On May 23, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved spectrum transactions worth more than $40 billion involving EchoStar, AT&T and SpaceX. The agreements shift 30 MHz of nationwide 3.45 GHz and about 20 MHz of 600 MHz to AT&T, while SpaceX gains access to AWS-3, AWS-4 and H-Block assets to support direct-to-device and hybrid satellite services.

An FDIC staff report released last week reviewed deposit movements at SVB, Signature Bank, and First Republic during the 2023 failures. It said depositors connected to the digital asset sector and users of active escrow accounts were more prone to pull funds, with Signature's active escrow balances falling 88% between March 7 and March 17, 2023. The report also highlighted heavy wire-transfer outflows and high uninsured exposure among these deposits.

On May 23, Bitcoin hovered in the mid-$70,000s and remained capped below major moving averages, with the 200-day average in the low $80,000s still acting as the key barrier. Hyperliquid (HYPE) pushed into price discovery in the low $60s after clearing resistance in the high $40s, while Zcash (ZEC) surged toward $700 but showed signs of unstable, momentum-driven swings. Dogecoin (DOGE) stayed boxed between roughly $0.10 support and $0.11–$0.12 resistance, and Ethereum (ETH) continued to look weaker than BTC while trading below a declining 200-day average around the mid-$2,500s.

Kevin Warsh was sworn in on Friday as chair of the US Federal Reserve, as President Donald Trump said Warsh would remain independent on interest-rate policy. Traders are still pricing in no rate cuts through 2026, while CME FedWatch probabilities point to possible hikes at upcoming FOMC meetings, including June 17. The current Federal Funds Target rate is between 350 and 375 BPS.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed a plan that could have opened the door to trading tokenized versions of U.S. stocks. A Bloomberg report dated 22 May said internal concerns and industry pushback slowed the proposal, as the SEC continues weighing how crypto-based equity products fit within existing securities laws. Recent SEC guidance and remarks from Commissioner Hester Peirce indicate the sharper focus may be on synthetic stock-exposure products rather than tokenized equities tied directly to underlying shares.

On Thursday, spot bitcoin ETFs posted net outflows of $100.82 million, while ether ETFs recorded a $32.58 million decline for a ninth straight session. In contrast, XRP ETFs brought in $8.88 million led by Canary's XRPC, and Solana ETFs added $3.86 million via Fidelity's FSOL. Trading value totaled $1.58 billion for bitcoin ETFs and $416.16 million for ether ETFs, with net assets ending at $101.06 billion and $12.21 billion, respectively.

The current crypto upswing appears to be a narrative-led rotation rather than a broad bull market, with Bitcoin failing to hold above $80,000 and sliding to $77,000. Since May 19, $62.8 billion in inflows has favored a small set of altcoins while the wider market stayed range-bound. At press time, the Altcoin Season Index was 38, far below the level typically associated with an altcoin season.

IBM shares rose more than 14% since Thursday after the US Commerce Department outlined a $2 billion CHIPS and Science Act push to back US quantum computing manufacturers. The rally added about $26 billion to IBM’s market value, taking it to $237.8 billion, while the stock gained a further 2% on Friday. Under the plan, IBM is set to receive a $1 billion federal grant that it will match with $1 billion of its own capital to build a quantum chip foundry in Albany, New York.