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Ripple slams SEC’s opposition to brief motions in XRP lawsuit

Ripple Labs has spoken against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s opposition to motions from two firms that had requested to file amicus briefs in support of Ripple, in the lawsuit that the SEC filed in 2020 against Ripple. See related article: SEC opposes motions from two firms seeking to back Ripple in XRP lawsuit […]

Terra’s network validator DSRV Labs CEO denies prior knowledge of Terra-LUNA collapse

Validators of Terra blockchain had no knowledge of the US$60 billion collapse of Terra-LUNA prior to the crash, said South Korean blockchain infrastructure provider DSRV Labs chief Kim Ji-yun. in response to the National Assembly’s parliamentary audit on the Financial Services Commission on Thursday. See related article: Terra CEO Do Kwon to lose his passport […]

Transit Swap hacker mulls return of more funds

A hacker in the Transit Swap recent hack will consider returning more funds after Transit Swap completes the first phase of user returns, according to a message transmitted on blockchain from one of the hacker’s addresses on Thursday. See related article: Hacker returned 70% of stolen US$23M in funds: Transit Swap Fast facts See related […]

NFTs from art and the burning question of their physical origins

Original artworks are being set on fire and destroyed to be digitally reborn on the blockchain as non-fungible tokens. But, how far is too far in this recent incendiary trend?

Singapore’s central bank says illegal crypto operations will be hunted down

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said illegal crypto-related businesses are operating in the city state and it is working with the police to identify and prosecute them. See related article: Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy Fast facts In a reply to a Parliamentary question, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, senior minister […]

Aussie laundered stolen retirement funds via Hong Kong using crypto, diamonds

A woman in Melbourne, Australia pleaded guilty on Wednesday to her role in stealing millions of dollars from superannuation (retirement) funds and stock portfolios before laundering the proceeds via Hong Kong through the purchase of cryptocurrency and diamonds, as reported by The Age newspaper. See related article: Australian superannuation and institutions await clarity to invest […]

South Korea makes first arrest in Terra-LUNA investigation

South Korean prosecutors have arrested a Terraform Labs employee, in their first arrest under the investigation of the Terra-LUNA collapse. A bench warrant, which allows law enforcement to take suspects into custody, was issued on Wednesday for the arrested employee. See related article: Terra CEO Do Kwon to lose his passport within a month  Fast […]

Is that bottle of ‘Grand Cru’ for real? An NFT can nose out the truth

The tradition-bound wine world is not always open to change, writes Sebastian Schier of vinID. But new technology can solve the age-old problem of wine fraud.

Joining The Sandbox metaverse: All the Cool Cats are doing it

Cool Cats Group LLC, the Web3 company behind the cartoon feline-based NFT collection Cool Cats, announced Thursday that it had received a strategic investment and partnership from Animoca Brands, owner of the metaverse platform The Sandbox.  See related article: Asus launches NFT platform to plug into Web 3.0 Fast facts In a tweet, Cool Cats’ […]

Terra CEO Do Kwon to lose his passport within a month

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a notice on its website on Wednesday saying the passport belonging to Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd. chief Kwon Do-Hyung, also known as Do Kwon, will be nullified in four weeks if Kwon does not return his passport. See related article: South Korea’s investigation of Do Kwon ‘unfair’: Terraform […]

Tornado Cash Debate – The Role of Law

Forkast Editor in Chief Angie Law spoke with some of the industry experts to talk about the implications of the Tornado Cash sanctions.

Temperatures rise over alleged Celsius withdrawals ahead of bankruptcy

Top blockchain and crypto news: Celsius founder in hot water. European bank woes cast crypto shadow. Will BSN’s Chinese roots thwart its global ambitions?

SEC opposes motions from two firms seeking to back Ripple in XRP lawsuit

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has objected to motions from two firms that had requested to file amicus briefs in support of Ripple Labs Inc., in the lawsuit that the SEC filed in 2020 against Ripple. See related article: Two firms seek to weigh in on XRP lawsuit between SEC, Ripple Fast facts […]

Terra cofounder Daniel Shin pulls out of S.Korean parliamentary audit, report says

Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd. cofounder Daniel Shin, or Shin Hyun-sung, has submitted a statement to South Korea’s National Assembly with reasons not to appear before lawmakers on Thursday as a witness in the Terra-LUNA meltdown, according to local news agency News1. See related article: Terraform cofounder Daniel Shin to testify in South Korean parliament Fast […]

Asus launches NFT platform to plug into Web 3.0

Taiwanese laptop maker Asus has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) platform, marking its first attempt to venture into the burgeoning Web 3.0 industry, the company announced on Tuesday.  See related article: Apple iPhone maker’s founder distances himself from crypto fraudsters using his image Fast facts Asus launched Art Black hole on Tuesday, a platform for […]

US$4B in money laundering happened on DEXs, bridges and coin swaps: Elliptic

Criminals have used decentralized exchanges (DEX), cross-chain bridges and coin swap services to launder more than US$4 billion worth of illicit crypto gains, according to a research report by blockchain analytics firm Elliptic. See related article: SWIFT, Chainlink announce cross-chain interoperability pact  Fast facts See related article: Chainalysis says $2 bln stolen in cross-chain bridge […]

Is crypto money? A South Korean court says no

The country’s judiciary says Bitcoin loans not affected by interest limitation act, as crypto is not ‘money’

Privacy vs. security: an international debate on Tornado Cash

Panelists at Forkast’s live-streamed event ‘Crypto Rising: The Role of Law: An International Debate post Tornado Cash’ co-hosted by Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) said the significance of the sanctions could not be understated.

Celsius cofounder, chief strategy officer resigns: report

Bankrupt crypto lender Celsius’ cofounder and chief strategy officer S. Daniel Leon has resigned, a week after the company’s CEO Alex Mashinsky stepped down, according to an internal company memo viewed by CNBC. See related article: Alex Mashinsky steps down as Celsius CEO  Fast facts The company’s previous global tax director, Lior Koren, is taking […]

Japan’s PM announces NFT and metaverse expansion

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced plans to expand investments in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse in a policy speech on Monday. See related article: Japan plans new crypto transfer rules to combat money laundering Fast facts Kishida says the country will further its investment in digital transformation and expand the use of Web3 […]

Mastercard launches crypto exchange risk assessment tool

Financial services company Mastercard Inc. has launched Crypto Secure, a technology solution designed to help banks identify fraud-prone crypto exchanges, the company announced in a press release. See related article: Binance partners Mastercard to launch card in Argentina for bill payment, everyday purchases Fast facts The service uses artificial intelligence algorithms and blockchain data to […]

Solana NFT sales up 77% in September despite sluggish quarter

Non-fungible token (NFT) sales on Solana surged in September despite a sharp decline in the overall trading volume of NFTs in the third quarter.  See related article: Instagram, Facebook users in 100 countries can crosspost NFTs: Meta Fast facts Solana NFT sellers pocketed more than US$126 million in September, a 77% month-over-month increase, according to […]

Tether says commercial paper holdings now less than US$50 mln

Tether Holdings Limited, the issuer behind the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, reduced its holdings of commercial paper to less than US$50 million as of Sept. 30, according to a tweet by Tether Chief Technology Officer Paulo Ardoino. See related article: SEC fines Tether’s former auditor US$1 mln over accounting malpractice Fast facts In the tweet, Ardoino also […]

US Treasury says Congress needs to act to mitigate crypto risk to stability

The Financial Stability Oversight Council report says the lack of clear regulations in the cryptocurrency industry could pose a risk to overall U.S. financial stability and urges congress to write up new rules of the road.

Dunamu, BTS’ Hybe launch first K-pop digital collectibles platform

Dunamu Inc., the mother company of South Korea’s largest crypto exchange Upbit, and Hybe Co., Ltd., the music agency behind K-pop mega group BTS, launched a K-pop digital collectible platform on Tuesday via their Los Angeles-based joint venture, LEVVELS Inc. See related article: Dunamu looks to K-pop group BTS NFTs to beat ‘Crypto Winter’ Fast […]

Apple CEO Tim Cook backs AR tech over the metaverse

Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple Inc., said in a recent interview that augmented reality (AR) will become the biggest technology of the future, while he devalued metaverse and virtual reality (VR) technology. See related article: The metaverse is already here. What’s holding back the party? Fast facts “I think AR is a profound […]

How will the crypto tax debate play out in the UK?

Like many nations, the UK is formulating new rules and guidelines for crypto taxation. Will they help or hinder its crypto hub aspirations?

SEC fines Kim Kardashian US$1.26 mln for promoting EthereumMax

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has been fined US$1.26 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for promoting EthereumMax (EMAX) tokens on her Instagram account without disclosing the US$250,000 payment she received for the endorsement. See related article: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan ponies up tax on NFT sale Fast facts The SEC said […]

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether slip; XRP slumps; Hang Seng Index touches 11-year low in Hong Kong

Bitcoin and Ether prices fell in Monday evening trading in Hong Kong amid widespread losses among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with BNB being the sole gainer. In equity markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index at one stage fell to the lowest level in 11 years. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price falls […]

3 reasons crypto will spring back after Crypto Winter

The crypto market has been down for months, but the industry’s long-term future is brighter than ever, writes Guilhem Chaumont of Flowdesk. Here’s why.

Two firms seek to weigh in on XRP lawsuit between SEC, Ripple

Two companies have sought to be amicus curiae (Latin for friend of the court) in support of Ripple Labs in the lawsuit that the Securities and Exchange Commission filed in 2020 against Ripple. See related article: XRP price surges after U.S. court rejects SEC objection in Ripple lawsuit Fast facts I-Remit Inc., a global payment […]

Celsius ex-CEO withdrew US$10 mln before freeze on client accounts: FT reports

Alex Mashinsky, who resigned as chief executive officer of Celsius on Sept. 27, reportedly withdrew US$10 million from the crypto exchange in May, weeks before it filed for bankruptcy and froze withdrawals in June, according to the Financial Times. See related article: Celsius on thin ice well before its bankruptcy: CNBC report Fast facts A […]

Hacker has returned 70% of stolen US$23 mln in funds: Transit Swap

Cross-chain DEX (decentralized exchange) aggregator Transit Swap was exploited, resulting in US$23 million lost funds, crypto auditor SlowMist said on Sunday. The hacker has returned 70% of the stolen funds, Transit Swap said on the same day. See related article: Nomad’s US$200 million hack; Saylor steps down  Fast facts See related article: Why blockchain bridges […]

Coinbase says it resolved glitch that blocked trades from U.S. bank accounts

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc. said it resolved technical issues on Sunday night that had prevented U.S. bank account users from making payments or withdrawals for most of the day.  See related article: Coinbase gets nod from Dutch central bank to offer crypto services Fast facts “We’ve fully resolved this issue and ACH transfers are […]

Warner Music taps OpenSea NFT marketplace to guide artists to Web3

Warner Music Group (WMG) has partnered with non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea, to allow some of the entertainment conglomerate’s artists to build their fan base in Web 3.0. See related article: Warner Bros., Nifty’s release ‘Space Jam’ movie NFTs Fast facts WMG artists will get early access to OpenSea’s new “drop” product, an initiative that […]

India’s ED freezes more crypto in E-Nuggets money laundering case

India’s financial crime fighting agency has frozen additional cryptocurrencies worth around US$58,000 as part of an ongoing money laundering probe against mobile gaming application E-Nuggets and its former executive. See related article:  Indian authorities probe alleged $125 mln money laundering cases involving crypto, report says Fast facts The additional cryptocurrencies include WRX, the utility token […]

Do Kwon, where are you?

Do Kwon – the founder of Terraform Labs, has been issued with a red notice from Interpol. But where on earth is he?

Instagram, Facebook users in 100 countries can crosspost NFTs: Meta

Instagram and Facebook users in 100 countries can start sharing and crossposting their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) between the two platforms, Meta announced on Thursday.  See related article: China’s ‘Instagram’ gets into virtual fashion with users strutting NFT clothes Fast facts Meta, the operator of the two social media platforms, said the feature is available to […]

Binance sets up shop in New Zealand in global push

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has launched a local branch in New Zealand after becoming a registered financial service provider, Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao announced on Friday. See related article: Binance taps ex-U.S. senator Max Baucus to chair global advisory board Fast facts “New Zealand is an exciting market with a strong history of […]

Terraform cofounder Daniel Shin to testify in South Korean parliament

South Korea’s National Assembly intends to get to the bottom of the Terra-LUNA debacle in its next audit in October along with several other issues surrounding the local crypto industry.

XRP price surges after U.S. court rejects SEC objection in Ripple lawsuit

The price of XRP rose after a U.S. federal judge Thursday overruled the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) objections to orders that asked the securities watchdog to disclose drafts of a 2018 speech made by former agency director William Hinman, in its lawsuit against Ripple Labs Inc. See related article: SEC files brief on Hinman […]

Binance launches ETHW mining pool, ETHW price surges

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has launched its mining pool service for Ethereum Proof-of-Work (ETHW), a forked version of Ethereum. See related article: Ethereum says Merge upgrade successfully completed, more to come Fast facts Binance Pool said on Thursday that it offers zero pool fees for the ETHW pool during a promotion period until […]

India financial crime unit cites ‘Chinese-controlled entities’ in alleged crypto fraud

India’s financial crime fighting agency has frozen US$1.2 million in account balances of various “Chinese-controlled entities” as part of an investigation related to alleged crypto fraud with an app-based token “HPZ” and similar applications.  See related article: Tax authorities recover US$9M from India’s biggest crypto exchanges Fast facts India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a press […]

SBF wanted to join Elon Musk Twitter deal, private text messages show

Sam Bankman-Fried, the American crypto entrepreneur, billionaire and investor, considered joining Musk’s bid to buy social media giant Twitter, leaked private messages reveal.

ENS address registrations in September notch an all-time monthly high

The number of newly-registered Ethereum Name Service (ENS) addresses in September reached a monthly all-time high of 427,325 at the time of publication, despite total NFT trading volume falling 97% from January when sales peaked, according to data from Dune Analytics, a crypto analysis site. See related article: ENS domain name expires as developer is […]

Crypto wallet Metamask unveils all-in-one digital asset portfolio dApp

Global digital asset wallet Metamask recently launched a beta version of its new decentralized application (dApp) that would serve as a “one-stop shop” for managing crypto and non-fungible token (NFT) portfolios on different platforms. See related article: As “The Merge” succeeds, rival ETHPoW fork falters Fast facts “Portfolio DApp,” available to extension and mobile users, […]

Busan taps K-pop metaverse to win 2030 World Expo bid

Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, is opening a virtual space on Naver Z’s Zepeto metaverse at 12 p.m. on Friday, Korea time, to promote the city in efforts to host the World Expo in 2030. See related article: South Korea’s Busan city wants to be blockchain central. Did everyone get the memo? Fast facts The […]

The US Dollar vs Crypto

The “dollar milkshake theory” suggests that the US Dollar would suck up liquidity from other currencies worldwide – but what does it mean for crypto?

Institutional finance, role of regulators in focus at TOKEN2049 crypto conference

The second Forkast report on Asia Crypto Week’s anchor event explores what bets TradFi players are making, how Asian investment patterns differ from those elsewhere, and what cooperation between crypto companies and regulators should look like

SEC charges Hydrogen Technology for selling unregistered securities 

The SEC has filed charges against Hydrogen Technology Corporation and former chief executive Michael Ross Kane for alleged sales of unregistered “crypto asset securities” in the form of Hydro tokens. See related article: SEC’s Gensler says proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies may be securities Fast facts Moonwalkers Trading Limited CEO, Tyler Ostern, is also being charged for allegedly […]

Bitcoin mining difficulty drops 2% after reaching all-time high in last adjustment

Bitcoin mining difficulty dropped 2.14% on Wednesday, after reaching an all-time high in the previous adjustment on Sept. 14, according to data from BTC.com. See related article: Bitdeer leads US$250 mln fund to acquire assets from distressed miners: report Fast facts The mining difficulty reading, which marked the first decline in about two months, was […]

Scalability is Ethereum’s post-Merge focus: Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin identified Ethereum’s next big challenges as scalability and layer 2 implementations at the Converge22 conference.

Cryptocurrency crowd shrugs off market woes at upbeat TOKEN2049 conference

In the first of a two-part report on this year’s cryptocurrency gathering in Singapore, defiance outshone defeatism despite industry’s struggles.

Are stablecoins like Tether ready for regulatory scrutiny?

The Terra UST disaster is spurring regulators to converge on global stablecoin standards, writes Michael Shing of XREX. But major issuers still fall short.

Kevin O’Leary to launch Web3 fund with backing from UAE; pushes back on Jamie Dimon

Kevin O’Leary plans to launch a Web 3.0-focused investment fund called Cipher, the Shark Tank investor told Forkast Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau at the Converge22 blockchain and cryptocurrency conference on Wednesday in San Francisco.  See related article: Capital gains: How Web3 property rights can transform the digital economy Fast facts “We’ve got to get away from this […]

India ED freezes US$1.57 mln in crypto allegedly laundered through WazirX, Binance

India’s financial crime fighting agency has frozen over US$1.5 million in cryptocurrencies as part of a money laundering investigation against mobile gaming application E-nuggets, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Wednesday.   See related article: Indian authorities probe alleged $125 mln money laundering cases involving crypto, report says Fast facts The ED launched a money laundering […]

Are DAOs above the rules?

Ooki DAO – you’ve probably never heard of it, but it could become one of the most important decentralized autonomous organizations – because of the rules it’s accused of breaking.

Australia gears up for state-backed digital currency trials

Top blockchain and crypto news: Digital dollar didgeridoos. Bitcoin softens as sterling sinks. ‘World’s dumbest’ crypto criminals nabbed in China.

Markets: XRP biggest loser in top 10, Bitcoin slips under US$19,000, Ether slumps

Bitcoin and Ether fell as much as 7% in afternoon trading in Asia as the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization lost ground across the board. XRP slid to erase most of its gains from the past week as optimism faded for any early resolution to its lawsuit with the US Security and Exchange Commission. […]

Could reversible crypto transactions tackle hacker crime? Stanford study sparks debate

What if you could hit the undo button on an Ethereum blockchain transaction after discovering you’ve been scammed?

Cryptocurrencies much more than trading tools, says Caselin at AAX exchange 

Who will regulate the regulators is a time-honored question and one Bitcoin enthusiasts raise when talking about the benefits of the token’s fixed supply versus the tendency of central banks to switch the money spigots off and on.

Do Kwon denies cashout allegations

The man behind Terra-LUNA contradicts the basis of the new action South Korean authorities took to corner and locate him.

Bitdeer leads US$250 mln fund to acquire assets from distressed miners: report

Crypto tycoon Jihan Wu’s crypto mining firm Bitdeer Technology Holdings is leading a US$250 million fund to acquire mining rigs from distressed miners amid the cryptocurrency bear market, according to Bloomberg. See related article: China mining rig maker Canaan expands despite crypto winter  Fast facts See related article: Bitmain cuts mining rig price amid crypto […]

Alex Mashinsky steps down as Celsius CEO

Alex Mashinsky, the chief executive officer of cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network LLC which has filed for bankruptcy, has resigned from his position, according to a statement released by the company on Tuesday. See related article: Regulator alleges Celsius resembled Ponzi scheme in new filing Fast facts The company’s chief financial officer, Chris Ferraro, has been […]

Christie’s launches curated art Ethereum NFT marketplace

Christie’s, the 256-year-old fine art auction house, is debuting Christie’s 3.0, an Ethereum-based NFT marketplace with the launch of an exclusive collection from leading Web 3.0 visual artist Diana Sinclair.  See related article: Naver and LINE launch NFT platform for K-pop fans Fast facts The New York-based auction house has made waves in the space, […]

Japan plans new crypto transfer rules to combat money laundering

Japan is planning to introduce remittance rules to prevent money laundering through cryptocurrencies, Nikkei Asia reported Tuesday. See related article: China says it busted US$5.6B crypto money laundering ring Fast facts The Japanese authorities plan to revise “The Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds” to require exchanges to provide user data when sending […]

BIS mBridge cross-border CBDC project concludes pilot, advisor says

Hong Kong’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project with three other central banks and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) has completed its pilot, an advisor from the BIS and a specialist from Thailand’s central bank said on Tuesday. See related article: Future of CBDCs & Stablecoins Fast facts The mBridge pilot saw 20 commercial […]

Banking in the Metaverse

Where does money fit into the future of the internet? We take a closer look as DBS plans to buy land in the metaverse.

FTX to acquire assets of bankrupt Voyager Digital with US$1.422 billion bid

Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange FTX US will acquire all the assets of bankrupt cryptocurrency brokerage Voyager Digital, beating off rivals with a US$1.422 billion bid. See related article: Voyager gives Sam Bankman-Fried’s ‘low-ball’ bailout offer a single digit Fast facts FTX will acquire “all Voyager cryptocurrency at a to-be-determined date in the future,” which […]

Markets: Bitcoin price rises above US$20,000, XRP rebounds, Ether rallies

Bitcoin rallied above US$20,000 in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia, along with almost all the top 10 coins by market capitalization. XRP rebounded from losses in the morning. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price back above US$19,000; Ether, Polkadot gain; XRP leads losers Fast facts Bitcoin rose 6.94% in the past 24 hours to trade […]

SEC fines Tether’s former auditor US$1 mln over accounting malpractice

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Monday it filed and settled a US$1 million fine against Friedman LLP, Tether’s former auditing firm, over “serious violations of the federal securities laws.” See related article: What is the right approach to regulating stablecoins?  Fast facts See related article: Should Tether’s shrinking cash reserves be cause for […]

Upbit exchange to use LUNC fees to set up crypto monitoring center

Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is using fees it collected from Luna Classic (LUNC) transactions to establish a crypto monitoring center in a gesture to help compensate for the losses from the Terra-LUNA debacle, according to local media reports. See related article: Interpol issues red notice for Do Kwon, says South Korean prosecutor Fast […]