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While the crypto industry grapples with the definition of blockchain-based digital tokens, South Korea wants to nail down the terminology.

Football is the most popular sport among crypto investors and 48% of fans among these investors are interested in trading fan tokens for sports teams during the FIFA World Cup, according to a new survey by Seychelles-based crypto exchange KuCoin. 

Cryptocurrencies are getting in the way of the mass adoption of blockchain technology, especially by tech businesses, says Red Date Technology chief Yifan He.

The tokenization of property in DeFi differs greatly from the securitization that led to the global financial crisis. In this introductory part of a special series of three articles, Forkast looks at the origins of the phenomenon, what’s new about it, and the promise it holds for investors.

Hong Kong remains bullish on virtual assets in the financial sector after the FTX debacle, while maintaining the view that regulation of businesses is a prerequisite for market development.

Bitcoin and Ether strengthened in Friday afternoon trading in Asia, reversing some of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s sharp losses. All other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also increased.

Bitcoin rose on Friday in Asia along with Ether and most other major tokens, reversing  a three-day slump as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) released Thursday showed inflation in the U.S. slowed in October.

FTX has invested in many projects through its FTX Ventures arm, contributing to two of the 10 biggest blockchain and crypto funding rounds in the industry. Here are the top five investments FTX has been involved in.

Top blockchain and crypto news: FTX concedes defeat in long battle with Binance. Crypto eyes Congress races. Hong Kong U-turns on digital assets.

NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, has partnered information technology firm Accenture and blockchain infrastructure Astar Network to explore Web 3.0 adoption.

Bitcoin and Ether slumped in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia, with almost every other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also losing ground. For the second consecutive day, polygon was the only coin that strengthened.

Japan needs to further relax rules for its crypto industry, said lawmaker of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party Masaaki Taira.

Bitcoin dipped below US$21,000 in Tuesday morning trading in Asia as Ether and most other tokens in the cryptocurrency top ten by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, lost ground.

Hong Kong’s latest FinTech policies indicate it wants to reclaim its position as a hub for cryptocurrencies and digital assets, but that means finding the right people for the job.

Amid uncertainty and criticism following Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, nearly half a million users have flocked to Mastodon, a decentralized alternative.

By excising cryptocurrencies from the ecosystem, crypto-hostile China could steal a march in enterprise blockchain, says Red Date Technology chief Yifan He.

HashKey Capital Singapore, an investment arm of Hong Kong-based HashKey Group, said on Friday that it received an in-principle approval for the Capital Markets Services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

U.S. computer scientist Stuart Haber, recognized with Scott Stornetta as the co-inventor of blockchain, says he is excited to see the evolution of the technology, not only in the financial sector, but also in entertainment, business, and technology industries.

Bitcoin and Ether rose in Friday morning trading in Asia. Polygon’s Matic led gains in the top 10 tokens after Instagram said it would use Polygon to integrate NFTs into its platform.

Bursting of speculative bubble described as a turning point in the evolution of digital assets as industry players and observers welcome promise of mainstream adoption and better governance.

The ongoing Crypto Winter is ‘only going to get worse’ as the industry is re-evaluated amongst tighter interest rates, the cofounder of Tezos predicts.

What are soulbound tokens, and how can they end the ‘credit paradox’ that has been holding back the unbanked masses? Fakhul Miah of CreDA explains.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Hong Kong rethinks digital assets. CBDC to debut in India. China’s e-yuan privacy problem.

Bitcoin and Ether dropped in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia amid losses among all top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, led by Shiba Inu.

Hong Kong reveals digital asset policies to distinguish itself from China, where cryptocurrency trading was banned in September last year.

Visa International Service Association on Oct. 22 filed two trademark applications that hinted at plans of launching a crypto wallet.

NFTs and gaming – could it be the future of Web3?

The United Kingdom High Court has shut down PGI Global UK Ltd. for allegedly running a crypto scam and has appointed the official receiver as the company’s liquidator. 

A stablecoin that is not stable is an ‘oxymoron,’ said Henry Chang, CEO of South Korea-based blockchain game developer Wemade.

Europe’s new MiCA framework for regulating crypto shows the good that can happen when government works with and not against the industry, writes Nick Saponaro of Divi Labs.

Hong Kong-based crypto investment firm Q9 Capital has received a provisional virtual asset approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), the company said on Wednesday in a statement shared with Forkast.

Singapore’s High Court blocked any potential sale and transfer of ownership of the NFT BAYC 2162. What implications could that have globally?

Top blockchain and crypto news: Aptos launch falls short. Why FTX chief is calling for crypto regulations. Is Hong Kong paving way for a retail CBDC?

The central bank is also considering options such as banning crypto firms from offering credit facilities, leverage or staking services to retail traders.

As a leading financial institution of South Korea, Shinhan is gearing up for business expansion into crypto — while a local ban remains on the books.

iQIYI, one of China’s largest online video platforms with over 100 million subscribers, is tapping Ethereum smart contract standard ERC-3475 to solve copyright-related issues, according to a press release on Sunday from the standard’s inventor, decentralized bond protocol DeBond.

WEMADE, a South Korean blockchain game developer, recently launched its stablecoin, WEMIX$, for growing its blockchain ecosystem, which houses NFTs and DeFi.

Institutional adoption of Web3 in finance means getting traditional banks involved, which will in turn reshape the way banks work, says SC Ventures’ Alex Manson.

Why has Ripple Labs been in the U.S. SEC’s crosshairs and what’s the difference between Ripple and XRP?

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – October 20, 2022 – presented by Joel Flynn. How can you spot when an NFT’s price is being artificially inflated? Anndy Lian joins us to talk more about the history of and the problems with wash trading in today’s NFT market.

Japan’s Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (JVCEA), the self-regulatory body that oversees local crypto exchanges, will allow platforms to list cryptocurrencies without an existing lengthy screening process, according to Bloomberg. See related article: Japan pushes for tougher crypto AML regulations amid N. Korean cyberattacks Fast facts The easing is expected to take place as […]

The crypto sector operates mainly in English, but more than 6 billion people — many of whom crypto would benefit the most — use other languages, writes Wei Zhou of Coins.ph.

Bitcoin also received additional entries to the annual list, now a record holder for the “oldest cryptocurrency,” the “most valuable cryptocurrency” and the “first blockchain.”

The blockchain network was built by former members of the Meta stablecoin project, with well-known investors and considerable buzz as the new ‘Solana killer.’

Markets: Bitcoin price rises amid sweeping gains across top 10 crypto, Polygon increases 7%

Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based video game company, announced a recruitment effort for 13 new positions to integrate its game titles with Web3 and metaverse technologies. See related article: NFTs may be the next killer app for video games, but some traditional players object Fast facts The game developer is planning to launch […]

Bitcoin and Ether rose as all top 10 tokens by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, gained in Tuesday morning trading in Asia. Polygon led the list. Solana followed on news a leading non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace will suspend transaction fees. See related article: Gold commodities market could enter the blockchain, according to new industry initiative Fast […]

North Korea-backed hacker group Lazarus has been sending phishing emails to Japanese crypto exchange employees to infect their computers with malware, causing some companies to have their systems hacked and cryptocurrencies stolen, Japan’s National Police Agency announced last week. See related article: DPRK hackers sneak US$52 mln in crypto into S.Korean exchanges: Chainalysis Fast facts […]

OpenSea, the peer-to-peer non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace, has launched native support for the Avalanche blockchain, according to the platform’s verified Twitter account. See related article: Warner Music taps OpenSea NFT marketplace to guide artists to Web3 Fast facts Starting on Oct.12, content creators on Avalanche can display, list, and trade their NFTs on the world’s […]

South Korean media has reported that local crypto exchanges may become a “playground” for North Korean hackers.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) can be used to preserve and spread fine art and cultural heritage, tapping into new generations of audiences and patrons, said stakeholders.

What’s wrong with ‘fat protocols’ like Ethereum and Solana, and why should there be alternatives for the little guys? Yaoqi Jia of AltLayer explains.

The cryptocurrency market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is expected to grow 10 times, according to a new report from MENA blockchain ecosystem, Crypto Oasis, released Monday at a blockchain conference organized by the Dubai World Trade Centre.  See related article: New hire in Saudi Central Bank to work on crypto regulations: report Fast […]

When times are tough, a DAO must trim fat and focus on providing a better product or service to its community, writes Redmption of Harvest Finance.

The former CEO of Huobi Global has jumped into the GameFi space.

Software company Spexi has raised US$5.5 million in seed funding to create Spexigon, the world’s first crypto-powered fly-to-earn drone imagery platform based on the Flow blockchain, according to a press release on Tuesday. See related article: X-to-Earn: Eat, sleep, do almost anything for pay in crypto  Fast facts See related article: Run-to-earn protocol Stepn announces […]

Cool Cats Group LLC, the Web3 company behind the cartoon feline-based NFT collection Cool Cats, announced Thursday that it had received a strategic investment and partnership from Animoca Brands, owner of the metaverse platform The Sandbox.  See related article: Asus launches NFT platform to plug into Web 3.0 Fast facts In a tweet, Cool Cats’ […]

Dunamu Inc., the mother company of South Korea’s largest crypto exchange Upbit, and Hybe Co., Ltd., the music agency behind K-pop mega group BTS, launched a K-pop digital collectible platform on Tuesday via their Los Angeles-based joint venture, LEVVELS Inc. See related article: Dunamu looks to K-pop group BTS NFTs to beat ‘Crypto Winter’ Fast […]

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian has been fined US$1.26 million by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for promoting EthereumMax (EMAX) tokens on her Instagram account without disclosing the US$250,000 payment she received for the endorsement. See related article: Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan ponies up tax on NFT sale Fast facts The SEC said […]

The crypto market has been down for months, but the industry’s long-term future is brighter than ever, writes Guilhem Chaumont of Flowdesk. Here’s why.

Amendments drafted by European Parliament members on anti-money laundering (AML) regulation removed provisions seeking compulsory identification for crypto transfers involving non-custodial wallets, according to crypto news outlet The Block reported on Thursday. See related article: EU seeks to limit banks’ crypto exposure  Fast facts See related article: Bitcoin, proof-of-work ban removed from European Union’s MiCA 

As the crypto slump drives job cuts and worse, some exchanges are seeing opportunity for expansion in the downturn, call it the fortune-favors-the-brave mantra.

The number of newly-registered Ethereum Name Service (ENS) addresses in September reached a monthly all-time high of 427,325 at the time of publication, despite total NFT trading volume falling 97% from January when sales peaked, according to data from Dune Analytics, a crypto analysis site. See related article: ENS domain name expires as developer is […]

Global digital asset wallet Metamask recently launched a beta version of its new decentralized application (dApp) that would serve as a “one-stop shop” for managing crypto and non-fungible token (NFT) portfolios on different platforms. See related article: As “The Merge” succeeds, rival ETHPoW fork falters Fast facts “Portfolio DApp,” available to extension and mobile users, […]

The second Forkast report on Asia Crypto Week’s anchor event explores what bets TradFi players are making, how Asian investment patterns differ from those elsewhere, and what cooperation between crypto companies and regulators should look like

Top blockchain and crypto news: Digital dollar didgeridoos. Bitcoin softens as sterling sinks. ‘World’s dumbest’ crypto criminals nabbed in China.

Who will regulate the regulators is a time-honored question and one Bitcoin enthusiasts raise when talking about the benefits of the token’s fixed supply versus the tendency of central banks to switch the money spigots off and on.

Japan is planning to introduce remittance rules to prevent money laundering through cryptocurrencies, Nikkei Asia reported Tuesday. See related article: China says it busted US$5.6B crypto money laundering ring Fast facts The Japanese authorities plan to revise “The Act on Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds” to require exchanges to provide user data when sending […]

Beyond the bear market, Web3 technology is shining bright in gaming and music, writes Hannes Graah of Gro. Are we at a tipping point for mass adoption?

The Philippines now ranks 2nd in the world for crypto adoption, but its path ahead is unclear, writes Emman Navalan. What are the hurdles it must overcome?

Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology has renamed its 25-year-old Information Engineering Department as the Metaverse Engineering Department. The university says it’s the first in China to offer a metaverse major, according to a local media report. See related article: South Korea and Meta to ramp up metaverse safety  Fast facts See related article: […]

Digital ownership enabled by Web3 tech can challenge the monopolistic dynamics of Web2 and give people real equity, says Animoca Brands chief Yat Siu