News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily News: Luxembourg has passed a new law authorizing the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to send cross-institutional fraud alerts to traditional banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, with the relevant measures taking effect on August 8. The bill, numbered 8722, requires cryptocurrency exchanges operating in Luxembourg to receive alerts in sync with banks and payment institutions. The bill aims to close the loophole that allows fraudulent funds to move rapidly between traditional financial institutions and digital assets. Under previous rules, banks could only block transactions of flagged accounts within their own systems and were unable to notify another financial institution or cryptocurrency exchange to prevent funds from entering or leaving. Max Braun, head of Luxembourg's FIU, stated that incorporating cryptocurrency exchanges into the cross-departmental alert system will make it more difficult to cash out from flagged accounts. According to data from Luxembourg's Ministry of Justice, police recorded 6,382 fraud cases in the country in 2024, and financial practitioners submitted more than 18,000 reports of fraud and scams.
According to South Korean media Daum, after South Korean financial regulators raised the investment threshold for single-stock leveraged products, South Korean retail investors began adjusting their overseas investment portfolios, reducing holdings of high-leverage products and shifting to directly buying underlying US stocks. Data shows that since the minimum cash margin for single-stock leveraged products was raised to 30 million Korean won on August 1, significant capital outflows have occurred in Tesla's 2x leveraged product TSLL. South Korean investors still net bought approximately $14.58 million worth of TSLL on August 3, but on August 4, the buying amount plummeted to $1.56 million, while the selling amount rose to $8.68 million, turning to a net sell of $7.11 million for the day.
Odaily News With the end of the "Quiet Period" following SK Hynix's U.S. ADR listing, the market has begun to focus on whether the company will introduce shareholder return policies, including a stock split. Among these, the possibility of a "split" against the backdrop of high stock prices has become a key topic of discussion. Recent sentiment circulating in the Korean market suggests that SK Hynix may follow the precedent set by Samsung Electronics, promoting a stock split after continued share price gains to lower the per-share price and expand participation from individual investors. However, such claims have not yet been officially confirmed by the company.Park Seok-hyun, Deputy Head of the WM Products Division at Woori Bank, stated on YTN Radio on the 5th that there is "currently no clear basis" for an SK Hynix stock split, but it "cannot be considered entirely impossible." While SK Hynix's current par value is relatively low and whether there is room for another split is debated, a stock split is not completely out of the question as the share price continues to rise.He noted that following the listing of SK Hynix's ADR on the U.S. market in July, newly listed companies typically undergo a "quiet period" of about 25 days, during which major policy changes are rarely announced. That period ended on August 4th."The end of the quiet period means SK Hynix has entered a phase where it may announce important financial policies. The recent uptick in market discussions about stock splits and dividend increases may be linked to this timing," Park said.Market observers believe SK Hynix's current stock price is already at a high level on the Korean exchange. As of the close on the 5th, the company's stock was trading at 1.668 million KRW per share, a relatively high unit price. If a stock split were implemented in the future, it could lower the investment threshold and boost trading activity among retail and overseas investors.Additionally, Park noted that SK Hynix's profitability has improved significantly in recent years, and the company may also strengthen shareholder return policies in the future, including raising dividend levels. If such policies materialize, they could further increase interest from U.S. market investors in its ADR.However, SK Hynix has not yet made any official announcements regarding a stock split or adjustments to its dividend policy, and market speculation still awaits confirmation from the company's board and official sources. (Daum)
According to the official website of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the FCA announced the simplification of information disclosure and research publication rules for UK stock initial public offerings to enhance the competitiveness of the UK listing market. The new rules eliminate the 7-day waiting period for connected research reports in initial public offerings and simplify information sharing requirements between issuers and intermediaries, aiming to reduce issuance execution risks and compliance costs and facilitate corporate access to the public capital market. The relevant rules took effect immediately on August 5, 2026.
According to TechFlow Research, Reuters reported on August 4 that the Trump administration and the FCC are preparing to restrict Chinese data center components from entering the US, with optical modules specifically mentioned. Morgan Stanley pointed out in a research report on the same day that Zhongji Innolight and Eoptolink collectively account for approximately 50% of the optical module market share; if the ban is implemented, this portion of demand will shift to non-Chinese suppliers. Coherent (COHR) is the biggest beneficiary, Lumentum (LITE) indirectly benefits from the continued tight supply of EMLs, and Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) and Fabrinet (FN) also have the capacity to absorb the demand. Morgan Stanley believes the short-term implementation of the ban faces two major bottlenecks: non-Chinese manufacturers' capacity cannot quickly fill the demand gap; Indium Phosphide (InP) substrates rely on China's AXTI, with Lumentum having just signed a new supply agreement last week and one of the purposes of Coherent's CEO visiting China several months ago being to secure InP supply. The ban will cause a supply shock in the short term but is beneficial for the restructuring of the non-Chinese supply chain in the long term.
According to NADA NEWS, the Japan Financial Services Agency announced on August 5 that it will officially establish the "Crypto Assets and Stablecoins Division" on August 7, placing it under the jurisdiction of the newly established Asset Management and Insurance Supervision Bureau. This organizational restructuring marks a substantive upgrade of Japan's crypto asset regulatory system—relevant functions previously dispersed among multiple affiliated bodies such as the "Crypto Assets, Blockchain, and Innovation Counselor Office" and the "Crypto Assets Monitoring Office" are now formally integrated into an independent division-level department. The newly established division comprises three sub-departments: the "Crypto Assets Monitoring Office" responsible for exchange supervision, the "Innovation Promotion Office," and the "Digital Payment Planning Office." The Financial Services Agency stated that this restructuring aims to address new challenges more precisely, such as the rapid development of digital technology in the financial sector and the strengthening of regulation over financial institutions.
According to The Block, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan stated that even if the US Clarity Act fails to pass this week, the crypto industry will still find a way forward. The US Congress will enter summer recess from August 10 to September 11, leaving the Clarity Act with only a three-day window to advance in the Senate. Hougan pointed out that if the bill fails to pass, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins may directly introduce regulatory rules more friendly to the crypto industry, which could even become an accelerator for industry development. However, he also warned that delayed legislation will increase market uncertainty, further hindering institutional investors from entering the market.
According to TechFlow Research, a buy-side survey by JPMorgan on August 3 showed that for most of the nine semiconductor and hardware companies, buy-side expectations were higher than company guidance. onsemi (ON) Q2 revenue buy-side average was $1.61 billion (guidance $1.59 billion), gross margin 39.5% (guidance 39.0%), EPS $0.75 (guidance $0.71), and FY2027 EPS average $3.57 (guidance $3.11). Approximately 60% of respondents expect ON to slightly raise its 2026 AI revenue target (currently around $500 million). After a stock price drawdown of approximately 25%, ON has shifted from net short to slightly net short, with earnings implied volatility at 7.5%. For the eight companies AMAT, AMD, ANET, COHR, CSCO, LITE, SNDK, and WDC, buy-side average revenue, gross margin, and EPS were all higher than company guidance. JPMorgan believes that July AI momentum unwinding led to a significant drawdown in the semiconductor sector, but buy-side expectations for earnings are not low, creating a contrast between buy-side expectations and stock price pessimism. AMAT earnings implied volatility of 18% is significantly higher than the historical average, indicating the bar for beating expectations is rising. ON is an exception; AI expectations are extremely low, instead leaving room for earnings to beat expectations.
According to BeInCrypto, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit officially issued the mandate in the SBF case on August 4, marking the formal conclusion of Sam Bankman-Fried's appellate proceedings. The one-page order affirmed the original verdict without providing any new reasoning, leaving his 25-year prison sentence and approximately $11 billion forfeiture order unchanged. Previously, on June 12, the panel rejected SBF's appeals on all seven counts. In the opinion, Judge Parker noted that while SBF publicly assured customers, investors, and regulators of the safety of FTX funds, he misappropriated customer funds for real estate, political donations, and personal investments. Currently, SBF's only remaining judicial recourse is to petition for a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court within 90 days, but the Supreme Court's acceptance rate is extremely low. Additionally, SBF has separately submitted a clemency application to the Department of Justice, but Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ruben Gallego have jointly introduced a resolution opposing the granting of clemency to him.
Odaily News - U.S. Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal sent a letter to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins on Monday, calling for an investigation into whether President Trump's related Meme coins violate securities laws.In the letter, the two senators cited reports stating that since the Trump Meme coin launched in January 2025, nearly 1 million crypto wallets have incurred losses, totaling approximately $3.81 billion. They accused Trump of potentially engaging in a "rug pull" and requested that the SEC determine whether fraudulent arrangements or securities law violations exist.Warren and Blumenthal stated that despite the token's price being driven by Trump's own public statements, its value has plummeted significantly, making it necessary for the SEC to investigate whether a fraudulent scheme exists and to prevent continued extraction of substantial value from hundreds of thousands of investors.The letter comes as the White House is evaluating the latest ethics provisions compromise regarding conflicts of interest in Trump's cryptocurrency business. This proposal is seen as key to advancing the "Clarity Act" crypto market structure legislation. A previous Trump-endorsed draft drew opposition from Democrats because it only restricted public officials and their spouses from issuing or sponsoring digital assets, did not cover other family members, and designated the Department of Justice for enforcement.The two senators also claimed that Trump has an "active interest" in encouraging supporters to trade his Meme coin, and alleged that Trump has earned $636 million in revenue from the Meme coin. With the Senate entering its August recess on Friday and attention subsequently shifting to the November elections, whether the "Clarity Act" can advance in the near term still depends on whether both parties can reach consensus on Trump-related crypto conflicts of interest.
Odaily News – Regulators from the United States and the United Kingdom, at the 13th US-UK Financial Regulatory Working Group meeting held in London on July 8, reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening financial regulatory cooperation. The two sides discussed stablecoin regulation, the US digital asset market structure, tokenization, and the UK's digital strategy for the wholesale financial market. A joint statement released on August 4 showed that US officials briefed the UK side on the progress of the GENIUS Act implementation and work related to the digital asset market structure. Participants also discussed payment modernization and the G20 cross-border payments roadmap, which aims to improve cross-border payments. The meeting did not yield new policy measures. Both sides stated that they would coordinate regulation in key areas of the digital asset industry and support responsible digital asset innovation within the framework of financial stability and international regulatory cooperation. On July 14, the Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future, a joint US-UK initiative focused on financial innovation and capital market cooperation, released preliminary recommendations and simultaneously issued a joint statement on stablecoins. The two governments stated that these measures would lay the foundation for continued cooperation between the US and the UK in the digital asset and capital market sectors.
Odaily News, the "Fed Whisperer" Nick Timiraos stated in an article that U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent's policy reaction function has shifted to being less dovish. His remarks this year suggest that the Federal Reserve should continue to hold interest rates steady. Earlier this year, Bessent cited models indicating that the Fed's interest rate level could be anywhere from over 25 basis points to more than 100 basis points above the neutral rate. Today (August 4), he made two points. First, he defended Warsh's decision last week not to elaborate on any policy reaction function: "I think every meeting should be open, and market participants should judge for themselves... I believe Warsh wants to keep options open to achieve the best outcome."Second, he did put forward a policy reaction function that could be viewed as dovish, arguing that recent shocks should be ignored: "What impact will a rise in short-term interest rates really have? We will wait and see." He raised the question but then responded by pointing out that underlying inflation is "very mild... very steady." "In core inflation, excluding the more energy-affected volatile items, the rest has been very steady. I think this will continue."
Odaily News The U.S. crypto market structure bill, the CLARITY Act, enters a critical week. According to Senate procedure, if lawmakers still hope to proceed into the August recess as planned, Senate Majority Leader and Republican Senator John Thune needs to file a motion to proceed on Tuesday to schedule a procedural vote for Thursday. John Thune said on Monday that the Senate may stay in session until it completes a series of pending matters, including a stopgap government funding measure, the Russia sanctions bill, nominations, the college athletics bill, and a procedural vote on the crypto market structure bill. Republicans are currently uncertain whether they can secure the 60 votes needed to begin debate and allow for amendment discussions.
Odaily News – New York Judge Jed S. Rakoff has denied the emergency temporary restraining order request filed by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which sought to block New York State from continuing its enforcement case against prediction market operator Kalshi. The ruling dismissed the request without prejudice, and the CFTC may resubmit its motion to Judge Victor Marrero on August 7. Rakoff held that the CFTC failed to demonstrate a substantial likelihood of success on the merits, nor did it establish irreparable harm. New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Kalshi last Friday, alleging that the company operates an illegal and unlicensed gambling business by offering contracts tied to sports, elections, and other events. The New York State Gaming Commission had already issued a cease-and-desist order to Kalshi in October 2025. The case centers on whether federal commodities law preempts state-level gambling enforcement over event contracts, with state regulators arguing that the relevant contracts constitute wagering, while the CFTC and Kalshi maintain that they are derivatives subject to the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction.
Odaily News The market expects SK Hynix to announce a more detailed shareholder return plan as early as the evening of August 4, Korea Standard Time, including measures such as dividends, share buybacks, and cancellations. Analysts believe the company's previous failure to disclose related plans may be linked to U.S. SEC information disclosure restrictions following its ADR listing on July 10, and the plan is expected to be officially announced after the approximately 25-day quiet period ends. Market participants stated that a clear shareholder return policy would help boost investor confidence and drive further valuation re-rating of the company. (The Korea Economic Daily)
Odaily News: The Enforcement Decree of South Korea's "Special Act on Strengthening the Semiconductor Industry Competitiveness and Support" was reviewed and approved by the State Council on August 4, and will officially take effect on August 11. The Act is being advanced under a presidential-level mechanism, detailing the composition of a special committee, procedures for designating semiconductor clusters, support for talent development, and the operation of a dedicated accounting system.According to the Enforcement Decree, applicants seeking designation as a semiconductor cluster must submit a construction plan that includes basic objectives, development direction, name, location, area, current local industry and infrastructure status, as well as talent cultivation and research infrastructure plans. Non-capital regions will receive priority consideration in cluster designation.Construction and operation costs for industrial infrastructure required by semiconductor clusters may be covered by the national and local governments for 50% to 100% of the total project cost. Among these, facilities for redundancy (dualization), supply chain stabilization, and industrial security-related infrastructure are eligible for full support.The Enforcement Decree also stipulates that priority support may be provided for employment linkage and retraining of local professionals in non-capital region semiconductor companies, and specifies the criteria and procedures for designating institutions dedicated to cultivating semiconductor industry professionals. South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim Jung-kwan, stated that the ministry will cooperate with relevant departments to advance the key policy tasks stipulated by the law.
Odaily News: FBI agent Patrick Yaroch was arrested last Friday for allegedly stealing approximately $1 million in crypto assets from a "hostile crypto account." According to an affidavit filed on August 1, Yaroch is suspected of transferring the assets starting around late 2024 or early 2025.Yaroch told investigators that he discovered certain keys that allowed him to transfer funds from digital wallets to himself. He claimed he was frustrated by his inability to further prevent individuals associated with "hostile nations" from using cryptocurrency, and conducted approximately a dozen transfers.Department of Justice documents show that Yaroch admitted to a DOJ employee that he had "made some very bad decisions" regarding crypto wallet issues. In another interview with federal agents, he also admitted that he had "screwed up."Yaroch previously served as a supervisory special agent in the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division at headquarters, and earlier worked at the FBI's Boston field office. The FBI terminated his employment on July 31.The investigation also alleges that Yaroch mixed personal funds with crypto assets and used ChatGPT to ask how to handle the funds, including how to spend or invest $1 million, and whether to leave the U.S. for a European country.
: Tyler Williams, a senior official at the U.S. Department of the Treasury responsible for digital asset policy, has departed. He had served as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's primary crypto advisor and was involved in shaping the Trump administration's digital asset agenda. Bessent confirmed that Williams' last working day at the Treasury was last Friday. Williams joined the Treasury in early 2025, having previously served as Head of Policy at Galaxy Digital, and is expected to return to the private sector. Williams' departure comes amid a continued stalemate in Congress over the CLARITY Act, a digital asset market structure bill. The legislation has faced obstacles to advancement before lawmakers' August recess due to disagreements over federal ethics provisions for officials.
According to an official media announcement, the South African National Treasury and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) jointly released the "Draft Manual on Cross-Border Crypto Asset Activities" on August 3, 2026, which is now open for public consultation with a deadline of September 30, 2026. The manual is implemented in conjunction with the previously released "Draft Regulations on Capital Flow Management 2026," aiming to strengthen supervision over cross-border financial activities and prevent risks related to illicit financial flows associated with crypto assets. The manual clarifies the trigger points for cross-border crypto asset transactions—when crypto assets are transferred between a domestic authorized CASP and a foreign CASP, or from a domestic authorized CASP to a non-custodial wallet, it constitutes cross-border capital inflow or outflow and must be reported to the Financial Supervision Department (FinSurv). It is worth noting that at this stage, only individuals are allowed to conduct crypto asset outflow operations through authorized CASPs within the single discretionary allowance or foreign capital allowance; South African entities are temporarily not allowed to conduct related cross-border operations. In addition, the manual currently does not distinguish between different types of crypto assets, nor does it list crypto assets as official South African currency.
According to The Block, Bernstein analysts indicated that the likelihood of the U.S. Clarity Act passing within 2026 is declining, with the Senate left with only this week's window (before recess on August 7). Analysts noted that if the bill fails, the digital asset market may experience a negative reaction in the short term, but the SEC and CFTC will accelerate rule-making under the "Project Crypto" framework, covering token classification, DeFi, and self-custody regulatory details, while continuing to promote innovative areas such as tokenized real-world assets (RWA), perpetual contracts, and prediction markets. CFTC Chairman Michael Selig previously also warned that if Congress fails to act, regulators will be forced to "take over all rule-making". Currently, bipartisan senators Thom Tillis and Ruben Gallego have submitted a revised ethics compromise proposal, and negotiations are still ongoing.