ChainCatcher news, Fox reporter Eleanor Terrett posted on the X platform that the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has added a section about cryptocurrencies on its website.Although the term "crypto asset security" is not mentioned (except in the "Learn More" section linking to the 2023 SEC investor alert), FINRA still points out that, in addition to trading crypto assets, the assets themselves can also be considered a form of security.The section provides an in-depth overview of various types of crypto assets, how they are bought and sold, and the potential risks associated with them. It also links to additional cryptocurrency-related resources on its own website as well as those from other regulatory agencies such as the SEC, CFTC, and FTC.

According to ChainCatcher news, on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and National Supervisory Commission, Yao Qian, former director of the Science and Technology Supervision Bureau of the China Securities Regulatory Commission and former director of the Information Center, has been expelled from the Party and public office due to serious violations of discipline and law. Investigations show that Yao Qian used regulatory power to seek benefits for specific technology service providers, involving money-for-power transactions related to virtual currencies, and illegally accepted huge amounts of property.In addition, he also violated the spirit of the Central Eight Provisions by improperly accepting valuable items, accepting banquets, and engaging in irregular operations in employee recruitment and investment shares. After research and decision by the Party Committee of the China Securities Regulatory Commission and relevant disciplinary inspection and supervision departments, Yao Qian has been subjected to serious penalties, and issues involving suspected criminal activities have been transferred to the procuratorial organs for legal review and prosecution.Previous report indicated that Yao Qian was suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and had previously undergone disciplinary review by the disciplinary inspection team stationed at the China Securities Regulatory Commission and supervisory investigation by the Shantou Municipal Supervisory Committee in Guangdong Province.It is reported that Yao Qian was the first director of the Digital Currency Research Department of the People's Bank of China (CBDC) and was named one of the most influential figures in the blockchain field by Coindesk in 2017. He has published multiple research articles on blockchain technology, digital currency, and Web 3.0, and co-authored the book "Web 3.0: Changes and Challenges of the Next Generation Internet."

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the digital securities exchange Bitfinex Securities is conducting the first public offering of tokenized U.S. Treasury bills (T-bills) under the legal framework of El Salvador. As part of this issuance, the El Salvador-based digital asset issuer NexBridge Digital Financial Solutions will issue a new token with the trading code USTBL. This token aims to provide investors with an opportunity to invest in short-term U.S. Treasury bills denominated in U.S. dollars (USD).The initial offering by Bitfinex Securities aims to raise at least $30 million to continue the issuance of tokens, with the initial subscription period starting on November 19, 2024, and ending on November 29. According to Bitfinex Securities, this sale is the "first regulated" tokenized U.S. Treasury product based on Bitcoin technology. The new token will be issued on the Bitcoin Layer 2 network Liquid Network, and it is expected to provide an annualized yield to maturity of 5.02%. Proceeds from this issuance will be allocated to the iShares $ Treasury Bond 0-1yr UCITS ETF, which is a publicly listed ETF designed to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. Treasury bonds denominated in U.S. dollars issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Nomura Securities no longer expects the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at the December policy meeting. This makes it the first global brokerage to suggest a rate-cutting cycle by the Federal Reserve after Trump's election victory. Nomura Securities now anticipates that the Federal Reserve will only cut rates twice more in March and June 2025, each by 25 basis points. The brokerage maintains its forecast for the Federal Funds Rate at 4.125% until next year. Nomura Securities expects that after a possible rate cut in June next year, the Federal Reserve will pause rate cuts for an extended period until March 2026.The Federal Reserve's benchmark overnight rate is currently in the range of 4.50%-4.75%, having been lowered by 75 basis points so far this year. Meanwhile, other global brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, still expect the Federal Reserve to cut rates by 25 basis points next month.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, MicroStrategy's Bitcoin reserves are approximately $26 billion, surpassing the cash and securities of global market leaders such as IBM, Nike, and Johnson & Johnson, second only to companies like Apple and Alphabet. MicroStrategy plans to raise $42 billion to invest in Bitcoin over the next three years.

ChainCatcher message, Citic Securities research report states that the U.S. October CPI growth rate fully meets expectations, with most sub-item readings being moderate, stable commodity prices, and persistent service inflation, increasing the likelihood of a Federal Reserve rate cut in December this year.After Trump's victory, the outlook for U.S. commodity inflation is a concern worth noting. We expect that the overall CPI year-on-year comparison in the remaining two months of this year will be difficult to show a significant decline. Considering the gradual impact of the tariffs and immigration deportation plans proposed by Trump, the year-on-year growth rate of the overall CPI in the U.S. next year may be around 2.6%.

ChainCatcher News, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has once again called for cryptocurrency exchanges to register and urged those selling securities to make appropriate disclosures, as his tenure leading the agency may be coming to an end.On Thursday, at the 56th Annual Securities Regulation Institute of the American Bar Association, Gensler stated in prepared remarks that many of the 10,000 digital assets in circulation are securities.Gensler said, "Overall, aside from Bitcoin, Ether, and stablecoins, the rest of this market is valued at about $600 billion, which is less than 20% of the entire cryptocurrency market and less than a quarter of the global capital markets."Gensler's remarks came after President-elect Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election last week. Trump has indicated he would fire Gensler. Sources say Gensler is likely to resign, like other chairmen in the past.

ChainCatcher news, according to East Net, Victory Securities' Deputy COO Zhou Lele stated that Trump's victory and the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts have injected new vitality into the cryptocurrency market and triggered a market frenzy. The consensus is an optimistic outlook on the virtual asset market after Trump's inauguration.Some institutions expect Bitcoin prices to continue to rise, with several analysts estimating that Bitcoin could break $100,000 by the end of the year, signaling a new prosperous period for the virtual asset market. The inflow of stablecoins into exchanges is about $4.5 billion, far exceeding the net inflow of $1.63 billion for Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The holdings of exchange contracts and CME contracts have both reached historical highs, and the surge in capital inflows may indicate more investment opportunities in the future.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, Crypto.com has announced the acquisition of Fintek Securities Pty Ltd. (Fintek), a brokerage and trading company that holds an Australian financial services license and is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.Through this acquisition, Crypto.com’s subsidiary will be able to offer a wide range of financial products to eligible users, including deposit products, derivatives, securities, foreign exchange, and managed investment schemes. This acquisition marks Crypto.com's second time achieving traditional brokerage capabilities through its subsidiary, having previously acquired SEC-registered Watchdog Capital, LLC.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, two OpenSea users have accused the NFT trading platform OpenSea of selling unregistered securities, but they abandoned the proposed class action after a judge allowed the company to seek arbitration.On November 7, Anthony Shnayderman and Itai Bronshtein filed a voluntary motion to withdraw their securities lawsuit against Ozone Networks (operating under the name OpenSea) in federal court in Florida. Previously, Judge Cecilia Altonaga had permitted OpenSea to file a motion to compel the two to arbitrate in an order last month.OpenSea insists on compelling the two users to arbitrate and claimed in an October filing that they agreed to its terms of use, which state that all claims will be resolved by an arbitrator— including whether the claims should be arbitrated in the first place. In the October filing, the NFT marketplace added that it "intends to take swift action to compel the plaintiffs to arbitrate their claims in the agreed forum" and will appeal any dismissal by the court, thereby staying the case.

ChainCatcher news, according to FinanceFeeds, the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) has extended the suspension period of the Cyprus Investment Firm (CIF) license for FTX.com until May 30, 2025. This license previously allowed the insolvent platform to operate throughout Europe.According to a regulatory announcement, during the suspension of authorization, FTX EU is prohibited from providing services or establishing business relationships with anyone, and from accepting any new clients. Furthermore, the company is not allowed to execute any client instructions for purchasing financial instruments, nor to provide any investment services within or outside Cyprus. Additionally, the suspended brand must not promote itself as an investment service provider or publish related advertisements. They must also close all open positions related to client contracts by the contract expiration date or upon client request, and refund all funds and profits.Although FTX EU has announced that it has initiated a process allowing clients to request their final balance before withdrawing fiat funds from their company-isolated client accounts, CySEC has still decided to extend the suspension period.

ChainCatcher news, according to cryptonews, Hong Kong's cryptocurrency brokerage Victory Securities has announced plans to launch structured products for professional investors by the end of this year. Structured crypto products are designed to provide customized returns by leveraging the performance of a single cryptocurrency or a combination of multiple cryptocurrencies, helping investors pursue higher potential returns and achieve various objectives.The brokerage announced that it has obtained regulatory approval from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission. The company stated that this makes it the first licensed brokerage in Hong Kong to market and distribute cash-settled virtual asset structured products to professional investors.

ChainCatcher news, the official website of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has updated the information on virtual asset trading platform license applications, which shows that Nebulas Exchange submitted its application for a virtual asset trading platform license to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission on October 25, 2024. The name of the submitting virtual asset trading platform operator company is "Nebulas Hong Kong Limited", and there is currently no Chinese name.As of now, the number of virtual asset trading platform license applicants announced by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission is 15. According to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance, 11 platforms including HKbitEX, PantherTrade, Accumulus, DFX Labs, Bixin.com, xWhale, YAX, Bullish, Crypto.com, WhaleFin, and Matrixport HK are considered to be granted licenses.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the blockchain gaming company Immutable has issued a statement indicating that it has received a Wells notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Additionally, the SEC sent a letter to the company's CEO James Ferguson and the Digital Worlds Foundation, which helped issue the IMX token, detailing the company's alleged violations of securities laws. The allegations specifically point to violations of securities laws and potential false statements.An Immutable spokesperson stated, "Although the SEC indiscriminately claims that tokens across the entire industry are securities, we are confident that the IMX token is not a security. The notice merely cites legal provisions and contains limited meaningful details."

ChainCatcher news, the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) has officially joined the Hedera Council to leverage the Hedera network to accelerate its tokenization plans. After joining the council, the NSE will utilize Hedera's secure, transparent, and scalable technology to expedite the launch of digital assets and tokenized securities on its exchange.The Hedera Council is a diverse group composed of global organizations responsible for the operation and management of the decentralized Hedera network. The NSE will run a node on the Hedera network alongside other council members and will have equal voting rights in the governance of Hedera's software and services.

ChainCatcher news, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has published a vision to promote the thriving development of Hong Kong's fintech ecosystem. The SFC's current regulatory measures include risk-based on-site inspections and direct dialogues with senior management and controllers of applicants. Based on this, the Hong Kong SFC is implementing a rapid licensing approval process to handle applications from virtual asset trading platforms that are considered for licensing. To fulfill its commitment to promoting the sustainable and responsible development of the virtual asset industry, the Hong Kong SFC is collaborating with the Hong Kong SAR Government and other regulatory bodies to formulate regulatory proposals for providing virtual asset trading services and virtual asset custody services, continuing to enhance its investor protection efforts through active monitoring systems and public warnings, and deepening cooperation with other institutions.

ChainCatcher news, cryptocurrency exchange Bitstamp has obtained a MiFID MTF license issued by the Slovenian Securities Market Agency. This license allows Bitstamp to offer more complex products, including crypto derivatives, to institutional and retail investors.

ChainCatcher news, the current regulatory measures of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission include risk-based on-site inspections and direct dialogues with the senior management and controllers of applicants. Based on this, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission is implementing a rapid licensing approval process to handle applications from virtual asset trading platforms considered for licensing. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission expects to issue the first batch of formal licenses to virtual asset trading platform applicants considered for licensing by the end of this year.

ChainCatcher news, to support the development of a sustainable business model for licensed virtual asset trading platforms, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is establishing a formal advisory group composed of representatives from each licensed institution to ensure that the SFC considers their views in the policy-making process.The SFC expects the advisory group to be launched in early 2025. Future white papers released by the SFC on priority regulatory matters in the virtual asset industry will be based on discussions conducted by this group and feedback from other stakeholders.

ChainCatcher message, to support licensed virtual asset trading platforms in developing sustainable business models, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is establishing a formal advisory group for all licensed virtual asset trading platforms, composed of representatives from each licensed institution, to ensure that the SFC considers their views in the policy-making process.The SFC expects this advisory group to be launched in early 2025. The SFC will publish a white paper on priority regulatory matters for the virtual asset industry in the future, based on discussions from this group and feedback from other stakeholders.