ChainCatcher news, the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit has explained the sanctions imposed by financial authorities, stating that these sanctions were taken based on issues identified during the 2024 Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) on-site inspection. The specific sanctions include a partial suspension of operations and a ban on new customers transferring virtual assets. Upbit has reviewed the necessary improvement measures and completed the actions taken to respond to the sanctions imposed by the financial authorities. The sanctions implemented may change according to relevant regulatory procedures. If the relevant measures are suspended or become ineffective, new users will be able to use Upbit's services without restrictions.

ChainCatcher message, the stablecoin digital bank Infini announced that, "We are aware of reports regarding a security vulnerability affecting Infini. We sincerely apologize for the concerns this has caused, and the team is currently investigating and securing all systems around the clock.All transfers, deposits, withdrawals, and payments remain normal and operational."

ChainCatcher news, Infini founder Christian posted a response regarding the platform's approximately $49.5 million hacking incident. The team is currently sorting out and tracking the specific situation. The user withdrawal function is operating normally, and in the worst-case scenario, full compensation will be provided, so users can rest assured.

ChainCatcher message, mETH Protocol released a Bybit security incident update, which disclosed that a security incident occurred at Bybit leading to unauthorized withdrawals of mETH and cmETH from the exchange. This included three transactions through DEX that exchanged 8,000 mETH for ETH, and an attempt to withdraw 15,000 cmETH initiated through mETH Protocol, which was not successfully completed.Mantle or mETH Protocol posed no risk and reduced cmETH liquidity on the Mantle Network L2, and the attacker's wallet address has been blacklisted to prevent further cmETH transfers or interactions within the protocol. Ultimately, no unauthorized cmETH withdrawals occurred, the contract has been restored, and operations have returned to normal.

ChainCatcher news, Bybit officially stated on social media that it has reported the theft to the relevant authorities and will send updates as soon as any further information is available.At the same time, Bybit has engaged in rapid and extensive collaboration with on-chain analytics providers to identify all involved addresses. These actions will mitigate and combat the ability of bad actors to dispose of and sell ETH through legitimate markets, thereby narrowing the available disposal channels.

ChainCatcher message, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou shared in a live broadcast: "All products and services are operating as usual. We will not stop withdrawals at this time, and we are still processing withdrawals."

ChainCatcher news, according to official OpenAI news, has launched the AI agent "Operator" for ChatGPT Pro users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and other regions. It can perform tasks on behalf of users, such as booking tickets, reserving restaurants, submitting expense reports, or shopping on e-commerce websites.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, OpenAI announced that the operator feature has now been launched for professional users in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. In addition, the OpenAI team is still working to make this feature available in Europe, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland, with further updates to follow.

ChainCatcher news, during the roundtable discussion "Trends and Rhythms of the New Web3 Cycle" hosted by Web3 data company RootData and Chaincatcher on February 19, UFLY Labs investment partner Neal shared his forward-looking insights and investment strategies regarding industry trends.Neal stated that AI technology is reshaping the logic of global productivity, and UFLY Labs has deeply integrated AI into the entire process of investment decision-making and team collaboration. "We require members to use tools like DeepSeek and OpenAI to optimize their work, and we even set a threshold of 'more than 50 hours of AI usage' during the interview process." He emphasized that AI is not only an efficiency tool but also a core criterion for screening "future-oriented talent." Only teams that actively embrace technological change can seize opportunities in the new Web3 cycle.In addition, UFLY Labs announced that it will officially start operations in February 2025, focusing on AI, PayFi, and the real demand track of Web3. UFLY Labs has also chosen to launch a special fund during market fluctuations, creating a unique "capital + growth + ecosystem" support system.It is reported that among the more than 10 projects invested by UFLY Labs during its cold start period in the fourth quarter of 2024, 50% have completed listings on leading exchanges, with several projects landing on platforms such as Binance, Upbit, OKX, and Bybit.

ChainCatcher news, according to official news from Mask Network, the decentralized social protocol Mask Network has announced a significant restructuring of its ecosystem MaskDAO. In this restructuring, three Web3 social projects, Next.ID, Web3.Bio, and Firefly, will operate as independent projects, all under the management of MaskDAO.Mask Network founder Suji Yan stated that this spin-off will allow each project to independently expand their teams, promote product innovation, and conduct token economic simulations for fundraising.

ChainCatcher news, according to HODL15 Capital, Australian ETF operator BetaShares has launched a new Bitcoin ETF (QBTC), which will provide investors with Bitcoin investment opportunities through Bitwise's BITB.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the NFT game project Illuvium is undergoing restructuring and layoffs due to poor performance, with some core contributors opting for pay cuts or receiving their salaries in tokens.Last year, Illuvium released three interconnected games: Overworld, Arena, and Zero, covering different game genres, and the layoffs occurred around that time. Despite Illuvium's grand vision, the community's response has not been very positive after years of development.In December, co-founder Kieran Warwick acknowledged that concerns about the gameplay of the series were "valid" and that changes needed to be made. This included significant cost reductions, such as setting a salary cap of $85,000. However, this week, Warwick stated that more substantial cuts must be made.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fox News reporter Eleanor Terrett, informed sources revealed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is currently showing "heightened interest" in cryptocurrency staking operations and has sought detailed explanations from industry insiders regarding different types of staking and their advantages. Last week, SEC trading and markets personnel participated in a webinar focused on staking.At the same time, the SEC has confirmed receipt of the 19b-4 filing submitted by the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe), which requests the inclusion of staking functionality in the 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF. Sources expect that the SEC will issue guidance related to staking in the near future.

ChainCatcher news, according to Hong Kong media East Network, the CEO of the virtual asset trading platform Binance, Richard Teng, met with law enforcement in Hong Kong to discuss advancing bilateral cooperation to combat financial and cyber crimes related to virtual assets.The topics discussed included expanding and strengthening the cooperation between the public and private sectors in network defense within the blockchain ecosystem, as well as continuously enhancing the capabilities of law enforcement agencies in the face of increasingly complex threats and sophisticated technological criminals.

ChainCatcher news, the Bitcoin network Rune DEX platform OdinSwap and the Rune launch platform Valhalla have announced that they will gradually cease operations, and all user funds are safe.OdinSwap and Valhalla will continue to operate until February 28, 2025. Users are advised to withdraw their funds before February 28. After February 28, any unclaimed balances will be refunded manually, but appropriate BTC network fees will apply. Refunds will be processed manually and may take up to a month to complete. Refunds will only be issued for balances exceeding the network fees.During this transition period, OdinSwap is open to strategic cooperation/partnerships and welcomes potential partners interested in integrating with the platform to reach out.

ChainCatcher News: The Ethereum Foundation has announced the launch of the Open Intents Framework, a modular open-source framework for building and deploying intent-based product experiences. Developers can easily customize and deploy intent-based protocols using a set of modular abstractions (including solvers and composable smart contracts) without having to build intent infrastructure from scratch.The framework is designed to facilitate cross-chain interoperability, supported by over 30 teams working together to simplify the process of conveying intents to users across any chain and improve the cross-chain user experience. The framework addresses key components such as solutions and settlements in a modular way, providing flexibility that allows developers to choose the most suitable parts according to their needs without relying on a single vendor.

ChainCatcher news, FOX Business reporter Eleanor Terrett shared that Canary Capital has launched the AXL (Axelar) trust fund, the Canary AXL Trust, which will include the native tokens of the Axelar network and is the first investment trust to offer investment in a universal blockchain interoperability protocol.