News linked to both this project and an event.
JPMorgan announced its blockchain platform Kinexys has exceeded $1.5 trillion in cumulative transaction volume since its launch in 2020, processing over $2 billion in daily transaction volume.Additionally, in May 2026, JPMorgan applied to launch a tokenized Treasury fund, built using the Kinexys blockchain infrastructure, designed to meet the reserve asset requirements for stablecoin issuers under the GENIUS Act. Its Q3 2025 13F filing shows JPMorgan increased its holdings of iShares Bitcoin Trust shares by 64% to 5.28 million shares, valued at approximately $343 million.Meanwhile, Kinexys and Digital Asset plan to bring JPM Coin to the Canton Network in 2026 to enable institutional deposit token settlements on public infrastructure. (financefeeds)
According to Cointelegraph, prediction market platform Polymarket is seeking entry into the Japanese market and aims to obtain regulatory approval for prediction markets from the Japanese government by 2030. The report states that Polymarket has appointed Mike Eidlin, Japan Head of crypto firm Jupiter, to lead its local operations in Japan and advance related compliance efforts. Japan maintains strict regulation over online gambling, permitting only a limited number of government-authorized activities—such as horse racing and public lotteries. Although Polymarket has not yet received authorization to operate in Japan, its Japanese regional X (formerly Twitter) account has already amassed over 53,000 followers. Meanwhile, under regulatory pressure and amid competition from platforms like Kalshi, Polymarket’s monthly nominal trading volume declined nearly 15% month-on-month in April.
According to Cointelegraph, a petition in South Korea calling for the abolition of the 22% tax on cryptocurrency investment gains has surpassed the 50,000-signature threshold, triggering the mandatory review mechanism of the National Assembly’s Committee on Strategy and Finance. The petition currently has over 52,000 signatures. This tax policy is scheduled to take effect in January 2027. Petitioners argue that taxing crypto assets is significantly heavier than taxation applied to other asset classes, which will increase investors’ burdens, restrict upward mobility—especially for younger demographics—and potentially lead to industry contraction and capital and talent flight. Meanwhile, South Korea’s cryptocurrency market continues to shrink: total crypto asset holdings have declined from approximately 121.8 trillion KRW (about $83.3 billion) in January 2025 to roughly 60.6 trillion KRW (about $41.4 billion) in February 2026. Daily trading volume across the country’s top five exchanges has also plummeted—from $11.6 billion in December 2024 to $3 billion.
Seturion, a tokenized securities settlement platform under the Stuttgart Stock Exchange Group, is collaborating with Société Générale, its crypto subsidiary SG-Forge, and online broker flatexDEGIRO to build a blockchain-based securities settlement system in Europe. Société Générale will issue tokenized structured securities—such as Turbo warrants and investment certificates—on its Seturion platform. SG-Forge, which holds a crypto-asset market operator authorization from French regulators, will use its CoinVertible euro and U.S. dollar stablecoins (EURCV and USDCV) for transaction settlement. Meanwhile, flatexDEGIRO will connect the platform to its European retail distribution channels for tokenized securities trading.
fintech company Mercury has announced the completion of a new $200 million funding round, led by TCV with participation from Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Coatue Management, and other institutions.Mercury primarily provides banking services to startups. It currently serves over 300,000 clients and has achieved approximately $650 million in annualized revenue. The company stated that the recent surge in AI entrepreneurship has significantly driven demand for new company registrations and account openings, serving as a key growth driver.Meanwhile, Mercury also announced that it has received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to apply for a federal banking charter. This would enable it to expand lending capabilities, gain access to payment networks like Zelle, and reduce its reliance on partner banks. The company's founder stated that the long-term goal remains an independent IPO rather than an acquisition. (CNBC)
According to CoinDesk, German stablecoin startup AllUnity plans to launch SEKAU—a Swedish krona-pegged stablecoin—in June, following final regulatory and operational approvals, and will issue it under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. Meanwhile, AllUnity has also launched Agentic Payments, enabling businesses to receive transactions initiated autonomously by AI software agents and settle funds directly into local bank accounts. The system adopts Coinbase’s x402 payment standard and targets online digital services, content, and data sales. AllUnity is backed by DWS, Flow Traders, and Galaxy Digital, and is regulated by Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin).
According to Bits.media, Alexei Yakovlev, Head of the Financial Policy Department at Russia’s Ministry of Finance, revealed that the draft cryptocurrency regulation bill currently under revision will introduce new provisions during its second reading, authorizing the Central Bank of Russia to impose compliance requirements on anti-money laundering (AML) review services for cryptocurrency transactions. Under the proposed provisions, AML service platforms must ensure that transactions involving Russian crypto wallets comply with domestic laws and regulations. Additionally, these platforms must assess—“from an international perspective”—how Russian wallets are perceived by foreign services, in order to understand how the global community views Russia’s cryptocurrency ecosystem. Meanwhile, such platforms are required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding the internal operational mechanisms of Russia’s financial infrastructure and must not disclose this information externally. The bill, titled “Digital Currency and Digital Rights,” has already passed its first reading and is now undergoing revisions ahead of its second reading.
According to CoinDesk, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed a virtual currency bill that will allow state-chartered banks and credit unions to offer cryptocurrency custody services to customers starting August 1. Minnesota thus becomes the first Midwestern U.S. state to establish a unified legislative framework for this purpose. The law explicitly requires that customers’ digital assets be segregated from the institutions’ own assets, and mandates that institutions submit risk management and cybersecurity plans to the Minnesota Commissioner of Commerce at least 60 days prior to offering such services. Meanwhile, Walz separately signed another bill banning cryptocurrency ATMs and kiosks statewide effective August 1, citing their widespread use as tools for fraud—particularly harmful to elderly populations.
Bitcoin has fallen below the $77,000 mark, hitting a low of approximately $76,720. Analysts attribute the market decline primarily to multiple macroeconomic pressures, including the renewed escalation of tensions between the US and Iran, rising inflation concerns, and increased risk aversion across risk assets. Former US President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Iran on social media, intensifying geopolitical uncertainty.Meanwhile, rising oil prices have further elevated inflation expectations, with Brent crude climbing to around $111 and WTI rising above $107. This has sparked concerns that the Federal Reserve may maintain higher interest rates for a longer period.The current selling pressure is also compounded by factors such as rising US Treasury yields, a strengthening US dollar, and ETF outflows. Data shows that Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of approximately $1 billion in the week ending May 17, ending six consecutive weeks of net inflows.In terms of market sentiment, the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index has fallen back to 27, re-entering the "fear zone." Analysts believe that short-term trends will remain highly dependent on macroeconomic data and policy expectations. However, some institutions view the current correction as a "healthy digestion" period, suggesting the long-term structure remains unchanged. (The Block)
According to the <i>Nikkei</i>, SBI Securities and Rakuten Securities plan to launch cryptocurrency investment trusts. Meanwhile, several major brokerages—including Nomura Securities—have stated they will consider following suit once the regulatory framework is established. A <i>Nikkei</i> survey of 18 major brokerages found that 11 indicated they would consider offering such products after regulations are finalized. SBI Securities plans to sell funds developed by its subsidiary SBI Global Asset Management, covering ETFs and investment trusts focused on highly liquid cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum; the entire process—from product development to distribution—will be handled internally within the SBI Group. Similarly, Rakuten Securities plans to jointly develop its own products with group members including Rakuten Investment Management, aiming to enable trading of cryptocurrency investment trusts via smartphone apps.
Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy, posted on X that the U.S. Senate Banking Committee voted 15–9 this week to advance the CLARITY Act to a full Senate vote. With time running short—approximately nine weeks remain—the projected timeline for next steps is as follows: June 1: Begin reconciling the Senate Banking Committee’s and Senate Agriculture Committee’s versions of the bill; June 15: Full Senate debate begins; June 22: The Senate may complete its final vote; July 13: Senate–House reconciliation concludes; Early August: President Trump signs the bill into law (assuming the schedule stays on track). Alex Thorn analyzed that Democrats are focusing heavily on “ethics provisions” designed to restrict digital asset holdings and profits by senior officials and their family members. Meanwhile, negotiations continue on the Decentralized Finance Regulation and Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA). The CLARITY Act will lay the groundwork for innovation in the U.S. digital asset market and for investor protection.
According to Russian financial media RBK, the Moscow Exchange is in discussions with multiple brokers regarding cryptocurrency trading solutions. It is currently testing a 7×24全天候 trading model and digital asset deposit/withdrawal functionality, and plans to launch dedicated cryptocurrency accounts. However, due to constraints imposed by the clearing system’s operating hours, round-the-clock trading is unlikely to be implemented in the short term. Meanwhile, Russia’s “Digital Currency and Digital Rights Bill” has passed its first reading. The bill stipulates that Russian citizens may only purchase cryptocurrencies through licensed intermediaries, and that listed cryptocurrencies must meet stringent criteria—including an average market capitalization exceeding 5 trillion rubles over the past two years, an average daily trading volume exceeding 1 trillion rubles, and a trading history of at least five years. In practice, only major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana meet these requirements.
According to Odaily, THORChain has issued an emergency announcement stating that after discovering a suspected breach of an Asgard vault, the network has suspended trading operations to respond to the security incident. Preliminary information indicates that user funds remain unaffected, with losses primarily concentrated on the protocol's own capital.The official statement noted that the system automatically detected anomalous behavior and halted signing operations, thereby alerting the community and preventing further asset outflow. The investigation is currently ongoing to determine the root cause of the vulnerability and the full scope of the impact.Known information indicates that this incident involves one of the six Asgard vaults, with estimated losses of approximately $10.7 million. Meanwhile, staked RUNE on the affected nodes has been slashed due to a penalty mechanism triggered by unauthorized outgoing transactions. The network has paused churn operations and delayed the launch of new chains and related features until system stability is restored.THORChain stated that no user cross-chain transactions have been affected so far and has requested node operators to thoroughly inspect their infrastructure, secure key management, and anomalous behavior, and to submit relevant logs to assist the investigation.
According to Odaily, Bitcoin's price is hovering around $80,350, up a slight 0.8% in the short term, facing sustained pressure after multiple failed attempts to break through the $82,000 resistance level. This zone is considered a confluence of resistance from the ETF cost basis, the 200-day moving average, and the CME gap fill area.Although the US CLARITY Act has passed the Senate Banking Committee, bringing positive expectations for crypto regulation, institutional capital continues to withdraw. Data shows that the 7-day average net outflow from US spot Bitcoin ETFs has fallen to -$88 million per day, the largest outflow scale since mid-February. Analysts suggest this selling pressure is more driven by "profit-taking" than panic selling.On the macro front, rising US Treasury yields are a core source of pressure. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note has climbed to approximately 4.52%, a 10-month high. Meanwhile, the April CPI rose 3.8% year-over-year, the highest level in three years, further pushing back market expectations for a Fed rate cut. Analysts point out that geopolitical conflicts are driving up energy prices, exacerbating inflationary pressures, thereby weakening the appeal of risk assets.From an institutional perspective, some analysts believe the current ETF outflows represent portfolio rebalancing rather than a structural retreat. The options market indicates significant resistance for Bitcoin in the $82,000-$84,000 range, while $77,000 stands as a key support level. If the price breaks below this zone without a cooling of leverage, the market could enter a deleveraging phase, increasing the risk of a correction. (Decrypt)
CoinShares tweeted that the cryptocurrency market saw a net outflow of $920 million this week. In the short term, macroeconomic headwinds continue to dominate: PPI data came in higher than expected, U.S.-Iran tensions pushed oil prices higher, and the Federal Reserve’s room for rate cuts is constrained—Bitcoin fell 1.4% this week. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee passed the Clarity Act by a vote of 15–9, bringing long-term regulatory direction into sharper focus. CoinShares noted that the market is currently caught in a tug-of-war between short-term macro pressures and long-term regulatory tailwinds.
The regulatory environment for the crypto industry continues to improve, but macro interest rate risks are dampening market sentiment. The US CLARITY Act has passed the Senate Banking Committee with a 15:9 vote, moving closer to a full Senate vote. The market expects that this bill could provide a clearer regulatory framework for tokenization, stablecoins, and smart contract platforms, potentially accelerating institutional capital inflow.Kavi Jain, Senior Research Associate at Bitwise, stated that the progress of the CLARITY Act is a significant milestone for US digital asset regulation. It is expected to particularly benefit smart contract platforms like Ethereum and Solana, and drive growth in institutional activities related to stablecoins, tokenized funds, and on-chain capital markets.However, the macro environment continues to exert pressure on the crypto market. US April inflation data came in higher than expected, driven primarily by rising energy prices. The market is now even beginning to price in the possibility of another rate hike by the Federal Reserve before April 2027. Meanwhile, the US 30-year Treasury yield has reached 5% for the first time since 2007, indicating growing market concern over long-term inflation risks. Analysts suggest that in a high-interest-rate environment, the appeal of high-risk assets, including Bitcoin, may be suppressed. (CoinDesk)
According to The New York Times, OpenAI opened its first lobbying office—named “Workshop”—in Washington, D.C., this week, just a few blocks from the White House, aiming to advance policies supporting data center expansion and unrestricted use of copyrighted content. In Q1 2026, OpenAI’s federal lobbying expenditures reached $1 million, doubling year-on-year. Its competitor Anthropic also opened an office in Washington, D.C., in April this year; its lobbying spending last year surged tenfold to $3 million. Meanwhile, Meta, Nvidia, and Alphabet collectively spent $47.8 million on lobbying last year—a 22% increase year-on-year. According to the citizen watchdog group Public Citizen, one-quarter of all federal lobbyists in Washington, D.C. are now engaged in AI-related issues, a sharp rise from 11% in 2023.
Trump Media & Technology Group is significantly adjusting its strategy for the prediction market product "Truth Predict." The project, originally planned to launch full trading functionality in partnership with Crypto.com, may now only materialize as a marketing and promotional collaboration, with a notable contraction in the scale of its features.According to the latest regulatory filings, the project is still under development. However, the initial phase will be limited to a promotional partnership with prediction market platform OG.com, rather than embedding trading functions directly within Truth Social. The market's initial vision of an integrated "social + prediction market trading" model appears to be diminished.Earlier plans indicated that Truth Predict intended to allow users to convert platform credits into crypto assets and participate in trading events related to sports, inflation, and elections. However, the newly disclosed structure leans more towards an "external platform traffic-redirecting partnership," with specific commercial mechanisms yet to be clarified. Meanwhile, the prediction market industry is experiencing rapid expansion alongside regulatory conflicts. Platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket continue to expand their sports and event contract businesses, but are also facing jurisdictional disputes between state-level gambling regulators and federal authorities.Analysts suggest that the strategic downsizing of Truth Predict reflects the increasing uncertainty surrounding compliance structures, product forms, and regulatory boundaries for prediction markets. Particularly against the backdrop of an as-yet-unified U.S. regulatory system, related products are trending towards "asset-light cooperation" models rather than direct financial integration into social platforms. (Wired)
According to The Block, Włodzimierz Czarzasty, Speaker of the Polish Sejm (lower house of parliament), announced that the Sejm has officially launched debates on four competing cryptocurrency-related bills—submitted respectively by the government, President Karol Nawrocki, the Poland 2050 party, and the Coalition Party—with the second reading scheduled for this Thursday. Previously, President Nawrocki had vetoed cryptocurrency legislation twice. The main point of contention between the government’s and the president’s proposals concerns the account-freezing authority of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) and the upper limit for fines: the president’s proposal retains the maximum fine at 20 million PLN (approximately USD 5.5 million), whereas the Ministry of Finance’s draft raises it to 25 million PLN (approximately USD 6.9 million). Meanwhile, lawmakers from the Law and Justice Party (PiS) withdrew their earlier market-regulation bill—originally submitted in April—on Monday and instead introduced a new proposal that would comprehensively ban cryptocurrency activities within Poland. Speaker Czarzasty stated that the ban proposal will only enter the legislative process after the four primary regulatory bills have been reviewed. He also raised questions regarding financial ties between the cryptocurrency exchange ZondaCrypto and Polish politicians, and probed the underlying motivations behind President Nawrocki’s two vetoes of cryptocurrency legislation.
Polish Sejm Speaker Włodzimierz Czarzasty announced the parliament has officially begun deliberations on four competing bills for crypto asset regulation, following President Karol Nawrocki's two vetoes of related legislation. The review involves legislative proposals from the government, the Presidential Office, the Poland 2050 party, and the Confederation party, with the second reading vote expected on Thursday. Key disagreements center on the scope of the Polish Financial Supervision Authority's (KNF) power to freeze accounts and the maximum penalties for violations. The president's draft sets a maximum fine of approximately 20 million zloty (about $5.5 million), while the Treasury's version raises it to 25 million zloty (about $6.9 million).Meanwhile, the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), after withdrawing support for an earlier regulatory proposal, submitted a separate bill on Monday advocating for a complete ban on crypto asset-related activities in Poland, further complicating the regulatory debate. Speaker Czarzasty stated that the PiS ban draft will enter the deliberation process only after the four main regulatory bills are completed, and questioned the links between crypto industry funds and political activities, specifically naming potential political funders including zondacrypto. (The Block)