Tether International has purchased Softbank’s equity stake in Twenty One Capital (NYSE: XXI), a bitcoin treasury firm that holds about 43,514 BTC. The transaction was announced on May 20, 2026, and Softbank’s board representatives exited in line with the shareholder agreement; no financial terms were disclosed.

Bitcoin dipped below $77,000 on Wednesday after it could not break above the 200-day moving average near $82,000, then steadied around the $77k area. The move followed U.S. CPI accelerating to 3.8% year-over-year and rising Treasury yields, which pressured broader risk sentiment. Technically, BTC was near $77,200, with key levels including resistance around $78,962 and support at $76,743 and $74,487.

The U.S.-Iran war is nearing the three-month mark with no deal in place, while President Donald Trump has warned a new U.S. attack on Iran could occur in the coming days. Iran has also launched a Bitcoin-backed shipping insurance product, as oil stays above $100 per barrel and Bitcoin trades around $77,000.

Bitcoin traded slightly higher on May 20 at 8 a.m. ET, holding around $77,440 as the market weighed mixed momentum signals and nearby resistance. BTC was up about 0.4% over 24 hours with roughly $26.69 billion in volume, while traders focused on whether price can clear the $77,500–$78,000 zone or slip back toward support near $76,500.

On May 19, 2026, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed Senate Bill S.163 into law, banning state participation in any CBDC use or pilots while requiring tax-neutral treatment for digital-asset transactions. The measure passed the House 110-1 and includes protections for proof-of-work miners, self-custody, and limits on discriminatory local rules. Bitcoin traded around $77,000 as the article framed $75,000 as a key support and $80,000 as a potential recovery level.

Bitcoin has slid about 5% over the past week after strength in late April and early May, putting focus on whether a key support level can hold. Analysts cite MVRV-based signals that could point to a move toward nearly $95,000 if BTC stays above $72,960, or a pullback to just under $55,000 if it breaks lower.

Ali Martinez said on May 20 that Bitcoin could move toward $94,849 if it stays above the $72,962 support area. He based the levels on Glassnode's MVRV Ratio, with $94,849 matching the long-run average and $72,962 sitting about 0.5 standard deviations below the mean. Martinez also warned that losing $72,962 could open the way toward the realized price near $54,270.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis said the United States needs to move quickly on crypto legislation, arguing it could lose digital-asset leadership to China and Europe without action. She pointed to China's digital yuan expansion and the EU's MiCA regime, while noting the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act are moving through the Senate with a 2026 vote target.