Gate Crypto Flash News and Market Updates

USD/JPY fell below 159 today, declining 0.04% during the session.

According to Union Infomax, individual investors sold 936 billion won of leveraged Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix ETFs today (August 20) as the chip stocks surged. Trading volume across 16 single-stock leveraged and inverse ETF products reached 1.0574 trillion won, marking a two-day breakthrough above the 1 trillion won threshold as retail investors locked in gains.

According to the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), South Korean domestic banks' won-denominated loan delinquency rate at the end of June fell to 0.56% from 0.67% in May, a decline of 0.11 percentage points. The newly accrued delinquency rate also dropped to 0.10% from 0.13% month-over-month. The FSC attributed the decline partly to quarter-end effects, as banks typically accelerate delinquent debt management at quarter-end.

According to Coinbase, Bitcoin surged to $72,812 on August 20 (U.S. Eastern time), up 6.2% in 24 hours and 15% over the past week, breaking above a six-week resistance band of $62,000–$66,000. The rally was driven by the U.S. Treasury's announcement of expanded Treasury buybacks and Trump administration pressure for cryptocurrency deregulation legislation. The price surge triggered massive short liquidations. CoinGlass reported $1 billion in short positions forcibly closed within a single hour,

On Thursday (Aug 20) New York close, spot gold rose 0.08% to $4,519.36 per ounce, forming a V-shaped pattern throughout the session. Spot silver climbed 1.16% to $68.0944 per ounce, while COMEX copper futures fell 0.17% to $6.5840 per pound.

South Korea's July producer price index (PPI) year-over-year rate came in at 7.7%, according to official data. The previous month's reading was also revised downward to 8.5% from an initially reported 8.60%.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of August 20, 17 states have reported 10,930 confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis linked to lettuce from Taylor Fresh Foods in Mexico.

According to CNBC, Hyundai Motor CEO José Muñoz announced plans to expand the company's U.S. production capacity from 500,000 to 700,000-800,000 units by 2028. The capacity increase is part of Hyundai Motor Group's $26 billion U.S. investment plan through 2028.

According to Kraken co-CEO Dave Ripley at Wyoming Blockchain Symposium 2026, Payward is exploring ways to become a full bank outside the U.S. as it expands into asset management and broader financial infrastructure beyond crypto trading. Ripley did not specify which jurisdictions are being targeted. Payward already operates Kraken Financial, a Wyoming-chartered depository institution launched in March 2024, and secured a Federal Reserve master account earlier this year—the first for a crypto com

According to Jin10, on August 20, China and Switzerland completed the upgrade negotiations of their bilateral free trade agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding. The announcement was made during a meeting in Bern between Swiss Federal President Karin Keller-Suttter and China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, with Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland Qian Mingjian and Swiss Ambassador to China Marting Landolt in attendance.

According to Yonhapinfomax, on August 20 (U.S. Eastern Time), December gold futures on COMEX rose $31.90, or 0.70%, to $4,577.20 per troy ounce in afternoon trading. The advance followed a selloff in the prior session but recovered after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besent signaled potential expansion of debt buyback operations to over $4 billion per transaction in a CNBC interview. Besent also indicated the Treasury plans to announce enhanced fiscal consolidation measures by end of week or ear

Binance has launched Agent OS, a developer platform enabling AI agents to execute supported crypto trading activities on behalf of users with granular permission controls. The standardized access layer connects AI applications to Binance trading systems, market data, wallets, payments and on-chain services. Users can authorize agents built with ChatGPT, Claude Code, Codex and Cursor to access selected functions including retrieving market data, viewing account information and executing permitted

According to French media actu, a couple in southwestern France's Landes region was violently attacked, kidnapped and detained overnight with the intent to extort their Bitcoin and cryptocurrency holdings. Two male suspects were arrested following a large-scale investigation by French authorities. The male victim was found severely injured with multiple lacerations; the female victim was discovered kilometers away in a vehicle in another province.

According to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić in an interview with Serbian Broadcasting Television on August 20, Serbia's parliamentary elections will be held on October 18 or 25. The exact date will be confirmed in the coming days.

According to the Federal Reserve, Chair Jerome Powell will address the Jackson Hole Global Central Bank Conference on August 28 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

According to Bloomberg, building materials company Holcim is set to acquire part of James Hardie's European operations, according to sources familiar with the matter. The specific terms and financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, today the department purchased only $1.86 billion of Treasury securities with maturities between 3 and 5 years in a buyback auction, significantly below its maximum target of $4 billion. The auction received $10.159 billion in sell orders, but the Treasury conducted limited purchases as offered prices did not meet its standards. The department maintains a policy of reducing or canceling buybacks if incoming bids are uneconomical. This conservative appro

According to Xinhua, on August 20, the first Chinese container ship successfully docked at Murmansk Port in Russia, marking the opening of the first regular container shipping route connecting Chinese coastal ports with Russia's largest deep-water Arctic port. The launch initiates scheduled freight transport operations through the Arctic route.

Panama Canal reduced daily transit slots for Neo-Panamax vessels to 9 starting August 20, the canal's official operations statement indicated. Additionally, conditional berth availability for the second booking period will no longer be offered due to reduced transit slot capacity. The implementation of the maximum permitted draft of 14.63 meters (48 feet) TFW for Neo-Panamax locks has been postponed to September 2, 2026.

According to the U.S. State Department, on August 20, the United States approved a military sale package to Qatar worth approximately $4.5 billion. The sale includes up to four KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft, engines, radar warning receivers, and infrared countermeasure systems. The State Department statement said the sale will enhance Qatar's defense capabilities and interoperability with U.S. and allied forces.