regulation

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced the agenda for the inaugural meeting of the Innovation Advisory Committee (IAC). The committee will hold its first meeting on August 20, focusing on regulatory issues in emerging areas such as crypto assets, artificial intelligence, and prediction markets.CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig stated that the U.S. has long been a global center for financial innovation and hopes to explore how emerging technologies and financial products can drive market development through discussions with innovative entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry builders, and to jointly explore the "new frontiers of finance." The meeting will be live-streamed on the CFTC official website. Committee members and attendees will discuss topics such as the regulatory framework for digital assets, the impact of AI technology on financial markets, and the development of prediction markets. The public can submit relevant opinions by August 27, and these opinions will be publicly released through the U.S. Federal Regulations website Regulations.gov. The CFTC indicated that the meeting agenda may be adjusted based on the committee's subsequent focus.The Innovation Advisory Committee aims to provide the CFTC with recommendations on emerging technologies, financial products, and trends in market innovation, covering important areas such as digital assets and artificial intelligence that may influence the structure of future financial markets.

The Trump administration will revise the new artificial intelligence guidelines to expand regulation of AI models. The White House has developed a set of AI frameworks that require U.S. laboratories to undergo safety testing by the federal government before public release. In the coming months, this framework is expected to cover open-source models, which will be included in testing once their capabilities reach the same level as Anthropic's Mythos-level models and OpenAI's GPT-5.6.

According to South Korean media Edaily, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of South Korea announced that the amendment to the enforcement decree of the Specific Financial Information Act, aimed at strengthening regulation of the cryptocurrency industry, has been approved by the State Council.The main changes of the new regulations include: regulatory agencies will conduct stricter reviews of the qualifications of major shareholders of exchanges, while requiring that the debt ratio of exchanges must not exceed 200%. In addition, the previous Travel Rule only applied to transactions over 1 million won, but will now cover all transfers without a monetary threshold. Transactions involving overseas exchanges and personal wallets will be subject to differentiated control based on risk levels. The new regulations also require exchanges to be equipped with professional personnel and necessary equipment, and to establish internal control systems, with existing exchanges granted a one-year grace period. Some provisions will take effect on August 20, while those related to the Travel Rule will be officially implemented six months later.

Fox Business crypto reporter posted on the X platform that the SEC will hold a public meeting on Friday at 10 AM Eastern Time to discuss whether to issue a notice proposing a customized issuance system for certain investment contracts involving crypto assets.

According to a report by CNBC, the latest research published in the academic journal "Review of Accounting Studies" shows that among U.S. taxpayers holding virtual currencies, the actual proportion of those reporting transactions to the federal government is only 32% to 56%.As the IRS will require intermediaries to submit virtual currency tax forms "Form 1099-DA" starting in 2025, discrepancies between reports from businesses and taxpayer filings will be more easily identified by authorities. In the first year, the form only needs to report total earnings, while the obligation to report cost basis will officially be included starting in 2026.

According to Reuters, the Central Bank of Brazil announced new anti-fraud rules, under which some cryptocurrency transfers will be delayed for up to 24 hours. The new regulations will take effect next year and apply to transfers exceeding $10,000 sent to overseas virtual asset companies or self-custodied wallets, with the threshold calculated based on individual transactions or the total transfers of a customer in a single day.The Central Bank of Brazil stated that this move reflects the increasing use of virtual assets (including stablecoins) for the rapid transfer of funds obtained through financial fraud. The central bank emphasized that this measure is not a freezing of assets and will not permanently block transfers; it can also apply to other transactions that require stricter scrutiny.

The U.S. Senate has postponed the vote on the CLARITY Act until after the summer recess, increasing uncertainty about the bill's passage in the short term.The CLARITY Act had previously received bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and aims to establish a federal regulatory framework for digital assets, clarify the responsibilities of different regulatory agencies, and promote the further integration of crypto assets into the U.S. financial system.North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis stated that with the vote postponed until September, the probability of the bill's final passage "may have decreased by 50%." Wyoming Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis, who is responsible for pushing the negotiations, indicated that discussions have been ongoing for nearly 11 months, the bill text has increased by about 300 pages, and it has responded to numerous amendment requests from Democrats, and it should now enter the voting phase.Currently, Democrats still oppose the existing version, with the main disagreement centered on the restrictions on government officials' interests in crypto assets. Democrats believe that the current version does not adequately limit federal officials' investments and promotion of crypto assets, nor does it require relevant personnel to fully divest from related holdings, while also seeking to grant state attorneys general stronger enforcement powers.Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers had previously pushed for the inclusion of stricter ethical oversight provisions, but negotiations are still ongoing. Democrats are particularly concerned about the connections between Trump and his family with crypto projects like World Liberty Financial.Previously, the crypto industry hoped the Senate could advance procedural voting before the summer recess to adjust political investments during the 2026 midterm elections based on legislative progress. Data shows that the crypto industry's main political action committee, Fairshake, held nearly $200 million in cash reserves at the beginning of this cycle.

The Financial Services Agency of Japan announced personnel appointments. As part of an organizational restructuring, the agency has established a new "Department of Crypto Assets and Stablecoins," specifically responsible for regulating crypto assets and stablecoins. Toshiaki Adomi has been appointed as the first section chief.Toshiaki Adomi graduated from Osaka University Faculty of Law in 2002 and then joined the Financial Services Agency. He later obtained a Master of Business Administration from the University of Birmingham in the UK and a Master of Laws from the London School of Economics. He has held positions in bank supervision and policy coordination, and from July 2025, he will serve as a councilor in the Comprehensive Policy Bureau. Until August 1, 2026, he served as the councilor overseeing postal savings and insurance supervision.

According to CoinPost, the Financial Services Agency of Japan has announced a partial revision of the "Comprehensive Supervision Guidelines for Major Banks and Others," which will unify the reporting format for cybersecurity incidents across 17 regulatory areas, including cryptocurrency exchange operators.A new "Common Format for Other Cyber Attacks and Related Incidents" has been added, which, along with the existing formats for DDoS attacks and ransomware, constitutes a three-category reporting distinction system. As a transitional measure, non-specific social infrastructure operators may continue to use the old reporting format until the end of March 2027, with the deadline for public comments set for September 7, 2026.

Retail investors in South Korea are shifting their focus from the growth story of asset management companies to market stability issues in the eyes of regulators, surrounding high-leverage trading of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.Since their debut on May 27, the first batch of single-stock leveraged products in South Korea has quickly become one of the most crowded trades in the current semiconductor rally of the Korean stock market. Sixteen single-stock ETFs and two ETNs designed around Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix allow investors to make directional bets of about 2 times on a single stock. The launch of these products coincided with the warming of the AI storage cycle, leading to a surge of retail funds into the market, pushing the total assets of the Korean ETF market to a historical high at one point.Winners on the fee side quickly emerged. Estimated by net asset size and fee rates, these single-stock leveraged ETFs generated nearly 3.7 billion won in management fees after about two months of operation. Samsung Asset Management took the lion's share due to the scale advantage and higher fee rates of its KODEX products, while Future Asset offered lower fees to gain market share. Early data from Korean media has shown that Samsung and Future Asset together account for over 90% of the net assets of such products, with liquidity further concentrating on leading products.However, this fee feast has also come with significant side effects. In mid-July, the South Korean Financial Services Commission stated that the market value and trading volume of single-stock leveraged products rose rapidly after their launch, with the weight of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in KOSPI once reaching 52%. Regulators also pointed out that the volatility of global storage stocks has significantly increased, and the high volatility of individual stocks like SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, combined with product rebalancing trades, could amplify market shocks.Subsequently, South Korean authorities accelerated the tightening of regulations. Starting from July 31, the minimum margin requirement for individual investors investing in such products was raised from 10 million won to 30 million won, and cash was required to meet this requirement, with alternative securities no longer accepted; regulators also suspended the launch of related new products, restricted advertising, and strengthened spread management and investor education.There are signs that trading enthusiasm has cooled. Data from the Korean Exchange shows that after the introduction of new regulations, the daily trading volume of the 16 related single-stock leveraged/inverse ETFs dropped from about 10 to 12 trillion won (peaking at 15 to 20 trillion won) to around 1 trillion won (on August 3-4), and on August 5, it fell to as low as 919.8 billion won (first time below 1 trillion). There has been a slight rebound recently, with the trading volume of the 16 related ETFs at about 7.45 trillion won on July 27.

According to the expected plan compiled by the Korea Digital Convergence Industry Association, the secondary regulations for Security Token Offerings (STO) in South Korea may include: allowing "pooling" issuance of similar types of underlying assets, setting over-the-counter trading limits for general investors, clarifying the licensing conditions and business scope for non-standard securities over-the-counter exchanges, and developing a phased roadmap for the tokenization of standard securities. In addition, the technical and financial requirements for issuer account management institutions are also expected to be included in the regulations.This expected plan is based on publicly available policy directions and industry discussions and is not an official version. Specific standards still need to be determined through legislative announcements, regulatory reviews, and other procedures. Previously, the STO market was primarily focused on single assets; if pooling is allowed, it could promote the issuance of multi-asset composite products such as music copyrights and real estate. The over-the-counter trading limits for general investors are expected to be higher than existing sandbox cases, but the final limits still need to balance investor protection and market liquidity. The status of non-standard securities over-the-counter trading platforms and existing operators, as well as the future path for the tokenization of standard securities (stocks, bonds), will be key focuses moving forward. The industry warns that after the regulations are implemented, the preparation time for related companies' systems and internal controls may be quite urgent.

Punchbowl News reporters posted on the X platform that negotiations in the U.S. Senate regarding the CLARITY Act are affecting the legislative process before the recess. The Democratic leadership continues to push for a delay in the procedural vote on the cryptocurrency regulation bill, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hopes to gain more time for further negotiations.Meanwhile, Republicans are calling for a swift move to a vote. Both sides are still coordinating on the content of the bill and related provisions, and there remains uncertainty about whether the CLARITY Act will enter the voting stage before the Senate recess.

According to the Financial Times in the UK, scammers are exploiting the new EU MiCA regulations to target users who are forced to withdraw assets from unlicensed crypto platforms after the licensing deadline. The fraudsters impersonate regulatory agencies and crypto exchanges to lure users into transferring funds to fake accounts.