JOON HYOUNG LEE

Goldman Sachs Says Kospi Could Break Above 7,200

Goldman Sachs said the Kospi could break above the 7,200 level. Walter Bloomberg reported on September 23 that Goldman Sachs sees the benchmark South Korean stock index rising above the 7,000-7,200 range in the near term. The bank cited improving buy

MoonPay to Acquire SEC-Registered North Capital in Deal Worth More Than $60 Million

U.S. crypto payments company MoonPay is set to acquire U.S. private-market investment platform North Capital as it expands its tokenization business. CoinDesk reported on September 23 that MoonPay had signed an all-stock acquisition agreement with No

B. Riley Raises Strategy Price Target to $195, Keeps Buy Rating

U.S. investment bank B. Riley raised its price target on Strategy, the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder. Odaily reported on September 23 that B. Riley maintained its buy rating on the company and lifted its price target to $195. Strategy shar

Galaxy Digital Buys $100 Million of Sky Stablecoin sUSDS to Deepen Partnership

Galaxy Digital, a U.S. cryptocurrency company, has made a large purchase of a stablecoin issued by Sky Protocol as it moves to expand its on-chain finance partnership with the project. The Block reported on September 23 that Galaxy Digital recently a

Crypto Market Cap Reclaims $3 Trillion After Eight Months as Leverage Warning Builds

Bitcoin's sharp rally has lifted the total cryptocurrency market capitalization back above $3 trillion for the first time in about eight months. Leverage in derivatives markets has also risen rapidly, prompting concern that short-term volatility coul

BitMEX Officially Ends Exchange Services After 12 Years, Leaves Withdrawals Only

Global cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX has officially ended its exchange services 12 years after launch. BitMEX announced on X on Sept. 23 that it was formally shutting down its exchange services. The platform halted trading, deposits and new position

Austria's Raiffeisen to Launch Crypto Trading Service for 18 Million Customers

Austria's Raiffeisen Bank International, or RBI, will launch a cryptocurrency investment service. Bloomberg reported on September 23 that Raiffeisen had partnered with Bitpanda to provide cryptocurrency trading services to customers in Europe. The se

Bitwise to Launch Lighter Staking ETP on Germany's Xetra

Global crypto asset manager Bitwise will launch a Lighter-based exchange-traded product in Germany. Trading in Bitwise's Lighter Staking ETP is set to begin on September 23 on Xetra, the electronic trading platform operated by Deutsche Boerse, accord

Calls Grow Within South Korea’s Democratic Party to Delay Crypto Tax; Park Min-kyu Warns of Confusion

Calls are growing within South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party to postpone taxation on virtual assets, or cryptocurrencies, scheduled to take effect in January 2027. Park Min-kyu, a Democratic Party lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Political Affai

Hyperliquid Open Interest Tops $18 Billion, Hits Record High

Open interest on global decentralized exchange Hyperliquid (HYPE) has climbed to a record high. BlockBeats and other outlets reported on Sept. 23 that open interest on Hyperliquid topped $18 billion that day. It marked the first time open interest on

Artcube 2R2 Concludes Tokyo Gendai 2026, Showcases Works by Choi Young Wook and Ha Taeim

Artcube 2R2, a gallery operated by blockchain-based art platform Art Token, said on Sept. 23 that it had successfully concluded its participation in Tokyo Gendai 2026, an international art fair recently held in Yokohama, Japan. A total of 69 gallerie

Hong Kong Pushes New Digital-Asset Licensing Regime, Targets Bill Passage as Early as This Year

Hong Kong is moving to introduce a new licensing regime for digital assets, with authorities aiming to pass the bill as early as this year. Duncan Chiu, a member of Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, made the remarks in a keynote speech on September 23

South Korea Ruling Party Backs Delay, Eventual Repeal of Crypto Tax as Rules Remain Unclear

South Korea’s ruling People Power Party is moving to delay taxation of virtual assets, arguing that pressing ahead with the government’s plan would cause confusion because the relevant systems are still inadequate. Jeong Jeom-sik, floor leader of the

PPP’s Lim Yi-ja Says Rushing Ill-Prepared Crypto Taxation Would Confuse Investors

Lim Yi-ja, policy committee chair of the People Power Party, said on September 21 that South Korea should not move too quickly to implement taxation on virtual assets, or cryptocurrencies, before the system is fully prepared. Speaking at a policy rou

PPP Floor Leader Chung Jomg-sik Calls for Review of Crypto Tax Timing, Citing Youth Burden

The People Power Party said South Korea should reconsider the timing of taxation on virtual assets, or cryptocurrencies. It warned that pressing ahead with the tax from next year would inevitably cause confusion because the taxation framework remains

Zcash Surges 200% in a Month, With Strong Odds of Further Gains

Zcash, a privacy coin, has surged more than 200% over the past month. The rally may have further room to run, driven by a shift in demand following the launch of an exchange-traded fund and rising expectations for the network’s next upgrade. CoinMark

SEC Chair Says US Is Preparing for 24-Hour Stock Trading to Attract Global Investors

The US Securities and Exchange Commission is pursuing an overhaul of market infrastructure to allow 24-hour trading in US stocks. At an SEC roundtable on September 18, Chair Paul Atkins said the agency is preparing for 24-hour trading in the US stock

Zcash Tops $1,400 for First Time, Hits Record High as Rally Continues

Zcash (ZEC) soared past $1,400. According to CoinMarketCap, Zcash was trading at $1,427.73 as of 11:58 p.m. Korea Standard Time on Sept. 17, up 14.62% from a day earlier. The token has jumped 21.28% from a week earlier. It is the first time Zcash has

SEC’s Peirce Says ‘Innovation Exemption’ Is for Tokenized Securities Trading, Not DeFi

Hester Peirce, a commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, said on Sept. 17 that the agency’s newly announced “innovation exemption” does not apply to decentralized finance, or DeFi. BlockBeats and other outlets reported on Sept. 1

Ethereum Completes Successful Rehearsal for ‘Glamsterdam’ Upgrade, Weighs Oct. 6 Sepolia Testnet Deployment

Ethereum has successfully completed a key test for its next major network overhaul, the "Glamsterdam" upgrade. CoinDesk reported on Sept. 17 that the Glamsterdam test network continued producing blocks normally after recently adopting new block-produ

Robinhood CEO Says Tokenization Is Coming to US Market as SEC Eases Rules

Robinhood Chief Executive Officer Vlad Tenev welcomed the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s move to ease regulation on tokenized securities. BlockBeats reported on September 17 that Tenev, commenting on the SEC’s decision that day to allow limi

SEC Unveils 'Innovation Exemption' for Tokenized Securities, Allows Limited Trading

The US Securities and Exchange Commission has unveiled an "Innovation Exemption" that grants tokenized securities trading platforms conditional regulatory relief for five years. Platforms that meet the requirements will be able to operate tokenized s

BitForex Founder Garrett Jin Moves $85 Million of Ether to Hyperliquid Amid Focus on Zcash Short Defense

BitForex founder Garrett Jin withdrew about $85 million of Ether from Binance and transferred it to global decentralized exchange Hyperliquid. Lookonchain said on September 17 that Jin withdrew 35,001 Ether from Binance and deposited it into Hyperliq

US Initial Jobless Claims Total 196,000, Well Below Forecast

U.S. initial jobless claims came in well below market expectations last week. The Labor Department said on September 17 that initial claims for unemployment benefits totaled 196,000 last week. That was 11,000 below economists’ forecast of 207,000 and

Fed Rate Hike Triggers $345 Million in Crypto Liquidations; Zcash Jumps Alone

The Federal Reserve's interest-rate increase triggered $345 million in liquidations in the crypto derivatives market over the past 24 hours. CoinDesk reported on September 17 that 86,816 investors were forcibly liquidated during that period. Total li

Strategy Spends $950 Million Buying Preferred Stock Over Two Months, Bringing $100 Par Value Back Into Sight

Strategy, the world’s largest corporate holder of Bitcoin, spent $950 million over the past two months buying back its own preferred stock. Bloomberg reported on Sept. 16 that the company bought about 9.96 million shares of STRC for $950 million betw

18 South Korean Polymarket Users Referred to Prosecutors; Total Bets Reach $12.7 Million

Eighteen South Koreans who used the U.S. prediction-market platform Polymarket have been referred to prosecutors without detention on gambling charges. It is the first time gambling charges have been applied to Polymarket users in South Korea. Accord

Ripple Expands AI Agent Payments Support With Tempo-Stripe Standard Integration

Ripple, the issuer of XRP, has expanded XRP Ledger developer tools to support cryptocurrency payments for artificial intelligence agents. CoinDesk reported on Sept. 17 that Ripple added support for the Machine Payments Protocol, or MPP, and the Open

El Salvador Holds 7,777 Bitcoin, Extends Daily Buying Streak to 916 Days

El Salvador's government is nearing 8,000 Bitcoin in holdings. Odaily reported on September 17 that the government held a total of 7,777 Bitcoin as of that day. The stash was worth about $594 million at current prices. The government's average purcha

Tether Becomes Major Precious-Metals Financier, Providing $1.45 Billion to US Dealer GoldExchange.com

Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest dollar stablecoin USDT, has provided $1.45 billion in financing to a major US precious-metals dealer. Bloomberg reported on Sept. 17 that GoldExchange.com owed Tether $1.45 billion in payables and advances as