Places Asia

At the Blockchain Open Forum in Seoul, South Korea, China’s first crypto exchange BTCC CEO Bobby Lee said that investors in China are still trading cryptocurrencies even after the Chinese government imposed a ban on crypto trading in September 2017. Weird Regulatory State of Crypto in China The blockchain and cryptocurrency sector is in an […]

Line, the second-largest chat messaging app in Southeast Asia and the most popular chat service in Japan, announced the impending launch of a new cryptocurrency exchange called BitBox. The new exchange, scheduled to go live in July 2018, follows an announcement issued in January by the chat giant heralding the creation of a new financial […]

Last week, Bithumb–one of South Korea’s largest digital currency exchanges–was hacked for $31 million in various cryptocurrencies. Announced on June 28, 2018, Bithumb confirmed the recovery of nearly half the stolen funds. Last Week’s $31 Million Hack Reported on June 19, Bithumb temporarily suspended withdrawal and deposit services following a 35 billion KRW (~$31 million […]

Kim Yong-bum, the Vice Chairman of the Financial Services Commission and one of the main financial regulators in South Korea, expressed optimism towards the cryptocurrency market and the disappearance of the “Kimchi Premium” which exceeded 30% at the cryptocurrency market’s peak in December 2017. Why Premiums Existed in the First Place Merely seven months ago, […]

The Tokyo District Court has ordered Mt Gox to begin compensating victims of its infamous 2014 hack, effectively stalling the exchange’s pending bankruptcy. Posted on the Mt Gox website June 22, the ruling may bring closure to a November 2017 petition requesting compensation — filed by creditors of the now-defunct Mt Gox exchange. Crucially, victims […]

In a non-binding agreement, BTCC Pool Limited — the mining operation of former Chinese exchange BTCChina — agreed to sell a 49% stake of its Bitcoin mining pool. With 4.55% of all Bitcoin blocks in the last year, BTCC’s operation is effectively the 7th most successful BTC mining pool in the world. The buyer in question […]

Thailand shot to silver screen stardom in the 1974 blockbuster movie “The Man with the Golden Gun”, filmed in the Khao Phing Kan area. Fast forward to 2018, Thailand seems to be shooting into the crypto era with innovative volition. Popularly known as “James Bond Island”, the location that put Thailand on the pop culture […]

China recently revealed its second batch of state-endorsed cryptocurrency ratings and notably, EOS takes the lead this round as it was entirely excluded in the first set of ratings released in May 2018. Ethereum, Steem, and Lisk held the top ratings the first time around. The blockchain projects ratings depend on three different components based on technology, […]

The cryptocurrency market has swung violently back into the red due to a series of regulatory movements from Asia, spooking skittish market participants. Bitcoin and Ethereum plummeted by almost 10% as Japanese regulators crack down on exchange action. Crypto markets are bleeding red subsequent to a Japanese financial watchdog move that saw business improvement orders […]

Despite recent exchange hacks, the blockchain industry continues to thrive in countries worldwide. On June 21, 2018, the South Korean government announced intent to invest over $200 million into blockchain initiatives by 2022. Cryptocurrency Wanes, Blockchain Thrives On June 21, the South Korean Ministry of Sciences and ICT announced their “Block Chain Technology Development Strategy” – […]

South Korean Exchange Bithumb confirmed that it temporarily stopped all deposit and withdrawal services subsequent to a large-scale hack. Tweets posted and deleted by the official Bithumb Twitter account imply that over $30 million USD was lost during the hack. Bithumb, currently the sixth largest exchange in the world by 24-hour volume, posted a tweet […]

On June 8, the South Korean Policy Advisory Council met to develop a regulatory framework for national cryptocurrency exchanges. Following the recent Coinrail Exchange hack, the South Korean government is imposing more stringent Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies to better protect investors. Cryptocurrency Exchanges Recognized As Financial Institutions With the intention […]

International financial authority Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is expected to collaborate with Japan, the second largest cryptocurrency market behind the US, to introduce unified cryptocurrency regulations in the upcoming months. Japan Concerned With Anonymous Cryptocurrencies Last month, the Japanese Financial Services Agency (FSA) encouraged leading economies in the G20 to adopt unified policies regarding […]

Global logistics giant DB Schenker is to launch a supplier evaluation system on the VeChainThor platform — the first of its kind, according to the Singapore-based blockchain. VeChain has co-developed a dApp with DB Schenker, one of the world’s leading logistics providers. On top of other supply chain offerings, this solution tracks their third-party logistics […]

Attracting a primarily youthful audience, gaming and cryptocurrency go hand in hand. Based in China, Fujian eGaming Tournament Group has partnered with Asura World LLC to fund prize pools using cryptocurrency, Asura Coin. Common Goals, Greater Exposure Fujian eGaming is teaming up with NEO-based eSports platform, Asura World LLC to incorporate China’s first gaming reward system […]

On June 10, the South Korean government integrated blockchain into the public sector. LG CNS and Korean Government Mint, KOMSCO, will work together to develop the “first public blockchain platform” and issue community tokens as a type of digital gift certificate. National Digital Currency According to Business Korea, the Korea Minting, Security Printing & ID Card […]

The first EOS Hackathon held in Hong Kong has concluded and the results are in. This developer venture will be ongoing throughout 2018, specifically geared toward driving the innovative development of dApps on the EOS blockchain. Thank you for attending the #EOSHackathon held at Kai Tak in Hong Kong over the past weekend and congratulations […]

Ripple CEO, Brad Garlinghouse appeared in front of an audience at the 2018 Stifel Cross Sector Insight Conference to share his thoughts on the long-term impacts of Ripple’s technology and future of cryptocurrency mass adoption. Ripple CEO: “Blockchain Will Not Disrupt Banks” Interview by Tech Analyst Lee Simpson, Garlinghouse appeared at the 2018 Stifel Cross Sector Insight Conference to […]