Foblgate Strengthens Anti-Cybercrime Measures with Chainalysis Solutions

Sejong Telecom and Hyosung TNS to Collaborate on Real Estate Security TokensSejong Telecom said Tuesday that it has signed a business deal with Hyosung TNS, the infrastructure and finance arm of South Korean conglomerate Hyosung Group, to boost the profitability of its real estate investment service BBRIC and collaborate in security token offering (STO) services.Photo by Tierra Mallorca on UnsplashIntegrated servicesUnder the deal, Sejong Telecom will integrate the BBRIC platform into NFTtown — Hyosung TNS’ portal service dedicated to providing information, news, and educational content on non-fungible tokens (NFTs). BBRIC aims to expand its user base and modes of marketing by promoting its investment products, events, and services within NFTtown’s fractional real estate investment channel.Furthermore, users can conduct their transactions in a secure and convenient manner through BBRIC without paying intermediary fees. This promotion strategy is expected to ultimately increase profitability, BBRIC said.“Through this deal, we will create an ecosystem where anyone can readily find and compare information on fractional investments and invest accordingly,” said Park Hyo-jin, Head of Sejong Telecom’s blockchain division. “BBRIC will diversify its promotional and sales channels to create real estate financial investment products that are not only stable and reliable but also accessible to a wide range of customers.”Hyosung TNS’ venturesHyosung TNS is a leading player in the automated teller machine (ATM) market both in Korea and overseas. It operates in 46 countries, supplying a variety of financial automation solutions. NFTtown is part of the company’s blockchain endeavors, through which it plans to provide information about various security tokens, including real estate.

Bitcoin is facing growing uncertainty as it trades near $90,000, down nearly 30% from its October peak of $126,000. While the cryptocurrency remains under pressure, investors are increasingly focused on Tokyo, where a potential change in monetary policy could tighten global liquidity. According to CoinDesk, which cited a report from Nikkei, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is expected to raise its policy rate by 25 basis points to 0.75%, a move that would push borrowing costs to their highest level in nearly three decades. Historically, a stronger yen has often been associated with weaker Bitcoin performance amid tighter global liquidity.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashYen carry trade in focusThe report suggested that higher rates could unwind the yen carry trade, a strategy in which investors borrow cheap yen to fund positions in higher-yielding assets such as stocks and U.S. Treasuries. A similar dynamic played out following the Japanese central bank’s July hike, which precipitated a market-wide selloff that dragged Bitcoin from roughly $65,000 down to $50,000. However, CoinDesk noted that a recurrence of such volatility cannot be assumed. It added that speculative positioning is already skewed toward yen strength, while steadily rising Japanese bond yields suggest monetary policy is adjusting to prevailing market realities. Institutional skepticism toward BitcoinBeyond the macroeconomic landscape, fundamental skepticism remains entrenched among traditional finance heavyweights. John Ameriks, Vanguard’s global head of quantitative equity, said at Bloomberg’s ETFs in Depth conference that the asset behaves more like a speculative digital collectible, comparable to a Labubu toy, than a conventional investment, citing its lack of income generation, compounding, and cash-flow characteristics. Ameriks’ comments follow Vanguard’s move earlier this month to permit trading of select third-party crypto ETFs. He said the decision was based in part on the funds’ ability to establish a track record since their January 2024 launch. While acknowledging that Bitcoin could theoretically offer value during periods of high inflation or political instability, he maintained that its history remains too short to draw conclusions. Bullish case for BitcoinA contrasting view was offered by Katherine Dowling, president of the Bitcoin Standard Treasury Company. Speaking with DL News, Dowling projected that Bitcoin would surge to $150,000 by the end of 2026. She pinned this bullish outlook on favorable U.S. regulatory shifts, increased liquidity from Federal Reserve rate cuts, and sustained institutional adoption via ETFs.The perceived influence of institutional flows was also underscored by a recent weekly survey of 2,000 South Korean investors conducted by CoinNess and Cratos. The data showed that 42.3% of respondents view flows into and out of spot Bitcoin ETFs as the primary price driver. Monetary policies in major economies like the U.S. and Japan ranked second at 26.7%, while 16.3% pointed to shifts in equity markets. Another 11.5% attributed price action to the halving cycle, and 3.4% said they could identify no specific catalyst.

Parachain Fork Sees Transition to Enjin BlockchainEnjin, a Singapore-headquartered non-fungible token (NFT) platform, has announced its transition to a new mainnet named Enjin Blockchain, with the goal of further advancing Web3 adoption. As part of this transition, Enjin has forked its Polkadot parachain, Efinity, to the new blockchain.The project made the announcement via a blog post published to its website on Thursday.Photo by Shubham Dhage on UnsplashIntegrated functionalityAccording to the team at Enjin, the Enjin Blockchain distinguishes itself from other blockchain solutions by integrating functions such as NFT creation and transfer directly into the foundational code of the blockchain, eliminating the reliance on smart contracts. This integration aims to streamline and simplify the process of creating and transferring NFTs.In addition to this fundamental change, the Enjin Blockchain introduces several new features. One notable feature is “Fuel Tanks,” which enables developers to subsidize user transaction fees, making it more cost-effective for users to interact with the blockchain. Another feature is “Discrete Accounts,” which allows users to engage with blockchain-based projects without the need to download specific wallet software.Fork to Efinity MatrixchainAlongside the transition to the Enjin Blockchain, the team has also forked Efinity, the Polkadot parachain, to the new mainnet. This rebranded version will be known as the Efinity Matrixchain and will facilitate a smooth transition for existing users.Witek Radomski, the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Enjin, emphasized that the launch of the Enjin Blockchain aims to support creativity by making the creation and distribution of NFTs more accessible and affordable. Radomski stated: “Enjin Blockchain makes the creation and mass distribution of NFTs affordable and accessible to everyone. Our aim is nothing short of revolutionizing gaming, ownership, and online identity.”Enjin’s chief financial officer, Oscar Franklin Tan, expressed his belief that NFTs and digital ownership will be pivotal in the future of gaming, particularly with advancements in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Tan emphasized Enjin’s commitment to supporting this next wave of gaming and the resulting “explosion of content.”Enjin believes that it sets itself apart from the competition due to the fact that it’s built on top of the open-source Substrate framework, a mechanism that facilitates the development of customized blockchains that may be run on an entirely autonomous basis.Using this unique approach, Enjin Blockchain doesn’t depend upon the use of smart contracts. Instead, critical functions such as creating, using, and transferring NFTs are integrated directly into the core, foundational blockchain code.NFT lending stabilityIn related news, the stability of NFT lending has been aided by the use of blue-chip collateral. Paraspace, an NFT protocol, recently reported that despite facilitating NFT loans totaling over $280 million, it experienced no bad debt and only 16 NFT liquidations. This success can be attributed to the protocol’s requirement that only blue-chip NFTs can be used as collateral, ensuring the value and stability of the assets involved.As Enjin embraces its new mainnet and the Efinity Matrixchain, the platform positions itself as a key player in the evolving NFT and blockchain landscape. With a focus on accessibility, affordability, and the support of creative endeavors, Enjin aims to drive innovation in gaming, ownership, and online identity.