Netmarble’s MARBLEX Secures Whitelist Approval for MBX Token in Japan

Mirae Asset Securities, South Korea’s largest asset management firm, has begun suspending trading for bitcoin ETFs, according to industry sources on Friday. This comes after an announcement made by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) stating that brokering spot bitcoin ETFs may be considered a violation of the government’s stance on virtual assets and the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act.Photo by Dmytro Demidko on UnsplashTaking preemptive measuresThe asset manager has blocked new purchases of spot bitcoin ETFs listed in Canada and Germany starting yesterday and is considering suspending trading of bitcoin futures ETFs that have been listed in overseas markets since 2021. This includes the Proshares Bitcoin Strategy ETF, Valkyrie Bitcoin Strategy ETF, Invesco Galaxy Bitcoin Strategy ETF and VanEck Bitcoin Strategy ETF. As Korean financial authorities are putting the brakes on domestic investments in the recently approved spot bitcoin ETF by the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), it is believed that Mirae Asset Securities is putting a preemptive halt to trading in other bitcoin ETFs. Spot vs futuresSpot bitcoin ETFs differ from futures ETFs in that they track the price of Bitcoin by actually holding the cryptocurrency, while the latter tracks its price through futures contracts. South Korean securities firms have been brokering futures ETFs listed in overseas market for a while now.

Conan Korea has launched an open beta service for OceanDrive, a desktop platform that contains a network of decentralized computer storage for users to share and explore their digital assets, according to an article published by South Korean news outlet Asia Times on Monday (KST). In comparison to cloud storage, which is subject to service provider policies, has no reward system, and relies on centralized servers, OceanDrive distributes storage across multiple nodes, is equipped with user-controlled access and encryption, and provides incentives for participation and contribution.Photo by Shubham's Web3 on Unsplash"The blockchain market is currently transitioning from NFTs to decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), which combines digital currency and physical infrastructure. OceanDrive is a platform optimized for the DePIN paradigm and is now making its market debut after four years in development,” explained Pyo Se-jin, CEO of Conun Korea.  Global collaborationThe project aims to create a vast network of storage resources scattered across the globe, all while providing users with cost efficiency, rewards and opportunities for collaboration and sharing of knowledge.  "We hope that this open beta service will give people a chance to experience OceanDrive’s user-friendly system and recognize its difference from cloud storage," Conun Korea said. "We are currently working on implementing OceanDrive into a popular Korean fashion boutique as well as a major online educational institution."      2024 plansThrough this open beta service, the company plans to build a blockchain network infrastructure platform of the highest quality by overcoming the shortcomings of OceanDrive and maximizing its advantages so it can be used not only domestically, but abroad as well.

Taiwan’s FSC to Release Cryptocurrency Guidelines for Banks in SeptemberHuang Tien-Mu, Chairman of the Taiwanese Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), said at the Legislative Yuan that regulatory guidelines for banks concerning cryptocurrencies will be available in September, as reported by local blockchain media Blocktempo.© Pexels/ Timo VolzHuang’s remarks were in response to questions from Legislator Lee Guei-min about crypto-related issues.Legislator’s three concernsLee raised three concerns: the accessibility of DBS Digital Exchange, currently operating in Singapore, for Taiwanese users; whether traditional banks should be permitted to provide crypto trading platforms; and investor protection against exchange collapses like the one experienced by FTX.FSC Chairman’s answersHuang stated that the FSC has not received any requests related to DBS Digital Exchange. He mentioned the commission’s concerns about the intrinsic value of cryptocurrencies and their ongoing work on regulatory guidelines, set for release in September. Huang also highlighted the importance of financial authorities overseeing crypto trading platforms, citing FTX Japan as an example, where users are protected under Japanese regulations.To safeguard investors from potential collapses, Huang suggested separating assets between hot and cold wallets. Furthermore, he noted that the FSC is not considering allowing the 27 crypto trading platforms registered with the commission to be listed on Taiwanese stock exchanges.