On May 26, Binance said it will work with Blockshoals Technologies Inc. under the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission's Strategic Sandbox (StratBox) to test supervised digital-asset services. Blockshoals will act as the SEC-approved local intermediary, while Binance provides technology, security, operations, and compliance systems. The sandbox testing is expected to start in the second half of 2026 and run for at least two years.

Elon Musk has discussed internally a potential merger between SpaceX and Tesla (TSLA), as SpaceX prepares for a Nasdaq listing in a little over two weeks after reaching a $1.25 trillion private valuation. Tesla is valued at about $1.6 trillion, and the companies already share board links, personnel, and procurement ties that include battery and vehicle purchases tied to AI data-center buildouts.

Several publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies rose on Tuesday as a semiconductor-led equity rally revived optimism that miners' power-intensive data centers can be redeployed for AI and high-performance computing. TeraWulf (WULF) gained as much as 17% after news tied to a Kentucky data center acquisition site, while Hut 8 (HUT), IREN (IREN) and Riot Platforms (RIOT) ended the session up more than 5%.

On Tuesday, the S&P 500 notched a new intraday high at 7,539.8, with the index trading up 0.5% and remaining on track for a nine-week winning streak for the first time since 2023. The Nasdaq Composite also reached an intraday record as chip-linked names surged, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 216 points, or 0.4%. Markets also weighed U.S.-Iran headlines after comments from President Donald Trump on Monday and U.S. strikes described as "self-defense" early Tuesday.

TD Cowen said the political backdrop for the crypto market-structure bill known as the Clarity Act has deteriorated, reducing the odds it becomes law this year. The bank's Washington Research Group cited a run of controversies tied to President Donald Trump that could push Democrats to demand conflict-of-interest provisions before offering support.

Wall Street banks are privately urging the Federal Reserve to give its lighter supervision approach stronger legal support so it can withstand future political shifts, including a possible Democratic administration. The push comes as the Fed reduces reliance on Matters Requiring Attention (MRAs), scales back bank exams, and considers changes to its confidential ratings process. Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman has also said she plans to cut supervision and regulation staff by about 30%.

The UK government sanctioned crypto exchange HTX on 26 May under its Russia sanctions framework, alleging it provided financial services connected to entities linked to the Russian economy. The measures include an asset freeze, director disqualification, trust services and correspondent banking restrictions, plus internet services sanctions aimed at limiting UK users' access to HTX-related services and apps. HTX had not issued a public response at the time of writing.

Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau said Tuesday in Singapore that the European Central Bank will "do what is necessary" to bring inflation back to its 2% target in the medium term. He pointed to euro zone inflation rising to 3% in April from 2.6% in March after having slipped to 1.9% before the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran, amid concerns over energy-driven price pressures.