autonomy

The National Development and Reform Commission has released a new version of the "Regulations on Foreign Investment Management," which better ensures the development and security of foreign investment from an institutional perspective. The regulations consist of 76 articles, divided into six chapters: General Principles, Guidance and Services for Foreign Investment, Supervision of Foreign Investment, Protection of Foreign Investment, Legal Responsibilities, and Supplementary Provisions.The regulations will take effect on December 1, 2026, at which point the "Regulations on Overseas Investment Management" issued in 2017 will be simultaneously abolished. The state supports investors in conducting foreign investment activities based on market principles and actively participating in international cooperation and competition. Investors enjoy the autonomy of foreign investment according to the law, making independent decisions, bearing risks independently, and being responsible for their own profits and losses.

According to Fortune, the crypto-focused venture capital firm Variant has completed the fundraising of its new fund, Variant 4, totaling $222 million. The fund will invest in projects at their earliest stages, focusing on the theme of "autonomy" to integrate AI and crypto applications.Partner Jesse Walden stated that in the future, the label "crypto investor" will disappear, and crypto will become a universal "underlying pipeline" like internet infrastructure. The core is to provide users and businesses with greater autonomy and security through decentralized and contract security architecture, supporting the development of applications including DeFi platforms Uniswap and Morpho.

Cactus Custody announced that its self-custody MPC (Multi-Party Computation) solution is officially launched. As a custody brand under Matrixport, Cactus holds a Hong Kong Trust TCSP license and has served numerous industry-renowned clients such as RedotPay, Fosun Wealth Holdings, and TDTC.As the Web3 industry matures, institutional clients are increasingly inclined to gain autonomy in custody while demanding the robust security infrastructure provided by third-party custodians. Cactus Custody's MPC solution cleverly bridges this gap by combining cutting-edge Intel SGX TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) with an institution-centric risk management engine.The core security cornerstone of the platform is the advanced MPC-TSS (Threshold Signature Scheme). Through this technology, private key shards are independently generated by multiple parties and jointly managed by devices controlled by Cactus and the clients. This architecture effectively eliminates the risk of "single points of failure," ensuring that no party can unilaterally transfer funds, thereby providing clients with absolute asset sovereignty and peace of mind.Cactus Custody CEO Daniel Lee commented, "Our new MPC solution is designed for institutions that prefer to manage assets directly while requiring secure and compliant infrastructure. By providing a compliant, flexible, and secure platform, we empower clients to flexibly and fully autonomously scale their digital asset businesses."

According to Bloomberg, ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone stated that the introduction of the digital euro is crucial for ensuring Europe's strategic autonomy, aimed at reducing reliance on payment systems outside of Europe, such as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal.Cipollone pointed out that Europe currently relies heavily on non-European suppliers for payment systems, and this dependency will increase if no action is taken. The digital euro is set to launch its pilot phase in 2027 and begin issuance in 2029. He emphasized that this move is not a reaction against specific countries or companies, but rather a fulfillment of the ECB's responsibilities to ensure the normal operation of payment systems and to reduce systemic risks arising from excessive reliance on external critical infrastructure.When discussing stablecoins, Cipollone warned that these privately issued digital assets could "threaten financial stability." He believes that the solution is to provide the public with a simple and reliable euro-denominated alternative, ensuring an effective combination of public and private currencies. Currently, the legal framework for the digital euro project is still awaiting final approval from the European Parliament, with some members leaning towards private sector solutions.

Vitalik Buterin posted on social media that 2026 will be a key year for Ethereum to regain lost ground in self-sovereignty and trustlessness. The plans include simplifying node operation through ZK-EVM and BAL technology, launching Helios to verify RPC data, implementing ORAM and PIR technology to protect user privacy, developing social recovery wallets and time-lock features to enhance fund security, and improving on-chain UI and IPFS applications. Buterin emphasized that Ethereum will correct the compromises made in the past decade regarding node operation, application decentralization, and data privacy, refocusing on core values. Although this will be a long process, it will make the Ethereum ecosystem stronger.

Vitalik Buterin posted on the X platform, stating that the cloud provides convenience for users at the cost of sacrificing their autonomy and freedom.Vitalik Buterin pointed out that the current computing landscape is in a "you will own nothing" utopian dilemma, and everyone is assumed to be trapped in it. The goal of Ethereum is to reclaim users' autonomy and freedom.

According to market news, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko strongly supports Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining, viewing digital assets as a potential tool to enhance the country's economic autonomy. In a recent government meeting on energy strategy, he stated that cryptocurrencies help reduce the nation's dependence on the traditional dollar financial system.Although he acknowledged the volatility of digital assets, he believes that the benefits of adopting Bitcoin far outweigh the risks, considering the geopolitical pressures and foreign exchange restrictions currently faced by Belarus. Previously, the country established a regulatory environment for digital asset operations through Decree No. 8, laying a legal foundation for cryptocurrency activities.Lukashenko reiterated that the country's abundant electricity resources and existing industrial infrastructure provide good conditions for expanding mining operations. He pointed out that surplus energy could be redirected to profitable cryptocurrency mining activities instead of being idly wasted, further reinforcing the view that mining can both generate income and enhance strategic resilience.

ChainCatcher news, Gaia today announced the launch of the Gaia AI phone, the world's first smartphone designed for complete AI autonomy.The device is based on the Galaxy S25 Edge hardware and runs complex AI inference locally through the company's proprietary Gaia AI platform. Each phone operates as a complete Gaia network node, contributing computing resources to a decentralized AI infrastructure while providing inference capabilities to other network participants, thus earning token rewards.The Gaia AI phone is now available for pre-order and will begin shipping at the end of 2025. Pricing starts at $1399, including exclusive partner benefits and network participation rewards.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, European Central Bank advisor Jürgen Schaaf stated that the widespread use of dollar stablecoins in the EU could undermine the central bank's ability to conduct monetary policy, similar to the challenges faced by dollarized economies. He pointed out that USDT and USDC currently account for over 80% of the stablecoin market, and the market size could reach $2 trillion after the implementation of the U.S. Stablecoin Act.To address this trend, Schaaf suggested supporting the development of euro stablecoins and emphasized the importance of a digital euro in maintaining European monetary sovereignty. Data shows that the total market value of global stablecoins reached $271.8 billion after the signing of the U.S. bill on July 19.

ChainCatcher message, the offline Meetup hosted by Autonomys Network will be held on May 18th in the afternoon in Nanshan, Shenzhen.This event, themed "The Era of AI on the Chain," focuses on the future trends of AI Agents, on-chain storage, and decentralized infrastructure. It invites core members from cutting-edge AI x Web3 projects such as 0G Labs, ORA Protocol, and SIA Nexx to share insights on-site, promoting industry communication and ecological collaboration.

ChainCatcher news, ChainCatcher will hold the "AI 3.0 New Era: How Autonomys Opens the Era of Decentralized Agents and Storage" X Space event tonight at 20:00 (UTC+8).Guests attending this Space event include: Rose, Head of Growth for the Asia-Pacific region at Autonomys, and Arthur, Partner at Candaq Venture.This Space will focus on: What kind of AI Agents are worth investing in? Where will the blockbuster Agents in the Web3 space be born? What Agent use cases does Autonomys want to see the most?Tonight at 20:00, tune in to ChainCatcher X Space to discuss the AI 3.0 New Era with us.

ChainCatcher news, the on-chain AI infrastructure Autonomys has launched the Auto Horizon Developer Challenge, where developers can build AI-driven decentralized applications (super DApps) or proof of concept (PoC) using the Auto SDK, with a chance to win up to 1000 USDC in prizes. This challenge will also provide an early version of the Auto SDK, including features such as Auto Drive (decentralized storage), Auto Consensus (consensus interaction capabilities), and Auto DAG Data (on-chain data preparation), to help developers realize their ideas.The submission deadline for the developer challenge is January 31, 2025, and winners will be announced in mid-February.

ChainCatcher message, Autonomys recently launched its first AI agent (ArguMint), which can permanently store messages on-chain in the Autonomys Network, creating verifiable on-chain memory. Autonomys will vigorously promote AI agents in the coming months.Autonomys is a decentralized AI (deAI) vertical stack that includes distributed storage, distributed computing, and a suite of decentralized applications (dApps). This vertical stack not only enhances the capabilities of AI applications but also ensures they operate within a secure and decentralized framework.