ChainCatcher news, according to CrowFund Insider, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released the seventh edition of the Balance of Payments Manual (BPM7) on March 20, which for the first time incorporates digital assets such as cryptocurrencies into the global economic reporting framework, marking the first update of the manual since 2009. Under the new framework, digital assets are categorized into fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens, and further classified based on whether they carry related liabilities:Unbacked assets like Bitcoin are classified as non-productive non-financial assets, categorized under the capital account;Digital currencies like stablecoins that are backed by liabilities are considered financial instruments;Platform tokens like ETH and SOL, if held cross-border, may be classified as equity-like instruments;Staking and cryptocurrency yield activities are regarded as sources of dividend income;Mining and staking-related services are recognized as exportable computer services.The IMF plans to promote the widespread adoption of BPM7 and the latest national accounts system before 2029-2030.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com, Montana is accelerating the advancement of a digital asset regulatory framework to address the surge in cryptocurrency fraud. State Securities and Insurance Commissioner James Brown cited data from the Federal Trade Commission, stating that nationwide fraud losses reached $12.5 billion in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 25%, with the elderly population becoming a primary target due to their demographic representation ranking sixth in the nation.Brown supports the "Digital Token Regulatory Act" being reviewed by the state legislature, which would authorize regulatory agencies to implement access reviews and ongoing supervision of blockchain service providers, emphasizing "promoting the coordinated development of economic innovation and consumer protection through clear boundaries of rights and responsibilities." If the bill passes, Montana will become the first jurisdiction in the U.S. to systematically regulate on-chain trading entities.Regulatory actions focus on three major risk areas:"Pig Butchering" social engineering scams: 15 cases have been filed statewide in 2024, involving over $900,000, with scammers inducing victims to invest in fake trading platforms by fabricating personal relationships;Bank transfer fraud: using cryptocurrency mixing services to obscure the flow of funds;High-yield investment traps: evading compliance reviews by promising excessive returns.Brown announced the establishment of a cross-departmental digital asset enforcement team, opening a 24-hour reporting channel, and plans to collaborate with federal agencies to trace on-chain funds. Industry insiders point out that this move may provide a paradigm reference for Web3 regulation across U.S. states.

ChainCatcher news, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) founder Michael Saylor reiterated at the Digital Assets Summit that Bitcoin is a scarce digital commodity and boldly predicted that Bitcoin will reach $13 million in 20 years. He stated that this prediction is based on Bitcoin's fixed supply of 21 million coins, making it the only means of value storage, unlike traditional commodities such as gold and oil.

ChainCatcher news, BlackRock's head of digital assets, Robert Mitchnick, stated that the demand for Ethereum ETFs has been lukewarm since their launch last July, but the situation could change if some regulatory issues hindering their development can be "resolved." Mitchnick said at the digital assets summit held in New York City on Thursday that the general perception is that the success of Ethereum ETFs seems "lackluster" compared to the explosive growth of Bitcoin funds. While he believes this is a "misunderstanding," he also acknowledged that the inability to earn staking rewards in the funds could be one of the limiting factors.He said, "Clearly, the potential evolution of Ethereum ETFs has entered the next phase. It has proven that ETFs are a very attractive tool through which many different types of investors can hold Bitcoin. Undoubtedly, for Ethereum, without staking, the ETF appears less than perfect. Staking rewards are an important way to earn investment returns in this space, and none of the Ethereum ETFs launched included staking."Staking is a way for investors to earn passive income by locking tokens on the network for a period of time. This allows them to "put their crypto assets to work" if they do not plan to sell their cryptocurrencies soon. However, Mitchnick does not expect a simple solution.He explained, "This is not a particularly simple issue. It's not as if the U.S. government approves a certain proposal and then it's 'done,' and everyone can get started. There are still many quite complex challenges to overcome to resolve this issue, but if these problems can be solved, we will see a leap in activity around these products."

ChainCatcher news, former President Trump’s "speech" at the 2025 Digital Assets Summit lasted only about 2 minutes, consisting entirely of "platitudes" without any new content, contrary to earlier reports by journalist Eleanor Terrett that Trump would announce his subsequent cryptocurrency policy at the U.S. Digital Assets Summit.From the live stream of the summit, the comments in the live chat were filled with disappointed remarks from viewers.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, despite the volatility in the crypto market, BlackRock's head of digital assets Robert Mitchnick emphasized in an interview with CNBC Squawk Box that Bitcoin is not a high-risk asset, but rather a "global, scarce, non-sovereign, decentralized" token.Mitchnick pointed out that some research and commentary within the industry depict Bitcoin as a risk asset, leading to self-fulfilling volatility in the market. He believes that the impact of a U.S. economic recession on Bitcoin is overstated and could even serve as a catalyst for it. Furthermore, he stated that despite macroeconomic uncertainties, Bitcoin has still risen about 15% since last November, and called 2024 a "historic year," asserting that Bitcoin's long-term trend makes it "digital gold."

ChainCatcher news, according to insider Eleanor Terrett, Trump plans to deliver a speech in recorded form at the Digital Assets Summit on Thursday at 10:40 AM Eastern Time.Eleanor Terrett previously stated that Trump is expected to announce his follow-up cryptocurrency policy at the U.S. Digital Assets Summit.

ChainCatcher news, according to former FOX business reporter Eleanor Terrett, Trump will announce his follow-up cryptocurrency policy at the U.S. Digital Assets Summit.Previously, it was reported that Trump will attend the New York Digital Assets Summit and deliver a speech on March 20 local time.

ChainCatcher news, according to Blockworks, U.S. President Trump will deliver a speech at the New York Digital Assets Summit (DAS) on March 20 local time, marking the first time a sitting president has spoken at a cryptocurrency industry conference. Previously, Bo Hines, the executive director of the White House Presidential Advisory Council on Digital Assets, stated that the Trump administration plans to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve, actively hoarding Bitcoin "to accumulate assets for the American people."The conference also attracted several political and industry leaders, including Congressman Ro Khanna, Tom Emmer, as well as MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse. Trump's speech will be broadcast live on X and YouTube.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, BX Digital, a subsidiary of the Stuttgart Stock Exchange in Germany, has received approval from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to operate a digital asset trading and settlement platform, becoming the first institution in Switzerland to obtain such a license.The Zurich-based company will operate trading facilities using distributed ledger technology (DLT) to streamline the trading process of tokenized financial instruments. BX Digital will leverage the Ethereum blockchain to facilitate direct asset transfers without the involvement of intermediaries such as central securities depositories.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinShares' latest weekly report, digital asset investment products have experienced fund outflows for the fifth consecutive week, with a total outflow of $1.7 billion last week, bringing the total outflow during this negative trend to $6.4 billion. This also marks the 17th consecutive day of outflows, setting a record for the longest negative streak since records began in 2015.The report notes that despite the continued negative market sentiment, year-to-date inflows remain positive at $912 million. After this round of price adjustments and ongoing outflows, total assets under management (AuM) have decreased by $48 billion. Bitcoin saw an additional outflow of $978 million, bringing the total outflow over the past five weeks to $5.4 billion. Ethereum and Solana experienced outflows of $175 million and $2.2 million, respectively.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptoslate, the Pakistani government has established the Pakistan Cryptocurrency Committee (PCC) to oversee the integration and use of blockchain technology and digital assets in the country's financial sector. The PCC's agenda includes developing clear regulatory guidelines for cryptocurrency adoption, collaborating with international cryptocurrency and blockchain organizations, and promoting responsible innovation. The committee will also focus on consumer protection and financial security through a robust legal and compliance framework.Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will serve as the chairman of the committee, leading a diverse group that includes senior officials from major financial and regulatory institutions. The leadership comprises the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and the Federal Minister for Law and Information Technology, aiming to ensure a comprehensive approach to regulatory oversight, financial stability, and technological advancement.Pakistan is currently one of the countries with the highest cryptocurrency adoption rates, with an estimated 20 million active cryptocurrency users and a trading volume exceeding $20 billion.

ChainCatcher news, the White House released a memo showing that David Sacks, the U.S. Director of Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency Affairs, sold over $200 million in digital asset-related investments through his personal accounts and his company Craft Ventures before taking office, in order to reduce potential conflicts of interest.Of this amount, at least $85 million directly belongs to Sacks, but Craft Ventures still holds some fund investments related to crypto assets. Sacks has liquidated his holdings in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund (BITW), and sold shares in Coinbase (COIN) and Robinhood (HOOD).Additionally, he has exited investments related to Multicoin Capital, Blockchain Capital, and Bitwise Asset Management, and has begun to gradually divest from certain private digital asset companies. However, Sacks still holds interests in some funds under Craft Ventures, which invest in companies like BitGo and Lightning Labs. These investments are difficult to fully exit due to liquidity constraints, accounting for less than 3.8% of his total investment assets.Sacks stated that this move aims to avoid any suspicion of conflicts of interest and to ensure transparency in his decision-making as a government official.

ChainCatcher news reports that, according to several attendees, during a closed-door roundtable hosted by the Bitcoin Policy Institute on Tuesday, Bo Hines, Executive Director of the President's Working Group on Digital Assets, told attendees that the White House intends to acquire as much Bitcoin as possible. When someone in the room asked how much Bitcoin the U.S. government might ultimately acquire, Hines joked that the question was like asking someone how many dollars they want.A White House official confirmed that Hines did make a statement about acquiring as much Bitcoin as possible, but added that any such acquisitions would be "budget neutral and would not cost taxpayers a dime." A White House official emphasized that Hines did not endorse any specific legislation during the event.

ChainCatcher News, U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds plans to submit a legislative proposal to formally legislate the executive order signed by the Trump administration this month, which aims to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve and a U.S. digital asset reserve. If the bill passes, it will ensure that the policy cannot be revoked by future presidential executive orders. Trump's executive order requires the Treasury Department to establish a Bitcoin reserve to hold approximately 200,000 Bitcoins and authorizes the Treasury and Commerce Departments to develop a "budget-neutral" strategy to purchase more Bitcoins while prohibiting the sale of Bitcoins from the reserve. Additionally, the executive order also establishes a digital asset reserve at the Treasury Department for storing existing and future digital assets obtained through criminal or civil asset forfeiture.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, the crypto lending protocol Templar Protocol has announced the completion of a $4 million Pre-Seed funding round, with participation from Robot Ventures, Digital Asset Capital Management, Proximity Labs, Blackdragon Capital, NEAR Protocol, and several strategic angel investors. This funding will accelerate Templar's development roadmap and product launch.According to reports, Templar Protocol is a startup dedicated to developing a crypto lending platform for Bitcoin and other digital assets. Templar's goal is to enable users to borrow Bitcoin or other assets without relying on centralized institutions. The team plans to launch the protocol in the second quarter of 2025. In the future, Templar will expand support for more assets and enhance privacy features, including differential privacy and zero-knowledge proofs.

ChainCatcher news, according to the official announcement, Hotcoin exchange will officially open BIG/USDT trading on March 19, 2025, at 15:00 (UTC+8), and will open deposits and withdrawals on March 25, 2025, at 15:00 (UTC+8).$BIG: $BIG is an innovative digital asset based on blockchain technology, designed to achieve automated trading and asset management through smart contracts and advanced quantitative strategies. Its core features include decentralization, high transparency, and security, providing users with efficient and low-risk financial tools.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the State Securities Commission of Vietnam (SSC) have announced enhanced cooperation in the regulation of capital markets and the regulatory framework for digital assets to support the development of Vietnam's regulatory framework for digital assets.