FBI neither confirms nor denies Satoshi Nakamoto; Trump to go to Venezuela if he loses election

Golden Weekly is a weekly blockchain industry summary column launched by Golden Finance, covering the week's key news, mining information, project dynamics, technological progress and other industry dynamics. This article is one of the news weekly, taking you to a glance at the major events in the blockchain industry this week.

Headlines

▌The US FBI "neither confirms nor denies" the records related to Satoshi Nakamoto

Investigative reporter Dave Troy said that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a "Glomar response" to its request for information about Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), that is, "neither confirming nor denying" whether there are relevant records. Troy said that the FBI's response implies that Satoshi Nakamoto is a "third party individual". He plans to appeal this and try to obtain information about Satoshi Nakamoto that the FBI may have. Since the release of the Bitcoin white paper in 2008, the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto has remained a mystery. Although some have speculated that early Bitcoin contributor Hal Finney may be Satoshi Nakamoto, there is no conclusive evidence to date. A similar FOIA request received the same response in 2018, showing that the FBI and CIA are cautious about keeping records of Bitcoin's founder.

▌Trump: Flee to Venezuela if he loses November election

In an interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, US Republican presidential candidate Trump said that if he loses the November election, they may have to "meet in Venezuela." "If something terrible happens in this election, then our next meeting will be in Venezuela, because that will be a much safer meeting place than our country," Trump told Musk. Trump has long claimed that Venezuela is releasing violent criminals from its prisons and sending them to the United States as illegal immigrants, thereby reducing crime in his own country.

▌Wall Street Journal: Musk's team proposed to mobilize 800,000 voters in swing states to vote for Trump

The Wall Street Journal broke the details of American entrepreneur Musk's support for Trump on August 12, saying that Musk's team proposed to mobilize 800,000 voters in swing states to vote for Trump and provide about $160 million (about RMB 1.15 billion) in financial support. According to reports, at weekly meetings, consultants and suppliers of the Super PAC reported to Musk on their latest progress, with the goal of mobilizing 800,000 people in swing states to vote for Trump. According to people familiar with the matter, they proposed a budget of about $160 million (about RMB 1.15 billion) to complete the task, most of which will come from Musk himself, and they also talked about forming a "troop" of more than 6,000 canvassers and other staff.

▌Musk: Willing to play a role in helping cut federal spending in Trump's second term

On Monday evening, local time, former US President Trump had a live conversation with Tesla CEO Elon Musk on the X platform. Musk proposed that he was willing to play a role in helping cut federal spending in Trump's second term, which seemed to indicate that the world's richest man was increasingly integrating himself into American politics. Musk called for the establishment of a government committee to ensure that taxpayers' money was used effectively, and said he was willing to play a role in the process. Musk said, "I'm happy to help on such a committee, and I'm happy if it's established." Trump praised Musk's idea.

▌Elon Musk: US inflation is because of "printing more money"

Elon Musk posted on the X platform that US inflation is because of "printing more money", spending more money than earning money, and to solve inflation, the US government must reduce wasteful spending.

Policy

▌The Central Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance discuss the creation of a "Russian Crypto Exchange"

On August 16, according to Cryptonews, as Russia continues to turn to crypto assets, ministers in Moscow and the country's central bank are discussing plans to create a "Russian Crypto Exchange." Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov held talks with the central bank on a proposal to "establish a legal cryptocurrency exchange in Russia." Siluanov said the two sides have not yet agreed on a "solution" acceptable to both sides. But he claimed that a breakthrough may be coming and that relevant legislation "may be ready to be submitted to the State Duma at the autumn session." Siluanov pointed out that existing Russian cryptocurrency exchanges are still operating in the "gray area" of regulation, but Russia's recent legislative efforts in cryptocurrency regulation are "significant progress."

▌Ripple Chief Legal Officer: Expected US SEC to Appeal XRP Case

Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty talked about the possibility of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) appealing the final ruling of Ripple's XRP case in an interview on Thursday. "If the US SEC is a rational actor, they should get out of this case," Alderoty said. He emphasized the court's conclusion that "there are no victims here, no one has suffered any losses in this case, and there are no allegations of fraud." He emphasized: "There is nothing in this case that advances the core mission of the US SEC." However, Ripple's chief legal officer expressed doubts about the rationality of securities regulators, noting: "But we all know that when it comes to cryptocurrencies, the SEC has proven itself to be irrational." He added: "In our case, the court criticized the SEC for engaging in litigation games and strategies rather than faithfully applying the law." Coinbase executive: Canada needs to overhaul cryptocurrency regulations Coinbase Canada Director Lucas Matheson attended the Blockchain Futurists Conference on August 13 to discuss the status of digital asset regulation in Canada and promote the newly expanded Stand With Crypto program. Matheson believes that although Canada's regulatory framework is already sound, the country still needs to modernize crypto regulation. Matheson pointed out that 85% of countries will adopt a comprehensive digital asset regulatory framework next year, and emphasized the importance of public dialogue in educating government officials about the importance of cryptocurrencies. Coinbase's Canadian director summarized the long-term goals of Stand With Crypto's advocacy: "Frankly, Canada has a lot of work to do in changing the law, and the goal is to change the law in Canada so that we can increase economic freedom and update Canada's financial system." Matheson ended his speech by instructing the audience to sign up to join the advocacy group.

▌The U.S. SEC charges NovaTech and its principals with $650 million in cryptocurrency fraud

According to the official announcement, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged NovaTech and its principals and promoters with $650 million in cryptocurrency fraud.

▌The U.S. SEC sent letters to venture capital funds such as a16z and USV on Uniswap issues

According to market news, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sent letters to venture capital funds such as a16z and USV on Uniswap issues.

Blockchain Applications

▌Tether CEO predicts that brain-computer interface technology will become a mainstream consumer product in the next 20 years

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino predicts that brain-computer interface (BCI) technology will become a mainstream consumer product in the next 20 years. This prediction is based on the latest breakthrough of Blackrock Neurotech, which helped an ALS patient regain the ability to speak through a brain implant device. Ardoino believes that BCI technology has the potential to provide solutions for patients with paralysis and neurological diseases, and may give rise to "Human Sapiens^3" humans with advanced computing power and AI access. At the same time, he emphasized that this technology must be open, secure, and respect privacy. Tether's development is part of its EVO strategy to promote the improvement of human capabilities in the future.

▌Hyperledger's new lab Zeto launches Ethereum privacy solution

▌Hyperledger's new lab Zeto has launched an open source privacy solution designed to solve privacy issues for enterprises on the Ethereum blockchain. Developed by Kaleido, Zeto uses zero-knowledge proof (ZKP) technology to provide multi-level privacy protection for Ethereum by introducing a token design similar to Bitcoin. This includes privacy features from anonymous senders and receivers to hiding transaction amounts and history. The emergence of Zeto responds to institutional interest in the permissioned version of Ethereum, especially in projects such as DREX, the Brazilian Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) project, where privacy issues have caused project delays. Zeto's unique design is similar to Bitcoin's UTXO model, different from Ethereum's traditional ERC-20 token standard, providing higher privacy protection for enterprise users.

▌Bitdeer plans to issue $150 million convertible bonds for data center expansion

Bitdeer Technologies Group announced that it plans to publicly issue $150 million convertible notes, due on August 15, 2029, to expand its data center and develop ASIC-based mining equipment. It is reported that the annual interest rate of these notes will be 8.5%. Bitdeer said that these notes will be the company's priority unsecured debt unless converted, redeemed or repurchased in advance.

▌Gift card giant Raise cooperates with WalletConnect to launch encrypted payment function

Gift card company giant Raise has cooperated with WalletConnect to add support for multiple mainstream digital wallets, including MetaMask, Phantom and Coinbase Wallet. With this integration, users will be able to use ETH, DOT, BTC and SOL tokens, as well as USDC and USDT stablecoins for in-app payments, with plans to add support for more cryptocurrencies. Founded in 2012, the company has more than 6 million customers and has established direct partnerships with more than 1,000 major retailers. The company has facilitated more than $10 billion in transactions through its consumer applications, exchanges and B2B businesses. Raise also plans to integrate blockchain more deeply into its technology stack and expand its crypto payment options to 30 countries by the end of this year.

▌gm.ai launches GM token airdrop query function

gm.ai, the AI ​​project launched by the founder of Whales Market, has launched the GM token airdrop query function. The project invites users participating in the pre-sale to submit their Solana wallet address to view their personal token allocation.

Cryptocurrency

▌4,844 Meme coins have been created on the TRON network since the launch of SunPump

According to Lookonchain monitoring, 4,844 Meme coins have been created on the TRON network since the launch of SunPump, bringing in 1.84 million TRX (US$246,600).

▌Bernstein: If Trump wins the US election, it will be good for the crypto market, while Harris's victory will be bad

Berstein, a brokerage firm, said in a recent research report that if Trump wins the US election in November, it will be good for the cryptocurrency market, while Harris's victory will be bad for the market. The report noted that Bitcoin weakened after Polymarket odds and polls turned in favor of Harris, and it is expected to remain range-bound until the election becomes clear. Trump, for his part, has been outspoken about his crypto policy and has engaged with companies in the industry, bitcoin miners and the broader community, promising favorable support for bitcoin and crypto innovation in policy and even mentioning the possibility of establishing a national bitcoin reserve. Coinbase Begins Crypto Services in Hawaii Crypto exchange Coinbase has begun offering crypto services in Hawaii, where residents can now buy, sell and manage their cryptocurrencies on Coinbase, in addition to using the exchange to pledge assets and conduct international fund transfers.

▌FRIEND held by Huang Licheng has a floating loss of $15 million

According to Lookonchain monitoring, Huang Licheng is still continuing to purchase FRIEND. His current holdings are worth about $1.5 million, with a total purchase cost of $16.5 million, and a floating loss of $15 million.

Important economic dynamics

▌Blackstone: Seeing signs of a slowdown in the U.S. economy, the Fed's rate cut will "soften the blow"

The U.S. economy has been resilient, but now there are signs of a slowdown, with signs of weakness in the consumer sector being particularly evident, said the Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone Group. As inflation, including for rental housing, falls, the Fed can help the economy by cutting interest rates. As the economy continues to slow, this gives the Fed room to cut interest rates, hoping to soften the blow to the economy. Blackstone has particular concerns about the office real estate market, where problems are "more fundamental" than other real estate markets.

▌Bank of America CEO: The Fed should cut interest rates as soon as possible, and inflation has already fallen

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said in an interview that the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates as soon as possible as the economy slows and consumers tighten spending. Brian Moynihan said: The economy is slowing down, so we have to be careful because we have won in curbing inflation, and the inflation rate has fallen. Although it has not fallen to the level that people hope, we must be careful not to try to do it too perfectly and bring us into a recession. The executive said that analysts at Bank of America do not predict a recession this year. Brian Moynihan added: They tell people that interest rates may not rise, but if they don't start cutting interest rates relatively quickly, it may hit the confidence of American consumers.

▌Former Bank of Japan Director: Bank of Japan cannot raise interest rates again this year

Former Bank of Japan Director Makoto Sakurai said that the Bank of Japan cannot raise interest rates again this year, and it is uncertain whether it will raise interest rates again before March next year.

▌Federal Reserve Chairman Bostic: Rate cuts are coming, and I hope to see more data

Federal Reserve Chairman Bostic said that the U.S. economy is expected to normalize in the coming months; rate cuts are coming, and he hopes to see more data; recent inflation data has strengthened confidence that inflation will return to 2%; if the economy develops as expected, interest rates will be cut before the end of the year; inflation is at an inflection point close to the target; he does not want the labor market to turn from hot to cold; economic recession is not within his expectations.

▌View: CPI may stimulate the Fed to cut interest rates by 50 basis points in September

Ahead of the release of July Consumer Price Index (CPI) data later on Wednesday, bullish bets in the world's largest bond market have re-emerged, meaning traders are preparing for further gains as they expect CPI data to show that price pressures continue to decline. Investors betting on further gains in the U.S. Treasury market are watching the upcoming U.S. inflation data, hoping that the data will further confirm the Fed's case for accelerating the pace of rate cuts. Traders are divided on whether the Fed will cut interest rates by 25 basis points or 50 basis points in September, with swaps showing that the market expects the Fed to cut interest rates by 36 basis points in September. Overall, they expect the Fed to cut interest rates by about 1 percentage point in the rest of 2024.

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