On May 21, 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said it is preparing a temporary regulatory exemption that would let eligible firms trial tokenized stock trading on blockchain networks under tight limits. The plan would test tokenized shares, automated market makers and crypto-native settlement, with conditions such as volume caps, whitelisted participants and time-limited approvals.

On May 21, 2026, Moonpay introduced Moonpay Trade, a cross-chain execution product designed to let institutions and enterprises connect to 200+ blockchains and protocols through a single API. The company says the Decent.xyz acquisition supplies routing and bridge infrastructure, while DFlow—reported to have processed over $12 billion in Q1 2026—extends coverage across Solana and EVM markets.

Blockchain.com has confidentially filed for a US initial public offering, signaling another attempt by infrastructure-focused firms to re-enter public markets. The company said on 21 May it submitted a draft Form S-1 to the US SEC for a proposed IPO of its Class A ordinary shares, without disclosing share count or valuation. The filing arrives as IPO discussions intensify across AI, fintech, and crypto infrastructure after a prolonged slowdown.

On May 21, 2026, the CFTC and the NHL signed a memorandum of understanding to coordinate against fraud, insider trading, and manipulation tied to NHL-related event contracts on federally regulated prediction markets. The pact sets up designated contacts and confidential information sharing, and it builds on the NHL’s October 2025 licensing deals with Kalshi and Polymarket that use official league data for contract settlement.

On May 21, 2026, Ripple Chief Technology Officer David Schwartz cautioned the XRP community about a sharp uptick in AI-enabled scam campaigns, including deepfake videos and fake giveaways. He said schemes often push bogus XRP airdrops that lure users into sending funds or connecting noncustodial wallets to malicious sites that can rapidly drain holdings. Schwartz also described a separate phishing effort aimed at Robinhood users that leveraged Gmail address tricks and emails designed to look authenticated.

Hester Peirce, the SEC commissioner widely known in crypto as "Crypto Mom," is set to depart the agency and begin as an associate professor at Regent University School of Law in November 2026. Regent University announced the hire on May 19, and Peirce's move follows her March 2025 statement that she would not seek another nomination after her term expired in June 2025. Her planned exit comes as key crypto rule areas—including stablecoins, tokenization, and exchange registration—remain unsettled.

TRM Labs data published in May 2026 says North Korea was linked to $577 million of the $651 million lost to crypto hacks in January–April 2026, or 76% of the total. The losses were concentrated in two April incidents attributed to Lazarus subgroup TraderTraitor: $285 million from Drift Protocol on April 1 and $292 million from Kelp DAO on April 18–19.

Y Combinator has introduced a set of "crypto deals" that bundles partner tools for startups in its new application batch, as well as for selected hackathon and meetup participants. The package covers items such as wallets, node and API access, gas credits, fiat on-ramps and swap features, plus on-chain data, analytics, and audit services, with separate tiers that include $10K in network-expense support over two years and additional discounts for funded teams.