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The cryptocurrency trading industry has been labeled a “Wild West,” riddled with fraud and investor risk, by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, according to a Reuters report. Fast facts Calling on Congress at the Aspen Security Forum to give the SEC more power to regulate the industry, Gensler said many of the […]

Bitcoin SV has suffered another 51% attack beginning around 11:45 am EDT on Tuesday resulting in up to three versions of the chain being mined simultaneously, as initially reported by analytics firm CoinMetrics.io. It is the fifth such attack on the network since late June. Fast facts Further reporting by the firm reported all of […]

Binance’s woes continue to mount as global banking giant HSBC is now blocking its customers in the United Kingdom from making credit card payments to Binance, according to Yahoo News. Binance is the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Fast facts HSBC’s move follows similar actions taken by NatWest — a Scotland-based bank with 12.5 million customers […]

The Ethereum ecosystem is continuing to see strong growth, with institutional capital ‘flooding’ into decentralized finance and decentralized autonomous organizations flourishing.

Hong Kong crypto crime surges as Tencent launches NFT platform.

The next half decade will see mass adoption of decentralized technology, writes Max Kordek of Lisk. Here are the leading uses.

Cryptocurrency mining rig manufacturer Canaan has announced the appointment of James Jin Cheng as its new CFO, following the resignation of his predecessor in February. Fast facts Cheng was previously vice president of Chinese internet recruiting platform Zhaopin Ltd., which listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 before being taken private in 2017. […]

Australian cryptocurrency exchange Independent Reserve said Monday that it had received an “in-principle approval” for a Major Payment Institution License in Singapore to operate as a regulated digital payment token (DPT) service provider, according to a company statement. Fast facts Founded in Australia in 2013, Independent Reserve set up its first overseas operations in Singapore […]

Crypto-related crime has hit record levels in Hong Kong for the first six months of this year, with one victim losing HK$124 million (US$15.95 million) to fraudsters, according to the South China Morning Post. Fast facts Hong Kong police recorded 496 such cases totaling HK$214.4 million (US$27.58 million) in just the first half of this […]

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a vision for metaverses — online worlds that one day will replace big parts of our offline lives. But some say that future is already here.

China maintains crypto market pressure. On the other hand, J-Pop stars offer NFT advice.

People’s Bank of China vows to keep sector under ‘heavy pressure’ as it pushes digital yuan.

World’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange steps up compliance and cuts product offerings, with a ban in Malaysia and end of lucrative derivatives business in three EU nations.

A provision in an infrastructure bill being debated by the U.S. Senate has prompted concerns in the crypto industry as it boosts Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements for investors and brokers. Fast facts According to the New York Times, the provision is an effort to help fund a US$ 1 trillion bipartisan bill and could […]

Matrixport, a Singapore-based digital asset financial services platform, today announced the completion of a series-C funding round, bringing the company’s valuation to more than US$1 billion. Fast facts The funding round was led by partners of DST Global, C Ventures and K3 Ventures, with other investors including Qiming Venture Partners, CE Innovation Capital and Tiger […]

Busan plans digital asset exchange meanwhile Tencent launches digital IOUs.

The global Bitcoin hashrate is now on an uptrend as miners pushed out by China resettle on friendlier shores and resume investing big money in mining equipment.

Speaking to Parliament, India’s finance minister reveals that the government does not know how many crypto exchanges India has nor the number of crypto users.

FTX.US, the U.S. affiliate of Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange FTX, saw its average daily trading volumes soar 150-fold in June compared to the same month a year before, according to the company’s mid-year results. Fast facts The company reported that FTX.US had a daily volume that ranged between US$150 million and US$1 billion in the […]

The International Monetary Fund says it has a mandate to help countries around the world adopt and adapt to digital currencies, but only if the digital money is in the public interest — which Bitcoin is not, according to an IMF report published yesterday. Fast facts While the IMF recognizes the potential benefits of digital […]

Japan’s crypto-asset business association published a report yesterday that highlights issues in crypto investing for the country’s institutional investors.  Fast facts This report is an update of the latest use cases and projects from the “Discussion Paper Interim Report on Cryptocurrency Use Cases” published on May 7, 2021, and is a supplementary material to the […]

Robinhood’s hotly-anticipated market debut had an underwhelming start on Thursday, closing 8% down on its debut price of US$38, according to data from TradingView.com. Fast facts Trading under the ticker HOOD, Robinhood’s stock had an immediate rocky start, falling 10% before recovering slightly. But HOOD still ended the day at US$34.82. As Forkast reported recently, […]

Wire fraud, including cryptocurrency-related fraud, becomes fastest-growing crime as scams — some even involving China’s digital yuan project — proliferate.

The number of crypto users around the world grew to 221 million in June, double the number in January, according to a report released today by Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange, Crypto.com. Fast facts Bitcoin drove the growth in crypto use from January to April, with companies such as Microstrategy, PayPal, Tesla and Visa buying into […]

Tokenization is creating new ways to invest. 3 crypto firms are partnering to also offer crypto retirement portfolios and inheritance planning.

Number of new South Korean crypto investors have tanked in the month of June as crypto mining investments boom outside China.

Despite China’s crackdowns on Bitcoin mining and growing consternation about crypto mining’s carbon footprint, some miners are betting big on a rosy future.

New data provided by lawmaker Kim Hee-gon shows a significant decline in new users and the amount of transactions on the four largest cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea. Fast facts The data aggregated by the four largest crypto exchanges in Korea — Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit and CoinOne — shows that their total of new users […]

Iranian state electric company Tavanir has warned judicial officials about Chinese cryptocurrency miners coming to Iran, an influx that could worsen the country’s power outage problems, according to local media reports. Fast facts Tavanir CEO Mohammad Hussein Motevallizadeh said in a letter published by local news website Eghtesadnews that the Chinese government’s crackdown on crypto […]

Bitmain’s move comes amid China’s crypto mining crackdowns and AntPool’s shrinking hashrate. Is Bitmain gussying up for an IPO?

PayPal customers will soon have access to a greater range of crypto services through the global payment platform, CEO Dan Schulman said during PayPal’s Q2 2021 investor update call yesterday. Fast facts Describing the upgrade as “code complete,” Schulman said the wallet should be fully available for customers in the Unite States in the next […]

Sales of non-fungible tokens for “Stoner Cats,” the new adult cartoon featuring Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin alongside Hollywood A-listers, resulted in losses totaling 344.6 ETH (US$790,000) to fans yesterday due to the influx of buyers who overwhelmed the Ethereum network and failed transactions, according to data from Dune Analytics. Fast facts The show, which sold […]

Flush with capital, blockchain and crypto firms are on a hiring spree. Here’s how the battle for crypto talent is playing out.

Biconomy, a Singapore-incorporated technology company building transaction infrastructure for blockchain applications, today announced it had raised US$9 million in a private funding round led by digital asset fund manager DACM and investment firm Mechanism Capital, according to a company statement. Fast facts Other investors included Coinbase Ventures, Coinfund, Huobi Innovation Labs and Stani Kulechov, founder […]

Binance CEO CZ confirms that a new executive may lead the organization. Meanwhile, Bitmain spins off one of the world’s largest mining pool Antpool.

The fee-free trading platform’s initial public offering promises plenty of action for retail investors, but pitfalls may lie in wait amid trading volatility and wider adoption of business model.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Amazon taking up BTC? Robinhood’s share sale deserves scrutiny. Did Huobi jump or was it pushed?

Thailand’s central bank yesterday published guidelines to regulate and promote the use of blockchain technology in the financial sector.  Fast facts Released by Siritida Panomwon Na Ayudhya, assistant governor of the payment systems policy and financial technology group at the Bank of Thailand, the guidelines provides principles for blockchain technology adoption by financial services providers.  […]

The Korea Fair Trade Commission has advised eight cryptocurrency exchanges to changes terms and conditions in their user agreements that it deems unfair to customers. Fast facts The commission discovered 15 types of terms and conditions that it said were unfavorable to customers. One condition stipulated that balances of less than a minimum withdrawal amount […]

Binance also tightens withdrawal limits and unveils new tax reporting tool, to counter recent flurry of government investigations and bad publicity.

In the latest effort of crypto cross-promotion, Burger King Brazil is now accepting the memecoin Dogecoin as payment for a “Dogpper” — a special edible doggie treat for customer’s pets and a play on words of the fast-food chain’s famous burger, the Whopper. Fast facts The doggie treat is not new to Latin America. Burger […]

In an effort to “expand and accelerate innovation around digital asset technology”, Mastercard is launching a new global program to support cryptocurrency startups by giving them access to Mastercard’s business network and technology. Fast facts Announced yesterday, Mastercard’s Start Path program already has signed up seven crypto-related startup companies: GK8, Mintable, Stacs, Supraoracles, Taurus, Uphold […]

Capital increase takes company’s valuation to US$2 billion as it looks to grow customer base, partnerships.

Huobi deregisters Beijing entity while K-drama takes crypto back in time

Ethereum’s future is top of mind for a group of fintech experts polled by Finders. Where do they think Ethereum prices are headed, and will Ethereum overtake Bitcoin?

South Korea’s newly amended tax law will allow authorities to collect delinquent taxes hidden in cryptocurrency cold wallets. Fast facts The Ministry of Economy and Finance yesterday announced the 2021 Tax Law Amendment, which grants authorities the power to seize delinquent taxes transferred to crypto holdings. The seized crypto will be sold on exchanges and […]

OKG Technology Holdings, the parent company of crypto exchange OKEx, suffered an 89.8% year-on-year slump in revenue from operating Ethereum stablecoin USDK, its FY 2021 annual report shows. Fast facts Its USDK revenue was just HK$159,000 (US$20,470). Currently, USDK, which launched in 2019, has a market cap of US$28.68 million and a circulating supply of […]

Closure of blockchain business may be related to regulatory concerns, but unlikely to hit crypto industry hard, observers say.

The Philippine Digital Asset Exchange, a cryptocurrency trading platform licensed by the central bank of the Philippines, now has more than 450,000 users, a 22.5-times increase from 2019, the bourse has told local media.  Fast facts PDAX Chief Executive Nichel Gaba said many Filipinos were crypto-curious, which explained why the number of traders on the […]

A cryptocurrency-themed TV drama series with a historical twist is currently in production in South Korea, depicting the make-believe arrival of a cryptocurrency in the country’s ancient Joseon Dynasty. Fast facts “The Age of Money,” as the show will be known, follows a fictional king trying to get to the bottom of an “invisible” brass […]

World’s largest stablecoin dismisses report suggesting possibility of U.S. investigation, despite claims of recent Justice Department interest and track record of legal woes.

As regulation permitting the establishment of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds remains stalled in the U.S., Goldman Sachs has officially applied for an ETF offering exposure to companies in decentralized finance and blockchain. Fast facts In a recent filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the bank said its fund — the Goldman Sachs Innovate DeFi […]

Singapore’s central bank is in the final stages of reviewing applications for licenses to provide crypto services, including payments and the operation of cryptocurrency exchanges, according to Tharman Shanmugaratnam, minister in charge of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), which regulates financial institutions in Singapore. Fast facts To date, Singapore has received over 480 crypto […]

Bit Mining pivots overseas as Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin joins animated crypto series ‘Stoned Cats’ cast.

Singapore-based crypto derivatives exchange Bybit today announced it had made a US$19.3 million contribution in Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT) and USD Coin (USDC) to BitDAO, one of the world’s largest decentralized autonomous organizations, which it helped launch last month. Fast facts Many crypto projects, especially those in decentralized finance, have organized themselves as DAOs for […]

As non-fungible tokens make their way into TV with a new funding model and method of building community, who better to lead a project than the head of Ethereum himself?

Three blockchain and crypto-related companies have donated hundreds of millions of yuan to China’s Henan Province, which has suffered deadly floods since last week. Fast facts Bitmain, a crypto mining firm was the first to announce a donation of 10 million yuan (US$1.54 million) on July 23 to a charity federation in Zhengzhou, the provincial […]

Binance, the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, appears to be expanding its Singapore office. At the time of publishing, Linkedin showed that it had 261 job vacancies in Singapore — where its CEO, Changpeng Zhao, allegedly lives — among 964 vacancies globally.  Fast facts The talent Binance is seeking ranges from futures growth […]

Led by traders in Asia, Bitcoin saw its biggest one-day gain in over a month amid speculation that Amazon is getting into crypto.

Chinese cryptocurrency mining rig maker Bitmain has partnered with Enegix, which runs one of the biggest crypto mining data centers in Kazakhstan, to host its Antminer machines in the Central Asian nation. Fast facts Bitmain said in a statement on Friday that it had joined hands with Enegix, a data center operator in Kazakhstan, to […]

BIT Mining — a New York Stock Exchange-listed company that only months ago became a big investor in Chinese cryptocurrency mining — has decided to exit its Chinese lottery-related business and focus more on mining outside the country. Fast facts BIT Mining, formerly known as 500.com, has operated online sports lottery services, but announced on […]

Cryptocurrencies are gaining traction in Singapore, especially among younger investors. A survey of 1,000 Singaporeans carried out by Toluna, a consumer insights provider, has shown that 43% of Singaporeans own crypto and that 74% of them have increased their wealth by using it as an investment.  Fast facts The survey is said to have been […]

Amid growing concerns surrounding ransomware attacks in the U.S., Senator Gary Peters has announced a bipartisan investigation of how cryptocurrencies could be facilitating such activity, Bitcoin.com reports. Fast facts In a statement, Sen. Peters, who is also the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said: “The increased use of cryptocurrencies as the […]

FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried says it’s time to move on from high leverage in crypto trading. Binance also seeks new CEO with a stronger regulatory background.

Valkyrie is among a growing number of asset managers at the SEC’s door, seeking approval to offer a Bitcoin ETF. Will a Bitcoin ETF ever get the green light in the United States?

India updates its CBDC plans and Korea threatens to block exchanges

Speaking at an SCB 10X DeFi virtual summit, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao says an IPO is not out of the question, but that the exchange first needs to set up corporate structures as it navigates increased regulatory scrutiny.

The cryptocurrency community is watching Ethereum closely, with the EthCC event in Paris having wrapped up, Ether prices showing new strength and the London upgrade just around the corner.

US Securities and Exchange Commission staffers say their appointed leaders’ views do not reflect the agency’s stance on Ripple and XRP.

Case could be first fatality associated with mining, although hot-running equipment has history of starting fires.

Demonstrators have gathered outside El Salvador’s National Assembly to protest President Nayib Bukele’s controversial bill to establish Bitcoin as official legal tender in the Central American nation, Decrypt reports. Fast facts Activists gathered despite a three-month ban on protests in the country, which was ostensibly put in place as a Covid-19 preventative measure. Despite the […]

India plans to implement the country’s digital currency in phases, Reserve Bank of India’s deputy governor Shri T Rabi Sankar said at a webinar organized by the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, New Delhi.  Fast facts “CBDC (central bank digital currency) will be in the arsenal of most if not all central banks in the […]