Demand for digital assets and stablecoins in Brazil surged through May 2026, with purchases up 155% year over year to $12.138 billion, according to data released by the Central Bank of Brazil. Stablecoin buying reached nearly $2.632 billion in May 2026, a 158% increase from May 2025. The figures point to sustained interest in crypto-related products in Brazil despite a broader bear market backdrop.

Hu Shi, linked to Prince Group’s activities in Japan, was arrested on June 14 on suspicion of falsifying public records. Japanese police have connected him to Prince Group, an organization that ran one of the largest “pig butchering” scam centers in Cambodia. The case centers on allegations that he submitted false paperwork related to an address change.

Polygon Foundation co-founder Sandeep Nailwal said Polygon processed $309 million in stablecoin volume in Latin America in May, claiming it outpaced other chains in the region. He added that non-dollar stablecoin activity has accelerated, pointing to BRLA and COPM ranking in Polygon's top three by monthly high. A Visa-commissioned May report also cited $1.2 billion in non-dollar stablecoin supply and $10 billion in monthly transfers.

China’s holdings of U.S. Treasuries fell to $651.1 billion in April, the lowest level since September 2008, according to official U.S. Treasury Department data. Over the same period, total foreign holdings of U.S. debt rose to $9.35 trillion, the second-highest level on record. Japan increased its holdings to $1.21 trillion and the U.K. to $937.5 billion.

Microsoft warned of malware that spreads via USB flash drives by using Windows shortcut files to infect devices. The so-called “clipper” malware looks for cryptocurrency addresses copied to a user’s clipboard and replaces them with attacker-controlled addresses. The alert came from the Microsoft Defender team, Windows’ built-in security tool.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said it would move to close the Strait of Hormuz, citing what it described as U.S. violations of a memorandum of understanding meant to end the war. Reports, however, said no ground steps had been taken to implement the move. The announcement followed Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that Lebanese authorities said killed over 47 people and wounded 97.

President Javier Milei’s administration issued an executive order granting tax exemptions to registered virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in Argentina from a 1.2% levy on money flows. The change means users will no longer bear that surcharge when depositing or withdrawing fiat funds through VASPs. The move is intended to put regulated crypto exchanges on a more equal footing with traditional financial institutions.

China is preparing a commercial rollout of Mbridge, a blockchain-based platform for cross-border settlement of central bank digital currencies, as part of efforts to expand international use of the yuan and the digital yuan. The system has processed more than 470 billion yuan (nearly $69 billion), and a 2024 test included a 50 million digital dirham ($13.6 million) transfer from the UAE to China. Officials and analysts say the platform could lower fees versus existing rails and potentially reduce liquidity-strain risks as adoption grows.

Sui has drawn increased stablecoin activity after Mysten Labs introduced a protocol change that lets users move stablecoins on-chain without paying gas in SUI. Since June 10, the network has settled nearly $65 billion in stablecoin transactions, and it has recorded over $2.27T in stablecoin volume since early 2024. Mysten Labs' Adeniyi Abiodun said the feature reduces operational overhead for service providers, while Sui tests private transactions on its devnet.