Doohyun Hwang

BlackRock Seeks SEC Approval for Second Tokenized Fund

BlackRock has applied to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for approval of a new tokenized fund, expanding its push into the real-world asset, or RWA, tokenization market after the strong success of its first tokenized fund, BUIDL. Securitize

US House Agriculture Leaders Urge Trump to Fill CFTC Vacancies

The House Agriculture Committee is urging President Donald Trump to quickly nominate new leaders for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, warning that the agency’s current one-member structure must be brought back to normal. Cointelegraph report

Hyperliquid Dismisses Push for Regulation by Global Derivatives Exchanges as ‘Baseless’

Hyperliquid has pushed back against calls from global derivatives exchanges for tighter regulation. On May 15, the Hyperliquid Policy Center rejected concerns raised by traditional financial institutions including CME Group and Intercontinental Excha

SpaceX to Debut on Nasdaq on June 12 in What May Be Biggest-Ever IPO

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is poised to go public on the Nasdaq in June in what may be the largest initial public offering in history. Reuters reported on May 15 that SpaceX plans to set its offering price on June 11 and begin trading on Nasdaq on June 12 un

Jito Labs to Launch JTX Trading Terminal

Jito Labs, a core infrastructure company in the Solana ecosystem, is launching JTX, a trading terminal aimed at retail investors. The Block reported on May 15 that Jito Labs plans to roll out JTX in July, starting with spot cryptocurrency trading. It

CME, ICE Urge US Regulators to Curb Hyperliquid Over Commodity Market Risks

Intercontinental Exchange and CME Group are pressing US regulators to slow Hyperliquid’s expansion into commodity markets. Cointelegraph reported on May 15 that senior ICE and CME officials said Hyperliquid’s on-chain derivatives raise the risk of in

Powell to Serve as Acting Fed Chair Until Warsh Takes Office

Jerome Powell will serve as acting chair of the Federal Reserve until successor Kevin Warsh is sworn in, after Powell’s official term as chair expired. In a statement issued on May 15, the Fed's Board of Governors said it had appointed Powell as acti

Starknet Launches Bitcoin Privacy Solution strkBTC

Starknet announced on May 15 the launch of strkBTC, a Bitcoin privacy solution. The company said the product is designed to keep Bitcoin holders’ balances and transaction histories from being exposed on public blockchains. It uses zero-knowledge proo

Crypto Tax Repeal Petition Nears 50,000 Signatures, but Chances in National Assembly Are Slim

Investor opposition is building over South Korea’s plan to begin taxing virtual assets, or cryptocurrencies, in January 2027. Support is surging for a National Assembly petition calling for the tax to be scrapped and the system to be overhauled, citi

Circle’s Arc Raises $222 Million at $3 Billion Valuation to Build Institutional Stablecoin Infrastructure

Circle-developed L1 Arc raises $222 million Stablecoin infrastructure targets institutions Native token to power rewards distribution and token burns “Ultimately it’s a business-network battle … Arc has enough of an edge” Circle, the issuer of the wo

Kyobo Life Sets Up Digital-Asset Unit, Steps Up Blockchain Push

Kyobo Life Insurance has set up a dedicated digital-asset unit and started to flesh out related businesses, as it moves to get ahead of digital-asset legislation with blockchain-based initiatives including tokenized securities, or STOs, and real-worl

US Spot Ether ETFs Post $3.57 Million Net Inflow

US spot Ether exchange-traded funds recorded net inflows on May 8. Data from SoSoValue showed the 10 US spot Ether ETFs took in a combined net $3.57 million that day. All of the inflow went to BlackRock's ETHB, which drew $3.57 million. There was no

Wall Street Embraces ‘NACHO’ Trade as Hormuz Crisis Drags On

A Wall Street trade built on the view that the Strait of Hormuz crisis will drag on is gaining traction. Among traders, the theme has picked up the nickname “NACHO,” short for “Not A Chance Hormuz Opens.” The phrase reflects growing skepticism that t

US Spot Bitcoin ETFs See $145.64 Million in Outflows for Second Straight Day

U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds posted net outflows for a second consecutive trading day. Data from SoSoValue showed the 12 U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded combined net outflows of $145.64 million on May 8. Fidelity's FBTC led the withdrawals

Trump Says Iran Response to US Proposal Is Expected Tonight in Turning Point for Talks

President Donald Trump said he expects to receive Iran's response later tonight to a US proposal to end the conflict with Tehran. He declined to say whether Iran was intentionally dragging out the negotiations. In an interview with CNN on May 8, Trum

US Senate Banking Panel to Mark Up Clarity Act on May 14 Despite Bank Pushback

The US Senate Banking Committee is set to begin formal consideration of the Clarity Act, pressing ahead with the legislation despite continued opposition from traditional banks. CoinDesk reported on May 8 that the committee will hold a markup hearing

US Banking Groups Oppose Clarity Act Draft, Call Stablecoin Yield Exception a Loophole

Major Wall Street and regional banking trade groups have formally opposed the latest draft of the Clarity Act, arguing that an exception allowing interest-like payments on stablecoins could undermine the traditional banking industry. The Block report

Bitcoin Up 20%, but CryptoQuant Says Bear-Market Rally Raises Profit-Taking Risk

Bitcoin’s recent advance may come under mounting pressure from profit-taking as the token extends its rebound, according to CryptoQuant. The Block reported on May 8 that Julio Moreno, CryptoQuant’s head of research, characterized the latest move as a

S&P 500, Nasdaq Close at Fresh Records as Jobs Data, Chip Rally Lift Stocks

U.S. stocks climbed to fresh records again on May 8 as stronger-than-expected hiring data and a rally in semiconductor shares outweighed concerns over Middle East-driven oil volatility and weakening consumer sentiment. Investors instead focused on si

BlackRock to Launch Two Tokenized Money-Market Funds Targeting Stablecoin Investors

BlackRock is preparing to launch two tokenized money-market funds aimed at investors who hold cash in stablecoins rather than bank accounts. Bloomberg reported on May 8 that BlackRock recently filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for

South Korea Reaffirms January Crypto Tax Plan as Ruling Party Weighs Position

South Korea’s government has reaffirmed plans to begin taxing virtual assets in January and made clear there will be no further delay. Market attention is now focused on the ruling Democratic Party’s decision on the issue. While some party members fa

South Korea to Publish Crypto Tax Guidelines This Year, Rejecting ‘Black Box’ Concerns

South Korea’s government pushed back against industry concerns that tax rules for virtual assets set to take effect next year remain unclear, saying the National Tax Service will finalize and publish detailed guidelines later this year. The guidance

South Korea Says Crypto Tax to Take Effect as Planned, Separate From Investment Income Tax

South Korea’s finance ministry pushed back against criticism over the planned introduction of virtual-asset taxation next year, saying the levy should take effect on schedule despite debate over fairness after the repeal of the financial investment i

Scrapping Investment Income Tax Should Apply to Crypto as Well, Scholar Says

Questions over tax fairness and collection infrastructure are intensifying ahead of South Korea’s planned implementation of virtual-asset taxation next year. Moving ahead with taxes only on crypto after the financial investment income tax was abolish

PPP Lawmaker Says South Korea's Crypto Tax Infrastructure Falls Short, Calls for Legislative Review

Rep. Park Soo-young of the People Power Party said South Korea's National Tax Service is severely underprepared to implement taxation on virtual assets next year, warning of major blind spots if investors shift trading to overseas exchanges. Speaking

South Korean Finance Firms Deepen Web3 Infrastructure Push as Kaia Struggles to Win Adoption

South Korean financial firms step up stablecoin infrastructure build-out Partnerships spread across Solana, Ripple and other chains Kaia, which billed itself as a default chain, struggles to gain traction Industry says it is less competitive than glo

KGeN Releases Tokenomics Report on Market Metrics, Revenue Model

KGeN, a Web3 data infrastructure project, released a report on May 4 analyzing market metrics and its revenue model following its token issuance. The report put KGeN’s annual recurring revenue, or ARR, at about $85.8 million. Its fully diluted valuat

Weekly Economic, Crypto Calendar: US Jobless Claims, April Payrolls Due

[Weekly Economic and Crypto Calendar] <Major economic events next week> ▶︎May 4 (Mon.): ▶︎May 5 (Tue.): △U.S. April Services PMI (10:45 p.m. Korea Standard Time) △U.S. March new home sales (11 p.m. Korea Standard Time) △U.S. April ISM non-manufacturi

BlackRock Urges OCC to Drop 20% Cap on Tokenized Reserve Assets

BlackRock submitted a formal comment letter to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency opposing a proposed cap on tokenized reserve assets in draft implementation rules for the GENIUS Act, the stablecoin regulation bill. The Block reported

KB Financial Discusses Blockchain Investment Cooperation With Pantera Capital

KB Financial Group said on May 3 that it had discussed potential cooperation in the blockchain sector with Pantera Capital, a US blockchain venture capital firm. The two sides met on April 28 at KB Kookmin Bank's headquarters in Seoul's Yeouido distr