Liquid has suspended all trading operations on its platform in line with instructions from FTX Trading, the firm announced on Twitter on Nov. 20. The statement indicates that Liquid exchange paused “all forms of trading” because of the operation of the Chapter 11 process in the Delaware courts. “We have since done so while we assess the situation. We are working through these issues and will endeavor to give a fuller update in due course,” Liquid added. Liquid’s operational halt comes five days after the exchange suspended all withdrawals on its platform, citing compliance with the requirements of voluntary Chapter …

The Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Liquid is the latest company to halt withdrawals amid the ongoing crisis of centralized crypto exchanges. The FTX-owned crypto exchange Liquid took to Twitter on Nov. 15 to officially announce a suspension of fiat and crypto withdrawals on its Liquid Global platform. Addressing the reasons for the suspension, Liquid cited compliance with the requirements of voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the United States, noting: “Due to the Chapter 11 filing by FTX Trading International, the ultimate beneficial owner of Quoine Pte. Ltd, Liquid Exchange (Quoine Pte.) is halting all withdrawals — both fiat and crypto currency.” …

The Financial Services Agency, or FSA, of Japan has requested FTX Japan suspend business orders, citing the policies of FTX Trading Limited. In a Nov. 10 announcement, the FSA said it had taken administrative actions against FTX Japan following FTX Trading Limited’s suspension of withdrawals “without explaining the reasons clearly to investors.” The financial regulator said it had issued suspension orders and business improvement orders in accordance with Japan’s Payment Services Act and Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. “There have been reports that FTX Trading Limited is facing credit uncertainties,” said the FSA. “It is necessary to take all possible …

NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest mobile operator with over $40 billion in annual revenue, partnered with multi-chain smart contract platform Astar Network to accelerate the Web3 implementation in the country. The joint effort will take the form of a consortium, which would give individuals and corporations the ability to utilize tokens for governance. According to a press release from Nov. 9, Astar Network and NTT Docomo have also specifically agreed to collaborate on three fundamentals. They will pursue sustainable development by researching case studies for environmental issues in Web3, try to eliminate technology gaps on the road to wider Web3 adoption …

The Digital Agency of Japan, aimed at harmonizing nationwide initiatives related to digital transformation, has launched a research decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, targeting Web3. In a Nov. 2 meeting, the Digital Agency said it had established a DAO in an effort to explore the “functions and roles” of DAOs. The group added it would consider the benefits and challenges of granting the DAO legal status in Japan, citing the U.S. state of Wyoming approving similar legislation in July 2021. According to the Digital Agency, it planned to investigate aspects of digital assets and DAOs which could potentially be used …

The Japanese city of Toda, Saitama, adopted a metaverse-schooling service to encourage students — especially those staying far away from school — to attend their classes. The metaverse schooling service opted for by the city of Toda allows students to explore the campus and study in virtual classrooms. However, the students must get approval from respective school principals for attendance via metaverse schooling, confirms local media NHK. Government data showed that 244,940 Japanese elementary and junior high school students were absent for at least 30 days in FY 2021. NHK's report highlighted a fifth grader's interest in chatting online instead …

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck has confirmed plans to pursue a public stock offering in the United States through Nasdaq — a move that would give the company access to the country's lucrative capital markets. In documents filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Oct. 28, Coincheck’s majority owner Monex Group confirmed that it is proceeding with Nasdaq listing procedures through a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Thunder Bridge Capital Partners IV. If all goes according to plan, Coincheck’s Nasdaq listing will take place on July 2, 2023. Coincheck said the SPAC merger would allow …

In Japan, the city of Fukuoka is looking towards the future of Web3 in its latest partnership with Astar Japan Labs - the company behind Japan’s leading blockchain, the Astar network. Fukuoka is the country’s second-largest port city and has officially been designated as a National Special Strategic Zone. Now it also plans to become the country’s hub for all things Web3 and crypto. The Astar Japan Labs partnership will allow both entities to work together on new use cases for Web3 technologies. Fukuoka joins more than 45 companies working with Astar, including Microsoft Japan and Amazon Japan. According to …

Japan Credit Bureau (JCB), a Japanese analog to international payments systems like Visa or Mastercard, announced the start of its central bank digital currency (CBDC) infrastructure testing. The project will assumably prepare the payments platform for a national CBDC, which is currently being tested by the Bank of Japan (BoJ). The infrastructure project, announced by the company in local media, will come under the title JCBDC and aims at adjusting the JCB’s existing credit card infrastructure for CBDC payments. The France-based provider of facial recognition technology IDEMIA and Malaysian Softspace will collaborate with JCB in the platform’s development. The platform …

Nobody can be sure where the country’s antagonism to crypto originated or why it still persists even after the nonfungible token (NFT) and crypto “boom” of 2021, which took off in a major global way and prompted officials in the United States and Europe to backtrack on their initial antipathy for the space, finally opening up to regulations. The White House just released its first crypto regulatory framework in September 2022, and the European Parliament Committee followed up in October 2022 by approving the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, also known as MiCA, with a landslide vote. As the first European …

Bitcoin (BTC) dipped further below $19,000 on Oct. 21 as rumors circulated over the United States Federal Reserve. Fed still on track for major November rate hike Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD abruptly dropping before the Wall Street open, hitting lows of $18,660 on Bitstamp. A recovery took the pair higher, and it was attempting reclaim $19,000 as support at the time of writing. The action came as commentators claimed the Fed was softening its policy on rate hikes ahead of the Nov. 1-2 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. Citing mainstream media quotations from Fed …

The Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association, the governing body that deals with crypto assets in Japan, released documents of plans to further ease crypto laws in the country. According to a Bloomberg report, as early as December of this year, the association wants to implement a looser screening process for already authorized exchanges to list virtual coins. However, this would apply to tokens that are not new to the Japanese market. The regulators could abolish the lengthy pre-screening process altogether, even for coins new to the market, by March 2024. This scenario could also include tokens issued through …