According to Odaily, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has released its quarterly report, highlighting substantial growth in the region's ETF market. The report indicates a 34% year-on-year increase in the total market value of ETFs, with a net capital inflow of HKD 6.3 billion during the quarter. Additionally, assets managed by funds registered in Hong Kong rose by 29.5% year-on-year to HKD 1.67 trillion, with a net inflow of approximately HKD 34 billion recorded in the same period. The number of licensed asset management companies increased by 24% year-on-year, while the number of open-ended fund companies surged by 132.6%. The SFC also noted a rise in license applications from institutions and individuals, with year-on-year increases of 56% and 23%, respectively. The commission is currently reviewing license applications from 15 virtual asset trading platforms, with 11 considered likely to receive licenses. It is anticipated that several of these platforms will be licensed within the year through an expedited process. Since the launch of Asia's first virtual asset spot ETFs in April, listed in Hong Kong, their market value has increased by over 70%, and the average daily trading volume has doubled by the end of November. In August, the Ensemble project sandbox was officially launched. Concurrently, the SFC, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), is spearheading tokenization initiatives to establish and expand the tokenization market in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the SFC is conducting on-site inspections of several virtual asset trading platforms considered for licensing, focusing on their client asset protection measures, 'know your customer' processes, and cybersecurity requirements. During the quarter, the SFC added ten entities to its list of suspicious virtual asset trading platforms, warning the public about potential fraud and unlicensed activities related to virtual assets, as well as a suspicious investment product.

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) of Hong Kong released its Quarterly Report. The report shows that the Hong Kong ETF market continues to grow, with the total market value of ETFs increasing by 34% year-on-year, and a net inflow of HK$6.3 billion was recorded during the quarter. The assets managed by funds registered in Hong Kong increased by 29.5% year-on-year to HK$1.67 trillion, and continued to record a net inflow of approximately HK$34 billion during the quarter. The number of licensed asset management companies increased by 24% year-on-year, and the number of open-ended fund companies also increased sharply by 132.6% year-on-year. At the same time, the number of institutional and individual license applications received by the Hong Kong SFC during the quarter increased, up 56% and 23% year-on-year respectively. The Hong Kong SFC is reviewing the license applications of 15 virtual asset trading platforms (11 of which are deemed licensees), and is expected to issue licenses to several deemed licensed operators under the expedited licensing procedure this year. The first Asian virtual asset spot ETFs listed in Hong Kong have seen their market capitalisation rise by more than 70% and their average daily turnover doubled between their launch in April and the end of November. In August, the Ensemble Project Sandbox was officially launched. Meanwhile, the SFC and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) are jointly leading the tokenisation initiative for the asset management industry to build and expand the tokenisation market in Hong Kong. In addition, the SFC is reviewing the licence applications of 15 virtual asset trading platforms, 11 of which are licensed by circulation. During the quarter, on-site inspections were conducted on several virtual asset trading platform applicants deemed to have been licensed, focusing on their customer asset safeguards, KYC processes and cybersecurity requirements. During the quarter, the SFC placed ten entities on the Suspicious Virtual Asset Trading Platforms Warning List to alert the public to suspected fraud and unlicensed activities related to virtual assets, and also warned the public to beware of a suspicious investment product.

Binance founder CZ posted on X platform: “One live demonstration is better than 1,000 recommendations. Many people try to recommend their projects to me at conferences, and usually take selfies with me. But this doesn’t work. I’m not smart enough to understand a project in a few seconds. Business cards are useful to me. It’s easy for me to pass it to my team, which is easier than asking for my contact information.”

According to Odaily, the Kyrgyzstan Parliament has approved a draft law in its first reading, establishing the framework and legal status for the digital som. Once fully implemented, the digital som will serve as the national currency of Kyrgyzstan and be recognized as legal tender throughout the country. The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan will oversee its issuance, accounting, and distribution through a centralized platform, granting the country's central bank exclusive rights to issue this currency. The prototype testing of the digital som is scheduled to begin in early 2025, with full integration into the country's financial ecosystem expected by January 2027. This development marks a significant step towards modernizing Kyrgyzstan's monetary system and aligning it with global trends in digital currencies. The introduction of the digital som aims to enhance the efficiency and security of financial transactions within the nation, providing a robust framework for future economic growth and stability.

According to Odaily, early Bitcoin investor Roger Ver, also known as 'Bitcoin Jesus,' has expressed concerns that collaborative actions by U.S. intelligence agencies and institutional participants have undermined the initial hope for Bitcoin as an alternative to fiat currency. In a recent interview, Ver alleged that these agencies deliberately sabotaged Bitcoin's potential as a widespread peer-to-peer (P2P) payment method. He claimed that they manipulated online forums like bitcointalk.org and the Bitcoin subreddit r/bitcoin through censorship and propaganda, steering them away from their decentralized origins. Ver highlighted that moderators linked to U.S. intelligence agencies attempted to suppress discussions about expanding Bitcoin's global usage, instead pushing it towards becoming a speculative asset. According to Ver, this was a coordinated effort aimed at controlling and limiting Bitcoin's potential to disrupt the traditional financial system. He argued that Bitcoin does not represent economic freedom, especially when held on centralized exchanges (CEX), which offer less privacy than traditional banks. When questioned about whether he believes Bitcoin was created by U.S. intelligence agencies, Ver stated that while Bitcoin may not have been initially designed this way, it has been 'hijacked' by these agencies and turned into a 'financial trap.' He cited El Salvador as an example, noting that despite widespread enthusiasm for Bitcoin, it is primarily used through custodial accounts. This allows the government to monitor every transaction and freeze accounts at will. 'This is the opposite of economic freedom. It is government control over the economy,' Ver remarked.

Early Bitcoin investor Roger Ver, also known as "Bitcoin Jesus," said that the combined actions of U.S. intelligence agencies and institutional players undermined early hopes for Bitcoin as an alternative to fiat currencies. Ver said in a recent interview that U.S. intelligence agencies deliberately undermined Bitcoin's potential as a widespread peer-to-peer (P2P) payment method. They manipulated online forums such as bitcointalk.org and the Bitcoin subreddit r/bitcoin through censorship and propaganda to move it away from its decentralized origins. He pointed out that moderators associated with U.S. intelligence agencies tried to suppress discussions about expanding Bitcoin's global use, pushing it towards a speculative asset. According to Ver, this is a coordinated effort to control and limit Bitcoin's potential to disrupt the traditional financial system. Ver believes that Bitcoin does not represent economic freedom, especially when Bitcoin is held in CEX, which is less private than traditional banks. When asked if he believes Bitcoin is the creation of U.S. intelligence agencies, Ver said that while Bitcoin may not have been designed that way originally, it was "hijacked" by these agencies and turned into a "financial trap." He used El Salvador as an example, noting that despite the general enthusiasm for Bitcoin, escrow accounts are mainly used. That means the government can monitor every transaction and freeze accounts at will. "This is completely contrary to economic freedom. This is government control of the economy," Ver said.

The Kyrgyz parliament approved a draft law in first reading establishing the framework and legal status around the digital som. Once fully implemented, the digital som will serve as Kyrgyzstan's national currency and be recognized as legal tender throughout the country. The National Bank of Kyrgyzstan will oversee its issuance, accounting, and distribution through a centralized platform, granting the country's central bank exclusive rights to issue this currency. Prototype testing of the digital som is scheduled to begin in early 2025, and it is expected to be fully integrated into the country's financial ecosystem by January 2027. (Trend)

Andrew Kang, partner of Mechanism Capital, said in a post on X: “In the past, it was believed that ETH and ETHBTC were overhyped when the ETH ETF was launched, but with Trump’s proceeds from WLFI being used to buy ETH, the nomination of new chairmen of the SEC and CFTC who support ETH/DeFi, and the removal of ETF hype, this token no longer looks so bad.”

OKX market data shows that AAVE rose to 360 USDT and is currently trading at 355.12 USDT, with a 24-hour increase of 33.82%.

Analysis of Aptos crypto with support and resistance levels, which historically influenced its price trajectory, suggested potential uptrend continuation. The support zone at $10.36 played a crucial role in recent months, providing a robust foundation that prevented further declines. As the price ascended, it encountered resistance at $16.74 and $19.21, which coincided with past pricing... source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2024/12/12/can-aptos-crypto-reach-20-after-the-dip-amid-rising-on-chain-activity/

A Florida mother sued Character.AI, claiming its chatbot encouraged her son's suicide, sparking broader concerns. Two Texas families have now filed lawsuits, alleging the app harmed their children through psychological abuse and exposure to sexualised content.

Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk's net worth has officially exceeded $400 billion, setting a new record for the world's richest person according to the Bloomberg report.

Google has several experimental AI assistant projects that do different things, like helping users play video games and conduct in-depth research.

Crypto phishing scams are growing more advanced, using social engineering and malware to exploit social media users. Scam Sniffer reports attackers impersonate crypto influencers and use bots to mimic verification, raising the pressing question: Are scams evolving faster than we can fight them?

Once primarily used for cryptocurrency trading, stablecoins have now become versatile tools for everyday use cases, providing broad utility to the crypto-native ecosystem and TradFi.

Circle and Binance have revealed their strategic partnership during Abu Dhabi Finance Week to promote USDC, a stablecoin jointly owned by Circle and Coinbase.

Riot Platforms completes $525 million note issuance, fully increasing BTC acquisition Golden Finance, these notes are privately issued to institutional investors

Japan is set to launch its first cryptocurrency-backed credit card in 2025, a partnership between Slash Vision Labs and a major Japanese credit card issuer. This development signals Japan's increasing adoption of Web3 technologies and raises the question: Will 2025 be the year cryptocurrencies go mainstream?

What is the power of the Willow chip? How far is it from mass production?

Google says its new quantum chip suggests there are multiple universes, TechCrunch reports.