Suehyeon Lee

BOJ September Rate-Hike Odds Surge to 82% as Markets Watch for Tightening Signal

Markets are pricing in better-than-even odds of a Bank of Japan rate increase in September, putting the focus on whether senior officials will signal a move. Bloomberg reported on August 23 that the overnight index swap market, as of August 21, was p

Tether Exits Uruguay Bitcoin Mining Venture After Power Dispute Stalls $120 Million Project

Tether, the issuer of the world’s largest stablecoin, USDT, has exited its Bitcoin mining business in Uruguay after a contract dispute with the country’s state-owned power company, The Block reported. The Block reported on August 23 that Tether and U

Dunamu Completes US GAAP Conversion in Preparation for US Listing

Dunamu, the operator of South Korea’s Upbit crypto exchange, has completed the conversion of its financial statements to US GAAP as it prepares for a US listing, according to a media report. Dunamu recently completed the conversion of its existing fi

DeFi Lending Protocol Term Finance Hacked for $8.5 Million

Term Finance, an Ethereum-based fixed-rate lending protocol, lost about $8.5 million in digital assets in a governance attack. The Block reported on Aug. 23 that blockchain security firms PeckShield and CertiK said the previous day that an attacker e

US Treasury Chief Vows to Cripple Iran Economy With ‘Strongest Sanctions in History’

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that Washington would seek to cripple Iran’s economy with what he called “the strongest sanctions in history.” Bessent told CNBC on August 23 that he plans to hold a press conference on August 24 to unveil s

Altcoin Market Cap Jumps 24% in Three Days, Signaling Early Altseason

The altcoin market may be entering the early stages of an "altseason" after total market capitalization jumped more than 24% in three days. CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost wrote on Aug. 23 that $215 billion flowed into altcoins between Aug. 19 and A

Treasury Buybacks Fail to Keep Long-Term Yields Down, Underscoring Limits of Bessent Plan

The U.S. Treasury expanded buybacks of long-term government bonds to stabilize long-term yields, but the effect faded within a day, highlighting the limits of the government's strategy to hold down borrowing costs. Bloomberg reported on Aug. 23 that

Ethereum Whale Accumulation Builds; Break Above $2,970 Could Open Path to $5,000

Ethereum has jumped 34% in recent days, and continued accumulation by large holders alongside shrinking exchange balances is fueling expectations of further gains. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez wrote on Aug. 23 that Ethereum’s market value-to-realized

Bitcoin Nears $80,000 as Short Liquidations, ETF Inflows Stoke Rally Bets

Bitcoin’s climb toward $80,000 is fueling expectations that the broader cryptocurrency rally may have more room to run. Bloomberg reported on Aug. 23 that Bitcoin notched its strongest weekly gain in years and approached $80,000. After months of decl

JPYC Says Early Startup Trials Helped Shape Japan’s Stablecoin Framework

A startup, rather than a major financial institution, was able to become Japan’s first issuer of a yen-denominated stablecoin because of its early operating experience and the government’s push for financial innovation and startup growth, JPYC said.

Korea Investment & Securities Says Korean Won Stablecoin Needed to Expand Tokenized Securities

Park Sung-jin, head of digital asset strategy at Korea Investment & Securities, said a Korean won-denominated stablecoin is needed to help expand the tokenized securities, or STO, market. Speaking at a policy seminar at the National Assembly Members'

JPYC Says Regulator Dialogue Was Central to Japan Stablecoin Rollout, Sees Potential Tie-Up With Won Token

JPYC, the first issuer of a yen-denominated stablecoin in Japan, said a strong operating track record and sustained communication with regulators were critical to bringing stablecoins into the regulated financial system. Shota Saito, JPYC’s head of b

Min Byung-deok Says Global Acceptance Is Key to Won Stablecoin Success, Vows Second-Stage Bill in H2

Min Byung-deok, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, said the success of a won stablecoin hinges not on issuance alone but on trust, real-world use, global connectivity and a broader industry ecosystem. Speaking in a congratulatory address

JPMorgan Says SK Hynix Could Return at Least $130 Billion More to Shareholders by 2027

SK Hynix could deliver at least $130 billion in additional shareholder returns by 2027, on top of its 40 trillion won ($28.9 billion) share buyback, JPMorgan said. Bloomberg reported on Aug. 20 that JPMorgan analyst Jae Kwon wrote in a note that SK H

Democratic Senator Gallego Says Rushing Crypto CLARITY Act Vote Could Backfire

Senator Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, warned that rushing a vote on the CLARITY Act, a market structure bill for digital assets, could set the legislation back. Gallego made the remarks at the SALT Wyoming Blockchain Symposium in Wyoming on Aug

Coinbase Integrates Hyperliquid Into Base App, Offering Up to 50x Perpetual Futures

Coinbase has integrated Hyperliquid’s perpetual futures trading into its Base App. Decrypt reported on August 20 that Coinbase will allow eligible users to access more than 290 perpetual futures markets through the Base App. Trades will be executed v

South Korea’s FSS Builds AI System for Real-Time Crypto Market Surveillance

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service has built an artificial intelligence-based market surveillance system to detect and analyze unfair trading in digital assets in real time, including price manipulation and wash trades. The Financial Supervi

AI Agents Could Make Trillion-Dollar Crypto Hacks Look Like Pocket Change

AI agents could make the crypto ecosystem easier to use while also driving hacking losses to levels far beyond anything seen today. At a panel discussion at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium 2026, Global Settlement Network Chief Executive Officer Ryan

Polymarket Website Blocked in South Korea

Polymarket’s website has been blocked in South Korea. As of Aug. 20, Polymarket’s official website displayed an “HTTP 451” error page saying the site was unavailable for legal reasons. The notice stated that access to the website, served through Clou

SK Hynix Leverage Funding Costs Plunge as ADR Listing, AI Selloff Ease Crowding

The cost for global investors to fund leveraged bets on SK Hynix Inc. has dropped by about half in recent weeks as demand for concentrated exposure eased after the company’s US American depositary receipt listing and a sharp correction in artificial

Ethereum Taker Buy Volume Surges to $2.55 Billion in an Hour, Third-Highest in Six Months

Aggressive buying in Ethereum’s derivatives market surged, sending hourly taker buy volume to its third-highest level in about six months, according to a CryptoQuant analysis. CryptoQuant contributor MorenoDV wrote on Aug. 19 that Ethereum taker buy

Democratic Senators Press Fed Chair Warsh to Disclose Trump Calls to Prove Independence

Four Democratic senators have asked Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh to disclose all conversations he has had with President Donald Trump since taking office. Bloomberg reported on August 19 that Senators Chris Van Hollen, Jack Reed, Angela Alsobroo

OKX Blocks Claude for Hong Kong Staff, Employees Traveling Through China

OKX has blocked use of Anthropic’s AI model Claude for employees based in Hong Kong and those traveling through China, underscoring how the US-China AI rivalry is reaching day-to-day corporate operations. Bloomberg reported on Aug. 19 that OKX cut of

JPMorgan Says Bigger Treasury Buybacks Won’t Curb Long Yields Without Deficit Cuts

JPMorgan said the U.S. Treasury’s plan to sharply expand bond buybacks to lower long-term yields will have only a temporary effect unless the federal deficit is reduced. Bloomberg reported on August 19 that JPMorgan strategists said in a report the T

Kospi Surges More Than 4%, Triggering Buy-Side Sidecar

US Crypto Executives Meet Lutnick, Seek White House Help on CLARITY Act

Senior executives from the U.S. crypto industry met with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and urged swift passage of the CLARITY Act, while discussing how the White House could help secure bipartisan support for the bill, according to a report. Elea

Crypto Market Cap Surges $190 Billion in 24 Hours

The global cryptocurrency market mounted a sharp rebound, adding $190 billion in market value in a single day. Watcher.Guru reported on Aug. 19 that the total market capitalization of the global crypto market increased by about $190 billion over the

Kospi Opens 3% Higher at 6,680.34

Today’s Key Economic and Crypto Events: US Weekly Jobless Claims, Philadelphia Fed Index Due

Today’s Key Economic Events ▶ Aug. 20 (Thursday): △US August Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index (9:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time) △US weekly initial jobless claims (9:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time) △US July Conference Board Leading Economic Index (11 p

Trump Declares 'Economic War' on Iran, Warns Backers of Heavy Cost

President Donald Trump said he would launch unprecedented economic isolation measures against Iran and warned that third countries supporting Tehran would also face harsh economic penalties. On Aug. 19, Trump said he was announcing “the most powerful