News linked to this event type.
According to an announcement on the official website of the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the FCA, in collaboration with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the Metropolitan Police, conducted raids on three suspected illegal peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading venues in London on September 10, issuing cessation warning letters to all involved premises and ordering them to immediately halt related illegal operations. Steve Smart, Executive Director of Enforcement and Market Oversight at the FCA, stated that anyone operating unregistered peer-to-peer cryptocurrency businesses should be aware that regulators are actively monitoring them. To date, no peer-to-peer crypto operators have been registered with the FCA in the UK. This operation serves as a follow-up to a targeted crackdown earlier this year in April, with previously collected evidence already utilized to support criminal investigations and subsequent enforcement actions. The FCA emphasized that unregistered crypto traders may provide money laundering conduits for criminals and circumvent anti-money laundering monitoring mechanisms.
Odaily News: Lam Chun-yin, a former relationship manager at China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation Limited, pleaded guilty to conspiring with an employee of a fintech company and his associates to accept bribes totaling over $470,000 in the cryptocurrency "Tether" (USDT), illegally certifying multiple false documents without bank authorization to serve as guarantees for several insurance-related investment transactions. The case was uncovered through an internal investigation by CCB (Asia), which subsequently filed a corruption complaint with the ICAC and provided full assistance. Judge Lian Jinhong adjourned the case to September 18 for sentencing, during which the defendant will be remanded in custody by the Correctional Services Department. (Sina Finance)
South Korean police have opened an investigation into 26 local Polymarket users and referred 18 of them to prosecutors on suspicion of illegal gambling. The total amount wagered by the users was approximately 17.6 billion Korean won, or about $12.7 million. Previously, South Korea blocked local users' access to Polymarket last month.
Odaily reports: In November 2023, Orlen Trading Switzerland, a subsidiary of Polish state-owned energy company Orlen, signed a contract to purchase 6 million barrels of Venezuelan crude oil and paid $230 million in unsecured advance payment to Dubai-based trading company Hannon International for conversion into USDT.Hannon International subsequently converted the funds through multiple intermediaries, with $135 million converted into only 85 million USDT, creating a $50 million shortfall. Between January and March 2024, private keys controlling over 132 million USDT were handed over via USB storage devices to brokers affiliated with Venezuela's state oil company.After the transaction, the relevant brokers became unreachable, and the Venezuelan state oil company failed to release the crude oil cargo. Ultimately, only one vessel loaded approximately 500,000 barrels of fuel oil, valued at $28.8 million; Orlen canceled the contract in March 2024, with estimated total losses of $378 million to $424 million.Polish prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the management of Orlen Trading Switzerland, with 3 former senior executives indicted and facing up to 25 years in prison. Orlen has initiated international arbitration in Dubai, seeking to recover the $230 million prepayment. (Bitcoin.com News)
According to Crypto Pulse Research, Bernstein's September 16, 2026, research report states that the procedural vote on the CLARITY Act has failed, and there should be no hope for a revote. Stablecoins, governed by the GENIUS Act, remain unaffected, while Circle’s ARC chain launched that same day. Robinhood's daily on-chain gross revenue is approximately $1 million. The bank recommends buying the recent weakness in crypto equities, favoring Robinhood (HOOD), Circle (CRCL), and Figure (FIGR), with target prices set at $160, $140, and $70, respectively. It sets a $330 price target for Coinbase, $350 for Strategy, and $24 for Sharplink. Bernstein believes that following legislative failure, regulatory clarity will pivot toward rulemaking by the CFTC and SEC. This rulemaking process will be aggressive and rapid, making product rollout schedules more predictable. Advancement of stablecoins, tokenization, perpetual futures, and prediction market-related products will continue, with crypto stock pullbacks offering buying opportunities.
Odaily News: Hong Kong's 2026 Policy Address proposes that the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) refine the virtual asset licensing regime and formulate regulatory guidelines to clarify the compliance pathway for virtual asset service providers. It also aims to improve the regulatory framework for tokenized investment products, promoting the issuance, trading, and launch of innovative products for gold and other suitable real-world asset tokenized products on licensed platforms.The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) will explore more tokenized deposit applications, collaborate with mainland China to study trade finance use cases, and complete pilot transactions by the end of this year. It plans to finalize the Ensemble central bank digital currency 24/7 operational arrangements around the end of this year. HKEX intends to partner with designated banks to launch a tokenized warehouse receipt financing pilot within 2027. Its blockchain multi-asset tokenization platform has already incorporated Core Climate-listed carbon credits and plans to include LME-approved warehouse commodity receipts as a pilot next year.
Following the Federal Reserve's expected 25-basis-point rate hike at its September policy meeting, Huobi HTX Chief Analyst Andy noted that what truly warrants attention is the Fed's comprehensive hawkish shift. All 12 officials voted unanimously—a rare occurrence—while the dot plot clearly points to another rate hike within the year, confirming that tightening has become consensus.
According to NADA NEWS, the Liberal Democratic Party's parliamentary group, the "Digital Advanced Financial Parliamentary Alliance," intends to place prediction markets on its discussion agenda to examine their legal status and regulatory framework in Japan. Japan's existing laws have not yet explicitly defined prediction markets, and related operations could potentially constitute the crime of gambling under the Penal Code.
According to reports from Asia Economic, the Cyber Investigation Unit of the Gangwon Regional Police Agency has filed cases against 26 users of the overseas prediction market platform Polymarket and transferred 18 of them to prosecutors. The cumulative betting amount among those involved is approximately 17.6 billion Korean won, with the highest individual amount reaching about 5.7 billion KRW. Police maintain that users betting on uncertain event outcomes using crypto assets are suspected of committing illegal gambling. The involved users counter that because Polymarket employs order book trading and supports closing positions before maturity, it should be treated as a crypto derivatives market. Relevant South Korean authorities had previously decided to block the platform, and subsequent judicial disputes will focus on whether its trading structure should be classified as gambling or derivatives investment.
According to Chaowang Research, Goldman Sachs' research report dated September 16, 2026, indicates that the Federal Reserve will raise the target range for the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.00%, marking its first rate hike since July 2023 and passing unanimously. The dot plot median indicates another rate hike in 2026, unchanged policy in 2027, and an increase in the long-run federal funds rate expectation from 3.06% to 3.25%. The SEP raises the 2026 core PCE inflation forecast to 3.4% and the overall PCE to 3.7%.
Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that seven US Democratic senators, including Kirsten Gillibrand, Mark Warner, Ruben Gallego, and Angela Alsobrooks, have pledged to advance the Clarity Act through bipartisan efforts. According to informed sources, relevant parties are attempting to restart bipartisan negotiations and are assessing both sides' willingness to pass the bill by year-end.
The House Financial Services Committee passed H.R. 8957, the "American Reserve Modernization Act," introduced by Rep. Nick Begich, with a vote of 28-21. The bill would establish the legal status of a "Strategic Bitcoin Reserve," mandate that Bitcoin held by the federal government be custodied by the Department of the Treasury, and require a minimum holding period of 20 years. The legislation has been referred to the full House for consideration, but no floor vote has been scheduled.
Odaily reports: A Fox Business crypto reporter posted on X that 7 U.S. Senate Democrats, including Gillibrand, Mark Warner, Ruben Gallego, and Angela Alsobrooks, said they are committed to advancing the Clarity Act through bipartisan efforts. According to 3 people familiar with the matter, initial attempts are underway to restart bipartisan negotiations and assess both sides' willingness to return to the negotiating table before the end of the year to push for the bill's passage.
Odaily Report: The U.S. House Financial Services Committee passed the American Reserve Modernization Act, introduced by Representative Nick Begich, by a vote of 28 to 21.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced a 25-basis-point increase in its benchmark interest rate to 4.25%, following the Federal Reserve's monetary policy adjustments.
Federal Reserve Chair Warsh led the FOMC to unanimously vote to raise interest rates by 25 basis points, pushing them up to 4%. Trump subsequently publicly pressured for rate cuts to 1% or lower, further intensifying the policy divergence between the two sides.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Russia sanctions and tariffs bill with a vote of 262 to 159, aimed at pressuring Putin to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The legislation authorizes the president to impose additional tariffs on imported Russian energy, sparking controversy among Democrats over excessive power and lack of oversight.
Trump explicitly stated that if the EU's admission of Canada as an observer is treated as a hostile act, the US could impose steep tariffs on Europe. This remark signals expectations of significant adjustments in macro trade policy.
U.S. President Trump publicly stated that he continues to maintain full confidence in Federal Reserve Chair Wash. This remark directly concerns the core personnel and monetary policy expectations of the U.S. central bank.
According to Cointelegraph, the U.S. cryptocurrency market structure bill, the Clarity Act, failed to advance after falling short of the Senate's sixty-vote threshold. Policy advocate Adrian Wall stated that bipartisan lawmakers are considering making a final attempt to vote on the legislation during the post-election lame-duck session.