ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin Magazine, Franklin Templeton, which manages assets of $1.5 trillion, is considering launching Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) in Europe.

ChainCatcher news, the encrypted payment protocol AEON announced a partnership with TON and Tether, enabling users to use $TON and the native $USDT for payments at tens of thousands of online and offline stores. It will provide various forms of crypto payment touchpoints such as DApps and Telegram mini-apps, gradually covering over 20 million merchants in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other regions, promoting the application of crypto assets in real-world payments.

ChainCatcher news, Binance officially announced the launch of the Binance Seeds program, which cultivates cryptocurrency talent through full-time positions and accelerator projects. Among them: the Pioneer Talent Program offers full-time positions and customized training for early-career professionals with up to 5 years of experience; the Binance Accelerator Program provides fixed-term projects of 3 to 6 months for students and graduates.

ChainCatcher News, Republican candidates Jimmy Patronis and Randy Fine won in the special congressional elections in Florida on Tuesday night, with strong support from the cryptocurrency industry super PAC, allowing the Republicans to maintain their slim majority in the House.Fine defeated Democrat Josh Weil with 56.7% of the vote in Florida's 6th district, while Patronis won against Gay Valimont with 57% of the vote in Florida's 1st district. Both campaigns received significant backing from "Defend American Jobs," a cryptocurrency-focused Republican political action committee that is part of the broader Fairshake political funding network. The media stated that these victories once again represent a win for the interests of the cryptocurrency industry.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, six digital economy industry associations in the UK recently jointly wrote to Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office, urging the government to appoint a cryptocurrency envoy and develop a special development plan for digital assets. The letter, submitted on March 31, was directly presented to the Prime Minister's special advisor on business and investment, Varun Chandra, emphasizing the need for the UK to "strengthen strategic focus" to promote investment, employment, and economic growth in the cryptocurrency sector.The alliance members include the UK Crypto Asset Business Council, the Global Digital Finance Association, the Payments Association, the Digital Currency Governance Group, the Crypto Innovation Committee, and TechUK.

ChainCatcher message indicates that, according to SoSoValue data, the cryptocurrency market has seen a slight increase, with ETH rising 3.63% in 24 hours, briefly breaking through $1900. BTC increased by 2.96%, returning above $85000. Additionally, the AI sector rose by 2.60% in 24 hours, with Render (RENDER), Fartcoin (FARTCOIN), and ai16z (AI16Z) increasing by 5.89%, 11.31%, and 11.18% respectively.In other sectors, the Meme sector rose by 2.15% in 24 hours, with Dogecoin (DOGE) and Pepe (PEPE) increasing by 1.97% and 2.05% respectively; the RWA sector increased by 2.08%, with Maker (MKR), Ondo Finance (ONDO), and Pendle (PENDLE) rising by 4.47%, 5.24%, and 6.89% respectively; the PayFi sector rose by 1.34%, and the DeFi sector increased by 1.24%, with Ethena (ENA) and Sky (SKY) rising by 4.46 and 4.75% respectively; the Layer1 sector increased by 0.91%, with Sui (SUI) rising by 3.07%; the CeFi sector rose by 0.50%, with Cronos (CRO) increasing by 4.71%.Furthermore, the Layer2 sector fell by 0.41% in 24 hours, and the recently high-performing SocialFi sector experienced a correction, dropping by 2.29% in 24 hours.The cryptocurrency sector indices reflecting historical market trends show that the ssiAI and ssiMeme indices rose by 3.16% and 2.92% respectively in 24 hours.

ChainCatcher news, as Trump's "reciprocal tariffs" approach, market sentiment has undergone repeated tests, ultimately betting that clear trade policies will help stabilize the market. The three major U.S. stock indices experienced significant fluctuations during the day, closing mixed: the Dow Jones fell slightly by 0.03%, the S&P 500 rose by 0.38%, and the Nasdaq increased by 0.87%. Large tech stocks strengthened across the board, with Tesla rising more than 3%.The cryptocurrency market rose in tandem, with Bitcoin, driven by the early low opening of tech stocks, briefly approaching $82,000, and then following the rebound of U.S. stocks, reaching a high of $85,579. It is currently challenging whether it can hold above the $85,000 mark, having increased by 2.36% in the last 24 hours. Other major tokens generally rose, with Ethereum striving to break the $2,000 mark. Last night, multiple meme tokens on the BNB chain experienced a chain collapse, significantly undermining market confidence in meme coins.In the forex commodities sector, the dollar closed flat after fluctuating throughout the day; the oil and gas market overall declined, with crude oil prices slightly retreating; investors chose to take profits ahead of a series of tariffs coming into effect, with spot gold retreating after reaching a historic high.The U.S. stock market seems to have stopped falling on the eve of the "reciprocal tariffs" deadline, indicating that the market believes Trump will not insist on any tariff policies that would severely hinder economic growth, and is looking forward to clear trade policies that will help stabilize the market. Global attention is focused on tonight's tariff announcement, watching whether it can clarify policy direction to eliminate uncertainty, and whether the increase in tariffs will further worsen economic prospects.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Cointelegraph, the latest report from Google's Threat Analysis Group (GTIG) indicates that IT personnel associated with North Korea are expanding their infiltration targets to blockchain companies outside the United States. As U.S. regulatory scrutiny tightens, these technical spies have infiltrated cryptocurrency projects in the UK. The report notes that while the U.S. remains a primary target, increasingly stringent employment checks are forcing North Korean IT personnel to seek jobs with non-U.S. companies. These individuals are building a global operational network through identity fraud, with their infiltration scope covering traditional web development as well as blockchain applications like Solana and Anchor smart contracts.

ChainCatcher news, ETF Store President Nate Geraci posted on X, stating that he remains confident that index-based cryptocurrency ETFs will be approved by the end of this year.Previously, it was reported that Grayscale applied for S-3 registration for its Digital Large Cap Fund, intending to launch an ETF.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville from Alabama plans to push the Financial Freedom Act for the third time, allowing Americans to include cryptocurrency in their retirement savings plans. He stated that he will resubmit the bill on April 1 to help Trump shape the image of a "crypto-friendly president."The bill aims to limit the Department of Labor's regulation of 401(k) investment options, first proposed in 2022, and was co-sponsored by Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis in 2023. This move comes as the Republican-led Congress pushes for legislation on cryptocurrency market structure and stablecoin regulation, with supporters hoping to submit it for presidential approval before the August recess.

ChainCatcher News, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cryptocurrency special group announced after its first roundtable meeting that it will hold four more meetings in the first half of this year to engage in in-depth discussions on topics such as crypto trading, custody, asset tokenization, and decentralized finance. The dates and themes of the four meetings are: April 11 "Between Blocks and Regulation: Tailoring Rules for Crypto Trading," April 25 "Know Your Custodian: Key Considerations for Crypto Asset Custody," May 12 "Asset Tokenization: The Intersection of Traditional Finance and DeFi," and June 6 "DeFi and the American Spirit."The head of the special group, Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, stated, "These roundtable meetings allow us to hear expert perspectives, clarify regulatory challenges, and explore the SEC's responses." All roundtable meetings will be live-streamed to the public.

ChainCatcher news, QCP recently released a market analysis stating that Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the S&P 500 index have just recorded their worst quarterly performance in three years, with the cryptocurrency market capitalization evaporating by over $160 billion since Friday. The pullback on Friday was attributed to the expiration of quarterly options, leading traders to actively sell, causing perpetual contract funding rates to turn negative. Meanwhile, core inflation data came in higher than expected, and consumer spending remains sluggish.The market is paying attention to Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff policy on April 2. Against the backdrop of consumer confidence hitting a 12-year low and the stock market experiencing a weekly decline of 4-5%, aggressive tariffs may exacerbate recession fears. However, if the policy measures are less aggressive than expected, it could provide some relief to the market. In terms of volatility, the VIX remains at a high level of 22, while cryptocurrency volatility is declining. Trading desks indicate a bullish sentiment dominating before the Asian market opens, with investors buying upside options and selling downside risks.Although April has historically been a strong month for cryptocurrencies, the market outlook remains cautious, potentially digesting macro risks in a sideways consolidation. Key events this week include ISM data, non-farm payroll reports, and Powell's speech.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, Taiwanese legislator Huang Shan-shan held a public hearing on the special cryptocurrency law draft on April 1. The legislator stated that she plans to formally propose and submit the bill for a first reading soon, and hopes that the law will be enacted by the end of this year. Meanwhile, Taiwan's financial regulatory authority officially announced the draft of the "Virtual Asset Service Act" last week. The Financial Supervisory Commission is currently seeking public feedback on the draft, with a deadline of May 24, and plans to submit the draft to the Executive Yuan for review by the end of June.Both versions of the bill attempt to require all crypto platforms operating in Taiwan to apply for licenses, and overseas crypto service providers will also be required to establish a presence in Taiwan and obtain the relevant licenses. Several industry insiders stated during the public hearing on the special cryptocurrency law draft on Tuesday that the proposed crypto legislation would significantly increase compliance costs for crypto companies.

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by Cointelegraph, data from blockchain security company PeckShield shows that the total losses from cryptocurrency hacks in the first quarter of 2025 reached $1.63 billion, a year-on-year increase of 131%. Among these, the attacks on Bybit exchange accounted for 92% of the total losses, making it one of the largest cryptocurrency thefts to date. February saw the most severe losses, reaching up to $1.53 billion, while the losses from attacks in March significantly dropped to $33 million.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews citing the Russian newspaper "Kommersant," the largest Bitcoin mining hotspot in Russia, Irkutsk Oblast, may ban all cryptocurrency mining activities year-round starting from April 1. This ban will only apply to the southern region of Siberia's Irkutsk Oblast but could last until mid-2031.The media outlet "Kommersant," which has good relations with the Kremlin, stated that its sources revealed the Russian government "may fully ban mining activities in southern Irkutsk Oblast as early as April 1."

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Vanuatu has passed legislation to regulate digital assets and provide a licensing system for crypto companies wishing to operate in the Pacific island nation, which a government regulatory advisor described as "very strict."The local council passed the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act on March 26, granting the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC) the authority to issue crypto licenses, as well as the power to enforce the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards for anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and travel rules on crypto companies. Under these laws, the VFSC has extensive investigative and enforcement powers and stipulates fines of up to 250 million Vatu (approximately 2 million USD) and prison sentences of up to 30 years.The law establishes a licensing and reporting framework for exchanges, NFT marketplaces, crypto custodians, and initial token offerings. Notably, the law allows banks to obtain licenses to provide crypto trading and custody services. The VFSC stated that while stablecoins, tokenized securities, and central bank digital currencies "may have some similarities with virtual assets in practice," this legislation does not affect them. The legislation also allows the VFSC commissioner to create a sandbox that permits licensed companies to offer a variety of crypto services for a period of one year, which can be renewed.In a statement on March 29, the regulatory body indicated that after years of "assessing the risks associated with virtual assets," it has developed a legislative framework that will "bring numerous opportunities" to Vanuatu and improve financial inclusion by allowing regulated services for crypto cross-border payments.

ChainCatcher message indicates that, according to SoSoValue data, the encrypted market sector has slightly rebounded, with the SocialFi sector rising for four consecutive days. Within the sector, Toncoin (TON) continues to rise, with a 24-hour increase of 5.72%. Additionally, Bitcoin (BTC) rose by 1.20%, reaching around 84,000 USD at one point, while Ethereum (ETH) increased by 1.01%, returning above 1,800 USD.In other sectors, the RWA sector rose by 0.96% in 24 hours, with Pendle (PENDLE) increasing by 9.56%; the CeFi sector rose by 0.56%, with Hyperliquid (HYPE) increasing by 6.01%; the Meme sector rose by 0.37%, with Pepe (PEPE) and Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) rising by 4.42% and 10.38%, respectively; the Layer1 sector rose by 0.21%, while the DeFi sector fell by 0.31%, the PayFi sector fell by 0.66%, and the Layer2 sector fell by 1.09%.The cryptocurrency sector indices reflecting historical market trends show that the ssiSocialFi and ssiRWA indices rose by 5.20% and 1.28%, respectively, in 24 hours.

ChainCatcher news, according to monitoring by PeckShield, there were over 60 cryptocurrency hacking incidents in the first quarter of 2025, with total losses reaching $1.63 billion, an increase of 131% compared to $706 million in the first quarter of 2024.In March 2025, there were 20 cryptocurrency hacking incidents, resulting in losses of $33.46 million, including a $5 million hacking incident affecting 1inch, of which 90% has now been recovered.