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The People's Bank of China Shenzhen Branch, Shenzhen Securities Regulatory Bureau, Municipal Internet Information Office, and Municipal Local Financial Supervision Administration continue to carry out special rectifications, urging local website platforms to strictly implement their main responsibilities and legally handle a number of illegal self-media accounts.Some typical cases include: "USDT Merchant Group Chat," "Gather Together to Play Virtual Currency," "Search for Bitcoin," "WeChat Quick Exchange," "Zhongchain Laojiu," "Medicine Breaks a Good Sleep," "Little Goldfish 9884," "User 0767527971," and other accounts that illegally provided marketing and promotional information related to virtual currency business activities within the country, enticing the public to participate in illegal financial activities related to virtual currency. According to the relevant policy provisions such as the "Notice on Further Preventing and Handling Risks Related to Virtual Currency," the aforementioned accounts have been permanently closed and dealt with by the platform in accordance with the law and agreements.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) stated in a report released on Tuesday that if identifiable individuals retain "control or sufficient influence" in DeFi arrangements, its rules apply, regardless of how decentralized the project claims to be.FATF noted that many DeFi projects still frequently exhibit centralized elements in practice, including the concentration of governance tokens, management authority, upgrade control, and fees and rewards flowing to insiders. The report categorizes DeFi into three types: those with identifiable controllers, those that are actually centralized but where operators are hidden, and those that are truly leaderless, with only the last category not subject to its standards.The report stated that nearly 93% of jurisdictions responding to the survey have not applied the relevant standards to any qualifying DeFi arrangements, with only 26 out of 142 jurisdictions having assessed risks, 4 having established licensing rules, and only 2 having registered or licensed relevant platforms. FATF requires countries to mandate or encourage DeFi projects to embed anti-money laundering controls into smart contracts or interfaces; for platforms that refuse to cooperate, jurisdictions may prohibit them from operating locally as a last resort. The report also stated that the total value locked in DeFi reached $86.6 billion this year, an increase of approximately 85% compared to 2023.

According to Dawn, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has established a virtual currency investigation department within the newly launched National Command and Control Center (NC3), focusing on combating money laundering and terrorist financing using virtual assets.Officials responsible for the counter-terrorism department stated that this department will work in conjunction with the newly established Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) to specifically investigate criminal activities related to crypto assets, and recommend that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) set up similar units to address the use of crypto assets in cybercrime and drug trafficking.The FIA has also integrated functions such as anti-money laundering, border entry and exit monitoring, human trafficking, and smuggling investigations within the NC3, and is promoting new regulations and personnel expansion to shorten case processing times and enhance law enforcement coordination efficiency.

Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed an executive order to coordinate the regulation of virtual assets, strengthen cooperation among the country's financial, tax, and capital market institutions, and address the fragmentation of digital asset regulation. The executive order establishes a virtual asset committee composed of heads of Nigeria's main financial regulatory agencies, responsible for guiding relevant policies. The Nigerian tax authorities will update digital asset policies and provide more details on their impact on taxpayers.The President's Special Adviser Bayo Onanuga stated that the executive order does not establish new regulatory bodies nor transfer power between institutions; each agency retains its statutory responsibilities and independence, and registration requirements will be determined based on the nature of the activities and the assets involved. A report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in June indicated that since 2019, Nigeria has accounted for about 60% of the stablecoin inflows to sub-Saharan Africa; from July 2023 to June 2024, the country's cryptocurrency inflows are estimated to be around $59 billion.

According to the latest report released by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), FATF conducted the seventh special assessment of the implementation of Recommendation 15 (R.15) across global jurisdictions. The report indicates that since the last update in 2025, countries have continued to advance in the regulation of virtual assets (VA) and virtual asset service providers (VASP), including conducting risk assessments, improving licensing and registration frameworks, implementing travel rules, and strengthening law enforcement actions.However, the report also points out that significant gaps still exist, mainly reflected in: the difficulty in effectively translating risk assessment results into mitigation measures, insufficient implementation of licensing and registration frameworks, challenges in identifying VASP activity subjects, and inadequate effectiveness of risk-based supervision and law enforcement. In terms of emerging risks, the report focuses on the following areas: the exacerbation of the "industrialization" trend of organized crime groups using virtual assets to commit fraud, the rising risk of stablecoin abuse, risks associated with non-custodial wallet peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions, offshore VASPs operating outside of regulation, and ongoing challenges in the DeFi sector. FATF calls for the public and private sectors to jointly strengthen the implementation of R.15, enhance risk mitigation capabilities, and deepen domestic, international, and public-private cooperation mechanisms.

According to Digital Asset, officials from the Korean National Tax Service have proposed legislative suggestions, believing it is necessary to amend the Criminal Procedure Act to allow for the seizure of virtual assets held by individuals. Individual ownership of digital assets refers to the situation where the private key is directly held by the individual, without the need to entrust a third party for custody or disposal.In June of this year, four individuals, including Zhang Xiyuan, the head of the National Tax Service investigation team, published a paper titled "Limitations and Legislative Review of Self-Protecting Virtual Asset Seizure Execution" in the journal "Criminal Policy Research" of the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice. The paper explains that separate regulations must be established for the requirements and procedures for transferring to a public wallet or obtaining control. The paper first points out that when a suspect or owner holds access means such as a private key, the search warrant must clearly specify the following: the type and quantity of digital assets to be seized; verified addresses; addresses to be transferred; methods of transfer; and storage methods after the transfer. Furthermore, due to the risks of theft associated with transferring assets to wallets managed by a single entity, the paper proposes a method for transferring to a joint address managed by both the court and investigative agencies.

According to South Korean media KBS, the Financial Services Commission of South Korea has announced the results of virtual asset market regulation. Since the implementation of the "Virtual Asset User Protection Act" two years ago, approximately 40 investigations into unfair virtual asset trading have been completed, and more than 30 cases have been reported or notified to judicial authorities, focusing on cracking down on market disorder behaviors such as short-term manipulation and "pump and dump."In the future, the ability to monitor the market will be further strengthened, and an AI-based virtual asset regulatory system will be established, including real-time market monitoring, second-level price manipulation analysis, and automatic identification of suspicious accounts and trading intervals.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has signed an executive order on virtual assets aimed at regulating virtual assets and combating unregistered operators. The measure has taken effect immediately and will establish a new supervisory framework to coordinate the fragmented regulatory environment.The newly established Virtual Assets Committee will serve as the main policy-making and coordinating body, chaired by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission (NSEC) as vice-chairs. An Office of Virtual Assets will be set up within the CBN to handle daily inter-agency operations and information sharing. Securities-related financial activities will be managed by the NSEC, while payment, settlement, and custody services for non-securities virtual assets will be managed by the CBN.The CBN plans to launch a regulatory sandbox that allows qualified operators to test virtual asset products and blockchain solutions in a monitored environment. The Virtual Assets Committee is required to develop an implementation framework for the executive order within 30 days.

According to official data, in just over a week since its launch, the trading volume of Agents on the Robinhood Chain has exceeded $100 million, with over 2,440 Agents launched, raising $1.8 million for developers from well-known companies such as Google and General Dynamics.Previously, it was reported that the Robinhood Chain integrated the AI Agent infrastructure of Virtuals from day one, allowing users to launch, fund, own, and use Agents in the tokenized market. Currently, Virtuals has become an important AI Agent infrastructure on the Robinhood Chain.

According to a report by the Procuratorial Daily, researchers from the People's Procuratorate of Yuhu District, Xiangtan City, Hunan Province, and the Law School of Xiangtan University have jointly written an article proposing a systematic response plan to the regulatory dilemmas of money laundering crimes using virtual currency. The article points out that current judicial practice faces three major dilemmas: first, Article 191 of the Criminal Law limits money laundering crimes to seven types of upstream crimes, resulting in many cases being treated as "concealment crimes"; second, methods such as mixers, privacy coins, and cross-chain transfers lead to fragmented evidence chains, making traditional investigative methods difficult to penetrate; third, conflicts in the legal attributes of virtual currency, a vacuum in procedural rules, and barriers to cross-border cooperation make it difficult to recover assets.In response, the article suggests promoting "dual investigations for one case," establishing the principle of self-authentication of blockchain data, constructing a tiered standard of proof, and establishing a national-level custody and disposal platform for involved virtual currencies, while actively promoting the signing of special agreements for international criminal justice assistance in virtual currency crimes.

The Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Limited (Hong Kong Clearing) announced that it has recently discovered multiple counterfeit websites that lure users into submitting personal information such as ID card numbers, ID card photos, and phone numbers under the guise of "Buyer Online Security Assurance" for so-called "real-name authentication," and use cash rewards as an incentive, allowing users to recharge and withdraw funds through virtual wallets.The Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Limited urges the public to be cautious of suspicious calls, websites, or other communications, and to report to the police as soon as possible if they suspect they have been scammed.

According to a report by Sing Tao Daily, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association stated that after a meeting with representatives from the regulatory authorities, including Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Chen Haolian and Executive Director of the Securities and Futures Commission's Intermediaries Division Ye Zhiheng, the Securities and Futures Commission has committed to advancing measures such as the separation of the "Virtual Asset Platform Practitioners Examination" (CVAP) exam and curriculum, optimizing review materials, and reducing assessment fees.The association will follow up on the relevant timeline and continue to communicate with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Securities and Futures Commission on practical issues such as self-custody operation guidelines for private equity funds, the boundaries of technology services and regulated activities, and the VA Payment regulatory framework.

According to Digital Asset, the South Korean Supreme Court announced on July 2 the legislative preview of the "Partial Amendment to the Civil Execution Rules," establishing regulations for the civil enforcement of virtual assets, which will take effect on October 1 after gathering opinions. The amendments cover the enforcement and liquidation of the right to request the transfer of digital assets, as well as the enforcement and liquidation of the digital assets themselves.After the court's seizure order takes effect, third-party debtors are prohibited from transferring assets to the debtor, and the debtor is also prohibited from disposing of relevant rights. Seizing creditors can apply to the court to require third-party debtors to state whether they acknowledge the claim and its specific content. Seized assets can be liquidated through transfer orders or sale orders, with sales conducted through entrusting virtual asset businesses, selling after transferring to the executor's account, or exchanging for more liquid digital assets before selling. For digital assets with insufficient liquidity, they can be converted into other digital assets for liquidation. The Supreme Court's administrative office will gather opinions before August 11.

The China Payment and Clearing Association has issued a warning to prevent cross-border gambling scams involving virtual currency, aimed at helping the general public enhance their awareness of fraud prevention and their ability to recognize scams.The China Payment and Clearing Association reminds that cross-border gambling results in "ten bets, ten losses." Participating in gambling through virtual currency is more concealed and risky. Engaging in gambling and providing funding for gambling activities is illegal and against regulations. Do not participate in virtual currency gambling transactions, and maintain the bottom line of financial security.

According to CCTV News, the Shanghai Baoshan District Prosecutor's Office announced a case yesterday, where the defendant Huang was involved in smuggling abroad to participate in telecom fraud activities, enticing victims to invest in virtual currency. After the Myanmar Miaowadi Park was disbanded, Huang continued to engage in "pig butchering" fraud, using AI face-swapping and communication with foreign models to gain the victims' trust, and then guiding them to participate in cryptocurrency investments.Subsequently, the team leader would connect with the victims, deceiving them into registering, recharging, and investing on fake websites, ultimately being sentenced to two years and six months in prison for fraud, along with a fine of 30,000 yuan.

According to the South China Morning Post, Sun Shengbin from the Wenzhou Public Security Bureau and Lou Yandi from the Zhejiang Provincial Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Team published a technical paper on June 4 in the journal "Forensic Technology," systematically disclosing the Chinese police's forensic tools and case handling processes for virtual currency assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. The content covers aspects such as device cracking, evidence collection, on-chain transaction tracking, and asset freezing and seizure.The paper outlines several tracking methods, one of which involves tracking transaction fees back to exchanges like Binance, allowing the police to obtain user data. The police can acquire "Know Your Customer" (KYC) records from major exchanges such as Binance, OKX, and HTX through formal legal channels. For funds stored in exchanges, the police can freeze accounts for six months, and the freezing period can be extended.Additionally, the document emphasizes strict operational bottom lines: investigators must not privately hold private keys. The principle of "separation of case handling and custody" must be adhered to, with comprehensive supervision and the establishment of a clear regulatory chain record.

According to The Block, the Legislative Yuan of Taiwan has passed the "Virtual Asset Service Act" in its third reading. The bill has been submitted to Taiwan's regional leader Lai Ching-te for signing, and the implementation date is expected to be announced within 10 days.The core points of the bill are as follows:• Licensing requirements: Virtual asset service providers must apply for a license from the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC). Platforms that have completed AML registration have a 12-month application period and a 21-month approval period.• Stablecoin regulation: Issuing or managing stablecoins requires dual approval from both the central bank and the FSC, and sufficient reserves must be maintained.• Compliance requirements: Covering aspects such as cybersecurity, customer asset segregation, and internal controls.• Criminal penalties: Illegal operations can result in a maximum sentence of 7 years in prison and fines of up to NT$100 million (approximately US$3.14 million); market manipulation in the crypto space can lead to a maximum sentence of 10 years and fines of up to NT$200 million (approximately US$6.28 million).Industry insiders point out that crypto companies previously operating in legal gray areas will no longer be able to rely on regulatory ambiguity. Traditional financial institutions will also be allowed to apply for VASP licenses in the future, and existing crypto companies may face increased competitive pressure.

According to the disclosure from the People's Procuratorate of Jing'an District, Shanghai, recently, the court prosecuted a certain Li for suspected illegal business operations in a criminal gang that used virtual currency for cross-border money laundering and illegal foreign exchange. On June 10, the case was heard in court and a verdict was announced on the spot, marking a conclusion to a series of illegal business operations spanning three years and involving over 200 million yuan. In July 2024, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange discovered abnormal clues regarding Company Z using virtual currency to transfer assets for domestic clients during routine monitoring, and subsequently referred the case to the public security authorities for handling.Investigations revealed that Company Z was registered overseas in 2019, promoting itself under the guise of a "private bank" and developing a virtual banking app to create a facade of legitimacy, but it had not obtained the necessary foreign exchange business operation license in China and was essentially engaged in illegal foreign exchange activities. The gang targeted high-net-worth individuals with funding needs for overseas property purchases, immigration, and studying abroad, using intermediaries to attract clients, with customer managers, traders, and customer service personnel facilitating the currency exchange process. Clients purchased virtual currency from virtual currency exchangers with renminbi and transferred it to Company Z's overseas virtual wallet, after which the gang exchanged the virtual currency for foreign currency abroad and transferred it to the clients' designated overseas accounts. There was no actual cross-border flow of funds; instead, settlements were made through domestic and foreign capital pools, with Company Z charging a 3% currency exchange service fee and paying intermediaries a 0.5% commission.A total of nine individuals have been brought to justice in this case, while one main suspect is still under investigation. After review, the relevant personnel collectively violated national laws by illegally buying and selling foreign exchange, disrupting financial order, and the circumstances were serious or particularly serious, warranting criminal liability for illegal business operations. The court sentenced five individuals, including Gao and Li, to prison terms ranging from six years to two years and six months, and imposed fines ranging from 1.5 million yuan to 300,000 yuan; for Chen, Huang, and four others, due to lighter criminal circumstances, relatively smaller amounts involved, and voluntary confession, the procuratorial authority made a decision of relative non-prosecution according to the law.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the Supreme People's Procuratorate held a press conference today. Deputy Chief Procurator Miao Shengming introduced that the procuratorial organs are deeply investigating and thoroughly examining "self-money laundering" and "third-party money laundering" crimes, vigorously promoting the recovery of drug-related assets, and ensuring comprehensive coverage in the investigation and prosecution of drug-related money laundering crimes. From January last year to May this year, more than 1,200 people have been prosecuted for drug-related money laundering crimes. The Supreme People's Procuratorate has taken over the supervision of a major cross-border smuggling, trafficking, transporting drugs, and money laundering case involving Li Moubo and others, handled by the Chongqing procuratorial organs. Li Moubo laundered more than 48 million yuan through virtual currency and was sentenced to death after being punished for multiple crimes according to the law.