Asia-Pacific

Filipinos now have the option to use cryptocurrency for SSS contributions.

VanEck’s Bitcoin ETF, launching on ASX, marks a pivotal moment for Australian crypto investment.

New guidelines by South Korea’s FSC will regulate certain NFTs under cryptocurrency laws.

Hong Kong’s first spot Bitcoin ETFs rise on first trading day as Ether ETFs drop.

City’s first spot cryptocurrency ETFs to offer regulated investment options.

Cryptocurrency giant Binance converts $1B safety fund to USDC, signaling a strategic move to enhance transparency and re-enter the Indian market.

Hong Kong’s SFC is set to approve spot Bitcoin ETFs, offering new investment avenues.

Crypto criminals with more than US$3.76 billion in profits may face life in South Korea.

Only two exchanges are licensed to provide crypto trading services to Hong Kong’s retail sector so far.

Crypto derivatives exchange Bybit seeks to enter Hong Kong’s market with a new license application.

Hong Kong could welcome its first spot Bitcoin ETF, courtesy of Harvest Global’s recent filing.

HashKey Group achieves unicorn status following a US$100 million funding round, reaching a US$1.2 billion valuation.

Major crypto exchanges vanish from Apple’s App Store in India, adhering to FIU mandates.

Upbit joins 15 other crypto firms permitted to provide digital payment token services in Singapore.

Tokenization is on the rise not only in the private sector. In Asia, governments are leading the charge to use this technology for the greater public good.

Indian crypto companies flock to Dubai, escaping high local taxes and finding solace in the emirate’s favorable regulatory environment.

Three SFC-authorized crypto ETFs will be available on UBS’ Hong Kong platform.

Blockchain-based gaming and remittances among top drivers toward adoption in central and South Asia.

The partnership aims to reduce the high costs and lengthy transfer times associated with traditional remittance payments.

Hong Kong’s legal system provides a solid foundation for crypto-related services, said SEBA Group CEO Franz Bergmueller.

The joint study aims to create the infrastructure for issuing regulatory-compliant stablecoins for improved cross-border settlement.

Hong Kong is charging ahead in its digital currency initiatives, but more must be done to address the e-HKD’s environmental impact and security concerns.

SBF is found guilty of fraud, Hong Kong hosts Fintech Week, Neo advances Web3, Backpack launches NFT exchange, and more.

The US$5 million fund aims to help Vauld users who can’t withdraw their assets from the platform.

The collaboration aims to build institutional crypto services in Japan.

The MAS said that its previous tokenization pilots demonstrated great potential benefits of the technology.

The move is part of an Asia Pacific expansion effort by the cryptocurrency custodian.

The lender, known as K-bank, said it will also open three additional crypto subsidiaries.

Bitcoin soars to its highest price in a year and a half as Grayscale’s legal victory against the U.S. SEC gets finalized.

Astar Network and Startale Labs partner with Japanese telecom giant KDDI to boost Web3 adoption.

Coins.ph, a cryptocurrency exchange based in the Philippines with millions of users, appeared to have lost 12.2 million XRP tokens, The Block reported on Friday.

Web3 leaders gather in the Future Blockchain Summit in Dubai and we take a deep dive on the woes of crypto’s largest exchange, Binance.

Top blockchain and crypto news: Is Japan a new frontier for Binance? AI art sweeps NFT sales. ETF buzz electrifies Bitcoin.

The survey aimed to measure the public attitude towards virtual asset investments, following the JPEX incident.

The plight of the Philippines — which has a high rate of crypto adoption but is also plagued by fraud — offers a window into why the industry’s ‘do your own research’ mantra isn’t enough.

Few tokens and too many exchanges are a bad recipe for Japan’s smaller crypto trading houses. The experts say there’s room for up to five only. So what happens to the little guy now that the world’s largest exchange Binance has rolled back into town?

OSL’s parent firm said investors should exercise caution due to the “unusual movement” in the company’s stock price.

Singapore’s major payment institution license will enable Upbit to continue offering regulated digital asset services while awaiting its full license.

The Australian Department of the Treasury said it will accept feedback on the draft bill by December.

The DCJPY could play a central role in the future’s currency system, according to DeCurret Holdings.

Coins.ph joins forces with Circle to introduce USDC remittances, targeting a more efficient and affordable money transfer solution for millions of Filipinos abroad, supporting the UN’s goal of trimming remittance costs by 2023.

South Korea’s cryptocurrency market has bounced back during the first half of this year but is still almost 50% below its value at the end of 2021, according to the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KOFIU), a government agency that oversees the nation’s anti-money laundering regime. See related article: Hamas crypto donation accounts frozen by Israel […]

The Hong Kong police warned on Monday that 11 Hong Kong-based Binance users lost over US$446,000 (HK$3.5 million) in cryptocurrencies to phishing text messages in the last two weeks. See related article: Gitcoin error sends US$460,000 to digital void Fast Facts See related article: CMCC Global raises US$100 mln to launch Hong Kong Web3 fund

Welcome to Forkast IQ, presented by Forkast’s Megha Chaddah, where we look beyond the headlines to get you insights that power smarter decisions.

The largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange will be launching more products and services in the Lion City, Coinbase’s Hassan Ahmed says.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) announced on Wednesday that it is implementing a smart contract upgrade to its Connect, a system that bridges Hong Kong and China’s stock markets, to enhance post-trade workflows and reduce settlement risk. See related article: SFC to monitor illegal VATP activities with Hong Kong Police Force Fast Facts […]

CMCC Global, a Hong Kong-based blockchain-focused venture capital fund, announced Wednesday that it raised US$100 million to launch the “Titan Fund.” See related article: SFC to monitor illegal VATP activities with Hong Kong Police Force Fast Facts See related article: Valkyrie CIO expects US spot Bitcoin ETF approval in Q2 2024 (Update adds comment from […]

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Police Force announced Wednesday the establishment of a working group to monitoring and investigating illegal activities related to Virtual Asset Trading Platforms (VATPs).  See related article: Hong Kong crypto network Mixin loses US$200 million in hack Fast Facts See related article: JPEX […]

South Korea’s central bank will be launching a pilot program for its central bank digital currency (CBDC) to explore infrastructure requirements, according to an Oct. 4 joint statement by the Bank of Korea (BOK), the nation’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) and the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). See related article: CBDCs are coming. Here’s why you […]

The Asia-Pacific branch of Ripple Labs has received a Major Payments Institution license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

The Major Payment Institution license from Singapore’s central bank allows the exchange to expand its digital payment token services in the Lion City.

Asia is stepping up the regulatory ground for the digital asset and take a look at El Salvador’s Bitcoin future.

The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission delayed the publishing of a crypto framework earlier this year citing the FTX collapse in late 2022 as the reason.

In the second in a series of 1-on-1 interviews from the Token 2049 crypto conference in Singapore held Sept. 13-14, Michael Gronager, founder of blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis, spoke to Forkast about crypto use in the Ukraine conflict, tracking illicit on-chain activity and digital asset adoption in Asia.

Top blockchain and crypto news: U.S. lawmakers berate SEC over ETF applications. NFTs down but not dead. Hong Kong sees year’s biggest crypto heist so far.

Two former employees at Coinone were sentenced Tuesday for accepting bribes in exchange for listing certain cryptocurrencies on the platform.

Mitsubishi UFJ and Binance Japan will collaborate on the issuance of fiat-pegged stablecoins.

Mixin Network announced Monday that the database of its cloud service provider was hacked, resulting in the loss of approximately US$200 million.

Bitcoin fell below US$26,500 while Ether dipped below US$1,600 in the past 24 hours.

NHN Corporation announced Friday that it has partnered with U.S.-based Mysten Labs to launch an on-chain game scheduled for 2024.

Blockchain analytics are key to understanding the nascent crypto industry. But the analysis sector is far from immune from the pressures of the ongoing crypto bear market. In the first of a series of 1-on-1 interviews from the Token2049 conference held in Singapore Sept. 13-14, Alex Svanevik, CEO of blockchain analytics firm Nansen, sat down with Forkast to discuss current crypto challenges, the Asia growth market and the increasing use of artificial intelligence in the industry.

It’s a week for regulatory enforcement in the cryptocurrency space as blockchain takes center stage in the Philippines.

The JPEX scandal sheds light on the vulnerabilities in Hong Kong’s crypto marketplace, prompting reflection on regulatory safeguards as the city aspires to be a global digital asset hub, former SFC regulator Angelina Kwan says.

South Korea’s top internet company Kakao and leading game developer Com2uS are sizing down their metaverse teams after large losses.

Top blockchain and crypto news: U.S. SEC steps up regulatory enforcement. Gaming giant Zynga moves into NFTs. Woes ahead for JPEX exchange after HK arrests.

South Korean investors and corporations hold over 131 trillion Korean won (US$97.9 billion) worth of cryptocurrencies in overseas accounts.

Now a top-ranked crypto hub, Singapore is a shiny example of the central role that government can play in nurturing industry growth while bolstering consumer protections.

Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange JPEX is shutting trading its platform amid a probe by the Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission that said the firm was operating as an unlicensed entity, according to media reports. 

BNB led gainers in the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, despite Binance’s growing challenges. Bitcoin and Ether rose during afternoon trading in Asia, as market analysts are saying it could start picking up more bullish momentum above the US$26,000 mark. See related article: Weekly Market Wrap: Deutsche Bank’s crypto move propels Bitcoin to US$26,750 […]

Funders see the novel social media network as emblematic of an abundance of opportunity in crypto and DeFi amid infrastructure gaps and increased integration with real-world assets

Billed as Asia’s largest crypto event, Token 2049 took place over Sept. 13-14 in the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore. Drawing over 10,000 attendees from all parts of the world, there was excitement about blockchain adoption in the region. But repeat references to one man were a reminder of the U.S. regulatory concerns weighing heavily on the crypto industry.

We bring you to one of the biggest crypto events in Asia.