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According to data from RWA.xyz, the market capitalization of on-chain tokenized real-world assets (RWA) has surpassed $33.7 billion, reaching an all-time high. A recent influx of approximately $1.5 billion has primarily flowed into Ethereum-based tokenized U.S. Treasury products. Key growth drivers include Franklin Templeton's new tokenized product, iBENJI, and sustained inflows into BlackRock's BUIDL.

Tom Lee, Chairman of Bitmine (BMNR) and co-founder of Fundstrat, stated in a recent letter to shareholders that he believes Ethereum's drop below $2,200 presents an attractive buying opportunity. Meanwhile, Bitmine purchased an additional 71,672 ETH last week, bringing its total holdings to 5.28 million ETH, valued at $12.6 billion.

Iran has expressed its desire for a long-term, multi-stage ceasefire agreement in its latest proposal, Al Arabiya TV reported. The country is demanding a phased and secure reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while agreeing to a long-term freeze of its nuclear program rather than a complete dismantlement. Additionally, Iran has suggested it could unconditionally transfer its enriched uranium to Russia, but not to the U.S.

Tron (TRX) founder Justin Sun has deposited 41.99 million SPK ($1.23 million), acquired through airdrops and staking, to the crypto exchange HTX, according to ai_9684xtpa. Since September 2025, Sun has deposited a total of 610 million SPK, worth $19.08 million, to exchanges.

Standard Chartered has projected that the market for on-chain asset tokens will reach $4 trillion by 2028. The bank expects this market to be evenly split between stablecoins and Real-World Asset (RWA) tokens. Geoffrey Kendrick, Head of Crypto Research at Standard Chartered, explained that the core competitive advantage of DeFi is its composability. He described this as a structure where a single asset can simultaneously generate yield, serve as collateral, and provide liquidity. Kendrick noted that implementing such a structure is difficult in traditional finance, as it requires navigating multiple institutions and markets to perform the same functions. He added that while the current scale of on-chain assets remains very small compared to off-chain assets, there is potential for rapid growth in the future.

Tether has announced an investment in financial platform LemFi. LemFi plans to build USDT remittance rails for Africa and Asia.

Digital asset investment products saw a net outflow of $1.074 billion last week, ending a six-week streak of net inflows, CoinShares reported in its weekly fund flow report. This marks the third-largest weekly outflow this year. Bitcoin products experienced $981.5 million in net outflows, while Ethereum products saw $249.3 million withdrawn, the largest amount for the asset since Jan. 30. CoinShares suggested the trend reflects a risk-off sentiment driven by expanding geopolitical risks related to Iran.

Strategy purchased an additional 24,869 BTC last week at an average price of $80,985, for a total of approximately $2 billion. The company's total holdings now stand at 843,738 BTC, with an average cost basis of $75,700.

AEON, a layer project for settlement and payments between AI agents, has raised $8 million in a pre-seed investment round led by YZi Labs, The Block reported. Other participants in the round included IDG Capital, HashKey Capital, and the Stanford Blockchain Builder Fund. In May, AEON launched a payment product that allows AI agents to connect with over 50 million real-world offline merchants. Through its "x402 Facilitator," which runs on the BNB Chain, the project provides transaction verification, on-chain settlement, and the issuance of tamper-proof receipts.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is increasingly using stablecoins over Bitcoin as a key tool for funding and trade settlements, BeInCrypto reported, citing a new analysis from Chainalysis. Wallets associated with the IRGC received over $3 billion in assets in 2025 alone, a figure that represents approximately 50% of Iran's total virtual asset trading volume as of the fourth quarter of 2025. Chainalysis estimated that the $3 billion figure is a minimum based on public data and that the actual amount is likely much larger.

The median Spent Output Profit Ratio (SOPR) for the top 500 cryptocurrencies has reached one, indicating a break-even point for investors, on-chain analytics firm Glassnode reported. The firm noted that historically, overall selling pressure has tended to increase in the market immediately after this level is reached, adding that most altcoin investors have been selling at a loss since the end of 2024.

The United States has accepted the lifting of oil sanctions against Iran in a new negotiation document, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported, citing a source close to the U.S. negotiating team. The U.S. has also reportedly proposed a temporary suspension of related sanctions by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) until a final agreement is reached.

Noted Bitcoin skeptic and gold bull Peter Schiff has pushed back against MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor's characterization of Bitcoin as a digital skyscraper. Schiff argued that simply holding Bitcoin generates no cash flow. According to BeInCrypto, Schiff also strongly criticized MicroStrategy's Bitcoin-based financial products, such as STRC, labeling them a 'centralized Ponzi scheme' and calling for an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Volatility in U.S. Treasuries, a weakening Japanese yen, and surging international oil prices could increase selling pressure on cryptocurrencies, according to CoinDesk analyst Omkar Godbole. He noted that instability is growing in the U.S. Treasury market, with the ICE BofA MOVE Index recently jumping 14.7% to its highest level since April, which could dampen risk appetite. Additionally, the U.S. dollar-yen exchange rate is nearing 159 yen, raising concerns that a Bank of Japan intervention could trigger an unwinding of the yen carry trade and tighten global liquidity. Godbole also pointed to surging oil prices, with both West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude exceeding $100 per barrel. Citing an International Energy Agency (IEA) warning about declining inventories due to conflict in Iran, he suggested that rising oil prices could heighten inflation and financial tightening, intensifying pressure on risk assets like crypto.

The UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Bank of England (BOE) have initiated a process to gather industry feedback on establishing a regulatory framework for tokenized financial markets. According to The Block, this consultation is part of the UK government's broader strategy for digital financial markets. The scope of the discussions includes regulatory approaches to security tokens, collateral assets, and payment methods. The authorities noted that tokenization technology could present significant opportunities, particularly in post-trade processing and collateral. The consultation is open to banks, investment firms, asset managers, central securities depositories, trading platforms, and fintech companies. While the current focus is on security tokens like bonds, stocks, and funds, the regulators have left open the possibility of expanding the scope to other asset classes in the future.

Binance has announced the listing of CBRS perpetual futures at 9:30 a.m. UTC on May 19.

BlackRock has purchased an additional 3.14 million shares of MicroStrategy for $535.6 million, BitcoinTreasuries reported. This brings the firm's total holdings to 17.75 million shares, valued at $3.02 billion.

An address believed to belong to crypto custody and banking firm Anchorage Digital purchased an additional 397,000 HYPE, worth approximately $18 million, from Bybit and OKX starting about six hours ago, Onchain Lens reported. The same address has accumulated a total of 2.13 million HYPE, valued at $91.99 million, over the past month.

Goldman Sachs sold its entire holdings of XRP and SOL exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the first quarter of this year. According to Cointelegraph, the investment bank had previously disclosed in its fourth-quarter report that it held approximately $154 million in XRP ETFs from Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, and 21Shares, making it the largest institutional investor in the asset at the time. The firm also divested from all its Solana ETFs, including products like GSOL, BSOL, and FSOL. Goldman Sachs continues to hold over $700 million in BTC ETFs.

Bithumb has announced that it will temporarily suspend deposits and withdrawals for Casper (CSPR) starting at 10:00 a.m. UTC on May 19 to support the network's mainnet upgrade.

Standard Chartered is considering acquiring the cryptocurrency custody business of its subsidiary, Zodia Custody, Bloomberg reported. According to a statement released today, the acquisition proposal has received the consent of Zodia Custody's major shareholders and creditors. Margaret Harwood-Jones, Global Head of Financing and Securities Services at Standard Chartered, explained that integrating Zodia's custody business with the bank's own crypto operations would enable expansion into new markets, including the UK and Australia. Meanwhile, Zodia's infrastructure business will be spun off into a separate company called Zodia Solutions.

The first appeal hearing for the inaugural case under South Korea's Virtual Asset User Protection Act is scheduled for next month, Newsdream reported. The hearing comes roughly three months after the initial verdict in February, in which two defendants, including the CEO of a virtual asset management firm, were convicted of market manipulation and received prison sentences and fines. The appeal is being pursued by both the prosecution and the defendants, signaling a contentious legal battle ahead. A key point of contention is expected to be whether prosecutors can successfully prove the approximately 7.1 billion won in illicit gains, a claim for which forfeiture was denied in the first trial. In the initial ruling, defendant A was sentenced to three years in prison, a 500 million won fine, and the forfeiture of about 840 million won. An accomplice, defendant B, received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for three years.

Decentralized prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi are continuing to allow users in India to sign up and trade despite a government warning that the platforms are illegal, Bloomberg reported. India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology recently notified VPN providers that Polymarket and similar prediction market platforms are subject to blocking. Authorities noted that some users are circumventing access restrictions with VPNs and warned that providers enabling such access could face legal liability. The country's stricter online gambling regulations took effect on May 1.

B.AI, a project building financial infrastructure for AI agents by combining AI and Web3, has announced via X that it now supports the Solana network. This update allows users to log in easily using MetaMask and Phantom Wallet. It also introduces new payment and subscription features on the Solana network. Supported cryptocurrencies include SOL, USDT, USDC, and WBTC.

According to data from CoinGlass, short positions worth $421.87 million on major centralized exchanges will be liquidated if BTC surpasses $77,654. Conversely, long positions valued at $375.62 million face liquidation if the price drops below $76,196.