News

Bitcoin's recent rise above $80,000 is attributed more to leverage than actual spot demand, according to Wintermute. The firm noted that open interest increased by approximately $10 billion over the past month. According to NS3.AI, Wintermute also highlighted that spot trading volume has dropped to its lowest level in two years, describing the situation as a classic short squeeze setup.

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.

Bitdeer has released its production and operations report for April 2026. According to Odaily, the company's self-mining capacity reached 65.5 EH/s, marking a 400% increase compared to the previous year. During the same month, Bitdeer produced 783 BTC, reflecting a 372% year-over-year growth. The new SEALMINER A4 mining machines have entered mass production, featuring an energy efficiency as low as 9.45 J/TH. Additionally, the Tydal hosting lease agreement in Norway is in advanced negotiation stages. The company's AI Cloud business reported an annualized revenue (ARR) of $69 million, with a 60% quarter-over-quarter increase and a utilization rate of 92%.

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.

Exodus sold 1,076 BTC in the first quarter, representing more than 60% of its Bitcoin holdings. According to NS3.AI, the sale was aimed at securing cash to support the expansion of its payment infrastructure, including the acquisition of the W3C payments division.

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.

The cryptocurrency market has temporarily halted its upward trend as the U.S. prepares to release April's Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. According to Odaily, Bitcoin has been fluctuating between $80,000 and $82,000 without a significant breakthrough since last Wednesday. Despite potential for further gains indicated by fund flows, inflation and macroeconomic risks are dampening risk appetite.

The U.S. is set to announce the April CPI at 8:30 PM (UTC+8). FactSet data suggests that the CPI is expected to rise to 3.7% year-on-year, up from 3.3% in March. If this prediction holds, it would mark the largest increase since January 2024, significantly above the 12-month average of 2.7%. Core CPI is anticipated to rise to 2.7% from the previous 2.6%.

Analysts express concern that if inflation data exceeds expectations, it could heighten market risk aversion, especially with oil prices remaining high and U.S. President Donald Trump describing the U.S.-Iran ceasefire as "extremely fragile."

Lukman Otunuga, Head of Market Research at FXTM, noted that the market is entering a sensitive phase where geopolitical, inflationary risks, and central bank expectations are intertwined. High oil prices, uncertainty in Iran, and key U.S. economic data could increase volatility in commodities, exchange rates, and global stock markets.

Beyond macroeconomic factors, XRP and SOL are nearing critical supply zones. XRP tested $1.50 today but has repeatedly failed to break through this level since February. SOL is approaching resistance near $97.

Meanwhile, institutional interest in related assets is rising. The U.S. spot XRP ETF recorded a net inflow of $25.8 million on Monday, the highest since January 5. Bitcoin and Solana ETFs also maintained net inflows, while the Ethereum ETF saw a net outflow of $16.9 million.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee has released the first updated draft of the CLARITY Act since January, according to Odaily. Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy Research, highlighted significant revisions in several key sections of the draft.

The updated draft includes a major rewrite of Chapter 1, addressing definitions and the authority of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A new insider trading clause, Section 109, has been added. Chapter 2 updates the term 'common control' to 'coordinated control.' Section 301 has been rewritten to further clarify the regulatory boundaries between decentralized finance (DeFi) and centralized finance (CeFi).

Section 404 has been updated to incorporate a compromise plan by Tillis and Alsobrooks. Section 505 has been adjusted to narrow the scope of the SEC's authority in the tokenization sector. The bankruptcy and insolvency frameworks in Sections 701 and 702 have been restructured. Additionally, a new Section 904, titled 'Build Now Act,' has been introduced.

Thorn also noted that Section 604, which pertains to the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, retains its core protections for developers with only minor modifications.

BNB Chain's total value locked (TVL) in real world assets (RWA) has reached a new high of $4 billion, according to Odaily. This milestone reflects the rapid growth of the BNB Chain RWA sector, which has doubled its TVL from approximately $2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025 within six months.

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.

Bakkt has announced its first-quarter revenue from crypto services, totaling $243.6 million, marking a 77% decrease as the company transitions towards stablecoin infrastructure. According to NS3.AI, Bakkt reported a net loss of $11.7 million for the quarter, contrasting with a net income of $7.7 million in the same period last year. The company finalized its acquisition of Distributed Technologies Research on April 30 and signed a memorandum of understanding with Zoth, aiming to expand into stablecoin payments and compliance tools.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has invested hundreds of millions of dollars over more than a decade in developing blockchain systems. According to Bloomberg, this technology was anticipated to significantly transform financial markets. However, it has not yet achieved the expected revolutionary impact.

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.

OpenAI has announced plans to extend its 'Trusted Access Program' to several dozen European companies. According to Jin10, this initiative aims to enhance collaboration and integration of AI technologies across various industries in Europe. The expansion reflects OpenAI's commitment to fostering innovation and ensuring secure access to its AI tools and resources for European enterprises.

According to the announcement from Binance, the platform is set to introduce the edgeX Trading Competition on Binance Alpha. This event will allow participants to trade edgeX (EDGE) tokens using their Binance Wallet (Keyless) or via Binance Alpha, with the opportunity to earn exclusive token rewards. The competition is scheduled to run from 2026-05-12 13:00 (UTC) to 2026-05-19 13:00 (UTC). Participants will be ranked based on their total purchase volume of EDGE tokens during the promotion period. The top 2,560 users will share a pool of 76,800 EDGE tokens, with each receiving 30 EDGE tokens.

The competition introduces an Early Bird Boost Multiplier, encouraging early and consistent trading. This multiplier increases a user's base trading volume, making early trades more valuable. The daily effective trading volume is calculated by multiplying the actual trading volume by the Early Bird Boost Multiplier. For example, trades made on the first day of the promotion will receive a 4x multiplier, while trades on the last day will not receive any multiplier. Only trades executed via Binance Wallet (Keyless) or Binance Alpha are eligible, and only cumulative purchases count towards the competition.

Rewards will be distributed in EDGE tokens and will be claimable by eligible users before 2026-05-26 13:00 (UTC). Users must claim their rewards within 14 days, or they will be forfeited. To participate, users must click 'Join' on the Binance App event page, and only trading volume generated after joining will be counted. Binance reserves the right to amend the terms of the competition at any time, and only users with active Binance accounts are eligible to participate.

Wells Fargo has significantly increased its holdings in Ethereum spot ETFs during the first quarter of 2026, according to ChainCatcher. The bank's latest 13F filing reveals an increase in its holdings of BlackRock's ETHA and Bitwise's ETHW. The ETHA holdings rose from approximately 672,600 shares in the fourth quarter of 2025 to about 1.1 million shares, marking a 63.5% increase. Meanwhile, ETHW holdings grew from around 186,800 shares to approximately 257,000 shares, a 37% rise. By the end of the quarter, the total value of Wells Fargo's ETH ETF holdings was approximately $21.5 million.

In contrast, Wells Fargo's Bitcoin ETF holdings showed mixed results. The IBIT holdings saw a slight decrease, while holdings in BITB and Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF increased by about 24% and 41%, respectively. Despite these changes, IBIT remains the bank's largest crypto ETF holding, valued at approximately $250 million.

Additionally, Wells Fargo made significant adjustments to its crypto-related stock positions. The bank reduced its holdings in Galaxy Digital by about 97%, while increasing its holdings in Strategy from approximately 322,700 shares to 726,000 shares, a 125% increase.

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.

The Trump family has reportedly earned approximately $1.55 billion through the sale of World Liberty Financial Inc. tokens. According to Bloomberg, this significant transaction has increased their overall wealth by around $660 million. This figure takes into account previously undisclosed transactions, as noted by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. A White House spokesperson said in a statement: "President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public, there are no conflicts of interest." A World Liberty spokesperson declined to comment.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.