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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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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?

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.

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 […]

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.  […]

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

Top blockchain and crypto news: Filecoin leads in market uptick. CryptoPunks in new glow as Tiffany jewelry. Chinese firms flock to Singapore.

An Indian firm providing crypto tax calculation services is introducing a software as a service (SAAS)-based solution to tackle India’s myriad crypto taxation regime. See related article: India’s latest tax assault on crypto exchanges starts Friday Fast facts SAAS-based TaxCryp software aims to simplify tax computation, compliance and reporting requirements, India-based TaxCryp Technologies said on […]

Gucci has further embraced cryptocurrencies, announcing in a tweet on Tuesday that it is accepting in-store purchases with ApeCoin through payment service provider BitPay. See related article: How high fashion is waking up to blockchain’s possibilities Fast facts ApeCoin is a cryptocurrency tied to Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), a non-fungible token (NFT) project created […]

Chiliz (CHZ) cryptocurrency jumped as much as 25% on Monday evening in Asia after announcing a US$100 million investment in FC Barcelona’s Barça Studios for a 24.5% stake in the soccer club’s digital content and distribution hub. See related article: South Korea’s Ifland metaverse dives into play-to-earn Fast facts Under the partnership, Socios.com and Chiliz […]

Vitalik Buterin predicts the metaverse will be built, but any existing corporation trying to intentionally build one will not succeed, adding that efforts by Meta (formally Facebook) to do so will “misfire.” See related article: Will Facebook’s metaverse future transform how we live online? Fast facts In a Twitter thread over the weekend, the Ethereum […]

As the once febrile crypto market cools, it’s time to look again at the enterprise capabilities of blockchain, says the Hyperledger Foundation’s Daniela Barbosa

A lack of certainty over future regulation and a long lockdown in Shanghai are pushing some Chinese Web3 companies to set up shop in Singapore.

The Law Commission of England and Wales recommended classifying cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as a new type of property in a consultation paper published on Thursday. See related article: Basel Committee starts public consultation on banks’ crypto asset exposures Fast facts The Law Commission, an independent statutory body responsible for reviewing and reforming laws, […]

The APE decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) approved a proposal to fund the 24-hour news website covering BAYC creator Yuga Labs and the community on Thursday.  See related article: Majority of ApeCoin token holders vote to stay on Ethereum Fast facts The Bored Ape Gazette website will become a 24-hour style news site complete with a […]

Digital assets company Komainu has received a provisional license from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to offer cryptocurrency products and services to institutional clients in Dubai, CoinDesk said in a report.  See related article: Dubai could be crypto’s promised land, Citi says Fast facts Komainu is the latest to receive approval from Dubai […]

Bitcoin and Ethereum see significant gains in spite of Fed rate hike. Meanwhile, Dubai Police announces NFT launch.

A new report by Chainalysis shows that sanctioned actors, especially in North Korea and Russia, are sending record sums to crypto mixers.

Immutable has let go of about 6% of its workforce, including lead designer James Wakeham who was involved in the development of the game developer’s popular non-fungible token (NFT) game Gods Unchained.  See related article: Play-to-earn game developers pivot to engaging fans Fast facts A spokesperson from Immutable’s U.S. branch told gaming media outlet Kotaku […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: SBF’s Voyager rescue deal spurned. Tesla pulls U-turn with BTC sale. Tencent cuts local NFT staff as it looks abroad.

Male-dominated workplaces, lack of proper educational resources, challenge women and act as barriers for them to engage in Web3.0, according to a survey by KuCoin.  See related article: NEAR Foundation, Forkast partner to showcase talented, socially mindful women in Web3 Fast facts Despite challenges, 60% of female professionals recognize their unique value in facilitating better […]

FOMO Pay will partner with Ripple, the San Francisco-based blockchain payments company, to utilize its XRP-based tool that enables instant low cost settlement without the need to hold pre-funded capital in a destination market, the Singapore based company said. See related article: CrossTower in pact with Ripple to offer NFTs on XRP Ledger Fast facts […]

The crypto world is consumed by a spiritual battle between its believers and haters, and it is in need of a rebirth and new identity, writes Prof. Yanto Chandra of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

As the Celsius bankruptcy shows, moving to decentralized ways to hold crypto is not only sensible, it’s what Satoshi envisioned all along, writes Ruben Merre, CEO and cofounder of NGRAVE.

The metaverse of the future will transform how we work and our sense of self — and what we see now is only scratching the surface, writes Eaven Portillo.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Celsius plunges into Chapter 11. Otherside’s promised land. Mixed picture for Chinese NFTs.

Hoping to strike crypto riches, Joel Stein follows the footsteps of a master degen investor. Here are the secrets revealed to him.

Prioritizing customers getting back their deposits means it is OK to do a “moderately bad” deal when rescuing troubled cryptocurrency companies, FTX founder and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried said on Tuesday.  See related article: What Sam Bankman-Fried thinks will happen with NFTs and crypto exchanges in 2022 Fast facts Speaking at the Bloomberg Crypto Summit, Bankman-Fried, […]

A creditors committee to liquidate the bankrupt, Singapore-based cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) was established at a meeting on Monday and comprised Digital Currency Group, Voyager, CoinList, Blockchain.com, and Matrixport, according to a document published the same day on the Three Arrows bankruptcy website.  See related article: 3AC crypto contagion spreads to Blockchain.com: […]

Digital assets are powering new industries, and DeFi will be the financial system of the future internet economy, writes Alex Tapscott in his new book, ‘Digital Asset Revolution.’

The country’s major game developers continue to focus on overseas markets as there are no signs of a thaw in the government’s stance on games that include elements of blockchain and play-to-earn.

A focus on economic sustainability, or play-and-earn, is driving the P2E industry to rein in incentives and instead attract and engage gamers in the hope that they will end up spending on in-game assets.

Polygon was selected as one of the 2022 participants for Disney’s accelerator program on Wednesday, triggering the project’s cryptocurrency MATIC to rise by more than 15%.  See related article: Aespa, NCT’s SM Entertainment builds metaverse studio Kwangya Fast facts The Walt Disney Company did not announce any of its own crypto projects, but the 2022 […]

The ‘Merge’ will have a major impact on the Ethereum ecosystem and beyond, and getting it right is more important than speed, writes Kevin Loo of IDEG.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Payback time for Mt. Gox investors. USDC issuer strikes back as critics circle. Chinese bank fiasco hits a nerve.

Animoca Brands has raised US$75 million in a new round of fundraising in a move toward an “open metaverse,” defying plummeting markets and a drop in non-fungible token (NFT) sales during the crypto winter season, the Hong Kong-based blockchain game specialist announced on Tuesday.  See related article: Animoca says crypto winter ‘a great time’ for […]

SM Entertainment (SM) announced it is establishing Studio Kwangya, a company specializing in content production in the metaverse, the leading South Korean idol agency announced on Tuesday.  See related article: Second K-pop agency taps Binance for NFT partnership Fast facts SM has represented some generational acts in K-pop since 1995 such as H.O.T., SNSD, EXO, […]

South Korean payment services platform Danal has partnered with LG CNS to develop a payments network that hopes to bring Web3-related digital assets payments to the existing financial system. See related article: South Korea’s SK Telecom to build its first Web3 wallet Fast facts LG CNS is an information technology consulting and solutions subsidiary of […]

CoinFLEX’s deficit rises to US$84 million as it enters arbitration. Meanwhile, a report claims Celsius Network had lost over US$350 million in DeFi.

Gains made by two of the world’s largest cryptocurrencies were partially eroded as speculation of a glut of Bitcoin from Mt. Gox’s customers and creditors and Celsius Network’s payback of its debt circulated over the weekend.

SK Telecom has partnered with blockchain firms AhnLab Blockchain Company and Atomrigs Labs to develop and operate a digital wallet for cryptocurrency management and Web3 access, the South Korean telecommunications giant announced on Monday.  See related article: South Korea’s second-largest conglomerate to issue own cryptocurrency Fast facts SK Telecom said users of its wallet will […]

Investor confidence in stablecoins has plummeted since the Terra fiasco. Circle’s chief of finance assesses how they’re holding up amid a barrage of “FUD”.

Some of Animoca Brands’ most successful investments were made during the previous crypto winter, Gen Kanai, director of strategic partnerships at the Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming studio, told Forkast. See related article: Animoca Brands investments have crossed US$1.5B Fast facts In a sit-down interview with Forkast at the IVS Crypto 2022 event held in downtown […]

SBF’s Alameda Research debt to Voyager emerges. Meanwhile, South Korea agrees to cooperate with the US on Terra-Luna investigation.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Three Arrows target bankruptcy protection. Polium’s Web3 game plan pilloried. China’s tech giants get hands-on with NFTs.

Jordan Belfort, the man who inspired Martin Scorsese’s film “Wolf of Wall Street” and a once-avowed crypto critic, said Bitcoin is a long play while speaking on Yahoo Finance’s show The Crypto Mile.  See related article: Bank of England calls for greater crypto regulation Fast facts The former convicted financial criminal turned famous consultant and […]

Former TikTok game division executive Jason Fung is starting up a blockchain-based game developer, Meta0, to allow transfer of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) between different blockchains, according to a Reuters report on Tuesday. See related article: Game theory: What’s holding back an explosion of play-to-earn? Fast facts According to its product proposal, Meta0 aims to allow […]

South Korean tech giant Samsung has started producing chips using its latest 3-nanometer (nm) technology, the company said Thursday. The new chips can be used for Bitcoin mining hardware.  See related article: LG to follow Samsung adding NFT features to flagship TVs Fast facts One of the earliest clients for Samsung’s 3nm chips could be […]

European Union officials agreed to the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) law on Thursday, placing cryptocurrencies, issuers and service providers under the EU’s first regulatory framework for the industry. The rules are expected to kick in as early as 2024. See related article: European Union to track all crypto transfers Fast facts All stablecoins will fall […]

Crypto market maker and lender Genesis Trading may lose “hundreds of millions” due to its exposure to troubled crypto firms Three Arrows Capital (3AC) and Hong Kong-based lender Babel Finance, CoinDesk reported. See related article: Wall Street seems to sense opportunity in distressed crypto markets Fast facts Genesis is seeking at least partial reimbursement from its […]

Protecting an artist’s intellectual property can be difficult in the digital age. Proving a stolen track or digital painting belongs to its creator seemed to be impossible in the near past. Can non-fungible tokens (NFTs) bring more artist empowerment and protect digital property rights? Find out in this Forkast video explainer.  What you’ll learn: What […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Three Arrows fallout spreads. BIS calls BS on crypto. Chinese regulatory vacuum chills an NFT platform.

Sky Mavis’ Ronin Bridge is back online after one of the largest decentralized finance (DeFi) heists in history prompted a three-month network hiatus, Ronin announced in a Tuesday newsletter. See related article: Are we helpless against attacks on blockchain bridges? Fast facts Ronin Bridge is used by non-fungible token (NFT) game Axie Infinity players to […]

HTC launched metaverse phone “Desire 22 Pro” on Tuesday, which comes with a digital assets wallet and virtual reality (VR) headset pairing feature, as part of the Taiwanese firm’s Web3 expansion. See related article: Solana bets on mobile, launches US$1,000 ‘Saga’ Web3 phone Fast facts HTC preloaded its 6.6-inch phone with applications from its metaverse […]

Cryptocurrency is a huge Ponzi scheme, Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) — the developer behind China’s state-backed blockchain infrastructure — said on Sunday.  See related article: China’s BSN to launch overseas public chain without crypto support Fast facts Crypto is an old hoax in a new form, Zhiguang Shan, chair of BSN Development Alliance, and Yifan […]

The legal and ethical dilemmas plaguing technology today will only grow more acute in the metaverse, writes Brian Harley. How will real-world laws apply?

Solana on Thursday launched a Web 3.0 phone dubbed “Saga” in a move to tap into the burgeoning number of mobile phone users accessing digital assets. See related article: Solend DAO overturns vote to take over at-risk ‘whale’ wallet Fast facts The Android mobile phone by Solana Mobile, a unit of Solana Labs, is “tightly […]

LGBT event organizers see the metaverse as technology of the emerging Web3.0 world that opens doors and opportunities for marginalized communities.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Investors snowed in as liquidity crunch hits. Solend harpoons anti-whale maneuver. Chinese NFTs prove a tricky target.

Enticed by promises of crypto rewards, Joel Stein hits the streets of Los Angeles with a beautiful NFT sneaker. What does he earn — and learn?

Linctex Digital Technology, headquartered in China’s southeastern province of Zhejiang, Tuesday said the pre B+ round included commitments from existing investors Hillhouse Ventures and CDH Investments. See related article: Fashion, art, games and community: What does a decentralized metaverse mean for you? Fast facts Linctex’s software allows designers to create virtual wear, digitize physical fabric, […]

Celsius and Babel Finance’s freezing of customer accounts highlights the risks of intermediaries, writes Nick Saponaro. Crypto users should take back control.

Despite its rising popularity, GameFi has lessons to learn from Web 2.0 and elsewhere before it can gain a comparable user base, says Ethlas chief Wui Ngiap Foo.

BlockFi’s Zac Prince says they have fully liquidated 3AC positions. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s central bank works with the Bank of Israel to study CBDC security.

The Chinese tech giants lead a list of the country’s top 200 companies with the most potential in the metaverse, according to rich list compiler Hurun Report. To be eligible, firms needed to have a market capitalization of US$1 billion or more.  See related article: ‘Metaverse’ enters government radar at China’s Two Sessions Fast facts […]

Yahoo will host virtual concerts and exhibitions featuring celebrities and influencers for Hong Kong residents on the Decentraland metaverse, the company announced on Wednesday. See related story: Hong Kong’s subway operator plans virtual station in metaverse Fast facts Yahoo is also launching a non-fungible token (NFT) exhibition called The Abyss of Kwun Tong to recreate […]

Crypto markets posted some gains in Asia trading after a pummeling this week, but the sentiment shifted back to negative as markets across the board try to second-guess the Federal Reserve’s thinking on interest rates.

Still recovering from the Terra-LUNA debacle that wiped off billions of dollars in investor wealth, people sold off cryptocurrencies amid a market slump over expectations that the Fed will act faster to tame inflation.

An open and interoperable metaverse economy will drive consumer activity — and it’s on a similar track for growth as e-commerce, writes Ben Caselin of AAX.