Morning Report | Jiangsu Securities Regulatory Bureau: All financing activities conducted domestically under the name of RWA are illegal financial activities; Wintermute: BTC ETF has seen its first net outflow since June, and the market is waiting for the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision
September 15 Market Important Events OverviewCompiled by: ChainCatcher
What important events have occurred in the past 24 hours?
Wintermute: BTC ETF sees first net outflow since June, market awaits Federal Reserve rate hike decision
According to ChainCatcher, Wintermute OTC trader @Jjay_dm reported that the BTC ETF experienced a net outflow of $463 million, marking the first negative value since the low in June, with ARK and Grayscale accounting for a combined outflow of $371 million, while BlackRock remained flat. As a result, BTC fell 4.4% for the week, closing at $76,838, making it the worst-performing asset, while Ethereum dropped 1.5%, and altcoins overall rose by 1%. On a macro level, the U.S. August CPI recorded a month-on-month increase of 0.4% (core 0.3%), higher than the expected 0.2%, and the PPI annual rate reached 5.4%, prompting Goldman Sachs to change its September forecast from "hold steady" to "rate hike," with the market raising the probability of a 25bp hike on Wednesday to 87%. Meanwhile, the situation in the Middle East continues to escalate, with Brent crude oil surpassing $105 per barrel, and the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hitting a 20-year high. Wintermute stated that after the ETF funds turned negative, it prefers a neutral rather than bullish stance on the market. Two key events this week: ① On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate will conduct a procedural vote on the CLARITY Act (Cryptocurrency Market Structure Bill), which requires 60 votes to pass; ② On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will announce its rate hike decision, with the hike itself already priced in, but subsequent hawkish statements (especially signals regarding continued rate hikes in Q1 2027) may pose downward pressure on the cryptocurrency market.
Forward Industries proposes to acquire all shares of SkyAI
According to ChainCatcher, GlobeNewswire reported that Nasdaq-listed Forward Industries (NASDAQ: FWDI), a digital asset treasury company focused on Solana, announced on September 15, 2026, that it has submitted a letter to the board of SkyAI, Inc., proposing to acquire all issued and outstanding common stock of SkyAI. Under the proposal, SkyAI shareholders can choose to receive cash and/or Forward common stock, with each share of SkyAI convertible into the value of 0.306 shares of Forward stock at a fixed exchange ratio. Based on Forward's closing price of $6.95 on September 14, 2026, this proposal corresponds to a price of $2.13 per share of SkyAI, a 50% premium over SkyAI's closing price of $1.42 on that day. The transaction is intended to be conducted through a merger or other tax-efficient combination. Forward Industries Chief Investment Officer Ryan Navi stated that the updated offer reflects confidence in the value creation potential of the merger and requested that the SkyAI board respond by 5 PM Eastern Time on September 25, 2026. The proposal is non-binding and subject to customary conditions such as due diligence, final agreements, regulatory approvals, and SkyAI shareholder approvals, and there is no guarantee that the transaction will occur. The press release also stated that it does not constitute an offer or solicitation.
Strike CEO: Federal Reserve rate hikes or cuts will both drive up inflation
According to ChainCatcher, Bitcoin Magazine disclosed that Strike founder and CEO Jack Mallers stated in an interview with Bitcoin Magazine that the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio has surpassed 120%, and the debate over whether the Federal Reserve should raise or lower rates is irrelevant, as both paths will ultimately lead to inflation. Mallers suggested that investors study Japan, which has had to rely on yield curve control and central planning interventions to maintain monetary stability, and he believes the U.S. is heading toward a similar situation. In his view, Bitcoin is the asset most sensitive to fiat liquidity and is the fastest horse in such an environment. Additionally, Mallers introduced Strike's transformation into a Bitcoin collateral lending business and the significance of building a complete Bitcoin financial stack under a one-stop architecture.
U.S. Senators discuss requiring AI companies to fulfill duty of care
According to ChainCatcher, Reuters reported that U.S. Senate negotiators are discussing legislation requiring artificial intelligence companies to demonstrate that they are taking reasonable precautions to prevent their tools from causing harm. The proposal aims to grant the U.S. Secretary of Commerce the authority to require developers to provide proof of reasonable steps taken to prevent harm, known as the "duty of care," and authorize government auditors to test related products. Reuters was unable to immediately determine what constitutes "reasonable," and the relevant legislation is still under discussion. Even if Congress passes the measure, its prospects of becoming law still face significant obstacles. U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Monday that existing authorities are sufficient to regulate and prosecute tech companies, implying that he would not sign a bill setting new rules for artificial intelligence. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, and Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who is involved in the negotiations, are discussing the proposal. Thune told reporters on Monday that Congress can set guardrails for more significant threats without compromising the U.S.'s leading position in the AI race. Klobuchar stated in a statement that she is continuing to push for bipartisan legislation to oversee the greatest risks posed by AI models, including requiring developers to collaborate with government experts to validate and test models to ensure safety. Senior Democratic member of the Commerce Committee Maria Cantwell is also involved in the discussions. Reuters reported on Friday that negotiators are also discussing whether the government can introduce federal court action if it deems certain AI models unsafe and wishes to prevent their release, allowing companies to challenge that decision in federal court. The part of the measure involving federal courts would also prevent states from enforcing their own laws regarding specific risks associated with AI models.
Key Senate vote on the CLARITY Act imminent, Democrats propose counter-proposal
According to ChainCatcher, Crypto in America reported that the U.S. Senate will conduct a key procedural vote on the CLARITY Act at 2:15 PM on September 15, which requires 60 votes to advance to formal debate. The Republicans have made 126 substantive amendments to the bill at the request of the Democrats, covering ethical provisions, software developer protections, and a "circuit breaker" mechanism for stablecoin deposits, and have designated this as the "final, best, and ultimate" text. The Democrats have proposed a counter-proposal on the eve of the vote, seeking to further tighten limits on large cryptocurrency holdings, blockchain regulatory provisions, and rules regarding conflicts of interest for exchanges. Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House Crypto Council, expressed feeling "very good" about the vote outcome but admitted that the final result depends more on political maneuvering than on the policy itself. Eight major banking groups, including the American Bankers Association, continue to oppose the bill, arguing that existing stablecoin yield provisions have loopholes; the White House Council of Economic Advisers has introduced new tools to counter the banking industry's assertion that stablecoins will lead to deposit outflows.
Former New York Fed President Dudley: Sufficient reasons for rate hikes, may initiate a series of tightening
According to ChainCatcher, former New York Fed President Dudley stated that the current reasons for the Federal Reserve to tighten monetary policy are very sufficient, and the September rate hike may not be a "one-time action," but the beginning of a series of rate hikes. Dudley pointed out that the U.S. inflation rate remains persistently above the Federal Reserve's 2% target, the labor market remains relatively stable, and the core CPI rose 0.3% month-on-month in August, further dispelling market concerns about cooling inflation. In his view, the Federal Reserve is currently significantly deviating from its dual mandate regarding price stability, and there are still further upward risks to inflation in the short term. Dudley expects that the Federal Reserve may provide a median expectation of two cumulative rate hikes of 25 basis points each in the economic projections summary (SEP) to be released in September. He also noted that the probability of the Federal Reserve raising rates again after a single hike in the past few decades has been as high as 85% to 90%, so the market should not view this round of action as "half-hearted." Additionally, Dudley believes that if Waller decisively raises rates, it would help demonstrate his determination to curb inflation and the independence of the Federal Reserve's policy. He warned that Waller should not "outsource" monetary policy to the financial markets, and the future path of interest rates should be determined by the Federal Reserve based on economic data and its own policy judgments, rather than catering to market expectations.
Strike CEO says Bitcoin and AI can give humanity back time
According to ChainCatcher, Strike CEO Jack Mallers stated in the first episode of Bitcoin Magazine's television program that Bitcoin and artificial intelligence can help humanity regain time and reinvest in creativity. He believes that money is essentially an abstract form of human time and energy, and poor-quality money erodes people's time and energy, forcing them to work longer hours to buy homes, go on vacations, or pursue artistic interests; while high-quality money rewards time and energy, Bitcoin and AI can liberate humanity from the "bondage" of poor-quality money. Mallers also cited the Wright brothers as an example, stating that when they invented the airplane, the U.S. was still on the gold standard. Mallers made these remarks as Bitcoin is experiencing its best performance in years. In August, Bitcoin rose about 25%, marking the strongest monthly performance since 2026 and the first August since 2021 to record positive returns, closing at around $78,000. This surge was driven by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expanding long-term bond repurchases, which lowered yields and triggered billions of dollars in short liquidations, with "devaluation trades" once again becoming a market focus, the dollar weakened, and the scale of U.S. Treasury debt also reached $40 trillion. Discussing the U.S. economy, Mallers stated that such a level of debt is unsustainable, and whether rates are raised or lowered is irrelevant, as everything is inflationary and difficult to sustain. Last Friday's data showed that the core CPI in the U.S. rose 0.3% month-on-month in August, higher than expected. The U.S. is deeply mired in an affordability crisis, and the market widely expects the Federal Reserve to raise rates this week to curb inflation.
European Central Bank calls for e-commerce merchants to participate in digital euro pilot, aiming for issuance in 2029
ChainCatcher reports that, according to CoinDesk, the European Central Bank (ECB) called on e-commerce and mobile commerce merchants in the Eurozone on Tuesday to participate in the digital euro pilot program, preparing for the potential issuance of a retail central bank digital currency in 2029. The pilot will test the technology, operational processes, and user experience of the currency's beta version, which, while similar to the digital euro, is not legal tender. The pilot will last for 12 months and is scheduled to start in the second half of 2027, with the final issuance still requiring legislative and management committee decisions. In recent weeks, the ECB has selected 36 banks and payment institutions to participate in the testing phase. The pilot will involve the ECB, the central banks of 19 Eurozone countries, and selected merchants, with central bank staff acting as users to test scenarios such as online and offline transfers between individuals, in-store payments, e-commerce, and mobile commerce payments. ECB President Christine Lagarde stated that the digital euro is essential for maintaining European monetary sovereignty and reducing dependence on dollar-pegged stablecoins. The ECB believes that the proliferation of private dollar stablecoins like Tether's USDT and Circle's USDC poses a threat to European monetary autonomy.
Galaxy CEO: If the Clarity Bill is not passed, the U.S. may not see legislation for a long time
ChainCatcher reports that Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz stated that if the Clarity Bill fails to advance in Tuesday's Senate vote, the U.S. may not achieve cryptocurrency legislation for a long time, or possibly ever. Novogratz warned that further delays could force more of the cryptocurrency industry offshore.
Bessent: If stablecoins harm community banks, CLARITY tools will be used
ChainCatcher reports that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent posted on social media that the CLARITY Bill is crucial for ensuring the U.S. wins the global new technology race. This is also the reason Congress passed the GENIUS Bill, aimed at ensuring the infrastructure for stablecoins, a revolutionary financial technology, is built in the U.S. Bessent stated that ensuring the continued prosperity of the U.S. community banking sector has been a continuous focus since he took office. The government's dual focus on promoting the development of new digital technologies and appropriately adjusting community bank regulations is key to driving U.S. economic growth. The final draft of the CLARITY Bill advances this mission, granting the Treasury Secretary additional powers to act when deposit outflows occur and adversely affect community banks. Bessent stated that if stablecoins harm community banks, he would not hesitate to use these tools to ensure they are adequately protected. Community banks are vital to U.S. economic performance and Main Street growth; economic security is national security, and community banks play an important role in this principle.
Kevin Bass: Anthropic builds an unshuttable regulatory capture machine, calls for Congressional investigation
ChainCatcher reports that X user Kevin Bass stated he has audited the finances of the AI company Anthropic and found shocking results, prompting him to call for a Congressional investigation. Bass stated that Anthropic not only seeks regulatory capture but has built an unshuttable regulatory capture machine, with structural financial incentives making it impossible to shut down its AI doomsday loop. This loop begins with METR, where Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed that a third-party assessment agency evaluate model risks and propose METR. Bass noted that METR financially relies on Anthropic's success, particularly the explosive growth of over $7 billion in Anthropic stock. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz invested this stock into the Good Ventures Foundation, which constitutes a significant portion of the organization's portfolio, with GVF being the overwhelming funder of the entire Anthropic network ecosystem. The stock was valued at $500 million earlier last year and is now worth over $7.7 billion about 16 months later. METR cannot afford to interrupt this growth. Bass pointed out that the same organization funding METR also funds organizations promoting AI doomsday scenarios like the Tarbell Center, which has published articles in The Verge, Science, Los Angeles Times, and others. These organizations all rely on the same funding. Bass stated that METR and others are not independent of Anthropic and cannot provide independent assessments; Congress must investigate.
Eight banking associations: The Clarity Bill's circuit breaker mechanism is not a safeguard
ChainCatcher reports that, according to Crypto In America host Eleanor Terrett, eight banking associations stated in a letter to Senate leaders that the newly added deposit outflow "circuit breaker" in the revised Clarity Bill text is not a safeguard at all, believing that the mechanism would only activate after a significant outflow of deposits has already occurred. The associations called for further tightening of the language related to stablecoin rewards to close what they believe are still potential loopholes that could allow for interest payments on stablecoin balances, with their core demands remaining largely unchanged.
Bernstein: The market may underestimate the progress of the CLARITY Bill
ChainCatcher reports that Frank Chaparro, GSR's content and special projects director, forwarded that Bernstein stated the market may underestimate the progress of the CLARITY Bill. The agency claims that the latest ethical proposal "may already be the best outcome," and the White House's concessions on state attorney general enforcement and cryptocurrency asset divestment may garner enough Democratic support for Tuesday's end debate vote. Some Democrats may be reluctant to appear "anti-crypto" before the midterm elections. The predicted market odds have risen above 30%. Bernstein stated, "Any positive surprise has certainly not been priced in."
Binance announces the launch of the Binance Points rewards program
ChainCatcher reports that Binance announced the launch of the long-term rewards program Binance Points, starting from September 15, 2026, at 00:00 (UTC), eligible users can earn points through daily trading and related tasks. Users can view tasks in the personal center of the Binance App or Rewards Hub; this feature will be rolled out in phases, and there may be a brief delay in displaying it in accounts, and users can also directly access it through the Rewards Hub. After completing tasks, users need to go to the Rewards Hub to claim points. Current tasks cover spot trading, contracts, flash exchanges, P2P/fiat deposits, bStocks, and Square postings, with tasks related to payments, dual currency investments, and academy to be launched gradually. Users who complete 5 or more eligible daily tasks within a week can unlock an additional 5-day weekly reward. Points must be claimed within 14 days of issuance; unclaimed points will expire; tasks reset daily, weekly, or monthly based on type. Points can be redeemed in the Rewards Hub for trading fee rebates, contract experience positions, wealth management experience, VIP upgrades, and merchandise, with more regional rewards to be provided gradually. The thresholds, tiers, and redeemable rewards vary by region, and some tasks are only available to specific regions and eligible users. Binance stated that Binance Points have no intrinsic monetary value, do not constitute financial instruments or tradable assets, cannot be transferred between users, and are subject to regional restrictions; using bots or automated tools to complete tasks may result in account suspension.
Cross-chain bridge Long: Attackers stole 46.79 WETH, no user funds lost
ChainCatcher reports that the custodial cross-chain bridge Long released a post-incident report on the WETH hacking event on September 14. At 07:07 UTC that day, the bridge paid 46.7928 WETH (approximately $118,000) to the attacker's address from the Robinhood Chain vault. No user funds were lost, and the vault has been fully replenished from platform revenue; the bridge has been rebuilt, reinforced, and continues to operate. During the recovery period, some orders were delayed by several hours. The bridge's keeper released assets by reading burn events on Arc through RPC. At that time, the official mainnet endpoint was not online, relying on public RPC. After the backup endpoint exceeded capacity, the main endpoint provided the keeper with forged withdrawal event logs in a short window, which did not exist on Arc. The keeper's protection at that time was against replay and duplicate payments and did not question the data source, thus releasing the WETH. Three other forged withdrawals were fully reverted on-chain during the same period. The forged events entered through the RPC channel, and the contract, keys, and vault were not breached.
Stablecoin company Fin.com completes $20 million seed round funding, with participation from Coinbase Ventures and others
ChainCatcher reports that stablecoin company Fin.com announced the completion of a $20 million seed round funding, led by Expa and Uber co-founder Garrett Camp, with participation from Coinbase Ventures, Tenet Fund, Figure founder, Mesh founder Bam Azizi, Second Sight Ventures, and Gulf and African sovereign and royal family offices. Fin.com was co-founded by Bangladeshi founder Nabeel Alamgir and Pakistani founder Mustafa Dar, aiming to solve the "last mile" problem of stablecoin conversion to local bank accounts or digital wallets, providing white-label payment infrastructure to financial service companies, consumer platforms, and prediction markets. Its client platforms collectively serve over 800 million users. The company focuses on South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East markets, with offices in New York, Las Vegas, Dubai, Dhaka, Bangalore, and Lahore.
Jiangsu Securities Regulatory Bureau: Financing in the name of RWA within the territory is illegal financial activity
ChainCatcher reports that the Jiangsu Securities Regulatory Bureau issued a risk warning stating that recently some institutions and individuals have been hyping the concept of RWA (Real World Asset Tokenization) to attract public investment with phrases like "backed by real assets, guaranteed high returns, low risk, stable appreciation," which may breed risks of illegal fundraising, fraud, money laundering, and other criminal activities. The Jiangsu Securities Regulatory Bureau emphasized that any form of financing in the territory in the name of RWA is illegal financial activity, and without consent or filing, RWA business cannot be conducted abroad, reminding investors to be wary of promotions like "guaranteed high returns" and "risk-free profits."
Data: Bitcoin spot ETF saw a total net inflow of $160 million yesterday, with BlackRock's net inflow of $134 million leading the way
ChainCatcher news, according to SoSoValue data, the total net inflow of Bitcoin spot ETFs is $160 million. The Bitcoin spot ETF with the highest daily net inflow is Blackrock ETF IBIT, with a daily net inflow of $134 million, and the historical total net inflow of IBIT has reached $64.138 billion. Following that is Fidelity ETF FBTC, with a daily net inflow of $53.333 million, and the historical total net inflow of FBTC has reached $10.335 billion. The Bitcoin spot ETF with the highest daily net outflow is Ark Invest and 21Shares' ETF ARKB, with a daily net outflow of $41.9546 million, and the historical total net inflow of ARKB has reached $1.181 billion. As of the time of publication, the total net asset value of Bitcoin spot ETFs is $100.092 billion, with an ETF net asset ratio (market value compared to the total market value of Bitcoin) of 6.3%, and the historical cumulative net inflow has reached $55.315 billion.
Four Pillars: On-chain experiments are largely shutting down, and corporate product stacks are converging
ChainCatcher news, a researcher from the crypto research institution Four Pillars, 100y_eth, stated that many on-chain experiments are shutting down or transforming without proving product-market fit, and this trend is becoming more apparent in 2026. The on-chain market is increasingly polarized, with one side being speculative demand areas such as meme coins, perpetual futures, and prediction markets, while the other side includes stablecoins, RWA, and vaults related to the real economy. As feasible markets narrow to a few categories, companies from different starting points, including Coinbase, Robinhood, MetaMask, and Kalshi, are converging on the same product stack: perpetual futures, prediction markets, meme coins, stablecoins, and RWA. This does not mean the end of on-chain native businesses; new categories can still emerge through experimentation and develop into sustainable markets.
The Wall Street Journal: Federal Reserve's bank monitoring database experienced over 24 hours of downtime last month
ChainCatcher news, according to The Wall Street Journal, insiders say that the Federal Reserve's database used for monitoring banks experienced a failure last month that lasted more than a day. This failure involved the Federal Reserve's National Information Center, which provides bank-related data to regulators. It is reported that the National Information Center database experienced over 24 hours of downtime around August 5. Senator Elizabeth Warren expressed in a letter that this database failure has raised concerns about how staff cuts at the Federal Reserve might affect system maintenance and bank regulatory work.
Farage-backed Stack BTC plans $16 million acquisition of precious metals dealer Direct Bullion
ChainCatcher news, the UK Bitcoin treasury company Stack BTC (STAK) proposed to acquire precious metals dealer Direct Bullion for up to £12 million (approximately $16 million) and plans to use the operating cash flow generated from precious metals sales to support Bitcoin accumulation. The non-binding agreement includes £3 million in cash, approximately £4 million in shares, and £5 million in performance-linked cash payments, with a minimum share issuance price of 6 pence and a lock-up period of four years. Since Stack director Paul Withers controls the seller Direct Bullion, this transaction constitutes a related party transaction and is considered a reverse acquisition, pending due diligence and the signing of a final agreement. Direct Bullion achieved revenue of £52.1 million and a net profit of £2.15 million for the fiscal year ending January 2026. This acquisition will be Stack's first transaction under the strategy of "acquiring profitable businesses to fund Bitcoin purchases." Stack BTC currently holds approximately 68 Bitcoins (about $5.2 million), and its stock price fell 1% on the day the news was announced. Nigel Farage invested £215,000 through his company Thorn In The Side on March 9, holding approximately 6.3% of Stack's shares. Previously, Reform UK received donations of $48.5 million each from crypto billionaires Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo within 24 hours, totaling approximately $97 million, setting a record for political donations in the UK.
Data: Ethereum spot ETF had a total net inflow of $121 million yesterday, with Blackrock ETHA leading with a net inflow of $80.5048 million
ChainCatcher news, according to SoSoValue data, the total net inflow of Ethereum spot ETFs yesterday (Eastern Time September 14) was $121 million. The Ethereum spot ETF with the highest daily net inflow yesterday was Blackrock ETF ETHA, with a daily net inflow of $80.5048 million, and the historical total net inflow of ETHA has reached $13.094 billion. Following that is Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF ETH, with a daily net inflow of $16.2324 million, and the historical total net inflow of ETH has reached $1.933 billion. The Ethereum spot ETF with the highest daily net outflow yesterday was Invesco ETF QETH, with a daily net outflow of $5.4301 million, and the historical total net inflow of QETH has reached $23.1966 million. As of the time of publication, the total net asset value of Ethereum spot ETFs is $16.422 billion, with an ETF net asset ratio (market value compared to the total market value of Ethereum) of 5.23%, and the historical cumulative net inflow has reached $13.511 billion.
Bank of Russia: Lists cryptocurrencies as financial market risks
ChainCatcher news, according to Bits.media, the Bank of Russia has listed cryptocurrencies as financial market risks in its overview of the "Main Directions of Development of the Russian Financial Market in 2027 and 2028-2029," expressing concerns that Russians are increasingly using digital assets such as stablecoins as substitutes for the national currency. The central bank stated that investing in digital currencies carries the risk of total loss, with no responsible parties or guarantees. The central bank also pointed out that cryptocurrencies circulate outside various jurisdictions, reducing the effectiveness of national restrictions and bans, and the lack of unified global regulation creates conditions for the growth of shadow markets. The central bank advocates for criminal liability for unlicensed digital currency circulators and administrative liability for legal market participants who violate regulations.
Castle Labs: On-chain tokenized assets exceed $38 billion
ChainCatcher news, research institution Castle Labs released a report stating that over $38 billion in assets have been tokenized on-chain. Among them, U.S. Treasury bonds exceed $15.9 billion, commodities $4.9 billion, active strategies $3.6 billion, asset-backed credit $2.56 billion, and stocks $2.52 billion. The report cites the Ethereum Layer 2 network Mantle as an example, stating that the Mantle ecosystem currently hosts over $225 million in assets, with over 60% located in the active RWA strategy Mantle Index Four Fund, 21% in syrupUSDT, 15% in Ondo USDY, and 2% in xStocks. Of the RWA value, 96% is in income-generating assets, and xStocks has grown to over $4.4 million since its launch in March. Castle Labs: Listing assets has become relatively easy, but the challenge lies in whether assets can become effective capital once on-chain. Tokenized assets need to be able to trade in deep liquidity, be used as collateral, be composable across venues, and be widely used; otherwise, liquidity fragmentation will worsen. For RWA to achieve widespread adoption, it must provide additional utility compared to traditional finance in terms of accessibility and composability. Early tokenization rewards the ability to bring assets on-chain, while the next phase will reward the ability to make those assets useful.
Bitmine stakes over 5 million ETH, expected annual staking income of $334 million
ChainCatcher news, crypto asset company Bitmine Immersion Technologies announced last week that it increased its holdings by 27,180 ETH, bringing its ETH holdings to over 5.95 million, valued at approximately $15.4 billion, accounting for about 4.9% of the circulating supply of Ethereum. Including cash and other crypto assets, the company's total holdings amount to approximately $15.8 billion. Bitmine stated that over 5.06 million ETH are currently staked, and based on the current yield, it is expected to generate approximately $334 million in annual staking income, with about 85% of its ETH holdings used for staking. In comparison, Grayscale Ethereum Staking ETF (ETHE) has a staking ratio of 84.6%. Since BTC does not generate native staking income, this strategy has advantages over treasury companies holding Bitcoin. On Monday, Bitmine's stock price remained flat at around $25, having risen nearly 38% over the past month. Meanwhile, Michael Saylor's Strategy has not purchased Bitcoin for the second consecutive week, instead repurchasing its STRC preferred shares. From September 8 to 13, Strategy spent $139.3 million to repurchase about 1.42 million shares of STRC, having previously repurchased $176.3 million worth of STRC the week before. As of September 13, Strategy's Bitcoin holdings remained unchanged at 845,050.
USDT involved in $230 million failed oil trade with Polish energy giant
ChainCatcher reports that, according to Cointelegraph, Tether's stablecoin USDT was involved in a failed oil deal with Venezuela, resulting in a loss of approximately $230 million for Polish state-owned energy giant Orlen. The transaction took place at the end of 2023, when Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA began requiring payments in USDT to evade U.S. financial sanctions. In November 2023, Samer Awad, a former executive of Orlen's trading subsidiary Orlen Trading Switzerland, led a procurement of 6 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil from PDVSA. On December 4, Orlen transferred a $230 million advance payment to Dubai seller Hannon International Middle East, which exchanged USDT through multiple cryptocurrency brokers and intermediaries. However, most of the funds went missing during the transfers, and Orlen only received about $29 million worth of crude oil before terminating the contract. The flow of funds showed that Hannon exchanged $40,000 in commission for $80 million in USDT and sent $135 million to Horizon Global, claiming to have only received $85 million in USDT. In January 2024, Hannon employees delivered two USB drives containing $60 million and $50 million in USDT to a broker in Caracas. In January 2025, the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office announced an investigation into the related oil contracts, involving losses of approximately $378 million.
Stablecoin payment startup Velocity completes $10 million Series A extension round at a $200 million valuation, with participation from Visa Ventures and others
ChainCatcher reports that, according to CoinDesk, stablecoin payment startup Velocity announced it has raised a total of $48 million in Series A funding, achieving a valuation of $200 million. The additional $10 million investment in this round came from Visa Ventures, Circle Ventures, Haun Ventures, Ripple, Translink Capital, and Mirana Ventures. Previously, the company completed a $38 million Series A funding round in July. Velocity is headquartered in London, and its platform aims to help payment companies and banks use stablecoins for settlement, liquidity, and cash management without replacing existing systems. CEO Eric Queathem, who previously worked at Worldpay, which processed over $2 trillion in payments annually, believes that capital has been focused on improving consumer-facing experiences for the past 15 years, while the backend settlement layer has been neglected. Visa's involvement is particularly noteworthy, as Velocity does not believe stablecoins will replace credit cards but expects blockchain digital assets to take on more funding and settlement functions beneath the existing payment experience. Queathem anticipates that in the next five years, global enterprises will hold on-chain assets, and partial on-chain enterprise funds will create greater infrastructure demands than merely stablecoin deposits and withdrawals.
XRP Ledger upgrade Batch V1.1 is just one vote away from activation
ChainCatcher reports that the XRP Ledger's Batch V1.1 upgrade is just one vote away from initiating the activation process. The RippleX team has fixed 11 software defects in the latest review. The Batch feature allows users to combine up to eight related transactions into a single operation, ensuring that both parties complete their transfers simultaneously when exchanging tokens, thus avoiding situations where one party pays while the other fails. In Tuesday's snapshot, the upgrade received support from 27 of 35 trusted validators, accounting for about 77%, while the XRP Ledger changes require an 80% support rate. Therefore, currently, one validator's vote can determine success or failure, and obtaining one more vote will start a two-week activation countdown. The support rate must remain above this threshold for 14 days, during which validators can change their votes. Previously, researchers found vulnerabilities in the original Batch proposal, allowing attackers to initiate transactions using others' accounts without authorization under specific conditions; this version was not launched on the mainnet. The new version was released with xrpld 3.3.0 on August 6, and the latest review found 11 issues related to signatures, authorization checks, and server crashes, with one serious vulnerability rated by security firm Common Prefix potentially allowing attackers to reuse user signature permissions to execute unexpected transactions. RippleX stated that the review involved four senior engineers, audits from Halborn and Common Prefix, public security competitions, and automated testing, and that commercial projects using Batch have been signed or are in development.
Meme Popularity Rankings
According to the meme token tracking and analysis platform GMGN, as of September 16, 08:45,
the top five popular ETH tokens in the past 24 hours are: SEND, UNI, MOTO, STOCKER, LINK
the top five popular Solana tokens in the past 24 hours are: PAID, STONK, HUHCAT, biketyson, ELON
the top five popular Base tokens in the past 24 hours are: Basecat, SOL, VVV, cbXRP, LAPTOP
What are some noteworthy articles to read in the past 24 hours?
a16z Crypto: Opposing the CLARITY Act, why could it leave greater risks?
Other on-chain businesses are also developing rapidly. The market value of tokenized assets has exceeded $30 billion, and the application scope is expanding from native crypto products to more traditional assets. The U.S. Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has a depository subsidiary that holds over $114 trillion in securities. DTCC completed its first official transactions of tokenized assets in July and will launch a complete asset tokenization service next month. BlackRock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Goldman Sachs have all been operating digital asset businesses and publicly supporting the act. Bipartisan negotiators have completed the most challenging work. The Senate should finalize this work. For every week that rules are delayed, exchanges can continue to hold Americans' assets without adopting practices that are already common in other regulated markets…
Musk: No problem. I have to go fix some GPUs in Memphis. Host: You need to get them set up and deployed. Musk: I'm going to fight for the machines. Host: Enjoy your Airstream. When I first invited Elon to Starbase, he said, "Come over, you have to see what I'm building." I asked, "Is there a hotel there?" He said, "No, I have a two-bedroom house; you can just stay there." When I got there, I found it was a rundown house next to a swamp. We stood outside, and the mosquitoes kept biting us. I said, "Wow, you could totally afford a better house." He said, "I don't have time; I have to get these rockets up." I thought, you could totally reward yourself with a mobile home now, Elon. Alright, back to work…
How does it feel to be at the forefront of humanity? I like it. Ladies and gentlemen, I like it. The future here is bright, and we are thinking about how to get there. You know, many of us don't have to do it, but I tell you, it's so much fun that you can't stop. So I want to go there, and I want all of you to be there with me, and we will achieve great success together as all of humanity. Meanwhile, we need to encourage them and cheer for them. They are doing extremely important work, and I hope they succeed. I also sincerely hope that we can lower the drama a bit—most importantly, we need all Americans to join us; that's how we win. Ladies and gentlemen, Jensen Huang. Thank you! Brilliant!
Jensen Huang: Because in some very specific areas, AI has already surpassed humans. Autonomous driving is one example. If a car can drive better than a human, then in the field of driving, it is superintelligent. The accident rate of current autonomous driving systems can already achieve one-tenth of that of humans. The same goes for the biological field. Tasks like protein synthesis and virtual screening have reached superintelligent levels. In these specific areas, AI has been able to perform tasks beyond human capabilities. Question: How does it feel to be at the forefront of such technology? Jensen Huang: I love this feeling. The future is bright. Perhaps in the future, many people won't need to work, but I don't want to miss this era. I hope all of us can walk into that future together, and humanity will ultimately succeed together. We need to encourage everyone and reduce unnecessary dramatic debates. Most importantly, we need to ensure that all of America can participate…
Once the feedback is integrated into the client software and specifications, a non-final developer network will be followed up within a month to test extreme consensus scenarios. After these development networks have been running stably for a period of time, the existing long-term testnets (Sepolia, Hoodi) will undergo the Glamsterdam fork. Once they complete the upgrade and remain stable, the next step will be the transition of the Ethereum mainnet to Glamsterdam 🎊. For those who want to track progress in more detail, the best channels are the Ethereum R&D Discord server, All Core Dev conference calls, the Glamsterdam upgrade tracker, or the Glamsterdam development network GitHub repository from EthPandaOps. Platåberget sees 🐻❄️!
Risk warning
Popular articles
