ChainCatcher news, the Dutch government has sought public opinion on a proposed law that would require cryptocurrency service providers (such as exchanges) to collect and share user data with local tax authorities to comply with EU regulations.The Dutch Ministry of Finance stated in a press release on October 24: "The purpose of this bill is to increase the transparency of cryptocurrency ownership to prevent tax evasion and avoidance."Under the new law, tax authorities will share data collected by service providers regarding residents of these countries with tax authorities in other EU countries, as stipulated by the EU-wide cryptocurrency tax reporting rules (i.e., DAC8) passed last year. The ministry explained that these rules reduce the administrative burden on cryptocurrency service providers because "they only need to report in the EU member state where they are registered."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the European digital securities issuance platform STOKR has completed a $7.98 million financing round, planning to use most of the funds to establish one of the first corporate Bitcoin reserves in Europe. This round of financing was led by Fulgur Ventures, including 100 Bitcoins (approximately $6.78 million) and €1.2 million in cash (totaling €7.4 million).STOKR stated that it will follow MicroStrategy's strategy and actively expand its Bitcoin reserves in the coming years. Additionally, the company plans to launch Bitcoin-based tokenized assets and develop institutional tokenization infrastructure on native Bitcoin Layer 2 technologies (such as Liquid Network). STOKR's co-CEO Arnab Naskar said that establishing a Bitcoin reserve is an important step for the platform's development in the field of Bitcoin derivatives tokenization.Furthermore, according to the Web3 asset data platform RootData, STOKR is a digital marketplace for alternative investments, allowing users to access a diversified world of alternative assets through investments in Bitcoin mining, real estate, music royalties, and more. At STOKR, both institutional and retail investors can access diverse and high-quality investment opportunities while retaining direct control over their investments. STOKR is regulated as a virtual asset service provider by the Luxembourg CSSF (Financial Supervisory Authority), providing turnkey solutions for young and growing companies seeking capital in the EU. These solutions cover all elements of institutional-grade asset tokenization, including complex investment structures, smart contract management, AML/KYC verification, payment rails (both cryptocurrency and fiat), and comprehensive lifecycle management of digital securities.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the European digital asset platform STOKR has completed a $7.98 million funding round, planning to use most of the funds to establish one of the first corporate Bitcoin reserves in Europe. This round of financing was led by Fulgur Ventures, including 100 Bitcoins (approximately $6.78 million) and €1.2 million in cash (a total of €7.4 million).STOKR stated that it will follow MicroStrategy's strategy and actively expand its Bitcoin reserves in the coming years. In addition, the company plans to launch Bitcoin-based tokenized assets and develop institutional tokenization infrastructure on native Bitcoin Layer 2 technologies (such as Liquid Network).STOKR's co-CEO Arnab Naskar said that establishing a Bitcoin reserve is an important step for the platform's development in the field of Bitcoin derivatives tokenization.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin10, Barclays Bank stated that the European stock market has already reflected the possibility of Trump's victory.The company noted that since early spring this year, a basket of European exporters (i.e., those most vulnerable to tariffs) has underperformed the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 index by 15%.Barclays Bank indicated that this reflects investors preparing in advance for the tariff policies proposed by Trump, which have been a core part of his presidential campaign, with investors anticipating his victory.

ChainCatcher news, ECB board member Holzmann stated that the current data is insufficient to justify a 50 basis point rate cut in December, and some colleagues may push for a significant rate cut in December. (Jin Ten)

ChainCatcher news, a large-scale cryptocurrency scam trial has begun in Nancy, France, with over 20 defendants accused of deceiving 1,300 victims through fake cryptocurrency and diamond investment schemes. The scam has stolen a total of 28 million euros (approximately 30 million dollars).Colman Law Firm, representing about 100 plaintiffs, stated that one victim lost 400,000 euros in the "diamond savings plan." Investigators revealed that the defendants had a total of 199 bank accounts in 19 countries used for transferring funds, with approximately 2.8 million euros recovered, which may be used to compensate the victims.

ChainCatcher news, European Central Bank President Lagarde defended two main targets often criticized by Trump: monetary policymakers and global trade.Lagarde suggested that Trump visit Frankfurt to understand how challenging the work of Federal Reserve Chairman Powell, whom he frequently criticizes, really is. She discussed the issue of monetary policymakers being susceptible to political criticism during an interview.Lagarde also stated that Trump's notion that setting interest rates is easy is incorrect. In addition to monetary policymakers, Lagarde also expressed disagreement on the tariff issues that Trump is most passionate about.

ChainCatcher news, ECB Governing Council member Lane stated that the inflation rate across the Eurozone is steadily returning to the target level of 2%, but weak economic growth poses a risk of further price declines. Lane said, "The disinflation process in the Eurozone is on track. Over the past few months, the growth outlook has clearly weakened, which may also increase the pressure for inflation to fall further."He believes that interest rate cuts are still ongoing, but he will not disclose how fast or how far they need to go. Lane stated that since our interest rates are still in a restrictive range, the direction of interest rate changes is clear. He also mentioned that the speed and extent of rate cuts will depend on the inflation outlook, the dynamics of underlying inflation, and the strength of monetary policy transmission.

ChainCatcher news, asset management company VanEck announced that its Solana exchange-traded note (ETN) launched in Europe has now enabled staking functionality. The staking method adopted by VanEck is fully non-custodial, meaning that the custodian of the ETN assets always has complete control over the staked assets, with no lending risk involved.Investors in the Solana ETN do not need to take any action; if rewards are distributed, they will be credited to the ETN's token holdings. Regardless of whether the custodian purchased the ETN last year or just last week, the total staking rewards earned during the last period will be distributed equally (after deducting a 25% staking fee).

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, a new paper by economists at the European Central Bank titled "The Distributional Consequences of Bitcoin" points out that even in the case of a sustained increase in Bitcoin prices, early adopters will be the only beneficiaries, while latecomers and non-holders will suffer severe consequences, even in the absence of a "bubble burst."The economists argue that Satoshi Nakamoto's original vision of Bitcoin as a global payment system has largely failed, and people's perceptions are shifting towards viewing Bitcoin as a continually appreciating investment asset. Economists Ulrich Bindseil and Jürgen Schaaf believe that Bitcoin "......does not generate any cash flows (like real estate), interest (like bonds), or dividends (like stocks), nor can it be used for production (like commodities). Therefore, "...most established methods for calculating or estimating the fair value of assets fail when applied to Bitcoin."The paper states: "The new Lamborghinis, Rolexes, villas, and stock portfolios of early Bitcoin investors do not stem from an increase in economic production potential; rather, they are funded by the consumption and wealth reduction of those who initially did not hold Bitcoin." "Thus, 'missing out' on Bitcoin is not just about losing the opportunity to accumulate wealth, but it also signifies real poverty compared to a world without Bitcoin. This redistribution of wealth and purchasing power is unlikely to occur without adverse effects on society." These harmful consequences include "......the corresponding poverty of other parts of society, jeopardizing cohesion, stability, and ultimately threatening democracy."

ChainCatcher size, the early-stage venture capital firm Indico Capital Partners based in Lisbon has raised €76 million and announced that the Portuguese Bank (BPF) has increased its investment commitment to Indico VC Fund II from €35 million to €50 million.It is understood that the fund is dedicated to supporting early-stage tech startups in global markets, with investment areas covering artificial intelligence, big data, enterprise SaaS, fintech, marketplaces, Web3, and more. Since 2019, Indico has invested €90 million in 49 companies, which have raised over €1.9 billion in total funding from global investors. Indico VC Fund II is committed to supporting early-stage tech startups, and so far, the fund has completed 4 investments totaling €14.8 million.

ChainCatcher news, ECB board member Mahrouf stated that he does not believe the ECB should cut interest rates faster; geopolitical risks are more dangerous in some ways than ever before; the impact of geopolitics is beyond the control of the ECB.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, ECB President Lagarde stated that the decision to cut interest rates was unanimously approved, and inflation may fall to target levels next year. Currently, inflation forecasts still carry two-way risks, with the downside risks to inflation being greater than the upside risks.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, the European Central Bank has lowered the deposit facility rate from 3.5% to 3.25%, in line with market expectations. At the same time, the main refinancing rate and the marginal lending rate have been adjusted from 3.65% and 3.9% to 3.4% and 3.65%, respectively.

ChainCatcher news, financial services company Euroclear has acquired a strategic stake in Singapore blockchain company Marketnode, with the specific acquisition amount undisclosed. Euroclear's investment aims to leverage blockchain to modernize financial market infrastructure, focusing on simplifying fund management and reducing settlement times through distributed ledger technology.Marketnode was founded in 2021 by the Singapore Exchange Group and Temasek, operating two blockchain platforms: Gateway and Fundnode, focusing on tokenization and digital fund management.

ChainCatcher news, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) stated on Wednesday that cryptocurrency companies should be required to undergo external audits of their network defenses, and urged lawmakers in Brussels to amend the region's flagship regulatory framework for the crypto industry to better protect consumers.The agency believes that stricter cybersecurity rules are an important component of the EU's regulation of the crypto asset market (MiCA), which will come into full effect in December.ESMA has been advocating for the inclusion of a requirement for cryptocurrency companies to have their ability to withstand cyberattacks audited by a third party, as the agency works to finalize the implementation of these rules. These rules were passed by EU lawmakers last year.However, the European Commission opposed this move, stating that ESMA is overstepping its authority and going beyond the legislative mandate. Both sides declined to comment.

ChainCatcher message, according to the Kaiko Research report, since the implementation of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, MiCA-compliant stablecoins (such as Circle's EURC and Société Générale's EURCV) have reached a market share of 67% in the euro stablecoin market, a record high.The report notes that this change is primarily driven by Coinbase, which surpassed Binance in August to become the leading platform for euro stablecoin trading. Despite the market structure adjustment, the weekly trading volume of euro stablecoins remains around $30 million, down from $100 million in March.Additionally, the report mentions the impact of the MiCA regulation on dollar stablecoins, with Coinbase planning to delist non-compliant stablecoins like USDT for European users by December 30, 2024, which may benefit MiCA-compliant USDC.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin Magazine, the German listed company Samara Asset Group will issue a bond of 30 million euros to purchase Bitcoin and fund shares.The bond issuance will be managed by Pareto Securities, and the bonds will be listed on the Oslo and Frankfurt stock exchanges, with a minimum subscription amount of 100,000 euros.The company plans to use the bond proceeds to purchase shares in alternative investment funds and increase its Bitcoin holdings. Samara CEO Patrik Lowry stated that this will further strengthen the company's balance sheet and diversify investments in emerging technology sectors. Bitcoin is currently the main treasury reserve asset for Samara.

ChainCatcher news, a survey conducted by the fintech company Neo on 100 European Payment Service Providers (PSPs) shows that banks perform poorly in collaborations. Due to restrictions from banking partners, 29% of PSPs are unwilling to cooperate with cryptocurrency exchanges.The survey also found that 95% of PSPs have experienced bank accounts being closed or restricted, with 71% of these cases occurring without a clear reason provided by the banks. To address this issue, most PSPs maintain partnerships with multiple banks, but the process of finding new banking partners is lengthy, averaging 11.5 months.

ChainCatcher news, the Dutch police recently disclosed a long-term investigation into the "largest and longest-running" international dark web market, which led to the arrest of two operational administrators and the seizure of 8 million euros (8.7 million dollars) in cryptocurrency.The market consists of two major entities, Bohemia and Cannabia, where users can purchase malware, DDoS attack services, and primarily cannabis-related drugs. The police stated that this is the first time such a large-scale dark web market has been discovered, with 82,000 advertisements posted daily and 67,000 transactions facilitated monthly, earning 12 million euros (13.1 million dollars) in September 2023 alone.The investigation began in 2022, and the market collapsed at the end of 2023 due to an "exit scam," with service interruptions and a dispute with a "rogue developer" believed to be the reasons for its collapse.