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Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands has shuttered its services to Russian users saying it is relying on legal advice that equates Western sanctions against Russian entities to the blanket sanctions against North Korea, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. See related article: Binance may join sanctions imposed on Russian targets Fast facts “The legal advice we’ve been receiving […]

South Korea’s financial regulator revealed Tuesday that 58% of the country’s 5.58 million cryptocurrency traders are in their 30s and 40s. See related article: S.Korea crypto market growing but needs promotion, not just regulation: BCG Fast facts South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit released its first report on the local US$45.8 billion crypto market. South Korea […]

Sanctions on Russia have prompted a resurgence in the Crypto market as the Russian ruble takes a nosedive. And as the attack on Ukraine continues, a decentralized autonomous organization is created to support Ukrainian civilians who have joined military efforts.

A blockchain is a database that can record all transactions and transfers for the entire world. All users can use public blockchain explorers to verify all data is correct.  Blockchain facilitates transactions of virtual currencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Transactions that take place are fast, cheap, tamper-proof and irreversible.  But blockchain technology is not limited […]

The global cryptocurrency market cap recovered above US$2 trillion since dropping below the mark in mid-February, in a US$200 billion 12-hour run.  See related article: Bitcoin, crypto market tank as Putin declares war on Ukraine Fast facts Bitcoin’s price jumped over US$2,000 in a 10-minute window from 6:30 am HKT Tuesday to mark a ceiling […]

Cryptocurrency donations to Ukraine through government and private channels have topped US$36 million as contributions continue to mount throughout the Russian invasion.  See related article: Binance may join sanctions imposed on Russian targets Fast facts The Ukrainian government has received 113 BTC and 2,001 ETH, totaling almost US$10 million, as of press time. Binance has […]

Binance is working to comply with sanctions on Russia imposed by Western governments following the invasion of Ukraine. See related article: Bitcoin donations for Ukraine military surpass $1M Fast facts “We have assembled a dedicated global compliance task force, including world-renowned sanctions experts, and are taking the steps necessary to ensure we take action against […]

Trading volume on Ukrainian crypto exchanges triples as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine. Meanwhile, there is still no sign of Russia using crypto to evade sanctions yet,

Measures to detect sanctioned entities’ crypto transactions can come into play, experts say.

Trading volume in Ukrainian crypto exchange Kuna has more than tripled by Friday since Russia invaded the Eastern European nation, according to CoinGecko data.  See related article: Bitcoin, crypto market tank as Putin declares war on Ukraine Fast facts The 24-hour trading volume at Kuna was at around US$1.5 million on Thursday morning Asia time, […]

Terra LUNA is continuing its bullish trend from where it left off on Wednesday, up almost 7% to trade at $59.39 on Thursday morning, Asia time. Fast facts See related article: Is Terra — whose LUNA coin is now at another all-time high — really where the smart money is? The currency has been as […]

When the world’s biggest crypto exchange acquires a major stake in the business publication it once sued for defamation, should we worry?

Moscow moves to regulate crypto. OpenSea’s security struggle. Will China cool its metaverse mania?

Hedera’s HBAR is leading a crypto market bounce with a 14% surge over the last 24 hours to trade at US$0.2306 on the back of the HederaStarter launch announcement as the ecosystem preps for its smart contract era.  See related article: Hedera Hashgraph provides provenance for data from Syrian war Fast facts HederaStarter is slated […]

The high court of China’s southeastern Guangdong province has ruled cryptocurrency investment activities are not protected by law, further clarifying that crypto is not a legitimate currency in the mainland.  See related article: China customs seizes 49 second-hand crypto mining rigs for export Fast facts The Guangdong high court on Tuesday listed a crypto-related virtual […]

Axie Infinity breaks $4BN mark. Meanwhile, China’s brewing metaverse frenzy sees over 16,000 trademark applications.

Dongguan customs in China’s southeast seized 49 second-hand Ant miners declared “shoe material” for export, at least the third seizure in February, state media reported on Monday.  See related article: Kazakhstan busts 13 illegal Bitcoin mining farms amid power concerns Fast facts See related article: China to ‘outdate’ crypto mining industry with more restrictions

Charitable giving in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies is growing by leaps and bounds. Michael B. Greenwald and Logan Weber explain the risks and benefits.

Although India hoped that taxation would be a step toward regulation rather than a ban, the high tax rates and proposed rules seem to be geared toward dissuading crypto trading.

BIT Mining, a Hong Kong-headquartered cryptocurrency miner, has terminated its data center construction in Kazakhstan due to an unstable local power supply, the company said in its quarterly report. See related article: Crypto mining’s Great Migration continues — out of Kazakhstan Fast facts BIT Mining now abandons a US$9.3 million pledge to a Kazakh data […]

Investor relief at last week’s slight market rebound gave way to concerns over military tensions in Ukraine, sending crypto and traditional markets reeling.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Super Bowl score for digital asset exchanges. CryptoPunks holders face copyright conundrum. Hong Kong warns of NFT risks.

The rapidly growing crypto market could pose a threat to global financial stability, according to a Financial Stability Board (FSB) report published on Wednesday. Fast facts The FSB, an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system, identified vulnerabilities related to unbacked assets such as Bitcoin, stablecoins such as USDT and […]

Binance has rebranded its two blockchains as one BNB Chain on Tuesday, in a push toward the metaverse and decentralized finance (DeFi), an ecosystem the company calls “MetaFi.”  Fast facts Binance has taken its name out of its two blockchains, the Binance Chain and Binance Smart Chain, which are now respectively called BNB Beacon Chain […]

HK watchdog’s sends out warning calling NFT a threat, meanwhile in Singapore DBS plans a crypto expansion

The aggregate sales volume of the four crypto exchanges that advertised during the Super Bowl on Monday Asia time accounted for under 60% of the world’s largest exchange Binance, which did not. Fast facts The four exchanges — Coinbase, FTX, Crypto.com and BitBuy — saw a total of US$6.75 billion in the past 24 hours […]

Phillips, a global auction house, launched a nine-day non-fungible token (NFT) auction on Monday, Valentine’s Day, in Hong Kong. Fast facts Six artworks are being auctioned as NFTs. One NFT for bidding is an auction data-generated NFT “Drowning in Love” made by MonoC, a virtual artist developed by Gusto Collective. MonoC is a virtual metahuman […]

As more countries announce plans for central bank digital currencies, will that break crypto’s promise as the future of money?

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said in a press conference that cryptocurrencies have no underlying value and that they are “not even a tulip,” warning investors of its risks.  Fast facts Das’s comments come just over a week after India’s central government announced a 30% taxation plan on income from crypto assets as well […]

The European Commission announced Wednesday it will propose a bill in early 2023 to introduce a digital euro, according to a report by Politico. Fast facts The European Central Bank (ECB) is already experimenting with the digital euro and is expected to begin working on a prototype by the end of next year. A digital […]

WikiLeaks founder’s legal defense fundraising bonanza. Shiba Inu’s big new leap. NFT fever rises in China.

Last weekend’s rally shows there is still life left in memecoins. Industry insiders weigh in on where they stand in the long run.

Ukrainian activists and volunteer groups are crowdsourcing significant money through crypto donations to fund the defense against a possible Russian invasion.  Fast facts Ukrainian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and volunteer groups have collectively received over US$570,000 in crypto, with the majority of funding coming in last year, data from blockchain analysis firm Elliptic shows.  Come Back […]

Decentralized finance has not yet done much real-world good, writes Ben Sheppard. But putting it to work on small infrastructure projects can do just that.

The Hong Kong government intends to propose a licensing system for crypto exchanges, according to a discussion paper published on Monday. Fast facts The proposed amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing bill will designate any crypto exchange as a “regulated virtual asset activity” and any person who seeks to engage in this work […]

After a poor start to the year, the market needed some good news. Industry watchers urge caution.

A prominent Russian lawmaker has proposed a personal income tax rate of at least 15% for crypto miners, according to local media reports, as the country continues to debate regulations for the industry. Fast facts Vladimir Gutenev, who chairs an industry committee at the Duma, parliament’s lower house, said at a Friday briefing that mining […]

Charitable donations on crypto philanthropy platform The Giving Block rose by 1,558% in 2021, the company announced in its annual report. Fast facts The Giving Block’s crypto donation volume increased in each quarter of 2021 and surpassed US$69 million in total donations, with an average of US$10,455 worth of crypto per donation. As cryptocurrency is […]

Vitalik Buterin caused an uproar over his recent criticisms of blockchain bridges. Here is a rebuttal in support of this nascent technology.

Top blockchain and crypto news: New Delhi’s crypto give and take. Malice in Wonderland? Hong Kong’s selective spot ETF rules.

Crypto regulations are lagging the market’s needs, and the industry should help create order to gain greater public trust, writes Imgesu Cetin of Defy Trends.

Lawyer for 63,000 XRP investors invites non-US investors to demand a congressional investigation of the SEC for impropriety.

The recent crypto price plunge has done little to rattle new investors. Are they just buying the dip, or is there more to it? Q9 Capital’s James Quinn explains.

Digital payments are commonplace in Asia, but gifting crypto as lucky money remains niche.

CBDCs can increase financial inclusion and prevent crime, according to blockchain expert Tiana Laurence. What’s not to like about state-backed digital money?

With new products and services being launched and international exchanges setting up camp, crypto startups thrive despite the shadow of a crypto ban.

The Russian finance ministry called for the regulation of cryptocurrencies on Tuesday, opposing the central bank’s proposal last week to ban crypto mining and usage. Fast facts Ivan Chebeskov, director of the finance ministry’s financial policy department, told Russian outlet RBC that a ban on crypto transactions and mining could hamper the country’s growth in […]

The global cryptocurrency market rose along with smaller gains in the broader equity and bond markets in the aftermath of a Federal Reserve Open Market Committee statement Wednesday afternoon that it would leave interest rates untouched at near zero but expects to raise them soon. As the market digested the latest report, prices began trending […]

Political chaos and power shortages are causing miners to flee a nation that only recently became the world’s second-largest Bitcoin producer.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Market chills make investors shiver. Hacking storm at OpenSea. Has Beijing tamed NFTs?

Mark Lamb of CoinFLEX takes a 20-year view of crypto and predicts ‘infinitely bigger’ growth than imagined today, with stablecoins leading the transformation.

Kazakhstan has cut off the power supply for crypto miners amid blackouts and a growing power crisis in a central Asian region that also includes Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, a local Bitcoin miner told Forkast. Fast facts The Bitcoin miner said Kazakhstan’s authorities are blocking all electricity for crypto mining through Jan. 31, confirming a Bloomberg […]

Crypto regulations run the gamut from wait-and-see to total prohibition. What are the dos and don’ts of smart regulation?

A federal judge on Monday has given the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) until Feb. 17 to fight her earlier order to turn over to the defendant Ripple Labs certain sensitive government documents in the agency’s lawsuit alleging the XRP token is an unregistered security. Fast facts Ripple and XRP investors initially believed they […]

Korea will include virtual assets in its financial survey, while China’s central bank hunts for CBDC talents.

Bitcoin and Ethereum fall below psychologically important levels as rising uncertainty clouds markets. Is the Fed also depressing crypto’s prospects?

K-pop fans are waging online campaigns against their favorite artists over NFTs, denouncing the technology’s carbon footprint. How polluting are NFTs?

South Korea envisons itself becoming a top metaverse leader, while Russia’s central bank proposes crypto ban.

Global NFT sales are exploding in 2022, but experts predict this is only the beginning of a bigger surge in Asia.

The top contenders jockey for position on initial coin offerings and other blockchain-based innovations. How did crypto become a critical factor in the race?

Though the world’s most powerful central bank does not stake a position, its discussion paper is a big step toward supporting a future US digital currency.

A pro basketball player and an ex-banker are aiming for a slam-dunk with a ‘creator first’ content platform. Calaxy co-founder Solo Ceesay explains how.

The fast-growing crypto exchange Crypto.com discloses large amounts of Bitcoin and Ether were stolen from 483 customers.

Russia needs new laws for a comprehensive ban on crypto and crypto-related activities within its borders, the Bank of Russia stated in a report published Thursday.  Fast facts The recommendation is the latest in a global cryptocurrency crackdown from China and other Asian nations to the United States, as governments fear instability and loss of […]

BIT Mining’s Ohio mining site has achieved about 50 megawatts of power capacity in the midst of its U.S. expansion, the crypto miner announced on Tuesday. Fast facts BIT Mining’s Ohio data center will continue scaling for a planned capacity of up to 150 MW. The site currently conducts self-mining operations while hosting third-party miners. […]

With all the buzz surrounding cryptocurrency, one has to wonder how it is different from traditional money. Watch this short Forkast video explainer to learn about the evolution of money and what makes cryptocurrency like Bitcoin unique. What you’ll learn: How did the financial crisis of 2008 give birth to cryptocurrency? Why is decentralization viewed […]

Google has hired former PayPal executive Arnold Goldberg to run its payments division as the company eyes offering a broader range of financial services including cryptocurrencies. Fast facts “Crypto is something we pay a lot of attention to,” Google’s president of commerce Bill Ready told Bloomberg. PayPal has already incorporated cryptocurrency into its business, recently […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Asian governments target crypto. Managing MATIC. China’s expanding metaverse.

Cryptocurrency ATM operators in Singapore halted operations on Tuesday to comply with new guidelines issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s central bank, Bloomberg reported.  Fast facts Crypto ATM operators Daenerys & Co. and Deodi Pte shut their operations down as they await further clarification from MAS.  New central bank guidelines issued […]

The total number of legal judgments involving crypto-related crime in China slightly dipped in 2021 to 5,137 cases, as the nationwide clampdown continues, according to a research report.  Fast facts China’s legal system published 5,170 judgments in 2020, a significant leap from 3,474 in 2019, Chinese blockchain data tracker Zhongke Lianan found in its report. […]

Savvy cryptocurrency investors now know what the biggest players have long done, writes Michal Cymbalisty of Domination Finance — ‘buying the f* dip!’

If you’re intrigued about Bitcoin’s price history or Ethereum’s all-time highs, you might be wondering if you’re missing out on financial gains. To explore how to get started in investing in cryptocurrency, Forkast has created a quick explainer video on what to do and the options. What you’ll learn: What are the two types of […]