What Crypto insiders are reading on Asia.
🌟 Top News in Asia from Wednesday through Saturday
Jehan Chu, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Kenetic on investing in blockchain projects, proper due diligence, and considerations for mainstream blockchain adoption. http://bit.ly/2PwPGhD
China’s crypto mining pool viaBTC raised $30 million in 2.2 hours through ICO:http://bit.ly/2QNX0Wu
Japan’s Infinity Ventures targets maiden global crypto fund in 2019 (there aren’t any large crypto funds in Japan), backed by partners such as Daiwa Securities, KDDI andLine. http://bit.ly/2PwGg5J
Bitmain’s latest challenger MicroBT plans to file IPO in 2019: http://bit.ly/2ITh1Ii
Binance’s new charity head ran a factory where workers made less than 50 per month:http://bit.ly/2A6ndKn
💰 Deals and Funds
Pantera’s digital asset fund down 72% in 2018, Bitcoin ‘only’ down 50%: http://bit.ly/2C9JrfQ
Investment Bank CLSA launches Asia-focused, early-stage fintech fund AlphaLabs with investments including blockchain technology. http://bit.ly/2PvKElm
💰 Coin and Token News
Singapore’s start-up GCOX has announced plans to launch Manny Pacquiao’s cryptocurrency:http://bit.ly/2pRx8NL
Binance coin can now be used to buy real estate through the platform Propy:http://bit.ly/2A9b0V7
💸 Exchange News
Hacked Japanese crypto exchange Zaif releases financial support plan for customer assets:http://bit.ly/2CFiT71
Crypto exchange Bitfinex suspends fiat deposits, expects to resume ‘within a week’:http://bit.ly/2RHInVM
South Korean plastic surgeon acquires Bithumb cryptocurrency exchange for $353 mn:http://bit.ly/2Cdw1zf
Korean crypto exchange sued for price-pumping token schemes: http://bit.ly/2OlykHW
🎌 Regulation News
Indian Prime Minister gives full backing for distributed ledger technology: http://bit.ly/2IZ7TlD
After strangling bitcoin, India may launch its own cryptocurrency: http://bit.ly/2pOYYdq
South Korea remains firm on ICO ban despite calls for legality: http://bit.ly/2OSgWKf
💼 Business News
In recent report by a large recruiting service provider in China, demand for blockchain talents in China increased by sixfold. http://bit.ly/2PyTONV
Cryptocurrency entrepreneurs now among China’s richest, despite bear market:http://bit.ly/2yyezSB
Singapore will help crypto firms set up local bank accounts: https://bloom.bg/2EhP9yM
In case you missed it
Our New Podcast with Jason Fang from Sora Ventures is Out!
In this new episode, Joyce Yang from Global Coin Research is joined by Jason Fang, Managing Partner at Sora Ventures, an Asia-based venture capital firm focused on blockchain and crypto investments. The mission of the fund to invest in entrepreneurs who can make positive changes in our world using blockchain technology. Their investments include Thunder, Urbit, Mithril, Alphaslot and more.
Additionally, the Sora Summit will be taken place in Macau on Nov 13–14th. Listen to Jason in the podcast at 28:41on why the Summit will be taken place in Macau and checkout the great line-up of speakers and attendees.
Use Discount Code SORAMEDIA2018 to get 80% off
Jason was one of the earliest employees at Fenbushi Capital and started Sora Ventures when Mainland China banned ICOs in 2017. When I initially spoke to Jason, I’ve found him to be very thoughtful and his investing approach to be very unique amongst crypto investors that I’ve met. In our conversation, we talk about how Sora invests in crypto projects, Jason’s outlook for the crypto space, and his perspectives on crypto developments in the East and the West.
Time and Topics discussed in Our Interview
1:24- Introduction to Jason, Sora Venture, and his background3:59- how did Sora Ventures get started after China banned ICOs6:09- why Sora doesn’t invest in Chinese projects despite being headquartered in Shanghai, China7:55- how Sora think about investing in the blockchain and crypto space19:46- why do you like the reverse-ICOs model?21:34- metrics to benchmark the success of reverse-ICOs22:54- is the blockchain space between Asia and the West going to merge?28:41- Checkout the upcoming Sora Summit on Nov 13–14th, use SORAMEDIA2018 to get 80% off to tickets33:06- Current fund environment in Asia and how many funds have stopped investing in crypto34:47- Where do you see the winners coming out of in Crypto?35:20- Practical approaches to thoughtful investing
You can also read Jason’s thoughts on his medium articles here, in where he lays out Sora’s investment thesis and his outlook on Asia:Sora Ventures’ Philosophy to Blockchain InvestmentsUnderstanding Chinese Crypto Investors