Crypto authorizations granted to a contract remain active as long as you don’t withdraw them. From May 5, 2026, attackers exploited this rule. They withdrew approximately 1.42 million dollars from 31 addresses, thanks to authorizations given to a router of the Ekubo protocol. The main victim had granted theirs 158 days earlier, according to the founder of SlowMist.
In Brief $1.42 million: that’s how much attackers drained starting May 5, 2026, using approvals users had granted to an Ekubo router. 158 days: the age of the unlimited approval that cost the main victim about 17 WBTC. 60%: the share of unlimited approvals on Ethereum, according to a 2022 study of transactions through July 2021. May 6, 2026: the day after the first drain, Ekubo’s founder proposed ERC-8255, a standard for approvals that expire by default. A crypto authorization does not stop with the transaction To exchange a token on a decentralized application, you first sign an authorization. This message thus allows a contract to withdraw your tokens on your behalf. The ERC-20 standard stipulates that it can do so “multiple times, up to the set amount”. However, your wallet does not always display what you are signing, as shown in our article on clear signing.
Moreover, this authorization has no end date. The official ethereum.org guide on revocation states plainly: “There is no expiration date on contract permissions.” They can therefore be used years later.
Disconnecting from the site does not change anything either. The authorization exists in the token’s contract, on the blockchain, and not in your browser. According to the same guide, the project therefore retains access to your tokens after disconnection. Your digital wallet does indeed keep your keys, not your authorizations. You must then revoke the authorization to cut this access.
The amount then poses a second problem. Many applications request unlimited access, so as not to ask again at each exchange. A university study published in 2022 measured this on transactions made up to July 31, 2021. At the time, 60% of authorizations on Ethereum were for an unlimited amount.
Crypto authorizations: what you think you accept When you validate an exchange, you think you authorize only that single operation. In reality, the authorization goes further. It allows the contract to take a token amount, at any time, until withdrawn.
As long as the contract functions well, it only withdraws for your own operations. However, a code flaw can allow a third party to trigger the withdrawal. The authorization does not verify who calls the contract. It only checks that the contract has the right to take your tokens.
Ekubo has revised its own explanation. On May 8, its report probably attributed large authorizations to users who raised the ceiling themselves. On May 16, the text changed. The team indicates that its interface may have created some of these authorizations and no longer tries to attribute their origin.
Ekubo: how a forgotten router drained wallets Ekubo is an exchange protocol present on Starknet and on several blockchains compatible with Ethereum. The attack targeted the HuffRouter, a router optimized to reduce fees, deployed on Ethereum and Arbitrum. Its users had indeed given it the right to withdraw their tokens to execute their exchanges.
A data parsing bug in HuffRouter […] allowed a caller to add arbitrary bytes after a otherwise valid exchange path, and have them interpreted as data set by the router upon settlement.
Specifically, the attacker could designate any user as the payer of an exchange. Anyone who had authorized this router thus became a target. The first withdrawal was on May 5, 2026, at 5:50 p.m. UTC.
Ekubo estimates losses at around 1.42 million dollars, across 31 addresses. However, a single address lost about 17 WBTC, or nearly 1.37 million dollars, as well as 0.34 cbBTC. It therefore concentrates 98% of the total. The attack did not affect the liquidity providers nor the Starknet version of the protocol.
The team also acknowledges not having audited this contract. They considered its risk low. According to them, authorizations could be limited, and exchanges via the interface should remain small and rare. These routers can no longer be modified: they “remain vulnerable,” the report specifies. Ekubo then deployed on June 23 a reimbursement fund, capped per address and voluntarily paid by its DAO.
Socket, LI.FI, SwapNet: the same pattern for years Ekubo is not an isolated case. The site Revoke.cash lists these attacks in its annual report. It counts 9 authorization exploits in 2025, totaling just over 6 million dollars. In 2024, they had cost 80 million.
In July 2024, the LI.FI platform lost about 11.6 million dollars, taken from 153 wallets. According to the report published by LI.FI, the flaw only affected unlimited authorizations. In January 2024, a similar flaw at Socket targeted about 200 users, all with unlimited access.
In January 2026, 18 users lost 13.43 million dollars through SwapNet’s contracts. According to the post-mortem of the Matcha Meta platform, victims had disabled the one-time use authorization offered by default. Matcha notes, however, that a precise unused amount also left funds exposed.
These attacks differ from signature scams. In that case, a fake site makes you sign an authorization for the scammer. This type of theft cost 83.85 million dollars in 2025, according to the 2025 report from security company ScamSniffer.
Reducing the risk of crypto authorizations The first reflex is to limit the amount. MetaMask allows setting a spending cap when signing. Their official help is clear: “Never grant unlimited (astronomically high) authorizations.”
Then, clean up regularly. The tool Revoke.cash displays your crypto authorizations on more than 80 networks. The verifier on the Etherscan explorer does the same on Ethereum. Revoking one authorization at a time is free, excluding network fees. Revoke.cash charges 1.50 dollars per batch revocation. In a January 2024 advisory, the police and cybersecurity agency of Singapore also recommend reviewing and revoking large authorizations.
Finally, some applications already limit the duration. The Uniswap application uses Permit2 and grants 30-day authorizations, according to its help center. However, you first give an authorization to the Permit2 contract itself, and that one does not expire. On Starknet, tokens follow the same model as Ethereum, without expiration.
ERC-8255 wants authorizations to expire by default On May 6, 2026, Moody Salem, founder of Ekubo, submitted the project ERC-8255 on the EIP site. Its principle is simple: a classic authorization would expire after a maximum duration, set by each token. A new function would also allow granting a shorter authorization, down to a single block.
The text first adds new functions, compatible with existing applications. However, it changes the behavior of ordinary authorizations, which divides developers. On the Ethereum Magicians forum, some prefer to leave the classic authorization untouched. Researcher pcaversaccio believes instead that “authorizations have always been a bug, not a feature” (editorial translation).
Other approaches also exist. The ERC-7674 proposal provides for authorizations erased at the end of the transaction. Since the Pectra update of May 2025, a compatible wallet can also bundle authorization and exchange in a single operation.
As of October 18, 2026, ERC-8255 remained a project, and its text referenced no implementation. The Ekubo routers targeted on May 5 cannot be modified. Their unlimited authorizations therefore only disappear if each user revokes them. Our comparison of the most secure crypto wallets presents other available protections.
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Independent author, specialized in decentralized artificial intelligence and crypto ecosystems. I analyze projects by what they actually do, not by the noise around them. Openly a supporter of the Qubic project: my articles about Qubic and its direct competitors carry a disclosure.
Dogecoin wallet and app teams unite in push to give DOGE more everyday uses. (Dogecoin)Summary
Dogecoin Labs will combine the MyDoge wallet, DogeOS application network and Such App merchant tools to expand ways for DOGE holders to use and spend their coins.MyDoge says it has more than 500,000 users, while Such App already supports invoices and in-person QR payments. DogeOS, which remains unfinished, has opened a public test network for developers. Featured applications are listed as “coming soon,” and a proposed security link that would let Dogecoin’s network verify its applications is still in draft form.The teams behind a Dogecoin DOGE$0.08370 wallet, an application network and merchant payment tools are combining to form Dogecoin Labs in an effort to give DOGE holders more places to spend and use their coins.
Dogecoin Labs, formed in partnership with the Dogecoin Foundation, will own and operate MyDoge, DogeOS and Such App, according to an announcement shared with CoinDesk. Jordan Jefferson, founder of MyDoge and DogeOS, will lead it as CEO.
The plan connects three parts of a potential DOGE business ecosystem. Developers build applications on DogeOS, holders find them through MyDoge and merchants use Such App to accept payments. Such App’s beta already supports invoices and in-person QR payments, while its connection to DogeOS remains in the planning stage.
Dogecoin is one of the oldest cryptocurrencies, created in 2013 as a joke and featuring a shiba inu image. The token has advanced 3.9% in the past 24 hours and was recently trading around 8.2 cents.
MyDoge said it has grown to more than 500,000 users without paid acquisition. Its recently released V3 update connects the wallet to applications being built on DogeOS. The announcement does not specify how many wallet users are active or have tried those applications.
The foundation and House of Doge, its commercial arm, are contributing intellectual property and development teams. The foundation will continue its open-source development support, advocacy and community work, while Labs concentrates on products and commercial opportunities.
DogeOS opened its public test network on Sept. 30, allowing developers to build Ethereum-style lending services, exchanges and games using test DOGE. Dogecoin itself handles coin transfers, so those applications run on a separate system.
Three weeks later, DogeOS’s public user guide still marks its featured applications as “coming soon.”
Its planned security link to the Dogecoin blockchain also needs further work. DogeOS wants Dogecoin’s own network to check mathematical proofs that its applications ran correctly. A proposed rule change enabling that remains a draft. Until the link is implemented, users will have to rely on DogeOS’s selected operators and hardware to check that the applications work.
Read More: Dogecoin gets DeFi testnet as DogeOS bets miners will eventually secure its apps
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
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A series of security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in internet infrastructure software within a single day, affecting PHP, Node.js, and Go.
Multiple internet infrastructure software projects rolled out security updates in a single day, addressing vulnerabilities including remote code execution, TLS certificate validation bypass, and certificate trust risks. PHP fixed two critical flaws: CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, both enabling unauthenticated remote code execution that impacts PHP environments processing web requests. The patched versions are 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35. Node.js’ advisory details 10 vulnerabilities, four of which are high-severity: these include remote code execution via out-of-bounds write in the Brotli decoder, DNS name truncation, and two TLS certificate hostname validation bypass issues. Fixed versions are 26.12.1, 24.22.1, and 22.23.4. Additionally, Go’s crypto/x509-related risk is tracked as CVE-2026-111943, rated "Important" by Red Hat with a CVSS 3.1 score of 6.8. Attackers with specific network access and valid certificates could impersonate legitimate servers to intercept or alter communications. Go 1.26.10 and 1.27.3 have been added to a deny list, blocking trust for compromised intermediate certificates.
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Dataline completes $10.6 million seed round funding, and plans to conduct an ICO.
Decentralized data network for AI agents Dataline has closed a $10.6 million seed round, co-led by Lattice and Samsung-backed Dispersion Capital, with participation from Symbolic Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Anagram, and Robinhood co-founder & CEO Vlad Tenev, among others. The round, completed in April, utilized a SAFE agreement with token warrants; valuation was not disclosed. Dataline is now live, covering approximately 50 data sources to deliver on-chain and off-chain data, and scores data reliability, timeliness, and consistency using AI. Proceeds will be allocated to expanding data sources, enhancing data validation, and expanding into robotics, AI training data, and other sectors. Dataline plans to launch a token by the end of 2026 for network payments and data access, and intends to conduct a public token sale on Base via Uniswap’s Continuous Clearing Auction (CCA) system, with details set to be revealed next week. The public sale’s target fundraising amount, token quantity, and other terms remain undisclosed.
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Trump plans to leverage White House cyber crime efforts to showcase achievements in combating cross-border crypto fraud.
White House officials said on October 21 that Trump planned to focus on the U.S. government’s actions to crack down on overseas crypto fraud rings during the White House’s cybersecurity event that day, including recovering funds and shutting down fraudulent operations. These transnational criminal groups steal funds from U.S. citizens via romance scams, phishing, ransomware and other methods. The U.S. government noted that law enforcement agencies have seized approximately $833 million in crypto assets linked to overseas fraud, and shut down 503 fraudulent crypto websites under the supervision of the Homeland Security Task Force. Relevant authorities have also notified nearly 9,000 U.S. citizens to alert them they are being targeted by fraud. The U.S. Treasury Department previously announced the establishment of an inter-agency "Fraud Strike Task Force" to target "pig butchering" scams run by organized criminal groups in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines. Since last year, the U.S. has also imposed multiple sanctions aimed at cutting off support for related fraud websites and their infrastructure.
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American Bankers Association voices dissatisfaction with OCC’s final GENIUS Act rule, which abandons proposed restrictions on stablecoin yields.
Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that the American Bankers Association (ABA) has voiced dissatisfaction with the final rules implemented by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) under the GENIUS Act. The OCC abandoned the previously proposed restrictions on stablecoin yields, a move the ABA argues will "maintain the status quo for crypto platforms." The ABA’s CEO stated: "It is a mistake to wait until deposit outflows and economic harm have already occurred before attempting to address these issues."
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Beyond PHP, three Node.js version branches are also affected by high-severity vulnerabilities, and users need to update their runtime environments promptly.
Node.js rolled out a security update on October 21, covering its 26.x, 24.x, and 22.x version branches, with corresponding patched releases: 26.12.1, 24.22.1, and 22.23.4. The advisory details 10 total vulnerabilities, categorized as 4 critical-severity, 3 medium-severity, and 3 low-severity, with varying impact scopes across the three version lines. The critical CVE-2026-111497 is an out-of-bounds write flaw in the Brotli decoder that could enable remote code execution (RCE), affecting all three branches. Other critical issues include improper null character handling in DNS resolution and a TLS certificate hostname validation bypass. The update also resolves problems with persistent connection response processing, random number cache duplication, and permission models, while updating dependencies including c-ares, OpenSSL, and Undici. The official note warns that end-of-life (EOL) versions may still be vulnerable, advising users to use the latest supported releases. Separately, prior reports noted PHP has fixed two critical unauthenticated RCE vulnerabilities, with patches available for versions 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35; PHP users are urged to upgrade immediately.
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Bonk Guy: This round is the "privacy cycle", privacy protocol MASK is undervalued.
Renowned trader Bonk Guy posted that the current crypto market is showing characteristics of a "privacy cycle". He noted that since yesterday, Bitcoin has risen approximately 3%, ZEC is up 16%, adding over $3 billion in market capitalization. MASK currently has a market cap of roughly $26 million, with its protocol trading volume and fees hitting consecutive all-time highs, he added. Citing data from DefiLlama, he stated that MASK ranks first among privacy protocols by revenue, outearning the next 10 privacy protocols combined. By comparison, ZEC’s market cap gain over the past 24 hours is roughly 115 times MASK’s entire market cap. Bonk Guy also said that MASK’s upcoming deployment on Solana is set to launch in the coming days, which he expects will further drive growth in usage, trading volume, and fees. He went on to call MASK the most undervalued privacy protocol in the crypto market.
Dogecoin now has a dedicated product shop. Dogecoin Labs, a new independent organization announced on October 21, 2026, will consolidate the teams behind MyDoge, DogeOS, and Such App.
The group was formed in collaboration with the Dogecoin Foundation. Its pitch is simple: give people more things to actually do with DOGE.
Three teams, one roadmap
Dogecoin Labs is built around three projects. Each one covers a different layer of how someone might use DOGE day to day.
MyDoge is described as the leading Dogecoin wallet. It passed 500,000 users by October 2026, and it reached that number without paid user acquisition.
DogeOS is an EVM-compatible app layer that lets Dogecoin plug into the library of tools built for Ethereum-style apps. EVM stands for Ethereum Virtual Machine, the software environment that runs smart contracts on Ethereum and many compatible networks. Being EVM-compatible means developers can build for DogeOS with tooling they likely already know, rather than learning a new system from scratch.
DogeOS launched its public testnet, called Chikyū, on September 30, 2026. DogeOS also raised $6.9 million in seed funding in May 2025, in a round led by Polychain Capital.
Such App is the commerce piece. It centers on merchant tools such as invoicing and QR payments, and it had been slated for a first-half 2026 launch.
Wallet meets app layer
The integration work has already started. MyDoge has brought in features from DogeOS, connecting the wallet people already use to the newer app layer.
The stated aim is to stretch DOGE’s usefulness across payments, DeFi, gaming, and commerce. DeFi, short for decentralized finance, covers lending, trading, and other financial services that run on code instead of through banks.
Why consolidation, and why now
The organization says it wants to improve the experience for a large holder base and encourage an on-chain economy. The partnership with the Dogecoin Foundation signals coordination rather than a splinter effort, though Dogecoin Labs is described as independent.
The timeline shows the pieces moving into place over time. Seed money for DogeOS arrived in May 2025, the Chikyū testnet went public at the end of September 2026, and the umbrella organization followed weeks later.
What this means for DOGE holders and builders
A few things are worth watching. The first is how DogeOS moves from its Chikyū testnet toward a production launch. The second is whether developers actually show up, as EVM compatibility places DogeOS in a crowded field of EVM-compatible environments competing for the same builders. The third is merchant adoption through Such App. MyDoge’s 500,000-plus users give Dogecoin Labs a ready distribution channel, and how many of those users try the DogeOS features will be an early signal of real demand.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Kaye Quema. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Dogecoin Labs, a new organization announced on October 21, 2026, brings three DOGE-focused projects under a single banner: the MyDoge wallet, the DogeOS application layer and the payments-focused Such App. The stated goal is to move DOGE into payments, decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming and consumer apps.
What Dogecoin Labs actually brings together Dogecoin Labs is backed by the Dogecoin Foundation. It is described as a joint effort between the Foundation and House of Doge.
CEO Jordan Jefferson co-founded both MyDoge and DogeOS, so two of the three projects were already in his orbit.
MyDoge is the consumer entry point. The wallet has more than 500,000 users, and its V3 update is designed to integrate apps built on DogeOS.
DogeOS is the developer layer. It is a zero-knowledge rollup that supports Ethereum-compatible smart contracts and lets developers use Dogecoin to pay transaction fees.
Such App handles the real-world side. It is built around self-custodial wallets and in-person QR code payments in DOGE, with some early beta features already live.
The testnet, the funding and the gaps DogeOS opened its public testnet, named Chikyū, on September 30, 2026. Projects on the testnet reportedly include lending protocols, liquidity management tools, perpetual trading and stablecoin products.
No timeline has been announced for a DogeOS mainnet.
DogeOS raised $6.9 million in a seed round in May 2025, led by Polychain Capital.
Why Dogecoin needed an upgrade path Dogecoin’s base ledger has always been deliberately simple, moving coins from one address to another and not much else. Without native smart contract support, DOGE has largely sat on the sidelines while other networks built lending markets, trading venues and stablecoin systems.
Dogecoin Labs says it intends to expand functionality while preserving the integrity and simplicity of the original Dogecoin ledger. The rollup design is how it plans to square that circle.
What this means for DOGE holders and builders For holders, if DogeOS goes live and developers ship lending, trading and stablecoin apps, DOGE becomes a fee token for that activity. But utility only shows up in the numbers when users actually transact, and none of that happens on a testnet.
MyDoge’s user base of more than 500,000 gives builders a ready-made audience. Such App gives them a potential merchant-facing channel. DogeOS gives them the tools.
The key signals going forward are a DogeOS mainnet announcement, the number of testnet projects that actually migrate to live deployment, growth in MyDoge’s user count after the V3 integration, and whether Such App moves beyond its early beta features.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Dogecoin Labs brings MyDoge, DogeOS and Such App together under CEO Jordan Jefferson.
MyDoge reports over 500,000 users, while DogeOS opened its public testnet on September 30.
Such App supports DOGE invoicing and QR payments, with further integration still planned.
The Dogecoin Foundation will continue supporting open-source development while the new company manages commercial products.
The launch follows Bitwise’s decision to close its Dogecoin ETF amid weak investor demand.
Dogecoin Labs launched on October 21 in partnership with the Dogecoin Foundation, bringing three Dogecoin products under one company. The new organization plans to expand how holders use DOGE for payments, consumer applications, and other everyday services.
Dogecoin Labs Brings Three Products Together
Jordan Jefferson, who founded MyDoge and DogeOS, will serve as chief executive. Dogecoin Labs will oversee the MyDoge wallet, DogeOS application platform, and Such App, alongside development resources contributed by the Foundation and House of Doge.
MyDoge reports more than 500,000 users. Its V3 release connects wallet holders with applications built on DogeOS, giving developers a way to reach people who already hold DOGE.
DogeOS opened its public test network on September 30. Developers can use familiar Ethereum tools to test lending, trading, and gaming applications. The platform has not announced a main network launch date, and some planned security features remain unfinished.
Dogecoin Payments Expand Beyond Tipping
Such App, developed by House of Doge and Brag House, offers invoices and in-person QR payments. The planned DogeOS connection remains unfinished. Its merchant focus comes as Cross River Bank plans to integrate Ripple’s RLUSD into its banking system.
The Such App beta lets merchants request DOGE payments from customers. However, Dogecoin Labs has not said when merchants will access DogeOS applications through the platform.
Dogecoin Labs plans to support commerce, decentralized finance, gaming and consumer products. Jefferson said the company would bring existing development teams together rather than leave wallet, application and payment projects operating separately.
The wider payments market is changing too. Polygon completed its Coinme acquisition on October 14, extending its regulated payment services across 48 US states. The transaction is separate from Dogecoin Labs.
Dogecoin ETF Closure Adds Market Context
The Foundation will continue handling open-source work and community programs while Dogecoin Labs manages commercial products. Foundation director Tim Stebbing said the new company would focus on turning community interest into services people can use.
The launch follows a difficult period for Dogecoin investment products. Bitwise ended trading in its Dogecoin ETF on October 14 after weak demand. Separately, Dogecoin whales added about 600 million DOGE between October 12 and 16, according to analyst estimates. DogeOS still operates a test network, and Such App’s wider integration remains planned.
Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
Dogecoin (DOGE) price in focus as deep holder losses spark hopes for a near-term recovery. Dogecoin (DOGE) 365-day MVRV is near 0.74 (average loss for recent holders), according to Santiment.
MVRV helps to show if recent buyers are sitting on excessive profits or painful losses. High MVRV can be a warning that profit-taking risk is building up, while low MVRV can signal areas where selling pressure is closer to exhaustion. Traders can use those extremes to judge risk and crowd positioning rather than relying on price alone.
🚨 XRP And DOGE Flashing Strong MVRV Opportunity Signals 🐕 $DOGE is standing out among top caps, with its 365-day MVRV near 0.74, meaning recent holders are deeply underwater on average. $XRP sits around 0.92, also placing traders in net losses and creating a historically more favorable, lower-risk opportunity zone than when holders are sitting on large profits. ⚖️ $BTC, $ETH and $LINK look much more neutral. Their 365-day MVRVs cluster around 0.97 to 1.04, suggesting average traders are near breakeven with little evidence of either extreme profit-taking risk or unusually deep capitulation. 🧭 MVRV helps show whether recent buyers are sitting on excessive profits or painful losses. High MVRV can warn that profit-taking risk is building, while low MVRV can identify areas where selling pressure may be closer to exhaustion. Traders can use those extremes to judge risk and crowd positioning rather than relying on price alone. 🔗 Our Live MVRV Comparison Chart: https://t.co/XNOJTzhB9K
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— Santiment Intelligence (@SantimentData) October 20, 2026 This MVRV opportunity arises as Dogecoin rebounds alongside the broader crypto markets as investors await fresh data for insights ahead of next week's Federal Reserve interest rate decision.
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At the time of writing, Dogecoin was up 3.38% in the last 24 hours to $0.0819 after reaching an intraday high of $0.082 following yesterday's sharp surge.
In the short term, traders will be looking for evidence that DOGE can establish support and build on the current recovery. In this scenario, a run-up to $0.10 is ultimately expected, achieving a double-digit cent price but bulls will have to surmount key resistance levels at $0.087 and $0.088 at the daily MA 200 and 50, respectively.
Dogecoin Labs launchesDogecoin Labs is being formed by the teams behind the Dogecoin wallet, an application network, and merchant payment tools, with the goal of providing DOGE holders with more locations to spend and utilize their coins.
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Dogecoin Labs, which was formed in partnership with the Dogecoin Foundation, announced in a recent release that it will own and operate MyDoge, DogeOS and Such App.
The company will concentrate on broadening the utility of Dogecoin through consumer applications, payments, commerce, DeFi, gaming and other goods, while the Foundation will continue to be responsible for ecosystem stewardship and open-source development.
The announcement comes at a time when Dogecoin's foray into traditional finance has failed to spark enduring investor interest, with Bitwise about to shut down its Dogecoin ETF.
Dogecoin Labs takes over the MyDoge wallet, DogeOS and Such App as the Foundation’s new commercial partner. House of Doge exchanges its exclusive Foundation deal for equity in Labs and a long-term license. DOGE is pressing against its first major resistance since the October low while the broader trend still points down. Fees on DogeOS are paid in DOGE, which makes app usage the clearest route to new demand for the coin. The teams behind Dogecoin’s largest wallet and its new application layer launched Dogecoin Labs with the Dogecoin Foundation on October 21, creating one for-profit company to run MyDoge, DogeOS and the Such App payments tool, on the same day the DOGE price rose 4.1% to $0.08236, according to CoinMarketCap data at the time of writing, and reached its first serious resistance since the October 19 low. The two stories feed into each other. Labs is a company built specifically to give DOGE an economy of apps and merchants, while the chart shows a market that still has to be convinced, with the coin about 22% below its September 22 high and trading under the moving average that defines its longer-term trend.
The Price Sellers Keep Guarding The rebound started at $0.07606, where a long lower wick on the 4-hour chart showed buyers absorbing the final leg of the selloff. Measured from the September 22 spike at $0.10589 to that low, the first Fibonacci retracement level sits at $0.0831, the point at which DOGE would have won back a little under a quarter of the entire decline. That same price stopped the October 16 bounce, the last in a sequence of falling peaks at $0.0875 on October 12 and $0.0855 on October 14, which followed a death cross on October 8-9 when the 50-period moving average dropped below the 200-period one.
DOGE/USDT 4H chart. Source: TradingView / Alexander Stefanov Buyers have improved the short-term structure since the weekend. DOGE set a higher low near $0.0790 on October 20, and a strong candle then lifted it back above the 50-period EMA at $0.08157, a line it has held since. The RSI climbed to 61.77, its highest reading since early October, which shows buying pressure building while the indicator still sits below the 70 area where rallies usually start to look stretched.
Level Role What happens there $0.0910 Upside target Old range floor from September $0.0859 Trend filter 200-period EMA, decides the trend $0.0831 Testing now A close above ends the lower highs $0.0761 Last line October 19 low, new lows below A 4-hour close above $0.0831 would end the run of lower highs and open the way to the 200-period EMA at $0.0859, the level that separates a short-term bounce from a genuine change in trend. Another rejection would send DOGE back toward $0.0816 and the $0.0790 higher low, and a break under $0.0761 would push the downtrend into new lows for this move.
MyDoge, DogeOS and Such App Merge Jordan Jefferson, founder of MyDoge and DogeOS, becomes chief executive of Labs and will run it with DogeOS co-founder Alex Lewis and Dogecoin Foundation director Tim Stebbing, who leaves the House of Doge board to join the new company. MyDoge is a self-custodial wallet, meaning users keep their own keys, and the team reports more than 500,000 users. DogeOS can run the same smart-contract code used on Ethereum, which lets developers port lending, trading and gaming apps, and Such App is a beta tool for DOGE invoices and in-store QR payments. The plan is a closed loop in which developers launch on DogeOS, MyDoge puts those apps in front of holders, and merchants collect DOGE through Such App.
Dogecoin’s base chain stays exactly as it is, because DogeOS runs as a separate layer that records its state back to the Dogecoin network. That layer is still early. Its public testnet opened on September 30 with no mainnet date, featured apps are listed as coming soon, a single approved operator currently orders transactions, and the proposed upgrade that would let Dogecoin miners verify DogeOS activity remains a draft.
House of Doge Gives Up Its Exclusive Deal House of Doge, which until now held the Foundation’s exclusive commercial agreement and reached Nasdaq under the HODO ticker after a merger agreement with Brag House, will hand product, engineering and commercial teams to Labs in exchange for a strategic equity stake of undisclosed size. Its exclusive commercial agreement with the Foundation becomes a long-term license, Labs takes over as the Foundation’s official commercial partner, and House of Doge keeps its work with 21Shares on the TDOG and TXXD funds listed on Nasdaq and a Dogecoin ETP on the SIX Swiss Exchange. CEO Marco Margiotta said the change lowers overhead and future capital needs, freeing money for tokenized alternative investments and the company’s sports holdings. Closing conditions still apply to parts of the transfer.
Player New job Keeps Dogecoin Labs Builder MyDoge, DogeOS, Such App Dogecoin Foundation Steward Open-source and community work House of Doge Shareholder 21Shares funds, sports assets Source: Dogecoin Labs and House of Doge, October 21.
Bitwise Pays Out Its Last DOGE ETF Holders on October 22 Bitwise announced in September that it would liquidate its Dogecoin ETF, and the fund’s remaining holders receive cash on October 22 at the value of their shares as of October 21. BWOW held well under $1M in assets by early September, a sign that a stock-market listing alone did little to pull in DOGE buyers, many of whom already hold the coin directly on crypto exchanges.
One Fund Closes as DOGE Builds
Sep 10: Bitwise announces BWOW liquidation
Sep 30: DogeOS public testnet opens
Oct 14: Last BWOW trading day
Oct 19: DOGE bottoms at $0.0761
Oct 21: Dogecoin Labs launches
Oct 22: BWOW cash payout to holders
DOGE Gas Fees Are the Demand Test The most direct link between Labs and the DOGE price sits in a technical detail. DogeOS charges its network fees in DOGE, so every swap, loan or game transaction on the layer requires the coin, which gives holders a built-in reason to keep DOGE beyond speculation and payments. That demand has to outrun supply, since the network issues roughly 5 billion new coins a year, worth about $410M at the current price. Merchants on Such App can also convert payments straight into dollars or stablecoins, and 500,000 wallet users says little about how many are active each week, so fee volume on DogeOS, once real money moves through it, will say far more about demand than the headline user count.
An SEC Filing Could Price the Stake The terms of the deal may surface before any DogeOS usage data does. As a Nasdaq-listed company, House of Doge would typically report a material agreement of this kind in an SEC filing, which could reveal both the equity percentage it received and the value assigned to the teams and assets it handed over. That figure would also give the market its first outside estimate of what Dogecoin Labs is worth before its main product has reached mainnet.
Alex is a financial markets journalist and co-founder of Millennial Media Group, and he's spent close to ten years trying to answer one stubborn question: what's really driving this? It started in 2016, when Bitcoin refused to make sense to him - and rather than shrug, he stayed with it until it did. That patience became his method. He's less interested in what an asset is doing today than in the plumbing behind it: how liquidity flows, where risk hides, what a chart is quietly telling you that the headline isn't. That lens eventually stretched well past crypto into traditional markets, because the same forces - fear, leverage, incentives, timing - show up everywhere once you know how to look. Most coverage, in his view, insults the reader by stopping at the surface. Price up, price down, moving on. He'd rather leave someone genuinely understanding a move than merely informed that it happened. His path into markets ran through a Tourism degree at New Bulgarian University - proof, maybe, that curiosity beats credentials. With more than 200 deep analyses and over 10,000 articles behind him, he still walks away from most trading days having learned something he didn't know that morning.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
The launch of the independent structure Dogecoin Labs has provoked a big wave of attention within the crypto industry. The coin's official account on X has already supported the large-scale merger of product teams, reinforcing the news with the iconic "Shibes" motto and bringing the event to the top of social media trends.
Until now, Dogecoin has developed chaotically: wallets, smart contracts, and trading gateways were handled by isolated groups of enthusiasts. The new structure, created in partnership with the non-profit Dogecoin Foundation, is designed to centralize these efforts.
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The organization is headed by Jordan Jefferson, the creator of MyDoge and DogeOS.
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Three ready-made products are coming under the control of Dogecoin Labs at once. DogeOS, an operating system that is currently introducing smart contracts to the network in a public testnet, will be responsible for the technical base. The audience will be provided by the MyDoge crypto wallet (version V3) with a base of more than 500,000 users. Commercial integration and QR payments for real businesses will be handled by the team behind the Such App service.
In addition, the investment platform House of Doge Inc. (NASDAQ: HODO) has transferred its personnel and intellectual property to the project. The goal is pragmatic: to turn DOGE from a purely speculative instrument into a fully fledged means of payment.
And how much does one DOGE cost now?The spot market reacted to the changes inside the ecosystem with pointed calm. The coin is more likely feeling out a local bottom after a prolonged decline than preparing to soar. On Wednesday, the DOGE/USD rate froze at around $0.0820, showing a purely symbolic daily gain of 0.05%.
On the weekly chart, the dynamics are slightly more upbeat: a gain of 3.37% within the $0.079–$0.082 range. The external background nevertheless remains complicated: investors are still digesting the September closure of the DOGE ETF from Bitwise.
This reorganization is a direct attempt to protect Dogecoin from an outflow of institutional capital. DOGE-developing enthusiasts want to prove that the coin's colossal retail reach can be converted into real business. Investors have so far taken a wait-and-see position and are watching what the first practical steps of the unified team will be.
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No wonder the market refuses to price in positivity in advance. Dogecoin has been associated exclusively with speculative hype and random tweets for too long for investors to instantly believe in its corporate rebirth.
Until Dogecoin Labs shows real transaction volumes through its new trading gateways and stable operation of smart contracts on the mainnet, any loud slogans about the merger of teams will remain, for exchange charts, merely beautiful background noise.
The new company, led by MyDoge and DogeOS founder Jordan Jefferson, takes over DOGE's wallet, app layer and payments app as House of Doge steps back for an equity stake.
Dogecoin Labs launches as the Dogecoin Foundation's commercial partner
Posted October 21, 2026 at 11:10 am ET.
Dogecoin Labs, a new company set up with the Dogecoin Foundation, launched on Wednesday to run three DOGE products: the MyDoge wallet, the DogeOS application layer and Such App, a merchant payments tool.
Jordan Jefferson, who founded MyDoge and DogeOS, is CEO. Tim Stebbing, a Dogecoin Foundation director, is also a director of Labs. The Foundation signed an agreement making Labs its official commercial partner, while it keeps its stewardship, open-source and community role.
“No other digital asset has Dogecoin’s combination of liquidity, community and cultural reach, and its potential has barely been tapped,” Jefferson said in the announcement.
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What Labs Is Building
DogeOS, an EVM-compatible app environment for DOGE, opened a public testnet on Sept. 30. Neither release gave a mainnet date. MyDoge, which says it has more than 500,000 users, recently rolled out V3. Such App’s beta handles invoicing and in-person QR payments, with a DogeOS integration planned.
Stebbing said Labs gives the community a way to build “products people use, while preserving the principles and open development model at the heart of Dogecoin.”
House of Doge Steps Back
House of Doge (NASDAQ: HODO), until now the Foundation’s exclusive commercial partner, said it is moving parts of its Dogecoin product, engineering and commercial operations into Labs for an equity stake. Neither company disclosed the stake’s size or a valuation. Its exclusive agreement with the Foundation becomes a long-term license, which lets it keep working with 21Shares on the Dogecoin ETF (TDOG), the 2x Long Dogecoin ETF (TXXD) and a Dogecoin ETP on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
House of Doge called the agreements definitive but listed closing conditions among the risks in its forward-looking statements. Its release also names Alex Lewis, a fellow founder of DogeOS and MyDoge, among Labs’ leaders, and says Stebbing is leaving its board for Labs.
CEO Marco Margiotta said in the company’s release that the deal helps House of Doge focus on “tokenizing alternative investment products and unlocking value from our strategic investments in sports.”
Related Listen: Why Memecoins Are Crushing Real World Assets on Robinhood Chain
AI-assisted content: This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by a member of the Unchained editorial team before publication.
In brief
Dogecoin Labs launched together with the Dogecoin Foundation, consolidating the meme coin’s scattered products, IP, and development teams.
Led by CEO Jordan Jefferson, it aims to close the gap between Dogecoin’s massive community and its thin lineup of real apps.
It builds on recent groundwork: DogeOS’s Sept. 30 testnet and MyDoge’s 500,000-plus users.
Dogecoin is getting a dedicated company to build out its ecosystem, as the teams behind the meme coin’s biggest consumer products fold into a single organization aimed at giving DOGE more everyday uses.
Announced Tuesday, Dogecoin Labs was formed together with the Dogecoin Foundation to consolidate the products, intellectual property, and development teams scattered across the Dogecoin world into one independent outfit.
Myriad: Where does Solana go next? Click to make your prediction.It will own and operate three flagship products: the MyDoge wallet, the DogeOS app platform, and Such App, a merchant-payments tool, with assets and talent contributed by both the Foundation and House of Doge.
The pitch is to close a gap the company sees as Dogecoin’s defining weakness. Despite ranking among the largest and most recognizable cryptocurrencies, with deep liquidity, millions of holders and one of crypto’s most active communities, the number of actual products and businesses built on DOGE remains small relative to that audience. Dogecoin Labs, led by CEO Jordan Jefferson, the founder of MyDoge and DogeOS, intends to change that by building wallets, payments, commerce, trading, DeFi, gaming, AI and social apps.
“No other digital asset has Dogecoin’s combination of liquidity, community and cultural reach, and its potential has barely been tapped,” Jefferson said, adding that the community has chanted “DOGE to $1” for years and that the goal now is “to build the economy that ambition calls for.”
The move builds on recent groundwork. DogeOS opened its public testnet on Sept. 30, giving developers an Ethereum-compatible environment to build Dogecoin apps, while MyDoge, which grew past 500,000 users without paid acquisition, rolled out a V3 update connecting the wallet to those applications. Together with Such App’s merchant rails, the three products are meant to link developers, consumers and businesses into a functioning DOGE economy.
The Foundation will continue its stewardship, open-source support and advocacy while Labs handles commercial product development.
The reorganization arrives during a soft stretch for the token. DOGE traded around $0.084 on Tuesday, up 3.9% on the day for a roughly $13 billion market cap, but down about 14% over the past month and off roughly 88% from its May 2021 record.
Dogecoin’s institutional story has been mixed, too: a Dogecoin Foundation-backed 21Shares DOGE ETF launched on Nasdaq this year, though Bitwise later shut its own Dogecoin fund citing low demand and a need to “optimize its product range to meet evolving investor needs.”
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In brief
Dogecoin Labs launched together with the Dogecoin Foundation, consolidating the meme coin’s scattered products, IP, and development teams.
Led by CEO Jordan Jefferson, it aims to close the gap between Dogecoin’s massive community and its thin lineup of real apps.
It builds on recent groundwork: DogeOS’s Sept. 30 testnet and MyDoge’s 500,000-plus users.
Dogecoin is getting a dedicated company to build out its ecosystem, as the teams behind the meme coin’s biggest consumer products fold into a single organization aimed at giving DOGE more everyday uses.
Announced Tuesday, Dogecoin Labs was formed together with the Dogecoin Foundation to consolidate the products, intellectual property, and development teams scattered across the Dogecoin world into one independent outfit.
Myriad: Where does Solana go next? Click to make your prediction.It will own and operate three flagship products: the MyDoge wallet, the DogeOS app platform, and Such App, a merchant-payments tool, with assets and talent contributed by both the Foundation and House of Doge.
The pitch is to close a gap the company sees as Dogecoin’s defining weakness. Despite ranking among the largest and most recognizable cryptocurrencies, with deep liquidity, millions of holders and one of crypto’s most active communities, the number of actual products and businesses built on DOGE remains small relative to that audience. Dogecoin Labs, led by CEO Jordan Jefferson, the founder of MyDoge and DogeOS, intends to change that by building wallets, payments, commerce, trading, DeFi, gaming, AI and social apps.
“No other digital asset has Dogecoin’s combination of liquidity, community and cultural reach, and its potential has barely been tapped,” Jefferson said, adding that the community has chanted “DOGE to $1” for years and that the goal now is “to build the economy that ambition calls for.”
The move builds on recent groundwork. DogeOS opened its public testnet on Sept. 30, giving developers an Ethereum-compatible environment to build Dogecoin apps, while MyDoge, which grew past 500,000 users without paid acquisition, rolled out a V3 update connecting the wallet to those applications. Together with Such App’s merchant rails, the three products are meant to link developers, consumers and businesses into a functioning DOGE economy.
The Foundation will continue its stewardship, open-source support and advocacy while Labs handles commercial product development.
The reorganization arrives during a soft stretch for the token. DOGE traded around $0.084 on Tuesday, up 3.9% on the day for a roughly $13 billion market cap, but down about 14% over the past month and off roughly 88% from its May 2021 record.
Dogecoin’s institutional story has been mixed, too: a Dogecoin Foundation-backed 21Shares DOGE ETF launched on Nasdaq this year, though Bitwise later shut its own Dogecoin fund citing low demand and a need to “optimize its product range to meet evolving investor needs.”
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Dogecoin Labs, an independent structure designed to steer Dogecoin’s development, has officially launched, attracting significant attention across the crypto community. The official Dogecoin account on X lent its support by referencing the well-known “Shibes” motto, propelling the announcement to trending status on social platforms.
New direction for Dogecoin developmentHistorically, Dogecoin’s ecosystem has lacked cohesive management, with wallets, smart contracts, and trading gateways all built by separate groups of volunteers and enthusiasts. Dogecoin Labs, founded in collaboration with the non-profit Dogecoin Foundation, now seeks to unify these efforts and offers centralized guidance for future projects.
Dogecoin Labs is led by Jordan Jefferson, the creator of the MyDoge wallet and DogeOS, an operating system tailored for the Dogecoin network.
Three core products will now operate under the Lab’s structure: DogeOS, which is piloting smart contract functionality on a public testnet; MyDoge wallet (V3), serving more than 500,000 users; and the Such App team, which is responsible for commercial integration and enabling QR code payments for real-world businesses.
Additionally, personnel and intellectual property from House of Doge Inc.—a NASDAQ-listed investment platform—have transitioned to Dogecoin Labs. This consolidation is intended to evolve DOGE from what has often been viewed as a speculative asset into a credible, widely accepted tool for transactions.
Mini dictionary: Dogecoin Foundation, a non-profit organization that oversees Dogecoin development and provides legal and organizational backing for the project.
Market reaction remains cautiousDespite the organizational overhaul, the DOGE spot market displayed limited enthusiasm. The token hovered near $0.0820 on Wednesday, reflecting a modest daily increase of 0.05% following a lengthy downtrend. Over the past week, DOGE has gained 3.37%, trading within the $0.079 to $0.082 price band.
PeriodDOGE/USD PriceChangeDaily$0.0820+0.05%Weekly$0.079–$0.082+3.37%Market sentiment remains influenced by external factors, notably the September closure of the Bitwise DOGE ETF, which has contributed to investor uncertainty. The reorganization appears to be a strategic move aimed at retaining institutional interest in Dogecoin by demonstrating potential for real-world use cases and organizational maturity.
Investors await operational progressAnalysts view this consolidation as a way for Dogecoin advocates to show that its vast user base can support sustainable business activity. However, most investors are taking a cautious, wait-and-see approach, monitoring for tangible results from the now unified development efforts.
Dogecoin has remained associated with speculative volatility and viral social media moments for years; the market remains skeptical until Dogecoin Labs demonstrates measurable transaction volumes and reliable smart contract operations on the mainnet.
The broader community believes that only proven, on-chain metrics—such as increased transaction activity through integrated gateways and the successful deployment of smart contracts—will shift sentiment and move DOGE beyond its meme-driven legacy.
For now, market participants hold back from premature optimism, awaiting evidence that Dogecoin’s shift toward corporate-style management will translate into real progress and sustained growth.
Cardano Monthly Chart Shows ADA Rebounding From Major Support as $0.59 Pivot Comes Into Focus.
Cardano is attempting to recover from one of its most important long-term support areas after ADA briefly fell toward the low-$0.13 to $0.15 region in June 2026.
The monthly chart shows price back near $0.22, but the broader structure remains under pressure, with ADA still trapped beneath a multi-year descending resistance line and well below the $0.594 pivot needed to strengthen a larger recovery.
ADA’s monthly Binance chart shows price near $0.2232 after rebounding from major long-term support. The central pivot sits at $0.594, followed by resistance levels at $0.914, $1.495, $1.815, $2.135 and $2.456.
The Binance ADA/USDT monthly candle shown on the chart opened at $0.2465, reached a high of $0.2824, and fell as low as $0.2111 before trading around $0.2232. That leaves the candle down roughly 9.5%.
Despite the latest weakness, the more important development sits underneath price. ADA recently tested the lower portion of its long-term structure and has so far avoided breaking the major support established around the $0.13-$0.15 region.
ADA Is Still Inside a Multi-Year Descending Structure
The larger chart remains defined by lower highs.
A descending resistance line begins around Cardano’s 2021 peak above $3 and continues through subsequent cycle highs.
ADA’s 2025 recovery toward roughly $1.20 failed beneath this broader structure, after which price resumed its decline.
A second falling trendline underneath price forms the lower boundary of the structure. ADA recently approached this area before rebounding, leaving the current move looking more like an attempt to establish a long-term floor than a confirmed trend reversal.
For bulls, holding above the $0.13-$0.15 area is therefore important. Another sustained move below that region would expose the lower boundary and weaken the current base.
$0.594 Is the First Major Recovery Pivot
The chart’s traditional pivot levels provide a clear roadmap above current price.
The central pivot sits at $0.594. From $0.2232, ADA would need to gain roughly 166% just to reach that level.
That shows how much technical damage still needs to be repaired.
These are not immediate price targets. They are progressively higher pivot resistance levels that would only become relevant if ADA first builds a durable recovery and breaks through the descending macro resistance.
The $0.91 area is especially notable because it overlaps with a region that previously attracted significant price activity.
Beyond that, $1.49 would mark a much larger recovery into the upper half of the long-term range.
Momentum Is Improving, but Not Yet Bullish
ADA’s monthly RSI is around 40.9, slightly below its accompanying average near 41.8.
That keeps momentum below the neutral 50 level, showing that the broader trend has not yet turned convincingly bullish.
The Stochastic RSI offers a slightly more constructive signal. Its readings sit around 22 and 15, with the indicator beginning to turn higher from the lower end of its range.
That can accompany an early rebound, but price confirmation is still required.
The volume profile also shows substantial historical activity below current price, particularly across the lower price bands, reinforcing the importance of the broader base.
For now, ADA’s monthly setup remains a support-recovery story rather than a breakout story. Holding the low-$0.10 support area would preserve the possibility of a larger bottom, while reclaiming $0.594 would be the first substantial sign that the multi-year decline is beginning to reverse.
Cardano is flashing a bearish signal that could precede another significant price decline, according to Ali Martinez, a popular market commentator.
Taking to X, Martinez highlighted a bearish shift in an important Cardano indicator, warning of potential downside risks. However, large ADA holders have yet to demonstrate a clear selling bias, making the $0.21 support level a critical area to watch.
Cardano Whales Show No Clear Selling Bias
Martinez explained that changes in the holdings of ADA whales, from 100 million to 1 billion tokens, have historically coincided with significant price movements. However, these large investors have held stable positions since October 10.
During this period, their combined holdings fluctuated between 2.72 billion and 2.76 billion ADA. This limited movement suggests that major holders have yet to establish their next line of movement.
Consequently, Martinez is monitoring these wallets for signs of distribution, which could indicate that large investors are beginning to reduce their exposure to ADA. A sustained decline in their holdings could reinforce concerns about mounting selling pressure.
Cardano Whale Holdings
SuperTrend Indicator Flashes Bearish Warning
While Cardano whale activity remains stable, its SuperTrend indicator has turned bearish, raising concerns about ADA’s near-term outlook.
Martinez identified May 22 as the last time the indicator flashed a similar signal. At the time, ADA traded around $0.25 before plunging to around $0.135, marking a decline of about 46%. Rumors that Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson was leaving the ecosystem further intensified the downturn.
Although this previous correction highlights the potential severity of a bearish reversal, Martinez stressed that it does not guarantee that ADA will repeat the same price action.
Martinez SuperTrend Indicator
ADA Risks Falling to $0.17 if $0.21 Support Breaks
According to Martinez, $0.21 marks the lower boundary of Cardano’s rising price channel and represents a critical support level that could determine its next major move.
A daily close below this threshold would signal a breakdown of the channel, potentially exposing ADA to a decline toward $0.17. From $0.21, such a move would represent a drop of 19%.
Martinez ADA Daily Chart
Crypto Tony Also Warns of ADA Downside
Meanwhile, Martinez is not the only analyst expressing concerns about Cardano’s price outlook. Widely followed crypto analyst Crypto Tony recently warned that ADA could fall to $0.19 after failing to overcome resistance around $0.23.
His projection suggests that ADA could face further losses if sellers maintain control around this resistance zone. Consequently, the token’s ability to reclaim $0.23 could prove important in determining whether it can regain upward momentum or face another downturn.
Nevertheless, ADA has continued to trade above the crucial $0.21 support level while attempting to break through the $0.23 resistance zone.
At press time, ADA traded at $0.2243, representing a 3.79% gain over the previous 24 hours. Despite this short-term recovery, the token remained down 4.44% over the past week and 3.7% over the past month.
Six blockchain organizations, including the Cardano Foundation, have asked the US Securities and Exchange Commission to make its “digital commodity” definition official. They want it written into the binding text of a proposed rule, not left in guidance that can change.
The joint comment letter landed on October 20, 2026, the last day of the public comment period.
Who signed and what they want The co-signers are Aptos Labs, Ava Labs, Cardano Foundation, Chainlink Labs, Hedera, and Stellar Development Foundation. Together they represent the teams behind APT, AVAX, ADA, LINK, HBAR, and XLM.
Their target is the SEC’s proposed Regulation Crypto Assets rule. The letter urges the agency to firmly codify the digital commodity definition within the rule’s operative text.
That detail matters more than it sounds. The operative text is the part of a regulation that actually binds. Preambles, footnotes, and staff guidance can explain or interpret a rule, but they carry less weight.
The groups argue that putting the definition in the rule itself would give developers and other participants long-term regulatory certainty. A token’s status would not hinge on how the next set of officials reads informal guidance.
Taylor Barr, head of policy at Chainlink, framed the push around durability. He emphasized that building lasting regulatory foundations into US law would help keep the country an attractive place for digital asset innovation.
The March footnote that set the stage The six tokens tied to the letter already share some regulatory history. ADA, XLM, HBAR, APT, AVAX, and LINK were referenced in a footnote of the SEC’s March 17, 2026 guidance.
That footnote connected the tokens to futures regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The CFTC oversees commodity derivatives, while the SEC oversees securities. Which side of that line a token falls on shapes how it can be listed, traded, and marketed in the US.
Being named in a footnote is a signal. It is not a guarantee. Footnotes in guidance documents do not have the legal staying power of rule text, which helps explain why the issuers behind these tokens want something sturdier.
The comment period formally closed on October 20, 2026. The SEC may still continue accepting feedback after that date, so the October filing may not be the final word from the industry.
Ripple files its own letter The six-party coalition was not the only voice that day. Ripple submitted a separate comment letter on October 20 that supported the same general effort.
Ripple’s letter focused on refining existing classifications rather than challenging the broader rulemaking.
Why this fight keeps coming back The proposed regulation is meant to address ongoing confusion in the crypto sector about how tokens are treated under US law. That confusion has been sharpened by enforcement actions against major players such as Binance and Coinbase.
The digital commodity label is attractive to token issuers for a straightforward reason. A commodity classification would place a token outside the securities framework that drives much of the SEC’s enforcement activity.
The coalition’s argument is that a definition living in guidance is vulnerable. Guidance can be revised, reinterpreted, or withdrawn with far less process than amending a formal rule.
What this means for the market and builders There are real limits. Comment letters are requests, not outcomes. The SEC is under no obligation to adopt the coalition’s language, and the final rule could look different from the proposal.
The final shape of Regulation Crypto Assets is the key variable. Watch whether the adopted text includes a binding digital commodity definition, and whether it references specific criteria that tokens like ADA would need to meet.
For ADA holders specifically, the letter does not change the token’s legal status today. It puts the Cardano Foundation on record asking the SEC to give the commodity framework, and the tokens tied to it, a firmer legal footing than a footnote can provide.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
One hundred thousand farm lands in India now have a digital identity on the Cardano blockchain. The Cardano Foundation flagged the milestone, which was reached as of October 21, 2026.
The goal is to make farm data easier to verify and easier to reuse. For smallholder farmers who have long been locked out of formal credit and insurance, that could matter far more than any token chart.
What actually got registered
The project assigns each farm parcel a tamper-resistant identity built on satellite-verified data and decentralized identifiers. Attached to each parcel are sustainability histories and crop data. The intended audience is lenders, insurers and traders, the people who decide whether a farmer gets a loan, a policy or a buyer.
The effort is a collaboration between the Syngenta Foundation India and the Agri-Entrepreneur Growth Foundation. A group of technical partners supports the work, including AIQUANT, Anastasia Labs and Andamio.
On-the-ground activity has centered on several districts in Maharashtra, including Achalpur and Anjangaon Surji.
From pilot to 100,000 in a few months
The growth curve is the most striking part of the story. Initial pilot registrations in April and May 2026 landed somewhere between approximately 7,965 and 10,500 farms.
By June 2026, the count had passed 15,000 farms. During parts of the expansion phase, daily registrations hit 500 farms.
The infrastructure is designed to scale to one million farmer registrations, which would put today’s figure at about a tenth of the target.
The expansion plan also envisions deeper integration with India’s agricultural ecosystem. That includes partnerships with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Why fragmented records keep farmers stuck
Smallholder farmers often lack formal documentation, and the records they do have are scattered across different sources. A verified, shareable record of a parcel’s history is meant to change that calculation for lenders and insurers.
A separate initiative is also worth knowing about. IndianChain launched on October 8, 2026, focusing on secure agricultural record-keeping and settlements in Telangana. IndianChain’s target and use case differ from the Maharashtra-focused registration project.
What this means
That said, the coverage of the project points to no direct market price implications. Registering farms is not the same as generating on-chain economic activity, and investors should keep those two things separate.
The real test is downstream. The value of a farm identity depends on whether lenders, insurers and traders actually use it to make decisions.
The involvement of the World Bank and IFC, if those partnerships deepen as envisioned, could be the signal to watch. Development finance institutions have the reach to turn a promising registry into infrastructure that banks rely on.
For now, the numbers to track are clear. Watch how quickly registrations climb toward the one million target, and whether credit and insurance products start appearing on top of the data.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Estefano Gomez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
Cardano Foundation has reported that 100,000 farms in India have been registered on Cardano through 5am.earth’s agricultural data project.
Summary
Cardano Foundation says 100,000 Indian farms are registered on-chain through 5am.earth’s agricultural data project.
Farm records combine local field information, satellite-verified boundaries, and historical sustainability data.
A proposed Seedstars pilot covers 1,000–5,000 farmers, with initial loans ranging from $100–$500.
5am.earth’s treasury proposal seeks 10 million ADA over 18 months through milestone-based payments.
In its Oct. 21 announcement, Cardano Foundation said that the registrations support verifiable, reusable farm records across the project’s ecosystem. The organization linked to a Cardanoscan address and said each transaction there represents an individual farm.
2/ This collaborative project involved many teams: @Catalyst_onX, @AIquantTech, @Syngenta, @SyngentaFndnInd, , @AnastasiaLabs, @VeridianID, @Andamio_Teams, @ZengateGlobal, @NMKR_io, @Elkconnect_web3, Digifarm and numerous others across the Cardano community.
Congratulations…
— Cardano Foundation (@Cardano_CF) October 21, 2026
The project involves 5am.earth and Syngenta Foundation India, with technical contributions from AIQUANT, Anastasia Labs and Andamio. The Foundation’s case study describes a satellite-based system for recording agricultural information, including field boundaries, crop data and sustainability histories.
Cardano farm records combine field checks and satellite evidence
In its explanation of the registration process, 5am.earth describes four stages, beginning with an Agri-Entrepreneur recording information about the farmer, field, and activity where the work takes place. Satellite imagery then checks the field’s boundaries against current observations and its land history.
Identity and consent are attached to the evidence so its source can be traced, according to the project. Farmers can subsequently authorize the same record to support another service or decision.
On its website, 5am.earth says the system anchors identities and information from multiple sources on Cardano while keeping farmers’ personal data private. Its first stated uses cover land-border verification and historical sustainability ratings.
The project describes repeated verification as a cost faced by farmers and service providers. Banks, buyers, insurers, and governments often check the same farmer separately, creating isolated records, according to 5am.earth. Its proposed service lets financial institutions examine field evidence, buyers trace produce to supporting records, and government or nonprofit programs track participation using information already collected.
The Foundation’s case study says farm parcels receive decentralized identifiers linked to satellite-verified boundaries. Sustainability assessments draw on 12 years of biomass and crop data, while the blockchain records verified datasets for independent validation.
The Foundation describes reuse across finance, insurance, government programs, and agricultural trade. Its case study previously listed more than 15,000 farms following mainnet deployment and initial field trials, before the latest announcement put registrations at 100,000.
5am.earth outlines credit pilot with Seedstars
In its Cardano treasury proposal, 5am.earth names the operating project Swaminathan, after Indian agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan. The proposal identifies six active districts in Maharashtra and describes implementation through Syngenta Foundation India’s Agri-Entrepreneur model.
The proposal assigns different roles to commercial and technical partners. DigiFarm provides satellite-based farm verification, Zengate Global handles supply-chain traceability, Andamio records reputation on-chain, and Seedstars supplies credit scoring and loan origination, according to 5am.earth.
For the finance component, the project describes a Seedstars pilot covering 1,000–5,000 farmers. Its proposed initial input loans and working capital range from $100 to $500, with a later scale of $1,000.
Seedstars’ stated role includes using verified agricultural data to produce credit scores and structure loan offers, then feeding repayment information back into the records system. The proposal presents those figures as the pilot’s design, without establishing completed lending to the 100,000 registered farms.
The treasury request seeks 10 million ADA over 18 months. Its proposed payments comprise 5 million ADA on approval, followed by installments of 2 million and 3 million ADA tied to milestones.
Cardano’s industrial projects include fuel records in Brazil
Outside agriculture, the Foundation announced two research-stage applications with Petrobras and PUC-Rio’s Ledger Labs on Sep. 30, as crypto.news previously reported in its coverage of low-carbon fuel tracking.
The aviation project uses a Book-and-Claim model that separates the physical use of sustainable aviation fuel from the allocation of its environmental benefits. According to the Foundation, Cardano records the origin and recipient of each benefit.
The associated case study describes checking certificates before issuing standardized digital tokens. Participants can transfer and inspect those tokens, then retire them once the environmental benefit has been claimed to prevent reuse.
For Petrobras’ renewable-content Diesel R, the Foundation describes digital checkpoints covering production, transportation and use. Connecting those checkpoints would provide a fuel history for emissions accounting.
Both applications form part of the organizations’ research collaboration. Petrobras’ role concerns fuel information and environmental claims, while PUC-Rio’s Ledger Labs contributes through the research work.
Fireblocks support and Leios remain scheduled work
On Sep. 24, the Foundation and Fireblocks announced plans to make Cardano Native Tokens standard assets on the custody platform by March 2027. Their planned native token support would let institutional clients custody, send, and receive assets issued on Cardano.
Fireblocks has supported ADA since 2021. According to the announcement, the new integration covers other Cardano assets, including tokens using the CIP-26 registry standard and CIP-68 metadata standard, with further decentralized-finance integrations to be assessed during 2027.
At the protocol level, Input Output outlined its staged Leios rollout on Oct. 20. The developer targets an initial capacity of three to five times the current ceiling, followed by later steps toward 10–15 times, subject to mainnet results and governance approval.
Input Output says the Dijkstra hard fork will introduce the protocol changes before stake pool operators register new BLS voting keys. Its activation estimate requires registration covering roughly 90–95% of delegated stake, followed by live network load exercises and separate parameter updates to permit more traffic.
Cardano has achieved a rather impressive milestone in real-world adoption: 100,000 farms in India are now registered on the blockchain.
"100,000 farmlands in India are now registered on the Cardano blockchain," the Cardano Foundation said in its X post.
According to the Foundation, the project aims to get all agricultural data on-chain, providing a transparent and verifiable way to track farm data that can be reused across various services.
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The announcement marks significant progress since June. Back then, the Foundation said that about 15,000 Indian farms were registered on the blockchain via the initiative.
Revolutionizing agriculture in IndiaThe project, which was developed in collaboration with Syngenta Foundation India and a number of blockchain tech partners, aims to tackle a big issue for millions of Indian farmers: the lack of agricultural data.
The Cardano Foundation notes that over 100 million small farmers in India are not part of formal economies due to a lack of trusted and verifiable agricultural data.
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The absence of credible information about land boundaries, crop history, and agricultural practices often means farmers cannot obtain much-needed financial services and insurance.
The 5am.earth initiative aims to solve that by utilizing satellite imagery, decentralized identifiers, and blockchain technology.
It provides each farm with a digital identity tied to verified land boundaries from satellite data. The project also includes historical data about agricultural practices, including biomass and crop history from up to 12 years.
Then, it anchors the verified data on the Cardano blockchain so that institutions that use the service can independently verify the agricultural data without needing to collect it again and again.
It's an infrastructure that aims to provide farmers with access to financial services while lowering verification costs for banks, insurance companies, and agribusinesses.
1 million farms next?As the Cardano Foundation explained in its case study, the infrastructure is built in such a way that it could handle up to 1 million farms without requiring additional operating costs.
In addition, the project includes multiple prominent players in the Cardano ecosystem, like AIQUANT, Anastasia Labs, and Andamio.
Cardano Foundation urges EU against expanding MiCA rules to DeFi and stakingLatest NewsPublishedOct 21, 2026
The foundation called for regulation based on financial risks rather than technology, warning that overlapping rules could create uncertainty for crypto businesses across the EU.
The Cardano Foundation has urged the European Union not to introduce new, standalone regulations for decentralized finance and staking, arguing that existing financial laws should govern such activities based on their functions and risks rather than the technologies they use.
In a Wednesday blog post outlining its 19-page Sept. 30 submission to the European Commission, the foundation called for a distinction between direct participation in decentralized networks and financial services provided by intermediaries, particularly those involving custody or control of users’ assets.
“Regulation should follow the substance of an activity, the functions performed, and the risks created, not the technology through which it is conducted,” the foundation wrote.
The foundation said Cardano users can delegate their native ADA (ADA) tokens to help secure the network without surrendering custody or locking their tokens, arguing that such participation should be treated differently from staking services operated by intermediaries.
The submission also called for clearer distinctions between the EU’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) and existing financial laws, warning that overlapping requirements and inconsistent interpretations across member states could create uncertainty for crypto businesses.
The foundation’s position comes as EU regulators consider expanding oversight of crypto services. In September, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) recommended additional safeguards for staking, lending and borrowing, along with a new regulated service category for firms providing access to DeFi protocols.
The Cardano Foundation has also pushed for greater regulatory clarity across the Atlantic, joining five other blockchain organizations in an Oct. 20 letter urging the US Securities and Exchange Commission to formally recognize digital commodities as non-securities under its proposed crypto framework.
Magazine: Can the SEC and CFTC’s pro-crypto rules be overturned? Legal opinion
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Cardano Foundation urges EU against expanding MiCA rules to DeFi and stakingLatest NewsPublishedOct 21, 2026
The foundation called for regulation based on financial risks rather than technology, warning that overlapping rules could create uncertainty for crypto businesses across the EU.
The Cardano Foundation has urged the European Union not to introduce new, standalone regulations for decentralized finance and staking, arguing that existing financial laws should govern such activities based on their functions and risks rather than the technologies they use.
In a Wednesday blog post outlining its 19-page Sept. 30 submission to the European Commission, the foundation called for a distinction between direct participation in decentralized networks and financial services provided by intermediaries, particularly those involving custody or control of users’ assets.
“Regulation should follow the substance of an activity, the functions performed, and the risks created, not the technology through which it is conducted,” the foundation wrote.
The foundation said Cardano users can delegate their native ADA (ADA) tokens to help secure the network without surrendering custody or locking their tokens, arguing that such participation should be treated differently from staking services operated by intermediaries.
The submission also called for clearer distinctions between the EU’s Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA) and existing financial laws, warning that overlapping requirements and inconsistent interpretations across member states could create uncertainty for crypto businesses.
The foundation’s position comes as EU regulators consider expanding oversight of crypto services. In September, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) recommended additional safeguards for staking, lending and borrowing, along with a new regulated service category for firms providing access to DeFi protocols.
The Cardano Foundation has also pushed for greater regulatory clarity across the Atlantic, joining five other blockchain organizations in an Oct. 20 letter urging the US Securities and Exchange Commission to formally recognize digital commodities as non-securities under its proposed crypto framework.
Magazine: Can the SEC and CFTC’s pro-crypto rules be overturned? Legal opinion
Subscribe to daily byte-sized crypto news from Cointelegraph Subscribe Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.
Tether has led a $15 million Series A funding round for New York-based Mural, supporting the financial technology company’s development of payment infrastructure for businesses and artificial intelligence agents.
Summary
Tether led Mural’s $15 million Series A, bringing the New York startup’s total funding to $28 million.
North Island Ventures and existing investors participated, with proceeds allocated to payment infrastructure and international expansion.
Mural has processed $2.1 billion in payments across 128 countries since launching its API in 2025.
The platform connects traditional banking, stablecoins and compliance tools to support payments authorized for AI agents.
Tether recently backed AIsa and Tenstorrent as part of its investments in AI technology.
According to Mural’s October 20 announcement, North Island Ventures and existing investors participated in the financing, bringing its total capital raised to $28 million.
Tether backs Mural as total funding reaches $28 million
Mural plans to use the investment to expand internationally and develop the banking, payment and compliance services needed for software agents to conduct financial transactions.
Founded in 2022 by former Palantir engineers Sinclair Toffa and Chris Fernandes, the company provides infrastructure that businesses use to manage accounts, payment instructions, identity verification and regulatory requirements across banking networks and blockchains.
Its customers include global payroll provider Deel, browser developer Opera and financial technology platform Axexo. Through Mural’s system, businesses can offer accounts holding dollars, local currencies and stablecoins without managing separate financial infrastructure for each payment method.
The company reported processing $2.1 billion in payments for users across 128 countries since introducing its application programming interface in 2025. Payment volume recorded so far in 2026 is nearly six times its total for 2025.
Mural has not disclosed the valuation attached to the latest funding round. Fortune reported that the company previously raised $5 million in seed financing in 2022, followed by additional capital from existing backers.
The financing gives Mural fresh capital to develop services for AI software capable of initiating transactions under instructions established by businesses.
“The economy is about to gain 10 billion new participants, and none of them are human,” Mural CEO Sinclair Toffa said in the announcement.
Toffa described the company’s next stage as extending financial infrastructure beyond businesses and individuals to autonomous software operating on their behalf.
Mural develops payment controls for AI agents
Mural’s infrastructure allows companies to determine how software agents access accounts and execute transactions.
Its account management system includes spending limits, approved counterparties and additional authorization requirements for payments exceeding established thresholds.
For businesses deploying AI agents, the controls determine which transactions automated systems can initiate and which payments require further approval.
The arrangement is designed to work across banking services, payment networks and blockchain systems, giving businesses a consolidated record of financial activity.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino identified Mural’s experience connecting enterprise software with stablecoin payment services as a major consideration behind the investment.
“As agents start moving money, that connection to the banks, payment networks and compliance systems the world still runs on becomes essential,” Ardoino said.
Mural’s founders developed their approach while working at Palantir, where they helped large companies connect software systems performing different functions.
The company now applies a similar model to financial services, with engineers working directly alongside customers to establish integrations across individual markets.
Olek Shtanoprud, Deel’s head of payments, credited the startup’s engineers for their understanding of local payment conditions and their work alongside the payroll company’s team in Colombia.
Mural Technologies is not itself a bank. Its payment services are provided through Mural Networks, a FinCEN-registered money services business, and federally chartered U.S. banking partners where applicable.
Tether expands investments in AI payment infrastructure
The Mural financing follows several investments by Tether in companies developing automated payments, artificial intelligence and financial infrastructure.
On October 15, Tether Capital announced an investment in AIsa, which provides AI agents with access to paid software, data and computing services.
As crypto.news previously reported, AIsa’s financing brought its total funding above $9 million, with Tether and HIVEN joining existing investors including Alibaba and Tribe Capital.
AIsa focuses on enabling automated purchases of digital services, while Mural provides the underlying accounts, permissions and payment infrastructure used by fintech companies.
The investments were announced separately, and neither company has disclosed an integration between the two platforms.
On October 20, Tether Capital joined Tenstorrent’s financing, participating in the AI computing company’s $1.5 billion Series E at a $6.2 billion valuation.
Tenstorrent develops processors, computing systems and software for artificial intelligence workloads. Tether did not disclose its individual contribution or ownership stake in the financing.
The stablecoin issuer has therefore backed companies operating in different parts of the AI industry, including payment services, autonomous software and computing infrastructure.
Mural, meanwhile, recently changed its name from Mural Pay. In an October 14 company statement, Toffa said its existing team, licenses and compliance arrangements would remain unchanged following the rebrand.
Tether Invests in Peso to Expand USD₮ Payment Infrastructure Across Latin America
21 October 2026 – Tether, the largest company in the digital asset industry, led the pre-seed round in Peso, a Bolivian fintech company that provides access to payments, savings, and investments across Latin America. The investment aims to help Peso expand access to fast, low-cost, stablecoin-powered payments in the region while accelerating the use of USD₮ in everyday transactions across retail, institutions, e-commerce, food delivery, ride-hailing, and banking rails.
Peso provides a global USD₮ account that lets users save, spend, invest, and send money across borders from a single app. The company also brings USD₮ payments into the digital services people use every day, starting with Yango, a digital services platform operating in Bolivia, where users can now order food and pay in USD₮ directly in the app. In addition, Peso offers point-of-sale acceptance and virtual accounts in the user’s own name that connect USD₮ directly to the full Bolivian banking system via QR and ACH rails, enabling users to move seamlessly between stablecoins and local fiat.
The investment aligns with Tether’s broader mission to bridge the gap between traditional finance and digital assets by supporting platforms that address real-world financial challenges with stable, liquid, blockchain-powered payment solutions. In doing so, Tether aims to advance the global use of stablecoins and make them more practical and accessible.
The funding will support Peso’s expansion of local on- and off-ramps across its active markets in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina, deepening USD₮’s role as the settlement layer connecting local currencies. It will also accelerate Peso’s broader product roadmap, including its merchant-facing point-of-sale network and virtual account infrastructure, delivering more transparent and accessible financial services to users and merchants across the region.
“Peso is building the kind of everyday-spend infrastructure that turns USD₮ from a savings tool into a payments channel people rely on daily. This aligns with our goal to promote financial inclusion and ensure access to faster, easier, and more interoperable financial services,” said Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether. “By supporting Peso’s growth across the region, we aim to create a new standard for stablecoin-powered solutions.”
“Latin Americans are already using USD₮; what was missing was the infrastructure to spend it in everyday life without friction. This investment lets us accelerate what we have been building: making it possible for anyone in the region to open an account in minutes and use USD₮ daily, from paying by QR code to sending money across borders. That a company like Tether chose a Bolivian startup for this investment is a recognition of the talent and execution capacity that exists here, and we are proud to have them as collaborators at this stage,” said Alejandro Terán, CEO and Co-Founder of Peso.
Not financial or tax advice. PANews content is strictly educational and informational and is not investment advice, financial advice, tax advice, legal advice, or a solicitation to buy or sell any digital asset, security, or financial product. Do your own research and consult qualified advisers.
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A series of security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in internet infrastructure software within a single day, affecting PHP, Node.js, and Go.
Multiple internet infrastructure software projects rolled out security updates in a single day, addressing vulnerabilities including remote code execution, TLS certificate validation bypass, and certificate trust risks. PHP fixed two critical flaws: CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, both enabling unauthenticated remote code execution that impacts PHP environments processing web requests. The patched versions are 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35. Node.js’ advisory details 10 vulnerabilities, four of which are high-severity: these include remote code execution via out-of-bounds write in the Brotli decoder, DNS name truncation, and two TLS certificate hostname validation bypass issues. Fixed versions are 26.12.1, 24.22.1, and 22.23.4. Additionally, Go’s crypto/x509-related risk is tracked as CVE-2026-111943, rated "Important" by Red Hat with a CVSS 3.1 score of 6.8. Attackers with specific network access and valid certificates could impersonate legitimate servers to intercept or alter communications. Go 1.26.10 and 1.27.3 have been added to a deny list, blocking trust for compromised intermediate certificates.
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Tether has led a pre-seed funding round in Peso, a Bolivian fintech startup building payment infrastructure around USD₮ across Latin America.
The size of the check was not disclosed. The investment was announced on October 21, 2026. It lands as Peso begins stepping outside its home market of Bolivia and into three of the region’s larger economies: Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina.
What Peso actually does Users get app-based USD₮ accounts that handle saving, spending, investing, and sending money across borders.
In Bolivia, Peso links into the domestic banking system through QR codes and ACH networks, letting users shift funds between stablecoins and local bank balances.
Peso has also integrated USD₮ payments into Yango, a digital services platform operating in Bolivia. That means users can pay for food delivery and other services in the stablecoin.
What the executives are saying Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino framed the deal as an attempt to set a “new standard” for stablecoin solutions.
Peso CEO Alejandro Terán said the investment shines a light on Bolivian talent and is aimed at making it smoother for people to spend USD₮.
Part of a broader Latin America push In September 2026, Tether backed Plenti with a $3M seed investment. Back in July 2026, it put $20M into Ualá.
The Peso round is the smallest-stage bet of the group so far. Pre-seed is about as early as venture investing gets.
Why Latin America keeps coming up Stablecoins tend to find their warmest reception in places where people have reason to distrust their local currency. Peso’s model addresses that access problem directly by wrapping USD₮ inside a familiar banking-style experience and linking it to local payment systems.
What this means For Peso, the backing brings resources, but the expansion is where the real test begins. Integrating with Bolivia’s banking system is one achievement; replicating that across Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina means dealing with different payment rails, different regulators, and different competitors in each market.
Governments that worry about losing control over their monetary systems may not welcome widespread use of a privately issued dollar token. How regulators in Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina respond to apps like Peso will shape how far this model can scale.
The metrics worth watching are not the funding headlines. They are the usage figures: how many people hold USD₮ in Peso accounts, how often they spend it, and whether integrations like Yango expand into other merchants and services.
Disclosure: This article was edited by John Chen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.
On January 18, 2027, every firm that wants to put a dollar-pegged stablecoin in front of American users will answer to a single federal rulebook for the first time. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency published that rulebook on Tuesday, October 21, 2026, in a final rule that locks in reserve, redemption, capital, and risk-management standards for payment stablecoin issuers — while the industry’s loudest fight, over whether issuers may keep paying yield or rewards, stays a case-by-case question the agency declined to settle in one stroke.
The final rule and its three companion bulletins take effect the same day as the GENIUS Act itself, January 18, 2027. The stakes are written in the market’s own numbers: Tether’s USDT carried a $182.8 billion market capitalization on October 21, and Circle’s USDC another $72.1 billion, according to CoinGecko data — more than $254 billion in dollar substitutes that, from that date forward, must sit inside the framework the OCC just finished. Put against a total cryptocurrency market value of roughly $2.88 trillion, the two largest dollar stablecoins alone are about 8.9 percent of the entire asset class.
Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent framed the moment in historic terms. “The GENIUS Act marks a watershed moment in American finance, further cementing the United States as the crypto capital of the world. Just as President Abraham Lincoln’s National Currency Act of 1863 established a national framework for bank-issued currency, the GENIUS Act establishes a federal framework for payment stablecoins in the digital age,” Bessent said in the agency’s release.
Eighteen Months From Bill to Binding Rule The rule did not arrive quickly. The GENIUS Act was enacted on July 18, 2025, and its implementing framework has been under construction ever since. The OCC published its notice of proposed rulemaking on March 2, 2026, closed the formal comment window on May 1, and kept accepting late comments through July 1. By the time the final rule landed, roughly 328 comments had stacked up from crypto firms, trade groups, banks, academics, and individuals — a signal of how much the industry had riding on the details.
The gap between enactment and effective date spans 18 months, but the sharper arithmetic sits in the tail. The OCC finalized its rule 233 days after proposing it, and issuers now have exactly 89 days from publication to bring operations into line before the framework becomes binding. That compressed runway is the piece that will occupy compliance teams between now and January.
For readers new to the statute, what the GENIUS Act actually requires is a three-category licensing system: bank subsidiaries, federally qualified nonbank issuers, and state-qualified issuers under a $10 billion ceiling. The OCC’s part of that architecture is now finished, apart from the anti-money-laundering chapter still sitting in a separate rulemaking.
The provision that drew the most heat never left the statute: a payment stablecoin issuer may not pay “interest or yield to a payment stablecoin holder solely in connection with the holding, use, or retention of such payment stablecoin.” The proposal tried to police evasion with a rebuttable presumption that certain affiliate and third-party payments violated the ban. Commenters tore at it from both directions.
Some wanted the presumption broadened, or argued that a presumption was inadequate and that certain indirect payments should be conclusively banned. Others pushed to narrow or delete it entirely, warning that a presumption this wide could sweep in ordinary payments to related third parties that had nothing to do with rewarding holders for simply sitting on a token. This is not a theoretical squabble — it is the difference between Coinbase, PayPal, or Kraken being able to keep marketing a rewards rate on a stablecoin balance and having to redesign the product outright.
The OCC’s release does not hand down a blanket answer on existing rewards programs. The rule keeps the statutory ban intact and leaves the application of it to be assessed on the facts of each arrangement, with the agency free to update the regulations as issuer business models evolve. For the firms that spent the past two years building rewards features around stablecoin holdings, that is the closest thing to a live question this “final” rule could have produced.
Reserves, Redemption, and the Run the OCC Was Warned About Away from the yield fight, the final rule’s edits read as a deliberate loosening. The OCC made reserve asset management more flexible than proposed while keeping core liquidity, diversification, and concentration requirements so issuers “remain sufficiently reserved and capable of meeting redemption requests in a timely manner.” Capital and operational backstop requirements are more detailed than the proposal but simplified, and risk-management standards under new §15.13 scale with the nature, scope, and risk of an issuer’s activities rather than applying one block to everyone. The final rule also accommodates special purpose vehicle issuers structured to protect the rights of payment stablecoin holders.
Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould put the emphasis on the practical floor the rule builds. “We are providing a clear, practical framework for payment stablecoin innovation, with strong standards for reserve backing, redemption, and risk management,” Gould said.
But the comment record carried a warning the agency itself summarized: several commenters argued against any freeze or extension of redemption during a spike in withdrawal requests, on the ground that such provisions could accelerate a run. That is the paradox at the center of stablecoin regulation — the tools meant to slow a panic can themselves be read as a signal that redemptions might not be honored. The final rule’s treatment of redemption timing, down to a definition of “business day” that excludes weekends and federal holidays, shows the OCC working through exactly that tension.
What Still Has No Final Answer For a document titled “final,” the OCC left a striking amount of runway. The Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money-laundering, and sanctions chapters are being written in a separate rulemaking, and the agency will announce separately when it begins accepting applications and waiver requests from prospective issuers. The final rule also narrows the definition of “customer” to direct counterparties of the issuer, so a holder who bought a stablecoin through a third-party distributor is not a customer of the issuer until they redeem directly — a change that quietly redraws who is owed what protections.
The honest read is that January 18, 2027 is the beginning of compliance, not the end of the argument. The Treasury’s own comment window on its parallel Section 3 proposal closed on October 19 with the industry still litigating the same questions the OCC just heard. What to watch is concrete: the separate BSA/AML final rule, the OCC’s application-processing announcement, and the first public moves by Tether, Circle, and the exchanges to explain whether their existing yield and rewards features survive contact with the new text.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
There is a particular feeling that comes with trying new things, and on Tezos it is a shared passion for testing the applications of tomorrow. Years after hicetnunc sparked our first taste of a digital renaissance, I still get déjà vu from it, sometimes stronger than before. A small spark of curiosity can lead to many open doors if you let it.
Lately that spark has been firing more often. A wave of new dApps has landed across Tezos, built by small teams and solo developers I get to interact with daily. Inspired by the ‘ART’icle of the Month series, this edition turns the spotlight from the artists to the tools being shipped for them. Here are five dApps that have earned a permanent tab in my browser, along with a moment from each that has stayed with me.
TezCity was born as an idea by Ida Belle, a Montreal-based collector and generative art enthusiast whose love of art began with a family tradition of collecting. After months of building with her team, she introduced the platform in early October as a social home made for Tezos, something this community has wanted for years. It combines a social feed with direct support tools where artists set their own supporter tiers, share posts reserved for those supporters, and receive tips in tez.
Profiles carry collection badges and a total days held score, beginning with Smolskulls and Tezzardz, two infamous Tezos art collections. Every member also receives a permanent number at sign-up, much like the mint ID assigned to a new artwork. I am member #114. The count is growing slowly because the platform is still invite-only at the time of writing, which keeps the early days welcoming for testers. Smolskulls and Tezzardz holders can join without an invite. Animated GIF profile pictures, a points system, and unlockable content for supporters make it fun to come back. Join the waiting list, find a friend with an invite code, and get ready to join the newest movement on Tezos.
Aleatory: Generative Art Evolved #Aleatory is the newest project from skllzarmy, a community developer who keeps earning spotlights for proactive and creative work on Tezos. A shared history shapes how closely I have followed him, but the benefit of using his tools has far outgrown any bias rooted in friendship. Aleatory is a fully on-chain generative art platform where artists publish their own custom generators and the code never changes once it is minted. Each mint is decided based on the code plus a seed taken from the moment a collector mints. Neither the artist nor the platform picks the final outcome fully.
The platform is open by design. Rendering is an open role any developer can fill, royalties are paid by the generator contract itself, and the interface is an open spec anyone can build on. For artists, this is Tezos doing what it does best. It keeps the work alive on-chain whether or not any single website stays online. I have always loved collecting generative art, and this was inviting enough to get me vibe coding my own. I have released four of the seventy generators launched so far, and many of my closest Tezos friends are making code-based art for the first time right alongside me.
The Discord feels alive with friendly, energized builders, and the platform keeps growing in response. Collaboration support, open editions, and a steady stream of fixes all shipped within the first days of launch, largely on user feedback. Because Aleatory is open source, anyone could fork it and build their own version. Instead, a family is forming, sharing code and testing like passionate volunteers aligned under one goal. Start exploring generators here.
TezTowers also comes from skllzarmy, so the same disclosure carries over. Where Aleatory is his passion project, he openly calls TezTowers his cash grab, and he is just as open that the idea is not an original one. That honesty is a big part of the charm, and devs do need to make money. Starting from a working 3D city codebase, he adapted it into a living picture of the Tezos community. Tezonians buy plots, raise towers, and keep upgrading them as the city fills in. Artists and projects can advertise on billboards and flying banners and see how many people view and click their buildings.
More than two hundred plots have sold already, and TezTowers is inviting Tezos organizations to claim a place in town. Tezos Commons stepped up as the first test case, and the Tezos Commons Town Hall now stands across from the residents, home to TC articles, news, and a radio station playing recorded talk shows. Outside, a little Blangs wanders the grounds, waiting for a high five from anyone who stops by. If you are a Tezos project hoping to be represented, there is likely a plot waiting for you, even if you don’t think you have the budget, so just reach out and ask skllzarmy for assistance. Take a stroll through TezTowers here, and expect many upgrades soon including a train to take you around town and even to other Tezos dApps.
The Wall Today: One Pixel Can Start a War #Created by community baker and OG Tezos enthusiast Libertez, The Wall is one shared pixel canvas with a long memory. Everyone paints on the same surface, and once a month the whole wall is captured as a snapshot on Tezos, turning a month of chaotic graffiti into a permanent archive. Its tagline promises that “what happens on the Wall haunts the Block.” The Genesis beta is private and invite-only, which makes the early wall feel like a small room of people who know each other.
The current testers are artists and developers I know well, and a dedicated group chat lets them trade findings and, well… hack the wall. The early walls turned into a race to fill the canvas by any means necessary, with clever workarounds through AI agents and custom browser tools, so limits now govern how quickly pixels can be painted. Libertez is in the chat being a good sport about it, adjusting to find the best compromises. When I mentioned I was about to slap my first design onto the wall, a fellow tester warned me to choose my spot wisely, because “one pixel can start a war.” The chat agreed on the spot that it should be the new tagline. Whatever its final form, there will be fun and chaos for anyone who wants to tag the wall and it will create a storyline in the form of graffiti art. Keep an eye on The Wall Today, here.
Teztree: One Place For Your Tezos Links #Teztree comes from FlexasaurusRex, a Tezos OG and active artist and builder. We have welcomed him on Tezos Commons Spaces, and I have spent time with him twice at TezCon in Seattle, so I came to Teztree already a fan of the person behind it. Where TezCity gives Tezos artists and collectors a social home, Teztree gives that same community a link page to share when networking outwards. Signing a message with your wallet claims your handle, so there is no email, no password, and no recovery flow to manage. The page puts the art first. A featured artwork can display its live objkt price, a grid of your latest mints updates itself, and a .tez domain shows up as a badge beside your name.
Visitors can send tips in tez directly from your page, and Teztree takes no cut. Claiming is free, and Teztree Funding, a new fundraising branch, lets creators receive 95% of each contribution right away. I have kept a Linktree page for about a decade, and Teztree is the first link page that feels truly aligned with the way I share my work. If you have multiple links to share within the Tezos ecosystem, claim your own Teztree here.
Still Connecting #Looking across these five projects, I notice one thing they share. Each is a passion project at heart, even the one its builder cheerfully calls a cash grab. Every builder saw a small gap in their own experience and decided to fill it themselves. That reminds me why I keep trying new things on Tezos. The feeling of hope and excitement still lives in the dApps here, and there is a community to share it with. Thank you to every builder who keeps bringing life to the Tezos community. None of these spotlights are financial advice, only tools I enjoy using and people I am glad to build beside.
In brief Ken Kutaragi, the founder of PlayStation, said that physical discs are a "metaphor" for owning games, and calls it a "mentality issue" if you're upset about physical discs not being produced. It follows Sony's decision to discontinue the production of game discs as of 2028, which has received major backlash from fans. Game veterans told Decrypt that the disc decision is usually pushed by publishers to boost profits, and that Sony miscalculated its community's reaction. PlayStation founder Ken Kutaragi has pushed back against fans' anger over Sony's plan to discontinue physical game discs, calling it a "mentality issue." One game industry veteran claims that cutting discs is "only" ever pushed by publishers as they seek better profit margins.
It comes amid a storm of controversy surrounding Sony's decision to stop disc production in 2028. Former PlayStation exec Shawn Layden called it a "heavily spreadsheeted decision" and said it damaged the company's reputation. Meanwhile, fans have garnered more than 385,000 signatures on a "Don't Kill the Disc" petition.
"I understand that physical discs have become a metaphor for 'owning' games. I really understand that mentality," Kutaragi said at the Game Republic New Horizons event. "But nobody thinks [physical media] is necessary for a networked device like a smartphone, for example, because people feel that they will keep their content. So it's a mentality."
Kutaragi retired from PlayStation in 2007 and is best known for being the architect of the first three generations of the PlayStation console. Since leaving, two more generations of the console have been released. He is currently serving as CEO of Japanese companies Ascent Robotics and Cyber AI Entertainment.
“I really understand [why some people are upset]," he said, according to the Video Games Chronicle. "But I don’t think it’s economically reasonable. Maybe it’s a mentality issue.”
Former creative strategist for Infinity Ward Robert Bowling told Decrypt that publishers are the "only ones ever pushing" to cut physical game discs. He said that it is because cutting discs can increase profit margins by reducing the cost of production, as well as crushing the game reseller market led by the likes of GameStop.
"It speaks to the divide that has formed in our industry between those who see games as just a software product," Bowling, who is now studio head for game studio //18.bravo, told Decrypt, "And those who see them as something more like art, entertainment, collectibles, and a lifestyle."
Sony has argued in court that no reasonable consumer believes that they own digital games they buy on the PlayStation Store, according to court filings. Instead, Sony says that Store purchases equate to purchasing a revocable license.
Game industry veteran Chris Heatherly said that corporate executives are used to "issuing decrees" from their offices and "hiding behind their PR teams," but that doesn't work in the social media age. He argues that Sony isn't "in dialogue" with its audience, so it misjudged how the move would land.
"I think it’s insult upon injury for gamers who feel used and abused by these console makers in general," Heatherly told Decrypt. "If you look at Steam, people buy way more games than they play because they like to collect games. What is that other than owning them? You’re not playing them at all!"
Myriad: Where does the CS2 knife index go next? Click to make your prediction.That said, Heatherly argues that it isn't "an entirely rational coherent thought process" to want to own online multiplayer games, since the publisher usually controls the servers anyway. But he thinks there is a middle ground.
"I think there are models for ownership worth talking about, but not fake financialized ownership like web3," he told Decrypt. "I think people would be happy with local forever and peer-to-peer [online services], frankly."
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In brief
Ken Kutaragi, the founder of PlayStation, said that physical discs are a "metaphor" for owning games, and calls it a "mentality issue" if you're upset about physical discs not being produced.
It follows Sony's decision to discontinue the production of game discs as of 2028, which has received major backlash from fans.
Game veterans told Decrypt that the disc decision is usually pushed by publishers to boost profits, and that Sony miscalculated its community's reaction.
PlayStation founder Ken Kutaragi has pushed back against fans' anger over Sony's plan to discontinue physical game discs, calling it a "mentality issue." One game industry veteran claims that cutting discs is "only" ever pushed by publishers as they seek better profit margins.
It comes amid a storm of controversy surrounding Sony's decision to stop disc production in 2028. Former PlayStation exec Shawn Layden called it a "heavily spreadsheeted decision" and said it damaged the company's reputation. Meanwhile, fans have garnered more than 385,000 signatures on a "Don't Kill the Disc" petition.
"I understand that physical discs have become a metaphor for 'owning' games. I really understand that mentality," Kutaragi said at the Game Republic New Horizons event. "But nobody thinks [physical media] is necessary for a networked device like a smartphone, for example, because people feel that they will keep their content. So it's a mentality."
Kutaragi retired from PlayStation in 2007 and is best known for being the architect of the first three generations of the PlayStation console. Since leaving, two more generations of the console have been released. He is currently serving as CEO of Japanese companies Ascent Robotics and Cyber AI Entertainment.
“I really understand [why some people are upset]," he said, according to the Video Games Chronicle. "But I don’t think it’s economically reasonable. Maybe it’s a mentality issue.”
Former creative strategist for Infinity Ward Robert Bowling told Decrypt that publishers are the "only ones ever pushing" to cut physical game discs. He said that it is because cutting discs can increase profit margins by reducing the cost of production, as well as crushing the game reseller market led by the likes of GameStop.
"It speaks to the divide that has formed in our industry between those who see games as just a software product," Bowling, who is now studio head for game studio //18.bravo, told Decrypt, "And those who see them as something more like art, entertainment, collectibles, and a lifestyle."
Sony has argued in court that no reasonable consumer believes that they own digital games they buy on the PlayStation Store, according to court filings. Instead, Sony says that Store purchases equate to purchasing a revocable license.
Game industry veteran Chris Heatherly said that corporate executives are used to "issuing decrees" from their offices and "hiding behind their PR teams," but that doesn't work in the social media age. He argues that Sony isn't "in dialogue" with its audience, so it misjudged how the move would land.
"I think it’s insult upon injury for gamers who feel used and abused by these console makers in general," Heatherly told Decrypt. "If you look at Steam, people buy way more games than they play because they like to collect games. What is that other than owning them? You’re not playing them at all!"
Myriad: Where does the CS2 knife index go next? Click to make your prediction.That said, Heatherly argues that it isn't "an entirely rational coherent thought process" to want to own online multiplayer games, since the publisher usually controls the servers anyway. But he thinks there is a middle ground.
"I think there are models for ownership worth talking about, but not fake financialized ownership like web3," he told Decrypt. "I think people would be happy with local forever and peer-to-peer [online services], frankly."
Daily Debrief NewsletterStart every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
Join 72,000+ readers
Create an account to save your articles.
Add on Google
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A series of security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in internet infrastructure software within a single day, affecting PHP, Node.js, and Go.
Multiple internet infrastructure software projects rolled out security updates in a single day, addressing vulnerabilities including remote code execution, TLS certificate validation bypass, and certificate trust risks. PHP fixed two critical flaws: CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, both enabling unauthenticated remote code execution that impacts PHP environments processing web requests. The patched versions are 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35. Node.js’ advisory details 10 vulnerabilities, four of which are high-severity: these include remote code execution via out-of-bounds write in the Brotli decoder, DNS name truncation, and two TLS certificate hostname validation bypass issues. Fixed versions are 26.12.1, 24.22.1, and 22.23.4. Additionally, Go’s crypto/x509-related risk is tracked as CVE-2026-111943, rated "Important" by Red Hat with a CVSS 3.1 score of 6.8. Attackers with specific network access and valid certificates could impersonate legitimate servers to intercept or alter communications. Go 1.26.10 and 1.27.3 have been added to a deny list, blocking trust for compromised intermediate certificates.
1 hours ago
Dataline completes $10.6 million seed round funding, and plans to conduct an ICO.
Decentralized data network for AI agents Dataline has closed a $10.6 million seed round, co-led by Lattice and Samsung-backed Dispersion Capital, with participation from Symbolic Capital, Coinbase Ventures, Anagram, and Robinhood co-founder & CEO Vlad Tenev, among others. The round, completed in April, utilized a SAFE agreement with token warrants; valuation was not disclosed. Dataline is now live, covering approximately 50 data sources to deliver on-chain and off-chain data, and scores data reliability, timeliness, and consistency using AI. Proceeds will be allocated to expanding data sources, enhancing data validation, and expanding into robotics, AI training data, and other sectors. Dataline plans to launch a token by the end of 2026 for network payments and data access, and intends to conduct a public token sale on Base via Uniswap’s Continuous Clearing Auction (CCA) system, with details set to be revealed next week. The public sale’s target fundraising amount, token quantity, and other terms remain undisclosed.
1 hours ago
Trump plans to leverage White House cyber crime efforts to showcase achievements in combating cross-border crypto fraud.
White House officials said on October 21 that Trump planned to focus on the U.S. government’s actions to crack down on overseas crypto fraud rings during the White House’s cybersecurity event that day, including recovering funds and shutting down fraudulent operations. These transnational criminal groups steal funds from U.S. citizens via romance scams, phishing, ransomware and other methods. The U.S. government noted that law enforcement agencies have seized approximately $833 million in crypto assets linked to overseas fraud, and shut down 503 fraudulent crypto websites under the supervision of the Homeland Security Task Force. Relevant authorities have also notified nearly 9,000 U.S. citizens to alert them they are being targeted by fraud. The U.S. Treasury Department previously announced the establishment of an inter-agency "Fraud Strike Task Force" to target "pig butchering" scams run by organized criminal groups in Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines. Since last year, the U.S. has also imposed multiple sanctions aimed at cutting off support for related fraud websites and their infrastructure.
1 hours ago
American Bankers Association voices dissatisfaction with OCC’s final GENIUS Act rule, which abandons proposed restrictions on stablecoin yields.
Crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that the American Bankers Association (ABA) has voiced dissatisfaction with the final rules implemented by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) under the GENIUS Act. The OCC abandoned the previously proposed restrictions on stablecoin yields, a move the ABA argues will "maintain the status quo for crypto platforms." The ABA’s CEO stated: "It is a mistake to wait until deposit outflows and economic harm have already occurred before attempting to address these issues."
1 hours ago
Beyond PHP, three Node.js version branches are also affected by high-severity vulnerabilities, and users need to update their runtime environments promptly.
Node.js rolled out a security update on October 21, covering its 26.x, 24.x, and 22.x version branches, with corresponding patched releases: 26.12.1, 24.22.1, and 22.23.4. The advisory details 10 total vulnerabilities, categorized as 4 critical-severity, 3 medium-severity, and 3 low-severity, with varying impact scopes across the three version lines. The critical CVE-2026-111497 is an out-of-bounds write flaw in the Brotli decoder that could enable remote code execution (RCE), affecting all three branches. Other critical issues include improper null character handling in DNS resolution and a TLS certificate hostname validation bypass. The update also resolves problems with persistent connection response processing, random number cache duplication, and permission models, while updating dependencies including c-ares, OpenSSL, and Undici. The official note warns that end-of-life (EOL) versions may still be vulnerable, advising users to use the latest supported releases. Separately, prior reports noted PHP has fixed two critical unauthenticated RCE vulnerabilities, with patches available for versions 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36, and 8.2.35; PHP users are urged to upgrade immediately.
1 hours ago
Bonk Guy: This round is the "privacy cycle", privacy protocol MASK is undervalued.
Renowned trader Bonk Guy posted that the current crypto market is showing characteristics of a "privacy cycle". He noted that since yesterday, Bitcoin has risen approximately 3%, ZEC is up 16%, adding over $3 billion in market capitalization. MASK currently has a market cap of roughly $26 million, with its protocol trading volume and fees hitting consecutive all-time highs, he added. Citing data from DefiLlama, he stated that MASK ranks first among privacy protocols by revenue, outearning the next 10 privacy protocols combined. By comparison, ZEC’s market cap gain over the past 24 hours is roughly 115 times MASK’s entire market cap. Bonk Guy also said that MASK’s upcoming deployment on Solana is set to launch in the coming days, which he expects will further drive growth in usage, trading volume, and fees. He went on to call MASK the most undervalued privacy protocol in the crypto market.
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has welcomed TRON to Midnight, a privacy-focused blockchain network designed to bring confidential transactions to existing blockchain ecosystems.
Hoskinson made the remark in response to a commentary from SIG Network CEO David Millar-Durrant, who announced plans to extend Midnight’s privacy technology to TRON and its payment users in December 2026.
Midnight to Bring Privacy and Compliance to TRON Payments Millar-Durrant explained that SIG Network is working with Midnight to develop Nightmode, a solution that allows applications to integrate Midnight’s privacy features without leaving their existing blockchain networks.
The planned integration, which already supports Ethereum, will be targeting TRON later this year. Notably, Millar-Durrant described TRON as a leading blockchain for payments. He highlighted its use for business payrolls and everyday transactions, including payments to cab drivers and service providers.
How Midnight Could Improve Privacy on TRON Through Nightmode, SIG Network aims to bring Midnight’s privacy features to TRON while allowing users to continue accessing supported blockchain assets and applications.
According to Millar-Durrant, the system will support private payments, protect wallet balances and transaction details, and allow applications to determine what information users must disclose. It will also accommodate industry-standard screening tools used by centralized exchanges to support compliance requirements.
Additionally, applications will be able to segregate assets, control access, and integrate privacy features without abandoning their existing blockchain infrastructure.
Millar-Durrant emphasized that the proposed solution will combine privacy with compliance. This approach could allow users to protect sensitive financial information while meeting application-specific disclosure and screening requirements.
Hoskinson Welcomes TRON Founder Justin Sun The announcement has generated excitement across the Cardano community, with Hoskinson welcoming TRON to Midnight and tagging TRON founder Justin Sun.
The two blockchain founders have maintained a friendly relationship over the years. In August, Hoskinson praised Sun’s ambition and drive, noting that Sun had treated him well and remained committed to moving upward.
This is a general announcement and marketing communication. Products and services referred to here may not be available in your region. Disclaimer: This is not available for users in the EEA. Fellow Binancians, Binance is thrilled to launch a Spot Trading Tournament where eligible users will have a chance to share a total prize pool of 400 BNB in token vouchers! In addition, Binance is introducing a “Sprint Reward” for a limited period – the more you trade, the higher your extra rewards! Promotion Period: 2026-10-21 10:00 (UTC) to 2026-10-28 10:00 (UTC) Join Now Eligibility: All verified new, regular users and Binance VIP 1-6 users can participate.Liquidity providers in the Binance Spot Liquidity Provider Program and Binance Brokers are not eligible to participate. Eligible Trading Pair(s) Trading pair(s): ENA/USDC, VANA/USDT How to Participate: Click the [Join Now] button on the landing page to register.Total Trading Volume reaches at least 500 USD equivalent in any of the aforementioned eligible pair(s) on Binance Spot during the Promotion Period. Users who do not meet this threshold will not qualify for any reward under this Trading Volume Tournament. Main Reward Structure: Statistical Period: 2026-10-21 10:00 (UTC) to 2026-10-28 10:00 (UTC)Rankings Based on the Cumulative Trading VolumeReward per Eligible Participant (in BNB Token Vouchers)1st Place12 BNB2nd Place10 BNB3rd Place8 BNB4th Place6 BNB5th Place4 BNB6th - 20th PlacesAn equal split of 40 BNB21st - 50th PlacesAn equal split of 40 BNB51st - 200th PlacesAn equal split of 64 BNB201st - 1,000th PlacesAn equal split of 56 BNBAll Remaining Eligible ParticipantsA proportional share* of 80 BNB, capped at 0.05 BNB per user Proportional Share Rewards Calculation Logic*: Your Final Allocation = (Your Trading Volume / Total Trading Volume of All Eligible Participants Ranked after the 1,000th) * Proportional Share Prize Pool Sprint Reward Structure: Binance is introducing a “Sprint Reward”. For a limited period, users will receive extra rewards based on their ranking by cumulative trading volume. The more one trades during the respective Statistical Periods, the higher the extra rewards can be. Please note that users can earn from both the "Sprint Reward" and the "Main Reward" pools at the same time. Rankings Based on the Cumulative Trading VolumeRound 1 Statistical Period: 2026-10-21 10:00 (UTC) to 2026-10-23 10:00 (UTC)Round 2 Statistical Period: 2026-10-23 10:01 (UTC) to 2026-10-25 10:00 (UTC)Reward per Eligible Participant (in BNB Token Vouchers)1st Place12 BNB12 BNB2nd Place10 BNB10 BNB3rd Place8 BNB8 BNB4th Place6 BNB6 BNB5th Place4 BNB4 BNB Promotion Rules: Trading volume of any zero-fee trading pairs is excluded from the final trading volume calculation.Transaction or gas fees will be excluded from the final trading volume calculation for the tournament.All eligible buy and sell orders will be counted towards the cumulative total trading volume.Token vouchers will be distributed to winners by 2026-11-11, and will expire within 21 days after distribution. Users will be able to login and redeem their token voucher rewards via Profile > Rewards Hub.The Spot Trading Volume leaderboard is updated at least once every 24 hours. The final update will be completed within a few hours after the campaign ends. The Main Reward leaderboard and Sprint Reward leaderboard will be displayed on the separate Sub-Spot landing page respectively. Data sync times vary daily but will always be completed by the end of the day.Only users who have met the minimum qualifying trading volume threshold will be displayed on the leaderboard along with their trading volume. Don’t miss out on this opportunity and share in the rewards now! To view more promotions for new listings on Binance, stay tuned to this page for the latest updates and exclusive opportunities. Guides & Related Materials: How to Spot Trade (App / Web) Terms & Conditions: These terms and conditions (“Activity Terms”) govern users’ participation in the activity above (“Activity”). By participating in this Activity, users agree to these Activity Terms, and the following additional terms: (a) Binance Terms and Conditions for Prize Promotions; (b) Binance Terms of Use; and (c) Binance Privacy Notice; all of which are incorporated by reference into these terms and conditions. In the case of any inconsistency or conflict between these Activity Terms, and any other incorporated terms, the provisions of these Activity Terms shall prevail, followed by the following in this order of precedence, and to the extent of such conflict: (a) Binance Terms and Conditions for Prize Promotions; (b) Binance Terms of Use; and (c) Binance Privacy Notice.Only verified users who complete the aforementioned criteria for the tournament by the end of the Promotion Period may receive rewards.This Trading Volume Tournament is available to verified new, regular and VIP 1 - 6 users enabled for Binance Spot Trading, subject to product (and where relevant, deposit methods’) availability in users’ regions, and may be restricted in certain jurisdictions or regions, or to certain users, due to legal and regulatory requirements.VIP level eligibility will be determined based on the user's VIP level at the time of joining the Activity. Users who join the Activity while they are VIP 6 or below will remain eligible for the Activity and may receive the applicable rewards based on their eligible trading volume during the Promotion Period, even if their VIP level is upgraded to VIP 7 or above during the Promotion Period.Reward Distribution:All token voucher rewards will be distributed to eligible, winning users by 2026-11-11.Users will be able to login and redeem their token voucher rewards via Profile > Rewards Hub. All token voucher rewards will expire within 21 days after distribution. Winning users should claim their vouchers before the expiration date, and no replacement reward will be provided. Learn how to redeem a Binance voucher.Please note that the actual value of rewards received by a user is subject to change due to market fluctuation.Token voucher rewards are subject to additional terms and conditions.Rewards are not negotiable nor transferable.Once the available rewards have been allocated to users, no further rewards will be provided notwithstanding that an eligible user may have completed the missions.A user’s trading volume in this Trading Volume Tournament will be calculated after the user has opted-in and will be based on the trading volume (i) in their master and sub-accounts, and (ii) on all Spot products, including Spot Trading, Spot Copy Trading and Trading Bots. API trades are allowed. Binance’s calculation of a user’s trading volume is final.Binance reserves the right to disqualify a user’s reward eligibility if the account is involved in any dishonest behavior (e.g., wash trading, illegally bulk account registrations/logins, self dealing, or market manipulation). Binance further reserves the right to disqualify any participants who tamper with Binance program code, or interfere with the operation of Binance program code with other software. Rewards that have already been disqualified will not be returned to the prize pool.Binance reserves the right at any time in its sole and absolute discretion to determine and/or amend or vary these terms and conditions without prior notice, including but not limited to canceling, extending, terminating, or suspending these activities, the eligibility terms and criteria, the selection and number of reward recipients, and the timing of any act to be done, and all participants shall be bound by these amendments.The commencement and operation of the campaign (including the commencement of the Promotion Period) are subject to the successful listing of the relevant token on Binance Spot. If the listing is postponed or cancelled for any reason, the campaign (including the Promotion Period and reward distribution) may be delayed, amended or withdrawn at Binance’s discretion. Binance will not be liable for any loss or inconvenience caused by such changes.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. Thank you for your support! Binance Team 2026-10-21 Disclaimer: USDC is an e-money token issued by Circle Internet Financial Europe SAS (https://www.circle.com/). USDC’s whitepaper is available here. You may contact Circle using the following contact information: +33(1)59000130 and [email protected]. Holders of USDC have a legal claim against Circle SAS as the EU issuer of USDC. These holders are entitled to request redemption of their USDC from Circle SAS. Such redemption will be made at any time and at par value.
ARK Invest’s Q3 2026 DeFi report shows that tokenized equities were the main driver of the quarter’s rebound in on-chain activity. Tokenized equity spot DEX trading volume hit roughly $50 billion, about 9 times the prior quarter’s level, lifting its share of total spot DEX volume from ~1% to ~9%. Total spot DEX volume rose ~13% quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) to $571 billion, marking its first quarterly increase in four quarters. In its first quarter since launch, Robinhood Chain generated ~$65 billion in DEX trading volume and $51 million in network revenue, with its network income nearly matching BNB Chain’s performance in the same period. However, ARK projects that recent adjustments to the gas mechanism will cause the chain’s revenue to decline from current levels. Total stablecoin supply fell ~3% QoQ to $309 billion, but adjusted trading volume rose ~16% QoQ to $781 billion, while monthly active addresses grew ~39% to 73 million. Perpetual contract DEXs saw a divergence between open interest and trading activity: open interest rose ~76% QoQ to $240 billion, while quarterly trading volume dropped ~16% to $1.4 trillion. Hyperliquid’s open interest stood at ~$130 billion, accounting for ~53% of the total. ARK notes this trend points to fewer but larger, longer-held positions.
Bitcoin climbed above $84,000 to reach $84,134 at the time of writing. The advance came as inflows into US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) slowed sharply. Although BlackRock continued to attract capital, Bitcoin faces significant resistance at levels where many existing investors bought their holdings.
In the higher-risk meme coin market, sustaining buyer interest presents a different challenge. Data showing that trading in most new tokens quickly dries up highlights the importance of what projects are building alongside their price prospects. MemeToro ($MT), which is developing an AI-powered meme coin launchpad on BNB Chain, aims to address this through a model built around rules published in advance and open-source code.
Bitcoin ETF demand and the $87,700 threshold come into focusAccording to SoSoValue, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows of $23.16 million on October 20. That was roughly 96% below the $526.7 million recorded in the previous trading session. The decline reflects a slowdown in daily net new capital entering the funds, rather than a withdrawal of existing investments.
BlackRock’s IBIT attracted $29.86 million and Fidelity’s FBTC brought in $3.58 million, while Bitwise’s BITB recorded outflows of $10.29 million. The previous day, BlackRock alone attracted $665.2 million, but withdrawals from other funds left the sector’s overall net inflow below that figure.
Despite the slowdown following the strongest daily inflow in roughly a month, the two-day total remained positive at $549.9 million. However, combined outflows of $729 million on October 7–8 suggest that institutional demand has yet to settle into a consistent pattern. That uneven picture remains relevant ahead of the Federal Reserve’s October 28 interest rate decision.
The first significant threshold above Bitcoin’s current price is $85,000. According to Glassnode, investors who bought in late 2025 have an average cost basis of around $87,700. This sits in the same region as Bitcoin’s opening price for the year of approximately $87,490 and its 20-month moving average near $87,165.
Investors holding unrealized losses may sell as the price approaches their entry levels, creating a strong resistance zone. A sustained break above this area could support a move toward $90,000, although stronger spot buying would be needed. On the downside, attention is on the $80,000–$81,500 range, which includes the roughly $81,500 average cost basis of ETF holdings. If that support fails, the next level in focus could be around $78,000, where Glassnode’s “True Market Mean” indicator stands.
Regional trading patterns also stand out. According to data shared by Galaxy Head of Research Alex Thorn, Bitcoin’s cumulative return during Asian trading sessions was 3.9% from October 1–20, compared with 1.1% during US sessions. European sessions recorded a 5.5% loss. The buy-and-hold return over the same period was negative 0.7%.
Options are also accounting for a growing share of the derivatives market. According to Volmex data cited by CoinDesk, Bitcoin options now represent close to 60% of total Bitcoin derivatives open interest, up from around 50% at the start of the year. Options account for $76 billion of roughly $129 billion in total derivatives open interest. ETF-linked options stand at approximately $36 billion, with IBIT options accounting for around $35 billion. Volmex links this shift to a greater emphasis on risk management.
Not every large investor is increasing their Bitcoin exposure, however. After a five-day pause, a whale tracked by on-chain analyst Ai Yi exchanged Bitcoin for 3,038.73 ETH worth approximately $7.5 million across three addresses. Since October 11, the investor has accumulated more than 46,103.3 ETH through similar swaps, with a total transaction value exceeding $115 million.
MemeToro aims to bring transparent rules to meme coin launchesWhile Bitcoin investors assess the staying power of institutional demand, the central challenge in the meme coin market is whether newly launched tokens can attract lasting buying interest. According to CoinGecko data reported by Crypto News on October 18, the sector’s total market capitalization stood at approximately $29.9 billion, with daily trading volume of $3.4 billion. Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and PEPE accounted for around 56% of the total market value.
The picture is more fragile among new projects. Research by Bitquery found that 79% of tokens launched on Pump.fun traded only on their first day. Just 1.5% were still trading after five weeks. The findings suggest that launching a token alone does not create a sustainable market.
MemeToro plans to use AI to analyze news and conversations on X, generate meme coin ideas, and publicly explain the reasoning behind them. The terms of each token launch are recorded in a file that anyone can inspect. A smart contract called “FairLaunchEscrow” enforces those terms, while the AI itself does not hold funds.
The project’s MIT-licensed GitHub repository contains the AI component, the file structure defining launch terms, the escrow contract and automated tests. The team describes the current version as an initial working product, while development of the full platform continues in collaboration with Web3 security company Coinsult.
The platform’s native token, $MT, is being offered at $0.00649 in Stage 9 of its presale. According to its token allocation, 71% of the total supply of 1.2 billion tokens is reserved for the public sale, while 2% is allocated to the team. The project says buyers receive their tokens directly in their wallets at the time of purchase, with no lockup on presale tokens. Each stage has a funding target; once it is reached, the next stage opens at a higher price. This pricing structure does not guarantee the token’s subsequent market value.
The project states that the $MT token contract has been audited by Coinsult, SolidProof and BlockSAFU. However, those audits should be distinguished from reviews of the platform’s token launch contracts: these contracts, including FairLaunchEscrow, have not yet undergone independent audits. Token creation and liquidity provision functions, a public funding page, and completion of the file standard defining launch terms also remain on the roadmap. With the team operating under pseudonyms, the published code, the scope of the audits and development progress are key factors in assessing the project.
For Bitcoin, the move above $84,000 brings the price closer to initial resistance at $85,000. However, slowing ETF inflows suggest the advance is not being matched by equally strong institutional buying. For MemeToro, the more meaningful test goes beyond presale progress: whether its open-source prototype becomes a usable platform with completed independent audits. The existing token audits cover one part of that process; they do not provide assurance for the entire platform under development.
For those seeking high returns in meme coins, much of the appeal lies in discovering a project before it reaches a wider audience. Now in Stage 9 of its presale, MemeToro is one project that may warrant a closer look. Keeping the substantial risks of early participation in mind, its official website offers a starting point for examining what the team is building, how the tokens are allocated and what the audit reports cover. Thorough research is recommended before making an investment decision.
Hackers hijacked a third-party notification provider for Ngrave’s LIQUID app and sent fake security alerts on Oct. 17.
About $2.56 million was stolen from 70 wallet addresses across four blockchain networks.
Bitcoin made up $1.77 million of the losses, followed by XRP, Ethereum-based assets and Stellar.
Ngrave says its ZERO hardware wallets were not breached. Victims entered their recovery phrases on a fake website.
The CEO said the company “absolutely and utterly failed” and has added new security controls.
Belgian hardware wallet maker Ngrave says thieves stole about $2.56 million from its customers after hijacking a system used to send app alerts. The company disclosed the attack on Oct. 19.
Attackers gained control of a third-party notification provider used by Ngrave’s LIQUID companion app. On Oct. 17, they used it to send fake security warnings straight to users.
The message said a user’s portfolio had been synced with a Pixel 9 device in Moscow. Tapping the alert opened a fake Ngrave website with a countdown timer and buttons to approve or deny the activity.
Both buttons led to the same trap. Users were asked to enter their 24-word recovery phrase or their Perfect Key, which gave attackers full access to their wallets.
Automated scripts then emptied the accounts within minutes. Ngrave traced the losses to 70 wallet addresses across four networks.
Bitcoin made up most of the stolen funds at $1.77 million. Thieves also took $454,000 in XRP, $316,000 in Ethereum-based assets and $18,000 in Stellar.
How the Attack Unfolded
Ngrave’s incident report says unauthorized access may have started on Oct. 11, six days before the fake alerts went out. Attackers got one access key and used it to obtain a second key with wider permissions, including access to some analytics data.
The company spotted the fake alerts within a minute of their appearance at 9:30 p.m. UTC on Oct. 17. Even so, the first wallet was drained six minutes later.
Ngrave shut off its notification system by 10:45 p.m. Thefts from wallets that were already compromised continued until 3:51 a.m. the next morning.
The company says its ZERO hardware wallets and private keys were never breached. Instead, attackers tricked customers into handing over their own recovery details.
The stolen funds moved through exchanges, blockchain bridges and new addresses. Ngrave traced bitcoin into 12 addresses, while XRP moved through 54 transfers.
Analytics firm Bitquery said in its own report that “most of it now sits on Hyperliquid as a Monero token.” It estimated about 81% of the funds ended up on the decentralized perpetuals exchange.
Ngrave CEO Admits Failure
Ngrave’s CEO gave a direct statement in the incident report. “In my humble opinion, the first duty of a crypto security company is to provide exactly that: security. In this, we have absolutely and utterly failed,” he said.
He said the company’s security was not strong enough when he took over as leader months earlier. Ngrave also said device information, wallet activity, IP addresses and approximate locations may have been exposed.
The incident adds to a difficult year for hardware wallet makers. Nearly a dozen security incidents in 2026 have involved brands such as Ledger, Trezor, Tangem, Safepal, Bitbox02 and Coldcard, with reported losses topping $180 million across two incidents.
Ngrave has replaced the compromised keys and plans tighter notification controls. These include two-person approvals, restricted domains and an emergency shutdown option.
The company is urging affected customers to set up new wallets and contact support. Its investigation is ongoing.
Cover image via U.Today Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.
In a recent X post, Stellar said the Bell (Protocol) upgrade aims to prepare smart accounts for businesses at scale and start work on quantum-safe signatures and faster ledgers. The upgrade is expected to happen next month, with testnet and mainnet upgrade dates likely to be Nov. 3 and 23, 2026.
Introducing Bell (Protocol 30). Bell is designed to make smart accounts ready for businesses at scale and begin work on quantum-safe signatures and faster ledgers. Testnet upgrade: Nov 3 Mainnet upgrade: Nov 23 Learn more in the upgrade guide👇 https://t.co/vjS0vLy7rT
— Stellar | Meridian Oct 28-29 (@StellarOrg) October 20, 2026 Besides last week's Stellar Core v30.0.0 stable release, there are more stable releases coming this week, including infrastructure and SDKs. As stated above, November 3 and 23, 2026 at 1700 UTC have been scheduled for testnet and mainnet upgrade votes.
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Protocol 30 changes the ledger header format (CAP-88), and an older SDK may fail to decode Protocol 30 ledgers. The Protocol 30 SDKs carry the updated XDR definitions, plus support for the new muxed contract address type and its W strkey (CAP-84).
Stellar advances quantum-safe plansIn June 2026, Stellar introduced the Quantum Preparedness Plan (QPP) aiming to migrate the network to quantum-safe cryptography.
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By the end of 2027, every Stellar account is expected to be able to add a quantum-safe signer through a native protocol upgrade, keeping the same address and history. Enterprise wallets are expected to be able to move to quantum-safe signing in 2026 through Soroban contract accounts.
XLM price to benefitAt the time of writing, XLM was up 4.80% in the last 24 hours to $0.183 as the broader crypto market rebounded. XLM's price is set to benefit in the long run from Stellar's Quantum Preparedness Plan, which improves the security of the network, especially that of accounts.
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There are two threats to Stellar from sufficiently powerful quantum computers, and they require different solutions. First is network integrity: Stellar Consensus Protocol messages are authenticated with Ed25519 signatures by validators. An attacker who can forge enough validator signatures to control quorum intersection can compromise consensus itself. Network integrity will be addressed through a protocol upgrade to SCP.
Account takeover is the harder problem and the focus of the Quantum Preparedness Plan (QPP). Shor's algorithm can derive the private key for any Ed25519 public key. On Stellar, account addresses directly encode the Ed25519 public key, which means every account address on the network is a target—including dormant accounts that have never authorized a transaction.
CAP-84 lets one smart contract serve many customers through a new 64-bit ID address format starting with W.
CAP-87 allows smart contracts to verify ML-DSA signatures, the post-quantum standard NIST finalized in 2024.
CAP-88 moves ledger close times to a millisecond clock, setting up faster ledgers in future protocol changes.
The testnet vote is set for November 3, and the mainnet vote follows on November 23 at 1700 UTC.
The Stellar Bell upgrade, also known as Protocol 30, is set to reach mainnet voting on November 23, 2026. The Stellar Development Foundation announced the release on October 20.
The update targets smart accounts for businesses and begins work on quantum-safe signatures and faster ledgers.
It contains three proposed changes: muxed contract addresses, post-quantum signature verification in smart contracts, and millisecond ledger timing. A testnet vote will take place earlier, on November 3.
Muxed Contract Addresses for Smart Accounts
Many exchanges, ramps, and custodial products on Stellar already use muxed accounts. A muxed account attaches an ID to one account. Each customer receives a unique deposit address, while the funds land in a single account.
Smart accounts had no equivalent feature. A smart account is a smart contract instead of a keypair, so it can set its own spending rules. Businesses holding customer balances therefore needed one contract per customer.
CAP-84 addresses this gap in the Stellar Bell upgrade. A contract address can now carry a 64-bit ID, written in a new format that starts with W. Jake Urban, Senior Engineering Manager at the Stellar Development Foundation, described the W as “an upside-down M.”
He said a distinct type lets developers always know which address they handle. Developers must update SDKs and add the W variant to type checks.
Stellar secures accounts with Ed25519, secp256k1, and secp256r1 elliptic-curve signatures. A large enough quantum computer could break these in theory. No such machine is publicly known, but public keys remain visible on the ledger, and migrations take years.
CAP-87 lets smart contracts verify ML-DSA signatures, a standard NIST finalized in 2024. Verification needs far more computation than Ed25519.
Therefore, Stellar Core performs it directly instead of contract code. This keeps calls cheap and allows testing against official vectors.
Within the Stellar Bell upgrade, this is the first onchain piece of the Quantum Preparedness Plan. Custom account contracts can now require a quantum-safe signature to spend.
Network transaction signatures remain Ed25519 for now. A native post-quantum signer for classic accounts is planned for a later protocol change.
Millisecond Ledger Timing and Schedule
Stellar currently records ledger close times in whole seconds. As a result, the network cannot target intervals shorter than one second. In September, Protocol 28 reduced mainnet close times from about 5.7 seconds to 5 seconds.
CAP-88 moves the ledger to a millisecond clock. This allows future protocol changes to target finer close times. Stellar Core developers are already testing faster closes on experimental branches. The ledger header format also changes, so tools reading ledger data need updated XDR definitions.
SDK users should upgrade before the votes. The previous closeTime field still reports whole seconds. Stellar Core v30.0.0 became available on October 16. The testnet vote occurs on November 3 at 1700 UTC. The mainnet vote follows on November 23 at the same time.
