nova

Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, stated at the Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting on Thursday that the SEC is developing innovative exemption provisions for tokenized securities, but the scope will be narrower than previously discussed exemption proposals.The Investor Advisory Committee IAC had previously recommended that the SEC should not adopt a comprehensive exemption approach to avoid undermining investor protections, including core mechanisms such as ownership disclosure, intermediary regulation, and order protection. Instead, it suggested targeted reforms through a rule-by-rule approach, which must undergo a public consultation process.SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated at the same meeting that the commission expects to soon discuss innovative exemptions in order to seek to establish a timeline for a long-term regulatory framework. Tokenized securities currently must fully comply with U.S. federal securities laws, and the innovative exemption mechanism aims to allow controlled experiments with more advanced trading models while maintaining necessary investor protections.

According to Cointelegraph, Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), delivered a speech at the SEC Investor Advisory Committee on Thursday, calling for regulators to simplify the disclosure requirements for public companies and to promote innovative exemption mechanisms for tokenized securities.Peirce pointed out that public companies spend a significant amount of resources preparing mandatory disclosure documents, but the related content often fails to effectively enhance the quality of information available to investors, and may instead lead to information obfuscation. She believes that regulators should avoid excessive intervention in the market.On the topic of tokenized securities, Peirce stated that SEC staff are continuing to advance research on potential innovative exemption mechanisms to allow for limited experimental exploration of tokenized securities during the assessment period under the current securities law framework. She also noted that blockchain systems are expected to enable faster settlements and reduce reliance on traditional intermediaries in certain scenarios.

According to the SEC's official website, the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Paul S. Atkins, delivered a speech at the annual meeting of the Investor Advisory Committee, focusing on three main topics.First, to reduce unnecessary information disclosure burdens, advocating for the principle of "minimum effective dose regulation," emphasizing that rules should be centered on materiality and flexibly adjusted according to company size; at the same time, suggesting an extension of the applicability period of the "IPO on-ramp" in the JOBS Act to encourage more small and medium-sized enterprises to go public.Second, opposing the SEC's indirect intervention in corporate governance through "comply or explain" disclosure requirements, arguing that such "shaming regulation" exceeds the SEC's authority, and governance decisions should be made by shareholders and directors themselves.Third, expressing views on the tokenization of equity securities, believing that tokenization helps improve settlement efficiency, reduce settlement risks, and minimize intermediaries, and revealing that the SEC will consider introducing an innovative exemption mechanism to support limited trading of specific tokenized securities and accumulate experience for developing a long-term regulatory framework.

According to the SEC official website, the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Paul S. Atkins, delivered a speech at the annual meeting of the Investor Advisory Committee, focusing on three main topics.First, to reduce unnecessary information disclosure burdens, advocating the principle of "minimum effective dose regulation," emphasizing that rules should be centered on materiality and flexibly adjusted according to company size; at the same time, suggesting extending the applicability period of the "IPO On-Ramp" in the JOBS Act to encourage more small and medium-sized enterprises to go public.Second, opposing the SEC's indirect intervention in corporate governance through "comply or explain" disclosure requirements, arguing that such "shaming regulation" exceeds the SEC's authority, and governance decisions should be made by shareholders and directors themselves.Third, expressing views on the tokenization of equity securities, believing that tokenization helps improve settlement efficiency, reduce settlement risks, and minimize intermediaries, and revealing that the SEC will consider introducing an innovative exemption mechanism to support limited trading of specific tokenized securities and accumulate experience for developing a long-term regulatory framework.

Liquid Capital founder Yi Lihua posted on platform X: "The biggest problem in the crypto industry in recent years is the decline of innovation, which stems from two aspects. First, the previous U.S. government's tightening of crypto policies, which should be resolved with the passage of the recent crypto infrastructure bill. Second, Binance's requirement for projects to adhere to a 1+3 year lock-up mechanism for crypto VCs.I believe Binance's original intention is good, fostering a long-term investment mindset. However, the consequence of this mechanism is that project parties, market makers, and exchanges run away with liquidity first, while VCs face a long unlocking period that leads to zero. VCs originally bore the greatest risks in the primary market, yet they also have to bear the risk of exiting last, which is clearly contrary to traditional investment markets. The result of this is the collective demise of crypto VCs, making it difficult for quality entrepreneurs to secure funding and reducing industry innovation.I suggest giving Zhao Changpeng a better exit mechanism for crypto VCs to activate VC capital, which will benefit industry innovation and also be more favorable for exchanges to list quality assets."

Aurelion (NASDAQ: AURE) announced the arrival of the company's first AI virtual employee, Duncan.Aure, and opened access to its AI Agent Skills. This AI Agent has established a dedicated website and is live on social platforms such as X and Telegram, supporting automated trading and strategy execution for XAU₮ through preset Skills modules.Aurelion stated that Duncan is an important exploration for the company in the direction of digital gold infrastructure. In the future, the company will continue to strengthen the strategic positioning of XAU₮ assets while expanding the execution capabilities of the AI Agent in digital gold trading and asset management scenarios, and exploring innovative scenarios such as XAU₮ Shop, allowing digital gold to have more practical applications.

The CEO of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, Ashley Alder, delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 EU-Asia Financial Services Dialogue organized by the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. She stated that Hong Kong must thoroughly upgrade its market infrastructure, particularly in the areas of financial product segmentation, clearing, and settlement. Distributed ledger technology and the development of tokenization provide a way forward. The true value of tokenization lies in its programmable nature, which can support a wide range of investment products, including bonds, funds, and even gold. As the tokenization ecosystem continues to grow, it is essential to effectively integrate related innovative projects, seamlessly combining market confidence in traditional finance with the efficiency of decentralized finance, further unlocking liquidity.Alder revealed that the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has co-led a working group under the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to combat online scams and has participated in the standard-setting and coordination work in areas such as digital assets by exchanging intelligence with global peers.

The CEO of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, Ashley Alder, delivered a keynote speech at the 2026 EU-Asia Financial Services Dialogue organized by the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. She stated that Hong Kong must thoroughly upgrade its market infrastructure, particularly in the areas of financial product segmentation, clearing, and settlement. Distributed ledger technology and the development of tokenization provide a way forward, with the true value of tokenization lying in its programmable nature, which can support a wide range of investment products, including bonds, funds, and even gold.As the tokenization ecosystem continues to grow, it is essential to effectively integrate related innovative projects, seamlessly combining market confidence in traditional finance with the efficiency of decentralized finance to further unlock liquidity.Alder also revealed that the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has co-led a working group under the Asia-Pacific Regional Committee with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to combat online scams, and has participated in the establishment and coordination of standards in areas such as digital assets through information exchange with global peers.

According to CCTV News, Dong Jin, a representative of the National People's Congress and the director of the Beijing Microchip Blockchain and Edge Computing Research Institute, stated that China's independently developed underlying blockchain technology has been applied in 16 central ministries and 27 central enterprises, achieving positive progress in areas such as taxation, cross-border trade, and global payments.Every year, hundreds of billions of invoices are "run" on the independent blockchain in our country, with over 300,000 enterprises in cross-border trade on the blockchain, and the trade amount reaching trillions of yuan.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Shanghai Municipal Data Bureau, and the National Blockchain Technology Innovation Center of China today jointly signed the "Memorandum of Cooperation on Digitalization of Freight Trade and Finance between Shanghai and Hong Kong" to further promote in-depth cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong in the fields of digital empowerment of freight trade and finance, leveraging Hong Kong's unique advantages as a "super connector" and "super value creator" to facilitate internal and external connectivity, and supporting Shanghai in connecting with the international data ecosystem through Hong Kong.According to the "Memorandum of Cooperation," the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Shanghai Municipal Data Bureau, and the National Innovation Center will jointly research innovative cooperation in digital technology and applications, promoting innovation in the application of digital technology in freight trade, finance, and other fields. The parties will jointly explore the use of digital technology to build a "cross-border platform," carry out cross-border financial cooperation in the Ensemble project, study how to apply electronic bills of lading, and promote integration with commercial data connectivity and CargoX, using freight and trade data to drive trade financing between the two regions.

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan published a Secretary's essay titled "The Mutual Promotion of 'AI+' and 'Finance+'", in which he pointed out that we are currently at a critical juncture of technological innovation. Artificial intelligence is not only a core technology of the future but also a tremendous force that can impact various industries. The innovation of financial services itself further supports the expansion of the real economy, breaking through pain points. Technological innovations such as AI and blockchain are continuously empowering financial services, creating a more efficient and convenient trading system, and opening new channels for different enterprises in trade, fundraising, and risk management activities.

According to the DeFi Education Fund, U.S. Representatives Scott Fitzgerald, Ben Cline, and Zoe Lofgren jointly proposed the "2026 Blockchain Development Innovation Act," aimed at clarifying the applicability of Section 1960 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code regarding "unlicensed money transmission businesses."The bill seeks to clarify that Section 1960 applies only to entities that control customer assets and conduct fund transfers on behalf of customers, and should not extend to blockchain software developers who do not hold user funds. The related proposal states that this move is consistent with the original legislative intent of Congress and the long-standing regulatory interpretation of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, aiming to reduce the risk of improper criminal charges faced by developers.

According to a post by The Block reporter Sarah Wynn, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee's hearing on banking regulators has just begun.Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman stated in her prepared testimony that the central bank is committed to implementing the stablecoin legislation GENIUS and plans to "provide clarity on how digital assets are handled to ensure that the banking system can effectively support digital asset activities."Bowman said, "As regulators, my responsibility is to encourage innovation in a responsible manner, and we must continuously enhance our ability to supervise the risks that innovation may pose to safety and soundness."

According to the official announcement from the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the FCA has selected 4 companies to enter its regulatory sandbox to test stablecoin innovative services in a real environment with safety assurances.The selected 4 companies are Monee Financial Technologies, ReStabilise, Revolut, and VVTX, which stood out from 20 applications. Testing will begin in the first quarter of 2026, focusing on applications such as stablecoin issuance, payments, wholesale settlement, and crypto trading.FCA's Director of Payments and Digital Assets, Matthew Long, stated that this move aims to ensure the credibility of stablecoins in payments and settlements, and the test results will directly impact the final regulatory rules for UK stablecoins to be issued later in 2026.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong warned on Tuesday that the Bank of England's proposed cap on stablecoin holdings could cause the UK to lose its status as a global financial center. He stated, "The UK's stablecoin rules are being finalized, but they may hinder the UK's global competitiveness in the digital economy. The current direction of the rules is counterproductive and will become a barrier to innovation."The Bank of England proposed last year to set the cap on individual stablecoin holdings at $26,350 (£20,000) and the cap for businesses at $12.7 million (£10 million), requiring 40% of reserves to be held in non-interest-bearing central bank accounts. UK lawmakers also warned that this plan would "hinder innovation, limit adoption, and push activity overseas."

The official website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published a speech by Chairman Paul Atkins at the ETHDenver conference, outlining the agency's direction on cryptocurrency regulation, which mainly includes:Clarifying the "investment contract" framework: The Commission will study and publish a framework that clarifies under what circumstances crypto assets constitute investment contracts, as well as their formation and termination mechanisms.Innovation exemptions: Considering the establishment of innovation exemptions that allow for pilot trading of certain tokenized securities under restricted conditions, including limited trading on new platforms such as automated market makers, to accumulate experience for a long-term regulatory framework.Advancement of rules and guidance: Plans to initiate or advance rulemaking on topics such as financing pathways for crypto assets, broker-dealer custody for non-securities crypto assets (including payment stablecoins), and modernization of transfer agent rules; and continue to provide clarity for non-registration scenarios such as wallets and user interfaces through no-action letters and exemption orders.Regulatory philosophy: Paul Atkins emphasized that regulators should not react to short-term price fluctuations. The responsibility of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is to ensure adequate information disclosure and clear rules, allowing market participants to make decisions in a transparent environment, rather than "supporting prices."

According to CoinDesk, at the Consensus Hong Kong conference, Sui executives Stephen Mackintosh and Evan Cheng stated that 2025 will be a "watershed year" for institutional crypto adoption, as the introduction of the "Genius Act" has significantly increased institutions' understanding and demand for crypto assets.Mackintosh pointed out that the surge in Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) tools, the successful issuance of spot Bitcoin ETFs, and the entry of large trading firms like Citadel and Jane Street all indicate that institutions are accelerating their investments in crypto infrastructure and talent. He noted that even though market sentiment may weaken temporarily, options trading volume has reached record levels, and the structural growth trend remains unchanged, stating that "institutional demand has never been stronger."Cheng emphasized that traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) will move towards integration rather than competition in the future. He pointed out that traditional products often have a "T+1" or longer settlement period, while DeFi offers "T+0" instant settlement, providing a clear efficiency advantage. Through asset tokenization, investors can immediately engage in collateralized lending after acquiring assets, thereby layering DeFi strategies on top of traditional exposures.Both executives also stated that tokenization and "agentic commerce" (AI-driven on-chain transactions) will become key focus areas in the next phase.

Web3 entertainment company YOAKE announced the completion of a $3.2 million strategic funding round, with participation from Sony Innovation Fund. The new funds will be used to accelerate the expansion of on-chain entertainment scenarios on Soneium, a blockchain network under Sony. To date, the company's total funding has reached $4.45 million.