Forkast.News is now Forkast Labs

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.

Ethereum rising: 3 reasons why Ether’s price could soon break $3,000

Will Google greenlighting US crypto ads, Ethereum’s London upgrade and clearer regulations pave the way for another Ether price rally?

Google lifts crypto advertising ban

In a long-awaited reversal of a 2018 policy decision, Google will allow crypto exchanges and wallets to advertise on its platform in the U.S. But not everyone’s happy.

DBS Bank’s digital exchange assets surge 60% in Q2

DBS eyes bigger investor base as digital assets under custody top US$100 million.

Binance partners with Shopify and others to offer crypto payments online

Amid a turbulent time for the world’s largest crypto exchange, Binance has announced a new partnership with Alchemy Pay to bring crypto payment options to e-commerce platforms such as Shopify. Fast facts Running on the exchange’s Binance Pay feature, the partnership will allow users and merchants to send and receive crypto globally in over 40+ […]

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 […]

Could Ethereum’s upgrade affect miners’ manipulations for extra profits?

Cryptocurrency miners are front-running Ethereum transactions to make profits called MEV that critics decry as unfair. What can be done about it?

How blockchain can bring litigation finance to small investors

Investing in litigation was once limited to the wealthy. But a lawsuit’s monetary potential can now be tokenized for sale to the masses. Is that a good idea?

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.

Two Chinese provinces use state blockchain platform for export credit insurance worth US$3.27B

Chinese central bank branches in Fujian and Guangxi provinces have announced that their provinces did US$2.4 billion and US$875 million, respectively, of blockchain-based export credit insurance financing for the first half of 2021. Fast facts Fujian Province struck a total of 6,516 insurance deals, and Guangxi Province saw 166 enterprises participate. On May 17, the […]

Canaan grows crypto rig sales as Chinese miners tool up abroad

North America emerges as hardware demand hotspot amid Beijing’s regulatory onslaught against cryptocurrency sector.

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.

HSBC blocks UK customer payments to Binance

Binance’s woes continue to mount as global banking giant HSBC is now blocking its customers in the United Kingdom from making credit card payments to Binance, according to Yahoo News. Binance is the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Fast facts HSBC’s move follows similar actions taken by NatWest — a Scotland-based bank with 12.5 million customers […]

Ethereum addresses using DeFi soar 65% to over 2.9M

The Ethereum ecosystem is continuing to see strong growth, with institutional capital ‘flooding’ into decentralized finance and decentralized autonomous organizations flourishing.

Crypto mining rig maker Canaan names new CFO

Cryptocurrency mining rig manufacturer Canaan has announced the appointment of James Jin Cheng as its new CFO, following the resignation of his predecessor in February. Fast facts Cheng was previously vice president of Chinese internet recruiting platform Zhaopin Ltd., which listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 before being taken private in 2017. […]

Square acquires Afterpay for $29B to expand into ‘buy now pay later’

Global payments giant Square — which recently made moves into decentralized finance — is acquiring Australian “buy now pay later” fintech company Afterpay for US$29 billion (AU$39 billion) to expand its range of services, according to a recent company press release. Fast facts The purchase will enable Square’s CashApp and Seller business units to offer […]

Singapore poised to grant one of first approvals to crypto exchange Independent Reserve

Australian cryptocurrency exchange Independent Reserve said Monday that it had received an “in-principle approval” for a Major Payment Institution License in Singapore to operate as a regulated digital payment token (DPT) service provider, according to a company statement. Fast facts Founded in Australia in 2013, Independent Reserve set up its first overseas operations in Singapore […]

Crypto crimes surge to record levels in Hong Kong

Crypto-related crime has hit record levels in Hong Kong for the first six months of this year, with one victim losing HK$124 million (US$15.95 million) to fraudsters, according to the South China Morning Post. Fast facts Hong Kong police recorded 496 such cases totaling HK$214.4 million (US$27.58 million) in just the first half of this […]

Will Facebook’s metaverse future transform how we live online?

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a vision for metaverses — online worlds that one day will replace big parts of our offline lives. But some say that future is already here.

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.

Chinese central bank shows no sign of softening stance on crypto

People’s Bank of China vows to keep sector under ‘heavy pressure’ as it pushes digital yuan.

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.

U.S. infrastructure bill could bring sweeping regulatory changes to crypto

A provision in an infrastructure bill being debated by the U.S. Senate has prompted concerns in the crypto industry as it boosts Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements for investors and brokers. Fast facts According to the New York Times, the provision is an effort to help fund a US$ 1 trillion bipartisan bill and could […]

How NFTs can track patient consent for clinical trials and give you greater control over your own health data

A new NFT platform built on Hedera Hashgraph aims to give patients greater control over their health information. How does it work?

Japan’s Monex and SBI report strong Q2 results

Two of Japan’s largest crypto firms, Monex and SBI Groups, have seen strong performances in the second quarter of the year, according to the groups’ respective Q2 reports. Fast facts SBI operates two domestic exchanges, SBI VC Trade and the TaoTao platform, as well as the mining arm SBI Crypto and U.K.-based liquidity provider B2C2. […]

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.

Bitcoin mining difficulty rising again as miners resettle and get back to work

The global Bitcoin hashrate is now on an uptrend as miners pushed out by China resettle on friendlier shores and resume investing big money in mining equipment.
and

South Korea’s Busan city to establish digital asset exchange

Busan, the “blockchain city” of South Korea, is in the early stages of building its own platform for digital asset transactions. Fast facts According to Coindesk Korea, Busan city has started setting up detailed plans and strategies in establishing a digital asset exchange. Its plans include building an ecosystem for securities token-based digital asset transactions […]

India admits it has no good data on crypto exchanges, despite years of debate over regulations

Speaking to Parliament, India’s finance minister reveals that the government does not know how many crypto exchanges India has nor the number of crypto users.

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 […]

Here are Japan’s crypto investing bottlenecks, according to new report

Japan’s crypto-asset business association published a report yesterday that highlights issues in crypto investing for the country’s institutional investors.  Fast facts This report is an update of the latest use cases and projects from the “Discussion Paper Interim Report on Cryptocurrency Use Cases” published on May 7, 2021, and is a supplementary material to the […]

Robinhood’s IPO is just the start of an investing class war

What is Robinhood really worth, now that it’s a public company? Perhaps its true value depends on who you are.

Robinhood closes 8% down in underwhelming IPO

Robinhood’s hotly-anticipated market debut had an underwhelming start on Thursday, closing 8% down on its debut price of US$38, according to data from TradingView.com. Fast facts Trading under the ticker HOOD, Robinhood’s stock had an immediate rocky start, falling 10% before recovering slightly. But HOOD still ended the day at US$34.82. As Forkast reported recently, […]

Chinese authorities swoop on 380 suspected crypto and wire fraud groups in 1H 2021

Wire fraud, including cryptocurrency-related fraud, becomes fastest-growing crime as scams — some even involving China’s digital yuan project — proliferate.

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.

Is Bitcoin mining hot again? These crypto insiders think so

Despite China’s crackdowns on Bitcoin mining and growing consternation about crypto mining’s carbon footprint, some miners are betting big on a rosy future.

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?

Why blockchain technology is integral to a future of net-zero carbon emissions

Shifting to renewable energy is now a global goal. Using electric vehicles as an example, Author Joseph Jacobelli examines how digital technologies like blockchain will lead the way to a greener planet.

Amber Group launches CreatorFi NFT initiative to bridge traditional, crypto worlds

Hong Kong-based crypto financial services company Amber Group wants to bridge the gap between creators, collectors and platforms looking to get into NFTs and the crypto space.

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.

Robinhood readies IPO as risks cast shadow over future earnings potential

The fee-free trading platform’s initial public offering promises plenty of action for retail investors, but pitfalls may lie in wait amid trading volatility and wider adoption of business model.

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?

Bank of Thailand promotes blockchain in new guidelines

Thailand’s central bank yesterday published guidelines to regulate and promote the use of blockchain technology in the financial sector.  Fast facts Released by Siritida Panomwon Na Ayudhya, assistant governor of the payment systems policy and financial technology group at the Bank of Thailand, the guidelines provides principles for blockchain technology adoption by financial services providers.  […]

South Korean crypto exchanges warned over treatment of customers

The Korea Fair Trade Commission has advised eight cryptocurrency exchanges to changes terms and conditions in their user agreements that it deems unfair to customers. Fast facts The commission discovered 15 types of terms and conditions that it said were unfavorable to customers. One condition stipulated that balances of less than a minimum withdrawal amount […]

Ripple partners with SBI Remit, Coins.ph to use XRP for Japan-Philippines remittances

San Francisco-based payments technology company Ripple has partnered with SBI Remit, Japan’s largest money transfer provider, mobile payments service Coins.ph and digital asset exchange platform SBI VC Trade to use XRP for remittances between Japan and the Philippines, according to a company statement. Fast facts The partnership — Ripple’s first on-demand liquidity service implementation in […]

Big Indian banks take stakes in trade finance blockchain firm

Fifteen of India’s largest banks have invested in a fintech firm that aims to use blockchain to speed up domestic letters of credit, a first in domestic trade finance, regulatory filings to the National Stock Exchange of India show. Fast facts Named the Indian Banks’ Blockchain Infrastructure Co., the firm uses blockchain technology to verify […]

Ethereum-based EthSign platform wins seed funding from Draper Associates

EthSign — a Singapore-based electronic signing platform built on the Ethereum blockchain — today announced additional seed round funding from Silicon Valley venture capital firm Draper Associates. Fast facts EthSign is a decentralized application that allows users to comment on, edit and access each version of an electronic agreement securely. Built on the Ethereum blockchain, […]

Mastercard launches new crypto startup accelerator program

In an effort to “expand and accelerate innovation around digital asset technology”, Mastercard is launching a new global program to support cryptocurrency startups by giving them access to Mastercard’s business network and technology. Fast facts Announced yesterday, Mastercard’s Start Path program already has signed up seven crypto-related startup companies: GK8, Mintable, Stacs, Supraoracles, Taurus, Uphold […]

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.

What’s Ethereum price outlook for the rest of 2021?

Ethereum’s future is top of mind for a group of fintech experts polled by Finders. Where do they think Ethereum prices are headed, and will Ethereum overtake Bitcoin?

Thailand telecoms firm to expand into Bitcoin mining

Jasmine Telecom Systems, a publicly-listed unit of Thai telecoms operator Jasmine International, is set to ride the Bitcoin mining wave, with plans to install tens of thousands of mining machines over the next few years. Fast facts JTS is kicking off plans to deploy 500 mining machines in a data center in the third quarter […]

Philippine Digital Asset Exchange user numbers skyrocket

The Philippine Digital Asset Exchange, a cryptocurrency trading platform licensed by the central bank of the Philippines, now has more than 450,000 users, a 22.5-times increase from 2019, the bourse has told local media.  Fast facts PDAX Chief Executive Nichel Gaba said many Filipinos were crypto-curious, which explained why the number of traders on the […]

Crypto gets starring role in South Korean historical drama TV series

A cryptocurrency-themed TV drama series with a historical twist is currently in production in South Korea, depicting the make-believe arrival of a cryptocurrency in the country’s ancient Joseon Dynasty. Fast facts “The Age of Money,” as the show will be known, follows a fictional king trying to get to the bottom of an “invisible” brass […]

Tether rejects claims of renewed scrutiny over suspected bank fraud

World’s largest stablecoin dismisses report suggesting possibility of U.S. investigation, despite claims of recent Justice Department interest and track record of legal woes.

Goldman applies to launch decentralized finance ETF

As regulation permitting the establishment of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds remains stalled in the U.S., Goldman Sachs has officially applied for an ETF offering exposure to companies in decentralized finance and blockchain. Fast facts In a recent filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the bank said its fund — the Goldman Sachs Innovate DeFi […]

CoinShares: Multi-asset crypto investments see inflows amid outflows from Bitcoin and Ethereum

For the third consecutive week, digital asset investment products last week saw outflows — this time, to the tune of US$28 million, according to CoinShares, Europe’s largest digital assets fund manager. Bitcoin saw the majority of outflows, but multi-asset investment products remained positive with inflows of US$3.1 million. Fast facts Bitcoin investment products saw US$24 […]

Bybit contributes $19M to BitDAO in ETH, USDT and USDC to support DeFi growth

Singapore-based crypto derivatives exchange Bybit today announced it had made a US$19.3 million contribution in Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) to BitDAO, one of the world’s largest decentralized autonomous organizations, which it helped launch last month. Fast facts Many crypto projects, especially those in decentralized finance, have organized themselves as DAOs for […]

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 […]

Bitmain joins hands with Kazakhstan mining farm Enegix to host rigs

Chinese cryptocurrency mining rig maker Bitmain has partnered with Enegix, which runs one of the biggest crypto mining data centers in Kazakhstan, to host its Antminer machines in the Central Asian nation. Fast facts Bitmain said in a statement on Friday that it had joined hands with Enegix, a data center operator in Kazakhstan, to […]

BIT Mining to exit lottery business for crypto mining expansion

BIT Mining — a New York Stock Exchange-listed company that only months ago became a big investor in Chinese cryptocurrency mining — has decided to exit its Chinese lottery-related business and focus more on mining outside the country. Fast facts BIT Mining, formerly known as 500.com, has operated online sports lottery services, but announced on […]

Singapore crypto take-up reaches 43% of adults

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 […]

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.

Bitcoin ETF applicant is not surprised by US delays

Valkyrie is among a growing number of asset managers at the SEC’s door, seeking approval to offer a Bitcoin ETF. Will a Bitcoin ETF ever get the green light in the United States?

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.

Ethereum in spotlight as prices recover, London hard fork looms and Paris conference closes

The cryptocurrency community is watching Ethereum closely, with the EthCC event in Paris having wrapped up, Ether prices showing new strength and the London upgrade just around the corner.
and

EL Salvadorans protest Bitcoin adoption bill

Demonstrators have gathered outside El Salvador’s National Assembly to protest President Nayib Bukele’s controversial bill to establish Bitcoin as official legal tender in the Central American nation, Decrypt reports. Fast facts Activists gathered despite a three-month ban on protests in the country, which was ostensibly put in place as a Covid-19 preventative measure. Despite the […]

India central bank plans digital Rupee rollout

India plans to implement the country’s digital currency in phases, Reserve Bank of India’s deputy governor Shri T Rabi Sankar said at a webinar organized by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, New Delhi.  Fast facts “CBDC (central bank digital currency) will be in the arsenal of most if not all central banks in the […]