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South Korea will tax crypto but not NFTs

South Korea’s finance minister says that while income from virtual asset transactions will be taxed starting Jan. 1, 2022, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are not to be taxed yet. Fast facts At the National Assembly’s annual review on Wednesday, Minister of Economy and Finance Hong Nam-ki said the government plans to start taxing virtual asset gains […]

Korea crypto tax pause called for; TikTok jumps into NFTs

Korea crypto tax pause called for meanwhile Tiktok jumps into NFTs

TikTok makes high-profile entry into NFT market with NY Times ad buy

TikTok, an app that is popular for making and sharing short videos, is jumping onto the non-fungible token (NFT) bandwagon. TikTok placed a full-page advertisement in the New York Times to promote its entry into that market. Fast facts The fast-growing social media platform, which has just surpassed 1 billion monthly users worldwide, announced plans […]

Government-backed NFT art-trading market launched in China’s new duty-free port

The Hainan International Art Exchange Center on Wednesday launched an NFT art-trading platform that supports e-CNY payments, according to China News’ report. According to the staff of the center, the blockchain platform provides services for the purchase and sale of art between art institutions. Institutional traders will be able to tokenize physical artworks as NFTs […]

Ripple launches $250M fund for NFT creators to build on XRP Ledger

Ripple, a San Francisco-based blockchain payments company currently embroiled in litigation against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has launched a US$250 million “creator fund” for content creators, brands and marketplaces to build non-fungible token (NFT) use cases on the XRP Ledger, according to a company blog post. Fast facts Ripple’s latest move to expand […]

XinFin’s XDC Network and Tradeteq partner on NFTs for trade finance

Singapore-based blockchain protocol eXchange inFinite (XinFin) and trade finance distribution platform Tradeteq today announced their partnership to tokenize trade finance assets into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), according to a company statement shared with Forkast.News. Fast facts Atul Khekade, co-founder of XinFin, told Forkast.News in an interview that traditional trade finance assets that are typically paper-based such […]

The9 teams up with Polygon and Protocol Labs on new NFT platform, game projects

The9 Ltd., a Chinese gaming company that pivoted earlier this year to cryptocurrency mining — along with Polygon and Protocol Labs — are forming an ecosystem collaboration on The9’s non-fungible token (NFT) platform NFTSTAR and GameFi play-to-earn projects. Fast facts The company said in a statement released on Thursday that NFTSTAR and The9’s GameFi projects will […]

As big investors pour $930M into 2 NFT startups, what do the tea leaves say for the rest?

Marquee investors like Softbank and Andreessen Horowitz are heaping love on Sorare and Dapper Labs. What does this mean for the future of the non-fungible tokens sector?

VC names jump in on NFTs; Crypto investors brush off Evergrande

VC names jump in on NFTs meanwhile crypto investors brush off Evergrande

NFT charity auction to benefit low-income families in Singapore

Blockchain Association Singapore (BAS) and Singapore’s National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) U Care Fund today announced their inaugural non-fungible token (NFT) charity auction event, Blockchain For Good, which will take place Oct. 4 to 10. Fast facts The charity initiative — supported by a wide range of companies including Singapore Airlines, Amazon Web Services Inc., […]

Insider trading scandal rocks world’s biggest NFT platform OpenSea

As the trading volume in non-fungible tokens begins to slow down from recent record heights, leading NFT marketplace OpenSea has been rocked by an insider trading scandal involving a senior team member. Fast facts The company, dubbed “the eBay of NFTs,” issued a statement yesterday acknowledging it became aware on Tuesday that an employee had […]

Litecoin unloved at Walmart. Cardano’s Alonzo upgrade. China takes aim at NFTs.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Walmart dispels Litecoin hoax. Cardano’s real work begins. Beijing bears down on NFTs.

2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou to sell torch NFTs supported by Alipay

Despite widespread criticism of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that has emerged in Chinese state-owned media, the 2022 Asian Games has announced the sale of its first NFT collection. Fast facts Organizers of the games, set to take place in September 2022 in Hangzhou, the capital city of the eastern province of Zhejiang, announced in a social […]

Mets owner, hedge fund mogul Steve Cohen backs NFT platform Recur

Florida-based non-fungible token (NFT) platform Recur announced it has received backing from Steve Cohen, owner of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, in its US$50 million series A funding round. Fast facts The financing round, which valued Recur at a US$333 million post-money valuation, was led by Digital, a metaverse investment platform backed by Cohen’s […]

China-run media outlet criticizes NFT platform as a payment risk

In the latest response to a growing interest in non-fungible tokens, Beijing Business Today faults an art marketplace.

China state mouthpiece criticizes NFT mania

A sister paper of the People’s Daily, Securities Times, published an opinion piece to criticize non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as hype and suggested the digital assets should serve the real economy by tokenizing actual assets. Fast facts The article offers as an example Justin Sun’s NFT purchase of a digital avatar for US$10.5 million and the […]

E-CNY problems to be solved; China sees warning over NFT hype

E-CNY problems to be solved, also China sees warning over NFT hype

Miss Universe Thailand, NFTs join in world first

The Miss Universe Thailand 2021 pageant has partnered with Bangkok-based crypto exchange Bitkub to feature non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as part of the competition, Bitkub announced. Bitkub claims the event will mark the first NFT beauty pageant. Fast facts Bitkub will mint NFT collectible cards of the pageant contestants. The company also will provide participants with […]

Alibaba’s Tmall sells out mooncake NFTs

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is sparing no efforts in riding the non-fungible token (NFT) wave, with its online retailer Tmall selling out a new collection of NFTs featuring mooncakes — a signature snack made to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival that falls on Sept. 21 this year. Fast facts Tmall has issued “mooncake NFTs” built with […]

Searching for Asia’s ‘hidden treasures’ in NFTs and GameFi

Why is Axie Infinity so popular, and what is the potential of play-to-earn gaming? Two venture capitalists share insights on Asia’s special place as GameFi’s hub.

Cardano set for Alonzo launch, smart contracts and NFTs to come

Cardano’s Alonzo hard fork will bring smart contracts and NFT support to the world’s third-largest blockchain. What will it mean for the crypto market?

‘Pororo the Little Penguin’ NFTs and metaverse theme park underway

The Sandbox, Animoca Brand’s subsidiary for decentralized virtual gaming, announces partnership with animation studio in Korea.

Korea crypto damage assessed; Initium’s news based NFTs sell out

Korea crypto damage assessed meanwhile Initium’s news based NFTs sell out

C.R.E.A.M. Finance integrates 6 NFT tokens as part of DeFi bridge strategy

C.R.E.A.M. Finance, a Taipei-based decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform, on Sept. 8 announced its support of six metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that will allow users to borrow and lend against the assets. Fast facts NFTs, unique digital assets whose authenticity and ownership are tracked on a blockchain, have seen exponential growth over the past […]

Former Hong Kong news site issues NFTs to preserve history

Initium Media, also known as 端傳媒, is turning to blockchain technology to grow revenue and to ensure controversial news does not get forgotten — or tampered with.

Riding the NFT trend: questions to consider before investing in these hot digital assets

As non-fungible tokens break into the mainstream, experts advise buyers to do research and watch for a correction.

Binance Smart Chain one year on — from DeFi to NFTs and gaming

Have DeFi exploits on BSC hindered the blockchain’s success? NFTs and gaming offer a boost.

Solana hits all time high: FTX’s NFT marketplace spammed

Solana hits all-time19 high as FTX’s NFT marketplace spammed

FTX’s NFT platform spammed by fish; SBF’s test NFT sells for $270,000

FTX is the latest crypto exchange to join the NFT bandwagon. “Make your own NFTs,” CEO Sam Bankman-Fried tweeted. 

NFL flags NFTs, crypto sponsorships for teams while it huddles on a digital game plan

The American football league’s 32 teams cannot sell NFTs or accept backing from crypto trading firms — at least for now.

TV series ‘Men of the House’ to be fully financed by NFTs

TokenSociety.io, a non-fungible token minting platform and marketplace for the entertainment industry, has completed its first NFT Drop for the pilot episode of “Men of the House,” a situation comedy TV series, the company announced today. Fast facts The pilot episode of “Men of the House” is completely financed through the sale of its NFTs […]

OKEx launches NFT marketplace and DeFi hub

OKEx, the world’s second-largest crypto derivatives exchange by trading volume, is amplifying its decentralized finance (DeFi) efforts by launching its DeFi Hub, along with a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace. Fast facts OKEx has launched DeFi Hub, a platform that offers users the ability to view and manage decentralized assets across major blockchain networks and DeFi […]

Jack Dorsey’s Bitcoin bourse. Are NFTs in bubble trouble? China banks on e-CNY.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Does TBD stand for Twitter Boss Decision? NFTs’ ballooning interest. How billions in e-yuan are coursing through China.

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is launching his own NFT collection

Prominent Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan will release his own non-fungible token collection later this year. Fast facts The NFTs will be rolled out on BeyondLife.club, a joint venture between Indian film production company Rhiti Entertainment and Guardian Link, a decentralized legitimacy protocol for NFT exchanges. BeyondLife.club allows users to buy NFTs with credit cards or […]

Dogecoin spawns more pups with Doge NFT split into tokens for resale

Dogecoin keeps spawning pups, and this time, it could be quite a litter. In yet another spinoff of the crypto industry’s biggest meme, fractionalized ownership of the non-fungible token (NFT) of the original Shiba Inu image that launched Dogecoin is up for sale today in the form of $DOGE tokens, Bloomberg reports. Fast facts Ownership […]

The9 launches NFT platform; HK SFC issues crypto warning

The9 launches NFT platform meanwhile HK SFC issues crypto warning

Some NFT creators and investors have a lucky number

A fascination with 8s could be related to the fact that the Chinese pronunciation of the number 8 or “Ba” is similar to that of “發” or “Fa,” which stands for wealth and prosperity.

Chinese gaming company The9 expands into NFT business

The9 Ltd., a Chinese gaming company that pivoted earlier this year to cryptocurrency mining, unveils plans to get into non-fungible token business, reflecting the company’s ambition to ramp up its blockchain-based operation. Fast facts Nasdaq-listed The9 has announced that its Singapore-based subsidiary NFTSTAR Singapore Pte. Ltd. will launch a NFT trading and community platform NFTSTAR […]

Mutant Ape NFTs collect $140 million on OpenSea market

Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) — one of the hottest non-fungible token projects at the moment — released its Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) NFTs over the weekend through a free airdrop to existing Bored Ape holders as well as a public auction of 10,000 Mutant Apes. The price for Mutant Apes started at three […]

How a Hong Kong newspaper is remaking history with NFTs

The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong’s paper of record for 118 years, is experimenting with NFTs and metaverse technology to bring its storied past into the future.

AAX to launch its own NFT marketplace, following other crypto exchanges

Amid the immense growth in the non-fungible token market, leading Singapore-based crypto exchange AAX is planning to launch its own NFT marketplace in the “near future,” according to a press release shared with Forkast.News. Fast facts In preparation for the launch, AAX is running a campaign in which its users can auction NFTs for charity […]

HK football team launches NFTs; Food concept offers crypto mooncakes

HK football team launches NFTs; Food concept offers crypto mooncakes

Hong Kong’s Resources Capital Football Club kicks off NFT goals

The team joins a growing number of football clubs around the world launching non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as they look to engage fans and generate new revenue streams.

Vogue Singapore catwalks to a metaverse with NFT launch

The magazine unveils two digital-only covers as well as fashion, beauty and design NFTs, all for sale in a new metaverse.

Fetch.ai brings AI and machine learning to NFT creators

Fetch.ai, an artificial intelligence lab based in the British city of Cambridge, today announced the launch of its new non-fungible token (NFT) platform, Colearn Paint, that will allow creators to automatically generate NFTs using a machine learning algorithm. Fast facts Alongside the surge in NFT sales over the past year, NFT marketplaces have proliferated. According […]

CryptoPunk NFTs smash records as VISA purchases a CryptoPunk for US$150K

CryptoPunks sales volume increased by over 1,100% in the last 24 hours

Poly Network offers hacker a job: NFTs support Afghan families

Poly Network offers hacker a job meanwhile NFTs support Afghan families

OpenSea dumps Pepe the Frog NFT series

Despite having verified it, and with investors already spending millions on the project, OpenSea has delisted the NFT series after being notified by its creator.

NFTs used to raise funds for displaced Afghan families

With the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan capturing headlines around the world, Jack Butcher, the founder of New York-based graphic design agency Visualize Value, has partnered with the Cooperative for American Remittances (CARE) humanitarian charity to launch a non-fungible token fund to provide “care packages” to displaced Afghan families. Fast facts The NFT care packages are […]

Alibaba launches new auction service as it doubles down on NFTs

Accessibility of Alibaba Auction through Tencent’s WeChat service hints at closer relationship between two longtime rivals.

How NFTs could be the future standard for trading and investing

Non-fungible tokens are taking the art and collectibles world by storm. But more valuable uses for NFTs lie just around the corner, writes Ilja Laurs of Dappscape.

U.S., Indonesia drive NFT wave, DappRadar report shows

A new report by DappRadar shows that interest in NFTs has come mainly from the United States and Indonesia, and that Russia and India have a presence in the market as well. Fast facts DappRadar, an NFT and decentralized finance and decentralized app store and a data provider, revealed this month in its user behavior […]

Tencent unit QQ Music sells first NFTs

Chinese tech giant Tencent’s music streaming arm, QQ Music, has jumped on the non-fungible token bandwagon and over the weekend sold out its first NFT featuring popular Mando-pop singer Tiger Hu. Fast facts QQ Music, one of China’s major music entertainment platforms, plans to roll out a slew of music NFTs. Over the weekend, all […]

Poly Network recovers assets; Rario launches cricket NFT platform

Poly Network recovers assets meanwhile Rario launches cricket NFT platform

Chinese payment giant Alipay finds buyers for new NFTs

Alipay, one of China’s major payment apps, has again rolled out non-fungible token artworks designed as wallpapers for users’ payment code pages, with a total of 80,000 copies of two editions combined having sold out within a day. Fast facts Alipay yesterday started selling two editions of artworks — built on its own Ant Chain […]

Cricket NFT platform Rario launches on Polygon

Rario, an officially licensed cricket non-fungible token startup built on the Polygon blockchain, has announced its integration with Polygon’s NFT platform, Polygon Studios. Fast facts Polygon Studios, an NFT-focused gaming and metaverse hub, was launched last month by Indian Ethereum scaling platform Polygon to facilitate Web 3.0 gaming and fuel mainstream adoption of NFTs. It […]

NFT trade takes off. Tether’s bankable reserves. Tencent targeted in China.

Top blockchain and crypto news: NFT wave buoys OpenSea. Are dollars and sense a lifeline for Tether? Tencent gets a target on its back.

NFTs and the music industry: K-pop’s new token economy | Part 2

K-pop superstars Brave Girls, Se7en and A.C.E. are among the latest to jump on the non-fungible token bandwagon. Are fans buying it?
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HK artists embrace NFT’s; NFTs new top K-Pop merchandise

Hong Kong artists embrace NFTs. NFT’s to become must-have merchandise for K-Pop fans.  And an Indonesian resort offers NFT timeshares. We’ll have more on that story — and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world — in this episode of The Daily Forkast, August 10th. Transcript Welcome to The Daily Forkast, August 10th 2021. […]

Hong Kong artists embrace NFTs as OpenSea trading volume explodes

Despite speculation that the NFT market is cooling, OpenSea continues to post record transaction volumes, and Hong Kong artists are getting in on the action.

Axie Infinity NFT market trade tops US$1B as player numbers surge

Axie Infinity’s founder has announced that the company’s non-fungible token market trading volume hit US$1 billion this morning, having already announced that it had more than 1 million daily active players last Friday. Fast facts DappRadar shows the Axie NFT market now has a trading volume of US$1.126 billion, ranking first among all markets. It […]

Ripple expands XRP into NFTs amid escalating legal battles

As court grants CEO request to obtain info from Binance to bolster defense in SEC lawsuit, Ripple seeks to expand use cases for XRP Ledger.

Taxing times for crypto. Ethereum hard fork takes knife to fees. Tencent bets on NFTs.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Ethereum’s price flatlining on eve of revolution? Uncle Sam wants pay to play. China’s Big Tech toes the line with NFTs.

United Nations-associated NFT art project builds on Polkadot to fight climate change

The DigitalArt4Climate NFT initiative aims to promote art via blockchain technology to inspire environmental activism around the world.

Hong Kong crypto crime surges; Tencent launches NFT platform

Hong Kong crypto crime surges as Tencent launches NFT platform.

Tencent climbs aboard NFT bandwagon with new trading app

Chinese internet giant Tencent is making a foray in the world of non-fungible tokens, launching an NFT trading platform named Huanhe. Fast facts The tech conglomerate has rolled out the Huanhe app — built on the company’s own Zhixin chain — on its Android application platform. Its debut sales feature 300 audio NFTs created based […]

China maintains crypto market pressure; J-Pop stars offer NFT advice

China maintains crypto market pressure. On the other hand, J-Pop stars offer NFT advice.

NFT market OpenSea transaction volume hits record high

Non-fungible token marketplace OpenSea’s July transaction volume reached a new high of almost US$325 million, a 118% increase from an historic high attained in June. Fast facts The new numbers make OpenSea the most active NFT marketplace. OpenSea’s July NFT transaction numbers and transaction fees were also records, at 457,700 and US$21.78 million, respectively, breaking […]

How NFTs can track patient consent for clinical trials and give you greater control over your own health data

A new NFT platform built on Hedera Hashgraph aims to give patients greater control over their health information. How does it work?

Stoner Cats cause trouble on Ethereum as NFT cartoon goes live

Sales of non-fungible tokens for “Stoner Cats,” the new adult cartoon featuring Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin alongside Hollywood A-listers, resulted in losses totaling 344.6 ETH (US$790,000) to fans yesterday due to the influx of buyers who overwhelmed the Ethereum network and failed transactions, according to data from Dune Analytics. Fast facts The show, which sold […]

Amber Group launches CreatorFi NFT initiative to bridge traditional, crypto worlds

Hong Kong-based crypto financial services company Amber Group wants to bridge the gap between creators, collectors and platforms looking to get into NFTs and the crypto space.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin to star with Mila Kunis in NFT-based show

As non-fungible tokens make their way into TV with a new funding model and method of building community, who better to lead a project than the head of Ethereum himself?