The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

According to Bit.com (BIT) market data, most U.S. crypto-related stocks declined in pre-market trading. SharpLink (SBET) fell 1.52%, Bitmine Immersion (BMNR) dropped 2.20%, Bullish (BLSH) declined 1.33%, Circle (CRCL) fell 5.45%, Strategy (MSTR) dropped 1.23%, and Coinbase (COIN) declined 1.25%. Circle posted the largest pre-market decline among the group.

Bearingpoint’s latest survey reveals that 23% of Swiss adults use cryptocurrencies at least occasionally — a rate notably higher than Austria’s 18% and Germany’s 11%. Furthermore, 37% of Swiss respondents view cryptocurrencies as worthy investments, 45% think they could become international trade or reserve currencies in the future, and 44% are willing to use central bank digital currencies (CBDCs); all these proportions exceed those of Germany and Austria. The report points out that since Switzerland enacted the DLT Act in 2021, it has developed a mature crypto ecosystem, with Crypto Valley home to 1,749 blockchain and DLT enterprises. Germany, meanwhile, plans to expand crypto asset services via traditional banking channels including DZ Bank and Dekabank to close the adoption gap with Switzerland.

According to official announcements, to support the MultiversX (EGLD) network upgrade, Bithumb will suspend EGLD deposit and withdrawal services starting from August 6 at 18:00 KST. The upgrade is scheduled to take place at 2:00 KST on August 7, and deposit/withdrawal services will resume once the network stabilizes. Trading functions remain unaffected.

According to data from Arkham, Bitwise’s BSOL ETF has accumulated purchases of approximately $891.9 million worth of SOL. BSOL is currently the largest SOL ETF, attracting nearly 80% of the inflows into the U.S. SOL ETF market.

The Bank of Korea (BOK) said Monday it will partner with LS MnM, Korea Exchange (KRX), and Korea Securities Depository (KSD) to purchase domestically produced gold for the first time in 13 years via over-the-counter (OTC) transactions. The move comes as geopolitical risks have heightened South Korea’s need to diversify its foreign exchange reserves. LS MnM and Korea Zinc produce around 40 to 45 tons of gold annually as a smelting byproduct, with roughly 10% exported. The central bank noted it will consider using KRX’s trading and settlement systems and the warehousing facilities currently under development by KSD to purchase some of the exported gold, provided relevant companies submit applications. The BOK said it will arrange bulk transactions after prior consultations on price and volume to limit impacts on domestic gold prices, adding the new channel should reduce foreign exchange risks, as previous overseas gold purchases were paid in U.S. dollars. Additionally, the central bank acquired a small amount of gold ETFs in the second quarter. As of July, its gold holdings remained unchanged at 104.4 tons. South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $427.36 billion at the end of June, including $4.79 billion in gold reserves. (Jin10)

On August 3, Kimi (Yuezhi Anmian) plans to submit its Hong Kong IPO application as early as this month, with a potential fundraising of around $3 billion. In response, Kimi stated that the news is untrue.