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Seung-Yoon Lee, co-founder of the blockchain-based intellectual property (IP) protocol Story Protocol, stated in an interview with CoinDesk that the decision to postpone the first major IP token unlock to August of this year was made because more time is needed to increase the network's utility. While data from DeFiLlama shows Story's daily revenue has fallen from $43,000 last September to zero, Lee countered that criticism over the lack of on-chain revenue is the wrong metric. He emphasized that a significant portion of revenue is generated through off-chain licensing agreements, adding that gas fees are intentionally set low because it is an IP chain, not a DeFi chain. Token holders will now have to wait for tangible results from AI data partnerships and the acquisition of rights settlement datasets while the token supply expansion is on hold. Lee argued that extending the unlock schedule is a healthier approach, but CoinDesk noted that the long-term sustainability of this strategy remains to be seen.

All-in-one Web3 powerhouse 9CAT Group announced it will host a networking event, BLOCK:LOUNGE, at Consensus Hong Kong 2026. The event is scheduled to run from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. UTC on Feb. 11 at the Space Club. It will bring together crypto industry founders, builders, traders, VCs, and influencers for activities including a trading competition on the GRVT app, networking, and social sessions. CoinNess is participating as a media partner for the event.

South Korean crypto exchanges Bithumb and Coinone have announced that they are placing Neiro (NEIRO) on their delisting watchlists. Bithumb explained that while the virtual asset was issued based on online content, the exchange has confirmed that its related online community is not sufficiently active.

Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin USDT, held 148 tons of gold worth approximately $23 billion as of the end of January, placing it among the top 30 gold-holding institutions globally, CoinDesk reported. According to an analysis by Wall Street investment bank Jefferies, Tether purchased an additional 26 tons in the fourth quarter of last year and six tons this January. This volume is greater than that of most central banks over the same period, excluding Poland and Brazil. Tether's current gold reserves now exceed those of major countries such as Australia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, South Korea, and Greece, and are considered the largest among non-state institutions. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has previously stated a policy of allocating 10-15% of the company's investment portfolio to physical gold.

Whale Alert reported that 276,856,986 USDT has been transferred from Binance to an unknown wallet. The transaction is valued at about $277 million.

Binance has announced it will delist 20 spot trading pairs at 8:00 a.m. UTC on Feb. 10. The affected pairs are ARDR/BTC, BB/BNB, BB/BTC, BERA/BTC, DIA/BTC, FLUX/BTC, GALA/FDUSD, GPS/BNB, GRT/FDUSD, GUN/FDUSD, ICP/ETH, ICX/BTC, KAITO/FDUSD, KERNEL/BNB, MANA/ETH, NOM/FDUSD, REQ/BTC, XNO/BTC, YGG/BTC, and ZRO/BTC.

South Korean financial authorities are scheduled to report to the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee on Feb. 10 regarding the 60 trillion won erroneous payment incident at Bithumb, Money Today reported. Discussions are expected to focus on adding new regulations to the Digital Asset Basic Act, as the incident has highlighted the need for crypto exchanges to implement internal controls on par with traditional financial companies.

Binance has announced that it will list the ASTER/U, PAXG/USD1, SUI/U, and XRP/U spot trading pairs at 8:30 a.m. UTC on Feb. 10.

Binance's Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) has purchased 4,225 BTC, worth $300 million, Onchain-Lense reported. Binance previously announced it was adjusting the asset structure of the SAFU fund, gradually converting its existing $1 billion in stablecoin holdings to BTC.

Lee Chan-jin, Governor of South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), has called the recent erroneous payment incident at Bithumb a disaster and signaled the need for a sweeping investigation into so-called "ledger trading," where un-held crypto assets were traded, NewsPim reported. He stated that if Bithumb is found to have committed illegal negligence, it will face all possible penalties under current law. The governor also mentioned that once a digital asset framework bill currently under preparation is passed, regulations could be severe enough to include sanctions on the exchange's operating license, raising concerns that the viability of the virtual asset exchange business itself could be threatened.

The following are the 24-hour long/short ratios for BTC perpetual futures on the world’s three largest crypto futures exchanges by open interest: Overall: 50.96% long, 49.04% short - Binance: 52.22% long, 47.78% short - OKX: 51.44% long, 48.56% short - Bybit: 52.53% long, 47.47% short

The U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has effectively lost a lawsuit over its refusal to release "pause letters" that allegedly pressured banks to halt services for cryptocurrency firms, Decrypt reported. The banking regulator agreed to pay all legal costs for the plaintiff, History Associates Inc., and to modify some of its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) operating practices. History Associates is said to have filed the request on behalf of Coinbase. The lawsuit is linked to the alleged "debanking" of the crypto industry, a practice dubbed "Operation Choke Point 2.0," in which government agencies are suspected of indirectly pressuring crypto companies by limiting their access to banking.

Dunamu, the operator of South Korean crypto exchange Upbit, has initiated legal proceedings to challenge the amount of a fine imposed by financial authorities. According to a report by Dailyan, Dunamu recently filed an objection to a 35.2 billion won ($26.5 million) penalty from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which operates under the Financial Services Commission. The FIU issued the fine after an inspection in November last year uncovered violations of laws on specified financial transactions. Under current law, filing an objection suspends the penalty's enforcement. The final amount will be determined by a court, opening the possibility that the fine levied on Dunamu could be adjusted based on the ruling.

Bitcoin's rebound after a sharp drop last weekend is likely a technical bounce driven by short covering rather than a genuine recovery, according to some analysts. Decrypt reported that BTC has risen 12% from $62,822 to its current price of $70,846. Ryan Yoon, a senior analyst at Tiger Research, told Decrypt that the rally is likely a technical rebound centered on short covering. Similarly, Andri Pauzan Azima, head of research at crypto exchange Bitrue, said the rebound is characteristic of short covering and a short squeeze following a sell-off. He noted that while long positions were cleared out as open interest fell and the spot cumulative volume delta (CVD) improved, the rally is more akin to a dead cat bounce after large-scale liquidations and panic. Azima added that with the Coinbase Premium still negative and macroeconomic uncertainty persisting, it is difficult to say a sustainable demand base has been established.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged the Senate Banking Committee to proceed with the confirmation hearing for Federal Reserve Chair nominee Kevin Warsh, Cointelegraph reported. The call comes as Republican Senator Thom Tillis has pledged to block the confirmation process for a successor until an investigation into current Fed Chair Jerome Powell is complete. In an interview with Fox News, Bessent noted that Tillis himself had described Warsh as a very strong candidate and suggested that the hearings should begin while they await the investigation's progress. However, Tillis remains firm, stating he will not cooperate with the confirmation before the investigation concludes, citing the need to protect the Fed's independence. Republicans hold 13 of the 24 seats on the Senate Banking Committee, but a dissenting vote from Tillis would give Democrats the deciding vote.

Crypto analyst Alex Krüger argued on X that most cryptocurrency projects fail because their structures are designed to evade U.S. securities laws. He explained that due to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Howey Test and its regulation-by-enforcement approach, projects have stripped all rights from their tokens to avoid being classified as securities. This has resulted in a system where token holders have no legal recourse and founding teams have no fiduciary duty, Krüger noted. He added that this allows projects to misuse funds, change their business direction at will, or abandon their work altogether without facing any consequences. Krüger also pointed out that venture capital (VC) firms invested billions of dollars into these structures, fully aware of their flaws, effectively treating retail investors as exit liquidity. He concluded that this environment has pushed frustrated retail investors toward memecoins, which only intensifies the zero-sum, gambling-like nature of the market due to their even greater speculativeness and lack of transparency.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," said on X that he would choose Bitcoin over gold as the better investment. He explained that while rising gold prices lead to increased mining and supply, Bitcoin's price is bound to rise due to its fixed supply, capped at 21 million coins. However, he added that it is advisable to hold gold, silver, and Bitcoin for asset diversification.

The following shows estimated liquidation volumes and position ratios for major crypto perpetual futures over the past 24 hours: - BTC: $211.22 million liquidated (83.96% shorts) - ETH: $63.82 million liquidated (52.78% longs) - SOL: $8.38 million liquidated (60.29% longs)

The South Korean government is significantly strengthening reporting requirements for real estate transactions by foreigners to curb speculative investment, News1 reported. Starting Feb. 10, foreigners will be required to report their residency status and address. The scope for submitting a fund procurement plan will also be expanded to include details of overseas funding, such as foreign deposits, loans, and the names of financial institutions. Additionally, the plan's 'other funding sources' section will now require the disclosure of proceeds from the sale of cryptocurrency, alongside existing requirements for stock and bond sales.

South Korean prosecutors have indicted a man accused of developing a fraudulent virtual asset staking website and defrauding victims of 800 million won (around $615,000), Yonhap News reported. The Seoul Northern District Prosecutors' Office charged the man with fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes and violation of the Information and Communications Network Act. The alleged crimes took place around March 2025.

A new address has purchased WLFI worth 10 million USDC, Lookonchain reported. The address holder has so far accumulated a total of 47.6 million WLFI at an average purchase price of $0.109. With 4.83 million USDC remaining in the balance, there is potential for additional purchases.

Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin USDT, recently increased its headcount to 300 and plans to hire an additional 150 employees over the next 18 months, the Financial Times (FT) reported. While the new hires will be primarily engineers, the roles also include AI filmmakers, venture capital analysts, and regulatory experts. Tether's investment portfolio comprises around 140 companies, including agricultural firms in South America and an Italian soccer club.

The hacker behind the stablecoin neobank project Infini bought 6,316 ETH with DAI when the price dropped to $2,109 seven hours ago, AmberCN reported. Following the purchase, the hacker deposited a total of 15,470 ETH, worth $32.58 million, into Tornado Cash. The attacker initially stole $49.5 million in USDC from Infini in February of last year and swapped 3,540 ETH for DAI at an average price of $3,762 in August of the same year.

Danal, the operator of Paycoin (PCI), announced today that it has secured a patent for a payment technology linking digital assets through a corporate wallet. According to Etoday, the technology enables users to make real-world payments with digital assets while allowing merchants to receive stable settlements through their existing systems, shielding them from the risks of price volatility.

South Korea's Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) will conduct a planned investigation into high-risk activities that disrupt the virtual asset market, including various forms of price manipulation. The FSS announced the initiative on Feb. 9 as part of its annual work plan, Yonhap News reported. The probe will target several manipulation tactics. These include schemes by "large whales" who use massive funds to influence prices, the "caging" method of artificially adjusting the price of an asset whose deposits and withdrawals are suspended on a particular exchange, and the "racehorse" technique of rapidly driving up prices by accumulating large volumes at a specific time. Additionally, the FSS plans to establish a supervisory system to prevent IT risks in the financial sector. Measures will include introducing punitive fines for IT incidents, strengthening the security responsibilities of CEOs and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), and promoting the adoption of information security disclosures.