ChainCatcher news, digital asset prime broker FalconX has announced a strategic partnership with global bank Standard Chartered, aimed at providing more efficient services for institutional crypto investors. This collaboration marks FalconX's first partnership with a global traditional bank, reflecting the growing demand from institutional clients for access to digital assets through traditional financial channels.FalconX will leverage Standard Chartered's banking and foreign exchange services, including its extensive currency acquisition capabilities, to support its institutional clients. Matt Long, General Manager of FalconX for the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, stated, "Our clients will be able to settle fiat more efficiently, achieving faster settlement speeds, better capital efficiency, and an overall reduction in operational risk."This partnership will initially launch in Singapore and then expand to regions such as Asia, the Middle East, and the United States.

ChainCatcher news, Barclays economists stated in a report that the Reserve Bank of India may cut interest rates in June, previously expected in August. India's average inflation rate for April to June is expected to be around 3.0%-3.1%, significantly lower than the Reserve Bank of India's forecast of 3.6%, which may prompt a third consecutive rate cut at its June meeting. Although the continuous slowdown in food prices may soon come to an end, overall price pressures remain under control, and May's inflation data may benefit from base effects. Barclays expects an inflation rate of 4.0% for the fiscal year 2025-2026, with downside risks.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, investment bank Jefferies has gradually developed into an important financial service provider in the field of crypto assets since providing Bitcoin investment advisory services for Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) in 2019. Data shows that the institution ranked sixth in global investment banking transaction volume over the past 12 months, and has completed a total of 120 fintech and crypto-related transactions amounting to $150 billion since 2015.Jefferies has established a professional advantage in cross-border transactions between traditional finance and the crypto market, with a business scope covering multiple areas including capital markets and mergers and acquisitions. Its representative transactions include assisting Kraken in completing a $1.5 billion acquisition of NinjaTrader, as well as serving as an advisor to the unsecured creditors' committee in the FTX bankruptcy case.

ChainCatcher news, according to Ledger Insights, the Swiss banking industry is actively exploring the field of stablecoins to enhance global competitiveness and drive financial innovation.A recent report from the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA) pointed out that despite Switzerland facing strict anti-money laundering (AML) and know your customer (KYC) regulatory requirements in the development of stablecoins, stablecoins are still seen as an important opportunity for modernizing the financial system.However, current Swiss regulations require stablecoin issuers to identify all holders at all times, a provision criticized by industry insiders as "Swiss-style overregulation," which limits the widespread adoption of stablecoins. To address these challenges, the SBA is studying a stablecoin model backed by central bank funds as reserves and is calling for a clearer regulatory framework to promote the development of stablecoins in Switzerland.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, as high-level economic and trade talks between China and the United States reach an important consensus, a new round of rebound is triggered. The current trading situation in the U.S. stock market seems as if Trump's "Day of Liberation" shock never happened. Futures indicate that the S&P 500 Index (SPX) will open nearly 4% higher, which could push the index significantly above the levels of April 2. The Nasdaq 100 Index (NDX) is expected to re-enter a bull market.Traders are also cutting back on bets regarding the extent of interest rate cuts by major central banks this year. Swap contracts linked to the Federal Reserve meeting now lean towards a 25 basis point cut in September. Last week, these contracts suggested that the Fed could make a policy change as early as July. However, some investors are concerned about the lack of details in the agreement announced on Monday and the risk of renewed conflict.Three months is not a long time to negotiate a resolution to complex trade disputes. Moreover, it is still unclear what the goals will be at the end of the cooling-off period. When asked how to avoid a further increase in tariffs after the 90-day delay period ends, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Monday that it is possible to extend it further.

ChainCatcher news, Danske Bank's co-head of fixed income and foreign exchange research, Andersen, stated in a report that following positive news from the China-U.S. trade negotiations over the weekend, the trend of improving market risk appetite observed since last week is expected to continue this week."Over the past week, the market has shown an overall warming of risk sentiment, largely due to initial signs of easing in the trade war." U.S. Treasury Secretary Basant also mentioned that the talks were productive and revealed that the U.S. would announce more details on Monday.

ChainCatcher news, according to Yonhap News Agency, the Bank of Korea emphasized that if a stablecoin backed by the Korean won is launched, the central bank should intervene from the initial approval stage. Ko Kyeong-cheol, head of the Bank of Korea's electronic finance team, stressed at a recent financial law conference that stablecoins could significantly impact the central bank's ability to implement policies related to monetary policy, financial stability, and payment settlement.He emphasized that the Bank of Korea should play a role in the approval process to minimize the potential negative effects of digital assets on the central bank's policy objectives.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinMarketCap data, Bitcoin's current market capitalization is $2.05 trillion, with a daily increase of 3.61%. Its market cap is about twice the total market capitalization of China's four major banks.According to the latest market data, the total market capitalization of China's four major banks is approximately $1.035 trillion. (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China: $341.76 billion; China Construction Bank: $217.6 billion; Agricultural Bank of China: $262.4 billion; Bank of China: $213.76 billion)

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin10 data report, ECB board member Simkus stated that there is no core scenario for ECB interest rates, and it is necessary for the ECB to cut interest rates in June.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, the Bank of England has cut interest rates by 25 basis points, lowering the benchmark rate from 4.5% to 4.25%, marking the fourth rate cut in this round of easing, in line with market expectations.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the Central Bank of Bolivia, under the leadership of President Edwin Rojas Ulo, is designing a new cryptocurrency called "Virtual Boliviano," aimed at international settlements.It is reported that the proposal will be officially announced during the celebration of Bolivia's 200th Independence Day on August 6. To ensure the robustness of the design, the central bank is collaborating with international institutions and other central banks. Officials stated that the "Virtual Boliviano" is expected to modernize the payment system while helping to save foreign exchange reserves.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin Shi reports, "Fed mouthpiece" Nick Timiraos stated that Powell downplayed any speculation about the Fed seeking to ease economic weakness caused by Trump's tariffs through interest rate cuts. Powell mentioned the word "wait" 22 times during the press conference to emphasize that the Fed is not in a hurry to act. This statement reveals the monetary policy divergence between the U.S. and other economies caused by Trump's trade policy, for the simple reason that other economies have not significantly raised tariffs on imported goods. The issues they face are soft demand and employment, but without the inflationary pressures that the Fed may have to deal with later this year.Moreover, since the U.S. economy has just gone through a period of high inflation, the Fed believes it cannot risk preemptively cutting interest rates to support slowing employment, lest it exacerbates price pressures in the short term. As a result, the Fed's stance differs from that of the European, Canadian, and British central banks. Powell hinted that the Fed would only cut rates if there is evidence of a significant slowdown in economic growth, and it could be a rapid rate cut.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) continues to change its previous opposition to the application of cryptocurrencies in the banking industry, issuing an explanatory letter stating that banks can buy and sell the crypto assets they custody at the request of customers.The latest policy statement released by the OCC on Wednesday also clearly states that banks can outsource crypto business to third parties, including custody and execution services. As long as these activities meet the safety and soundness requirements of regulators, the OCC will grant banks more freedom in cryptocurrency.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Standard Chartered predicts that BNB could more than double by the end of this year, reaching $1,275, and is expected to reach $2,775 by the end of 2028.

ChainCatcher News, on May 7, the Governor of the People's Bank of China, Pan Gongsheng, announced at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office that the reserve requirement ratio will be lowered by 0.5 percentage points and the policy interest rate will be reduced by 0.1 percentage points.

ChainCatcher news, encrypted journalist Eleanor Terrett posted on the X platform that the U.S. Senate Banking Committee has voted to approve the nomination of Michelle Bowman as the next Vice Chair for Supervision at the Federal Reserve (13 to 11), and her nomination has now been submitted to the full Senate for consideration.It is reported that Michelle Bowman has expressed a more open attitude towards digital assets and their future in the financial system, and has urged state and federal governments to establish partnerships to jointly regulate stablecoins, while lawmakers are drafting related legislation.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Standard Chartered's Head of Asset Research Geoff Kendrick predicted in a research report released on Tuesday that the native token of BNB Chain, BNB, is expected to reach $2,775 by the end of 2028.The report noted that since May 2021, the price movement of BNB has closely aligned with an unweighted portfolio composed of Bitcoin and Ethereum, and this correlation is expected to continue. Kendrick anticipates that this relationship will persist, with BNB's price rising from the current approximately $600 to $2,775 by the end of 2028.Kendrick stated that as long as Binance remains one of the largest centralized exchanges (CEX), "the value drivers of BNB are unlikely to change quickly," which means the token has the potential to become a benchmark for digital assets. He pointed out that BNB Chain is almost entirely used for decentralized exchanges (DEX), lending protocols, and liquid staking, which means it is a "more centralized and 'traditional' smart contract platform compared to competitors like Ethereum and Avalanche."

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the European Central Bank (ECB) has chosen the Ethereum privacy layer protocol COTI as a pilot partner for the digital euro, collaborating with institutions such as KPMG and Accenture to develop a CBDC technology solution set to launch in early 2026.COTI will utilize its proprietary Garbled Circuits encryption protocol to build core privacy features for the digital euro. Nearly 70 selected institutions are required to complete the technical verification of the conditional payment system before 2026.COTI CEO Shahaf Bar-Geffen stated that this is the second CBDC collaboration following the Israeli digital shekel project, focusing on how to embed privacy protection into the underlying architecture of the system. The European Central Bank will provide technical specifications support, such as APIs, to partners, and the pilot results will culminate in an evaluation report by the end of the year.

ChainCatcher news, according to Crowdfund Insider, digital bank Revolut has rejected an investment proposal that valued the company at approximately $65 billion. Previously, in a secondary share sale in 2024, the company was valued at $45 billion.The report states that Revolut is expanding its business into the telecommunications industry and plans to launch its own mobile communication package service. The company has also introduced an employee incentive program called "Karma," which tracks and rewards employee performance through a points system.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino criticized the EU's stablecoin regulatory framework during an interview on the Less Noise More Signal podcast. This framework forces stablecoin companies like Tether to keep a significant portion of their reserves (up to 60%) in uninsured bank deposits. Due to the interplay of high-risk loans and new cryptocurrency regulations, Europe may soon face a wave of bank failures.Paolo Ardoino added that the European regulatory system is designed to assist banking institutions in the eurozone by providing more liquidity, but it has resulted in "huge systemic risks," as large European banks like UBS will not incorporate stablecoins into the banking system, ultimately forcing stablecoin issuers to choose smaller banks, thereby further exacerbating the risks.