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According to PRNewswire, Blockchain.com has officially obtained registration for cryptocurrency business from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). As a company originating from York, UK, Blockchain.com has been deeply involved in the UK cryptocurrency ecosystem for over a decade. This registration enables the company to compliantly offer brokerage, custody, and institutional-grade cryptocurrency services within the UK.This milestone follows the company's acquisition of a license under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation last year, which allows it to provide cryptocurrency services in 30 European Economic Area countries. Blockchain.com plans to apply for full authorization later this year, aiming to obtain comprehensive authorization by the time the new permanent regulatory regime comes into effect in 2027.

According to reports from Cover News citing Malaysian media, recently, 7 local Malaysian police officers, along with 5 men, broke into a residence in Kajang, Selangor late at night, intimidating and extorting Chinese tourists, ultimately forcing the victims to transfer approximately 200,000 ringgit (about 352,000 yuan) via cryptocurrency. After the police launched an investigation, they acted swiftly and successfully arrested the involved officers.Sources revealed that the incident occurred around 11 PM at a residence in Country Heights, Kajang. That night, 8 Chinese tourists were resting inside when they were suddenly confronted by 12 men who broke in, some of whom were wearing reflective police vests and displayed police identification, claiming to be officers. The police have classified this case as armed robbery and have initiated an investigation under Section 395 of the Penal Code. Meanwhile, the police will apply for a remand order from the local court to assist in further investigations.

Wintermute stated that Bitcoin briefly fell to $60,000 last Monday, erasing all gains since Trump's election. Spot fund flows show significant structural pressure. The Coinbase premium has consistently been in a discount state throughout the market process, persisting since last December, indicating ongoing selling pressure from the U.S.Internal OTC fund flow data also confirms that U.S. counterparties were the main sellers throughout the week, and this trend has been further amplified by continuous ETF fund redemptions. Over the past few months, AI-related assets have been continuously absorbing available market funds, crowding out the allocation space for other asset classes. The phenomenon where crypto assets underperform when AI-related companies rise and experience amplified declines when they fall can almost entirely be explained by the rotation of funds towards the AI sector.For crypto assets to outperform again, AI trading needs to cool down first. Microsoft's weak earnings report has initiated this process, but it is still far from enough. Last week's market was like a "surrender-style" clearing, with volatility soaring and buying support emerging at $60,000. In an environment where spot trading remains relatively low, leverage has become the dominant factor in price fluctuations.If open interest cannot significantly rebound, it will be difficult for the market to form sustained follow-through on either the long or short side. A true structural recovery requires a return of spot demand, but there is currently almost no evidence of this. We are likely entering a phase of high volatility and choppy price discovery. It will be hard to see sustained upward potential until the Coinbase premium turns positive, ETF fund flows reverse, and basis rates stabilize. Meanwhile, retail attention is being diverted to other asset classes, and market direction seems increasingly dominated by institutional fund flows from ETFs and derivatives channels.

According to Gate's market data, the three major U.S. stock indices rose before the market opened, with the Nasdaq up 0.05%, the Dow up 0.18%, and the S&P 500 up 0.13%.Most of the seven major tech stocks saw slight increases before the market opened: Apple (AAPL) down 0.15%, Microsoft (MSFT) up 0.23%, Alphabet (GOOGL) down 0.12%, Amazon (AMZN) up 0.29%, Nvidia (NVDA) up 0.62%, Tesla (TSLA) up 0.18%, and Meta (META) up 0.11%.

According to Techub News, multiple sources have revealed that the first batch of compliant stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong is expected to be issued by the end of March, with HSBC and Standard Chartered likely to be among the first approved institutions.Insiders indicate that after the first round of licenses is issued, the approval process for the second round of licenses will also be expedited, with an announcement expected soon.

"Wood Sister"旗下的 Ark Invest increased its holdings of Bullish shares by 57,164 shares (worth $1.83 million) on Monday, with the stock price rising by 16.76% in a single day.Previously, Ark had purchased 393,057 shares of Bullish stock on Friday, worth approximately $10.8 million.

According to reports from Zhong'an Online, the Hefei Xinzhan Public Security Bureau discovered that a virtual currency exchanger was providing money laundering services for a fraud gang while handling a telecom network fraud case involving 260,000 yuan. On January 15, 2026, the police arrested the suspect Liu in Sichuan.Investigation revealed that Liu had been engaged in virtual currency trading since 2020, contacting upstream buyers through overseas chat software and conducting transactions with fraudsters on illegal trading platforms. In June 2025, after selling virtual currency on an illegal platform, Liu withdrew the illicit funds that were transferred to his account to his personal WeChat account, which is suspected of concealing and disguising criminal proceeds. The case is currently under further investigation.

According to CoinDesk, former Chairman of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee Patrick McHenry and White House advisor Patrick Witt stated at the Ondo Summit in New York that U.S. cryptocurrency legislation is accelerating, with a comprehensive cryptocurrency market structure bill expected to be passed in the coming months.Patrick McHenry predicted that the final version may be submitted to the President for signing around Memorial Day (May 25). Patrick Witt revealed that Trump has prioritized this legislation, and the White House is pushing for negotiations between banks and crypto companies, with drafting teams exchanging drafts. Both parties noted that stablecoin yields are the biggest point of contention, with the industry reaching a consensus on banning fraudulent promotions, but differing on whether centralized exchanges can pay passive yields.Patrick McHenry emphasized that without including DeFi, the market structure legislation would "not hold up." He pointed out that tokenized lending products have lower costs than traditional securities lending, indicating strong market demand. Regarding ethical standards, both believed that overly restricting the scope of proposals for officials' spouses is too broad, but a more precise compromise could still gain bipartisan support.Patrick Witt stated that the White House's goal is to translate high-level principles into specific legal text and reach a final agreement that can withstand scrutiny from both the House and Senate.

According to The Block, Bernstein's analysts stated that the current decline of Bitcoin reflects a crisis of confidence rather than structural damage, calling it the "weakest bear market" in Bitcoin's history. Additionally, the analysts reiterated their target price of $150,000 for Bitcoin by 2026, citing increased acceptance by institutional investors, improved ETF infrastructure, and better liquidity conditions.

According to Gate's market data, the three major U.S. stock indices fell before the market opened, with the Nasdaq down 0.19%, the Dow down 0.1%, and the S&P 500 down 0.14%.Among the seven major tech stocks before the market opened, Apple (AAPL) rose 0.23%, Microsoft (MSFT) rose 0.57%, Alphabet (GOOGL) rose 0.31%, Amazon (AMZN) fell 0.32%, Nvidia (NVDA) fell 0.04%, Tesla (TSLA) rose 0.07%, and Meta (META) rose 0.26%.

French police have arrested six suspects in connection with the kidnapping of a judge and her mother. According to Agence France-Presse, the 35-year-old judge and her 67-year-old mother were kidnapped overnight from Wednesday to Thursday last week and were later found injured and trapped in a garage in the Drôme region.Prosecutor Thierry Dran stated that the kidnappers sent photos and messages to the judge's partner, threatening to maim the victims if the ransom in cryptocurrency was not paid. The victims ultimately escaped with the intervention of a neighbor, without any ransom being paid. CertiK reported that such cryptocurrency ransomware attacks are evolving into organized crime, with 72 cases globally in 2025, resulting in total losses of $41 million. Currently, six suspects have been detained, including a minor, and the case is still under further investigation.

As global macro uncertainties persist, major risk assets experienced phase fluctuations at the beginning of February. In terms of stock indices, the Dow Jones Industrial Average recently broke through the 50,000 point mark, while the S&P 500 and NASDAQ showed volatile movements, with increased index fluctuations, and market attention on the short-term trends of core indices continues to rise.Against the backdrop of expanding demand for index trading, Gate's index contracts have performed particularly well. According to CoinGlass data, in the past 4 hours, the top three in terms of open interest growth all came from the Gate platform, with US30 (Dow Jones Industrial Average) seeing an open interest increase of 1233.34% in 4 hours; NAS100 (NASDAQ 100 Index) recorded a growth of 814.95% during the same period; and SPX500 (S&P 500 Index) increased by 188.29%. The data indicates that funds are accelerating towards mainstream index contracts, with short-term trading sentiment significantly heating up.Currently, Gate contracts comprehensively cover traditional financial assets including stocks (48 types), metals (11 types), forex (3 types), commodities (2 types), and indices (13 types), supporting 24/7 continuous trading with a maximum leverage of 100 times. Gate is continuously building a multi-asset contract system that covers mainstream TradFi assets, creating the industry's most comprehensive trading area for index and traditional financial asset contracts.

According to the Wall Street Journal, crypto-friendly bank Erebor Bank has become the first newly established bank to receive a national banking charter during Trump's second term.The bank has a startup capital of $635 million and aims to fill the market gap left by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Previously, it was reported that U.S. regulators approved the launch of the billionaire-backed new bank "Erebor."

Investment firm Variant's Chief Legal Officer Jake Chervinsky posted on the X platform: "Today is my last day working full-time at the company, after which I will transition to an advisory role."

According to the Wall Street Journal, the crypto-friendly bank Erebor Bank has become the first newly established bank to receive a national banking charter during Trump's second term. A spokesperson for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which oversees national bank charters, has confirmed the approval of Erebor Bank's charter application.

According to Gate market data, the U.S. stock indices continue to rise, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by 2%.

According to Jinshi, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Jefferson stated that the year-on-year increase in the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) for December may be 2.9%.

According to Jin10, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Jefferson stated that the Federal Reserve's strong commitment to price stability reduces inflation risks.