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According to an article in the American Bankers Association (ABA) Journal, experts including the ABA's chief economist point out that the recent research report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) on the issuance of yield from payment stablecoins raises the wrong questions and may mislead policymakers.The CEA report mainly explores "how prohibiting the issuance of yield from payment stablecoins will affect bank lending," concluding that banning yields would only increase bank lending by about $1.2 billion, with minimal impact.However, the ABA believes that the real policy concern is not the consequences of "prohibition," but the risks that may arise from "allowing" the issuance of yield from payment stablecoins: accelerating deposit outflows, allowing yields to stimulate households and businesses to move funds from bank deposits (especially community banks) to stablecoins, which would have a significant impact when the market size expands to $1-2 trillion. ABA analysis shows that loans in Iowa alone could decrease by $4.4 billion to $8.7 billion as a result.Impact on community banks: Deposit outflows will force community banks to replace funding with higher-cost wholesale financing (such as Federal Home Loan Bank advances), raising their funding costs and thereby reducing loans to local households and small businesses. It is not a harmless "reshuffling": The CEA believes that deposits are merely "reshuffled" within the banking system, with overall impact being minimal.However, the ABA points out that deposits flowing from community banks to a few large institutions or stablecoin reserve accounts will harm sectors that rely on relationship-based bank lending. The ABA believes that prohibiting the issuance of yield from payment stablecoins is a prudent protective measure that allows stablecoins to mature as a tool for payment innovation rather than becoming a source of economic risk that substitutes for insured deposits.

The Blockchain Association submitted a letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in response to Citadel's previous call for increased regulation of DeFi.The Blockchain Association stated that DeFi protocol developers do not fall under the category of brokers or exchange operators and should not be included in the regulatory framework designed for traditional financial intermediaries. The organization also urged the SEC to advance an "innovation exemption" mechanism to provide regulatory pilot space for on-chain assets and tokenized securities, pointing out that the comprehensive rule-making process is lengthy, which may delay the implementation of technology and lead to innovation outflow. Previously, Citadel had suggested that the SEC strengthen regulation of DeFi through formal legislative processes.

BTCC Exchange announced a strategic partnership with the Argentine Football Association (AFA), officially becoming the regional partner of the Argentine national team. This cooperation will cover the entire cycle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.BTCC stated that through this partnership, it will deepen its global layout, improve the trading ecosystem, and strengthen user trust, while launching a series of activities for users, including signed jersey giveaways and trading competitions. Founded in 2011, BTCC is one of the oldest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world.

According to Jinshi reports, the China Internet Finance Association has warned that while the OpenClaw intelligent system can enhance work efficiency, its default high system permissions and weak security configurations can easily be exploited by attackers, becoming a breakthrough point for stealing sensitive data or illegally manipulating transactions, posing severe risk challenges to the industry.The China Internet Finance Association advises financial consumers to be extremely cautious when installing OpenClaw on terminals for online banking, securities trading, payments, and other personal financial services. If installation is necessary, it is recommended not to grant operational permissions to financial service systems, to promptly follow up on OpenClaw vulnerability fixes, to strictly control the installation of functional plugins, and not to input sensitive information such as ID numbers, bank card numbers, and payment passwords when not in use. Additionally, such applications continuously call large model interfaces during operation, which may incur high Token costs, so users are advised to pay close attention.

A super political action committee in the cryptocurrency industry named Fellowship PAC made a high-profile announcement last September that it would raise $100 million for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, with reports suggesting a possible connection to Tether. However, as of the latest disclosure documents from the Federal Election Commission, the committee has a reported balance of zero and has not actually raised or spent any funds. A Tether spokesperson stated this week that Tether International has no affiliation or oversight relationship with Fellowship.

According to a report by Hong Kong media Orange News, the President of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association, Chen Zhi-hua, disclosed that the Hong Kong virtual asset industry is facing a sudden "compliance storm." Practitioners in related businesses have reported encountering bewildering regulatory requirements during the application process for virtual asset-related business qualifications. The existing written policy requires an additional 5 hours of Continuing Professional Training (CPT).However, the latest requirements were not issued through formal written documents or public guidelines, but were communicated "quietly" to license upgrade applicants in the form of verbal notifications or individual emails, stating that all responsible officers (RO) for relevant license upgrades, including those who have already obtained upgrade qualifications, must pass a virtual asset regulation exam conducted by a designated single institution. This nearly "invisible" directive undermines the transparency and fairness that regulatory agencies should uphold.Chen Zhi-hua suggested maintaining the original requirement of an additional 5 hours of Continuing Professional Training (CPT) and urged regulatory agencies to immediately suspend the enforcement of exam requirements through invisible policies.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) is urging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to slow down the approval of national bank charters for digital asset companies.The banking industry's lobbying group stated that the OCC needs to ensure that its regulatory and bankruptcy framework can address the risks posed by cryptocurrency and stablecoin companies, and is calling for all parties to exercise patience.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) issued a statement regarding the cryptocurrency industry meeting held at the White House that day. The meeting aimed to advance the legislative process related to cryptocurrency market infrastructure and invited representatives from cryptocurrency companies and traditional banking to participate together.In the statement, the ABA thanked the Trump administration for facilitating this "constructive dialogue" and noted that the meeting acknowledged the traditional banking industry's concerns regarding digital asset legislation. However, the ABA also emphasized that any related legislation must support local credit supply aimed at households and small businesses to maintain the safety and soundness of the financial system.Additionally, the ABA called on congressional senators to close regulatory loopholes that might allow cryptocurrency companies to pay consumers interest or returns on stablecoins, viewing this issue as one of the core differences between traditional banking and the cryptocurrency industry. The banking sector is concerned that such arrangements could exacerbate deposit outflows or force banks to raise deposit rates to compete. Reports indicate that the White House is expected to continue pushing for follow-up consultations to seek a compromise between supporting digital asset innovation and maintaining the traditional financial system.

According to market news, the American Bankers Association has listed "preventing stablecoins from generating yields" as its top lobbying goal for 2026. The association believes that interest-bearing stablecoins could become an alternative to bank deposits, potentially leading to the outflow of trillions of dollars from the traditional banking system, thereby weakening banks' lending capabilities and jeopardizing their core role in the financial system.In response, Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire countered at the Davos Forum that concerns about stablecoin yields affecting bank deposits are "completely absurd," pointing out that yields can enhance user stickiness and that in the future, stablecoins will become a necessary payment system for AI agents to conduct large-scale transactions. Opponents argue that this move aims to protect bank interests, restrict financial technology innovation, and put the dollar at a disadvantage in the competition with China's digital yuan.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) has stated that it will prioritize "curbing interest/yield/reward on payment stablecoins" as a key policy issue in 2026, reflecting concerns about stablecoins becoming alternatives to bank deposits.Bank of America CEO Moynihan warned earlier this month that if the U.S. Congress does not limit interest-bearing stablecoins, up to $6 trillion in deposits could shift away from banks, a figure that represents about 30% to 35% of total deposits in U.S. commercial banks.Moynihan noted that the structure of stablecoins is similar to that of money market mutual funds, which hold reserves in short-term instruments (such as U.S. Treasury securities) rather than being used for bank loans like traditional banks. In this model, funds are detached from the traditional banking system, leading to a shrinking deposit base that banks rely on to support loans to households and businesses.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association stated that the Hong Kong government plans to announce the 2026/2027 fiscal budget, focusing on areas such as virtual assets and investor protection. Hong Kong has completed the initial regulatory infrastructure in the field of virtual assets, and the next focus should shift to the commercialization of applications. By enhancing liquidity in the RWA secondary market, accelerating product approvals, introducing international liquidity, and strengthening practitioner training, Hong Kong can upgrade from a clearly regulated market to a globally recognized virtual asset center with ample liquidity and widespread applications, aligning with the national "14th Five-Year Plan" for financial openness and digital economy strategy.

The Hong Kong securities industry group has expressed objections to the city's proposed regulatory framework for digital asset management, warning that the related reforms could hinder traditional asset management institutions from venturing into the cryptocurrency space.In a submission to regulators on Tuesday, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association opposed a proposed regulatory adjustment that would eliminate the existing "minimum exemption threshold" for Type 9 asset managers. According to a report by local law firm JunHe, under the current framework, institutions holding a Type 9 license (which covers discretionary portfolio and asset management services) are only required to notify regulators without applying for additional license upgrades if they allocate less than 10% of their total fund assets to crypto assets.The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association pointed out that the proposed reform would remove this threshold, meaning that even a 1% exposure to Bitcoin would require obtaining a full virtual asset management license. The industry group stated that this "all or nothing" regulatory approach lacks proportionality and believes that it will still incur significant compliance costs even with limited risk exposure, potentially deterring traditional management institutions from attempting to engage with the crypto asset category.This industry backlash targets a regulatory framework that has already entered the fast lane. In December last year, Hong Kong authorities released a consultation summary report on related reform proposals following a public consultation that began in June. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Securities and Futures Commission have initiated further consultations on introducing a supplementary licensing system for crypto asset trading, advisory, and management services.

The Hong Kong government plans to announce the 2026/2027 Fiscal Budget on February 25, focusing on areas such as virtual assets and investor protection. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association stated that Hong Kong has completed the initial regulatory infrastructure in the virtual asset sector, and the next focus should shift to the commercialization of applications.By enhancing liquidity in the RWA secondary market, accelerating product approvals, introducing international liquidity, and strengthening practitioner training, Hong Kong can upgrade from a clearly regulated market to a globally recognized virtual asset center with abundant liquidity and widespread applications, aligning with the national "14th Five-Year Plan" for financial openness and digital economy strategy.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association submitted a position paper on the implementation of the Crypto Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and CRS revisions in Hong Kong, supporting mandatory registration for RCASP and RFI to align with OECD standards and maintain Hong Kong's status as a financial center. The association recommends providing a simplified or lightweight registration and reporting mechanism for "zero reporting" entities to reduce compliance costs, while also supporting an administrative penalty mechanism to replace criminal liability.In addition, the association supports the "dual reporting" default option for CARF and CRS to reduce system complexity and the risk of underreporting, and calls for the provision of an API reporting interface to meet the automated compliance needs of large crypto institutions.

The 2025 Global AI + Blockchain Autumn Camp, co-hosted by Quack AI and the Imperial College Blockchain Association, with ecological support from BNB Chain, has recently concluded successfully. This autumn camp focused on the practical applications and product implementation of artificial intelligence and blockchain, covering 19 universities from the UK, the US, Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong, China, attracting a total of 57 teams.According to official disclosures, the autumn camp distributed over $114,000 in project funding, committed to providing $1 million in ecological liquidity support for outstanding projects, and three teams received honorary nominations from BNB Chain. This autumn camp adopted a continuous training mechanism from hackathons, project incubation, financing connections to long-term ecological integration, and received sponsorship and support from well-known projects such as Akedo, Unibase, ChainGPT, Aethir, and SpaceAgri.Previously, Quack AI also reached a collaboration with Nanyang Technological University and became the official collaborative project for its graduation design program. Over the past year, Quack AI has made significant progress in co-building with universities.

According to PRNewswire, Bitmine Immersion Technologies, an Ethereum treasury company listed on NYSE American, announced that it will hold its annual shareholder meeting in Las Vegas on January 15, 2026. The meeting will elect 8 directors for a one-year term. Additionally, a proposed amendment to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock, the 2025 comprehensive incentive plan, and special performance compensation arrangements for the executive chairman are also expected to be approved at the annual shareholder meeting.

According to CriptoNoticias, members of the Bolivia Blockchain Association plan to submit a proposal to the president aimed at tokenizing gold and other precious metals on the Ethereum network.The proposal aims to tokenize gold and other precious metals on Ethereum, achieving full traceability from mining to national reserves, in an effort to curb corruption. The proposed model mimics the approach of the Kingdom of Bhutan, which issued a gold token backed by its sovereign reserves on the Solana network in December 2025.

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association officially announced that it has held a meeting with the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, focusing on the development and regulation of the virtual asset industry and new financial products. The meeting primarily interpreted the latest policies, discussed compliance standards and over-the-counter trading regulation, and delved into the application of tokenized securities and the development path of derivatives.At the same time, the meeting also discussed topics such as optimizing the asset transfer process, clarifying the role of market makers, and improving the company upgrade mechanism, aiming to jointly promote the robust development of the industry.