Bored Ape NFT frenzy; Play-to-earn sustainability questioned
China’s e-CNY pilot app is ready for download as Bored Apes headline NFT frenzy.
China’s digital yuan app now publicly accessible, one step closer to launch
But e-CNY adoption remains an issue, with mobile payment platforms such as Alipay and WeChat Pay already ubiquitous.
CBDCs and the year that may reshape crypto markets
Top blockchain and crypto news: CBDCs at the crossroads. A token gesture from Samsung. NFTs survive in China.
Chinese mining rig maker Canaan deploys 10K machines in Kazakhstan
Chinese cryptocurrency mining rig maker Canaan announced Tuesday that it has entered into multiple partnerships in Kazakhstan and deployed over 10,000 mining machines in the country, as the company steps up efforts to expand globally. Fast facts Canaan said in a statement it has successfully launched the last batch of mining machines online under its […]
Goldman Sachs: Bitcoin could reach $100K price by beating gold
Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s largest banks, joins the list of analysts predicting the price of Bitcoin could reach US$100,000, according to a report by Bloomberg. Fast facts According to Goldman Sachs estimates, Bitcoin’s float-adjusted market capitalization is just shy of US$700 billion, which accounts for a 20% share of the “store of value” […]
Bitcoin, Ethereum price level sluggish while NFT sales volume surges
The crypto market leaders are trading sideways so far in the new year. But NFT trading volume has exploded, with strong Q1 performance expected.
What are the 3 key trends in cybersecurity in 2022?
Cryptocurrency is fueling crimes like malicious mining and ransomware attacks, writes Andrew Brandt of Sophos. What can a company do to protect itself?
TradFi will push the envelope in 2022
Yuval Rooz of enterprise blockchain company Digital Asset Holdings, predicts traditional banks like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs will tokenize more assets to provide more privacy and scalability.
Crypto is presidential election campaign issue for South Korea
In South Korea, a new presidential administration will be chosen in March. Here’s where the four major candidates stand on Korea’s booming virtual asset space.
‘Everything will be an NFT next year,’ says Circle chief of product
Rachel Mayers sees corporate and institutional interest in crypto and blockchain create an explosion in use cases and a whole new way of demonstrating consumer loyalty.
China CryptoPunk sale; Use cases key to DeFi
A CryptoPunk is sold in a Shanghai auction house despite an existing crypto ban in China.
South China’s Guangxi region looks to cross-border e-CNY trade uses
Guangxi, China’s southern provincial-level region, is researching cross-border finance, supply-chain service platforms and e-CNY applications, according to a report by local state-run media Guangxi Daily. Fast facts The Guangxi autonomous region — often seen as a gateway for Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) trade — plans to support cross-border circulation of capital, according to the […]
CryptoPunk NFT sells for $820K, reflecting Chinese investor interest
A CryptoPunk non-fungible token (NFT) — CryptoPunk #8690 — was sold at an auction in Shanghai organized by Shanghai Jiahe Auction earlier this week for 5,232,500 yuan (US$823,300), with a starting price of 1.5 million yuan (US$236,000), reflecting growing investor interest in NFTs in China despite criticism from state-controlled media. Fast facts V.V Yu, general manager […]
Ignore the rise of Web3 credit unions at your peril
Today’s consumers are looking for more equitable financial services, writes Sean Rach of hi. Here’s how blockchain can offer a nonprofit banking alternative.
Top 5 NFT trends to watch in 2022
NFTs are finding novel uses across many sectors, from fashion to real estate. What industries stand to benefit most from this technology in the year ahead?
Bitcoin at 13; Raising capital on the blockchain.
Bitcoin is now a teenager but it’s not a celebration for some as Indian tax authorities raid crypto businesses.
South Koreans required to report overseas crypto accounts
In South Korea, virtual asset investors with more than 500 million Korean won, or approximately US$418,935, worth of crypto assets in overseas accounts must report to their regional tax authorities beginning in 2023. Fast facts According to a new year guidebook by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, any resident or domestic corporation with overseas […]
China moves to ban internet marketing services for crypto
The Chinese government published a draft regulation on Dec. 31 stating that no organization or individual is allowed to provide internet marketing for illegal financial activities, which include cryptocurrency transactions. Fast facts The regulation, drafted by the People’s Bank of China — China’s central bank — and other Chinese government institutions stipulates that any organization or […]
Binance faces regulatory rebuke in Ontario, obtains preliminary approval in Bahrain
The world’s largest crypto exchange continues struggling to stay compliant, but it has seen some luck in the Middle East.
Happy birthday, Bitcoin! You’re still killing it
Love it or hate it, Bitcoin can be a powerful force for good — and it’s here to stay, writes Peter Vessenes, co-founder of The Bitcoin Foundation.
After a stellar year for Bitcoin and record crypto prices, what to expect in 2022
2021 was a big year for crypto. As we enter a new year, Forkast.News asks market watchers what might be in store for the next 12 months.
Japan’s Square Enix reveals blockchain gaming ambitions for 2022
Yosuke Matsuda, president of Square Enix — the game developer behind Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts — recently reiterated the company’s blockchain ambitions while acknowledging ongoing concerns about the new trend. Fast facts In a new year’s letter posted on the company website, Matsuda emphasized that incorporating blockchain technology into gaming holds “the […]
Blockchain interoperability will take center stage in 2022, Aventus CEO predicts
Aventus CEO Alan Vey also predicts the decentralized finance rally is just getting started. Which blockchains does he see growing massively in the new year?
Bitcoin at 13: The new age of crypto
With wider acceptance as a financial asset, a teenage Bitcoin may not see the explosive 200% average annual returns of the past, but also may experience less price volatility.
Top 5 blockchain trends for 2022 and beyond
Looking beyond this year’s headlines like El Salvador’s Bitcoin adoption, here are the key developments in blockchain technology that will have lasting impact in the new year and beyond.
U.S. regulatory turf wars and a spot Bitcoin ETF are on their way in 2022
Perianne Boring of the Chamber of Digital Commerce sees agencies elbowing each other to oversee the crypto industry while investors start to pay big taxes.
South Korea crypto exchange underdogs: Where are they now?
A regulatory hurricane swept away half of South Korea’s crypto exchanges in 2021. Who are the survivors — and are there larger lessons for the rest of the world?
How to protect crypto privacy in the age of regulation
It’s a myth that crypto transactions are anonymous, writes Warren Paul Anderson of Discreet Labs. Confusing anonymity with privacy is what causes trouble.
Crypto in Asia: 5 top fintech regulatory stories of 2021
Countries acted to encourage — or discourage — cryptocurrency and other blockchain-based assets, sending markets wildly up and down.
DapperLabs’ NFL Moments will bring a new audience to NFTs
The years of investment and development in NFTs and the metaverse will bear fruit in 2022, according to Cryptoslam CEO Randy Wasinger.
The top 5 ‘Ethereum killers’ of 2021
Ethereum was game-chaging at its 2015 launch, but today it’s showing its age. As Eth2 upgrades slowly unfold, who are the top rivals trying elbow out the #2 blockchain?
Former Bitcoin.com CEO sees crypto prices plunging in 2022
In December 2020, Stefan Rust successfully predicted a ‘Cambrian Explosion’ of crypto tokens. Now he says 2022 will be when the crypto markets will be ‘flooring out.’
What lies ahead for crypto regulations in 2022
From China’s ban to FATF’s travel rule, crypto regulations have been top of mind this year. How might regulatory impulses and current trends play out?
How DeFi is devouring traditional finance, bit by bit
2021 will go down as the year the DeFi giant woke up, writes Derek Alia of Futureswap. What lies in store for decentralized finance in the year to come?
U.S. will be big elephant in the room in 2022, says WEF’s Sheila Warren
While China made a big moves in banning crypto this year, US lawmakers appear to be warming up to the industry, setting the stage for next year.
Looking ahead: 3 crypto predictions for 2022
As 2021 draws to a close, what are this year’s milestones and trends to watch in the year ahead? Forkast.News consults experts to find out.
What will the metaverse be like in 2022?
Animoca Brands chairman Yat Siu sees a mass migration to the ‘open metaverse’ while the ‘closed’ ones will fail. What does this godfather of blockchain gaming mean by that?
Year in cryptocurrency: biggest surprises of 2021
While increasing crypto adoption was predictable, 2021 also saw much that was unexpected. Here are the events that shocked even crypto natives.
Will a second country adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in 2022?
Bitcoin adoption soared in 2021 with El Salvador’s currency experiment with the help of the layer-2 scalers. Will Lightning strike twice in 2022?
Hackers infiltrate Monkey Kingdom NFT community, steal US$1.3M
Hackers scam 7,000 Solana, or US$1.3 million, from would-be buyers of a new NFT collection of the Monkey Kingdom project.
Blockchain Research Institute co-founder sees DeFi reaching trillion dollars in total value
Alex Tapscott of Ninepoint Partners also shares with Forkast.News his predictions for stablecoins and NFTs in 2022.
These e-CNY hard wallets might get people talking at the Winter Olympics
China prepares to show off its tech innovation muscles at the Beijing Winter Olympics as it unveils some unusual-looking wallets for its new digital yuan.
Will 2022 be the year of crypto regulation?
Global shifts are underway in crypto regulations, writes Huong Hauduc of Bequant. How might the political and market forces play out next year?
Use cases for blockchain will expand beyond crypto, says SyncFab exec
Dennis Delgado, co-founder of a blockchain developer for supply chain management sees an explosion in new blockchains in 2022 for industry, logistics and manufacturing.
Countries will jump aboard the crypto bus in 2022 or get left in its dust, says WazirX founder
Despite the looming parliamentary debate over banning private digital currency in India, the founder of Mumbai-based crypto exchange WazirX predicts thousands of new crypto startups.
Crypto Santa’s naughty and nice list for Christmas 2021
Who in the crypto world deserves Santa love this year, and whose chimney should be snubbed? The elves at Forkast.News help the big man with his list.
Year in review: Top China blockchain news in 2021
China tries to stamp out Bitcoin mining while increasing its influence over blockchain technology and preparing the digital yuan for launch. What lies in store for 2022?
Why I got a Bitcoin wallet, and how it can be used for crypto gift-giving and receiving
Curious to use Bitcoin but don’t know where to start? Forkast.News explains how.
What Sam Bankman-Fried thinks will happen with NFTs and crypto exchanges in 2022
Which blockchain sector will flourish, and what’s not yet ripe for mass adoption just yet? FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried offers his crystal ball in a special Forkast.News video.
Are liquidity miners mercenary capitalists or infrastructure providers?
Liquidity mining plays a unique role in the DeFi ecosystem. How does it work?
CBDC tracker shows U.S. falling further behind
Of the Big Four central banks, including those of the EU, UK and Japan, only the Federal Reserve has not progressed beyond research mode in central bank digital currencies.
Japan’s SBI invests in Singapore crypto exchange Coinhako
Japan’s financial conglomerate SBI Holdings announced a joint investment in Singapore’s virtual asset exchange Coinhako with Switzerland-based Sygnum Bank. Fast facts The investment is made through a fund formed in Singapore named the SBI-Sygnum-Azimut Digital Asset Opportunity fund. SBI expressed certainty in supporting Coinhako’s international expansion and other startups that have growth potential in the […]
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa issues NFT from space
Yusaku Maezawa, founder of Japan’s largest online fashion retailer Zozotown, tweeted about turning a photo he took in space into a non-fungible token (NFT), saying it may be the very first NFT to be issued from space. Fast facts Named “Rendezvous,” the NFT includes a photo that Maezawa took while the Russian Soyuz MS-20 he […]
Court overturns Korean Bitcoin ruling; Days numbered for SWIFT?
Court overturns Korean Bitcoin ruling, also are the days numbered for SWIFT?
Bitcoin sent by mistake, recipient will not be punished for keeping it: South Korea ruling
An investor who received $1.25M in Bitcoin by accident will not be criminally penalized, raising questions on the legal status of cryptocurrencies.
Does content moderation on platforms like OpenSea amount to censorship?
What are the responsibilities of blockchain companies when it comes to freedom of expression? A controversial cartoonist finds out the boundaries.
xSpend allows GameFi tokens, stablecoins to pay for real-world goods and services
Crypto finance platform XLD Finance wants to enable users to spend GameFi tokens and stablecoins to pay for real-world goods and services. Fast facts The company has launched its first project, xSpend, which allows users from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to purchase mobile prepaid credits on the platform using GameFi tokens and stablecoins. Users may also pay Philippine-based […]
H&R Block claims trademark infringement by Square’s new name ‘Block’
U.S.-based tax preparation service company H&R Block has filed a trademark infringement case over Square’s new name, Block. Fast facts The lawsuit states: “Block brings this lawsuit to protect consumers from being deceived and to prevent a Silicon Valley tech company from stealing Block’s name.” According to a press release from H&R Block, fintech firm […]
Bitcoin’s price is a lie, says Morgan Creek Capital chief
Bitcoin’s current price is not indicative of the crypto’s future prospects, says Mark Yusko, who looks forward to the tokenization of everything.
How blockchain can transform the global shipping sector
Blockchain promotes trust and can greatly cut transaction costs, writes Edmund To of GSBN. So why is the shipping industry still clinging to paper documents?
New Cosmos, Mastercard projects to boost Ethereum scalability
With Ethereum usage at all-time high, a Cosmos ‘bridge’ to other blockchains and Mastercard rollups aim to solve a major problem plaguing the Eth network.
Regulators and the problem of unstable stablecoins
Federal regulators have turned their sights on stablecoins. But is the attempt to tame this digital currency too late?
Delay likely for India’s crypto bill; Crypto’s landmark year
Delay likely for India’s crypto bill, none the less 2021 becomes crypto’s landmark year.
Game company Nexon America now accepts crypto for in-game payments
Asia’s gaming giant Nexon’s US subsidiary supports cryptocurrencies for players in buying items inside its popular online games.
Court in Beijing says losses caused by crypto mining deals not protected by law
In a contract dispute case, a Beijing court in Chaoyang district on Wednesday ruled a legal arrangement for Bitcoin mining to be invalid, signaling how China’s legal system may view future crypto-related disputes. Fast facts In May 2019, the plaintiff, Fengfu Jiuxin company, signed purchases and services contracts with blockchain technology company Zhongyan Zhichuang, with the latter […]
Venture capitalists are falling for play-to-earn gaming startups
Games like Axie Infinity are now the darlings of big investors. Does it matter that revenue is falling and many players earn less than the minimum wage?
Chinese mining rig maker Canaan secures purchase order from Genesis for 30K units
While China continues to stamp out cryptocurrency mining, the mining rig producers continue raking in the deals. The latest: Canaan, a Chinese crypto mining rig maker, has secured a follow-on contract from Genesis Digital Assets for 30,000 units of Avalon Bitcoin mining machines, with another 150,000 units to be executed. Fast facts Back in August, […]
Avalanche price surge leads minor market rebound
After two weeks of a downward price spiral, the market showed some signs of life this morning, with most coins managing to rise about 5% coming into business hours Asia time. AVAX, however, the native token of the Avalanche blockchain, gained almost 25% overnight to reach a two-week high of US$106.87 and finding itself in […]
NBA is taking the lead with blockchain, crypto
The National Basketball Association has been ahead of the game in crypto adoption, but after a week of major developments, the league is now way out in front.
Matrix Resurrections NFTs reward moviegoers who reserve tickets in South Korea
Lotte Cinema, one of South Korea’s largest movie theater chains, is giving away NFTs (non-fungible tokens) of the movie “The Matrix Resurrections” to people who reserve tickets to the latest addition in the popular science fiction series that depicts life in a simulated reality. Fast facts In collaboration with Warner Bros. and NFT tech startup […]
Running on empty: How NFT drops drive up gas fees — and transaction anxiety
Gas fee unpredictability is a highly problematic aspect of the Ethereum ecosystem, writes Matt Cutler of Blocknative. What are the solutions?
Astro Boy NFTs sell out; Virtual land market heats up
Astro Boy NFTs sell out within the hour. Also, Virtual land market heats up in the metaverse