Archives

Top blockchain and crypto news: FTX fallout spooks sector. Crypto.com’s $400 million ‘accident.’ Hong Kong’s new digital asset drive.

Korbit, one of South Korea’s five fully licensed crypto exchanges, announced Wednesday that it will reveal its full list of crypto reserves.

Bitcoin and Ether rose on Wednesday morning in Asia amid reports of alleged Russian missile strikes on Poland while inflationary data out of the U.S. provided support.

A rise in Bitcoin prices is the most important factor for a significant increase in the number of new investors, instead of distrust in public institutions, dislike for traditional banks, or search for a store of value, according to a report by the Bank for International Settlements. 

O’Leary remains committed to crypto even after losing his investment in FTX.com, but said that the industry will become more regulated.

Panelists at Forkast’s livestreamed event ‘Crypto Rising: How Top VCs Are Investing Out of Crypto Winter’ shared their thoughts on the future of the industry following FTX.

Unlike the 2008 crash, the government won’t be bailing out FTX’s investors, writes Nick Saponaro of Divi Labs. Will regulators see this as a cue to crack down on exchanges?

The following is a running compilation of views and comments on the FTX bankruptcy and implications for the industry.

Regulators in the Bahamas, where FTX is headquartered, say the bankrupt exchange’s claims that Bahamian fund withdrawals were requested by officials are false.

The collapse of one of the world’s biggest crypto exchanges last week has investors worried about the finances of other trading platforms. Cold wallet time?

FTX.com, FTX US and 130 additional affiliates have filed for bankruptcy, its new CEO John J. Ray III says.

Tron founder Justin Sun’s plans to save FTX include debt, equity investments and a full takeover, he told BloombergTV on Friday, Asia time.

Crypto exchanges and lending platforms are starting to use the dreaded F word for Freeze amid worries about the possible collapse of FTX.com, part of one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency trading networks.

FTX Japan, the Japanese arm of the embattled crypto exchange FTX.com, said on Friday it has resumed yen withdrawals after the country’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) ordered the exchange on Thursday to suspend operations and put together a “business improvement plan.”

While FTX’s cash crunch has rattled global markets and investors, a White Knight investor could quickly turn the tide for the company, O’Leary told Forkast in an interview.

Bitcoin and Ether strengthened in Friday afternoon trading in Asia, reversing some of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sharp losses. All other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also increased.

The following is a running compilation of views and comments on the possible short- and long-term outcomes of FTX’s liquidity crunch.

Sam Bankman-Fried says FTX US is insulated from FTX.com’s liquidity crunch, but the American-based platform could freeze trading in the next few days.

The state of California has launched an investigation into the ‘apparent failure’ of crypto asset platform FTX.

Bitcoin rose on Friday in Asia along with Ether and most other major tokens, reversing  a three-day slump as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) released Thursday showed inflation in the U.S. slowed in October.

The Securities Commission of the Bahamas has frozen assets of FTX and related parties, and has suspended its registration.

FTX Japan was ordered by the country’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) to suspend operations until Dec. 9 and put together a “business improvement plan.”

Bitcoin gained 5% after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the consumer price index (CPI), a key inflation indicator, rose 0.4% in October from September. CPI was up 7.7% from a year earlier, less than the expected 7.9%, and down from 8.2% in September. October’s CPI recorded the smallest 12-month increase since January. 

A portion of the bailout package worth at least US$4 billion that FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried sent to Alameda Research was allegedly comprised of customer funds. 

Over 5.2 billion stablecoins left crypto exchanges on Wednesday, the most in five months, on-chain data showed.

The FTX.com unraveling has prompted crypto industry leaders to demand clearer rules of the road for trading digital assets.

Binance backs out of its initial offer to buy FTX. What could happen to FTX next?

Venture capital firm Sequoia Capital has written down its entire US$213.5 million investment in FTX, the company revealed in a tweet on Thursday.

US regulators the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are probing beleaguered crypto exchange FTX.

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest seized the opportunity provided by Wednesday’s market downturn to snatch a considerable chunk of Coinbase stock.

The sudden downfall of top cryptocurrency exchange FTX will bring in more regulatory scrutiny and raise the difficulty of obtaining licenses around the world, Binance founder and chief executive Changpeng Zhao said in an internal note, which he shared with the public via Twitter on Wednesday. 

FTX exchange sent Alameda Research 173 million FTT tokens on Sept. 28, worth US$4.1 billion at the time.

Large volumes of stablecoins moved out of exchanges, including KuCoin, OKX, Kraken, Huobi and Binance over the past week.

Bitcoin recovered slightly in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia after hitting a year-low of US$17,604 this morning amid news of Binance’s takeover of the FTX exchange following speculation of solvency issues at FTX, although several coins extended their declines.

“Pharma bro” Martin Shkreli has tried to reassure Terra chief Do Kwon that life in jail is “not the worst”, while they discussed the Binance-FTX deal on the UpOnlyTV podcast.

Coinbase said new users have registered on the exchange, while the crypto exchange claimed it has limited exposure to the underwater crypto exchange FTX.

Bitcoin and Ether slumped in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia, with almost every other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also losing ground. For the second consecutive day, polygon was the only coin that strengthened.

BitDAO, or BIT, the token supported by crypto exchange Bybit, dropped more than 20% within an hour at one stage around noon on Tuesday in Asia.

Bitcoin dipped below US$21,000 in Tuesday morning trading in Asia as Ether and most other tokens in the cryptocurrency top ten by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, lost ground.

WazirX, India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trade volume, has introduced a profit and loss function for users to analyze and calculate their investments. 

KakaoBank, one of South Korea’s online-only banks with nearly 20 million users, said it will start providing accounts for users of Coinone exchange in November.

The network says the apparent attack was just a preemptive safeguard against an issue with a cross-chain bridge.

Bitcoin and Ether rose in Friday morning trading in Asia. Polygon’s Matic led gains in the top 10 tokens after Instagram said it would use Polygon to integrate NFTs into its platform.

Bitcoin and Ether dropped in Thursday afternoon trading in Asia, while the rest of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, posted mixed results.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Hong Kong rethinks digital assets. CBDC to debut in India. China’s e-yuan privacy problem.

Bitcoin and Ether traded up in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia, while memecoins Dogecoin and Shiba Inu were the biggest gainers among the top 10 coins by market capitalization excluding stablecoins.

Bitcoin and Ether prices fell in Tuesday morning trading time in Asia, while memecoin Dogecoin and Shiba Inu had the biggest gains among the top 10.

The founder of crypto exchange FTX, which moved out of Hong Kong in 2021, said that the city could emerge as a Web3, blockchain and cryptocurrency hub.

Bitcoin dropped nearly 3% in afternoon trading in Asia. All other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, declined following a strong two-day rally by most tokens.

The use of blockchain technology in finance will have an impact similar to that of YouTube on the media industry, said Lee Jun-haeng, CEO of South Korea-based blockchain company Streami.

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the crypto exchange FTX, says he hopes FTX will soon join most other major exchanges in having launched a stablecoin.

India has witnessed an increase in drug smuggling using cryptocurrencies and the darknet, according to the country’s Home Minister Amit Shah. 

The National Bank of Kazakhstan [NKB] will be testing the integration of their central bank digital currency (CBDC) on the BNB Chain.

Hong Kong is mulling plans to legalize retail crypto trading to regain its status as a global digital asset hub.

Bankman-Fried says the global crypto industry needs a “passporting” policy framework that lowers barriers for crypto businesses.

A stablecoin that is not stable is an ‘oxymoron,’ said Henry Chang, CEO of South Korea-based blockchain game developer Wemade.

Hong Kong-based crypto investment firm Q9 Capital has received a provisional virtual asset approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), the company said on Wednesday in a statement shared with Forkast.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Aptos launch falls short. Why FTX chief is calling for crypto regulations. Is Hong Kong paving way for a retail CBDC?

Bitcoin posted a three-week high in afternoon trading in the Asia time zone. Ether led gains across all top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with a 12% surge. Cardano’s ADA and Solana’s token also registered double-digit gains.

South Korea’s Busan signs agreements global cryptocurrency exchanges Crypto.com and Gate.io to grow the city’s blockchain ecosystem.

Bitcoin was trading above US$20,000 for the first time in almost three weeks on Wednesday morning trading in Asia.

The blockchain network was built by former members of the Meta stablecoin project, with well-known investors and considerable buzz as the new ‘Solana killer.’

An unidentified hacker stole over US$1 million in Binance Coin (BNB) tokens from decentralized multi-chain wallet BitKeep’s token swap service on Monday, according to a Tuesday statement by the company. See related article: Crypto hackers on track for bonanza year as theft surges, Chainalysis says Fast facts “Our development team managed to contain the emergency […]

Global payments company Mastercard intends to enable financial institutions to offer crypto services to customers with its new Crypto Source program. See related article: Binance partners Mastercard to launch card in Argentina for bill payment, everyday purchases Fast facts The program will allow financial institutions to tap into Mastercard’s partners to buy, hold and sell […]

Bitcoin rose in Friday evening trading in Asia to jump past its US$19,000 support line, with Ether and all other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization gaining, led by XRP.  See related article: Ethereum price undervalued since The Merge: report  Fast facts Bitcoin gained 3.33% in the past 24 hours to trade at US$19,647 at […]

Decentralized finance sites are the preferred choice of hackers as crypto heists look to be on course to hit a record high this year.

Bitcoin advocates have once again launched their annual campaign to have Satoshi Nakamoto — the pseudonymous creator/s of Bitcoin — named as the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. See related article: What’s next for Binance after $100 million BNB hack? Fast facts On Oct. 10, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded […]

Crypto.com said on Wednesday that the exchange will invest €150 million (US$145.5 million) in France to set up a European headquarters in Paris and expand operations in the region. See related article: Crypto.com enters South Korea market with two local startup acquisitions Fast facts The Singapore-based exchange said it will focus on compliance, business development […]

Bitcoin gained in Thursday morning trading in Asia, with the world’s largest cryptocurrency holding above support at US$19,000. Ether, second on the list of top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also gained. Other coins on the top 10 moving higher included Solana, XRP and Tron. Cardano fell. See related article: Binance to hard […]

Cryptocurrency exchange Blockchain.com has received in-principle approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for a license to offer “digital payment token” services in the city-state.  See related article: Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy Fast facts Blockchain.com is the second crypto exchange to earn the central bank’s in-principle approval […]

OpenSea, the peer-to-peer non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, has launched native support for the Avalanche blockchain, according to the platform’s verified Twitter account. See related article: Warner Music taps OpenSea NFT marketplace to guide artists to Web3 Fast facts Starting on Oct.12, content creators on Avalanche can display, list, and trade their NFTs on the world’s […]

Bitcoin inched up today to remain above the US$19,000 support line amid mixed results among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, led in gains by Tron. XRP rebounded from losses yesterday. See related articles:  Binance to hard fork BNB Smart Chain amid heated debate around decentralization  Fast facts Bitcoin gained 0.17% in […]