Korean Prosecutors Say Do Kwon and His Colleagues Knew Terra Was Unviable from the Beginning

Wemade Launches NFT-Based DeFi Service to Empower Its EcosystemSouth Korean gaming company Wemade today launched NFTFi, a peer-to-peer decentralized financial service based on non-fungible tokens (NFTs), according to an official press release. The service is now accessible on Wemade’s DAO-powered blockchain NFT platform NILE, also known as NFT Is Life Evolution.Photo by Choong Deng Xiang on UnsplashBorrow and lend NFTsInitially, NFTFi will enable users to borrow and lend NFTs, with plans to introduce a swap function in the future. The service will support trading for all NFTs available on the NILE marketplace, including the NEITH NFTs unveiled in March this year.Through NFTFi, borrowers have the ability to secure WEMIX tokens or WEMIX Dollars by using NFTs as collateral. Borrowers can request loans, and lenders can review these requests and assess the conditions under which they are willing to lend their assets.The borrower who presents the most favorable borrowing terms will be selected, and the loan contract will be automatically executed. The NFTs provided as collateral will remain locked until the loan is fully repaid. In the event of failure to repay, ownership of the NFTs will be transferred to the lender.Effective asset managementNFTFi users will have the ability to evaluate the value of an NFT based on various data. Notably, NEITH NFTs offer effective asset management as their holders can claim the amount of WEMIX tokens at any time from the Covenant Date. This token eligibility feature contributes to the stability of NEITH NFTs.NILE expects that NFTFi will enhance the value of NFTs as financial assets and play a role in the sustainable growth of the WEMIX3.0 ecosystem.

Real-World Assets Emerge as a Beacon of Hope for the Blockchain Industry Amid Crypto WinterIn the midst of a crypto winter that has cast a shadow over the blockchain industry, a new opportunity has come to light — the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs), or tangible assets such as gold and real estate, on blockchain networks.Photo by Tierra Mallorca on UnsplashMajor blockchain companies and industry experts gathered at Klaytn Square Lounge 2023, a blockchain and Web3 event in Gangnam, southern Seoul on Monday to discuss how RWAs could overcome the limitations of the current blockchain market.The rise of RWAsRecently, platforms like RWA tokenization project Elysia and Klaytn Foundation have started to shift their attention to RWAs as a promising avenue in the blockchain market. According to a report by global consulting firm Boston Consulting Group, the total value of the global RWA market, which reached $310 billion last year, is projected to surge to a staggering $16 trillion by 2030.“During the ongoing crypto winter, we are witnessing not only new funds pouring into blockchain projects but also existing funds leaving the market. We see RWAs as a potential solution to this,” said Seo Sang-min, Representative Director at Klaytn Foundation.Seo went on to explain that currently, virtual assets dominate most of the assets on blockchain mainnets like Klaytn, but compared to RWAs such as gold, cash, and real estate, their scale is very small. “We need to expand the utility of RWAs by placing them on the blockchain. Once they are, transaction costs will significantly decrease, and anyone will be able to trade 24/7 worldwide,” he said.Other blockchain experts at the conference also shared this sentiment. “Tokenizing RWAs is crucial because it provides investment opportunities that do not require large sums of money or lengthy waiting periods,” Luc Falempin, CEO of Tokeny Solutions emphasized. Beyond tokenizing the assets themselves, legal contracts and information about the various stakeholders involved, such as asset issuers and investors, can be recorded and shared on the blockchain, which can prove to be very convenient for investors.Revolutionizing investmentAccording to Falempin, most derivative investments involve seeking investment opportunities, creating portfolios, and enduring complicated processes for recovering investment capital that can take over ten years to complete. Additionally, ordinary investors often struggle to raise the substantial funds required for investment, creating high entry barriers. Also, investment contracts were traditionally executed on paper, which is outdated and inconvenient. However, as blockchain technology enables the tokenization of assets, these processes become much simpler.“Through RWA-backed virtual assets, even dozens of individuals can easily participate in investment, eliminating the hassle of dealing with paperwork. Introducing blockchain as a new infrastructure allows all stakeholders to easily view relevant records within the blockchain network,” he stated.The role of DAOsSo, how can investment products like RWA tokens be effectively managed within the decentralized realm of blockchain? Yoon Kim, Chief Marketing Officer of Elysia, mentioned decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) as a fit solution.“DAOs are a realistic method that is crucial for implementing the RWA model effectively. All stakeholders within a DAO can make modifications and creations, providing an avenue for managing tokenized assets effectively without government intervention,” Kim said.Technical hurdlesHowever, RWA tokens face several technical challenges. RWA products, which integrate the real world with the blockchain realm, could suffer from the so-called oracle problem, which refers to the inherent inability of blockchains to access external data, leading to a lack of information transparency. Even if the assets are stable, their prices on the blockchain network may differ from those in the real market. Currently, there are no established technical solutions to address these issues.“Rather than getting directly involved, we aim to move in accordance with market prices, but also seek ways to minimize risks with the help of external entities in certain cases,” said James Lim, CEO of Creder.As the crypto winter persists, the blockchain industry is looking towards RWAs as a beacon of hope, offering the potential to bridge the gap between traditional assets and the decentralized world of blockchain, despite the challenges that lie ahead.

The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) of Malaysia has launched an operation, which has been dubbed as “Ops Token,” to tackle tax evasion within crypto trading circles in the southeast Asian nation. Klang Valley raids According to the Malaysian English language newspaper, The Star, the special operation is a coordinated effort involving the Royal Malaysia Police and CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) alongside the IRB. The Malaysian tax authority raided ten locations, with 38 personnel involved in the raids, which were carried out within the Klang Valley region. The main objective of the raids and the operation overall, is to identify crypto corporate entities and individuals that had failed to report trading activities and therefore, associated revenues, profits and taxes. The initiative aligns with the Malaysian government’s broader strategy of stamping out tax evasion across all sectors, reducing revenue leakage and optimizing the nation’s tax take.Photo by Esmonde Yong on UnsplashStern warning for traders Datuk Abu Tariq Jamaluddin, CEO of the IRB, issued a stern warning to crypto traders: declare and pay taxes or face compliance actions. Jamaluddin clarified that crypto traders are subject to the same income tax rules that are applied to businesses across various sectors throughout Malaysia. While cryptocurrency is not regarded as legal tender by Malaysia’s central bank, crypto-centric businesses must adhere to the nation's income tax regulations. The IRB commented on the operation via a statement published on June 15. It stated: "Through this operation, it was possible to find stored cryptocurrency trading data in mobile devices and computers. We have successfully identified the digital assets that are traded, which has caused significant tax revenue leakage." The agency intends to carry out further analysis on the data that it seized in a bid to ascertain the trading revenues generated, the profits derived from that trading activity and the taxes owed as a consequence. The IRB has asserted that a number of corporate entities and partnerships were specifically formed with the purpose of tax evasion. The agency estimates the total value of crypto-related transactions to date in 2024 to amount to 1.441 trillion Malaysian ringgits, approximately $310 billion. International enforcement efforts Malaysia is not alone in its efforts to ensure tax compliance relative to cryptocurrency trading and investing. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has established a set of crypto tax rules, namely the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). The initiative is part of an effort to achieve a Common Reporting Standard (CRS) relative to crypto on an international basis, with OECD member states transposing the CARF into domestic law. The CARF is due to go live in 2027. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) maintains that crypto presents itself as a major headache for tax authorities globally. In a research paper published last year, it outlined that countries would need to update their tax systems in order to deal with the challenge that crypto presents with the potential for a leakage in tax revenues. In the United States, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) official stated in December 2023 that the agency has seen an increase in its caseload relative to crypto tax cases.