Korean banks to bolster AML measures for cryptocurrency exchanges

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), the operator of the Hong Kong stock exchange, has announced plans to launch a digital asset price index. The index which the company is marketing as the HKEX Virtual Asset Index Series, will aim to provide for the developing asset class, while complimenting Hong Kong’s overarching efforts to transform itself into a regional digital assets hub. The company announced details of the new product offering in a press release published to its website on Oct. 28. HKEX indicated that the product will go live on Nov. 15, outlining that the product “provides investors with transparent and reliable benchmarks for Bitcoin and Ether pricing in the Asian time zone.”Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashReference index for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH)The firm claims that the Index Series will include a Reference Index for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) while providing a Reference Rate for the two leading digital assets. The Reference Index will be formulated using a 24-hour volume-weighted reference spot price, with that pricing coming from leading virtual asset exchanges. The Reference Rate has been devised with the settlement of financial products in mind. As a result, it will be calculated on a daily basis at 16:00 Hong Kong time. From a compliance perspective, the product complies with the European Union’s (EU) Benchmark Regulation (BMR), being the first such product to be developed in Hong Kong. Additionally, the Index Series will be administered by CCData, a UK-headquartered data and index solutions firm formerly known as CryptoCompare.  Taking to the X social media platform, CCData outlined that the product is underpinned by its data selection process, leveraging its “Exchange Benchmark methodology to provide highly robust real-time and EOD  [end-of-day] reference rates.” The firm added that the offering will introduce “essential benchmarks for the Asian market,” while enhancing transparency and reliability within the digital assets sector, broadening opportunities for market participants across the region. Enabling informed investment decisionsHKEX CEO Bonnie Chan said that the company was pleased to introduce the HKEX Virtual Asset Index Series to meet the region's growing demand for this fast-emerging asset class. “By offering transparent and reliable real-time benchmarks, we seek to enable investors to make informed investment decisions,” she added.Like many other financial services firms in TradFi, HKEX has been getting itself acquainted with the blockchain and digital assets sector. In October of last year, the firm launched a blockchain-based settlement platform called Synapse. The platform relies upon DAML-based smart contracts. Earlier this year, a number of asset management firms launched spot Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the exchange. In April, a report published by HKEX suggested that the true potential of crypto ETFs had yet to be fully realized, pointing out that a number of regulatory tweaks would be necessary to better support digital asset-based products. HKEX itself could have a greater role to play in the expansion of the digital assets sector in Hong Kong. Last month Hong Kong Legislative Council member Lee Wai-hung called on the platform to expand its range of derivatives, including crypto derivatives.

Japanese Crypto Firm Pafin to Introduce DeFi Asset Management PlatformA Japanese company specializing in cryptocurrency services is preparing to launch a DeFi asset management platform.Photo by Shubham Dhage on UnsplashDeFi asset managementPafin, the company behind Cryptact, a service that automates cryptocurrency profit and loss (P&L) calculations, is set to introduce Defitact on June 5. Defitact is a platform designed to consolidate transactions involving decentralized finance (DeFi) assets and NFTs, complemented by illustrative charts. Pafin claims that it is the first provider of crypto P&L calculations to offer blockchain asset management in the Japanese language.The company envisions a broad array of services through Cryptact, from asset management to P&L calculations, to support all Web3 activities in today’s digital landscape.Beta test for subscribersStarting from May 29, Pafin will roll out a beta test for Defitact, exclusive to Cryptact newsletter subscribers. Subscribers will be able to access the service by entering their wallet addresses in the URL provided with the newsletter, which will be sent on the beta test launch date. The newsletter will be sent to those who sign up by May 28, and registration for a Cryptact account is free.This service emerges amidst the growing prominence of Web3, with DeFi — a financial service leveraging blockchain technology — standing out as one of its most rapidly evolving sectors. As of the close of 2021, the DeFi market had a near $100 billion valuation, according to a report by the Japan Research Institute.The nature of DeFi, lacking a centralized administrator, places the onus of crypto wallet management on individuals. The Defitact service seeks to resolve the inconvenience of monitoring and managing real-time transactions on DeFi platforms, typically operating outside crypto exchanges.Available in Japanese and EnglishAs a free, bilingual (Japanese and English) service, Defitact provides a transaction history and displays crypto market capitalization in three fiat currencies: the Japanese yen, the US dollar, and the euro.Pafin’s future plans include integrating Defitact with Cryptact, adding an NFT management service, and enabling the aggregation of multiple wallets for efficient digital asset portfolio management.

XPLA and PERPLAY join forces to bolster rewarding mechanism to Web3 gamesSouth Korean gaming corporation Com2uS Group’s layer 1 blockchain XPLA has entered a business agreement with the mobile Game and Earn (G&E) platform PERPLAY to boost the sustainability of its ecosystem and take Web3 gaming to new heights, according to an official announcement on Thursday (KST).Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on UnsplashXPLA’s vision“XPLA is a project working towards promoting new levels of fun in Web3 gaming and building an ecosystem based on a fair system of sharing rewards with users,” said Paul Kim, Team Leader at XPLA. “Through this partnership with PERPLAY, we are one step closer to fulfilling our Web3 philosophy, which is centered around the participants in our ecosystem.”Rewards for everyoneThe PERPLAY app runs on a Proof of Play (POP) algorithm that employs a rewarding mechanism that distributes tokens to users based on their game playtime and collection of tiered NFTs. PERPLAY users can earn $XPER and $PER token rewards by playing any mobile game — existing or newly downloaded — that they have registered in the PERPLAY app.XPLA hopes to integrate this algorithm into its ecosystem to add a rewarding layer to various games on its mainnet, offering a unique and elevated gaming experience. The first of these games will be Com2uS Holdings’ popular mobile role-playing game (RPG) The Walking Dead: All-Stars.“We see this partnership with XPLA as an opportunity to further strengthen the PERPLAY user ecosystem,” said Lim Jae-chung, CEO of PERPLAY. “Starting with The Walking Dead: All-Stars, we will bring the PERPLAY experience to various Web3 games on XPLA.”In a related development, XPLA has partnered with Google Cloud, which will serve as a Volunteer Validator for its blockchain protocol. The collaboration with the cloud computing platform is expected to enhance the integrity of the XPLA network.