Crypto Morning Brief: Zcash Development Team Resigns En Masse, Trump Says He Will Not Consider Pardoning SBF

marsbitPublicado em 2026-01-09Última atualização em 2026-01-09

Resumo

Crypto Daily Digest: Key developments include the entire Zcash development team resigning from Electric Coin Company due to governance disagreements, forming a new company to continue their mission. Former President Trump stated he would not consider pardoning SBF and made controversial remarks about international law. Regulatory discussions between Wall Street and crypto industry representatives showed progress on market structure bills. In market news, Grayscale registered a BNB ETF, Truebit suffered a suspected $26M hack, and Optimism proposed using 50% of superchain revenue for OP buybacks. Additionally, Coinbase CEO’s stock sales were highlighted, and a Chinese court clarified that personal crypto holding/trading is generally not considered illegal operation.

Author: Deep Tide TechFlow

Yesterday's Market Dynamics

US Initial Jobless Claims for the Week Ending Jan 3: 208K, Expected 210K

US initial jobless claims for the week ending Jan 3 were 208,000, compared to an expectation of 210,000. The previous figure was revised from 199,000 to 200,000.

Trump: Will Not Consider Pardoning SBF

According to The New York Times, US President Trump explicitly stated in an interview that he would not consider pardoning FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF).

The report also disclosed that musician Sean Combs (Diddy) had written to Trump requesting a pardon, but was similarly rejected. In contrast, Trump has indeed exercised his pardon power in recent years for some political allies or individuals supporting his narrative of "politicization of justice," but SBF is not within his consideration.

Previous news: SBF was convicted in 2023 on multiple counts including misappropriation of customer funds and financial fraud.

Trump: I Don't Need International Law, My Power Is Only Constrained by My Own Morality

According to Lianhe Zaobao, US President Trump claimed that his "own moral code" is the only constraint on his orders for military actions worldwide.

Trump made these remarks just days after launching a blitzkrieg that overthrew Venezuelan President Maduro and threatening actions against numerous other countries, including Greenland.

When asked during an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday (Jan 7) if there were any limits to his global power, Trump replied: "Yes, only one. That is my own moral code, my own ideas. That's the only thing that constrains me."

He also said: "I don't need international law, I have no intention of harming others."

The Republican president then added, "I do" need to abide by international law, but "it depends on what your definition of international law is."

AFP reported that the US is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which tries war criminals, and has repeatedly rejected rulings from the UN's top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Foreign Media: Wall Street and Crypto Industry Representatives Make "Progress" in Private Talks on Crypto Bill

According to Decrypt, Wall Street industry group SIFMA and cryptocurrency industry representatives focused on decentralized finance held a meeting on Thursday in an attempt to resolve major differences before a key Senate vote next week on the crypto market structure bill.

Sources revealed that "progress" was made on DeFi issues. SIFMA recently opposed regulatory exemptions provided in the bill for certain DeFi services and developers. Separately, it was reported that SIFMA and banking lobbying groups are pushing to ban yield-bearing dollar stablecoins, even though such stablecoins were implicitly allowed by the GENIUS Act signed by President Trump last year.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott plans a key review of the bill next Thursday. Most stakeholders believe the bill needs bipartisan support at the committee review stage to have any chance of ultimately passing a full Senate vote.

Grayscale BNB ETF Registered in Delaware, USA

Early morning news today: The Grayscale BNB ETF filing disclosed it was registered in Delaware, USA, on January 8, 2026.

Lookonchain: Truebit疑似遭黑客攻击,损失约 2,644 万美元的 ETH (Suspected Hack on Truebit, Losses ~$26.44M in ETH)

According to on-chain analytics platform Lookonchain (@lookonchain) monitoring, the Truebit protocol is suspected of being hacked, with approximately 8,535 ETH (worth ~$26.44 million) stolen.

Optimism Foundation Proposes Using 50% of Superchain Revenue to Buy Back OP Tokens

According to an official announcement, the Optimism Foundation proposed a new plan on January 8, 2026, to use 50% of Superchain revenue to buy back OP tokens. The proposal aims to transform the OP token from a pure governance token into an asset directly linked to the growth of the Superchain ecosystem. Over the past 12 months, the Superchain has contributed 5,868 ETH in revenue to the Foundation. If the proposal is approved in the vote on January 22, the buyback program will officially launch in February. Repurchased tokens will flow into the token treasury and could be used for future burns or as staking rewards.

Zcash Core Development Team Mass Exodus, Development Team CEO Announces New Company

According to a tweet by Josh Swihart, CEO of Zcash core developer Electric Coin Company (ECC), the entire ECC team has resigned. The reason is a significant misalignment between the majority of the Bootstrap board (a non-profit supporting Zcash, responsible for managing ECC) and the mission of Zcash. Swihart stated that Bootstrap board members Zaki Manian, Christina Garman, Alan Fairless, and Michelle Lai changed the team's employment terms, making it impossible to perform their duties effectively. The ECC team will form a new company but will maintain the same mission: building unstoppable privacy money. Swihart emphasized that the Zcash protocol is unaffected by this event, and the decision aims to protect the team's work from malicious governance actions.

AC's New Project Flying Tulip Announces Intent Whitelist Now Live

Flying Tulip officially announced that the Intent Whitelist is now live, open only to users who scored 7/10 or higher on the Flying Tulip Accredited Investor Quiz. The official emphasized that this phase does not involve any fund transfers, and whitelist allocations for previous supporters can still be adjusted. Subsequent guidance will only be released through Flying Tulip's official channels.

Previous news: Andre Cronje's new project Flying Tulip completed a $200 million funding round with participation from DWF Labs, FalconX, etc.

Coinbase CEO Has Sold Company Stock 88 Times via 10b5-1 Plan, Never Bought

According to CEO Watcher monitoring, cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase's CEO Brian Armstrong has never purchased $COIN stock through his 10b5-1 plan. Data shows Armstrong has conducted 88 stock sales but never a purchase.

Previous news: Coinbase CEO responded to COIN减持 (reducing holdings) by saying it's impossible to keep 99.999% of assets in a single stock forever.

Shanghai No.2 Intermediate Court "Adjudication Unification in Virtual Currency Crime Cases" Seminar: Personal Crypto Holding/Trading Generally Not Considered Illegal Business Operation

The Shanghai No.2 Intermediate Court recently held a seminar on "Adjudication Unification in Virtual Currency Crime Cases," analyzing three topics, including:

1. Determination of "Subjective Knowledge" in Virtual Currency Money Laundering Crimes: Should comprehensively judge subjective knowledge in virtual currency money laundering crimes to prevent objective incrimination.

2. Determination of Behavior Types and Standards of Completion in Virtual Currency Money Laundering Crimes: a) Accurately grasp the criminal essence of "concealing or disguising the origin and nature of criminal proceeds and their gains"; b) Implementing the acts of concealing or disguising criminal proceeds and their gains as stipulated in the constitutive elements of the money laundering crime constitutes completion of the crime; c) Severely crack down on money laundering crimes according to law, resolutely safeguarding national financial security.

3. Determination of Illegal Business Operation Crimes Involving Virtual Currency: If the behavior does not have the characteristics of a business operation and is merely personal crypto holding or trading, it is generally not considered the crime of illegal business operation. However, if the person明知 (knowingly) assists others in illegal foreign exchange trading or disguised foreign exchange trading by converting virtual currencies, and the circumstances are serious, they should be deemed an accomplice in the crime of illegal business operation.

Caixin Discloses Details of Chen Zhi's Domestic Assets: Holds 17.78% Equity in Xiamen Jueshi Wushen Interactive Technology, Was Majority Shareholder of a Medical Device Company

Caixin disclosed details of Chen Zhi's assets within China. It is reported that he holds a 17.78% stake in Xiamen Jueshi Wushen Interactive Technology Co., Ltd., which focuses on mobile game development. He also holds a 70% stake in Chongqing Quwu Wuxian Equity Investment Fund Management Co., Ltd., which has invested in several interactive entertainment technology companies. Chen Zhi was also the majority shareholder, holding over 56%, of Jiangmen Dacheng Medical Device Co., Ltd., which operates in medical devices.

Additionally, Chen Zhi is the majority shareholder of two listed companies in Hong Kong, China, along with several insurance brokerage firms, securities companies, wealth management companies, and shell companies with unclear business purposes. Chen Zhi took control of Zhihaoda in December 2018, directly serving as chairman and executive director after acquiring 54.79% of its shares, until resigning from all positions in July 2025. Chen Zhi took over all shares sold by the original major shareholder of Kun Group in 2023, obtaining 55% absolute control, but did not assume an executive director role. Currently, these two listed companies have not suspended trading and issued statements saying the sanctions will not have any material adverse impact on the group's business operations.

Market Trends

Perguntas relacionadas

QWhat was the reason behind the entire Zcash core development team leaving the Electric Coin Company (ECC)?

AThe entire team left because the majority of the Bootstrap Board of Directors, which supports Zcash project, had a clear misalignment with the mission of Zcash. The board members changed the team's employment terms, making it impossible for them to perform their duties effectively.

QWhat did former President Trump state regarding a potential pardon for SBF (Sam Bankman-Fried)?

AFormer President Trump explicitly stated that he would not consider granting a pardon to FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF).

QWhat significant proposal did the Optimism Foundation put forward on January 8, 2026?

AThe Optimism Foundation proposed to use 50% of the Superchain's revenue to buy back OP tokens, aiming to transform the token from a pure governance asset into one directly linked to the growth of the Superchain ecosystem.

QAccording to the Shanghai No.2 Intermediate Court's seminar, under what circumstance is an individual's crypto trading generally NOT considered a crime of illegal business operation?

AIf the activity does not have the characteristics of a business operation and is merely personal holding or trading of cryptocurrencies, it is generally not considered the crime of illegal business operation.

QWhat major incident was reported by Lookonchain regarding the Truebit protocol?

ALookonchain reported that the Truebit protocol was suspected of being hacked, resulting in the theft of approximately 8,535 ETH, valued at about $26.44 million.

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