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Ethereum layer-2 network Starknet has launched Shadow Accounts, a new privacy feature that allows users to trade, lend and manage decentralized finance (DeFi) positions without publicly connecting their activity to their main cryptocurrency wallets.

Summary

StarkWare launched Shadow Accounts on Starknet, allowing separate application identities without exposing users’ wallet links.
Shadow Accounts keep transactions and balances publicly visible while obscuring connections to users’ primary wallets.
Users fund their Shadow Accounts through STRK20 shielded balances and maintain positions across multiple transactions.
Developers can integrate the privacy feature into existing applications through the Starknet Wallet API interface.
StarkWare introduced STRK20 privacy tools in June, followed by demonstrations of private identity verification technology.

StarkWare announced the launch on October 13, introducing a system that creates separate blockchain addresses for individual DeFi applications. Built on the network’s STRK20 privacy framework, the feature lets users maintain ongoing positions under different identities while keeping their main wallet addresses obscured. The company confirmed that Shadow Account balances and transactions remain visible onchain.

Starknet Shadow Accounts separate DeFi activity from wallets
With Shadow Accounts, users can interact with supported decentralized applications through dedicated addresses that are not publicly linked to their primary wallets. Each application receives a separate, persistent identity, allowing users to return to existing positions without revealing connections to other activities.

StarkWare explained that using the same public wallet across multiple platforms allows blockchain observers to examine transactions, holdings and trading strategies associated with that address. Shadow Accounts are designed to prevent observers from easily combining those activities into a single publicly connected wallet history.

1/ Every app should have a private mode. So we shipped it 🥷

Introducing Shadow Accounts, now live on Starknet.

A new STRK20 privacy primitive that lets apps offer a Public → Private switch, without publicly linking users' activity to their main wallets 🧵 pic.twitter.com/YjKbHX1i0d

— StarkWare (@StarkWareLtd) October 13, 2026

Unlike temporary wallet addresses, Shadow Accounts remain available across multiple interactions with the same application. Users can maintain lending positions, accumulate rewards or manage other financial arrangements through a consistent address.

The system derives each account from information associated with the user, the selected application and a unique identifier known as a nonce. According to the official Starknet.js documentation, users can generate multiple Shadow Accounts for one application, allowing them to separate different activities within the same service.

However, the protection has defined limits. StarkWare states that Shadow Accounts hold public ERC-20 assets, meaning their balances and transaction histories remain accessible through blockchain explorers. The privacy protection concerns the connection between those addresses and the user’s main wallet.

The feature therefore does not make every trading position, token transfer or financial activity invisible. Once an observer identifies a particular Shadow Account, its publicly recorded operations can still be examined.

Shadow Accounts use STRK20 to fund DeFi transactions
The system works alongside STRK20, Starknet’s privacy framework for cryptocurrency transfers and shielded balances. Users deposit supported assets into a shared privacy pool, where their balances are represented through encrypted records.

According to StarkWare’s technical explanation, a user connecting to a compatible application can select a private operating mode before making a deposit. The wallet then moves the required assets from the shielded balance to the designated Shadow Account.

Once funded, the account can interact with the application and maintain an ongoing position. For example, a user participating in a lending platform could deposit assets through a Shadow Account and return later to adjust the position.

The process allows the application to recognize the same account across multiple transactions. However, the user’s original wallet address is not publicly attached to those activities through the Shadow Account mechanism.

When users decide to withdraw, supported proceeds can move back into their shielded STRK20 balances. The wallet manages the required transaction data and generates zero-knowledge proofs used to validate operations through the privacy system.

Starknet’s documentation identifies several ways to collect assets from a Shadow Account. Developers can configure transactions to return the entire token balance, only amounts received during the latest interaction or a specified amount.

The mechanism uses a Shadow Account anonymizer, which can create and operate the account through the privacy pool. The official documentation identifies an anonymizer contract deployed on Starknet mainnet, alongside a separate deployment on the Sepolia test network.

StarkWare opens privacy tools to DeFi developers
StarkWare has made Shadow Accounts available through the Starknet Wallet API, allowing developers to connect existing applications to the privacy system.

The company identified the shadow_account_invoke method as the main integration tool. Through this operation, developers can submit application calls using a user’s Shadow Account without directly managing the account’s private state.

According to the launch announcement, the wallet handles proof generation, transaction submission and the data required to manage the user’s shielded balances. Developers do not need access to users’ viewing keys to enable the feature.

The announcement identified Starknet Wallet API version 0.10.4 and starknet.js version 10.8.0 or newer as supported integration options. Wallet compatibility remains necessary, meaning the feature will depend on whether individual wallets and applications implement the relevant interfaces.

StarkWare said the design could eventually support additional services, including liquidity provision, borrowing, staking, recurring purchases, derivatives, prediction markets and NFT marketplaces.

The developer documentation distinguishes Shadow Accounts from single-use transaction helpers. Shadow Accounts are designed for positions held over time, while helper-based interactions can complete a transaction without maintaining a persistent user-specific address.

No figures were disclosed for the number of applications that had integrated Shadow Accounts at launch. StarkWare did not publish adoption targets or transaction volumes associated specifically with the new feature.

Starknet expands privacy services after STRK20 launch
Shadow Accounts extend StarkWare’s existing work on blockchain privacy, which received a major update in June 2026.

On June 9, StarkWare introduced STRK20, a framework designed to provide shielded balances and private transfers for supported ERC-20 assets on Starknet. The system uses zero-knowledge proofs to validate transactions without publicly exposing all the underlying financial information.

The earlier STRK20 privacy framework for Ethereum tokens introduced encrypted balances, private transfers and viewing keys for controlled disclosure. Through its shared privacy pool, users can move supported assets between public and shielded states while remaining on Starknet.

Subsequently, StarkWare demonstrated a Private Know Your Customer system on June 23. The technology was designed to allow users to verify selected personal information without providing companies with complete copies of their identity documents.

The Private KYC system developed by StarkWare uses zero-knowledge proofs to verify specific information, such as age or eligibility, while limiting exposure of other personal details. The demonstration involved passport verification using mobile devices and encrypted identity information.

StarkWare’s official STRK20 website identifies Ready and Xverse among the wallets supporting its privacy infrastructure. The platform describes existing integrations involving decentralized exchanges, lending applications and other financial services.

Its documentation explains that privacy protections do not cover every part of a blockchain transaction. Public deposits, withdrawals, transaction timing and external application activity can remain visible, depending on the wallet and integration.

The framework provides a mechanism for authorized auditing through encrypted viewing keys. According to StarkWare, this allows designated auditors to inspect an individual’s private transfer records without gaining control of their assets.

The latest developer documentation identifies WalletAccountV6 as the recommended interface for new Starknet applications using STRK20 features. It specifies compatibility with get-starknet version 6.0.6 or later and describes support through compatible wallets, including Ready and Xverse.

Ethereum price has struggled to sustain a recovery above $2,500 on October 14 as persistent ETF withdrawals, weak market sentiment, and technical resistance continue to limit buying interest.

Summary

Ethereum price continues to struggle near $2,500 as persistent spot ETF withdrawals and weak market sentiment limit recovery attempts.
U.S. spot Ethereum ETFs recorded $542.2 million in net outflows during the week ending October 9, adding to selling pressure.
Daily Bollinger Bands and Aroon readings favor sellers, with ETH trading below the middle Bollinger Band at $2,617.99.
The four hour MACD shows improving momentum, but ETH must clear resistance at $2,543 and $2,580 to strengthen its recovery.
A break below $2,449 could expose support near $2,425 and $2,409, while a sustained recovery could bring $2,618 into focus.

According to TradingView data, Ethereum (ETH) traded at $2,508.58 at the time of writing, up 0.43% on the day after moving between $2,497.94 and $2,522.63.

The second largest cryptocurrency has been trying to recover from last week’s selloff, which pushed prices toward $2,400. However, ETH remains below important resistance levels on the daily chart, while the 4-hour timeframe shows that buyers have yet to establish a convincing recovery.

Ethereum price faces pressure from ETF withdrawals and market selling
Institutional demand has remained weak throughout October, with U.S. spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds recording $542.2 million in net withdrawals during the trading week ending October 9.

According to Farside Investors, the funds recorded five consecutive sessions of outflows during the week, including $201.9 million on October 6 and $160.9 million on October 7.

The withdrawals formed part of a longer selling streak that began on September 29. As crypto.news reported on October 12, cumulative redemptions had reached $697.4 million across nine consecutive negative sessions through October 9.

BlackRock’s ETHA was responsible for a substantial portion of the selling, particularly during the two largest withdrawal sessions.

Institutional outflows have coincided with selling across the cryptocurrency market, where leveraged positions have contributed to recent price swings.

Ethereum was trading near $2,718 on October 6 before losing the $2,600 level during the following session. Geopolitical tensions around the Strait of Hormuz accompanied the market decline, with Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies recording losses.

The selling pushed ETH toward $2,409 before buyers stepped in, although subsequent recovery attempts have struggled to move decisively beyond the $2,500 region.

Derivatives positioning has created another obstacle. CoinGlass liquidation data cited in October 12 market coverage identified overhead liquidation concentrations around $2,585, $2,635 to $2,640, and $2,740.

A recovery into these regions could trigger short liquidations, but the same areas may attract traders looking to exit positions following the recent decline.

Meanwhile, corporate Ethereum accumulation has continued despite the weaker market.

BitMine Immersion Technologies purchased another 12,532 ETH during the week ending October 11, bringing its reported holdings to 6,028,946 tokens, or approximately 4.9% of Ethereum’s supply.

The company’s chairman, Tom Lee, has warned that selling in South Korea’s stock market could spread into cryptocurrency markets through liquidations. The warning followed a decline of more than 6% in South Korea’s KOSPI index on October 13.

BitMine’s continued purchases have provided a source of institutional demand, although they have not prevented ETH from trading below its recent highs.

Daily indicators favor sellers
On the daily ETH/USDT chart, Ethereum is trading below the middle Bollinger Band, indicating that sellers continue to have the upper hand despite the latest recovery attempt.

ETH/USDT 1-day price chart. Source: crypto.news
The middle band currently stands at $2,617.99, nearly $110 above the prevailing market price.

A recovery toward this level would require ETH to overcome several resistance areas established during the recent decline. Until then, the middle band remains a potential ceiling for any rebound.

The lower Bollinger Band sits at $2,425.34, close to the area where buyers entered the market during the latest selloff.

A move below $2,425 could expose the recent swing low near $2,409. Sustained selling below that level would leave the $2,350 to $2,380 region as a possible next downside target.

The upper Bollinger Band, meanwhile, stands at $2,810.63. However, a move toward that level would first require Ethereum to recover above the middle band and overcome resistance around $2,700.

The Aroon indicator provides another view of the prevailing trend.

On the daily chart, Aroon Down stands at 57.14%, while Aroon Up is considerably lower at 14.29%.

The difference indicates that recent lows have been more influential than recent highs, although the Aroon Down reading has not reached levels normally associated with a particularly strong downtrend.

Aroon Up would need to recover and cross above Aroon Down to indicate that buyers are beginning to establish a stronger trend.

Until such a crossover develops, the daily readings leave Ethereum vulnerable to renewed selling, particularly if the price fails to hold above $2,450.

The 4-hour chart presents a somewhat different picture, with momentum beginning to improve following the decline toward $2,409.

ETH/USDT 4-hour price chart. Source: crypto.news
Ethereum’s Moving Average Convergence Divergence indicator shows the MACD line at -8.68, above the signal line at -10.01.

The histogram has turned positive at 1.33, indicating that bearish momentum has eased and that buyers have regained some short-term ground.

However, both the MACD and signal lines remain below zero, meaning the recovery has not yet developed into a confirmed bullish trend.

The histogram has also narrowed following its earlier expansion, suggesting that the initial recovery is losing momentum as ETH trades near $2,500.

Fibonacci retracement levels drawn between the recent swing low of $2,409.09 and swing high of $2,579.88 place immediate resistance around $2,514.54, corresponding to the 0.618 retracement.

A sustained move above this level could allow ETH to challenge $2,543.33, the 0.786 retracement, before attempting to revisit $2,579.88.

A breakout above $2,580 would bring the daily Bollinger middle band near $2,618 into focus.

If buyers manage to reclaim that level, the next resistance areas would lie near $2,685 and $2,700, although such a recovery would require stronger momentum than the current 4-hour readings suggest.

On the downside, initial support lies around $2,494, followed by the Fibonacci levels at $2,474.33 and $2,449.40.

A breakdown below $2,449 would raise the possibility of another move toward $2,409, particularly if the 4-hour MACD crosses back below its signal line.

For a stronger recovery, the 4-hour MACD would need to move above zero while ETH reclaims $2,543 and subsequently $2,580. On the daily timeframe, $2,618 remains the next significant resistance level before buyers can challenge the $2,700 region.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

An Ethereum wallet associated with sven.eth has reportedly lost 9.1231 ETH, valued at approximately $22,770, and 1.69271471 TAPEETH tokens after an attacker used a malicious EIP-7702 authorization to gain control of the account.

Summary

Security firm ExVul reported that an Ethereum wallet lost 9.1231 ETH through malicious account delegation.
The reported attack involved 1.69271471 TAPEETH tokens alongside Ethereum valued at approximately $22,770 at detection.
A sponsored EIP-7702 transaction reportedly enabled attacker controlled code to execute through the victim’s wallet.
ExVul attributed the theft to malicious wallet authorization, not a vulnerability in PodMining or TAPEETH.
The security firm warned that the malicious delegation remained active at Ethereum block 26,188,153 afterward.

Blockchain security firm ExVul reported the incident on October 14, identifying an attacker-sponsored transaction that activated malicious code previously authorized by the wallet owner. The firm attributed the theft to an unsafe delegation, explaining that the attacker drained the wallet without exploiting the underlying DeFi protocol.

The reported incident involved the wallet linked to sven.eth and an attacker-controlled address beginning with 0x9208. According to ExVul’s investigation, the authorization allowed code installed through Ethereum’s EIP-7702 mechanism to operate with the wallet’s permissions.

Ethereum EIP-7702 attack drains ETH and TAPEETH
The reported theft involved 9.1231 ETH and 1.69271471 TAPEETH, with the ETH portion valued at approximately $22,770 when ExVul published its findings. The security firm did not provide a separate dollar valuation for the TAPEETH tokens.

ExVul identified the transaction hash as 0x36e0d1491c14e3d8e50bc70d73675b89d2d4712814d16f808f957c84fde820ee, linking the activity to a sponsored type-4 Ethereum transaction. Such transactions support EIP-7702 authorizations, which allow ordinary wallet addresses to execute smart contract code.

The investigation attributed the attack to 0x9208097c007be15e28b20e94e66870a3f9f820bc. The victim’s wallet was identified as 0xd8ba9e5886b7000bace2c9dbdd0be98ac77d4a28, while the malicious delegation pointed to 0x0366b55f948a688888ca6e029ad0831f6ec260d1.

🚨 ALERT — EIP-7702 Wallet Drain on Ethereum

sven.eth was drained for 9.1231 ETH net (~$22.77K) plus 1.69271471 TAPEETH.

No flash loan or AMM manipulation was involved: the attacker sponsored a type-4 transaction carrying the victim's valid EIP-7702 authorization, then swept…

— ExVul (@exvulsec) October 14, 2026

According to the security alert, the attacker submitted a transaction containing an EIP-7702 authorization signed by the victim. Once Ethereum processed that authorization, subsequent calls to the affected wallet executed the delegated contract’s instructions within the victim account.

The attacker-controlled code reportedly contained a fixed address authorized to operate the wallet. The controller then invoked the PodMining.claim() function, transferred the resulting TAPEETH rewards and withdrew the wallet’s ETH balance.

ExVul emphasized that “No flash loan or AMM manipulation was involved.” Its findings identified the account authorization as the entry point, with no evidence in the supplied analysis of an exploit involving liquidity pools or price manipulation.

How malicious wallet delegation enabled the theft
EIP-7702 is part of Ethereum’s account abstraction development, allowing externally owned accounts to temporarily gain smart contract functionality through delegated code.

Under the official Ethereum specification, a user signs an authorization identifying the smart contract that will control the account’s execution behavior. Once submitted through a compatible transaction, Ethereum records the delegation and runs the designated code when the wallet receives relevant calls.

The feature supports legitimate applications, including sponsored transactions, transaction batching and more flexible wallet permissions. A user can authorize multiple actions through a single transaction or allow a third party to cover the network fee.

However, the same mechanism carries security risks when an account delegates execution to malicious code. Ethereum’s EIP-7702 specification explains that poorly designed or malicious delegation contracts can grant an outside party extensive control over the account.

In this incident, the attacker reportedly paid the transaction fee and submitted the signed authorization. The wallet owner did not need to fund or broadcast the transaction that activated the malicious delegation.

The signature supplied authority for the wallet to execute the attacker’s code. Once activated, the code operated under the victim’s account context, allowing the controller address to initiate the reported asset transfers.

ExVul stated that the exploit “is not a TAPEETH / PodMining bug.” The conclusion distinguishes the authorization mechanism from a vulnerability in the token or the reward contract.

The firm did not establish how the attacker obtained the victim’s authorization. Its public findings do not identify a specific phishing website, malicious application or compromised signing interface.

Malicious authorization could threaten future deposits
After the reported theft, ExVul warned that the wallet’s malicious delegation remained active at Ethereum block 26,188,153.

The warning concerns a feature of EIP-7702: setting a delegation does not automatically remove it when the transaction finishes. The authorized contract can remain associated with the wallet until the account owner replaces or clears the delegation.

Ethereum’s official security guidance explains that a wallet owner retains control through the original private key, including the ability to reset delegation by authorizing the zero address. However, malicious delegated code may remain dangerous until the change is successfully processed.

ExVul warned users against transferring new assets into the affected address while the suspicious delegation remained active. Newly deposited funds could face the same exposure if the attacker’s code continued to control spending permissions.

The firm recommended clearing or replacing the authorization and moving remaining assets to a secure wallet. Such recovery actions require care because the affected address may execute malicious instructions while the delegation persists.

The warning was based on the delegation status observed at block 26,188,153. ExVul’s original alert did not establish whether the victim had subsequently removed the malicious code or recovered any assets.

No reimbursement arrangement, recovery transaction or law enforcement action was identified in the supplied investigation.

EIP-7702 has raised similar security concerns before
The latest reported attack follows previous warnings from blockchain security researchers about malicious account delegations.

In May 2025, crypto market maker Wintermute identified widespread use of EIP-7702 contracts designed to automatically drain funds from compromised Ethereum wallets.

Wintermute’s research found that more than 97% of observed EIP-7702 delegations at that stage pointed to contracts using identical code. Its analysis associated many of those delegations with automated sweepers that could transfer incoming ETH to attacker-controlled addresses.

The earlier security concerns surrounding Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade centered on attackers abusing wallet delegation features introduced through EIP-7702. Security researchers warned that malicious code could remain connected to accounts after victims completed the initial authorization.

A separate incident involving World Liberty Financial tokens in September 2025 raised similar concerns. Blockchain investigator Yu Xian reported that attackers were using compromised wallet permissions and EIP-7702 delegation to target holders after token transfers became available.

The phishing attacks against WLFI token holders involved malicious delegation contracts that allowed attackers to execute unauthorized transactions. Investigators linked the activity to compromised wallet credentials and fraudulent authorizations.

In July 2026, another Ethereum phishing incident involving nearly $1 million demonstrated how dangerous wallet approvals can expose cryptocurrency holdings. That case involved malicious transaction permissions and was not established as the same exploit method reported against sven.eth.

Ethereum’s EIP-7702 specification identifies several safeguards for developers building delegation contracts, including replay protection, authenticated transaction parameters and secure initialization procedures.

The specification warns that poorly implemented delegation contracts may give malicious actors nearly complete control over the affected account. It recommends carefully verifying the permissions granted to delegated code, particularly when external parties can submit transactions on behalf of wallet owners.

ExVul’s October 14 alert identified the malicious contract, controller address and affected account, but did not disclose whether the victim had since replaced the authorization. The investigation recorded the suspicious delegation as active at block 26,188,153.

Ethereum's DOPE Hits $22M After Internet Accident

An #EthereumOG who bought $ETH at just $14 nine years ago is selling!

He deposited 6,369 $ETH ($15.95M) into #Kraken ~40 minutes ago.

https://arkm.com/explorer/address/0x8ACF47C6A7785BdB7E05ba210d324EE66D05aA93

US CPI Inflation LIVE Updates Today Oct. 14: Will Hot CPI Data Trigger Bitcoin, XRP, Crypto Selloff?

Ethereum‘s derivatives market has witnessed a notable decline in leverage, as persistent outflows from institutional products and weak US trading activity weigh on the cryptocurrency’s recovery prospects.

Leverage and institutional flows weakenRecent data from on-chain analytics provider CryptoQuant indicates that Ethereum’s Estimated Leverage Ratio (ELR) has declined to 0.62. This marks its lowest reading since November 2025, pointing to a reduction in the use of leverage by traders in the ETH market.

The Estimated Leverage Ratio is calculated by comparing open interest in derivatives to the amount of an asset held in spot exchange reserves. It provides insights into how much of the market’s activity is driven by leverage versus actual holdings.

Mini dictionary: Estimated Leverage Ratio (ELR), a metric that assesses the proportion of leverage used in the derivatives market by comparing derivatives open interest with spot exchange reserves.

The drop in leverage has coincided with declining open interest on Ethereum derivatives exchanges. This trend indicates that traders have generally adopted a more cautious stance, preferring not to expand leveraged positions despite recent price movements.

In addition, the Net Taker Volume for Ethereum remains negative, reflecting ongoing sell-side pressure in perpetual futures trading. This metric highlights that market-order selling currently exceeds buying across these instruments.

The cautious sentiment was further underscored by the Coinbase Premium Index, which recently fell to -0.117. This negative value means that Ethereum is currently trading at a discount on Coinbase compared to other major exchanges, suggesting more muted demand from US-based buyers.

Ethereum’s market data continues to highlight cautious behavior from traders, as the decline in leverage and persistent negative taker volume signal that participants remain wary of new long positions.

Institutional flows have also been under pressure. Data from SoSoValue shows that US-listed spot Ethereum ETFs reported $85.4 million in net outflows on Monday. Although there was a modest inflow of $24.84 million on Tuesday, the 10-day net redemption streak is now the longest since mid-May to early June.

DateETH ETF Net FlowsMonday$85.4 million outflowTuesday$24.84 million inflowPrevious 10 daysConsecutive outflowsTechnical outlook for ETHTechnically, Ethereum has been consolidating on its daily chart as it attempts to build support near its 50-day exponential moving average (EMA), which sits around $2,501.

The immediate challenge for buyers lies at the $2,548 resistance level. A successful move above this first barrier would bring the 20-day EMA, currently at about $2,578, into focus as the next key resistance.

If bullish momentum strengthens, traders may watch for targets at $2,636 and $2,781, with further resistance identified at $3,075 and $3,253.

Momentum indicators remain subdued. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is hovering near 43, below the neutral 50 midpoint, while the Stochastic Oscillator has dropped to 27, which signals weak momentum and nears oversold territory.

On the downside, initial support can be found at $2,413. Further declines could expose Ethereum to support at $2,355 and its 100-day EMA. Deeper pullbacks would likely bring $2,204 and $1,971 into view as additional support areas.

Ethereum must clear the $2,548 and $2,578 barriers to shift momentum in favor of buyers, while sustained ETF outflows and sluggish US demand create challenges for a robust recovery.

Strike Finance integrates RealFi yields into its liquidity vaults.
Advertised returns approach 50% APR but remain variable.
ADA trades near $0.235, with support around $0.228.
Open interest reaches $239.7 million after a modest daily increase.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has praised Strike Finance following its integration of RealFi yield into the platform’s liquidity vaults, a development that expands the use of real-world asset-backed products within Cardano’s decentralized finance ecosystem.

Alright Cardano, RealFi is open for business through Strike. One of the best DApps on Cardano

— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) October 14, 2026

Strike says the integration allows users to access returns associated with RealFi alongside its existing vault strategies. The platform is advertising annual percentage rates approaching 50%, although those figures are variable and should not be confused with the returns generated by RealFi’s underlying assets.

Hoskinson welcomed the development, describing Strike as one of Cardano’s best applications.

The announcement comes less than two weeks after RealFi launched on Cardano mainnet on October 1. ADA, however, continues to face technical resistance, trading around $0.235 in the October 14 market snapshot.

Strike Adds Real-World Yield to Its Vault Strategies
RealFi brings a different source of returns to Cardano’s DeFi market.

Its two-token system consists of USDrf, a dollar-denominated stablecoin backed by a portfolio of financial assets, and sUSDrf, a yield-bearing token that provides exposure to returns generated by the underlying portfolio.

According to RealFi’s documentation, the portfolio includes U.S. Treasury bills, money-market funds, investment-grade credit instruments and private lending.

The structure is designed to separate liquidity needs from yield generation. USDrf serves as the more liquid base asset, while sUSDrf carries additional exposure to investment performance and potential losses.

Strike’s integration introduces these returns into a separate DeFi strategy.

Under its documented vault model, depositors allocate funds to managed trading accounts, where profits and losses are reflected in the value of their vault shares.

The latest promotional figures include:

49.27% APR for sUSDrf-linked positions.
37.03% APR for ADA-backed positions.
Up to 50% APR across selected vault strategies.

Strike also advertises borrowing against eligible collateral at 0% interest.

These figures were presented in the October 14 announcement and are not independently verified realized returns. The available information does not establish how much of each vault’s advertised APR comes from RealFi, trading performance or other strategy components.

That distinction is central to evaluating the integration.

Why a 50% APR Does Not Mean RealFi Earns 50%
RealFi’s own product information advertises up to 10% APY for its staked token, substantially below the figures associated with Strike’s selected vault strategies.

The difference is not necessarily contradictory. The products operate at different levels and involve different sources of return.

RealFi’s yield originates from financial assets supporting its token system. Strike’s vault performance can also depend on trading activity and how capital is deployed within its strategies.

APR and APY also use different annualization conventions. APR generally excludes compounding, while APY incorporates it.

Neither measure guarantees that the quoted return will persist.

For example, a strategy displaying 49.27% APR could subsequently produce a much lower return or record a loss. Its advertised rate should not be treated as a fixed payment obligation.

The risks extend beyond changing yields.

Collateral liquidation. Borrowers may lose pledged assets if their collateral falls below the required threshold.
Trading losses. Vault positions can decline in value, reducing depositor balances.
Credit exposure. RealFi’s underlying portfolio includes assets that may experience defaults or valuation losses.
Liquidity restrictions. Withdrawals and redemptions may depend on market depth, available funds and applicable waiting periods.

RealFi’s redemption disclosures distinguish institutional redemption arrangements from retail exits through decentralized exchanges. Retail holders are not guaranteed immediate liquidity or an exit at the token’s target value.

Geographic eligibility is another limitation. RealFi states that USDrf and sUSDrf are unavailable to persons in the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and certain other jurisdictions.

These restrictions mean the new integration should not be interpreted as universally accessible across Cardano’s user base.

ADA Tests a Support Zone Near $0.228
The latest price chart shows that Cardano’s broader market performance remains weaker than the optimism surrounding the RealFi integration.

At the time of writing ADA trades at $0.23480 on Coinbase, according to the TradingView chart from October 14, representing a daily decline of 0.38%.

Cardano trades within a rising price channel.
The token remained below its 20-day simple moving average at $0.24861.

That level closely matches the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement at $0.24863, creating a resistance area near $0.249.

A sustained move above that region would improve the short-term technical outlook and bring the recent trading area around $0.26 into focus.

Support is closer to the current price.

The 50-day moving average stands at $0.22813, just above the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement at $0.22740. The chart’s rising trendline also approaches this zone.

Together, these indicators make $0.227–$0.228 an important area to monitor.

A sustained break below it would weaken the ascending price structure. The next technical references are the 200-day moving average at $0.21251 and the 50% Fibonacci retracement at $0.21024.

The 100-day moving average, currently near $0.20410, provides a lower reference if selling pressure continues.

Momentum indicators support a cautious interpretation.

The 14-day Relative Strength Index stood at 47.26, below the neutral 50 level and its signal average of 55.94.

That suggests momentum has weakened, although ADA is not yet in traditionally oversold territory.

These levels describe potential market reactions rather than guaranteed support or resistance. The chart also does not establish a direct relationship between Strike’s announcement and ADA’s price movements.

ADA Derivatives Show Limited New Positioning
Derivatives data provide little indication of a major speculative buildup around the announcement.

ADA open interest reached approximately $239.7 million on October 14, according to information from Coinalyze, increasing 0.62% over the preceding 24 hours.

The figures cover perpetual contracts, with most outstanding positions concentrated across Binance, Bybit, Hyperliquid and OKX.

Cardano / Derivatives

ADA Open Interest by Exchange

Total Open Interest

$239.7M

+0.62% / 24h

Exchange
OI (USD)
Share

1

Binance

$93.8M
39.1%

2

Bybit

$68.6M
28.6%

3

Hyperliquid

$36.1M
15.1%

4

OKX

$33.7M
14.1%

+

Others

~$7.5M
3.1%

Market Concentration

Top four exchanges

96.9%

Most reported ADA perpetual exposure is concentrated on four venues. Open interest does not indicate whether positioning is bullish or bearish.

The concentration shows where leveraged exposure is held, but it does not establish whether traders expect prices to rise or fall.

Every derivatives contract has both a long and a short side. Open interest alone cannot determine which group is driving the market.

Funding rates, trading volume and liquidation data would be needed to assess positioning more thoroughly.

The modest daily increase therefore suggests limited expansion in outstanding contracts rather than a decisive shift in market sentiment.

RealFi’s Next Test Is Sustained Vault Performance
Strike’s integration gives RealFi another distribution channel shortly after its mainnet launch.

Separately, Cardano has brought CIP-0113 programmable tokens to mainnet, introducing conditional transfers designed for regulated financial assets.

The more meaningful measures of adoption will be sustained deposits, realized returns after fees and the ability of vault strategies to withstand unfavorable market conditions.

For Cardano, the development broadens the practical use of its real-world asset infrastructure. Whether that translates into lasting DeFi activity will depend on the performance of the products themselves, not their advertised annualized yields.

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.

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10h05 ▪ 4 min read ▪ by Ghiles A.

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Russia continues the integration of cryptocurrencies in its financial system, with a growing role for traditional banks. Sberbank, the largest banking institution in the country, has just obtained authorization to trade digital assets. The bank is already preparing operations on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT in its application. This advance accompanies the establishment of a market regulated by the Russian authorities, who want to organize the exchange and custody of cryptocurrencies.

In brief Sberbank obtains authorization to trade cryptocurrencies in Russia. The bank tests transactions in bitcoin, ether and USDT in its application. The launch of the first products is scheduled for December 1st. Starting next July, cryptocurrency transactions will have to go through authorized intermediaries. Sberbank gets the green light to trade cryptocurrencies The Bank of Russia has registered Sberbank in the register of authorized providers to exchange cryptocurrencies, according to the Interfax agency. This decision follows the bank’s registration as a digital custodian at the beginning of the month. It can thus prepare services covering two distinct activities: trading and custody of digital assets.

The register now includes nine organizations, including VTB and T-Invest Lab. This evolution marks a change of direction compared to the project presented by the central bank in 2022. At that time, the institution planned to ban national exchange platforms and block the operations of Russian financial intermediaries on cryptocurrencies.

However, a law that came into force on September 1st now establishes a regulated framework. It provides for the participation of banks, brokers, exchange platforms, and digital custodians. In this system, authorized traders can buy and sell cryptocurrencies with their own funds, without going through an organized platform. According to the Bank of Russia, custodians are responsible for recording asset ownership and transfers.

Bitcoin, ether and USDT: the first tests in the application Thanks to these two authorizations, Sberbank will be able to combine trading services with custody services. The bank has also been working on a cryptocurrency wallet since the beginning of the year. According to Interfax, it plans to launch its first products on December 1st, directly from the interfaces its clients already use.

The institution is currently testing transactions on several digital assets in its application. The trials focus notably on Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT, and other major tokens. However, the Bank of Russia still needs to define the final list of authorized cryptocurrencies, as indicated by Sberbank to the media Vedomosti. This decision will therefore determine the assets accessible to future users of banking services.

This openness remains subject to precise restrictions. National payments in cryptocurrencies remain prohibited in Russia. In addition, the central bank plans that from next July, transactions will have to go through authorized intermediaries. This rule would effectively exclude peer-to-peer exchanges settled by means of Russian bank accounts.

In the short term, Sberbank must finalize its services while respecting regulatory requirements. The launch announced for December 1st will mark a new stage in crypto regulation in Russia. The final list of authorized assets and the access modalities will then specify the scope of this offer. The evolution of the system will depend notably on the rules set by the central bank and their application to client operations.

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Ghiles A.

Journaliste et rédacteur web passionné par l’univers des cryptomonnaies et des technologies Web3. J’y traite les dernières tendances et actualités afin de proposer un contenu de haute qualité à un large public du secteur.

DISCLAIMER

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.

Tether, the company behind the world’s most widely traded stablecoin USDT, invested in EFY Finance as part of the fintech firm’s seed funding round, aiming to strengthen institutional access to digital dollar payments across Latin America. The size of Tether’s investment, EFY Finance’s valuation, and the full amount raised were not disclosed by either party.

Expansion of Stablecoin Payments in the RegionEFY Finance is a financial technology company focused on building infrastructure for cross-border payments and digital asset transactions throughout Latin America. The firm allows businesses and financial institutions to settle transactions using USDT and USAT stablecoins while integrating digital wallets, payment cards, and custody services. EFY Finance holds a Digital Asset Service Provider license in El Salvador and operates active local payment corridors in 17 countries, including Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, and El Salvador.

Currently, EFY Finance serves over 25,000 retail and institutional accounts, offering conversion between more than 12 currencies and enabling direct payments to local bank accounts. The company plans to expand its institutional offerings in the region, leveraging Tether’s support to increase access to regulated digital dollar infrastructure.

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino highlighted the significance of the U.S. dollar in Latin America, citing its role as “a lifeline against inflation and capital controls” and emphasizing the need for enhanced access through regulated platforms.

Paolo Ardoino described the U.S. dollar as vital for those facing currency instability in Latin America and noted that EFY Finance could help make dollar-denominated digital assets more accessible across regulated networks.

EFY Finance’s co-founder and CEO Andrés Tobón stated that the main challenge is connecting stablecoins with the traditional banking system, including local payment rails, cards, and cross-border settlements, to strengthen their role within the mainstream financial landscape.

The expansion plans involve USDT, Tether’s established stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, and USAT, a newer U.S.-focused stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital Bank with backing from Tether. According to Tether, USAT is not legal tender, is not guaranteed by the U.S. government, and does not carry FDIC insurance.

Mini dictionary: Anchorage Digital Bank is a federally chartered digital asset bank in the United States that provides custody and settlement services for cryptocurrency and issues specific stablecoins such as USAT under U.S. regulatory oversight.

In September, Anchorage Digital selected LayerZero as the interoperability provider for its bank-issued stablecoins, including USAT. The companies have not detailed which networks or blockchains EFY Finance will utilize for these new products.

Growth of Crypto Transactions in Latin AmericaBlockchain analytics company Chainalysis reports that nearly $1.5 trillion in crypto transaction volume was recorded in Latin America from July 2022 to June 2025. In this period, Brazil led the region with $318.8 billion in received crypto value, followed by Argentina with $93.9 billion, Mexico with $71.2 billion, Venezuela at $44.6 billion, and Colombia at $44.2 billion.

CountryCrypto Value ReceivedBrazil$318.8 billionArgentina$93.9 billionMexico$71.2 billionVenezuela$44.6 billionColombia$44.2 billionChainalysis attributes the region’s rising crypto adoption to persistent inflation, currency volatility, and recurring capital controls. Within certain countries, stablecoins accounted for the majority of exchange purchases involving national currencies such as the Colombian peso, Argentine peso, and Brazilian real. According to Bitso’s 2025 report, dollar-backed tokens represented 40% of all crypto purchases on its platform, outpacing Bitcoin at 18%.

Tether’s deal with EFY Finance comes after previous moves in Latin America, including a $20 million investment in Argentine digital bank Ualá in July 2026. That same month, Hyundai Motor’s U.S. and Mexican operations transferred $20,000 via USDT on the Avalanche blockchain, completing the transaction within about seven minutes.

EFY Finance and Tether have not released specific timelines for new financial products, further expansion plans, or projected volumes. Andrés Tobón emphasized that streamlining institutional access to USDT and USAT remains a priority as EFY Finance continues building connections between digital dollars and traditional banking systems in the region.

Stablecoins have become part of Latin America’s financial ecosystem, but linking them to traditional banking and payment networks will determine their broader impact, according to EFY Finance CEO Andrés Tobón.

Physical Intelligence opens its robot model API: Picking strawberries, assembling servers, new actions can be trained in just 4 days.

Beating AI News Flash: U.S.-based robotics AI firm Physical Intelligence (Pi) has launched the beta version of its Pi API, opening access to its foundational robotics model to more enterprises. Developers only need to upload robot operation data to fine-tune the model on Pi’s cloud computing power, then control their own robots via the API. There’s no need to train models from scratch or build complex training and inference infrastructure independently. Pi showcased real-world use cases from multiple partners, including AgRobotics’ strawberry-picking robots, autonomous loaders for self-driving trucks, and robots for food processing and server assembly. Among these, startup Almond used the Pi API to get its dual-arm robot to learn polishing the parts required for its own assembly after just 4 days of iterative training and testing. Pi had previously open-sourced robotics models such as π0 and π0.5, but developers still had to deploy and train them on their own. This time, the company has further packaged model fine-tuning, computing power, and inference services into an API, aiming to become a shared intelligent foundation for various robots. However, test access is still by application only, and pricing has not been announced yet.

7 minutes ago

Spark: Q3 Net Protocol Revenue Surpasses $4 Million, Stablecoin Swap Layer Hits Over $14 Billion in Trading Volume in Its First Month

DeFi lending protocol Spark has disclosed that its net protocol returns exceeded $4 million in the third quarter of 2026. In the first half of the year, DeFi lending spreads narrowed significantly, with lending capital profitability turning negative in the second quarter. After driving growth for Spark Savings USDT in Q3, related returns rebounded above capital costs. During the same period, Spark partnered with Uniswap and Sky to launch a stablecoin swap layer, which went live with $150 million in USDS liquidity, offering stablecoin swap services to banks, fintech firms and payment companies, and recorded over $14 billion in trading volume in its first month.

7 minutes ago

Morgan Stanley's Q3 net revenue hit $20.34 billion, exceeding the consensus estimate of $19.89 billion.

Morgan Stanley released its third-quarter financial results, reporting net revenue of $20.34 billion, exceeding the consensus estimate of $19.89 billion. The firm posted earnings per share of $3.03 for the quarter, while net interest income came in at $3.25 billion, beating the forecast of $2.78 billion.

7 minutes ago

Dutch central bank approves Qivalis' electronic money institution license, bringing euro stablecoin issuance a step closer.

Qivalis, an alliance backed by 37 major European banks, has secured an electronic money institution (EMI) license from De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB, the Dutch central bank), bringing it closer to issuing euro-denominated electronic money tokens (EMT), a regulated stablecoin format. The firm still needs to fulfill remaining requirements under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, including publishing a whitepaper, and plans to distribute the tokens via banks, crypto exchanges, and payment service providers over the coming months rather than directly to consumers. Under the EU MiCA framework, EMTs must be pegged to a single fiat currency, issued by authorized credit institutions or EMIs, redeemable at par at any time, and non-interest bearing. Since its launch in September 2025, the Qivalis alliance has expanded to include 37 European banks including BBVA, BNP Paribas, ING, and DZ Bank, and has selected Fireblocks to provide digital asset infrastructure.

7 minutes ago

DigUp Overhauls Mac Search With Google’s New Model: Locate a Specific Shot in a Video Even If You Forget the Filename

Dongcha Beating AI News Flash: Finding files on Mac typically requires remembering names or keywords. If you only recall a zebra appearing in a video segment, or a podcast episode discussing sleep, traditional file search tools are of little help. Independent developer Abdur Rahim’s open-source tool DigUp solves this by enabling direct content-based file searches. Type in "zebra in video" and it will jump to the exact frame where the zebra appears; search for "segment discussing sleep" and it will pinpoint the relevant timestamp in the podcast. It can also search photos, PDFs, and even open the exact page of a specific clause in a contract. DigUp leverages Google DeepMind’s EmbeddingGemma 2 model, released on October 6. This model converts text, images, audio, and video into comparable numerical features, allowing users to find corresponding visuals or audio based on a text description. DigUp pre-indexes selected folders, and during searches, it can also precisely match details like invoice numbers and error codes. All indexing and search processes run locally on Mac, eliminating the need to upload private files to the cloud. Free and open-source, DigUp has earned over 3,000 GitHub stars in less than a week since its launch. It currently only supports Macs with Apple’s custom silicon, requiring macOS 14 or later. First-time use requires downloading an approximately 865 MB model and spending time building the index.

7 minutes ago

During the afternoon US trading session ahead of the CPI release, new positions are heavily concentrated in the storage sector, with bulls dominating.

According to TradingBeats' monitoring, at least 14 accounts (with positions exceeding $100,000) opened new U.S. stock positions in the afternoon session. Among these, 12 accounts opened long positions totaling approximately $3.2081 million, while the other 2 accounts opened short positions totaling around $725,500. The new long positions are concentrated in the storage sector. Micron Technology (MU), SanDisk (SNDK), and SK Hynix (SKHY) accounted for about $2.6695 million in new long positions, making up roughly 83.2% of the total long position volume in this round. Specifically, Micron attracted 5 accounts to open new long positions, totaling approximately $1.384 million, with a volume-weighted average price of $947.99. SanDisk saw 2 accounts opening long positions totaling around $678,200, at a weighted average price of $1,455.36. SK Hynix had 1 new long account buying about $607,300. Short positions also centered on semiconductors and storage: one account opened a new short position of roughly $379,000 in SOXL in the afternoon, then closed it entirely; another account opened short positions of approximately $181,100 in SanDisk and $165,300 in Micron respectively. The remaining new long positions are distributed across Applied Materials (AMAT), Microsoft (MSFT), Nebius (NBIS), Broadcom (AVGO), and the Korean stock leverage ETF (KORU), with total position amounts of about $118,700, $103,900, $102,600, $103,300, and $110,100 respectively. Positions in Broadcom and KORU have since been exited.

7 minutes ago

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.

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South Korea has decided to block access to the websites of 27 foreign cryptocurrency platforms that it identified as operating in the country without registration.

South Korean authorities have taken a new step against cryptocurrency platforms targeting users in the country without proper registration. The Financial Intelligence Unit announced that access to the websites of 27 foreign virtual asset service providers will be blocked from within the country.

The list includes internationally known platforms such as KuCoin, MEXC, Phemex, Bitrue, BitMart, BingX, CoinW, BTCC, XT.com, and DigiFinex. The decision was approved following reviews conducted by the Korea Media and Communications Standards Commission on October 6 and 7.

According to South Korean legislation, foreign companies wishing to offer cryptocurrency services to investors in the country must register with the Financial Intelligence Unit. Authorities may consider elements such as operating a Korean-language website, marketing to users in the country, or offering services backed by the won as signs of targeting the local market.

Access restrictions do not automatically mean that user accounts or assets on the platforms in question are frozen. However, authorities acknowledge that users unable to access the websites may experience difficulties withdrawing funds. It has been stated that investors experiencing problems can seek assistance from the Digital Asset Exchanges Association, an organization comprised of the country’s major cryptocurrency exchanges.

South Korea has previously targeted mobile applications from similar platforms. In April 2025, Apple’s app store and Google Play imposed download and update restrictions on 14 and 17 unregistered crypto applications respectively. The new decision expands the control to include websites as well.

The decision does not mean that KuCoin or MEXC will be shut down worldwide. The access restriction applies to users in South Korea and to services that are reportedly operating without registration in the country.

*This is not investment advice.

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A Korean media regulator's ruling extends the crackdown on unregistered operators from app stores to websites, and the FIU says future blocks will not wait for victim reports or court rulings.

South Korea moves to block 27 unregistered crypto exchange websites

Posted October 14, 2026 at 6:32 am ET.

KuCoin, MEXC, BitMart, Phemex and BingX are among 27 unregistered crypto platforms whose websites will be blocked for users in South Korea, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) announced on Oct. 13. It is the first measure against such operators to target their websites; earlier steps included referrals to investigators and limits on paying them by credit card.

According to the FSC, South Korea’s media and communications standards regulator reviewed block requests from the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), which sits inside the FSC, over two sessions on Oct. 6 and 7 and approved them. Overseas-run sites face an access block; Korea-based ones face termination of service.

The list also names XT.com, Bitrue, Poloniex, BTCC, Pionex, WEEX and six sites listed under Korean names. The FIU did not say when the blocks take effect.

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Blocking Before Losses Are Reported The FIU said it now plans to request a block as soon as it detects unregistered activity, without first waiting for investigation results, a judicial ruling or confirmed customer losses. It added that it will keep checking for replacement sites that operators open under new addresses and send those for review as well.

Under Korea’s Act on Reporting and Using Specified Financial Transaction Information, any firm offering crypto services to Korean residents must register with the FIU, which requires ISMS security certification among other conditions. Foreign firms are covered if they run a Korean-language site, market to Korean customers or accept won payments. Operating without registration carries up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.

The FIU counts 28 registered virtual asset service providers and has reported 44 unregistered operators to investigative agencies so far. The regulator also pointed to a June joint investigation by the Digital Asset eXchange Alliance (DAXA) and registered firms, which found unregistered operators charging average trading fees of 1.5% to 10%, against an average of 0.16% at Korea’s five won-trading exchanges.

From App Stores to Websites Google and Apple, acting on FIU requests, already block new installs of and updates to unregistered operators’ apps for Korean users. With the new decision, the FSC said, websites are now covered as well.

The FIU told customers of unregistered operators to withdraw their assets immediately and said DAXA will guide users through withdrawal steps with the operators’ cooperation. It also warned that sharing referral links for such platforms could be treated as helping run an unregistered business, exposing the referrer to criminal penalties.

The blocks land as the FSC also weighs changes to how exchanges are supervised, including whether to allow crypto market making.

Related Listen: How Asia’s Crypto Communities View the Tariffs and Trump’s Embrace of Crypto

AI-assisted content: This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a member of the Unchained editorial team before publication.

Aave announced at 15:47 UTC on October 13, 2026 that its DAO had approved incentives for the Coinbase Tokenized Stocks market on Base. The published program terms say rewards began that day, are paid in $USDC through Merkl, and continue until the budget runs out. They do not state a campaign-specific budget.

The campaign covers supply positions in AAPLc, AMZNc, GOOGLc, METAc, MSFTc, NVDAc, and TSLAc. The rate is variable and not guaranteed. Aave can modify, pause, or end the program early, while rewards accrued before a change remain claimable for eligible users.

Access follows the issuer’s jurisdictional restrictions. The terms exclude US persons and anyone located in the United States. They also exclude people in jurisdictions where Coinbase does not offer the tokens, comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions, listed persons and addresses, and anyone whose participation would violate local law.

Claiming rewards amounts to a representation that the claimant is eligible, acquired the tokens under the issuer’s terms, and complies with applicable law. The terms say rewards accrued by an ineligible person are not validly earned and may be withheld. This makes eligibility part of the claim process rather than a promise that every address supplying collateral will receive rewards.

The DAO approved the incentive budget through a broader funding update. TokenLogic said rewards are drawn only against live campaigns and that it will report incentive spending through its governance updates. The incentive post does not identify how much of the broader allowance is assigned to this campaign, so its end date cannot be calculated from the published terms.

What the incentives pay for
The incentives sit on top of an isolated lending market rather than turning the stocks into borrowable assets. Aave’s Base market specification places the seven stocks in a dedicated Equities Hub. Users can post any combination as collateral and borrow $USDC. The equities themselves cannot be borrowed.

That separation matters to $USDC suppliers. Joining the hub explicitly opts them into lending against tokenized equity collateral, and the exposure does not extend to Aave’s other Base markets. The hub also includes a supply-only tokenized $USDC spoke for vaults and aggregators.

Pooling lets one borrower use a combination of supported stocks in one position. Each asset keeps its own collateral factor, so the composition of the account determines borrowing capacity. A diversified basket does not receive a separate borrowing multiplier. The market’s separation also means a problem with this collateral set does not automatically spread its exposure to lenders in other Aave markets.

Borrowing power varies by stock. The approved collateral factors are 78% for AAPLc, 73% for AMZNc, 76% for GOOGLc, 65% for METAc, 79% for MSFTc, 70% for NVDAc, and 65% for TSLAc. The market uses a 5.5% maximum liquidation bonus and a 10% liquidation fee. Its $USDC reserve has a 32 million add cap and a 21 million draw cap.

The token structure adds risks that do not exist for ordinary crypto collateral. LlamaRisk’s technical assessment says each token is a certificate over shares held in segregated custody under a bare trust governed by Abu Dhabi Global Market law. Secondary-market buyers initially have economic exposure but no redemption right until they complete the issuer’s vesting process. The program terms also say Coinbase, not Aave DAO, TokenLogic, or Aave Labs, issues the tokens.

The price feed includes an issuer multiplier as well as the underlying share price. The multiplier begins at 1.0 and changes for corporate actions. A reinvested dividend raises it after fees and withholding tax, while a stock split changes it by the split ratio. During a corporate action, the issuer pauses its registry flag, minting and redemption stop, and the feed holds its last value until the adjusted price is confirmed. Token transfers can continue during that window.

The price feed stops when stocks stop trading
The market operates continuously, but its equity prices do not. Chainlink’s tokenized equity feeds publish from Sunday evening through Friday evening in US Eastern time and hold their last value during weekends and market holidays. The feeds use a 0.5% deviation threshold and a 24-hour heartbeat while sessions are open.

A frozen feed means a position’s reported collateral value does not move during a closure. Its health factor can still fall as interest accrues. When the feed resumes, news accumulated during the closure can appear in one price update and push a position below its liquidation threshold. LlamaRisk modeled the collateral factors around that gap, including a historical closure lasting 92 hours and 35 minutes and a 24% stressed debt rate.

Liquidators may also face a delay after taking collateral. The assessment says issuer redemption is available only to vested holders and settles during regular market hours. Base secondary liquidity can be thin, while an off-hours liquidator may need to hedge until the underlying market opens. The maximum liquidation bonus is designed around redemption, secondary-market sale, and perpetual-hedge routes.

For stock holders, the immediate change is a variable $USDC subsidy on collateral they could already use to borrow $USDC. The reward is not a contractual entitlement, and its rate can fall as participation grows. A supplier also remains exposed to the issuer, custody arrangement, price feed, smart contracts, and liquidation process.

For $USDC suppliers, the campaign may bring more collateral into the isolated hub, but it does not remove weekend repricing or liquidation-path risk. They have opted into that risk by supplying to this hub rather than another Aave market.

The next milestone is not dated. The campaign ends when its budget is exhausted unless Aave modifies, pauses, or stops it earlier. The figure to watch is whether borrowing demand remains after the variable subsidy changes or disappears.

OpenAI is holding preliminary discussions to buy Trail of Bits, a cybersecurity and security-research company that specializes in identifying and fixing vulnerabilities in open-source software, The Information reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The talks come as OpenAI seeks to develop a substantial cybersecurity business. The potential transaction’s value is unknown, and the discussions are ongoing and may not result in a deal, the people said.

Based in New York, Trail of Bits provides security audits, adversarial testing, vulnerability discovery and security engineering tools. It examines software for exploitable weaknesses and works with developers to fix them, particularly in widely used open-source projects.

The firm is also known in the crypto industry for auditing protocols and projects such as Uniswap, Aave and Worldcoin.

The two companies launched Patch the Planet in June to use AI to find open-source software vulnerabilities, have security experts review the results and help develop and publicly release fixes. Trail of Bits has also applied OpenAI security-oriented models, including Codex, to speed up vulnerability remediation.

Buying the firm would give OpenAI access to experienced security researchers, established audit capabilities and expertise in open-source security response, supporting its efforts to expand its cybersecurity business and address threats enabled by AI.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.

NEAR Takes The AI Token Crown as Altcoins Slide

The discussion-stage plan would send the remaining v3 and Infinity fees to the treasury, while leaving v2’s CAKE burn mechanism intact.

The discussion-stage plan would send the remaining v3 and Infinity fees to the treasury, while leaving v2’s CAKE burn mechanism intact.

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COINDESK: Solana sets Oct. 21 for Alpenglow upgrade targeting 150-millisecond finality

Bitcoin (BTC), ABD Merkez Bankası (Fed) yetkilisi John Williams’ın faiz politikasına ilişkin açıklamalarının ardından yükselişe geçti. Lider kripto para birimi yüzde 1,5 değer kazanarak 84.000 dolar seviyesine yaklaşırken, Zcash (ZEC) başta olmak üzere birçok altcoin piyasadaki toparlanmaya eşlik etti. Williams’ın 2027 yılında ek faiz artırımlarına ihtiyaç görmediğini belirtmesi, küresel piyasalarda risk iştahını destekledi. Kripto para yatırımcılarının odağında ise perşembe günü açıklanacak ABD enflasyon verileri bulunuyor. Söz konusu verilerin Bitcoin’in 85.000 dolar seviyesine yönelik olası hareketinde belirleyici olması bekleniyor.

Bitcoin, çarşamba günü Asya işlem saatlerinde yüzde 1,5 yükselerek 83.900 dolar seviyesine yaklaştı. New York Fed Başkanı John Williams’ın 2027 yılında ek faiz artırımlarına ihtiyaç görmediğini belirtmesi, doların zayıflamasına ve Asya borsalarında alımların güçlenmesine katkı sağladı. Williams, bu yıl bir faiz artırımının daha uygun olabileceğini de ifade etti. Buna rağmen açıklamalar, ABD hisse senedi piyasalarındaki kayıpların sınırlanmasına yardımcı olurken kripto para piyasasında da olumlu bir hava oluşturdu. Fed’in gelecek dönemde izleyeceği para politikasına ilişkin beklentiler, Bitcoin başta olmak üzere riskli varlıkların fiyat hareketleri açısından önemini koruyor.

İlginizi Çekebilir: Bu 3 Altcoin İçin Kritik Saatler: Yön Belli Olacak mı?

Kripto para piyasasındaki toparlanmaya Zcash (ZEC) öncülük etti. ZEC, yaklaşık yüzde 7 değer kazanarak 1.270 dolar seviyesine ulaşırken günün en dikkat çeken yükselişlerinden birini gerçekleştirdi. Solana (SOL) ve Dogecoin (DOGE) yüzde 2,5 yükselirken Ethereum (ETH), yüzde 2 artışla 2.520 dolar seviyesine yaklaştı. XRP, BNB ve HYPE yüzde 1 ila yüzde 2 arasında kazanç kaydederken TRX yüzde 1’in altında yükseliş gösterdi. Piyasadaki geniş çaplı toparlanma, yatırımcıların riskli varlıklara yönelik ilgisinin yeniden güçlendiğine işaret ederken Bitcoin’deki pozitif fiyat hareketinin altcoin piyasasını da desteklediği görüldü.

Fed Yetkilisi Williams’tan Faiz Açıklaması New York Fed Başkanı John Williams, 2027 yılında ilave faiz artırımlarına ihtiyaç görmediğini belirterek para politikasının geleceğine ilişkin beklentileri etkiledi.

Williams’ın açıklamalarında öne çıkan değerlendirme şu oldu:

2027 yılında daha fazla faiz artırımına ihtiyaç görmüyorum. Ancak bu yıl bir faiz artırımı daha uygun olabilir.

Bu ifade, kaynak metindeki açıklamanın Türkçe anlam aktarımıdır; birebir doğrulanmış alıntı değildir. Açıklamaların ardından S&P 500 vadeli işlemleri yüzde 0,2 yükselirken Asya-Pasifik hisse senetlerini takip eden MSCI endeksi yüzde 0,7 değer kazandı. Samsung Electronics ve SK Hynix hisseleri de beş günlük düşüş serisini sonlandırdı.

Perşembe günü açıklanacak ABD enflasyon verileri, Bitcoin’in kısa vadeli yönü açısından belirleyici olabilir. Enflasyonun beklentilerden düşük gelmesi, Fed’in ilave faiz artırımı ihtimalini zayıflatabilir. Böyle bir senaryoda Bitcoin’in 85.000 dolar seviyesini yeniden test etmesi mümkün görülüyor. Öte yandan Orta Doğu’daki gerilim nedeniyle Brent petrolün 106 dolar seviyesine yükselmesi, enflasyon üzerindeki risklerin sürdüğüne işaret ediyor.

Değerlendirme Bitcoin fiyatındaki toparlanma, Fed’in faiz politikasına ilişkin beklentiler ve küresel piyasalardaki olumlu görünümle destekleniyor. Lider kripto para biriminin 84.000 dolar seviyesine yaklaşması, yatırımcıların yükseliş beklentilerini güçlendirirken 85.000 dolar seviyesi kısa vadede kritik bir direnç noktası olarak öne çıkıyor. Ancak yükselişin sürdürülebilirliği, ABD enflasyon verilerine ve küresel piyasalardaki risk iştahına bağlı olacak. Beklentilerin altında açıklanacak enflasyon verileri Bitcoin’in yukarı yönlü hareketini destekleyebilirken, olası olumsuz veriler kripto para piyasasında satış baskısını yeniden artırabilir.

Son Dakika kripto para haberleri için hemen tıkla.

Konu ile ilgili yorumlarınızı bize yazabilirsiniz. Ayrıca, bu tarz bilgilendirici içeriklerin devamının gelmesini isterseniz, bizleri Telegram, Youtube ve Twitter kanallarımızdan takip edebilirsiniz.

DigUp Overhauls Mac Search With Google’s New Model: Locate a Specific Shot in a Video Even If You Forget the Filename

Dongcha Beating AI News Flash: Finding files on Mac typically requires remembering names or keywords. If you only recall a zebra appearing in a video segment, or a podcast episode discussing sleep, traditional file search tools are of little help. Independent developer Abdur Rahim’s open-source tool DigUp solves this by enabling direct content-based file searches. Type in "zebra in video" and it will jump to the exact frame where the zebra appears; search for "segment discussing sleep" and it will pinpoint the relevant timestamp in the podcast. It can also search photos, PDFs, and even open the exact page of a specific clause in a contract.
DigUp leverages Google DeepMind’s EmbeddingGemma 2 model, released on October 6. This model converts text, images, audio, and video into comparable numerical features, allowing users to find corresponding visuals or audio based on a text description. DigUp pre-indexes selected folders, and during searches, it can also precisely match details like invoice numbers and error codes. All indexing and search processes run locally on Mac, eliminating the need to upload private files to the cloud.
Free and open-source, DigUp has earned over 3,000 GitHub stars in less than a week since its launch. It currently only supports Macs with Apple’s custom silicon, requiring macOS 14 or later. First-time use requires downloading an approximately 865 MB model and spending time building the index.

4 minutes ago

During the afternoon US trading session ahead of the CPI release, new positions are heavily concentrated in the storage sector, with bulls dominating.

According to TradingBeats' monitoring, at least 14 accounts (with positions exceeding $100,000) opened new U.S. stock positions in the afternoon session. Among these, 12 accounts opened long positions totaling approximately $3.2081 million, while the other 2 accounts opened short positions totaling around $725,500. The new long positions are concentrated in the storage sector. Micron Technology (MU), SanDisk (SNDK), and SK Hynix (SKHY) accounted for about $2.6695 million in new long positions, making up roughly 83.2% of the total long position volume in this round. Specifically, Micron attracted 5 accounts to open new long positions, totaling approximately $1.384 million, with a volume-weighted average price of $947.99. SanDisk saw 2 accounts opening long positions totaling around $678,200, at a weighted average price of $1,455.36. SK Hynix had 1 new long account buying about $607,300. Short positions also centered on semiconductors and storage: one account opened a new short position of roughly $379,000 in SOXL in the afternoon, then closed it entirely; another account opened short positions of approximately $181,100 in SanDisk and $165,300 in Micron respectively. The remaining new long positions are distributed across Applied Materials (AMAT), Microsoft (MSFT), Nebius (NBIS), Broadcom (AVGO), and the Korean stock leverage ETF (KORU), with total position amounts of about $118,700, $103,900, $102,600, $103,300, and $110,100 respectively. Positions in Broadcom and KORU have since been exited.

4 minutes ago

Data: More than half of Bitcoin's supply remains unaccounted for, with the majority likely held in personal self-custody.

Galaxy Research Head of Research Alex Thorn noted in a recent post that despite the growth of institutional and centralized Bitcoin holdings in recent years, more than half of the cryptocurrency’s supply remains in addresses with unknown ownership. He argues that a significant portion, possibly even the majority, of Bitcoin is still held by individuals via self-custody.
Per Galaxy Research’s supply attribution map, based on block height 971,382 and an unspent Bitcoin supply of roughly 20.098 million BTC, "unattributed" addresses account for 55.1% (about 11.1 million BTC). Among attributed holdings, exchanges make up 17.9%, ETFs and funds 6.0%, Patoshi (linked to Satoshi Nakamoto’s early mining patterns) 5.6%, followed by custodial institutions, miners, and corporations, among others. Top attributed holders include Coinbase, BlackRock’s IBIT, Binance, Fidelity Custody, and Strategy.

4 minutes ago

Shipping risks resurface in the Strait of Hormuz, with WTI crude oil's daily trading volume rising 16% month-on-month.

According to TradingBeats' monitoring, Houthi forces have recently carried out continuous attacks on key Saudi facilities. This morning, Saudi Aramco's headquarters complex in Dhahran was hit by a missile, triggering a limited fire in an administrative building, with no casualties reported. The complex hosts a critical operations center responsible for coordinating Saudi oil fields, pipelines, refineries, and export facilities.
Meanwhile, transportation risks in the Strait of Hormuz have been escalating recently. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that an oil tanker and a container ship were each struck by unidentified projectiles; the incidents remain under investigation, and market concerns over tightening crude oil supplies have intensified.
Per TradingBeats' data, as of 18:00 Beijing time, WTIOIL on Hyperliquid traded at approximately $94.24, rising around 1.2% following the news release and about 3.4% higher than the same time the previous day. Its 24-hour trading volume reached roughly $136 million, with a day-over-day increase of around 16.2%.

4 minutes ago

A $15 million ETH long position exited at break-even, and a certain account fully liquidated all positions ahead of the CPI announcement.

According to TradingBeats' monitoring, a whale address starting with 0x4ff9 closed out 6,000 ETH long positions in the past hour, worth approximately $14.979 million, exiting nearly at break-even. All positions in the account have now been cleared. The long position was opened on October 9, held for nearly five days, with an average entry price of around $2,491.34 and an average exit price of roughly $2,496.51. The trade generated a gross profit of about $31,100; after deducting bilateral trading fees and funding fees, the net profit stood at only approximately $9,753.

4 minutes ago

In September, DEX spot trading volume was approximately 26% of CEX spot trading volume, while 86% of RWA perpetual contracts were traded on-chain.

According to Unfolded data, DEX spot trading volume in September reached approximately 26% of CEX trading volume, a sharp rise from around 18% a year ago. In September 2026, DEX spot trading volume hit roughly 26% of CEX volume (compared to about 18% a year prior), with a significant rebound since June. Meanwhile, 86% of RWA perpetual contracts are traded on-chain.

4 minutes ago

After months of speculation, Anza, Solana’s core developer, has set the 21st of October as the target date for the Alpenglow upgrade.

This consensus upgrade is one of the last significant upgrades for the network and is expected to make transactions more efficient. Alpenglow is projected to reduce transaction finality from 12.8 seconds to 150 milliseconds, an improvement of around 85x faster than the present speed.

From both institutional and on-chain perspectives, this upgrade could be a major catalyst. And the latest trading data adds to the momentum. SPCX has crossed $1.5 billion in Spot trading volume on Solana, hitting $1.58 billion between the 12th of June and the 12th of October.

As a tokenized version of SpaceX shares, SPCX’s rising volume is a sign of growing interest in tokenized stocks on the Solana blockchain. 

Source: X What it truly represents, however, is SOL’s traction across both the institutional and on-chain markets.

Now, with Alpenglow approaching, the trend may well accelerate. The update promises to reduce the time needed to finalize transactions to only 150 ms, thus providing faster transactions and attracting more traders and institutions to the chain.

But the bigger question is how this could impact SOL’s technical setup.

Notably, SOL’s 60% rally in Q3 came against the backdrop of a record-breaking number of network transactions on the Solana blockchain, which rose to 29.3 billion, representing the highest quarterly number since Q3 2025.

This highlights how rising on-chain activity can support price momentum.

Now, with the Alpenglow upgrade adding fuel to the trend, could Solana’s [SOL] improving fundamentals translate into a stronger technical breakout?

Can Aplenglow fuel Solana’s rally toward $200? From a technical perspective, the timing of the upgrade makes sense.

Market sentiment is very mixed, and SOL is having difficulty staying above the $100 psychological support level. For now, a move toward $200 looks far too ambitious, but can Alpenglow change the game?

If SOL manages to replicate the Q3-style 60%+ rally, the $200 level might become relevant again, especially if the on-chain activity continues to drive a bull run.

Add to this Solana’s liquidation heatmap. According to this data, over $625 million in long positions could face liquidation if SOL drops below $90. Meanwhile, $1.24 billion in short positions could be wiped out if it climbs above $125.

This shows the possibility of a massive short squeeze in case of a breakout above $125.

Source: X So, in the near term, all eyes are on SOL’s $125 resistance.

As for the year-end target, though, $200 is still in play. If Alpenglow delivers and on-chain activity keeps picking up, SOL could have more room to push higher. For now, all eyes are on the $125 level.

A clean break above it would suggest a new bullish wave is forming and bring a repeat of Q3’s momentum back into focus.

Final Summary Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade aims to make transactions much faster and boost network activity. SOL faces key resistance at $125, but stronger momentum could put $200 back in focus.

The Uncomfortable Truth Behind 90% of AI Payments

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, known for his support of cryptocurrencies, particularly Dogecoin (DOGE), has made a new post.

Having targeted various altcoins before, Elon Musk has now set his sights on Claudia, an open-source AI IP.

Elon Musk retweeted and commented on a tweet about Claudia, an open-source AI IP on the X platform.

Musk’s renewed attention to his social media post about Claudia caused a remarkable price surge in the CLAUDIA token, traded on the Solana network. According to data, the token rose by approximately 40 percent in a short period, reaching a market capitalization of $5.86 million.

Musk’s Post About Claudia Causes a Stir! Elon Musk commented on a post about the Claudia project on his X account, reposting it. Musk had also recently shared a Claudia-themed video and stated in an interview that some of the project’s work was among the top 10-20 music videos he had ever seen.

These posts have increased interest in the AI-based project and drawn the attention of investors to the CLAUDIA token. However, Musk’s posts about the project do not officially mean that he supports the token or has invested in it.

Following the announcement, the CLAIDIA token, which had risen to $0.007, subsequently fell back to around $0.006.

*This is not investment advice.

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