Author: James Wilson
Bitwise will devote 10% of its HYPE ETF management fee to buying HYPE on its balance sheet. Summary Bitwise announced it will devote 10% of its BHYP Hyperliquid ETF management fee to purchasing and holding HYPE tokens on its balance sheet. The BHYP ETF launched on NYSE on May 15 with a 0.34% sponsor fee, the first US product to offer in-house staking through Bitwise Onchain Solutions. Combined with 21Shares’ THYP product, the two Hyperliquid ETFs have accumulated over $5.6 million in net inflows since launching last week. Bitwise Asset Management announced that it will devote 10% of the management…
Galaxy Digital secured a BitLicense from New York on May 18 to offer regulated crypto services to institutions. Summary Galaxy Digital’s subsidiary GalaxyOne Prime NY received a BitLicense and Money Transmission License from NYDFS on May 18, 2026. The approval allows Galaxy to offer regulated trading and custody to hedge funds, registered investment advisers, and family offices across New York State. Galaxy manages approximately $9 billion in client assets and New York now joins a regulatory footprint of more than 50 global licences. Galaxy Digital announced on May 18 that the New York State Department of Financial Services granted its…
Revolut launched its first physical crypto card on May 18, a Dogecoin-themed LED card for the UK and EEA. Summary Revolut unveiled its first physical crypto card with a Dogecoin theme and LED display, usable anywhere Visa and Mastercard are accepted. The card links to users’ crypto balances and converts holdings to fiat at real-time exchange rates, with no additional exchange fees charged on purchases. The launch follows Revolut’s full UK banking licence in March 2026 and FCA approval last week for leveraged investment products and private wealth services. Revolut announced on May 18 that it is launching its first…
Shiba Inu saw billions of SHIB hit exchanges on May 18 as crypto market liquidations accelerated. Summary Over 3 billion SHIB tokens were pushed onto exchanges on May 18, raising sell-side pressure as broader crypto market liquidations accelerated. CoinGlass data shows SHIB open interest at $61.2 million with $42,485 in futures positions liquidated in the 24-hour session ending May 18. SHIB was trading at $0.00000567 on May 18, down roughly 10% on the week and 54% over the past year. On-chain exchange flow data tracked by CoinGlass shows SHIB open interest at $61.2 million on May 18, with $42,485 in…
Kraken revenue rose 3% year-on-year to $507m in Q1 2026 as futures trading jumped 51%, Payward said Monday. Summary Payward posted $507m in Q1 2026 adjusted revenue, up 3% year-on-year, despite Bitcoin falling 22% during the quarter and industry-wide spot volumes dropping 38%. Futures daily average revenue trades rose 51%, driven by NinjaTrader, Breakout, and expanded derivatives offerings from the recently completed Bitnomial acquisition. Adjusted EBITDA fell to $18m as Payward continued spending on acquisitions, product development, and regulatory infrastructure ahead of a planned IPO. Payward, Kraken’s Wyoming-based parent company, said in a Monday press release that it generated $507…
Standard Chartered projects $4 trillion in tokenized assets onchain by 2028, with mature DeFi protocols as the main beneficiaries. Summary Standard Chartered forecasts $4 trillion in tokenized assets by end-2028, split evenly between stablecoins and real-world assets. Mature DeFi protocols with strong risk metrics will capture the bulk of the throughput, the bank said. Passage of the CLARITY Act is viewed as the most significant near-term catalyst for the shift from traditional rails. Standard Chartered projects that $4 trillion in tokenized assets will sit onchain by the end of 2028, evenly split between stablecoins and real-world assets. The forecast positions…
The White House says it has achieved a legal and custody “breakthrough” for the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, finally giving Washington a compliant way to safeguard billions in seized BTC. Summary White House Digital Assets Executive Director Patrick Witt confirmed legal and custody frameworks for the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve are now in place The announcement signals the administration has cleared key regulatory hurdles without requiring immediate congressional action Witt described the development as a “breakthrough” that allows proper safeguarding of government-held digital assets The White House has confirmed a major operational breakthrough for the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, with an announcement…
Justin Sun moved 41.99m Spark worth $1.23m from Spark to HTX, adding to roughly 610m SPK in exchange-bound flows since 2025 and renewing sell-pressure and governance worries. Summary Justin Sun moved 41.99 million SPK, worth about $1.23 million, from Spark to HTX in his latest suspected token sale after a two‑week pause. On-chain data indicate Sun has transferred roughly 610 million SPK to exchanges since September 2025, with an estimated cumulative value of about $19.08 million. The sustained offloading of staking rewards risks adding persistent sell pressure to SPK and intensifying long‑running concerns about Sun’s use of ecosystem tokens. Justin…
DeFi yields on blue-chip stablecoins now trail bank cash and tokenized Treasuries, forcing CoinEx to pitch Flexible Savings as a liquidity tool, not a rate stunt. Summary DeFi lending yields on blue-chip stablecoins have slipped below leading U.S. high-yield savings accounts, forcing CoinEx and other platforms to reposition crypto savings as part of a broader yield toolkit rather than a simple rate play. Crypto savings products still offer competitive APYs in some niches, but they now compete directly with dollar yields on brokerage cash and bank deposits that carry far less risk. As policymakers move to clamp down on stablecoin…
Strategy bought 24,869 Bitcoin for about $2.01 billion between May 11 and May 17. Summary Strategy’s latest purchase lifted its Bitcoin holdings to 843,738 BTC, over 4% of total supply. The company funded the buy through MSTR common stock and STRC preferred stock sales. Market updates showed Bitcoin below $77,000 as ETF outflows and liquidations pressured crypto prices. The company paid an average price of $80,985 per Bitcoin, including fees and expenses, according to its May 18 Form 8-K. The purchase raised Strategy’s total holdings to 843,738 BTC. The company has spent about $63.87 billion on its Bitcoin position, at…