South Korea has confirmed that it will tax cryptocurrency gains starting from January 1, 2027, ending years of debate.
**May 8**
South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance confirmed it will tax cryptocurrency trading profits starting Jan. 1, 2027, ending years of political debate and repeated delays over the digital asset tax framework. The announcement came from Moon Kyung-ho, director of the Income Tax Division, at a virtual asset tax emergency forum held at the Seoul National Assembly.
Under South Korea’s *Income Tax Act*, profits from crypto transfers or lending will be classified as “other income” beginning in 2027. Annual gains exceeding 2.5 million South Korean won (≈$1,800) will face a 22% combined tax rate—20% national income tax plus 2% local income tax. The government estimates roughly 13.26 million crypto investors will be affected.
Despite calls from the opposition party and some industry figures to scrap the tax entirely or delay it further (citing unfair treatment compared to the stock investment income tax abolished at the end of 2024), the government says it will proceed as
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2026 Top 10 On-Chain Billionaires: Satoshi Nakamoto Still Holds the Top Spot, Multiple Whale Private Keys Lost
On May 8, Arkham released its latest report ranking the top 10 wealthiest individual on-chain cryptocurrency holders of 2026. The rankings, based on net worth estimates from publicly available on-chain data, show top holders primarily built their wealth through early Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH) holdings—with Satoshi Nakamoto still holding a decisive lead at No. 1.
- **Satoshi Nakamoto**: The anonymous Bitcoin creator tops the list with an estimated $89 billion, all from BTC mined between 2009 and 2010 across roughly 22,000 addresses. This fortune lands him in the global top 25 richest people.
- **Justin Sun**: Tron (TRX) founder Justin Sun comes in at ~$1.5 billion, holding 18 billion TRX (~$610 million) plus stETH, BTC, and other assets.
- **James Howells**: The “tragic figure” holds ~$650 million. The Welsh IT worker mined ~8,000 BTC in 2010 but accidentally tossed the hard drive with private keys in 2013—now buried in a landfill and unrecoverable.
- **Rain Lohmus**: Est
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European Central Bank President: Euro Stablecoin Could Pose Risks to Banking Sector and Monetary Policy
May 8th — Bloomberg reports that European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde recently warned about Euro-denominated stablecoins, saying they could pose major risks to financial stability and monetary policy transmission, and questioning whether such tools are necessary.
In a speech in Spain, Lagarde noted the reasons for backing Euro stablecoins are “far weaker than they seem.” She pointed out these assets are prone to runs during market turmoil, which would weaken the ECB’s ability to reach all parts of the economy via interest rate policy.
Lagarde acknowledged Euro stablecoins might lower financing costs in the Euro area and boost the Euro’s global appeal, but she stressed this benefit is short-term — with a “significant” trade-off as the cost. She explicitly stated: “If we want to enhance the Euro’s international attractiveness, stablecoins are not an effective path.”
Lagarde also cited an ECB working paper from March, which warned widespread stablecoin adoption
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U.S. April Non-Farm Payrolls Forecast: Addition of 120,000 Jobs, Hourly Wage Growth Rate May Rebound to 3.8%
May 8: Bill Adams, Chief U.S. Economist at Fifth Third Bank, forecasts April nonfarm payrolls will rise by 120,000, while the unemployment rate holds steady at 4.3%. Average hourly earnings are seen climbing to 3.8% from March’s 3.5%—a partial offset to the cost-of-living hit from rising gas prices.
If the forecast holds, monthly job growth since the start of the year will average ~80,000, outpacing the slower growth of job seekers (driven by population aging and immigration limits).
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The Huobi HTX has launched perpetual contracts for SPACEX, OPENAI, and ANTHROPIC, and kicked off a contract trading party.
May 8th — Huobi HTX announced today the launch of perpetual contracts for SPACEX/USDT, OPENAI/USDT, and ANTHROPIC/USDT (effective May 8), with a maximum leverage of 10x.
Concurrent with the launch, the exchange is hosting a contract trading event for these three pairs, running from 15:00 UTC+8 on May 8 through 15:00 UTC+8 on May 15. The event features a total prize pool of up to $20,000.
### Event Rules:
- Users who register and trade these contracts with a cumulative valid trading volume of at least $5,000 USDT will share the prize pool based on their trading volume rankings.
- New contract users participating in trades of these pairs will also receive exclusive perks.
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