Geopolitics

According to reports, Japan's Finance Ministry announced on September 30 that it will hold the first meeting of a research group focused on on-chain government bond settlement on October 8. The study group will gather expert opinions to explore blockchain-based settlement infrastructure, with the

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan analyzed why crypto markets rallied after the U.S. Senate rejected advancing the Clarity Act on Sept. 15, with 49 senators voting in favor versus 50 against. In a memo posted on Wednesday, Hougan argued that while crypto did not gain federal legal

According to CoinDesk's analysis of federal lobbying disclosures, the cryptocurrency industry spent approximately $8 million on lobbying efforts connected to the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act during the first half of 2026. On September 15, the Senate voted 49-50 against invoking cloture on the

According to ChainCatcher, the crypto industry spent over $13 million on lobbying in the first half of 2026, with approximately $8 million specifically directed toward efforts to advance the Clear Act. Despite the substantial investment, the bill has yet to pass the

According to @WuBlockchain, North Korean-linked hackers have transferred approximately 2,700 ZEC (valued at around $3.8 million) into Zcash's Ironwood shielded pool on September 24, 2026. The ZEC originated from a prior exploit of Bitget that resulted in the theft of approximately 18,900 ZEC worth a

According to on-chain investigator ZachXBT, suspected North Korean attackers are transferring stolen Bitget funds through Zcash to obscure transaction details. Approximately 2,700 ZEC worth $3.8 million has been moved to Zcash's Ironwood privacy pool, where transaction information can be

According to a report released by Senator Richard Blumenthal on September 29, 84% of 846 cryptocurrency wallets sanctioned for Iran ties transacted exclusively or nearly exclusively in Tether's USDT stablecoin. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations analyzed blockchain records for walle

According to officials at Korea Blockchain Week 2026 on September 30, U.S. financial authorities outlined a tokenization roadmap for traditional securities markets. Caroline Pham, former CFTC acting chair, stated that collateral tokenization will occur within 1-2 years, the entire U.S. Treasury mark

Democratic Party lawmaker Min Byung-deok proposed institutionalizing Korean won-based stablecoins during a speech at Korea Blockchain Week 2026 (KBW2026) on the 30th at Walker Hill Hotel & Resort in Seoul's Gwangjin District. Min stated that Korea must establish won-based digital asset systems and tokenization infrastructure in response to dollar-based stablecoins expanding as global payment infrastructure and accelerating real-world asset (RWA) tokenization competition in the US and Europe. He

According to South Korea's financial sector on September 30, fragmentary investment products face capital gains taxation rates of 15.4% (including local income tax) at source, rising to as high as 49.5% when combined with other income for comprehensive taxation—creating an unfair disparity with

On Sept 30 at Korea Blockchain Week 2026 (KBW2026) in Seoul, Democratic Party lawmaker Min Byeong-deok announced plans to institutionalize won-based stablecoins amid rising global competition in digital asset infrastructure. Min stated that the rise of dollar-backed stablecoins and AI-driven cross-b

According to Elliptic, North Korea-linked hackers have stolen approximately $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency this year across 50+ security incidents. Blockchain analysis shows funds stolen in the recent Bitget breach overlap with addresses linked to last year's $1.5 billion Bybit exchange hack. On-cha

Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the White House Presidential Digital Assets Advisory Council, spoke at the Upbit Institutional Summit (UIS 2026) in Seoul on May 29, warning that countries rejecting new technology will fall behind in global competition and emphasizing that the convergence of

According to Patrick Witt, secretary general of the White House Presidential Digital Assets Advisory Council, speaking at the Upbit Institutional Summit in Seoul on September 29, countries that resist digital asset innovation will lose competitive advantage globally. Witt emphasized that

Australia's Australian Cyber Security Centre and cybersecurity agencies from Japan, the United States, and Germany issued a joint advisory on 18 September warning that North Korean hacking group WaterPlum stole US$10.71 million in cryptocurrency through fake job recruitment scams. The agencies

According to Financial News, Democratic Party lawmaker Min Byung-duk called today for expedited institutionalization of Korean won-based stablecoins and digital asset legislation to counter the rapid spread of dollar-denominated stablecoins. Speaking at Korea Blockchain Week 2026 in Seoul on

According to Financial News, on September 30, Yoon Sung-gwan, head of the digital currency division at the Bank of Korea, highlighted that the core value of tokenization lies in improving market accessibility during a panel discussion at Korea Blockchain Week 2026 (KBW2026) in Seoul. Yoon stated th

Bitcoin (BTC) remains range-bound, trading at around $83,540 as of September 30. The U.S. House of Representatives has expanded its investigation into insider trading in prediction markets, requesting information on know-your-customer (KYC) procedures and internal monitoring. U.S. Senator Tim Scott criticized the Democrats for putting political calculations above the public interest, condemning the party for “killing” the CLARITY Act. Macro Events & Crypto Highlights According to CNBC, James Com

Dunamu, the operator of Upbit, announced on the 30th that the Upbit Institutional Summit (UIS) concluded successfully on the 20th at Grand Walkerhill Seoul in Gwangjin-gu. The summit brought together Patrick Witt, Executive Director of the US White House Presidential Digital Assets Advisory

According to Dunamu, the company concluded its Upbit Institutional Summit (UIS) on September 29-30 at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul, bringing together Patrick Witt, head of the White House Presidential Digital Asset Advisory Committee, Jonathan Hurowitz, Special Advisor to the U.S. Treasury