Archives

The Lazarus Group, the North Korean hacking group linked to the US$600 million Axie Infinity hack in March, is still laundering funds stolen from the hack despite sanctions imposed by the U.S.  See related article: Axie Infinity blockchain Ronin hacked for over $600M Fast facts Despite U.S. sanctions, North Korean hackers have been freely laundering […]

While the cryptocurrency industry continues to wait with bated breath for a spot-traded Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) to be approved in the U.S., three separate crypto funds were given the green light in Australia this week.  Australia’s ETFS Management (AUS) Ltd., or ETF Securities, launched a Bitcoin and an Ethereum fund, in partnership with Switzerland-based […]

TRON founder Justin Sun announced on Thursday a new decentralized dollar-pegged algorithmic stablecoin on the Tron blockchain called USDD. See related article: What are stablecoins, and why are some governments so afraid of them? Fast facts The TRON Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) intends to raise US$10 billion within the next year to fund a crypto […]

A panel of 35 crypto professionals have grown collectively less confident on the year-end target price for Bitcoin, although they expect the dominant cryptocurrency to end significantly higher than current levels and even set a new all-time high, according to a report by Finder. See related article: Bitcoin crosses $47,000 mark as crypto surges in […]

Coinbase’s non-fungible token (NFT) platform launched its beta version for select customers on Wednesday. See related article: Coinbase and Binance move to diversify; Stablecoins under scrutiny Fast facts Only a few customers of the three million on the waitlist can access the beta market, but it is also open for public view. The beta platform […]

A Porsche dealership in Baltimore, Maryland, has begun accepting mainstream crypto payments for vehicles, along with DOGE and Shiba Inu, according to a Tweet by U.S.-based crypto payment service provider BitPay. See related article: Lamborghini’s last all-gas Aventador to be auctioned with NFT Fast facts See related article: Hic Hic Hurray! Scottish distillery Ardbeg to […]

Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs are coming to Australia. Meanwhile, Dogecoin Day has fans hyped.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Crisis response brings crypto relief. North Korea’s Lazarus Group named in Ronin hack. NFTs face new risks in China.

In the short history of DeFi, bridge hacks have accounted for an enormous amount of stolen funds, writes Joshua Tobkin. What can stop these attacks?

An attempt to assuage Axie Infinity players miffed by falling earnings isn’t turning out too well for developer Sky Mavis, Forkast learns, as loyalists bemoan it may be too little, too late.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of the Treasury allege North Korea’s Lazarus Group and APT38 were responsible for stealing cryptocurrencies worth about US$620 million off the Ethereum sidechain Ronin. See related article: Axie Infinity blockchain Ronin hacked for over $600M Fast facts The hack was perpetrated by the Democratic People’s […]

Bitcoin miners saw a 1.26% drop in mining difficulty on Thursday, the third time this year, while the price fell to less than US$40,000. See related article: Cryptos slump over inflation, Shanghai lockdown and war concerns Fast facts The mining difficulty level is now at 28.23 trillion at block height 731,808, after it saw an […]

In Part 1 of a special Forkast series, crypto newcomer Joel Stein dips a toe into Bitcoin and Doge by opening his first-ever crypto wallet.

The stablecoin market cap grew by US$23 billion in an otherwise lackluster market for crypto assets, according to a quarterly report by CoinGecko. See related article: Bitcoin follows blue chips south amid market turmoil Fast facts Stablecoins were among the biggest beneficiaries from investor “derisking” into stablecoins, CoinGecko said in its report, with USDT remaining […]

The metaverse promises to radically change how we work, play and do business. How do we avoid its real-world security risks and pitfalls?

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – April 13, 2022 – Presented by Megha Chaddah. Coming up on today’s show: Former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith gets 63 months in prison. Coinbase snafu sets cat among the crypto pigeons in India. Huawei becomes latest of China’s tech giants to issue NFTs.  We’ll have more on those stories […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Market contagion hits crypto. Ethereum developer pays price for bad Korea move. China whacks more crypto miners.

Coinbase’s showcasing of support by government-backed National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) set the ball rolling on the cryptocurrency exchange being yanked from the ubiquitous Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

Bitcoin and Ethereum were down more than 5% each in Asian trading hours as cryptocurrency markets slumped in lockstep with traditional assets.

Crypto market downturns can dredge up bad memories of ICOs. What lessons can investors learn from the past — and how is Bitcoin different?

India’s Ministry of Education was one of the latest victims in a series of hacks against verified Twitter accounts promoting fake Azuki non-fungible token (NFT) airdrops.  See related article: Azuki spikes past Bored Apes in daily sales Fast facts India’s University Grant Commission (UGC), which has more than 295,000 followers on Twitter, was hacked on […]

Solana non-fungible token (NFT) sales have risen by more than 60% in the 24 hours coming into Monday morning Asia time after leading marketplace OpenSea added support for the network mid-last week. See related article: Solana NFT sales drop by 21% after OpenSea integration Fast facts This marks a reversal of fortune for Solana-based NFTs […]

The market for non-fungible tokens soared, then slumped. That doesn’t worry Spores Network’s Duc Luu, who’s betting on brands to fuel its future growth.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Solana blockchain have been officially docked on OpenSea but sales have dropped by over 21% in the past 24 hours.  See related article: OpenSea’s Solana NFT integration, long rumored, is now real Fast facts While Ethereum continues to host the largest number of NFTs, Solana proponents argue that it is […]

News of officials planning to shrink the Fed’s balance sheet by US$95 billion a month weighed on risk assets globally including Bitcoin which dropped about 5% Thursday early morning Asia time. See related article: Bitcoin, crypto market on the rise along with global markets Fast facts Bitcoin fell as much as 4.7% on sell off […]

News of Sky Mavis raising US$150 million to compensate users following the around US$600 million hack on its Ronin Bridge led to a surge in Axie non-fungible tokens (NFT) sales. See related article: Axie Infinity blockchain Ronin hacked for over $600M Fast facts Binance leads the round along with Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands, a16z, Dialectic, […]

The metaverse is envisioned as the next iteration of the internet, introducing an immersive digital universe. Find out what this means for the future of our online lives — beyond all the marketing hype — in this Forkast.News explainer.

The Italian luxury car maker will auction the world’s first supercar 1:1 NFT before the Aventador becomes a V12-powered plug-in hybrid.  See related article: Sotheby’s will accept Bitcoin and Ether for 101-carat diamond auction Fast facts With the Aventador approaching the end of production, Lamborghini is collaborating with Krista Kim and Steve Aoki for the […]

Our virtual and in-person events bring people together to join conversations that matter. Previous Events Crypto Rising CBDCS & Stablecoins: The Asia Perspective We are in a history defining moment where money is evolving. It’s not easy to replicate cash, and central bankers around the world face unique challenges. The U.S. is softening up to […]

Since March 31, WAVES’ price has dipped more than 45% while the ecosystem’s native stablecoin USDN has been knocked off its dollar peg.

Bitcoin is now a reserve asset for Terra’s UST. What does this portend for the $186 billion stablecoins market?

At least 500 Ether looted from the US$600 million Ronin hack has been transferred to Tornado Cash. See related article: Axie Infinity blockchain Ronin hacked for over $600M Fast facts An Ethereum address associated with the hack made two 100 ETH deposits to Tornado Cash on Monday morning Asia time. Over an hour later, the […]

The emancipatory promise of decentralization has been both evangelized and excoriated. The Algorand Foundation’s Jason Lee explains why we should be believers.

In contrast to the rising crypto market, NFT sales have declined significantly in March, but one industry watcher says there’s no need to panic just yet.

Zilliqa is leading Thursday’s crypto market with an 80% charge over the last 24 hours, part of a 270% weekly pump since its metaverse-as-a-service platform Metapolis launch event was announced.

Sushil Kumar Modi, a member of Parliament (MP), has urged India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to consider raising the capital gains tax on crypto income to over 30%, the flat rate scheduled to kick in from April 1.  See related story: India’s tax bogeyman is scaring off young crypto investors Fast facts The minister argued […]

Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol Aave’s governance token surged 84% since its March 16 V3 upgrade, and was trading at US$220.01 at press time, according to CoinGecko data.  See related article: DeFi lending platform Aave to ‘build Twitter on Ethereum’ Fast facts Aave is also the top gainer in the past 24 hours with a […]

Leading non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea has released a teaser of its long-rumored integration of NFTs on the Solana blockchain, now planned for April. See related article: What is the Solana ecosystem and how is it fueling SOL’s stratospheric rise? Fast facts OpenSea’s teaser video shared on Twitter on Tuesday morning Asia time displayed a […]

DLT projects are defined by their network effects, writes Donald Thibeau of HBAR Foundation. Here’s why open networks and community are critical for success.

Ethereum sidechain Ronin, where play-to-earn blockchain game Axie Infinity runs, has been hacked for over US$600 million in crypto, making it one of the biggest hacks in crypto history. See related article: Axie Infinity becomes first NFT series to break $4B in sales Fast facts Ronin said the hacker compromised four of their own validator […]

Greyscale Investments might sue the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if its filing to convert its US$30 billion Bitcoin trust into an exchange-traded fund (ETF) is rejected, company CEO Michael Sonnenshein told Bloomberg. See related article: Bitcoin price hits all-time high after ProShares ETF debut Fast facts The SEC’s deadline to approve or reject […]

World of Women (WoW) Galaxy, the second non-fungible token collection launched by WoW, a community focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, was sold out within three days after launching with US$14 million in primary sales.   See related article: Ukraine’s NFT museum of Russian conflict goes live Fast facts Total WoW Galaxy sales in the past […]

Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation launched the Meta History Museum of War on Friday, a museum hosted on the Ethereum and Polygon networks that chronicles the country’s war with Russia through non-fungible tokens (NFTs). See related article: Zelenskyy legalizes cryptocurrency in Ukraine Fast facts “Disinformation is used by Russia on a par with deadly military […]

India’s crypto tax represents both a threat to the industry and an opportunity to create a regulatory framework to support it, says Polygon’s Jaynti Kanani.

Azuki, an anime-inspired NFT avatar collection, surged over 140% in the past 24 hours to top Friday’s sales volume chart, surpassing Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Mutant Ape Yacht Club, according to CryptoSlam data.  See related article: Azuki, CryptoPunks battle it out for week’s top NFT title Fast facts With its latest spike, Azuki’s […]

Volatility has been the name of the game in the past few months, but experts tell Forkast that may be coming to an end.

BAYC is one of the hallmark NFT collections and a billion-dollar ecosystem. This Forkast explainer explores the cartoon primates and what makes them so special.

Global Sales Volume NFT sales amounted to US$18.5 billion in 2021—a 570-fold increase from 2020 as the record bid for Beeple’s digital collage and the strong reception for NBA Top Shot attracted new collectors and boosted prices, data from NFT industry data aggregator CryptoSlam showed. Companies from Gucci and Ray-Ban to McDonald’s and Coca Cola […]

Growth drivers of the NFT ecosystem The growing popularity of NFTs is stunning, having risen from several hundred million dollars in sales when the market first started, to around US$20 billion in 2021. We believe the exponential growth seen around the world can be explained by the product-market fit: NFTs have effectively provided a bridge […]

NFT sales amounted to US$18.5 billion in 2021 — a 570-fold increase from 2020 as avatars and digital art gained in popularity and organizations such as the NBA issued NFT collections that attracted an overwhelming response, data from NFT industry data aggregator CryptoSlam showed. With sales holding above US$2.5 billion in recent months and reaching […]

The world’s first NFT dates back to 2014, when New York artist Kevin McCoy’s animation known as Quantum was originally minted on Namecoin, a blockchain forked from Bitcoin. Quantum eventually sold for US$1.47 million at a Sotheby’s auction in June 2021, but its host blockchain is buried deep in the history of NFTs, rarely visited […]

Opensea, an NFT marketplace on the Ethereum blockchain founded in 2017, currently dominates the NFT landscape with a market share of over 80% as of February 2022. OpenSea’s monthly trading volume on Ethereum soared to a new record high of US$5 billion in January 2022, surpassing its previous peak of US$3 billion reached in August […]

The Sandbox metaverse is made up of 166,464 unique land NFTs, digital pieces of real estate, that players can own to publish their creations, monetize their games or rent to other creators. These lands will host a wide range of experiences, and their limited number makes The Sandbox seem like a virtual Manhattan when it […]

From the lookout: Unbeknownst to those outside the NFT space, there’s a mammoth blockchain game on the horizon. Even before the launch of Star Atlas, which promises cinema-quality graphics, investors are already pouring millions of dollars to purchase in-game NFT items. The unreleased game’s leaderboard shows a player with US$4 million worth of assets. This […]

Avatars accounted for most of the growth in the NFT space in 2021, but diverse use cases are starting to emerge. More niche products are also emerging, including fractionalized property ownership, and DeFi products made specifically for the NFT ecosystem are expected to grow this year. Such developments were discussed in detail during interviews with […]

In March 2021, a non-fungible token (NFT) in the form of artist Beeple’s digital collage sold for US$69 million at a Christie’s auction. It created a buzz among retail and professional investors who began to take a serious look into this new revenue stream for digital artists. Around the same time, Dapper Labs’ NBA Top […]

Traditional banks are failing the nearly 2 billion people in the world without access to financial services, writes Khalid Howladar. But DeFi can be a lifeline.

The rapid rise of NFTs has sparked concerns about speculative bubbles as well as the negative impact on the environment. As discussed earlier, China permits trading in NFTs so long as there is a holding period after each purchase. The country’s state media have also warned against speculative behavior surrounding NFTs.  In places such as […]

Inspired by the success of Beeple, Miguel Wang created CryptoTigers to generate pixelated tiger images for the Year of the Tiger.

Cryptocurrencies have won credit for their role in Ukraine’s war, showing utility that will drive them beyond the battlefield, says Amber Group’s Michael Wu.

The largest U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase announced on Friday support for the Solana ecosystem through its wallet browser extension, allowing users to manage their Solana (SOL) and Solana-based SPL tokens See related article: Solana wallet Phantom brings valuation to $1.2B after $109M Series B Fast facts Solana’s integration with the wallet enables users to access […]

Around 4 million trees are required to offset the nearly 240 million kilograms of carbon dioxide produced by the CryptoKitties non-fungible token (NFT) collection, according to research by NFT Club, an NFT education company.  See related article: ​​NFTs and music: Is the fan outcry over NFTs’ environmental impact warranted? Fast facts Sorare, Axie Infinity, Art […]

Bitcoin and most of the top cryptocurrencies by market capitalization landed in the green on Thursday after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates on Wednesday. See related article: Is Bitcoin really a hedge against inflation? Fast facts The U.S. central bank hiked its benchmark interest rate by 0.25 basis points, for the first time […]

HSBC, a leading global banking and financial services provider, announced a partnership with blockchain gaming platform The Sandbox, in a statement released on Wednesday, to build its presence in the Hong Kong-based firm’s metaverse. See related article: Who are the biggest players in the metaverse today? Fast facts HSBC will develop a plot of LAND, […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: PoW spared as Europe revamps MiCA rules. Yuga Labs acquires CryptoPunks rights. China’s Mango TV makes NFT debut.

Ethereum software developer ConsenSys announced on Tuesday it has raised US$450 million in Series D funding, bringing its valuation to US$7 billion. See related article: New Cosmos, Mastercard projects to boost Ethereum scalability Fast facts The latest funding round was led by ParaFi Capital, with investors including Temasek, SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Microsoft. The […]

China’s Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) has announced a partnership with U.K. tech firm INDUSTRIA, as the state-backed blockchain infrastructure looks to make a foray into the European market. See related article: BSN to integrate CasperLabs’ chain to support NFT issuance in China Fast facts The partnership marks BSN’s first attempt to enter the U.K. and […]

Investors believe Bitcoin will stand its ground this year but in the altcoins world, some rising stars are brimming with potential.

A pair of diamond earrings designed by luxury lifestyle brand L’Dezen and its non-fungible token (NFT) counterpart sold for 3.27 ETH (US$8,205) at an online auction on Saturday at Ethereum-based marketplace Digital Twin.  See related article: How high fashion is waking up to blockchain’s possibilities Fast facts The winning bidder will receive the physical jewelry […]

Around 42% of venture capital and hedge funds investing in crypto are betting on the success of Polkadot’s smart contracts platform, according to Messari’s fund analysis. See related article: What is Polkadot and why is it one of the hottest blockchains right now?  Fast facts Polkadot was the most commonly held altcoin in Q4 last […]

As Russia’s economy began to tank, data shows many turned to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a store of value and means of transacting.

‘Lazy minting’ may seem affordable but heightens the risk of NFT theft, writes Anthem Blanchard of Herasoft. Is storing NFTs on-chain the solution?