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Cointime News Wrapup-Afternoon Version: MetaMask Warns Users of Deceptive March 31 Airdrop Rumours
To smooth and facilitate the reading experience for all users, we hereby compose this wrapup, especially for users who cannot check out what’s going on in a timely manner.
On September 29, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) published a list of virtual asset trading platforms on its website, including: the "Licensed Virtual Asset Trading Platform List" which lists the names of virtual asset trading platform operators who have been formally licensed by the SFC; the "Virtual Asset Trading Platform Applicant List" which lists the names of virtual asset trading platform operator applicants whose license applications have not yet been approved by the SFC, starting from today; the "Closed Virtual Asset Trading Platform List" which lists the names of virtual asset trading platform operators who are required to close within a specified period of time under relevant legislation; and the "Virtual Asset Trading Platform List Treated as Licensed" which lists the names of virtual asset trading platform operators who will be treated as licensed from June 1, 2024.
On September 29th, it was reported that the issue with the Bitcoin U Futures Contract K-line chart on the Binance platform has been resolved and is now displaying normally. Earlier today, around 16:15, the Binance platform displayed that the Bitcoin U Futures Contract had multiple spikes to the $2707 position within a 15-minute period.
With regards to the JPEX virtual asset trading platform case, the Hong Kong police have received 2,417 reports, involving a total amount of over HKD 1.5 billion. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Chung Yung-min, stated that the Hong Kong police carried out a joint operation with the Macau Judiciary Police from Tuesday to Thursday this week, arresting four people and seizing or freezing HKD 24 million in assets, including casino accounts and a large amount of cash. She also said that the police are actively tracing the whereabouts of virtual assets, have identified other targets, but some have left Hong Kong. The police will work with international cooperation to arrest those involved.
She pointed out that the JPEX fraud network is very large and complex, and the investigation is still in its early stages. Those involved still insist that it is a legitimate investment platform. She hopes that the public will be more cautious when making any decisions regarding JPEX.
Chief Superintendent of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau, Cheng Lai-ki, said that the criminal group has destroyed many documents, making it difficult for the police to track the fraudulent funds and investigate. However, she emphasized that the police will continue to communicate with overseas trading platforms to trace the whereabouts of virtual assets. A total of HKD 5 million worth of encrypted currency assets have been frozen temporarily.
The US SEC has approved Valkyrie to convert its existing Bitcoin futures ETF to a Bitcoin and Ethereum futures ETF. The new fund will be renamed "Valkyrie Bitcoin and Ethereum Strategy ETF" and will take effect on October 3, with the code still being BTF.
AlphaSense, a B2B AI platform focused on business intelligence and search, has completed a successful Series E funding round, raising $150 million. The round was led by BOND and included investments from Alphabet's CapitalG, Goldman Sachs, and Viking Global. AlphaSense's valuation has grown from $1.7 billion to $2.5 billion since its Series D funding round in June 2023. The platform uses machine learning to provide deep insights into business and finance analytics, offering "insights-as-a-service." The latest investment will allow AlphaSense to continue leading the generative AI revolution in the B2B sector.
Web3 startup IYK has raised $16.8 million in seed funding, with A16z Crypto leading the way and other investors including 1kx, Collabcurrency, Lattice Capital, and gmoney. According to its website, IYK is a participant in the a16z Crypto Startup School, which is an accelerator program from the venture capital giant that typically invests $500,000 in participating startups in exchange for 7% equity.
IYK says that it has recruited over 100 creators from industries such as fashion, music, and art since its founding in 2021. To attract more brands and creators, it is launching a self-service platform to help create digital physical experiences.
On September 28th, Supra, a provider of oracle and VRF services, announced that it had completed a funding round of over $24 million. Investors in this round include Animoca Brands, BCW, Coinbase Ventures, FiveT Fintech (formerly Avaloq Ventures), Galaxy Interactive, Hashed, HashKey, Huobi Ventures, No Limit Holdings, Prosus Ventures, Razer.com, Republic Crypto, Shima Capital, Signum Capital, SMO Capital, Sound Ventures, Sublime Ventures, UOB Venture Management (Dahua Bank), and Valor Equity Partners.
Hong Kong police arrested three more people related to the JPEX case, including one director and one employee of the overseas exchange Lupin, and one popular analyst from a foreign currency exchange shop. The total number of arrests is now 15. The police have received a total of 2,392 reports, involving a total amount of nearly 1.5 billion yuan, and have frozen 77 million yuan in assets.
On September 28th, the European Commission released a tender contract worth 800,000 euros (approximately $842,000) aimed at mitigating the "significant harm" that cryptocurrency poses to the environment. The research, which will end on November 10th, will establish standards that will be incorporated into potential future EU policies to curb the impact of cryptocurrency on climate change and develop new energy efficiency labels for blockchain.
The European Commission stated in the tender document that "there is evidence that crypto-assets can cause significant damage to the climate and the environment," which could undermine the EU's greenhouse gas reduction targets, indicating that new sustainable development standards may be adopted in the future.
EU legislators are concerned about the energy-intensive PoW consensus mechanism that supports blockchain such as Bitcoin. The EU's research will be completed within a year and will study green issues related to the use of water, waste, natural resources, and energy by cryptocurrencies. (CoinDesk)
According to data from the Federal Tax Authority, cryptocurrency transactions in Brazil reached 18.8 billion Brazilian real (approximately 3.7 billion US dollars) in July, a decrease of 11.4% compared to the previous month. The three highest transaction volumes were stablecoins, with USDT accounting for 15.3 billion Brazilian real, or 81.6% of the total transaction volume, followed by USDC (838 million Brazilian real) and Brazilian real stablecoin BRZ (641 million Brazilian real).
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