ChainCatcher news, the U.S. presidential debate between Trump and Harris is ongoing, and the market shows a general decline in Trump-related meme coins.Among them:TRUMP down 12% in the past hour, currently at $2.89;MAGA down 13.4% in the past hour, currently at $0.00007703;TREMP down 17.2% in the past hour, currently at $0.1514;STRUMP down 7.5% in the past hour, currently at $0.006376;MAGAA down 8.0% in the past hour, currently at $0.008538;FIGHT down 11.9% in the past hour, currently at $0.004779.In contrast, the Harris concept coin KAMA has risen 19.6% in the past hour, currently at $0.00916.

ChainCatcher news, according to Business Wire, the Bahamas Securities Commission announced that the "Digital Assets and Registered Exchanges Act 2024" (DARE 2024) has been passed by the Bahamas Parliament and has become law. This bill builds on the 2020 DARE Act and introduces comprehensive reforms aimed at addressing the evolving landscape of digital assets and cryptocurrency markets.It is reported that the new law covers a broader range of digital asset activities, including advisory management services, digital asset derivatives, and investment services. The new law incorporates provisions related to digital asset custody and introduces the first disclosure system for digital asset staking. DARE 2024 also provides a clear definition for stablecoins, stipulating the registration of existing stablecoins and acceptable forms of reserve assets, while establishing new requirements for the custody, segregation, reporting, and redemption of reserve assets. The issuance of algorithmic stablecoins is explicitly prohibited.

ChainCatcher news, the liquidators of FTX Digital Markets Ltd. have initiated the next phase of the liquidation process. Customers of FTX.com need to choose whether to participate in the official liquidation procedure in the Bahamas ("Bahamas Process") or the Chapter 11 case in the United States ("U.S. Process"), and must make their choice by 4:00 AM on August 17.The liquidators of FTX Digital Markets will hold a Q&A session to help customers understand the selection process. The first Q&A session will be held on July 31 at 7:00 PM Beijing time, and no prior registration is required.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the Central Bank of the Bahamas is developing regulations requiring commercial banks to provide access to its central bank digital currency.John Rolle, the Governor of the Central Bank of the Bahamas, stated that the adoption of the Sand Dollar (the CBDC launched by the Bahamas in 2020) is still limited, so the government is formulating regulations to effectively compel commercial banks to issue the central bank digital currency to promote its adoption.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, the Bahamas is preparing to introduce legislation requiring commercial banks to support its central bank digital currency "Sand Dollar" to promote its adoption. The Governor of the Central Bank of the Bahamas, John Rolle, stated that CBDC regulations should be implemented within the next two years, and it is expected that all commercial banks will eventually enter this field and will be required to provide their customers with access to the central bank digital currency.The Central Bank of the Bahamas launched the CBDC "Sand Dollar" in 2020, and its CBDC currently accounts for less than 1% of the currency in circulation in the Bahamas.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, FTX liquidators are about to sell Sam Bankman-Fried's $30 million penthouse in the Bahamas.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the online media channel Gaza Now, which supports Hamas, has been jointly sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for assisting Hamas in publicly fundraising after the attack on Israel on October 7 last year.Blockchain analysis company Elliptic found that Gaza Now received $21,000 in cryptocurrency donations within weeks of the attack. According to a new report from TRM Labs, the scale of cryptocurrency fundraising by Hamas and other terrorist organizations (including ISIS) is often small, with most donations being below $500.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the department of the U.S. Treasury responsible for combating the financing of terrorism has stated that multiple financial institutions have reported potential cryptocurrency transactions totaling $165 million that may be related to Hamas.According to a letter signed by U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Adewale Adeyemo, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) analyzed suspicious activity reports submitted from January 2020 to October 2023. FinCEN found that over 200 cryptocurrency addresses may have been used in these transactions.It is reported that the U.S. Treasury is currently conducting "ongoing analysis" to assess the potential threats posed by cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency services. The letter stated: "We continue to assess Hamas and other terrorists' preference for traditional financial products and services, but we remain concerned that as we cut off their access to traditional finance, these organizations will increasingly turn to virtual assets."

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, a lawsuit filed in a Florida federal court on Friday shows that Bahamian bank Deltec Bank & Trust Ltd is accused of providing SBF with "secret" short-term credit worth billions of dollars to purchase Tether.The document also claims that Deltec helped SBF misappropriate customer funds by transferring money between FTX and Alameda accounts.It is reported that SBF's companies started opening accounts at Deltec in 2018, partly to more easily obtain Tether. According to the lawsuit, Alameda only needed to transfer its funds from the Deltec account to Tether's account to purchase tokens. Starting in 2021, Deltec granted Alameda a three-day grace period to pay for the Tethers it purchased, effectively providing the fund with a short-term credit line. The bank did not offer grace periods to other clients, and a Deltec executive told Alameda traders to keep this confidential. This "secret credit line" sometimes exceeded $2 billion. Alameda then sold these tokens for profit.Deltec lawyer Desiree Moore stated that the bank and its chairman Jean Chalopin were unaware of FTX's misconduct before it became public.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the FTX bankruptcy committee plans to sell 35 properties in the Bahamas, including the luxury apartment Orchid Penthouse where SBF, Gary Wang, Nishad Singh, and Caroline Ellison once lived together.FTX lawyers stated that the sale price of the properties must be at least 80% of the estimated price set by the designated broker. Any sale of properties exceeding $5 million should be reported to the U.S. trustee, the creditors' committee lawyers, and stakeholders who have made legitimate claims against the listed properties. The proceeds from the sales will be used for distribution to FTX customers.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo stated on Thursday that the U.S. and its allies will implement more sanctions in the coming days and weeks to prevent Hamas from obtaining funding following its attack on Israel last month, including targeting its use of crypto assets.Brian Nelson, the Treasury's top sanctions official, met on Thursday with the private sector, including cryptocurrency companies and payment processors, to discuss ways to combat Hamas's fundraising techniques. The Treasury stated that Nelson committed to continuing to engage with companies that take proactive measures to investigate, identify, and dismantle Hamas-related activities. Adeyemo noted that while most of Hamas's assets currently do not come from cryptocurrency, "over time, if the cryptocurrency industry does not put safeguards in place and does not take its anti-money laundering responsibilities seriously, the use of cryptocurrency by Hamas and other organizations will increase."

ChainCatcher news, according to Yonhap News Agency, the Japanese government decided at a cabinet meeting today to freeze the assets of 9 individuals related to Hamas and 1 cryptocurrency exchange company that are involved in funding the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas.The sanctions will take effect starting today, aiming to cut off funding to Hamas, which is waging war against Israel. Japanese government spokesperson Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno stated at a press conference this morning, "We will continue to review the targets of sanctions from the perspective of counter-terrorism financing."

ChainCatcher news, blockchain analysis company Elliptic stated that the data used to describe the scale of Hamas's cryptocurrency fundraising has been exaggerated. Since October 7, Hamas has only received $21,000 in new cryptocurrency donations, most of which have been frozen. "The unique traceability of these assets means that the amount raised is still very small compared to other sources of funding."It is reported that Elliptic has contacted The Wall Street Journal and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren regarding the false claims that Hamas raised millions of dollars through cryptocurrency. Previously, she had joined over 100 lawmakers in urging the Biden administration to address the issue of terrorism funding through cryptocurrency.

ChainCatcher news, Paradigm's head of government relations, Alexander Grieve, mentioned on social media that three U.S. lawmakers, Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Sean Casten, and Roger Marshall, are leading a letter to the U.S. Treasury and the National Security Council, signed by 28 other senators and 76 House representatives, regarding the issue of Hamas using cryptocurrency. They are inquiring about what additional powers (legislation) may be needed to combat this activity.Alexander Grieve believes that the Senate banking agenda is quite full this year, and it remains to be seen whether this letter will impact the upcoming cryptocurrency legislation. However, cryptocurrency opponents will continue to associate cryptocurrency with illegal finance, and we will see more such letters in the future.

ChainCatcher news, Coinbase stated that no type of currency, whether fiat, gold, or cryptocurrency, should be used to support Hamas or any other terrorist organization. Coinbase is focused on rooting out bad actors seeking to use cryptocurrency for illegal purposes, with a total of 400 compliance, legal, and investigative personnel across the company.Coinbase stated that blockchain is a tool to combat terrorist financing, and reports regarding Hamas's funding related to digital assets are associated with offshore entities that are not subject to U.S. laws (including anti-money laundering and sanctions regulations), making it easier for them to engage in such activities. This is why we need clear regulation in the United States.

ChainCatcher news, Berenberg Capital Markets Chief Analyst Mark Palmer stated in a research report that his main reason for taking a "cautious stance" on Coinbase is the various regulatory actions taken against it by the United States, as well as the political resistance brought about by the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Hamas militants used cryptocurrency to fund recent attacks on Israel, which may hinder Coinbase's cryptocurrency lobbying efforts in the U.S.It is reported that over the past few years, Coinbase has significantly increased its lobbying efforts in the United States in hopes of introducing clearer and more cryptocurrency-friendly regulations.

ChainCatcher news, news, according to the Financial Times citing informed sources, Israel has ordered the freezing of cryptocurrency accounts to prevent the flow of funds to Hamas.Since the attack by Hamas on October 7, over 100 accounts have been frozen on Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange. Authorities have also requested information on up to 200 additional cryptocurrency accounts, most of which are said to be operated on Binance.Sources familiar with Israeli law enforcement actions stated that approximately 150 fundraising activities linked to Hamas and other organizations have been identified since October 7. Last week, the Israeli police force posted on social media that they had frozen accounts used by Hamas for fundraising, although the exact number is unclear.

ChainCatcher news, in response to the previous report by The Wall Street Journal about approximately $41 million flowing into wallets associated with Hamas, Messari founder and CEO Ryan Selkis stated that the reality is that Hamas stopped using cryptocurrency for fundraising as early as April, because Hamas found that cryptocurrency is traceable, and addresses can be frozen, jeopardizing their supporters.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Wall Street Journal, after reviewing the Israeli government's seizure orders and blockchain analysis reports, it was found that Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Hezbollah raised a significant amount of funds using cryptocurrency over the past year.Cryptocurrency research firm Elliptic analyzed that Israel believes digital currency wallets associated with PIJ received $93 million in cryptocurrency from August 2021 to June last year. Virtual currency analysis company BitOK also identified that approximately $41 million flowed into wallets related to Hamas during the same period, and it has not yet been confirmed whether the cryptocurrency they received was directly used to fund the recent Israeli attacks. The amount of cryptocurrency seized by Israeli authorities from the wallets is also unknown.