U.S. CFTC Acting Chairman: Enforcement Division Restructured, Refocused on Combating Fraud

On Feb. 3, LookOnChain monitoring data indicates Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sold 493 ETH over the past 8 hours—valued at approximately $1.16 million.

Feb. 3 — Sources familiar with the matter say Elon Musk plans to merge SpaceX and xAI to combine his growing strategic positions in artificial intelligence (AI) and space exploration. The deal was outlined in a memorandum, with the merged entity valued at an estimated $1.25 trillion: SpaceX at $1 trillion, xAI at $250 billion, and the transaction structured as all-stock. This move deepens the integration of Musk’s various ventures. Back in late 2022, he acquired social media platform Twitter (later rebranded as X) and merged it with xAI in a $330 billion deal. xAI runs the Grok chatbot; the SpaceX-xAI merger will consolidate funding, talent, and computing resources, potentially helping Musk realize his vision of space-based data centers to power complex AI computations. Reuters previously reported, citing insiders, that Musk is pushing for the all-stock merger to lay groundwork for a major SpaceX IPO. The deal isn’t finalized yet, but Musk has set up an acquisition entity in Neva

FOMO(@tryfomo) shows that Mello (@mellometrics), head of Solana at @worldlibertyfi, spent $18.9K to buy 831,370 $WAR.

**Atlanta Fed’s Bostic: Tariffs Not Easing Inflation; No 2026 Rate Cuts Expected** On February 3, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic said in a speech that tariffs have not relieved U.S. inflationary pressures. Looking ahead to the first half of 2026, Bostic projected the economy will sustain solid growth but inflation will remain elevated—a trend he described as “worrisome.” He noted the U.S. economy shows strong resilience even excluding the effects of tax cuts and deregulation, and no current forecasts call for a labor market deterioration. Regarding monetary policy, Bostic expects no rate cuts in 2026, adding that one or two additional rate cuts will bring interest rates to a neutral level. Bostic’s term as Atlanta Fed President is expiring; he will retire on February 28. (Source: FX678)

On February 3, DLNews reported that French police have arrested three men in their 20s charged with kidnapping and torturing a 74-year-old man in an attempt to extort $3.5 million worth of cryptocurrency from his son. Officials told reporters the victim endured nearly 16 hours of abuse at the group’s hands. French outlet Actu 17 noted police said the three men kidnapped the unnamed elderly man from his Valence, Isère (southeastern France) home in the early hours of January 25. They forced him into a car and took him to a backroom of a bar in Valence, where the attackers allegedly filmed themselves torturing him. The group then sent the torture video to the man’s son via encrypted messages, demanding an unspecified amount of crypto as ransom. When they learned the son was not the crypto millionaire they’d mistakenly believed—just a web developer with little crypto—they released the victim at 11 p.m. the same day, pushing him out of the car on the roadside. Crypto-related kidnappin

February 3: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will not release the January jobs report on schedule due to a partial U.S. government shutdown.