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Evergrande’s uncertainty rocks crypto market

Crypto investors and industry watchers are following closely the potential collapse of Chinese property giant Evergrande.

India’s largest public bank bars payments to crypto exchanges

Most banks distance themselves from virtual asset platforms as the country’s central bank lobbies for a ban.

Why Cardano’s Charles Hoskinson says DeFi is ‘up for grabs’

As Cardano’s Alonzo upgrade goes live, founder Charles Hoskinson of IOHK calls DeFi a ‘bubble.’ How does he think the regulation that is sure to come will reshape DeFi in the future?

How quadratic funding promotes projects for the common good

What is quadratic funding, and why is this mathematical method ideal for allocating capital for a community? Pranav Sharma of Woodstock Fund explains.

Hong Kong-based crypto lender Babel Finance expands to Singapore

Babel Finance, a Hong Kong-based crypto lender and asset manager, today announced it is opening a business headquarters in Singapore named Babel Asia, as the company looks to serve more clients globally. Fast facts Babel Asia plans to serve as a base for future merger and acquisition activities, together with Babel Finance to drive mainstream […]

Litecoin unloved at Walmart. Cardano’s Alonzo upgrade. China takes aim at NFTs.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Walmart dispels Litecoin hoax. Cardano’s real work begins. Beijing bears down on NFTs.

Huobi Ventures bets on DeFi and gaming in $10M GameFi fund

Huobi Ventures, the investment arm of cryptocurrency exchange Huobi, today announced the launch of a US$10 million “GameFi” fund to invest in early-stage projects that integrate blockchain gaming and decentralized finance (DeFi). Fast facts Huobi’s new GameFi fund follows the launch of its US$100 million DeFi fund in May and comes amid increasing mainstream interest […]

Solana funds attract strong inflows of $50M despite crypto market correction last week

Institutional investors continued to buy into Solana investment products despite the market correction last week, according to a report by digital asset manager CoinShares. Fast facts Solana prices, which have soared by over 13,000% this year, reached an all-time high of US$213.47 on Sept. 9, according to CoinGecko data. Solana briefly overtook XRP to become […]

The cryptocurrency industry’s liquidity issues — and an effort to solve them

Broctagon Fintech Group is launching what it hopes will become a new global standard for cryptocurrency exchanges to reduce price discrepancies. Will it work?

CrossTower says it wants to collaborate, not compete, with Indian exchanges

CrossTower became the second international crypto exchange to enter the Indian market last week after Binance made its entry by acquiring WazirX in 2019.

What are smart contracts and what are they used for?

In this Forkast.News explainer, learn why blockchains with smart contract capability are surging in popularity and the new darlings of investors.

CoinSwitch Kuber says it’s now the largest Indian exchange with over 10 million customers

The platform reports more users than WazirX and CoinDCX, and aims to make crypto trading as easy as ordering food online.

What crypto can learn from Apple’s smooth interface to computing

Crypto in 2021 is like the early days of the internet, writes Hisham Khan of Aldrin. Here’s why the quality of user experience will decide the industry’s future.

Searching for Asia’s ‘hidden treasures’ in NFTs and GameFi

Why is Axie Infinity so popular, and what is the potential of play-to-earn gaming? Two venture capitalists share insights on Asia’s special place as GameFi’s hub.

Cardano smart contracts set for Sunday: CrossTower launches in India

Cardano smart contracts set for Sunday also CrossTower launches in India

Solana launches into sixth place as price tear continues

As most of the market saw a 10% to 15% dip in the past 48 hours, Solana (SOL) has defied that trend, crossing the US$200 mark for the first time and becoming the new sixth-largest coin by market cap a few hours ago, according to data from CoinMarketCap.com. Fast facts SOL was trading at US$205.27 […]

El Salvador’s big Bitcoin bet. Kim Kardashian, crypto flirt. Hong Kong’s crackdown warning.

Top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: El Salvador’s BTC experiment. EthereumMax and the power of celebrity. Hong Kong shores up regulatory oversight.

FTX’s NFT platform spammed by fish; SBF’s test NFT sells for $270,000

FTX is the latest crypto exchange to join the NFT bandwagon. “Make your own NFTs,” CEO Sam Bankman-Fried tweeted. 

Korean exchanges offered lifeline; NFL bans crypto sponsorships

Korean exchanges offered lifeline while NFL bans crypto sponsorships

NFL flags NFTs, crypto sponsorships for teams while it huddles on a digital game plan

The American football league’s 32 teams cannot sell NFTs or accept backing from crypto trading firms — at least for now.

The world of crypto opens up life-changing earning opportunities for Indian tweens and teens

Gajesh Naik and Laya Mathikshara, two Indian 13-year-olds, are getting global recognition — and making astronomical sums — through their ventures in crypto and NFTs.

Hacked DeFi platform pledges to replace stolen crypto to users

C.R.E.A.M. Finance suffered a flash loan exploit that was much larger than earlier estimates

FTX FTT token hits all-time high after LedgerX acquisition

FTX’s exchange token — FTT — has reached a new all-time high following the exchange’s acquisition of crypto derivatives platform LedgerX earlier this week. Fast facts The token hit US$66.33 this morning, according to CoinMarketCap, breaking its previous high of US$61.28, which it set back on May 11, right before the market-wide crash. FTT had […]

Singapore grants FOMO Pay the city-state’s first crypto license

FOMO Pay, a Singapore-based fintech company, announced today that it has obtained a license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to provide Digital Payment Token Service — the first such approval out of 170 applicants for the city-state that is rapidly becoming a global crypto hub. Fast facts FOMO Pay said it had been […]

Ethereum, Cardano, Solana lead institutional crypto inflows: CoinShares

Cryptocurrency investment products saw a second consecutive week of inflows of US$24 million last week, despite the eighth consecutive week of outflows from Bitcoin of US$3.8 million, according to CoinShares, Europe’s largest digital assets fund manager. Fast facts Total digital assets under management (AUM) across all digital asset fund providers last week stood at US$56.86 […]

Hong Kong regulator warns investors against digital tokens and ICOs

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission on Monday warned that digital tokens and initial coin offerings (ICOs) could be involved in unauthorized collective investment schemes (CIS) and urged investors to exercise extreme caution. Fast facts The SFC’s warning comes as the regulator added two property-related CIS investment projects and the “LABS Security Token” to its […]

AAX to launch its own NFT marketplace, following other crypto exchanges

Amid the immense growth in the non-fungible token market, leading Singapore-based crypto exchange AAX is planning to launch its own NFT marketplace in the “near future,” according to a press release shared with Forkast.News. Fast facts In preparation for the launch, AAX is running a campaign in which its users can auction NFTs for charity […]

Cardano Foundation partners with Coinfirm for AML/CFT compliance

In the latest from the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency, which has gone from strength to strength this month, the Cardano Foundation is partnering with blockchain analytics provider Coinfirm.io to ensure the network complies with the Financial Action Task Force’s guidelines. Fast facts In a company announcement this week, the Cardano Foundation said it would be using […]

Vogue Singapore catwalks to a metaverse with NFT launch

The magazine unveils two digital-only covers as well as fashion, beauty and design NFTs, all for sale in a new metaverse.

Come next month, will all of South Korea’s crypto exchanges hit a regulatory wall?

Despite a looming compliance deadline, currently there are no crypto exchanges in South Korea that meet the new government reporting requirements to continue operating, according to financial authorities. Fast facts The Financial Services Commission (FSC) revealed through a press release that none of the domestic cryptocurrency trading platforms have successfully complying with the nation’s new […]

Canadian regulator seeks enforcement action against crypto exchange OKEx

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is seeking to bring an enforcement action against Aux Cayes Fintech Co. Ltd., which operates the OKEx platform, for allegedly violating Ontario securities law, according to a statement. Fast facts According to the statement of allegations filed by the OSC’s enforcement team on Aug. 18, Seychelles-incorporated Aux Cayes — which […]

Thai-listed Brooker Group reports $24 million in crypto holdings in 1H 2021

The Brooker Group, a publicly listed financial consultancy and capital management company in Bangkok, this week reported that it held US$23.86 million of digital assets, according to its financial results for the first six months of 2021. Fast facts The Brooker Group also reported an impairment loss of US$12 million in the first half of […]

Justin Sun’s Weibo account blocked again

TRON founder Justin Sun’s social media account on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblog platform, appears to have been blocked again, along with the accounts of several other cryptocurrency-related interests. Fast facts TRON is a blockchain with a cryptocurrency native to the system founded by Sun in 2017. Sun, 31, has been active on social media, and […]

Antinalysis hung out to dry. Solana eclipses Uniswap. Alibaba’s auction action.

Top blockchain and crypto news: A darkweb stain is scrubbed away. Solana’s moment in the sun. Alibaba huddles with Tencent.

Cardano sees inflows of $1.3M amid 6th week of outflows from crypto funds

Digital asset investment products saw outflows of US$22 million last week — the sixth consecutive week of outflows, according to CoinShares, Europe’s largest digital assets fund manager. Fast facts Total outflows for the past six weeks amount to US$115 million and mark the longest run of consecutive outflows since January 2018, CoinShares reported. However, the […]

What is Solana and why is it the hottest blockchain of the moment?

Solana prices are soaring to all-time highs and SOL is now a top-10 crypto. In this Forkast.News explainer, learn why investors are heaping love on this Ethereum rival.

Solana hits all time high: GoSats launches bitcoin reward card

Solana hits all time high as GoSats launches bitcoin reward card

Cardano ADA breaks $2 for first time since May as Alonzo launch date announced

Cardano breached the US$2 mark for the first time in almost three months as key developers announced a release date for the planned “Alonzo” hard fork on Friday, which will allow full smart contract functionality on the network. Fast facts Slated for full release on September 12, the upgrade to Cardano’s mainnet completes the Alonzo […]

Asia leads world in crypto investment, report says

Asian nations are leading the world in retail crypto investment, according to a recent report by Finder.com, which found that of 27 countries surveyed, the top five were all in Asia. Fast facts Vietnam was by far the leader in crypto adoption, with 41% of respondents saying they owned at least one cryptocurrency. Indonesia and […]

Solana leads altcoin surge as SOL price hits new all-time high to flip Uniswap

Solana price hits new record and enters top 10, beating Uniswap, following launch of blockchain communication bridge Wormhole and sellout debut of Degenerate Ape NFTs.

Why Silicon Valley is pouring big money into India’s crypto industry

While Delhi goes back and forth over a crypto ban, crypto’s huge growth potential in the world’s second most populous country is captivating American venture capital.

Poly Network hacker returns remaining assets, offered US$500K white hat bounty

Poly Network has confirmed that all its remaining stolen assets on Ethereum, worth around US$269 million, barring US$33 million worth of Tether that was frozen post-attack, have been returned to a multi-signature wallet controlled by itself and the hacker. Fast facts The hacker had returned more than 50% of the assets stolen on the Polygon […]

Poly Network assets returned; OKEx lists Baby Doge

Poly Network assets returned also OKEx lists Baby Doge

WazirX signs up small-city women crypto investors

Tier II and Tier III cities in India registered massive growth in new user signups on WazirX, more than the larger cities.

Poly Network hackers say they wanted to ‘save the world,’ return over 50% of stolen funds

Poly Network hackers have returned stolen assets worth around US$340 million so far.

What are ‘Ethereum killers’ and what are their prospects with Eth2 under way?

With Ethereum 2.0 still in development, rival blockchains like Cardano, Binance Smart Chain, Solana and Polkadot are hot on Eth’s tail. Who might prevail, and why?

Largest hack in DeFi history; ADA hits two month high

Largest hack in DeFi history while ADA hits two month high

Chinese DeFi platform Poly Network suffers US$600M hack

Impact of one of the biggest heists in the industry looks set to be mitigated as hackers agree to return funds.

Ripple expands XRP into NFTs amid escalating legal battles

As court grants CEO request to obtain info from Binance to bolster defense in SEC lawsuit, Ripple seeks to expand use cases for XRP Ledger.

Ethereum rising: 3 reasons why Ether’s price could soon break $3,000

Will Google greenlighting US crypto ads, Ethereum’s London upgrade and clearer regulations pave the way for another Ether price rally?

DBS Bank’s digital exchange assets surge 60% in Q2

DBS eyes bigger investor base as digital assets under custody top US$100 million.

Ethereum addresses using DeFi soar 65% to over 2.9M

The Ethereum ecosystem is continuing to see strong growth, with institutional capital ‘flooding’ into decentralized finance and decentralized autonomous organizations flourishing.

Chinese central bank shows no sign of softening stance on crypto

People’s Bank of China vows to keep sector under ‘heavy pressure’ as it pushes digital yuan.

Crypto exchange FTX.US daily trading volumes jump 150-fold in a year

FTX.US, the U.S. affiliate of Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange FTX, saw its average daily trading volumes soar 150-fold in June compared to the same month a year before, according to the company’s mid-year results. Fast facts The company reported that FTX.US had a daily volume that ranged between US$150 million and US$1 billion in the […]

Crypto mining rig giant Bitmain divests from AntPool, the world’s biggest mining pool

Bitmain’s move comes amid China’s crypto mining crackdowns and AntPool’s shrinking hashrate. Is Bitmain gussying up for an IPO?

Battle for blockchain talent is heating up. What and where are the crypto jobs?

Flush with capital, blockchain and crypto firms are on a hiring spree. Here’s how the battle for crypto talent is playing out.

Blockchain developer platform Biconomy Raises $9M, led by Mechanism Capital

Biconomy, a Singapore-incorporated technology company building transaction infrastructure for blockchain applications, today announced it had raised US$9 million in a private funding round led by digital asset fund manager DACM and investment firm Mechanism Capital, according to a company statement. Fast facts Other investors included Coinbase Ventures, Coinfund, Huobi Innovation Labs and Stani Kulechov, founder […]

Huobi’s stock plunges in Hong Kong as it shuts Beijing unit

Closure of blockchain business may be related to regulatory concerns, but unlikely to hit crypto industry hard, observers say.

Singapore crypto license applications in final stages of review

Singapore’s central bank is in the final stages of reviewing applications for licenses to provide crypto services, including payments and the operation of cryptocurrency exchanges, according to Tharman Shanmugaratnam, minister in charge of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which regulates financial institutions in Singapore. Fast facts To date, Singapore has received over 480 crypto […]

Chinese crypto firms donate millions of yuan to flood-hit Henan

Three blockchain and crypto-related companies have donated hundreds of millions of yuan to China’s Henan Province, which has suffered deadly floods since last week. Fast facts Bitmain, a crypto mining firm was the first to announce a donation of 10 million yuan (US$1.54 million) on July 23 to a charity federation in Zhengzhou, the provincial […]

Bitcoin price surges to almost $40K as Asia wakes to Amazon crypto reports

Led by traders in Asia, Bitcoin saw its biggest one-day gain in over a month amid speculation that Amazon is getting into crypto.

Indonesian regulators play catch-up as crypto investment soars

Indonesia has seen red-hot growth in the crypto asset market, but the country’s regulators are just beginning to get to grips with burgeoning industry and formulate policy responses.

India’s crypto community plays for time as New Delhi dithers on regulation

The prospect of a ban on cryptocurrencies has haunted the industry for years, but it appears to be receding as delayed rules give policymakers time to think before they act.

Why Thailand’s oldest bank is investing US$110 million in DeFi

In a special Q&A, Mukaya ‘Tai’ Panich of SCB 10X, the venture arm of Siam Commercial Bank, marvels at decentralized finance innovations. ‘Whatever traditional finance has, there’s a parallel version in DeFi.’

FTX crypto derivatives exchange closes record $900M Series B with $18B valuation

Fast-growing FTX just pulled off the largest-ever fundraise for a crypto exchange to date. Will heightened regulatory scrutiny lie in its near future?

Neon virtual machine allows Ethereum dApps, tools to scale on Solana blockchain

Neon Labs, a firm focused on secure blockchain technology, announced today that it will be deploying a cross-chain Ethereum virtual machine on the Solana testnet. Neon’s EVM will allow any decentralized application from the Ethereum ecosystem to leverage the high throughput and fast block times of Solana, and to access the lower gas prices of […]

Senators urge E-CNY ban; Russia woos crypto-miners

US Senators urge E-CNY ban while Russia woos crypto-miners

BlockFi ordered to stop offering interest accounts to New Jersey customers

U.S. crypto lending platform BlockFi has been ordered by the New Jersey Bureau of Securities to stop accepting new customers who are based in New Jersey for its interest-bearing accounts due to alleged violations of securities laws. The order takes effect from from July 22. Fast facts In a series of tweets, BlockFi’s CEO and […]

Late digitization is Asia’s edge in crypto, says Fireblocks CEO

While the West has first mover advantage in traditional banking, Asia — not wedded to ol infrastructure — now has an edge in the crypto era, says Michael Shaulov of Fireblocks.

UK finance watchdog to spend £11M to warn young people off crypto investment

Britain’s financial crimes enforcement agency is set to launch a campaign costing £11 million (US$15.2 million) to warn young people about the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies.  Fast facts Financial Conduct Authority CEO Nikhil Rathi said social media users aged 18 to 30 would be the target audience. “As with the GameStop episode, more people see investment as […]

Has the NFT bubble burst? The data says otherwise

Axie Infinity, Meebits and Bored Ape Yacht Club are some of those keeping the market for non-fungible tokens alive.

India seeks crypto advice; K-drama joins NFT bandwagon

India seeks crypto advice meanwhile K-drama joins NFT bandwagon