ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Professor Yu Xiong, Dean of the School of Blockchain and Metaverse Applications at Surrey University, conducted an in-depth analysis of the inclusion of cryptocurrencies in national-backed reserves, calling it a "double-edged sword" with clear advantages and disadvantages.Xiong pointed out that the main advantage of a multi-asset reserve is the provision of more diverse options, reducing over-reliance on Bitcoin, which currently accounts for about half of the total cryptocurrency market capitalization. "The DeFi ecosystem of Ethereum (with a total locked value of about $50 billion) and the high-speed transactions of Solana (65,000 TPS) represent technological diversity." He added that the inclusion of altcoins also acknowledges the broader application scenarios of blockchain, such as Ukraine raising $135 million in crypto donations through coins like ETH and SOL after being invaded by Russia in 2022.However, Xiong emphasized several potential risks. The first is regulatory uncertainty, as the SEC is still in litigation with Ripple, "the government holding these tokens may face opposition." The second is liquidity risk; due to the low trading volumes of these coins, government purchases or sales could lead to significant price surges or drops. In the last 24 hours, Bitcoin's trading volume was $54.8 billion, while ETH was $23.4 billion, XRP was $5.5 billion, SOL was $5.4 billion, and ADA was $3.6 billion, which may indicate that some altcoins "lack the depth for large-scale reserves."Regarding concerns about market manipulation, Xiong stated, "The market disruption caused by the U.S. Treasury's sale of 30,000 Silk Road Bitcoins in 2014 was minimal, but today, selling 3% of the Bitcoin supply (about $5.5 billion) could lead to a 15% price drop."On the potential impact of U.S. crypto reserves, Xiong believes it will provide strong support for the crypto and blockchain industry, marking an increase in institutional acceptance and accelerating the adoption of traditional financial companies, similar to how BlackRock attracted $18 billion in assets under management within six months after launching a Bitcoin ETF. He stated, "U.S. reserves may mimic the role of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in energy security, positioning cryptocurrencies as geopolitical tools."Xiong also warned that the crypto market remains fragile, with Bitcoin's annualized volatility fluctuating between 30% and 60% over the past year, while oil volatility is below 35%. Higher volatility raises concerns about manipulation or unintended market distortions.Regarding the impact of U.S. crypto reserves on the crypto and blockchain industry, Xiong summarized it as "short-term optimism, long-term caution," believing it could provide "cover" for institutional investors like pension funds. "If the U.S. government deems it appropriate, then corporate treasuries and institutional investors may also find it appropriate. The $50 trillion managed by pension funds and insurance companies globally may increase their allocation to cryptocurrencies," Xiong stated, similar to the situation after the approval of Bitcoin ETFs in early 2024.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, U.S. authorities have recently begun to release some of the previously seized Chinese-made cryptocurrency mining machines. Industry insiders revealed that as many as 10,000 mining machines were held up at various entry ports in the United States.Taras Kulyk, CEO of Synteq Digital, stated that thousands of devices have been released, but he noted that some U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials are making things difficult for the crypto industry, causing miners to face serious challenges.Although some mining machines have been released, Ethan Vera, COO of Luxor Technology, stated that most devices are still in a seized state. He also revealed that U.S. authorities had expressed concerns about the radio frequency emissions of the mining machines, but the industry generally believes these allegations are unfounded.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the cryptocurrency company Ripple has announced the establishment of the National Cryptocurrency Association (NCA) in the United States, which has received a two-year funding of $50 million aimed at helping Americans better understand the industry through its consumer education platform.NCA's Vice President of Communications, Ali Tager, stated that although the organization was founded by Ripple, it is not bound by any single company and will provide resources for anyone who uses, holds, or wants to learn about cryptocurrency. The NCA emphasizes that it is not a political or lobbying organization, but rather focuses on supporting cryptocurrency awareness and education.To ensure independence, the NCA is registered as a 501(c)(4) organization, accountable to the best interests of consumers rather than product revenues or profit margins. Tager stated, "We are actively listening to the voices of the community, directly gathering feedback from real cryptocurrency users, engaging with relevant industry experts and leaders, and establishing advisory committees to incorporate more third-party perspectives."The NCA plans to release a study report on cryptocurrency holders in the U.S. later this month, based on a survey of 10,000 respondents conducted from January to February. Preliminary data shows that up to 21% of Americans may be cryptocurrency users, with 76% of holders indicating that cryptocurrency has had a positive impact on their lives. Additionally, 73% of respondents believe it is important for the U.S. to become a global leader in the industry, and 81% are excited about the future applications of cryptocurrency in areas such as investment, shopping, gaming, and digital collectibles.

ChainCatcher news, according to data from the Web3 security agency CertiK, the cryptocurrency industry lost up to $1.53 billion in February 2025, with the $1.4 billion attack on Bybit by the North Korean Lazarus Group becoming the largest cryptocurrency hacking incident in history, accounting for 91% of the total losses for that month. Excluding the Bybit incident, the losses in February still reached $126 million, an increase of 28.5% compared to January.Other significant events include the stablecoin payment company Infini losing $49 million due to a suspected administrator privilege vulnerability, and the ZkLend protocol being hacked for $10 million. CertiK pointed out that the main causes of losses this month were wallet leaks, code vulnerabilities ($20 million), and phishing attacks ($1.8 million).

ChainCatcher news, Zhao Changpeng responded to the view that "Vitalik and Zhao Changpeng are two important figures" by stating, "Without Vitalik's contributions, smart contracts, ERC20, NFTs, SBTs, L2s, etc., cryptocurrency would not have the scale it has today. I am just a civilian who is still learning about blockchain."

ChainCatcher News, U.S. Senator and Chair of the Senate Banking Committee's Digital Assets Subcommittee Cynthia Lummis posted on the X platform that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has agreed to withdraw its lawsuit against the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, calling it "a huge victory for the digital asset industry. We are closing the door on punitive regulation and welcoming the return of American innovation. This is very significant."

ChainCatcher news, according to Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, Coinbase is trying to determine the specific amount of spending by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on non-fraud investigations and enforcement actions against the crypto industry under former chairman Gary Gensler.Coinbase submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request this morning for all investigation and litigation information related to the issuance and sale of digital assets, secondary market trading, staking, and lending from April 17, 2021, to January 20, 2025. The request also includes the number and names of investigations and enforcement actions during this period, as well as the work hours and compensation information of SEC employees and contractors, and requests the disclosure of budget and compensation details for the SEC's crypto assets and cyber division.Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal stated that this move is aimed at providing transparency to American taxpayers, and he hopes the new SEC leadership can continue to turn a new page in accountability. As of the time of publication, the SEC has not responded to the request for comment.

ChainCatcher news, Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett posted on the X platform revealing that two insiders said the U.S. SEC's cryptocurrency working group will hold a series of roundtable meetings with industry participants, themed "Spring Sprint Towards Crypto Clarity."The first session is scheduled for March 21, to be held at the SEC office in Washington, D.C., and the topic of the first meeting may be "Defining the Status of Security."

ChainCatcher news, according to reports from the Hong Kong Economic Journal, the Hong Kong Association of Banks welcomes the measures proposed in the new "Financial Budget," stating that these measures will help promote market diversification and explore new growth points, injecting new momentum into the local economy.The Hong Kong Association of Banks stated that as the Hong Kong government is about to publish the second development policy declaration for virtual assets and submit a bill for the regulatory framework for the introduction of fiat-backed stablecoin issuers, the industry will explore the potential value brought by digital asset technology for industry development while balancing risk management and business growth, contributing to Hong Kong's development as a global digital asset hub.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, Founders Fund partner Joey Krug revealed at the ETHDenver conference that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), under former chairman Gary Gensler, had forced founders of decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms to agree to never engage in the cryptocurrency industry again through settlement agreements.Krug stated, "In many cases, the government finds the founders of DeFi protocols and basically tells them they must settle with us. In many instances, they require them to sign a document promising to never work in the crypto industry again. Moreover, due to non-disparagement clauses, these agreements cannot be publicly discussed." He also claimed that these regulators would threaten the founders: "If you don't agree to these terms, you will go to jail."Krug mentioned that he initially did not believe in the existence of these settlement agreements until some unnamed founders showed him the contents of the agreements, which indeed included clauses stating "never engage in the crypto industry" and "not to discuss publicly."

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, based on the latest report from the security service platform Immunefi, the cryptocurrency industry experienced a surge in stolen funds in February due to the record-breaking Bybit hack, with 9 hacking incidents resulting in a loss of $1.53 billion, a 20-fold increase compared to the previous month.This figure is 18 times higher than February 2024, when the recorded loss was $81.6 million; the losses so far this year have reached $1.6 billion, an 8-fold increase compared to the same period last year.