Cryptocurrency roundup for May 24: Hong Kong's SFC to take crypto trading platform license applications, Binance commingled customer funds with revenue and more

According to three sources familiar with the matter, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, allegedly violated U.S. financial rules by commingling customer funds with company revenue.

> The sources, including a person with direct knowledge of Binance's group finances, claimed that the commingling occurred frequently in accounts held at U.S. lender Silvergate Bank, with sums running into billions of dollars.

> While Reuters could not independently verify the figures or frequency, a bank record reviewed by the news agency showed an instance of $20 million from a corporate account being mixed with $15 million from an account that received customer money on February 10, 2021.

> The alleged commingling of funds at Binance raises concerns about the lack of internal controls and the potential risk to customer assets. Full report here.

Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has announced that it will start accepting applications for crypto trading platform licenses from June 1.

> The SFC's new guidelines aim to regulate the crypto industry and protect retail investors.

> According to the report, licensed virtual asset providers can serve retail investors as long as they assess the investors' understanding of the risks involved.

> The guidelines address various aspects of crypto trading platforms. One notable rule is the explicit ban on crypto "gifts" or airdrops, which are designed to incentivize retail customers to invest.

> The guidelines emphasize the importance of due diligence by platform operators and require them to maintain a minimum capital of 5,000,000 Hong Kong dollars ($640,000). Continue here.

According to a recent research report by Bank of America (BAC), the near-term outlook for cryptocurrency markets is limited, with analysts highlighting low conviction and a challenging macro backdrop as factors hindering upside potential.

> In the report, analysts Alkesh Shah and Andrew Moss stated, "Low conviction, limited catalysts, and outperformance year-to-date leave the digital asset sector stuck in a trading range with a challenging macro backdrop likely capping digital asset upside."

> The bank's conversations with clients indicate a resurgence of hedge funds in token trading, benefiting from momentum strategies driven by increased volatility resulting from declining trading volumes.

> Momentum investing, which involves buying assets on the rise and selling them when they reach their peak, relies on volatility to identify short-term uptrends and take advantage of buying opportunities before momentum fades. Details here.

In a recent development, the parliamentary floor leader of South Korea's ruling People Power Party, Yun Jae-ok, has called for the expedited implementation of a bill that would require lawmakers and high-level government officials to declare their cryptocurrency-related assets.

> Originally scheduled for implementation in December, Yun now aims to bring forward the enforcement date to within one or two months.

> The move comes amidst growing public interest and recent allegations against an opposition party politician.

> Yun emphasized the need for timely action, stating, "Given the current high level of public interest, especially regarding lawmakers, it's not appropriate to enforce the law six months later after the promulgation." More here.

Ledger, a prominent cryptocurrency hardware wallet provider, has decided to postpone the launch of its highly anticipated Ledger Recover service following a wave of criticism on social media.

> The company faced significant backlash due to what its CEO, Pascal Gauthier, referred to as an "unintentional communication mistake" that resulted in consumers not fully grasping the concept of Recover.

> In an open letter addressing the concerns, Gauthier emphasized the company's commitment to the necessity of a service like Ledger Recover.

> He expressed the belief that individuals should have complete control and custody over their digital assets, a principle that aligns with the concept of self-sovereignty in the crypto space. Details here.

Ledger, a prominent cryptocurrency hardware wallet provider, has decided to postpone the launch of its highly anticipated Ledger Recover service following a wave of criticism on social media.

> The company faced significant backlash due to what its CEO, Pascal Gauthier, referred to as an "unintentional communication mistake" that resulted in consumers not fully grasping the concept of Recover.

> In an open letter addressing the concerns, Gauthier emphasized the company's commitment to the necessity of a service like Ledger Recover.

> He expressed the belief that individuals should have complete control and custody over their digital assets, a principle that aligns with the concept of self-sovereignty in the crypto space. More here.

In a significant development, the Solana Foundation announced on Tuesday the creation of an open-source reference implementation that enables users to directly engage with the Solana network through ChatGPT.

> The foundation has made available a plugin on GitHub, which can be downloaded and integrated seamlessly.

> Highlighting the potential of this integration, the Solana Foundation emphasized how it showcases the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in enhancing users' understanding of Solana data and protocols.

> It also enables users to access information regarding Solana's computing infrastructure and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects.

> The plugin offers a diverse range of functionalities, such as purchasing non-fungible tokens (NFTs), token transfers, transaction analysis, interpretation of public account data, and even the ability to discover NFT collections based on floor price. Continue reading.[/title][body]

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In Tuesday's trading session, stocks experienced a decline, while the cryptocurrency giant, Bitcoin (BTC), continued to demonstrate its stability.

> The leading digital asset by market capitalization was observed trading around $27,200, reflecting a modest 1.1% increase over the past 24 hours.

> Shortly before the European equity markets opened, Bitcoin briefly surpassed $27,400. However, for nearly two weeks, BTC has remained range-bound between $26,500 and $27,500, as investors express concerns over ongoing crypto regulatory challenges and the impact of macroeconomic uncertainties, including the recent stalemate surrounding the U.S. debt ceiling.

> Ether (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency, also exhibited a similar pattern within its two-week range, with its value hovering around $1,850. Over the course of 24 hours, ETH recorded a slight uptick of approximately 1.6%.

> While most other major cryptocurrencies displayed positive movement, the changes were relatively marginal.

> Notably, APT and SOL, which are the native tokens of the Solana and Aptos smart contracts platforms respectively, saw modest gains of 3.8% and 2.1% in recent trading.