Author: James Wilson

Bitcoin options open interest on Deribit has reached $31.3 billion, overtaking BlackRock’s IBIT ahead of a $6.25 billion expiry. Summary Deribit’s Bitcoin options open interest hit $31.3 billion on May 21, overtaking BlackRock’s IBIT at $27 billion, according to Checkonchain data. A total of 80,535 contracts worth $6.25 billion are set to expire on Deribit on May 29, with $75,000 as the max pain level. The put/call ratio of 0.86 is modestly bullish, but max pain sitting $2,000 below current price creates a gravitational pull toward $75,000. Deribit’s Bitcoin options open interest climbed to $31.3 billion on May 21, overtaking…

Asset tokenization platform Securitize is moving ahead with a SPAC merger on Nasdaq, aiming to accelerate its expansion beyond stablecoins into a broader universe of tokenized securities. Summary Securitize plans to go public via a merger with Nasdaq-listed SPAC Cantor Equity Partners II (CEPT) CEO Carlos Domingo says the company is already profitable in asset tokenization The firm wants to use its public listing to issue and trade more tokenized assets beyond stablecoins Securitize’s efforts to “tokenize the world” just took an added-value turn, with the company doubling down on efforts to assemble on-chain securities infrastructure operational at scale. The…

Zcash has emerged as the market’s primary breakout performer, logging a 15% single-day advance to trade at $660.21. Summary Zcash price surged 15% to $660 after the SEC officially closed its multi-year probe into the Zcash Foundation without penalties or enforcement action. Institutional accumulation accelerated as Multicoin Capital disclosed a long-term ZEC position, while Cypherpunk Technologies expanded holdings to 314,185 ZEC. ZEC confirmed a bullish flag breakout on rising volume, with CoinGlass data showing a 38% jump in open interest and over $14.2 million in short liquidations. Investor sentiment has rapidly pivoted from cautious accumulation to aggressive risk-on expansion, fueled…

Kraken has moved closer to launching in the United Arab Emirates after its parent company, Payward, received preliminary approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. Summary Kraken’s parent Payward received preliminary VARA approval for broker-dealer, investment and management services in Dubai. The planned UAE launch includes AED funding, margin trading, OTC services and Kraken Prime access. Related reports show Dubai’s crypto rulebook continues attracting exchanges, payment firms and institutional trading platforms. Payward received preliminary approval for a broker-dealer, investment and management licence from VARA. The approval gives Kraken a path toward offering regulated crypto services in Dubai once the remaining…

Boerse Stuttgart Group’s Seturion has added Societe Generale, SG-FORGE and flatexDEGIRO to expand blockchain-based securities settlement across Europe. Summary Boerse Stuttgart’s Seturion added SocGen, SG-FORGE and flatexDEGIRO for blockchain-based securities settlement across Europe. SG-FORGE will provide EURCV and USDCV stablecoins for settlement under the new Seturion partnership. Related reports show European banks are racing to build MiCA-ready stablecoin and tokenization rails. The May 21 announcement said Seturion will provide settlement for tokenized securities transactions between the partners. The platform is part of Boerse Stuttgart Group and is designed as an open settlement network for banks, brokers and trading venues. Seturion…

IG plans to expand crypto trading across Europe through Bitpanda, as the London-listed trading group grows its digital asset offering beyond the U.K. Summary IG plans to expand crypto trading across Europe using Bitpanda’s liquidity, trading connectivity, and market data. IG reported £331.2 million in Q1 2026 revenue, with spot crypto contributing £2.4 million. Bitpanda holds MiCA licenses in Germany and Malta, supporting crypto services across the EU. IG’s European division will use Bitpanda’s infrastructure to offer digital asset access to investors in Europe, CoinDesk reported, citing an emailed statement. The setup will include liquidity, trading connectivity, and market data…

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said the exchange has used AI to rebuild compliance workflows, cutting account restriction resolution times by about 90%. Summary Coinbase says AI cut account restriction resolution times by 90% after rebuilding compliance workflows companywide. Armstrong said humans still validate outcomes to protect security and improve AI models inside Coinbase. Related reports show Coinbase has expanded AI across agent payments, wallets, and internal operations recently. Armstrong said Coinbase has updated how it handles compliance, one of the company’s highest-risk business areas. He said the exchange rebuilt nearly every workflow and found large efficiency gains. In the X…

MAPO, the native token of Map Protocol, has collapsed by 96% after attackers exploited the Butter Network cross-chain bridge to mint an enormous amount of unauthorized tokens. Summary MAPO plunged 96% after attackers exploited the Butter Network bridge to mint a quadrillion unauthorized tokens. Blockaid said the attacker drained about 52 ETH from Uniswap pools and continued holding nearly a trillion MAPO tokens after the exploit. TON TAC has recovered about 80% of assets lost in its separate $2.68 million bridge exploit, though the protocol remains paused for an independent audit. According to blockchain security firm Blockaid, the attacker created…

Coinbase and Flipcash have launched USDF, a Solana-based custom stablecoin fully backed by USDC, as Coinbase expands its branded stablecoin infrastructure business. Summary Coinbase powers USDF on Solana, giving Flipcash a USDC-backed settlement asset for app currencies now. Flipcash chose Coinbase for reserves, onchain settlement, fiat access, and scalable USDC-linked rewards for users. Custom Stablecoins puts Coinbase deeper into branded dollar rails as stablecoin payment competition grows fast. Coinbase said on May 20 that USDF was created through its Custom Stablecoin platform. The token is issued on Solana and fully backed by USDC. Coinbase described the launch as part of…

GSX has settled over $350m on-chain while none of its committed $125m settlement liquidity has moved yet. Summary GSX co-founder Ryan Kirkley said zero of the committed $125m settlement liquidity has moved since the May 6 announcement. The firm has settled more than $350m on-chain, mostly through US dollar stablecoins. GSX is still forming the market maker entity that will deploy the committed liquidity. Global Settlement Network co-founder Ryan Kirkley said the company has settled over $350m on-chain, even as none of its newly committed $125 million in settlement liquidity has moved.The disclosure, made in a recorded interview, draws a…