News

Bhutan's Gelephu Mindfulness City has launched a fast-track licensing system aimed at crypto and fintech companies already licensed in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Abu Dhabi. According to NS3.AI, this initiative streamlines the process by integrating local incorporation, regulatory approval, and corporate bank account setup through DK Bank. Despite the expedited process, standard Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) reviews remain in place.

Lawmakers have publicly released the text of the crypto market structure bill ahead of their vote, according to CoinDesk. The bill, which had been circulating within the industry behind closed doors, aims to address regulatory frameworks for the cryptocurrency sector. This move is seen as a significant step towards formalizing the legal landscape for digital assets, potentially impacting market participants and regulatory compliance.

According to PANews, if you had flipped 10,000 yuan into NVIDIA at the right moment, it would have moonshot to 2.4 million yuan today.

Microsoft set a target to achieve a $92 billion return from its early significant investment in OpenAI, according to Bloomberg. This information was revealed during a court hearing on May 11 in Oakland, California, involving a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk against OpenAI and Microsoft. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated in court that the investment was successful because the company took on the associated risks.

Marathon Digital Holdings (MARA) has announced its financial results for the first quarter, revealing a revenue of $174.6 million, which marks an 18% decrease compared to the same period last year. According to NS3.AI, the company emphasized that bitcoin mining continues to be its core operational focus. The net loss for the quarter expanded to $1.3 billion, largely attributed to unrealized losses on the 38,689 BTC held on its balance sheet. In an effort to manage debt and improve financial flexibility, MARA sold approximately $1.1 billion worth of bitcoin towards the end of the quarter.

Mitsui Digital AM has introduced Japan's inaugural land-backed real estate digital security, tied to the land rights of AEON Omiya and valued at approximately $55.6 million. According to NS3.AI, this innovative product requires a minimum investment of around $647 and offers an anticipated pre-tax annual yield of 3.4%. The investment is structured to operate over a period of about 5 years and 1 month. Utilizing the ibet for Fin blockchain infrastructure, the product is designed as a regulated real estate digital security and real-world asset (RWA) product.

OpenAI has announced plans to acquire the consulting firm TOMORO to establish a private equity joint venture. According to Jin10, this strategic move aims to expand OpenAI's influence in the financial sector by leveraging TOMORO's expertise. The acquisition is expected to enhance OpenAI's capabilities in providing AI-driven solutions to private equity firms, marking a significant step in its business diversification efforts.

Bitcoin Ordinals browser Ord.io announced on the X platform that it will cease operations on June 1. According to PANews, the platform, launched three years ago, has served over one million users. The team plans to upload the complete history of likes, replies, and public address data to GitHub, allowing future developers to build related Ordinals browsing tools based on this data.

OpenAI has announced the establishment of the OpenAI Deployment Company, backed by an initial investment of $4 billion. According to NS3.AI, this new division aims to integrate Forward Deployed Engineers within client organizations. Additionally, the acquisition of Tomoro is expected to bring approximately 150 engineers into the fold.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has announced that its board of directors has approved a capital increase of up to $20 billion for its wholly-owned subsidiary, TSMC Arizona. According to Jin10, this decision is part of TSMC's ongoing efforts to expand its manufacturing capabilities in the United States. The capital increase will support the development and operation of TSMC's facilities in Arizona, which are expected to enhance the company's production capacity and technological capabilities. This move aligns with TSMC's strategy to strengthen its presence in the global semiconductor market.

PANews posted on X (formerly Twitter). Investment firm Coatue has projected a significant increase in memory demand, anticipating a fivefold growth over the next five years. This shift is attributed to the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), where the bottleneck is moving from computational power to memory capacity.

In recent years, AI development has been heavily reliant on computational power and GPUs. However, as AI progresses from simple chatbots to autonomous agents, the narrative is changing. Current chatbots operate without memory, starting each conversation anew. In contrast, future AI agents are expected to possess long-term memory, operate continuously, and perform tasks proactively.

The fundamental difference between agents and chatbots lies in memory capabilities. Key components include HBM (working memory on GPUs), DRAM (temporary storage), and long-term storage, all of which must work in tandem within milliseconds for true autonomy.

Coatue's forecast aligns with Nvidia's roadmap, which indicates a tenfold increase in single GPU memory over seven years. In summary, the development of a robust memory layer is crucial for the emergence of truly autonomous AI agents.

Stream Finance announced on Platform X that it is seeking ways to maximize the value of assets for customers and creditors. According to Odaily, the goal is to integrate, liquidate, and distribute assets prudently and swiftly. The team is considering several strategic alternatives that require the involvement of customers and creditors, with more details expected in the coming weeks. Inquiries can be directed to Jeremiah Ledgwidge at Cooley LLP.

In November last year, Stream Finance reported a loss of $93 million in assets and subsequently suspended withdrawals, leading to a significant de-pegging of XUSD.

South Korean customs authorities have discovered that illegal foreign exchange transactions involving cryptocurrencies have surpassed 10 trillion won over the past five years. According to NS3.AI, Tether has been widely used in these activities. The value of these uncovered transactions increased significantly from 823.8 billion won in 2021 to 4.7566 trillion won in 2022. Additionally, the number of cases rose from 10 in 2021 to 16 in 2025.

A Bitwise executive has suggested that South Korean retail investors might redirect substantial capital into Bitcoin. According to NS3.AI, Jeffrey Park indicated that funds currently invested in large-cap semiconductor and pharmaceutical stocks could move into Bitcoin if investors believe that tech stocks have reached their peak.

On May 12, a significant transfer of ONDO tokens was observed. According to BlockBeats On-chain Detection, the Ondo project's multi-signature address transferred 150 million ONDO tokens seven hours ago. Subsequently, 21.338 million ONDO tokens were moved to centralized exchanges (CEX) one hour ago.

Stablecoin monthly volume reached $7.2 trillion in February, surpassing ACH's $6.8 trillion for the first time, according to Artemis data. March maintained stablecoin volume near or above ACH levels. Raj Kamal noted that much of this activity is attributed to on-chain transfers rather than last-mile consumer or supplier payments. In March, TransFi raised $19.2 million to enhance fiat-to-stablecoin corridors in emerging markets.

Circle has shifted market focus from current performance to growth expectations through its AI agent economy and ARC stablecoin blockchain initiatives. According to PANews, this strategic move has successfully ignited market sentiment, leading to a significant rise in the company's stock price.

According to the announcement from Binance, the platform is set to launch a Spark (SPK) Trading Tournament, offering eligible users a chance to share a total prize pool of 8,000,000 SPK in token vouchers. The tournament will run from 2026-05-12 10:00 (UTC) to 2026-05-26 10:00 (UTC). An 'Early Bird Boost' multiplier will be introduced to reward users who trade earlier in the promotion period. The eligible trading pairs for this tournament are SPK/USDT and SPK/USDC. Participants must be verified new, regular, or VIP users, while liquidity providers in the Binance Spot Liquidity Provider Program and Binance Brokers are excluded.

The Early Bird Boost Multiplier is designed to enhance trading volume based on the timing of trades. The multiplier starts at 2x from 2026-05-12 to 2026-05-14 and gradually decreases to 1x by the end of the promotion period. The total trading volume for the competition is calculated as the sum of the Daily Effective Trading Volume, which is the actual daily trading volume multiplied by the Early Bird Boost Multiplier. To qualify for rewards, participants must achieve a total effective trading volume of at least 500 USD equivalent in the eligible pairs during the promotion period.

The reward structure is based on cumulative trading volume rankings. The top participant will receive 400,000 SPK, while the second and third places will receive 320,000 SPK and 240,000 SPK, respectively. Participants ranked from 6th to 20th will share 720,000 SPK equally, and those from 21st to 50th will share 640,000 SPK. The remaining eligible participants will share 3,200,000 SPK, capped at 200 SPK per user. Token vouchers will be distributed by 2026-06-09 and must be redeemed within 21 days. Binance reserves the right to disqualify users involved in dishonest behavior or who tamper with the program code.

Bitcoin has recently surpassed its 200-day moving average, marking a significant milestone since October of last year. According to Foresight News, this development removes a technical ceiling that has defined the current bear market. However, it occurs against a backdrop of leverage-driven activity, short covering, and declining spot trading volumes. Previous market bottoms were confirmed by organic spot inflows, which have not yet been observed in the current cycle.

Institutional buying remains a strong argument, with ETF inflows, declining exchange reserves, and whale accumulation indicating long-term holders are absorbing supply. Yet, at higher price levels, the strength of this buying is diminishing. Currently, the stock market is supporting the crypto market. If the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data is higher than expected and the transition involving Kevin Warsh introduces uncertainty, stock market buying could stall. Bitcoin maintaining a position above $80,000 amid macroeconomic shocks would be a true confirmation signal. Conversely, if it declines in tandem with the stock market, it would suggest that short covering is the primary driving force rather than any paradigm shift.

The ongoing short squeeze structure appears to be slowly unwinding, but if it reoccurs, it could easily push the market higher. While this may happen in the short term, from a mid-term perspective, given the decline in spot trading volumes and the increase in leverage and speculative activity, along with a stretched Relative Strength Index (RSI), the market may need a breather.

Anthropic has issued a warning regarding tokenized products that claim to offer access to its private shares, stating that such offerings may be invalid. According to NS3.AI, the company emphasized that any unapproved sale or transfer of its stock, or any interest in it, will be considered void and not recognized in its records. Meanwhile, PreStocks, a platform involved in these transactions, clarified that buyers of Anthropic-linked tokens receive economic exposure rather than equity rights. The underlying structure of these tokens remains unclear, and the market has implied a valuation exceeding $1.5 trillion.

Fluid announced on Platform X that damage to Resolv infrastructure has resulted in approximately $21 million in bad debt. According to Odaily, a solution has been devised to address the remaining $19.3 million in debt: Resolv will cover about $9.7 million, Fluid's governance treasury will handle $8.2 million, and the Fluid team will take on $1.5 million. Fluid has destroyed all remaining USR tokens within the protocol at the contract level, allowing users to exchange them directly through Resolv.

To ensure long-term sustainability, Fluid will pause token buybacks, significantly reduce or eliminate FLUID token incentives, and the foundation will halt its monthly $250,000 grant from March to June. Additionally, its Solana DEX is expected to launch within six weeks.

Iagon has introduced the Cardano Vault in collaboration with Fireblocks, aiming to establish an enterprise control layer for Cardano. According to NS3.AI, this move comes as capital flowing into vault structures exceeded $6 billion last year. The launch is seen as Cardano's effort to compete with Ethereum and Solana in the realm of curator-led vault deployments. Fireblocks' research indicates that 88% of financial institutions have either allocated or plan to allocate budgets for digital-asset infrastructure this year. Data from DefiLlama reveals that Cardano currently holds approximately $141.2 million in total value locked (TVL), with nearly $47 million in stablecoins and $33.8 million in lending TVL.

Kyobo Life Insurance has recently established a digital asset unit, aiming to develop new blockchain business strategies. According to NS3.AI, this unit is tasked with creating a mid-to-long-term digital asset roadmap for the entire Kyobo Group. The plans being considered involve the introduction of stablecoins, security token offerings, Web3 initiatives, cross-border payment solutions, and the formation of a specialized overseas subsidiary.

CoinGlass data indicates that Bitcoin's price movements could result in substantial liquidations. According to NS3.AI, if Bitcoin rises above $82,766, it could trigger approximately $858.8 million in short liquidations. Conversely, if Bitcoin falls below $80,300, it could lead to around $402 million in long liquidations.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has unveiled a 309-page draft of the CLARITY Act, which maintains restrictions on rewards for holding stablecoins. According to NS3.AI, Section 404 of the draft specifies that regulated entities are prohibited from offering interest or yield on stablecoin balances simply because a restricted recipient possesses the token. However, the draft permits rewards linked to genuine transactions, payments, platform activity, or liquidity provision.

BUILDon (B) surged approximately 55% on Monday, breaking through the 0.786 Fibonacci level at $0.60, according to BeInCrypto. This rally has reignited speculation of a move toward the $0.74 open high. The Daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) has returned to bullish territory, and the 4-hour chart shows an ascending channel, suggesting potential for further gains. However, a pullback could see support at the 0.618 Fibonacci level at $0.48. Analyst Hami noted a breakout from accumulation with rising volume, indicating readiness for another upward leg. The next 24 to 48 hours are crucial for determining if BUILDon can sustain its momentum.

Morgan Stanley's Global Macro Strategist, Matt Hornbach, anticipates that the U.S. inflation data for April will be notably 'hot.' According to Jin10, this data is the first in a series of reports that will ultimately contribute to the Federal Reserve's key inflation measure, the core PCE price index. Hornbach noted that historically, companies have not always passed inflationary pressures onto consumers. This situation is similar to when the U.S. government imposed tariffs, and consumer prices did not rise as sharply as expected. Currently, companies are facing significant pressures from rising energy costs and AI infrastructure development expenses. However, it remains uncertain whether businesses can fully transfer these costs to consumers. As a result, Morgan Stanley still forecasts that the Federal Reserve will maintain interest rates unchanged this year.

Ethereum (ETH) whales have capitalized on a recent price dip, purchasing $832 million worth of ETH as the cryptocurrency's price fell 3.6% since May 10, according to BeInCrypto. This accumulation occurred as ETH traded within a descending channel since April 17. Despite the price decline, whale wallets increased their holdings by 360,000 ETH, signaling confidence in the market's resilience. Meanwhile, Ethereum's derivatives market shows a decrease in open interest, suggesting that the recent rally was driven by short-covering rather than new long positions. Long-term holders, however, have reduced their accumulation by nearly 80% since late April, indicating caution amid elevated funding rates. Ethereum currently trades at $2,311, with key support levels at $2,298 and $2,269.

According to the announcement from Binance, the platform is set to introduce the next phase of its "Binance Learn & Earn" initiative. This program allows users to enhance their understanding of blockchain technology while earning cryptocurrency rewards by completing a designated quiz. The activity is scheduled to run from 2026-05-12 09:00 (UTC) to 2026-05-26 09:00 (UTC).

Participation in this round is exclusive to verified new users who have not previously subscribed to Simple Earn Locked Products before the specified start date. Eligible participants will receive a predetermined amount of ESP tokens, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Users can begin engaging with educational materials, including articles and videos, and complete quizzes as long as token supplies last. Each Learn & Earn session can only be completed once, and users are limited to one reward per session.

The ESP rewards will be automatically locked in Simple Earn Locked Products for a duration of 150 days, offering an annual percentage rate (APR) of 10%. Users will not be able to participate once all rewards have been distributed. Binance emphasizes that the actual value of the rewards may fluctuate due to market conditions. At the end of the subscription period, Binance Simple Earn will transition the locked assets to Simple Earn Flexible Products.

Binance reserves the right to terminate the activity without prior notice and disqualify participants who violate the program's terms. The platform also retains the right to modify the terms and conditions at its discretion. Users are encouraged to stay informed about new projects and opportunities to earn additional crypto rewards through the Learn & Earn program.

According to Odaily, monitoring by Arkham reveals that Bhutan has transferred 100 BTC from its holdings, valued at approximately $8.1 million. Since early 2026, Bhutan has sold Bitcoin worth about $230.39 million, with remaining holdings valued at approximately $252 million. The average monthly sale amounts to around $50 million. Arkham notes that if sales continue at this pace, Bhutan's Bitcoin holdings could be depleted by the end of September. Additionally, if all sales are completed at the current Bitcoin price, Bhutan's cumulative on-chain profit from these holdings would reach approximately $767 million.

A sophisticated npm worm named 'Mini Shai-Hulud' is spreading through well-known developer projects such as TanStack, UiPath, and DraftLab, according to ChainCatcher. The threat monitoring system MistEye, operated by blockchain security firm SlowMist, detected the worm. Attackers are hijacking GitHub credentials to release malicious software packages disguised as legitimate updates. These packages contain a hidden script, router_init.js, which runs silently in CI/CD environments like GitHub Actions. The worm is designed to steal CI/CD keys, cloud infrastructure keys, and cryptocurrency wallet information, using GitHub's infrastructure for data exfiltration.

SlowMist has shared the threat intelligence with its clients, advising projects using the affected packages to check their CI/CD pipelines for the presence of the router_init.js file. They recommend rotating all exposed GitHub, cloud service, and cryptocurrency credentials and continuously monitoring for unusual background activities in the development environment.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a successful meeting with Palantir CEO Alex Karp. According to Jin10, Zelensky stated that Ukraine is gradually advancing its cooperation with the U.S. defense sector.

Binance announced on X a significant update to its desktop application, focusing on performance optimization and feature enhancements. The update aims to address issues such as lag, latency, and unexpected crashes, providing users with a smoother and more reliable experience. This improvement is expected to enhance the overall functionality of the platform, ensuring that users can navigate and execute transactions with greater efficiency.

In addition to performance upgrades, the update also sees the restoration of the sub-account feature. This allows users to manage accounts, allocate assets, and set API configurations seamlessly from a single interface. The restoration of this feature is anticipated to streamline account management processes, offering users more control over their digital assets and trading activities.

Furthermore, Binance has improved its Pay service by adding a quick access entry in the navigation bar, making payments faster and more convenient. This enhancement is designed to simplify the payment process, enabling users to conduct transactions with ease. Binance continues to collect user feedback under the #ProductFeedback initiative, aiming to refine and optimize its products continuously. Users are encouraged to download the latest version of the Binance desktop application to experience these updates firsthand.

Bitcoin's bull-bear cycle indicator has signaled an 'early bull market' for the first time since March 2023, according to ChainCatcher. Historically, this signal has indicated the end of the worst adjustment phases and the beginning of market recovery, as seen in 2019 and early 2023. However, an exception occurred in March 2022 when the indicator entered the early bull market zone but was followed by a price rejection, marking a local top rather than a new bull market.

As of May 2026, analysts suggest that Bitcoin no longer behaves as a deep bear market asset, with the recovery of the 30-day moving average indicating improving market momentum. Despite this, several other market indicators show signs of weakness, making the current signal less definitive than classic early cycle confirmations. Analysts lean towards the possibility of a local top rather than the start of a new bull market, unless subsequent price movements strongly confirm this trend.

Web3 asset data platform RootData has significantly upgraded its chart page, adding over 10 new detailed charts to cater to the refined research and interpretation needs of readers across various sectors and dimensions. According to ChainCatcher, the current chart module on RootData includes areas of market interest such as financing and acquisition scale and quantity, total stablecoin market capitalization, total RWA market capitalization, ETF inflows and outflows, public chain TVL, and VC investment performance. These are presented in various chart types, including line charts, heat maps, bubble charts, and treemap charts. Following this upgrade, the data dimensions and interactive experience of RootData's chart page have been further enhanced, allowing users to observe market trends, capital flows, and industry structural changes more intuitively, thereby facilitating more efficient market analysis and investment research decisions.

Bitcoin and ether prices dropped as escalating tensions in the Middle East boosted oil prices and strengthened the dollar, according to CoinDesk. Despite the decline, Bitcoin managed to stay above a critical bull market level, indicating resilience in the face of geopolitical uncertainties.

Millions of Hispanic, Black, and young Americans played a crucial role in U.S. President Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election. Bloomberg posted on X, highlighting recent polls that reveal a significant decline in support from these voter groups, primarily due to dissatisfaction with the current economic conditions. The shift in sentiment among these demographics could have substantial implications for future elections, as they were instrumental in securing Trump's previous win. The economic concerns cited by these voters include rising inflation and unemployment rates, which have affected their daily lives and financial stability. As the political landscape evolves, both parties are likely to focus on addressing these economic issues to regain or maintain support from these key constituencies.

Australia's government has conducted a scenario analysis in its annual budget, exploring the potential consequences of an intensified conflict in Iran. Bloomberg posted on X, highlighting that the analysis considers a situation where the war in Iran escalates, leading to a surge in oil prices to $200 per barrel. Such a development could have significant repercussions, potentially causing chaos in the global economy. The scenario underscores the importance of understanding geopolitical risks and their potential impact on global markets.

Bitcoin's retail demand has shown signs of recovery, according to Axel Adler Jr. On May 12, the 30-day retail demand change for Bitcoin increased to +4.38%, up from -8.2% on April 5. This shift indicates an early recovery following the early April downturn. According to NS3.AI, Adler noted that transaction volumes for amounts under $10,000 increased slightly from $336 million to $351 million. However, these figures remain below the $365 million to $375 million range observed in February and March.