South Korea's KOSPI index extended its decline to 3%, with Samsung Electronics down 5% and SK Hynix falling 4.5%.

South Korea's Kiwoom Securities is in talks with crypto exchange Bithumb regarding a private placement of new shares, intending to take a stake by subscribing for new shares; the specific shareholding ratio and investment amount are still under negotiation. After Samsung, Mirae Asset, and Korea Investment & Securities, another major securities firm has joined the race for stakes in the crypto exchange. Against the backdrop of this potential stake acquisition, South Korea's financial regulators are advancing the second-phase reform of the Virtual Asset Act, which proposes setting a cap of 20% on shareholdings of major exchange shareholders in principle, with exceptions allowing up to 34%. Bithumb's current largest shareholder, Bithumb Holdings, holds a 73.56% stake, and would face significant pressure to reduce its holdings if the rules take effect. Bithumb is currently advancing its KOSDAQ listing plan, with Samsung Securities as the lead underwriter, and is boosting its valuation by splitting its core trading business and new business segments. Whether Kiwoom Securities' private placement constitutes pre-IPO strategic financing, and how the deal aligns with the listing timeline, are expected to be core issues in the transaction structure. Bithumb stated that it is currently exploring cooperation with financial institutions and enterprises across various possibilities, with no specific plan finalized yet.

Multiple major Wall Street banks have sharply cut their EUR/USD forecasts. JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and BNY Mellon all project the euro will fall more than 3% to around 1.10 over the next year. The single currency has hit a one-year low this month, a stark contrast to its five-year high above 1.20 reached earlier this year. Policy divergence is the core driving factor. New Federal Reserve Chair Waller has signaled a hawkish stance on fighting inflation, leading markets to reprice in rate hikes this year; ECB President Christine Lagarde, meanwhile, has said no aggressive policy response is needed to the Middle East conflict, keeping the central bank’s path relatively dovish. Escalating tensions with Iran have pushed up oil prices and boosted demand for the U.S. dollar, further eroding the euro’s support. Options market signals have also weakened, with the one-year risk reversal indicator falling to its most bearish level since March 2025. Societe Generale’s chief FX strategist bluntly noted that “the euro’s rally is essentially over,” and compared the current energy shock to the severe blow Europe’s economy suffered after the 2022 Russia-Ukraine conflict. Bank of America, while cutting its year-end forecast from 1.20 to 1.15, still maintains a “neutral” view, making it one of the few relatively dovish voices.

According to Lookonchain's monitoring, as ANSEM's price continues to climb, the 604 million ANSEM tokens held in the wallet of prominent crypto KOL Ansem (@blknoiz06) are now valued at over $71 million.

The U.S. carried out fresh strikes on Iranian military targets over the weekend, while Iran attacked vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and launched missiles and drones toward Kuwait and Bahrain, temporarily halting U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks. However, the two sides later agreed to resume a cessation of hostilities and advance technical negotiations related to the ceasefire memorandum (MOU). Affected by the tensions, international oil prices edged higher, with Brent crude and WTI crude rising to around $72.31 and $69.82 respectively. Global financial markets overall showed limited reaction, as investors shifted their focus to the recovery of the tech sector. Demand for AI computing power has kept driving a persistent shortage of storage chips. Large tech firms including Apple and Microsoft can offset costs via price hikes, while some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face greater pressure. Meanwhile, SpaceX is poised to become one of the fastest companies in history to be included in the Nasdaq 100 Index.

South Korean media has disclosed that Samsung Group and SK Group are developing a 10-year capital expenditure plan totaling around 2,000 trillion won (approximately $1.3 trillion), which is included in President Lee Jae-myung’s "Three Leap Projects" industrial strategic framework. The two conglomerates are expected to formally announce the plan to the presidential office on Monday afternoon. Funds will be focused on semiconductor capacity expansion, AI data centers and physical AI sectors. Each group plans to build 4 to 5 wafer fabs in Gwangju, and expand packaging and NAND capacities in North and South Chungcheong Provinces. However, the massive investment plan failed to boost market confidence. On Monday, South Korea’s KOSPI index extended its decline to 3%, Samsung Electronics dropped 5%, SK Hynix fell 4.5%, and KOSDAQ futures triggered a circuit breaker after surging 6%. Analysts believe investors are skeptical about whether AI-related capital expenditure will deliver actual returns. A research report from China International Capital Corporation (CICC) also noted that onshore leverage in South Korea’s stock market has reached a historical high, with recent margin call pressures rising, and market volatility risks cannot be ignored.

According to OnchainLens monitoring, a crypto whale has deposited $2 million in USDC to HyperLiquid, opening 31,255 long positions in CL (crude oil) with 1x leverage, with the position valued at $2.17 million. Notably, this address has previously accumulated losses exceeding $4.06 million.