Just when the global economy largely recovered from the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions and the resultant supply chain pressures have once again roiled financial markets across the world. Furthermore, inflation has once again reared its ugly head, forcing central banks across major economies to raise interest rates in an attempt to curtail runaway prices of essential commodities like food and fuel. Despite these efforts, developed economies like the United States and the United Kingdom continue to report inflation at multi-year highs, adding even more stress on household savings and negatively impacting consumer spending. Apart from the …

On Aug. 30, global investment bank UBS increased its view on the risk of the United States entering a recession within one year to 60%, up from 40% in June. According to economist Pierre Lafourcade, the latest data showed a 94% chance of the economy contracting, but added that it "does not morph into a full-blown recession." Partially explaining the difference is the "extremely low levels" of non-performing loans, or defaults exceeding 90 days from credit borrowers. According to Citigroup Chief Executive Jane Fraser, the institution "feels very good about" liquidity and credit quality. Furthermore, Reuters states that the financial …

Indonesian tech company PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk (GoTo) bought PT Kripto Maksima Koin, a local crypto exchange, in a bid to diversify its assets. The deal makes a landmark in the merging of mainstream and crypto in the fourth most populated country in the world. As reported by Reuters, the sum of the acquisition of 100% shares by the country’s “biggest tech firm” came to 124.84 billion rupiahs ($8.38 million). The deal was finalized on Aug. 25, according to Indonesian media. GoTo didn’t reveal any specific plans for PT Kripto Maksima Koin’s further development, but in an official statement, …

The venture capital market of the cryptocurrency industry is holding strong despite the crypto winter as major government-linked firms reportedly continue betting on big industry players. Singapore state-owned investment firm Temasek is joining a $100 million funding round for the blockchain and venture studio Animoca Brands, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. According to the report, Temasek will lead Animoca's financing round through convertible bonds. Both Animoca and Temasek are known for investing in major crypto firms. In March 2022, both companies participated in a $200 million funding round for the Australian nonfungible token (NFT) platform Immutable. Temasek is a major crypto-related …

Binance marked its presence among the Middle East investors by running various licensed operations in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other regions. Targeting efforts in United Arab Emirate's (UAE) mainstream corporate sector, Binance partnered with business lender Virtuzone, allowing new entrepreneurs to repay loans using cryptocurrencies. Virtuzone joins the list of mainstream businesses in the UAE, such as JA Resorts and Hotels and Majid Al Futtaim, to officially accept cryptocurrencies after integrating Binance Pay into its payment gateway. In addition, by providing businesses the option to repay seed and other forms of funding through cryptocurrencies, the company intends to reduce barriers …

There is no denying that nonfungible tokens (NFTs) have taken a hit in recent months. Market conditions have plunged, scams and hacks are frequent, and there is an increasing number of low-quality projects, pushing many to question the value of NFTs and their place in Web3 altogether. Over the last crypto cycle, NFT market conditions have been largely correlated to and reliant upon the general crypto market. As technology and digital assets soared in valuation, it became easier for individuals and investors to justify speculating on the nascent NFT asset class — often paying exorbitant premiums with the conviction that …

Derivatives marketplace Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group has launched trading for Bitcoin euro and Ether euro futures contracts. In a Monday announcement, CME Group said that it launched contracts for euro-denominated Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) futures sized at 5 BTC and 50 ETH per contract. Both contracts will be listed on CME, cash-settled, and based on the CME CF Bitcoin-Euro Reference Rate and CME CF Ether-Euro Reference Rate, respectively. "Our new Bitcoin Euro and Ether Euro futures will provide institutional clients, both within and outside the U.S., with more precise and regulated tools to trade and hedge exposure to the …

The creators of Three Arrows Capital are missing, according to reports, when court-appointed liquidators visited the firm's Singapore headquarters recently, all they discovered was a locked door and a stack of outdated mail. Singapore-based 3AC is among the flagship cryptocurrency firms that have crumbled under bear pressure and faced liquidity issues driven by the market sell-off in recent weeks. In June, a court in the British Virgin Islands, where 3AC had moved its registration, appointed advisory firm Teneo in June to liquidate 3AC assets. Teneo senior managing directors Russell Crumpler and Christopher Farmer informed the court on July 8 that …

With the rise of the Taliban last year in August, Afghanistan faced global sanctions that led to many international organizations and money transaction services halting operations in the country. This made room for digital currencies and stablecoins to be widely used, at least to send or receive remittances. However, the Taliban government has recently banned cryptocurrencies and arrested 16 local exchangers in the Northwestern city of Herat in the past week, according to the provincial news website ATN-News. According to the report, the exchanges were initially given a grace period to comply with the government’s regulations but were ultimately shut …

OpenSea, the world's largest nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace, has witnessed a substantial drop in daily volumes as fears about a potential market bubble grow. OpenSea volume plummets to yearly lows Notably, the marketplace processed nearly $5 million worth of NFT transactions on Aug. 28 — approximately 99% lower than its record high of $405.75 million on May 1, according to DappRadar. The massive declines in daily volumes coincided with equally drastic drops in OpenSea users and their transactions, suggesting that the value and interest in the blockchain-based collectibles have diminished in the recent months. That is further visible in the …

The managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Ravi Menon, addressed the agency’s mixed signals on crypto in the public sphere at a seminar on Aug. 29. The public claimed that local regulators were spreading crypto-positive sentiments while simultaneously threatening more regulations. According to the new statement from Menon, the observation is not entirely wrong. He says the agency needs to do “a better job explaining” the situation. Overall, MAS is pro-digital assets, as directly stated by Menon, "yes to digital asset innovation, no to cryptocurrency speculation." Regulators want the island country to become a hub for fintech …

Nonfungible token (NFT) analyst and blockchain detective "OKHotshot" has highlighted his picks for 18 of the most “uncomfortable truths” about the NFT industry. In a lengthy 20-part thread to his 45,000 followers on Twitter on Aug. 27, OKHotshot laid bare many of the issues currently plaguing the NFT industry, including irresponsible celebrity endorsements, hacking, and the kinds of projects that are almost always destined to fail. The analyst made his name in the industry as a full-time on-chain analyst specializing in NFT audits and Discord security operating under as @NFTheder on Twitter. Most NFT investors will lose money One of …