Article was first published here in The Financial Times Singapore’s cryptocurrencies approach shouldn’t be seen as controversial (“Singapore faces fight for Asia crypto crown”, Report, October 1). Recent regulatory clampdowns may have raised questions about Singapore’s open approach to crypto businesses, but the regulators here have got it right. Whether or not the region’s “big bet” pays off, banning cryptocurrency trading makes no sense. The industry remains a “wild west” because there is no consistency on standards to make it stable and secure for investors. Trading, in particular, remains fractured and illiquid, which contributes to the wild price swings. If it’s a matter of taking a balanced approach, the only way you can be sure you are getting it wrong is by banning them entirely. Financial authorities, such as those in China, have been all too quick to ban elements of crypto, which only puts investors at greater risk of fraud, such as initial coin offering scams. People will continue to use cryptocurrencies so this will only push activity underground or elsewhere. Just look at the number of start-ups and talent piling into the sector. The way we see it in Singapore, it is much better to find out how to solve these problems and benefit from being part of the crypto journey. Done correctly, regulation can be very productive and foster crypto development in a healthy way by working with the industry to improve standards and prevent illicit activity. Plenty of businesses out there want to help create that framework. It’s about time the US and other leading markets caught up and took steps to establishcollective frameworks so investors can operate safely and business can thrive. Increasingly, for Singapore, the financial competition in the region is a game of fintech innovation, so I don’t see how we could exclude cryptocurrencies. Our approach to crypto regulation has created an environment that fosters innovation while setting up frameworks for security and stability. Now that Singapore’s crypto start-ups are gaining momentum, its mainstream financial institutions are learning about the technology and global blockchain businesses are setting up in the region. Don GuoChief Executive, Broctagon Fintech Group, Singapore  

“Named the Boba Network, the project is a layer-2 solution that allows crypto to have payment processing speeds that rival payment heavyweights like Visa and Mastercard,” Don Guo, CEO of Broctagon, said. “Game-changers like these, much like the NEXUS WorldBook movement, which is an inter-exchange liquidity network for digital assets, can create greater visibility and trust for crypto as a whole.”

Elliptic has assessed risk on transactions worth several trillion dollars, uncovering activities related to money laundering, terrorist fundraising, fraud, and other financial crimes.

With a long history of uniting businesses in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, iFX EXPO International is the flagship show trusted by thousands of retail & institutional brokers, technology & liquidity providers, payment service providers, banks, affiliates & IBs, regulators & compliance as well as crypto and blockchain brands. Broctagon has been a veteran participant in this leading conference, which connects top-level executives in online trading, financial services and fintech from around the world. As the world gradually opens up after the covid disruptions, we are excited to meet our clients and future partners once again in Cyprus! Schedule a meetup with us at iFX Expo Cyprus to find out more about our CySEC-regulated liquidity offerings and how it can help you stay ahead of competition. As one of the first in the industry to offer Digital Asset CFDs alongside over 1,000 instruments including FX, Shares, Indices and Commodities with spreads from zero, we are confident to bring value to your brokerage. Our Liquidity Expert Andreas Charalambous, Director of Operations, Broctagon Prime SCHEDULE A MEETUP WITH US Margin and CFD Liquidity - For Brokers Our CySEC-regulated liquidity offerings encompasses over 1,000 instruments with spreads starting from zero. Forex Shares Indices Metals Commodities Digital Assets VIEW LIVE QUOTES Spot Crypto Liquidity - For Exchanges Stream the aggregated orderbooks of top exchanges direct into your exchange with the NEXUS WorldBook™. Improve your liquidity instantly for over 350 crypto pairs. VIEW LIVE QUOTES As Featured On Our Liquidity Partners and more...! Experience for yourself how a partnership with Broctagon can bring value to your brokerage. Schedule a meetup with us at iFX Expo Cyprus now to find out more! SCHEDULE A MEETUP WITH US *Limited slots available

Growing attraction amongst Asia’s tech-savvy millennials, unbanked signify big alternative

AscendEX is a global cryptocurrency financial platform with a comprehensive product suite including spot, margin, and futures trading, wallet services, and staking support for over 150 blockchain projects such as bitcoin, ether, and ripple.

Bitkub, a Bangkok-based digital currency exchange, is the latest participant to join the inter-exchange liquidity network known as the WorldBook™. The NEXUS WorldBook is an initiative by Broctagon Fintech Group, under the licensed entity Broctagon Prime Markets Limited to create a universal liquidity standard for digital assets. Jirayut Srupsrisopa, Group CEO of Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Jirayut Srupsrisopa, Group CEO of Bitkub Capital Group Holdings Co., Ltd., said: “Blockchain is an underlying protocol. When you use Facebook, you’re not thinking about TCP/IP, you’re thinking about sending messages to your friends. Same with other protocols — you’re not thinking about HTTP when you’re using a website, you will not think about SMTP when you send an email. So, I don’t think in the long run that people will be thinking they’re using bitcoin to send money to a friend. They’ll just be thinking of it as a faster way to get money across without losing money. As we come closer to this sort of protocol-acceptance, we are excited to be part of the WorldBook movement, and look forward to foster greater standardization within its network.” Desmond Ang, MD of Broctagon Fintech Group Desmond Ang, Managing Director of Broctagon Fintech Group, commented on Bitkub’s participation on the WorldBook network, saying: “As the leading cryptocurrency exchange in Thailand, Bitkub’s unique cryptocurrency exchange platform was built with the uninitiated in crypto in mind. With the WorldBook being a universal liquidity standard, Bitkub’s experience in handling local pairs such as BTC/THB can potentially help the inter-exchange liquidity network form a more comprehensive understanding of local liquidity pools and their regulatory requirements.” About BitkubBitkub is a digital asset and cryptocurrency exchange platform that offers advanced cryptocurrency exchange services to individuals who intend to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrencies. Bitkub bridges the gap between blockchain and crypto services to “non-tech users’’ by being the most trusted and easy-to-use cryptocurrency exchange in Thailand. About NEXUS WorldBookThe NEXUS WorldBook™ is the world’s first crypto liquidity ecosystem, committed to building a cohesive network for both makers and takers. The WorldBook leverages on the NEXUS 2.0 aggregator technology to offer its members global price discovery and direct STP capabilities on a universal liquidity standard. To find out more about Bitkub, visit: Website: https://www.bitkub.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitkubofficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitkubofficialTwitter: https://twitter.com/BitkubOfficialYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BitkubOfficial To find out more about or to join the NEXUS WorldBook, visit: Website: https://nexusworldbook.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/NEXUSWorldBookLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/74741847/Twitter: https://twitter.com/NEXUSWorldBookInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nexusworldbook/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT5_f3W2SEBDsWrJc8YGAEw

Broctagon Fintech Group announced the launch of a global network of crypto liquidity providers on Tuesday, forming an aggregated liquidity pool. Dubbed WorldBook, it is a crypto Straight-Through Processing (STP) network and is aiming to standardize the crypto liquidity industry.

Singapore, September 14, 2021: Fintech solutions provider, Broctagon Fintech Group, today launched WorldBook, a global crypto movement focused on solving key liquidity issues plaguing the industry. WorldBook is the world’s first crypto STP (Straight-Through Processing) network with the largest aggregated liquidity pool. The initiative aims to introduce a universal standard of liquidity for digital assets, uniting both processes and technology within the crypto industry under a single framework. Unlike the highly streamlined Forex or Securities financial markets, crypto trading is highly fragmented with significant price disparity across exchanges. This is largely because of existing market norms where exchanges operate in a silo within their orderbook, limiting their offerings and therefore prices to the participants within. The eponymous WorldBook combines the orderbooks of all connected exchanges to create a unified orderbook that enables multilateral liquidity flow. Instead of being confined to local orderbooks which may represent less than 1% of the total industry, exchanges now gain access to 85% of the market. This is made possible by the NEXUS 2.0 aggregator, the driving engine that powers the WorldBook with SOR (Smart Order Routing), which allows for global price discovery and best bid and offer. Don Guo, CEO of Broctagon Fintech Group “Despite the gaining acceptance of crypto, it remains a “wild west” with no dominant technology or standard in which it operates. With the WorldBook’s price aggregation, we found that bitcoin had an average negative spread of USD$10, even amongst the major exchanges. This means that with over USD$15.5 trillion in trading volume over the past year, traders could have saved USD$5.7 billion in spreads and this is for bitcoin alone, which is already the most efficient and liquid digital asset. The price disparity could only be worse for the thousands of altcoins across many smaller exchanges.” said Don Guo, Co-Founder and CEO, Broctagon Fintech Group highlighting the issues. “We engineered the WorldBook infrastructure taking a page from the fundamentals of FX interbank liquidity. With our experience as a regulated FX liquidity provider, we believe the Prime of Prime (PoP) model has the potential to disrupt the industry and increase crypto trading volumes by more than 400% in the near future.” The WorldBook is part of Broctagon’s commitment to propel the crypto industry towards regulatory compliance, adoption, and maturity. As Singapore looks to be a poster child for the crypto industry with its welcoming policies, the homegrown fintech company seeks to support this national agenda. Exchanges are welcome to connect to the WorldBook for free. The advantages for exchanges include an evident increase in volumes and a decrease in bid-ask spread amongst others. For example, the BTSE exchange experienced an eight-fold increase in trading volume, surpassing 10,000 trades across six crypto pairs within the first month. “Liquidity challenges exist for newer and established exchanges alike. The former requires extensive capital for marketing to capture enough users for a liquid orderbook while the latter often pay hefty fees for external market maker services to drive profitability. The WorldBook is a solution for both. With universal prices and unprecedented depth, exchanges can focus on other aspects of the business to bring further value to their clients.” said Don. Shadab Taiyabi, President of Singapore FinTech Association “We congratulate Broctagon, which is one of our active members, on their launch of the WorldBook. The growth of our FinTech ecosystem is a collective effort of all members of the community, fintech and financial institutions alike,” said Shadab Taiyabi, President of Singapore FinTech Association, a cross-industry non-profit initiative recognised by the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Globally, crypto exchanges that are not within the top 3 percentile account for only less than 10% of total trading volume, according to data derived from CoinGecko. With its symmetrical flow of liquidity, the WorldBook levels the playing field for newer exchanges to contend and explore new frontiers, driving growth for the entire industry at large. “We recognize how a standardized framework for liquidity can ensure steady supply and demand for our clients. It is a pleasure to work with the WorldBook, and we shall support them as they look to introduce cohesive standards for the entire industry and elicit greater public adoption of cryptocurrency,” said Weber Woo, CEO, XT Exchange, the first digital asset social trading platform with close to half a million active monthly traders. Beyond a liquidity network, the Worldbook is also an open initiative to forge greater collaboration amongst industry peers old and new, to create a digital asset landscape primed for multifaceted participation. Amongst its pioneering members are Huobi Group, FCA-regulated Archax, BitKub, as well as RegTech companies such as Horangi and Cypnopsis as well as Defi and blockchain firms like Hodlnaut and Bholdus amongst many others. Those who want to be members may visit nexusworldbook.com to indicate interest. Alternatively, they can reach out to the WorldBook through its Telegram (https://t.me/nexusworldbook) or drop the WorldBook an email at [email protected]