Tiger Brokers brings online crypto trading to Hong Kong

Japan Tops Crypto Losses to North Korean HackersHackers affiliated with the North Korean regime have been responsible for the theft of $721 million in digital assets from Japan.That’s the finding of a recent report by UK-based crypto compliance analysis firm Elliptic. Elliptic had produced the report on behalf of Japanese news media group, Nikkei. It leaves Japan at the top of the table when considering the distribution of digital asset losses suffered due to North Korean hackers on a country by country basis.Photo by FLY:D on UnsplashIncreasing lossesElliptic has the wherewithal to track and identify blockchain-based transfers. As part of its analysis, it grouped by region and by country those businesses that it identified as having cryptocurrency holdings that later were transferred to digital wallets held by the Lazarus Group, the most notorious hacker group connected with the North Korean government. It’s the first such analysis to break down crypto-related hacking losses on a country by country basis.The study included a consideration of both hacking and ransomware attacks. The loss associated with Japanese-based entities represents in excess of 30% of the global recorded loss. This latest analysis follows a recent report submitted to the United Nations which found that North Korea stole more digital assets in 2022 than any other year. That report had been submitted to the 15 members of a North Korea sanctions committee, finding that between $630 million and $1 billion worth of digital assets had been stolen.Lax securityElliptic’s analysis and subsequent report point to lax security being employed within Vietnamese and Japanese cryptocurrency marketplaces. Nikkei referred to an unnamed source who asserts that at least three Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges had been compromised by hackers between 2018 and 2021.One of those instances involved Zaif, a company that lost $51.4 million in 2018 and subsequently shut down operations. Overall, Elliptic estimates a global loss of $2.3 billion to hackers between 2017 and 2022 in digital assets, as suffered by crypto firms. It also estimates such losses suffered in the United States at $497 million, while Hong Kong-based losses have been calculated at $281 million.International responseIn April, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) within the Department of the Treasury in the United States stated that it had sanctioned two Chinese nationals and a Hong Kong British national for allegedly having aided the North Korean government in crypto money laundering activities.On Saturday, a joint statement was issued by the Group of Seven finance ministers and central bank governors, following a meeting in Japan, outlining the “growing threat from illicit activities by state actors.” It’s widely believed that the proceeds of these hacks are contributing towards the funding of North Korea’s missile program and other such activities that threaten stability within the region.The Japan External Trade Organization (JETO) has estimated that the estimated $721 million stolen from Japan amounts to 8.8 times the value of North Korea’s exports in 2021.

Wemade’s NILE Launches NFT Tickets for Game Exhibition G-STAR 2023NFT Is Life Evolution (NILE), a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) and NFT platform built on the WEMIX3.0 network of South Korean blockchain gaming publisher Wemade, is starting the sale of its NFT tickets at noon (local time) on October 25 for the upcoming global game exhibition, G-STAR 2023. The highly-anticipated event is scheduled to take place at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) in the southern port city from November 16 to 19.Photo by Pete Linforth on PixabayNFTs as admission ticketsJointly prepared by Wemade and G-STAR, these NFT tickets are called Real World Event NFTs, functioning as admission tickets and vouchers for special merchandise. One noteworthy feature is that they undergo changes in appearance upon use, a characteristic inherent to dynamic NFTs.The sale of these NFT tickets begins on NILE’s marketplace at noon (local time) on October 25. Those interested can utilize WEMIX dollars (WEMIX$) via the WEMIX Wallet to purchase a daily NFT ticket for their chosen day of attendance at the event.Game enthusiasts will also have the chance to witness Wemade’s latest games at BEXCO. The Korean game company mentioned that it has reserved a significant space at the exhibition hall to showcase two of its newest games: the MMORPG “Legend of YMIR” and the sports game “Fantastic4 Baseball.”WEMIX and Chainalysis partnershipAlong with its gaming and NFT endeavors, Wemade has been taking steps to fortify the security of its ecosystems. On the day of the NFT sale kickoff, the WEMIX Foundation, a subsidiary of Wemade, announced its strategic partnership with Chainalysis, a blockchain data analytics company. This collaboration will bolster the security of storage and transactions of assets within Wemade’s omnichain network. The network is being developed through a project known as “unagi,” which stands for the Unbound Networking and Accelerating Growth Initiative.Established in 2014, Chainalysis has worked with government agencies, cryptocurrency exchanges, financial institutions, insurance companies, and cybersecurity firms in over 70 countries. They offer services to safeguard customers and combat virtual asset-related crimes.Through this partnership, the WEMIX Foundation seeks to operate a comprehensive risk and compliance program via Chainalysis’ data platform. This will help minimize potential risks associated with illicit activities like money laundering while maintaining a smooth user experience.The foundation will also engage with Chainalysis’ Crypto Incident Response service, enabling immediate tracking and recovery of assets if hacked or stolen.Regarding this development, the WEMIX Foundation underlined that its alliance with Chainalysis will enhance the transparency and reliability of both the WEMIX3.0 mainnet and the unagi omnichain ecosystem.

Kazakhstan shuts out 980 non-compliant crypto exchanges in 2023Kazakhstan has implemented stringent measures in 2023 when it comes to regulating the crypto sector, resulting in the closure of 980 crypto exchanges that failed to comply with government regulations.That’s according to a press release published by the Central Asian country’s Financial Monitoring Agency (FMA), the state entity responsible for anti-money laundering (AML) policy. These measures, taken over the course of the year, were highlighted during the 39th Plenary Week of the Eurasian Group (EAG) in the resort city of Sanya, in Hainan province in China.Photo by Kuralbek Djumagaziev on UnsplashCombating money laundering threatsThe seminar served as a platform for participating countries to exchange experiences, with an emphasis on leveraging advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to effectively combat emerging threats related to money laundering and terrorist financing. The Kazakhstani delegation played a leading role in discussions on virtual assets.Ruslan Ostroumov, the Head of Kazakhstan’s Financial Monitoring Agency, showcased the country’s legislative regulations and robust measures to combat the illegal turnover of digital assets. Ostroumov reported the blocking of 980 illegal cryptocurrency exchange platforms in the current year. Additionally, nine investigations into illegal exchange operations, amounting to $36.7 million, have been initiated, accompanied by ongoing preventive measures.Registration process complexityWhile the seminar’s organizers commended Kazakhstan for its proactive stance against financial crimes in the virtual assets space, the country’s crypto laws have added complexity to the registration process for exchanges.In November, the Kazakhstani authorities blocked local access to the Coinbase website due to potential violations of the country’s digital asset legislation. This decision aligned with the law on digital assets, effective since February 2023, which prohibits the issuance and trading of digital currencies and cryptocurrency exchange businesses without proper licensing.While challenges remain for crypto platforms within Kazakhstan, some have been successful in their efforts. In May, crypto derivatives trading platform Bybit was successful in gaining approval to offer its services within the country. Binance followed suit in June, securing preliminary approval. Other platforms such as CaspianEx, Biteeu, ATAIX, Upbit, Xignal and MT have been granted permission to conduct trade in Kazakhstan.In December 2020, Kazakhstan formally legalized cryptocurrency mining, and on May 6, 2021, the National Bank of Kazakhstan announced plans to issue a “digital tenge,” their version of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Various CBDC-related projects have followed. In September, the National Payment Corporation, an entity which will be responsible for CBDC development, was launched. The same month, the National Bank of Kazakhstan entered into a collaboration with financial messaging service SWIFT to work on an interoperable CBDC connector.For the most part, these comprehensive regulations and the issuance of a CBDC signify Kazakhstan’s broader acceptance and adaptation to the cryptocurrency landscape. Authorities internationally are trying to find a balance between adequate regulation and enabling innovation to take place. Kazakhstan is no exception, and with that, there are bound to be challenges as regulatory frameworks are optimized and tweaked along the way.