JOON HYOUNG LEE

Standard Chartered Likens Ethereum to Amazon After Dot-Com Bust, Keeps $4,000 Year-End Target

Standard Chartered has maintained its forecast that Ether will reach $4,000 by the end of 2026. The bank said in a report on May 28, as cited by The Block, that Ether's current price action resembles Amazon.com Inc.'s stock performance during the 200

Axios: US, Iran Reach 60-Day Ceasefire Deal, Await Trump Approval

The US and Iran have reportedly reached a 60-day ceasefire agreement. Axios reported on May 28 that US and Iranian negotiators agreed to a 60-day ceasefire and a framework for nuclear talks. The deal is still awaiting final approval from President Do

Grayscale Halts IPO Plan as Crypto Slump Drags On, Earliest Restart Seen in Fourth Quarter

Grayscale has suspended its initial public offering plan as the cryptocurrency bear market drags on. CoinDesk reported on May 28 that Grayscale recently paused work on the IPO. Citing sources, the outlet said the process is unlikely to restart before

US Treasury Warns Major Economies Not to Pay Iran Strait of Hormuz Transit Fees

The US has warned major economies not to pay transit fees to Iran for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, BlockBeats and other outlets reported on May 28. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said some companies and countries were warned that day no

US First-Quarter GDP Growth Revised Down to 1.6%, Below 2.0% Estimate

U.S. economic growth in the first quarter was revised down to 1.6% from 2.0%. The Commerce Department said on May 28 its second estimate showed U.S. gross domestic product rose at an annualized 1.6% rate in the first quarter. That was 0.4 percentage

US Initial Jobless Claims Rise to 215,000, Above Forecast

US initial jobless claims came in above market expectations last week. The Labor Department said on May 28 that initial claims for unemployment benefits totaled 215,000 last week. That was 4,000 higher than economists’ forecast of 211,000 and up 5,00

US April Core PCE Price Index Rises 3.3%, Matching Estimates

The US core personal consumption expenditures price index matched market expectations in April. The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said May 28 that the headline PCE price index rose 3.8% in April from a year earlier, the fastest an

VanEck Tokenized Treasury Fund Launches on Euler, Expanding Wall Street-Style Collateral in DeFi

VanEck’s tokenized US Treasury fund is now trading on DeFi lending platform Euler. CoinDesk reported on May 28 that VBILL, VanEck’s US Treasury fund issued by tokenization specialist Securitize, has started trading in Euler’s lending market. The list

NTS-Commissioned Report Says Crypto Staking Rewards Should Face 22% Tax

A report commissioned by South Korea’s National Tax Service said crypto staking rewards should be included in the tax system as the government moves ahead with virtual-asset taxation next year. Maeil Business Newspaper reported on May 28 that the Ind

Strategy’s Unrealized Bitcoin Loss Nears $2 Billion After BTC Drop

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder, is facing nearly $2 billion in unrealized losses. Data compiled by DESSPIRAL on May 28 showed the company’s unrealized loss on its Bitcoin investment stood at about $1.93 billion. The decline ca

South Korea’s National Pension Service Raises 2026 Domestic Stock Target to 20.8% From 14.9%

South Korea’s National Pension Service raised its target allocation to domestic equities for 2026 to 20.8%. Yonhap News reported on May 28 that the National Pension Service’s fund management committee approved a mid-term asset allocation plan for 202

Former FSC Vice Chairman Doh Kyu-sang Joins Dunamu Board

Former Financial Services Commission Vice Chairman Doh Kyu-sang will join the board of Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, South Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Dunamu held an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting in Seoul’s Gangnam district on May

South Korea Presidential Office Calls for Broader Debate on Sharing Large Companies’ Excess Profits

South Korea’s presidential office said discussions on how to share excess profits at large companies should be opened to broader public debate, including through future forums. Kang Yoo-jung, senior presidential spokesperson, made the remarks at a br

Ethereum Futures Open Interest Hits Record $32.5 Billion as Short Selling Pressure Builds

Ethereum open interest in the cryptocurrency futures market has climbed to a record high. BlockBeats reported on May 28 that open interest in Ethereum futures has increased for three straight days. The total reached about $32.5 billion, marking a fre

KakaoBank to Add Crypto Wallet to App as It Expands Stablecoin Push

KakaoBank plans to offer a cryptocurrency wallet service through its app. According to industry officials on May 28, KakaoBank has recently started recruiting staff for its stablecoin business. The company said the role would be responsible for plann

Middle East Tensions Wipe $80 Billion From Crypto Market in 24 Hours

Middle East tensions wiped about $80 billion from the cryptocurrency market in a single day. Cointelegraph reported on May 28 that total crypto market capitalization fell by about $80 billion over the previous 24 hours. The outlet said U.S. strikes o

BlackRock’s IBIT Sees Record $527.8 Million Daily Outflow Since Launch

BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund saw $527.8 million of net outflows in a single day. The Block reported on May 28 that BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, logged $527.8 million in net outflows on May 27. That was the largest daily net ou

[Blooming Lunch] Bok Jin-sol Says Blockchain Can Build a System of ‘Physical Trust’

Bok Jin-sol, Research Lead at 4pillars Holds a doctorate in chemical and biological engineering “I was drawn to blockchain’s trustless model” Joined 4pillars after Decipher “Web3 entered mass adoption one to two years ago” “Meeting good people and ha

MoonPay Launches Tokenization Platform for Institutions, Connecting to 200 Blockchains

MoonPay, a crypto payments company, has launched a tokenization platform for banks. CoinDesk reported on May 21 that MoonPay introduced MoonPay Trade, a platform that gives banks and fintech companies access to tokenized assets, decentralized finance

Iran's Envoy to France Says Tehran, Oman Discussing Permanent Strait of Hormuz Transit Fees

Iran is considering making transit fees for the Strait of Hormuz permanent. Mohammad Amin-Nejad, Iran's ambassador to France, said on May 21 that Tehran is discussing a permanent toll system with Oman to institutionalize control over maritime traffic

Hyperliquid Hits Record High as Rally Extends

Hyperliquid, the token of the global decentralized exchange, climbed to a record high. CoinMarketCap data on May 21 showed HYPE trading in the upper-$59 range at one point, up nearly 16% from a day earlier. The move took it past its previous record o

Blockchain.com Confidentially Files With SEC for US IPO

Blockchain.com is preparing for a US stock market listing. The crypto financial services company recently confidentially submitted an S-1 filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering, The Block reported on May 21

Bitcoin Slips Below $77,000; Kimchi Premium Turns Negative at -1.49%

Bitcoin fell below $77,000. CoinMarketCap data showed Bitcoin trading at $76,666.15 as of 10:45 p.m. on May 21 in South Korea, down 0.34% from a day earlier. The token was 3.89% lower than a week ago. The kimchi premium turned negative. Cryprice data

JPMorgan Says Tokenized MMFs Unlikely to Surpass Stablecoins Because of Regulatory Hurdles

JPMorgan said tokenized money market funds are structurally unlikely to overtake stablecoins. CoinDesk reported on May 21 that, in a report published May 20, JPMorgan said tokenized MMFs account for only about 5% of the stablecoin market despite offe

Binance CEO Says Next 12 to 18 Months Will Be Critical for Tokenization

Binance Chief Executive Officer Richard Teng said the next 12 to 18 months will be a critical period for tokenization. In a post on X on May 21, Teng wrote that tokenization is nearing a major inflection point. He added that the next 12 to 18 months

US Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 209,000, Below Forecast

US initial jobless claims came in below market expectations last week. The Labor Department said on May 21 that initial jobless claims totaled 209,000 in the previous week. That was 1,000 below economists’ forecast of 210,000 and down 3,000 from the

WSJ Says US to Invest $2 Billion in 9 Quantum Computing Firms, With IBM to Get $1 Billion

The US government plans to invest a total of $2 billion in nine domestic quantum computing companies. The Wall Street Journal reported on May 21 that the Commerce Department plans to provide about $2 billion in subsidies to nine US quantum computing

US Hyperliquid Spot ETFs Draw Record $25.5 Million in One Day Since Launch

US spot exchange-traded funds tied to Hyperliquid (HYPE) recorded their largest daily inflow since launch. The Block reported on May 21 that Hyperliquid spot ETFs posted $25.5 million of net inflows on May 20. That was the biggest one-day inflow sinc

IG Partners With Bitpanda to Expand Crypto Business Across Europe

IG Group, the UK online investment platform, is partnering with Austria-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitpanda to expand its crypto business in Europe. Citing a May 21 announcement from IG, CoinDesk reported that the company will broaden its cryptocu

Saylor Says Strategy to Expand STRC to Boost Bitcoin Purchases

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, the world's largest corporate Bitcoin holder, said he aims to accelerate growth in the company's STRC preferred stock to fund additional Bitcoin purchases. Saylor said on May 21 that Strategy's goal is