JH Kim

According to cryptocurrency media outlet CoinDesk on the 16th (local time), Anthony Di Iorio, co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), stated at the 2025 Consensus Conference that "Ethereum is not a competitor to Bitcoin (BTC) but a substitute," and "Ethereum can surpass Bitcoin's market capitalization in the long term." He emphasized, "Ethereum is not just a store of value, but a programmable asset that supports many more functions and has various application possibilities."

Virtual asset (cryptocurrency) analyst and trader Ali Martinez stated on the 15th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that "Bitcoin (BTC) has formed a major demand zone at $98,732," adding that "1.19 million addresses purchased 1 million BTC in that zone." Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $104,040.89, up 0.79% from the previous day, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 12:57 AM on the 17th.

Bitcoin (BTC) has temporarily returned to the $104,000 level. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $103,910.15, up 1.12% from the previous day, as of 12:41 AM on the 17th in the Binance Tether (USDT) market.

On the 15th (local time), according to Decrypt, a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet, the US Department of Justice announced that it will proceed with the trial of Roman Storm, co-founder and developer of Tornado Cash (TORN), on money laundering charges as scheduled. This announcement comes as figures and foundations in the cryptocurrency industry have sent letters to David Sacks, the Trump administration's head of cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence (AI), requesting the dismissal of the criminal case. Roman Storm was indicted in 2023 for allegedly assisting criminals, including the North Korean hacker group Lazarus, in laundering money. The trial is scheduled to take place in July at the Federal Court in Manhattan, New York.

On the 15th (local time), according to the X (formerly Twitter) account of Walter Bloomberg, a U.S. economic news channel, the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) has sold all of its holdings in the Bitcoin (BTC) spot exchange-traded fund (ETF). This sale was confirmed through the securities holdings report (13F) submitted by SWIB to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). However, the specific timing of the sale or whether profits were realized was not specified in the report. Previously, SWIB reported holding approximately $320 million worth of BlackRock Bitcoin spot ETF (60,603,510 shares) as of December 31 last year. This sale has sparked interpretations regarding the possibility of portfolio adjustments by institutional investors and its impact on the market. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $103,205.53, down 0.19% from the previous day, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 4:53 on the 16th.

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily returned the $103,000 level. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $102,869.38, down 0.58% from the previous day, as of 4:03 on the 16th in the Binance Tether (USDT) market.

James K. Filan, a lawyer and former federal prosecutor, reported on the 15th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has dismissed the settlement request between XRP (Ripple) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC requested to reduce the fine imposed on XRP from $125 million to $50 million and to lift the sales ban, but Judge Analisa Torres deemed the request procedurally improper. Previously, in July 2023, the court issued a summary judgment stating that sales of XRP to general investors do not constitute securities, but sales to institutional investors violate securities laws. XRP and the SEC submitted a settlement agreement to the court on the 9th, but with this dismissal, the legal dispute is expected to continue.

On the 15th (local time), according to cryptocurrency media Watcher Guru, Eric Trump, the second son of former U.S. President Donald Trump, stated at the Consensus 2025 held in Toronto, Canada, that accumulating as much Bitcoin (BTC) as possible is a 'race to the top.' Previously, in December last year, Eric Trump participated in the 'Bitcoin MENA 2024,' the largest Bitcoin conference in the Middle East, and stated, "I am confident that Bitcoin will hit $1 million." Furthermore, at that time, Eric Trump mentioned in an interview with CNBC that the United States will become the global cryptocurrency capital and that President-elect Trump fully supports this.

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily recovered the $104,000 mark. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $104,023.51 on Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 02:49 on the 16th, up 0.92% from the previous day.

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily recovered the $103,000 level. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $103,246.91, down 0.07% from the previous day as of 00:55 on the 16th, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market.

The decentralized cloud GPU network Aethir (ATH) announced on the 15th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that it will conduct a checker node buyback on May 22 (local time). Investors who previously held checker nodes can sell their checker nodes at a fixed price (eATH) and receive additional rewards from Aethir and Eigenlayer. Meanwhile, the eATH used in the buyback will be subject to a 1-year lock-up.

Movement (MOVE) Labs, the developer of Movement, has been revealed to have privately allocated up to 10% of the MOVE token supply to some internal advisors, causing a stir. According to cryptocurrency media outlet CoinDesk on the 15th (local time), Movement Labs decided to provide 7.5% and 2.5% of MOVE tokens to Sam Thapaliya of Zebec Protocol and Vinit Parekh, formerly of Microsoft, respectively, through unofficial contracts under the guise of partnerships. This contract was not disclosed to external investors, and the current value of the allocated amount exceeds $50 million. Sam Thapaliya has stated that "the contract is still valid and has not been nullified," hinting at potential legal action. This controversy, coupled with recent issues related to the Chinese market maker Web3 Port and internal disputes among Movement Labs' management, is damaging the project's transparency and credibility. Meanwhile, Coinbase officially announced the delisting of MOVE tokens on May 15.

Sky Wee, the founder of the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) investment firm SkyVentures and a well-known virtual asset influencer, stated in an interview with Cointelegraph on the 14th (local time) that "Wall Street needs Bitcoin (BTC), but Bitcoin doesn't need Wall Street," adding, "Bitcoin will inevitably survive, and as the traditional system struggles, it will become clear that Bitcoin is the answer." He mentioned, "Bitcoin has always been considered a hedge against the traditional financial system," and "as long as people continue to hold it, Bitcoin will remain 'the people's money.'" He further explained, "The real risk is not whether institutional investors buy, but when individuals do not buy." Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $103,360.44, down 0.84% from the previous day, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 3:36 on the 15th.

According to cryptocurrency specialist media CoinDesk on the 14th (local time), key figures in the US Democratic House have demanded that the Treasury submit suspicious transaction reports (SARs) related to US President Donald Trump's virtual asset business. The Democrats are urging an urgent investigation, claiming that virtual asset projects promoted by the Trump family, such as World Liberty Financial (WLFI) and Official Trump (TRUMP), may violate election funding laws, bribery, and securities fraud. In the US Senate, the processing of stablecoin regulation bills has also been postponed due to the Trump family's virtual asset projects. The Democrats also mentioned that this investigation could lead to future legislation.

Bitcoin (BTC) temporarily surrendered the $103,000 level. Meanwhile, BTC is trading at $102,999.99, down 0.82% from the previous day, based on the Binance Tether (USDT) market as of 2:19 on the 15th.

Global cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase announced on the 14th (local time) via its official X (formerly Twitter) that it will not support the migration of EOS to Vaulta. Coinbase explained, "EOS holders need to use a self-custody wallet compatible with the Vaulta swap portal to proceed with the swap to the new token." Previously, EOS had opened a webpage for swapping EOS tokens to the new token A. The swap ratio is 1:1.

According to BeInCrypto, a cryptocurrency-focused media outlet, on the 14th (local time), Pi Network (PI) has launched a $100 million fund called 'Pi Network Ventures' to expand real-world use and network growth. Pi Network has allocated 10% of the foundation's reserve from the PI supply and dollars to create the fund, planning to invest in Series B stage companies with real-life applications in blockchain, as well as AI, fintech, and e-commerce. Furthermore, the fund's investments will be made using PI tokens instead of dollars. The Pi Network Foundation explained, "We plan to secure practical use cases for PI based on users who have completed Know Your Customer (KYC) verification."

AI-based Web3 information platform Kaito announced on the 14th (local time) via X (formerly Twitter) that "Kaito signed a contract with market-making firm Web3Port on February 17, but voluntarily terminated it on February 27." Web3Port, a Chinese market maker, had been embroiled in misconduct allegations during the listing process of Movement (MOVE). Kaito stated, "The termination date was prior to the reports related to Web3Port's Movement, and the reason for termination was that the market-making process was deemed to deviate from the intended purpose," adding, "The Kaito Foundation has not sold a single KAITO since the Token Generation Event (TGE) and is instead buying back through buybacks."