this is your business briefing. i'm sally bundock. an end to secrecy? south korea implements a ban on anonymous trading in crypto currencies, will other countries follow? trade wars. is steel and aluminium next on the hit list for the white house? speculation mounts as the us president prepares to deliver his state of the union address. and on the markets has the new year euphoria finally come to an end? markets in asia are headed lower, after wall street experiences its worst day in 2018. so let's get started and not a day goes by without a headline about so—called cryptocurrencies. today, a ban on anonymous cryptocurrency transactions comes into effect in south korea. from now on, only accounts linked to a verified bank account will be allowed to buy and sell bitcoins.