Bitcoin price has fallen below $61,000 on June 10 as traders cut risk exposure ahead of the latest U.S. inflation report, extending a selloff that has already pushed the crypto asset more than 50% below its October 2025 record high.

According to data from crypto.news, Bitcoin (BTC) price dropped to an intraday low of $60,755 before recovering slightly to trade near $61,200 at the time of writing. The decline came hours before the release of U.S. Consumer Price Index data, a report investors are closely watching after a series of stronger-than-expected economic indicators prompted markets to scale back expectations for Federal Reserve easing.

Futures markets have increasingly moved toward a higher-for-longer interest-rate outlook in recent weeks. Earlier economic releases, including labor market data that exceeded forecasts, encouraged traders to price in the possibility of rate hikes later this year rather than additional rate cuts, creating pressure across risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

Inflation concerns and geopolitical risks weigh on sentiment

Adding to investor caution, oil prices remained elevated despite a sharp pullback on Tuesday. Crude oil traded around $88 per barrel on Wednesday as traders monitored growing tensions in the Middle East.

According to reports, Iran launched attacks on Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait after the United States carried out what it described as self-defense strikes following the downing of an American helicopter.

Energy markets have become a key focus because sustained strength in crude prices can complicate the inflation outlook. With CPI data due later in the day, traders appeared reluctant to increase exposure to volatile assets while uncertainty around both inflation and geopolitics remained high.

Institutional flows have also provided little support. Data from SoSoValue shows U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have experienced persistent capital withdrawals in recent weeks, removing billions of dollars from the sector and reducing a major source of demand that helped fuel previous rallies.

Weak demand conditions have also drawn attention from market participants. As previously reported by crypto.news, trading firm Wintermute said the lack of meaningful capital inflows continues to complicate efforts to identify a sustainable market bottom. According to the firm’s analysis, current buying activity remains insufficient to absorb persistent selling pressure across the market.

Wintermute also highlighted a notable liquidity gap between $50,000 and $59,000 on Bitcoin’s volume profile. The firm warned that if nearby support levels fail, the absence of significant trading activity within that range could increase the risk of a sharper move lower as sellers search for the next major area of demand.

At the same time, broader market sentiment has weakened as investors continue rotating away from speculative assets. Major equity benchmarks have also faced pressure amid rising Treasury yields and changing expectations for monetary policy.

Technical indicators point to critical support levels

Chart signals suggest Bitcoin entered the CPI event in a technically fragile position. On the daily timeframe, the cryptocurrency remains below a bearish Supertrend indicator, which currently sits near $68,400. The indicator flipped negative in late May and has yet to show signs of a reversal.

Daily price action has also produced a sequence of lower highs and lower lows since Bitcoin failed to hold above $80,000, a pattern often associated with sustained downtrends. Momentum indicators remain weak, with the daily MACD still below the zero line despite signs that selling pressure has eased slightly.

Commenting on the current setup, analyst Ted Pillows said Bitcoin could still experience a final liquidity sweep before attempting a recovery.

“A sweep of $60,000 zone could happen next, as stocks are showing weakness too. If $60,000 holds, then BTC will have a decent bounceback towards $65,000.”

Per the analyst, a failure to hold that support area could expose Bitcoin to another leg lower.

Meanwhile, fellow analyst Lennaert Snyder identified the previous day’s low near $60,800 as another important support level. Snyder noted that liquidity remains concentrated around $65,000 and above $68,000, though he maintained a bearish bias unless Bitcoin can reclaim nearby resistance zones.

Longer-term indicators continue to highlight a larger support region between roughly $50,000 and $55,000. The weekly chart shows that the zone served as a major consolidation range throughout 2024. Should Bitcoin lose the current support area, traders are likely to monitor that range as the next major test of the asset’s market structure.

Flare co-founder Hugo Philion has confirmed that the team is exploring a LayerZero Decentralized Verifier Network. 

His remarks followed a community proposal involving FXRP and the Cardano ecosystem. Philion did not confirm that Flare plans to bring FXRP to Cardano. The discussion remains at an early stage, with no launch date, technical plan or formal partnership announced.

Flare examines a LayerZero verifier network

An XRP community member suggested that Flare create an official LayerZero DVN. The user argued that the infrastructure could support a secure route for FXRP to reach Cardano-based applications.

“Can’t comment on whether FXRP will go to Cardano,” Philion said.

He added that Flare was “actively exploring” the DVN proposal. His statement confirms work around verifier infrastructure, but it does not establish that FXRP will launch on Cardano.

LayerZero DVNs independently verify messages moving between supported blockchains. Applications can select the verifier networks they trust and set the number of approvals required before completing a cross-chain action.

FXRP could extend XRP use beyond Flare

FXRP represents XRP within Flare’s smart-contract ecosystem. Users can mint it against XRP and deploy it across lending markets, liquidity pools, vaults and other decentralized finance services.

Flare activated FXRP on its mainnet in September 2025. Its supply later passed 100 million tokens, with much of the capital used across staking, lending and structured yield products.

Bringing FXRP to another ecosystem would require technical support on both sides. LayerZero documentation states that a selected DVN must operate on the source and destination chains before it can verify a pathway.

Cardano support therefore remains uncertain. Neither Flare nor Cardano has announced an integration, and Philion’s post did not confirm that LayerZero currently provides the required Cardano route.

Philion calls for wider blockchain cooperation

Philion’s comments followed earlier public disputes with Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson over Bitcoin and XRP interoperability. The two executives previously disagreed over whether networks should build separate bridging systems or use shared infrastructure.

In his latest post, Philion welcomed Hoskinson’s renewed industry activity. He said the sector benefits from the presence of Hoskinson, Cardano and the Midnight privacy network.

Philion also argued that Cardano could use existing assets such as FXRP and FBTC through LayerZero instead of creating separate versions. That proposal reflects his preferred approach but does not represent an agreement between the projects.

As crypto.news reported, Flare integrated LayerZero V2 in 2024, connecting the network to dozens of blockchain ecosystems. At the time, Philion said Flare could eventually operate as a DVN and support cross-chain markets involving assets such as XRP and Bitcoin.

The latest remarks bring that earlier plan back into focus. However, FXRP-on-Cardano remains speculation until Flare, Cardano or LayerZero publishes a formal deployment plan.

The native token HYPE of Hyperliquid witnessed a decline of over 10% in the last 24 hours despite growing interest in the deflationary token concept for the project within the crypto industry. According to data from CoinMarketCap, the token was valued at $55.46 after falling from above $62.

The two events made people focus on the HYPE coin. Although the token witnessed a steep daily drop in price, supporters continued to discuss the buyback-and-burn feature and supply figures.

HYPE Extends Decline During 24-Hour Trading Session

In accordance with data from CoinMarketCap, the price of HYPE declined by 10.46%, resulting in a current market capitalization of about $14.07 billion. The total trading volume for the token amounted to $1.04 billion, showing growth exceeding 15% over the same period.

From the analysis, one can observe a downtrend pattern in the price of HYPE for the trading period. It had been traded at a value higher than $62, but subsequently experienced a downward move as many buying efforts proved unfruitful.

Social Media Post Focuses on Supply Reduction

As reported by Hyperliquid Daily on X, the data compared HYPE’s yearly supply change against other prominent crypto coins. HYPE was said to have shown annualized supply growth of -3.02%, whereas Ether had a positive 0.83% and Solana 3.75%.

Additionally, it is noted that Hyperliquid invests 97% of its trading profits into purchasing HYPE from the market for burning. As indicated by the figures, over 46 million HYPE tokens have been burnt already.

Market Activity and Token Economics Draw Attention

According to the social media thread, the system follows a cycle whereby increased transactions create more fees, which lead to more buybacks and token burns. Proponents maintain that such a system could help lower supply over time.

Meanwhile, market participants watched price developments. Even after the drop, HYPE retained daily transaction volume above $1 billion.

Key Levels Traders Are Watching

The $55 price range acted as immediate support after buyers defended the range in the recent session. The $54 range is noted as an additional level to watch if selling pressure persists.

On the upside, prices at $56 and $58 were unable to sustain gains before retreating. This suggests future price action in HYPE will be determined by prevailing market conditions and trading activity.

Chainalysis is expanding its collaboration with South Korea’s National Police Agency to bolster crypto-crime investigations, including cases tied to North Korea. The security firm announced on Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding to help build investigative capability within South Korea’s law enforcement apparatus.

The agreement is framed as a broader move to strengthen institutional capability, not solely to confront North Korea–linked attacks, though those threats remain a major focus given recent activity in the region. Chainalysis’ Korea country director, Ryan Kwon, stressed that the collaboration is designed to tackle a wide spectrum of illicit activity, with North Korea as a principal concern but not the only one.

“While North Korean-driven attacks are understandably a national security focus, this partnership isn’t designed around a single threat. It’s fundamentally about building institutional capability,”

Kwon told Cointelegraph.

The memorandum of understanding will equip the KNPA with personalized training content from Chainalysis, along with professional certification programs and practical training to sharpen capabilities in tracing illicit crypto flows and conducting digital-forensics examinations. Chainalysis said the objective is to give Korean investigators a holistic view of global illicit fund movements that can improve investigative outcomes.

In explaining the rationale behind the move, Chainalysis emphasized the need for investigators to have global visibility into illicit fund flows to effectively pursue cases that cross borders and jurisdictions. The company noted that its support extends beyond a single threat landscape, aligning with a broader mission to strengthen law-enforcement infrastructure for a rapidly evolving crypto environment.

The agreement arrives amid heightened attention to North Korea–linked crypto activity. In April, authorities reported that North Korea–linked crypto thefts topped $578 million, with many of the attacks attributed to high-profile incidents involving platforms and protocols such as Kelp DAO and the Drift Protocol. Separately, research from CrowdStrike found that North Korea–affiliated hackers were responsible for about $2 billion in crypto losses in 2025, marking a 51% year-on-year increase in the threat landscape.

The MoU comes at a time when South Korea’s police are intensifying their focus on crypto-enabled crime. Earlier this year, Seoul’s authorities announced the launch of a dedicated multi-agency task force—the Money Laundering Eradication Task Force—led by the Economic Crime Investigation Division. The initiative signals a broader, cross-cutting approach to combating crypto-based money laundering and related illicit finance activities.

Chainalysis has a history of cooperation with Korean investigators. The company has provided support for years and played a role in recent high-profile investigations—most notably in September when Seoul authorities dismantled an international hacking ring that had stolen roughly $30 million. The operation began in South Korea and eventually traced the criminals to Thailand, illustrating the kind of cross-border collaboration that the new MoU seeks to institutionalize rather than merely supplement.

For South Korea, the partnership fits into a longer-term effort to align public enforcement with private-sector intelligence and analytics capabilities. By granting KNPA access to Chainalysis’ training curricula and certification paths, the collaboration aims to raise the baseline of investigative skills across the force and accelerate technical proficiency in tracing complex crypto transactions and money flows.

As policymakers and enforcement agencies weigh the next steps in crypto regulation and oversight, the Chainalysis–KNPA agreement highlights a growing willingness to formalize public-private partnerships as a core part of national security and financial-crime strategy. The effectiveness of such collaborations will hinge on program implementation, the speed with which investigators can translate training into actionable cases, and the capacity to sustain cross-border intelligence-sharing in an increasingly borderless fraud and theft landscape.

Key takeaways

• Chainalysis signs a memorandum of understanding with the Korean National Police Agency to strengthen investigative capability, including training, certification, and practical instruction for KNPA personnel.
• The partnership emphasizes a comprehensive approach to crypto crime, with North Korea–linked attacks cited as a major driver but not the sole focus of the collaboration.
• April saw North Korea–linked crypto thefts top $578 million, while CrowdStrike reports North Korea–affiliated hackers were responsible for about $2 billion in crypto losses in 2025, up 51% year over year.
• The MoU follows South Korea’s launch of the Money Laundering Eradication Task Force, signaling a broad, multi-agency push against crypto-based money laundering.
• Chainalysis has a history of aiding Korean investigators and positions this agreement as a move to formalize and scale institutional capabilities rather than provide ad hoc support.

Institutional capability building in a borderless crime landscape

The new MoU represents more than a single training program. By providing KNPA investigators with tailored content, professional certifications, and hands-on training, Chainalysis seeks to embed analytic methods and evidence-driven practices into everyday investigative workflows. The emphasis on global visibility into illicit fund flows underscores a shift toward more proactive and globally coordinated enforcement, where on-chain analytics play a central role in identifying patterns, tracing funds, and attributing wrongdoing across jurisdictions.

From an investor and user perspective, the move reflects a tightening of, or at least a clearer path toward, accountability in the crypto ecosystem. As exchanges, custody providers, and other actors increasingly rely on on-chain intelligence to assess risk, partnerships that elevate investigative capacity can influence how compliance programs are designed and how quickly investigations can be pursued when anomalies surface. In regulatory terms, the collaboration aligns with a trend toward more formalized cooperation between private analytics firms and public law enforcement to address cross-border crypto crime in a rapidly evolving policy environment.

Context and momentum in South Korea’s crypto-crime crackdown

The Chainalysis–KNPA MoU sits within a broader ripple of enforcement activity in South Korea. The government and law-enforcement agencies have signaled a sustained focus on illicit finance in the crypto space, including the creation of specialized task forces meant to coordinate across agencies and jurisdictions. The Money Laundering Eradication Task Force, led by the Economic Crime Investigation Division, is emblematic of this approach and may influence how cases are pursued, how assets are traced, and how cooperation with foreign partners is structured in the months ahead.

For now, the partnership with Chainalysis adds a practical capability boost—giving KNPA personnel access to advanced tooling, training, and a structured path to professional certification. It also highlights a growing recognition among authorities that blockchain analytics and institutional training are essential components of an effective response to crypto-enabled crime, including theft, fraud, and illicit financing tied to state-backed adversaries.

Readers should watch how the KNPA translates this training into on-the-ground results and whether the collaboration expands to additional agencies or regions. The next datapoints to monitor include any measurable improvements in case resolution times, cross-border investigations, and the integration of Chainalysis’ analytics into routine investigative workflows.

In the evolving landscape of crypto enforcement, the Chainalysis–KNPA MoU marks a notable shift toward structured, capability-building partnerships that could shape how crypto crime is investigated and deterred in the region and beyond.

Key Takeaways

• Reports indicate Starbucks is considering strategic alternatives for its Japan operations, potentially including a partial sale
• The Japan business could be valued between ¥400–500 billion (approximately $2.5–3 billion)
• Potential buyers include both strategic industry partners and private equity investors
• This development comes months after Starbucks divested a majority stake in its China operations for $4 billion in April
• Shares of SBUX climbed 2.73% on Tuesday and are trading up 15.7% in 2025

The coffee retail giant Starbucks (SBUX) is reportedly evaluating various strategic alternatives for its Japanese operations, with a potential stake sale being among the options under consideration. Bloomberg broke the news Tuesday, citing sources with knowledge of the deliberations.

Starbucks Corporation, SBUX

According to the report, the Japanese business unit could fetch a valuation ranging from ¥400 billion to ¥500 billion—equivalent to approximately $2.5 billion to $3 billion in U.S. dollars. Sources suggest that interest could emerge from both strategic industry participants and private equity investors.

Shares of SBUX advanced 2.73% following the news.

Starbucks has not issued a statement regarding the reports, and no definitive decisions have been made public at this time.

The Seattle-based coffee chain acquired complete control of its Japan subsidiary in 2014 after purchasing the remaining ownership interest from Sazaby League, its original Japanese partner. The partnership between the two companies had begun in 1995 and operated successfully as a joint venture for nearly two decades.

This potential restructuring echoes a recent strategic move by the company. Just this past April, Starbucks finalized an agreement with Boyu Capital to divest a controlling interest in its Chinese business operations at a $4 billion valuation.

The China transaction was largely motivated by persistent challenges including decelerating growth rates, COVID-19-related disruptions, and intensifying competitive pressure from domestic competitors such as Luckin Coffee.

Japan Strategy May Mirror China Approach

The rationale behind a potential Japan deal could follow similar reasoning. Partnering with a local strategic investor might help mitigate operational challenges while maintaining Starbucks’ market presence in the region.

Additionally, divesting a portion of the Japan business could generate capital during a critical period as CEO Brian Niccol implements his comprehensive turnaround initiative. Operating expenses have been escalating more rapidly than anticipated under the new strategy, making the timeline for margin improvement a focal point for investors.

Starbucks recently reported its most robust quarterly sales performance in over two years this April, suggesting that Niccol’s turnaround efforts are beginning to show positive results on the top line.

Analyst Perspective on SBUX

The investment community maintains a cautiously positive outlook on the stock. TipRanks data shows SBUX has a Moderate Buy consensus rating, derived from 17 Buy recommendations, 10 Hold ratings, and one Sell rating compiled over the last three months.

The consensus price target among analysts stands at $110.88, suggesting approximately 14% potential upside from current trading levels.

Year-to-date, SBUX shares have appreciated 15.7% as of this latest report.

Starbucks has maintained full ownership of its Japanese operations since completing the Sazaby League buyout in 2014. Prior to that acquisition, the two organizations had jointly managed the Japan market presence for almost 20 years.

Reuters has been unable to confirm the Bloomberg report independently, and Starbucks has not publicly acknowledged whether a formal sale process is currently in progress.