US Midterm Elections Deliver 'Heavy Blow' to Crypto Industry: Democrats Take Control of Congress, Multiple Crypto-Friendly Lawmakers Lose Their Seats

The Democratic Party secured major victories in the U.S. midterm elections, with multiple candidates explicitly opposing data center expansion winning gubernatorial seats, sparking market concerns over a slowdown in U.S. AI infrastructure investment. Asian chip stocks came under pressure on Wednesday, with firms including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix facing risks of weakened demand for server DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Opposition to data centers centers on issues such as noise, water consumption, energy use, and rising residential electricity bills. Markets worry local governments may tighten project approvals citing power supply, environmental protection, and AI security concerns, leading to delays in new data center construction. However, analysts note regulation may not directly cause investment contraction, and tech firms may shift to self-built power and supporting infrastructure. For South Korean companies, the election results have mixed impacts. The Democratic Party’s control of Congress could check the Trump administration’s moves to cut subsidies under the CHIPS and Science Act, benefiting firms like Samsung with U.S. investments; clean energy tax credits are also expected to be restored, benefiting solar companies such as Hanwha Solutions. Meanwhile, auto tariffs are unlikely to see significant relief, while the South Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation framework is set to continue.

Meta Platforms (META.O) plans to raise up to 9 billion euros via its inaugural euro-denominated bond offering.

Binance's He Yi published a post responding to external criticism and suggestions over the exchange's security and access management, stating that Binance accepts all such feedback. She emphasized that user fund security is Binance's top responsibility, and in the event of any fund shortfall, Binance will take full accountability and will not evade responsibility. He Yi added that Binance opted to publicly disclose specific details of the security incident to build trust through transparency, and to offer a reference for the industry in addressing social engineering attacks and AI permission boundary risks. For follow-up preventive measures, Binance has restructured access permissions and security boundaries across all departments, upgraded equipment, reset AI tools, and adjusted its security framework in line with zero-trust and least-privilege principles. A security audit report will be released in the future. He Yi also welcomed AI security experts and technical talents to join Binance to jointly verify and refine its security system.

As results of the U.S. midterm elections indicated the Democratic Party secured control of both chambers of Congress, the crypto market briefly came under pressure, with Bitcoin dropping to around $75,600 in the early hours of Wednesday before rebounding rapidly. As of 00:00 UTC, Bitcoin has risen roughly 1.3% to trade near $78,300; Ethereum is up around 2%, and the CoinDesk 80 Index gained 2.3%. The DeFi sector was the top performer, with the CoinDesk DeFi Select Index climbing approximately 5%, among which Injective (INJ) saw a 6.2% gain; Venice (VVV) led the CoinDesk 100 Index with a roughly 7% increase. Trump-linked tokens generally declined. In derivatives trading, total market futures volume rose 27% over 24 hours, open interest increased only 3%, and liquidation value jumped 22% to $469 million. ZEC’s open interest grew 25%, while its price rose 14% in the same period, signaling inflows of new capital. Moving forward, the market will focus on the U.S. jobs report set to be released Friday.

Nvidia’s stock rose on Wednesday, despite potential stricter restrictions on data center construction that Democrats may push for after winning the election. Positive results reported by major chip industry players show that market concerns over delays to data center construction have not yet immediately impacted Nvidia and other hardware firms. Clients are still scrambling to hoard AI hardware, even as it remains unclear where suitable facilities to install these devices will be available in the future. The defeat of Republican governors in Texas and Ohio in the election means AI infrastructure construction will face stricter scrutiny. Mark Haefele, Chief Investment Officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, wrote in a research report: "Increased congressional oversight will not necessarily hinder the AI investment cycle. Comprehensive federal-level restrictions will face constraints from legislative and presidential powers, while state and local regulations still have a greater impact on the timeline and location of data center construction." If Democratic politicians do push for strict measures to limit AI data center construction, Nvidia will face greater challenges in the future. However, the market is currently more focused on signs of strong chip demand following the stock’s recent weakness.

Following the U.S. midterm elections, where the Democratic Party secured control of both chambers of Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately faced fierce criticism from domestic political rivals. Opposition figures accused him of longstanding public support for the Republican Party, which has eroded Israel’s traditional cross-party backing in the U.S., and are leveraging the election results to push for the formation of a new government excluding Netanyahu. Yair Golan, leader of Israel’s center-left opposition party, said the election results reflect that Netanyahu holds negative standing within both the U.S. Democratic and Republican parties. Centrist leader Yair Lapid warned that Netanyahu’s continued tenure would endanger Israel’s security and international status. U.S.-Israel relations could also face new strains. With Democrats controlling Congress, the party may pressure Israel through hearings, oversight investigations, and budget measures. Previously, support for Israel’s military operations and U.S. aid to Israel had already weakened within the Democratic Party; the joint military action taken by Donald Trump and Netanyahu against Iran further exacerbated this trend. Meanwhile, Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to hold talks with representatives of all political parties on Wednesday and Thursday to launch the process of forming a new government. Netanyahu remains in office as caretaker prime minister.