Suehyeon Lee

Russia’s Alfa-Bank Plans Crypto Expansion, Seeks Digital-Asset Custody License

Alfa-Bank, Russia’s largest private bank, plans to expand into digital-asset businesses, including cryptocurrency custody services. Wu Blockchain reported on July 8 that Alfa-Bank aims to obtain a regulated digital-asset custody license and offer cry

U.S. Weekly Jobless Claims, June Existing Home Sales Lead Thursday Calendar

Economic Calendar ▶ July 9 (Thursday): U.S. weekly initial jobless claims (9:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time); U.S. June existing home sales (11 p.m. Korea Standard Time) Cryptocurrency Calendar ▶ July 9 (Thursday): No major events scheduled

Oil Jumps as US Launches Second Day of Iran Strikes, WTI Tops $75

International oil prices surged after the US launched airstrikes against Iran for a second straight day, renewing concerns over energy supply disruptions in the Middle East. According to Bloomberg, West Texas Intermediate rose as much as 2.2% intrada

Bitcoin Threatens $60,000 Support as US-Iran War, Strategy Sales Add Pressure

Bitcoin is threatening support at $60,000. Downward pressure is building as an escalating US-Iran war lifts oil prices, Strategy sells Bitcoin, and India moves to tighten digital-asset regulation. Cointelegraph reported on July 8 that Bitcoin fell 3.

Wyden Urges Senate to Preserve Blockchain Developer Protections in Clarity Act

Sen. Ron Wyden urged Senate leaders to keep language in the Clarity Act, a crypto market-structure bill, that would shield blockchain software developers. The Block reported on July 8 that Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, sent a letter this week to Senate

Trump Says Iran Will Face Much Stronger Response if Ship Attacks Recur

President Donald Trump condemned Iran over attacks on ships and warned that any further provocation would trigger a much stronger response. Writing on Truth Social on July 8, Trump said the latest action was retaliation for Iran’s bombing of a vessel

Tiger Research Says RWA Shift Lies in Financial Infrastructure, With Canton Network Built for Institutions

Tiger Research said July 8 that while market attention has focused on tokenized Treasuries, the real transformation is taking place across the broader financial system, citing its report on the global blockchain network Canton Network. The report sai

Japanese Companies Add Bitcoin, XRP to Reserves as Yen Slumps

Japanese companies are increasingly adding Bitcoin and XRP to their reserve assets instead of holding cash as the yen trades near its weakest level in more than four decades, according to an analysis. CoinDesk reported on July 8 that SBI VC Trade, th

Upbit to Pilot Customer Desk at The Hyundai Daegu, Marking First Expansion Beyond Seoul

Dunamu, operator of digital-asset exchange Upbit, said July 8 that it will launch a pilot Upbit customer desk at The Hyundai Daegu to broaden its reach with local customers. The desk will operate through Sept. 23 at the customer service lounge on the

US Spot Ether ETFs Draw $25.2 Million, Extend Inflow Streak to Four Sessions

US spot Ether exchange-traded funds extended their net inflow streak. Trader T data released on July 8 showed US spot Ether ETFs recorded $25.2 million in net inflows a day earlier. That marked a fourth straight trading session of net inflows. BlackR

US Spot-Bitcoin ETFs Draw $21.09 Million, Marking Third Straight Day of Inflows

US spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds extended their streak of net inflows. Data from Trader T showed US spot-Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of $21.09 million in the previous session, the third consecutive trading day of inflows. BlackRock's IBIT

Bithumb Opens Exclusive Presale for Members for Korean Premiere Preview of 'Frozen' Musical

Bithumb said on July 8 that it will open an exclusive presale for members for preview performances of the Korean premiere of the musical "Frozen." The presale is intended to offer members differentiated cultural benefits. Bithumb members can select s

Judge Torres Denies Kalshi Bid to Block New York Sports-Event Contract Suit

Analisa Torres, the judge who handled Ripple Labs' XRP case, has denied prediction-market platform Kalshi's request for emergency relief. The decision allows New York state's lawsuit over sports-event contracts to proceed. Eleanor Terrett, host of Cr

Pump.fun Sells More Solana, Bringing 2024 Liquidations to $805 Million

Pump.fun, a Solana-based memecoin platform, appears to have carried out another large sale of Solana (SOL) accumulated through fee revenue. On July 7, on-chain analyst EmberCN said Pump.fun transferred 122,500 SOL, worth about $10.08 million, to cryp

Wall Street Banks See Further Upside in SpaceX, With Targets Up to $300

Wall Street banks that helped lead SpaceX's initial public offering have published their first research reports, offering uniformly bullish views on the stock. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and UBS issued their recommendations after the lockup period

Zcash Surges 12% as Project Nears Mathematical Proof Against Counterfeiting Bug

Zcash rose more than 12% after developers said work to mathematically verify a critical network security vulnerability was nearing completion. The Block reported on July 7 that Project Tachyon, the Zcash development effort, said security verification

Suspected Bitmine Wallets Buy Another $71.62 Million of Ether

Two newly created wallets believed to be tied to Bitmine made another large purchase of Ether. OnchainLens said July 7 that the two wallets received a combined 40,000 ETH from crypto exchange Kraken and institutional broker FalconX. The tokens are wo

Kaia Joins Japan Security Token Association to Expand RWA, Security Token Push

Kaia, which is building stablecoin payments and on-chain financial infrastructure in Asia, said July 8 that it has joined the Japan Security Token Association, or JSTA, as a member. JSTA is a private-sector association representing Japan’s security t

July 8 Economic, Crypto Calendar: June FOMC Minutes, US Crude Inventories

Today's Economic Calendar ▶ July 8 (Wednesday): △US crude oil inventories (11:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time) △Federal Open Market Committee release of minutes from its June meeting (3 a.m. Korea Standard Time on July 9) Today's Crypto Calendar ▶ July 8

SBI Holdings Invests $76 Million in Institutional Crypto Exchange EDX Markets

SBI Holdings has invested $76 million in EDX Markets, an institutional digital-asset trading platform, as the Japanese financial group pushes to expand its global digital-asset infrastructure. The Block reported on July 7 that SBI was the sole invest

Oil Jumps as US Strikes on Iran Push WTI Above $72

Oil prices surged after news of US airstrikes on Iran. Military tensions around the Strait of Hormuz escalated again, heightening concerns over disruptions to global energy supplies. Bloomberg reported on July 7 that West Texas Intermediate climbed a

US Launches Airstrikes on Iran After Attacks on 3 Merchant Ships in Strait of Hormuz

The US military said it has launched a large-scale air campaign against Iran after Tehran attacked civilian merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said in a post on X on July 7 that it had "initiated a series of powerful airstrike

Ether Rallies 15% in Five Days on BitMine Buying, Glamsterdam Upgrade Optimism

Ether has rallied 15% over the past five days, putting the token back on track toward $2,000. Steady buying by BitMine Immersion Technologies and optimism over an Ethereum network upgrade have supported the advance. Cointelegraph reported on July 7 t

Trump Says Politics Also Helped Drive His Shift to Backing Crypto

President Donald Trump said political considerations were part of what drove him to embrace cryptocurrencies, offering his own explanation for his shift on digital assets. Trump made the remarks at a White House press conference on July 7, Cointelegr

U.S. Spot Ether ETFs Post $20.76 Million of Net Inflows for Third Straight Session

U.S. spot Ether exchange-traded funds recorded more than $20 million of net inflows. Data from Trader T showed U.S. spot Ether ETFs brought in a combined $20.76 million on July 6, marking a third straight trading session of net inflows. BlackRock’s E

Ripple Wins Full MiCA License, Paving Way for Services Across the EEA

Ripple has received formal authorization under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, known as MiCA. Cointelegraph reported on July 6 that Ripple obtained a crypto-asset service provider, or CASP, license from Luxembourg’s financial

US Spot-Bitcoin ETFs Take In $265.68 Million for Second Straight Session

US spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds extended their inflow streak. Trader T data showed the funds recorded $265.68 million of net inflows on July 6, marking a second straight trading session of net inflows. BlackRock's IBIT led with $209.39 million

Bitcoin Slides From $64,000 to $62,000 as Futures Liquidations Deepen Selloff

Bitcoin climbed to near $64,000 before plunging to around $62,000 a day later, with liquidations in the futures market amplifying the drop, Cointelegraph reported on July 6. About $415 million in net buying flowed into Bitcoin that day, driven mainly

Gold Holds Steady Ahead of Fed Minutes as Rate-Hike Fears Ease

International gold prices were little changed ahead of the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's last meeting. According to Bloomberg, spot gold traded near $4,165 an ounce in early Asian trading on July 6. It fell 0.3% in the previous sessio

BonkDAO Governance Attack Drains $20 Million Treasury With $4 Million Vote

BonkDAO, the governance organization behind Bonk, a leading Solana-based meme-coin ecosystem, said roughly $20 million worth of Bonk tokens was drained from its treasury in a malicious governance attack. Wu Blockchain reported on July 6 that the loss