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More →South Korea crypto exchange profits fall 78% in H1 amid trading slump
South Korean crypto exchange operating profits fell 78% in the first half of 2026 as trading volumes, market capitalization and customer deposits declined. South Korean crypto exchanges saw operating profits fall 78% in the first half of 2026 as trading activity, market valuations and customer deposits declined, according to new government data. On Thursday, the Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (KoFIU) <a href="https://www.fsc.go.kr/eng/pr010101/87833" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">>said</a> average daily trading volume at domestic virtual asset exchanges fell 44% from the previous six months, while market capitalization dropped 33% and won-denominated deposits fell 35%. Exchange sales declined 41% over the same period, even as the number of accounts eligible to trade rose slightly by 0.4%. KoFIU’s survey covered 26 registered virtual asset service providers, including 17 exchange operators and nine custody and wallet providers, and covered activity from Jan. 1 through June 30. The figures come amid signs that South Korean retail investors have been shifting attention from crypto to the country’s stock market. In May, the value of crypto held by South Korean investors fell 50.2% to 60.6 trillion won ($41.4 billion) over roughly a year. Korean outlet ChosunBiz <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/south-korea-crypto-holdings-halve-in-a-year-as-investors-turn-to-stock-market" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">linked the decline</a> to capital moving toward stocks. A Cointelegraph analysis in July also <a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/south-korea-crypto-volume-decline-kospi-retail-stocks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">found that combined average daily volume</a> across Upbit, Bithumb, Coinone, Korbit and Gopax had fallen about 89% year over year during comparable seven-day periods, while the KOSPI, South Korea’s benchmark stock index, had more than doubled over the 12 months to July 22. Cointelegraph contacted Bithumb and Upbit operator Dunamu for comment. <em><strong>Related: </strong></em><a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/south-korea-travel-rule-threshold-crypto-transfers" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><em><strong>South Korea drops Travel Rule threshold for crypto transfers</strong></em></a>
Minecraft, Candy Crush Among 11 Games in EU Virtual Currency Crackdown
European consumer authorities have opened eleven coordinated actions against ten video games companies over the way they sell and price in-game virtual currencies, the European Commission <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_2018" target="_blank" class="sc-adb616fe-0 dJryYS" rel="nofollow">said</a> Wednesday. The Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, which groups national enforcement bodies and is coordinated by the Commission, named Activision Blizzard UK, Crytek, InnoGames, King.com, Mojang, Plarium Europe, PLR Worldwide Sales, Riot Games, Supercell and Ubisoft EMEA in a <a href="https://commission.europa.eu/document/75ff33d4-77a6-4f14-916a-766a8c6c281c_en" target="_blank" class="sc-adb616fe-0 dJryYS" rel="nofollow">joint statement</a>. The games are Diablo Immortal, Call of Duty Mobile, Hunt: Showdown 1896, Forge of Empires, Candy Crush Saga, Minecraft, Mech Arena, Gardenscapes, Valorant, Clash of Clans and For Honor, picked for their broad reach, availability across devices and range of age ratings. The actions follow <a href="https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/8af13e88-6540-436c-b137-9853e7fe866a_en?filename=Key+principles+on+in-game+virtual+currencies.pdf" target="_blank" class="sc-adb616fe-0 dJryYS" rel="nofollow">key principles</a> the network published in March 2025. Those say the real-world price of in-game items and currency must be shown prominently, that traders should not mix several currencies or require repeated exchanges in ways that obscure cost, and that players should not be pushed into buying more currency than an item needs. Bundles that deliberately mismatch item prices, leaving players with a stranded balance, are among the practices to avoid. Players also keep a 14-day right of withdrawal, the principles say, including for virtual currency they have bought but not spent. Contract terms granting companies the unilateral right to change the value of in-game currency, or to close accounts without the possibility of contesting it, are flagged as unfair. Children are treated as always vulnerable, and any game not aimed exclusively at adults should expect a significant share of under-18 players. It also classes high spenders as a vulnerable group, saying so-called whales "are likely to struggle with impulse control or gambling disorders" and that games built around them face a stricter fairness test. Crypto sits outside all of it. A footnote excludes <a href="/?post_type=post&p=5742" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" class="sc-adb616fe-0 dJryYS">><span class="sc-fe458747-4 eaOPgC">cryptocurrencies</span></a> and similar digital currencies that work as an alternative form of payment using encryption, along with virtual currencies as defined in the EU's fifth anti-money laundering directive. Currencies that can only be earned through play, and never bought, are excluded too. The regime is aimed squarely at currencies bought with real money inside closed game economies. The acti
The S&P 500 technology sector rose 1.4%, hitting a record high.
CoinWorld news: The S&P 500 technology sector rose 1.4%, hitting a record high.
ABSA becomes the first African bank to offer Bitcoin custody services.
ABS Bank has become the first African bank. This move marks further development of African financial institutions in the cryptocurrency sector.
In 2026, college graduates are turning to the retail and catering industries.
According to a report by Fortune, since 2022, many university graduates in computer science and other AI-related majors have failed to find white-collar jobs in their fields and have instead turned to the retail and food service industries. According to two studies by the U.S. Census Bureau, data from April 2026 shows that hiring for young people aged 22 to 24 has dropped sharply in industries most affected by AI, while hiring in less affected industries has remained stable. The employment rate of early-career workers in the industries most affected by AI fell by 12% within ten quarters after the release of ChatGPT.
The 2-year U.S. Treasury yield is at 4.88%.
CoinWorld US stock data: The latest daily reading of the US 2-year Treasury yield is 4.88%.
Coinbase has received CFTC approval to begin clearing multiple cryptocurrencies.
CoinWorld news: Coinbase has announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to begin clearing multiple cryptocurrencies, including BTC, LTC, ETH, SOL, DOGE, and USDT, among others. This move marks an important advancement for Coinbase in the field of cryptocurrency clearing and may further boost market liquidity.
The protocol's revenue over the past 24 hours was reported at $42.306 million.
CoinWorld data: Within the scope, the protocol's revenue over the past 24 hours was $42.306 million, an increase of 1.87% compared with the previous statistical period under the same methodology. Revenue is defined according to each data provider's methodology for each protocol and is not to be confused with the total fees paid by users.
Institutions: US jobs report eases credit market anxiety.
According to CoinWorld news, Catalyst Funds portfolio manager Larry Holzenthaler said in a report that the September employment report will be seen as good news for the credit bond market. He said that weak payroll figures could reduce the urgency of another rate hike while keeping inflation as the Fed's primary concern, thereby making market sentiment around interest rates slightly more balanced. Holzenthaler believes that a slower pace of rate hikes will ease anxiety in the credit bond market, which has recently become unsettled as yields have risen sharply. However, he pointed out that compared with traditional fixed-income assets, assets with shorter duration and greater sensitivity to credit factors continue to offer investors more attractive risk-reward.
Bitcoin hits a more than one-week high, with Coinbase and several mining companies' shares rising.
CoinWorld data: Bitcoin hit a more than one-week high, Riot shares rose 4.3%, Hut 8 Mining shares rose 5%, MARA Holdings shares rose 5.8%, Coinbase Global shares rose 5.1%, and Strategy shares rose 5.6%.