Hong Kong Bank to Act as Settlement Bank for Crypto Firms

QCP Capital: Bitcoin Has $34K Price PotentialBitcoin’s potential for a significant price rally toward $34,000 has been discussed recently by analysts at QCP Capital, the Singapore-headquartered crypto asset trading firm. Despite Bitcoin’s recent lack of major volatility catalysts, QCP’s analysis suggests that a classic support rebound might trigger the return of the highest Bitcoin prices in over a year.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashCrucial price action time-frameAccording to QCP Capital’s latest market update on Tuesday, the upcoming weeks are poised to be crucial for Bitcoin’s price action. The cryptocurrency has been range-bound for months, leaving market observers speculating about the emergence of a new market trend.QCP Capital highlights September as a pivotal month due to the completion of a rising wedge pattern that started during the end of the 2022 bear market. This pattern has guided Bitcoin’s price movement, with the wedge reaching its first termination point at the beginning of September. The specific level of interest is $29,300, which aligns with the current focal point of the Bitcoin spot price.Rally potentialThe analysis ponders whether there will be a sharp rally that pushes the price to the $34,000 resistance level. This scenario has occurred three times this year, as the price kissed the support trendline. The report acknowledges that it might take a few more quiet weeks before the outcome becomes clear. The analysts expressed their intention to buy back their end of September short calls and anticipate going long on end of December volatility in due course.QCP Capital’s perspective aligns with other optimistic views on Bitcoin’s short-term price strength. Some projections even suggest that the 2023 Bitcoin bull market might return by October, although the market sentiment is varied, with some cautioning about the possibility of new lows before a broader recovery.Macroeconomic trendsTurning to macroeconomic trends, QCP Capital indicates that significant change is not on the immediate horizon, echoing the status quo in the crypto space. Comparing the current situation to the compressed trading environment of the crypto winter in 2018 and 2019, the analysis suggests that a macroeconomic shift would be required to reinvigorate the market, similar to what has happened in the past.Bitcoin’s volatility has reached historic lows, as illustrated by data just published by on-chain market intelligence firm, Glassnode. While a game-changing macro environment shift isn’t imminent, there are short-term catalysts on the crypto calendar for the upcoming months.These include events like Mt. Gox creditor payouts, the GBTC vs. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) lawsuit, potential SEC decisions on Blackrock/Fidelity’s Bitcoin spot ETF applications, and potential news related to centralized crypto exchanges and stablecoins.The September deadline for comments on the initial Bitcoin spot price exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications is particularly noteworthy, as it’s widely seen as a turning point for the industry. Europe’s first Bitcoin spot ETF, which began trading on Tuesday, is being custodied by Fidelity Investments, marking another step in the maturation of the cryptocurrency market.

Korea’s FSC Embarks on Developing Regulatory Framework for VASPsThe South Korean Financial Services Commission (FSC) has taken a step towards the development of a virtual asset regulation system by seeking external parties to undertake a research project in this area, according to local news agency News1.Photo by Joshua Miranda on PexelsSecond phaseEarlier this month, the National Assembly passed the Virtual Asset User Protection Bill, aimed at protecting investors and preventing unfair trading practices. This legislative accomplishment, scheduled to go effective in July next year, is referred to as the “first phase” of virtual asset regulations. Building upon this foundation, the FSC has now shifted its focus to the “second phase,” which involves the regulation of virtual asset service providers (VASPs).Regulating VASP operationsOne primary concern regarding VASPs is the potential for conflicts of interest arising from their involvement in the issuance and distribution of virtual assets. In response, the FSC is determined to design a regulatory framework that covers a wide range of virtual assets, including stablecoins, security tokens, and utility tokens.In addition to this, the FSC intends to establish a system that governs advisory and disclosure businesses, which will play a crucial role in disseminating information about asset prices and disclosures.Moreover, the regulatory system will include guidelines for holding parties accountable in case of incidents and for overseeing the operations of VASPs to maintain a safe and fair market environment.The FSC acknowledges the significance of aligning policies with international standards. To achieve this, the commission will conduct an examination of virtual asset regulatory approaches taken by different countries and international organizations. Through this study, the FSC aims to integrate global best practices and approaches into Korea’s own regulatory framework for virtual assets.Once the study is complete, the FSC has to report the result to the National Policy Committee of the National Assembly by July 2024 before the Virtual Asset User Protection Bill goes into effect.

Korean Metaverse Platforms Face Uncertain Future Amidst Mounting ChallengesSeveral Korean metaverse platforms, which had promised to usher in a new world bridging online and offline experiences, have found themselves in premature jeopardy, according to industry observations. Various companies that had earmarked metaverse platforms as their future growth driver failed to establish an effective revenue structure to bring this to fruition, leading to speculation that there are limits to successfully developing this branch of business.Photo by GuerrillaBuzz on UnsplashDwindling popularityMetaverse platforms first garnered significant attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, but interest has waned since then — in Google Trends, the keyword “metaverse” has been showing a clear decline since reaching its peak in November of 2021.The actual usage rates of such platforms have also been low. According to the Korea Information Society Development Institute, last year’s usage rate was a mere 4.2%, and some local government-funded platforms had only about 200 daily visitors despite considerable budget sizes.As a result, companies struggling with financial difficulties have opted to downsize their operations, strategizing for mid- to long-term approaches to improving efficiency until an era of metaverse popularization arrives.Roadblocks for small and large companies alikeAccording to industry sources on Friday, platforms like Cytown, developed by social networking space Cyworld, have shut down after just a year, while Kakao Games’ collaborative metaverse venture Colorverse and Com2us Group’s Com2Verse have entered into restructuring phases.Com2verse’s decision comes just two months after the official release of its all-in-one metaverse platform. The company plans to provide three months’ salary to those applying for voluntary resignation and prioritize hiring new faces when expanding the workforce in the future. The scale of voluntary resignation has not been disclosed.The restructuring process will affect all employees except those involved in core functions such as development and services. Employees opting for voluntary resignation will also have the option to transfer to other subsidiaries under Com2us Group.Founded in April of last year, Com2Verse recorded an operating loss of KRW 8.3 billion (approximately $6.2 million) in the first half of this year. Its parent company, Com2us, also recorded consecutive deficits, starting with an operating loss of KRW 19.4 billion in last year’s fourth quarter, followed by losses of KRW 14.8 billion and KRW 5.6 billion in this year’s first and second quarters, respectively. Despite maintaining a stable revenue in its game business, the company faced challenges due to the poor performance of its subsidiary companies and the mounting labor costs needed for accelerating new business endeavors.Com2us has thus determined that it would be difficult to boost revenue and improve cost structure in the short term. Hence, the company chose to restructure its organization while retaining key personnel working under the Convention Center, an event platform on Com2Verse, which is expected to drive the business forward.Com2us emphasized that its commitment to the metaverse market remains unchanged, stating, “Given the current situation of local and international metaverse industries, we believe that significant time and investment will always be necessary. Therefore, we have decided that choosing our priorities and focusing on them is the best way to respond to long-term market changes.”Similarly, Kakao Entertainment had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last year with Neptune, a game developer in which Kakao Games owns a 35% share, and Colorverse, a metaverse company in which Neptune owns a 44% share, to jointly work on an open three-dimensional metaverse platform also called Colorverse. However, Colorverse has also undergone restructuring since earlier this year to reduce its workforce after it posted an operating loss of KRW 11.5 billion last year.Industry analysts have attributed Colorverse’s business slump to the departure of Namkoong Whon, the former CEO who had pinned his hopes on a metaverse as one of the conglomerate’s promising enterprises.Korean game developer NCSOFT had also said that it is building its own metaverse platform dubbed “Miniverse,” which allows various types of online gatherings from community meetups and study groups to remote classes and work. The company had even conducted a welcome presentation for new employees through Miniverse, but news regarding the project has been scant since then.As these major corporations have been struggling to overcome such hurdles, smaller startups have undoubtedly been facing increasingly dire circumstances as well, with some even resorting to unexpected suspensions of service operations without prior notice. Others have promoted themselves as metaverse platforms and issued virtual assets that can be used within the virtual world, but in many cases, these assets have proven to be of little benefit or use.“A revenue structure that can generate income from metaverse platforms has not yet been established. With the gradual decline in remote education, meetings, and telecommuting after the easing of the pandemic, the value of metaverse platforms has also decreased. Also, factors like increased information technology (IT) labor costs and the overall state of the global economy are influencing business momentum,” an industry insider commented.