South Korea2026-10-04 06:16:53Weekly trading volume on South Korea’s five largest crypto exchanges falls to about $15.1 billionData compiled by Digital Asset showed that total trading volume across South Korea’s five largest cryptocurrency exchanges reached about 20.5 trillion won, or roughly $15.1 billion, in the week from Sept. 25 to Oct. 2. The figure was down 19.56% from the previous week. Upbit remained the largest venue with a 64.04% market share, though that was 3.3 percentage points lower than a week earlier. Bithumb and Coinone both gained share over the same period, rising to 26.66% and 6.58%, respectively. The figures offer a snapshot of weekly activity across the country’s major crypto trading platforms.70
Bitpanda2026-10-02 17:13:42Bitpanda CEO says MiCA is boosting retail trust in regulated crypto firmsBitpanda CEO Eric Demuth said the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, or MiCA, has helped raise consumer confidence in cryptocurrency. According to the brief report cited by Techub News from Crypto Briefing, Demuth said the regulatory framework is supporting growth in the European market and helping cross-border business activity. The comment links a clearer regulatory structure with stronger trust among retail participants dealing with regulated crypto companies. The report did not provide further details beyond Demuth’s remarks.40
South Korea2026-10-02 06:02:09South Korean crypto exchanges posted a 78% drop in operating profit in H1 2026South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit, or KoFIU, said operating profit at the country’s cryptocurrency exchanges fell 78% in the first half of 2026 compared with the previous six months. The same dataset showed a 44% decline in average daily trading volume, a 33% drop in total market capitalization, a 35% fall in Korean won deposits, and a 41% decline in exchange revenue. The survey covered 26 registered virtual asset service providers, including 17 exchange operators and nine custody and wallet service firms, for the period from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2026. The number of accounts eligible to trade edged up 0.4% over the same period. Cointelegraph cited the figures.60
South Korea2026-10-02 02:44:09South Korea survey shows crypto exchange operating profit fell 78% in H1 2026South Korea’s Financial Services Commission released its survey of virtual asset service providers for the first half of 2026, covering 26 firms as of the end of June, including 17 exchanges and 9 wallet and custody operators. The data showed broad declines across the domestic market compared with the second half of 2025. Total virtual asset valuation fell to KRW 58.9 trillion, average daily trading volume dropped to KRW 3.1 trillion, and KRW deposits declined to KRW 5.2 trillion. Exchange operating profit fell 78% to KRW 81.6 billion as trading activity weakened. The report also showed that tradable user accounts still edged up 0.4% to 11.175 million, while the largest age group shifted from people in their 30s to those in their 40s. South Korea counted 673 virtual assets in domestic circulation after removing duplicates, down 5% from the end of 2025. Of the 234 tokens listed on only one exchange, 40% had a valuation below KRW 100 million. The FSC said these assets tend to have limited liquidity and sharp price swings. It also noted that the survey is based on data submitted by operators and is not an officially approved national statistic.60
Gemini2026-09-30 08:27:00Gemini switches its Zcash software ahead of NU7, cutting sync time to about six hoursGemini, the crypto exchange controlled by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, has replaced the software behind its Zcash systems, moving from Zebra to Zakura ahead of Zcash’s planned NU7 upgrade. The exchange said Zakura caught up with the latest block in a little over six hours during its deployments, compared with close to a day for Zebra. The timing matters because Zcash developers are preparing an upgrade that would reduce block intervals from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, forcing network-following machines to process transactions three times as often. Developers are targeting Nov. 5 for the mainnet change, while the upgrade is scheduled to reach testnet on Oct. 6. Gemini has not published results showing how Zakura performs under the faster block cadence. The article also explains why this matters for exchange users. When an exchange’s node falls behind or crashes, deposits may appear on-chain before customer balances are credited, and venues often pause deposits and withdrawals until the system catches up. Separate tests cited by Zakura’s developers showed a sync time of 4 hours and 20 minutes versus nearly 21 hours for Zebra, while a saved copy of recent network data was said to be about 680 times faster than a standard sync.190
Jamaica2026-09-29 10:31:57Jamaica House reviews bill to regulate virtual asset service providersJamaica’s House of Representatives began reviewing the Virtual Assets Service Providers Act on Sept. 22, a bill that would create a licensing and regulatory framework for cryptocurrency exchanges and other virtual asset service providers operating in the country’s market. The proposal would also align those businesses with international standards, including anti-money laundering requirements. Under the bill, any company offering virtual asset services to Jamaican consumers would need a license from the Financial Services Commission, or FSC, regardless of where the company is headquartered. Operating without a license would be treated as a criminal offense. Licensed firms would also be required to carry out customer identity checks, monitor transactions, and file suspicious activity reports. Jamaica’s Finance Minister Fayval Williams said an FSC license would regulate a company’s operations only and should not be seen as official approval or a guarantee of the digital assets being traded. She also said the Jamaican dollar remains the country’s only legal tender. The FSC would be empowered to license, supervise, and shut down non-compliant virtual asset businesses, according to Bitcoin.com News.150
Jamaica2026-09-29 10:32:49Jamaica House begins review of virtual asset service provider billJamaica’s House of Representatives began reviewing the Virtual Assets Service Providers Act on Sept. 22, a bill that would create a licensing and regulatory framework for cryptocurrency exchanges and other virtual asset service providers. The proposal would also bring those firms under international standards tied to anti-money laundering compliance. Under the bill, any company offering virtual asset services to consumers in Jamaica would need a license from the Financial Services Commission, or FSC, regardless of where the company is headquartered. Operating without a license would be treated as a criminal offense. Licensed firms would also be required to carry out customer identity verification, transaction monitoring, and suspicious activity reporting. Jamaica’s Finance Minister Fayval Williams said an FSC license would regulate how a business operates, but would not amount to official recognition or a government guarantee of any digital asset traded by that firm. She also said the Jamaican dollar would remain the country’s only legal tender, while the FSC would be empowered to license, supervise, and shut down virtual asset businesses that violate the rules.160
CZ2026-09-28 08:30:59CZ revisits FTX, prison, pardon and Hyperliquid rivalry in wide-ranging podcast interviewBinance founder Changpeng Zhao, better known as CZ, used a long-form podcast interview released on Sept. 25, 2026 to revisit several of the most disputed episodes of his career: Binance’s early rise, the tweet tied to FTX’s collapse, his four-month prison sentence, the 2025 presidential pardon he received, the Oct. 10, 2025 market crash, and the competitive debate around Hyperliquid and decentralized exchanges. CZ rejected the claim that a single Binance tweet brought down FTX, saying the exchange failed because it misused customer funds and had likely already become insolvent before his post, citing a CoinDesk report published days earlier. He also said Binance had received about $2.1 billion in cash, BUSD and FTT when it exited its FTX equity position. On regulation and enforcement, CZ said he had never met or spoken with Donald Trump and described his pardon process as one handled through lawyers, with a petition filed in April 2025. He also defended Binance’s response to the Oct. 10 selloff, saying the exchange was not the cause of the broader collapse and that Binance paid about $800 million to compensate affected users despite having no obligation to do so. On competition, CZ said crypto remains far from saturated, arguing that penetration is still below 1% when measured against net assets. He said he welcomes Hyperliquid and other DEXs if they help expand the market.220
