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ChainCatcher live report, the Executive Director of the Intermediaries Division of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, Ye Zhi Heng, delivered a keynote speech titled "ASPIRe in Action Hong Kong's Digital Asset Journey" at the 2026 Hong Kong Web3 Carnival. He reviewed the six major milestones since the Commission launched the ASPIRe roadmap last year, including allowing licensed platforms to provide staking services, conducting joint consultations on virtual asset trading and custody systems, opening up perpetual contracts and margin financing frameworks, and launching plans to strengthen market defenses through technology.He revealed that the draft regulations for the four systems of virtual asset trading, custody, management, and advisory have reached 260 pages, and the draft was received last week. The work for the next 12 months is divided into three major clusters: first, promoting innovation through regulation, advancing legislative and regulatory guideline consultations; second, promoting innovation through practice, gradually allowing tokenized authorized funds to trade on licensed platforms; third, promoting innovation through interaction, advancing automated reporting, signing international bilateral memorandums, and combating financial crime frameworks. He emphasized that Hong Kong is "moving steadily forward, fast because of stability."

According to Caixin, the one-month public consultation for the "Financial Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft)" ended today (April 19). This is the first overarching law in China and the world with "finance" in its name. The expansion of "quasi-judicial powers" for financial regulation is a topic of great concern in the market.According to Article 55 and related provisions, financial regulatory authorities have the right to access and copy property rights information, communication records, and transaction records of relevant entities and individuals when investigating financial violations. They can directly freeze or seal assets if there is evidence suggesting the transfer or concealment of illegal funds and securities. They can even decide that individuals suspected of violations cannot leave the country during the investigation.In addition, Zeng Gang, chief expert and director of the Shanghai Financial and Development Laboratory, believes that the "Financial Law" should also strengthen its focus and coverage on emerging financial formats. Topics such as AI-driven financial decision-making, the legal status of digital currencies, and the regulatory boundaries of crypto assets have sparked widespread controversy globally, but the draft addresses them very little. How to maintain a dynamic balance between lawful regulation and inclusive innovation is a problem left to be solved by legislation.

OpenAI stated that during a recent industry-wide security incident, potential security issues were discovered in the third-party development library Axios that they use. After investigation, no evidence was found of user data being accessed, systems being compromised, or software being tampered with.Out of caution, OpenAI has initiated security reinforcement measures, focusing on strengthening the authentication mechanism of the macOS application to prevent malicious parties from distributing counterfeit official applications. OpenAI also reminds all macOS users to update to the latest version of the application as soon as possible, either through in-app updates or official channels, to reduce potential risks.

As the application of AI Agents in cryptocurrency trading rapidly heats up, automated trading is transitioning from "tool-assisted" to "autonomous execution." However, at the same time, a series of security risks are also emerging. Recently, the security agency SlowMist and the exchange Bitget jointly released an AI Agent security report, systematically outlining the potential threats and protective systems for Agent automated trading in the current Web3 scenario.The report combines real cases and security research to analyze the typical security issues faced by AI Agents today, including risks of behavioral manipulation caused by Prompt Injection, supply chain vulnerabilities in plugins and Skill ecosystems, abuse of API Keys and account permissions, as well as potential threats from automated execution leading to operational errors and permission escalation.The report recommends that users effectively control permissions when using AI Agents for trading, by isolating through sub-accounts, setting API IP whitelists, and establishing continuous trading monitoring and anomaly alert mechanisms. Additionally, it suggests introducing manual confirmation or independent signature mechanisms for high-risk operations to prevent model misjudgments from directly affecting asset security. To facilitate users in implementing security measures, the report includes a trading security self-checklist at the end, helping users quickly identify security risks.From an industry development perspective, AI Agents are continuously driving the intelligence of Web3 trading, but the construction of security systems still needs to be upgraded in parallel. Establishing a balance between efficiency and controllability will become an important topic of long-term concern for the industry.

According to Arkham data, at 19:15, 500,000 TRUMP (worth approximately $2.1 million) were transferred from one anonymous address (starting with 96qBQ7...) to another anonymous address (starting with BDNBtN...).

Metaplanet announced the establishment of two subsidiaries: Metaplanet Ventures Inc. and its U.S. subsidiary Metaplanet Asset Management Inc.Metaplanet Ventures will focus on investing in the Japanese Bitcoin ecosystem. In the coming years, the company will invest 4 billion yen to support companies building Bitcoin financial infrastructure in Japan, covering areas such as lending, settlement, custody, stablecoins, derivatives, and compliance. The company will also launch an incubator program for Japanese entrepreneurs, as well as a grant program for open-source developers, educators, and researchers. Japan has established the world's most advanced regulatory framework for digital assets.Metaplanet Asset Management will be established in Miami, positioned as a digital credit and Bitcoin capital markets platform, connecting Asian and Western capital markets. The company plans to develop strategies for yield, equity, credit, and volatility. Specific products will be announced at the appropriate time.As the first investment of Metaplanet Ventures, the company intends to invest up to 400 million yen in JPYC Co., Ltd., Japan's first registered yen stablecoin. Bitcoin trading always involves both Bitcoin and currency. With the participation of institutional investors, the market continues to expand, and currency settlement will gradually transition to digital. JPYC is laying the groundwork for this transformation in Japan.

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 Arkham data, at 21:18, 130 BTC (worth approximately $10.34 million) were transferred from multiple anonymous addresses to an anonymous address (starting with 1KbDEg1t...). Subsequently, that address transferred 130 BTC to Wintermute.

According to official news, ChainCatcher has launched the article AI summary feature, enabling one-click extraction of summaries from long and in-depth content, helping users capture core investment research value in a matter of seconds amidst vast amounts of information.

Liquid Capital (formerly LD Capital) founder Yi Lihua forwarded a message (from BlackRock's 2026 thematic outlook report) pointing out that Ethereum is expected to be a significant beneficiary of asset tokenization, with approximately 65% of tokenized assets currently deployed on the Ethereum network.Yi Lihua stated: "The biggest beneficiaries of the globalization of stablecoins and financial on-chain are ETH, which also represent the largest practical application opportunities in crypto. In the short term, bottom fluctuations are a normal process. Recently, what I have been working hard on every day is to buy more ETH on dips and actively participate in various ETH capital platforms to assist them in expanding capital to increase their ETH holdings. Only through practical efforts and going long can we achieve significant results."

According to official news, Gate founder and CEO Dr. Han, in the latest AMA interview hosted by Gate, systematically elaborated on the evolution direction of the new financial system concerning the asset pricing logic of TradFi, gold, silver, and Bitcoin. Dr. Han stated that the real turning point for the crypto industry is not the market recovery, but the financial boundaries are being redefined, with TradFi becoming the core entry point connecting traditional finance and Web3.He pointed out that as global uncertainty rises, it is driving capital to seek "cross-cycle assets" again. The strengthening of gold and silver is not a short-term market trend, but a result of the restructuring of the global risk pricing system. Bitcoin is transitioning from a speculative asset to a digital asset for allocation, and its next growth phase depends on whether it is included in the mainstream asset allocation system. "Gold, silver, and Bitcoin are essentially responding to the same era's question: how to preserve value in an uncertain world."Dr. Han emphasized that Gate's core strategy is not to chase a particular market cycle, but to create a long-term usable cross-market asset entry point to serve the long-term allocation needs under the new financial cycle.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee published an article interpreting and clarifying seven major misconceptions about the CLARITY Act, which mainly include:It does not deviate from existing securities laws but is based on established securities law principles, clearly defining which digital assets are securities and which are commodities.The act is essentially an investor protection measure, aimed at combating fraud, manipulation, and abuse by establishing clear rules, with the goal of preventing a recurrence of risks similar to those seen with FTX.By clearly delineating the regulatory authority of the SEC and CFTC and establishing a joint advisory committee to coordinate rules, it addresses regulatory gaps while introducing targeted anti-avoidance provisions to reduce arbitrage opportunities.It requires key intermediaries to fulfill anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing obligations and strengthens compliance with sanctions and enforcement authority for the Treasury.It does not allow DeFi to become a conduit for illegal funds, emphasizing "precise strikes against illegal activities," requiring centralized intermediaries interacting with DeFi protocols to implement risk management standards, while also establishing specific rules for intermediaries that are not truly decentralized to protect the code and innovation itself.It clearly protects the self-custody rights of software developers and users, not considering developers who do not control user funds and only publish or maintain code as financial intermediaries, while retaining the ability for regulatory agencies to intervene in response to real risks.The core goal is to strengthen national security, protect investors, and promote compliant innovation under clear rules, rather than being "tailored" for specific industries.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has approved a proposed rule to establish an application process for banks to issue stablecoins through subsidiaries, initiating a 60-day public comment period. This is the first formal rulemaking proposal following the passage of the "GENIUS Act" - the American Stablecoin Innovation Act.