JOON HYOUNG LEE

US Initial Jobless Claims at 210,000…Slightly Below Forecast

Last week’s US initial jobless claims came in below market expectations. The US Department of Labor said on the 26th (local time) that initial jobless claims totaled 210,000 last week. That was 1,000 below economists’ forecast of 211,000. It was also

US government-sponsored mortgage agency Fannie Mae to introduce 'crypto-collateralized loans'

Fannie Mae, one of the two US government-sponsored mortgage guarantors, is moving to allow crypto-backed loans. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 26th (local time) that Fannie Mae is set to introduce, for the first time, mortgages secured

Bitwise: "Circle is an attractive investment…market cap seen at '$75bn' by 2030"

Global asset manager Bitwise said it expects the market capitalization of Circle, issuer of the U.S. dollar stablecoin USDC, to grow to $75 billion by 2030. Matt Hougan, Bitwise’s chief investment officer (CIO), wrote in a “Weekly CIO Memo” on the 25

"Pentagon weighs 'final blow' against Iran…possible deployment of ground troops"

The Pentagon is reportedly considering large-scale military operations against Iran, including the deployment of ground forces. Axios, a U.S. political news outlet, reported on 26 (local time), citing U.S. government officials, that “the Pentagon is

FSS chief: 'Confirmed shortcomings in Bithumb’s internal controls… reviewing possible sanctions'

Lee Chan-jin, Governor of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), said on the 26th, “Through an inspection, we have confirmed all issues related to shortcomings in Bithumb’s internal controls.” Speaking at a monthly press briefing held at the FSS he

[Analysis] "Declining inflows of short-term investors into Binance… Bitcoin fear eases"

Bitcoin (BTC) sent by short-term holders (STH) to global cryptocurrency exchanges has recently been on the decline, data showed. Darkfost, a CryptoQuant contributor, wrote on the 26th (local time) via CryptoQuant that "when Bitcoin fell to $60,000, f

TRON develops 'AI detective'… "Will cooperate with US and Chinese law enforcement"

TRON (TRX) has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) detective to apprehend criminal suspects. Justin Sun, the founder of TRON, said on X on the 26th (local time) that he had "independently developed an AI detective system that systematically pro

X hires crypto expert… “Possible link to soon-to-launch ‘X Money’”

X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has recently hired a cryptocurrency expert. According to CoinDesk on the 25th (local time), X recently hired Benji Taylor, former chief product officer (CPO) at Aave Labs, as its head of

XRP Ledger fee spike… Ripple CTO: "For system stability"

Ripple has recently said the surge in fees on its blockchain, the XRP Ledger (XRP Ledger), is intended "for system stability." David Schwartz, Ripple’s chief technology officer (CTO), said on X that "there are two interesting things about the fee spi

[Analysis] "Bitcoin spot-demand recovery remains sluggish… a gap if Strategy slows purchases"

An analysis suggests that the recovery in spot demand for Bitcoin (BTC) from digital-asset treasury (DAT) companies and others remains slow. A CryptoQuant contributor from XWIN Research Japan said via CryptoQuant on the 25th (local time) that “Bitcoi

"Coinbase voices concerns in the US Senate over Clarity Act ban on paying interest"

US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is reported to have effectively expressed opposition to a compromise version of the crypto market structure bill (the Clarity Act) that would ban interest payments on stablecoins. According to Cointelegraph on the

UK government bans crypto donations to political parties; violations subject to criminal penalties

The UK has moved to ban cryptocurrency donations to its political establishment. According to CoinDesk on the 25th (local time), the UK government announced that it would prohibit cryptocurrency donations to domestic political parties. The ban applie

Many crypto figures included on US science and technology advisory panel… a16z, Coinbase and others

A number of figures from the cryptocurrency industry are reportedly included in the science and technology advisory panel (PCAST) recently formed by the US government. Eleanor Terrett, host of Crypto in America, said on X (formerly Twitter) on the 25

Iran effectively rejects 'US talks'…sets out five ceasefire conditions

On the 25th (local time), the Iranian government said it "will not tolerate US President Donald Trump deciding the timing of a ceasefire." It also presented five conditions for a ceasefire. Iran’s state broadcaster Press TV reported this, citing a se

Binance releases 'market maker guidelines'…mandatory disclosure of operator information

A global cryptocurrency exchange has made disclosure of information on market makers (MMs) on its platform mandatory. Binance said on its official website on the 25th (local time) that “projects must promptly report market makers’ details, the legal

Monument to pursue UK’s first ‘deposit tokenisation’…£250 million scale

UK’s Monument Bank is pursuing a plan to tokenise deposits worth £250 million. According to CoinDesk on the 25th (local time), Monument Bank said it would tokenise £250 million of retail customer deposits on Midnight (NIGHT) that day. CoinDesk report

Iran’s Foreign Ministry: "We have not held any discussions with the U.S… U.S. diplomacy cannot be trusted"

The Iranian government has said it has "not held any discussions" regarding ceasefire talks with the United States. According to Iran’s state-run Fars News Agency on the 25th (local time), Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said that

Bitmine Launches In-House Staking Platform, "Designed for Institutional Investors"

Bitmine, the world’s largest Ethereum (ETH) treasury company, has launched its own Ethereum staking platform. On the 25th (local time), Bitmine announced the launch of its institutional-grade Ethereum staking platform, “MAVAN.” The company said, “MAV

On US proposal… Fars News: “Iran rejects ceasefire”

Iran is said to have rejected a US ceasefire proposal. According to Walter Bloomberg on the 25th (local time), Iran’s state-run Fars News reported that Iran rejected the US ceasefire proposal that day. Fars News said Iran conveyed its position that i

Bitpanda launches 'Vision Chain'…"An 'EU MiCA'-compliant blockchain"

Austria-based cryptocurrency exchange Bitpanda has launched a blockchain to target the European Union (EU) tokenized-asset market. According to CoinDesk on the 25th (local time), Bitpanda announced that it would launch a new blockchain, 'Vision Chain

Binance: 'Oil price shock raises Bitcoin’s short-term volatility…institutions absorb the impact'

A surge in international oil prices driven by the Middle East conflict appears to have increased Bitcoin’s (BTC) short-term volatility. However, the analysis says institutional demand—such as through exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—absorbed part of the

Bhutan government transfers $37 million worth of Bitcoin… “Outflows intensify”

The Bhutanese government has carried out a large-scale transfer of Bitcoin (BTC) worth $37 million. According to Onchain Lens on the 25th (local time), about 520 Bitcoin were transferred on the day from a wallet linked to the Bhutanese government to

Bitcoin options worth '$14bn' set to expire soon…40% of total open interest

Bitcoin (BTC) options worth $14bn are nearing expiry, prompting calls for close monitoring of price volatility ahead of the settlement. According to CoinDesk on the 24th (local time), the notional value of Bitcoin options contracts on crypto derivati

NongHyup Federation to Step Up Response to ‘Won-Denominated Stablecoins’…Begins Formulating Strategy

The NongHyup Federation is accelerating efforts to formulate a stablecoin strategy. According to the industry on the 25th, the NongHyup Federation on the day posted a bid notice for a “strategic consulting service for responding to stablecoins for No

[Analysis] "Ethereum staking ratio hits an all-time high… higher likelihood of a 'supply shock'"

Ethereum’s (ETH) staking ratio has recently set a new all-time high, according to data, fueling analysis that the likelihood of an Ethereum “supply shock” is rising. An Arab Chain contributor to CryptoQuant wrote on the 24th (local time) via CryptoQu

Tether, Circle freeze funds at Iran exchange Wallex… worth $2.5 million

Dollar stablecoin issuers Tether (USDT) and Circle (USDC) simultaneously froze funds held by Iranian cryptocurrency exchange Wallex. According to BeInCrypto on the 24th (local time), Tether and Circle recently blacklisted Wallex’s Ethereum (ETH) hot

Pudgy Penguins launches Visa-based 'Pengu Card'… token jumps 5%

Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) has launched a credit card built on the global payments network Visa. In a post on its official X account, Pudgy Penguins said on the 24th (local time) that it had launched the "Visa network-based 'Pengu Card.'" The company add

Wintermute enters the 'crude oil derivatives' market… to support WTI CFD trading

Global crypto market maker (MM) Wintermute has entered the crude oil derivatives market. According to CoinDesk on the 24th (local time), Wintermute Asia on the day launched an over-the-counter (OTC) product for contracts for difference (CFD) linked t

Circle shares plunge, wiping out $4.6bn in market cap… “Stablecoins are not collapsing, they are transitioning”

Shares of Circle, the issuer of the dollar-pegged stablecoin USDC, plunged, erasing $4.6 billion in market capitalization. Analysts say, however, that stablecoin adoption will continue to accelerate. A CryptoQuant contributor at XWIN Research Japan s

Crypto firms hit by wave of layoffs…restructuring fears spread

A cold wind of restructuring is sweeping through the global cryptocurrency industry. The downturn in the crypto market has coincided with job losses driven by the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), and the combination is seen as a key factor.