ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has partnered with the Innovation Center of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to conduct research testing a tokenized monetary policy toolkit based on smart contracts. This experiment, named Project Pine, aims to explore how blockchain technology can help central banks achieve rapid policy responses in future tokenized financial systems.According to a report released by the BIS on May 15, the research team developed a prototype of a "universal customizable tokenized monetary policy toolkit" and validated its flexibility in hypothetical scenarios. The results showed that central banks could instantly adjust policy tool parameters, such as collateral standards and interest rates, and complete the substitution of liquidity collateral and non-liquid collateral within 10 minutes.The BIS emphasized that if currency and securities tokenization are widely adopted, smart contracts will become the core technology for implementing monetary policy. This framework allows central banks to "instantly" deploy new facilities, such as adjusting reserve interest rates or providing liquidity support, enabling rapid responses to crises like declines in collateral value. The report stated that this speed and flexibility provide central banks with new ideas for addressing "emergencies and rapidly evolving risks."However, the report also pointed out the limitations of the current financial infrastructure. Most traditional systems are not yet compatible with advanced use cases like smart contracts, and central banks may face challenges in advancing technological integration. The testing of Project Pine used the Ethereum ERC-20 token standard and combined it with another "access control" standard to ensure compliance.In recent years, financial institutions have accelerated their layout of tokenization technology. At the Consensus 2025 conference, Joseph Spiro, Director of Digital Asset Products at the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), stated that stablecoins are an "ideal" tool for real-time collateral management in transactions such as loans or derivatives. This collaboration between the BIS and central banks further confirms the trend of exploration of blockchain technology in the traditional financial sector.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Eric Trump referred to Bitcoin as "digital gold" at Consensus 2025 and revealed his entry into the crypto space due to political factors. The mining company he co-founded, American Bitcoin, will go public through a merger with Gryphon Digital Mining. Eric pointed out that Bitcoin's liquidity is superior to that of real estate and stated that the company's name deliberately emphasizes "America" and "Bitcoin." He currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer of the company, which is a result of collaboration with Hut 8.

ChainCatcher news, according to market news, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has decided to postpone the resolution on the 21SHARES spot Polkadot (DOT) ETF application.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, cryptocurrency market maker Wintermute announced that it will open its first U.S. headquarters in downtown Manhattan, New York, on June 1. At the same time, the company appointed policy veteran Ron Hammond as the head of policy and communications. Hammond previously served as the senior director of government relations at the Blockchain Association and was involved in the development of several regulatory bills for the cryptocurrency industry.Wintermute CEO Evgeny Gaevoy stated, "As the U.S. policy towards digital assets and blockchain innovation becomes more friendly, we decided to act swiftly to establish a foothold in New York City, the financial capital of the world." This move comes as the Trump administration has taken a supportive stance towards the cryptocurrency industry, including the appointment of pro-crypto regulatory agency heads.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi Data, Federal Reserve Chairman Powell stated in a speech that he would not comment on the outlook or monetary policy; April PCE may be around 2.2%. Officials agreed that there is a need to reconsider the strategic wording around underemployment and the average inflation rate.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptoslate, Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal recently revealed that scammers are using AI technology to forge videos of his likeness to defraud startups in the crypto industry.The scammers first hacked the Telegram account of Polygon Ventures head Shreyansh Singh, and then contacted startups within the ecosystem, luring victims into Zoom meetings under the pretense of investment discussions. During the meetings, the scammers used AI-generated images of Nailwal, Singh, and fictitious team members (without audio interaction) to deceive attendees into installing malicious software development kits.Nailwal stated that several entrepreneurs have reached out to him to verify the authenticity of the meetings. Nailwal advised community members not to install unfamiliar software during unsolicited interactions, and he emphasized the importance of operational protocols, urging crypto users to separate wallet signing activities from everyday device usage.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptoslate, Spanish law enforcement has teamed up with Europol to crack a large-scale transnational cryptocurrency money laundering case. The criminal organization laundered money for criminal groups in China and the Arab region through cryptocurrency transactions, with an amount involved exceeding 20 million euros.It is reported that the operation searched 14 locations and arrested 17 suspects, of which 15 have been detained pending trial. Law enforcement seized over 205,000 euros in cash, digital assets worth 183,000 euros, 18 luxury cars, and properties valued at approximately 2.5 million euros.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Guardian, former General Secretary of the Labour Party and current member of the House of Lords Iain McNicol has publicly apologized for violating parliamentary conduct rules.An investigation revealed that McNicol sent a letter to the Treasury promoting the cryptocurrency company Astra Protocol in June 2023, while he was receiving a monthly consultancy fee from the company. The House of Lords Commissioner for Standards, Margaret Obi, determined that this constituted "providing paid parliamentary services," which is a violation of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Jefferson stated that the current moderately restrictive policy rate is well positioned to respond to changes in economic development.Tariffs may lead to rising inflation, and it remains uncertain whether the impact is temporary or persistent.

ChainCatcher news, as the presidential election on June 3 approaches, the South Korean Democratic Party has made cryptocurrency regulation one of the core campaign issues, establishing a "Digital Asset Committee" aimed at centralizing the authority for cryptocurrency policy-making in the presidential office. The committee held its first meeting on May 13 at the National Assembly in Seoul, bringing together legislators, government officials, and representatives from local exchanges such as Upbit, Bithumb, Coinbit, and Gopax. Committee Chairman Min Byeong-deok stated that the current "one exchange, one bank" system restricts the development of cryptocurrency businesses and needs reform.The committee is drafting key legislation known as the "Second Phase Bill," which aims to establish a digital asset framework for South Korea, covering regulatory innovation and user protection. Additionally, the regulation of stablecoins has become a focal point of discussion, especially stablecoins pegged to the Korean won. Democratic presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung advocates for a swift market launch and proposes the issuance of a won-pegged stablecoin. However, the Bank of Korea (BOK) insists that discussions must involve early-stage participation to prevent instability in national monetary policy.This reform aims to promote the development of the cryptocurrency industry and attract the support of young voters. Reports indicate that over 16 million people in South Korea are involved in cryptocurrency trading.

ChainCatcher news, according to Crypto In America, the U.S. Treasury will hold a series of closed-door policy roundtables with key players in the cryptocurrency industry this week. According to several sources familiar with the agenda, discussions will last for a week and cover four main areas: stablecoins, decentralized finance (DeFi), banking relationships, and cybersecurity.The meeting focused on stablecoins will take place on Thursday, May 15, aiming to explore how to effectively control and reduce the risks of illicit financing in the context of ongoing concerns about sanctions evasion and the role of offshore stablecoin issuers. The agenda will cover secondary market monitoring, freezing capabilities, counterparty due diligence, and compliance loopholes.

ChainCatcher message, Bank of England monetary policy committee member Green: I feel very conflicted about whether to cut interest rates when making rate decisions.

ChainCatcher news, according to the Ping An Xianning official account, recently, the police discovered a criminal gang led by Tang Moumou that set up multiple network devices to illegally access the international internet through unauthorized channels, using foreign software to engage in illegal virtual currency and foreign exchange transactions. Five individuals involved were apprehended on the spot, and all equipment used in the crime was seized. The public security authorities have imposed administrative penalties on Tang Moumou and six others, and the case is currently under further investigation.In October 2023, the Xianning police arrested individuals in a similar case, issuing a warning and imposing a fine of 15,000 yuan, along with the confiscation of illegal gains amounting to 90,000 yuan.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, influenced by multiple macro positive factors, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) once approached $105,000, reaching a new high since late January. As of the time of writing, the price of Bitcoin has slightly retreated to $104,500, with a 24-hour increase of 1.5%. Ethereum performed even stronger, with a rise of 7.7% during the same period.U.S. President Trump stated on social media that significant progress has been made in the trade negotiations between the U.S. and China held in Switzerland, and both sides have reached a consensus on a "comprehensive reset" of economic and trade relations. On the same day, Trump also announced a "comprehensive immediate" ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. Additionally, Russian President Putin expressed his willingness to hold talks with Ukraine in Turkey "unconditionally."Analysts pointed out that the easing of geopolitical tensions and the closure of traditional financial markets have driven funds into the cryptocurrency market.

ChainCatcher news, on-chain detective ZachXBT tweeted that the police mistakenly detained former Yuga Labs security researcher Sam Curry in the 2022 Bored Ape NFT theft case (involving 14 NFTs worth over $1 million). ZachXBT identified the real suspect's wallet and its associated X accounts (now deleted) by tracking the flow of funds (including the Tornado Cash mixer).He pointed out that the police incorrectly used Curry's IP address (which appeared in the OpenSea logs due to his investigative work) as evidence, while Curry actually discovered the private key left by the attacker during his investigation of the theft.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, Federal Reserve's Williams stated that the current monetary policy is moderately restrictive.

ChainCatcher news, the modular new public chain Meta Earth participated as a platinum sponsor at TOKEN2049 held in Dubai from April 30 to May 1, and hosted the official launch event for ME Network 2.0 on the evening of May 1. Attendees included over 30 leading global blockchain media outlets such as Coindesk and Cointelegraph, and more than 300 globally renowned KOLs participated in the event.According to the ME Network 2.0 launch event, the public beta test for ME Network 1.0 has concluded, with 1 million users participating in the event and completing on-chain real identity declarations. The nodes cover over 40 countries and regions, and the global navigator scale exceeds 100 people. After the network officially upgrades to ME Network 2.0, it will achieve a modular architecture, supporting both CosWasm and EVM, and will gradually open the developer community in the second half of 2025.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jin Shi reports, "Fed mouthpiece" Nick Timiraos stated that Powell downplayed any speculation about the Fed seeking to ease economic weakness caused by Trump's tariffs through interest rate cuts. Powell mentioned the word "wait" 22 times during the press conference to emphasize that the Fed is not in a hurry to act. This statement reveals the monetary policy divergence between the U.S. and other economies caused by Trump's trade policy, for the simple reason that other economies have not significantly raised tariffs on imported goods. The issues they face are soft demand and employment, but without the inflationary pressures that the Fed may have to deal with later this year.Moreover, since the U.S. economy has just gone through a period of high inflation, the Fed believes it cannot risk preemptively cutting interest rates to support slowing employment, lest it exacerbates price pressures in the short term. As a result, the Fed's stance differs from that of the European, Canadian, and British central banks. Powell hinted that the Fed would only cut rates if there is evidence of a significant slowdown in economic growth, and it could be a rapid rate cut.

ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, SignatureFD analyst Tony Welch stated that the decline in U.S. Treasury yields after the Federal Reserve meeting may indicate that investors are concerned that tightening monetary policy will impact the economy. The economy is currently slowing down, and implementing tighter monetary policy over a longer period will certainly be a disadvantage. Trump's tariffs are influencing the Fed's thinking, as the FOMC's statement mentioned "trade" right from the start. Powell will use the word "uncertainty" multiple times during the press conference.