commission

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has listed Star Bridge Capital, Star Bridge Capital Group, SBCFX, Star Bridge Capital Group, Star Bridge Capital Pty Limited, and Topical Wealth International Ltd as unlicensed companies, prohibiting them from engaging in any regulated activities in Hong Kong or actively promoting their services to the public in Hong Kong (whether within or outside Hong Kong).Previously, it was reported that Star Bridge Capital experienced an abnormal liquidation incident in London gold trading, and after the incident, the Hong Kong office of the platform was empty. Due to some funds being deposited through USDT stablecoin, tracking the funds has become more difficult. The Hong Kong police have accepted the case and temporarily classified it as fraud, but no arrests have been made yet.

On August 24, according to Caixin, the National Development and Reform Commission released the "Measures for the Administration of Foreign Investment (Revised Draft for Public Comment)" and is publicly soliciting opinions from society, from August 21 to September 20, 2026. The "Draft for Comments" expands the definition of investors from enterprises to domestic enterprises, other organizations, and individual residents, and clarifies that reinvestment by investors abroad also falls under foreign investment.In the section on foreign investment regulation, regarding the classification and regulatory division of foreign investment, the procedures for approval and filing, and other matters, investors must obtain foreign investment approval documents or filing notices before implementing foreign investments. For individual residents newly included as investors, the approval authority is the National Development and Reform Commission, and the filing authority is the provincial development and reform department of their registered residence or habitual residence.

The cryptocurrency wallet project SafePal has released updates on the security incident, stating that it is continuously tracking phishing websites and impersonation accounts, and plans to introduce a professional anti-phishing security company to expedite the removal of malicious information to protect user asset security. SafePal mentioned that it is currently in the final selection process among four professional anti-phishing security companies, and once a partner is selected, it will further enhance the efficiency of handling threats such as counterfeit websites and scam accounts.The team is also continuously monitoring whether the affected data has been sold or made public, including channels such as dark web forums and trading markets. Once signs of data leakage are detected, affected users will receive risk alerts immediately. Regarding security audits, SafePal stated that it is in the final selection among three mature independent security institutions, which will conduct a comprehensive security review of the order system. Meanwhile, the team is reassessing the order and logistics processes to reduce the amount of data that needs to be stored in the initial phase of the system, thereby reducing potential risks from the source.For affected users, SafePal stated that it will continue to provide one-on-one assistance through official support channels and will keep updating the fraud protection page, providing updates on the incident, FAQs, and analysis of fraud cases. SafePal once again reminds users: the official will never ask users to provide their seed phrase. Users should not disclose their seed phrase to anyone, should not scan unknown QR codes or click on suspicious links, and should verify the source of information through official channels.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has announced that "Diamond Coin/Diamond Fund" has been listed as a suspicious investment product related to digital tokens. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission stated that the product involves a digital token called Diamond Coin, which claims to represent certain rights in a fund that invests in ancient artworks and historical artifacts, named "Diamond Fund," with a target annual return rate of over 30%.Previous promotional activities held in Hong Kong advertised to investors, and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission reminds investors to be wary of any social media accounts or posts related to this product.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has published multiple websites impersonating the licensed virtual asset trading platform Hash Blockchain Limited on its official website. It is reported that the relevant websites have been reported by Hash Blockchain Limited as fraudulent sites. At the same time, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission clarified that the relevant websites have no connection with the virtual asset trading platforms licensed by the Commission.

Starting from August 10, hotel orders placed through the Doubao entrance that redirect to Douyin Laike will begin to execute independent rates, with a software service fee of 11.4%, a payment processing fee of 0.6%, and a comprehensive rate of approximately 12%. This policy is implemented based on the "2026 Douyin Life Service Platform Specific Channel Software Service Fee Policy Explanation" released by the Douyin Life Service Learning Center on July 27, and is effective from August 10, 2026.According to industry insiders, the relevant notification has been communicated to merchants through the Douyin Laike backend. The software service fee is based on the "actual amount paid by the user plus platform general coupons and other subsidies." Specific channels include Doubao, and the specific rates are implemented based on differentiated standards according to merchant type, product category, and transaction channel. Whether an order belongs to a specific channel is subject to the display on the settlement statement.

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) will conduct on-site inspections and off-site reviews of authorized crypto asset service providers from the second half of 2026 to the first half of 2027, with a focus on institutions providing digital asset custody services.This action is part of the 2026 joint supervisory action coordinated by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), which aims to assess areas such as institutional governance and control frameworks, key and storage management, private key security, wallet storage, and access controls.The review will also cover trading controls, monitoring and incident response, smart contract security, and third-party risk management. CySEC stated that the relevant standards are mandatory, and the institutions' compliance readiness will be used as a selection criterion for subsequent inspections.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has announced that Polar Tensor has been included in the list of suspicious virtual asset trading platforms, and 17 related websites have been listed.The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission reminds that Polar Tensor and its website are not licensed by the Commission to conduct regulated activities in Hong Kong.

According to CoinDesk, Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association and former commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), published an article responding to the Wall Street Journal's editorial on August 4, accusing it of a fundamental misreading of the Clarity Act.Mersinger stated that the bill explicitly prohibits stablecoin rewards that are equivalent to bank deposit interest but allows for rewards similar to credit card points and user behavior-based incentive mechanisms. From the perspective of DeFi regulation, Section 10301 of the bill requires the SEC to establish regulatory rules for protocols that are "nominally decentralized and substantially controllable," which does not equate to regulatory exemption; Section 10201 includes digital commodity brokers under all reporting obligations of the Bank Secrecy Act and allocates $3 billion for state-level enforcement, contrary to the Wall Street Journal's accusations of insufficient regulation of illegal finance.Addressing concerns about the "shadow market" for tokenized securities, Mersinger emphasized that Section 10505 of the bill clearly states that securities remain subject to SEC oversight even after settlement on the blockchain. She believes that the Wall Street Journal is essentially defending the monopoly position of traditional financial institutions, which conflicts with the free market principles that the paper has consistently advocated.

According to Bitcoin Archive, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce stated that she remains optimistic about the U.S. Congress passing the CLARITY Act and mentioned that there is still much that can be done even if the bill does not pass.Hester Peirce pointed out that the SEC will continue to advance relevant work, and regardless of whether the bill passes, the SEC will strive to push forward; even if the CLARITY Act fails to materialize, regulators still have significant room to promote the construction of a digital asset regulatory framework.Hester Peirce has previously called for clearer regulatory rules for crypto assets, believing that a clear market structure helps the U.S. maintain competitiveness in the digital asset space and reduces the long-term uncertainty faced by the industry.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has announced that BiFinance has been listed as a suspicious virtual asset trading platform. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission stated that the company claims to be licensed in Hong Kong and asserts that it offers digital asset trading services such as spot, futures, and wealth management on its website, as well as other services related to digital assets. However, the company is not licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission and is suspected of conducting unlicensed activities.

According to Jinshi, the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission jointly announced new measures to deepen practical cooperation and closely coordinate development between the two markets, covering various areas such as listing financing, index cooperation, futures products, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), internationalization of financial institutions, green finance, and facilitation of professional qualifications.

Jiang Yi, Director of the Policy Research Office of the National Development and Reform Commission, stated at a press conference on July 31 that in the first half of the year, China's pace of independent innovation in artificial intelligence has accelerated. Domestic companies such as Deep Exploration and Dark Side of the Moon have successively released open-source large models with parameter scales reaching "trillion" levels, and the global download volume of domestic large models has surpassed 10 billion times. The next step will focus on strengthening research and development in cutting-edge areas such as the basic theory of large models, training and inference efficiency, multimodality, and intelligent agents, and accelerating the layout and construction of national artificial intelligence application pilot bases, while vigorously cultivating intelligent derivative enterprises.Jiang Yi pointed out that there will be a coordinated approach to high-quality development and high-level security, accelerating the legislative process of the "Artificial Intelligence Law", constructing a "development---regulation---security" closed-loop system, establishing and improving technical monitoring, risk warning, and emergency response mechanisms, and adhering to the development concept of "human-led, for human use, and benevolent to humanity," actively responding to the impact of artificial intelligence on economic operation and employment distribution.

According to Jinshi reports, the White House and President Trump's peace committee believe that Hamas may sign an agreement in the coming days to gradually disarm and achieve the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

According to South Korean media Daum, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of South Korea has announced that it has completed the draft of the "Digital Asset Framework Bill." Currently, only a few matters remain to be coordinated, and as the agenda for the second half of the year is determined by the South Korean National Assembly, efforts will be made to expedite the legislative process.It is reported that South Korea is considering including legal provisions related to AI Agent payments in the "Digital Asset Framework Bill" to address the trend of AI becoming a subject of small and high-frequency payments in the future. It is suggested to provide legal authorization for regulatory frameworks, including establishing customer identity verification (KYC) for AI Agent payments, defining payment responsibilities, foreign exchange declaration for cross-border transactions, and programmable payment standards.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued a restriction notice to Futu Securities International (Hong Kong) Limited, prohibiting it from handling or disposing of assets in customer accounts held by a certain entity, limited to HKD 125,247,000. This entity is suspected of participating in a fraudulent scheme aimed at creating a false or misleading appearance of demand for initial public offering shares. Futu is not the subject of the SFC's investigation, and this restriction notice will not affect Futu or its other clients.According to the notice, Futu must not dispose of or handle the relevant account assets in any way without the SFC's written consent, and must immediately notify the SFC if it receives any instructions related to the restricted assets. The SFC believes that issuing this restriction notice is in the interest of investors and the public. The investigation is still ongoing.

The cryptocurrency card project Tria announced the distribution of over $600,000 in rewards to ambassadors who promoted platform growth during Season One and Season Two, including a $250,000 ambassador bonus pool (distributed based on commission performance grading from Season One, with up to 50% additional rewards) and over $350,000 in card consumption commissions (covering card consumption and membership purchase shares for referred users from January 31 to June 30).The ambassador bonus will be available for claims on July 31, and card consumption commissions will be credited in the coming weeks, with regular distributions on the last Tuesday of each month thereafter. Tria stated that more incentive programs will be opened in Season Three, and the ambassador program continues to recruit.

According to Edaily, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) of South Korea plans to jointly draft a unified government bill for the "Basic Law on Digital Assets" with the ruling Democratic Party, covering the issuance and circulation of stablecoins, business rules for digital assets, exchange admission requirements, information disclosure, internal control, and system resilience standards. Currently, there are 10 related bills pending review in the National Assembly, but there has not yet been consensus on core disputes such as whether the issuers of won-pegged stablecoins must be bank holding companies and whether to impose shareholding restrictions on major exchanges. The FSC has not yet determined the submission date for the bill.Meanwhile, the opposition party's People Power Party lawmaker Song Yeon-sik submitted a proposal to abolish the cryptocurrency income tax amendment to the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Planning Committee for review on Wednesday. Additionally, a tax abolition petition supported by over 50,000 people is also expected to be submitted to the petition subcommittee. According to the current plan, starting from January 1, 2027, cryptocurrency transfers or lending income exceeding 2.5 million won per year will face a 20% income tax plus a 2% local tax. The government and the ruling party support the timely implementation, while the opposition party believes it is unfair to tax cryptocurrencies when most ordinary stock investors remain tax-exempt.

According to INBi, consultant François Garcin, who assisted in building MARA's business in France, filed a lawsuit against MARA Holdings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on July 22, seeking over 11 million euros in compensation.Garcin claims that after MARA terminated the contract on March 6, 2026, it failed to pay 2.4 million euros in consulting fees and approximately 5.92 million euros in success commissions (based on 4% of the 148 million euro investment in Exaion). Exaion is a subsidiary of EDF, and this investment accounts for 64% of the capital for the relevant project.Garcin's previous tasks included recruiting former Engie CEO Gérard Mestrallet, obtaining an invitation to the Choose France summit, and arranging a meeting with former President François Hollande, among others.