JOON HYOUNG LEE

Kraken Parent Payward Broadens Tokenized Stock Push to Hong Kong, South Korea

Payward, the parent company of U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, is expanding its tokenized stock service. CoinDesk reported on July 22 that Payward is working with global investment infrastructure provider GTN to tokenize Hong Kong-listed shares

SecondFi to Shut Down After $2.6 Million Cardano Wallet Hack

SecondFi, a Cardano-based wallet service, is moving to shut down after a hack. Odaily reported on July 22 that SecondFi disclosed the loss of about 16.1 million Cardano tokens because of a flaw in its wallet software's encryption technology. The stol

Bitcoin Volatility Drops to Lowest Since 2016, Easing Risk of Mass Liquidations

Bitcoin's price volatility has fallen to its lowest level since 2016. BlockBeats reported on July 22 that Axel Adler Jr., a CryptoQuant contributor, wrote that Bitcoin's 30-day moving average of realized volatility recently fell to 28.3. That was dow

Korea Credit Finance Association, Nine Card Issuers Complete Won Stablecoin Pilot

South Korea's card industry has completed a roughly yearlong pilot aimed at preparing for the adoption of a won stablecoin framework. The Credit Finance Association of Korea and nine domestic card issuers recently wrapped up a proof-of-concept projec

Alphabet, Tesla to Report Second-Quarter Results as AI Spending, Growth Plans Draw Focus

Alphabet, Google's parent company, and Tesla are due to report second-quarter results on July 22. According to BlockBeats and other outlets, both companies plan to release earnings after the close of U.S. trading. Market estimates put Alphabet's seco

Galaxy Digital Launches $5 Million Bitcoin Quantum Security Fund

Galaxy Digital has launched a $5 million fund aimed at preparing for security threats posed by quantum computing. BlockBeats reported on July 22 that the U.S. crypto firm rolled out the Bitcoin Quantum Security Preparedness Initiative to support deve

Democratic Lawmaker Asks SEC to Investigate Trump Media’s ‘Truth API’

Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, has formally asked the US Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether Trump Media & Technology Group’s new Truth API service could violate federal securities laws. Axios reported July 22 that To

Saylor Posts ‘Orange Dot,’ Signaling More Bitcoin Buying

Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor signaled another Bitcoin purchase. Saylor posted the company’s so-called orange dot chart on X on July 19 with the message, “What’s next.” He has repeatedly shared the chart tracking Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings ahead

Moonshot AI Sends IPO Proposal, Eyes Hong Kong Listing Within Six Months

Chinese artificial intelligence company Moonshot AI is seeking a Hong Kong listing as early as within six months. Odaily reported on July 19 that Moonshot AI recently sent an initial public offering proposal to major investors. The company plans to l

This Week’s Key Economic, Crypto Events: US Jobless Claims, Korea GDP Due

<Key economic events this week> ▶︎July 20 (Mon.): △People’s Bank of China July loan prime rate (10 a.m. Korea time, 8 p.m. US time) ▶︎July 21 (Tue.): △US ADP weekly employment change report (9:15 p.m. Korea time, 7:15 a.m. US time) ▶︎July 22 (Wed.):

Zcash Launches Zakura Full Node, Targets 50,000 Transactions a Second

Zcash has launched a new full-node client, Zakura, to sharply increase transaction throughput. BlockBeats and other outlets reported on July 19 that Zcash recently released Zakura 1.0.0. The software is being developed and maintained by a team led by

Bitcoin Short Liquidations May Reach $523 Million if Price Tops $66,000

Bitcoin could trigger $523 million of short liquidations across major exchanges if it climbs above $66,000. BlockBeats, citing CoinGlass data, reported on July 19 that short positions worth $523 million on major centralized exchanges could be liquida

South Korea Opens Sanctions Process Against Dunamu Over $32 Million Upbit Hack

South Korea’s financial authorities have begun sanctions procedures over a hacking incident at domestic cryptocurrency exchange Upbit. Yonhap News reported on July 19 that the Financial Supervisory Service recently sent an inspection opinion letter t

Analysis: Bitcoin Leverage Overheating Eases as Market Sentiment Turns Neutral

On-chain data suggests Bitcoin market sentiment is shifting from neutral to mildly bullish. CoinNiel, a CryptoQuant contributor, wrote on July 18 that Bitcoin’s on-chain data points to the market moving into a neutral-to-mildly bullish phase. Leverag

UBS, Barclays Stay Bullish on Semiconductors Despite 8% Drop in Chip Stocks

Semiconductor stocks have slumped in recent sessions, but major investment banks including UBS remain optimistic about the industry's outlook. BlockBeats reported on July 19 that UBS and Barclays maintained positive views on the global semiconductor

BofA Sees Global DRAM ASPs Jump 21% in Third Quarter

DRAM prices are set to post another sharp rise in the third quarter, according to a new market outlook. Bank of America Global Research projects global DRAM average selling prices, or ASPs, will climb about 21% in the third quarter from the previous

Crypto Fear and Greed Index Rises to 28, Leaving Extreme Fear

The crypto Fear and Greed Index, a gauge of investor sentiment, rose slightly on July 19. According to cryptocurrency data provider Alternative, the index stood at 28 on July 19. That was up 3 points from July 18, moving the gauge from the "Extreme F

Foreign Investors Sell $9 Billion of Korean Stocks This Month as Kospi Slides 20%

Foreign investors have sold a net 12.4 trillion won ($8.96 billion) of South Korean stocks so far this month. BlockBeats reported on July 19 that overseas investors were net sellers of 12.1 trillion won ($8.74 billion) on the Kospi from July 1 throug

Ark Invest Buys $18.3 Million of SpaceX Stock After Shares Fall Below IPO Price

Ark Invest, the investment firm led by Cathie Wood, bought additional SpaceX shares after the stock fell below its IPO price. BlockBeats reported on July 19 that Ark disclosed in a July 17 filing that it purchased 147,623 shares of SpaceX for about $

France Orders ISPs to Block Polymarket, Calling Prediction Markets Illegal Gambling

France has ordered internet service providers to block access to global prediction market platform Polymarket. CoinDesk reported on July 19 that France’s National Gaming Authority, known as ANJ, recently instructed domestic internet service providers

Dutch Court Declares Crypto Platform Knaken Bankrupt

A Dutch court has declared Dutch cryptocurrency platform Knaken bankrupt amid allegations of fund misappropriation. Cointelegraph reported on July 17 that the Rotterdam court issued the bankruptcy ruling after prosecutors said 7 million euros ($8.1 m

Ark Invest Says Bitcoin Selloff Nears Exhaustion, Warns of ETF Outflow Risk

Ark Invest said Bitcoin's capitulation phase moved into its final stretch in the second quarter. In its second-quarter 2026 report, The Bitcoin Quarterly, released on July 17, the US asset manager wrote that "seller exhaustion" is emerging even as Bi

HSBC Gets First Bank of England Approval Under UK Digital Securities Sandbox

HSBC has received approval under the UK’s Digital Securities Sandbox. Cointelegraph reported on July 17 that HSBC’s digital-asset platform, HSBC Orion, was authorized that day to operate as a digital securities depository within the sandbox. HSBC sai

ECB Warns Stablecoins Could Erode Bank Deposit Base as It Pushes Digital Euro

The European Central Bank warned that the spread of stablecoins could erode commercial banks’ deposit base. Piero Cipollone, a member of the ECB’s Executive Board, made the remarks in a July 17 speech to Italy’s federation of cooperative credit banks

Mizuho Downgrades Circle to Underperform, Sets Street-Low $50 Target on OpenUSD Threat

Mizuho Securities set a $50 price target on dollar stablecoin issuer Circle, marking one of the lowest targets on Wall Street. Bloomberg reported on July 17 that Mizuho Securities USA analyst Dan Dolev downgraded Circle to underperform from neutral a

Nvidia’s NVentures Estimated to Have Invested $200 Million in UK Fintech Revolut

Tech Funding News reported that Nvidia is estimated to have invested about $200 million in UK fintech company Revolut. According to Tech Funding News on July 17, a recently filed confirmation statement with the UK’s Companies House showed that an ent

Coinbase Bitcoin Premium Index Stays Negative for 60 Days, Longest Streak on Record

Bitcoin's Coinbase premium index remained in negative territory for 60 consecutive days. BlockBeats reported on July 17 that the Coinbase Bitcoin premium index stayed below zero for 60 straight days from June 19 through July 17. It is the first time

SBI Holdings Acquires Coinhako Parent Holdbuild to Expand in Southeast Asia

Japan's SBI Holdings has acquired Holdbuild, the parent company of Singapore cryptocurrency exchange Coinhako. Wu Blockchain and other outlets reported on July 17 that SBI Holdings received approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore on July 16

Chey Says SK Hynix Shares Will Trend Up Over Time as Memory Demand Endures

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said on July 17 that SK Hynix Inc. shares will trend higher over time because demand for memory chips will continue. Speaking at an artificial intelligence discussion during the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry's

Across Says Solana Hack Did Not Affect User Funds

Across, the cross-chain bridge protocol, said it was hit by a hacking attack. Odaily reported on July 17 that the attack occurred on the Solana network. Across said all cross-chain transactions initiated before the breach were completed normally and