Reports of progress toward a US-Iran 60-day ceasefire extension and a potential reopening of the Strait of Hormuz helped lift Bitcoin above $77,000 on improved risk sentiment. CoinGecko data captured around 11:30 UTC on May 24, 2026 showed BTC at $77,101, up 3.2% over 24 hours, after a sharp move that began near 20:00 UTC. Later reporting indicated Iran has not agreed to ship out its highly enriched uranium stockpile, leaving key uncertainty around the durability of the rally.

Nasdaq has introduced regulated, exchange-listed Bitcoin index options, a product the article argues could make it easier for institutions to hedge spot-linked exposure and potentially scale allocations. CoinGecko data cited in the piece shows Bitcoin opened the week near $78,000, slid to $74,000 on May 22–23, then rebounded on May 24 to around $76,843, with the week ending at $76,856.

On May 24, 2026, Cathie Wood said she believes Bitcoin's recent drawdown reflects a bottoming process, citing institutional resilience and a large deleveraging washout. She attributed the Jan. 10 flash-crash sequence to tariff-driven selling pressure followed by a Binance software glitch that triggered auto-deleveraging, and estimated $28–30 billion in forced liquidations cleared. Wood also argued the four-year cycle may be getting less extreme as institutions learn, while pointing to M2 growth of 4.9% and potential velocity stabilization as a key variable.

Bitcoin (BTC) fell to $74,190 on Saturday, marking its lowest level in over a month, one day after Kevin Warsh was sworn in as Federal Reserve chair. The drop followed the US 2-year Treasury yield rising to 4.14% and futures markets pricing a possible 25-basis-point hike in December, challenging hopes for near-term easing.

On 24 May 2026 at 11:21, Fannie Mae accepted its first crypto-backed mortgage product, enabled via Better Home & Finance and Coinbase after an FHFA directive to incorporate digital assets into risk reviews. The structure pairs a standard Fannie Mae mortgage with a separate Bitcoin-collateralized loan that funds the down payment, keeping BTC in Coinbase Prime custody and avoiding a taxable sale. In the example provided, buying a $500,000 home uses $250,000 in Bitcoin to secure a $100,000 (20%) down payment loan under a 2.5:1 collateral ratio.

U.S.-based spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $1.2 billion in net outflows over five trading days, marking one of the worst weeks on record. The biggest single-day withdrawal was $647 million on May 18, 2026, followed by additional redemptions through May 23. Despite the flow pressure, Bitcoin fell less than 2% over the past week, while total net assets across these ETFs stood at $98.87 billion.

A report cited by Bitcoin journalist Joe Nakamoto says France accounts for about 70% of so-called crypto "wrench attacks," where victims are physically threatened to surrender digital assets. Nakamoto said France has recorded 41 crypto-related kidnappings so far in 2026, and linked the spike to centralized KYC databases and past breaches such as Ledger's 2020 customer-data leak.

Polymarket traders have wagered $154.44 million on whether the U.S. and Iran will reach a permanent peace deal by various deadlines through December 31, 2026. On May 23, 2026, President Donald Trump said his choice was a "solid 50/50" between accepting a diplomatic agreement and resuming strikes, while bitcoin rose 1.5% and moved back above $77,000. BTC hit an intraday high of $77,303 on Bitstamp at 4:30 p.m. ET.