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‘Bad actor’ or a ‘sliding market’? Blockchain industry leaders at Hong Kong FinTech Week offer insights into the Terra-LUNA crash.

Digital asset and blockchain highlights of event draw huge crowds, even as industry figures say they want the technology behind them to become just a normal component of the finance system.

The country looks to pass an initial bill that focuses on protecting digital asset investors and preventing unfair trade acts, ahead of wider legislation.

Cryptocurrency exchanges in Singapore are shifting focus to heavy-hitter investors, such as family offices and financial institutions, in line with the central bank’s warnings about the risks in retail crypto trading.

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

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.

Cryptocurrency was created to be accessible to the masses. So why are retail investors getting shut out from the best analytical and trading tools?

South Korean police raided local software company Hancom and home of chairman Kim Sang-cheol on Thursday amid speculation that Kim created a slush fund using crypto token Arowana, according to local media reports.

South Africa’s financial markets regulator has declared crypto assets as a financial product, setting the legal grounds to bring cryptocurrencies under regulatory purview. See related article: Nigeria to become 1st African country to launch a central bank digital currency Fast facts Crypto is not issued by a central bank but can be traded, transferred and […]

Kwon has been issued with an Interpol “red notice” requesting his extradition on charges brought by South Korea related to the implosion of the Terra Luna cryptocurrency project he founded

German crypto bank Nuri (formerly known as Bitwala) has asked customers to withdraw their funds by Dec. 18 so that the “business can be terminated and liquidated.”

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission of the U.S. are investigating whether bankrupt crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC) misled investors about its balance sheet and failed to register with the two agencies, according to a Bloomberg report which cites two people familiar with the matter. See related article: […]

The market may be in the doldrums, but there’s no better time to clean house and build for the future, writes Clayton Roche of UMA. Here are 5 areas of opportunity.

Web3 communities need to join forces with policymakers to draft rules for the next iteration of the online world, says Haun Ventures’ Tomicah Tillemann

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said illegal crypto-related businesses are operating in the city state and it is working with the police to identify and prosecute them. See related article: Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy Fast facts In a reply to a Parliamentary question, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, senior minister […]

Kim Joo-hyun, the chairman of South Korea’s top financial regulator, the Financial Services Commission (FSC), said on Thursday the agency will promote blockchain technology and user protections in the crypto market. See related article: South Korea’s all-encompassing crypto law is coming — what we know so far Fast facts “In cooperation with the National Assembly, […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Celsius founder in hot water. European bank woes cast crypto shadow. Will BSN’s Chinese roots thwart its global ambitions?

The country’s judiciary says Bitcoin loans not affected by interest limitation act, as crypto is not ‘money’

The Financial Stability Oversight Council report says the lack of clear regulations in the cryptocurrency industry could pose a risk to overall U.S. financial stability and urges congress to write up new rules of the road.

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.

Do Kwon – the founder of Terraform Labs, has been issued with a red notice from Interpol. But where on earth is he?

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 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

In the first of a two-part report on this year’s cryptocurrency gathering in Singapore, defiance outshone defeatism despite industry’s struggles.

The Terra UST disaster is spurring regulators to converge on global stablecoin standards, writes Michael Shing of XREX. But major issuers still fall short.

Kevin O’Leary plans to launch a Web 3.0-focused investment fund called Cipher, the Shark Tank investor told Forkast Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau at the Converge22 blockchain and cryptocurrency conference on Wednesday in San Francisco.  See related article: Capital gains: How Web3 property rights can transform the digital economy Fast facts “We’ve got to get away from this […]

The man behind Terra-LUNA contradicts the basis of the new action South Korean authorities took to corner and locate him.

Alex Mashinsky, the chief executive officer of cryptocurrency lender Celsius Network LLC which has filed for bankruptcy, has resigned from his position, according to a statement released by the company on Tuesday. See related article: Regulator alleges Celsius resembled Ponzi scheme in new filing Fast facts The company’s chief financial officer, Chris Ferraro, has been […]

Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, is using fees it collected from Luna Classic (LUNC) transactions to establish a crypto monitoring center in a gesture to help compensate for the losses from the Terra-LUNA debacle, according to local media reports. See related article: Interpol issues red notice for Do Kwon, says South Korean prosecutor Fast […]

South Korea’s crypto market was worth 23 trillion won (about US$16.1 billion) in the first half of 2022, down 58% from 55.2 trillion won in the six-month period at the end of last year, according to data from the Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU). See related article: South Korea seizes US$184 mln in crypto towards unpaid […]

South Korea is pursuing different options to get custody of Do Kwon as the Terraform Labs CEO faces charges for his alleged involvement in the multibillion collapse of the Terra-LUNA stablecoin project.

Linda Jeng, chief regulatory officer and general counsel at the Crypto Council for Innovation said the U.S. has seen the writing on the wall and is expanding the conversation about cryptocurrency, in comments at Forkast’s “Crypto Rising: CBDCs & Stablecoins: The Asia Perspective.”

Binance generated controversy when it told customers it would convert their holdings in three stablecoins to its own stablecoin. Some analysts say the concerns are overblown, others disagree.

South Korea’s top financial watchdog Monday said it is difficult for the country to establish laws overseeing the cryptocurrency industry in the country ahead of a common global regulatory framework as cross-border enforcement would be a key determinant of effectiveness.

The U.S. Department of Treasury is seeking public opinion on the “responsible development of digital assets” and has requested comments from the general public on national security and illicit financing risks posed by digital assets.  See related article: Singapore’s central bank says cryptocurrencies have ‘no fundamental value’ Fast facts Comments can be submitted until Nov. […]

Amid the worsening relationship with China, one Australian Senator is trying to address possible national security concerns that may arise from Beijing’s Central Bank Digital Currency project.

South Korean prosecutors are in the process of requesting Interpol to issue a red notice for Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Kwon Do-hyung, also known as Do Kwon, according to media reports.  See related article: Terra CEO Do Kwon faces ‘illegal alien’ status in Singapore as Seoul cancels passport Fast facts An Interpol […]

Maja Vujinovic, founder and CEO of OGroup, a financial services company with a focus on artificial intelligence and blockchain, spoke to Forkast about the future of digital assets at StartmeupHK Festival 2022.

The Fed will continue its CBDC research as Republicans pressure the central bank to clarify its stance on digital dollar issuance.

A member of the prosecuting team tells Forkast additional charges are likely to be leveled against Terraform Labs Chief Executive Officer Do Kwon following this week’s issuance of an arrest warrant for violating the country’s Capital Markets Act.

When is a cryptocurrency a security and when is it not? Financial regulators around the world are raising that question. The answer that comes out of the U.S. may set the tone, but South Korea is also ahead in tackling it.

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) governor Lee Bok-hyun says he disagrees with the view that crypto cannot be seen as financial investment products or securities, while revealing he assisted local prosecutors in designating Terra-LUNA tokens as securities, according to local media reports. See related article: Securities or not? South Korea to evaluate Terra’s LUNA […]

The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has prohibited cryptocurrency companies from offering digital assets lending and staking products, or depository services.  See related article: Thailand’s SCBX scraps plan to buy 51% stake in crypto exchange Bitkub Fast facts The regulator said in a press release on Thursday that the decision was made to protect […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Binance bets on Ethereum Merge. What does Terra’s sudden resurgence mean? China seeks to expand e-CNY ecosystem.

Bitcoin and Solana continued their rallies in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia, both up over 10% in the past week. However, Ether continued to slip as the market awaited the upcoming Etherium “Merge.”  See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Solana lead gains in crypto top ten, Ether slips ahead of Merge Fast facts Bitcoin was up […]

Cryptocurrency-related insurance is a vast untapped market, with less than 1% of crypto investments covered amid hacks and losses in the industry running into the billions of dollars, Cointelegraph reported, citing an executive from decentralized insurance protocol InsurAce. See related article: DeFi insurance: Why buy coverage for your digital assets? Fast facts Dan Thomson, the […]

Bitcoin and Ether rallied in late Friday afternoon trading in Asia, helping drive up the global cryptocurrency market capitalization more than 5% to back above the US$1 trillion mark.  Solana led the gains among tokens in CoinMarketCap’s top 10 by market capitalization.  See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether little changed; Polkadot leaps Dogecoin into crypto […]

Bitcoin and Ethereum were largely unchanged in Friday morning trading in Asia. Polkadot rose to leapfrog Dogecoin into the top 10 list by market capitalization, while Solana posted the biggest percentage gain on the list. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin climbs above $19,000, Ether bounces back, BNB gains on staking Fast facts Bitcoin rose less […]

Two U.S. Federal Reserve officials have called for new regulations specifically for stablecoins and reiterated the new asset class holds risks similar to traditional finance. See related article: Financial Stability Board calls for high regulatory standards for stablecoins Fast facts Michael Barr, the Fed’s vice chair for supervision, said on Wednesday at a Brookings Institution […]

A financial regulator in Vermont has all but said that bankrupted Celsius Network LLC resembled a Ponzi scheme at times, alleging the crypto lender had used new investor funds to repay previous investors, as well as misled investors about its financial health and bolstered its balance sheets by using its CEL token. See related article: […]

The country’s growing ties to crypto could expose its financial sector to volatility and ‘damage its credibility,’ a researcher says.

With over 100 countries experimenting with the technology behind Central Bank Digital Currencies, the World Economic Forum of Davos fame lays out its views on the potential benefits and drawbacks of CBDCs.

A slowdown in crypto investment — particularly in firms offering coins, tokens and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) — will continue in the second half of the current year, according to a new report by global audit and consulting firm KPMG.  See related article: Siloed regulatory efforts unlikely to help bring oversight to highly decentralized crypto industry […]

Crypto influencer Fatman Terra pitched his own fake investment scheme on Twitter — and found willing investors instantly — in an attempt to educate people about scams in the industry.  See related article: Terra’s Mirror Protocol fixes exploit that drained more than US$2 million Fast facts “In two hours, I received over one hundred DMs,” […]

Prices of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, XRP and Solana rose on Tuesday afternoon in Asia. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin rises slightly, Ether and Ethereum Classic gain amid price run for alternatives Fast facts Bitcoin rose 0.77% in the past 24 hours as of 4 p.m. in Hong Kong to US$19,906.86. Ethereum saw bigger gains today […]

Bitcoin rose slightly in Tuesday morning trading in Asia after falling below the key resistance line of US$20,000 on Monday morning. Ether posted the greatest gains in the crypto top ten by market cap as the rest of that list rose or fell by less than 1%. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether edge up; […]

Saudi Arabia’s central bank has appointed Mohsen AlZahrani, a former managing director at consultancy firm Accenture, to head its virtual assets and central bank digital currency (CBDC) initiative, Bloomberg reported. See related article: Governments pushing for CBDCs smell blood in Terra Classic’s struggles Fast facts With the United Arab Emirates aiming to be a global […]

Bitcoin was fluctuating around US$20,000, while Ether was among the biggest gainers in the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization in early Friday morning trading in Asia. Most other tokens on the list were little changed, though Cardano rose. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether, Cardano slip; remnants of Terra – USTC and LUNC – […]

South Korea will have to institutionalize initial coin offerings (ICO) when establishing its new crypto law, tentatively named the Digital Asset Basic Act, according to the Bank of Korea (BOK). See related article: South Korea’s all-encompassing crypto law is coming — what we know so far Fast facts South Korea’s Financial Services Commission banned ICOs […]

Dunamu, the owner of South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, reported an operating profit of 566.1 billion Korean won (about US$419 million) for the first half of this year, a 70% decrease compared to the same period last year. See related article: Dunamu denies making US$100 million off of LUNA Fast facts Dunamu’s consolidated operating […]

Crypto investors were blindsided when firms like Voyager suddenly froze their accounts. How can we improve digital asset protection in the future?

Although the price of Bitcoin fell below US$20,000 for the first time since mid-June after sliding 7% in the 24 hours following Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s hawkish speech, the number of addresses holding over 0.1 bitcoin hit all-time-high on Sunday. This was despite mining difficulty for the crypto likely to see its third-highest ever […]

Interoperability among blockchains will be central to the next phase of the technology’s evolution, says Cosmos cofounder Ethan Buchman.

Panelists speaking at Forkast’s recently live-streamed event “Crypto Rising: The future of crypto regulation: APAC and Beyond,” co-hosted by Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI), said there need to be international cooperation among regulators from around the world to make any oversight of the crypto industry effective.

The Singapore and Hong Kong-based Hodlnaut has a funding gap of about US$193 million, and potentially 17,513 creditors, crypto media outlet The Block reported citing an affidavit the troubled crypto lender filed with the court last week. See related article: India authorities freeze Vauld exchange’s assets worth $46.5 mln Fast facts See related article: Hodlnaut […]

Real estate as an investment is not very liquid, composable or accessible, writes Joel Lin of CitaDAO. Can tokenization and DeFi transform this market?

The decentralized finance sector is now a fraction of its former self. What will help companies survive this bear market and emerge stronger?

Top blockchain and crypto news: Eqonex shutters exchange operation. Huobi denies sale report. Taiwan beefs up cyber defenses.

Jump Crypto, the crypto arm of high-frequency trading firm Jump Trading Group, announced on Tuesday plans to develop a new open source validator client for the Solana network to boost throughput and reliability. See related article: Solana validators complete restart; Laos ends crypto ban Fast facts Jump Crypto will “propose a major upgrade to Solana’s […]

Singapore-based cryptocurrency lender Hodlnaut has filed an application with the Singapore High Court to be placed under judicial management, which could provide the company “the breathing space to focus our efforts on the recovery plan to rehabilitate the company,” Hodlnaut said on Tuesday. See related article: Crypto lender Hodlnaut halts withdrawals, ends token swap feature […]

Australia’s retirement fund industry, the world’s fifth largest at US$2.3 trillion, is one future target for investment funds offering cryptocurrencies.