communication

According to Bloomberg, Russia's communications regulator Roskomnadzor plans to restrict access to Telegram starting Tuesday. The report cites unnamed sources as saying that measures to slow down access to Telegram have already been implemented.

According to Crowdfund Insider, Aether Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed fintech group, has acquired Coinstack, an institutional-grade cryptocurrency communications and media platform under Alpha Edge Media. The acquisition aims to expand the group's financial content and data business, with Coinstack currently boasting over 340,000 subscribers. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.The company stated that Coinstack will retain its original brand and operate independently while receiving support from Aether's technology, analytical infrastructure, and distribution channels. Coinstack was established in December 2020, serving a global community of professional investors, including hedge funds, venture capital firms, family offices, and participants in the digital asset market, primarily providing insights into Bitcoin, Ethereum, decentralized finance, and broader blockchain market trends.Aether stated that this acquisition strengthens its continuously expanding media and data ecosystem by adding a highly interactive, institution-focused communication channel, complementing the company's existing analytics, research, and content services. Aether CEO Nicolas Lin noted, "Coinstack is a strategically valuable complementary asset under Alpha Edge Media." He particularly emphasized the platform's subscriber scale, engagement metrics, and established brand value, stating that the acquisition will help expand audience reach, deepen content services, and support future data-driven initiatives in digital assets and broader financial markets.After the acquisition is completed, Coinstack will benefit from Aether's technology stack and analytical capabilities, while Alpha Edge Media plans to gradually integrate Coinstack's content and audience insights into its broader platform ecosystem. Alpha Edge Media, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Aether Holdings, operates a network of expert-led financial communications and investor resources covering public markets, digital assets, and alternative investments.

As the Ugandan government cut off nationwide internet access during the presidential elections, the encrypted communication app Bitchat became one of the most downloaded apps locally. The Uganda Communications Commission confirmed that the internet shutdown took effect at 6 PM local time on Tuesday and will continue throughout the election period.Reports indicate that Bitchat relies on Bluetooth Mesh networks to enable encrypted communication without the internet, and it has simultaneously topped the download charts on both the Apple App Store and Google Play in Uganda. Meanwhile, several VPN apps also ranked high in downloads, indicating a significant increase in local demand for information access ahead of the elections.The Ugandan government stated that the internet shutdown aims to prevent the spread of false information during the elections, but opponents argue that this move could restrict the flow of election-related information. The executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission had previously stated that there would be no internet shutdown, but ultimately, the measures were implemented. As of early January, it has been disclosed that over 400,000 users in Uganda have downloaded Bitchat.This marks the third consecutive time Uganda has implemented a nationwide internet shutdown during presidential elections. Similar actions occurred during the elections in 2016 and 2021. Reports also mention that Bitchat has been widely used in various countries under conditions of internet restrictions or sudden disasters in recent years, gradually becoming an alternative communication tool in offline environments.

Gate Group announced that as part of its global brand communication plan, it intends to launch the "Japan-Korea Winter Series Events" in January 2026. This series of events is solely for brand communication and community engagement purposes and does not constitute an invitation or solicitation for any cryptocurrency transactions within Japan. The project will be conducted in phases, hosting a series of offline entertainment travel activities and community events in multiple cities in Japan and Korea.It is reported that relevant activities may invite industry professionals and business partners to participate; however, there will be no promotion, recommendation, or solicitation of any specific cryptocurrency or trading activities during the events. The series of events aims to create opportunities for community interaction and communication in different local contexts, without providing participants with any form of preferential treatment, economic benefits, or incentives related to trading.As the cryptocurrency industry gradually matures, more platforms are beginning to enhance interaction and communication with global users and content creators through offline exchanges and brand activities. The "Japan-Korea Winter Series Events" is one of Gate Group's important initiatives to continuously promote global brand communication and deepen community dialogue.

Investment giant Citadel Securities submitted a 13-page letter to the SEC, suggesting that stricter regulations should be imposed on decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols handling tokenized securities. The DeFi industry responded last Friday with its own letter, stating that Citadel Securities' arguments are "baseless."In a new letter to the SEC co-signed by DeFi Education Fund, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), DigitalChamber, Orca Creative, attorney J.W. Verret, and Uniswap Foundation, it stated: "While we share Citadel Securities' goals regarding investor protection, market order, and the integrity of the national market system, we disagree that achieving these goals always requires registration like traditional SEC intermediaries, nor do we agree that in some cases these requirements cannot be met through well-designed on-chain markets."Citadel Securities believes that DeFi protocols may operate as exchanges or brokers that require registration and regulation. However, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, the SEC's new management has been seeking to provide more policy flexibility for the crypto industry. White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt also posted on social media platform X, stating that his office supports "the necessity of protecting software developers and DeFi."A spokesperson for Citadel Securities commented in an email: "As we detailed in our comment letter, Citadel Securities firmly supports tokenization and other innovations that can solidify the U.S. leadership in digital finance, but that does not mean sacrificing strict investor protection measures, which are what make the U.S. stock market the global gold standard."The DeFi Alliance's response stated that Citadel Securities' letter contains "multiple factual inaccuracies and misleading statements." DeFi Education Fund spokesperson Jennifer Rosenthal stated that the company is protecting its business interests. Rosenthal said, "Citadel Securities questioning the existence of a technology that threatens its business and significant market share is very much in its interest."

Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor posted that restricting passive index investment in Bitcoin at this time would be as inappropriate as restricting investment in oil and oil wells in the 1900s, in communication spectrum and signal towers in the 1980s, or in computing power and data centers in the 2000s.Saylor emphasized that Bitcoin has become the new generation of digital credit and value infrastructure, and hindering institutional passive allocation would be contrary to historical innovation cycles.

The Malaysian Crown Prince's telecom company Bullish Aim announced on Tuesday the launch of RMJDT, a stablecoin pegged to the Malaysian Ringgit, targeting the cross-border payment market in the Asia-Pacific region. RMJDT will be issued on the Layer 1 blockchain Zetrix.Bullish Aim will establish a Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) company and allocate an initial treasury asset of 500 million Ringgit (approximately 121.5 million USD) in Zetrix (ZETRIX) tokens.

Investor Xue Manzi recalled the development history of Binance in a post on platform X. The article mentioned, "In June 2014, CZ met He Yi (then co-founder and marketing director of OKCoin) for the first time at a blockchain sharing session in Shanghai. It is said that the two talked for 10 hours, discussing everything from Bitcoin philosophy to exchange operations. He Yi invited CZ to join OKCoin Global as CTO."In response, CZ commented (in the article), "There are quite a few inaccuracies in the details, but I won't go into all of them. When I first met He Yi, I just said hello and we didn't talk anymore, let alone for 10 hours."

According to the Hong Kong Wen Wei Po, former Bank of Communications Hong Kong executive Ye Zijian announced his candidacy for the 2025 Legislative Council election. He stated that he would propose the establishment of a financial holding company to promote the integration of the banking industry with other financial sectors. His political platform focuses on: fully supporting the development of financial technology, promoting reforms in the payment sector, and clearly pointing out the need for Hong Kong to seize opportunities in several key strategic areas of financial technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), digital currency, and virtual assets, using this as the core driving force for the growth of the entire financial industry.

According to Reuters, Strategy is in communication with the index provider regarding the possibility of being removed from the MSCI index. The company's chairman, Michael Saylor, confirmed in an interview during a Binance event in Dubai, "We are participating in this process."MSCI will make a final decision on January 15. Strategy is currently a component of the MSCI US Index and the MSCI World Index, with a significant portion of its market capitalization linked to benchmark indices through passive investment tools such as ETFs. JPMorgan noted in a report that removal would raise questions about the company's future equity and debt financing costs and capabilities.

At the "Integration, Growth, and New Cycle" themed forum recently hosted by RootData in Dubai, USDD's Communications Director Yvonne Chia delivered a speech on the topic "Is it really possible for yield-bearing stablecoins?" and systematically elaborated on the implementation path for yield-bearing stablecoins.The speech pointed out that traditional stablecoins have long faced the contradiction of "yield and stability cannot coexist." USDD makes it possible for stablecoins to be both stable and yield-bearing through four pillars: building stable sources of income, expanding application scenarios, flexible infrastructure, and full-chain transparency. Among them, sUSDD supports a dual yield mechanism of "holding yield + liquidity provision," and will integrate diverse scenarios such as lending in the future to continuously expand the yield boundaries.On the infrastructure level, USDD has completed the protocol upgrade from 1.0 to 2.0, enabling users to mint autonomously through CDP and introducing a Peg Stability Module (PSM) to enhance volatility resistance. At the same time, a user-verifiable trust system is built through full-chain financial transparency, third-party audits, and real-time data dashboards.

Hong Kong telecommunications company Moon Inc. (HKEX code: 1723) announced the purchase of 7 bitcoins at an average price of $86,233, increasing the company's bitcoin reserves to 42 coins, with an average holding cost of $90,363.

Vitalik Buterin stated that end-to-end encrypted communication is crucial for privacy protection, emphasizing that the next key step in this field is to support permissionless account creation and metadata privacy, and mentioned that Session and SimpleX are advancing in these directions. He donated 128 ETH to each, while pointing out that decentralization, metadata protection, multi-device support, and Sybil/DoS resistance remain challenges that require more developers to improve such privacy communication tools.

USDD Communications Director Yvonne Chia has confirmed her attendance at the forum themed "Integration, Growth, and the New Crypto Cycle," which will be held on December 2 in Dubai, where she will deliver a keynote speech titled "Yield OR Stability: Are Yield-Bearing Stablecoins Truly Possible?" The forum is co-hosted by RootData, ChainCatcher, and Klickl, and is one of the important peripheral events of the "Binance Dubai Blockchain Week 2025."USDD is a decentralized over-collateralized stablecoin pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, featuring excellent stability and transparency, and is committed to promoting the cryptocurrency ecosystem towards a safer, more decentralized, and more stable direction. USDD is compatible with various decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms, providing users with reliable and transparent asset options. As an important industry participant, guests will gather with top builders, investment institutions, trading platforms, and opinion leaders from around the world to engage in in-depth discussions on integration trends, growth strategies, and market opportunities in the new cycle, jointly promoting industry innovation and global collaboration.Event registration: https://luma.com/oxc7fklo

According to Sina Finance, Ren Deqi, Chairman of Bank of Communications, stated that the bank is deeply involved in the construction of the Shanghai Shipping and Trade Digital Platform. First, it promotes cross-border integration, providing e-commerce companies with safer, more efficient, and convenient "one-stop" financial services for cross-border settlement, financing, and foreign exchange risk management, centered around the needs of shipping and trade customers.Second, it promotes digital empowerment, using blockchain technology and artificial intelligence to achieve instant crediting of cross-border remittances, focusing on solving the financing difficulties and high costs faced by small and micro enterprises. Third, it promotes ecological co-construction, forming an efficient and collaborative ecological support system.

Hong Kong telecommunications company Moon Inc. (stock code: 1723) announced the acquisition of 6.12 bitcoins at an average price of $109,800, increasing its bitcoin reserves to 35 coins, with an average cost basis of $91,394.