Crypto mining rig maker Canaan sues two Chinese tech companies over patent infringement
Canaan is seeking $14 million in alleged losses from Shenzhen HighSharp Electronic Technology and Sichuan Yinbimei Technology.
Fashion, art, games and community: What does a decentralized metaverse mean for you?
The idea of the metaverse has gone from the realm of science fiction to the latest business model of major companies from Facebook to Nike. What do metaverses powered by blockchain look like, and why is there so much interest in Decentraland?
DBS’ digital assets under custody surge 200% in Q3, bank to scale up digital exchange
DBS Bank — Southeast Asia’s largest lender — intends to scale its crypto exchange as it invests in blockchain and wants to be nimble to adapt to how DeFi evolves.
The Bitcoin-energy connection intensifies
Equities and Bitcoin have a clearly demonstrated bond, but now oil is strengthening its relationship to crypto, too
What is the Solana ecosystem and how is it fueling SOL’s stratospheric rise?
Solana prices keep cresting to new heights, making SOL a top-five cryptocurrency by size. What makes Solana and its ecosystem stand out? Forkast.News explains.
How DeFi regulation can propel the next economic revolution
DeFi is here to stay, but regulations are still lacking. Jason Blick of EQIBank explores the challenges and how authorities can move forward.
e-CNY scam investigated; S Korea gets metaverse bug
e-CNY scam investigated meanwhile S Korea gets metaverse bug
K-pop sensation BTS gets ready to sell NFTs, as label looks to cash in on loyal A.R.M.Y fanbase
BTS’ label dreams bigger than just dominating the K-pop world — they want to digitize the IP even more.
South Korea’s Kakao, Com2uS, others race toward the metaverse
Information Technology (IT) firms in South Korea set up shop in the realm of the metaverse, with their first step being non-fungible token (NFT) platforms.
Chinese police raid what may be the nation’s first e-CNY money-laundering case
Police crack a tele-fraud case related to digital yuan money laundering, potentially thanks to the CBDC’s ‘managed anonymity’ feature.
Why archiving the internet is vital and how a decentralized web can help | Ep. 6
Why archiving the internet is vital for the future, how a decentralized web can help, and why looking at history is a good way to predict the future
How subscription-based social media could lead to DLT’s mass adoption
Pay-for-play on Web 3.0 will instigate seismic shifts from centralized social media to community-driven platforms, writes Solo Ceesay of Calaxy. How would it work?
Huobi to give away ticket to space as part of 8th-year celebration
Blockchain technology company Huobi Group is celebrating its 8th-year anniversary with a slew of events and giveaways — including a space trip “to the outer perimeters of Earth” — and a focus on expanding its global footprint, according to a company announcement. Fast facts Founded in 2013 in China, Huobi has made global expansion a priority […]
Microsoft, Nike embrace metaverse following Facebook’s name change
On the heels of Facebook, or now Meta, Microsoft and Nike are also racing into the metaverse action. Fast facts Microsoft is introducing a more fun working environment experience by announcing 3D avatar and immersive meeting settings, according to media reports. The Verge reported that Microsoft will use artificial intelligence to listen to the creator’s […]
Stablecoin toss to US Congress as regulators circle
Top blockchain and crypto news: Stablecoins at regulatory crossroads. Squid Game crypto players suffer shocking fate. Are metaverses China’s new national insecurity?
Wrapped XRP coming to Ethereum in December
Wrapped XRP (wXRP) will be supported on the Ethereum blockchain from December, according to an Oct. 31 announcement by Wrapped.com, a cross-chain wrapped assets provider. Fast facts Wrapped XRP will be backed 1:1 with XRP — the native cryptocurrency of the XRP Ledger (XRPL) — and held in custody with Hong Kong-based licensed digital asset […]
Ethereum, Solana, Polkadot climb to new all-time price highs in altcoin rally
Ethereum crosses the $4,600 mark for the first time and Solana overtakes Cardano as the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market value.
Tarantino auctions seven uncut ‘Pulp Fiction’ scenes as NFTs
Director Quentin Tarantino announced he will auction seven uncut scenes from Pulp Fiction as non-fungible tokens.
Thailand’s oldest bank acquires majority stake in crypto exchange Bitkub
Thailand’s oldest bank, Siam Commercial Bank, has acquired a majority stake in the country’s largest crypto exchange Bitkub. Fast facts Siam Commercial Bank Securities, a subsidiary of SCB, has purchased 51% stake in Bitkub for approximately US$535.6 million, according to an announcement on Tuesday. The transaction is expected to be completed by the first quarter […]
Back up Hong Kong: How blockchain has quietly become history’s hard drive
In a city where memories disappear every day, people are turning to blockchain to preserve news archives — so the first drafts of history will survive.
The Sandbox NFT metaverse platform raises $93M in Series B led by SoftBank
Sebastien Borget, COO and co-founder of The Sandbox tells Forkast.News how NFTs and an open and decentralized metaverse is transforming the way we live, work and play.
BXH says its exploit, now estimated at $139M, came from admin key leakage
The hacked DeFi platform called China’s cyber police first thing as most users appear to be in China.
Institutional inflows into crypto year-to-date 30% higher than 2020 total
Cryptocurrency investment products saw inflows of US$288 million last week, with total inflows year-to-date at a record of US$8.7 billion — 30% higher than the total for 2020, according to digital asset manager CoinShares. Fast facts Bitcoin continued to lead with institutional inflows of US$269 million last week, albeit at a significantly lower level compared […]
DOT hits new all-time high with Polkadot parachain auctions imminent
DOT, the native cryptocurrency of the Polkadot blockchain network, crossed the US$50 mark for the first time on Nov. 1 and reached a new all-time high (ATH) of US$50.87, surpassing its previous peak of US$48.73 in May, according to CoinGecko data. DOT, currently the 8th-largest cryptocurrency by market value, was trading at US$48.69 as of […]
Tech giants vow to resist NFT hype; Squid token under scrutiny
China’s tech cut ties to NFTs as Squid Game token leaves users questioning its legitimacy.
Another DeFi platform, BXH, suffers $130M exploit
This follows an attack on Cream Finance that also resulted in a $130M hack.
Ant Group, JD.com, Tencent pledge to resist speculation of ‘digital collectibles’
Ant Group and Tencent recently rebranded NFT projects as digital collectibles amid China state media criticism.
Why blockchain is the operating system of the digital age
Blockchain has achieved platform status, writes Don Tapscott of Blockchain Research Institute. Get ready for the ‘trivergence’ that will shake up the world.
Can Axie Infinity go the distance?
The darling of the play-to-earn gaming world had an explosive start but now struggles with deflation and lower player earnings. Is the play-to-earn model sustainable?
Defiant Facebook, now renamed Meta, goes all in on metaverse strategy as scrutiny tightens
Facebook, now called Meta, is casting off one of the world’s most famous names to retool itself into a metaverse company. Will its $10 billion bet pay off?
China’s state-backed blockchain network plans to launch NFT infrastructure
Red Date Technology, the company China tapped to manage its Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), said today it plans to fully launch an infrastructure for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) by the end of January 2022. Fast facts Red Date revealed on Friday an NFT infrastructure plan — BSN-Distributed Digital Certificate (DDC) — at its BSN Open Permissioned […]
FATF updates regulatory guidance for crypto industry
The global AML watchdog provides clarifications on how crypto is to be regulated — and why DeFi could see more scrutiny.
Back to the future: Why Bitcoin is still a game-changer
Bitcoin is awakening humanity to its own sovereign capacities, says Ben Caselin of AAX. Here’s why the world’s first cryptocurrency is still at the cutting edge of finance and culture.
China’s national standard for blockchain could be released next year: report
China’s first national standard for blockchain could be released next year and a draft is now in the process of being submitted for approval, an official said earlier this week at an event in the western province of Sichuan, according to a report from local media Chuanguan, run by state-owned Sichuan Daily. Fast facts Li […]
13 years after Bitcoin’s whitepaper, what would Satoshi say?
Bitcoin is growing up in ways not imagined in Satoshi Nakamoto’s 2008 writings that gave birth to it. How will Bitcoin’s future unfold?
Tales from the Crypt, 2021: 10 crypto horror stories
Behind this year’s giddy markets, evil and tragedies abound. Just in time for Halloween, Forkast.News shakes out the skeletons in crypto’s closet.
Unraveling the mystery behind why Bitcoin prices are all over the place
Even the most reliable media can report wildly different crypto numbers. Forkast.News dives into DeFi math and crypto exchange economics to find out who’s right.
How can we better protect digital assets and guard against hackers?
As Asia warms to crypto, cyber attacks are growing in sophistication, writes Shahnawaz Backer of F5. What can be done to thwart bad actors?
Blockchain game Alien Worlds Missions launches on Binance Smart Chain
Popular play-to-earn blockchain game Alien Worlds has launched its Alien Worlds Missions game on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC), according to a media statement. Fast facts Alien Worlds is a decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible token (NFT) metaverse where players compete using unique digital items (NFTs), earn Trilium (TLM), the in-game currency, and travel on Alien World Missions […]
DeFi platform Cream Finance suffers $130M exploit
This appears to be the third hack for the protocol this year — yet the biggest one so far.
European Central Bank appoints 30 members to digital euro market advisory group
The European Central Bank (ECB) has appointed 30 senior business professionals from a range of financial institutions and related organizations to its market advisory group for the digital euro project, according to a media statement. Fast facts The appointment of industry members to the advisory group follows the ECB’s launch of its digital euro project […]
Polkadot founder Gavin Wood: Decentralization and security are not optional in the search for scalability
More decentralization is being planned for Polkadot as its much-anticipated rollout draws close with the first batch of parachain slot auctions starting on Nov. 11.
DBS Bank first in Southeast Asia to join Hedera Governing Council
Singapore’s DBS Bank — Southeast Asia’s largest lender — has joined the Hedera Governing Council, a diverse group of companies that governs and supports the Hedera network, an enterprise-grade public ledger of transactions, according to a media statement. Fast facts DBS — the first and only bank in Southeast Asia to join the Governing Council […]
Tesla’s trillion-dollar triumph — and its bond with Bitcoin
Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Tesla’s turbocharge a boost for Bitcoin? Mastercard’s Bakkt with a new crypto deal. Chinese NFTs on knife-edge.
Robinhood posts 78% decline in Q3 crypto profits
Fee-free trading platform Robinhood’s crypto revenue declined 78% in the third quarter this year, earning only US$51 million during that time according to the company’s Q3 report released Tuesday. This is compared to the US$233 million the company earned in the previous quarter in which the market hit the height of the bull run, from […]
What will Ethereum prices be as 2021 ends?
As Ethereum surges to a new all-time high, 50 fintech experts surveyed by Finder offer predictions on ETH’s year-end and longer-term price outlook.
Tether to test anti-money laundering product
Tether Operations, the company behind Tether (USDT) — the largest stablecoin by market capitalization — today announced that it will be trialing Notabene’s crypto travel rule compliance product for cross-border stablecoin transfers. Fast facts USDT has a market capitalization of over US$70 billion and over US$64 billion in 24-hour trading volume, according to CoinGecko data. […]
Vitalik Buterin: Layer 2 is the future of Ethereum scaling
Ethereum’s creator explains why rollups can help scale Ethereum while preserving decentralization.
Kazakhstan proposes to limit power consumption for new crypto miners as power deficit bites
Local miners told Forkast.News that existing legal miners won’t be much affected, though they’re still subject to power rationing.
What are the risks of recreating reality in the metaverse?
New virtual worlds are full of opportunities, writes Sandra Helou of Zilliqa. But what if real-world problems get magnified in the metaverse?
DBS, JPMorgan, Temasek-funded Partior goes live for cross-border transactions
The Singapore government-incubated blockchain platform promises to dramatically speed up transactions and lower the cost of international trade.
Alipay and Tencent now call NFTs ‘digital collectibles’ amid state media criticism
Tech giants banish non-fungible token references as Beijing looks down new virtual asset market.
The Philippines looks to blockchain voting for its diaspora
The nation’s elections commission wants to upgrade its voting technology to improve voter turnout and public trust. Does blockchain check the boxes?
Australian crypto industry watches as sole trader charges two top banks with ‘debanking’
While the government signals it is ready to promote the industry, the country’s banks remain unimpressed. ANZ has already settled its de-banking case with Allan Flynn, but as the tribunal with Westpac concluded over the weekend, what should we expect from the outcome?
Solana price hits new all-time high amid rising crypto market
As the crypto market lit up with green across the board this morning, the price of Solana (SOL) jumped 6% in a few hours overnight to reach a new all-time high of US$218.73, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Solana’s price has since lost some of this ground, however, and was trading at US$208.57 at press […]
Bitcoin propels crypto institutional inflows to record $1.5B
Crypto investment products saw record inflows last week of US$1.47 billion, with Bitcoin accounting for 99% of the inflows, according to digital assets fund manager CoinShares. Total crypto assets under management also reached a new peak of US$79.2 billion. Fast facts Bitcoin investment products saw record inflows of US$1.45 billion last week. “The record inflows […]
Midnight for crypto in China, but Hong Kong keeps lights on
Mainland China’s recent ban on crypto, the most draconian yet, did not come as a surprise to those in the know, says Angelina Kwan of HashKey Group. How will this affect the crypto hub of Hong Kong?
How Australia’s National Blockchain Roadmap sets an example for the world
The Australian government sees blockchain’s enormous benefits and is now actively developing the technology, writes Chami Akmeemana. What can other countries learn from this?
Why many banks are not keeping up with digital technologies
New technologies like blockchain and AI are transforming financial services, writes Myles Bertrand of Mambu. But APAC banks are lagging behind.
Australia’s Senate releases long-awaited crypto report
The Senate unveiled its most comprehensive look at blockchain regulation, hoping to transform the country into a global industry leader.
China has no plan to promote its e-currency within BRI countries — yet
“For now, we do not have any plan for using e-CNY in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries yet,” China’s central bank chief said at the 2021 G30 International Banking Seminar, regarding the electronic yuan (e-CNY), the world’s first major central bank digital currency that is being slowly rolled out in China. Meanwhile, authorities […]
Ethereum price touches new all-time high in altcoins rally
Ethereum prices surged to new heights ahead of next week’s Altair Beacon Chain upgrade but then pulled back. How do crypto experts make sense of it?
FTX raises $421 million, valuation jumps $7B in 3 months
Just three months after closing a record US$1 billion series B, the two-year-old cryptocurrency exchange is now valued at US$25 billion. Fast facts The US$420,690,000 Series B-1 funding round saw the participation of 69 investors, with prominent names the lineup, including Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, via its Teachers’ Innovation Platform, Singapore’s state-owned investment firm […]
Ripple expands cross-border payments using XRP with Tranglo in Asia, Al Ansari Exchange in Middle East
Despite its legal troubles in the U.S., San Francisco-based blockchain payments company Ripple has been pushing ahead to bring faster and cheaper cross-border payments using XRP in Asia and the Middle East. Fast facts Ripple and Tranglo, a Malaysia-based cross-border payments provider, today announced that Tranglo has launched its first live On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service […]
Bitcoin reaches new all-time price high, but in a very different market since last time
When the world’s largest cryptocurrency last reached a price high, China had yet to crack down on crypto mining, and there was no U.S. Bitcoin futures ETF. What do changing market conditions mean for the growth of Bitcoin and the crypto industry?
A radically different financial architecture is here. Who will own it?
DeFi is a real-world experiment testing out a new model for finance, writes Alex Grebnev of Oxygen. What is the future of banking without Wall Street?
What Singapore’s novel crypto license scheme means for the future of payments
In a special Q&A, CEO Louis Liu describes the hoops FOMO Pay jumped through to win Singapore’s first crypto license and calls its regulator a ‘collaborator.’
Blockchain gaming unicorn Animoca Brands closes $65M capital raise at $2.2B valuation
Animoca Brands, a Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming, metaverse and non-fungible token (NFT) company, has closed a capital raise for US$65 million at a pre-money valuation of US$2.2 billion, according to a company statement. Fast facts Investors in the round included Liberty City Ventures, Ubisoft Entertainment, Sequoia China, Dragonfly Capital, Token Bay Capital and Justin Sun, […]
Bitcoin price hits all-time high after ProShares ETF debut
Bitcoin set another record as it traded above US$67,000 Wednesday, one day after ProShares’ first-day trading volume reached nearly US$1 billion
The crypto policy landscape and how to educate policy makers about Web 3.0 | Ep. 5
How the crypto economy is engaging with legislators, what policy makers need to know about Web 3.0 and what role the U.S. infrastructure bill has played in kickstarting better cryptocurrency education.
Trick of the trade: Is SEC helping or reining in Bitcoin with ETF?
Top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bitcoin grows up. Facebook’s metaverse journey. China’s crypto investors find a workaround.
China’s crypto presence shrinks, while the U.S. rides the tide
More industry players are exiting the Chinese mainland market amid tougher crackdown.