News linked to both this project and an event.
According to Korean media Asiae, six top Silicon Valley VC firms, including Sequoia Capital, a16z, Khosla Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, General Catalyst, and NEA, announced the signing of a strategic investment cooperation memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the South Korean National Pension Service (NPS), planning to jointly explore investment opportunities, share investment information, and strengthen their global venture capital layout. Additionally, with the South Korean government accelerating policies to attract overseas venture capital, coupled with the launch of the 200 trillion won "National Growth Fund," the market expects the Korean venture capital sector to see simultaneous inflows of policy funds, private capital, and overseas capital, with strategic industries such as AI and semiconductors expected to receive more investment. However, industry insiders warn that if a large amount of capital concentrates on a few popular enterprises, it may push up corporate valuations and create bubbles, potentially facing valuation correction pressure during future IPO and M&A exits, affecting fund return rates.
Standard Chartered stated that it maintains its Bitcoin price prediction of reaching $100,000 by the end of 2026, believing that the recent market decline triggered by Strategy's (formerly MicroStrategy) related activities is not due to a deterioration in the company's balance sheet, but rather a strategic adjustment that the market has not fully understood.Geoffrey Kendrick, Head of Digital Assets Research at Standard Chartered, noted in a report that Strategy's recent behavior is disrupting short-term market expectations for Bitcoin. The market had previously accepted the company's narrative of "never selling Bitcoin," but now Strategy appears to be shifting towards a more complex capital operation model. How clearly the company can communicate this change will determine when market pressure eases.Currently, Strategy holds 843,775 Bitcoins, representing approximately over 4% of the total 21 million Bitcoin supply. From 2020 to mid-2025, Strategy's mNAV (Market Value of Enterprise / Bitcoin Asset Value) was consistently above 1, allowing the company to raise funds through stock issuances to purchase Bitcoin and achieve shareholder value growth. The commitment to "never selling Bitcoin" was central to this model gaining market acceptance. However, with the current mNAV approaching 1, the leverage effect of this financing model is weakening.Kendrick believes Strategy is transitioning from a "Bitcoin accumulation tool" to a "Bitcoin credit support tool." This involves using its Bitcoin holdings as the credit basis for its perpetual preferred stock, STRC. Currently sized at approximately $10 billion, STRC is the largest financial instrument launched by Strategy, offering an annualized dividend rate of 12%, paid semi-monthly in cash, and is designed to maintain a price near its $100 par value through interest rate adjustment mechanisms.Standard Chartered indicated that STRC is currently trading around $90, while Strategy's dollar reserve for paying dividends stands at approximately $2.55 billion, covering an estimated 17.4 months of dividend expenses.Kendrick stated that Strategy's policy adjustment allowing for Bitcoin sales does not necessarily mean the company will continuously sell. He believes that as long as the market believes the new capital structure arrangement can stabilize the STRC price, Strategy may not actually need to sell Bitcoin. He compared this mechanism to a central bank's commitment to "do whatever it takes": mere restoration of market confidence may mean actual intervention never occurs. (The Block)
According to the introduction, the platform is built on open-source technology and W3C-standard compliant Verifiable Credentials, enabling citizens to securely prove and manage their own identities while upholding high standards of privacy, security, and data sovereignty. Regarding the division of responsibilities, SIGN Foundation will lead the platform's system design, solution architecture, and technical implementation; Bhutan NDI will contribute its experience in national digital identity architecture and provide a foundational open-source identity framework, drawing on the successful implementation experience of the Bhutan National Digital Identity project; MoCTI will provide strategic leadership, policy direction, and cross-government agency coordination to support nationwide implementation.