ChainCatcher news, digital asset trading software provider Talos Trading Inc. is preparing to double its workforce in the Asia-Pacific region over the next 12 months.The New York-based cryptocurrency unicorn, backed by A16z, has identified Asia as its primary market, benefiting from its strong cryptocurrency foundation and regulatory clarity in jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan.The Asia region currently contributes the majority of Talos's revenue. It is reported that Talos completed a $40 million Series A funding round in 2021, led by a16z, with participation from PayPal Ventures and Fidelity Investments.

ChainCatcher news, according to Crowdfundinsider, the artificial intelligence company OpenAI has announced its entry into the Singapore market and plans to establish a regional office for the Asia-Pacific in the local area within the year. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that Singapore's leading position in the field of artificial intelligence and its potential to address social challenges are the main reasons for the company's decision to set up operations there.According to OpenAI data, Singapore is one of the countries with the highest per capita usage rate of ChatGPT globally, with the number of weekly active users doubling since the beginning of this year. To support this growth, OpenAI will form a team in Singapore as a hub to serve clients and partners in the Asia-Pacific region.The company also announced a partnership with AI Singapore, committing to invest up to $1 million to develop resources and open datasets suitable for Southeast Asia's diverse languages and cultures. OpenAI has appointed Oliver Jay as Managing Director of International Business, responsible for global expansion affairs.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, Singapore's second-largest bank, OCBC Bank, will completely stop processing transactions involving Russia to reduce risks related to global sanctions. According to informed sources, this measure will officially take effect on November 1, 2024.In recent weeks, OCBC Bank has notified all customer groups, including private banking clients, stating that due to operational challenges in managing regulatory compliance, the bank will implement this restriction. This decision covers all business units of OCBC Bank, including its private banking division.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, former Russian investigator Marat Tambiyev was sentenced to 16 years in prison for accepting approximately $73 million in Bitcoin bribes during an investigation into organized crime. This amount exceeds five times the highest bribe amount in Russian history.Marat Tambiyev is accused of transferring half of the criminal gang's Bitcoin into his own wallet, leaving the other half for the criminals. Investigators found the Bitcoin wallet keys in a folder on his laptop named "Pension."Marat Tambiyev insisted on his innocence in court, arguing that his actions helped the state recover part of the criminal gang's proceeds. According to Russian state media, he plans to appeal this verdict. Currently, one-third of the Bitcoin stored on Marat Tambiyev's computer has been recovered, while the whereabouts of the remaining portion remain unclear.

ChainCatcher news, global cryptocurrency exchange BXTEN announced on the 4th that it has signed an investment agreement with Indonesia's state-owned electricity company (PLN) and the broadcast media ICONPLAY operated jointly with SKYLBSTV.Through this investment agreement, BXTEN becomes the major shareholder of ICONPLAY SKYLBSTV and plans to focus its investment on expanding ICONPLAY's broadcasting business and enhancing content in the global market. BXTEN will allocate investment funds to expand ICONPLAY's IPTV server infrastructure and OTT business network, and develop joint marketing and promotion strategies in Indonesia.In addition, ICONPLAY plans to collaborate with Indonesian universities and educational institutions to launch a Web3 education program within the next 1-2 years, aiming to leverage BXTEN's expertise in blockchain content.A representative from BXTEN stated, "As a global Web3 platform, collaborating with Indonesia's national broadcasting company on media business is an innovation in the blockchain industry," and added, "With the expansion of ICONPLAY's infrastructure, both companies will position themselves as hubs for global blockchain content, including Web3 educational content and AI-driven blockchain technology."It is reported that BXTEN previously launched the blockchain and Web3 professional channel INDOCRYPTO on ICONPLAY last September, thus entering the Indonesian media industry.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has called on Southeast Asian countries to classify unlicensed currency service businesses or virtual asset service providers (VASP) as criminal offenses. The agency stated in a report released on Monday that some VASPs (including those linked to known criminals) are facilitating transactions for fraud organizations and high-risk gambling websites.The report mentioned that an unnamed entity conducted "at least hundreds of millions of dollars" in transactions with criminal organizations. This includes groups associated with or directly involved in large-scale drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, and child sexual abuse materials, as well as entities sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and wallets linked to North Korea's Lazarus Group.Masood Karimi-Pour, the regional representative of the Office on Drugs and Crime, stated in a declaration: "Governments need to recognize more than ever the seriousness, scale, and impact of this genuine global threat, and prioritize solutions to address the rapidly evolving criminal ecosystem in the region."

ChainCatcher news, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that it is still too early to discuss a unified currency due to the differences in financial regulation among BRICS member countries.Instead, the focus remains on strengthening financial sovereignty and exploring trade in local currencies. Ryabkov emphasized that BRICS countries are working to enhance their economic independence, and authorities are actively committed to establishing interconnected financial markets.

ChainCatcher news, the Arbitrum Foundation announced the "Path to Devcon" initiative, increasing its focus on the Asian market and viewing the growth in this region as its "strategic bet." The initiative aims to connect with the rapidly growing developer community in Asia through a series of in-person events and learning incentive activities, while also raising awareness of Arbitrum technology in the region.The Foundation pointed out that the rapidly growing developer community in Asia and the increasing adoption rate of retail cryptocurrency are on the rise, thus launching a three-pronged approach to prepare for Devcon, which will be held in Bangkok in 2024. Two in-person events, ArbiLink, held in Vietnam and Indonesia, will provide opportunities to connect with the local rapidly growing developer communities. According to GitHub data, the number of developers in these two regions has increased by 31% and 34% year-on-year, respectively.

ChainCatcher news, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stated that the country will establish a national artificial intelligence office to coordinate initiatives surrounding the development of artificial intelligence.He also announced a national cloud computing policy plan aimed at improving public service innovation, economic growth, competitiveness, and digital inclusion. This policy will prioritize data security and user trust, ensuring that all citizens can benefit from technological advancements. The mission of the national artificial intelligence office is to complete a five-year technology "action plan" and a regulatory framework by next year, which will help promote the adoption of ethical and sustainable artificial intelligence.

ChainCatcher news, MN Trading founder Michaël van de Poppe posted on X: "There is a significant inflow of funds into Ethereum and Bitcoin ETFs.I believe this trend will continue, as both of these blue chips are the best bets against the potential failure of the dollar.Meanwhile, China is pushing the market forward. Perhaps Asia will provide the momentum for a bull market."

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, Tether has announced that it has assisted the U.S. Department of Justice in freezing over $6 million in assets related to a Southeast Asian fraud scheme that deceived users by mimicking legitimate platforms. Tether froze the relevant assets and helped the U.S. Department of Justice quickly recover the funds, with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C. publicly acknowledging Tether's assistance.Tether stated that it has assisted over 180 law enforcement agencies across 45 jurisdictions in freezing more than $1.8 billion worth of USDT, redistributing over $128 million of USDT to legitimate owners and law enforcement agencies, and voluntarily freezing more than 1,850 wallets associated with illegal activities.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, the decentralized identity project Worldcoin has announced the launch of Orb verification (i.e., iris scanning) services in Guatemala, Poland, and Malaysia, along with the introduction of the Face Auth feature.Face Auth is a new feature in its World ID suite that allows other applications to verify whether the person using the ID is the same individual who was verified at a Worldcoin center using the orb device (iris scanning device). This process only uses information from the user's mobile phone, protecting user data privacy and preventing potential fraud that could occur due to device theft.

ChainCatcher news, the world's first AI-driven comprehensive financial derivatives service platform EraAI today announced the official launch of its membership system. To align with EraAI's global strategy in the Asia-Pacific region and to gather initial traffic, achieving the market share target for the DePIN track in the Asia-Pacific region by June 2025, EraAI provides efficient, secure, and intelligent multi-domain AI technology solutions and hardware device solutions for enterprises and users within Asia.In addition, EraAI also announced a strategic partnership with D3X, with both parties working together to promote innovation in AI technology and jointly explore the Asian AI market. EraAI will leverage its advanced technology in the AI field and D3X's global resources and experience to not only optimize investment management and trading strategies but also achieve overall profitability, real-time decision-making, and automated trading, which is expected to significantly enhance the operational efficiency and innovation capabilities of enterprises in the region.EraAI's Asia-Pacific strategy will achieve a perfect combination of European and American technology with Asian traffic. Era's entry into the market will also provide blockchain and DePIN enthusiasts in the Asia-Pacific region with new services and more optimization options, laying a solid foundation for future market expansion and user growth.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. government has sanctioned two Russian cryptocurrency exchanges, PM2BTC and Cryptex, related to underground financial activities, as well as two individuals.The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Treasury Department has designated PM2BTC and its associated individual Sergey Ivanov as "primary money laundering concerns," as the exchange is suspected of handling proceeds from ransomware and other illegal activities. Cryptex is alleged to be linked to Russian cybercriminals, involved in over $720 million in illegal transactions.The U.S. Secret Service Cyber Investigations Division, Dutch police, and the Dutch Financial Intelligence and Investigation Service have seized the network domains and infrastructure associated with PM2BTC, Cryptex, and Ivanov.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, since Binance announced its exit from Russia in September last year, the traffic to its local website has significantly decreased.According to data shared by web analytics platform SimilarWeb, from August 2023 to July 2024, Binance's website traffic in Russia dropped by 43%. Despite this noticeable decline, Russia remains one of the largest sources of traffic for the Binance website during this period, accounting for 6% of its total visits. The traffic share from Russia is comparable to other major markets for Binance, including Turkey and Vietnam, which account for 8% and 6.6% of its total traffic, respectively. Binance declined to disclose whether its significant traffic share in Russia or certain services offered to Russian users indicates that the company is still operating or resuming operations in the market.A Binance spokesperson stated, "We will continue to provide services to a limited number of existing Russian users to ensure the safety of their digital assets." The Binance representative emphasized that the cryptocurrency exchange "complies with global sanctions regulations" and "fully adheres to the restrictions on individuals, entities, and countries that are subject to international sanctions."

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, the police of Dagestan, Russia, in conjunction with energy officials, conducted a raid on an underground cryptocurrency mining hideout located in Makhachkala, discovering 17 mining devices. A video released by the cabinet shows these devices operating in a small space several meters underground.Officials stated that the mining site was operated by "electricity thieves," and miners have begun establishing underground mines and mobile mining units in multiple locations.Additionally, these illegal mining activities caused a fire at the local 110 kV Novaya substation, resulting in power outages in parts of the capital for several days. The government will allocate approximately 3 billion rubles (about 32.5 million USD) for the repair of the damaged energy facilities.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, the Moscow police in Russia have shut down a "cross-border" cryptocurrency exchange that pretended to be a travel agency, suspected of helping clients transfer funds abroad.The police stated that the exchange processed approximately $2.2 million in cryptocurrency transactions for Russian clients and charged a 1% commission. During the raid, the Ministry of Internal Affairs seized a large amount of cash, receipts, and equipment.The police have charged one "mastermind," and the case is still under investigation, with authorities searching for other accomplices.

ChainCatcher news, IOBC Capital partner Alva Xu shared his insights on Token2049 on the X platform, noting several changes in the Crypto primary market from the perspective of an active Crypto LP:Some large funds from Europe and the United States are accelerating their fundraising efforts, and their commitment and focus indicate their determination to compete fiercely with Asian LPs. The conversation afterward was not exciting; AUM is the enemy of venture capital funds.European and American funds are squeezing the survival space of Asian funds, and LPs are becoming as valuable as quality developers, so IR will become increasingly important in the future.In today's market shift, some GPs are showcasing various strategies, such as buying OTC shares, pushing into the secondary market, and incubating projects. The core purpose is to prove they can outperform Bitcoin returns, and isn't the essence of venture capital to support great companies early on? Therefore, these flashy strategies might be less effective than returning to the original mission, which can resonate more with investors.In light of the current situation, this LP offered three suggestions for fund fundraising:Do not emphasize financial returns and DPI, as LPs can directly buy ETFs or hold BTC.Position yourself as an explorer in the industry; a strong desire for exploration and having your own worldview can better impress LPs, after all, investing in a company represents the kind of world you want to build.Conduct due diligence on each LP's strategic planning; understanding LPs' strategic investment layout is very important.