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Bitcoin and Ether rose during afternoon trading in Asia on Friday, along with most of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding the Solana and Tron tokens.

Binance Marketplace, Binance’s NFT trading platform, is launching a new service Friday where users can loan Ether by using NFTs as collateral.

A former executive at Coinone pleaded guilty on Thursday to accepting bribes in exchange for listing certain cryptocurrencies on the platform.

The stock price boost for tech giant Nvidia on the back of an AI chip boom has sent AI-related cryptocurrencies on a surge.

Surge of interest in AI chipmaker Nvidia extends to crypto, Binance and Blur vie for top NFT lender spot, while uncertainty abounds over U.S. debt talks.

The launch of Hong Kong’s very own CBDC comes with new regulations for crypto trading platforms operating in the city.

The high court of Montenegro’s capital city Podgorica has revoked its decision to grant bail to Terraform Labs chief executive officer Do Kwon.

Just how decentralized are today’s DAOs? When compared to the world’s largest transnational corporations, not so much, says Pat Rawson, co-founder of Web3 innovation network Curve Labs.

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, has been accused of blending client funds with its own corporate revenue in violation of U.S. financial regulations, according to three unnamed sources cited by Reuters.

Cryptocurrency wallet Ledger’s new update allows governments to access users’ seed phrases via subpoena, said Pascal Gauthier, the chief executive officer of Ledger. 

The Philippines Securities and Exchange Commission warned the public last week not to use crypto exchange Gemini’s derivatives platform.

The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC), the capital markets regulator, has charged cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Global and its chief executive officer Leon Li for operating a digital asset exchange (DAX) without registration.

Stablecoins are a key part of the crypto ecosystem, but banks like JPMorgan are now exploring deposit tokens as an alternative. Which is better, and why?

Circle Vice President of Global Policy Corey Then says he is optimistic that U.S. regulatory developments can eventually benefit local players despite ongoing scrutiny.

Investors remain cautious as U.S. debt talks continue despite slowing inflation and large NFT purchases.

Ripple Labs has launched a new payment platform for a central bank digital currency in Hong Kong.

Bitcoin and Ether prices fell on Friday morning in Asia. XRP gained after Hong Kong CBDC announcement by issuer Ripple.

World’s largest cryptocurrency exchange halts Australian dollar services after payment provider cuts off service.

Montenegro prosecutors have filed an appeal against a local court decision to approve bail for the detained Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon.

Conflux Network and China Telecom on Tuesday unveiled their first blockchain-based SIM card, which will be piloted in Hong Kong.

San Francisco-based Ripple Labs, a technology and financial services firm built around the XRP cryptocurrency, said it will acquire Metaco, a Swiss-based tokenization and digital asset custody provider, for US$250 million. 

Welcome to The Daily Forkast, May 17, 2023, presented by Jeff Cheung for the latest in the crypto markets. Ripple’s victory over the SEC in court has jumped XRP prices as Litecoin continues its bullish run overnight. The NFT markets are also looking good as the Forkast 500 index and the ETH composite are both […]

A U.S. federal judge has denied a motion by the SEC to seal internal documents related to a speech given by the SEC’s former director on whether cryptocurrencies are securities.

Bitcoin prices fell on Wednesday morning in Asia but remained above the US$27,000 line. Ether gained but still posted a weekly drop. XRP led gainers among other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies.

As part of the ongoing legal dispute between the two, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it would not be hurried into a response to Coinbase demands.

South Korean prosecutors have raided Upbit, Bithumb and the crypto wallet unit of Kakao, as part of their investigation into lawmaker Kim Nam-kuk.

Fractionalizing assets on the blockchain opens up investment opportunities for the public and the capital market’s access to liquidity, writes Bob Ras. Here’s what’s holding it back.

Bank of Korea, the central bank, seems uncomfortable with the Financial Services Commission, the country’s regulator, having the mandate over the cryptocurrency industry. The bank is pushing for more say, arguing crypto can influence the stability of the overall financial market and that involves the central bank.

Regulatory hurdles have once again hit Binance in North America, with the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange announcing on Friday that it would cease operations in Canada due to tightened crypto rules.

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

Binance.US is reportedly exploring ways to cut founder Changpeng Zhao’s ownership stake in the company, The Information reported on Thursday, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Terraform Labs chief Do Kwon denied charges of attempting to travel with fake travel documents during a court hearing Thursday in Montenegro.

Animoca Brands revealed US$2.7 billion in off-balance sheet token reserves in its latest unaudited financial update.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Memecoin fever strains BTC network. Binance slams brakes on Bitcoin withdrawals. Chinese court allows crypto for repaying debt.

Bitcoin network faces heightened congestion with over 5 million inscriptions, exacerbating block space demand as BRC-20 tokens achieve a market cap milestone of $1 billion, contributing to increased activity on the network.

The three-day NexTech Week trade show kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, celebrating all things technology, including blockchain and Artificial Intelligence.

Terraform Labs co-founder Shin Hyun-seung and seven others will face trial on May 26 on charges of fraud related to the Terra-Luna crypto collapse.

Cryptocurrency firms moving to Hong Kong should expect tight regulations as part of the city-state’s new regulatory regime, said Eddie Yue.

A South Korean court has approved prosecutors’ request to freeze assets and properties worth 233.3 billion Korean won that belong to Kwon.

Hong Kong-based OSL Asset Management Ltd said it won a local license to offer investment products in blockchain, Web3 and AI companies.

Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Deloitte, Moody’s and other institutions are partnering with Digital Asset for the launch of the Canton blockchain.

Skyrocketing activity has led to a surge in average Bitcoin transaction fees — which rose to US$31.15 as of March 8 — exerting increasing pressure on users in low- and middle- income economies including Bitcoin-reliant communities in El Salvador, the first country to implement mass adoption of the digital currency.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast, May 8, 2023, presented by Jeff Cheung for the latest in the crypto markets. Binance halted Bitcoin withdrawals twice today as a result of an influx of pending transactions and sky-rocketing fees. The Ethereum Foundation sold US$30 million worth of Ethereum to Kraken as well, leading to slight dips in […]

India is not against the blockchain technology, but currencies have to be monitored by either the government or the central bank, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. 

The prosecutor leading Korea’s investigation into the Terra-Luna project said its founder Do Kwon should be extradited to Seoul to face trial.

Binance resumed withdrawals of Bitcoin around Monday noon in Hong Kong after temporarily halting the service twice within 12 hours due to what the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange said was a “large volume of pending transactions.”

PEPE and FLOKI, the two top trending memecoins that saw the biggest gains on Friday, will be listed on Binance at 12 a.m. Hong Kong time Saturday

Binance says it works closely with law enforcement to freeze funds and the news agency’s report left out “critical facts.”

Top blockchain and crypto news: JPMorgan swoops as another bank falls. NFT market rivalry heats up. Bitget seeks Hong Kong exchange license.

Singapore-headquartered cryptocurrency miner Bitdeer Technologies is planning to expand its mining operations to Bhutan and raise up to US$500 million for a fund through a new partnership with the Himalayan kingdom’s state-owned investment company Druk Holding and Investments.

Coinbase, the publicly listed largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., opened its offshore derivatives exchange in Bermuda on Tuesday.

NFT prices and trading volume are dropping but this could be an indicator of a maturing market.

Now that the Bitcoin Ordinals genie is out of the bottle, a debate is raging about whether they’re good for the original blockchain and their long-term consequences.

Temasek, Singapore’s state-owned investment firm, has denied that it had invested in Array, an algorithmic cryptocurrency developer.

Bitcoin dropped 2.09% in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia while Ether lost 0.81%. BNB fell 2.93% and Polkadot declined 2.66%.

CFTC and SEC disagree over whether cryptocurrencies are securities, and two big lawsuits clouding the industry’s future invoke laws that long predate the digital era.

Bitcoin edged up on Monday morning in Asia to hold above US$29,000. Ether fell below US$1,900. Most other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded lower except BNB.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – April 28, 2023 – presented by Megha Chaddah. The crypto markets end the week on a strong note after a difficult start, with most of the major cryptocurrencies trading in the green once again. The NFT markets had a tougher time today though, as most of the Forkast Indexes […]

Binance said it has more than 700 employees in its compliance team, which includes 170 staff working to combat crypto fraud.

Google Cloud has announced that its node hosting service, the Blockchain Node Engine, will be available for developers on the Polygon blockchain. 

Top blockchain and crypto news: Coinbase in court to force SEC’s hand. PEPE surge lifts memecoin mood. China paves CBDC path with payroll.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – April 27, 2023 – presented by Jeff Cheung. The crypto markets suffered from a minor heart attack earlier today when unsubstantiated rumors surfaced, claiming Mt Gox and US Government wallets had allegedly moved large amounts of Bitcoin.

New York-based investment bank H.C. Wainwright has initiated a “buy” rating on publicly traded Coinbase Global Inc., the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., saying the company is poised to benefit from growth in the global digital asset economy as the so-called “crypto winter” of falling prices is over.

Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said the social media giant is not moving away from its metaverse focus despite reporting repeated losses in the billions of dollars at its division dedicated to developing the virtual reality online world. 

Bitcoin rose above US$29,000 on Thursday morning in Asia, rebounding from an earlier drop. Ether gained. Other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded mixed.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – April 26, 2023 – presented by Jeff Cheung. Most major cryptocurrencies are back in the green as earnings reports from tech giants like Microsoft and Alphabet are showing positive results, outperforming analyst expectations.

Binance.US, a cryptocurrency exchange set up by Binance chief Changpeng Zhao to serve U.S. clients, has pulled out of a US$1.3 billion deal to buy bankrupt crypto lender Voyager Digital, the company said Tuesday, citing a lack of clear regulations in the country for the crypto industry.

Bitcoin rose in Wednesday morning trading in Asia to reclaim the US$28,000 mark, with Ether and all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies moving higher.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – April 25, 2023 – presented by Jeff Cheung. In an unexpected twist of events, Coinbase is suing the United States Securities and Exchanges Commission after receiving a Wells notice from them just last month. The crypto markets haven’t reacted to this news well, and after a rough start to […]

South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday indicted Terraform Labs co-founder Daniel Shin for alleged fraudulent transactions related to the collapse of the Terra-Luna crypto project.

Ethereum-linked digital asset investment products saw inflows of around US$17 million in the week ending April 21, up from US$300,000 in the previous week, appearing to show investor confidence following the blockchain’s milestone upgrade, Coinshares report shows.

Coinbase sued the U.S. SEC on Monday, asking that a court require the regulator to publicly respond to the Coinbase July 2022 petition asking for clearer crypto regulation guidelines.