Cryptocurrency
Cboe Secures S&P 500 Options Monopoly Through 2051
Cboe Global Markets has locked in the exclusive rights to trade S&P 500 options for the next quarter-century, extending its lucrative licensing agreement with S&P Dow Jones Indices through 2051. The deal arrives as the exchange operator logs record-breaking volume for its flagship SPX contracts, which saw 970.6 million units traded in 2025.
Aztec Labs Revives zk.money to Restore Ethereum Privacy
After a three-year hiatus, Aztec Labs has relaunched its zk.money wallet, aiming to mask transaction details that would otherwise remain exposed on Ethereum's public ledger. The platform enables self-custodial private payments, replacing complex hex-code addresses with readable handles to shield balances and transfer history from prying eyes.
Fed rate path poses greater threat to Bitcoin than stalled CLARITY Act
A potential interest rate hike in October poses a more significant risk to Bitcoin’s price trajectory than the Senate’s recent rejection of the CLARITY Act. According to HashKey Group researcher Tim Sun, investors are increasingly focused on macroeconomic tightening signals rather than stalled regulatory frameworks in Washington.
Soneium and DayOneDream Partner to Tokenize K-Pop IP
During Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul, Sony-backed Soneium and entertainment firm DayOneDream announced a strategic partnership to bring K-pop intellectual property and revenue streams on-chain. The collaboration aims to leverage DayOneDream’s WAVIST platform to transform entertainment financing through tokenized asset instruments.
Bitcoin Struggles Near $83,000 as Market Momentum Fades
Bitcoin retreated to the $83,000 level on September 29, struggling to regain the momentum that pushed the cryptocurrency to a peak of $87,400 earlier in the month. The decline places the asset in a precarious position between key technical support levels and dense clusters of potential long liquidations.
Morgan Stanley Opens Lab to Probe Tokenization and DeFi
Morgan Stanley has launched a dedicated Digital Asset Lab to experiment with tokenized deposits, digital currencies, and decentralized finance applications. Operating within the bank’s existing innovation network, the facility allows employees to stress-test blockchain protocols and automated investment strategies without touching core financial systems.
Bitwise Launches NEAR Spot ETF on NYSE Arca
Bitwise Asset Management has officially launched the first U.S. spot exchange-traded product providing direct exposure to NEAR, debuting under the ticker NRR on NYSE Arca. The fund, which carries a 0.75% management fee, integrates an institutional staking component designed to accrue rewards directly to shareholder net asset value.
Five metrics to evaluate crypto presales in 2026
With over $155,000 raised in its Stage 8 campaign, the MemeToro project highlights a growing demand for transparency in early-stage token offerings. As the $MT token trades at $0.00528, the platform serves as a case study for evaluating the viability of new crypto assets through standardized vetting criteria.
Bitget’s demand for THORChain intervention tests crypto’s neutrality
When Bitget asked the THORChain network to block addresses linked to its recent $387.5 million hack, it sparked a debate over the role of decentralized infrastructure. If THORChain acts as a gatekeeper against stolen funds, the industry faces a difficult question: why should other networks carrying the same assets remain exempt?
ECB Launches Innovation Program to Test AI-Driven Digital Euro Payments
The European Central Bank is inviting fintechs, researchers, and payment firms to explore how artificial intelligence could reshape the future of the digital euro. By opening applications for a new innovation platform, the central bank aims to test autonomous AI agents, micropayments, and machine-to-machine interactions starting in early 2027.
Ethereum Schedules Glamsterdam Upgrade for Sepolia Testnet
Ethereum will activate its major Glamsterdam scaling upgrade on the Sepolia testnet on October 6 at 13:53:36 UTC. This transition, set for epoch 353,024, marks a critical step in testing new protocol-level proposer-builder separation and block access lists before developers consider a broader mainnet deployment.
Kakaopay Securities and Dinari explore tokenized Korean equities
Kakaopay Securities and Dinari have launched a partnership to determine if Korean-listed shares can be tokenized for international distribution. The collaboration aims to leverage Dinari’s existing blockchain infrastructure to offer global investors, including those in the United States, digital access to South Korean corporate assets.
Citi Brings 24/7 Dollar Transfers to Japan
Institutional clients in Japan can now move US dollars around the clock using Citi’s private blockchain-based Token Services, creating a direct alternative to the stablecoin infrastructure currently under development by the nation’s largest banking groups.
Apple Patches Critical iOS CoreGraphics Flaw Amid Security Concerns
Apple has released security updates for iOS and iPadOS to address a critical CoreGraphics vulnerability, identified as CVE-2026-86950, which may have already been leveraged in sophisticated, targeted attacks. While the company confirmed the flaw allows for arbitrary code execution, it remains unclear if the exploit specifically targeted cryptocurrency assets.
Smarter Web shareholders greenlight Bitcoin-backed preferred shares
Shareholders of The Smarter Web Company have cleared the regulatory path for a new class of perpetual preferred shares, dubbed MORE, by overwhelmingly approving the necessary amendments to the firm's articles of association. The move provides the board with the mandate required to pursue an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange.
KB Kookmin Bank partners with BNY for direct digital wallet payments
KB Kookmin Bank has secured a strategic agreement with BNY to integrate the U.S. financial giant’s new Pay-to-Wallet capability, enabling the South Korean lender to route cross-border remittances directly into retail digital wallets using established correspondent banking infrastructure and SWIFT messaging.
Liquid Network Initiates Audit to Restore Bitcoin Peg Outs
The Liquid Network has launched an independent security audit of its Elements v23.3.4 software, marking a critical step in the phased restoration of Bitcoin peg outs. Withdrawals remain suspended following a September exploit that drained approximately 4,000 BTC from the federation reserve, forcing a comprehensive overhaul of authorization protocols.
MoonPay Launches Korean Hub to Pioneer Won Stablecoin Distribution
MoonPay has officially entered the South Korean market, establishing a local unit in Seoul to serve as the launchpad for its broader Asian expansion. The company is partnering with major domestic financial institutions to integrate won-denominated stablecoins into global payment networks and cross-border remittance systems.
Blockchain.com Targets $500 Million IPO Despite Valuation Slide
Blockchain.com is moving toward a U.S. public offering of roughly $500 million before the end of 2026, according to recent reports. The move signals a push for liquidity, even as the firm eyes a valuation between $4 billion and $6 billion—a sharp retreat from its $14 billion private-market peak in 2022.
Gold Plummets as Treasury Yields Hit 2007 Highs
Gold suffered a rare 3.4% single-day collapse on September 28, a decline statistically significant enough to represent a three-standard-deviation event. As U.S. Treasury yields surged toward 2007 levels, the precious metal’s slide signaled a broader market repricing that has left non-yielding assets, including Bitcoin, under intense macro pressure.
Spain Exempts Self-Custody Crypto From Form 721 Reporting
Spanish tax authorities have clarified that cryptocurrency held in self-custody wallets falls outside the scope of Form 721 reporting, provided the owner retains exclusive control of their private keys. The ruling establishes that the location of the assets is secondary to the presence of a third-party custodian.
South Korean lawmaker pushes for new delay on crypto tax
South Korean lawmaker Han Dong-hoon is spearheading a renewed campaign to postpone the nation’s cryptocurrency tax, slated for January 2027. Citing a lack of robust infrastructure to track overseas assets, Han argues that current enforcement mechanisms remain insufficient to ensure fair and consistent application of the 22% levy.
NEAR Intents blocks $50M in attempted Bitget hack money laundering
The NEAR Intents protocol has intercepted over $50 million in cross-chain transfers linked to the recent $387.5 million Bitget exchange hack. By utilizing its SHIELD security system, the platform identified and rejected suspicious transactions before they could be finalized, highlighting a growing divide in how decentralized protocols handle illicit assets.
Coinbase secures CFTC approval for USDC-native clearinghouse
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has granted Coinbase Clearing LLC registration as a Derivatives Clearing Organization, allowing the exchange to settle fully collateralized futures, options, and swaps using USDC. The approval marks the final piece of the company’s internal, end-to-end regulated derivatives infrastructure.
Senate Democrats Target Tether Over Iran Sanctions Evasion
Democratic investigators on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations have identified Tether’s USDT as a primary financial lifeline for Iranian shadow banking, reporting that 84% of 846 sanctioned crypto wallets linked to Tehran and regional militant groups relied almost exclusively on the stablecoin to circumvent U.S. sanctions.
Chainlink unveils bridge for bank access to Swift blockchain ledger
Chainlink has introduced a connection framework allowing financial institutions to interface with Swift’s blockchain ledger while retaining full custody of their transaction-signing keys. The integration, powered by the Chainlink Runtime Environment, enables banks to automate workflows between internal systems and Swift’s shared infrastructure without delegating security authority.
Bitget hacker launders $6.3 million via THORChain after freeze refusal
A wallet linked to the recent $387.5 million Bitget breach has successfully laundered roughly $6.3 million in Ethereum into Bitcoin through the decentralized exchange THORChain, despite a direct plea from the exchange to block the attacker’s addresses.
Cardano Foundation and UCLA Launch Blockchain Education Initiative
The Cardano Foundation is partnering with the UCLA Anderson School of Management to integrate blockchain curriculum and startup support into the university's entrepreneurship ecosystem. The multi-year agreement aims to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial application by providing fellowships, masterclasses, and project-based learning opportunities for Los Angeles-based founders.
Circle executive: Stablecoin resistance risks $1 trillion in US demand
Nikhil Chandhok, an executive at Circle, warns that American regulatory hesitation toward dollar-backed stablecoins could cost the nation $1 trillion in potential overseas demand. Speaking at a recent event, he argued that foreign users are eager to adopt digital dollars if given a viable, modern payment architecture.
Wallet in Telegram Rebrands to Walt Amid Gram Expansion
The platform formerly known as Wallet in Telegram has rebranded to Walt, signaling a strategic separation from Telegram’s internal infrastructure. While Telegram prepares a broad rollout of its own self-custodial Gram wallet for its billion-plus users, Walt will pivot toward advanced financial services like perpetual futures and tokenized assets.