Search results: opinion

Fractionalizing assets on-chain can greatly increase liquidity, security and market efficiency, writes Hamilton Keats. Here are the key trends and challenges.

Digital ID verified via blockchain can greatly expand economic opportunities for the world’s poor. But the market is fragmented and faces a rocky road of regulations, writes Tamas Kadar, CEO of SEON.

Wall Street thought crypto would be a passing fad. But more big institutions are having a change of heart, in spite of crypto’s protracted market woes.

Most countries allow only government to mint currency, but in the land of public-private partnerships, legal tender HKD notes are issued by private banks.

SEC seeks to appeal a court ruling in July that the programmatic sale of Ripple’s XRP cryptocurrency did not qualify as sales of financial securities.

Recently proposed by Singapore in collaboration with fintech heavy hitters, PBM can be a powerful tool for promoting accountability and efficiency, writes Anndy Lian. But it’s not without risks.

The latest in blockchain gaming has shades of game tech and development from the Web2 era. Is this a regression — or sign of a maturing industry?

Combining blockchain with AI, two of the greatest innovations of this era, will unlock myriad benefits for consumers and businesses alike, writes Eugen Kuzin.

From forays into the metaverse to blockchain-based sales and financing, the fine art world is now at the forefront of profound technological change.

Tokenization is having a breakout year, but providers must learn from the past to prevent another FTX or Celsius-level crisis, writes Philipp Pieper of Swarm.

If Web3 wants to be an alternative to traditional finance, the industry must make itself less vulnerable to hacks and security breaches, writes Richard Meissner.

As artificial intelligence becomes more human-like, it’s critical to distinguish real people from code and prevent Web3 from turning into a bot zoo, writes Khori Whittaker, executive director of Ethereum Name Service.

Blockchain technology has the potential to slash transaction fees, speed up money transfers and lift up the world’s poor. Why aren’t we doing that yet?

Across Asia, projects dedicated to asset tokenization have become a cornerstone of the new digital economy, showing the world the technology’s possibilities.

$1 trillion in capital is needed to fight climate change, but investment money is sitting on the sidelines, going unused. How can we close this funding gap?

Already home to most of the world’s gamers, Asia has a rich pedigree in seeding and embracing new technologies, writes Robbie Ferguson of Immutable.

Change won’t happen overnight, but tokenization is a trend that will trigger seismic shifts in the financial landscape, writes Hamilton Keats of Krayon Digital.

Stablecoins play a pivotal role as a safe-haven medium of exchange in times of high inflation, writes James Glasscock. But they’re not without risks.

As the US is engulfed in regulatory strife, Asian countries are rolling out legal frameworks that attract crypto investment, protect consumers and encourage innovation.

Global warming and rising sea levels are threatening to submerge countries like Maldives and Kiribati. Can blockchain technology help avert disaster?

As stores of our identity, customs and creativity, NFTs will drive Web3 adoption and become central to the new digital economy, writes Yat Siu, executive chairman of Animoca Brands.

The key to making crypto easier to use while less prone to skulduggery lies in centralizing some security and UX features, writes Hsuan Lee of Blocto.

Crypto’s current turmoil in the US stands in stark contrast to other jurisdictions that are paving paths to for the industry to shine, writes Sean O’Connor.

Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Thailand have regulations supporting the growth of tokenization, showing the world the benefits of fractionalizing assets.

For years, crypto and NFT investors enjoyed tax advantages that holders of stocks and bonds do not have, but legislation on the horizon could end that loophole.

From pay-to-play arcade video games to sales of home consoles, gaming’s evolution into peer-to-peer marketplaces is posing a new challenge to the status quo, writes Jackson Poon.

The market now has 26,000 different cryptocurrencies and the total number of coins in circulation approaches infinity. How do those tokenomics make any sense?

Collaborative venture building involves pooling resources, expertise and ideas — a strategy ideal for Web3 startups to succeed, writes Katherine Ng.

Despite its potential, Web3 gaming has had mixed reviews from gamers and developers, writes Freddie Ng. Here are the challenges and opportunities.

Having a crypto wallet is necessary to participate in a token airdrop, but wallets are also vulnerable to hacks and mishaps, writes Ravindra Kumar of Frontier.

The relationship between Hong Kong and crypto will likely only grow stronger over time, as it’s based on mutual respect as well as need, writes Lily King.

In the Land of the Rising Sun, where the culture and ethos already align with the principles of blockchain games, the dawn of a new era of in gaming has arrived, writes Daiki Moriyama of Oasys.

As the US grapples with crypto regulation, Hong Kong and Dubai are emerging as leaders in the global digital economy, writes Ben Caselin of MaskEX.

The IRS intends to tax NFTs as collectibles in the U.S. and is soliciting public opinions on the proposal through June.

Personal information privacy matters more than ever in a post-Roe world, writes Kayla Kroot of Koii Network. Can data from menstrual cycle tracking apps be used to prosecute women and girls for abortions?

Despite the myriad benefits of blockchain and cryptocurrency, institutional interest remains mixed in Asia Pacific. What lessons should the industry learn from 2022 to overcome the barriers to adoption?

Asset tokenization and DeFi hold tremendous potential for the finance sector, writes Han Kwee Juan of DBS Bank. Here’s how the Singaporean government is at the forefront of change.

The U.S. Department of Treasury is seeking public opinion on the “responsible development of digital assets” and has requested comments from the general public on national security and illicit financing risks posed by digital assets.  See related article: Singapore’s central bank says cryptocurrencies have ‘no fundamental value’ Fast facts Comments can be submitted until Nov. […]

Innovations in privacy-enhancing technology can address the challenges confronting enterprises from a regulatory, security and competitive perspective, writes Jonathan Rouach, CEO and cofounder of QEDIT.

Indonesia is a country of 17,508 islands and 260 million people, including 171 million internet users. It’s a huge market, dominated by the digital economy that’s ripe for blockchain disruption.

Blockchain technology and digital assets have the potential to change the entire finance industry. These blockchain-powered payments networks enable cross-border payments to be hassle-free by having a standard set of technical specifications and standards – reducing confusion and ensuring that all members of the network have access to the same technology, says Ripple’s Navin Gupta.

Executive Summary It has been 40 years since Deng Xiaoping launched China’s Open Door Policy. By several metrics, China’s economic miracle has been extraordinary, with some 800 million people lifted out of poverty in just a few decades and the country playing a critical role in the global economy. But this growth was neither stable […]

The imminent economic collapse in Lebanon which the Lebanese Central Bank Governor has warned of may be averted as Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation amid the country’s largest protests in 15 years. These protests were in response to Hariri’s government announcing austerity measures which included a tax on WhatsApp calls. Protesters demanding Hariri’s […]

While many other countries have been taking a back seat and waiting to decide how exactly they should approach blockchain technology, China has been proactively exploring its application in decentralized finance. This week China announced a certification system to regulate a broad range of fintech products. China is clearly priming itself to become a leader […]

Facing mounting uncertainty surrounding Britain’s looming departure from the European Union, the British pound has experienced a period of considerable turbulence. As is commonplace with fiat currencies, political events often have a substantial impact on the value of the pound sterling (GBP). Recent developments in British politics are no exception. Recently on Sept. 24, the […]

There are a multitude of factors that influence the value of currencies –- from rising political tensions, wars, major economic policy announcements, civil upheaval, and foreign trade to confidence in government. One consideration which is often overlooked is the potential effect of natural disasters. Floods, tornados, wildfires, earthquakes, and hurricanes not only put a country’s […]

As institutional interest in crypto grows, most investors are entering the digital asset space through OTC trading or investing in digital asset index funds. However, many institutional investors are seeking new ways of exposure to this nascent asset class that secure predictable returns without the extra steps and volatility that traditional digital assets investments involve. […]

On Sept. 13, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire gave a rousing speech about innovation and technology at the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum in Paris.  It was a robust defense of the role of government not only in regulating and taxing technology, but having a strong say in how it is developed. Among the […]

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney recently called for a global digital currency, expressing a desire to move beyond the US dollar hegemony as the world’s reserve currency, but also avoid having another national currency, such as China’s renminbi (or their newly announced digital currency), replace it. While some might point to private sector initiatives such as Libra […]

Blockchain applications have been a highly debatable topic since the rise of Bitcoin and later Ethereum. Opinions vary from “blockchain will solve most of humanity’s problems” to “this technology works only for money” and even “it is useless”. I’ve been working in the industry since 2017 and have seen and analyzed many blockchain use cases. […]

Facebook executives announced not long ago that they would launch their own cryptocurrency, Libra, next year. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has likened his vision for the ease of peer-to-peer cash transfers to sending photos, and now it seems as if the company may be able to bring that vision to life with cryptocurrency. And beyond […]

The question is not “Public OR private?”: Enterprise reality requires a flexible public AND private context. Old habits die hard. The enterprise sector has been traditionally used to closing themselves off, shielding every bit of information and focusing solely on achieving the organizational optimum. Some companies went to the extreme: Confectionery giant Mars Inc., for […]

In the midst of rising U.S.-China trade war tensions over sanctions against Iranian oil, investors are likely to look to bitcoin and other cryptos as alternative options to traditional stocks and other fiat-driven investments. While uncertainty in traditional markets has benefited the crypto market, volatility remains a substantive issue for investors seeking long-term price stability. […]

Trustless payment methods were the first disruption blockchain brought to the financial industry. The second wave of disruption came about when the ICO boomed in 2017 as a way to reach a larger market of investors through crowdfunding smart contracts on Ethereum. In 2017 alone, ICOs raised around $7 billion. More recently, we’re seeing the […]

Ever since the discovery of blockchain technology, we’ve heard a lot about inefficient systems that it can fix. From the internet to advertising, healthcare, the voting system, and the supply chain; the list of things that aren’t working optimally is long and laden with overpromises. Blockchain is not a panacea for all the world’s ills, […]

The recent move by the U.S. government to blacklist Huawei has been causing a lot of commotion.  The decision by the U.S. to ban Huawei has invited speculation as to the reasoning, although the main point cited by the Trump administration is the issue of national security. While the whole situation is multi-faceted, the trepidation […]

Cash is not only not a king, but there is increasing realization among cities and states, that the cost of cash is not worth it. From reducing costs of producing physical money, increasing administrative efficiencies, to even reducing cash-related violent crimes — going cashless is where many are going, including Singapore. I stumbled across a […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Bankman-Fried’s memory lapses, betting on the return of NFTs, ETF dreams and Bitcoin’s Uptober

Often dismissed as coincidence, October has once again produced an upswing in the crypto market, with excitement around a potential U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF to thank for this year’s ‘Uptober.’

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried denied defrauding anyone as he took to the stand in his criminal trial.

The pillars of Wall Street are muscling their way into crypto and decentralized finance. Who stands to benefit the most?

Few tokens and too many exchanges are a bad recipe for Japan’s smaller crypto trading houses. The experts say there’s room for up to five only. So what happens to the little guy now that the world’s largest exchange Binance has rolled back into town?

From tech monopolies to the synergy of AI and blockchain, Alex Tapscott, author of “Web3: Charting the Internet’s Next Economic and Cultural Frontier,” dissects the trajectories of the digital landscape.

The CEO of blockchain services provider Consensys and co-founder of Ethereum spoke to Forkast at the Token 2049 crypto conference in Singapore. He discussed decentralization and what he sees as the crucial role to be played by blockchain in AI and vice-versa.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Spotlight on Bankman-Fried, Pudgy Penguins’ new revenue stream and Google’s Web3 goggles

The XRP token rose 4.42% after a federal judge denied the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) motion to overturn its recent loss against Ripple Labs. XRP traded at US$0.5308 at 2:45 p.m. in Hong Kong on Tuesday, according to CoinMarketCap data.  See related article: HK’s SFC & US SEC crack the whip as Blockchain […]

The prospect of FTX’s return to the competitive exchange landscape is being keenly watched by stakeholders, reflecting on its meteoric rise, groundbreaking approach, and tumultuous fall.

In the second in a series of 1-on-1 interviews from the Token 2049 crypto conference in Singapore held Sept. 13-14, Michael Gronager, founder of blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, spoke to Forkast about crypto use in the Ukraine conflict, tracking illicit on-chain activity and digital asset adoption in Asia.

A growing number of asset management companies are joining the race for the approval of a Bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund in the United States while the Securities and Exchange Commission keeps delaying its decision on existing applications.

Bitcoin hit a weekly high of US$26,750 after Deutsche Bank announced plans to offer crypto custody services for institutional investors, days after Standard Chartered launched its own institutional crypto wing.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) submitted a filing last Friday that pushed the court of the Southern District of New York to appeal its ruling on the agency’s lawsuit against Ripple Labs.

The annual Korea Blockchain Week conference in Seoul is running from Sept. 4 to 10. Crypto industry leaders and advocates from around the world have gathered in the South Korean capital to discuss all things blockchain, including the growing regulatory gap between the U.S. and Asia.