Goldman Sachs has significantly cut its crypto ETF holdings in Q1, fully liquidating its XRP and Solana products.
In Q1 2026, Goldman Sachs made major adjustments to its crypto ETF positions, completely removing nearly $154 million worth of XRP-related ETF holdings in the latest 13F filing, while also cashing out GSOL, BSOL, FSOL, and other Solana-related ETFs. In terms of maintaining crypto exposure, Goldman reduced its positions in Bitcoin ETFs like IBIT and FBTC by about 10% each, but still holds over $700 million in Bitcoin ETFs, and cut its ETHA holdings by around 70% to approximately $114 million. On the equity side, Goldman significantly increased its stakes in Circle (CRCL) and Galaxy Digital (GLXY), while adding to positions in Coinbase, Robinhood, and PayPal, and reducing holdings in several mining and infrastructure companies.
Members of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee urge Trump to quickly appoint the four missing CFTC commissioners.
Multiple leaders from the U.S. House Agriculture Committee urge President Trump to promptly appoint the four missing CFTC commissioners, as the agency is left with only one commissioner while being tasked with expanding regulatory responsibilities for cryptocurrency assets. Lawmakers warned in a letter that with the potential passage of the CLARITY Act looming, the current staffing of the CFTC may struggle to effectively implement the new regulatory authority in a timely manner, which could weaken its enforcement capabilities and the progress of rule implementation in the cryptocurrency market.
BlackRock deposited 2,221 BTC and 26,572 ETH into Coinbase last week.
BlackRock deposited 2,221 BTC, valued at approximately $171 million, and 26,572 ETH, valued at approximately $56.17 million, into Coinbase.
Binance will launch the CBRSUSDT perpetual contract on May 19, based on Cerebras Systems.
Binance Futures will launch the CBRSUSDT perpetual contract based on Cerebras Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CBRS) spot prices on May 19 at 17:30 (UTC+8), supporting up to 10x leverage and using USDT for settlement. Cerebras is an AI chip company focused on chip design for AI workloads, competing with Nvidia and AMD.
PeckShield: The Adshares cross-chain bridge hacker has returned over 80% of the stolen funds.
The attacker in the Adshares cross-chain bridge hack has returned 256 ETH to the project's deployment address, valued at approximately $540,700 at current prices, accounting for about 86% of the previously stolen funds. On May 17, 2026, the Adshares cross-chain bridge was exploited, resulting in a loss of approximately $628,000.
Verus: The network has paused operations and is willing to offer a bug bounty to those who fully return the funds.
Verus disclosed in its official Discord that the Verus-Ethereum cross-chain bridge was attacked at 23:55 UTC on May 17, 2026. The attacker extracted Ethereum, USDC, and tBTC from the Ethereum contract. The Verus network subsequently paused operations, with most block-generating nodes voluntarily going offline to prevent further spread of the attack. The project team stated that the development team is investigating the attack vector and the extent of the losses, and if the attacker fully returns the funds, they will offer a bug bounty and will not pursue further legal action. The official also warned that any private messages offering a 'compensation plan' are scams and should not be interacted with.
Strategy spent over $2 billion last week to acquire 24,869 Bitcoin.
Strategy acquired 24,869 Bitcoin between May 11 and May 17, 2026, at an average purchase price of $80,985, with a total investment of about $2.01 billion.
The AEON project, focusing on the agentic economy settlement layer, has completed an $8 million pre-seed round of financing, led by YZi Labs.
Focusing on the 'agentic economy' settlement layer, AEON completed an $8 million pre-seed financing round, led by YZi Labs, with participation from IDG Capital, HashKey Capital, Stanford Blockchain Builders Fund, and Oak Grove Ventures. The specific valuation and round structure have not been disclosed. AEON states it will build a settlement infrastructure to support value exchange among AI agents and has launched its first AI payment product in May, enabling AI agents to connect with over 50 million physical merchants worldwide. The project has also partnered with BNB Chain to launch the native product x402 Facilitator, providing verifiable transactions, on-chain settlements, and tamper-proof certificates for service providers within the BNB ecosystem, with plans to deepen collaborations with partners like Coinbase and BNB Chain.
CoinShares: Last week, net outflows from digital asset investment products totaled approximately $1.07 billion.
According to the latest weekly report from CoinShares, institutional digital asset investment products saw net outflows of approximately $1.07 billion last week, marking the third-largest weekly outflow this year and ending a streak of six consecutive weeks of inflows. Influenced by geopolitical risk sentiment related to Iran, funds mainly withdrew from Bitcoin, with a net outflow of $982 million, while Ethereum saw a net outflow of $249 million, the largest single-week outflow since January 30. Blockchain stock ETFs also experienced around $133 million in outflows. The U.S. was the primary source of this capital outflow, totaling about $1.14 billion, while Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada recorded slight net inflows. Meanwhile, XRP and Solana recorded net inflows of approximately $67.6 million and $55.1 million, respectively, while Ton, Sui, Ondo, Chainlink, and Doge also saw millions in inflows, indicating selective positioning of funds outside of BTC and ETH.
BitMine bought an additional 71,672 ETH last week, pushing its Ethereum holdings over 5.27 million.
BitMine bought an additional 71,672 Ethereum last week. As of May 17, 2026, the company’s total ETH holdings reached 5,278,462, accounting for approximately 4.37% of Ethereum's total supply, with a total value of about $12.6 billion in cryptocurrency, cash, and other investment assets. Of this, BitMine has staked 4,712,917 ETH, representing over 89% of its total holdings, valued at about $10.3 billion at current prices, with an annualized staking yield of approximately $289 million. The company stated its goal is to hold 5% of Ethereum’s total supply under the 'Alchemy of 5%' strategy by 2026.
Musk's xAI provided employees with $420 for tax purposes but has yet to pay.
Market news: Musk's xAI provided employees with $420 for tax purposes but has yet to pay.
ZachXBT offers a $10,000 reward for evidence of market manipulation involving Hong Kong market maker HSBG.
On-chain detective ZachXBT is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for insider information related to the Hong Kong market maker 'Heisenberg Guru (HSBG)'. ZachXBT claims that HSBG is involved in several market manipulation incidents, including with $RIVER on centralized exchanges (CEX). He points out that Sion and Chao are core members of HSBG, and materials such as chat logs, contracts, and internal communications may be rewarded. Tips can be submitted by contacting ZachXBT via X direct message.
SpaceX officially launches its '1-for-5' stock split plan.
SpaceX has officially informed investors of the launch of a 1-for-5 stock split plan, which will lower the single-share issuance price for its upcoming IPO. Insiders revealed that the company has emailed all shareholders, and after the split is completed, the fair market value per share will drop from $526.59 to approximately $105.32. This stock split work is expected to begin the week of May 18 and be completed by May 22. According to reports last Friday, SpaceX is expected to officially submit its highly anticipated IPO application this Wednesday.
Playground Global completes $475 million in venture capital fundraising.
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Playground Global has completed $475 million in new fundraising, focusing on investments in startups in artificial intelligence, automation, advanced computing, and deep technology. Playground Global was founded by Android co-founder Andy Rubin and others, with a long-term focus on AI infrastructure, robotics, and hardware innovation. This new fund reflects continued capital influx into cutting-edge technology segments driven by the generative AI and automation craze. Playground Global is headquartered in Palo Alto, California, and previously raised $410 million for its third fund in 2022. Its portfolio includes companies like Agility Robotics, PsiQuantum, Skydio, Ultima Genomics, Virta Health, and Unconventional AI.
PumpFun transferred approximately $7 million SOL to Kraken.
PumpFun transferred 82,703 SOL to the Kraken exchange, valued at approximately $7 million at the time of disclosure.
Cloud Deep: Plans to raise approximately 2.5 billion yuan in IPO funding to invest in embodied algorithms and model research and development projects.
The technology company Hangzhou Cloud Deep Technology Co., Ltd., focusing on embodied intelligent robots and their supporting products and solutions, has released its prospectus. The document shows that the company's revenue from embodied intelligent robot projects in 2025 is expected to reach 322.3773 million yuan; revenue from product components is expected to reach 11.9501 million yuan; and revenue from supporting services is expected to reach 2.573 million yuan. According to the resolution of the company's first temporary shareholders' meeting and the ninth meeting of the first board of directors in 2026, the fundraising for this issuance is expected to reach 250.2511 million yuan, which, after deducting issuance costs, will be invested in projects for embodied algorithms and model research and development, as well as the development of robotic bodies and solutions, and the construction of embodied intelligent robot bases.
Tether invests in the cross-border remittance fintech company LemFi, with the specific amount undisclosed.
Stablecoin issuer Tether invests in the cross-border remittance fintech company LemFi, with the specific amount undisclosed. Founded in 2021, LemFi has raised a total of $85 million, with over 1 million users. Part of this investment will integrate Tether's settlement network into LemFi's main remittance corridors in Africa and Asia, using USDT as the settlement layer to reduce reliance on traditional payment networks like SWIFT. Both parties state that they will collaborate to enhance the speed, cost, and transparency of cross-border remittances.
The White House states that Iran's new ceasefire proposal 'lacks substantial improvements.'
A senior U.S. official and a knowledgeable source say Iran has submitted an updated ceasefire proposal, but the White House believes it lacks substantial improvements and is insufficient for an agreement. U.S. officials state that Trump wants to reach an agreement to end the war, but due to Iran's refusal to meet many of his demands and its unwillingness to make meaningful concessions on its nuclear program, he is considering resuming military action. Officials say that if Iran does not change its stance, the U.S. will have to continue negotiations 'with bombs'. The senior U.S. official stated: 'We have actually not made much progress. The Iranians need to show sincerity. We need to engage in real, solid, and detailed dialogue regarding the nuclear program. If dialogue cannot proceed, we will have to negotiate through bombs, and that would be a regrettable situation.'
Telegram launches Bot-to-Bot communication feature, enabling direct interaction between AI Agents.
Pavel Durov announced that Telegram now supports Bot-to-Bot communication, allowing bots to interact directly with other bots on the platform, providing a traceable communication layer for AI Agents. Telegram states that this update is part of its recent upgrade of AI Bot functionalities, which also includes Guest Bots, Bot streaming text output, chat automation, and AI text style customization. Officials claim that Bot-to-Bot communication will enable autonomous AI Agents to collaborate on complex workflows within Telegram.
Coinbase will list Wrapped Ronin (WRON) for spot trading.
Wrapped Ronin spot trading will launch on May 18, 2026, with the WRON-USD trading pair opening once liquidity conditions are met, applicable to supported regions.
Echo Protocol encountered an attack on the Monad chain; hackers minted 1,000 eBTC and then extracted funds from Curvance.
Echo Protocol was attacked on the Monad chain. The attacker minted 1,000 eBTC (worth $7.67 million) and extracted funds from Curvance via a previously tested attack vector. The attacker has since deposited 45 eBTC (worth $3.45 million) into Curvance as collateral, borrowed about 11.29 WBTC (worth $86,770) and cross-chained to Ethereum, converting it to ETH before sending 385 ETH (about $818,000) to TornadoCash. The attacker still controls a significant amount of minted eBTC.
A judge dismissed Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Altman.
OpenAI and its CEO Altman are not liable to Elon Musk, according to a U.S. jury ruling, because Musk filed his lawsuit too late. The jury found that the accusations of OpenAI deviating from its 'charitable mission' were time-barred and thus not subject to accountability. Previously, Elon Musk accused OpenAI, under Altman's leadership, of betraying its mission to benefit the public and transforming into a for-profit entity.
Trump: At the request of Gulf nations, cancels the planned strike against Iran on Tuesday.
U.S. President Trump stated: 'I received requests from the Emir of Qatar, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and the President of the UAE to postpone our planned military strike against Iran tomorrow, as serious negotiations are currently underway. They believe an agreement can be reached, which would be highly acceptable to the U.S., Middle Eastern countries, and even the broader region. The key content of the agreement will include: Iran must not possess nuclear weapons. Out of respect for the aforementioned leaders, I have instructed Defense Secretary Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Daniel Keene, and the U.S. military to cancel the planned military action against Iran tomorrow. However, I have further instructed them to be prepared for immediate execution of a large-scale military strike against Iran should an acceptable agreement not be reached.' Just a day earlier, he warned that 'time is running out', and if Iran does not advance in peace negotiations, 'they will have nothing'. There has been no confirmation from Tehran regarding the resumption of talks.
Warsh will be sworn in as Federal Reserve Chair on Friday, with the ceremony hosted by Trump.
A White House official revealed that Trump will host the swearing-in ceremony for incoming Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh at the White House on Friday.
The U.S. SEC may issue 'innovation exemptions' rules for tokenized stocks as early as this week.
Insiders revealed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may issue 'innovation exemptions' rules for tokenized stocks as early as this week, establishing a new framework for trading crypto versions of publicly listed company stocks. The SEC is inclined to allow trading of tokens not endorsed or consented to by the publicly listed company, which could be traded on decentralized crypto platforms but may not necessarily have voting rights or dividends. This exemption covers tokens traded on DeFi platforms and will test whether stock trading can migrate to crypto infrastructure without traditional equity market protections. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce is a major proponent of this exemption, but some SEC officials oppose the decision. Institutions like Citadel Securities and SIFMA have expressed opposition, warning that this could weaken KYC, anti-money laundering, and other investor protection measures. Peirce stated that this exemption is an important step, but it won't change the entire financial system overnight.
Commodity trader Trafigura Group is in discussions with Tether about a pilot project for USDT payments at gas stations.
Multinational commodity trader Trafigura Group is in discussions with Tether about a pilot project to use the stablecoin USDT for payments at gas stations in El Salvador. The pilot will focus on gas stations operated by Puma Energy, a Trafigura subsidiary, allowing Salvadoran consumers to pay for fuel or snacks with USDT, which will then be converted into dollars by intermediaries and transferred to Trafigura. Discussions are still in the early stages and require regulatory approval. A Puma Energy spokesperson stated that the related discussions are still in the exploratory technical phase. This marks the first known collaboration involving stablecoin usage between Tether and a major commodity trader. Tether previously indicated it funded an oil transaction but did not disclose specific details. Tether's CEO stated last November plans to 'significantly' expand its lending business to commodity traders, having already issued $1.5 billion in loans.
Revolut launches the first physical crypto card, featuring a Dogecoin theme.
Revolut launches the first physical crypto card, themed with Dogecoin, featuring an LED display that lights up when users tap for payment. The card can be used anywhere Visa and Mastercard are accepted and is initially rolled out in the UK and the European Economic Area (excluding Hungary, Switzerland, and Portugal). Revolut states that no additional transaction fees are charged, but crypto card payments are subject to exchange rate fluctuations at the time of the transaction, which may incur taxes.
The Ethereum Foundation sees two more researchers depart, continuing the recent wave of resignations.
The Ethereum Foundation sees two more researchers resign. Carl Beek and Julian Ma announced their resignations on Monday. Beek is known for his contributions to the Ethereum Beacon Chain, which supported Ethereum's upgrade to proof-of-stake consensus in 2020. Ma contributed to Ethereum's mechanism design, cryptoeconomics, and protocol scalability, co-authoring the FOCIL document to enhance censorship resistance. Earlier this month, three leaders from the Protocol team also announced their departures, following other high-level executives who left, including co-executive director Tomasz K. Stańczak in February and Josh Stark in March. The Ethereum Foundation underwent significant restructuring last year and has recently faced controversy over requiring employees to sign loyalty pledges.
The WorldCoin team deposited 13.18 million WLD into Coinbase, valued at $3.09 million.
The WorldCoin team has deposited 13.18 million WLD into Coinbase, valued at $3.09 million.
Bitwise plans to allocate 10% of the management fees of the newly launched Hyperliquid ETF to accumulate HYPE tokens on its balance sheet.
Asset management firm Bitwise plans to allocate 10% of the management fees from its newly launched Hyperliquid ETF 'BHYP' to accumulate HYPE tokens on its balance sheet. Bitwise states that approximately 99% of Hyperliquid's blockchain revenue will be used to buy back and burn HYPE tokens, and the company will follow suit. Bitwise's Hyperliquid ETF was listed on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, offering investors indirect exposure to HYPE and staking rewards.
Meta plans to cut 20% of its workforce and reallocate 7,000 employees to AI roles.
Meta plans a significant restructuring on May 20, cutting 20% of its global workforce and reallocating 7,000 employees to AI-related roles.
The Ondo project transferred 328 million ONDO to exchanges in two months, approximately $9.842 million.
In just the past two months, the Ondo project's multi-signature wallet has transferred over 328 million ONDO (worth $9.842 million) to exchanges like Coinbase.
Whale Loracle increased its HYPE short position to 1.44 million coins, with a floating loss of about $8 million.
Whale Loracle.hl (@loraclexyz) has further increased its HYPE short position to 1.44 million HYPE, valued at $69.3 million, with a liquidation price of $69.64, and a floating loss of about $8 million.
Tempo blockchain, supported by Stripe, integrates Morpho to expand from payments to on-chain lending and yield.
The stablecoin payment blockchain Tempo, supported by Stripe and Paradigm, is integrating Morpho's $7.5 billion DeFi lending market to provide on-chain lending and yield products for fintech companies and enterprises built on it. This integration allows Tempo users to access one of the largest lending protocols in DeFi, turning stablecoin balances from idle assets into earning assets. Tempo was previously positioned as a blockchain for fund transfers, providing stablecoin transfers, foreign exchange, and settlement tools, and Morpho's inclusion expands it into a more complete financial stack.
Russia plans to implement mandatory monitoring of cryptocurrency transactions exceeding 1 million rubles.
The Russian State Duma is reviewing a bill alongside the (Digital Currency and Digital Rights Law) that proposes mandatory monitoring of cryptocurrency transactions exceeding 1 million rubles (approximately $13,700). The bill requires operators to identify customers, recognize suspicious transactions, implement internal controls and documentation management, transmit data to government agencies, and coordinate with the Russian central bank. Digital compliance will become mandatory, including checks for money laundering and risks associated with funding organizations deemed undesirable. Exchanges can delegate customer identification procedures to banks and must operate as non-credit institutions, with the central bank empowered to restrict their activities, demand changes in management, remove them from the registry, or even liquidate them through court. The accompanying bill also includes administrative and criminal liabilities, with fines for public officials ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 rubles, and 700,000 to 1 million rubles for legal entities. Illegal cryptocurrency circulation by organizations could lead to a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Reuters: Iran's cryptocurrency exchange Nobitex has processed at least $2.3 billion in transactions through Tron and BNB Chain in recent years.
Since 2023, Iran's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Nobitex, has processed at least $2.3 billion in transactions through Tron and BNB Chain. These two blockchains were founded by crypto tycoons Justin Sun and Changpeng Zhao, who are major supporters of Trump's family’s World Liberty Financial. On-chain data first disclosed by Reuters shows that since the outbreak of the Iranian war in February, at least $22.6 million in crypto assets have flowed through Nobitex on the BNB Chain, and at least $550,000 through Tron. Nobitex has been widely used by sanctioned Iranian entities, including the Central Bank of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. A White House spokesperson denied any conflicts of interest regarding Trump’s business dealings. World Liberty stated it has no ties to Nobitex. Binance and BNB Chain responded that BNB Chain is a decentralized public blockchain, and Binance does not operate or control the network. Tron stated it cannot monitor every transaction.
Musk's xAI launches the 'Skills' feature.
Musk's xAI announced the simultaneous launch of the 'Skills' feature on web, iOS, and Android platforms. This feature endows the AI assistant Grok with persistent memory capabilities across conversations, marking Grok's evolution from a traditional Q&A chatbot to a configurable, programmable automated workspace. It is said that with the 'Skills' feature, users only need to teach Grok the operation method for a specific task once, and Grok will permanently remember relevant personal preferences, formatting rules, or specific workflow steps in all future independent conversations. This means users no longer have to repetitively input tedious pre-prompt words or background settings when starting a new conversation.
The Russian Financial Supervisory Authority demands to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges as strictly as banks to eliminate regulatory arbitrage.
German Neglyad, Deputy Head of the Russian Financial Supervisory Authority, stated that the agency aims to regulate cryptocurrency exchanges with the same strictness as banks to eliminate the 'regulatory arbitrage' gap between stringent bank regulations and cryptocurrency transaction oversight. Neglyad pointed out that criminals might exploit this loophole for money laundering, and this weakness must be addressed. He noted that some market participants oppose strict regulation out of concern that business will shift to the gray market, but the Financial Supervisory Authority believes this concern is unfounded, asserting that regulating according to banking standards is 'normal and civilized practice'. He warned that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requires countries to regulate cryptocurrency circulation, and Russia could face a downgrade in its rating if it fails to establish control mechanisms. Currently, Russia's membership in FATF remains suspended. The Financial Supervisory Authority supports the government's submitted cryptocurrency market regulation bill, believing there is no need to relax terms.
Google and Blackstone establish a joint AI cloud company, with Blackstone committing $5 billion to invest.
Google and Blackstone formed a joint venture to create a new AI cloud company using Google’s specialized chips, with Blackstone committing $5 billion in equity investment.
"Set 10 big goals first" — a whale shares a chart showing its BTC short position has a floating profit of $12.225 million.
"Set 10 big goals first" — a whale shares a chart showing its BTC short position has a floating profit of $12.225 million, although specific position and entry points have not been disclosed. On May 6, the maximum loss when closing the BTC short position was about $2.867 million.
AI Early Insight.
Curated highlights of the most noteworthy AI news from the past 24 hours, helping you filter out the AI noise. Source: PANews AI Observation Room.
Musk loses: The jury unanimously rules that his lawsuit against Altman and OpenAI is time-barred.
Nine jurors in California unanimously ruled that Musk's lawsuit against Altman and others for 'stealing from charities' was filed too late. The jury found that any harm Musk may have suffered occurred before the legal deadline for filing. The jury unanimously ruled on the core issue of the statute of limitations — that the 'damages' Musk alleged occurred in 2021 or 2022, while he filed the lawsuit in 2024. The trial revealed the dramatic history of Silicon Valley infighting, but legally gave Musk no chance of winning. The outcome of this lawsuit does not have a substantial impact on OpenAI's commercialization path.
Cursor releases Composer 2.5: Performance significantly improved.
Cursor announces the launch of Composer version 2.5, with significant performance improvements. This version optimizes code generation and collaboration capabilities.
Nvidia's first CPU, Vera, has been delivered to top AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Nvidia Vice President Ian Buck personally delivered the first batch of Vera CPUs to Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceX AI, and Oracle Cloud. Vera is Nvidia's self-developed CPU designed specifically for AI Agent workloads.
OpenAI partners with Dell to bring Codex into hybrid cloud and on-premise enterprise environments.
OpenAI partners with Dell to deploy Codex in hybrid cloud and on-premises environments to help businesses securely deploy AI coding agents in data and workflows.
Anthropic acquired the developer tools startup Stainless, used by OpenAI, Google, and Cloudflare.
New York-based Stainless was founded in 2022, focusing on automating the creation and maintenance of software development kits (SDKs). OpenAI, Google, and Cloudflare are among its clients.
Alphabet's spin-off company SandboxAQ integrates drug discovery models into Claude.
SandboxAQ integrates its physical molecular model into Anthropic's Claude large model, allowing users to use it without needing a computer science doctorate.