January 2021
Biden’s American Rescue Plan. Crypto’s regulatory outlook in 2021. How not to lose your bitcoin password (don’t ask Stefan Thomas).
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Twitter’s blue sky initiative. In China, Conflux Network wins another government deal.
Big waves at SEC: Chief enforcer v. Ripple XRP is out. Is Gary Gensler new SEC chair? Elon Musk’s bitcoin flirtations.
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: WhatsApp refugees swarm Signal. Bakkt to go public via SPAC. China tests out new DCEP digital yuan e-card.
Bitcoin and ethereum prices roar into new year. Ripple XRP fans petition White House for mercy from SEC charges.
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: China intensifies DCEP digital currency testing while Russia, Ukraine and Turkey join global CBDC race.
December 2020
Year in Review: 5 biggest blockchain and crypto stories of 2020
Here are the hottest blockchain news and trends that dominated Forkast.News headlines over the past 12 months. Let the countdown to 2021 begin!
Bitcoin surges past $21,000 after more big investors buy in. Singapore’s DBS bank backs crypto exchange. Will Sweden switch to CBDC?
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Fine art goes digital with NFTs. Hong Kong in talks to pilot test China’s DCEP digital yuan.
Visa hops on USDC’s Eth2 wagon. China flexes DCEP digital currency in biggest test yet. Will US tighten Libra/Diem’s tether?
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: S&P Dow Jones to launch crypto index. Walmart invests big in India’s PhonePe.
BlockFi and Visa launch bitcoin rewards credit card. Libra rebrands as Diem. Are investors like Guggenheim fueling BTC prices?
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bank of International Settlements considers stablecoins. China sends PlusToken scam ringleaders to prison.
November 2020
Ethereum 2.0 set for launch. Bitcoin hits record highs as Wall Street chief remains meh. Stellar hosts ARST and BRLT stablecoins.
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: After BitMEX, are more CFTC crackdowns coming soon? China frees OKEx founder, exchange to resume services.
Bitcoin soars to new highs as Bitcoin Cash hard forks into two. Tron blows past Ethereum.
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Ethereum 2.0’s pre-launch hits turbulence. China taps Lakala for DCEP digital yuan’s payment system.
Ep. 38 | What Biden’s victory means for crypto. Bitcoin rides new wave. Ethereum 2.0 revs for launch.
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Will TRUMP crypto losers get second chance? Hong Kong to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges.
Ep. 37 | JPMorgan’s JPM Coin goes live. ConsenSys fueling CBDCs worldwide. Is DBS Bank planning a cryptocurrency exchange?
Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bitcoin paper’s 12th anniversary. New Huawei phone has DCEP wallet. FDA on blockchain and food safety.
October 2020
Ep. 36 | Bitcoin prices rise on PayPal cryptocurrency news. US wary of CBDC as China enacts digital currency law for DCEP rollout.
Other top crypto and blockchain news: USDC stablecoin coming to Solana blockchain. Investing in KYC/AML in India.
Ep. 35 | Filecoin launch hits miner turbulence. USDC adds Stellar to rely less on Ethereum. Associated Press to publish US elections data on blockchain.
Other top news: OKEx cryptocurrency exchange freezes services amid police investigation. Investors bet $100 million on ‘neobank’ Razorpay in India
Ep. 34 | Square buys $50 million worth of bitcoin. Google Cloud bets on EOS blockchain. CBDCs ramp up around the world.
Other top news: China accelerates digital currency testing with 50,000 e-RMB ‘red packets.’ Hong Kong as DCEP’s future sandbox. VC in India.
Ep. 33 | BitMEX and John McAfee in legal hot water. Who is the cryptocurrency market betting on to be the next US president?
Other top news: Filecoin’s mainnet set to launch. Chinese banks help DCEP digital currency get market-ready. NetEase to preserve email forevermore.
September 2020
Ep. 32 | Bithumb on the block amid fraud probe. Wealthsimple debuts Canada’s first regulated crypto exchange. BitFlyer permits BTC buys via PayPal.
Other top news: Ant Group launches blockchain platform for cross-border trade. China makes Beijing, Hunan and Anhui into special free trade zones.
Ep. 31 | FinCEN files tie big banks to $2 trillion in crimes. Tezos tapped to explore CBDC for France.
More top news: Wounded Unikr settles with SEC for $6.1 million. China’s nationwide blockchain service network launches ‘public permissioned’ chain.
Ep. 30 | DeFi gets fishier with Sashimiswap. MasterCard stages CBDC cosplay. IRS targets Monero and Bitcoin Lightning Network.
More top news: OKLink offers free cryptocurrency tracker. Trade fair in China introduces blockchain ideas to 20,000 companies.
Ep. 29 | DeFi surges to dizzying heights. Brazil jumps into CBDC race. Swiss ‘Crypto Valley’ tax collectors will soon accept bitcoin.
In other news: Public gets sneak peek at China’s digital currency DCEP in flash testing. US-China trade war threatens SMIC and bitcoin mining.
Ep. 28 | FTX buys Blockfolio in $150 million deal. What’s up with the 300 crypto-terror accounts? China forks BSN to retain control.
Also: Japan’s deputy PM Taro Aso urges greater blockchain cooperation. Inner Mongolia raises bitcoin mining costs. Fintech investments in S. Korea.
August 2020
Ep. 27 | YFI soars past bitcoin. ConsenSys acquires JPMorgan’s Quorum blockchain. OMG Network integrates Tether transfers.
Other top news: $50 billion in cryptocurrency leaves China. Severe flooding in Sichuan destroys bitcoin mining farms. DeFi in India.
Ep. 26 | US Fed taps MIT for CBDC research as China intensifies DCEP testing. YAM protocol soars before crashing.
Other top news: USPS explores blockchain for voting. Coinbase offers crypto loans. Huobi launches Global DeFi Alliance.
Ep. 25 | Bitcoin surges in Hong Kong’s geopolitical storms. China widens DCEP testing. Ethereum Classic’s audacious attacks.
Other top news: Teen accused of masterminding Twitter VIP hack heads to court. Huobi launches DeFi lab. Fintech VC in Singapore and Indonesia.
Ep. 24 | Bitcoin riding high again. Philippines enters global CBDC race. Cardano’s Shelley mainnet goes live.
Other top news: China imposes standards for blockchain companies. Huobi launches digital asset custody business. Blockchain VC in the Middle East.
July 2020
Ep. 23 | Is Ethereum more popular than Bitcoin now? Crypto love comes to K-pop world. SEC-sanctioned crypto firms receive PPP funds.
Other top news: China’s BSN blockchain network expands global reach. US lets major banks act as crypto custodians. VC in India and Singapore.
Ep. 22 | How Twitter hackers broke into VIP accounts. Are SEC and CFTC targeting DeFi via Abra? BitMEX parent rebrands as 100x Group.
Other top news: InterContinental uses blockchain to prove hotel cleanliness. Beijing plans for blockchain in city services. VC in India and Israel.
Ep. 21 | Dogecoin rises on TikTok challenge. Brock Pierce runs for President. CFTC planning more crypto regulations.
Other top news: Alibaba to help Cosco deploy blockchain technology for Chinese shipping industry. Fintech investment in Saudi Arabia.
Ep. 20 | OKEx launches in Latin America. Cardano deploys Shelley. Crypto firms R3, IoTeX and iExec join Confidential Computing Consortium.
Other top news: US still dominates blockchain patents globally. First court case in China litigated with blockchain. VC in Indonesia and Singapore.
June 2020
Ep. 19 | Will PayPal and Venmo offer crypto trading? FC Barcelona kicks off fan token. USDC ditches Ethereum for Algorand.
Other top news: Chainlink embraced by China’s blockchain network. Could Justin Sun’s infamy outshine TRON 4.0? Fintech in Thailand and Singapore.
Ep. 18 | Fed chair throws shade at Digital Dollar Project. Ripple elbows in on SWIFT. Compound dethrones MakerDao.
Other top news: China’s new blockchain cross-border payment platform for Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong. 5G for all in Shenzhen. Fintech VC in India.
Ep. 17 | Will India ban crypto again? VeChain wows Germany. Centrapay and bitcoin vending machines.
Other top news: Chinese high schoolers cram-studying bitcoin mining. Blockchain-powered lotteries in Cambodia. Startups in India, Singapore and UAE.
Ep. 16 | Bitcoin and Black America. Is Coinbase watching you? Bitmain’s Game of Thrones.
Other top blockchain news: China sounds new warning against crypto. Brave browser brouhaha. Startups in Japan and Malaysia.
Ep. 15 | Is China’s digital RMB ready for prime time? Making the case for a US CBDC. Blockchain comes to Minecraft.
More top news: China exploring blockchain to cure gaming addiction. LG joins Hedera Hashgraph. Startups in Japan, Singapore and the Philippines.
May 2020
Ep. 14 | Was that Satoshi? TRON 4.0 gets lukewarm reception. Blockchain Bill of Rights.
More top news: China pours billions into blockchain and other infrastructure. Ant Financial’s new smart contracts. VC in Singapore and India.
Ep. 13 | Bitcoin bewitches JK Rowling. A Stellar start for Ukraine’s new CBDC. Investors drag Nvidia back to court over crypto sales.
Other top news: Fintech-friendly policies for Hong Kong-Shenzhen bay area. China makes blockchain jobs more respectable. VC in Singapore and S. Korea.
Ep. 12 | Bitcoin halving elicits yawns. As China trials CBDC, Tim Draper predicts it will bomb. Is NEAR Ethereum’s new killer?
Other top news: TRON snags Covid aid. Free Telegram Open Network. China builds tech talent database. Bitmain’s civil war. Another win for Ripple.
Ep. 11 | Crypto surges before bitcoin halving. China taps SenseTime for CBDC rollout. BitMEX shuts out Japan.
Other top news: IBM’s Covid medical supply network. China now has over 1,000 blockchain firms. Startups in Japan, India and Singapore.
April 2020
Ep. 10 | Ripple sues YouTube over scam videos. Hong Kong’s first regulator-approved bitcoin fund manager. Hacker messes with dForce.
Other top news: Courier giant YTO forms blockchain logistics lab. 224 more blockchain firms get official thumbs up. VC in Singapore, UK and US.
Ep. 9 | U.S. rethinks ‘digital dollar.’ China’s new national blockchain platform. Is Libra now a stronger rival to China’s CBDC?
Other top news: Bitcoin halving frenzy. New Huawei tech zone. Blockchain company busted for defective face masks. VC in Hong Kong and Canada.
Ep. 8 | Reddit crypto awards, Ripple coupling with BoA, blockchain boozes up in China, and more
Also: Dozens of crypto firms sued in 11 class-action lawsuits. Bitcoin mining company Canaan bleeds red ink. Fintech funding in India, and more.
Ep. 7 | Binance buys CoinMarketCap, Toilet Paper Token skunks Bitcoin, China pulls ahead in patent race, and more
Other top news: Blockchain in TV and film. Going Dutch on Covid. Nodle’s new network. BMW tracking auto parts. House rentals in new intelligent city
Ep. 6 | New blockchain arsenal to fight Covid-19, Zoom cancels Facebook, coronavirus wipes out Digital Farms, and more
Other top headlines from around the world: Microsoft wants to power mining with brain waves. Crypto exchanges Huobi and OKEx under fire. China shifts to digitally sweep ancestral graves.
March 2020
Ep. 5 | U.S. weighs digital dollar, Coinbase top lawyer joins Treasury, and more
In this newsletter and podcast, we bring you top headlines around the world, including: A new proposal to create a digital dollar. Coinbase’s legal chief heading U.S. Treasury. A Bitcoin-Red Cross coronavirus fundraiser in Italy. Universal basic income’s revival. Steem’s hard fork into Hive, and more.
Ep. 4 | Bitcoin’s wild ride, Robinhood in tough times, Covid-19 hacks Ethereum event
Also: Blockchain voting after the Voatz debacle, IOTA limps back after cyber attack, smart cities in China, and Forkast.News insights to help you make sense of the top headlines.
Ep. 3 | Top blockchain news on China, France and S. Korea – and a new Ethereum protocol. What’s next for India?
What’s up with South Korea’s new blockchain regulations? And where is bitcoin now legal tender? (Mai oui!) Other headlines around the world: a storm over STEEM, the new Baseline protocol for privacy, HTC’s Exodus 5G Hub, and how the coronavirus has affected blockchain firms in China.
February 2020
Ep. 2 | Lightning Loop, SEC’s crypto safe harbor, Zcash vote on mining rewards
In this episode: Lightning Loop as the Visa of bitcoin, SEC’s crypto safe harbor, and Zcash voting to give 20% of funds to developers
Ep. 1 | Spencer Dinwiddie, SEC on IEOs and Bitwise investor bulletin
Welcome to The Current Forkast series with Forkast.News Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau and Brian Lio, CEO of blockchain research group Smith + Crown. In this episode we talk about: NBA player Spencer Dinwiddie’s token release, SEC’s warning on Initial Exchange Offerings (IEOs), Bitwise investor bulletin