Author | Wu Blockchain
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Top 10 News This Week
1. US March Unadjusted Core CPI Year-on-Year Rate at 2.8%, Expected 3.00%, Previous Value 3.10% link
US Core CPI is lower than expected, reaching a four-year low. The US March unadjusted core CPI year-on-year rate is 2.8%, declining for the second consecutive month, reaching the lowest level since March 2021, below the market expectation of 3.0%. The US March seasonally adjusted core CPI month-on-month rate is 0.1%, a new low since June 2024, falling short of the market expectation of 0.3%.
2. US Department of Justice Dissolves National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET) link
The US Department of Justice notified staff on Monday evening that the agency will dissolve a department specifically responsible for cryptocurrency-related investigations, namely the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET). Established in 2021 under President Biden's leadership, NCET was a joint special task force composed of prosecutors from the DOJ's money laundering and cybercrime division and lawyers from other regional offices. The US Attorney General instructed DOJ staff to focus on "prosecuting individuals who make digital asset investors victims" rather than prosecuting crypto exchanges, mixing services like Tornado Cash, and offline wallets.
3. US Announces Temporary Tariff Reduction to 10% for Other Countries link
Trump stated on his social media that given over 75 countries have communicated with the US on trade, tariffs, currency manipulation, and other issues, and have not retaliated against the US under US suggestions, the US has authorized a 90-day suspension for these countries and immediately reduced reciprocal tariffs to 10%.
4. Paul Atkins Confirmed as SEC Chairman link
The US Senate confirmed Paul Atkins, nominated by President Donald Trump, as SEC Chairman with a vote of 52 to 44. Atkins stated that establishing a digital asset regulatory framework will be his "top priority". His advisory firm has previously served clients including crypto exchanges and DeFi platforms.
5. Wall Street Confidence in Trump's Economic Policies Sharply Declines link
A recent Forbes survey shows a significant drop in Wall Street elites' support for the Trump administration's economic policies. 72% of top financial leaders believe Trump's economic plan is ineffective, and 66% do not support his economic policies. On tariffs, Trump scored 1.86 out of 5, with 27 respondents giving the lowest score. His stock market score was equally poor at 1.96, with disappointing scores for cryptocurrencies (2.0) and inflation (2.16).
6. Hong Kong SFC: Allows Licensed Virtual Asset Trading Platforms to Provide Staking Services link
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) officially released guidelines for licensed virtual asset trading platforms and approved virtual asset funds regarding staking. For licensed virtual asset trading platforms: they are allowed to provide staking services but must take measures to reduce risks, protect customer assets, and fully disclose staking risks. For SFC-approved virtual asset funds: they are allowed to participate in staking activities, but only through licensed trading platforms and authorized institutions, while adhering to liquidity risk management restrictions.
7. Ukraine Plans 18% Income Tax on Personal Virtual Asset Earnings link
Ukraine's National Securities and Stock Market Committee (NSSMC) released a crypto asset taxation proposal, planning to impose an 18% income tax and 5% military surtax on personal virtual asset earnings, with specific categories eligible for 5%-9% preferential tax rates. Transactions between crypto assets will not be taxed for now. Miner rewards, Staking earnings, airdrops, and other activities will be included in the tax scope, while storage and minting will be exempt from VAT. The proposal has been submitted to parliament for further industry consultation.
8. Pakistan Appoints CZ as Crypto Strategy Advisor link
According to Bitcoin Magazine, Pakistan has appointed former Binance CEO CZ as a cryptocurrency strategy advisor.
CZ also met separately with Pakistan's Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. As the official strategic advisor to Pakistan's cryptocurrency committee, CZ will provide guidance on regulation, infrastructure, education, and adoption. He will work closely with the Pakistani government and private sector to create a compliant, inclusive, and globally competitive crypto ecosystem. CZ stated in the announcement: "Pakistan is a country with 240 million people, over 60% of whom are under 30 years old. The potential here is limitless."
9. Vitalik: Achieving 12-Second Native Asynchronous Communication Between L2 and L1 link
At the third Web3 Scholars Summit in Hong Kong, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin outlined long-term goals, including achieving 12-second native asynchronous communication between L2 and L1. Users can still perform multiple operations through intent mode (such as obtaining lower than 12-second latency or better costs), but liquidity costs will become extremely low. This will significantly enhance the coupling between L2 and L1, promoting more applications to deploy components simultaneously on both layers.
10. Strategy Forced Bitcoin Sale Rumor: Existing Standard Risk Disclosure link
A rumor about Strategy potentially being forced to sell Bitcoin gained widespread attention, claiming that the 8-K form submitted to the SEC on April 7 suggests the company might be forced to sell its Bitcoin holdings to make debt payments if Bitcoin prices continue to fall, breaking the promise never to sell. Upon investigation, this statement is a standard risk disclosure practice, appearing in Q1 2024 10-Q reports and reports from 2023 and earlier, and is not a special circumstance.
Key Financing Events
- Bitcoin life insurance startup Meanwhile completes $40 million Series A funding link
- Blockchain startup Wunder.Social announces completion of $50 million funding link
- Crypto dining app Blackbird completes $50 million Series B funding link
- Plastic Labs announces completion of $5.35 million Pre-Seed funding round link
- Decentralized communication protocol Towns announces completion of $10 million Series B funding link
- Web3 AI project DecentralGPT completes $3 million angel and Series A strategic funding link
- Yield-generating stablecoin protocol Cap completes $11 million funding link
- P2P me completes $2 million seed funding round link
- Codex has raised $15.8 million in a seed funding round led by Dragonfly Capital link
- Blockchain gaming platform Ultra announces completion of $12 million new funding round link
For more industry funding events, please visit crypto-fundraising.info.
