ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin.com News, the mayor of Rockdale, Texas, Ward Rodam recently published an article in the Austin American-Statesman, outlining the important role of the Bitcoin mining industry in the local economic recovery. Mayor Rodam likened Bitcoin mining to a "digital oil well," believing it has the potential to drive economic revitalization in rural areas across Texas, with an impact comparable to the former oil boom.According to Mayor Rodam, since the closure of the city's largest employer, the Alcoa aluminum plant, in 2008, the Bitcoin mining industry has utilized the legacy energy infrastructure to inject new economic vitality into Rockdale. This is reflected in several aspects:Job Market: Bitcoin mining companies have created hundreds of jobs locally, providing residents with high-paying employment opportunities;Fiscal Revenue: Mining companies have become one of the main sources of tax revenue for Milam County and the local school district;Community Development: These companies actively participate in local charitable initiatives, including establishing scholarships, supporting police and fire departments, and sponsoring youth sports and chamber of commerce activities;Economic Investment: Bitcoin mining companies have cumulatively invested over $1 billion in Rockdale.Mayor Rodam emphasized that Bitcoin mining enterprises demonstrate deep engagement and long-term commitment to the communities in which they operate. He called on Texas lawmakers to fully recognize the positive impact of the Bitcoin mining industry and create a favorable policy environment for its development. The mayor stated, "Texas leaders should fully understand the economic benefits of Bitcoin mining. If we can provide appropriate policy support for its development, Bitcoin mining is expected to become a new growth point driving the revitalization of Texas's rural economy."

ChainCatcher news, the CEO of financial services company Cantor Fitzgerald, which manages $13.2 billion in assets, recently shared his views on Bitcoin. He stated, "BTC should be treated like gold and oil." The CEO further emphasized, "When you truly understand Bitcoin, it's hard to look at it any other way."

ChainCatcher message, Ethereum Foundation member Justin Drake answered the question "Does the EF think the continued appreciation of ETH assets is important?" during the AMA.Justin Drake stated: "My personal view is that the appreciation of ETH is crucial for the success of Ethereum. If ETH does not indeed become the programmable currency of the internet, Ethereum cannot become the settlement layer of the value internet. The currency premium will only increase with the scale of a particular asset (e.g., trillions of dollars). Such currency premium is needed to: underwrite trillions of dollars of decentralized stablecoins ('economic bandwidth'), provide indisputable security, even from nation-states ('economic security'), and attract the attention of all major economic participants ('economic significance')."Additionally, Justin Drake also mentioned: "The value appreciation of ETH boils down to traffic and currency premium. For traffic, the important metric is total fees, not the fee per transaction. The successful outcome for Ethereum will be 10 million transactions per second, which can provide billions of dollars in daily revenue even if the fee per transaction is below a cent. For example, $0.002/tx would provide about $2B/day in revenue. For currency premium, the important metric is the percentage of ETH used as collateral, such as underwriting DeFi."

ChainCatcher news, U.S. Vice President Harris stated that if elected president, she would not stop hydraulic fracturing, reversing her previous opposition to most oil and gas production technologies in the U.S. "As Vice President, I did not ban hydraulic fracturing," Harris said in an interview on Thursday, marking her clearest statement on the issue since becoming the Democratic candidate. "As president, I will not ban hydraulic fracturing."

ChainCatcher news, according to a report by u.today citing The New York Times, Tether co-founder Brock Pierce is currently embroiled in a legal dispute with business partners. Pierce acquired the W Hotel on Vieques Island, a Caribbean island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. The resort was once a major attraction on the island but was closed due to severe damage caused by a Category 5 hurricane in the Caribbean. However, the hotel's revival has faced significant obstacles, including legal challenges and unpaid bills.It is reported that logistics magnate Lipsey lent Pierce $4 million to help him purchase the remaining portion of the hotel, but after accusing Pierce of breaching the terms of the agreement, Lipsey ultimately seized control of the W Hotel. Pierce has been accused of misappropriating funds and hosting an extremely lavish party. Later, Lipsey also accused Pierce of attempting to kidnap him at another hotel. Pierce has denied these allegations. Both parties are currently discussing possible settlement options.Reports indicate that Pierce has fallen into financial trouble after being abandoned by his business partners, and local Puerto Ricans are dissatisfied with Pierce's attempts to turn the Caribbean island into his private playground. The media commented, "The efforts of this prominent entrepreneur to turn Puerto Rico into a cryptocurrency haven have not been successful."

According to ChainCatcher news, a legal dispute is occurring between current and former employees of the sports and entertainment blockchain solution Chiliz (CHZ), as reported by Nocut News. A former employee, Mr. A, a South Korean national, claims that he worked at Chiliz from 2020 to 2022 and was promised compensation in cryptocurrency, but failed to receive payment as scheduled. After raising the issue, he was not only dismissed but also sued.Mr. A filed a lawsuit against relevant individuals at Chiliz headquarters on April 19 of this year. Chiliz stated that Mr. A provided false information to the media, leading to the reports, and filed a civil damages and criminal defamation lawsuit against him for violating confidentiality obligations. In April of this year, Mr. A lost the damages lawsuit, but due to insufficient evidence, the prosecution decided not to file a defamation lawsuit against him.

ChainCatcher news, Stockholm-based carbon removal startup Net Zero has completed a $5.5 million seed round financing. Investors include Oilinvest, VARO Energy, and SilviCarbon. The funds will be used to support global expansion and launch a new product suite, including carbon removal tokens (a type of real-world asset-backed token).It is reported that the company focuses on blockchain to enable secure and transparent carbon credit trading, with an emphasis on nature-based carbon removal globally.

ChainCatcher news reports that, according to Wu, Bybit's management has undergone significant turmoil following the delayed crediting incident with Notcoin, with several executives "voluntarily resigning" and openly recruiting new heads of technology and spot trading. Bybit allowed the Notcoin project team to directly airdrop to user addresses, rather than airdropping to a unified exchange address for distribution, resulting in users receiving their tokens late and being unable to sell them immediately. The number of affected users reached 320,000, and Bybit claims to have subsequently provided $23 million in compensation.

ChainCatcher news, according to Crowdfund Insider, the Coinbase derivatives trading platform is expanding its futures products, including oil and gold.The platform will launch retail-sized "oil and gold" futures contracts on June 3, 2024, to help traders further diversify their investment strategies. The new products will complement the "existing CFTC-regulated series of crypto futures for BTC, ETH, BCH, LTC, and DOGE."

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA plans to increase the use of Tether to export crude oil and fuel oil, a move prompted by the recent decision of the United States to reimpose sanctions on the country.Last year, PDVSA began gradually shifting its oil sales to Tether. The company plans to convert many spot oil transactions into contracts that require prepayment in Tether and is asking new customers to hold cryptocurrency for transactions. Since cryptocurrency transactions are not regulated by any trade compliance departments, PDVSA and its trading partners need to work with intermediaries, which may reduce the company's profit margins.

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, three insiders revealed that as the United States reimposes oil sanctions on Venezuela, the state-owned oil company PDVSA plans to increase the use of digital currencies in its crude oil and fuel exports.It is reported that the U.S. Treasury Department requested PDVSA's customers and suppliers to end transactions by May 31. This move will make it more difficult for Venezuela to increase oil production and exports, as companies will have to wait for separate authorization from the U.S. to conduct business with Venezuela.Since last year, PDVSA has been slowly shifting towards USDT in oil sales, which is pegged to the U.S. dollar. Insiders stated that the restoration of oil sanctions is accelerating this shift, aimed at reducing the risk of sales revenue being frozen in foreign bank accounts due to sanctions.

ChainCatcher news, Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced the second wave of detentions related to a cryptocurrency money laundering case, which stems from unregistered oil sales conducted with various currencies and cryptocurrencies.Former president of the state oil company PDVSA Tareck El Aissami, former Minister of Economy Simon Alejandro Zerpa, and entrepreneur Samark Lopez have been arrested, accused of laundering money through exchanges such as Kraken and investing in cryptocurrency mining farms.

ChainCatcher news, according to China Daily, with the first crude oil transaction settled in digital yuan on Thursday, China's currency internationalization process has taken a significant step forward. By purchasing 1 million barrels of crude oil, China National Petroleum Corporation completed the first international crude oil transaction settled in digital yuan at the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange (SHPGX). However, the announcement released by the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange on Friday did not disclose the exact value of the transaction or the identity of the seller.The Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange announced on its website that the transaction is part of its efforts to meet the Shanghai municipal government's requirements for using electronic yuan in cross-border trade.