ChainCatcher news, according to Finance Magnates, Kazakhstan's regulatory body AFM RK announced that authorities have blocked over 3,500 illegally operating cryptocurrency exchanges. This action is the result of a joint effort by the National Security Committee and the Ministry of Culture and Information. Earlier in 2023, authorities also blocked access to Coinbase on the grounds of alleged violations of digital asset laws.In 2024, regulators shut down 36 illegal cryptocurrency exchanges, with a total trading volume of 60 billion Kazakhstani tenge (approximately 11.3 million USD), and froze assets worth 4.8 million USDT. Additionally, authorities uncovered two cryptocurrency pyramid schemes, returning 545,000 USDT to victims and freezing 120,000 USDT held by the platforms.AFM stated that it is working with international partners to strengthen the regulation of cryptocurrency trading, combat its use for criminal activities, and develop legal amendments to hold digital asset providers accountable for money laundering, while financial institutions' inspections of cryptocurrency trading have also been enhanced.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Korea Economic Daily, South Korean prosecutors have added charges against a woman in her 30s. The woman is suspected of operating an illegal cryptocurrency gambling website in Thailand, with additional charges including concealing criminal proceeds and false accusations.From April 2018 to August 2021, the website she managed received over 24,000 bitcoins (worth $2.3 billion) from users, including South Koreans. The website facilitated gambling by predicting fluctuations in bitcoin prices. She was initially sentenced to five years in prison for establishing illegal gambling and money laundering, but her sentence was reduced to 2.5 years after an appeal. The case is currently awaiting a ruling from the South Korean Supreme Court.

ChainCatcher news, on the afternoon of the 7th, the Civil Division 42 of the Seoul Central District Court held the first debate preparation for the lawsuit filed by 27 former and current senior executives of WeMade against the company for approximately 16.2 billion Korean Won in damages.Among these employees, some are still working at WeMade, consisting of members from the subsidiary Wemade Tree (the former blockchain department of WeMade). The company developed WEMIX, which was first listed on cryptocurrency exchanges in 2020. WeMade subsequently merged with Wemade Tree in February 2022.During the debate preparation that day, the plaintiff's representative argued: "The plaintiffs are employees who developed WEMIX and signed a compensation agreement for WEMIX development with the investors. The condition is that they have worked for more than 3 years." They further added: "The company has emails stating that it would clearly promise the plaintiffs token compensation."The judges commented: "The weakness of the plaintiffs is the lack of a contract," and "(even so) it is strange for the defendant to say they cannot give the employees a penny just because there is no contract."Previous news, former and current employees of Wemade Tree (now merged into Wemade), the development company of the WEMIX project, have filed a lawsuit against Wemade for damages amounting to 16.2 billion Korean Won (approximately 11.85 million USD).

ChainCatcher news, Turkey's Garanti BBVA subsidiary Garanti BBVA Kripto announced a partnership with Luxembourg-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp to provide crypto trading services for its customers.This collaboration marks Garanti BBVA Kripto's first liquidity provider partnership since its establishment in May 2023. The agreement designates Bitstamp as the primary liquidity provider for the platform, allowing access to various digital assets through its Bitstamp-as-a-Service solution. The initiative aims to combine traditional financial services with Turkey's rapidly growing cryptocurrency industry.

ChainCatcher news, the Ripple website shows that the company has added nearly 12 new positions in the U.S. since last October.In addition, the publicly listed online broker Robinhood is hiring a compliance officer, content manager, and web developers for its U.S. cryptocurrency division. Silicon Valley venture capital firm a16z is adding two cryptocurrency engagement managers for its San Francisco and New York City offices.Meanwhile, a spokesperson stated that the blockchain company Consensys, behind the crypto wallet MetaMask and the L2 network Linea, is hiring 9 new "tier-one strategic positions" in the U.S.The company's interim Chief Talent Officer Leona Semmens stated that these positions will help Consensys expand its crypto payments, developer tools, and decentralized identity services. (DL News)

ChainCatcher news, as CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam is about to step down, market observers believe that, given that elected President Trump has consistently supported individuals in the cryptocurrency sector for regulatory positions, he may appoint another candidate who supports cryptocurrency.Meanwhile, reports indicate that CFTC Republican commissioners Summer Mersinger and Caroline Pham are potential candidates for the acting chair position.Another candidate is Brian Quintenz, who previously served as a CFTC commissioner and advocated for innovative approaches during his tenure, including tokenized commodities and decentralized finance, making him a strong contender for the position. Quintenz is currently the policy director at a16z crypto, the digital assets division of a16z.Previous news reported that CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam will resign on January 20, the day of President Trump's inauguration.Behnam expressed concerns that regulation of crypto assets, including Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, remains insufficient, stating: "There is still a significant portion of the crypto asset space that is unregulated within the U.S. regulatory framework. Given the adoption we see from some traditional financial institutions and the huge demand from retail and institutional investors for these products, it is crucial to fill this gap. The CFTC remains well-positioned to become the spot regulator for crypto commodity assets."

ChainCatcher message indicates that, according to SoSoValue data, the encrypted market sector is generally retreating due to macro factors, while the PayFi and CeFi sectors are relatively resilient, retreating by -3.56% and -3.82% respectively. Notably, in the CeFi sector, Bitget Token (BGB) rose against the trend by 5.93%, with a monthly return rate and annual return rate reaching 164.23% and 940.47% respectively.SoSo Value analysts stated that the U.S. non-manufacturing PMI for December and the number of job vacancies for November released today both exceeded expectations, demonstrating the strength of the U.S. economy and the resilience of employment. This has led the market to begin betting on no interest rate cuts or even rate hikes in the first half of 2025, causing U.S. Treasury yields to rise sharply to 4.7%, resulting in price corrections in risk assets such as U.S. stocks and cryptocurrencies.In other sectors, the Layer 1 sector fell by -6.95%, the DePIN sector fell by -8.43%, the DeFi sector fell by -9.46%, the Layer 2 sector fell by -9.47%, and the Meme sector retreated by -10.81%. Additionally, the AI Agents sector, which saw significant gains yesterday, fell by -10.25% today.

ChainCatcher news, investment bank TD Cowen stated that the Trump administration could bring positive changes for crypto entities working with banks, but expectations for this new regulatory environment should be "within a reasonable range." The TD Cowen Washington research team, led by Jaret Seiberg, wrote in a report that banks have a responsibility to comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) rules, and to manage risks such as liquidity and concentration.Analysts stated, "Even if Trump's regulators are less concerned about the increasing connections between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies, this could lead some banks to remain cautious, which is why some banks may still view the risks as too great while others seize the opportunity. Additionally, some crypto entities may refuse any government oversight. This could limit banks' comfort in working with them." Nevertheless, Jaret Seiberg indicated that under the Trump administration, the connection between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies will be "inevitable."

ChainCatcher message, according to a notification shared by José Maria Macedo, co-founder of Delphi Labs, one of Portugal's largest banks, Investimentos Globais (BiG), has begun to block fiat transfers to crypto platforms. The notification states that this move is to comply with guidelines issued by the European Central Bank (ECB), the European Banking Authority (EBA), and the Bank of Portugal regarding the provision of digital asset risks. Furthermore, this decision is driven by the need to ensure compliance with the country's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws.BiG reported that assets under management approached €7 billion in 2023, equivalent to about $7.2 billion.It is worth noting that this situation is currently an isolated case. A user commented on Macedo's publication that fiat transfers to crypto platforms can still be made using Portugal's largest bank, Caixa Geral de Depósitos.Macedo criticized BiG's actions, stating: "Cryptocurrency is inevitable, banks are being eliminated, and these abuses of power will only drive more people to transfer their wealth onto the chain."

ChainCatcher news, Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley retweeted insider Luis Berruga's disclosure: "Confirmed. Major banks in Spain are actively developing regulatory and operational frameworks to offer cryptocurrency ETPs. Some platforms like MyInvestor have already started doing this. The pace of adoption across Europe should accelerate in the coming months."

ChainCatcher news, Musk mentioned during a discussion about payment-related topics on the X stream: "There are currently no plans to use cryptocurrency in the X Payments service; we need a license. We are only focusing on fiat currency and are dedicated to effectively launching the X Payments service."

ChainCatcher news, Cointelegraph posted on the X platform that spot cryptocurrency trading volume on DEXs accounts for over 20%, marking a historical first.

ChainCatcher news, according to Whale Alert monitoring, around 21:47 Beijing time today, 1,636,940,000,000 SHIB was transferred out from Crypto.com exchange, worth 39,038,563 USD.

ChainCatcher news, 1confirmation founder Nick Tomaino posted on the X platform that the future of Ethereum is on-chain prediction markets, social networks, DAOs, identity protocols, AI agents, messaging applications, NFTs, DeFi applications, stablecoins, games, and more. Every significant new idea driving the crypto space forward has started with Ethereum. This has been true for the past 9 years.Many people in the community have been struggling here for a long time, experiencing many ups and downs, and do not care about narratives or tribal nonsense. We just want useful applications that bring cryptocurrency to more people.