ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, former co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets Ryan Salame stated in an interview with Tucker Carlson that the U.S. government is unfairly targeting him because of his support for the Republican Party.Salame claimed he was wrongly accused of "violating campaign finance regulations" because he donated to the Republican Party. He emphasized that convicted former colleagues like FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) "helped Biden get elected," yet never faced the same accusations. Salame stated that he donated a total of $20 million to $30 million to Republican candidates, while SBF donated approximately $60 million to $70 million to the Democratic Party during the 2020 election cycle.Salame explained that the campaign finance violations he was accused of were due to borrowing from Alameda for political donations. At the time, lawyers advised him that this practice was legal. However, he was later accused of orchestrating a "straw donor scheme," which involved illegally using other people's funds to make political donations in his own name.

ChainCatcher message, Bithumb announced that in order to protect investors and establish a sound market order, Bithumb is actively responding to unfair trading practices such as using undisclosed information, market manipulation, and illegal trading before the implementation of the "Virtual Asset User Protection Act" (July 2024). They plan to set up a reward of up to 300 million KRW for reporting unfair trading, which will be paid to those whose reported actions are subject to disciplinary action or confirmed by the court as valid (first report).

ChainCatcher news, Harold, the founder of DIN (formerly known as the Polkadot ecosystem data analysis platform Web3Go), expressed on X that he agrees with the viewpoint of Victor Ji, co-founder of Manta Network, that it is quite challenging for an Asian-led project to build within the Polkadot ecosystem.Harold added, "You have to face and solve many additional issues, such as politics, relationships, and small circles. I remember the Web3 event held in Hong Kong in 2023, where Polkadot did not hold any official events, so I applied for a $10,000 grant on behalf of the community. The application process was too painful, and the reporting requirements were too cumbersome; I don't want to go through that again. But at the same time, I see many projects from Europe and the U.S. easily securing hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in funding, which is very unfair."

ChainCatcher news, according to Decenter, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of South Korea has announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) to cooperate in investigating unfair trading of virtual assets. This is due to numerous allegations of market manipulation in the virtual asset market and fraudulent transactions combined with information technology (IT).FSC Chairman Lee Bok-hyun stated, "Unlike capital markets, unfair trading of virtual assets requires digital information analysis, such as fact-checking related to cyber attacks. We will establish a real-time response system with KISA to prevent disguised cyber attacks or manipulation of digital information. For example, if a digital asset issuer hides code for manipulating the network in a smart contract, arbitrarily changing the issuance and circulation amounts, which contradicts the digital asset allocation plan stated in the white paper, then digital information analysis will be necessary."

ChainCatcher news, according to DLNews, Binance's financial crime compliance officer Tigran Gambaryan fainted during his trial for money laundering charges in a Nigerian court. Judge Emeka Nwite subsequently agreed to send him to Nizayime Hospital in Abuja for treatment.Gambaryan's wife Yuki condemned the unfair treatment by Nigerian authorities. She stated that Gambaryan was required to appear in court despite his serious condition and ultimately fainted in court. Yuki described the harsh conditions of Kuje prison, where Gambaryan is currently held, saying, "even the strongest person would find it hard to endure."It is reported that Gambaryan has been detained since April 8 for allegedly being involved in a $35 million money laundering case. During the hearing on May 17, the judge denied bail on the grounds of flight risk.Gambaryan's lawyer described his situation as "state-sanctioned kidnapping." The lawyer stated that the Nigerian government has increased control over Gambaryan because "Binance has no physical presence in Nigeria." Yuki also called for the authorities to release Gambaryan, who is in urgent need of medical assistance due to his illness, on humanitarian grounds.

ChainCatcher news, Somboun Sangxayarath, an advisor to the state-owned Electricité du Laos (EDL), stated that due to cryptocurrency mining and unstable rainfall, the electricity demand in Laos has increased, leading to power shortages, which indicates that the country's prospects as a hydropower exporter in Southeast Asia are facing challenges.Laos is referred to as the "battery" of Southeast Asia due to its hydropower export potential, providing the cheapest and most stable clean energy, which is crucial for the Southeast Asian region striving to decarbonize while expanding solar and wind energy capacity.Sangxayarath noted that the policy established in 2021 to create data centers has led to a boom in cryptocurrency mining operations, which currently accounts for more than one-third of Laos's electricity demand, while reduced rainfall has suppressed hydropower output, resulting in blackouts. Over the past decade, hydropower has accounted for 80% of Laos's electricity generation, most of which is sold by independent power producers through cross-border transactions with Thailand and Vietnam.Sangxayarath added that in the domestic market, EDL is the electricity supplier and has become a net importer since 2021, requiring up to 600 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity during peak demand periods, which has more than doubled the company's costs.Laos stated last year that it would not supply electricity to cryptocurrency projects that have not yet started operations. Sangxayarath said that while the order remains in effect, it is still actively considering new investment proposals and seeking to enhance electricity supply.

ChainCatcher news, the decentralized hedge fund and decentralized autonomous organization NFA Labs has recently partnered with the investment fund and asset management company Quantix Capital. As part of the partnership, Quantix Capital has committed to investing $10 million in NFA Labs to develop its ecosystem.It is reported that NFA Labs utilizes AI to develop advanced trading strategies, creating a transparent, educational, and community-centered platform by combining training and trading components. The platform aims to enhance the professionalism and security of DeFi and promote its global adoption.

ChainCatcher news, India's inbound and outbound capital solution Onramp.money announced that it has received a strategic seed round investment from FunFair Ventures, with the specific amount not disclosed. FunFair Ventures is a venture capital firm under Funfair Technologies Group.

ChainCatcher news, Moody's Vice President of Digital Finance Rajeev Bamra stated that the approval of a Bitcoin ETF could lead to a more stable and liquid crypto market; however, the sustainability of this positive trend depends on the trajectory of global monetary policy and the extent to which institutional investors gain access to cryptocurrencies through compliant products.Moody's Senior Director Yiannis Giokas noted that Bitcoin's notorious price volatility, along with the value fluctuations of stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies, may expose mainstream investors to a range of investment risks that they are less familiar with.

ChainCatcher news, Architect Financial Derivatives, a subsidiary of the trading technology provider company Architect Financial founded by former FTX.US president Brett Harrison, has been approved by the National Futures Association (NFA) to register as an independent introducing broker. The company will provide derivatives brokerage services. Harrison stated that the company is focusing on the cryptocurrency derivatives market and traditional markets.ChainCatcher previously reported that Architect, founded by the former president of FTX.US, completed a $5 million financing round with participation from Coinbase Ventures and others.

ChainCatcher news, according to the latest announcement from JPEX, the platform has been in constant communication with the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) to prepare for compliance with cryptocurrency regulatory systems. However, the Hong Kong SFC has not honored its commitments and has continuously treated JPEX unfairly, sending letters to all of JPEX's partners requesting the termination of their cooperation with JPEX. Following the SFC's statement regarding JPEX, third-party market makers that collaborated with the platform maliciously locked funds, leading to operational difficulties.In addition, JPEX stated that on September 15, 2023, it again sought guidance from the SFC but only received a response indicating that the matter had been referred to the police. However, JPEX expressed that it would "steadfastly continue operations."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, a joint advisory report from the FBI, NSA, CISA, and GCHQ reveals that Russia's new malware Infamous Chisel is designed to maintain access to compromised Android devices through the Tor network and regularly collect and send victim data from the affected devices. Its targets include cryptocurrency wallets and exchange applications.As part of unauthorized copying, transmission, or retrieval of data, the malware searches specific application directories on the device, including those related to the web3 browser Brave, Binance and Coinbase applications, Trust crypto wallet, and communication platforms Telegram and Discord. Additionally, it targets the Android Keystore system used by users to store private keys, extracting every file from the directories.

ChainCatcher news, in response to The Block's report citing informed sources that GSR is downsizing its team, GSR co-founder Rich Rosenblum stated that GSR's business is very strong and has successfully weathered three bear markets without raising external funds. The company's balance sheet is robust. Regardless of market conditions, GSR continues to be profitable and steadily increases its market share.Rich Rosenblum indicated that The Block's report attempts to imply that the number of personnel leaving within 18 months is greater than the normal turnover during bear markets. GSR has experienced many personnel changes over the past decade, but equating this with strategic changes during bear markets to write a sensational article is irresponsible.ChainCatcher previously reported that, according to sources cited by The Block, Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Hugh and several executives have left, including GSR's Global Head of Products Benoit Bosc and Director of Trading Operations Aman Bhalla. The company has been downsizing during the bear market, and trading volume on local exchanges has decreased.

ChainCatcher news, Coinbase Financial Markets, Inc. has received regulatory approval from the National Futures Association (NFA), a self-regulatory organization designated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), to operate as a futures commission merchant (FCM) and to provide cryptocurrency futures trading services through Coinbase for eligible U.S. customers.

ChainCatcher news, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinhouse stated that he opposes the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) using Ripple's quarterly market report as evidence against the company in litigation. Garlinhouse pointed out that the report is intended to enhance transparency in the cryptocurrency industry and reiterated the company's commitment to transparency, but hinted that there may be some changes in future reports.