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Two of the largest PC video game stores, Steam and Epic Games, have adopted different approaches to blockchain and non-fungible token (NFT)-based games — Steam has shunned them while Epic is open to it. Fast facts As NFT games like Axie Infinity are soaring in popularity, Valve, which operates Steam, has added games “built on […]

Candidates and possible contenders in South Korea’s next presidential election call for delaying a plan to tax virtual assets — currently scheduled to begin in January — in a bid to appeal to millennial and Generation Z voters. Fast facts Lawmakers from both the ruling democratic party and the opposition party have spoken out against […]

South Korean presidential hopefuls lean towards delaying crypto tax to impress younger voters.

As luxury brands eye the virtual realm, Zilliqa co-founder Max Kantelia looks forward to a convergence of desirable objects and digital opportunities.

But Ripple says its 5,000 pages of requests for admission to SEC are reasonable and could cut down on trial time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday at the United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference the country needs to uphold an innovation-driven approach and create more drivers for development. He specifically mentioned in his remarks the integration of blockchain. Fast facts Xi said more should be done to develop smart transport and smart logistics and […]

Hidden mining tracked by IP addresses to state agencies, enterprises, institutions, schools

The soft rollout of the electronic Chinese yuan (e-CNY) continues across China in advance of its expected formal launch in time for the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. In the latest sign, Beijing Capital International Airport has become the first airport in the country to support payment by the central bank digital currency (CBDC), which […]

Ripple, a San Francisco-based blockchain payments company, has joined the Digital Pound Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting the implementation of a digital pound in the United Kingdom, according to a Ripple blog post. Fast facts As a foundation member, Ripple will be represented on the board by Susan Friedman, Ripple’s head of policy. Other foundation […]

The state-run Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and telecommunications service giant China Mobile on Wednesday jointly announced the launch of a fiat digital-yuan hard wallet that allows equipped phones to transact in e-CNY without a mobile network. Fast facts The wallet, SIM Pay, is a super-SIM card with near-field communication (NFC) technology. NFC […]

Binance — the world’s biggest cryptocurrency by trading volume — today announced the appointment of Mark McGinness, former head of international relations at the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), as its chief regulatory liaison officer, according to a company statement. Fast facts McGinness’ appointment comes as Binance bolsters its compliance efforts and navigates regulatory headwinds […]

AntPool, currently the world’s second-largest Bitcoin mining pool in terms of real-time hashrate, announced today that it is stopping the connection of IP addresses from the Chinese mainland beginning Friday. Fast facts AntPool said in its statement it decided to make the adjustment to abide by the Chinese government’s relevant rules on crypto mining and […]

The Chinese government-aligned newspaper Guangming Daily published an opinion article to criticize non-fungible token (NFT) hype, which is “definitely not good for the healthy development of NFT.” Fast facts The article cited Gartner, a global technology research company, and its report Hype cycle for emerging technology, indicating that NFTs are at a high point of hype. The […]

Cryptocurrency investors on the Chinese mainland continue to feel the chill from the country’s latest crypto ban, as more and more industry players exit the Chinese market. Cobo, a Singapore-based crypto management platform, is among the latest to opt out. Fast facts In order to reflect the regulatory requirements on the mainland, Cobo said Wednesday […]

Nervos, a public blockchain backed by China Merchants Bank International and Sequoia China, today announced the mainnet launch of its cross-chain “Force Bridge,” according to a company statement shared with Forkast.News. Fast facts The Force Bridge enables cross-chain transactions between Nervos and Ethereum, with support for ETH and whitelisted ERC-20 tokens, including Dai (DAI), Tether […]

In this special Q&A, industry leaders tell Forkast.News why global stablecoin regulations can help catalyze crypto adoption.

An NFT art exhibition demonstrates how digital tokens can be used to promote United Nations sustainability goals.

Hot on the heels of a similar exchange-traded fund being approved in the U.S., the Australian Securities Exchange is close to launching the “BetaShares Crypto Innovators ETF,” which will grant exposure to global companies working in the digital asset space, according to the Financial Review. Fast facts Using the ticker “CRYP,” the ETF aims to […]

China’s Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) — a public-private nationwide infrastructure project to spur mass adoption of blockchain technology — is partnering with a New York-based blockchain company to advance interoperability as BSN actively expands its global presence to lure more developers to use the blockchain network. Fast facts Cypherium, a smart contract technology provider focusing on central […]

In spite of ongoing regulatory issues, cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network has raised US$400 million in an investment round pegging the valuation of the company at US$3 billion. Fast facts The funding was led by U.S. growth equity firm WestCap and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global investment group.  Celsius will use the funds to […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Big money heads for Bitcoin. How fishy are Squid Game NFTs? China mothballs mining.

Coinbase and Binance move to diversify meanwhile Stablecoins under scrutiny

Popular short-video app TikTok has started its non-fungible token (NFT) auction of “TikTok Top Moments” that feature works of a series of rappers and artists, as the social media giant appears keen to jump on the NFT bandwagon. Fast facts The auction of Detroit rapper Curtis Roach’s “Bored in the House” NFT has gone live, […]

Crypto miners in China may be under siege and driven out of business or forced to flee to friendlier shores. But one corner of the country’s crypto mining industry — the mining machine manufacturers — does not seem to be affected much. Chinese mining rig maker Bitmain, for example, has recently secured a deal with […]

As non-crypto players like Twitter and PayPal take up digital assets, Coinbase, Binance and others look for ways to expand offerings.

Binance — the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world by market value — is set to close down the yuan trading feature on its customer-to-customer platform on Dec. 31, the company said today in a statement, in a move to “meet regulatory requirements of the local government.” Fast facts Binance also said it will conduct […]

Coinone, one of South Korea’s major cryptocurrency exchanges, is creating a new center to strengthen its anti-money laundering capabilities. Fast facts Coinone announced yesterday it has established an anti-money laundering (AML) center and is making Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) to financial authorities. Coinone’s AML Center, along with its partner NH Nonghyup Bank, will conduct know-your-customer […]

Squid game NFTs traded on Opensea, also Bitcoin on a roll

Hong Kong-based digital asset custodian Hex Trust has integrated enterprise-grade public blockchain network Hedera Hashgraph into its Hex Safe custody platform, the company announced today. Fast facts With the integration, Hex Trust’s Hex Safe custody platform will support HBAR — the Hedera network’s native cryptocurrency — and tokens issued using the Hedera Token Service (HTS), […]

An unidentified NFT (non-fungible token) creator with user name 9194C0 on digital marketplace OpenSea has created nearly 2,000 NFTs that replicate the globally popular Netflix series ‘Squid Game’ with some being traded for more than 1 ETH. Fast facts The NFTs replicate a card that appears on the television series inviting the protagonist to join […]

The country’s top economic planner hopes to prohibit investment in what it considers an energy-intensive sector.

Crypto market watchers tell Forkast.News what’s behind Bitcoin’s latest resurgence and predict Bitcoin’s price heading into Q4 2021.

The Postal Savings Bank of China has become one of the appointed research and development institutions for the electronic Chinese yuan (e-CNY), allowing the bank to hold a first-mover advantage in the competition for position in China’s electronic payments market, its owner, the state-owned China Post Group, said in an article. Fast facts The bank […]

Stacks surges after NFT push while Samsung Next invests in Sky Mavis

South Korean conglomerate Samsung is increasingly involved in the burgeoning world of blockchain-based gaming, while within Korea, games with blockchain elements are banned from official release in the country. Fast facts Samsung Next, the tech giant’s investment subsidiary, participated in a US$152 million Series B round of Sky Mavis, the Vietnam-based blockchain game company and […]

Sri Lanka has formed a panel to recommend a regulatory framework covering the growth of digital banking, blockchain and cryptocurrency mining, the government has announced. Fast facts Developing an integrated system of digital banking, blockchain and cryptocurrency mining is crucial for Sri Lanka to keep up with its regional neighbors while expanding international trade, the […]

According to a Shenzhen state-owned newspaper, Shenzhen now has nearly 120,000 e-CNY pilot program application scenarios, ranking first in the country. Fast facts In October last year, Hong Kong’s neighboring city, Shenzhen, became the first e-CNY pilot city, which rolled out the first batch of 50,000 e-CNY red packets with a total value of 10 […]

A South Korean tech company is partnering with the largest organization of professional journalists in the country to develop digital tools and techniques to tackle problems in the journalism industry. Fast facts Media technology developer PUBLISH recently announced signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Journalists Association of Korea (JAK), which represents over 11,000 […]

Australians are now able to buy a house using cryptocurrency, as Lloyds Auctions Australia has announced it is accepting Bitcoin for purchases of real estate in online auctions, according to a press release shared with Forkast.News. Fast facts While Covid lockdowns impacted how in-person real estate auctions could take place in Australia, Lloyds began looking […]

China’s Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) — a public-private nationwide infrastructure project to spur mass adoption of blockchain technology — is setting up more portals overseas, as it moves a step closer to more international exposure. Fast facts Red Date Technology, the company China tapped to manage its BSN, announced today that it is working to […]

Tether fires back while Easy Crypto closes Series A funding round

The companies have a longstanding working relationship on virtual currency investigations with government agencies.

China’s eastern province of Jiangsu today announced that it is cracking down on covert cryptocurrency mining activities, in response to the notice jointly issued two weeks ago by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and several other public security and information technology authorities. Fast facts The Jiangsu Communications Administration said it is strengthening its […]

As blockchain nodes multiply around the world, the need for interconnectivity has never been greater. John DeVadoss of InterWork Alliance explains why.

Editor’s Note On October 8, 2021, a Forkast.News article was published with the inaccurate SEO headline “Bitcoin Futures ETF Approved By SEC.” One of our readers rightfully identified this mistake. We have made the correction, and we apologize. Serving the community is our top priority, and Forkast.News would like to thank @scottmelker for bringing it […]

New Zealand-based exchange Easy Crypto has closed a NZ$17 million (US$11.75 million) Series A funding round, in what may be the largest investment raised for a startup from the country. Fast facts Led by venture capital fund Nuance Connected Capital, Easy Crypto told Forkast.News the funding round was oversubscribed by 50%, helped along by participation […]

As South Korea’s ongoing efforts at regulating cryptocurrency continues, a top financial services official said DeFi (decentralized finance) businesses need legal review before they are officially recognized as providers of financial services such as loan-for-consumption. Fast facts At the National Assembly’s annual review, lawmaker Oh Gi-hyoung, member of the National Policy Committee, asked Jeong Eun-bo, Korea’s Financial […]

Tether is facing another round of scrutiny as the world’s number one stablecoin responds to a damning Bloomberg report published yesterday that claimed — among other things — that Tether is not fully backed as the company claims and is using its reserves to make crypto-backed loans. Fast facts In the article, reporter Zeke Faux […]

Binance — the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world — is looking at setting up regional headquarters in Ireland, according to Reuters. Fast facts “Historically, we claim that we don’t have headquarters. We are actually just in the process of establishing a few headquarters in different parts of the world,” Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao told […]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned a cryptocurrency bill to Parliament for revision on Tuesday, demanding the National Securities and Stock Market Commission of Ukraine be designated the country’s main crypto regulator. Fast facts The crypto bill had passed the second parliamentary hearing on September 8. Had Zelenskyy signed the bill, it would have made the country the fifth […]

  Jerome Powell’s remarks on Sept. 30 following his testimony about the financial hardships of the pandemic caught the attention of crypto enthusiasts. Taking questions from the House Committee on Financial Services, Chairman Powell said the Federal Reserve would not seek a ban on crypto but reiterated that stablecoins should be regulated.  Bitcoin jumped by […]

Coinswitch Kuber becomes unicorn meanwhile Australians reminded over crypto tax

Notabene, a travel rule solution provider, this week announced that it has successfully completed travel rule test transactions between four Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)-licensed firms and three crypto companies in Singapore. Fast facts In July, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — the global anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-financing of terrorism (CTF) standards-setter — […]

Indian crypto exchange CoinSwitch Kuber has become the country’s second crypto unicorn after raising US$260 million in a Series C funding round, the startup announced. Fast facts The latest funding round drew in marquee investors — it was led by Coinbase Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Existing investors Sequoia, Paradigm, Ribbit and Tiger Global also participated […]

A US court has denied XRP holders’ bid to join the SEC v. Ripple lawsuit as third-party defendants, but XRP advocates say being ‘amici curiae’ is still a win.

South Korea’s finance minister says that while income from virtual asset transactions will be taxed starting Jan. 1, 2022, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are not to be taxed yet. Fast facts At the National Assembly’s annual review on Wednesday, Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki said the government plans to start taxing virtual asset gains […]

Outstripping the explosive growth of Dogecoin in the past week, copycat memecoin SHIB was up over 300% over the past four days this morning, briefly reaching a five-month high of US$0.00003436, according to CoinGecko. Fast facts Trading at US$0.00003079 at press time, this marks the second massive jump in the Shiba Inu coin’s price since […]

The importance of digital privacy, freedom of expression and civil liberties and how Web 3 can protect them.

Kazakhstan blames its newly settled crypto miners for power shortages as South Korea’s largest exchange is accused of listing faulty tokens for profits.

Top blockchain and crypto news: US leads charge in ramping up cybersecurity. Crypto fans crow as Facebook flops. China bears down on metaverses.

Brazil’s legislators are expected to discuss in the next few days a bill that seeks to establish a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, which may be a major step toward making Bitcoin a legal “payment currency” in the country if approved by the congress. Fast facts Bill 2.303/15, proposed by Federal Deputy Aureo Ribeiro, aims to […]

Xive co-founder says its one mining farm in the south of the Central Asian nation has been forced to disconnect from the grid.

A lawmaker claims Upbit earned hundreds of millions by listing sketchy cryptocurrencies, while the exchange rebuts that it follows fair and strict standards.

Sky Mavis, the company behind leading non-fungible token game Axie Infinity, has raised US$152 million in a Series B funding round with a valuation of nearly US$3 billion, according to news outlet The Information. Fast facts Led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, Sky Mavis said it will use the funds to improve its blockchain […]

U.S. Bank, the country’s fifth-largest retail bank, will now offer custody services for cryptocurrencies, starting with Bitcoin, the bank announced on Tuesday. New York Digital Investment Group, a fintech firm dedicated to Bitcoin, is the first crypto sub-custodian in the bank’s network of providers, the statement said. Fast facts The services are geared toward institutional […]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has no plans to ban cryptocurrencies, chair Gary Gensler said during a congressional hearing on Tuesday. He added that any decision to ban crypto is “up to Congress.” Fast facts Gensler responded to Rep. Ted Budd’s question about whether the U.S. plans to ban crypto along the lines of […]

Korea crypto tax pause called for meanwhile Tiktok jumps into NFTs

Crypto investors say virtual asset gains will be taxed on uneven grounds compared to stock capital gains.

It’s been quite a run for the world’s leading play-to-earn game, but as its monthly revenue takes a hit, what’s in store for the future of the game?

Hong Kong, a hotbed for crypto startups and exchanges, is at a crossroads, writes Jeremy Ng of Gemini. Here’s how the industry can better secure its future.

Much of the growth in the region is driven by strong grassroots adoption rates led by Vietnam, India and Pakistan, new data from Chainalysis shows

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) on Monday released a white paper proposing potential technical architecture and design for the infrastructure of a digital Hong Kong dollar. The paper is one of the deliverables described in Project e-HKD, a feasibility study the HKMA announced in June 2021. Fast facts Hong Kong began its exploration of […]