Bitcoin has been very popular in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America. The cryptocurrency has also enjoyed great success in neighboring South Korea and Japan. Cryptocurrency policy in China has been varied—from allowing citizens and residents of mainland China to own crypto, to banning the asset class in 2021. It would...Read More
Chinese fabless integrated circuit design company Nano Labs has announced that it has opened a Coinbase account and begun accepting Bitcoin payments for its products. Its decision to expand its global transaction options coincides with Bitcoin reaching an all-time high of $90,000. Nano Labs Turn to Bitcoin In its official press release, Nano Labs stated...Read More
In line with a broader trend among major tech firms, Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba is downsizing its metaverse operations. The restructuring, which aims to improve efficiency, led to layoffs in Yuanjing, Alibaba’s metaverse unit, as the company recalibrates its focus in this sector. Downsizing Metaverse Unit According to the report by South China Morning Post,...Read More
Chinese monetary expansion could potentially drive wealthy investors to Bitcoin. If such a trend materializes, it will end up repeating 2015’s pattern of post-yuan-devaluation cryptocurrency growth. Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of BitMEX, predicts a significant surge in Bitcoin’s value driven by this monetary policy shift. Bitcoin As Hedge In his recent blog post, Hayes argues...Read More
On Oct. 10, crypto researcher ‘FreeSamourai’ told his X followers that around 7,000 ETH of the remaining 542,000 ETH from the PlusToken seizures was sent to exchanges. This indicates “intent to begin selling the remaining tokens,” they stated, but this remains to be seen, and no major selloff has occurred yet. The remaining stash of...Read More
At the 2024 Tsinghua PBC Chief Economist Forum, former Chinese Vice Minister of Finance Zhu Guangyao urged China to re-evaluate its approach to the crypto industry. He cited the evolving international stance on digital currencies, particularly in the United States, where the asset class has gained political support from key figures like U.S. presidential candidate...Read More
A suspect named Zhang has been extradited from Thailand to China for allegedly leading a $14 billion (100 billion yuan) crypto pyramid scheme. He is the first financial criminal to be extradited under the China-Thailand treaty since its inception in 1999. The Ministry of Public Security in China announced that Chinese and Thai officials have...Read More
Tron founder Justin Sun has urged China to reconsider its stance on cryptocurrency and embrace friendly policies. Sun’s call to action comes in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s speech at the Bitcoin 2024 event, where the former President pledged to prevent China from dominating the global digital asset industry. Sun Sees US-China Crypto...Read More
Bitcoin has gained around 17% since last weekend, which equates to around $9,000 over the past seven days or so. The asset was trading below $60,000 last weekend but surged to a six-week high above $68,000 on July 22. What has been driving market momentum for the past week, and will it continue? Bitcoin Is...Read More
Blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs has revealed that cryptocurrency deposits into crypto addresses linked to Chinese drug precursor manufacturers more than doubled in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. In 2023, Chinese precursor networks received over $26 million in cryptocurrency, with 97% of the over 120 manufacturers studied...Read More
The Chinese police forces have burst a large underground banking operation using the popular stablecoin Tether (USDT) to facilitate transfers of up to 13.8 billion yuan ($1.9 billion). According to a report from local media house Weixin, the Public Security Bureau of Chengdu Municipal arrested 193 suspects linked to the case and froze 149 million...Read More
The core technical team behind the Filecoin-based STFIL protocol said that they are under investigation by Chinese authorities. Over the past couple of days, there have been unforeseen updates to the protocol, along with funds transfers to different addresses. Mysterious Token Transfers and Upgrades The news came out in a public post by STFIL Protocol...Read More
Chinese mainland-based equity funds are reported to have filed applications to introduce spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) through their Hong Kong subsidiaries. The development comes amid a month-long surge in crypto prices and heightened efforts by Hong Kong to establish itself as a global fintech hub. China Equity Funds Apply for Bitcoin ETFs According to...Read More
Jian Wen, a former takeaway worker residing in north London, was found guilty of one count of money laundering after she was found with Bitcoin worth over $2.5 billion (£2 billion) in 2018. Jian Wen assisted a Chinese fugitive known to Wen as Zhang Yadi, whose real name is Qian Zhimin, in laundering the BTC...Read More
Chinese Bitcoin miners have set their sights on Ethiopia in a strategic move driven by the pursuit of cheap energy and favorable climates. Last spring, cargo containers near electricity substations linked to Africa’s largest hydroelectric project, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), signaled the arrival of Chinese miners. Ethiopia Emerges as Prime Destination for Chinese...Read More
China’s economy grew 5.2% in 2023, but its stock market took a 10% tumble for the year. Meanwhile, some Chinese investors sought shelter in cryptocurrency despite the government’s Bitcoin ban. These brave souls were not unpatriotic, nor was their investment in Bitcoin against the fundamental principles of Chinese communism. In fact, they are on to...Read More
Chinese official media has highlighted the growing concern over corrupt officials utilizing advanced methods to conceal and transfer illicit gains. This trend, marked by the use of cryptocurrencies and other digital mediums, was a central topic at the 2023 annual meeting of the China Integrity and Legal Research Association. China Faces New Wave of Crypto-Related...Read More
China’s Supreme Procuratorate has dealt a significant blow against illegal cryptocurrency operations by sentencing Zhao Dong, the founder of RenrenBit and a minor shareholder of Bitfinex, to a seven-year prison term. The prominent crypto figure faced charges for running illegal business operations and engaging in unauthorized foreign exchange trading. This move underscores China’s continued crackdown...Read More
Boyaa Interactive, a board and card game company based in China and listed on the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, has announced plans to acquire approximately $100 million worth of cryptocurrency assets, primarily BTC and ETH. This strategic business decision comes when institutional crypto investment rises, with Bitcoin and Ethereum emerging as major beneficiaries....Read More
A sophisticated phishing scam involving a counterfeit Skype application has resulted in the theft of a substantial amount of cryptocurrency, according to SlowMist, a prominent blockchain security firm. The investigation has also revealed a connection to a past phishing incident that involved the same domain previously posing as Binance. Phishing App Mimics Skype in Security...Read More
Former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison offered more details about various financial crimes she committed at FTX with her ex-boyfriend, Sam Bankman-Fried while testifying in court on Wednesday. Besides stealing FTX customers’ money, Ellison said FTX bribed the Chinese government with $100 million to unlock a much larger pool of frozen assets. FTX’s Bribes According...Read More
Eastern Asia ranks as the fifth most active crypto market, contributing 8.8% of global digital asset activity between July 2022 and June 2023. Its decline over the last few years has been notable – largely propelled by the big blow to the Chinese trading activity and mining sector. Chainlysis’ latest analysis signals a potential tailwind...Read More
A former Chinese government official, Xiao Yi, has been sentenced to life in prison for helping subsidize a secret, large-scale Bitcoin mining operation within the country’s borders, alongside unrelated acts of corruption. Yi pled guilty to the charges, and the government has already seized all of his bribes and profits. Illegally Helping A Bitcoin Miner...Read More
The state-owned telecom operator China Mobile has reportedly proposed the creation of a “Digital Identity System” to keep track of all local metaverse users. The idea has been discussed between tech experts and Chinese officials and could set global rules focused on that technology. A Safety Measure or Additional Government Control? According to a recent...Read More
The ongoing regulatory enforcement actions are threatening to drive US crypto businesses offshore. The implications of such a shift for the country’s economy are significant, something that has translated into declining crypto prices, making investors even more jittery. While the market’s concerns regarding the potential removal of the US retail investor from the crypto capital...Read More
Chinese police have reportedly arrested and detained some employees of Trust Reserve, the company behind the yuan-backed CNHC stablecoin. According to a report from local media PANews, the Trust Reserve’s core team was apprehended at noon on May 29, and their family members have been notified. Police Arrest CNHC Issuance Team Representatives for PANews visited...Read More
In an opinion piece on May 30, the Coinbase CEO wrote that recent crypto industry turbulence “might make it tempting for policymakers to write it off as an unstable asset class.” This is effectively what U.S. regulators have been doing, missing the forest for the trees in treating crypto as a speculative or gambling tool...Read More
China seems to be opening up to some parts of the industry. Despite its hard stance on trading and owning cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, the country is pushing for the development of Web3. During the parallel forum of the 2023 Zhongguancun Forum called Web3: Future Internet Industry Development, the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, alongside...Read More
Ever since September 2021, China has banned cryptocurrency transactions and heavily curtailed crypto mining operations. However, the ban has turned out to be, in practice, more of a general guideline. Since its implementation, Chinese policymakers have discussed crypto taxation. Furthermore, a court case from 2022 clarified that although locals are not allowed to use crypto...Read More
The world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange – Binance – claimed that someone had used ChatGPT to present Changpeng Zhao (CEO of the company) as an official in the Chinese Communist Party. Some experts have warned that the recent development in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) field could have a disruptive effect on journalism. Others alerted that ChatGPT...Read More
