According to ChainCatcher, the recent "2024 New Transaction Support Virtual Asset Status Analysis Report" released by AppiLab, South Korean local exchanges have launched a total of 266 cryptocurrencies so far this year. Among them, overseas cryptocurrencies account for 88%, totaling 233, while local cryptocurrencies number 33, making up only 12%.Specifically, the exchanges with the highest number of overseas cryptocurrencies launched are Bithumb and Coinone, each launching 79. Gopax has launched 35, which is less than half of Bithumb and Coinone.On the other hand, Gopax is the exchange with the highest number of local cryptocurrencies launched, totaling 24. Bithumb has launched 4, Korbit has launched 3, Coinone has launched 2, while Upbit has not launched any local cryptocurrencies so far this year.

ChainCatcher news, cryptocurrency custody company Copper Technologies withdrew its application to register with the UK financial regulator on Friday, stating that it will shift its focus to overseas centers under the leadership of its new CEO.Copper, chaired by former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and headquartered in London, is one of the largest cryptocurrency firms in the UK. The company's former CEO, Dmitry Tokarev, founded the company in 2018 and resigned in October this year. The new CEO, Amar Kuchinad, stated, "Since joining the company, refining the global growth strategy has been my top priority, which requires us to make key decisions in direction and approach." (Jin Shi)

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune, the team of Sun Yuchen pressured its new owner Bullish to remove related articles due to dissatisfaction with the report published by CoinDesk. The article detailed Sun Yuchen's behavior of purchasing an artwork banana for $6.2 million and consuming it, while also mentioning his legal disputes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and controversies surrounding the Tron blockchain. After the article was deleted, the CoinDesk editorial team expressed concerns about independence.Bullish acquired CoinDesk for $75 million last year and promised that it would operate as an independent subsidiary. However, this incident has intensified the tension between the media and its owner. CoinDesk's editorial board chair Matt Murray has resigned, and Bullish has not commented on the incident.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune, the team of Sun Yuchen pressured its new owner Bullish to remove related articles due to dissatisfaction with the report published by CoinDesk. The article detailed Sun Yuchen's purchase of an artwork banana for $6.2 million and his act of eating it, while also mentioning his legal disputes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and controversies surrounding the Tron blockchain. After the article was removed, the CoinDesk editorial team expressed concerns about independence.Bullish acquired CoinDesk for $75 million last year and promised to operate it as an independent subsidiary. However, this incident has intensified the tension between the media and its owner. CoinDesk Editorial Board Chairman Matt Murray has resigned, and Bullish has not commented on the incident.

ChainCatcher news, according to Shanghai Securities Journal, Huabao Overseas Technology Stock Securities Investment Fund (QDII-LOF) has announced the suspension of subscription and regular investment business, and the date for resuming the subscription and regular investment business of this fund will be announced separately.Previously, according to community user feedback, the homepage of Alipay users in mainland China displayed advertisements for cryptocurrency fund products, which has been verified as the Huabao Overseas Technology C (QDII-FOF-LOF) fund. This fund invests in ETFs under ARK Invest through QDII, indirectly holding Coinbase stocks and the Ark Bitcoin Spot ETF, with a daily purchase limit of 1,000 RMB per person.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, Rhys Bollen, the head of digital assets at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), made controversial remarks during a liaison meeting on December 12, comparing Bitcoin to cigarettes used as currency in prisons. This statement stems from ASIC's recent release of a regulatory consultation document on non-cash payment instruments (NCP), which may bring cryptocurrencies under regulatory oversight.Industry insiders are concerned that applying financial regulation to tools like non-custodial wallets could stifle innovation and lead to an exodus of businesses. Michaela Juric, the project manager of AUDD, warned that this regulatory approach could force tools like MetaMask to apply for an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL).

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, OKX has officially launched the one-stop reward task platform Cryptoverse. This platform integrates the Giveaway and Cryptopedia sections, aiming to help users explore different ecosystems, as well as a variety of high-quality DApps and earn rewards. Users have the opportunity to obtain commemorative NFTs, earn tokens from popular projects, and participate in free airdrops.It is reported that Cryptoverse, in collaboration with DecentralGPT, DeAgentAI, and LiquidiumFi, has launched the first phase of reward tasks, where participating users have the chance to win new project TGE tokens and point bonuses worth 250,000 USDT. Explore now by clicking to view:

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinPost, the Financial Services Agency of Japan has issued a warning letter to five overseas exchanges engaged in cryptocurrency trading without registration.The exchanges that received the warning include:KuCoinbitcastle LLCBybit Fintech LimitedMEXC GlobalBitget LimitedAccording to Japanese law, companies engaged in cryptocurrency trading must complete registration with the Financial Services Agency or the local financial bureau. Unregistered exchanges are not regulated by the Financial Services Agency of Japan, making it impossible to confirm whether they properly manage key operations such as the separation of customer assets. In the event of a dispute or unexpected situation, customers will not be protected by Japanese authorities. Additionally, customer assets will not enjoy protections or compensation based on Japanese law, facing additional risks.

ChainCatcher news, according to Coindesk, the European Parliament approved the list of commissioners on Wednesday, which includes those responsible for overseeing digital asset regulation. Commissioners Stéphane Séjourné, Maria Luís Albuquerque, and Henna Virkkunen may bring cryptocurrencies under their jurisdiction.In September, European Parliament President Ursula Von der Leyen proposed a list of commissioners. Although cryptocurrencies are not the core topic of these positions, the committee will be responsible for ensuring the implementation of digital asset rules.Additionally, the EU's crypto assets market legislation MiCA will come into full effect at the end of December, so more work may be needed to ensure implementation.

ChainCatcher news, according to Protos, Mango DAO members John Kramer and Max Schneider successfully pushed a proposal last week to lock 80 million MNGO tokens in exchange for 67.5 million token options. However, Mango Labs founder Dafydd Durairaj warned that this proposal "could be seen as a sale of MNGO, jeopardizing our settlement agreement with the SEC."Durairaj opposed the proposal within the community, stating that this move would lead the SEC to re-examine the case, and all members could face legal consequences. Meanwhile, the proposal "consolidated the two's complete control over the DAO."It is reported that both Schneider and Kramer are core members of Mango DAO, and Mango Labs had filed a lawsuit in October this year, accusing the two of attempting to misappropriate $10 million in DAO funds during the Avraham Eisenberg case.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's ruling, determining that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) exceeded its authority in sanctioning the Tornado Cash immutable smart contracts, marking a significant victory for the protocol and its users. The panel of three judges noted in their opinion that while the Treasury has the authority to act against "property," the immutable nature of Tornado Cash's smart contracts means they cannot be controlled or owned, and therefore do not constitute property under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal stated that these smart contracts must now be removed from the sanctions list, allowing U.S. users to once again utilize this privacy-preserving protocol. The appellate court has instructed the Texas District Court to approve the partial summary judgment motion filed by plaintiffs-appellants Joseph Van Loon and others.

ChainCatcher news, Web3 venture capital firm Hashed Ventures announced that starting from its fourth fund, it will be fully establishing funds overseas and plans to set up a large office in Abu Dhabi, UAE, with core team members including the CFO and CPO relocating to Abu Dhabi for work.Hashed's move aims to escape the restrictions of the Korean Venture Capital Act on domestic investment ratios to enhance global investment freedom. It is reported that over 80% of the company's assets are currently invested overseas, and more than half of the funds for the third fund being established also come from international capital.Founded in 2017, Hashed focuses on virtual assets and equity investments. This strategic adjustment will further strengthen its project discovery and investment capabilities globally.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Manhattan District Attorney Damian Williams announced that he plans to resign on December 13, and his deputy Edward Kim will temporarily take over other duties.After Donald Trump was elected President of the United States on November 5, he announced he would nominate former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton to manage the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. The Southern District of New York is renowned for its independent status and has handled many high-profile financial fraud cases.During Williams' tenure, he completed the prosecution of former cryptocurrency exchange FTX founder SBF and family office founder Bill Hwang of Archegos.

ChainCatcher news, Web3 game studio Qooverse has completed its Pre-seed funding round, led by Paper Ventures, with participation from Animoca Brands, Merit Circle, and notable angel investors. The specific amount has not been disclosed.Qooverse is a Web3 game studio founded by senior professionals from Tencent and Goldman Sachs. Qooverse plans to conduct its TGE in early 2025 and is currently developing a moderate and casual social game ecosystem, which will be released on Telegram and more social platforms in the future.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, recently Pump.fun faced community criticism for users spreading violence and harmful behavior through live broadcasts, leading to calls for enhanced content moderation or the shutdown of the live streaming feature. One user threatened during a live stream that they would self-harm if their token did not reach its market cap target; others threatened to commit domestic violence or even school shootings, with community members pointing out that the feature has become "completely out of control."Platform head Alon responded that Pump.fun has arranged for a team to review live streams, images, and comments around the clock, and is actively responding to the growing demand. However, the community is urging the platform to suspend the live streaming feature until moderation tools are improved and to take more transparent measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

ChainCatcher news, Thala Labs announced that it has successfully recovered $25.5 million in liquidity pool tokens that were stolen in a previous hacking attack. These tokens were stolen due to an "isolated vulnerability" in its v1 mining contract.Thala stated that the security breach occurred on November 15, when hackers exploited the vulnerability to extract liquidity tokens. After the incident, Thala immediately suspended all related contracts and froze $11.5 million worth of Thala-related assets, while quickly identifying the hacker.Thala said: "With the assistance of law enforcement, Seal 911, and Ogle, we were able to quickly confirm the identity of the attacker. Affected users do not need to take further action, as their assets will be 100% compensated." According to crypto detective Ogle, the hacker returned all funds six hours after the incident. Thala revealed that to ensure the complete return of user assets, the hacker was allowed to collect a $300,000 bounty. Specific information about the attacker's identity has not been disclosed.Access to Thala's front end has been restored. However, mining remains suspended, and users cannot stake or unstake until Thala conducts a "comprehensive review" and re-audit of the protocol's codebase.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, 18 states in the U.S. have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its commissioners, accusing them of unconstitutional overreach and unfair "persecution" of the crypto industry under the leadership of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler.The lawsuit, signed by 18 Republican state attorneys general, details how the agency has engaged in "severe government overreach" through enforcement actions against the $3 trillion industry, infringing upon the states' authority to regulate their own economies.The 18 Republican state attorneys general are asking the court to declare that "digital asset transactions are not investment contracts" and to issue an order preventing the SEC from bringing future charges against "digital asset platforms that fail to register as exchanges, dealers, brokers, or clearing agencies." According to the complaint, many states have already developed their own regulatory frameworks for the crypto industry and encourage its growth.According to Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, Nebraska and Kentucky are jointly leading a coalition of 18 states challenging the Biden-Harris administration's illegal and broad regulation of cryptocurrencies. In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, the state attorneys general and other parties accuse the SEC of exceeding its authority.Despite the SEC and its chairman previously taking actions and making public statements, the agency has launched a regulatory offensive against crypto companies. The SEC has exceeded the authority granted by Congress, attempting to classify cryptocurrencies as investment contracts to bring them under SEC regulation.In addition to Nebraska and Kentucky, the participating states include Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.