Geopolitics

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey warned Friday that international regulators face a "coming wrestle" with the U.S. government over stablecoin standards, marking a widening transatlantic policy rift as Washington promotes dollar-denominated stablecoins as global payments infrastructure.

Bitcoin surged past $72,000, reaching its highest level in three weeks, following a temporary ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran. President Trump agreed to pause airstrikes for two weeks, while Iran committed to temporarily reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The announcement came le

Bitcoin fell below $65,000 on Monday, hitting its lowest level in over two weeks, as tariff concerns reignited global market volatility. On Saturday, U.S. President Trump raised previously announced global tariffs from 10% to 15% following the Supreme Court's rejection of his broader reciprocal tari

Bank of England (BoE) Governor Andrew Bailey warned on May 9 at a meeting hosted by the Bank of England in the UK that the US and the UK are about to enter a “tug-of-war” phase on stablecoin regulation, and that the UK worries it could face bank-run (run-on) risks if it adopts stablecoins. The Block reported on Bailey’s remarks: “We know what happens if stablecoins are subject to a run—they all come here (to the UK),” suggesting that dollar stablecoins promoted by the GENIUS bill in the US, if b

According to BlockBeats, on May 9, Switzerland's initiative to require the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to hold Bitcoin in its official reserves failed due to insufficient signatures. The proposal aimed to amend the Swiss Constitution to add BTC alongside gold and foreign currency reserves. The initiat

According to The Block and SoSoValue data, Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $277 million in net outflows on Friday (May 9), ending a five-day inflow streak that had totaled $1.69 billion. Spot ether ETFs posted $104 million in outflows the same day, with no funds recording positive flows. The reversal co

On May 4, 2026, US President Trump made a high-profile announcement to launch a “Freedom Plan,” intending to guide merchant ships trapped in the Strait of Hormuz to pass through. The plan called for deploying missile destroyers, more than 100 sorties of aircraft, and about 15,000 active-duty servicemembers. However, less than 48 hours after the plan was implemented, Trump announced a suspension, citing “major progress in the comprehensive US-Iran agreement.” But Iran’s stance was very different:

The Venezuelan government issued an official statement on May 7, reaffirming a comprehensive ban on all digital mining activities within the country, and stating that it will impose legal sanctions on those who carry out such activities illegally. According to the statement, the peak demand of the national power system on May 7 reached 15,579 megawatts (MW), the highest record since 2017. The government attributed this demand growth to ongoing heatwaves and the continued growth of the national economy.

According to SoSoValue data, Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded $277 million in net outflows on Thursday, snapping a five-day inflow streak totaling $1.69 billion, with BTC trading under $79,700 on Friday as of the April employment report. Spot ether ETFs posted $104 million in outflows the same day with

According to ChainCatcher citing Bits.media, Russia's State Duma committee on May 9 recommended advancing a government-submitted bill that would criminalize unregistered cryptocurrency mining. The proposal adds Article 171.6 to the Criminal Code, targeting unregistered mining operations and

Switzerland's Bitcoin Initiative campaign has failed to secure enough signatures for a national referendum on adding Bitcoin to the Swiss National Bank's official reserves. Organizers collected approximately 50,000 signatures with only weeks remaining before the deadline, falling short of the 100,00

According to PANews, Bitcoin has significantly outperformed gold since Iran tensions escalated on May 8, with the BTC/Gold ratio climbing approximately 35 to 36 percent.

According to Reuters, a Swiss initiative aimed at pushing the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to hold Bitcoin in its reserves has been abandoned. The campaign collected approximately 50,000 signatures, falling short of the 100,000 required to trigger a referendum. Initiative founder Yves Bennaim stated th

According to News Tomato, on May 7, the U.S. is advancing stablecoin institutionalization to maintain Treasury bond demand and dollar dominance in future payment markets. As China reduces Treasury purchases amid U.S.-China tensions, stablecoin issuers serve as major buyers to sustain demand. The

Analyze the Iran-Iraq Hormuz Strait clashes, including the event of the Iran-U.S. Hormuz Strait clashes, examine the effectiveness of the ceasefire under Trump’s “minor punishment” classification, and explore the structural impact on volatility in the crypto market and Bitcoin’s safe-haven logic.

According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, two affiliated entities under the crypto-backed political action committee Fairshake spent a total of about $7.2 million this week to purchase media ads for political candidates in Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Nebraska, and Kentucky. Primaries in multiple states are scheduled to be held in May, making crypto legislation a key campaign issue.

CCN reported on May 7 that BlackRock, ahead of the public comment period deadline for the GENIUS Act, submitted a 17-page public letter to the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), requesting that the OCC remove the proposed 20% cap on the proportion of tokenized reserve assets for stablecoin issuers. In the letter, BlackRock directly stated that the restriction is “not related” to the OCC’s considerations of safety and stability.

Bitcoin (BTC) gave back its midweek gains, temporarily trading at around $79,731 on May 8. Donald Trump Jr. denied rumors that World Liberty Financial is about to collapse, saying the negative narrative is being manipulated by bot clusters. Tom Lee said BitMine is currently evaluating slowing its pace of Ethereum purchases and shifting to stock buybacks.

U.S. and Iranian forces sparked a new round of direct clashes on May 8 in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Central Command said that a U.S. Navy destroyer was attacked by Iran using missiles, drones, and speedboats, and that the U.S. forces immediately retaliated, striking Iran’s missile launch sites, command-and-control centers, and intelligence and reconnaissance nodes, while also carrying out strikes on Bandar Gashm and Bandar Abbas. As geopolitical risk surged sharply, Bitcoin fell below the $80k threshold on Friday, with an intraday low of $79,692.

According to CoinDesk, Tether government affairs lead Jesse Spiro warned on May 8 that the 2026 U.S. midterm elections could significantly impact the crypto industry, testing whether Washington's recent pro-digital asset stance will endure. Spiro noted the sector gained ground over the past year, in