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Central Retail Corp., one of Thailand’s biggest department store chains, has developed a blockchain-based digital currency called C-Coin and is now testing it among employees, Bloomberg reported yesterday. Fast facts The company is currently distributing C-Coin to its 80,000 employees as bonus to their usual salary. Employees can use the crypto coin to shop at […]

Bitcoin is awakening humanity to its own sovereign capacities, says Ben Caselin of AAX. Here’s why the world’s first cryptocurrency is still at the cutting edge of finance and culture.

A dog fight has broken out in the crypto top 10 in the past 24 hours as memecoin Dogecoin and its pup Shiba Inu token battle it out for the position of top dog. Fast facts The price of the once-derided Shiba Inu coin has been on a tear this past week, gaining over 200% […]

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the social media giant is rebranding its corporate name to Meta as it focuses on building out its metaverse vision of an embodied internet with immersive spaces and experiences where people can digitally connect. Fast facts “The metaverse is the next chapter for the internet and it’s the next chapter […]

Behind this year’s giddy markets, evil and tragedies abound. Just in time for Halloween, Forkast.News shakes out the skeletons in crypto’s closet.

This appears to be the third hack for the protocol this year — yet the biggest one so far.

The South Korean government pushes forward its plan to tax crypto income beginning in January while investors and lawmakers criticize the pending tax law for its loopholes, with one lawmaker mentioning NFT goods of K-pop mega-group BTS. Fast facts The National Tax Service (NTS) of Korea met with 28 domestic cryptocurrency exchanges earlier this week […]

Only two weeks after the Australia Securities Exchange approved a similar product, the Cosmos Global Digital Miners Access exchange-traded fund (ETF) launched on rival exchange Chi-X Australia today, granting exposure to globally listed digital asset mining and infrastructure companies. Fast facts Trading under the name “DIGA,” the fund tracks the Global Digital Miners Index, designed […]

Singapore’s DBS Bank — Southeast Asia’s largest lender — has joined the Hedera Governing Council, a diverse group of companies that governs and supports the Hedera network, an enterprise-grade public ledger of transactions, according to a media statement. Fast facts DBS — the first and only bank in Southeast Asia to join the Governing Council […]

The success of the first U.S. Bitcoin futures ETF presents a challenge to investors when futures trade too far ahead of actual prices.

Sotheby’s ended its Natively Digital 1.2 auction event with 1,500 bids on Tuesday, with a total turnover of US$18.6 million after nine days of live bidding. Three non-fungible tokens (NFTs) reached record bids, including #8817 Ape by Bored Ape Yacht Club, Rare Pepe PEPENOPOULOS, and Self Portrait #1 by Dmitri Cherniak, according to a press […]

Altair upgrade goes live, also Hybe and Dunamu consider NFT venture.

South Korean mobile game developer Netmarble to create a virtual K-pop idol group under partnership with internet giant Kakao group using meta-human technologies.

Fee-free trading platform Robinhood’s crypto revenue declined 78% in the third quarter this year, earning only US$51 million during that time according to the company’s Q3 report released Tuesday. This is compared to the US$233 million the company earned in the previous quarter in which the market hit the height of the bull run, from […]

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has soared to another all-time high, setting its new record at US$0.00005486 today, according to CoinMarketCap data. It is now the 11th largest cryptocurrency with a market cap of US$21.5 billion. Fast facts In the last 24 hours, SHIB’s price has surged over 32%. SHIB’s price has been surging since the weekend […]

San Francisco-based blockchain payments company Ripple has partnered with Pyypl, a blockchain-based financial services technology company in the Middle East and Africa, to use XRP for cross-border payments in the Middle East, according to a company statement. Fast facts The partnership with Pyypl marks RippleNet’s first-ever On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) deployment in the Middle East and […]

As Ethereum surges to a new all-time high, 50 fintech experts surveyed by Finder offer predictions on ETH’s year-end and longer-term price outlook.

The Municipal Administrative Center of Beijing officially announced the launch of an e-CNY enterprise zone to “explore the digital renminbi financial system.” The plan includes support for experimental digital currency projects including by increasing  5G infrastructure to enable faster transactions. Fast facts E-CNY is China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC). It is anticipated to be […]

Binance NFT, the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace of Binance, has launched Initial Game Offerings (IGOs) for customers to invest in gaming NFTs projects at an early stage, according to a Binance blog post. Fast facts The IGOs will feature NFT collections from top-tier gaming projects that are available exclusively on the Binance NFT marketplace, Binance […]

Tether Operations, the company behind Tether (USDT) — the largest stablecoin by market capitalization — today announced that it will be trialing Notabene’s crypto travel rule compliance product for cross-border stablecoin transfers. Fast facts USDT has a market capitalization of over US$70 billion and over US$64 billion in 24-hour trading volume, according to CoinGecko data. […]

Ethereum’s creator explains why rollups can help scale Ethereum while preserving decentralization.

Philippines trials blockchain voting meanwhile Byron Bay to host crypto mining

Local miners told Forkast.News that existing legal miners won’t be much affected, though they’re still subject to power rationing.

A new data report shows there were about 55,000 blockchain-relate patents applications filed by 7,800 companies from 47 countries and regions during the period between the beginning of 2015 to June 2021, and China has seen the largest share of these applications, as the country has been boosting the development of blockchain technology over the […]

Tech giants banish non-fungible token references as Beijing looks down new virtual asset market.

The nation’s elections commission wants to upgrade its voting technology to improve voter turnout and public trust. Does blockchain check the boxes?

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler has reiterated over time that most stablecoins are securities and should, therefore, fall under the purview of the securities watchdog. Now, Gensler is one step closer to achieving his aim of regulating stablecoins. Fast facts The U.S. Treasury Department and other agencies are putting together a report […]

Crypto investment products saw record inflows last week of US$1.47 billion, with Bitcoin accounting for 99% of the inflows, according to digital assets fund manager CoinShares. Total crypto assets under management also reached a new peak of US$79.2 billion. Fast facts Bitcoin investment products saw record inflows of US$1.45 billion last week. “The record inflows […]

Hong Kong-based blockchain technology company digiXnode Technology Ltd. today officially launched an exclusive service portal — for users in Hong Kong and Macau — that grants access to the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), China’s public-private nationwide infrastructure project to spur mass adoption of blockchain technology. Fast facts By subscribing to the service from digiXnode’s website […]

Mainland China’s recent ban on crypto, the most draconian yet, did not come as a surprise to those in the know, says Angelina Kwan of HashKey Group. How will this affect the crypto hub of Hong Kong?

Nigeria, a country with one of the world’s highest cryptocurrency adoption rates, is set to become the first African nation to launch its own central bank digital currency (CBDC) today as President Muhammadu Buhari formally launches the eNaira. Fast facts Nigeria’s CBDC, the eNaira, was initially scheduled to be launched on Oct. 1. The launch […]

Greenidge Generation Holdings Inc., a U.S. Bitcoin mining and power generation company, has announced it plans to ramp up its operation across the U.S. by more than doubling its previous order with Chinese mining rig maker Bitmain. Fast facts Nasdaq-listed Greenidge said Thursday in a statement it plans to significantly expand beyond its current operating […]

Dogecoin copycat token SHIB jumped almost 60% in less than 24 hours on Sunday to reach a new all-time high of US$0.00004442, as DOGE also surged over the weekend. SHIB was trading at US$0.00003937 at press time, and is now the 13th largest token by market cap, according to data from CoinMarketCap.com. Fast facts This […]

The Australian government sees blockchain’s enormous benefits and is now actively developing the technology, writes Chami Akmeemana. What can other countries learn from this?

Australia’s Senate report into fintech regulations includes 12 recommendations for a clear digital assets framework.

A lawmaker claims authorities gave the country’s largest crypto exchange privilege in meeting government requirements.

Chinese internet giant Tencent reportedly plans to bet big on the metaverse — a trending idea on building a virtual world typically with the support of virtual and augmented reality technologies — and is looking to build an advanced gaming studio for that, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with […]

Kazakhstan — one of the popular destinations for Chinese crypto miners as they look for more regulation-friendly shores — continues to face power shortages, with its national grid operator last week rationing power after some failures occurred in a few power units. Fast facts Kazakhstan electricity grid operating company KEGOC said in a statement last […]

Canadian crypto miner Hut 8 Mining announced yesterday that it would buy 12,000 new MicroBT mining machines for US$58.7 million from Inchigle Technology Hong Kong Ltd., as the mining company continues to expand its North American presence. Fast facts Hut 8 Mining said the new machines will represent an aggregate incremental production of 1.17 exahashes […]

The Senate unveiled its most comprehensive look at blockchain regulation, hoping to transform the country into a global industry leader.

“For now, we do not have any plan for using e-CNY in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries yet,” China’s central bank chief said at the 2021 G30 International Banking Seminar, regarding the electronic yuan (e-CNY), the world’s first major central bank digital currency that is being slowly rolled out in China. Meanwhile, authorities […]

Ethereum prices surged to new heights ahead of next week’s Altair Beacon Chain upgrade but then pulled back. How do crypto experts make sense of it?

China’s Ministry of Commerce, along with 23 other central departments, on Tuesday jointly issued “The 14th Five-Year Plan for Service & Trade Industries.” It outlines how China will integrate blockchain into the process of global trading, including applying blockchain on bills of lading, building a blockchain-based global shipping information network, and using blockchain to record […]

Just three months after closing a record US$1 billion series B, the two-year-old cryptocurrency exchange is now valued at US$25 billion. Fast facts The US$420,690,000 Series B-1 funding round saw the participation of 69 investors, with prominent names the lineup, including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, via its Teachers’ Innovation Platform, Singapore’s state-owned investment firm […]

Bitcoin hits all-time high, also Lotte World opens in metaverse

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com is giving away free non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to those who sign up for its annual technology conference JD Discovery, in a move to jump on the NFT bandwagon following its rivals Alibaba and Tencent. Fast facts JD.com’s tech arm JD Technology said yesterday in a social media post it is giving […]

In a special Q&A, CEO Louis Liu describes the hoops FOMO Pay jumped through to win Singapore’s first crypto license and calls its regulator a ‘collaborator.’

Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming, metaverse and non-fungible token (NFT) company, has closed a capital raise for US$65 million at a pre-money valuation of US$2.2 billion, according to a company statement. Fast facts Investors in the round included Liberty City Ventures, Ubisoft Entertainment, Sequoia China, Dragonfly Capital, Token Bay Capital and Justin Sun, […]

On the morning after the successful debut of the first U.S.-approved Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund, Bitcoin’s price surpassed $65,000, reaching an all-time high. Fast facts On Wednesday, Bitcoin reached a high of US$67,276.79, according to Coingecko. Bitcoin’s previous peak was US$64,804.72 on April 14, 2021. The first U.S. Bitcoin-futures exchange-traded fund, ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, […]

How the crypto economy is engaging with legislators, what policy makers need to know about Web 3.0 and what role the U.S. infrastructure bill has played in kickstarting better cryptocurrency education.

Huobi Japan has been granted approval to offer crypto derivatives as a Type I Financial Instruments Business by Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) — the regulator for financial services in Japan — according to a company statement this week. Fast facts Huobi Japan currently offers spot trading for 14 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Huobi […]

Top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bitcoin grows up. Facebook’s metaverse journey. China’s crypto investors find a workaround.

More industry players are exiting the Chinese mainland market amid tougher crackdown.

A group of U.S. lawmakers called on Facebook to halt its cryptocurrency and digital wallet project Novi hours after its pilot launch began on Tuesday, amid the company’s ongoing trust crisis. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tina Smith (D-MN) said the tech giant “cannot be trusted […]

Money, culture and community are now converging in NFTs and the token economy, writes Lily Z. King. Welcome to a new world where ‘money Lego’ meets ‘culture Lego.’

After iron-fisted regulations closed down many exchanges, remaining trading platforms look for alternatives to transaction fees.

Singapore-based Atlas Mining today announced that it is expanding its cryptocurrency mining operations in the United States in a multi-year hosting service agreement with Compute North, a U.S.-based cryptocurrency mining infrastructure provider. Fast facts The deal will see Compute North providing over 100 megawatts colocation capacity — enough to power a small city — for […]

JD.com, an online retailing platform ranked by trading volume as No. 1 in China and No. 13 globally by Deloitte, said it will accept electronic yuan (e-CNY) payments during the upcoming Double 11 shopping festival and will issue digital yuan coupons during the event. Fast facts The Double 11 shopping festival refers to a Chinese […]

New York state Attorney General Letitia James has ordered two “unregistered crypto lending platforms” — one of which has appeared to be Nexo — to cease operations in New York, and requested another three platforms to provide information about their activities. Fast facts James said in a press release published on Monday: “Cryptocurrency platforms must […]

Some are registering companies overseas, via — you guessed it — Taobao vendors.

Amid a national conversation on debanking of crypto businesses, one of Australia’s “Big Four” banks — ANZ — has settled a case brought by local exchange operator Allan Flynn, who argued ANZ debanked him due to his occupation in cryptocurrency. Fast facts Flynn, crypto trader and owner of the Australian exchange CanberraBitcoin, announced the settlement […]

Singapore-based crypto trading platform Coinhako has launched “Coinhako Privé,” a digital assets platform for high net worth individuals (HNWIs) and institutions, according to a company announcement today. Fast facts The Coinhako Privé platform will provide members with institutional grade digital asset services and white glove services, such as a dedicated relationship manager, personalized support from […]

Facebook says it will create 10,000 jobs in the European Union over the next five years to build its highly anticipated metaverse — a digital platform that utilizes technology such as virtual and augmented reality that the company says has the potential to unlock new creative, social and economic opportunities. Fast facts According to a […]

Estonia revoked more than 70% of all crypto licenses last year. Its recently appointed anti-money-laundering chief wants to nullify the rest.

As excitement grew over the imminent approval of Bitcoin futures exchange traded funds (ETFs) in the United States, Bitcoin investment products saw inflows of US$70 million last week — the fifth consecutive week of inflows — while Ethereum saw outflows of US$1 million, according to digital assets manager CoinShares. Fast facts According to CoinShares, the total […]

The first US Bitcoin futures EFT is set to begin trading today. Will this exchange-traded fund bring Bitcoin closer to the masses?

Dalian announced it is promoting the adoption of e-CNY within one of its districts. More than 90% of government employees in the Gaoxin district, including affiliated institutions, have settled transactions using personal e-CNY wallets. Fast facts The Northeast city of Dalian has been included in the second batch of e-CNY pilot cities since October 2020, […]

Conglomerates including Samsung continue to invest in blockchain and crypto startups despite a government crackdown on the industry.

Tether, the issuer of the world’s most popular stablecoin USDT, has been fined US$41 million by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over “untrue or misleading” claims that its USDT stablecoin was fully backed by corresponding fiat currencies. Fast facts The CFTC said in a Friday statement that from at least June 1, 2016 to […]

U.S.-based Bakkt, a cryptocurrency custodian and trading platform, went public Monday on the New York Stock Exchange after an announcement by Intercontinental Exchange, or ICE, which owns Bakkt and the NYSE. Fast facts Unlike its competitor Coinbase, which chose a direct listing on Nasdaq, Bakkt is going public by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, […]

Authorities encourage new ways to apply blockchain across various industries, although there’s no room for crypto

Traditional finance evolved over centuries while DeFi is coming into its own in a few years, writes Adi Ben-Ari of Applied Blockchain. Are its risks inevitable?