The SEC has approved Nasdaq PHLX to list and trade QBTC, a set of Bitcoin index options tied to the CME CF Bitcoin Real Time Index (BRTI). Nasdaq said the product uses an index value divided by 100 and a one-hour settlement calculation window from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM New York time split into twelve five-minute intervals. The move follows the SEC's earlier decision to raise position limits for BlackRock's IBIT options to as many as 1 million contracts.

Strive disclosed in a May 19 8-K that it bought Bitcoin between May 13 and May 18 at an average price of approximately $79,348 per BTC, including fees and expenses. After the purchase, its Bitcoin reserves rose to 15,391 BTC and the company said it is now operating with no debt. Strive also outlined a SATA dividend change starting June 16, 2026, shifting the current 13% dividend to payments made every business day.

Michael Saylor said on X that Strategy bought another tranche of Bitcoin at an average price of about $80,985, lifting the company's holdings to 843,738 BTC. Bitcoin, after dipping below $76,700 in the Asian session, rebounded to around $77,400–$77,500 following the disclosure. The firm's stack is listed at roughly $63.87 billion in total acquisition cost, with an average cost basis near $75,700 per BTC.

Ethereum slipped under $2,120 as crypto markets saw a wave of forced closures that pushed total liquidations above $631 million. ETH accounted for more than $256 million in liquidations, while Bitcoin liquidations were about $187 million, as bond yields rose and broader macro conditions weighed on risk assets.

Michael Saylor posted a new "orange dot" chart on Sunday, reviving expectations that MicroStrategy may soon disclose another Bitcoin purchase via an SEC 8-K filing. The company is said to hold 818,869 BTC, while Bitcoin is trading around $78,000 and investors are watching for Monday details on the amount bought and the average price.

Bitcoin fell nearly 3% in the past 24 hours to around $78,300, while Ethereum slid about 3% to below $2,200 as the broader crypto market cap dipped to roughly $2.61 trillion. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs logged about $290 million in net outflows on May 15, with major withdrawals concentrated in BlackRock's IBIT and Fidelity's FBTC. XRP-related ETF products recorded net inflows of more than $7 million, helping XRP hold up better than many large-cap tokens.

CME Group says it is preparing to introduce Bitcoin Volatility futures tied to the CME CF Bitcoin Volatility Index (BVX), with the contracts still awaiting final approval from the CFTC. The BVX is described as a 30-day measure of expected BTC volatility derived from CME options data, enabling market participants to trade volatility rather than price direction.

Drift Protocol was exploited for $280 million on April 1, 2026, in an incident initially dismissed by some due to its April Fools' timing. Investigators later attributed the breach to the UNC4736 group, saying the attackers blended long-running social engineering with device compromises that enabled multi-sig approvals.

Tether is seeking funding at a $500 billion valuation, with investor commitments expected within roughly two weeks. The proposed level would place the USDT issuer above Bank of America if completed, but the deal could be delayed if demand is not strong enough. USDT remains the largest stablecoin at about $184 billion in market cap as Tether also works on steps aimed at improving transparency.