Market speculates on Qatari investment driving bitcoin price surge

XPLA Forms Strategic Partnership with Nefta for Gaming Infrastructure DevelopmentSouth Korean gaming company Com2uS Group’s blockchain mainnet XPLA announced on Monday that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Web3 infrastructure firm Nefta.Photo by Jack B on UnsplashStreamlining Web3 game developmentXPLA stated that Nefta’s Toolbox service, which aids in Web3-based game development for maximum retention and monetization, will be connected to the XPLA mainnet, creating an environment that is optimized for seamless development processes.The Nefta Toolbox provides one-stop support for integrating blockchain technology into clients’ services. It not only serves clients in the gaming industry but also those in music and entertainment, providing them with cutting-edge technology and products like a digital wallet and a customizable marketplace.Future-oriented partnership“We are delighted to partner with Nefta due to their unparalleled infrastructure technology and deep insights into Web3 gaming that they gained from working with major global Web3 gaming companies. With this partnership, we will expand and lead the industry,” said Paul Kim, Team Leader at XPLA. Nefta has previously partnered with game developers such as Medieval Empires and MYSTiC Games.Geeshan Willink, CEO of Nefta, highlighted the alignment of Nefta’s blockchain tools and technology with XPLA’s vision for advancing Web3 philosophy. He also expressed the firm’s commitment to developing the partnership to provide noteworthy benefits to both developers and gamers.The new partnership is expected to strengthen XPLA’s position in the Web3 gaming industry by leveraging Nefta’s expertise in infrastructure technology and blockchain tools.

In Mumbai, users of cryptocurrency exchanges are increasingly being asked to prove they are real people—by moving their eyes or turning their heads in front of a camera—before they can open an account. In Tokyo, meanwhile, exchange operators are collecting a different kind of identity marker: each customer’s country of tax residence, recorded for reporting to authorities at home and abroad. Governments across Asia are tightening oversight of the crypto sector, with India and Japan pursuing parallel efforts to boost compliance, strengthen tax enforcement, and curb financial anonymity. Together, these measures are pushing digital assets closer to conventional financial standards.Photo by Rowan Heuvel on UnsplashIndia mandates biometric-style checksAccording to the Times of India, India’s Financial Intelligence Unit has required crypto exchanges to adopt more stringent know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money-laundering (AML) procedures, including liveness checks designed to prevent accounts from being created using deepfakes. Under the guidelines, platforms must also record information such as geolocation data, IP addresses, and timestamps during onboarding, and link users to bank accounts through verification steps that include test transactions and government-issued identification like passports or voter IDs. The measures come as tax authorities continue to face obstacles in monitoring crypto activity. India taxes crypto profits at a flat rate of 30% and applies a 1% tax deducted at source (TDS) on transfers. According to a separate report by the Times of India, the Income Tax Department (ITD) told lawmakers that the pseudonymous and cross-border nature of crypto transactions can complicate compliance—particularly when funds move through offshore exchanges, private wallets, or decentralized finance platforms. Despite international information-sharing efforts, officials say tracing crypto holdings across jurisdictions remains challenging when transactions bypass regulated intermediaries. India’s central bank has also continued to argue in favor of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) over privately issued stablecoins. In its December financial stability report, the Reserve Bank of India said CBDCs can offer efficiency and programmability within a sovereign framework, while warning that stablecoins may introduce risks during periods of market stress. Japan implements OECD crypto tax rulesJapan, meanwhile, has moved to formalize international data exchange. On Jan. 1, 2026, it implemented the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), a standard developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to address cross-border tax evasion by automating the exchange of crypto transaction data between tax authorities. Under the new rules, users of Japanese crypto exchanges must declare their country—or countries—of tax residence. Exchange operators are required to collect and submit data to Japan’s tax authorities by April 30 of the following year, including transaction volumes, consideration received from purchases and sales, and asset-type breakdowns covering cryptocurrencies as well as security tokens and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Information related to non-resident users is also intended to be shared with relevant foreign tax authorities under existing tax cooperation arrangements. While both nations pursue stricter oversight and transparency, their broader policy trajectories differ. In India, regulatory tightening reinforces a restrictive environment focused on risk containment. In Japan, by contrast, the new compliance frameworks appear to be laying the groundwork for a broader economic embrace of digital assets. Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, speaking at the Tokyo Stock Exchange last week, framed 2026 as the “inaugural year of digital.” Unlike her Indian counterparts, who remain wary of private crypto assets, Katayama argued that established market infrastructure should play a larger role in adoption. Pointing to the U.S. market, she suggested Japan could move toward exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and integration with stock and commodity exchanges to capture the benefits of blockchain-based assets. This pro-growth shift is reinforced by the prospect of fiscal relief. Tokyo is considering an overhaul that would reclassify crypto gains—currently taxed as miscellaneous income at rates of up to 55%—to a flat 20%, aligning them with stocks. The changes, however, are not expected to take effect until 2028, given the extent of the required legal and regulatory revisions. India, meanwhile, has indicated that it plans to adopt CARF by 2027, suggesting that its current emphasis on domestic controls may eventually be supplemented by deeper international cooperation—bringing offshore crypto activity more firmly into the view of tax authorities. 

Momentica’s NFT Photo Cards Captivate K-Pop EnthusiastsMomentica, a fan-artist engagement platform, has been captivating K-pop enthusiasts with NFT photo cards featuring their favorite artists.Dunamu and HYBELevvels, the company behind Momentica, has garnered significant attention from both the tech and the entertainment industries, as it is a joint venture between Dunamu, the operator of Korea’s leading crypto exchange, and HYBE, the agency representing world-renowned boy band BTS.K-pop photo cardsOne of the primary goals of this promising company is to introduce the K-pop fandom culture to global audiences. K-pop fans enjoy collecting photo cards featuring their favorite singers or actors, and thanks to blockchain technology, these cards can now be transformed into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), ensuring their authenticity and preventing forgeries and counterfeits. Dunamu’s blockchain expertise has combined with HYBE’s intellectual property to create a range of collectible items for K-pop fans.In a recent interview with Donga Ilbo, Levvels CEO Cha Sang-hoon explained the company’s current status and future plans. Cha said that Levvels is primarily a blockchain-based Web3 company aiming to leverage various technological tools to offer a range of services.Levvels’ Momentica issues digital photo cards called TAKEs, which capture unique and memorable moments of artists, and the collection, appreciation, and trading of these cards are facilitated through the Momentica app. Fans can use Momentica to collect digital cards featuring artists such as Seventeen, Le Sserafim, and Fromis_9. The authenticity of TAKEs is verifiable, as they are recorded on the blockchain.© Pexels/Sebastian ErviPhysical to digitalMomentica transitions the fan experience from the physical world to the digital realm. Through the app, K-pop aficionados can now exchange photo cards, promote their favorite stars, and maintain a virtual album. Exclusive content, including pictures, videos, and handwriting from some artists, will be available only on Momentica.Cha mentioned that Momentica has users across 93 countries, with Koreans constituting 40% of the total. Japanese users represent over 30%, indicating the app’s strong presence in the Japanese market. Taiwan, Indonesia, and the US follow in the number of users. Overall, the app’s popularity aligns with regional interest in K-pop.Beyond HYBEWhile the current service focuses on limited collections of digital photo cards, Momentica plans to enhance the experience by allowing K-pop fans to personalize and directly exchange cards. The company is also working on collaborations with artists from labels beyond HYBE for them to participate in Momentica.