News

According to Bloomberg, China confirmed that Trump will pay a state visit to Beijing from May 13 to 15, Xinhua reported Monday, citing a Foreign Ministry spokesperson. The summit — the first US presidential trip to China in nearly a decade — had been delayed once due to the now three-month-old Iran war. Key agenda items include Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, an extension of the October trade truce covering rare earth exports, and Taiwan. An American business delegation including Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser is expected to accompany Trump, with a series of commercial deals anticipated.

Binance has released its May proof of reserve update. As of May 1st, users' net BTC balance stood at 606,742.388 BTC, while Binance's wallet balance was 608,067.979 BTC, resulting in a BTC reserve ratio of 100.22%.
Additionally, users' net ETH balance was 3,762,321.834 ETH, with Binance's wallet balance at 3,762,328.82 ETH, giving an ETH reserve ratio of 100%. The USDT reserve ratio was 104.27%, and the BNB reserve ratio was 101.68%.

Grayscale is reportedly planning to introduce an ETF focused on Cardano by the end of 2026. According to ChainCatcher, the ETF is expected to trade under the ticker symbol GADA. This new product will convert Grayscale's existing Cardano Trust into a publicly listed ETF. If regulatory filings are activated by mid-August, it could trigger a streamlined review process by the SEC, potentially allowing trading to commence by late October 2026.

Recently, Grayscale has adjusted the asset allocation within its smart contract fund, increasing Cardano's weight from approximately 17.96% to 18.33%, while reducing exposure to other assets like Ethereum.

The global cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $2.69T, up by 0.52% over the last day, according to CoinMarketCap data.

Bitcoin (BTC) has been trading between $80,280 and $82,479 over the past 24 hours. As of 09:30 AM (UTC) today, BTC is trading at $80,919, up by 0.12%.

Most major cryptocurrencies by market cap are trading mixed. Market outperformers include OSMO, SAGA, and MOVE, up by 131%, 18%, and 12%, respectively.

Top stories of the day:

Bitcoin News Today: 75% of Bitcoin's Hashrate Backs Stratum V2 — The Biggest Mining Decentralization

Crypto News: Bitcoin and Nasdaq Hit Record Highs While US Consumer Sentiment Crashes to All-Time Lows

Bitcoin News: Bitcoin Surges Past $82,000 After Trump Rejects Iran Peace Deal — Senate Votes This Week Could Push Higher

Market movers:

ETH: $2336 (+0.30%)

BNB: $652.4 (+0.21%)

XRP: $1.4516 (+1.81%)

SOL: $95.24 (+0.77%)

TRX: $0.3508 (+0.37%)

DOGE: $0.10989 (+1.00%)

WBTC: $80709.17 (+0.11%)

U: $1 (+0.00%)

ADA: $0.2776 (+1.91%)

XAUT: $4655.73 (-1.16%)

Top gainers on Binance:

OSMO/USDT (+131%)

SAGA/USDT (+18%)

MOVE/USDT (+12%)

Michael Saylor recently discussed the integration of Bitcoin (BTC) with the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem as a promising trend. According to ChainCatcher, Saylor said in an interview with The Wolf Of All Streets Podcast that the rapid growth of yield tokens based on STRC, with some protocols experiencing an increase in total value locked (TVL) by $1 million per hour.

Saylor highlighted that current DeFi protocols are utilizing STRC to create yield products offering returns between 8% and 11%, further amplified by leveraging three to five times. He anticipates that the yield token market will evolve into a multi-billion dollar industry in the coming months. Additionally, Saylor revealed that STRC's current Sharpe ratio stands at 2.5, surpassing many traditional credit products, stocks, and hedge fund strategies.

Saylor stated, "When you possess assets with a high Sharpe ratio, tokenization and leveraging can create a new digital financial structure."

Michael Saylor has indicated that Strategy might restart its Bitcoin acquisitions this week, following its previous purchase of 3,273 BTC for approximately $255 million on April 27. This acquisition increased Strategy's Bitcoin holdings to 818,334 BTC. According to Cointelegraph, during Strategy's Q1 earnings call, Saylor mentioned that the company might occasionally sell parts of its Bitcoin treasury to finance dividends on its credit instruments.

According to The Block, Morgan Stanley's bitcoin ETF (MSBT) absorbed $194 million in assets during its first month of trading with no net daily outflows recorded—a notably clean launch. The bulk of capital came from self-directed clients, as the bank's 16,000-person financial advisor network has not yet received clearance to recommend the fund. The strong debut underscores growing retail demand for regulated bitcoin exposure through traditional brokerage channels ahead of broader advisor distribution.

According to the announcement from Binance, the platform is set to expand its trading options by introducing new trading pairs on Binance Spot. Trading for MEGA/U, TON/U, and TON/USD1 pairs will commence on 2026-05-12 at 08:00 (UTC). Additionally, Binance will activate Trading Bots services for these pairs at the same time, enhancing the trading experience for users. The introduction of these pairs aims to provide more choices for traders and improve overall market liquidity.
Binance will also implement a zero fee promotion for eligible users trading on U spot and margin pairs, specifically MEGA/U and TON/U. This promotion will begin on 2026-05-12 at 08:00 (UTC) and will continue until further notice. During this period, users will benefit from zero maker fees, although standard taker fees will still apply. The trading volume from these pairs will contribute to users' VIP tier volume calculations. Standard trading fees will resume once the promotion period ends, and users are encouraged to review the trading fee structure for detailed information.
Eligibility to trade these new pairs is subject to the user's country or region of residence. Currently, users from Canada, Cuba, Crimea Region, Iran, Netherlands, North Korea, Syria, the United States and its territories, and non-government controlled areas of Ukraine are restricted from participating. Binance reserves the right to modify the list of restricted countries in accordance with legal and regulatory changes. Users must complete account verification to engage in trading these pairs. Binance emphasizes that all trading activities are monitored to prevent dishonest behavior, and reserves the right to disqualify users involved in such activities. The platform retains the discretion to amend or cancel promotions without prior notice.

Strategy CEO Phong Le announced on the X platform that the company's software business achieved its strongest performance in nearly a decade during the first quarter of 2026, with revenue increasing by 12%. According to Odaily, cloud business revenue grew by 59%, and profits rose by 27%. Le highlighted the unique synergy between the company's Bitcoin treasury and software business, noting that the software division's expertise in engineering, security, and compliance provides institutional-level capabilities to the Bitcoin operations, while the Bitcoin mission attracts talent and accelerates software innovation.

Additionally, the company has developed an AI data platform named Mosaic and plans to utilize multiple AI models over the next year to restructure internal processes and achieve system autonomy.

The European Union Commission spokesperson stated that the EU maintains good communication with Anthropic. According to Jin10, the spokesperson emphasized that it is currently impossible to speculate on the potential acquisition of the AI model from Anthropic.

Bitcoin is experiencing an upward trend primarily driven by spot demand rather than leverage, according to ChainCatcher. Markus Thielen, founder of 10x Research, noted on social media that this structure is healthier compared to the crowded long positions seen earlier in the cycle. He highlighted continuous inflows into ETFs, significant rises in mining-related stocks, and a more optimistic outlook in the options market. Thielen also pointed out two key catalysts this week supporting Bitcoin and the broader altcoin market. With improved trading volumes and moderate capital inflows, the set target of $88,000 for Bitcoin appears achievable. The current total market capitalization of the crypto market stands at $2.69 trillion, marking a 2.7% increase from last week, while the average weekly trading volume is $123 billion, 2% above the average level.

SUI experienced a significant 50% increase in value over the past week, driven by substantial staking activities and strategic collaborations. According to NS3.AI, SUI Group Holdings staked over 108 million tokens, valued at more than $143 million, contributing to the price rise from approximately $0.94 on May 4 to $1.41 by Sunday. Concurrently, trading volume surged from over $213 million to more than $2.5 billion.Mysten Labs announced the upcoming rollout of zero-fee stablecoin transfers and reaffirmed plans for private transactions, enhancing the platform's appeal. Additionally, Paga Group has partnered with Sui to facilitate cross-border transfers and develop stablecoin products, further strengthening SUI's market position.

Circle has released its financial results for the first quarter of the 2026 fiscal year. According to ChainCatcher, the data reveals that by the end of the quarter, the circulation of USDC reached $77 billion, marking a 28% increase year-over-year. Additionally, USDC's on-chain transaction volume soared to $21.5 trillion, reflecting a 263% growth compared to the previous year.

The financial report also indicates that Circle's total revenue and reserve income for the first quarter amounted to $694 million, a 20% increase from the previous year. The adjusted EBITDA was reported at $151 million, up by 24%, while net profit stood at $55 million, showing a 15% decline year-over-year.

Furthermore, Circle disclosed that its ARC Token presale raised $222 million, with a fully diluted valuation of $3 billion. Notable investors in this round included a16z crypto, BlackRock, and ARK Invest. The company also announced the launch of its 'Agent Stack' infrastructure, designed for AI agent scenarios, which includes products like Agent Wallets and Agent Marketplace to support USDC-based AI agent payments and commercial activities.

Circle has successfully completed the presale of its Arc token, raising $222 million, according to Foresight News. The fully diluted network valuation is approximately $3 billion. Leading the investment with $75 million was a16z, with participation from BlackRock, Apollo Funds, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), SBI Group, Janus Henderson, Standard Chartered Ventures, General Catalyst, Marshall Wace, ARK Invest, IDG Capital, Haun Ventures, and Bullish.

Circle will receive 25% of Arc's initial supply of 10 billion tokens to operate validator infrastructure and earn staking rewards. Sixty percent of the tokens will be allocated to network builders and users, while the remaining 15% will be placed in long-term reserves.

Google's parent company is making significant strides in its bid to surpass Nvidia as the world's largest company. Bloomberg posted on X, highlighting the competitive landscape between these tech giants. The rivalry underscores the dynamic nature of the technology sector, where companies are constantly vying for dominance. As both firms continue to innovate and expand their market influence, the competition for the top spot remains intense. The outcome of this corporate contest could have far-reaching implications for the industry and investors alike.

OpenAI has initiated contact with the European Commission, according to a spokesperson from the EU Commission. The discussions are focused on potential next steps that could be taken in collaboration with the organization.

This week is set to be pivotal for global markets, with several significant macroeconomic events on the horizon. According to ChainCatcher, the primary focus will be on three main areas. First, U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. The discussions will cover tariffs, the rare earth supply chain, and the Middle East situation, with markets keenly observing whether any substantial progress can be made in trade negotiations.

Second, the release of April's Consumer Price Index (CPI), Producer Price Index (PPI), and retail sales data is anticipated. Should inflation show signs of stabilizing, real yields may decline, historically providing support to the crypto market. Conversely, rising inflation could reinforce expectations of monetary tightening.

Lastly, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee is set to review the CLARITY Act. Progress in this legislation could potentially encourage more institutional investment in the market.

Despite experiencing outflows from ETFs last week, Bitcoin has managed to maintain its position above $80,000. The cryptocurrency's volatility remains at a yearly low, with the VIX around 18. In the short term, Bitcoin is likely to continue trading within a range, with $84,000 identified as a key resistance level.

Stablecoin bank Augustus has received a federal banking license from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), marking it as the eighth institution to obtain this license since 2010. According to ChainCatcher, Augustus has also completed a $40 million funding round. The investment was led by Valar Ventures, associated with Peter Thiel, along with contributions from Creandum and founders of Ramp, Deel, and Circle.

Wall Street analysts anticipate that MARA will announce a Q1 revenue of $184.21 million and an earnings per share (EPS) loss of $2.34 after the market closes on May 11. According to NS3.AI, investors are closely monitoring MARA's advancements in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, highlighted by its $1.5 billion Long Ridge Energy agreement.

Tether has introduced its QVAC local-first AI stack, coinciding with its Q1 2026 attestation update that reported a net profit of $1.04 billion and an $8.23 billion reserve buffer. According to NS3.AI, the open-source project is designed for local and peer-to-peer AI applications across platforms such as iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. A report from Hugging Face on May 7 highlighted that the initial MedPsy models outperformed larger medical baselines in QVAC's internal tests, although the training corpus has not yet been disclosed.

Woori Bank has become the first major South Korean bank to facilitate airline ticket payments using cryptocurrency. According to NS3.AI, the bank's Woori Safe Settlement service will manage the settlement and reconciliation processes between payment and ticketing. Industry sources suggest that this model could lead to more competitive ticket pricing.

Google Cloud's BigQuery has expanded its capabilities to include on-chain data analysis for the ZeroG chain. According to NS3.AI, this development was announced by ZeroG Chief Technology Officer Ming Wu on X, highlighting the integration as a significant step forward in blockchain data processing.

Intel's stock (INTC.O) experienced a significant increase in pre-market trading, with gains expanding to 8%. According to Odaily, this rise comes amid heightened investor interest in the company's performance.

Crypto fund inflows have recorded a sixth consecutive week of positive momentum, driven primarily by U.S. products and bitcoin ETFs, according to The Block. This trend is bolstered by optimism surrounding the Clarity Act, as reported by CoinShares. The sustained inflows highlight growing investor confidence in the crypto market, particularly in regulated investment vehicles like ETFs.

Seven of the world's largest Bitcoin mining pools have quietly joined forces behind a single open protocol that shifts one of mining's most consequential decisions — which transactions go into each new block — away from pool operators and back to the individual miners doing the work. The move represents the most significant decentralization development in Bitcoin mining in years.
Foundry, AntPool, F2Pool, SpiderPool, MARA Pool, Block Inc, and DMND have all joined the Stratum V2 working group, the group announced last week. Together they represent close to 75% of all Bitcoin hashrate globally.
What Stratum V2 actually changes
Stratum V2 is an open-source protocol that governs how mining pools communicate with the individual miners contributing computing power to those pools. The current standard, Stratum V1, hands transaction selection entirely to pool operators — meaning the pools themselves decide which transactions are included in each new block, not the miners performing the actual work.
Stratum V2 flips that arrangement. It allows individual miners to construct their own block templates, putting transaction selection decisions in the hands of the people running the hardware rather than whoever operates the pool. Hashrate concentration does not change — Foundry still controls 34.2% of global hashrate, AntPool 14.2%, F2Pool 11.3%, and SpiderPool 10.5% — but the critical question of who decides what goes into each block shifts fundamentally.
That distinction matters more than the hashrate numbers suggest. A single pool controlling 30% or more of global hashrate is a concern for Bitcoin's decentralization, but it becomes a more acute concern when that same pool also controls the transaction ordering for its entire share of blocks. Stratum V2 addresses the second problem directly, even if the first remains unchanged.
From niche project to industry standard
The protocol has existed since 2022, when Braiins and Spiral co-founded the Stratum V2 working group. For three years it was treated largely as a niche side project with limited real-world adoption. The addition of Foundry and AntPool — the two largest pools in the world by hashrate — changes that calculus entirely. The working group described the new memberships as the start of an accelerated deployment phase rather than a continuation of the slow-adoption period that preceded it.
The Bitcoin community has raised concerns about centralized transaction selection for at least the past two years. The timing of seven major pools aligning behind a common solution suggests those concerns have finally reached a threshold where the industry felt compelled to act collectively.
The economic backdrop: a stressed mining cohort
The announcement arrives as Bitcoin miners are navigating some of the toughest economics since the last halving cycle. CoinShares estimates that up to 20% of miners are currently operating unprofitably, with hashprice — the revenue a miner earns per unit of computing power — sitting at $38.57 per petahash per second per day, at or near breakeven for operators running mid-generation hardware.
Network difficulty is set to rise again on May 15 from 132.47T to 135.64T according to CoinWarz, adding further pressure to margins already stretched thin. Total network hashrate now sits at 998 exahash per second — a figure that reflects continued investment in mining infrastructure even as near-term profitability has compressed.
In that environment, a protocol that gives individual miners more control over their revenue-generating activity — and reduces their dependence on pool operator decisions — has practical economic appeal beyond its decentralization benefits. Miners who can select higher-fee transactions for their own block templates have a direct financial incentive to adopt Stratum V2, independent of any ideological commitment to decentralization.
What comes next
The working group framed last week's announcement as the beginning of a new phase rather than a completed transition. Adoption at the pool level does not automatically mean individual miners immediately begin constructing their own block templates — that requires hardware compatibility, software updates, and deliberate choices by miners to opt into the new system.
But with pools representing 75% of global hashrate now formally committed to the standard, the infrastructure for the shift is in place. Whether individual miners move quickly to take advantage of the transaction selection capabilities Stratum V2 unlocks will determine how much of the protocol's decentralization promise is realized in practice — and how quickly.
For Bitcoin, the broader significance is straightforward: the network's most structurally important upgrade to mining governance in years just happened, and it happened without a contentious fork, a protocol war, or a community split. Seven pools, one standard, and a quiet announcement.

Financial markets and everyday Americans are telling two completely different stories about the US economy right now — and the gap between them has never been wider.
Bitcoin has surged nearly 18% since the start of April, while the Nasdaq has jumped 22% to a lifetime high of 23,235 points and the S&P 500 has climbed over 12% to 7,398 points. At the same time, the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey just posted a preliminary record low of 48.2 — the most pessimistic reading in the survey's history, down 7.7% from a year ago and extending April's already depressed reading of 49.8.
Markets are celebrating. Consumers have never been gloomier. Understanding why both things are true at the same time is the most important question in macro right now — and the answer has direct implications for how long Bitcoin's rally can last.
The numbers behind the divergence
Bitcoin jumped 11.8% in April alone — its largest monthly gain since April 2025 — before extending the rally by a further 6% to around $80,700. The move came alongside what CoinDesk data described as record risk-taking on Wall Street, with institutional capital pouring into AI, semiconductors, and digital assets simultaneously.
Roughly 30% of American adults — approximately 70.4 million people — own cryptocurrency, and around 62% of adults have owned stocks at some point since 2023. On paper, a combined stock and crypto rally of this magnitude should be lifting household spirits. It isn't.
One-third of University of Michigan survey respondents cited surging gas prices as their biggest concern. Another third pointed to tariffs. Inflation fears, not investment returns, are defining how most Americans feel about their financial situation — and for good reason. Higher energy costs and tariff-driven price increases hit household budgets directly and immediately, while paper gains in a brokerage account or crypto wallet feel abstract against the daily reality of higher costs at the pump and the grocery store.
Two economies running in parallel
Alvin Kan, COO at Bitget Wallet, framed the divergence clearly. "Institutional capital continues flowing into AI, semiconductors, and digital assets, pushing the Nasdaq and Bitcoin higher as markets price in long-term productivity growth and technological transformation," he told CoinDesk. "At the same time, consumer confidence remains weak as households continue dealing with inflation, high living costs, and economic uncertainty. In effect, markets are trading the future while consumers are still focused on present-day financial pressure."
The Nasdaq rally has been driven primarily by an AI capital expenditure boom and strong earnings from mega-cap technology companies — dynamics that have little to do with whether a household can afford to fill up the car. That corporate earnings strength has spilled over into Bitcoin demand, with US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs pulling in billions in recent weeks as institutional and professional investors treated BTC as both a growth play and a diversification tool alongside tech equities.
"This divergence is being driven by strong tech earnings, sustained ETF and institutional inflows into Bitcoin, and the growing role of digital assets as both growth and diversification plays," Kan added. "It also shows how crypto is increasingly tied to macro liquidity and innovation cycles instead of purely retail sentiment."
How Bitcoin lost its Main Street roots
The Wall Street–Main Street divide in crypto is not just an economic story — it is a philosophical one. Bitcoin began as a grassroots movement explicitly designed to operate outside traditional financial markets and provide an alternative to a system that concentrated wealth at the top. For its first decade, it largely did move independently of Wall Street.
The launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs two years ago changed that. Rapid institutionalization has made Bitcoin's price action increasingly correlated with equity markets — particularly the Nasdaq — as professional capital managers treat it like any other risk asset in their portfolios. The result is that Bitcoin now tends to rise when institutional risk appetite is high and fall when it contracts, regardless of what is happening on Main Street.
Markus Thielen, founder of 10x Research, described this as a betrayal of Bitcoin's founding promise. "The democratization of finance was once one of crypto's defining promises, yet reality has moved in the opposite direction," he told CoinDesk. "Wealth remains heavily concentrated in the hands of a small minority — a trend that is even more pronounced in the US stock market, where gains have increasingly accrued to the wealthiest participants."
Will the gap close — or keep widening?
The intuitive expectation is that when household finances are squeezed this severely, markets eventually feel the pain too. Consumer spending drives roughly 70% of US GDP, and a consumer that is this pessimistic tends to pull back — which eventually shows up in corporate earnings and asset prices.
But that transmission mechanism may be slower and weaker than usual this cycle. Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, argued the gap is likely to persist rather than close quickly. "Digital assets are increasingly diverging from traditional cycles and attracting fresh capital seeking asymmetric returns, suggesting promising long-term structural growth," she said, while acknowledging that monetary policy tightening, geopolitical events, or regulatory shifts could add near-term pressure.
The risk scenario is straightforward: if consumer weakness deepens enough to drag corporate earnings lower, the AI and tech boom narrative that has underpinned both the Nasdaq and Bitcoin rallies could unravel. A Fed that stays on hold for longer — Bank of America now expects no cuts until the second half of 2027 — removes one of the traditional supports for risk assets in a downturn.
For now, institutional capital is voting with its dollars that the long-term innovation cycle matters more than near-term household sentiment. Whether that thesis holds as consumer pressure mounts is the question that will define the second half of 2026.

Bitcoin surged past $82,000 on Sunday after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's counteroffer to a peace deal, triggering a sharp whipsaw in price that liquidated nearly $64 million in short positions and underscored BTC's continued sensitivity to geopolitical headlines — even as it has quietly outperformed almost every major asset class since the conflict began.
What happened: a 45-minute dip then a 2.3% surge
Bitcoin fell from $81,430 to $80,520 within 45 minutes of Trump posting "I don't like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE" on Truth Social in response to Iran's counteroffer. The proposal had included demands for US war reparations and the unfreezing of blocked Iranian financial assets. Trump's flat rejection dashed hopes of an imminent end to the conflict, briefly unsettling risk assets before Bitcoin reversed sharply — climbing nearly 2.3% to $82,347 less than three hours later, according to CoinGecko data.
The whipsaw move triggered a short squeeze. Nearly $64 million worth of short positions were liquidated over the four hours following Trump's post, according to CoinGlass data, adding mechanical fuel to the upside move as forced closures accelerated the rally.
Oil markets reacted more directly to the geopolitical escalation, with crude rising 4.6% to $98.7 per barrel on Trump's comments. The Strait of Hormuz — which handles one-fifth of global oil trade — has been a source of persistent market disruption throughout the ten-week conflict. S&P 500 futures were up a more modest 0.13% in early trading following the post.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added to the dim prospects for a near-term resolution, stating the war would not end until Iran's uranium enrichment sites are fully dismantled.
Bitcoin up 29.7% since the war began
Despite — or in some ways because of — the ongoing US-Iran conflict, Bitcoin has now risen 29.7% since the war began on February 28, when a US airstrike killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Over that same period, Bitcoin has outperformed both the S&P 500 and gold, reclaiming significant ground lost since October's all-time high of $126,080. The resilience positions Bitcoin increasingly as a geopolitical hedge in the eyes of institutional investors — a narrative that has gained traction with each failed peace negotiation.
Two Senate events that could move Bitcoin this week
Beyond the geopolitical backdrop, 10x Research CEO Markus Thielen told Cointelegraph that two US Senate decisions scheduled for this week could provide additional bullish momentum for Bitcoin.
The first is Monday's Senate vote on Kevin Warsh's confirmation as Federal Reserve chair. Warsh is widely regarded as more hawkish on inflation than outgoing chair Jerome Powell — a stance that would ordinarily concern risk asset markets. But Thielen argued that the confirmation itself, regardless of Warsh's policy leanings, would remove the uncertainty overhang that has weighed on markets during the leadership transition period. A smooth handover avoids the policy ambiguity that typically pressures risk assets.
The second catalyst is Thursday's Senate Banking Committee markup of the CLARITY Act. Thielen described it as the "most significant piece of crypto legislation in years," adding that it could be a "turning point for regulatory certainty across digital assets." The CLARITY Act addresses the longstanding question of how digital assets are classified and regulated — a question that has created institutional friction around crypto allocation for years.
"Both events lean bullish for Bitcoin," Thielen said. "Regulatory clarity reduces institutional friction, and a smooth Fed leadership transition avoids the policy uncertainty that typically pressures risk assets."
The week ahead
Bitcoin enters the week holding above $80,000 with geopolitical tension keeping volatility elevated, a short squeeze already clearing out near-term bearish positioning, and two Senate decisions that could meaningfully shift the regulatory and monetary policy backdrop. Add Monday's CPI inflation data and Tuesday's PPI release — both capable of repricing Fed rate expectations in either direction — and the next five trading days may be among the most consequential for Bitcoin's price trajectory since the conflict began.

Bubblemaps has identified new Polymarket wallets that profited approximately $600,000 from an Iran ceasefire contract prior to U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a US-Iran ceasefire on April 7. According to NS3.AI, Representative Ritchie Torres subsequently requested the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to conduct an investigation into the matter. Ryan Kirkley criticized the platform, claiming it favors insiders over retail traders. Additionally, on April 23, federal prosecutors charged a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier with utilizing classified information to earn about $410,000 on Polymarket in a separate incident.

Sui's native token SUI has gained 50% over the past seven days, rising from $0.94 on May 4 to a high of $1.41 on Sunday, as a cluster of reinforcing catalysts — institutional staking, major product announcements, and a new payments partnership — hit the market in rapid succession. Trading volume surged in tandem, climbing from $213 million to over $2.5 billion over the same period. SUI has since settled around $1.31 as of Monday.
The supply squeeze that started it
The most immediate trigger, according to Ryan McMillin, co-founder and CIO of Australian crypto investment manager Merkle Tree Capital, was a "meaningful supply squeeze" created when Nasdaq-listed SUI Group Holdings revealed Friday that it had staked its entire SUI treasury — more than 108 million tokens worth over $143 million. Removing that volume from circulating supply reduced the amount of SUI available for sale in the market, creating upward price pressure at a moment when other positive catalysts were also building.
The Nasdaq listing angle adds a layer of institutional significance. It places SUI in the same category as assets that have attracted public company treasury allocation — a group that includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana — signaling a growing level of institutional comfort with the asset that goes beyond speculative trading.
Zero-fee stablecoins and private transactions
At Consensus 2026 in Miami, Adeniyi Abiodun, co-founder of Mysten Labs — the team behind the Sui network — announced that zero-fee stablecoin transfers would roll out on the network soon. Abiodun also reiterated plans to add a private transaction feature, positioning Sui as a low-friction payments rail at a moment when both stablecoin adoption and privacy are among the most active investment themes in crypto.

The privacy angle is particularly timely. Privacy-focused cryptocurrency Zcash spiked more than 70% last week as traders rotated into privacy-oriented projects amid broader AI surveillance concerns. Privacy had already been a significant investment theme through 2025, with privacy tokens outperforming during the broader market downturn. Sui's announcement of upcoming private transaction capability connects it to that narrative without requiring it to be classified as a privacy coin.
McMillin noted the combination of institutional staking, zero-fee ambition, and regulated futures access is rare among alternative layer-one networks. "This positions Sui as low-friction rails for payments and liquidity and also attractive to agentic AI payments," he said.
Paga partnership expands real-world payments use case
Also at Consensus 2026, African payments infrastructure company Paga Group announced a partnership with Sui to develop blockchain-powered cross-border transfers and stablecoin products. The partnership targets a payments corridor where stablecoin infrastructure has significant practical demand — Nigeria and broader African markets where cross-border transfer costs remain high and dollar-denominated stablecoin access is increasingly valued.
The Paga integration gives Sui a concrete real-world adoption story to point to, shifting the narrative from speculative layer-one competition toward actual payments infrastructure with an identified user base.
DeepBook Predict goes live on testnet
Abiodun also announced Friday that Sui's prediction market, DeepBook Predict, was going live on testnet. The timing is notable: a March report found that prediction markets generated $25.7 billion in monthly on-chain trading volume, making them one of the most active application categories in crypto. A functioning prediction market on Sui adds another use case to an ecosystem that is rapidly broadening its product surface area.
What comes next: execution is the key variable
McMillin's short-term view is constructive. Supply shocks and product news generally sustain momentum, and the broader crypto environment is showing what he described as "green shoots all over the ecosystem" — with the bear market looking increasingly like it may be over.
The medium-term picture is more conditional. "Success depends on execution, actual zero-fee rollout, Paga integration traction in Nigeria and stablecoin volume growth," McMillin said. "Sui has real tech edges and usage momentum, but token unlocks and broader crypto cycles remain risks."
The shift in how the market is framing Sui is perhaps the most significant development of the week. "Sui is shifting from promising L1 or high-beta play to actual adoption story," McMillin added. If the zero-fee stablecoin rollout delivers, the Paga integration gains traction, and on-chain metrics confirm the momentum visible in price and volume data, that reframing could prove durable.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in his speech at Carnegie Mellon University's 128th commencement ceremony that the traditional computing paradigm, which has lasted for about 60 years, has come to an end. AI is driving an industry transformation from humans coding to machine learning.He stated that although some jobs, such as programming and medical image analysis, are being automated, AI is more about amplifying human capabilities rather than simply replacing humans. He added, "AI is not likely to replace you, but someone using AI better than you might."Huang also recalled Nvidia's near-bankruptcy experience in its early years, saying that the company once asked Sega to terminate a contract because it could not deliver the chip architecture and only survived because Sega continued to pay. He concluded by saying that AI infrastructure construction will become one of the largest technological infrastructure investments in human history, and he called on graduates to "run, don't walk."

Circle has minted approximately 2.5 billion USDC on the Solana blockchain last week, according to ChainCatcher. This development highlights the ongoing activity and growth within the Solana network, as Circle continues to expand its presence in the cryptocurrency market.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has hinted at naming the company's next AI model 'Goblin' following a poll on X, according to BeInCrypto. This comes after Altman expressed optimism about OpenAI's Codex, which autonomously completed coding tasks without supervision. Codex, OpenAI's coding system, interprets natural-language prompts to produce working code, positioning it against rivals like Anthropic and Google. OpenAI's enterprise strategy emphasizes these autonomous workflows, bolstered by its partnership with Microsoft. The 'Goblin' naming reflects user feedback and the model's unique metaphorical language.

Digital asset investment products experienced substantial inflows last week, totaling $857.9 million, marking the sixth consecutive week of net inflows and the largest weekly inflow since April 24. According to Foresight News, CoinShares' latest report highlights that the total assets under management have risen to $160 billion. The surge was driven by the stabilization of stablecoin yields following the CLARITY Act compromise text, with Bitcoin surpassing $80,000, reaching its highest level since the February correction.

Bitcoin saw inflows of $706.1 million, bringing the total inflows for the year to $4.9 billion. Ethereum reversed the previous week's outflows of $81.6 million with inflows of $77.1 million. Solana and XRP also saw inflows of $47.6 million and $39.6 million, respectively. Short Bitcoin products experienced outflows of $14.4 million, the largest weekly outflow of the year, indicating that hedging positions are being closed as bullish sentiment strengthens.

Regionally, the United States led the inflows with $776.6 million, a significant increase from last week's $47.5 million. Germany followed with $50.6 million, Switzerland with $21.1 million, and the Netherlands with $5 million. Meanwhile, multi-asset products saw outflows of $5.5 million.

Bitcoin's total gamma exposure has remained negative since mid-January, currently reaching -3.2 billion dollars at the 82,000-dollar strike price, according to ChainCatcher. In a negative gamma environment, market makers are compelled to trade in the direction of price movements, accelerating buying during upswings and selling during downswings, which intensifies price volatility.

With options set to expire on May 29 and June 26, the suppressive effect of negative gamma is expected to gradually dissipate, potentially alleviating Bitcoin's downward bias. Currently, the demand for call options significantly exceeds that for put options, with institutions anticipating a shift in market sentiment from bearish to bullish.

Capital B, a European publicly traded company, has successfully secured a €15.2 million ($17.8 million) investment to purchase an additional 182 BTC. According to NS3.AI, this strategic move is part of Capital B's ongoing efforts to accumulate Bitcoin. Notably, Adam Back participated in the funding round, highlighting the growing interest and confidence in Bitcoin investments among industry leaders.

DeFi protocols with a total value locked (TVL) exceeding $3 billion are transitioning to Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) following the $292 million exploit of KelpDAO. According to NS3.AI, Chainlink announced that KelpDAO, Solv Protocol, Re, and Tydro are decommissioning their legacy oracle and bridge systems in favor of CCIP. Data from CryptoSlate indicates that Chainlink's token, LINK, increased by 15%, reaching $10.52, marking its highest level since January. LayerZero issued an apology on May 9, acknowledging the need for stronger oversight regarding the use of its verifier network.

Binance announced on X that users should prepare for the Alpha airdrop and trading event scheduled for today at 17:00 (UTC+8). Participants holding a minimum of 241 Binance Alpha Points will be eligible to claim the token airdrop. The distribution will operate on a first-come, first-served basis until the airdrop pool is fully claimed or the event concludes. Further details regarding the airdrop specifics will be announced separately. This initiative provides an opportunity for users to engage actively with the platform and benefit from their accumulated points. The event underscores Binance's commitment to enhancing user interaction and rewarding loyalty within its community. As users anticipate the airdrop, Binance continues to expand its offerings, providing diverse opportunities for digital asset management and participation. The Alpha airdrop represents a strategic move to incentivize user engagement and foster a dynamic ecosystem on the Binance platform. Participants are encouraged to stay informed through official channels for updates on the airdrop and trading event.

This week's cryptocurrency agenda is highlighted by a procedural vote in the U.S. Senate concerning Kevin Warsh's nomination package for the Federal Reserve. According to NS3.AI, other significant events include the Azul mainnet upgrade by Base and earnings announcements from major cryptocurrency firms. Additionally, the schedule features the release of U.S. inflation data, a Senate Banking Committee markup on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, and various DAO votes and token unlocks.

PANews posted on X (formerly Twitter). Moomoo, an overseas independent brand under Futu, has obtained a compliance license for the forecast market from U.S. regulatory authorities. This makes Moomoo one of the first online brokers authorized to offer 'event contract' trading services to retail users in the United States. The company plans to introduce event contract trading to U.S. users soon, covering areas such as sports, economics, politics, and culture. Details regarding the launch date, product specifics, and trading varieties will be announced later.

Uniswap v4 Hooked Pool has achieved a significant milestone, with its trading volume exceeding $2 billion over the past week, marking a new all-time high. According to NS3.AI, data from the Sealaunch dashboard reveals that Sato Hook recorded a trading volume of $66 million, Angstrom reached $63 million, and Uniswap itself saw $41 million in trading activity. This surge in trading volume highlights the growing interest and activity within the Uniswap v4 Hooked Pool.