Crypto exchanges spent the first half of 2026 wrapping traditional finance in perpetual futures, and 3x leveraged ETFs on the Nasdaq, semiconductors and now South Korea's Kospi (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) drew users seeking round-the-clock exposure. The Korean product is the newest, and in Seoul the most contentious.
It was the best of times for blockchain, and the worst of times for much of the rest of crypto. The first half of 2026 exposed a growing divide between the technology's adoption by Wall Street and the performance of digital assets themselves.
Circulating supply refers to the total number of cryptocurrency coins or tokens that are currently available and actively circulating in the market — meaning they can be traded, used, or held by the public. It excludes coins that are locked, reserved, or otherwise unavailable.
"I bought my first Bitcoin in 2014 and, by the way, I haven’t sold any since then. I’m a believer in all crypto."
More than 140 companies, spanning payment networks, banks, crypto firms and technology platforms, have signed on to back a new US dollar-backed stablecoin called Open USD, according to an announcement from Open Standard, the independent company set up to operate it.
