mon

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) issued a circular outlining the monitoring measures that should be implemented when opening accounts and maintaining client relationships. This circular was issued after the SFC reviewed the account opening practices of 12 securities brokerage firms.The review identified several significant deficiencies, including insufficient due diligence on account opening documents, acceptance of suspicious or forged documents during the account opening process, and weaknesses in managing cross-border agency relationships with overseas intermediaries. The SFC expressed deep concern about the potential misuse of client accounts for suspicious or illegal transactions, which could exacerbate the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing.The SFC requires all licensed corporations to conduct internal checks as soon as practicable to detect whether any suspicious or forged documents have been accepted for account opening. The SFC also outlined additional measures for licensed corporations when opening and managing accounts for mainland investors.These additional measures include closing investment accounts opened with suspicious or forged documents, closing zero-balance dormant investment accounts, and requiring a written declaration from investors when opening new investment accounts, stipulating that settlements and fund withdrawals can only be conducted through bank accounts held in the investor's own name at qualified banks.

According to analyst Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) in a social media post, since the event on October 10 last year, Bitcoin has undergone a long de-leveraging phase in the derivatives market. When open interest falls below the 180-day moving average, it usually indicates a decline in futures activity, and investors' risk-off behavior leads to a reduction in open interest. Affected by the deterioration of the global macroeconomic and geopolitical backdrop, traders generally choose to reduce their risk exposure.This de-leveraging phase on Binance has lasted for about 8 months, with the last similar occurrence dating back to the previous bear market in 2022, just before the FTX collapse. However, since early May, the trend seems to be changing. Open interest on Binance has risen from $6.4 billion in March to about $8.96 billion currently, re-establishing itself above the current 180-day moving average of approximately $8.75 billion. This effectively marks the end of the de-leveraging cycle.The return of investors to the derivatives market has clearly driven the current upward rebound, but it is still too early to call it a true recovery. Despite the continued deterioration of the macro environment, Bitcoin's significant pullback has attracted more speculative traders seeking rebound opportunities. It should be noted that this trend remains highly fragile; once Bitcoin resumes the adjustment trend that began last October, these traders may exit as quickly as they entered.

CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost stated that due to the recent intensified selling pressure from institutions, the Coinbase premium has fallen into negative territory, recording a monthly low of negative 0.0983%. This indicates that institutions and professional investors trading on Coinbase Advanced are selling more aggressively than retail investors on Binance.Analyst Axel Adler pointed out that this indicates a zero confirmation of U.S. spot demand. LVRG research director Nick Ruck stated that the decline in the premium reflects the emergence of net selling pressure from large holders, as institutions are taking profits or readjusting their positions.In addition, CoinGlass data shows that since May 14, there have been four trading days of net outflows from U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, totaling $1.3 billion. Bitfinex reported that this week, the open interest in Bitcoin futures or perpetual contracts has decreased by about $1.5 billion, clearing most of the leverage.

According to Cointelegraph, the key indicator measuring institutional participation in the crypto market, the Coinbase premium, has fallen into a deeper negative territory, indicating increased selling pressure from institutions. This premium has mostly been negative since the end of April, accelerating its decline over the past seven days, recording a monthly low of -0.0983%. CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost stated that the selling pressure from institutions has intensified recently, suggesting that institutions and professional investors trading on Coinbase Advanced are selling more aggressively than investors on Binance.Since May 14, the U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF has seen net outflows for four consecutive trading days, totaling $1.3 billion. Bitcoin futures and perpetual contracts' open interest has decreased by about $1.5 billion this week. Bitcoin has fallen 4.5% over the past week, hitting a monthly low above $76,000 on Tuesday.

According to GMGN monitoring, early this morning, Binance co-CEO He Yi retweeted CZ's early tweet about the release of his English version of the new book on the X platform (the original tweet was published on May 2). The main content of the tweet includes: book introduction, Chinese and English audiobooks, and the proceeds will be used for charity.The meme coin named Freedom of Money on the BSC chain saw a brief surge in market capitalization, reaching a high of 12 million USD, but has now fallen back to 9.4 million USD, with a 24-hour increase still holding at 25.6%. During the same period, the on-chain trading volume reached 2.6 million USD.ChainCatcher reminds users that meme coin trading is highly volatile, largely relying on market sentiment and hype, and has no actual value or use case; investors should be aware of the risks.

According to Fireblocks' "2025 Stablecoin Status Report," the trading volume of euro stablecoins processed by retail virtual asset service providers (VASP) has grown 12 times in 15 months, reaching $777 million.European banks and fintech companies are accelerating the production and deployment of compliant stablecoins following the implementation of the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). Banking Circle and SG-Forge have become pioneers of MiCA-compliant stablecoins, launching euro-backed digital assets EURI and EURCV, respectively, both of which are currently expanding their production operations.This growth reflects a broader transformation of the European digital asset infrastructure, as banks have moved from pilot projects to building production systems for tokenized assets and stablecoin payment rails. Fireblocks' research indicates that European banks view stablecoins and tokenized asset infrastructure as key components of their 2026 roadmap, with MiCA compliance reducing regulatory uncertainty and accelerating the deployment process.

According to Businesswire, Nasdaq-listed Solana treasury company Solmate Infrastructure announced the issuance of a total of 2,298,000 shares of Class B common stock through a registered directed offering, with an issuance price of $4.97 per share, expected to raise approximately $11.4 million in total funds. The transaction is expected to be completed around May 27, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

JPMorgan's latest report points out that although tokenized money market funds have revenue potential, they still only account for about 5% of the broader "stablecoin system," and the core position of stablecoins in the crypto ecosystem is unlikely to be replaced in the short term.The report states that stablecoins have become the default "cash tool" for trading, collateral, settlement, cross-border payments, and liquidity management, widely used in centralized exchanges and DeFi protocols, while tokenized money market funds are constrained by their securities characteristics, subject to registration, disclosure, and transfer restrictions, resulting in structural regulatory disadvantages.Analysts at JPMorgan, led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, expect that without significant changes in the regulatory environment, the market size of tokenized money market funds is unlikely to exceed 10% to 15% of the overall stablecoin market. Current demand is mainly concentrated among crypto-native investors seeking yield and institutional funds looking to balance on-chain settlement with traditional asset protection.The report also notes that although tokenized funds have advantages such as near real-time settlement, 24/7 transfers, and automated clearing, their growth is still constrained by liquidity, counterparty risk, and regulatory uncertainty. JPMorgan believes that in the absence of regulatory easing, these products will struggle to challenge the infrastructure-level position of stablecoins in the crypto market.

According to a news release from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Hong Kong police announced that they have joined law enforcement agencies from 9 countries and regions, including Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, to combat cross-border fraud and money laundering activities. This operation took place from March 10 to May 7, resulting in the arrest of 3,018 individuals, involving over 138,000 fraud cases, with total losses of approximately $752 million (about HKD 5.89 billion).During the operation, law enforcement agencies froze a total of 101,989 bank accounts and successfully intercepted approximately $161 million (about HKD 1.26 billion) in fraudulent funds. Among them, the Hong Kong police arrested 870 individuals and intercepted approximately HKD 539 million in funds. The largest case involved a Singapore company that was defrauded of $36 million (about HKD 280 million), with the related funds subsequently flowing into multiple bank accounts in Hong Kong and other regions. About half of this amount was converted into stablecoins and dispersed into different virtual asset wallets, with the police successfully freezing $20 million of these funds after tracking.Investigations show that money laundering through virtual asset platforms is on the rise, and various regions need to continue enhancing their capabilities to respond to crimes involving virtual assets through intelligence sharing and collaborative mechanisms.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced sanctions against two money laundering networks associated with the Sinaloa drug cartel, involving more than a dozen individuals and entities. One of the networks is accused of converting cash from the sale of fentanyl and other drugs into cryptocurrency and transferring it to high-ranking members of the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico.OFAC stated that the network laundered money through cash collection within the United States, cryptocurrency transfers, and Mexican brokers associated with the "Los Chapitos" faction. "Los Chapitos" is controlled by Ivan and Alfredo Guzman Salazar, the sons of "Shorty" Guzman. Sanctioned individuals include Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles, who is suspected of being responsible for the money laundering network, and Jesus Gonzalez Penuelas, another leader of a drug trafficking and money laundering organization.OFAC noted that the organization collects large amounts of cash in the United States, exchanges it for cryptocurrency, and sends it back to Mexico. Under the sanctions, the assets of the relevant individuals and entities within the United States will be frozen, and U.S. citizens

Glassnode stated that Bitcoin has reclaimed the real market average at $78,300 but has failed to maintain a position above this level. Historical cycles suggest that several weeks to months of consolidation may be needed before confirming a credible bull market transition. The 30-day moving average has seen its risk-reward ratio rise from 0.4 in February to 1.8 during the rebound, indicating that demand is insufficient to absorb the wave of profit-taking. This indicator needs to remain above 2 to signal a true recovery of buyer strength.The 30-day cost baseline at $78,200 has shifted from a support level to an overhead resistance level, while the cost baseline of the accumulation group formed from February to April ($71,400) is currently the most direct support level in the ongoing pullback. The internal structure of the spot market has weakened in recent weeks, with the cumulative volume delta (CVD) remaining negative overall, and Coinbase activity continues to lag. This indicates that while there is sporadic offshore speculative demand, the participation of U.S. institutions in the spot market remains relatively weak.CME futures open interest has continued to rise alongside prices, indicating that while overall spot demand remains hesitant near the current range highs, institutional participation in the derivatives market is improving. The accumulation rate of U.S. spot ETFs has recently slowed, further indicating that positions are increasingly driven by futures activity. Implied volatility is rebounding from low levels, primarily concentrated in short-term contracts, while long-term expectations remain stable. Realized volatility continues to decline, and the volatility risk premium has expanded, making the cost of hedging relatively manageable. Options positions remain defensive. The skew indicator shows a resurgence in demand for downside protection, while the negative gamma range around $75,000 makes spot prices susceptible to amplified hedging flows and increased price volatility.

According to a post by Santiment on social media, a large number of traders have bet on the decline of HYPE in the past few days, and significant negative spikes in funding rate data have appeared across trading platforms. However, the price of HYPE continues to rise, forming a classic short squeeze that forces bearish traders to automatically buy back their positions, further driving up the price. Currently, the total value of HYPE's open contracts remains at a very high level of over $1.92 billion.Although the market generally believes that liquidations will lead to the collapse of open contracts, HYPE remains one of the hottest assets in the crypto market, with new traders continuously entering, keeping the open contracts at a high level.The main catalyst for this round of increase is the growing enthusiasm for Hyperliquid-related ETF products. In May 2026, companies like Bitwise and 21Shares launched HYPE-linked ETFs, providing traditional investors with a channel to gain exposure to the asset without the need to directly use crypto wallets or decentralized exchanges. Market analysis suggests that the launch of these ETFs marks Hyperliquid's transition from a niche DeFi platform to an institutionally recognized crypto ecosystem.

According to Gate's market data, gold (XAUUSDT) has risen above the $4,500 mark, currently priced at $4,556.71, with a 24-hour increase of approximately 1.57%; silver (XAGUSDT) has broken above $76, currently priced at $76.36, with a 24-hour increase of 2.97%, driving active trading in related contracts.According to CoinGlass data, the trading volume of gold (XAU) contracts on the Gate platform in the last 24 hours reached $213 million, with an open interest of $138 million, ranking among the top two globally; the trading volume of silver (XAG) contracts was approximately $194 million, with an open interest of about $118 million, also ranking among the top two globally.Gate has pioneered the metal contract trading sector, providing 24/7 uninterrupted trading, offering users greater strategic flexibility and asset management efficiency in volatile markets. Gate's contracts cover various traditional financial assets, including stocks, metals, foreign exchange, indices, and commodities, supporting trading in core assets such as gold, silver, and globally popular stocks. Gate continues to build a more efficient and professional multi-asset one-stop trading platform for users worldwide.

According to Token Terminal data, Steakhouse Fi's leading advantage in the Morpho curator ecosystem has expanded to approximately $1 billion, far exceeding the second place. A year ago, there was almost no significant gap between the protocol and its competitors, indicating rapid growth and market consolidation over the past year.Morpho operates on a curator model, where multiple treasury managers compete for liquidity by offering different risk-return configurations and strategies. Steakhouse Fi's dominance indicates that it has successfully achieved differentiation or gained significant user trust within the Morpho ecosystem. The curator ecosystem remains an active competitive area in the DeFi space, with various protocols increasingly relying on specialized managers to expand capital deployment across different risk levels and strategies.

According to Bloomberg, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against an operator of the Sinaloa drug cartel, accusing him of using cryptocurrency to transfer drug trafficking proceeds back to Mexico. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control stated that those sanctioned include Armando de Jesus Ojeda Aviles and several of his associates, who laundered sales revenue from fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine for the Sinaloa cartel.The network relies on couriers within the United States to collect cash and transfers funds through digital currency addresses. In April 2024, a federal grand jury in Colorado indicted another associate of Ojeda, Rodrigo Alarcon Palomares, accusing him of laundering drug proceeds through cryptocurrency.

Strategy CEO Phong Le stated that in the first quarter of 2026, 13 of the top 15 institutional shareholders of Strategy increased their holdings in $MSTR, with a total increase in holdings of 27%.

According to PR Newswire, global payment giant MoneyGram announced a strategic partnership with Layer 1 blockchain Tempo to become its core validation node for cross-border remittances (Anchor Remittance Validator) and participate in network transaction validation.The three parties will jointly build a global interoperable payment network based on stablecoins, promoting on-chain settlement in real fund flows, while Stripe will provide on-chain stablecoin settlement services for MoneyGram on the Tempo infrastructure.

According to Onchain Lens monitoring, the Anchorage associated wallet withdrew 44,510 HYPE from Gate, worth approximately 2.16 million dollars.In the past month, this address has accumulated a total of 2.385 million HYPE, worth approximately 11.9 million dollars, and has used all of it for staking.

According to Bloomberg, the Monetary Authority of Singapore has announced the revocation of the major payment institution (MPI) license of the cryptocurrency payment company Bsquared Technology. The reasons include flaws in risk management and conflict of interest policies, violations of outsourcing management regulations, and providing false or misleading information to regulators multiple times during the license application and on-site inspection processes.Bsquared obtained a digital payment token service license 16 months ago and is now required to submit a closure certificate issued by an auditing firm to confirm that all customer funds have been returned. The MAS stated that it is further reviewing the responsibilities of the company's key management personnel. Currently, only 37 institutions in Singapore are approved to provide digital payment token services, and license revocations are relatively rare.

According to Catcher Predict monitoring, in the predicted market Polymarket for the event "Counter-Strike: TheMongolz vs B8 (BO3) - CS Asia Championships Group B," the win rate of the "Odd" option in the sub-market "Odd/Even Total Rounds" has experienced significant fluctuations, dropping from 50% an hour ago to the current 10.05% (a fluctuation of 39.95%). Please note the impact of related breaking news.