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According to The Block, a federal grand jury in the United States has indicted South Dakota cryptocurrency investor Benjamin Paul Wiener on 29 counts, including telecommunications fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

After a meeting with Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, Bilal bin Saqib, the chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, stated that stablecoins, tokenized RWA, and other blockchain products should undergo separate technical and Islamic law assessments and should not be regarded as the same category.Previously, scholars including Usmani issued a fatwa declaring that USDT and other cryptocurrencies do not constitute wealth recognized by Islamic law, rendering transactions for purchasing physical goods or digital services invalid. Pakistan passed the Virtual Assets Act in March of this year, requiring exchanges, custodians, and token issuers to ensure compliance with Islamic law under the guidance of an Islamic finance scholars committee. At the same time, the country is advancing sovereign stablecoins, national asset tokenization, and licensing for cryptocurrency trading platforms.

Gate US has officially obtained the Money Transmitter License (MTL) in the state of Florida, increasing the number of state-level licenses to 36 and further expanding its compliant operational scope to 47 jurisdictions in the United States. This approval enhances Gate US's regulatory layout in the U.S. market and reflects the platform's ongoing commitment to advancing its global compliance strategy and strengthening its localized operational capabilities.As one of the important financial and digital asset markets in the United States, Florida has strict requirements for licensed institutions in terms of compliance management, risk control, and operational capabilities. The acquisition of this license marks a significant new progress for Gate US in building its regulatory compliance system. Previously, Gate US's operations had covered multiple jurisdictions, including Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Maine, providing compliant and stable digital asset-related services to local users while adhering to the regulatory requirements of each state.Currently, multiple entities under Gate have completed relevant regulatory registrations, license applications, or obtained authorizations and approvals in jurisdictions such as Malta, the Bahamas, Japan, the United States, Australia, and Dubai. In the future, Gate US will continue to uphold a long-term development strategy focused on safety, transparency, and compliance, further solidifying the platform's capability to conduct compliant business in the U.S. market and providing users with safer, more transparent, and reliable digital asset services.

According to Bloomberg, the strategic Bitcoin reserve plan promoted by U.S. President Trump is facing legal and jurisdictional issues, with the core dispute being whether the U.S. Treasury has the authority to legally manage the reserve. Trump proposed the establishment of a strategic Bitcoin reserve early in his presidency, with the main funding source being Bitcoin already held by the U.S. government through criminal or civil forfeiture, along with a separate digital asset inventory.The relevant executive order also requires the Treasury and Commerce Departments to develop a "budget-neutral" Bitcoin acquisition strategy, meaning it should not increase taxpayer costs. However, informed sources say that discussions around the reserve have now shifted to whether it should be placed under the Commerce Department rather than managed by the Treasury. Another point of contention is whether the U.S. government can hold BTC "indefinitely" given Bitcoin's price volatility. White House spokesperson Liz Huston stated that the Trump administration is still evaluating the best structure for the strategic Bitcoin reserve and the U.S. digital asset inventory to fulfill its vision of making the U.S. a global center for cryptocurrency and cutting-edge technology.

Court documents from the U.S. Department of Justice (Eastern District of California Prosecutor's Office) show that a federal jury found Daniel Chartraw (53 years old) guilty of multiple counts of cryptocurrency and investment fraud, involving losses of nearly $1 million. Between March 2021 and February 2022, Chartraw and his accomplices controlled several companies, including Crypto-Pal LLC and TDA Global LLC.Chartraw and his agents claimed that Crypto-Pal was an online cryptocurrency trading company that guaranteed high returns with no risk. Chartraw also repeatedly claimed that TDA Global was engaged in supplying aviation fuel to airlines or operated its own cryptocurrency trading platform. Chartraw used aliases to conceal his prior criminal record and lured victims to invest in the Crypto-Pal platform with the bait of "capital protection and high returns," subsequently misappropriating all the funds for personal use.Chartraw is scheduled to be sentenced by a senior judge of the U.S. District Court on September 28, 2026. Each count against Chartraw carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has released the "Draft Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2030" and is seeking public comments. The goals proposed in the draft include "providing a solid regulatory foundation for digital assets and distributed ledger technology through a rational, coherent, and principle-based approach."The document points out that a modernized framework will also ensure that custody, trading, and staking services can operate under appropriate regulation, avoiding duplicative or conflicting requirements, while clarifying jurisdictional issues between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. This coordination aims to ensure that the crypto market has clear, principled, regulation-based rules of the game, promoting innovation while maintaining the highest level of investor protection. Furthermore, the document suggests that the agency's responsible use of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology could further enhance regulation, reduce costs, and unlock new efficiencies.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Salimi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's presidium, stated that Iran's plan to "exercise sovereign jurisdiction" over the Strait of Hormuz is about to be approved by the parliament and is expected to be passed in the form of permanent legislation.According to the Iranian Students' News Agency, Salimi said that only Iran and Oman have the right to make decisions regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian side has communicated with Oman, and Oman has also expressed preliminary agreement, with the relevant plan expected to be finalized soon.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has disclosed that it has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island to prevent the state from applying its gambling laws to contract markets registered with the CFTC. CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig stated that exchanges registered with the CFTC are facing numerous lawsuits aimed at restricting Americans' participation in event contracts, which undermines the CFTC's exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets.Selig emphasized that event contracts are commodity derivatives and fall entirely within the CFTC's regulatory scope. The CFTC is also facing similar jurisdictional challenges in states such as Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, and Minnesota. The CFTC stated that the Commodity Exchange Act grants it exclusive jurisdiction over event contracts.

According to Jinshi reports, U.S. President Trump stated on social media that it is crucial to maintain the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over prediction markets. He mentioned that prediction markets must be allowed to thrive and that "road rules" are being developed to become the gold standard for states. He emphasized that other countries are competing for this new type of financial market, and the U.S. must maintain its leading position and protect the global cryptocurrency industry.

The U.S. Court of Appeals is hearing the appeal case of Roman Sterlingov, focusing on the key discussion of whether cryptocurrency services are subject to U.S. law. The case centers on: whether a small number of transactions conducted by law enforcement in Washington is sufficient to establish jurisdiction; and the reliability of evidence identifying the defendant through "IP overlap analysis" by the FBI. The U.S. Department of Justice argues that Bitcoin Fog, as a global money transfer service aimed at U.S. users, should be bound by U.S. law; while the defense questions the law enforcement's "artificial creation of jurisdiction."

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a lawsuit against Wisconsin on Tuesday, accusing the governor, attorney general, and state officials of attempting to use state laws to crack down on prediction market platforms.Recently, Wisconsin has sued platforms such as Coinbase, Robinhood, Crypto.com, Polymarket, and Kalshi, claiming that their sports event contracts constitute "public nuisance." The CFTC strongly asserts exclusive jurisdiction over prediction markets (event contracts), arguing that the state government's attempt to criminalize federally regulated markets infringes upon the national swap market regulatory framework designed by Congress, and is seeking a court order to declare that Wisconsin's ban is superseded by federal law on CFTC-regulated platforms.

Mike Selig, the chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, stated on the X platform that U.S. federal law clearly stipulates that the derivatives market is regulated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.Whether it's sports, politics, or oil prices, under the federal regulatory framework, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has clear jurisdiction to regulate prediction markets and is obligated to uphold the regulations.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed lawsuits against Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois, reiterating its exclusive jurisdiction over event contracts and prediction markets under the Commodity Exchange Act. It accuses the three states of attempting to prohibit, restrict, or regulate registered designated contract markets through other state-level regulatory measures, including platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket.The CFTC seeks a federal court declaration that state actions are invalid and prohibits the states from intervening in prediction market activities that comply with federal regulations.

According to CNN, a jury in California largely supported the claims of Twitter (now rebranded as X) shareholders on Friday, who accused billionaire Musk of making false statements before acquiring the social media company for $44 billion in 2022 and intentionally driving down the company's stock price. However, the jury did not find that Musk was involved in an overall scheme to defraud investors.This ruling concludes a civil class action lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by a group of Twitter shareholders in October 2022—just weeks before Musk officially took over the company. During the weeks-long trial, Musk was forced to testify in his defense. Musk initially agreed to acquire Twitter in April 2022 but attempted to back out of the deal in the following months, ultimately completing the acquisition.According to estimates from the plaintiffs' attorneys, the jury's awarded damages are expected to be around $2.5 billion, with the exact amount depending on the final number of people who apply to join the class action. Musk's lawyers stated that Musk plans to appeal the ruling. His law firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, noted that Musk has successfully appealed in other unrelated cases in Texas and Delaware recently.

Iran's New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Has Not Made a Public AppearanceIran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has not made a public appearance for a long time, sparking strong speculation about his serious injuries. In the face of rampant rumors, the son of the Iranian president and senior relatives urgently came forward to clarify, insisting that the new leader is "safe and sound."A relative of Mojtaba told the Financial Times: "He is currently in good condition and is still busy with various tasks. For security and political reasons, he has decided not to make any public appearances for the time being. To some extent, this also creates uncertainty for his opponents, preventing them from getting accurate information about him. Let them guess slowly." The expert meeting did not clarify whether Khamenei was present during the meeting and did not provide details about the voting process.Earlier reports indicated that Iran's ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, stated in an interview that Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the airstrikes by the United States and Israel on February 28.

The Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Mike Selig, disclosed his remarks at the FIA Global Clearing Markets Conference, stating that the U.S. is undergoing a new technological revolution driven by AI, blockchain, and prediction markets. The CFTC needs to ensure that the regulatory framework adapts to this transformation.Selig outlined the focus areas for the coming years: achieving forward-looking derivatives market regulation through principle-based oversight with minimal effective intervention; addressing the legacy issues of the Dodd-Frank Act; ending the regulatory turf battles and enforcement-style regulation between the CFTC and SEC; ensuring that the U.S. maintains its status as a global crypto hub by clarifying classification rules for real crypto perpetual contracts; establishing a gold standard regulatory framework for prediction markets; making the U.S. a leading market for AI computing; refocusing the Commission on its core responsibilities, moving away from non-core areas like climate policy; prioritizing the needs of the agricultural and energy communities; and bringing markets for critical minerals back to the U.S.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins posted on the X platform that this week is significant for cryptocurrency and fully supports Congress in clarifying the jurisdictional division between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.The most important thing to do for investors right now is to move the crypto asset market out of the regulatory gray area. He looks forward to President Trump signing a bipartisan-supported market structure bill in the coming months, based on legal provisions recognized by both parties, to promote market innovation while protecting investors' rights.

The Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), developed under the leadership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), officially came into effect on January 1, 2026, covering the first batch of 48 countries and regions.The framework requires Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASPs) to disclose user transaction information to tax authorities and submit annual reporting, covering activities such as transactions, exchanges, and asset transfers, to promote global tax transparency and enhance cross-border data exchange. CARF aims to fill the regulatory gap in the digital asset sector within the existing Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and plans to initiate regular information exchange among member countries starting in 2027. All EU member states, the UK, Brazil, the Cayman Islands, and other regions will be the first to participate, while countries like Australia, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the UAE are expected to join by 2028. The United States plans to connect to the system in 2029. The OECD stated that this framework brings crypto assets under tax regulatory standards comparable to those of the traditional financial system, significantly reducing the space for tax evasion using crypto assets.

According to the OECD's Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF), 48 jurisdictions, including the UK and the EU, will officially begin collecting standardized data in 2026.The framework requires relevant service providers to collect more detailed customer information, verify tax residency, and report users' balances and transactions to local tax authorities annually. This data will then be shared cross-border according to existing information exchange agreements. Lucy Frew, a partner at the international law firm Walkers, stated on the X platform that CARF will fundamentally change the compliance model for digital asset businesses and their clients. For exchanges, this will involve redesigning Know Your Customer and anti-money laundering processes, as well as upgrading reporting systems. Asher Tan, CEO of the UK licensed exchange CoinJar, stated that users will be required to provide additional tax residency information. Meanwhile, tax professionals pointed out that while CARF does not create new taxes, it makes existing rules easier to enforce, and tax authorities will be able to identify reporting discrepancies more efficiently through standardized machine-readable data, advising users to resolve historical tax issues during the voluntary disclosure period.

According to a press release from the Hong Kong government, the Hong Kong government has launched a public consultation on the implementation of the reporting framework for crypto assets and the revised Common Reporting Standard (CRS) issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).The government plans to complete local legislative amendments within the next year, aiming to automatically exchange tax information related to crypto asset transactions with cooperating tax jurisdictions starting in 2028, and to implement the newly revised Common Reporting Standard from 2029. The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Christopher Hui, stated that this move aims to demonstrate Hong Kong's commitment to promoting international tax cooperation and combating cross-border tax evasion, which is crucial for maintaining Hong Kong's reputation as an international financial center.The OECD announced this reporting framework in 2023, allowing cooperating tax jurisdictions to automatically exchange tax information related to crypto asset transactions annually. Since 2018, Hong Kong has been exchanging financial account information with partners according to the OECD's Common Reporting Standard. The public can submit their opinions on the relevant proposals until February 6, 2026.