Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Bitwise's NEAR ETF (NRR) and SVRN's plan to hold 10% of NEAR supply both rely on AI-agent activity on NEAR Protocol turning into real economic value.

@Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan (@Matt_Hougan) sees the NEAR Protocol (@NEARProtocol) token $NEAR as a way to invest in blockchain infrastructure for AI-driven commerce. The firm's NEAR ETF, ticker NRR, pairs spot NEAR exposure with staking rewards. Separately, SVRN chief executive Sal Ternullo (@sal_ternullo) says his company aims to accumulate 10% of NEAR's token supply.

Both strategies rest on the same question: whether AI-related activity on NEAR can produce revenue and demand for the token.

How the Bitwise NEAR ETF works

On redemptions,

SVRN targets 10% of NEAR supplySVRN is taking a different route.

The company also runs operating businesses around the network.

Ternullo

The AI revenue questionThe AI thesis is still largely prospective.

Investors should also note that NRR does not offer direct exposure to AI companies.

Sources

The Block: Bitwise launches first US spot NEAR ETF with staking rewardsBitcoin.com News: Bitwise, SVRN Bet on NEAR as AI Infrastructure Thesis Takes ShapeCryptoRank: SVRN acquires FastNEAR

Solana has established a physical presence in China's financial hub, drawing attention from Binance founder Changpeng Zhao.

Solana opened a new office in Shanghai on October 14, marking a first for a major blockchain ecosystem. The foundation also showcased its brand on a giant LED display on the city skyline, giving crypto an unusually visible presence in mainland China.

Vibhu Norby, Chief Product Officer at the Solana Foundation, highlighted the office's location, saying Solana now occupies the highest commercially available office space in the world.

Rachel Conlan, the foundation's Chief Strategy Officer, also shared images from the opening and described the community's energy in Shanghai as “incredible”.

The move attracted attention from Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, who noted that BNB Chain had not managed a similar expansion into China. "It's amazing to see that Solana was able to advertise and even get an office in China," Zhao wrote on X. "BNB Chain was not able to do this, so far."

He added that he hoped “what's good for one industry player” would benefit the wider industry.

How Solana Is Navigating China's Crypto Restrictions Solana's presence in Shanghai stands out because mainland China has maintained strict restrictions on cryptocurrency trading and related financial activities since 2021.

However, the country's restrictions on crypto speculation do not amount to a blanket ban on blockchain technology. Chinese authorities continue to support blockchain infrastructure and other technology initiatives, creating a distinction between developing the underlying technology and promoting cryptocurrency trading.

Solana's recent activities in China appear to follow that distinction. Earlier in March, Solana launched the Shanghai Builder Station at the Alibaba Center in Hongqiao, with support from the Minhang District. The initiative positioned the location as a collaborative base for developers working on Layer 1 infrastructure and applications, rather than directly promoting crypto trading.

Community commentary has since highlighted Solana's emphasis on AI agents, robotics, Physical AI, developer collaboration, and hardware supply chains as a way to engage Chinese technology professionals while avoiding an emphasis on tokens, memecoins, and speculative trading.

However, the distinction does not eliminate regulatory risk. Chinese community members have raised concerns about the visibility of Solana's branding and the possibility of stricter scrutiny. One account also reported restrictions on related $SOL content on Douyin, China's video-based social media platform.

.

Solana Accelerate China Heads to 4 Cities The Shanghai office opening comes just ahead of Solana Accelerate China, a series of events scheduled to connect Chinese developers, founders and investors with the wider Solana ecosystem.

The schedule includes Shanghai on October 16, Hangzhou on October 18, Shenzhen on October 20, and Beijing on October 22. The tour gives Solana an opportunity to build relationships with China's tech community, particularly developers working across AI, robotics, and blockchain infrastructure.

Solana's Shanghai presence also gives the foundation a physical base for engaging with local builders beyond individual conferences and community gatherings.

What Solana's China Expansion Means Solana's new office and high-profile advertising represent a notable step for a blockchain ecosystem operating in a country with strict cryptocurrency restrictions. CZ's reaction further highlights how unusual the development appears within the industry.

Still, a physical office and a prominent advertising display do not establish that Chinese authorities have relaxed their position on cryptocurrency. Solana's longer-term progress in the region will depend on its ability to maintain local relationships, support technology development, and navigate the country's regulatory boundaries.

Read More on SolanaFloor Squads Tests Post-Quantum Signing on Solana Mainnet as Crypto Security Debate Intensifies
Alpenglow Mainnet Activation Set for October 21 - Here’s What You Need to Know

Jito CEO Says The End of CEXs is Closer Than You Think

Safe has moved its transaction-security network out of beta. Safenet Aegis went live in production on October 15, 2026, covering Ethereum Mainnet, Gnosis Chain, and Arbitrum.

The idea is to check a transaction before it executes and, if the user opts in, stop the bad ones onchain. Warning pop-ups are helpful. A contract that refuses to cooperate is more helpful.

The launch came through Safe’s governance structure, with Safe Foundation and SafeDAO steering the rollout. It also introduces paid transaction checks and a fresh round of staking rewards for SAFE holders.

How Safenet Aegis works
The first group of Sentinels includes OpenCover, BlockSecTeam, Candide Labs, and IntentGuard. Each operates independently of the others.

Validators then attest to those evaluations onchain. These validators are governed by SafeDAO, the community body that oversees the protocol.

The final layer is optional. Users can enable a formally verified Safenet Guard on their Safe account, which allows the network’s findings to be enforced directly onchain.

That distinction is the core of the product. Without the Guard, Aegis acts as an advisory service. With it, security goes beyond interface warnings and into the transaction logic itself.

Safe says audits for both the Guard and the staking contracts have been completed. User funds stay non-custodial throughout, so the network reviews transactions without ever taking control of the assets.

Fees, staking, and the beta numbers
The security checks are not a free add-on. Users pay onchain fees for transaction evaluations, and that money goes to the security providers doing the review.

One example given for the fee is 40 USDC.

The production launch follows a six-month beta that concluded in early October 2026. Over that stretch, approximately 4.5 million SAFE tokens were distributed as rewards.

Throughput reached around 100,000 transactions per week during the beta, giving the team a read on how the network behaves under load.

More than 72 million SAFE tokens were staked across roughly 865 participants after the beta ended.

Those participants do not need to do anything to carry their positions forward. Existing stakes transition to the production network without migration, which spares stakers the usual unstake-and-restake routine.

SafeDAO passed SEP 56, approving approximately 7.4 million SAFE from the treasury for a 12-month period that began on October 13, 2026.

The allocation is primarily earmarked for staking rewards. In practice, the DAO is underwriting a year of incentives while the fee side of the network gets established.

Background: from beta experiment to production layer
Integration into Safe{Wallet} is planned for Q4 2026. Until that ships, users looking to use Aegis will need to take the extra step of enabling the Guard themselves.

What this means for SAFE holders and Safe users
The key tension is between subsidized rewards and earned fees. For the next 12 months, SEP 56 money does much of the heavy lifting. The real test is whether paid transaction checks generate enough activity to keep Sentinels and validators engaged once that allocation runs its course.

Pricing will shape that answer. A fee like 40 USDC may be easy to justify for a treasury moving large sums, but smaller users may weigh it differently against the risk they are trying to avoid.

The launch cohort of Sentinels is four names: OpenCover, BlockSecTeam, Candide Labs, and IntentGuard. The model is built on independent judgment, so how that group grows will matter for how credible the network’s verdicts become.

Validators answer to SafeDAO, which ties the network’s reliability to the health of that DAO’s decision-making. That means governance votes now carry operational weight, not just treasury weight.

The planned Safe{Wallet} integration in Q4 2026 could move Aegis from an opt-in tool for security-minded teams to something closer to a default experience.

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

Pendle’s newest stablecoin product needed about a day to cross the $15 million mark. The Pendle Ecosystem High Yield USDC vault on Morpho launched on October 14, 2026, and held approximately $15.76 million in deposits by October 15.

The vault advertises a net APY of 8.31% on USDC, a dollar-pegged stablecoin.

What the vault actually does
Depositors hand over USDC. The vault then lends it to borrowers on Morpho who post Pendle Principal Tokens, known as PTs, as collateral.

The vault runs on Ethereum. Its purpose is to supply liquidity across Pendle’s ecosystem while giving depositors a return. That return comes from two sources: interest paid by borrowers and incentives paid in PENDLE tokens.

The 8.31% net APY includes 1.76% in PENDLE rewards. It is calculated after a 10% performance fee on earnings.

How it differs from the original
This is not Pendle’s first USDC vault on Morpho. The existing Pendle Ecosystem USDC vault grew to more than $60 million in deposits by mid-September 2026.

Instead of mirroring the original, the new vault allocates to a wider set of higher-yield PT collateral markets on Morpho. Named examples include PT-reUSD, PT-USD3, and PT-USDat.

Roughly 98.6% of the vault’s TVL sits in the PT-reUSD market, with about $15.54 million lent there.

Roughly 94% of deposited funds are currently withdrawable.

Who is running the show
The vault is co-curated by Pendle and Armitage, the vault curation arm of trading firm Wintermute. On Morpho, curators decide which markets a vault lends into and how much risk it takes on.

The vault includes a 7-day timelock on new user adapters. If curators want to change certain settings, the change cannot happen instantly. Depositors get a week to see it coming and decide whether to stay.

What this means for depositors and DeFi
The 8.31% figure blends lending interest with PENDLE incentives, and part of the return depends on a token whose price can move.

With roughly 98.6% of TVL in one market, the vault’s performance and risk are closely tied to the PT-reUSD collateral type. If the curators begin allocating more to PT-USD3, PT-USDat, or other markets, the risk profile would shift accordingly.

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

TLDR

Firelight, a DeFi cover protocol on Flare, went live on Oct. 6 and automatically moved existing staked FXRP into active cover.
Staked funds can now be used to pay losses at covered vaults, starting with Sentora’s USD Protected and Protected RWA Vaults.
Withdrawals now take 30 to 60 days, and new vault rewards stop as soon as a holder asks to unstake.
The first three cover orders allocated $38 million in cover and charged about $56,913.70 in premiums.
XRP fell to an intraday low of $1.32 on Oct. 14 after inflation data came in above expectations.

Firelight, a decentralized finance (DeFi) cover protocol built on the Flare network, went live on Oct. 6. The launch automatically moved existing staked FXRP into the protocol’s active coverage phase.

FXRP is an XRP-backed token used on Flare. Holders who had already staked it did not need to take any action for their funds to start backing cover.

Firelight lets crypto holders stake assets that help protect DeFi vaults against defined failures. In return, stakers earn rewards funded by fees that vault operators pay for cover.

The first live integrations are Sentora’s USD Protected Vault and Protected RWA Vaults. Firelight is also partnered with Veda, a vault infrastructure provider.

How Cover and Claims Work
Firelight covers events such as smart contract exploits, oracle failures, governance exploits, bad debt, depegs and redemption failures. Each event must be reviewed before any payout is made.

A five-firm Risk Consortium made up of Hypernative, Native, Credora, Cyfrin and GFX Labs validates each claim. Security partner ZeroShadow publishes an exploit report first.

When a claim is confirmed, losses are first paid from a protocol-owned stablecoin reserve called the First-Loss Buffer. Any remaining loss is spread across stakers based on the size of their positions.

The wallet Firelight lists as its buffer held about 1,000,002.59 USDT0 on Oct. 14, according to CryptoSlate. Rewards that have compounded into a staker’s position face the same loss risk as the original deposit.

Longer Wait to Withdraw
Under Firelight’s current rules, exits take 30 to 60 days. New vault rewards stop as soon as a holder requests to unstake.

The funds keep backing cover for the rest of the current 30-day period. During the next period, claims tied to the earlier backing time can still reduce what the holder gets back.

Firelight’s launch post said stakers keep earning until they fully exit. Its more detailed withdrawal rules and vault code end new rewards when the unstake request is made.

The first three cover orders settled on Oct. 6. They allocated a combined $38 million in cover and charged about $56,913.70 in premiums.

Two of those orders were for Sentora’s vaults, with $2.5 million for the USD Protected Vault and $5 million for the RWA Vault. Premiums paid in stablecoins are converted to FXRP and added to stakers’ positions.

Records show 9,245.46 FXRP sent to the vault from premium sales on Oct. 6, 8 and 12. Another 14,045.40 FXRP was recorded as incentive transfers on those dates.

Separately, Firelight set aside a fixed 230,000 FXRP for early contributors, shared based on Firelight Points. This is a one-time budget, not a recurring source of income.

Firelight is incubated by Sentora and maintained by Sentinel Labs. It raised $8 million in seed funding led by Gumi Cryptos Capital, and its contracts were audited by OpenZeppelin, Coinspect and 0xMacro.

DefiLlama showed about $69.7 million in total value locked in Firelight as of Oct. 14. A blockchain explorer recorded about 51.13 million FXRP in the vault, including assets waiting to be withdrawn.

On the same day, XRP fell to an intraday low of $1.32 after inflation data came in above expectations. A lower XRP price reduces the dollar value of the capital backing Firelight’s cover.

ZKsync says it has built the first Ethereum prover that can generate proofs in real time on a single GPU. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin responded two days later with praise, and with homework.

The system is called Airbender Prime, and ZKsync announced it on October 13, 2026. Buterin publicly commended the team on October 15, 2026. He also argued that the focus should now move toward verifying zkEVM security, including system correctness and limits on how much proving can cost.

What Airbender Prime actually did ZKsync’s headline numbers come from a single NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPU. Across 7,200 Ethereum mainnet blocks, Airbender Prime proved 99% in under 10 seconds. Every block in the set was proved within 12 seconds.

The result places Airbender at the top of the ETHproofs.org public leaderboard, where it leads on proving time, GPU efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

A prior iteration of Airbender posted 21.8 MHz of throughput on an H100 GPU. The new version moves the conversation from raw throughput figures to something more tangible: keeping up with live Ethereum blocks on hardware you could plausibly buy.

Under the hood, Airbender relies on hash-based STARKs, a family of proof systems that ZKsync describes as secure against quantum attacks. It is built on RISC-V, an open instruction set standard, and its components are open source.

Buterin’s verdict: speed is solved, safety is next Buterin did not hedge on the performance side. He framed the race to make proving fast as effectively over.

“Speed battle… definitively won”

Then he pivoted. According to his comments, the next priority should be formal verification that the prover faithfully matches Ethereum’s specifications. He also called for bounds on prover costs tied to gas fees.

How Airbender fits into ZKsync’s roadmap Airbender is not arriving in isolation. It follows ZKsync’s earlier Atlas upgrade, part of a broader push to expand what Ethereum can handle.

The prover is already running across ZKsync’s supported chains. It was designed to operate efficiently on commodity hardware, with both institutional operators and independent participants in mind.

What this means for Ethereum and its scaling race On trust, Buterin’s comments effectively reset the scoreboard. The things to watch from here are fairly clear: progress on formal verification of Airbender against Ethereum’s specifications, any published work on prover cost bounds relative to gas, and whether rival zkEVM teams close the gap on the ETHproofs.org rankings.

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

Asset manager VanEck has asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to withdraw its proposed Lido Staked Ethereum ETF registration, ending plans for a fund designed to hold Lido’s stETH token and earn Ethereum staking rewards.

Summary

VanEck requested withdrawal of its proposed Lido Staked Ethereum ETF through an October 14 SEC filing. The asset manager originally submitted its registration statement on October 16, 2025, seeking regulated stETH exposure. VanEck confirmed the proposed fund never issued shares, sold securities, or distributed a preliminary prospectus. The planned ETF would have held Lido stETH while accumulating rewards generated through Ethereum staking. The withdrawal request gave no detailed explanation for ending the offering or announcing replacement fund plans. VanEck Digital Assets confirmed the decision in an October 14 filing, nearly one year after submitting the original registration statement on October 16, 2025. The company said it no longer intends to offer shares in the proposed fund and confirmed that no securities were issued or sold. The filing did not disclose what prompted the decision.

The withdrawal request concerns the VanEck Lido Staked Ethereum ETF, a proposed investment product that would have allowed investors to gain exposure to Ethereum staking through shares held in traditional brokerage accounts.

In its filing, VanEck Digital Assets asked the SEC to withdraw the fund’s registration statement, including its subsequent amendments and supporting exhibits.

The company submitted the request under Rule 477 of the Securities Act of 1933. The rule provides a procedure for withdrawing certain securities registration statements with the regulator’s consent.

VanEck explained that it “does not intend to proceed with the planned distribution” of the fund’s shares.

The asset manager confirmed that the registration statement had never become effective. It stated that no shares had been issued or sold and that investors had not received a preliminary prospectus.

As a result, the proposed fund never began operating as a publicly offered ETF. No existing shareholders need to redeem investments because the offering did not proceed.

The filing requested that the SEC approve the withdrawal effective October 14 or at the earliest practicable date afterward.

VanEck did not identify a replacement investment product or explain whether it intends to return with another ETF linked to Lido’s staking tokens.

The document was signed by Matthew A. Babinsky, vice president of VanEck Digital Assets, and submitted under registration number 333-290918.

What would VanEck’s Ethereum ETF have offered? VanEck originally filed its registration statement on October 16, 2025, proposing an ETF that would hold stETH, the liquid staking token issued through the Lido protocol.

The fund’s investment objective was to track the price of stETH after accounting for operating expenses.

Unlike conventional spot Ethereum ETFs that primarily hold ETH, VanEck’s proposed product would have held tokens representing Ethereum already deposited into Lido’s staking system.

Staking allows participants to help secure Ethereum’s network and receive rewards for supporting its transaction validation process.

Through Lido, users can deposit ETH and receive stETH representing their underlying deposits and accumulated staking rewards.

The token uses a rebasing mechanism, meaning holders can receive additional stETH over time as the underlying Ethereum staking position earns rewards.

VanEck’s original prospectus explained that the fund expected to accrue certain staking rewards through its ownership of stETH.

However, those rewards were not guaranteed. The filing described risks involving validator penalties, smart contracts, liquidity and changes in the market value of Ethereum.

The proposed ETF would have tracked stETH through a benchmark developed by MarketVector, an affiliate of the asset manager.

VanEck intended to operate the product as a passive investment vehicle. Its prospectus said the fund would not attempt to predict market movements or actively trade stETH to avoid losses.

The original registration left certain operational details unfinished, including the proposed exchange ticker and named custodians.

The fund was therefore still in the registration process when VanEck decided to abandon the planned offering.

Lido welcomed VanEck’s original ETF application VanEck’s withdrawal follows an earlier announcement from the Lido ecosystem supporting the proposed investment product.

In October 2025, the Lido Ecosystem Foundation welcomed the original ETF application, describing the proposal as an opportunity to bring liquid staking exposure into traditional investment markets.

Kean Gilbert, head of institutional relations at the foundation, said the filing showed growing interest in staking products that could meet institutional investment requirements.

He described liquid staking as an important part of Ethereum’s infrastructure and pointed to Lido’s existing role in providing staking services.

At the time, Lido reported that users had earned more than $2 billion in staking rewards through its protocol since launch.

The organization placed the total value locked in the protocol near $40 billion in its October 2025 announcement. The figure represented the protocol’s position at that time, not a current valuation.

The earlier VanEck ETF application linked to Lido’s staked Ether followed the company’s October registration of the proposed trust.

An earlier Lido price rally following VanEck’s trust registration saw the LDO governance token gain approximately 7%, with trading activity increasing after the initial announcement.

However, LDO and stETH serve different purposes. LDO is the governance token associated with the Lido protocol, while stETH represents Ethereum deposited into the staking system.

VanEck’s proposed fund would have held stETH, not LDO.

The October 14 withdrawal filing provided no market data or explanation linking the decision to either token’s price performance.

SEC had previously clarified rules for liquid staking The abandoned ETF proposal followed regulatory guidance addressing certain cryptocurrency staking activities in the United States.

In August 2025, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance published a staff statement examining whether particular liquid staking arrangements involved securities transactions.

The guidance explained that certain activities involving the deposit of crypto assets and issuance of staking receipt tokens may fall outside federal securities registration requirements, depending on their structure.

The SEC staff distinguished administrative staking services from arrangements involving managerial or entrepreneurial efforts that could create investment contracts.

The statement did not provide blanket approval for all liquid staking products or automatically authorize ETFs holding staking tokens.

As covered in earlier reporting on the SEC’s liquid staking guidance, the staff’s position applied to arrangements meeting specific conditions.

VanEck’s October 2025 prospectus discussed the guidance and stated that the sponsor believed its planned staking activities were consistent with the SEC staff’s interpretation.

The prospectus acknowledged that a different regulatory interpretation could create legal risks for the proposed fund and its service providers.

VanEck had pursued other staking-related investment products during the same period.

In August 2025, the company submitted a registration statement for a proposed ETF linked to JitoSOL, a liquid staking token associated with the Solana network.

The earlier VanEck JitoSOL ETF application sought exposure to staked Solana through a traditional investment structure.

The October 14 withdrawal concerns the Lido Staked Ethereum ETF registration specifically. The document does not request withdrawal of VanEck’s other cryptocurrency fund applications.

The original Lido ETF application remains identifiable through SEC registration number 333-290918. VanEck’s latest filing asks the regulator to withdraw that registration statement and its amendments under Rule 477, confirming that the planned securities offering never became effective.

Tether sent approximately $6.3 million to a consulting firm co-founded by Bo Hines, according to The Wall Street Journal. At least part of that money moved while Hines was still working in the White House.

Hines later joined Tether and now runs its US operations. The sequence is drawing conflict-of-interest scrutiny, because Hines helped advance the stablecoin law that now governs companies like his new employer.

What the Journal found
The firm is called Nxum. The Journal reported that Hines co-founded it and held a one-third ownership stake throughout his time in government.

Tether’s payments to Nxum came under a deal brokered in May 2025. The first payment landed while Hines still held his government post.

His job at the time was executive director of the White House’s digital assets council, a role he held from January to August 2025.

The Journal’s reporting draws on internal documents and payment records.

During that same stretch, Hines was a prominent advocate for the GENIUS Act. The bill set federal rules for dollar-pegged stablecoins, and President Trump signed it into law in July 2025.

Tether is the issuer of USDT, the largest stablecoin. A federal stablecoin framework therefore lands directly on its business, deciding who can issue these tokens in the US and on what terms.

From the council to the corner office
Hines left the White House in August 2025. That same month, he joined Tether as a strategic advisor.

By September 2025, he was named CEO of Tether’s US operations, with a mandate focused on expanding the company’s presence in the country.

Nxum has pushed back on that reading. The firm says Hines had no involvement with Tether while he was serving in government.

The research also indicates Hines took part in discussions about the GENIUS Act during a period when he was not active in Nxum’s operations. That distinction appears to be central to the defense: he owned a piece of the firm, but he was not running it.

What this means for Tether and stablecoin regulation
The GENIUS Act was sold as a framework built to bring order and credibility to stablecoins. A story suggesting that a key promoter had financial ties to a major issuer while the law was being shaped could hand critics fresh ammunition.

For Tether’s US ambitions, timing is awkward. The company is trying to build a domestic footprint under the very rules Hines helped promote, with Hines himself in charge of that effort.

Nxum’s position is that Hines kept his distance from Tether while in government. The payment records described by the Journal show the money moved anyway, and that gap between the two accounts is where the scrutiny will likely stay focused.

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

Researcher Tayvano has traced roughly $100 million to $103 million in stolen crypto tied to a supply-chain attack on Ledger hardware wallets sold through CryptoBilis. She was careful to say how she did it: Zcash’s privacy was not broken.

The trail came from gas payments. The attacker covered transaction fees from an associated wallet, and that one habit tied the operation together.

How the trail came together The scale of the theft is large. The research findings put the Ledger drainer incident at approximately $103.4 million in stolen assets.

Those funds were spread across roughly 530 addresses on seven different blockchains.

About three-quarters of the looted value sat in USDT on the Tron network. The rest was spread across other chains and assets.

Investigators also identified wallets holding approximately $38.6 million in ETH and $16.9 million in BTC. Tether, the issuer of USDT, froze $10 million of the stablecoin linked to the theft.

According to the research findings, the attacker’s decision to use an affiliated wallet for gas payments became the main link between the many addresses. By analyzing who funded those fees, researchers mapped out the attacker’s infrastructure.

What happened on the Zcash side Zcash is a privacy coin. Its shielded transactions are designed to hide the sender, the receiver and the amount from public view.

Tayvano stressed that those protections held. Nobody cracked the underlying math.

Instead, the Zcash portion of the trail was traced by matching 108 exact value exits to incoming batches. In plain terms, funds went into the shielded pool in certain amounts and came out in identical amounts, and the pattern lined up.

That distinction matters. A flaw in Zcash’s cryptography would be a protocol-level problem for every user. A pattern left by one careless operator is a lesson in operational security.

Background: a supply-chain attack, not a wallet hack The theft traces back to Ledger hardware wallets sold via CryptoBilis. That makes it a supply-chain attack, where the compromise happens somewhere along the path between the product and the buyer.

Once the funds were drained, the attacker had a familiar problem. Stolen crypto is visible on public ledgers, so the goal becomes scattering it, swapping it and routing parts of it through privacy tools until the trail goes cold.

Spreading value across roughly 530 addresses and seven chains fits that playbook. So does routing part of it through a privacy coin.

What this means For stablecoin issuers, Tether’s $10 million freeze shows a different kind of leverage. With about three-quarters of the stolen value sitting in USDT on Tron, a centrally issued token gave investigators a choke point that a decentralized asset would not.

For investigators, the case reinforces that metadata often matters more than encryption. Fee funding, timing and amount patterns can link addresses even when the transactions themselves are hidden.

The remaining questions are practical ones. How much of the roughly $103.4 million can actually be recovered, and whether the identified ETH and BTC holdings can be frozen or seized, will determine whether this tracing work turns into money back in victims’ pockets.

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

Source: Binance EN

This is a general announcement. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. Fellow Binancians, Starting at approximately 2026-10-19 11:59 (UTC), Binance will suspend the deposits and withdrawals of token(s) on the Filecoin (FIL) network to support its network upgrade and hard fork to ensure the best user experience. The network upgrade and hard fork will take place at the block height of 6,470,279, or approximately at 2026-10-19 12:59 (UTC). Please note: The trading of token(s) on the aforementioned network will not be impacted.Binance will handle all technical requirements involved for all users.Deposits and withdrawals for token(s) on the aforementioned network will be reopened once the upgraded network is deemed to be stable. No further announcement will be posted.There may be discrepancies between this original content in English and any translated versions. Please refer to the original English version for the most accurate information, in case any discrepancies arise. For more information, please refer to the announcement from the project team. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-10-15

Solana now has a physical address in Shanghai. Its first Builder Station for the Chinese-speaking market opened on March 20, 2026, at the Hongqiao Alibaba Center.

That is a notable move for a crypto network in a country where virtual currencies face tight restrictions. Solana is setting up shop anyway, and it is choosing its words carefully.

A builder hub, a tall office and a four-city tour
The Shanghai Builder Station has backing from the local government of the city’s Minhang District. It is meant to be a long-term base for collaboration on Layer 1 infrastructure and the applications built on top of it.

Calling it a “Builder Station” rather than a sales office is a deliberate signal. The pitch is aimed at developers, not traders.

On October 14, 2026, Solana’s Chief Product Officer Vibhu drew attention to the Shanghai location. He claimed the team occupies the world’s highest commercially available office space, a claim Solana Foundation President Lily Liu backed up.

Two days later, the Solana Accelerate China tour kicks off. It runs from October 16 to 22, 2026, and stops in four cities: Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Beijing.

The agenda centers on technology infrastructure, AI development and robotics. Direct promotion of digital assets is off the table, given China’s restrictive rules on virtual currencies.

Why China, and why this way
Solana’s approach reflects that reality. By leaning into infrastructure, AI and robotics, it can engage engineers and companies without stepping into token promotion.

The local government involvement is worth noting too. Support from Minhang District suggests Shanghai officials see value in hosting developer activity tied to the technology, even while virtual currency rules stay strict.

What this means for Solana and its rivals
The most direct comparison is BNB Chain. Solana has opened an office and advertised in China, while no comparable recent physical presence from BNB Chain has been reported there.

Because token promotion is avoided, any benefit is more likely to show up in developer activity and partnerships than in direct retail demand from mainland users.

The focus on AI and robotics is also telling. It positions Solana alongside sectors that already draw serious attention in China, which could make the blockchain pitch easier to hear.

Turnout and partnerships from the October 16 to 22 tour will show whether the developer-first approach is landing.

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

Arbitrum, a leading Ethereum layer 2 scaling solution, has seen rapid growth in its real-world asset (RWA) market, strengthening its presence in the tokenized finance sector. However, recent weakness in technical indicators has left the ARB token under pressure, delaying a potential price recovery.

Growth in Real-World Asset TokenizationThe official Arbitrum X account reported over $1.2 billion in tokenized assets on the Arbitrum One network. This figure includes $922 million allocated to funds, $191 million to stocks, and $84.3 million to commodities. Arbitrum stated that the project remains at an early stage and intends to bring more traditional assets into the programmable economy.

With trillions in traditional assets still to bring into the programmable economy, the work is just getting started, according to Arbitrum’s team.

Despite robust growth in RWA activity, the expansion has not translated into immediate demand or price appreciation for the ARB token. Analysts note that broader adoption of tokenization does not automatically drive up ARB prices in the short term.

Mini dictionary: Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization refers to converting traditional assets such as funds, stocks, and commodities into digital tokens on the blockchain, making them easier to trade and manage on decentralized platforms.

Asset TypeTokenized ValueFunds$922 millionStocks$191 millionCommodities$84.3 millionTotal$1.2 billionPrice Levels and Market MomentumAt publication time, ARB trades at $0.1825, marking a 4.6% decrease over the past 24 hours. The token remains below a key resistance level at $0.2003, while traders are eyeing support at $0.1722 to gauge the likelihood of further losses or a reversal.

ARB previously climbed above $0.23 in September but has pulled back since then. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) currently stands at 47.63, below its average of 51.77, indicating weakening bullish momentum. A move above an RSI of 50 could signal renewed buying interest but would not alone confirm a recovery.

The token remains above its 50-day moving average at $0.1161 and its 200-day average at $0.1722. Technical analysts view the 200-day level as critical support; a sustained breakdown below this could accelerate selling pressure and undermine the ongoing recovery effort.

Price LevelStatus$0.2003Resistance (not broken)$0.1825Current Price$0.1722Key Support$0.1586Next Support (if breached)CoinGlass data indicates that open interest in ARB futures surged above $300 million in September, then pulled back but remains notably higher than August levels. Meanwhile, trading volume has eased since September highs, suggesting reduced market participation. Elevated open interest can intensify price swings as leveraged traders adjust positions, but it does not clarify whether bulls or bears dominate at present.

Potential for a Price RecoveryFor ARB to mount a sustained recovery, technical confirmation is needed. A move above $0.2003, coupled with higher trading volume and a rising RSI, would bolster optimism among traders. Target ranges in case of a breakout include $0.22 to $0.23, which matches the September trading corridor.

If ARB price slips below the $0.1722 support level, market participants may focus on $0.1586 as the next line of defense. The evolving balance between network adoption through RWA integration and actual token demand will continue to shape sentiment among ARB traders.

Crypto markets remain unpredictable, and analysts urge investors to track price action, sentiment shifts, and potential catalysts closely before taking positions.

Despite significant growth in tokenized assets on Arbitrum, technical momentum remains weak and price recovery will likely require stronger signals, especially a breakout above resistance levels and increasing trading volumes.

Hyperliquid’s HIP-3 has generated a total of $75 million in cumulative revenue, with $37.5 million going to deployers and the remaining $37.5 million allocated for repurchasing and burning Hyperliquid’s native token. HIP-3, the Builder-deployed perpetual contract mechanism, allows eligible deployers to launch their own perpetual markets on Hyperliquid: they can define oracles, contract specifications, and manage operations, while leveraging the protocol’s core infrastructure such as order books and liquidation systems. Fees from these markets are typically split 50/50 between deployers and the protocol, with the protocol’s revenue share used for token repurchases and burns.

Relevant content

Ledger: German retail and distribution inventory devices show no signs of tampering, and no financial loss reports have been received across Europe.

Hardware wallet provider Ledger’s security team Donjon has updated on a German-related report, stating that after receiving a report from a German user, it inspected inventory devices at retail outlets and distributors in the country, including products at the named stores, and found no signs of tampering. Ledger also noted that there have been no reports of financial losses linked to hardware implants across Europe. Separately, regarding the suspected abnormal devices circulating online, the security team has not obtained physical units for testing. It has now invited holders of such devices to send them to Ledger’s security team for further analysis, with investigation results to be made public.

4 hours ago

xAI releases Grok Voice 3.0, topping Speech-to-Speech benchmarks.

Beating AI Express News: xAI has launched its speech-to-speech model Grok Voice 3.0, claiming it ranks first on the Speech-to-Speech Index in an independent test by Artificial Analysis, scoring 86.9 points—higher than Grok Voice 2.0 (81.3), GPT-Live-1 (83.2), and Gemini 3.8 Live (82.6). The model also features end-to-end latency of under 1 second. It is now available via the Voice Agent API, priced at $0.08 per minute, matching the previous generation; agents using the "grok-voice-latest" tag will automatically switch to the new model. According to xAI, Grok Voice handles millions of daily conversations for Tesla and SpaceX: Starlink’s customer service center receives around 20,000 calls daily, with roughly 70% resolved without human intervention, and about a quarter of sales calls resulting in a purchase before the call ends. On benchmarks, Grok Voice scores 74% accuracy on ServiceNow EVA-Bench and 71.6% on τ-Voice, which the company says is comparable to GPT-Live-1 but with roughly 40% lower latency.

4 hours ago

White House Crypto Committee 'effectively defunct' as Executive Director Patrick Witt’s secondment is set to expire.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett said she emailed the White House three times over the past week to inquire whether Patrick Witt still serves as executive director of the White House Crypto Council, and received no reply. Witt himself declined to comment.
Sources familiar with the matter disclosed that Witt, a U.S. Department of Defense employee temporarily seconded to the White House Crypto Council, has reached or is nearing the end of his secondment, with his reappointment status unclear. Earlier this year, he delayed his service in the Georgia National Guard, and is expected to resume his military service soon.
Terrett added that Harry Jung, deputy director of the White House Crypto Council, left his post at the end of July, and after David Sacks’ tenure as Crypto and AI “tsar” concluded, Witt is now the only remaining staff member of the council.
The crypto policy community is now debating: after the CLARITY Act (officially the Crypto Market Structure Act) failed to advance in the Senate, whether the White House still prioritizes the crypto industry.
The relevant personnel changes have not yet been officially confirmed by the White House.

4 hours ago

US stocks slump, with the optical communication sector leading the decline; semiconductor, storage, and crypto-related stocks all fall across the board, and Strategy drops 5.8%.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), during U.S. stock trading hours, the S&P 500 index’s decline widened to 1.1%, the Nasdaq fell 1.64%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.3%. Semiconductor, storage, optical communication, and crypto-related stocks all fell across the board, with the optical communication sector leading losses, as most major individual stocks in the sector declined by over 7%. In the semiconductor and storage sectors: Seagate Technology (STX) fell 2.8%; Western Digital (WDC) dropped 3.2%; SanDisk (SNDK) declined 4.7%; Micron Technology (MU) fell 3.3%; NVIDIA (NVDA) dropped 2.9%; Intel (INTC) fell 4.2%; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) declined 5.3%. Among crypto-related stocks: Strategy (MSTR) fell 5.8%; Coinbase (COIN) dropped 4.6%; Circle (CRCL) declined 6.4%; BitMine Immersion (BMNR) fell 5.3%; SharpLink Gaming (SBET) dropped 7.4%. In the optical communication sector: Pure Photonics ETF (FOTO) fell 6.2%; Marvell Technology (MRVL) dropped 5.8%; AAOI (Applied Optoelectronics) declined 9.8%; LITE (Lumentum Holdings) fell 7.2%; COHR (Coherent Corp.) dropped 7.8%; CIEN (Ciena Corporation) declined 7.8%.

4 hours ago

USDC designated as EU's first 'systemically important e-money token'

The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced that it has classified USDC, issued by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS, as an Important Electronic Money Token (EMT) under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. To date, 45 EMTs in the EU have completed notification under MiCA, with USDC being the first to be designated as an Important EMT. Starting November 12, 2026, USDC will be subject to dual supervision for Important EMTs under MiCA: direct regulatory responsibilities for own funds, asset reserves, liquidity requirements, and recovery and redemption plans will be transferred from the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) to the EBA; ACPR will retain oversight of governance, qualifying holdings, suitability assessments, outsourcing, and conflicts of interest. USDC is issued by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS in the EU and Circle Internet Financial, LLC in the U.S. The EBA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the New York State Department of Financial Services to facilitate cooperation and information exchange on cross-border stablecoin activities.

4 hours ago

OpenAI accuses a former employee of leaking confidential data before joining Apple, as the intellectual property rights dispute escalates once more.

According to Reuters, OpenAI has accused a former employee of sending more than 100 files related to the company’s unreleased devices to his personal account before leaving to join Apple, and subsequently presenting the relevant products to Apple’s senior management. Apple had earlier filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the latter stole trade secrets of its unreleased hardware products, marking a further escalation of the intellectual property dispute over hardware technology between the two parties.

4 hours ago

Reason to trust

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality

Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed

The highest standards in reporting and publishing

Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality

Morbi pretium leo et nisl aliquam mollis. Quisque arcu lorem, ultricies quis pellentesque nec, ullamcorper eu odio.

Apia, Samoa, October 14, 2026 – The crypto market saw a notable rally in the just-concluded third quarter. It was also the quarter in which HTX turned 13. Over the past 13 years, the industry has weathered multiple bull and bear cycles, and HTX has stood alongside users worldwide throughout them. Resilience in navigating market cycles has been a defining characteristic of HTX over the past 13 years.

To mark its anniversary themed “Resilience Reveals the Future”, HTX launched the 13th-Anniversary Carnival and Trading Championship #3, among other celebratory events, in the third quarter, celebrating alongside users worldwide. Meanwhile, the platform continued to invest in TradFi, trending assets, yield products, and global compliance, delivering an outstanding quarterly performance report.

13th-Anniversary Celebrations Conclude, with Participation from Users Worldwide

On August 13, HTX kicked off its 13th-anniversary celebrations with the Anniversary Carnival. Its spot, futures, Earn and lending businesses rolled out exclusive anniversary promotions in succession, launching a celebration that lasted more than a month.

The annual trading competition Trading Championship #3 was the centerpiece of the anniversary celebrations. It attracted 45,000 registrations and generated 6.8 billion USDT in futures trading volume, making it the platform’s largest campaign of the quarter by both participation and trading volume. Meanwhile, HTX futures copy trading volume grew 21% quarter over quarter.

For spot trading, a series of 13th-anniversary campaigns, including the Individual Challenge, Trending Cryptos Margin Trading Carnival, and Points Tasks, played a key role in driving spot trading growth during the quarter. Over the three-month period, HTX launched 14 themed spot trading campaigns, attracting more than 46,000 registrations and generating over 500 million USDT in trading volume across the campaigns.

For 13 years, HTX and users worldwide have navigated one market cycle after another together. The anniversary celebrations were both a gesture of appreciation for users’ long-term support and a reflection of HTX’s determination to carry its resilience into the next 13 years.

TradFi Asset Offerings Expand as Quarterly Trading Volume More Than Doubles

In the third quarter, HTX listed 183 new futures assets, including 154 stocks and index-related assets. As of now, the platform offers 278 tradable stock assets, spanning US stocks, major global indices and ETFs, pre-IPO unicorns, and leading companies in Japan and South Korea, continuing to lead the industry in multi-market stock asset coverage.

HTX’s asset lineup focuses on four key sectors: AI hardware and semiconductor computing power, global e-commerce and internet companies, leading Asia-Pacific companies and major indices, and high-dividend blue-chip stocks. AI and semiconductor computing, leading Asia-Pacific companies, and pre-IPO unicorns were key themes throughout the quarter. Popular assets such as POLYMARKET, OURA and MOONSHOT were also listed. Eligible users can access global market opportunities through HTX without switching between platforms. This service is not available in jurisdictions subject to regulatory restrictions.

The expanded asset lineup drove rapid growth in trading volume. So far the cumulative TradFi trading volume on HTX has approached $6 billion, with $4.1 billion generated in the third quarter alone, more than doubling the cumulative total from the previous quarter.

The trading experience was upgraded alongside these developments. Stock perpetual futures feature a dividend settlement mechanism, allowing position values to adjust more continuously when an underlying stock goes ex-dividend and reducing the impact of non-trading-related price adjustments on users’ positions. TradFi asset detail pages include market data, news updates, and company profile, bringing key information together in one place. Dedicated categories for stocks, commodities and ETFs have also been added to market rankings, making it easier for users to discover assets. HTX has also upgraded its TradFi trading fee structure, bringing its net trading fees into the industry’s top tier.

HTX is also taking a longer-term view of the convergence of traditional finance and crypto markets. As real-world assets (RWAs), particularly tokenized stocks, become an increasingly important area of development in the global digital asset industry, the platform is monitoring regulatory developments and exploring regulatory frameworks and compliance pathways in preparation for future product innovation. All related products and services offered by the platform operate within the framework of applicable laws and regulations, and access restrictions are applied to users in certain jurisdictions as required.

Trending Assets Emerge as Earn and Lending Products Put Funds to Work Efficiently

In the third quarter, HTX listed new projects attracting strong market interest, several of which were first listed on the platform. Niulai was the quarter’s top-performing newly listed token, recording a peak gain of more than 500%. DOS and STONK each recorded peak gains of 240% after listing.

Earn and lending products expanded alongside new asset listings. During the quarter, HTX Earn changed the launch schedule for its new-token products from weekly updates to real-time synchronization with new listings, allowing users to access corresponding Earn products as soon as eligible popular tokens become available. Nearly 500,000 users participated in HTX Earn during the quarter, with subscription amounts totaling nearly 1 billion USDT. SVIP Flexible Earn products added BTC and ETH, expanding the options available to users with large holdings. In addition, SmartEarn introduced a trading-linked APY boost, offering a base APY of 4% upon activation and up to 9% APY for users who meet the required trading volume threshold. This further expands the yield potential for idle assets.

Margin and Convert features added 21 tradable assets, with XAUT becoming the first precious metal asset available through Convert. This further expanded the range of assets available for trading, borrowing and use as collateral. Loan interest rates are adjusted frequently in response to market conditions across more than 50 cryptocurrencies. Interest rates for large loans remain among the lower levels in the industry.

Risk management tools were also upgraded. Trailing stop orders and MMR TP/SL orders were launched successively. Stop-loss levels can automatically track market movements, giving users with large positions and high leverage greater flexibility in managing risk.

Advancing Global Compliance and Making a Major Brand Appearance at TOKEN2049

Compliance is a prerequisite for global expansion. In the third quarter, HTX made further progress on compliance initiatives in several key markets. In Dubai, the establishment of the relevant applicant entity received preliminary approval from the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), with subsequent regulatory applications and compliance reviews proceeding as planned. In Pakistan, following the formal publication of virtual asset service regulations and the launch of a licensing application process, HTX continued to advance the establishment of its local entity, its formal license application, and the development of its compliance framework, building on the No Objection Certificate (NoC) already obtained from the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA).

HTX continued to strengthen its presence in regional markets. In August, HTX Ventures participated in Conviction Vietnam, building connections with local users and Web3 ecosystem partners. As the fourth quarter began, HTX appeared at TOKEN2049, a major annual gathering for the global crypto industry. Held in Singapore from October 7–8, the event brought together projects, investment firms, developers, and industry builders from around the world. HTX Ventures exhibited at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore, engaging invited guests through brand displays and on-site interactions. Justin Sun, adviser to HTX and a core supporter of HTX DAO, attended related events and delivered a speech. He visited the HTX Ventures booth to meet with the team and other industry participants.

At Future Night, a private, invitation-only event hosted by HTX DAO during the same period, Justin Sun shared his views on industry trends via video. He noted that the crypto industry is becoming more closely connected with traditional finance. AI is changing how wealth is created, while crypto and digital finance are transforming how wealth is held and transferred. He also said that stablecoins could play a greater role in global payments and settlement, while the on-chain adoption of traditional assets such as bonds, funds and gold is likely to continue developing. The free flow of value in the digital world, he said, will be an important trend to watch over the next decade.

During the event, HTX DAO also hosted a private VIP dinner. Justin Sun met face to face with industry representatives, ecosystem contributors, and partners to exchange views on industry developments, market changes, product experiences, and future collaboration.

HTX DAO Ecosystem Expands as Q3 $HTX Burn Approaches

HTX DAO continued to support the long-term value of $HTX in the third quarter by steadily implementing its deflationary mechanism through quarterly token burns, while expanding $HTX use cases and building consensus among developers and the community. These efforts aim to lay a solid foundation for the ecosystem’s long-term development.

On July 15, HTX DAO completed its Q2 2026 $HTX token burn, valued at more than $13.6 million, bringing cumulative burns and donations to 117.79 trillion tokens. In line with its quarterly burn schedule, the Q3 $HTX token burn is scheduled to take place on October 15.

On the ecosystem front, HTX DAO focused on developers and the community. The Genesis Hackathon, co-hosted by HTX DAO and B.AI, attracted more than 200 developer teams exploring $HTX use cases, AI agent finance, on-chain asset management, and DAO tools. At Future Night, HTX DAO ambassador Molly shared that several projects developed by global university teams participating in the hackathon had advanced to further incubation stages and were exploring ways to integrate with use cases across the $HTX ecosystem.

Molly also shared that nearly 200 active volunteers were independently contributing to HTX DAO community development. In the fourth quarter, HTX DAO plans to develop regional community nodes to support members in organizing events and exchanging ideas.  She also noted that HTX, as an ecosystem participant, continues to optimize withdrawal fees, gather user feedback, and improve the app experience.

Navigating Market Cycles with Resilience, Shaping the Future Together with Users Worldwide

Thirteen years ago, HTX began as a digital asset trading platform. Today, it has grown into a comprehensive blockchain ecosystem serving users worldwide. Over the years, markets have experienced both highs and lows, and the industry landscape has evolved. Throughout these changes, HTX has remained committed to putting users first. Regardless of market conditions, improving its products and prioritizing the security of user assets remain among the platform’s top priorities.

Standing at the beginning of its 14th year, HTX will continue to navigate market cycles with resilience and build the future together with users worldwide.

About HTX

Founded in 2013, HTX has evolved from a virtual asset exchange into a comprehensive ecosystem of blockchain businesses that span digital asset trading, derivatives, research, investments, incubation, and other businesses.

Guided by its vision to “Achieve Financial Freedom for 8 Billion People Worldwide,” HTX works to make the digital asset space more accessible to a broader audience. The platform continues to develop its products and services in response to user needs and an evolving industry landscape. 

To learn more about HTX, please visit https://www.htx.net.in/ or HTX Square , and follow HTX on X, Telegram, and Discord. For further inquiries, please contact [email protected].

Strive, a Nasdaq-listed company specializing in corporate treasury management, has boosted its Bitcoin holdings with a new purchase of 2,822 BTC worth approximately $235 million. The acquisition, disclosed by CEO Matt Cole, took place between October 12 and October 13 at an average price of $83,266 per bitcoin.

Record-breaking Bitcoin reservesThis latest buy raised Strive’s total corporate Bitcoin stockpile to 35,595 BTC. With this figure, Strive overtook MARA Holdings, whose holdings stood at 35,577 BTC, securing fourth place among publicly listed companies with the largest Bitcoin reserves. The top three positions remain with Strategy (848,250 BTC), Metaplanet (44,000 BTC), and Twenty One Capital (43,514 BTC).

Just days before, Strive had completed another significant purchase, adding 3,311 BTC at an average price of $84,500, amounting to roughly $280 million. This prior acquisition raised the company’s reserves from 29,462 to 32,773 BTC.

Strive now holds 35,595 BTC in its treasury, topping MARA Holdings by 18 BTC and reaffirming its ongoing commitment to expand corporate crypto reserves.

In total, Strive acquired 6,133 BTC over the two most recent transactions, a combined outlay of around $515 million. The acquisitions, though occurring at different times, were announced on consecutive days, reflecting an 8.6% increase in Strive’s reserves.

Expansion of crypto treasuryEarlier in the year, Strive expanded its cryptocurrency assets by acquiring Semler Scientific. This move added approximately 5,048 BTC to Strive’s reserves. With the latest Bitcoin purchases, Strive’s treasury management strategy appears focused on maintaining long-term exposure to leading digital assets.

Strive’s corporate Bitcoin reserves now stand just ahead of MARA Holdings, but well below the leaders in this space.

CompanyBitcoin Holdings (BTC)Strategy848,250Metaplanet44,000Twenty One Capital43,514Strive35,595MARA Holdings35,577CEO Matt Cole previously mentioned the possibility for Strive to move up to the second position by year-end, but noted this was not his base-case expectation in September.

Financing and capital structureAlongside the new Bitcoin acquisition, Strive announced the exercise of 13,674,703 Class A common share warrants, resulting in gross proceeds of approximately $369.2 million. The exercise took place on October 12 and 13, with no outstanding traditional warrants remaining from the company’s latest private investment round.

The company noted that warrants allow the purchase of shares at predetermined prices, generating immediate cash inflow but also increasing the total number of shares in circulation.

Mini dictionary: Warrants are financial instruments that give holders the right, but not the obligation, to purchase company stock at a fixed price by a certain date. Companies often use warrants to raise capital and incentivize investors.

Strive has not disclosed what portion of the new proceeds funded the most recent Bitcoin acquisition, but maintains multiple financing channels including preferred stock and other equity offerings for its treasury operations.

Despite the aggressive accumulation, Strive’s shares came under pressure prior to the announcement. ASST stock closed at $27.59 on October 13, reflecting a decrease of 0.43%. The downward trend continued into pre-market trading on October 14, although there were no remarkable market reactions following the SEC filing.

Market performance and outlookFor the longer term, ASST stock has posted a strong performance, gaining approximately 87% year-to-date and more than 120% over the past three months, according to MarketBeat data.

Future Bitcoin acquisitions by Strive will depend on the company’s ongoing capital allocation strategies. Management has reaffirmed its approach of pairing treasury expansion with new financing options.

With continued BTC purchases and new capital inflows, Strive aims to remain a key player in the corporate crypto treasury sector while adapting its strategy to market dynamics.

MEXC CEO Vugar Usi Zade believes that Bitcoin is emerging from its bearish phase into a sustainable bull cycle, driven by growing institutional confidence and adoption. 

The current market, according to Zade,  differs greatly from the previous speculative cycles, with institutional adoption reinforcing Bitcoin’s foundation. He told AMBCrypto, 

The cryptocurrency market has entered a sustainable bull trend, fundamentally different from the speculative cycles of previous years.

So, Bitcoin’s price is gradually transitioning out of its bearish cycle.

Besides, he noted BTC reporting a 32% price recovery over the last 90 days, despite sitting below its $126,000 all-time high reached on October 6, 2025. 

According to Zade, Bitcoin could eventually reach $176,000, provided institutional demand remains elevated and wider economic conditions improve.

Bitcoin whales accumulate as exchange outflows deepen  Bitcoin’s large holders continued moving considerable amounts of BTC, supporting the accumulation story highlighted by Zade.

In particular, Lookonchain reported on  an X post that five new wallets received 1,162 BTC, worth roughly $96.77 million, from Wintermute within 12 hours.

Adding to the accumulation narrative, Bitcoin had recorded $116.14 million in weekly Spot net outflows at press time, reflecting more withdrawals than deposits across exchange platforms.

The  weekly outflows implied reducing exchange-held supply, potentially limiting the amount of Bitcoin readily available for selling.

These developments notably echoed Zade’s remarks that larger investors were greatly in favor of long-term accumulation. He noted, 

Furthermore, large Bitcoin holders have stopped selling, and coins are now flowing en masse into long-term accumulation wallets.

Source: Bitcoin Spot Netflows on CoinGlass ETF inflows surge as corporate Bitcoin holdings grow  Aside from the accumulation narrative, participation around institutions also remained elevated across Bitcoin investment products. 

Particularly,  Bitcoin’s Spot ETFs recorded $175.69 million in daily net inflows at reporting time. The cumulative ETF net inflows hit $57.68 billion, while the total ETF assets stood at $109.03 billion.

Additionally, the daily ETF trading volume had reached $2.36 billion, suggesting improved activity across the regulated investment products.

Also noteworthy, the corporate accumulation remained significant, with 60 publicly traded companies collectively holding 1.27 million BTC, valued nearly $105.53 billion.

The most recent weekly accumulation totaled 3,341.07 BTC, worth approximately $288.94 million .

Notably, these developments correlated with Zade’s comments that institutional market players  were becoming majorly influential in Bitcoin’s market structure.

Besides, the executive also identified $80,000 as a crucial institutional cost basis, arguing that established investors had reinforced that level as Bitcoin’s underlying support.

Source: BTC Public Companies Holdings on CoinGlass Final Summary MEXC CEO Vugar Usi Zade says Bitcoin has entered a sustainable bull cycle, with institutional adoption driving the shift. 

Five new wallets received 1,162 BTC from Wintermute, Spot ETFs pulled in $175.69M in a day, and 60 public companies now hold 1.27 million BTC.

XRPL Commons has announced early access to the XRP Ledger’s proposed native lending tools at its Oct. 24–25 New York hackathon, with more than 400 builders registered for the 36-hour event while validator voting continues.

Summary

More than 400 builders have registered for the New York event, according to XRPL Commons.
Developers will test lending and vault tools before the proposed amendments reach mainnet.
Four development tracks offer more than $40,000 in prizes and access to incubation.
Activation requires sustained validator support, with no fixed launch date for the lending proposals.

XRPL Commons, the Paris-based nonprofit supporting XRP Ledger development, said participants in its AI & Fintech XRPL Hackathon will build lending applications using test versions of XLS-65 and XLS-66. The organization named Ripple, the XRPL Foundation, Mastercard, Amazon Web Services, Ledger and QuickNode as partners backing the event.

With the amendments still awaiting approval, the organizer said teams will work in a test environment rather than launch native lending products on the main network. Ripple has already made the proposed protocol available for developers to test.

XRP Ledger lending still depends on validator approval
Under the proposed framework, XLS-65 would introduce Single Asset Vaults, allowing several depositors to pool one asset, such as XRP or Ripple’s dollar stablecoin RLUSD. The design gives each depositor shares representing their portion of the pool, according to XRPL Commons.

XLS-66 would use those pooled assets to fund fixed-term loans. As described in the lending proposal, borrowers and designated loan managers would agree on interest, repayment schedules, and other terms, while the ledger would record and manage the resulting credit arrangements.

Rather than require borrowers to lock up assets worth more than their loans, the proposed system relies on credit assessments outside the blockchain. According to the protocol’s design, a first-loss capital buffer can absorb an initial portion of losses when a borrower defaults.

For applications using the proposed features, XRPL Commons said lending could operate directly on the ledger without a bridge to another blockchain or a separately deployed smart contract.

“Developers have an opportunity to bring proven DeFi models to the XRP Ledger—and build financial applications that have yet to move on-chain,” said Odelia Torteman, head of digital assets at XRPL Commons.

Torteman said the proposed vault and lending functions would add a credit layer, creating ways to use XRPL-based assets “without bridges or custom smart contracts.”

As crypto.news reported on Aug. 10, Ripple’s validator backed both lending amendments. Under the network’s amendment rules, however, proposals must maintain support from more than 80% of trusted validators for two consecutive weeks before activation.

XRPL documentation describes that voting process as the mechanism for introducing changes to the core protocol. The hackathon announcement sets no activation date, leaving participating teams to develop against test versions while validators make their decisions.

Lending software changes add defined vault periods
The lending proposals have also undergone changes beyond the original vault and loan framework.

In coverage published on Sep. 18, XRPL developers’ version 3.4.0 lending changes included a separate amendment called LendingProtocolV1_1. According to the release documentation cited in that report, the amendment introduces closed-ended vaults with defined periods for deposits, investment, and redemption.

Under Ripple’s technical documentation, deposits and withdrawals stop during the investment period while pooled assets can fund loans. Redemption begins after that period ends, allowing depositors to recover their share once loans mature.

The documentation also sets out cash-basis accounting, under which new vaults would recognize interest when borrowers pay it rather than count all scheduled interest when a loan begins. The additional amendment remains dependent on the underlying lending architecture and its own approval process.

Commercial developers have announced preparations alongside that work. On Sep. 11, Clearpool outlined its planned XRPL credit expansion, proposing lending products built around the native vault and lending standards.

According to Clearpool’s proposal, Ripple committed capital toward products offering yield opportunities using XRP and RLUSD. An associated arrangement with Cicada Partners would provide RLUSD-denominated working-capital loans to fintech and payment companies, with Cicada handling borrower selection, loan terms, and credit risk.

For U.S. institutions considering RLUSD-based products, Ripple says Standard Custody & Trust Company issues the stablecoin under a limited-purpose trust charter supervised by the New York State Department of Financial Services. The state regulator separately lists Standard Custody as a chartered trust company.

New York teams will compete across four tracks
Alongside Lending & Borrowing, XRPL Commons said the hackathon will offer Protocol Innovation, Agentic Finance and an open category called Why Not.

For the protocol track, the organizer is seeking C++ and systems engineers to work on amendments, client software, and developer tools. A three-day Core Dev Bootcamp will run in New York on Oct. 20–22 before the weekend competition.

The Agentic Finance track will cover infrastructure that allows AI agents to make payments and manage funds on the XRP Ledger, according to the event description. XRPL Commons said developers can use existing ledger functions, including escrow and Credentials, in their applications.

The organizer has opened participation to developers new to XRPL as well as established teams. Its event materials list more than $40,000 in prizes, including dedicated bounties from Mastercard, Ledger, QuickNode and AWS.

Mastercard’s involvement was previously announced on Aug. 26, as reported in Aug. 27 coverage of its New York hackathon sponsorship. Separately, Mastercard announced plans in June to support regulated stablecoin settlement, naming RLUSD and the XRP Ledger among the assets and networks in its expansion.

For the competition, XRPL Commons said mentors and judges will include representatives from the sponsoring companies, Ripple and the XRPL Foundation. Its list also includes t54.ai, Evernorth, Soil, XRPScan, Common Prefix, Sum, Blockvault and the European Business School.

Winning teams can enter XRPL Commons incubation
Beyond the prize competition, XRPL Commons said top teams will receive fast-track access to grants and incubation. The hackathon is scheduled ahead of Ripple’s Swell conference, which runs Oct. 27–29 at The Shed in New York.

“We’re inviting developers and innovators to New York to turn these building blocks into working products over one weekend,” said David Bchiri, president of XRPL Commons.

Bchiri said the organization would support selected projects after the event through incubation and introductions to partners and investors.

Founded in 2023, XRPL Commons says it has incubated more than 70 projects and works with over 5,000 active builders. The nonprofit named ReGolda, Blockvault and MobileWallet among its alumni.

According to the organization, its three-month Make Waves buildathon involved 171 builders and produced 56 mainnet launches. Four participating teams are entering the ninth cohort of its Aquarium incubator, alongside Megawatt, the Paris Blockchain Week hackathon winner that began incubation this month.

On October 14, 2026, DriveWealth and Ripple announced an integration covering stablecoin settlement, cross-border payments, custody and equity financing. DriveWealth will begin the settlement work in Europe with $RLUSD on the $XRP Ledger, using Ripple’s mint and burn capabilities. The companies plan to extend that settlement setup to the United States.

The partnership puts stablecoin funding behind DriveWealth’s brokerage infrastructure rather than launching a separate retail product. DriveWealth supplies brokerage systems to more than 100 partners worldwide, including fintechs, digital wallets and financial institutions that offer access to American markets. Ripple says its regulatory footprint spans more than 85 licenses.

The immediate mismatch is between trading and funding hours. American equities settle on T+1, while international dollar transfers can take longer. DriveWealth already supports trading 24 hours a day on five weekdays. Its chief executive, Naureen Hassan, said, “We’ve already enabled 24/5 trading; now we need the funding to match, so clients can move with the markets instead of waiting for them.”

How the integration is divided
Stablecoin settlement starts in Europe. DriveWealth will use Ripple’s stablecoin infrastructure, $RLUSD and the $XRP Ledger. Ripple’s mint and burn functions will connect token issuance and redemption to the settlement flow. The announcement gives no production date for this European integration and describes American expansion as a later plan.

DriveWealth is taking the same regional order with custody. The companies say the first custody work is in Europe and that additional markets will follow. The release does not tie custody expansion to the American settlement plan, so partners cannot assume both products reach each market together. Each product has its own stated scope: settlement uses $RLUSD and XRPL, payments receive cross-border funds, and custody covers DriveWealth’s digital asset needs.

A separate Ripple Payments integration will accept cross-border funding from DriveWealth’s global partners. This is the inbound route into the brokerage platform. The companies present it as a way to reduce dependence on transfer windows and bank cutoff times when a partner needs to fund activity in another market.

Custody is also starting in Europe. DriveWealth is working with Ripple on digital asset custody there, with more markets planned over time. DriveWealth will move treasury and custody infrastructure onto Ripple’s rails. The stated goal is one real-time view across dollars, stablecoins and crypto, with transfers between those balances.

The equity-financing component is less settled. DriveWealth and Ripple Prime are exploring opportunities through Ripple Prime’s Delta One business, which covers American equities and equity derivatives. The announcement does not describe a product, customer, collateral schedule or start date for that work. Operators should distinguish this exploratory component from the announced settlement, payments and custody integrations.

What changes for brokerage funding
DriveWealth clients will be able to fund and manage collateral accounts with stablecoins that convert to cash in near real time. The operational benefit is narrower than continuous equity settlement. A client can move funding without waiting for a bank wire, but the release does not say that the underlying securities settlement cycle changes from T+1.

That distinction matters for treasury teams. The integration targets the cash leg before and around a trade. It can shorten the time between a partner sending value and DriveWealth recognizing usable cash. It also gives DriveWealth a common system for viewing treasury and custody balances in dollars, stablecoins and crypto. The announcement does not identify supported partner jurisdictions, conversion spreads, transaction fees or service-level commitments.

The integration also separates the funding asset from the cash balance used inside the brokerage account. The release says clients can send stablecoins and convert them to cash in near real time. It does not say that equities will settle in $RLUSD or that customers will hold tokenized shares on XRPL. For a partner integrating the system, the relevant handoff is therefore stablecoin to cash, followed by the existing brokerage process.

DriveWealth’s role is broader than a single trading front end. Its infrastructure lets fintechs, wallets and financial institutions provide access to American markets. A successful deployment could put the same Ripple funding route behind several partner products. The release does not name which of DriveWealth’s more than 100 partners will adopt it first, so the initial distribution cannot yet be measured.

International partners are the clearest initial users. They currently plan funding around cross-border transfer windows and cutoff times. Ripple’s system is meant to let them send stablecoins into DriveWealth and convert those balances to cash near the time the funds are needed. The later American settlement expansion would add a domestic endpoint, although the companies have not provided its timing.

Hassan said the aim is for capital to keep working overnight and on weekends rather than remain idle. The release also says DriveWealth will extend the funding and custody experience its clients already use to stablecoins and digital assets. That framing leaves DriveWealth as the brokerage layer while Ripple provides the stablecoin, payment and custody infrastructure underneath it.

What remains open
The announcement identifies Europe as the first settlement and custody market but does not name a launch date or the European entities and partners that will use the integrations first. It also leaves the American expansion schedule, fees, conversion terms and eligible currencies unspecified. Those details will determine whether partners use $RLUSD for routine brokerage funding or only for transfers that do not fit bank operating hours.

The next dated milestone is October 28, 2026, when the companies are scheduled to discuss the partnership in a fireside chat at Ripple Swell in New York City. The unresolved issue is whether that session will add deployment dates and commercial terms for the European launch and planned American expansion.

Ethereum is holding steady close to $2,500 following recent volatility, with the latest market action marked by a shift in institutional flows and a surge in derivatives positioning. ETH is currently trading at approximately $2,511, reflecting a marginal daily increase of 0.08%. The price has fluctuated in a narrow band between $2,490 and $2,530 during the latest session.

Fractal pattern and potential for upsideTechnical analysts are tracking the similarities between Ethereum’s current structure and the setup that preceded its major rally in 2025. The coin previously consolidated around the mid-$2,000 range before briefly falling below support, only to recover sharply and enter a stronger upward trend.

Crypto analyst Ash Crypto is drawing attention to a comparable sequence forming today, where ETH recently dipped towards the $2,400–$2,300 area. This zone is now seen as a critical support region that could define whether the recent selloff marks a temporary liquidity event rather than a sustained slide.

In the 2025 cycle, Ethereum’s recovery did not move straight to the highs. The price initially cleared $3,000 and then consolidated in the $3,000s before a later move toward $4,800. If ETH can stabilize at current levels, analysts believe a similar trajectory could bring the $4,600–$4,800 zone into focus in the coming months.

The bullish outlook is dependent on Ethereum holding the $2,400–$2,500 support. If this base remains firm and price reclaims $2,600, analysts view $3,000 as the next major target, while a move below support may signal the need for further consolidation.

For now, the fractal comparison remains conditional. A sustainable recovery above $2,500 would add weight to the bullish thesis, whereas further losses below the recent low could undermine this setup and delay a larger move higher.

Bitfinex longs reach multi-year peakData from Bitfinex, a leading cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2012 and known for its large-scale derivatives trading, shows that Ethereum long positions have climbed to their highest level in four years. According to Crypto Rover, these positions have increased sharply as price hovers near $2,500, indicating strong conviction among traders preparing for a significant breakout.

Rather than waiting for a confirmed rally, market participants are building long exposure during the consolidation phase, suggesting confidence in a potential larger move if resistance is cleared.

The acceleration of long positioning stands out compared to previous periods, signaling that traders are willing to commit aggressively to an upside scenario. Sustained support above $2,400–$2,500 could drive further momentum in the next uptrend attempt.

ETF inflows recover after sustained outflowsEthereum ETFs in the United States have returned to positive territory after several sessions of heavy outflows. On October 13, net inflows reached approximately $24.84 million, breaking a streak of 10 consecutive trading sessions of withdrawals.

Of this total, Grayscale’s mini Ethereum ETF contributed about $16.73 million, while Fidelity’s FETH added $8.11 million. This shift is notable, following a previous session with roughly $85.43 million in outflows and a five-day withdrawal sum near $576.9 million.

If institutional demand for Ethereum ETFs continues to recover and ETH remains above $2,500, analysts believe these inflows could provide increased support for a potential rebound.

ETF providerNet inflow (Oct 13)Grayscale mini ETH ETF$16.73 millionFidelity FETH$8.11 millionTotal (all ETH ETFs)$24.84 millionWhale traders show caution despite improvementDespite the positive trends in other data, some large traders remain cautious. Ethereum’s Whale vs Retail Delta, a metric tracking the difference between larger and smaller trader positions, continues to register below zero. This suggests whales still hold more short exposure than retail investors.

CW8900, a crypto market data provider, reports that the imbalance has improved from deeper negative levels seen throughout September. Whale short positions have decreased, although these participants have not fully shifted to a bullish stance.

This cautious posture explains why ETH is still consolidating near $2,500 even as ETF inflows and long positioning improve. A further move upward in the Whale vs Retail Delta, especially with price surging through $2,550–$2,600, would be seen as a signal of growing confidence among larger market players.

Mini dictionary: Whale vs Retail Delta – A metric used to measure the difference in net positions between large traders (“whales”) and retail investors in crypto derivatives markets. A negative value reflects higher short exposure among whales relative to smaller investors.

Key price levels and outlookThe $2,400–$2,500 price area has emerged as Ethereum’s main support. A decisive move above $2,600 could strengthen the bullish case and bring $2,700 back into focus. If this momentum continues, the $3,000 level becomes the next target for traders and analysts tracking historical price patterns.

Bullish traders are watching for a move above $2,600, which could open further upside toward $3,000. Any failure to hold $2,400 support may trigger renewed selling and a deeper reset.

The situation remains fluid, with further gains requiring both increased spot demand and continued flows into ETFs. Conversely, a return of significant short exposure from whales or renewed outflows from ETFs could undermine the recent improvements and delay a full recovery.

Ethereum staking has long had a cover charge. Myrmidon Staking is trying to lower it to roughly the price of a nice lunch.

The Denmark-based validator operator has launched the Myrmidon Staking ETH Pool, a pooled staking product built on Lido V3 stVaults. Users can stake with as little as 0.01 ETH. The product went live on October 14, 2026, and Lido itself promoted the launch.

What Myrmidon is actually offering
The pool runs on Lido’s stVaults, the modular staking infrastructure introduced with Lido V3. Myrmidon also uses Lido’s DeFi Wrapper toolkit, which is designed for pooled delegated staking setups.

The economics are straightforward. Myrmidon charges a node operator fee of 10% on staking rewards. Stakers keep the rest of what their ETH earns, and the fee only applies to rewards, not to the principal deposited.

The pool also carries a reserve ratio of 50%, one of the configurable risk settings within the stVaults framework.

Myrmidon has set a modest goal: 1,000 ETH staked in the new pool within 12 months of launch.

For those who want to go directly, the pool’s staking address, 0x456…409322, is listed on lido.fi.

The operator behind the pool
Myrmidon has run Ethereum validators since 2023 and reports a zero slashing record over that stretch. At its peak, Myrmidon’s validator operation managed approximately 1,200 ETH.

The company has also collected some credentials along the way. It received stVaults Professional Operator status from Lido, a designation meant to signal that an operator meets the protocol’s standards for running vaults. Myrmidon was also the first live pool using Northstake SVM.

How Lido V3 set the stage
This launch is a downstream product of a bigger architectural shift at Lido. Lido V3 hit mainnet on January 30, 2026, introducing a modular design that lets third parties build customized staking products on top of Lido’s infrastructure. Operators can now design their own vaults with their own fees, risk settings and target audiences, while still plugging into Lido’s tooling.

Roughly nine months separate the V3 mainnet launch from Myrmidon’s pool going live.

What this means for stakers and the staking market
For smaller ETH holders, the most obvious change is the entry price. A 0.01 ETH minimum means people who were previously priced out of running a validator now have another option with a named operator and a track record attached.

The fee structure deserves a closer look. A 10% cut of rewards is the main cost stakers pay for not running their own hardware. Users should also understand how the 50% reserve ratio and the DeFi Wrapper mechanics affect their position before depositing.

There are still risks worth naming. Pooled staking concentrates trust in the operator and in the smart contracts underpinning the vault. A spotless slashing history is encouraging, but it describes the past, not a guarantee about the future.

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

The market is continuing to bet heavily on the potential altseason.

Technically, the setup looks more and more interesting. Following the ETH/BTC 20% rally in Q3, traders are already positioning for another move higher in Q4, with early accumulation signs starting to show.

However, Bitcoin dominance has broken over 60%, indicating that capital is still flowing towards the flagship crypto, which makes a general altcoin breakout not so certain for now.

And yet, Lookonchain spotted a big whale rotation in the last three days. The whale sold 1,074.36 BTC equal to $89.5 million and bought 36,159 ETH.

Naturally, the question becomes: Is this whale positioning ahead of a potential Ethereum rally, with the border market now catching up to the hype? 

Source: X
From an on-chain perspective, this does seem to be the case.

According to Santiment data, Ethereum FOMO is growing, with ETH rapidly becoming a favorite among bulls. On X, Reddit, and Telegram, ETH is registering 2.05 bullish comments for every bearish comment.

Bitcoin is the opposite, with 0.82 bullish comments per bearish comment. Rejected levels around $87k, a slide toward $81k, heavy liquidation of long positions, and macro pressure have pushed sentiment toward fear.

Notably, this shift is also seen in the derivatives market. As the post above highlights, ETH/BTC longs are going parabolic as Bitfinex traders are increasingly betting on Ethereum [ETH] to outperform Bitcoin [BTC].

In short, traders are positioning for an ETH-led rally, potentially hinting at an early rotation into altcoins.

Ethereum hype builds as USDT borrowing against Bitcoin jumps 
The timing of this rotation between BTC and ETH is crucial.

An analyst recently reported that $6 billion in USDC had been minted this month, adding fresh liquidity to the crypto market. However, with BTC dominance of over 60%, it appears that Bitcoin is still gathering the most capital.

However, according to data from CryptoQuant, this may be about to change.

As the chart below shows, the amount of USDT borrowed by users who hold $10 million or more in BTC has jumped by 83% last month. This suggests that whales have used their BTC as collateral to unlock funds and buy more crypto. In short, risk appetite may soon be on the rise.

Source: CryptoQuant
This is where on-chain signals start to converge. Whale rotation is picking up, ETH longs are increasing, and ETH/BTC gained 20% in Q3.

Now, with USDT borrowing against BTC jumping 83%, traders could be positioning for another Ethereum/Bitcoin rally and a subsequent rotation into altcoins in Q4.

Final Summary

USDT borrowing against BTC jumped 83%, hinting at rising risk appetite.
ETH/BTC’s 20% Q3 rally could set the stage for an altcoin rotation.

Stellar (XLM) declined by approximately 3.6% on October 14, trading near $0.184, as the token continued to struggle despite new partnerships and increasing institutional involvement in its blockchain. The drop extended recent losses, keeping Stellar below the $0.20 level even as industry initiatives signal a growing role for its infrastructure in global finance.

Institutional Expansion Meets Token Price WeaknessStellar’s ongoing efforts to modernize traditional finance have been highlighted by collaboration with the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), which processes infrastructure for trillions of dollars in traditional financial assets annually. In May, DTCC announced plans to connect its tokenization platform with the Stellar public blockchain, aiming to bring eligible assets onto Stellar’s network by the first half of 2027.

Assets under consideration include prominent US equities such as Russell 1000 stocks, major exchange-traded funds, and US Treasury securities. These plans, however, remain in development, and no such assets have yet been moved onto the Stellar blockchain.

DTCC custodianship covers more than $114 trillion in assets, illustrating the scale of the opportunity. While the announcement initially boosted optimism for Stellar, XLM’s price has since decoupled from the pace of institutional adoption.

XLM’s recent decline highlights a growing gap between advances in financial tokenization and the investment demand for its native cryptocurrency. The underlying infrastructure may attract institutional interest, but this does not guarantee increased market value for XLM itself.

One critical factor behind XLM’s price difficulties involves how the Stellar network operates. Institutional activity, such as securities or stablecoin transfers, does not require holding an equivalent amount of XLM, as the token’s primary role is to cover transaction fees and minimum balances.

MoneyGram Deepens Its Stellar PartnershipBeyond securities tokenization, Stellar’s institutional expansion is also evident through its partnership with MoneyGram. The payments company, along with the Stellar Development Foundation, has recently strengthened their alliance by rolling out stablecoin-powered services and digital-dollar solutions across Latin America.

MoneyGram’s extensive network now supports receiving, holding, and withdrawing funds using stablecoin integrations, making the transfer of digital assets easier for users in the region. Additionally, MoneyGram has joined Stellar’s ecosystem as a Tier 1 validator, joining other institutional nodes such as Figure Markets and Range. This move is expected to reinforce Stellar’s technological reliability and governance.

Despite these advances and a surge in tokenized real-world asset volumes, volatility in XLM persists. Analysts point out that the network’s evolution does not necessarily translate into direct purchasing demand for XLM, mirroring adoption trends throughout the crypto sector.

Meme Tokens and Market MonitoringDetailed observation of market cycles has become increasingly vital in the crypto sector, especially with the rising prominence of meme tokens. In this space, viral trends can rapidly catch fire, drawing millions of dollars of interest within a matter of days. Data from Fomo App pointed to the example of “Niu Lai,” where an initial purchase of just $99 ballooned to approximately $370,000. For participants, monitoring the timing, investor choices, and price movements is essential. Fomo App aggregates token discovery, social activity, investor rankings, and trade notifications in a unified platform, helping traders keep pace with the swift dynamics of meme coins and investor sentiment.

XLM Price Levels and Broader Macro TrendsBroader conditions in the cryptocurrency market have also weighed on XLM’s performance. Recent data shows Bitcoin’s dominance climbing toward 60%, with overall trading activity in altcoins diminishing, suggesting a shift toward larger, more established cryptocurrencies.

Macroeconomic concerns have added pressure. The US inflation rate rose to 3.7% in September, raising expectations that the Federal Reserve could maintain tighter financial conditions and reduce speculative inflows to digital assets.

Market participants are closely watching the $0.182 to $0.185 zone, historically a region where buyers have emerged. A conclusive move below this range could shift attention to the next psychological support near $0.18, while a sustained recovery above $0.19 would signal the first signs of stabilization. The $0.20 threshold remains a key marker following the recent selloff.

While institutional involvement with the Stellar blockchain is growing, wider adoption does not directly fuel sustained demand for XLM, especially as regulatory shifts, inflation, and competitive pressures continue to shape the market environment.

6 hours ago

StarkWare has opened OffMarket to the public, allowing users to trade on Polymarket without publicly linking their positions to existing accounts. The service has been in limited beta testing since August, leveraging zero-knowledge technology and sharing a privacy pool on Starknet. Current per-account deposit limits are set at 1,000 USDC, with adjustments planned based on demand. Prediction orders still execute on Polymarket with the same counterparties and at identical market prices. The service is non-custodial, with user keys remaining stored locally in users’ browsers. Additionally, Polymarket transaction records are public on Polygon, with positions, order sizes, and trading history all viewable. OffMarket still does not fully prevent others from inferring a trader’s identity through trade size or timing, as market quotes and executions themselves remain public. This product is not an official Polymarket offering, has no formal partnership or special access privileges, and is part of Polymarket’s Verified Builder Program, retaining its geographic restrictions including a ban on U.S. users. Independent compliance firm Financial Privacy Inc. holds the master viewing key for sanction screening and required disclosures under lawful requests. L2BEAT data shows that the shared privacy pool on Starknet currently holds approximately $1.5 million in total value across 17,000 deposits.

Scan the QR code

Download APP

The European Banking Authority (EBA) announced that it has classified USDC, issued by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS, as an Important Electronic Money Token (EMT) under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation. To date, 45 EMTs in the EU have completed notification under MiCA, with USDC being the first to be designated as an Important EMT. Starting November 12, 2026, USDC will be subject to dual supervision for Important EMTs under MiCA: direct regulatory responsibilities for own funds, asset reserves, liquidity requirements, and recovery and redemption plans will be transferred from the French Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority (ACPR) to the EBA; ACPR will retain oversight of governance, qualifying holdings, suitability assessments, outsourcing, and conflicts of interest. USDC is issued by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS in the EU and Circle Internet Financial, LLC in the U.S. The EBA has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the New York State Department of Financial Services to facilitate cooperation and information exchange on cross-border stablecoin activities.

Relevant content

Ledger: German retail and distribution inventory devices show no signs of tampering, and no financial loss reports have been received across Europe.

Hardware wallet provider Ledger’s security team Donjon has updated on a German-related report, stating that after receiving a report from a German user, it inspected inventory devices at retail outlets and distributors in the country, including products at the named stores, and found no signs of tampering. Ledger also noted that there have been no reports of financial losses linked to hardware implants across Europe. Separately, regarding the suspected abnormal devices circulating online, the security team has not obtained physical units for testing. It has now invited holders of such devices to send them to Ledger’s security team for further analysis, with investigation results to be made public.

4 hours ago

Hyperliquid HIP-3 Cumulative Revenue Reaches $75 Million

Hyperliquid’s HIP-3 has generated a total of $75 million in cumulative revenue, with $37.5 million going to deployers and the remaining $37.5 million allocated for repurchasing and burning Hyperliquid’s native token. HIP-3, the Builder-deployed perpetual contract mechanism, allows eligible deployers to launch their own perpetual markets on Hyperliquid: they can define oracles, contract specifications, and manage operations, while leveraging the protocol’s core infrastructure such as order books and liquidation systems. Fees from these markets are typically split 50/50 between deployers and the protocol, with the protocol’s revenue share used for token repurchases and burns.

4 hours ago

xAI releases Grok Voice 3.0, topping Speech-to-Speech benchmarks.

Beating AI Express News: xAI has launched its speech-to-speech model Grok Voice 3.0, claiming it ranks first on the Speech-to-Speech Index in an independent test by Artificial Analysis, scoring 86.9 points—higher than Grok Voice 2.0 (81.3), GPT-Live-1 (83.2), and Gemini 3.8 Live (82.6). The model also features end-to-end latency of under 1 second. It is now available via the Voice Agent API, priced at $0.08 per minute, matching the previous generation; agents using the "grok-voice-latest" tag will automatically switch to the new model. According to xAI, Grok Voice handles millions of daily conversations for Tesla and SpaceX: Starlink’s customer service center receives around 20,000 calls daily, with roughly 70% resolved without human intervention, and about a quarter of sales calls resulting in a purchase before the call ends. On benchmarks, Grok Voice scores 74% accuracy on ServiceNow EVA-Bench and 71.6% on τ-Voice, which the company says is comparable to GPT-Live-1 but with roughly 40% lower latency.

4 hours ago

White House Crypto Committee 'effectively defunct' as Executive Director Patrick Witt’s secondment is set to expire.

Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett said she emailed the White House three times over the past week to inquire whether Patrick Witt still serves as executive director of the White House Crypto Council, and received no reply. Witt himself declined to comment.
Sources familiar with the matter disclosed that Witt, a U.S. Department of Defense employee temporarily seconded to the White House Crypto Council, has reached or is nearing the end of his secondment, with his reappointment status unclear. Earlier this year, he delayed his service in the Georgia National Guard, and is expected to resume his military service soon.
Terrett added that Harry Jung, deputy director of the White House Crypto Council, left his post at the end of July, and after David Sacks’ tenure as Crypto and AI “tsar” concluded, Witt is now the only remaining staff member of the council.
The crypto policy community is now debating: after the CLARITY Act (officially the Crypto Market Structure Act) failed to advance in the Senate, whether the White House still prioritizes the crypto industry.
The relevant personnel changes have not yet been officially confirmed by the White House.

4 hours ago

US stocks slump, with the optical communication sector leading the decline; semiconductor, storage, and crypto-related stocks all fall across the board, and Strategy drops 5.8%.

According to market data from BIT (bit.com), during U.S. stock trading hours, the S&P 500 index’s decline widened to 1.1%, the Nasdaq fell 1.64%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.3%. Semiconductor, storage, optical communication, and crypto-related stocks all fell across the board, with the optical communication sector leading losses, as most major individual stocks in the sector declined by over 7%. In the semiconductor and storage sectors: Seagate Technology (STX) fell 2.8%; Western Digital (WDC) dropped 3.2%; SanDisk (SNDK) declined 4.7%; Micron Technology (MU) fell 3.3%; NVIDIA (NVDA) dropped 2.9%; Intel (INTC) fell 4.2%; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) declined 5.3%. Among crypto-related stocks: Strategy (MSTR) fell 5.8%; Coinbase (COIN) dropped 4.6%; Circle (CRCL) declined 6.4%; BitMine Immersion (BMNR) fell 5.3%; SharpLink Gaming (SBET) dropped 7.4%. In the optical communication sector: Pure Photonics ETF (FOTO) fell 6.2%; Marvell Technology (MRVL) dropped 5.8%; AAOI (Applied Optoelectronics) declined 9.8%; LITE (Lumentum Holdings) fell 7.2%; COHR (Coherent Corp.) dropped 7.8%; CIEN (Ciena Corporation) declined 7.8%.

4 hours ago

OpenAI accuses a former employee of leaking confidential data before joining Apple, as the intellectual property rights dispute escalates once more.

According to Reuters, OpenAI has accused a former employee of sending more than 100 files related to the company’s unreleased devices to his personal account before leaving to join Apple, and subsequently presenting the relevant products to Apple’s senior management. Apple had earlier filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging the latter stole trade secrets of its unreleased hardware products, marking a further escalation of the intellectual property dispute over hardware technology between the two parties.

4 hours ago

Zcash (ZEC) gained 2% on Wednesday, extending the previous day’s 4% rally and recovering much of Monday’s losses. The privacy-focused cryptocurrency traded near $1,264 as buyers attempted to surpass nearby resistance levels, yet persistent outflows from Grayscale’s ZCSH fund continued to create uncertainty for demand.

Ongoing withdrawals from Grayscale’s ZCSH fundGrayscale, a major digital asset management company known for its crypto investment products, recorded $5.19 million in net outflows from its ZCSH fund on Tuesday. The fund, which offers institutional exposure to Zcash, also saw $1.66 million withdrawn on Monday and a total of $30.72 million in redemptions over the previous week. This brings net withdrawals for the opening two days of the week to $6.85 million.

The selling pressure has persisted since late September, following Grayscale’s three-for-one share split in the ZCSH fund on September 30. While the timing of the split coincides with increased redemptions, there is no direct evidence linking the two events.

These figures indicate that, despite the recent rebound in ZEC’s spot price, institutional investors have not increased their exposure through the fund. Redemptions remain a challenge as traders monitor whether the latest advance in price can evolve into a longer-term recovery.

For a turnaround in institutional demand, a reduction in fund outflows or a return to net positive inflows would offer clearer confirmation of renewed interest alongside rising price momentum.

Persistent redemptions from Grayscale’s ZCSH fund highlight ongoing caution among institutional investors, which continues to affect the market’s demand outlook for Zcash.

Mini dictionary: Grayscale is a leading digital asset management company that offers investment products allowing institutional and accredited investors exposure to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Zcash without direct ownership.

DateZCSH Fund Net OutflowsMonday$1.66 millionTuesday$5.19 millionPrevious week$30.72 millionTechnical outlook for Zcash: Key resistance at $1,320ZEC has rebounded from Tuesday’s low near $1,123 and is now testing its 50-period and 200-period exponential moving averages on the four-hour chart. These averages are positioned at approximately $1,261 and $1,269, respectively. With ZEC trading at $1,264, the token sits above the shorter-term average but remains just below the longer-term threshold.

A confirmed break above this moving-average band could bolster the bullish recovery in the near term. Conversely, failure to hold this zone leaves ZEC vulnerable to renewed selling pressure. Stronger validation of the recovery would require ZEC to surpass and establish support above $1,320, which marks Monday’s local high.

If ZEC manages to clear $1,320, analysts identify $1,422—September 18’s low—as the next major resistance. However, if momentum fades, support may be found at Thursday’s low near $1,115, with additional support at $1,050 (the September 4 high) and the psychological $1,000 mark.

Momentum indicators present a mixed picture: the Relative Strength Index stands at 48, slightly below its neutral midpoint, while the Moving Average Convergence Divergence metric is marginally bullish.

The technical structure for Zcash remains uncertain, with immediate outlooks tied closely to whether buyers can sustain momentum above the moving-average zone and break through $1,320 resistance.

Mini dictionary: The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a technical indicator measuring the speed and change of price movements to assess whether a cryptocurrency is overbought or oversold. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is another technical tool used to identify trend direction and potential momentum shifts by comparing two moving averages of a security’s price.

Key LevelPrice ($)Significance50-period EMA1,261Short-term resistance/support200-period EMA1,269Long-term resistance/supportMonday local high1,320Breakout targetNext upside target1,422Major resistanceImmediate support1,115Recent lowNext support1,050September 4 highPsychological support1,000Round number thresholdZcash’s near-term direction depends on buyers’ ability to sustain momentum and overcome resistance. A breakout above $1,320 would reinforce the recovery, while failure could expose support zones below.