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Terraform Labs backer Pantera Capital gradually withdrew nearly 80% of its Terra LUNA holdings over the past year, saving itself from significant damages from the de-pegging of TerraUSD (UST) and the network’s collapse last week, The Block reported. See related article: LUNA, UST investors in S.Korea want to seize Do Kwon’s properties: report Fast facts […]

Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, which issues the second-largest stablecoin USDC, claims to have foreseen Terra and algorithmic stablecoin UST’s collapse six months ago because it was “a house of cards.” See related article: Terra shuts down indefinitely after coming back online; LUNA, UST still on life support Fast facts “There were two things that […]

A vote pertaining to Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon’s “updated and final” Terra revival plan was posted at 7:17 p.m. Wednesday Hong Kong time, with the majority favoring the proposal, while a preliminary vote was rejected in a landslide. See related article: No hard fork, governance vote in Kwon’s updated Terra revival proposal Fast facts […]

Mike Novogratz, founder and CEO of crypto investment firm Galaxy Digital, broke his weeklong silence on the TerraUSD turmoil, claiming “the global macro backdrop has been brutal for all risk assets this year” and that the UST is “a big idea that failed.” See related article: Blood moon: Terra’s LUNA rescue plan panned by industry, […]

The Indian government may impose a reverse charge goods and services tax (GST) on cryptocurrency investors using foreign exchanges, according to a local media report.  See related article: India GST Council weighs 28% tax on crypto transactions Fast facts The reverse charge would levy a goods and services tax on the investor instead of the […]

Binance is looking to win a cryptocurrency license in Germany after becoming a regulated digital asset service provider in fellow G7 nation France, CEO Changpeng Zhao said.  See related story: Binance wants to play ball with regulators Fast facts Zhao said at an event in Germany on Wednesday that the cryptocurrency exchange is expanding its […]

Bitcoin’s increasing correlation with risk assets meant it got caught up in the overnight market selloff in the U.S. Investors dumped shares of Target and Walmart after the American retailers cautioned about possibly taking a margin hit from not being able to pass on price increases to customers. See related article: Has Bitcoin become a […]

In a special op-ed, 2 former CFTC chiefs and a crypto executive make the case for why the US must prioritize policies that support the new Web3 economy.

China’s nationwide ban on crypto mining has not affected it’s high mining hashrate. Meanwhile, Terra’s community become frustrated as they struggle to find answers.

Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon posted an update to his proposal to revive Terra and LUNA at 4:55 p.m. Hong Kong time, which omitted the notice of putting the plan up for a governance vote. See related article: Do Kwon proposes Terra fork to ditch UST and ‘LUNA Classic’ Fast facts Kwon’s updated “Terra Ecosystem […]

Forkast sat down with Singapore’s biggest bank for insights into crypto regulations in the city-state. Singapore has a reputation for planning far ahead, so what’s in store for cryptocurrencies?

The 2021 Bitcoin mining exodus has left underground miners thriving to push China’s hashrate share near to the top, new study finds.

Pakistani crypto exchange RAIN has urged the country’s finance ministry to regulate and impose a 15% tax on cryptocurrencies, local media reported. See related article: Pakistan takes a fresh look at cryptocurrency Fast facts RAIN told regulators that Pakistan can earn roughly US$90 million in taxes through a capital gains tax on cryptocurrency assets, according […]

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has suggested that no prominent public figures, including celebrities and sports personalities, should endorse crypto products, according to local media reports.   See related article: India’s crypto ads to get ‘highly risky’ banners starting April Fast facts Trading cryptocurrencies is not illegal in India, but the activity is […]

The Sandbox metaverse has partnered with Studio Dragon, a Korean drama production company behind titles Crash Landing on You, Sweet Home and Kingdom: Ashin of the North, to build a K-drama metaverse. See related article: South Korea wants to be the physical home of the metaverse Fast facts The Sandbox said on Tuesday the pair […]

As Terra continues to crash, Do Kwon proposes a hard fork solution, Meanwhile, Singapore’s Temasek gets ready for tokenized assets.

South Korea’s ruling party lawmaker Yun Chang-hyun said Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon should be called in for a parliamentary hearing on the collapse of the company’s stablecoin and cryptocurrency. See related article: News of LUNA’s demise greatly exaggerated Fast facts Yun at Tuesday’s National Assembly session said investors had been damaged by the debacle […]

The Bitcoin community got a lift last year when it was reported Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund had bought Bitcoin. The company told Forkast in an interview that they do not own BTC, but they are keen on blockchain investments.

Klaytn, South Korean internet giant Kakao’s public blockchain, will build an open-permissioned blockchain for China’s state-backed Blockchain-based Service Network’s (BSN) infrastructure for the Middle Kingdom’s domestic use. See related article: Resist the temptation on NFTs, Chinese state-backed developer says Fast facts Klaytn said on Tuesday it will take part in establishing the Chongqing Chain, a […]

Parts of the Indian economy can lead to “dollarization” due to cryptocurrencies, which would be against the national interest, top officials of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) told a parliamentary panel, according to local media. See related article: India’s financial stability at risk from cryptos: IMF Fast facts Local media quoted unnamed officials in […]

The future world will run on digital money—the most trusted being Bitcoin, writes André Neves of Zebedee. Here’s how gaming can bring BTC to the masses.

Chinese state-backed publication Economic Daily cited LUNA and UST’s crash to state cryptocurrencies “once again, proved its own risks and that it is a bubble” amid the Federal Reserve’s rate hike. See related article: Chinese runners offer substitute running to earn StepN’s GMT for commission Fast facts See related article: Tax authorities in China jump […]

The price of LUNA, the native token of Terra, is now as volatile as low-cap meme currencies, and is currently at 23,716.5% from its all-time low set on Friday, according to CoinGecko data. See related article: UST loses dollar peg as Terra market cap slumps Fast facts The Terra network suffered a major meltdown last […]

A developmental shift in the cryptocurrency industry is ushering in geographical shifts among crypto companies, with a number of businesses abandoning locations once hailed as crypto hubs in favor of jurisdictions with regulatory regimes more to their liking.  Forkast sat down with two of the crypto industry’s rainmakers who are among those spearheading this trend […]

Terra shuts down its networks indefinitely. Meanwhile, TerraLabs founder Do Kwon’s whereabouts are in question as his wife requests police protection.

LUNA, the collateral used by Terraform Labs to back its TerraUSD (UST), has been in a freefall. But experts tell Forkast the crisis is likely to make the pioneering stablecoin stronger, and the community behind stablecoins better.

The wife of the CEO of Terraform Labs sought protection after an unidentified individual visited their home in South Korea, local police told Forkast.

Over 170 advertisements in Chinese tech titan Alibaba’s second-hand marketplace are offering running services to earn cryptocurrency GMT for STEPN users in exchange for fiat commissions.  See related article: China’s diktat against NFT flipping spawns an ingenious industry Fast facts STEPN is a blockchain-based decentralized application that allows users to earn GMT cryptocurrency rewards by […]

Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has bought a 7.6% stake in Robinhood for US$648 million, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. See related article: Terra shuts down indefinitely after coming back online; LUNA, UST still on life support Fast facts Bankman-Fried bought the stake through a firm called […]

The South Korean National Assembly Research Service (NARS) asserted a 20% tax on cryptocurrency gains set for 2023 must maintain a 2.5 million won (US$1,942.20) threshold, contradicting new president Yoon Suk-yeol’s initiative to raise the limit to 50 million won, according to a report released on Thursday. See related article: S.Korea finance minister nominee wants […]

The world’s largest stablecoin destroyed a total of 3 billion USDT tokens in an account known as Tether Treasury through two separate burns on Thursday, according to data from blockchain tracker Whale Alert. See related article: Terra shuts down indefinitely after coming back online; LUNA, UST still on life support Fast facts “Burn burn burn,” […]

Bitcoin’s price has dipped to its lowest point since December 2020 amidst bearish cryptocurrency market sentiments to trade at US$28,652, according to CoinMarketCap data at press time. See related article: Terra LUNA’s sacrifice pushes UST to US$0.84 Fast facts The crypto bear run extended on Thursday, as China’s inflation rose by 1.5% in April from […]

The ‘virtual land’ sale that broke Ethereum was also a fiasco for buyers. Should Yuga Labs have seen it coming and taken preventative action?

The travails of the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., highlight the perilous path foreign companies have to brave in India’s evolving, but often ambivalent regulatory environment, especially when it comes to new technologies, and industries. 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen cites UST’s downfall as warning over stablecoins. Meanwhile, China postpones Asian Games and e-CNY rollout.

China’s central bank is driving the adoption of the digital currency, but a spate of lockdowns is slowing the economy and raising questions about the rollout.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong admitted in Tuesday’s earnings call that the exchange disabled the unified payments interface (UPI) in India because of the central bank’s “informal pressure.” See related article: Coinbase snafu sets the cat among the crypto pigeons in India Fast facts Armstrong’s comments come a month after Coinbase suspended its India services three […]

Bitcoin mining difficulty hit another all-time-high on Wednesday, recording a 4.9% increase from the previous adjustment last month. See related article: SEC places Chinese crypto mining rig maker Canaan on pre-delisting list Fast facts The mining difficulty reading is now at 31.25 trillion at a block height of 735,840, according to BTC.com data.  The previous […]

CoinDCX Ventures has pledged Rs 100 crore (US$13 million) to early stage cryptocurrency, blockchain and Web 3.0 startups over the next 12 months, cofounder Sumit Gupta announced on Tuesday. See related article: India’s crypto shakedown be damned, CoinDCX raises $135 million Fast facts Crypto exchange CoinDCX has vouched at least US$258,000 in blockchain and Web […]

Blockchain consultancy TZ APAC has partnered with the National University of Singapore School of Computing (NUS Computing) to set up the Centre for Nurturing Computing Excellence, the company said in a statement.  See related article: CoinDCX chimes in on India’s growing blockchain education needs Fast facts The new center will enable students to learn from […]

Tokenizing capital markets could offer greater efficiency and liquidity. How would that work in Hong Kong’s regulatory environment?

El Salvador this week bought 500 Bitcoins for US$15.37 million, taking advantage of a sharp price decline to add to its holdings of the cryptocurrency, which is also legal tender in the Central American country.  See related article: El Salvador to build world’s first ‘Bitcoin City’ to be powered by volcanoes Fast facts “El Salvador […]

Gen Z is already keen on metaverse real estate. Will using DeFi to finance property deals — in the real or virtual world — be the next frontier?

India’s National Securities Depository Ltd. (NSDL) introduced a distributed ledger technology platform for the Debenture Covenant Monitoring system on Saturday to enhance monitoring of bonds. See related article: Indian market regulator asks depositories to use blockchain Fast facts The Debenture Covenant Monitoring system’s decentralized ledger will provide an immutable and verifiable audit trail of transactions […]

The total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols has dropped from US$217.82 billion to US$179.5 billion in the past 30 days, reaching its lowest point since October 2021, according to DefiLlama data. See related article: DeFi wizard Cronje’s departure sends TVL sinking Fast facts Terra’s Anchor Protocol played a significant role by dropping […]

As decentralized finance redefines the way money moves, a do-or-die moment is approaching for traditional finance sector businesses, says Anthony Scaramucci.

Hong Kong’s K11 retail and art complex is host to three events to showcase the new, wild and expensive world of non-fungible tokens as (debatable) art.

The non-fungible token market posted a strong bounceback in April. As one industry watcher tells Forkast, the nature of the rebound points to more room for recovery.

Three dozen investors, including Binance, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz and Fidelity Management & Research, have provided financing commitments of US$7.14 billion in support of Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter, regulatory filings show.  See related article: Twitter accepts Musk’s US$44B bid, sends Dogecoin to crypto top 10 Fast facts Oracle co-founder Lawrence Ellison was the […]

The Nasdaq Composite had its worst drop since June 2020, closing Thursday down 4.99% the day after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced the sharpest interest rate hike since 2000. See related article: Bitcoin flirts with US$40K as Fed stamps highest rate hike in 22 years Fast facts The cryptocurrency market joined the selloff, losing over […]

Non-fungible token financing is still at a nascent stage and comes with significant risks for lenders and borrowers.

Coinbase’s non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace has opened to all customers after the beta version was released to a select group of users in April, the Nasdaq-listed cryptocurrency exchange announced on Wednesday. See related article: Coinbase’s NFT market enters beta for select customers Fast facts Coinbase first announced its NFT marketplace in October 2021, and over […]

Luxury liquor non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace BlockBar has selected 10 Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) avatars to be featured on 100 Monkey Shoulder limited edition NFT bottles, earning rights to 5% of sales in royalties.  See related article: BlockBar and Monkey Shoulder partner for BAYC exclusive NFTs Fast facts The 10 BAYCs selected by BlockBar […]

Binance has received regulatory approval in France, as the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange continues its global expansion and push for regulatory compliance. See related article: Binance wants to play ball with regulators Fast facts Binance has obtained a digital asset service provider (DASP) registration with France’s Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), the finance market watchdog […]

Blockchain can save time, money and reams of paperwork, writes Tim Bailey of Red Date Technology. But its future in global trade remains uncertain.

Pakistan’s federal government has formed three subcommittees to explore the future of cryptocurrencies and related services, local media report.  See related article: Pakistani central bank echoes RBI’s concerns over crypto Fast facts The first panel is chaired by the law secretary with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and […]

Kazakhstan is mandating that cryptocurrency miners file regular status reports in a new ministerial order, as the Central Asian nation attempts to gain a stronger grip on the sector. See related article: Ex-Kazakh president’s brother busted for illegal crypto mining Fast facts Crypto miners must submit information including locations of mining facilities, IP addresses, power […]

Total cryptocurrency market capitalization rose by 5.4% as the U.S. Federal Reserve announced it is raising interest rates by 50 basis points, the sharpest since 2000. See related article: Has Bitcoin become a victim of its own success? Fast facts The increase creates a target range of between 0.75% and 1% following a 25 basis […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Otherdeeds debacle stings with gas fee spike. Algorand scores World Cup deal. Will China be forced to embrace Bitcoin?

Except for a bout of recession in March 2020, Bitcoin has been fairly resilient to the vagaries of global financial crisis. But with murmurs of another recession gaining steam, Forkast examines the cryptocurrency’s relevance as a safe haven.

Crypto rookie Joel Stein dives into Axie Infinity and the curious economics of ‘play to earn.’ Will his teenage gaming dreams come true?

South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration has included approval of initial coin offerings (ICOs) among its 110 national tasks announced Monday. See related article: Crypto is presidential election campaign issue for South Korea Fast facts The right-wing government will prepare a two-lane regulatory framework for ICOs by classifying digital assets as securities and non-securities. The […]

Decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocol Clearpool announced Tuesday the launch of a permissioned liquidity pool in partnership with quantitative trading firm Jane Street and crypto and blockchain investment firm BlockTower Capital. See related article: Nexo and Fidelity Digital Assets expand institutional lending services Fast facts The liquidity pool has been funded with US$25 million worth […]

South Korean digital bank KakaoBank announced on Tuesday at its quarterly business performance conference it is reviewing a partnership with a local cryptocurrency exchange. See related article: South Korean banks seek green light on crypto Fast facts “As [crypto] is considered a major asset amongst customers, we are reviewing how we can provide virtual assets […]

Indian online travel company MakeMyTrip has launched a non-fungible-token (NFT) collection of Indian tourist destinations, becoming the first Indian travel brand to step into the NFT space.  See related article: Is there a future for the NFT beyond digital art? Fast facts The NFT collection “Virtual Vacations!” aims at bringing to life “a kaleidoscopic meta-world […]

Global cryptocurrency exchange Kraken has announced the launch of its non-fungible token (NFT) platform, joining exchanges such as Binance and FTX to do so. See related article: NFT Marketplace Competition Heats Up Fast facts Sellers can list their NFTs in cryptocurrencies supported by Kraken, or in fiat currencies, such as USD, EUR, CAD, GBP and […]

Anthony Scaramucci, founder of investment firm SkyBridge Capital and former White House communications director, says governments such as those in China and the US will inevitably allow for people to own and trade cryptocurrencies.

A panel of 36 industry experts revised down the year-end price target set for the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by more than 11%, according to a report by Finder, an Australian fintech. See related article: Ethereum price expected to hit $7,609 in 2022: report Fast facts Ethereum’s price is expected to rise to US$5,783 by the […]

Choo Kyung-ho, the yet-to-be-confirmed nominee for deputy prime minister and finance minister, said Monday a planned 20% tax on capital gains from digital asset investments and stock market investment should be pushed back until January 2025. See related article: South Korea’s 20% tax on virtual asset gains is postponed Fast facts During a National Assembly […]

Japanese gaming giant Square Enix announced Monday that it is selling three of its gaming studios to Sweden-based Embracer Group for US$300 million and will use the funds for new businesses in blockchain technology, artificial intelligence and the cloud. See related article: Japan’s Square Enix reveals blockchain gaming ambitions for 2022 Fast facts Square Enix […]

What are ‘machine NFTs’ and how could they help democratize the ownership of capital in a future ‘machine economy’? Max Thake of peaq explains.

Signed by MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor, Castle Island Ventures’ Nic Carter and Block’s Jack Dorsey, the Bitcoin Mining Council’s (BMC) letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sought to respond to legislators’ “serious concerns.” See related article: Almost 60% of Bitcoin mining now on sustainable energy: BMC Fast facts BMC’s letter was written in response to […]