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South Korea is set for a major crypto regulatory overhaul under newly elected President Lee Jae-myung. As Bloomberg reported earlier today, the ruling Democratic Party proposed the Digital Asset Basic Act, with plans to facilitate the use of stablecoins. Will South Korea’s new crypto regulations give it a competitive edge over the US? South Korea
The post South Korea Advances Bill to Legalize Stablecoins Amid GENIUS Act Delay in US appeared first on CoinGape.
Welcome to the US Morning Crypto News Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee to see what experts say about Bitcoin’s (BTC) price amid recovery efforts. The status of Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation and economic uncertainty is progressively becoming questionable, with institutional influence adding to the concerns.
Michael Saylor, the chairman of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), revealed the firm’s latest Bitcoin purchase, comprising 6,556 BTC tokens worth approximately $555.8 million. With this, the firm has attained a Bitcoin yield of 12.1% year-to-date (YTD) in 2025.
“MSTR has acquired 6,556 BTC for ~$555.8 million at ~$84,785 per bitcoin and has achieved BTC Yield of 12.1% YTD 2025. As of 4/20/2025, Strategy holds 538,200 BTC acquired for ~$36.47 billion at ~$67,766 per bitcoin,” Saylor shared.
Strategy uses the Bitcoin Yield YTD to measure the BTC holdings per share increase. This model has been a key part of their financial strategy firm since their first Bitcoin purchase in August 2020.
This acquisition aligns with a bullish market sentiment for Bitcoin, which is steadily nearing the $90,000 milestone, as the recent US Crypto News indicated.
Despite a mild recovery in Bitcoin prices this week, up by over 3% in the last 24 hours, it is worth noting that Bitcoin is highly sensitive to economic indicators.
Similarly, the global market is highly sensitive to monetary policies set by major economies, particularly the US. BeInCrypto contacted Paybis founder and CEO Innokenty Isers for insights on the current market outlook, particularly for Bitcoin.
“Given the strong concentration of investors in technology stocks, shifts in trade policies and government interventions that influence key indices like the Nasdaq Composite create ripple effects across financial markets,” Isers told BeInCrypto.
According to the Pybis executive, since the US Presidential inauguration, the outlook of Bitcoin has changed from a trusted hedge against inflation to a more risk-on asset.
“With its relatively higher volatility, risk-averse investors may favor alternative inflation hedges instead of Bitcoin,” he added.
Iners expressed cognizance of the longer stretch of the trade war and the potential inflation that will emerge. Based on this, he noted that capital allocation to Bitcoin as a hedge against economic instability might be reduced.
Meanwhile, Strategy has seen a significant shift in its stock valuation dynamics over the past year. Saylor recently revealed that as of Q1 2025, over 13,000 institutions and 814,000 retail accounts held MSTR directly.
“An estimated 55 million beneficiaries have indirect exposure through ETFs, mutual funds, pensions, and insurance portfolios,” Saylor added.
According to data on Bitcointreasuries.net, the premium investors once paid for exposure to its Bitcoin holdings has notably narrowed.
Specifically, the NAV multiplier, a measure of how much the stock trades above the value of Strategy’s Bitcoin assets, has decreased compared to last year. This indicates that MSTR is now trading closer to the actual value of its Bitcoin reserves.
In 2024, investors were willing to pay a substantial premium for MSTR shares, driven by Bitcoin’s hype and MicroStrategy’s aggressive accumulation strategy.
“I don’t know if buying strategy equity is a good idea for the government. The stock would just pump, and it’s likely trading at a premium over NAV with a higher risk profile. Also, I believe the gov will find it difficult to find institutions that would be willing to sell their BTC in large quantities,” an analyst said recently.
The shrinking NAV multiplier suggests a more cautious market sentiment. Analysts believe this reflects a shift toward valuing MicroStrategy based on its fundamentals rather than speculative Bitcoin enthusiasm.
This suggests a maturing market approach to the company’s unique investment strategy.
This chart shows how Strategy’s stock price (blue) moves with Bitcoin price (orange). When Bitcoin goes up, MicroStrategy usually follows, but it swings even more.
However, the NAV multiplier has narrowed compared to last year, meaning MicroStrategy’s stock is now trading closer to the actual value of its Bitcoin holdings.
Last year, investors paid a bigger premium for exposure to MSTR, but that gap has shrunk. This suggests a more cautious sentiment or a shift toward valuing the company based on fundamentals rather than just Bitcoin hype.
| Company | At the Close of April 17 | Pre-Market Overview |
| Strategy (MSTR) | $317.20 | $323.49 (+1.98%) |
| Coinbase Global (COIN) | $175.03 | $175.85 (+0.46%) |
| Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY.TO) | $15.36 | $15.12 (-1.41%) |
| MARA Holdings (MARA) | $12.66 | $12.83 (+1.34%) |
| Riot Platforms (RIOT) | $6.49 | $6.52 (+0.54%) |
| Core Scientific (CORZ) | $6.61 | $6.59 (-0.27%) |
The post Strategy’s Bitcoin Yield Climbs Over 12% YTD On $555 Million Acquisition Spree | US Crypto News appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Ripple’s long-running legal clash with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) appears to be nearing its final chapter.
However, a surprising detail has emerged from the ongoing settlement talks, which could see Ripple pay its reduced $50 million penalty using its native token, XRP.
On April 11, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse appeared on FOX Business. At the interview, he revealed that the idea of paying the penalty in XRP was floated during settlement discussions.
“The SEC is going to end up with $50 million and the US government gets $50 million and we talked about making that available in XRP,” Garlinghouse stated.
The ongoing negotiations follow Ripple’s and the SEC’s decision to drop their appeals, bringing the multi-year legal battle closer to closure.
“We’re moving past the SEC’s war on crypto and entering the next phase of the market – true institutional flows integrating with decentralized finance,” Garlinghouse added in a post on X.
Judge Analisa Torres originally set the fine at $125 million in 2024, linking it to Ripple’s unregistered XRP sales to institutional investors. Ripple complied by placing the funds in an interest-bearing account, but the appeals process delayed any further action.
With those appeals now abandoned, Ripple is expected to pay a reduced fine of $50 million.
A recent joint court filing confirms that both sides have reached a preliminary agreement. They are now seeking final approval from the SEC’s commissioners.
Once internal reviews are complete, the parties plan to request a formal ruling from the district court.
“There is good cause for the parties’ joint request that this Court put these appeals in abeyance. The parties have reached an agreement-in-principle, subject to Commission approval, to resolve the underlying case, the Commission’s appeal, and Ripple’s cross-appeal. The parties require additional time to obtain Commission approval for this agreement-in-principle, and if approved by the Commission, to seek an indicative ruling from the district court,” the filing stated.
If the commission votes in favor, this case could conclude one of the most closely watched regulatory battles in crypto history. More importantly, the use of XRP for the settlement could mark a significant shift in the SEC’s approach to digital assets.
This turnaround would represent a major regulatory shift and could trigger further bullish momentum for the token.
Since Donald Trump’s election victory in November 2024, investor confidence in XRP has grown sharply, pushing the token’s value up by more than 300%.
At the same time, institutional interest continues to rise, as seen in the wave of spot exchange-traded fund applications tied to the token
Market analysts have linked this performance to the friendlier political climate. They also point to the potential reclassification of XRP as a commodity as a key factor driving the asset’s rise.
The post Ripple Considers Paying $50 Million Penalty in XRP Amid SEC Case Resolution Talks appeared first on BeInCrypto.
Despite regulatory hurdles and listing concerns, a new report from TokenInsight shows that Binance is comfortably leading the CEX market. Increasing competition from MEXC and Bitget saw Binance’s market share drop 1%, but it still dominates more than one-third of the CEX trades.
The firm dominates in every metric that the report examined, from market share to public notoriety. It leads both in spot and derivatives trading volume and maintains the most stable ratio between the two of any CEX.
Binance suffered a few setbacks in this period, but it still comfortably leads the CEX market in a few key areas. Its token listings are not performing like they used to, prompting community backlash, and its potential ties with the Trump family are also raising concerns.
However, the exchange had a strong Q1 2025, as its trading volume continued to dominate one-third of the CEX market.
“Binance maintained its market-leading position in both quarters, with a trading volume of $9.95 trillion in Q4 2024. Due to market volatility, its trading volume in Q1 2025 was approximately $8.39 trillion. Binance continued to lead in market share, holding 36.5% in Q1 2025,” the report claimed.
In terms of total market share, Binance isn’t completely surpassing the CEX market. In fact, its control actually decreased by 1.38%.
No other exchange saw this level of decline, as Bybit only lost 0.89% after the infamous hack. Nonetheless, most of the biggest CEXs also declined slightly, and none of the growing exchanges managed to compete with its head start.
Binance accounts for nearly 36% of the CEX market share, but this isn’t its only advantage. It also leads in both spot trading and derivatives volumes, controlling 45% of the former and maintaining a 17% lead with the latter.
Additionally, TokenInsight determined that it had the most stable platform structure, keeping its ratio of spot to derivatives trading very consistent.
The firm also ranked number one in open interest market share, but this was its least comfortable lead. However, TokenInsight identified a few intangibles that significantly impacted Binance’s CEX performance.
In its list of noteworthy industry events for Q1 2025, Binance was mentioned more than any other exchange. In one such mention, Forbes listed it as one of the world’s most trusted crypto exchanges.
Overall, despite ongoing regulatory scrutiny in several different regions, the exchange seemingly holds a firm grip on the market.
The post Binance Dominated the CEX Market in Q1 with $8.4 Trillion Trading Volume appeared first on BeInCrypto.