Swiss Crypto Bank Amina Bank Completes DLT Settlement Pilot Test

[TF Securities Under Investigation by CSRC, Subsidiary Obtains Hong Kong Virtual Asset Trading License] TF Securities announced that the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has issued a 'Notice of Investigation.' Due to suspected violations of information disclosure regulations and illegal provision of financing, the CSRC has decided to investigate TF Securities. A non-bank analyst believes that if TF Securities is ultimately subjected to administrative penalties, the company's business operations and financing may be negatively impacted, and liquidity could face pressure. Previously, TF Securities disclosed that its wholly-owned subsidiary, TF International Securities and Futures Limited, had been approved by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) to obtain a Type 3 virtual asset-related license, allowing it to provide virtual asset trading services through an omnibus account arrangement.

[Arthur Hayes Suggests Maelstrom Portfolio Projects Unlock All Tokens as Soon as Possible] Arthur Hayes posted on Platform X, stating that Monad founder Keone Hon provided reasonable explanations for why Maelstrom's portfolio projects have not unlocked all their tokens. Arthur Hayes mentioned that he has suggested to the Maelstrom portfolio project teams to achieve 100% token vesting for both the team and investors as soon as possible, ideally immediately, though this has not yet been adopted. He believes that without natural demand based on usage, token prices could plummet to near zero or recover due to a resurgence in organic product usage. Arthur Hayes hopes that Maelstrom will support projects capable of generating natural user demand and looks forward to Monad potentially proving this point.

[UK Serious Fraud Office Investigates Basis Markets with Involved Amount of Approximately $28 Million] The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is investigating the cryptocurrency scam Basis Markets. The platform raised approximately $28 million at the end of 2021 through NFT sales and cryptocurrency hedge funds. With the assistance of the London Metropolitan Police and West Yorkshire Police, the SFO has arrested two men in their 30s and 40s, accusing them of multiple counts of fraud and money laundering. Investigators are urging informed investors to provide relevant information to assist with the investigation.

[Kazakhstan's National Bank Plans to Invest Up to $300 Million in Crypto Assets] Kazakhstan's National Bank (NBK) is considering investing up to $300 million in crypto assets, with the final amount likely ranging between $50 million and $250 million. NBK Chairman Timur Suleimenov stated that the recent sharp decline in the crypto market has prompted the bank to cautiously enter the market after it stabilizes. The investment funds will come from the central bank's foreign exchange reserves rather than the national fund. Kazakhstan has previously established a national-level crypto fund, Alem Crypto Fund, and completed its first investment in BNB.

[BlackRock Executive Says $2.34 Billion Outflow from IBIT ETF in November is a Normal Phenomenon] Cristiano Castro, BlackRock's Director of Business Development, stated that the $2.34 billion outflow from the IBIT ETF in November was due to prior demand driving the ETF's scale close to $100 billion. He noted that ETFs are flexible and powerful tools designed to help investors allocate capital and manage cash flow. Outflows are a common phenomenon following asset compression, especially for ETFs primarily targeted at retail investors.