An address withdrew 10.38 million ASTER from Binance, worth $7.22 million

February 19th — U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno, a cryptocurrency supporter, says the much-anticipated Clarity Act — which aims to establish a clearer regulatory framework for the U.S. crypto industry — is expected to pass by April. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong joined Moreno for an interview where he noted they’re engaging with representatives from the crypto sector, banking industry, and U.S. Congress at the World Financial Forum (WLF) Crypto Forum to hash out solutions to market structure issues. “One of the key past sticking points has been interest-bearing stablecoins,” Armstrong stated. The banking sector previously raised concerns that offering interest on stablecoins could undermine traditional banking, leading to deposit and interest outflows from banks. Though Armstrong had reservations about the draft and pulled his support for the Clarity Act in January, he now says: “We have a path forward for a win-win-win — a win for crypto, a win for banks, a win for U.S. consumers — to

Feb. 19: Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett shared on social media that the third stablecoin regulation meeting is set for tomorrow—Feb. 20—at 9:00 a.m. ET at the White House. A small group of crypto and banking industry reps are expected to attend.

Feb. 19 — Three Federal Reserve Board researchers argue the prediction market Kalshi outperforms existing tools for real-time macroeconomic expectation tracking and should be integrated into Fed decision-making. Titled *Kalshi and the Rise of the Macro Market*, the paper was published Feb. 12 by Fed Board Chief Economist Anthony Diercks, Fed Research Assistant Jared Dean Katz, and Johns Hopkins Research Assistant Jonathan Wright. The study pitted Kalshi’s data against traditional surveys and market-implied forecasts to analyze how market expectations of future economic outcomes shift in response to macro news and policymakers’ remarks. “Managing expectations is central to modern macroeconomic policy—but the tools we typically rely on (surveys and financial derivatives) have major flaws,” the researchers noted. They added Kalshi captures market “beliefs” directly and in real time, and its market offers a high-frequency, continuously updated, information-rich benchmark useful fo

On February 19, Hong Kong Legislative Council member Wu Chi-wai said on the “Finance CHAT” program of HOY Information Station 78 that Hong Kong will issue its first batch of stablecoin issuer licenses in March. He hopes the government will promote cryptocurrency adoption among all Hong Kong residents through a stablecoin airdrop. Wu noted that three years ago, the government’s issuance of HK$10,000 electronic consumption vouchers significantly boosted electronic payments. He suggested that once stablecoin issuers secure licenses, the government could airdrop stablecoins to eligible residents for use in local small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) spending—such as dining, entertainment, and theater outings. The initiative aims to enhance Hong Kong’s status as a Web3 and digital asset hub, achieving both economic stimulus and greater cryptocurrency adoption. Wu emphasized that this move is not simply the government giving away money, but using stablecoin consumption vouchers to dr

On February 19, data from Barchart shows the Federal Reserve injected $18.5 billion into the U.S. banking system this week via overnight repurchase agreements (repo). This marks the fourth-largest liquidity injection since the COVID-19 pandemic—and even tops the peak seen during the dot-com bubble. Charts indicate the biggest liquidity injections since 2021 have largely occurred during the pandemic and periods of economic stress. The latest injection signals strain on bank reserves, likely driven by quarter-end funding needs or a broader credit crunch.

**February 19 —** The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today published Chairman Paul Atkins’ remarks from the ETHDenver conference, outlining key regulatory priorities for the coming weeks and months: 1. Developing a framework to clarify the SEC’s approach to crypto assets tied to investment contracts, including how such contracts are formed and terminated; 2. Offering a special innovation exemption to enable limited trading of certain tokenized securities on new platforms, as part of building a long-term regulatory framework; 3. Releasing a rulemaking proposal to create a clear, reasonable pathway for fundraising through crypto asset sales; 4. Clarifying which wallets are exempt from registration under the Securities Exchange Act (without relying on no-action letters or case-by-case exemptions) to provide greater clarity; 5. Proposing rules for broker-dealers regarding custody of non-security crypto assets (including payment stablecoins); 6. Developing rules