Cryptocurrencies

As U.S. regulators file lawsuits against cryptocurrency platforms, prompting some digital asset companies to seek more favorable jurisdictions, a fleet of cities in Asia are putting out the welcome mat, seeking to attract the jobs and investment that Web3 technologies promise. Right now, Hong Kong seems to be grabbing the limelight, but it has competition.

Bitcoin traded below US$27,000 in Monday afternoon trade in Asia.

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?

A South Korean ruling party lawmaker proposed all public officials and candidates disclose their crypto holdings in a new bill unveiled last Friday.

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.

Bitcoin fell below US$27,000 on Sunday, dipping further Monday morning in Asia as wider macro developments continue to weigh.

Bitcoin traded below the US$27,000 mark for most of the week, as investor sentiment was weighed down by the prospect of the U.S. government’s potential default. Investors will be closely monitoring the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations.

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

Bitcoin and Ether fell during afternoon trading in Asia, along all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding XRP.

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.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Fighting words over USDT erupt on Twitter. Litecoin surges amid memecoin fever. Chinese city bids for blockchain business.

Rollout of the central bank digital currency in Hong Kong is a potential game-changer and a move that others may soon look to follow.

Cryptocurrencies rebounded on Thursday but wallet service provider Ledger’s latest update raised new security concerns.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast, May 18, 2023, presented by Megha Chaddah for the latest in the crypto markets. The US debt ceiling could be raised after hopes of reaching an agreement to avoid a default triggered gains across the board. As the Asian equities markets trade green by noon Hong Kong time, the crypto […]

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

Bitcoin prices rose on Thursday morning in Asia. Ether edged down, while other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization gained.

Bitget is looking to hire 300 more people across operations, compliance, research and development, and customer support, the cryptocurrency exchange said.

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. 

Bitcoin prices dropped below US$27,000 on Wednesday afternoon in Asia, while XRP gained the most after positive news for Ripple Labs on its lawsuit against U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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.

Web3’s terrible user experience, scams and lack of diversity could be solved if its leaders take a cue from environmentalists and ‘act locally,’ writes Tim Williamson of NieuxCo.

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.

Internet sleuths unearth the first financial transaction on Bitcoin, showcasing the potential of NFTs.

Bitcoin fell 0.58% while Ether dropped 0.36%. Solana was the biggest loser of the day, dropping 1.67%.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast, May 16, 2023, presented by Megha Chaddah for the latest in the crypto markets. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies return to sideways trading apart from Litecoin, which has continued its bull run in the last 24 hours. In the NFT markets, a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT sold for US$1 million […]

Crypto users need not fear the increasing KYC/AML requirements around the world and loss of privacy, writes Kurt Hemecker of the Mina Foundation. Here’s why.

Bitcoin prices rose along with Ether, while Litecoin continues to lead gainers among other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin rose 2.07% to US$27,409 in 24 hours while Ether gained 1.27% to US$1,829. Litecoin was the biggest gainer of the day, rising 7.65%.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast, May 9, 2023, presented by Jeff Cheung for the latest in the crypto markets. Bitcoin and Ethereum prices are on the up to start the week off, and Litecoin has skyrocketed in the last 24 hours. The NFT markets are also starting the week off positively, with the Polygon NFT […]

China’s Jiangsu Province plans to expand the use of digital yuan to its public education system, as the province seeks to spearhead the country’s CBDC pilot.

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.

Bitcoin prices rose on Monday morning in Asia to above US$27,000. Ether managed to rise above the US$1,800 support level as Litecoin leads gainers.

The U.S. is resisting digitization of the dollar due to it being a threat to the country’s dominance over traditional financial system, said Christopher Giancarlo, former chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and author of “Crypto Dad: Fight for the Future of Money.”

Bitcoin briefly fell to US$26,166 this week, as BRC-20 memecoins flooded the blockchain, raising network congestion issues. Market analysts told Forkast that a weekly close under US$26,111 signals more bearish momentum

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:

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Friday afternoon trading in Asia, along with most of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, apart from the XRP token.

Bitcoin prices slid under US$27,000 on Friday morning in Asia. Ether fell below support at US$1,800 as all top 10 non-stablecoin tokens retreated.

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

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.

Bitcoin and Ether fell during Thursday afternoon trading in Asia, along with most of the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, with Polygon’s Matic leading losses for a second consecutive session.

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

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – May 11, 2023 – presented by Jeff Cheung for the latest in the crypto markets. Bitcoin saw a minor spike in it’s price after the U.S. consumer price index for April was released, but dipped again as crypto exchanges Jane Street Group and Jump Crypto announced it would cease […]

The issuer of the world’s most traded stablecoin raked in US$1.48 billion in net profit for the first quarter of this year, more than double the previous quarter, according to the company’s reserves report on Wednesday.

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.

Bitcoin fell on Thursday morning in Asia to trade around the US$27,500 mark. Ether led the losers in the top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies.

Thanks to generative AI, a struggling artist with no coding skills created tokens now worth $70 million. What does this mean for the rest of the crypto world?

Bitcoin and major cryptocurrencies reacted positively to the latest CPI report that stated annual inflation in the U.S. rose 4.9% in April, beating market expectations.

Bitcoin lost 0.43% while Ether dipped 0.60% in 24 hours. Polygon’s Matic token was the biggest loser and dropped 2.16%.

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.

Welcome to The Daily Forkast – May 10th, 2023 – presented by Jeff Cheung for the latest in the crypto markets. Bitcoin has seen a slight increase in its price tag as congestion in the Bitcoin networks eases, dropping transaction fees at the same time. However, the NFT markets are still looking a little gloomy […]

Daily transactions on the Litecoin blockchain hit all-time highs over the past two days amid the Bitcoin network’s congestion and higher transaction fees, Glassnode data showed.

Bitcoin edged higher on Wednesday morning in Asia to hold above the US$27,500 mark. Ether also gained. Other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens traded mixed.

Bitcoin dropped 1.25% and Ether fell 0.25% in Tuesday afternoon trade in Asia. All other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies also dropped.

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 9, 2023 – presented by Jeff Cheung for the latest in the crypto markets. Bittrex U.S. has filed for bankruptcy after the Securities and Exchange Commission accused it of operating an unlicensed exchange a few weeks ago. Bitcoin and Ethereum, have continued to drop in prices as a […]

Bitcoin fell below US$28,000 on Tuesday morning in Asia as memecoin hype clogged the network and drove up transaction fees. Ether and all other top 10 non-stablecoin tokens dropped.

Bitcoin, Ether fell in Monday afternoon trade in Asia, along with all other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Polkadot and XRP led the losers in that list.

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.”

Bitcoin fell in Monday morning trading in Asia after failing to breach the US$30,000 ceiling over the weekend. Ether dropped below the US$1,900 mark.

In the second installment of a three-part interview series, Geoff Kendrick, head of crypto research and EM FX West at Standard Chartered Bank, talks altcoins, stablecoins and the legitimization of crypto risk through central bank digital assets.

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

Bitcoin inched above US$29,000 on Friday, as concerns over the health of the banking system have been reignited. Industry experts tell Forkast that banking troubles could fuel Bitcoin values, which face significant resistance above US$29,500.

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Forkast Editor-in-Chief Angie Lau, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions. Coming up on today’s show: JPMorgan Chase set to rescue First Republic Bank. CITI cuts Coinbase stock Weekly crypto market wrap; “US$100K for Bitcoin” – Standard Chartered report; Weekly NFT market […]

Bitcoin rose while Ether fell in Thursday afternoon trade in Asia, with declines across most of the other top 10 non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Solana’s SOL token was the biggest loser of the day.

Against a backdrop of increasing turmoil in traditional banking, Bitcoin is on a four-month winning run that could, tailwinds permitting, soon turn into a surge.