ChainCatcher news, according to Yonhap News Agency, the Bank of Korea plans to further cut interest rates next year to address higher downside risks.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin10 citing South Korean media reports, the Chief of the Korean National Police Agency, Cho Ji-ho, and the Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Kim Bong-jik, were formally detained on the evening of December 13.The Seoul Central District Court stated that there is a possibility that Cho Ji-ho and Kim Bong-jik may destroy evidence, and therefore issued a detention order.

ChainCatcher news, Musk posted on the X platform stating that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a weaponized agency engaged in political dirty work.

ChainCatcher news, Singapore-based Web3 AI agent company Earos announced the completion of a $10 million Pre-Seed funding round, led by Lemon Ltd.It is reported that Earos is a platform that leverages digital twin technology to unlock the potential of AI Agents. It is currently building a decentralized AI ecosystem (Digital Twin Earth) that integrates AI Agent model layers, allowing global nodes to collaborate on AI model training, deployment, and validation. Developers can also create and deploy their own AI agents. It is said that the project will utilize tokens to reward participants who provide computing power, validate AI agent workstations, and run nodes.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, a large number of people are currently gathered outside the South Korean National Assembly, demanding to enter the assembly and shouting slogans on-site, calling for Yoon Suk-yeol to withdraw the state of emergency.Subsequently, the South Korean military has blocked the entrance to the National Assembly. The area around the South Korean presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul, has entered a state of full control.

ChainCatcher news, the BSC ecosystem RWA project TopGoal announced a strategic partnership with MNM Sports Agency to explore new applications of RWA in the fields of star players and clubs. MNM Sports Agency was co-founded by former Portugal national team captain Fernando Meira and UEFA Champions League champion Pedro Mendes. They possess top scouting and youth training system resources in clubs such as Porto, Benfica, Sporting CP, Braga, and Guimarães.On the RWA platform launched by TopGoal, ordinary users will have the opportunity to share future income from star players of top European clubs through TopGoal's RWA tokenization innovation. The two founders of MNM Sports expressed their excitement to collaborate with TopGoal to advance these innovations and explore all possibilities in the football RWA track.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinPost, the Financial Services Agency of Japan has issued a warning letter to five overseas exchanges engaged in cryptocurrency trading without registration.The exchanges that received the warning include:KuCoinbitcastle LLCBybit Fintech LimitedMEXC GlobalBitget LimitedAccording to Japanese law, companies engaged in cryptocurrency trading must complete registration with the Financial Services Agency or the local financial bureau. Unregistered exchanges are not regulated by the Financial Services Agency of Japan, making it impossible to confirm whether they properly manage key operations such as the separation of customer assets. In the event of a dispute or unexpected situation, customers will not be protected by Japanese authorities. Additionally, customer assets will not enjoy protections or compensation based on Japanese law, facing additional risks.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, sources say that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an antitrust investigation into Microsoft (MSFT.O), covering areas from the company's cloud computing and software licensing business to cybersecurity products and artificial intelligence products. After more than a year of informal interviews with Microsoft's competitors and business partners, law enforcement officials have drafted a lengthy request, spanning hundreds of pages, demanding relevant information from Microsoft.FTC antitrust lawyers will meet with Microsoft's competitors next week to gather more information. One focus of the investigation is Microsoft's bundling of its popular office productivity and security software with cloud products. Following a series of cybersecurity incidents involving Microsoft products, the FTC has intensified its scrutiny of Microsoft's cloud computing business.Microsoft's missteps in cybersecurity, combined with its status as a government contractor, have raised concerns for the FTC regarding its market influence. Part of the investigation focuses on Microsoft's practices related to the security software Microsoft Entra ID (formerly known as Azure Active Directory), which helps verify user logins to cloud-based software.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has announced the appointment of billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the newly established "Department of Government Efficiency" (D.O.G.E). The department's name is a nod to Dogecoin and will work with the White House Office of Management and Budget to promote structural reforms in government.Ann Skeet, Director of Leadership Ethics at Santa Clara University's Markkula Center, pointed out that Musk's business interests are in direct conflict with government interests. Musk's companies have close ties to the government: SpaceX holds over $4 billion in NASA lunar program contracts; Tesla benefits from government tax incentives and is also subject to automotive safety regulations; the social platform X is facing investigations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); other businesses like the artificial intelligence company xAI, brain-machine interface company Neuralink, and tunneling company Boring all intersect with federal regulation.Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer during the Bush administration, stated that if DOGE operates as a government agency, Musk would need to divest his business interests or recuse himself from related matters, unless Trump grants a rare exemption. Automotive safety advocates are concerned that efficiency reforms led by Musk could undermine the functions of regulatory agencies like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, as Trump prepares to take office as President of the United States in January 2025, the crypto community is speculating on the most likely candidates to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Crypto lawyer Jake Chervinsky stated in a post on X that SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda is seen as a strong candidate for the position.Uyeda was appointed as an SEC Commissioner on June 30, 2022, and has consistently opposed enforcement-driven cryptocurrency regulation, earning the support of industry advocates seeking a more collaborative approach. Trump promised to fire Gensler on his first day in office, and since then, the crypto community has speculated that SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce could be a potential contender for the chair.However, Chervinsky stated that the likelihood of Peirce taking the lead is "very low," adding that he doubts she would be willing to take on a leadership role at the SEC. Chervinsky also mentioned that Trump might want to choose someone other than Uyeda to lead the SEC during his term. Furthermore, the lawyer emphasized that Trump's primary crypto policy focus must be to end Biden's "attempts to destroy the industry through enforcement regulation."

ChainCatcher News, the well-known American election forecasting organization "Sabato's Crystal Ball" predicted on Monday that this year's elections will result in a split in the House of Representatives by a single vote.In an article published on Monday, the organization's editor Larry Sabato, executive editor, and deputy editor wrote: "Like the presidential race, the battle for the House has essentially been a tug-of-war throughout the entire cycle." "We have always believed that the winners of the presidency and the House are likely to be the same person, but the margin is very slim. We believe that 218 seats are safe, likely, or leaning Democratic, while 217 seats are safe, likely, or leaning Republican." The House is currently led by Republicans, but the advantage is very narrow, and they hope to maintain this position. According to Hill/Decision Desk's forecast, the chances of Republicans winning the House are 52%.

ChainCatcher news, the Global President of the Hong Kong Invest Hong Kong (Financial Services and Technology, Sustainable Development) Liang Hanjing stated that in the first eight months of this year, the Invest Hong Kong has assisted 59 fintech companies in establishing or expanding their businesses in Hong Kong, an increase of 44% compared to the same period last year. These 59 companies come from 12 economies, with 40% from mainland China, and the rest from the United States, France, Singapore, Canada, and the United Kingdom.In recent years, several sectors of the Hong Kong fintech industry have seen a significant number of companies opening in Hong Kong, such as digital assets, blockchain, and Internet 3.0. This year, a powerful digital bank from mainland China established a fintech subsidiary in Hong Kong and set up its international headquarters there to expand its business globally.

ChainCatcher news, according to Portal Do Bitcoin, Argentina's Financial Information Unit (UIF) and the Securities Commission (CNV) have conducted on-site supervision of a Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange for the first time to identify risks related to money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of weapons of mass destruction.This inspection is part of the UIF's 2024 annual regulatory plan and took place at an undisclosed exchange in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe Province. According to Resolution No. 49/2024, virtual asset service providers are required to report to the UIF and register with the CNV. This move comes as Argentina increases its vigilance against cryptocurrency-related scams, with recent reports of unregistered platforms involved in fraudulent activities.

ChainCatcher news, according to Coinpost, the Financial Services Agency of Japan has issued a statement believing that "unmanaged wallet services" using certification technology do not fall under the category of cryptocurrency trading businesses (managed businesses). This judgment is seen as a way to help alleviate legal uncertainties in the cryptocurrency (virtual currency) industry.An unmanaged wallet is a digital wallet for cryptocurrency assets where users can manage their own private keys. This method of bypassing a central administrator is the foundation of widely adopted services in the industry (such as Metamask and Phantom).This judgment was made through the "Gray Zone Elimination System" based on the Act on Strengthening Industrial Competitiveness. This system aims to promote innovation by clarifying the regulatory applicability in emerging businesses in advance. The relevant procedure was requested by the business minister (in this case, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) to the regulatory minister (the Financial Services Agency) for confirmation.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has called on Southeast Asian countries to classify unlicensed currency service businesses or virtual asset service providers (VASP) as criminal offenses. The agency stated in a report released on Monday that some VASPs (including those linked to known criminals) are facilitating transactions for fraud organizations and high-risk gambling websites.The report mentioned that an unnamed entity conducted "at least hundreds of millions of dollars" in transactions with criminal organizations. This includes groups associated with or directly involved in large-scale drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, and child sexual abuse materials, as well as entities sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and wallets linked to North Korea's Lazarus Group.Masood Karimi-Pour, the regional representative of the Office on Drugs and Crime, stated in a declaration: "Governments need to recognize more than ever the seriousness, scale, and impact of this genuine global threat, and prioritize solutions to address the rapidly evolving criminal ecosystem in the region."

ChainCatcher news, according to the official website, the Japanese Financial Services Agency stated that based on Article 63-16 of the Securities and Exchange Act, the Kanto Local Finance Bureau issued a business improvement order to the cryptocurrency exchange DMM Bitcoin.

ChainCatcher News, the Financial Services Agency of Japan held its first meeting of the Fund Settlement Law Revision Working Group on the 25th, beginning the review of regulations related to the fintech era, including crypto assets and stablecoins. The meeting aims to address the diverse needs brought about by the digitalization of financial services and to promote a balance between user protection and healthy market development.During the working group meeting, discussions were held on how to design a system for the rapidly evolving financial business, covering areas such as decentralized finance (DeFi), cashless payments, and fintech. The Financial Services Agency will strive to ensure the stability and competitiveness of the Japanese financial system based on international trends.One focus is to strengthen the regulation of crypto asset exchanges. The Financial Services Agency will learn from the lessons of the FTX bankruptcy in November 2022 and consider introducing mandatory requirements for exchanges to hold assets domestically under the fund settlement law framework, in order to enhance the protection of user assets in the event of an exchange bankruptcy.Discussions on stablecoins also aim to promote their use. Currently, specific trust-type stablecoins are subject to the same regulatory standards as bank deposits, but other countries have greater flexibility in the operation of supporting assets. Japan is also considering adjusting relevant regulations.

ChainCatcher News: At a meeting of the working group on the revision of its funding law, the Financial Services Agency of Japan discussed providing a more convenient mechanism for businesses to handle crypto assets (virtual currencies). Participants believed that reducing the burden on companies would encourage the participation of large domestic gaming companies and promote research and development in the related blockchain ecosystem. The meeting also mentioned that as the virtual currency market expands, discussions about exchange regulation and new rules are becoming more frequent.Liberal Democratic Party Web3 project group leader, Member of Parliament Hirakawa, pointed out that unoptimized tax issues pose obstacles to the establishment of startups, leading to a drain of talented individuals and companies overseas.The Financial Services Agency emphasized that tax reform has addressed the issue of direct taxation on spontaneous tokens, but challenges remain in auditing non-mainstream tokens.