Crypto news — bitcoin, tokens, and digital assets — and the ripple to exchanges, miners, and crypto-exposed stocks.
Timeline
What happened in Crypto
Q2 2026
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Crypto hit by Fed hawkishness and ETF outflows, but tokenization advances
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Hawkish Fed and record ETF outflows A hawkish Fed under Kevin Warsh raised rate-hike odds, with PCE inflation at 4.1%, pushing bitcoin below $60K and triggering a record $4.1B June ETF outflow as capital rotated into AI stocks.
This is the main negative force driving crypto stocks and sectors in the period.
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Strategy's debt and bitcoin sale concerns Strategy (MSTR) drew scrutiny over $8.17B debt, a $13B bitcoin paper loss, dilution, and a risky pivot to selling up to $1.25B in bitcoin, weighing on its stock and crypto sentiment.
This company-specific issue added pressure on crypto-related equities.
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Tokenization and institutional adoption Tokenization advanced with DTCC's pilot with BlackRock and Goldman, ICE-OKX's joint venture, Securitize's NYSE debut, and Robinhood's Ethereum Layer-2, signaling growing institutional interest.
This positive development shows the sector's growth despite price weakness.
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Diversification and stablecoin regulation Miners pivoted to AI data centers, Coinbase diversified into tokenized equities and AI advising, and stablecoin regulation progressed—though Open USD's launch pressured Circle.
This shows both adaptation and new competitive pressures in the sector.
Latest
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SEC custody rule and tokenized-stock push drive crypto; rate and geopolitical risks cap gains
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SEC proposes crypto custody rule for funds The SEC proposed letting investment advisers and regulated funds hold crypto for clients, including self-custody and state trust companies as custodians. This is a regulatory tailwind for bitcoin and crypto broadly, and opens custody revenue for Coinbase and similar firms.
A new SEC rule proposal directly changes the regulatory backdrop for crypto assets and custody providers.
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Tokenized stocks and stablecoin payments scale up Coinbase's tokenized US equities topped $1B in DEX volume on Base in a month, and Citi expanded its Coinbase partnership for stablecoin payments. This embeds crypto rails in mainstream finance, lifting COIN, C, USDC and exchanges.
Tokenization and stablecoin payment adoption are key structural drivers for crypto-related stocks.
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Rate and geopolitical risks pressure crypto Trump refusing to rule out strikes on Iran pushed bitcoin down 1.3% and the 10-year yield to 5.20%, the highest since 2007. Higher yields and war risk weigh on crypto and rate-sensitive stocks, though softer jobs data later pulled yields lower and helped bitcoin.
Geopolitics and rates are the main macro forces currently capping crypto's rally.
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Tether and Bitget face regulatory and security scrutiny A Senate Democratic report accused Tether's USDT of being Iran's sanctions-evasion lifeline, and Bitget raised its hack loss estimate to $387.5M. This adds regulatory and security risk for stablecoins and exchanges, pressuring USDT and related crypto assets.
Regulatory and security issues at major crypto firms can undermine confidence and invite tougher oversight.
Q3 2026
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Crypto rallied on adoption but macro and security risks capped gains
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Wall Street adoption and tokenization Wall Street adoption and tokenization pushed bitcoin above $80,000 in August and past $86,000 in September, with ETF inflows returning and stablecoin payment rails expanding.
This is the main positive force behind the crypto desk's stocks and sectors in Q3.
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Macro and policy headwinds Fed rate hikes and rising yields pressured crypto prices, while the CLARITY Act failed in the Senate, leaving regulatory uncertainty that weighed on sentiment.
These macro and policy factors were key negative drivers for crypto in Q3.
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Security breaches and sanctions issues A Coldcard flaw drained over $100 million, Bitget disclosed a $387.5 million hack, and Tether faced sanctions-evasion allegations, hurting confidence in crypto security and compliance.
These security and compliance problems were major negative events that capped gains.
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Strategy's loss and treasury selling Strategy reported an $8.22 billion loss and sold bitcoin, while other treasury firms turned net sellers, adding selling pressure to the market.
This shows a major holder reducing exposure, a negative force for crypto prices.
LatestCrypto
Global
Crypto▼
Ether Surges 70% to Outpace Bitcoin in Q3, but Liquidity Plunges to 35-45% of Bitcoin's
Data from CoinDesk shows that Ether, or ETH, which trades at 2,714.94 dollars, outperformed Bitcoin, or BTC, which trades at 86,063.87 dollars, in the third quarter. Ether's price jumped 70% this quarter, beating Bitcoin's 42% return, but it became harder to trade because liquidity thinned out. Between July 6 and September 30, Ether's median daily market depth was only 35% to 45% of Bitcoin's, according to a CoinGecko report, compared with at least 60% in the same period last year, which CoinGecko called a complete decline from last year's figures. Ether had depth of 13 million dollars to 14 million dollars within 0.15% of the market price, and CoinGecko noted that ETH still retains reasonably decent liquidity within this band, with most exchanges maintaining depth of more than 1 million dollars on each side. The shrinking liquidity is not unique to Ether, because Solana, or SOL, a major rival, has also seen its overall liquidity contract sharply since 2025, with depth within 2% of the market price falling from about 28 million dollars on each side of the order book last year to about 20 million dollars this year. Meanwhile XRP, a cryptocurrency focused on payments, held steady with total depth of about 30 million dollars, but its order book leans toward the buy side, with nearly 18 million dollars in buy orders against 14 million dollars in sell orders. And although XRP's market value is about 40% larger than SOL's, it has less depth within 2% of the price, because SOL still trades 25% more than XRP on a typical day, CoinGecko said.
SOL · Supply · Negative Solana's order-book liquidity contracted sharply since 2025, with depth within 2% falling from ~$28M to ~$20M per side.
BTC · · Neutral Bitcoin is the benchmark Ether outperformed (42% vs 70%) and whose liquidity Ether's depth is compared against; no independent driver for BTC itself.
XRP · · Neutral XRP held steady at ~$30M total depth but its order book leans buy-side; no clear directional driver stated.
CoinGecko · · Neutral CoinGecko is only cited as the source of the liquidity report, not a subject of the news.
Daiwa Securities Reports Possible Leak of Customer Data for About 110,000 People After Unauthorized Access at Outsourced Vendor
Daiwa Securities, a subsidiary of Daiwa Securities Group, announced on the 5th that customer information for approximately 110,000 people may have been leaked due to unauthorized access to a server at an outsourced vendor. The potentially leaked information includes names, email addresses, and account numbers, and when inquiries and other information that cannot identify individuals is included, the total reaches approximately 220,000 records. The unauthorized access occurred between around 8:33 p.m. on the 2nd and around 8:01 a.m. on the 3rd at Scalar Communications, a system company to which Daiwa Securities outsources the provision of inquiry management services, and Daiwa Securities received a report from the company on the 3rd. Scalar Communications has already implemented emergency security enhancements, and at this point no additional unauthorized access or information leaks have been confirmed, nor has any unauthorized access to Daiwa Securities' own systems been confirmed. The potentially leaked information alone cannot be used to access securities accounts or conduct transactions, and at this point no fraudulent transactions resulting from this matter, nor any public disclosure or spread of the information on the internet, have been confirmed.
8601.JP · Regulation · Negative Customer data for ~110,000 people may have leaked via unauthorized access at an outsourced vendor, exposing Daiwa Securities to a data-security/legal-compliance issue.
Bitcoin Holds Above $85,000 as Markets Eye ETF Buying After Jobs Report
Bitcoin recovered to hold above the $85,000 level, trading at $85,276, up 0.83% over 24 hours, but still below the $86,000 level it touched before the jobs numbers were released. Research from Glassnode indicated that the strongest short squeeze buying occurred at 04:20 UTC on October 2, with $50 million in short liquidations within 10 minutes, which came 8 hours ahead of the release of the non-farm payrolls figures. Meanwhile, open interest rose by $2.1 billion in the 24 hours before the announcement, then fell by $1.5 billion after the report came out. On the spot Bitcoin ETF side, US funds recorded net inflows of $102 million on October 1, according to data from Farside Investors. Glassnode also assessed that the probability of the Fed raising rates by another 0.25% at its October 28 meeting fell from 66% on September 28 to just 22% as of October 2, after the September jobs report showed an increase of only 29,000 positions and an unemployment rate of 4.2%. The market is still awaiting the ISM September services report, scheduled for release on Monday, October 5, at 10:00 a.m. US Eastern Time.
Japan Adds Russian Crypto Exchange Garantex to Sanctions List
The Japanese government on October 2 added the Russian-linked cryptocurrency exchange Garantex to its list of entities subject to asset-freezing and other measures over the situation in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry announced the same day. In the list of designated parties published by the Foreign Ministry, the operating company Garantex Europe OU appears as one of 33 Russia-related entities. Under the new designation, payments in Japan to Garantex and other sanctioned parties will in principle require prior authorization. Cryptocurrency transfers are also covered by the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, and domestic crypto asset exchange operators are required to confirm in advance that a transfer is not related to a sanctioned party. Garantex is a cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2019 that has mainly operated in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In April 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated the exchange for sanctions, saying that more than 100 million dollars of transactions identified on Garantex were linked to parties involved in illicit activity and darknet markets. Japan said the latest measure is intended to keep pace with the response of major countries in light of the situation in Ukraine and to contribute to international efforts.
Tria, which operates a card payment service using crypto assets, began offering 'Tria Gacha' on October 4 on an invitation-only basis, letting users draw Pokémon cards and more within its app. When users purchase eligible packs with the company's card, they can receive cashback of up to 6% depending on their membership plan. The gacha features graded physical Pokémon cards, One Piece cards, and sports cards, and users can hold the cards they draw within the app, sell them on the spot, or request physical delivery. Base reward rates are 1.5%, 4.5%, and 6% depending on the plan, and not all users receive the 6% rate. During the trial period, card payments for gacha draws are subject to a daily cap of 50,000 dollars shared across all users, with the cap replenished at 9 p.m. Japan time.
About 1,783 wstETH Drained on Base, Losses Top $6 Million, PeckShield Says
Blockchain security firm PeckShield reported on October 4 that roughly 1,783 wstETH was drained on Base, Ethereum's layer-2 network. The losses amount to about $6 million, or roughly 960 million yen. According to Blockaid, which detected the attack, the victim was a vault used to store and manage crypto assets; a new contract was added to the whitelist that restricts who can use the vault's functions, and aBaswstETH was borrowed from the vault before the tokens were moved to a separate attacker-controlled contract. aBaswstETH is a deposit receipt showing that wstETH, an asset tied to Ethereum staking, was deposited with the lending service Aave. Blockaid initially reported that about $2.02 million was drained in roughly four transactions, but later updated the loss figure to more than $6 million in the same post thread. In a July 28 report, the company said hacking losses in the first half of 2026 exceeded $1 billion, with the number of confirmed attacks hitting a record high.
ICBA Sues OCC Over Trust Bank Charters for Crypto Firms
The Independent Community Bankers of America, which represents the nation's community banks, sued the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in federal court in Washington, D.C., on October 2. The ICBA argues that the OCC's decision to grant national trust bank charters to cryptocurrency companies exceeds the authority Congress gave the agency. The suit, brought under the Administrative Procedure Act, seeks a declaration that a charter rule published in March 2026 and Interpretive Letter 1176 from 2021 are unlawful, and asks that they be vacated. According to the complaint, the OCC approved or conditionally approved 21 companies under the Trump administration, at least 13 of which were cryptocurrency firms. The ICBA also seeks to overturn the conditional approval granted to Protego Holdings in February 2026. Rebeca Romero Rainey, chief executive of the ICBA, said Congress did not create the trust charter as a back door for cryptocurrency companies seeking the credibility of a federal bank charter without the obligations of the Community Reinvestment Act, capital and liquidity standards, or deposit insurance. The OCC conditionally approved trust bank charters for companies including Ripple and Paxos in December 2025, and the outcome of the lawsuit could shape the path for cryptocurrency firms seeking to enter banking.
Protego Holdings · Regulation · Negative The ICBA explicitly seeks to overturn the conditional trust bank charter granted to Protego Holdings in February 2026.
Paxos · Regulation · Negative ICBA lawsuit targets the OCC trust charter approvals that included Paxos, potentially invalidating its conditional charter.
Ripple Labs Inc. · Regulation · Negative ICBA lawsuit seeks to overturn the OCC's conditional trust bank charter approval for Ripple, threatening its path into banking.
Bitcoin Briefly Tops $87,000 After Weak U.S. Jobs Report
Bitcoin briefly broke above $87,000 after the September employment report released on October 2 by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics came in far below expectations. September nonfarm payrolls rose just 29,000 from the previous month, well short of the market forecast of 89,000, while the unemployment rate climbed to 4.2%; the July and August figures were revised down by a combined 60,000, with July turning negative. After the release, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield briefly fell to around 5.17%, and according to CME Group's FedWatch tool, the probability of a 0.25% rate hike at the October 27-28 Federal Open Market Committee meeting has fallen sharply to 22.1% from 64.2% a week earlier. Bitcoin, however, was blocked by sell orders near its September high of $87,400 and failed to set a new high. QCP Capital noted that the rally was driven by supply and demand and carries structural fragility, while the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield also turned higher late in the session, leaving expectations for a rate hike at the December meeting still deeply entrenched. In Japan, the Bank of Japan's monetary policy meeting will be held on October 29-30, immediately after the FOMC, and attention is needed on how this affects the domestic crypto asset market through the yen exchange rate.
BTC · Monetary · Positive Bitcoin briefly topped $87,000 after the weak September jobs report sharply lowered Fed rate-hike odds.
US-10Y.GB · Monetary · Negative The 10-year Treasury yield briefly fell to around 5.17% on the weak jobs report, though it turned higher late in the session.
QCP Capital · · Neutral QCP Capital commented that the rally was supply-demand driven with structural fragility, but the article gives no clear directional driver for QCP itself.
CME · Monetary · Neutral CME's FedWatch tool is cited showing rate-hike odds falling to 22.1%, but CME itself is only a data source, not a subject of the story.
BNB Chain Tops $1 Billion in Tokenized Stocks and ETFs for the First Time
BNB Chain has become the first blockchain to surpass $1 billion in total tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds. According to Token Terminal data, the market value of tokenized stocks and ETFs rose about 17% from $2.87 billion in August to $3.35 billion in September. As of October 2, the overall market stood at $3.7 billion, with BNB Chain accounting for $1.1 billion, or roughly 30%, followed by Ethereum at $828 million and Solana at $738 million. In January, Ethereum held about 48% of the market, while BNB Chain accounted for just 13%. In a report dated September 29, Binance Research said the number of holders on BNB Chain had reached 1.8 million, noting that Binance's bStocks, launched in late June, is driving the growth.
Russia's Finance Ministry Makes First Salary Payments in Digital Rubles
Russia's Finance Ministry has begun paying staff salaries using the central bank digital currency known as the digital ruble. According to the ministry, some employees received their salaries in digital rubles for the first time on October 1, after opening digital ruble accounts on the Bank of Russia's platform. Whether to receive salaries in digital rubles is a voluntary choice made by each individual, and the ministry has not disclosed the number of employees involved or the total amount paid. In 2025, the Finance Ministry and the Federal Treasury piloted the use of the digital ruble for federal budget expenditures in Russia, making payments for salaries and scholarships and settling some government contracts, with total transactions amounting to just under 16 million rubles. From January 2026, digital ruble spending in the federal budget will no longer be limited to specific purposes, and the Bank of Russia and the Finance Ministry are jointly advancing its introduction into the budget process. The Bank of Russia positions the digital ruble as a "third form" of the national currency alongside cash and non-cash rubles. It began development in 2021, launched a pilot with real transactions in August 2023, and from September 1, 2026, broad use through major banks and retail companies got under way. Meanwhile, in April the European Union introduced measures as part of sanctions against Russia that prohibit involvement in transactions involving CBDCs such as the digital ruble and support for the development of related projects.
ECB Presents Three Models for Linking Central Bank Money to Tokenized Markets
The European Central Bank has set out three models for connecting central bank money to tokenized finance. ECB Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel explained them on October 1 at "The Future of Money" conference in London, hosted by the Bank of England and others. The first model has the central bank directly issuing tokenized reserve deposits on a programmable ledger, making central bank money itself a native asset on a distributed ledger and using it to settle transactions in tokenized financial assets. The second model keeps existing central bank settlement systems in place while connecting to distributed ledger platforms through bridges or synchronization functions; the reserve deposits themselves are not tokenized, and funding and settlement of transactions on the ledger are carried out with conventional central bank money. In the third model, private intermediaries issue on-chain settlement tokens backed by reserve deposits held in an omnibus account at the central bank, and these tokens represent a claim on a private entity rather than a direct claim on the central bank. Schnabel outlined a vision in which tokenized finance preserves the current two-tier structure, keeping central bank money at the core of final settlement between financial institutions while commercial banks provide money and financial services to customers. On September 21, the ECB launched Pontes, which connects distributed ledger platforms with the existing TARGET Services to settle tokenized asset transactions in central bank money, and its long-term Appia project is examining future architectures for tokenized markets, including a unified ledger and multiple interconnected ledgers.
Nvidia Adds Open Agent Safety Platform to AI Infrastructure Stack
Nvidia Corporation is adding the Open Agent Safety Platform to its AI infrastructure stack, an open software and reference system for securing AI agents from testing to deployment that combines OpenShell software with Nvidia Sentry on BlueField DPUs to monitor, control, and isolate potentially harmful agent activity. The launch follows recent incidents involving AI agents from OpenAI and Anthropic, including an OpenAI agent breaching Hugging Face, and Nvidia said the new platform could have prevented that breach by controlling agent permissions and isolating suspicious behavior. More than 100 organizations, including major technology and software enterprise companies, are involved in the platform. Nvidia said the main uncertainty for investors is how it will monetize the platform, since OpenShell is open source and works across different CPU architectures, while Sentry is more directly tied to the company's BlueField hardware, and it is still too early to view the platform as a meaningful short-term earnings driver. Nvidia's forward GAAP P/E of 22.79x sits about 56% below its 5-year average of 51.72x, and its forward price-to-sales ratio of 13.33x is about 32% below its 5-year average of 19.70x. As of July 26, Nvidia held $22.44 billion in cash and cash equivalents and $34.14 billion in marketable debt securities, against about $33.37 billion in total debt, while hedge fund ownership rose from 275 funds at the end of Q1 2026 to 285 funds at the end of Q2 2026 and short interest stood at just 1.27% of float as of September 15, 2026.
Cybersecurity & Digital Trust › AI Security & Agent Guardrails ▲Technology
Artificial Intelligence › Agentic AI & Autonomous Workflows ▲Technology
Artificial Intelligence › AI Compute & Accelerator Silicon Technology
NVDA · Technology · Positive Nvidia launched the Open Agent Safety Platform, an open software and reference system for securing AI agents, added to its AI infrastructure stack.
OpenAI · Technology · Negative The launch follows an incident in which an OpenAI agent breached Hugging Face, cited as motivation for the new safety platform.
Franklin Templeton's Benji Fund Shares Approved as Bybit Collateral
Bybit announced a collaboration with Franklin Templeton that lets eligible traders use Benji-issued money market fund shares as off-exchange collateral on the crypto platform, extending the asset manager's push into tokenized finance. Franklin Templeton shares trade at US$32.81, with a year to date share price return of 37.86% and a 1-year total shareholder return of 44.68%, while shorter-term momentum has faded with the 30-day share price return down 5.53% and the 90-day share price return down 4.73%. The company is building on its earlier tokenized funds and blockchain enabled products, including the BENJI tokenized money fund, by adding 3.2b of digital asset AUM and acquiring 250 Digital, and by embedding tokenized funds into partner wallets such as MoonPay and Payward. A widely followed narrative pegs fair value at $35.50, above the last close of $32.81, while the stock trades at 22x earnings, below the US Capital Markets industry on 39.7x and peers at 35.9x but above the fair ratio of 12.8x. Franklin Templeton's story could still shift if fee pressure from large platforms intensifies or if integration across its expanded credit and digital franchises stumbles.
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Real-World Asset Tokenization ▲Technology
BEN · Demand · Positive Bybit will accept Franklin Templeton's Benji money market fund shares as off-exchange collateral, extending distribution/adoption of its tokenized funds.
Bybit Fintech Limited · Demand · Positive Bybit gains a new collateral offering via the Franklin Templeton Benji integration, potentially attracting traders to its platform.
Shiba Inu, one of the largest meme coins in the crypto space, has gone live on Solana through Sunrise, giving Solana market access to the Ethereum token's canonical form. The move brings SHIB onto the Solana network via the Sunrise integration. The listing provides Solana market participants with access to the canonical form of the Ethereum-based token.
Starknet's STRK Jumps 16% as Trading Volume and Futures Activity Surge
Starknet's STRK token extended its rally Sunday, rising about 16% as a burst of speculative trading added momentum to the blockchain network's push to attract Bitcoin holders. STRK climbed from roughly $0.044 to $0.057 in the past 24 hours, after jumping about 26% Saturday, and by 12:08 p.m. ET Sunday CoinGecko showed more than $240 million in 24-hour volume and a market capitalization of about $427 million. The token has gained more than 35% in the past week and more than doubled in the past month. The rally accelerated Saturday after a crypto trader using the name Pumponomics posted a bullish STRK thesis on X at about 10:33 a.m. ET, saying he had accumulated about $740,000 of the token during the week, and on-chain data showed a wallet receiving about 17.44 million STRK from Coinbase Prime minutes before the post. Futures trading also surged, with volume rising about 213% to $187.7 million and open interest climbing about 20% to $74.2 million Saturday. The speculative activity followed an Oct. 2 announcement from Starknet that it would cover bridge fees for the first 100 Bitcoin moved onto its network through strkBTC, a Bitcoin-backed token that lets holders use their Bitcoin in applications on Starknet, with staking through Endur paying rewards in STRK at an annual percentage yield of about 3%. A further potential catalyst is approaching Monday, when Starknet v0.14.4 is scheduled for mainnet deployment Oct. 5, pending governance approval.
STRK · Demand · Positive STRK jumped 16% as speculative trading and futures activity surged, with the Oct. 2 bridge-fee subsidy for the first 100 Bitcoin on strkBTC aiming to attract Bitcoin holders to the network.
Michael Saylor Hints at Massive New Bitcoin Buy With 'More Orange Than Ever'
Strategy founder and chairman Michael Saylor published data on the company's Bitcoin strategy with the concise comment: "More orange than ever." The post, which appeared on the company formerly known as MicroStrategy, signals a potential massive new Bitcoin purchase by the firm. Saylor's terse remark accompanied the release of the company's Bitcoin strategy data, though no specific purchase amount or dollar figure was disclosed in the source material. The comment echoes Saylor's long-running practice of teasing Strategy's Bitcoin acquisitions ahead of official announcements.
Bitcoin Wallets Holding 1 BTC or More Fall by 14,000
The number of Bitcoin wallets holding at least 1 BTC fell by about 14,000 between September 16 and October 1, dropping from roughly 985,000 to about 971,000. The data, reported by CoinGlass, suggests holders may have sold or reassessed their positions as the price rose nearly 50% from its August 19 level to approach 87,300 dollars. Meanwhile, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw net inflows of about 2.9 billion dollars between September 17 and 30, with another 134.4 million dollars flowing in during the first two business days of October. U.S. nonfarm payrolls for September, released on October 2, rose by 29,000 from the previous month, far below the market forecast of 90,000, while the unemployment rate climbed to 4.2% and average hourly earnings growth slowed to 0.1% month over month, strengthening the view to 85% that the Federal Reserve will hold policy rates steady at its October 28 meeting. Bitcoin, however, remained below 85,000 dollars and was unable to clearly break through and hold above 86,000 dollars.
BTC · · Neutral Article reports mixed Bitcoin signals: 14,000 fewer 1+ BTC wallets and ETF inflows of ~$2.9B, with price unable to hold above $86,000, but no single stated cause.
Gen Z Sports Betting Surge Alarms Financial and Mental Health Experts
Sports betting has become so widespread among Generation Z that financial and mental health experts are increasingly concerned, with a Betterment survey finding 66% of Gen Z investors participate in sports betting and a Bank of America Institute report showing Gen Z made up almost 50% of all online betting activity in July during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, outnumbering millennials for the first time. The surge followed a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing state-authorized sportsbooks, which have since spread to 30 states, and the introduction of sports-related event contracts on prediction markets in early 2025 that expanded access to additional states without legalized sportsbooks and to those under 21. The Bank of America Institute found Gen Z was twice as likely to see sports betting as a type of investment, and Betterment found 52% of Gen Z respondents moved money originally meant for investment to sports betting while another 26% saw wagering as part of their long-term financial strategy. Bank of America also found the median deposit account balance for households using online betting was 59% of balances for those who did not, and experts warn that trying to claw back losses puts users in even deeper financial holes. Platforms including FanDuel, DraftKings, Polymarket and Kalshi have introduced age verification, self-imposed deposit and time limits, and mental health resources, with Kalshi donating $2 million in May to the National Council on Problem Gambling.
DKNG · Regulation · Neutral Named among platforms introducing age verification, deposit/time limits and mental health resources amid the Gen Z betting surge; no company-specific financial development.
FanDuel · Regulation · Neutral Listed among platforms rolling out age verification, self-imposed limits and mental health resources; no specific financial or demand event.
Kalshi · Regulation · Neutral Cited for introducing age verification and self-imposed limits and donating $2M to the National Council on Problem Gambling; no direct business impact stated.
Polymarket · Regulation · Neutral Mentioned only as a platform adding age verification and deposit/time limits amid the betting surge; no company-specific development.
Crypto job postings surge to 1,241 in September, but applications fall to about 20,000
CoinDesk reported on October 3 that CryptoJobsList, a recruitment site specializing in crypto assets, saw 1,241 job postings in September, more than tripling from 382 in July. Postings rose from 382 in July to 886 in August and reached 1,241 in September, far exceeding the 573 in January, the highest of the first half of the year. The number of companies that posted jobs in September reached 125. Meanwhile, applications have declined since July, totaling only about 20,000 in September, and the site points to the possibility that competition among companies to secure specialized talent is intensifying. In a report released on October 2, CryptoJobsList cited growing interest from institutional investors, partnerships with existing financial institutions, and new venture investment as reasons behind the hiring recovery. Over the past three months, finance was the most common category for job postings, followed by technology development and trading, while stablecoins, artificial intelligence, security, and regulatory compliance also ranked in the top 10.
CryptoJobsList · Demand · Positive CryptoJobsList saw job postings more than triple to 1,241 in September, reflecting surging demand for its crypto recruitment services.
Stellar Captures 37% of $96.5 Million RWA Tokenization Inflow
Stellar took in $36.4 million of the $96.5 million that flowed into real-world asset tokenization across the top 10 blockchain networks over the past 24 hours, according to RWA Foundation citing Token Terminal. That single-network share amounts to more than a third, or 37%, of the total 24-hour inflow into the top 10 networks. The figures cover only the top 10 blockchain networks by RWA tokenization market capitalization, which rose by $96.5 million in the period.
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Real-World Asset Tokenization ▲Capital
XLM · Demand · Positive Stellar captured $36.4M of the $96.5M 24-hour RWA tokenization inflow, 37% of the top-10 total, indicating strong adoption of its network.
Microsoft X Account Hijacked to Promote Fake $Clippy Crypto Token
Microsoft's official X account was hijacked to promote a fraudulent cryptocurrency tied to Clippy, the company's paperclip-shaped virtual assistant. The attackers pushed the so-called $Clippy token by reposting a related account, and that fraudulent account has since been suspended by X's team. The campaign used a nostalgia trick, promising that Microsoft would bring Clippy back if the post accumulated 500,000 likes, and it falsely claimed the scam token was paired with Microsoft's own stock, MSTF. It is not clear how the attacker gained access to the account, nor how much they earned, and even an apparent Microsoft apology distancing the company from the hack and threatening legal action was itself not published by the company. Microsoft's X accounts have been targeted before: in June 2024, Microsoft's India X account was hacked to promote Keith Gill, better known as Roaring Kitty of GameStop fame, advertising a GameStop cryptocurrency pre-sale that redirected users to a website that could drain their wallets.
SEC Approves First 3x Leveraged Crypto ETPs as Bitcoin Holds Near $85,000
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday approved a Cboe BZX rule change allowing the exchange to list six triple-leveraged exchange-traded products from Volatility Shares, a first-of-its-kind step that could expand leveraged exposure to the world's largest cryptocurrency. The products target three times the daily performance of bitcoin, ether, gold, silver, crude oil and natural gas, with the bitcoin and ether products providing leveraged exposure through futures rather than directly holding the cryptocurrencies. The decision does not mean the products are immediately available for trading, as registration requirements must still be completed before shares can be publicly offered. Bitcoin traded at $84,860.5 as of 01:29 ET, little changed over the past 24 hours, after briefly climbing above $87,000 earlier in the week. The approval adds another potential route for investors seeking cryptocurrency exposure after the SEC separately proposed changes to crypto custody rules this week, a proposal that was a major focus for Bitcoin markets on Friday.
DTCC Launches Tokenization Service as Wall Street Settlement Moves On-Chain
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation announced the DTCC tokenization service on May 4, 2026, a platform designed to bring Russell 1000 components, ETFs, and US Treasuries onto distributed ledgers. With over 50 firms including BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Circle, Ondo, and Nasdaq participating, the service moved into limited production in July 2026 following a December 2025 SEC No-Action Letter. DTCC CEO Frank La Salla said tokenization will significantly change how markets operate by bringing new levels of liquidity, transparency, and efficiency to investors, while Brian Steele of the DTCC added that the service is designed to provide systemic scale where deep liquidity already lives. The infrastructure shift extends beyond the DTCC: Nasdaq secured SEC approval on March 18, 2026, under Release 34-105047, to facilitate tokenized settlement on the same order book, ticker, and CUSIP as traditional assets, NYSE Arca followed with rule change SR-NYSEARCA-2026-45 effective April 29, 2026, and the broader NYSE received approval for its own related filings on April 17, 2026. The SEC issued a five-year conditional innovation exemption on September 17, 2026, specifically for tokenized NMS stocks, while the CFTC clarified through Staff Letter 25-39 and an updated FAQ on September 24, 2026, that tokenized collateral may be used for derivatives margin. The tokenized asset market tracked by rwa.xyz stood at approximately $38.6 billion as of late September 2026, up from $2 billion in 2022, with tokenized Treasuries accounting for $14.7 billion to $15.65 billion of that total, led by BlackRock's BUIDL at $2.70 billion, Circle's USYC at $2.60 billion, and Ondo's USDY at $2.23 billion. A June 1, 2026, Citi report estimates a base case of $5.5 trillion in tokenized assets and $1.9 trillion in stablecoins by 2030, though it warns of a messy period in which tokenized and legacy systems operate side by side.
DTCC · Technology · Positive DTCC launched its tokenization service bringing Russell 1000 components, ETFs, and US Treasuries onto distributed ledgers, moving into limited production in July 2026.
BLK · Demand · Positive BlackRock's BUIDL tokenized Treasury fund is named as the market leader at $2.70B and BlackRock participates in the DTCC tokenization service, expanding its tokenized product adoption.
NDAQ · Regulation · Positive Nasdaq secured SEC approval under Release 34-105047 to facilitate tokenized settlement on the same order book, ticker, and CUSIP as traditional assets.
CRCL · Demand · Positive Circle participates in the DTCC tokenization service and its USYC tokenized Treasury product is cited at $2.60B, indicating growing adoption of its tokenized offerings.
GS · Demand · Positive Goldman Sachs is named among the 50+ firms participating in the DTCC tokenization service, positioning it in the on-chain settlement infrastructure.
JPM · Demand · Positive JPMorgan is named among the 50+ firms participating in the DTCC tokenization service, positioning it in the on-chain settlement infrastructure.
Coinbase and Citi Expand Stablecoin Payments Partnership
Citi announced an expanded collaboration with Coinbase to power Coinbase Virtual Accounts and enable institutional stablecoin payment acceptance via Spring by Citi, initially in the United States. The collaboration links Coinbase's digital asset infrastructure with Citi's regulated banking network and creates an industry-first automatic fiat-to-stablecoin conversion feature. Coinbase Global also reported that Chief Accounting Officer Jennifer Jones plans to retire after a successor is appointed. The company's narrative projects $8.5 billion revenue and $2.1 billion earnings by 2028, requiring 8.3% yearly revenue growth and a $0.8 billion earnings decrease from $2.9 billion today, with a $383.46 fair value implying 110% upside to its current price. Some of the most optimistic analysts already expected Coinbase to reach about US$9.3 billion of revenue and US$2.2 billion of earnings.
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Payments Modernization & Rails ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Distribution & Revenue-Share Partners ▲Technology
COIN · Demand · Positive Coinbase's digital asset infrastructure is integrated with Citi's banking network, enabling institutional stablecoin payment acceptance and automatic fiat-to-stablecoin conversion.
COIN · Capital · Neutral Coinbase's Chief Accounting Officer plans to retire and the article cites analyst revenue/earnings projections and a $383.46 fair value implying 110% upside.
C · Demand · Positive Citi expands collaboration with Coinbase to power Coinbase Virtual Accounts and enable institutional stablecoin payment acceptance via Spring by Citi, adding a new payments service offering.
SoFi Migrates US$25 Billion Card Portfolio to Bank-Issued Stablecoin SoFiUSD
SoFi Technologies and Mastercard announced that stablecoin settlement went live across SoFi Bank, N.A.'s debit and credit card program, migrating its entire US$25.00 billion card portfolio to SoFiUSD. SoFiUSD is the first stablecoin issued by a nationally chartered bank on Mastercard's global network, positioning bank-issued stablecoins as an operational bridge between traditional payment rails and blockchain infrastructure. The move connects to SoFi's April 2026 launch of Big Business Banking, which lets enterprises manage fiat and crypto, mint and burn SoFiUSD, and access real time payments in a single bank interface. SoFi's narrative projects $7.7 billion revenue and $1.6 billion earnings by 2029, requiring 21.6% yearly revenue growth and an earnings increase of about $1.0 billion from $636.3 million today, while the most pessimistic analysts saw SoFi reaching only about US$6.0 billion revenue and US$1.0 billion earnings by 2029.
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Digital Banking & Neobanks Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Payments Modernization & Rails ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Digital Lending & Alt-Credit Platforms Technology
SOFI · Technology · Positive SoFi migrated its entire $25B card portfolio to its own bank-issued stablecoin SoFiUSD, an operational blockchain-payments development tied to its Big Business Banking platform.
MA · Demand · Positive Mastercard's global network now carries the first bank-issued stablecoin, with SoFi's entire $25B card portfolio settling on it, expanding Mastercard's payment volume.
IMF Approves Additional $138 Million Loan for El Salvador Despite Bitcoin Criteria Shortfall
The International Monetary Fund, or IMF, has approved an additional $138 million loan for El Salvador, even though the country has not fully met the criteria related to Bitcoin. The disbursement is part of the Extended Fund Facility program between the IMF and El Salvador, a long-term financial assistance framework agreed upon earlier. The latest approval reflects that the institution is continuing to provide support under the program even as El Salvador's Bitcoin policy remains a concern. The IMF had previously set conditions requiring Salvadoran authorities to limit the risks from holding Bitcoin and to reduce the use of the Chivo Wallet. This news was reported by EFINANCE Thai news agency.
BTC · Regulation · Neutral IMF disburses $138M to El Salvador despite unmet Bitcoin-risk criteria, signaling continued tolerance but ongoing regulatory pressure on Bitcoin policy.
Behind Metaplanet's securities acquisition, FSA support for stablecoin pilot, and 3 more stories
Metaplanet acquired former Siiibo Securities, which handles privately placed corporate bonds, for 210 million yen and changed its name to Metaplanet Securities in July; the subsidiary securities firm recounted the two months leading up to the acquisition. On September 29, the Financial Services Agency announced it would support a pilot program using stablecoins for trade settlement, with six companies participating: TradeWaltz, NTT Data, Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking. On September 28, Coinbase announced on X that it will soon offer a service allowing users to open Pokémon card packs on smartphones. On October 2, Metaplanet corrected a total of four documents including previously filed annual securities reports, revising a statement that CEO Simon Gerovich indirectly holds a majority of voting rights in shareholder MMXX Ventures Limited to clarify that he does not hold a majority. On September 30, KDDI, au Coincheck Digital Assets, and HashPort announced they will begin offering the crypto asset wallet αU wallet as a mini app within the au PAY app.
3350.JP · Capital · Neutral Metaplanet acquired Siiibo Securities for 210 million yen and renamed it Metaplanet Securities, an M&A event.
3350.JP · Regulation · Negative Metaplanet corrected four documents, including annual securities reports, over a misstated CEO voting-rights disclosure.
9433.JP · Technology · Positive KDDI, with au Coincheck and HashPort, will offer the αU wallet as a mini app inside the au PAY app.
au Coincheck Digital Assets · Technology · Positive au Coincheck Digital Assets will offer the αU wallet crypto asset wallet as a mini app inside the au PAY app.
HashPort Group Inc. · Technology · Positive HashPort will launch the αU wallet crypto asset wallet as a mini app within the au PAY app.
8316.JP · Regulation · Positive MUFG Bank, part of the group, is one of six companies participating in the FSA-backed stablecoin trade-settlement pilot.
BNY in Talks with Kraken Parent Payward on Financial Infrastructure Partnership
BNY Mellon, a major U.S. financial institution, is in talks with Payward, the parent company of crypto exchange Kraken, over a partnership in financial infrastructure, CoinDesk reported on October 2. The partnership could span a wide range of areas including crypto-related products, custody, asset management, trading and settlement, but the talks are ongoing and it is not certain whether an agreement will be reached, and both companies declined to comment to the outlet. In addition to operating Kraken, Payward provides infrastructure through its Payward Services business for financial institutions, giving banks and exchanges the foundation to embed trading and settlement functions into their own services. BNY Mellon handles custody, administration and clearing for institutional investors, and on January 9 announced the launch of a tokenized deposit feature that reflects customer deposit balances on a blockchain. Payward announced a partnership with Nasdaq on March 9 to connect regulated stock markets with blockchain-based markets, and on September 10 it announced an expanded partnership including a $100 million investment agreement by Nasdaq's investment arm. According to CoinDesk, the proposed partnership with BNY may include elements similar to the infrastructure collaboration in Payward's recent agreement with Nasdaq, but the specific services and start date have not been disclosed.
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Real-World Asset Tokenization Technology
BNY · Capital · Positive BNY is in talks with Payward/Kraken on a financial infrastructure partnership spanning crypto products, custody, asset management, trading and settlement.
Kraken (Payward Inc.) · Capital · Positive Payward, Kraken's parent, is in talks with BNY on a financial infrastructure partnership covering crypto products, custody, trading and settlement.
BlackRock Bitcoin Holdings Top $1.5 Billion After a Month of Inflows
BlackRock has significantly expanded its Bitcoin holdings after a month of consistent inflows through its Bitcoin funds, with more than $1.5 billion in Bitcoin now topping the asset manager's holdings. The leading asset management firm built the position over that one-month stretch of steady inflows into its Bitcoin funds. The figure marks the scale of BlackRock's Bitcoin exposure following the sustained buying.
Zcash Foundation Releases Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0, First Release Candidate for NU7 Upgrade
The Zcash Foundation has announced the release of Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0, the first release candidate for NU7, the next Zcash network upgrade. The release marks the start of the candidate phase for the upcoming network upgrade, with two key dates in October ahead. Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0 is the initial release candidate tied to NU7, positioning the foundation's Zebra implementation ahead of the upgrade. Further details on the October dates were not specified in the announcement.
ZEC · Technology · Positive Zcash Foundation released Zebra 7.0.0-rc.0, the first release candidate for the NU7 network upgrade, advancing the Zcash protocol.
Stellar Reaches New DeFi Milestone at Over $273 Million
Stellar has reached a new milestone in decentralized finance, with the network now surpassing $273 million. The project continues to position itself as a fast-growing crypto network, challenging XRP across the DeFi ecosystem. The milestone underscores Stellar's expanding presence in decentralized finance as it competes with rival blockchain networks.
Citi Lifts Bitcoin Forecast to $113,000 as Fed Pause Bets Build
Citi analyst Alex Saunders raised his base-case price forecast for bitcoin to $113,000 from $82,000. The token hovered near $85,000 on Friday as bond yields briefly eased and seasonal trends turned supportive, with ether also rising as strategists pointed to signs of a bullish trend for cryptocurrencies. Fundstrat head of digital assets Sean Farrell said seasonality is becoming a tailwind, noting October has historically been crypto's strongest month with around an 80% win rate, and that the setup shifted in a bullish direction over the past couple of days. Federal Reserve rhetoric has become somewhat more measured, and a weak jobs report has reduced expectations for further rate hikes, with more than 75% of market participants now expecting policymakers to hold rates steady at their October meeting. Farrell cautioned that continued stress in sovereign bonds and credit could lead to a short-term drawdown in crypto, but said the more stress priced in without breaking bitcoin, the better the forward risk/reward becomes, and pointed to a recent decline in 2-year real yields that could support the token by reducing the appeal of short-term government debt.
BTC · Monetary · Positive Citi lifted its bitcoin forecast to $113,000 as weak jobs data and measured Fed rhetoric cut rate-hike expectations, easing yields.
C · Capital · Positive Citi analyst Alex Saunders raised his base-case bitcoin price forecast to $113,000 from $82,000.
ETH · Monetary · Positive Ether rose alongside bitcoin as strategists pointed to a bullish crypto trend amid easing yields and Fed pause bets.
Fundstrat Global Advisors · · Neutral Fundstrat's Sean Farrell is quoted on crypto seasonality and risk/reward, but the firm is only a commentary source, not a subject of the news.
Block's Cash App Launches Bitcoin Bonus Feature, Dorsey Urges Users to Opt In
Block CEO Jack Dorsey urged users on Wednesday to opt in to Cash App's new Bitcoin bonus feature, writing "turn it on" while quoting the platform's announcement. The feature lets users earn weekly rewards of up to 2% in BTC annually simply by holding Bitcoin in the app, with rewards funded directly and no lockup, lending, staking, or moving of users' BTC, keeping holdings available for withdrawal at any time. The bonuses are taxable, and users must opt in through the Bitcoin tab in the app to become eligible. Cash App serves as Block's primary consumer-focused ecosystem, and its second-quarter volume grew 17% year over year to $56.5 billion, driven by the Visa-powered Cash App Card and buy-now-pay-later credit, while Consumer Lending origination volume grew 59% year over year to $18.9 billion. Block has also placed a significant bet on Bitcoin's utility as a medium of exchange, deploying payment capabilities within its Square point-of-sale system.
Bitcoin Exchange Reserve Falls to 2023 Lows as Price Reclaims $87,000
Bitcoin exchange reserves have dropped to their lowest level since 2023, a decline driven by the asset's recent sharp price rally. After a brief recovery, Bitcoin reclaimed its previous high around $87,000, and that move has fueled demand for the asset. The shrinking reserve balance points to investors pulling coins off exchanges, a shift that tightens the supply available for trading.
Tether-backed Utexo to issue USDT on Bitcoin in October
CoinDesk reported on October 2 that Tether-backed Utexo plans to issue the US dollar-pegged stablecoin USDT on the Bitcoin network within October. The company's co-founder told CoinDesk that it has obtained a commercial license covering the issuance of USDT and the use of Tether's trademark. USDT was born on Bitcoin in 2014, but its main circulation base has since shifted to Ethereum and Tron, and this plan marks an effort to expand its use on Bitcoin again after more than a decade. Utexo is building a mechanism that allows USDT to be sent without disclosing transaction details, and plans to support direct exchange between Bitcoin and USDT as well as loans collateralized by Bitcoin, enabling exchanges, wallets, and payment providers to handle USDT on Bitcoin. The technology underpinning this mechanism is RGB, which handles assets on Bitcoin; it transmits and receives without placing transaction details on a public ledger, with the parties involved verifying them, which differs from Ethereum and Tron, where balance changes and transaction contents are recorded on a public ledger. Its approach to illicit use also differs from USDT on Ethereum: the co-founder explained that freezing assets in the same way is technically impossible, so the company will blacklist assets linked to sanctioned entities or illegal activity and share that information with exchanges and others, and blacklisted assets cannot be withdrawn as USDT to Ethereum or Tron. After issuance, the company plans to move forward with support for the Lightning Network.
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers & Distribution ▲Technology
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Stablecoin Issuers ▲Technology
Utexo · Regulation · Positive Utexo obtained a commercial license covering USDT issuance and Tether trademark use, enabling its planned October launch.
USDT · Demand · Positive Tether-backed Utexo will issue USDT on Bitcoin, expanding USDT's circulation and adoption to a new network.
Tether · Technology · Positive Utexo is building RGB-based private USDT transactions on Bitcoin with blacklisting for illicit assets, advancing Tether's USDT technology footprint.
BTC · Technology · Positive Utexo plans to issue USDT on Bitcoin and support BTC-USDT exchange, loans collateralized by Bitcoin, and Lightning Network support, expanding Bitcoin's utility.
Broadcom's $42 Billion Loan to Anthropic Reshapes Vendor Ties
Broadcom is extending a $42 billion convertible note facility to Anthropic, turning the chipmaker into its customer's lender and centralizing control over the AI lab's infrastructure. The facility covers roughly one-third of the $125.2 billion five-year TPU computing lease that sits beneath Anthropic's $518 billion total compute commitment, of which $161.2 billion is owed to Broadcom alone. Under the structure, Broadcom converts its position into equity if Anthropic's eventual IPO succeeds, or retains senior creditor status if the company falters, a dual path Anthropic's prospectus flags as a potential conflict of interest. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has defended the arrangement as a flywheel, while Seaport Research analyst Jay Goldberg said Broadcom is following Nvidia, which has committed up to $100 billion to OpenAI, and AMD, which tied a $5 billion investment in Anthropic to deployment of its MI450 GPUs. Anthropic reported $11.6 billion in Q2 2026 revenue and its first positive adjusted operating profit, but Rothschild & Co managing partner Robert Leitao warned the concentrated bet depends on the two companies generating enough revenue to support the entire financing structure. Broadcom and Anthropic declined to comment on the disclosures.
AVGO · Capital · Positive Broadcom extends a $42B convertible note facility to Anthropic, converting to equity on IPO or senior creditor status otherwise, centralizing control over Anthropic's TPU infrastructure.
Anthropic · Capital · Neutral Anthropic secures $42B financing from Broadcom covering a third of its $125.2B TPU lease, but the prospectus flags a potential conflict of interest and the concentrated bet depends on revenue generation.
Robinhood Adds AI Trading Agents That Trade Stocks Autonomously
Robinhood has rolled out new AI trading agents that let users connect a chatbot such as Anthropic's Claude or OpenAI and direct it to place trades, Fortune Finance & Crypto Editor Jeff John Roberts said on Fortune Daily with Ellie Austin. Roberts said users can log into Robinhood, name the agent, and instruct it to buy shares such as Tesla. He framed the launch as the first arrival of a feature he expects every other company to add within the next couple of years, rather than an immediate overhaul of investing. Roberts warned of unintended consequences from letting agents trade while users sleep, including herd behavior if many agents converge on the same stock, and said that while guard rails exist, not everyone will use them.
Orbix INVEST waives fees to 0% for OBX-BTC investments, capped at 1 million baht
Orbix Invest has launched a promotion waiving the entry fee for its orbix BTC Flagship strategy, or OBX-BTC, cutting it from the usual 0.4% to 0% for investments of at least 100,000 baht per transaction and no more than 1 million baht per person, from October 1 to 30, 2026. Dr. Thanapoom Damrak, Managing Director of Orbix Invest Co., Ltd., said the Bitcoin market has passed its bottom and entered a new upward cycle after continuous institutional inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs. Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States drew net inflows of 3.52 billion dollars in August, the highest level of the year, while total net assets stood at more than 99 billion dollars, and the number of major asset managers holding the ETFs rose 150% over the year. Bitcoin most recently closed at 86,620 dollars, its highest level since January, and rose 25% in August, its best month since November 2024. Although prices have recovered, they remain about 32% below the all-time high of roughly 126,000 dollars. About 20.09 million bitcoins, or roughly 96% of the 21 million maximum supply, have already been mined and are in circulation. The US Federal Reserve raised its policy rate by 0.25% to a range of 3.75–4.00%, its first rate hike since 2023, yet Bitcoin still rose after the decision. Dr. Thanapoom advised investors to invest gradually and consistently through DCA to average costs and reduce the impact of volatility, and stressed that year-end price estimates from various financial institutions remain wide, ranging from 38,000 to 170,000 dollars.
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Digital Wealth & Robo-Advisory ▲Pricing
BTC · Demand · Positive Institutional inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs (3.52B in August, highest of year) and rising asset-manager holdings signal strong demand supporting Bitcoin's upward cycle.
Orbix Invest · Pricing · Positive Orbix Invest waived its entry fee from 0.4% to 0% for OBX-BTC investments of 100,000-1 million baht from October 1-30, 2026.
EFFR.MM · Monetary · Positive The Fed raised its policy rate by 0.25% to 3.75-4.00%, its first hike since 2023, pushing the effective federal funds rate yield up.
US-10Y.GB · Monetary · Neutral Article mentions the Fed's rate hike but does not state the 10Y Treasury yield's direction; only the policy rate is discussed.
Evernorth XRPN Shares to Begin Nasdaq Trading October 8, 2026
Evernorth shares will begin trading on Nasdaq under the ticker XRPN next Thursday, October 8, 2026. The listing introduces a new kind of market participant, one that is not a passive ETF but a fully fledged treasury positioned to work directly with the Ripple and XRP Ledger ecosystem. The development marks a first-of-its-kind structure tied to the XRP ecosystem.
Evernorth Holdings · Capital · Positive Evernorth shares begin trading on Nasdaq under ticker XRPN on October 8, 2026, a first-of-its-kind listing.
XRP · Demand · Positive New Nasdaq-listed treasury vehicle Evernorth is positioned to work directly with the XRP Ledger ecosystem, implying fresh institutional demand for XRP.
Ripple Labs Inc. · Demand · Positive Evernorth's structure is tied to the Ripple and XRP Ledger ecosystem, expanding the ecosystem Ripple Labs supports.
SEC custody proposal lifts institutional outlook as Bitcoin holds below $85,000
Bitcoin held below $85,000 on Friday after briefly topping $87,000, with a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposal on crypto custody adding to expectations of broader institutional participation. The cryptocurrency was trading at $84,612.4 as of 21:55 ET, down 0.35% after reaching an intraday high of $87,219, its first move above $87,000 since Sept. 23. The SEC proposed changes to custody rules that would allow investment advisers and funds to directly hold certain digital assets when a qualified third-party custodian is unavailable, subject to safeguards, with the proposal entering a 60-day public comment period following publication in the Federal Register. Bitcoin also drew support from softer U.S. economic data, as September nonfarm payrolls rose 29,000 against expectations of 90,000, prompting declines in Treasury yields and the dollar. The move triggered about $142 million of Bitcoin short liquidations over 24 hours, compared with roughly $29 million in long positions, according to Coinglass data. Separately, Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor detailed how the company finances its Bitcoin-focused business, with its STRC preferred shares carrying a 12% annualized dividend rate and a shareholder vote scheduled for Oct. 28 on a switch to daily dividend accruals, while Supercycle Finance said it plans to raise up to $75 million through a proposed offering, with most proceeds intended for Bitcoin purchases.
Digital Finance & Tokenization › Pure Bitcoin-Treasury Vehicles ▲Regulation
BTC · Regulation · Positive SEC custody proposal allowing advisers/funds to directly hold digital assets with qualified custodians boosts institutional participation outlook for Bitcoin.
MSTR · Capital · Positive Article details Strategy's Bitcoin-focused financing, including 12% STRC preferred dividend and Oct. 28 shareholder vote on daily dividend accruals.
