ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg citing informed sources, venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) crypto policy chief Brian Quintenz has become the leading candidate for the position of chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).Quintenz recently completed the interview for the position; he previously served as a Republican commissioner at the CFTC and is currently responsible for policy matters in a16z's crypto division. If appointed, this could signify a significant shift in the CFTC's regulatory policy towards cryptocurrencies. Both Quintenz and a16z spokesperson declined to comment on this matter.

ChainCatcher news reports that a survey conducted by the Russian state news agency TASS shows that Russian investors expect Bitcoin to potentially rise to $160,000 in this cycle, but it is unlikely to double to $200,000 in the short term.As for the reasons behind Bitcoin's recent rise, analysts point to macroeconomic changes, such as the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts after a prolonged tightening phase, as well as increasing global liquidity and inflation concerns, all of which may drive investors toward scarce assets like Bitcoin. Institutional adoption is also a significant factor, including large-scale purchases by companies like MicroStrategy and BlackRock.Despite the market's enthusiasm, analysts remain cautious about Bitcoin's long-term prospects. Some respondents believe there are two possible scenarios for Bitcoin's future: one is a "conservative target" of $130,000, and the other is a more bullish ceiling of reaching $160,000 by mid-summer 2025. However, they unanimously agree that it is unlikely to reach $200,000 in the current cycle.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fox Business reporter Eleanor Terrett, U.S. presidential candidate Trump has shifted his focus to the chair position of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) after nominating a candidate for SEC chair. Interviews with candidates are expected to take place next week at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. The CFTC will become one of the key agencies for cryptocurrency regulation in the new government.According to sources, potential candidates include current Republican CFTC commissioners Kristin Johnson Mersinger and Caroline Pham, as well as former CFTC commissioners Jill Sommers and Brian Quintenz, former CFTC official Josh Sterling, and special advisor to the former CFTC legal counsel, Kumar. There are also reports that Digital Chamber founder Perianne Boring is on the list, but her candidacy status remains unclear.

ChainCatcher news, Bitget CEO Gracy Chen was invited to attend a Bloomberg TV interview. In the interview, Gracy mentioned that Bitcoin is fluctuating around the $100,000 mark, reflecting a strong "arbitrage" sentiment in the short-term market. She pointed out that especially some whale users who started accumulating positions in 2022 have an average holding cost of only about $20,000. Although future cryptocurrency regulations in the U.S. may become more lenient, the related uncertainties remain an important consideration for investors, and some investors choose to cash out at the current price level.At the same time, Bitcoin's recent performance has provided more opportunities for altcoins. However, regarding the rumors circulating in the market that "ETFs for altcoins like DOGE and SOL may soon be approved," she believes there are still multiple challenges: first, the issue of approval order. Based on the experience of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs being approved, the mainstream market usually first approves futures ETFs, followed by spot ETFs for related assets, and none of these altcoins' futures ETFs have been approved yet; second, regulatory discrepancies, as some regulatory agencies still dispute whether tokens like SOL are considered securities, which may affect the related approval process; third, the risk of market manipulation, as most altcoins are not as decentralized as BTC and ETH, making the possibility of market manipulation relatively higher.

ChainCatcher news, according to Hong Kong media reports, the Trump team is reviewing candidates specifically responsible for cryptocurrency policy-related positions. Although it is still unclear whether this position belongs to the senior White House staff level, known as the "Cryptocurrency Czar" (responsible for overseeing policy regulations within the federal government), personnel from the cryptocurrency industry are striving for this opportunity to directly engage with Trump.It is reported that recently many individuals have gone to Mar-a-Lago for "interviews," including former Binance executive Brooks, who is also considered a potential candidate for the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Additionally, Coinbase CEO Armstrong also met with Trump this week.

ChainCatcher news, Sydney Lai, co-founder of Gaia and head of developer relations, was interviewed by ABS-CBN News in the Philippines, where he shared Gaia's future vision for AI.It is reported that Gaia is a decentralized open-source artificial intelligence infrastructure platform that enables developers to create, deploy AI agents, and profit from them. The platform provides secure, collaborative AI development through decentralized applications, thereby realizing a transformative AI ecosystem based on the principles of decentralized computing and data ownership.