Gate Crypto Flash News and Market Updates

According to Yonhap Infomax, on Sept. 18, Japan's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%, marking the first rate hike in months. The Nikkei 225 index climbed 882.70 points, or 1.38%, to close at 65,018.95, reclaiming the 65,000 level for the first time since Sept. 10. The TOPIX index edged down 3.05 points, or 0.07%, to 4,091.14. Two of the nine policy board members voted against the decision. AI and semiconductor stocks led gains, with Tokyo Electron and Adv

According to South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, on Sept 18, the government froze petroleum price caps for the 10th consecutive period effective from Sept 19 for four weeks. Gasoline remains capped at 1,784 Korean won per liter, diesel at 1,773 won, and heating oil at 1,380 won, maintaining levels set in late June. The freeze comes as WTI crude surged from 83.3 dollars per barrel on Aug 24 to 102.4 dollars on Sept 16—a 23% increase. The government cited declining dollar-won exc

According to BlockBeats and DefiLlama data, on September 18, Robinhood Chain's seven-day application layer revenue reached $15.85 million, surpassing Hyperliquid L1's $12.44 million to rank second among major blockchain networks. Solana led with $37.42 million, followed by Robinhood Chain, Hyperliquid L1, Ethereum at $11.9 million, and BNB Chain at $6.6 million.

According to South Korean media, South Korea has secured over 90% of its crude oil supply through October and locked in 70% of its November supply.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Binance declined to address a Friday report that European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde intervened to block its Greek crypto license bid under the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). A vice chair of Greece's Hellenic Capital Market Commission reportedly told Binance that Lagarde had asked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis not to approve the application. Binance later withdrew its Greek application and shifted its focus to seeki

According to ChainCatcher, RootData has launched a new version with a redesigned homepage that consolidates traditional finance and cryptocurrency data. The updated platform integrates nine key boards: market overview, capital flows, stablecoin liquidity, platform market share, trending asset discovery, public chain market overview, protocol revenue, TradFi trading dynamics, and RootData Research reports. The platform aims to help users conduct cross-market investment research spanning macroecon

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, OFAC designated BitBank, an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange controlled by financier Babak Zanjani, on September 17, 2026. Treasury said BitBank transferred hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Bitcoin to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps between June and July. Since June, the Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority, which collects Bitcoin payments from shipping companies for transit rights through the Strait of Hormuz, has used BitBank to route t

Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE) raised its 2025 GDP growth forecast to 2.6% from 2.4%, according to the official update.

France's Electricité de France (EDF) plans to build 10 small modular reactors (SMRs) across Europe by 2035 for nuclear power generation, a project worth several billion euros. The company also plans to construct one SMR in Italy, with completion targeted before 2035.

According to Jin10, China's actual foreign direct investment fell to 479.95 billion yuan in the first eight months of 2026, declining 5.3% year-over-year as of September 18. High-tech industries attracted 200.26 billion yuan in foreign investment, up 35.1% year-over-year and accounting for 41.7% of total FDI, up 12.4 percentage points from the same period last year. Within this segment, research and design services, technology transfer services, and electronic and communications equipment manufa

According to CNN, U.S. military officials plan to reassign MQ-9 Reaper drones currently operating in Africa to the U.S. military command responsible for South America. The move is part of a broader effort to deploy military assets to the region in support of anticipated counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations.

According to ChainCatcher, on-chain detective ZachXBT publicly accused wallet addresses linked to 7zarc of receiving 4,870 ETH (approximately $15 million) sourced from addresses related to Raidparty's alleged $70 million exit scam. The ETH was subsequently transferred to multiple centralized exchange deposit addresses. ZachXBT noted that 7zarc disappeared from public view in 2022 and resurfaced in September 2026, calling for explanation regarding the fund flows.

According to Korea Economic Daily, Doosan shares rose 2.99% to 1.447 million Korean won on September 18, extending gains of approximately 61% since July 30. The rally reflects improved performance in the company's electronics material business, driven by rising demand for copper-clad laminate (CCL), a key PCB substrate material, as AI server and high-end network equipment investments accelerate. In the first half of 2026, Doosan's electronics business generated 1.293 trillion won in revenue (12.

According to Korea Securities Depository, from July 31 to September 17, domestic investors made net purchases of $358.5 million in Nasdaq-100 leverage products, including $285.3 million in ProShares Ultra QQQ (QLD, 2x leverage) and $72.6 million in ProShares UltraPro QQQ (TQQQ, 3x leverage). This marks a significant shift in retail investment strategy away from single-stock leverage products. The same-period trading volume of single-stock leverage ETFs tracking Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix f

According to Korea Economic Daily, Doosan shares rose 61% to 1.447 million won on September 18, rebounding from a July 30 low of 900,000 won, driven by strong performance in its electronics segment amid surging AI infrastructure investment demand. The company's electronics division, focused on CCL (copper clad laminate) for printed circuit boards, generated 1.293 trillion won in revenue and 386.9 billion won in operating profit in the first half of 2026, contributing 12.1% and 43.2% to group tot

According to Whale Alert, 880 BTC (approximately $68.37 million) were transferred from an unknown wallet to Coinbase today (September 18).

Bybit launched STONK (STONKUSDT) perpetual futures today, September 18, with maximum 5x leverage support.

According to Financial Investment Securities on September 18, KB Securities has solidified its position in the foreign currency bond market, managing 29 Korean overseas bond (KP) issuances since establishing its global DCM division in 2021, the highest number among domestic brokerages. This year alone, the firm managed offerings for Korean Gas Corporation ($700 million) and Korean Air ($300 million). KB Securities was also selected as the sole domestic brokerage to manage government foreign exch

According to Digital Assets' interview, the four-member Indian cybersecurity team IBarelyKnowHer advanced to the SCAN 2026 final among the top 20 teams out of 416 participants, with finals scheduled for Sept 28 in Seoul. The team comprises Uttkarsh Singh (blockchain and cryptography expertise, CTF experience), Divy Jakhotiya (OSINT and threat intelligence), Adrija Singh (web security specialist), and Yuthran S (autonomous systems and multi-domain CTF knowledge). All are undergraduate students fr

Eurozone construction output fell 2% year-over-year in July on a working-day adjusted basis, worsening from a decline of 0.7% in the prior month.