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This first installment in a 3-part series on the U.K. digital asset industry looks at recent efforts to regulate crypto and expand the sector.

Bitcoin edged up on Monday morning in Asia to trade above US$26,000, after sliding over 10% for the week. Ether also moved higher but remained below US$1,700.

Bitcoin fell over 10% this week and dipped to a two-month low following Evergrande’s bankruptcy filing.

Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, announced on Thursday that it will discontinue support for its flagship stablecoin, on three blockchains, Kusama, Bitcoin Cash SLP (Simple Ledger Protocol) and Omni Layer. 

Macroeconomic factors hit investor sentiment while a U.S. judge’s consent to SEC over its ongoing tussle with Ripple Labs affects crypto prices.

Digital ID verified via blockchain can greatly expand economic opportunities for the world’s poor. But the market is fragmented and faces a rocky road of regulations, writes Tamas Kadar, CEO of SEON.

Bitcoin traded at around US$26,800 on Thursday morning in Asia after hitting a two-month low of around US$25,400. Ether fell below US$1,700.

Global institutional intrigue in digital currencies grows but the cryptocurrency market shows no signs of rallying.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Singapore steps up stablecoin rules. DeGods decline. Hong Kong’s third crypto license.

The Shiba Inu token’s price dropped over 7% Thursday after the bumpy launch of “Shibarium,” a layer 2 scaling solution on the Ethereum blockchain.

Bitcoin, Ether and Top 10 crypto fell on Thursday morning in Asia. Coinbase receives futures approval.

PayPal will pause cryptocurrency sales in the United Kingdom for a minimum of three months starting October 1.

Coinbase, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., has obtained regulatory approval to offer crypto futures trading services to eligible clients

Bitcoin extends the day’s losses but keeps above US$29,000, while Binance’s BNB drops amid exchange’s payment service closure.

Binance will shut down its cryptocurrency payment service Binance Connect on Aug. 16, a Binance spokesperson confirmed. 

The Monetary Authority of Singapore unveiled a stablecoin regulatory framework on Tuesday as the city-state aims to become a global hub for the crypto industry.

Wall Street thought crypto would be a passing fad. But more big institutions are having a change of heart, in spite of crypto’s protracted market woes.

NFT data reveals a staggering 876,000 transactions across DMarket, DraftKings, Gods Unchained, and Sorare. DMarket alone boasts over 15 million NFTs. Combined, these giants account for nearly one-third of all NFT transactions.

Bitcoin and Ether fell on Wednesday along with all other top 10 cryptos, NFTs moved down while U.S. stock futures steadied after a rocky Tuesday.

Bitcoin traded flat on Tuesday afternoon in Asia. Ether dipped, while most other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded flat to lower. Solana rose.

Most countries allow only government to mint currency, but in the land of public-private partnerships, legal tender HKD notes are issued by private banks.

Bitcoin edged higher on Tuesday morning in Asia. Ether also edged up, while other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded flat to higher. Solana led the winners.

Bitcoin rose slightly in the past 24 hours while Ether lost. Dogecoin and Solana were the day’s biggest losers, both dropping by over 1%, although both posted gains on the week.

Bitcoin dipped slightly, having hovered around the $29,380 level throughout the weekend. Ether and most other top 10 crypto were little changed.

Bitcoin briefly rose above US$30,000 twice this week, but failed to remain the support level despite positive catalysts in the industry like the launch of PayPal’s new stablecoin. Bitcoin will have to close the week above US$29,300 for upward momentum, industry experts told Forkast.

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Friday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Despite its recent crab walk, Bitcoin is in a “bullish scenario” as long as it holds US$27,500, industry experts told Forkast.

Huobi has contacted multiple data platforms to update its cryptocurrency holdings, following market talk that the it might face an insolvency issue.

SEC seeks to appeal a court ruling in July that the programmatic sale of Ripple’s XRP cryptocurrency did not qualify as sales of financial securities.

Recently proposed by Singapore in collaboration with fintech heavy hitters, PBM can be a powerful tool for promoting accountability and efficiency, writes Anndy Lian. But it’s not without risks.

Bitcoin and Ether dipped on Friday morning in Asia, while U.S. CPI data points to a potential rally in the crypto market.

Y00ts, a non-fungible token (NFT) collection that has been the second most traded NFT collection on Polygon over the past week, announced that it will migrate to Ethereum, the world’s largest blockchain for NFTs. 

PayPal launches stablecoin. Traditional gamers take on NFTs. Tough times ahead for Huobi.

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Thursday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. With a lack of positive news catalysts, Bitcoin could fall to the US$28,500 support level, but US$27,500 is also on the table, industry experts told Forkast.

Bitcoin dropped on Thursday morning in Asia after briefly breaching the US$30,000 level. Ether also dipped, while other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded mixed.

Bitcoin and Ether rose during Wednesday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. With over 69% of Bitcoin supply inactive for over a year, long-term investors remain bullish on the world’s first cryptocurrency, industry experts told Forkast.

Rumors of arrest and insolvency plague the Huobi cryptocurrency exchange, which enjoys close ties to the Tron founder Justin Sun. How will Huobi respond?

Wreck League: New PVP NFT game with custom mechs set to dominate. Partnerships with Yuga Labs and Bored Ape Yacht Club promise big potential in shifting NFT market landscape.

The latest in blockchain gaming has shades of game tech and development from the Web2 era. Is this a regression — or sign of a maturing industry?

Bitcoin rose on Wednesday morning in Asia to trade above US$29,700. Ether also logged gains along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies.

Two U.S. senators have re-introduced the ‘‘Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2023’’ after months of delay, which puts greater emphasis on industry participants such as miners and validators. If the bill is passed, all crypto participants will be required to report transactions of over US$10,000.

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Tuesday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, along with most of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Long term investors continue accumulating Bitcoin, despite the asset’s recent price action, industry experts told Forkast.

South Korean prosecutors are looking to submit the recent U.S. ruling on Ripple to a Seoul court to prove Luna as financial securities.

Paypal, the California-based online payments giant, announced Monday that it is launching an Ethereum blockchain-based stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Combining blockchain with AI, two of the greatest innovations of this era, will unlock myriad benefits for consumers and businesses alike, writes Eugen Kuzin.

Bitcoin edged up on Tuesday morning in Asia after U.S. multinational payment giant PayPal launched a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin on Monday.

As explored in the first installment of this two-part series, crypto funding is being used to provide small but important items to troops on the frontline. But beyond the battlelines, how can crypto help get aid to civilians in times of crisis?

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Monday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, with XRP leading losses in the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Investor sentiment remained subdued given regulatory concerns and a lack of positive catalysts, industry experts told Forkast.

Moves by big financial institutions into digital assets are worrisome to crypto purists, but it could be just what crypto needs to shake off its doldrums, writes Konstantin Horejsi of Blocktrade.

Bitcoin traded flat on Monday morning in Asia to stay just above US$29,000 as the token’s volatility rating hit a record low. The NFT market recorded losses while, in the U.S., equities traders await more earnings reports.

As war rages in eastern Europe, this first installment in a two-part series looks at the growing use of crypto funding in global conflicts, focusing on the small but significant provision of supplies to pro-Russian mercenary groups in Ukraine.

Bitcoin dips below US$30,000 and Ether loses ground as a mix of bleak sentiment, SEC suits and recent hacks test investor nerves.

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Angie Lau, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions. Coming up on today’s show:

Litecoin lost the most in the past 24 hours, followed by XRP, while Tron led gains.

Coinbase launched a bridge for its Ethereum layer-2 blockchain “Base,” on Thursday and set Base’s mainet launch for Aug. 9.

HashKey Exchange and OSL — the only two cryptocurrency exchanges licensed by the Hong Kong SFC — received license upgrades Thursday to service retail investors.

From forays into the metaverse to blockchain-based sales and financing, the fine art world is now at the forefront of profound technological change.

Bitcoin and Ether remained stable Friday morning in Asia as Litecoin led losers among other top 10 cryptos. Coinbase execs bullish after upbeat Q2 results.

Japan’s blockchain group urges tax change. Bitcoin NFT struggles but it may be a sleeping giant. Litecoin falls after halving.

Bitcoin and Ether slipped during Thursday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Litecoin led the losers in the top 10, despite successfully completing its third quadrennial halving event yesterday.

Litecoin prices have lost over 6% since it completed its third halving event on Wednesday evening in Asia.

Bitcoin, Ether and all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies dipped in Thursday morning trading in Asia, including Litecoin following its halving event.

Litecoin has executed its third halving event on Wednesday, reducing block rewards for miners from 12.5 to 6.25 Litecoins per block.

Revenue for NFT services on the Bitcoin network, or the aggregate value of marketplace fees and creator royalties, declined over July even as total Ordinals inscriptions crossed 20 million.

The Republic of Kenya has suspended Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency project co-founded in 2019 by OpenAI chief Sam Altman, while the country’s security and data protection services look into the authenticity and legality of the project, the Ministry of the Interior and National Administration said on its Facebook page on Wednesday.

Bitcoin was the day’s biggest gainer, rising 2.11% in the past 24 hours. Ether rose 1.11%.

Binance users in China traded about US$90 billion worth of cryptocurrency-related assets in May despite the crypto ban since 2021.

Shanghai plans to build a blockchain infrastructure by the end of 2025 and establish links with Hong Kong and Singapore.

Tokenization is having a breakout year, but providers must learn from the past to prevent another FTX or Celsius-level crisis, writes Philipp Pieper of Swarm.

Bitcoin, Ether and most other top ten tokens gained Wednesday morning in Asia, with BNB leading winners after Binance Japan launch.

NFT trading volumes continue to stay low but gaming NFTs gave traders some positive news this week.

Binance announced the launch of Binance Japan on Tuesday, offering 34 cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin fell in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia, dipping below the support level of US$29,000.