News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily Odaily News: In an operation codenamed "Lightning Strike," Hong Kong police arrested 14 men and 3 women aged between 20 and 54, including 13 Malaysians and 4 locals. They also raided 3 locations and seized HK$3.67 million in cash, believed to be criminal proceeds. The scam syndicate recruited Malaysians from overseas, arranging their flights and accommodation to come to Hong Kong as runners. They would pose as relatives of elderly victims, falsely claiming they had been arrested by police and demanding bail money, then arranging runners to collect the cash. Police investigations revealed that the syndicate collected a total of HK$4.67 million in fraudulent proceeds between June 4 and August 14. The case involves 22 victims, with reported losses totaling HK$2.47 million. On August 14, police arrested 5 individuals, including 2 local men, 2 local women, and 1 Malaysian man, all of whom are currently detained for investigation. Police also recovered HK$200,000 in fraudulent funds. Police stated that some foreign currency or virtual currency exchange shops were exploited by the syndicate to process or transfer fraudulent funds, and reminded these shops to verify customer backgrounds, transaction purposes, and fund sources, while also watching for abnormal cash and virtual currency transactions. Conspiracy to defraud carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. (HK01 NFT)
Caixin reported that a private banking client was sentenced to six months’ immediate imprisonment and fined HK$500,000 for deliberately providing false information in a CRS declaration—the first criminal conviction in Hong Kong for violating CRS rules. CRS 2.0 refers collectively to the revised OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF); its framework entered into force on 1 January 2026. On 27 March 2026, the Hong Kong government published the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information) Bill 2026 in the Gazette; the bill underwent its first reading in the Legislative Council on 1 April 2026 and is expected to take effect on 1 January 2027—marking Hong Kong’s accelerated domestic legislative implementation of CRS 2.0. CRS 2.0 explicitly brings cryptocurrencies within the mandatory reporting scope, including stablecoins, crypto derivatives, certain NFTs, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and specific electronic money products. Cryptocurrency exchanges, custodians, and related funds must fulfill KYC obligations and report information to tax authorities—systematically closing off avenues for concealing wealth using crypto assets.
According to The Defiant, the NFT marketplace Foundation has permanently shut down following the failed sale to digital art display company BlackDove. Its platform infrastructure has been taken offline, and there are currently no plans to relaunch it. Foundation’s founder, Kayvon Tehranian, stated that the company had originally hoped to extend its operations through the sale, but the deal fell through—and the team concluded there was no need to continue seeking a buyer. Foundation previously facilitated approximately $230 million in primary sales. The report notes that BlackDove, after conducting comprehensive due diligence following operational handover, decided instead to build its own proprietary marketplace. Foundation also announced it will continue providing a fixed one-year service for media and metadata hosted on IPFS; users must manually cancel their listings and withdraw their NFT assets.
Odaily News The Ethereum NFT marketplace Foundation has announced its permanent shutdown and cessation of operations. Founder Kayvon Tehranian stated that the original plan was to sell the platform to a potential buyer to continue operations, but the deal fell through. The company has decided not to seek other acquirers, and the related infrastructure has been shut down with no plans for a restart.It is reported that in January of this year, Foundation transferred ownership to the digital art company BlackDove. However, after completing due diligence, BlackDove decided to develop its own platform, leading to the termination of the collaboration. Foundation facilitated approximately $230 million in primary sales cumulatively. Its closure has once again drawn market attention to the sustainability of centralized NFT infrastructure.
According to documents disclosed on April 7, 2026, by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Yuga Labs and defendants Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen have reached a settlement agreement resolving all claims in Case No. 2:22-cv-04355. The case originated in 2022, when Yuga Labs alleged that the two defendants had issued counterfeit “RR/BAYC” NFT collections mimicking the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), constituting trademark infringement. The parties will shortly file with the court a proposed consent injunction—a condition of the settlement—marking the formal conclusion of the case.