NFT Trading Volume at All-Time High
The monthly NFT trading volume in January hit an all-time high of $6 billion.

Market Volatility
It was reported that market volatility is dissuading some companies from going public.

Rise of the Retail Investor
It was reported that Slovenia reported the EU’s biggest annual rise in retail trade volume.

Global Warming Disclosures Face Political Uncertainty
Uncertainty continued regarding the level of environmental disclosures to be required. A draft SEC rule could force disclosure of certain environmental data by public companies, such as the amount of energy purchased and risk management of risk of rising temperature.

Source Code Theft
It was alleged that Chinese telecom firm Hytera recruited Motorola employees to steal trade secrets, including source code, hardware, radio softwarearchitecture, benchmarking strategies and connectivity module designs.

T+1 Settlement Cycle
The SEC held an Open Meeting at which a proposal to shorten the settlement cycle to T+1 was released, with comments due April 11.

House Crypto Hearing
The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on “Digital Assets and the Future of Finance: The President’s Working Group on Financial Markets’Report on Stablecoins” with further partisanship on crypto regulation. Key issues arising included systemic risk of crypto and concentration of economic power, regulatory gaps and potential for arbitrage, and payment system risks. Ranking Member McHenry spoke about the need for a clear regulatoryframework.

Senate Crypto Hearing
The Senate Banking Committee is reportedly preparing for a hearing on February 15 entitled “Examining the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets Report on Stablecoins.”

Social Value and Inclusive Consumers
A report was published on the rise of the social value consumer – one who makes purchasing decisions based on social values including inclusion.