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Terry Duffy, the CEO of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group, expressed great concern about the recently approved perpetual contracts by U.S. regulators. Terry Duffy stated that perpetual contracts have almost no practical use for institutional investors, yet expose retail investors to excessive risk. He completely disagreed with the CFTC's decision to approve the first batch of crypto perpetual contracts after a rapid review and mentioned that he had called the CFTC chairman to express his concerns.Terry Duffy warned that perpetual contracts and prediction markets are triggering a speculative frenzy among retail investors, which could lead to an impending disaster. The first batch of perpetual contracts approved by the CFTC is listed by Kalshi, and several U.S. exchanges are also discussing launching their own perpetual contracts.

According to BBX data, yesterday the intertwining news of traditional finance's entry into cryptocurrency and corporate reserve exits presented the following core dynamics:SoFi Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: $SOFI) announced through a BusinessWire official press release that its SoFiUSD stablecoin has officially opened to approximately 14.7 million members within the SoFi app, supporting buying, selling, holding, and conversion, becoming the first national bank in U.S. history to embed its own stablecoin within a banking app (the issuer is SoFi Bank, N.A., regulated by the OCC). SoFiUSD (on-chain code SOFID) is pegged 1:1 to the U.S. dollar and can be used on the Ethereum and Solana networks, with reserves backed by liquid assets and subject to regular independent CPA audits; in the coming weeks, tokenized deposits and 24/7 cross-border transfer functions will be launched, and an institutional trading channel will be opened in collaboration with Bullish exchange. SoFi CEO Anthony Noto stated, "Users no longer have to choose between blockchain technology and regulated bank products." The company's Q1 2026 crypto trading revenue reached $121.6 million, with a net income of approximately $852,000 after costs; SoFiUSD is not insured by FDIC or SIPC, does not constitute legal tender, and on-chain transactions are generally irreversible.Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: $COIN) and the prediction market platform Kalshi announced that the two platforms have received approval from the CFTC to launch cryptocurrency perpetual contract products for U.S. customers, becoming the first exchanges approved to offer such products within the U.S.; this move by the CFTC officially brings perpetual contracts from a regulatory gray area into the federal derivatives legal framework, and a policy statement was released simultaneously, indicating that future applications for perpetual contracts in other asset classes will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. In 2025, the global trading volume of cryptocurrency perpetual contracts reached $61.7 trillion (up 29% year-on-year, according to CryptoQuant data), and the U.S. previously lacked regulated domestic trading venues. This approval is expected to drive a significant amount of institutional and retail funds back from offshore platforms to compliant channels in the U.S., with several other exchanges expected to follow suit with applications.Sequans Communications S.A. (NASDAQ: $SQNS) CEO Georges Karam clearly announced during the recent Q1 2026 earnings call that the company has completely terminated its previously initiated Bitcoin treasury reserve strategy. The company began its cryptocurrency layout in June 2025, raising approximately $384 million through debt and equity financing, and quickly accumulated 3,000 BTC by the end of July 2025; however, the crypto market crash in October 2025 triggered the company to deleverage, selling 970 BTC in November 2025 and another 1,025 BTC in Q1 2026; as of now, it holds approximately 658 BTC (completely debt-free, worth about $46.8 million), and the company stated it will gradually liquidate over time, with all funds returning to its core chip business. Sequans is an IoT/5G semiconductor company, and this case is one of the most significant "failed corporate Bitcoin reserve strategy cases" in 2026.

According to official news, Laser Digital has obtained preliminary conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish Laser Digital National Trust Bank. This entity will serve as a federally regulated trust institution, providing services to institutional clients.Once officially licensed, its business scope will include foreign exchange and stablecoin intermediation, cross-margin collateral management for digital and traditional assets, as well as multi-asset trust custody for tokenized and traditional assets.

Hyperliquid's lobbying organization, Hyperliquid Policy Center, issued a statement welcoming the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)'s latest regulatory initiatives, including the approval of the first listed perpetual contract in the U.S., the release of a policy statement on the listing of perpetual derivatives, related interpretive guidance, and a no-action relief letter, as well as staff consultation documents regarding 24/7 trading, clearing, and settlement.The Hyperliquid Policy Center stated that these initiatives represent the first time in a long while that regulators have explicitly acknowledged the legitimacy and importance of perpetual contracts in price discovery and risk management. It pointed out that past regulatory uncertainty has led to related markets and liquidity flowing overseas, weakening the U.S.'s competitiveness in the global derivatives market.The Hyperliquid Policy Center also expressed its eagerness to work closely with the CFTC to promote the establishment of a regulatory framework that applies not only to centralized intermediaries but also to on-chain protocols. Currently, most perpetual contract trading activities actually occur in on-chain markets.

France's top market regulator warns cryptocurrency companies that if they do not obtain an EU operating license by the end of June, they may be blacklisted and prosecuted.According to the EU cryptocurrency regulation (MiCA), cryptocurrency companies must obtain a license by June 30 to continue operating in the EU. European regulators have previously warned that unlicensed companies need to develop an "orderly exit plan."

The approval voting rate for the preliminary agreement on wages and collective bargaining for 2026 by the largest union of Samsung Group has sharply increased. As a result, expectations for the approval of the agreement are rising. However, due to the significant bonus gap between the semiconductor sector and the equipment experience sector, as well as between the memory and non-memory sectors, discussions about fairness are expected to continue.According to the union, as of 8:29 AM local time on the 25th (7:29 AM Beijing time), out of 57,291 eligible voters, 49,363 have voted on the approval of the preliminary agreement on wages and collective bargaining, resulting in a voting rate of 86.16%. This vote is the final step in determining whether to accept the preliminary agreement reached by both labor and management regarding wages and collective bargaining. The core of the agreement is to allocate 10.5% of the operating performance of the DS department as a special management performance bonus fund, to be paid in the form of treasury stock.Industry insiders believe that members of the DS department, who account for about 80% of all union members, are likely to push the agreement through. As long as a majority of eligible voters participate and a majority of those who vote are in favor, the vote will be finalized. Voting will end at 10 AM on the 27th.

According to Bloomberg, citing informed sources, Polymarket has appointed representatives in Japan and is preparing to lobby relevant departments for the legalization of prediction markets in the country.The sources stated that they requested anonymity because the related plans have not yet been made public. Polymarket aims to obtain approval from the Japanese government before 2030. The sources said that Polymarket believes Japan is a market opportunity that has not yet been fully developed and has great potential.

According to Businesswire, Kraken's parent company Payward announced that it has received preliminary approval for brokerage, investment, and management licenses granted by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) in Dubai, UAE, to expand its cryptocurrency business in the UAE.Payward expects to offer spot, margin, and OTC trading, staking services, and Kraken Prime services for institutional clients through locally regulated entities, as well as support for peer-to-peer cryptocurrency asset transfer functionality.

The digital asset financial services platform BIT announced that its subsidiary Matrixport Technologies Ltd has been approved by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI FSC) to obtain a Class 2 investment business license (arranging investment transactions) under the Securities and Investment Business Act (SIBA), and has completed VASP registration under the Virtual Asset Service Providers Act (VASP Act).According to the scope of approval, Matrixport Technologies Ltd can conduct regulated investment business activities involving arranging investment transactions in accordance with BVI SIBA, supporting institutional and professional market operations and other financial services activities within the scope of the license; at the same time, it can conduct regulated virtual asset business under the BVI VASP framework.BIT stated that this approval comes after nearly three years of regulatory communication and preparation, marking an important milestone in the company's process of building a globally compliant digital asset platform.

According to Crowdfund Insider, digital bank Revolut announced that its trading division, Revolut Trading Ltd, has received an extension of permissions approved by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to launch more comprehensive investment and wealth management services in the UK market.Under the newly approved Variation of Permissions (VoP) license, Revolut can now manage investment portfolios for clients and participate in certain transactions as a principal. This means that the platform will be able to offer leveraged investment products, professionally managed portfolios, and customized wealth management services for high-net-worth users in the future, all of which will be integrated into its mobile application, alongside everyday banking and payment tools.It is reported that Revolut plans to further introduce AI-driven portfolio recommendation tools, continuing its transformation into a "one-stop financial platform." Earlier this year, Revolut officially obtained a full banking license in the UK. Analysts believe that the FCA's approval indicates an increase in its maturity as a regulated financial institution, while also reflecting that fintech companies are accelerating their competition with traditional banks and wealth management institutions.

According to BBX data, last week the earnings season for cryptocurrency concept stocks reached its conclusion, while institutional-level derivatives product lines expanded simultaneously. The core dynamics are as follows:CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ: $CME) reported by CoinDesk on May 7 plans to officially launch Bitcoin volatility futures (BVOL) on June 1, 2026, pending regulatory approval; the underlying asset for this product is the Bitcoin implied volatility index, allowing institutional investors to take long or short positions based solely on the magnitude of volatility without needing to predict the direction of BTC price movements, filling the gap for "pure volatility tools" in the existing Bitcoin derivatives market. For corporate treasury managers (such as Strategy-type companies) and cryptocurrency options market makers who need to hedge Bitcoin position volatility exposure, BVOL provides the most direct standardized hedging tool to date.Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE: $CRCL) will release its Q1 2026 earnings report today (May 11) at 8:00 AM (ET) via an official live stream; the current analyst consensus expects revenue of approximately $715 million (Zacks data $717.1 million, S&P Global data $714.9 million, year-on-year approximately +11%, quarter-on-quarter approximately -7%), adjusted EPS of about $0.15---$0.27; last quarter (Q4 2025) reserve interest income was $733 million (year-on-year +69%), with an average market cap of USDC around $76.2 billion; as of May 6, the circulating supply of USDC was approximately $78.1 billion, and the integration of stablecoin infrastructure with Meta and Visa, along with the policy expectations from the CLARITY Act markup in May, are the most closely watched valuation catalysts this season.

According to CCTV reports, on May 5 local time, U.S. Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth stated that given the current administration's determination that the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is still in effect, President Trump does not need to seek congressional approval to continue military actions.Hegseth insisted that if Trump orders the resumption of military strikes, discussions on related matters will naturally take place at that time.

According to Crowdfund Insider, Swiss financial market infrastructure provider SIX has obtained approval from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to directly integrate its digital central securities depository (CSD, formerly operated by SIX Digital Exchange AG) into the existing SIX SIS AG division. At the same time, FINMA has authorized SIX to provide cryptocurrency custody services through the merged central securities depository.Previously, SIX maintained separate infrastructures for traditional markets and blockchain-based assets for many years. This integration eliminates that boundary, creating a single platform to support end-to-end post-trade operations across asset classes. Financial institutions can manage cryptocurrency custody using the same security framework as traditional instruments like stocks and bonds under the FINMA regulatory framework.Rafael Moral Santiago, Head of Securities Services and Executive Committee Member at SIX, stated that the goal is to provide financial institutions with a single secure entry point into digital assets, combining innovation with the stability of existing systems. This initiative is part of SIX's long-term plan to build a comprehensive post-trade solution across Europe by 2030.SIX is headquartered in Switzerland and is owned by approximately 120 financial institutions, with operations covering exchanges, post-trade services, financial information, and payment infrastructure.

According to official news, the asset tokenization platform Securitize has announced that it has received approval from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to expand its brokerage proprietary business through its subsidiary Securitize Market. This allows it to conduct tokenized securities custody business within the framework of traditional brokerages, enabling on-chain atomic swaps and clearing settlements between tokenized securities and stablecoins, as well as participating in the primary and secondary issuance underwriting and sales of tokenized securities.

The largest regulated electronic currency token issuer in the EU, Circle, announced that it has obtained approval from the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) on April 20, 2026, to provide crypto asset services under the framework of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).This approval allows Circle France to provide custody and transfer services for its issued stablecoins USDC and EURC in accordance with Article 60(4) of MiCA. This move enables Circle France to offer these services to customers in the European Economic Area (EEA).Dante Disparte, Circle's Chief Strategy Officer and Global Head of Policy and Operations, stated, "This milestone reflects our ongoing commitment to operate within the European regulatory framework and support the establishment of a trusted digital financial infrastructure in France and across the EU." This move marks another significant step in Circle's ongoing commitment to regulatory compliance and building a trusted digital financial infrastructure in Europe.

According to Bloomberg, Polymarket seeks CFTC approval to bring its main trading platform to the United States.

According to the Robinhood blog, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has granted Robinhood Singapore Pte. Ltd. a principle approval (IPA) to provide securities brokerage services, paving the way for its launch of comprehensive brokerage services in Singapore, including securities, exchange-traded derivatives, custody, financing, and collective investment products.Singapore will serve as Robinhood's Asia-Pacific headquarters, complementing the MAS Major Payment Institution (MPI) license already held by its subsidiary Bitstamp Asia Pte. Ltd., strengthening its presence in the Asia-Pacific region. MAS emphasized that the IPA is not equivalent to a formal license, and Robinhood must still meet specific conditions, with the regulatory authority retaining the power to revoke the IPA.

According to the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, the Vice President of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Chen Weimin, stated that the choice of which currency to issue for stablecoins primarily depends on the applicant's own decision. The issuance of a Hong Kong dollar stablecoin is the first step, and in the future, other currencies including the renminbi can be issued, which is permitted under Hong Kong's system, but the applicant also needs to obtain approval from mainland regulatory authorities.Regarding when the second batch of stablecoin issuer licenses will be issued, Chen Weimin indicated that there is currently no relevant timetable, but they have been in communication with applicants interested in applying for the license. It is reported that HSBC's stablecoin will be integrated into the PayMe and HSBC HK App applications and will support real-time transfers between individuals, as well as person-to-merchant (P2M) services.

According to a report by Reuters, Kraken has become the first cryptocurrency exchange approved for a master account with the Federal Reserve, but the account is restricted, only allowing its banking operations to access the Fedwire payment system and maintain a limited balance, without the ability to earn interest or obtain emergency loans. This move has raised concerns about risks and transparency in the U.S. financial system, including a call from Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, for more disclosure on account details.Regulatory experts point out that lightly regulated crypto companies having direct access to the Federal Reserve payment system may pose operational and financial stability risks. The Federal Reserve stated that the related restrictions are intended to mitigate liquidity shocks and credit risks, but the banking industry warns that this could affect liquidity in the banking system and exacerbate money laundering and operational loopholes. Kraken stated that its banking reserves are fully supported and comply with bank-level anti-money laundering and customer identification requirements.

Kraken becomes the first cryptocurrency exchange approved for a main account by the Federal Reserve, but the account is restricted, only allowing its banking operations to access the Fedwire payment system and maintain a limited balance, without the ability to earn interest or obtain emergency loans. This move has raised concerns about risks and transparency in the U.S. financial system, including calls from House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters for more disclosure on account details.Regulatory experts point out that lightly regulated crypto companies having direct access to the Federal Reserve payment system could pose operational and financial stability risks. The Federal Reserve stated that the related restrictions are intended to mitigate liquidity shocks and credit risks, but the banking industry warns that this could affect liquidity in the banking system and exacerbate money laundering and operational loopholes. Kraken stated that its banking reserves are fully supported and comply with bank-level anti-money laundering and customer identification requirements.