South Korea makes first arrest in Terra-LUNA investigation
South Korean prosecutors have arrested a Terraform Labs employee, in their first arrest under the investigation of the Terra-LUNA collapse. A bench warrant, which allows law enforcement to take suspects into custody, was issued on Wednesday for the arrested employee. See related article: Terra CEO Do Kwon to lose his passport within a month Fast […]
Ripple Labs joins blockchain carbon credit partnership
Ripple Labs Inc., the firm whose payment network is powered by the self-described carbon-neutral cryptocurrency token XRP, has partnered with Web3 climate startup Thallo and various other companies to build a carbon credit market on the blockchain. See related article: SEC opposes motions from two firms seeking to back Ripple in XRP lawsuit Fast facts […]
Is that bottle of ‘Grand Cru’ for real? An NFT can nose out the truth
The tradition-bound wine world is not always open to change, writes Sebastian Schier of vinID. But new technology can solve the age-old problem of wine fraud.
Markets: Bitcoin dips but holds above US$20,000, Ether falls, XRP only gainer in top 10
Bitcoin fell in Thursday morning trading in Asia but held above the US$20,000 support line. Ether also lost ground. XRP was the only token in the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization to gain. See related article: Is crypto money? A South Korean court says no Fast facts Bitcoin fell 0.9% in the past 24 […]
Tornado Cash Debate – The Role of Law
Forkast Editor in Chief Angie Law spoke with some of the industry experts to talk about the implications of the Tornado Cash sanctions.
Temperatures rise over alleged Celsius withdrawals ahead of bankruptcy
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?
Markets: Bitcoin holds above US$20K; Dogecoin gains 7.37%; Hang Seng Index jumps 6% in Hong Kong
Bitcoin and Ether prices rose in Wednesday evening trading in Hong Kong amid widespread gains among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with Cardano being the sole loser. In equity markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rebounded from Monday’s record lows to jump 5.81%. See related articles: Markets: Bitcoin rises above US$20,000, gaining with […]
Terra cofounder Daniel Shin pulls out of S.Korean parliamentary audit, report says
Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd. cofounder Daniel Shin, or Shin Hyun-sung, has submitted a statement to South Korea’s National Assembly with reasons not to appear before lawmakers on Thursday as a witness in the Terra-LUNA meltdown, according to local news agency News1. See related article: Terraform cofounder Daniel Shin to testify in South Korean parliament Fast […]
Asus launches NFT platform to plug into Web 3.0
Taiwanese laptop maker Asus has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) platform, marking its first attempt to venture into the burgeoning Web 3.0 industry, the company announced on Tuesday. See related article: Apple iPhone maker’s founder distances himself from crypto fraudsters using his image Fast facts Asus launched Art Black hole on Tuesday, a platform for […]
‘It raises really interesting questions’: How regulators are approaching DAOs
Panelists at Forkast’s live-streamed event ‘Crypto Rising: The Role of Law: An International Debate post Tornado Cash’ co-hosted by the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) said attempting to regulate DAOs highlights the shortcomings of international enforcement.
Privacy vs. security: an international debate on Tornado Cash
Panelists at Forkast’s live-streamed event ‘Crypto Rising: The Role of Law: An International Debate post Tornado Cash’ co-hosted by Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) said the significance of the sanctions could not be understated.
Celsius cofounder, chief strategy officer resigns: report
Bankrupt crypto lender Celsius’ cofounder and chief strategy officer S. Daniel Leon has resigned, a week after the company’s CEO Alex Mashinsky stepped down, according to an internal company memo viewed by CNBC. See related article: Alex Mashinsky steps down as Celsius CEO Fast facts The company’s previous global tax director, Lior Koren, is taking […]
Japan’s PM announces NFT and metaverse expansion
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced plans to expand investments in non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse in a policy speech on Monday. See related article: Japan plans new crypto transfer rules to combat money laundering Fast facts Kishida says the country will further its investment in digital transformation and expand the use of Web3 […]
Markets: Bitcoin rises above US$20,000, gaining with Ether and rest of crypto top 10 as U.S. equities surge
Bitcoin was trading above US$20,000 in Wednesday morning trading in Asia after struggling to break that resistance level for much of the past three weeks. The world’s largest cryptocurrency rose along with Ether and the rest of the crypto top 10 by market capitalization, with Dogecoin posting the most significant gains. See related article: Markets: […]
Markets: Bitcoin price holds above US$19,000; Ether rises, XRP biggest gainer
Bitcoin continued trading above US$19,000 in Tuesday afternoon trading in Asia, rising above US$20,000 before declining. Ether and most of the other top 10 coins by market capitalization gained. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price rises above US$19,000, Ether and rest of crypto top 10 gain Fast facts Bitcoin rose 3.85% in the past 24 […]
Tether says commercial paper holdings now less than US$50 mln
Tether Holdings Limited, the issuer behind the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, reduced its holdings of commercial paper to less than US$50 million as of Sept. 30, according to a tweet by Tether Chief Technology Officer Paulo Ardoino. See related article: SEC fines Tether’s former auditor US$1 mln over accounting malpractice Fast facts In the tweet, Ardoino also […]
China’s international blockchain push may face Huawei-like obstacles
China spent billions on its ‘belt and road’ infrastructure network to expand trade so what are its plans for a domestic and international digital infrastructure built on blockchain?
US Treasury says Congress needs to act to mitigate crypto risk to stability
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.
Dunamu, BTS’ Hybe launch first K-pop digital collectibles platform
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 […]
Apple CEO Tim Cook backs AR tech over the metaverse
Tim Cook, the chief executive of Apple Inc., said in a recent interview that augmented reality (AR) will become the biggest technology of the future, while he devalued metaverse and virtual reality (VR) technology. See related article: The metaverse is already here. What’s holding back the party? Fast facts “I think AR is a profound […]
How will the crypto tax debate play out in the UK?
Like many nations, the UK is formulating new rules and guidelines for crypto taxation. Will they help or hinder its crypto hub aspirations?
Markets: Bitcoin price rises above US$19,000, Ether and rest of crypto top 10 gain
Bitcoin rose above US$19,000 in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, with Ether and the rest of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization gaining. The moves reflected strong gains in U.S. equity indexes on Monday after rounding out September with significant losses. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price falls below US$19,000, XRP down, BNB only […]
SEC fines Kim Kardashian US$1.26 mln for promoting EthereumMax
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 […]
Bitcoin miner reserves hit lowest level since Feb 2010
Bitcoin miner reserves are at their lowest level since February 2010, showing miners offloading their holdings, according to data from IntoTheBlock. See related article: Bitcoin mining difficulty drops 2% after reaching all-time high in last adjustment Fast facts There were 1,908,672 BTC in miners’ reserves on Friday, down from 2,030,434 BTC at the end of […]
3 reasons crypto will spring back after Crypto Winter
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.
Apes still rule among the bears: NFT market falls for fifth straight month
‘Crypto Winter’ has touched all elements of the crypto market, and non-fungible tokens are no different.
Celsius ex-CEO withdrew US$10 mln before freeze on client accounts: FT reports
Alex Mashinsky, who resigned as chief executive officer of Celsius on Sept. 27, reportedly withdrew US$10 million from the crypto exchange in May, weeks before it filed for bankruptcy and froze withdrawals in June, according to the Financial Times. See related article: Celsius on thin ice well before its bankruptcy: CNBC report Fast facts A […]
Hacker has returned 70% of stolen US$23 mln in funds: Transit Swap
Cross-chain DEX (decentralized exchange) aggregator Transit Swap was exploited, resulting in US$23 million lost funds, crypto auditor SlowMist said on Sunday. The hacker has returned 70% of the stolen funds, Transit Swap said on the same day. See related article: Nomad’s US$200 million hack; Saylor steps down Fast facts See related article: Why blockchain bridges […]
Markets: Bitcoin price falls below US$19,000, XRP down, BNB only gainer in crypto top 10
Bitcoin was back under US$19,000 in Monday morning trading in Asia, a level it has fluctuated around for most of the past two weeks, boxed in by global macroeconomic concerns that have also hit equity markets. Ether also fell. BNB was the only gainer among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. See related article: […]
Instagram, Facebook users in 100 countries can crosspost NFTs: Meta
Instagram and Facebook users in 100 countries can start sharing and crossposting their non-fungible tokens (NFTs) between the two platforms, Meta announced on Thursday. See related article: China’s ‘Instagram’ gets into virtual fashion with users strutting NFT clothes Fast facts Meta, the operator of the two social media platforms, said the feature is available to […]
Binance sets up shop in New Zealand in global push
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has launched a local branch in New Zealand after becoming a registered financial service provider, Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao announced on Friday. See related article: Binance taps ex-U.S. senator Max Baucus to chair global advisory board Fast facts “New Zealand is an exciting market with a strong history of […]
Terraform cofounder Daniel Shin to testify in South Korean parliament
South Korea’s National Assembly intends to get to the bottom of the Terra-LUNA debacle in its next audit in October along with several other issues surrounding the local crypto industry.
Tokenize plans acquisitions, fund raising to build exchange network
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.
SBF wanted to join Elon Musk Twitter deal, private text messages show
Sam Bankman-Fried, the American crypto entrepreneur, billionaire and investor, considered joining Musk’s bid to buy social media giant Twitter, leaked private messages reveal.
Crypto wallet Metamask unveils all-in-one digital asset portfolio dApp
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, […]
Markets: XRP jumps amid court ruling against SEC, Bitcoin gains, Ether sole loser in crypto top 10
Bitcoin edged higher to remain above US$19,000 in early Friday morning trading in Asia, after fluctuating around that resistance level all week. Ether dipped, while XRP led the gainers among the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether rise; BNB leads gainers in top 10 crypto, followed by Solana Fast […]
SWIFT, Chainlink announce cross-chain interoperability partnership
Interbank messaging system SWIFT has partnered with crypto data provider Chainlink for an initial proof of concept to use cross-chain interoperability protocol (CCIP) for on-chain token transfers, Sergey Nazarov, Chainlink’s cofounder announced at the SmartCon 2022 conference on Wednesday. See related article: Chainlink joins Hedera council in push to link DeFi with traditional finance Fast […]
Institutional finance, role of regulators in focus at TOKEN2049 crypto conference
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
Cryptocurrency crowd shrugs off market woes at upbeat TOKEN2049 conference
In the first of a two-part report on this year’s cryptocurrency gathering in Singapore, defiance outshone defeatism despite industry’s struggles.
Bitcoin ‘might double in price’ under CFTC regulation, its chairman says
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman Rostin Behnam said Thursday the crypto industry has “a massive opportunity for institutional inflows that will only occur if there’s a regulatory structure,” pushing for his office to lead the effort. See related article: Crypto community pushes back following CFTC charges against Ooki DAO Fast facts “Growth might occur […]
South Korea’s investigation of Do Kwon ‘unfair’: Terraform Labs
Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd., the firm behind the collapse of the Terra-LUNA stablecoin project said South Korean prosecutors’ measures in pursuing its chief executive officer Do Kwon violate his basic rights under Korean law.
Markets: Bitcoin, Ether rise; BNB leads gainers in top 10 crypto, followed by Solana
Bitcoin recovered above US$19,000 in early Thursday morning trading in Asia, after fluctuating around that resistance level for the past week. Ether also moved higher, while BNB led the gains in the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization, all of which rose. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price back under US$20,000, Ether little changed, XRP […]
USDC coming to five additional blockchain ecosystems
Circle Internet Financial, Inc., the global financial technology company behind the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin, will soon be making the token available on five additional blockchains, Chief Product Officer Nikhil Chandhok said on Wednesday at the company’s Converge22 conference. See related article: U.S. Fed has growing interest in CBDCs, says Jeng at Crypto Council for […]
Are stablecoins like Tether ready for regulatory scrutiny?
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 to launch Web3 fund with backing from UAE; pushes back on Jamie Dimon
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 […]
Markets: XRP biggest loser in top 10, Bitcoin slips under US$19,000, Ether slumps
Bitcoin and Ether fell as much as 7% in afternoon trading in Asia as the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization lost ground across the board. XRP slid to erase most of its gains from the past week as optimism faded for any early resolution to its lawsuit with the US Security and Exchange Commission. […]
Binance law enforcement training program to seek out ‘bad actors’
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has launched a dedicated program to “help law enforcement detect financial and cyber crimes,” in a move it claims to be an industry first to combat crypto crimes, the exchange said Tuesday, as it navigates regulatory headwinds and ramps up compliance efforts. See related article: Binance says it complies […]
Cryptocurrencies much more than trading tools, says Caselin at AAX exchange
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.
Russia said to consider digital ruble settlements with China
Russia is planning to use its central bank digital currency (CBDC) in testing, the digital ruble, to carry out mutual settlements with China, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a senior Russian lawmaker. See related article: Is cryptocurrency a workaround for sanctions against Russia? Fast facts Anatoly Aksakov, head of the financial committee in Russia’s lower […]
Bitdeer leads US$250 mln fund to acquire assets from distressed miners: report
Crypto tycoon Jihan Wu’s crypto mining firm Bitdeer Technology Holdings is leading a US$250 million fund to acquire mining rigs from distressed miners amid the cryptocurrency bear market, according to Bloomberg. See related article: China mining rig maker Canaan expands despite crypto winter Fast facts See related article: Bitmain cuts mining rig price amid crypto […]
Alex Mashinsky steps down as Celsius CEO
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 […]
Markets: Bitcoin price back under US$20,000, Ether little changed, XRP falls, Uniswap gains
Bitcoin traded back in the US$19,000 range on Wednesday morning in Asia after breaching US$20,000 the previous day in a broader market surge. Ether was little changed, while Solana, Cardano and XRP on the list of top 10 by market capitalization lost ground. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin price rises above US$20,000, XRP rebounds, Ether […]
Japan plans new crypto transfer rules to combat money laundering
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 […]
BIS mBridge cross-border CBDC project concludes pilot, advisor says
Hong Kong’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project with three other central banks and the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) has completed its pilot, an advisor from the BIS and a specialist from Thailand’s central bank said on Tuesday. See related article: Future of CBDCs & Stablecoins Fast facts The mBridge pilot saw 20 commercial […]
FTX to acquire assets of bankrupt Voyager Digital with US$1.422 billion bid
Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange FTX US will acquire all the assets of bankrupt cryptocurrency brokerage Voyager Digital, beating off rivals with a US$1.422 billion bid. See related article: Voyager gives Sam Bankman-Fried’s ‘low-ball’ bailout offer a single digit Fast facts FTX will acquire “all Voyager cryptocurrency at a to-be-determined date in the future,” which […]
Crypto community pushes back following CFTC charges against Ooki DAO
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission faces criticism from cryptocurrency industry as opposition grows over “unprecedented” charges against the Ooki DAO.
SEC fines Tether’s former auditor US$1 mln over accounting malpractice
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Monday it filed and settled a US$1 million fine against Friedman LLP, Tether’s former auditing firm, over “serious violations of the federal securities laws.” See related article: What is the right approach to regulating stablecoins? Fast facts See related article: Should Tether’s shrinking cash reserves be cause for […]
Upbit exchange to use LUNC fees to set up crypto monitoring center
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 […]
Terra Classic surges 50% as Binance offers token burning mechanism
Terra Classic (LUNC), the original crypto token of the Terra-LUNA blockchain that collapsed back in May, gained over 50% on Tuesday following an announcement by Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange by volume, that it would support a burn mechanism for the network. See related article: For South Korea, making Do Kwon pay for his […]
South Korea’s crypto market capitalization drops 58%; user numbers rise
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 […]
Is crypto in a deep funk? Think again
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?
Markets: Bitcoin price back above US$19,000; Ether, Polkadot gain; XRP leads losers
Bitcoin broke above the US$19,000 resistance level in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, as most other tokens on the top 10 list by market capitalization gained ground. XRP continued its slide from Monday to lead the decliners, but remains higher over the past seven days. See related article: Markets: XRP reverses gains, Bitcoin stuck under […]
Blockchain’s alternative?
There are alternatives to just blockchain in the world of distributed ledger technologies – but what are they?
RBA opens submissions for 2023 CBDC pilot
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) on Monday published a whitepaper on its central bank digital currency (CBDC), or “eAUD,” pilot project that will start in January 2023 and has invited industry participants to submit use cases with economic and social benefits. See related article: World Economic Forum argues for CBDCs, Australia latest to test […]
Is the Philippines on track to becoming a blockchain hub?
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?
California governor vetoes bill requiring crypto-related businesses to obtain special license
A bill that proposed a regulatory and licensing framework for crypto companies was rejected by Gov. Gavin Newsom amid a broader national debate concerning the policing of digital assets.
Chinese university sets up metaverse major, names department after metaverse
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: […]
Interpol issues red notice for Do Kwon, says South Korean prosecutor
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.
Markets: Bitcoin price falls below US$19,000, ETH down, XRP continues to rise
Bitcoin traded below the US$19,000 mark in early Monday trading in Asia after fluctuating around the resistance level all week. Ethereum and most other tokens in the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization lost ground. XRP once again defied broader market forces and was up on the day. See related article: Markets: XRP soars 23%, […]
South Korea’s Busan city wants to be blockchain central. Did everyone get the memo?
The coastal city was a prominent manufacturer of footwear, fabric and other light industries during the 1970s and 80s, and then grew into one of the world’s biggest container ports. Now it’s trying to reinvent itself in the digital world of blockchain.
Capital gains: How Web3 property rights can transform the digital economy
Digital ownership enabled by Web3 tech can challenge the monopolistic dynamics of Web2 and give people real equity, says Animoca Brands chief Yat Siu
Cross-chain bridge Wormhole, oracle Pyth deployed on Aptos
DeFi infrastructures powered by Jump Crypto will support blockchain Aptos and have been deployed on its development net.