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Nasdaq-listed Coinbase Global is under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its token listing processes and its staking programs and yield-generating products, according to the company’s most recent quarterly report. See related article: Former Coinbase manager arrested on insider trading charges Fast facts “[Coinbase] has received investigative subpoenas and requests from […]

Bitcoin, Ethereum and all other top 10 cryptocurrencies rose in tandem with U.S. equities markets overnight as consumer data showed U.S. inflation slowed in July. Polkadot surged after announcing a tie-up in decentralized finance services. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall in general sell off; Solana takes hit, BNB stumbles Fast facts Bitcoin changed […]

Hong Kong’s de-facto central bank, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), has added a central bank digital currency (CBDC) section to an annual business competition in the city in order to encourage research into the use cases of digital currencies. See related article: Hong Kong to launch US$637 mln tech fund for startups: report Fast […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Binance spurns WazirX amid India probe. BlackRock bets on Coinbase. Crypto influencers in China’s crosshairs.

WazirX users head for exits amid a dispute between Binance. Meanwhile, Circle and Tether announce support for the new ETH P-O-S.

Bitcoin and Ethereum fell in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia, with almost all top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap in the red. Solana was the biggest mover among the major coins, dropping 5.94% in the past 24 hours. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin falls as crypto market loses steam, equities dip ahead of inflation data […]

What’s a crypto trader to do when the government freezes exchange assets, sparking a war of words between supposedly ‘merged’ exchanges?

Indian crypto exchange CoinSwitch has introduced a Web3 Discovery Fund with initial capital of US$10 million to back early stage startups. See related article:  CoinSwitch Kuber launches rupee index for Indian crypto market Fast facts The Web3 Discovery Fund will curate portfolio startups and provide single-window access to marquee investor partners, such as Tiger Global, […]

Zanmai Labs Private Limited, the firm operating Indian cryptocurrency exchange WazirX, said Tuesday it has a no-tolerance policy towards any “illegal activities”. Users agree to use the exchange in accordance with applicable laws, the company said in a statement. See related article: Tax authorities recover US$9M from India’s biggest crypto exchanges Fast facts WazirX, one […]

Amid debate over the U.S. Treasury Department’s banning of the crypto mixer, the Ethereum cofounder said he used the service to protect recipients.

Iran has made the country’s first cryptocurrency payment with a US$10 million import order this week, which could be an option for the country to bypass broad trade embargoes, according to a media report. See related article: Crypto exchange Kraken reportedly under investigation for Iran sanctions breach Fast facts See related article: Is cryptocurrency a […]

Two of the largest stablecoin issuers — Tether and USDC — announced Tuesday that they will support Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS) chain, as Ethereum’s “Merge” looms and crypto miners are banding together against the abandonment of mining.  See related article: Prominent Chinese ETH miner plans proof-of-work fork amid The Merge Fast facts See related article: Ethereum […]

Reddit has partnered with cryptocurrency exchange FTX to integrate the social network’s Community Points feature with FTX Pay to allow Reddit users to buy Ether on the app. See related article: Instagram expands NFT platform to 100 countries Fast facts FTX Tuesday said the partnership enables Reddit users to purchase the second-largest crypto by market […]

South Korean metaverse platform Zepeto has teamed with Solana and Web 3.0 developer Jump Crypto to construct ZepetoX, a cryptocurrency-based metaverse project, according to a press release. See related article: HYBE, Softbank invest big in Zepeto metaverse creator Naver Z Fast facts ZepetoX aims to establish a 3D open-world platform where creators and users can […]

Bitcoin and Ethereum fell as most of the top 10 cryptocurrencies gave up ground made earlier in the week. BNB was the exception, posting a slight gain to round out a 15% price increase in the past seven days. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin loses steam, Ether continues run higher in late Asia trading Fast […]

Thailand’s central bank will receive more power as the South-East Asian nation steps up regulation of digital assets, said Thai Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith. See related article: Thailand bans Bitcoin and crypto payments Fast facts Thailand plans to tighten its supervision of platforms and exchanges that offer trading in cryptocurrencies and other digital assets, Bloomberg […]

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – August 9, 2022 – presented by Angie Lau. Coming up on today’s show: US lawmakers aim to push Fed on digital dollar. Circle freezes smart contract addresses linked to blacklisted Tornado Cash. Also, Hodlnaut freezes withdrawals, swaps and deposits. Zipmex to release specific amounts of Bitcoin and Ether. And […]

Indian cryptocurrency exchange WazirX will delist and cease trading on all trading pairs for EasyFi (EZ) on Aug. 11. It will continue to support withdrawals of these tokens from WazirX until Nov. 12.  See related article: Binance to stop off-chain transfers with India’s WazirX Fast facts WazirX periodically reviews each digital asset it lists and […]

Bitcoin fell back in late afternoon trading on Tuesday in Asia, losing steam after a run up of more than 4% in the past seven days. Ethereum continued its rally amid the buzz around the so-called “merge” when it shifts from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, gaining more than 12% week-on-week. Polkadot and Solana fell back after […]

Web3 companies should issue tokens to accelerate growth, not to gather initial funds, said Binance founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Changpeng “CZ” Zhao at a fireside chat at Korea Blockchain Week 2022 on Tuesday.  See related article: Binance spent over US$1B on compliance, founder Changpeng Zhao says Fast facts “When people come into Web3 […]

South Korea’s new administration under President Yoon Suk-yeol will likely abolish its ban on blockchain and play-to-earn gaming in 2023, Henry Chang, CEO of South Korea-based video game developer Wemade, said in a media interview joined by Forkast on Tuesday at Korea Blockchain Week 2022. See related article: NFT gaming to drive wider blockchain adoption, […]

Leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance will remove the off-chain fund transfer channel between India’s WazirX and itself beginning Aug. 11, following recent regulatory action taken against Zanmai Labs Private Limited, the entity operating WazirX. See related article:  Only the big fish will survive as India cracks the whip on crypto: Binance-backed WazirX Fast facts Users will […]

China has shut down nearly 13,000 accounts advocating cryptocurrency investments on popular Chinese social media platforms this year, deleted 51,000 related posts and closed 105 websites offering crypto-related information, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced on Tuesday. See related article: Tencent to cut domestic NFT marketplace team, look overseas: report Fast facts See related […]

Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis says cross-chain bridges that allow transfer of assets between independent blockchains are among the highest risk protocols in the blockchain industry for scams and bad actors. Chainalysis in a new report estimates that US$2 billion worth of cryptocurrency has been stolen from cross-chain bridges across 13 attacks so far this year, […]

Cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com has forayed into South Korea with two acquisitions — payment service provider PnLink Co. and virtual asset service provider OK-BIT Co., the company said.  See related article: Crypto.com, K-pop agency Fantagio enter joint NFT venture Fast facts The Singapore-based company also said it secured registration under South Korea’s electronic financial transaction act […]

The production company behind Extraordinary Attorney Woo, an ongoing South Korean drama series and one of the most-watched non-English shows on Netflix, has teamed up with Polygon to build a non-fungible token (NFT) community to advocate for awareness of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). See related article: Netflix Sweet Home producer to build K-drama metaverse in […]

Blockchain gaming will likely remain a key driving force for wider Web 3.0 adoption, and the gaming sector will be “quite hit-driven” over the next 12 months, Robbie Ferguson, cofounder of Immutable — which builds Immutable X, a layer-2 scaling solution on Ethereum — told Forkast on Tuesday at Korea Blockchain Week 2022. See related […]

Crypto exchange Zipmex is planning to release an unspecified amount of Ethereum and Bitcoin on Aug. 11 and 16 respectively, after a suspension of withdrawals from its Z Wallet last month.  See related article: Why Singapore may be the ideal place for companies to rebuild post-crypto winter Fast facts The Singapore-based company said on Monday […]

Singapore-based crypto lender Hodlnaut freezed withdrawals as well as ended its token swapping feature on Monday, just as the market is showing signs of recovery from the so-called crypto winter. See related article: Zipmex resumes withdrawals of certain tokens in phased manner Fast facts Hodlnaut said the withdrawal freeze is to “focus on stabilizing our […]

Mythical Games, a California-based studio that developed non-fungible token (NFT) game Blankos Block Party, focuses more on in-game assets than the earning aspects of its games, Chief Executive Officer John Linden told Forkast on Tuesday at Korea Blockchain Week 2022. See related article: Play-to-earn game developers pivot to engaging fans Fast facts “We are going […]

Circle Internet Financial Ltd., the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, froze over 75,000 USDC in funds linked to 81 sanctioned addresses at the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash on Monday, according to data from crypto aggregator Dune Analytics. See related article: Bad actors in North Korea, Russia send record-high funds to crypto mixers Fast facts The […]

The crypto world is plagued by products that are hard to use and have little utility, writes Roman Kashcheev of Quantfury. What can turn things around?

Bitcoin and Ethereum led broad gains among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization on Tuesday morning in Asia. Bitcoin touched US$24,203 at one point overnight, its highest since July 31. Ethereum rallied to US$1,806, its highest since early June. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ethereum rise in broad gains; Solana jumps; BNB adds to […]

Why are cross-chain bridges so attractive for hackers? Also, we take a deeper dive into how the market reacts to it.

Indian crypto exchange WazirX said its operations are being conducted as usual, even after Binance denied owning equity in Zanmai Labs, the entity operating WazirX. The spat over ownership — Binance had reportedly acquired WazirX in 2019 — surfaced after Indian authorities reportedly froze US$8 million in WazirX assets, alleging possible violation of foreign exchange laws. […]

A U.K. parliamentary group is seeking advice from both industry players and policymakers on regulating cryptocurrencies and the digital asset sector, according to a press release. See related article: UK seeks to regulate stablecoins for payments in new markets bill Fast facts See related article: Bank of England calls for greater crypto regulation

Singapore is growing its digital assets industry while reducing risks, and its clear regulations allow firms to better plan for the future, writes Desmond Yong of DTC.

Bitcoin and Ethereum rose in broad-based gains in cryptocurrencies that drove all other tokens higher in the top 10 list by market capitalization in afternoon trading in Asia on Monday. See related article: Bitcoin, Ethereum edge up; BNB rises; Avalanche adds to gains on partnerships Fast facts Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, added 3.3% in […]

Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitget says it has launched a US$200 million “protection fund” to act as an “emergency insurance reserve” to protect user funds when their losses are not a consequence of their own actions or behavior on the platform.  See related article: How the crypto winter is laying groundwork for Web3 to reach its […]

The current bear market is an opportunity for blockchain developers to focus on building while there is no “noise,” Polygon cofounder Sandeep Nailwal said during a panel at Korea Blockchain Week 2022 on Monday. See related article: MATIC crypto skyrockets as Polygon joins Disney accelerator Fast facts “In the bear market, the best part is […]

How does a centralized internet browser plan for a decentralized future? Reinvention, and finding a receptive audience. First stop, Southeast Asia.

DeBridge cofounder Alex Smirnov on Saturday alleged their team found evidence that North Korean state-backed Lazarus Group was attempting to attack the cross-chain protocol, warning that the group’s attack could broadly target Web3 teams. See related article: After Nomad and Solana, ZB.com gets hacked for US$4.8 mln Fast facts See related article: Why blockchain bridges […]

Tencent’s non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Huanhe has not issued a new NFT for sale in a month, the first time that no new NFTs have been issued for an entire month since last October.  See related article: Tencent to cut domestic NFT marketplace team, look overseas: report Fast facts At the end of July, local […]

Once we have scaling technology […] it actually becomes possible to really try to make crypto payments more mainstream again,” Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin said during his keynote speech at the Korea Blockchain Week 2022 conference on Monday. See related article: Prominent Chinese ETH miner plans proof-of-work fork amid The Merge Fast facts “Cryptocurrency payments […]

Sam Sangmin Seo, the head of South Korea’s Klaytn Foundation, says blockchain technology plays a crucial part in metaverse technology because it provides interoperability between different metaverses. See related article: Kakao’s Klaytn partners with OpenSea for NFT expansion in Asia Fast facts “Blockchain can provide means to implement virtual economy in the metaverse,” Seo said.  […]

Bitcoin and Ethereum rose in early morning trading in Asia, along with most other tokens on the top 10 list by market capitalization. BNB rose 3.4% to reach US$325, adding to gains made last week when the Binance exchange, the BNB issuer, said it would add more tokens. Cardano briefly touched a week’s high, up […]

Tezos has become a leading art blockchain, even in China, where NFTs are barely tolerated. Its regional chief, Katherine Ng, explains its success

Coinbase and Blackrock partner up to provide institutional crypto access. Meanwhile, Instagram expands NFT platform.

The U.S. bill to bring cryptocurrencies under the oversight of the Commodities Futures and Trading Commission is likely to hasten legislation of such digital assets around the world.

Binance has partnered Mastercard to introduce a Binance card in Argentina for making purchases and paying bills with cryptocurrencies.  See related article: Philippines’ SEC warns public not to invest with Binance Fast facts The product is currently in a beta phase and will be widely available in the coming weeks, Binance said. The card is […]

Bitcoin was largely flat in Friday afternoon trading in Asia, while Ethereum gained. However, both of the two major coins on the top 10 list by capitalization were trading more than 3% lower week-on-week. BNB’s gains ran into a second day, while Polkadot and Dogecoin rose.  See related article: Ethereum Classic’s ‘Merge’ surge not expected […]

American Bitcoin mining firm Riot Blockchain earned an estimated US$9.5 million in power credits in July as it reduced energy consumption and mined fewer Bitcoins. See related article: Bitcoin miners in Texas halt operations amid heat wave Fast facts Riot produced 318 Bitcoins in July this year, about 28% less than July last year, thereby […]

Lawmakers are pulling together regulations for trading in digital assets. If all goes to plan, the so-called Digital Asset Basic Act will be in shape by the first half of 2023.

Former PwC crypto arm leader Henri Arslanian said in a report the digital asset fund Nine Blocks Capital Management will receive $75 million from major supporters, including Hong Kong-based hedge fund Nine Masts Capital. See related article: Dubai scorches crypto winter with plans to support 40,000 ‘virtual jobs’ Fast facts See related article: India’s WazirX […]

The Lido decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) almost unanimously approved the sale of about US$25 million worth of treasury tokens to venture capital firm Dragonfly Capital on Thursday.  See related article: Lido Finance floats 2nd proposal to sell LDO to Dragonfly Capital Fast facts The voting page shows over 99% of the community members voted in […]

A U.S. bankruptcy court in New York approved crypto platform Voyager Digital’s request to return to customers US$270 million held in a custodial account at Metropolitan Commercial Bank (MCB), the Wall Street Journal reported.  See related article: Voyager crypto refund plan unconfirmed; fiat to be returned in full Fast facts The funds at the MCB […]

Ethereum Classic’s (ETC) price has rallied since Ethereum developers announced the scheduled date for “The Merge,” which will see the blockchain transition from proof of work (PoW) to proof of stake (PoS), while Messari’s Tom Dunleavy says it won’t see sustained growth. See related article: Prominent Chinese ETH miner plans proof-of-work fork amid The Merge […]

Instagram’s platform for non-fungible tokens (NFT), which the firm is calling “digital collectibles,” is now available in 100 countries, the Facebook parent Meta-backed social media giant said. See related article: Meta’s attempts at building a metaverse will ‘misfire’: Vitalik Buterin Fast facts With support for Coinbase and Dapper wallets added, Instagram now supports wallets from […]

Investment management firm BlackRock Inc. has partnered with cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global Inc. to provide institutional clients with access to crypto trading and custody services. See related article: Coinbase, biggest US crypto exchange, cuts workforce by 18% Fast facts BlackRock is extending the use of its Aladdin asset management software suite to its institutional clients […]

2022’s marquee NFT event in America’s biggest city failed to capitalize on its namesake technology, while an iconic music festival in the California desert understood the possibilities, writes Mirwan Suwarso of Mola TV.

Bitcoin mining difficulty rose by 1.74% on Thursday following three consecutive drops in previous adjustments, according to data from BTC.com. See related article: Chinese mining rig maker Canaan says global expansion on track despite ‘crypto winter’ Fast facts The mining difficulty reading was at 28.17 trillion, as of block height 747,936, the data showed. The […]

South Korea’s leading digital asset exchange Bithumb is linking its system with mobile applications from three major domestic financial institutions — Samsung Securities, NH Nonghyup and KB Kookmin Bank, Bithumb announced Thursday. See related article: Scarred by Terra-LUNA, South Korea moves ahead with digital asset reform Fast facts Bithumb users can now check up-to-date crypto […]

Revolut has started offering cryptocurrency services to users in Singapore, the global fintech firm said on Thursday. See related article: How a market slump may be helping Singapore’s stance against retail crypto Fast facts Revolut will levy transaction fees of 2.5% and 1.5% on standard and premium plans, the company said in its statement. Customers […]

It was a mixed bag for the top 10 cryptocurrencies Friday morning in Asia, with most moving less than 1%. Bitcoin dipped, while BNB continued its breakout run for a second day. Bitcoin was trading at US$22,612 as of 8 a.m. in Hong Kong, down 1% in the last 24 hours. Ethereum slipped 0.7% to […]

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. The business of music is a painfully difficult thing to pursue, especially for those trying to parlay passion into profit.  But blockchain technology might just be […]

US Senate proposes the CFTC takes responsibility of Bitcoin and Ethereum. Meanwhile, Philippine authorities warn against Binance

India’s government doesn’t like cryptocurrencies and has made that clear in statements and with heavy taxes on the asset class, but what does that say about blockchain adoption?

Bitcoin and Ethereum moved lower in Asia afternoon trading on Thursday, with Solana recovering from a price drop blamed on a hack of its network. Bitcoin was priced at US$22,927 as of 4:30 p.m. in Hong Kong, down 1.12% in the last 24 hours. Ethereum edged down 0.9% to US$1,621, according to data from CoinMarketCap. […]

India’s Directorate of Enforcement (ED), responsible for enforcing economic laws and fighting economic crime, is investigating two cases against crypto exchange WazirX under the Foreign Exchange Management Act of 1999 (FEMA), reported local media. See related article: Only the big fish will survive as India cracks the whip on crypto: Binance-backed WazirX Fast facts Zanmai […]

The massive Solana wallet hack had occurred after centralized servers stored unencrypted seed phrases sent by Slope Wallet’s mobile app, making them visible to anyone with access to the server, showed a preliminary finding from blockchain audit firm OtterSec. See related article: Solana blames Slope for exploit Fast facts See related article: After Nomad and […]

The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cautioned the public not to invest with Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, in response to think tank Infrawatch PH’s request to ban Binance in the Philippines. See related article: Philippines think tank calls for ban on Binance Fast facts In a letter responding […]

The city of Suzhou in China’s Southeast became the latest to issue an e-CNY loan to a manufacturing unit. See related article: China’s central bank to expand digital yuan pilot program Fast facts See related article: Complete anonymity never a consideration for CBDC: PBoC official