On May 10th, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited's new CEO, Nicolas Aguzin, stated in an interview with the Shanghai Securities News that HKEX faces competition not only from other securities exchanges, but also from external competitors such as virtual asset exchanges. In order to meet the rapidly evolving demands of customers and technology, HKEX must balance innovation and stable business operations, continuously expand its resources for listed companies, and improve its market services.

Bitcoin mining company Marathon Digital Holdings reported a record net profit of $337.2 million in the first quarter of 2024. The quarterly net profit announced by the company in its earnings report on May 9th increased by 184% compared to the first quarter of 2023, which was $118.7 million. The diluted earnings per share for this quarter were $1.26. The company announced that its first quarter revenue for 2024 reached a record $165.2 million, an increase of 223% from the same period last year, which was $51.1 million.

Binance CEO Richard Teng has remained silent on the legal crisis in Nigeria for the past few months, but today Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan posted on the matter of his being charged in Nigeria, stating that unidentified individuals had contacted the exchange's employees and suggested paying a sum of money to resolve the charges. According to DL News, Nigerian officials have demanded a possible bribe of up to $150 million in cryptocurrency from Binance. In a statement, Richard Teng said that lawyers had been asked to make a large payment in cryptocurrency within 48 hours.

Uniswap founder Hayden Adams posted on social media that cryptocurrency founders and venture capitalists need to stop valuing projects at over $1 billion in the early stages of development and before tokens have been released, until they are truly worth that valuation. Building something worth 7-9 figures is an incredible achievement, and not every project needs to be a unicorn at launch. Additionally, Hayden Adams said, perhaps it's naive, but I think raising funds as a founder at a fair valuation (real talent wants upside) and investing at a fair valuation as a VC (LPs want upside) can make more money. It's just harder to do it that way.

According to Watcher.guru on X platform, former President Donald Trump stated that he will stop the hostility towards cryptocurrency in the United States and embrace it.

The Fed's Collins stated that it may take longer than expected to reach a 2% inflation level; the policy is appropriately restrictive for risks; rates should be maintained until confidence is strengthened; the full impact of restrictive policies may not yet be seen; high uncertainty reinforces the need for the Fed to remain patient; it is necessary to slow down the US economic growth in order to put inflation on the path towards a 2% decline; there has been no sign of inflation falling back since 2024; demand is expected to eventually slow down, but there is uncertainty regarding timing.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ruled that the actions of cryptocurrency company Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon constitute fraud. The company's bankruptcy in 2022 resulted in a loss of $40 billion in investor funds.

Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon will face trial in Manhattan on Monday, accused by regulators of lying to investors about the collapse of the company's two cryptocurrencies, LUNA and UST, which disrupted the market in 2022. Regulators also accuse them of falsely claiming that Terraform's blockchain was used for a popular mobile payment app in Korea. Do Kwon will not attend the trial. He was arrested in Montenegro last March and is awaiting extradition back to his home country of South Korea, where he faces criminal charges. A court in Montenegro postponed his extradition on Friday, citing concerns from the country's prosecutor's office about the extradition process.

Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform, will be released from prison in Montenegro, but due to several criminal charges brought by national authorities, he will remain in the Balkans. The High Court of Montenegro ordered the confiscation of Kwon's passport on Friday to prevent him from leaving the country. According to the court's order, Kwon will leave Spuž prison on Saturday. The prosecutor opposes extraditing Kwon to South Korea and would prefer him to be sent to the United States, where he could face a longer sentence if convicted.

Market news: Terra co-founder Do Kwon has been released and is awaiting the extradition decision of the Supreme Court.