This Week's News Preview | Ethereum will activate the Pectra upgrade on the Holesky testnet, and Metaplanet will be included in the MSCI Japan Index
Highlights of the week from February 24 to March 2.整理：Jerry，ChainCatcher
Key News:
- Ethereum plans to activate the Pectra upgrade on the Holesky testnet on February 24
- FX token will be renamed PUNDIAI on February 25, implementing a 100:1 supply reduction
- Turkey will introduce stricter anti-money laundering regulations for cryptocurrencies on February 25
- The U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Digital Assets will hold its first hearing on February 26, discussing "Exploring a Bipartisan Legislative Framework for Digital Assets"
- Metaplanet will be included in the MSCI Japan Index on February 28
- 11.2 million SOL from the FTX bankruptcy auction will be unlocked on March 1, worth approximately $2.06 billion
- Arkham Exchange will provide spot trading services for users in 17 U.S. states starting March 1
February 24 (Monday)
Binance will delist AMB, CLV, STMX, VITE on February 24
Binance will stop trading and delist AMB, CLV, STMX, and VITE on February 24, 2025, at 11:00 (UTC+8).
Bithumb: Plans to suspend services for about 6 hours on February 24 due to internal system upgrades
Bithumb announced that it will conduct internal system upgrades from 01:00 to 07:00 (KST) on February 24, 2025, during which all Bithumb services (Bithumb APP / mobile web / PC / API) will be suspended. The maintenance time may end earlier or be delayed.
To protect customers with open orders, orders may be canceled, so please cancel buy/sell orders as much as possible before the service check.
205th Ethereum ACDE Meeting: Plans to activate Pectra upgrade on the Holesky testnet on February 24
Christine Kim, Vice President of Galaxy Research, summarized the 205th Ethereum Core Developers Execution (ACDE) conference call, where developers expect that if the public testnet upgrade goes smoothly, Pectra will go live on the Ethereum mainnet around April 8; developers confirmed the timeline for the Ethereum public testnet upgrade, with the team scheduled to release the software to activate the Pectra upgrade on Holesky and Sepolia on February 24 and March 5, respectively; developers then discussed Beiko's proposal to lock the scope of the next Ethereum upgrade, Fusaka, before Pectra goes live on the Ethereum mainnet.
February 25 (Tuesday)
CoinList will launch Obol token sale on February 25
CoinList announced that it will open the Obol token sale, which is the foundation of an L1 blockchain and decentralized infrastructure network.
The purchase period for the Obol sale will start at 17:00 (UTC) on February 24, 2025, and end at 17:00 (UTC) on March 3, 2025.
The sale price is discounted by 30% compared to the $180 million FDV from the previous round of venture capital for Obol. This public sale is not available to users in the U.S., China, Canada, and certain other jurisdictions.
FX token will be renamed PUNDIAI on February 25, implementing a 100:1 supply reduction
The FX token will officially be renamed PUNDIAI at 10:00 AM (GMT+8) on February 25, 2025. This upgrade will be carried out automatically or manually depending on the blockchain where the token is located. FX on Pundi AIFX Omnilayer (formerly f(x)Core) will automatically upgrade, including both staked and non-staked tokens.
FX on the Base chain and Ethereum network will require a manual upgrade, and the upgrade page will be provided later, allowing users to bridge FX back to Pundi AIFX Omnilayer for automatic upgrades. Centralized exchanges participating in this upgrade will provide automatic upgrades; please pay attention to the exchanges for specific times.
Turkey will introduce stricter anti-money laundering regulations for cryptocurrencies on February 25
Turkey launched new cryptocurrency regulatory legislation in the last week of 2024, inspired by the proactive regulatory developments in major jurisdictions worldwide, including Europe.
According to the released documents, the new regulations require users conducting transactions exceeding 15,000 Turkish Lira (approximately $425) to provide their identity information to the country's cryptocurrency service providers.
This new anti-money laundering (AML) regulation aims to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism through cryptocurrency transactions, and it will take effect on February 25, 2025.
February 26 (Wednesday)
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Digital Assets will hold its first hearing on February 26
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Digital Assets will hold its first hearing on February 26, discussing "Exploring a Bipartisan Legislative Framework for Digital Assets."
February 27 (Thursday)
Upbit: NFT services will be suspended for 2 hours on February 27
South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit announced that due to planned database maintenance, NFT services will be suspended for 2 hours from 06:00 to 08:00 on February 27, during which deposits and withdrawals of Ethereum and Polygon-based NFTs will not be possible. Depending on market conditions, this maintenance may be postponed or canceled.
Kraken will shut down its NFT marketplace on February 27
Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken will close its NFT marketplace to free up resources for upcoming projects. After November 27, 2024, users will not be able to list, bid, or sell NFTs on Kraken's NFT marketplace, and only asset withdrawals will be allowed. The marketplace will be completely shut down on February 27, 2025.
February 28 (Friday)
Brazil's central bank considers banning the withdrawal of stablecoins from exchanges to personal wallets, public consultation will last until February 28
The Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) has announced a regulatory proposal to prohibit centralized exchanges from allowing users to withdraw stablecoins to self-custody wallets. According to the public consultation notice, the transfer of stablecoins (referred to as "tokens denominated in foreign currency") between residents will be restricted in cases where Brazilian law already permits payment in foreign currency.
This move is part of the cryptocurrency regulatory bill approved by Brazil in December 2022, which designates the BCB as responsible for establishing rules for the country's cryptocurrency industry. The public consultation will last until February 28, 2025, allowing market participants to share their opinions with regulators. However, the BCB can override opinions and act as described in the document.
Metaplanet will be included in the MSCI Japan Index on February 28
Simon Gerovich, CEO of Japan-listed company Metaplanet, revealed that the company will officially be included in the MSCI Japan Index after the market closes on February 28, 2025. As a well-known Bitcoin financial company in Asia, this inclusion marks mainstream market recognition of its Bitcoin strategy.
Simon stated that this inclusion will bring three positive impacts to Meta Planet: first, it will significantly enhance the company's visibility among global investors; second, passive funds and ETFs tracking the MSCI index will automatically allocate this stock, bringing new capital inflows; finally, the inclusion also proves that the company's market position and business strategy have been recognized.
The MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) index is an important investment benchmark for global institutional investors, and the MSCI Japan Index primarily tracks large and mid-cap listed companies in Japan.
Federal Reserve's Barr announces resignation as Vice Chair for Supervision on February 28
The Federal Reserve's statement shows that Barr announced his resignation as Vice Chair for Supervision on February 28, 2025.
The Federal Reserve stated that Barr will continue to serve as a governor of the Federal Reserve but does not intend to participate in significant rule-making until a successor for the vice chair position is determined.
March 1 (Saturday)
Arkham Exchange will provide spot trading services for users in 17 U.S. states starting March 1
Cryptocurrency exchange and data analytics company Arkham Intelligence announced on Saturday that it will provide spot cryptocurrency trading for users in 17 U.S. states starting March 1.
This move follows Arkham's announcement last November to launch a USDT-based perpetual coin exchange. Users in Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Wyoming, Wisconsin, California, Massachusetts, and Montana will be able to engage in spot trading.
According to monitoring by @ai_9684xtpa, 11.2 million SOL from the FTX bankruptcy auction will be unlocked on March 1, valued at $2.06 billion.
FTX previously sold 41 million SOL in three auctions.
March 2 (Sunday)
OKX will delist GFT spot trading pairs and suspend GFT withdrawal services on March 2
OKX will delist GFT/USDT and GFT/USDC on December 3 from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM (UTC+8).
OKX has suspended the recharge operations for the GFT token at 4:00 PM (UTC+8) on December 2, 2024, and will not reopen them. Withdrawals for the GFT token will be suspended at 4:00 PM (UTC+8) on March 2, 2025, and will no longer be supported.
