Report: Vietnamese Crypto Investors Rely Heavily on Referrals

Korean Ministry of Government Legislation Holds Lecture on Generative AI and BlockchainThe Korean Ministry of Government Legislation said it held a lecture on generative artificial intelligence and blockchain in light of the global rise of advanced technologies on Thursday as a means of educating and enhancing the digital capabilities of its employees.The legal environment is expected to undergo rapid and substantial changes in tandem with the fast-paced advancement of technological innovation. In response, the Ministry is conducting a three-part series of special lectures on the expected demands of legislation in the future to help its employees prepare accordingly.This lecture was the second installment in the series, titled “Essential Survival Strategies in the Era of Generative AI.”It was planned as per Minister Lee Wan-kyu’s special orders to educate Ministry employees on the promotion and regulation of new technologies such as generative AI and blockchain, which have been gaining traction as key topics in recent legislative discussions.Photo by RUT MIIT by UnsplashA future led by blockchainThe first lecture, held on July 20, was led by Professor Park Seong-jun, Head of the Blockchain Research Center at Dongguk University in Seoul. During the session, he discussed how blockchain technology would impact South Korean society in the future and shared his insights into the trajectory of related legislation.Living with generative AIThe most recent second lecture featured Chief Judge Kang Min-gu of the Seoul High Court, who delved into the kind of mindset that public officials should adopt in the era of generative AI. He emphasized the need to strike a balance between digital and analog expertise and highlighted the importance of reassessing our attitude towards innovative technology while still valuing the essential principles for our way of life.Managing money launderingThe upcoming final lecture, scheduled for next month, will be given by Park Jeong-hoon, the former Head of the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit, regarding the topic of virtual assets and anti-money laundering. Given the existing concerns about the potential for virtual assets to facilitate money laundering due to their key characteristics such as anonymity and decentralization, this lecture aims to underscore the significance of instituting regulatory measures for preventing money laundering related to virtual assets.“Our laws must evolve to reflect the times that we are living in. Our society is currently experiencing rapid digital innovation — through the enhancement of the digital capabilities of our Ministry employees, I hope that legal administration can undergo innovation as well,” said Minister Lee, who also attended the lectures.“In the future, we will continue to expand capacity-building education opportunities for Ministry employees, enabling them to facilitate legislation that is demanded by modern times.”

AEON, a modular payment protocol that aims to standardize and unify crypto payments, has launched a QR code payment system on the BNB Chain, with a view towards expanding crypto payments in Southeast Asia. The project clarified in a press release published on Nov. 11 that its BNB-based QR code payment system has been established in collaboration with Terminus, a payment association project that bridges crypto and real-world transactions through banks, e-wallets and fiat settlement networks. The new service means that merchants can now access AEON’s payment system without having to acquire additional hardware, while crypto payments are settled in fiat currency. AEON believes that the new offering provides greater convenience for users and merchants, while also supporting the BNB Chain ecosystem through the promotion of a seamless payment experience at offline locations throughout the Southeast Asian region.Lara Jameson on PexelsIntegrating with Asian payment networksUsers can now rely on assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Tether (USDT), USD Coin (USDC) and Binance Coin (BNB) as a source of funds for payments, which can be made in-store by scanning a QR code via a network of merchants throughout Southeast Asia. Once a transaction is confirmed, funds are converted to fiat currency in real time. The offering minimizes friction for the merchant, making it easy for them to accept crypto as a means of payment. This scan-to-pay feature has now been integrated with national payment networks like VietQR, a money transfer service in Vietnam that enables customers to scan and pay across the mobile apps of the Southeast Asian nation’s banks. Similarly, AEON has integrated with another such service in Thailand known as ThaiQR, which is supported by a number of leading Thai banks.  Connecting Web2 with Web3In an article posted to X last month, Terminus outlined that acting as a “payment association” isn’t just a label but an attempt by the company to take an approach that seeks to connect Web2 with Web3 in a manner previously thought impossible. It believes that it is creating a powerful ecosystem by taking disparate payments providers and joining them together via a cohesive payments association. In bridging Web2 and Web3 Terminus says that it is laying “the groundwork for a future where payments are not only efficient but universally accessible.” Network integrations seem to be key where crypto payment solutions providers are concerned. With that, AEON has been active in bringing about other such integrations beyond this collaboration with Terminus. In September, it entered into a partnership with Singapore’s Alchemy Pay, a crypto-to-fiat payment gateway, with a view towards combining Alchemy’s expertise in payments with AEON’s payments infrastructure and protocol. In October AEON integrated with the TRON layer-1 blockchain network. The collaboration means that decentralized applications within the TRON ecosystem can accept crypto payments over AEON’s payments infrastructure.

Korean Crypto Exchange Operator Airdrops NFTs to Raise Biodiversity AwarenessDunamu, the operator of Upbit, one of South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, made an announcement on Thursday regarding its initiative to raise awareness about biodiversity threatened by climate change. In collaboration with four organizations affiliated with the Ministry of Environment, Dunamu plans to transform Climate-Sensitive Biological Indicator Species (CBIS) into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), as reported by news media Daily Hankook.Photo by Alin Andersen on UnsplashAffected biological speciesCBIS encompasses biological species that have experienced significant changes in their seasonal activities, distribution areas, and population sizes due to climate change. These species require ongoing research and management by the government. The National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) of the Ministry of Environment compiled a list of 100 such species in July 2010. This list was created to facilitate the efficient monitoring of climate change’s impact on the distribution and vulnerability of biological species on the Korean Peninsula.The initiative is part of the Resource Circulation Climate Action Campaign organized by Dunamu with four environment agencies, namely the NIBR, the Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (NNIBR), the Honam National Institute of Biological Resources (HNIBR), and the National Institute of Ecology (NIE). Its key objective is to protect the habitats of plants and animals while raising awareness about biodiversity conservation.Species vanishing every 15 minutesWith climate change causing the extinction of one species every 15 minutes, the project aims to raise awareness about this distressing trend. In pursuit of this goal, 15 NFT editions will be distributed through four separate events over the course of a year, commencing on May 19. The participating artists include Jjawook, an artist with developmental disabilities; Jin Kwan-woo, an artist renowned for depicting endangered species using the Korean alphabet Hangul; and members of the Botanical Artists Society of Korea.NFT release planThe initial set of NFTs to be airdropped includes three species: the warbling white-eye, the common camellia, and the house holly-fern. These species have historically inhabited coastal regions of islands. However, as a result of climate change, their distribution and habitat have been shifting towards inland or northern areas.To obtain CBIS NFTs, individuals can visit Dunamu’s metaverse platform 2ndblock. Once there, they will have the opportunity to engage in a resource collection mission. Upon successfully completing the mission, users will receive an NFT gift code. To claim their NFTs, they need to register the provided NFT gift code on the Upbit NFT marketplace.Dunamu CEO Lee Sirgoo expressed his hope that the project would have a positive impact on raising awareness about biodiversity conservation on the Korean Peninsula, which is under threat from climate change. He stated that Dunamu intends to continue utilizing its technology and expertise in diverse ways to contribute to a sustainable future and environment.HNIBR Director Ryu Tae-chul believes that the campaign will encourage recycling in communities to reduce carbon emissions and serve as an inspiration for individuals to actively engage in initiatives that promote a sustainable and biologically diverse planet.