ChainCatcher news, sources say that DeepSeek is accelerating the launch of its R2 artificial intelligence model, which was initially planned for release in May, but is now working hard to launch it as soon as possible.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has previously released a new roadmap, planning to launch 12 new initiatives including crypto ETF staking. Ru Haiyang, Chief Risk Officer of the licensed cryptocurrency exchange HashKey in Hong Kong, revealed that the company is actively negotiating with the Hong Kong SFC on ETF staking, tokenized money market funds, and "Earn" features.According to Hex Trust CEO Alessio Quaglini, institutional staking business will become a key focus area in 2025. Gary Tiu, Executive Director of another licensed exchange OSL, also stated that there is a growing demand from clients for yield products and derivatives.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, renowned rapper Kanye West plans to launch a cryptocurrency token YZY. According to three people familiar with the project, the token distribution plan allocates 70% to Kanye personally, 10% for liquidity supply, and 20% for investors. This project information was disclosed by Yeezy's Chief Financial Officer Hussein Lalani via email.The YZY token will serve as the official currency of the Yeezy brand and can be used for payments on its website. This move is seen as a way to circumvent platforms like Shopify that have cut ties due to his controversial statements. The project was originally scheduled to launch on February 21 at 6 PM on the Yeezy website but has been postponed to February 22. Insiders say the delay is related to the token incident involving Argentine President Milei.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, informed sources revealed that the acquisition negotiations between the cryptocurrency options exchange Deribit and Kraken are still ongoing, and previous rumors about Kraken withdrawing from the acquisition are not true. According to Bloomberg, Deribit's valuation could reach $4-5 billion or higher.Another informed source stated that the U.S. listed exchange Coinbase is also evaluating the possibility of acquiring Deribit. It is worth noting that while there have been reports that Deribit is working with FT Partners to assess acquisition offers, Deribit CEO Luuk Strijers denied the claims of being acquired. Currently, both Kraken and Deribit have not made any official comments on the acquisition rumors.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, cryptocurrency market maker Wintermute Trading Ltd. is planning to expand its business into the United States, including opening an office in New York and launching new products domestically.Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy stated that as part of the expansion plan, the company intends to offer over-the-counter trading products to U.S. clients and slightly increase its current workforce, adding about 5 to 10 people to the existing team of 130. Gaevoy expressed optimism about potential changes in U.S. regulatory policies and noted that other countries are likely to follow the developments in the U.S.Additionally, sources say that Wintermute recently raised funds in a financing round led by Chinese tech company Tencent Holdings Ltd.

ChainCatcher message, according to X user @S4mmyEth, "the X account of ai16z founder Shaw has been hacked. Please do not interact. It has posted a fake Eliza scam link."

ChainCatcher news reports that, according to Ember monitoring, insiders of the Meme token LIBRA, allegedly issued by the President of Argentina, have profited at least 20.18 million USD.Three wallet addresses prepared USDC and SOL funds through exchanges such as Binance, Bybit, and KuCoin hours before the official tweet was released, and bought LIBRA immediately after the tweet was published.These addresses invested 1 million, 1.1 million, and 500,000 USDC respectively, purchasing approximately 10.41 million LIBRA, and sold in batches after the price increased, totaling a profit of about 20.18 million USD.

ChainCatcher news, according to Unchained, the Trump administration may not launch the previously promised official "Cryptocurrency Committee," but instead plans to hold a series of industry summits focused on specific cryptocurrency policy issues.According to three informed sources, these summits will invite different leaders from the cryptocurrency industry to participate in rotation. The initial meetings are expected to focus on topics such as banking, payments, data centers, and Bitcoin mining. Several industry associations are currently providing recommendations on related proposals.Informed sources indicate that the decision to hold summits instead is seen as a measure to avoid conflicts between different factions within the cryptocurrency industry. These divisions mainly exist between centralized and decentralized crypto projects, Bitcoin maximalists and altcoin supporters, as well as groups that support and oppose the integration of traditional finance.

ChainCatcher news, according to CNBC, three insiders revealed that the video game retailer GameStop is considering investing in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. The company currently holds $4.6 billion in cash reserves and has approved a new investment policy in December 2023, authorizing CEO Ryan Cohen and two independent directors to manage the securities portfolio.After the news was released, GameStop's stock price surged by 20% in after-hours trading. Notably, Ryan Cohen posted a photo with MicroStrategy Chairman Michael Saylor, the largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, on social media platform X last weekend, but sources say Saylor is not currently involved in GameStop's cryptocurrency investment discussions.

ChainCatcher news, according to FOX Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, two insiders have revealed that Trump has selected a list of candidates for the permanent head of the CFTC, with a16z crypto policy director and former CFTC commissioner Brian Quintenz at the top of the list. The White House has not immediately responded to a request for comment.

ChainCatcher news, according to Sina Technology reports, there are claims that Liang Wenfeng, the founder of DeepSeek, has gone to Paris to attend an artificial intelligence summit. However, informed sources have denied this, stating that Liang Wenfeng is still in the country.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Information citing informed sources, payment service provider Stripe is considering arranging a round of employee stock sale plans, with the company's valuation reaching $85 billion or higher.This will continue the company's previous stock buybacks, secondary market transactions, and financing activities, bringing its valuation close to the historical peak of $95 billion set during the 2021 financing. These financing activities have allowed the 15-year-old company to postpone its IPO while providing liquidity opportunities for investors and employees.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, Tether plans to accelerate its investment and acquisition pace. Insiders reveal that as the company's earnings grow, Tether will leverage its increasing assets for more investments.The company's CEO Paolo Ardoino stated at the Plan B forum held in El Salvador on January 31 that despite Tether previously facing scrutiny from regulators due to its tokens being used by criminals and terrorists, it has now gained recognition from mainstream institutions.

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, informed sources say that the Trump family's crypto project WLFI has been in talks with blockchain teams for a "token swap" deal. WLFI proposed a plan: to purchase at least $10 million worth of unreleased WLFI tokens for a fee of 10%, while World Liberty Financial would buy the same amount of the native tokens of the blockchain project.It is reported that the relevant tokens are not subject to a vesting period, and the minimum purchase amount for the token swap partnership is set at $10 million.Another anonymous blockchain project insider stated that although the minimum purchase amount is $10 million, to receive priority treatment from World Liberty Financial, the amount needs to reach $15 million.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, sources say that the entities behind Trump earned $100 million in transaction fees through the "TRUMP" token, while thousands of small traders suffered losses.

ChainCatcher news, app developer Nima Owji disclosed on social media that xAI's AI application Grok can now show users real-time prices of stocks and cryptocurrencies.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bubblemaps, the late entrepreneur and cryptocurrency enthusiast John McAfee's account has released its own AI version of the meme coin AINTI on Solana, which has seen a large amount of insider trading. Before its release, 90% of the supply of AINTI was sent to multiple addresses, and over $1.5 million has already been sold off.Bubblemaps added that on January 7, the AINTI token deployer began distributing 60% of AINTI to 218 addresses, and this continued until the release, with a total of 287 addresses receiving 90% of the supply. Once the token was launched, 60 addresses sold off at a price of $1.5 million. Other insiders still hold 71% of the supply.

ChainCatcher news, Bernstein analyst Gautam Chhugani stated that insiders holding Trump tokens may distribute these supplies, leading to losses for unsuspecting investors, a situation that has occurred in the past with Trump-related assets, especially when the stock of Truth Social's parent company, Trump Media & Technology Group, fluctuated.Gautam Chhugani added that given the rapid surge in the token's market capitalization, the 80% supply held by insiders does put some pressure on it. However, tokens directly related to the president may be more enduring than most tokens, but their ownership structure could diminish their appeal. In this case, meme coins leveraging Trump's brand effect and political image have a certain durability, but since 80% of the insider supply is provided by Trump's affiliates, their longevity will depend on the potential token design.