ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Galaxy Digital stated in a research report on Wednesday that despite the recent rise in digital asset prices, cryptocurrency venture capital (VC) activity remains below previous bull market levels. In 2024, the total capital allocation of venture funds to the crypto industry is $11.5 billion, down from 2023. Galaxy pointed out that in the early rounds of bull markets in 2017 and 2021, VC activity was highly correlated with crypto asset prices, "but in the past two years, despite the rise in cryptocurrencies, VC activity has remained sluggish."There are several reasons for the stagnation in the venture capital market. Galaxy stated that these reasons include a "barbell market," where Bitcoin and its new spot ETF take center stage, while meme coins have "limited marginal net new activity." These meme coins struggle to secure funding and have a "questionable lifespan."The report noted that new projects at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and cryptocurrency are gaining increasing attention, and upcoming regulatory changes may bring more opportunities for stablecoins, decentralized finance (DeFi), and tokenization. The report indicated that some large investors may gain exposure to cryptocurrencies through Bitcoin spot ETFs, "rather than turning to early VC investments."Galaxy stated that the U.S. completed the most transactions and invested the most funds in the fourth quarter. Galaxy added that early-stage deals accounted for 60% of the total investment in the fourth quarter, with stablecoin companies raising the most funds.The report also noted that in 2024, venture capitalists invested a total of $11.5 billion in startups focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain. These funds invested $3.5 billion in 416 deals in the fourth quarter, a quarter-over-quarter increase of 46%.

ChainCatcher news, according to FinanceFeeds, the financial service provider Tradevest has obtained a cryptocurrency custody and securities registration license from the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) of Germany.Tradevest is a financial service provider based in Munich, specializing in digital asset solutions for institutional investors, with a focus on its cryptocurrency custody services.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, there have been reports that the Trump team is reviewing some unresolved cryptocurrency enforcement cases from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with plans to overhaul cryptocurrency policies, potentially freezing some lawsuits that do not involve fraud allegations.It is reported that relevant officials are still discussing whether to include a directive requiring all government agencies to review policies related to digital assets and possibly suspend any lawsuits involving cryptocurrencies, with halting legal actions against several companies ranging from the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance Holdings Ltd. to the startup Ripple Labs Inc. being a top priority for the industry.However, insiders warn that the executive order, which may be released as early as next Monday, has not been finalized and may be modified before it is made public. As of now, Trump's representatives have not immediately responded to requests for comment.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, court documents show that the FBI successfully thwarted a kidnapping extortion case against a Miami jeweler, where the criminal gang intended to steal the victim's cryptocurrency worth $2 million.Four suspects, Evan Puckett, Tre'von Anthony Neal, Zacary Briggs, and Aaron Hammond, have been arrested and are charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and attempted kidnapping. Reportedly, the gang leader "Jack" organized the kidnapping plan via Telegram and referred to the gang members as "muscle."The suspects originally planned to carry out the kidnapping on January 13, armed with a Mac-10 and a .223 assault rifle. After receiving a tip-off, the FBI successfully apprehended all suspects by installing tracking and recording devices in the vehicle intended for the kidnapping. The four suspects are currently in custody awaiting trial and will appear in court in Florida on Tuesday.

ChainCatcher news, Trump vowed to sign a series of executive orders covering various industries and issues within the first few days of returning to the White House. Kara Calvert, Vice President of U.S. Policy at Coinbase Global Inc., stated, "What I think Trump is going to do is signal that America is back, and we are ready to lead in this industry, sending a message to other countries: be careful, or you will fall behind."Despite facing regulatory setbacks during Biden's administration, the development of cryptocurrency in the U.S. continues to expand. Several major financial firms, including the world's largest asset management company BlackRock Inc., launched Bitcoin and Ethereum spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) last year. BNY Mellon has been working to expand its cryptocurrency custody business, while Cantor Fitzgerald announced plans to launch a Bitcoin financing business.

ChainCatcher news, according to TheMiningMag data, last year, the Bitcoin holdings of publicly listed cryptocurrency mining companies in the United States doubled, reaching a total of 92,473 BTC by the end of December, valued at $8.6 billion. The largest holder is MARA Holdings (MARA), which holds 44,893 BTC, accounting for nearly half of the total holdings.MARA is the second largest holder among publicly listed companies, only behind MicroStrategy (MSTR) with 450,000 BTC. According to data from Bitcoin Treasuries, three other mining companies hold more than 10,000 BTC: Riot Platforms (RIOT) holds 17,722 BTC, Hut 8 (HUT) holds 10,171 BTC, and CleanSpark (CLSK) holds 10,097 BTC. Not all miners follow the HODL strategy. IREN (IREN), TeraWulf (WULF), and Core Scientific (CORZ) hold very little Bitcoin, or even none at all.

According to ChainCatcher news, the Suqian Court's official WeChat account disclosed a case of online pyramid scheme disguised as an investment in virtual currency financial projects. The criminal suspects created the "ACORNS" online platform, and without any actual business operations, they issued virtual currencies such as "ACO" and promoted these currencies as a means to participate in financial management for high returns. They required members to pay 100 USDT as a threshold to obtain static income. By the time the case was reported, the platform had over three thousand active members and had accumulated nearly 3.16 million USDT in funds.After hearing the case, the Suqian Court sentenced the defendants to prison terms ranging from five years and three months to three years for organizing and leading pyramid scheme activities, and imposed fines ranging from 170,000 to 100,000 yuan.

ChainCatcher news, Binance CEO Richard Teng stated in a post on X that according to Triple-A data, currently over 562 million people worldwide own cryptocurrency.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Grayscale's Managing Director of Research Zach Pandl stated that following the approval of the spot ETF in 2024 and the election of Trump, the crypto industry will see more small-scale breakthroughs in 2025. These include increased institutional adoption, Congress introducing a more comprehensive legislative framework, and Bitcoin potentially becoming a reserve asset for the United States.In a conversation with Ric Edelman, founder of the Digital Assets Council of Financial Professionals (DACFP), Pandl mentioned that it is not "completely impossible" for Bitcoin to reach $500,000 by 2030. He pointed out that pension funds and endowments that have been cautious about cryptocurrencies over the past decade are now actively engaging in this field, with some portfolio managers beginning to allocate up to 5% of their assets to crypto, and more institutional approval processes expected to be completed within 6-12 months.Additionally, Pandl anticipates that sovereign wealth funds outside the United States will increase their exposure to crypto assets in the coming months. He is particularly optimistic about the institutional adoption prospects of Ethereum, calling it "one of the most important open-source software projects." In the private equity space, decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenization of physical assets, and AI tokens may attract institutional interest.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Presto Research analyst Min Jung stated that the rise in the crypto market is mainly driven by lower-than-expected CPI data, which temporarily alleviated inflation concerns. The core consumer price index for December was 3.2%, lower than expected and also below November's 3.3%. Additionally, news related to Trump played an important role, including his plan to make cryptocurrency a "national priority" and his openness to exploring support for establishing a cryptocurrency reserve in the United States.Min Jung indicated that the broader market is cautiously optimistic, with macro-level focus primarily on inflation issues. The lower CPI data provided a temporary relief, but investors are still closely monitoring any signals that may indicate sustained inflationary pressures. Jung predicts that more news related to Trump potentially establishing a national Bitcoin reserve may further exacerbate market volatility in the short term.

ChainCatcher message indicates that, according to SoSoValue data, the encrypted market sector has risen for three consecutive days, with the PayFi sector showing a 24H increase of 6.99%. Within this sector, the leading projects XRP (XRP) rose by 8.34%, and LTC (Litecoin) increased by 8.57%. Additionally, the Layer 1 and DeFi sectors performed well today, with 24H increases of 3.97% and 3.82%, respectively.In the Layer 1 sector, SOL (Solana) rose by 5.66%, and ADA (Cardano) increased by 6.50%. The DeFi sector saw a 3.82% increase, with LINK (Chainlink) rising by 9.98%, XDC (XDC Network) increasing by 8.93%, and AERO (Aerodrome Finance) up by 8.26%.It is noteworthy that the popular sector DeFAI experienced a correction, with a 24H decrease of 7.18%. Within this sector, GRIFFAIN fell by 8.07%, and GRIFT dropped by 5.26%. After consecutive large increases, AI Agents also faced a correction, with a 24H decrease of 3.84%. Among them, the Virtuals Protocol ecosystem tokens saw the largest declines, with VIRTUAL, AIXBT, and GAME dropping by 4.89%, 6.05%, and 12.08%, respectively, while FARTCOIN (Fartcoin) rose against the trend by 21.55%.In other sectors, the Meme sector had a 24H increase of 1.52%, the Layer 2 sector rose by 1.33%, and the CeFi sector increased by 0.68%.

ChainCatcher news, the Central Political and Legal Work Conference was held in Beijing from the 12th to the 13th. The conference made arrangements to promote comprehensive rule of law and strive to build a higher level of rule of law in China. The conference emphasized the importance of addressing new issues through scientific legislation. For key areas, emerging fields, and foreign-related sectors, the Ministry of Justice should proactively research and propose legislative suggestions. For instance, new issues such as autonomous driving, low-altitude economy, artificial intelligence, virtual currency, and data ownership should be studied to regulate platform behavior through legislation and strengthen the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of new employment groups.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Emile Dubie, CEO and founder of the multi-chain self-custody wallet solution Ctrl Wallet, stated in an interview that the company is seeking to be acquired. This sale process was initiated after the company received two acquisition proposals at the end of last year.The wallet provider, formerly known as XDEFI, received an acquisition offer from a crypto protocol, as well as a proposal to merge with a large decentralized exchange (DEX). Dubie added that the company subsequently hired investment bankers to organize the sale process, with consulting provided by Imperii Partners. The auction process is currently underway, with the bidding deadline set for January 28, and the winner is expected to be announced on January 31.Dubie stated that Ctrl Wallet currently has 650,000 users, with a goal of surpassing 2 million users by the end of the year.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, informed sources revealed that U.S. President-elect Trump plans to issue an executive order elevating cryptocurrency to a national policy priority. The executive order is expected to position cryptocurrency as a "national priority," aiming to guide government agencies in collaborating with the industry and establish a cryptocurrency advisory committee to voice industry policies.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, U.S. cryptocurrency trading will be subject to third-party tax reporting requirements for the first time, reflecting the growing concern as the valuation of digital assets rises. Analysts say this change may drive investors toward decentralized platforms.According to the final regulations released by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), starting in 2025, centralized cryptocurrency exchanges (CEX) and other brokers will begin reporting the sales and exchanges of digital assets, including cryptocurrencies.Blockchain expert Anndy Lian stated that some investors may view this as excessive intervention, which could lead more users to shift to decentralized trading platforms.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, the market expects the Bank of Japan to raise interest rates with a 90% probability at the meeting on January 24, and the yen has risen to its strongest level against the dollar in a month at 156. Japan's annual inflation rate is currently at a three-month high of 2.9%, and the central bank may raise rates from 0.25% to 0.45%.The market is closely watching the inflation data release on January 23. If the inflation data exceeds expectations, it could trigger a new round of yen carry trade unwinding, reminiscent of last August when Bitcoin fell to $49,000. Notably, this decision will come after Trump's inauguration (January 20), and the two events may have a combined impact on the cryptocurrency market.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, Swiss state-owned bank PostFinance is expanding its cryptocurrency business through Ethereum staking, allowing Ethereum holders to earn passive income.According to a statement on Thursday, PostFinance will add staking for other tokens "in the near future."

ChainCatcher news, according to the official announcement, Binance has announced that to comply with EU regulatory requirements, it will adjust the cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal processes for users in Poland and Belgium starting from January 20, 2025.The new regulations require that deposit transactions exceeding €1,000 (or equivalent currency) must provide sender information, and withdrawals of any amount must provide recipient information, including full name, country, and exchange name (if applicable). If users fail to provide the relevant information, transactions may be delayed or returned.