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Domestic tablet order leader T-Order announced on the 25th that it has formed a partnership with the blockchain mainnet SUI to build a next-generation payment and marketing platform. Through this cooperation, small merchants can significantly reduce existing card and payment gateway (PG) fees, with expected annual cost savings of up to KRW 150 billion. T-Order currently processes transactions of KRW 500 billion per month and over KRW 6 trillion per year, and its cumulative payment volume has already exceeded KRW 10 trillion. Through this agreement, T-Order's existing payment fee (about 2.5%) would be reduced to an ultra-low processing cost of about 13 won per transaction, dramatically lowering the burden on small merchants. An infrastructure capable of distributing tablet order devices—about 300,000 units nationwide—in real time is also a strength. T-Order has established the technical basis to immediately connect store order/payment devices and servers nationwide and to apply a rewards system simultaneously. Based on this, it plans to leap forward with SUI into the country's largest payment and marketing platform. SUI is a global blockchain platform optimized for large-scale payment environments, offering 297,000 transactions per second (TPS) and payment confirmation speeds averaging under 0.5 seconds. In particular, SUI's developer Mysten Labs was founded by core developers of Meta (formerly Facebook)'s Diem project, demonstrating technical expertise. Adeniyi Abiodun, co-founder and Chief Product Officer (CPO) of Mysten Labs, said, "A Korean won stablecoin will be used in this cooperation," and explained, "SUI is already in discussions with Korean won stablecoin issuers, and the stablecoins they issue will become usable on T-Order." He added, "Through this, small merchants can enjoy cost savings of about $100 million, and it will become a representative example of a new payment model that effectively lowers fee rates to near zero." A T-Order official said, "Since its founding, we have aimed for zero fees and built a small-merchant–centric platform," adding, "We will expand that vision one step further through the partnership with SUI." They added, "Based on nationwide infrastructure and real-time connection technology, we will open a new, small-merchant–friendly payment paradigm."

Global Web3 security firm CertiK held a workshop in Korea on virtual asset regulation and security. CertiK said on the 23rd that it held the "CertiK Espresso" workshop in Seoul on the 22nd to coincide with "Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) 2025." The workshop, held on security and compliance in the virtual asset sector, was attended by domestic and international industry officials and investors. CertiK said, "In-depth discussions were held focusing on stablecoins, regulatory frameworks, and future Web3 trends." Kang Li (Kang Li), CertiK Chief Technology Officer (CTO), emphasized at the workshop that security and compliance are "not mere supplementary elements but the core foundation of (stablecoin) projects." Kang Li, CTO, said, "(Stablecoins) must go through business design, key infrastructure building, and licensing acquisition from design to actual implementation," and explained, "After stablecoin adoption, there are risks in three areas: assets, operations, and blockchain." He added, "In asset risk management, four things are key: proof of reserves, transparency, standardization, and audit cycles," and said, "When supporting stablecoin projects, CertiK ensures the consistency of reserves and circulating supply and helps build standardized asset management processes to prevent trust risks." "Regulatory compliance, mathematically provable" He also mentioned technology that can prove regulatory compliance through mathematical logic. Kang Li, CTO, said, "Existing regulatory reviews have mainly relied on human evaluation," and added, "(However,) through 'Formal Verification' it is possible to prove with mathematical logic whether a stablecoin project meets regulatory requirements." He noted, "This kind of 'mathematical level of rigor' is a core value currently drawing the attention of regulatory agencies." The workshop also featured a discussion on domestic Web3 regulation with Jin Hyun-su, a lawyer at Decent Law Office. In the discussion, Jin said the biggest challenge for Korean companies is the 'differentiated regulatory burden.' He explained that there are large differences in regulations applied by institutions such as exchanges and foundations, so companies must cope with gaps between authorities' expectations and actual enforcement standards. Jin predicted that domestic Web3 regulation will be further subdivided over the next two to three years. He said, "It is highly likely that an institutional framework related to stablecoins will be established," and "Customized regulations targeting exchanges, DeFi protocols, etc., will be gradually specified." Jin added, "The importance of establishing local subsidiaries is growing," and noted, "The existing 'offshore structures' are trending toward 'onshore entities.'" WEMIX: "Reflecting community feedback in operational strategy" There was also a presentation by Kim Seok-hwan, CEO of the WEMIX Foundation. Kim said, "Single language and cultural homogeneity, high education levels and a competitive social atmosphere, and a background that allows rapid information diffusion make the Korean Web3 market unique," and added, "These particularities have formed an analytical user base with high technology acceptance." He continued, "In Korea, diverse information is shared in online communities, influencing public opinion and policy formation," and "Especially in the Web3 field, where clear legal frameworks are often lacking, community-raised issues frequently lead to investigations or regulatory moves." He also mentioned WEMIX's mode of operation. Kim said, "When launching new services or setting operational strategies, we first reflect community feedback and connect it to compliance and product design," and stated, "For global Web3 companies entering the Korean market, the community is an element that cannot be neglected." CertiK plans to strengthen collaboration with domestic virtual asset firms such as KAIA and WEMIX. To target the domestic market, it will also expand the functions of its Korea office. A CertiK official said, "While providing global-level security technology to Korean projects, we are actively recruiting local talent to balance technological suitability and market proximity," and added, "We will continue to strengthen our strategic position in Korea." Hankyung.com Newsroom

Origin Summit hosted by IP Blockchain Infrastructure Story Min Byung-deok "Combined with Korean IP, it can beat dollar stablecoins" Lee Jun-seok "Financial innovation possible... risk management must be proactive" There is a view that if a won stablecoin is combined with Korean intellectual property (IP), it could become a new paradigm that reorganizes national competitiveness beyond mere financial innovation. Analysts say that if won stablecoins become the payment and settlement infrastructure amid the global spread of K-pop and the content industry, it could strengthen Korea's digital currency sovereignty and secure next-generation growth engines. On the 23rd at Andersons Seongsu in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, at the global blockchain conference 'Origin Summit', Min Byung-deok of the Democratic Party of Korea and Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, spoke in a panel discussion titled 'Won Stablecoin: Building a Korean-style Digital Dollar', jointly stating, "Won stablecoins can open a new financial paradigm by combining with Korean IP and payment infrastructure," and adding, "For this, stability and the establishment of institutional foundations are important." Min Byung-deok "Won stablecoin combined with Korean IP, a weapon to expand economic territory" Lawmaker Min stressed the need to institutionalize won stablecoins and emphasized their strategic value. He said, "The dollar-based stablecoin craze has already swept the world like a tsunami," and added, "We should ride that wave rather than be swept away by it. Won stablecoins are not just a defensive measure but a weapon to expand Korea's economic territory." In particular, Min predicted that won stablecoins could gain independent competitiveness in the global market when combined with Korean IP. He said, "In the future, various won stablecoin models specialized for certain industries and content could emerge," and added, "If sector-specific stablecoins are created for areas such as healthcare, performances, and K-pop fandoms, Korea can secure an advantage different from the United States. If that happens, we can beat dollar stablecoins, the so-called 'dalsco'." He also emphasized the speed of institutionalization of stablecoins and the importance of market preemption. He said, "People were unfamiliar with the Internet in its early days, but now the Internet is an essential element of our lives," and added, "Ultimately, habituation is important. That way, one can preempt the market." He continued, "Financial authorities should take responsibility for stability," and added, "To avoid missing this opportunity, rapid institutionalization and development led by innovative companies are important." He also mentioned the role of the National Assembly. He said, "It is our duty to quickly proceed with institutionalization for the issuance of won stablecoins," and added, "The National Assembly will exert institutional leadership to support the market, such as converting already circulating local currencies into won stablecoins." Lee Jun-seok "Won stablecoin will innovate payments... preventing depegging is key" Lee Jun-seok agreed on the need to institutionalize won stablecoins but emphasized the importance of risk management. He noted, "Although negative perceptions of stablecoins spread after the Terra-Luna incident, collateral-backed stablecoins are clearly more stable than algorithmic ones," but he cautioned, "That does not guarantee that depegging will never occur." He carefully examined issues of collateral management and reserve requirements. Lee said, "Traditional banks manage risk through reserve requirements, but for stablecoins problems can arise at any time depending on the criteria for recognizing collateral," and stressed, "For won stablecoins to settle within the institutional framework, stable collateral operation and depegging prevention mechanisms are essential." Regarding the value of won stablecoins, he analyzed that they have the potential to revolutionize the payment and settlement structure across Korean industries. He said, "Existing credit card and debit card payment networks have long settlement cycles, passing exchange rate risk onto consumers. If won stablecoins are introduced, real-time exchange and settlement by the minute will be possible, directly reducing costs," and added, "If a won stablecoin-based payment system takes root in areas like K-pop merchandise and global IP sales, it will bring enormous advantages to the Korean content industry." He continued, "New financial models that provide incentives depending on specific use cases are also possible. New services could emerge in areas such as municipal welfare spending, fandom staking, and IP-based rewards," and added, "If the National Assembly and the government clearly define the institutional status of stablecoins, innovation will occur without market confusion." Hwang Doo-hyun, Bloomingbit reporter cow5361@bloomingbit.io

Held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on the 22nd Co-hosted by Hashed, Bloomingbit, The Korea Economic Daily and WLFI Major participation from domestic political circles, the White House and global institutions Discussed current issues such as stablecoins with Tether and Circle The global Web3 private conference 'EastPoint: Seoul 2025' (hereinafter EastPoint), regarded as a new milestone for South Korea's digital asset industry, concluded successfully on the 22nd at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Co-hosted by Hashed, Bloomingbit, The Korea Economic Daily and World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the event drew intense industry interest as policy leaders from various countries, global institutions, traditional financial firms and a curated selection of Web3 industry invitees gathered in one place. EastPoint Seoul was held to provide a forum for leaders from various sectors to meet at a time when digital assets are emerging as a core agenda for national policy and the institutional sector. In addition to the main sessions, private roundtables actively discussed major topics such as stablecoins, tokenized securities (STO), real-world asset tokenization (RWA), digital asset infrastructure, and the convergence of traditional finance and blockchain. The main session, held in the Grand Ballroom on the first floor of the Grand Hyatt, featured global leading figures who addressed pressing issues in the digital asset industry in depth. The event, opened with remarks by Kim San-ha, CEO of Bloomingbit, drew attention with keynote addresses by Kim Seo-jun, CEO of Hashed, on a "Wallet for Korean-style Digital Citizenship," and Jack Folkman, co-founder of WLFI, on "The Future of Web3 Finance and Stablecoins." Political figures including Min Byung-deok of the Democratic Party, Kim Jae-seop of the People Power Party, and Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, participated in a panel discussion to address "Regulatory environment and challenges for South Korea's digital asset industry," discussing key policy tasks. Ahn Do-geol of the Democratic Party explored reasonable regulatory measures for digital assets under the theme of "Balancing Regulation and Growth" together with the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC) and U.S. venture capital firm Dragonfly. Remarks from global policy and industry leaders followed. Caroline Pham, Acting Chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Kevin Bunn, CEO of Mysten Labs; Rahul Advani, Co-Head of Global Policy at Ripple; and Katie Mitchell, Head of Asia-Pacific Policy at Coinbase, took the stage to discuss "the regulatory environment for digital assets and institutional preparedness." Harry Jung, Deputy Director of the White House Digital Asset Policy Advisory Committee, shared the U.S. government's Web3 policy direction in an online session titled "U.S. Adoption of Web3 Technologies." Anthony Apollo, Executive Director of the Wyoming Stable Token Commission; Alan Du, Partner at PayPal Ventures; and Rania Raharja, Asia-Pacific Director at Ondo Finance, shared ways to utilize stablecoins in Asian markets during the panel "Asia Stablecoin Playbook." In the afternoon sessions, global stablecoin companies such as Tether and Circle, along with financial services firms including Mastercard, Coinbase, BitGo, FalconX, Anchorage Digital, and Korea Digital Asset (KODA), participated to discuss the intersection of digital assets and institutional finance. Major blockchain projects such as Ava Labs, Solana, Aptos, Chainlink, Canton Network, EigenCloud, Fuzzy Penguin, and Presto shared next-generation infrastructure innovations. Global investment firms including Dragonfly, Animoca Brands, A41 and Caladan also presented their visions. In the AI and robotics field, Kite AI, Magic Labs, OpenMind, and RealWorld discussed ways agent-type AI can be responsibly deployed in virtual ecosystems and the real world, attracting attention. Academia also participated, with faculty from Seoul National University and Yonsei University, as well as experts from the Korea Capital Market Institute and law firm Taepyungyang exploring the intersection of regulation and industry. Private roundtable sessions using a small-group business matching format were also held. The four major commercial banks—Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana and Woori—as well as major domestic banks such as KDB Industrial Bank and IBK Industrial Bank participated. Securities firms including Mirae Asset, NH Investment & Securities, Samsung, Korea Investment & Securities, Shinhan Investment, Meritz, Hana, Kyobo, and DB Securities; asset managers including Mirae Asset, KB, Hanwha Asset, NH-Amundi, KCGI, and Eugene Asset Management; card companies such as KB Kookmin Card and Woori Card; and investment firms including Shinhan Venture, Kakao Ventures, NH Venture, Kiwoom Investment, Lotte Ventures, and InterVest also joined in large numbers, demonstrating strong interest from the financial sector. Global major exchanges including Binance, as well as domestic top five exchanges Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and GOPAX, and global Web3 projects such as Hedera Foundation and Solayer, along with overseas institutions such as SMBC Nikko Securities, participated. IT and gaming companies including LG CNS, Google Cloud, NCSoft, NHN, and Line Next also took part, showing cross-industry exchange. Kim Seo-jun, CEO of Hashed, said, "The era when industry, policy and finance operated separately is over. Now, actors with different norms and languages must sit at the same table to find joint solutions," adding, "EastPoint is an event that makes this possible and will be an important opportunity for Korea to establish itself as a strategic hub for designing the future order of digital finance." Kim San-ha, CEO of Bloomingbit, said, "This event is highly meaningful as the first domestic occasion where political and financial circles and senior officials from over 100 institutions gathered to seek practical solutions to digital asset challenges," and added, "We will grow EastPoint into a key stage for global digital asset policy and business."

Digital asset wallet D'CENT announced on the 23rd that it has launched a campaign with MusiKhan (MusiKhan Tune-to Earn LINE Mini-Dapp) based on the KAIA network to provide free K-POP listening and virtual asset rewards. Participants can connect their D'CENT wallet and stake KAIA-HAN liquidity pool (LP) to immediately receive music free listening counts (Unlockable Tunes) and listen to music. Listening records are converted into spin opportunities, and each spin grants 100% token rewards (HAN). Rewards can be claimed immediately when needed, and a total 2000USDT(KAIA) in rewards will also be distributed according to staking participation ratios. MusiKhan converts legally verified music copyrights into Web3 exclusive on-chain real-world assets (RWA), providing a new music experience where fans' listening and participation directly lead to rewards. It focuses on improving the delayed settlement structure and low reward system of the existing music market and simplifying the flow of value between fans and creators. Campaign participants create a KAIA wallet in the D'CENT app, then access the MusiKhan dApp, connect their wallet via Wallet Connect, and complete liquidity addition and staking with one click. Free listening counts are granted immediately after staking, and users can listen to K-POP and obtain rewards through spins.

1. Market Overview Last week, Korean exchanges showed an unusually high flow of listings. Upbit listed Avantis, Boundless, Toshi, Lagrange, Lombard, EtherFi, Resolv, Initia, and Spark, while Bithumb listed Avantis, Boundless, Toshi, Holoworld AI, Lombard, Bittensor, and Kamino Finance. Trading activity reflected this momentum. On Upbit, AVNT led volume with 2.74 billion dollars, far surpassing XRP (1.55 billion dollars) and ETH (1.11 billion dollars). Major cryptocurrencies such as USDT, BTC, and DOGE each approached 1 billion dollars. Mid-tier coins like ZKC, WLFI, TOSHI, and LINEA also recorded notable volumes. On Bithumb, USDT led with 1.26 billion dollars, followed by XRP (640 million dollars) and DOGE (500 million dollars). Meanwhile, WLD, AVNT, and PENGU emphasized retail-driven trading across new and emerging assets. Price movements further highlighted differences between the two exchanges. On Upbit, AVNT surged 85.7% while IP (+43.6%), ME (+29.2%), OMNI, DRIFT, and W each rose over 20%, reflecting steady mid-cap momentum. By contrast, Bithumb was characterized by sharp speculative rallies, with AVNT (+136%), ORDER (+127%), and PUMPBTC (+124%) driving extreme gains alongside strong moves in MERL, THE, and SUN. The overlap of winners like AVNT and IP shows broad conviction, but the scale of Bithumb's spikes underscores a higher-risk environment compared with Upbit's more measured altcoin growth. 2. Exchanges 2-1. Newly Listed Coins Last week, major Korean exchanges announced several new listings. Upbit listed Avantis, Boundless, Toshi, Lagrange, Lombard, EtherFi, Resolv, Initia, and Spark. Bithumb listed Avantis, Boundless, Toshi, Holoworld AI, Lombard, Bittensor, and Kamino Finance. Lombard (BARD) Lombard emerged as one of the early bitcoin deposit projects shortly after Babylon, which enabled DeFi activity using bitcoin, was launched. As a new DeFi concept that generates yield through bitcoin deposits was introduced, many users actively participated in these deposit-based opportunities. Lombard was regarded as one of the representative platforms for bitcoin deposits at the time, and there was active participation from the Korean community. As Lombard expanded its user base, it began to actively pursue KOL marketing in the Korean market. Recognizing that many users perceived Lombard merely as a bitcoin deposit, Lombard focused on communicating the breadth of its activities. At the same time, it highlighted data points such as TVL, market share within BTCFi, DeFi adoption of LBTC, and user growth. As the TGE approached, Lombard promoted a token sale on the Buidlpad platform through KOL channels and ultimately raised approximately 94 million dollars. This exceeded the initial target by 1,403%. Lombard has since continued to raise awareness within the Korean community by sharing updates on ecosystem expansion and new partnerships. In particular, the announcement of a partnership with KODA, the country's leading institutional custody service provider, shows Lombard is aligning with the growing institutional demand in the Korean market. 2-2. Trading Volume Last week on Upbit, AVNT led with 2.74 billion dollars in volume, followed by XRP (1.55 billion dollars) and ETH (1.11 billion dollars). Core assets such as USDT (970 million dollars), BTC (950 million dollars), and DOGE (920 million dollars) also maintained strong liquidity, while SOL (730 million dollars) and ZKC (850 million dollars) supported demand beyond top tokens. Mid-tier tokens including WLFI, BARD, TOSHI, and LINEA showed significant volume, indicating steady investment activity across both major and smaller assets. On Bithumb, USDT ranked first with 1.26 billion dollars in volume, followed by XRP (640 million dollars), DOGE (500 million dollars), and ETH (450 million dollars). WLD (380 million dollars) and BTC (370 million dollars) also attracted attention, and SOL (350 million dollars) remained actively traded among large caps. The presence of tokens such as F, AVNT, PENGU, MOODENG, and ENA among the top 12 underscores growth in newly listed and retail-driven assets. Overall, trading activity showed distinct exchange preferences. Upbit relied heavily on AVNT and other mid-cap tokens, while Bithumb showed strength in USDT and newly listed items. That both high-quality cryptocurrencies and speculative tokens appear in the rankings indicates diversified market participation from both retail and institutional investors. 2-3. Top 10 Gainers Last week on Upbit, AVNT led price gains with an 85.66% increase, followed by IP (43.61%) and ME (29.16%). OMNI, DRIFT, and W also posted solid gains of over 20%, showing strong momentum across mid-caps and emerging tokens. SIGN, IMX, NEAR, and LINEA entered the top 10, reflecting continued investor interest across infrastructure and ecosystem tokens. On Bithumb, AVNT surged 136.48%, with ORDER (126.63%) and PUMPBTC (124.00%) close behind, highlighting speculative rallies in niche assets. MERL (65.12%), THE (64.00%), and SUN (57.04%) also recorded weekly gains, and IP (40.86%) continued momentum on both exchanges. BB, PEAQ, and H made the top 10, indicating growing interest in newly listed projects and community-driven initiatives. Overall, this week's top gainers were a mix of established tokens and speculative assets, driving market activity. The overlap of AVNT and IP across Upbit and Bithumb suggests strong investor conviction across exchanges, while sharp rises in tokens like ORDER and PUMPBTC point to increased volatility and expanded short-term trading opportunities. 3. Korean Community 3-1. Endless Listings, Growing Fatigue 3-2. Kaito Launchpad Controversy Last week, Kaito's allocation for Boundless became a heated controversy despite generating a twofold return relative to principal. The core issue was the structure. Instead of a proportional allocation, a hard cap of 250,000 dollars was applied, frustrating whale investors. Moreover, even after the sale ended, the platform distributed tokens on a first-come, first-served basis, which many investors viewed as unfair and absurd. Fuel was added to the fire when Kaito unilaterally increased the sale amount without updating disclosures, rendering previous investment data meaningless. Along with ongoing complaints about past distribution and claim issues, this launchpad round left many community members skeptical despite initial profitability. 3-3. KRW/USD Exchange Rate Nearing 1,400…Tether Remains Strong With the KRW/USD exchange rate approaching 1,400, domestic crypto traders holding significant amounts of USDT are closely watching currency fluctuations. Despite the absence of a strong kimchi premium, tether prices have remained firm, supported by dollar strength and expectations of a second round of government support and other domestic stimulus measures. Opinions like "holding won is risky" have become widespread, increasing risk-aversion toward the won. Tether's strong defense indicates traders are hedging against domestic currency risk and linking crypto positions to macroeconomic concerns. All content is written for information delivery and provision and is not intended as a basis for investment decisions or as investment advice or recommendations. The content is not responsible for any investment, legal, tax, or other matters. INF Crypto Lab (INFCL) is a consulting firm specialized in blockchain and Web3, providing one-stop services such as corporate Web3 entry strategy, token economy design, and global market entry. It offers strategy and execution services to major domestic and international securities firms, game companies, platform companies, and global Web3 firms, leveraging accumulated know-how and references to lead sustainable growth of the digital asset ecosystem. This report is independent of media editorial direction, and all responsibility lies with the information provider.

XRPL Korea announced on the 23rd that its Asia's largest XRP (XRP) web3 conference, 'XRP Seoul 2025', held on the 21st, concluded successfully. The event was hosted by XRPL Korea and sponsored by Ripple and Doppler Finance. Speakers included Markus Infanger, Senior Vice President of RippleX; Christina Chan, Senior Director at Ripple; and Takuya Sugiyama, Vice President of SBI Ripple Asia. Also present were Kelvin Koh, co-founder of Spartan Group; Nihal Monder, partner at Pantera Capital; and Steve Kim, Binance APAC Director. In his keynote, Senior Vice President Infanger said, "Digital Asset Treasury (DAT), real-world asset tokenization (RWA), and stablecoins (virtual assets whose value is linked to fiat currencies) will be key drivers of the web3 industry and the XRP ecosystem going forward." Senior Director Chan emphasized, "We will establish an APAC hub to actively support fintech innovation in Korea." In the following panel discussion, cases linking stablecoins and traditional finance were addressed. The session included representatives from domestic financial institutions and large corporations, who discussed practical issues such as the regulatory environment, institutional arrangements, and consumer protection in depth. Global venture capital firms noted attention to the Korean and Asian markets and mentioned the possibility of increased investment in the future. There was also participation from global companies. Attendees included U.S.-listed VivoPower, Solution Layer, Byconomy, Redstone, and Korea Digital Asset Custody. In addition, around 10 projects on site, including Kirin Wallet, Decent, Natures Miracle Holdings, Excella, Stronghold, Imua, Squid, Surtic, and TRN Labs, operated experiential programs to engage with participants. An XRPL Korea representative said, "Speaker presentations, panel discussions, and various experiential programs received strong responses from participants," and added, "We hope this event served as a forum for concrete discussions on blockchain intersecting with traditional finance and the real economy and addressed industry issues."

Interview with Kim Yong-il, Head of Ava Labs Asia "Avalanche, a blockchain B2B tailor shop" Adopted by over 100 institutions including the U.S. state of Wyoming Sponsor participant at 'EastPoint Seoul' on the 22nd "Avalanche (AVAX) is a blockchain B2B 'tailor shop.'" Kim Yong-il, Head of Ava Labs (AVA Labs) Asia (photo) said in an interview with Bloomingbit on the 19th, "Avalanche is a blockchain that can be 'tailored' to institutional demand." Kim added, "Avalanche's greatest advantage is that its layer-1 blockchain can be customized for specific purposes," and explained, "Avalanche's 'custom chain' technology is unrivaled in the industry." Ava Labs is the developer of the layer-1 blockchain Avalanche. It was founded in 2018 by Emin Gun Sirer, a professor in the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University. With the launch of the Avalanche mainnet in 2019, the market capitalization of the Avalanche token was $14.45 billion (about ₩20.1 trillion) as of that day, ranking 13th among all cryptocurrencies. Targeting the blockchain B2B market Ava Labs is focusing on the B2B market. This maximizes the advantage of providing custom blockchains optimized for institutional demand. In Japan, the Ava Labs Asia team led by Kim Yong-il secured major institutions such as Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Toyota, and Suntory as Avalanche blockchain partners. Domestically, Nexon and SK Planet have also partnered with Avalanche to enter blockchain businesses. Kim emphasized, "In the future, every company will ultimately have its own blockchain." He added, "However, there are limits to institutions actively adopting public blockchains where all internal information can be publicly traced," explaining, "This is why custom blockchains designed for specific purposes are necessary." He went on, "Avalanche provides a high-performance blockchain where only authorized users can access data," adding, "It is a kind of 'purpose-specific blockchain' delicately tailored to each institution's business field and characteristics." Thanks to this technological capability, Avalanche's blockchain partners recently exceeded 100. In terms of number of adopting institutions, it is the largest among all blockchains. Domestic web3 research firm Tiger Research explained, "The reason various institutions choose Avalanche is its 'structural differentiation.' Avalanche is like a vast urban transport network where several highways (individual chains) operate independently while remaining connected to each other." They added, "From an institutional perspective, the key point is that you can build a custom layer-1 blockchain optimized for your business while still leveraging the security and interoperability of the entire Avalanche ecosystem." "Optimized for stablecoins" Ava Labs has also been making a concerted effort to target the stablecoin market since last year. A representative achievement is that the U.S. state of Wyoming issued the United States' first state government stablecoin last month through Avalanche. Wyoming launched its own stablecoins on seven blockchains including Avalanche, Ethereum, Solana, and Arbitrum. Among them, the blockchain that Wyoming uses for actual stablecoin payments, such as service fee payments, is Avalanche. Kim said, "The initial tests for Wyoming's stablecoin were conducted on Avalanche," and "Wyoming's custom blockchain for its payment system is also Avalanche-based." Wyoming chose Ava Labs as a stablecoin partner for clear reasons: Avalanche was judged to be the best in terms of the speed and stability required to operate a stablecoin system. In fact, according to Circle (USDC)'s own analysis, the time it takes to send Circle on Avalanche averages around 1 second, the fastest among the 25 blockchains supported by Circle. Circle (USDC) payment/remittance performance comparison by blockchain. Photo provided = Tiger Research Regulatory compliance is also a strength. Because Avalanche excels at custom services, it can provide blockchains optimized for local regulations such as foreign exchange and anti-money laundering. Tiger Research said, "The most important thing in an actual business environment is the ability to comply with regulations," and explained, "On Avalanche, you can set validators to be located in specific countries or require transactions only from users who have completed identity verification." Kim said, "When institutions adopt blockchains, what they prioritize most are speed and stability, which are directly tied to trust," and added, "Considering technical performance and regulatory compliance, Avalanche is a blockchain optimized for stablecoins." Accelerating focus on the Korean market Ava Labs is accelerating its push into the Korean market in line with the institutionalization of KRW stablecoins. Crypto infrastructure firm BDACS recently collaborated with Woori Bank to issue South Korea's first Korean-won stablecoin 'KRW1' on Avalanche and completed a technical verification (PoC). Domestic payments and fintech company Danal's subsidiary Danal Fintech also decided earlier this month to issue a Korean-won stablecoin on Avalanche. Kim said, "If KRW stablecoins become institutionalized, what matters is active circulation and use," adding, "I believe tailor-made blockchain mainnets like Avalanche can play a major role in activating KRW stablecoins." He also mentioned the potential of the Korean blockchain market. Kim said, "Korea has many multinational conglomerates with 'new technology DNA' and strong soft power suited to digitization, such as K-pop," and "Ava Labs established its first overseas team in Korea because it highly values the potential of the Korean market." In particular, Avalanche will participate as a sponsor in the global Web3 private conference 'EastPoint Seoul 2025' to be held on the 22nd. Kim said, "'EastPoint Seoul' is the first domestic event to focus on 'institutions' and 'decentralized finance (DeFi),' and we plan to actively discuss strategic partnership measures with domestic companies and institutional investors on-site." John Nahas, Ava Labs Chief Business Officer (CBO), will also visit Korea to participate in 'EastPoint Seoul.' Kim said, "'EastPoint Seoul' will be a key event for the domestic blockchain industry given the timing," adding, "Korea is now beginning to adopt KRW stablecoins in earnest, and various financial products are expected to be tokenized." Lee Jun-hyung Bloomingbit reporter gilson@bloomingbit.io

The MagicNewton Foundation announced on the 19th that it has officially launched the Newton Protocol (NEWT) and has begun registering developers for the developer SDK (software development kit). The development of the Newton Protocol is being led by Magic Labs. Magic Labs is a developer that raised $90 million from well-known industry investors such as PayPal Ventures, Digital Currency Group, and Placeholder. The Newton Protocol is a "decentralized policy protocol" applicable to assets such as stablecoins and real-world assets (RWA), as well as AI agents and automated DeFi vaults. A policy protocol is a layer that creates programmable rules for each asset or project, designed to automatically execute conditions for asset issuance, movement, and trading by linking on- and off-chain data. Its purpose is to ensure token regulatory compliance and market soundness. The Newton Protocol's architecture combines cross-chain policy application, dynamic off-chain data integration, and minimum-trust guarantees. Through this, it introduces cryptographic proofs, collateral requirements, and even sanction mechanisms such as slashing to deter malicious behavior and secure potential fund recovery options. Protocol security is maintained by the governance token "NEWT." This token is listed on major exchanges worldwide and can also be traded domestically on platforms such as Upbit and Bithumb. The Newton Protocol's SDK and developer tools are being provided in early access, and a currently accessible developer waitlist has been published. The foundation plans to sequentially release proofs of concept (PoCs) demonstrating protocol use cases, including verifiable agent trading, stablecoins, and RWAs. The developer waitlist and PoC updates can be found on the official MagicNewton website. Sean Lee, CEO of Magic Labs, said, "Policy protocols are an essential element for large-scale invested assets to be put on-chain," adding, "We will ensure that AI agents, stablecoins, and institutions operate safely and transparently at a global level." Mohammad Akabanik, Managing Director of the Magic Foundation, said, "The Newton Protocol is a policy framework that can be applied to various assets and systems, not limited to virtual assets," adding, "We will expand support to institutional stablecoins and autonomous AI agents and develop it into a public good."

AMA (Ask Me Anything) held on BitMEX Trollbox on the 17th "For trading success, 'sense' and 'principles' are important" "-20% is the forced stop-loss timing… losses beyond that are hard to recover" "Constantly suspect the market… it can collapse at any time" AOA, the best-known named trader in South Korea's virtual asset (cryptocurrency) trading scene, met with domestic traders on the 17th on the global virtual asset exchange BitMEX's Trollbox. AOA reportedly started virtual asset trading in 2017 and made more than KRW 380 billion in profits from futures trading. At the time, he proved his earnings on the leaderboard (a platform where BitMEX users' profit and loss records can be checked in real time) and rose as a legend among Korean retail traders. AOA, who previously did an interview with the BitMEX blog in June, updated his status this time through an AMA with traders. Below is the full AMA AOA conducted on the BitMEX Trollbox. ▷ How do you pay taxes? Compare when assets are KRW 1 billion and KRW 100 billion. I handle it through a tax accountant. There are too many things to worry about to do it all by myself. ▷ With BitMEX trading volume greatly reduced now, how are you allocating assets? How do you manage risk between BitMEX, Binance, and spot ratios, and how do you manage leverage relative to assets when taking positions? I take long-term positions on exchanges with low volume, and short-term positions on exchanges with high volume. Recently, leverage relative to total assets seems to not exceed 1x. Assets have grown so large that entering the market would incur too big losses. ▷ Do you pay much attention to the liquidation map (heatmap)? I don't treat it as especially important, but because I focus on volume, I think it aligns when I consider points where volume bursts. ▷ Lately overseas traders use liquidation trackers; do you use trading programs? I trade manually. ▷ Regarding risk management: in a past Q&A you said you isolate so that even if liquidated you only lose about 25%. If a trade doesn't go as planned and gets liquidated (25% stop-loss), what percent risk (stop-loss) do you typically take in a single trade? I usually set around 20% of the assets on that exchange as the forced stop-loss timing. If loss continues beyond that, it's hard to recover. ▷ Do you still trade mainly based on volume and charts? Yes, that's correct. ▷ Do you still use fractal trading? What proportion would you say? I use it occasionally but it's not my main method. It feels like about 5% of my overall trading. ▷ Which do you do more: averaging down or averaging up? I do averaging down far more than averaging up. ▷ How do you see the coin market from now until year-end? If you could predict whether major coins will be bullish, sideways, or bearish? I think the large-cycle bull market will continue, and I expect one- or two-month corrections intermittently. I think a year-long bear market might only come around 2027. ▷ Last Saturday (13th) you went short though longs seemed advantageous. Why did you short? With interest rate cut expectations many expected longs; did you think whales would kill the long? Do you focus on human psychology? What made you start the short play? I shorted because I thought it was a short no matter how I looked at it, and got caught averaging down. I can be wrong sometimes. ▷ Will Bitcoin reach KRW 1 billion? I can't say that quickly right now. I'll answer separately after the AMA. ▷ If you lost 70% of your seed and restart, what mindset should you have? If you think you'll recover big at once, you'll definitely lose more. You need the mindset to recover slowly, over a year. I've never eaten a coin that jumped 5x or 10x in a day. Such coins are not meant for you; don't be bitter. ▷ When you started trading, did you start with a desperate mindset of 'it's okay to lose, my life can't fall further,' or with a relaxed 'let's play it like a game' attitude? Are you more stress-resistant than others? Do you think your growth via compound trading relates to your personal traits? Neither. I started because it somewhat fit my aptitude and I thought I could steadily earn. I'm not particularly good at enduring stress; when I get hit I get flustered. But I think I'm a bit better at emotional control. By looking at ratios relative to seed rather than absolute amounts, that's how it naturally happened. ▷ Your personal view on Bitcoin's price movement over the next year? I think it will feel like a major uptrend with two-month corrections mixed in. ▷ When do you plan to take profit on your current position? If it drops around 1.5% I think I'll close even the 1x short and switch to full long. ▷ Is the most important thing in trading the size of seed money? The bigger the seed, the harder it becomes. Many envy those who have seed to average down, but I originally entered once and exited once. When the seed grew, I had no choice but to average. Entering and exiting once gave much better returns. If you want to follow this method, adjust by seed ratio. If you fix entry and averaging ratios the same percentage-wise, there's no reason to have a huge seed. ▷ You initially grew assets with high leverage; how did you overcome the temptation of leverage? I succumbed a few times, suffered big losses, and instinctively learned. High leverage should be used with money you can afford to lose. Even initially, though leverage looked high, relative to total assets it was only 2–3x at most. ▷ Strategies that worked in the past but no longer do, and strategies still effective? 2021 market vs current market feels very different — has your trading method changed? In the past, I could catch tails on sudden moves with my reaction speed, but now there are too many bots and it's hard to act at human reaction speed. However, candle and volume–based trading hasn't changed much. ▷ You bought a lot of spot; did you buy expecting a rise after today's FOMC? Ahead of rate decisions people are uneasy and money may not flow into risk assets. I could be wrong, but I had that expectation and the chart looked good so I bought. ▷ If you started again now, could you achieve similar results, if not as much? Even starting again with KRW 6 million, I think I could make about KRW 100 million in a year. ▷ Thanks. Within the 20% risk do you follow the 1%·2% rule for entries, or do you adjust flexibly? I adjust flexibly based on my psychology then. Some days my psyche is unstable and I can't bear even small losses; then I go tighter. ▷ Before swing trading, what risk-reward ratio and approximate ROE% (1x basis) do you aim for from your seed? I'm usually satisfied and take profit at around 5% of total seed. In fact, in trading I've never seen a daily return even close to 2x the total seed, nor 30%. My maximum daily profit was around 20%. ▷ How do you review trades after position closure? I review mostly when I missed bigger profits or the direction was completely wrong. I calmly analyze whether the choice was right but the result was wrong, or the choice itself was wrong. ▷ Someone said the Binance nickname 'illit' is you; is that true? That person trades well. But I trade better. ▷ Which timeframes do you check more: daily, 4-hour, 1-hour? I consider 1min, 5min, 15min, 1h, 4h, and daily all important. I usually have the 1min chart on. ▷ Any routine or habit you always do before looking at charts each morning? No particular routine. I just turn on the charts as soon as I wake up; that's my closest thing to a habit. ▷ When you take 2x on BitMEX relative to total assets, BitMEX 2x = 3x on Tether futures basis, and BitMEX 2x short = 1x short on Tether basis. If total assets are $1,000,000, when you go long do you take a $1,000,000 position and when short take a $3,000,000 position, or do you bet equally with a $2,000,000 position? On BitMEX I trade with 1x short as the no-position reference point. ▷ "Is trading a battle of sense or principles?" What do you think? You need sense to make money and principles to survive. I think both are necessary. ▷ Many posts emphasize risk management as the main purpose; what's the fundamental reason you stress risk management? Anyone can experience temporary profits. But without risk management, I believe you'll eventually converge to zero. ▷ Do technical indicators like RSI or MACD have meaning in trading? They can be referenced, but you shouldn't be obsessed with them alone. I've been paying meaningful attention to them since 2018. ▷ You expect a 25bp rate cut after today's FOMC; how will you respond? If volatility occurs at rate announcement time, I'll attach longs on dips (buy-the-dip longs). ▷ Do you have target amounts? I've set targets like KRW 100 million, 300 million, 1 billion and kept achieving them. These days I feel like I'll do this for life rather than stopping after hitting a certain amount. ▷ What do you mean by 'suspecting the market'? Does it mean quickly responding when scenarios don't play out, or continuously watching because situations can change? Suspecting the market means trading on the premise that any plan you set can be ruined or collapse at any time. ▷ What do you think about virtual person theories or deep state connections sometimes mentioned? Anything you'd say to them? Deep state theories seem like jokes, and virtual person theories have decreased. There are so many scammers in the coin world that if you don't know well, thinking it's a virtual person might reduce being scammed. ▷ Long-term, do you think Bitcoin's halving four-year cycle will continue the same? Will the 2-year up/2-year down cycle break? Could institutional inflows change it? I don't believe prices rise at halving or follow specific cycles. Rules are always meant to be broken. ▷ Have you used BitMEX continuously from when you first started trading until now? I started crypto in December 2017, and BitMEX since March 2018. About 70% of my total profits seems to have come from BitMEX. ▷ What is an appropriate initial futures seed? I'm in my 30s. For a regular person, I recommend about KRW 300,000 as an initial futures seed. If you lose it all you'll feel the pain, and it's a good starting point to test early skills. ▷ How many hours a day do you look at charts? I used to look for 10 hours daily, but these days I watch 7–8 hours only on important days and live my real life the rest. ▷ How many BMEX tokens do you hold, for what purpose, and what's your outlook? I hold 2,000,000 tokens, and because holding a lot reduces trading fees I keep them. I don't know if they will go up or down. ▷ Do you have a girlfriend now? I have a girlfriend. She's very pretty. ▷ With so much asset, it's probably hard to spend everything; why haven't you graduated (retired)? Even if I stopped now I wouldn't be able to spend it all in my lifetime, but I do it as a form of self-actualization. I'm curious how far I can go. ▷ What do you do in your free time outside trading? Outside trading, I meet friends, meet my girlfriend, or play Steam games. ▷ Being a large asset holder, trading can impact the market. Do you take precautions, like choosing exchanges? If you enter when volume is low, the market can't absorb you and you'll inevitably incur big losses at your average price. So I've reduced entry frequency compared to before. ▷ How many monitors do you use when trading? Always just one. ▷ There was a story about a friend who turned KRW 50,000 into KRW 100 million; what trading method did you teach? I didn't teach a specific trading method; he did well on his own and I just told the story because it was surprising. One acquaintance supposedly turned KRW 5,000 (not KRW 50,000) into KRW 100 million; many said it was fake, so I will stake all my assets and say it's a true story. ▷ When Tether value fluctuates with the exchange rate and 1x hedge short isn't possible, do you watch exchange rates as your assets grow? How do you respond? As assets grew, I couldn't help but care about exchange rates. When Tether looks very expensive I force myself to cash out a bit. ▷ As a beginner, what tips and precautions should be noted before trading? Never lose big. If you lose big once, it takes 3–4 times the effort to recover. ▷ Favorite idol at the moment? Seolyun. ▷ I'm a little over 1 year into crypto, doing entry trading and rotation, and grew seed into hundreds of millions of won. Exchange seed is under $200,000. I'm anxious that Bitcoin will get harder and volatility will decrease. Advice? If you keep your wits, you can survive market changes with appropriate response strategies. I've worried about this since 2018, but even as market meta changes, if you don't stubbornly stick to old methods you can keep making profits. ▷ You mentioned BitMEX monthly futures in 2018–2019. Besides expiry spreads and funding fees, you said other advantages exist; is that still hard to share? When observing, do you take 1x short and watch, or keep assets on BitMEX at levels that won't be greatly affected so you can sit no-position? Also, given significant price rise now, which is more attractive: Tether or USD trading? If I want to observe I usually put on about a 0.5x short. If something feels off I go about 1x short. ▷ What were the representative entry reasons for recent trades? What do you focus on these days? Lately I set my own boxes and repeatedly buy when it seems cheap and sell when it seems expensive. ▷ For initial futures with KRW 300,000, what leverage and should I only trade Bitcoin? Yes, if doing futures, I recommend only Bitcoin at first. With KRW 300,000 I think leverage up to 20x is acceptable. But the higher the leverage, the shorter you should hold positions. ▷ For long-term survival in the market, how did you determine your 'maximum allowable loss'? What safeguards do you have to avoid exceeding it? When deciding position size, do you consider not only fixed ratios but volatility, market conditions, and possible consecutive losses? And do you have scenarios for black swan events? When seed was small, max allowable loss was about -20% per trade; nowadays about -10%. To prevent exceeding that, I made the additional deposit process very inconvenient for myself. When you get hit you tend to want to add funds and average down, which is a path to ruin, so I blocked that route. I don't trade by fixed ratios; the more volatile, the smaller the position considering expected loss. I haven't set a detailed calculation process; if it feels like moving by feel I'll adjust position sizes. There's always risk of big loss from unexpected events, so I avoid going beyond certain regular leverage levels as basic risk management. ▷ Is the market 'movement of money' or 'human nature'? I think it's closer to human nature. ▷ Until last year you liked Wonyoung, Seolyun, Rei, Hani; now you seem to be an Ailyt fan. Who is your favorite member? I like the Ailyt group's concept itself. I don't have a favorite member yet. ▷ Where do you mainly store assets? 20% in banks, 60% on spot exchanges, 20% on futures exchanges. ▷ In the coin market, which is advantageous: program trading or manual trading? Have you tested? A hybrid of program and manual trading seems best. I don't know how to make programs yet, so I trade manually. ▷ How much do I need to earn to meet Wonyotti once? KRW 100 billion? Come meet me when you earn about KRW 10 trillion. ▷ Do you listen to music or watch YouTube while trading, or nothing? I trade with 'Oseon's US stock live' on. I like the voice. ▷ Has trading volume reliability weakened compared to before? Yes, it's reduced compared to before, but I still consider it quite important. ▷ When BTC went to $49,000 last August, how did you trade and what did you think then? I had a long and was merry with friends, but when the crash came I couldn't focus on having fun and was shaking. ▷ With your position, you'd seem to know many exclusive infos; do you often profit from such info? I'm not very social so I don't know more information than others. I actually feel people who trade for a living know much more than I do. I've never profited from specific information. ▷ For beginners, is avoiding big losses enough regardless of major or alt coins? I recommend focusing on major coins. Starting with small altcoins creates bad habits. ▷ Is trading to replace salary more talent or effort? Both talent and effort matter, but I think talent is bigger. Still, without effort in risk management, talent will end in liquidation. ▷ Many people ask you questions; do you think these questions help actual trading? If people precisely grasp and reference what I said in this AMA and past Q&As, it can help. But most tend to add subjective interpretation or chase altcoin high-leverage dopamine, which is regretful. ▷ BitMEX's domestic user departure was right after the corona beam, but volume is slowly increasing recently. Trollbox has many memories; what should BitMEX improve to secure more Korean users? If they want to attract more users, improving the UI to be visually pleasant is important. Personally I like BitMEX's quanto method and big system, but the UI has many inconveniences. Especially on mobile the displayed price and actual price differ, which is annoying. I always can't trust mobile price and have to open a separate chart to trade; it's unbearably inconvenient. ▷ Have you ever met the BitMEX Number One trader in person? I haven't met any famous trader in person. ▷ What do you think of ICT theory? And what about people running YouTube memberships? I don't know ICT theory in detail. Paid memberships that quickly spread news might be fine, but if it's about leading trades I think it's best not to join. ▷ From the perspective of large players, do you think about whether to kill shorts or longs? I don't consider what large players might think; it's meaningless to me. ▷ When you suffer big losses or get stuck and your mental is shaken, do you have routines or recovery methods? I don't deny reality; I immediately recalculate assets and face the loss. After my mentality recovers, I trade slowly. ▷ Many traders and masters exist, but you show outstanding results. Compared to others, what do you think you did well? Many traders turned millions into hundreds of millions suddenly but slid in risk management and went to zero and restarted. I think the difference is risk management. ▷ When seed was small you traded intensely; now do you manage physical and mental health while trading? Yes, these days I try to maintain work-life balance while trading. ▷ You seem more cooperative on BitMEX than elsewhere in interviews. Any reason? I can't pinpoint exactly why I'm cooperative. Maybe because I earned the most here and have memories of playing on Trollbox. This article is written for information purposes and is not a solicitation or advice for specific virtual asset investments. All investment decisions and responsibilities lie with the investor.

Digital asset hardware wallet D'CENT announced on the 18th that it has launched the world's first cold wallet-based deposit service that allows XRP to be deposited. This service is provided through a strategic cooperation with XRPL-based decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Doppler Finance, and D'CENT wallet users can move directly to the Doppler Finance service within the app to deposit their XRP and receive stable interest benefits. Partner Doppler Finance is a platform that has firmly established its position in the XRP ecosystem; its core product, XRP Pie, has grown rapidly since its launch and recorded total deposits (TVL) of $47.4 million as of July. Despite a structure that sets deposit limits per batch, each batch quickly fills up, proving high demand. This shows that XRP-based digital asset management has entered a new growth phase. Doppler stores assets through global institutional custody firms such as Fireblocks, Ceffu, and BitGo, and has a custody environment that combines MPC-based wallet infrastructure with Lloyd's insurance, securing trust from both individual investors and institutional clients. D'CENT users can deposit XRP into two vaults (Prime Boost, Standard) on the Doppler Finance service. Among them, the 'Prime Boost Vault', prepared as a launch celebration, operates under a 3-month lockup condition and offers a special yield structure. For the first five weeks after closing, the base annual 2.5% yield and a special 5% benefit provided by D'CENT as an opening celebration are added, applying a total of 7.5%. Afterwards, the standard yield is applied. A D'CENT representative explained, "The process of depositing XRP through D'CENT operates based on a hardware wallet, providing a higher level of security. In particular, the additional 5% annual interest provided in the Prime Boost Vault is an opening benefit prepared by D'CENT and is a limited opportunity given only to early participants."

IoTrust, the operator of the hardware wallet brand D'CENT, announced on the 18th that it has selected WalletConnect as the ninth partner of 'Tap That Drop'. Tap That Drop is an interactive campaign that provides various quests and rewards to D'CENT app users through collaboration with Web3 projects, and each episode is conducted with a different partner project. WalletConnect is a connectivity layer for the internet and a representative Web3 access gateway used by more than 50 million wallets. Through this collaboration, D'CENT users can experience the latest WalletConnect ecosystem and opportunities to participate in the native WCT token-based ecosystem within the wallet. WalletConnect is an open-source protocol that provides secure connections between wallets and dApps via QR codes and deep links. It enables transaction signing and authentication without exposing private keys externally, and supports smooth interoperability in multi-chain environments. Recently, it introduced a wallet guide and certification program to officially certify wallets that meet security and user experience standards, and the cumulative number of connections through the network has surpassed 330 million, establishing it as a representative infrastructure for Web3 entry. In particular, WalletConnect has recently introduced the 'Pay with WalletConnect' feature, expanding its influence into payment services. This service allows users to easily use digital assets as a payment method in online invoices or checkout processes, and supports payments on the Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Bitcoin (BTC) networks through payment partners such as CoinGate. Through this, it is evolving beyond a simple connection protocol into a Web3 payment infrastructure focused on real-world use. WalletConnect is also rapidly growing in terms of network size and partnerships. Currently, more than 47 million unique wallets and more than 66,000 apps are integrated based on WalletConnect. In this ninth Tap That Drop campaign, WalletConnect's WCT token will be offered as a reward, and participants can directly experience WCT token staking within the D'CENT app. It is significant in that it provides the experience of actually depositing tokens and participating in the ecosystem, beyond simply receiving tokens.

Asia's largest XRP·Web3 conference 'XRP Seoul 2025' will be held on the 21st at the COEX Auditorium in Seoul. The event is being held in line with the season of 'Korea Blockchain Week (KBW) 2025', the country's largest blockchain conference. XRPL Korea is the organizer, and Ripple and Doppler Finance as well as D'CENT, Girin Wallet, Axelar, Nature's Miracle, etc. are participating as sponsors. Approximately 3000 industry participants from more than 40 countries around the world are expected to attend. This year's conference takes a step beyond the existing technology-focused events and will operate with an 'XRP Zone' where general participants can easily learn and experience, and a networking program where global figures exchange and share insights. Speakers representing the global financial and investment industries will also participate in large numbers. Markus Infanger (Markus Infanger), Senior Vice President, RippleX; Christina Chan (Christina Chan), Senior Director, Ripple; Takuya Sugiyama (Takuya Sugiyama), Vice President, SBI Ripple Asia; and other Ripple Labs and related company representatives will participate. In addition, Biconomy, Vivopower, Solutionlayer, CertiK, IMUA, which are contributing to the expansion of the XRP ecosystem, as well as global venture capital firms Spartan Group and Pantera Capital, will take the stage. In the domestic financial sector, Park Gu-bin, Director, Mirae Asset Global Investments, and Han Seung-hoon, Deputy General Manager, Woori Bank, will participate to share perspectives on the industry as a whole. An XRPL Korea official said, "At this conference, in-depth discussions will continue focusing on next-generation growth engines such as Digital Asset Treasury (DAT), Real-World Asset tokenization (RWA), and stablecoins," adding, "As the recent regulatory environment and changes in financial systems act as key variables for industry expansion, the strategies and prospects presented at this event will provide important implications for the future global financial order."

The Camp Network, a layer-1 blockchain for autonomous intellectual property (IP), announced the onboarding of major global entertainment, sports, gaming, and music IP partners alongside its mainnet launch. On the 16th (local time), Camp Network said that following initial partnerships with KOR Protocol and Minto, it is expanding cooperation with companies holding global IP such as Nickelodeon, the NFL, Disney, Marvel, WWE, the NCAA, and MTA. Through this, it plans to combine tokenized IP with a blockchain-based royalty system to offer new revenue models. KOR Protocol, based on Camp Network's strategic investment, will provide Camp's transparent licensing and automated royalty infrastructure to artists and projects such as Black Mirror, Imogen Heap, deadmau5, Richie Hawtin, and Disclosure. Inder Pool, the founder of KOR Protocol, said, "AI has expanded the possibilities for IP use, but only networks that can guarantee provenance and royalties are safe," adding, "Camp fills that missing part." Minto is one of Japan's largest IP companies and owns the hit character 'Mimi & Neko.' Through Camp Network, it ran an AI-based co-creation campaign and provided participants with new revenue opportunities by commercializing fan-made digital wallpapers. Minto's characters have recorded over 5 billion downloads and over 60 billion impressions on LINE and WeChat. In gaming, Flappy Bird joined. The game secured over 100 million users within a year of its release and established itself as a representative IP of the hyper-casual genre. In music, Camp Network will collaborate with Romania's UNTOLD Festival to showcase cases where web3 technology is applied to the operation of large-scale cultural events. UNTOLD Festival is one of the world's top three music festivals, attracting over 500,000 attendees annually. Camp Network has also built partnerships with more than 50 live festival IPs that draw over 2 million participants across Asia and Australia. Notably, the 'It's the Ship' festival is regarded as the world's largest sea music festival. In the NFT space, the Moonbirds collection joined, with total trading volume exceeding 360,000 ETH. In sports, Latin American representative clubs such as Argentina's Club Atlético Belgrano and Peru's Sporting Cristal participated. Camp Network connects diverse global IPs on a blockchain basis to provide infrastructure that automates copyright registration, licensing, and royalty distribution. Camp Network focuses on safely combining AI and IP based on its own 'Proof of Provenance' protocol. The company said this mainnet launch will be a turning point in creating an environment where global brands can expand IP and fans can participate more safely.

DOGE OS, the Dogecoin application layer, is partnering with Thumbs Up Media Corporation (Nasdaq: TZUP) to expand the real-use ecosystem for mined Dogecoin. On the 16th (local time), Thumbs Up appointed Jordan Jefferson, CEO of DOGE OS and founder of My Doge, to its crypto advisory board as part of the partnership. Jefferson, an early Bitcoin entrepreneur active since 2011, co-founded DOGE OS to transition Dogecoin from an asset that is simply held into an asset that can be productively used in games, decentralized finance (DeFi), and consumer apps. Jefferson said, "Thumbs Up is taking practical steps to strengthen the Dogecoin economy," adding, "The decision to use mined Dogecoin to strengthen the ecosystem rather than simply hold it is a big step forward." He also leads the largest Dogecoin wallet service, My Doge, which has more than 500,000 users. Thumbs Up is also expanding its mining business through this collaboration. Thumbs Up currently operates 2,500 mining rigs and has ordered an additional 1,000 rigs. The purchase of the rigs is expected to be completed after shareholder approval later this year, and once the acquisition is complete the company aims to become the world's largest Dogecoin mining platform. In its announcement, Thumbs Up said, "By staking DeFi products within the DOGE OS ecosystem, we will increase mining profitability and generate returns beyond rewards." This is a strategy to build new revenue models that use mining assets rather than relying solely on simple block rewards. Robert Steel, Thumbs Up's CEO, welcomed the addition, saying, "We are honored to welcome Jordan to the advisory board. His leadership and experience will be a valuable asset in expanding our digital asset strategy." He emphasized that the synergy with DOGE OS will particularly strengthen the company's overall blockchain business. The industry views this case—where a Nasdaq-listed company's mining business combines with the DOGE OS application ecosystem—as an important sign of Dogecoin's evolution. It is expected that Dogecoin could become a productive economy that provides liquidity and income-generating opportunities beyond a simple meme asset. Jefferson's appointment to the advisory board comes as Thumbs Up has recently raised $50 million in capital and is pursuing strategic initiatives to expand in the cryptocurrency space. Thumbs Up has included major digital assets (cryptocurrencies) in its financial strategy—not only Bitcoin but also Dogecoin, Litecoin, Solana, Ripple, Ethereum, and USD Coin—while pursuing digital marketing and financial innovation.

AI blockchain project Lagrange (LA) Labs said on the 16th that it met with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) crypto asset task force (TF) on the 12th (local time). The two sides discussed digital asset regulatory supervision measures using zero-knowledge proofs. The meeting was attended by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ismael Hishon-Rezaijazade, Head of Business Development Brian Nobel, Chief Scientist Babis Papamanto, and numerous SEC officials. Lagrange proposed introducing a financial surveillance sandbox that applies its own zero-knowledge proof (ZK) technology, "DeepProve." Zero-knowledge proof is a cryptographic technique that can prove the truth of a specific fact, such as regulatory compliance, without disclosing the underlying information. Lagrange emphasized that this sandbox model could complement the limitations of existing regulatory models. It explained that, instead of extensive data collection, using cryptographic proofs can reduce personal data exposure and ease administrative burdens. It added that providing tamper-resistant proof data could simultaneously improve the efficiency and reliability of regulatory enforcement. The results of the sandbox could also serve as a reference for future policy and rulemaking. Lagrange cited investor privacy protection, broker-dealer audit simplification, and strengthening AI-based enforcement as representative use cases for the zero-knowledge proof sandbox. It explained that the investor qualification verification process could reduce personal data exposure and that broker-dealers could see reduced administrative burden. By combining cryptographic proof data with the SEC's AI systems, it is expected to secure evidentiary power that is reproducible in court and hard to tamper with. A Lagrange spokesperson said, "The sandbox we proposed to the SEC points to the future direction of digital asset supervision. Through DeepProve, we can create a compliance framework that is verifiable, preserves privacy, and carries legal effect." They added, "This will be an important advance that balances enforcement, accountability, and investor privacy protection."

Trump·Witkoff family's DeFi 'World Liberty Financial' A global experiment pledging financial democratization and defense of dollar hegemony Token 'WLFI', market cap rose to 8 billion dollars immediately after issuance WLF's core product, stablecoin 'USD1' CEO's first visit to Korea on the 22nd… major announcements expected in Seoul World Liberty Financial (WLF), a decentralized finance (DeFi) project founded last year centered on the Donald Trump family that drew attention, has once again become the focus of the crypto asset market. This is because, following the launch of the stablecoin USD1, it issued the token WLFI and began a full-fledged move as a financial platform. Market reaction was hot. WLFI was listed on major global exchanges such as Binance, Coinbase, and Bitget immediately upon issuance on the 1st, and intraday rose to 0.478 dollars. Within a day its market capitalization reached 8 billion dollars, placing it within the global crypto market cap top 20. As of the 11th (local time), CoinMarketCap shows WLFI's price adjusted to the 0.2 dollars range, but it still ranks 28th by market cap (about 5 billion dollars). It remains at a high level compared with the initial offering price ($0.015). The domestic market also reacted strongly. WLFI was simultaneously listed on Upbit and Bithumb, drawing large buy orders. Last week WLFI trading volume on Upbit reached 1.17 billion dollars, ranking third after Ethereum (ETH·1.4 billion dollars) and XRP (XRP·1.28 billion dollars). Blockchain research firm INF Crypto Lab evaluated, "WLFI's listing on Korean exchanges is one of the most talked-about events of the year." As WLFI investors and trading volume have rapidly increased, natural attention has turned to the project's plans and goals. So what objectives does the Trump family set through WLF? Trump·Witkoff family backs WLFI…aims to be America's representative DeFi WLF, based on President Donald Trump's vision, has set two goals: democratization of financial opportunities and maintaining the dollar's dominant currency status. The plan is to make DeFi and stablecoins easily accessible to ordinary Americans while preserving dollar hegemony for the next 100 years through the spread of dollar-based stablecoins. To this end, WLF is developing the 'WLF protocol.' Through digital wallet service providers, custody and transfer of dollar-based stablecoins and non-security digital assets will be possible, and asset supply using liquidity pools and collateralized lending will also be supported. WLF emphasized in its white paper that "such financial opportunities are intrinsic advantages of decentralized finance," and that it "will support a strong dollar, eliminate the need for central bank digital currencies (CBDC), and enable direct financial transactions without traditional financial intermediaries." The white paper also focuses on simplifying user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). The platform is designed so that anyone from beginners to experienced users can navigate intuitively and smoothly, minimizing the complexity characteristic of DeFi. In other words, WLF aims to achieve both the popularization of DeFi and broader crypto adoption through WLFI. Another WLF strategy is to actively leverage the Trump family's popular influence. Based on the recognition of former President Trump, dubbed the 'Chief Crypto Advocate,' the goal is to draw people who have been unfamiliar or passive about DeFi into the web3 world. The participants are indeed notable. President Donald Trump is listed as an honorary co-founder of WLF, and his three sons—Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Barron Trump—joined as co-founders. Steve Witkoff (U.S. special envoy to the Middle East), a close aide of President Trump and a real estate development magnate, and his sons Jack and Alex Witkoff are also named as co-founders. WLF's core governance token 'WLFI' WLFI, issued on the 1st, is WLF's core governance token. Total issuance is 100 billion tokens, issued on the Ethereum mainnet. WLFI's sole utility is governance participation; holders are not granted any financial rights such as profits, dividends, or airdrops. Initially, all tokens are locked and non-transferable, and only a portion will be unlocked through governance votes. Future unlocks will also be decided by community votes. This design intends to strengthen the token's function as a community decision-making tool rather than for speculation. The distribution structure is △token sale 33.893% △community growth and incentives 32.6% △co-founders' share 30% △team and advisory 3.507%. In particular, the sale portion was allocated to eligible participants to expand the governance base of the WLF protocol. Governance follows the '1 token = 1 vote' principle, but each individual wallet can exercise at most 5% to prevent power concentration. DWF Labs said in a report, "The WLFI token launch carries meaning far beyond a typical token issuance," and analyzed that "the fundraising of more than 500 million dollars and the rapid entry into the upper ranks of market capitalization show the potential to connect traditional financial capital and crypto liquidity." It added, "WLFI's success signifies structural change in the digital asset environment, could accelerate institutional adoption, and enable regulated capital inflows," and "could even attract countries that want to participate in a regulated blockchain ecosystem." WLF stablecoin 'USD1' Launched earlier in May, WLF's stablecoin USD1 is expected to become a core product of the WLF protocol. USD1 is dollar-pegged and can be used across various platforms, exchanges, and multiple blockchains, and is expected to be used for retail payments in the future. Integrated into the WLF protocol, qualifying holders will be able to participate in financial activities such as lending and borrowing. USD1's redeemability is also guaranteed. BitGo users who meet eligibility requirements can directly exchange USD1 for an equivalent value in dollars, and exchanges and regulated custodians will also facilitate conversion. Specific exchange conditions vary according to each institution's terms and eligibility requirements. Primary revenue for USD1 and related entities comes from interest on reserve assets. BitGo and WLF affiliates have the right to receive interest on reserve assets, and DT Marks, an entity associated with Donald Trump and some family members, is a major shareholder of WLF affiliates and receives indirect economic benefits. Interest generated from USD1 reserve assets is also included among recipients. USD1, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, can be issued additional supply once reserves are secured, and there is no cap on maximum issuance. It is exchangeable with U.S. dollars at a 1:1 ratio and is 100% collateralized by short-term U.S. Treasury bills, dollar deposits, and cash-equivalent assets. Reserves are managed by BitGo Trust, a licensed trust company in South Dakota, and BitGo Technologies, a financial services firm approved by the federal government. Issuance of USD1 is also handled by BitGo, and the branding rights are held by WLF and its affiliates. BitGo provides initial purchase/redemption services as well as related technical infrastructure and services to support wide global adoption of USD1. WLF CEO visiting Korea…what will he say? As WLF continues aggressive moves by sequentially launching the stablecoin and token, Jack Witkoff, WLF CEO, will visit Korea on the 22nd. WLF is co-hosting the 'Eastpoint Seoul 2025' event in Seoul that day. On the 3rd (local time), CEO Witkoff said, "I am very pleased to be a co-host of the Eastpoint event in Seoul. We are preparing several major announcements." The industry says this is symbolically significant as WLFI's first official visit to Korea. In particular, the event is planned as a private meeting attended only by key decision-makers, giving it a kind of 'web3 summit' character. An industry source said, "The industry is watching what major announcements WLF will make at this meeting," and added, "If you hold WLFI, you should watch closely." Duhyun Hwang BloomingBit reporter cow5361@bloomingbit.io

Rootstock, a Bitcoin (BTC)-based decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol, recorded record highs in user metrics in Q2 this year. According to a report by global crypto asset data analytics firm Messari on the 12th, Rootstock's number of new addresses in Q2 was 8307, about four times the previous quarter (2101). Active addresses during the same period also increased by 65.3%. Messari cited integrations with new protocols such as Solve Protocol and LayerBank and support for the omnichain stablecoin 'USDT0' as the background for Rootstock's growth. The report explained, "The introduction of USDT0 has expanded access to dollar liquidity across Bitcoin DeFi (BTCFi)." Rootstock's own campaigns also appear to have had an effect. Earlier, Rootstock ran a 'Staking Surge campaign' for one month starting in May. Analysts say that community engagement incentives and increased liquidity from that campaign contributed to inflows of new accounts and an increase in active users. Rootstock's DeFi total value locked (TVL) in Q2 was $235,900,000, up 9.8% from the previous quarter. During the same period, its share within decentralized exchange (DEX) Uniswap also expanded roughly fivefold from $7,000,000 to $35,000,000. Merge mining participation reached a record high of 97.1%. Messari analyzed that this was "the effect of integration with Foundry, the world's largest Bitcoin mining pool."