […]

Hong Kong crypto policy turns on hopes of economic revival

Top blockchain and crypto news: Hong Kong rethinks digital assets. CBDC to debut in India. China’s e-yuan privacy problem.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether drop; Dogecoin rally ends

Bitcoin and Ether dropped in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia amid losses among all top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, led by Shiba Inu.

Huobi plans to move HQ to the Caribbean, Justin Sun says

Huobi Global, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, plans to move its headquarters to the Caribbean, its new advisory board member Justin Sun said.

NEAR sets up Web3 hub in South Korea, eyes Asia expansion

NEAR Foundation is establishing a Web3 hub in South Korea to expand its allegiance with blockchain projects in Korea and Asia.

Asia’s largest metaverse Zepeto targets sex abuse, exploitation

Naver Z Corp. announced its partnership with INHOPE to protect youth from sexual abuse and exploitation on the virtual platform.

USDC stablecoin issuer Circle wins Singapore digital payment license

The issuer of the world’s second-largest stablecoin is joining a fleet of companies in the digital asset industry moving into Singapore. What’s the attraction?
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Down with greenwashing

How can we utilize blockchain technologies to fight climate change as it continues to worsen?

Regulators are your friend, IMF official tells crypto industry

Deputy director of monetary and capital markets at the IMF, Dong He, said at Hong Kong Fintech Week on Tuesday that his message to the crypto industry is to embrace regulation.

Web 3.0 suffers from hype, fragmentation, say industry experts

Interconnectivity is on the way, even as various segments of the Web 3.0 ecosystem are largely disconnected from reality and one another, said Web 3.0 experts at Hong Kong Fintech Week on Tuesday.

mBridge participants to end domestic payments of foreign CBDCs

Bank of Thailand’s Vachira Arromdee said on Tuesday the four central banks in the mBridge CBDC trials agreed to end use of foreign CBDCs domestically.

India seeks info from crypto exchanges as it mulls GST on asset class: report

India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC), responsible for policy formulation and collection of indirect taxes like the goods and services tax (GST), has asked major cryptocurrency exchanges to provide details on the type of digital coins and tokens being traded and their valuation. 

JP Morgan, Standard Chartered execs disagree over Bitcoin’s significance

JPMorgan Chase and Standard Chartered execs were in disagreement at Hong Kong Fintech Week over how significant Bitcoin and the wider crypto industry are.

S.Korea sees passing crypto investor protection as a priority: report

The country looks to pass an initial bill that focuses on protecting digital asset investors and preventing unfair trade acts, ahead of wider legislation.

Singapore’s Tokenize crypto exchange opens platform for institutional investors

Cryptocurrency exchanges in Singapore are shifting focus to heavy-hitter investors, such as family offices and financial institutions, in line with the central bank’s warnings about the risks in retail crypto trading.

Bankman-Fried calls wealth-based barriers to crypto investment classist, racist

The billionaire founder of crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, criticized regulations in Hong Kong and elsewhere that limit access to crypto investment to wealthy investors.

Hong Kong to boost funding, investor pool for fintech startups

Hong Kong will increase funding for startups, including fintech companies, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said on Tuesday.

Why DAOs need a more accountable governance model

Many DAOs suffer from voter apathy and are hobbled by too much decentralization. What can help DAOs make better decisions?

India shortlists nine banks to start CBDC trial from Nov. 1

India’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), will pilot the country’s first digital rupee in the wholesale segment (e₹-W) from Nov. 1 and has identified nine banks for participation in the trial. 

Hong Kong Rethinks Crypto

Hong Kong reconsidering crypto’s retail investor ban.

Singapore’s digital marketplace Alta buys Hg Exchange

Singapore-based Alta, a digital marketplace for alternative investments, has acquired private digital securities exchange Hg Exchange (HGX) for an undisclosed amount. 

Hong Kong announces policies to win back role as digital asset hub

Hong Kong reveals digital asset policies to distinguish itself from China, where cryptocurrency trading was banned in September last year.

Digital yuan prioritizing privacy, crime prevention, PBOC governor says

Privacy protection is “top on our agenda,” but combating crime is equally important for the digital yuan, central bank governor Yi Gang said at the Hong Kong Fintech Week.

Singapore’s DBS Bank trials use of digital SingDollar with vouchers

DBS Bank, the largest lender in Southeast Asia, has partnered the Singapore government’s Open Government Products (OGP) to pilot purpose-bound money-based vouchers (PBM) using tokenized Singapore dollars to facilitate live transactions with selected merchants. 

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; DOGE leads losses across top 10 crypto

Bitcoin fell in evening trade in Asia along with almost all other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, with the sole gain seen in Polkadot’s uptick.

Satoshi’s other big legacy: Bitcoin is propelling a green energy revolution

The Bitcoin white paper, published 14 years ago this day, launched an industry that is now subsidizing clean energy and turning waste into digital gold, writes Will Szamosszegi of Sazmining.

South Korea’s Wemade to remedy WEMIX token after ‘investment warning’ by crypto exchanges

South Korea-based blockchain game developer Wemade is working on a fix for WEMIX after four major crypto exchanges in the country added the cryptocurrency to an “investment warning” list for inaccurately reporting circulation numbers.

Hong Kong seeks to allow crypto futures ETFs

The city is seeking to allow digital asset-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to be publicly listed and traded in the city.

Sam Bankman-Fried says Hong Kong could become Asia’s Web 3 hub

The founder of crypto exchange FTX, which moved out of Hong Kong in 2021, said that the city could emerge as a Web3, blockchain and cryptocurrency hub.

Terra CEO Do Kwon faces lawsuit in Singapore, next hearing on Wednesday

A hearing is scheduled in Singapore on a lawsuit filed against Terraform Labs’ Do Kwon on behalf of investors who lost about US$57 million in the collapse of Terra-LUNA.

Fortune favors the brave? One year on from Crypto.com’s ad with Matt Damon

Trading volume on cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com has slumped about 90% in the 12 months since the company’s “fortune favors the brave” ad.

Visa’s trademark filings hint at launch of crypto wallet

Visa International Service Association on Oct. 22 filed two trademark applications that hinted at plans of launching a crypto wallet.

Web 3’s Korean future

NFTs and gaming – could it be the future of Web3?

Meta’s one-year anniversary: Virtual reality meets tough reality

It is the one-year anniversary of Facebook’s rebrand as Meta, a major step in the company’s foray into virtual reality and Web3. However, in actual reality, not everything has gone to plan for the platform’s new parent company.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether drop; ADA leads decline across top 10 crypto

Bitcoin dropped nearly 3% in afternoon trading in Asia. All other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, declined following a strong two-day rally by most tokens.

Binance confirms equity in Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition

Binance has confirmed its participation in Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition as an equity investor.

NFT ‘hype cycle’ over, major changes expected in 2023: report

New York-based technology consulting firm, Activate Consulting, has projected that 2023 will see “the end of NFTs hype cycle” with the token class expected to undergo major changes in how they are used and regarded.

Hong Kong set to relaunch itself as digital asset hub with revamped policies

When China banned cryptocurrency trading and mining in September 2021, it was feared that policy would make its way into Hong Kong. Seems that concern is getting a rethink.

SBF: FTX stablecoin, ‘Second Great Stablecoin War’ are coming

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the crypto exchange FTX, says he hopes FTX will soon join most other major exchanges in having launched a stablecoin.

How to manage your crypto assets beyond the grave

When the Grim Reaper comes, will he take all your Bitcoins, too? Here’s how to ensure your crypto wealth will survive and live on for your heirs.