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South Korean crypto exchange Bithumb dismisses ‘listing fee’ claims

Bithumb — South Korea’s second-largest crypto exchange — has rubbished claims that it is charging token issuers fees to list their coins on its platform.

Crypto exchange Coinbase to launch crypto app store in international strategy

Nasdaq-listed Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States, announced today its plans to expand its business internationally as it seeks to improve its asset-listing process and build a crypto app store. Fast facts: “We’re seeing crypto quickly mature from its initial use case of trading bitcoin to the trading of thousands of new […]

What is Theta blockchain, and how might it revolutionize online streaming?

With Theta’s new mainnet 3.0, the network aims to be the go-to blockchain-powered content delivery platform for online streaming. Will Theta succeed?

Hong Kong’s Cyberport invests in digital asset custodian Hex Trust

Hex Trust, a Hong Kong-based digital asset custodian, today announced that it has secured investment from Cyberport, a technology incubator project backed by the Hong Kong government.

Special Series, Part 3: Digital dragons and digital dollars

In the last installment of a 3-part series on blockchain in Asia, Forkast.News examines: Everyone knows money has value. But does it also have ‘values’?
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A portfolio balanced by digital assets

Do cryptocurrencies follow broader market trends? Cryptocurrency has long been perceived as a hedge against the fluctuations of the broader equities market. The idea of cryptocurrency as an alternative investment has taken off during the Covid-19 pandemic as equity prices rose to stratospheric highs despite the fundamentals of the economy significantly weakening.  An example that […]

Evangelizing to different investor profiles

Millennials and Gen Z Millennials have earned the reputation of disrupting or killing traditional industries, and the financial sector is no exception.  The disconnect between millennials and traditional investments is the result of various factors, such as their firsthand experience with the long-term effects of the 2008 global recession on assets and investments, as well […]

Tokenized asset market sizing and analysis

How value is created Our methodology for calculating the value of this market includes tokenized commodity, energy, currency (i.e., stablecoins), gold and real estate projects. Calculations include publicly listed projects found via Blockexplorers. It excludes cryptocurrency, as it’s a native digital asset, as well as DeFi projects because of their extreme volatility. All tokenized assets […]

Building liquidity

Although institutional interest in Bitcoin is rising, there is still the volatility conundrum to consider. Bitcoin’s market fluctuations, however, make it a poor store of value. But, at the same time, there is an advantage to keeping capital stored in crypto: cashing out crypto into fiat is almost always a taxable event and not ideal […]

Family offices are turning to digital assets

Interview with Trent Barnes, Principal at Zerocap Tokenization brings new models for raising capital, as well as institutional-grade opportunities Forkast.News: How does a digital asset become “institutional-grade”? What sort of criteria are institutional-level traders looking for? TB: The criteria would include clear guidelines and regulatory frameworks as to how digital assets are treated, deepening pools […]

What kind of new regulation can help Australia become a global crypto hub?

Through tomorrow, a Senate committee is taking public comments on how best to make Australia into a global crypto leader and fintech hub.

Trends and opportunities

Top three digital asset market trends shaping the future Three key trends in the digital asset market are: Tokenization of widely traded traditional assets, such as stocks and bonds; Tokenization of previously untraded or under-traded assets, such as real estate and fine art; Institutional adoption and trading of digital tokens. During the past year the […]

Singapore crypto exchange Coinhako sees trade soar 500%, eyes IPO

Singapore cryptocurrency exchange Coinhako today announced a 500% increase in trading volume during the first five months of 2021 compared to the whole of 2020.

China’s Agricultural Bank launches fintech center in ‘smart city’ of Xiong’an

Agricultural Bank of China has set up a fintech innovation center in Xiong’an, a model for a so-called smart city.

Why big investors are pouring money into blockchain data analytics for crypto

Nansen, a Singapore startup, is the latest darling of venture capitalists like Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) bullish on the growing field of crypto analytics.

The importance of a third-party custodian

Interview with Phil Mochan, founder of UK-based custody provider Koine Forkast.News: What is a custody solution? What’s the difference between simple cold storage and custody? Phil Mochan: Custody is about a lot more than simply managing safes (or cold stores). The trade settlement process is an integral part of the function of the custodian. At […]

Ethereum’s institutional outflows hit record US$50M, CoinShares data says

Ethereum is bearing the brunt of negative sentiment on crypto, with net outflows from institutional products related to the token hitting a record of US$50 million last week.

Custodians: looking after your assets

The need for custody Who holds the keys? Who looks after the digital assets? The person with control has custody. For an exchange, that custodian should be a third party for better risk management, more robust security and improved accountability. There is no shortage of examples of the inherent problems that can arise when exchange […]

Samsung Asset Management launches metaverse fund

Samsung Asset Management, South Korea’s biggest asset manager, has launched a fund tied to a virtual world known as the metaverse.

Mexican finance minister reiterates crypto ban after bank unveils Bitcoin plan

Mexico’s finance minister reiterated his country’s ban on cryptocurrencies on Monday, saying they are not legal tender and are not to be treated as currencies within the country
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Bitcoin hashrate falls to lowest in 22 months amid China mining clampdown

Bitcoin’s hashrate fell to 58.7971 exa hashes per second on Sunday — the lowest point since August 2019.

Singapore central bank joins IMF, World Bank to push state digital currencies

The Monetary Authority of Singapore is inviting proposals for retail central bank digital currency innovations to improve payment services.

Growth of digital assets markets and exchanges

Interview with Thor Chan, CEO of AAX Forkast.News: The value of digital assets has exploded during the last year, and we are now at levels well above previous forecasts. What are you seeing in the market right now? Thor Chan: We think that the global crypto market is growing. More money is flowing in, and […]

Digital asset exchange infrastructure geared for high-volume trading

Managing trading volume and geography The importance of having the right infrastructure to drive an exchange – any exchange, not just ones for digital assets – cannot be overstated. It provides the engine that lies behind every software platform.  Investors need to know they can execute trades without outages or other interruption. As well, they […]

Implementing global standards in digital exchange infrastructure

Interview with Lorne Chambers, Global Head of Sales and Marketing, LSE Forkast.News: How does LSEG Technology’s matching engine ensure orders are closed with as little latency as possible? How does this prevent the phenomenon of negative convexity, where the market moves away from the position staked out by the trader? Lorne Chambers: The architecture of LSEG Technology’s […]

Foreword

This report is about the development of digital assets, cryptocurrencies and tokenization and how that all-important confidence is established. Thank you for your interest in digital assets and the role of digital asset exchanges, custodians and the value digital assets offer to investors looking to diversify.  For any currency, digital or otherwise, confidence in the […]

Special Series, Part 2: China lays digital groundwork for a new Silk Road

How China’s deployment of the digital yuan intertwines economics with geopolitics and concrete with virtual infrastructure, from Cambodia to the Caribbean.
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Introduction

Executive Summary The crypto market of 2020 is not the crypto market of 2013. What was once a cryptocurrency market is now a digital asset market. Blockchain’s strengths in efficiently and transparently tracking assets have given birth to an industry of assets represented by tokens, allowing both a new class of investors to have exposure […]

The Unstoppable Rise of Digital Assets

Table of contents Foreword For any currency, confidence is essential. This report is about the development of digital assets, cryptocurrencies and tokenization and how that all-important confidence is established. by Angie Lau, Forkast Editor-in-Chief Executive summary and introduction The crypto market of 2020 is not the crypto market of 2013. What was once a cryptocurrency […]

Terms of Service

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China’s crypto miners eye Kazakhstan in exodus; e-HKD study on track | The Daily Forkast

Kazakhstan is quickly becoming a mining hotspot as China’s mining exodus settles down. In Hong Kong, and update on the e-HKD.

FATF: Most countries have yet to implement anti-terrorism crypto ‘travel rule’

Why are so few adopting FATF guidance for VASPs? Money laundering watchdog decries ‘continued misuse of virtual assets through jurisdictional arbitrage.’

How enterprises are fueling blockchain adoption among SMEs

What is blockchain and how can it help smaller companies? A special panel sponsored by Blockchain-based Service Network explores the use cases.

Kazakhstan’s Bitcoin gold rush gathers pace as Chinese miners keep piling in

As China shuts down crypto mining over environmental concerns, miners are moving next door to Kazakhstan, one of the most coal-rich countries in the world.

Hong Kong to press ahead with digital dollar, e-CNY plans

Hong Kong’s financial secretary has reiterated the city’s determination to develop digital versions of the Hong Kong dollar and the mainland Chinese yuan.

Special series, Part 1: China bets on the blockchain

Long before most governments, the Asian superpower saw the potential in Bitcoin’s technology to spawn the next internet and a new form of money.
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Bitcoin not ideal for cyber crime, says Filecoin Foundation chair

Bitcoin was recovered by the FBI from the Colonial Pipeline ransomware cyber criminals DarkSide, sparking privacy concerns around cryptocurrencies.

China Blockchain Report

Blockchain Is Not China’s Future — It Is The Present Blockchain technology is a national priority for China, and it’s being integrated in both enterprise and government. Nowhere else in the world has a country approached the development of a technology with such a sense of urgency. Forkast.Insights sat down with top China-based insiders, academics, protocols, […]

Building construction meets blockchain, Binance launches NFT platform | The Daily Forkast

Construction meets blockchain in Australian and Binance’s NFT marketplace is open for business.

What will Ethereum’s London hard fork do as an upgrade?

A major Ethereum upgrade via London hard fork — which experts call a ‘seismic shift’ for the industry — is coming soon. Are ‘Ethereum killers’ doomed?
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China sets out stall with digital yuan. Here comes the sales pitch

Urged on by the authorities, banks have wasted little time in putting e-CNY infrastructure in place, but now comes the hard part — getting people to use it.

About us

Stories of emerging technology at the intersection of business, economy, and politics. From Asia, to the world. Technology is by its very nature, disruptive. But understanding it also helps us navigate this age of disruption better. Forkast was started in 2018 with a simple premise: Technology should be understood by the people it will impact […]

How blockchain traceability can help our world prevent a resource spiral

Blockchain technology promotes a circular economy of reuse that is vital to our planet’s future. Leanne Kemp, CEO of Everledger, explains how it works.

Bitcoin ETFs start trading on Brazil, Dubai stock exchanges

QR Capital’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund — the first Bitcoin ETF in Latin America — has been listed on Brazil’s stock exchange.

South Korea points to crypto regulation efforts after calls for watchdog to quit

South Korea’s presidential office has reacted defensively to a petition calling for the chief of the country’s main finance sector regulator to step down over comments he made about cryptocurrencies.

Survey: 32% of novice traders only invested in crypto in past year

Nearly one in three novice traders reported making no traditional investments outside crypto over the past year, according to a survey published today by Overbit, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange. In contrast, 85.3% of professional traders reported diversifying their investment portfolios to stock, real estate or other traditional assets. Fast facts: The survey of 3,000 traders […]

Rig maker Bitmain offers help to Chinese miners looking to relocate abroad

Chinese mining rig maker Bitmain is offering assistance to clients that want to relocate their cryptocurrency mining operations from China to other countries.

John McAfee dead by suicide in Spanish jail before extradition to US

John McAfee has died by suicide in a prison cell in Barcelona after a Spanish court authorized his extradition to the US where he faced tax evasion charges.

Bitcoin: Follow the money. Titan goes Titan-ic. China’s footloose miners.

Top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bitcoin’s still winning. Titan’s troubles as a teachable moment. Beijing creates a crypto mining diaspora.

Chinese crypto mining rig maker Bitmain suspends sales as prices drop

Chinese mining rig maker Bitmain has stopped selling in-stock cryptocurrency mining equipment amid a plunge in the prices following a shutdown of major mining pools in China.

South Korea’s Upbit sued for patent violation, Alipay launches NFT platform | The Daily Forkast

Another legal challenge faces cryptocurrency exchange Upbit. In China, Ant Group is getting into the NFT game — through Alipay.

What lies ahead for CBDCs, Bitcoin and other digital currencies?

In a new report, Bank for International Settlements extols central bank digital currency (CBDC) as the future of money. Will CBDCs replace Bitcoin someday?

South Korean crypto exchange Upbit in dock in trading tech case

South Korean crypto exchange Upbit — the country’s biggest — is facing a lawsuit filed by a university foundation alleging patent infringement.

Chinese payment giant Alipay starts selling NFTs

Chinese payment app Alipay has started selling non-fungible token artwork, finding buyers for a combined 8,000 editions of two artworks within one day.

U.S. Treasury nominees pledge beefed-up crypto AML enforcement

Two nominees to the U.S. Treasury Department have promised, if they are confirmed in their posts, to implement new regulations relating to cryptocurrency.

Report: US cryptocurrency crimes surging by 300% a year

Crypto-related crime in the US increased an average of over 300% per year from 2017 to 2020with a total of 82,135 cases last year alone.

Polkadot DeFi hub Acala’s Karura network wins first Kusama auction

Decentralized finance hub Acala Network’s sister network, Karura, has won the first parachain lease auction on Kusama, Polkadot’s pre-production network, and is now successfully producing blocks, according to an announcement today. Fast facts: The successful completion of Kusama’s first parachain slot auction and Karura’s launch brings Polkdot ever closer to its rollout. Karura raised more […]

What is Ethereum, and could it become the future of blockchain?

Ethereum is much more than a cryptocurrency, and it has already attracted huge interest among investors. What’s all the fuss about? Forkast.News explains.

Chinese crypto miners head west as Beijing’s crackdown gains pace

Kazakhstan offers nearby bolthole as North America and Europe beckon.
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How NFTs can increase efficiency in trade finance

Better known for uses in art and collectibles, non-fungible tokens can also improve supply chains and prevent fraud. Richard Crook of LAB577 explains how.

Bearish crypto sentiment focused on Bitcoin, CoinShares says

Bitcoin is in its sixth consecutive week of institutional outflows, with US$89 million exiting the coin, according to a weekly fund flows report.

Iron Finance’s DeFi bank run — and how Mark Cuban got ‘rekt’

Iron Finance, once a DeFi darling, went from billions to bust in a day. Should investors have seen the crash coming? How stable are algorithmic stablecoins?

Bybit joins growing list of crypto exchanges in Canadian regulator’s crosshairs

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is seeking to bring enforcement action against Singapore-based crypto derivatives exchange Bybit for allegedly violating the Canadian province’s securities laws, according to a statement. Fast facts: “Bybit, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, is operating an unregistered crypto asset trading platform, encouraging Ontarians to use the platform, and allowing Ontario […]

Cash for CBDCs at Beijing ATMs; Asia sees new unicorn in Amber Group | The Daily Forkast

CBDC ATMs appear around Beijing and Hong Kong-based Amber Group is Asia’s billion dollar unicorn after raising US$100 million in its Series B.

Chinese central bank orders lenders to cut cryptos’ financial lifelines

The People’s Bank of China has told the country’s big banks and other finance sector heavyweights to cut off financing sources for cryptocurrency transactions.

Bitcoin and Ethereum prices fall: Is the crypto market in an over-leveraged bubble?

Against a backdrop of El Salvador’s BTC boosts, famed investor Michael Burry warns about a crypto price bubble and China intensifies its crypto clampdown.

S. Korean banks start crypto exchange reviews as contract renewals loom

South Korean lenders have started money laundering risk assessments of the country’s “big four” cryptocurrency exchanges, with which they have contracts to provide real-name accounts.

CoinShares partners with Germany’s Finanzen Zero on crypto ETPs

European digital asset manager CoinShares hasannounced a partnership with German financial news portal Finanzen.net to bring crypto exchange traded products to investors with no trading fees.

Bitcoin hashrate plunges as Chinese crypto mining crackdown hits Sichuan

The Bitcoin hashrate plunged over the weekend following a clampdown on cryptocurrency mining by the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan.

WazirX CEO: India’s crypto industry trying to keep ‘clean’ for regulators

Crypto literacy of Indian regulators is evolving and crypto players are trying to keep industry clean via self-regulations, says Nischal Shetty of WazirX.

As Shanghai gives away digital yuan, we hit the streets with a man spending it

Money may be easy to part with when it’s free, but as Shanghai’s first experimental e-CNY giveaway shows, it’s not so easy finding shops to take it.

MSCI to launch cryptocurrency index

Global securities index MSCI plans to launch a cryptocurrency index, according to CEO Henry Fernandez.