Day: May 18, 2026

Iran launches ‘Hormuz Safe’ Bitcoin insurance platform for Strait of Hormuz shipping

boss

Iran’s Hormuz Safe offers Bitcoin-settled insurance for Hormuz shipping, aiming for $10B revenue while testing US sanctions limits and spooking regulators and shippers. Summary Iran’s Ministry of Economy has launched “Hormuz Safe,” a Bitcoin-settled maritime insurance platform targeting vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. The platform issues digitally verifiable insurance policies and financial responsibility certificates, with premiums payable in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, bypassing Western banking channels. Iranian officials claim the platform could generate more than $10 billion in annual revenue, though no independent data has…

Bitcoin Depot Shuts ATM Network as Chapter 11 Pushes Asset Sale

boss

Key Takeaways Bitcoin Depot began Chapter 11 to wind down operations and sell company assets. Regulatory pressure has tightened BTM rules through transaction limits, licensing, and compliance obligations. International entities will follow separate proceedings as the asset sale process continues. Bitcoin Depot Begins Chapter 11 Process Amid Regulatory Pressure Bitcoin Depot Inc. (Nasdaq: BTM) announced on May 18 that it initiated a voluntary Chapter 11 process in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The filing is intended to support an orderly wind-down of operations and facilitate…

South Korea’s KB Financial Completes Stablecoin Pilot for Offline Payments

boss

KB Financial Group, the parent company of South Korea’s largest bank, KB Kookmin, completed a stablecoin pilot for offline payments and cross-border remittances through the Kaia blockchain. KB tested the lifecycle of a South Korean won-denominated stablecoin, including issuance, merchant settlement and remittances, with Kaia, electronic payments company KG Inicis and fintech firm OpenAsset, local outlet Yonhap reported. The stablecoin pilot adds to the growing list of legacy financial institutions in South Korea experimenting with stablecoins. In late April, one of the nation’s largest credit card providers, Shinhan Card, signed…

Strategy Grabs 24,869 BTC for $2.01B, Now Holds 843,738 Bitcoin Total

boss

Key Takeaways Strategy adds 24,869 BTC for $2.01 billion, bringing its total holdings to 843,738 bitcoin as of May 17, 2026. The $75,700 blended average cost basis and 12.6% BTC Yield YTD signal continued confidence in bitcoin as a treasury asset. Strategy plans to retire $1.5 billion in 2029 convertible notes, reshaping its debt structure going forward. Strategy Crosses 843K BTC After $2 Billion Purchase and Convertible Note Buyback Michael Saylor announced the purchase on May 18, 2026, via X, noting an average acquisition price of roughly $80,985 per bitcoin…

Saylor’s Strategy adds 24,869 BTC as Bitcoin falls below $77K

boss

Strategy bought 24,869 Bitcoin for about $2.01 billion between May 11 and May 17.  Summary Strategy’s latest purchase lifted its Bitcoin holdings to 843,738 BTC, over 4% of total supply. The company funded the buy through MSTR common stock and STRC preferred stock sales. Market updates showed Bitcoin below $77,000 as ETF outflows and liquidations pressured crypto prices. The company paid an average price of $80,985 per Bitcoin, including fees and expenses, according to its May 18 Form 8-K. The purchase raised Strategy’s total holdings to 843,738 BTC. The company…

Pundit Says Only This Move Will Make It Happen

boss

Crypto pundit BarriC has said that an XRP price rally to $10,000 isn’t possible at the moment. He also revealed what needs to happen for the altcoin to potentially reach this level and even rally to $50,000.  Pundit Says XRP Price Cannot Rally To $10,000 Now In an X post, BarriC stated that the XRP price cannot reach $10,000 to $50,000 if the altcoin remains purely a retail asset, which investors can buy and trade on exchanges. Instead, he explained that the only way this can happen is if XRP…

Crypto Bull Market Doors Opening! Bitcoin, Ethereum & Altcoins Breaking Out NOW

▶ Coinbase Website: Coinbase.com ▶ CEX Website: cex.io Crypto bull market signals are waking up, and these are very macro indicators aligning. Short term bitcoin and ethereum price action help act as a guide and paint a picture of caution and volatility. 🔗 My Links: ► Get the risk models I use to track accumulation and distribution zones. Free trial 👉 Intro 00:00 Huge bull market indicator 1:45 Business cycle 5:50 Bitcoin cycle low 6:40 BTC breakout & resistance 8:45 Big Ethereum price test 11:45 🌟 Follow Me On My…

Bitcoin Cash breaks below $400 level, is a return to 2025 lows next?

boss

Bitcoin Cash price plunged sharply this week after losing the key psychological $400 support level, raising concerns that the cryptocurrency could revisit its 2025 lows if bearish momentum continues accelerating. Summary Bitcoin Cash price plunged more than 11% below the key $400 support level, falling to its lowest point since early March. Bearish momentum strengthened after a MACD bearish crossover, while RSI dropped near 21, signaling deeply oversold conditions. Analysts now see the $320–$340 region as the next major downside target if BCH fails to reclaim the broken $400 support…

‘Ripple is the Infrastructure for the Internet of Value’

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, during an ‘XRP in a Minute’ segment at XRP Las Vegas, positioned the XRP Ledger as a specialized payment infrastructure capable of settling transactions in three to five seconds for mere fractions of a penny. He highlighted its processing of over 4 billion transactions since 2012 and its potential as the foundational layer for the Internet of Value. Garlinghouse emphasized the ledger’s technical architecture, tracing its origins to former Bitcoin developers, as XRP’s competitive advantage over Ethereum and Bitcoin. This approach aims to shift XRP’s audience…

Bitcoin Drops to $76K as Fresh US-Iran Tensions Resurface

boss

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped to $76,000 during the early Asian trading hours on Monday as US-Iran tensions resurfaced.  Key takeaways Bitcoin falls to $76,500 as bearish momentum becomes increasingly tied to geopolitical developments. Over $607 million in long positions have been liquidated in the last 24 hours. Bitcoin traders say support at $76,000 should hold to avoid a BTC price drop to $65,000. Bitcoin hits three-week lows with 7% drop Data from TradingView showed BTC price dropped as much as 7% over the last three days to three-week lows of $76,500,…