ChainCatcher news, the Central Bank of Brazil is preparing to open the cryptocurrency market to traditional financial institutions. After the upcoming regulations are issued, these institutions will be able to operate clearly in the industry. Due to the high thresholds imposed by this framework, small cryptocurrency startups may face challenges in regulating their status.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Washington Post, President-elect Trump is preparing to take a more lenient stance on cryptocurrencies, as he is looking for key position candidates who are friendly to the crypto industry, while his senior advisors are consulting with crypto executives about potential changes to federal policy. Initial discussions have focused on a range of financial regulatory agencies, including the SEC.According to five informed sources, Trump's advisors are considering appointing current regulators, former federal officials, and financial industry executives to important leadership positions, many of whom have publicly expressed support for cryptocurrencies. They warned that the discussion process is still in its early stages and the list of candidates is still changing.

ChainCatcher news, HashKey Exchange CEO Livio Weng stated in an interview with Phoenix TV Chinese Channel that Trump is the first U.S. president to be very friendly towards cryptocurrency. During his campaign, Trump promised several measures to support cryptocurrency, such as including Bitcoin in the national reserves, making the U.S. the world capital of cryptocurrency, and easing regulations.He mentioned that Trump's cryptocurrency policy will encourage more financial institutions to enter the market. "For example, at HashKey Exchange, after two years of effort, we have partnered with dozens of mainstream financial institutions in Hong Kong, becoming the largest licensed exchange in Hong Kong, but many institutions still maintain a conservative attitude towards this industry," he said. "Trump will serve as a demonstration effect, accelerating the embrace of cryptocurrency by traditional industries and traditional people."Today, many countries and regions around the world are accelerating their layout in the Web3 ecosystem, initiating a new round of industrial competition. Livio Weng pointed out, "Trump's attitude towards crypto assets will not only influence U.S. policy but also accelerate the competition among countries globally regarding the Web3 industry."Additionally, Livio Weng also stated in the interview, "After Trump takes office, a new round of trade wars is likely to come, but the impact on China will become smaller and smaller." He noted, "Last time, China was not knocked down in the previous trade war; instead, it made some breakthroughs in the impacted industries such as new energy and semiconductors, and this time it will not be different, while the U.S. needs to consider the 'backlash' of the trade war."

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi Data, as Trump wins the U.S. election, the market is closely watching the potential impact on tonight's Federal Reserve interest rate decision. Analysts from several financial institutions have expressed their views on this:Jefferies: Powell may not explicitly discuss the issue of increased spending after Trump's victory, but he knows in his heart the driving effect it has on the economy.Bank of America: The Federal Reserve may currently overlook the impact of tariffs on inflation, viewing it as a short-term price fluctuation, and focus on the consequences of negative growth.Standard Chartered Bank: The Fed does not want to surprise the market before it digests the election's impact, but the probability of holding steady has increased.Pantheon Macroeconomics: Although the Fed will still cut rates today, the impending arrival of Trump in the White House may weaken the Fed's rate-cutting space.JPMorgan: With the election settled before the Fed meeting, a rate cut still stands, requiring a cautious approach to forward guidance.DBS Bank: The real federal funds rate has risen to 2.6%, so regardless of the U.S. election outcome, the Fed has room to cut rates this week.Nordea Bank: The impact of Trump's policies on inflation will take some time to manifest, and the Fed's dovish stance will take time to eliminate.Swedbank: The Fed will not incorporate Trump's victory into its recent decisions until there is a clear understanding of the new policies and their impacts.Amerivet Securities: Trump's victory will not change the prospect of a 25 basis point rate cut by the Fed tonight, but the central bank needs to remain vigilant in the future.Natixis: Trump's tax policies may lead to rising inflationary pressures and an expanding fiscal deficit, potentially weakening the Fed's dovish stance.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has announced plans to promote regulated and trusted tokenized forms of currency as common settlement assets, thereby reducing settlement risks and market fragmentation. It is currently facilitating financial institutions to obtain common settlement assets, including the Singapore dollar wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC). The initial test network, SGD Testnet, features settlement tools, programmability, and interoperability.The test network SGD Testnet will be open to eligible financial institutions in Project Guardian and Project Orchid. The first batch of participating financial institutions includes DBS Bank, OCBC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and UOB, with use cases including payments and securities settlement.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, data shows that over the past four years, among the 1,800 ETFs that started trading, BlackRock's IBIT has seen the highest inflow of funds. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart believes that the rapid influx of funds is partly due to investors wanting to invest in Bitcoin for some time, but they lacked a safe or simple way to invest before the ETF was approved. Now that the ETF has started trading, this demand is quickly entering the market.He stated, "I think part of this is pent-up demand, but as people learn more, it's also new demand. Traditional financial institutions are also interested in these products—including hedge funds participating in futures trading. This helps improve flow and demand." He added that hedge funds have been going long on ETFs and then selling futures contracts.Meanwhile, the performance of Ethereum spot ETFs has been less than satisfactory. Farside data shows that so far, 9 ETFs have seen a cumulative net outflow of $491.9 million. However, this does not mean that demand will not rebound. Investors have put cash into other products, which may indicate that a turnaround is on the horizon.Seyffart added, "It's just that the outflows from Grayscale's ETHE have overwhelmed the inflows into other (Ethereum) ETFs at the moment."

ChainCatcher news, some major Japanese institutions have stated that discussions about allowing cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds should focus on major tokens such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, as the country considers whether to follow overseas actions to permit these instruments.The organizations include major trust banks such as Mitsubishi UFJ and Sumitomo Mitsui, cryptocurrency exchanges like bitFlyer, and brokerage firms such as Nomura Securities and SBI Securities. In a set of proposals released on Friday, they stated that the enormous market value and "stable performance record" of these cryptocurrencies make them suitable for investors to "accumulate assets in the medium to long term." They also called for a review of the tax system, including separate taxation on income.An official from Japan's Financial Services Agency stated last month that the agency would review its approach to cryptocurrency regulation, which could pave the way for funding investments and reducing taxes. The official warned that this review has no conclusions yet and may take some time to complete. Japan currently imposes taxes of up to 55% on cryptocurrency gains.

ChainCatcher news, MicroStrategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor has faced criticism from the community for his recent comments, suggesting that Bitcoin holders transfer their Bitcoin to "too big to fail" financial institutions instead of using self-custody.It is reported that Saylor had previously been a proponent of Bitcoin self-custody, believing that self-custody could prevent custodial institutions from abusing their power.

ChainCatcher news, according to TheBlock, the Bank for International Settlements report emphasizes that major financial institutions are trialing tokenized deposits to improve settlement efficiency and programmability. However, the transition from traditional finance to tokenization may pose risks, including potential governance and legal framework issues, as well as credit, liquidity, custody, and operational risks. These challenges may differ from those faced by traditional market infrastructure, thus requiring a comprehensive assessment by central banks.Of course, tokenization also has many benefits, including reduced transaction costs and faster transaction speeds. Governance, legal, and liquidity risks are the key concerns of central banks regarding tokenized assets.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, Coinbase's Vice President of Enterprise and Business Development Shan Aggarwal stated that there has been a "shift" in negotiations between Coinbase and traditional financial institutions over the past six to nine months, which is accelerating, especially as issues related to cryptocurrency in the U.S. gain more support from both Republicans and Democrats. The dialogue could ultimately attract more traditional financial institutions into Web3, driving the mass adoption of digital assets.

ChainCatcher message, Donald Trump Jr. posted in the cryptocurrency project "The DeFiant Ones" Telegram channel: Banks and financial institutions want absolute economic control, but that is all over now. We are making finance great again, putting power back in the hands of the American people.This new decentralized finance platform will eliminate corrupt, expensive, and inefficient intermediaries. No more bureaucrats deciding your fate. Join "The DeFiant Ones," and we will make finance serve the people again.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (DOT) released a semi-annual regulatory agenda on August 16, revealing that the federal government is set to create a fair regulatory environment for both cryptocurrencies and traditional fiat currencies. The Federal Reserve Board (FRS) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) plan to amend the definition of "currency" used in the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) to strengthen reporting requirements for financial institutions regarding domestic and cross-border cryptocurrency transactions.According to the agenda: "These agencies hope that the revised proposal will ensure that the rules apply to domestic and cross-border transactions involving convertible virtual currencies, which are a medium of exchange (such as cryptocurrencies) that have value equivalent to or can substitute for currency but lack legal tender status."The proposal will also extend reporting requirements to digital assets with legal tender status, including central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The final notice for the proposed rulemaking is currently scheduled to be published in September 2025, pending approval.

ChainCatcher news, cryptocurrency analyst Willy Woo posted on X that if financial institutions continue to support the adoption curve of Bitcoin, its price could eventually reach over $700,000. "Bitcoin, even in the early stages of the asset class, Fidelity suggests an allocation of 1-3%, while we see BlackRock's figure at 85%. If we assume 3% is a reasonable allocation, then the lower bound of its valuation is $700,000."

ChainCatcher news, the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) has issued a consumer alert reporting multiple cases of cryptocurrency scams involving fake "professors" on WhatsApp and Telegram. This scam involves "companies claiming to be higher education institutions, such as 'business schools', 'colleges', or 'wealth academies', offering courses primarily centered around investing in cryptocurrency.The alleged fraudulent activity typically begins with investors being placed into WhatsApp or Telegram groups, often using arbitrary names that include popular terms like "wealth club", "elite", and "artificial intelligence". These groups are operated by individuals claiming to be colleagues of the company, with titles including professor, consultant, and assistant.Additionally, these companies offer high-value loans or credit lines to help investors join exclusive "VIP clubs" or meet capital requirements for new products. These loans are often arranged informally via WhatsApp, with the company providing misleading account screenshots. When investors attempt to repay these loans, they are told that their accounts will be frozen until external funds are provided, and if they do not comply, they receive threatening messages and legal claims.

ChainCatcher news, Bashir Kazour, Managing Director of the Swiss cryptocurrency company Taurus, stated that traditional financial institutions in the UAE, such as banks, are eager to launch digital asset services. Kazour made the statement as the company established a new partnership with Zand, the UAE's first digital bank, to provide digital asset services.Zand will utilize Taurus's custody and tokenization solutions. This will enable Zand to expand its digital asset offerings, including cryptocurrencies, tokenized securities, and NFTs.Kazour stated, "The collaboration with Zand reflects the progress of the UAE as a leading digital asset hub. The company is further investing in the UAE to serve our clients in a Swiss and regional manner."

ChainCatcher news, Bernstein stated that a $779 billion spot Bitcoin ETF is about to be approved by major financial institutions.

According to ChainCatcher news and a report released on Thursday by CoinDesk, the world's largest securities settlement system, the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), has completed a pilot project with the blockchain oracle Chainlink (LINK) and several major financial institutions in the United States, aimed at accelerating the tokenization of funds.The goal of the Smart NAV project is to establish a standardized process for introducing and disseminating fund net asset value (NAV) data across almost all private or public blockchains using Chainlink's interoperability protocol CCIP.Market participants reportedly include American Century Investments, BNY Mellon, Edward Jones, Franklin Templeton, Invesco, JPMorgan, MFS Investment Management, Mid-Atlantic Trust Company, State Street Bank, and U.S. Bank.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, several American financial companies are collaborating to test the advantages of shared ledger technology in the tokenization of assets such as commercial bank currencies and various securities. The initiative is called the Regulated Settlement Network, which is a proof of concept aimed at accelerating and securing cross-border transactions using a single system for tokenized assets.This trial is an extension of a 12-week experiment conducted at the end of 2022, which focused on domestic interbank and cross-border dollar transactions. Participants in this new phase include well-known financial entities such as Mastercard, Citigroup, JPMorgan, US Bancorp, Wells Fargo, Visa, Swift, TD Bank, and Zions Bancorp.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, South Korea's opposition party—the Democratic Party plans to push its campaign promise to make spot cryptocurrency funds accessible domestically. The Democratic Party won 175 out of 300 seats in the April elections, becoming the dominant force in the National Assembly. The party has committed to urging local financial institutions to launch cryptocurrency spot ETFs and allowing retail investors to purchase these funds through tax-exempt accounts.It is reported that the Democratic Party plans to request the Financial Services Commission (FSC) to re-examine Bitcoin spot ETFs at the 22nd National Assembly meeting in June, in order to open such products in the local market.Currently, the FSC has not allowed the issuance or trading of Bitcoin spot ETFs, as the FSC believes that Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies cannot serve as legitimate underlying assets for such products. The Democratic Party is also considering options to amend existing financial regulations to address the FSC's potential continued refusal.