News linked to both this project and an event.
According to a public letter issued by Forward Industries (NASDAQ: $FWDI), General Counsel Georgia Quinn formally responded to SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce's July 22, 2026, statement "Headstands and Summervaults," proposing a three-tier vault regulatory framework centered on the core variable of "manager discretion": • Type I - Use: Developers provide only off-the-shelf software, with users configuring parameters independently, requiring no registration; • Type II - Follow: Drawing on the SEC's 2013 AngelList no-action letter, Angels set strategies for others to follow, subject to conditions such as co-investment and disclosure, and do not need to register as investment advisers; • Type III - Advised: Involves active management, requires registration or an applicable exemption, and recommends joint oversight by the SEC and CFTC to avoid dual compliance conflicts. The article also outlines five baseline requirements applicable to all vaults, including conflict of interest disclosure, public code audits, exclusion of disqualified persons, application of anti-fraud rules, and state law preemption. The article specifically notes that Peirce's statement did not mention the CFTC, and cross-agency regulatory issues regarding mixed-asset vaults urgently require the SEC and CFTC
Odaily News According to the latest report released by wealth intelligence firm Altrata, the number of billionaires worldwide surged to a record high in 2025, reaching 3,795—an increase of 8.2%, the strongest growth in five years. Rising stock markets, monetary stimulus policies, and the artificial intelligence (AI) investment boom have driven rapid wealth accumulation among the ultra-rich.The total wealth of billionaires grew by 12.8% in 2025, hitting a record $15.1 trillion—equivalent to nearly a quarter of the total market capitalization of the S&P 500. This marks the third consecutive year of accelerated wealth growth among billionaires, with the average billionaire now holding $4 billion in assets. In reality, however, the median net worth of billionaires stands at nearly $2 billion, reflecting the highly concentrated distribution of wealth among a small group of "super-billionaires."By region, North America saw the fastest growth in billionaire population at 11.6%, outpacing all other regions and reaching 1,337 individuals (35% of the global total). Europe recorded its second consecutive year of growth, with the number of billionaires rising nearly 8% to 1,081 (28% of the global total). Asia ranked as the third-largest region for billionaires, with an increase of 6.5% to 881 individuals.The report noted that since 2023, the AI investment boom has been one of the most significant drivers of global billionaire wealth creation, with its impact becoming even more pronounced in 2025 and the first half of 2026. Investor enthusiasm for generative AI, large language models, cloud computing, and AI software has attracted unprecedented capital, driving substantial market value revaluations across many tech companies. Since billionaire wealth is typically concentrated in corporate equity, founders and major shareholders of the world's leading tech companies have emerged as the biggest beneficiaries of the AI-driven tech stock rally, which has directly translated into significant growth in personal net worth. (The Paper)
TechFlow news, July 25, according to The Paper, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Xilin Gol League Intermediate People's Court issued a second-instance judgment maintaining the original verdict in the case involving Ma suspected of the crime of illegal business operations. This is one of a series of cases where four-party payment platforms provided fund payment and settlement services for gambling platforms. In this case, some defendants were accused of receiving commissions or rebates in the form of virtual currencies such as USDT. Upon investigation, between May 24, 2022 and October 18, 2023, Ma and four others used third-party payment accounts to collect and pay illegal funds on behalf of others, and utilized settlement methods such as receiving USDT virtual currency via virtual wallets and bank card collections. Through 105 merchants across 10 third-party payment companies, the settlement amount exceeded 2.95 billion yuan. The court ultimately determined that Ma committed the crime of illegal business operations, sentencing him to four years and six months in prison and imposing a fine of 3 million yuan. The 5 individuals who were subsequently brought to justice were sentenced by the court to prison terms ranging from 3 to 6 years for the crime of illegal business operations.
the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professional Association stated that representatives from regulatory bodies, including Executive Director of the SFC's Intermediaries Division Keith Yee and Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Joseph Chan, discussed several specific policy changes. These include: canceling the previous 10% minimum exemption for virtual asset management, and implementing new regulations effective immediately without a transitional period.Furthermore, the SFC indicated that it has communicated with the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute (HKSI). In the future, the examination for virtual asset platform practitioners will be separated from the existing courses, and examination fees will be lowered, aligning with the costs of current papers such as Paper 2 and Paper 3. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professional Association also called for a clear delineation between technology services and regulated activities, suggesting that the SFC establish a more transparent approval timeline and phased reference framework. (Sing Tao Daily)
According to The Paper, 14 individual consumers and three small businesses filed an antitrust class-action lawsuit on June 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron of conspiring to manipulate DRAM supply and pricing since 2022, leading to an approximately 700% increase in memory prices over the past four years. The plaintiffs claim the three companies used the transition to High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) as an excuse to artificially cut supply of traditional DDR3 and DDR4 memory, disregarding "all economic and business logic". The lawsuit also cites Apple's recent price increases for iPads and Macs as evidence that supply restrictions have affected downstream products. If successful, the defendants are required to pay treble damages, and the scope of the lawsuit may expand to all consumers and businesses purchasing products containing DRAM. Notably, Samsung and SK Hynix were previously fined in the U.S. for price-fixing behavior in the early 2000s, and Samsung was even handed a $300 million criminal fine in 2005. Investment bank Jefferies predicts that the high level of memory prices is difficult to reverse in the short term, with prices still expected to rise quarter-on-quarter by 30% to 50% in the third and fourth quarters of 2026, and a significant decline may not occur until 2028 at the earliest.
Following the introduction of centralized regulatory measures, different accounts held by the same investor within the Futu Niu Niu App have shown distinctly different trading statuses. The Futu Securities (Hong Kong) accounts of some existing domestic investors can no longer execute buy orders, requiring them to update their overseas identity documents. In contrast, the Moomoo accounts, which are serviced by U.S. licensed institutions, can still place orders normally. Furthermore, against the backdrop of ongoing regulatory rectification, account opening application channels for certain locally licensed Hong Kong brokers remain open. Some intermediaries are also still soliciting clients on social platforms by offering rebates and other incentives. (The Paper)
the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed allowing authorized investment funds (including UCITS schemes and most non-UCITS retail schemes) to allocate up to 10% of their assets to crypto Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs). This proposal is included in the FCA's Consultation Paper 52, with a five-week public and institutional comment period ending on July 13.The FCA stated that this move aims to bridge the regulatory gap between individual retail investors and authorized funds. Since the FCA lifted its four-year retail ban on crypto ETNs in August 2025, individual investors have been able to invest directly in ETNs, but funds had remained subject to an "effective ban." The FCA emphasized that the 10% limit is intentionally set, and exceeding this threshold could force a fund to be reclassified as a restricted mass-market investment product, impacting its retail fund status.Under the proposal, professional and qualified investor schemes are not subject to the cap; long-term asset funds and non-UCITS retail schemes operating as alternative investment funds are excluded. The FCA noted that cryptocurrencies do not align with the investment objectives of these funds.On the industry side, the Investment Association supports the proposal, believing that gaining exposure to crypto assets through regulated listed products is manageable in terms of risk, and that the 10% cap helps manage fund risk. Fund managers will need to ensure that holdings are consistent with the fund's disclosed investment objectives and risk profile, and disclose significant crypto ETN holdings.The FCA emphasized that it is not currently considering allowing authorized funds to hold crypto assets directly for investment purposes, and will decide after evaluating the impact of the upcoming crypto asset regulatory regime and client asset protection rules. (The Block)