Reddit NFT trading volume hits all-time daily high as avatars sell out
Reddit non-fungible token (NFT) avatar trade volumes hit an all-time high, with sales exceeding US$2.5 million in the past 24 hours.
Markets: Bitcoin little changed, Ether rises, top 10 cryptos mixed, XRP leads losers
Bitcoin traded flat on Tuesday afternoon in Asia hours, while Ether edged higher in a mixed day for prices among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins. XRP led the losers for the second consecutive day. Polygon’s Matic token held onto recent gains and Dogecoin also moved higher.
Markets: Bitcoin falls as mining difficulty hits record high, rest of crypto top 10 also decline
Bitcoin dipped in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, but held above the US$19,000 support line where it has been fluctuating for several weeks.
Interpol’s global police beat moves to metaverse amid hunt for Terra’s Do Kwon
The international police organization Interpol has launched its own metaverse to assist law enforcement in protecting communities in virtual realms. The development comes after wanted Terraform Labs cofounder Do Kwon quietly slipped from Singapore to Dubai and possibly elsewhere. See related article: India police launch blockchain-based complaint portal on Polygon Fast facts Interpol claims theirs […]
Markets: Bitcoin dips, 30-day volatility at 2 year low; Ether falls, Dogecoin gains
Bitcoin fell, but traded back above the US$19,000 support level in Friday morning trading in Asia. Ether lost ground along with most other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, but leading memecoin Dogecoin rose and Tron also edged higher. See related article: Twitter user prevents 200 billion BitBTC bridge exploit, highlighting major vulnerability […]
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether slip amid muted performance of top 10 cryptos; XRP leads gains
The crypto market continued its sluggish performance during Thursday evening trading in Asia, with Bitcoin and Ether lower and XRP’s 0.63% rise marking the biggest gain among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins. See related article: Japan eases token vetting process to expand crypto offerings: report Fast facts Bitcoin fell 0.35% in […]
‘Hacktober’ continues with US$1 mln taken from BitKeep token swap service
An unidentified hacker stole over US$1 million in Binance Coin (BNB) tokens from decentralized multi-chain wallet BitKeep’s token swap service on Monday, according to a Tuesday statement by the company. See related article: Crypto hackers on track for bonanza year as theft surges, Chainalysis says Fast facts “Our development team managed to contain the emergency […]
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall as EU considers crackdown on energy-intensive crypto mining
Bitcoin and Ether both fell in Wednesday morning trading in Asia amid news the European Union is considering a bill to restrict the mining of energy-intensive cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. Most of the rest of the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also declined, with the exception of Polygon. See related article: Bitcoin, […]
Markets: Bitcoin inches up, most top 10 cryptos stable after rollercoaster week
Bitcoin inched up slightly Monday, with the majority of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization remaining stable, the only considerable price change coming from XRP’s 3% drop. See related article: South Korea seeks software to track US$7.2B in illegal crypto Fast facts Bitcoin rose 0.83% in the past 24 hours to trade at US$19,296 […]
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether inch up; XRP rebounds following positive lawsuit ruling
Bitcoin inched up today to remain above the US$19,000 support line amid mixed results among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, led in gains by Tron. XRP rebounded from losses yesterday. See related articles: Binance to hard fork BNB Smart Chain amid heated debate around decentralization Fast facts Bitcoin gained 0.17% in […]
Markets: Bitcoin price falls with Ether, Doge sole gainer in top 10 cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin fell but held above US$19,000 in Wednesday morning trading in Asia as the world’s leading cryptocurrency continued its month-long dalliance with that support level. Excluding stablecoins, most of the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization fell, led by Solana. Dogecoin was the only token on the list to gain ground. See related article: BNB […]
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?
China’s international blockchain push may face Huawei-like obstacles
China spent billions on its ‘belt and road’ infrastructure network to expand trade so what are its plans for a domestic and international digital infrastructure built on blockchain?
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, […]
USDC coming to five additional blockchain ecosystems
Circle Internet Financial, Inc., the global financial technology company behind the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin, will soon be making the token available on five additional blockchains, Chief Product Officer Nikhil Chandhok said on Wednesday at the company’s Converge22 conference. See related article: U.S. Fed has growing interest in CBDCs, says Jeng at Crypto Council for […]
Binance’s US$7.5 billion woman sees plenty of promise in bear markets
Yi He, who manages the multibillion-dollar portfolio at Binance Labs, is looking to invest in Web 3.0 projects from infrastructure, application and data to analytics and security.
Owning a piece of history: How NFTs can help maintain our collective memory
Non-fungible tokens aren’t merely novelty items — they can play a valuable a role in preserving history and culture, says Artifact Labs chief Gary Liu
Starbucks brewing NFT customer loyalty platform, so are smaller coffee shop chains
The largest coffeehouse chain in the world recently announced a new non-fungible token platform, while other coffee chains have eyed the technology long before.
Why Ethereum Merge won’t be able to overcome the ‘Scalability Paradox’
Ethereum’s completion of its much anticipated ‘Merge’ this week will unlikely improve the network’s long-term speed or scalability, writes Mark Lurie of Shipyard Software. Why is this so, and why will it still be good for innovation?
China has seen blockchain’s future and it doesn’t include cryptocurrencies
China’s Blockchain-based Service Network wears two hats in building blockchains: one for business in China and one for everywhere else, but it doesn’t see a role for crypto in either.
Blockchain unchained: How crypto can empower women
How can blockchain help women gain financial independence? And how can female participation be boosted? Social entrepreneur Wendy Diamond explains
Bitcoin fluctuates, Ether gains, MATIC jumps on Robinhood inclusion
Bitcoin was fluctuating around US$20,000, while Ether was among the biggest gainers in the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization in early Friday morning trading in Asia. Most other tokens on the list were little changed, though Cardano rose. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether, Cardano slip; remnants of Terra – USTC and LUNC – […]
Markets: Bitcoin fails to hold above US$20,000, Ether slumps, SHIB slides
Bitcoin traded below US$20,000 and Ether fell further in Monday afternoon trading in Asia. Solana fell, along with memecoins Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB), with SHIB dropping below Dai and Polygon by market capitalization. See related article: Bitcoin stays below US$20,000 Monday morning after Friday Fed shock Fast facts Bitcoin traded down 0.83% in […]
Crypto exchange Gemini launches MATIC, ETH, SOL and DOT staking
The New York-based crypto exchange said its staking service will allow customers to stake their cryptocurrencies and receive rewards within their Gemini account. See related article: Gemini sued over US$36 mln Bitcoin and Ethereum hack Fast facts Gemini Staking will be available for users across the U.S. (excluding New York), Singapore, and Hong Kong, the […]
Crypto winter may be just what DeFi needs to grow and thrive
The decentralized finance sector is now a fraction of its former self. What will help companies survive this bear market and emerge stronger?
Digital dollar push; Tornado Cash blacklisted
Welcome to The Daily Forkast – August 9, 2022 – presented by Angie Lau. Coming up on today’s show: US lawmakers aim to push Fed on digital dollar. Circle freezes smart contract addresses linked to blacklisted Tornado Cash. Also, Hodlnaut freezes withdrawals, swaps and deposits. Zipmex to release specific amounts of Bitcoin and Ether. And […]
NFT gaming to drive wider blockchain adoption, Immutable cofounder says
Blockchain gaming will likely remain a key driving force for wider Web 3.0 adoption, and the gaming sector will be “quite hit-driven” over the next 12 months, Robbie Ferguson, cofounder of Immutable — which builds Immutable X, a layer-2 scaling solution on Ethereum — told Forkast on Tuesday at Korea Blockchain Week 2022. See related […]
North Korea’s Lazarus Group allegedly targets deBridge
DeBridge cofounder Alex Smirnov on Saturday alleged their team found evidence that North Korean state-backed Lazarus Group was attempting to attack the cross-chain protocol, warning that the group’s attack could broadly target Web3 teams. See related article: After Nomad and Solana, ZB.com gets hacked for US$4.8 mln Fast facts See related article: Why blockchain bridges […]
Instagram expands NFT platform to 100 countries
Instagram’s platform for non-fungible tokens (NFT), which the firm is calling “digital collectibles,” is now available in 100 countries, the Facebook parent Meta-backed social media giant said. See related article: Meta’s attempts at building a metaverse will ‘misfire’: Vitalik Buterin Fast facts With support for Coinbase and Dapper wallets added, Instagram now supports wallets from […]
Binance cofounder Yi He to head US$7.5B VC arm Binance Labs
Binance has named cofounder Yi He as the new head of its incubator and venture capital (VC) arm Binance Labs, as the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume works to invest in “projects with the tenacity to thrive in tough market conditions.” See related article: Calling a spade a spade holds Binance’s lesser known […]
HTC partners with Japan’s pixiv to launch 3D anime avatars in the metaverse
Taiwan-based smartphone and virtual reality (VR) headset maker HTC is partnering with Japanese creator platform pixiv to launch Japanese anime-style three-dimensional (3D) avatars on its metaverse platform VIVERSE, a press release said. See related article: HTC launches metaverse phone with Ethereum, Polygon support Fast facts “The partnership with pixiv will rapidly increase the number of […]
Tesla’s Bitcoin bump; Zipmex freezes withdrawals
Bitcoin drops after Tesla sells 75% of its bitcoin holdings. Meanwhile, South Korean authorities raid 15 companies as part of their Terra Luna investigations.
Celsius files for bankruptcy; Crypto unfazed by US inflation
Celsius files for bankruptcy despite having paid off millions in loans. Meanwhile, the crypto market sees green despite US inflation rates.
What are ecosystem DAOs and why will they be important to Web3?
Decentralized autonomous organizations are spinning off new ways to bring communities together. Will ecosystem DAOs be the wave of the future?
Three Arrows Capital collapse sends tremors through crypto industry
Top blockchain and crypto news: Three Arrows target bankruptcy protection. Polium’s Web3 game plan pilloried. China’s tech giants get hands-on with NFTs.
Crypto’s biggest problem is not volatility, but scalability
Notwithstanding this bear market, Web3’s more pressing issue is its inability to handle large volumes, writes Greg Gopman. Can sidechains offer a solution?
Bitcoin Jesus denies default; Celsius fight back planned
Bitcoin CEO Roger Ver denies defaulting on a loan to CoinFLEX. Meanwhile, Youtuber Bitboy takes aim at Celsius Network.
Are we helpless against attacks on blockchain bridges?
Harmony’s Horizon cross-chain bridge is now the third of its kind to suffer a major hack this year. What are the alternatives that may be more secure?
Kakao’s Klaytn partners with OpenSea for NFT expansion in Asia
Singapore-based public blockchain platform Klaytn and non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea announced on Friday a partnership to bolster the Asian NFT ecosystem. See related article: Kakao’s Klaytn to build blockchain in China with BSN Fast facts The partnership includes conference collaborations and ecosystem grants to promote Asian NFT projects to the global audience. Klaytn is […]
Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies return to red with soaring UK inflation
Bitcoin dropped below US$20,000 for the third time in a week on Thursday morning in Asia as news of record inflation in the U.K. and warnings of a recession hit crypto markets. See related article: Crypto on a roller coaster as market braces for Fed guidance on rates Fast facts Bitcoin was trading down 3.5% […]
Terra’s LUNA moonshot can’t escape gravity of market misgivings
Top blockchain and crypto news: Investors shun LUNA 2.0. Ethereum gains amid relief rally. China’s stimulus goes digital.
Ethereum scaler Optimism airdrops OP tokens
Popular Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Optimism airdropped its new OP governance token to nearly 249,000 eligible wallets on Wednesday morning Asia time. See related article: Vitalik Buterin: Layer 2 is the future of Ethereum scaling Fast facts The airdrop was first announced in an April blog post which outlined plans for the network to launch […]
How Yuga Labs’ NFT sale failed to put its community first
The ‘virtual land’ sale that broke Ethereum was also a fiasco for buyers. Should Yuga Labs have seen it coming and taken preventative action?
Terra plunges back to earth as UST stablecoin loses dollar peg
Top blockchain and crypto news: UST knocked out of Luna orbit. Making NFTs Instagrammable. China’s black market ‘digital collectibles’ trade.
Instagram to support NFTs for crypto art
Instagram, the social media platform owned by Meta, plans to support non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for crypto art from several blockchain networks, with the pilot project happening as soon as Monday, CoinDesk reports. See related article: Bored Apes Instagram hack nets millions in stolen NFTs Fast facts Instagram will allow users to post and share NFTs […]
Bumper April helps NFTs break out of bear-market territory
The non-fungible token market posted a strong bounceback in April. As one industry watcher tells Forkast, the nature of the rebound points to more room for recovery.
KoinBasket raises US$2 mln from global marquee investors
KoinBasket, a cryptocurrency investment start-up, has raised US$2 million in an early-stage funding round with the participation of leading global crypto veterans, the company said in a statement. See related article: India’s crypto shakedown be damned, CoinDCX raises $135 million Fast facts The Singapore-based company will use the funds for product and geographical growth, technology […]
Otherdeeds NFT sale puts Ethereum scalability in glaring spotlight
Top blockchain and crypto news: Otherdeeds debacle stings with gas fee spike. Algorand scores World Cup deal. Will China be forced to embrace Bitcoin?
55,000 Meta Cricket League NFTs sell out in nine minutes
Jump.trade, a gaming non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace by GuardianLink, sold 55,000 Meta Cricket League (MCL) collectibles within nine minutes of launching on Friday, Economic Times reported. See related article: NFTs are leveling up gaming and not all about money Fast facts Priced at $25 each, the Super Loot NFTs marked GuardianLink’s foray into the artificial […]
Indian farmers’ protest NFTs find no takers on OpenSea
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this report stated the NFT proceeds will be donated to NGO Atam Pargas. The NGO has reached out to Forkast to clarify it is not associated with the NFT project. Lekh-Haq, the organizer of the NFT has confirmed this correction to Forkast. Indian journalists and filmmakers launched farmers’ protest […]
Why blockchain is the cornerstone of investing in our planet
Can blockchain embody the values of Earth Day? Consider its growing role in ESG and the energy-efficiency of newer crypto, writes Eddie Hui of MVGX.
SHIB price pumps on Robinhood listing with SOL, MATIC, COMP
Robinhood added four new cryptocurrencies to its platform on Tuesday, including Shiba Inu token (SHIB), a listing the memecoin community has pleaded for since its inception. See related article: What is the real value of joke coins like Dogecoin and SHIB? Fast facts SHIB gained 30% following the news and has slightly retraced its pump […]
Solana NFT sales drop by 21% after OpenSea integration
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Solana blockchain have been officially docked on OpenSea but sales have dropped by over 21% in the past 24 hours. See related article: OpenSea’s Solana NFT integration, long rumored, is now real Fast facts While Ethereum continues to host the largest number of NFTs, Solana proponents argue that it is […]
What is the metaverse and are we already living inside it?
The metaverse is envisioned as the next iteration of the internet, introducing an immersive digital universe. Find out what this means for the future of our online lives — beyond all the marketing hype — in this Forkast.News explainer.
Wormhole to bridge Polkadot, Kusama to Ethereum, Solana
Polkadot parachain Acala and its Kusama-based counterpart Karura are integrating with cross-chain bridge Wormhole, bridging its decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystems with eight major Layer 1 blockchains. See related article: Polkadot is top crypto held by VCs and hedge funds in Q4 2021 Fast facts The Wormhole integration will bridge Acala and Karura to Ethereum, Solana, […]
India’s financial stability at risk from cryptos: IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is voicing concerns over the adoption of cryptocurrencies in India, suggesting it poses significant risks to the country’s financial stability, local media report. See related article: Killing it softly or regulating to innovate? India at the crypto crossroads Fast facts Crypto assets pose significant risks, including to financial stability in […]
DeFi lender Aave’s token has surged over 80% since V3 launch
Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol Aave’s governance token surged 84% since its March 16 V3 upgrade, and was trading at US$220.01 at press time, according to CoinGecko data. See related article: DeFi lending platform Aave to ‘build Twitter on Ethereum’ Fast facts Aave is also the top gainer in the past 24 hours with a […]
OpenSea’s Solana NFT integration, long rumored, is now real
Leading non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea has released a teaser of its long-rumored integration of NFTs on the Solana blockchain, now planned for April. See related article: What is the Solana ecosystem and how is it fueling SOL’s stratospheric rise? Fast facts OpenSea’s teaser video shared on Twitter on Tuesday morning Asia time displayed a […]
Ukraine’s NFT museum of Russian conflict goes live
Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation launched the Meta History Museum of War on Friday, a museum hosted on the Ethereum and Polygon networks that chronicles the country’s war with Russia through non-fungible tokens (NFTs). See related article: Zelenskyy legalizes cryptocurrency in Ukraine Fast facts “Disinformation is used by Russia on a par with deadly military […]
Killing it softly or regulating to innovate? India at the crypto crossroads
India’s crypto tax represents both a threat to the industry and an opportunity to create a regulatory framework to support it, says Polygon’s Jaynti Kanani.
The Rise and Rise of NFTs | Interview with Charles d’Haussy
Growth drivers of the NFT ecosystem The growing popularity of NFTs is stunning, having risen from several hundred million dollars in sales when the market first started, to around US$20 billion in 2021. We believe the exponential growth seen around the world can be explained by the product-market fit: NFTs have effectively provided a bridge […]
Coinbase wallet announces support for Solana
The largest U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase announced on Friday support for the Solana ecosystem through its wallet browser extension, allowing users to manage their Solana (SOL) and Solana-based SPL tokens See related article: Solana wallet Phantom brings valuation to $1.2B after $109M Series B Fast facts Solana’s integration with the wallet enables users to access […]
Jupiter Meta launches fully curated NFT marketplace in India
Jupiter Meta on Wednesday launched a fully curated non-fungible token marketplace in India focusing on music, film and gaming. See related article: WazirX launches India’s first NFT marketplace Fast facts The NFT marketplace is built on Jupiter Meta’s Rubix blockchain, which the company claims has zero gas fees and is sustainable. Jupiter Meta has also […]
Will the new multi-chain world ignite another ‘DeFi summer’?
2022 will see a flowering ecosystem of blockchains working together, writes Will Harborne of DeversiFi. Here’s what the multi-chain future will look like.
Fan friction: What’s keeping influencers and artist communities from Web3?
The new token economy offers unparalleled opportunities for content creators, writes Weiwei Geng of Unite.io. Improving user experience will be key.
Web 3.0 developer Alchemy reaches $10B valuation
Web 3.0 blockchain developer Alchemy announced on Tuesday that it has raised an additional US$200 million, bringing its valuation to US$10.2 billion. Fast facts Led by venture capital firms Lightspeed and Silver Lake, the funding is a continuation of its Series C round launched in October where it raised US$250 million at a US$3.5 billion […]
Will blockchain’s future be cross-chain or multi-chain?
Vitalik Buterin caused an uproar over his recent criticisms of blockchain bridges. Here is a rebuttal in support of this nascent technology.
What is OpenSea and why is everyone talking about it?
OpenSea is the world’s largest open marketplace for NFTs. Find out what’s driving everyone there in this Forkast explainer.
Crypto clampdowns mount in Asia as authorities ponder bans
Top blockchain and crypto news: Asian governments target crypto. Managing MATIC. China’s expanding metaverse.
Nike takes next step into metaverse with virtual sneaker maker RTFKT
Nike announced the acquisition of a company that designs fashion clothing for the metaverse, RTFKT Studios, once noted for selling 608 pairs of NFT shoes in just six minutes. Fast facts After announcing the acquisition, both Nike and RTFKT Studios tweeted videos, each containing the logos of Nike, Jordan, Converse and RTFKT. RTFKT Studios, founded […]
Horses are joining humans as metaverse pilgrims
Blockchain gaming unicorn Animoca Brands announced yesterday a partnership with Aquis Farm — a major racehorse-breeding business owned by Hong Kong’s billionaire Fung family — to bring equestrian activities into the metaverse. The blockchain specialist will leverage Aquis Farm’s equestrian intellectual properties to develop blockchain games and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Fast facts “Aquis recognises the […]
OpenSea’s Wall Street waltz disappoints NFT devotees
OpenSea IPO plans in choppy waters. Crypto markets crumble. Bitcoin mining power struggles.