blockchain

As the internet fractures into silos degraded by censorship and disinformation, DAOs and public blockchains may offer ways to restore trust.

An open and interoperable metaverse economy will drive consumer activity — and it’s on a similar track for growth as e-commerce, writes Ben Caselin of AAX.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. blockchain business unit Onyx aims to bring trillions of dollars in tokenized assets to decentralized finance (DeFi), Onyx head of digital assets Tyrone Lobban said at CoinDesk’s Consensus 2022 conference.  See related article: JPMorgan sees upside for Bitcoin, crypto amid market downturn Fast facts “Over time, we think tokenizing U.S. Treasurys […]

The Helium Network, a decentralized wireless network, announced a model expansion on Saturday to address the demand for unlimited wireless protocols. See related article: Fantom releases upgrades to enhance speed, scalability, and decentralization Fast facts The Helium Network, which rewards crypto to users for deploying hotspots and providing network coverage, has launched over 848,000 hotspots […]

Singapore investment behemoth Temasek has been in the digital asset space for several years, and it’s doubling down on its commitment, says its blockchain chief.

Layer 1 blockchain Fantom has unveiled upgrades to boost settlement speed and platform efficiency, the Fantom Foundation announced on Thursday.  See related article: Fantom overtakes Binance Smart Chain in DeFi TVL Fast facts Fantom’s upgrades include the implementation of all London EIP-1559 changes and a new variation of the consensus mechanism called Lachesis Light Repeater, […]

The Japanese government on Tuesday gave the green light to a new policy that plans to develop and expand the Web3 environment in the country, including the use of cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). See related article: Japanese crypto firms team up to form a metaverse association Fast facts The approved […]

Blockchain data analytics platform Nansen has struck a multi-year collaboration deal with Google Cloud to provide crypto investors with real-time access to market intelligence, the Accel and GIC-backed firm announced on Thursday.  See related article: Foxconn’s Taiwan subsidiary receives investment from Google for metaverse projects Fast facts Running its platform on Google Cloud’s open and […]

An architecture research team at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) developed a blockchain-based system to remotely track the quality of construction of student residences, according to a press release. See related article: Blockchain-powered air quality sensor test launches in Hong Kong Fast facts The system, named E-Inspection 2.0, helps manage construction quality inspection documents, […]

Immutable X, a layer-2 scaling solution on Ethereum, has exploded onto the scene, with secondary non-fungible token (NFT) sales volume doubling in the past month as it expands into new partnerships and collaborations.  See related story: NFT startup Immutable valued at $2.5 billion in Temasek-led financing Fast facts The Immutable X blockchain has exceeded US$100 […]

A proposal by the ApeCoin (APE) decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) to stay on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain is winning majority support from token holders, despite the efforts of some crypto whales to migrate the coin to its own chain.  See related article: Otherdeeds NFT sale puts Ethereum scalability in glaring spotlight Fast facts The proposal […]

The downturn is forcing Web3 firms into a reset — and opening opportunities for Web2 entrepreneurs to enter the playing field, writes Lily Z. King of Cobo.

Web 3.0 lifestyle app, StepN, was hit by a denial-of-service attack. Meanwhile, South Korean students are looking at metaverse as a platform to prepare for exam.

Binance Labs’ fundraise comes as venture capital investments face headwinds from expectations of interest rate increases. See related article: Binance’s investment in Forbes is a wake-up call for the crypto industry Fast facts See related article: Binance, a16z among investors backing Musk’s Twitter bid with US$7B

The right balance of regulations can better protect gaming companies’ intellectual property as well as players’ assets, writes Henry Chang of Wemade.

Cryptocurrency companies in the Philippines await legislation from the new Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration on how the government will tax the industry. Some are worried.

Popular Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Optimism airdropped its new OP governance token to nearly 249,000 eligible wallets on Wednesday morning Asia time. See related article: Vitalik Buterin: Layer 2 is the future of Ethereum scaling Fast facts The airdrop was first announced in an April blog post which outlined plans for the network to launch […]

Fueled by seismic shifts in societal values, decentralized autonomous organizations are now poised to go mainstream, writes Hannes Graah of Gro.

The Tezos blockchain showcased the evolving relationship between art, technology and culture at a three-day interactive exhibition, The Ever-Evolving World of Art, at Art Basel, Hong Kong, which ended Sunday.  See related article: How Asia’s generative NFT art is reshaping the global creative culture Fast facts The event featured NFT works from 22 international digital artists, […]

Pop culture event Comic Con India (CCI) will dive into the metaverse with the launch of non-fungible token (NFT) collectibles Non-Fungible League.  See related article: How the metaverse is closing the gap between virtual and reality Fast facts The Non-Fungible League will create and mint heroes for the metaverse, and will contain a series of […]

Did you know that 38% of Americans lack confidence in election fairness? No wonder, since the paper ballot voting system has been in place since the beginning of the 19th century. Can a blockchain-based voting system restore trust in democratic elections? Learn more about the promise of blockchain voting in this Forkast video explainer. What […]

Did you know that the supply chain is responsible for 90% of companies’ environmental impact? This is because our fragmented logistics process doesn’t account for the environmental cost of the products. Can blockchain help create a global environmental standard? Find out in this Forkast video explainer.  What you’ll learn: How blockchain can track the environmental […]

While the banking system has been working well for citizens in first-world economies, people in underdeveloped regions often struggle to gain access to the same financial services that others are taking for granted. Can a blockchain-based financial system restore financial neutrality and bank the world’s unbanked? Find out in this Forkast.News video explainer.  What you’ll […]

Flament’s comments come as governments around the world step up regulation of the sector plagued by frequent frauds, high-profile run-on-the-banks and misrepresentation from the anonymity blockchain and cryptocurrency offer.

The Supreme People’s Court of China urged the local judicial system to adopt blockchain technology to build up connections between courts across the country by 2025.  See related article: How blockchain technology is shaking up courtrooms in Asia Fast facts The Supreme Court said in a document published on Wednesday that blockchain can utilize the […]

Terra’s governance vote closed on Wednesday evening Asia time with 65.50% of governance voters in favor of Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon’s proposal to create a new blockchain. See related article: Terra raises aUST initial token float to 30% in revival plan amendment Fast facts Kwon’s “Terra Ecosystem Revival Plan 2” ditches the algorithmic stablecoin […]

If buying a home is the American Dream and key to building wealth, what is that like in the metaverse? Crypto newcomer Joel Stein finds out.

Brave announced on Wednesday it has added support for the Solana blockchain to expand Web 3.0 access for the browser’s 15.5 million daily users. See related article: What decentralization can offer Web 3.0 and social media | Part 1 Fast facts The Brave Wallet can now be used to buy, sell and hold Solana-based cryptocurrencies. […]

China’s state-backed infrastructure Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) announced on Tuesday that it is preparing the launch of BSN Spartan on Aug. 31, a new international network for non-cryptocurrency public chains. See related article: Resist the temptation on NFTs, Chinese state-backed developer says Fast facts “We’re not against public chains, but we’re against crypto,” BSN developer […]

Terra’s LUNA and UST implosion is dragging down an already ailing market. What do other developments suggest about crypto’s long-term future?

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin and the Filecoin Foundation have partnered to demonstrate the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) in space, the pair announced on Monday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. See related article: Filecoin explained: Decentralizing cloud storage for Web 3.0 Fast facts Filecoin is the economic incentive layer of the distributed storage […]

Solana’s $325M Wormhole breach and Axie Infinity’s $600M Ronin hack laid bare the security risks of cross-chain bridges. What are the solutions?

Startup platform Farandole has a plan to transform the traditional wine industry with NFTs, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

Blockchain-based payments network Ripple announced its plans to invest US$100 million in climate-focused fintechs and carbon removal technology for the modernization of carbon markets, the company said in a press release.  See related article: How blockchain is solving the climate crisis Fast facts The funding will also continue to support new functionality and developer tools […]

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.

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 […]

TerraUSD (UST) climbed to a high of US$0.84 on Thursday after Terra proposed a network upgrade to increase the blockchain’s native token LUNA, in hopes to save its algorithmic stablecoin’s peg to the greenback.   See related article: Run on UST cuts the ground from under Terra’s feet Fast facts The UST is minted by locking […]

Coinhako becomes third Singaporean exchange to receive full license. Meanwhile, the blockchain industry reacts to Philippine election results.

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 […]

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 diamond firm De Beers said it is deploying its Tracr blockchain, at scale, to provide immutable records of every diamond’s origin. See related article: Diamond sets record for most expensive object bought with crypto Fast facts De Beers, which developed Tracr, has already registered a quarter of its production by value on the network. […]

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

Blockchain unicorn Animoca Brands said it has signed a licensing deal to include the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg racetrack in its REVV Motorsport ecosystem of play-to-earn racing games. See related article: Need for Speed gets Hong Kong’s Animoca in driver’s seat Fast facts Animoca Brands will mint and sell non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that represent partial ownership of […]

Following a year of explosive price gains, the SHIB token is inching closer toward becoming a top 10 cryptocurrency. Will this so-called “Dogecoin killer” succeed? Forkast.News explores what’s in store for Shiba Inu.

There’s never a dull moment in the news business. Now, as media outlets explore blockchain, the Associated Press’s Dwayne Desaulniers says more change is coming.

Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce marketplace, plans to explore Web 3.0 and metaverse use cases including non-fungible-tokens, virtual storefronts, play-to-earn and other blockchain technologies under its new initiative, Flipkart Labs, the company said.  See related article: Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com offers NFTs despite state media criticisms Fast facts Flipkart Labs, based in Bengaluru, will also serve […]

U.S. Justice Department charges two Europeans for aiding North Korea. Meanwhile, Shanghai’s Covid lockdown popularizes blockchain.

Joe Biden’s executive order on crypto has put America on course for solid success in the digital asset space, says the Blockchain Association’s Kristin Smith.

More crypto players are eyeing the UAE as a hub. Meanwhile, a mysterious map sends Pudgy Penguin NFTs skyrocketing.

Ink, the Ashton Kutcher and Mark Cuban-backed Web 3.0 platform that allows artists and creators to sign, draw or write on any form of digital content into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), launched Wednesday. See related article: Warner Music is ready to play in The Sandbox metaverse Fast facts By digitally signing any existing photo, album cover, […]

In the short history of DeFi, bridge hacks have accounted for an enormous amount of stolen funds, writes Joshua Tobkin. What can stop these attacks?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are going to be increasingly important with the rise in time spent on metaverses, Jayant Sinha, a member of parliament and Chairman of India’s Standing Committee on Finance, told The Economic Times on Monday.  See related article: India to make life hell for crypto investors: MP Fast facts Sinha’s comments come at […]

Xiamen, a major city in China’s southeastern province Fujian, Friday issued China’s first batch of digital commemorative subway tickets based on Alibaba’s blockchain, AntChain. See related article: More courts in China accept blockchain-stored evidence Fast facts The digital ticket bears a likeness to a decorative metal badge,  and is themed with a combination of Xiamen […]

Former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith was sentenced to prison and fined US$100,000 for violating international sanctions against North Korea by speaking at a cryptocurrency conference in the Hermit Kingdom in April 2019. See related article: North Korea hacked US$400M of crypto in 2021, says Chainalysis Fast facts At the conference, Griffith explained blockchain technology’s use […]

The fund aims to support and speed up the time-to-market of early-stage projects that have already initiated development.

Near protocol, a smart-contract enabled layer 1 blockchain, has bagged US$350 million in a funding round led by Tiger Global.  See related article: Polkadot is top crypto held by VCs and hedge funds in Q4 2021 Fast facts FTX Ventures, Republic Capital, Hashed, and Dragonfly Capital participated in the funding round led by Tiger Global.  […]

The metaverse is envisioned as the next iteration of the internet, introducing an immersive digital universe. Find out what this means for the future of our online lives — beyond all the marketing hype — in this Forkast.News explainer.

The emancipatory promise of decentralization has been both evangelized and excoriated. The Algorand Foundation’s Jason Lee explains why we should be believers.

A district government in Maharashtra, India, has started stamping 65,000 caste certificates through LegitDoc, a document-verifying system on the Polygon blockchain.  See related article: India releases ‘National Strategy on Blockchain’ for e-governance Fast facts In India, caste certificates are used by marginal communities such as tribes to gain access to certain government benefits and subsidies.  […]

DLT projects are defined by their network effects, writes Donald Thibeau of HBAR Foundation. Here’s why open networks and community are critical for success.

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) has announced its highly anticipated AU$250 million (US$187 million) blockchain project has been delayed for release until late 2023 at the earliest. See related article: Australian Securities Exchange to launch crypto-related ETF Fast facts CHESS, or Clearing House Electronic Subregister System, was initially slated for a blockchain upgrade by April […]

Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation launched the Meta History Museum of War on Friday, a museum hosted on the Ethereum and Polygon networks that chronicles the country’s war with Russia through non-fungible tokens (NFTs). See related article: Zelenskyy legalizes cryptocurrency in Ukraine Fast facts “Disinformation is used by Russia on a par with deadly military […]

With explosive growth in the past 12 months, the non-fungible token industry is getting too big to ignore IP licenses, experts say.

Meta, formerly Facebook, has filed eight trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) relating to blockchain, crypto and the social media giant’s metaverse push. See related article: Meta showcases focus on AI, announces new voice assistant program Fast facts One of these applications includes a trademark for cryptocurrency services including exchange […]

Malaysia’s Fusang defers their IPO. Meanwhile, Blockchain Week Australia looks into intellectual property rights.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Bitcoin buzz in Malaysia. Yuga Labs teases Otherside. Blockchain verdict in China.

Blockchain gaming unicorn Animoca Brands co-founder and executive chairman Yat Siu said Web 3.0 needs rapid adoption in order to become more decentralized at Australia Blockchain Week in Melbourne on Wednesday. See related article: FTX heads Down Under as Australia looks to crypto industry Fast facts “If people don’t move into the space quickly enough, […]

Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs announced on Wednesday Asia time that it has raised US$450 million in a funding round, bringing the Web 3.0 company to a total valuation of US$4 billion.  See related article: The future is decentralized: How Web3 can reshape the world Fast facts The funding round was led by […]

China’s state-backed Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN) has announced the addition of “Zhong Yi Chain,” developed by telecommunications giant China Mobile, to its open permissioned blockchain ecosystem to bolster the growth of home-grown non-fungible tokens (NFTs). See related article: BSN to integrate CasperLabs’ chain to support NFT issuance in China Fast facts The new chain serves […]

Sichuan and Inner Mongolia are two regions that recently announced their first cases using blockchain-stored evidence, local media reports. See related article: How blockchain technology is shaking up courtrooms in Asia Fast facts See related article: Court in China says trading in cryptocurrency ‘not protected by law’

The $320 million Wormhole hack laid bare the vulnerability of cross-chain bridges, writes Alex Smirnov of deBridge. How can we plug the gaps?