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The FTX founder faces charges of wire fraud, securities fraud, commodities fraud and money laundering related to the exchange’s collapse in November.

Australian banks are heightening scrutiny on digital asset exchanges and restricting crypto payments due to rising scams and frauds. Caroline Bowler, CEO of BTC Markets highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry in the country.

Bitcoin rose slightly in the past 24 hours while Ether lost. Dogecoin and Solana were the day’s biggest losers, both dropping by over 1%, although both posted gains on the week.

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, was jailed Friday and his bail revoked ahead of his trial for fraud scheduled for October 2.

Bitcoin briefly rose above US$30,000 twice this week, but failed to remain the support level despite positive catalysts in the industry like the launch of PayPal’s new stablecoin. Bitcoin will have to close the week above US$29,300 for upward momentum, industry experts told Forkast.

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Angie Lau, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions. Coming up on today’s show:

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Friday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Despite its recent crab walk, Bitcoin is in a “bullish scenario” as long as it holds US$27,500, industry experts told Forkast.

Huobi has contacted multiple data platforms to update its cryptocurrency holdings, following market talk that the it might face an insolvency issue.

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.

PayPal launches stablecoin. Traditional gamers take on NFTs. Tough times ahead for Huobi.

Coinbase Global announced the public launch of its Ethereum layer-2 blockchain Base on Wednesday.

Rumors of arrest and insolvency plague the Huobi cryptocurrency exchange, which enjoys close ties to the Tron founder Justin Sun. How will Huobi respond?

Wreck League: New PVP NFT game with custom mechs set to dominate. Partnerships with Yuga Labs and Bored Ape Yacht Club promise big potential in shifting NFT market landscape.

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?

Bitcoin rose on Wednesday morning in Asia to trade above US$29,700. Ether also logged gains along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies.

South Korean prosecutors are looking to submit the recent U.S. ruling on Ripple to a Seoul court to prove Luna as financial securities.

Paypal, the California-based online payments giant, announced Monday that it is launching an Ethereum blockchain-based stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Bitcoin edged up on Tuesday morning in Asia after U.S. multinational payment giant PayPal launched a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin on Monday.

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Monday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, with XRP leading losses in the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Investor sentiment remained subdued given regulatory concerns and a lack of positive catalysts, industry experts told Forkast.

Moves by big financial institutions into digital assets are worrisome to crypto purists, but it could be just what crypto needs to shake off its doldrums, writes Konstantin Horejsi of Blocktrade.

Elon Musk appeared to put an end to recent speculation of X issuing its crypto token, in a tweeted reply Saturday to another user on the platform.

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Angie Lau, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions. Coming up on today’s show:

Coinbase launched a bridge for its Ethereum layer-2 blockchain “Base,” on Thursday and set Base’s mainet launch for Aug. 9.

HashKey Exchange and OSL — the only two cryptocurrency exchanges licensed by the Hong Kong SFC — received license upgrades Thursday to service retail investors.

Bitcoin and Ether remained stable Friday morning in Asia as Litecoin led losers among other top 10 cryptos. Coinbase execs bullish after upbeat Q2 results.

Japan’s blockchain group urges tax change. Bitcoin NFT struggles but it may be a sleeping giant. Litecoin falls after halving.

Officials at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are considering fraud charges against Binance, according to news site Semafor.

Revenue for NFT services on the Bitcoin network, or the aggregate value of marketplace fees and creator royalties, declined over July even as total Ordinals inscriptions crossed 20 million.

Bitcoin was the day’s biggest gainer, rising 2.11% in the past 24 hours. Ether rose 1.11%.

Binance users in China traded about US$90 billion worth of cryptocurrency-related assets in May despite the crypto ban since 2021.

Bitcoin, Ether and most other top ten tokens gained Wednesday morning in Asia, with BNB leading winners after Binance Japan launch.

Binance announced the launch of Binance Japan on Tuesday, offering 34 cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin and Ether prices were largely mixed but running into the red on Friday morning in Asia, looking to end the week with losses after a period of directionless trading.

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

Sky Mavis, the Vietnam-based firm behind breakout play-to-earn title Axie Infinity, has announced a partnership with the CyberKongz non-fungible token (NFT) project to introduce the Genkai collection to the Ronin blockchain for the first time. In this exclusive interview, Forkast Lab’s NFT strategist Yehudah Petscher speaks to Kathleen Osgood – Director for Business Development of Sky […]

Arkham Intel Exchange on Monday said two blockchain sleuths had won the bounty for new evidence of wallets owned by Terraform Labs and its imprisoned co-founder Kwon Do-hyeong.

The SEC has hinted it may be set to appeal a recent court ruling against the agency in its case against Ripple Labs and the XRP token.

Bitcoin fell under US$30,000, despite the SEC accepting eight spot Bitcoin ETF applications for review this week. A weekly close under that psychological level could lead to more panic selling, industry experts told Forkast.

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Angie Lau, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions. Coming up on today’s show:

Bitcoin and Ether both remained below key support levels, as investor sentiment failed to pick up even after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accepted eight spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications for review.

McDonald’s Hong Kong has joined the likes of Adidas, Coca-Cola, Gucci and other global brands with Thursday’s launch of its own metaverse.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Ripple not clear of hurdles | NFTs in historically slow period | Hong Kong banks dither

Bitcoin edged higher on Thursday morning, along with most other top 10 cryptocurrencies, but the token looks to have lost support at the US$30,000 line.

NAB, one of Australia’s “big four” banks, announced it is taking action to block some payments to “high-risk” cryptocurrency exchanges, as part of its new measures aimed at protecting customers from scams.

Bitcoin and Ether rose during Wednesday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.

Bitcoin and Ether both fell below key price levels earlier but returned above as investors remained optimistic after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) accepted the second Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) application for review, from asset manager Valkyrie.

XRP continued its rally after XRP issuer Ripple’s favorable ruling last week in its lawsuit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The U.S. SEC has accepted BlackRock’s application for a spot Bitcoin ETF, a major step for the potential launch of the country’s first spot Bitcoin ETF.

Bitcoin rose to trade at over US$30,300 on Monday morning in Asia, but the price fell over the weekend to around the pre-Ripple ruling level.

Scrutiny on the stablecoin’s reserves has intensified since USDT’s latest depegging scare. Paolo Ardoino, CTO of Tether and Bitfinex, delves into the composition of USDT reserves, explaining how the firm ensures dollar redemptions, irrespective of secondary market prices.

Bitcoin rose to US$31,736 on Friday, bolstering Ethereum to above US$2,000, after the court ruled that the sale of XRP did not constitute a security. Bitcoin needs a close above US$31,000 to pave the way for US$32,500, market experts told Forkast.

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Angie Lau, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions. Coming up on today’s show:

Alex Mashinsky, founder and CEO of Celsius Network, pleaded not guilty after being arrested in the U.S. Thursday on several fraud-related criminal charges.

Bitcoin prices fell below US$30,500 in the past 24 hours while its trading volume has gained over 20%. Ether also fell. Cardano and BNB were the day’s biggest losers.

Stablecoin issuer Circle has reduced its workforce and investment in non-core activities.

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.

Bitcoin trade volumes dropped in the last 24 hours but the token is holding steady above US$30,500. Binance’s BNB token posted the biggest gain while most other top 10 cryptocurrencies traded mixed.

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies don’t meet standards to be recognized as money.

The global cryptocurrency industry is valued at US$180 billion, with over 10,000 companies employing a total of 190,000 employees, according to a July 5 report from crypto intelligence firm K33 Research. See related article: Singapore, Thailand clarify crypto rules; NFTs become new cultural frontier Fast facts See related article: South Korea, Singapore, Thailand clarify crypto […]

South Korea on Monday held the first preliminary hearing for Terraform Labs co-founder Daniel Shin and seven other former employees on charges related to the collapse of the Terra-Luna crypto project.

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Angie Lau, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions. Coming up on today’s show:

Bitcoin held above US$30,000 for most of the week but lost momentum as the SEC left investors guessing on how it will treat spot Bitcoin ETF applications.

Binance Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Hillmann and Vice President for Compliance Steven Christie both confirmed they are leaving the firm.

A South Korean academic tracking on-chain data says Do Kwon, the imprisoned founder of the now collapsed Terra-Luna crypto project, seems to have outside help in moving stablecoins from his digital wallets into other cryptocurrencies.

Despite a plunge in unique NFT buyers on Cardano, which earned it the nickname “ghost chain,” data reveals that the blockchain’s NFT market outperformed leading competitors such as Ethereum, Solana, and Polygon in June.

Bitcoin and Ether rose during Thursday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, while most of the top altcoins were mixed, as investors await the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) response to spot Bitcoin ETF applications. See related article: Weekly Market Wrap: Bitcoin breaches US$31,195 following Fidelity’s spot Bitcoin ETF application Bitcoin, Ether rise, top 10 […]

Singapore-based DBS bank has introduced a “merchant collection solution” using e-CNY – China’s central bank digital currency – to allow corporate clients of DBS China to collect payments from their customers in e-CNY, and avail the automated settlement of e-CNY directly into their bank deposit account.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the country’s financial services regulator, searched the local offices of Binance on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation of the exchange’s derivatives business, a Bloomberg report said.

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Tuesday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, while most of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization were mixed.

Bitcoin fell and Ether rose during Monday afternoon trading in Hong Kong, while most of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization strengthened.

Bitcoin briefly rose to US$31,195 after Fidelity filed its spot Bitcoin ETF application. Can the wave of institutional interest keep Bitcoin above US$30,500?