Gate Crypto Flash News and Market Updates

South Korea's KOSPI index recovered above the 7,000-point level in 8 trading days, marking a return to the key psychological barrier after recent weakness.

According to Yonhapnews, Hana Bank issued a $100 million, 5-year digital bond using Euroclear's blockchain-based D-FMI platform on September 21. The issuance marks South Korea's first digital bond directly utilizing Euroclear's own blockchain infrastructure. By processing bond allocation and payment settlement on distributed ledger technology (DLT), the bank shortened settlement time from the traditional 3–5 business days to same-day settlement. The digital bond is interoperable with Euroclear's

According to Yonhapnews, Hana Bank issued a $100 million, five-year digital bond on Euroclear's D-FMI blockchain platform on September 21. This marks South Korea's first digital bond issuance utilizing Euroclear's proprietary blockchain infrastructure. The digital bond processed allocation and settlement through distributed ledger technology, reducing settlement time from the standard 3-5 business days to same-day settlement. Investors can trade the digital bonds using existing accounts and trad

According to ChainCatcher, Zhipu AI announced it will open-source its AI coding tool ZCode and initiate a comprehensive security audit with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT). The audit will focus on data retention practices, addressing concerns raised after ZCode was found uploading user programming data without explicit consent. Zhipu confirmed ZCode v3.14.0 has completed security remediation: the RepoWiki feature has been removed and the local repository sn

According to BlockBeats, Backpack (BP) token briefly surged to $0.9 on September 21, marking an all-time high, before retreating to $0.8293. The asset surged 29.2% in 24 hours and 68.7% over the past seven days, with its market cap reaching $207.3 million.

According to Galaxy Research, Bitcoin's weekly close broke above its 50-week moving average for the first time in 45 weeks on September 21. The cryptocurrency gained 29% over the past 35 days.

According to ChainCatcher, Ethereum breaks above $2,650 today, trading at $2,652.84 according to Gate data, up 0.88% in the last 24 hours.

According to financial investment industry sources, Seoul Exchange is seeking equity participation from multiple securities firms on Sept 21 to lower its largest shareholder's stake below 30% as part of efforts to obtain over-the-counter brokerage license approval. The platform, which operates the Seoul Brokerage non-listed stock trading venue, has requested that securities firms participate in bringing the largest shareholder's ownership below the 30% threshold. Current largest shareholder Yang

According to BlockBeats, ZetaChain community passed Proposal 68 on September 21, voting to shut down its Layer 1 blockchain and migrate ZETA to Solana with 99.4% support. The proposal achieved 58% voting participation, exceeding the 40% quorum requirement, with opposition and abstention each accounting for 0.3%. ZETA will convert to Solana's native SPL token at a 1:1 ratio, retaining its original ticker and total supply. The existing vesting schedule remains unchanged, excluding ZETA on Ethereum

South Korea's exports in the first 20 days of September rose 78.3% year-over-year, compared with 56% in the prior period, according to official trade data. The acceleration signals strengthening demand for Korean goods.

South Korea's imports in September rose 26.7% year-over-year, accelerating from 19% in the prior period, according to trade data.

According to Yonhapinfomax, on September 21, AIA Life Insurance decided to skip its interim dividend payment in 2026 following a decline in its solvency margin ratio (K-ICS). The K-ICS ratio fell to 176.4% in the first half of 2026 from 204.6% at the end of 2025, though it remained above the financial regulator's recommended threshold of 130%. Despite the dividend suspension, AIA Life reported strong earnings, with net profit reaching 136 billion Korean won in the second quarter, up 79.7% year-o

According to CNBC, on September 20, AI infrastructure cloud service provider Nscale submitted an S-1 registration statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a New York Stock Exchange listing, with stock ticker NSCL. The company reported H1 2026 revenue of $140.6 million, surging 1,252% year-over-year, though it posted a net loss of $1.02 billion. Nscale holds 461,000 contracted GPUs, including 25,000 active Nvidia units, and maintains partnerships with OpenAI, Anthropic, and Mi

According to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the Elliott Management dispute with the South Korean government remains pending, with a remand hearing held in Washington, D.C. in late July. The UK Court of Appeal determined that the National Pension Service does not qualify as a state entity under the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, but remanded the case to assess whether government intervention by the Blue House and Ministry of Health and Welfare caused Elliott's losses. Elliott origina

According to Kim Dae-jun, analyst at Korea Investment & Securities, on September 21, maintaining stock positions ahead of the Chuseok holiday (Sept. 24-25) may be advantageous as domestic market risks remain contained. The VKOSPI volatility index has fallen significantly to 44% from this year's peak of 95%, while the country risk premium (CDS) continues to stabilize downward. Kim noted that sector rotation may be limited given reduced trading volume during the holiday period, suggesting investor

According to GrowthResearch, a Seoul-based independent research firm, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix accounted for 78.3% of KOSPI index gains in the first half of 2026. The concentration is easing as memory chip price growth slowed in the second half, with the market shifting from price-driven to volume-driven growth. Meanwhile, mid-cap and small-cap stocks showed improving performance, with KOSDAQ companies' operating profit surging 62.2% year-over-year in H1 2026.

According to Hana Securities, SK Gas is expected to show stronger earnings in the second half of 2026, with weaker performance in the first half, analyst Yu Jae-seon said on September 21. The firm maintained its buy rating and 365,000 KRW target price. The forecast reflects anticipated improvements in propane dehydrogenation operations and higher electricity wholesale prices in the second half.

According to Meritz Securities on September 21, the South Korean firm upgraded NHN's target stock price from 64,000 won to 80,000 won, citing strong projected growth in the third and fourth quarters. The brokerage forecasts NHN's Q3 consolidated revenue at 766.8 billion won with operating profit of 53.6 billion won, representing year-over-year growth of 22.6% and 93.8% respectively. The upgrade reflects accelerating cloud business expansion expected to intensify from Q4 onward, driven by governm

Korea Investment Securities maintained a 'Buy' rating and 390,000 KRW target price for NC on September 21, ahead of the company's Aion 2 global launch in the second half of 2026. Analyst Jung Ho-yoon said the launch represents a 'turning point' for the company, with subsequent MMORPG titles including Horizon Steel Frontiers and Guild Wars 3 in the pipeline. PC MMORPGs remain an undersupplied genre with steady demand, and Aion 2 has already proven its quality in domestic and Taiwan markets.

According to Hana Securities on September 21, SK Innovation is expected to achieve record annual operating profit of 11.8 trillion won in 2026, driven by its subsidiary SK E&S's LNG trading advantage and power business. The brokerage maintained its buy rating with a 200,000 won price target. Hana Securities forecasts SK Innovation's Q3 operating profit at 3.1 trillion won, 65% above market consensus of 1.9 trillion won. SK E&S, which operates LNG supply chains bypassing the Strait of Hormuz via