Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin’s recent price gains came to a halt in Friday morning trading in Asia though it remained above the US$20,000 support line.

India has witnessed an increase in drug smuggling using cryptocurrencies and the darknet, according to the country’s Home Minister Amit Shah. 

The National Bank of Kazakhstan [NKB] will be testing the integration of their central bank digital currency (CBDC) on the BNB Chain.

The United Kingdom High Court has shut down PGI Global UK Ltd. for allegedly running a crypto scam and has appointed the official receiver as the company’s liquidator. 

The Nasdaq-listed company expects to deplete its cash resources by the end of this year.

Hong Kong is mulling plans to legalize retail crypto trading to regain its status as a global digital asset hub.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has called crypto “the better bet” over gold, and that “gold has less adoption than crypto.”

The SEC is not taking a position on two motions, submitted by non-profit organization Investor Choice Advocates Network and crypto wallet provider SpendTheBits, which seek to weigh in on the lawsuit between the SEC and Ripple.

A stablecoin that is not stable is an ‘oxymoron,’ said Henry Chang, CEO of South Korea-based blockchain game developer Wemade.

Europe’s new MiCA framework for regulating crypto shows the good that can happen when government works with and not against the industry, writes Nick Saponaro of Divi Labs.

Bitcoin continued its price run higher in Thursday morning trading in Asia as it neared US$21,000. Ether and the rest of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also rose. The total crypto market cap exceeded US$1 trillion for the first time since mid-September. Leading memecoin Dogecoin was the best performer, while the […]

Cash App users in the U.S. can now buy, send, and receive Bitcoin using the Lightning Network, directly within the app. 

Hong Kong-based crypto investment firm Q9 Capital has received a provisional virtual asset approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA), the company said on Wednesday in a statement shared with Forkast.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Aptos launch falls short. Why FTX chief is calling for crypto regulations. Is Hong Kong paving way for a retail CBDC?

The central bank is also considering options such as banning crypto firms from offering credit facilities, leverage or staking services to retail traders.

Two Chinese intelligence officers allegedly paid a double agent to help steal files related to a federal investigation into a China-based global telecom firm, reported to be Huawei.

As a leading financial institution of South Korea, Shinhan is gearing up for business expansion into crypto — while a local ban remains on the books.

Survey reveals popularity of crypto ownership among voters, their hopes for the industry’s growing potential and the need for regulation to protect consumers.

Bitcoin was trading above US$20,000 for the first time in almost three weeks on Wednesday morning trading in Asia.

Cryptocurrency was created to be accessible to the masses. So why are retail investors getting shut out from the best analytical and trading tools?

Bitcoin dipped in Tuesday morning trading in Asia, but held above the US$19,000 support line where it has been fluctuating for several weeks.

Bitcoin mining difficulty has reached a new high after a 3.44% increase in Monday’s biweekly adjustment, according to data from BTC.com.

The BIS Innovation Hub Hong Kong Centre has completed its CBDC study, Project Aurum, which examined the feasibility of intermediated CBDCs and CBDC-backed stablecoins.

A lack of regulations means anyone can say bad things about crypto to stir up fear — and push you to sell. Even if they stand to make money from your losses.

The U.S. SEC has filed a legal rebuttal to Ripple’s motion for summary judgment, a day after Ripple took a similar move against the SEC.

WEMADE, a South Korean blockchain game developer, recently launched its stablecoin, WEMIX$, for growing its blockchain ecosystem, which houses NFTs and DeFi.

Bitcoin and Ether were both gaining in Monday morning trading in Asia, as were all other top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins.

Why has Ripple Labs been in the U.S. SEC’s crosshairs and what’s the difference between Ripple and XRP?

India’s lack of regulatory clarity on crypto and Web 3.0 is a driving force of critical human capital flight, according to a new report by Nasscom.

After Solana’s Magic Eden marketplace said it was bowing to pressure and making payment of royalties “optional” to NFT creators, industry insiders tell Forkast the policy is wrongheaded and damaging.

South Korean police raided local software company Hancom and home of chairman Kim Sang-cheol on Thursday amid speculation that Kim created a slush fund using crypto token Arowana, according to local media reports.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has handed over internal documents to Ripple Labs Inc. containing comments by former SEC Corporation Finance Division director William Hinman on cryptocurrencies, Ripple’s general counsel Stuart Alderoty said on his verified Twitter handle on Friday.

Bitcoin fell, but traded back above the US$19,000 support level in Friday morning trading in Asia. Ether lost ground along with most other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, but leading memecoin Dogecoin rose and Tron also edged higher. See related article: Twitter user prevents 200 billion BitBTC bridge exploit, highlighting major vulnerability […]

South Africa’s financial markets regulator has declared crypto assets as a financial product, setting the legal grounds to bring cryptocurrencies under regulatory purview. See related article: Nigeria to become 1st African country to launch a central bank digital currency Fast facts Crypto is not issued by a central bank but can be traded, transferred and […]

Fidelity Digital Assets will allow clients to trade Ether from Oct. 28, according to a company email shared by Fidelity’s customers via Twitter. See related article: Fidelity considers Bitcoin trading on brokerage platform: WSJ Fast facts Institutional investors will be able to buy, sell and trade ETH, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. “With the […]

In a Q&A with Forkast, First Digital Trust Chief Executive Officer Vincent Chok shared his views on Hong Kong getting back into crypto, regulations, and how the crypto pie in Asia is big enough for rivals Singapore and Hong Kong.

Japan’s Virtual and Crypto assets Exchange Association (JVCEA), the self-regulatory body that oversees local crypto exchanges, will allow platforms to list cryptocurrencies without an existing lengthy screening process, according to Bloomberg. See related article: Japan pushes for tougher crypto AML regulations amid N. Korean cyberattacks Fast facts The easing is expected to take place as […]

Hong Kong-based digital asset management firm JKL Group will set up a US$50 million fund to buy more mining machines to further expand its mining facilities, despite the current crypto winter.

Kwon Do-hyung, the cofounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Terraform Labs Pte. Ltd., also known as Do Kwon, left Singapore last month and landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, South Korean prosecutors confirmed with Forkast.

The crypto sector operates mainly in English, but more than 6 billion people — many of whom crypto would benefit the most — use other languages, writes Wei Zhou of Coins.ph.

Bitcoin and Ether both fell in Thursday morning trading in Asia and with the exception of stablecoins, all other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization lost ground.

What constitutes as stealing isn’t as black and white to all of us – what happens if crypto exchanges accidentally refund a little too much money?

Top blockchain and crypto news: Mark Zuckerberg’s empty metaverse. South Korea to roll out blockchain IDs. Macau bets on digital money.

Bitcoin also received additional entries to the annual list, now a record holder for the “oldest cryptocurrency,” the “most valuable cryptocurrency” and the “first blockchain.”

Bitcoin fell in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia along with the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, with XRP holders suffering the steepest losses at 3.93%.

Kwon has been issued with an Interpol “red notice” requesting his extradition on charges brought by South Korea related to the implosion of the Terra Luna cryptocurrency project he founded

German crypto bank Nuri (formerly known as Bitwala) has asked customers to withdraw their funds by Dec. 18 so that the “business can be terminated and liquidated.”

This isn’t the first time the bloc has examined cracking down on Bitcoin mining, and it comes amid a growing push from regulators to examine the industry’s carbon footprint.

Bitcoin and Ether both fell in Wednesday morning trading in Asia amid news the European Union is considering a bill to restrict the mining of energy-intensive cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. Most of the rest of the cryptocurrency top 10 by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also declined, with the exception of Polygon. See related article: Bitcoin, […]

The first XRP Ledger (XRPL) Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatible sidechain has gone live on the parallel test network, XRPL Devnet, Ripple developers announced on Monday.

Hong Kong seems set to put out a new welcome mat for the blockchain and crypto industries, but will it work after concern about regulatory restrictions convinced many cryptocurrency operators to leave?

Bitcoin and Ether rose as all top 10 tokens by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, gained in Tuesday morning trading in Asia. Polygon led the list. Solana followed on news a leading non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace will suspend transaction fees. See related article: Gold commodities market could enter the blockchain, according to new industry initiative Fast […]

Global payments company Mastercard intends to enable financial institutions to offer crypto services to customers with its new Crypto Source program. See related article: Binance partners Mastercard to launch card in Argentina for bill payment, everyday purchases Fast facts The program will allow financial institutions to tap into Mastercard’s partners to buy, hold and sell […]

As India prepares to begin its one-year presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) beginning Dec. 1, it will look to work toward a global, tech-driven regulatory framework for cryptocurrency, India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. See related article: India’s finance minister calls on G20 to share information on crypto Fast facts “During our engagements, […]

Bitcoin inched up slightly Monday, with the majority of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization remaining stable, the only considerable price change coming from XRP’s 3% drop.  See related article: South Korea seeks software to track US$7.2B in illegal crypto Fast facts Bitcoin rose 0.83% in the past 24 hours to trade at US$19,296 […]

The market may be in the doldrums, but there’s no better time to clean house and build for the future, writes Clayton Roche of UMA. Here are 5 areas of opportunity.

The platform said the move was in line with growing market trends, but some are concerned about what it means for the industry.

The city of Macau, a special administrative region of China and home to a thriving casino industry, is seeking to grant digital currency status as legal tender, the Executive Council of Macau announced on Friday. See related article: Macao needs China’s heft in tech to introduce CBDC, official says  Fast facts See related article: Macao […]

Bitcoin and Ether were trading higher along with top 10 tokens by market capitalization excluding stablecoins in Monday morning trading in Asia, as the world’s largest cryptocurrency remained above US$19,000. XRP was the only token on that list to fall. See related article: Ethereum supply would have grown by 350,000 tokens under PoW Fast facts […]

A recent token launch on Ethereum pushed the network into a deflationary state and the blockchain’s shift to PoS may lower supply even further.

Fintech’s growth in the EU has been described as “unprecedented”, but a report warns of consolidation in the years to come.

South Korea’s Supreme Prosecutors’ Office is looking to hunt down illegal crypto funds by purchasing a software program that tracks down crypto transactions and sources, a local media outlet reported Friday. See related article: DPRK hackers sneak US$52 mln in crypto into S.Korean exchanges: Chainalysis Fast facts The tracking program is expected to be used […]

Tether, issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, said in a blog post it has cut its commercial paper holdings to zero and replaced them with U.S. Treasury bills. See related article: Are stablecoins like Tether ready for regulatory scrutiny?  Fast facts See related article: SEC fines former Tether auditor over accounting malpractice 

Bitcoin advocates have once again launched their annual campaign to have Satoshi Nakamoto — the pseudonymous creator/s of Bitcoin — named as the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. See related article: What’s next for Binance after $100 million BNB hack? Fast facts On Oct. 10, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded […]

Bitcoin traded back above US$19,000 in Friday morning trading in Asia, rebounding with U.S. equities from a sharp drop that followed a September inflation reading in the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) report on Thursday that was higher than expected. BNB and memecoin Shiba Inu were two other tokens among the top 10 by market […]

Bitcoin dropped 3% after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the consumer price index (CPI), a key inflation indicator, rose 0.4% in September from August.  See related article: Fed’s inflation fight batters crypto market as pressure mounts Fast facts The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization traded at US$18,432 at 10:30 p.m. Hong […]

Nearly half of 55 fintech and crypto experts believe Ethereum has been underpriced since the network became a proof-of-stake blockchain through “The Merge” upgrade last month, according to a recent report from financial service firm Finder. See related article: Why YOU should back Ethereum’s Fork Fast facts While 46% of the surveyed panelists said Ether […]

The Indian police unit in Firozabad city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh has launched an online complaint portal powered by Ethereum scaler Polygon. See related article: Blockchain in India got off on wrong foot, says former finance chief  Fast facts The pilot portal, policecomplaintonblockchain.in, leverages blockchain technology’s immutability, which means complaints cannot be […]

Crypto.com said on Wednesday that the exchange will invest €150 million (US$145.5 million) in France to set up a European headquarters in Paris and expand operations in the region. See related article: Crypto.com enters South Korea market with two local startup acquisitions Fast facts The Singapore-based exchange said it will focus on compliance, business development […]

One company says it’s bringing solutions for confused investors in digital assets in India who grapple with hours of tax calculations.

Coin Center, a non-profit think tank on cryptocurrencies and public policy, announced Wednesday it was filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), alleging the agency overreached its authority when it sanctioned cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash in August. See related article: What is the future for cryptocurrency mixers after […]

Crypto-asset related activities may pose “novel risks” to banks and their customers, prompting the U.S. Federal Reserve to develop further regulations, Fed vice chair for supervision Michael Barr said in a speech Wednesday at D.C. Fintech Week. See related article: U.S. Fed has growing interest in CBDCs, says Jeng at Crypto Council for Innovation Fast […]