Economy

Hong Kong-based Aspen Digital, a digital asset management platform for institutional investors, announced on Wednesday that it has secured US$8.8 million in pre-A funding to develop a one-stop shop for asset managers to invest in digital assets and manage their clients’ portfolios. Fast facts The funding round was led by RIT Capital Partners, the London-based […]

Investing in litigation was once limited to the wealthy. But a lawsuit’s monetary potential can now be tokenized for sale to the masses. Is that a good idea?

Binance’s woes continue to mount as global banking giant HSBC is now blocking its customers in the United Kingdom from making credit card payments to Binance, according to Yahoo News. Binance is the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Fast facts HSBC’s move follows similar actions taken by NatWest — a Scotland-based bank with 12.5 million customers […]

What is Robinhood really worth, now that it’s a public company? Perhaps its true value depends on who you are.

The fee-free trading platform’s initial public offering promises plenty of action for retail investors, but pitfalls may lie in wait amid trading volatility and wider adoption of business model.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Amazon taking up BTC? Robinhood’s share sale deserves scrutiny. Did Huobi jump or was it pushed?

U.S. cryptocurrency miner Core Scientific Holding is set to list on the Nasdaq exchange through a merger with a special-purpose acquisitions company, boosting the value of the combined business to around US$4.3 billion. Fast facts Core Scientific, one of the biggest crypto mining companies in the U.S., announced yesterday that it had entered into merger […]

As Bitcoin’s carbon footprint continues to make ESG investors uneasy, a new clean-energy crypto mining ETF aims to allay their environmental concerns.

Institutional demand for cryptocurrency appears to be slowing, according to a report by analytics company Glassnode.

QR Capital’s Bitcoin exchange-traded fund — the first Bitcoin ETF in Latin America — has been listed on Brazil’s stock exchange.

Institutional digital asset manager Grayscale announced today that it is exploring 13 more assets for its trusts, mainly related to decentralized finance.

Retirement investment platform ForUsAll is partnering with Coinbase to expand access to cryptocurrencies through the U.S. 401(k) pension scheme.

In collaboration with Wharton business school, WEF releases a toolkit for governments to consider the opportunities and risks of decentralized finance.

Following blockchain’s mention as a next-wave technology in China’s five-year plan, Huawei unveils applications for government and in-house services.

Fintech companies in Asia-Pacific pulled in US$2.35 billion in investment during the first three months of 2021, more than the total amount raised in the first half of the previous year.

New and innovative lenders are taking advantage of DeFi’s low costs to offer savings account interest rates that Main Street banks simply can’t match.

Amid declines in Bitcoin and Ethereum, Cardano and its native cryptocurrency ADA saw US$10 million inflows as institutional investors switch to proof-of-stake coins.

Hong Kong is poised to ban small investors from buying cryptocurrencies, while making exchanges get licences. Industry experts discuss how this might play out. 

Bitcoin and altcoin prices take heavy hits and sell-off deepens as more bad news, including a blatant DeFi exit scam, continue battering crypto markets.

Chainlink, a data oracle, has joined the Hedera Governing Council, which oversees the distributed governance of the Hedera network, an enterprise-grade public network for the decentralized economy.

American consumers have lost an estimated US$80 million in cryptocurrency investments since October 2020, according to new data from the Federal Trade Commission, which calculated that digital currency scams had jumped tenfold year on year.

Where is the NFT market headed, and has the bubble burst? Consider a world where any asset could be tokenized and sold fractionally to investors.

Struggling Argentines are looking to cryptocurrency for opportunities to stave off rising prices, a devaluing currency and US dollar shortage.

The ASEAN region has 290 million unbanked, and only 18% have access to credit. Here’s how decentralized finance (DeFi) can lift lives via mobile phones.

The Lion City’s status as Asia’s crypto haven was no accident, writes Shaun Djie of Digix. What can other countries learn from Singapore’s fintech success?

China gives the “alternative investment” label to crypto at this year’s Boao Forum for Asia, and hints at reserving a seat for digital assets in the country’s digital economy. Meanwhile, exchanges in Asia recover from crypto’s weekend price crash and see spikes in Bitcoin long orders. We’ll have more on that story — and other […]

Justin Chow of Cumberland DRW explains why Asia has lagged behind the US in institutional interest in crypto — and why that will likely change soon.

Other top blockchain and crypto news: HSBC bans MicroStrategy over Bitcoin affair. Tokenized TSLA and Coinbase COIN now on several crypto exchanges.

Coinbase’s estimated $100 billion direct listing debut could be the tipping point for crypto going mainstream. But is Coinbase really worth that much?

Traditional finance is costly and inefficient, and too many people are left out. Could decentralized finance (DeFi) be the answer?

How do cryptocurrency investors know whom to trust, avoid scams and not buy coins with a shady history? Gunnar Jaerv of First Digital Trust explains.

Coinbase’s COIN ticker will go public after the exchange’s Q1 earnings results disclosure ahead its April listing.

HashKey Group’s Angelina Kwan, a former regulator who helped write laws relevant to the crypto industry, also explains why Hong Kong leads the world in fintech regulations.

New KPMG report outlines opportunities for investors as well as traditional banks with the rise of VASPs like cryptocurrency exchanges and custody services.

The race is on as crypto-native players and traditional banks ramp up cryptocurrency custody services for investors who can’t or don’t want to do it themselves

NEM’s Symbol blockchain will be interoperable, enable NFTs and allow assets like whiskey to be tokenized for investing. What will happen to XEM and NIS1?

Despite bitcoin’s new highs, BTC remains a volatile and risky investment. Are tokenized hard assets like real estate a better alternative for investors?

In a 2021 report, the HashKey Group predicts that more than 50% of institutional and professional investors will have exposure to digital assets by the year’s end.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Goldman Sachs, more big banks line up behind bitcoin. Short-sellers probe crypto miners in China.

Despite recent bitcoin and ether price drops, crypto giants Coinbase and CoinShares are betting that investment in digital assets will continue to grow.

If you’re wondering how to get started in investing in bitcoin or other cryptocurrency, this Forkast.News guide is for you. But beware the risks and pitfalls.

Before Tesla’s bitcoin moves, big money was already placing BTC bets. What are bitcoin’s long-term fundamentals? Geoff Morphy of Bitfarms explains.

2021 is already shaping up to be a very different bull market for bitcoin compared to the past, writes Kadan Stadelmann of Komodo. Here’s why.

About half of cryptocurrency users are hobbyists while 15% consider crypto their primary source of income, according to a survey of 61,000 crypto users.

In written testimony, the US Treasury Secretary-nominee calls digital assets ‘fintech innovations’ and pledges to ‘encourage their use for legitimate activities.’

In a special video interview, Binance CEO CZ also explains why — despite DeFi’s spectacular rise up to now — he thinks many current DeFi projects will fail.

In this edition of Forkast Forecasts, Diginex’s CEO offers his views on CBDC initiatives, crypto custody, and more growth in borrowing, lending of digital assets in the upcoming year.

In this edition of Forkast Forecasts, the bestselling author offers his views on crypto regulations, DeFi’s rise and digital assets becoming mainstream.

As space becomes increasingly commercialized, blockchain has the potential to be the backbone of this new economic frontier, says Jeff Garzik of SpaceChain.

Other top blockchain and cryptocurrency news: Bank of International Settlements considers stablecoins. China sends PlusToken scam ringleaders to prison.

As bitcoin breaks new records, will its bull run end soon? Here’s why investment pros like Trent Barnes of Zerocap believe there’s still more wind in BTC’s sail.

Beijing put a stop this week to Fusang’s China Construction Bank bond listing on the Ethereum blockchain. What was the Chinese government afraid of?

Decentralized digital access to financial services like cryptocurrency trading, lending and borrowing is the wave of the future, writes James Wo of ETC Labs

Diginex CEO Richard Byworth reveals that world’s largest cryptocurrency companies are now seeking his advice on going public. How did Diginex do it?

Risks, bugs and mistakes are a necessary part of DeFi’s evolution — just like the early days of the internet, writes Justin Banon of Boson Protocol

Blockchain has become a national priority in China’s public and private sectors, in contrast to many Western governments’ approach to cryptocurrency.

Digital currency efforts now mirror global economic rivalries, with China’s DCEP leading the pack. Central banks would be wise to avoid these pitfalls.

2020 is banner year for DeFi as industry balloons by over $100 billion in volume from Q2 to Q3 — most of it riding on Ethereum, according to a new report

A recent flurry of US regulatory activity is helping legitimize the digital assets space. Here’s the latest on SEC, FINRA, CFTC and OCC’s new level of coordination.

The risk of getting scammed is real, but DeFi also offers investors opportunities to earn yields in this pandemic economy, says Two Prime CEO Marc Fleury.

In a special interview, Konstantin Richter of Blockdaemon also discusses the critical role of government in encouraging greater blockchain adoption.

Massive public spending, supply chain disruptions and ballooning debt are a volatile mix for investors. Here’s why bitcoin should be part of a balanced portfolio in this pandemic economy.

Being dodgy about office location and faking volume data are all part of Asian crypto exchanges’ Wild West ethos. What are the alternatives for investors?

Deals in mid-size firms that make up the engine of the economy were down as exits were put on pause — but fintech and broader tech sector still shine bright

Access to China’s cryptocurrency market will accelerate as long as the government can keep out criminal activity, writes James Gillingham of Finxflo.

In a special interview, Alchemy CEO Nikil Viswanathan discusses blockchain as the next internet, keen interest from investors like Charles Schwab, and the hottest cryptocurrency trend since ICOs.

Excessive money printing and near-zero returns on bonds are making investors flock to fancy cryptocurrency derivatives and 8% yields. What’s the catch?

From CryptoKitty pets to metaverses like Minecraft and Decentraland, blockchain video games are redefining what it means to own virtual property.

By promoting transparency and data security, blockchain is poised to transform international trade. Dr. Geoff Jiang of Ant Group explains how.

In a special Forkast.News interview, the CEO who co-founded Ethereum discusses the deal with JPMorgan, DeFi’s rise, and expectations for Ethereum 2.0.

As mass demonstrations rock the world, technologies like blockchain, social media and AI are escalating unrest and state crackdowns to the next level.

As China’s digital currency begins large-scale testing, business giants like Didi and Meituan appear to be signing on. What does China’s central bank say?