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According to five sources familiar with the Bank of Japan's thinking, it is unlikely that the Bank of Japan will raise interest rates next week. The diminishing hope for a quick end to the Middle East conflict has left Japan's economic and price outlook still full of uncertainty. Although the final decision still carries some uncertainty and will depend on the progress of peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, the aforementioned sources stated that the central bank is inclined to maintain the status quo this month to allow more time to assess the impact of this conflict.One source said, "Given the current level of uncertainty, the Bank of Japan may consider it feasible to maintain the status quo this month." Another source expressed the same view. A third source stated that the Bank of Japan is unlikely to raise interest rates because the market has already fully priced in the possibility of no rate hike this month. These sources indicated that even if the Bank of Japan keeps interest rates unchanged next week, given the escalating inflationary pressures, the bank is likely to signal its readiness to raise rates as early as June.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has announced a new regulatory framework that allows tokenized investment products approved by the Commission to be traded in the secondary market, in order to promote the development of digital asset trading activities in Hong Kong.The new guidelines primarily facilitate the secondary market trading of tokenized open-ended funds on licensed virtual asset trading platforms and will consider allowing over-the-counter trading arrangements on a case-by-case basis. As of March 2026, there are already 13 tokenized products available to the public in Hong Kong, with the total asset value of tokenized equity management assets increasing to approximately 10.7 billion. The first batch of products is expected to mainly consist of tokenized money market funds. The new measures cover fair pricing, orderly trading, liquidity provision, and information disclosure.

According to official news, B.AI announced a strategic partnership with Biconomy, and both parties will work together to build a financial layer for AI, jointly promoting the development of the digital economy. By integrating Biconomy's high-performance trading infrastructure, validated by millions of users, B.AI will provide a more secure, transparent, and globally accessible financial trading environment for future autonomous agent AI, further solidifying the AI financial value chain in the digital economy era. Committed to providing users with fast and transparent trading infrastructure, both parties aim to create the next-generation financial ecosystem that prioritizes security and global access.

ChainCatcher reported live that HashKey Capital CEO Deng Chao and Sharplink CEO Joseph Chalom jointly attended the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival roundtable discussion, exploring "From Finance to Strategy: How Public Companies Are Positioning Themselves Based on Digital Assets."Chalom, who worked at BlackRock for 20 years, began leading BlackRock's blockchain and digital assets team six years ago, during which he launched Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, raising about $100 billion at its peak. He stated that the choice to establish a digital asset treasury with Ethereum rather than Bitcoin is because Ethereum is a "native productive asset," which can earn nearly 3% returns through staking, while Bitcoin can only be held in anticipation of appreciation. Sharplink has been listed on Nasdaq and has raised billions of dollars to purchase Ethereum since launching its digital asset treasury strategy last June, currently holding approximately 770,000 ETH and earning about 17,000 ETH and over $35 million in rewards for investors through staking.Regarding industry trends, he pointed out that Ethereum is dominating three major use cases: stablecoins (over 60% occur on Ethereum), asset tokenization, and decentralized finance. He specifically warned that currently over 95% of stablecoins are denominated in US dollars, and if stablecoins are to become the payment rail for trillions of transactions in the AI economy, Asian regulators should not allow them to be dominated by the US dollar and US Treasury bonds, as this will trigger a geopolitical competition to advance local stablecoin legislation.Discussing market cycles, he noted that the crypto market has experienced significant pullbacks since last October, with short-term prices being unpredictable, but in the long term, the current risk-reward ratio is at its best level in a long time. He emphasized that digital asset treasuries are not passive investments; Ethereum is a high-volatility asset, and volatility is a characteristic of capital appreciation rather than a defect.

South Korean crypto venture capital firm Hashed Ventures announced that it has secured an investment of 3 billion KRW (2.2 million USD), with participation from Hecto Innovation and Hecto Financial under the Hecto Group. The new funds will be injected into Hashed Ventures' "Hashed Venture Investment Fund No. 3," focusing on supporting new businesses such as digital asset wallets and stablecoin payment settlements.

In response to the recent security incident on the Vercel platform, Jupiter stated that it has not received any notifications or signs of being affected, and its jup.ag frontend does not store any sensitive information.Jupiter has proactively implemented all security measures recommended by Vercel, completed all key rotations, and conducted a comprehensive review of system logs, finding no suspicious activity. Continuous monitoring is currently in place.

ChainCatcher reported live that Du Yu, head of the Wanxiang Blockchain Lab, and He Yi, co-CEO of Binance, attended the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival, engaging in a roundtable discussion titled "Reshaping Boundaries: The Next Decade of Web3, AI, and the Intelligent Economy."Regarding the three major areas of personal focus, He Yi stated that she is currently dividing her time among three sectors: first, the world changes brought about by the approaching AI singularity, contemplating the product and service forms of Binance in the next decade; second, organizational and talent development, as companies need self-sustaining growth capabilities to support development once they reach a certain scale; third, the further integration of crypto and traditional finance, which is actively promoted in both the U.S. and Hong Kong, with the possibility that global foreign exchange may occur on blockchain rather than the SWIFT system in the future, and asset trading will achieve 24/7 uninterrupted global operations like in the crypto space.Regarding the impact of AI on Binance, He Yi clearly stated that Binance does not intend to lay off employees on a large scale to cut costs and improve efficiency like most tech companies. She believes AI makes the strong even stronger, as a programmer using AI to write code can enhance efficiency tenfold. She also shared that an employee was discovered and fired for "taking on multiple jobs" after their efficiency improved due to AI. She stated that Binance's overall approach is to further enhance the organization's output and innovation capabilities rather than reduce costs at the current scale.Regarding the goal of reaching three billion users, He Yi revealed that this year they have upgraded their target from pursuing one billion users to pursuing three billion users. She believes that becoming a company with three billion users means Binance is not just an exchange but a global financial infrastructure, with services aimed at everyday payments and wealth management for ordinary people.On the essence of AI, He Yi stated that there should be no "technological arrogance." No matter how advanced AI is, the most important thing for individuals is how technology serves life. She gave an example of when a bean bag can tell a rural elderly woman that a certain health product is fake and not to buy it, or when a lonely elderly person can chat with someone through AI; this is the value and significance that technology brings to humanity.Regarding the integration of crypto and traditional finance, He Yi pointed out that the internet has already gone through this path. Initially, Silicon Valley's internet had a strong hippie culture, which later diverged into two paths: those who went left pursued absolute freedom in the dark web, while those who went right created Google and Amazon, becoming commercial companies serving the public. Binance will steadfastly move towards serving the public. She also revealed that Binance has launched trading in commodities such as crude oil, gold, and silver, with the platform's commodity trading volume already accounting for a very high proportion of traditional scales. She believes that when labeling oneself to distinguish between Crypto and TradFi, that label is "drawing a line," and one should return to first principles: contributing to financial freedom and equality in the world.Regarding industry maturity and original intentions, He Yi stated that when Wall Street and traditional finance make a 180-degree turn to embrace crypto, it precisely indicates that the industry is becoming increasingly mature, with early-stage dividends diminishing. Entering a mature phase means crossing a chasm, and products must truly have value and be grounded. She quoted a phrase she has been saying since 2017: "We are not starting a business; we are creating history." Binance's slogan has also remained unchanged—"Exchange the World." She emphasized that the impact and transformation of Web3 on finance are real, and even if it only improves financial efficiency a little, it is an incredible innovation. There is no need to pursue perfection in one step; "just make a little progress every day."

ChainCatcher reports live from the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival, where Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin delivered a keynote speech. He defined Ethereum by two core functions: first, as a public bulletin board for applications to publish messages and data; second, as shared digital objects controlled by code, encompassing assets, NFTs, ENS, and DAOs. He emphasized that Ethereum's goal is not to compete with high-frequency trading platforms on speed, but to become the most secure, decentralized, and always-online trusted chain.Regarding the short-term roadmap, he introduced the account abstraction proposal EIP-8141, which natively supports smart contract wallets, quantum-resistant signature algorithms, and privacy protocols; in terms of quantum resistance, there are currently two signature schemes based on hash and lattice, and the team is significantly enhancing their efficiency through EVM vectorization.He revealed that ZKVM is fast enough to prove real-time EVM execution, with this year's goal being to ensure its security, planning to start deployment from a small proportion of the network, aiming to become the primary method of validation by 2028, allowing Ethereum to scale significantly without sacrificing decentralization. In terms of long-term vision, Ethereum is actively utilizing AI to generate mathematical proofs to formalize software security verification, pursuing complete quantum safety and maximum simplicity to ensure platform security does not rely on the continuous existence of any single team.

ChainCatcher reported live that Fan Wenzhong, Executive Director of the Chinese Financial Society and former Chairman of Beijing Financial Holdings Group, delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival. He pointed out that we are currently at a historical turning point similar to the transition from pawnshops to modern banking, where AI is an advanced productive force in the physical world, and Web3 represents a new type of production relationship in the digital world. The integration of the two will give rise to a Decentralized Agent Economy (DAE).He analyzed that AI Agents have execution capabilities but lack independent identity, accounts, and trust mechanisms, while Web3 addresses these pain points through smart contracts, on-chain identities, and programmable currencies; conversely, AI Agents significantly lower the barriers to using Web3. He proposed that DAE has four major characteristics: agent sovereignty and 24/7 operation, high-frequency atomic exchanges, a collaboration mechanism based on technological trust rather than moral or legal frameworks, and the organizational evolution from companies to DAOs and then to Decentralized AI Companies (DACs).He warned that this transformation will impact the labor market, with white-collar workers being replaced before blue-collar workers. AI quantitative funds have already achieved returns far exceeding those of retail investors, and he suggested that the government proactively advance social security reforms. Finally, he recommended that Hong Kong develop a self-controllable high-performance public chain, pilot limited digital persona registrations, attract Web3+AI composite talents, establish a digital finance industry fund, and promote collaborative innovation between the Hong Kong dollar stablecoin and digital renminbi.

ChainCatcher reported live that Li Guoquan, Dean of the Global Fintech Academy, Hong Kong Legislative Council member (Technology and Innovation Sector) Kenneth Lau, Chief Public Mission Officer of Hong Kong Cyberport, Chan Sze Yuen, and Executive Director of the Japan Virtual Currency Exchange Association (JVCEA) & Japan Crypto Asset Business Association, Koji Takeda, attended the HK Web3 Feastival roundtable discussion, focusing on "Balancing Regulation and Innovation to Co-build a Sustainable Asian Digital Financial Ecosystem."Kenneth Lau stated that the legislative process has been significantly advanced, and he hopes to see innovation-driven developments next, exploring how to leave space for new products and business models while improving the regulatory framework. He cited the startup exemption mechanism in U.S. legislation as an example, emphasizing the importance of a nurturing environment for innovation. He also pointed out that the Hong Kong stock market currently does not allow for a market maker system, and the liquidity provision rules in virtual asset trading will be addressed in legislative discussions within the year. Regarding prediction markets, he personally believes that Hong Kong currently does not have the conditions to open them.Chan Sze Yuen introduced that Cyberport launched a pilot subsidy program for blockchain and digital assets last year, with nine projects participating, more than half of which involve RWA tokenization, aiming to promote projects from proof of concept to commercialization. He stated that Cyberport has gathered over 300 Web3 companies from 19 countries and regions, emphasizing that trusted digital identity (KYC/AML compliance) is the foundation for scaling RWA and payment projects, while secondary market liquidity determines whether tokenized assets can become real market products.Koji Takeda revealed that the Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan submitted a new bill to the Diet on April 10, proposing to move the regulation of crypto assets from the Financial Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, which means the government officially recognizes the investment attributes of crypto assets, marking a significant shift. He also pointed out that Japan had previously seen over 200 companies relocate to places like Singapore due to strict regulations, but recently, through adjustments to corporate tax systems and discussions on personal crypto tax reforms, companies are gradually returning.Host Li Guoquan summarized that the various jurisdictions in Asia are not in competition but are part of the same ecosystem. Excessive compliance costs may push quality institutions into gray areas, and how to lower compliance thresholds in regulatory dialogues and promote responsible innovation is a common challenge facing the Asian digital financial ecosystem.

Ethena stated that it has not yet received a satisfactory root cause analysis of the rsETH incident and will extend the temporary suspension period of the OFT bridge. While this may be frustrating, it is a prudent measure to ensure the safe cross-chain transfer of user assets.Ethena has released a new proof of reserves, verified by independent third-party verification agencies (Chainlink, Chaos Labs, LlamaRisk, and Harris & Trotter), confirming that the collateral support ratio for USDe remains above 100%.

The Solana ecosystem DeFi protocol Meteora announcement has noted the latest developments regarding the security incident of the cloud hosting platform Vercel. The environment keys were immediately rotated and logs were checked 12 hours ago, and everything is normal. The official team will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the safety of Meteora and its users.

ChainCatcher reported live that the Deputy Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of Hong Kong, Chan Ho Lam, delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival. He pointed out that Hong Kong has developed into the third global financial center index and the first international financial center in Asia, providing a solid foundation for Web3 innovation.He stated that the digital asset development policy declaration 2.0 released last year proposed the LEAP framework, which covers four pillars: optimizing legal regulation (L), expanding the variety of tokenized products (E), promoting application scenarios and cross-border cooperation (A), and developing talent and partnerships (P).He revealed that there are currently over 10 licensed trading platforms in Hong Kong, and the Monetary Authority has issued the first two stablecoin issuer licenses this month. The SAR government issued the third batch of tokenized green bonds last year, which is the largest scale globally, and is actively formulating regulatory systems for digital asset trading service providers and custodial service providers.

The Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, Paul Chan, delivered the opening speech at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival, stating, "The rise of AI agents this year is another noteworthy milestone. The intersection of AI and technologies like Web3 is changing the game. The combination of the two will elevate transaction efficiency to a new level and cover a broader range of business areas, from finance and trade to wealth management, supply chain operations, and logistics. This combination will create a multitude of new opportunities but will also pose a series of challenges, such as issues related to infrastructure payment and settlement systems and regulatory rules.Hong Kong's policy on Web3 and AI has always been clear, maintaining consistency under the principle of 'one country, two systems.' As an international financial center, Hong Kong embraces innovation, with stablecoins, tokenization, and AI becoming important components of the mainstream future. Hong Kong's regulators have a dual mission of prudent regulation and promoting market development, which requires us to encourage and support more innovative applications, improving our institutional framework based on continuous experience. I firmly believe that Hong Kong will undoubtedly become a key hub for the thriving development, widespread application, and responsible scaling of the new generation of technologies."

Fu Peng, the former chief economist of Northeast Securities, has officially joined the Hong Kong-listed company New Fire Group as the chief economist. New Fire Group has confirmed this news.

Polygon officials stated that they have been actively monitoring the rsETH vulnerability: Polygon Chain, Agglayer, and the entire ecosystem including Katana and Vaultbridge have not been affected by this incident. Polygon has safely transferred over $20 trillion in funds to date and will continue to closely monitor the situation.

According to Jinshi citing CCTV news reports, sources from the United States indicate that based on ship tracking data, as of the afternoon of the 19th British time, no vessel passage records were observed in the Strait of Hormuz on that day.It is reported that on the 18th, at least 13 oil tankers changed course and turned back while attempting to leave the Persian Gulf, abandoning their plans to continue through the strait.

According to CCTV International News citing American media reports, U.S. President Trump said today (April 19) in an interview, "For security reasons, U.S. Vice President Pence will not attend the U.S.-Iran negotiations again."According to Trump, U.S. presidential envoy Hook and Kushner will arrive in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, on the evening of April 20, Eastern Time, to participate in the U.S.-Iran negotiations scheduled for April 21.

Binance co-founder He Yi responded to questions about personal plans and the company's management structure at the BNB Chain event in Hong Kong.Regarding whether he would write a book, He Yi said, "Never say never," but at this stage, he has no desire to express that and is not considering writing a book for now. When discussing how to face challenges, He Yi summarized two points: first, the mutual trust between Binance and its users; second, having great employees is crucial.Regarding changes in the management structure, He Yi pointed out that CZ is the founder and the foundation, but he has currently stepped back from management. The current management structure is led by him and Richard Teng, and they will continue to seek suitable partners globally in the future. On this basis, Binance will focus on applying for more global licenses, with Richard responsible for establishing standards, while He Yi focuses on user growth and service.