News linked to both this project and an event.
Bitcoin has fallen below the $77,000 mark, hitting a low of approximately $76,720. Analysts attribute the market decline primarily to multiple macroeconomic pressures, including the renewed escalation of tensions between the US and Iran, rising inflation concerns, and increased risk aversion across risk assets. Former US President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Iran on social media, intensifying geopolitical uncertainty.Meanwhile, rising oil prices have further elevated inflation expectations, with Brent crude climbing to around $111 and WTI rising above $107. This has sparked concerns that the Federal Reserve may maintain higher interest rates for a longer period.The current selling pressure is also compounded by factors such as rising US Treasury yields, a strengthening US dollar, and ETF outflows. Data shows that Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of approximately $1 billion in the week ending May 17, ending six consecutive weeks of net inflows.In terms of market sentiment, the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index has fallen back to 27, re-entering the "fear zone." Analysts believe that short-term trends will remain highly dependent on macroeconomic data and policy expectations. However, some institutions view the current correction as a "healthy digestion" period, suggesting the long-term structure remains unchanged. (The Block)
According to the <i>Nikkei</i>, SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities plan to launch cryptocurrency investment trusts. Meanwhile, several major brokerages—including Nomura Securities—have stated they will consider following suit once the regulatory framework is established. A <i>Nikkei</i> survey of 18 major brokerages found that 11 indicated they would consider offering such products after regulations are finalized. SBI Securities plans to sell funds developed by its subsidiary SBI Global Asset Management, covering ETFs and investment trusts focused on highly liquid cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum; the entire process—from product development to distribution—will be handled internally within the SBI Group. Similarly, Rakuten Securities plans to jointly develop its own products with group members including Rakuten Investment Management, aiming to enable trading of cryptocurrency investment trusts via smartphone apps.
Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy, posted on X that the U.S. Senate Banking Committee voted 15–9 this week to advance the CLARITY Act to a full Senate vote. With time running short—approximately nine weeks remain—the projected timeline for next steps is as follows: June 1: Begin reconciling the Senate Banking Committee’s and Senate Agriculture Committee’s versions of the bill; June 15: Full Senate debate begins; June 22: The Senate may complete its final vote; July 13: Senate–House reconciliation concludes; Early August: President Trump signs the bill into law (assuming the schedule stays on track). Alex Thorn analyzed that Democrats are focusing heavily on “ethics provisions” designed to restrict digital asset holdings and profits by senior officials and their family members. Meanwhile, negotiations continue on the Decentralized Finance Regulation and Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA). The CLARITY Act will lay the groundwork for innovation in the U.S. digital asset market and for investor protection.
According to Russian financial media RBK, the Moscow Exchange is in discussions with multiple brokers regarding cryptocurrency trading solutions. It is currently testing a 7×24全天候 trading model and digital asset deposit/withdrawal functionality, and plans to launch dedicated cryptocurrency accounts. However, due to constraints imposed by the clearing system’s operating hours, round-the-clock trading is unlikely to be implemented in the short term. Meanwhile, Russia’s “Digital Currency and Digital Rights Bill” has passed its first reading. The bill stipulates that Russian citizens may only purchase cryptocurrencies through licensed intermediaries, and that listed cryptocurrencies must meet stringent criteria—including an average market capitalization exceeding 5 trillion rubles over the past two years, an average daily trading volume exceeding 1 trillion rubles, and a trading history of at least five years. In practice, only major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana meet these requirements.
According to Odaily, THORChain has issued an emergency announcement stating that after discovering a suspected breach of an Asgard vault, the network has suspended trading operations to respond to the security incident. Preliminary information indicates that user funds remain unaffected, with losses primarily concentrated on the protocol's own capital.The official statement noted that the system automatically detected anomalous behavior and halted signing operations, thereby alerting the community and preventing further asset outflow. The investigation is currently ongoing to determine the root cause of the vulnerability and the full scope of the impact.Known information indicates that this incident involves one of the six Asgard vaults, with estimated losses of approximately $10.7 million. Meanwhile, staked RUNE on the affected nodes has been slashed due to a penalty mechanism triggered by unauthorized outgoing transactions. The network has paused churn operations and delayed the launch of new chains and related features until system stability is restored.THORChain stated that no user cross-chain transactions have been affected so far and has requested node operators to thoroughly inspect their infrastructure, secure key management, and anomalous behavior, and to submit relevant logs to assist the investigation.
According to Odaily, Bitcoin's price is hovering around $80,350, up a slight 0.8% in the short term, facing sustained pressure after multiple failed attempts to break through the $82,000 resistance level. This zone is considered a confluence of resistance from the ETF cost basis, the 200-day moving average, and the CME gap fill area.Although the US CLARITY Act has passed the Senate Banking Committee, bringing positive expectations for crypto regulation, institutional capital continues to withdraw. Data shows that the 7-day average net outflow from US spot Bitcoin ETFs has fallen to -$88 million per day, the largest outflow scale since mid-February. Analysts suggest this selling pressure is more driven by "profit-taking" than panic selling.On the macro front, rising US Treasury yields are a core source of pressure. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note has climbed to approximately 4.52%, a 10-month high. Meanwhile, the April CPI rose 3.8% year-over-year, the highest level in three years, further pushing back market expectations for a Fed rate cut. Analysts point out that geopolitical conflicts are driving up energy prices, exacerbating inflationary pressures, thereby weakening the appeal of risk assets.From an institutional perspective, some analysts believe the current ETF outflows represent portfolio rebalancing rather than a structural retreat. The options market indicates significant resistance for Bitcoin in the $82,000-$84,000 range, while $77,000 stands as a key support level. If the price breaks below this zone without a cooling of leverage, the market could enter a deleveraging phase, increasing the risk of a correction. (Decrypt)
CoinShares tweeted that the cryptocurrency market saw a net outflow of $920 million this week. In the short term, macroeconomic headwinds continue to dominate: PPI data came in higher than expected, U.S.-Iran tensions pushed oil prices higher, and the Federal Reserve’s room for rate cuts is constrained—Bitcoin fell 1.4% this week. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee passed the Clarity Act by a vote of 15–9, bringing long-term regulatory direction into sharper focus. CoinShares noted that the market is currently caught in a tug-of-war between short-term macro pressures and long-term regulatory tailwinds.
The regulatory environment for the crypto industry continues to improve, but macro interest rate risks are dampening market sentiment. The US CLARITY Act has passed the Senate Banking Committee with a 15:9 vote, moving closer to a full Senate vote. The market expects that this bill could provide a clearer regulatory framework for tokenization, stablecoins, and smart contract platforms, potentially accelerating institutional capital inflow.Kavi Jain, Senior Research Associate at Bitwise, stated that the progress of the CLARITY Act is a significant milestone for US digital asset regulation. It is expected to particularly benefit smart contract platforms like Ethereum and Solana, and drive growth in institutional activities related to stablecoins, tokenized funds, and on-chain capital markets.However, the macro environment continues to exert pressure on the crypto market. US April inflation data came in higher than expected, driven primarily by rising energy prices. The market is now even beginning to price in the possibility of another rate hike by the Federal Reserve before April 2027. Meanwhile, the US 30-year Treasury yield has reached 5% for the first time since 2007, indicating growing market concern over long-term inflation risks. Analysts suggest that in a high-interest-rate environment, the appeal of high-risk assets, including Bitcoin, may be suppressed. (CoinDesk)
According to The New York Times, OpenAI opened its first lobbying office—named “Workshop”—in Washington, D.C., this week, just a few blocks from the White House, aiming to advance policies supporting data center expansion and unrestricted use of copyrighted content. In Q1 2026, OpenAI’s federal lobbying expenditures reached $1 million, doubling year-on-year. Its competitor Anthropic also opened an office in Washington, D.C., in April this year; its lobbying spending last year surged tenfold to $3 million. Meanwhile, Meta, Nvidia, and Alphabet collectively spent $47.8 million on lobbying last year—a 22% increase year-on-year. According to the citizen watchdog group Public Citizen, one-quarter of all federal lobbyists in Washington, D.C. are now engaged in AI-related issues, a sharp rise from 11% in 2023.
Trump Media & Technology Group is significantly adjusting its strategy for the prediction market product "Truth Predict." The project, originally planned to launch full trading functionality in partnership with Crypto.com, may now only materialize as a marketing and promotional collaboration, with a notable contraction in the scale of its features.According to the latest regulatory filings, the project is still under development. However, the initial phase will be limited to a promotional partnership with prediction market platform OG.com, rather than embedding trading functions directly within Truth Social. The market's initial vision of an integrated "social + prediction market trading" model appears to be diminished.Earlier plans indicated that Truth Predict intended to allow users to convert platform credits into crypto assets and participate in trading events related to sports, inflation, and elections. However, the newly disclosed structure leans more towards an "external platform traffic-redirecting partnership," with specific commercial mechanisms yet to be clarified. Meanwhile, the prediction market industry is experiencing rapid expansion alongside regulatory conflicts. Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket continue to expand their sports and event contract businesses, but are also facing jurisdictional disputes between state-level gambling regulators and federal authorities.Analysts suggest that the strategic downsizing of Truth Predict reflects the increasing uncertainty surrounding compliance structures, product forms, and regulatory boundaries for prediction markets. Particularly against the backdrop of an as-yet-unified U.S. regulatory system, related products are trending towards "asset-light cooperation" models rather than direct financial integration into social platforms. (Wired)
According to The Block, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Speaker of the Polish Sejm (lower house of parliament), announced that the Sejm has officially launched debates on four competing cryptocurrency-related bills—submitted respectively by the government, President Karol Nawrocki, the Poland 2050 party, and the Coalition Party—with the second reading scheduled for this Thursday. Previously, President Nawrocki had vetoed cryptocurrency legislation twice. The main point of contention between the government’s and the president’s proposals concerns the account-freezing authority of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) and the upper limit for fines: the president’s proposal retains the maximum fine at 20 million PLN (approximately USD 5.5 million), whereas the Ministry of Finance’s draft raises it to 25 million PLN (approximately USD 6.9 million). Meanwhile, lawmakers from the Law and Justice Party (PiS) withdrew their earlier market-regulation bill—originally submitted in April—on Monday and instead introduced a new proposal that would comprehensively ban cryptocurrency activities within Poland. Speaker Czarzasty stated that the ban proposal will only enter the legislative process after the four primary regulatory bills have been reviewed. He also raised questions regarding financial ties between the cryptocurrency exchange ZondaCrypto and Polish politicians, and probed the underlying motivations behind President Nawrocki’s two vetoes of cryptocurrency legislation.
Polish Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty announced the parliament has officially begun deliberations on four competing bills for crypto asset regulation, following President Karol Nawrocki's two vetoes of related legislation. The review involves legislative proposals from the government, the Presidential Office, the Poland 2050 party, and the Confederation party, with the second reading vote expected on Thursday. Key disagreements center on the scope of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority's (KNF) power to freeze accounts and the maximum penalties for violations. The president's draft sets a maximum fine of approximately 20 million zloty (about $5.5 million), while the Treasury's version raises it to 25 million zloty (about $6.9 million).Meanwhile, the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), after withdrawing support for an earlier regulatory proposal, submitted a separate bill on Monday advocating for a complete ban on crypto asset-related activities in Poland, further complicating the regulatory debate. Speaker Czarzasty stated that the PiS ban draft will enter the deliberation process only after the four main regulatory bills are completed, and questioned the links between crypto industry funds and political activities, specifically naming potential political funders including zondacrypto. (The Block)
Odaily In a related lawsuit against OpenAI being heard at the U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, one of the highly anticipated key witnesses, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is expected to testify in court today.The case was filed by Elon Musk in 2024, accusing OpenAI and its management of violating their non-profit mission commitments and questioning whether their transition to a commercial structure breached charitable fiduciary duties.During the trial, OpenAI Board Chair Bret Taylor continued to testify, stating that the company was "on the brink of collapse" during the management turmoil in 2023. He noted that the restructured organization is now clearer, though the non-profit entity retains control.Meanwhile, Satya Nadella testified that when Microsoft invested over $13 billion in OpenAI in 2019, it "took on significant risk when no one else was willing to bet on them." He also stated that he had never received formal questions from Musk regarding the compliance of the investment.The case continues to focus on the legality of OpenAI's transition from a non-profit organization to a commercial structure. Altman's testimony is seen as a pivotal moment in this phase of the trial. (CNBC)
According to The Block, global asset management firm Franklin Templeton and Payward—the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken—have announced a partnership to jointly explore tokenization pathways for traditional investment products. The collaboration spans tokenized equities, compliant custody, actively managed yield products, and institutional crypto liquidity services. The two parties plan to launch tokenized Franklin Templeton financial products targeting institutional clients, with potential expansion to Kraken’s broader user base depending on circumstances. Arjun Sethi, Co-CEO of Payward, stated that this partnership will pioneer entirely new product categories that were not feasible just three years ago. Meanwhile, Payward has applied to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for a national trust company charter to further expand its access within the U.S. financial system.
According to The Block, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking has released an updated 309-page version of the Clarity Act, scheduled for review and vote later this week. The new text includes language restricting stablecoin rewards and incorporates provisions from the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, clarifying that non-custodial developers are not considered money transmitters. Coinbase—which had previously withdrawn its support due to controversy over the stablecoin rewards provision—has now reversed its position and endorsed the bill; however, banking industry groups still deem the restrictions insufficient. Meanwhile, the bill still lacks ethics-related provisions targeting digital asset-related benefits received by the President and other federal officials. Democratic lawmakers have stated that, absent such compromises, the bill is unlikely to gain their support.
: Crypto analyst Axel Adler Jr stated that although Bitcoin rebounded after falling from around $125,000 to $60,000, the current trend remains a "repair after decline" and has not yet been confirmed as entering a new bull market cycle.He pointed out that from an on-chain data perspective, multiple key indicators have not yet entered the historical bear market bottom range. This includes the "Supply in Loss" and 90-day UTXO-related metrics, which have not yet shown a sufficient cyclical bottom structure. Meanwhile, the "LTH Realized Supply" has also not displayed the typical accumulation pattern seen at the end of a bear market, indicating that the market has not yet entered a deep reallocation phase.Additionally, spot selling pressure indicators have not shown obvious "capitulation selling", suggesting that a typical comprehensive market cleansing has not occurred during this decline. Axel Adler Jr believes that before improvements are seen simultaneously in on-chain structure, spot demand, and supply pressure, the current upward move is more likely a technical rebound rather than a trend reversal.On a macro level, he pointed out that the global risk environment remains tight. The conflict between the US and Iran has pushed Brent crude oil close to $100 per barrel, reigniting inflationary pressure. Consumer confidence and financial health indices are weakening, indicating pressure on the demand side. Meanwhile, US Treasury yields remain high, with real interest rates and inflation expectations rising concurrently, further suppressing risk asset valuations.He also mentioned that the leadership of the US Federal Reserve is about to enter a potential transition phase, but the interest rate market is no longer pricing in rapid rate cuts and has even begun to price in the probability of rate hikes. Market expectations have clearly shifted towards "higher for longer". In an environment of high oil prices, high interest rates, and uncertain monetary policy, overall financial conditions remain tight.Axel Adler Jr stated that the current market needs to wait for clearer on-chain bottom structures and signs of demand-side recovery. Until then, he maintains a cautious stance on the market outlook.
that, according to data submitted by the Bank of Korea to the National Assembly, the total value of crypto assets held by South Korean investors fell from 121.8 trillion won (approximately $83.3 billion) at the end of January 2025 to 60.6 trillion won (approximately $41.4 billion) at the end of February 2026, a decline of over 50% within a year. During the same period, the average daily trading volume on South Korea's top five exchanges—Upbit, Bithumb, Korbit, Coinone, and Gopax—dropped from $11.6 billion in December 2024 to $3 billion in February this year. The total Korean won deposits on these exchanges also decreased from 10.7 trillion won to 7.8 trillion won, reflecting that some funds are flowing into the South Korean stock market.However, stablecoin holdings have remained relatively resilient. Data shows that South Korean stablecoin holdings peaked at $597 million in December 2024 before falling to $41 million in February this year, a decline significantly smaller than that of the broader crypto market.Additionally, South Korean regulators plan to implement stricter anti-money laundering rules in August, which will automatically flag as suspicious any transactions involving overseas exchanges or private wallets exceeding 10 million won. The Digital Asset Exchange Alliance (DAXA) has warned that this measure could drive users toward offshore platforms such as Binance.Meanwhile, the South Korean Ministry of Economy and Finance recently confirmed for the first time that a 22% tax rate on crypto gains will officially take effect on January 1, 2027. (Cointelegraph)
U.S. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce stated in a speech that she does not endorse certain speculative phenomena currently present in the market; financial products that function like lotteries—sparking hopes of short-term wealth—may fade as investor interest wanes. Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy Digital, shared the remarks, noting that Peirce anticipates the underlying legal, technological, and market infrastructure supporting these products could be repurposed in the future for more enduring investment and risk-management products. Meanwhile, Nate Geraci, President of The ETF Store, commented that the SEC’s balancing of regulation and innovation is reassuring, and he speculates that the compliant yet controversial products described by Peirce are in fact “prediction-market ETFs,” which he expects will soon receive approval for listing.
: SEC Chairman Paul Atkins has stated that the regulator is considering establishing new rules for on-chain financial markets and related software applications.Atkins pointed out that current DeFi software protocols are difficult to classify within traditional regulatory frameworks as exchanges, brokers, or clearing agencies, as a single protocol often simultaneously performs multiple functions such as trade execution, collateral management, liquidity routing, and settlement.His remarks are seen as a sign of the SEC adopting a more open attitude towards the crypto industry, appearing friendlier compared to his predecessor Gary Gensler. Meanwhile, the SEC is also exploring innovative exemption mechanisms for tokenized securities and advancing the clarification of digital asset classification systems.
According to Cointelegraph, after a 15-month investigation, police in New South Wales, Australia, seized 52.3 bitcoins—valued at approximately AUD 5.7 million (about USD 4.1 million)—and arrested two suspects allegedly operating a dark web marketplace in Ingleburn, Sydney. Authorities stated that the seized bitcoins are suspected proceeds from illicit dark web activities linked to drug and weapons trafficking. The operation, conducted by the State Crime Command’s Cybercrime Squad (Strike Force Andalusia), is regarded as one of the largest dark web-related cryptocurrency seizures ever carried out in Australia. Meanwhile, AUSTRAC has recently intensified its anti-money laundering (AML) oversight of domestic virtual asset service providers and cryptocurrency exchanges.