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Silicon Valley venture giant Andreessen Horowitz plants flag in London: fuels UK’s ascent as a Web3 innovator.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Hong Kong mulls Bitcoin ETFs, Ordinals flip Ethereum NFTs, IPO comes full circle.

While Hong Kong and Singapore compete for the top spot, Dubai is already shaping the future of fintech and Web3, writes Mohammad Alblooshi, chief executive officer of the DIFC Innovation Hub.

Hong Kong is charging ahead in its digital currency initiatives, but more must be done to address the e-HKD’s environmental impact and security concerns.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Bankman-Fried’s memory lapses, betting on the return of NFTs, ETF dreams and Bitcoin’s Uptober

This marked Bankman-Fried’s fourth and final day of testimony before Wednesday’s closing arguments.

Colossal failures in online age verification have opened the floodgates for kids to access harmful content and become ‘friends’ with adult strangers. Can encrypted decentralized IDs put a stop to all that?

October sees NFT resurgence with US$300 million in sales despite negative trade profits; SoFi platforms face challenges amid financial scrutiny.

Often dismissed as coincidence, October has once again produced an upswing in the crypto market, with excitement around a potential U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF to thank for this year’s ‘Uptober.’

Prosecutors pointed out inconsistencies in Bankman-Fried’s public statements before FTX collapsed in a four-hour grilling.

The MAS said that its previous tokenization pilots demonstrated great potential benefits of the technology.

Platforms like Facebook, Reddit and the hot mess formerly known as Twitter are alienating users like never before. ‘Web3 doesn’t let you be a dick and get away with it,’ writes Joonatan Lintala, CEO of Phaver.

In a rare move, Judge Lewis Kaplan sent the jury home early so he can decide what is and isn’t admissible in FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s testimony.

Amid Bitcoin’s ‘Uptober’ surge and Friend.tech’s security concerns, traders pivot back to NFTs, spurred by Blur’s rewards end date and potential Bitcoin ETF approvals.

FTX’s former general counsel Can Sun testified he was “shocked” by $7 billion in missing customer funds as the prosecution’s case starts to draw to a close.

The plight of the Philippines — which has a high rate of crypto adoption but is also plagued by fraud — offers a window into why the industry’s ‘do your own research’ mantra isn’t enough.

Israeli police requested information on 200 additional crypto accounts.

Few tokens and too many exchanges are a bad recipe for Japan’s smaller crypto trading houses. The experts say there’s room for up to five only. So what happens to the little guy now that the world’s largest exchange Binance has rolled back into town?

Tether says it froze US$873,000 in USDT linked to terror activities in Israel and Ukraine. CEO Ardoino stresses crypto’s traceability.

Inside the world’s largest crypto exchange’s annus horribilis.

From tech monopolies to the synergy of AI and blockchain, Alex Tapscott, author of “Web3: Charting the Internet’s Next Economic and Cultural Frontier,” dissects the trajectories of the digital landscape.

Several crypto firms join forces to set up a humanitarian fund amid ongoing war and star witness in Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial gives testimony.

Bitcoin was subdued by the mounting geopolitical concerns around Israel’s war with Hamas and the ongoing FTX lawsuit.

The research firm said that on-chain data point toward Russian hackers, instead of the previously-suspected North Korean Lazarus Group.

With the U.S. CPI holding steady and predictions favoring unchanged Fed rates, Bitcoin remains resilient.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Gaza tensions, digital tremors, NFTs are not dancing in September, Joe Lubin talks traditional system’s twilight.

The DCJPY could play a central role in the future’s currency system, according to DeCurret Holdings.

The current crypto bear market caused Coinbase’s trading volume to drop to levels not seen since 2020.

Caroline Ellison details how Sam Bankman-Fried planned to raise capital from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman as FTX struggled to repay lenders.

Caroline Ellison, Sam Bankman-Fried’s ex-girlfriend and former CEO of Alameda Research, details how the trading firm took around $14 billion from FTX customers to repay lenders.

Bitmain, one of the world’s largest Bitcoin application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) manufacturers, has suspended employee salary payments from September, according to a Tuesday report by China-based tech news outlet Leiphone. See related article: Hamas crypto donation accounts frozen by Israel police Fast Facts See related article: CMCC Global raises US$100 mln to launch Hong Kong […]

South Korea’s cryptocurrency market has bounced back during the first half of this year but is still almost 50% below its value at the end of 2021, according to the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KOFIU), a government agency that oversees the nation’s anti-money laundering regime. See related article: Hamas crypto donation accounts frozen by Israel […]

The CEO of blockchain services provider Consensys and co-founder of Ethereum spoke to Forkast at the Token 2049 crypto conference in Singapore. He discussed decentralization and what he sees as the crucial role to be played by blockchain in AI and vice-versa.

Crypto Aid Israel, a fund aiding war-impacted citizens, uses a multi-signature wallet for Bitcoin, Ether, and stablecoins donations.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the co-founder and former chief executive officer of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, should be blocked from bringing up artificial intelligence firm Anthropic’s latest fundraising efforts in his defense against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), prosecutors said in a court filing on Sunday. See related article: Little-known FTX co-founder Gary Wang testifies in Sam […]

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Forkast’s Megha Chaddah, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions.

The largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange will be launching more products and services in the Lion City, Coinbase’s Hassan Ahmed says.

Wang admits he implemented special privileges in the exchange’s code to enable Alameda Research to withdraw unlimited funds.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Spotlight on Bankman-Fried, Pudgy Penguins’ new revenue stream and Google’s Web3 goggles

Cryptocurrencies and NFTs are evolving and carving out distinct niches, prompting a closer look at their diverging paths and the emerging trends in the digital financial landscape.

The Asia-Pacific branch of Ripple Labs has received a Major Payments Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

At the Token 2049 crypto conference in Singapore held Sept. 13 to 14, Google Cloud’s James Tromans spoke to Forkast about a possible marriage between Webs 2 and 3.

The Major Payment Institution license from Singapore’s central bank allows the exchange to expand its digital payment token services in the Lion City.

The prospect of FTX’s return to the competitive exchange landscape is being keenly watched by stakeholders, reflecting on its meteoric rise, groundbreaking approach, and tumultuous fall.

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission delayed the publishing of a crypto framework earlier this year citing the FTX collapse in late 2022 as the reason.

Chase, the U.K.-based digital bank, told customers Tuesday in an email that it will ban U.K. clients from making crypto-related payments.

PYUSD’s launch is injecting much-needed trust into crypto’s turbulent landscape, but its current form does not come with any of the benefits of real crypto, writes Danny Chong, co-founder of Tranchess.

NHN Corporation announced Friday that it has partnered with U.S.-based Mysten Labs to launch an on-chain game scheduled for 2024.

With winds in its legal sails, crypto is now poised to evolve into a complete economy with its own financial products and capital markets. The question is when.

Blockchain analytics are key to understanding the nascent crypto industry. But the analysis sector is far from immune from the pressures of the ongoing crypto bear market. In the first of a series of 1-on-1 interviews from the Token2049 conference held in Singapore Sept. 13-14, Alex Svanevik, CEO of blockchain analytics firm Nansen, sat down with Forkast to discuss current crypto challenges, the Asia growth market and the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the industry.

The JPEX scandal sheds light on the vulnerabilities in Hong Kong’s crypto marketplace, prompting reflection on regulatory safeguards as the city aspires to be a global digital asset hub, former SFC regulator Angelina Kwan says.

Blockchain and AI’s synergistic combination will create technology beyond today’s wildest imagination. But true AI-Web3 integration remains a difficult affair.

Top blockchain and crypto news: U.S. SEC steps up regulatory enforcement. Gaming giant Zynga moves into NFTs. Woes ahead for JPEX exchange after HK arrests.

Zynga’s free Sugartown Oras NFTs spotlight the power of mystery in the digital asset realm as prices surge on speculation.

Now a top-ranked crypto hub, Singapore is a shiny example of the central role that government can play in nurturing industry growth while bolstering consumer protections.

A growing number of asset management companies are joining the race for the approval of a Bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund in the United States while the Securities and Exchange Commission keeps delaying its decision on existing applications.

The third installment of Forkast’s ‘Crypto in Sport’ series comes from Singapore, which this week plays host to Formula One’s Singapore Grand Prix. Crypto companies poured hundreds of millions of sponsorship money into F1 at the height of the bull market, but might a prolonged crypto winter pull the plug on this marriage of convenience? Or can diversification and real world use cases help breathe new life into the relationship? Welcome to crypto’s very own drive to survive.

Billed as Asia’s largest crypto event, Token 2049 took place over Sept. 13-14 in the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore. Drawing over 10,000 attendees from all parts of the world, there was excitement about blockchain adoption in the region. But repeat references to one man were a reminder of the U.S. regulatory concerns weighing heavily on the crypto industry.

FTX’s former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried, faces DOJ scrutiny with seven charges. Here are the six key figures in the coming crypto courtroom showdown.

A U.S. bankruptcy court in Delaware approved failed crypto exchange FTX’s motion to sell its crypto assets at a court hearing on Wednesday.

ZK is a complex but game-changing cryptographic technique for blockchain scalability and privacy. Here’s how the industry can make it more accessible.

The U.S. affiliate of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance has laid off one-third of its staff, or more than 100 employees.

Bitcoin rose on Wednesday morning in Asia to near US$26,000. Ether also bounced back to near US$1,600. All other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens logged gains.

To solve DAOs’ people problems with mismanagement and bad actors, they need to lean into automation — and take more matters out of human hands.

Web3 companies often focus on building their tech above all else, but poor public communications can undermine all the work they do.

The annual Korea Blockchain Week conference in Seoul is running from Sept. 4 to 10. Crypto industry leaders and advocates from around the world have gathered in the South Korean capital to discuss all things blockchain, including the growing regulatory gap between the U.S. and Asia.

Salame pleaded guilty Thursday in New York to two criminal charges related to the collapse of the FTX cryptocurrency exchange last November.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Coinbase steps up to fill void of crypto lenders. NFTs extend losses. What’s next for crypto as Singapore gets a new president?

Socializing in a virtual world has been around for 20 years but remains a niche pursuit. Will AI and the new generation of digital natives make it mainstream?

Bitcoin was trading flat below US$26,000 Wednesday morning in Asia. Ether edged up but remained below the US$1,650 mark.

SEC charges shake NFT market as pricey assets record losses and global sales hit new lows, marking the onset of a transformative era for digital collectibles.

Making sure the smart contracts behind DeFi platforms are thoroughly audited isn’t just a job for code developers — it’s also a must for ordinary investors.