The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

On May 18, data from Coinglass shows that the total net outflow of Bitcoin (BTC) from centralized exchanges (CEXs) over the past 24 hours reached 5,740.82 coins. The top three CEXs by BTC outflow in this period are: - Coinbase Pro: An outflow of 5,457.2 BTC - Binance: An outflow of 1,022.83 BTC - Gemini: An outflow of 503.83 BTC Separately, OKX recorded a BTC inflow of 530.1 BTC, making it the CEX with the largest net BTC inflow in the same 24-hour window.

May 18, per CNN: Drawing inspiration from its wartime success blockading the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is now setting its sights on a hidden artery of the global economy: underwater fiber optic cables crisscrossing beneath the strait, which carry enormous volumes of internet and financial data traffic between Europe, Asia, and the Persian Gulf. Iran plans to charge major global tech firms for using these underwater cables, with government-linked media outlets quietly dropping subtle threats that data transmission could be disrupted if companies refuse to pay. Last week, Tehran’s lawmakers debated a related proposal targeting submarine cables connecting Arab nations to Europe and Asia. “We will charge fees for the internet cables,” Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari stated on social media last week, according to reports from outlets closely affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Tehran’s scheme would require compliance from tech giants including Google (GOOG.O

May 17 update: Per MLM Monitor, Trade.xyz acquired the SPCX code via HIP-3 one hour ago, and is poised to launch SpaceX’s Pre-IPO perpetual contract in the near future. This will mark the second live project on the platform’s Pre-IPO segment, following Cerebras Systems. Earlier Reuters reporting indicated SpaceX’s stock is set to debut as early as June 12.

On May 17, CoinDesk analyst James Van Straten published an article noting that roughly 15% of Bitcoin’s total supply is currently concentrated around its 200-day moving average, which sits between $83,000 and $85,000. Van Straten added that a breakout above $85,000 could push Bitcoin to $95,000 in short order. Additionally, both True Market Cap (TMM) and the Short-Term Holder Cost Basis are holding as a critical support zone around $78,000.

May 17: Macro research firm TS Lombard says a drastic monetary tightening cycle is off the table. Facing an oil price shock, global central banks are likely to deliver only modest policy tightening at most. In Europe, the energy crunch has already dragged down economic activity. The UK’s labor market has been unstable for some time, and hiring sentiment across the region has grown increasingly subdued. TS Lombard projects the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of England (BoE) will tighten policy less this year than current market expectations— a possibility the market is drastically underappreciating. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Federal Reserve’s odds of near-term policy tightening are slim; if it does act, it’s almost certainly not happening until 2027. (Source: FXStreet)

On May 17, per LookOnChain’s monitoring, two wallets spent a combined $2.33 million to purchase 656,338 UNI tokens over the past five hours.