South Korean envoy: We have successfully avoided the worst-case scenario in the oil sector.

Chinese firms are ramping up FX hedging via derivatives as yuan strength threatens export earnings. Net outstanding forward settlement contracts hit a record $107 billion in February, per the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. The surge reflects strong FX conversion, improved US-China ties, dollar weakness, and firm central bank fixing, which have driven the yuan higher since November, alongside robust export performance, said strategist Fiona Lim.

Market & Price Movements - Bitcoin traders turn bullish ahead of Fed decision; long positions increase, inflows to exchanges rise; resistance expected $75K–$85K. - Crypto ETF adoption remains early; most demand comes from self-directed investors, not advisors. Corporate & Investment - RedotPay plans to raise up to $150M and target a U.S. IPO potentially valuing the company over $4B this year. - Tally shuts down after 5+ years, serving 1M+ users and hundreds of organizations. - Messari CEO Eric Turner steps down; CTO Diran Li assumes role. - Mastercard to acquire stablecoin infrastructure firm BVNK for up to $1.8B. - Robinhood fund invests ~$35M in Stripe and ElevenLabs; Stripe owns stablecoin platform Bridge. - Crypto.com partners with KG Inicis to enable crypto payments across South Korea’s merchant network for foreign countries travelers. Institutional & Treasury Moves - Native USDC integration on Injective provides dollar-denominated collateral, liquidity, and settlement for traders and DeFi apps. Blockchain & Infrastructure - Aster Chain is high-performance Layer 1: 50ms blocks, 100K TPS, zero gas fees, cross-chain deposits. - Stacks Labs implements SIP-034 upgrade, boosting DeFi capacity up to 30x by changing transaction limit handling. - World launches AgentKit for x402 protocol, allowing World-verified users to delegate IDs to AI agents. Regulation & Legal - SEC Chair Atkins defines token taxonomy for stablecoins, digital commodities, and "digital tools." - TD Cowen: Crypto market structure bill could pass by August recess; delays may push to 2027. - CFTC classifies Phantom feature as passive software interface; trades occur via regulated exchanges. - Digital Chamber and Money20/20 partner to expand crypto policy discussions with lawmakers. - Stand With Crypto state leaders send letter to Senate Banking Committee on stablecoin rewards and DeFi regulation. - Vietnam drafts rules banning trading on overseas crypto platforms while launching domestic licensing pilot; $200B traded locally in 12 months. - Argentine court orders ISPs, Google, Apple to block Polymarket as unlicensed betting platform. Security & Market Activity - Hyperliquid's HIP-3 markets reach $1.43B open interest; Trade.xyz dominates 90%; daily volume $22B. - Bitrefill suffers hot wallet drain and 18,500 compromised purchase records via employee laptop.