Binance is celebrating the new year with approvals from two different sides of the world. The crypto exchange has been granted an in-principle license by the Central Bank of Bahrain to operate as a crypto asset service provider in the Kingdom of Bahrain. According to the announcement, the in-principle approval a first for a Binance entity in the Middle East and North Africa region. In a statement, Binance CEO CZ said that approval from national regulators is "essential to build trust in crypto and blockchain and help further improve mass adoption." When it comes to licensing, it is "a matter …

Although nonfungible tokens (NFTs) have continued to gain popularity, they have a seemingly small audience size, primarily limited to those already active in the cryptocurrency world. One of the main reasons for the lack of adoption is the underlying technology not being seen for more than its ability to be added to a collection. However, many fail to realize that NFT usage extends far beyond digital art pieces. NFTs can also be used to create online experiences and games for a population eager for adventure. In contrast to collecting, games that entertain play on a user’s ability to learn, test …

Bitcoin (BTC) lost $50,000 for the first time in several days on Dec. 26 as exchange inflows caught up with the cautiously optimistic mood. "New player" beefs up $50,000 sell wall Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed volatility hitting BTC/USD overnight on Saturday. The pair had reached $51,500 before starting to retrace, this culminating in a dip to $49,644. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was back circling $50,000. The move came in tandem with a rise in inflows to major exchange Binance, with order book data showing a new wall of resistance being built at $50,000. The …

The Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK), which serves as Turkey’s financial intelligence unit under the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, found crypto exchange Binance’s Turkey operations guilty of violating laws that intend to prevent the laundering of money acquired through criminal means. According to local news media Anadolu Agency, MASAK carried out an audit of Law No. 5549 on Prevention of Laundering Proceeds of Crime, also known as the AML Law. The AML Law in Turkey requires companies to identify and verify the personal identification information of the customers on the platform, which includes details such as surname, date of …

2021 has been one of the most interesting years for blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, both in terms of adoption and mainstream acceptance. From governments such as El Salvador to large corporations like Tesla, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America and Morgan Stanley, many institutions have made a step toward becoming a part of the ecosystem. Even so, there were a few issues and events that soured the mood for cryptocurrency investors and the community in general. SEC’s rejection of VanEck’s spot Bitcoin ETF Following the United States Security and Exchange Commission’s approval of ProShares’ Bitcoin (BTC) futures exchange-traded fund early in …

Binance officially announced the implementation of a new BNB Auto-Burn protocol to replace their current quarterly burn mechanism. In response to the requests of the BNB community, Binance changed its quarterly burning protocol for BNB tokens. According to Binance, this will provide more “transparency and predictability” to its community. With this, BNB will be burned automatically based on a formula consisting of on-chain data of total blocks generated and the average price of BNB. At the moment, there are two burning mechanisms for BNB. One is the real-time burning of a percentage of gas fees on the Binance Smart Chain. …

More than 100 out of 170 “digital payment token services” in Singapore have reportedly failed to obtain licenses from the local financial regulator, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, or MAS. 103 companies related to the digital payment industry in Singapore found their regulatory exemptions removed amid apparently tough regulation, Japan’s financial publication The Nikkei reported Monday, citing data from the MAS. Sanjay Jain, CEO at Dubai-based crypto exchange Bitxmi, said that their Singaporean branch has failed to secure a license from the MAS. “We can’t operate in Singapore," Jain noted. "We have an office there, but it’s just more or …

The world’s largest cryptocurrency trading platform, Binance, is among the first crypto exchanges to join a new crypto hub established by the Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTCA). Binance officially announced it signed a memorandum of understanding with the DWTCA the next day after the latter officially announced the launch of a comprehensive zone for crypto in Dubai on Dec. 20. As part of its membership in the DWTCA’s initiative, Binance will help the authority outline the vision of “accelerating the set-up of a new industry hub for global virtual assets,” the company said in the announcement. Binance will also …

Binance Labs, the venture capital and incubation arm of Binance cryptocurrency exchange, has led a financing round for the cross-chain protocol Multichain, previously known as Anyswap. Shortly after rebranding from Anyswap last week, Multichain has raised $60 million in a seed funding round led by Binance Labs, the firm officially announced on Dec. 21. Other participants in the raise included major VC firms and industry investors like Sequoia China, IDG Capital, Three Arrows Capital, Primitive Ventures, DeFiance Capital, Circle Ventures, Hypersphere Ventures, HashKey and Magic Ventures. Apart from providing capital investment for Multichain, Binance is also building a stronger relationship …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to emerge as one of the world’s biggest cryptocurrency-friendly jurisdictions as the government of Dubai has a new initiative to support local crypto development and regulation. The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), a government-owned event and exhibition venue in Dubai, will become a comprehensive zone and regulator of cryptocurrencies, products, operators and exchanges, DWTC officially announced Dec. 20. As part of the initiative, the DWTC will design a comprehensive ecosystem for this progressive sector within Dubai and collaborate with the private sector to set up an “attractive environment for the sector.” The project also …

Major cryptocurrency exchange Binance has partnered with MDI Ventures, PT Telkom Indonesia's venture capital arm, to establish a crypto exchange platform. According to a joint announcement on Dec. 15, the agreement will also seek to broaden blockchain adoption throughout Indonesia, which is home to about 240 million people. To assist with the development of the new exchange platform, Binance will provide asset management infrastructure and technology. The agreement will also seek to increase the application of blockchain technology in Indonesia more broadly. The new partnership enables Binance to grow its operations in a nation where it already has an investment …

Crypto exchange Binance has withdrawn its license application for pursuing digital payment token (DPT) services in Singapore. Starting today, Binance.sg has stopped onboarding new users and will not allow Singaporeans to deposit cryptocurrencies or fiat on the exchange. By Feb 13, 2022, Binance plans to “wind down” all services that relate to dealing with cryptocurrency tokens. However, the exchange announced to take no responsibility for the users’ assets after the self-determined deadline: “With immediate effect, users must start to make plans to withdraw their crypto and fiat from Binance.sg. Accounts of registered users who have not passed KYC will be …