ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, in 2024, Singapore issued 13 cryptocurrency licenses to several cryptocurrency operators, including exchanges OKX and Upbit, as well as Anchorage, BitGo, and GSR, more than double the number from the previous year. In contrast, the issuance of similar licenses in Hong Kong has been slow. Both cities are trying to attract digital asset companies by establishing dedicated systems, tokenization projects, and regulatory sandboxes. Local governments believe that cryptocurrencies have the potential to enhance their appeal as global business hubs, but progress is uneven.Angela Ang, senior policy advisor at consulting firm TRM Labs, stated, "Hong Kong has a much stricter regulatory regime for exchanges in many important aspects, such as client asset custody, token listing, and delisting policies. This may tilt the balance towards Singapore." The approval process in Hong Kong has been slower than expected, and regulators have indicated plans to approve more exchanges by the end of the year. Currently, Hong Kong has fully authorized seven platforms to operate, four of which received approval on December 18 (with some restrictions). Additionally, seven others hold temporary licenses. Well-known exchanges like OKX and Bybit have withdrawn their applications for licenses in Hong Kong. Hong Kong only allows trading of the most liquid cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, and prohibits investors from trading smaller, more volatile tokens (i.e., altcoins). Roger Li, co-founder of the cash and cryptocurrency over-the-counter exchange chain One Satoshi, stated, "The requirements to reach profitability are quite high."

ChainCatcher message, according to SoSoValue data, the entire encrypted market sector has retraced with an average drop of 10%. BTC, ETH, and the CeFi sector performed relatively well. Among them, BTC's 24H drop was 1.73%, ETH's 24H drop was 5.16%, and the CeFi sector's 24H drop was 5.29%, which is the smallest drop among all other sectors.In other sectors, the Layer 1 sector had a 24H drop of 9.92%, the Layer 2 sector dropped by 10%, the Meme sector dropped by 11.2%, the RWA sector dropped by 11.27%, and the DeFi sector dropped by 11.83%.

ChainCatcher news, Ripple CEO stated in an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes": "Trump embraced cryptocurrency, and cryptocurrency embraced Trump."

ChainCatcher message, according to SoSoValue data, the encrypted market sector has mostly retraced, with BTC and ETH as mainstream assets still maintaining strength, with a 24H increase of 4.78% and 3.12% respectively. Notably, the Ethereum ecosystem-related LSDFi sector saw a 24H increase of 1.48%, with Prisma Governance Token (PRISMA) rising by 41.42%, Lybra Finance (LBR) increasing by 37.22%, Stader (SD) up by 35.74%, and Frax Share (FXS) up by 13.30%.Other sectors with increases include: the GameFi sector rising by 2.53%, with The Sandbox (SAND) increasing by 15.85% and Gala (GALA) rising by 14.44%. The RWA sector rose by 2.25%, the DeFi sector increased by 0.54%, and the Meme sector rose by 0.11%.Additionally, the CeFi sector, which led the increase yesterday, fell by 5.04%, with CEX-related token Binance Coin (BNB) down by 6.29% and OKB (OKB) down by 8.46%. The PayFi sector has seen declines for two consecutive days, dropping 9.24% in the past 24H, with XRP (XRP) decreasing by 10.69%.

ChainCatcher news, according to PRNewswire, the Move ecosystem development platform Shinami announced the completion of a $5.645 million seed round financing, led by Race Capital, with participation from 6th Man Ventures, Coinbase, Circle, and Mysten Labs, and additional investment from the Aptos Foundation (specific amount undisclosed).According to RootData, Shinami is building an infrastructure developer platform for Sui, with products designed to help teams build applications faster with a better user experience and lower costs, including node services, in-app wallets, and more.

ChainCatcher message, the DEXX official stated on social media, "Regarding the DEXX asset theft incident, the team has made some progress internally and is applying through legal channels to mark the hacker's wallet address. We are in the process of marking the hacker's address and requesting assistance from the Solana Foundation.Once marked, the hacker will not be able to deposit into any trading platform or exchange for fiat currency through any means. We are currently collaborating with multiple security agencies to trace the hacker's information and have filed cases in several locations. We will synchronize any publicly available information on X/Telegram."

ChainCatcher news, Trump is selecting cabinet members for the upcoming government in 2025. Reportedly, the position of Secretary of the Treasury is currently contested between Scott Bessent and Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick. FOX Business reporter Eleanor Terrett stated that Bessent is "almost certain" to get the position. This asset manager, who supports crypto assets, has the highest likelihood of becoming the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury alongside hedge fund manager John Paulson.However, according to sources close to the process, Paulson withdrew from the cabinet selection due to what he described as "complex financial obligations," while Lutnick is said to have rushed in to vie for the Treasury Secretary position. Although the position is currently undecided, both Lutnick and Bessent are pro-crypto candidates who believe the industry will continue to exist and hope for the U.S. to promote the development of the digital asset space.It is reported that Lutnick's company Cantor Fitzgerald has been the custodian of Tether's government bond portfolio since 2021 and became the custodian of Tether's bond portfolio in 2023. Lutnick has been a supporter of cryptocurrencies and has praised Tether and Bitcoin.

ChainCatcher news, the on-chain AI infrastructure Autonomys Network has officially launched the first phase of its mainnet, allowing users to directly stake storage resources through the Space Acres desktop application to help secure the network. It also plans to collaborate with cutting-edge projects in fields such as AI, DePIN, infrastructure, and DApps to expand the influence and functionality of the AI3.0 ecosystem. At the same time, Autonomys Network has released its first white paper, "Autonomys: Foundation Layer for AI3.0," which comprehensively outlines its technology, vision, and the potential for building decentralized AI infrastructure.In addition, Autonomys Network has simultaneously launched the "Space Race" competition, aimed at encouraging participants to contribute storage and computing resources to establish a decentralized consensus mechanism for the network. When the community reaches the target amount of storage staking, mainnet rewards will be activated, and participants can earn AI3 tokens.

ChainCatcher news, BitMEX CGO Raphael stated that ETH/BTC has currently retraced all the gains since the EIP-1559 upgrade to a deflationary mechanism in 2021. Bitcoin consistently outperforming Ethereum is becoming a fundamental expectation in the market. The inflow of funds into Bitcoin ETFs is often more than 100 times that of Ethereum.MicroStrategy continues to raise billions of dollars to purchase Bitcoin, and some large publicly listed companies (such as Tesla) also hold Bitcoin instead of Ethereum.

ChainCatcher news, according to a post by Arkham on X, a user invested $800 to buy MOODENG, which once had a floating profit of $10 million, and now the profit has retreated to $5 million.Trader Db3P spent $800 to buy MOODENG in the first week after its launch, and these tokens reached a peak of $10.2 million last Saturday when the Thai hippo Moo Deng appeared on Saturday Night Live. Since then, the trader's profit has retreated by $5 million, and currently, their 4 wallets hold a total of $5.2 million in MOODENG.

ChainCatcher message, Donald Trump stated, "We will embrace the future with cryptocurrency, leaving behind the slow and outdated big banks."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, U.S. independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that he is dropping out of the race and is instead supporting former president and Republican presidential candidate Trump.It is reported that Kennedy has maintained a friendly attitude towards the cryptocurrency industry. Recently, he promised to issue several executive orders related to Bitcoin, including directing the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Marshals Service to transfer approximately 200,000 Bitcoins held by the U.S. government to the Treasury Department, to be held as "strategic assets."

According to ChainCatcher, citing sources familiar with the matter, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to withdraw from the race before the end of this weekend. However, this decision has not been finalized and may still change.One source added that Kennedy hopes to finalize things quickly in an attempt to undermine the momentum of the Democratic National Convention. Additionally, Kennedy will deliver a nationwide speech in Arizona this Friday to outline his future path. Meanwhile, Trump will also hold a rally in Arizona on Friday.According to previous reports, Kennedy is considering withdrawing from the U.S. presidential race and supporting Trump.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin Magazine, U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign partner Nicole Shanahan stated that they are considering withdrawing from the presidential race and supporting Trump. Subsequently, Trump indicated that if Kennedy supports him, he would be willing to consider appointing Kennedy to a government role.It is reported that both Kennedy and Trump support cryptocurrency.

ChainCatcher news reports that hedge fund Bracebridge Capital significantly reduced its position in spot Bitcoin ETFs in the second quarter, according to the 13-F filing submitted to the SEC. It held only $112 million in Ark 21Shares in the second quarter.It is reported that Bracebridge Capital held $300 million in Ark 21Shares' ARKB and $100 million in BlackRock's IBIT, as well as $26.52 million in Grayscale's GBTC in the first quarter.