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CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season Index has risen one point from yesterday to 35. The index compares the price performance of the top 100 coins, excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens, against Bitcoin. An "altcoin season" is declared when 75% of these top coins outperform Bitcoin over the past 90 days, while the opposite is considered a "Bitcoin season." A score closer to 100 indicates a stronger altcoin season.

The Worldcoin team has deposited 13.18 million WLD, valued at $3.09 million, to Coinbase, Onchain Lens reported. Deposits to exchanges are typically presumed to be for selling.

Global commodities trading firm Trafigura is in talks with Tether (USDT) to launch a pilot program for stablecoin payments at gas stations in El Salvador, Bloomberg reported. The project focuses on enabling USDT-based payments at stations operated by Puma Energy, a Trafigura subsidiary. Discussions are in the early stages, with the project still undergoing technical review and requiring regulatory approval.

The Monad (MON)-based EchoProtocol is suspected of having been hit by an exploit attack, Onchain Lens reported. A hacker allegedly minted 1,000 eBTC, worth approximately $76.7 million. The funds were reportedly stolen through the multi-chain decentralized finance protocol Curvance, using a previously tested exploit method. So far, the attacker is known to have deposited 45 eBTC as collateral to borrow about 11.29 WBTC. The stolen funds were then moved to the Ethereum network and exchanged for ETH. Additionally, 385 ETH has been transferred to Tornado Cash.

The spot CVD chart is an order book analysis tool for the BTC/USDT spot pair. The top section displays a volume heatmap, while the bottom shows the cumulative volume delta (CVD). - The volume heatmap at the top tracks the volume of trades at specific price levels. The background color brightens when the price remains in a certain range for an extended period or experiences significant movement. These brighter areas may act as potential support and resistance levels. - The cumulative volume delta (CVD) indicator at the bottom represents buy and sell orders categorized by trade size. As buy orders increase, the corresponding colored line rises. The yellow line indicates orders between $100 and $1,000, while the brown line represents large orders between $1 million and $10 million.

The Fear & Greed Index from cryptocurrency data provider CoinMarketCap has registered a score of 39, shifting from the neutral stage to the fear stage. The index indicates extreme fear as it approaches 0 and extreme optimism as it approaches 100. CoinMarketCap's Fear & Greed Index is calculated based on several factors, including the price movements of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, market volatility, derivatives market data such as the put-call ratio, the Stablecoin Supply Ratio (SSR), and CoinMarketCap's own search data.

XRP has entered its tightest Bollinger Band squeeze in over a year, signaling the potential for a major price move. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez noted that the Bollinger Bands on the XRP/USD 3-day chart have become extremely narrow, indicating that strong volatility is expected. He described the range between $1.29 and $1.50 as a "no-trade zone" where the direction has not yet been confirmed, suggesting a strategy of waiting for the market to make the first move. Martinez explained that a 3-day close above $1.50 could open the door to a rise toward $1.80. Conversely, a break below $1.29 would invalidate the short-term bullish trend and could lead to a further decline to the $1 support level.

On-chain analyst Darkfost noted that BTC's upward momentum stalled near $81,000, the cost basis for short-term investors, which has increased selling pressure in the market. According to the analyst, the MVRV (market value to realized value) also met resistance as it reached the 1.0 level, which corresponds to the break-even point for short-term holders. This indicates that these investors are now exiting the market with relative aggression, and the market appears to lack the conviction needed for further gains.

Decentralized exchange (DEX) Aster (ASTER) announced it is introducing a permissionless listing feature called 'Listing Vote,' which allows anyone to participate without separate approval. Under the new system, any validator who has staked 20 million ASTER can propose new listings. Proposals will be decided through on-chain voting, with voting power determined by the size of the stake. The first item on the agenda is a proposal from UTechStables to list BTC/U and ETH/U perpetual futures. The vote will run until 6:00 a.m. UTC on May 22.

An Ohio man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for orchestrating a cryptocurrency investment fraud worth approximately $10 million, The Block reported. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, he operated a Ponzi scheme, attracting funds by promising high returns and then using money from new investors to make payments to earlier ones.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to unveil a plan for innovation exemptions as early as this week to permit the trading of stock tokens, Bloomberg reported. The policy would establish a framework for trading shares of publicly listed companies in the form of blockchain-based tokens. The move follows the SEC's prior approval of a related rule change proposed by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

The Bank of Korea is accelerating its preparations to commercialize deposit tokens based on its central bank digital currency (CBDC), Yonhap News reported. The central bank's Digital Currency Division recently commissioned an external consulting service, allocating a budget of 1.7 billion won ($1.26 million) for the project. This move coincides with the second phase of testing for Project Han River, the BOK's real-transaction pilot for deposit tokens. Through this consultancy, the bank aims to advance its CBDC system and review the institutional and technical preparations necessary for commercialization.

The crypto industry Super PAC Protect Progress has spent $4.2 million to support Democratic candidate Jasmine Clark in the U.S. House of Representatives primary in Georgia, Cointelegraph reported. Protect Progress focuses on supporting candidates who back pro-crypto legislation. The outlet added that the PAC has not performed as well as expected in some primaries, making this election a potential test of its influence.

The three major U.S. stock indices closed mixed today. - S&P 500: -0.07% - Nasdaq: -0.5% - Dow Jones: +0.3%

Ostium, a crypto derivatives platform founded by Harvard University graduates, has partnered with Nasdaq, The Block reported. Under the partnership, Ostium will offer stock perpetuals based on Nasdaq data.

Bitcoin financial services firm Swan Bitcoin is facing a lawsuit seeking the return of approximately $1 billion in assets related to the 2023 collapse of Prime Trust, Decrypt reported. The suit, filed by PCT Litigation Trust, alleges that Swan used non-public internal information to preemptively move its assets just before the bankruptcy to avoid losses. The assets sought for return include approximately 12,000 BTC, stablecoins, and XRP.

Cryptocurrency firm Zerohash has obtained an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license from the Dutch central bank, The Block reported. As a result, Zerohash now holds both a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulatory license and an EMI license. This approval allows the company to offer both cryptocurrency services and stablecoin-based payments and brokerage across Europe.

On-chain analytics firm Bubblemaps has identified nine Polymarket accounts that accurately predicted U.S. military actions related to Iran, Decrypt reported. The accounts collectively earned approximately $2.4 million by betting on events such as the timing of a U.S. airstrike, a ceasefire announcement, and the potential ouster of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, achieving a 98% win rate. Bubblemaps suggested the accounts appeared to be acting in an organized manner and may have used inside information, speculating they have ties to the U.S. Polymarket did not respond to a request for comment on the matter, according to the report.

Bearish sentiment has spread across social media as Bitcoin fell to the $76,000 level, crypto analytics firm Santiment noted on X. According to its on-chain data, bearish commentary has surpassed bullish sentiment for the first time since April 21. Santiment added that since markets often move contrary to crowd sentiment, an increase in fear-based selling from retail investors could raise the probability of a short-term price rebound.

President Donald Trump announced he is postponing a planned attack on Iran, which was scheduled for May 20, following a request from Middle Eastern countries. In a social media post, Trump stated that these nations are engaged in very important negotiations with Iran, which he said would include a ban on the country possessing nuclear weapons. He added that he has ordered the military to prepare for immediate action if an acceptable agreement is not reached. Following the announcement, WTI and Brent crude oil prices fell sharply, while spot prices for gold and silver rose rapidly.

A memecoin themed after U.S. President Donald Trump (TRUMP) is facing controversy over a promotion that explicitly warns of potential insider selling, CryptoSlate reported. The event, which began on May 12 and runs through July 1, offers rewards to the top 19 token holders, including VIP access to the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The controversy stems from a disclosure stating that entities related to the project may sell their tokens during the promotional period. The outlet noted that this raises concerns about a potential conflict of interest, as the event encourages investors to buy and hold the token while insiders have reserved the right to reduce their positions.

The U.S. Senate is expected to hold a floor vote on the CLARITY Act within the next 30 days, Solid Intel reported. The bill passed the Senate Banking Committee on May 15.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on May 18 that he is not considering any concessions to Tehran after Iran responded to the latest draft agreement to end the war. President Trump commented that he was not disappointed by Iran's response, while also warning that the country already knows what will happen next. He added that Iran is fully aware the U.S. can deliver a much greater blow and that it wants a deal now more than ever because it knows the alternative.

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is facing growing community concern amid an ongoing series of departures by key personnel during a period of organizational restructuring. According to CoinDesk, Carl Beek and Julian Ma have recently left the foundation. Their exits follow previous announcements of departures or cessations of activity by other major contributors, including Barnabé Monnot, Tim Beiko, Trent Van Epps, and Alex Stokes. Market analysis suggests the personnel changes are linked to the EF's new operational direction. In a recent announcement of its new operating principles, the foundation stated it would focus on its role as an ecosystem supporter rather than a central authority for Ethereum.

Blockchain analytics firm Messari said in a report that Solana (SOL) is evolving from its memecoin-centric image into an infrastructure for tokenized finance and payments. According to the report, the market capitalization of Solana-based real-world assets (RWA) increased by 43% quarter-over-quarter in the first quarter to $2.01 billion. This growth is attributed to firms like BlackRock, Ondo Finance, and Franklin Templeton introducing tokenized funds, ETFs, and stock products to the Solana ecosystem. Additionally, global payment companies including Visa, Stripe, PayPal, and Western Union are utilizing Solana for their stablecoin payment and remittance infrastructure. Messari projected that Solana's low fees, fast settlement speeds, and the upcoming Alpenglow upgrade—which is expected to improve transaction finality to around 150ms—could positively impact its expansion into institutional finance and AI-based applications.