The perpetual DEX segment continues to strengthen. Over the past three months, open interest across crypto perpetual DEXs has climbed about +27%, rising from roughly $12 billion to around $15.3 billion at the time of writing. DefiLlama data show @HyperliquidX and @Aster_DEX remain the clear leaders, with combined open interest of about $10.7 billion—more than two-thirds of the entire sector. Do you see further upside in $HYPE and $ASTER?

An unidentified wallet transferred 20,000 WETH, valued at $42,749,158, to Aave, according to on-chain data.

A large Ethereum holder transferred 25,655 ETH to Bybit on May 18, according to Whale Alert. The tokens were valued at about $54.3 million at the time of the transaction. Significant inflows to centralized exchanges are commonly viewed as a potential precursor to selling pressure. ETH has struggled to gain traction since the widely watched October 2025 crash, even as network fundamentals and on-chain activity have continued to set new records.

CoinDesk reports that institutional appetite for XRP exchange-traded funds is accelerating as major financial players crowd into the trade. Analyst Diana said the race for regulated XRP exposure is shaping up as one of 2026’s fiercest institutional contests, reflecting XRP’s shift from a niche speculative token to a significant magnet for capital. Wealth managers, hedge funds, liquidity providers and consultants are increasingly pursuing XRP exposure via ETF wrappers. Recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings show rising allocations across multiple XRP ETF products. One disclosure drawing attention is from Larson Financial Group, which has previously reported holdings in several XRP-linked funds. The firm reported about 74,077 shares of the Franklin XRP ETF (XRPZ) valued at roughly $1.1 million, along with 37,275 shares worth nearly $7.42 million. Filings also indicate smaller positions in the Canary XRP ETF (XRPC), the Volatility Shares XRP ETF and the REXOsprey XRP ETF, pointing to a multi-issuer approach. Market observers say the importance extends beyond the raw figures. Traditional advisory firms once leaned heavily toward Bitcoin products, but filings suggest a clearer pivot toward XRP-focused ETFs, signaling that institutions are starting to treat XRP as part of a broader digital-asset allocation rather than a purely speculative bet. Flow Traders, a global liquidity provider and market maker, also disclosed exposure to several XRP ETF products, including leveraged and diversified offerings such as a 2x XRP ETF, the ProShares Ultra XRP ETF and the REXOsprey XRP ETF. For firms of that scale, building positions across multiple instruments is seen as a vote of confidence in market depth and demand for XRP ETFs. The institutional pipeline continues to expand. Helix Capital reported positions in the Franklin XRP Trust Fund, and Inscription Capital LLC appeared in SEC filings as a holder of shares in the Franklin Templeton XRP ETF. Capital inflows have also picked up. Reports put new investments at $60.5 million, with weekly inflows reaching the highest level since 2026. The surge lifted total net assets across XRP ETF products to about $1.18 billion. Momentum strengthened further in April, when monthly inflows of $81.59 million exceeded expectations and bolstered XRP’s standing among institutional digital-asset products. Citadel Advisors also disclosed more than $1.7 million in exposure through multiple XRP ETFs, adding another major name to the roster of participants. Taken together, the filings point to a market rotation in which institutions are no longer waiting on the sidelines, and XRP ETFs are emerging as one of the most contested battlegrounds in digital finance.

Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) rose to nearly $31.4B in May 2026, marking roughly a fivefold increase from the start of 2025.

Ostium, an onchain perpetuals trading platform, said it has partnered with Nasdaq to use Nasdaq's U.S. equity market data to support its stock perpetual contracts. The company said the integration makes Ostium the first onchain venue to offer stock perpetuals backed by Nasdaq data. The platform said users can gain exposure to U.S. equities via onchain infrastructure while maintaining transparency, instant settlement and self-custody. Ostium focuses on leveraged onchain trading of traditional assets including stocks, indices, commodities, ETFs and foreign exchange. As of now, Ostium said cumulative trading volume has topped $50 billion, with more than 26,000 users. (Source: ChainCatcher)

Tether has invested in cross-border financial platform LemFi, a move aimed at deepening USDT's use in everyday payment flows, CoinDesk reported. The companies said the funding will support LemFi's integration of USDT-based settlement across multiple remittance corridors, facilitating transfers between Africa, Asia, and markets including the UK, US, Canada, and Europe. LemFi focuses on users sending money across borders, particularly between developed economies and emerging markets in Africa and Asia. Under the partnership, USDT would be used as a settlement rail in relevant payment channels to shorten transfer times and reduce costs. Tether said it wants to replace traditional cross-border processes that can take several days through SWIFT with near-real-time stablecoin settlement. The firms added that USDT's use is expected to expand over time to a wider range of LemFi products. The investment comes as stablecoins gain traction in real-world payment scenarios. With U.S. regulatory debates around stablecoins ongoing, major issuers are increasingly pushing beyond trading and DeFi into payments, remittances, and settlement services. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the deal fits the company's long-term strategy of using blockchain infrastructure to improve cross-border fund flows. LemFi CEO and co-founder Ridwan Olalere said the investment validates the company's long-term direction. Africa and Asia have become key battlegrounds for stablecoin payments, driven by strong remittance demand, high friction in legacy payment systems, and limited access to banking services in parts of the regions. For Tether, the partnership is positioned as a step toward extending USDT beyond crypto trading and into cross-border payment infrastructure, as payment and settlement capabilities emerge as a new competitive front for the stablecoin sector.

CoinMarketCap reports that newly released Form 13F disclosures for Q1 2026 highlight sharply different approaches among traditional financial institutions toward Solana-related assets. Some large managers expanded positions in Solana-linked ETFs and public companies tied to the ecosystem, while Goldman Sachs eliminated its holdings in Solana- and XRP-linked ETFs. Form 13F is a quarterly filing required of U.S. institutional investment managers that details equity holdings. The latest filings suggest institutional participation in Solana is uneven and spans both ETF exposure and shares of publicly traded companies focused on the Solana ecosystem. Citadel Advisors lifted its Solana exposure substantially in Q1, posting a 760% increase versus the prior quarter, according to the documents cited in the report. Morgan Stanley also added to its position in the Bitwise Solana ETF ($BSOL), with holdings rising from roughly $15.3 million to about $29.9 million. BlackRock and Vanguard's newer exposure is centered on treasury-focused companies associated with Solana. Filings show BlackRock held positions in Solana treasury companies including Forward Industries and Defi Development Corp., with combined exposure of around $11 million. Disclosed position sizes for Pioneer were larger, totaling about $40 million. The report says these allocations point to some institutions seeking Solana ecosystem exposure through listed equities rather than ETFs or direct token holdings. The documents also note both firms hold shares of Bonk Inc., a public company focused on accumulation strategies tied to the Solana-based memecoin BONK. Goldman Sachs, by contrast, fully exited its positions in Solana- and XRP-related ETFs during the quarter. Products previously held included the Grayscale Solana Trust ETF, Bitwise Solana Staking ETF, and Fidelity Solana Fund, none of which appeared in its latest filing. The report adds that Goldman Sachs has not necessarily abandoned Solana-related exposure altogether, as the bank still holds stakes in certain Solana treasury companies. Overall, the Q1 2026 13F filings indicate traditional institutions are still adding Solana-linked allocations, but are increasingly diverging in how they express that view—some leaning into ETFs, others opting for ecosystem exposure through publicly traded companies.

Harvard University's latest endowment filing shows the institution sold out of its Ethereum-linked holdings last quarter, unloading a position worth about $87 million. The disclosure also shows continued selling in its spot Bitcoin ETF stake, marking a third straight quarter of reduced crypto exposure. Harvard currently reports roughly $117 million in shares of BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF, iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT). The endowment cut the position by about 2.3 million shares from the prior quarter. The university's disclosed crypto allocation peaked in Q3 2025, when it reported about $442 million in Bitcoin ETF holdings, making the position one of its largest publicly reported equity stakes. Since then, declining Bitcoin prices and active trimming have pushed the reported value lower. Quiver Quantitative data still places Harvard among the top 25 IBIT holders, and it remains one of the few U.S. university endowments with a sizable, publicly disclosed crypto ETF position. On Ethereum, Harvard fully liquidated a stake it built in Q4 2025 through BlackRock's spot Ethereum ETF, where it had been among the largest new buyers during that period. CoinDesk noted Ethereum is down about 29% year to date, versus roughly 12% for Bitcoin. Over the past five years, Bitcoin has also outperformed Ethereum by a wide margin, a gap that may be influencing institutional rebalancing between the two assets. Even with pockets of weakness in parts of the Bitcoin market in 2026, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas told Fortune that inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs have shown relative resilience, reflecting investors willing to take a longer-term view. For large endowments such as Harvard's, short-term mark-to-market losses may be easier to absorb when other parts of the portfolio are performing well. Overall, the latest filing suggests a measured pullback rather than a rapid exit: the Ethereum position is gone, while the Bitcoin ETF holding remains substantial.