ChainCatcher News: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will hold its first closed meeting since Mark Uyeda took over as acting chairman on January 23 at 2:00 PM Washington time (January 24 at 3:00 AM Beijing time).The agenda includes: initiating and resolving ban actions, initiating and resolving administrative proceedings, resolving litigation claims, and other matters related to inspection and enforcement procedures.

ChainCatcher News, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has officially resigned.According to new appointment documents released by the White House, Mark Uyeda has been appointed as the acting chairman of the SEC.It is reported that Uyeda is a Republican and has served as an SEC commissioner since June 30, 2022. Before becoming an SEC commissioner, Uyeda worked at the SEC for over 15 years. FOX Business previously reported that Mark Uyeda aims to assist Trump in fulfilling the promise to end the Biden administration's so-called "crypto war."

ChainCatcher message, Gary Gensler allegedly posted a farewell on the X platform, stating: It has been my honor to serve as the Chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Public service is about giving back to our communities, whether they are neighborhoods, counties, or states; or, as part of this agency, I firmly believe that capital markets, competition, and common-sense rules benefit both investors and issuers. This is why the SEC and its staff play a critical role in overseeing the markets and ensuring compliance with common-sense rules of U.S. securities law:We have reduced costs and risks and enhanced the integrity of our two largest markets—the nearly $60 trillion stock market and the $28 trillion bond market;We have helped improve the transparency and integrity of corporate governance for public companies, including implementing new cooling-off periods and other conditions before insiders of companies that may possess significant non-public information trade their company’s securities;We have established rules requiring regulated broker-dealers and investment advisers to notify clients of data breaches that may put personal information at risk;We have laid the groundwork for important debates regarding the growing applications of artificial intelligence in the financial sector;We have updated the rules for the stock and bond markets, shortening the settlement cycle;We have returned over $2.7 billion to harmed investors.

ChainCatcher news, CESS co-founder and chairman Nick Zaldastani is honored to be invited to the official celebration of the 2025 Presidential Inauguration held in Washington ------ Presidential Inaugural Ball. This event has been approved as a celebration that the newly elected President Trump will attend, celebrating together with the attendees. This symbolic event brings together leaders from politics, business, and technology, serving as an important platform for promoting cooperation and communication.As a pioneer in decentralized data infrastructure, CESS has been committed to providing secure and efficient innovative data solutions for government and public sectors, from promoting data sovereignty to ensuring privacy and compliance, supporting policy-making and industry standardization development.This invitation not only reflects CESS's leadership position in the industry but also highlights its close collaborative relationship with the government and legislators. CESS will continue to empower global government agencies to jointly build a transparent, secure, and open digital future.

ChainCatcher news, FOX Business reporter Eleanor Terrett posted on X that U.S. House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill has appointed Tom Emmer as the vice chairman of the Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee. He also nominated other Republican members of the committee.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, outgoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler stated to Yahoo Finance on Tuesday that the commission "has never said" that Bitcoin and Ethereum are securities, and neither he nor former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has said that Bitcoin is a security.

ChainCatcher news, outgoing U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler stated to Yahoo Finance on Tuesday that the commission "has never said" that Bitcoin and Ethereum are securities, and neither he nor former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has said that Bitcoin is a security.

ChainCatcher News, during a video interview with CNBC, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler stated: "Bitcoin is a highly speculative asset, but 7 billion people around the world want to trade it. Just like we have had gold for 10,000 years, we now have Bitcoin."

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin Shi reports, the outgoing chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) warns that if the Trump administration aggressively cuts back on bank regulations, the U.S. financial system could pay a "high price."Martin Gruenberg stated, "Short-term changes aimed at achieving immediate results in the financial sector may incur real costs and, in a sense, undermine our long-term goals." As he issued this warning, President-elect Trump vowed to cut rules and red tape as part of his plan to boost the U.S. economy, while his allies expressed interest in streamlining U.S. financial regulatory agencies.Gruenberg noted that the U.S. remains vulnerable to the same combination of issues that led to recent major crises, including the savings and loan collapse of the 1980s, the 2008 financial crisis, and the regional bank runs of 2023.In each case, deregulation and oversight allowed new products and non-bank financial companies to grow rapidly, which later proved to be riskier than expected. He remarked, "It is important to note that history tends to repeat itself. I fear we will have to pay a painful price again."

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Travis Hill, the vice chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), recently expressed criticism of the FDIC's stance on digital assets during a public speech and called for banking regulators to issue new guidelines for digital assets. Hill was appointed to the board by the Republicans two years ago, and he criticized the FDIC's role in pressuring banks to abandon crypto clients.He stated, "The long-term goal of the FDIC is to reduce the number of unbanked individuals. It is unacceptable to deprive law-abiding customers of banking services, and regulators must work to put an end to this behavior. Anyone who overtly or covertly pressures banks to stop providing services to law-abiding customers has no place at the FDIC."Current FDIC Chairman Martin Gruenberg has informed agency staff that he will resign on January 19 (the day before Trump's inauguration). In the absence of the chairman, Vice Chairman Travis Hill will temporarily assume the role of chairman.

ChainCatcher news, former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Randall Quarles stated that the independence of the Federal Reserve, inflation, and the labor market will not be threatened even if President Trump is inaugurated. Quarles mentioned during a forum on Monday, "There is quite a bit of misunderstanding about the independence of the Federal Reserve. The independence of the Federal Reserve does not mean that the president cannot express opinions on its policies."Quarles, who was appointed to the Federal Reserve by Trump, served as Vice Chairman for Supervision until 2021.Quarles stated that tariffs themselves should not lead to inflation, although marginally, tariffs could prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. He also mentioned that he expects a large number of illegal immigrants to be deported after Trump takes office, but this will not affect the labor market.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Vice Chairman Travis Hill stated that he hopes federal agencies will take a more "open attitude" towards cryptocurrency technology and called for more guidance on digital assets.Hill also mentioned "Operation Choke Point" and called for an end to such practices. He urged a reevaluation of the implementation of the Bank Secrecy Act to reduce the phenomenon of banks closing accounts due to high fines for non-compliance.

ChainCatcher news, Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett disclosed on social media that U.S. Congressman French Hill announced that the Financial Services Committee has identified several key positions, including:Vice Chair of the Committee: Bill Huizenga (MI-04)Chair of the Digital Assets, Financial Technology and Artificial Intelligence Subcommittee: Bryan Steil (WI-01)Chair of the National Security and Illicit Finance Subcommittee: Warren Davidson (OH-08)

ChainCatcher news, the HBAR Foundation announced that Charles Adkins will resign as the Chair of the Hedera Council to become the CEO of the HBAR Foundation, responsible for driving its launch of the Hedera Foundation in early 2025. Charles's decision to transition to the Foundation was formally supported by a vote from the Hedera Council.As Charles moves to the Foundation, the Hedera Council Board has appointed Tom Sylvester as the interim Chair, effective January 1, 2025. Tom joined Hedera in February 2018, initially serving as the Deputy General Counsel and later promoted to General Counsel in January 2022. As interim Chair, he will continue to serve as Hedera's General Counsel.

ChainCatcher news, according to FOX Business, Trump's transition team has reviewed at least six potential candidates to serve as the chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), as Trump aims to fulfill his promise of providing a more favorable regulatory environment for the cryptocurrency industry. Under Trump's leadership, the CFTC could play a larger role in regulating the $3.5 trillion cryptocurrency market, including overseeing the spot markets for digital assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum, if permitted by Congress, where the regulatory environment remains unclear.In recent weeks, Trump's transition team has interviewed CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger, Andreessen Horowitz's head of crypto policy Brian Quintenz, and former Kraken Chief Legal Officer Marco Santori, who has not yet announced his departure from the crypto exchange and may seek a position in the U.S. government. Other candidates reviewed and still on the shortlist include Republican Commissioner Caroline Pham, as well as attorneys Neal Kumar and Josh Sterling, who have held senior positions at the agency.

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 news, according to the Financial Times, CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam will resign from his position on January 20, the day of President Donald Trump's inauguration, and will officially leave office on February 7.Behnam is concerned that regulation of digital assets, including Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, remains insufficient. Behnam stated, "There is still a significant portion of the digital asset space that is unregulated within the U.S. regulatory framework, and given the adoption we are seeing from some traditional financial institutions and the enormous demand from retail and institutional investors for these products, it is very important to fill this gap."He noted that the CFTC is still "well positioned to become the spot regulator for digital commodity assets."