JOON HYOUNG LEE

Samsung SDS, Upbit Parent Dunamu Discuss Stablecoin, AI Digital-Asset Business

Samsung SDS is pursuing cooperation with Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, South Korea’s largest crypto exchange, on stablecoins. Chief Executive Officer Lee Jun-hee said on July 30 during the company’s second-quarter earnings conference call that Samsu

Bernstein Cuts Circle Price Target to $140 From $190, Keeps Growth Outlook

Bernstein cut its price target for Circle Internet Group, the issuer of the USDC dollar stablecoin, while maintaining its long-term growth view. The Block reported on July 29 that Bernstein lowered its target to $140 from $190, a cut of more than 26%

BNY Mellon Moves $8.6 Trillion of Fund Administration Work to Blockchain

BNY Mellon, the world's largest custodian bank, is introducing blockchain technology to fund administration operations covering $8.6 trillion in assets. CoinDesk reported on July 29 that BNY Mellon has begun moving one of its core ledger and record-k

Morgan Stanley Lists Ethereum, Solana ETPs in Crypto Push

Morgan Stanley has launched exchange-traded products tied to Ethereum and Solana. Cointelegraph reported on July 28 that the bank listed the Morgan Stanley Ethereum Trust, or MSSE, and the Morgan Stanley Solana Trust, or MSOL, on NYSE Arca. The produ

Trump Says Iran Will Pay ‘Severe Price’ After Missile Attack on US Base in Jordan

President Donald Trump said the US would respond forcefully to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on a US military base in Jordan. In an interview with Fox News on July 29, Trump said, “We will hit them hard,” referring to Iran. He added that Iran would

South Korea to Cap Retail Investment in Single-Stock Leveraged ETFs at 20%

South Korea’s financial authorities will set individual investment limits on single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds. Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol announced the plan at an emergency market review meeting on July 29 at t

Attorneys General in 44 US States Tell CFTC It Lacks Authority Over Prediction Markets

Attorneys general from 44 US states are challenging the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s authority to regulate prediction markets. The Block reported on July 29 that the attorneys general, led by Ohio, sent a joint letter to the CFTC on July 27

Hungary Scraps Mandatory Third-Party Verification for Some Crypto Trades

Hungary has abolished a mandatory third-party verification requirement that had applied to some cryptocurrency transactions. Cointelegraph reported on July 29 that Hungary’s parliament passed a bill on July 28 removing a separate verification procedu

Marathon CEO Says AI Business Is Far More Profitable Than Bitcoin Mining

Marathon Holdings, a US Bitcoin miner, said its artificial intelligence business is far more profitable than its traditional mining operation. Fred Thiel, Marathon's chief executive officer, recently said that using power for AI infrastructure can ge

Gate Launches USD1 Yield Product Offering Up to 8% Annualized Return

Global cryptocurrency exchange Gate has launched a yield product based on the dollar stablecoin USD1, offering an annualized return of up to 8%. Odaily reported on July 29 that Gate introduced the USD1-based product that day. USD1 is a dollar stablec

Nexo Completes MiCA Compliance to Continue EU Services

Crypto lender Nexo said it has completed preparations under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets, or MiCA, regime to continue operating in the region. Nexo is continuing to provide services across the European Economic Area through Tangany a

FSC Chief Says Government Draft of Digital Asset Basic Act Is Ready, Vows Swift Processing

Kim Byoung-hwan, chairman of South Korea's Financial Services Commission, said July 29 that the government has completed its draft of the Digital Asset Basic Act. Kim made the remark during a business report to the National Assembly's Political Affai

UBS CEO Says Market Volatility Will Surge for Rest of 2026

UBS expects market volatility to surge over the remainder of this year. BlockBeats reported on July 29 that UBS Chief Executive Officer Sergio Ermotti said in a recent interview that pressure from energy prices could pose a potential headwind for inf

Kospi Slides 6% to 5,663.24, Extending Two-Day Selloff

The Kospi plunged for a second straight day, closing below the 6,000 level. Circuit breakers were triggered in South Korea’s stock market for a second consecutive session, the first such occurrence on record. The Kospi ended at 5,663.24, down 360.42

Uniswap Founder Rebuts Claim v4 Protocol Fee Cuts LP Earnings

Hayden Adams, founder of decentralized exchange Uniswap, pushed back on claims that the newly activated v4 protocol fee structure would reduce earnings for liquidity providers, or LPs. In a post on X on July 29, Adams said criticism of the protocol f

Russia Issues Arrest Warrant for Telegram Founder; GRAM Drops More Than 4%

Russia has issued an international arrest warrant for Telegram founder Pavel Durov. Reuters reported on July 29 that Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, recently charged Durov with aiding terrorist activity and placed him on an international w

Min Byung-deok Says Digital Asset Framework Act Must Pass This Year, With ‘No Plan B’

Interview with Rep. Min Byung-deok of the Democratic Party “Settle key disputes by September and speed up the framework act” “No de facto monopoly for any one sector in digital assets” “Crypto taxation needs fixes on fairness and data collection” “Th

BitMEX Sued Over Alleged Wrongful Liquidations on Day It Announced Shutdown

Global crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX has been hit with a class-action lawsuit over allegations that it wrongfully liquidated customer positions. The suit was filed the same day the exchange announced it would shut down. Cointelegraph reported on

Drift Hacker Sends 23,095 Ether Worth $44.4 Million to Tornado Cash

The hacker behind Drift Protocol has transferred a large amount of Ether to crypto mixing protocol Tornado Cash. BlockBeats reported on July 24, citing data from blockchain security firm PeckShield, that an address believed to be linked to the Drift

ECB Holds Deposit Rate at 2.25%, Watches Spillover From Rising Oil Prices

The European Central Bank left its three key interest rates unchanged. After a monetary policy meeting in Frankfurt on July 23, the ECB said it would hold the deposit rate at 2.25%. It also kept the main refinancing rate at 2.40% and the marginal len

Polymarket to Challenge France’s Nationwide Access Block in Court

Polymarket, the global prediction-market platform, plans to take legal action against French authorities over a decision to block nationwide access to its service. CoinDesk reported on July 23 that France’s National Gaming Authority, known as ANJ, re

Goldman Sachs CEO Backs Revised Clarity Act, Urges Senate to Advance It

Goldman Sachs Chief Executive Officer David Solomon expressed support for a revised version of the Clarity Act, a U.S. bill that would establish a market structure for cryptocurrencies. In an interview with Politico on July 23, Solomon said he strong

CZ Says BitMEX Couldn't Survive Biden's 'War on Crypto' After Shutdown Decision

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, expressed regret over the closure of global crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX. In a post on X on July 23, Zhao wrote that it was sad to see BitMEX "fade into history." Earlier that day, BitMEX operator HD

Trump Warns Houthis of Military Retaliation Over Any New Ship Attacks

President Donald Trump signaled possible military action against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. In a Truth Social post on July 23, Trump wrote that the Houthis had acted "very responsibly" during the conflict with Iran. He added that the group ha

BlackRock, Strategy Join $15 Million Bitcoin Security Consortium

BlackRock, Strategy and other global financial and crypto firms plan to commit a total of $15 million over the next three years to bolster Bitcoin security. Nine companies, including BlackRock, Coinbase, ARK Invest, Strategy and Fidelity Digital Asse

US Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 187,000, Well Below Forecast

US initial jobless claims came in well below market expectations last week. The Labor Department said on July 23 that initial jobless claims totaled 187,000 last week. That was 24,000 below economists' forecast of 211,000 and 22,000 fewer than the pr

BNY Targets 24/7 US Treasury Settlement by Next Year

BNY, the world’s largest custodian bank, is building a round-the-clock settlement system to eliminate weekend and overnight gaps in US Treasury settlement. The bank aims to have a system in place by next year that can settle both conventional Treasur

Citi Cuts Coinbase Price Target to $235 From $400

Citigroup has sharply lowered its price target for US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. Odaily reported on July 23 that Citi cut its target price on Coinbase to $235 from $400. That marks a reduction of more than 41% from the previous target. JPMorga

iotrust Begins Sales of Card-Style Cold Wallet D'CENT S

iotrust, a South Korean cryptocurrency wallet maker, said July 23 that it has begun official sales of its card-style cold wallet, D'CENT S. D'CENT S is the company's first new product since 2018. It is designed to reduce the inconvenience of storing

WTI Crude Climbs Back Above $90 a Barrel as Middle East Tensions Escalate

Escalating tensions in the Middle East pushed U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures back above $90 a barrel. TradingView data showed on July 23 that WTI futures rose more than 4% from the previous session to top $90 a barrel. Brent crude futures