Galaxia Metaverse, NFT Marketplace Pala Join Forces to Expand Blockchain Ecosystem

Bitget works towards goal of Bitcoin ecosystem supportBitget Wallet, a Web3 trading wallet offered by the Bitget Seychelles-based crypto derivatives platform, has unveiled a plan designed to bolster its support for and development within the Bitcoin ecosystem.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashEnhancing user experienceIn an effort to elevate user experience and expand trading options, Bitget Wallet is committing to extensive product research, development initiatives and increased investments. The company plans on offering a wide array of services tailored to the Bitcoin ecosystem.This includes robust support for BTC asset management, cross-chain swaps, on-ramping for externally owned account (EOA)-based wallets, multi-party computation (MPC) wallets, Taproot compatibility and streamlined asset transfers for both BRC-20 tokens and NFTs. In October, Bitget announced that it was taking the route of enhanced security by embarking on integrating MPC.Integrated dApp browserThe platform also provides users with insights into macro and micro market trends through Bitget Swap, enabling interaction with popular projects via its dApp browser.Bitget Wallet’s move has already garnered support from several Bitcoin ecosystem projects, with integrations on official websites such as Unisat, ALEX Lab, LifeRestart and Bitmap Explorer. The integrated dApp browser ensures convenient user access to these projects, fostering increased engagement and accessibility.Looking forward, Bitget Wallet aims to capitalize on the medium to long-term market prospects within the Bitcoin ecosystem. The company is directing its efforts towards enhancing both technological infrastructure and product features, with a specific focus on critical areas such as Lightning Network, Nostr, Taproot Assets, BRC-20 and ARC-20 inscriptions.Facilitating cross-chain transactionsAn important facet of Bitget Wallet’s approach involves supporting multiple address formats, particularly within the Lightning Network. By doing so, the platform aims to improve asset transfer efficiency and introduce asset swaps between the Bitcoin mainnet and the Lightning Network. This move is geared towards facilitating cross-chain transactions between BTC and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) assets on Bitget Swap, providing users with increased opportunities for portfolio diversification.Alvin Kan, the Chief Operating Officer of Bitget Wallet, underscored the significance of Bitcoin as the foundational cornerstone of the crypto industry. He emphasized the platform’s commitment to becoming a key player in the growing Bitcoin ecosystem, providing users with robust and seamless ways to manage and grow their assets.Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet stands as Asia’s largest all-in-one Web3 trading wallet, boasting a five-year legacy and over 12 million users worldwide. On a global basis, the non-custodial wallet recently ranked fourth overall in terms of the number of wallet downloads.Bitget acquired the Singaporean startup wallet project in June. Its addition helped the broader Bitget platform to achieve the milestone of 20 million users. The product was rebranded as Bitget Wallet shortly afterwards.The company is keen to support other blockchain networks and ecosystems also. Earlier this month, the company announced an investment into Morph, a layer-2 blockchain that uses zero knowledge roll-up technology in an effort to focus on enhanced consumer experience.Last week, the platform added support for ZKFair, a zero knowledge layer-2 network which is based on the Polygon CDK.

Japanese cabinet approves crypto tax reformThe Japanese government has green-lit an amendment to its fiscal 2024 tax reform plan, specifically targeting the taxation of companies holding third-party-issued cryptocurrencies.Photo by Louie Martinez on UnsplashIntroducing tax exemptionAccording to local news sources, this amendment brings about a crucial change by exempting such companies from the year-end mark-to-market valuation tax.The Fiscal Year 2024 Tax Reform Outline, now approved by the Japanese cabinet, marks a departure from the previous tax regime. Under the new framework, companies holding crypto assets will no longer be subjected to mark-to-market valuation at the end of the fiscal year. Instead, they will be taxed solely on the actual profits realized from the sale of virtual currencies and tokens.Alleviating the tax burdenThe primary motivation behind this amendment is to alleviate the tax burden on corporations engaged in the holding and operation of crypto assets. Previously, corporations holding third-party-issued cryptocurrencies were required to record profits or losses based on the difference between market value and book value at the end of the fiscal year. The new reform, however, exempts assets assumed to be held continuously from this mark-to-market valuation.News of moves to implement such reform emerged at the beginning of December. At the time, a report by Nikkei Asia suggested that Japanese lawmakers were working towards addressing issues related to crypto taxation. Japanese regulator, the Financial Services Agency (FSA) had first proposed such changes to the tax code via a 16-page submission on Aug. 31.Signaling investor-friendly approachThis policy shift aligns the taxation of companies with the tax system applicable to individual investors, signaling a more investor-friendly approach. Lawmakers from the Liberal Democratic Party and their coalition partner Komeito had reportedly considered a proposal to exempt corporations from taxes on unrealized crypto gains. This move is seen as Japan’s effort to boost liquidity in the market, putting it in line with other Asian regions striving to become prominent centers of crypto activity.The amendment, influenced by the Japan Cryptoasset Business Association’s (JCBA) call for tax reform, is anticipated to stimulate the growth of local startup businesses utilizing blockchain technology and attract international projects to the Japanese market.The proposal is set to be presented at the regular session of the National Diet (Japan’s national legislature) in January of the upcoming year, where it will require approval from both the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors.Notably, the Fiscal Year 2024 Tax Reform Outline encompasses a broader spectrum of economic policies, including a plan to reduce income tax and resident tax by 40,000 yen per person from June 2024 onwards.News of the crypto tax reform has been well-received by most industry commentators and market participants. Daiki Moriyama, Director of Singapore-based gaming blockchain project Oasys, reacted positively to the development. He told The Block:“The fact that the Japanese government has demonstrated its willingness to grow Web3 business by enacting tax reform for the second year in a row is extremely important to all Web3 business stakeholders around the world.”

Korean Financial Authorities to Provide Support for Security Token MarketAmid growing calls for accelerating the growth of the emerging security token (ST) market, the South Korean government is preparing to introduce supportive measures. The security token market is powered by blockchain technology which allows fractional investment in real world assets (RWAs) such as real estate and artwork.Security tokens are digital assets that represent securities generated through a process called security token offering (STO). These tokens, backed by RWAs, can be traded similarly to traditional securities. Investors can use these tokens to obtain shares, voting rights, interest, or profits.Photo by Philip Jang on UnsplashSupport measures for security token IndustryNext month, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) will draw up support measures and policy improvement plans to bolster the nascent security token industry. An FSC representative mentioned that the agency intends to work with the National Assembly to finalize the legislation of security token-related bills by November. Furthermore, the government official said the FSC will actively seek input from industry stakeholders to formulate strategies for enhancing policies designed to promote the growth of the security token market.To align with the national objective titled “The Establishment of Digital Asset Infrastructure and Regulatory Framework,” the FSC revealed regulatory guidelines for security token issuance and distribution in February. These new guidelines are centered around the establishment of institutions responsible for account management and entities engaged in over-the-counter (OTC) trading. Subsequently, in July, lawmaker Yun Chang-hyun, a member of the National Assembly’s National Policy Committee, proposed a bill to amend the Electronic Securities Act and the Capital Markets Act with the aim of ensuring that these Acts are consistent with the new regulatory guidelines.Security token market’s growth potentialWith growing anticipation that the security token market could rival the size of the exchange-traded fund (ETF) stock market, securities firms, banks, and blockchain companies have been eager to carve out a niche for themselves since the start of the year. However, their progress has been hindered by a potentially extended period of higher interest rates in the US and the slow advancement of security token-related legislation. While these organizations tried to explore opportunities through the financial regulatory sandbox, their endeavors proved more or less fruitless. An official from a securities firm voiced concerns over the escalating costs of setting up security token infrastructure, especially with legislative delays.On this matter, the Korea Financial Investment Association (KOFIA) has emphasized the urgent need to pass security token legislation to clear up regulatory ambiguities. They’ve also called for measures to stimulate market growth, such as relaxing regulations related to token issuance and distribution and increasing investment caps.At a seminar hosted by the Korea Capital Market Institute, Ahn Hyuk, Head of the Platform Division at Korea Investment and Securities, highlighted that the rigorous review of security registration applications by the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) might impede the security token market’s growth. Responding to this, Jang Young-shim, Head of the Corporate Disclosure Department at FSS, said that both the FSC and FSS will carefully listen to industry feedback, addressing a range of topics from regulatory relaxation to investor protection.