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Markets: Bitcoin, Ether little changed; Polkadot leaps Dogecoin into crypto top ten

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 […]

Elon Musk Dogecoin lawsuit heats up with new parties joining

The US$258 billion lawsuit filed against Tesla CEO Elon Musk by an American Dogecoin investor accusing him of running a Dogecoin cryptocurrency pyramid scheme is heating up as new players are summoned in the case. See related article: Markets: Dogecoin still in the dog house; Bitcoin, Ether make up some ground Fast facts First filed […]

Fed officials call for stablecoin regulations amid concerns over financial stability

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 […]

Crypto lender Nexo introduces spot, futures trading

Cryptocurrency lender Nexo has launched a spot, margin and futures trading platform for retail clients with the launch of Nexo Pro. See related article: Nexo and Fidelity Digital Assets expand institutional lending services Fast facts The London-based crypto platform aims to offer retail clients access to institutional-grade aggregated liquidity with no minimum funding requirements, the […]

Thai regulator files police complaint against Zipmex for non-compliance

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand (Thai SEC) has filed a police complaint against cryptocurrency exchange Zipmex and Akalarp Yimwilai, cofounder of the company and CEO of its Thai unit, for non-compliance. See related article: Thailand mandates warnings on crypto ads Fast facts In a statement, Thai SEC said it had ordered Zipmex to […]

Regulator alleges Celsius resembled Ponzi scheme in new filing

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: […]

FTX partnership boosts GameStop despite mixed quarterly results

GameStop shares jumped over 11% in after-market trading on Wednesday following an announced partnership with the cryptocurrency exchange giant FTX US, which will focus on “new e-commerce and online marketing initiatives.” See related article: FTX agrees to help South Korea’s Busan build its own crypto exchange Fast facts The announcement came in tandem with GameStop’s […]

Markets: Bitcoin climbs above $19,000, Ether bounces back, BNB gains on staking

Bitcoin rose above US$19,000 on Thursday morning in Asia, recovering along with other tokens in the top 10 by market capitalization after a sharp sell off on Wednesday. Ether moved higher after the Binance exchange, the world’s biggest, said it would offer Ether staking, a move that boosted its own BNB token. See related article: […]

SEBA Bank launches Ethereum staking services as ‘Merge’ nears

Switzerland-based SEBA Bank, a global cryptocurrency lender, has introduced Ethereum staking services aimed at enabling clients to earn staking rewards on Ethereum. See related article: Ethereum’s Bellatrix upgrade now live despite concerns Fast facts Ethereum staking services would enable clients to earn rewards on a monthly basis, with adjustable lock-up periods available post-Merge, SEBA Bank […]

Binance pushes out USDC in aggressive move to boost its own stablecoin

Top blockchain and crypto news: USDC gets the boot from Binance. MicroStrategy looks for Lightning strikes. STEPN heads to Hong Kong.

Markets: Bitcoin stays under US$19,000, Ether biggest loser among top 10 crypto

Bitcoin fell further in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia, while Ether lost the most ground among the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Ethereum Classic fell more than 15%.   See related article: Markets: Bitcoin slumps below US$19,000, Ether drops despite Merge progress Fast facts Bitcoin dropped 5.6% in the past 24 hours to US$18,801.4 at […]
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Ethereum’s Bellatrix upgrade now live despite concerns

The second-last upgrade required ahead of “The Merge” has gone live, though some kinks may need to be ironed out before the main event.

China has seen blockchain’s future and it doesn’t include cryptocurrencies

China’s Blockchain-based Service Network wears two hats in building blockchains: one for business in China and one for everywhere else, but it doesn’t see a role for crypto in either.

Crypto could pose ‘major’ risk to S.Korea’s financial stability, think tank says

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

New UK PM, finance minister have previously supported crypto, blockchain

Britain’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss has appointed Kwasi Kwarteng, former head of the U.K.’s department for business, energy and industrial strategy, as the new finance minister, charging him with decisions that will impact British and global crypto markets. See related article: Bank of England calls for greater crypto regulation Fast facts Former Finance Minister […]

Slowdown in crypto interest to continue for rest of the year: KPMG

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 collects, then returns, US$100K from investors in fake scheme

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,” […]

Markets: Bitcoin slumps below US$19,000, Ether drops despite Merge progress

Bitcoin dipped under US$19,000 to the lowest price since mid-June in an across-the-market slump for the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization in Wednesday morning trading in Asia. Ether also lost ground even though it began one of its last required upgrades on Tuesday before the network Merge expected later this month. See related article: […]

‘Doctor Bitcoin’ claims to be heading to prison for P2P BTC sale

Crypto entrepreneur Mark Hopkins, also known as Doctor Bitcoin” or “Rizzn”, claimed on Twitter that he has been sentenced to six to 15 months in federal prison for allegedly participating in peer-to-peer Bitcoin sales without a federal license. See related article: Tornado Cash arrest heralds storm season for crypto mixers Fast facts P2P sale of […]

Binance move to remove USDC and others raise questions about market conduct

The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange said the move was designed to “enhance liquidity and capital-efficiency for users.” 

Markets: Bitcoin rises slightly, Ether and Ethereum Classic gain amid price run for alternatives

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; […]

Poolin pauses withdrawals from Pool Accounts, admits liquidity issues

Poolin has paused withdrawals from its wallets known as “Pool Accounts”, the major Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining pool said in a statement on Monday. See related article: Poolin partners with crypto trading firm Quant Satoshi to expand US business Fast facts A recent surge in withdrawal demand is the primary root of the mining pool’s […]

China to speed up, expand digital yuan smart contracts, PBOC official says

Mu Changchun, head of the central bank’s digital currency institute, says the agency is developing a platform to review and register smart contracts for e-CNY, the country’s new digital currency in trial.

Markets: Bitcoin stuck under US$20,000, Ether edges up, Cardano slides

Bitcoin edged up in Monday afternoon trading in Asia, but it still traded below the US$20,000 resistance line, a level it has now fluctuated around since late August. Ether rose, along with Solana and Polkadot. Cardano reversed morning gains to trade lower. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether edge up; Cardano, Solana lead gains in […]

Where will DeFi be after crypto winter ends?

The collapse of Celsius and Anchor wasn’t a failure of DeFi, writes Kaaran Kalantari of WingRiders. They failed to assess risk, and crypto Darwinism took shape.

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether edge up; Cardano, Solana lead gains in crypto top 10

Bitcoin rose slightly in Monday morning trading in Asia, but the world’s largest cryptocurrency was trading below the key resistance line of US$20,000 after falling below that mark on Saturday. Ether edged up, along with Cardano and Solana, while most other tokens in the top 10 by market capitalization were little changed. See related article: […]

Blockchain unchained: How crypto can empower women

How can blockchain help women gain financial independence? And how can female participation be boosted? Social entrepreneur Wendy Diamond explains

Bitcoin gains as US unemployment rate rises to 3.7%, indicates inflation slowing

Bitcoin gained almost 2% on Friday evening in Asia after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the unemployment rate in August rose to 3.7% from 3.5% in July. The figures suggest the U.S. economy is slowing, which may influence the Federal Reserve when it meets this month to decide on raising interest rates.  […]

Ethereum Merge’s impact on NFTs

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – September 2, 2022, presented by Joel Flynn. Coming up on today’s show: Could Ethereum’s Merge cause chaos for the NFT market? Number of unique NFT buyers falls below 500,000. We’ll take a deep dive into that in this episode of The Daily Forkast September 2.

Thailand mandates warnings on crypto ads

Cryptocurrency advertisements in Thailand must indicate potential risks of investing in the nascent asset class, the nation’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said in a statement on Thursday.   See related article: Singapore central bank warns against crypto marketing, promotion Fast facts Crypto businesses in the Southeast Asian nation must report all details of advertisements and […]

ENS provider reports third-highest monthly revenue, ahead of “The Merge”

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) reported its third-highest month of revenue in August, with 301,000 new “.eth” registrations, totaling 2.17 million names, according to a post on its verified Twitter handle. See related article: ENS domain name expires as developer is in prison, becomes up for grabs in Sept. Fast facts ENS generated 2,744 ETH, currently […]

IMF looks to build platform for cross-border CBDC transactions

The director and division chief of IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department will soon publish a paper laying out a blueprint for a platform to support CBDC clearing and settlement transactions between multiple countries. See related article: Inter-country use key for CBDCs to reach potential: report Fast facts See related article: US Digital Dollar Project […]

Hong Kong hosts Digital Asset Series seminars for mass literacy

Hong Kong is hosting the Digital Asset Series (DAS) educational seminars, which started in August to continue into November this year. See related article: Why children around the world need crypto education Fast facts The free educational seminars will be delivered by industry experts, legal professionals, regulators and scholars from the finance-technology (fintech) sector, according […]

Chinese central bank should issue RMB stablecoin for metaverse: academic

China should issue a digital yuan-collateral stablecoin to establish an on-chain payment system for China’s metaverse, as the infrastructure developed by China itself is the key to ensuring national security, said influential academic Zhang Ping of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, an institution providing policy consultation to the Chinese State Council. See related article: Naver’s […]

Binance says it complies with regulators following US anti-money laundering probe report

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, said it has worked with regulatory agencies from around the world to address outstanding compliance questions, following a Reuters report that U.S. federal prosecutors asked the exchange to offer internal records involving founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao for anti-money laundering checks in late 2020. See related […]

Crypto lender Celsius to return US$50 mln to locked out users

Celsius Network Ltd., which has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, has filed a motion to return around US$50 million worth of tokens to a portion of holders as these funds are not part of the bankruptcy estate, unlike funds from Earn and Borrow clients. The hearing on the filing will take place on Oct. 6. […]

Bitcoin fluctuates, Ether gains, MATIC jumps on Robinhood inclusion

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 – […]

Director at China’s Securities Regulatory Commission deep-dives into Web 3.0 in new book, a year after China’s crypto ban

Nearly a year after China banned crypto trading and mining, the director of the Technology Supervision Bureau at Chinaøs Securities Regulatory Commission has published a book discussing Web 3.0 and blockchain technology. See related article: Shanghai turns to metaverse, NFTs to counter lockdown economic fallout Fast facts Yao Qian’s book “Web 3.0: Changes and Challenges […]

South Korea’s taxman keeps circling crypto – airdrops look to be the next target

South Korea last week said crypto token airdrops are subject to a gift tax of as much as 50% under existing laws, but what is the likelihood this rule can be applied to digital holdings?

US Digital Dollar Project to work with Ripple on CBDC technical sandbox

The U.S.-based Digital Dollar Project said it will work with Ripple and a few other digital asset firms to launch a technical sandbox program to further study a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC). See related article: CBDCs better poised for cross-border payments than Bitcoin, stablecoins: ECB study Fast facts The non-profit initiative announced on […]

LG Electronics to launch Hedera-based crypto wallet

South Korea-based LG Electronics is reportedly preparing to release its first crypto wallet application named “Wallypto” in the third quarter of 2022.  See related article: S. Korea’s Danal, LG CNS to build ‘one-for-all’ Web3 payments platform Fast facts LG Electronics has been running a beta test of the application with developers since August and is […]

How did Big Tech gain such power over our data, and how do we take it back?

Google earns hundreds of billions annually by monetizing its users. Can blockchain return meaningful control over personal data back to the people?

Markets: Bitcoin edges up; U.S. stocks, bonds post worst returns in 5 decades

Bitcoin and Ether made up some ground, with most other tokens in the crypto top 10 little changed in early Thursday morning trading in Asia. Bitcoin traded back above US$20,000 after falling through that resistance level overnight. Global macroeconomic headwinds continue to drag on both crypto and capital markets. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin trades […]

Ukraine National Police takes down crypto fraud cybercrime group

The National Police of Ukraine (NPU) said on Tuesday it took down a network of call centers targeting Ukrainian and European Union citizens, who have already been duped by crypto scams. See related article: Ukraine seizes funds from crypto wallet funding Russian forces Fast facts According to NPU’s official announcement, the cybercrime network was disguised […]

Crypto education in local languages; Decentralizing data

Crypto advocates in Asia want to educate people using regional languages to promote cyber-safety awareness.

Fed’s inflation fight batters crypto market as pressure mounts

Top blockchain and crypto news: Is crypto in for a long cold spell? Ava Labs lashes out at CryptoLeaks claims. China eyes blockchain power trading.

Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin to release book on proof of stake

Vitalik Buterin will release a book on proof-of-stake consensus on Sept. 27, compiling various writings by the Ethereum founder over the last 10 years, according to his recent Twitter post. See related article: Vitalik Buterin says he used Tornado Cash to donate to Ukraine Fast facts The book, titled “Proof of Stake, The Making of […]

Bitcoin mining difficulty at its second highest on record, rises over 9%

Bitcoin mining difficulty rose by 9.3% on Wednesday, marking the biggest jump since January and the second highest level on record, according to data from BTC.com. See related article: Chinese mining rig maker Canaan says global expansion on track despite ‘crypto winter’ Fast facts The mining difficulty reading was at 30.98 trillion, as of block […]

Crypto.com refunded user US$7 million instead of US$68 – took 7 months to realize

Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com in May 2021 transferred AU$10.4 million (US$7.15 million) to an Australian woman instead of an intended refund of AU$100 (US$68), and took seven months to recognize the mistake, the Herald Sun newspaper reported. See related article: Bitcoin sent by mistake, recipient will not be punished for keeping it: South Korea ruling […]

The X-to-Earn model: Eat, sleep, do almost anything and get paid in crypto

Are you a good runner? Or eater? Or sleeper? Chances are whatever you’re good at, there’s a Web3 project out there to reward you in crypto. But do the tokenomics stack up?

Markets: Bitcoin dips back below US$20,000, Ether falls in boxed-in crypto market

Bitcoin fell back below US$20,000 after moving above that resistance line on Tuesday, while Ether also lost ground in early morning trading in Asia on Wednesday amid signs broader macroeconomic concerns are keeping a lid on cryptocurrency markets. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin holds gains; Ether, Avalanche surge; Solana jumps Fast facts Bitcoin fell 2.5% […]

Temasek to lead US$100M funding round in Animoca Brands: report

Singapore state-backed fund is leading a US$100 million funding round into Hong Kong-based blockchain and game venture Animoca Brands, Bloomberg reported.  See related article: Singapore’s Temasek says doesn’t own Bitcoin, but prepping for tokenized assets Fast facts Temasek will make the investment through convertible bonds, according to unnamed sources cited by Bloomberg. Temasek has been […]

You what-to-earn?; TradFi’s crypto moves

In today’s episode, we take a deeper dive into x-to-earn concepts and how traditional hedge funds are increasing their crypto exposure.

Crypto lender Hodlnaut placed under creditor protection by Singapore court

Singapore-based crypto lender Hodlnaut has been placed under Interim Judicial Management (IJM), a form of creditor protection, and will now be managed and controlled by interim judicial managers appointed by court order. See related article: Singapore’s central bank says cryptocurrencies have ‘no fundamental value’ Fast facts Hodlnaut said its legal representatives attended the IJM hearing […]

India’s CoinDCX says it’s hiring to prepare for DeFi expansion

Despite the Indian government’s hostility towards cryptocurrencies, the CoinDCX exchange says more traditional financial products will shift to DeFi platforms.

Bank of Korea to institutionalize ICOs in new crypto law

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 […]

CME Group launches euro-denominated Bitcoin, Ether futures

CME Group — the world’s largest operator of financial derivatives markets, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange — has launched euro-denominated futures on Bitcoin and Ether. See related article: New US crypto bill seeks to make CFTC top Bitcoin, Ethereum watchdog Fast facts See related article: Here comes the crypto derivatives boom

SEC, Ripple take XRP lawsuit battle to media as well

The ongoing battle between the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Ripple Labs over the latter’s token XRP is playing out not just in a courtroom but in media channels as well. See related article: SEC files no objection to Ripple request to seal non-party identities in XRP lawsuit Fast facts Stu Alderoty, general counsel […]

FTX CEO: no plan to buy crypto exchange Huobi

Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of crypto exchange FTX, denied on Tuesday that he has a plan to buy out another crypto exchange, Huobi, after a rumor circulating on Chinese social media said that FTX has acquired the exchange. See related article: FTX CEO: This is the canary in China’s crypto ban coal mine Fast facts “No, […]

Markets: Bitcoin back above US$20,000; Ether, Ether Classic jump ahead of merge

Bitcoin broke back above US$20,000 in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, with most of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization gaining. Ether rebounded, while Avalanche also recovered from a drop-off following whistleblower allegations that the company “weaponized” litigation against its rivals. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin fails to hold above US$20,000, Ether slumps, SHIB […]

Most crypto “still junk”, JPMorgan’s blockchain lead claims

Excluding a few dozen tokens, most cryptocurrencies are bound to “go away,” according to Umar Farooq, Chief Executive Officer of JPMorgan’s blockchain unit. See related article: Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy Fast facts “Most of crypto is still junk,” he said at the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Green Shoots […]

Singapore’s Crypto Dance; Women in Web3

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – August 29, 2022 – presented by Joel Flynn. Coming up on today’s show: Crypto clarity from Singapore’s central bank. Forkast and NEAR Foundation initiative champions women in Web3. We’ll have more on those stories — and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world — in this episode of […]

Singapore’s MAS says needs to do better job explaining crypto policy

The city-state hosted a seminar with a title that it hopes sums up its crypto approach: “Yes to digital asset innovation, No to cryptocurrency speculation.”

Bitcoin miners, investors still active in BTC despite price fluctuations

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 […]

Markets: Bitcoin fails to hold above US$20,000, Ether slumps, SHIB slides

Bitcoin traded below US$20,000 and Ether fell further in Monday afternoon trading in Asia. Solana fell, along with memecoins Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu (SHIB), with SHIB dropping below Dai and Polygon by market capitalization. See related article: Bitcoin stays below US$20,000 Monday morning after Friday Fed shock Fast facts Bitcoin traded down 0.83% in […]

Why the crypto world needs more women as leaders and investors

Women foster a better environment for innovation and are sober with money — which is what the industry needs, writes Gracy Chen of Bitget.

China exploring blockchain for energy trading

The National Energy Administration (NEA) will explore blockchain-based power trading platforms to facilitate electricity trading between self-contained power generation units and the state and national grids, according to a policy document released last Friday. see related article: The Bitcoin-energy connection intensifies Fast facts see related article: Here’s why Australia can’t use its empty deserts to mine […]

S.Korea’s science ministry announces ethical principles for the metaverse

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) has recently unveiled the first draft of core ethical principles that are fundamental for growing and participating in the metaverse. See related article: South Korea places $185M bet on the metaverse Fast facts The science ministry’s three values for the metaverse participants are an intact self-identity, safe […]

Grayscale says XLM, ZEC and ZEN may be securities after SEC inquiry

In recent filings, the crypto asset management firm has said Stellar (XLM), Zcash (ZEC) and Horizen’s (ZEN) native cryptocurrencies may be securities. Grayscale was responding to questions from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the company’s crypto trusts. See related article: Grayscale sues SEC over spot Bitcoin ETF rejection Fast facts In its […]

Markets: Bitcoin stays below US$20,000 Monday morning after Friday Fed shock

Bitcoin and Ether fell Monday morning in Asia, along with all other cryptocurrencies in the top 10 by market capitalization. The slump continues a slide over the weekend after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell rocked crypto and equity markets on Friday with comments about economic pain ahead as the Fed raises interest rates to […]

An internet of blockchains: Interoperability in a multi-chain future

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

Crypto regulation in focus

Crypto experts weigh in on the direction crypto regulation is headed in APAC and beyond.