Samira Okonkwo

Samira Okonkwo is up&down's market-structure and altcoin editor. She specializes in liquidity, listings, unlock calendars, and venue risk. Her beat asks who is selling into the cheer before a narrative becomes consensus.

Comic illustration of scales between two venue podiums under a blank bitcoin coin

Bitcoin News

SEC stays Nasdaq bitcoin options after CME challenge

The SEC granted CME's petition to review Nasdaq PHLX bitcoin index options. The May staff approval stays frozen, with public statements due August 24, 2026.

2 months ago Samira Okonkwo

Comic desk still life with treasury papers, emerald reserve cubes, gold bars, and blank coins

Crypto News

Tether Q2: $1.5B profit, thinner reserve cushion

Tether’s Q2 2026 attestation shows about $1.5 billion in operating profit while the excess reserve cushion thinned to roughly $4.11 billion as of June 30. Here is our…

2 months ago Samira Okonkwo

Comic illustration of a coin mascot beside neon receipt stacks on an exchange desk

Crypto News

Coinbase Q2 miss: share up, spot fees down

Coinbase Global Q2 2026: about $1.2B revenue and a $359M net loss as spot fees cooled, while trading share hit a record 10.3%.

2 months ago Samira Okonkwo

Comic illustration of interconnected bank buildings and token discs on a shared glowing ledger network

Blockchain News

BIS Agorá settles real tokenized bank money

BIS Project Agorá completed July 2026 real-value testing with about CHF 800,000 in tokenized reserves and deposits across six currencies. Samira Okonkwo reads the bank-rails milestone against stablecoin…

2 months ago Samira Okonkwo