ChainCatcher news, according to TN Argentina news website, a Russian couple running a cryptocurrency business was released after being kidnapped in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires.It was reported that the victims were kidnapped during dinner at an apartment located at 1596 Ravignani Street, invited by two Chechen men. The woman's cries for help attracted the attention of nearby restaurant staff, and the police later found the couple bound.The suspects have fled to the UAE, and an Interpol red notice has been issued. The victims paid a ransom of $43,000 in cryptocurrency through a friend. The case is currently under investigation by the Argentine Federal Police's anti-kidnapping department and Judge María Romilda Servini.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, South Korea's central bank vice governor Lee Jung-ryeol stated at the Seoul Blockchain Leaders Summit that they are considering issuing central bank deposit tokens on a public blockchain, in conjunction with private stablecoins, to build a digital currency system. This move aims to address the impact of large-scale outflows of stablecoins on monetary sovereignty and financial stability—by the first quarter of 2025, the scale of stablecoins transferred overseas by South Korean crypto exchanges reached $19.5 billion, accounting for nearly half of the total outflow of digital assets of $40.6 billion during the same period.Lee Jung-ryeol mentioned that the plan needs to balance regulation and innovation from a "national perspective," emphasizing the central bank's role as a monetary management institution. However, industry experts pointed out that a hybrid model may not effectively maintain monetary sovereignty, and the issue of cross-border flow of stablecoins needs to be addressed through sound fiscal policies. South Korean Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has proposed issuing a won stablecoin to reduce reliance on dollar-pegged assets.The Bank of Korea is also participating in the Agora multinational central bank settlement project, designing mechanisms to restrict the direct circulation of domestic deposit tokens overseas.

According to ChainCatcher, TASS reported that at the 13th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum, Russian Deputy Minister of Justice Vadim Fedorov stated that the Ministry of Justice has drafted a bill to classify digital currencies as property for the purpose of arrest and subsequent confiscation. Experts are planned to be involved in the relevant procedural actions to determine a series of necessary measures to ensure the security of digital currencies for subsequent confiscation or to address victims' claims. The bill is prepared for a first reading in the State Duma.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Guangzhou Daily, recently, the People's Court of Shangcheng District in Hangzhou made a first-instance judgment on a case involving extortion using Trojan viruses. Four defendants were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from 3 years to 7 years and 6 months for the crimes of extortion and infringement of citizens' personal information.The main culprit Qi and others were originally cybersecurity engineers, familiar with system vulnerabilities, and had previously engaged in illegally scraping citizens' personal information for profit. At the end of 2023, they shifted to ransomware attacks, using Trojan viruses to encrypt corporate files and demanding ransom in digital cryptocurrency. Police investigations revealed that the gang also attacked two other companies, extorting over 330,000 yuan worth of cryptocurrency in total. The gang had a strong anti-investigation awareness, using overseas proxy servers to hide their tracks and employing AI to optimize the virus code. In December 2023, police arrested the four individuals in Inner Mongolia, Beijing, and other locations. The court found that their actions severely disrupted network security and ultimately made a judgment in accordance with the law.

ChainCatcher news, according to Fortune magazine, Meta is exploring a re-entry into the stablecoin space, using digital currency to pay creators.It is reported that the social media company launched the Diem (formerly known as Libra) stablecoin project in June 2019. Libra caused a collective panic among central bank governors and was ultimately blocked and shut down at the end of 2021.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, U.S. Treasury Secretary Basant stated that he opposes the Federal Reserve issuing digital currency. It is difficult to know when the market will oppose our debt. We are working to control the absolute level of debt and promote GDP growth, agreeing with Yellen's view that the debt-to-GDP ratio is key.

ChainCatcher message, Ripple's Q1 2025 XRP market report shows that Ripple held a total of 4.56243 billion XRP at the end of Q1 (March 31), an increase of 1.7% compared to the end of Q4 2024 (December 31). The total amount of XRP held in escrow (to be released monthly over the next 42 months) at the end of Q1 (March 31) was 37.13 billion, a decrease of 2.57% compared to the end of Q4 2024 (December 31).

ChainCatcher news, according to Reuters, Ivan Chebeskov, head of the Digital Financial Assets Department of the Russian Ministry of Finance, stated that Russia should launch its own stablecoin to adapt to the evolving trends of the global payment system. He pointed out that the current global payment system is undergoing fundamental changes, with several countries developing their own digital currencies, and Russia should not be absent. He also emphasized that stablecoins could play an important role in international settlements, especially in the context of existing payment channels being restricted. Previously, the Central Bank of Russia had begun testing the digital ruble.

ChainCatcher news, the social infrastructure platform UXLINK has tweeted to announce its participation in Stanford University's Future Development of Digital Currency Initiative (FDCI).UXLINK has launched innovative products such as "link-to-earn," social payment finance (PayFi), and the socially native blockchain—UXLINK OneChain, aimed at enhancing trust and accelerating mass adoption.The strategic partnership between UXLINK and Stanford FDCI demonstrates both parties' steadfast commitment to ongoing investment in research and development and a focus on innovation, which will drive the global adoption of digital currency.

ChainCatcher news, according to Crowdfund Insider, the stablecoin issuer Circle has submitted feedback on the Financial Stability Board (FSB) crypto asset regulatory framework peer review. Circle emphasizes that regulatory differences among countries may impair the global interoperability of digital currencies and suggests adopting a unified global standard.As the issuer of USDC and EURC stablecoins, Circle points out that the main challenges currently faced include: local reserve management requirements in various regions may lead to fragmented liquidity; overly strict redemption time limits may exacerbate liquidity risks under market pressure; and inconsistent anti-money laundering (AML) standards across different jurisdictions increase compliance costs.Circle calls on regulators to adopt a risk-based regulatory approach that ensures financial stability while maintaining the global interoperability and operational efficiency of stablecoins. The company believes that a clear and consistent regulatory framework can support innovation without compromising financial stability.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po report, the Vice President of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Chen Weimin, stated that a regulatory framework is being established for the issuance of stablecoins, laying the foundation for the development of the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Hong Kong has made good progress in developing stablecoins, with relevant legislation currently under review by the Legislative Council, and it is expected to pass in the coming months. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is carefully examining the potential operational risks of stablecoins, including the management of reserve assets, liquidity, and anti-money laundering (AML), to ensure that licensed issuers can effectively manage risks and that their business models are sustainable.Chen Weimin also mentioned that Hong Kong has long established a roadmap for the development of virtual assets, with clear division of responsibilities between the authorities and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission. The goal is to develop Hong Kong into a leading cryptocurrency center. In recent years, Hong Kong has been developing central bank digital currency (CBDC), believing that CBDC can facilitate more efficient and lower-cost cross-border payments, which will help promote cross-border trade and explore the potential of tokenization.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) Khaled Mohamed Balama stated that the country's blockchain-based central bank digital currency (CBDC) digital dirham is expected to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2025. This digital currency will help enhance financial stability and combat financial crime.It is reported that the digital dirham will be accepted across all payment channels just like physical currency. Balama stated that the digital dirham will promote the development of innovative digital products, services, and new business models, while reducing costs and improving access to international markets.

ChainCatcher news, Circle co-founder Jeremy Allaire announced on the X platform that the Philippine digital currency app GCash has announced that its mobile wallet supports the US dollar stablecoin USDC, allowing users to receive, buy, hold, or trade USDC.It is reported that GCash is currently preparing for an IPO, aiming to raise between $1 billion and $1.5 billion. In addition to payments, the app is also building its suite of financial products.

ChainCatcher news, according to Lookonchain monitoring, in the past 9 hours, Galaxy Digital withdrew approximately 282,500 SOL (40.5 million USD) from OKX, Bitstamp, Coinbase, and Binance, and then staked 274,253 SOL (39.15 million USD).

ChainCatcher news, according to FOX Business, as the first-ever White House crypto summit is set to take place later this week, investors are paying attention to any policy developments regarding cryptocurrency reserves. Circle co-founder and CEO Jeremy Allaire is confident about the future of digital currency, believing it will become a "superpower" and have a "profound" impact."USD stablecoins can expand America's influence globally," Jeremy Allaire stated. "We have digitized everything: digital media, digital communication, software information, and all this digitization allows information and communication to flow freely around the world. But in the realm of currency, we have not achieved that yet. Digital currency provides us with a whole new way, and the impact on America, small businesses, and ordinary families will be profound," he continued.

ChainCatcher news, according to TASS, Oleg Ogienko, the Deputy General Manager of communications at the Russian mining data center operator and mining equipment importer Bitriver, stated that Russia could establish a cryptocurrency reserve within 1-3 years when the country has the appropriate regulatory conditions. At that time, the state will create regulatory conditions for this purpose.Ogienko mentioned that establishing a cryptocurrency reserve must involve creating and regulating secure infrastructure for storing and otherwise processing digital currencies domestically. It has already emerged, but is currently in a closed state.

ChainCatcher news, according to Caixin reports, the Huaxia Hong Kong Dollar Digital Currency Fund has chosen to issue on the Ethereum public chain, with an initial scale of approximately 107 million USD. According to reports, this fund is the first tokenized money market fund aimed at retail investors in the Asia-Pacific region.Currently, the fund is only open for primary market subscriptions and redemptions, and secondary market trading has not yet been realized. In the future, it will strictly adhere to the guidelines of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission and will work with licensed virtual asset exchanges in Hong Kong to jointly explore the development of secondary market products.Huaxia stated that tokenization could provide more income-generating tools for the on-chain ecosystem, and in the future, it hopes to attract stablecoin holders to invest, and will explore the tokenization of money market funds in different currencies, including the Renminbi money market fund.The underlying assets of the fund are the same as those of traditional money market funds, with no less than 70% of the net asset value invested in financial instruments such as short-term deposits and bonds denominated and settled in Hong Kong dollars.