DBS Bank tapping on tokenized bonds as a new way to invest
From digital bonds to real estate, blockchain-enabled security token offerings and tokenization are redefining corporate fundraising and investing.
South Korean crypto exchange Upbit in the dock over botched transfers
Eleven users of Upbit have filed a class action lawsuit against its owner, Dunamu Inc., seeking damages over a suspected technical failure.
Google to lift ban on ads for crypto wallets, exchanges
Google has announced plans to lift a ban on advertising cryptocurrency wallets and exchanges that has been in place for almost three years. A ban on advertising initial coin offerings will remain, however. Fast Facts: An advertising policy update on the company’s main webpage states that advertisers of crypto wallets and exchanges targeting the US […]
Standard Chartered, BC Group to launch digital asset trading platform
Standard Chartered and BC Group to launch digital asset trading platform for corporate and institutional clients in Europe and the UK.
Bitcoin mining rig maker Canaan reports huge jump in overseas sales
Chinese Bitcoin mining hardware maker Canaan says overseas sales accounted for almost four-fifths of its revenue during the first quarter of 2021.
‘Green’ crypto mining should be spared crackdown, Canaan chief says
Green crypto mining operations should be spared China’s recent crackdown on the sector, according to the CEO of Canaan Inc.
Is India’s central bank greenlighting crypto? Bitcoin fees fall to new lows. Cardano rolls out Alonzo upgrade for DeFi.
Other top blockchain and crypto news: Thailand’s SEC tries to rein in DeFi via regulation. Will China’s future DCEP digital yuan offer smart contracts?
WazirX launches India’s first NFT marketplace
WazirX launched the country’s first NFT marketplace on Tuesday, featuring artists from India and other South Asian nations.
China to give away digital yuan worth US$6.3M in latest e-CNY test
China is set to hand out 200,000 virtual red envelopes, each containing 200 yuan (US$31.30) of the country’s prototype digital currency, to Beijing residents.
Cryptocurrency behind spike in illegal gambling, Asian racing body says
Illegal gambling in Asia is on the rise, facilitated in part by sites accepting bets in cryptocurrency.
Dogecoin to list on Coinbase Pro
Dogecoin has gained an additional measure of credibility, with crypto exchange Coinbase announcing that it will add DOGE to its professional trading platform.
Ethereum investment products hit market-share high of 27%, report says
Ethereum has hit a market-share high of 27% of all digital asset investment fund products following recent price corrections.
Australian Tax Office issues reminder of cryptocurrency tax obligations
ATO will contact 400,000 Australian crypto holders over concerns that they may not be fully aware of their crypto tax obligations. Tax cheats beware!
What’s up with Taproot, the biggest proposed change to Bitcoin since 2017?
Bitcoin’s proposed Taproot update for smart contracts and privacy has wide verbal support from miners, but will they put their crypto where their mouth is?
S. Korean banks process US$57B linked to crypto exchanges
South Korean banks processed over 64 trillion won (US$57 billion) of deposits and withdrawals linked to crypto exchanges in the first quarter.
Robinhood’s Chinese rivals to launch crypto services abroad
China-based trading apps Futu and Tiger Brokers have announced plans to move into crypto to compete outside China with apps such as Robinhood and eToro.
Financial Stability Board seeks faster, cheaper cross-border payments
The Financial Stability Board has launched a public consultation on global targets for cross-border payments.
Singapore’s DBS Bank launches its first digital bond
Singapore’s DBS Bank has announced its first security token offering on the DBS Digital Exchange.
Indian central bank in climbdown over crypto ban
India’s central bank has said that banks and other finance sector businesses should not adhere to a prohibition it imposed on lenders dealing in cryptocurrencies.
Gold vs. Bitcoin: Which one is better as a safe-haven asset?
Gold prices are rising again and at a three-month high. How does gold — a store of value for over 2,500 years — compare to Bitcoin as a refuge from market turmoil?
South Korean finance watchdog set to take over crypto regulation
South Korea is in the process of tasking a branch of the Financial Services Commission with regulating cryptocurrency exchanges.
Digital yuan is not a surveillance tool, says Chinese ex-central bank director
Former People’s Bank of China Director Yao Qian says that the country’s digital yuan is not a surveillance tool for the government.
Cardano rebounds 15% as Alonzo smart contact testnet launches
Following the launch of Cardano’s first testnet for its smart contract platform, Alonzo, ADA’s price rebounded by 15% on Monday morning to reach US$1.65.
Bitcoin mining difficulty drops 16% amid Chinese regulatory headwinds
The latest Bitcoin mining difficulty adjustment, made at 1 a.m. UTC on May 30, saw the difficulty of Bitcoin mining drop 15.97%.
Ripple’s XRP communications off-limits to U.S. securities regulator, court rules
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has failed in a bid to gain access to any legal communications Ripple Labs sought or received as to whether sales of XRP were subject to federal securities law.
Indian lenders cling to overturned central bank crypto ban as customers fume
Banks in India, including some of the country’s largest lenders, are notifying their customers not to engage in cryptocurrencies, adhering to a central bank rule from 2018 that bans them from dealing in cryptos — despite the fact the ban was overturned by the Supreme Court more than a year ago.
How FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried navigates crypto trading’s new normal
From mass liquidations to meme trading, the characteristics unique to the crypto market can now be seen in traditional markets, says FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried.
Cardano launches first Alonzo smart-contract testnet
Input Output Hong Kong, one of the companies behind the Cardano blockchain, today announced the launch of the first testnet for Cardano’s Alonzo upgrade.
Huge cryptocurrency scam boosts S. Korea’s crypto crime losses to US$5B
Police in South Korea have arrested 14 individuals in a cryptocurrency fraud case estimated to have cost 69,000 investors a total of US$3.85 billion, taking the country’s losses to US$5 billion over the past five years.
Crypto sector faces tougher enforcement over sanctions-busting, report says
Sanctions enforcement affecting the cryptocurrency industry has intensified rapidly in the past two years, according to a new report by crypto compliance consultancy Elliptic.
Hong Kong crypto exchanges seek to wash hands of dirty power problem
Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com has announced that it is committed to becoming carbon-negative within 18 months, following carbon-neutral initiatives launched by other Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchanges FTX and BitMEX.
U.S. securities watchdog looks to regulate crypto trading like stock exchanges
Gary Gensler, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has said he wants to see regulation to protect consumers built into the operations of cryptocurrency exchanges.
Almost four in ten consumers have bought cryptocurrencies, study finds
Consumer adoption of cryptocurrencies has grown, with 38% of respondents to a survey saying they have either invested in or bought a cryptocurrency, according to digital wallet provider Skrill, part of payments provider Paysafe.
Will China become the new digital currency superpower?
The U.S. dollar reigns supreme as the current world reserve currency. Could the USD’s status change with the rise of CBDCs like China’s DCEP digital yuan?
Tokenization to transform financial system, DBS Bank CEO says
The power of tokenization can fundamentally transform the fabric of the financial system, Singapore’s DBS Bank CEO Piyush Gupta told the Consensus by CoinDesk 2021 conference taking place this week.
How Ripple found new ways to grow XRP business despite SEC lawsuit
Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse says Ripple was hit hard financially after SEC filed its lawsuit, but the company is now expanding uses for XRP’s technology.
Asia-Pacific fintech investment more than doubles in first quarter
Fintech companies in Asia-Pacific pulled in US$2.35 billion in investment during the first three months of 2021, more than the total amount raised in the first half of the previous year.
Hong Kong treasury chief says new rules will boost crypto despite investment threshold
A proper regulatory system for cryptocurrencies and virtual assets can facilitate development, protect investors, and adhere to international regulatory standards, says treasury chief Christopher Hui
Vitalik Buterin speaks: What lies in the future of Ethereum?
Breaking into occasional Mandarin at a Hong Kong conference, Ethereum’s visionary creator tells all — including why Ethereum 2.0 is taking so long.
Crypto miner BitDeer blocks China users as Beijing gets tough on sector
BitDeer, one of China’s biggest crypto mining operators, blocked access to anyone using a mainland Chinese IP address last night.
PayPal to let users move their crypto into third-party wallets
Global payments giant PayPal plans to let its users move the cryptocurrency they hold on its platform into third-party wallets.
Can Elon Musk shrink Bitcoin mining’s carbon footprint? PancakeBunny’s $200 million hack. Ray Dalio admits to owning crypto.
Other top blockchain and crypto news: Australia signals progressive approach to crypto as Hong Kong moves closer to banning retail crypto trading.
Polygon and Aleph.im partner to protect NFTs from disappearing
Fast-growing Ethereum scaling platform Polygon and decentralized storage network Aleph.im join forces to ‘supercharge’ Polygon’s NFT ecosystem.
Ripple faces SEC request for further discovery over XRP transactions
The U.S. SEC is seeking additional discovery from Ripple on its XRP transactions and documents related to its lobbying efforts.
Crypto exchange Poloniex faces sanctions over alleged securities breaches
Ontario Securities Commission is taking enforcement action on crypto exchange Poloniex for its alleged violation of Ontario securities law.
BIT Mining to invest US$9M in crypto mining in Kazakhstan
Chinese crypto mining firm BIT Mining is investing US$9.33 million to construct and operate a mining data center in Kazakhstan.
Inner Mongolia takes steppes to tighten crypto mining ban
The Chinese region of Inner Mongolia – once a thriving cryptocurrency mining hub that has recently enacted a series of measures to rein in the sector – has unveiled eight new proposals designed to give added force to its recently imposed, all-out ban on crypto mining.
Indonesia to launch digital rupiah as online payments soar
Indonesia is planning to launch a digital version of its national currency, central bank Governor Perry Warjiyo said on Tuesday.
Tether’s market cap tops US$60B despite crypto outflows
Despite recent outflows from crypto, U.S. dollar-linked stablecoin Tether (USDT) has surpassed US$60 billion for the first time this week.
DeFi has boosted challenger banks. Now it’s their customers’ turn
New and innovative lenders are taking advantage of DeFi’s low costs to offer savings account interest rates that Main Street banks simply can’t match.
Cardano sees US$10M inflows as big investors switch to proof-of-stake coins
Amid declines in Bitcoin and Ethereum, Cardano and its native cryptocurrency ADA saw US$10 million inflows as institutional investors switch to proof-of-stake coins.
China’s cryptocurrency mining sector becomes target of fresh clampdown
Chinese authorities’ latest regulatory offensive against the crypto industry may not be as bad for the sector as it appears.
Marathon to host 73,000 Bitcoin miners in Texas as Chinese exodus looms
Marathon Digital Holdings has announced a deal with Compute North to host 73,000 of Marathon’s Bitcoin miners at a new data center in Texas.
Bitcoin rallies as Elon Musk meets with miners in green energy push
Bitcoin has rallied to nearly US$40,000, boosted by tweets from Tesla founder Elon Musk and MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor announcing that they have met with North American miners of the cryptocurrency to promote a renewable energy initiative.
What is the outlook for Bitcoin and Ethereum for the rest of 2021?
The current dip aside, what are Bitcoin and Ethereum’s longer-term price forecasts? Finder’s brain trust of 35 crypto experts peers into a crystal ball.
Bitcoin dominance rises to 45% as altcoins crash over China crypto crackdown
As the crypto sell-off continued over the weekend, Bitcoin once again proved its resilience relative to other cryptocurrencies in not bleeding as much.
Half of hedge funds are now investing in crypto, says PwC report
PwC and Elwood Asset Management have published their third annual report on the global crypto hedge fund landscape. Here are its findings.
Bitcoin price plunges and altcoins sell-off as crypto market decline intensifies
Bitcoin and altcoin prices take heavy hits and sell-off deepens as more bad news, including a blatant DeFi exit scam, continue battering crypto markets.
Bybit crypto derivatives exchange launches cloud mining for Ether
Crypto exchange Bybit is launching cloud mining to provide exposure to Ether. What happens when Ethereum moves from proof of work to proof of stake?
South Korea forges ahead on its digital currency development
Kicking the digital won’s development into higher gear, Bank of Korea is calling for bids to be a technology supplier for its digital currency (CBDC) project.
China announces plan to crack down on Bitcoin mining
The price of Bitcoin fell by over 10% following an announcement by China’s State Council today that it is planning to crack down on Bitcoin mining and trading and “resolutely prevent the transmission of individual risks to society.” Fast Facts: The 51st meeting of the State Council Financial Stability and Development Committee called for the […]
Hong Kong to close crypto exchanges to all but ‘professional investors’
Cryptocurrency exchanges in Hong Kong will have to obtain licenses from the territory’s markets regulator and limit their service offerings to “professional investors”, according to the results of a consultation published today.
How NFTs could trigger lawsuits and anti-money laundering regulation
Non-fungible tokens may be a boon for art and sports collectibles, but the technology is also spawning a host of thorny regulatory and legal issues.
Solana gets Coinbase listing after SOL prices surge amid crypto market crash
Coinbase Pro adds Solana’s native token, opening the doors for US investors after SOL outperforms Bitcoin and most other cryptos amid market crash.
Singapore’s DBS Bank says no investment discussion can omit Bitcoin
Diversification to allocate funds to Bitcoin is an “opportunity that (fiat) money cannot buy”, says DBS Bank’s chief investment officer.
Meitu, Chinese crypto-invested firms’ stock slammed by Bitcoin crash
Hong Kong-listed beauty app Meitu and other companies that have invested in cryptocurrencies have seen millions of dollars wiped off the value of their stock following the huge global Bitcoin sell-off this week.
US Treasury calls on firms to report to IRS on crypto transactions over US$10K
The U.S. Department of the Treasury is calling for business to report cryptocurrency transactions worth more than US$10,000 to the Internal Revenue Service.
Bank on change: DeFi’s challenge to traditional finance and fintech
As mainstream finance embraces decentralized finance, neither it nor its younger challengers are likely to escape the evolutionary forces at work.
What’s really behind the Bitcoin market crash? Tether USDT lifts veil on reserves. Facebook-backed Diem going to California.
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: BlockFi’s accidental BTC millionaires. China’s Inner Mongolia asks citizens to report illegal crypto mining.
South Korea switches course on crypto amid backlash over regulator’s remarks
Newly elected South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum appears to be leading an embrace of the cryptocurrency sector among lawmakers.
Judge denies Ripple’s bid to bar SEC from seeking foreign info on XRP
In a win for the SEC, a judge knocks back Ripple’s request to stop the SEC from asking foreign regulators for info on Ripple and XRP transactions overseas.
China’s BIT Mining inks deal for U.S. data center joint venture
Chinese cryptocurrency miner BIT Mining has signed a deal to build a data center in Texas.