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FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried appeared in court in the Bahamas, but did not agree to be extradited to the U.S. 

South Korea’s Gyeongbuk Province plans to use the metaverse to expand economic and other relations with Vietnam.

Julia Leung, the next chief executive of Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) due to start her three-year term on Jan. 1, called for stricter crypto regulation when speaking at the city’s Fintech Week last month.

Sam Bankman-Fried has reportedly made a second application for bail in the Bahamas – this as lawyers feud over control of the FTX bankruptcy, raising concern the sour grapes may seep into efforts to have Bankman-Fried extradited to face fraud charges in the U.S.

Hong Kong launched two exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking cryptocurrency futures on Friday, the first of their kind in Asia, the local exchange said.

Japan’s ruling party approved a proposal that exempts companies issuing crypto from taxes on unrealized gains on retained tokens.

Asia’s cryptocurrency community is “on the path of moving on” from the FTX fiasco, following the arrest of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, said Yat Siu, cofounder and chairman of Hong Kong-based blockchain gaming studio and venture capital firm Animoca Brands.

A Japanese lawmaker called for more transparent regulations following the FTX meltdown, where investors were not warned of the risks with FTX Token.

As U.S. prosecutors line up charges against Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the collapsed FTX cryptocurrency exchange, Senator Elizabeth Warren is seeking to pass bipartisan regulation to rein in the “dark underbelly” of the crypto industry.

SBF was arrested by Bahamian authorities just a day before he was due to testify before Congress – but his successor has been revealing much about FTX’s collapse.

An official in the South Korean city of Busan said the authorities have received no confirmation that Binance has pulled out of a partnership to establish the country’s first city-backed crypto exchange, as reported by local media.

Top blockchain and crypto news: SBF denied bail, US extradition likely next. The Block chief quits over secret FTX loans. Hong Kong readies digital asset rules.

Members of a U.S. Congressional hearing expressed frustration about the timing of Bankman-Fried’s arrest, saying they wanted him to testify under oath so the public could get the answers they are seeking about the collapse of FTX.

Wemade Co. filed an immediate appeal against the court’s Dec. 7 decision that rejected the developer’s request to disallow four of the nation’s largest crypto exchanges from delisting its native cryptocurrency, WEMIX.

Stablecoins in USD are becoming the digital world’s default currency — which burdens ordinary crypto users and monetary policies in smaller nations, writes Wei Zhou of Coins.ph.

Sam Bankman Fried, founder and former CEO of FTX exchange, was arrested and taken into custody by the Royal Bahamas Police on Monday.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is drafting regulatory requirements for the local licensed crypto exchanges, in light of the FTX debacle, according to a report on Monday by Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK

S.Korean authorities may mandate companies to pursue direct approval from regulators to list their crypto on local digital assets exchanges.

Interpol fugitive Kwon Do-hyung flew to the Republic of Serbia last month, South Korean prosecutors told Forkast, confirming local media reports.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has advised publicly-listed firms to disclose their exposure to the cryptocurrency market, in light of the fallout of the FTX collapse.

Wemade, a S.Korean blockchain game maker, announced that it will buyback and burn US$10 million worth of its WEMIX token to stabilize its value.

U.S. cryptocurrency miners would be required to report greenhouse gas emissions under a new bill submitted to the Senate, reflecting criticism the industry is adding to use of fossil fuels blamed for global warming.

Hong Kong passed the amendment to the bill that includes a licensing regime VASP on Wednesday, which will come into effect on June 1, 2023.

The South Korean blockchain game maker’s WEMIX cryptocurrency will be removed from the country’s four major cryptocurrency exchanges that collectively account for more than 95% of the country’s crypto trading volume.

A Seoul court has dismissed the injunction filed by Wemade Co. Ltd. to stop four local digital asset exchanges from delisting WEMIX cryptocurrency

Three Hong Kong-based asset management firms have applied for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking Bitcoin and Ethereum futures for retail investors.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) claimed it needs the authority to monitor and supervise stablecoins, according to the South Korean central bank’s report published on Monday.

The majority (58.3%) of South Koreans with assets of 1 billion Korean won (US$760,000) said they don’t plan to invest in cryptocurrencies.

The push to regulate DeFi is stronger than ever, and the sector would be wise not to fight but participate in that inevitability, writes Michael Shing of XREX.

Innovation and regulation are mutually exclusive in the world of crypto – and in the aftermath of the FTX collapse, getting the balance right is key.

Australian cryptocurrency exchange Swyftx cut 90 staff members — or 40% of its workforce — to prepare for a “worst-case scenario” in the market from the collapse of FTX.com.

Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and former chief executive officer of failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, tweeted on Monday morning Hong Kong time that he may not testify before the U.S. Congress on Dec. 13.

Wemade Co. Ltd. said its in talks to have Binance Institutional Services take custody of its native cryptocurrency, WEMIX.

As the Philippine government ties to roll out a hugely ambitious ID system, we take a look at how blockchain could make data more secure.

Following a hearing on Friday, the court is expected to finalize its decision on an injunction Wemade filed against four exchanges.

Daesung’s venture capital subsidiary recently established a fund worth 110 billion Korean won (US$84.5 million) for expanding investments into metaverse startups.

The collapse of FTX.com and its far-reaching impacts will hinder North Korea’s ability to profit from cryptocurrency hacks, says one analyst.

Shinhan has opened a metaverse to provide financial and non-financial services, claiming to be the first bank in the country to provide such a platform.

Indonesia’s central bank has released a whitepaper detailing plans for its central bank digital currency (CBDC), as the country looks to “advance digital transformation.”

Despite the myriad benefits of blockchain and cryptocurrency, institutional interest remains mixed in Asia Pacific. What lessons should the industry learn from 2022 to overcome the barriers to adoption?

The Philippines might have moved on from Axie Infinity and other NFT collections, but its still steaming ahe

Binance returned to the Japanese market with the acquisition of regulated crypto exchange Sakura Exchange BitCoin (SEBC), according to a blog post on Wednesday.  See related article: Binance to help S. Korea’s Busan build first city-backed exchange Fast facts See related article: Crypto exchange Binance in regulators’ crosshairs as scrutiny mounts 

Blockchain adoption in the Philippines is struggling because businesses are focused on survival, according to Dr. Donald Lim, lead convenor at Philippine Blockchain Week in Manila.

A court in South Korea will review if prosecutors are allowed to arrest and bring Terraform cofounder Daniel Shin and seven others into custody, for charges including fraud.

Swiss crypto bank SEBA Bank announced on Wednesday the opening of its Hong Kong office to serve global institutional clients as part of its Asia-Pacific expansion. See related article: Hong Kong said it remains upbeat on digital assets after FTX debacle  Fast facts See related article: Hong Kong needs engineering talent to reclaim role as […]

The blockchain game maker fights delisting of its symbolic WEMIX crypto token.

South Korea’s science ministry released a guideline of core ethical principles for metaverse application participants.

Bitcoin and Ether both rose in Wednesday morning trading in Asia, with all other non-stablecoin top 10 cryptocurrencies also gaining ground as China on Tuesday said it will relax some Covid rules in response to protests.

India will launch its retail CBDC pilot on Thursday with plans to gradually expand trials, the RBI announced on Tuesday.

Christine Lagarde of the European Central Bank said regulating cryptocurrency in the EU is an “absolute necessity” following the collapse of Bahamas-based exchange FTX.com.

Asset tokenization and DeFi hold tremendous potential for the finance sector, writes Han Kwee Juan of DBS Bank. Here’s how the Singaporean government is at the forefront of change.

Companies based in the U.S. and South Korea have filed for more than 75% of patent applications related to the metaverse, VR and AR.

Nigeria seeks to advance digital asset trading in the country but is drawing a distinction between digital assets and cryptocurrencies.