Japanese Financial Giant SBI Extends Use of Ripple’s Remittance Tech

Yes24 Teams Up with KPC to Establish Digital Content Distribution EcosystemSouth Korean culture and arts content platform Yes24 announced on Thursday that it has signed a business agreement with digital content aggregator Korea Publishing Contents (KPC) to build a digital content distribution ecosystem based on blockchain technology to protect the rights of copyright holders and users alike.Photo by Hal Gatewood on UnsplashYes24 CEO Choi Sera and KPC CEO Lee Joong-ho attended the signing ceremony for the agreement last Tuesday.Collaboration on multiple frontsUnder the new partnership, both parties plan to explore various business models and collaborate on marketing efforts to establish and operate the digital content ecosystem. They also intend to cooperate by leveraging their human resources, technological capabilities, and market networks.“We will do our best to create a secure and fair digital content distribution environment that both protects and grants more rights to copyright holders and users,” Yes24 said in a statement, adding that it would also strive to contribute to the acceleration of the digital content market.Fueling creativity and content consumptionAs a major online book retailer, Yes24 provides a range of services, which include selling books as well as tickets for various concerts and events. KPC is a joint venture established by 65 Korean publishers with the collective aim of discovering sustainable growth drivers for the publishing industry. Currently, the company distributes over 1,000 e-books and audiobooks from various publishers to local and international e-book stores and libraries.

BitMEX Co-Founder Forecasts $750K to $1 Million Bitcoin Price by 2026In a recent interview with YouTuber Tom Bilyeu, Arthur Hayes, Co-Founder of the Seychelles-registered cryptocurrency exchange and derivative trading platform BitMEX, has expressed his bullish outlook on Bitcoin’s future price, projecting a valuation of $750,000 to $1 million for the leading cryptocurrency by the year 2026.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashFinite supply to drive price dynamicHayes’ optimism is rooted in several factors that he believes will shape the next Bitcoin cycle. One of the key factors driving Hayes’ projection is Bitcoin’s limited supply. With a maximum cap of 21 million coins, Bitcoin’s scarcity is expected to propel the unit price of the asset in tandem with growing demand as more investors seek to secure a piece of this finite resource.The idea that Bitcoin’s scarcity will drive its value higher has been a fundamental tenet of the cryptocurrency since its inception. In 2010 the leading cryptocurrency’s pseudonymous Founder stated: “When someone tries to buy all the world’s supply of a scarce asset, the more they buy the higher the price goes.”ETF potentialHayes also highlighted the potential for Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to become available in major regulated markets. The introduction of Bitcoin ETFs could attract institutional investors and provide a more accessible way for the broader public to invest in Bitcoin, further boosting its demand.However, Hayes also speculates about the risks associated with a Bitcoin ETF. He stated: “Are we inviting in something that’s going to fundamentally change what Bitcoin is?”Geopolitical factorsGeopolitical uncertainty plays a significant role in Hayes’ forecast also. As global economic and political instability persists, investors may turn to Bitcoin and other alternative assets as hedges against traditional financial instruments.However, it’s important to note that Hayes contextualized his Bitcoin price prediction within a larger bullish macroeconomic environment. From his perspective the surge in asset prices will not be limited to cryptocurrencies alone. He anticipates a substantial boom in financial markets, with not only Bitcoin but also traditional assets like stocks experiencing substantial price growth.Hayes stated: “I think it will be the biggest boom in financial markets we have ever seen in human history. Bitcoin will have a ridiculous price, Nasdaq will have a ridiculous price, S&P will have a ridiculous price.”Known for his thoughtful and insightful writings on the subject area, Hayes wrote in July that he believes that Bitcoin will be the currency of choice when it comes to the growing need for artificial intelligence (AI) to work directly with a means of payment.$1 million BTC by 2026While Hayes’ projection of a $1 million Bitcoin price by 2026 may seem ambitious, his short-term predictions are more moderate. He foresees Bitcoin trading in the $30,000 range for the current year. Building upon that thesis, he maintains that the possibility exists of it reaching $70,000 by 2024.This aligns with the views of other industry analysts who anticipate challenges and headwinds in the near term. There’s little doubt that recent platform failures and speculation with regard to the health of other leading crypto platforms have been retarding market performance more recently.While the road ahead may hold fluctuations and challenges, many experts believe that Bitcoin’s long-term trajectory remains promising, driven by its unique attributes and the changing dynamics of global finance.

South Korea’s Financial Services Commission (FSC) is set to exclude stablecoins from the list of digital assets corporations will be permitted to trade under forthcoming corporate crypto trading guidelines, according to a report by Herald Business.Photo by DrawKit Illustrations on UnsplashThe guidelines will outline the conditions under which listed companies and registered professional investment firms can buy and sell digital assets for investment or treasury management purposes. As regulators move to prevent speculative or indiscriminate investment in the early stages of opening the market to corporations, they have opted to limit the scope of permitted assets. Consequently, U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoins such as USDT and USDC are expected to be excluded from the approved list. Authorities plan to release the trading guidelines after the Digital Asset Basic Act is finalized. This move partly reflects regulatory constraints: stablecoins are not currently classified as cross-border payment instruments under South Korea’s Foreign Exchange Transactions Act. The law requires payments and receipts involving such instruments to be processed through authorized foreign exchange banks, leaving stablecoins outside the regulated framework. Companies seek stablecoins for FX hedgingThis exclusion, however, does not entirely prevent companies from trading stablecoins. Firms can still access them through overseas channels, including external wallets like MetaMask or over-the-counter platforms operated by exchanges such as Coinbase. Currently, South Korean companies cannot open corporate crypto accounts domestically, making it difficult to use digital assets for formal trade settlement. Nevertheless, payments in stablecoins are sometimes still handled through individual or offshore accounts. Given these workarounds, some listed companies with large international trade exposure have petitioned regulators to allow stablecoins under the proposed corporate investment guidelines, according to people familiar with the matter. Advocates argue that stablecoins like USDC can be easily traded on exchanges and track the U.S. dollar in real time, making them a highly effective tool for managing foreign-exchange risk. As the industry awaits this regulatory clarity, the impact is already rippling into the traditional financial sector. Kbank—the banking partner of Upbit, Korea’s largest crypto exchange—recently debuted on the KOSPI benchmark index after two previously failed attempts to go public. According to Bridgenews, Korea Investment & Securities initiated coverage on March 6 with a “neutral” rating, noting that regulatory uncertainty and rising lending competition could limit the bank's near-term growth. However, the brokerage added that the lender’s valuation could improve if it successfully expands its crypto business alongside clearer regulations. Baek Doo-san, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities, noted that Kbank’s valuation could see re-ratings if the Digital Asset Basic Act and policies promoting the stablecoin industry are implemented quickly. He said that despite potential overhang risks, faster policy progress could drive multiple expansion, adding that the bank could then be valued in line with its peers’ price-to-book ratios. Survey shows persistent market fearThese shifting regulatory sands come at a time when the broader crypto market remains under pressure. According to a weekly survey of South Korean investors conducted by CoinNess and Cratos last week, 24% of respondents expect Bitcoin to rise or surge this week, up from 10.3% in the previous survey. Another 28.1% expect the market to move sideways, compared with 25.5% a week earlier, while 47.9% predict a decline or sharp drop, down from 64.2%. Although bullish sentiment has ticked upward from the previous week, bearish expectations still dominate the overall landscape. When asked about broader market sentiment, 43.4% of respondents said they felt fearful or extremely fearful. About 35.4% described sentiment as neutral, and only 21.2% reported feeling optimistic or extremely optimistic. With safe-haven markets facing renewed uncertainty amid geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran, the survey also explored how a potential correction in South Korea’s stock market might affect cryptocurrencies. The largest share of respondents, 39.7%, believed it would be negative for crypto. Meanwhile, 23.6% said it would benefit Bitcoin exclusively, 23.4% felt it would be positive for the broader crypto market, and 13.3% expected it to have no impact.