Author: John Smith

Hester Peirce will leave the SEC in November 2026 to join Regent University School of Law as professor. Summary Regent University School of Law announced on May 19 that Hester Peirce will join as associate professor starting in November 2026. Peirce has led the SEC’s Crypto Task Force since January 2025 and served as commissioner since 2018, appointed by President Trump. She will teach securities regulation, financial markets, digital assets and public policy at Regent Law in Virginia Beach. Regent University School of Law announced on May 19 that Hester Peirce will join its faculty as associate professor starting in…

Bitcoin quantum exposure covers 1.92 million BTC, or 9.6% of total supply, Glassnode warned in a new report. Summary Glassnode classified 1.92 million BTC as structurally exposed to a quantum breakthrough because their output types reveal public keys by design. Satoshi Nakamoto’s coins represent about 1.1 million BTC of the structural risk, with another 620,000 BTC in other early Satoshi-era outputs. A broader 4.12 million BTC, or 20.6% of supply, is operationally exposed due to address reuse and key management practices at exchanges. Blockchain analytics firm Glassnode published a full analysis on May 20 classifying 1.92 million BTC, or 9.6%…

Raoul Pal says AI and crypto could add $100T to global GDP within a decade. Summary Real Vision CEO Raoul Pal forecasts crypto will grow from roughly $2.7 trillion today to $100 trillion within a decade, driven by AI convergence. Pal argues AI adoption is accelerating faster than the internet era, describing the current moment as equivalent to “Metcalfe’s law squared.” He calls crypto the ownership layer for the AI economy, saying individuals can “front-run Wall Street” by owning blockchain infrastructure now. Real Vision CEO Raoul Pal argued that AI and blockchain are converging into a single new infrastructure layer…

Bitcoin longs on Bitfinex surged to 80,636 BTC on May 20, the highest level since December 2023. Summary Bitfinex margin long positions rose to 80,636 BTC on May 20, up roughly 10% since the start of 2026 despite Bitcoin falling 13% in the same period. Bitcoin has declined for five consecutive trading days, sliding from above $80,000 to near $76,000 amid broader market weakness. The so-called Bitfinex whale has historically expanded long positions during weakness and reduced them near local market tops. Leveraged traders on Bitfinex continued buying into Bitcoin’s sell-off, with margin long positions rising to 80,636 BTC on…

Former CFTC chair Timothy Massad says a US CBDC ban cannot stop behind-the-scenes infrastructure work. Summary Timothy Massad told a London summit on May 19 that global tokenization trends make a US digital dollar ultimately inevitable. Massad pointed to Project Agora, a BIS initiative involving seven central banks, as evidence of quiet US participation in CBDC infrastructure. The Federal Reserve’s chief payments executive said a digital dollar is not currently under the Fed’s remit, but acknowledged it would be if introduced. Former CFTC chair Timothy Massad told London’s Digital Money Summit on May 19 that a US digital dollar is…

Six months ago, the first spot Dogecoin ETF started trading on a major US exchange. The flows have been tiny, the price has gone almost nowhere, and the whole experiment has played out in near-silence. That silence is the story. For an asset built on noise, behaving like a normal investment product is the most surprising thing Dogecoin has ever done. Summary Spot Dogecoin ETFs have remained active six months after launch, with combined assets under management reaching nearly $14.7 million despite muted inflows and limited price movement. Products from REX Osprey, 21Shares, and Grayscale have started giving institutional investors…

The crypto market is higher today as total capitalization rebounds toward $2.7 trillion, with money rotating into Bitcoin and large-cap altcoins while bond and equity markets flash mixed signals. Summary The global crypto market cap has risen about 2% in 24 hours to roughly $2.7 trillion. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP lead top-10 price action, with BTC holding near $77,000. Outside the top 10, Solana and Internet Computer are among the stronger gainers on rising volumes. The total cryptocurrency market cap is around $2.7 trillion, up roughly 2.0% on the day, with Bitcoin dominance hovering near 58%, according to CoinGecko and…

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act just cleared its hardest committee test. If it becomes law, it ends the single most damaging fact of life for American crypto: not knowing who is in charge. But the version that reaches President Trump’s desk will be shaped by three fights still being waged in the Senate, and the outcome of those fights decides who wins and who loses. Summary The Senate Banking Committee advanced the CLARITY Act in a 15 to 9 vote, moving the crypto market structure bill closer to a full Senate vote. The proposal would divide digital assets into…

Qivalis has expanded its European banking alliance to 37 institutions after onboarding 25 additional banks ahead of its planned euro stablecoin launch in the second half of 2026. Summary Qivalis expanded to 37 member institutions after adding 25 banks across 15 European countries. ABN AMRO, Rabobank, Nordea, and Intesa Sanpaolo joined the consortium ahead of its planned 2026 euro stablecoin launch. European banks continue advancing MiCA-compliant euro stablecoin projects even as ECB President Christine Lagarde remains cautious about private stablecoins. According to a May 20 announcement, the Amsterdam-based consortium added new members from 15 countries, including major lenders such as…

Circle stock has drawn new attention after H&H International Investment, linked to Chinese investor Duan Yongping, disclosed a new position in the stablecoin issuer. Summary Duan Yongping’s H&H International bought 200,000 Circle shares, worth about $19.08 million in Q1. The Circle stake equals roughly 0.10% of a reported $20 billion 13F portfolio. Recent market coverage shows Circle remains tied to USDC growth, regulation, and stablecoin demand. H&H International Investment reported 200,000 Circle Internet Group shares in its Q1 2026 portfolio. Dataroma data showed the position was worth about $19.08 million, with an average price of $95.41 per share. The Circle…