Daily Report | U.S. SEC establishes cryptocurrency working group; Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht granted clemency; Eric Conner exits Ethereum commun

Organizer: Fairy, ChainCatcher

Important News:

• U.S. SEC establishes cryptocurrency task force to develop regulatory framework
• Binance HODLer airdrop launches Animecoin (ANIME), with ANIME spot trading pair going live on January 23
• U.S. government efficiency department website changes logo, still includes Shiba Inu elements
• Trump responds to coin launch: "I only know I launched it, and I hear it's very successful"
• Justin Sun: If I lead the Ethereum Foundation, ETH will reach $10,000
• First photo of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht after pardon surfaces
• Ethereum core developer Eric Conner announces departure from Ethereum community

"What important events happened in the past 24 hours"

Binance HODLer airdrop launches Animecoin (ANIME), with ANIME spot trading pair going live on January 23

The Binance HODLer airdrop has launched its 6th project, Animecoin (ANIME). From January 17, 2025, 08:00 to January 22, 2025, 07:59 (UTC+8), users who purchase regular or flexible products on the Earn platform using BNB will receive airdrop allocations.

Binance will list ANIME at 22:00 (UTC+8) on January 23, 2025, and open trading pairs against USDT, USDC, BNB, FDUSD, and TRY.

Justin Sun: If I lead the Ethereum Foundation, ETH will reach $10,000

Justin Sun stated on X that if the Ethereum Foundation and Ethereum are under his leadership, ETH will rise to $10,000.

The plan for the first week is:

1) Immediately stop ETH sales for at least three years, covering operational costs through AAVE lending, staking rewards, and stablecoin lending;

2) Impose heavy taxes on all Layer 2 projects to ensure at least $5 billion in annual tax revenue for ETH buybacks and burns;

3) Streamline the personnel structure of the Ethereum Foundation and increase salaries for retained employees;

4) Reduce node rewards and strengthen the fee burning mechanism. Justin Sun stated that through these measures, ETH is expected to break $4,500 within the first week.

Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio reveals he holds a "small amount" of Bitcoin

According to Cointelegraph, Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio revealed that he holds a "small amount" of Bitcoin.

Binance Alpha adds MAXONSOL, TRISIG

Binance Alpha has added MAXONSOL and TRISIG.

Hong Kong SFC's Yip Chi-hang: New licenses for virtual asset trading platforms will be approved soon

According to Zhitong Finance, Yip Chi-hang, Executive Director of the Intermediaries Division of the Hong Kong SFC, revealed that new licenses for virtual asset trading platforms will be approved soon, with good news expected in the first quarter of 2025. It is reported that the regulatory authority has completed on-site inspections of all applicants, with 11 platforms currently on the application list.

Yip emphasized that the regulatory authority will strictly adhere to the bottom line of investor protection and cybersecurity. Additionally, the Hong Kong SFC plans to establish a licensed platform advisory group after the Lunar New Year, inviting executives from licensed platforms to participate to ensure that industry opinions are fully considered in the policy-making process.

OKX to launch Animecoin (ANIME) spot trading

OKX announced it will launch Animecoin (ANIME) spot trading. The deposit service opened at 14:00 (UTC+8) on January 22, and the ANIME/USDT trading pair will open at 22:00 (UTC+8) on January 23. Withdrawal functions will open at 02:00 on January 24.

First photo of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht after pardon surfaces

According to Bitcoin Magazine, the first photo of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht after his release has surfaced. The photo shows Ulbricht, dressed in a gray tracksuit, walking in a parking lot, holding a pot of green plants and smiling.

Earlier today, Trump announced that he had signed a pardon for Ross Ulbricht.

Ethereum core developer Eric Conner announces departure from Ethereum community

Ethereum core developer and EIP-1559 co-author Eric Conner posted on X early yesterday morning, stating: "I am no longer a part of .eth (Ethereum domain). Perhaps one day, those leaders will realign with the community, but for now, I have left. Deep down, I sincerely hope Ethereum succeeds. Good luck."

Additionally, Eric Conner posted today, stating: "My passion is entirely focused on the potential of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. Cryptocurrency is essential for building an open, trustworthy, and fair AI future, where humanity does not lose autonomy."

Critical Metal Corp plans to adopt Bitcoin financial strategy, with available funds reaching $500 million

U.S. critical metals mining company Critical Metal Corp announced plans to start allocating its excess reserves to BTC, a decision approved by its board. According to the company's announcement, it may have access to a $500 million fund pool, which will be part of a convertible note financing led by JBA Asset Management, subject to the conditions contained in the transaction documents.

The company stated that it will first allocate $100 million from the $500 million fund pool to purchase Bitcoin. The coverage rate for the first batch of funds' warrants is 100%. It also stated that the remaining $400 million can be used at the buyer's discretion, with a coverage rate of 50%.

According to the financing conditions, the convertible notes are secured by the raised cash and the acquired underlying BTC. While the company has not announced a strategic Bitcoin purchase plan, it stated that this move will depend on its cash flow needs and may ultimately modify some conditions of the strategy as it sees fit.

Trump responds to coin launch: "I only know I launched it, and I hear it's very successful"

Trump responded to the coin launch, stating: "I don't know if it (TRMUP coin) is profitable; I don't know much about it, I only know I launched it. I hear it's very successful."

U.S. government efficiency department website changes logo, still includes Shiba Inu elements

The U.S. government efficiency department (DOGE) website has changed its logo, still including Shiba Inu elements.

U.S. SEC establishes cryptocurrency task force to develop regulatory framework

According to official news, the acting chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mark Uyeda, has established a special task force for cryptocurrency, "dedicated to developing a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for cryptocurrency assets."

Commissioner Hester Peirce will lead the task force. The focus of the task force will be to help the commission delineate clear regulatory boundaries, provide practical registration pathways, develop reasonable disclosure frameworks, and wisely deploy enforcement resources. Senior advisors Richard Gabbert and Taylor Asher will serve as the task force's chief of staff and chief policy advisor, respectively.

"What are the must-read articles from the past 24 hours"

On Trump's first day in office, Silk Road founder released after 11 years in prison

No one understands better than Trump how to use political leverage to manipulate public sentiment.

Recently, Trump has been under some pressure. To circumvent presidential investment restrictions, on the eve of his inauguration in "Goose City," the Trump couple directly launched a coin, allowing an entire interest group behind them to achieve "no cost and high profit" at the fastest speed.

There can be many who reap benefits in the crypto space, but the president cannot be one of them. Many members of the cryptocurrency community who once supported him have publicly opposed his actions. However, there is another voice from those in the crypto circle dissatisfied with Trump's coin launch:

"I cannot forgive Trump for launching a coin on the eve of his inauguration unless he releases Ross Ulbricht tomorrow."

This reflects Trump's political maneuvering skills; under pressure from the crypto industry, he immediately called Ross Ulbricht's mother, personally telling this mother who has been waiting for her son to come home for ten years:

"I just signed a full and unconditional pardon for your son Ross." Ross can go home.

A visual guide to understanding Trump's crypto map

The relationship map between Trump and cryptocurrency.

In just one day, the market cap of $TRUMP has surpassed $14 billion, ranking in the top 20 by market cap, and surpassing $DOGE in fully diluted valuation (FDV). It has successfully launched on major CEX/PERP platforms like Binance and Coinbase.

Currently, people's attention is likely to focus on tokens related to Trump.

Estimating Pump.fun's revenue: launching a coin generates $68 in official income, with users making 70% profit or paying fees

Pump.fun has recently sparked a public relations crisis, as the U.S. law firm Burwick Law has filed a lawsuit against Pump.fun and fraudulent project parties on behalf of investors who lost money on the platform. Burwick Law stated that this announcement was made after months of cooperation with investors, and also called for more victims to fill out registration information. Additionally, a week ago, discussions arose on social media regarding the fact that only 55,000 addresses had made over $10,000 in profits on Pump.fun, prompting founder Alon to respond to the inaccurate data. It seems that behind the substantial fees and interaction volume contributed by players, the question of who the biggest winner of Pump.fun is has become a current topic of concern.

Meme Popularity Ranking

According to meme token tracking and analysis platform GMGN , as of January 22, 19:50:

The top five popular Ethereum tokens in the past 24 hours are: DOGE, ELON, STARGATE, SPX, PEPU

The top five popular Solana tokens in the past 24 hours are: TRUMP, Stargate, HSM, $MIA, WLFI

The top five popular Base tokens in the past 24 hours are: AIXBT, MIGGLES, BRETT, Barron, AERO