Crypto news

Ripple announced it expanded its institutional custody platform with new integrations with Securosys and Figment, adding hardware security modules that let banks and custodians deploy custody services and offer staking without managing their own validators or key-management infrastructure. The upgrades aim to reduce deployment complexity and speed up custody rollouts, complementing Ripple’s recent Palisade acquisition and corporate treasury platform, and reflect growing institutional demand for staking and yield products.

South Korean regulators are probing Bithumb after the exchange mistakenly credited customers a combined $43 billion in Bitcoin, a 2,000‑BTC airdrop that was meant to be 2,000 Korean won. The error triggered a sharp sell‑off of paper Bitcoin on Bithumb, driving the token’s listed price to as low as $55,000. Bithumb’s CEO announced a compensation plan: all users active during the incident receive 20,000 won ($13.73), sellers of Bitcoin at the erroneous price get full proceeds plus a 10% bonus, and trading fees are waived for one week. The company claims it has recovered 99.7% of the overpaid BTC, covering the remainder with its own assets.

The Block's Layer One podcast episode 6 featured hosts Kelvin Sparks and Steven Gates, joined by Ava Labs VP Morgan Krupetsky and VanEck's Matthew Siegel. They discuss institutional conviction in crypto. Siegel explains VanEck’s choice of Avalanche for its first alt‑L1 ETF, citing product‑market fit, economic clarity, and an active BD team. The discussion covers DATs versus ETFs, banks’ innovator dilemma, and how downturns separate builders from tourists. The conversation also explores Avalanche’s scaling vision, RWA penetration, private credit, and bridging the TradFi‑DeFi chasm, emphasizing the importance of HODL culture during market stress.

Hyperliquid’s HYPE token rose 41.5% over the past two weeks, spurred by Ripple’s inclusion of the DEX on its institutional Prime brokerage platform and an 88% cut to the monthly token unlock, slashing sell pressure. Despite a broader crypto sell‑off and a drop in prediction‑market odds, analysts attribute the rally to real utility—Hyperliquid’s derivatives infrastructure, upcoming HIP‑4 outcome‑trading and non‑crypto market expansion—while retail sentiment remains cautiously optimistic.

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service announced plans to intensify oversight of crypto exchanges after a Bithumb error that credited users with about 2,000 BTC—roughly $44 bn—leading to a 30 % BTC price dip. The agency will investigate high‑risk practices such as whale‑run manipulation, suspended‑deposit schemes, and social‑media‑fueled pumps, while developing AI tools to flag abuse. It also will impose fines for IT incidents, elevate executive accountability, and prepare for a Basic Digital Asset Act to broaden regulation.

Trend Research sold its entire Ethereum position, moving 651,757 ETH (≈$1.34 billion) to Binance at an average price of $2,055, wiping out roughly $750 million in losses. The firm had built a $2.6 billion leveraged long on Aave, repeatedly borrowing stablecoins against ETH collateral and re-investing, which brought the position close to liquidation as the price fell. The exit highlights divergent approaches amid ETH's 32% monthly decline. While Trend Research chose to unwind to avoid forced liquidation, BitMine has increased exposure, buying $42 million of ETH. Analysts say ETH may be near a bottom, with potential recovery in Q2 2026, but the outcome remains uncertain.

Binance’s SAFU fund bought 4,225 BTC for about $300 million, raising its holdings to 10,455 BTC (~$734 million). This move is part of a 30‑day plan to convert the entire $1 billion reserve into Bitcoin, a sign of strong confidence. Analysts note that SAFU conversions have historically lined up with major market turns, such as the 2023 shift that preceded a 250 % Bitcoin rally. Whether the current buying signals future peaks or merely reflects treasury strategy remains uncertain.

FSS will boost probes into crypto price manipulation in 2026, focusing on whale activity, gating, API‑based schemes and social media misinformation after the Bithumb Bitcoin incident. The regulator plans AI‑driven surveillance, short‑interval price‑movement analysis, text analytics for false narratives, and a task force to prepare for the Digital Asset Basic Act implementation. The crackdown follows exchange mishaps: Bithumb’s Bitcoin recovery, sharp ZKsync moves on Upbit, and an emergency review of domestic crypto exchange controls.

Bitcoin slipped nearly 2.5 % in the past 24 hours, falling below $70 k after a brief end‑of‑week bounce that pushed it to $71 k. The week‑long drop of more than 11 % still leaves BTC outperforming the broader market, which fell 13.5 % in 24 h. The slide spurred institutional inflows – Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley noted that lower prices were attracting a new set of long‑term investors, and spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net inflow of $371 million on Friday. Retail sentiment remains weak, but online search terms such as "crypto capitulation" surged, signalling a window for value players. Meanwhile gold and silver climbed, with gold topping $5 k as Tether and China’s central bank added to their bullion holdings. Bitcoin is testing the 200‑week EMA near $68 k and sits in oversold territory on the weekly RSI, suggesting a potential rebound if the price stays above $74 k.

Binance added 4,225 Bitcoin—worth roughly $300 million at current prices—to its SAFU emergency reserve, raising the fund’s Bitcoin holdings to over $720 million. The move, part of an experiment to fully convert the $1 billion fund to Bitcoin within 30 days, signals confidence in the asset but exposes the reserve to price swings. The purchase comes amid a broader crypto market pullback, with Bitcoin sliding to $59,930 and sentiment described as fragile. Smart‑money traders are net short on Bitcoin, adding leveraged shorts totalling $109 million, indicating expectations of further downside.