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Asia has ‘crypto groove’ – and Korea’s mom and pop shops are helping lead the way

Asia’s blockchain and cryptocurrency projects have more vitality than other regions, says the chairman of the Cardano Foundation. But he also notes the variations within the region. How does Hong Kong differ from Vietnam and Singapore?

Blockchain in telecom: ‘blockchain phones’ need to evolve to be taken seriously

In the third installment of this special three-part Forkast.News series, we look at some phones on the market that bill themselves as ‘blockchain’ but are only doing a disservice to the industry.

Ep. 3 | Top blockchain news on China, France and S. Korea – and a new Ethereum protocol. What’s next for India?

What’s up with South Korea’s new blockchain regulations? And where is bitcoin now legal tender? (Mai oui!) Other headlines around the world: a storm over STEEM, the new Baseline protocol for privacy, HTC’s Exodus 5G Hub, and how the coronavirus has affected blockchain firms in China.

Going for gold amid coronavirus recession fears

Gold bars are unwieldy. Gold futures and ETFs carry risks. Can gold-backed crypto, or tokenized gold, be a safer hedge during the current market tumult?

Coronavirus and the challenge of reporting timely and accurate medical data

CEO of Hedera Hashgraph explains how distributed ledgers can help front-line doctors and scientists in the battle against Covid-19, and how the emerging techology may be the future of international disaster relief.

How bitcoin is helping African migrant workers and their families save money

Blockchain technology now offers hope to radically transform the African remittances industry in favor of migrant workers and their families.

Tokenized gold: smart investment as coronavirus fuels economic turmoil?

Coronavirus fears are sending markets tumbling. Could tokenized gold, or gold-backed crypto, be the next-generation investment in times of economic trouble?

Blockchain and telecom: HTC’s blockchain phone isn’t what you think it is

Blockchain phones aren’t yet able to offer the ability to provide total security for your data.

IRS crypto summit airs many questions

Specific identification, hard forks and mainstream use: U.S. crypto investors are scrambling to figure out how new guidelines will affect their tax returns.
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Crypto has the potential to revitalize India’s economy

The uncertain legal status of cryptocurrencies is under the microscope in India.

How blockchain can defend against data heists and cyber attacks

As increasingly useful and potentially destructive data migrates onto the internet, more and more countries will deploy cyber weapons. Could blockchain provide a defense against future incursions?

Mask Hysteria: Face mask do’s and don’ts for the coronavirus

What are the best face masks to wear to protect against Covid-19, and how to wear them? Which masks are the worst and could increase your risk of illness? A medical doctor and face mask researcher explains all.

What does the future hold for blockchain in India?

Blockchain has had an interesting, albeit slightly paradoxical journey in India. On one hand, the technology itself has seen great support from the startup ecosystem as well as the Government. On the other hand, cryptocurrencies have faced huge regulatory hurdles in India, such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issuing a directive to ring-fence regulated entities like banks from the risk of trading virtual assets.

Tokenized health care? How Hedera Hashgraph could improve data transparency in medicine

Public health coins could motivate more people to interact honestly with the health care system during crises like the coronavirus epidemic.

Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum 2.0 promises better privacy, scalability in 2020

Smart-contract platform Ethereum’s new version is set to operate on a Proof of Stake system that may be released in 2020 according to Andrew Keys, co-founder of ConsenSys Capital. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum explained that Ethereum 2.0 will provide added capacity for users through sharding and scaling, privacy features and more alongside the new Proof of Stake system.

Vitalik Buterin explains how Ethereum 2.0’s launch would unfold

In a 2019 speech, the visionary creator and co-founder of Ethereum describes Eth2’s launch in phases, including proof of stake, data sharding and scaling.

Are PewDiePie, Manny Pacquiao and Spencer Dinwiddie riding the blockchain wave?

As bold-face names in entertainment and sports like PewDiePie, Manny Pacquiao and Spencer Dinwiddie dabble in blockchain technology, their use of cryptocurrency signal a growing shift toward grassroots financing and cutting out traditional middlemen. But some celebrities are finding a legal minefield.
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As coronavirus infections skyrocket, blockchain speeds up health care claims and maps out epidemic

Xiang Hu Bao policyholders use Alipay to claim a 100,000 yuan disbursement through a blockchain-powered system, demonstrating the technology’s potential in health care.

Swiss Bankers Association wants to help blockchain firms do business

The Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) is seeking ways to bridge the traditional financial sector to new blockchain-related industries, including ways to open bank accounts, says said SBA deputy CEO August Benz.

How Swiss banks seek to link traditional finance to blockchain

The Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) is seeking ways to bridge the traditional financial sector to new blockchain-related industries, including ways to open bank accounts, says said SBA deputy CEO August Benz.

Ep. 1 | Spencer Dinwiddie, SEC on IEOs and Bitwise investor bulletin

Welcome to The Current Forkast series with Forkast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau and Brian Lio, CEO of blockchain research group Smith + Crown. In this episode we talk about: NBA player Spencer Dinwiddie’s token release, SEC’s warning on Initial Exchange Offerings (IEOs), Bitwise investor bulletin

‘Crypto Congressman’ ex Rep. Jason Hsu: Taiwan is losing momentum in blockchain

Taiwan’s cryptocurrency evangelist and former congressman says the island is falling behind in STO guidelines, fintech regulations and forming a tech hub.

How Hedera Hashgraph’s decentralized tracker could stop censorship in coronavirus reporting

Distributed ledger technology could be used by front-line health care responders dealing with the coronavirus epidemic to submit information in real-time around the world regardless of censorship. HashLog, a dashboard designed to publicly track coronavirus developments via distributed public ledger Hedera Hashgraph, could mitigate political influence involved in spreading information, according to Hedera Hashgraph cofounder and CEO Mance Harmon.

Could blockchain have prevented the Iowa caucus debacle?

IowaReporterApp developed by Shadow Inc. failed to deliver timely results of the Iowa Democratic caucus. Blockchain-enabled voting systems could mitigate similar mistakes.

Digital commerce leader ‘gravely concerned’ over U.S. losing edge in tech, global reserves

The Chamber of Digital Commerce is “gravely concerned” about how the U.S. Government is addressing technological challenges and opportunities posed by blockchain according to founder and president Perianne Boring. The U.S. could be ceding technological leadership as well as the dollar’s reserve currency status to other nations including China if it does not revamp policies toward emerging blockchain innovation.

Will China’s digital currency or Facebook’s Libra challenge Ripple’s cross-border money transfers?

As China, Singapore, Canada and other countries develop digital currencies in part to facilitate cross-border transactions, Ripple’s managing director of South Asia and EMEA Navin Gupta said these currencies would primarily only be used domestically.

Tech is making Chinese charities more transparent

The modern convenience of Alibaba enables rapid, on-demand consumerism that’s worth tens of billions of dollars. So what if Alibaba — and its competitors — turned the technological might that it used to develop modern Chinese consumerism over to developing modern Chinese charity?

Bored by blockchain? China’s tech talent lured to AI, gig economy

Not enough startups and young talent are as gung ho about blockchain as they are about hotter categories such as such as AI, media or the sharing economy.

How Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent aim to disrupt Chinese health care

China hopes to provide affordable basic health care to all its citizens by 2020. Now that the private sector has joined public initiatives, the country is starting to see medical care efficiencies thanks to blockchain implementation.

Chinese telecoms are racing to add blockchain to mobile services

Telecom operators are using blockchain technology for digital identity management, more efficient roaming and combating fraud.

China is leading the global blockchain patent race

China has received the largest number of patent applications globally. Intellectual property applications themselves are a revenue source for the government, which generated $35 billion in fees paid for using IP rights.

China’s used-car market is revving into blockchain solutions

Around the world, the used-car industry is notorious for being one of low trust and high incidences of fraud. That also makes it an industry ripe for innovation as it has not adopted effective enough technology to prevent fraud and contain costs.

Can blockchain guarantee food safety in China?

Having a high standard in food safety and security demands that the food is of good quality, free from disease or infection, and safe for consumption. Keeping up with this standard is a matter of international concern and the responsibility of food producers and governments.

Q&A with CEOs of Digital Asset & R3: China, US aren’t in tech arms race

After their panel on how blockchain technology is changing the world of finance and enterprise at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2019, Digital Asset cofounder and CEO Yuval Rooz and R3 CEO David Rutter answered follow-up questions.

Data privacy is forever changed. Zero-knowledge proofs are enterprise’s solution | Opinion

Innovations in privacy-enhancing technology can address the challenges confronting enterprises from a regulatory, security and competitive perspective, writes Jonathan Rouach, CEO and cofounder of QEDIT.

5 blockchain trends in 2020: Bitcoin halving, Libra, security tokens and more

Smith + Crown focuses its attention on headlines and projects it considers as key developments likely to prove influential in determining the course of blockchain events in 2020.

After China’s digital currency, Indonesia may blueprint its own in 2020

As China’s digital currency is said to be “progressing smoothly,” Indonesia is also working on releasing their own white paper this year, according to Indonesian Blockchain Association cofounder Pandu Sastrowardoyo.

Can Hong Kong hold as glue between China and West? HK Exchange is key, says CEO

As protests continue to rock Hong Kong and China’s economy slows, concerns are rising about the Special Administrative Region’s future as Asia’s premier financial hub.

China’s blockchain vision focuses on efficiency, not cryptocurrency

The Chinese government has identified blockchain technology development as an issue of national importance, along with other emerging technologies such as AI, deep learning and IoT. President Xi Jinping has outlined the importance of blockchain technology to China’s industrial maturity, urging continued development so China can lead the way in defining international standards.

Swiss stock exchange SIX wants to democratize digital assets

SIX Digital Exchange’s blockchain-based digital assets platform and distributed central securities depository are designed to democratize investment. The digital exchange platform is a subsidiary of leading Swiss stock exchange SIX.

Kaleido CEO: How ConsenSys’ blockchain provider tackles production hurdles and data silos

Getting blockchain right is hard enough – not to mention building consortium, says Steve Cerveny, founder and CEO of Kaleido, a Consensys Enterprise Business that offers blockchain as a service.

Cross-border transactions key to connecting a fragmented region | Opinion

Blockchain technology and digital assets have the potential to change the entire finance industry. These blockchain-powered payments networks enable cross-border payments to be hassle-free by having a standard set of technical specifications and standards – reducing confusion and ensuring that all members of the network have access to the same technology, says Ripple’s Navin Gupta.

Inside China’s vision to globalize its currency

The central bank’s digital currency efforts, ironically, would give it more control over the economy.

Privacy doesn’t equal anonymity on blockchain, says Concordium CEO

Identification on a protocol level could help blockchain become mainstream for blue-chip companies like MasterCard, Volvo and Geely if international regulations are met. Anonymity is “exactly what is hindering wider use of blockchain,” said Concordium CEO Lone Fonss Schroder.

Inside China’s plans to protect user privacy in its smart cities

Using blockchain and encrypted computing in smart cities can protect user privacy as China builds out a new data infrastructure, says Vincent Wang, chief innovation officer at Wanxiang Group.

‘China’s developers aren’t most creative,’ but there’s power in numbers to excel

China’s enormous market of 1.4 billion people means there is a large pool of human resources that can drive blockchain development and adoption, especially in the wake of endorsement from President Xi Jinping. Blockshine founder and CEO Layla Dong explains how China’s burgeoning market can boost blockchain development.

Facebook’s Libra will push regulators to take a stance, says R3 chief David E. Rutter

And that’s a good thing for legitimizing blockchain and paving the way to tokenize real assets across industries, the enterprise blockchain creator said at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2019.

Chainlink among top crypto performers in October—Fintech Advisory Services report

The Fintech Advisory Services monthly report details the main crypto-metrics and indicators for the past month: News, Market Performance, Networks, Mining Activity, Public Sentiment, and Academic Publications. The report also covers the latest “Hot Topics” in the crypto space. This month: Facebook’s Libra, Telegram’s TON, China’s CBDC, and quantum computing.

China’s blockchain talent is driving an investment boom

Investment in Chinese blockchain projects reached USD$367.7 million in the first half of 2019. Blockchain Global CEO Sam Lee says Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent have fueled a breadth of tech talent.

A.I. has fallen short of its promise. But quantum computing can change how machines ‘think’

Alternative AI founder Eberhard Schoeneburg speaks with Forkast.News at Hong Kong FinTech Week 2019 about how artificial intelligence should adapt to quantum technology.

Hong Kong Exchange chief says city is a springboard for tech, blockchain opportunities

Despite prolonged social and political turmoil a slowing economy and record cash outflows, Hong Kong continues to serve as an important technology and financial hub, says Hong Kong Stock Exchange CEO Charles Li.

AI giants are exploiting your data. A new system can help you take back control

Building artificial intelligence is a game of “surveillance machine learning” that exploits common users’ data. But blockchain technology systems promise to help compensate users for it.

Will China’s digital currency disrupt remittances? Not so fast, says TransferWise’s CEO

The PBOC’s new token could wipe out the need for remittance services like TransferWise. But if the eurozone is any foreshadowing, uniting several countries with a single currency is a complicated endeavor.

Opinion | Why Technology is Forging China’s Critical Path

Executive Summary It has been 40 years since Deng Xiaoping launched China’s Open Door Policy. By several metrics, China’s economic miracle has been extraordinary, with some 800 million people lifted out of poverty in just a few decades and the country playing a critical role in the global economy. But this growth was neither stable […]

India vs. the people: The battle over cryptocurrency ownership continues

Public support in India is strong for cryptocurrency ownership. But regulators’ blanket ban may lead to a gray market, increasing the chances of fraud.

More traditional investors are eyeing cryptocurrency to diversify their portfolios

Traders use commodity trading adviser funds to reduce risk of custody or money laundering, says Jan Brzezek, founder of Crypto Finance AG.

How blockchain can save A.I.

There has been a resurgence of AI during the last five to six years.  I use the word resurgence because we have had previous eras when AI was seen as being imminent. Alan Turing devised the eponymous Turing Test in 1950 and brought mainstream attention to the possibility of machines that could think. The Dartmouth […]

How to make blockchain development code-agnostic, with Digital Asset CEO Yuval Rooz

Digital Asset aims to provide a uniform developer experience, regardless of the technology you’re using.

ConsenSys, R3 and Digital Asset execs say enterprise blockchain is changing finance world

From supply chain to finance, implementation of the technology is building trust, efficiency and new opportunities.

A China central bank exec is leading a cryptocurrency course on app De Dao

Mu Changchun, the Deputy Director at the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), launched an online audio course about Libra and digital currency in a popular Chinese education app De Dao on August 4, 2019. It is not the first time Mu talked about Facebook’s cryptocurrency Libra and digital currency. After Facebook announced Libra in June […]

Gibraltar is pioneering creation of blockchain ecosystems, says FM

“We want to keep at the forefront of the regulatory framework to make sure that what we’ve got is fit for purpose and works well for our stakeholders.”

In Conversation with Da Hongfei, Neo: China-Born Digital Asset Protocol

Chinese blockchain companies received a substantial windfall following President Xi Jinping’s bullish support for the development of the technology, and Shanghai-based Neo was one such enterprise. Forkast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with Da Hongfei, Co-Founder of Neo to find out about the technology and how it will affect various industries in China. Key Highlights […]

President Xi Jinping Endorses Developing Blockchain Technology in China

President Xi Jinping emphasized the development of blockchain technology and called for more research, investment, and regulations for it on October 24. “Blockchain plays a core role in the next round of technological innovation and industrial transformation,” said Xi according to comments recorded by news agency Xinhua during a meeting with members of the Communist […]

Creating a Decentralized Silicon Valley in Switzerland

Switzerland is positioning itself to become a crucial hub for the global blockchain industry as investment group Crypto Valley Venture Capital (CVVC) reports that the top 50 blockchain-related companies in the country are valued over US$40 billion in 2019. CVVC Founder and CEO Mathias Ruch told Forkast.News’ Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau that the country’s regulation and […]

Exclusive Interview with CEO David Gurle: $1B Messaging App Symphony Partners with WeChat

Cloud-based messaging startup Symphony announced a partnership with Internet giant Tencent to integrate their services with WeChat, a massively popular messaging application in China. The California-based startup is aimed to serve professionals in the banking and investment industry, and is positioning itself to be a cheaper means of communication and information sharing than alternatives like […]

Forkast.Focus | HKFinTechWeek: SFC Aims to Regulate Digital Asset Trading Platforms

Speaking from the main stage of Hong Kong FinTech Week, Securities Futures Commission (“SFC”) CEO Ashley Alder said the SFC will publish a new regulatory framework that would allow it to regulate virtual asset trading platforms. In a highly anticipated keynote speech at Asia’s largest global financial technology conference, Alder noted the new regulations will […]
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Opinion | Crisis in Lebanon Highlights Benefits of Digital Currencies

The imminent economic collapse in Lebanon which the Lebanese Central Bank Governor has warned of may be averted as Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation amid the country’s largest protests in 15 years. These protests were in response to Hariri’s government announcing austerity measures which included a tax on WhatsApp calls. Protesters demanding Hariri’s […]

Forkast.Insights to Launch the “China Blockchain Report” Following HK FinTech Week

Forkast.Insights, the research vertical of Forkast.News, will be releasing the “China Blockchain Report” in its new report series about blockchain technology in countries around the world. The report, which has been months-in-the-making, will be released off the heels of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent endorsement of the need to accelerate the development of this technology […]

Forkast.Focus | HKFinTechWeek: Startups Capitalize on Cryptography in Medicine

The increasing use of big data in the medical industry has left some concerned regarding their rights to privacy, though some companies are working on blockchain and cryptography applications to address the issues. California-based startup blockdoc is one such digital health and security company that is using advanced cryptography. Another is Blue Cross (Asia-Pacific) Insurance, […]

WATCH: How Cryptocurrencies are Becoming an Asset Class: Marc P. Bernegger, Crypto Finance

Cryptocurrencies have become a new target for investors shying away from politically volatile alternatives. As an on-going trade war between the United States and China and the U.K.’s exit from the European Union threatens the stability of conventional markets, more and more traditional investment entities have started experimenting with decentralized assets. Forkast.News’ Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau […]

Opinion | China Moving Full Speed Ahead with Digital Currency and Regulating Blockchain

While many other countries have been taking a back seat and waiting to decide how exactly they should approach blockchain technology, China has been proactively exploring its application in decentralized finance. This week China announced a certification system to regulate a broad range of fintech products. China is clearly priming itself to become a leader […]

WATCH: In Conversation with Emma Cui: Incubating Blockchain Startups Around the World

Blockchain-related startups have dealt with a fair share of challenges and skepticism, especially throughout a tumultuous year where volatility in cryptocurrencies has shaken people’s confidence in the industry. However, investment in blockchain projects has seen continued growth, and incubators like LongHash have sought to harness that potential. Forkast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau sits down with Emma […]