Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

On-chain trading card games (TCGs) are turning collectible cards into faster-circulating digital inventory. Courtyard users can open digital packs, hold cards in a vault, request physical delivery or sell cards back to the platform, allowing repeated trades without shipping the physical card each time. Courtyard’s founder says cards sell an average of eight times a month; data cited in the articles shows monthly sales rising from about $449,000 in April 2024 to roughly $66 million in April 2025. That growth illustrates increased activity, but does not establish sustainable profitability. The newer report adds that rapid pack-opening and resale can resemble gambling, and that familiar franchises do not guarantee investment returns. It cites more than 85 billion Pokémon cards produced by March 2026, 150 million downloads of Pokémon TCG Pocket by October 2025, and a forecast of about $16.3 billion for the global TCG market in 2026. Hasbro reported $1.72 billion in 2025 revenue from Magic: The Gathering tabletop and digital products, up 59% year on year. For crypto traders, the development points to interest in tokenized collectibles and digital ownership, rather than a direct cryptocurrency price catalyst. On-chain credentials and stablecoin settlement could support trading across wallets and services, but platforms still face risks around custody, card pricing, fair pack odds, inventory exposure and meeting buyback or redemption demand. The articles provide no evidence of a material impact on major cryptocurrency prices.

Morgan Stanley says the hard disk drive (HDD) cycle has not peaked, arguing that the sector’s roughly 8x price-to-earnings valuation assumes an overly pessimistic outlook. The bank sees a supply shortfall growing from about 300 exabytes in calendar 2026 to 400 exabytes in 2027–28, while nearline HDD spot prices of 4–7 cents per gigabyte far exceed blended contract prices of around 1.5 cents. Demand is expanding from major cloud providers to AI labs, and non-nearline HDD prices have risen 15%–30% quarter on quarter. Morgan Stanley reiterated Overweight ratings on Seagate (STX) and Western Digital (WDC), naming Seagate its top pick. It set price targets of $1,200 for STX and $643 for WDC, while lowering valuation multiples to reflect uncertainty around industry supply discipline and AI funding. The bank’s estimates for December-quarter earnings per share are $9.54 for Seagate and $5.25 for Western Digital, respectively 12% and 10% above consensus. It says Western Digital has a more favorable earnings setup because investor expectations are lower. The bank cautions that the HDD cycle’s path is less clear than a month ago. Investors will watch capacity plans, pricing, and whether suppliers prioritize margins over market share. The outlook highlights how AI infrastructure demand is supporting storage hardware, though it does not guarantee further gains in either company’s shares.

Yancoal Australia said its third quarter was marked by operational discipline, stronger realized coal prices and a significant improvement in its cash position. The company completed the acquisition of an 80% interest in the Kestrel coal mine on 1 October, adding a long-life metallurgical coal asset and increasing its exposure to premium steelmaking coal markets. CEO Sharif Burra described the deal as an important step in Yancoal’s growth strategy. The earnings-call excerpt did not provide cash figures or detailed production statistics. The update concerns coal markets and Yancoal’s business, with no direct cryptocurrency developments.

EBOS Group Limited opened its annual meeting in Auckland on 20 October 2026, with shareholders also able to attend online. Chair Elizabeth Coutts said a quorum was present and declared the meeting open. Voting on all resolutions is being conducted by poll under NZX listing rules, with eligible shareholders able to vote in person or through Computershare’s online platform. The supplied transcript contains the meeting’s opening remarks but no company results, financial outlook or other substantive announcements. EBOS Group is a healthcare and animal-care products distributor; the excerpt does not identify developments with a direct connection to cryptocurrency markets.

General Motors Company published a presentation in conjunction with its 2026 third-quarter earnings call. The supplied article contains no financial results, forecasts or other figures from the presentation, so it offers no specific insight into the company’s performance. The General Motors earnings presentation is described in a Seeking Alpha transcript-team notice; the underlying slide deck is not included in the provided content.

Utah has sued prediction market operator Kalshi, affiliated companies and two Susquehanna-linked trading firms, alleging they facilitated illegal gambling in the state since 2024. The complaint seeks to stop Kalshi from offering event contracts to Utah residents and recover alleged unlawful profits. Utah estimates that Kalshi collected $30.6 million to $61.2 million in fees from state-linked accounts through October 19, based on more than three billion wagers. The state says residents lost about $5.5 million and that Kalshi had more than 32,000 verified users in Utah. These are allegations and estimates in the complaint, not court-established findings. Attorney General Derek Brown is also seeking restitution and court-approved geolocation restrictions on disputed markets, including sports and political contracts. Kalshi says it is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and disputes Utah’s authority to restrict its platform. The civil lawsuit is separate from Kalshi’s federal litigation: a judge ruled in August that federal commodities law did not pre-empt Utah gambling restrictions, and an appeals court rejected Kalshi’s request to keep operating in the state while its appeal proceeds. The US Supreme Court is also considering a separate New Jersey case involving alleged illegal sports betting on Kalshi. The case adds to uncertainty over whether states can regulate prediction markets operating under federal oversight. It has no direct effect on cryptocurrency prices or trading fundamentals, but traders may monitor it as a broader signal for US regulation of digital markets.

Upbit operator Dunamu and crypto payments firm MoonPay will explore stablecoin payments, international fund transfers and blockchain infrastructure for corporate treasury operations. The proposed stablecoin payments could combine MoonPay’s global financial network with Dunamu’s blockchain capabilities to support businesses operating across markets. Dunamu also plans to use MoonPay’s network to help bring services and digital assets from its GIWA blockchain ecosystem to international markets. GIWA is an Ethereum Layer 2 network built using the OP Stack. The agreement is exploratory. The companies have not announced a launch date, financial terms, supported stablecoins, customers or target jurisdictions. They will assess the technical and commercial viability of potential services. The move follows MoonPay’s plans to expand stablecoin and digital asset infrastructure in South Korea, and Dunamu’s separate discussions and partnerships on blockchain payments and remittances.

MEXC plans to discontinue services for users in Russia and Belarus as part of its global compliance efforts. The exchange says affected customers will receive individual instructions and deadlines for closing open positions and withdrawing assets. It has not announced a common deadline or said how many accounts are affected. MEXC says assets remain secure during the process. Users who have not received a termination notice can continue trading under the platform’s existing terms. The exchange did not cite a specific regulatory order or sanctions rule. The move follows MEXC’s May restrictions on selected futures pairs in Russia and Belarus, and comes after Bitget added both countries to its restricted-jurisdiction list in October. The latest MEXC notice names Russia and Belarus only; it does not say that users in Ukraine or Armenia are affected.

Dragonfly partner Haseeb Qureshi has denied claims that Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan used company funds for personal expenses, including private-aircraft travel. Qureshi said Coplan disclosed all expenses while he was not taking a salary, and that the costs were roughly equivalent to an engineer’s annual pay. He said the flights were not for private use, Coplan initiated the accounting and repayment process, and the money was fully returned to Polymarket. Coplan later began receiving a regular salary. Qureshi described the matter as an accounting issue, not a question of integrity. The response addresses allegations reportedly involving Founders Fund, an investor linked to Peter Thiel.

Ripple Prime has launched 24/7 swap trading for institutional clients across more than 100 stock, commodity and currency markets. The service tracks perpetual contracts listed on Trade.xyz in the Hyperliquid ecosystem and accepts Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin as collateral. Ripple Prime manages client collateral and risk, and trading firm Virtu is an early user. HSBC’s Daragh Maher described the launch as evolutionary rather than revolutionary, warning that thin liquidity could make large trades difficult. He expects early activity to come mainly from market makers, proprietary traders and hedge funds pursuing basis trades, rather than institutions seeking hedges. A liquidation of nearly $52 million in leveraged chip-stock positions within 10 minutes while the underlying shares were closed illustrates the risks. Ripple Prime’s adoption will depend on liquidity, pricing and its advantage over existing brokers; Ripple has not disclosed trading volumes.

Prediction markets show growing interest in a possible Tesla-SpaceX merger, but the odds vary by contract and deadline. An earlier CNBC report put the chance of an announcement by 1 July 2027 at 50%, with separate contracts at 27% by 1 February 2027 and 31.5% by 1 March 2027. A later Polymarket monitor showed a 23% probability of an announcement by 31 December 2026, up 7 percentage points in 24 hours. These figures concern different deadlines and should not be treated as a direct like-for-like change. Under the later contract, an official merger or acquisition announcement by either company qualifies even if the deal is not completed; a partial acquisition counts only if it transfers control. Settlement relies mainly on official announcements, with consistent reporting from multiple credible outlets also considered. Tesla and SpaceX have not confirmed merger plans. For traders, Tesla-SpaceX merger odds are a sentiment signal, not verified corporate news, and do not in themselves indicate a direct effect on cryptocurrency prices.

An institution is suspected of losing about $2.84 million in a BNB Smart Chain (BSC) attack on 8 October, allegedly carried out by North Korea-linked group SquidSquad, according to on-chain investigator ZachXBT. On 20 October, the attackers deposited 1,111.2 ETH into Tornado Cash, then withdrew the funds to three addresses. They bridged the assets from Ethereum to Tron through USDT0 and consolidated them in two addresses linked by funding flows to wallets previously attributed to North Korea. The funds then moved through intermediary addresses to Chinese over-the-counter (OTC) traders within minutes. ZachXBT said the route may have been intended to avoid a potential freeze by Tether. The suspected SquidSquad theft highlights ongoing crypto laundering risks, though the reported amount is small relative to the wider market.

Wallets linked to the April 1, 2026 Drift Protocol exploit deposited 25,700 ETH, worth about $61.56 million, into Tornado Cash over roughly two hours. Lookonchain reported that the wallets still held about 81,864 ETH, valued at roughly $195 million, after the transfers; an earlier Arkham-based report put the remaining balance at 81,454 ETH, or about $198 million. The funds had been quiet for around two months, and the deposits followed a previous transfer of about 23,095 ETH to Tornado Cash in July. Mixing can make subsequent flows harder to trace, but does not prove the ETH has been withdrawn or converted to cash. The Drift exploit caused reported losses of about $295.7 million. Drift said the attacker gained administrative powers and used a fake token to borrow real assets. Its June investigation cited Mandiant’s attribution of the attack to North Korea-linked group UNC6862, without identifying the individuals responsible. Recovery for affected users remains limited. Drift’s DFX programme issued one token per USDT of verified losses, but its pool had about 3.1 million USDT when claims opened, compared with roughly 299.5 million DFX tokens issued. Early redemptions were about $0.0104 per DFX. The pool receives a share of revenue from Drift’s relaunched Velocity exchange, while Tether committed up to 127.5 million USDT toward the relaunch and recovery. The transfers highlight the gap between tracking stolen ETH on-chain and recovering funds.

Switzerland’s financial regulator, FINMA, has approved BBIT, the country’s first spot Bitcoin ETF available to retail investors under its collective investment fund framework. Issued by BIT Asset Management, it is expected to list on SIX Swiss Exchange in November 2026 and will hold Bitcoin directly, giving investors BTC exposure through a standard securities account without managing wallets or private keys. FINMA exempted the fund from diversification rules, allowing it to concentrate on Bitcoin, while classifying it as an alternative investment fund with special risks. Required disclosures will cover volatility, potential losses and suitability. The approval extends regulated Bitcoin ETF access beyond qualified investors, although Switzerland already has Bitcoin-linked exchange-traded products under other legal structures. US spot Bitcoin ETFs, launched in 2024, have accumulated more than $97 billion in assets, according to CoinGlass data. BBIT’s assets, inflows and trading volumes have not been reported, so its immediate effect on Bitcoin’s price is uncertain. The approval may broaden access over time, but does not by itself confirm significant new demand.

Qubic has restarted its layer-1 blockchain and opened a claims process after a wallet seed-generation flaw enabled the theft of about $1.4 million in QU—roughly 2.94 trillion tokens—from 1,404 wallets. The network was halted on October 18 and resumed on October 19 after Computors approved a recovery plan. The vulnerability involved a random-number generator that could create predictable wallet seeds on certain Apple devices and browsers. Qubic says initial funds have been returned to verified owners, but it has not disclosed how much was repaid or how many claims were approved. A fuller technical report is expected. Affected users can submit claims through the official recovery portal by May 1, 2027. Qubic advises anyone who created a web wallet before version 4.26.4 to generate a new recovery phrase and move any remaining funds to a new wallet—even if the old wallet was not drained. Updating the app alone does not secure an existing seed. Because compromised seeds may enable attackers to produce valid wallet signatures, claims require additional proof of ownership. The recovery process and resumed network activity may help rebuild confidence in Qubic, but the theft underscores security and trust risks for QU holders. Traders may watch claim repayments, network activity and further security updates for signs of how the incident is affecting sentiment.

Governments are tightening oversight of digital assets through tax reporting rules, central bank digital currency planning and restrictions on crypto trading. Australia released draft legislation on October 15 to implement the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF). The proposal would require reporting on digital asset transactions involving Australian residents and support the automatic exchange of tax information between countries. The consultation closes on October 28. Australia is among 77 jurisdictions committed to CARF and plans its first exchanges by 2028. Sweden’s central bank, the Riksbank, urged lawmakers to prepare for a possible digital krona, or e-krona. It cited the digital euro’s progress, the growth of mostly US dollar-pegged stablecoins and geopolitical risks. The bank said a digital krona could strengthen payment resilience, but Sweden has not decided to issue one. Russia will require residents to route peer-to-peer crypto trades through authorized intermediaries from July 1, 2027. It will also bar transfers from digital accounts to users’ own self-custodial wallets. The rules build on a framework introduced in September that restricts crypto use for payments and limits eligible purchases by non-qualified investors. Russia is also expanding its register of authorized exchanges and custodians. Together, the measures signal tighter government control over digital asset reporting, custody and trading, while leaving room for regulated financial institutions to expand their role.

SpaceX stock rose nearly 9% in after-hours trading after the company reported third-quarter revenue of $14.58 billion, up 161% year over year and above analyst estimates. Earnings per share reached $0.35, while net income was $4.4 billion, reversing a loss a year earlier. SpaceX’s Super Intelligence division generated $7.56 billion in revenue, up about 830% year over year, overtaking Starlink as the company’s largest business. The Connectivity division, including Starlink, brought in $5.25 billion, while Starlink’s customer base reached 13.6 million. Elon Musk outlined plans for major AI infrastructure investment. SpaceX spent about $19.6 billion on capital expenditure in the quarter and expects to spend $35 billion to $40 billion in the final quarter of 2026. Musk also confirmed that independent committees at SpaceX and Tesla are exploring a possible merger, but no agreement has been reached. The results highlight the company’s rapid AI growth, though the investment plans and merger discussions remain important uncertainties for investors.

Blue Tower Asset Management’s Q3 2026 letter says Enova abandoned its planned acquisition of Grasshopper Bank after regulatory uncertainty and political opposition stalled the approval process. Enova withdrew its applications on September 14, and both companies terminated the deal on October 16. Enova paid Grasshopper $4 million to end the agreement. Enova shares fell 23.4% on September 15, from $226.72 to $173.61, and closed the quarter at $167.11. Blue Tower says the failed deal removes expected cost and growth benefits, but Enova’s standalone business remains strong. In Q2 2026, revenue rose 22% year over year to $929 million, originations increased 27% to $2.3 billion, and adjusted EPS climbed 33% to $4.31. Management reaffirmed its full-year guidance and plans to accelerate share repurchases. The letter also highlights South Korea as a value-investing opportunity. Blue Tower points to governance reforms, stronger shareholder rights, and incentives for companies to increase dividends and cancel repurchased shares. It sees potential in under-researched small-cap stocks, despite market volatility and continuing governance and geopolitical risks. The letter is an investment manager’s commentary, not a crypto-market report.

Lifeway Foods (LWAY) reported strong sales growth, with second-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue rising 24.1% year over year and sales posting a three-year compound annual growth rate of 17%. Demand and distribution are expanding, but elevated ingredient, packaging and transportation costs have sharply reduced profitability. Management expects input-cost pressure to continue into the third quarter, while forecasting margin recovery in 2027 as costs normalize and the Waukesha facility expansion supports operations. The analyst maintains a Hold rating, citing uncertainty around costs and the timing of a recovery. Lifeway Foods may merit renewed consideration if input costs moderate and pricing holds, but the outlook remains conditional.

SkyCity Entertainment Group’s shareholder and analyst call was held on October 20, 2026, at the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Auckland. The excerpt provided begins with a cultural welcome from the venue’s Pou Tikanga, acknowledging local iwi Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and describing Māori artworks and the significance of gathering in person. Company participants listed include CEO Jason Walbridge and Julian Cook, David Robert Attenborough, Philip Leightley and Donna Cooper. The supplied text contains no earnings figures, business updates or cryptocurrency-related announcements, so it does not establish SkyCity’s financial outlook.

Tether’s reported $3 million investment in Kem reflects a push to bring USDT into everyday payments, remittances and business services in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Founded in 2021 by four young entrepreneurs, Kem has expanded from local transfers into a financial app offering crypto and fiat services, Visa card spending, savings and digital gold. The company says its products have surpassed 600,000 downloads and created more than 200,000 Tether Gold (XAUT) wallets. Kem is also building business services for USDT payments, payroll and financial management. It has received in-principle approval for two licences from Bahrain’s central bank and works with payment, custody and compliance providers. The article cites an estimated $161 billion in 2025 remittances from foreign workers in the Gulf as evidence of demand for cross-border financial services. For Tether, Kem could help extend USDT beyond crypto trading into consumer payments and business settlement. However, the investment is not an immediate market-moving event for USDT. Kem’s longer-term prospects depend on regulatory approvals, local banking access, customer retention and competition from crypto and traditional fintech firms.

Tesla and SpaceX have each formed independent special committees to examine a potential merger, Elon Musk said on SpaceX’s third-quarter earnings call on 20 October. Musk, who has interests in both companies, said he was recusing himself from discussions and that no terms had been agreed. He warned that approval on Tesla’s side would require consent from holders of 50% of all issued shares, with abstentions counting as opposition. The committees’ formation formalises an inquiry but does not mean a deal is close. Their members, proposed consideration and timetable have not been disclosed, and Tesla’s 3 December annual meeting agenda contains no merger proposal. Analysts have floated possible timelines and valuations, including a 90% chance of a merger by the end of 2027, but these are forecasts rather than company commitments. SpaceX reported third-quarter revenue of $14.58 billion, up 161% year on year, and net income of $4.4 billion. Starlink generated $5.25 billion in revenue and remained the largest operating-profit contributor. SpaceX also forecast fourth-quarter capital expenditure of $35 billion-$40 billion. Tesla’s third-quarter automotive margins and AI spending are key indicators for investors assessing whether shareholders might support a deal. For traders, the merger remains a speculative catalyst until formal terms or filings emerge.

Redistricting battles in several US states could reshape congressional races ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The article says changes in Texas and Louisiana move Black voters into new districts, potentially creating more Republican-favored seats and dismantling majority-Black districts. The maps face legal challenges over fairness and voting rights. Prediction markets show strong expectations that new maps will be used in California and Louisiana, with YES odds of about 98% and 94%, respectively. Virginia and South Carolina each have odds near 2%. Court decisions and further state actions could change these expectations. The redistricting disputes may affect the balance of power in the House, though the article does not identify a direct impact on crypto markets.

Southeast Asia’s digital economy is projected to reach $368 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2026, up 17% year on year, according to a report by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company. The report says AI adoption is helping businesses improve targeting and efficiency as consumers face higher prices and weaker demand. E-commerce is forecast to generate $226 billion in GMV, while online media revenue is expected to reach $44 billion. Mobility and food delivery are projected at $40 billion. Digital financial services could record $1.65 trillion in gross transaction value, up 16%. AI adoption has reached 243 million people, or 58% of the region’s workforce, at a pace the report says is four times faster than early mobile-internet adoption. Private tech funding totaled $21 billion in the first half of 2026, compared with $11 billion for all of 2025. Data-centre capacity also rose to 5.8 gigawatts by mid-2026. For crypto traders, the report points to growing regional demand for AI and digital infrastructure, but it does not identify a direct catalyst for cryptocurrency prices.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) remains under pressure after falling nearly 30% since the start of the year, while investor interest has cooled. SHIB’s burn rate rose 492% in 24 hours, with nearly 2.7 million tokens destroyed—worth about $13. More than 410.8 trillion SHIB have been burned since the mechanism began in 2022, but much larger burns would be needed to materially change supply. Shibarium transactions climbed roughly 370% to 7,300 in a day, though activity remains far below levels seen months ago. Analyst Crypto With Gopal said a break above descending resistance could open a move towards $0.0000060; support is at $0.0000047–$0.0000048. Exchange balances remain just above 87 trillion SHIB, potentially limiting immediate selling pressure. Overall, the burn and activity increases offer only modest support for a SHIB recovery.

Major technology firms have blocked eight intermediate certificates issued by India-based certificate authority eMudhra after discovering a flaw that made their private keys easy to guess. Mozilla cryptography engineer Dennis Jackson said Mozilla independently recovered the keys and described the flaw as trivial to exploit. Attackers could use the certificates to impersonate websites and potentially intercept or alter user data. Mozilla, Chrome, Apple and Microsoft have blocked the affected eMudhra certificates, while Cloudflare has also deployed mitigations. There is no evidence that major browsers were exploited, but the risk may remain for apps and systems that do not receive certificate revocation updates or enforce Certificate Transparency. The incident highlights ongoing cybersecurity and digital trust risks; it recalls the 2011 DigiNotar breach, in which 531 fraudulent certificates were issued.

predict.fun has opened six 15-minute up-or-down prediction markets for trading. The markets cover UNITREE, ZHIPU, SKHYNIX, SNDK, XAU (gold) and CL (crude oil). The launch expands predict.fun’s short-term markets beyond crypto-focused assets, but no trading volumes or other market data were reported.

NVIDIA plans to invest in four German start-ups as part of its nearly $10bn Europe investment commitment. The companies are robotics firm Agile Robots, medical software provider Avelios Medical, AI audio and video generation company Mirelo, and satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, government departments and NVIDIA also signed a declaration of intent to cooperate on physical AI models and promote AI use in robotics, industrial equipment and manufacturing. Merz urged small and medium-sized businesses to make better use of industrial data to speed up AI adoption. The NVIDIA Europe investment plan signals continued expansion of AI infrastructure and industrial applications, but the announcement does not directly involve cryptocurrency markets.

Solana is scheduled to begin its Alpenglow network upgrade on Wednesday, marking a major architectural change to its validator system. Alpenglow replaces on-chain voting with off-chain voting and certificates, targeting transaction finality of about 150 milliseconds, down from roughly six seconds—around 40 times faster. If achieved on mainnet, faster finality could improve Solana’s appeal for trading and payments. The Solana upgrade also replaces validator vote fees, which currently total about 2 SOL a day, with a fixed fee of 0.8 SOL per epoch. Related validator costs are expected to fall by about 60%. The rollout is scheduled for epoch 1064, with a 5,000-slot transition. Earlier testnet migration attempts included a failure that was rolled back; a later migration succeeded, clearing the way for the planned launch.