Cryptocurrencies

The Treasury Department says its plan for how to regulate cryptocurrencies is unlike anything else in the world, but the country’s crypto industry isn’t sure that’s a good thing.

Virtual asset airdrops could be subject to gift taxes in South Korea, local publication Yonhap News Agency reported on Monday, citing tax authorities. See related article: S. Korea’s 20% crypto tax delayed by two more years Fast facts In response to a tax law interpretation inquiry, a government official said recipients of free virtual asset […]

Stakeholders in India’s blockchain space have created a new forum with more than 40 influencers to liaise with governments and regulators for blockchain and Web 3.0 adoption in the country. See related article: India’s latest tax assault on crypto exchanges starts Friday Fast facts According to a local media report, India Blockchain Forum is setting […]

Bitcoin and Ether were mixed Tuesday morning in Asia, while Solana led the downturn in the rest of the cryptocurrencies in the top 10 by market capitalization. Most of the Top 10 are seeing double-digit price declines over the last seven days.   See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether dip; DOGE, SHIB slide; Jackson Hole, […]

The Australian Treasury under the ruling Albanese Government will prioritize “token mapping” in 2022 to help regulations Down Under keep pace and adapt with the crypto sector.  See related article: Singapore’s MAS to further strengthen crypto regulations Fast facts “Token mapping”, the primary step in the government’s reform agenda, intends to identify the appropriate direction […]

BTC and ETH hit by volatility, while big players start investing in blockchain despite market wobbles.

The hackers responsible for stealing US$610 million worth of crypto from Axie Infinity’s Ronin bridge back in March have since transferred most funds from ETH into BTC using renBTC and privacy tools like Blender, ChipMixer, and TornadoCash, according to a report. See related article: Axie Infinity blockchain Ronin hacked for over $600M Fast facts The […]

Bitcoin and Ethereum edged down again in Monday afternoon trading in Asia, after both posted sharp declines on Friday and had a bit of a rollercoaster over the weekend that drove most other tokens lower. Dogecoin was the biggest mover today among the top 10 coins by market capitalization and logged a 3.09% fall in […]

The Merge, one of this year’s biggest crypto events, is now due to happen next month. Why is it so hotly anticipated — and feared?

Not every NFT collection is facing the same issue, but due to the collection’s outsized influence it could have a significant impact on the rest of the Ethereum NFT ecosystem.

The percentage of stablecoin USD Coin (USDC) supply held by the top 1% addresses dropped to a 22-month low on Monday, while USDC average trading volume in seven days surged to an all-time high on the same day, according to crypto data dashboard Glassnode. See related article: Vitalik Buterin says he used Tornado Cash to […]

FTX chief executive officer Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has confirmed media outlet CNBC’s report that FTX’s revenue grew 1,000% in 2021 on the back of a booming crypto market and a host of acquisitions.  See related article: Sam Bankman-Fried lashes out at Voyager for rejecting FTX’s proposal  Fast facts In a Twitter post, SBF said, “Fwiw […]

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), one of the two federal agencies insuring savings in American depository institutions, has sent cease-and-desist letters to five companies, including FTX.US, for making false statements about deposit insurance. See related article: FDIC clarifies that cryptocurrencies are not insured Fast facts In a press release, the FDIC said it has […]

Bitcoin and Ether rose with most of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization in Monday morning trading in Asia. The gains follow a flash crash last Friday afternoon that dragged the world’s leading cryptocurrency below US$21,000 on Saturday for the first time in almost a month. Bitcoin is still down about 12% in the […]

Metaverses are more than gamified virtual spaces — they’re a different way to live real life, says Metapolis cofounder Sandra Helou.

CME prepares to launch ETH options as the merge gets closer, Meanwhile, a Chainalysis says crypto scams are down.

Bitcoin fell below US$22,000 in Friday afternoon trading in Asia as investors after a nervous week seemed to be trimming portfolios ahead of the weekend. Ethereum fell back despite the buzz around its upcoming blockchain Merge. Cardano, Solana, Dogecoin and Polkadot dropped over 10% in the past 24 hours. See related article: Bitcoin, Ether fall […]

ETHPoW, the token that will run on a potential Ethereum PoW fork, fell to an all-time low of US$50.36 on Thursday, down 64% from its Aug. 2 peak, according to CoinMarketCap.  See related article: Chandler Guo tells why he is the man who would hard fork Ethereum Fast facts The ETHPoW token is currently only […]

With all the excitement surrounding the Ethereum merge scheduled for next month, the number of Ethereum Name Service (ENS) addresses created have surpassed the 2 million mark, according to a Twitter post by ENS Domains.  See related article: Ethereum will soon turn 7 — and its upcoming ‘Merge’ will be well worth the wait Fast […]

The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) has requested investigative authorities to block 16 unregistered foreign-based Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) that reportedly targeted domestic consumers by offering services in Korean. See related article: South Korea’s all-encompassing crypto law is coming — what we know so far Fast facts According to a press release, these unregistered […]

CME Group – the world’s biggest operator of financial derivative markets, including the Chicago Mercantile Exchange –  on Wednesday said it will offer options on Ether futures starting Sept. 12, pending regulatory review. See related article: New US crypto bill seeks to make CFTC top Bitcoin, Ethereum watchdog Fast facts See related article: ETH futures […]

Bitcoin mining difficulty rose by 0.63% on Thursday, marking the second increase in a row in latest adjustments, according to data from BTC.com. See related article: Bitcoin miner Stronghold to return mining rigs to cut debt; shares plunge as losses widen Fast facts The mining difficulty reading was at 28.35 trillion, as of block height […]

Bitcoin and Ether continued their weekly slide, while all other top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization fell in Friday morning trading in Asia. The world’s number one cryptocurrency fell below US$23,000 for the first time in over a week. Investors remain tentative about macroeconomic trends – inflation and interest rates in the U.S. and a […]

Tether Holdings Limited, the issuer of USDT, the world’s largest stablecoin by market capitalization, has roped in accounting firm BDO Italia for its regular reports of USDT reserves. See related article: Tether says USDT reserves have no Chinese commercial paper Fast facts Tether said in a statement shared with Forkast that it began working with […]

European Union (EU) banks with exposure to highly volatile cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin should face higher capital requirements, according to a proposed amendment to a European financial services law.  See related article: Bitcoin miner Stronghold to return mining rigs to cut debt; shares plunge as losses widen Fast facts Crypto assets like Bitcoin, which are considered […]

Forkast x CryptoSlam! are proud to present Moments in NFT History — an explainer video series hosted by Forkast’s Joel Flynn that gives you a front-row seat to history-in-the-making. When it comes to technology, few things in history could claim to be as significant as the automobile. It redefined the idea of movement and opened […]

The FDIC tries to deter banks from doing business with crypto firms. Meanwhile. Genesis CEO steps down amidst reshuffle.

Bitcoin and Ether traded lower in Thursday afternoon trading in Asia. Solana saw the largest fall among the top 10 tokens by market capitalization, followed by Dogecoin. Asia equity markets were softer after minutes from the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee showed Fed Reserve officials saw little sign of inflation slowing. See related article: Markets: […]

Digital FMI Consortium, a group of private-sector companies, plans to examine cross-border payments and make recommendations to the Bank of England using its own sterling-backed coin, dSterling. See related article: Next step for spot Bitcoin ETF in the US may be a courtroom battle Fast facts The consortium announced Project New Era, which will deploy […]

In a Q&A, the former cryptocurrency miner explains his methods for trying to pull together a band of Ethereum mining brethren in order to keep their rigs running. The idea started at a party at his house.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), one of the two federal agencies insuring savings in American depository institutions, may be asking banks to refrain from providing services or extending credit to cryptocurrency companies, Republican Senator Pat Toomey alleged. See related article: New US bill to give CFTC oversight of cryptocurrencies may speed up crypto legislation […]

Shares of Bitcoin miner Stronghold Digital Mining Inc. plunged more than 25% in U.S. trading on Wednesday after the company said losses in the second quarter widened from a year earlier despite a restructuring plan that included the return of about 26,200 Bitcoin mining machines to slash debt in half. See related article: Bitcoin miner […]

The decentralized finance sector is now a fraction of its former self. What will help companies survive this bear market and emerge stronger?

Bitcoin and Ether fell in Thursday morning trading in Asia, along with all other cryptocurrencies on the top 10 list by capitalization, with the exception of XRP.  U.S. equities were weaker overnight as Federal Open Market Committee minutes released on Wednesday indicated interest rates in the U.S. will continue rising until inflation is brought under […]

Top blockchain and crypto news: Eqonex shutters exchange operation. Huobi denies sale report. Taiwan beefs up cyber defenses.

Bitcoin and Ether traded little-changed in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia. Dogecoin (DOGE) and XRP both gained and were the biggest movers among the top 10 coins by market capitalization. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; Dogecoin outperforms, Cardano edges higher Fast facts Bitcoin was trading at US$23,829, off 0.77% in the past 24 […]

Jump Crypto, the crypto arm of high-frequency trading firm Jump Trading Group, announced on Tuesday plans to develop a new open source validator client for the Solana network to boost throughput and reliability. See related article: Solana validators complete restart; Laos ends crypto ban Fast facts Jump Crypto will “propose a major upgrade to Solana’s […]

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has fought back in its lawsuit against Ripple Labs with a reply brief in support of its objections to orders that asked the SEC to disclose drafts of a 2018 speech made by former SEC director William Hinman. See related article: Judge grants Ripple’s request to review videos of […]

The U.S  Federal Reserve published what it called “final guidelines” for how crypto banks could be granted “master accounts” that are needed to transact directly with the Fed and the broader global banking system.  See related article: Federal Reserve to taper bond purchases, prompting concerns over BTC impact  Fast facts The Fed referred to these […]

Bitcoin and Ether fell amid a mixed performance from the rest of the tokens in the top 10 by market capitalization on Wednesday morning in Asia. Leading memecoin Dogecoin outpaced the rest on the list, continuing its recent price run-up that took it back into the top 10. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall […]

Nasdaq-listed Eqonex’s decision to shutter its low-fee crypto exchange business to focus on asset management and custodial services may prompt similar moves in the highly commoditized industry.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – August 16, 2022 – presented by Joel Flynn. Coming up on today’s show: Eqonex to focus on asset management and custody. Chandler Guo – a man on a mission.  Total value locked taking a knock. We’ll have more on those stories — and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and […]

Singapore-based cryptocurrency lender Hodlnaut has filed an application with the Singapore High Court to be placed under judicial management, which could provide the company “the breathing space to focus our efforts on the recovery plan to rehabilitate the company,” Hodlnaut said on Tuesday. See related article: Crypto lender Hodlnaut halts withdrawals, ends token swap feature […]

Bitcoin and Ether fell along with most other cryptocurrencies on the top 10 list by market capitalization as concerns spread across capital markets about the housing slump in China, where real estate prices have fallen for 11 months and threaten to undermine the world’s second largest economy. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; memecoins […]

Bitcoin outflows totaled US$21 million, bringing month-to-date outflows to US$29 million, even as short-Bitcoin positions witnessed minor inflows of US$2.6 million, according to digital asset manager CoinShares. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall; memecoins lose steam, BNB edges higher Fast facts Investors pulled out US$17 million from digital asset investment products last week, James […]

Bitcoin and Ether fell along with most other tokens in the top 10 by market capitalization on Tuesday morning in Asia. Memecoins also lost ground after a recent run-up. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether, DOGE fall amid slowing activity in China, SHIB edges up Fast facts Bitcoin traded at US$24,136 at 8 a.m. in […]

Bitcoin and Ethereum

Australia’s retirement fund industry, the world’s fifth largest at US$2.3 trillion, is one future target for investment funds offering cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin and Ethereum fell in late evening trade in Hong Kong as appetite for risk assets tapered in the wake of data showing that China’s economic activity slowed across the board in July. Dogecoin (DOGE) reversed gains from the morning, while Shiba Inu token (SHIB) edged up. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin little changed, Ether […]

Regulatory compliance will be critical to improving crypto’s ‘Wild West’ image and public acceptance, writes Karen Er and Benjamin Bai of Amber Group. Here’s why.

U.S. judge Sarah Netburn on Sunday granted Ripple Labs’ motion to serve two subpoenas to authenticate seven video recordings in which U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissions officials made public remarks. See related article: XRP trades down 3.5% after Ripple unlocks 1 billion tokens from escrow Fast facts The judge’s order comes in response to Ripple’s […]

Monero completed its hard fork for a network upgrade on Saturday in an attempt to add more privacy to transactions on the protocol. See related article: Ransomware attacks are growing in sophistication. What can stop them? Fast facts Monero Sunday said that the network is “now more private and efficient with ringsize 16, Bulletproofs+, and […]

Stablecoin Acala Dollar (aUSD) lost its parity with the U.S. dollar following a breach over the weekend, but its price has since begun to bounce back. See related article: Axie Infinity blockchain Ronin hacked for over $600M Fast facts Cryptocurrency analyst @Alice und Bob tweeted that the depeg was caused by US$1.2 billion of aUSD mistakenly […]

Bitcoin flirted with US$25,000 over the weekend while Ethereum broke through the US$2,000 barrier before both lost steam in early trading in Asia on Monday. Leading “memecoin” tokens Dogecoin (DOGE) and Shiba Inu token (SHIB) jumped, with DOGE re-entering the crypto top 10 by market cap. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin dips, Ether little changed; […]

Crypto’s institutional boost is on the rise, meanwhile, Australia is proving to attract the crypto sector.

Leon Li, the founder of China cryptocurrency exchange Huobi, is seeking to sell a 60% stake in the company that would value the business at US$3 billion, according to a Bloomberg News report that cited people familiar with the matter. See related article: Sam Bankman-Fried’s Voyager debt emerges; Celsius reshuffles board Fast facts See related […]

Bitcoin fell while Ethereum traded little changed on Friday afternoon in Asia. Huobi Token, the native coin of China crypto exchange Huobi, jumped 18.9% in the last 24 hours after Bloomberg reported its founder was seeking to sell a majority stake in the business. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether retreat as investors digest inflation, […]

Something of a sea change? Financial institutions that once turned up their noses at cryptocurrencies are now figuring out ways to get access for their clients.

Indian crypto exchange Bitbns said on Thursday that withdrawals in Indian rupees (INR) have been delayed as law enforcement officers have blocked its bank account.  See related article: India authorities freeze Vauld exchange’s assets worth $46.5 mln Fast facts “If a cybercrime case is raised for say even an amount of 10,000 Indian rupees (US$125), […]

Solana-based wallet Slope said on Thursday there is no “conclusive evidence” to connect its mobile wallet’s loophole with Solana’s recent breach, although 1,400 wallets connected to the loophole were drained. See related article: Seed-phrase leak from crypto wallet Slope prompts Solana hack Fast facts See related article: Solana blames Slope for exploit

Ethereum’s long-awaited transition to proof-of-stake (PoS) — known as “the Merge” — could be running ahead of schedule to occur on Sept. 15 or 16, according to Ethereum educator and cybersecurity professional Anthony Sassano. See related article: Ethereum will soon turn 7 — and its upcoming ‘Merge’ will be well worth the wait Fast facts […]

Bitcoin fell back in Asia trading after setting a two-month high of US$24,822 overnight following news BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, had launched its own Bitcoin fund. Ethereum followed a similar track, but held some of its gains after hitting a six-week high of US$1,927. Both crypto and equity markets had risen earlier […]

India’s Enforcement Directorate is investigating at least 10 cryptocurrency exchanges for alleged money laundering, according to The Economic Times

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has urged limits on cryptocurrencies across developing nations, in a series of policy briefs released on Wednesday. See related article: IMF says crypto crash hasn’t quite harmed broader financial system Fast facts The UNCTAD, part of the UN Secretariat, said cryptocurrencies could curb the effectiveness of […]

Bitcoin and Ethereum rose, along with nearly all other top 10 cryptocurrencies, in Thursday afternoon trading in Asia after the U.S. reported slower inflation in July and as Ethereum completed a test run for its upcoming shift to the proof-of-stake (PoS) model. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether rise with equities as US inflation shows […]

A task force comprising private-sector experts and relevant ministries will “expedite the review process of bills on virtual assets,” said chairman of South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) Kim Joo-hyun at Thursday’s National Assembly meeting. See related article: South Korea’s all-encompassing crypto law is coming — what we know so far Fast facts Kim said […]

After high-profile cyberattacks on decentralized apps, the blockchain industry is in a hurry to ramp up security. Sam Sangmin Seo, head of Klaytn, tells Forkast that minimizing human error may be the key.

Binance will support Ethereum’s “Merge,” expected in September, and will evaluate if it would list any newly forked tokens, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume said on Wednesday. See related article: USDC, Tether announce support for Ethereum proof-of-stake Fast facts Binance said it is closely monitoring the development of the merge, which could […]

Bitcoin, Ethereum and all other top 10 cryptocurrencies rose in tandem with U.S. equities markets overnight as consumer data showed U.S. inflation slowed in July. Polkadot surged after announcing a tie-up in decentralized finance services. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin, Ether fall in general sell off; Solana takes hit, BNB stumbles Fast facts Bitcoin changed […]

Hong Kong’s de-facto central bank, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), has added a central bank digital currency (CBDC) section to an annual business competition in the city in order to encourage research into the use cases of digital currencies. See related article: Hong Kong to launch US$637 mln tech fund for startups: report Fast […]

WazirX users head for exits amid a dispute between Binance. Meanwhile, Circle and Tether announce support for the new ETH P-O-S.

Bitcoin and Ethereum fell in Wednesday afternoon trading in Asia, with almost all top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap in the red. Solana was the biggest mover among the major coins, dropping 5.94% in the past 24 hours. See related article: Markets: Bitcoin falls as crypto market loses steam, equities dip ahead of inflation data […]