JOON HYOUNG LEE

Coinbase CEO Armstrong Says Bitcoin May Be Near a Bull Market

Coinbase Chief Executive Officer Brian Armstrong said the cryptocurrency market may be on the verge of a new upswing. Armstrong told CNBC on Aug. 20 that “there’s a very good chance we’re standing at the threshold of the next bull market.” He identif

Hanwha Asset Management in Talks With Ripple, Canary Capital on Digital-Asset Partnership

Hanwha Asset Management is setting up a cooperation framework with Ripple, the issuer of XRP, and U.S. asset manager Canary Capital as it pushes further into the cryptocurrency market. Industry officials said on Aug. 20 that Hanwha Asset Management h

ICE Weighs Additional Investment in Polymarket at Valuation Above $20 Billion

Intercontinental Exchange Inc., the parent of the New York Stock Exchange, is considering an additional investment in global prediction-market platform Polymarket. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Sprecher told Bloomberg TV on Aug. 20 that ICE would be o

CFTC Chair Says Agency Will Draft Crypto Rules With or Without Clarity Act

Michael Selig, chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, said the agency will develop a regulatory framework for the crypto industry whether or not Congress passes the market structure bill known as the Clarity Act. Odaily and other ou

Optimism Reallocates 546.9 Million OP Tokens to Foundation Fund, Equal to 12.7% of Supply

Optimism will reallocate $50 million worth of OP tokens previously reserved for user airdrops to an ecosystem fund managed by the foundation. CoinDesk reported on Aug. 20 that Optimism governance approved a proposal to redesignate 546.9 million token

US Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 206,000, Below Forecast

U.S. initial jobless claims came in slightly below market expectations last week. The Labor Department said on August 20 that initial jobless claims totaled 206,000 last week. That was 4,000 below economists' forecast of 210,000 and down 6,000 from t

Saudi State-Owned Gulf International Bank Holds 19,842 Strategy Shares Worth $2.3 Million

Gulf International Bank, a Saudi state-owned lender, holds a stake in Strategy valued at about $2.3 million. BitcoinTreasuries.net data as of Aug. 20 showed the bank owned 19,842 shares of Strategy, worth about $2.27 million at the current share pric

Bitcoin Tops $72,000; Ether Surges Past $2,300

Bitcoin traded above $72,000, while Ether climbed past $2,300. According to CoinMarketCap, Bitcoin was trading at $72,132.7 as of 5:38 p.m. on August 20 in South Korea, up 11.89% from a day earlier. It was up 13.81% from a week earlier. Ether traded

OKX Restricts Claude Access for Hong Kong Staff After Account Suspension

Global cryptocurrency exchange OKX has restricted access to Claude for employees based in Hong Kong and those traveling in China, Bloomberg reported on August 20. Earlier this month, OKX stopped providing the service to employees in Hong Kong shortly

X Weighs Paying Creators in Stablecoins, Including Circle’s USDC

Elon Musk’s social media platform X is weighing a plan to pay creators and other content providers on the platform in stablecoins. CoinDesk reported on August 20, citing people familiar with the matter, that X is internally reviewing a proposal to di

Pump.fun Foundation Holds Nearly $2 Billion in Reserves, No Solana

Pump.fun’s foundation holds reserve assets of nearly $2 billion, according to Wu Blockchain. Pump.fun co-founder Noah Tweedale said in a recent interview that the Pump Foundation has about $2 billion in reserves, Wu Blockchain reported on August 20.

BSC Meme Coin Niu Lai Tops $50 Million in Market Value, Hits Record High

BNB Smart Chain-based meme coin Niu Lai's market capitalization climbed to a record high. Odaily and other outlets reported that Niu Lai surged more than 25% from a day earlier on Aug. 20. The rally pushed its market value above $50 million, an all-t

Gold Tops $4,500 an Ounce as XAUT Futures Volume Surges

Gold prices strengthened further, lifting trading volume in crypto derivatives tied to the metal. BlockBeats reported on August 20 that gold rose above $4,500 an ounce. The metal was up more than 3% on the day. Trading in gold-linked crypto derivativ

Bitcoin Tops $71,000, Extending Rally

Bitcoin rose above $71,000. As of 5:35 p.m. in South Korea on August 20, Bitcoin traded at $71,264.95, up 10.81% from a day earlier, according to CoinMarketCap. It was up 11.84% from a week earlier. Ether traded in the $2,200 range, up more than 18%

BitGo Expands in South Korea With First VASP Approval for a Foreign Crypto Firm

Global custody firm BitGo has obtained a virtual asset service provider, or VASP, license in South Korea. BitGo said on Aug. 20 that the Financial Intelligence Unit under the Financial Services Commission accepted the VASP registration of its local u

Strategy’s Unrealized Bitcoin Loss Narrows to $4.77 Billion

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder, saw its unrealized loss shrink sharply as Bitcoin surged. BlockBeats reported on Aug. 20 that Strategy’s unrealized loss on its Bitcoin investment stood at about $4.77 billion as of that day. Th

Crypto Fear and Greed Index Jumps to ‘Greed’ as Bitcoin Surges

The cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index moved into “greed” territory as Bitcoin (BTC) surged. Crypto analytics firm Alternative said Aug. 20 that the index stood at 62, up 16 points from 46 a day earlier. With the gauge in the 60s, investor sentiment

Bitcoin Surge Lifts Spot ETF Inflows to Three-Month High of $517.2 Million

US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds posted their largest daily net inflow in about three months. Crypto data provider SoSoValue said on Aug. 20 that spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of $517.2 million a day earlier. The funds have now logged n

Bitcoin Reclaims $66,000 as US Treasury Expands Bond Buybacks

Bitcoin rose back above $66,000 after the US Treasury announced a bigger bond buyback program. CoinMarketCap data on Aug. 20 showed Bitcoin trading at $66,366.76 as of 12:06 a.m. Korea time, up about 2.51% from a day earlier. The token has gained 4.6

Grayscale Files Amended SEC Registration for Zcash ETF With Ticker ZCSH

Crypto asset manager Grayscale is moving ahead with plans to launch a Zcash-based exchange-traded product in the US. Odaily reported on Aug. 19 that Grayscale recently filed an amended S-3 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Co

American Bankers Association Backs Clarity Act, Seeks Tighter Curbs on Stablecoin Rewards

The American Bankers Association has backed the Clarity Act, legislation aimed at establishing a regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency market. BlockBeats and other outlets reported on August 19 that ABA President and Chief Executive Officer Rob

US Treasury to at Least Double Bond Buybacks, Adding to Bitcoin Momentum

The U.S. Treasury is set to sharply increase its bond buybacks, a move that could bolster risk assets including Bitcoin. Bloomberg reported on Aug. 19 that the Treasury said in a statement it would expand buybacks by at least twofold to support liqui

SEC Proposes Easing Crypto Issuers’ Fundraising Rules, With Annual Cap of $75 Million

The US Securities and Exchange Commission is proposing to ease fundraising rules for cryptocurrency issuers. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce outlined the proposal in a statement on Aug. 18. At its core, the plan would create separate fundraising pathw

Strategy Eyes Bigger Bitcoin-Backed Credit Business, With Annual Issuance of Up to $10.8 Billion

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder, is positioning "digital credit" — fundraising backed by its Bitcoin holdings — as a new growth driver. Odaily reported on August 19 that Strategy said in an investor presentation released that d

China Expands e-CNY Operator Banks to 30, Tripling Total This Year

China has sharply expanded the number of banks participating in its central bank digital currency, the e-CNY. Eight Chinese banks, including Bank of Shanghai and Bank of Hangzhou, joined the e-CNY operator network this week, CoinDesk reported on Augu

Cantor Fitzgerald to Offer Kalshi Event Contracts to About 3,000 Institutional Clients

Cantor Fitzgerald will offer institutional clients access to event contracts on prediction-market platform Kalshi. The Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 19 that the U.S. investment bank recently decided to support trading in Kalshi event contracts

Ripple Raises $275 Million to Expand U.S. Institutional Finance Business

Ripple has raised $275 million to expand its U.S. financial services business for institutional clients. Cointelegraph reported on August 19 that Ripple completed a private placement of senior unsecured notes on August 18 through Ripple Prime, its pr

Nexo Launches Crypto-Backed Lending Service in Australia

Nexo, a cryptocurrency lending platform, has launched a crypto-backed lending service in Australia. Cointelegraph reported on August 19 that Nexo rolled out the service on August 18 after obtaining credit representative status under Australia’s Natio

Ripple CEO Says He Has Taken a More Neutral View on IPO, With No Decision Yet

Ripple Chief Executive Officer Brad Garlinghouse said he has become more neutral on the prospect of an initial public offering. Garlinghouse told Cointelegraph on Aug. 19 that his view on an IPO had shifted to a more neutral stance. He said Ripple ha

AWS Launches AI Agent Payment Service With USDC Support

Amazon Web Services has launched a service that allows artificial intelligence agents to make payments autonomously. AWS announced on August 19 the release of Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Payments, an autonomous payment service for AI agents. The company