JOON HYOUNG LEE

UK House of Lords launches stablecoin inquiry as regulatory push gathers pace

The UK House of Lords has launched an inquiry into stablecoin regulation. The House of Lords Financial Services Regulation Committee said on the 29th (local time) that it will conduct an inquiry into the growth of stablecoins in the UK and potential

Hong Kong-listed OSL raises $200 million… “Expanding stablecoin business”

Hong Kong-listed OSL Group has raised $200 million in new funding to expand its stablecoin business. OSL Group said on the 29th (local time) that it will raise $200 million through a share issuance. The company explained that “this fundraising is int

Trump family’s USD1 tops US$5bn in market cap…enters top five stablecoins

World Liberty Financial (WLFI)’s dollar stablecoin USD1 has surpassed US$5 billion in market capitalization. According to CoinMarketCap on the 29th (local time), USD1’s market cap stood at US$5.02 billion, up 1.22% from the previous day as of that da

Japan’s Metaplanet to pursue additional Bitcoin purchases…up to $130 million

Metaplanet, dubbed “Japan’s Strategy,” is pursuing additional purchases of Bitcoin (BTC) worth up to $130 million. Metaplanet said on the 29th (local time) that it held a board meeting and approved a plan to issue common shares and stock acquisition

JPMorgan: Dollar weakness to benefit gold and emerging markets more than Bitcoin

An analysis suggests that Bitcoin (BTC) is unlikely to be a direct beneficiary of a weaker U.S. dollar. According to CoinDesk on the 29th (local time), global investment bank (IB) JPMorgan said in an investment memo that “it is important to note that

Bybit to launch fiat accounts… “Also considering U.S. expansion”

Global cryptocurrency exchange Bybit is set to launch a fiat-based account service as early as next month. Ben Zhou, Bybit’s chief executive officer (CEO), said in an interview with Bloomberg released on the 29th (local time) that the company will ro

Gold breaks above $5,500 an ounce in relentless surge…up 10% this week alone

International gold prices have topped $5,500 per ounce for the first time on record. According to Reuters on the 29th (local time), spot gold rose as high as $5,594.82 intraday. This is the first time gold has climbed above $5,500 an ounce. Reuters s

Sygnum Bitcoin fund posts 9% Q4 return… “Rising institutional demand”

A Bitcoin (BTC) fund managed by Swiss-based crypto bank Sygnum delivered a return of about 9% in the fourth quarter of last year. According to Cointelegraph on the 29th (local time), Sygnum said its “Starboard Sygnum BTC Alpha Fund” recorded an 8.9%

XRP whale wallets rise for the first time in four months… U.S. ETFs also on track

The number of wallets holding at least 1 million XRP has turned higher for the first time in four months. On-chain analytics firm Santiment said via its official X account that “the number of wallets holding at least 1 million XRP has shifted back to

Crypto operators to be screened for controlling shareholders' criminal records… Amendments to the Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information passed

Going forward, when virtual asset service providers file for registration, screening will also cover the criminal records of controlling shareholders. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said on the 29th that an amendment to the "Act on Reporting

UAE-approved ‘dollar stablecoin’ issued…value pegged to reserves at state-owned banks

A dollar stablecoin approved by authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been launched. According to The Block on the 29th (local time), Universal Digital International (UDI) announced that it had issued ‘USDU,’ the first dollar stablecoin a

Fitch: "No U.S. credit rating downgrade in the next 1–2 years"

International credit rating agency Fitch said it does not expect to cut the United States’ credit rating over the next 1–2 years. According to Bloomberg on the 28th (local time), James Longsdon, Fitch’s global head of sovereign ratings, said of the U

Yi He, Binance CEO: “Even amid FOMO for gold and silver… the ‘Bitcoin era’ will ultimately arrive”

Yi He, co-CEO of Binance, said on the 28th (local time) that “despite FOMO (fear of missing out) for gold and silver, the era of Bitcoin (BTC) will come.” In a post on X on the day, Yi said, “At a historic turning point like this, it’s not strange to

Fidelity to launch stablecoin in early next month…to be issued by its banking subsidiary

U.S. asset manager Fidelity will launch a dollar-backed stablecoin next month. According to CoinDesk on the 28th (local time), Fidelity announced that it will launch the dollar stablecoin “FIDD” in early next month. FIDD will be issued by Fidelity’s

Gold extends blistering rally, breaks above $5,300…sets fresh record high

International gold prices broke above $5,300 per ounce for the first time on record. According to Reuters on the 28th (local time), spot gold briefly touched $5,311.31 intraday, setting a new all-time high. Gold has gained more than 20% so far this y

WisdomTree to issue tokenized funds on Solana… “multi-chain strategy”

U.S. asset manager WisdomTree will issue tokenized funds on Solana (SOL). According to overseas media outlets including CoinDesk on the 28th (local time), WisdomTree announced that it would issue all of its tokenized funds on Solana. CoinDesk reporte

21Shares: “XRP’s 2026 target is $2.45…$2.69 in a bullish case”

U.S. asset manager 21Shares has set a $2.45 target price for XRP this year. According to the industry on the 28th (local time), 21Shares recently set a $2.45 target for XRP this year in its report titled “XRP Outlook for 2026.” In a bullish scenario,

ECB official: Geopolitical tensions are increasing the need for a ‘digital euro’

Piero Cipollone, a member of the European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board, said that geopolitical tensions are heightening the need to introduce a central bank digital currency (CBDC). According to the ECB on the 28th, Cipollone said in a recent i

"Buys 1–2 tonnes every week"…Tether made $5bn from the gold rally

Tether, the issuer of the dollar-pegged stablecoin USDT, has generated profits of $5 billion (about 7.2 trillion won) over the past four months from gold it has stockpiled as part of its reserves. According to the Financial Times (FT) on 28 (local ti

[Analysis] "Bitcoin’s 'Supply in Loss' Share Rises…A Signal of Entry Into a Bear Market"

Bitcoin’s (BTC) 'Supply in Loss' has recently turned back to an upward trend. Woominkyu, a CryptoQuant contributor, said via CryptoQuant on the 28th (local time) that "Bitcoin’s supply in loss has shifted back to an uptrend," calling it "a signal tha

Bitget to establish EU headquarters in Vienna… "MiCA approval expected in Q2"

Global cryptocurrency exchange Bitget is setting up its European headquarters in Austria. Bitget expects to obtain the European Union (EU) Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license around the second quarter of this year. Oliver Stauber, newly appointed

BitMine stakes an additional 62,000 Ether, bringing total close to 2.33 million

BitMine, the world’s largest corporate holder of Ethereum (ETH), has staked an additional roughly 62,000 Ether. According to Onchain Lens on the 28th (local time), BitMine staked an additional 62,304 Ether that day, worth $186 million at current pric

Amid the precious-metals rally… Coinbase launches copper and platinum futures

U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase will support trading in copper and platinum futures. On the 27th (local time), Coinbase said via its official X account that it would launch copper and platinum futures products. Coinbase said, “With less initial

OKX launches card in the EU…supports stablecoin payments

Cryptocurrency exchange OKX has launched a card in the European Union (EU) that supports stablecoin payments. According to Cointelegraph on the 28th (local time), OKX on the day launched the “OKX Card” in the EU through its electronic money instituti

Vitalik: “$70,000 profit on Polymarket last year… I bet against ‘overheating’”

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), is reported to have generated about $70,000 in profit last year on Polymarket, a global decentralized prediction market. In an interview with Chinese crypto outlet Foresight News published on the 28th (l

Controversy over STO OTC exchange grows… regulator again postpones preliminary approval

South Korea’s financial regulator is reported to have once again postponed its decision on granting preliminary approval for a tokenized securities (STO) over-the-counter (OTC) exchange, a move seen as reflecting heightened controversy over the selec

[Analysis] "Stablecoin liquidity shrinks…crypto buying weakens"

An analysis suggests that shrinking liquidity in stablecoins such as Circle’s USDC is weakening buying demand in the crypto market. Crypto analytics firm Matrixport said on the 28th (local time) via its official X account that “the U.S. GENIUS Act is

Coinbase ads blocked in the UK… “Downplaying cryptocurrency risks”

The UK has banned domestic advertising by Coinbase, a US cryptocurrency exchange. According to The Guardian on the 28th, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recently ordered Coinbase to stop running its ads. Coinbase had been running a ser

[Blooming Lunch] Yoon He-jun: "From McKinsey to crypto… I was drawn to the technology and the people"

### **Yoon He-jun, Institutional Lead at Plasma** ### **Former McKinsey consultant** ### **Began with attending an Ethereum conference** ### **Switched careers to the blockchain industry** ### **"We will build better financial infrastructure"** ![Yoo

‘Record weekly net outflows’ for an XRP ETF… “Selling pressure has intensified”

A U.S. spot XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) posted weekly net outflows for the first time since its launch. Sentiment toward XRP has also cooled in the derivatives market. Some observers say the price could trade sideways around $2 for the time being.