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19 May 2026, 18:41
SEC proposes IPO and listing overhaul for 75 percent more firms

🚨 SEC plans sweeping IPO reforms to make listings easier for 75 percent of companies. Biggest overhaul to registration rules in 20 years targets high costs and slow processes in $BTC and other sectors. 📝 Key point: Crypto firms may see faster, cheaper paths to public markets if these changes are approved. Continue Reading: SEC proposes IPO and listing overhaul for 75 percent more firms The post SEC proposes IPO and listing overhaul for 75 percent more firms appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .
19 May 2026, 18:40
Tether plans South Korean expansion with trademark filings

Tether has applied for seven trademarks in South Korea, including for its company name and logo, in a move that market observers see as a hint of the firm expanding into the South Korean market. The issuer of the largest stablecoin in the world, USDT, is also expanding its reach into Africa and Asia by partnering with Lemfi. Meanwhile, Tether’s rival Circle (NYSE: CRCL) has already been meeting with major financial institutions in South Korea, setting up a potential showdown between number one and two in the stablecoin issuance business. Tether and Circle are lining up entry into the South Korean market Tether, the company behind the world’s largest stablecoin USDT, is making progress in its plans to enter the South Korean market. The Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service (KIPRIS) recently received multiple trademark applications from Tether, totaling up to seven. Tether’s previous filings in the country focused on stablecoin product names, but this batch includes the corporate brand itself and its gold-backed stablecoin Tether Gold (XAUT). South Korea’s proposed Digital Asset Basic Act is expected to require foreign stablecoin issuers to maintain a domestic branch if they want to distribute their tokens locally, and Tether appears to be positioning itself ahead. Before Tether’s latest filings, Circle’s CEO Jeremy Allaire visited Seoul in April and met with executives from KB Financial Group, Shinhan Financial Group, and Hana Financial Group to discuss stablecoin payment cooperation and real-world asset tokenization. Allaire acknowledged the potential in the South Korean market and shared Circle’s plans to establish a Korean subsidiary and obtain a license if the final regulatory framework accepts foreign issuers. Circle has also signed partnerships with Korean exchanges Dunamu, which operates Upbit, and Bithumb to expand USDC adoption on domestic trading platforms. Cryptopolitan reported earlier that Hana Card, part of Hana Financial Group, launched a pilot in March allowing foreign visitors to pay at local merchants using USDC through a partnership with Circle and Crypto.com. Other Korean financial firms, including BC Card and KB Kookmin Card, have been testing stablecoin payment infrastructure as well. Tether has been on an expansion trail Tether also recently announced an investm e nt in LemFi , a cross-border payments platform that works across communities in the UK, US, Canada, and Europe to recipients in Africa and Asia. The deal will integrate USDT as a settlement layer across LemFi’s payment corridors, replacing multi-day SWIFT-based transfers with blockchain settlement. Tether’s CEO Paolo Ardoino said in the announcement that the goal of the partnership is to expand financial access for its estimated 585 million users globally. Cryptopolitan previously reported that Tether recorded $1.04 billion in profit for Q1 2026. The company holds excess reserves of $8.23 billion; enough capital to invest in distribution partners and pursue market entry in jurisdictions like South Korea. South Korea is home to an estimated 18 million crypto investors. Exchanges in the country recorded over $663 billion in trades through mid-2025, and the country’s retail traders remain a significant part of altcoin markets. Beyond Tether and Circle, multiple projects are building won-denominated stablecoins. Cryptopolitan reported that the Bank of Korea has been advancing “Project Han River,” its wholesale CBDC initiative, which entered a second phase of real-transaction testing earlier this year. Regulators are still debating whether or not stablecoin issuance should be restricted to commercial banks or follow a more flexible licensing model. The discussion has been postponed until after South Korea’s June local elections. The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them .
19 May 2026, 18:37
Sen. Warren Accuses OCC of Granting Illegal Charters to Coinbase, Ripple, and 7 Others

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a formal letter to OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould on May 18, 2026, accusing the agency of illegally granting national trust charters to at least nine crypto companies and demanding full records by June 1. Warren Targets OCC Over Crypto Bank Charters That Allegedly Bypass Federal Safeguards Elizabeth Warren, the ranking member
19 May 2026, 18:33
XRP holders unlock yield with D’CENT and Flare in 2 steps

🚀 XRP holders can now earn yield with just 2 signatures in $XRP via D’CENT and Flare. D’CENT serves over 300,000 hardware wallet users, holding billions in XRP. 🤖 Critical development: The feature brings institutional-level earning to mainstream wallets without compromising security. Continue Reading: XRP holders unlock yield with D’CENT and Flare in 2 steps The post XRP holders unlock yield with D’CENT and Flare in 2 steps appeared first on COINTURK NEWS .
19 May 2026, 18:30
Is Citadel’s XRP ETF A Game-Changer Or Is It Another Empty Whistle?

Citadel Advisors, a powerful Wall Street hedge fund founded by billionaire Ken Griffin, has reportedly made a series of moves into Spot XRP ETFs, according to unverified reports circulating across the crypto markets. The firm, known for its highly disciplined approach to investing and its massive influence across global financial markets, is said to have closed all its put options on the Canary XRP ETF while maintaining its call options. This combination has drawn significant attention from analysts and investors tracking institutional activity in the crypto space, as it possibly signals Citadel’s belief that the XRP price could rise soon . Citadel Files 13F On Canary XRP ETF Market analyst Xaif Crypto disclosed in an X post on May 16 that Citadel has reportedly filed a 13F with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), revealing a major stake in the XRP ETF. According to claims going around, the firm holds $1.7 million in XRP exposure across multiple providers, including Bitwise, Canary, Franklin, and Grayscale. These claims suggest that Citadel had previously held put options on its XRP ETF, a move that would have protected it if the cryptocurrency’s price fell . Those puts are now said to be completely closed out at 100%, meaning Citadel allegedly removed its entire safety net. What makes this move even more interesting, if confirmed, is what the Wall Street firm had reportedly kept after it closed out all its puts. Citadel is said to still hold 34,900 call options on its XRP ETF, bets that could pay off significantly if the cryptocurrency’s price surges higher. Although the size of the bets tied to those positions has not been revealed. In large-scale investing, a company removing its downside protection while keeping upside bets is generally read as a sign of growing confidence in an asset. This means that Citadel likely expects XRP’s downtrend to end soon, potentially flipping into bullish territory once more and triggering a fresh rally. Although the rumored 13F filing remains unconfirmed, what is certain is that Citadel and Fortress co-led a $500 million round in Ripple in November 2025, valuing the crypto company at $40 billion. This suggests that the hedge fund has shown interest in the XRP ecosystem well before the latest claims emerged. XRP ETFs See Highest Weekly Inflow This Year X Finance Bull, a well-known crypto analyst on X, announced on May 18 that XRP spot ETFs recorded their highest weekly inflow since January 2026, pulling in $60.5 million. This capital brought the crypto fund’s cumulative total net inflow to a whopping $1.39 billion. Notably, the surge in demand came during a period when XRP’s price remained low and was consolidating. X Finance Bull noted that while retail investors panicked and sold into the dip , institutions continued to accumulate XRP-linked products at an accelerated pace. The analyst explained that this bizarre opposite movement between retail and institutional investors is due to upcoming events that could significantly impact the XRP price. X Finance Bull points to a series of regulatory and structural developments that institutional players appear to be tracking closely. Among them are the CLARITY Act markup , the appointment of Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair, the Ripple Prime $200 million facility, a DTCC working group , and reported settlement activity involving JPMorgan Chase and Mastercard on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). He noted that these are the kinds of developments that large funds tend to position around well ahead of any price movement.
19 May 2026, 18:30
Stablecoins Lead As Crypto Protocol Revenues Surge Past $2M Mark

On-chain data from recent weeks shows a key trend characterizing the crypto economy: stablecoin issuers are not just theorists but market movers. In the last month, 36 crypto protocols made over $2 million in profit each, but the chasm between them and the rest is gaping. First off is Tether and Circle, whose total revenue exceeds that of the rest of the protocols on this list (excluding CEXs) combined. Tether, for its part, alone claims $493 million while Circle comes close behind with $197 million. The sum of the two dwarfs the combined revenue of all 34 other protocols, highlighting the vital role that stablecoins play as liquidity, settlement and trading infrastructure across the ecosystem. This jump illustrates the ongoing need for stability in a turbulent market, which continues to drive stable sources of income for these issuers. The growing reliance of traders, institutions and DeFi platforms to accumulate dollar-pegged assets suggests that the dominance of stablecoins appears structural rather than temporary. 36 Crypto Protocols that generated more than $2M in last 30 days Stablecoin issuers dominate the top – @tether ($493M) and @circle ($197M) alone outpace the entire rest of the list combined. @HyperliquidX ($50.8M) leads perp DEXs, @Pumpfun ($34.4M) holds the launchpad crown,… pic.twitter.com/d7gmZszrAW — Top 7 Crypto | Analytics & Alpha (@top7ico) May 19, 2026 Rise of the Perpetual DEXs, Launchpads & Prediction Markets Apart from stablecoins, multiple verticals are quietly building powerful revenue threats. At $50.8 million Hyperliquid maintains its top seat in the perpetual DEX leaderboard, reflecting continued high demand for decentralized derivatives trading solutions. Meanwhile, Pumpfun among launchpads, is the leader with $34.4 million in revenue generated. Prediction markets are also rising stars in contributing. The speculative nature of event-driven trading is becoming a scalable source of revenue, as evidenced by Polymarket’s $19.6 million report. The Solana trading stack also differentiates itself. Axiom Exchange: $11.6 million Phantom wallet: $6.94 million Jupiter Exchange: $4.09 million. Many of these platforms function invisibly behind the curtains, making money quietly as usage picks up steam. So this diversification is a sign that the ecosystem has matured into a place where derivative, launchpad and prediction market niches have grown into pillars rather than experiment. Expansion of Real-World Assets and Revenue Redistribution Models Another major narrative is the expansion of Real-World Asset (RWA) protocols. Grayscale and Paxos with $19.6 million and $10.6 million each drove a lion share, while Securitize contributed with $2.75 million. They act as bridges from old finance to blockchain bringing asset-backed real-world value into the crypto ecosystem. Not only does Canton Network produce its $64.8 million in revenue, but it also sets itself apart by how you earn with it. Instead of keeping the vast majority of its revenue, the network redistributes or burns a large percentage of it, sending value back to the ecosystem participants like validators, stakers and developers. It indicates a transition to community-centric tokenomics that spread value far and wide rather than offshoring it from the center. But it also signifies a wider turning point in protocol design, leaning into sustainability and longer-term incentive structures. Pump.Fun Upgrade Changes Liquidity Dynamics Of Solana A major catalyst now drawing attention is Pump.fun’s upcoming upgrade, set to go live on May 21. The change allows creators to choose between SOL and USDC as the quote asset when memecoins transition from bonding curves to PumpSwap. Although this change is seemingly minimal, it completely changes the liquidity dynamics of Solana as a whole. Traditionally, memecoin launches posed continuous buy-and-lock opportunities for SOL. When a token would graduate from bonding curves, it needed to match with SOL in liquidity pools as pairing tokens, thus useful Token demand and inflated TVL. This mechanism has been undermined by the introduction of USDC as an alternative. The implications for SOL include: Lower demand for providing liquidity More SOL being removed from pools Lower artificial TVL growth Some trading volume may migrate to USDC pairs Such a revision may alter the flow of value in Solana’s DeFi ecosystem entirely. ➥ Is $PUMP slowly moving away from $SOL ? Starting May 21, @Pumpfun will allow creators to choose either SOL or USDC as the quote asset when memecoins graduate from bonding curve → PumpSwap. That changes a lot more than people think. Impact on $SOL : – Less SOL locked into… https://t.co/ix6wV5V2GB pic.twitter.com/O4WOGP5yxY — Tanaka (@Tanaka_L2) May 19, 2026 Why The Upgrade Looks Bullish For Pump The upgrade also lowers some of the structural demand for SOL but boosts Pump. fun’s long-term positioning. The platform expands flexibility and accessibility to a wider trader base with the introduction of USDC pairs. This makes onboarding easier for the creators: and reduces exposure to SOL volatility. USDC pairs provide stability for traders so they are a much better choice for long-term holdings. This upgrade is also expected to increase the levels of trading volumes into PumpSwap itself, as users who prefer stable-denominated environments can engage more confidently. A vital component is that the revenue remains in cycle inside the system maintaining robust internal loops of value. This development positions Pump. fun which serves less as a memecoin launchpad dependent on Solana, and more as an independent trading infrastructure layer. Against this backdrop, the upgrade seems to be more bullish for PUMP than SOL itself. Buybacks also Aggressive, reinforcing on-chain confidence There has been more recent on-chain activity reinforcing Pump. fun’s evolving strategy. The platform sent 174,408 SOL ($14.76 million) just to Kraken and it was reported that 117,877 SOL ($9.96 million) have already been sold over there. The tracking information on the blockchain shows a freshly minted wallet withdrawing that same amount from Kraken, converting it to USDC at an effective price of $84.52 per SOL and then depositing back to the exchange. Pump fun( @Pumpfun ) deposited 174,408 $SOL ($14.76M) to #Kraken 13 hours ago. And they may have already sold 117,877 $SOL ($9.96M). A newly created wallet(35qaEz) withdrew 117,877 $SOL ($9.96M) from #Kraken , sold it for 9.96M $USDC at $84.52, and then deposited the 9.96M $USDC back… https://t.co/ctWx063O0f pic.twitter.com/ZGzKI0qOaF — Lookonchain (@lookonchain) May 19, 2026 At the same time, Pump.fun continues an aggressive buyback and burn strategy. Over the past seven days alone, the protocol has repurchased and burned over $4.2 million worth of PUMP tokens. This brings total buybacks and burns to an astonishing $382.45 million, effectively removing 37.836% of the circulating supply. Over the past 7 days, @Pumpfun bought back & burned $4,206,581 worth of $PUMP This brings their total buybacks & burns to $382,454,875, removing 37.836% of the total circulating supply pic.twitter.com/hXJgNVoi47 — Pump.fun Ecosystem (@PumpfunEco) May 18, 2026 With strategic upgrades like Pump.fun’s and continued dominance from stablecoin giants, the next phase of crypto growth is being defined not by hype, but by sustainable, revenue-driven utility. Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services. Follow us on Twitter @nulltxnews to stay updated with the latest Crypto, NFT, AI, Cybersecurity, Distributed Computing, and Metaverse news !








































