According to an official announcement, HashKey Exchange has added a new account verification method to provide users with a more convenient experience. Under the current compliance framework, users can choose any of the following methods for identity verification: bank transfer verification, accountant or lawyer verification, and Hong Kong employee verification.It is reported that bank transfer verification requires users to transfer no less than HKD 10,000 or the equivalent in USD to HashKey Exchange for verification. Accountant or lawyer verification allows users to entrust licensed third-party accountants or lawyers for offline verification. Hong Kong employee verification provides guidance for users to conduct one-on-one offline verification at HashKey's office. After successfully opening an account, users can also complete new user tasks and receive a reward of 25 HSK.

Hashkey, a licensed crypto exchange in Hong Kong, is set to allow individual and enterprise market makers to provide liquidity on the platform. Interested parties must trade at least $5 million worth of cryptocurrencies per month and have their business plans reviewed before being invited to sign a contract with the exchange's due diligence team. Market makers will receive commission based on monthly rankings or trading volume, with the highest tier requiring a trading volume of at least $100 million per month. Other Hong Kong-regulated exchanges, such as OSL, have also expanded their services and partnerships since receiving licenses in August.

Binance has launched a pilot program that enables banks to store trading collateral off-exchange, which the company claims will reduce counterparty risk. Institutions can hold collateral at a third-party bank instead of depositing it to the exchange, allowing them to earn yield while they trade. Binance executive Catherine Chen stated that the exchange has been developing the program for over a year and plans to expand it further in the future. The program replicates a framework common in traditional financial markets, enabling investors to proportion their crypto-asset allocation based on their risk tolerance.

The owner of Turkish crypto exchange Tomya, which sponsors Hull City soccer team, is among 25 people detained in a fraud investigation by the Istanbul Büyükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. While there are no specific allegations against Tomya, the firm's affiliation with Hull City has made the story newsworthy in Turkey. The investigation comes as the country prepares to introduce crypto legislation, following an 11,196-year sentence handed out to the individuals behind collapsed exchange Thodex. The investigation into Tomya was reportedly triggered by a complaint from an investor who claimed to have been defrauded of $211,500.

Coinbase's stock price rose by 4% on Monday, reaching its highest level since April 2022 and increasing the year-to-date rally to 260%. The surge in price is attributed to Binance's forced departure from the US, which has resulted in Coinbase's CEO becoming 20% richer. Despite the recent increase, Coinbase's shares are still down 70% from their November 2021 high. Analysts believe that the crypto market can now focus on positive developments such as regulatory clarity and the potential approval of a bitcoin ETF, and that Coinbase may benefit from its overseas derivative trading business and its role as a broker for a U.S.-approved bitcoin ETF. Other pandemic-era market favorites, including Shopify, Roku, and Affirm Holdings, also hit 2023 highs on Monday, but are still down more than 50% from their 2021 peaks. Binance CEO CZ has stepped down as part of a $4 billion settlement with the US, while Binance's Changpeng Zhao has managed to maintain his multibillion-dollar fortune despite a guilty plea.

Decentralized exchange Vertex announced on X platform that its total trading volume has exceeded 20 billion US dollars since the launch on the Arbitrum mainnet.

Coinbase International Exchange, a subsidiary of Coinbase Global Inc. that serves clients outside of the US, has announced its intention to list Perpetual Future Contracts for four new assets: Cardano (ADA), Chainlink (LINK), Dogecoin (DOGE), and Stellar (XLM). The four trading pairs will be listed on December 30th at 10 am UTC, subject to liquidity conditions. The pairs will be available on both the Coinbase International Exchange and Coinbase Advanced, alongside other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and XRP. This is an ongoing story, and updates will be provided.

The trustee responsible for rehabilitating the now-defunct crypto exchange Mt. Gox has announced that payments to creditors will begin before the end of the year. However, due to the large number of creditors and varying types of repayments, some may have to wait until 2024 to receive their payments. Individual creditors will not receive advance notice of their payment schedule, but they can check their repayment status on the MTGOX online rehabilitation claim filing system. Mt. Gox was hacked in 2011, resulting in the theft of 850,000 BTC worth approximately $500 million at the time.

Based on the data released by the Russian cryptocurrency exchange CommEX, its daily trading volume has reached 90 million rubles since its launch, and the number of users has exceeded 200,000 accounts. The trading volume has increased by 460% in the past month.

Binance Holdings Limited and its CEO Zhao Changpeng have admitted to committing money laundering and violating US sanctions, and have reached a comprehensive settlement agreement with the United States, allowing the cryptocurrency exchange to continue operating. In addition, Zhao Changpeng faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, but under the plea agreement, it is expected that the sentence will not exceed 18 months, which seems to spare him from the severe punishment faced by other famous cryptocurrency criminals. The US Department of Justice has not yet made a final decision on his imprisonment, and defense lawyers said in court that sentencing will be postponed for six months.