BSC News

@NEARProtocol's intent-based architecture has officially crossed $33 million in cumulative protocol fees since launch, with $NEAR up 9.3% in the past 24 hours and roughly 89% over the past 30 days.
Intents Architecture Driving Real Fee Revenue
NEAR Intents is a transaction framework that allows information, assets, and actions to be exchanged between AI agents, services, and end users across multiple chains. NEAR Intents are described as a new type of transaction that allows information, requests, assets, and actions to be exchanged between AI agents, services, and end users. The system has become an increasingly practical rails layer for autonomous agent activity, with complex, multi-step transactions settling across the ecosystem with minimal slippage.
The fee mechanics behind the milestone carry direct tokenomic implications. NEAR Intents fees operate differently from base-layer gas fees: 100% of fees generated through the protocol are used to purchase $NEAR directly, creating market buy pressure that scales with transaction volume. On February 23, 2026, the NEAR Intents fee conversion mechanism activated, meaning 100% of Intents fees now flow into open-market NEAR purchases.
DeFiLlama data shows NEAR Intents carrying a $33.5 million annual fee run-rate, with $86.1 million in total value locked. Annualizing the trailing 90-day fee run rate through the Intents architecture implies approximately $53 million in annual ecosystem fees, placing NEAR's Intents-adjusted price-to-sales ratio at around 28x, versus Ethereum at 194x and Solana at 40x.
Token Rally Backed by Structural Shifts
The price move is not purely speculative. A governance proposal approved in late 2025 reduced NEAR's maximum annual inflation rate from 5% to 2.5%, lowering the amount of new tokens entering circulation each year. All VC allocations are fully unlocked, 99% of the 1.29 billion circulating supply is already in the market, and 45.5% of that float is staked, tightening available supply further.
NEAR saw the largest 24-hour gain among AI-related tokens on May 22, jumping over 26% to $2.19, a surge sparked by a short squeeze at the $1.72 resistance level that led to around $5.8 million in short liquidations. NEAR's focus on the "Agentic Web," where AI agents autonomously manage payments, identity, and cross-chain tasks, helped it stand out as a clear beneficiary of the broader AI market rotation.
For the protocol to turn net deflationary, volume must continue to grow. Analysts have identified a deflationary threshold at around $177 million in daily Intents volume, above which NEAR becomes net deflationary. The trailing 90-day daily average through early 2026 sat at approximately $77 million, meaning volume would need to roughly double to cross that threshold.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Sources:
NEAR Intents TVL, Fees and Volume, DeFiLlama
NEAR Revenue Dashboard, NEAR Protocol
Why is NEAR Protocol price going up?, Invezz

@Aster_Dex has rolled out what it claims is a first for decentralized exchanges: native chase orders built directly into the on-chain matching engine of Aster Chain. The feature, announced on May 25, targets active traders who need to stay competitive at the top of the order book without constant manual input.
How Chase Orders Work
Chase orders allow limit orders to automatically reprice every second to track the best bid or ask in real time. The result is that a trader's order remains at the front of the book continuously, without requiring manual cancellations and resubmissions. All fills are processed as post-only maker orders, which creates a 0% maker fee environment on Aster. The feature also includes customizable safety boundaries and configurable "gap" modes, giving traders control over how aggressively their orders chase the market price.
The distinction here is that the logic runs natively inside the matching engine rather than being handled by an external bot or script layered on top. All order matching and trading logic are processed and stored on-chain, and Aster Chain is designed to give traders full custody of assets alongside execution speeds comparable to centralized exchanges. Aster Chain uses a PoSA consensus mechanism combined with a node aggregation engine and block pre-confirmation, targeting a 50-millisecond block time and throughput of up to 100,000 transactions per second. That infrastructure is what makes per-second order repricing practical at the protocol level.
Part of a Broader Push on Order Type Innovation
Chase orders are the latest in a series of order type features Aster has introduced since launching in late 2024. Aster previously became the first perpetual DEX to introduce fully integrated hidden orders, where traders place limit orders without revealing size, price, or presence on the public order book, with trades placed directly into the main matching engine and only becoming visible after execution.
Aster is a multi-chain perpetuals DEX built to deliver pro-grade trading through a tightly integrated stack, offering dual trading modes, hidden limit orders, 24/7 stock perpetuals alongside crypto markets, and full on-chain settlement in a non-custodial manner. The project is backed by YZi Labs, the crypto investment firm of Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, who co-founded Binance.
With chase orders now live, Aster is positioning its matching engine as a venue where features typically associated with algorithmic trading desks on centralized platforms are available natively on-chain, without the need for third-party tooling or off-chain workarounds.
Sources:
Aster Chain Overview, Aster Official Docs
Aster Launches Hidden Orders, CoinTelegraph
What Is Aster (ASTER)?, Binance Academy

$LUNC Claws Back Ground After May Peak
Terra Luna Classic ($LUNC) is showing renewed momentum as its market capitalization edges back toward the $500 million mark. According to data from CoinGecko, the market capitalization of Terra Luna Classic stands at approximately $441 million, with the token ranked #114 globally. Trading volume has ticked up roughly 8% over the past 24 hours, pointing to a gradual return of market interest among holders and traders.
The current move comes after a sharp pullback from a local high earlier this month. On May 6, 2026, $LUNC traded at $0.00011004 with a market cap of $606.7 million, placing it 94th globally, before cooling off in the weeks that followed. The token is now attempting to reclaim some of that lost ground.
Burns, Governance and Community Activity in Focus
The backdrop to the recent price action includes a steady stream of on-chain activity. Every on-chain $LUNC transaction incurs a 0.5% burn tax that permanently removes tokens from circulation, and exchanges like Binance also contribute through monthly burns from trading fees. Roughly 444 billion tokens, around 6.43% of total supply, have been removed so far. While the mechanism creates a structural deflationary pressure, the original supply was so large that burns have had a minimal mathematical impact on the total outstanding.
On the governance side, the community passed a v4.0.1 network patch on May 6, 2026, approved with a 99.95% yes vote, aimed at fixing bugs and improving blockchain stability. Upcoming priorities include a Market Module 2.0 reactivation designed to better control token issuance.
$LUNC remains listed on major centralized exchanges, giving it continuous liquidity, while its low nominal price keeps it accessible to small retail traders. The community around the token is also unusually vocal and organized compared to most legacy assets. Whether the current uptick develops into a sustained recovery or fades again will likely depend on whether broader altcoin market conditions remain supportive and whether community-led burn momentum continues to drive engagement.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Sources:
CoinGecko: Terra Luna Classic Live Price and Market Cap
Yellow.com: LUNC Returns To The Spotlight With 8.7% Gain And $253M In Daily Trading Volume
CoinMarketCap: Terra Classic Price, LUNC to USD

Somnia Network (@Somnia_network) has officially integrated @Lifiprotocol, bringing established cross-chain routing infrastructure to what the project bills as the Agentic L1.
LI.FI is a cross-chain bridge and DEX aggregation protocol that functions as a middleware infrastructure layer, aggregating on-chain liquidity sources and bridging solutions to enable asset swaps and transfers across multiple blockchain networks through a single, unified API. As of early 2026, LI.FI supports 60+ blockchain networks, spanning every major EVM-compatible chain including Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, Polygon, Avalanche, BNB Chain, and Solana.
With the integration now live, developers on Somnia can access swap, bridge, and deposit functionality across that entire network of chains through LI.FI's APIs and SDKs, removing the need to piece together separate infrastructure for each route.
What It Means for Somnia Developers
Somnia is a hyper-performant layer-1 blockchain designed for real-time, autonomous, AI-native applications, operating at over one million transactions per second with sub-second finality and sub-cent transaction costs. The LI.FI integration directly addresses one of the remaining friction points for builders on such a network: access to external liquidity.
LI.FI's stack covers same-chain swaps, cross-chain swaps, contract calls, multi-step flows, status tracking, intent-based execution, and newer workflow tools like Composer and Deposit, making it relevant for wallets, DeFi apps, fintechs, on-ramp products, and AI-agent-driven on-chain flows. For Somnia, that last category is particularly significant. Autonomous agents running on the network can now tap into universal liquidity to execute real-time transactions without manual routing decisions.
LI.FI's primary focus is on providing a business-to-business solution for developers and enterprises, offering tools that save teams the time and resources required to integrate and maintain connections to numerous individual bridges and exchanges, allowing them to implement complex cross-chain strategies without building the underlying infrastructure from scratch.
Scale and Track Record
The integration gives Somnia developers access to infrastructure with significant scale behind it. As of early 2026, LI.FI was approaching 1,000 integration partners and has cumulatively processed over $60 billion in transfer volume. LI.FI's infrastructure already powers cross-chain features in some of the most widely used wallets and apps in crypto, including Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask, Phantom, Robinhood Web3 Wallet, Binance Web3 Wallet, Brave Wallet, Rainbow, and Rabby, as well as platforms like Polymarket, Brahma.fi, and Ledger Live.
For AI agents executing on-chain, LI.FI removes the infrastructure burden when users need to move assets across chains or interact with fragmented liquidity. That positioning aligns closely with Somnia's core design thesis, where smart contracts can natively query external data and run deterministic AI models on-chain.
The deal represents a meaningful step for the Somnia ecosystem as it looks to attract developers who need both the performance of an AI-native L1 and the liquidity reach of a mature cross-chain aggregator.
Sources:
Somnia Network: The Agentic L1 Blockchain
LI.FI: Liquidity Aggregation and Orchestration across all Blockchains
IQ.wiki: LI.FI Protocol Overview

@Ripple Labs shares are changing hands at $136.90 on private secondary markets, representing a 376% all-time increase in valuation, according to data cited by @BSCNews.
Strong Institutional Demand on Secondary Markets
Because Ripple Labs remains a private company, its shares do not trade on exchanges like the Nasdaq or NYSE. Instead, pricing is derived from platforms such as Hiive, Forge Global, and Nasdaq Private Market, which allow accredited and institutional investors to buy and sell pre-IPO stakes. Nasdaq Private Market estimated Ripple's price per share at $112.85 as of May 8, 2026, while Hiive has listed prices in the $134 range, illustrating how quotes can differ across platforms depending on available supply and demand.
The broader valuation picture has shifted sharply in recent quarters. Ripple attempted a $1 billion share buyback in late 2025, offering to repurchase stock at a price that valued the company at $40 billion, a notable jump from a $28 billion valuation achieved earlier that year. The buyback drew the lowest participation rate of any previous tender round, suggesting existing shareholders are reluctant to sell at current levels.
Secondary market activity points to Ripple holding one of the more liquid profiles among late-stage private crypto companies, with institutional buyers continuing to build positions. The resolution of Ripple's long-running legal dispute with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has helped restore confidence, removing a key overhang that had weighed on private valuations for years.
IPO Prospects Remain Uncertain
Despite elevated share prices and growing institutional interest, Ripple's own leadership has been consistent in downplaying a near-term public listing. President Monica Long told CNBC in November 2025 that the company is not focused on an IPO and plans to remain private, citing its strong balance sheet and access to private capital as sufficient to fund growth and strategic acquisitions. CEO Brad Garlinghouse has echoed that view, describing a public listing as a low priority.
It is also worth noting that Ripple Labs equity and $XRP are distinct assets. Owning the XRP token does not confer any equity or ownership rights in the company itself. Investors seeking direct exposure to Ripple Labs must do so through accredited channels on private secondary platforms.
With no IPO filing on the horizon, the $136.90 secondary market price reflects speculative institutional positioning rather than any confirmed path to public markets.
Sources:
Nasdaq Private Market: Ripple Share Price Estimates
DL News: Ripple's $1 Billion Buyback and Surging Valuation
AccessIPOs: Ripple IPO Stock Overview

Network Passes 287 Billion Lifetime Transactions
The Internet Computer Protocol, developed by @Dfinity, has officially surpassed 287 billion total transactions on its mainnet since launching in May 2021. The milestone was confirmed by blockchain analytics platform @ChainSpect_app, which tracks real-time network activity across major Layer-1 chains.
$ICP has maintained continuous 24/7 uptime across its decentralized computational infrastructure, a feature central to its pitch as an enterprise-grade alternative to traditional cloud providers. According to @ChainSpect_app data, the network is currently processing approximately 2,891 transactions per second, with more than 10 million transactions recorded in a single recent hour.
The figures place Internet Computer well ahead of most competing Layer-1 blockchains by lifetime transaction count. Over the past 30 days, $ICP led all major blockchains in transaction volume, more than doubling Solana's count of 2.9 billion transactions over the same period, according to BeInCrypto citing Chainspect data.
Architecture Behind the Numbers
Internet Computer achieves this throughput through a subnet-based architecture. Rather than routing everything through a single consensus layer, the network splits workloads across more than 49 independent subnets, each running its own consensus. This allows the chain to scale horizontally, avoiding the congestion bottlenecks seen on other high-throughput networks during periods of peak demand.
Beyond raw throughput, the protocol uses chain key cryptography to achieve transaction finality in approximately one to two seconds, a technical advantage that has drawn developer attention as teams look to build full-stack applications entirely on-chain, without reliance on centralised cloud providers such as AWS or Azure.
On its five-year mainnet anniversary in May 2026, the DFINITY Foundation announced Cloud Engines, described as a sovereign cloud framework that allows entrepreneurs to create private, tamper-proof subnets where AI agents can autonomously develop and deploy production applications. The new economic model ties 20% of Cloud Engine revenue to buying back and burning $ICP tokens, introducing a deflationary mechanism linked directly to real network usage.
The protocol currently supports roughly 980,000 deployed canister smart contracts and 1.24 million active wallets, according to recent network data.
Sources:
BeInCrypto: Internet Computer Beats Solana and BNB Chain in 30-Day Activity Race
CoinMarketCap: Internet Computer Latest Updates
Crypto News Navigator: Internet Computer Network Transaction Data

@HyperliquidX's native $HYPE token is making a serious run at the crypto top 10, with its market cap closing in on Dogecoin's $DOGE in what would mark a major milestone for the Layer 1 blockchain platform.
HYPE Hits a New All-Time High
$HYPE surged more than 30% over the past seven days, striking a new all-time high of $63.22. According to Coinbase data, Hyperliquid's all-time high of $64.24 was reached on May 24, 2026. The rally has pushed the token's market cap above $14 billion and, depending on the data source, the token is now ranked either 10th or 11th globally. CoinMarketCap places $HYPE at number 10, with a live market cap of roughly $16 billion. CoinGecko, meanwhile, ranks the token at number 11 with a market cap of approximately $15.1 billion.
With a price increase of 42% over the past seven days, Hyperliquid is outperforming the global cryptocurrency market, which is down 1.60% over the same period. The move has been driven in part by strong institutional demand. Spot Hyperliquid ETFs have accumulated $69.6 million since launch, with over $41 million flowing in during just the final two days of the tracked period.
Closing the Gap on Dogecoin
The key obstacle standing between $HYPE and a firm top-10 position is $DOGE. As of May 25, 2026, Dogecoin holds a market cap of $15.75 billion. Over the same seven-day window in which HYPE surged, DOGE declined 8.10%, underperforming the broader crypto market. That divergence has rapidly narrowed the gap between the two assets.
According to CoinMarketCap data, HYPE has already surpassed DOGE in market capitalization on May 25, 2026, reflecting a capital rotation toward projects with defined utility over pure meme-driven assets.
Hyperliquid's fundamentals have underpinned the rally. The project is a Layer 1 blockchain best known for perpetual futures and spot trading, with an ecosystem that also supports borrowing, lending, real-world assets, and a full Ethereum Virtual Machine. Hyperliquid Labs, which leads core development, is entirely self-funded and has not taken any external capital. A top-10 ranking would validate that approach and cement Hyperliquid's place among the most consequential blockchain platforms in the market today.
Sources:
Hyperliquid (HYPE) Price and Market Cap, CoinGecko
Hyperliquid (HYPE) Price and Market Cap, CoinMarketCap
Hyperliquid (HYPE) Price Data, Coinbase

Cardano (@Cardano) founder Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) has launched what may be one of the most ambitious governance studies in crypto history. He is reviewing governance models from more than 11,000 decentralized autonomous organizations, plus a decade of related academic and industry literature, all in an effort to fix how Cardano handles internal disputes.
What Hoskinson Is Looking For
The review zeroes in on three areas: executive functions, roadmap planning, and strategy setting, covering who gets to make decisions, how priorities are ranked, and what happens when people disagree about direction. The goal is to propose ideas to add new features to Cardano's $ADA governance via the constitution. Hoskinson has also said he is weighing whether to register as a Delegated Representative (DRep) himself and is considering hosting a mini-convention before the 2027 governance cycle to rally stakeholders behind constitutional reform.
He has stressed there is not much time, as an agreement must be reached before 2027. Details of the overhaul plan are yet to be disclosed, and it has not been decided whether it will take the form of a constitutional amendment or the introduction of new governance tools.
The Conflict Driving the Review
The initiative is unfolding against a backdrop of sharp tension inside the Cardano community. A governance dispute over an IOG treasury funding proposal is tracking toward rejection ahead of its June 8 deadline, with roughly 87% of DReps currently voting against the measure, which funds Cardano's 2026 research roadmap including quantum security and scaling architecture. Hoskinson has warned that IOG will not resubmit the proposal if it fails and that a rejection could force layoffs and shut some research labs.
As of late May 2026, Cardano is caught in an ideological conflict between its academic past and commercial future. The pragmatic wing of the community is demanding an end to broad scientific research budgets that bring no immediate market benefit, calling instead for focused funding for products ready for commercialization, including bridges, rollups, and privacy solutions.
Cardano's governance structure operates through a tripartite system. Under CIP-1694, governance consists of Delegated Representatives (DReps), a constitutional committee, and stake pool operators (SPOs). The ecosystem operates with hundreds of DReps, who function like elected representatives in a liquid democracy model, allowing token holders to delegate their voting power rather than voting on every proposal themselves. Cardano ratified its on-chain constitution in February 2025, with the vote clearing at an 85% approval rate, well above the 75% threshold required.
The review could shape how Cardano handles roadmaps, executive functions, budget control, and conflict between developers and voters. Whether it produces constitutional amendments, new tooling, or both, the 2027 deadline leaves little time to build consensus.
Sources:
crypto.news: Cardano governance fight grows as Hoskinson audits 11,000 DAOs
Crypto Briefing: Charles Hoskinson reviews governance models from 11,000 DAOs
BeInCrypto: Hoskinson Signals Governance Overhaul for Cardano Amid Internal Tensions

FDIC Moves to Bring Stablecoin Issuers Under AML and Sanctions Rules
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has advanced a proposed rule that would require federally supervised stablecoin issuers to comply with anti-money laundering (AML), counter-terrorism financing (CFT), and economic sanctions regulations under the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.
The FDIC recently approved a proposed rule that will apply the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and its sanctions requirements to all permitted payment stablecoin issuers (PPSIs) that operate as subsidiaries of FDIC-supervised state nonmember banks and state savings associations. The rule mandates stablecoin issuers to comply with AML rules, CFT rules, economic sanctions programs, and reporting obligations set by FinCEN and OFAC.
This proposal is the FDIC's third rulemaking tied to the GENIUS Act. The agency first proposed an application process for bank subsidiaries intending to issue stablecoins in December 2025, then followed with a prudential framework covering reserve assets, redemption procedures, capital, and risk management standards in April 2026.
Broader Regulatory Push Under the GENIUS Act
Congress enacted the GENIUS Act on July 18, 2025, establishing the first comprehensive federal regulatory framework for payment stablecoins in the United States. The FDIC's latest proposal sits alongside parallel rulemaking from other agencies. FinCEN and OFAC jointly issued a proposed rule to implement provisions of the GENIUS Act, aimed at encouraging innovation in payment stablecoins while providing a tailored regime to mitigate potential illicit finance risks.
The GENIUS Act mandated that PPSIs be treated as financial institutions for purposes of the Bank Secrecy Act, requiring AML and CFT compliance obligations. Critically, PPSIs will also be required to maintain effective sanctions compliance programs, the first time such compliance programs have been mandated by law.
The broader proposal would direct payment stablecoin issuers to establish and maintain an AML and CFT program, maintain a sanctions compliance program, and have the ability to "block, freeze and reject" certain stablecoin transactions.
The FDIC Board approved the stablecoin AML proposal unanimously, 3-0. The FDIC estimates that between 5 and 30 banks will apply for and receive approval to issue stablecoins in the initial years after the GENIUS Act takes effect, which the agency expects around mid-January 2027. Comments on the Treasury's joint proposed rule will be accepted until June 9, 2026.
Sources:
FDIC: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, GENIUS Act Application Procedures
U.S. Treasury: Proposed Rule to Implement GENIUS Act Illicit Finance Requirements
Federal Register: Permitted Payment Stablecoin Issuer AML/CFT and Sanctions Compliance Program Requirements

Tether (@tether) and the Government of Georgia have announced plans to launch GEL₮, a stablecoin pegged to the Georgian Lari. The move represents one of the first state-backed efforts to bring a national fiat currency directly onto blockchain payment infrastructure.
A Government-Backed Blockchain Initiative
The project builds on an existing relationship between Tether and Tbilisi. Tether previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Georgia, with the two sides agreeing to position Georgia as a hub for peer-to-peer and blockchain technology. That foundation now underpins the GEL₮ stablecoin effort, which officials say is designed to improve cross-border payments, settlements, and the country's broader digital financial infrastructure.
The Georgian Lari, introduced in 1995 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, is regulated by the National Bank of Georgia, which focuses on price stability and maintaining a sound financial system. Placing a Lari-pegged token on-chain could open new rails for both domestic and international transactions.
Tether's Growing Appetite for National Partnerships
The Georgia initiative is consistent with Tether's wider strategy of embedding itself into national financial systems. The company, which issues $USDT, the world's most widely used stablecoin, has pursued similar sovereign and municipal partnerships in recent years, including its Plan B collaboration with the City of Lugano in Switzerland.
For Georgia, a GEL₮ stablecoin could reduce friction in cross-border remittances and trade settlements, areas where the country has room to improve its digital infrastructure. Whether the token will operate on a public blockchain or a permissioned network has not yet been confirmed publicly.
The announcement adds to a broader global trend of governments exploring blockchain-based representations of national currencies, sitting somewhere between a central bank digital currency and a privately issued stablecoin.
Sources:
Tether: MOU with Government of Georgia (tether.io)
CoinTelegraph: Tether signs MoU with Georgia to develop Bitcoin P2P infrastructure

BlackRock Offloads Bitcoin in Gradual Week-Long Sales
BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has sold roughly $1.01 billion worth of Bitcoin ($BTC) over the past week, according to on-chain data from Arkham Intelligence. The sales were carried out gradually through a series of daily transactions rather than a single block trade, suggesting a deliberate and measured approach to reducing its position.
The timing of the sell-off has drawn attention from market watchers. According to Arkham Intelligence data, clients of BlackRock's IBIT ETF collectively sold around $317.1 million worth of Bitcoin in one recent week, triggering fresh outflows from addresses associated with the fund. Despite the recent selling, BlackRock still holds approximately $64.34 billion worth of BTC, acquired at an estimated average price of $83,200.
ETF Outflows Mount Across the Market
The move sits within a broader period of sustained redemptions from spot Bitcoin ETFs. Bitcoin ETF outflows reached $1.26 billion over six sessions from May 15 through May 22, with all 11 US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recording net outflows across that stretch.
Between May 11 and May 15, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $1 billion in outflows, the largest weekly outflow since February. Earlier in that period, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest single-day outflows since late January, with approximately $635 million exiting on May 13, 2026, a sharp reversal that added to short-term pressure on Bitcoin prices.
When flows reverse, investors are forced to ask whether the outflows represent a short-term repositioning after a strong rally, a broader risk-off move tied to macro pressure, or an early warning that institutional appetite for Bitcoin may be more cyclical than some crypto bulls had assumed.
BlackRock has not issued a public statement explaining the rationale behind the transactions. The asset manager's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) remains one of the largest spot Bitcoin ETFs by assets under management, and any sustained selling from the fund is likely to remain a key indicator of institutional sentiment in the weeks ahead.
Sources:
U.Today: BlackRock Just Sold $317 Million Worth of Bitcoin
Bitcoin Foundation: $1.25B Outflows From Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs
CoinReporter: Record $635M Outflows from U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs

Nearly 490 Billion SHIB Leaves Exchanges
Shiba Inu holders are moving tokens off centralized trading platforms at an accelerating pace. According to CryptoQuant trending metrics cited by U Today, total $SHIB exchange outflows reached close to 490 billion tokens in a sharp surge, with exchange reserves continuing to fall in parallel. The data points to tokens leaving platforms gradually rather than being lined up for immediate sale.
The broader trend has been building for months. Over 374 billion SHIB exited exchanges in a single week in May 2026, one of the largest outflows recorded this year, pushing exchange reserves to a yearly low of roughly 82.31 trillion tokens. A single large transfer stood out: a whale moved 134 billion SHIB from Binance to a private wallet on May 10.
Reduced Sell Pressure, But Questions Remain
When holders transfer tokens to private wallets, coins are effectively removed from the immediate selling pool. Assets held in cold wallets or decentralized storage tend to stay dormant longer than those sitting on exchanges, where they remain liquid and ready to trade. That dynamic typically eases near-term sell pressure, even if it does not guarantee a price recovery.
The divergence between outflow activity and price performance is notable. SHIB has remained under pressure technically, having repeatedly failed to reclaim resistance near its 200-day moving average. Yet exchange balances keep declining, which some analysts read as quiet accumulation by larger holders positioning for a later-cycle move. Others offer a more cautious view: significant withdrawals do not always reflect bullish intent. Whales sometimes redistribute wallets, shift assets between custodians, or prepare to deploy capital elsewhere in DeFi.
The overall exchange netflow for SHIB remains negative, meaning more tokens are leaving platforms than entering them. Whether that tightening supply eventually translates into upward price pressure will depend heavily on whether broader demand for meme coins picks up from current levels.
Sources:
U Today: Shiba Inu (SHIB) Outflows Spike as Traders Rush to Self-Custody
CoinMarketCap: Latest Shiba Inu News and Market Insights
CryptoQuant: SHIBA INU Exchange Flows

Oracle Services Now Accessible Through AWS
Chainlink has listed its data standard on Amazon's AWS Marketplace, opening three core oracle services to millions of enterprise developers through a platform they already use. The launch brings Chainlink Data Feeds, Chainlink Data Streams and Chainlink Proof of Reserve into the AWS Marketplace, allowing enterprises to access the services through existing AWS tools.
The move aims to solve the challenge of linking traditional cloud environments with blockchain networks while meeting the security, compliance and reliability standards required by institutions. The integration allows developers and institutions to connect cloud infrastructure with blockchain networks through familiar AWS tools and procurement channels, eliminating the need for separate crypto-native payment flows.
Each of the three services targets a distinct layer of the institutional technology stack. Chainlink Data Feeds provide decentralized price and market data for asset valuation, settlement and risk management, aggregating data from multiple sources via a network of independent node operators. Chainlink Data Streams deliver cryptographically signed, real-time data to enable faster market responsiveness and more precise settlement, supporting advanced on-chain applications such as perpetual futures, options and high-performance trading markets. Chainlink Proof of Reserve enables on-chain verification of the reserves backing stablecoins and tokenized assets, helping issuers improve transparency, reduce under-collateralization risks and automate secure minting processes.
Institutional Adoption in Focus
AWS blockchain specialist Simon Goldberg noted that "the availability of the Chainlink data standard on the AWS Marketplace allows developers to use familiar AWS services when building applications that interact with tokenized assets and smart contracts."
The launch comes as tokenization has become a growing focus for traditional financial firms seeking to bring real-world assets onto blockchain networks, with secure data connectivity increasingly viewed as foundational infrastructure for broader adoption. Chainlink said combining its oracle infrastructure with AWS cloud services could support tokenization solutions designed to reduce settlement times, improve liquidity and enable new asset classes.
Chainlink recently completed a SOC 2 Type 2 audit conducted by Deloitte, covering its Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol and Data Feeds, building on previous SOC 2 Type 1 and ISO certifications. Organizations such as SWIFT, DTCC, Euroclear, J.P. Morgan, Mastercard, UBS, Fidelity International and the Central Bank of Brazil have already incorporated Chainlink services into their operations.
Major data producers including FTSE Russell, Deutsche Börse, S&P Global and Coinbase have signed deals to feed data to Chainlink's DataLink, which could be used to support tokenized products.
Sources:
Chainlink Data Standard now available on AWS Marketplace (Amazon Web Services Blog)
AWS Marketplace adds Chainlink data standards (The Block)
Chainlink expands tokenization infrastructure with AWS Marketplace integration (FXStreet)

From Hold-to-Earn to Use-to-Earn
A landmark piece of crypto legislation working its way through the US Senate could fundamentally change how investors earn returns on digital assets. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, widely known as the CLARITY Act, cleared the Senate Banking Committee on May 14 and is Congress's most serious attempt to end years of regulatory ambiguity for digital assets.
The Act's biggest outcome may be the creation of an entirely new market for "yield-as-a-service," according to Joe Vollono, chief commercial officer at stablecoin infrastructure firm STBL. At the centre of the debate is Section 404 of the proposed legislation, which would prohibit Digital Asset Service Providers and their affiliates from offering yield solely as a function of holding a digital asset.
Passive yield on stablecoin balances is banned under the bill's current formulation, meaning crypto platforms could no longer offer interest-like returns for simply holding dollar-backed stablecoins. The bill does, however, include a compromise that preserves activity-based rewards tied to transactions, payments, staking, or liquidity provision.
Vollono believes this means the industry will shift from a "hold-to-earn" to a "use-to-earn" model, with future markets relying more on proactive, regulatory-compliant yield strategies.
Institutional Capital on the Sidelines
Vollono, who spent more than seven years at Morgan Stanley and served at SIFMA on industry advocacy and market structure issues, argues that the implications of the CLARITY Act extend far beyond yield products themselves, and that regulatory clarity could finally unlock large-scale institutional participation in crypto markets.
Banks, asset managers, and pension funds have largely sat out direct exposure beyond spot Bitcoin ETFs because of unresolved legal questions about token classification and custody. The CLARITY Act aims to address that directly. The bill is designed to create clearer federal rules for digital assets and resolve years of conflict between the SEC and the CFTC over who regulates the industry.
The likely result, Vollono said, is the emergence of a middle layer of infrastructure providers focused on compliant yield generation, with many of those services powered by artificial intelligence acting as an orchestration layer for regulated capital flows. Potential beneficiaries include DeFi infrastructure providers, vault curators, collateral management platforms, automated treasury services, lending markets, and rewards systems.
Still, Vollono sees the eventual compromise as beneficial for incumbents rather than existentially threatening. "Smart incumbents are going to compete," he said, suggesting banks could eventually collateralize reserves to issue their own stablecoins and generate compliant yield under the CLARITY framework.
The White House is aiming for a July 4 finish for the CLARITY Act, though Senator Gillibrand has predicted its completion by the first week of August.
Sources:
CoinDesk: Clarity Act could usher in a new era of crypto yield-as-a-service
Latham and Watkins: US Crypto Policy Tracker
The Motley Fool: What the Clarity Act Means for Crypto

Chairman Pledges No Token Sales During Mainnet Rollout
InterLink (@inter_link) Chairman KV (@kv_interlink) announced that the project is entering the first stage of its Private Mainnet rollout, marking a significant step forward for the human-centric blockchain network. In the same statement, KV pledged that the foundation will not sell $ITLG or ITL tokens during the Private Mainnet phase and said the project has enough funding to sustain operations for at least five years.
The announcement arrives at a sensitive moment for the community, with ongoing debate around token verification delays, funding transparency, and the broader direction of the ecosystem. The no-sell commitment appears designed to address those concerns directly and reassure users ahead of a major technical milestone.
What InterLink Is Building
InterLink is a human-centric blockchain project building what it describes as the world's largest verified human network, using a dual-token model: ITLG for utility and governance, and ITL for institutional access. Its Proof of Personhood consensus mechanism is designed to ensure only verified humans can participate in mining, governance, and network validation, eliminating bot manipulation and fake accounts.
The InterLink mainnet is designed as a payment-ready Layer-1 blockchain, optimised for high transaction throughput and real-world usage rather than experimental activity. The project has already launched several products, including Interlink QR Payment, ITLX DeFi, and the Interlink Visa Card, with the private Interlink Chain L1 still upcoming.
ITLG serves as the genesis token, earned exclusively through mining by verified humans, and governs the InterLink DAO while playing a central role in expanding the human network. The planned Token Generation Event will use a linear vesting model tied to token holdings, with lock-ups lasting up to 180 months, a deliberate move to reduce sell pressure and promote long-term alignment.
InterLink had previously confirmed that its airdrop distribution and Token Generation Event would take place in Q1 2026, though the team stated that the timeline remains flexible and further updates would be provided if scheduling adjustments were required. The Private Mainnet announcement suggests the project is now actively progressing through those planned milestones, though no confirmed listing date has been announced.
The foundation's five-year funding runway claim has not been independently verified. Community members and prospective participants should monitor official InterLink channels for further disclosures on funding and the mainnet timeline.
Sources:
InterLink Whitepaper Roadmap, interlink.foundation
What Is Interlink (ITLG)? Bitget Academy

US President Donald Trump (@realDonaldTrump) has poured cold water on hopes of an imminent deal with Iran, warning that Washington will not be rushed into an agreement even as both sides edge toward a preliminary framework. Crypto markets absorbed the update with relative calm, with $BTC holding near $77,000 and $ETH staying just above $2,100.
Blockade Stays in Place
Trump was direct on the status of the US naval blockade. He wrote on TruthSocial that the US blockade of ships in the Strait of Hormuz "will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified and signed." The stance reinforces Washington's position that any sanctions relief or port access will only follow tangible concessions from Tehran, not precede them.
A ceasefire has held since April 7, but Iran's decision to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz for ships carrying regional oil, natural gas and other critical supplies has been a focal point of global concern and economic pain. The waterway is a critical chokepoint for global oil flows and sits at the centre of the standoff.
Core Sticking Points Remain Unresolved
Despite Trump's earlier comment that a deal had been "largely negotiated," the gaps between the two sides are significant. While Trump wants Iran to renounce any nuclear ambitions, Iran wants a permanent end to the war before nuclear talks begin. Tehran has also demanded sanctions relief and war reparations. Iran's foreign ministry indicated that nuclear issues are not part of current negotiations, with its focus firmly on ending the war, while lifting sanctions "has explicitly been included in the text" as a fixed position.
The agreement the US and Iran are close to signing involves a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran's nuclear program. However, Iran wanted funds unfrozen immediately and permanent sanctions relief, but the US said that would only happen after tangible concessions were made.
Crypto markets have tracked the geopolitical headlines closely throughout the conflict. Bitcoin experienced a significant decline on Saturday, plunging to a five-week bottom of $74,250 on Coinbase before recovering after Trump's initial optimistic comments. Crypto markets responded quickly, with total market capitalisation recovering around $75 billion following the news. The subsequent pullback in sentiment, as the true complexity of the negotiations became clearer, kept Bitcoin rangebound near $77,000.
With Trump giving Iran a short window to reach agreement and core issues around sanctions, frozen funds, and nuclear enrichment still unresolved, markets are likely to remain sensitive to any further developments from the negotiating table.
Sources:
NPR: Trump says deal with Iran is 'largely negotiated'
Axios: What's inside the Iran deal Trump is close to signing
CoinCentral: Bitcoin price recovers from five-week low on Iran deal hopes

XRP Ledger developer and Xaman founder Wietse Wind has renewed a warning to $XRP users as scammers continue to target the wallet's brand with increasing aggression.
Fake Wallets and Airdrops Flood Social Media
More than 20 scam X accounts and 10 fake domains now appear daily, Wind said. His latest post confirmed that fake Xaman accounts and websites continue to promote a desktop wallet and airdrop that do not exist.
The tricksters are promoting fake "desktop wallets," despite Xaman being a strictly mobile application. Some fraudulent projects are also promising free tokens in exchange for users' secret keys. The most common pattern involves impersonation accounts posing as well-known XRPL developers or ecosystem projects, copying profile photos and display names before directing users to claim a reward or connect a wallet to a third-party site. Once a user signs the transaction, the wallet can be drained.
The warning follows a similar alert from Ripple CTO Emeritus David Schwartz earlier in May, who said fake airdrops, giveaways, and impersonators had increased sharply across the XRP Ledger community and that any such posts on social media are likely scams. Schwartz also highlighted a rise in impersonation accounts targeting Ripple officials, including himself.
What Users Should Do
The official Xaman wallet operates exclusively as a mobile application, and XRPL Labs does not send unsolicited emails or out-of-app support messages. All genuine assistance is provided directly within the mobile application.
Wind stressed that funds will stay safe if users avoid approving unknown transactions or sharing their keys. The official wallet account has also urged users not to click links, respond to DMs, or connect wallets to unknown websites.
On public ledgers, funds generally cannot be recovered once transferred, making user vigilance the primary line of defence.
Sources:
crypto.news: XRP users warned as fake Xaman airdrop scams spread
U.Today: XRPL Developer Repeats Crucial Warning to XRP Community
CryptoPotato: Wallet Founder Warns of Coordinated Scam Targeting XRPL Users

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has laid out an eight-point agenda for modernising global finance, arguing the system still falls short on several fronts ranging from asset tokenization and stablecoin payments to artificial intelligence and regulatory reform.
Eight Areas Still Needing an Update
Armstrong described the items as "major areas where the financial system still needs an update," naming tokenized real-world assets, 24/7 global trading, stablecoins, artificial intelligence, regulation, expanded access, capital formation, and sound money.
On tokenization, Armstrong said putting real-world assets such as real estate, stocks, bonds, and funds on blockchains could enable faster settlement, fractional ownership, and wider distribution. On continuous trading, he called for markets that operate around the clock with pooled global liquidity, broader access to asset types, and higher capital efficiency.
He identified stablecoins as a priority for near-instant, low-cost cross-border transfers, including potential machine-to-machine payments by autonomous AI agents. AI-powered risk, credit, compliance, and financial advice formed the fourth area, which Armstrong tied to better decisions, less fraud, and broader access to capital and guidance.
On regulation, Armstrong argued that rules should be risk-based and support competition and new products rather than impose a single standard across all firms. On access, he highlighted open protocols and self-custodial wallets as tools that can reduce intermediaries and make financial services available to people with smartphones.
The agenda also included capital formation focused on lower-cost, turnkey fundraising options for entrepreneurs, and sound money, which Armstrong described as "a refuge from inflation, when discipline is lost in fiat money."
Context: A Growing Onchain Finance Push
The tokenized real-world asset market has reached approximately $33.78 billion as of May 2026, according to Value The Markets, while Coinbase Asset Management launched a tokenized stablecoin credit strategy for qualified investors in April 2026. Armstrong's comments reflect a broader push to pull traditional financial infrastructure onchain.
He closed the post with a call to action: "Jobs not done until we get these working for all. Will require lots of tech innovation and policy work to get there."
Sources:
Coinbase CEO Lists 8 Areas Where Global Finance Still Needs an Update - Bitcoin.com News
The Rise of Tokenized Real-World Assets: A $33.78 Billion Milestone - Value The Markets

The Polkadot community is currently voting on a governance proposal that would require all validators to self-stake a minimum of 10,000 $DOT. The vote marks a significant step in a broader push to raise accountability standards and lay the groundwork for sweeping staking upgrades across the network.
Tighter Rules for Validators
As of the March 2026 runtime upgrade, all Polkadot validators must maintain a minimum self-stake of 10,000 $DOT that is slashable, and this self-stake must come from the validator's own stash account, separate from any stake delegated by nominators. The requirement is now actively enforced, and any validator falling below that level is automatically removed from the active set. The self-stake threshold ensures validators have meaningful skin in the game, aligning their incentives with the security of the network.
The reform sits within a much larger restructuring of Polkadot's economic model. Polkadot closed April 2026 as its first full month operating under a revised economic model. The new framework, approved through OpenGov, went live on March 14, 2026, introducing lower issuance rates, a hard supply cap, and planned step reductions over time. Rather than burning surplus DOT, the Dynamic Allocation Pool (DAP) collects transaction fees, coretime sales, and slashes, enabling governance to dynamically allocate funds across distinct budgets for validators, nominators, the treasury, and a strategic reserve.
What Changes for Nominators
The proposal also brings meaningful improvements for everyday stakers. Nominators will be unslashable, and the unbonding period will be reduced from 28 days to between 24 and 48 hours, depending on when the user submits the transaction relative to the election cycle. Once this change takes effect, only the validator's self-stake will be subject to slashing.
Nomination pools remain accessible from just 1 DOT, keeping participation open for smaller holders. The combination of faster unbonding and zero slashing risk for nominators removes two of the biggest friction points that have historically pushed users toward liquid staking alternatives. By mid-June, another update is expected, under which validators will receive dedicated rewards from the Dynamic Allocation Pool, separate from what nominators earn, with those rewards coming directly from protocol issuance.
All changes remain subject to OpenGov referenda, and the DOT-holding community retains final say over when and how each phase takes effect.
Sources:
Polkadot Developer Docs: Validator Requirements
Parity Technologies: Refining Polkadot's Economic Architecture
MEXC News: Polkadot's April 2026 Recap

A Smaller Ship With a Sharper Mission
Vitalik Buterin has laid out a significant shift in how the Ethereum Foundation (EF) sees its place within the $ETH ecosystem. Writing on X, Buterin was direct: the Foundation is not the center of Ethereum. He emphasized that the EF is "not a centre of Ethereum," but rather "one node, with a defined purpose, alongside other nodes."
Buterin laid out a sharper long-term direction for the Ethereum Foundation, describing an organization that should become smaller, more opinionated, and less central to Ethereum's broader ecosystem. The Foundation has faced questions over leadership changes, research exits, ETH treasury management, execution speed, and whether it should act more like a growth engine or remain a technical steward. Buterin's answer leaves little room for ambiguity: it stays a steward.
To illustrate his thinking, Buterin reached for an analogy, describing Google as a company that started with strong, idealistic roots but slowly moved away from them as mainstream corporate pressure set in. His point: one organization holding to a different standard matters more when the rest of the industry is drifting in the other direction.
Priorities, Treasury, and the Path Ahead
Buterin outlined a recalibrated view of the Foundation's remit, stressing that its mandate is to advance censorship resistance, open-source software, long-range research, cybersecurity, and the decentralization of the Ethereum protocol. Activities that fall outside that scope will move elsewhere. Some respected contributors and technically aligned teams will move outside the EF structure. Buterin said that is necessary, not accidental. External teams need the ability to attract outside capital, and that is harder when they sit inside the Foundation.
On the technical side, Buterin called for provably bug-free Ethereum using AI-assisted formal verification, a target he wrote would have seemed impossible six months ago but is now within reach. Lean consensus is another goal, ensuring safety under asynchronous network conditions and 49% attacker scenarios.
On treasury, Buterin articulated that "today, the EF is choosing to use its remaining resources to pursue longevity over breadth (yes, this means we sell less ETH)." The Foundation holds roughly 0.16% of all ETH, less than many individual holders and well below the 10% to 50% common at other blockchain foundations.
Governance changes are also underway. At least eight senior EF contributors have left or announced plans to leave in 2026, including five in May, while Tomasz Stanczak separately stepped down as co-executive director. Interim co-Executive Director Bastian Aue, who took over from Stanczak earlier this year, is executing much of the transition. The board is in the process of expanding, and Buterin's own influence within the organization will continue to shrink, "which is honestly what I want."
Sources:
BeInCrypto: Vitalik Buterin Signals Ethereum Foundation Power Cut
The Block: Vitalik Buterin Says Ethereum Foundation Will Be a Smaller Ship
Bitcoin.com News: Vitalik Buterin Reveals 90% of His Net Worth Sits in ETH Amid Foundation Overhaul Plans