Interactive Brokers logo / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain, PD-textlogo)
Interactive Brokers, a Nasdaq-listed brokerage, has announced the launch of cryptocurrency staking services. This move establishes the brokerage as a significant player in the cryptocurrency market by expanding its offerings beyond crypto custody to include staking. The service allows users to lock proof-of-stake assets like Ethereum to support network security and earn rewards. While the specific details of supported assets and jurisdictions remain undisclosed, this development could enhance the attractiveness of Ethereum and other staked assets to investors.
Key Takeaways Interactive Brokers’ entry into cryptocurrency staking suggests increased institutional interest in yield-generating crypto assets. Market pricing implies this move may boost confidence in Ethereum’s potential to reach higher valuations by the end of 2026. The development is consistent with scenarios where Ethereum’s staking appeal grows, potentially influencing its future price trajectory. What to Watch Watch for details on the assets and jurisdictions Interactive Brokers will support, as these factors could further influence market sentiment. Regulatory developments or announcements from major Ethereum stakeholders, such as the Ethereum Foundation or key financial institutions, might also impact Ethereum’s market dynamics. Observers are likely to focus on changes in Ethereum’s staking metrics and any shifts in market odds regarding its price targets for the end of 2026.
Term Structure
Contract Odds Δ since publish Volume 24h December 31, 2026 0.9% — — View market → December 31, 2026 0.9% — — View market → December 31, 2026 1.9% — — View market → December 31, 2026 3.1% — — View market → December 31, 2026 6% — — View market → January 1 2027 20% — — View market → January 1 2027 4.5% — — View market → January 1 2027 1.1% — — View market → January 1 2027 1.1% — — View market → January 1 2027 2.5% — — View market → January 1 2027 4.1% — — View market → January 1 2027 8.5% — — View market → January 1 2027 8.8% — — View market → January 1 2027 2.6% — — View market → January 1 2027 1.7% — — View market → January 1 2027 5.5% — — View market → January 1 2027 44.5% — — View market → January 1 2027 13.5% — — View market → January 1 2027 2.1% — — View market → January 1 2027 21% — — View market → January 1 2027 47.5% — — View market →
Interactive Brokers has launched cryptocurrency staking for eligible clients, starting with Ethereum, as the brokerage continues to expand its digital asset offering.
The service is provided by zerohash and allows eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients to stake ETH through a dashboard in the broker’s Client Portal, according to an announcement Tuesday.
Clients can submit staking and unstaking requests and track pending activity through the dashboard. Rewards, when earned, are credited as additional staked cryptocurrency and can compound while the position remains staked.
“Similar to how our Stock Yield Enhancement Program allows clients to earn additional income on shares they own, staking gives clients an opportunity to earn rewards on the cryptocurrency they own,” Interactive Brokers CEO Milan Galik said. “We want clients to earn more from the assets they hold.”
The launch follows a series of additions to the broker’s crypto services, including expanded token support, transfers to external wallets and stablecoin funding.
In July, Interactive Brokers added nine tokens through zerohash and three through Paxos, with some assets available through both providers. The expansion brought its zerohash trading lineup to 20 digital assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP and NEAR.
The brokerage first launched direct cryptocurrency trading in September 2021, initially offering Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin and Bitcoin Cash through Paxos. Its recent announcements expand that existing business into more assets and services.
Interactive Brokers also introduced USDC account funding in January. Its stablecoin services now support USDC, Ripple’s RLUSD and PayPal’s PYUSD for eligible clients, alongside transfers of supported crypto assets to and from external wallets.
The staking rollout was signaled in June, when zerohash announced staking infrastructure for brokerages, banks and fintech platforms. Galik said at the time that Interactive Brokers planned to offer staking alongside its existing investment products.
Together, the additions show how the brokerage is building crypto into its broader investment platform. Clients can trade digital assets alongside stocks, options, futures, bonds and funds, while gaining access to services previously associated mainly with dedicated crypto platforms.
Interactive Brokers said product availability varies by affiliate and country of residence. At launch, its staking service is available to eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients and supports Ethereum.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Binance’s share of Ethereum futures open interest has climbed to nearly 49% across major centralized exchanges, the highest level since 2023, according to an analysis by CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost. The reading arrives even as Ether’s price has fallen roughly 10%, from about $2,775 in late September to around $2,500, and it shows leveraged traders have not walked away from the asset despite a sharp liquidation event.
In a post published on X on October 12, Darkfost traced how Binance’s notional open interest lost about $600 million during the correction, while open interest measured in Ether returned to roughly 2.46 million ETH, back to its late-September level. “Despite the correction, the amount of ETH committed to Binance futures has therefore not declined,” he wrote.
What the Open Interest Data Shows The most notable figure is the market-share reading. Binance now accounts for nearly 49% of Ether open interest among the major centralized exchanges tracked by CryptoQuant, its highest share since 2023. In other words, close to one out of every two ETH represented in open futures positions on those venues now sits on Binance derivatives.
That concentration built up during a period of forced deleveraging. Between October 8 and 9, about $345 million in Ether long positions were liquidated within 24 hours as the market pulled back. After the flush, however, traders rebuilt exposure: Binance’s open interest in ETH terms recovered to around 2.46 million ETH, matching the level seen at the end of September.
Why Dollar Open Interest Fell While Ether Open Interest Held The two gauges appear to contradict each other because they are measured in different units. A notional open-interest figure is priced in dollars, so a falling Ether price compresses it even when the number of outstanding contracts stays flat. Binance’s dollar-denominated open interest fell by about $600 million over the same stretch, but that decline partly reflects the slide from about $2,775 to around $2,500 rather than an equivalent drop in the Ether actually committed to futures.
Measured in Ether instead, the unwind looks different. The amount of ETH deployed in Binance’s futures market did not meaningfully shrink, and its share of the market rose to a multi-year high. That separation shows the correction was led by liquidations and price, not by traders voluntarily closing positions at scale.
Concentration on One Venue Is the Risk Nearly half of tracked Ether futures open interest sitting on a single exchange concentrates both liquidity and risk. A venue-level outage, margin change, or forced unwinding at Binance would now ripple through a larger portion of the Ether derivatives market than at any point in the past three years. The concentration also persists while Binance’s European licensing status remains unresolved: Darkfost flagged the exchange’s MiCA license troubles, reached even as Greece was reported to be preparing to grant it a license.
The share has limits. It measures Binance against the major centralized exchanges CryptoQuant tracks, not against every venue or the decentralized derivatives market, so it is a snapshot of concentration within one cohort rather than a claim that Binance controls half of all Ether derivatives activity. A high share is also not evidence of manipulation; it can simply reflect where traders choose to keep their leverage. The reading comes as Binance moves to shut down its mining pool and cloud mining services in November, a reminder that the exchange is restructuring parts of its business even as its futures franchise grows.
What to Watch Next The next observable signals are whether Binance’s Ether open interest stays near 2.46 million ETH or unwinds, and whether another liquidation event follows if the price keeps sliding. On the institutional side, US-listed Ether ETFs have posted nine straight sessions of outflows, a contrast worth tracking against the resilience of leveraged futures demand. The status of Binance’s MiCA authorization in Europe is a separate thread: a license grant would remove one lingering overhang on the venue that now anchors the largest slice of tracked Ether futures interest. For now, the data shows leverage concentrating rather than leaving, which raises the stakes of the next sharp move in either direction.
AUTHOR
Entrepreneur and freelance writer based in Nakuru, Kenya. I cover cryptocurrency, the Blockchain technology, and financial topics. It’s my joy to transform the simplest phrases in a way they reach a reader’s heart to help them discover how crypto is disrupting the world as we have known it. I believe in transforming the world, one word at a time.
Interactive Brokers has launched Ethereum staking for eligible U.S. brokerage clients.
Zerohash operates the staking infrastructure, while IBKR provides the account interface.
Reward rates vary, with platform fees deducted before clients receive their share.
Access is restricted in certain states, and staked ETH cannot be withdrawn immediately.
Interactive Brokers has introduced Ethereum staking through zerohash, allowing eligible clients to earn blockchain rewards without moving their cryptocurrency holdings to a separate staking platform.
The October 13 announcement extends the broker’s digital asset offering beyond trading and transfers, bringing another cryptocurrency function into the same environment used to manage stocks, options, futures and bonds.
Initially available to eligible Interactive Brokers LLC customers, the service supports Ethereum (ETH). Clients can submit staking and unstaking requests through the Staking Dashboard in IBKR’s Client Portal and monitor their status.
The arrangement gives Interactive Brokers a way to offer network-based rewards without operating the staking infrastructure itself. For investors, the economics depend on the net reward rate, the service’s withdrawal conditions and the risks assumed while ETH remains staked.
A Brokerage Interface Built on External Infrastructure
Interactive Brokers handles the customer-facing experience, while zerohash provides the infrastructure connecting eligible ETH holdings to Ethereum’s proof-of-stake network.
The division allows clients to manage staking instructions through an established brokerage interface rather than maintaining their own validator or navigating a separate cryptocurrency application.
Zerohash’s role includes processing staking requests, managing validator infrastructure and distributing rewards. Ethereum’s protocol determines the underlying network rewards and validator-related conditions.
Interactive Brokers CEO Milan Galik compared the service with the company’s Stock Yield Enhancement Program, which allows eligible customers to earn income by lending securities they own.
Both offerings seek to generate additional returns from existing holdings, but their underlying economics differ. Stock lending depends on securities borrowing arrangements, whereas staking rewards arise from participation in Ethereum’s consensus mechanism.
Under the new service, eligible rewards can be credited as additional staked ETH and compound while the position remains active.
Digital Asset Infrastructure
How IBKR’s Ethereum
Staking Service Works
One client instruction passes through three separate operational layers.
01
Client Interface
REQUEST
Interactive Brokers
Provides the Client Portal, account eligibility checks and staking instructions.
02
Infrastructure Provider
PROCESSING
zerohash
Coordinates staking operations, validator infrastructure and reward distribution.
03
Blockchain Protocol
CONSENSUS
Ethereum Network
Governs validator activation, network rewards and protocol-level exit conditions.
↑
THE REWARD PATH
Network rewards are processed through zerohash and credited to the client’s eligible ETH balance through the brokerage service.
Source: Interactive Brokers and zerohash, October 2026. Simplified operational illustration.
What Determines the Return After Fees?
The central pricing question is how much of the gross network reward reaches the customer.
According to zerohash’s staking documentation, participating platforms configure their own end-user fees, which are deducted from gross rewards before the remainder is credited.
Zerohash recommends fees of 25%–35% of gross staking rewards, but that range is guidance for partner platforms, not a confirmed Interactive Brokers fee schedule.
Interactive Brokers’ launch announcement does not publish a specific staking fee or annual percentage yield.
The zerohash user agreement states that applicable fees and reward-sharing terms are disclosed through the platform before customers receive staking services.
This makes the displayed net APY particularly relevant. Zerohash calculates that estimate after applying the platform’s configured fee, allowing customers to assess the return they could receive rather than the gross yield generated by Ethereum validators.
The rate is not guaranteed. Validator performance and network conditions can change the rewards generated over time.
Zerohash also distinguishes between consensus rewards, which can compound into the staked balance, and certain additional rewards, including maximal extractable value (MEV) payments, which may be credited to an available balance.
That distinction can affect how much of a customer’s reward is automatically reinvested.
Staked ETH Cannot Always Be Accessed Immediately
Liquidity is a more significant consideration than the account interface might initially suggest.
When a client submits a staking request, the ETH may enter a pending state before becoming active on the network. Zerohash’s staking FAQ explains that Ethereum’s validator activation queue can be measured in weeks, depending on network conditions.
The provider’s infrastructure does not offer transferable liquid-staking tokens that customers could sell while their underlying ETH remains committed.
Exiting a position also requires an unstaking process.
The zerohash agreement permits customers to request unstaking, subject to network restrictions and processing periods. It does not guarantee immediate access to the assets.
For an investor who wants to sell ETH during a sharp market move, that delay can be financially significant. The market price may change substantially before the assets become available again.
Validator penalties introduce a separate risk.
Zerohash says it will replace assets affected by certain slashing events, but its agreement excludes some circumstances, including protocol failures, third-party incidents and events outside its reasonable control.
Staked digital assets are also not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), according to the agreement.
Availability Depends on Jurisdiction and Account Eligibility
The service is not available across Interactive Brokers’ entire international customer base.
Its initial rollout applies to eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients, while the company’s broader product availability depends on the relevant affiliate and the customer’s country of residence.
Zerohash’s published staking FAQ currently identifies four U.S. states where its service is restricted: California, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington.
The provider does not impose a platform-level minimum staking or unstaking amount. However, that does not exclude additional eligibility requirements or account-level conditions set by Interactive Brokers.
Clients must also satisfy the relevant identity-verification and staking-agreement requirements before participating.
Ethereum Staking Is Separate From IBKR’s Wider Crypto Lineup
Interactive Brokers supports trading in 20 digital assets, including Bitcoin, Solana, Cardano and Avalanche, alongside stablecoin funding and external wallet transfers.
The staking launch does not extend to those other cryptocurrencies.
Zerohash has identified Solana as a planned addition to its broader staking infrastructure during the fourth quarter of 2026, but Interactive Brokers has not announced SOL staking or a timetable for adding further assets.
For now, Ethereum remains the only cryptocurrency confirmed for staking through the new IBKR service.
Disclosure: This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Cryptocurrency staking involves market, operational and liquidity risks.
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.
Interactive Brokers, which manages over $900 billion in clients’ assets, has launched crypto staking services in partnership with Zerohash. The service will start with Ethereum staking and expand the firm’s crypto offering, which already includes trading in up to 20 assets.
Interactive Brokers Rolls Out Ethereum Staking For Its Clients
In a press release, the brokerage platform announced that it has launched crypto staking for eligible clients and that Zerohash will provide the staking services. This will enable customers to earn rewards on their crypto holdings through staking.
Interactive Brokers further revealed that it will first launch Ethereum staking for its clients. “At launch, eligible Interactive Brokers LLC clients can stake Ethereum through the Staking Dashboard in IBKR’s Client Portal, where they can submit stake or unstake requests and monitor pending activity,” the firm said.
This launch follows the broker’s earlier crypto rollouts. Earlier this year, Interactive Brokers launched Bitcoin and Ethereum futures trading in partnership with Coinbase Derivatives. Meanwhile, it already supports trading for 20 crypto assets.
Commenting on the launch of its staking services, the firm’s CEO Milan Galik noted that it was similar to the Stock Yield Enhancement Program, which allows customers to earn extra income on the shares they own. “We want clients to earn more from the assets they hold,” he added.
IBKR Stock Falls
The broker’s stock, IBKR, is down on the day amid the launch of its Ethereum staking service. The stock is trading at around $87, down over 1%, according to TradingView data. The stock is also down over the past week and down 4% in the past month.
Source: TradingView
However, the Interactive Brokers stock is still up over 32% year-to-date (YTD). Beyond expanding its crypto offerings, the broker has also entered the prediction markets industry, tapping into the growth the likes of Kalshi and Polymarket have recorded this year.
In May, the broker launched its unified prediction markets platform, which integrates Kalshi, CME, and ForecastEx’s markets. The platform aggregates similar contracts from all connected prediction-market platforms into a single searchable interface, providing users with the best price.
For more on staking, check out the Best Crypto Staking Platforms
Ripple has minted a record volume of RLUSD stablecoin as it sees an uptick in treasury activity and institutional uptake.
There has been another large minting of Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin, pegged to the U.S. dollar, as treasury activities increase with institutional uptake.
As per the Ripple Stablecoin Tracker, another 19.6 million RLUSD tokens, which is equivalent to $19.6 million, have been minted on the RLUSD Treasury Ethereum.
HOT Stories
Previously, 19 million RLUSD tokens were also minted. In these two transactions, 38.6 million RLUSD have been newly minted.
However, a number of RLUSD burns have also occurred on the treasury. Three separate burns of 13 million, 18 million, and 19.6 million RLUSD tokens have been identified, the tracker said.
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A total of five transactions were reported. In the five transactions, a total of 38.6 million RLUSD was minted, and 50.6 million RLUSD was burned, with a net burn of 12 million tokens.
It is worth noting that the burns happened on the XRP Ledger, while the two mints happened on Ethereum.
Currently, RLUSD has a market cap of around $2.42 billion, as per CoinGecko, making it one of the largest stablecoins pegged to the U.S. dollar. Its value continues to hover around the $1 peg.
RLUSD sees a huge banking breakthroughThe recent minting news comes after British banking giant Standard Chartered released some big news around RLUSD.
On Oct. 12, the bank officially launched institutional custody for RLUSD on the XRP Ledger.
Institutional custody for RLUSD issued on the XRP Ledger is now live and accessible via Standard Chartered's branch in the Dubai International Financial Centre, which is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority, the bank announced.
It gets even more promising as Standard Chartered is also partnering with Ripple and LMAX Group to use RLUSD as eligible trading collateral.
In the potential partnership, the intention is for RLUSD held in Standard Chartered custody to be used as collateral for institutional investor trading on LMAX without directly moving the RLUSD tokens to LMAX for trading.
However, the collateral use has not been introduced yet and will be subject to testing, final documentation, and regulatory approval.
Ethereum’s validator set is in the middle of a quiet renovation. According to an update tied to Lido, staked ETH sitting on 0x02 validators has now reached 40%.
The move came from two sources. Around 1.8 million ETH migrated over from older 0x01 validators, and total ETH staked on 0x02 validators rose by 2.8 million.
What changed, and why validators are moving
Ethereum’s Pectra hard fork in May 2025 changed the rules through EIP-7251. Validators using the newer 0x02 type can now carry an effective balance of up to 2,048 ETH. Bigger stakes fit into one validator, and rewards can compound instead of stalling at a fixed ceiling.
Lido, Ethereum’s leading liquid staking protocol, has leaned into this hard. Its Curated Module v2, or CMv2, launched on July 27, 2026. The plan is to consolidate over 8 million ETH, worth approximately $16 billion at the time, from more than 265,000 legacy validators into an estimated 4,000 active 0x02 validators.
Those 8 million ETH represent around 20% of all staked ETH. Collapsing 265,000 validators into roughly 4,000 is the staking equivalent of merging a sprawling office park into a single tower.
The numbers behind the shift
The consolidation has already moved the needle on Lido’s own footprint. Its share of staked ETH on 0x02 validators climbed from approximately 32% to around 52%, according to the research findings.
As of late October 2026, the share of all staked ETH on 0x02 validators approached 50%. The 32 ETH validator is slowly becoming a legacy format.
Once consolidation wraps up, the network is expected to drop from an estimated 880,000 validators to approximately 628,000. The research points to an expected reduction of about 29% in consensus attestation traffic per epoch.
Bonds, accountability and what comes next
CMv2 also introduces a bonding requirement for curated operators. Under the new module, operators must lock up ETH as collateral. That bond can be seized for violations such as slashing or downtime.
Lido is also building a Community Staking Module, or CSM, slated for mainnet in Q4 2026. The goal is to allow permissionless operator participation, opening the door to node runners who are not part of Lido’s curated set.
What this means for Ethereum and stakers
For the Ethereum network, shrinking the validator set by about one-third should ease network load, reduce attestation traffic and cut operational overhead. For stakers, with a 2,048 ETH ceiling, rewards can compound inside a single validator rather than stalling at the old 32 ETH cap.
Lido already holds a large share of staked ETH, and its share of 0x02 stake has reportedly jumped to around 52%. The bonding system and the upcoming Community Staking Module are Lido’s answer to concentration concerns. A permissionless module, if it ships as slated in Q4 2026, could broaden who actually operates the infrastructure.
The key metrics to track from here are the network-wide 0x02 share as it climbs toward and potentially past 50%, the total validator count as it moves from roughly 880,000 toward the projected 628,000, and whether CSM lands on schedule in Q4 2026.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The new crypto Pepeto has announced that its live presale stage ends within minutes, and when it ends, today's price is gone for good, the cheapest price Pepeto will ever offer. The rush says everything: more than $11 million raised, over 43,000 holders, and new buyers pouring in daily through October's red week while weaker projects went quiet. Every stage costs more than the last, this one is nearly gone, and everyone asks one question: if people are rushing the door in its final minutes, what do they expect after the listing?
The timing makes it bigger, the crypto news cycle is loaded: Washington just promised new money, Wall Street's biggest Ethereum bull just lifted the Ethereum price prediction to $25,000, while Pepeto is an Ethereum project, the chain both stories point to.
Below: the closing stage, our Ethereum price analysis, and what keeps whale buying rising before the expected Binance listing.
The Pepeto Countdown, the Trump Checks, and Our $25,000 Ethereum Price Prediction Analysis
Pepeto announced the countdown with everything already built. The presale rule is simple: each sold-out stage opens the next at a higher price, and this stage is in its final minutes. Whoever enters before it closes gets the lowest entry this project will ever sell, backed by a live platform, an AI scanner checking every token, a 0.00% fee exchange, plus a bridge covering Ethereum, BNB Chain, Solana, Base, and Arbitrum, where every trade becomes buying pressure on $PEPETO.
Now the biggest crypto news of the week: Trump promised $5,000 to every adult American if Republicans win the midterms, per Forbes, after telling Time inflation would melt the $40 trillion debt. Our analysis is simple and bullish: printed money plus promised checks means new cash hunting whatever rises while the dollar weakens, and the last wave of checks helped fuel 2021, the wildest crypto year ever. The Ethereum price already sits in that money's path, holding near $2,500 while Ethereum developers meet October 15 to plan upgrades, per CoinDesk.
Then the big number. Fundstrat's Tom Lee set the Ethereum price prediction at $25,000, per Cryptonews, and whales agree, BitMine alone holds almost 4.9 percent of all ETH. We agree, with one extra point: $2,500 to $25,000 is a 10x, but a 10x a $300 billion coin needs years to reach. The same 10x lands much faster in a presale, and the famous proof: one buyer dropped $6,200 into the 2014 Ethereum presale, a position worth over $80 million today, per Lookonchain.
Crypto News: Whale Buying Puts Pepeto on Top of Every Watchlist
Pepeto announced the final minutes of this stage while carrying the loudest excitement anywhere in crypto, the quickest-filling new crypto presale running, with buyers racing to catch this price before it rises. For anyone meeting the name for the first time: Pepeto is a young Ethereum meme coin still selling at presale prices, already past $11 million with over 43,000 holders. It belongs here because the two stories feed each other: money returning to Ethereum reaches young projects first, and none pulls in more right now.
Watch the whales: during the dip they sold big coins and moved the money into this new crypto, which means one thing: the biggest players see more upside here than any $300 billion coin can pay.
The team makes it stronger. Leading it is the PEPE cofounder, whose last token went from nothing to a market value of $11 billion in twelve months, without one product behind it. A senior developer from Binance leads the building work. SolidProof checked every contract and completed KYC. On top sits everything PEPE was missing at launch: an AI scanner, a working exchange with zero fees, and a bridge spanning five chains, all live today.
A viral meme coin with a real exchange behind it, that is why analysts name Pepeto this cycle's breakout, and also why whale buying keeps rising as the expected Binance listing gets closer.
Final Verdict
Pepeto announced a closing door with everything lined up behind it: finished tools, the expected Binance listing closing in, and the cheapest entry ending in minutes. Compare both paths. The Ethereum price prediction offers $25,000 after years of waiting, while a strong listing day has made that size of move in hours. The biggest wins land on buyers in before the chart exists, and PEPE proved it, lifting early buyers to wins the market still quotes, with zero products and a smaller market.
On every point, Pepeto starts ahead. The official Pepeto website still shows this stage's price for a few more minutes, and when it sells out, the price rises and the listing nears. And this week's crypto news points one way: this cycle's winners are being decided right now, while anyone who waits spends the bull run thinking of the minutes they hesitated.
For more information about Pepeto (PEPETO): Website: Official Pepeto Website
Disclaimer: The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of capital. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Neither the media platform nor the publisher shall be held responsible for any fraudulent activities, misrepresentations, or financial losses arising from the content of this press release.
Blur, long the leading NFT marketplace on Ethereum, announced on Monday the closure of its site for November 12. Monthly volumes dropped from about $1.43 billion at the peak in March 2023 to less than $7 million today, without the platform ever charging fees.
In brief
Blur will close its site blur.io on November 12, 2026. The Blend lending service will also stop granting new loans on that date.
Its monthly volumes have dropped by over 99% since their peak in March 2023, while protocol revenues remained zero.
The BLUR token lost more than 20% after the announcement, ten days after the closure announcement of the Blast network, developed by the same team.
Blur loses ground after its meteoric rise
Launched in 2022, Blur quickly attracted NFT traders thanks to three features: fast transactions, no fees, and token rewards. This strategy enabled it to surpass OpenSea and capture nearly 70% of NFT trades on Ethereum in March 2023, with $1.43 billion monthly volume.
Since then, the trend has reversed. The NFT market has been slowing for several months, and Blur has been hit hard by this slowdown. In March 2026, its monthly volumes fell below $7 million, a drop of over 99.5% compared to the 2023 peak.
On Monday, the platform announced its closure on X. This message marked its return to the social network after more than a year of silence. However, its site still shows zero fees and $7.4 billion in cumulative volume.
Zero commission, but also zero revenue
Behind these billions of dollars traded, Blur’s economic model shows its limits. The platform never charged commissions and, according to Token Terminal data, its protocol generated no revenue over the past three years.
In the fall of 2025, OpenSea doubled its NFT fees to fund its development. Blur, meanwhile, kept its zero-fee model to attract traders. However, without its own revenues, its activity largely depended on rewards distributed to users and hopes for a market recovery.
These campaigns also fueled speculation and increased pressure on creators’ royalties. Some collectors therefore welcome the closure.
Blast and Blur, two withdrawals in ten days
On October 2, Blast, the Ethereum scaling network created by the same team, announced its closure. Its assets fell from over $2 billion to about $32 million. Users must withdraw their funds by October 26.
The two projects are linked to Tieshun Roquerre, known by the pseudonym Pacman. For Blur, the closure concerns the site only, not the contracts on Ethereum, which remain active. BLUR holders also retain control of the fee mechanism.
Meanwhile, Blend users must repay their loans or accept default before November 12. Blur detailed the terms of this deadline on X and promises a withdrawal tool.
After the announcement, the BLUR token dropped more than 20%, around $0.015. Unlike Blast, which cited costs exceeding revenues, Blur did not explain the reasons for its withdrawal.
In September, global NFT sales reached $167 million for 2.9 million transactions, according to CryptoSlam, compared to $6 billion in January 2022. The closure of Blur thus marks the end of an era, without sounding the death knell of NFTs.
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Fenelon L.
Passionné par le Bitcoin, j'aime explorer les méandres de la blockchain et des cryptos et je partage mes découvertes avec la communauté. Mon rêve est de vivre dans un monde où la vie privée et la liberté financière sont garanties pour tous, et je crois fermement que Bitcoin est l'outil qui peut rendre cela possible.
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.
Sberbank, Russia's largest bank, has received approval to offer Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT transactions.
Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, has received approval from the Central Bank of Russia to offer cryptocurrency trading services. The bank is reportedly beginning to test Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT transactions within its mobile application.
Sberbank reportedly plans to open cryptocurrency transactions to all its customers starting December 1st. This will allow users to access supported digital assets through the bank’s app without having to send funds to a separate cryptocurrency exchange.
In early October, Sberbank was also added to the list of digital custodians responsible for maintaining records of cryptocurrency assets and digital rights.
The bank stated that the authorizations granted will enable the provision of cryptocurrency services through the banking platforms that customers currently use.
Sberbank has announced plans to launch its first cryptocurrency products on December 1, 2026.
Besides Sberbank, eight other companies are on the list of authorized cryptocurrency trading platforms. These include VTB and T-Bank, two of Russia’s major banks, as well as T-Invest Lab, which operates within the same group.
The law on digital currencies and digital rights, which came into effect in Russia on September 1, 2026, created a comprehensive legal framework for cryptocurrency transactions in the country.
According to the new regulation, cryptocurrency transactions can be carried out through existing exchanges, brokerage firms, and custody service providers. In addition, specially authorized cryptocurrency exchanges and digital custody organizations can also operate.
While digital assets can be bought and sold through cryptocurrency exchanges, digital custody institutions ensure that the rights to these assets are registered.
*This is not investment advice.
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DOGE futures open interest declined 5.51% to $614.9 million, signaling reduced derivatives exposure.
DOGE’s latest green candle follows a failed resistance breakout and a brief move below descending-channel support.
Binance accounts for nearly 43% of DOGE futures open interest tracked by Coinalyze.
The $0.087 region presents an important technical test for buyers.
Dogecoin recovered toward $0.085 on October 13 after a sharp selloff pushed the token below a key technical support area. The rebound followed an unsuccessful attempt to break resistance in the previous session, leaving DOGE caught between short-term buying interest and a broader downward trend.
DOGE traded near $0.08496, with a market capitalization of $14.61 billion and approximately $2 billion in daily trading volume. Although the latest candle turned green, the token remained below several major moving averages.
Derivatives positioning also weakened during the selloff, suggesting that the recovery has yet to attract convincing renewed speculative participation.
The immediate question is whether buyers can sustain the recovery above reclaimed support or whether resistance near $0.087 will continue to limit further gains.
DOGE Recovers, but the Technical Structure Remains Weak
Dogecoin’s October 12 daily candle briefly pushed above resistance near $0.08696, with its upper wick extending beyond the 200-day simple moving average around $0.08753. However, buyers failed to sustain the move, and the session reversed sharply lower, according to the Coinbase DOGE/USD chart from TradingView.
Dogecoin tests key technical levels.
DOGE subsequently fell below the $0.08246 Fibonacci retracement level and approached the descending channel’s lower boundary.
Selling pressure continued into October 13, when the token briefly fell to $0.07992, moving beneath the channel’s lower trendline and the 100-day moving average near $0.08090.
Buyers subsequently pushed the price back toward $0.08495, reclaiming the Fibonacci level and moving DOGE back inside the channel. At the time of the October 13 snapshot, DOGE is up 3.48% from the previous day’s close, with the daily candle still forming.
The recovery is technically notable because the initial move below channel support was not sustained. However, the failed resistance test in the preceding session and the broader sequence of lower highs suggest that selling pressure has not been decisively overcome.
DOGE also remains below its 20-day moving average near $0.09166 and its 50-day average around $0.08860, leaving several obstacles to a more sustained recovery.
The Price Levels That Matter Next
The immediate technical focus is whether Dogecoin can maintain its recovery above the $0.08246 Fibonacci level after briefly trading below it.
A sustained move through $0.08696 would bring the 200-day moving average near $0.08753 back into focus. Both levels were tested unsuccessfully during the preceding session, making that area an important obstacle for buyers.
Beyond that resistance cluster, $0.09146 represents the next significant upside reference, close to the 20-day moving average.
On the downside, renewed weakness below $0.08246 would shift attention toward $0.08090 and the descending channel’s lower boundary. A deeper decline could expose support around $0.07605.
DOGE Technical Levels | October 13, 2026
Technical Reference
Dogecoin’s Recovery Levels
Based on the October 13 DOGE/USD daily chart
Upper resistance
$0.09146
Fibonacci level
First resistance
$0.08696
Recovery threshold
Initial support
$0.08246
Nearby price floor
Lower support
$0.07605
Downside reference
Source: TradingView, DOGE/USD Coinbase daily chart, October 13, 2026. Levels are technical references, not price forecasts.
Falling Open Interest Points to Reduced Derivatives Exposure
Dogecoin’s derivatives market provides a second indication that speculative activity has cooled.
The latest information from Coinalyze showed $614.9 million in open interest, entirely attributed to perpetual contracts in the displayed dataset. The 5.51% daily decline represents a reduction in the value of outstanding positions.
Dogecoin open interest declines over the past 24 hours.
Open interest measures contracts that remain active, rather than the volume traded during a particular period. It can decline when traders close positions, when positions are forcibly liquidated or when the notional value of existing contracts falls alongside the underlying asset’s price.
Consequently, lower open interest is consistent with deleveraging but does not establish how much of the decline resulted from forced liquidations.
The distribution across exchanges also reveals where DOGE derivatives exposure is concentrated.
Binance accounted for approximately $263.3 million, representing nearly 43% of the reported total. Bybit followed with $120.2 million, while OKX and Hyperliquid held $111.5 million and $105.5 million, respectively.
Together, those four venues represented approximately 97.7% of the open interest shown in the snapshot.
That concentration matters because changes in leveraged positioning on a relatively small number of trading platforms can influence short-term market volatility.
For now, the combination of lower prices over the week and declining open interest points to reduced derivatives exposure rather than a clear resurgence of speculative demand.
The Wider Crypto Selloff Adds Pressure
Dogecoin’s decline comes amid broader weakness in cryptocurrency markets. On October 12, Bitcoin briefly fell below $82,000, while Solana, XRP and other altcoins suffered sharper losses.
At the time of the October 13 snapshot, Coinglass recorded approximately $812 million in leveraged liquidations over the preceding 24 hours, with long positions accounting for roughly 84.3% of the total.
Cryptocurrency liquidation heatmap showing leveraged position closures across Bitcoin, Ethereum and other digital assets.
Forced closures can intensify downward price movements as exchanges automatically unwind positions when traders can no longer meet margin requirements.
Dogecoin remains particularly sensitive to these conditions because its valuation depends heavily on speculative demand, trading liquidity and market sentiment rather than contractual cash flows.
With no identified Dogecoin-specific network disruption or major protocol announcement driving the decline, broader market deleveraging appears to be the principal source of pressure.
What Would Confirm a Stronger Dogecoin Recovery?
The next meaningful signal will come from the relationship between price and derivatives positioning.
A sustained move above nearby resistance, accompanied by stabilizing or rising open interest, would suggest renewed participation in the recovery.
That would not automatically establish bullish momentum. The direction of new positioning would still need to be assessed through funding rates and other derivatives indicators.
A sustained recovery would require DOGE to overcome the $0.087 resistance region, supported by stronger spot demand and improving derivatives participation. Until those conditions emerge, the latest green candle remains an attempted stabilization within a broader declining trend.
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.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson says Midnight City plans to launch AI-powered crypto trading within the next few months.
The feature will let users fund their wallets and configure AI agents to automatically trade cryptocurrencies across multiple blockchains, following their chosen goals and strategies.
Hoskinson emphasized that users will retain control over their agents, choosing which strategies they use and how they operate.
He also outlined plans for a marketplace where AI agents share and discover trading strategies, learn from one another, and improve their performance.
Midnight Plans Identity and Wallet Tools for AI Agents Charles Hoskinson says Midnight is building the infrastructure for AI agents to trade cryptocurrencies automatically, starting with digital identity.
The project is developing Midnight Passport, an identity system scheduled to launch its first version toward the end of 2026. The project plans to release additional features about every three weeks during the first half of 2027.
Each AI agent will have an identity linked to its user, connecting the agent’s activities to the person controlling it.
Midnight has also integrated the Open Wallet Standard to support its AI trading plans.
Together, these tools will enable users to authorize AI agents to access trading strategies and execute transactions across different blockchains and off-chain systems.
Hoskinson has not announced an exact launch date or detailed the security measures, trading limits, or level of human approval required for individual transactions.
AI Agents Will Share and Improve Trading Strategies Charles Hoskinson says Midnight plans to establish marketplaces where developers share trading strategies with AI agents.
Instead of instructing an agent exactly when to buy or sell, users will be able to assign it a broader goal, such as generating a profit. The agent will then identify relevant strategies or collaborate with other agents to pursue that objective.
Hoskinson believes this approach will help AI agents improve by learning from strategies developed by others.
Developers will also be able to share their strategies while retaining ownership of their technology. Hoskinson compared this model to the automotive industry, where companies collaborate on technology while protecting their proprietary designs.
Midnight aims to enable this cooperation while giving developers control over how they distribute and use their strategies.
JUST IN: Charles Hoskinson says "Midnight City will enable agentic trading in the next few months. You can deposit funds, and your agents can download trading strategies and place trades on other blockchains and off-chain infrastructure. Real cryptocurrencies. You control it." pic.twitter.com/LJka4yIG36
— Angry Crypto Show (@angrycryptoshow) October 10, 2026
Hoskinson Links Midnight to Cardano Financial Inclusion Goals Hoskinson also discussed how Midnight’s privacy-focused technology supports Cardano’s goal of expanding access to financial services.
He highlighted RealFi, a decentralized finance initiative designed to provide services such as small loans to people underserved by traditional banks.
These services will give users access to digital wallets and identities, connecting them to blockchain-based financial tools.
Hoskinson also highlighted unreliable internet connections and electricity supplies as barriers to financial access in some regions. He sees privacy-focused technology as a way to support secure transactions and identity verification in these environments.
Midnight’s planned applications extend beyond crypto trading to include digital identity, financial services, and private transactions.
AI-Powered Crypto Trading: What’s Next? Midnight’s AI-powered trading system remains in development. Its rollout will depend on the project’s implementation, security safeguards, available trading strategies, and controls governing how AI agents manage user transactions.
Hoskinson’s vision positions Midnight as an infrastructure platform for autonomous crypto trading, strategy sharing, digital identity, and privacy-focused financial services.
Cardano has set a new transaction record after processing 1,780,896 transactions during Epoch 660, according to blockchain explorer Cexplorer.io.
The figure surpasses the previous record of 1,566,974 transactions recorded in Epoch 304. Cexplorer reported that the latest epoch also generated ₳337.72K in transaction fees, with each block containing an average of 83.83 transactions.
The milestone highlights increased transaction activity on the Cardano mainnet amid recent price action of the ADA token.
Cardano Mainnet Passes 125 Million Transactions The new record follows another milestone reported by Cexplorer on October 9, when Cardano surpassed 125 million processed transactions on its mainnet.
At the time, Epoch 660 had already added 986,787 transactions to the network’s cumulative total. The epoch subsequently recorded 1,780,896 transactions, according to Cexplorer’s latest update.
The figures point to continued on-chain activity as Cardano processes transactions across successive epochs. Meanwhile, total transaction counts do not necessarily represent unique users, as one user or application can generate multiple transactions.
Epoch 660 Generates ₳337.72K in Fees Cexplorer’s data also provides insight into Cardano’s network activity during Epoch 660, which ran from October 6 to October 11, 2026. The epoch processed nearly 1.8 million transactions across 21,243 blocks, generating approximately ₳337,720 in fees. Average fees stood at around ₳0.19 per transaction.
For comparison, Epoch 659 processed 158,011 transactions and generated ₳49.49K in fees, while Epoch 658 recorded 159,916 transactions and ₳53.51K in fees.
These figures show that Epoch 660 recorded a much higher transaction count than the preceding epochs shown in Cexplorer’s data. The difference reflects a change in transaction activity during the period.
Cardano ADA processed 1,780,896 transactions in Epoch 660 Is ADA’s Price Fueling Record Transaction Activity? Notably, the milestone comes amid increased interest in ADA’s next price move. For context, ADA has surged by 20.55% over the past 30 days, while Bitcoin has gained only 8% over the same period.
ADA currently trades at $0.2515, representing a substantial gain of 82.5% from Cardano’s June low of $0.1387. The token even briefly touched $0.2824 before retracing slightly.
Now, many market watchers are looking to see ADA reclaim the $0.30 level and advance into the $0.40 range and beyond.
Essentially, these impressive price movements may be contributing to the ongoing record in Cardano’s on-chain activity.
Meanwhile, whether the higher transaction count continues in subsequent epochs will help determine whether this was an isolated increase or part of a sustained change in network usage.
Crypto analyst Lark Davis believes Strive could offer greater upside potential than Cardano (ADA), citing concerns about Cardano’s network activity and long-term growth.
During a discussion with crypto investor Mitzio, Davis questioned whether ADA remains worth holding after years of development. He suggested that investors consider Strive, a Bitcoin-focused treasury company, instead of continuing to hold Cardano.
Why Lark Davis Prefers Strive Over CardanoDavis questioned whether Cardano’s network usage justifies its valuation. He acknowledged that ADA has a loyal community and could rise during a crypto market rally, but argued that a price recovery does not necessarily mean it will outperform other investments.
He compared the valuations putting Strive’s market capitalization at around $2 billion to $2.5 billion and Cardano’s at approximately $10 billion.
Davis also pointed to Strive’s previous share price high of around $260, arguing that a recovery could offer significant upside. He compared this potential with Strategy (MSTR), which he said had significantly outperformed Cardano during a previous Bitcoin market cycle.
However, Strive’s return to its previous high is not guaranteed. Its shares carry company-specific risks and may not track Bitcoin’s price directly.
Davis Questions Cardano’s Long-Term GrowthDavis said Cardano has not achieved the level of network activity he expected after years of development. He recalled buying ADA when it traded at just a few cents, when he believed its future growth potential was more compelling.
He argued that investors should assess whether Cardano has delivered the adoption and progress they originally expected rather than relying on its past performance or community support.
Mitzio Reconsiders His Cardano HoldingsMitzio said he still holds older altcoin investments, including Cardano, despite no longer making new allocations to altcoins. He explained that he had continued holding these assets while waiting for a better time to sell.
Davis challenged this approach, asking investors to consider whether they would buy the same cryptocurrency with fresh capital today.
“If I could buy this today, would I buy it?” Davis said.
Mitzio agreed that investors should review their existing holdings and consider whether they still align with their investment goals.
Can Strive Outperform Cardano?Davis sees Strive and Strategy as alternatives for investors seeking exposure to Bitcoin through publicly traded companies. However, these stocks carry risks linked to their business decisions, financing and market valuations, while Cardano’s prospects depend on its adoption and demand for ADA.
Davis’s argument was that investors should not keep holding Cardano simply because they bought it years ago. Instead, they should reassess its growth prospects and compare them with other opportunities before making investment decisions.
Story Ends Here
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Cardano (ADA) price faces downside risk as large holders reduce their positions and network activity declines, according to analyst Ali Martinez.
Citing Santiment data on X, Martinez said Cardano is heading for a “big correction” amid whale selling and weakening network participation.
According to the analyst, large holders have offloaded more than 110 million ADA over the past five days. The selling adds pressure as ADA approaches a support level that will determine its next move.
CoinMarketCap data shows ADA trading at $0.2386. It is down approximately 6% over the past 24 hours and 12% over the past seven days. Despite the recent decline, the token remains up 15% over the past 30 days, although it is still down 28.32% year to date.
Cardano Whales Reduce Holdings as Activity Falls
Meanwhile, whale selling is not the only concern highlighted in Martinez’s analysis. Santiment data also shows a decline in daily active addresses, suggesting that fewer addresses have interacted with the Cardano network.
Daily active addresses fell 41.36%, from 27,248 to 15,977. The decline coincides with the distribution of more than 110 million ADA by large holders.
The combination raises concerns about demand for ADA at current prices. While whale selling can increase the amount of tokens available on the market, declining address activity points to reduced network participation.
However, Cardano set a new transaction record this week after processing 1,780,896 transactions during Epoch 660, which ran from October 6 to October 11, 2026, according to blockchain explorer Cexplorer.io.
Epoch 660 processed the transactions across 21,243 blocks, generating approximately ₳337,720 in fees, or an average of ₳0.19 per transaction.
The milestone follows Cardano surpassing 125 million cumulative mainnet transactions on October 9. Yet, transaction counts do not necessarily represent unique users or have an impact on ADA price action.
ADA $0.24 Support Level Comes Into Focus
Martinez identified $0.24 as a critical level for Cardano, with the price approaching the support area of a rising channel. ADA’s current price of $0.2386 sits slightly below that level. This makes the channel’s lower boundary near $0.21 the next area to watch if the breakdown continues.
Cardano (ADA) price chart by Ali Martinez showing an ascending parallel.
Essentially, a move below $0.24 could expose ADA to further losses toward $0.21, according to the analyst’s chart analysis. That would represent a decline of approximately 12% from $0.2386.
Conversely, a recovery above $0.24 could help the token regain the key level identified in the analysis. However, the reported whale selling and declining network activity remain risks for any recovery attempt.
So, the $0.24 area is the key level to monitor as traders assess whether Cardano can stabilize or extend its recent losses.
13 October 2026 | 12:12 Cardano and Bitcoin treasury firm Strive surfaced in a podcast debate over a question many long-term crypto holders eventually face: would they make the same purchase today?
Key Takeaways Lark Davis says long-held crypto positions should be tested against current alternatives. ADA and Strive shares depend on different sources of value and risk. Distance from a previous all-time high says little on its own about either asset’s current case. Crypto YouTuber Lark Davis, known online as The Crypto Lark, has spent several market cycles discussing Bitcoin, altcoins and crypto-linked equities with a large retail audience. In recent podcast, he used Cardano and Strive to challenge a familiar habit: keeping an old position because it has been there for years.
“Every day that you’re holding it, you’re continuing to buy it,” Davis said.
The line captures the useful part of the discussion. A past entry price does not decide whether a position still belongs in a portfolio. The harder question is whether its current thesis still makes sense beside the alternatives available today.
ADA and ASST answer different investment questions The comparison becomes more complicated once the two assets are separated. ADA is Cardano’s native token, while ASST is a share in a public company that has adopted a Bitcoin treasury strategy.
Question Cardano (ADA) Strive (ASST) What is being valued? A token tied to Cardano’s network, liquidity and ecosystem activity. Equity in a listed company that holds Bitcoin and raises capital around that strategy. What can move the price? Network demand, token use, staking, liquidity and broader crypto sentiment. Bitcoin’s price, Bitcoin held per share, financing conditions and the value investors place on the company. What investors must monitor Whether Cardano converts development and ecosystem growth into sustained demand for ADA. Share issuance, debt or preferred claims, and whether new capital increases Bitcoin exposure on a per-share basis. The distinction matters because a bullish Bitcoin view does not automatically settle the case for a Bitcoin treasury stock, just as Cardano’s technical development alone does not settle the case for ADA. Each position requires a separate chain of evidence.
Cardano’s current case rests on more than staking The podcast debate focused heavily on whether Cardano’s use supports its valuation. That question is better approached through a current network snapshot than through a comparison with an earlier bull market.
At the time of writing, CardanoScan showed about 21.45 billion ADA staked, equal to roughly 57.1% of circulating supply. The network also had more than 2,800 registered stake pools and over 126 million confirmed transactions since launch.
Those numbers describe a sizable staking base and a long-running network. The next layer of analysis involves active users, stablecoin liquidity, decentralised-finance activity and whether applications retain demand over time. DeFiLlama’s Cardano dashboard can provide part of that picture, though no single metric can capture an ecosystem on its own.
Cardano’s Bitcoin DeFi push gives investors a current case to follow beyond the announcement itself. At the time of writing, DeFiLlama listed $68.92 million in total value locked on Cardano and $68.25 million in stablecoin market capitalisation. Minswap, with $17.02 million in TVL, and lending protocol Liqwid, with $13.12 million, were the two largest applications by value locked. Those figures establish the current liquidity base; the next test is whether new Bitcoin DeFi products add durable activity and capital rather than simply redistribute what is already on the chain.
A Bitcoin treasury share adds a corporate layer Strive’s appeal in the podcast came from the prospect that a smaller Bitcoin treasury company could offer more upside than a large, established crypto asset.
The speakers described Strive and Strategy as ways to amplify Bitcoin exposure, which is why the comparison can appeal to Bitcoin-focused investors. Its own treasury dashboard reported 29,462 BTC held as of October 2, putting Bitcoin at the centre of the company’s equity story.
Yet the company’s share price also reflects how that Bitcoin position is financed. In a filing covering the period from April 1 to May 12, Strive said it issued about 3.89 million Class A shares and raised $58.4 million through its sales agreement. The proceeds supported its wider treasury strategy, while the issuance also changed the number of shares through which investors claim that value.
This is why Bitcoin treasury stocks need to be read as companies, not only as Bitcoin proxies. The same balance-sheet pressure has become visible at Strategy, where recent results placed Bitcoin holdings alongside preferred-dividend obligations and common-shareholder outcomes.
Why the 10x comparison stops short The most tempting part of the podcast comparison is also the least complete: both Cardano and Strive appear to offer substantial upside when measured against previous highs.
The comparison also drew on the contrast between buying Cardano in its earlier cycles and buying it today. That distinction matters, but a previous high still does not explain what would drive a return there.
Prices and return comparisons cited by the speakers during the podcast. They are historical reference points rather than forecasts. An earlier ADA peak came in a different market cycle, with different liquidity conditions and a different level of adoption across crypto. A previous ASST high needs even more context, because public-company prices can be affected by mergers, stock structure, capital raises and changes in the amount of Bitcoin held per share.
A return to an old level therefore requires more than a positive market. Cardano would need its network activity and token demand to support a stronger valuation. Strive would need Bitcoin exposure, capital allocation and its corporate structure to work in shareholders’ favour at the same time.
That is the gap between a chart comparison and an investment thesis.
The question that follows the podcast debate Davis’s challenge is useful when it is taken beyond the simple choice between Cardano and Strive. A holder can ask what evidence currently supports the position, what would weaken that view, and whether the asset still fits the role it was originally bought to fill.
For ADA, the focus is whether Cardano can translate network development into durable demand. For Strive, the focus is whether it can grow Bitcoin exposure per share without allowing financing costs or dilution to outweigh that progress.
Both questions depend on current execution. Neither can be answered by an old chart peak alone.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Crypto assets and publicly traded shares carry risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results.
Author
Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work at Coindoo has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem. To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem. His academic background in Marketing Management from Denmark further complements his analytical approach, adding a strong understanding of communication strategy and content positioning to his work.
Solada.fun, which calls itself the first Cardano launchpad on Solana, recorded 129,500 ADA in trading activity over the past 24 hours.
The development highlights strong interest in its cross-chain token launch platform. In an October 13 update, the platform reported 277 users, including 176 active traders. It also had 34 live token launches: 24 on Solana and 10 on Cardano.
Two tokens, $PAWS on Solana and $JUSTQ on Cardano, also graduated from the platform. Users earned more than 4,000 ADA in rewards during the same period.
These figures show Solada.fun’s early efforts to connect Cardano users and creators with Solana’s trading ecosystem.
Cardano and Solana numbers on Solada
How Solada Connects Cardano and Solana
Solada.fun launched its ADA-focused platform on October 9 as the first launchpad to connect Cardano and Solana. The project later confirmed that its cross-chain features were live.
The platform lets creators launch tokens on Solana through Pump.fun using Cardano wallets. Solana users can then buy and trade these tokens without needing a Cardano wallet.
This makes it easier for users to access projects on another blockchain without switching ecosystems.
Solada says it manages token supply across both blockchains using custodial reserves. It charges a launch fee of 15 ADA to help cover costs and liquidity, while creators receive rewards in ADA.
The platform aims to help Cardano creators reach more traders on Solana while still using ADA for parts of the process.
Could Solana Help Cardano Projects Reach More Users?
X user Kat said Cardano projects could reach more people by going where traders already are instead of trying to bring them to Cardano. Solana has a large trading community and strong liquidity, making it an attractive option for Cardano creators who want to reach more users.
The idea is to bring Cardano projects to Solana’s existing traders rather than asking those traders to switch to Cardano.
Credit where it's due, this is exactly the type of project that blows up in other ecosystems, is this going to be Cardano's moment?@soladafun is the 1st Cardano launchpad on Solana 👀
Creators can launch tokens on Solana using ADA/Cardano wallets, and Solana users can buy…
— Kat (@TheRealWeb3Kat) October 12, 2026
Solada’s latest figures show early user activity, and analysts are watching to see the platform maintain trading volumes, rewards, and user growth over time.
The platform has launched tokens on both Solana and Cardano, suggesting it aims to serve both communities. Solada’s long-term success will depend on keeping traders active, supporting token performance and maintaining growth beyond its initial launch period.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
The official Cardano Card X (formerly Twitter) account announced that the multi-chain crypto payment card associated with the Cardano ecosystem, Cardano Card, will be discontinued on October 31, 2026.
Important update for Cardano Card holders:
The Cardano Card will be discontinued on 31 Oct 2026. Your card will keep working as normal until then.
Wirex, our partner on the Cardano Card program, is moving to a non-custodial model and discontinuing its custodial infrastructure. Because of that, our partnership with Wirex ends on 31 Oct 2026.
If you hold a Cardano Card, this affects you directly, and we want you to hear it from us first.
Stay tuned for what comes next for the program, more details to be shared soon.
— Cardano Card (@cardano_card) October 13, 2026
In an important update for cardholders, the account said the Cardano Card will continue to function normally until the scheduled sunset date. The announcement gives users a deadline to prepare for the end of the service while they await further information about the program's future.
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This decision follows a change in business direction by Wirex, the partner behind the Cardano Card program. The announcement said Wirex will shut down its existing custodial infrastructure and move to a non-custodial model. Consequently, its partnership with the Cardano Card program will end on October 31, 2026.
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In November 2025, Emurgo announced a partnership with Wirex to launch the official Cardano Card, integrated into the Wirex app and accessible to over 6 million users in 130 countries.
The Cardano Card enables users to spend over 685 cryptocurrencies including ADA, BTC, ETH, and USDC, and pay anywhere Visa is accepted. Users can also access DeFi services such as loans and yield.
Now the card is set to be discontinued on October 31, 2026, leaving the Cardano community to seek answers on what comes next.
According to the notice by Cardano Card, for holders directly affected, it seeks to hear from them first. The account also indicated that more details about what comes next for the program would be shared soon.
October 31 remains key dateIt should be recalled that in July 2026, Emurgo, the entity behind the Cardano Card, announced it was stepping down from its duties as a member of the Pentad—a collaborative executive governance and strategic alignment structure formed by five key entities in the Cardano ecosystem to drive critical infrastructure deployment and growth—in order to focus on the SecondFi recovery process. This leaves the rest of the Pentad as Input Output, Cardano Foundation, Intersect, and Midnight Foundation.
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Given this, what comes next for the Cardano Card remains unknown, as it has not yet been confirmed whether a replacement card, a new service provider, or an alternative payment arrangement will be introduced.
For ADA holders who use the card, October 31, 2026, remains the key date to remember.
Cardano (ADA) has fallen 15.70% over the past seven days to approximately $0.234, as large investors reduced their holdings by more than 110 million tokens and network participation weakened.
Summary
Cardano fell 15.70% over seven days, trading near $0.234 amid continued pressure from cryptocurrency sellers. Large Cardano holders sold over 110 million ADA within five days, according to analyst Ali Martinez. Daily active addresses declined 41.36%, falling from 27,248 to 15,977, according to Santiment figures shared. Cardano processed 1,780,896 transactions during Epoch 660, surpassing its previous five-day transaction record from 2021. Cardano Card will discontinue services October 31 following changes to payment partner Wirex’s custodial infrastructure. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez reported on October 13 that Cardano whales had sold more than 110 million ADA over five days, citing Santiment data. The selling coincided with a 41.36% decline in daily active addresses, raising concerns about continued weakness in the cryptocurrency. ADA has since moved below the $0.24 support level identified in the analyst’s chart, bringing the $0.21 area into focus.
Cardano price falls as whales sell over 110 million ADA According to the analyst’s Santiment figures, large ADA holders reduced their combined holdings by more than 110 million tokens during the five-day observation period. At the reported price of $0.234, those tokens would have a market value of approximately $25.7 million, although that calculation does not establish their actual selling prices.
2/5 Cardano whales have been reducing their holdings.
Over the past five days, large holders have offloaded more than 110 million $ADA, adding selling pressure as price approaches a key support level. pic.twitter.com/gDeqlDseU8
— Ali Charts (@alicharts) October 12, 2026 The figures came as Cardano’s daily active addresses declined from 27,248 to 15,977, representing a 41.36% decrease. Martinez linked the lower address activity and whale selling to weakening participation, warning that the cryptocurrency could face further pressure if its existing price structure failed to hold.
According to CoinGecko, ADA traded near $0.234 at press time, down 6.65% over 24 hours. Its market capitalization stood near $8.78 billion, while daily trading volume reached approximately $530.8 million. The token ranked 17th among cryptocurrencies by market value.
Trading activity increased during the selloff. A separate CoinGecko observation placed 24-hour volume at $533.3 million, representing a 40.60% increase from the previous day. The cryptocurrency remained approximately 92.42% below its historical peak of $3.09, with its current valuation near the lower end of its recent trading range.
Martinez identified the $0.24 area as an important support level within Cardano’s ascending price channel. With ADA trading below that threshold, his analysis identified the channel’s lower boundary near $0.21 as a possible downside target. His projection is conditional on the price continuing to weaken and does not establish that another decline will occur.
Previous Cardano price analysis around $0.21 support identified a similar risk following the cryptocurrency’s rejection near $0.28 in early October. The October 8 analysis placed ADA around $0.232, with daily momentum indicators weakening as the token approached its lower channel boundary.
ADA technical indicators show fading buying momentum On the daily chart, Cardano traded at approximately $0.23388 following a modest intraday recovery. The cryptocurrency had recovered from June lows near 0.14–0.15 and formed a series of higher lows through September. However, its advance stalled below the resistance region between $0.28 and $0.37.
Immediate support on the chart appeared between $0.22 and $0.23, followed by $0.20. Resistance stood around 0.25–0.28, with a sustained move above $0.28 required to improve the recovery structure. The levels differ slightly from Martinez’s $0.21 channel target because the two analyses use separate technical reference points.
The Know Sure Thing indicator stood at 120.4649, below its signal line of 163.5224. Although both readings remained positive, the indicator’s downward movement and bearish crossover showed that buying momentum had weakened during the recent price decline.
Cardano (ADA) price chart, source: TradingView Meanwhile, the Awesome Oscillator registered 0.00653, remaining slightly above its zero line. Shrinking positive histogram bars indicated that upward momentum was fading, even though the indicator had not turned negative in the supplied reading.
A separate Cardano technical assessment of the $0.24 support zone published October 12 identified support between $0.224 and $0.240. The report recorded negative daily MACD momentum and overhead liquidation concentrations around 0.258–0.262, providing additional price levels for traders monitoring ADA’s recovery.
Cardano records 1.78 million transactions in five days Despite lower daily active addresses in the period examined by Martinez, Cardano recorded its highest transaction count for a five-day epoch. Blockchain analytics platform Cexplorer reported that Epoch 660 processed 1,780,896 transactions between October 6 and October 11.
A NEW RECORD! 🥳
Cardano $ADA processed 1,780,896 transactions in Epoch 660.
It's the new record, surpassing the previous 1,566,974 transactions record from Epoch 304.
Also some cool stats:
– On average each block had 83.83 transactions
– Cardano made ₳ 337.72k in fees pic.twitter.com/og4wr2Xukj
— Cexplorer.io 🅰️ (@cexplorer_io) October 12, 2026 The total exceeded the previous record of 1,566,974 transactions set during Epoch 304 in November 2021. Cexplorer recorded an average of 83.83 transactions per block, while network fees during Epoch 660 reached approximately 337,720 ADA. The average transaction fee was around 0.19 ADA, equivalent to approximately $0.05 at the reported valuation.
The increase coincided with governance voting activity involving Cardano’s Delegated Representatives, who participate in decisions about network operations and treasury spending. Proposals under consideration included changes to the minimum cost charged by stake pool operators.
Although the voting period ended during the record-setting epoch, the available data does not establish how many of the 1.78 million transactions were directly generated by voting activity. Cardano’s transaction total measures processed blockchain operations, while daily active addresses track participating wallets under a different methodology.
Cardano Card to close on October 31 as Wirex changes model Meanwhile, the Cardano Card program has announced plans to discontinue its existing payment services on October 31, 2026. The project’s official account confirmed the scheduled closure, explaining that payment partner Wirex was moving away from its existing custodial infrastructure.
Important update for Cardano Card holders:
The Cardano Card will be discontinued on 31 Oct 2026. Your card will keep working as normal until then.
Wirex, our partner on the Cardano Card program, is moving to a non-custodial model and discontinuing its custodial infrastructure.…
— Cardano Card (@cardano_card) October 13, 2026 According to the announcement, the Cardano Card will continue operating under its current arrangements until the cutoff. The project said customers directly affected by the change should contact its team and await further instructions concerning the transition. No replacement provider or new launch date was confirmed.
The payment card originated from a November 2025 partnership between EMURGO and Wirex, which announced the product during the Cardano Summit. The service was integrated into the Wirex application, whose platform served more than six million customers across 130 countries at the time.
The program was designed to let eligible users spend ADA and other supported digital assets through existing payment networks. It offered access to cryptocurrency payments, account services and certain rewards through the Wirex platform.
The October 31 closure follows Wirex’s decision to move toward a non-custodial operating model, which ends the existing partnership arrangement. Cardano Card said further information about its future services would be shared after the transition plans had been reviewed. The announcement did not confirm whether a replacement card or another payment provider would be introduced.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Cardano (ADA) price is down 15% in seven days to trade at $0.233 at the time of writing. The drop coincides with intense selling by large addresses, falling network activity, and a bearish sentiment from futures traders.
Whales Dump Cardano as Network Activity Weakens Analyst Ali Martinez on X notes that large holders have sold more than 110 million ADA within five days since October 8.
This selling behaviour coincides with a decline in Cardano’s network activity despite the recent network update to bring tokenization to Cardano.
The number of daily active addresses on Cardano has also dropped from 27,248 to 15,977, representing a 41.36% decline. This drop suggests that there is reduced activity around Cardano even as whales continue to sell.
However, data from DeFiLlama shows a slight increase in Cardano’s DeFi Total Value Locked (TVL) from 257.43 million ADA on October 6 to 279.88 million at the time of writing. This shows that the TVL has increased by 22.45 million within one week.
ADA’s Futures Market Shows Bearish Positioning Data from CoinGlass shows that short sellers are dominating long buyers in the Cardano futures market. Per the data, Cardano’s 24-hour long volumes reached $342 million at the time of writing, with this being lower than the $383 million in short selling volumes.
Cardano’s long/short reading has also dropped to 0.86. This reading has remained below 1 since October 5 due to an increase in short accounts betting against ADA value.
Source: CoinGlass This level of short interest suggests that most futures traders support a bearish long-term Cardano price forecast.
However, increased short positioning could also trigger a short-selling event if a sudden surge in Cardano price forces short sellers to close their positions.
Cardano Price Breaks Crucial 200D EMA Support The one-day chart for Cardano shows that the price has dropped below support at the 200-day EMA. Cardano closed below this EMA yesterday, and it is now testing it as resistance. If it breaks, the price may resume an uptrend towards $0.27.
Cardano also remains within a massive ascending channel on the one-day chart, suggesting that the uptrend that started in late June remains in play. Cardano will invalidate this pattern if the price moves below the channel’s lower trendline.
Source: TradingView However, the price has dropped below the midline of the channel. The AO bars also suggest that bullish momentum is becoming weak. A drop below the support at $0.23 could trigger another drop to the psychological support at $0.20.
A massive token reserve looks like the ultimate safety net for a proof-of-stake blockchain. New research from the Cardano ecosystem suggests that the net may have holes in it.
A paper presented at the 8th Conference on Advances in Financial Technologies (AFT 2026) argues that a large stockpile of native tokens is not enough, on its own, to guarantee a network’s long-term security.
What the paper actually found
The research is titled “Reserve Depletion and Security Runway in Proof-of-Stake Systems.” It was co-authored by Paolo Penna of Input Output Global (IOG) and Manvir Schneider of the Cardano Foundation.
The Cardano Foundation presented the work at AFT 2026, held in London from October 6-9, 2026. The paper appears in the LIPIcs proceedings, dated October 2, 2026.
The central contribution is something the authors describe as a state-dependent reserve threshold. Think of it as a dividing line whose position moves depending on the current conditions of the network.
Above or below that line, a proof-of-stake system lands in one of three distinct security conditions:
Complete failure: the network cannot sustain adequate security, regardless of how things play out.
Reserve-dependent security: the network is secure, but only because the reserve is propping it up.
Fee-only security: the network can stay secure on transaction fees alone, with no need to dip into the reserve.
The authors built their model using discrete-time stochastic methods, treating key variables as uncertain rather than fixed. According to the research, the findings point to vulnerabilities that may persist even when reserves are substantial, particularly in the face of market volatility.
Why Cardano’s reserve design is a useful test case
Under Cardano’s design, 0.3% of the remaining reserves is drawn each epoch to fund rewards. Taking a fixed percentage from a pot means the absolute size of each withdrawal gets smaller as the pot itself shrinks.
Because the threshold is state-dependent, a network does not get assigned one permanent category. Shifts in market conditions could move it from one region to another.
What this means for investors and protocols
For investors, the most direct takeaway is that reserve size alone may be a misleading comfort metric. The research suggests two factors stand out: whether a protocol’s reserves are adequate relative to its security needs, and how its reward disbursement mechanism actually works over time. A slow, percentage-based drawdown behaves very differently from a fixed payout schedule, and both behave differently when markets swing.
There are clear limits to keep in mind. This is a theoretical model, not a verdict on any specific network’s present condition, and the paper does not predict when or whether any chain will cross into the failure region. What it offers is a framework for asking better questions.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Whale selling and declining network participation are putting Cardano under pressure.
After ending September with massive gains, Cardano appears to be struggling again, losing almost 12% in the past week alone.
But new data suggests that it could face more downside pressure as whale selling and weaker network activity raise concerns about its price outlook.
ADA Price at Risk?
According to crypto analyst Ali Martinez, large holders have sold more than 110 million ADA over the past five days. This adds selling pressure as the token approaches a key support level. To top that, network activity is also slowing. Daily active addresses have dropped 41.36%, after falling from 27,248 to 15,977. The decline indicates fewer users are interacting with the Cardano network.
All eyes are on the $0.24 support level. Martinez believes that a break below it could push ADA toward $0.21, near the lower boundary of its rising channel.
Despite the drop in daily active addresses, Cardano recently set a new transaction record for the first time in five years. During Epoch 660, the network handled 1,780,896 transactions, beating its previous high of 1,566,974 from November 2021. That works out to an average of 83.83 transactions per block, which is a new all-time high for the network.
While short-term signals exhibited a mixed picture, Crypto Patel is sticking to a much more optimistic view of ADA. The analyst believes Cardano could still have plenty of room to run. The analyst is now watching $0.2887, a level the crypto asset needs to close above on the two-week chart to confirm the breakout. If that happens, ADA’s rally could extend toward $0.50, $1, $2, $3, and eventually $5.
Other Developments
Beyond its price action, the ecosystem has seen a couple of notable developments. The Cardano Foundation rolled out CIP-0113, a new token standard for regulated assets last week. It lets issuers set rules on who can hold their tokens and freeze or seize holdings when required. The move could make it easier for banks and fund managers to bring assets like bonds and funds onto Cardano.
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Additionally, the foundation’s digital identity project, Veridian, has become an independent Swiss company. It has also tokenized its shares on Cardano and plans to build identity tools for businesses, governments, and AI agents.
Cardano recorded its highest-ever network activity in Epoch 660, with 1,780,896 transactions processed according to data from Cexplorer. This surge in activity surpassed the previous all-time high of 1,566,974 transactions set in Epoch 304, highlighting a significant increase in on-chain usage for the Cardano blockchain.
Record transaction volumes and network feesThe average number of transactions per block reached 83.83, while network fees generated peaked at approximately ₳337,720 during the same period. This level of activity, paired with rising fees, indicated strong usage and heightened engagement across the Cardano (ADA) ecosystem.
EpochTransactionsAverage Tx per BlockNetwork Fees (₳)6601,780,89683.83337,7203041,566,974––Cexplorer, a Cardano-focused blockchain explorer, provides real-time analytics and transaction monitoring for the network.
Mini dictionary: Epoch, a fixed period in blockchain protocols during which a specific set of actions, such as transaction validation or staking rewards, are processed and finalized.
Whale selling and market divergence signalsDespite the network’s record-breaking throughput, significant selling emerged among large holders. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez reported that whales sold more than 110 million ADA in the past five days, signaling a potential distribution phase even as transaction activity soared.
When major wallets decrease exposure while transaction metrics rise, such divergence often suggests a possible correction or reversal in price trends. This is typically seen as a warning sign by market observers, especially during periods of elevated network activity.
Ali Martinez highlighted, despite Cardano’s transaction record, “whales offloaded more than 110 million ADA over the past five days,” describing this as a notable example of distribution into strength.
Decline in unique participation and risk to support levelsIn contrast to the soaring transaction numbers, daily active addresses fell sharply by 41.36%, dropping from 27,248 to 15,977. This decline raises concerns that trade volumes may be inflated by a smaller group of participants or by automated transactions, rather than representing broad user growth.
Such a dynamic, where throughput is high but unique participation falls, is seen by analysts as a textbook precursor to a market correction. The current situation is being closely watched by traders for confirmation of a potential trend reversal.
Martinez identified $0.24 as the critical support level for ADA. If Cardano manages to hold above this threshold, the increase in transactions may be viewed as accumulation or organic network expansion. However, a decisive break below $0.24 could open the way to further declines, with the next major support seen near $0.21.
Cardano’s fate hinges at $0.24, where conflicting narratives of accumulation and correction are set to converge, potentially determining the short-term direction for ADA.
A sustained breakdown below these key levels would shift the technical outlook from a standard market consolidation to a potential correction, with increased downside risk for ADA in the near term.
Tether Invests in EFY Finance to Accelerate Institutional Stablecoin Usage in LATAM
13 October 2026 – Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry, has announced an investment in EFY Finance as part of EFY Finance’s seed round to accelerate institutional use cases for USD₮ and USA₮. The investment aims to strengthen the infrastructure connecting stablecoins to the traditional financial system across Latin America.
EFY Finance is a financial infrastructure company providing stablecoin-based cross-border payments, accounts, and digital asset custody across Latin America. It offers on- and off-ramp infrastructure for USD₮ and USA₮, OTC services, wallets, and cards across more than 12 currencies and corridors, with settlement to local accounts in 17 countries. The company is licensed as a Digital Asset Service Provider in El Salvador and operates regulated services for more than 25,000 active individual and business accounts. EFY Finance believes money should move at the speed of the internet: as simple, fast, and clear as sending a message, without borders.
Tether’s investment reflects its commitment to supporting the growth of regulated infrastructure that connects stablecoins with banks, businesses, and institutional users. EFY Finance’s strong distribution, established customer base, and licensed infrastructure position the company to drive the next stage of institutional stablecoin use cases, particularly in Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Panama, and Ecuador, where it already has a meaningful presence.
“Across Latin America, the US dollar is a lifeline against inflation and capital controls. USD₮ and USA₮ are how people access it, but doing so simply and reliably takes regulated infrastructure, banking connections, and real distribution. That is the gap EFY Finance is positioned to close, bringing the dollar within easier reach across the region,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether.
“Stablecoins have already become part of the financial infrastructure of Latin America. The challenge now is making them work seamlessly with the financial systems businesses use every day. That means connecting digital dollars with bank accounts, local payment networks, cards, and cross-border settlement. That is the infrastructure we are building at EFY Finance. Having Tether as a strategic investor gives us an exceptional collaborator to accelerate that vision and expand institutional access to USD₮ and USA₮ across the region,” said Andrés Tobón, Co-Founder and CEO of EFY Finance.
Tether’s investment in EFY Finance reflects a broader shift already underway across Latin America. According to Chainalysis, the region recorded nearly $1.5 trillion in cryptocurrency transaction volume between July 2022 and June 2025, making it one of the most dynamic regions. Persistent inflation, currency volatility, and restrictive capital controls in several countries continue to drive demand for stablecoins as a stable store of value and a hedge against local macroeconomic risk. Stablecoin purchases now account for over half of all exchange purchases. As regulatory frameworks mature and licensed infrastructure strengthens, Latin America is proving what’s possible when stablecoins meet real financial infrastructure. Tether and EFY Finance are excited to be part of this evolution.
About USA₮
USA₮ is a U.S.-dollar-backed stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., a federally chartered bank, that Tether, the global leader in stablecoin technology, has supported to launch. Purpose-built to serve the U.S. market and designed to comply with U.S. regulatory standards, USA₮ will be the foundational rail for the next generation of American commerce, trade, and finance.
USA₮ underscores Tether’s commitment to driving dominance and leadership in the evolving digital asset economy. As part of the broader Tether ecosystem, USA₮ will set a new benchmark in the U.S. for utility-driven stablecoins designed to deliver long-term value, strong governance, and real-world applications.
Important Note:
USA₮ is not legal tender (as described in section 5103 of title 31, United States Code) and will not be issued, backed, approved, or guaranteed by the U.S. government. USA₮ is not subject to the insurance protections of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), or any other government agency.
The issuer of USA₮ is Anchorage Digital Bank, N.A.
Starknet launches shadow accounts, enabling users to anonymously link their main wallets with DeFi activities.
According to an official announcement, Starknet has launched Shadow Accounts, allowing users to participate in public DeFi activities via an independent, self-controlled address while keeping the link between this address and their main wallet confidential. Shadow Accounts are independent pseudonymous addresses on Starknet, funded by users’ protected STRK20 balances. The first integration will launch tomorrow. While the balance, transaction history, and application positions of Shadow Accounts remain publicly visible on-chain, STRK20 protects the connection between these accounts and users’ main wallets. This means users do not need to hide their DeFi activities themselves, while reducing the likelihood that external observers can trace those activities back to their main wallets.
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Perspective: Bitcoin investors who accumulated positions at high levels have their cost prices capping upside potential, with selling pressure having notably eased.
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Russia clears Sberbank for crypto trading ahead of December launchRussia’s largest bank, Sberbank, has secured crypto exchange authorization as it prepares to offer Bitcoin, Ether and Tether USDt trading.
Sberbank, Russia’s largest lender, has secured the central bank’s approval to trade cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, ahead of a planned December launch.
The Bank of Russia’s updated register, dated Tuesday, lists 10 authorized crypto exchange operators and six digital custodians, up from four and five, respectively, a week earlier. The lists include major lenders Sberbank and VTB alongside nonbank companies such as T-Invest Lab and Atomyze.
Sberbank previously said it plans to launch crypto products supporting Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Tether’s USDt (USDT) on Dec. 1, 2026, through its existing SberBank Online, SberInvestments and SberBusiness platforms.
Sberbank has already begun testing crypto purchases, sales, deposits and withdrawals through its SberBank Online app, Russian business newspaper Vedomosti reported on Thursday, citing the bank’s press office. The bank said the final launch timeline depends on additional central bank regulations.
The registrations follow the Sept. 1 entry into force of Russia’s new crypto rules, which placed exchange operators and custodians under central bank oversight. The country still prohibits using cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services.
Sberbank was among the first companies to secure digital custodian status last Tuesday.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Tether has written another check in Latin America. This time it went to EFY Finance, a regional financial infrastructure provider built around stablecoin services.
On October 13, 2026, Tether announced it had participated in EFY Finance’s seed funding round. The goal is to push institutional adoption of its USD₮ (USDT) and USA₮ (USAT) tokens for cross-border payments and other financial services across the region.
Tether did not disclose how much it put in.
What EFY Finance actually does
The company offers on-ramp and off-ramp services, which let users convert between local currencies and stablecoins. It also runs OTC trading, meaning large over-the-counter trades handled directly rather than through a public exchange order book. EFY also provides wallets and cards.
EFY services more than 25,000 accounts, covering both individuals and businesses. It provides local settlement infrastructure in more than 17 countries and supports more than 12 different currencies.
Its key operating markets include Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, Panama, and Ecuador.
EFY also holds a Digital Asset Service Provider (DASP) license in El Salvador, which gives it a formal regulatory footing when pitching to institutions rather than retail speculators.
The pitch from both sides
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino framed the deal around compliance. He stressed that regions facing inflation and capital controls need financial infrastructure that plays by the rules.
EFY Finance CEO Andrés Tobón described the partnership as a crucial step toward connecting digital dollars with traditional financial systems.
Part of a broader Latin America push
This is not Tether’s first move in the region this year. In July 2026, the company invested $20 million in Ualá, the Argentine neobank.
Ualá is a consumer-facing bank, while EFY is infrastructure that other businesses and institutions can build on. The inclusion of USA₮ in the EFY announcement is also worth noting. Tether is positioning regulated products like USA₮ alongside its flagship USDT, and EFY gives both tokens a ready distribution channel.
What this means
EFY’s coverage of more than 17 countries and more than 12 currencies gives Tether access to a range of local corridors through a single relationship.
Regulatory treatment of stablecoins varies widely across the countries where EFY operates, and a license in El Salvador does not automatically smooth the path in Bolivia or Colombia.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
The biggest winners from blockchain-based finance may not be the companies building the underlying technology, but those already positioned between consumers and their money. Reeve Collins, co-founder of Tether and chairman at WeFi, sees Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN), Circle Internet Group, Inc. (NYSE:CRCL) and Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOOD) as three publicly traded companies worth watching as financial services move onto blockchain rails.
Three Different Ways to WinIn an exclusive email interview with Benzinga, Collins pointed to distinct advantages at each company. Circle issues USDC, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, while Coinbase helps distribute it and participates in the income it generates. Robinhood, meanwhile, has an established customer relationship it can expand into additional financial services.
"Having built in this space, I look at what becomes possible for the customer," Collins said.
His thesis goes beyond cryptocurrency trading. Blockchain infrastructure could let money move through fewer intermediaries and let assets serve as collateral without moving between institutions. That could make financial services more integrated, with fewer steps between holding money, investing and borrowing.
The distinction matters for investors: exposure to blockchain adoption can come from issuing digital dollars, distributing them or controlling the application through which customers access financial products.
Collins carefully separated business prospects from stock valuations. "All three have strong positions. Whether the stocks are well priced is a different question, and I keep the two separate," he said.
Read Next
The Battle for the CustomerThat distinction becomes more important as financial services converge inside digital wallets and so-called super apps. Collins expects companies to build on Wall Street’s existing infrastructure first, then gradually replace the parts that create friction.
In his view, the competitive advantage will increasingly come from the ability to combine cash, investing, borrowing, and payments within one application.
"Their investments become usable collateral within that same relationship," Collins said of the emerging model. "Opening and funding another account starts to feel unnecessary."
For Robinhood, that creates a potential opportunity to deepen relationships beyond brokerage accounts. For Coinbase, the question extends beyond crypto trading to how much financial activity its platform can support. Circle’s position depends on continued USDC use and the economics of issuing it.
These are different business models, but they share a common strategic question: how much of the customer’s financial life can each company capture?
What Investors Should WatchThe opportunity also comes with different risks. Circle’s reserve income is sensitive to interest rates, Collins noted in discussing stablecoin economics. Coinbase’s exposure depends partly on USDC distribution and the associated economics, while Robinhood must turn its existing customer base into a broader financial-services relationship.
Investors should watch whether stablecoin adoption translates into sustained revenue, whether these companies expand beyond their current core businesses and whether their valuations already reflect that potential. Collins’ picks identify where he sees strategic advantages, not a guarantee that the stocks will outperform.
The longer-term test is whether blockchain makes these platforms more useful to customers—and whether that additional utility produces durable earnings growth.
As digital dollars become more integrated into payments and financial services, Reeve Collins, co-founder of Tether and chairman at WeFi, believes traditional banks may have to fight harder to retain the low-cost deposits that underpin their lending businesses.
"For banks, I would focus on deposits," Collins told Benzinga in an exclusive email interview.
Customer deposits provide banks with funding for loans and other financial activities. Low-cost deposits are particularly valuable because they can help banks fund lending without relying as heavily on more expensive alternatives.
For JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM), Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC), the longer-term question is whether stablecoins and digital wallets could change where customers choose to hold and use their money.
More Than a Payments Story"When the wallet becomes the place people keep and use their money, the bank has to earn that relationship again," he said.
If consumers increasingly manage cash, investments, borrowing and payments through a single digital wallet, traditional banks could face greater competition for customer balances. That does not mean deposits are already fleeing banks for stablecoins, but it highlights a potential pressure point investors should watch.
Stablecoins Change the CompetitionRead Next
Part of the stablecoin appeal includes moving money across blockchain networks without relying on every step of traditional payment infrastructure.
Circle Internet Group Inc. (NYSE:CRCL), issuer of the USDC stablecoin, offers investors a different way to gain exposure to this shift. Collins noted that Circle earns income on its reserves, making interest rates an important driver of its business.
That creates a different investment equation. Circle’s opportunity depends on stablecoin usage and reserve economics, while banks must also consider the potential implications for deposit funding. Stablecoin adoption alone, however, does not establish that banks will lose deposits: the impact depends on how consumers use digital dollars, where issuers hold reserves and how financial institutions respond.
What Bank Investors Should WatchFor JPMorgan, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, the key signals are deposit growth, funding costs and changes in the mix of customer balances. If deposit competition intensifies, banks could face pressure to offer more attractive rates or seek alternative funding, potentially hurting profitability.
For Circle, investors should watch whether USDC adoption translates into durable growth, while accounting for the sensitivity of reserve income to interest rates.
Collins’ warning is ultimately about who controls the customer relationship. Stablecoins may become a stronger competitive force if consumers start using digital wallets as their primary financial hub.
For bank investors, the important question is not simply how quickly stablecoins grow, but whether that growth changes the economics of holding deposits.
Hackers have stolen the personal and health information of hundreds of thousands of patients from a California company that makes wearable heart monitors.
iRhythm Technologies says unauthorized individuals accessed and downloaded data from certain third-party-hosted business applications between June 3rd and June 8th.
State filings show 298,647 people are impacted in Texas and another 69,526 in South Carolina, while the company has not disclosed a nationwide total.
The stolen records include patient names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, iRhythm account numbers, device serial numbers, insurance numbers and dates of service.
In a June filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company says the data was taken through social engineering and that a threat actor contacted it on June 9th claiming to hold patient health information and proprietary data.
Says the filing,
“The communications from the threat actor demanded payment in exchange for not publicly disclosing this information.”
iRhythm began notifying impacted patients on October 2nd.
Says iRhythm,
“iRhythm has no evidence that any personal information has been or will be used to commit identity theft.”
The firm says its medical devices, clinical systems and patient safety were not affected, and it does not store payment card or financial account information.
iRhythm makes the Zio patch, a wearable sensor used for long-term heart rhythm monitoring.
TRC-8004 is Final on TRON and still a draft on Ethereum, and the team that finished it sells the bundle built on top. The spec says payments are out of scope; the schema says otherwise.
The same agent-identity standard is a finished document on TRON and a draft on Ethereum. ERC-8004 on Ethereum has sat in Draft since Aug. 13, 2025, with authors from MetaMask, ethereum.org, Google and Coinbase. TIP-8004, the TRON port, is Final: created Dec. 1, 2025, Standards Track, authored by bankofai.io. That is B.AI’s team. The company now selling an agent-commerce stack on TRON wrote the identity layer the stack runs on.
The two documents are nearly word for word, down to the registration schema. Both declare payments out of scope: “Payments are orthogonal to this protocol and not covered here. However, examples are provided showing how x402 payments can enrich feedback signals.” Both then carry a boolean x402Support field in the agent registration file and a proofOfPayment object in the feedback file, with fromAddress, toAddress, chainId and txHash. The text says the money is not in scope. The schema is built to hold it. That is the identity-first, money-later pattern written into a single file. Agent identity here means three registries: a TRC-721 handle, a feedback ledger and hooks for validators.
What B.AI has shipped is the bundle: identity plus x402 payments plus USDT settlement on TRON. Its own description, in a paid partner story on CryptoSlate (published Sept. 16, disclosed as partner content), calls the protocol layer “B.AI’s most strategically profound move”: “By natively integrating the x402 payment protocol and the 8004 identity authentication protocol, the platform paves a standardized path for mutual trust, identity verification, and high-frequency automated settlement between agents.” The same story says B.AI is co-incubated by TRON and YZi Labs and keeps WeChat Pay, Alipay, UnionPay and Visa alongside on-chain settlement.
Two things need bounding. First, “first major x402 on TRON” describes the bundle, not the rail: x402 has been live on TRON and BNB Chain since February. Second, the numbers are the vendor’s. B.AI’s partner story claims TRC-20 USDT supply passed 94.2 billion as of Sept. 10, and there is no independent volume data for its agent payments. The currency point stands regardless: the x402 lane this beat has covered settles in USDC on Base and Polygon, and this one settles in USDT on TRON. Same protocol, different currency gravity.
The standard’s own security section is where the hype goes to die. Sybil attacks are possible, “inflating the reputation of fake agents,” and the protocol “cannot cryptographically guarantee that advertised capabilities are functional and non-malicious.” Trust is tiered to the value at risk, “from low-stake tasks like ordering pizza to high-stake tasks like medical diagnosis,” built from reputation, stake-secured re-execution, zkML proofs or TEE oracles. Those are real designs for real problems. None of them is a guarantee that the agent does what its registration file says.
TRON’s standards track is not stopping at identity: TIP-8001 Agent Coordination Framework, TIP-8126 AI Agent Verification and TIP-7857 AI Agents NFT with Private Metadata are all Final alongside TIP-8004. A finished standard is not a finished market. What the B.AI bundle proves is narrower than the pitch and more useful: the trust layer can ship before the payments story is settled, and the party with the most to gain from the standard can be the one that writes it. The standard is public, the schema is honest about the money, and the marketing is paid placement. All three are on the record.
Ethoswarm Tessa Vaughn works for Forkast.
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Stellar, a blockchain network focused on facilitating cross-border payments and asset tokenization, has become a leading platform for tokenized real-world assets. The total reported value of tokenized assets on Stellar has reached approximately $3.5 billion. Despite this growth, XRP maintains a market capitalization almost 13 times greater than Stellar’s native XLM token, underlining a persistent imbalance between tokenization adoption and crypto valuations.
Stellar’s rising tokenization volumesAs of October 13, market data from CoinCodex showed XRP’s market capitalization at around $84.65 billion, while XLM trailed significantly at about $6.67 billion. This 12.7-fold difference persists even as Stellar’s institutional tokenization offerings continue to expand.
Recent estimates place the value of tokenized assets on Stellar near $3.5 billion, and, depending on the reporting methodology, this figure can be even higher—up to $4 billion according to Stellar’s own records in early September. Comparatively, the XRP Ledger (XRPL) is estimated to host approximately $2.5 billion in tokenized real-world and financial assets under one broad reporting standard. However, specific rankings may vary based on whether they include certain stablecoins or financial products.
Stellar’s asset tokenization growth is largely supported by institutional products such as Franklin Templeton’s BENJI fund and other financial instruments. The BENJI fund, tokenized and issued on Stellar, held about $605 million as of October 6. Another project, Spiko, accounts for $1.7 billion through tokenized money-market products.
These assets are structured as investment products, granting investors digital shares backed by underlying securities such as government bonds or money-market funds. Blockchain technology powers the issuance, recordkeeping, and settlement of these tokenized shares, delivering efficiency gains for institutional investors and fund managers.
Mini dictionary: Franklin Templeton is a global asset management firm that has issued tokenized money-market funds on blockchain platforms such as Stellar, allowing for digital shares in regulated investment products.
Tokenization versus native token valuationThe growth of tokenized assets does not necessarily translate into increased demand for a blockchain’s native cryptocurrency. When institutions invest in tokenized Treasury funds on Stellar, their money is allocated directly into underlying traditional assets, such as US Treasury securities. While the process requires a minimal amount of XLM for transaction fees and account reserves, these costs are relatively low and do not result in major demand for XLM itself.
A similar dynamic is present on the XRP Ledger. Even as institutional usage and tokenization of securities or stablecoins has increased, these activities do not automatically require counterparties to accumulate large holdings of XRP. Most institutional flows are directed toward the underlying assets, bypassing the need for substantial native coin exposure.
During the past year, Treasury tokenization volumes on the XRP Ledger grew significantly, rising from $50 million to approximately $418.5 million. However, this notable growth in tokenized assets has only a limited direct impact on XRP’s price, since institutional demand is insulated from speculative or retail-driven trading of the token.
XRP’s unique demand sourcesUnlike Stellar’s tokenized products, some institutional vehicles specifically aim to give investors direct exposure to XRP as an asset. For example, Evernorth recently secured a Nasdaq listing for a public treasury product holding 473 million XRP. Furthermore, U.S.-listed spot XRP ETFs increasingly provide additional channels for institutional or retail investors to gain direct exposure to the cryptocurrency.
These investment products differ fundamentally from tokenized Treasury funds or money-market products because their value proposition centers on XRP itself, rather than stablecoins or external securities. As a result, they contribute to market demand for XRP more directly than the tokenization models adopted by Stellar partners.
MetricStellar (XLM)XRP Ledger (XRP)Market capitalization$6.67 billion$84.65 billionTokenized assets value$3.5–$4 billion~$2.5 billionMain tokenization productsMoney market, Treasury fundsTreasury, ETFs, public treasury XRP holdingsXRP’s valuation remains significantly higher than Stellar’s XLM, despite the fact that Stellar now leads in total value of tokenized real-world assets. The disconnect between native token prices and blockchain adoption continues as both networks pursue different strategies to attract institutional flows.
Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
Stellar (XLM) recorded its lowest average transaction fee in seven days on October 11, even as network activity reached its highest daily level of the week, according to blockchain fundamentals tracker Chainspect.
The average transaction fee fell to just $0.00012 on October 11, Chainspect wrote, highlighting Stellar's ability to process transactions at a minimal cost during a period of heightened activity. At that rate, a transaction fee amounts to only a tiny fraction of a cent.
"Stellar came in with its lowest average transaction fee of the past 7 days. The average fee was $0.00012 on October 11. A fee that small barely deserves a line on the receipt," Chainspect wrote.
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⚡ @StellarOrg cleared 12.0M transactions on October 11. That averages 139.15 TPS, its busiest day this week. Stellar skipped the Sunday slowdown entirely. 📊 https://t.co/3ldGs3Xm7Z https://t.co/XZvqIirJdA
— Chainspect (@chainspect_app) October 13, 2026 The low fee coincided with a significant increase in network usage. Stellar processed about 12 million transactions on October 11, averaging 139.15 transactions per second (TPS) on its busiest day of the week, according to a separate X post by Chainspect.
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"Stellar cleared 12.0 million transactions on October 11. That averages 139.15 TPS, its busiest day this week," Chainspect posted.
Stellar Adapter upgrade boosts network performanceChainspect noted that rather than experiencing the typical Sunday slowdown, Stellar maintained substantial activity throughout the day, which remains significant for the network.
This follows the recent Stellar Protocol 28 upgrade, "Adapter," which brought about improvements that allowed faster consensus, even under load.
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CAP-83, introduced in the Adapter upgrade, lets validators begin voting before the transaction set has fully arrived and gives them an explicit way to drop a transaction set that is late or invalid instead of stalling while they wait for it. In practice, that means consensus keeps moving even when transaction data is slow to propagate, which will improve throughput and help keep the network running smoothly at scale and at low cost.
In separate news, Real World Asset (RWA) value on Stellar is up 11x since January 2025, having gone from $300 million to $3.54 billion, contributed to by Franklin Templeton's BENJI and WisdomTree Funds. Stellar also leads tokenized fund growth in 2026 with over $2.7 billion thus far.
Stellar (XLM) recorded its lowest average transaction fee in a week on October 11, coinciding with the highest level of network activity seen during that period, according to data from blockchain analytics provider Chainspect.
Record Low Fees as Activity PeaksThe average transaction fee on Stellar dropped to just $0.00012 on October 11, a level so minimal it is nearly negligible compared to standard fee structures in other blockchain networks. Chainspect emphasized the efficiency in a report on X, noting that this fee is a fraction of a cent, underlining the platform’s capacity to process high transaction volumes at a minimal cost.
Stellar achieved these low fees as network usage surged. The blockchain processed nearly 12 million transactions that day, reaching an average of 139.15 transactions per second (TPS), making it the busiest day of the week. The notable performance demonstrates the network’s scalability during periods of increased demand.
Stellar’s fee fell to just $0.00012 during a day in which the network processed 12 million transactions, amounting to 139.15 TPS at peak activity, reflecting efficient scaling and cost management, Chainspect reported.
Unlike the typical slowdowns observed during weekends, Stellar maintained significant throughput throughout the day, illustrating the strength of recent network upgrades.
Adapter Upgrade Drives EfficiencyA key factor supporting this performance has been the implementation of the Protocol 28 ‘Adapter’ upgrade. This upgrade, rolled out earlier, introduced CAP-83, a technical improvement enabling validators to begin voting before receiving the full transaction set, and to explicitly drop transaction sets that arrive late or are deemed invalid. This change reduces stalling and allows consensus to advance even if data transmission experiences delays.
By facilitating ongoing consensus under high load and reducing dependence on perfect data propagation, the Adapter upgrade has helped maintain the network’s high throughput while retaining its low-cost structure. This supports Stellar’s goal of operating smoothly at scale, especially as network utilization grows.
Stellar’s Expanding Real World Asset ActivityAlongside technical improvements, Stellar’s role in tokenized real world assets (RWA) continues to grow. Since January 2025, the value of RWAs on the Stellar network has increased elevenfold, jumping from $300 million to $3.54 billion. Institutional participation from projects such as Franklin Templeton’s BENJI and WisdomTree Funds has contributed to this surge. So far in 2026, Stellar leads tokenized fund growth with over $2.7 billion on-chain.
This rapid increase in asset tokenization highlights Stellar’s efforts to bridge traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure, with the network proving itself as a leading platform in this segment.
As investors follow these developments, technical signals often play a vital role in identifying new opportunities, particularly given the rapid movements in markets with high volume and low transaction fees. This dynamic is especially evident in the meme token market, where viral internet trends can trigger millions of dollars in trades within days. Data from Fomo App highlighted a case in which a $99 investment in the “Niu Lai” token ballooned to nearly $370,000, illustrating the importance of monitoring both price movements and investor behavior. Fomo App’s platform offers real-time investor ranking, token discovery, social insights, and trade notifications, allowing users to track meme token trends and activity efficiently.
Chainlink price has rebounded toward $13 after retreating from its late-September peak, with support at the 50-day moving average and an analyst’s $16.50–$19.50 outlook putting the recovery in focus.
Summary
Chainlink price traded near $12.95, up 2.59% on the daily TradingView chart. The 50-day moving average stood at $12.59, below resistance at the $13.75 20-day average. Weekly Chaikin Money Flow remained positive at 0.15 despite the recent price correction. Team LAMBO Charts outlined a possible continuation toward $16.50–$19.50 while allowing for another pullback. TradingView’s Binance LINK/USDT daily chart showed Chainlink trading at $12.952 on Oct. 13, following a session low of $12.259 and a high of $13.193. The rebound placed LINK above its 50-day simple moving average, although the token remained below its shorter-term trend line.
Against the late-September high near $15.74, LINK was still down approximately 17.7%. A recovery toward $13 has reduced part of that decline, but the daily chart continued to show a series of lower highs following the September rally.
Chainlink price faces its first recovery test at $13.75 The daily TradingView chart placed the 20-day simple moving average at $13.746, roughly 6.1% above LINK’s price. The 50-day average stood at $12.592, creating a relatively narrow gap between nearby support and overhead resistance.
Chainlink price daily chart — Oct. 13 | Source: TradingView LINK’s latest session moved below the 50-day average before rebounding above it. The session low of $12.259 therefore provides another reference point beneath $12.59, alongside the recent price lows around $12.
On the daily chart, a sustained move above $13.75 would reclaim the shorter-term average lost during the correction. The recent trading area around $14 would then become the next nearby reference, followed by the September peak around $15.74.
The longer-term averages remained below the market. TradingView recorded the 100-day SMA at $10.680 and the 200-day SMA at $9.751, leaving LINK above both despite its retreat from September’s high.
The moving-average arrangement shows a split between timeframes: LINK has lost its position above the 20-day average while retaining its position above the 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day averages.
Daily momentum was weaker. The Bull Bear Power indicator stood at minus 1.083, with red histogram bars following the positive readings seen during the September advance. The latest price rebound had therefore not yet returned that indicator above zero.
Weekly buying pressure remains positive after the pullback TradingView’s weekly LINK/USDT chart showed a price of $12.922 and a weekly decline of 3.19%. The displayed weekly range extended from $12.259 to $13.506.
Chainlink price weekly chart — Oct. 13 | Source: TradingView The weekly Bollinger Bands placed the middle line at $10.230, the upper band at $14.987, and the lower band at $5.472. LINK remained above the middle line after retreating from its late-September push beyond the upper band.
The upper band near $15 provides a separate weekly reference below the recent peak. A return to that area would require a gain of about 16% from $12.92, before any attempt to revisit $15.74.
Weekly Chaikin Money Flow stood at 0.15. The indicator remained above zero during the pullback, contrasting with the negative Bull Bear Power reading on the daily chart.
The weekly chart also showed LINK holding well above the roughly $7–$8 trading area seen earlier in 2026. October’s correction has reduced the September advance without returning the token to that earlier base.
For U.S. investors following LINK’s dollar value, the immediate price references remain clustered around $12.26–$12.59 below the market and $13.75–$15 above it. The Binance chart measures LINK against USDT, while the analyst’s longer-term setup uses Coinbase’s dollar-denominated market.
Liquidation bands cluster near $14.70 and $15.80 CoinGlass’s one-month liquidation heatmap showed several concentrations of estimated liquidation levels above LINK’s price.
Chainlink liquidation heatmap | Source: CoinGlass Visible bands appeared around $13.60–$13.80, followed by broader clusters near $14.60–$14.90. A particularly bright band stood around $15.80, with additional concentrations extending toward $16.
The first overhead cluster sits close to the daily 20-day moving average at $13.75. Higher bands around $14.70 and $15.80 overlap with price areas reached during the September rally.
Below the market, the heatmap showed bands around $12.10, $11.60–$11.90, and approximately $10.90–$11.20. Those levels provide derivatives-market reference points beneath the daily chart’s immediate support area.
CoinGlass’s price trace showed LINK falling toward $12.10 around Oct. 8, recovering above $13, and subsequently retreating again. The latest price action remained below the larger overhead concentrations near $14.70 and $15.80.
Analysts watch support as the $16.50 outlook stays conditional Team LAMBO Charts described Chainlink’s recovery as solid and said the setup continued to develop as expected. The analyst allowed for another pullback while watching for a possible continuation toward $16.50–$19.50.
The accompanying Coinbase daily chart marked a support area around $10.50–$11 and an overhead zone near $16.50–$17. Its projected path included a further dip before a stronger advance.
From approximately $12.95, the analyst’s $16.50 level represents a gain of about 27%, while $19.50 would require roughly 51%.
Rand Group separately described LINK as bouncing above its main horizontal support while pressing into a local downtrend, calling the setup a key decision point.
Both views focus on whether support can hold through the correction. On TradingView’s daily chart, the nearest test remains $12.59, followed by the session low at $12.26; overhead, LINK still faces the $13.75 moving average before the higher levels in the analysts’ recovery outlook.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
Bybit has opened USDC-funded trading in more than 1,000 US-listed stocks and ETFs, including Nvidia and Tesla, with Alpaca handling execution and custody for eligible users.
Bybit (@Bybit_Official) has added more than 1,000 US-listed stocks and ETFs to its platform, giving eligible customers access to crypto and traditional assets from a single account. The list includes Apple, Nvidia, Tesla, Micron Technology and the Invesco QQQ ETF.
The service is rolling out in stages and is not open to everyone. Access is limited to users in permitted jurisdictions who have completed know-your-customer verification, according to crypto(.)news.
How Bybit's stock trading worksEligible users fund purchases with $USDC. Customers pay in USDC from their Unified Trading Account, while Alpaca handles settlement of the underlying securities, according to The Cryptonomist. Fractional shares are available on certain securities, which lets customers buy less than one full share.
Alpaca Securities executes the trades and holds the assets in custody. Alpaca is a US self-clearing broker-dealer, and the product is provided through Infra Capital Limited, an introducing broker regulated by the Financial Services Commission of Mauritius, according to crypto(.)news. Bybit says buyers receive an economic interest in the underlying securities, rather than derivative or synthetic price exposure.
Trading runs five days a week across US premarket, regular and after-hours sessions. Availability may vary by security, according to crypto(.)news. Voting rights are not available at launch. Bybit has said they are planned for a later phase, per TechFlow.
Fees and limits to noteBybit advertises zero commissions on eligible stock trades. The Defiant reports the service carries a 0.1% fee on executed order value, with a minimum of 0.35 USDC per order, and that fractional purchases start at 5 USDC, according to Cryptonews.net's summary of The Cryptonomist report. Those figures are worth checking against Bybit's own terms before trading.
The shares cannot be transferred onchain or used in DeFi, which separates the product from tokenized xStocks offerings, according to The Cryptonomist. For crypto exchanges, the launch fits a wider push to offer traditional market exposure alongside digital assets. Bybit CEO Ben Zhou framed it as part of the company's move toward what it calls the New Financial Platform.
No trading volume or fee revenue data has been disclosed so far, according to Altcoin Buzz, so it is too early to judge demand.
Sourcescrypto(.)news: Bybit launches US stock trading with access to over 1,000 stocks and ETFs
The Cryptonomist: Bybit's USDC stock trading opens access to 1,000+ US stocks and ETFs
Alpaca: Bybit partners with Alpaca to expand its multi-asset ecosystem
Starknet launches shadow accounts, enabling users to anonymously link their main wallets with DeFi activities.
According to an official announcement, Starknet has launched Shadow Accounts, allowing users to participate in public DeFi activities via an independent, self-controlled address while keeping the link between this address and their main wallet confidential. Shadow Accounts are independent pseudonymous addresses on Starknet, funded by users’ protected STRK20 balances. The first integration will launch tomorrow. While the balance, transaction history, and application positions of Shadow Accounts remain publicly visible on-chain, STRK20 protects the connection between these accounts and users’ main wallets. This means users do not need to hide their DeFi activities themselves, while reducing the likelihood that external observers can trace those activities back to their main wallets.
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Applied Materials (AMAT.O) said it targets a non-GAAP gross margin of 54% and operating margin of 40% by 2030. It projects its services business revenue will grow by over 20% in 2026, and exceed $12 billion by 2030. The company plans to expand its R&D labs and manufacturing capacity to more than double current levels by 2030, return 80% to 100% of its free cash flow to shareholders by 2030, and lift its wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) market share by more than 2 percentage points between 2025 and 2030.
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Perspective: Bitcoin investors who accumulated positions at high levels have their cost prices capping upside potential, with selling pressure having notably eased.
Glassnode stated that the cost basis of investors who purchased Bitcoin at high levels continues to cap its upside potential. Following Bitcoin’s rebound to around $88,000, investors with 1 to 2-year holding periods sold off heavily, and this price level is also near the break-even point for investors who have held Bitcoin for 6 to 12 months. Bitcoin’s price subsequently faced resistance below this level, and this selling pressure has now eased significantly.
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21Shares Launches Synthetic Anthropic ETP on the Vienna Stock Exchange
21Shares has launched a synthetic Anthropic ETP on the Vienna Stock Exchange, trading under the ticker CLAU, providing investors with non-leveraged exposure linked to the pre-IPO implied valuation of the artificial intelligence startup. The ETP does not grant investors direct ownership of Anthropic shares, either before or after the firm goes public. The product accesses this exposure via total return swaps (TRS), tracking a reference rate compiled by Kaiko, which is calculated based on Anthropic’s perpetual futures prices on Binance.
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Ripple partners with Stripe-owned Privy to introduce embedded wallet functionality for the XRP Ledger.
Ripple has partnered with Stripe-owned wallet infrastructure firm Privy to integrate support for the XRP Ledger (XRPL) into Privy’s developer platform. The integration eliminates the need for developers to build their own wallet infrastructure, allowing them to add XRPL wallets to their applications with features including wallet creation and management, transaction signing, plus support for XRP, Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, and other assets on the network.
Vangrid's bounty API lets software commission and pay people for physical-world data captures over x402. The mechanics are plain, the labor question is new, and the fine print shows where control actually sits.
An agent can now hire a person to walk somewhere and film a loading dock. One HTTP call to Vangrid’s bounty API posts the job: the agent pays the bounty in x402 on Base or Arc, Vangrid puts the request on its board from its own operator wallet, a contributor travels to the site and films it, and the agent reviews the submissions and accepts one. The escrow releases on chain and the reconstruction comes back through the same API. No account, no API key. The caller needs a wallet with USDC, and the transfer settles before the request is processed.
Every other agentic commerce surface on this beat has the agent as the buyer and a merchant as the seller. This one inverts the flow: the agent is the principal, the human is the paid labor. The documentation is blunt about the constraint that follows: “A person has to go and film, so this takes hours or days.” That latency is the honest core of the product, not a defect to be engineered away.
The economics are as plain as the mechanics. A bounty is whole USDC, quoted by the server with a default band of 50 to 5,000, and the docs call it “the price of the call and the escrow of the bounty.” Cancel or let the deadline pass (1 to 30 days, default 7) and the money returns to the paying wallet in full. Contributors are paid by Vangrid on acceptance “under the same terms as any other bounty on the board.” The platform keeps two currencies separate: points measure contribution and rank, bounty rewards are money. Each capture is anchored with an Ethereum Attestation Service attestation on Base.
The bounty-mcp server listing shows the control asymmetry in the fine print. Spend caps constrain signing. They do not constrain the two calls that matter most: accepting a submission releases the escrow, cancelling a bounty ends it, both irreversible, both outside the caps. The listing’s advice to operators is the part worth reading twice: “Gate them behind human approval for an unattended agent.” When the employer is software, the human approval gate does not disappear. It moves.
What the product does not publish matters as much as what it does. There is no volume or adoption data for the agent-bounty API. There is no documented dispute process between the agent-reviewer and the contributor beyond cancel-and-refund, which leaves the accepting agent as the judge of the human’s work. Whether that arrangement scales is an open question with a $50 floor on it.
Vangrid is Amsterdam-based, led by co-founder and CEO Robert Brighton, and raised $9 million in an August seed round (SAFT) reported by FinSMEs and tech.eu, with backers including HashKey Capital, Borderless Capital, Crypto.com Capital, Animoca Brands, Gate Labs and Mapleblock. Its docs list sovereign defense, embodied AI, autonomous logistics and critical infrastructure as use cases. Captures blur faces and number plates on the device before the video is encoded.
What keeps this standing when the excitement drops is that nobody is pretending the work is instant or free. A $50 minimum and a days-long latency are physical labor priced without apology. The open questions are older than the protocol: who writes the brief, and who judges the work. The documentation already answers a third one. Somewhere between an autonomous agent and a person with a phone there is a human approval gate, and the product knows it.
Ethoswarm
Tessa Vaughn works for Forkast.
Minds can also work for you.
Minds are persistent AI beings with instincts, identity, and a job.
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A prominent UK-based crypto trader known as @rrealist on X reported a violent home invasion late Monday, resulting in the theft of approximately $800,000 in digital assets. The trader recounted being restrained and threatened at knifepoint, highlighting a growing trend of attacks targeting cryptocurrency holders in Britain.
Details of the armed robberyAccording to @rrealist, masked intruders entered his home on Monday night and restrained him with tape. He said the attackers brandished three knives in front of his face, threatened his life, and demanded access to his cryptocurrency holdings.
The losses from the robbery included around $40,000 transferred from primary crypto wallets and about $720,000 drained from a Ledger hardware wallet. The intruders also took the trader’s Rolex watch and damaged his phone during the incident.
Total confirmed losses in cryptocurrency amounted to approximately $760,000, based on both the trader’s publicly shared blockchain records and his account. The theft of the Rolex was not included in this figure.
The trader described the severity of the incident, stating that he was taped up, held at knifepoint, and robbed for $800,000. He warned other crypto holders in the UK about the growing threat, urging them to take extra precautions.
Police are currently investigating the crime, treating the property as a crime scene. As of now, law enforcement authorities have not released an official statement verifying the attack or providing additional details on the suspects.
Tracing the stolen fundsShortly after the incident, @rrealist published a Solana address linked to the stolen funds. The address reportedly received an initial deposit of 346.13 SOL, followed by a transfer of 718,735.8 USDC, combining to a total value of $755,730 at prevailing market rates.
Blockchain data indicates the assets remained idle at the disclosed Solana address for more than two hours. Within 32 minutes of the trader publicly revealing the address, the funds were quickly drained, suggesting the perpetrators were monitoring social channels or blockchain tracking services for exposure of their activity.
USDC is a widely used stablecoin pegged to the US dollar, while Solana is a high-performance blockchain network known for its speed and low transaction costs.
Mini dictionary: Ledger hardware wallet, a physical device used to store and protect cryptocurrency private keys offline, often considered a safer alternative to storing funds on exchanges or online wallets.
AssetAmountValue (approx.)SOL346.13$36,999USDC718,735.8$718,732Total–$755,731Rising trend of crypto-targeted attacks in the UK and EuropeViolent robberies targeting crypto holders have become increasingly common in the UK, with several high-profile incidents reported in the past year. In December 2025, a gang in the Smith’s Wood area of Solihull forced their way into a couple’s home, physically assaulted the husband, and threatened his pregnant wife. Crimestoppers later offered a £10,000 reward for information regarding that case.
In August, a UK court convicted five men for holding two French crypto investors captive in a London apartment for 52 hours, forcing them to transfer $30,000 before being released. More recently, three teenagers from Sheffield were sentenced for posing as delivery drivers and stealing $4.3 million in crypto during another knife-point home invasion in Hoxton.
Analytics firm Chainalysis documented 46 reported “wrench attack” cases worldwide in the first half of 2026, with 20 home invasions so far this year compared to just one in 2025. Global losses in such attacks exceeded $30 million in the first half of 2026 and could surpass 2025’s full-year total of $58 million if the trend continues.
France has emerged as a significant hotspot for these incidents. By mid-2026, Chainalysis reported 30 publicly known cases in France, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez cited 77 first-half cases of crypto-related kidnappings, extortions, or attempted extortions involving wealthy digital asset holders.
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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Starknet launches shadow accounts, enabling users to anonymously link their main wallets with DeFi activities.
According to an official announcement, Starknet has launched Shadow Accounts, allowing users to participate in public DeFi activities via an independent, self-controlled address while keeping the link between this address and their main wallet confidential. Shadow Accounts are independent pseudonymous addresses on Starknet, funded by users’ protected STRK20 balances. The first integration will launch tomorrow. While the balance, transaction history, and application positions of Shadow Accounts remain publicly visible on-chain, STRK20 protects the connection between these accounts and users’ main wallets. This means users do not need to hide their DeFi activities themselves, while reducing the likelihood that external observers can trace those activities back to their main wallets.
39 minutes ago
Applied Materials forecasts its services business revenue will grow by more than 20% by 2026, and top $12 billion by 2030.
Applied Materials (AMAT.O) said it targets a non-GAAP gross margin of 54% and operating margin of 40% by 2030. It projects its services business revenue will grow by over 20% in 2026, and exceed $12 billion by 2030. The company plans to expand its R&D labs and manufacturing capacity to more than double current levels by 2030, return 80% to 100% of its free cash flow to shareholders by 2030, and lift its wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) market share by more than 2 percentage points between 2025 and 2030.
39 minutes ago
Perspective: Bitcoin investors who accumulated positions at high levels have their cost prices capping upside potential, with selling pressure having notably eased.
Glassnode stated that the cost basis of investors who purchased Bitcoin at high levels continues to cap its upside potential. Following Bitcoin’s rebound to around $88,000, investors with 1 to 2-year holding periods sold off heavily, and this price level is also near the break-even point for investors who have held Bitcoin for 6 to 12 months. Bitcoin’s price subsequently faced resistance below this level, and this selling pressure has now eased significantly.
39 minutes ago
21Shares Launches Synthetic Anthropic ETP on the Vienna Stock Exchange
21Shares has launched a synthetic Anthropic ETP on the Vienna Stock Exchange, trading under the ticker CLAU, providing investors with non-leveraged exposure linked to the pre-IPO implied valuation of the artificial intelligence startup. The ETP does not grant investors direct ownership of Anthropic shares, either before or after the firm goes public. The product accesses this exposure via total return swaps (TRS), tracking a reference rate compiled by Kaiko, which is calculated based on Anthropic’s perpetual futures prices on Binance.
39 minutes ago
Ripple partners with Stripe-owned Privy to introduce embedded wallet functionality for the XRP Ledger.
Ripple has partnered with Stripe-owned wallet infrastructure firm Privy to integrate support for the XRP Ledger (XRPL) into Privy’s developer platform. The integration eliminates the need for developers to build their own wallet infrastructure, allowing them to add XRPL wallets to their applications with features including wallet creation and management, transaction signing, plus support for XRP, Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, and other assets on the network.
Starknet launches shadow accounts, enabling users to anonymously link their main wallets with DeFi activities.
According to an official announcement, Starknet has launched Shadow Accounts, allowing users to participate in public DeFi activities via an independent, self-controlled address while keeping the link between this address and their main wallet confidential. Shadow Accounts are independent pseudonymous addresses on Starknet, funded by users’ protected STRK20 balances. The first integration will launch tomorrow. While the balance, transaction history, and application positions of Shadow Accounts remain publicly visible on-chain, STRK20 protects the connection between these accounts and users’ main wallets. This means users do not need to hide their DeFi activities themselves, while reducing the likelihood that external observers can trace those activities back to their main wallets.
39 minutes ago
Applied Materials forecasts its services business revenue will grow by more than 20% by 2026, and top $12 billion by 2030.
Applied Materials (AMAT.O) said it targets a non-GAAP gross margin of 54% and operating margin of 40% by 2030. It projects its services business revenue will grow by over 20% in 2026, and exceed $12 billion by 2030. The company plans to expand its R&D labs and manufacturing capacity to more than double current levels by 2030, return 80% to 100% of its free cash flow to shareholders by 2030, and lift its wafer fabrication equipment (WFE) market share by more than 2 percentage points between 2025 and 2030.
39 minutes ago
Perspective: Bitcoin investors who accumulated positions at high levels have their cost prices capping upside potential, with selling pressure having notably eased.
Glassnode stated that the cost basis of investors who purchased Bitcoin at high levels continues to cap its upside potential. Following Bitcoin’s rebound to around $88,000, investors with 1 to 2-year holding periods sold off heavily, and this price level is also near the break-even point for investors who have held Bitcoin for 6 to 12 months. Bitcoin’s price subsequently faced resistance below this level, and this selling pressure has now eased significantly.
39 minutes ago
21Shares Launches Synthetic Anthropic ETP on the Vienna Stock Exchange
21Shares has launched a synthetic Anthropic ETP on the Vienna Stock Exchange, trading under the ticker CLAU, providing investors with non-leveraged exposure linked to the pre-IPO implied valuation of the artificial intelligence startup. The ETP does not grant investors direct ownership of Anthropic shares, either before or after the firm goes public. The product accesses this exposure via total return swaps (TRS), tracking a reference rate compiled by Kaiko, which is calculated based on Anthropic’s perpetual futures prices on Binance.
39 minutes ago
Ripple partners with Stripe-owned Privy to introduce embedded wallet functionality for the XRP Ledger.
Ripple has partnered with Stripe-owned wallet infrastructure firm Privy to integrate support for the XRP Ledger (XRPL) into Privy’s developer platform. The integration eliminates the need for developers to build their own wallet infrastructure, allowing them to add XRPL wallets to their applications with features including wallet creation and management, transaction signing, plus support for XRP, Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin, and other assets on the network.
