Daily News: BELIEVE to Pause New Project Listings, CoinMarketCap Officially Launches CMC Launch Platform

On May 14, U.S. April PPI came in at 2.4% YoY; the jobless claims held steady at 229,000, unchanged as expected. SEC delays Polkadot ETF as decisions for Solana, XRP loom. Coinbase suffered a data breach. CoinMarketCap rolled out its CMC Launch Platform. Binance listed Nexpace token ($NXPC), launched airdrop and futures trading.

U.S. PPI Unexpectedly Falls 2.4% in April; Weekly Initial Jobless Claims Unchanged as Expected

According to Jin10.com, the U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) for April increased by 2.4% year-over-year, increased by 2.4% year-over-year, compared to 2.7% previously and a forecast of 2.5%. The month-over-month PPI for April was -0.5%, down from the previous value of -0.4% and significantly below the expected 0.2%.

For the week ending May 10, initial jobless claims in the U.S. reached 229,000, slightly above the previous week's 228,000.

JPMorgan: Bitcoin's Upside Potential in H2 May Surpass Gold

According to The Block, analysts at JPMorgan predict that Bitcoin prices could continue to rise in the second half of the year, driven by corporate adoption and increased support from U.S. states. In contrast, gold prices are expected to decline. Since peaking on April 22, gold prices have dropped nearly 8%, while Bitcoin has surged 18% over the same period. Analysts noted that this shift is reflected in investor flows, with funds exiting gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and moving into spot Bitcoin and cryptocurrency funds over the past three weeks.

SEC Delays Decision on 21SHARES Spot Polkadot ETF

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has decided to postpone its decision on the 21SHARES Spot Polkadot ETF application.

Coinbase Suffered A Data Breach, Refused to Pay Ransom, and Offered a $20M Reward

Coinbase announced that cybercriminals bribed overseas customer service staff to access the personal data of less than 1% of its monthly active users. However, passwords, private keys, and funds were not compromised, and Prime accounts remain unaffected. The attackers demanded a $20 million ransom and used stolen data to launch targeted phishing attacks on users. Coinbase has refused to pay the ransom, instead establishing a $20 million reward fund to encourage whistleblowers and assist in the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators. The company has pledged to compensate all affected users.

CoinMarketCap Introduced CMC Launch Platform; Decentralized Perpetual Exchange Aster ($AST) Spearheads the Debut

Cryptocurrency data platform CoinMarketCap (CMC) has officially launched CMC Launch, a platform designed for high-quality pre-TGE projects. It aims to connect promising crypto projects with over 50 million monthly active users worldwide. The first project on CMC Launch is Aster ($AST), a decentralized perpetual trading platform.

Unlike traditional launch platforms, CMC Launch employs stricter vetting mechanisms, only opening its doors to truly promising projects. Selected projects will receive a dedicated launch page, interactive tasks to engage users, and wallet screening support for airdrop eligibility.

Aster, backed by YZI Labs, targets both novice and experienced traders, offering innovative perpetual contract services. Key features include simple and professional dual-mode trading interfaces, various airdrop incentives, non-custodial trading without KYC requirements to ensure asset sovereignty, deep liquidity pools, low fees, and multi-chain support. Aster is currently live on BNB Chain and Arbitrum.

Believe to Pause New Listings, Shift Focus to Supporting Existing Projects

Ben Pasternak, founder of Believe, announced that the platform will temporarily halt new project listings due to an influx of applications. Instead, the platform will focus on supporting existing projects by ensuring they have the necessary tools and resources to succeed.

Sonic Ends Market-making Deal with Wintermute after 5 Years

Sonic's CSO (@SonicAssistant) announced that the company will not renew its exclusive five-year partnership with market maker Wintermute. The Sonic team plans to collaborate with a new market maker offering "MM++" services, expecting the new partner to provide support for centralized exchanges, actively participate in DeFi ecosystem development, drive application growth, host global community events, and maintain open communication with the team.

Movement Labs Secretly Allocated 10% of MOVE Tokens to “Shadow Advisors”

According to CoinDesk, Movement Labs was accused of secretly allocating up to 10% of its MOVE token supply to two "shadow advisors" through undisclosed memoranda of understanding. Leaked internal documents reveal that the company promised tokens worth over $50 million to Sam Thapaliya and Vinit Parekh without informing investors or the public.

Binance Wallet to Host Alaya AI (AGT) TGE Event

Binance Wallet announced the exclusive Token Generation Event of Alaya AI ($AGT). Subscription will be available from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM (UTC), May 16. Binance Alpha Points are required for eligible investors to participate.

Binance Listed Nexpace Token ($NXPC) for Spot and Futures Trading, Airdropped 200 $NXPC to Eligible Binance Wallet Users Each

Binance officially listed the NXPC token — the native asset of MapleStory Universe, a classic 2D MMORPG developed by South Korea’s gaming giant Nexon — at 7:30 AM UTC on May 15. Due to liquidity being provisioned on-chain 1.5 hours prior to the official launch, savvy users who detected the early deployment managed to purchase the token in advance — capturing gains of up to 300%.

Nexpace Token was listed on Binance Alpha with 200 NXPC tokens airdropped to eligible participants who met the threshold and users who were eligible for the Binance HODLer airdrop plan.

Subscribe to BlockFlow for daily blockchain and crypto updates!