8:00 am Kr 36 | South Korea's stock exchange mistakenly issued over $40 billion worth of Bitcoin; The average global mobile phone price exceeded 2,900 yuan for the first time; WeChat restored the copy function of Tongyi Qianwen and Yuanbao red envelope passwords.
Today's Hotspot Guide
- LABUBU's annual sales exceed 100 million units
- Multiple banks have raised deposit interest rates
- Hainan Airlines apologizes for returning due to mechanical failure
- After being deemed to have addictive design by the EU, TikTok responds: The survey results are completely wrong
- Elon Musk says the US will go bankrupt without AI: "There is no other way to solve the national debt problem."
- State Taxation Administration: You can make an appointment to handle the individual income tax settlement for the year 2025 starting from February 25th.
TOP 3 Big News
South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb mistakenly issued 620,000 bitcoins worth over $40 billion
On February 7, South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb said in an announcement on its website that during a promotional event, a manual input error led to the accidental issuance of 620,000 bitcoins to 695 customers, with a value of over $40 billion. Currently, 99.7% of them have been recovered. The accidental issuance occurred at 7 p.m. on February 6. The error was discovered within 20 minutes, and all trading and withdrawals were frozen at 7:40 p.m. The exchange has recovered 618,212 of the issued bitcoins, and 93% of the 1,788 bitcoins sold by users have also been retrieved. Bithumb stated that no externally transferred transactions of the incorrectly allocated bitcoins have occurred and that it will use the company's assets to cover any remaining shortfall to ensure the accuracy of customers' accounts. (Jiemian News)
The average global mobile phone price exceeds 2,900 yuan for the first time
On February 5th, a reporter from China Business Journal learned from market research firm Counterpoint Research that in the fourth quarter of 2025, the average selling price (ASP) of global smartphones exceeded the $400 mark for the first time, reaching $424 (approximately 2,946 yuan). "The trend towards high - end products remains the core driving force in the fourth quarter of 2025 (in the mobile phone market). Consumers are buying more, but mostly because they are buying more expensive phones." Shilpi Jain, a senior analyst at Counterpoint, told the reporter. The growth model of the entire industry is shifting from "scale expansion" to "value expansion."
Currently, collective price hikes have become an industry consensus. The reporter learned from dealers of multiple mobile phone brands that since the second half of 2025, the prices of new models from brands such as Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and Honor have generally increased by several hundred yuan compared to the previous generation. Lei Jun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Technology, even publicly stated that the Xiaomi 14 will be the last flagship phone starting at 3,999 yuan. (China Business Journal)
The red envelope passwords of Qianwen and Yuanbao can now be copied on WeChat
On February 8, a reporter from Yicai Global found that currently, the red envelope passwords of Alibaba's Qianwen APP and Tencent's Yuanbao can be copied on WeChat. Previously, on the afternoon of February 6, WeChat "blocked" the activity passwords of Qianwen. After some users shared the Qianwen red envelope passwords on WeChat, even if they selected the passwords, the copy button did not appear on the WeChat page. The Yuanbao passwords were also blocked for a while. (Yicai Global)
Big Companies/Big Events
LABUBU's annual sales exceed 100 million units
It is learned from the reporter that Wang Ning, the founder of Pop Mart, announced the core data for the year 2025 at the annual meeting: Pop Mart has over 10,000 global employees, more than 100 million registered members, LABUBU's annual sales exceed 100 million units, the sales of products across all categories and IPs exceed 400 million units, its business covers over 100 countries and regions, it has over 700 global stores, and owns 6 major supply chain bases. (Cailian Press)
Milan Winter Olympics Gold Medals Set a Record as the “Most Expensive in History”
On Saturday Beijing time, the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics officially kicked off. Coinciding with the fluctuations in the precious metals market, the material value of this year's Olympic gold medals has also reached an all-time high. Calculated based on the closing prices of spot gold and silver on Friday, the material value of the gold medals at the Milan Winter Olympics (500 grams of pure silver + 6 grams of gold plating) has reached $2,210, while the value of the silver medals (500 grams of pure silver) has also reached $1,251. (Cailian Press)
Seres Plans to Spin Off Important Assets
On the evening of February 8, Seres (601127.SH) released the "Announcement on Signing a Cooperation Agreement". The announcement stated that on February 8, 2026, Seres signed a "Cooperation Agreement" with the People's Government of Shapingba District, Chongqing. According to the "Cooperation Agreement", Seres will spin off relevant existing assets of Landian Automobile to establish the target company. The Shapingba District Government will form or introduce a limited partnership, along with other investors and the management team, to increase the capital of the target company in cash. After all parties make their capital contributions, the relevant parties of the Shapingba District Government will hold approximately 33.5% of the shares, Seres and its designated entities will hold approximately 32% of the shares, other investors will hold approximately 18.5% of the shares, and the employee shareholding platform established by the target company will hold approximately 16% of the shares. The board of directors of the target company will consist of 5 people, with Seres appointing 1 person. This also means that after the asset spin - off, Seres will no longer have control over Landian Automobile and will only be a minority shareholder of the latter. (Yicai Global)
Multiple Express Companies Announce: No Closure During the Spring Festival, "Resource Adjustment Fee" to Be Charged
Multiple express companies, including China Post, SF Express, JD Logistics, and Debon Express, have successively issued announcements on their official websites. They will fully guarantee the demand for express delivery during the Spring Festival this year, actively allocate transportation capacity and human resources, and their services will not be suspended. However, some will charge a "resource adjustment fee", and the timeliness will also be slightly slower. These are reasonable costs incurred in allocating temporary transportation resources, and all charging standards are publicly announced in advance on the official websites to ensure clear pricing. (Caixin Press)
"i Maotai" will undergo maintenance and upgrade from February 8th to 9th
36Kr learned that "i Maotai" issued an announcement stating that recently, due to the large traffic on the i Maotai APP platform, users have encountered issues such as page freezing when using the i Maotai APP. To continuously optimize the user experience and improve system stability and service quality, the i Maotai APP is scheduled to undergo maintenance and upgrade from 14:00 on February 8th to 07:00 on February 9th, 2026. During this period, some functions may experience brief abnormalities when users log in to or use the i Maotai APP. In case of special circumstances that lead to an extension of the maintenance time, a separate notice will be issued.
Apple has arrived. Zhuhai Duty-Free Group launches smart electronic products in the port entry duty-free area
According to the official WeChat account of Zhuhai Duty-Free Group, on February 8, the Apple Zone at the Gongbei Port Entry Duty-Free Shop of Zhuhai Duty-Free was officially opened. This not only marks Apple's first entry into the port entry duty-free channel in China, but also the first official entry of smart electronic products into the port entry duty-free sales scenario. This is the first port entry duty-free project in the country to launch smart electronic products after the five departments including the Ministry of Finance issued the "Notice on Improving the Duty-Free Shop Policy to Support and Boost Consumption". (NBD)
Multiple Banks Raise Deposit Interest Rates
According to China Securities Journal, "Currently, for newly deposited funds in a three - year fixed - term deposit, the interest rate can reach 1.95%. This policy has just been implemented in the past few days, with an increase of about 10 basis points compared to before." A wealth management manager at a branch of Ningbo Bank in Beijing told reporters. Recently, reporters visited and called multiple banks and learned that as the Spring Festival approaches, many banks have launched special deposit and large - denomination certificate of deposit products, and have raised deposit interest rates on a phased basis. (China Securities Journal)
Over a month after the implementation of the new medical insurance drug catalog, 99 new drugs have entered over 10,000 designated institutions
According to a report by CCTV News on February 8th, the new medical insurance drug catalog began to be implemented nationwide on January 1st this year. In the past month or more, medical insurance departments across the country have accelerated the process of getting medical insurance drugs into hospitals and pharmacies, enabling patients to use these new and high - quality drugs as soon as possible. According to incomplete statistics, 99 newly - added drugs in the basic medical insurance catalog are currently on sale in over 12,000 designated medical institutions across the country. (Daily Economic News)
Elon Musk: It's Time to Return to the Moon on a Large Scale
On February 8th Beijing time, Elon Musk posted that it's time to return to the moon on a large scale. In addition, there are reports that SpaceX is recruiting engineers in Austin and Seattle to develop artificial intelligence satellites and space data centers. Musk retweeted the relevant post and replied, "It's true." (Daily Economic News)
Hainan Airlines Apologizes for Flight Return Due to Mechanical Failure
At 12:00 on February 7th, Hainan Airlines issued a notice: On February 6th, our flight HU492 (Brussels - Beijing) returned due to a mechanical failure. The flight crew handled the situation strictly in accordance with procedures. The flight safely landed at Brussels Airport at 21:17 Beijing time on the same day. The company will properly handle passenger service and support work to ensure that passengers safely reach their destinations. We sincerely apologize to all passengers for the inconvenience caused. Thank you for the understanding and support of our passengers. The company always adheres to the concept of "passengers first, life first" and provides safe, comfortable and fast services to all passengers. (The Paper)
TikTok Responds to EU's Allegation of Addictive Design: Investigation Results Are Completely Wrong
The European Commission announced on February 6 that after a two-year investigation, the preliminary conclusion shows that TikTok violated the EU's Digital Services Act due to its "addictive" design. TikTok said that the investigation results are "completely wrong." A TikTok spokesperson stated that the European Commission's description of the platform in the investigation results is "completely wrong and baseless," and also said that they plan to object. (The Paper)
Musk Says the US Will Go Bankrupt Without AI: "There's No Other Way to Solve the National Debt Problem"
According to a report by Cailian Press, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, recently issued another severe warning about the US debt problem. He stated that without artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, the United States will definitely go bankrupt. In a recent podcast interview, when asked why he made significant spending cuts during his tenure as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) given that technology can drive economic growth and relieve the debt burden, Musk responded that he was concerned about waste and fraud in the government. He also said, "Without AI and robotics, we're truly finished because the US national debt is skyrocketing." (Cailian Press)
The United States Launches Antitrust Review of Netflix's $83 Billion Acquisition of Warner Bros.
Netflix plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for nearly $83 billion, and this move is facing an antitrust review by the U.S. government. Meanwhile, Paramount is still making a competitive acquisition offer for this Hollywood media giant. According to people familiar with the matter, antitrust enforcement officials at the U.S. Department of Justice are querying relevant parties in the industry about this acquisition to investigate whether Netflix may have monopolistic market power after acquiring Warner Bros.' film production and streaming business, in order to assess the competitive risks of the deal. (Sina Finance)
Musk Says Apple's Car Project Once Aggressively Poached Employees from Tesla
During a recent podcast interview, Musk stated that Apple had spared no effort in trying to recruit Tesla's engineers for their now-canceled electric vehicle project. Musk said, "They bombarded Tesla employees with calls to recruit them. The engineers simply unplugged their phone lines. They offered salaries that were even double those at Tesla without even conducting interviews." By 2019, Apple had poached more than 300 employees from Tesla in total, including core engineers involved in ramping up the production of the Model 3. Musk said that at that time, the outside world thought that as long as they poached top executives from Tesla for a car project, it was bound to succeed. Even he himself once thought that as long as he could poach talent from Google or Apple for any project, it would work, but that's not the case. (JRJ.com)
ZhuiMi CEO Yu Hao said that the maximum annual bonus is equivalent to 20 months' salary, and the total bonus scale will reach the level of 1 billion yuan
On February 7th, Yu Hao, the founder and CEO of Zhuimi Technology, posted a response to external doubts, stating that the tens of millions of investment in the concert is only equivalent to the company's one - day R & D expense. Zhuimi currently has about 20,000 R & D and management personnel, and the daily R & D investment is approximately 40 million yuan. He also revealed that he has been approving the annual bonus plans submitted by various business units in the past two days. For the main business, the company distributes 18% of the net profit as bonuses. "This is just the pure cash part, without counting any regular benefits. The department with the highest profit can get a bonus equivalent to 11 months' salary, and the individual with the highest bonus is expected to get 20 months' salary!" He said, "The total scale of the annual bonus will reach the level of 1 billion yuan." (Jiemian News)
State Taxation Administration: Appointments for the 2025 Individual Income Tax Settlement Can Be Made Starting from February 25
The State Taxation Administration recently issued the "Announcement on the Appointment Time for the Comprehensive Income Settlement and Payment of Individual Income Tax for the Year 2025". The announcement clarifies that the time for handling the comprehensive income settlement and payment of individual income tax for the year 2025 is from March 1 to June 30, 2026. The tax authorities will provide appointment services for taxpayers. Taxpayers who need to handle the settlement between March 1 and March 20 can make an advance appointment through the Individual Income Tax App starting from February 25. From March 21 to June 30, taxpayers do not need to make an appointment and can handle it at any time. (CCTV News)
SDIC Silver LOF: Warning of Premium Risk in Trading Price and Announcement of Suspension and Resumption Arrangements
On February 8th, SDIC Silver LOF announced that recently, its secondary market trading price has been significantly higher than the net asset value per share of the fund, with a relatively large premium. To protect the interests of investors, the fund will be suspended from trading from the opening of the market on February 9th, 2026, until 10:30 and will resume trading at 10:30. If the premium does not effectively decline on that day, the fund reserves the right to take further measures. Since January 28th, 2026, the fund has suspended the subscription (including regular fixed - amount investment) business, and the resumption time will be announced separately. Currently, the fund is operating normally, and there is no significant information that should be disclosed but has not been. (NBD)
Shanshan Co., Ltd.: If the restructuring is successful, the company's actual controller will change to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Anhui Province
On February 8, Shanshan Co., Ltd. announced that its controlling shareholder, Shanshan Group, its wholly-owned subsidiary Ningbo Pengze Trading Co., Ltd., the administrators of Shanshan Group, and the restructuring investors, Anhui Wanwei Group Co., Ltd. and Ningbo Financial Asset Management Co., Ltd., signed the "Restructuring Investment Agreement." If the current restructuring is successful, the company's control rights will change. The company's controlling shareholder will change to Wanwei Group, and the company's actual controller will change to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Anhui Province. (Caixin)
China National Gold Adjusts Repurchase Rules: Gold Cannot Be Sold on Holidays
Late at night on February 6th, China National Gold Group Gold & Jewellery Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "China National Gold") issued an announcement on its WeChat official account, stating that starting from February 7th, 2026, the company will suspend the precious metal repurchase business on Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays, which are non - trading days of the Shanghai Gold Exchange. (21st Century Business Herald)
The Cutting - Edge of AI
Name of OpenAI's First Hardware Revealed, Expected to Be Released This Year
Blogger "Smart Pikachu" posted a tweet on the X platform on February 7, revealing that OpenAI's first hardware is named Dime, which is directly translated as "10 cents", and it is a headphone product similar to Apple's AirPods. In terms of development strategy, sources revealed that OpenAI has shelved the previously reported aggressive plan. The company originally planned to build a revolutionary device with a "phone-like" architecture, which was to be equipped with luxurious components internally, not only having independent computing power but also with a bill of materials (BOM) comparable to that of a smartphone. Currently, OpenAI prefers to "start with the easy and then move on to the difficult", giving priority to developing an AI audio headphone with relatively single functions and closer to the traditional form. Reports show that the basic version of the AI headphone codenamed Dime is expected to be launched in the market in 2026. The company plans to first gain a foothold in the hardware field through this product with a lower threshold and accumulate user data and market feedback. (Sina Finance)
Founder of Cryptocurrency Trading Website Buys "AI.com" for $70 Million
On February 8th, news emerged that the founder of cryptocurrency trading website Crypto.com acquired the internet domain name "AI.com" for $70 million. It is reported that this is the highest - priced domain name transaction disclosed to date. Kris Marszalek, the co - founder and CEO of Crypto.com, plans to officially launch AI.com during the Super Bowl ads this weekend. The website will offer personal "AI agents" services, allowing users to send messages, use applications, and trade stocks. Marszalek said, "Last year, I got the opportunity to acquire this domain name. I thought that in the long run, say 10 to 20 years, AI would become one of the greatest technological waves of our generation. So this would be a good investment." (Jiemian News)
OpenAI in Talks with G42 to Create a Customized ChatGPT for the UAE
According to reports, people familiar with the matter revealed that OpenAI is collaborating with G42, a company headquartered in Abu Dhabi, UAE, to develop a new customized version of ChatGPT for the UAE. An OpenAI employee disclosed that this customized version is specifically designed for the UAE government. It is reported that the specific details are still under discussion, but the final result is expected to be a finely - tuned version of ChatGPT that can fluently use the local Arabic language and may have content restrictions. (Jiemian News)
Apple Plans to Allow Third-Party Voice-Controlled AI Apps to Access CarPlay
It is reported that people familiar with the matter revealed that Apple is preparing to allow voice-controlled artificial intelligence apps from other companies to access the CarPlay system. This move will enable users to communicate with AI chatbots through their in-car interfaces for the first time. The above-mentioned people said that Apple will work to provide support for apps in the CarPlay system in the coming months. Previously, Apple only allowed its own Siri assistant as a voice control option in its in-car infotainment system software. People familiar with the matter said that Apple will not allow users to replace the Siri button on CarPlay or change the wake word to activate the service. Users need to open the relevant app to activate the third - party voice control function. (Jiemian News)
Investment and Financing
Anthropic to Complete Over $20 Billion in Financing as Soon as This Week
It is reported that artificial intelligence company Anthropic is finalizing the details of a new round of financing, with an expected amount exceeding $20 billion, which could be completed as soon as this week. The latest round of financing will nearly double Anthropic's valuation to nearly $350 billion. (Jiemian News)
Compiled by | Chi Yu