Global markets were mixed on Wednesday, with the Dow Jones closing flat, the S&P 500 slipping 0.04%, and the Nasdaq rising 0.28%. Investors weighed concerns over trade tensions, as the US threatened to impose extra duties on the EU if tariffs are not cut, against potential bilateral trade deals. Asian currencies, such as the Korean won and Taiwan dollar, gained on expectations of US trade agreements. Meanwhile, Japan's inflation rate accelerated to its fastest pace in over two years, and the US bond market slid on worries over Trump's policies and rising debt.
In crypto, the global crypto market cap increased 0.9% in 24h to $3.51tn. The total crypto market 24h volume decreased 18% to $156bn.
In the past 24 hours, crypto liquidations decreased 48% and totaled $263.8m, with 59% of them short positions. ETH positons made up more than 25% of all liquidated positions while BTC positions made up 16% of all liquidated positions.
US Bitcoin spot ETFs logged their strongest inflow day since Apr 23,2025, pulling in $934.7 million on May 22 and extending their weekly intake to over $2.8 billion. BlackRock’s IBIT led the surge with a massive $877.2 million, marking its largest daily inflow to date and helping drive total cumulative net inflows across all ETFs to $44.31 billion. While the prior session saw elevated but more moderate flows ($609m), the latest spike reinforces a clear acceleration in institutional appetite following a steady ramp-up throughout the week. Most other funds remained flat, underscoring IBIT’s increasing dominance in capturing demand.
U.S. spot Ether ETFs also recorded their largest single-day inflow in over a month on May 22, pulling in $110.5 million—surpassing the combined flows of the previous four sessions. Grayscale’s ETHE led with $43.75 million, followed closely by Fidelity’s FETH ($42.25m) and Grayscale’s ETH trust ($18.86m). Despite broad outflows from smaller funds, the strong showing from majors lifted cumulative net inflows to $2.70 billion and total assets to $9.33 billion. The renewed demand follows a prolonged lull and suggests a possible turning point in institutional sentiment toward Ether exposure.
US BTC ETF Flows - source: SoSoValueUS ETH ETF Flows - source: SoSoValue
The US administration expects the Stablecoin bill to pass the Senate with bipartisan support, which could establish a legal framework for dollar-pegged digital assets, unlock trillions of dollars in demand for US Treasurys, and potentially disrupt the traditional banking industry's profit model. The advancement of the bill has been met with a proposed amendment by high-ranking Democrats to address President Donald Trump's connections to the cryptocurrency industry, citing concerns over potential conflicts of interest and corruption.
California Representative Maxine Waters, ranking member of the US House Financial Services Committee, announced she is preparing to introduce the Stop Trading, Retention, and Unfair Market Payoffs (TRUMP) in Crypto Act of 2025 to block President Donald Trump and his family from engaging in cryptocurrency activities that could lead to corruption and unfair market practices.
Dubai's Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority has updated its guidelines to include provisions on real-world asset tokenization, providing regulatory clarity and a viable path for the issuance and listing of asset-referenced virtual assets, which are expected to drive institutional adoption of blockchain and virtual assets in the region.
A wave of memecoin speculation is sweeping the crypto market once again as Bitcoin’s breakout above $112,000 revives risk appetite across digital assets. While BTC has gained over 7% in the past three days, several memecoins have posted stronger short-term performances.
FIFA has selected Avalanche to power its dedicated blockchain network for non-fungible tokens and digital fan engagement, enabling the delivery of unique digital collectibles and immersive experiences to its five billion fans worldwide through a scalable, secure, and EVM-compatible infrastructure.
Bitcoin's market capitalization has surpassed Amazon's, reaching $2.205 trillion, as the cryptocurrency continues to gain traction and transition into a benchmark currency, driven by increasing institutional investment and a growing total cryptocurrency market cap of $3.51 trillion.
Delorean has launched an on-chain reservation system and NFT marketplace for its upcoming Alpha 5 EV, allowing buyers to reserve and resell cars using blockchain technology and providing a transparent and secure way to track vehicle history and performance data.
OpenAI is developing AI companion devices with designer Jony Ive, planning to ship 100 million units upon launch, as the company aims to integrate artificial intelligence into daily life and build on the massive success of its ChatGPT large language model.
Kraken is partnering with Backed to offer non-US customers the option to trade tokenized US stocks stored on the Solana blockchain, marking a strategic shift towards competing with traditional brokerages like Robinhood.
An American tourist in London was drugged and robbed of $123,000 in bitcoin by a fake taxi driver, highlighting a recent surge in violent crimes targeting crypto industry executives, investors, and their families, which has prompted increased personal security measures.
A recent survey in Singapore found that while cryptocurrency awareness has reached an all-time high, ownership has declined, but sentiment remains strong with over half of current holders planning to increase their positions, and Bitcoin remains the dominant cryptocurrency with 68% of investors holding it.
A crypto trader spent $3.8 million to buy 1,425 ether at $2,670 per coin, just a month after selling 2,522 ether for $3.9 million at $1,570 per coin, potentially missing out on significant gains by not holding onto the asset.
Cetus, a decentralized exchange on the Sui blockchain, has been exploited on May 22, potentially draining over $200 million in digital assets, with many listed assets losing more than half their value in a 24-hour period. Cetus has had $162 million of the $220 million stolen in the hack frozen, with the exchange and Sui Foundation working to recover the remaining funds and return them to the community.
The US Commodities and Futures Trading Commission may soon approve crypto perpetual futures contracts, according to outgoing Commissioner Summer Mersinger, who believes this would be beneficial for the industry and bring more trading activity back to the US.
A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to forfeit $1.5 million for operating a fake vending machine business that was actually an unlicensed cash-to-bitcoin conversion service designed to evade authorities.
The UK Court of Appeal has partially dismissed a lawsuit brought by Bitcoin SV investors against major crypto exchanges, including Binance, ruling that investors who held BSV through the delisting period are not entitled to billions in speculative damages based on the token's hypothetical growth due to their failure to mitigate losses.
Michigan lawmakers have introduced four crypto-related bills that cover crypto mining, central bank digital currencies, and crypto investment in state retirement funds, aiming to regulate and facilitate the use of cryptocurrencies in the state.
Swedish health tech company H100 Group AB's shares surged 37% after it announced its first-ever bitcoin purchase, while China's Jiuzi Holdings revealed plans to acquire 1,000 bitcoin over the next year, signaling a growing trend of companies investing in cryptocurrency.
