JOON HYOUNG LEE

Trump family’s World Liberty to hold forum next month…CFTC, Goldman Sachs and others to attend

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the crypto project backed by the family of U.S. President Donald Trump, will hold its first in-house forum next month. World Liberty Financial said on the 21st (local time) it will host the “World Liberty Forum” on the

Ripple President: "Accelerating institutional access to crypto…institutionalization to gain full momentum this year"

Ripple, issuer of XRP, said it expects the institutionalization of cryptocurrencies to accelerate in earnest this year. Monica Long, president of Ripple, said on X (formerly Twitter) on the 20th (local time) that "2025 was the most exciting year in t

"We’re distributing coins to shareholders"… Trump Media to conduct a large-scale airdrop on the 2nd of next month

Trump Media and Technology Group, a Nasdaq-listed U.S. company, will distribute its own cryptocurrency to shareholders in early next month. On the 20th (local time), Trump Media said it had finalized the shareholder airdrop date for the 2nd of next m

[Analysis] "Rising demand for Bitcoin put options…short-term pullback possible"

Demand for Bitcoin (BTC) put options has recently been rising, data show. Crypto analytics firm Matrixport said on the 21st (local time) on X that "in the Bitcoin options market, demand for puts is clearly increasing relative to calls," adding that "

Trump crypto adviser urges passage of the Clarity Act, says "compromise inevitable"

A crypto policy adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the passage of the cryptocurrency market structure bill, known as the Clarity Act. Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House Digital Assets Advisory Council, said on X on the

Ruling party tightens grip on Digital Assets Basic Act… “Bank-centric approach will stifle innovation”

Democratic Party Digital Assets TF forum A string of criticisms of the FSC’s government bill Ruling party: stance that regulators’ policy is “unacceptable” Ahn Do-geol: “The door should be opened to non-banks as well” Industry pushes back: “We’ll be

Han Min-soo: “Delay in bringing stablecoins into the regulatory framework… we need to build a legal foundation”

Han Min-soo, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 16th that “it is time for the National Assembly to establish an institutional foundation for digital assets.” Rep. Han made the remarks while attending a forum titled “A turning po

Ahn Do-geol: “Digital Asset Framework Act can’t be delayed any longer… bank-centric approach stifles innovation”

Ahn Do-geol, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 16th that “bank-centered issuance of stablecoins will hinder innovation.” Speaking at the forum “A Turning Point in Innovation Opened by the Institutionalization of Digital Assets,

U.S. Senate halts consideration of the Clarity Act… "Future timetable unclear"

The U.S. Senate has temporarily suspended deliberations on the cryptocurrency market structure bill (the Clarity Act). According to Politico, a U.S. political news outlet, on the 15th (local time), Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott withdrew

Société Générale launches tokenized bond service in collaboration with SWIFT

French investment bank (IB) Société Générale will launch a tokenized bond trading service in collaboration with the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). According to CoinDesk on the 15th (local time), Société Générale

Ripple partners with UK’s LMAX, to invest $150 million

Ripple, the issuer of XRP, will invest $150 million (about 220 billion won) in UK crypto financial firm LMAX Group. According to The Block on the 15th (local time), Ripple announced that it had signed a strategic partnership with LMAX that day. Under

CME Group expands crypto derivatives, adding Cardano and Chainlink

CME Group, the operator of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in the U.S., will launch new cryptocurrency derivatives tied to Cardano (ADA) and Chainlink (LINK). On the 15th (local time), CME Group said it will roll out three crypto-derivatives products

Bitmine invests $200 million in Beast Industries, the company run by the world’s No. 1 YouTuber

Bitmine, the world’s largest Ethereum (ETH) treasury company, has made a major investment in Beast Industries, a company founded by MrBeast, the world’s top YouTuber. Bitmine said on the 15th (local time) that it will invest $200 million (about 300 b

US initial jobless claims fall to 198,000, far below expectations

US initial jobless claims last week came in well below market expectations. The US Department of Labor said on the 15th (local time) that initial jobless claims totaled 198,000 last week. That was 17,000 below the consensus forecast of 215,000. It wa

BNB Chain completes 34th regular burn…worth $1.28 billion

BNB Chain has burned Binance Coin (BNB) worth $1.28 billion (about KRW 1.9 trillion). The BNB Foundation said on the 15th (local time) that it has successfully completed its 34th quarterly regular burn of BNB tokens. It is the first regular burn carr

"G20 members may also build bitcoin reserves this year… Japan, Germany among the likely candidates"

Speculation has emerged that at least three Group of 20 (G20) countries could move this year to build state-level reserves of bitcoin (BTC). According to Cointelegraph on the 15th (local time), Swiss-based crypto bank Sygnum said in a report released

Bank of America CEO: “Stablecoins could siphon off up to $6 trillion from banks”

Bank of America (BofA) said stablecoins could absorb bank deposits totaling as much as $6 trillion (about 8800 trillion won). According to The Block on the 15th (local time), Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, said on a conference call the previ

Buterin, Altman to Attend BitMine Shareholders’ Meeting… “Capital Increase Proposal Is Key”

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), are reported to be attending the shareholders’ meeting of BitMine, the world’s largest Ethereum treasury company. According to DL News on the 15th (local time), Altman and

Robinhood CEO backs US CLARITY Act…diverging from Coinbase

Vlad Tenev, CEO of Robinhood, voiced support for the US crypto market structure bill known as the CLARITY Act. In a post on X, Tenev said on the 15th (local time) that “it’s time for the US to show leadership in crypto policy,” adding that he “suppor

London Stock Exchange Rolls Out Blockchain…“To Support On-Chain Settlement”

London Stock Exchange (LSEG) will adopt blockchain technology to support on-chain settlement. The London Stock Exchange said on the 15th (local time) that it will launch a new digital settlement service, “LSEG DiSH.” The exchange said, “LSEG DiSH is

Ripple President: “US bank charter application under review…license momentum to continue”

Ripple, the issuer of XRP, is reportedly undergoing a review process for approval to establish a new bank in the United States. Monica Long, Ripple’s president, said on X (formerly Twitter) on the 14th (local time), “Over the past year, Ripple has se

Ripple CEO: "Participating in discussions on the U.S. Clarity Act…key issues will be resolved soon"

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, is reportedly participating in discussions on the U.S. cryptocurrency market structure bill known as the Clarity Act. On the 15th (local time), Garlinghouse said on X that he is "currently at the table" for talks on

Crypto Fear & Greed Index surges, flips to ‘Greed’ for first time in three months

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has entered the ‘Greed’ zone for the first time in about three months. According to Alternative, a crypto analytics firm, the index stood at 61 as of the day, moving into the Greed range. That is up 13 points from the pr

[Analysis] "Sharp drop in Bitcoin OG activity…a sign of easing sell pressure"

On-chain activity by early Bitcoin (BTC) investors has recently fallen sharply. Darkfost, a CryptoQuant contributor, said via CryptoQuant on the 15th (local time) that "in this cycle, the size of Bitcoin OGs’ 'Unspent Transaction Outputs (UTXO)' far

Bank of England considers bringing stablecoins under depositor-style protection…to set rules within the year

The Bank of England (BOE) has begun reviewing whether to treat stablecoins like deposits covered by protection schemes. According to Bloomberg on the 15th (local time), Dave Ramsden, the BOE’s deputy governor for markets and banking, said in a speech

U.S. Treasury Secretary: ‘Won’s weakness not consistent with South Korea’s strong fundamentals’

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the South Korean won’s recent sharp depreciation is not in line with the fundamentals of the Korean economy. In a post on X on the 14th (local time), Bessent said he met with Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-ch

Mantra, hit by 'crash' episode, pushes restructuring… "Prolonged market slump"

Mantra (OM), which suffered a token crash last year, is moving ahead with restructuring. John Patrick Mullin, Mantra’s chief executive officer (CEO), said on X on the 14th (local time) that he had decided to restructure the company after “the toughes

Draft US Clarity Act released… concerns it will “significantly expand” government surveillance powers

Concerns have emerged that the Crypto Market Structure Act (the Clarity Act), recently released by the US Senate, would significantly expand regulators’ surveillance authority. According to The Block on the 14th (local time), crypto market research f

Bitwise’s ‘Chainlink ETF’ to list on NYSE Arca

Bitwise’s spot Chainlink (LINK) exchange-traded fund (ETF) will debut on the 14th (local time). According to The Block, Bitwise’s Chainlink ETF, “CLNK,” will list on NYSE Arca that day. Matt Hougan, Bitwise’s chief investment officer (CIO), said, “Ch

U.S. November producer prices rise 0.2% m/m, below estimates

U.S. wholesale prices in November last year came in below market expectations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics under the U.S. Department of Labor said on the 14th (local time) that the U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) rose 0.2% month on month in Novemb