This Week's Token Unlock: PYTH, ZRO, and Others Will See Large Unlock

May 18 — Samsung Electronics’ stock price rose 6% as concerns over a strike eased, per market data. Earlier, a South Korean court partially approved Samsung Electronics’ request for an injunction to block the union’s planned strike action.

On May 18th, the crypto market saw a flash crash this morning, with Bitcoin plunging below the critical $78,000 support level and extending its downward trajectory. A wave of widespread liquidations swept the entire network, totaling $579 million in liquidations over nearly four hours—most hitting long positions. Notably, amid the market panic, some crypto whales chose to counter-trend by adding to their long positions. BlockBeats has compiled the key details below: The so-called ShapeShift mystery whale was the first to buy the dip post-drop, pouring $5.88 million into 2,656 spot ETH. The whale now holds 129,667 ETH, valued at $274.78 million. Previously, this whale was believed to be linked to ShapeShift founder Erik Voorhees, but Voorhees has since publicly denied that connection. A whale associated with BIT aggressively expanded its futures positions. Starting on May 16th, the whale built its ETH long positions across four separate addresses. As of press time, it holds 120,000 ET

News Flash: Per an official announcement released on May 18, Bithumb will list the AIGENSYN/KRW trading pair, with trading set to launch at 4:00 PM local time on Monday, May 18, 2026.

May 18: Analyst Yu Jin notes current market trading enthusiasm is far lower than it was at the trough of the last bear market in December 2022. BTC: During the prior cycle’s bottom, Binance’s BTC/USDT pair averaged $20 billion in daily trading volume; today, that figure sits at only around $5 billion. Based on the retracement levels from the last bear market, the estimated bottom of this current cycle for Bitcoin is roughly $31,000. ETH: At the last cycle’s low point, ETH/USDT’s average daily trading volume was about $4 billion, while it’s now closer to $2 billion. BNB: Back at the prior cycle’s bottom, BNB/USDT’s average daily volume reached ~$50 million—nearly identical to its current level. A critical observation: Bitcoin’s current price is far higher than it was at the last bear market’s bottom. When measured in Bitcoin terms, the market’s trading enthusiasm appears even more pessimistic. BlockBeats points out that while crypto bear markets are torturous, two main factors driv

May 18 – Yonhap News Agency reports: A South Korean court has partially granted Samsung Electronics’ request for an injunction against the union’s planned strike. This development caused South Korea’s KOSPI index to reverse earlier losses, wiping out a 4.68% drop seen in morning trading.

May 18 – Iran has launched Hormuz Safe, a state-run digital marine insurance platform that issues maritime policies for vessels transiting the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz and settles premium payments via Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. According to reports, the platform is backed by Iran’s Ministry of Economy, with the explicit goal of bypassing SWIFT and Western financial intermediaries to cut reliance on traditional global financial systems. Supporters within the Iranian government project that if Hormuz Safe gains a meaningful share of the Persian Gulf maritime insurance market, its revenue could top $10 billion. That said, the platform faces major hurdles: it lacks formal international recognition, carries risks of U.S. secondary sanctions, and its initial client base is expected to be limited to vessels already operating in the sanctioned shipping gray area.