Cryptocurrency market news

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation into the activities of the Zcash Foundation. According to the foundation’s first-quarter report, regulators declined to recommend any enforcement actions or financial penalties.

The mechanism would allow companies to experiment with tokenized stocks without immediately violating US securities laws. According to Bloomberg’s sources, the SEC is considering allowing the trading of tokens created by third parties without approval from the stock issuers themselves.

Despite a broader crypto market sell-off that pushed Bitcoin below $77,000, the HYPE token surged more than 5% on Monday, briefly reclaiming and surpassing its previous high near $47.

Strategy’s perpetual preferred shares of the STRC series recorded a historic daily trading volume of $1.53 billion on May 15, becoming the company’s primary financing instrument for Bitcoin purchases in 2026.

Italy’s largest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, significantly increased its cryptocurrency-related holdings during the first quarter of 2026. According to the released data, the bank expanded its crypto-related assets from approximately $100 million in the fourth quarter of 2025 to around $235 million as of March 31.

Strategy, the largest institutional investor in Bitcoin ($BTC), announced a $1.5 billion bond repurchase. In an official statement, the company said it had entered into agreements with certain investors to repurchase approximately $1.5 billion worth of zero-interest convertible notes due in 2029.

HYPE surged to a yearly high of $46.93, jumping 17% within 24 hours after news emerged that Coinbase would use $HYPE to activate AQAv2.

According to filings from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), Donald Trump purchased shares of MARA Holdings, a Bitcoin mining company, during the first quarter of 2026. The value of the purchase was reported to be between $15,001 and $50,000.

Forward Industries, which describes itself as the world’s largest corporate holder of Solana, reported a net loss of $585.6 million in its first-quarter earnings report. At present, the company’s unrealized losses have nearly reached $1 billion.

Japanese investment firm Metaplanet, one of the world’s largest corporate holders of Bitcoin, reported losses totaling 114.5 billion yen ($725.6 million) for the January–March quarter. The company attributed the losses primarily to the decline in Bitcoin’s market price.

NVIDIA surpassed silver in the global asset rankings after its market capitalization climbed to approximately $5.5 trillion. The company’s shares recently traded near $227, making the AI chip giant the world’s second-largest asset behind gold. Silver’s market capitalization during the move stood near $5 trillion, while gold remained far ahead at more than $32 trillion.

Bank of England is reassessing its planned stablecoin restrictions after pressure from representatives of the cryptocurrency industry. This was stated by Deputy Governor for Financial Stability Sarah Breeden in an interview with Financial Times.

Tense negotiations between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have officially begun in Beijing. Xi Jinping told Trump that China and the United States should be “partners, not rivals,” presenting the nearly two-hour summit as an opportunity to reset one of the world’s most important bilateral relationships.

Japanese investment company Metaplanet (TSE: 3350), often referred to as Asia’s version of Strategy, released its financial results for the first quarter of 2026 on Wednesday, showing significant growth in its digital asset portfolio.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee is preparing to review a cryptocurrency market regulation bill. More than 100 amendments have been proposed, covering stablecoins, liability of software developers, sanctions compliance, and ethical restrictions for government officials.

In the United States, April inflation exceeded expectations, reaching 3.8% year-over-year. The increase was mainly driven by rising energy prices linked to the conflict with Iran. Higher fuel costs also pushed up transportation, food, and production expenses, raising concerns about broader inflationary pressure across the economy.