Suehyeon Lee

Ripple Partners With Jeonbuk Bank on Cross-Border Payments, First South Korean Bank to Adopt Ripple Payments

Ripple said Aug. 18 that it has formed a strategic partnership with Jeonbuk Bank, a unit of JB Financial Group, to help build a next-generation digital finance ecosystem, including blockchain-based cross-border payments. The signing ceremony was atte

Gold Holds Near $4,420 as Fed Hike Bets Recede, Dollar Weakens

Gold held near $4,420 an ounce after extending gains over the previous two sessions, as a string of weaker-than-expected US economic reports undermined expectations for additional Federal Reserve rate increases. Spot gold traded around $4,420 an ounc

BitMart Official X Account Alleges Withdrawal Problems, Unpaid Wages; Founder Calls Posts Fabricated

BitMart’s official Chinese-language X account publicly raised concerns about user funds and employee wages, calling on founder Sheldon Xia to disclose the exchange’s assets and present a repayment plan. Cointelegraph reported on August 17 that the ac

Farcaster Seeks New Operator Less Than 7 Months After Neynar Deal as Protocol Revenue Plunges

Farcaster, the decentralized social protocol, is looking for a new operating team less than seven months after its acquisition by Neynar. Wu Blockchain reported on Aug. 17 that Neynar is seeking a new team to take over the Farcaster protocol, the Cla

Robinhood Chain TVL Jumps More Than 45% in August as Tokenized RWA Share Shrinks to 6%

Robinhood Chain’s total value locked, or TVL, has surged more than 45% so far in August, even as the share of tokenized real-world assets, or RWA, once touted as the chain’s core use case, has narrowed sharply. Crypto media outlet The Block reported

Whale Buys Additional 5,000 Ether Worth $9.53 Million and Stakes Entire Amount

A large investor bought additional Ether and immediately deposited the tokens for staking, according to on-chain data. Lookonchain said on Aug. 17 that a whale address identified as "0x8447" bought another 5,000 ETH about seven hours earlier and stak

Bitcoin Rebound Fails to Boost Output as CleanSpark, BitFuFu, Canaan Post Second Monthly Drop

Bitcoin's rebound in July did not lift production at major publicly traded miners, with output falling for a second straight month. The Block reported on August 17 that CleanSpark mined 586 BTC in July, down about 5% from 614 BTC in June. BitFuFu's p

Oil Rises for Third Day as Stalled US-Iran Talks Push WTI Above $85

International oil prices rose for a third straight day as prospects for a deal between the US and Iran faded. Bloomberg reported on August 17 that West Texas Intermediate climbed above $85 a barrel after closing the previous session at its highest le

Today's Key Economic and Crypto Events: US Building Permits Due

Today's Key Economic Events ▶ Tuesday, Aug. 18: U.S. July housing starts (9:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time), U.S. building permits (9:30 p.m. Korea Standard Time), U.S. July industrial production (10:15 p.m. Korea Standard Time), U.S. July pending home

Binance Plans UK FCA License Application, Targets Partial Service Resumption in 2027

Binance is preparing to re-enter the UK market by pursuing a license from the Financial Conduct Authority. Cointelegraph reported on Aug. 17, citing The Telegraph, that Binance plans to apply for an FCA license in line with the UK's new digital-asset

US OCC Conditionally Approves Trust Bank Charter for Trump-Linked World Liberty, Reviving Conflict Concerns

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has conditionally approved an application by World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm linked to President Donald Trump’s family, to establish a national trust bank, reviving concerns over potential conflict

Tokenized Stocks’ Share of RWA Market Triples to 15%, Market Cap Hits $2.8 Billion

Tokenized stocks now make up about 15% of the real-world asset market, triple their share at the start of the year, The Block reported on August 17. The sector’s total market capitalization stands at about $2.8 billion. Activity has accelerated as we

IREN Starts First Phase of $9.7 Billion Microsoft AI Deal, Accelerating Shift From Bitcoin Mining

IREN, which is expanding from Bitcoin mining into AI infrastructure, has completed the first AI cloud deployment under its $9.7 billion contract with Microsoft. The Block reported on Aug. 17 that IREN completed the 50-megawatt Horizon 1 build-out at

Nvidia to Provide Up to $105 Billion in Backing for OpenAI’s Ohio Data Center

Nvidia Corp. plans to provide large-scale financial backing for a massive data center in Ohio that will be used by OpenAI. Bloomberg reported on August 17 that Nvidia will provide as much as $105 billion of support for the first phase of OpenAI’s dat

US Treasury Starts 60-Day Comment Period on GENIUS Act Rules

The US Treasury Department is starting a public comment process to draft detailed rules ahead of the full implementation of the GENIUS Act, the stablecoin regulation law. The Treasury has released a notice of proposed rulemaking for Section 3 of the

XRP Rebound Bets Build Despite Slump Near $1 as Futures Longs Rise

XRP continues to languish around the $1 mark, but futures traders on major crypto exchanges are adding to long positions in a bet on a price rebound. CoinDesk reported on Aug. 17, citing CoinGlass data, that XRP futures open interest rose 2% over the

Goldman Says Market Overstates Fed Tightening, Sees Little Chance of September Hike

U.S. inflation is easing, but market pricing for additional Federal Reserve tightening still looks too hawkish, according to Goldman Sachs. Jan Hatzius, Goldman Sachs' chief economist, said a rate increase at the Federal Open Market Committee's Septe

Bitcoin Left Out of Risk-Asset Rotation as US Consumer Gloom Deepens

US consumer sentiment has slumped to a record low even as stocks continue to set fresh highs, but Bitcoin is being left out of the broader flow into risk assets, according to Glassnode. The on-chain analytics platform said on Aug. 17 that US consumer

US Spot Bitcoin ETFs Post $390 Million in Net Outflows Last Week; Ethereum Funds Also See Withdrawals

US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds posted net outflows of $390 million in the week ended Aug. 14, according to Wu Blockchain on Aug. 17. Fidelity’s FBTC recorded the biggest net outflow among the Bitcoin ETFs, with $153 million leaving the fund. U

Japan Q2 Growth Misses Forecasts, Complicating BOJ’s September Rate-Hike Outlook

Japan’s second-quarter economic growth missed market forecasts, complicating the Bank of Japan’s timing for another interest-rate increase. Bloomberg reported on Aug. 16 that Japan’s Cabinet Office said real gross domestic product rose an annualized

DefiLlama Delayed Mobile App Launch for Months Over Apple App Store Phishing Apps

DefiLlama, a cryptocurrency data platform, delayed the launch of its mobile app for months because of phishing apps impersonating the company, Cointelegraph reported. Cointelegraph reported on Aug. 16 that DefiLlama co-founder 0xngmi wrote on X that

Crypto Investors Turn to Revenue, Usage to Separate Strong Tokens From Weak Ones

Crypto investors are increasingly selecting tokens based on fundamentals such as protocol revenue, actual usage and how much value accrues to holders, instead of relying primarily on market-cap rankings, CoinDesk reported. Bitwise Chief Executive Off

Strategy CEO Says Crypto Market Momentum to Build in Fall

Phong Le, chief executive officer of Strategy, said policy and industry momentum in the cryptocurrency market will build starting this fall. In a post on X on Aug. 16, Le wrote that markets are quiet in late summer, but more movement will emerge in t

Novig Sues Wisconsin Attorney General Over Legality of Sports Event Contracts

Novig, a sports-focused prediction market platform, sued Wisconsin officials before the state could bring its own case. Crypto news outlet The Block reported on Aug. 16 that Ludlow Exchange LLC, Novig’s operating subsidiary, filed a 45-page complaint

[Analysis] Bitcoin Selling Pressure Eases, But Bullish Turn Still Unconfirmed

Bitcoin's on-chain selling pressure and overheated leverage are easing, but it is still too soon to confirm a full bullish turn, according to a CryptoQuant analysis. CryptoQuant contributor CoinNiel wrote on August 16 that Bitcoin exchange netflows p

Whale Wallet Withdraws Nearly $10 Million of Ether From Kraken, Fueling Staking Bets

A whale wallet has withdrawn nearly $10 million worth of Ether from cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, prompting speculation that the tokens could be staked. Onchain Lens said on Aug. 16 that the wallet withdrew 5,300 ETH from Kraken, worth about $9.98

Gold Steady Near $4,376 as US Slowdown Signals Counter Mideast Inflation Fears

Gold was little changed as signs of a slowing US economy eased concerns over higher interest rates, while Middle East tensions kept energy-driven inflation worries in focus. Spot gold traded at $4,376 an ounce as of 7:24 a.m. in Singapore on Aug. 16,

Hackers Exploit Apple Screen-Sharing Flaw to Install Monero Miner on Macs

Hackers have exploited a vulnerability in Apple’s Mac screen-sharing feature to covertly install Monero mining software. The Block reported on August 16 that the Netherlands’ National Cyber Security Centre said in a recent advisory that multiple inte

Aug. 17 Economic, Crypto Calendar: Empire State Manufacturing Index on Tap

Today's Key Economic Events ▶ Aug. 17 (Mon.): South Korean markets closed for the substitute holiday for Liberation Day; August New York Empire State Manufacturing Index at 9:30 p.m. Korea time; August NAHB Housing Market Index at 11 p.m. Korea time

SanDisk Stock Perpetual Futures Open Interest Reaches $1.73 Billion, Largest in Crypto Market

Open interest in stock perpetual futures tied to SanDisk (SNDK) has surpassed $1.7 billion, the largest among equity-linked perpetual futures traded in the cryptocurrency market. Wu Blockchain reported on Aug. 16 that open interest in SanDisk stock p