ChainCatcher message, according to the SoSoValue macro sector display, on December 18th, at the interest rate meeting, the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 25 basis points as expected, bringing the target range for the federal funds rate down to 4.25%-4.50%. For the rate cut pace next year, the Federal Reserve adjusted its expectations from "four rate cuts" to "two" through the latest dot plot. In addition, the Federal Reserve raised its expectations for future core PCE inflation and GDP growth, which is consistent with Powell's remarks, all conveying a more "hawkish" signal than the market expected. Data shows that the market risk sentiment VIX index rose to its highest point since early August (when the Bank of Japan raised interest rates).SoSoValue analysts stated that the FOMC proposed an unexpectedly aggressive rate cut plan, coupled with Powell's "hawkish" remarks, led to a shift in market sentiment towards panic, with U.S. Treasuries even overreacting. The U.S. stock market subsequently corrected, while the dollar strengthened. Overall, all risk assets reacted strongly to the FOMC's latest signals. Based on macro data, we believe that the fundamentals of the U.S. economy remain unchanged, the dollar remains strong, and consensus-driven assets such as cryptocurrencies continue to be a destination for capital inflows. Each market correction driven by sentiment in the game is a good entry point, and we recommend maintaining risk exposure at this time.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, former South Korean Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk is facing legal consequences for concealing a large amount of cryptocurrency assets, reflecting South Korea's strict stance on cryptocurrency regulation.According to local reports, prosecutors have proposed a six-month prison sentence for Kim Nam-guk, on the charge that he intentionally altered the asset declaration submitted to the National Assembly, concealing cryptocurrency assets worth $7.5 million.

ChainCatcher news, former South Korean Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Nam-guk attended the first public trial today at the Southern Seoul Court for allegedly concealing cryptocurrency holdings and falsely reporting assets in the 2021 and 2022 National Assembly property declarations. Former lawmaker Kim is accused of adjusting the total amount of assets by transferring part of his cryptocurrency deposits to a bank account and converting the remaining portion into cryptocurrency, thereby obstructing the National Assembly's Ethics Committee's review of asset changes. The court has decided to sentence him to 6 months in prison. The incident is still under further investigation.

ChainCatcher news, on-chain analyst ZachXBT revealed that the LastPass attackers targeted over 40 victim addresses, stealing approximately $5.36 million in crypto assets. The attackers then exchanged the stolen funds for ETH and attempted to obscure the flow of funds by transferring assets across chains from the Ethereum network to the Bitcoin network through multiple instant exchanges.

ChainCatcher message, according to Arkham monitoring, the current Trump address holds over 13.5 million dollars worth of crypto assets, mainly including: 2,103.45 billion TROG (7.42 million dollars), 495.674 ETH (1.93 million dollars), 478.843 WETH (1.86 million dollars), 579.29 thousand TRUMP (950 thousand dollars), etc.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Hong Kong government's press release, Hong Kong's Acting Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Chan Ho-lam, confirmed for the first time at a Legislative Council meeting that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority holds a small amount of cryptocurrency assets through external investment managers. He emphasized that while cryptocurrency assets are not the investment target of the foreign exchange fund, there are indeed "individual investments involving cryptocurrency assets" in the diversified portfolios of external investment managers, but they account for a "very small" proportion.At the same time, Chan Ho-lam revealed that the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission will launch a consultation group for virtual asset trading platforms in early 2024. In addition, the Hong Kong government will submit a draft regulation on the supervision of stablecoin issuers to the Legislative Council within this month and plans to conduct a second round of public consultation on virtual asset over-the-counter trading services in 2024, while proposing a licensing system for virtual asset custodians.

According to ChainCatcher news, as reported by Coindesk, Japanese brokerage and cryptocurrency exchange operator Monex Group announced on December 11 that its merged subsidiary Coincheck Group N.V. has been listed on the NASDAQ in the United States. Trading will begin on the 11th at Eastern Time, with the stock code "CNCK".Coincheck Group (CCG) will become the holding company of Japan's major cryptocurrency asset company Coincheck. After the listing, Monex Group will hold approximately 80% of CCG's shares, with CCG's market value estimated at around $1.6 billion (approximately 240 billion yen).

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Reuters, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, when asked about his views on cryptocurrencies and whether banks can trade cryptocurrencies, stated that regulations need to change to allow banks to do so. "This is a question you have to ask the regulators. Currently, as a regulated banking institution, we are not allowed to hold cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as principal. We provide advice to clients on various technologies and issues and will continue to do so, but at the moment, from a regulatory perspective, our ability to act in these markets is extremely limited."

ChainCatcher news, according to market sources, CME CF has launched the New York Reference Rate for Polkadot (DOTUSD_NY Reference Rate), which calculates a standardized price daily during the Eastern Time market hours (3 PM to 4 PM).This move provides traders, institutions, and analysts with a transparent and standardized pricing reference for DOT. Currently, the CME CF New York Reference Rate covers six cryptocurrency assets: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Chainlink (LINK), Polygon (POL), and Polkadot (DOT).

ChainCatcher news reports that Illia Otychenko, the chief analyst at the Gibraltar-based cryptocurrency exchange CEX.io, stated that ETH has been showing bullish signals since October. At that time, the weekly Relative Strength Index (RSI) broke through its downward resistance trend line.Otychenko pointed out that this pattern has historically been associated with bullish momentum.He also discussed the weekly MACD, which showed a "bullish crossover" at the same time, typically marking the beginning of a new round of rebounds. Otychenko noted that when this signal combination has appeared in the past, it usually led to ETH prices rising by more than 100%.

ChainCatcher news, Bitget market shows that the price of Bitcoin has officially broken through the $100,000 mark, setting a new historical high. Bitget CEO Gracy Chen posted on the X platform, "Over the years, many people have asked me whether crypto assets are a scam, whether they are a bubble destined to burst. Although the industry has repeatedly proven to be the cornerstone of the future, the voices of doubt will not disappear.Today, Bitcoin has not only surpassed $100,000 but has also become the ninth most valuable asset in the world. Along the way, there has always been a group of people who believe in the idea of Bitcoin, continuously building upon it, like constructing castles in the desert. The past doubts can be understood, while those who choose to believe are reaping rich rewards. Bitget is proud to walk hand in hand with the global community. The challenges and victories we have experienced together make us more determined on the path to shaping the future of the industry."

ChainCatcher news, Circle announced that its regulated subsidiary has become the first stablecoin issuer committed to complying with the Value Referenced Crypto Assets (VRCAs) requirements of the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) and the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA).This helps Circle's USD-pegged stablecoin USDC to be offered on registered crypto asset trading platforms in Canada. Registered crypto asset trading platforms operating in Canada and complying with VRCA requirements can continue to offer USDC after the CSA's deadline of December 31, 2024, for delisting non-compliant stablecoins.

ChainCatcher news, Jorge Tenreiro, who previously served as the acting head of the cryptocurrency and cybersecurity oversight division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has been appointed as the chief litigation counsel, expanding his responsibilities. Tenreiro played a significant role in several landmark cases, including the lawsuit against Ripple Labs.This promotion comes as the Trump administration is about to take office, indicating that the SEC will continue to enforce strict cryptocurrency regulations. The establishment of Tenreiro's new position is expected to drive crypto innovation while continuing to focus on areas such as ICOs, token sales, and market manipulation, further influencing the legal standards for cryptocurrencies.

ChainCatcher news, the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that at the 17th Global Forum of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement on the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF MCAA) was officially signed.The CARF MCAA is an institution established by the OECD in 2009, aimed at implementing standards for international tax transparency and the exchange of tax information. A total of 48 countries, including South Korea, Germany, Japan, and France, participated in this agreement. The signatory countries will exchange information on crypto-asset transactions based on the automatic information exchange framework for crypto-assets jointly developed by the OECD and the G20.According to the agreement, the exchange of information between countries will be implemented through separate negotiations among the signatory countries. The Ministry of Economy and Finance plans to amend relevant domestic laws starting in 2027 to facilitate the exchange of information on crypto-asset transactions and promote individual agreements.A relevant official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance stated, "Through this agreement, detailed information on crypto-asset transactions can be obtained, which will help enhance the transparency of the tax base related to crypto-asset income."

ChainCatcher news, according to DeFillama data, Binance platform has seen a net inflow of 8.73 billion USD in crypto assets over the past month, bringing the total crypto asset scale on the platform to 154.9 billion USD.

ChainCatcher news, according to Forbes, hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has sold over 7 million devices and currently manages about 20% of the world's crypto assets, valued at approximately $400 billion.Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier stated that the company is expanding from cryptocurrency security to a broader cybersecurity field. The Security Key application launched in September this year has entered the authentication market, which is expected to reach a market size of $40 billion by 2030.It is worth noting that Ledger has completed a total of $600 million in financing, including $380 million in Series C funding in 2021 at a valuation of $1.5 billion, and an additional $108 million in financing at the same valuation in early 2023.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, the Russian Federal Tax Service has confirmed that Russian companies are applying for cryptocurrency mining licenses, with 150 applications submitted so far. The head of the Federal Tax Service, Daniil Egorov, stated that these applications were all submitted after November 1. Registrants must provide the Federal Tax Service with the cryptocurrency assets they mine, cryptocurrency wallet addresses, and other data.Private miners with a monthly electricity consumption of no more than 6,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) are exempt from registration.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized a rule this Thursday that grants it the authority to regulate "large non-bank companies," but explicitly excludes crypto assets. The CFPB stated that this rule only applies to transactions denominated in U.S. dollars.The new rule is titled "Defining Larger Participants in the Market for General Digital Consumer Payment Applications" and applies to non-bank financial companies that process more than 50 million transactions annually, requiring them to comply with the same rules as large banks and credit unions. The CFPB emphasized that the definition of "annual covered consumer payment transaction volume" is limited to transactions denominated in U.S. dollars and does not include digital assets such as Bitcoin and stablecoins.The crypto industry and some Republican lawmakers had previously expressed concerns about the potential impact of the rule on crypto assets. The DeFi Education Fund welcomed this and stated that the regulation of digital assets should be led by Congress, not regulatory agencies.