Ethereum Foundation targets Asian expansion with Bangkok set for Devcon 7

Academia, Industry Collaborate on Crypto Accounting Research in KoreaThe Korean Accounting Association (KAA) and Samil PwC, the South Korean member firm of global accounting company PwC, have joined forces to conduct collaborative research on accounting for cryptocurrency assets, according to a report by local news outlet Maeil Business Newspaper.Photo by Pixabay on PexelsCollaborative effortsUnder this newly formed partnership, the KAA’s crypto asset committee will work closely with Samil PwC to explore a wide range of crypto assets, facilitate the development of financial statements pertaining to these assets for businesses, and implement accounting policies that align with the characteristics of cryptocurrencies.Leading the crypto asset committee is Roh Hee-chun from Soongsil University, while Partner Lee Jae-hyeok from Samil PwC will participate in the study. Until 2028, this collaboration is poised to yield insights and findings on crypto asset accounting.First seminarThe committee is set to hold its first seminar on June 27, serving as a platform for knowledge exchange and fostering deeper understanding among industry professionals. Furthermore, the accountants involved anticipate publishing a paper in an academic journal next year.PwC’s Assurance Leader Oh Kee-won emphasized the accounting firm’s commitment to leveraging its extensive resources in order to produce outcomes that positively impact society.Meanwhile, KAA President-elect Kim Gap-soon highlighted the relative novelty of crypto asset accounting, acknowledging that there is much ground to be covered. The association aims to establish a solid foundation that offers optimal guidance in the field of crypto asset accounting.

The Klaytn Foundation and Finschia Foundation have jointly submitted a governance proposal to launch a new mainnet created by merging their respective blockchain ecosystems. The proposals have been submitted for open discussion, with voting scheduled for Jan. 26 to Feb. 2, according to an official announcement on Wednesday (KST).Photo by Shubham's Web3 on UnsplashThe main objective of this initiative is to create Asia’s largest Web3 ecosystem by combining key features of both blockchains. To do so, the two foundations plan to share their technologies, services and business networks and fortify connections between their partners like their mother companies Kakao and LINE, who have contributed to their development and expansion. “We are excited to be taking the first step toward unlocking the enormous synergy of merging the public blockchains started by Kakao and LINE, which are both leading IT companies in Asia,” the two foundations said. “We will give our best to make this merge an opportunity to innovate and lead the Asian blockchain industry in both technology and adoption.” An unprecedented mainnet ecosystemThe merger will bring together Klaytn and Finschia’s networks in different Asian countries, like Klaytn’s leverage in South Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, and Finschia’s service network in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Abu Dhabi. Once the combined ecosystem is launched, it will offer over 420 decentralized apps (dApps) and services, 45 governance partners and some 450 Web3 resources, becoming a mammoth Web3 network capable of swaying the trajectory of the Asian market. In addition, the blockchain will be connected with both Kakao and LINE messengers – two well-known messenger apps in Asia – opening up access to a vast continental user base of over 250 million people. The integration is also expected to catalyze the creation of new Web3 infrastructure in Asia, boosting scalability and liquidity. Future business plansThe joint foundation is specifically set to undertake projects in areas like RWA tokenization, GameFi, DeFi verticals, messenger-based Web3 services and digital commerce through partnerships with Japanese, South Korean and Southeast Asian firms. By leveraging its access to Kakaotalk and LINE users, the new public blockchain has the potential to be a springboard for IT and entertainment enterprises in Asia. Improved tokenomicsWhat may especially interest shareholders and users alike is a new native token that will be issued on the merged network, replacing the foundations’ respective tokens KLAY and FNSA. Holders of KLAY and FNSA will be able to swap their tokens for the new one. The proposed tokenomics system for the new token emphasizes sustainable value creation. This includes a lower base inflation rate and a 3-layer burning model created to encourage deflation as activity on the network increases. 24% of newly issued tokens will also be burned immediately as a trustworthy Zero Reserve Tokenomics measure. This will all be supported via an ecosystem fund and infrastructure fund that are constantly replenished via block rewards, rather than relying on reserves.Enhanced governance and interoperabilityKlaytn and Finschia also plan to bring together their experiences in practicing good governance to build a  permissionless node validation system to put the spotlight on users and the community, promoting transparency, trust and openness. To support the seamless migration and interoperability of existing dApps and services on Klaytn and Finschia, the merged chain will support the smart contract platforms EVM and CosmWasm. Ethereum and Cosmos builders will thus be able to gain access to the network. The foundations are set to host an upcoming event called Klaytn Community Town Hall on Friday to introduce the proposal and facilitate open dialogue and feedback.

DV8, a Thai company that recently pivoted to become Southeast Asia’s first Bitcoin treasury firm, has carried out an initial capital raise to fund its new strategy. Up until recently, DV8’s business activites were confined to media, innovation and technology. It emerged earlier this month that the company was being acquired by a group of Bitcoin-focused investors.  The consortium includes privately-held Bangkok-headquartered investment firm Kliff Capital, hedge fund manager UTXO Management and Taipei-headquartered crypto-backed venture capital firm Sora Ventures. It also includes Simon Gerovich, the CEO of Metaplanet, Asia’s largest Bitcoin treasury company.Photo by Thought Catalog on UnsplashThai market potentialAt the time, Sora Ventures founder Jason Fang told Decrypt that there is great potential in the Thai market, giving DV8 the potential “to be the next Metaplanet on SET [Stock Exchange of Thailand]." The company recently appointed Chatchaval Jiaravanon as its new chairman. Jiaravanon currently serves as the founder and chairman of Water Asia and Charoen Energy, while independently owning Fortune magazine.  Alongside Jiaravanon, new appointments have also been made to the company’s board as it looks to revamp its leadership team to deal with the challenge of pivoting and pursuing a Bitcoin treasury strategy. Share issuanceA filing with SET on July 16 has revealed that the company has proceeded to raise 241 million baht, equivalent to $7.44 million. In raising this capital, the company issued 301,491,057 new shares. The shares were issued under DV8-W2 warrants with a strike price of 0.80 baht per share. Over the course of the past 12 months, a plethora of corporations around the world have adopted Bitcoin either as a strategic asset to hold on their balance sheets or they’ve taken matters further and followed companies like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and Japan’s Metaplanet, with the Bitcoin treasury becoming the central focus of the business. Bitcoin treasury debateThe practice has proven to be controversial with some believing that Michael Saylor’s Strategy has found a workable approach using leveraged debt financing within TradFi to accumulate Bitcoin. Others like short seller Jim Chanos has called the Strategy approach “financial gibberish.” Chanos recently debated Bitcoin investor Pierre Rochard on the subject on The Investor's Podcast. The podcast provoked a discussion on X, with Grok, the AI bot integrated within X, coming down in favor of Rochard’s pro-Strategy argument, prompting Chanos to tell Grok that it was drunk and to stop posting.Aside from those companies that have pivoted entirely to Bitcoin treasury firms, many others who have started to accumulate some Bitcoin have been struggling companies.  Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Taipei-headquartered Kronos Research said recently that “when struggling firms make sudden moves, it often feels like a short-term stunt or hype play." On the other hand, he added: “When a company builds a BTC treasury with strategy, conviction, and clear communication, it signals strength.” Taking to social media on July 14, Belgian economist and Bitcoin investor Tuur Demeester set out his thoughts on the opportunity that Bitcoin treasury companies are exploiting: “Who else in this world can borrow at below 0.5% interest rates, when real inflation is above 10%? Bitcoin Treasury companies seem to have found, or are creating, a growing hole in a giant dam.”