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U.S. Treasury Sanctions Digital Asset Exchanges Linked to Iranian Officials

The U.S. Treasury Department has added to its sanctions list digital asset exchanges suspected of having ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The move is seen as an effort to prevent sanctions evasion through the use of digital as

"With stablecoins being brought into the regulatory mainstream, payment-focused blockchains are rising… Korea must accelerate its response"

As major economies around the world move quickly to bring stablecoins (digital assets pegged to the value of fiat currencies) into the regulatory mainstream, an analysis says it is necessary to pay attention to next-generation blockchains specialized

"'Extreme fear' sentiment may actually be a signal of a market rebound"

Cryptoassets (cryptocurrencies), led by Bitcoin (BTC), have plunged recently, sharply worsening investor sentiment toward the sector. Some, however, say this trend could be a signal pointing to the possibility of a short-term rebound. According to Co

Senior officials also invest in virtual assets… top holder is 'Kim Nam-kuk'

An increasing number of senior public officials are being found to invest in virtual assets (cryptocurrencies). According to the ad hoc asset disclosure data (No. 1) for 2026 released via the Official Gazette on the 30th (Korea time) by the Governmen

Lido launches institutional-grade, custom Ethereum staking 'stVaults'

Lido (LDO), an Ethereum (ETH)-based liquid staking protocol, said on the 30th that it has officially launched “stVaults” on mainnet, enabling institution- and protocol-specific customized staking. stVaults, a core feature of the Lido V3 upgrade, allo

Canadian hacker accused of stealing $65 million goes into hiding in Bosnia

Andean Medjedovic, a Canadian hacker accused of stealing tens of millions of dollars by hacking a digital asset (cryptocurrency) platform, is believed to have gone into hiding in Bosnia after being released in Serbia. According to Cryptopolitan, a di

US December Producer Price Index (PPI) rises 0.5% m/m, topping forecasts

The US Producer Price Index (PPI) for December came in above market expectations. According to the US Department of Labor on the 30th (local time), the December PPI rose 0.50% from the previous month, surpassing the forecast (0.20%). On a year-on-yea

Trump: "Nominating Kevin Warsh as Fed chair"

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve (Fed) governor, as the next Fed chair. On the 30th (Korea time), Trump said on his Truth Social, "I am pleased to recommend Kevin Warsh as Fed chair."

As criticism of Binance spreads... Changpeng Zhao: “I’ve been subjected to baseless attacks; I’ll address it in detail in an AMA”

With the digital-asset market remaining in a prolonged downturn, criticism in the industry has been building toward the world’s largest exchange, Binance, and its founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ). Zhao is expected to respond personally. On the 30th (Korea

[Analysis] “Bitcoin–gold correlation similar to 2019…a rebound signal”

An analysis suggests that the correlation between Bitcoin (BTC) and gold over the past six months has been tracking a path similar to the 2019 Bitcoin bull run. According to CoinDesk, a digital-asset news outlet, the Bitcoin-to-gold ratio (BTC/Gold)

$100 billion wiped out in a day…Bitcoin falls out of top 10 by market cap among global assets

Bitcoin (BTC) plunged, pushing it out of the top 10 in the global asset market-cap rankings. According to 8marketcap on the 30th (Korea time), as of 7:20 p.m. that day Bitcoin ranked 12th worldwide by market capitalization. This marks a three-place d

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik to deploy $45 million for open-source security and privacy projects

Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin will deploy about $45 million worth of Ethereum into open-source security and privacy projects. According to digital asset news outlet The Block on the 30th (Korea time), Buterin said via X (formerly Twitter)

[Breaking] Gold down 7% from the previous day…below $5,000 per ounce

Kevin Warsh, a ‘hawkish dove,’ seen as front-runner for next Fed chair…rate cuts may accelerate

‘Pro-Trump’ Kevin Warsh tipped as Powell’s successor Trump appears to have settled on Warsh after meeting him Backed tariffs, also urged cuts to the policy rate Markets: “more hawkish than expected” Kevin Warsh, a former Federal Reserve governor (pho

US Treasury: “The won’s weakness doesn’t square with South Korea’s fundamentals”

Unusual assessment in US “FX report” South Korea redesignated an “FX monitoring list” country USD/KRW rises instead, nearing 1,440 won The US Treasury on the 29th (local time) redesignated South Korea as a “foreign-exchange monitoring list” country a

Bitcoin Nearing a Fourth Straight Month of Negative Monthly Returns…Longest Streak Since 2018

Bitcoin (BTC) is increasingly likely to post its longest slump since 2018, as risk-off sentiment spreads and safe-haven assets strengthen. On the 30th (Korea time), Bloomberg reported that Bitcoin has fallen about 6% so far in January, putting it on

Binance: “Targeting the Korean market via Gopax… preparing to expand institutional and payments infrastructure”

Binance, the world’s largest virtual asset (cryptocurrency) exchange, said it is preparing to expand institutional investment and payments infrastructure in the Korean market with local exchange Gopax as its base. SB Seckar, Binance’s Asia-Pacific (A

Arthur Hayes: "Government hoarding cash ahead of a shutdown… Bitcoin’s decline is a natural development"

Bitcoin (BTC) plunged sharply intraday, with the drop attributed to tightening dollar liquidity. On the 30th (KST), Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that “over the past few weeks, dollar liquidity has fallen by about

Gold, silver and copper prices plunge…$120 million in forced liquidations in tokenized markets

A sharp selloff in international metal prices in the physical market triggered large-scale liquidations in tokenized markets tied to gold, silver and copper. On the 30th (Korea time), cryptocurrency news outlet CoinDesk reported that about $120 milli

Circle: "Robust infrastructure will drive broader stablecoin adoption"

Stablecoin issuer Circle said it will focus on upgrading its infrastructure through 2026 to expand the use of stablecoins by companies and institutions. On the 30th (Korea time), Circle Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO) Nikhil Chandhok wrot

Despite gold and silver strength… “A shift of funds into Bitcoin is likely to be limited”

An analysis has suggested that Bitcoin (BTC) could continue to underperform equities for the time being. The view is that it will be difficult to expect a large-scale shift of funds into Bitcoin following sharp gains in gold and silver prices. Accord

GOPAX discloses status of GOFi deposited assets… including 775 Bitcoin

Digital asset exchange GOPAX said on the 29th that it has disclosed the custody status of assets deposited in GOFi on its website. According to the GOPAX notice, GOFi currently holds 706,184.46 USDC, 775.11 Bitcoin (BTC), and 5,766.63 Ethereum (ETH),

StraitsX provides infrastructure to OSL Pay…supporting management of US dollar-denominated assets

StraitsX, a stablecoin infrastructure company that develops digital assets pegged to fiat currencies, said on the 29th that it has provided its “DVA/+” infrastructure to OSL Pay. DVA/+ is a virtual account infrastructure that supports stablecoin-base

Democratic Party conveys key issues on Digital Asset Act to policy committee, saying "no party line decision yet"

Rep. Ahn Do-geol of the Democratic Party of Korea took a cautious stance on discussions over the Framework Act on Digital Assets, saying “nothing has been finalized as the party’s official position yet.” On the 29th, the party’s Digital Assets Task F

BOK: “Stablecoin proliferation is creating gaps in FX regulation…legal revisions are essential”

The Bank of Korea proposed overhauling the foreign-exchange (FX) regulatory framework as a measure to strengthen anti-money laundering (AML) safeguards amid the expansion of stablecoins—digital assets pegged to fiat currencies. Kim Shin-young, head o

"The spread of stablecoins is inevitable… anti-money laundering response methods must be strengthened"

As forecasts grow that the spread of stablecoins (digital assets whose value is pegged to fiat currency) will accelerate with future payments by artificial intelligence (AI) agents and the emergence of tokenized assets, a proposal has been made that

Democratic Party: “Digital Asset Framework Act to be introduced before the Lunar New Year holiday” … differences with the Bank of Korea persist

Bill to introduce Phase 2 digital-asset legislation, targeting before Lunar New Year Stablecoin framework needs to narrow differences with the Bank of Korea No agreement on “mandatory 51% bank stake” Stablecoin issuer capital requirement: “at least K

Virtual-asset transaction data to be classified as 'credit information'…Credit Information Act regulations to apply to exchanges

From now on, virtual-asset (cryptocurrency) transaction data will be included in credit information. Virtual-asset service providers, including exchanges, will also fall under the Credit Information Act. On the 27th, the Financial Services Commission

Australian authorities: “Regulatory gaps amid rapid growth in digital assets and AI… rising consumer risks”

Australian authorities have raised concerns that regulatory gaps are widening as the digital asset and artificial intelligence (AI) industries grow rapidly, increasing risks to consumers. According to CoinDesk, a digital asset-focused outlet, on the

Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong: “Concerns over capital outflows from won stablecoins persist… a bank-centric structure is desirable”

Bank of Korea (BOK) Governor Rhee Chang-yong said concerns over capital outflows would still remain if won-denominated stablecoins (digital assets pegged in value to fiat currencies) are issued. According to local media outlets including Aastocks on