News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily reports: David Ripley, Co-CEO of U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, stated that Europe has taken a more pragmatic approach to crypto regulation, with the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) providing clarity on market rules. In contrast, the U.S. regulatory environment is more adversarial.Ripley noted that the CLARITY Act has been slow to advance, with related efforts ongoing for years. He believes that if the U.S. continues to delay pushing forward crypto regulatory legislation, it may cede its leadership in financial innovation to the European Union.Kraken obtained a MiCA license from the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) in June 2025, allowing it to operate across all 30 member states of the European Economic Area (EEA). (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: On September 16, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee passed the amended H.R. 8957, the "American Reserve Modernization Act," by a vote of 28 to 21, which aims to enshrine the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Reserve program into federal law.The bill proposes that Bitcoin lawfully held by the federal government and not designated for other statutory purposes be held for at least 20 years from the effective date of the legislation, during which it may not be sold, exchanged, auctioned, pledged as collateral, or otherwise disposed of. The bill still needs to pass the House and Senate and be signed by Trump.The bill also requires the Treasury Department to establish the relevant reserve within 180 days of the effective date and to publish an annual proof-of-reserves report covering holdings, transactions, and private key control. The Treasury Department and the Commerce Department will study lawful and budget-neutral methods of increasing Bitcoin holdings, but this provision does not authorize direct purchases. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: A 2021 firmware vulnerability in the hardware wallet Coldcard resulted in insufficient randomness in some recovered seeds. Since July 30, attackers have transferred approximately 1,600 to 1,800 BTC from affected wallets, involving thousands of addresses, with an estimated value exceeding $100 million.Coldcard manufacturer Coinkite stated that it must be assumed that someone used AI to review its public firmware. The vulnerability has existed for about five years, and whether AI was involved in the related attacks has not yet been confirmed.Shielded Labs researcher Taylor Hornby used a Claude Opus 4.8 audit agent and discovered a vulnerability in the Zcash Orchard shielded pool circuit dating back to 2022, which in testing could generate unlimited counterfeit ZEC without a trace. Developers completed the fix within days, and no theft of coins has been confirmed.Statistics from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis show that on-chain writes carrying malware instructions and command-and-control information rose from about 2.06 per day to 11.1 per day, an increase of 440%. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: The cyber investigation unit of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Police Agency in South Korea identified 26 Polymarket users by analyzing public blockchain transaction records and on-chain open-source intelligence, and filed cases on suspicion of illegal gambling. Among them, 18 individuals have been transferred to prosecutors, with cumulative bets totaling $12.7 million and a single user betting as much as $4.1 million.Police launched a preliminary investigation in March and began filing cases against those involved starting in May; South Korea's Korea Communications Standards Commission only ordered the blocking of Polymarket on August 18, and the transactions under investigation by authorities occurred during a period when the platform was still normally accessible. Police are advancing the investigation under Article 246 of South Korea's Criminal Act. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily Report: Vietnam plans to issue licenses to its first batch of crypto asset service providers in 2026 under a pilot legal framework, and allow the first batch of digital asset platforms to begin operations. Nguyen Duc Chi, Deputy Minister of Finance of Vietnam, met with Mariana Kuhnel, Executive Director of the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA), in Vienna on September 15 to discuss bilateral cooperation and the exchange of financial regulatory experience.Vu Thi Chan Phuong, Chairwoman of the State Securities Commission of Vietnam, stated that the regulatory mechanism will cover service providers and investor transactions, with a focus on risk management, investor asset protection, and anti-money laundering. Kuhnel proposed that both sides hold online technical seminars and strengthen coordination through the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Singapore-based compliant stablecoin payment company Dtcpay has announced the completion of a $25 million Series A funding round, led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India, with SBI participating through two Singapore investment entities. Dtcpay provides stablecoin and fiat currency acceptance, storage, and trading services.The funds from this round will be used to expand its merchant network, build infrastructure, develop enterprise portal and consumer application features, and enter more regulated markets. Dtcpay has integrated with WalletConnect and launched a Visa-linked stablecoin-to-fiat card. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily reports: Digital asset management company Grayscale stated in an analysis published on September 17 that the latest Federal Reserve rate hike is closer to a "mid-cycle adjustment" rather than a major monetary policy shift.The Federal Open Market Committee raised the target rate range by 25 basis points to 3.75%–4% on September 16, stating that the hike aims to bring inflation back to the 2% target in a more timely manner. Grayscale believes that this rate hike, along with a possible second hike later this year, is unlikely to cause major changes in the digital asset market.Grayscale noted that from March 2022 to July 2023, the Federal Reserve raised rates by a cumulative 525 basis points, with sustained tightening increasing returns on cash and yield-bearing assets and raising the opportunity cost of holding Bitcoin; the current environment, by contrast, is a single rate hike following years of hikes, cuts, and holding steady.Grayscale stated that the impact of rate hikes will vary by crypto business model. Stablecoin issuers could benefit from increased interest income on reserve assets, and higher yields on tokenized bonds and money market funds could also attract capital inflows into on-chain financial products. On September 17, Bitcoin briefly rose above $77,000, with short position liquidations in the crypto market reaching nearly $260 million during the rebound. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., the first federally chartered crypto bank in the United States, began offering xU3O8 custody services to institutional clients on September 16, 2026. The token is backed by physical uranium concentrate (yellowcake), with the relevant uranium materials stored at Cameco facilities and beneficial ownership held through a UK trust structure.xU3O8 is issued by Uranium.io, with UK regulator Archax serving as trustee, and the underlying assets mapped through the Etherlink network. Cameco is responsible for safeguarding the physical uranium in certified facilities and regularly publishes reserve proof audit results.Anchorage Digital Bank N.A. is regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and its clients can include xU3O8 in the same segregated, bankruptcy-remote accounts as Bitcoin and cash equivalents. Currently, xU3O8 is priced at approximately $5.66 per unit, with a total market cap of about $9 million. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily reports: In November 2023, Orlen Trading Switzerland, a subsidiary of Polish state-owned energy company Orlen, signed a contract to purchase 6 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil and paid $230 million in unsecured advance payment to Dubai-based trading company Hannon International for conversion into USDT.Hannon International subsequently converted the funds through multiple intermediaries, with $135 million converted into only 85 million USDT, creating a $50 million shortfall. Between January and March 2024, private keys controlling over 132 million USDT were handed over via USB storage devices to brokers affiliated with Venezuela's state oil company.After the transaction, the relevant brokers became unreachable, and the Venezuelan state oil company failed to release the crude oil cargo. Ultimately, only one vessel loaded approximately 500,000 barrels of fuel oil, valued at $28.8 million; Orlen canceled the contract in March 2024, with estimated total losses of $378 million to $424 million.Polish prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the management of Orlen Trading Switzerland, with 3 former senior executives indicted and facing up to 25 years in prison. Orlen has initiated international arbitration in Dubai, seeking to recover the $230 million prepayment. (Bitcoin.com News)
Block CEO Jack Dorsey has expressed support for review, independent evaluation, and planning of frontier AI, but opposes governments and leading AI companies negotiating industry-wide development restrictions.He advocates for an open-release approach that allows outside parties to reproduce results, identify problems, and develop alternatives, and supports providing models, computing power, and public infrastructure to independent researchers and safety researchers.Block is developing open-source AI tools and provides Bitcoin-related services across products including Square and Cash App. The company has also launched the open-source AI agent goose, and is developing Bitcoin mining hardware Proto and hardware wallet Bitkey. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily reports: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins stated that he has directed staff to draft a proposal that would allow investment advisers to directly custody crypto assets for clients and regulated funds under certain conditions, and is considering permitting state trust companies to serve as custodians.Atkins noted that qualified third-party custodians do not yet exist for certain crypto assets. The custody proposal is one component of the SEC's crypto regulatory framework, following the SEC's amended crypto asset custody rules that entered White House review in August.The framework's other two components include the Crypto Asset Regulations proposed on August 18 and the transfer agent rule modernization plan, which respectively address crypto asset issuance and transfer. Atkins also urged Congress to advance the CLARITY Act, but the bill failed to advance in a Senate procedural vote on September 15 with 49 votes in favor and 50 against. (Bitcoin.com News)
According to reports from Bitcoin.com, the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic (NBKR) signed a memorandum of understanding with blockchain security company Certik on September 9. The two parties will collaborate in areas such as cybersecurity, digital asset custody, anti-money laundering (AML), and counter-terrorism financing (CFT) to jointly advance the security development of the country's digital currency, the Digital Som. Under the agreement, NBKR will deploy Certik's monitoring tools to implement 24/7 compliance monitoring of digital assets, and provide technical training and knowledge transfer to central bank personnel. Previously, Certik has provided technical advisory support to U.S. regulators and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
Odaily News: The Central Bank of Russia, in its draft policy for 2027 to 2029, has classified cryptocurrencies and stablecoins as major risks to the financial market, stating that they could undermine the ruble's status and monetary sovereignty, and pose a risk of total loss of investors' principal. The bank also noted that the cross-border and decentralized nature of crypto assets could facilitate illegal activities and the expansion of shadow markets.The Central Bank of Russia advocates for criminal liability for unlicensed platforms and exchanges that facilitate the circulation of digital currencies, and administrative fines for participants who violate trading rules. Russia has already allowed specific companies to use crypto assets such as Bitcoin to settle international trade contracts under central bank supervision, with domestic retail investors permitted to trade through licensed intermediaries at an annual limit of approximately $3,700. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily reports: Jason Smith, Chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, has unveiled the 114-page "Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act" (H.R. 10357), which proposes exempting taxes on network or transaction fees below $10, with a committee markup scheduled for 10 a.m. on September 16.The bill stipulates that users who conducted more than 5,000 transfers in the previous year would not be eligible for the aforementioned fee exemption. A companion bill aims to bring digital assets under wash sale rules and constructive sale rules, while excluding qualified U.S. dollar stablecoins, and is projected to raise $2.074 billion in revenue for fiscal years 2026 through 2036.The companion bill would also allow miners and stakers to defer income from newly generated tokens until the time of sale, with an estimated ten-year fiscal cost of $2.956 billion. Republican committee members are considering removing the relevant provisions or limiting the deferral period to five years. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: The UK House of Lords passed an amendment by a vote of 194 to 138, requiring the Treasury to formulate, publish, and consult on a national digital asset strategy within 12 months after the Financial Services and Markets Act takes effect.The strategy must cover crypto assets, qualifying stablecoins, central bank digital currencies, tokenized securities, and other digital financial assets, and review the availability of banking, payment, and settlement services, as well as the risks to competition and innovation posed by the withdrawal of related services.The bill still needs to undergo a third reading in the House of Lords on September 15, and will then be submitted to the House of Commons for consideration. The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) completed the formulation of rules and guidance for the new crypto asset regulatory regime on June 30. The authorization application channel is planned to open on September 30, 2026, and the regime will take effect on October 25, 2027. (Bitcoin.com News)
: On September 9, Bulgaria's National Assembly passed amendments to the Tax and Social Security Procedure Code with 149 votes in favor, 0 against, and 10 abstentions, which will allow the Bulgarian National Revenue Agency to obtain detailed information on crypto asset users. The bill was approved by the 240-seat parliament.The amendments implement two European Union (EU) directives, requiring crypto asset-related businesses to register and report to the Bulgarian National Revenue Agency users' names, addresses, dates and places of birth, tax residences, and tax identification numbers, as well as to submit transaction data for various types of crypto assets, including gross amounts received, number of transactions, number of fiat buy and sell transactions, and crypto asset exchange activity.Privacy advocates criticized the scope of data collection as overly broad, arguing that mandatory disclosure of personal information could pose security risks. Crypto traders and small businesses said the registration and reporting requirements will increase compliance costs; supporters of the bill argue it aligns with EU standards and helps curb tax evasion. The relevant directives require EU member states to complete adoption by December 31, 2025. (Bitcoin.com News)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed Ordinance O-26-49, the "Virtual Currency Ordinance," on September 10, prohibiting the operation, hosting, or facilitation of cryptocurrency ATM and over-the-counter cryptocurrency transaction services within city limits. City Councilor Stephanie W. Telles stated that approximately 90% of such local transactions are related to fraud.The ordinance requires relevant operators to remove all affected devices within 45 days of the effective date, with violating individuals and entities facing cumulative fines. City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn stated that the ban aims to remove physical infrastructure that facilitates fraudulent activities.The ban does not affect residents' ability to hold, own, mine, and transfer digital assets through other means. The number of cryptocurrency ATMs in the United States has dropped from 38,708 to 27,945, following Bitcoin Depot's cessation of operations. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has convened the Senate Democratic caucus for a Sunday evening meeting to discuss the new text of the CLARITY Act that Republican senators circulated on Thursday. The text contains more than 100 amendments reportedly proposed by Democrats.The Senate will vote on Tuesday on whether to advance the bill through cloture, or to abandon the effort altogether. Democrats remain divided internally over ethics provisions, and community banks also oppose the stablecoin yield-related rules. Most Democratic senators are expected to vote against it.U.S. President Donald Trump discussed new wording on the ethics provisions with advisers on Friday, as Democrats demand that public officials divest their existing crypto assets. If all 53 Republican senators support the bill, it would need at least 7 Democratic senators to agree to proceed to debate on Tuesday; some Republican senators also oppose the current stablecoin yield provisions. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: The Central Bank of Brazil's new regulations require virtual asset service providers to meet capital, audit, anti-money laundering, and continuous reporting compliance requirements, with capital requirements reaching up to 37.2 million reais, approximately $7.2 million. Of the current approximately 300 related institutions, only 20 to 25 may qualify to apply for authorization, and only 10 are expected to receive licenses.Some small platforms have already ended or restructured their retail operations, including Bitnuvem, NovaDAX, Digitra, and Coinext, but these platforms did not attribute the relevant decisions to the new rules. Institutions that fail to meet the requirements will also face ongoing compliance costs, and some operations may find it difficult to sustain.Relevant institutions must apply for authorization by October 30, and those that do not apply will cease operations within 30 days and notify customers. Isabel Longhi, Head of Public and Regulatory Policy for Latin America at Ripple, stated that market consolidation is expected to occur as Brazil's crypto market matures, but the new rules will limit innovation in the short term. (Bitcoin.com News)
Odaily News: In an operation targeting the Telegram crypto escrow trading platform Xinbi Guarantee, the U.S. Department of Justice's Scam Center Strike Force restricted the handling of approximately $52 million in fraud-related cryptocurrency in a single day, bringing the cumulative total to approximately $938 million. Previously, the cumulative amount frozen, seized, or recovered had already exceeded $580 million.The U.S. Department of the Treasury stated that since its founding around 2022, Xinbi Guarantee has processed over $24 billion in transactions, involving digital assets and fiat currency, primarily serving Southeast Asian transactions. North Korean hackers and sanctioned entities are alleged to have used the platform, including entities under Jin Bei Group and Prince Group.A U.S. federal court approved the seizure on September 7 of the Telegram channel operated by Xinbi Guarantee. Law enforcement authorities also seized two payment wallets totaling approximately $12 million and applied to freeze another 47 cryptocurrency wallets suspected of being used for money laundering or associated with fraud-related service providers.The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Xinbi Guarantee and its two supporting companies, Safew Technology and Anwen Technology, to its sanctions list on September 9. The U.S. Department of Justice also dispatched investigators to Madagascar to assist local law enforcement in cracking down on 13 scam compounds operated by Chinese nationals and to process over 3,200 electronic devices. (Bitcoin.com News)