News archive
May 2026
May 31, 2026
Verus-Ethereum Bridge Drained for About $11 Million
A May 18 exploit of the Verus-Ethereum bridge cost roughly $11 million, the latest in a long line of cross-chain bridge failures. The plain read for a normal holder: bridges carry a distinct, recurring risk.
May 31, 2026
VanEck launches VBNB, the first US spot BNB ETF
A regulated way to hold BNB in a brokerage account, at 0.39% a year, with one feature deliberately left out.
May 31, 2026
Tether's US Stablecoin USAT Jumped 540% and Is Still Tiny
USAT grew more than sixfold in April to $140.8 million. Next to USDC and USDT, that is a rounding error.
May 31, 2026
SoFi Opens Its Dollar Stablecoin to App Users
SoFiUSD, on Ethereum and Solana, is now buyable inside the bank's retail app for its members.
May 31, 2026
OKX Is Now Selling Never-Expiring Oil Bets to Retail
OKX and ICE launched perpetual oil futures tied to Brent and WTI, announced May 22, 2026. The pitch is convenience. The catch is funding costs and liquidation risk most newcomers have never priced.
May 31, 2026
Moody's Gives Tokenized Cash Funds Its Top Rating
Moody's handed an Aaa-mf assessment to BlackRock's BUIDL and Fidelity International's FILQ, the same top fund grade traditional money funds earn. The blockchain part did not change the math.
May 31, 2026
The EU Just Put Russian Crypto Off-Limits for Its Residents
The bloc's 20th sanctions package adds a total ban on Russian crypto services, the digital ruble, and the RUBx ruble-pegged stablecoin.
May 31, 2026
Europe Is Already Reviewing Its Crypto Rulebook
The European Commission opened a consultation on how MiCA is working, with feedback due August 31, 2026. Nothing changes yet, but the questions show where EU rules may move next.
May 31, 2026
CME moves its entire crypto futures suite to 24/7 trading
The largest US regulated derivatives exchange now trades crypto around the clock, closing the weekend gap that institutions had long disliked. It also added SUI and AVAX futures.
May 31, 2026
Circle Raises $222M to Build Its Own Layer 1, With USDC as the Gas
The USDC issuer sold ARC tokens to a16z, BlackRock, and a Wall Street roster to fund Arc, a settlement chain aimed at the fees that flow to Ethereum today. A presale, not a live token.
May 31, 2026
Bitcoin hits seven-week low near $72,500, then steadies
A strike near a US airbase and an eight-day run of ETF outflows dragged BTC to its lowest in roughly seven weeks before it clawed back part of the drop.
May 31, 2026
TeraWulf Buys a 1-Gigawatt Kentucky Site to Rent Out Compute, Not Mine Bitcoin
A bitcoin miner just bought roughly 1,000 acres and over a gigawatt of power in eastern Kentucky. The plan is high-performance computing, the clearest sign yet that mining is turning into the data-center business.
May 31, 2026
Coinbase opens regulated US access to global crypto derivatives
US clients can now reach the offshore derivatives market through a regulated path, starting with Deribit options. Institutions go first; retail comes later, and these are advanced, risky products.
May 31, 2026
Bitwise launches BHYP, the first US spot Hyperliquid ETF
A regulated way to hold HYPE in a brokerage account, with the sponsor running the staking itself so the yield can quietly chip at the 0.34% fee.
May 31, 2026
THORChain Froze for 12 Hours After a $10.8M Cross-Chain Exploit
An attacker drained roughly $10.8 million across four blockchains. THORChain's response was to halt itself, a reminder that cross-chain plumbing stays a soft spot.
May 31, 2026
Kraken's parent is raising at a $20B valuation, with an IPO still on the table
Payward, the company behind Kraken, is taking fresh capital at a $20 billion valuation while keeping a paused IPO in reserve. The raise amount was not disclosed, and Kraken declined to comment.
May 31, 2026
Trump family's World Liberty Financial sues investor Justin Sun for defamation
A crypto venture co-founded by the sitting US president is now in court against one of its biggest backers, who calls the suit a meritless PR stunt.
May 30, 2026
JPMorgan Files for an Ethereum Treasury Fund Built to Back Stablecoins
The bank's on-chain money-market fund targets the part of the stablecoin trade that actually holds the cash: the issuers' reserves. It is a filing, not a launch.
May 30, 2026
Crypto Romance-Scam Crackdown: 276 Arrested, $702M Frozen
An international operation announced in late April 2026 brought arrests and seized funds. The lasting lesson is reading the playbook before any money moves.
May 30, 2026
Crypto Exchanges Back a Voluntary Token Disclosure Standard
More than 40 firms, including Coinbase, Kraken and Binance.US, launched a Transparency Alliance on May 27, 2026, built on Blockworks' Token Transparency Framework. Filing stays optional.
May 30, 2026
CLARITY Act Lands on the Senate Calendar, Not Yet the Law Books
The crypto market-structure bill is now on the Senate Legislative Calendar, eligible for a floor vote. A full vote, House reconciliation, and Trump's signature all still stand in the way.