Singapore
Terra co-founder Do Kwon faces $57-million lawsuit in Singapore
Do Kwon, the co-founder of Terraform Labs who may be facing legal actions in South Korea and the United States, is the target of a lawsuit in Singapore along with the Luna Foundation Guard (LFG) and Terra founding member Nicholas Platias. In a lawsuit filed in Singapore’s high court on Sept. 23, 359 individuals allege Kwon, Platias, the LFG and Terra made fraudulent claims, including that Terra’s stablecoin, TerraUSD (UST) — now TerraUSD Classic (USTC) — was not “stable by design” and unable to maintain its U.S. dollar peg. The claimants are seeking compensation for roughly $57 million worth of “loss and damage” combined based on the value of UST tokens they purchased and held or sold amid the market downturn in May. They also request an order to pay for “aggravated damages.” According to ...
Singapore MAS proposes to ban cryptocurrency credits
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) is introducing proposals to better regulate the cryptocurrency industry in the aftermath of the bankruptcy of the Singaporean crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC). The central bank of Singapore has issued two consultation papers on proposals for regulating the operations of digital payment token service providers (DPTSP) and stablecoin issuers under the Payment Services Act. Published on Oct. 26, both consultation papers aim to reduce risks to consumers from crypto trading and improve standards of stablecoin-related transactions. The first document includes proposals for digital payment token (DPT) services or services related to major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) or XRP (XRP). According to the authority, “any form of ...
HK and Singapore’s mega-rich are eyeing crypto investments: KPMG
Hong Kong and Singapore’s wealthy elite appear to be looking at digital assets with fervor, after a new report from KPMG suggesting over 90% of family offices and high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) are interested in investing in the digital assets space or have already done so. According to an Oct. 24 report from KPMG China and Aspen Digital titled “Investing in Digital Assets,” as much as 58% of family offices and HNWI of respondents in a recent survey are already investing in digital assets, and 34% “plan to do so.” The survey took the pulse from 30 family offices and HNWIs in Hong Kong and Singapore with most respondents managing assets between $10 million to $500 million. KPMG said the large crypto uptake among the ultra-wealthy has increased confidence in the sector, spurred...
Interpol reportedly creates dedicated unit to fight crypto crimes
The International Criminal Police Organization is reportedly planning to strengthen its crackdown on cryptocurrency-related crimes by forming a dedicated division. Interpol, the world’s largest global police organization, has set up a special team in Singapore to help governments fight crimes involving virtual assets, the Indian news agency Business Standard reported on Oct. 17. Interpol made the announcement at a press conference ahead of its 90th general assembly in Delhi, which is to be attended by high-profile police officials from its 195 members from Oct. 18 until Oct. 21. According to Interpol secretary general Jürgen Stock, the absence of a legal framework for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) poses major challenges to law enforcement agencies. “Because very often...
Anchorage co-founder sees ‘tons of opportunity’ as it expands into Asia
Anchorage Digital co-founder and president Diogo Mónica believe there is immense opportunity in Asia’s institutional investors, with the digital asset infrastructure provider on Oct. 5 announcing a “major expansion” of its platform into the region. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Mónica said the company chose Singapore as a “jump point” into the wider Asia market as the country has become a hub for crypto companies and has a strong regulatory environment. Anchorage is currently undertaking the application process with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the city-state’s central bank. “It’s about being in a regime that’s friendly towards crypto and that businesses want to do business in. We’re institutional only, institutions are going to Singapore, so we’re following su...
Almost everything could be tokenized in 5-10 years — Matrixport co-founder
In five to ten years, almost every “real world” asset class could be tokenized in the form of a nonfungible token (NFT) according to Cynthia Wu, co-founder of digital asset service platform Matrixport. Speaking to Cointelegraph, Wu said the best case for NFTs would see the widespread representation of real-world assets to be stored and traded on-chain: “Eventually, all the major financial asset classes are going to be represented on this new financial infrastructure [and] NFTs could be our instrument to represent off-chain assets like real estate deeds, equities or bonds.” The move on-chain would make these real-world assets “more liquid and more tradable,” which would improve price discovery and transaction activity, Wu added. But Wu said that while it’s great that we’ve created over two ...
Singapore strives to remain relevant amid regulatory tightening for retail investors
Singapore’s largest bank, DBS, has announced another move to expand its crypto services while remaining cautious in complying with the financial authorities’ view that crypto assets are not suitable for retail investors in the country. On Friday, the bank disclosed its decision to expand crypto trading services on its digital exchange (DDEx) to approximately 100,000 “wealth clients who are accredited investors.” Investors who are considered accredited must meet certain criteria regarding their income, net worth, qualifications and understanding of financial markets. Caroline Malcolm, head of international public policy and research at Chainalysis, noted: “Singapore has long indicated that it views most crypto assets as volatile and as a result, not well-s...
Breaking: Interpol ‘Red Notice’ issued for Do Kwon — South Korea prosecutors
Interpol has reportedly issued a “Red Notice” to law enforcement worldwide for the arrest of Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon. South Korean prosecutors in Seoul on Monday told Bloomberg the international policing organization issued the notice in response to charges Kwon faces in South Korea related to the collapse of the Terra ecosystem. The news comes only a week after South Korean prosecutors reportedly asked Interpol to issue a “Red Notice” for Kwon on Sept. 19. A Red notice is a “request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action” according to the Interpol website. It also comes less than two weeks after South Korean authorities issued an arrest warrant for Kwon and five other associates for alleged...
South Korean authorities ask Interpol to issue ‘Red Notice’ for Do Kwon: Report
South Korean prosecutors have reportedly requested Interpol intervene in their case against Terra co-founder Do Kwon by issuing a “Red Notice” — suggesting global law enforcement agencies may attempt to find and detain him. According to a Monday report from the Financial Times, the Seoul Southern District prosecutors’ office said it had “begun the procedure” to place Kwon on Interpol’s Red Notice list following steps to revoke the Terra co-founder’s passport while he was in Singapore. Interpol’s website states that a Red Notice is requested by authorities “locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action,” but the agency cannot compel local law enforcement to arrest the subject of such notice. “We are doing our best to locate and ...
Terra co-founder Do Kwon says he’s not ‘on the run’
Do Kwon, the co-founder of the Terra ecosystem, took to Twitter on Saturday asserting he’s “not ‘on the run’ or anything similar” after the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said Kwon wasn’t in the city-state. On Sept. 14, South Korean authorities issued an arrest warrant for Kwon and five other associates for alleged violations of the country’s capital markets laws. All were known to be in Singapore at the time, with prosecutors also attempting to revoke their passports a day later on Sept. 15. “For any government agency that has shown interest to communicate, we are in full cooperation and we don’t have anything to hide,” Kwon tweeted. I am not “on the run” or anything similar – for any government agency that has shown interest to communicate, we are in full cooperation and we don’t hav...
MAS doesn’t trust retail crypto investments, mulling more regulations
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 innovation and distributed ledger activity. Though according to recent statements, where the problem lies is within cryptocurrenci...
A “Snow Rave” In Sub-Zero Temperatures Is Coming to Singapore
This September, snowfall is coming to Singapore. For the meteorologists in the room, we realize that this may seem like a bold call. After all, with its close proximity to the equator, Singapore’s tropical climate hardly sees a day below 70° Fahrenheit, even in the very brief and frequently humid winter months. However, this September’s snowfall is all but a certainty as C.L.U.P. (Combined Local University Party) is committed to bringing Singapore’s first rave with subzero temperatures to form. The organizer is turning this party into “Snow City,” which will feature one room at normal temperature and another with conditions dipping down to -7° Celsius (equivalent to roughly 20° Fahrenheit). “There will even be blizzards at random times,” they...
