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5 May 2026, 07:00

Crypto Firms In South Korea Raise Concerns Over AML Crackdown: Report

South Korean courts have been stepping in to block a wave of regulatory sanctions against the country’s biggest crypto exchanges — and now the industry is taking its fight to the rulemaking process itself. Industry Body Warns Of Reporting Overload The Digital Asset eXchange Alliance, known as DAXA, submitted formal comments opposing proposed changes to South Korea’s anti-money laundering framework. The group speaks for 27 registered virtual asset service providers, including the five largest exchanges in the country: Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit, and Gopax. At the center of the dispute is a rule that would require exchanges to flag every overseas crypto transfer worth 10 million Korean won — roughly $6,800 — as a suspicious transaction, regardless of whether the transfer shows any sign of wrongdoing. DAXA says the math doesn’t work. Reports from South Korea’s five major platforms totaled around 63,000 suspicious transaction cases last year. Under the new rule, that number would climb to more than 5.4 million annually — an 85-fold increase. The alliance argues the volume would make meaningful compliance nearly impossible. DAXA also pushed back on a separate requirement to verify the accuracy of customer data, saying it goes beyond what the underlying law actually requires. The Financial Services Commission and the Financial Intelligence Unit jointly put forward the amendments on March 30. A public comment window runs through May 11, with final rules expected in July after regulatory and legal review. Three Exchanges Win Temporary Court Relief The proposed rule changes come as multiple exchanges are already battling sanctions tied to existing AML requirements. Upbit’s parent company, Dunamu, won a first-instance court ruling on April 9 that canceled a three-month partial business suspension. The sanction had been linked to alleged failures in customer due diligence and transactions with unregistered foreign platforms. Regulators appealed that decision on April 30, according to Yonhap News Agency. Bithumb followed a similar path. The Seoul Administrative Court agreed to pause enforcement of a six-month partial suspension while the main case works its way through the system. That sanction stemmed from an inspection conducted by the Financial Intelligence Unit that found alleged violations of South Korea’s Financial Information Act. Coinone faces both a three-month partial suspension and a fine of 5.2 billion won over AML-related failures. It too received a temporary halt on enforcement after filing a legal challenge. Exchanges And Regulators On Collision Course The pattern is hard to miss. South Korean authorities have been pushing harder on crypto AML enforcement, and the industry has been pushing back — in comment letters, in court, and through its trade group. The outcome of both the rulemaking process and the pending legal cases could shape how crypto compliance works across one of Asia’s most active digital asset markets. Featured image from Nathan Benn/Getty Images , chart from TradingView

5 May 2026, 06:45

Bitcoin used to hate inflation. Now it might be the opposite

Bitcoin is rallying alongside inflation signals, defying the traditional macro playbook.

5 May 2026, 06:02

Expert Says XRP Just Became the World’s Most Important Asset. Here’s What Happened

Something significant is happening in the XRP ecosystem. Crypto analyst Levi Rietveld recently published a video breaking down Ripple Treasury’s confirmed integration with FedNow through its ClearConnect platform. The infrastructure is not theoretical. It is built and running. How the System Works Rietveld walks through Ripple’s internal treasury transfer process in detail. The system connects senders, institutions, destination banks, and wallets through a structured, multi-step flow. Ripple deposits XRP into a customer’s designated wallet. The customer then retrieves and accepts a quote through the RippleNet API. From there, the customer uses RippleNet and ODL technology to liquidate XRP to the destination currency. The funds then move from the wallet to the local bank account. Ripple invoices the customer for all initiated payments in aggregate. This is a live, operational process serving large institutions across borders. $XRP Just Became The Worlds MOST Important Asset! pic.twitter.com/Uf1579wxFI — Levi | Crypto Crusaders (@LeviRietveld) May 2, 2026 ClearConnect Gateway Connects Directly to Banks Ripple Treasury’s official website confirms the FedNow integration through ClearConnect . Rietveld highlights this directly. The ClearConnect Gateway gives organizations “instant API connectivity and data integrations into their preferred banking partners.” This is not just a roadmap item. Ripple has already built the connectivity layer. The platform runs on G-Treasury technology, which Ripple acquired in 2025 . That acquisition now serves as the operational backbone of this entire system. Rietveld does not hedge his assessment. He states the railway is “quite literally built out and fully operational with Ripple Treasury right now.” He emphasizes that Ripple is working directly with these large institutions, pointing to the treasury transfer diagram as evidence of how deep the integration runs. His video focuses on technical mechanics rather than speculation. He presents Ripple’s own documentation and website content to support his points. Why This Matters for XRP XRP sits at the center of Ripple’s entire process . Every cross-border treasury transfer using ODL requires XRP as the bridge currency. The more institutions that plug into ClearConnect Gateway, the more demand flows through XRP. This is not a future use case. It is the current operational model. FedNow is the Federal Reserve’s instant payment infrastructure. Ripple Treasury connecting to it means institutions can move funds in real time, settled through XRP, with direct access to their preferred banking partners via API. Ripple has acquired the technology, built the platform, confirmed the FedNow integration , and is actively processing institutional transfers using XRP. The ClearConnect Gateway removes friction between organizations and their banking partners, giving XRP a prominent role in the financial system. Disclaimer : This content is meant to inform and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author’s personal opinions and do not represent Times Tabloid’s opinion. Readers are advised to conduct thorough research before making any investment decisions. Any action taken by the reader is strictly at their own risk. Times Tabloid is not responsible for any financial losses. Follow us on X , Facebook , Telegram , and Google News The post Expert Says XRP Just Became the World’s Most Important Asset. Here’s What Happened appeared first on Times Tabloid .

5 May 2026, 02:05

Bitcoin tests $80,000 as Asia’s bid fades and Hong Kong AI IPOs surge

Western desks are carrying the bitcoin rally alone, with Friday’s jobs report the next test.

4 May 2026, 21:15

K-Pop Firm's Stock Plunges as It Dumps Bitcoin Treasury Plan for AI Pivot

K Wave Media is shifting $485 million in funding from its Bitcoin treasury strategy towards an AI infrastructure play.

4 May 2026, 20:23

TON Price Prediction Ahead of Telegram Replacing TON Foundation’s Lead Role

Toncoin price has surged after Telegram founder Pavel Durov said Telegram will replace the TON Foundation as the main driving force behind The Open Network and become its largest validator. Durov said TON fees have dropped sixfold to near-zero levels and that the next stage will focus on technical performance. He said Telegram will lead the network’s next phase, with a new TON website, developer tools, and performance upgrades expected within two to three weeks. The announcement marks a major structural change for TON, which has grown closely around Telegram’s messaging ecosystem. Telegram has reportedly staked about 2.2 million TON, worth roughly $2.88 million, to operate as a leading validator and directly support network security. Toncoin traded around $1.42 to $1.45 today after a daily rebound of about 7.5%. The move came as broader crypto markets improved, with Bitcoin trading above $80,000 and risk appetite returning to several large-cap altcoins. Telegram Takes Direct Role in TON Telegram’s planned leadership role changes the operating structure around TON. Until now, the TON Foundation has acted as the main ecosystem coordinator. Durov’s comments suggest Telegram will now take a more direct position in product direction, validator participation, and technical delivery. The timing follows several network upgrades. Catchain 2.0 was activated on April 9, reducing block generation time from about 2.5 seconds to roughly 400 milliseconds. The upgrade supports faster confirmations and is designed to improve user experience across Telegram Mini Apps and payments. TON fees were also reduced on May 1 to a fixed base fee of about 0.00039 TON, or roughly $0.0005. The lower fee structure is intended to support micropayments, app activity and high-frequency transactions inside Telegram-based services. The network is also preparing additional roadmap items, including upgraded developer tools and a trustless Bitcoin bridge known as TON Teleport, expected later in 2026. The bridge is designed to connect Bitcoin liquidity with TON-based applications through tgBTC. TON Price Tests Key Resistance Toncoin’s price action improved after bouncing from the $1.30 to $1.35 support area. The token moved back above the 20-day simple moving average near $1.34 and pushed toward the upper Bollinger Band around $1.43 to $1.44. The current structure shows short-term bullish momentum, but the $1.47 to $1.50 area remains the key resistance zone. A confirmed close above that range could open the path toward $1.55, followed by a wider resistance area near $1.60. Support remains near $1.35. A loss of that level could weaken the latest rebound and bring the $1.26 to $1.30 region back into focus. Source: TradingView The relative strength index has risen to about 66.8, showing strong momentum but not yet extreme overbought conditions. A move above 70 would suggest the rally may become stretched in the short term. For traders, the near-term TON price prediction depends on whether buyers can hold above the Bollinger Band midline and clear $1.50. Holding above $1.35 would keep the recovery structure intact. Network Growth and Inflation Vote Draw Attention TON’s user base has continued to expand alongside Telegram’s app ecosystem. Reported holder counts have risen from 2.9 million to 32 million over the past year, while Telegram Mini Apps have become a major channel for user activity. New infrastructure has also improved app performance. Streaming API v2 allows Telegram Mini Apps to respond to on-chain events in about 30 to 100 milliseconds, making blockchain-linked services feel closer to native mobile apps. The next major governance event is the June 2026 validator vote on inflation. Catchain 2.0 increased block production speed, which raised projected annual inflation from about 0.6% to roughly 3.6%. Validators are expected to vote on reducing block rewards to stabilize issuance. Proposed changes include reducing masterchain rewards from 1.7 TON to 0.35 TON per block and main network rewards from 1 TON to 0.2 TON per block. The goal is to keep the faster network speed while limiting supply dilution. TON’s short-term outlook now depends on technical confirmation, Telegram’s delivery of promised upgrades and the validator vote. A breakout above $1.50 could support a move toward $1.55 to $1.60, while failure to hold $1.35 would place the recovery under pressure.