MARBLEX Announces Game Tokenomics Revamp and New Game Title

Planetarium Labs opens pre-registration for Nine Chronicles MWeb3 gaming company Planetarium Labs is set to release Nine Chronicles M, the mobile version of its popular game Nine Chronicles, on Nov. 22 at 2 a.m. UTC, accompanied by a global pre-registration event that will run from now until Nov. 21.Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on UnsplashNine Chronicle M is a fully on-chain open-source massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) — the first of its kind — set against the backdrop of Norse mythology. The PC version of the game has been in development since 2020 and has consistently topped the ranks of dapp store DappRadar’s blockchain game listings with more than 200,000 users worldwide.Bringing Web3 to gamers worldwide“Through this mobile release, users will be able to enjoy Nine Chronicles anywhere at any time,” said Kim Jae-seok, CEO of Planetarium Labs. “We expect to introduce the Web3 experience with an approach that is familiar even to ordinary gamers who are not familiar with blockchain technology by supporting in-app purchases on Google Play and Apple’s App Store.”The pre-registration event will be open to participants all over the world in regions like East Asia, Southeast Asia and Europe. Participants will be eligible to receive various rewards, including up to 10,000 units of the in-game currency Nine Chronicles Gold (NCG), which can be used to purchase in-game items or staked to earn additional rewards. The event will also offer diverse benefits to attract a larger user base through activities such as the Gacha Workshop, which when unlocked presents free rewards like NCG and rare costumes.To overcome the currency exchange-related roadblocks that tend to stand in the way when releasing Web3 games in Korea, Nine Chronicle M’s Korean release will exclude the bridge function that moves NCG to the Ethereum network.High hopes“Nine Chronicles M can play a crucial role in promoting widespread Web3 adoption and is expected to grow as one of the representative games in the idle RPG genre,” said Alan Lau, Chief Business Officer of Animoca Brands, a blockchain firm that invested $32 million in Planetarium Labs during their Series A funding round.

Bithumb achieves top score in FIU anti-money laundering compliance evaluationSouth Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb revealed today (local time) that it received the highest score in its evaluation group during the anti-money laundering (AML) compliance evaluation conducted by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Financial Services Commission for the first half of the year.Photo by okaybuild on PixabayInternal control improvementsThe exchange received high marks for improving its AML internal control system, expanding the number of employees, boosting employee training measures and properly reporting suspicious transactions.In response to the evaluation results, Bithumb reaffirmed its dedication to implementing improvements in these areas. It also said that it would provide AML-related training for employees in other departments by encouraging them to obtain professional certifications in AML compliance standards.Plans for further system reinforcementThe exchange is also set to introduce a next-generation AML system early next year that applies machine learning techniques to analyze transaction patterns, thus enabling it to respond to money laundering activities — which have recently become more elaborate and sophisticated — faster and more effectively.“The results of this compliance system assessment are proof of the efforts and consideration of Bithumb’s employees,” said Choi Hee-kyung, a compliance officer at Bithumb. “With the next-generation AML system that we plan to implement next year, we look forward to establishing an advanced AML internal control system that thoroughly abides by domestic and international AML laws while effectively preventing and examining money laundering cases and risks of terrorist funding.”This comes after Flybit, another Korean crypto exchange, also recently revealed that it has received top ratings in a comprehensive AML evaluation by the FIU.

Japanese cabinet approves crypto tax reformThe Japanese government has green-lit an amendment to its fiscal 2024 tax reform plan, specifically targeting the taxation of companies holding third-party-issued cryptocurrencies.Photo by Louie Martinez on UnsplashIntroducing tax exemptionAccording to local news sources, this amendment brings about a crucial change by exempting such companies from the year-end mark-to-market valuation tax.The Fiscal Year 2024 Tax Reform Outline, now approved by the Japanese cabinet, marks a departure from the previous tax regime. Under the new framework, companies holding crypto assets will no longer be subjected to mark-to-market valuation at the end of the fiscal year. Instead, they will be taxed solely on the actual profits realized from the sale of virtual currencies and tokens.Alleviating the tax burdenThe primary motivation behind this amendment is to alleviate the tax burden on corporations engaged in the holding and operation of crypto assets. Previously, corporations holding third-party-issued cryptocurrencies were required to record profits or losses based on the difference between market value and book value at the end of the fiscal year. The new reform, however, exempts assets assumed to be held continuously from this mark-to-market valuation.News of moves to implement such reform emerged at the beginning of December. At the time, a report by Nikkei Asia suggested that Japanese lawmakers were working towards addressing issues related to crypto taxation. Japanese regulator, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) had first proposed such changes to the tax code via a 16-page submission on Aug. 31.Signaling investor-friendly approachThis policy shift aligns the taxation of companies with the tax system applicable to individual investors, signaling a more investor-friendly approach. Lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party and their coalition partner Komeito had reportedly considered a proposal to exempt corporations from taxes on unrealized crypto gains. This move is seen as Japan’s effort to boost liquidity in the market, putting it in line with other Asian regions striving to become prominent centers of crypto activity.The amendment, influenced by the Japan Cryptoasset Business Association’s (JCBA) call for tax reform, is anticipated to stimulate the growth of local startup businesses utilizing blockchain technology and attract international projects to the Japanese market.The proposal is set to be presented at the regular session of the National Diet (Japan’s national legislature) in January of the upcoming year, where it will require approval from both the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors.Notably, the Fiscal Year 2024 Tax Reform Outline encompasses a broader spectrum of economic policies, including a plan to reduce income tax and resident tax by 40,000 yen per person from June 2024 onwards.News of the crypto tax reform has been well-received by most industry commentators and market participants. Daiki Moriyama, Director of Singapore-based gaming blockchain project Oasys, reacted positively to the development. He told The Block:“The fact that the Japanese government has demonstrated its willingness to grow Web3 business by enacting tax reform for the second year in a row is extremely important to all Web3 business stakeholders around the world.”