Hong Kong's first batch of compliant stablecoin licenses is expected to be issued by the end of March, with HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank likely to be among the first recipients. Sources indicate that following the issuance of the first batch of licenses, the second round of approvals will proceed rapidly and is expected to be released soon.
2. Ethereum Foundation member: Ethereum is shifting towards verifying the correctness of execution by validating zkEVM proofs.
Ethereum Foundation member ladislaus.eth posted that Ethereum is advancing a key but relatively low-key architectural shift: moving from nodes repeatedly executing all transactions within a block to verifying execution correctness through zkEVM proofs. This scheme is supported by EIP-8025 (Optional Proof-of-Execution), which allows validators to choose to verify multi-client zk proofs at the consensus layer instead of running the full execution layer, without forcing upgrades or forks. This mechanism is expected to significantly reduce node hardware and synchronization costs, benefiting independent validators and home nodes, and laying the foundation for future L1 execution scaling, ePBS (planned for the Glamsterdam upgrade), and native Rollups. The Ethereum L1-zkEVM roadmap targets 2026, and the first symposium will be held on February 11th.
3. Last week, global listed companies (excluding mining companies) saw a net purchase of approximately $92.83 million in Bitcoin holdings.
As of 8:30 AM ET on February 9, 2026, global listed companies (excluding mining companies) saw a net purchase of approximately $92.83 million in Bitcoin last week, a 24.5% decrease compared to the previous week. Among them, Strategy announced an investment of $90 million to acquire 1,142 BTC at an average price of $78,815, bringing its total holdings to 714,644 BTC. Japanese listed company Metaplanet has not increased its holdings for four consecutive weeks. Several other companies made minor adjustments to their holdings, including DayDayCook increasing its holdings and Genius Group reducing its holdings.
4. Windtermute: BTC wipes out over $2.7 billion in gains since Trump's election in November 2024.
Wintermute released a market update stating that Bitcoin has given back all its gains since Trump's election in November 2024, with over $2.7 billion in liquidations over the weekend. BTC briefly fell below $80,000 and dipped to $60,000, the first time since April 2025. Wintermute pointed out that this decline was driven by US funds, with the Coinbase premium remaining negative and spot ETFs experiencing net outflows of approximately $6.2 billion since November, of which IBIT is both the largest holder and a significant source of supply. Meanwhile, crypto assets are exhibiting a bearishly skewed performance relative to the broader market, with AI themes continuing to draw market funds. Unless the Coinbase premium turns positive, ETF funds flow back in, and the basis stabilizes, a sustained rebound is unlikely in the short term.
5. Malaysian police officers were arrested for robbing Chinese tourists and extorting RM200,000 in cryptocurrency.
An armed robbery occurred in Kajang, Selangor, where seven local police officers, along with five men, broke into a residence late at night, intimidating and extorting approximately RM200,000 (about RMB352,000) from eight Chinese tourists via cryptocurrency transfers. Police quickly launched an investigation, arrested the officers involved, and are investigating the case as a gang-related armed robbery under Section 395 of the Penal Code. A remand order has also been applied for to assist with the subsequent investigation.
