JOON HYOUNG LEE

U.S. November retail sales rise 0.6% m/m, topping forecasts

U.S. retail sales rose 0.6% month on month in November last year, beating market expectations. The U.S. Department of Commerce said on the 14th (local time) that U.S. retail sales increased 0.6% from the previous month in November last year. The figu

Changpeng Zhao: “Even the US president won’t be able to predict the market over the next 3–4 months”

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), founder of Binance, said “even the US president won’t be able to predict the market’s direction over the next 3–4 months.” According to local media outlets such as BlockBeats and Odaily on the 14th (local time), Zhao made the rem

Delphi Digital: “DEXs evolving into a single infrastructure… set to threaten traditional finance”

Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) such as Hyperliquid (HYPE) are expected to begin posing a serious threat to traditional finance (TradFi) starting this year. Crypto market research firm Delphi Digital said in its 2026 outlook report released on the 14t

Japan’s Metaplanet shares surge… “If it rises another 5%, it could buy Bitcoin”

Shares of Metaplanet, Asia’s largest Bitcoin (BTC) treasury company, surged. According to CoinDesk on the 14th (local time), Metaplanet’s shares closed at ¥605 on the day, up about 15% from the previous session. CoinDesk said, “If the stock reaches ¥

As the NFT market rebounds… Animoca Brands acquires SOMO

Global blockchain company Animoca Brands has acquired non-fungible token (NFT) firm SOMO. Animoca Brands said on the 14th (local time) that it had "completed the acquisition of SOMO, a digital collectibles and gaming company." Animoca Brands explaine

Visa Expands Stablecoin Payments Service in Partnership With BVNK

Global payments company Visa is expanding its stablecoin payments service in collaboration with UK startup BVNK. According to CoinDesk on the 14th (local time), Visa announced it had signed a stablecoin partnership agreement with BVNK that day. Throu

Binance Wallet Launches ASTER-Based Perpetual Futures Trading

Binance Wallet now supports ASTER-based perpetual futures trading. In a statement on its official website, Binance Wallet said on the 14th (local time) that it has "newly introduced a perpetual futures trading feature," adding that "the feature is pr

Luxembourg gives Ripple preliminary approval for licence… “springboard for EU business”

Ripple, the issuer of XRP, has obtained a licence in Luxembourg to operate its cryptocurrency business. According to The Block on the 14th (local time), Ripple recently received preliminary approval from Luxembourg’s financial regulator, the Commissi

"Bring a license"…Google to remove 'unregistered' blockchain apps

Google will tighten its Play Store rules on blockchain-related content later this month. The move also raises the possibility that overseas crypto exchanges such as Binance could be removed from the Play Store in South Korea. According to industry so

Vitalik: “Ethereum has transitioned to proof of stake… a ‘decentralized renaissance’ is coming”

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum (ETH) (pictured), said on the 14th (local time) that “a ‘decentralized renaissance’ is coming.” In a post on X, Buterin said, “Decentralized applications in 2014 were toy-level, but now they’ve become sufficien

"Pakistan to pursue stablecoin rollout through partnership with Trump family’s WLFI"

Pakistan will work with World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a crypto project linked to the family of U.S. President Donald Trump, to introduce stablecoins. According to Reuters on the 14th (local time), Pakistan recently signed a partnership with World L

Ethereum’s rally accelerates…new wallet creations hit a record high

The number of newly created wallets on the Ethereum (ETH) network has surged to an all-time high. On the 14th (local time), on-chain analytics firm Santiment said via its official X account that “daily new Ethereum wallet creations hit a record high

"A startup nurtured for seven years is out"… controversy over fairness of FSC STO licensing

Huh Se-young, CEO of Lucentblock, press briefing STO OTC exchange bid headed for rejection Concerns raised over fairness of financial regulators’ licensing process "Pushed to the brink of shutdown by entrenched interests" "Nextrade stole our technolo

Speculation over 5% cap on corporates’ crypto holdings… regulator says “nothing has been finalized”

South Korea’s financial regulator pushed back against speculation that domestic corporations may be allowed to invest only up to 5% of their equity capital in cryptoassets. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said in an explanatory note on the 12

Binance’s Changpeng Zhao to publish memoir…as early as next month

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the founder of Binance, said he will publish a memoir as early as next month. Zhao said on the 8th (local time) that he is considering the Chinese edition title “Binance Life (币安人生)” and that the memoir will be released within 4–

US October trade balance posts $29.4bn deficit… lowest in 16 years

The US trade deficit in October last year fell to its lowest level in 16 years. The US Department of Commerce said on the 8th (local time) that the US trade balance in October last year posted a deficit of $29.4bn (about KRW 42.7trn). The deficit nar

US investment bank spotlights BitMine… "Shares attractive relative to potential"

US investment bank (IB) B. Riley has identified BitMine—the world’s largest Ethereum (ETH) treasury company—as a key digital asset treasury (DAT) case to watch this year. According to CoinDesk on the 8th (local time), B. Riley said in a report that d

BofA upgrades Coinbase to 'Buy'… "$340 price target"

Global investment bank (IB) Bank of America (BofA) has upgraded its rating on U.S. cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. According to Walter Bloomberg on the 8th (local time), Bank of America raised its rating on Coinbase to 'Buy' on the day. Bank of Ame

US initial jobless claims at 208,000, below forecasts

US initial jobless claims last week came in below market expectations. The US Department of Labor said on the 8th (local time) that initial claims totaled 208,000 last week, 5,000 below economists’ forecast of 213,000. That was up 8,000 from the prio

Florida to renew push for ‘crypto reserve’ bill… “investment cap removed”

The State of Florida is renewing its push to enact legislation to establish a cryptocurrency reserve. According to CoinDesk on the 8th (local time), U.S. Representative John Snyder introduced a bill (House Bill 1039) the previous day (the 7th) to cre

India: "Difficulty tracking cryptocurrency transactions… high tax-evasion risk"

Indian authorities have stated that cryptocurrencies carry a high risk of tax evasion. According to Cointelegraph on the 8th (local time), India’s Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said at a session of the Indian Parliament the previous day (the 7

BitMine buys $100 million worth of Ethereum so far this year… “$910 million in cash remaining”

BitMine, the world’s largest Ethereum (ETH) treasury company, has bought $100 million worth of Ethereum so far this year. According to on-chain analytics firm Arkham on the 8th (local time), BitMine purchased $105.3 million (about KRW 150 billion) wo

[Analysis] "Ethereum institutional demand weakens… limited upside for a break above $3,300"

An analysis suggests demand for Ethereum (ETH) is weakening, led by US institutional investors. A CryptoOnChain contributor to CryptoQuant said on the 8th (local time) via CryptoQuant that “Ethereum’s ‘Coinbase Premium Gap’ plunged and entered negati

After Gold and Silver… Binance Launches 'Traditional Finance Futures Contracts'

Global cryptocurrency exchange Binance on the 8th (local time) launched futures contracts on traditional finance (TradFi) assets. Binance said on its official website that it will support trading of TradFi-based perpetual futures contracts. The colla

U.S. XRP ETF sees first net outflow just two months after launch… token price also plunges 7%

U.S. spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for XRP recorded their first net outflow since launch. According to crypto data provider SoSoValue on the 8th (local time), XRP spot ETFs posted a net outflow of $40.80 million (about KRW 60 billion) the previou

[Analysis] "Bitcoin ETF inflows stabilizing…Institutional investors are returning"

An analysis suggests that institutional investors have recently resumed investing in Bitcoin (BTC). On-chain analytics firm Glassnode said in its weekly report on the 7th (local time) that “early signs are emerging that participation by institutional

[Market Wrap] Bitcoin slips below $90,000… Korea premium at 0.64%

Bitcoin (BTC) fell below $90,000. According to CoinMarketCap on the 8th, Bitcoin was trading at $89,771.45 as of 4:05 p.m., down 3.08% from the previous day. That marks a 2.65% increase from a week earlier. The Korea premium remained in the 0% range.

Zcash development group exits Bootstrap…"Will launch a new startup"

The Zcash (ZEC) development organization is leaving Bootstrap due to governance disputes. Josh Swihart, CEO of the Electric Coin Company (ECC), said on the 7th (local time) that "over the past few weeks it has become clear that most members of Bootst

[Analysis] "Declining XRP inflows to Binance…selling pressure easing"

XRP inflows to global crypto exchange Binance have been trending lower since mid-last month. In a CryptoQuant contribution, Arab Chain said on the 8th (local time), “XRP flow data into Binance shows that whales (large investors) account for about 60.

U.S. November job openings 7.146 million…below expectations

The number of job openings in the United States in November last year fell short of market expectations. On the 8th (local time), according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) released by the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of