Track market-moving stories before they get noisy

Aptos has opened an onchain governance vote for AIP-144, a proposal that would introduce a native encrypted mempool to the network, shielding pending transactions from exploitation before blocks are confirmed.

What the Proposal Does At the core of AIP-144 is a straightforward but technically significant idea:

MEV, or maximal extractable value, is a well-documented problem in crypto markets. It refers to the maximum value that can be extracted from block production in excess of the standard block reward and gas fees by including, excluding, and changing the order of transactions in a block. In practice, this means validators or bots can observe pending transactions and act on them before they are confirmed, at the expense of ordinary users.

The feature would be optional, with sender information and transaction fees still remaining visible.

Governance Hurdle Remains However, approval is far from certain.

If passed, the upgrade would represent a meaningful step forward for transaction privacy at the protocol level, with potential appeal for both retail traders and institutional participants looking to avoid order-flow exposure.

Sources:
PANews: Aptos proposal aims to enable encrypted transaction pool to reduce front-running risk
Crypto.news: Aptos proposes encrypted mempool to shield trades from front-running
Aptos Developer Docs: Encrypted Mempool Glossary

Prediction market Kalshi filed with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to launch perpetual futures contracts tied to Pepe meme coin. However, the platform withdrew it just two days after filing it, despite having listed Dogecoin and Shiba Inu meme coins.

Kalshi Withdraws PEPE Meme Coin Perpetual Futures KalshiEX LLC filed with the CFTC to launch perpetual futures for PEPE meme coin, according to the latest filing. The platform self-certified the KPEPEPERP contract for initial listing and intends to list the contract on a continuous basis.

KPEPEPERP is mentioned as a cash-settled perpetual, with no fixed expiration and no delivery of tokens. Kalshi also mentioned details including one kPEPE spot price underlying, CF Benchmarks as the underlying price index, trading hours, and funding and settlement pricing similar to kSHIB perp futures.

However, Kalshi has withdrawn the filing on October 1 for undisclosed reasons. Notably, it was filed on the same day as Uniswap perpetual futures, which is approved and listed on the platform.

Kalshi Withdraws PEPE Coin Perpetual Futures Filing. Source: CFTC The platform framed the product as a hedge for holders with real exposure to PEPE, including liquidity providers, market makers, and OTC desks.

As CoinGape reported on Monday, the CFTC approved S&P 500 stock index perp. This expanded Kalshi’s offerings beyond crypto and metal perp futures. The approval also put it in direct competition with traditional derivatives exchanges such as CME.

PEPE coin price has dropped more than 3% to $0.00000435 over the past 24 hours. The meme coin has rallied more than 20% in a month. Trading volume has also dropped more than 20% over the past 24 hours.

To explore how compliant platforms compare in the event contract space, check out our guide on the best regulated prediction markets US has to offer.

12h30 ▪ 8 min read ▪ by Theia P.

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Beldex, a privacy-first Layer 1 blockchain, announced on 6 October 2026 from the Seychelles that its Confidential Assets, also known as Privacy Tokens, are live on its test network. They are activated by the Proto hard fork, at testnet block height 4,242,200 according to the release. Every token issued this way hides the sender, the receiver and the amount by default. Mainnet will follow, with no date announced, and EVM compatibility will come in a second phase.

In brief Privacy Tokens are available to developers at testnet.beldex.dev through the Proto hard fork, ahead of an undated mainnet rollout. Privacy is built into the asset layer, on top of Beldex’s UTXO model, the same one that powers its ring signatures and stealth addresses derived from Monero’s cryptography. EVM-based token deployment comes later, once account-based addresses and an EVM sidechain, both still in preparation, are live. Two tools accompany the launch: a browser Extension Wallet and a WebJS SDK to connect web applications to private tokens. Context: Beldex raised $8 million on 20 August and is worth about $569 million in market cap as of 5 October, ranked 109th on CoinGecko. What does the Proto hard fork change for developers? Until now, a project that wanted a confidential token had to add a privacy layer on top of a transparent blockchain. Beldex reverses the order: privacy sits in the asset itself, as it does for BDX transactions, a design we compared with the August upgrades on Zcash and Monero. A project can now issue its own token on the testnet, and every transfer inherits the masking of sender, receiver and balances.

Technically, the feature leverages Beldex’s UTXO architecture. A UTXO, for “unspent transaction output”, is the accounting model of Bitcoin and Monero: you spend whole “coins” rather than debiting an account. It is the same model that already underpins the network’s ring signatures and stealth addresses, derived from Monero’s cryptography. Privacy Tokens reuse that base rather than building a new one.

Beldex Chairman Afanddy Bin Hushni summed up the intent:

For far too long privacy in Web3 continues to be an add-on feature that’s just attached. Privacy Tokens changes that, enabling any project to issue a token where sender, receiver, and amount are protected by default, on day one, without ever needing a separate privacy layer or workaround. This is true privacy-by-default cryptography, and we’re thrilled to finally roll it out for everyone.

The code backs the announcement. On 29 September, the project’s GitHub repository merged a change that gates privacy-token transactions behind the hard fork activation, on a branch named “confidential-asset-v2” (pull request #81). Block height 4,242,200 and the activation date, however, appear only in the press release.

Why start with UTXO rather than EVM? Because Beldex wants to ship privacy first and compatibility second. EVM-based token deployment, the format of Ethereum and its derivatives, will come once the network has account-based addresses and its EVM sidechain, both announced but not yet delivered. The team’s argument: bolting privacy onto an inherently transparent framework is exactly the “add-on” approach the project says it wants to avoid.

The tokens arrive within an already functioning ecosystem. Beldex currently hosts:

BChat, a metadata-free encrypted messenger; BelNet, a decentralized VPN routing traffic through masternodes; the Beldex Browser, which integrates AI tools and routes browsing through BelNet; the Beldex Wallet; the BNS Marketplace, a web-based decentralized marketplace at bns.beldex.io. A project could therefore deploy its own privacy token on Beldex and build a dedicated application around it, with the token serving as the native asset for private payments, rewards or access. The chairman insists on this application-economy logic:

Privacy Tokens lets developers build an entire application economy where privacy is the starting point. It isn’t just another token standard. Whether it’s a private DeFi protocol, a confidential rewards system, or a new dApp entirely that no one has previously imagined, these assets all inherit the same cryptographic guarantees that protect every BDX transaction on our network.

Which tools make these tokens usable? Two pieces of infrastructure are being developed in parallel: the Beldex Extension Wallet, a browser extension, and a WebJS SDK. Together, they are meant to let a web application connect to a user’s Beldex wallet, request a transfer, display a balance and integrate private tokens into its workflows without exposing transaction data. They are the link between the privacy infrastructure and the applications built on top of it.

The release also maps out the next step: once account-based addresses and the EVM sidechain are in production, tokens issued on the UTXO layer will be able to migrate into the EVM ecosystem while carrying their privacy properties forward. Beldex thereby positions itself as one of the few networks offering a path from UTXO-native privacy to EVM-compatible privacy tokens. That migration remains an intention: neither prerequisite has a date.

Where does Beldex stand, and what should European users watch? The project arrives with fresh resources. On 20 August, Beldex announced an $8 million raise led by Sigma Capital, with NTC, Nxgen, Digital Consensus Fund and EAK Ventures, earmarked for developer tooling, confidential applications, protocol security and AI infrastructure (press release, 20 August).

On 18 September, it published a security audit by Dakara Research (Beldex blog post). As of 5 October, BDX is worth about $569 million, ranked 109th on CoinGecko, with $3.6 million traded over 24 hours (CoinGecko).

The network runs on Proof-of-Stake with masternodes, BDX serving both as a private currency and as the staking token. The team says it is exploring zero-knowledge systems, quantum-safe cryptography, fully homomorphic encryption and private smart contracts.

The point of vigilance is not technical but regulatory. The EU anti-money-laundering regulation 2024/1624 will, from 10 July 2027, prohibit crypto-asset service providers from keeping accounts that allow the anonymisation of transactions (text on EUR-Lex, Article 79). Self-custody is not targeted, but access to confidential tokens through regulated European platforms will close. A developer targeting the European market will have to build with that deadline in mind, a tension we examined when Grayscale listed the first Zcash ETF in the United States.

The testnet is open, the code is merged, the tools are announced. What is missing is precisely what matters to a project deciding whether to commit: a mainnet date, a date for account-based addresses, a date for the EVM sidechain. The next verifiable step is the activation of the Proto hard fork at block 4,242,200; the one after that, the first third-party token deployed on the testnet. For the sector as a whole, the useful comparison remains the privacy coins that have already crossed into mainnet and regulated markets, and what it cost them.

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LayerZero price has climbed roughly 41% over seven days to around $2.13 as another reported ZRO buyback and rising derivatives activity coincide with the token’s strongest rally in months.

Summary

ZRO price has climbed roughly 41% in seven days as LayerZero’s latest buyback draws attention. LayerZero repurchased 162,000 ZRO worth about $347,000, lifting reported cumulative open-market purchases to 2.538 million. Weekly RSI near 68 shows strong momentum while ZRO trades above its upper Bollinger Band. LayerZero says ATLAS will direct 75% of post-venue fees toward buying and burning ZRO tokens. ZRO futures open interest stands near $279 million as leveraged trading activity rises across exchanges. CoinGecko data shows ZRO trading near $2.13 at the latest reading, up about 11.8% over 24 hours and 41.1% over seven days. The token has gained roughly 97% in 30 days, while its market capitalization stands near $840 million. Twenty-four-hour spot trading volume was around $158 million.

The rally has pushed ZRO back above $2 after spending much of recent months below that level. Its latest 24-hour range sits between roughly $1.91 and $2.18, making the 2.18–2.20 area the first resistance test before traders can assess a possible move toward $3.

LayerZero price now needs to clear $2.20 ZRO’s weekly structure has improved sharply after recovering from its July and August lows. On the latest weekly chart, price is trading around 2.10–2.13 after reaching roughly $2.19, leaving the token close to its current local high.

The Bollinger Bands show how quickly the move has developed. ZRO is trading above the upper weekly band near $1.84, while the middle band sits around $1.08. Trading above the upper band points to strong momentum, although it can leave price vulnerable to consolidation when buying slows.

Weekly RSI has climbed to about 67.6, up from much weaker readings during the earlier part of the recovery. The indicator remains below the traditional 70 overbought threshold, but it is close enough to show that momentum has become elevated.

LayerZero (ZRO) price chart, source: TradingView For the current breakout to extend, ZRO first needs to establish support above the recent 2.18–2.20 high. A sustained break would leave $3 as the next visible psychological level. Failure to hold the breakout would put the upper Bollinger Band near $1.84 back into focus as the first technical support area.

Crypto analyst Pentoshi described ZRO as a “great weekly chart” and said the project’s fundamentals had improved with ATLAS approaching. His comments are an analyst view, not a confirmed price target.

$ZRO, this is a great weekly chart, and the FA has clearly improved dramatically with Atlas coming in the next few weeks and 75% of fees will be going to buying the native token. These aren't small volumes either. There is a very high ceiling potential imo overall

Will take it… pic.twitter.com/L8hBb6C8pZ

— 🐧 (@Pentosh1) October 5, 2026 ZRO buybacks have returned as price moves higher On-chain monitoring reported another LayerZero purchase on Oct. 6.

BlockBeats reported that LayerZero bought roughly 162,000 ZRO worth around $347,000, taking the reported cumulative total to approximately 2.538 million tokens. The figure was based on on-chain monitoring from TradingBeats.

LayerZero’s own buyback tracker has not yet incorporated the latest reported transaction. The Foundation page currently lists 2,375,357 ZRO purchased at a cost basis of approximately $3.33 million through August. The additional 162,000-token purchase would bring that running total close to the 2.538 million figure cited by on-chain monitors.

Existing purchases are tied mainly to Stargate revenue. LayerZero said Stargate revenue funds recurring ZRO purchases, with revenue collected from cross-chain swaps and transfers used to buy tokens on the open market.

LayerZero has used buybacks before during periods of weak ZRO pricing. As crypto.news previously reported, LayerZero Labs bought $10 million worth of ZRO on the open market in November 2025, when the token was recovering from a sharp decline.

Not every recent on-chain movement points in the same direction. On Oct. 3, two addresses linked to a LayerZero strategic partner transferred 8 million ZRO, worth approximately $14.98 million, to Coinbase Prime. The addresses had received 40.57 million ZRO from a strategic-partner multisig roughly one year earlier.

A transfer to Coinbase Prime does not establish that the tokens were sold. Coinbase Prime can be used for custody and institutional transactions, and no public statement from the wallet owner has identified the purpose of the transfer.

ATLAS could create another source of ZRO demand Attention around ZRO has increased since LayerZero introduced ATLAS in August.

LayerZero describes ATLAS as a trading infrastructure system that combines matching, clearing, settlement and risk management for open and institutional markets. The product runs on Zero, LayerZero’s planned blockchain for financial-market workloads.

The fee structure gives ZRO a direct role. Trading venues using Open ATLAS can receive rebates ranging from 20% to 65%, depending on trading volume and ZRO staking. After the venue rebate is deducted, 25% of the remaining economics go to the market creator and 75% are allocated to buying and burning ZRO.

As crypto.news reported when ATLAS was unveiled, the design gives ZRO another fee-linked mechanism beyond existing Stargate buybacks. ZRO rose more than 16% following the original ATLAS announcement in August.

LayerZero has not published a firm ATLAS mainnet date. Its official website currently says the system is “coming later this year.” Pentoshi’s reference to a launch in the next few weeks therefore remains an analyst expectation, not a confirmed company timetable.

Futures traders are building larger ZRO positions The derivatives market has expanded alongside the spot rally.

CoinGlass shows ZRO futures volume near $308 million over 24 hours and open interest around $279 million at the latest reading. The derivatives price was near $2.11, up roughly 10.6% over the same period.

Open interest measures the value of outstanding futures positions. Its rise alongside price shows traders are adding leveraged exposure, although the figure does not establish whether the next move will be higher or lower.

Recent liquidation data points to pressure on bearish positions during the advance. CoinGlass data showed roughly $51,000 in short liquidations compared with around $29,000 in long liquidations in the latest snapshot, with Binance accounting for most of the short liquidations.

LayerZero perpetual liquidations, source: CoinGlass The amounts remain small compared with earlier ZRO liquidation events. The price move therefore appears to involve more than forced short covering alone, while growing open interest means liquidations could increase if volatility accelerates.

The next ZRO unlock arrives on Oct. 20 ZRO’s next supply event is scheduled for Oct. 20, giving traders another date to monitor if the price continues toward $3.

DefiLlama’s unlock tracker shows approximately 23.63 million ZRO scheduled to unlock across core contributors and strategic partners. At current prices, the tokens are worth roughly $50 million and represent about 5.9% of the circulating float shown by the tracker.

The scheduled release includes around 10.63 million ZRO for core contributors and 13 million for strategic partners. LayerZero previously bought back 50 million tokens from early investors, which reduced the strategic-partner release schedule.

A year earlier, crypto.news reported that ZRO faced selling pressure around its October 2025 unlock while Stargate-related buybacks were beginning to provide another source of market demand.

The Oct. 20 release is scheduled for approximately 05:33 UTC, according to DefiLlama, with 10.63 million ZRO allocated to core contributors and 13 million ZRO assigned to strategic partners.

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

From Digital Collectibles to Boba ShopsPudgy Penguins has taken a notable step beyond the blockchain, striking its first quick-serve restaurant partnership with Kung Fu Tea. The collaboration, which went live on October 1, 2026, spans 330 participating Kung Fu Tea locations across the United States, bringing the brand's characters into everyday consumer culture for the first time at this scale.

At the center of the activation are two limited-edition drinks inspired by the brand's beloved "Collector Couple," Pax Pengu and Polly. Both items are available for a limited run through mid-October.

Collectibles, TCG Cards, and a Comic Con Moment

The Afternoon Breeze promo card was distributed at the collaboration's launch. Vibes is a physical and digital trading card game built on the Pudgy Penguins IP and developed by Orange Cap Games.

Qualifying Little Treats Blind Box purchases at the booth come with an exclusive Kung Fu Tea buy-one-get-one voucher, redeemable at participating New York City stores during Comic Con weekend.

The move signals a broader push by Pudgy Penguins to embed its characters into physical retail and everyday consumer touchpoints, a strategy the brand has been building across plush, fashion, beauty, and entertainment.

Sources:
Kung Fu Tea Official Announcement
License Global: Pudgy Penguins x Kung Fu Tea
PR Newswire Press Release

Aster has completed another round of its fee-powered buyback and burn cycle, removing an additional 3.1 million $ASTER tokens from supply. The latest update brings total all-time burns across all programs to more than 207 million tokens, the project said on October 6.

How the Burn Works The most recent burn covered activity between September 21 and October 5, with the buyback funded by 99% of platform fees collected over that period. Bought-back tokens are distributed to stakers, while a matching number of $ASTER is permanently destroyed from reserves.

Building Toward a Smaller Supply Under Aster's upgraded tokenomics, cumulative burns have now reached 29.6 million $ASTER.

With each biweekly cycle adding to the cumulative burn tally, the protocol continues to use its own trading revenue as the primary engine for supply reduction.

Sources:
Crypto Briefing: Aster executes first token burn under upgraded tokenomics
Aster DEX Official Tokenomics Documentation
AMBCrypto: Aster directs 99% of platform fees to ASTER buybacks

Table of contents

Japanese bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet added a net 1,000 Bitcoin in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 44,000 BTC worth about $3.8 billion as of September 30, according to the company’s disclosures reported by CoinDesk. The Tokyo-listed firm has become one of Asia’s most aggressive public bitcoin accumulators since it began buying the asset in April 2024, and the latest gain came through a sale and repurchase designed to demonstrate liquidity rather than simple accumulation. The move extends a buying streak that has made the firm one of the region’s most closely watched bitcoin treasuries.

The Sale-and-Repurchase Behind the Quarter Metaplanet sold 10,000 BTC for roughly $789.2 million at an average of $78,925 per coin, then bought 11,000 BTC for $948.7 million at an average of $86,246. The firm temporarily held the proceeds in cash to show it could cover interest-bearing debt, though those obligations were not repaid, before repurchasing at higher prices. Executives framed the move as proof the company can access liquidity quickly while keeping its long-term bitcoin exposure, a point lenders scrutinize on crypto treasury balance sheets. Its total position now carries a cost basis of about $4.33 billion, or $98,454 per coin.

A New Income Strategy The company also introduced a Net Interest Income Strategy targeting investments principally in preferred securities issued by bitcoin treasury companies, with plans to allocate about 10% to 15% of total assets to the effort. The program is intended to generate returns above Metaplanet’s funding costs, helping service existing obligations while supporting further bitcoin purchases, and runs alongside a bitcoin options operation that has generated revenue for eight consecutive quarters. Its options-based Bitcoin income business produced roughly $5.4 million in Q3 revenue, down 51% from the prior quarter and 65% year over year, while nine-month revenue reached about $35.2 million. The third-quarter sale exceeded the size of the company’s entire debt, underscoring the scale of the liquidity demonstration. “Our objective has been to build the leading Bitcoin financial company in Asia,” CEO Simon Gerovich said.

The quarter strengthens Metaplanet’s position among Asia’s largest corporate bitcoin holders, following a path that Strategy and other public treasury firms have pursued with income-generating strategies alongside their holdings. Shares closed 2% higher on Monday at 297 yen ($1.88).

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Bitcoin (BTC USD) fell about -0.5% to about $85,800 after sellers rejected a move above $87,000 for the third time since September 23. The setback came as Strategy bought 334 BTC and Strive added 2,000.

This creates a clear contrast: corporate accumulation continues, but Bitcoin’s price has not yet turned that demand into a confirmed breakout.

Strive acquired 2,000 $BTC for $169M at an average cost of $84,422 per bitcoin, bringing total holdings to ₿29,462.

61.5% of capital raised came from SATA, with warrants generating $56.7M.

Today’s 8-K also highlights key metrics and KPIs through 3Q26.$ASST $SATA pic.twitter.com/HS4ADPQ8mJ

— Matt Cole (@ColeMacro) October 5, 2026

Those purchases matter as evidence that both companies are still directing capital toward Bitcoin. They do not guarantee that enough buyers will step in at $87,000 to absorb the sellers waiting there.

The immediate test is technical; the larger question is whether corporate buying can persist without adding financing and shareholder risks.

Why Does Bitcoin Keep Rejecting $87K Even Amid Continued Corporate Buying? $BTC is hovering around the $86,000 level.

Until Bitcoin breaks above $87,000, every upside rally will be capped. pic.twitter.com/Uh2B84nHCs

— Ted (@TedPillows) October 6, 2026

BTC USD hit resistance just above $87,000 on October 5 and traded around $86,000 on the morning of October 6. This level has capped rallies multiple times since September 23, indicating a significant resistance zone. Notably, Bitcoin has formed higher local lows, suggesting that buyers are stepping in, but it hasn’t generated enough momentum to break through the resistance.

FxPro analyst Alex Kuptsikevich noted that Bitcoin is nearing the apex of a triangle pattern, which could lead to increased volatility, although it doesn’t predict the direction of the breakout. Meanwhile, the overall crypto market dipped to approximately $2.93 trillion, just below a resistance level identified at $2.95 trillion.

While the Nasdaq 100 hit a record and the S&P 500 neared an all-time high, Bitcoin faced pressure as interest rates climbed slightly. Other major cryptocurrencies also struggled, with Ethereum, XRP, Solana, and Dogecoin falling 1-2%, while ADA gained 11%. The market reflects a mix of constructive short-term signals and ongoing resistance, so traders need confirmation through price action.

EXCLUSIVE: Trade Cardano and Earn $10 USDC Via Binance Sign-Up

Corporate BTC USD Buying is Real, but Here is Why Funding Matters

(SOURCE: CoinGecko)

Strategy and Strive recently acquired 2,334 BTC USD, signaling corporate demand but not necessarily indicating that market selling has ceased. Strategy’s purchase of 334 BTC brought its total to 848,000 BTC, funded by approximately $28.7M from Class A common stock sales. This financing model highlights that increasing Bitcoin holdings may dilute existing shareholders.

Strive’s purchase of 2,000 BTC raised its holdings from 27,462 to 29,462 BTC, reported at around $169M, primarily funded through its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock (SATA). This structure prioritizes investor dividends and adds complexity to Strive’s Bitcoin strategy.

Additionally, Strive has a $500M facility for possible SATA repurchases, which could affect future financing costs. The different funding approaches affect dilution and cash reserves. Consequently, buying shares in a Bitcoin treasury company carries different risks than holding BTC directly, as share prices can be influenced by financing decisions and corporate structure.

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After El Salvador's Extended Fund Facility was evaluated for the second and third time, the executive board of the International Monetary Fund approved an immediate payment of about $138 million to the country on October 1.

The verdict released 101.96 million Special Drawing Rights (equal to approximately $137.93 million (using the IMF exchange rate of SDR 1 = $1.352830) under a 40-month plan, about a $1.4 billion scheme that was approved in February 2025.

Payment was accompanied by a waiver. El Salvador broke a continuous performance condition that limited the government sector's ability to voluntarily accumulate Bitcoin.

With its "strong corrective measures and renewed commitments," the IMF offered financial aid. But there are nuances to the reality.

The Donation Loophole

The Bitcoin reserve of El Salvador has grown substantially since the initiative began with the International Monetary Fund.

In February 2025, when the EFF was adopted, the country's Bitcoin holdings were between 5,968 and 6,070 BTC. That amount has increased by more than 1,700 BTC by the end of September 2026, reaching 7,760 to 7,792 BTC. Depending on the exact snapshot used, the current valuation of the reserve ranges from $598 million to $660 million.

Public sector voluntary Bitcoin accumulation is consistently limited to zero in the initial program documents. Assets seized by law enforcement were expressly not included in that definition; however, purchases and mining operations were plainly covered.

In its defense, El Salvador stresses that the new coins did not come from the government but rather from private donations. The claim was supported by the statement published by the IMF staff on September 3, which confirmed that no funds from the government were used.

"No further Bitcoin accumulation is envisaged beyond the documented donations," the board stated in October, adding a new restriction and formalizing the waiver already in place.

This is not meant to be taken as a recommendation in any way. It is a small adjustment in terms of technology.

The IMF has acknowledged the significant transparency gap caused by the categorization of donations.

But this issue of the categorization of the people who donate Bitcoin to a country's government has not been resolved.

These concerns have not been addressed, and the International Monetary Fund has shown its concern by requesting more information about Bitcoin assets held by the public sector.

The Chivo Retreat

Although the Bitcoin waiver is receiving a lot of attention, the real change is the gradual dismantling of El Salvador's cryptocurrency framework by the government.

With the introduction of Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, the government digital wallet Chivo underwent a major privatization push.

According to the International Monetary Fund, a private operator is now in charge, with the government having a minority interest and the responsibility of safeguarding client assets.

"Residual public-sector exposure should be fully unwound," stated Dan Katz, the First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, who voiced his acceptance of the transfer.

This is a change from the original plan.

At the time of its inception, Chivo was touted as the go-to platform for Bitcoin transactions in El Salvador.

At first glance, nothing was amiss.

The failure of Salvadorans to use Bitcoin for their everyday transactions was acknowledged by President Nayib Bukele in 2024.

Not only did regulatory demands contribute to the wallet's demise, but there was also a mismatch between the product and the market.

But the state's departure was accelerated by the structural requirements set by the IMF.

Separating state-sector stablecoin operations from private-sector ones, the government has stated categorically that it does not intend to develop or operate any stablecoin wallet.

Macroeconomic Foundation

There is a more basic reason why the IMF is willing to ignore the Bitcoin breach: El Salvador's macroeconomic performance has been strong enough to handle the variance.

In 2025, real GDP growth accelerated to 3.9% from 2.6% the previous year.

Due to factors such as falling remittance growth and the effect of rising oil costs on demand, Fitch Ratings predicts that growth would decelerate to 3% in 2026.

Nonetheless, there is hope for improvements due to private investment momentum and continuing public infrastructure projects.

This year, El Salvador's Central Reserve Bank expects growth to surpass the 2.5% average seen over the prior thirty years, with a range of 3% to 3.5%.

The effort to reduce government spending has advanced.

With a primary surplus of $706 million (1.9% of GDP) in 2025 - a significant improvement from a primary balance of 0% of GDP in 2024 - the non-financial public sector was able to meet the IMF target and show improvement.

In contrast to primary expenditure, which fell by 1.8 percentage points, revenue rose by 0.8 percentage points of GDP due to strong growth and improved tax collection.

From 4.6% in 2024 to 2.9% in 2025, the entire NFPS deficit fell short of the "B" median of 3.1% of GDP.

According to Fitch, the trend of consolidation is expected to persist and reach around 2.4% by 2026.

The national debt remains elevated.

The International Monetary Fund predicts that El Salvador's general government gross debt would surpass the median among "B" countries at 84.5% of GDP by 2026.

The National Flood Insurance Program's debt is expected to decrease from around 90.2% of GDP in 2025 to 87.4% of GDP by 2026 and even further to 85.2% in 2027, according to Fitch.

Interest payments made up 18.1% of revenue in 2025, which was much more than the median of 13.7% for "B" categories.

As pension bond grace periods expire in 2027, this number is projected to rise even further.

Deferred Reforms

The Bitcoin waiver solves a short-term problem, but it does nothing to address the long-overdue structural changes.

Reforming pensions is of paramount importance.

The actuarial assessment that was issued in December 2025 showed that from 2024 to 2070, there would be a system deficit of 59% of GDP in present value terms.

The private sector would contribute 45.4% of this deficit.

It is expected that the Solidarity Guaranty Account, which is in charge of providing minimum pensions, will reach its limit by the year 2029.

By February 10, 2026, the administration has promised to unveil a plan for reform.

There was no proposal before the Legislative Assembly on that date.

By the end of December 2025, the federal government owed pension fund managers a total of $11.24 billion.

Midway through 2026, lawmakers are expected to introduce civil service reform, which aims to simplify the public salary bill and reduce about 1.5% of GDP by 2027.

That was still being thought about in September 2026.

Aligning public sector compensation with qualifications and productivity while preventing needless expansion in employment is the goal of the approach, which is being supported technically by the World Bank.

The political ramifications of these changes are substantial.

With over 90% support and 54 of the 60 parliamentary seats under President Bukele's control, El Salvador is well-positioned for the 2027 election cycle.

Constitutional changes in 2025 extend presidential tenure to six years and make it possible to serve a third consecutive term.

There may be less opportunity for politically contentious changes this year due to the election cycle, according to Fitch.

Energy Wildcard

Energy prices are a short-term financial worry that the markets might not be giving enough attention to.

El Salvador imports a lot of energy, specifically petroleum products, which account for about 6.4% of its GDP. As of April 2026, the price of premium gasoline has risen 21% and surpassed $4 per gallon.

In 2022, the government enacted subsidies and temporary tax relief of 1.1% of GDP in response to a comparable spike in prices.

The government has not announced any plans for similar steps in 2026, but Fitch warns that continuing pressures on energy prices would force a reaction.

The fiscal momentum is starting to lose steam.

The primary surplus for the first quarter of 2026 was $185 million, falling short of the IMF projection of $300 million and 0.3% of GDP.

Although tax income growth remained stable at 9%, current spending increased at a faster rate, reaching 11.4%.

An additional payment equal to half of the monthly income for workers earning up to $1,500, known as "Quincena 25," is the main reason for this increase in spending.

Fitch predicts that in the second half of 2026, with elections approaching and the likelihood of a prolonged oil shock, compliance with IMF targets may become more difficult to achieve.

What the Waiver Actually Means

The IMF has made it clear that they do not support sovereign entities' stockpiling of Bitcoin through the Bitcoin waiver.

El Salvador's macroeconomic policy is usually moving in the predicted direction, and the Bitcoin incident was small enough to be considered inconsequential.

This modification takes both of those factors into consideration. There is still a lot of focus on the donation route.

The accumulation limits will be put back in place if private donors' future contributions to the reserve cannot be clearly identified.

Although it has not specified the verification procedure to be used, the IMF has stated that it will thoroughly investigate the sources of new coins.

According to Bukele, the waiver ensures that the Bitcoin brand remains politically significant, even when the government's engagement in cryptocurrencies becomes less viable.

Chivo was privatized and there was no plan for a digital currency that is backed by the government.

As seen on-chain, the reserve is still there, but it is no longer used as currency but rather as a symbol.

What this means for other countries thinking about using Bitcoin is anybody's guess.

When program-wide success is strong, the IMF has demonstrated flexibility about minor infractions.

Nevertheless, it has also resulted in structural compromises that reduce the role of the state in crypto infrastructure.

No precedent for sovereign entities to freely amass Bitcoin has been established by the waiver. For planned withdrawal, it is a major precedent-setter.

In This Article What Changes in the CPOOL-to-CLEAR Migration?More Ledger Utility Does Not Automatically Mean More XRP Ripple DemandWhat Would Make the XRP Catalyst Stronger? Clearpool holders approved an expansion to the XRP Ripple Ledger with 97% support, backing a one-for-one conversion from CPOOL to the new CLEAR token.

But the institutional credit product tied to the move lends and repays in RLUSD, not XRP-a distinction that could lift activity on the ledger without creating much direct demand for XRP.

Governance vote passed ✅

The Clearpool community has approved expansion to the XRP Ledger and the 1:1 migration of CPOOL → CLEAR with 97.16% in favor.

Migration is targeted for Q4. More details on next steps to come 🙏 pic.twitter.com/fyb7hcg5eB

— Clearpool (@ClearpoolFin) October 5, 2026

According to multiple reports, the migration was reported on October 5, 2026, with the transition expected in the fourth quarter. XRP was about $1.51 that day, up 0.8% over 24 hours and 1.9% over seven days.

Clearpool is adding credit infrastructure to XRPL, but the announced product’s dollar-based settlement does not require borrowers to use XRP Ripple tokens, a caveat that investors should be taking note of.

What Changes in the CPOOL-to-CLEAR Migration? CPOOL, Clearpool’s token, will convert to CLEAR at a 1:1 ratio on the XRP Ledger, with an initial circulation of 1.1 billion CLEAR tokens. The token migration changes how transactions are recorded but does not affect Clearpool’s borrowers or loan sizes, as the Ethereum marketplace will continue to operate alongside the XRPL expansion.

Clearpool partners with Ripple and Cicada Partners: Clearpool provides lending infrastructure, Cicada assesses borrowers, and Ripple is a limited partner without loss guarantees. Target borrowers include fintechs and payment processors seeking working capital. Since 2021, Clearpool has facilitated over $930M in loans, while Cicada has underwritten over $ 860M.

Loans are processed in RLUSD, a dollar-pegged stablecoin, with XRP used for network fees that are burned. Clearpool plans to allocate half of its protocol fees to buy back and burn CLEAR, benefiting CLEAR holders but not creating direct demand for XRP. The distinction between RLUSD usage and XRP demand is significant, as using a dollar stablecoin does not equate to needing XRP for loans.

🔥 CLEARPOOL EXPANDS TO XRPL 🔥

Clearpool’s community has approved its expansion to the XRP Ledger with 97.16% support, alongside the migration from CPOOL to CLEAR.

Another institutional credit project is moving toward XRPL.

The infrastructure keeps expanding. pic.twitter.com/Du2sXKTzyC

— John Squire (@TheCryptoSquire) October 6, 2026

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More Ledger Utility Does Not Automatically Mean More XRP Ripple Demand Clearpool’s governance forum describes the XRPL initiative as part of a broader move toward institutional credit, with the lending infrastructure still subject to technical rollout. Its proposal says the product was being tested on XRPL Devnet and that the XLS-65 Single Asset Vaults and XLS-66 Lending Protocol were in the amendment process. Those details make execution-not just the vote-an important part of the story.

For the XRP price case, the primary article’s October 5 snapshot provides difficult context: XRP was down 50% over the prior year and about 59% below its reported $3.65 all-time high from July 2025. It put XRP’s market capitalization near $95 billion, with approximately 63.1 billion tokens circulating against a maximum supply of 100 billion.

A project migration alone is a small demand signal for an asset of that scale. The primary article also notes that Ripple continues to release XRP from escrow reserves over time, another supply factor investors may weigh alongside any new demand.

XRPL activity and XRP demand are related, but they are not interchangeable. The use of RLUSD across Ethereum and the XRP Ledger helps illustrate why a stablecoin can support ledger activity without making XRP the principal asset in a transaction.

(SOURCE: DefiLlama)

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What Would Make the XRP Catalyst Stronger? Bull case: Future Clearpool or Ripple products could use XRP as collateral, require XRP liquidity, or connect currencies through XRP. Those uses would create a more direct link between credit activity and demand for the token, but the current RLUSD-denominated product doesn’t establish them.

Base case: The migration brings a credit platform and more RLUSD activity to XRPL, while XRP’s role remains mainly transaction fees. In that scenario, the ledger gains utility but the price effect stays limited.

Bear case: Loans remain in RLUSD and protocol-fee buybacks support CLEAR, leaving little incremental reason for borrowers or lenders to hold XRP. That would reinforce the distinction between network growth and token demand highlighted by XRP Ledger activity and demand for XRP.

The 97% vote is meaningful evidence that Clearpool intends to expand institutional credit on XRPL. It is not, on its own, evidence of a strong XRP-price catalyst: the announced loans use RLUSD, while the planned fee buybacks target CLEAR.

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Alex Ioannou

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Alex is a seasoned cryptocurrency trader and market analyst with over seven years of active experience in the digital asset space. Since entering the markets in 2017, Alex has specialized in identifying emerging "meta" trends and high-volatility narratives. Notably, Alex... Read More

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XRP Ledger activity has staged a sharp comeback, with payment volume surging 386% over the latest 24-hour period. The rebound brings daily payment volume to approximately 583.3 million XRP, suggesting that network activity is recovering rapidly after a particularly weak reading.

Payments volume in the normal rangeAccording to XRP Ledger data, the current figure remains slightly below the 30-day average of roughly 638 million XRP. A 386% daily increase looks enormous primarily because activity rebounded from an unusually low base. Still, the recovery puts payment volume much closer to its recent normal range.

Source: XRP LedgerThe one-year chart also shows how volatile this metric can be. XRP Ledger has repeatedly recorded daily payment volumes above one billion XRP, with several spikes exceeding two billion. The all-time high stands near seven billion XRP. Consequently, the latest 583 million reading does not represent an exceptional level historically, but the speed of the rebound is notable.

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The next question is whether the recovery can persist. A sustained move above the 638 million 30-day average would provide stronger evidence that transactional activity is accelerating rather than simply normalizing after a weak session. Returning above one billion XRP would make the change considerably more significant.

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Meanwhile, XRP's price is holding relatively firm at approximately $1.51. The asset continues consolidating following September's breakout, when it surged from around $1.30 toward $1.60. Recent price action has formed a relatively narrow range around $1.48–$1.53, despite several failed attempts to resume the rally.

XRP is in comfort zoneTechnically, XRP is doing just fine. XRP trades above its rising short-term moving average around $1.45 and comfortably above the major longer-term averages concentrated around $1.35–$1.40. RSI remains in neutral-to-bullish territory rather than signaling an overheated market.

For another expansion, XRP needs to reclaim approximately $1.55 before challenging the major $1.60–$1.65 resistance region. Conversely, losing $1.45 would materially weaken the current setup.

The 386% payment-volume recovery therefore adds a positive on-chain signal, but one day does not establish a trend. Sustained volumes above the 30-day average would provide much stronger confirmation that XRP Ledger activity is genuinely gaining pace.

TLDR On October 2, the SEC greenlit six triple-leveraged ETFs tracking Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold, silver, oil, and natural gas. The cryptocurrency products will gain exposure through regulated futures rather than direct coin holdings. Trading cannot commence until Volatility Shares receives effective S-1 registration statements. The issuer has not yet disclosed a launch timeline for the new products. Daily rebalancing means returns may diverge significantly from three times the longer-term asset movement. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has approved the nation’s first triple-leveraged exchange-traded funds offering exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum. The regulatory green light came on October 2, 2026, following a rule modification filed with Cboe BZX.

🚨JUST IN: The SEC just APPROVED a rule change allowing 3x leveraged ETFs tied to Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold, silver, crude oil and natural gas from Volatility Shares.

The funds would use regulated FUTURES rather than holding the underlying assets directly.

They are NOT trading… pic.twitter.com/SMiqRONgV4

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) October 5, 2026

The approval enables Volatility Shares to bring six new 3x leveraged products to market. These offerings will track Bitcoin, Ethereum, gold, silver, crude oil, and natural gas.

The Bitcoin-linked product is anticipated to list under ticker symbol BITH, while the Ethereum-tracking fund will likely trade as ETHK.

How the Funds Will Work Both cryptocurrency funds will avoid direct ownership of digital coins. Instead, they’ll employ regulated futures instruments, including CME-linked contracts, to deliver approximately three times the daily percentage change of Bitcoin or Ethereum.

If the futures benchmark rises 1% in a single day, the fund should gain roughly 3%, excluding fees and expenses. Conversely, a 1% decline would translate to approximately a 3% loss.

Each fund rebalances its leverage at the close of every trading session. This daily reset mechanism is a defining characteristic of leveraged exchange-traded products.

Due to this rebalancing structure, the products are engineered to deliver triple the daily return exclusively. They’re not intended to replicate three times the performance over weekly, monthly, or annual periods.

Volatility Shares currently operates BITX, a 2x Bitcoin fund. The firm brings existing expertise in managing leveraged cryptocurrency strategies to these newly approved offerings.

Waiting on Registration Before Trading Begins Despite the SEC’s rule change approval, these funds remain unavailable for trading. Volatility Shares must still obtain effectiveness on its Form S-1 registration documents.

No confirmed timeline exists for this final regulatory step. The issuer has not publicly announced when either fund will become available to investors.

Market observers have highlighted risks associated with the long-term performance characteristics of these instruments. Daily rebalancing can produce counterintuitive results: a cryptocurrency that rises and then falls by equal percentages may still generate outsized losses for the leveraged fund compared to the underlying asset.

As an illustration, if Bitcoin climbs 10% and subsequently drops 10%, Bitcoin itself would decline roughly 1%. A triple-leveraged fund tracking these movements could fall approximately 9% due to compounding effects from daily resets.

A single-day plunge of approximately 33% in the underlying futures contracts could theoretically eliminate the fund’s entire net asset value. This vulnerability explains why these instruments are typically marketed toward short-term traders who monitor positions actively.

Other asset managers have pursued similar triple-leveraged cryptocurrency products. GraniteShares filed for 3x XRP funds earlier in 2026 but encountered regulatory obstacles.

This approval represents one element of expanded regulatory engagement with digital asset products throughout the United States this year. The SEC has also published guidance addressing staking receipt tokens and various digital asset frameworks.

Regulators have been examining rules governing adviser custody of cryptocurrencies and tokenized securities offerings. Submissions from OKX and ICE concerning tokenized NYSE equity shares have progressed under an SEC innovation pilot program.

In parallel developments, the Treasury Department has reversed course on earlier proposals to regulate crypto mixing services. The SEC has also explored potential innovation exemptions for tokenized securities issuances.

Currently, both the 3x Bitcoin and 3x Ethereum funds remain inaccessible to retail and institutional investors. Trading will only commence once registration statements receive formal effectiveness declarations.

Prysm’s v7.2.1 release sets its validators to Sepolia’s new 200 million gas limit by default, a number its previous version left at 60 million unless operators changed it by hand.

Prysm ships 200M gas limit fix hours before Glamsterdam test

Posted October 6, 2026 at 6:00 am ET.

Offchain Labs, which maintains the Prysm Ethereum consensus client, released version 7.2.1 on Monday, hours before the Glamsterdam upgrade goes live on the Sepolia testnet. With the update, Prysm validators default to a 200 million gas limit once the fork activates, rather than the 60 million the prior release used unless operators set a higher number themselves.

Glamsterdam is scheduled to activate on Sepolia at epoch 353,024, or 13:53:36 UTC on Oct. 6, according to the Ethereum Foundation’s testnet announcement. Sepolia is a test network where developers try out protocol changes before they reach mainnet. Its shared configuration was updated on Sept. 24 to lift the gas limit to 200 million at the fork.

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A Late Config Change That schedule, set under EIP-8261, arrived after Prysm had already cut v7.2.0, the version the foundation listed as Sepolia-ready. Validators on v7.2.0 would “default to a 60M gas limit in their Gloas proposer preferences,” its release notes warned, and anyone who wanted 200 million had to configure it manually. The team said a follow-up release would carry the schedule.

Version 7.2.1 is that release. For validators running it, the higher limit “needs no action,” per the notes. Operators who still set a gas limit flag from older setups will override the 200 million schedule, though, and the client now warns them about it at startup.

Gas is how Ethereum measures the computing work a block can hold. A higher limit makes room for more transactions per block but puts more load on the machines running nodes. At 200 million, Sepolia’s limit will be more than three times the old 60 million default.

The release also switches on partial data columns by default, so nodes can trade individual cells of blob data instead of entire columns, and patches a bug in how Prysm builds the first post-fork block in some cases.

Teku Still Defaults to 60M Prysm was one of two consensus clients the foundation flagged for the lower default. The foundation said in the same announcement that Teku 26.9.1 “defaults to a 60M gas limit after activation” and that Teku validators who want 200 million must set it with a command-line flag. As of Tuesday morning, 26.9.1 was still Teku’s newest release on GitHub.

Glamsterdam bundles two sets of changes, Gloas on the consensus side and Amsterdam on the execution side. Most notable are enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS), which writes the handoff between validators and block builders into the protocol, and block-level access lists, which let nodes process transactions in parallel. Vitalik Buterin has argued that ePBS alone does not stop a small group of builders from gaining outsized power.

“Hoodi and mainnet activation dates have not yet been decided,” the foundation said.

Related Listen: The Chopping Block: Bitget’s 388 Million Dollar Hack, Kalshi’s Cooked Perps Volume, and Agentic Bank Runs

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.

Dogecoin (DOGE) price has created a golden cross on the one-day chart, with the move coinciding with a jump in open interest (OI) to $1.52 billion.

Analysts are also anticipating the beginning of another bullish leg despite reduced demand for DOGE ETFs.

Dogecoin price trades at $0.094 today, October 6, after dropping by 2% in 24 hours.

Analysts Forecast a Major Dogecoin Price Breakout In a recent X post, analyst Ali Martinez noted that DOGE price is headed for a breakout after consolidating within a descending triangle.

Per the analyst, if Dogecoin can close above the obstacle at $0.095, it could confirm a bullish breakout that could stir gains to $0.106.

Another analyst dubbed Sweeped on X also observed the same descending triangle on Dogecoin’s four-hour chart, noting the top meme coin could become one of the earliest altcoins to “pump” in Q4 2026.

Analyst TMA also observes that Dogecoin is repeating a 2024 bull fractal that could precede an over five times gain.

“$DOGE is moving up from a multi-year support zone and has broken above a multi-year downtrend line. DOGE pumped more than 500% from this level in 2024,” the analyst said.

The bullish future Dogecoin outlook by the analysts comes as the crypto “fear and greed index remains in “greed” territory even as Bitcoin price eyes the resistance at $85,000.

Open Interest Spikes Amid Reduced ETF Demand Data from CoinGlass shows that Dogecoin’s OI reading has increased slightly by 0.55% to $1.52 billion. The open interest is now at its highest since September 28, despite the price of Dogecoin dropping by 2%.

DOGE OI (Source: CoinGlass) The high OI coincides with a decline in the long/short reading to 0.89, suggesting that short accounts are outpacing the long accounts.

The increased demand for short positions also comes as demand for Dogecoin ETFs wanes. As CoinGape reported earlier, Dogecoin ETFs recently reached record weekly inflows in the week ending September 25.

However, since then, the demand has weakened, with the ETF recording inflows of only $327,000 last week, and zero inflows so far this week, per SoSoValue data.

Dogecoin Price Prediction as Golden Cross Emerges Dogecoin price has formed a golden cross on the one-day chart after the 50-day SMA moved above the 200-day SMA.

The golden cross usually signals a shift in sentiment from bearish to bullish. However, the last time that Dogecoin created a golden cross in August 2025, the price did not surge right away. Instead, the price dropped and later surged by 42% one month after the crossover appeared.

The RSI reading of 55 shows the momentum remains bullish despite today’s dip.

Still, Dogecoin price needs to close above the resistance at $0.097 to confirm a move towards the September high of $0.105.

DOGE/USDT 1D Chart (Source: TradingView) A surge in selling pressure could push Dogecoin price to the support at $0.092. If Dogecoin fails to hold that support, it could move to the 50-day SMA of $0.088.

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has renewed his campaign urging Gemini, the major US-based cryptocurrency exchange, to list Cardano’s ADA token. The appeal followed Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss marking the exchange’s 11th anniversary with a celebratory message on X, where Hoskinson directly replied, “List ADA.”

Gemini’s asset listing policy under scrutinyGemini has added support for an extensive range of cryptocurrencies over the years, including assets such as Solana (SOL), Avalanche (AVAX), Polkadot (DOT), Cosmos (ATOM), and Tezos (XTZ). Despite this expansion, Cardano’s native asset ADA remains conspicuously absent from the exchange’s trading options.

Gemini’s official listing policy states that the exchange evaluates assets for potential inclusion based on criteria including maturity, liquidity, market demand, utility, regulatory environment, cybersecurity risks, and control concentration. However, Gemini has never publicly addressed its reasoning around ADA or commented on its absence.

Many Cardano supporters have questioned why one of the largest proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies has not been listed on Gemini, particularly as the exchange has embraced other leading tokens in the same category.

Hoskinson’s persistent campaignCharles Hoskinson has spent years publicly campaigning for ADA’s inclusion. In December 2022, during a period when Gemini was facing challenges involving crypto lender Genesis, Hoskinson remarked that the failure to list ADA appeared “pretty tightly correlated” with bankruptcy or reckless risk-taking. At the time, FTX’s collapse also drew attention, as that exchange had never launched an ADA spot market either.

Later that month, during a Twitter Spaces session, Hoskinson expanded on his point:

“We are still not on Gemini. Turns out that’s probably a good thing because FTX didn’t list us either,” Hoskinson joked.

The light-hearted jabs continued into September 2024, when Hoskinson visited Gemini’s booth at a crypto event, displaying a handwritten sign that read “Wen ADA?” and later posted a photo of it on X with the caption, “I’m just saying… @Gemini.”

In a 2025 interview with Blockchain Daily, Hoskinson took a sharper tone and identified Gemini as the last major US exchange still excluding ADA from its platform. He estimated that Gemini may have lost $70 million in revenue over the past five years by not enabling ADA trading.

Hoskinson suggested that rival trading venues like Binance and Coinbase benefited financially from offering ADA, capturing market share and community interest that Gemini did not.

Industry dynamics and toolsIn an environment where decisions by US regulators or the listing of an altcoin can shift the crypto landscape within seconds, traders have increasingly turned to privacy-first platforms to streamline their operations. Many investors are now adopting solutions like CryptoAppsy, which consolidates live charts, tailored news, and market data without the need for account creation.

These consolidated tools offer portfolio tracking, coin-specific news feeds, and macroeconomic indicators in one interface, helping traders react quickly to breaking events, including exchange listing changes like those being sought for ADA.

Circle has added Aave as a lending option inside its Bitcoin-backed borrowing service for Circle Mint clients, according to The Defiant. The move extends a product that has so far run on Morpho alone.

How the service works Circle formally launched the product, called Digital Asset-Backed Borrowing (DABB), on September 21, 2026. It targets eligible institutional clients who want liquidity but don’t want to part with their Bitcoin.

The mechanics run in three steps. A client deposits native Bitcoin with Circle, which mints a token called cirBTC on a 1:1 basis. Each cirBTC is backed by Bitcoin held in reserve at Circle National Trust.

That token then serves as collateral in third-party on-chain lending markets. Against it, the client borrows USDC, Circle’s dollar stablecoin.

Circle is not the lender in this arrangement. Borrowing rates and available liquidity are set by the third-party protocols. Positions sit in smart wallets that customers control, and those positions follow each protocol’s own liquidation procedures.

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The service is not available to everyone. Customers based in New York are excluded, which limits the pool to institutions eligible under Circle Mint LLC.

From Morpho-only to a second venue DABB debuted with Morpho on Arc, Circle’s EVM-compatible Layer 1 blockchain. The product’s launch landed alongside the early operational rollout of Arc itself.

Aave was part of the plan from the start, but it wasn’t ready on day one. As of early October 2026, the Aave integration was still not functional. Its arrival now gives Mint clients a second place to post cirBTC and borrow USDC.

The early numbers Morpho’s cirBTC market gives a sense of initial appetite. Shortly after launch, market data showed nearly $18.86 million borrowed against a liquidity pool of $157.85 million.

The market set its liquidation loan-to-value threshold at 86%. Once a loan reaches 86% of the value of the Bitcoin backing it, the position becomes eligible for liquidation.

By October 2, 2026, Morpho deposits on Arc had surpassed $500 million. The cirBTC/USDC borrowing market accounted for a large majority of Morpho’s early activity on the chain.

What this means Adding Aave matters for competition between lending protocols. Morpho had the cirBTC market to itself, and that market drove most of its early Arc activity. A second venue means borrowers and lenders can now split between two protocols.

Circle is effectively the custodian and token issuer, while the lending outcomes depend on code and rules it does not control. An 86% liquidation threshold on Morpho leaves limited room in a sharp drawdown, and borrowers using Aave will need to learn that protocol’s parameters separately.

The New York exclusion caps the near-term reach, as some of the largest US financial institutions are based there and cannot use the service in its current form.

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

Related to this topicFuture Tech & AI Council

ZachXBT posed as a client to a Chinese crew laundering Bybit funds for Lazarus.The launderer called his client Kim Jong-un and gave daily updates on his mood.Between orders came rabbit stew photos, a mahjong invite, and a Disney trip.ZachXBT posed as a scammer to infiltrate a Chinese crew accused of laundering most of Bybit’s $1.5 billion for North Korea. His launderer repaid him with Kim Jong-un updates, dinner photos, and a mahjong invitation.

The investigator says the intel helped freeze funds and attribute Bybit flows. He fronted $349,700 of his own money and took a 5% cut on every order, paid to the people he was investigating.

Where Do You Find North Korea’s Launderer? In THORChain’s Help ChatZachXBT gets a lead in February 2025, days after the Bybit hack. He spotted 15 or more accounts in public Telegram and Discord groups seeking help with orders tied to stolen funds.

One of them, using the alias Jimmy Green, had posted a stuck transaction in THORChain’s 10,845-member community chat. A THORSwap team member replied asking where he was swapping. The funds, ZachXBT says, were Bybit money that had moved through THORChain.

Jimmy’s Telegram bio was a job ad. Written in Chinese, it offered to process flagged BTC, ETH, SOL, and TRX through a mixing service. Nothing, it promised, would flow back. The account used a US phone number with a Virginia area code.

Jimmy Green’s User Info. Source: ZachXBTZachXBT’s cover story was marked ETH from the privacy tool Railgun that needed to become clean USDT on Tron. Jimmy quoted 5%. One early order came back as exactly 23,750 USDT, a 5% haircut on $25,000.

How Many Times Can Kim Jong-un Come Up in One Chat?Jimmy did not say “the client.” He said Kim Jong-un, by name, and treated him like a moody supplier.

Jimmy Talks About Kim Jong-un to ZachXBT (kj). Source: ZachXBT Later updates read like a weather report. Kim had called a halt because the coins sent back were too dirty and under investigation. Kim was testing Bitcoin because he feared USDT freezes. Of 50 BTC released, Jimmy’s team got 30.

At one point “the foreigners” ordered a ten-day break. Jimmy grumbled that the North Korean supply was suspended and his team needed more work.

ZachXBT, in character, asked whether Kim Jong-un had kept him busy that day. Jimmy replied that he was busy every day now.

He pitched his firm as professional coin laundering, isolation, and freezing prevention, and called it China’s largest. Then he told ZachXBT his team had laundered almost all of Bybit’s $1.5 billion in ETH.

ZachXBT says the boast matched laundering patterns he had already traced. It remains Jimmy’s claim, not a verified figure. The investigator has previously named a Chinese OTC trader for moving Lazarus funds.

Jimmy Green Boasting About $1.5 Billion ETH Laundering. Source: ZachXBTDid the Launderer Really Call the Money’s Next Move?The most useful thing Jimmy did was talk before acting. One morning, he announced that North Korea’s work would start tomorrow and Bitcoin would return to Solana. The next day, ZachXBT says, the funds moved to Solana.

On March 12, 2025, Jimmy sent a screenshot of himself bridging 1.192 BTC into ETH. ZachXBT matched the amount and timing to a THORChain order created minutes after the message.

Jimmy Bridges 1.192 BTC Into ETH. Source: ZachXBTJimmy also handed over three Solana addresses. They exposed a cluster of $12 million or more in Bybit funds cycling through BTC, ETH, SOL, and Tron. Tether later froze 442,000 USDT linked to it.

He solved an older case by accident. Jimmy mentioned a team he knew had around $300,000 frozen in 2024. ZachXBT found it onchain, as 332,000 USDC from the Poloniex exploit.

A separate brag about washing $3 million in fraud proceeds led to a hot wallet at Huione Guarantee. ZachXBT notes the Cambodian marketplace has since been sanctioned and its former chairman arrested.

Who Was Chasing Whom?Between orders, Jimmy sent photos of two steaming pots of stew. The meat was wild rabbit and wild bird, shot with a gun. He asked whether ZachXBT could play Chinese mahjong.

Other days brought his fat-reducing meal, a cup of American coffee, and complaints about the cold. ZachXBT says the small talk also covered family life and vacations at Disney.

One photo showed Jimmy’s phone displaying a wallet holding about 1.2 million USDT. The laptop behind it had Google Translate open, which explains the grammar.

Jimmy was clear about where his team stood. “We are honest businessmen,” he said, moments after sending through another batch of USDT.

The pause before it, he explained, was because his team had suspected ZachXBT of fooling them. Integrity, he said, came first.

Meanwhile, the detective played hard to get. Jimmy messaged good morning past midnight, hello an hour later, and a lone question mark before dawn. ZachXBT scolded him.

ZachXBT Scolded Jimmy. Source: X PostJimmy apologized and said his team had $1 million ready to start at any time.

ZachXBT says he handed everything to private investigators and law enforcement, which is why the thread arrived 19 months late. He puts his DPRK-related freezes since 2022 at $75 million or more, against billions stolen.

The same support-ticket pattern resurfaced last month. Launderers moving funds from the $387 million Bitget hack openly asked for help in public groups. North Korea’s contractors, it turns out, still need customer service.

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Sui is drawing increased market attention as Basecamp 2026 approaches, with the SUI token maintaining its position above a key technical support level amid broadening ecosystem interest. The upcoming event in Singapore is anticipated to act as a potential catalyst for renewed activity within the network, though market participants remain cautious, looking for confirmation in price and derivatives data before expecting further momentum.

SUI price holds key levels despite daily declineAt press time, SUI traded at approximately $1.18, reflecting a decrease of about 2.3% over the previous 24 hours. Despite this pullback, the token remains above its short and long-term moving averages, with traders closely watching the $1.20 region.

Technical analysis shows SUI has continued its recovery trend after rebounding from the $0.70 to $0.80 price zone in September. The current consolidation range is between $1.15 and $1.22, with price having recently tested levels slightly above $1.20.

Immediate chart support sits near $1.045, with an additional support zone lower at $0.803. Breaching the former level could increase the risk of a more significant correction.

SUI is firmly positioned above both its 50-day moving average at $0.853 and its 200-day moving average at $0.873, maintaining a constructive technical profile.

Momentum indicators remain positive. The latest Relative Strength Index (RSI) reading stands at 64.13, slightly below its moving average of 68.58, suggesting strong but not overextended buying activity.

Upcoming Basecamp 2026 event boosts ecosystem engagementThe Sui community highlighted Basecamp 2026 as a “big week” for the project, citing increased sponsorship and ecosystem involvement around the Singapore event. Raoul Pal described Sui as actively building robust infrastructure for the evolving agentic economy. Basecamp 2026 is scheduled for October 7–8 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, running alongside TOKEN2049. Official programming will address agentic finance topics, including autonomous payments, instant settlement, private transactions, and stable digital currencies.

Sui Basecamp 2026 will focus on agentic finance, covering autonomous payments, instant settlement, private transactions, and stable digital dollars, as the ecosystem attracts more sponsors and community interest in Singapore.

This high-profile event may keep Sui in the spotlight in the weeks ahead, although increased visibility does not guarantee further token appreciation.

Derivatives activity and trading volume surgeDerivatives data from CoinGlass reveals that SUI open interest soared from $450 million to nearly $1 billion during the recent rally. Trading volumes remain robust, with several daily sessions surpassing $1 billion and one spike nearing $3 billion. Liquidations of both long and short positions reflect ongoing volatility in SUI markets.

Elevated open interest combined with sustained volume suggests that traders are positioning for outsized moves, though this also means sharper price swings remain possible.

Given these rapid market shifts and the relevance of monitoring key technical and macro developments, many active traders are turning to streamlined solutions. In a market where a single Fed decision or a sudden altcoin listing can change everything in seconds, jumping between different apps for charts, news, and portfolio tracking is costing investors money. Smart traders are now utilizing privacy-first tools like CryptoAppsy to consolidate everything. Without even the hassle of creating an account, you get real-time charts, smart price alerts, coin-specific news, and critical macro data all on one screen.

Technical outlook and risk levelsSUI continues to trade above major support levels and both key moving averages, signaling that its overall technical framework remains constructive. The RSI of 64.13 highlights ongoing momentum, but headroom still exists before reaching overbought conditions.

Derivatives open interest close to $1 billion underscores growing participation ahead of Basecamp 2026, while increased volatility remains a notable risk for short-term traders.

A move above $1.20 could encourage a challenge of recent highs, whereas a drop under $1.045 might shift focus to the lower support zone around $0.803.

The Sui ecosystem could see heightened attention as the event nears, but analysts caution that market volatility persists and technical confirmation remains critical for bullish setups. Traders are advised to watch for a sustained break above $1.20 to support a positive trend, while protecting against downside moves below $1.045.

Participants are reminded that cryptocurrency markets are volatile and require careful analysis before making decisions.

President Donald Trump‘s upcoming gala dinner with Official Trump (CRYPTO: TRUMP) memecoin holders is attracting significant attention, as are the gifts guests are expected to receive at the event.

Trump-Branded GoodiesInvitations will go to the top 185 registered holders, based on their time-weighted TRUMP holdings, while VIP access is reserved for the top 29.

The top 185 holders will receive Trump Fragrances, the official Trump-branded perfume and cologne lines, commemorative posters and trading cards featuring him and “Fight Fight Fight” Trump watches.

Trump will attend as featured speaker alongside three unnamed "legends.”

The top 29 holders get a VIP reception with Trump and one of those legends. The top four will each receive a Trump 18k Gold Watch, a premium collectible crafted from 18-karat gold and adorned with high-quality diamonds.

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Trump Won’t Accept Gifts From AttendeesThis is for the third such gala dinner organized by Fight Fight Fight LLC, the entity behind the TRUMP meme coin.

The dinner is scheduled for Nov. 22 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C. No private meetings with Trump are included. Organizers have stated that no gifts will be accepted from attendees.

The TRUMP memecoin jumped 9% on the announcement, then quickly erased all those gains.

Price Action: As of this writing, TRUMP is down 1.80% in the last 24 hours to $2.03, according to Benzinga Pro. 

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Bitcoin’s Spot market is recovering from its drop-off in July. However, the overall recovery is minimal enough to confirm stronger demand. Binance led the recovery, with September volume reaching $50 billion from $42 billion in July.

Bybit followed at $19 billion versus $14 billion. Meanwhile, Kraken doubled its figures from $4 billion to $8 billion. The data suggests that traders are returning as Bitcoin’s [BTC] price continues to regain momentum.

However, the growth is being seen by most in a very minor way across all platforms.

Source: CryptoQuant More importantly, higher trading volume has not yet translated into the stronger demand needed to sustain Bitcoin’s long-term upside. As such, if Bitcoin’s Spot activity continues to accelerate, it should create a better foundation for potential long-term success.

Until then, the recent recovery is fragile, and therefore additional demand would likely need to enter the markets before prices move towards new highs.

Bitcoin faces a key liquidity test As Spot activity recovers, Bitcoin’s next move will also depend on how leveraged positions react to the price action movements. In fact, of these positions, the largest cluster sits near $90,000.

In this zone, forced short closures could turn a steady advance into a faster squeeze.

As a result, that makes the level more than simple resistance, as liquidations could add buying pressure once the price reaches it. However, there are other risks involved at lower price levels, including small clusters at $83,000 and $75,000.

If the price drops below these levels, aggressive closing of leveraged long positions may occur, adding additional selling pressure to the market.

Source: Glassnode Therefore, Bitcoin now faces liquidation-driven acceleration on either side. A break toward $90,000 could amplify gains, while losing $83,000 could quickly deepen the downside from here.

Bitcoin Tests $87,400 Resistance With liquidation zones poised for a potential sharp price move, Bitcoin’s price structure is showing where this pressure may be felt. After rebounding from the $84,000 level, Bitcoin was trading at nearly $86,248 at press time.

Since breaking above the $82,561 area, Bitcoin has maintained a higher-low structure while continuously approaching the ceiling of $87,400.

Sellers have several times pushed back on the resistance in the $87,400 region and therefore have been keeping Bitcoin tight within a range.

Source: TradingView However, each pullback found buyers at progressively higher levels and therefore preserved the bullish structure. The recovery again pushed toward resistance but was unable to secure a breakout.

Therefore, a sustained move above the $87,400 level could open a path for a move upward towards $89,000 and strengthen the path for Bitcoin towards $90,000.

Conversely, losing $84,000 would expose $82,561 as the next support.

Final Summary Bitcoin needs stronger Spot demand to sustain its recovery and support a move toward new highs. BTC remains bullish above $82,561, but a break above $87,400 is needed to strengthen the path toward $90,000.

U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to give every American $5,000 if the Republicans win both chambers of the Congress in upcoming midterm elections.

From an economic perspective, this injection of cash into the economy could be yet another catalyst for a rise in the value of risky assets.

According to the head of DWF Labs, however, the impact could be much bigger. As the post below illustrates, the proposed payout would be roughly 150% of the COVID-19 stimulus checks.

If even a slice of that liquidity finds its way into crypto, it could ramp up speculative demand and potentially catalyze another 2020-21-style risk-on cycle.

Source: X However, to see if history could repeat, it is worth looking at what happened during the 2020/21 cycle.

In December 2020, Bitcoin [BTC] climbed past its previous $20k high and then more than doubled to around the $42k level by January 2021.

This was driven by increased institutional demand, as firms such as MicroStrategy and Square acquired BTC while PayPal and others offered crypto services. In the first half of 2021, BTC climbed above $60k before eventually reaching nearly $69k in November.

Thus, if another wave of cash hits consumers and even a small part of it goes into risk assets, it could lead to a liquidity-driven demand wave.

The main difference this time is that institutional participation is much deeper, so fresh liquidity can have a bigger impact on Bitcoin’s upside if the overall risk-on setup stays intact.

Is Bitcoin’s rising demand really strategic positioning? Smart money accumulating Bitcoin at these levels can hardly be accidental.

Michael Saylor has once again sent out an “orange flag,” which usually serves as the first indication of a new BTC purchase. Besides, Wall Street isn’t backing off either.

BlackRock’s IBIT just added another $195.6 million in BTC, pushing its net accumulation to around $1.57 billion over the last month alone.

Meanwhile, the Fed is scheduled to inject $5.8 billion into the markets next week. Bitcoin has held above $80k for two consecutive weeks as buyers jump in at key support levels.

These are positive signs of strong institutional demand, as big players appear to be accumulating BTC during the consolidation phase.

Source: TradingView In short, this adds to the case that institutional participation in Bitcoin is far stronger than it was in 2020.

Back then, the initial COVID-19 stimulus provided eligible Americans with $1,200 per adult plus $500 per child and a further $600 per adult in late December. This served as a direct cash injection and a highly liquid risk-on environment for Bitcoin in its 2020-21 bull cycle.

Now, the proposed $5,000 payment per American suggested by the U.S. President Donald Trump would far exceed 2020 levels of infusion. So, if even a fraction of that liquidity flows into Bitcoin and other risk assets, it could become another demand catalyst to an already institutionally driven market.

Final Summary Institutions are still buying Bitcoin, keeping demand strong. Trump’s proposed $5k stimulus could bring fresh money into BTC and other risky assets.

Ripple [XRP] and XRP Ledger have been two sides of a coin for the longest time. Is that about to change?

Ripple wants XRP to fund payments At XRP Seoul 2026 on 3rd October, Ripple President Monica Long discussed moving customer transaction volume directly onto XRPL. She went on to add that the company wants to expand a payment pilot that runs through the ledger’s DEX. They’d also link the payments business with the lending plumbing being built on XRPL.

The lending part of it all is very important here.

Ripple already has credit pilots in motion, and the proposal is for XRP to be in lending pools that could fund Ripple’s payment customers. With this, the native token would actually be a source of income for the businesses. That’s a very different job from just shuttling money between banks.

Could it move the token’s price? Yes, but also…no.

A very busy ledger and a more valuable token aren’t the same thing, and XRP holders need the second.

Can any of this help XRP? So far, the market isn’t paying for the plan.

At the time of writing, XRP was trading at $1.49; down 1.7% in 24 hours. The token has spent two weeks between $1.47 and $1.55 since going up near $1.65 in late September.

Source: TradingView Pace wasn’t that great either. RSI was near-neutral at 55. Chaikin Money Flow was back at zero after most of September in the red. That implied that while the sellers have been shaken off, the buyers haven’t showed up either.

The derivatives side of things also looked similar.

Source: Coinalyze Open interest (OI) was flat at about $1.45 billion, and funding was back to a mild 0.0079%. This, after a brief negative turn a few days prior.

If Ripple actually turns XRP into loan capital for payment businesses, that could change.

Final Summary Ripple wants to move customer payment volume onto the XRP Ledger in 2027. The native token’s mild reaction proves that traders don’t care enough right now.

The XRP Ledger (XRPL) continues its journey toward the deployment of programmable escrow features as developers just deployed the ninth release of the Smart Escrow Devnet.

Mayukha Vadari, a senior software engineer at RippleX and one of the authors of the Smart Escrows proposal, said it's a "big step toward launch." She added that they are still in the process of reviewing and testing the Smart Escrows framework before the release.

"Programmability on the XRPL keeps moving," said Vadari.

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Those who are trying out the Smart Escrow tech would need to update their configurations for the new Devnet.

Big tech overhaulThe ninth release includes a lot of under-the-hood changes. One of the key changes in this release is the full migration of the WebAssembly virtual machine integration from C++ to Rust.

Vadari said this new architecture brings a single point of entry for gas accounting, error handling, and checks. Moreover, this migration improved performance by 30%–50% for every host function call.

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In addition, the developers also updated the names of host functions, fields in the ledger, result codes for the transaction engine, and the entry point for execution with production-ready names.

Smart Escrow explainedThe standard XRPL escrows allow users to lock funds for a certain period of time or wait until some cryptographic condition is met. With Smart Escrow, you can add a small WebAssembly program to the escrow itself.

This program can decide whether to allow the escrow to complete. This gives the opportunity to have much more complex release conditions.

As described in the XLS-100 proposal, Smart Escrows is the initial layer of programmability for the XRP Ledger. Possible use cases for Smart Escrows could include approvals from a notary, holding for compliance reasons, real estate deals, auctions, and other conditional peer-to-peer arrangements.

In theory, the assets can only be released from the escrow if some approval is entered, if some compliance check is fulfilled, or if some external information is provided via an oracle that satisfies certain criteria.

Dogecoin [DOGE] is a joke that keeps paying out.

Its recent rise isn’t down to one tweet or one lucky day though. In fact, a few things have lined up at once lately.

All green on the ETF front! In the last three weeks, Dogecoin ETFs have seen about $3.5 million.

The first of those weeks (ending 18th September) brought in about $284,500. The week after that, inflows skyrocketed to $2.8 million!

The latest week had about $327,360 in inflows.

Source: SoSoValue In all honesty, this isn’t huge by Bitcoin ETF standards. However, if you put it into context, things would make sense. DOGE ETFs held at only around $12 million in assets in mid-September. That number, at press time, was at $16.2 million!

For a memecoin-based product like a DOGE ETF, three steady weeks might constitute a definite change in mood. That’s not all though.

AMBCrypto previously reported that the DogeOS public testnet went live for developers on 30th September. Thanks to the same, payments, trading, lending, and games that run on DOGE can be tested now!

However, there’s a catch.

Fees on the testnet are paid in test DOGE, which is free from a faucet and worth absolutely nothing. And DogeOS isn’t an upgrade to Dogecoin itself; rather, a separate layer built around it.

So, it could give DOGE more to do… someday.

What about the price charts though?

Dogecoin’s price analysis At press time, DOGE was trading at $0.0946. While it recorded only a slight dip on the day, we’re still nearly 20% above mid-September lows near $0.079.

Most of that move came in one go. DOGE went up above $0.10 on the 21st, and briefly tagged $0.106. In the last two weeks, the token has shuttled between $0.091 and $0.099.

Indicators didn’t seem panicky though.

The RSI was above neutral as the OBV climbed to about 154.31 billion for most of late September. This has held on, indicating that buyers who came in during the rally may be here to stay!

What does all this mean? Well, its means the ETF money is real, DogeOS is a maybe, and the chart may be catching its breath a bit. A clean breach of $0.10 is what would give this run some steam.

Final Summary DOGE ETFs logged three straight weeks of inflows. Dogecoin’s price appeared to be closing in on $0.095, nearly 20% above its September low. 

@Grayscale has made little secret of its conviction on @Zcash. The asset manager has publicly argued that the crypto market is underpricing financial privacy, and that $ZEC stands to benefit as that view shifts. Now, its Head of Research is taking the case to one of the most closely watched institutional venues in Asia.

The Singapore Stage Grayscale Head of Research Zach Pandl is scheduled to speak at Singapore's Digital Asset Yield Summit on October 6, where he is expected to lay out the macro case for Zcash. That audience matters. A privacy-coin thesis delivered to senior institutional allocators carries different weight than a research note.

The Bull Case Grayscale Has Been Building The firm's published research frames the opportunity in structural terms:

The backdrop has shifted considerably in recent months. giving traditional brokerage investors direct exposure to the token for the first time.

Despite the rally, Grayscale's view is that the repricing is not complete. while still arguing the gap with broader crypto valuations reflects a market that has not fully priced privacy as a core monetary feature.

What Pandl says in Singapore will be worth watching closely. Grayscale has the institutional credibility and the product suite to move capital, and a formal macro argument for $ZEC in front of 160 capital allocators is not nothing.

Sources:
Grayscale Research: Zcash, Financial Privacy in the Age of AI
CoinDesk: Zcash Upside Hinges on Repricing Financial Privacy, Grayscale Says
Digital Asset Yield Summit, Singapore, October 6 2026