Crypto Morning Brief: Binance’s SAFU Fund Buys $100 Million Worth of Bitcoin; SpaceX Confirms Merger with xAI
TechFlow Selected TechFlow Selected
Crypto Morning Brief: Binance’s SAFU Fund Buys $100 Million Worth of Bitcoin; SpaceX Confirms Merger with xAI
Sources claim that JD.com has not withdrawn its application for a stablecoin license.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthor: TechFlow
Yesterday’s Market Updates
U.S. Senator Warren Calls for Investigation into Trump Family’s 49% Stake Sale in WLFI to UAE Royal Family, Calling It “Blatant Corruption”
According to CoinDesk, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren has called on Congress to hold hearings regarding a secret investment by an entity backed by members of the UAE royal family into Trump-affiliated cryptocurrency firm WLFI. The deal—signed by Eric Trump—transferred $187 million to Trump-family entities and at least $31 million to entities linked to Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy. This transaction occurred just months before the Trump administration approved the sale of advanced U.S. AI chips to the UAE.
Senator Warren labeled the deal “blatant corruption,” demanding that the Trump administration rescind its decision to sell AI chips to the UAE and requiring relevant officials to testify before Congress. A White House spokesperson responded that the President was not involved in any commercial transactions that could affect his constitutional duties and that he had adhered to government ethics rules.
Trump: “Unaware” of UAE Royal Investment in WLFI; Sons Handled It
U.S. President Trump stated in an interview that he was unaware of Abu Dhabi’s $500 million investment into World Liberty Financial—a crypto project backed by his family—and that his sons managed the matter.
Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA): Plans to Issue First Stablecoin Licenses in March; Has Received 36 Applications
According to Ta Kung Wen Hui, HKMA Chief Executive Eddie Yue said the authority has received 36 stablecoin license applications and aims to issue the first batch of licenses in March.
Hong Kong’s Stablecoin Ordinance officially took effect on August 1, 2025, establishing a licensing regime for fiat-backed stablecoin issuers. Mr. Yue noted that the HKMA is continuously evaluating these applications and has requested additional information from some applicants—including details on specific use cases, risk management measures, and reserve asset composition.
Mr. Yue emphasized that the number of institutions receiving initial licenses “will certainly be small.” The HKMA will proceed with prudence and stability as guiding principles, refining its regulatory framework for virtual asset activities while safeguarding financial stability and promoting financial innovation.
Caixin: Sources Say JD.com Has Not Withdrawn Its Stablecoin License Application
According to Caixin, HKMA Chief Executive Eddie Yue stated at a post-meeting press briefing following the Financial Services Panel on February 2, 2026, that a total of 36 institutions—including banks, tech firms, securities firms, asset management companies, investment firms, e-commerce platforms, payment providers, and startups/Web3 firms—had submitted stablecoin license applications. Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong), one of Hong Kong’s three note-issuing banks, is widely expected to be among the first licensees. Two sources also confirmed that JD Coinchain Technology (Hong Kong), a subsidiary of JD.com previously rumored to have withdrawn from the race for Hong Kong’s first stablecoin licenses, remains an active applicant—and is also one of the three trial participants in Hong Kong’s stablecoin testing sandbox.
Binance Hot Wallet Transfers 1,315 BTC to SAFU Fund Address, Worth $100 Million
On-chain data shows that 1,315 BTC were transferred from a Binance hot wallet to the SAFU Fund address 25 minutes ago, valued at $100 million.
Epstein Files Reveal: Strategy CEO and Kevin Warsh Both Appeared in Epstein’s Social Circle; Epstein Invested in Blockstream
According to BeInCrypto, Epstein maintained unexpectedly close ties with cryptocurrency founders, investors, and projects during the industry’s early days. Newly unsealed Epstein documents reveal that Epstein participated in the seed funding round of Bitcoin infrastructure company Blockstream—a round totaling $18 million—in which his investment grew from $50,000 to $500,000.
Additionally, Epstein described Bitcoin as “clever but seriously flawed” in 2011; discussed Bitcoin’s definition with Peter Thiel in 2014; proposed creating an Islamic cryptocurrency to a Saudi royal advisor in 2016; and explicitly replied in 2017 that Bitcoin “was not worth buying.”
The documents further show that Michael Saylor, CEO of Strategy, and Kevin Warsh, nominee for Federal Reserve Chair, both appeared in Epstein’s social circle. Investigators found no evidence that Epstein used cryptocurrency for illegal activities.
According to crypto journalist Kyle Torpey, Epstein expressed ethical concerns about “cryptocurrency token price manipulation” in an email to Bitcoin developer Jeremy Rubin. Epstein also offered $3 million to crypto entrepreneur Brock Pierce to invest in cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. Torpey notes it remains unclear whether this transaction was ultimately completed.
Trend Research Deposits Another 20,000 ETH to Binance, Worth ~$45.52 Million
On-chain analyst Onchain Lens (@OnchainLens) reported that Trend Research—founded by Jack Yi—has deposited another 20,000 ETH to Binance, valued at approximately $45.52 million. To date, Trend Research has cumulatively deposited 73,588 ETH (worth ~$169 million) to Binance for sale and loan repayment purposes.
Hyperliquid to Launch Outcome Trading, Expanding Derivatives Ecosystem
Hyperliquid announced that its HyperCore platform will support outcome trading (HIP-4)—a fully collateralized contract settling within a fixed range. This feature will power prediction markets and option-like instruments without leverage or liquidation mechanisms.
The feature is currently under testing on the testnet. Upon completion of technical development, Hyperliquid plans to launch standardized markets pegged to objective settlement sources, denominated in USDH. The feature will integrate seamlessly with other HyperCore modules—including portfolio margining and HyperEVM—and may eventually support permissionless deployment.
Cboe Plans to Relaunch Binary Options to Meet Prediction Market Demand
According to The Block, Cboe Global Markets is discussing plans with retail brokers and market makers to relaunch “all-or-nothing” binary options contracts—products closely aligned with prediction market mechanics.
Cboe originally launched binary options in 2008 but discontinued them due to low market adoption. The relaunched product will be regulated by either the SEC or the CFTC, emphasizing compliance and sound product design.
Jupiter Announces $35 Million Strategic Investment from ParaFi Capital
According to Jupiter’s official announcement, the firm has secured a $35 million strategic investment from ParaFi Capital to accelerate the development of on-chain financial infrastructure.
SpaceX Memo Confirms Merger with xAI, Valuation Reaches $1.25 Trillion
According to insiders, Elon Musk plans to merge SpaceX with xAI—consolidating his rapidly expanding strategic footprint across artificial intelligence and space exploration. The merger plan was announced internally via memo on Monday. The combined entity is expected to price shares at approximately $527 each, valuing the company at $1.25 trillion. Neither SpaceX nor xAI has issued a response. This move further interweaves Musk’s business empire: He acquired the social media platform Twitter (later renamed X) at the end of 2022 and subsequently merged it with xAI for $33 billion. xAI operates the Grok chatbot, which consumes roughly $1 billion per month toward its mission of achieving deep cosmic understanding. Merging with SpaceX would unify capital, talent, and compute resources while blurring corporate boundaries. The merger may also advance Musk’s vision of deploying data centers in space to support AI’s complex computational demands. According to filings submitted last Friday, SpaceX is seeking regulatory approval to launch up to one million satellites into Earth orbit. (Jinshi Data)
Market Data
Recommended Reading
The Spectacle Belongs to “the Epstein Crowd”; Saylor Just Wants to Stack
This article explores Bitcoin investor Michael Saylor’s distinctive investment strategy and how his seemingly “boring” personality in social settings has become a key factor in his investment success. Through analysis of Saylor’s background, Bitcoin accumulation strategy, and current market conditions, the piece highlights the importance of discipline and focus in investing.
Sui, Having Survived the Octagon, Evolves from a Layer-1 Blockchain into a Full Platform
This article provides a detailed overview of Sui’s recent development trajectory and future roadmap. By launching Sui Stack, Sui has gradually evolved from a high-performance L1 blockchain into a comprehensive developer toolstack platform—introducing innovative components across storage, access control, and off-chain computation. Sui aims to lower barriers for developers to attract broader participation and foster ecosystem growth. In 2026, Sui plans to focus on “The Year of Experience,” prioritizing enhanced user experience, privacy-preserving transactions, and production-grade protocol implementation.
Delphi Digital Co-Founder: Why I’m Bullish on Crypto’s Outlook
This article presents Delphi Digital co-founder Tommy’s five core bullish arguments for the cryptocurrency market amid recent volatility and noise—grounded in macroeconomic trends, policy developments, and technological shifts. He argues that increasing Trump influence over the Fed, evolving gold and dollar credibility dynamics, shifting AI narratives, exaggerated concerns around quantum computing threats, and advancing regulatory frameworks will all benefit the crypto market.
This article offers an in-depth examination of the current state, major participants, and future outlook of tokenized precious metals markets. It analyzes the tokenization processes for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium; discusses their operational mechanisms, market scale, and potential under blockchain technology; and addresses associated risks and regulatory challenges. The article also explores use cases for tokenized metals in decentralized finance (DeFi) and highlights the rapid growth and future prospects of tokenized commodity markets.
Interview with ClawdBot Founder: AI Is a Lever, Not a Replacement
This article features an interview with Peter Steinberger, founder of Clawbot (now rebranded OpenClaw), exploring the application and development of AI assistants and their broader implications. It underscores AI’s immense capabilities and inherent limitations—and asserts that AI functions as a lever rather than a replacement, ultimately amplifying human engineering thinking and taste.
Join TechFlow official community to stay tuned
Telegram:https://t.me/TechFlowDaily
X (Twitter):https://x.com/TechFlowPost
X (Twitter) EN:https://x.com/BlockFlow_News
深潮TechFlow
