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The traditional financial industry is getting its feet wet in tokenization of assets, and there’s an influx of interest in the private asset space, as Mathew McDermott, managing director of Goldman Sachs, said today at a Hong Kong Fintech Week panel moderated by Angie Lau, editor-in-chief and founder of Forkast.News. Fast facts McDermott said Goldman […]

Blockdata co-founder Jonathan Knegtel thinks so. Almost a teenager, Bitcoin is reaching a level of maturity that’s defying the predictions of its critics.

India digital payments giant Paytm will consider launching crypto-related services if it becomes a regulated asset class in the country, Paytm CFO Madhur Deora told Bloomberg TV on Thursday. Fast facts “Bitcoin is still in a regulatory gray area, if not a regulatory ban in India,” Deora said. “If it [Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies] was […]

DBS Bank — Southeast Asia’s largest lender — intends to scale its crypto exchange as it invests in blockchain and wants to be nimble to adapt to how DeFi evolves.

Equities and Bitcoin have a clearly demonstrated bond, but now oil is strengthening its relationship to crypto, too

Solana prices keep cresting to new heights, making SOL a top-five cryptocurrency by size. What makes Solana and its ecosystem stand out? Forkast.News explains.

BTS’ label dreams bigger than just dominating the K-pop world — they want to digitize the IP even more.

Information Technology (IT) firms in South Korea set up shop in the realm of the metaverse, with their first step being non-fungible token (NFT) platforms.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Stablecoins at regulatory crossroads. Squid Game crypto players suffer shocking fate. Are metaverses China’s new national insecurity?

Dogecoin and Shiba Inu are gaining massive traction and ranking among the top five traded cryptocurrencies on Indian exchanges. Fast facts Dogecoin contributed 13.76% to the overall trading volume of CoinSwitch Kuber, which claims to be the largest Indian crypto exchange with over 10 million customers, over the last six months, according to a report […]

Amid debate in Australia surrounding the banking sector’s relationship with cryptocurrency, the country’s largest bank, Commonwealth Bank, will soon be allowing customers to buy, sell and hold crypto assets directly through its app — making it the first bank in the country to do so. Fast facts Partnering with leading global crypto exchange and custodian […]

The hacked DeFi platform called China’s cyber police first thing as most users appear to be in China.

The big-money world of NFTs is also attracting hackers, thieves and con artists. How do you know if that Ape NFT or digital Banksy is fake?

This follows an attack on Cream Finance that also resulted in a $130M hack.

Blockchain has achieved platform status, writes Don Tapscott of Blockchain Research Institute. Get ready for the ‘trivergence’ that will shake up the world.

Martial arts comedy movie series “King Fury” director David Sandberg has launched a new non-fungible token series called “Unicorn Masters” inspired by monstrous action figures from movies in the 1980s and 90s. Fast facts The Halloween edition of Unicorn Masters contain 15 3D-rendered animated characters described as disturbed, disembodied and desiccated. The NFT characters look […]

Warning issued over K-pop crypto meanwhile Dog fight hits crypto market

The global AML watchdog provides clarifications on how crypto is to be regulated — and why DeFi could see more scrutiny.

Bitcoin is awakening humanity to its own sovereign capacities, says Ben Caselin of AAX. Here’s why the world’s first cryptocurrency is still at the cutting edge of finance and culture.

China’s first national standard for blockchain could be released next year and a draft is now in the process of being submitted for approval, an official said earlier this week at an event in the western province of Sichuan, according to a report from local media Chuanguan, run by state-owned Sichuan Daily. Fast facts Li […]

Behind this year’s giddy markets, evil and tragedies abound. Just in time for Halloween, Forkast.News shakes out the skeletons in crypto’s closet.

Even the most reliable media can report wildly different crypto numbers. Forkast.News dives into DeFi math and crypto exchange economics to find out who’s right.

Singapore’s DBS Bank — Southeast Asia’s largest lender — has joined the Hedera Governing Council, a diverse group of companies that governs and supports the Hedera network, an enterprise-grade public ledger of transactions, according to a media statement. Fast facts DBS — the first and only bank in Southeast Asia to join the Governing Council […]

Recent developments indicate the government is looking to regulate the sector instead of quashing it, and industry experts remain optimistic. 

Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Tesla’s turbocharge a boost for Bitcoin? Mastercard’s Bakkt with a new crypto deal. Chinese NFTs on knife-edge.

The Municipal Administrative Center of Beijing officially announced the launch of an e-CNY enterprise zone to “explore the digital renminbi financial system.” The plan includes support for experimental digital currency projects including by increasing  5G infrastructure to enable faster transactions. Fast facts E-CNY is China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC). It is anticipated to be […]

Ethereum’s creator explains why rollups can help scale Ethereum while preserving decentralization.

Philippines trials blockchain voting meanwhile Byron Bay to host crypto mining

While it may be known locally and domestically as a tourist hotspot and home to many Hollywood A-list celebrities, Australia’s coastal town of Byron Bay is set to become host to Australia’s biggest Bitcoin mining site— and it’s going to be powered by 100% renewable energy. Fast facts According to a company press release, local […]

Tech giants banish non-fungible token references as Beijing looks down new virtual asset market.

The nation’s elections commission wants to upgrade its voting technology to improve voter turnout and public trust. Does blockchain check the boxes?

Proshares files for exemption meanwhile Shiba Inu hits all-time high

Hong Kong-based blockchain technology company digiXnode Technology Ltd. today officially launched an exclusive service portal — for users in Hong Kong and Macau — that grants access to the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), China’s public-private nationwide infrastructure project to spur mass adoption of blockchain technology. Fast facts By subscribing to the service from digiXnode’s website […]

Nigeria, a country with one of the world’s highest cryptocurrency adoption rates, is set to become the first African nation to launch its own central bank digital currency (CBDC) today as President Muhammadu Buhari formally launches the eNaira. Fast facts Nigeria’s CBDC, the eNaira, was initially scheduled to be launched on Oct. 1. The launch […]

Less than a week out from its historic launch, ProShares is already seeking to amend its Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund — the first in the U.S. — by filing for an exemption from trading limits at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where the fund purchases its futures contracts, according to an article in Barron’s. Fast facts […]

The Australian government sees blockchain’s enormous benefits and is now actively developing the technology, writes Chami Akmeemana. What can other countries learn from this?

Australia’s Senate report into fintech regulations includes 12 recommendations for a clear digital assets framework.

“For now, we do not have any plan for using e-CNY in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries yet,” China’s central bank chief said at the 2021 G30 International Banking Seminar, regarding the electronic yuan (e-CNY), the world’s first major central bank digital currency that is being slowly rolled out in China. Meanwhile, authorities […]

Ethereum prices surged to new heights ahead of next week’s Altair Beacon Chain upgrade but then pulled back. How do crypto experts make sense of it?

Just three months after closing a record US$1 billion series B, the two-year-old cryptocurrency exchange is now valued at US$25 billion. Fast facts The US$420,690,000 Series B-1 funding round saw the participation of 69 investors, with prominent names the lineup, including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, via its Teachers’ Innovation Platform, Singapore’s state-owned investment firm […]

Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com is giving away free non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to those who sign up for its annual technology conference JD Discovery, in a move to jump on the NFT bandwagon following its rivals Alibaba and Tencent. Fast facts JD.com’s tech arm JD Technology said yesterday in a social media post it is giving […]

In a special Q&A, CEO Louis Liu describes the hoops FOMO Pay jumped through to win Singapore’s first crypto license and calls its regulator a ‘collaborator.’

Bitcoin set another record as it traded above US$67,000 Wednesday, one day after ProShares’ first-day trading volume reached nearly US$1 billion

Money, culture and community are now converging in NFTs and the token economy, writes Lily Z. King. Welcome to a new world where ‘money Lego’ meets ‘culture Lego.’

Some are registering companies overseas, via — you guessed it — Taobao vendors.

Facebook says it will create 10,000 jobs in the European Union over the next five years to build its highly anticipated metaverse — a digital platform that utilizes technology such as virtual and augmented reality that the company says has the potential to unlock new creative, social and economic opportunities. Fast facts According to a […]

Singapore is a major crypto hub. But for whom? In this primer, Malcolm Tan explains the island-state’s regulatory evolution and which groups are no longer in its favor.

The first US Bitcoin futures EFT is set to begin trading today. Will this exchange-traded fund bring Bitcoin closer to the masses?

Authorities encourage new ways to apply blockchain across various industries, although there’s no room for crypto

The U.S. could see a long-awaited Bitcoin futures ETF trading on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq in the next few days. Forkast.News spoke with market watchers to find out what it means for the industry.

As luxury brands eye the virtual realm, Zilliqa co-founder Max Kantelia looks forward to a convergence of desirable objects and digital opportunities.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday at the United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference the country needs to uphold an innovation-driven approach and create more drivers for development. He specifically mentioned in his remarks the integration of blockchain. Fast facts Xi said more should be done to develop smart transport and smart logistics and […]

Hidden mining tracked by IP addresses to state agencies, enterprises, institutions, schools

The state-run Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and telecommunications service giant China Mobile on Wednesday jointly announced the launch of a fiat digital-yuan hard wallet that allows equipped phones to transact in e-CNY without a mobile network. Fast facts The wallet, SIM Pay, is a super-SIM card with near-field communication (NFC) technology. NFC […]

In this special Q&A, industry leaders tell Forkast.News why global stablecoin regulations can help catalyze crypto adoption.

An NFT art exhibition demonstrates how digital tokens can be used to promote United Nations sustainability goals.

China’s Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) — a public-private nationwide infrastructure project to spur mass adoption of blockchain technology — is partnering with a New York-based blockchain company to advance interoperability as BSN actively expands its global presence to lure more developers to use the blockchain network. Fast facts Cypherium, a smart contract technology provider focusing on central […]

In spite of ongoing regulatory issues, cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network has raised US$400 million in an investment round pegging the valuation of the company at US$3 billion. Fast facts The funding was led by U.S. growth equity firm WestCap and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global investment group.  Celsius will use the funds to […]

Coinbase and Binance move to diversify meanwhile Stablecoins under scrutiny

Crypto miners in China may be under siege and driven out of business or forced to flee to friendlier shores. But one corner of the country’s crypto mining industry — the mining machine manufacturers — does not seem to be affected much. Chinese mining rig maker Bitmain, for example, has recently secured a deal with […]

As non-crypto players like Twitter and PayPal take up digital assets, Coinbase, Binance and others look for ways to expand offerings.

Sri Lanka has formed a panel to recommend a regulatory framework covering the growth of digital banking, blockchain and cryptocurrency mining, the government has announced. Fast facts Developing an integrated system of digital banking, blockchain and cryptocurrency mining is crucial for Sri Lanka to keep up with its regional neighbors while expanding international trade, the […]

According to a Shenzhen state-owned newspaper, Shenzhen now has nearly 120,000 e-CNY pilot program application scenarios, ranking first in the country. Fast facts In October last year, Hong Kong’s neighboring city, Shenzhen, became the first e-CNY pilot city, which rolled out the first batch of 50,000 e-CNY red packets with a total value of 10 […]

Decentralized finance may look like it’s consuming TradFi, writes Will Hamilton of TCM Capital. But here’s why one won’t survive without the other.

China’s Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) — a public-private nationwide infrastructure project to spur mass adoption of blockchain technology — is setting up more portals overseas, as it moves a step closer to more international exposure. Fast facts Red Date Technology, the company China tapped to manage its BSN, announced today that it is working to […]

As blockchain nodes multiply around the world, the need for interconnectivity has never been greater. John DeVadoss of InterWork Alliance explains why.

Singers and musicians are embracing non-fungible tokens, but will their non-crypto active fans buy it?

Tether is facing another round of scrutiny as the world’s number one stablecoin responds to a damning Bloomberg report published yesterday that claimed — among other things — that Tether is not fully backed as the company claims and is using its reserves to make crypto-backed loans. Fast facts In the article, reporter Zeke Faux […]

Binance — the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world — is looking at setting up regional headquarters in Ireland, according to Reuters. Fast facts “Historically, we claim that we don’t have headquarters. We are actually just in the process of establishing a few headquarters in different parts of the world,” Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao told […]

Global healthcare data sharing suffers from lack of security, clear ownership, interoperability and accessibility. Can blockchain provide solutions?

Coinswitch Kuber becomes unicorn meanwhile Australians reminded over crypto tax

The NFT boom is transforming the art world, writes Laura Ballman and Michael Greenwald. Collectors would be wise to learn all they can about this new technology.