JOON HYOUNG LEE

Trump: "Preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons is more important than rising oil prices"

U.S. President Donald Trump said preventing Iran’s nuclear development is more important than the rise in international oil prices. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on the 12th (local time), Trump wrote, "The United States is the w

Tether invests $5.2 million in Ark Labs, aiming to bring stablecoins to Bitcoin infrastructure

Tether (USDT), issuer of the dollar-pegged stablecoin, has made a strategic investment in Ark Labs, a Bitcoin (BTC) infrastructure developer. Tether said on the 12th (local time) it has decided on a $5.2 million strategic investment in Ark Labs. Ark

US court dismisses lawsuit accusing Binance of 'aiding terrorist financing'… "a key milestone"

A federal court in Alabama has dismissed a lawsuit filed against global cryptocurrency exchange Binance under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). Eleanor Hughes, legal counsel at Binance, said on X that "following the Southern District of New York, we have

Eightco raises $120 million…Tom Lee joins the board

Eightco Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed U.S. company that stockpiles cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum (ETH), has secured a new $125 million investment. Eightco said on the 12th (local time) that it has raised $125 million. The company is a digital asset t

'Trump family' World Liberty to enter AI agent payments market

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the crypto project backed by US President Donald Trump’s family, is set to enter the artificial intelligence (AI) agent payments market. Zak Folkman, co-founder and chief operating officer (COO) of World Liberty Financ

Iran’s Supreme Leader: “We won’t hesitate to retaliate… US bases will be our only targets”

Mojtaba Khamenei, elected as Iran’s new supreme leader, declared a “hardline” response toward the United States and Israel in his first message. According to Al Jazeera on the 12th (local time), in his first official statement aired on Iranian state

Fears of Iran-driven inflation… Goldman Sachs: “Fed to delay rate cuts to September”

Global investment bank (IB) Goldman Sachs has pushed back its forecast for when the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) will begin cutting interest rates, delaying it from June to September. According to Reuters on the 12th (local time), Goldman Sachs said in

BlackRock’s ‘Ethereum Staking ETF’…to list on Nasdaq today

Global asset manager BlackRock’s Ethereum (ETH) staking exchange-traded fund (ETF) is set to debut on U.S. markets. According to CoinDesk on the 12th (local time), BlackRock’s iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF (iShares Staked Ethereum Trust ETF·ETHB)

US initial jobless claims at 213,000, slightly below estimates

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week came in below market expectations. The US Department of Labor said on the 12th (local time) that initial jobless claims totaled 213,000 last week. That was 1,000 below econ

JPMorgan hit with class-action lawsuit in US over alleged role in $330 million crypto Ponzi scheme

Global investment bank JPMorgan is facing a class-action lawsuit over allegations that it aided and abetted a $330 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. According to Cointelegraph on the 11th (local time), US investors filed a class-action complaint o

‘Stretch’ buying frenzy… US advisory firm warns: “There’s no free lunch”

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin (BTC), is said to have bought as many as 7,000 bitcoins so far this week alone through its perpetual preferred shares, Stretch. Concerns are also being raised about the risks associated with S

New Zealand: “Stablecoins are not financial products… closer to a means of payment”

New Zealand authorities have said stablecoins pegged to the country’s currency do not qualify as financial products. The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) said on the 11th (local time) that the stablecoin “NZDD” is not a financial product under the F

Metaplanet to set up US subsidiary… “to launch Bitcoin financial products”

Metaplanet, dubbed “Japan’s Strategy,” is establishing a subsidiary in the United States. Through the new unit, Metaplanet plans to launch Bitcoin (BTC)-based financial products in the US. In a post on its official X account, Metaplanet said on the 1

Binance: “If the Iran war drags on, risk assets face mounting downside pressure… US midterms could be an opportunity”

Global cryptocurrency exchange Binance said that if the Iran war becomes prolonged, rising crude oil prices could intensify downside pressure on risk assets such as Bitcoin (BTC). Some also see the US midterm elections as a potential tailwind for ris

"It even surpassed Ethereum"…On-chain crude oil trading volume also surges amid Middle East conflict

On-chain crude oil trading volume is also surging as the Middle East conflict has fueled a rise in international oil prices, data showed. OKX Ventures, the venture arm of global cryptocurrency exchange OKX, said on X that “on Hyperliquid (HYPE), the

WLFI transfers 40 million tokens to Binance… “worth $4 million”

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the cryptocurrency project backed by US President Donald Trump’s family, has made a large transfer of its tokens to a centralized exchange (CEX). According to Onchain Lens on the 11th (local time), World Liberty Financ

‘Crypto’ added to voice-phishing restitution… expanded obligations for exchanges

The government will impose on virtual-asset exchanges voice-phishing victim-prevention obligations on par with those required of financial institutions. The scope of eligible victim assets will also be expanded to include virtual assets, widening the

a16z: "AI agent payment volume over the past month totals $1.6 million…infrastructure is growing"

Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of the world’s largest venture capital (VC) firms, said AI agent payment volumes are smaller than commonly reported. Noah Levine, a partner at a16z Crypto, said on X that “Bloomberg recently reported that AI agents gen

[Analysis] "Short-term whale cost basis at $85,000…key resistance level in a bull market"

The average purchase price of whales (large investors) who have taken short-term positions in Bitcoin (BTC) was found to be in the mid-$80,000 range. Burakkesmeci, a CryptoQuant contributor, said via CryptoQuant on the 12th (local time) that “the ave

[Analysis] "Bitcoin short-term liquidity gauge declines…potentially entering an undervalued zone"

An analysis suggests Bitcoin (BTC) may have entered an undervalued zone. Crypto Dan, a CryptoQuant contributor, said on the 11th (local time) via CryptoQuant that “one of the indicators frequently used to assess Bitcoin from a short-term liquidity pe

Strive invests $50 million in 'Stretch'…"a third of the firm's funds"

Strive, a Nasdaq-listed U.S. company, has invested $50 million in perpetual preferred shares issued by Strategy, the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin (BTC). Strategy said on the 11th (local time) that Strive purchased $50 million worth of

Anchorage Digital invests in Immunefi, seeks to buy IMU

Anchorage Digital, a U.S. crypto financial services firm, is investing in cybersecurity company Immunefi. According to The Block on the 11th (local time), Anchorage Digital said it would make a strategic investment in Immunefi. Anchorage Digital also

IEA agrees to release '400 million barrels' of strategic oil reserves… "largest in history"

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has agreed to release 400 million barrels of strategic oil reserves to respond to disruptions in crude supply stemming from the war in Iran. According to CNBC in the U.S. on the 11th (local time), the IEA said in

Trump: "No more targets to strike... Iran war will end soon"

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 11th (local time) that the war with Iran "will end soon." In a phone interview with U.S. online outlet Axios on the day, Trump said, "There are virtually no more targets left to strike" in Iran. He added, "Ther

Mastercard launches ‘crypto partner program’… Ripple, PayPal, Binance and others join

Global payments firm Mastercard is expanding its crypto business by teaming up with Ripple, the issuer of XRP, and global crypto exchange Binance, among others. According to CoinDesk on the 11th (local time), Mastercard said it has launched a crypto

Bank of England may revise stablecoin rules: "Willing to amend"

The Bank of England (BOE) has signaled the possibility of revisiting its stablecoin regulatory framework. According to Reuters on the 11th (local time), BOE Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden said there had been a lack of constructive discussion on stable

Wells Fargo to step up crypto push? "Blockchain trademark filed"

Wall Street investment bank (IB) Wells Fargo has filed trademarks related to cryptocurrencies and blockchain. According to Cointelegraph on the 11th (local time), Wells Fargo submitted paperwork to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) the pre

Binance sues WSJ over 'Iran sanctions' allegations, citing "false reporting"

Global cryptocurrency exchange Binance has filed a lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) over reports alleging that Iran used Binance as a conduit for funds to evade U.S. sanctions. In a post on its official X account, Binance said on the 11t

US February CPI up 2.4%…in line with market expectations

The increase in the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) in February came in line with market expectations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) under the US Department of Labor said on the 11th (local time) that last month’s CPI rose 2.4% year on year. The

CEX spot trading volume fell 11.5% last month…derivatives edged up slightly

Spot cryptocurrency trading volume at major centralized exchanges (CEXs) was found to have declined by more than 11% over the past month. According to Wu Blockchain on the 11th (local time), spot trading volume at major cryptocurrency exchanges last