Our weekly roundup of news from East Asia curates the industry’s most important developments. Thailand’s crypto UBI Thailand may soon have a national airdrop in the works where every citizen 16 years and older will receive 10,000 Baht ($285). According to local news reports on August 30, Thailand’s ruling Pheu Thai party will consult the
The Department of Health and Human Services has sent a letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency recommending that marijuana be reclassified to Schedule III, down from Schedule I, and if passed, the change could have an impact on how local governments collect taxes on cannabis businesses. That’s the latest in the Biden Administration’s efforts towards
(Click here to subscribe to the Delivering Alpha newsletter.) “It’s very difficult to buy a sports team and lose money,” Carlyle Co-Founder David Rubenstein recently said in an interview for a CNBC podcast. Historically, that purported upside has only been enjoyed by the wealthiest of the wealthy. But most major U.S. sport leagues have – just within the last
Municipals were steady to firmer in spots to close out August as inflows returned to muni mutual funds. U.S. Treasury yields fell and equities were mixed ahead of Friday’s employment report. Triple-A benchmarks were bumped up to three basis points, depending on the scale, while UST yields fell three to four basis points. The two-year
Human ID project Worldcoin signed up over 9,500 users in Argentina in a single day in August, setting a record for single-day signups. To achieve this feat, facilitators onboarded participants at an average rate of less than nine seconds per person, according to an Aug. 31 announcement from the project. Argentina is one of the
Many developers and design firms have looked to the adaptive reuse of underutilized office buildings as an answer to today’s dearth of affordable housing. But a superior solution may be found in converting the schools of yesteryear to much-needed housing. That is the conviction of architects at Moody Nolan, the nation’s largest Black-owned architecture firm,
UBS has reported the biggest ever quarterly profit for a bank, after recording a $29bn gain linked to its takeover of Credit Suisse. The Swiss lender announced the figures on Thursday as it said it would press ahead with absorbing Credit Suisse’s domestic business despite local and political opposition to a deal expected to result
United States presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has lauded Grayscale’s recent victory over the federal securities regulator, arguing the decision will help keep Bitcoin and blockchain innovation from going overseas. In an Aug. 30 post on X (formerly Twitter) the pro-Bitcoin Republican candidate took shot at a “shadow” U.S. government, pointing the blame towards the “unlawful
The Federal Aviation Administration is granting more money to airports that could help reduce the industry’s reliance on debt financing for making infrastructure improvements. Airport infrastructure projects are financed through a combination of funding including bonds and the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program, which carries restrictions about what the money can be used for. Funding from
Municipals had a slightly firmer tone Wednesday while U.S. Treasuries were little changed and equities ended up. Triple-A yields fell one to three basis points, depending on the curve, while UST maintained levels in a subdued session. While munis underperformed UST Tuesday, “there has been firmness in the muni market throughout the past week,” said
Bitcoin (BTC) led the cryptocurrency markets higher on Aug. 29 following Grayscale’s victory in the lawsuit against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. However, the rally could not be sustained as analysts cautioned that the victory did not guarantee the approval of a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund. Still, the victory may prove to be
Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. David A. Grogan | CNBC Warren Buffett took control of Berkshire Hathaway in 1965, and nearly six decades later as the “Oracle of Omaha” turned 93 Wednesday, his conglomerate is stronger today than it’s ever been. Berkshire shares have roared back to an all-time high on record
Joseph M. Hogan is CEO of Align Technology Jin Lee | Bloomberg | Getty Images Check out the companies making headlines before the bell. Align Technology — Shares rose 2.5% in early morning trading after HSBC initiated coverage with a buy rating. The firm cited the Invisalign maker’s strong brand presence and its potential to
An aerial picture taken on October 1, 2022 shows a broken section of the Pine Island Road and destroyed houses in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian in Matlacha, Florida. Ricardo Arduengo | AFP | Getty Images Frequent weather catastrophes, induced in part by climate change, are bearing down on homeowners and would-be buyers. Some home
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The United States Securities and Exchange Commission is facing its first deadlines to decide on seven new Bitcoin (BTC) spot exchange-traded fund applications with the latest being Sept. 4 amid its defeat to Grayscale Investments in a U.S. federal appeals court. Investment firm Bitwise will learn if its ETF will win the SEC’s approval on
Tether, the stablecoin issuer behind USDT, has reportedly added Britannia Bank & Trust, a private bank based in The Bahamas to process dollar transfers on its platform. It is understood Tether has instructed clients to send money to Britannia’s bank account over the last few months, according to an Aug. 29 report by Bloomberg, citing
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., US, on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images Well, now the SEC is in a real pickle. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit sided with Grayscale in a lawsuit against the SEC, greatly improving the
Bond parties in the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority bankruptcy are appealing a ruling that has barred a receiver from being appointed in the case. Syncora Guarantee and GoldenTree Asset Management Monday filed an appeal notice of a ruling of U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain that rejected their request for a removal of a
Leila Ismailova began her professional career at the age of 15 as a broadcasting star in Belarus, the Russian-neighboring Eastern European country that plays home to 9.3 million citizens. She continued in the role for 10 years, she says, before reaching what she felt was a “professional ceiling” and beginning a journey that led to