What is the outlook for crypto in 2023 and beyond?

Tokenization, stablecoins and DeFi will be growth areas, but regulatory uncertainty is still holding back adoption, writes John Avery of FIS.

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin retreats below US$22,000 after a record January. Is the strong start to 2023 reversing?

After the strongest January price increase since 2013, Bitcoin gave up some of its gains this week to dip below the US$22,000 support line on Friday. The crypto market was buffeted by bearish comments on interest rates by U.S. Federal Reserve officials this week, along with concerns about a regulatory crackdown. Is this the start of a downtrend, a healthy correction, or the beginning of a so-called “crab” market moving sideways?

A house divided? SEC Commissioner Peirce attacks agency’s fines against Kraken exchange

Hester Peirce said using enforcement action to dictate law in an emerging industry is the act of a “lazy” regulator, after the SEC fined the U.S.-based Kraken crypto exchange for failing to register staking programs.

Lessons from FTX: crypto investment risks and how to avoid them

The recent spate of crypto exchanges freezing customer accounts should be a wake-up call to investors everywhere. What can you do to better protect yourself?

Blockchain developers have taken a decentralized interest in cloud storage – will it shake up the industry?

Blockchain developers want a piece of the multi-billion dollar cloud computing pie. Do current heavyweights in the industry – Amazon, Google and Microsoft – have cause for concern?

CBDCs are coming. Here’s why you should worry

Governments are pushing central bank digital currencies to exert more control over macro policy, writes Josef Tětek of Trezor. But your money and privacy are also at stake.

Binance makes Korea comeback with GOPAX acquisition

Top blockchain and crypto news: GOPAX deal sees Binance return to South Korea. Inflation fight spooks crypto markets. Chinese liquor giant gives cheers to NFTs.

South Korea prosecutors say Serbia ready to help fraud investigation into Terra’s Do Kwon

Prosecutors flew to Serbia earlier this month as part of an investigation into Terraform Labs chief Do Kwon, who faces fraud accusations related to the US$40 billion collapse of his Terra-Luna cryptocurrency project in May last year.

JPMorgan report shows institutional trader interest shifting to AI from blockchain after crypto slump

Nearly three out of four institutional traders surveyed “have no plans to trade crypto,” while most see Artificial Intelligence as the next big disrupter.

Filecoin developer Protocol Labs cuts 21% staff amid ‘crypto winter’

Crypto layoffs last month matching 41% of the total industry job cuts in 2022, a new study finds.

Bankrupt FTX threatens legal action to claw back donations to politicians, charities

The move marks a shift in tone from December when recipients of FTX donations were requested to “voluntarily” return the funds.

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin breaches US$23,000 in best monthly performance since October 2021

Bitcoin climbed more than 39% in January to break through the US$23,000 resistance ceiling in its best monthly performance since October 2021. Can the world’s first and biggest cryptocurrency maintain the upward momentum? Industry commentators share their views with Forkast.

Why the cloud will be critical to US competitiveness in world finance

The future global financial system will be reliant on the cloud, especially when it comes to CBDCs and stablecoins, writes Michael Greenwald and Logan Weber.
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Bitcoin mining fund soars as BTC powers into 2023

Top blockchain and crypto news: BTC mining ETF outperforms. SBF under pressure as accusations mount. ‘China’s Instagram’ embraces NFTs.

India crypto industry on ‘Stairway to Heaven’ as government ignores requests in Budget

Cryptocurrency exchanges in India had lobbied the government to reduce taxes introduced last year, arguing the levies were backfiring by driving local investment offshore.

New Bitcoin protocol may shake up the NFT market

Bitcoin has long been the world’s largest cryptocurrency blockchain, but non-fungible tokens or NFTs were always the domain of Ethereum. A new protocol could change that, and some in the Bitcoin community are not too pleased.

Crypto’s Biggest Concern

There’s always the possibility of a bigger scam or a bigger hack this year than the ones we saw in 2022. So what can the crypto industry do to survive 2023?

What we must learn from FTX so that history does not repeat itself

Tighter regulations are necessary but not enough. The industry also needs to address its issues with custody and transparency, writes Chen Zhuling of RockX.

A crypto regulatory storm front is coming in 2023. Are we ready for it?

Laws to prevent another FTX blowup, crackdowns on crypto tax cheats, and a ruling on Ripple are likely imminent. A bull’s eye is also on DeFi, writes Gergo Varga of SEON.

Bankrupt BlockFi asks court to approve bonuses to keep staff

BlockFi said it needed bonus payments to keep employees from fleeing the company. But creditors argue the plan is excessive when compared to other crypto bankruptcies.

Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin rebounds above $23,000. Can it maintain momentum?

Bitcoin this week broke through the US$23,000 price ceiling for the first time since Aug. 2022. Can the benchmark cryptocurrency maintain its momentum? Industry commentators share their views with Forkast on what the market is telling investors and the signals from the U.S. Federal Reserve on interest rates.

FastForkast headlines

Coinbase CEO says he will “happily defend” crypto staking service against claim it’s a securities product

Securities and Exchange Commission may sue BUSD stablecoin issuer Paxos, WSJ reports

Huobi to expand in Hong Kong as it bets on China

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall along with top 10 cryptos; SOL biggest loser

Markets: Bitcoin slumps in broad sell off amid SEC charges against Kraken, regulation worries

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; Matic sees biggest gain as top 10 cryptos decline

China tech giant Baidu reveals AI chatbot to rival ChatGPT

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says SEC has ‘terrible’ idea to ban crypto staking for U.S. retail customers

Robinhood aims to buy-back its shares seized by Department of Justice in FTX failure

Alameda wallets activate, transfer millions in FTT tokens 

Beijing regulator warns about NFT speculation, illegal fundraising. Crackdown coming?

DCG to sell Grayscale holdings at a discount to pay creditors: report

Gemini agrees to put US$100 mln to Earn asset recovery efforts

Markets: Bitcoin rises as Polygon gains most in top 10 cryptos

NFTs inspired by K-drama Crash Landing on You coming from Crypto.com, Studio Dragon

Binance suspends international U.S. dollar transfers, CEO indicates issues with banks

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall with bearish U.S. equities, but Bitcoin long bets jump

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether extend losses: Solana, Polygon biggest losers

South Korea issues guideline on cryptocurrencies as securities tokens ahead of planned legalization

Binance tells Indian crypto exchange WazirX to remove funds from its platform as feud escalates

Binance re-enters S. Korea through GOPAX equity purchase: report

Crypto exchange PayBito begins to integrate ChatGPT into its platform

Markets: Bitcoin and Ether down, Polkadot biggest winner among top 10 cryptos

China should reconsider its ban on cryptocurrencies, says former central bank official

Silvergate probed by US prosecutors over FTX, Alameda accounts: Bloomberg

Markets: Bitcoin dips to US$23,500, Ether inches up, other top 10 crypto mixed

Markets: Bitcoin and Ether up, Matic tops gains as investors wait for ECB’s decision on interest rates

South Korea arrests head of Bithumb crypto exchange for alleged embezzlement

Crypto hackers stole record US$3.8 bln in 2022, mostly from DeFi and cross-chain bridges: Chainalysis

Bankrupt FTX held US$1.4B in cash at the end of 2022

Cardano’s Djed stablecoin locks US$10 mln in reserves on its first day

Markets: Bitcoin stays above US$23,000; Cardano leads gains in top 10 cryptos

Judge rules secondary sale of LBC does not classify as security in SEC vs LBRY appeal

Markets: Bitcoin climbs back above US$23,000 as most top 10 crypto tokens gain ground

Hong Kong to mandate stablecoin licensing as early as this year

Celsius misled investors, spent customer funds, bankruptcy examiner claims

Alameda Research sues Voyager Digital for US$445.8 mln 

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether drop; Dogecoin rebounds

January weekly crypto product investment reaches highest since July, says CoinShares report

Valkyrie’s WGMI Bitcoin Miners ETF named best-performing U.S. fund, surges 105% in 2023

Bitcoin trades higher in Nigeria amid cashless economy drive

Markets: Bitcoin, Ether extend gains; Solana leads among top 10 cryptos

S.Korea to adopt crypto tracking software in the first half of 2023

China’s Hainan province to step up NFT supervision

Biden administration urges U.S. congress to pursue crypto regulation

Markets: Bitcoin closes in on US$24,000, lifts crypto top 10

DOJ, FBI hack Hive Network, save US$130 mln from crypto ransomware attacks

Markets: Bitcoin up, Ether down; MATIC tops gains among top 10 cryptos

More bad news for South Korea’s Bithumb exchange with “Kimchi coin” manipulation allegations

Markets: Bitcoin dips but holds above US$23,000, Ether slips, Polygon biggest gainer in top 10

Coinbase fined US$3.6 mln by Dutch central bank