Gate Crypto Flash News and Market Updates

According to MediaPen, South Korea's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate this week for the first time in 3.5 years, triggering alarm among retail investors who have taken on record leverage. Securities account lending reached approximately 62 trillion won, marking an all-time high, while credit lending rates are now approaching 9% annually. The rate increase is expected to drive further funding cost increases, raising the risk of forced liquidation cascades if stock prices decline.

According to Mirae Asset Securities' analysis of its defined contribution and individual retirement plan accounts released this year, ETF investments across all age groups have surged to around 50% in 2026, up from 30-40% in 2024. The 40-year-old cohort led adoption at 60.4%, followed by those in their 50s (58.2%), 30s (57.7%), and 60s (50.4%), with younger and older investors also climbing to near 50%. The composition of holdings has shifted markedly from bond-focused to equity-focused products

According to Korea Exchange data, the National Pension Fund conducted net purchases of 107 billion won in the stock market this week (July 13-16), marking a second consecutive week of buying following 88 billion won in net purchases last week. The shift reflects eased rebalancing pressures as the KOSPI index declined below the 7,000 level, with the fund returning to accumulation after selling over 5 trillion won during May and June. Largest purchases centered on semiconductor stocks, with SK Hyn

According to BlockBeats, on July 18, a federal grand jury indicted 43-year-old Benjamin Paul Wiener of Sioux Falls, South Dakota on 29 counts including wire fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft, involving approximately $20 million. Prosecutors allege Wiener controlled eight entities, solicited investments through false statements, and operated a Ponzi scheme by transferring funds through banks and crypto exchanges before using proceeds for personal expenses and recr

According to Ukrainian drone commanders, Ukrainian forces struck 12 Russian ships in the Black Sea over the past 24 hours as of July 18. Ukraine also destroyed a Russian Tupolev Tu-95 military aircraft at the Engel airbase. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces hit 24 Ukrainian military vessels over the past week, while Ukrainian ports faced 23 Russian attacks in the first two weeks of July, according to Ukraine's Port Authority. A Naftogaz-operated gas production facility in K

According to Sotheby's, Jensen Huang's signature black Tom Ford leather jacket sold for $960,000 at a charity auction on July 17, far exceeding the pre-sale estimate of $40,000–$60,000. The sale attracted 45 collectors and spanned 65 rounds of bidding. Sotheby's head of modern collectibles Brahm Wachter stated the auction results "significantly exceeded expectations," reflecting growing demand for artifacts representing the AI era. The jacket was authenticated by Professional Sports Authenticato

According to authorities, a major wildfire in northeastern Spain's Aragon region has burned over 12,000 hectares as of July 17, with fire risk likely to spread further. The fire broke out in a remote area near Zaragoza two days prior.
More than 450 firefighters, supported by military personnel, are

According to reports, the SEC's cryptocurrency rulemaking framework has entered White House review, moving the regulatory process closer to a public phase. The proposal is expected to include provisions on DeFi safe harbors, a key area where regulators seek to balance developer protections with oversight of platforms that may exercise effective control over trading or lending functions.

According to GMGN market data, Base Meme coin BRIAN fell over 80% in a short period after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong changed his X platform avatar today, with the token's market cap now at $1.2 million.

Researchers, led by Slowmist founder Yu Xin, discovered that Claude Code contains a potential poisoning vulnerability, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary commands through malicious configuration files without user knowledge. In a proof-of-concept test on macOS, researchers triggered a local calculator launch following command execution, confirming the risk. If exploited, attackers could steal API keys from Claude and OpenAI, compromise cloud service credentials from AWS, Alibaba Cloud, or T

According to China's UN envoy Teng Fei, on July 17 during a Russian-hosted UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, China condemned attacks on civilians and urged all parties to exercise restraint, comply with international humanitarian law, and take measures to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure. The statement called for full efforts to lower tensions and create conditions for early ceasefire and end to hostilities.

According to Odaily, Kimi's official account recently shared results from a comparative 3D modeling test between Kimi K3 and Anthropic's Claude Fable 5. The test compared both models in pixel and raw style rendering. In raw style modeling, Kimi K3 cost $19.3 (1 hour 17 minutes) versus Fable 5's $47.2 (1 hour 5 minutes), delivering cost savings of more than 60% while achieving similar detail handling performance. In pixel style, Kimi K3 cost $14.5 (1 hour 11 minutes) versus Fable 5's $21 (49 minu

According to Serenity reported by Odaily, the analyst criticized paid technical analysis subscription services, arguing that if such firms could genuinely predict semiconductor sector crashes, they should profit from short-selling rather than rely on subscription fees. Serenity noted that using 1.4x leverage concentrated in memory chips and photonic sectors, a 35% average decline in related assets would result in approximately 49% portfolio drawdown. Despite recent sharp selloffs, the analyst ma

According to Beating, the new generation of Doubao Phone has shifted its cross-app operation method from GUI simulation to an MCP (Model Context Protocol) based approach. Unlike its predecessor, which simulated clicks and directly controlled apps like WeChat and Taobao, the latest version requires applications to actively provide MCP services and open API permissions for integration. The Doubao team is currently in negotiations with major apps to secure these API access agreements.

According to the House Financial Services Committee, a House panel held a New York field hearing on the CLARITY Act and crypto market structure, but prediction-market odds on the bill's passage have weakened, signaling reduced confidence among traders. The core challenge remains translating broad political interest in crypto regulation into a workable legislative framework. The crypto market currently operates under a fragmented system where the SEC, CFTC, and courts shape policy through enforce

According to Jin10 Data, the First World AI Conference-Academic (WAICA) formally launched on July 18 morning. The platform, built on eight years of foundation from the World AI Conference (WAIC), serves as an open academic platform initiated by China and oriented toward global audiences, providing AI scholars worldwide with an innovation stage centered on academic substance.

The U.S. military concluded operations against Iran after conducting strikes for seven consecutive nights, according to statements from the Department of Defense.

According to CCTV News, Bahrain's air defense sirens sounded twice in early morning on July 18 (local time).