Standard Chartered said in a May 18 report it expects tokenized assets on blockchain networks to total USD 4tn by end-2028, which it believes would elevate DeFi protocols into core market infrastructure. The bank expects the total to be split evenly between stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, with more deposits and lending potentially increasing protocol activity and capital efficiency.

Bitcoin briefly dipped toward $76,000 on May 18 before trading near $77,000 around 5:36 p.m., a move that pushed the social sentiment ratio into bearish territory. Santiment said negative BTC commentary exceeded bullish posts for the first time since April 21, with a ratio reading of 0.94 bullish comments per bearish comment. The firm argues that elevated retail fear has historically aligned with improved odds of a short-term rebound.

On May 17, Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor shared an orange-dot "Big Dot Energy" chart highlighting the company's bitcoin buys, listing 818,869 BTC and a reserve value near $64.23 billion. The post drew fresh attention because similar charts have often appeared ahead of Strategy's BTC purchase disclosures. Strategy's dashboard also showed bitcoin at $78,262 and MSTR at $177.42, down 5.11%.

IG said on May 13 that it has broadened its UK crypto offering by adding more than 50 digital assets, taking the total available selection to more than 100. The company also rolled out crypto-to-crypto swaps and upgraded charting tools, and said wallet transfers are planned so clients can move external holdings into their IG accounts.

Canary Capital Group reported that the Canary XRP ETF held 212.6 million XRP worth about $305 million in a May 16 holdings update. In its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, the trust showed XRP holdings rising to 197.2 million from 175.6 million, while the position's value fell to $264.9 million from $323 million as XRP's price weakened.

Grayscale said the CLARITY Act still faces multiple procedural hurdles after the Senate Banking Committee advanced the bill on May 15 by a 15-9 vote. The proposal must be merged with the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act and then reconciled with the House-passed version from last July. If Republicans stay united in the full Senate, passage would likely require at least seven Democratic votes.

On May 15, Strategy Inc. (Nasdaq: MSTR) said it reached privately negotiated deals to repurchase about $1.5 billion of its 0% Convertible Senior Notes due 2029. The company estimated the cash repurchase price at about $1.38 billion, with the final amount partly linked to its Class A stock price during a set measurement period. Strategy listed cash, at-the-market securities sales, and potential bitcoin sales as possible funding sources, with settlement expected on or about May 19.

XRP Ledger usage accelerated as XRP moved above $1.54 and tested $1.55, with on-chain metrics showing a notable jump in participation. The network recorded 48,453 active wallets and 3,317 new wallets, while large holders later reached a record share of supply as XRP traded around $1.43 at the time of writing.

Jerome Powell will continue leading the Federal Reserve as chair pro tempore after his chair term ended Friday and Kevin Warsh has not yet taken the oath of office. Warsh was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 13 by a 54-45 vote, and the Fed said on May 15 the leadership change is not finalized until the swearing-in occurs.