1. U.S. Senate Republicans release updated Clarity Act: non-decentralized DeFi protocols must register with the CFTC

The U.S. Senate Republicans released the updated text of the Clarity Act after negotiations during the August recess. No changes were made to the ethical provisions, the BRCA provisions, or provisions related to stablecoin yield. The main revisions include: requiring non-decentralized DeFi protocols to register with the CFTC, consistent with Section 10301 of the Senate Banking Committee version; limiting the scope of the DeFi provisions to digital commodity spot or cash transactions, intended to address the concerns of tribal authorities about blockchain prediction markets; and further clarifying the authority for credit unions to conduct crypto-related business.

2. The U.S. August core CPI month-on-month rose to 0.3%, above expectations.

The U.S. August core CPI (seasonally adjusted) rose 0.3% month-on-month, the highest since May this year, above the market expectation of 0.2%, and up from the prior value of 0.2%. The U.S. August core CPI year-on-year fell to 2.4%, declining for three straight months and hitting the lowest level since April 2021, in line with expectations, down from the prior 2.5%.

3. Albuquerque, Arizona bans crypto ATMs; existing devices must be removed within 45 days

The city of Albuquerque, New Mexico in the U.S., has banned (via a virtual currency ordinance) the installation, operation, or hosting of cryptocurrency ATMs within the city, and prohibits cryptocurrency transactions that are assisted by cashiers. Existing crypto ATMs must immediately stop operating and be removed within 45 days after the ordinance takes effect. The city council said the move is intended to reduce scams and financial exploitation carried out using crypto ATMs. The ordinance does not restrict residents from legally holding cryptocurrencies, mining, or trading cryptocurrencies through internet platforms.

4. Tether: has helped freeze more than $5 billion worth of assets involved in illegal activities for law-enforcement agencies worldwide

Tether said on September 11 that the company has, to date, cooperated with more than 340 law-enforcement agencies across 67 countries, participating in over 2,800 cases, including more than 1,600 involving U.S. law-enforcement authorities. Tether also said it helped freeze assets worth over $5 billion linked to illegal activities, of which more than $2.5 billion was completed in cooperation with U.S. authorities. Tether added that it recently assisted the U.S. Department of Justice in enforcement actions regarding Xinbi Guarantee. A DOJ announcement confirmed that the actions constrained more than $52 million in crypto assets and specifically thanked Tether for providing proactive assistance during the investigation.

5. Japan’s Digital Agency says it has suffered an unauthorized access incident, with personal information of about 246,000 people potentially compromised.

Japan’s Digital Agency said its servers were accessed without authorization, and personal information of about 246,000 people may have been leaked. The Digital Agency discovered in late June that someone used a maintenance account to access a large number of files in its Government Solution Service network. Subsequent investigations indicated the attackers may have exploited a VPN vulnerability to steal information from government employees and other system users. Data that may have been leaked includes names, email addresses, and phone numbers. As of now, it has not been confirmed whether any data misuse related to this incident occurred.

6. India launches Demat 2.0 pilot, exploring a tokenized corporate bond market of $620 billion

India’s Securities and Exchange Board (SEBI) has launched the Demat 2.0 pilot program, using blockchain and RBI wholesale—issued and settlement tokenized company bond instruments. State power financing institution REC this month issued INR 50 billion (about $56 million) bonds through the system. Larsen & Toubro subsequently issued bonds of the same size, while non-banking financial institution IIFL Finance issued INR 250 million (about $2.8 million) bonds. The bonds continue to use fixed interest rates, maturity dates, and investor rights. Demat 2.0 connects the tokenized bond ledger with the RBI’s wholesale digital rupee via the Unified Market Interface, enabling bonds and payment funds to move in sync to reduce settlement risk. The next phase is expected to introduce trading in the secondary market and gradually expand to retail investors.