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

On January 15, the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) launched its Digital Settlement Center (LSEG DiSH)—a platform supporting programmable instant settlement between on-chain and off-chain payment networks. Leveraging commercial bank deposits held on the DiSH ledger (branded as DiSH Cash), the service enables instant, 24/7 cross-border movement of commercial bank funds across multiple currencies and jurisdictions, with built-in capabilities for PVP (payment-versus-payment) and DVP (delivery-versus-payment) settlement.

On January 15th, Hyperliquid rolled out the XMR/USDC perpetual contract for privacy coin Monero, offering up to 5x leverage.

January 15 – Yonhap News Agency reports that South Korea’s National Assembly has passed amendments to the Capital Markets Act and the Act on the Electronic Registration of Stocks and Bonds, formalizing Security Token Offerings (STOs) into law. The revisions introduce an issuer custody account system, allowing qualified issuers to directly issue security tokens via blockchain technology. This will enhance the security and utility of securities through blockchain while laying a legal foundation for the issuance and circulation of new digital securities.

January 15 Per GMGN monitoring (via [link]), two meme coins with multi-million-dollar valuations have emerged in $1 pools in recent days—potentially tied to the BNB Chain’s “$1 Trading Competition.” The community widely expects winning projects to list on top exchanges, drawing heavy capital to related token pools. Two standouts—“An” and “BIG DON”—have performed strongly, but questions linger about their buying fund sources. **An** Launched two days before the competition’s announcement, An briefly topped $30 million in market cap. It surged again this morning, now sitting at ~$45.2 million (priced at ~$0.045) with a 24-hour gain of ~16%. This may stem from distributed buys from whale wallets: its top 100 holders control just 11.1% of supply—well below the 50%+ typical for meme coins across blockchains. **BIG DON** Launched today, BIG DON spiked immediately: over 90 suspected affiliated addresses rushed to buy simultaneously within ~10 minutes, pushing its market cap past $

January 15 After the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell, the situation has moved counter to former President Trump’s expectations. The likelihood Powell will remain chair through his May 2028 term end has ticked up, while odds that Kevin Warsh—a more hawkish candidate for next Fed chair—will overtake Trump ally Kevin Hassett have risen. Trump may find himself playing a game of wits with the Fed all year. Polymarket data shows that shortly after Powell’s January 11 video response to the probe, odds he’ll leave the Fed board by May end or year-end plummeted. Currently, investors peg his May 30 departure chance at 45%—down from 74% earlier this month—while his year-end departure likelihood has slid from 85% to 62%. The prediction market has also revised expectations for Hassett’s nomination. As DOJ investigation news spread, Warsh has gained ground on Polymarket, overtaking Hassett. Policy analyst Dan Clifton notes that since