🧯 The crypto market has cooled off significantly in 2026
Average fees across major crypto sectors have fallen by 44.6%, while the median decline reached 42.2%, signaling a broad slowdown in on-chain activity and speculative demand.
Some sectors were hit particularly hard:
📉 DEX fees are down 52.5%
📉 NFT marketplaces have collapsed by 82.5%
Despite the sharp decline, the biggest fee-generating sectors remain largely unchanged:
🔵 Layer-1 blockchains
🔵 Decentralized exchanges
🔵 Derivatives protocols
🔵 Lending platforms
🔵 Liquid staking
Average fees across major crypto sectors have fallen by 44.6%, while the median decline reached 42.2%, signaling a broad slowdown in on-chain activity and speculative demand.
Some sectors were hit particularly hard:
📉 DEX fees are down 52.5%
📉 NFT marketplaces have collapsed by 82.5%
Despite the sharp decline, the biggest fee-generating sectors remain largely unchanged:
🔵 Layer-1 blockchains
🔵 Decentralized exchanges
🔵 Derivatives protocols
🔵 Lending platforms
🔵 Liquid staking
🇪🇺 MiCA is now officially in force across the European Union
Crypto exchanges were given a transition period to obtain a MiCA license. As of today, only platforms that secured regulatory approval can legally continue offering crypto services across the EU.
Major exchanges such as OKX, Bybit, Kraken, and KuCoin successfully completed the process.
The biggest name missing from the list is Binance.
The world's largest crypto exchange failed to obtain a MiCA license before the deadline, meaning it can no longer legally operate in the EU under the new rules.
Binance has stated that it is still exploring alternative licensing options, but until approval is granted, it remains outside one of the world's largest regulated crypto markets.
Crypto exchanges were given a transition period to obtain a MiCA license. As of today, only platforms that secured regulatory approval can legally continue offering crypto services across the EU.
Major exchanges such as OKX, Bybit, Kraken, and KuCoin successfully completed the process.
The biggest name missing from the list is Binance.
The world's largest crypto exchange failed to obtain a MiCA license before the deadline, meaning it can no longer legally operate in the EU under the new rules.
Binance has stated that it is still exploring alternative licensing options, but until approval is granted, it remains outside one of the world's largest regulated crypto markets.
A Gate user claims $1.7M was stolen from their exchange account!
👀 According to the user, the account was protected with 2FA (phone + Google Authenticator + email), yet they later discovered password and security settings had been reset, the account email changed, and all funds withdrawn.
📩 Gate says its preliminary investigation found no platform vulnerability and believes this was an isolated case, likely caused by the user's own data being compromised. The exchange says the investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, crypto X is debating what actually happened—from a hacked email account to the possible use of AI deepfakes during identity verification.
For now, it's one person's account versus the exchange's explanation, so it's worth waiting for the full investigation before drawing conclusions.
👀 According to the user, the account was protected with 2FA (phone + Google Authenticator + email), yet they later discovered password and security settings had been reset, the account email changed, and all funds withdrawn.
📩 Gate says its preliminary investigation found no platform vulnerability and believes this was an isolated case, likely caused by the user's own data being compromised. The exchange says the investigation is ongoing.
Meanwhile, crypto X is debating what actually happened—from a hacked email account to the possible use of AI deepfakes during identity verification.
For now, it's one person's account versus the exchange's explanation, so it's worth waiting for the full investigation before drawing conclusions.
🇯🇵🏦 #BTC Japan public company Bitcoin Japan Corporation has raised $60 million through convertible bonds. They are allocating $4.08 million to make their first purchase for their BTC treasury.
🔎 According to Galaxy Digital, 2024–2025 saw the largest movement of long-dormant BTC since 2017, as long-term holders redistributed a significant portion of their coins.
In 2026, however, activity from these older coins has dropped sharply, suggesting that most of the redistribution has already taken place.
With fewer legacy holders moving coins, one of the market's major sources of selling pressure may be fading. If demand continues to strengthen, the reduced supply from long-term wallets could provide a more supportive backdrop for Bitcoin in the months ahead.
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📈 DEXs continue to gain ground on centralized exchanges
The share of decentralized exchanges (DEXs) in spot crypto trading has climbed to a record 24% of total CEX spot volume—the highest level since tracking began in 2019.
Just a year ago, in 2024, DEXs accounted for less than 10% of the market. Today, they handle nearly one-quarter of all spot trading.
The trend reflects growing demand for self-custody, onchain trading, and permissionless access, while DEX infrastructure continues to improve in speed, liquidity, and user experience.
If this momentum continues, the gap between centralized and decentralized trading could narrow even further in the coming years.
The share of decentralized exchanges (DEXs) in spot crypto trading has climbed to a record 24% of total CEX spot volume—the highest level since tracking began in 2019.
Just a year ago, in 2024, DEXs accounted for less than 10% of the market. Today, they handle nearly one-quarter of all spot trading.
The trend reflects growing demand for self-custody, onchain trading, and permissionless access, while DEX infrastructure continues to improve in speed, liquidity, and user experience.
If this momentum continues, the gap between centralized and decentralized trading could narrow even further in the coming years.
After years of skepticism about what actually backs USDT, Tether has cleared its first full independent financial audit. KPMG U.S. issued an unqualified opinion on Tether International's 2025 financial statements — meaning the auditors found reserves exceeded liabilities by $6.81 billion, with KPMG reportedly going as far as physically counting Tether's gold bars.
For a company that spent years deflecting reserve questions with attestations rather than full audits, this is a meaningful step. Whether it fully silences the critics is another matter — but a Big Four sign-off is considerably harder to dismiss than a quarterly snapshot.
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🚨Kraken Launches Unified US Stocks & xStocks Trading in European Economic Area
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Stanley Druckenmiller's Duquesne Family Office has disclosed positions in Bitdeer, a publicly traded Bitcoin mining and data center operator, and Hyperliquid, a decentralized trading platform — totalling roughly $88 million in digital asset exposure.
When a macro legend of Druckenmiller's calibre starts allocating eight figures to crypto infrastructure, it's worth noting. Not a moonshot bet, but a considered move into the ecosystem's plumbing rather than the coins themselves.
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