News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily报道, “BTC OG insider whale” Garrett Jin has released his “Weekly Market Strategy Signal.” In his analysis, he points out that the current geopolitical situation and the trajectory of the US dollar are deadlocked: despite US strikes on Iranian-related targets, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved. Although US Secretary of State Rubio signaled “positive news,” the peace agreement proposed by Iran has already been vetoed by the White House.Long-term US Treasury yields continue to hover in the 5.07% – 5.18% range, reaching their highest levels in 19 years. The S&P 500 index briefly hit a new high before quickly pulling back. Garrett Jin believes that a single positive or negative catalyst is insufficient to change the market landscape. Only when at least two of the three key factors—the credit environment, Federal Reserve policy, and geopolitical conditions—converge can the market experience a substantial shift.On another front, capital expenditure in the AI sector is accelerating its shift from the United States to Asia. ByteDance plans to increase its capital expenditure to as high as $70 billion this year, while Tencent and Alibaba are also ramping up their investments. Competition in the AI arena has now escalated to the level of national competition.
According to Cointelegraph, a petition in South Korea calling for the abolition of the 22% tax on cryptocurrency investment gains has surpassed the 50,000-signature threshold, triggering the mandatory review mechanism of the National Assembly’s Committee on Strategy and Finance. The petition currently has over 52,000 signatures. This tax policy is scheduled to take effect in January 2027. Petitioners argue that taxing crypto assets is significantly heavier than taxation applied to other asset classes, which will increase investors’ burdens, restrict upward mobility—especially for younger demographics—and potentially lead to industry contraction and capital and talent flight. Meanwhile, South Korea’s cryptocurrency market continues to shrink: total crypto asset holdings have declined from approximately 121.8 trillion KRW (about $83.3 billion) in January 2025 to roughly 60.6 trillion KRW (about $41.4 billion) in February 2026. Daily trading volume across the country’s top five exchanges has also plummeted—from $11.6 billion in December 2024 to $3 billion.
According to The Block, Sarah Breeden, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability at the Bank of England, stated that the UK’s future financial system will advance tokenization, with the retail payments system incorporating tokenized deposits, regulated stablecoins, and potentially a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Bank of England plans to publish a draft regulatory framework for systemic stablecoins next month and finalize it by the end of 2026—imposing temporary caps on stablecoin issuance volumes if necessary. Breeden also noted that the Bank of England will continue supporting banks in developing tokenized deposits and advancing initiatives such as the Digital Securities Sandbox and Digital Gilt.
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 Cointelegraph, privacy-focused messaging app Signal stated it may exit the Canadian market if required to comply with Canada’s proposed lawful access bill, Bill C-22. Udbhav Tiwari, Signal’s Vice President of Strategy and Global Affairs, said the bill could compel service providers to build technical surveillance capabilities and retain certain user metadata for up to one year—potentially undermining end-to-end encryption and increasing the risk of cyberattacks. The report notes that Bill C-22 has not yet entered into force and still requires parliamentary review and royal assent. In addition to Signal, VPN provider Windscribe has also indicated it may follow suit and withdraw from Canada if the bill is passed.
Strategy CEO Phong Le posted on platform X, stating that in the first quarter of 2026, Strategy's software business achieved its strongest performance in nearly a decade, with revenue growing 12%. This included a 59% increase in cloud business revenue and a 27% rise in profits. Le noted the unique synergies between the company's bitcoin treasury and its software business, explaining that the software business's expertise in engineering, security, and compliance provides institutional-grade capabilities for the bitcoin operations, while the bitcoin mission helps attract talent and accelerate software innovation.Additionally, the company has built an AI data platform called Mosaic and plans to leverage multiple AI models within the next year to redesign internal processes and achieve system autonomy.
Odaily News Executives from PayPal and Google Cloud stated that in the future, commerce driven by AI Agents will operate on crypto payment rails, as AI Agents cannot use traditional bank accounts like humans.Richard Widmann, Head of Web3 Strategy at Google Cloud, stated that AI Agents are unable to open bank accounts from both a technical and regulatory standpoint, while cryptocurrencies offer an "excellent machine-readable payment interface." He revealed that Google has launched the open-source Agentic Payments Protocol (AP2) and donated it to the FIDO Foundation, with over 120 partners, including PayPal, already joining.May Zabaneh, Senior Vice President of Crypto at PayPal, indicated that the company views AI Agents as the next generation of commerce entry point following offline, online, and mobile payments. She noted that PYUSD, as PayPal's stablecoin, provides a naturally programmable payment layer for AI-native payments and global transactions.A PayPal survey shows that 95% of merchant websites currently see traffic from AI Agents, but only about 20% of merchants have machine-readable product catalogs. Zabaneh believes that merchants need to adapt to the AI Agent era as quickly as possible, or they will miss out on the next wave of commercial infrastructure upgrades.Additionally, the two also discussed the security and responsibility issues of AI Agents. Widmann stated that multi-party custody will become an important solution for Agent fund management. AI Agents should not have full control over private keys but should only hold a portion of the key fragments to reduce financial risk. (CoinDesk)
According to ZDNet, the South Korean government plans to impose taxes on virtual assets starting in January next year, but faces opposition from the opposition party, increasing policy uncertainty. Moon Kyung-ho, head of the Income Tax Division at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, made the government’s first official statement on the matter during a National Assembly discussion, affirming that taxation on virtual assets will proceed as scheduled beginning January 1, next year, emphasizing that “income must be taxed.” Under the current amendment to the Income Tax Act, gains exceeding 2.5 million KRW from the transfer or lending of virtual assets are subject to a 22% tax rate. However, the opposition People Power Party argues that taxing only virtual assets—while abolishing the financial investment income tax—is unfair, and is advancing a bill to abolish the virtual asset income tax. This bill has already been submitted to the National Assembly’s Committee on Strategy and Finance and will be discussed by its Tax Subcommittee. Analysts believe that, ahead of next year’s local elections, the ruling party may join discussions on delaying or scrapping the tax to win support from younger voters.
The fourth EU-Japan Digital Partnership Council meeting was held in Brussels on May 5. The European Commission stated that it will further deepen regulatory, scientific research, and industrial cooperation with Japan in areas including data, artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, digital infrastructure, and online platforms. According to the joint statement, the EU and Japan have reached agreements on cooperation across several key areas, including data governance, AI, and quantum technologies. In the field of data governance, the EU plans to jointly establish a “Data Strategy Working Group” with Japan to enhance data-sharing capabilities and promote collaborative R&D and innovation. Meanwhile, the EU welcomed Japan’s participation in its flagship science program, Horizon Europe, noting that this move will accelerate joint scientific research in digital domains such as AI. The statement also indicated that both sides will launch joint research projects in quantum technologies to advance hybrid computing environments and explore applications of quantum technologies in materials science, CO₂ emission reduction, communications networks, fluid dynamics, and satellite image analysis. (Xinhua News Agency)
According to Crowdfund Insider, Circle’s French subsidiary, Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS (referred to as “Circle France”), received formal authorization from the French Financial Markets Authority (AMF) on April 20 to provide custody and transfer services for its stablecoins USDC and EURC across the entire European Economic Area (EEA). Under Article 60(4) of the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), this authorization enables Circle France to operate via the “passporting mechanism,” allowing customers in all EEA member states to access these services without requiring additional local licenses. Circle is the largest compliant issuer of electronic money tokens (EMTs) under MiCA regulation in the EU. The authorized custody services cover secure storage and management of clients’ crypto assets, while the transfer functionality supports seamless asset movement. Dante Disparte, Circle’s Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy and Operations, stated that this milestone reflects Circle’s commitment to operating within Europe’s regulatory framework and supporting the development of trusted digital financial infrastructure in France and across the EU. This authorization builds upon Circle’s prior authorization as an electronic money institution in France.
According to CoinDesk, Amy Oldenburg, Head of Digital Asset Strategy at Morgan Stanley, stated at the Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas that U.S. banks may hold bitcoin on their balance sheets in the future—but the timeline remains uncertain due to guidance from the Federal Reserve, the Basel Accords, and global regulatory requirements. Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley’s recently launched MSBT—the first bank-issued bitcoin ETP—drew over $100 million in inflows within its first six days of listing, all sourced exclusively from self-directed investment channels and not yet made available to financial advisors. Oldenburg noted that slow adoption by the advisor channel stems primarily from an education gap; the bank has initiated internal training programs to address this and is applying for a digital trust charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to support direct custody of crypto assets and spot crypto trading services.
Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) disclosed in a regulatory filing on April 30 that it holds $219 million worth of shares in Strategy, a decentralized finance (DeFi) asset management protocol. Strategy provides institutional-grade yield optimization and automated risk management services. The investment aligns with trends including real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, automated liquidity allocation, and institutional participation in on-chain finance.
According to Businesswire, Bitcoin treasury company TwentyOne Capital has updated its corporate strategy, aiming to integrate Bitcoin reserves, mining operations, financial services, and capital markets activities through mergers and acquisitions. Specific initiatives include: - Financial services and distribution, covering licenses, compliance, custody, technology, and institutional and retail client bases; - Bitcoin infrastructure, involving low-cost, high-hashrate Bitcoin mining to continuously expand Bitcoin reserves; - Capital markets strategy, securitizing loan portfolios and mining revenue and supporting non-dilutive leveraged financing of BTC reserves with operating cash flow; - Acquiring value-accretive Bitcoin companies, using ongoing cash flow to continuously accumulate Bitcoin.
According to Blockchain for Europe, the European Blockchain Association, together with Dr. Ulrich Bindseil, former Director General of Market Infrastructure and Payments at the European Central Bank, and Erwin Voloder, the Association’s Director of Research and Strategy, jointly released the report “Reforming MiCA to Support Euro Stablecoins” on April 27. The report acknowledges MiCA’s significance as a landmark regulatory framework, while also pointing out that certain design choices may place Europe in an unfavorable zone of the regulatory “Laffer curve”—overly stringent requirements could undermine the competitiveness of EU markets and drive related business activities outside the EU. To address this, the report puts forward a series of targeted, pragmatic reform proposals aimed at enabling MiCA to foster a more competitive, resilient, and globally influential euro stablecoin ecosystem. It further calls on policymakers, industry participants, and all stakeholders to actively engage in discussions to collectively advance the continuous refinement of the MiCA framework.
According to The Block, Bitcoin rose approximately 6% this week, briefly reaching $76,300—the highest level in nearly two months—yet the Crypto Fear & Greed Index remains at 21 (“Extreme Fear”). Multiple institutional analysts characterize this rally as “liquidity-driven” rather than a structural strengthening. Glassnode notes that while spot demand and ETF inflows have improved, the recovery lacks depth, institutional participation remains cautious, and options market positioning continues to favor downside protection. Bitfinex attributes this price increase primarily to concentrated buying by “Strategists” (who purchased 13,927 BTC last week), rather than an organic rebound in demand. Analysts broadly view $75,000 as a critical support level; if structural buying wanes and this level fails to hold, prices could retreat to the $70,000–$71,000 range. On the macro front, the Federal Reserve’s policy trajectory and the June FOMC meeting are seen as the next key risk catalysts.
According to CoinTelegraph, at the 2026 Paris Blockchain Week, Thomas Vogel, a partner at law firm Latham & Watkins, stated that Europe faces significantly different regulatory constraints compared to the U.S. regarding the issuance of financial instruments such as convertible bonds. Differences in capital market depth, regulatory environments, and investor behavior make it difficult for European companies to directly replicate MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin treasury strategy. Alexandre Laizet, Head of Bitcoin Strategy at French treasury firm Capital B, noted that European firms are instead turning to local market infrastructure—such as France’s public markets and Luxembourg-based structures—to raise Bitcoin-linked capital. Currently, major Bitcoin-holding enterprises in Europe lag far behind their U.S. counterparts in scale: Germany’s Bitcoin Group SE holds 3,605 BTC (approximately $268 million); Capital B holds 2,925 BTC at an average purchase price of $99,932, resulting in an unrealized loss of approximately 25.6%; the Netherlands’ Treasury holds 1,111 BTC at an average price of $111,857, with an unrealized loss of roughly 33.5%; and Sweden’s H100 Group holds 1,051 BTC at an average price of $114,615, incurring an unrealized loss of about 35.1%.
According to Cointelegraph, the Pacific island nation of Nauru has appointed cryptocurrency entrepreneur Dadvan Yousuf as its International Trade Commissioner to advance its digital asset strategy and attract global investment. Nauru’s President David Adeang stated that this move aims to strengthen cross-border collaboration with virtual asset service providers, financial institutions, and technology companies, positioning Nauru as a hub for virtual asset activities. Previously, Nauru enacted legislation establishing the Command Ridge Virtual Asset Authority (CRVAA), a dedicated regulatory body overseeing virtual asset activities—including cryptocurrency firms and digital banks. Officials said Yousuf will assist Nauru in promoting international cooperation and harmonizing compliance standards. Notably, Yousuf previously drew regulatory scrutiny in Switzerland for unlicensed token sales related to a cryptocurrency project he founded. This appointment marks Nauru’s strategic shift from building a regulatory framework to actively promoting its digital asset industry.
Circle Chief Strategy Officer Dante Disparte responded to the major security breach affecting Drift Protocol on April 1, which resulted in over $270 million in stolen funds. He stated that open financial systems must be built upon foundations of legal accountability, shared security, and rules that evolve in real time with emerging threats. Circle freezes USDC funds only when legally required—a measure reflecting its compliance obligations and safeguarding users’ assets and privacy rights. He emphasized that openness and accountability must be balanced, and all participants across the ecosystem—including protocols, wallets, infrastructure providers, exchanges, and stablecoin issuers—must jointly shoulder responsibility for security and accountability. Circle is collaborating with U.S. and international policymakers to advance stablecoin legislation, including the GENIUS Act, to establish a more modern legal framework enabling lawful, rapid intervention against illicit activities while protecting property rights and privacy—ensuring the continued resilience and robust growth of open financial systems.