regulation

The research leaders of OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft have called on policymakers to review the progress of their respective companies in the automation of artificial intelligence research.Researchers pointed out in their paper that the automation of AI research could trigger an "intelligence explosion," with the pace of technological evolution potentially exceeding human understanding, and suggested that policymakers increase transparency.

The Ministry of State Security's WeChat public account published an article titled "Is Virtual Currency Crime Untraceable? Think Again!" stating that virtual currency has become an important tool for criminals engaging in illegal activities. The associated risks include being a "hotbed" for money laundering crimes, a "shelter" for cyber attacks, and an "accomplice" for espionage and theft. The article argues that the so-called "anonymity" of virtual currency is fundamentally a false proposition.The article states that blockchain is open and transparent, on-chain data is immutable, and complete transaction records are preserved, which can provide a basis for full-chain traceability. Address anonymity is merely a temporary separation of wallet addresses from real identities, and fiat currency exchanges leave traces such as device codes and network IPs. The article summarizes this as examining the ledger, checking the chain, and discussing the private key: the entire transaction leaves traces, making it difficult to hide real identities; if the private key is kept by the individual, it cannot be recovered if lost, while if it is entrusted to a platform, there is a risk of platform bankruptcy or disappearance.The article also mentions that in February 2026, the People's Bank of China and several departments reiterated that Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether, and others should not and cannot be used as circulating currency, and related activities are classified as illegal financial activities, which are strictly prohibited. The article warns to be cautious of high-paying part-time jobs that settle in virtual currency and states that reports can be made through 12339, www.12339.gov.cn, the Ministry of State Security's WeChat public account, or local national security agencies.

According to CoinDesk, the Clarity Act, aimed at establishing a clear regulatory framework for cryptocurrency in the United States, has been declared a failure after months of intense negotiations. The bill was originally intended to address the definition of digital assets at the federal level, but it failed to reach the final voting process due to fierce interest group conflicts.Multiple sources indicate that the core reason for the legislative collapse lies in complex jurisdictional conflicts and disputes over terms. The CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) and SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) are in disagreement over the management rights of certain digital assets, while lawmakers also struggle to reach a consensus on how to define the legal attributes of NFTs, DeFi protocols, and stablecoins. Despite calls from organizations to eliminate market uncertainty through legislation, a key compromise proposal ultimately could not be reached.The Fintech Association and other industry organizations had previously lobbied actively in support of the bill, hoping to establish clear industry standards. With the failure of this legislation, traditional financial institutions on Wall Street and cryptocurrency projects will continue to face legal gray areas, and the industry's compliance process will thus be forced to delay.

According to Cointelegraph, the prediction market platform Kalshi won an important ruling from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, allowing it to continue operating its event contracts in Ohio and Tennessee.The ruling involves a dispute between Kalshi and the relevant state regulatory agencies regarding whether event contracts can continue to be offered. Cointelegraph stated that the court ruled to allow Kalshi's event contracts to continue operating in the aforementioned two states.

According to Cointelegraph, the Federal Reserve recently solicited public comments on two regulatory proposals for the issuance of payment stablecoins under the "Genius Act."The new regulations aim to establish a framework for the issuance of regulated stablecoins through full reserve asset requirements and approval processes.

Summer Mersinger, former commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), will step down as CEO of the industry advocacy organization Blockchain Association at the end of the year and leave the organization. The organization announced on Friday that Mersinger will officially resign on October 16, and her predecessor, Kristin Smith, will return as interim CEO. Mersinger joined Blockchain Association in June 2025, after leaving the CFTC three years before the end of her second commissioner term.When discussing her departure, Mersinger stated that she came here from the CFTC because she believes the industry deserves clear rules and a credible and unified representative to speak for it in Washington. The Blockchain Association highlighted Mersinger's work in promoting the GENIUS Act and helping to achieve regulatory clarity at the SEC and CFTC in its statement.Notably, the organization did not mention the Digital Asset Market Clear Act currently under consideration in the Senate. This bill failed to gain enough support from Democratic and Republican lawmakers in a procedural vote earlier this month, and many experts expect the legislation to be shelved until 2027. The Blockchain Association did not immediately respond to inquiries about Mersinger's plans for 2027.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Corporation Finance updated its frequently asked questions document on cryptocurrency assets on Friday, clarifying that token buybacks, network upgrades, and marketing promotions do not automatically make cryptocurrency assets securities. The division stated that announcing a buyback plan for an already functioning cryptocurrency network does not, by itself, make the associated tokens constitute an investment contract; however, for networks that are not yet operational, if the issuer promotes the buyback as a source of returns for holders, this conclusion may not necessarily apply.Regarding the ongoing development issues of cryptocurrency projects after their launch, the document pointed out that once a cryptocurrency system is operational, services used to protect, maintain, improve, or enhance that system and its functions, or to promote network effects, do not fall under the managerial efforts referred to in the Howey test. The existing uses of marketing networks generally do not create profit expectations, and statements regarding future functionalities are similarly true, provided that profit potential is not promoted. The document reiterated that specific judgments still heavily depend on the actual circumstances of each case.This document is based on the interpretive guidance issued by the SEC in March of this year regarding the application of securities laws to cryptocurrency assets, released just weeks after the Clarity Act failed to advance in the Senate, with regulators continuing to operate under existing laws. Additionally, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission updated its cryptocurrency FAQs on Thursday, stating that futures companies and clearinghouses may invest customer funds in tokenized versions of previously permitted assets, provided that investment and custody requirements are met; regulated companies may use blockchain for record-keeping but must be able to provide relevant records when the blockchain or its block explorer is not operational.

According to CoinDesk, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce has called for a reevaluation of the regulatory approaches to Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML). She believes that the practice of "the more data, the better" creates an overwhelming amount of information, making it harder to identify the issues that truly need attention.Peirce stated that zero-knowledge proofs can be used to verify compliance without exposing personal data. This perspective was cited in insights published by CoinDesk on its X account.

According to Cointelegraph, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States has stipulated that for transactions in 2025, brokers generally need to report the sales income from digital assets, but in most cases, they do not need to report the cost basis, and taxpayers still need to calculate their gains and losses themselves; starting from 2026, brokers will need to report the cost basis for eligible digital assets. The IRS also emphasized that even if a taxpayer does not receive a 1099-DA, they still must report income and gains and losses related to digital assets.During the first tax season applying the 1099-DA reporting rules for cryptocurrency assets in the United States, some investors are facing issues such as missing transaction data and difficulties in verifying cost basis. A survey conducted by Awaken Tax in August among 1,000 U.S. cryptocurrency investors showed that 21% of respondents who have filed or plan to file for an extension are still waiting for exchanges or cryptocurrency platforms to provide the necessary information; about 20% indicated that their 1099-DA form information is incomplete or are unsure whether it accurately reflects their trading situation.

The founder of Morpho, Paul Frambot, proposed a classification scheme suggesting that on-chain vaults be divided into "noncustodial" and "discretionary" categories to clearly define their nature to regulatory authorities.This proposal was immediately opposed by Aave founder Stani Kulechov, who called the classification "self-serving." Several vault developers also raised concerns, arguing that the timelock mechanism does not truly eliminate the role of the manager.

The Federal Reserve Board (Fed) plans to establish rules for payment stablecoins issued by banks, requiring that each $1 token be backed by at least $1 in approved reserve assets and generally completed customer redemptions within two business days. If the issuer consistently falls below the minimum capital requirements, they may be required to liquidate reserve assets and redeem all tokens.Reserve assets may include U.S. dollars, Federal Reserve bank balances, certain bank deposits, U.S. Treasury securities with a remaining maturity of no more than 93 days, qualified repurchase agreements, and qualified investment funds, with some tokenized forms of assets potentially included. If reserves are insufficient, the issuer must notify the Fed and restore adequate backing; otherwise, they must liquidate reserves and redeem tokens pegged to the dollar. The Fed intends to require issuers to hold standardized capital against operational and certain credit risks, with a capital charge of 2% for the first $20 billion of issued stablecoin and 1% for amounts exceeding $50 billion.Another proposal allows state member banks that hold deposits to apply to establish subsidiaries for issuing payment stablecoins. The "GENIUS Act" stipulates that once the application is substantively complete, the Fed must make a decision within 120 days. Fed Governor Michael Barr stated that stablecoins should be reliably and promptly redeemable at par in various market conditions and when issuers encounter problems, and he called for the final rules to clarify universal redemption rights. He also expressed concern about the threshold for triggering regulatory or enforcement actions for anti-money laundering deficiencies needing to reach "significant or systemic" levels. The public comment period will be 60 days following the publication in the Federal Register.

Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), stated at the SIFMA Digital Assets Conference that regulators should reconsider traditional financial monitoring methods, shifting from "collecting more data" to utilizing new technologies for more precise verification.Peirce mentioned that technologies like zero-knowledge proofs can verify whether users meet requirements such as age, citizenship, accredited investor status, or sanctions lists without disclosing underlying personal information like names, income, or addresses.Hester Peirce suggested that the federal government and regulatory agencies adopt attribute-based verification when technically feasible and allow registered entities to rely more on third-party identity verification to reduce the redundant collection and storage of sensitive information.Peirce also stated that public blockchains have permanent, public, and auditable transaction records, and combined with blockchain forensic tools, they are expected to enhance the ability to track illegal activities while reducing unnecessary data collection.

The U.S. midterm elections have become a key concern for the stock market amid the surge in AI trading. Polls indicate that the Democratic Party may regain control of Congress, and Wall Street strategists point out that this could put pressure on AI boom stocks.The Chief Market Strategist at Zacks Investment says that if the Democrats perform strongly in the elections, hearings on AI safety issues may increase. A strategist at Wolfe Research expects that the Democrats may establish an "AI Special Committee" for inquiries.

The European Banking Authority (EBA) calls for the inclusion of crypto lending in the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework. In response to the European Commission's targeted consultation on MiCA, the EBA stated that lending activities involving crypto assets should be regulated, including situations where crypto asset service providers offer users access to decentralized finance (DeFi) lending protocols.The EBA recommends that the European Commission conduct a cost-benefit analysis for legislative amendments, considering the inclusion of intermediary crypto lending in the MiCA regulatory service list, and potentially adding specific compliance requirements and supervisory activities. The agency also suggested that corresponding requirements should be set for crypto companies providing customers access to DeFi lending protocols.Potential measures listed by the EBA include user suitability testing, leverage limits, and additional information disclosure requirements. The regulatory body also proposed that access to lending involving assets that require MiCA authorization, such as reference tokens or electronic money tokens, may be restricted, and a certification system should be introduced for DeFi lending protocols. The EBA noted that crypto lending is continuously growing within the EU, with previous studies showing lending activities in at least 16 member states; easier access to DeFi through crypto companies and artificial intelligence tools is increasingly blurring the lines between centralized and decentralized finance. The above recommendations are part of the EBA's overall opinion on the European Commission's review of MiCA, which also covers stablecoin rules, crypto asset classification, and reporting requirements.

According to a 46-page report from financial investment data company PitchBook, the market platform Kalshi has a baseline scenario valuation of approximately $30.4 billion, a peak valuation of about $42.1 billion during strong market performance, and a pessimistic scenario of $22.8 billion. Kalshi completed a $1 billion Series F financing in May this year, with a post-money valuation of $22 billion.PitchBook expects Kalshi's revenue to reach $6.4 billion by 2030, with adjusted profits reaching $3.7 billion, and believes that partnerships with platforms and market makers such as Robinhood and Susquehanna will help consolidate market share. The report lists the regulatory risks of the sports prediction market as a key variable affecting valuation, with data showing that the sports market currently contributes about 69.9% of Kalshi's event fee revenue; if Exotics products such as multi-event combinations are included, the proportion rises to 82.4%.Several states in the U.S. and Native American tribes are suing over the legality of Kalshi's sports prediction products, and related cases have created discrepancies between federal appellate courts, with the Supreme Court expected to intervene next year. PitchBook believes that even if the final ruling is unfavorable to Kalshi, the company may still adjust its business model through state-level licensing and the development of non-sports prediction products, but a significant decline in sports revenue will still notably impact its growth expectations.

According to a post by Watcher Guru, the Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Mike Selig, stated that the agency is preparing for onchain systems, mass tokenization, 24/7 trading, and agentic finance.The preparation directions mentioned by Selig include onchain systems, mass tokenization, 24/7 trading, and agentic finance.

In the seventh live broadcast of the Huobi Expert Lecture, HTX Research asset analyst WZ pointed out that in the past, people were accustomed to explaining Crypto with Crypto, but today, the variables that determine the next phase of Crypto are increasingly occurring outside of Crypto. This marks a new pricing cycle that Crypto is entering.On the policy level, WZ believes that although the Clarity Act, which has systematic characteristics, is hindered in the Senate due to the need to secure bipartisan votes and issues involving the Trump family's interests and stablecoin profit distribution, U.S. crypto regulation has not stalled. For instance, the SEC recently released an "innovation exemption" plan that allows compliant institutions meeting certain conditions to tokenize specific stocks, accelerating the integration of traditional finance and crypto.On the macro level, WZ stated that the situation in the Middle East and the blockage risk in the Strait of Hormuz have raised the "risk premium" of crude oil. Rising oil prices can trigger inflation expectations, which in turn affect U.S. Treasury yields and global liquidity. When energy prices remain high and interest rates stay elevated, the upward potential for risk assets like Bitcoin may be constrained.WZ also pointed out that in this cycle, the direct inflow and outflow of ETF funds have changed the traditional logic of capital overflow, making a "general rise" pattern for altcoins difficult to achieve. However, in the new cycle, assets with a "new narrative" and strong consensus will still experience independent upward trends.

Citigroup stated in its latest market strategy program that the failure of the U.S. Senate to advance the CLARITY Act for formal review did not interrupt Bitcoin's rebound. After the procedural vote on the bill was blocked, Bitcoin remained strong, indicating that funds have begun to reduce their reliance on a single legislative node and are instead focusing on whether regulatory rules can continue to move forward.Citigroup believes that the legislative blockage will limit the CFTC's ability to obtain a more comprehensive regulatory mandate for the crypto market in the short term, but the SEC can still advance some rule-making based on its existing authority. For the market, this means that the compliance process for the crypto industry still has room to continue, with the subsequent focus on the SEC's actual execution pace regarding trading, tokenized assets, and market access rules. Additionally, the macro environment remains a variable for Bitcoin's rebound.The baseline judgment of Citigroup's economic team is that this round of interest rate hikes may be close to "one and done"; however, the quantitative macro team warns that if AI investments continue to support growth, and employment and wage pressures persist, interest rates may face further upward revision risks. Citigroup views Bitcoin's position above the mid-term moving average as a signal of warming risk appetite and notes that its correlation with Nasdaq performance is worth continued tracking.