Nakamoto Inc. (Nasdaq: NAKA) said it reworked its balance sheet after liquidating about 600 Bitcoin plus related derivatives, generating $48 million. It used $45 million of the proceeds to pay down Kraken and reported its treasury now totals 4,467 BTC. The company also cited a remaining 165 million USDT debt to Kraken, alongside a $25 million share buyback plan and a 1-for-40 reverse split to keep its Nasdaq listing compliant.

A Harris Poll survey commissioned by Digital Currency Group (DCG) of 1,874 registered U.S. voters (May 8–May 18, 2026) says voters want Congress to set clear rules for digital assets, with political support for crypto reported to be more than double 2024 levels. The poll also finds 84% think individuals should own their personal data and 55% are more likely to use services that handle personal data carefully, as lawmakers debate major crypto frameworks on Capitol Hill.

Bitcoin has recently dropped below $60,000 to a new cycle low, reviving debate over whether the market is near a bottom. Grayscale says on-chain signals suggest BTC is technically undervalued, though not at the extreme discounts seen in past crash periods. The firm also flags the CLARITY Act's progress and leverage conditions as key factors that could shape near-term sentiment and liquidation risk.

XRP perpetual contracts have started trading on Kalshi for U.S.-based users, introducing the platform's "American Perpetuals." The rollout follows CFTC clearance for Kalshi's first truly perpetual Bitcoin futures in the U.S. and a June 1 filing to self-certify derivatives tied to 12 major altcoins. Kalshi said its crypto perpetuals drew $100 million in trading volume within 24 hours.

A new Pew Research Center survey says crypto participation in the U.S. is holding at 19% of adults who have invested in or used digital assets. The poll shows a wider political gap than in prior years, with Republicans at 22% versus Democrats at 17%, alongside notable differences by age, gender, and income.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis is urging the Senate to bring the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act to a full floor vote after it cleared committee. The bill previously passed the U.S. House of Representatives last July and advanced through the Senate Banking Committee on May 16, but still faces procedural and vote-count hurdles.

A stash of 47.26 BTC that had not moved since 2011 was recently transferred on-chain after remaining dormant for 15 years. The sending wallet is the address 18sLgPeB9wQVrE8JoWqtKtnucbsx3Lw1m7, identified as Defendant Address #37923 in the "Noah Doe" case seeking title to more than 3.7 million BTC across 39,000+ dormant addresses.

Economist Robin Brooks argues that gold no longer functions as a reliable safe haven, saying it now behaves like a pro-cyclical, high-beta asset similar to Bitcoin and the S&P 500. He points to gold's correlation with the S&P 500 rising to above 0.50 in recent months, matching Bitcoin's level after BTC's equity correlation reached as high as 0.55 in late 2025 to early 2026. Brooks also attributes the shift to retail inflows tied to the heavily marketed "debasement trade" throughout late 2025.

Zcash (ZEC) fell about 60% after a critical flaw was disclosed that could have enabled unlimited counterfeit coins. The issue was present in the Orchard pool since May 2022 and was identified on May 29 during a targeted review using Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.8 model. Zcash contributors pushed an emergency hard fork patch between June 1 and June 3 while developers discuss longer-term supply verification changes.