ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, the list of the 2025 class of Gaoshan Academy has been released. Notable figures in the crypto industry, including Du Jun, Executive Director and CEO of New Fire Technology, Co-founder and CEO of Manta Network, Co-founder of FSL Group, Founder and CEO of Xinhua Technology, CEO of Rooftop Technology, Founder of Zhengxin Capital, General Manager of Kronos Research, Founding Partner of ZX Squared Capital, Founding Partner of Hashlook, and Founder of JDK Capital, have been selected.It is reported that Gaoshan Academy is a grassroots scientific public welfare organization that aims for "scientific revival" as its vision, "seeking knowledge and exploration without education" as its philosophy, and "public-mindedness and practical use, intelligent living" as its consensus. It guides entrepreneurs, innovators, and well-known figures from various fields to learn science while promoting the spirit and knowledge of science to society.

ChainCatcher news, according to Yonhap News Agency, Hong Joon-pyo, the presidential primary candidate of South Korea's ruling People Power Party, promised at a policy forum to significantly reduce regulations on blockchain and cryptocurrency.The conservative candidate stated that he would follow the regulatory approach of the Trump administration in the United States. He pledged to implement blockchain technology in government services while promoting virtual assets as an independent industry.

ChainCatcher news, Coinbase Research released an analysis report indicating that due to the escalation of global tariffs and macroeconomic uncertainties, the crypto market may have entered a new round of "crypto winter." Currently, the total market capitalization excluding BTC is $950 billion, down 41% from the peak in December 2024, and 17% lower than the same period last year. The report notes that major assets, including the COIN50 index and BTC, have all fallen below the 200-day moving average, indicating that the overall market is in a downward trend.Although crypto financing slightly rebounded in the first quarter of 2025, it is still down about 50%-60% compared to the peak of the 2021-22 cycle, limiting the entry of new capital, especially significantly impacting Altcoins. Coinbase stated that if market sentiment clears, a turnaround may be expected by mid-year, but a defensive strategy still needs to be maintained in the short term.

ChainCatcher message, according to SoSoValue data, the cryptocurrency market is generally down. Bitcoin (BTC) has dropped 1.66% in the last 24 hours, falling below $84,000. Ethereum (ETH) is down 2.18%, briefly dipping below the $1,600 mark. Additionally, the RWA sector is down 0.13%. Within this sector, the native token OM of MANTRA has seen a recovery after two consecutive days of decline, rising 23.88% in 24 hours.In other sectors, the CeFi sector is down 0.99% in the last 24 hours, with Mantle (MNT) relatively strong, increasing by 1.29%; the Layer2 sector is down 1.21%, where Starknet (STRK) and Aergo (AERGO) have risen against the trend by 4.92% and 22.54%, respectively; the PayFi sector is down 1.90%, while Telcoin (TEL) and Monero (XMR) have increased by 1.50% and 2.91%, respectively; the DeFi sector is down 2.11%, but Sky (SKY) surged 3.89% during the session; the Layer1 sector is down 2.32%, and the Meme sector is down 3.18%.Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency sector indices reflecting historical performance show that the ssiDePIN, ssiAI, and ssiMeme indices have dropped 4.42%, 4.24%, and 2.90% in the last 24 hours, respectively. However, the weekly return rates for the ssiDePIN and ssiAI indices are 2.29% and 4.77%, respectively.

ChainCatcher news reports that, according to 4E monitoring, the deadlock in US-EU trade negotiations has led to cautious investor sentiment, causing US stocks to fail to continue their rebound on Tuesday, with all three major indices slightly declining, although volatility has noticeably eased compared to recent times. By the close, the Nasdaq fell 0.05%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.17%, and the Dow Jones decreased by 0.39%. Tech stocks showed mixed performance, with the seven giants index down about 0.4%.Cryptocurrencies weakened across the board, with Bitcoin dropping from $86,496 last night to $83,670 before this report, a nearly 2% decline in 24 hours; Ethereum fell 2.2% below $1,600. The altcoin market generally declined, with the Meme and AI sectors leading the drop.Despite the recent volatility in financial markets, Bitcoin has remained stable above $80,000, demonstrating strong resilience.In the forex commodities sector, the US dollar index's downward trend has slowed, rising 0.59% back above the 100 mark; oil prices remained basically unchanged from the previous day; trade uncertainties have favored safe-haven assets, with London gold surging 1.32% to $3,272, up over 23% year-to-date.The shadow of the trade war continues to loom over the market, with the uncertainty surrounding Trump's tariff policies exacerbating concerns about a global economic slowdown, and the deadlock in US-EU negotiations further increasing market uncertainty. The US stock earnings season has begun, with several large companies set to announce their earnings this week, which may intensify market volatility.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, the Trump family's crypto project WLFI has invited Bilal Bin Saqib to join the project as an advisor. It is reported that Bilal Bin Saqib was appointed as the Chief Advisor of the Pakistan Crypto Council in March 2025, responsible for guiding Pakistan in integrating cryptocurrency and blockchain technology into its financial ecosystem and ensuring the development of a regulatory framework that aligns with global best practices. He was once selected for Forbes' 30 Under 30 list.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, investment bank TD Cowen pointed out that the Trump family's cryptocurrency business (including the planned launch of a stablecoin) could trigger a backlash and delay the U.S. regulatory process. Despite lawmakers accelerating the push for cryptocurrency regulations, political risks are on the rise.Jaret Seiberg, head of TD Cowen's Washington research team, wrote in a report on Monday: "We are concerned that political threats may escalate to a level that could undermine legislative and regulatory reforms in the cryptocurrency space. While we do not currently see political risks that could completely disrupt the cryptocurrency industry, the risks are rising rather than falling, which is a key factor we believe investors need to pay attention to." Currently, Washington lawmakers and regulators are making progress in cryptocurrency legislation and guideline development. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has withdrawn several cryptocurrency lawsuits, and lawmakers are proposing frameworks for regulating stablecoins and market structures.Seiberg mentioned that last week, SEC Acting Chair Mark Uyeda also hinted that the SEC might provide exemptions for cryptocurrency trading platforms and traditional exchanges wishing to trade tokenized securities. However, Seiberg stated that this momentum could be threatened by the controversies arising from the Trump family's involvement in the cryptocurrency space, including their planned launch of a stablecoin. "We are increasingly concerned that the Trump family's business activities and their government actions could provoke a strong backlash, derailing positive government actions." Seiberg also pointed out concerns over the Trump administration's shift in anti-money laundering policies, such as lifting sanctions on the cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash and the Justice Department's reduction in prosecutions of cryptocurrency money laundering cases.

ChainCatcher news, according to CryptoSlate, the Nigerian digital asset trading platform CBEX has been exposed as a Ponzi scheme, causing significant financial losses for many investors. Although local media initially reported losses as high as 1.3 trillion naira (approximately 800 million USD), analysis indicates that the address is actually a Binance hot wallet, and the real loss amount may be closer to 12 million USD.CBEX claims to be the "China Beijing Equity Exchange," but it has no connection to the officially named institution in China. The platform, under the guise of AI quantitative strategies, promises to double returns in 30 days, attracting a large number of investors and requiring them to recruit others for commissions, essentially operating as a typical Ponzi structure. The project was even promoted in Nigerian national media as a "poverty alleviation program," further misleading users.By April 2025, CBEX suddenly froze accounts, preventing users from withdrawing funds, which sparked public outrage. Some investors besieged its offices in Ibadan and Lagos, and many victims shared their loss experiences on social media.Independent analyst Specter pointed out that CBEX is linked to other similar scams, LWEX and PCEX, suspected of sharing website architecture and funding flow patterns. The related wallets are also connected to the Southeast Asian payment system Huione Pay, which has been listed by Elliptic as one of the main hubs for money laundering and telecom fraud, involving over 24 billion USD in suspicious transactions.

ChainCatcher news, Solana ecosystem payment solution Solayer announced the launch of a non-custodial cryptocurrency debit card, allowing users to spend crypto assets directly without the need to custody funds. The product is made possible through a partnership with Visa, supporting real-time conversion of SOL and SPL tokens to fiat currency settlements while maintaining users' complete control over their private keys.Solayer stated that this move aims to promote the widespread use of cryptocurrency in everyday payment scenarios.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the cryptocurrency company Hayvn has been fined $12.45 million by Abu Dhabi regulators for anti-money laundering control issues.Investigators from the Abu Dhabi Financial Services Regulatory Authority stated that Hayvn had been processing customer transactions through an unlicensed special purpose company, AC Holding, while AC Holding provided over 200 forged documents to banking partners.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune, Trump's latest crypto project will be a real estate video game, as President Trump enjoys Monopoly. In 1989, the real estate mogul launched "Trump: The Game," a variant of a board game themed around real estate. In 2006, he considered launching a reality show inspired by Monopoly. "I've always thought Monopoly was a great game," Trump told the New York Post when discussing the show, but the program ultimately did not materialize. Now, Trump's latest project will be a crypto game branded with the Trump name—according to two insiders, this game has a Monopoly-like feel.This planned real estate game will be the latest addition to Trump's and his family's growing list of crypto projects. In addition to an NFT series and a MEME coin, there is the decentralized finance project World Liberty Financial, a stablecoin, and a Bitcoin mining company, in which the president's son Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. hold significant stakes.An insider familiar with Trump's new crypto game told Fortune that the game is an adaptation of "MONOPOLY GO!" where players earn in-game cash by moving pieces on a digital Monopoly board and building structures in a digital city. Another unrelated insider also compared the project to Monopoly. Both insiders requested anonymity due to the private nature of the business dealings.Insiders revealed that Trump's longtime friend Bill Zanker is the driving force behind the project, having helped the president launch his meme coin and NFT projects.Zanker's spokesperson Kevin Mercuri denied that the project is similar to "MONOPOLY GO!" but confirmed to Fortune that Zanker is developing a "game" set to launch at the end of April. He also stated that the Monopoly claims are "rumors."

ChainCatcher news, Tether announced a strategic investment in the self-custody crypto wallet and digital payment fintech company Fizen, with the specific amount not yet disclosed.It is reported that Fizen provides payment technology to facilitate seamless stablecoin transactions, making it easier for consumers and businesses to access digital assets.

ChainCatcher news, the AI-driven cryptocurrency payment protocol AEON has announced the expansion of its offline cryptocurrency payment product AEON Pay to the Philippines, supporting the country's central bank-promoted QR payment standard QR Ph. Local users can scan QR codes at merchants that support QR Ph to pay with cryptocurrency, enhancing the usability and compatibility of crypto assets in offline consumption scenarios.AEON Pay currently supports cryptocurrency payments at over 20 million merchants and more than 10,000 brands worldwide.

ChainCatcher news, according to the official announcement, the OKX Web3 wallet has launched the 32nd issue of Cryptopedia featuring the BitcoinOS special event. This event includes three projects: BitcoinOS, BIMA, and ZenChain. The event runs from April 9, 2025, 18:00 to May 7, 2025, 18:00 (HKT). During this period, users can complete and verify interactive tasks related to BitcoinOS and its ecosystem projects through Cryptopedia, giving them a chance to share a total prize pool of 750,000 USDT in BOS tokens, 20,000 USDT in BOOM tokens, and 10,000 USDC in rewards.It is reported that BitcoinOS is transforming the Web3 ecosystem by directly enabling zero-knowledge (zk) proofs on the Bitcoin network, elevating Bitcoin from a store of value to a universal settlement and security layer for the crypto ecosystem, preserving Bitcoin's unparalleled security model while unlocking new potential for smart contracts and computational capabilities.

ChainCatcher news, Matrixport released a daily chart analysis stating that despite the slowdown in growth, stablecoin funds are still steadily flowing in, reflecting that the crypto ecosystem is continuously developing. While this is not enough to trigger a massive altcoin rally, it undoubtedly indicates that the industry is far from stagnation.It is worth noting that the inflow of stablecoin funds continues to grow against the backdrop of uncertainty in the stock and bond markets, suggesting that crypto assets are gradually evolving into a more uncorrelated asset class.As the debate over tariffs and trade wars intensifies, the potential application scenarios for crypto become increasingly attractive, making us slightly optimistic about the market outlook.

ChainCatcher news, crypto analyst Eugene stated that due to the shift in price drivers from industry-specific to macroeconomic factors, his market judgments over the past month have not been effective. He once believed he had a keen insight into market trends, but recently feels he has deviated. Since March, his trading volume has decreased by 60-70% compared to the average, essentially breaking even. Eugene plans to continue maintaining low trading volume and tight stop-losses until market trends become favorable for him again. He emphasized that the macro trend of the crypto market remains unchanged and is still in a bear market. He tends to look for shorting opportunities in non-BTC altcoins during bear market rallies, as these coins have not yet reached deep value ranges.