Cryptocurrencies

Mongolian information tech company iTools operates a nonstop crypto mining center in the city of Darkhan. (Photo by Shuichiro Sese)
Cryptocurrencies

Mongolia emerges as crypto mining hub

Cheap electricity and cold weather provide ideal environment

11 January 2019
At the end of 2017, V Shankar advised investors to stay away from three plays -- bitcoin, Argentine bonds and Tesla stock. "I think I have been proven right on all three," he says.
Companies

Gateway's Shankar bets on 'biscuits, not bitcoins'

Back to basics investment strategy shuns fads in favor of everyday needs

3 January 2019
Coincheck has improved its management system under Monex Group, the Financial Services Agency has decided.
Cryptocurrencies

Japan's Coincheck to gain license after $500m hack

Regulators to hold cryptocurrency exchanges to higher standards

20 December 2018
Under Hong Kong's new regulations, companies will be allowed to issue ICO's on tokens that have existed for over 12 months.
Cryptocurrencies

Hong Kong to tighten cryptocurrency rules

Digital coins to come under SFC oversight

17 December 2018
Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck is having trouble winning back business following a 58 billion yen heist in January.
Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin plunge deals blow to Coincheck's turnaround plans

Hacked crypto-exchange says trading remains weak after resuming operations

12 December 2018
Mark Karpeles, the former CEO of Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, bows to reporters in a press room at a Tokyo court in 2014. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Cryptocurrencies

Prosecutors propose 10-year prison term for Mt. Gox's former CEO

Indictment not linked to exchange's loss of $400 million worth of bitcoin

12 December 2018
Bitcoin, the most common cryptocurrency circulated around the world, tumbled 44.6% to $3,474 on Nov. 25, from $6,270 on Nov. 14.
Cryptocurrencies

Thailand speeds up blockchain adoption despite bitcoin plunge

Country's cryptocurrency exchange plans to raise $10m in security token offering

4 December 2018
The price of bitcoin has fallen more than 80% since its peak in December 
Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin suffers worst week of year as regulatory challenges mount

Slide of 30% poses challenges in widening cryptocurrency’s appeal

26 November 2018
Regulators across Asia are grappling with the cryptocurrency industry that began with bitcoin's invention 10 years ago.
Cryptocurrencies

Asia rises as key frontier in bitcoin's next stage

Regulatory scrutiny intensifies but China remains mining hub

31 October 2018
An ad in Tokyo for a cryptocurrency exchange. Japan's regulators are considering stricter limits on margin trading of such instruments.
Cryptocurrencies

Caps on cryptocurrency margin trades weighed in Japan

Limits as low as 2 to 1 considered to protect users

25 October 2018
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have fallen sharply in recent months, but Coinbase remains eager to enter the Japanese market.
Cryptocurrencies

Coinbase calls Japan's cryptocurrency crackdown 'good for us'

US-based exchange confident its focus on security will win regulatory approval next year

10 October 2018
Hackers stole 4.2 billion yen worth of bitcoin from Japanese cryptocurrency exchange operator Tech Bureau in September.
Cryptocurrencies

Zaif cryptocurrency breach victims remain shortchanged

Japan considers tougher protections while industry looks to cap 'hot wallets'

4 October 2018
Over 200,000 South Koreans signed a petition to stop bitcoin regulation in January.
Business Insight

Cryptocurrencies: South Korea's winding regulatory path

Government's efforts to clamp down meet with resistance from investors and exchanges

24 September 2018
Bitmain and its rivals now generate the overwhelming majority of their revenue from Chinese cryptocurrency miners. 
Cryptocurrencies

Crypto mining IPOs head for Hong Kong despite bitcoin setbacks

Gear makers seek funds for new ventures amid signs of cryptocurrency downturn

21 September 2018
Hackers stole about $60 million in digital coins, including bitcoin, from virtual currency exchange Zaif.
Cryptocurrencies

Latest cryptocurrency heist erodes trust in Japan's exchanges

Reforms after Coincheck fail to prevent another major robbery

21 September 2018
The Zaif heist follows January's hack of Coincheck, which lost $534 million to cryptocrooks.
Cryptocurrencies

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Zaif hacked for $60m

Customers' 'hot wallets' bear brunt of loss in heist of Bitcoin and other currencies

20 September 2018
Chinese companies are developing blockchain technology for various uses, including the authentication of agricultural products. (© Nikkei illustration)
Business trends

Alibaba leads China’s drive to secure new blockchain technologies

Tech companies forge ahead in patent applications for alternative uses

3 September 2018
Stream article image
Cryptocurrencies

Japan's tech firms double down on cryptocurrency industry

Rakuten, Line eye payment opportunities despite Tokyo's tighter regulations

31 August 2018
Bitcoin.com buttons are seen at the Consensus 2018 blockchain conference in New York City. Distributed ledger technology is making its way into finance beyond cryptocurrencies.
Markets

World Bank issues blockchain bond, trimming capital costs

Decentralized technology promises greater efficiency but faces entrenched brokerages

25 August 2018
A number of Asian countries are setting up projects to attract fintech and cryptocurrency startups.
Cryptocurrencies

Asian countries vie to set up region's 'crypto valleys'

Philippines, South Korea and Thailand ease regulations to lure fintech investment

20 August 2018
Beat Holdings maintains its Japan offices in downtown Tokyo. The company is resisting what amounts to a purchase attempt by Hong Kong cryptocurrency company Noah Ark Technologies.
Cryptocurrencies

Crypto company aims to buy its way onto wary Tokyo Stock Exchange

Noah Ark's push to use Beat as virtual coin springboard puts bourse in a bind

12 August 2018
Stream article image
Cryptocurrencies

Global trade taps blockchain to unclog bottlenecks

Shipping companies plan to slash paperwork and reduce delays

11 August 2018
A 2-month-old South Korean company says the wreck pictured here is the Dmitrii Donskoi warship, which sunk in 1905.
Business

Russian 'treasure' ship stirs South Korean stock frenzy

A Singapore company, cryptocurrency and lure of dividends also come into play

5 August 2018
A bitcoin ATM in Ho Chi Minh City. Cryptocurrencies remain illegal in Vietnam, authorities say.
Cryptocurrencies

New cryptocurrency scam hits Vietnam as miner leaves for US

Thousands joined investment scheme in one of Asia's biggest nations of cryptocurrency fans

1 August 2018
SBI wants to create a derivatives trading platform for digital currencies like bitcoin and Ethereum.
Cryptocurrencies

Derivatives platform to hedge cryptocurrency risk planned by SBI

Japanese group invests in US digital marketplace developer

31 July 2018