Federal Reserve Chair Powell May Not Testify at February Congressional Hearing

**January 14** The Pakistan Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SC Financial Technologies LLC— a subsidiary of the Trump family’s cryptocurrency project World Liberty Financial (WLFI)— to explore using the USD1 stablecoin for cross-border payments and digital settlements. The MoU centers on technical cooperation, knowledge sharing and regulatory dialogue, and does not currently amount to a binding agreement to deploy USD1 within Pakistan’s financial system. Under its terms, SC Financial Technologies will collaborate with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and relevant institutions to research how USD1 and other stablecoins can integrate into the country’s regulated payment ecosystem. *Source: Financefeeds*

On January 14, Orange Cap Games (OCG)—parent company of Moonbirds—officially launched its **"Birbillions Thesis" whitepaper**, outlining a hybrid business model focused on *"Physical Collectibles + Crypto Memes."* The whitepaper identifies the crypto industry’s core pain point: a disconnect between "Serious Companies" and "Absurd Memes." OCG plans to engage non-crypto users via physical toy distribution through partners like Asmodee and GTS, with the $BIRB token serving as a value-coordination layer. Data shows OCG’s second-year physical revenue hit $8 million. The firm’s goal is to become the **first crypto-native consumer enterprise** to reach $1 billion in annual revenue from physical sales—*without relying on transaction fees or token sales*. ### Notes on American English adjustments: - Swapped "released" for "launched" (more active, common in tech/startup news). - Used "identifies" (clearer than "points out" for a whitepaper’s core claim). - Simplified "capture the a

On January 14, LookOnChain monitoring shows Arthur Hayes re-purchased 19,227 HYPE following a 3-month hiatus, with the transaction valued at roughly $499,000.

On January 14th, Noise—an attention market tool focused on building a prediction market-centric information platform—announced it has closed a $7.1 million seed funding round. The round was led by Paradigm, with participation from prior backers Figment Capital, Anagram, as well as GSR, JPEG Trading, and KaitoAI. Reportedly, Noise’s testnet launched in May 2023 as a limited invitation-only beta. It attracted over 1,300 users who used social media data from Kaito to bet on 14 attention markets tracking cryptocurrency topics. (Source: The Block)

On January 14, Bitmine Chairman Tom Lee warned investors against clashing with Washington, arguing the White House’s growing influence over industries’ fortunes outweighs early-year monetary policy. Lee identified credit card firms, the Federal Reserve, and institutional mortgage buyers as current “losers”—citing Trump’s push to cap credit card rates and political pressure on the Fed as examples. These policies, he said, could tighten credit conditions. On the “winning” side, Lee sees housing-related assets emerging as a top pick, as Trump has prioritized housing affordability and lower mortgage rates ahead of the election. He also favors energy, materials, large-cap tech stocks, cryptocurrencies, industrials, financials, and small-cap stocks poised to benefit from economic growth.

On Jan 14, the fourth episode of the TV special *Never Stop, Never Retreat*—co-produced by China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and National Supervisory Commission (NSC) and CCTV—aired, focusing on “Technology Empowering Anti-Corruption.” The episode spotlighted the case of Yao Qian, former director of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC)’s Science and Technology Supervision Department and former head of its Information Center. It detailed virtual currency storage and transfer mechanisms, noting that using virtual currencies to hide corrupt proceeds is a new form of hidden corruption. Cai Kunqing, a staffer with Guangdong’s Shantou Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, stated: “During searches, two key items must be checked: first, whether a hardware wallet exists; second, whether there are papers with irregular mnemonic phrases—these are critical.” Using blockchain technology, the task force not only traced the 201