JOON HYOUNG LEE

Polish President Vetoes Crypto Bill for Third Time, Delaying MiCA Adoption

Poland's adoption of the European Union's crypto regulatory framework has been delayed again. Cointelegraph reported on June 12 that Polish President Karol Nawrocki vetoed a cryptocurrency regulation bill for a third time on June 11. The bill would i

Sam Bankman-Fried Loses Appeal; 25-Year Prison Sentence Upheld

Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of FTX, lost his appeal and will remain under a 25-year prison sentence. Reuters reported on June 12 that a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York upheld both his conviction and

Iran Flatly Denies Report of Possible Geneva MOU With US

Iran has denied reports that it could sign a memorandum of understanding with the US on ending the war in Geneva as early as this weekend. Walter Bloomberg reported on June 12 that an Iranian source called claims of a June 14 signing in Geneva "compl

Israel Opposes US Sanctions Relief for Iran, Clouding Ceasefire Deal

Israel is opposing any US move to lift sanctions on Iran, according to media reports. CNN reported on June 12, citing sources, that Israel is pressing Washington to block the release of frozen Iranian assets as part of a ceasefire agreement. Israeli

Reuters: SK Hynix Weighs Nasdaq Listing in US

SK Hynix is weighing a listing on the Nasdaq in the US, Reuters reported. Reuters, citing multiple sources, reported on June 12 that SK Hynix is considering Nasdaq for a US listing. The news agency said the company is pursuing a listing as early as A

Trump Meme Coin Jumps 25% Ahead of President’s 80th Birthday

Official Trump (TRUMP) jumped nearly 25% in a day. CoinMarketCap data on June 12 showed the token trading around $2.10, up about 24% from a day earlier. That was also about 26% higher than a week ago. The rally is being linked to U.S. President Donal

Bitget Secures Argentina License in Latin America Expansion Push

Global cryptocurrency exchange Bitget said it has secured a license for its Argentina business. Bitget said on June 12 it completed registration as a Virtual Asset Service Provider, or PSAV, with Argentina’s National Securities Commission, known as t

CNN Says US-Iran MOU Signing Is Likely in Geneva, to Be Called 'Islamabad Declaration'

A signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding to end the war between the US and Iran will most likely be held in Switzerland, CNN reported. CNN, citing multiple sources, reported on June 12 that Geneva is the leading candidate to host the sign

Saylor Says He Hasn’t Sold a Single Satoshi, Strategy Still Buying Bitcoin

Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor said he has not personally sold any Bitcoin. “I haven’t sold a single satoshi,” Saylor wrote on X on June 12. He added that Strategy is still buying Bitcoin. The remarks appeared to address Strategy’s recent sale of 3

Metaplanet to Acquire Japanese Brokerage, Plans July Close

Metaplanet, Japan’s largest corporate Bitcoin treasury company, is set to acquire a domestic brokerage. The company said on June 12 on its official X account that it signed an agreement to acquire a 100% stake in Siiibo Securities. Chief Executive Of

Draft US-Iran MOU Includes Reopening of Hormuz Strait as Final Talks Focus on Nuclear, Economy

A draft memorandum of understanding for US-Iran negotiations to end hostilities includes provisions such as reopening the Strait of Hormuz, according to reports. Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported on June 12, citing BlockBeats, that the d

BBVA Partners With OpenAI, Rolls Out ChatGPT Across Banking Operations

Spanish lender BBVA is partnering with OpenAI to drive an artificial intelligence overhaul across its banking operations. ODaily reported on June 12 that BBVA had signed a strategic partnership with OpenAI and would adopt ChatGPT Enterprise. The bank

BOJ Seen Raising Policy Rate to 1% Next Week, Highest in 31 Years

The Bank of Japan may lift its policy rate to the highest level in 31 years at next week's meeting, Reuters reported. The BOJ is favored to raise its benchmark rate by 25 basis points, to 1% from 0.75%, at its monetary policy meeting ending June 16,

Former SEC Chair Gensler Files Court Brief Arguing Prediction Markets Aren’t Under CFTC Jurisdiction

Former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler has argued that prediction markets do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. BlockBeats reported on June 12 that Gensler recently filed an amicus

SpaceX IPO Buzz Returns as Derivatives Market Bets on $2.4 Trillion Valuation

Interest in Elon Musk’s SpaceX listing is building again in the crypto derivatives market. CoinDesk reported on June 12 that SpaceX perpetual futures listed on Hyperliquid under the ticker SPCX traded between $176 and $183. SPCX had dropped to about

ShotgunFun Launches Solana Trading Terminal With Up to 100% Fee Cashback

ShotgunFun, a Solana-based trading terminal, has launched a new service that returns trading fees to users. The company said June 11 that it introduced a trading terminal offering cashback of up to 100% on trading fees. Cashback starts at 50% and inc

Mastercard Launches AI Agent Payments Network With Coinbase, RippleX

Mastercard has launched a new service to support automated payments between artificial intelligence agents. The global payments company said June 10 it is rolling out a new AI agent payments network called Agent Pay for Machines, or AP4M. The service

WSJ: CFTC to Propose New Prediction Market Rules, Permit Sports Bets

The US government is moving to establish new rules for prediction markets. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission plans to formally propose the rules on June 10, the Wall Street Journal reported. The centerpiece of the proposal is to allow sports-r

Bitcoin Trades Above $62,000; Kimchi Premium at -1.15%

Bitcoin traded above $62,000. CoinMarketCap data showed Bitcoin changing hands at $62,087.55 as of 10:42 p.m. in Korea on June 10, down 0.25% from 24 hours earlier. The token was 7.03% lower than a week earlier. The kimchi premium, which measures the

World Series of Poker to Accept Solana for Tournament Buy-Ins

The World Series of Poker, the world’s largest poker tournament, will introduce a Solana-based cryptocurrency payment system. CoinDesk reported on June 10 that WSOP announced the blockchain-based payment system in partnership with the Solana Foundati

SK Hynix Targets US ADR Listing as Early as August to Tap AI Stock Demand

SK Hynix is pursuing a US stock-market listing as early as August, a move aimed at expanding its global investor base by capitalizing on demand for artificial intelligence-related stocks. Reuters, citing multiple sources, reported on June 10 that SK

US May CPI Rises 4.2%, Highest Since April 2023

U.S. consumer prices rose in May at the fastest annual pace since April 2023. The Consumer Price Index increased 4.2% from a year earlier last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on June 10. The reading matched economists’ forecasts compiled b

Vietnam Accelerates Digital-Asset Rulemaking After Unchained Summit

Vietnam is stepping up efforts to formalize regulation of digital assets. Aeternum said on June 10 that the global Web3 conference Unchained Summit Vietnam was held in Da Nang in late May. Participants included the Da Nang People’s Committee, the Sta

New York Financial Regulator Proposes Stablecoin Rules Aligned With GENIUS Act

New York state is moving to adopt its own stablecoin rules in line with the federal GENIUS Act. The New York State Department of Financial Services released a proposed regulation for authorized payment stablecoin issuers on June 9, The Block reported

Trump Says Iran Will Pay for Dragging Out Negotiations

President Donald Trump said Iran will pay a price for delaying a negotiated settlement. Writing on Truth Social on June 10, Trump said "a substantial part" of Iran's military, including its navy and air force, "no longer exists" and that the country

Ethics Clash Saps Momentum Behind US Crypto Market Structure Bill

Disputes over ethics rules for senior public officials are weakening momentum behind US legislation to establish a cryptocurrency market structure framework, CryptoSlate reported. On June 9, Republicans offered Democrats a watered-down version of the

Ant International Weighs $1 Billion Fundraising as It Prepares for Hong Kong Listing

Ant International, the Chinese fintech company that runs Ant Group’s overseas business, is weighing a major fundraising round. Bloomberg reported on June 10, citing people familiar with the matter, that the company is considering raising about $1 bil

South Korea to Make Illegal FX Task Force Permanent, Strengthen Crypto-Linked Probes

South Korea will step up its crackdown on illegal foreign-exchange transactions involving cryptocurrencies and other assets. The Ministry of Economy and Finance said June 10 that it held a meeting of the pan-government task force on illegal foreign-e

KB Kookmin Bank Issues $100 Million Blockchain Digital Bond in First for Korean Banks

KB Kookmin Bank has issued a $100 million blockchain-based digital bond, the first such dollar-denominated offering by a South Korean bank. The bank announced on June 10 that the bond was issued using blockchain technology across the entire process,

OpenAI in Final Talks to Lease $500 Billion, 10-Gigawatt AI Data Center Campus in Ohio

OpenAI is in late-stage talks to lease a 10-gigawatt artificial intelligence data center campus being developed in Ohio, The Information reported on June 9. The project includes a plan for Nvidia to provide a direct payment guarantee, the publication