Ctrip is suspected of abusing its market dominance and engaging in monopolistic practices, leading to an investigation by the State Administration for Market Regulation
Regulators suspect that the platform's rules and algorithms are interfering with merchant pricing and competition
According to an official announcement from the State Administration for Market Regulation, the regulator has legally initiated an investigation into Ctrip Group Co., Ltd.
The news caused Ctrip's shares to drop over 9% during trading in Hong Kong, closing down 6.49%
1. Ctrip has been repeatedly summoned for talks
Over the past year, Ctrip has been repeatedly summoned by regulators, with core issues focusing on
Alleged 'choose one of two' practices, interference with merchant pricing Use of technical tools (such as pricing assistants) to directly alter merchant prices Accusations of price fraud, big data price discrimination, and abuse of platform power
2. CCTV previously named these algorithmic tools, stating they have transformed from neutral technology into the platform's price manipulators
Despite increasing regulatory pressure, Ctrip's performance has been strong, with profits significantly rising, and brokers continue to issue buy recommendations with high target prices
1. How did this all start? 人生 K 线 initially began as a tool project with a strong Web3 and esoteric vibe, focusing on generating life curves and predicting fortunes. Although it was not a token project, its IP gained popularity in the Chinese-speaking community. As a result, community members spontaneously created a meme coin named $人生K线 based on this IP, leveraging the narrative and traffic of 人生 K 线. From that moment on, the product IP and the meme coin became widely conflated in users' minds.
2. Cyber Merit Box On January 10, Sakura announced the 'Cyber Merit Box' with a preview, proposing that donating BSC tokens would grant access to a premium KEY for 人生 K 线, with a commitment to destroy 50% and donate 50% to Giggle Academy, while also soliciting community feedback.
3. Opinion Labs On January 11, 人生 K 线 integrated with Opinion Labs to analyze event links. The overall interaction was positive, and market sentiment briefly improved.
But on January 12, the situation took a sharp turn: Sakura announced the establishment of a foundation, revealed a multi-signature wallet, reiterated the donation rules (50% destruction / 50% charity), and stated that the official launch was imminent.
4. Sakura Wallet Controversy
Later that afternoon, community accounts began conducting on-chain investigations, revealing that transaction fees from $人生K线 were flowing into Sakura's personal wallet rather than the foundation address. The meme coin's price plummeted rapidly, triggering a panic sell-off.
Sakura then posted a clarification, stating she was merely a poor college student, and that the total tax revenue she had received was limited (around 30,000 CNY), insufficient to cover costs. She had already repurchased and destroyed 10% of the tokens.
She also declared that her personal wallet would no longer accept any donations, officially disassociated the 人生 K 线 project from the meme coin with the same name, and tightened and adjusted the merit donation rules.
5. Second Long Post Clarification On January 14, Sakura released another lengthy post to clarify the situation. She emphasized that merit donations would only occur via the official website, with funds fully traceable on-chain (destruction / donation to Giggle), that 人生 K 线 would focus solely on product development and overseas operations, and that there was no connection whatsoever between the project and the meme coin. She also stated she had contacted lawyers to address defamation and personal threats.
However, public sentiment had already reversed. Negative comments increased significantly, and the community reached a consensus: the issue wasn't just about money, but about the long-standing blurring of boundaries between the IP and the meme coin, as well as misaligned narratives and responsibilities, ultimately triggering a trust crisis.
Against this backdrop, the price of the $人生K线 meme coin was halved.
It's late at night, CZ, exhausted from a long day of meetings, returned home. He took off his coat, loosened his tie, and sighed in relief as he lay down on the sofa.
At that moment, a video call came in. CZ picked up his phone and saw it was Sister One calling.
As usual, CZ answered the call, and Sister One's lazy voice came through the earpiece:
'Thousands of miles across the wilderness, you are my joy hidden in the gentle breeze.'
The U.S. has issued an evacuation order, indicating that a full-scale conflict is almost certain, #伊朗 .
#特朗普 posted on the 12th afternoon stating that any country engaging in commercial activities with Iran will face a 25% tariff on all commercial dealings with the United States.
Trump said this is the "final" decision and "immediately effective."
Due to the U.S.'s long-standing stringent sanctions against Iran, there is no commercial interaction or formal diplomatic relations between the two countries, making it impossible for the U.S. to effectively pressure Iran through tariffs.
The White House press secretary Levitt said earlier that day that, in light of the current situation with Iran, Trump views diplomacy as the "preferred" option, but if necessary, "he would not hesitate to use the U.S. military."
Previously, multiple U.S. media outlets reported that Trump has recently reviewed military strike options against Iran.
Top 5 export destinations of Iran: China, UAE, Iraq, Turkey, India
Today, SOL launched the speedrun golden dog PsyopAnime, with a market cap of approximately $17 million. D-Ge successfully turned losses into profits, demonstrating the deep foundation of the veteran version god.
The value of D-group is further increasing.
Expected directions:
#老子 on Alpha #我踏马来了 on contracts
This is a clear strategy:
1️⃣ Attract SOL funds back into the market
2️⃣ Elevate the ceiling of Chinese meme coins
3️⃣ Leverage meme popularity to strengthen expectations for BNB's upward movement
South Korea to Lift Corporate Investment Ban on #加密货币
The Financial Services Commission (FSC) of South Korea is preparing to end the nine-year-old ban on corporate cryptocurrency investments, which has been in place since 2017, allowing listed companies and professional institutions to invest in digital assets with real money.
1. Key Details The new rules will likely be as follows: Listed companies can invest up to 5% of their equity in cryptocurrencies Only the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization can be purchased Trading must occur only on South Korea's five licensed and compliant exchanges USDT and other dollar-pegged stablecoins are still under discussion and not fully approved yet
FSC officials stated that the final rules will be announced between January and February. Once implemented, companies will be able to enter the market directly under the guise of investment and financial purposes.
According to media estimates, tens of trillions of Korean won could flow into the crypto market. For example, South Korea's internet giant Naver, if investing at the 5% cap, could theoretically purchase up to 10,000 Bitcoin directly.
Once the corporate investment channel is opened, the progress of national central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and spot Bitcoin ETFs may accelerate significantly. Demand for crypto ETFs in South Korea is already high, awaiting regulatory approval.
2. Practical Challenges In the past, many major South Korean companies were forced to go overseas to buy cryptocurrencies. Now, if domestic investment becomes possible, funds won’t need to be routed abroad anymore.
The South Korean government has already included CBDCs and stablecoins in its national economic strategy
The goal is to have 25% of government treasury funds managed using central bank digital currency by 2030
At the same time, stablecoin issuers will be required to obtain licenses, maintain 100% reserves, and ensure full redemption
U.S. President #特朗普 recently shared a photo showing he is also listed as 'Acting President of Venezuela' with a start date of January 2026
The photo was posted on his social media platform Truth Social
However, there is currently no official document or legal framework indicating that the U.S. President holds any governing or ruling role at #委内瑞拉
#马杜罗 and his wife, former First Lady Celia Flores, were arrested during a U.S. military operation in Caracas and flown to New York. The couple is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, facing federal charges related to drug trafficking and alleged collaboration with gangs designated as terrorist organizations by the United States.
Maduro himself has denied all allegations.
U.S. officials stated the operation was carried out by U.S. Army Delta Force, with the U.S. having conducted months of military buildup in the region, including deploying the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford and other naval forces to the Caribbean Sea.
After Maduro was removed, Venezuela's Vice President and Minister of Oil, Delcy Rodríguez, officially took the oath as interim president last week.
The 56-year-old lawyer and key figure in the ruling political movement was sworn in before the National Assembly led by her brother, Jorge Rodríguez.
#币安人生 , the listing of Chinese coins has triggered a new wave of FOMO in the market, but unfortunately this token, like all Binance new listings, experienced a sharp drop shortly after listing.
People originally expected Binance Life to reach at least $300 million in market cap after listing, but reality fell short, failing to even reach $150 million. The 12-hour trading volume was only $47 million, significantly below expectations, indicating low market enthusiasm.
The current price of $0.13 has not seen a significant surge compared to before the Binance listing.
Similarly, tokens such as #哈基米 and #恶俗企鹅 also experienced minor declines. This is mainly due to Binance Life's actual price increase falling far short of expectations after its listing on Binance. The market is still debating whether it will be listed on futures, but sentiment has clearly cooled down.
If Binance does not continue to pump the price, Binance Life is likely to follow the typical path of a Binance new coin: consolidation → sustained decline. The listing of Binance Life likely reflects CZ and He Yi's recognition that the market has become extremely tough. They launched several Chinese-themed tokens to capture market liquidity and bring users back to the BNB chain.
Benson said, if in an industry, people who flatter others succeed more easily than those who actually work, then that industry likely has little future.
Now on Twitter, it's easier to gain attention by praising CZ and He Yi, while genuine builders and long-term holders are more likely to fail. Over the past year, Binance's supported projects have not truly helped retail investors make money.
#伊朗 Mobile internet faces renewed throttling, parts of the country plunged into digital darkness
Since January 8th, mobile internet in many areas of Iran has suddenly become extremely slow and nearly inaccessible.
This is because protests have been spreading nationwide over the past two weeks, affecting more than 100 cities, and it's now the 12th day.
Last June, during the missile exchanges with Israel, they used the same excuse: 'The country's situation is special, temporary nationwide internet restrictions are in place.'
The Iranian government has long had a tradition of cutting off internet access to control situations.
Iran's IPv6 network traffic dropped by over 98% IPv6 share fell from the original 12% to just 1.8%
NetBlocks reports that connection quality has declined across multiple Iranian operators. Tehran and other cities are entering a state of digital blackout.
Now, many Iranian netizens are openly sharing posts on social media, specifically calling on #Musk to enable Starlink access for Iran 😂😂😂
U.S. Job Growth Slowed in December, Fed Pauses Rate Cuts This Month
U.S. job growth slowed in December, supporting
pause this month
U.S. job growth in December was slower than market expectations, as businesses became more cautious in hiring.
Companies are hesitant to hire more staff due to uncertainty surrounding import tariff policies, and because investments related to artificial intelligence are expensive, companies prefer to allocate funds to technology rather than expanding their workforce.
However, the unemployment rate slightly declined to 4.4%, reinforcing market belief that the Federal Reserve is likely to hold interest rates steady this month instead of making adjustments.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released data on Friday:
During this rebound, he's been searching for a strong core asset to place a significant bet on. So far, $SOL has shown the strongest performance among BTC, ETH, and SOL, with the cleanest technical structure, and it could potentially rise to $160 first.
If the market momentum continues, and BTC manages to reach $100,000, it's not out of the question to see prices climb as high as $200.
He has always believed that price always leads the narrative. Now, when it's hard for everyone to find a clear bullish reason for SOL, this 'lack of consensus' phase is often the ideal time to enter the market.
By the time all the reasons are clearly laid out, the rally may already be halfway done.
The only risk to watch is whether $BTC can hold above $90,000. If it does, this pullback may just be a washout, leaving room for further upside afterward.
In December, the Central Second Hospital held a meeting to discuss whether personal cryptocurrency trading constitutes a crime, and what constitutes a crime.
In simple terms:
1. For money laundering, it's not just about the outcome; it matters whether you were aware or not. Money laundering without knowledge does not count as a crime.
2. "Completed money laundering": as long as you take action to hide the money, it counts as the crime being completed. For example, if you exchange black U for ETH using a mixer, that is considered money laundering.
3. Simply holding or trading cryptocurrency personally is generally not recognized as illegal business activity.
If you are a "brick mover" or an OTC trader, and you know that others want to exchange RMB for USD, and you help them through USDT, you are challenging the country's foreign exchange control.
This may be classified as "disguised foreign exchange trading". If the amount is large and the circumstances are serious, it can be recognized as an accomplice to illegal business activity.
The United States received #比特币 , Cambodia received economic development, China received #陈志
#Prince Group Chairman #陈志 and two other Chinese citizens were arrested and deported back to China on Tuesday
In recent years, fraud camps have rapidly spread across Southeast Asia, deceiving victims into participating in fake investment projects. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that global fraud victims lost between $18 billion and $37 billion in 2023.
In October last year, U.S. prosecutors filed criminal charges against Chen Zhi, accusing him of leading a transnational cyber fraud ring and using his other businesses to launder illicit proceeds, while tolerating or even approving the use of violence against employees. The indictment stated that Prince Group once boasted that its fraud operations generated $30 million in daily profits.
The U.S. Treasury Department and the UK Foreign Office had previously imposed sanctions on Chen Zhi, and law enforcement agencies have seized his assets, including real estate worth at least $100 million and cryptocurrency assets valued at approximately $14 billion.
The fraud organization defrauded at least 250 Americans, with losses amounting to millions of dollars, including one victim who lost $400,000 in cryptocurrency. According to U.S. Treasury data, Americans lost at least $10 billion to Southeast Asian fraud in 2024.
The UK has frozen Chen Zhi's businesses and assets in the country, including