JOON HYOUNG LEE

Binance Says It Is Working With Regulators as MiCA Triggers EU Service Halt

Binance said it is in contact with regulators as the global cryptocurrency exchange halts services in the European Union under the Markets in Crypto-Assets, or MiCA, rules. Binance Co-Chief Executive Officer Richard Teng wrote on X on July 1 that MiC

Citi Cuts 12-Month Bitcoin Target to $82,000 on ETF Outflows

Citigroup sharply lowered its 12-month price targets for Bitcoin and Ether. Reuters reported on July 30 that Citi cut its 12-month target for Bitcoin to $82,000 from $112,000 in a report released that day. It also lowered its 12-month target for Ethe

Former Goliath Ventures CEO Pleads Guilty in $400 Million Crypto Ponzi Scheme

Christopher Alexander Delgado, the former chief executive officer of Goliath Ventures, pleaded guilty in connection with a $400 million cryptocurrency investment fraud scheme. Cointelegraph reported on July 30 that the U.S. Department of Justice anno

South Korea Refers Crypto ‘Whale’ Investors to Prosecutors in Price Manipulation Cases

South Korean financial authorities have referred so-called whale investors to prosecutors after finding alleged price manipulation in the virtual-asset market across domestic and overseas exchanges. The Financial Services Commission said on July 1 th

Binance Stock-Linked Products Top $1 Billion in AUM One Month After Launch

Binance said assets under management for its stock-linked products have surpassed $1 billion. BlockBeats reported on July 1 that Binance announced the milestone that day. The exchange said the figure reflects growing demand from users seeking seamles

CryptoQuant CEO Says Bitcoin’s Next Bull Run Depends on Institutional Inflows, $1 Trillion Absorption

Ki Young Ju, chief executive officer of CryptoQuant, said large-scale institutional capital inflows will be critical for Bitcoin’s next bull run. In a post on X on July 1, Ju wrote that Bitcoin is likely to have "one more parabolic rally" left. He ad

Bernstein Lifts SanDisk Price Target to $3,000 From $1,700

Bernstein has sharply raised its price target on NAND flash maker SanDisk. CNBC reported on July 30 that Bernstein maintained its outperform rating on SanDisk and lifted its price target to $3,000 from $1,700, an increase of nearly 76%. SanDisk share

Bitget Pays Dividends on 20 Tokenized US Stocks, ETFs in Tether

Global cryptocurrency exchange Bitget said it has completed dividend payments to investors in its tokenized stock products. BlockBeats reported on July 1 that Bitget paid dividends on 20 US stocks and exchange-traded funds, including tokenized shares

Exclusive: South Korea May Block Access to DeFi as FSC Report Urges Curbs on ‘Unlicensed’ Operators

A report prepared for South Korea’s financial authorities concluded that decentralized finance, or DeFi, should effectively be treated as an unlicensed operator. The finding raises the possibility that the government could impose measures such as res

Russia to Ban Crypto Mining in Parts of Moscow, Kursk From July Through 2032

Russia will ban cryptocurrency mining in some areas, including parts of Moscow, starting next month. Russia's Energy Ministry has prepared a draft government resolution containing the measure, BlockBeats reported on June 26. The resolution will take

Australia Extends Crypto No-Action Relief by Three Months, Giving Unlicensed Firms Until Sept. 30

Australia’s financial regulator has extended enforcement relief for unlicensed cryptocurrency firms by three months. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission said on June 26 it would extend the deadline for its temporary no-action relief

Jupiter Lists ‘DRAM’ Memory ETF With Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron

Jupiter, a Solana-based decentralized exchange, is adding trading for an exchange-traded fund focused on memory chipmakers. Jupiter announced on its official X account on June 26 that it will list the memory ETF, DRAM. The fund is reported to include

US, Iran to Hold Next Round of Post-Truce Talks on June 28, Open Communication Channel

The United States and Iran will hold the next round of follow-up talks on their post-truce memorandum of understanding starting June 28. BlockBeats and other outlets reported June 26 that the two sides plan to meet for two days, from June 28 to June

Framework Ventures Raises $400 Million for Fourth Fund to Expand AI, Crypto Investments

Framework Ventures, a Web3 venture capital firm, has raised $400 million for its fourth fund. The firm recently closed its fourth vehicle, FVIV, at $400 million, The Block reported on June 26. Framework said the fund exceeded its target amid strong d

Spain Rules Out MiCA Deadline Extension, Tightens Pressure on Unlicensed Crypto Platforms

Spain’s financial regulator said it will allow no additional grace period or exceptions for firms seeking licenses under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets, or MiCA, regime. Carlos San Basilio, chairman of the National Securities Market Co

World Cup Boost Drives Polymarket Daily Volume Above $200 Million, Annualized Revenue Tops $1 Billion

Polymarket, a global prediction-market platform, said its daily trading volume has exceeded $200 million. BlockBeats and other outlets reported on June 26 that Polymarket's daily volume topped $200 million that day. That marks nearly a fourfold incre

PBOC Says Stablecoins Are Emerging as New Variable in Global Monetary System

China’s central bank said stablecoins and other digital assets are emerging as a new variable in the international monetary system. Mu Changchun, director-general of the Digital Currency Institute at the People’s Bank of China, made the remarks at th

Strategy’s Stride Trades 27% Below Par With June 30 Ex-Dividend Date, Yield Reset in Focus

Strategy’s perpetual preferred stock Stride, issued by the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder, is drawing market attention as it trades well below its $100 par value ahead of its ex-dividend date and monthly yield reset at the end of June. Coin

Strategy’s Stretch Preferred Falls to $73, Hits Record Low as Bitcoin Slides

Strategy’s perpetual preferred stock, Stretch, fell further into the low-$70 range as Bitcoin weakened. Odaily reported on June 26 that Stretch traded at $73 in premarket trading, the lowest level since Strategy issued the security in July last year.

Hyperliquid Added to Singapore Investor Alert List, Says It Committed No Violations

Global decentralized exchange Hyperliquid has been added to an investor alert list by Singapore authorities. BlockBeats and other outlets reported on June 26 that Hyperliquid was recently added to the Investor Alert List, or IAL, maintained by the Mo

Goldman Sachs Initiates Intel at Neutral With $150 Price Target

Goldman Sachs has initiated coverage of Intel with a Neutral rating and a $150 price target. Odaily reported on June 26 that the bank set the target in a recent report. Intel shares closed at $132.87 on June 25. Goldman Sachs said Intel stands to ben

Saylor Says Strategy Will Keep Buying Bitcoin Despite Volatility

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, said the company will continue buying Bitcoin. In a post on X on June 26, Saylor wrote that "volatility tests all capital structures." Strategy remains focused on Bitcoin, disciplined capital allocation

SharpLink Resumes Ether Purchases After Eight Months, Buys $7.85 Million

SharpLink, an Ethereum-based digital asset treasury company, has resumed buying Ether after an eight-month pause. Cointelegraph reported on June 26, citing on-chain analytics firm Arkham, that a wallet linked to SharpLink received about 5,000 Ether f

Strategy’s Unrealized Bitcoin Loss Tops $13 Billion, Exceeding Dogecoin Market Cap

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder, has amassed more than $13 billion in unrealized losses on its Bitcoin investment. CoinDesk reported on June 26 that Strategy’s unrealized loss on its Bitcoin holdings is estimated to exceed $13

Bitcoin MVRV Falls to 1.1, Lowest Level of Current Cycle

Bitcoin’s market value to realized value ratio, or MVRV, has fallen to 1.1. Crypto Dan, a CryptoQuant contributor, wrote on June 26 that Bitcoin’s MVRV recently touched 1.1, the lowest level of the current cycle. MVRV is calculated by dividing Bitcoi

Bitmine to Join Russell 1000 as Annual Staking Revenue Nears $233 Million

Bitmine, the world’s largest corporate holder of Ether, will join the Russell 1000 index. The company announced on its official X account on June 24 that it is scheduled to be added to the Russell 1000 on June 26. The index tracks the 1,000 largest U

Altus CEO Says Korean Finance Needs 3-5 Year Blockchain Roadmap to Build In-House Capabilities

Lee Hyung-yeon, chief executive officer of South Korean blockchain company Altus, formerly known as B-Harvest, said on June 25 that domestic financial institutions need a long-term roadmap to build blockchain capabilities in-house. Speaking at the "T

Bessent Says US Treasury Would Oversee Unfrozen Iranian Assets, Oil to Be Invoiced in Dollars

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Treasury Department would directly oversee any Iranian assets released under a nuclear agreement. In an interview with CNBC on June 24, Bessent said Iranian funds unfrozen under a nuclear deal would be man

Kalshi Sues Illinois, Says Prediction-Market Oversight Falls Under Federal Law

Kalshi, a US prediction-market platform, has sued to block Illinois's new law regulating prediction markets. The Block reported on June 24 that Kalshi recently filed suit in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Governor

Bitcoin Briefly Falls Below $61,000; 10x Research Sees Possible Drop to $55,000

Bitcoin briefly fell below $61,000, extending its recent weakness. Some market watchers say the cryptocurrency could slide to as low as $55,000 in the current downturn. According to CoinMarketCap data on June 24, Bitcoin at one point dipped under $61