XRP News: Ripple and Validators Approve Critical XRP Ledger (XRPL) Upgrade

In todays big XRP news, Ripple has officially released a major upgrade to XRP Ledger (XRPL). The major upgrade introduces significant fixes to NFTs, permissioned domains, vaults, and the Lending protocol, boosting network stability and security.  Community Eyes Major XRPL Ledger (XRPL) 3.1.3 Upgrade  According to the XRPL blog, Ripple developers announced the rippled version 3.1.3 upgrade, introducing the fixCleanup3_1_3 amendment that contains fixes for NFTs, Permissioned Domains, Vaults, and the Lending Protocol.  Ripple emphasized the importance of the changes by setting the default vote to Yes in the new release. It requires all nodes to upgrade immediately for continued network participation.  Notably, it fixes an issue with expired ‘NFT token offer’ entries remaining on the XRP Ledger. The upgrade will ensure Permissioned Domains arent modified by failed transactions and fix a trust line token limit check when withdrawing vault assets.  It fixes loan accounting information, removes loan overpayments, and adds an additional check for cover matching assets held. Moreover, these changes protect data integrity, enforce transaction rules, and prevent potential ledger corruption in advanced DeFi and tokenized-asset use cases.  Ripple and XRP Validators Nod Progress to Go Live on Mainnet  The amendment in the XRP Ledger upgrade receives 97.14% approval from Ripple, Arrington XRP Capital, and

05-18

Why is Ethereum Down? Blame Oil Prices

A massive red cliff at the far right of the chart shows that the inverse correlation between Ethereum and oil has plunged to roughly -0.40 (the highest level of negative correlation ever). Simply put, as oil prices surge upward, Ethereum is being sold off.  The two lines track each other with eerie precision. From mid-April through May, every localized spike in oil is matched by a drop in Ethereum‘s price. A plunge in the inverted oil line mirrors Ethereum’s recent steep sell-off almost perfectly.  An eventual reversal in oil prices will likely be a powerful price catalyst for Ethereum (ETH).  Tactical noise  Lee, who spearheads ETH treasury giant Bitmine, remains highly bullish on Ethereum in the long term despite temporary headwinds.  The permabull views the current price action merely as “short-term tactical noise”.  Lee has stressed that true macroeconomic drivers for the leading altcoins remain firmly intact despite the poor performance of the altcoin.  Fundstrat expects Ethereum prices to end up rallying because of this once energy markets calm down.  In the meantime, ETH/BTC recently plunged to 0.027, the lowest level since mid-July.

05-18

Samsung Electronics Surges Nearly 4% as Seoul Intervenes to Prevent Massive Chip Strike

Compensation lies at the core of the conflict. The companys primary labor union, which represents more than 45,000 employees, is demanding that Samsung allocate 15% of its yearly operating profit toward a collective bonus fund. Additionally, the union seeks elimination of the existing 50% ceiling on annual compensation. Company leadership has resisted these demands, maintaining that performance-based incentives should determine bonus structures.  Employees within Samsungs semiconductor manufacturing operations had planned to initiate their 18-day work stoppage on May 21 should negotiations collapse. This rapidly approaching deadline prompted swift action from government officials in Seoul.  Prime Minister Kim Min-seok warned during the weekend that allowing a strike would inflict “unprecedented economic damage.” He announced Seouls commitment to exploring every available option, including emergency arbitration procedures, to avert the walkout — a legal tool that would suspend any industrial action for 30 days.  Additionally, a South Korean judicial body warned the union of potential daily fines approaching 100 million won ($66,500) should it proceed with strike activities against court directives.  President Lee Jae Myung also weighed in, stating via social media that management prerogatives deserve equal respect alongside workers rights.  Understanding the Critical Stakes  Samsung represents far more than just another corporation. The conglomerate generates 22.8% of South

05-18

Hyperliquid Jumps 5% as Bitwise’s $4.3M HYPE ETF Debut Triggers Short Squeeze

Just days after plunging nearly 10% on reports that rivals ICE and CME had urged U.S. regulators to target Hyperliquid, HYPE jumped by more than 5% Monday. The tokens surge came amid a sell-off across the market that saw tumble below $77,000 for the first time in more than two weeks.  Market data show that at midnight, HYPE not only matched its May 15 peak of just under $47, but it also briefly surpassed that threshold. While the token had retreated to $45.50 by 5:11 a.m. EDT, the surge brought its market capitalization to $10.85 billion, a nearly $1 billion increase from the $9.9 billion observed on May 16.  In the derivatives market, HYPEs climb triggered the of $7.1 million in leveraged positions, with shorts accounting for approximately 75% of the total. According to Coinglass, some 2,279 HYPE traders were liquidated worldwide; at $877,299, the largest single involved the token.  While the reported attempts by rivals CME and ICE to have regulators scrutinize Hyperliquid seemingly triggered the token‘s Saturday plunge, analysts believe Bitwise’s launch of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) the previous day played a role in its recovery. The first spot ETF for HYPE and the first to incorporate in-house , BHYP officially began

05-18

Bank of America 7 Eleven settlement: $2.25M payouts

Consumers hit with repeated ATM balance inquiry fees now have a path to compensation through the Bank of America 7 Eleven settlement involving FCTI‑operated machines in convenience stores.  What is the Bank of America 7‑Eleven settlement about?  The Bank of America 7‑Eleven settlement stems from a class action lawsuit, Schertzer, et al. v. Bank of America N.A., et al., Case No. 3:19-cv-00264-DMS-MSB. Plaintiffs alleged that Bank of America improperly charged customers multiple out-of-network balance inquiry fees during a single visit to certain FCTI-owned ATMs located in 7‑Eleven stores.  According to the complaint, some customers incurred more than one out-of-network balance inquiry fee even though they believed they were making only one balance check. Therefore, the lawsuit focused on whether Bank of Americas fee assessment practices at these FCTI 7‑Eleven ATMs were unfair or deceptive.  Bank of America has agreed to pay $2.25 million to resolve the case. However, as is typical in many financial services settlements, the bank has denied any wrongdoing and maintains that its practices complied with applicable rules and disclosures.  Who qualifies for compensation under the settlement?  Eligibility is narrowly defined. The settlement applies only to specific ATM transactions and a specific time period. Consequently, not every Bank of America customer who used

05-18

Bitget Introduces Delta Neutral Mode for Hedged Trading Strategies

Bitget, the worlds largest Universal Exchange (UEX), has introduced Delta Neutral Mode within its Unified Trading Account, adding a new risk management feature designed for traders using hedging and arbitrage strategies across spot, margin, and futures markets. The feature applies differentiated auto-deleveraging (ADL) ranking treatment to eligible hedged positions when accounts meet predefined delta neutrality criteria.  Delta Neutral Mode allows users to combine spot, cross margin, and cross futures trading under a single unified account structure while the system evaluates directional exposure at both the account and asset levels. Eligible positions that satisfy the neutrality thresholds receive lower ADL priority during extreme market conditions, helping reduce the likelihood of auto-deleveraging for properly hedged strategies.  The feature is designed for traders running funding rate arbitrage, basis trading, market-neutral strategies, and quantitative hedging models. It supports USDT-M, USDC-M, and Coin-M futures across live trading and demo trading environments, with ongoing rollout across web, app, and API access channels.  “Trading infrastructure continues evolving toward more sophisticated multi-strategy environments where users actively manage exposure across spot, derivatives, and onchain markets simultaneously. Delta Neutral Mode adds more flexibility for traders using hedging and arbitrage strategies while improving how risk treatment is handled within a unified account structure,” said

05-18

Elon Musk and Sam Altman face off in OpenAI lawsuit trial

Two of the most powerful people in artificial intelligence are now sitting across from each other in a federal courtroom instead of a boardroom. Elon Musk and Sam Altman, who co-founded OpenAI with a stated mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity, are locked in a jury trial that could reshape how the world thinks about nonprofit promises in the age of billion-dollar technology.  The trial, which began with jury selection on April 27, 2026, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, centers on Musks allegation that OpenAI abandoned its founding principles. In English: Musk says he gave roughly $44 million to a charity, and that charity turned itself into a profit machine partnered with Microsoft.  What Musk is actually claiming  Musk filed the lawsuit on February 29, 2024, naming OpenAI, Altman, and others as defendants. His core argument is straightforward: OpenAI was created as a nonprofit with the explicit goal of pursuing artificial general intelligence, or AGI, for the public good. Instead, Musk alleges, the organization pivoted to a profit-seeking model that benefits insiders and corporate partners rather than humanity at large.  The approximately $44 million Musk donated to OpenAI forms the financial backbone of his case.

05-18

Garlinghouse: Ripple is the Infrastructure for the Internet of Value

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, during an ‘XRP in a Minute’ segment at XRP Las Vegas, positioned the XRP Ledger as a specialized payment infrastructure capable of settling transactions in three to five seconds for mere fractions of a penny.  He highlighted its processing of over 4 billion transactions since 2012 and its potential as the foundational layer for the Internet of Value. Garlinghouse emphasized the ledger‘s technical architecture, tracing its origins to former Bitcoin developers, as XRP’s competitive advantage over Ethereum and Bitcoin.  This approach aims to shift XRPs audience from retail investors to institutional players, such as treasury managers and banks. By framing XRP as a payment infrastructure rather than an investment, Ripple is seeking to engage mainstream financial services and expand beyond niche crypto payments.  Following Garlinghouses comments, XRP USD is trading at $1.38, down -3.2% on the day amid a broader market-wide cooldown that has wiped more than $100Bn from the total crypto market cap.  $XRP/USDT 4H Analysis  XRP is riding an ascending trendline since late March, currently testing that support after a rejection from the $1.48–$1.50 resistance zone  Key levels to watch:  – Support: Trendline $1.38  – Resistance: $1.48–$1.50  Ripple Architecture and the Internet of Value: How Garlinghouses Payment-Focused Design Philosophy Actually Functions  The XRP Ledger

05-18

Bitget Launches Delta Neutral Mode to Cut Risk in Volatile Markets

is expanding its trading toolkit with the introduction ofDelta Neutral Mode, a new feature aimed at traders running hedged and market-neutral strategies across multiple markets.  The update is part of the platforms Unified Trading Account system and is designed to improve risk management by adjusting how positions are treated during volatile market conditions.  Bitget is one of the largest crypto trading platforms globally and operates as a Universal Exchange (UEX), allowing users to trade not only cryptocurrencies but also tokenized stocks, commodities, and derivatives within a single account. The platform serves over 125 million users and focuses on combining multi-asset access with advanced trading infrastructure. You can access Bitget .  New Mode Targets Hedging and Arbitrage Traders  Delta Neutral Mode is built for strategies that aim to reduce directional market exposure, such as funding rate arbitrage, basis trading, and quantitative hedging.  The feature allows users to combine spot, margin, and futures positions under one account while the system continuously evaluates their overall exposure. If an account meets predefined “delta neutrality” conditions: meaning long and short positions effectively offset each other: those positions may receive more favorable treatment during extreme market events.  In practical terms, this reduces the likelihood of auto-deleveraging (ADL), a mechanism exchanges use to

05-18

Ryanair (RYAAY) Stock Drops Despite Record Profits as Fuel Price Uncertainty Looms

The Irish airline giant announced underlying after-tax earnings of €2.26 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026—representing a substantial 40% surge from the previous years €1.61 billion. Operating profit before tax climbed 36% to reach €2.42 billion.  However, the impressive financial performance failed to impress the market. Shareholders reacted negatively to managements refusal to issue guidance for the upcoming fiscal year, coupled with expectations that first-quarter ticket prices will drop by a mid-single-digit percentage.  Full-year revenue increased 11% to €15.54 billion. The carrier transported 208.4 million passengers, representing 4% growth, while average fares climbed 10% to approximately €51 per traveler.  Fourth-quarter revenue of €2.51 billion exceeded Morgan Stanley‘s projection of €2.45 billion and the consensus forecast of €2.42 billion. The airline’s Q4 net loss improved to €311 million, surpassing analyst predictions.  Chief Executive Michael O‘Leary explained that providing concrete FY27 profit targets was impossible under current conditions. “With zero H2 visibility and significant fuel price/potential supply volatility it is far too early to provide any meaningful FY27 profit guidance at this time,” O’Leary stated.  Escalating Fuel Price Pressures  Spot market jet fuel prices have soared above $150 per barrel, fueled by Iranian conflict and disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz. Ryanair has secured hedging

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