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Capital gains: How Web3 property rights can transform the digital economy

Digital ownership enabled by Web3 tech can challenge the monopolistic dynamics of Web2 and give people real equity, says Animoca Brands chief Yat Siu

U.S. Fed has growing interest in CBDCs, says Jeng at Crypto Council for Innovation

Linda Jeng, chief regulatory officer and general counsel at the Crypto Council for Innovation said the U.S. has seen the writing on the wall and is expanding the conversation about cryptocurrency, in comments at Forkast’s “Crypto Rising: CBDCs & Stablecoins: The Asia Perspective.”

Philippine central bank sees stablecoins as key to make payments more efficient

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Director Mhel Plabasan said the central bank has adopted a flexible approach on the digital assets.

‘Act smart, but act fast’: Industry experts say there’s no time to waste addressing stablecoins, CBDCs in Asia

Panelists at Forkast’s “Crypto Rising: CBDCs & Stablecoins: The Asia Perspective,” co-hosted by the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI), said tackling the technology requires international cooperation and flexibility to not stifle innovation.

Binance stablecoin conversion controversial, but what does it mean for users?

Binance generated controversy when it told customers it would convert their holdings in three stablecoins to its own stablecoin. Some analysts say the concerns are overblown, others disagree.

Blockchain’s lack of accessibility will limit its potential

Blockchain technology remains a world divided by silos that keep out developers and users, writes Manu Siddaligegowda of Lisk. What are the solutions?

Bitcoin recovers from steep drop after Fed hikes rates by 75 basis points

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, rose more than 3% on Thursday to recover from a sharp drop to under US$19,000 after the Federal Open Market Committee said it would raise interest rates by 75 basis points, or in line with market expectations, to rein in inflation. See related article: Digital dollar takes another […]

Terra chief faces arrest as South Korea ramps up global manhunt

Top blockchain and crypto news: Where is Do Kwon hiding out? Ethereum Merge mood fading fast. China’s digital yuan draws scrutiny Down Under.

Markets: Dogecoin reenters top 10 tokens by market cap, Bitcoin and Ethereum up

Crypto markets continued their recovery streak in Tuesday evening trade in Asia with Bitcoin rising over 4% in the past 24 hours to be the second-highest gainer among the top 10 tokens by market capitalization, only behind XRP. Despite a 4.3% recovery, Ethereum was still down over 20% over the past seven days in the […]

South Korea unlikely to push out crypto regulation before the U.S., authority says

South Korea’s top financial watchdog Monday said it is difficult for the country to establish laws overseeing the cryptocurrency industry in the country ahead of a common global regulatory framework as cross-border enforcement would be a key determinant of effectiveness.

US Treasury seeks public opinion on digital asset risks

The U.S. Department of Treasury is seeking public opinion on the “responsible development of digital assets” and has requested comments from the general public on national security and illicit financing risks posed by digital assets.  See related article: Singapore’s central bank says cryptocurrencies have ‘no fundamental value’ Fast facts Comments can be submitted until Nov. […]

Australia Senator says China’s CBDC may threaten national security

Amid the worsening relationship with China, one Australian Senator is trying to address possible national security concerns that may arise from Beijing’s Central Bank Digital Currency project.

India’s WazirX to delist USDC, apply auto convert to Binance’s stablecoin

WazirX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trade volume, said it has stopped deposits of stablecoins USDC, USDP and TUSD, and will automatically convert users’ existing balances to Binance’s USD-backed stablecoin BUSD at a 1:1 ratio.  See related article: India’s WazirX introduces new ‘learn and earn’ campaign with The Sandbox Fast facts WazirX will begin the […]

If the UK wants to become a crypto hub, it must do better

Britain’s internal divisions could thwart its crypt ambitions, writes Nick Saponaro of Divi Labs. Will it be eclipsed by crypto-friendly Dubai?

Why DeFi interest rate swaps may be the next frontier of finance

Already a big part of global finance, interest rate swaps can be a boon for DeFi — if it can overcome these challenges, writes Simon Jones of Voltz Labs.

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.

Cross-chain DOT staking dApp wins Polkadot’s North America hackathon

A decentralized application (dApp) “XCM DOT Autostake” developed by a team called Entity 54 won the grand prize at Polkadot’s North American hackathon, Polkadot announced on Sunday. See related article: Polkadot Defi hub Acala burns some 1.3 bln mis-minted stablecoins Fast facts See related article: Polkadot to hold first hackathon centered in Latin America 

For South Korea, making Do Kwon pay for his alleged crimes easier said than done

A member of the prosecuting team tells Forkast additional charges are likely to be leveled against Terraform Labs Chief Executive Officer Do Kwon following this week’s issuance of an arrest warrant for violating the country’s Capital Markets Act.

Animoca Brand’s Sandbox to launch metaverse in Dubai, other global cities

The Sandbox, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands Corp. Ltd., the Hong Kong-based game software and venture capital company, will be taking its Hong Kong metaverse strategy to a new market in Dubai, launching a “Dubaiverse,” the company said at the 62nd edition of the True Global Ventures Conference on Thursday.  Animoca Brand’s Dubai-themed metaverse will […]

Markets: Bitcoin price holds under US$20,000; Ether falls nearly 10%

Bitcoin continued trading below the US$20,000 support line in Friday afternoon trading in Asia. Ether fell in a “sell the news” mood after the Ethereum network completed the network Merge on Thursday. Most other coins among the top 10 by market capitalization dropped. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin dips below US$20,000; Ether, ETC fall post-Merge […]

Terra CEO Do Kwon faces ‘illegal alien’ status in Singapore as Seoul cancels passport

Prosecutors investigating the man behind the US$37 billion wipeout of the Terra-LUNA cryptocurrency project are raising the stakes to get him back to South Korea.

SEC’s Gensler says proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies may be securities

When is a cryptocurrency a security and when is it not? Financial regulators around the world are raising that question. The answer that comes out of the U.S. may set the tone, but South Korea is also ahead in tackling it.

Celsius seeks court approval to monetize stablecoin assets

Amid its bankruptcy proceedings, crypto lender Celsius Network LLC has sought court approval to sell and/or exchange its stablecoin holdings for U.S. dollars in order to generate liquidity and help fund its operations.  See related article: Goldman Sachs said to raise US$2B for Celsius assets: report Fast facts “Celsius currently owns eleven different forms of […]

Ethereum mining machine maker Sunlune concludes ‘tens of millions’ Series A with chipmaker Intel’s investment arm

Chinese Ethereum mining rig maker Sunlune has concluded its Series A fundraising with “tens of millions” of US dollars from Intel Capital, in an announcement two days before the completion of the Ethereum Merge.  See related article: Why Ethereum Merge will be game-changing for DeFi and crypto investing Fast facts See related article: Crypto miners […]

Polkadot to hold first hackathon centered in Latin America

Polkadot will hold its first hackathon that focuses on Latin America starting Sept. 26 to engage local developers in the network and promote the uses of blockchain around the world. See related article: Polkadot is top crypto held by VCs and hedge funds in Q4 2021 Fast facts See related article: Polkadot-based Acala Dollar burns […]

JPMorgan, LRC bet on blockchain startup Ownera in US$20 mln Series A

London-based Ownera has raised US$20 million in a Series A funding round from investors including banking giant JPMorgan and private asset management firm LRC Group. See related article: Tokenized assets may make up 10% of global GDP by 2030: report Fast facts The funds will be used to deploy a global interoperability network to unlock […]

Binance launches Ethereum staking ahead of Merge upgrade

Top blockchain and crypto news: Binance bets on Ethereum Merge. What does Terra’s sudden resurgence mean? China seeks to expand e-CNY ecosystem.

KKR offers tokenized exposure to private equity fund on Avalanche

Global investment firm KKR has partnered with digital assets securities firm Securitize to offer tokenized positions for its clients with at least US$5 million in investible assets, exposing them to its US$4 billion health care equity fund, the Wall Street Journal reported. See related article: Guide to tokens and NFTs: what is ‘tokenization’ and how […]

Fungible after all? Duplicates may disrupt NFT industry after Ethereum Merge

The Merge is the most anticipated event in the crypto industry in years, but could the multibillion dollar non-fungible token industry become an unexpected casualty?
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Tokenized assets may make up 10% of global GDP by 2030: report

Tokenized assets are expected to expand into a US$16 trillion business opportunity by 2030 — making up 10% of global GDP by the end of the decade — from US$310 billion in 2022. This is according to a new report by global consulting firm BCG and the digital exchange for private markets ADDX. See related […]

Hacks, losses in cryptocurrency offer vast opportunity for insurers

Cryptocurrency-related insurance is a vast untapped market, with less than 1% of crypto investments covered amid hacks and losses in the industry running into the billions of dollars, Cointelegraph reported, citing an executive from decentralized insurance protocol InsurAce. See related article: DeFi insurance: Why buy coverage for your digital assets? Fast facts Dan Thomson, the […]

Regulator alleges Celsius resembled Ponzi scheme in new filing

A financial regulator in Vermont has all but said that bankrupted Celsius Network LLC resembled a Ponzi scheme at times, alleging the crypto lender had used new investor funds to repay previous investors, as well as misled investors about its financial health and bolstered its balance sheets by using its CEL token. See related article: […]

Why the real Ethereum killer might just be Bitcoin

Bitcoin is the most secure blockchain, and Ethereum’s proof-of-stake move will expose it to more security risks, writes Jagdeep Sidhu of Syscoin Network.

Binance pushes out USDC in aggressive move to boost its own stablecoin

Top blockchain and crypto news: USDC gets the boot from Binance. MicroStrategy looks for Lightning strikes. STEPN heads to Hong Kong.

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.

World Economic Forum argues for CBDCs, Australia latest to test use-case technology

With over 100 countries experimenting with the technology behind Central Bank Digital Currencies, the World Economic Forum of Davos fame lays out its views on the potential benefits and drawbacks of CBDCs.

Binance move to remove USDC and others raise questions about market conduct

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange said the move was designed to “enhance liquidity and capital-efficiency for users.” 

Where will DeFi be after crypto winter ends?

The collapse of Celsius and Anchor wasn’t a failure of DeFi, writes Kaaran Kalantari of WingRiders. They failed to assess risk, and crypto Darwinism took shape.

India crypto exchanges plan long-term future as day traders flee 

In facing a government hostile to cryptocurrency trading, Indian exchanges are trying to attract new business with suites of different investment products.

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

IMF looks to build platform for cross-border CBDC transactions

The director and division chief of IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department will soon publish a paper laying out a blueprint for a platform to support CBDC clearing and settlement transactions between multiple countries. See related article: Inter-country use key for CBDCs to reach potential: report Fast facts See related article: US Digital Dollar Project […]

How did Big Tech gain such power over our data, and how do we take it back?

Google earns hundreds of billions annually by monetizing its users. Can blockchain return meaningful control over personal data back to the people?

Crypto.com refunded user US$7 million instead of US$68 – took 7 months to realize

Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com in May 2021 transferred AU$10.4 million (US$7.15 million) to an Australian woman instead of an intended refund of AU$100 (US$68), and took seven months to recognize the mistake, the Herald Sun newspaper reported. See related article: Bitcoin sent by mistake, recipient will not be punished for keeping it: South Korea ruling […]

The X-to-Earn model: Eat, sleep, do almost anything and get paid in crypto

Are you a good runner? Or eater? Or sleeper? Chances are whatever you’re good at, there’s a Web3 project out there to reward you in crypto. But do the tokenomics stack up?

CME Group launches euro-denominated Bitcoin, Ether futures

CME Group — the world’s largest operator of financial derivatives markets, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange — has launched euro-denominated futures on Bitcoin and Ether. See related article: New US crypto bill seeks to make CFTC top Bitcoin, Ethereum watchdog Fast facts See related article: Here comes the crypto derivatives boom

Bitcoin miners, investors still active in BTC despite price fluctuations

Although the price of Bitcoin fell below US$20,000 for the first time since mid-June after sliding 7% in the 24 hours following Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s hawkish speech, the number of addresses holding over 0.1 bitcoin hit all-time-high on Sunday. This was despite mining difficulty for the crypto likely to see its third-highest ever […]

Siloed regulatory efforts unlikely to help bring oversight to highly decentralized crypto industry

Panelists speaking at Forkast’s recently live-streamed event “Crypto Rising: The future of crypto regulation: APAC and Beyond,” co-hosted by Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI), said there need to be international cooperation among regulators from around the world to make any oversight of the crypto industry effective.

Alleged Tornado Cash Developer Alexey Pertsev to stay in jail

Alleged Tornado Cash developer, Alexey Pertsev, was accused of facilitating money laundering through the now-sanctioned crypto mixer. Pertsev will stay in jail for at least another 90 days, a judge in the Netherlands ruled on Wednesday. The developer has not been officially charged with any crime. See related article: Tornado Cash arrest heralds storm season […]

Crypto miners plan to fork Ethereum, will it make a difference to the Merge?

Ethereum has by far the most developers from DeFi projects to NFTs so how are they expected to respond to a plan by Etheruem miners to fork the network, a move miners argue is needed to stay in business.

Hodlnaut owes US$200 mln debt to 17,000 creditors: report

The Singapore and Hong Kong-based Hodlnaut has a funding gap of about US$193 million, and potentially 17,513 creditors, crypto media outlet The Block reported citing an affidavit the troubled crypto lender filed with the court last week. See related article: India authorities freeze Vauld exchange’s assets worth $46.5 mln Fast facts See related article: Hodlnaut […]

Problems with tokenizing real estate and how to fix it

Real estate as an investment is not very liquid, composable or accessible, writes Joel Lin of CitaDAO. Can tokenization and DeFi transform this market?

Who fared worse in cryptocurrency slump: criminals or legitimate users?

Report by Chainalysis says both use cases fell in dollar terms in first half of year and while legitimate usage by value far exceeds criminal, illicit activities fell by a much narrower margin.The report attempts to explain why.

Australians can now use crypto to buy gasoline, Krispy Kreme donuts

Australian consumers can use cryptocurrency to pay for gasoline and other goods — including Krispy Kreme donuts — at 175 OTR service stations through a partnership with Crypto.com and payment terminal provider DataMesh Group Pty Ltd. See related article: Crypto.com inks AU$27M deal with the Australian Football League Fast facts The service stations allow Crypto.com […]

Venture capital rallies for CoinFund, Shima Capital crypto investment funds

Venture capital for two new investment funds from CoinFund and Shima Capital were announced, with amounts reaching US$300 million and US$200 million, respectively. See related article: New Investors and Investments Fast facts The Ventures I fund, announced Thursday by CoinFund, will focus on backing blockchain startups, including both existing portfolios and new startup teams. The […]

Crypto lender Genesis cuts staff, CEO exits amid executive shuffle

Cryptocurrency brokerage Genesis announced its CEO Michael Moro will step down as it reshuffles its executive team, while a 20% layoff of its 260-person workforce is being widely reported. See related article: BIS, HKMA partner on Project Genesis to tokenize green bonds Fast facts Chief operating officer Derar Islim will take over as CEO on […]

Polkadot Defi hub Acala burns some 1.3 bln mis-minted stablecoins

Acala Dollar (aUSD) burned over 1.29 billion aUSD minted in its liquidity pool and traded higher on the day at US$0.91 at 5 p.m. Hong Kong time on Tuesday, up from a low of nearly zero on Monday. See related article: Polkadot-based stablecoin Acala Dollar depegs after a breach Fast facts Over the weekend, exploiters […]

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether, DOGE fall amid slowing activity in China, SHIB edges up

Bitcoin and Ethereum fell in late evening trade in Hong Kong as appetite for risk assets tapered in the wake of data showing that China’s economic activity slowed across the board in July. Dogecoin (DOGE) reversed gains from the morning, while Shiba Inu token (SHIB) edged up. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin little changed, Ether […]

Reality intrudes: How TradFi banks can help build the metaverse economy

The crypto winter may have chilled many in Web3, but metaverses are an increasingly hot prospect in traditional finance, says DBS Bank’s legal chief

BlackRock backflips on Bitcoin as latest institution to see promise in crypto

Something of a sea change? Financial institutions that once turned up their noses at cryptocurrencies are now figuring out ways to get access for their clients.

Simping in Web3 to follow the DAO of Irene

Can blockchain technology help starstruck little guys profit from being superfans of popular e-girls? Joel Stein joins Irene Zhao’s IreneDAO to find out.

Iran pays US$10 mln import order with crypto for 1st time: report

Iran has made the country’s first cryptocurrency payment with a US$10 million import order this week, which could be an option for the country to bypass broad trade embargoes, according to a media report. See related article: Crypto exchange Kraken reportedly under investigation for Iran sanctions breach Fast facts See related article: Is cryptocurrency a […]

Why crypto and DeFi are key to building wealth in times of high inflation

As wages stagnate and prices spiral, crypto offers investment and growth opportunities unmatched by the traditional financial system, writes Tarik Moon, CEO of Alpine.

Filecoin on a tear as cautious optimism returns to crypto markets

Top blockchain and crypto news: Filecoin leads in market uptick. CryptoPunks in new glow as Tiffany jewelry. Chinese firms flock to Singapore.

Gucci begins accepting BAYC-tied token ApeCoin as payment

Gucci has further embraced cryptocurrencies, announcing in a tweet on Tuesday that it is accepting in-store purchases with ApeCoin through payment service provider BitPay. See related article: How high fashion is waking up to blockchain’s possibilities Fast facts ApeCoin is a cryptocurrency tied to Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), a non-fungible token (NFT) project created […]

Waves community approves repayment plan for lending protocol Vires.Finance

Layer 1 blockchain Waves, which has been mired in a liquidity crisis, will go ahead with a revival plan recently approved by the community behind its decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol Vires.Finance, to allow certain account holders to withdraw funds or keep their positions for later repayment. See related article: Waves’ Neutrino USD loses peg […]

NFT sales limp into August with a 25% drop from June to July amid crypto slump

Market analysts are mixed on outlook for non-fungible tokens, as some see mostly gloom, others point to glimmers of optimism.

BUSD reserves consist of 60.5% US Treasury bills, 4.21% cash

Binance and Paxos Trust Company, which issues the dollar-pegged stablecoin BUSD (Binance USD), released the first unaudited breakdown of the reserves backing the token on Aug. 1. See related article: Binance spent over US$1B on compliance, founder Changpeng Zhao says Fast facts According to the reserve report, BUSD was backed by US$738 million in cash, […]

ETH crosses Bitcoin in options market for first time in history

Ethereum blockchain’s native token Ether (ETH) has surpassed Bitcoin (BTC) in the options market for the first time on Deribit exchange. See related article: Tether will support ETH 2.0 amid speculations of Merge delay Fast facts The cumulative dollar value of Ether options contract opens on Deribit was around US$5.7 billion, while open Bitcoin options […]

Recovering crypto from insolvent companies may be easier than you think

A stolen painting may be lost forever, but a fraudulent Bitcoin transaction — with these legal strategies and tracing tools — can lead right to the criminal.
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Nirvana’s ANA token down more than 80% after US$3.5 mln hack

Solana-based decentralized finance protocol Nirvana Finance was exploited in a flash loan attack for US$3.49 million on July 28, the firm announced in a Twitter post, causing its tokens to topple by more than 80%. See related article: C.R.E.A.M. Finance suffers $28M flash loan hack Fast facts Using flash loans on lending protocol Solend, the […]

Lido Finance floats 2nd proposal to sell LDO to Dragonfly Capital

Just two days after its initial plan failed to pass a community vote, staking giant Lido Finance submitted a new proposal on Monday for the sale of 10 million Lido DAO (LDO) tokens, about 2% of its total supply, to Dragonfly Capital. See related article: Fireblocks provides institutional investors access to Terra DeFi Fast facts […]

Why DeFi remains attractive to institutions in a bear market

Despite the bleak macro outlook, more institutions are looking to gain exposure to the DeFi sector, writes Robert Alcorn of Clearpool. Here’s why.