Circle forges partnership with Japan’s Coincheck

Global crypto exchange platform KuCoin has announced the arrival of “KuCoin Thailand” (to be also known as “KuCoin TH”) in the Southeast Asian country. In a press release publicizing the development, the company outlined that the new platform has been formed following a rebranding of ERX, the first virtual currency exchange to be licensed and supervised by Thai regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).Photo by Bharath Mohan on UnsplashGlobal infrastructure enhancing service deliveryERX has rebranded to KuCoin Thailand, but the exchange will continue to be operated by ERX Company Ltd, while collaborating with KuCoin and benefiting from KuCoin’s global market presence and global exchange infrastructure. Commenting on what KuCoin brings to the partnership, ERX CEO Att Tongyai Asavanund stated: “With the global infrastructure and resources supporting us, we’re enhancing our ability to deliver localized solutions tailored for the Thai market. KuCoin Thailand reflects our continued mission — strengthened by strong technology and a broader global vision.” ERX Board Director Henry Chen said that the objective is “to build a leading digital asset platform in Thailand with global vision, institutional grade service and state-of-art technology.”Southeast Asian expansionFounded in China in 2017, although operating on a global basis, KuCoin continues to have stronger ties to Asia. Following the implementation of restrictions on crypto trading in China a few years ago, the company moved its headquarters to Singapore, subsequently opting to establish itself in the Seychelles. This latest development further strengthens KuCoin’s credentials within the Asian region. In a blog post, the company marked the event as a “key step forward” in its strategic expansion across Southeast Asia. Existing ERX users have already been migrated over to the new platform. The company has placed a notice on its website advising users to download the KuCoin TH app, which has been made available via Android and iOS. Last month ERX announced that it had received approval from the Thai SEC to activate its Crypto Exchange License. The company was first established in Thailand in 2019. It has been under the supervision of the local regulator since 2020.  The ERX platform was originally built out using AlphaPoint white-label software. It received a digital assets exchange license from the SEC in July 2020. ERX parent company, New York-based digital asset management firm Elevated Returns, has been working within the real-world asset (RWA) tokenization arena for some time. In 2018, the company was involved in a $18 million deal to tokenize the St. Regis Aspen Resort, a luxury hotel and resort located in Colorado, United States. Previously, KuCoin had remained unlicensed in Thailand. In recent times, the Thai authorities have made efforts to block unlicensed exchanges from engaging with investors in Thailand. Last month Thailand’s SEC filed a lawsuit against KuCoin competitor OKX for allegedly running an unlicensed exchange. KuCoin Thailand will compete with eight other licensed exchange businesses within the Thai market. These include WAAN Exchange, Gulf Binance, Thai Digital Assets Exchange, InnovestX Securities, GMO-Z.com Cryptonomics, Upbit Exchange, Bitkub Online and Orbix Trade.

X-PLANET to Sell NFTs for 35th Anniversary of Choushinsei Flashman’s Korean ReleaseCom2uS Platform, a subsidiary of Korean game developer Com2uS Holdings, announced last Friday that it will launch non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on its NFT marketplace X-PLANET to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Japanese television show Choushinsei Flashman’s Korean release.Photo by PJ Gal-Szabo on UnsplashFan-favorite showChoushinsei Flashman is a live-action superhero series that gained immense popularity when it was released in South Korea in 1989. The original series produced by Japan’s Toei Animation captivated fans with its dynamic action sequences and the exploration of deeper themes such as family separation and loneliness.Merging the retro and modern worldsX-PLANET is collaborating with Toei Animation and Korean publishing company Daewon Media to carry out the NFT project. The 35th anniversary NFT will officially drop on November 1 at 9:00 AM (UTC) for $150 each. Buyers will receive a 35th-anniversary merchandise set, which includes a Rolling Vulcan figure lamp, a set of Video Home System-themed photo cards, an acrylic phone pop socket, and an acrylic frame. The Rolling Vulcan figure lamp in particular is gaining the most attention, as it is being officially released for the first time in three decades.The marketplace also opened an official mini website dedicated to the event and announced that it would be airdropping NFTs of Mag, the show’s representative robot mascot, on a first-come, first-served basis from Friday until the end of the month.X-PLANET is also planning to hold a Choushinsei Flashman 35th anniversary fan meeting in Korea early next year, which will invite seven Japanese actors from the show plus a secret guest. The sale of NFT tickets to the fan meeting will open in December, the platform said.

Blockchain firm PiLab Technology has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mirae Asset Securities to collaborate on creating Web3 infrastructure – namely Web3 technology for identity authentication – and identify asset management trends in the Web3 sphere. This comes in an effort to establish leverage in the emerging tokenized securities market, according to Korean news outlet The Block Post on Thursday (KST).Photo by GuerrillaBuzz on Unsplash"Through our collaboration with Mirae Asset Securities, we expect to play a major role in the convergence of blockchain technology and financial markets," said Park Do-hyun, CEO of PiLab Technology. "PiLab Technology will continue to lead the way in making Web3 services more user-friendly." Financial giants uniteMirae Asset Securities is the largest investment banking and stock brokerage company by market capitalization in South Korea. The firm previously co-founded a financial innovation consortium with telecommunications conglomerate SK Telecom called Next Finance Initiative, which is preparing to issue tokenized securities by operating a token securities working group on a global blockchain network. Hana Financial Group also recently joined the consortium as a member company. Pioneering services in Web3Meanwhile, PiLab Technology operates its own multichain network called Bifrost, which houses a deposit and lending DeFi service called BiFi. The company has previously raised KRW 14 billion (approximately $10.9 million) in funding from venture capital firms like Korea Investment Partners and more. Last month, PiLab teamed up with the Korea Information Certificate Authority (KICA) and Travel Rule solutions provider CODE to establish an authentication system to advance the country’s Web3 environment.