currency

The Democratic investigators of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs released a report accusing USDT of becoming an important financial conduit for Iran's shadow banking system, and called for the Treasury Department and the Justice Department to investigate whether Tether violated sanctions and banking laws. The report mentioned Tether's relationship with the Trump administration, including business dealings between Tether and Cantor Fitzgerald, controlled by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's family, as well as Bo Hines, the former head of the White House Cryptocurrency Committee, serving as Tether's head of U.S. operations.This report continues the Democratic investigation into the Trump family's cryptocurrency business. In May 2025, Richard Blumenthal launched an investigation into TRUMP, the token holders' dinner, and World Liberty Financial; in June, Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley demanded explanations from MGX and Binance on why they used the Trump family-affiliated stablecoin USD1 to settle a $2 billion investment. In November, the Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee released a report accusing the Trump family of profiting from cryptocurrency businesses such as WLFI and TRUMP, describing regulatory rollbacks, termination of enforcement, and pardons for related individuals as a form of benefit transfer, claiming their cryptocurrency assets were valued at up to $11.6 billion, with related revenues exceeding $800 million in the first half of 2025.In 2026, Ro Khanna investigated reports that members of the UAE royal family spent $500 million to acquire a 49% stake in WLFI, and whether this transaction was related to U.S. policies on AI chips in the UAE;

Spain has confirmed that cryptocurrency assets stored in self-custody wallets do not need to be declared as foreign assets. Cryptocurrency assets held in foreign custodial institutions must be declared if the holding value exceeds 50,000 euros; however, if they are bought on a foreign exchange and sold entirely within the same year, they do not need to be declared.

Nate Geraci, President of ETF Store, expressed that his initial interpretation of the latest notice from the U.S. Treasury regarding 351 exchanges is not as optimistic as some industry insiders. Geraci believes that if the asset portfolio transferred into the ETF significantly differs from the ETF's own investment strategy, it may face issues, especially in cases where the related assets are quickly reduced or completely sold off through physical redemptions.He also pointed out that the Treasury's guidance is not clear regarding the specific applicable boundaries, making it currently difficult to determine which operations may be permitted. Further guidance is expected to be issued in the future.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently updated the relevant content regarding token buybacks in the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section related to cryptocurrencies. The new regulations clearly state that if there is no centralized entity behind the token buyback, then the buyback arrangement typically does not constitute an Investment Contract.

The criminal trial of Aiden Pleterski, who calls himself the "King of Crypto," regarding allegations of cryptocurrency fraud will begin on October 5 in the Ontario Superior Court of Canada. He is accused of raising funds from investors between 2021 and 2022 by making false promises of "smart investments yielding high weekly profits," with the fraud amounting to approximately $30 million. Canadian authorities have filed charges of fraud and money laundering against him in May 2024.According to CBC News, Pleterski failed to obtain a postponement to hire a lawyer and is expected to represent himself in court. The trial is expected to last about four weeks, and if convicted on the fraud charge alone, he could face up to 14 years in prison.In December 2022, several men (some of whom are reportedly victims of the scam) allegedly kidnapped and tortured Pleterski for three days, threatening his and his family's safety, and forcing him to record a video detailing his role in the alleged fraud. Pleterski is one of many high-profile figures in the cryptocurrency industry facing criminal charges during the market downturn in 2022, with executives from the now-bankrupt FTX and Celsius also facing charges in the United States thereafter.

The political action committee (PAC) Defend American Jobs, allied with the cryptocurrency industry and primarily funded by the industry, disclosed in documents submitted to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that it has spent $11.4 million on media advertising to support Republican Jon Husted and oppose Democrat Sherrod Brown in the campaign for the Ohio U.S. Senate seat.This PAC is affiliated with Fairshake, which is supported by Coinbase and Ripple Labs. This advertising expenditure is part of Fairshake's commitment to initially invest $30 million to prevent Brown from returning to the Senate. Brown, a former chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is one of the critical voices in Congress regarding cryptocurrency legislation and policy.In the 2024 Ohio Senate election, the showdown between Brown and Republican Bernie Moreno attracted over $300 million in spending from external groups like Fairshake, with cryptocurrency-related PACs and their affiliates spending about $41 million opposing Brown and supporting Moreno, who ultimately won with 50.2% of the vote. Husted's seat was appointed by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, succeeding JD Vance, who was elected as the Vice President of the United States in 2024.

According to The Block, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has obtained a court order requiring two individuals involved in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme to jointly repay £851,402, with plans to return the funds to the victims.At least 65 investors have collectively lost £1.54 million, and the amount being recovered is approximately half of that.

According to a report by Reuters, if the Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives or the Senate after the midterm elections in November, they are expected to launch investigations into business dealings related to Trump and his family, focusing on the cryptocurrency, prediction markets, and investment businesses involving the Trump family, as well as companies that funded projects for the White House.The report states that controlling either chamber of Congress will give the Democrats more resources for committee investigations and subpoena power, with some investigations potentially starting as early as February next year. The subjects of investigation frequently mentioned by Democratic lawmakers include the venture capital firm 1789 Capital, in which Donald Trump Jr. is involved, as well as cryptocurrency companies related to the Trump family, but a final list of investigations has not yet been established.Additionally, Republican Senator John Curtis has previously called for an investigation into some of Donald Trump Jr.'s business relationships, believing that the commercial activities of the presidential family should be subject to consistent congressional oversight.

According to official news, the cryptocurrency enterprise banking platform Limited announced the completion of a $18.5 million seed round financing, led by Third Prime, North Island Ventures (NIV), The House Fund, and Collab+Currency, with participation from ParaFi Capital, Pharsalus Capital, Digital Currency Group (DCG), 1982 Ventures, Onigiri Capital, and others.It is reported that Limited is a global financial platform aimed at multinational enterprises, integrating local business accounts, Visa cards, payment, treasury and expense management, and cryptocurrency infrastructure. Enterprises can make and receive payments through local channels such as ACH, SEPA, Pix, and SWIFT, and it also supports the receipt and payment of cryptocurrency assets such as BTC, ETH, and USDC.

Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research Department's South Korea stock analyst Chris Cha stated in a report on September 23 that KOSPI has the conditions for a short-term tactical breakout, but the continuous flow of liquidity from South Korean retail investors into the cryptocurrency market will make the index's subsequent upward movement more reliant on foreign capital and local institutions reconfiguring. The report noted that concerns about the Federal Reserve's interest rates have been partially digested by the market, and risk appetite has shifted towards proxy AI themes.The report pointed out that South Korean memory chips provide fundamental support, with fourth-quarter DRAM contract prices expected to grow double digits quarter-on-quarter, and the ramp-up of HBM4 capacity will continue to limit the supply of standard server DRAM. Samsung Electronics' large shareholder returns, continuous buying by institutions, and foreign capital turning into net buying may drive KOSPI towards the resistance zone of 7000 to 7200 points.The report also indicated that the capacity of local South Korean retail investors to absorb has weakened. After Bitcoin returned to $85,000, cryptocurrency trading in South Korea has heated up. According to DefiLlama data cited in the report, Upbit's single-day spot trading volume on June 13 was approximately $770 million, which rose to $1.817 billion on September 22, an increase of about 136%. Based on the total trading volume of $3.27 billion on that day across South Korea's five major trading platforms, Upbit alone accounted for over half. Goldman Sachs believes this will make KOSPI more reliant on foreign and institutional buying in the future, and October is a critical window to test whether foreign capital will continue to increase its investment in South Korean semiconductor and AI assets.

The government of Kazakhstan is promoting the use of associated gas to power cryptocurrency mining, in order to restore the mining industry affected by power restrictions. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree in July requiring the establishment of mechanisms for enterprises to conduct digital mining using associated gas.Daniyar Mubarakov, head of the Blockchain and Digital Mining Association, stated that the total amount of associated gas in Kazakhstan can be converted into 1.2 to 1.3 terawatt-hours of electricity, sufficient to support medium or large data centers or Bitcoin mines in some oil fields. The Ministry of Energy of Kazakhstan estimates that there are up to 60 oil fields in the country producing associated gas. Oil companies can sell waste gas to miners, reducing disposal costs by millions of dollars, while miners can lock in electricity prices for years, reducing dependence on grid power.The government of Kazakhstan is developing a relevant legal framework to clarify the operational rules for enterprises and regulate the market. Gizzat Baitursynov, Deputy Minister of AI and Digital Development of Kazakhstan, stated that this mechanism will increase government tax revenue and improve the environment.

The Deputy Minister of Finance of Russia, Ivan Chebeskov, stated that at least 20 million Russians have invested in cryptocurrency products, holding a total of approximately 3.7 trillion rubles, equivalent to about 44 billion dollars. These assets are mainly used for foreign trade settlements, mining, and trading on overseas exchanges and savings.Russia is allowing qualified and non-qualified investors to hold and trade cryptocurrency assets on regulated domestic exchanges through a regulatory framework, while still prohibiting the use of cryptocurrency assets for everyday payments, and promoting the digital ruble as a payment tool directly regulated by the state.

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.

The West Midlands Police in the UK reported that a young couple was attacked by masked individuals at their residence in Solihull in December 2025 and were forced to transfer a large amount of assets to the criminals' cryptocurrency wallet. The male victim was seriously injured, while the pregnant female victim was threatened with a knife, and the suspects also stole several high-value watches.The police believe this was a premeditated targeted attack, and the UK independent charity "Crimestoppers" is currently offering a reward of up to £10,000 for any information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.

According to Forbes, Bitcoin approached $90,000 earlier this month. Meanwhile, global debt continues to rise, and the "currency depreciation trade" surrounding the decline in purchasing power of fiat currency has become one of the factors driving up assets like Bitcoin and gold.Data from the Institute of International Finance shows that global debt increased by $10 trillion in the first half of this year, surpassing $365 trillion in total. The U.S. debt has exceeded $40 trillion, with annual interest payments rising to $1.27 trillion, surpassing defense and Medicare spending, and only lower than Social Security spending. The institute warns that as benchmark interest rates rise, interest costs will also increase.Nic Puckrin, founder of Coin Bureau and cross-asset analyst, stated that the current environment is favorable for "currency depreciation assets" like Bitcoin and gold, which is part of the reason for Bitcoin's recent rise. The larger the debt of major economies, the more likely it is to suppress real borrowing costs and allow inflation to erode the real value of debt, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of such trades.Analysts from The Kobeissi Letter pointed out that the purchasing power of the dollar has declined by 23% since 2020; if assets only increased by 30% during the same period, investors have essentially just broken even in terms of real purchasing power. The U.S. inflation rate has been above the Federal Reserve's 2% target for 60 consecutive months.

Binance founder Zhao Changpeng stated during the podcast "When Shift Happens" that he remains bullish on Bitcoin but denies having the ability to influence the price of the entire crypto market. Previously, on August 19, when Bitcoin was around the $60,000 range, Zhao Changpeng posted that if one wants their future self to thank today's decisions in two years, immediate action is needed. This post was interpreted by the market as a hint to buy Bitcoin, and in the following days, the crypto market rose by about 20%.Zhao Changpeng responded that he does not have the ability to drive the entire market price. He stated that he has always been bullish on the crypto industry, and almost all of his posts have a bullish tendency, posting 5 to 10 times a day, so it is not surprising that one of his posts coincidentally appeared before positive news.Zhao Changpeng mentioned that about 5 hours after the post was published, Trump gave a relatively positive speech about the crypto industry, mentioning the push for Hyperliquid to enter the U.S. market, but he did not know the content of the speech in advance. He emphasized that if he had any information that could affect the market, he would not post about it. Therefore, the post and the subsequent market rise were merely a coincidence in timing.Regarding the Bitcoin cycle, Zhao Changpeng stated that the crypto market has roughly followed a four-year cycle to date. At that time, some speculated that Bitcoin might bottom out in October, but he believes there is no need to wait until October to express a bullish view.