ChainCatcher news, according to CNBC, prominent attorney Tom Goldstein has been detained by the court for allegedly concealing cryptocurrency assets. Prosecutors pointed out that Goldstein did not disclose two cryptocurrency wallets he controls to the pretrial department, which received over $8 million in funds last week and transferred out over $6 million in the past five days.Prosecutors stated that since November 2022, one of the wallets had received and sent amounts of $75.6 million and $73.6 million, respectively. Goldstein was previously charged with tax evasion of $5.3 million in January this year, and prosecutors believe he poses a flight risk and has violated regulations prohibiting the transfer of funds without approval. Additionally, he is also suspected of providing cryptocurrency to an informant to influence witnesses.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Judge Jeong Woo-Yong of the 9th Criminal Division of the Southern District Court of Seoul ruled that Mr. Kim was acquitted of charges of obstructing official duties by deception.On December 18, 2024, prosecutors requested a six-month prison sentence for Mr. Kim, accusing him of declaring total assets of 1.2 billion won (834,000 USD) in 2021, while actually holding nearly 9.9 billion won (6.8 million USD) in cryptocurrency. Prosecutors claimed that Mr. Kim obstructed the Ethics Committee's review of lawmakers' assets due to potential conflicts of interest arising from his holdings.However, Judge Jeong ruled at the time that, under the Korean Public Service Ethics Act, virtual assets are currently not subject to mandatory disclosure. The court found it difficult to determine that the lawmaker had an obligation to disclose his assets.

ChainCatcher news, according to Nikkei, the Financial Services Agency of Japan has begun to consider positioning crypto assets as financial products similar to securities, with the aim of requiring companies to disclose more detailed information to protect investors. Currently, the agency is holding closed-door study meetings with experts to review whether the current regulation of virtual currencies is sufficient.It is reported that the Financial Services Agency of Japan has begun to design a system, which will announce the system reform policy in June this year, and after discussions at the Financial System Council this autumn, the law will be amended at the regular Diet session in 2026. The new system also aims to lift the ban on "Bitcoin spot ETFs" and may reduce the current tax rate of up to 55% to 20%, the same as the financial income tax rate, in order to achieve the goal of both protecting investors and revitalizing the market. An important question raised for the future is whether the target includes all crypto assets or is limited to those assets that have been approved as ETFs in the United States, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.

ChainCatcher news, according to Nikkei, the Financial Services Agency of Japan has begun to consider positioning crypto assets as financial products similar to securities, with the aim of requiring companies to disclose more detailed information to protect investors. Currently, the agency is holding closed-door study meetings with experts to review whether the current regulation of virtual currencies is sufficient.It is reported that the Financial Services Agency of Japan has begun to design a system, which will announce the system reform policy in June this year, and after discussions at the Financial System Council this autumn, will amend the law at the regular Diet session in 2026. The new system also aims to lift the ban on "Bitcoin spot ETFs" and may reduce the current tax rate of up to 55% to 20%, the same as the financial income tax rate, in order to both protect investors and revitalize the market. An important question raised for the future is whether the target is all crypto assets or only those that have been approved as ETFs in the United States, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum.Bloomberg recently reported that "the expert study group established by the Financial Services Agency of Japan generally agrees that cryptocurrencies are beginning to be positioned as investment targets," which seems to be a response to the U.S. SEC's approval of Bitcoin spot ETFs and Ethereum spot ETFs, as well as the Trump administration's support for the crypto industry.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by CoinDesk, Citibank's latest research report points out that as the cryptocurrency market matures, the investor base expands, and technology advances, its correlation with the stock market will gradually decrease. The report shows that in 2024, cryptocurrency will be the only asset class whose market capitalization as a proportion of U.S. stocks continues to grow.Analyst Alex Saunders stated that the increasingly transparent U.S. regulatory framework will encourage cryptocurrencies to form more independent trends, and as institutional investor participation increases, Bitcoin's volatility is expected to decline in the long term. Citibank also suggested paying attention to the correlation between Bitcoin and gold, believing that this may indicate the development of its store of value properties.

ChainCatcher news, Zhou Xiaochuan, Vice Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia and former Governor of the People's Bank of China, delivered a New Year outlook, pointing out that the world will face four major changes by 2025: the international environment will remain turbulent, uncertainty in global economic recovery will increase, rapid development of AI technology will bring both opportunities and challenges, and the climate change crisis will intensify. He also emphasized three unchanging trends: the continuous strengthening of global South countries, Asia's promotion of inclusive economic globalization, and China's deepening of reform and opening up.Zhou Xiaochuan mentioned that global public debt is about to exceed $100 trillion, which will increase the external financing costs and exchange rate depreciation pressures for emerging markets and developing countries, posing challenges to the fiscal sustainability of developed countries. The impact of digital encrypted assets on global financial stability and security needs to be monitored.

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, the Law Commission of England and Wales urges its government to classify all crypto assets as a new form of personal property in its final report on digital assets. The Law Commission is an independent body primarily responsible for reviewing and recommending legal reforms in England and Wales. On July 30, it published a supplementary report highlighting the inadequacies of the current classification of personal property and its legal implications for crypto assets.UK law divides personal property into two main categories: tangible property (possessions) and intangible property (such as debts or rights). The Commission believes that digital assets, including cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens, can possess both characteristics and hinder dispute resolution in court litigation.

ChainCatcher message, Slow Mist founder Yu Xian shared on the X platform the experience of Twitter user @0xMaxLin encountering a job scam, warning the community to be cautious of fake video conferencing software that is used to lure potential victims into downloading malicious applications to steal crypto assets.maxlin.eth reported a job scam where the scammer pretended to be from the infrastructure development company xLabs, contacting the victim via Telegram and inducing them to download malware. The scammer offered a marketing specialist position and conducted a fake interview using Zoom to lower the victim's guard. Near the end of the interview, the scammer asked the user to download a conferencing software called Meetly. After installation, the software malfunctioned, and the user discovered that the link was a scam website. The user promptly transferred their assets to another wallet, successfully avoiding potential theft risks.

ChainCatcher news, according to BeInCrypto, starting from September 1, Russia will implement strict restrictions on the circulation of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, allowing only the issuance of digital financial assets within its jurisdiction. The initiative is led by Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the State Duma's Financial Market Committee. This is part of a broader effort by the government to control the crypto ecosystem amid escalating geopolitical tensions.Aksakov stated that the upcoming legislation aims to restrict non-Russian cryptocurrency businesses to strengthen the dominance of the ruble. The bill will establish exceptions for cryptocurrency miners and central bank-supported pilot projects within an experimental legal framework. This is because cryptocurrency mining has significantly increased Russia's tax revenue. However, State Duma member Anton Gorelkin clarified that Russia does not intend to completely ban cryptocurrencies. The restrictions will affect the establishment of cryptocurrency exchanges and other platforms that provide services for cryptocurrency trading.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the UK Treasury plans to propose a regulatory framework for crypto assets and stablecoins before July, aimed at encouraging local digital asset and blockchain technology innovation.It is reported that UK Treasury Economic Secretary Bim Afolami revealed during a speech at the 2024 Innovate Finance Global Summit (IFGS) that the government is working to lay the groundwork for transforming the country's payment landscape.

ChainCatcher news, according to DeCenter, South Korean financial authorities have begun to formulate regulatory rules regarding the misuse of cryptocurrency "mixers" as a means of money laundering by illegal organizations. A related person from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the South Korean Financial Services Commission stated: "If cryptocurrency is put into a mixer, tracking funds and monitoring crimes will become very troublesome. We believe the risk of money laundering through mixers is very high. After the United States introduced mixer regulations last year, South Korea has also begun to consider this. Regulating cryptocurrency mixers requires international cooperation."

ChainCatcher message, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler posted on the X platform stating that if you are considering investing in crypto assets, you must be cautious. Crypto asset securities may be seen as new opportunities, but there are also serious risks.