June 2022
Majority of ApeCoin token holders vote to stay on Ethereum
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 […]
Bitcoin passes half-billion mark in YTD inflow: CoinShares
Bitcoin’s total year-to-date inflows passed the half-billion mark at US$506 million after adding US$126 million last week, digital asset manager CoinShares reported. See related article: Crypto market reverses course after strong start to the week Fast facts Ethereum, on the other hand, saw outflows totaling US$32 million, enduring negative investor sentiment with nine straight weeks […]
What does Lael Brainard’s rise in the US Federal Reserve mean for the crypto industry?
The Fed’s new No. 2 is ahead of the curve in her thinking — which bodes well for crypto’s future around the world, writes a former colleague of Brainard.
Chongqing joins China’s digital yuan tax pilots
A Chongqing-based company became the first in the city to pay taxes with China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), the digital yuan, according to local media. See related article: China to issue free digital yuan to boost locked down economy Fast facts See related article: What I learned from my role in digitizing the yuan
GST slips as STEPN’s update tripped by DDOS attacks
STEPN, the move-to-earn blockchain game, suffered a distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attack during an “anti-cheating” update over the weekend, leading to network issues and user frustrations. See related article: Move-to-earn app STEPN to limit service in China Fast facts During the update, an attack of 25 million messages led to hours of server shutdowns, with some […]
Bitcoin payments for local taxes in the works, Gold Coast mayor says
The mayor of Australia’s Gold Coast, Tom Tate, has suggested that city residents could be paying council rates, or local property tax, in Bitcoin. See related article: Aussie watchdog obtains cold wallet holding US$20M in Bitcoin involved with alleged scam Fast facts “It sends a signal that we’re innovative and bring in the younger generation,” […]
CoinSwitch Kuber launches rupee index for Indian crypto market
Indian cryptocurrency exchange CoinSwitch Kuber launched CRE8 on Thursday, a rupee index tracking the Indian crypto market. See related article: India gets second crypto unicorn within two months Fast facts CRE8 claims to give traders real-time information on the Indian rupee-based crypto market, based on trades on the CoinSwitch exchange. “Until now, investors in India […]
Solana hangs on in crypto top 10 after major outage; DOGE, DOT hot on its heels
Following another system outage on Thursday, Solana’s (SOL) market capitalization has continued to fall as Dogecoin (DOGE) and Polkadot (DOT) are hot on its heels to possibly bump it out of the crypto top 10 by market cap. See related article: Solana loses consensus after bots flood network, SOL takes hit Fast facts While the […]
Singapore’s crypto warning; Bitcoin takes a tumble
Singapore issues a crypto warning for retail investment. Meanwhile, Bitcoin took a tumble sparking market concerns
Fidelity’s crypto arm wants to add Ethereum trading, plans hiring spree
Fidelity Digital Assets, the crypto-focused subsidiary of Fidelity Investments, has planned a hiring spree to extend services to include Ethereum trading and custody. See related article: Fidelity allows retirement investments in Bitcoin Fast facts Fidelity Digital Assets was founded in 2018 to enable institutional investors to store and trade Bitcoin — its parent company announced […]
South Korea arrests man for allegedly stealing crypto based on personal data
South Korean police said Wednesday they arrested a man in his 30s on fraud charges for allegedly stealing about US$658,000 in cryptocurrencies based on personal data leaked on local social media platform Naver Band. See related article: Guilty verdicts handed down in S.Korea’s biggest crypto scam Fast facts The man allegedly stole cryptocurrencies from 90 […]
Retail investors shouldn’t invest in crypto: Singapore’s deputy PM
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat cautioned retail investors to steer clear of investments in cryptocurrencies, saying the nascent asset class “is a highly risky area.” See related article: Singapore wants to bring some adult supervision to crypto Fast facts Many investors suffered losses and even lost their life savings in the recent meltdown […]
Crypto market reverses course after strong start to the week
Bitcoin dropped more than 6.5% in the past 24 hours to trade below US$30,000 as the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization gave up most of the gains made over the U.S. holiday weekend. It was trading at US$29,850 at the time of publishing. See related article: Bitcoin, Ethereum, crypto at 2022’s lowest point Fast […]
Singapore’s digital assets initiative; Shanghai lockdown ends
Singapore announces plans for a digital assets initiative. Meanwhile, Shanghai’s lockdown finally ends, but markets remain hesitant.
Terra’s LUNA moonshot can’t escape gravity of market misgivings
Top blockchain and crypto news: Investors shun LUNA 2.0. Ethereum gains amid relief rally. China’s stimulus goes digital.
Philippines gets new government, will new crypto taxes follow?
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.
Macao needs China’s heft in tech to introduce CBDC, official says
Lei Wai Nong, Macao’s secretary for economy and finance, said China’s expertise in developing its digital yuan could help the specially administered region introduce a central bank digital currency (CBDC), according to local media reports. See related article: China to issue free digital yuan to boost locked down economy Fast facts Lei said he will […]
Dunamu denies making US$100 million off of LUNA
Dunamu, the South Korean fintech company and operator of the country’s largest crypto exchange Upbit, rebutted claims that it profited by over 130 billion Korean won (US$105 million) off of LUNA Classic last year. See related article: S.Korea eyes restraints on crypto unicorn Dunamu over monopoly concerns Fast facts Last week, multiple local media reports […]
Kassio launches crypto-based financial services in India
Global crypto asset management platform Kassio has launched its services in India to help its users extract value from their crypto holdings beyond just trading, the company said in a statement. See related article: CoinDCX offers to let Indians earn yield on crypto holdings Fast facts Kassio offers instant crypto-backed loans and interest earnings up […]
Ethereum scaler Optimism airdrops OP tokens
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 […]
May 2022
Terra’s Mirror Protocol crisis averted; ETH crosses US$2,000 mark
Mirror Protocol’s price match error nearly led to another crisis for Terra. Meanwhile, Ethereum rises back up after nearly a week below US$2,000.
Memo to Crypto World: Wall Street is here to stay
Wall Street did it! At least that is one of the theories about the cause of the nearly US$50 billion meltdown of Terraform Labs stablecoin and LUNA cryptocurrency. How does that stand up?
Shiba Inu creator makes brief appearance, before disappearing again
The pseudonymous creator of Shiba Inu, Ryoshi, came online after a year on Monday only to delete all of its social media activity, and disappear again. See related article: Shiba Inu metaverse tease fuels 60% price boost Fast facts Ryoshi, who last tweeted on May 29, 2021, deleted all tweets and Medium blog posts, leaving […]
Sellers of Solana NFTs outpace buyers in May
With over 1 million vendors, unique non-fungible token (NFT) sellers on the Solana blockchain hit an all-time high in May, outpacing unique buyers, according to data tracker CryptoSlam. See related article: Solana NFT sales drop by 21% after OpenSea integration Fast facts From April to May, the number of unique sellers grew by almost 170%. […]
Terra’s Mirror Protocol fixes exploit that drained more than US$2 million
Whether the fixing of a pricing error by Mirror Protocol, the decentralized finance (DeFi) application built on Terra Classic, will help prevent a drainage of the pool similar to last year will only be known by the end of U.S. trading hours on Tuesday. See related article: Winning back the trust of the Terra community […]
India almost ready with crypto consultation paper: Official
The Indian government is studying how other countries have regulated the asset class before drafting laws for the industry, the secretary for economic affairs Ajay Seth told local media. See related article: Crypto regulation has to ‘take its time’: India FM Nirmala Sitharaman Fast facts “Our consultation paper is fairly ready. We have gone into […]
Why children around the world need crypto education
Financial literacy is a life skill that is often neither taught at school nor home, writes Grace ‘Ori’ Kwan of Orca. How can we close this knowledge gap?
Ethereum passes US$2,000 mark as crypto market rises
Ethereum gained over 10% in 24 hours to reach US$2,000 on Tuesday morning in Asia after spending the better part of a week below the mark. Ethereum was trading at US$1,985 at press time. See related article: Bitcoin, Ethereum, crypto at 2022’s lowest point Fast facts The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency hit a low of US$1,721 […]
India’s CBDC plans; Stablecoins vs CBDCs
The Reserve Bank of India explores digital rupee options. Meanwhile, Terra’s new Luna coin drops significantly since launch.
How DAOs are remaking capitalism into a community-owned economy
Fueled by seismic shifts in societal values, decentralized autonomous organizations are now poised to go mainstream, writes Hannes Graah of Gro.
Governments pushing for CBDCs smell blood in Terra Classic’s struggles
Advocates for central bank digital currencies argue their inherent stability supersedes any benefits so-called stablecoins, algorithmic or otherwise, could offer.
China to issue free digital yuan to boost locked down economy
Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Xiong’an New Area announced they are distributing free digital yuan “red packets” to boost local consumption amid China’s economic slowdown fueled by mass Covid lockdowns. See related article: Covid-19, postponed Asian Games to push digital yuan into the slow lane? Fast facts See related article: What I learned from my role in […]
Terra 2.0 new LUNA is down 70% since restart
The new LUNA was trading under US$6 on Monday morning Asia time, after peaking at US$18.87 shortly following the launch of the Terra 2.0 blockchain on Saturday, according to data from CoinGecko. See related article: Winning back the trust of the Terra community a tall order for Do Kwon: Experts Fast facts LUNA Classic (LUNC) […]
RBI wants its CBDC to bring ‘little or no disruption’
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is aligning its central bank digital currency (CBDC) design with monetary policy objectives and financial stability, the central bank said in its annual report. See related article: Report: Stablecoins, CBDCs may not resolve financial inclusion, international remittance challenges Fast facts Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in February the RBI […]
Iagon’s Ethereum-Cardano bridge launches for USDC transfers
The world’s second-largest stablecoin USDC and ERC-20 IAG tokens can now be bridged from Ethereum to the Cardano network through Iagon’s cross-chain bridge powered by the Milkomeda sidechain. See related article: Wormhole to bridge Polkadot, Kusama to Ethereum, Solana Fast facts A cross-chain bridge allows for crypto assets of one blockchain to be converted for […]
Why DBS’ move into the digital asset space is more than a token gesture
The Singapore-based banking behemoth may have found its reach constrained in retail crypto markets, but it still has big plans, CEO Piyush Gupta tells Forkast.
Terra 2.0 delayed; India’s Non Fungible League
StepN limits their services in China. Meanwhile, Terra 2.0 poses questions relating to investor trust.
Winning back the trust of the Terra community a tall order for Do Kwon: Experts
Do Kwon’s proposal to create a new Terra network chain is set to go live this weekend — what does Terra 2.0 entail and will it successfully win back its following?
ARK Investment, 21Shares take another try at a spot Bitcoin ETF
Veteran investor Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment Management and Swiss investment product issuer 21Shares are trying their luck again at getting a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) approved. See related article: SEC comes around on Bitcoin ETFs Fast facts Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. is seeking the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approval to a proposed rule […]
Terra to burn leftover UST (USTC) stablecoins in community pool
The Terra governance system has given a 99.39% approval on Friday Asia time to burn about 1.38 billion TerraClassicUSD (USTC), or approximately 11% of the total supply of the stablecoin’s supply. See related article: Terra, LUNA vote ends in favor of Do Kwon’s new chain proposal Fast facts There is a total of about 11.2 […]
Chinese stock image agency VCG tests NFT marketplace
Visual China Group (VCG), China’s largest stock image provider, has started a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace that lets users outside of mainland China pay with Ether. See related article: China’s diktat against NFT flipping spawns an ingenious industry Fast facts The platform, dubbed “Vault by 500px,” went live with a beta version on Wednesday, and […]
CBDCs, stablecoins can coexist: Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard
U.S. Federal Reserve Vice Chair Lael Brainard said a central bank digital currency (CBDC) could coexist and complement stablecoins in her Thursday testimony to a House Financial Services Committee virtual hearing. See related article: CBDC tracker shows U.S. falling further behind Fast facts CBDCs are digital currencies released and backed by central banks, while stablecoins […]
‘Crypto is not something that can be ignored anymore’: NEAR Foundation CEO
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.
Bitcoin hashrate falls; Australia’s crypto future
Bitcoin’s hashrate has dropped since the crypto market crash. Meanwhile, Australia’s new Labor government could bring about changes for the crypto sector.
CoinDCX offers to let Indians earn yield on crypto holdings
The operator of the Indian cryptocurrency exchange is working with large institutional borrowers, third-party lending partners and staking platforms to generate yield on cryptocurrency and digital assets, CoinDCX said in a statement. See related article: CoinDCX investment arm to invest US$13 mln in Web3 startups Fast facts The yield program doesn’t come with lock-in periods […]
Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto, Web 3.0 warchest swells to US$7.6B
a16z crypto said its fourth fund raised US$4.5 billion, bringing the total amount of funds raised for investment in crypto and Web 3.0 startups by the famed Silicon Valley venture capital firm to more than US$7.6 billion. See related article: Binance, a16z among investors backing Musk’s Twitter bid with US$7B Fast facts Around US$1.5 billion […]
What does the new Australian Labor government mean for the crypto industry?
Changes in government don’t come about too often in Australia, so there’s always plenty to unpack when it does, including what’s in store for investors in the world of cryptocurrency.
JPMorgan sees upside for Bitcoin, crypto amid market downturn
A JPMorgan strategist said digital assets are the bank’s preferred alternative asset class while placing Bitcoin’s fair price value at 28% higher than its current price of about US$29,000. See related article: JPMorgan predicts $150,000 Bitcoin price in the long run Fast facts “Going forward, we see upside for Bitcoin and crypto markets more generally,” […]
Why a Hong Kong CBDC is coming — for institutions
Governments around the world are racing to develop their own digital currencies, but an e-HKD may not make sense for Hong Kong’s people. John Mitchell of Episode Six explains why Hong Kong is unique.
Crypto tax preparer CoinTracker launches in India
The digital assets tax compliance and portfolio tracking firm’s launch in India comes after the country announced a series of measures to benefit off the gains made in cryptocurrencies. See related article: India tax breaks crypto’s back Fast facts Crypto users in India can use CoinTracker to aggregate and reconcile cryptocurrency and non-fungible token (NFT) […]
Bitcoin mining hashrate, difficulty drop since crypto crash
Bitcoin’s hashrate dropped by 10.6% to 204.4 exahashes per second on Wednesday on a seven-day average from its peak earlier this month, Blockchain.com data show. See related article: Beijing banned crypto mining, so China miners went underground Fast facts The Bitcoin mining difficulty level fell by 4.33% to 29.9 trillion at block height 737,856 on […]
E-CNY use widens in Chinese schools; Terra faces audit
A hydropower plant in China has been fined for illegally powering crypto mines. Meanwhile, South Korean auditors plan on auditing Terra and other crypto exchanges.
Terra, LUNA vote ends in favor of Do Kwon’s new chain proposal
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 […]
Tether USDT shaken by stablecoin market storm
Top blockchain and crypto news: Billions cut ties with Tether. Are Terra’s UST troubles just beginning? China’s miners stay one step ahead.
Kerner at Blockchain Coinvestors says Terra was a Ponzi strategy
The crypto community is still dealing with the fallout from the multibillion-dollar collapse of Terra-LUNA. At a Davos event organized by Forkast, we asked what caused the crash and if it was foreseeable.
How can I become a metaverse real estate mogul?
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.
China expands use of the digital yuan to high school campuses
The Lu Xun High School in China’s Hainan province has provided students with a new campus smart card device with digital yuan payment functionalities, further expanding use of the e-currency at education institutions, China’s largest state-owned broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) reported Tuesday. See related article: Covid-19, postponed Asian Games to push digital yuan into […]
Coinbase is the first crypto firm to make the Fortune 500 list
Nasdaq-listed Coinbase Global, Inc. became the first cryptocurrency company to make it to the Fortune 500 list of the biggest U.S. corporations on Monday. See related article: Coinbase blames India’s central bank for exit Fast facts Coinbase’s 2021 revenue of US$7.8 billion brought the company to the 437th rank in Fortune’s annual list. The top […]
S. Korea finance regulator to audit Terra and related exchanges
The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) of South Korea will perform an on-site inspection of Terraform Labs and financial services linked to TerraUSD (UST) or LUNA. See related article: Are we heading for a post-Terra crypto winter? Fast facts The FSS said at an emergency National Assembly meeting on Tuesday that the audit aims to prevent […]
Brave integrates Solana as part of browser’s Web3 push
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. […]
Terra embezzlement alleged; RBI reiterates crypto warning
A Terra employee has been accused of embezzlement. Meanwhile, a crypto mining farm has been found in Russia’s oldest prison.
China’s BSN to launch overseas public chain without crypto support
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 […]
Crypto crash justifies RBI’s stance: central bank chief
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das said in a local media interview that the central bank has rightly been cautioning against cryptocurrencies, following the collapse of Terra’s UST and LUNA. See related article: RBI calls for crypto ban in India, again Fast facts Das told CNBC TV18 on Monday that if crypto had […]
Are we heading for a post-Terra crypto winter?
Terra’s LUNA and UST implosion is dragging down an already ailing market. What do other developments suggest about crypto’s long-term future?
S.Korean police probe Terra employee for alleged embezzlement
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Cyber Crimes Investigations Unit revealed on Monday that it has received a report alleging a Terraform Labs employee was involved in embezzling corporate funds, according to local media reports. See related article: Terra’s S.Korean office closure ‘purely coincidental’: Do Kwon Fast facts The police are currently investigating the validity of the […]
Lockheed Martin, Filecoin Foundation partner to host blockchain nodes in space
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 […]
Terra cofounder Do Kwon’s taxing questions; China’s underground mining
Terra co-founder responds to office closure allegations. Meanwhile, China re-emerges as a crypto mining hub despite 2021 ban.
To stay relevant, crypto regulations need to evolve, decentralize: Crypto Rising
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shown that cryptocurrency regulations need to expand beyond the jurisdiction of a single government and blockchain technology can help with that, said panelists at ‘Crypto Rising,’ a series of virtual monthly events organized by Forkast.
Terra’s S.Korean office closure ‘purely coincidental’: Do Kwon
Terraform Labs CEO and cofounder Do Kwon claimed on Saturday that the closure of two offices in South Korea was “purely coincidental,” and not a response to the national tax authorities’ investigation. See related article: LKB, 5 clients file lawsuit against Terra, Do Kwon to ‘Grim Reaper’ Fast facts Terraform Labs closed its two offices […]
Tether, USDT market cap has dropped by US$10B since UST collapse
Tether, the operator of the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, has seen US$10 billion of its market capitalization shaved off since TerraUSD’s (UST) collapse. See related article: Nearly half of Tether reserves are now in US Treasury bills Fast facts USDT’s market capitalization was at US$73.35 billion at the time of publishing, following an all-time high […]
Cryptocurrency is worthless: ECB Christine Lagarde
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said cryptocurrencies are “worth nothing” on a Dutch television program aired Sunday, calling for greater regulation over what she described as “highly speculative assets.” See related article: EU to introduce bill next year to plan a digital euro Fast facts “My very humble assessment is that [cryptocurrency] is […]
G7 calls for regulation; Bored Ape transfer blocked
South Korean LUNA investors file lawsuit against Terra. Meanwhile, Singapore’s High Court blocks sale of a Bored Ape NFT.