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According to Bits.media, Fidan Tofidi, the head of the Financial Technology and Innovation Department of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, stated that the regulatory bill for the country's virtual asset market has been drafted and submitted for review, with formal legislation expected within the year. The bill requires all companies engaged in cryptocurrency asset business to obtain a license issued by the central bank, and unauthorized operations within the country are prohibited. Licensed institutions will be subject to ongoing supervision. The regulatory framework will cover compliance requirements such as anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, and customer identity verification (KYC), and will be incorporated into Azerbaijan's financial market development strategy for 2027-2030.

According to Cointelegraph, the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has granted the 50th Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license to the tokenized asset platform Tribe Tokenisation FZE. VARA stated that licensed enterprises must undergo a controlled operation phase before officially providing services. By the end of 2025, 39 licensed VASPs will be fully operational, and the latest data for 2026 is still being verified. In comparison, Singapore currently has 37 licensed digital payment token service providers, while Hong Kong has only 13 licensed virtual asset trading platforms.

According to the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, Baidu Group's stock price strengthened today, rising over 8%. It is understood that Baidu's Kunlun Core plans to go public in Hong Kong, with a target valuation of about 50 billion USD. Insiders revealed that Tencent has become a customer of Kunlun Core, and ByteDance is also considering adopting its AI chips. Currently, the Kunlun Core P800 has completed large-scale verification, and since 2025, it has delivered multiple ten-thousand-card clusters and completed important version training of Wenxin 5.1 on national production clusters.

On-chain yield infrastructure startup Ground announced the completion of a $3.6 million Pre-seed financing round, led by Bain Capital Crypto and ParaFi, with participation from Nascent, Robot Ventures, Chapter One, Consonant Ventures, and others.It is reported that Ground primarily provides APIs for fintech companies and asset management institutions, enabling them to integrate on-chain yield products into existing applications without the need to build blockchain integration themselves. Its target customers include fintech platforms, digital banks, wealth management institutions, exchanges, and asset management companies for building yield, savings, and investment products.

According to CoinDesk, the long-established asset management company Baillie Gifford from Edinburgh, Scotland (founded over 118 years ago) announced on Monday in collaboration with global custodian giant BNY the launch of a tokenized fixed income fund—Baillie Gifford Enhanced Yield Fund (BAGEY), deployed simultaneously on the Ethereum and Solana public chains.The fund is denominated in US dollars and operates under an open-ended investment company (OEIC) structure within the UK regulatory framework, targeting qualified investors from the UK, Switzerland, and the Cayman Islands. It offers an actively managed short-duration corporate bond portfolio, with a current yield of approximately 7%.Unlike most tokenized products on the market, Baillie Gifford's Head of Digital Assets Theo Golden emphasized that BAGEY is not a traditional fund wrapped in a token shell, but rather a fund issued directly on-chain, with the blockchain itself serving as the rights registry, allowing investors to directly hold shares and enjoy direct recourse.BNY will provide tokenization and wallet infrastructure for the fund, with NatWest acting as the custodian. The Global Head of Investor Solutions at BNY stated that this issuance marks the transition of tokenization from concept to real application, as regulated fund structures evolve towards a more digital and interconnected market.

According to official news, Tether has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) to explore cooperation in asset tokenization, digital asset education, and broader blockchain applications.According to the agreement, Tether plans to provide DMCC's business network with seminars, customized blockchain consulting, digital asset pilot projects, and tokenization programs, and explore the application of peer-to-peer digital communication and payment systems. Both parties will also assess cooperation opportunities in blockchain infrastructure, digital payments, educational activities, and hackathons.

According to Bitcoin.com, the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) recently released a new version of the Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulatory guidelines, requiring cryptocurrency businesses operating in Dubai to incorporate real-time data on high-risk and blacklist countries from the FATF into their risk scoring models, replacing the previous static compliance tracking mechanism.The new regulations require businesses to update their risk assessments at least every three months, and any significant changes in operational structure or product lines must be updated immediately; at the same time, the risks of diffusion financing and targeted financial sanctions must be assessed separately and not be merged with general anti-money laundering compliance; in addition, businesses must formally document the risks associated with AI-assisted operations and anonymous-enhanced exchanges.VARA stated that compliance officers, senior management, and board members must take full responsibility for the company's residual risk ratings, and the regulatory focus has shifted from post-event penalties to proactive systemic risk management.

The globally leading digital asset trading platform Gate collaborates with the University of Wollongong in Dubai to host an online Web3 workshop. Through industry sharing, career development exchanges, and simulated trading practices, the workshop provides students with an open course focused on the cutting-edge developments in blockchain and the digital economy.During the event, the Gate team shared insights on topics such as the basics of blockchain, the integration trends of AI and blockchain, industry talent demands, and career development paths. They also introduced the current state and future opportunities of the digital asset industry in conjunction with real business scenarios. In the interactive exchange session, students actively asked questions about industry trends, innovations in digital payments, and career planning, receiving a positive response from the audience. In the simulated trading competition, students experienced the operational mechanisms of the digital asset market through practical exercises, combining classroom knowledge with real-world operations.This collaboration not only provides students with opportunities to engage with cutting-edge technology and industry practices but also further promotes the communication and connection between higher education and industry demands. As a leading platform in the industry, Gate continues to foster communication and collaboration between academia and industry. Its founder and CEO, Dr. Han, has also been invited multiple times to visit campuses to share insights on blockchain, industry innovation, and trends in the digital economy. By deepening the integration of industry and education practices, Gate is injecting more youthful energy into the long-term innovative development of Web3 and the digital economy.

In response to Radha Stirling's claims about multiple Dubai crypto figures being abused in UAE detention centers, on-chain investigator ZachXBT stated that the individuals referred to as "crypto entrepreneurs" are actually threat actors suspected of involvement in high-impact social engineering crypto scams and data extortion. Law enforcement has seized $18.9 million in stolen funds.

According to CriptoNoticias, Spanish citizen David Merino was arrested in Dubai for allegedly leading the cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme FX Winning. This scheme is the largest cryptocurrency-related Ponzi scheme in the history of Spanish investigations, involving over 460 million euros and affecting approximately 15,000 investors. Merino operated the scheme from behind the scenes after officially leaving the company in 2021, attracting funds by promising high returns on forex and cryptocurrency investments. Its operating model involved using funds from new investors to pay early investors, and the scheme operated in about 30 countries.Spain typically has 15 to 40 days to submit extradition documents to the UAE. Additionally, FX Winning is also under investigation in the United States and Mexico, with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration believing the scheme involves 100 billion dollars. Merino released a video in March 2026 denying that he retained others' funds and placing the blame on other members of his team. The Spanish National Securities Market Commission has warned since 2021 that FX Winning is unauthorized to provide investment services.

According to Bitcoin.com, the High Court of Windhoek, Namibia, revoked the bail of 8 absent defendants in a cryptocurrency fraud and human trafficking case and confiscated approximately $29,800 in bail money. The prosecution stated that the 8 individuals include 6 Chinese nationals, 1 Vanuatu national, and 1 Singaporean national, with 6 Chinese suspects tracked down to China. Namibian authorities have requested assistance from Interpol to locate them.The criminal group operated under a front company called Raylon Investments from December 2022 to October 2023. The group is suspected of recruiting unemployed Namibians and forcing them into labor. The state government stated that these employees were compelled to create fake social media accounts impersonating women from Europe and the United States to lure international victims into romantic relationships. Once trust was established, victims were manipulated into transferring money to cryptocurrency accounts controlled by the criminal group. Investigators estimate that the group stole approximately $267,800 from victims worldwide.

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.

According to Bloomberg, informed sources revealed that the prediction market Kalshi has raised an additional $200 million from two new investors, Baillie Gifford and Layer Global, expanding the previous $1 billion financing led by Coatue Management, with the company's valuation remaining unchanged at $22 billion.Earlier, Kalshi announced at the beginning of this month the completion of a $1 billion Series F financing led by Coatue Management, with a valuation of $22 billion. Other participants included Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, IVP, Paradigm, Morgan Stanley, and ARK Invest. Kalshi's monthly trading volume in April exceeded $14 billion, with an annualized revenue of over $1.5 billion.

Bain Capital announced that its sixth Asian fund has completed its final fundraising, with a total size of $10.5 billion, of which approximately $9.1 billion comes from external investors, exceeding the previous fundraising target of $7 billion.Yuji Sugimoto, a partner at Bain Capital and head of the Asian private equity business, stated that they remain optimistic about the vast opportunities in the Asian market and will increase investment in talent development, technology empowerment, and comprehensive platform capability upgrades to achieve business scale development at a steady and prudent pace. Currently, Bain Capital is focusing on sectors such as technology, industrial, consumer, healthcare, and commercial and financial services.

According to the Ministry of Public Security of China, recently, the police from China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates conducted international law enforcement cooperation for the first time, jointly combating telecom network fraud crimes in the Dubai area. They successfully dismantled 9 fraud dens and arrested 276 criminal suspects.Investigations revealed that the related fraud gangs established "romantic" relationships with victims through social platforms, deceiving them into trusting them emotionally, and then inducing victims to invest in so-called high-return cryptocurrency projects, resulting in their fraud. A relevant official from the Ministry of Public Security of China stated that this joint crackdown is an important achievement of international law enforcement cooperation by the Chinese police. The Chinese police will deepen practical cooperation with more countries, carry out joint crackdown actions, resolutely eliminate fraud dens, and make every effort to capture suspects involved in telecom fraud, effectively safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of people in all countries.

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, in the past 48 hours, the whale "qianbaidu.eth" has sold a total of 338,084 HYPE, obtaining 13.4 million USDC at an average price of $39.65. This whale still holds 151,573 HYPE staked (5.89 million dollars).

According to market news, the actual controller of the recently collapsed European cryptocurrency exchange Zondacrypto is reportedly hiding in Dubai, and the losses for the exchange's customers may exceed $100 million.Polish media Onet Wiadomości disclosed that the official representative of Zondacrypto is in Dubai with a man nicknamed "Maniek," who is the true controller of the cryptocurrency business, while CEO Przemysław Kral is merely a "front figure." Kral has been missing since the company was revealed to have reserves drop by over 99%, and he was previously thought to have fled to Israel but is now confirmed to be in the UAE. The exchange was formerly known as BitBay, founded in 2014, and was taken over by Kral in 2021 and renamed Zondacrypto, moving its operations to Estonia.Polish media reports that the exchange may be controlled by the Russian Tambov gang, with about 30,000 Poles potentially becoming victims, with preliminary estimates of losses at least 350 million zloty (approximately $97 million), and the actual amount may be higher. Additionally, founder Sylwester Suszek went missing in 2022, and it is claimed that a wallet key containing 4,500 bitcoins that he controlled was never handed over.