ChainCatcher news, cryptocurrency data platform CoinMarketCap (CMC) today announced the launch of CMC Launch---a launch platform specifically designed for high-quality Pre-TGE projects, aimed at connecting potential crypto projects with over 50 million monthly active users worldwide. The first project to join CMC Launch is the decentralized perpetual trading platform Aster ($AST).Compared to traditional launch platforms, CMC Launch employs a stricter review mechanism, open only to truly promising projects, helping early-stage projects reach global users. Selected projects will receive a dedicated launch page, interactive tasks that incentivize user participation, and support for wallet screening for airdrop eligibility.The first project is Aster, backed by YZI Labs, aiming to provide innovative perpetual contract services for traders from beginner to advanced levels. Core features include: a simple/professional dual-mode trading interface, catering to different user groups; various airdrop incentives; non-custodial trading without KYC, ensuring asset sovereignty; and providing deep liquidity pools, low fees, and multi-chain support, currently live on BNB Chain and Arbitrum.CMC CEO Rush stated, "The competition for traffic among projects in the cryptocurrency space is fierce. CMC Launch is dedicated to helping new projects accurately reach and connect with users looking for potential tracks. As a 'hub of cryptocurrency,' we welcome Aster as the first CMC Launch project to showcase its innovative value to the global community."

ChainCatcher news, Mastercard has partnered with the cryptocurrency payment platform MoonPay to launch a payment card that supports stablecoins, aimed at simplifying the payment process for users from digital wallets to merchants. This collaboration will integrate Mastercard's Crypto Credential system to ensure compliance and security of transactions, and will introduce payment technologies such as Mastercard Send and Click to Pay to enhance user experience.

ChainCatcher news, Farcaster co-founder Varun Srinivasan stated on Warpcast that one of the front-end applications of the decentralized social network Farcaster, Warpcast, will be renamed to Farcaster.Specific changes include: the mobile application will be renamed accordingly; the classic Arch logo will be reactivated; the official website domain will migrate from warpcast.com to farcaster.xyz; all old links will remain backward compatible, and users will not need to take any action.

ChainCatcher news, according to Xinhua News Agency, based on the executive order issued by the White House on May 12 regarding the "Modification of Tariff Rates to Reflect the Situation of Talks with the People's Republic of China," the U.S. side has revoked a total of 91% tariffs imposed on Chinese goods (including goods from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region) at 00:01 Eastern Time on May 14, according to Executive Order No. 14259 dated April 8, 2025, and Executive Order No. 14266 dated April 9, 2025. It has also modified the 34% reciprocal tariff measures imposed on Chinese goods (including goods from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region) under Executive Order No. 14257 dated April 2, 2025, with 24% of the tariffs suspended for 90 days, retaining the remaining 10% of the tariffs.At the same time, the U.S. side has also reduced or revoked the tariffs imposed on small parcels from China (including small parcels from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), lowering the international mail value-added tax rate from 120% to 54%, and canceling the measure that was originally scheduled to increase the quantity tax from $100 to $200 per item starting June 1, 2025.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, the decentralized trading platform Aster has announced the launch of a tiered fee rate plan for VIP users and market makers, with transaction fees dynamically adjusted based on a 14-day rolling trading volume.According to the official disclosed fee schedule, there are a total of 6 tiers from VIP1 to VIP6, with trading volume thresholds increasing from 5 million USD to 1 billion USD. The highest level, VIP6 (14-day trading volume ≥ 1 billion USD), can enjoy a taker fee rate of 2.5bps and a maker fee rate of 0bps, which is over a 28% reduction from the base rate. The fee rates are automatically updated daily at the end of UTC time based on trading volume.The MM1-MM3 tier standards are based on comprehensive trading volume (100 million to 1 billion USD) or the proportion of maker orders (0.5%-4%), with rebate intensity increasing with each level. Market makers at the MM3 level can receive a base fee rate of 2.5bps plus a 1bps rebate, resulting in an actual maker fee rate of -1bps.In addition, this plan simultaneously implements a referral reward mechanism, where the referrer's earnings are directly linked to the net fee contributions of the referred users.

ChainCatcher message, the decentralized settlement protocol Kima announced integration with Mastercard's Sandbox program, allowing Mastercard partners to recharge prepaid cards from self-custody wallets using stablecoins including USDC and USDT through Kima's settlement infrastructure.

ChainCatcher news, according to market data from RootData, the LAUNCHCOIN token (PASTERNAK) has increased by 240.63% in the last 24 hours, currently priced at $0.2122.According to the Web3 asset data platform RootData, LAUNCHCOIN is a celebrity coin launched by Believe founder Ben Pasternak, originally named PASTERNAK.

ChainCatcher news, the decentralized Perp DEX Aster announced on X the launch of the Aster Pro mode trading challenge, with a total prize pool of $50,000, covering four major awards: "Top Trading Volume Prize Pool," "Profit Leaderboard," "Daily Challenge Lottery," and "Show Your Trades Event."According to Aster, the event will take place from May 5, 2025, 00:00 UTC to May 19, 2025, 00:00 UTC, lasting for two weeks. The same user can compete for multiple awards simultaneously, with a maximum of 4 rewards to be won. The list of winners will be announced within 7 days after the event ends.

ChainCatcher news, Huobi HTX spokesperson and HTX DAO ambassador Molly (Huobi HTX Liu Ye) was invited to attend the "2025 HTX DAO Confidence Journey - Dubai Whale Night." At the event, Molly shared the latest achievements and future development plans of Huobi HTX and HTX DAO. She pointed out that Huobi HTX continues to lead in the global trading ecosystem, being the only platform among the Top 10 exchanges in the first quarter to achieve growth in spot trading volume, with a cumulative registered user base exceeding 50 million and a net inflow amount increasing by as much as 210% quarter-on-quarter, while maintaining a reserve ratio of over 100%. In her view, the remarkable achievements of Huobi HTX are attributed to the platform's ongoing efforts in safety transparency and market sensitivity.In addition, she further stated that in the future, Huobi HTX will deepen its strategic cooperation with HTX DAO to collaboratively empower sustainable ecological development. Through the DAO's voting mechanism, community members can widely participate in key aspects such as platform governance and new asset listing decisions, ensuring that the decision-making process is more open, transparent, and democratic. At the same time, Huobi HTX will continue to optimize in areas such as security assurance, trading experience, quality asset introduction, and product innovation, continuously enhancing the platform's overall competitiveness. Through the organic combination of centralization and decentralization, Huobi HTX and HTX DAO will jointly promote ecological prosperity, creating a more open, co-built, and shared crypto world.

ChainCatcher message, Farcaster founder Dan Romero tweeted that Warpcast has added an integrated web wallet component. This component does not require the installation of a wallet extension, is directly integrated into the web application, and supports docking and minimizing in the sidebar.

ChainCatcher news, according to official sources, payment giant Mastercard has announced the launch of a "comprehensive" stablecoin payment solution, supporting its global 150 million merchants to accept stablecoin payments.Mastercard will collaborate with payment processor Nuvei and stablecoin issuers Circle and Paxos to create a seamless payment ecosystem. Mastercard's Chief Product Officer Jorn Lambert stated that the company believes in the potential of stablecoins to simplify payments and commerce.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Mastercard is further deepening its layout in the digital asset economy, announcing on Monday the launch of new global features to support stablecoin payments within its vast merchant network.The payment giant is collaborating with the cryptocurrency exchange platform OKX to launch the "OKX Card," aimed at connecting crypto transactions and Web3 activities with everyday spending. Meanwhile, through partnerships with Nuvei and Circle, merchants will soon be able to settle transactions directly using stablecoins, including USDC issued by Circle. Paxos will also assist in expanding this feature to other supported stablecoins, such as USDP.

ChainCatcher message, previously community members disclosed that a certain Web3 startup project had hard-coded authorized wallet addresses in its smart contract code, resulting in hundreds of thousands of USDT being transferred away. It is reported that the DeFi trading and asset management project QuantMaster has indicated that it is related to the stolen project party. A report has been successfully filed, and the suspects have been basically identified. There is a clear GitHub record of the employee who submitted the code, and the device used to submit the code is also unique. Cursor has complete local AI records, which have been reviewed, ruling out the possibility of AI modifying the relevant code.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bitcoin Magazine, the University of Hesperides in Spain has announced the launch of the first Spanish-language Master's program in Bitcoin. The course will start on April 28, 2025, and aims to cultivate professionals in the Bitcoin field with comprehensive skills in technology, economics, law, and philosophy.The program is fully online, covering the philosophy, history, economics, technology, regulation, and business applications of Bitcoin, emphasizing its value as a transformative monetary network. Partner organizations include BTC Inc, Jan3, BTC Consulting 360, among others, ensuring that the curriculum is closely aligned with industry needs. The program is open to students worldwide and has already completed its enrollment launch.

ChainCatcher news, the decentralized perpetual contract trading platform Aster announced that it will issue a value of 100 USD in BONUSUSD to users affected by the Bitget VOXEL event.BONUSUSD is Aster's exclusive margin token, which can be used as margin to trade perpetual contracts in Aster's Pro professional mode. Users can apply through the official form channel.

ChainCatcher news, according to Documenting ₿itcoin, based on historical Easter Bitcoin price data, the Bitcoin price will reach $84,600 on Easter 2025, the highest in nearly 17 years:2025 = $84,6002024 = $64,4552023 = $27,9312022 = $42,7822021 = $58,2452020 = $7,3022019 = $5,2052018 = $6,7712017 = $1,1882016 = $4192015 = $2442014 = $4432013 = $1902012 = $4.852011 = $0.732010 = $02009 = $0

ChainCatcher news, Robert Kiyosaki, the author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," reiterated in a post on the X platform his warnings mentioned multiple times in books such as "The Illusion," "Who Stole My Pension?" and "Rich Dad Poor Dad," pointing out the impending financial disaster.He emphasized that those who take action and invest in gold, silver, or Bitcoin may become wealthy after the upcoming economic collapse. He firmly believes that by 2035, Bitcoin will reach $1 million, and gold and silver will also appreciate significantly.

ChainCatcher news, according to Coindesk, a Brazilian court has sentenced three main leaders of the cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme "Braiscompany" to a total of 171 years in prison. The mastermind of the scheme, Joel Ferreira de Sousa, was sentenced to 128 years, while the other two involved, Gessana Layane Silva and Victor Vironez, were sentenced to 27 years and 15 years, respectively.The scheme attracted approximately 20,000 investors and illegally raised about $190 million.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, the blockchain banking account platform Bleap, founded by former Revolut employees, has signed a strategic partnership with payment giant Mastercard. This collaboration will enable Bleap to leverage Mastercard's resources and global network, thereby accelerating its international expansion. The company stated that it will initially focus on developing the European market, followed by an entry into the Latin American market.Bleap is built on the Ethereum Layer 2 network Arbitrum, supporting fast, gas-free transactions, and utilizes PortalHQ's multi-party computation technology to replace traditional seed phrases with cloud storage and social logins. After creating a Bleap account, users can deploy a smart wallet supported by account abstraction (ERC-4337), allowing them to add stablecoins from external wallets or use fiat currency to purchase through Bleap's free cryptocurrency deposit and withdrawal services.