SpendNode Podcast: Crypto News & Analysis

Beijing launches a sweeping crackdown on offshore trading venues accused of helping investors bypass capital controls after an estimated $1 trillion left China last year. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/china-1t-capital-flight-crackdown-offshore-platforms-may-2026/

A third-party SquidRouterModule attached to Safe smart wallets was exploited on Ethereum and Base, draining roughly $3M and exposing module-level risk. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/squid-router-module-safe-wallet-exploit-may-2026/

The top 7 token unlocks this week total $77.27M, led by GUA at $27.71M, dropping fresh supply into a market sitting at Fear 39 with BTC near $76,600. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/token-unlocks-77m-gua-week-may-2026/

Stani Kulechov says rsETH is fully restored after the KelpDAO drain, with the final tranche routed into the LayerZero lockbox and Aave markets back to normal. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/aave-rseth-fully-restored-kelpdao-layerzero-may-2026/

Strategy and BitMine both posted a zero-buy week in the seven days to May 25. Four smaller public firms still added a combined 612 BTC to corporate treasuries. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/strategy-bitmine-zero-buys-612-btc-public-firms-may-2026/

Wallets holding 100,000+ LINK reached a record 805, up 8.2%, signaling steady whale accumulation even as broader crypto markets trade in fear territory. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/chainlink-whale-wallets-ath-805-may-2026/

Cointelegraph reports the death of Ondo Finance founder and CEO Nathan Allman, raising leadership questions for one of the largest RWA tokenization protocols. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/ondo-finance-ceo-nathan-allman-dies-may-2026/

Aave founder Stani Kulechov backs Babylon's proposal for the first novel Spoke on Aave V4, bringing native BTC as collateral without wrapping. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/aave-v4-babylon-trustless-btc-spoke-may-2026/

Vitalik Buterin frames the latest Ethereum Foundation departures as a deliberate move toward a leaner org, and discloses that roughly 90% of his net worth sits in ETH. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/vitalik-smaller-ship-ethereum-foundation-90-percent-net-worth-may-2026/

Polygon says it has moved $2.5T in stablecoin transfer volume since launch, cementing its role as a low-fee USDC and USDT rail. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/polygon-2-5t-stablecoin-transfer-volume-may-2026/

SEC approved Nasdaq PHLX's QBTC Bitcoin index options on May 22, but the contracts cannot trade until CFTC exemptive relief and OCC disclosure clearance arrive. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/nasdaq-qbtc-bitcoin-options-sec-approval-cftc-occ-may-2026/

Arkham flagged $1B in Bitcoin moved off BlackRock-tagged wallets last week as IBIT extends a multi-day outflow streak and BTC holds $77,455. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/blackrock-1b-bitcoin-sale-arkham-may-2026/

An early Bitcoin miner from the Satoshi era deposited 2,650 BTC, around $203M, into FalconX and Cumberland OTC desks, per Onchain Lens. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/satoshi-era-miner-2650-btc-otc-deposit-may-2026/

A new report says the Federal Reserve is considering direct settlement access for crypto firms, while US banks warn the shift would pull deposits and tighten funding. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/fed-direct-settlement-rails-crypto-firms-may-2026/

Tether and Georgia announce plans for GEL®, a lari-pegged stablecoin, marking Tether's first national fiat partnership outside the US dollar and euro. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/tether-georgia-gel-lari-stablecoin-may-2026/

A supply chain campaign called TrapDoor has shipped 34 malicious packages targeting crypto and AI developers, draining wallets, SSH keys, and API tokens. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/trapdoor-malware-34-packages-crypto-developers-may-2026/

US spot Bitcoin ETFs have shed assets for six straight days. 2026 net inflows have shrunk to $536 million, putting the year close to going net negative. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bitcoin-etf-6-day-outflow-streak-2026-net-negative-may-2026/

FDIC has proposed a Bank Secrecy Act rule requiring FDIC-supervised stablecoin issuers to run AML/CFT programs, sanctions controls, and reporting under the GENIUS Act. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/fdic-bsa-stablecoin-aml-rule-genius-act-may-2026/

B3 registered the first guaranteed OTC flexible option tied to Hashdex's HASH11 crypto-index ETF, a piece of market plumbing US issuers still cannot offer. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/brazil-b3-hash11-otc-options-may-2026/

CryptoQuant says Bitcoin's apparent demand metric is approaching -147,000 BTC, its most bearish reading since December 2025 as spot price hovers near $77,300. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bitcoin-apparent-demand-bearish-147000-may-2026/

The Fed's April minutes show policymakers ready to tighten if inflation stays sticky. CME FedWatch now prices a 54% chance of a December hike. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/fed-april-minutes-hike-risk-bitcoin-trade-may-2026/

Kevin Warsh was sworn in as Federal Reserve chair Friday, with early reporting pointing to an Alan Greenspan-style approach to policy. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/warsh-sworn-in-fed-chair-greenspan-approach-may-2026/

BitMine added 60,000 ETH worth $126M near $2,000, building a treasury position large enough to test inclusion in Russell indexes tied to $12.2T in passive assets. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/bitmine-126m-ethereum-russell-index-test-may-2026/

BTC +3.3%, ETH +4.6%, SOL +5% in 24h after Secretary Rubio cites significant progress in past 48 hours toward an Iran deal covering the Strait of Hormuz. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/crypto-rallies-rubio-iran-hormuz-progress-may-2026/

Tether holds $141B in US Treasuries directly and indirectly, ranking 17th globally and entangling stablecoin demand with sovereign debt financing. Read the full article: https://www.spendnode.io/blog/tether-141b-us-treasuries-stablecoin-debt-risk-may-2026/