News linked to both this project and an event.
according to Lookonchain monitoring, a trader utilized a sniping strategy to participate in trading during the early stages of the ZEST token launch, paying approximately 536.88 BNB (around $343K) as a "bribe fee" to secure priority transaction execution rights.The trader then invested an additional approximately $600K in USDT to buy about 18.3 million ZEST during the opening phase, bringing the total cost to roughly $943K.Subsequently, the trader sold their entire position, recovering approximately $1.22 million, ultimately realizing a net profit of about $277K. This event once again highlights the prevalence of MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) and sniping activities in on-chain trading during the launch phase of new tokens.
Odaily Odaily reports: According to an official announcement, Gate has launched Zest Protocol (ZEST) perpetual contract live trading (USDT-settled), supporting 1-20x leverage.Gate has also added ZEST unified account borrowing, isolated margin trading pairs, and simultaneously launched ZEST savings, flexible lending, and fixed-term lending features. ZEST flash swap, trading bots, copy trading, and recurring buy functions are now available.
According to the official announcement, HTX has launched perpetual contracts for NFLX/USDT, LLY/USDT, COST/USDT, and XLE/USDT on May 20, with a maximum leverage of 10x. Additionally, HTX is hosting a trading party for NFLX, LLY, COST, and XLE perpetual contracts from 15:00 on May 20 to 15:00 on May 27 (UTC+8), with a total prize pool of up to $20,000.
JUST has specially launched the GasFree Pizza Festival, with a prize pool of up to $300 USDT. From now until May 24, we warmly invite users worldwide to join this delicious “Zero-Gas” exploration journey. Participation is simple: follow @DeFi_JUST, like and retweet this post, share your GasFree address or wallet screenshot in the comments, include the hashtag #JUSTGASFREE, tag three friends, and write: “Come create your GasFree address and claim your free Bitcoin pizza rewards!”—and you’ll secure your spot to win. This event features an upgraded prize pool mechanism: the base reward starts at $100 USDT, and if participation exceeds 300 users, the prize pool instantly jumps to $300 USDT—dramatically boosting your chances! Join this vibrant celebration where “Zero-Gas” freedom meets mouthwatering rewards—and make your Pizza Day smoother and more exhilarating with GasFree!
non-custodial crypto wallet Sorted Wallet has completed a $4.4 million seed funding round, co-led by Tether and Gnosis with a $3.4 million equity investment. Vox Solutions provided an additional $1 million in strategic support, with angel investors including Movement, Angel Invest Group, and the founder of RWA.io also participating. (The Block)
According to The Block, non-custodial crypto wallet Sorted Wallet has raised $4.4 million in seed funding. Tether and Gnosis co-led a $3.4 million equity financing round, while Vox Solutions provided $1 million in strategic support. Angel investors—including Movement, Angel Invest Group, and the founder of RWA.io—also participated in the round.
According to South Korean media reports, Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, has recently filed seven trademark applications in South Korea, including the “Tether” logo and Tether Gold (XAUT), a gold-backed stablecoin. This marks Tether’s first application in South Korea for its corporate name and logo trademarks; previously, it had only applied for trademarks covering stablecoin product names. Industry insiders believe this move may signal Tether’s preparation to enter the South Korean market. South Korea’s proposed Digital Asset Basic Act (Phase II Virtual Asset Act) is currently under discussion and includes a provision requiring overseas stablecoin issuers to establish local subsidiaries in South Korea before conducting circulation-related business. Tether’s trademark filings may thus represent a strategic pre-emptive move ahead of its competitor Circle. Jeremy Allaire, Circle’s founder and CEO, visited South Korea in April to discuss potential collaboration opportunities with local financial holding companies and virtual asset exchanges. He described South Korea as “the world’s most dynamic virtual asset market—and a leading candidate for the most mature stablecoin market in the future.”
According to an announcement by HTX, HTX will enable ZEST deposits starting at 18:00 (GMT+8) on May 19. ZEST/USDT spot trading and grid trading will go live at 21:00 (GMT+8) on May 19. ZEST withdrawals will be enabled at 21:00 (GMT+8) on May 20. Additionally, HTX Margin will introduce new isolated-margin ZEST/USDT (10x) leveraged trading at 21:00 (GMT+8) on May 19. Zest Protocol is a Bitcoin lending protocol that enables Bitcoin liquidity providers to earn Bitcoin yield through professionally managed lending pools.
According to the official announcement, Bybit has today launched perpetual contracts for three new assets: the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares ETF (SOXLUSDT), the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAMUSDT), and Cerebras Systems (CBRSUSDT). These contracts cover popular sectors including leveraged ETFs, semiconductor memory, and AI chips. All are USDT-margin based, support both long and short positions, and remain tradable even during related market holidays. Users can also enjoy a limited-time fee discount: from now until 10:00 UTC on May 31, 2026, maker fees are 0%, and taker fees are reduced by 50%. With exposure across multiple high-potential sectors, now is the ideal time to enter at these low fees.
According to the official announcement, HTX (formerly Huobi) has launched perpetual contracts for JPM/USDT, V/USDT, BRKB/USDT, and FLNC/USDT on May 19, with a maximum leverage of 10x for all. Additionally, HTX is hosting a JPM, V, BRKB, and FLNC contract trading party from 15:00 on May 19 to 15:00 on May 26 (UTC+8), with a total prize pool of up to $20,000.
According to official announcements, the Gate CFD contract zone has launched 53 CFD trading pairs: SHLD (GLOBAL X Defense Technology ETF), DRAM (Roundhill Memory ETF), GME (GameStop), NBIX (Neurocrine Biosciences), BAX (Baxter International), KMI (Kinder Morgan), CFG (Citizens Financial Group), Z (Zillow Group), DVN (Devon Energy), ADP (Automatic Data Processing), ADM (Archer-Daniels-Midland), GPN (Global Payments), SIRI (Sirius XM), ECL (Ecolab), MPC (Marathon Petroleum), MDLZ (Mondelez International), BKR (Baker Hughes), EL (Estée Lauder Companies), LVS (Las Vegas Sands Corp), LHX (L3Harris Technologies), VALE (Vale), A (Agilent Technologies), FOXA (Fox Corporation), TJX (TJX Companies), CLX (The Clorox Company), CCI (Crown Castle International), FAST (Fastenal), HLT (Hilton Worldwide), HOG (Harley-Davidson), DLR (Digital Realty Trust), PPG (PPG Industries), MTCH (Match Group), PLD (Prologis), EMR (Emerson Electric), KODK (Eastman Kodak), SWKS (Skyworks Solutions), AEP (American Electric Power), MDT (Medtronic), OMC (Omnicom Group), NSC (Norfolk Southern Railway), GFI (Gold Fields), BMY (Bristol-Myers Squibb), ROK (Rockwell Automation), LEN (Lennar Corporation), ETSY (Etsy), ADI (Analog Devices), CHTR (Charter Communications), NTRS (Northern Trust), NBR (Nabors Industries), EDU (New Oriental Education & Technology Group), VFS (VinFast), SENS (Senseonics), ETD (Ethan Allen Interiors). These contract trading pairs support 4x fixed leverage.In addition, the Gate CFD Stock Contract Zone will launch the new coin airdrop Phase 4 event from 16:00 on May 19 to 16:00 on May 29 (UTC+8). During the event, registered users can receive 300 USDT and share a prize pool of 900,000 USDT by participating in trading the newly listed assets, with a maximum reward of 31,300 USDT per person.
According to chart analysis released by independent analyst Markus Thielen on May 19, the current market capitalization of USDT has reached $189.8 billion, while that of USDC stands at $76.9 billion—both exhibiting long-term upward trends. However, since Bitcoin entered a correction phase in October last year, the total market capitalization of stablecoins has remained largely flat, indicating relatively limited inflows of new capital into the crypto market. Thielen noted that although there is a widespread belief that stablecoins will fully replace traditional payment networks, their primary use cases remain concentrated on crypto trading and portfolio management—still far from achieving mainstream payment adoption. While U.S. policy broadly supports stablecoin development—partly because their reserve assets are often reallocated into U.S. Treasury securities—the gap between current usage and true mainstream payment application remains substantial.
Tether has announced an investment in the financial platform LemFi.The investment aims to support LemFi in integrating USDT as a settlement layer across its key corridors, enabling near-instant, low-cost settlements in Africa and Asia, while accelerating the construction of LemFi's stablecoin infrastructure and gradually expanding it into a broader product suite.
according to an official announcement, Binance Futures will launch the CBRSUSDT perpetual contract on May 19, 2026, at 09:30 (UTC), with a maximum leverage of 10x. This contract tracks the price of CerebrasSystemsInc. Class A common stock (Nasdaq: CBRS). The settlement asset is USDT, with a minimum trading quantity of 0.01 CBRS and a minimum notional value of 5 USDT. The funding rate cap is +2.00%/-2.00%, and settlements occur every eight hours.
According to the HTX announcement, HTX has enabled ATWO deposits as of May 18 at 18:00 (GMT+8). ATWO/USDT spot trading and grid trading will go live on May 18 at 20:00 (GMT+8). ATWO withdrawals will be available starting May 19 at 20:00 (GMT+8). Additionally, HTX Margin Trading will introduce ATWO/USDT (10x) isolated-margin leveraged trading on May 18 at 20:00 (GMT+8). Arena Two is a decentralized interactive platform enabling fans to play an active, tokenized role in real-time event outcomes. Unlike traditional models that reduce fans to passive spectators, Arena Two leverages blockchain technology to allow fans to directly vote in real time—thereby influencing on-field outcomes.
Odaily. Bernstein stated in its latest research report that the newly reached compromise on stablecoin yields under the U.S. CLARITY Act is structurally beneficial for Circle and the USDC ecosystem.The report notes that the current version of the bill prohibits stablecoin issuers from paying interest to passive holders that is "economically equivalent" to bank deposits, but allows reward mechanisms tied to actual transaction, payment, and usage activities to continue. Bernstein believes this means Circle's current model, which relies on partners like Coinbase to provide USDC reward programs, will gain regulatory recognition, while also limiting the industry's ability to compete for market share through high yields.Bernstein points out that the bill effectively reinforces the positioning of stablecoins as "payment tools" rather than "deposit substitutes," helping to protect Circle's current business model that relies on reserve income. The firm maintains an "Outperform" rating for Circle with a $190 target price.Data shows that the total global supply of dollar-pegged stablecoins has surpassed $300 billion, with USDT and USDC collectively accounting for approximately 97% of the market share. Bernstein notes that USDC's share in on-chain payments and wallet transfers is steadily increasing, and its share of payments in the AI Agent payment protocol x402 has exceeded 99%.Additionally, Bernstein mentioned that Circle's ARC chain has cumulatively completed 244 million testnet transactions. The ARC token pre-sale previously raised $222 million, with investors including a16z crypto, Apollo Funds, ARK Invest, and BlackRock.However, the report also points out that the CLARITY Act still needs to complete multiple legislative procedures before it takes effect, including a 60-vote threshold in the full Senate and coordination with the House version. Polymarket currently estimates its probability of passage by 2026 at approximately 62%. (The Block)
According to the official announcement, HTX (formerly Huobi) has launched perpetual contracts for HD/USDT, DIS/USDT, and CBRS/USDT on May 18, with a maximum leverage of 10x for each. Concurrently, HTX is hosting an HD, DIS, and CBRS perpetual contract trading party from 15:00 on May 18 to 15:00 on May 25 (UTC+8), with a total prize pool of up to $20,000. During the event, users who register and trade HD/USDT, DIS/USDT, or CBRS/USDT perpetual contracts—achieving a cumulative effective trading volume of ≥$5,000—will share the prize pool based on their trading volume ranking. Additionally, new users trading HD/USDT, DIS/USDT, or CBRS/USDT perpetual contracts will receive exclusive benefits.
B.AI has officially integrated into the Solana ecosystem, comprehensively upgrading its cross-chain login and payment capabilities. Users can now log in with one click via MetaMask and Phantom wallets and top up or subscribe using SOL, USDT, USDC, or WBTC on the Solana network. B.AI now supports eight major public blockchains—TRON, BNB Chain, Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and Solana—building a more open and decentralized multi-chain AI economy. New users enjoy an exclusive limited-time welcome offer: 500,000 points upon first login, a 1:1 bonus on top-ups, and up to an additional $100 worth of points per user. Going forward, B.AI will lower entry barriers and expand asset options to help you seamlessly enter the new era of intelligent economics.
Odaily News, according to the official announcement, OKX will officially launch the GLW/USDT stock perpetual contract at 17:00 (UTC+8) on May 18, 2026, supporting trading on web, app, and API.The announcement shows that the relevant contract is settled in USDT, supports 7×24-hour trading, and the default funding fee settlement cycle is once every 8 hours.
According to an official announcement, South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit will list TRAC, supporting trading pairs in Korean Won, Bitcoin, and USDT.