SpendNode Podcast: Crypto News & Analysis

SpaceX is letting employees sell shares before the usual six-month lock-up window, adding real liquidity to a stock already traded via crypto pre-IPO perps. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/spacex-early-share-resale-lockup-waiver-may-2026/

Bitcoin lost 2.6% and Ethereum 3.1% on May 22 while the Dow closed at a record high. Fear and Greed dropped to 35 as majors sold off in unison. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/crypto-sells-off-dow-record-divergence-may-2026/

ECB rejected a Bruegel paper that asked the central bank to ease liquidity rules and backstop euro stablecoin issuers. Euros sit at 0.3% of the $300B market. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/ecb-rejects-bruegel-euro-stablecoin-expansion-may-2026/

Asset-backed private credit reached $1B in tokenized form in under six months, while tokenized venture capital took over seven years to clear the same bar. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/tokenized-credit-1b-185-days-vc-lag-may-2026/

JPMorgan says tokenized money market funds will stay under 10-15% of the stablecoin market until US securities rules let them clear without broker gating. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/jpmorgan-tokenized-mmf-10-15-percent-cap-may-2026/

Polymarket confirmed a compromised governance role drained roughly $520K from its Polygon contracts, but says user funds remain safe and trading continues. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/polymarket-520k-polygon-exploit-zachxbt-may-2026/

THORChain proposed a recovery plan after the May 15 exploit, ruling out fresh RUNE issuance to repay affected users and forcing losses through protocol revenue instead. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/thorchain-recovery-plan-no-rune-mint-may-2026/

Qivalis has tripled its backing from 12 to 37 European banks across 15 countries as the MiCA-regulated euro stablecoin pushes toward H2 2026 launch. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/qivalis-37-banks-15-countries-euro-stablecoin-may-2026/

BTC's options-implied volatility fell to a seven-month low this week even as oil rallied on Iran tensions and BTC slipped under $77,400. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bitcoin-implied-volatility-7-month-low-macro-risks-may-2026/

May 21 ETF flows split: HYPE, SOL and XRP spot ETFs saw net inflows while BTC and ETH spot ETFs posted outflows as Bitcoin slid to $77,300. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/etf-flows-rotation-alts-btc-eth-may-21-2026/

South Korea is reportedly considering abolishing its 22% crypto tax, a policy delayed since 2021. The move would reset retail incentives in one of Asia's largest crypto markets. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/south-korea-abolish-22-percent-crypto-tax-may-2026/

Tokenized equities passed $1.6B in market cap on May 22, 2026 with Ethereum leading chain share at 41.1%. Solana and other L1s split the rest. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/tokenized-stocks-1-6b-market-cap-ethereum-lead-may-2026/

Trump Media moved 2,650 BTC, worth roughly $205M, into Crypto.com on May 22, expanding a treasury stack now reported across multiple custody venues. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/trump-media-btc-deposit-crypto-com-may-2026/

India's regulators have forced Polymarket to go dark in the country, with Kalshi potentially next as authorities classify event contracts as illegal betting. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/india-prediction-markets-crackdown-polymarket-kalshi-may-2026/

The FCA expanded its Scale-up Unit to solo-regulated firms on May 20, 2026, opening a four-week application window that covers UK crypto fintechs. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/fca-scale-up-unit-solo-regulated-firms-may-2026/

Billionaire Mark Cuban says he exited most of his Bitcoin position, calling the asset directionless as BTC trades near $77,470 after a 5% weekly slide. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/mark-cuban-sold-most-bitcoin-lost-plot-may-2026/

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce signals the agency's innovation exemption for tokenized stocks will cover native onchain equity only, not wrapped securities. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/peirce-tokenized-stocks-narrow-onchain-equity-may-2026/

The Trump administration plans $2B in awards to quantum computing firms in exchange for equity stakes, per WSJ. The move pulls Bitcoin's quantum clock forward. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/trump-2b-quantum-equity-stakes-may-2026/

Glassnode warns nearly 10% of BTC supply sits in quantum-vulnerable addresses, with Franklin Templeton, WisdomTree, and Robinhood ETF holdings 100% exposed. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/glassnode-bitcoin-quantum-vulnerable-supply-may-2026/

Aave V4 has activated Smart Value Recapture, redirecting MEV from liquidations away from searchers and back into the protocol's revenue stack. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/aave-v4-svr-mev-recapture-live-may-2026/

SoftBank exits its near $1B position in Twenty One, the Tether-cofounded Bitcoin treasury firm, in a buyout reported by Decrypt on May 21, 2026. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/softbank-exits-twenty-one-bitcoin-treasury-may-2026/

Bipartisan lawmakers reintroduced the PARITY Act on May 21, 2026, directing the IRS to study a $200 de minimis exemption for everyday crypto transactions. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/parity-act-reintroduced-irs-200-crypto-tax-exemption-may-2026/

Binance has opened perpetual futures on a SpaceX pre-IPO index, letting traders take leveraged positions on a private company widely tipped to hit a $2T valuation. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/binance-spacex-pre-ipo-perps-2t-valuation-may-2026/

MoneyGram joins Tempo, the Stripe and Paradigm-backed L1, as anchor remittance validator and will route stablecoin settlement through global payment flows. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/moneygram-tempo-stablecoin-anchor-validator-may-2026/

Hyperliquid's HYPE token has overtaken Solana on fully diluted valuation, reaching $54.47B versus SOL's $54.22B as of May 21, 2026. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/hype-flips-sol-fully-diluted-valuation-may-2026/