1. CMB International announces the launch of virtual asset trading services, supporting BTC, ETH, and USDT.
CMB International Securities announces that its mobile application officially launched virtual asset trading features, supporting 24/7 trading of the three major cryptocurrencies BTC, ETH, and USDT. This service is available to qualified investors who have completed KYC and AML certifications.
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2. Renmin University Law School offers a senior training course on virtual currency disposal and the legal practice of stablecoins and RWA.
The Law School of Renmin University of China has released an enrollment brochure for a senior training course on the legal practice of virtual currency disposal, stablecoins, and RWA (2025), stating that it will systematically analyze the legal attributes, regulatory framework, disposal procedures, compliance procedures, and investment opportunities of digital assets.
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3. Strategy increased its holdings by 430 bitcoins, exceeding a total position of 629,000.
Strategy purchased 430 bitcoins from August 11 to August 17, with an average purchase price of $119,666, totaling $51.4 million. As of August 17, 2025, Strategy holds 629,376 BTC, with a total expenditure of approximately $46.15 billion, at an average purchase price of $73,320.
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4. Voting on the LayerZero Foundation's acquisition of Stargate proposal has begun, with a current approval rate of 97.09%.
Voting on the LayerZero Foundation's acquisition of Stargate proposal has begun, currently with a support rate of 97.09%, voting will end on August 24. Previously, the LayerZero Foundation proposed an acquisition of about $110 million to Stargate DAO to acquire the Stargate cross-chain bridge and its STG tokens, planning to dissolve Stargate DAO and exchange STG for LayerZero's native token ZRO at a rate of 1 STG to 0.08634 ZRO.
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5. North Korean hacker group Lazarus accused of stealing over $20 million in crypto assets from UK platform Lykke.
The UK-registered crypto trading platform Lykke was hacked last year, resulting in the loss of approximately $22.8 million worth of bitcoin, ethereum, and other assets. The UK's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) recently released a report stating that the attack was carried out by the North Korean hacker group Lazarus. The company was liquidated this March, and founder Richard Olsen was declared bankrupt and is under criminal investigation in Switzerland.
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6. Wu discusses this week's macro indicators and analysis: Federal Reserve meeting minutes, U.S.-Russia-Ukraine trilateral talks, Jackson Hole Global Central Bank Conference.
Summary
Last week's U.S. July CPI year-on-year was below expectations, but core CPI rose to its highest level since February, while July PPI year-on-year significantly exceeded market expectations. The market generally anticipates the Federal Reserve will cut rates by 25 BP in September; this week, focus will be on the Federal Reserve meeting minutes, the Jackson Hole Global Central Bank Conference, and U.S., Russia, and Ukraine trilateral talks.
Last week in review
The U.S. reported a seasonally adjusted CPI month-on-month of 0.2% in July, expected 0.20%, previous value 0.30%; July unadjusted CPI year-on-year was 2.7%, expected 2.8%, previous value 2.7%. The unadjusted core CPI year-on-year in July further increased to 3.1%, its highest in five months, exceeding the market expectation of 3.0%.
The U.S. July PPI year-on-year was 3.3%, expected 2.5%, previous value revised from 2.30% to 2.4%. This significantly exceeded market expectations of 2.5%, reaching its highest since February. The U.S. July PPI month-on-month recorded 0.9%, the largest increase since June 2022.
China's July M2 money supply year-on-year was 8.8%, expected 8.3%.
2025 FOMC voting member and Chicago Fed President Goolsbee stated he hopes to review more economic data before deciding whether to cut rates.
2027 FOMC voting member and Atlanta Fed President Bostic stated that if the labor market remains stable, he still believes that a rate cut in 2025 would be appropriate.
The number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending August 9 is 224,000, expected 228,000, and the previous value revised from 226,000 to 227,000.
Key events & indicators this week
August 18
U.S., Russia, and Ukraine trilateral talks
August 20
New Zealand Reserve Bank announces interest rate decision (10:00)
August 21
Federal Reserve releases minutes of monetary policy meeting (02:00)
2027 FOMC voting member and Atlanta Fed President Bostic speaks on economic outlook (03:00)
Initial jobless claims in the U.S. for the week ending August 16 (thousands) (20:30)
Jackson Hole Global Central Bank Conference, until August 23
August 22
Powell will deliver a speech at the Jackson Hole Global Central Bank Conference (22:00)
