Following the release of September’s CPI data, which came in hotter than expected at 3.7%, the wider crypto market took a beating.
Solana was no exception, with the altcoin falling by 5.10% in 24 hours to $102.19 at press time. With bearish momentum evident on both the daily and 4-hour charts, SOL may see further downside before any recovery.
Daily chart flashes signs of red Source: SOL/USDT, TradingView At the time of writing, the daily chart was still very much in bearish territory, with no signs of a reversal. SOL’s price broke below the 23.6% Fib retracement level, an area it has traded in since mid-September, with the altcoin in the key $100-$105 support zone. If buyers can’t hold that area, then a daily close below $100 would expose SOL to the next major support zone at $96.
Momentum indicators also supported the bearish outlook. The MACD was below both the zero and signal lines, indicating that bearish momentum was dominant.
Meanwhile, the OBV had turned lower, suggesting that buying pressure was weakening relative to selling activity. In fact, neither indicator seemed to suggest that the downtrend was losing strength.
SOL’s 4-hour chart offers little reassurance Source: SOL/USDT, TradingView The 4-hour chart was bearish too, with SOL at the 78.6% Fib retracement (the ‘golden’ zone in this scenario). That area could see some buying activity as the market tries to hold the recent swing. However, the momentum indicators didn’t really point to a genuine recovery on the way.
While the OBV has fluctuated, it has stayed broadly sideways too, showing little change in buying and selling pressure. The MACD appeared to be below the zero and signal lines as well, reinforcing the bearish outlook.
Despite bearish signals on the four-hour chart, the daily chart showed SOL holding within the premium range around the 50% Fibonacci level. This might offer broader context for a potential recovery, despite short-term momentum being bearish.
Final Summary SOL’s bearish daily chart has the $100-$105 support area in serious jeopardy. 4-hour chart’s bearish momentum provided very little evidence of a sustained recovery off the 78.6% Fibonacci level.
Solana price has rebounded above $106 after testing $100 support, but negative daily momentum and several overhead moving averages leave its recovery facing resistance.
Summary
Solana price traded near $106.20 after recovering from an Oct. 15 intraday low of $100.62. Daily MACD remained negative, while the price stayed below its $114.95 Bollinger midpoint. The 4-hour chart placed nearby moving average resistance at $109.21, $112.67, and $114.43. Analyst Aman identified $97–$99 support, with a conditional downside target of $75–$77. TradingView’s Binance SOL/USDT daily chart showed Solana at $106.21 on Oct. 15, up 1.84% for the session after moving between $100.62 and $106.51. The rebound brought the token away from the $100 threshold, although it remained roughly 14% below its late-September peak near $124.
The recovery followed a series of lower highs and lower lows after SOL lost its early-October trading range around $118–$122. On the 4-hour chart, selling accelerated after the token slipped beneath $116, followed by another decline from around $112 toward $100.
U.S. investment flows also remained weak. U.S. spot Solana ETFs recorded $1.29 million in net outflows on Oct. 14, marking their eighth consecutive session of withdrawals. The redemptions accompanied SOL’s decline toward $100, extending a period of weaker demand through those investment products.
Solana’s daily rebound leaves $114.95 as a recovery hurdle The daily Bollinger Bands placed the lower boundary at $102.83, the 20-day simple moving average at $114.95, and the upper boundary at $127.07. SOL’s recovery above the lower band followed an intraday move beneath it.
Solana price daily chart — Oct. 15 | Source: TradingView At $106.21, the token remained about 7.6% below the middle band. A return to $114.95 would bring SOL back to its 20-day average, while the $120–$124 region contains the recent trading range and local peak.
The daily MACD continued to show bearish momentum. The MACD line stood at −1.07, below its signal line at 0.95, with the histogram at −2.03.
Both lines had turned lower following the September advance, while the histogram remained below zero. The daily price rebound therefore occurred alongside a negative MACD reading, without a bullish crossover.
On the downside, $102.83 is the nearest daily Bollinger reference, followed by the session low at $100.62 and the psychological $100 level. A renewed decline beneath that area would bring the September support region around $97–$99 into focus.
The wider daily chart also shows that SOL remains above its summer trading base, which largely occupied the $70–$90 range. The current pullback has erased part of the August–September advance without yet revisiting that earlier consolidation.
The 4-hour chart puts three moving averages above SOL TradingView’s 4-hour chart showed SOL at $106.20, slightly above its 20-period simple moving average at $106.11. The other three displayed averages remained overhead.
Solana price 4-hour chart — Oct. 15 | Source: TradingView The 50-period average stood at $109.21, followed by the 200-period average at $112.67 and the 100-period average at $114.43. Together, those levels create successive technical hurdles between the current price and the daily Bollinger midpoint.
The chart showed the 20-period average below the 50-period average, with both below the longer averages. SOL’s latest bounce had reached the shortest average after several sessions of trading beneath it.
A sustained move above $106.11 would leave $109.21 as the next moving average reference. Beyond that, the $112.67–$114.95 area combines the two longer 4-hour averages with the daily midpoint.
The 4-hour Chaikin Money Flow reading was −0.02, just below zero. The indicator had recovered from deeper negative readings during the recent decline but had not moved into positive territory.
Analyst Aman separately identified $97–$99 as a support zone after SOL broke an ascending trendline. In an Oct. 15 assessment, he said that area needed to hold to prevent further losses and identified $75–$77 as a potential downside zone if support failed.
His lower target remains conditional on a breakdown beneath $97–$99. SOL’s rebound toward $106 placed the token above that support region at the time of the TradingView reading.
Liquidation clusters sit near $100 and above $110 CoinGlass’s one-month liquidation heatmap showed SOL recovering toward $106 after its latest drop toward $101. Nearby liquidation concentrations appeared around $100–$101 below the price and approximately $105–$107 around the rebound area.
Solana liquidation heatmap | Source: CoinGlass Further overhead, visible concentrations extended through roughly $110–$115. Larger, brighter bands remained near $123–$125, above the early-October trading range.
Below $100, the heatmap showed additional concentrations around $96–$97, close to the support region identified by Aman. The overlap places that area on both the analyst’s technical map and the derivatives liquidation map.
For a broader recovery, the chart-based sequence runs from holding the rebound above $102.83 toward reclaiming $109.21, then the $112.67–$114.95 resistance area. A move through those levels would bring the former $120–$124 range back into view.
A renewed loss of $100.62–$100 would instead leave $97–$99 as the next nearby support test, while Aman’s $75–$77 scenario depends on that lower zone failing.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
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Solana has achieved a significant milestone, recording its highest ever quarterly volume in tokenized equities, exceeding $7.1 billion in the third quarter of 2026. This development, reported by @SolanaFloor, underscores the platform’s growing influence in the tokenized stock market. The network’s on-chain equities activity reached a record, with official data from September showing about $4.4 billion in volume. Solana’s ecosystem, which includes platforms like Raydium and xStocks, continues to attract a large number of participants, with holder wallets surpassing 1.2 million. The increase in activity is reflective of Solana’s substantial share of the cross-chain tokenized equity market.
Key Takeaways The record Q3 volume on Solana appears consistent with growing interest and confidence in the platform’s tokenized equities market. Market pricing suggests a potential positive impact on Solana’s value, as participants may view the milestone as supportive of price increases. The large volume of tokenized equity activity indicates robust network engagement, suggesting continued growth on Solana. What to Watch Observers will be keen to see if Solana’s increased tokenized equities volume translates into a rise in its native token’s market value. Key developments such as regulatory changes, further ETF approvals, or major partnerships could influence market sentiment and pricing. Additionally, any changes in decentralized exchange volumes or new wallet integrations would likely impact Solana’s market position and perceived value. Market participants will be watching for any indicators that could suggest further upward momentum for Solana’s price in the coming weeks.
Term Structure
Contract Odds Δ since publish Volume 24h November 1 2026 0.7% 0.0¢ $1K View market → November 1 2026 6.3% +0.7¢ $2K View market → November 1 2026 20% -1¢ $4K View market → November 1 2026 8.8% -0.1¢ $86 View market → November 1 2026 0.4% 0.0¢ $7K View market → November 1 2026 1.2% -0.5¢ $4K View market → November 1 2026 1.9% -0.1¢ — View market → November 1 2026 2.1% -0.1¢ $1K View market → November 1 2026 2.1% -0.7¢ $4K View market → November 1 2026 0.1% 0.0¢ $3K View market → November 1 2026 0.1% 0.0¢ $3K View market → November 1 2026 10% -2.5¢ $2K View market → November 1 2026 0.4% 0.0¢ $3K View market → November 1 2026 2.9% +0.1¢ $8K View market → Updated 6min ago
Spout, a Solana-based protocol that lets investors borrow against tokenized US stocks without paying interest, has raised a $2 million strategic round with backing from Draper Dragon, Anchorage Digital, Flow Traders and Solana Labs, among others. We spoke to Marc Ryan, Spout’s co-founder and CEO, about the two-tier credit system he saw in investment banking, how the protocol pays lenders without charging borrowers, and what has to happen before its private beta opens.
You started your career in investment banking. What did you see there that eventually led to Spout?
I worked at HSBC, including on the Arm IPO. What struck me was a two-tier credit system sitting in plain sight.
On one side of the building, we arranged debt for large companies at rates a retail investor would assume were a typo. On the other, an individual holding a perfectly good portfolio of those same companies’ stock pays around 12% to borrow against it. Same underlying asset, same credit logic, completely different price. The only variable is who you are.
The second thing was how much of the work was simply moving information around. Underwriting is largely the business of assembling facts that already exist, verifying them slowly and charging for the delay. A lot of that collapses if the asset and the information about it sit on the same ledger, and anyone can check both instantly.
Spout came out of holding those two observations side by side.
Margin loans have been around for as long as brokerages have. Why has borrowing against stocks stayed so expensive for individual investors?
Because nobody has had a way to attack it.
Margin interest is not a cost being passed through to you. It is a product. The brokerage borrows cheaply, lends to you at a spread and keeps the difference. That spread is one of the most reliable revenue lines in the business, and no competitor can undercut it without giving up the same revenue themselves. It is also not a number most people shop on. You compare commissions and app design, and you discover the margin rate after you have already moved your account.
So the rate does not fall, because falling requires replacing that income with something else, and there was no something else.
Prime brokerage solves exactly this problem for institutions. It generates revenue from the collateral itself rather than from the borrower, which is why a hedge fund’s financing costs look nothing like yours. Running that at individual scale needs a shared ledger and programmable custody, and until recently neither existed.
That is the real unlock, and it is not tokenization for its own sake. It is the ability to produce income from the collateral, so that you no longer have to produce it from the borrower.
If the borrower pays no interest, where does the lender’s return come from, and what makes it go up or down?
It comes from selling optionality on the collateral, not from the borrower.
When you post stock with us, it would otherwise sit there doing nothing, exactly as it does in a brokerage account. We write covered calls against it, far out of the money, on a weekly cycle. The premium from those calls is what pays the lender. The borrower keeps the stock’s downside and its upside up to the strike, and pays no interest.
The lender has no directional exposure to the stock. They own a stream of option premium, which is why the return is largely indifferent to whether the market goes up or down.
What moves it is the gap between implied and realized volatility. Options on large, liquid US stocks persistently price in more movement than actually occurs. That gap is where the premium comes from, and it exists because of structural demand, not because anyone is making a mistake. Pension funds and institutional allocators buy protection on blue chip holdings as a matter of policy, not because they have a view. Retail investors buy upside calls on a handful of names with enormous enthusiasm. Both are price-insensitive buyers, and someone has to be on the other side of them. When that gap is wide, the lender earns more. When it compresses, the lender earns less. The lender side is split into a senior and a junior tranche.
Selling volatility on blue chip stocks isn’t a new idea. What is different about the way Spout does it?
It is an old trade. Hedge funds and structured product desks have run it for decades, so the novel part is not the premium. The problem has always been the tail. If you sell calls and the stock rips through the strike, you eat it. That is why systematic volatility selling has the reputation it does, and why institutions are wary of the trade even when the expected value is good. They want the premium. They do not want the tail that comes attached to it.
What we do differently is separate the two and give each to the party that wants it. Because the vault has two sides, rather than one fund doing both, the return and the risk can go to different people. The lender receives the premium and carries no directional exposure to the stock. The borrower carries the tail, which costs them the upside above the strike. They are entirely comfortable with that, because they are long the asset anyway and they get a 0% loan in exchange.
Put another way, every borrower on Spout is running a covered call. It is the most widely used options strategy among retail investors, and millions of people already do it voluntarily. The only difference is what they are paid in. Normally you write a covered call and receive cash. Here you write one and receive free financing.
Two parties with opposite appetites: one wants yield without direction, the other wants leverage and already owns the risk. Until you have a permissionless two-sided market, those two have no way to trade with each other. That is what the vault is for, and that is the thing that did not exist before.
Why does this need tokenized stocks? What can you do onchain that a traditional brokerage account can’t?
Almost everything a tokenized stock does today is worse than a brokerage account. You can buy the same share from a broker for free, with better execution and real settlement. Any product whose entire proposition is “the same stock, but onchain” is asking people to accept something worse in exchange for novelty. That is why most of this category has not gone anywhere.
As far as I can tell, the prime brokerage-style borrowing we have built is the first thing you can do with a tokenized equity that beats the offchain version rather than imitating it.
Strictly speaking, the strategy does not require tokenized stocks. What it requires is that the vaults live onchain, because that is what lets liquidity arrive permissionlessly. You need a two-sided market where anyone can be the lender and nobody has to be approved to become one. A brokerage cannot do that. It has to know and onboard every participant.
But it works best with tokenized equities, because they are programmable and borrowing is only one layer of what you can stack on them. Someone can post tokenized stock here, borrow stablecoins at 0% and put those stablecoins to work somewhere else onchain the same afternoon. Try that with shares at a broker. The asset there is inert by design.
Which tokenized equities will borrowers be able to use, and how do you decide which assets to support?
Eleven at launch, deliberately. They span large cap tech, AI, crypto-linked ETFs, pharmaceuticals, energy, gold and financials.
We wanted the initial launch to be targeted. It is also important to note that the volatility gap only behaves predictably in large, liquid, heavily traded names, where there is a deep options market and constant institutional hedging flow. Move down the market cap curve and the options thin out, spreads widen and the gap becomes erratic. You can still write the calls. You just cannot promise anyone a consistent return from doing it. So we could probably support most of the top 200 stocks, but not more than that for now.
The round brings together venture funds, a market maker, a digital asset bank, among others. What do these backers bring beyond capital?
Each of them answers a question we could not answer on our own.
Draper Dragon is the Asia question. We expect Asia to be a large share of our eventual user base, and their entire practice is bridging US technology into Asian markets.
Anchorage Digital is the custody question. They are the first federally chartered digital asset bank in the United States. If you want institutions anywhere near this, custody is the first thing they ask about and the first thing that disqualifies you.
Flow Traders is the market structure question. We write options against real collateral on a weekly cycle, which makes execution quality not a detail but the product itself. Having one of the world’s largest market makers look closely at how we do that is worth more than the check.
We did not take money from anyone whose only contribution was money.
Your angels include Solana Labs co-founders Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal, and former CFTC chairman Chris Giancarlo. How did those relationships come about?
Both came from the same habit: I talk to a lot of people, and I read what they write.
I had read Chris Giancarlo’s work long before I contacted him. He was writing years ago about financial instruments moving onchain, at a point when most of the industry was busy launching another L2 nobody needed. He was describing what we are building before there was anywhere to build it. He also understands the regulatory terrain from the inside, which matters enormously in this category. I sent him a cold message, and he took the meeting.
With Toly and Raj, we knew we wanted to build on Solana, so we applied to the Solana Incubator and got in. That put us in rooms with people across Solana Labs and the Solana Foundation over a sustained period. What we are building lines up closely with what they have said publicly about what Solana is for: real financial activity at a cost that makes it sensible to do onchain. The relationship grew out of the work rather than out of a pitch.
Spout isn’t on mainnet yet. What has the devnet beta taught you so far, and what needs to happen before the private beta opens?
The most useful thing it has told us is who actually shows up, and there are two distinct people.
The first wants exposure to a stock but also wants their capital to stay liquid. They do not want to choose between owning the position and having money to deploy. They post the stock, take the stablecoins and go do something else with them.
The second is a long-term holder who wants leverage, and for that person the interest rate is the entire decision. Over a few weeks, a 12% margin rate is an annoyance. Over three years, it compounds into a serious share of the return. That person is not really shopping for a loan. They are shopping for more exposure, and the cost of carry determines how much of it they can hold. For them, 0% is not a better deal. It is a different product.
Before the private beta opens, the gate is audited. The protocol holds other people’s equity collateral and writes options against it. There is no version of this where we open it up before the contracts have been through external review.
You describe the longer-term plan as a credit layer that issuers, exchanges and wallets can plug into. What would that look like for a partner in practice?
A white-label margin product that drops into someone else’s interface. An exchange, a wallet or a tokenized equity issuer can offer their own users 0% borrowing against their holdings without building any of the machinery underneath it. The API is built. An SDK and an MCP server are in progress.
The way I think about it, we are a layer, not a destination. The useful property of building this onchain is that other people can build on top of you without asking permission. There are financial instruments and funds that could be constructed on top of a 0% borrow that do not exist yet, and then instruments on top of those. We do not need to imagine all of them. We need to make the layer underneath dependable enough that other people bother.
Spout is not yet live on mainnet. Its beta runs on Solana devnet, and the company says the private beta will open after its smart contracts have completed external audits.
Solana Mobile has selected Ledger, a leading provider of crypto hardware wallets, as its first hardware expansion partner. Users will soon be able to access the Seeker app, the Solana dApp Store, and Solana wallet functionality directly on Ledger’s newest device, the Ledger Atom. This move represents Solana Mobile’s effort to extend its ecosystem beyond its own Seeker smartphones.
Ledger partnership expands Solana Mobile ecosystemBy partnering with Ledger, Solana Mobile aims to make its platform more accessible to users who may not own a Seeker device. The integration will allow broader access to Solana-based decentralized applications, leveraging Ledger’s established hardware security infrastructure.
Ledger is known worldwide for its hardware wallets, which provide secure digital asset storage through specialized chips known as Secure Elements and proprietary Ledger OS. The Ledger Atom is set to include Secure Mode for transaction approval, fortifying user protection when interacting with digital assets.
This collaboration increases the diversity of devices in Solana Mobile’s hardware base, potentially drawing more users into its application ecosystem without requiring exclusive investment in Seeker phones.
Solana Mobile stated that users will soon be able to explore Solana-based applications on Ledger’s new device, describing the partnership as a significant step in its expansion strategy.
However, the extent of the impact will depend on the availability of the Ledger Atom, actual adoption levels, and the volume of activity generated through the integrated app store and wallet.
Mini dictionary: Ledger Atom, the latest hardware wallet from Ledger, is built to integrate with third-party crypto apps and services, providing both security and flexibility for users managing digital assets.
Growth in tokenized stocks on SolanaBeyond hardware expansion, Solana continues to see momentum in tokenized stocks trading. The Solana project reported that 65% of tokenized stock activity on its network takes place outside standard US market hours.
Such continuous trading highlights a key feature of blockchain-based markets: transactions can occur globally, outside the constraints of traditional exchange schedules. This may give Solana an edge in supporting tokenized equities and alternative trading access.
Still, the reported 65% figure only captures market-timing trends rather than the volume or demand for SOL itself. Tokenized stock trading and demand for Solana’s native token represent separate metrics and outcomes.
The ongoing expansion of ecosystem functionality, including stock tokenization and third-party hardware integration, will ultimately be evaluated based on sustained growth in usage rather than initial announcements.
SOL price outlook: Support and resistance in focusSOL, the native cryptocurrency of the Solana network, has declined about 8% in the past week to $102, falling after encountering resistance at a descending trend line. Analyst Don highlighted this area as crucial for the near-term price outlook.
Traders are now focused on the support zone between $80 and $95, which Don regards as a key level for maintaining a potential bullish setup. This range has consistently held as a floor since 2021, despite several tests in recent years.
According to Don, a sustained rebound from the $80–$95 support zone could open the path to possible upside targets at $166 and $378, although failure to hold this level would weaken prospects for a reversal.
Analysts caution that retesting support alone will not guarantee a bullish outcome for SOL; the price must overcome resistance levels to maintain momentum. Technical targets remain projections and do not offer certainty for future performance.
MetricValueReferenceSOL price decline (1 week)8%From resistanceCurrent SOL price$102As of latest reportingKey support zone$80–$95Tested since 2021Upside targets (Don)$166, $378If support holdsFuture outlookThe introduction of Solana’s app ecosystem to Ledger Atom offers new user entry points, while tokenized stock trading represents an independent use case within the network. Neither development immediately assures increased demand for SOL, but they contribute to infrastructure expansion.
Market participants are monitoring whether SOL will remain above the $80–$95 zone, and whether the Ledger Atom partnership will drive further adoption when the device becomes widely available.
This article was automatically generated using Dow Jones technology. Most major cryptocurrencies were up at 4 p.m. Eastern time, with Solana seeing the biggest change, climbing 1.8% to $105.93. Sui increased 1.7% to $1.03, while Ethereum climbed 1.5% to $2,450.89. Cardano increased 1.4% to 23 cents, and XRP climbed 1.4% to $1.34.
Avalanche increased 1.2% to $10.05, and Bitcoin increased 0.7% to $82,292.70. Tronix shed 0.1% to 33 cents, and Dogecoin declined 0.3% to 8 cents. Data source: Dow Jones Market Data, Kraken (END) Dow Jones Newswires 10-15-26 1600ET Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Ethereum, XRP, and Solana recorded sharper declines than Bitcoin over the past day, with analysts attributing the drop to renewed macroeconomic uncertainty and a shift in trader sentiment across the cryptocurrency market.
Altcoins see steeper declinesThe total cryptocurrency market cap fell 2.5% to $2.8 trillion. Ethereum declined 5.5% to a $289 billion market cap, XRP fell 5.1% to $82.4 billion, and Solana dropped 3.8% to $60.6 billion. By comparison, Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, declined 3.1% on the day and 2.6% over the week, lowering its market cap to $1.6 trillion.
Asset1-Day ChangeMarket CapEthereum-5.5%$289 billionXRP-5.1%$82.4 billionSolana-3.8%$60.6 billionBitcoin-3.1%$1.6 trillionMarket observers linked the sell-off to the latest US consumer price index reading of 3.7% and mounting expectations of an interest rate hike in October, both of which intensified macroeconomic pressures on riskier assets like cryptocurrencies.
Hedging and liquidity shiftsNick Forster, founder of options trading exchange Derive.xyz, stated that increased volatility prompted traders to move into “protection mode.” He observed that hedging activity on his platform doubled over the past day, while large investors reduced their exposure to optimistic positions established in the spring.
This immediate pull-back from long-term upside bets alongside aggressive short-term hedging shows a dramatic regime shift, with institutional participants rapidly reassessing their macro risk exposure as the path for interest rates turns murky again.
Luke Nolan, senior research associate at CoinShares, explained that altcoins, which are generally considered high beta assets, are more vulnerable to sudden drops in the broader market. He noted that the US dollar’s move to a near 18-month high contributed to downward pressure, as cryptocurrencies often exhibit an inverse correlation to the US Dollar Index (DXY).
Mini dictionary: US Dollar Index (DXY), a measure that tracks the value of the US dollar relative to a basket of foreign currencies. A rising DXY signals a stronger dollar and can mean reduced risk appetite for alternative assets like cryptocurrencies.
Nolan said that tightening financial conditions reduce liquidity and risk appetite, further pressuring altcoins. He indicated that he would watch for any changes in expectations for interest rate hikes before predicting a rebound in prices.
High beta assets just got hit harder, similar to equities, where high-performing stocks have seen outsized drawdowns in recent sessions. Altcoins are typically more sensitive to financial conditions, and tightening affects the premise of liquidity expanding.
Profit-taking follows altcoin rallyMax Shannon, senior associate at Bitwise Europe, said part of the recent sell-off reflects traders taking profits after a strong multi-month rally in altcoin prices. Futures open interest in altcoins excluding Ethereum has dropped by $8 billion since the start of October, indicating that traders have reduced risk after the latest uptrend.
Shannon noted that Ethereum outperformed Bitcoin for three consecutive months, a streak last seen in March 2021, prompting investors to realize profits. Ethereum ETFs witnessed 11 straight trading days of net outflows totaling $782.8 million, followed by a small inflow on Tuesday, with $129.5 million in new outflows since, based on CoinGlass data.
He described the current market environment as a “consolidation period” for altcoins that had previously rallied strongly. Shannon said that while altcoins tend to move in tandem with Bitcoin during difficult periods, they can diverge, particularly when unique catalysts emerge.
Looking ahead, Nolan said a recovery would likely depend on expectations for US interest rate decisions. He added that uncertainties made predicting a clear short-term direction for altcoins challenging, as a further drop in Bitcoin could deepen losses, but a robust move above $80,000 could swiftly reignite altcoin momentum.
Solana (SOL) has opened an office in Shanghai and promoted its brand on the city’s skyline. Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao says his own BNB Chain has not managed such a China push so far.
Mainland China has banned crypto trading since 2021. Yet a foreign blockchain foundation now runs public ads and a local office in Shanghai, the country’s financial hub.
Why Solana’s China Office Caught CZ’s AttentionRachel Conlan, Chief Strategy Officer at the Solana Foundation, shared photos from Shanghai, including the new office. Her post also showed Solana branding lit across the city skyline.
What a Day 1 in Shanghai.
From visiting the new office to seeing Solana light up the Shanghai skyline.
Quite a way to kick off the week!
Incredible energy from the community here. pic.twitter.com/fxf81Dta28
— Rachel Conlan (@RachelConlan) October 14, 2026 Conlan joined the foundation in September. She previously served as Binance’s chief marketing officer.
CZ quoted her post on X. He welcomed the move but noted that BNB Chain, the blockchain Binance incubated, has not achieved the same.
It's amazing to see that Solana was able to advertise and even get an office in China. 👏@BNBChain was not able to do this, so far. 🤣
Hopefully, what's good for one industry player is also good for the rest. https://t.co/fNRRWnAGpt
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 15, 2026 The office also anchors a wider Solana campaign in China this month. The foundation’s website lists Solana Accelerate China, an event series in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing.
CZ has his own history with the country. His memoir, Freedom of Money, traces his path from rural China to building Binance.
The exchange itself launched in China in 2017. Shortly after, Beijing’s crackdown on token sales pushed it offshore.
Can Beijing’s Crypto Ban Make Room for More Players?The ban targets crypto trading, token sales, and exchange services. It does not cover blockchain technology itself.
Officially, the ban still stands. In February, regulators widened the crackdown to target stablecoin issuance and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization.
At the same time, Beijing actively backs the underlying technology. Its plans for a national blockchain network leave Bitcoin out entirely.
That split may explain the room Solana has found in China. The foundation pitches its tour to builders, executives, and more than 100 fintech and tech companies.
Still, CZ framed Solana’s China access as a possible precedent. When a user told him he was too nice to the competition, CZ rejected the framing. He argued that any player expanding the industry benefits everyone.
It's not a competition. Whoever helps to expand the industry benefits the entire industry. You don't have to do everything yourself. 😂
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) October 15, 2026 CZ’s own wording leaves the door open. He said BNB Chain has not matched Solana “so far.”
Whether Solana’s China office lasts, and whether BNB Chain follows, will show how much room the ban leaves for foreign blockchains.
China, known for its strict restrictions on Bitcoin and altcoins, is once again in the spotlight, this time due to Solana’s activities in Shanghai. Solana’s opening of an office and advertising campaigns in the city caught the attention of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ).
Solana Advertises and Opens Office in Shanghai!
In an official statement, Solana released photos announcing the opening of an office in Shanghai, China. Specifically, Solana’s core member Vibhu and Foundation Chair Lily Liu publicly stated that Solana occupies the world’s “highest” commercial office space.
Rachel Conlan, Chief Strategy Officer of the Solana Foundation, also shared a post on her X account regarding SOL advertisements. Conlan posted photos showing her visit to the new Shanghai office and the Solana brand’s presence in the city skyline.
Solana’s activities in China are not limited to office work and advertising. According to the foundation’s official website, the Solana Accelerate China event series will be held in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing in October. The program aims to bring together developers and the technology ecosystem.
CZ Comments on Solana’s China Move!
CZ, the founder of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, stated that Solana’s move towards China was surprising and that he hopes other altcoins will seize similar opportunities.
CZ drew attention to images shared by Rachel Conlan, Chief Strategy Officer of the Solana Foundation, on the X platform. CZ expressed surprise that Solana was able to run advertisements and open an office in China.
CZ expressed surprise at Solana’s expansion efforts in China, noting that BNB Chain had been unable to enter the Chinese market despite Solana’s moves. Zhao added that he hoped similar opportunities would be presented to other industry participants.
Restrictions Continue in China!
Solana’s actions come at a time when restrictions on cryptocurrency transactions remain in place in mainland China. However, analysts believe that Solana’s advertising and office activities do not mean that cryptocurrency trading is permitted in the country.
*This is not investment advice.
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Revealed live at Ledger Op3n 2026, Ledger's new device, Ledger Atom™, will ship with the SolanadApp Store and wallet combined into one Seeker app.
, /PRNewswire/ -- Today, live on stage at Ledger Op3n 2026 in Paris, Solana Mobile, announced Ledger as its first hardware expansion partner. The SolanadApp Store and wallet will be combined into one Seeker app and integrated with Ledger Atom.
Ledger is Solana Mobile’s first hardware expansion partner. Ledger Atom™ will ship with the Seeker app preinstalled, giving Ledger users access to the Solana ecosystem.
The Solana dApp Store and wallet will be combined into one Seeker app on Ledger Atom.
This partnership builds on the hardware expansion Solana Mobile began in March 2026, when it opened the Solana Mobile Stack to Android manufacturers at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Every new device leveraging the Solana Mobile Stack brings more people into the SKR ecosystem. More people bring more builders. And more builders bring better apps, which bring the next wave of people. The SKR token is at the heart of it all, allowing users to be rewarded for participating in the ecosystem, developers for building and hardware manufacturers for integrating.
Ledger Atom is a new security and privacy device that leverages Android Open Source Project (AOSP) alongside a Secure Element (EAL6+) running Ledger OS, with the display and touch control physically isolated from the Android operating system. Seeker app will be integrated with this secure technology and preinstalled on the new device, serving as a gateway for Ledger users to the Solana ecosystem.
Ledger Atom will contain advanced anti-tampering and tamper-evident solutions from packaging to the device itself, including methods to help detect if the enclosure has been opened. Ledger Atom will only be sold directly on Ledger's official site.
"Great experiences come from teams who focus on the details, and Solana Mobile is one of those teams. Seeker made self-custody feel natural on mobile. Having the Seeker app on Ledger Atom from day one just makes sense, so Ledger users get access to the Solana ecosystem without giving up any of the security." — Ian Rogers, Chief Human Agency Officer, Ledger
Expanding beyond our own hardware
It's the right moment to expand: Seeker has proven people will hold and use their assets from hardware built for it, with over $13B in transaction volume on Seeker, 154 million transactions, and over 1,500 apps on the SolanadApp Store. The Seeker app on Ledger Atom gives users the best of both worlds: access to the world of Solana with the hardware expertise of Ledger.
App stores are one of the least contestable markets in the world. A few companies decide what ships and take up to a 30% cut of every transaction. Solana Mobile built the SolanadApp Store to change that. Developers can ship the crypto features other app stores often restrict, get reviewed in days instead of weeks, and reach an engaged audience that actually uses crypto every day. It was never supposed to live on just Seeker.
If you own a Seeker, nothing changes, Seeker will stay fully supported. If you build for Solana Mobile, the same SolanadApp Store submission now reaches an expanded audience across multiple devices. Ledger Atom users will join you in the Solana Mobile ecosystem as we bring the same experience to them with the Seeker app.
"The Seeker phone proved what a crypto-native mobile community can do: shipping over a thousand apps with billions in transaction volume from over 100,000 users, and founders finding their first customers in a matter of days. Now we're thrilled to take the Solana Mobile ecosystem further with Ledger, and I'm excited for Ledger Atom users to experience the magic that Seeker users have been experiencing for over a year." — Anatoly Yakovenko, Co-Founder and CEO, Solana Labs
What's in the Seeker app on Ledger Atom
The Seeker app will bring the core Solana Mobile experience to Ledger's hardware security model, enabling Ledger Atom users to:
Connect to the Solana ecosystem on day one. The Seeker app will be preloaded and featured on Ledger Atom's home screen.
Approve securely. Signing and approvals in the Seeker app will happen in Ledger Atom's Secure Mode, backed by the Secure Element and Ledger OS, so the transaction users confirm is the one they sign.
Discover apps. The SolanadApp Store will be built in, with 1500+ dApps available today on Seeker coming to Ledger Atom, spanning trading, payments, gaming, AI, and more.
How to reserve a Ledger Atom
Reservations for Ledger Atom are open now.
Get yours today: ledger.com/seeker
Missed the keynote? Watch the Ledger Op3n 2026 replay here.
About Solana Mobile
Solana Mobile Inc. shipped the Saga in 2023 and the Seeker in 2025, establishing the first production-validated mobile platform for hardware-secured digital asset management. With over 200,000 devices sold and $13B+ in transaction volume, we're now focused on scaling the platform through new hardware partners and the expansion of the economy around SKR, the native asset of the Solana Mobile ecosystem.
Ledger has spent years building small, single-purpose gadgets that keep crypto keys away from the internet. Now the company is reportedly stepping into the phone-shaped world it used to treat as the threat.
According to The Block, Ledger unveiled Atom, an Android-based security device. It features Solana Mobile integration, controls for AI agents, and protections against hardware tampering.
What Atom brings to the table
Per The Block, Atom rests on three main pillars. The first is its Android foundation, which marks a notable shift for a company known for purpose-built hardware wallets.
The second is Solana Mobile integration. The Solana Mobile Stack is a toolkit that lets Android device makers add hardware-secured self-custody and access to the Solana ecosystem. Its key component is Seed Vault, which keeps wallet secrets in protected hardware rather than in ordinary app storage. The stack is production-ready on supported chipsets and already powers the Seeker phone.
The third pillar is AI-agent controls. As autonomous software starts handling more tasks, including potentially moving funds, Ledger is reportedly building that oversight directly into the device rather than leaving it to individual apps.
Finally, Atom includes hardware-tampering protections.
How Ledger and Solana got here
Ledger’s lineup has so far centered on dedicated signing devices. The Nano Gen5 arrived in October 2025, joining the Flex and Stax models in the company’s catalog.
Those devices already support Solana. Users install the Solana app through Ledger Wallet and can manage accounts, transfers, and staking from there. Bluetooth-enabled models such as the Nano X can also pair with Android phones.
The company has shipped millions of devices overall and maintains broad multi-chain support.
On the other side, Solana Mobile has been building its own hardware story. Its Saga and Seeker devices have processed significant on-chain volume. Seeker in particular pairs Seed Vault with a fingerprint sensor for transaction signing.
What this means for users, Ledger, and Solana
The AI-agent angle may prove the most forward-looking piece. Agents that trade, pay, or rebalance on a user’s behalf create an obvious question: who approves the transaction when the human is not in the loop? Hardware-level controls place a physical checkpoint between autonomous software and the funds it might touch.
For Solana, the integration is a potential distribution win. The Solana Mobile Stack was designed for Android device makers to adopt, and a partner with Ledger’s name recognition could lend the approach added credibility.
The research summary accompanying the report notes that demand for secure custody remains robust. It also suggests that closer ties between Ledger and Solana Mobile could strengthen Ledger’s market position and benefit the SOL ecosystem, though those effects are speculative.
Moving onto Android expands what Ledger must defend, since a full mobile operating system carries a far larger attack surface than a minimalist signing device. Competition is another factor: Solana Mobile already sells its own Seeker device with Seed Vault, so Atom’s arrival raises the question of whether the two products complement each other or end up chasing the same buyers.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Kaye Quema. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. And check out our daily news show 'FOMO HOUR' covering all of the top stories and market action.
GM!
Today’s top news:
Crypto majors fall 3-5% after hot CPI; BTC at $80.9k Over $900M liquidated as crypto majors selloff; alts down 5-15% Solana sets Oct 21 for Alpenglow on mainnet Papertrade flips Circle in daily revenue with $7.5M Kalshi says state-level oversight would drive prediction markets offshore 🏎️ Solana Cuts Finality From 12.8 Seconds to 150 MillisecondsNext Wednesday, Solana rips out the engine and drops in a new one while the car is doing 70 on the highway.
On October 21, around 15:00 UTC, Solana activates Alpenglow on mainnet, retiring the consensus mechanism it has run on since launch. Finality drops from roughly 12.8 seconds to a target of about 150 milliseconds – 85 times faster. Anza, the core dev shop behind it, called it “18 months of work for a migration that happens in one slot.”
Finality is the moment a transaction stops being reversible, the point where you can hand over the goods knowing the payment can’t be clawed back. Solana has always felt instant, but there was a roughly 13-second window where a block could in theory still get dropped. Every exchange and payment processor has had to build around that window. Next week it closes.
The old system breaks if more than about a third of staked SOL turns hostile. The new one is built to survive 20% of stake acting maliciously plus another 20% simply offline, and keep finalizing. For a chain whose reputation was built on outages, that’s the number institutions will actually care about.
Now the part that’s going to cause trouble. Validators currently cast their votes as transactions on the chain. Under Alpenglow they vote directly to each other instead, which means Solana’s headline transaction count and TPS figures are about to fall off a cliff. Nothing real changes - same users, same volume, same apps - but the number everyone has quoted for years was mostly validators voting at each other. Expect a wave of “Solana activity collapses” posts next Wednesday from people reading a dashboard.
This is also just phase one of two, and the second piece has no date yet. And Solana has missed an Alpenglow date before - a September 28 activation was announced, then pushed. So, grains of salt.
But clearly Solana is focused on speed as one of its primary differentiators - and it’s about to get a lot faster…
🌎 Macro Crypto and Markets Crypto majors are very red after CPI sent rate hike odds higher; BTC -3% at $80.9k; ETH -6% at $2,360; SOL -5% at $102; HYPE -3% at $79; ZEC -12% at $1,090 Top alt movers include PYTH (+3%) and CRV (+4%) Oil -1% at $95; Gold +0.2% at $4,180 Stock futures are mixed ahead of PPI; DOW +0.3%, Nasdaq -1.1% Over $900M in crypto longs were liquidated over the past 24 hours, led by ETH and BTC Hyperliquid founder Jeff Yan told Bloomberg that U.S. regulators should police the firms building on his blockchain rather than the network itself, arguing “the deployers are the ones that exercise these controls” Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said state-led oversight would drive prediction markets offshore, telling DC Fintech Week the court fight is “a choice of whether prediction markets exist in the U.S. or whether they go offshore” HEX founder Richard Heart was detained in Istanbul on an Interpol Red Notice that Finland requested in 2024 over aggravated tax fraud Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, won approval to trade crypto for its 110 million retail clients, with a December 1 launch planned covering Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT The European Banking Authority designated Circle’s USDC as the EU’s first “significant” e-money token under MiCA, the only one of 45 notified tokens to clear the bar, which puts it under direct EBA supervision of its reserves, capital and liquidity from November 12 Corporate Treasuries & ETFs
The Bitcoin ETFs saw $261M in net outflows on Wednesday; the ETH ETFs saw $130M in outflows Meme Coin Tracker
Meme leaders were red down 3-5%; DOGE -5%, SHIB -3%, PEPE -6%, PENGU -5%, TRUMP -3%, SPX -4%, BONK -5% Robinhood chain leaders were red down 5-20% reversing their recent gains; Pons -6% to $212M; AI -20% at $80M; Cashcat -18% at $100M; VRAX +40% and Wolfpack +55% led top movers Solana top movers included Dope +100%, Stream +9000%, Nihilism +1200% and Pepper +90% 💰 Token, Airdrop & Protocol Tracker Papertrade flipped Circle in revenue with $7.5M, highest of all onchain protocols; Hyperliquid was next with $2.64M, then Pump.fun with $2.04M Polygon Labs closed its acquisition of Coinme, picking up 37 state money transmitter licenses, 11 exemptions and FinCEN registration to cover 48 states, and turning its Open Money Stack into a licensed U.S. payments rail 🚚 What is happening in NFTs? NFT leaders were mostly flat; Punks even at 31.2 ETH, BAYC -1% at 5.45 ETH, Pudgy +2% at 2.42 ETH Yield Field Deeds (+10%), aligndraw (+38%) and Robinpunks (+230%) led top movers Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
Join 72,000+ readers
Create an account to save your articles.
Add on Google
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Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. And check out our daily news show 'FOMO HOUR' covering all of the top stories and market action.
GM!
Today’s top news:
Crypto majors fall 3-5% after hot CPI; BTC at $80.9k
Over $900M liquidated as crypto majors selloff; alts down 5-15%
Solana sets Oct 21 for Alpenglow on mainnet
Papertrade flips Circle in daily revenue with $7.5M
Kalshi says state-level oversight would drive prediction markets offshore
🏎️ Solana Cuts Finality From 12.8 Seconds to 150 MillisecondsNext Wednesday, Solana rips out the engine and drops in a new one while the car is doing 70 on the highway.
On October 21, around 15:00 UTC, Solana activates Alpenglow on mainnet, retiring the consensus mechanism it has run on since launch. Finality drops from roughly 12.8 seconds to a target of about 150 milliseconds – 85 times faster. Anza, the core dev shop behind it, called it “18 months of work for a migration that happens in one slot.”
Finality is the moment a transaction stops being reversible, the point where you can hand over the goods knowing the payment can’t be clawed back. Solana has always felt instant, but there was a roughly 13-second window where a block could in theory still get dropped. Every exchange and payment processor has had to build around that window. Next week it closes.
The old system breaks if more than about a third of staked SOL turns hostile. The new one is built to survive 20% of stake acting maliciously plus another 20% simply offline, and keep finalizing. For a chain whose reputation was built on outages, that’s the number institutions will actually care about.
Now the part that’s going to cause trouble. Validators currently cast their votes as transactions on the chain. Under Alpenglow they vote directly to each other instead, which means Solana’s headline transaction count and TPS figures are about to fall off a cliff. Nothing real changes - same users, same volume, same apps - but the number everyone has quoted for years was mostly validators voting at each other. Expect a wave of “Solana activity collapses” posts next Wednesday from people reading a dashboard.
This is also just phase one of two, and the second piece has no date yet. And Solana has missed an Alpenglow date before - a September 28 activation was announced, then pushed. So, grains of salt.
But clearly Solana is focused on speed as one of its primary differentiators - and it’s about to get a lot faster…
🌎 Macro Crypto and Markets
Crypto majors are very red after CPI sent rate hike odds higher; BTC -3% at $80.9k; ETH -6% at $2,360; SOL -5% at $102; HYPE -3% at $79; ZEC -12% at $1,090
Top alt movers include PYTH (+3%) and CRV (+4%)
Oil -1% at $95; Gold +0.2% at $4,180
Stock futures are mixed ahead of PPI; DOW +0.3%, Nasdaq -1.1%
Over $900M in crypto longs were liquidated over the past 24 hours, led by ETH and BTC
Hyperliquid founder Jeff Yan told Bloomberg that U.S. regulators should police the firms building on his blockchain rather than the network itself, arguing “the deployers are the ones that exercise these controls”
Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour said state-led oversight would drive prediction markets offshore, telling DC Fintech Week the court fight is “a choice of whether prediction markets exist in the U.S. or whether they go offshore”
HEX founder Richard Heart was detained in Istanbul on an Interpol Red Notice that Finland requested in 2024 over aggravated tax fraud
Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, won approval to trade crypto for its 110 million retail clients, with a December 1 launch planned covering Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDT
The European Banking Authority designated Circle’s USDC as the EU’s first “significant” e-money token under MiCA, the only one of 45 notified tokens to clear the bar, which puts it under direct EBA supervision of its reserves, capital and liquidity from November 12
Corporate Treasuries & ETFs
The Bitcoin ETFs saw $261M in net outflows on Wednesday; the ETH ETFs saw $130M in outflows
Meme Coin Tracker
Meme leaders were red down 3-5%; DOGE -5%, SHIB -3%, PEPE -6%, PENGU -5%, TRUMP -3%, SPX -4%, BONK -5%
Robinhood chain leaders were red down 5-20% reversing their recent gains; Pons -6% to $212M; AI -20% at $80M; Cashcat -18% at $100M; VRAX +40% and Wolfpack +55% led top movers
Solana top movers included Dope +100%, Stream +9000%, Nihilism +1200% and Pepper +90%
💰 Token, Airdrop & Protocol Tracker
Papertrade flipped Circle in revenue with $7.5M, highest of all onchain protocols; Hyperliquid was next with $2.64M, then Pump.fun with $2.04M
Polygon Labs closed its acquisition of Coinme, picking up 37 state money transmitter licenses, 11 exemptions and FinCEN registration to cover 48 states, and turning its Open Money Stack into a licensed U.S. payments rail
🚚 What is happening in NFTs?
NFT leaders were mostly flat; Punks even at 31.2 ETH, BAYC -1% at 5.45 ETH, Pudgy +2% at 2.42 ETH
Yield Field Deeds (+10%), aligndraw (+38%) and Robinpunks (+230%) led top movers
Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
Join 72,000+ readers
Create an account to save your articles.
Add on Google
Add Decrypt as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
Solana Mobile has landed its first hardware expansion partner, and it is one of the biggest names in crypto security. Ledger, the hardware wallet of choice for over 30% of all retail crypto holdings, will release its new Ledger Atom device with the Seeker app preinstalled.
Revealed live on stage at Ledger Op3n 2026 in Paris, the partnership combines the Solana dApp Store and wallet into a single Seeker app, built directly into Ledger's new flagship device.
For a team that set out to challenge the mobile duopoly with a single phone, Seeker’s first hardware expansion is the clearest proof yet that the Solana Mobile Stack is ready for the wider world.
Ledger Unveils Atom, Leveraging New Seeker App The self-custody giant’s most ambitious product yet, Ledger Atom is a security and privacy device built on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). Underneath the hood, a Secure Element (EAL6+) runs Ledger OS, with the device's display and touch controls physically isolated from the Android operating system.
Atom users will also get the full Solana dApp Store built into the device from Day 1, with over 1,500 dApps spanning trading, payments, gaming, AI, and more. Few distribution channels reach Solana's most active users as effectively as the Seeker app. By building it into Atom, Ledger gets a ready-made doorway into crypto's most active ecosystem, potentially putting the full breadth of the Solana dApp store in front of millions of new users.
"Great experiences come from teams who focus on the details, and Solana Mobile is one of those teams. Seeker made self-custody feel natural on mobile. Having the Seeker app on Ledger Atom from day one just makes sense, so Ledger users get access to the Solana ecosystem without giving up any of the security.” - Ian Rogers, Chief Human Agency Officer at Ledger.
Meanwhile, the device Seeker users know and love remains the central pillar of the Solana Mobile ecosystem, with a wealth of further announcements expected in the coming months that will advance the growth and expansion of $SKR and its decentralized economy.
Every signature and approval in the Seeker app will take place in Ledger Atom's Secure Mode, backed by the Secure Element and Ledger OS. Whenever a user initiates what Ledger considers a ‘sensitive’ activity, like signing a transaction, the Atom enters Secure mode, which disables any potential risk surfaces on the device, like microphones and screen readers.
In response to recent concerns, Ledger is hardening its physical security ahead of Atom’s rollout, introducing advanced anti-tampering and tamper-evident solutions from packaging to the device itself. To alleviate any supply chain concerns, Ledger Atom will only be sold directly on Ledger’s official site.
Beyond its collaboration with Solana Mobile, Ledger is making it clear that Solana sits near the top of its priorities.
In an exclusive comment to SolanaFloor, Ledger EVP Jean-François Rochet highlighted Solana as one of crypto’s main venues for tokenization, stablecoin payments and agentic activity.
“Historically, I think we have engaged further with the entire Solana ecosystem. Which is quite obvious as one of the main venues for everything tokenized, for payments, and beyond all the fame that they got in the past few years. So we are building a deeper partnership… and indeed a very strong commitment from all of us with Solana.” - Ledger EVP Jean-François Rochet
Ledger Atom will only be sold directly through Ledger's official site, with reservations open now at ledger.com/seeker. Shipping is currently slated for Summer 2027.
What Does Solana Mobile's First Hardware Expansion Mean for the Seeker Economy? Before today, the Solana Seeker, and its 1,500+ apps, was largely an ecosystem within an ecosystem. Despite selling over 200,000 units across the globe, the existing Seeker user base is predominantly made up of Solana power users. Ledger Atom broadens that reach, opening a new front door to the Seeker ecosystem for a user base that spans millions of hardware wallet owners worldwide.
The Seeker ecosystem has already processed over $13B in transaction volume across 154 million transactions. Ledger's distribution could put that activity in front of a far larger audience, many of whom may never have explored a Solana-native app before. By introducing new users to Seeker and Solana, Ledger’s worldwide clientele will be able to plug directly into services like the Seeker $USDC Earn Vault, potentially driving value to $SKR.
Speaking exclusively to SolanaFloor, Solana Mobile GM Emmett Hollyer asserted the expansion strengthens both sides of the Seeker economy.
"Until now, if you wanted to take part in the more than 1,500 apps and $13 billion in transaction volume that's been generated, you had to do it through Saga or through Seeker. Now there's another entry point with Ledger Atom. On the developer side, you not only get distribution to the 200,000 plus Solana Mobile devices that have been sold, but now you'll also get distribution to a whole new set of devices and units that are going out with Ledger." - Emmett Hollyer, Solana Mobile GM
For budding app developers and entrepreneurs, the Solana dApp Store offers a distinct economic advantage over the reigning smart phone duopoly. Where traditional app stores take up to a 30% cut of every transaction and can restrict crypto features outright, the Solana dApp Store promises speedy review turnarounds, and exposure to one of crypto’s most engaged user bases.
Many developers have reported onboarding several hundred verifiably authentic users within days of listing their application on Seeker.
"The Seeker phone proved what a crypto-native mobile community can do: shipping over a thousand apps with billions in transaction volume from over 100,000 users, and founders finding their first customers in a matter of days. Now we’re thrilled to take the Solana Mobile ecosystem further with Ledger, and I’m excited for Ledger Atom users to experience the magic that Seeker users have been experiencing for over a year.” - Anatoly Yakovenko, Co-Founder and CEO, Solana Labs
Solana Mobile Continues to Deliver When Saga launched in 2023, it quickly became a cult favorite among Solana natives. After completely selling out the first Solana phone, expectations for its successor were sky high. Solana Mobile promised a second, better phone. It delivered Seeker, which began shipping in August 2025 and has now sold over 200,000 units.
Solana Mobile then promised a token to power the Seeker economy, decentralizing ownership and governance of the protocol. It delivered $SKR, launching in January 2026 with 30% of the total supply allocated to the community in one of the year’s biggest airdrops.
Next came the promise of hardware expansion. At Breakpoint 2025, Hollyer announced collaborations with MediaTek, Trustonic, and FXTech, and in March 2026, Solana Mobile opened the Solana Mobile Stack to Android manufacturers at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Seven months later, Solana Mobile has delivered on that promise too, with one of the most recognizable brands in crypto. For Hollyer, securing Seeker’s first hardware expansion with a partner as prominent as Ledger is a critical milestone for a team that started with plenty of unknowns.
“When I think back to where we were a few years ago, when we first launched Saga, there was so much unproven. To have an established partner like Ledger, somebody who's been building hardware in the space for so long, leverage our technology to improve their user experience, is validation that this ecosystem and the community we've built matters.”
Ledger Atom's design also reads like an endorsement of the principles Solana Mobile has championed since day one. Seeker's Seed Vault pioneered siloed, hardware-backed key management on mobile, and Atom's isolated Secure Mode follows that same philosophy.
Hollyer described Atom and Ledger OS as "another great step in the lineage of more secure, more siloed, secure enclaves and trusted execution environments," adding that more options for security-conscious users is always a win.
Read More on SolanaFloor Solana transaction finality is about to get 85x faster
Alpenglow Mainnet Activation Set for October 21 - Here’s What You Need to Know
Emmett Hollyer Weighs in on Radiant’s Clock In Hackathon
Crypto hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger has launched the Atom Android device at the Op3n event in Paris. The limited-edition founder version is priced at $849, with a fully refundable $100 deposit required for pre-orders; the regular retail price will be $899 after launch. Delivery is slated for summer 2027, pending completion of certification. Atom uses an FPGA chip to isolate its Android environment from a secure mode dedicated to transaction auditing and signing, while supporting standard Android applications. Solana Mobile plans to integrate its wallet and dApp Store into the Seeker app, which will connect to Atom, with transaction signing handled by the secure mode. The device will also come pre-installed with OpenClaw, a tool that lets users review transactions proposed by AI agents via Agent Intent, without exposing private keys to the agents. Addressing recent hardware wallet tampering incidents, Ledger stated that Atom can detect acts including screen removal, casing disassembly, and core area drilling. Anti-tamper sensors remain powered by an independent battery even when the device is turned off. The company added that its core protection features can block the screen-reading implant attack observed in the recent incidents. The device will be sold exclusively through Ledger’s official website.
Solana Mobile has announced its first major hardware collaboration with Ledger, revealing Ledger as a key partner in expanding Solana’s mobile ecosystem. The new Ledger Atom device will come pre-installed with the Seeker app, which integrates the Solana dApp Store and enables secure transaction signing through Ledger’s EAL6+ Secure Element. This partnership is designed to extend Solana’s app and wallet infrastructure into Ledger’s hardware network, potentially broadening its user base. Market participants may view this development as supportive of Solana’s ecosystem, potentially influencing the value of SOL in the market.
Key Takeaways
The announcement of Ledger as a hardware partner for Solana appears to enhance the ecosystem’s reach.
The introduction of the Ledger Atom with the Seeker app suggests expanded access to Solana’s dApps and wallet services.
Markets may interpret this partnership as supportive of increased demand for SOL, influencing its price prospects.
What to Watch
Observers are likely to monitor how effectively the Ledger partnership bolsters Solana’s ecosystem and user engagement. Key indicators will include the adoption rate of the Ledger Atom and its impact on Solana’s app and wallet usage metrics. Additionally, any significant changes in SOL’s market price or investor sentiment following this announcement could provide further insights into its long-term impact.
Ledger Atom will ship with Solana Mobile’s Seeker wallet and decentralized app marketplace preinstalled. The integration combines Solana application access with Ledger’s hardware-isolated transaction approvals. The partnership creates another distribution channel for developers, but its commercial impact and SKR incentives remain unquantified. Solana Mobile is expanding beyond its own smartphones through a partnership with Ledger, bringing its Seeker wallet and decentralized application marketplace to the upcoming Ledger Atom device.
Announced at Ledger Op3n 2026 in Paris on October 15, the agreement makes Ledger the first hardware partner to integrate Solana Mobile’s software ecosystem.
The move shifts Solana Mobile’s growth strategy toward a model in which other manufacturers can distribute its applications without requiring customers to purchase a Saga or Seeker smartphone.
For Ledger, the arrangement introduces an integrated Solana application experience to hardware primarily associated with securing digital assets.
Why Solana Mobile Is Expanding Beyond Smartphones Solana Mobile introduced its Mobile Stack for hardware manufacturers in March 2026, making wallet infrastructure, asset security and decentralized application distribution available to external Android device makers.
The software is designed as a modular integration, allowing manufacturers to adopt selected components rather than build a cryptocurrency platform from scratch.
Ledger Atom is the first announced hardware product to put that strategy into practice.
The device will include a unified Seeker application combining wallet functionality with access to the Solana dApp Store.
According to the official announcement, the marketplace currently offers more than 1,500 applications spanning trading, payments, gaming and artificial intelligence.
Developers already publishing through the store will be able to reach Ledger Atom users through the same submission process.
This reduces a potential distribution barrier. Developers would not need to maintain an entirely separate application marketplace presence to reach customers using the new hardware.
However, wider availability does not necessarily translate into greater adoption. The commercial value will depend on how many Ledger Atom owners actively use those applications and how frequently they transact.
Ledger Atom Separates Android From Transaction Approval The partnership also introduces a different security architecture from the one used in Solana Mobile’s smartphones.
Ledger Atom combines the Android Open Source Project with an EAL6+ Secure Element running Ledger OS. Its display and touch controls are physically isolated from the Android operating system.
That separation is designed to prevent the general-purpose software environment from controlling the information users see when approving transactions.
The Seeker application will use Ledger Atom’s Secure Mode for transaction signing and authorization.
Three elements define the approach:
Secure Element: Dedicated hardware supports protection of sensitive signing operations. Isolated confirmation: Transaction details are presented through display and touch controls separated from Android. Tamper detection: Hardware and packaging protections are intended to help reveal unauthorized physical interference. Ledger Chief Human Agency Officer Ian Rogers described the integration as a way to extend Solana Mobile’s self-custody experience while preserving Ledger’s hardware security approach.
The architecture addresses a meaningful concern for crypto users: the possibility that compromised software could interfere with transaction approval.
It does not remove every risk associated with self-custody.
Users can still authorize malicious smart contracts, approve deceptive transactions or lose funds through compromised applications. A protected signing environment helps preserve transaction integrity but cannot independently determine whether a transaction is financially safe.
Seeker’s Existing Activity Supports the Expansion Solana Mobile enters the partnership with an established hardware and developer ecosystem.
The company reported more than 200,000 devices sold across Saga and Seeker, alongside over $13 billion in transaction volume and 154 million transactions generated through Seeker.
These figures are company-reported and do not independently establish the number of active users or the profitability of the platform.
They nevertheless provide context for the decision to pursue third-party hardware integration.
Solana Mobile has already invested in developing wallet infrastructure, attracting applications and building an audience around hardware-supported cryptocurrency activity.
Distributing those components through another manufacturer allows the company to pursue additional users without bearing the full responsibility for designing and selling every device.
The arrangement also gives Ledger access to an existing application catalog, potentially broadening the device’s role beyond asset storage and transaction signing.
That creates a different competitive proposition from a conventional hardware wallet, although the companies have not disclosed expected sales volumes or adoption targets.
What the Partnership Could Mean for SKR The expansion is connected to Solana Mobile’s broader incentive model.
SKR is the native token of the Solana Mobile ecosystem, intended to align participation among users, application developers and hardware manufacturers.
Under the company’s Mobile Stack strategy, manufacturers may participate in revenue-sharing arrangements linked to transactions and ecosystem activity.
The model creates a potential financial incentive for hardware partners to support cryptocurrency applications after the initial device sale.
However, the Ledger announcement does not disclose a specific SKR allocation, reward structure or revenue-sharing agreement for Ledger Atom.
Consequently, the partnership should not be interpreted as confirmation of additional token demand or a defined new revenue stream.
Its immediate significance is the expansion of the ecosystem’s potential user base. Whether that translates into greater SKR participation will depend on how Ledger Atom is integrated into the incentive system and how customers use the device.
Ledger Atom Will Test Seeker’s Appeal Beyond Phones Reservations for Ledger Atom are open through Ledger’s official website, which will serve as its exclusive sales channel. The announcement does not specify a shipping date or final retail price.
Existing Seeker smartphones will continue receiving support.
The more consequential question is whether Solana Mobile’s applications can attract sustained usage on hardware designed around security rather than the broader smartphone experience.
For developers, the partnership offers another route to users. For Ledger, it adds a software ecosystem to its security-focused device. For Solana Mobile, it provides an opportunity to expand without relying exclusively on its own hardware sales.
The first meaningful evidence of success will come from device adoption, application engagement and any subsequently disclosed economics of the Ledger integration.
Alexander Zdravkov is a crypto journalist and market analyst specializing in digital assets, blockchain technology, and the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency market. He entered the industry more than four years ago, drawn to the speed of innovation in crypto and the potential of blockchain-based financial systems to reshape traditional markets. His work focuses on understanding the forces behind crypto market movements, from Bitcoin and altcoin cycles to institutional adoption, regulation, exchange-traded products, stablecoins, DeFi, and emerging blockchain ecosystems. Rather than simply following price action, Alexander looks at liquidity, investor positioning, market structure, and macroeconomic conditions to identify developing trends and explain what they could mean for digital assets. With a degree in International Relations, he brings a broader perspective to cryptocurrency coverage by connecting developments in the sector with monetary policy, geopolitics, regulation, and global capital flows. This allows him to examine crypto not as an isolated market, but as an increasingly interconnected part of the global financial system. Over the course of more than five years in financial journalism, Alexander has written over 5,000 articles covering cryptocurrencies, blockchain, traditional markets, and the global economy. His reporting spans Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, DeFi protocols, institutional crypto adoption, regulation, market infrastructure, security incidents, and major developments shaping the wider digital asset industry. His approach is centered on giving readers context behind the numbers and headlines, explaining not only what is happening in crypto markets, but why it matters and what could come next.
Nillion clarifies its Layer 2 (L2) shutdown arrangements, stating that the project is now operating on the Ethereum mainnet.
Nillion has issued a clarification, announcing it will gradually shut down its Nillion L2 over the coming weeks, as the project is now operational on the Ethereum mainnet. Users still holding NIL tokens on the L2 are required to migrate their assets to Ethereum L1 before the shutdown, with a dedicated bridge portal provided. The team stated that the earlier post sparked concerns among some users, prompting this clarification, and emphasized that the adjustment is purely a maintenance operation.
24 minutes ago
CoreWeave’s expanded borrowing plan sparks market unease, with high-yield bonds continuing their decline.
Amid intensifying declines in high-yield bonds, credit risk for AI cloud computing firm CoreWeave hit an all-time high on Thursday. The company’s plans to further expand its borrowing scale have sparked concerns among bond investors. Data from ICE Data Services shows that the cost of CoreWeave’s five-year credit default swaps (CDS) rose by 74.5 basis points at one point to 1,194.5 basis points, marking an intraday all-time high. This means the swap market pricing reflects that the company’s default probability over the next five years exceeds 60%. Meanwhile, CoreWeave bonds were among the biggest decliners in the U.S. junk bond market on Thursday. The financing boom in the AI sector is unsettling bond investors, prompting the market to reassess credit risks for some large tech firms, as evidenced by surging credit default insurance prices, heightened market volatility, and weak bond performance. As an early entrant in the AI cloud computing space that relies heavily on the high-yield bond market to fund business expansion, CoreWeave has drawn particular attention.
24 minutes ago
Bitwise’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO): Bitcoin Likely to Benefit Long-Term, Regardless of AI Boom or Its Bubble Burst
Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan stated in a client report that Bitcoin is likely to benefit in the long run regardless of whether AI drives an economic boom, an investment bubble bursts, or the economy grows only moderately. In the scenario where the AI bubble bursts and triggers a recession similar to 2008, given AI’s geopolitical significance, he puts the probability of subsequent government bailouts at “nearly 100%”. Bitcoin may first face a sell-off before rallying sharply amid a surge in the money supply. If AI significantly lifts productivity and GDP while cutting costs in sectors like software and legal services, Hougan forecasts that scarce assets such as Bitcoin will appreciate. Should the economy sustain 3% growth, 4% interest rates and a near soft landing, Bitcoin will still be supported by ETF inflows, adoption by financial advisors, and allocations on corporate and sovereign balance sheets. He cautioned that Bitcoin will not rise in a straight line, with some scenarios potentially involving difficult initial phases. Threats including quantum computing, coordinated government crackdowns, or renewed fiscal austerity by Western governments could also undermine his thesis; he considers these scenarios unlikely but not impossible.
24 minutes ago
Bitcoin rebounds to break through $81,000
According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has rebounded to break through the $81,000 level, with a 1.29% decline in the past 24 hours.
24 minutes ago
Bitcoin falls below $80,000
According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has fallen below $80,000, recording a 3.48% drop in the past 24 hours.
24 minutes ago
Nasdaq’s proposed $5 million market capitalization delisting threshold has sparked opposition from small U.S. businesses.
According to Bloomberg, Nasdaq plans to immediately suspend trading of listed companies with a market capitalization below $5 million for 30 consecutive days, followed by delisting, to curb market manipulation such as "pump and dump" schemes in micro-cap stocks. The proposal has faced opposition from small U.S. businesses; regulators put its rollout on hold last month and are soliciting further public comments. Bloomberg data shows more than 190 Nasdaq-listed companies currently have a market cap of no more than $5 million, with roughly one-third based in Asia and nearly half in the U.S. Opposing companies argue that natural price fluctuations stemming from low trading volume are not equivalent to market manipulation, and the proposal could deter financing and harm normally operating businesses. Unlike existing delisting rules for low share prices, which provide a 180-day correction period, the new proposal does not offer an extended grace period. Nasdaq, for its part, stated that securities assigned very low valuations by the market are more prone to volatility, posing an ongoing challenge to fair and orderly trading. NYSE American also proposed a similar $5 million threshold in March this year, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed a final vote as well.
NEAR Foundation has added Helius CEO Mert Mumtaz to its council to help develop private onchain markets and connect blockchain liquidity, according to an Oct. 15 announcement.
Mumtaz is the co-founder of Helius, which builds the infrastructure behind applications and services on Solana. Helius now provides RPC infrastructure, historical data, streaming, transaction delivery and validator services for Solana developers, with customers including Phantom, Jupiter, Coinbase and Bitwise.
Before launching the company, Mumtaz worked as a software engineer at Coinbase, BlackBerry, Shutterstock, Scotiabank and Clearco.
The appointment will see Mumtaz help oversee NEAR Foundation’s product strategy, ecosystem development and governance as it works to connect liquidity across blockchain networks.
The Canadian software engineer and crypto entrepreneur is also set to judge the NEAR Hackathon, which will run from Nov. 1 to 14 and focus on projects built using NEAR’s technology stack, including NEAR Intents and NEAR AI Cloud.
Mumtaz joins council members Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol; Diogo Mónica, co-founder of Anchorage Digital; Chris Donovan, former chief operating officer of NEAR Foundation; and Bowen Wang, founder of NEAR One.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Nillion clarifies its Layer 2 (L2) shutdown arrangements, stating that the project is now operating on the Ethereum mainnet.
Nillion has issued a clarification, announcing it will gradually shut down its Nillion L2 over the coming weeks, as the project is now operational on the Ethereum mainnet. Users still holding NIL tokens on the L2 are required to migrate their assets to Ethereum L1 before the shutdown, with a dedicated bridge portal provided. The team stated that the earlier post sparked concerns among some users, prompting this clarification, and emphasized that the adjustment is purely a maintenance operation.
24 minutes ago
CoreWeave’s expanded borrowing plan sparks market unease, with high-yield bonds continuing their decline.
Amid intensifying declines in high-yield bonds, credit risk for AI cloud computing firm CoreWeave hit an all-time high on Thursday. The company’s plans to further expand its borrowing scale have sparked concerns among bond investors. Data from ICE Data Services shows that the cost of CoreWeave’s five-year credit default swaps (CDS) rose by 74.5 basis points at one point to 1,194.5 basis points, marking an intraday all-time high. This means the swap market pricing reflects that the company’s default probability over the next five years exceeds 60%. Meanwhile, CoreWeave bonds were among the biggest decliners in the U.S. junk bond market on Thursday. The financing boom in the AI sector is unsettling bond investors, prompting the market to reassess credit risks for some large tech firms, as evidenced by surging credit default insurance prices, heightened market volatility, and weak bond performance. As an early entrant in the AI cloud computing space that relies heavily on the high-yield bond market to fund business expansion, CoreWeave has drawn particular attention.
24 minutes ago
Bitwise’s Chief Investment Officer (CIO): Bitcoin Likely to Benefit Long-Term, Regardless of AI Boom or Its Bubble Burst
Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan stated in a client report that Bitcoin is likely to benefit in the long run regardless of whether AI drives an economic boom, an investment bubble bursts, or the economy grows only moderately. In the scenario where the AI bubble bursts and triggers a recession similar to 2008, given AI’s geopolitical significance, he puts the probability of subsequent government bailouts at “nearly 100%”. Bitcoin may first face a sell-off before rallying sharply amid a surge in the money supply. If AI significantly lifts productivity and GDP while cutting costs in sectors like software and legal services, Hougan forecasts that scarce assets such as Bitcoin will appreciate. Should the economy sustain 3% growth, 4% interest rates and a near soft landing, Bitcoin will still be supported by ETF inflows, adoption by financial advisors, and allocations on corporate and sovereign balance sheets. He cautioned that Bitcoin will not rise in a straight line, with some scenarios potentially involving difficult initial phases. Threats including quantum computing, coordinated government crackdowns, or renewed fiscal austerity by Western governments could also undermine his thesis; he considers these scenarios unlikely but not impossible.
24 minutes ago
Bitcoin rebounds to break through $81,000
According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has rebounded to break through the $81,000 level, with a 1.29% decline in the past 24 hours.
24 minutes ago
Bitcoin falls below $80,000
According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has fallen below $80,000, recording a 3.48% drop in the past 24 hours.
24 minutes ago
Nasdaq’s proposed $5 million market capitalization delisting threshold has sparked opposition from small U.S. businesses.
According to Bloomberg, Nasdaq plans to immediately suspend trading of listed companies with a market capitalization below $5 million for 30 consecutive days, followed by delisting, to curb market manipulation such as "pump and dump" schemes in micro-cap stocks. The proposal has faced opposition from small U.S. businesses; regulators put its rollout on hold last month and are soliciting further public comments. Bloomberg data shows more than 190 Nasdaq-listed companies currently have a market cap of no more than $5 million, with roughly one-third based in Asia and nearly half in the U.S. Opposing companies argue that natural price fluctuations stemming from low trading volume are not equivalent to market manipulation, and the proposal could deter financing and harm normally operating businesses. Unlike existing delisting rules for low share prices, which provide a 180-day correction period, the new proposal does not offer an extended grace period. Nasdaq, for its part, stated that securities assigned very low valuations by the market are more prone to volatility, posing an ongoing challenge to fair and orderly trading. NYSE American also proposed a similar $5 million threshold in March this year, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed a final vote as well.
The head of one of Solana's largest infrastructure firms is joining NEAR's governing council as the network expands its push into private, cross-chain markets.
What's the Scoop? New Council Member: Mert Mumtaz, CEO and co-founder of Helius, has joined the NEAR Foundation Council and will sit alongside NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin and Anchorage Digital co-founder Diogo Mónica.
His Role: Mumtaz will help guide NEAR's product strategy, ecosystem growth, and governance as the network expands into private onchain markets. He'll also judge NEAR's November 1–14 hackathon.
Cross-Chain Ties: Though he runs Helius, a major Solana infrastructure company, Mumtaz has been a vocal NEAR fan, calling it "the market of markets," a neutral layer connecting chains like Solana, Zcash, and AI networks: "If Solana is one continent… then NEAR is the silk road."
NEAR's Momentum: NEAR Intents, which lets users swap across blockchains without managing bridges, has processed over $33B in all-time volume. It also lost about $3.8M to a deposit-system bug on Oct 1, which the team patched, and it says it will fully repay users.
Quantum and AI Fears: The day before, Mumtaz and Polosukhin joined threadguy's roundtable on whether AI or quantum computers could break crypto. The takeaway was that coins are safe for now, and smart contract hacks are the bigger near-term risk. Mumtaz said most chains could upgrade if they had to, and that Zcash was "the best prepared."
Bankless 2823 posts
It’s time to break up with your bank, and join the movement for a better world.
Solana has established a physical presence in China's financial hub, drawing attention from Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.
Solana opened a new office in Shanghai on October 14, marking a first for a major blockchain ecosystem. The foundation also showcased its brand on a giant LED display on the city skyline, giving crypto an unusually visible presence in mainland China.
Vibhu Norby, Chief Product Officer at the Solana Foundation, highlighted the office's location, saying Solana now occupies the highest commercially available office space in the world.
Rachel Conlan, the foundation's Chief Strategy Officer, also shared images from the opening and described the community's energy in Shanghai as “incredible”.
The move attracted attention from Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who noted that BNB Chain had not managed a similar expansion into China. "It's amazing to see that Solana was able to advertise and even get an office in China," Zhao wrote on X. "BNB Chain was not able to do this, so far."
He added that he hoped “what's good for one industry player” would benefit the wider industry.
How Solana Is Navigating China's Crypto Restrictions Solana's presence in Shanghai stands out because mainland China has maintained strict restrictions on cryptocurrency trading and related financial activities since 2021.
However, the country's restrictions on crypto speculation do not amount to a blanket ban on blockchain technology. Chinese authorities continue to support blockchain infrastructure and other technology initiatives, creating a distinction between developing the underlying technology and promoting cryptocurrency trading.
Solana's recent activities in China appear to follow that distinction. Earlier in March, Solana launched the Shanghai Builder Station at the Alibaba Center in Hongqiao, with support from the Minhang District. The initiative positioned the location as a collaborative base for developers working on Layer 1 infrastructure and applications, rather than directly promoting crypto trading.
Community commentary has since highlighted Solana's emphasis on AI agents, robotics, Physical AI, developer collaboration, and hardware supply chains as a way to engage Chinese technology professionals while avoiding an emphasis on tokens, memecoins, and speculative trading.
However, the distinction does not eliminate regulatory risk. Chinese community members have raised concerns about the visibility of Solana's branding and the possibility of stricter scrutiny. One account also reported restrictions on related $SOL content on Douyin, China's video-based social media platform.
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Solana Accelerate China Heads to 4 Cities The Shanghai office opening comes just ahead of Solana Accelerate China, a series of events scheduled to connect Chinese developers, founders and investors with the wider Solana ecosystem.
The schedule includes Shanghai on October 16, Hangzhou on October 18, Shenzhen on October 20, and Beijing on October 22. The tour gives Solana an opportunity to build relationships with China's tech community, particularly developers working across AI, robotics, and blockchain infrastructure.
Solana's Shanghai presence also gives the foundation a physical base for engaging with local builders beyond individual conferences and community gatherings.
What Solana's China Expansion Means Solana's new office and high-profile advertising represent a notable step for a blockchain ecosystem operating in a country with strict cryptocurrency restrictions. CZ's reaction further highlights how unusual the development appears within the industry.
Still, a physical office and a prominent advertising display do not establish that Chinese authorities have relaxed their position on cryptocurrency. Solana's longer-term progress in the region will depend on its ability to maintain local relationships, support technology development, and navigate the country's regulatory boundaries.
Read More on SolanaFloor Squads Tests Post-Quantum Signing on Solana Mainnet as Crypto Security Debate Intensifies
Alpenglow Mainnet Activation Set for October 21 - Here’s What You Need to Know
Jito CEO Says The End of CEXs is Closer Than You Think
Ethereum, XRP and Solana all dropped on October 15, 2026. The trigger had nothing to do with blockchains and everything to do with a spreadsheet from Washington.
The US Consumer Price Index for September showed inflation running at 3.7% year over year. Market analysts cited by Decrypt say macro factors, not crypto-specific problems, are what pushed altcoin prices down.
The numbers behind the selloff
Economists had expected the September CPI reading to land at 3.6%. Instead it came in a tenth of a point hotter, and it also climbed above August’s 3.4% rate.
The concern is simple. If inflation keeps rising, the Federal Reserve has less room to ease, and borrowing costs stay elevated for longer. That tends to drain enthusiasm for anything that sits at the riskier end of the investment spectrum.
Ethereum fell below $2,400, a slide of nearly 5-6% on the day. XRP traded in a range of $1.30-$1.31, while Solana hovered between $101-$102. Both of those tokens posted declines close to 5%.
Leverage made things worse. Total liquidations across the crypto market reached approximately $972 million over a 24-hour window, with long positions taking most of the damage. ETH accounted for the largest share of the wipeout.
Institutional money stepped back too
On October 14, Bitcoin spot ETFs recorded outflows of approximately $261 million. Ethereum spot ETFs lost around $130 million on the same day.
Solana products saw minor outflows, while XRP funds actually logged a modest inflow. That XRP inflow is a small detail, but a telling one. It suggests at least some institutional buyers were willing to add exposure even as the broader mood soured. It was not enough to stop the token’s price from falling roughly 5%, though.
Why macro is running the show
The 10-year US Treasury yield approached 5.3%, a level that represents multi-decade highs.
Other forces were also in play. Geopolitical tensions, rising oil prices and a hawkish tone in minutes from recent Federal Reserve meetings have kept markets on edge. Earlier October volatility was also correlated with climbing oil prices and Fed signals pointing toward tighter policy.
Analysts also noted that altcoins have been underperforming Bitcoin during this phase.
What this means for traders and investors
The Federal Reserve’s next decision is scheduled for October 28. A hotter-than-expected CPI reading raises the odds that policymakers lean toward keeping rates higher for longer.
Approximately $972 million in forced closures in a single day signals that a lot of leverage had built up on the long side. ETF flows are worth watching as a gauge of institutional conviction. Continued outflows from the Bitcoin and Ethereum funds would suggest larger investors are trimming risk until the rate outlook clears.
The split between XRP’s small inflow and Solana’s minor outflow shows that institutional appetite is not moving in lockstep across altcoins.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Sectora Foundation today announced that four of its products have completed interface development and entered final testing on testnet ahead of launch.
The company’s #SECT token, which serves as the token of its cybersecurity network for crypto infrastructure and tokenized assets, is available on Uniswap (SECT/USDT pair on Ethereum).
The token has a total supply of 50 million and a market capitalization of approximately $5 million. Liquidity is locked through Team Finance, the token is listed on CoinGecko, and its launch was previously announced on AP News and Benzinga.
Product Development StatusFour Sectora products have finished interfaces and are in final testing on testnet: the Sectora L3 network with its SectoraScan explorer, the Sectora DEX, the hash market, and Sectora Shield.
The team is conducting 15 tests of the network and its validators; the fourth test has been completed successfully. The SectoraScan explorer is available to the public at sectoraorg.com/sectorascan.
Security InfrastructureSectora develops security solutions for crypto networks and tokenized assets. Its Sectora Shield is a post-quantum security engine built on the NIST FIPS 203, 204, and 205 standards.
Additional solutions include smart contract audits, custody controls, continuous on-chain monitoring, and an asset tokenization platform.
Token Supply and Contract Details #SECT has a total supply of 50 million tokens. A one-time burn of 50% of the supply is scheduled for March 15, 2027, which will reduce the supply to 25 million tokens. After the burn, the supply cannot increase. The smart contract is renounced, contains no mint function, charges 0% transaction fees, and has been audited by Cyberscope. In addition, 80% of every hash power purchase on the upcoming hash market will be used to buy back and burn #SECT tokens on the open market. Holder Rewards ProgramHolder rewards are the first Sectora product running on Ethereum mainnet. Holders can deposit #SECT at sectoraorg.com/staking and earn 14.9% APY.
Rewards accrue every second, with no lock-up period and no withdrawal penalty. Rewards are paid from a pool of 1,490,000 #SECT that the foundation funded prior to the first deposit. The staking contract code is verified on Etherscan.
Market contextAt about $5 million, #SECT’s market capitalization is a small fraction of those of established networks such as XRP (over $85 billion) and Solana (over $62 billion). Sectora’s whitepaper illustrates that if #SECT reached 1% of those valuations, its price would be $17.14 and $12.53, respectively.
This is an illustrative scenario, not a price forecast or financial advice.
The founders stated that #SECT is not a pump-and-dump token, but one designed for long-term holding. “Sectora is a long-term project, with a fixed supply, a renounced contract, locked liquidity and a public audit,” they said. “We want our community to grow alongside the project, steadily and progressively.”
Official Links Website: https://sectoraorg.com Whitepaper: https://sectoraorg.com/docs Company registration (Illinois, file no. 18523639): https://sectoraorg.com/docs#s02 Uniswap: https://app.uniswap.org/swap?inputCurrency=0xdAC17F958D2ee523a2206206994597C13D831ec7&outputCurrency=0x8C9984B06281f1CA9416e493c2E602AaB08513db&chain=ethereum CoinGecko: https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/sectora Audit: https://www.cyberscope.io/audits/sect Holder rewards (staking): https://sectoraorg.com/staking About Sectora FoundationSectora Foundation is a company registered in Illinois, United States, that develops security infrastructure for crypto networks and tokenized real-world assets, including smart contract audits, institutional custody controls, continuous on-chain monitoring, and post-quantum cryptography. #SECT is the token of its network.
Disclaimer
This third-party press release is published substantially as received and does not reflect BeInCrypto's editorial views. BeInCrypto has not independently verified its claims or assessed the suitability, legality or appropriateness of any referenced asset, product or service; publication is not an endorsement. The content is general information, not investment research, financial, investment, legal or tax advice, a personal recommendation, offer or solicitation. Verify all information and seek professional advice where appropriate before acting. Crypto-assets may result in total loss.
Solana’s Alpenglow consensus upgrade is scheduled to go live on mainnet on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, cutting transaction finality from roughly 12.8 seconds to about 150 milliseconds, according to the Solana Foundation’s upgrade page. The change replaces the network’s TowerBFT voting mechanism with a new protocol called Votor and is the first major replacement of Solana’s consensus layer since TowerBFT.
SOL was trading near $104 on October 14, down roughly 3.7% over the prior 24 hours, as validators and infrastructure providers prepared for the migration. For most users the effect is simple: transactions settle almost immediately, and wallets and applications keep working as they do today.
What the Alpenglow Upgrade Changes Today Solana validators vote by sending transactions, and a block becomes final only after enough votes have stacked up over 32 slots — a process that takes about 12.8 seconds. Alpenglow replaces that layer entirely. Under Votor, validators send votes directly to each other instead of recording them as on-chain transactions, bundle those votes into aggregate certificates, and finalize a block in one or two rounds of voting.
The result is roughly 150 milliseconds to finality, which the Solana Foundation describes as about 99% faster than TowerBFT. The upgrade is also designed to tolerate up to 20% malicious stake plus 20% offline stake. The 150 millisecond figure describes how long a transaction takes to become final, not how often blocks are produced — block time was reduced separately, from 400 to 200 milliseconds, through a staged rollout completed in October.
A Two-Phase Rollout: Votor First, Rotor Later Alpenglow ships in two phases. Votor, the voting protocol, is the first and arrives in the Agave 4.3 validator client. Rotor, which replaces Turbine — the protocol that spreads block data across the network — with a single relay layer, is planned for a later release and is not yet scheduled.
The upgrade has already run on test and developer networks. Solana moved Alpenglow to public testnet in late September, and devnet activated the feature in epoch 1167 on September 25, 2026. Mainnet activation in epoch 1064 is expected around 15:00 UTC on October 21, behind feature gate A1pengvuM6JEcyNuTnMqepBKhwHE3N6PmUrdATGawhJS.
What Validators Must Do Before October 21 Validator operators face two hard requirements before epoch 1064 begins. First, they must run an Agave-based client — Agave, Jito-Solana, or Harmonic Salsa, on a release built on Agave 4.3.0. Firedancer and Frankendancer are not supported during the migration. Second, each validator must hold at least 0.8 SOL in its vote account, above the rent-exempt minimum, to pay the Validator Admission Ticket (VAT) fee. That fee is charged at the start of each epoch and pays for the following epoch; if it goes unpaid, the validator does not vote or produce blocks in the next epoch.
What Does Not Change — and What Infrastructure Must Update Alpenglow does not touch transaction execution. The Solana Virtual Machine, transaction formats, programs, and fee mechanics remain unchanged, and applications that only send transactions and read account state need no migration. That block-time work is separate: Solana completed its slot-time reduction to 200 milliseconds earlier in October.
Infrastructure that consumes block, voting, or finality data does face breaking changes. Vote transactions leave blocks entirely, so any metric that counted them must be re-baselined, and reported transaction totals are expected to decline. The confirmed and finalized commitment levels converge into one. Because Proof of History no longer paces block production, tick entries leave the ledger and the Clock sysvar’s timestamp gets a new source. Geyser and gRPC consumers must also handle a new bank_id field, since a slot can now carry more than one candidate block.
Frequently Asked Questions When does the Solana Alpenglow upgrade go live? Alpenglow activates on mainnet in epoch 1064, which starts Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at approximately 15:00 UTC.
What is Votor? Votor is the first phase of Alpenglow. It replaces TowerBFT by having validators exchange votes directly with each other and aggregate them into certificates, finalizing blocks in one or two rounds instead of over 32 slots.
Do Solana users need to do anything? No. Signing, sending, and approving transactions do not change, and wallets and applications keep working as they do today. Only validator operators and infrastructure providers must update their software.
Why will Solana transaction counts drop after Alpenglow? Because vote transactions leave blocks entirely. Validator votes are no longer recorded as on-chain transactions, so any metric that counted them will show lower totals without reflecting less actual user activity.
Does Alpenglow change Solana fees or execution? No. The SVM, transaction formats, programs, and fee mechanics are untouched. Alpenglow changes only how validators agree on blocks and how finality is reported.
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Blockchain analyst specializing in the regulatory impact of government policies on the crypto industry. Known for his thorough research and clear, engaging writing, Emmanuel provides insightful analysis on the latest trends, market shifts, and emerging crypto innovations. His work aims to educate and inform both novice and experienced readers, offering expert perspectives on the fast-evolving world of digital assets. With a passion for staying ahead of the curve, Ogwu is a trusted voice in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space.
SkyAI’s Solana holdings dropped roughly 70%, from over 2 million SOL to approximately 600,000 tokens.
Bastion Trading questioned an unexplained 400,000 SOL difference in SkyAI’s latest disclosures.
Bastion demanded complete transaction records and independent oversight before participating in the proposed buyback.
The shareholder wants SkyAI to increase its repurchase offer from $3 to at least $3.50.
SkyAI plans a roughly $201 million buyback despite continuing disputes over board representation and transaction terms.
Bastion Trading has challenged SkyAI over the sale of most of its Solana holdings, demanding fuller disclosure before the company launches a proposed $201 million share buyback.
The investment firm and its affiliates own roughly 9.99% of SkyAI. On Wednesday, Bastion said it would not tender its shares at $3 each unless the board addressed its concerns. It also urged other investors to delay participation.
SkyAI Reports Sharp Fall in SOL Holdings
On September 14, SkyAI reported more than 2 million SOL, then worth roughly $207 million. On October 11, it said it had sold about 1 million tokens and retained roughly 1 million. A separate Solana price analysis reported SOL near $121 in early October.
However, an October 13 Securities and Exchange Commission filing placed SkyAI’s remaining balance near 600,000 SOL. The figures indicate a decline of at least 70% since September. A gap of roughly 400,000 tokens remains between the two disclosures.
Bastion Demands Full Transaction Details
Bastion asked SkyAI to identify every recent sale, including dates, amounts, prices, fees and proceeds. It also requested records showing how directors reviewed and approved the transactions. Bastion also asked why SkyAI had not announced these sales to shareholders sooner.
Bastion called the sales a departure from SkyAI’s Solana treasury strategy and requested an independent review. Investors can also gain SOL exposure through Solana investment funds; a recent report placed Bitwise’s staking fund near $1.3 billion.
Board Election Fuels Shareholder Dispute
SkyAI’s September shareholder meeting added another issue. Each of the five directors received more votes to withhold support than votes in favor, although the company’s election rules allowed them to remain in office.
Bastion renewed its demand for independent directors and a committee to examine the buyback. The firm also opposed adviser warrants, citing their award to a company controlled by SkyAI’s investment chief’s brother. SkyAI separately rejected Forward Industries’ takeover proposal.
Buyback Terms Face Further Objections
SkyAI plans to offer $3 per share or an eligible warrant and buy up to 95% of each class. Another crypto treasury company, Metaplanet, recently announced a separate share buyback program, although its terms differ.
Bastion wants at least $3.50 and restrictions on insider participation. SkyAI expects to begin the offer around October 15, subject to conditions including SOL staying above $100. Its filing said it had gathered about 80% of the required cash.
Internet Computer (ICP) has launched ckSOL, a token backed 1:1 by Solana's SOL, letting ICP DeFi apps hold SOL alongside Bitcoin and Ether without a bridge company.
Internet Computer (@dfinity) has launched ckSOL, its official token backed 1:1 by $SOL. The SOL sits in Solana addresses controlled by ICP's nodes, which sign together without any one holding the full key.
DeFi apps on ICP can now hold SOL next to $BTC, $ETH and $ICP. The launch completes Solana support, which first reached ICP developers in mid-2025.
How ckSOL worksckSOL is the chain-key token representing SOL on the Internet Computer. According to the ICP developer documentation, it is backed 1:1 by SOL held in a canister-controlled Solana address, in the same way as ckETH. A minter canister monitors Solana deposits and mints ckSOL tokens that follow the ICRC-1 and ICRC-2 standards. To withdraw, a user burns ckSOL, and the system signs a Solana transfer using chain-key Ed25519 signatures.
The signing is spread across the network. The same documentation says each canister can have its own Solana wallet address, with signing performed collectively by subnet nodes without reconstructing the private key.
Governance approval came first. Solana Compass reported that the ckSOL minter, ledger and index were installed by a vote of the Network Nervous System, ICP's on-chain governance system, on 12 October 2026. It added that SOL deposited with the minter stays in the minter's Solana addresses until it is withdrawn, so activity is visible on Solana. For holders, the outlet described ckSOL as a route into ICP DeFi apps as they add support, with a canister acting as custodian instead of a bridge company.
Building on mid-2025 Solana supportICP's Solana work began with reading and writing to the network. The Defiant published DFINITY's June 2025 announcement of the integration, which let ICP canister smart contracts interact with Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. At that stage there was no SOL-backed token. A DFINITY engineer said on the developer forum in 2025 that there was no plan at the time for a ckSOL, so dapps would need to handle that themselves.
ckSOL follows the pattern of ckBTC and ckETH. DFINITY's code repository describes it as modeled after ckETH, and notes that the minter remains under active development and subject to change.
The practical effect is that SOL can now be used inside ICP applications without a separate bridge operator. Whether developers adopt it will depend on how quickly DeFi apps on ICP add ckSOL support.
SourcesInternet Computer docs: Solana integration
Solana Compass: ckSOL goes live
The Defiant: DFINITY announces Solana integration
Solana now has a physical address in Shanghai. Its first Builder Station for the Chinese-speaking market opened on March 20, 2026, at the Hongqiao Alibaba Center.
That is a notable move for a crypto network in a country where virtual currencies face tight restrictions. Solana is setting up shop anyway, and it is choosing its words carefully.
A builder hub, a tall office and a four-city tour
The Shanghai Builder Station has backing from the local government of the city’s Minhang District. It is meant to be a long-term base for collaboration on Layer 1 infrastructure and the applications built on top of it.
Calling it a “Builder Station” rather than a sales office is a deliberate signal. The pitch is aimed at developers, not traders.
On October 14, 2026, Solana’s Chief Product Officer Vibhu drew attention to the Shanghai location. He claimed the team occupies the world’s highest commercially available office space, a claim Solana Foundation President Lily Liu backed up.
Two days later, the Solana Accelerate China tour kicks off. It runs from October 16 to 22, 2026, and stops in four cities: Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing.
The agenda centers on technology infrastructure, AI development and robotics. Direct promotion of digital assets is off the table, given China’s restrictive rules on virtual currencies.
Why China, and why this way
Solana’s approach reflects that reality. By leaning into infrastructure, AI and robotics, it can engage engineers and companies without stepping into token promotion.
The local government involvement is worth noting too. Support from Minhang District suggests Shanghai officials see value in hosting developer activity tied to the technology, even while virtual currency rules stay strict.
What this means for Solana and its rivals
The most direct comparison is BNB Chain. Solana has opened an office and advertised in China, while no comparable recent physical presence from BNB Chain has been reported there.
Because token promotion is avoided, any benefit is more likely to show up in developer activity and partnerships than in direct retail demand from mainland users.
The focus on AI and robotics is also telling. It positions Solana alongside sectors that already draw serious attention in China, which could make the blockchain pitch easier to hear.
Turnout and partnerships from the October 16 to 22 tour will show whether the developer-first approach is landing.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Samsung is putting a stablecoin in the same app where people keep their boarding passes. On October 7, 2026, Samsung Electronics said its Wallet and Pay apps will support USDC transfers on the Solana blockchain for eligible US users.
The rollout is scheduled for the last week of October. It covers 82 million compatible Galaxy devices.
How the Samsung Wallet USDC feature works
USDC is a stablecoin, a digital token designed to track the US dollar one for one.
Inside Samsung Wallet, eligible users will be able to send USDC to external wallets that accept it. They can also convert it into local currency and deposit it into bank accounts in more than 60 countries.
Samsung says it will not charge a fee for sending USDC to external wallets. That is not the same as free, though. Network fees or fees on the recipient’s side may still apply.
Access comes with guardrails. The service is limited to US residents who are 18 or older. Users must pass identity verification and confirm transactions with biometric authentication.
The feature requires a compatible device running Android 13 or later.
The partners behind the curtain
Samsung is not building the plumbing alone. Solana provides the blockchain infrastructure that moves the tokens, while Bastion supplies a licensed stablecoin framework for the payment service.
Coinbase serves as sub-custodian of the USDC. A custodian is the party that actually holds the assets, so Coinbase handles safekeeping while Samsung owns the front end.
Sui is also listed as a supporting blockchain partner. Solana, however, is the chain named for the USDC transfers at launch.
Solana’s stablecoin numbers
The deal lands as Solana’s stablecoin business has been expanding. Stablecoin supply on the network grew by nearly 20% year over year.
Solana processed more than $5.25 trillion in stablecoin transaction volume in 2026. Its stablecoin supply also hit a record $17.51 billion in September 2026.
The announcement did not come out of nowhere. In July 2026, Samsung teased that stablecoin features were coming but did not reveal which blockchain or which issuer it would use.
That left about three months of speculation. The October reveal answered both questions: USDC as the stablecoin and Solana as the rails.
The news has also fed bullish commentary. A Motley Fool contributor pointed to the integration in a piece titled “Here’s Why I’m Buying Solana Right Now.”
What this means for Solana, USDC, and payments
The most important number here is 82 million. Crypto companies have spent years trying to coax consumers into downloading new apps and opening new accounts. Samsung is skipping that step by putting stablecoin transfers into software already installed on its phones.
Cross-border transfers look like the clearest use case. The ability to cash out into local bank accounts in more than 60 countries targets that pain point directly.
The service is US-only at launch, and expansion to other markets depends on local regulations.
The eligibility rules will also narrow the audience. Not all 82 million device owners will be adults who pass identity checks, run Android 13 or later, and actually want to send stablecoins.
Samsung waiving its own charge is helpful, but users may still see network or recipient-side costs.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Kaye Quema. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Hong Kong-listed large language model stocks declined, with Zhipu AI and MINIMAX both falling more than 10%.
According to Bitget market data, Hong Kong-listed large model stocks declined, with Zhipu (02513.HK) and MINIMAX-W (00100.HK) both falling by over 10%.
5 minutes ago
DeepSeek Resumes Services After 5-Hour Outage
DeepSeek suffered another service outage today. Its official status page indicates the outage began at 08:11, impacting web-based chat services, the V4 Pro and V4.1 Flash APIs. As of press time, DeepSeek has resumed normal operations, with the total downtime lasting 5 hours.
5 minutes ago
Yesterday, the U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs saw a net outflow of $261 million, while Ethereum ETFs recorded a net outflow of $129.5 million.
According to data from Farside, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded a net outflow of $261 million yesterday. Of this total, BlackRock’s IBIT saw a net outflow of $110 million, while Fidelity’s FBTC posted a net outflow of $152.7 million. Additionally, U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs had a net outflow of $129.5 million yesterday, with BlackRock’s ETHA registering a net outflow of $110 million.
5 minutes ago
Bitget launches stock contracts for Fast Retailing (迅销集团)
According to official announcements, Bitget has launched the FASTRETAILING (Xunxiao Group) stock perpetual contract. The contract is settled in USDT, supports up to 20x leverage and 7×24 trading. As of now, Bitget has a total of 356 stock contract underlyings available.
5 minutes ago
ByteDance is in talks to acquire MediaTek's AI chips, while Qualcomm has previously secured orders for millions of such chips.
Insight: Beating AI Newsflash – ByteDance is in advanced negotiations with MediaTek to source custom ASIC chips for its data centers. Bloomberg reported on October 15, citing people familiar with the matter, that the two sides are close to a deal, though details including procurement volume, chip specifications, and delivery timeline remain undisclosed. If finalized, ByteDance would become MediaTek’s second major ASIC client after Google.
This is not ByteDance’s first foray into securing data center chips from mobile chipmakers: in May this year, Bloomberg revealed the company had reached an agreement with Qualcomm to source millions of ASICs for powering AI Agents, with Qualcomm set to help bring ByteDance’s self-developed chip designs to production. The latest engagement with MediaTek signals ByteDance is expanding its custom chip supply channels to alleviate computing power pressure stemming from U.S. export restrictions and domestic chip capacity shortages.
MediaTek, which previously focused primarily on its mobile processor business, has now entered Google’s TPU supply chain and begun competing with players like Broadcom and Qualcomm for data center orders. The firm projects its data center AI chip revenue will exceed $2 billion this year. In August, Nvidia also subscribed to $3.5 billion in MediaTek’s convertible bonds and announced a partnership to develop custom AI infrastructure.
While such ASICs can optimize performance, power efficiency, and cost for specific tasks, it remains unconfirmed whether the chips ByteDance is negotiating to purchase will be used for model training or inference.
5 minutes ago
Arthur Hayes: If an AI trading crash ultimately triggers a trillion-dollar market rescue, it will be favorable for Bitcoin's bull run.
Arthur Hayes posted on social media that if AI trading eventually crashes, it could trigger a trillion-dollar-scale market bailout, a scenario that would drive up Bitcoin and Ethereum’s prices. “Will AI eventually crash? I don’t know, and I won’t bet on either side. Instead, just trade for that upcoming trillion-dollar-scale market bailout: go long on BTC and ETH.”
Yi Lihua: Expects the market to rebound quickly and kick off a new uptrend after bottoming out.
Yi Lihua, founder of Liquid Capital, stated that the only thing to focus on in the current market outlook is determining at what level to buy the dip. Citing the 2023 Bitcoin bull market as a reference, he believes Bitcoin will drop to a certain point before a sharp rebound kicks off a new uptrend, once again leaving many investors hesitant to buy the dip unable to enter the market in time.
8 minutes ago
TypeSafe has upgraded Jev to version 1.14: The tool can locate objects from images, and returns coordinates even when it fails to identify the target.
Beating AI News Flash: TypeSafe AI has released Jev 1.14, rolling out experimental visual capabilities for its fast-judgment model. Developers can use the model to detect if a person is present in a camera feed, or compare two photos to confirm if they show the same dog. The new Box localization feature can also locate specified objects in images, returning coordinates of rectangular regions to guide other programs on where to crop or perform operations.
TypeSafe CEO Diogo Almeida revealed that the older Jev 1.13 was already capable of processing images, but the team held back from launching this feature due to concerns about insufficient reliability in visual task accuracy. Both versions now support image input, with images usable directly as judgment conditions and options, though the Box localization feature is exclusive to Jev 1.14.
In experimental mode, the context limit per single request has been expanded from 64,000 tokens to around 262,000 tokens, quadrupling the original capacity. The new version also enhances overall judgment capabilities; the company notes the most notable improvement is in multilingual support, though it did not disclose specific metrics.
Jev 1.14 is currently available via `jev-preview`, with a planned rollout to the default stable version on October 21. However, TypeSafe explicitly warns that the visual and long-context features remain in the experimental phase and are not yet production-ready. Long context not only increases latency but may also reduce accuracy. Box localization also has a unique limitation: it will return coordinate boxes even if the specified object is not present in the image. As such, developers must additionally verify the existence of the target to prevent subsequent programs from operating on incorrect positions.
8 minutes ago
OKX's Oracle Season 3 kicks off, with a total prize pool of $250,000.
According to official announcements, OKX’s Season 3 of its Predictor program has officially launched, with a total prize pool of $250,000. This season focuses on hot topics during earnings season, featuring a season main leaderboard, regular weekly contests, and an independent weekly leaderboard dedicated to earnings season. Users can earn free XP by completing tasks, participate in predictions of real-world events like earnings season, and split corresponding rewards based on their activity rankings. XP can be obtained via Planet interactions, inviting friends, and completing designated ExchangeOS trading tasks, the platform noted. No registration is required; eligible users can participate through the "Planet" - "Outcomes" section in the OKX App.
8 minutes ago
Bitget PoolX: Locked ETH to Unlock 150,000 USDT Airdrop
Bitget PoolX is launching a new ETH lock-up campaign, where users who lock up ETH can participate in sharing a 150,000 USDT airdrop. The campaign runs from 15:00 (UTC+8) on October 15 to 15:00 (UTC+8) on October 20, with an individual lock-up cap of 1,500 ETH. This PoolX round supports a long-term holding bonus mechanism: the system will apply an additional 1x multiplier to the effective locked amount, calculated based on the user’s minimum ETH holding over the past 15 days.
8 minutes ago
DeepSeek has experienced 5 outages in half a month, with simultaneous disruptions affecting its website, mobile app, and API. The issues have not been resolved even after two and a half hours.
Beating AI Express News: On the morning of October 15, DeepSeek suffered another service outage. Its official status page shows the outage began at 08:11, affecting the web chat service, V4 Pro and V4.1 Flash APIs. DeepSeek announced at 09:08 that it had located the cause and was implementing repairs. However, as of 10:43, the outage had lasted over two and a half hours and remained unresolved. The official classified the incident severity as Full Outage, with no specific cause disclosed yet. This marks DeepSeek’s fifth service outage recorded since October. On October 2, web and API services were abnormal for 1 hour and 54 minutes. Two outages occurred on October 12, lasting 11 minutes and 15 minutes respectively. Compared with previous incidents, this outage has the longest duration.
8 minutes ago
Over the past hour, $486 million in liquidations have been recorded across the entire crypto network, with long positions being the main liquidation target.
According to Coinglass data, the global crypto market saw $486 million in liquidations over the past hour, including $465 million from long positions and $20.7 million from short positions. Liquidations related to Ethereum trading hit $201 million, while Bitcoin trading liquidations totaled $117 million.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
Disclosure. PANews may publish sponsored content, partner content, advertisements, affiliate links, event promotions, and market commentary involving Web3 projects, service providers, or financial products. PANews personnel, contributors, or affiliates may hold digital assets or other interests related to covered topics. See our Terms of Service.
Most tokenized stock trading on BNB Chain ($BNB) and Solana ($SOL) now occurs outside US market hours, as total tokenized stock value rises 15% to nearly $3.3 billion.
Tokenized stocks are drawing most of their trading activity outside regular US market hours, an early sign that round-the-clock access may be one of the main draws of putting equities onchain. BNB Chain (@BNBCHAIN) $BNB and Solana (@solana) $SOL lead the trend.
The value of tokenized stocks has risen 15% over the past 30 days to nearly $3.3 billion, Cointelegraph reported, citing RWA.xyz data.
BNB Chain leads on after-hours volumeAccording to Blockworks data cited by The Kobeissi Letter, more than 70% of tokenized stock trading volume on BNB Chain takes place outside the traditional 9:30 am to 4 pm Eastern session. The figure is 63% on Solana and nearly 60% on Base, Cointelegraph reported.
The pattern suggests investors are using tokenized stocks to trade when traditional US exchanges are closed, rather than simply mirroring activity during regular hours. Traditional brokerages restrict access to exchange hours, while blockchain-based platforms do not, which may help explain the skew toward off-hours activity among users in other time zones.
Jupiter (@JupiterExchange), a major Solana-based trading platform, also reported a 50% month-over-month increase in tokenized asset trading volume. Jupiter's figure covers tokenized assets broadly rather than stocks alone, so it is a general signal of rising onchain demand rather than a stock-specific measure.
Issuers and regulatory backdropA significant share of tokenized stock value is concentrated among a small number of issuers, including Ondo Global Markets, xStocks and bStocks. Their tokens are issued and traded across different blockchains, according to Cointelegraph. That cross-chain availability means off-hours volume can appear on several networks at once.
The growth also comes as US regulators open the door to tokenized equities. Cointelegraph reported that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) introduced an "innovation exemption" last month. Odaily Planet Daily, via KuCoin News, reported that the exemption allows eligible trading venues to trade tokenized US stocks on public blockchains, with disclosure requirements on prices, trade sizes and liquidity pool balances.
Whether regulatory clarity deepens demand further remains to be seen. For now, the data points to a market where timing, not just access, is shaping how investors use tokenized equities.
Sources:
Cointelegraph: Tokenized Stocks Hit $3.3B as After-Hours Trading GrowsKuCoin News: Tokenized stocks reach $3.3 billion in value
MAJURO, Marshall Islands, Oct. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Remittix has invited 1,000 RTX holders to test PayFi, placing its flagship crypto-to-bank payment platform in the hands of real users ahead of the scheduled November 24, 2026 token launch.
Invited participants can test EUR and USD routes while Remittix prepares more currencies, assets and networks. The rollout gives holders direct experience with the technology behind its push into the trillion-dollar global remittance market.
The update arrives as an ambitious Bitcoin price prediction points toward $200,000 and Solana prepares to activate Alpenglow on October 21. With institutional Bitcoin demand growing and Solana targeting near-instant finality, crypto news is again focusing on platforms capable of turning blockchain technology into everyday financial activity.
Remittix PayFi Moves Into Real-User Testing
Remittix PayFi is designed to let supported cryptocurrency fund a transfer that delivers fiat through a compatible bank account. This removes the need for recipients to handle tokens, use an exchange or navigate a separate off-ramp.
The testing environment supports crypto-to-fiat and fiat-to-crypto activity using EUR and USD. USDT and USDC are available across Ethereum, Celo, Base and Polygon, with further assets and payment routes planned as the platform approaches wider release.
This structure targets international remittances, contractor payments, overseas suppliers and crypto holders seeking a simpler route into traditional banking.
A Connected Ecosystem Expands the RTX Opportunity
PayFi remains the primary Remittix proposition, but the wider ecosystem creates more ways to retain users. The iOS wallet has passed 10,000 downloads, while the Android edition awaits approval. A planned rebuild will unite PayFi, trading and earning features.
Remittix Markets offers hundreds of perpetual pairs, serves thousands of traders and has processed more than $50 million in volume. Remittix Earn is also approaching release with advertised yields of up to 22% APY on eligible crypto and stablecoin holdings.
Together, these products can move users between payments, trading and earning opportunities inside one RTX-centered economy.
Bitcoin Price Prediction Eyes $200,000 as Solana Targets $500
The $200,000 Bitcoin price prediction gained fresh momentum after Strive disclosed a 3,311 BTC purchase worth approximately $280 million. The acquisition reinforces the institutional scarcity argument behind bullish Bitcoin forecasts.
Solana has scheduled its Alpenglow mainnet activation for October 21. The new consensus system targets finality of roughly 150 milliseconds, down from approximately 12.8 seconds. A bullish Solana price prediction of $500 would value that speed improvement as a major advantage for trading, payments and consumer applications.
The RTX Pre-Launch Window Continues to Narrow
Remittix has raised more than $32 million from over 40,000 participants toward its $36 million hard cap. RTX is currently available at $0.28, while $0.46 is the announced final presale price and planned minimum exchange launch price.
With PayFi being tested, Markets already live and November 24 fixed for the RTX launch, Remittix enters its final presale stretch with working products behind its PayFi narrative. For buyers comparing the best crypto presale opportunities before public trading, the combination of payments utility and a connected ecosystem gives RTX several potential demand channels from day one.
About Remittix
Remittix is developing a connected PayFi ecosystem for crypto-to-bank and bank-to-crypto transactions. Its products include international payment settlement, a mobile wallet, Remittix Markets and the forthcoming Remittix Earn service.
Website: https://remittix.io
X: https://x.com/remittix
Media Contact
Company: Remittix
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Nasdaq-listed company SkyAI, with core holdings centered on Solana digital assets, previously held over 2 million SOL. Since October, the firm has transferred roughly 1.57 million SOL, valued at approximately $175 million. SkyAI recently disclosed selling 1 million SOL for about $107 million, and noted it may continue selling. On-chain data shows its average purchase price is around $194, translating to an unrealized loss of over $160 million based on current prices. A Form 8-K filed on October 13 revealed SkyAI’s SOL holdings have dropped to roughly 600,000 tokens, a nearly 70% decrease from the "over 2 million" figure cited in mid-September. The sales timing, average transaction price and approval process were not fully disclosed to shareholders beforehand. Bastion Trading, a major shareholder holding approximately 9.99% of outstanding common shares, issued a statement today expressing serious concern over SkyAI’s cash tender offer announced on October 11. Bastion said it will not participate in the offer until its concerns are properly addressed, and demanded immediate full disclosure of SOL disposal details, an independent review, a board restructure, and an increase in the tender offer price from $3.00 per share to at least $3.50. Bastion also noted that at the 2026 annual general meeting, all five incumbent directors received far more abstentions than votes in favor—some with a nearly 3-to-1 ratio—questioning the current board, which has lost shareholder trust, for still leading the sale of core reserves and advancing the tender offer.
Nasdaq-listed company SkyAI, which centers its digital asset reserves on Solana, previously held over 2 million SOL tokens. Since October, the firm has transferred around 1.57 million SOL, valued at roughly $175 million; SkyAI disclosed it recently sold 1 million SOL for approximately $107 million, and noted it may continue selling. On-chain data shows its average purchase price was around $194, with an unrealized loss of over $160 million based on recent prices. A Form 8-K filed on October 13 revealed the company’s SOL holdings had dropped to roughly 600,000 tokens, a nearly 70% reduction from the "over 2 million" figure cited in mid-September. The timing of the sales, average transaction price, and approval process were not fully disclosed to shareholders previously. Major shareholder Bastion Trading, which holds approximately 9.99% of outstanding common shares, issued a statement today expressing serious concerns over SkyAI’s cash tender offer announced on October 11, stating it will not participate until its concerns are adequately addressed. The firm demanded immediate full disclosure of SOL disposal details, an independent review, a board restructuring, and an increase of the tender offer price from $3.00 per share to at least $3.50 per share, among other requests. Bastion Trading also noted that at the 2026 annual general meeting, all five incumbent directors received far more abstentions than votes in favor, with some ratios approaching 3-to-1, questioning whether the current board, having lost shareholder confidence, still leads the sale of core reserves and the tender offer.
Internet Computer (ICP) averaged about 1,816 transactions per second over the past week, narrowing the gap with Solana (SOL), which still leads at 1,896 tx/s, per Chainspect data.
Internet Computer is closing in on Solana in real-world throughput. Over the past week, @dfinity's network averaged about 1,816 transactions per second (tx/s), according to @chainspect_app data.
@Solana still leads the metric at 1,896 tx/s. However, $SOL's figure has fallen by nearly 1% over the period, while the throughput of $ICP, the native token of Internet Computer, has climbed by 6.33%. On those numbers, the gap between the two networks is now around 80 tx/s.
How the gap has narrowedThe latest reading is a notable shift from recent snapshots. In mid-September, Chainspect's weekly ranking put Solana at 1,710 tx/s and Internet Computer at 1,502 tx/s, a difference of 208 tx/s, Hokanews reported. In that ranking, BNB Chain was third at 213.7 tx/s, well behind both networks.
Rankings between the two chains have also swung with the measurement window. Chainspect figures cited by The Crypto Times showed Solana ahead on a one-hour basis in August, at 1,635 tx/s versus 1,309 tx/s for Internet Computer. By contrast, a May report from Bankless Times said Internet Computer averaged 2,554 tx/s over a week, against 1,153 tx/s for Solana. Short-term load can move these figures considerably.
Why the numbers differThe two networks are built differently. Internet Computer splits its workload across more than 49 independent subnets, each running its own consensus, which lets the chain scale horizontally rather than through a single execution layer, Bitget News reported citing Chainspect. Solana relies on a single high-speed chain.
Chainspect's cumulative data also shows Internet Computer ahead on lifetime transactions. As of 11 August, it recorded a total of more than 298 billion for Internet Computer, compared with 121 billion for Solana, according to The Crypto Times.
Throughput is only one measure of network health. Usage and token valuation have not moved in step: Startup Fortune noted that ICP traded near $2.11 even as Internet Computer's cumulative count passed 300 billion transactions. Whether Internet Computer can overtake Solana on weekly real TPS will depend on whether the recent trend holds.
SourcesChainspect: Solana vs ICP comparison
The Crypto Times: Internet Computer (ICP) tops blockchain transactions chart
Hokanews: Solana, Internet Computer lead crypto networks in real TPS
Crypto has a short attention span. Grayscale’s head of research thinks that could cost investors.
Zach Pandl cautioned that market participants may be overlooking Ethereum, Solana and BNB Chain. Meanwhile, newer narratives around assets like Zcash and Hyperliquid are soaking up the spotlight. His argument: the established smart contract platforms are positioned to anchor a coming tokenization wave. That wave could involve trillions in on-chain assets.
What Pandl actually said
Pandl made the remarks in an interview at the TOKEN2049 conference in Singapore. The comments were published on October 13, 2026.
His core point was about distraction. Privacy features and perpetual futures platforms are captivating a lot of investors right now. Pandl doesn’t dispute the excitement. He just thinks it risks pulling focus from the infrastructure Wall Street will need.
Pandl tied this to an expected tokenization boom. Tokenization means representing real-world financial assets as tokens on a blockchain. He pointed to three categories in particular:
Stablecoins, the dollar-pegged tokens already used widely across crypto
Tokenized deposits, which put bank deposits on-chain
Tokenized securities, such as stocks or bonds issued in blockchain form
Pandl also flagged something about crypto culture itself. Many enthusiasts, he noted, seem to prioritize projects that generate high revenue. That creates an environment where steady long-term bets on established platforms can slip through the cracks.
He was candid that Grayscale’s view isn’t universally shared. The firm believes smart contract platforms are essential to a robust crypto portfolio. Pandl acknowledged that this position is not a consensus among crypto natives.
The scoreboard problem
Zcash posted a +389% increase over the past year. Hyperliquid rose +100% over the same stretch. Both outpaced ETH and SOL.
Zcash is a privacy-focused coin. Hyperliquid is a platform built around perpetual futures, a type of derivative contract with no expiry date that lets traders bet on price moves with leverage.
Background: why Grayscale cares about the base layer
Grayscale has long positioned itself as a bridge between crypto and traditional finance. From that vantage point, Pandl’s comments are consistent. When Wall Street adopts blockchain technology, it will want platforms with deep developer ecosystems, established track records and the ability to handle assets like stablecoins and tokenized securities at scale.
Ethereum, Solana and BNB Chain fit that description in Grayscale’s view. They are among the most widely used smart contract networks. Stablecoins and tokenized assets are expected to improve transaction efficiency and cut costs. Any platform hosting a large share of that activity could become a central piece of a diversified crypto portfolio, according to the research findings accompanying Pandl’s remarks.
What this means for investors
Pandl’s argument is essentially a reminder about time horizons. Short-term returns have favored the newer narratives. His thesis is about where value may accrue if tokenization scales the way proponents expect.
There’s also the competitive question. Pandl grouped Ethereum, Solana and BNB Chain together, but they compete with each other for the same institutional activity. A tokenization boom wouldn’t necessarily lift all three equally.
What to watch: whether stablecoin and tokenized securities activity actually grows on these networks, and whether institutions start announcing products built on them. Until then, Pandl is making a contrarian call in a market that currently prefers the sizzle to the steak.
Pandl himself admits plenty of crypto natives would bet against him.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
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Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade goes live October 21st, targeting ~150ms finality.
Solana’s most ambitious consensus overhaul, Alpenglow, will activate at epoch 1064 on Oct. 21st, around 15:00 UTC, per the Solana Foundation. It swaps out TowerBFT, the voting system Solana has run since genesis, and targets roughly 150 millisecond finality, down from about 12.8 seconds today.
What’s the Scoop? Votor first, Rotor later: Next week’s switch ships only Votor, Alpenglow’s new voting engine. Under Votor, validators trade signed votes directly and roll them into compact certificates. Rotor, the block-propagation half of the design, needs its own governance proposal and doesn’t have a date yet.
Finality simplified: Solana’s “confirmed” and “finalized” states effectively merge, so bridges and exchanges no longer have to pick between speed and certainty. In return, Alpenglow drops the classic 1/3rd fault-tolerance bar for a “20+20” model: the network stays safe with up to 20% of stake acting maliciously and keeps running with another 20% offline.
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Client shakeup: Neither Firedancer client will support the migration window itself, so those operators must temporarily run Agave. The hybrid Frankendancer client is also being retired for good. Firedancer-family clients have secured roughly 14% to 26% of staked SOL this year, depending on the tally.
Vote fees out, burn in: Per-vote fees of about 1 SOL per epoch give way to a flat 0.8 SOL admission ticket, and the ticket is burned in full. Because votes leave blocks, Solana’s raw TPS will plunge on day one. Non-vote TPS is the number to watch for apples-to-apples comparisons.
The big picture: Alpenglow was first unveiled at Solana Accelerate in May 2025 and was once expected as early as Q1 2026. That slow rollout is the right call for swapping consensus on a live network. The bigger shift is philosophical: Proof of History, Solana’s calling card at launch, stops keeping time for consensus next week.
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William M. Peaster, Senior Writer, has been with Bankless since January 2021. Immersed in Ethereum since 2017, he covers the onchain frontier with a particular interest in art, games, and other culture apps. He has a background in creative writing and writes fiction in his free time.
Bastion Trading, a 9.99% shareholder of Solana treasury company SkyAI (Nasdaq: SKYA), is challenging the company’s $3.00-per-share tender offer and demanding disclosure of the roughly 70% of its Solana (SOL) holdings sold in under a month. In an October 14 letter, the activist investor asked SkyAI to raise the offer to at least $3.50 per share or eligible warrant, add independent directors to a special committee, and explain when, at what prices, and how the SOL sales were approved.
The letter lands three days after SkyAI announced the tender on October 11, a move that had already rejected a takeover bid from Forward Industries. Bastion argues the terms are unfair and that a board which lost stockholder support should not run the transaction.
Why Bastion Says the $3.00 Offer Is Too Low
Bastion pegs SkyAI’s net asset value at roughly $3.30 per share and wants the tender price lifted to at least $3.50. The estimate assumes SOL at $110 and counts SOL holdings plus cash, minus liabilities, divided by the fully diluted share count, according to the letter.
The investor also wants two conditions removed: a $100 SOL price condition that lets the company abandon the tender on short-term price moves, and a 50% minimum participation threshold for each security class. It separately objects to strategic advisor warrants held by Sol Markets, an entity controlled by James Zhang, the brother of SkyAI director and chief investment officer Alice Zhang, arguing those warrants should not be cashed out on the same footing as shares held by outside investors.
The 70% SOL Sell-Off at the Center of the Dispute
The sharper claim concerns disclosure. SkyAI’s tender announcement revealed it had sold about one million SOL, roughly half its treasury, but a Form 8-K filed October 13 showed only about 600,000 SOL remained. That implies roughly 70% of the treasury was sold in under a month, Bastion said, weeks after SkyAI reaffirmed its Solana digital asset treasury strategy on September 14 with more than two million SOL on hand.
Bastion contends stockholders were never told the dates of the sales, the realized prices, or how the disposals were approved, and that the sequence raises questions under securities laws and Nasdaq disclosure rules. SkyAI has not yet publicly answered the letter.
What the Numbers Leave Open
The fight is not one-sided. Bastion’s $3.30 NAV depends on a $110 SOL assumption; with SOL trading near $104.79 on October 14, the implied value would come in lower, though a precise recalculation needs SkyAI’s full balance sheet. The definitive tender offer documents had not been filed when the letter was issued, so the final price, funding, and conditions remain unpublished.
Bastion also leans on the annual-meeting vote it cites: all five incumbent directors received more withhold than for votes, in some cases nearly three to one. Whether that converts into a revised offer or a reconstituted board is now the open question.
What Happens Next
Bastion says it will not tender under the current terms and is “prepared to pursue all available legal remedies.” The next signals are SkyAI’s formal response, whether an independent special committee is formed, and the tender offer filing that will lock in the final terms. The dispute over SkyAI’s SOL treasury echoes a broader push by public companies to hold crypto on their balance sheets, including Forward Industries’ own $25 million Solana treasury build-up.
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Jide Idowu is a skilled freelance writer with expertise in blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, and digital finance. Known for his ability to break down complex topics into clear, engaging content, Jide crafts articles, blog posts, and analyses that resonate with both beginners and seasoned professionals. His work spans a wide range of subjects, from emerging crypto trends to in-depth explorations of blockchain innovations. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for educating readers, Jide is a reliable voice in the rapidly evolving world of digital assets.
Bastion Trading, which holds nearly 10% of Solana treasury company SkyAI, is demanding an explanation for a major drop in its SOL holdings ahead of a proposed $3-per-share buyback.
In a Wednesday release, the investment firm said that it would not participate in the tender offer until its concerns were addressed. It also reiterated calls for a complete overhaul of SkyAI's board.
SkyAI said on Sept. 14 that it held more than 2 million SOL worth roughly $207 million at the time, and was still committed to its Solana treasury strategy.
Then, in an Oct. 11 buyback announcement, SkyAI disclosed it sold around 1 million SOL and still held roughly 1 million. But an 8-K filed Tuesday put the remaining balance at approximately 600,000 SOL, totaling a 70% reduction of its treasury in less than a month.
The filing did not explain the 400,000 SOL discrepancy from its previously announced sale. Bastion wants SkyAI to disclose dates, quantities, prices, and proceeds of all recent sales, as well as how the transactions were approved.
Bastion called the sale a "fundamental departure" from SkyAI's treasury strategy.
According to the filings, SkyAI said it plans to use proceeds from the SOL sales to buy up to 95% of its outstanding shares and warrants for around $200 million. Bastion is pushing for the per-share buyback raised from $3 to $3.50. It also wants strategic advisor warrants to be excluded on the basis that they were granted to a company controlled by the brother of SkyAI's CIO.
This all follows a September shareholder protest that saw all five SkyAI directors receive more withhold votes than support, but were able to keep their seats because there was no option to vote to remove them.
Solana options traders had a busy week. Implied volatility on SOL contracts with 2 days left to expiry climbed by 18.3 points over the span of a single week.
What the options market is pricing Implied volatility, or IV, is the market’s guess at how wildly an asset will swing, backed out from what people are willing to pay for options.
Data from options analytics provider Derivasys shows how jumpy that pricing has been. On October 9, 2026, SOL’s one-week at-the-money IV dropped 8.58 points to 49.63%. A later October snapshot showed the same one-week measure rising 7.16 points to 54.04%.
Zooming out a bit, the 30-day at-the-money IV sat around 54.9% as of mid-October 2026. The front expiry, meanwhile, was pricing in IV near 66.6%.
When near-dated options cost more than longer-dated ones, the volatility curve is said to be inverted, which is options-speak for “the worry is immediate.”
Realized volatility is running hot too SOL’s realized volatility over the previous 30 days came in at 64.3% as of October 2026. Here, the actual swings over the past month have outpaced the 54.9% that 30-day options are implying. Only the front expiry, at roughly 66.6%, is pricing turbulence at or above what SOL has actually delivered.
A thinner market than Bitcoin or Ethereum SOL options open interest stood at approximately $117 million as of mid-October 2026. The research describes SOL’s open interest as relatively thin compared to larger players like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The put/call ratio sits around 0.80. Max pain, the strike price at which the largest number of options would expire worthless, was hovering at $110.
The premium over Bitcoin Spreads between SOL and BTC one-week at-the-money IV have been observed in the range of 18 to 24 points. The Derivasys data also highlights that SOL’s short-dated IV is more reactive than both BTC and ETH.
Why a 2-day tenor matters A jump of 18.3 points at that tenor suggests demand for very short-term exposure picked up meaningfully. The research points to robust hedging demand alongside the potential for speculative activity as market sentiment shifts.
Short-dated options also feed back into spot markets. Dealers who sell those contracts often hedge by trading the underlying asset, which can amplify moves in either direction when expiry approaches.
What this means for traders With 30-day realized volatility at 64.3% and 30-day IV at 54.9%, traders selling longer-dated options are effectively betting SOL calms down.
Max pain at $110 gives expiry watchers a reference point showing where option sellers would collectively prefer SOL to settle when contracts roll off.
The put/call ratio near 0.80 shows calls still lead, yet the put side carries enough weight to signal that plenty of participants want a safety net in place.
The 18 to 24 point spread over Bitcoin is a measure of how much extra turbulence SOL carries compared to the market leader. According to the research, any significant price move could trigger amplified reactions in SOL’s options market, with knock-on effects for positioning across the broader crypto landscape.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.