Archives

The crypto market continued its tear overnight Thursday in Asia with Bitcoin and Ethereum trading up 4% and 6%, respectively, in the 24 hours before business hours on Friday. See related article: Crypto, traditional markets see bump as Fed raises rates Fast facts Bitcoin was changing hands at its highest point in over a week […]

Forkast x CryptoSlam! are proud to present Moments in NFT History — an explainer video series hosted by Forkast’s Joel Flynn that gives you a front-row seat to history-in-the-making. We’ve talked about NFTs being turned into sports memorabilia, but what comes after? Well, in this episode, we are quite literally talking about epic sports moments. […]

A new report by Chainalysis shows that sanctioned actors, especially in North Korea and Russia, are sending record sums to crypto mixers.

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

Both crypto and traditional markets saw significant gains overnight Monday in Asia after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a 75-basis point interest rate increase to battle the worst inflation in the country in some 40 years. See related article: Fed may increase interest rates amid rising inflation Fast facts Interest rates in the U.S. are […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: SBF’s Voyager rescue deal spurned. Tesla pulls U-turn with BTC sale. Tencent cuts local NFT staff as it looks abroad.

Bitcoin quickly rebounded above US$21,000 coming into Asian trading hours on Wednesday after falling below the mark overnight since the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its global growth outlook for this year and next, warning that the world economy may soon be on the cusp of an outright recession. See related article: IMF says crypto crash […]

Hong Kong-based digital asset trading platform OSL has started selling security tokens to institutional investors via a private placement, with the first purchasers including blockchain game company Animoca Brands, according to a press release on Tuesday. See related article: Chinese logistics network plans US fundraise via tokenized offerings Fast facts Each security token represents a […]

The price of BNB Chain-based Teddy Doge (TEDDY) fell over 99.9% in 24 hours on Monday in Asia as over US$4.5 million of the token was sold over the weekend, in what some analysts described as a “soft rug pull.” The token was trading at just a fraction of a dollar on Tuesday in Asia. […]

Taiwan-based smartphone and virtual reality (VR) headset maker HTC is partnering with Japanese creator platform pixiv to launch Japanese anime-style three-dimensional (3D) avatars on its metaverse platform VIVERSE, a press release said. See related article: HTC launches metaverse phone with Ethereum, Polygon support Fast facts “The partnership with pixiv will rapidly increase the number of […]

Bitcoin and Ether were trading lower in anticipation of an upcoming U.S. Fed meeting that is widely expected to raise interest rates by 75 basis points. See related article: Crypto market pain will continue but still bullish on Bitcoin lending: Silvergate Fast facts Bitcoin was trading at US$21,130 at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday HKT, down […]

The crypto world is consumed by a spiritual battle between its believers and haters, and it is in need of a rebirth and new identity, writes Prof. Yanto Chandra of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) arrested former Coinbase product manager Ishan Wahi and his brother, Nikhil Wahi, on allegations of wire fraud in a first-ever cryptocurrency insider trading scheme, the agency said in a statement on Thursday.  See related article: Former OpenSea employee arrested amid insider trading allegations Fast facts The Wahi brothers are […]

Developers behind Minecraft, one of the biggest video games in the world, said they are not looking to support integration with non-fungible tokens (NFTs) or blockchain technology, arguing they “encourage profiteering.” See related article: Polium’s NFT/Web3 game console plan meets with plenty of skepticism Fast facts In a recent blog post, developer Mojang Studios said […]

Bitcoin drops after Tesla sells 75% of its bitcoin holdings. Meanwhile, South Korean authorities raid 15 companies as part of their Terra Luna investigations.

Bitcoin fell 5% on Thursday morning in Asia — after briefly moving above US$24,000 overnight — as Tesla Inc. said it had sold 75% of its Bitcoin holdings. The cryptocurrency was at US$22,767 in midday trading, per CoinMarketCap. See related article: Ethereum price breaks US$1,600, Ethereum Classic surges 22% Fast facts In a shareholder letter […]

Trading volumes at Indian crypto exchanges are recovering on the back of a rally in digital asset prices. Volumes had dropped after the government had imposed steep taxes.  See related article: Bitcoin bounces back after US reports worst inflation in 41 years Fast facts Trading volumes at crypto exchange WazirX rose about 35% to US$7.18 […]

Hoping to strike crypto riches, Joel Stein follows the footsteps of a master degen investor. Here are the secrets revealed to him.

The decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol will use Pocket’s distributed network to increase access for decentralized app (dApp) developers across 50 blockchain networks.  See related article: DeFi lending platform Aave to ‘build Twitter on Ethereum’ Fast facts Pocket, which on Tuesday tweeted a Cointelegraph report on the partnership, offers Aave a distributed network of over […]

Celsius says users can settle for cash or go long on crypto. Meanwhile in the markets, Bitcoin breaks US$22,000.

Digital assets are powering new industries, and DeFi will be the financial system of the future internet economy, writes Alex Tapscott in his new book, ‘Digital Asset Revolution.’

Spot and derivatives crypto trading volumes have declined by over 15% since May to around US$4.2 trillion, the lowest since January 2021, Bloomberg reported citing data from CryptoCompare.  See related article: Indian crypto trading volume drops as much as 63% after new tax Fast facts In June alone, spot trading volumes dropped by 28% to […]

As the NFT market slumps, some savvy former American footballers and their business partners have been spurred to push the technology’s potential.

A Champagne bearing five non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the surface of its bottle, including the likes of well-known collections Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) spinoff Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) and a Sneaky Vampire, sold for US$2.5 million in a private sale last Friday. See related article: Scottish whisky brand The Dalmore to offer limited-edition […]

Ethereum’s ninth shadow fork went live overnight Wednesday in Asia, marking one of the final steps before the merge with the proof-of-stake (PoS) Beacon Chain as part of the network’s transition to Ethereum 2.0. See related article: Vitalik Buterin defends Ethereum ahead of merge; ‘not a security’ Fast facts A shadow fork is a test […]

Polygon was selected as one of the 2022 participants for Disney’s accelerator program on Wednesday, triggering the project’s cryptocurrency MATIC to rise by more than 15%.  See related article: Aespa, NCT’s SM Entertainment builds metaverse studio Kwangya Fast facts The Walt Disney Company did not announce any of its own crypto projects, but the 2022 […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Payback time for Mt. Gox investors. USDC issuer strikes back as critics circle. Chinese bank fiasco hits a nerve.

The failure of a crypto market player may have spillover effects on traditional finance such as short-term funding markets, says the Basel-based international body.

The local financial regulator in China’s central Henan province said it will start releasing customer funds from the four rural banks that have reportedly frozen around 39 billion yuan (US$5.8 billion) from July 15, following Sunday’s violent clash between protesters and the police.  See related article: Client accuses Bitcoin, Ethereum backer Three Arrows Capital of […]

GameStop has launched its non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, allowing artists, gamers, content creators and community members to buy, sell and trade NFTs, the video game retailer announced on Tuesday.  See related article: eBay acquires NFT marketplace KnownOrigin Fast facts The marketplace can be accessed through Web3 wallets such as the GameStop Wallet unveiled in May. […]

Bitcoin’s price fell below US$20,000 Tuesday morning in Asia, erasing last week’s gains, as both crypto and traditional markets await the latest U.S. inflation data due on Wednesday. See related article: Bitcoin price crosses US$22K; Fed cools recession fears Fast facts The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell 4.5% in the past 24 hours to trade at […]

CoinFLEX’s deficit rises to US$84 million as it enters arbitration. Meanwhile, a report claims Celsius Network had lost over US$350 million in DeFi.

Paris Saint-Germain F.C. (PSG), the winning football club of the French Ligue 1, is selling non-fungible token (NFT) tickets worth 30 million yen (US$220,000) each for its friendly matches this month with local teams in Japan as well as VIP access to players. See related article: NFTs Explained in Less than 4 Minutes Fast facts […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Three Arrows target bankruptcy protection. Polium’s Web3 game plan pilloried. China’s tech giants get hands-on with NFTs.

Former TikTok game division executive Jason Fung is starting up a blockchain-based game developer, Meta0, to allow transfer of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) between different blockchains, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday. See related article: Game theory: What’s holding back an explosion of play-to-earn? Fast facts According to its product proposal, Meta0 aims to allow […]

Notwithstanding this bear market, Web3’s more pressing issue is its inability to handle large volumes, writes Greg Gopman. Can sidechains offer a solution?

Web 3.0 company Polium’s plan to make the world’s first “multi-chain gaming console” to support games across different blockchains is an ambitious goal that has met a chorus of skepticism.  See related article: What is Axie Infinity and how is it ushering in gaming 3.0? Fast facts Polium, a startup that first announced its plans […]

Crypto industry sales are slumping, but it’s not just hedge funds and lenders that have been hit hard by the crypto winter. The NFT industry has also begun to feel the chill.

With NFT trading volumes slumping and regulators stepping in, Vignesh Sundaresan, who paid US$69 million for a Beeple artwork, shares his views on the space.

Forkast x CryptoSlam! are proud to present Moments in NFT History — an explainer video series hosted by Forkast’s Joel Flynn that gives you a front-row seat of history-in-the-making. The Covid-driven NFT boom paved the way for businesses to explore alternative blockchains as Ethereum gas fees soared to eye-watering heights.  At the forefront of that […]

Bitcoin was trading below US$20,000 in late morning trade in Asia on Thursday as reports of a court-ordered liquidation of Three Arrows Capital (3AC) added to fears of a contagion in crypto. See related article: Three Arrows Capital lines up for liquidation Fast facts The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to as low as US$19,937.79 in […]

Crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) has been ordered to liquidate as plummeting crypto prices left the firm unable to repay creditors, Sky News reported. See related article: Contagion risk from Three Arrows Capital weighs on Bitcoin, crypto Fast facts A court in the British Virgin Islands appointed two senior members of global advisory […]

Bitcoin CEO Roger Ver denies defaulting on a loan to CoinFLEX. Meanwhile, Youtuber Bitboy takes aim at Celsius Network.

Sky Mavis’ Ronin Bridge is back online after one of the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) heists in history prompted a three-month network hiatus, Ronin announced in a Tuesday newsletter. See related article: Are we helpless against attacks on blockchain bridges? Fast facts Ronin Bridge is used by non-fungible token (NFT) game Axie Infinity players to […]

Cypherpunk Holdings Inc. has liquidated all of its Bitcoin and Ethereum treasury holdings, the Canadian investment firm said on Tuesday.  See related article: Warnings on crypto, Bitcoin have materialized, says central bank body BIS Fast facts “In the interest of all shareholders, the company transitioned its treasury to cash,” said Moe Adham, investment chief at […]

Crypto hacks facilitated by North Korea help fund its weapons of mass destruction, U.S. Treasury Department’s Brian E. Nelson said on his recent visit to South Korea. See related article: North Korea behind Ronin hack: US Fast facts Nelson met with representatives of South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) and Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) on […]

Harmony’s Horizon cross-chain bridge is now the third of its kind to suffer a major hack this year. What are the alternatives that may be more secure?

Singapore-based public blockchain platform Klaytn and non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea announced on Friday a partnership to bolster the Asian NFT ecosystem. See related article: Kakao’s Klaytn to build blockchain in China with BSN Fast facts The partnership includes conference collaborations and ecosystem grants to promote Asian NFT projects to the global audience. Klaytn is […]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and multiple cybersecurity companies have started investigating the US$100 million hack on Harmony Protocol’s Horizon cross-chain bridge. See related article: Axie Infinity hack proceeds continue to be laundered despite US sanctions Fast facts Harmony Protocol announced it was attacked on Friday morning Asia time, adding it had alerted exchanges […]

E-commerce giant eBay has acquired U.K.-based non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace KnownOrigin, the company announced in a press release on Wednesday.  See related article: Alibaba Cloud launches service to build NFT marketplaces Fast facts According to the press release, both companies signed and closed the deal on Tuesday, but the purchase price and further details on […]

Terra UST’s crash and burn is prompting calls for regulations. But lawmakers shouldn’t paint all stablecoins with the same brush, writes Alan Chiu.

Bitcoin dropped below US$20,000 for the third time in a week on Thursday morning in Asia as news of record inflation in the U.K. and warnings of a recession hit crypto markets. See related article: Crypto on a roller coaster as market braces for Fed guidance on rates Fast facts Bitcoin was trading down 3.5% […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Investors snowed in as liquidity crunch hits. Solend harpoons anti-whale maneuver. Chinese NFTs prove a tricky target.

A perceived failure to address increasing fraud in the NFT industry prompts calls for regulation and the adoption of a more centralized approach to weed out bad actors.

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu have been staging a strong comeback since Elon Musk came out on Sunday supporting the former. See related article: Has ‘Crypto Winter’ arrived with Bitcoin, Ether prices falling? Fast facts Dogecoin rose more than 15% in morning trade on Wednesday in Asia, according to CoinMarketCap data. The memecoin rose to a […]

Input Output Global (IOG), the development company that runs the Cardano blockchain, on Monday said it will postpone the testnet of the network’s Vasil hard fork to the end of June, citing software bugs and a focus on quality and security. See related story: Cardano’s Alonzo Purple testnet begins onboarding users Fast facts The engineering […]

Hong Kong-based Babel Finance announced on Monday it has reached “preliminary agreements” on debt repayments to counterparties following a redemption and withdrawal freeze instituted last Friday. See related article: Contagion risk from Three Arrows Capital weighs on Bitcoin, crypto Fast facts A preliminary restructuring of the debt repayment period has “eased” the company’s short-term liquidity […]

Bitcoin’s price recovered above the US$20,000 mark Monday morning in Asia after falling to as low as US$17,708 on Sunday — its lowest point since December 2020 — according to CoinMarketCap. See related article: Bitcoin, Ether recover as Fed guidance reduces policy uncertainty Fast facts The world’s largest cryptocurrency gained more than 7% in the […]

Despite its rising popularity, GameFi has lessons to learn from Web 2.0 and elsewhere before it can gain a comparable user base, says Ethlas chief Wui Ngiap Foo.

After a short-lived recovery, Bitcoin, Ether and other cryptocurrencies are trading lower on fears of a contagion risk from a possible financial implosion at Three Arrows Capital.

USD Coin (USDC) creator Circle announced on Thursday it will release the Euro Coin (EUROC), a redeemable stablecoin pegged to the euro, on June 30. See related story: US$500 mln in USDC added to TRON DAO USDD reserve Fast facts Ethereum-based EUROC will join Circle’s USDC, which is the world’s second-largest stablecoin with over US$54 […]

BlockFi CEO Zac Prince Thursday said the U.S.-based crypto lender foreclosed on a “large client that failed to meet its obligations” following reports that BlockFi was part of the lenders group that canceled some US$400 million in loans made out to Three Arrows Capital (3AC). See related article: Client accuses Bitcoin, Ethereum backer Three Arrows […]

Thursday’s crypto market recovery was short-lived as most major tokens fell by at least 7% in the past day, with Bitcoin trading within reach of US$20,000 for the first time since December 2020. See related article: Bitcoin, Ether recover as Fed guidance reduces policy uncertainty Fast facts The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell up to 10% […]

Bitcoin, Ethereum and TRX recover as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates. Meanwhile, Three Arrows Capital faces liquidation concerns.

Despite short-term volatility weighing on prices, an inevitable easing of monetary policy in response to the pandemic and other crises means Bitcoin and other cryptos will find value as a hedge against runaway inflation, market participants tell Forkast.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Cryptos sink as inflation rises. Celsius freeze sends CEL token tumbling. Are Inner Mongolia’s miners catching a break?

Crypto markets posted some gains in Asia trading after a pummeling this week, but the sentiment shifted back to negative as markets across the board try to second-guess the Federal Reserve’s thinking on interest rates.

Still recovering from the Terra-LUNA debacle that wiped off billions of dollars in investor wealth, people sold off cryptocurrencies amid a market slump over expectations that the Fed will act faster to tame inflation.

As the internet fractures into silos degraded by censorship and disinformation, DAOs and public blockchains may offer ways to restore trust.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and other major altcoins dropped significantly over the weekend, as U.S. equity markets faced one of their worst weeks in months. See related article: Has Bitcoin become a victim of its own success? Fast facts Bitcoin dropped 8.3% over the past 24 hours to US$25,240.08, according to CoinMarketCap data, as higher-than-expected inflation […]

JPMorgan Chase & Co. blockchain business unit Onyx aims to bring trillions of dollars in tokenized assets to decentralized finance (DeFi), Onyx head of digital assets Tyrone Lobban said at CoinDesk’s Consensus 2022 conference.  See related article: JPMorgan sees upside for Bitcoin, crypto amid market downturn Fast facts “Over time, we think tokenizing U.S. Treasurys […]

It’s been a ‘Waiting for Godot’ experience for the crypto industry regarding US approval of a spot Bitcoin ETF. A decision next month by the SEC could bring a lift to crypto markets or be a boon to lawyers.