Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

A 1 GW AI data center in the US can cost about $38 billion when AI chips are included, according to a cost model by research group Epoch AI. Without chips, construction and related infrastructure average about $17.6 million per MW, or roughly $17.6 billion per GW. Servers and networking equipment account for nearly 70% of Epoch AI’s estimated total; buildings and electrical and mechanical systems account for about 30%. AI data center costs vary widely by location. Turner & Townsend’s 2025–26 index puts traditional data center construction at $13.31 per watt in Silicon Valley, compared with $9.54 in Dallas and $9.50 in Charlotte. The firm also found that high-density, liquid-cooled AI facilities cost 7% to 10% more to build than conventional air-cooled sites. Overall costs per MW have risen 21% in less than two years, while prices for powered land in major US markets have climbed 51% year over year. Electricity adds a substantial ongoing expense: US industrial power averaged 9.77 cents per kWh, with California at 25.11 cents and Texas at 7.07 cents. Developers are increasingly looking for locations with available power, land and skilled labor. These rising AI data center costs could influence where technology companies invest and how quickly new computing capacity comes online.

Blur will shut down its marketplace front end on 12 November 2026, while its on-chain marketplace protocol will remain operational. Blend, Blur’s NFT lending service, will stop matching new loans on that date. Existing borrowers must repay or risk default and liquidation; Blur says users will still have front-end tools to withdraw assets afterward. BLUR holders will retain control of the protocol’s fee switch. After the announcement, BLUR initially fell 7.75% to $0.0194, then slid more than 16% in 24 hours to below 0.015 USDT, alongside a broader crypto-market downturn. The loss of Blur’s usual user access point could reduce NFT trading activity, liquidity and fee revenue, weakening the token’s utility. GrailsOTC and Gondi have offered Blend borrowers refinancing or loan-migration options. Separately, Yuga Labs executives urged holders to revoke Blur contract approvals: one executive reported finding no current vulnerability in the contracts reviewed but warned their upgradeable design could permit harmful changes, with tens of millions of dollars in NFTs reportedly still exposed. Blur’s shutdown follows plans to close Pacman’s Blast network, reflecting retrenchment from costly applications and front ends amid a weak NFT market.

Binance will list RWUSD on 13 October 2026 at 08:00 UTC, opening the RWUSD/USDT spot trading pair with zero trading fees until further notice. Binance Convert will also support fee-free RWUSD conversions within an hour of the listing. RWUSD is a floating-term, daily-accruing yield product. Its returns come from Binance ecosystem revenue, and it may be backed by real-world assets such as US Treasury bills. It is pegged 1:1 to the stablecoin used, with redemptions converted to USDC. RWUSD can be used as cross-margin collateral, but borrowing against it is not available. Deposits and withdrawals are currently unsupported.

OpenAI is reportedly discussing a Sora licensing deal with a stealth startup that plans to build software and services for professional filmmakers. The venture was previously reported to be exploring ways to adapt and commercialise Sora after OpenAI paused consumer-facing work on the AI video model; OpenAI could also receive an equity stake. The later report says the startup may gain deep access to Sora and significantly customise it, but it is unclear whether it would receive the model weights. Its reported founders are Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, former Sora research lead Bill Peebles and former Dropbox CFO Sujay Jaswa. No agreement or investment has been confirmed. The talks could broaden commercial use of Sora, but they have no direct, confirmed impact on cryptocurrency prices and are unlikely to drive crypto trading activity.

Robinhood ecosystem tokens and meme coins fell broadly over the 24 hours to 11:44 (UTC+8) on 13 October, according to GMGN data cited by Odaily. PONS dropped more than 20%, bringing its market capitalisation to $188 million. AI fell over 17% to $83 million, while BONER slid more than 35% to $27 million. MEME lost over 13% to $11 million, and SHROOM declined more than 25% to $5 million. The reported Robinhood ecosystem meme coin sell-off highlights sharp volatility among smaller tokens. Odaily cautioned that meme coin prices can fluctuate significantly.

The IMF warns that advanced AI could increase the risk of bank failures in a severe scenario, despite rising bank profits. AI tools may help attackers find and exploit cybersecurity weaknesses faster, while shared digital infrastructure and reliance on a small number of cloud and AI providers could allow disruption to spread across institutions. The fund has also warned that AI-driven trading could synchronize risks across markets. It is urging regulators to strengthen technology-focused stress tests, cross-border coordination and plans to keep critical services running after a breach. The IMF says cyber defenses will inevitably be breached, making resilience as important as prevention. These AI risks could affect financial stability, although the article describes a severe outcome rather than an imminent crisis.

IMF official Athanasios Vamvakidis warned that an AI market correction could spill over into the real economy, with the impact depending on its severity. The IMF outlook cited in the article estimates that a moderate AI valuation correction combined with tighter financial conditions could lower global output by 0.4% in 2026. Greater investment in AI stocks and household exposure could transmit losses through reduced wealth and investment. The warning is also relevant to AI company valuations, including Anthropic, but the article provides no direct evidence of a specific change in its valuation. For crypto traders, the AI market correction is a macro risk to monitor: tighter financial conditions or a broader pullback in risk assets could weigh on crypto sentiment, although no direct crypto-market effect is reported.

A UK crypto trader lost about $800,000 in a violent home invasion in Smith’s Wood, Solihull, on December 13, 2025. Three masked attackers allegedly beat the trader with hammers and threatened his pregnant wife with a knife while forcing him to transfer crypto to wallets they controlled. A fourth person reportedly directed the robbery over a video call. The attackers also stole luxury goods, including Rolex watches, and fled in a suspected black BMW X3. West Midlands Police have made no arrests. Crimestoppers announced a £10,000 reward for information on September 24, 2026. The case highlights the risk of crypto-related wrench attacks: transfers made under duress are generally difficult to reverse or recover.

Esquire Financial Holdings (ESQ) has more than doubled its loans and earnings since fiscal 2022, supported by its niche litigation-banking business and the acquisition of Signature Bancorporation. The deal could diversify Esquire Financial’s operations, but it also creates integration risks and is expected to lower net interest margin to about 50 basis points. Despite its growth and profitability, ESQ trades at roughly 2.9 times tangible book value and 14 times estimated fiscal 2027 earnings. With the shares carrying a premium valuation, sector headwinds and rising short interest, the article rates Esquire Financial a Hold ahead of its third-quarter earnings.

Oil prices regained support after an initial dip following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. ING said market scepticism over the ceasefire helped limit the decline in the oil market. European natural gas prices strengthened, with front-month Dutch TTF futures settling above €84 per megawatt-hour and reaching their highest level since December 2022. Copper also rose for a second consecutive session, trading near record highs. Supply concerns increased after a fatal avalanche at Chile’s El Teniente mine on Sunday. The developments highlight persistent supply risks across energy and metals markets. Traders will watch whether the ceasefire holds and whether disruptions to copper output add further upward pressure to prices.

A cyberattack remotely altered refrigeration controls at hundreds of French supermarkets overnight on 11–12 October, forcing freezer defrost systems to run continuously at 50°C and spoiling fresh and frozen food. Some stores also reported fires. Estimates of the number of affected locations vary: Les Mousquetaires said at least 300 Intermarché and Netto stores were hit, while Coopérative U reported about 100 and Carrefour 80. Monoprix said around 5% of its roughly 490 stores were affected. One industry estimate put the total at about 500 stores. A Les Mousquetaires executive warned losses could reach tens of millions of euros in a single day nationwide. Investigators have not identified the attackers or confirmed how they gained access. France’s ANSSI reportedly found a vulnerability in software supplied by Danish refrigeration-control maker Danfoss. Danfoss said many affected systems were older models no longer receiving security updates, while some newer units had outdated firmware. The incident highlights cybersecurity risks to connected retail infrastructure and food supply chains. French authorities are investigating, and ANSSI is checking with European counterparts for possible impacts beyond France.

US mortgage rates climbed for a seventh straight week, reaching 7.40% for a 30-year fixed loan—their highest level since November 2023 and the longest uninterrupted rise in nearly three years, according to Freddie Mac. The rate was up 12 basis points from the previous week and 110 basis points from a year earlier. The rise has tracked 10-year US Treasury yields, which stayed above 5% amid inflation concerns, a broad bond sell-off and expectations of increased government borrowing. The higher US mortgage rates are weighing on housing affordability: a $400,000 loan would cost about $294 more per month than at a 6.30% rate a year ago. The article says the rate increase has added pressure to the housing market despite a planned $200 billion mortgage-backed securities purchase intended to help lower borrowing costs. Traders will be watching the September CPI release, Freddie Mac’s next mortgage-rate reading and the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting for clues about inflation, interest rates and broader market sentiment.

AI-assisted reverse engineering has brought unofficial browser versions of games including GTA 5 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 online. A Destructoid reporter tested eight titles without downloads, but found that performance varied: some games stuttered or displayed visual glitches, while others ran smoothly. Some sites quickly became unavailable. The projects build on years of volunteer decompilation work, with AI agents accelerating code reconstruction. Developer Maurice Heumann said 17 agents worked in parallel on Modern Warfare 2. After an estimated 600 billion to 700 billion tokens over three months, 99% of its functions had been reconstructed and 83% matched the original byte for byte. The legal position depends on how a project is distributed. Rewritten code that requires users to supply their own game files has not been tested in court, while hosting complete games may raise reproduction and public transmission issues. A separate fan-made Fallout project was challenged over its use of the trademark. The article notes that Taiwan’s copyright law may expose unauthorized distributors to penalties, while the legal position for players remains case-specific. These AI game ports are unrelated to cryptocurrency markets and have no clear direct effect on digital-asset trading.

South Korea’s stock sell-off has deepened scrutiny of the AI boom and leveraged trading. The KOSPI fell nearly 32% from its June peak, with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix shares weakening as investors questioned whether memory-chip prices and AI-related earnings can sustain their momentum. On 12 October, the index dropped 3.65% to 6,384.25, while the two chipmakers fell 4.39% and 4.52%. Investors are weighing rising production costs and major investment plans against uncertain returns. Samsung has earmarked more than 110 trillion won for capital spending and research in 2026, and SK Hynix is expanding high-bandwidth memory capacity. ASML has also said replacement parts for equipment supplied to the companies will cost 10% more from January 2027. Reports placed OpenAI’s annualised revenue near $50 billion at the end of September, below some estimates of $68 billion to $70 billion, although later reports suggested it could reach at least $70 billion by year-end. The figures highlight uncertainty around AI revenue estimates, not clear evidence that cloud providers are cutting investment. Foreign investors reportedly sold nearly 2 trillion won of South Korean shares on 12 October, with net outflows reaching 29.7 trillion won over the prior month. Leveraged positions could intensify volatility if falling prices trigger margin calls and forced selling. For traders, the South Korean stock sell-off is a signal to watch chip earnings, memory pricing, AI companies’ revenue and spending, foreign fund flows and leverage. It does not directly establish a price outlook for any cryptocurrency.

Papertrade distributed $23.9 million to stakers in its first eight hours, but just $2.4 million over the following 37 hours, highlighting how quickly the platform’s early payout boom faded. Traders have lost a net $32.4 million: $26.3 million went to PAPER stakers, while $4.3 million remained in the house liquidity pool, with the rest going to fees and other amounts. Most rewards went to users who staked early, and the relayer’s priority for large orders disadvantaged smaller traders. On-chain examples show contrasting strategies. One address reportedly made about $1.1 million through rapid, large counter-trades after moving ETH prices on Hyperliquid. Another traded $10.1 billion in volume and lost about $979,000, but staking rewards roughly offset the loss; it also holds 252 million PAPER, generating an estimated $14,000 a day at current yields. For new entrants, the article estimates daily rewards of about $0.055 per 1,000 PAPER staked. It puts the break-even period at around 80 days for hedged farming and 590 days for one-sided loss-making trades, assuming yields remain stable. That assumption is uncertain: the liquidity pool stood at about $4.3 million, below the $5 million payout threshold, which is due to rise to $10 million on 17 October. Until the pool clears the threshold, stakers may receive only fee income. The article says PAPER farming now depends on future trader losses and flags pool growth, genuine directional volume, open interest and the redemption queue as key indicators.

Evernorth completed its merger with SPAC Armada Acquisition Corp. II and began trading on Nasdaq as XRPN on 12 October. The XRP treasury company holds about 473 million XRP and received roughly $300 million in gross cash proceeds before transaction expenses. Its XRP holdings were assembled before the debut, rather than purchased on the first trading day. XRPN shares surged intraday—reports put the peak rise at about 13.5% to more than 15%—then retreated, closing at $16.90 in the later account. The volatile debut highlights that XRPN is company stock, not a token redeemable for XRP, and its market value may diverge from the value of its assets. Led by former Ripple executive Asheesh Birla, Evernorth plans to manage its XRP treasury actively through potential lending, automated market-maker liquidity provision, options and investment in XRP Ledger infrastructure. It has also discussed using Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin in XRP-focused DeFi. The company aims to increase the XRP represented by each share, drawing comparisons with Strategy’s Bitcoin treasury model. Its strategies could create activity and income, but also bring counterparty, operational and market risks. The listing may offer institutions that cannot hold crypto directly a stock-based route to XRP exposure, but it does not ensure new XRP purchases or broader ecosystem growth. Evernorth reported about $233.7 million in digital-asset impairment for 2025, while cumulative net inflows to XRP spot ETFs were cited at $1.8 billion. Traders will watch XRP demand, XRPN’s valuation relative to its assets, and whether the company can generate sustainable returns. The ETF inflows and institutional access are supportive signals, but XRPN’s volatility and impairment disclosure underline the risks.

Quantum risk is the leading concern among wealth managers asking ARK Invest about crypto, according to Lorenzo Valente, the firm’s director of digital-asset research. He estimated that about 70% of questions from registered investment advisers and wealth platforms concern whether blockchain signatures will need replacing—not token inflation or protocol revenue. ARK’s internal assessment places the quantum threat roughly 10 to 20 years away, although rapid advances in AI have made forecasts less certain. Valente said he is more confident than a year ago that Bitcoin will adopt new signatures before quantum computers can break current cryptography. He cited discussions with developers and major industry participants, including the Bitcoin Security Consortium, whose members include ARK and Strategy. The debate gained attention after researcher Justin Drake warned that AI progress could accelerate the risk to ECDSA signatures used by Bitcoin and Ethereum. Valente said the issue is serious, but growing participation by issuers, exchanges, developers and miners gives Bitcoin more capacity to coordinate a transition. For traders, quantum risk is a long-term security and governance issue rather than an immediate signal about token revenue or near-term prices.

Kamino CEO Michael Weisz says the DeFi platform aims to become a major lending and liquidity hub for on-chain assets. Kamino plans to use APIs to connect asset managers and distribution platforms, including brokers and exchanges, so users can access its services through platforms they already use. Weisz also said Kamino will communicate more regularly with KMNO holders, sharing updates on hiring, partnerships, product upgrades, new asset listings and challenges. The announcement outlines Kamino’s strategy but provides no specific launch dates or financial targets.

The KRX after-hours market has completed its first month, offering investors more flexibility and allowing stocks to respond faster to after-hours news. But trading remains heavily dominated by retail investors. In its first week, from 14 to 18 September, individuals accounted for 90.4% of turnover, compared with 6.7% for foreign investors and 2.6% for institutions. Market participants warn that this imbalance could limit liquidity and amplify price swings, particularly in small-cap stocks and popular thematic shares. Some brokerage representatives have called for changes to institutional trading rules and lower barriers for foreign investors. The KRX after-hours market’s longer-term development will depend in part on whether it can attract more professional participants.

Binance Pool will stop its mining pool and related services at 15:00 (UTC+8) on 10 November 2026. The shutdown covers Binance Pool, Pool Savings, cloud mining, transaction acceleration, hashrate alerts, email notifications and mining pool API services. After the deadline, Binance will disconnect mining connections and disable Stratum addresses and endpoints; new hashrate submissions and shares will no longer be accepted or recorded. Binance advises users to move their mining equipment to another pool and review Pool Savings positions, including cancelling subscriptions or redemptions if needed. Historical data will remain available until 15:00 (UTC+8) on 24 November, when the Binance Pool page will close permanently.

A Fortune report says AI agents could fundamentally reshape crypto markets by 2028, potentially taking a larger role than human traders. Major platforms, including Coinbase, are already introducing AI-powered trading tools, though current systems still operate within strategies set by people. The shift could affect platforms such as Hyperliquid, but near-term confidence in its price outlook has weakened. Polymarket odds of Hyperliquid reaching $100 by the end of 2026 fell from 76% a week earlier to 46.5%. The figures indicate caution about the token’s near-term prospects; they do not establish that AI adoption will directly drive its price. Traders will be watching for further AI integrations by exchanges, advances in autonomous trading systems and regulatory developments. These factors could shape crypto-market liquidity, execution and sentiment over time.

South Korea’s KB Kookmin Card and Japan’s SBI Holdings are separately exploring AI identity verification and crypto payments for Japanese visitors to South Korea. No formal agreement or usable service has been announced, so the plans remain exploratory. KB Kookmin Card has tested stablecoin payments at CU convenience stores using blockchain infrastructure and joined Mastercard’s Crypto Partner Program. It is also working with MoonPay and has signed a separate agreement to test AI-agent payment security. Separately, SBI subsidiary SBI DigiTrust is testing stablecoin QR payments with NICE Information & Telecommunication and blockchain firm DSRV. The trial covers about 1.2 million merchants connected to NICE and is intended to assess commercial viability and efficiency. KB Kookmin Card is not identified as a participant. The developments signal growing interest in AI identity checks and crypto payments for cross-border transactions, but they do not yet establish a new payment product or create a direct catalyst for crypto markets. Formal agreements, trial results and South Korea’s stablecoin regulation are key developments to watch.

ScopeLift CEO Ben DiFrancesco says the regulatory rationale for designing governance tokens without value-sharing features is fading. Speaking on the Unchained podcast, he argued that a governance token’s value should exceed the assets an attacker could seize by gaining voting control. That makes token value capture a potential security measure, not just a benefit for holders. For years, projects concerned about securities regulation often avoided linking tokens to protocol revenue. DiFrancesco says that approach may be harder to justify as regulatory concerns evolve. DAOs could face renewed calls for fee sharing, buybacks or other mechanisms connecting tokens to protocol economics. The issue is especially relevant to protocols with large treasuries and thinly traded governance tokens. ScopeLift took over the Tally governance platform in March 2026, rebranding it as Cactus, which supports more than 400 DAOs. The comments highlight both governance-token security risks and the importance of reliable infrastructure.

Mojo says its trading agent aims to connect decentralised exchanges (DEXs), centralised exchanges (CEXs) and prediction markets through a single, intent-based interface. Users could describe a strategy in plain language—such as buying a newly launched Solana token, hedging with Bitcoin and closing positions after an event resolves—and have the agent turn it into an executable plan. The article argues that traders now face fragmented liquidity and fast-moving token markets. It cites an internal count from one day in late September, when more than 5,000 tokens graduated from several major launchpads. The author says opportunities can move between venues faster than users can switch apps. Mojo says its agent drafts strategies for user approval, while deterministic software—not the AI model—checks available funds, calculates order sizes and applies venue-specific stop-loss rules. The platform says assets remain in users’ own wallets or exchange accounts, but acknowledges that exchange API access requires execution authorization. It describes encrypted API credential storage and activity records as safeguards. The proposal could make cross-platform trading easier, but the article presents a company’s vision rather than evidence of adoption or performance. Execution quality, security, permissions and liquidity across venues remain key factors for traders to assess.

South Korea has approved website blocks targeting 27 unregistered crypto exchanges and virtual asset service providers, including KuCoin, MEXC, BingX, Phemex, BitMart and Bitrue. The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) says the platforms failed to register under the country’s anti-money laundering law. Authorities can terminate services hosted locally or block overseas websites, assessing whether platforms target Korean users by factors such as Korean-language services, local marketing and Korean won support. The website restrictions extend earlier measures against unregistered exchange apps. The FIU has referred 44 unregistered operators to investigators and says it will continue blocking replacement URLs. It also warned existing customers they could face difficulty withdrawing assets, and will coordinate user guidance and support with the Digital Asset eXchange Alliance (DAXA) and affected operators. The South Korea crypto exchange blocks raise compliance pressure on offshore platforms and could disrupt access for their Korean users. However, the immediate effect on the broader crypto market is expected to be limited.

Coca-Cola Consolidated (COKE) is seeing strong sales-volume growth, supported by gains across its distributed brand portfolios and investment in manufacturing. These factors point to a favorable short- to mid-term growth outlook. Higher aluminium and fuel costs have pressured margins, although the article’s author expects that pressure to be temporary. Despite the growth prospects, the author downgraded the stock, saying its cash-flow yield is no longer attractive and estimating about 9% downside to $178.50. The article concerns a listed beverage company, not cryptocurrency, so it offers no direct catalyst for crypto prices.

BillionToOne (BLLN), a California-based molecular diagnostics company, sells prenatal testing under the Unity brand and oncology diagnostics through Northstar. Its products use proprietary Quantitative Counting Templates (QCT) technology. The investment commentary says BillionToOne could sustain gross margins of about 70% and forecasts annual revenue growth of 38%, compared with an industry average of 22%. It also notes that the stock trades at a slight enterprise-value-to-sales discount to peers and has more than $500 million in cash. However, short interest remains elevated and insider selling is substantial, creating potential headwinds for the share price.

The TBG Dividend Focus ETF retains a “hold” rating, as its fundamentals appear balanced but not strong enough to stand out against peers such as FDVV, DGRO and SCHD. The fund seeks capital appreciation, current income and income growth, but that broad remit and its diversified holdings may limit its ability to excel in any one area. Growth is a concern: the analysis projects next-year sales growth of 4.59% and earnings-per-share growth of 9.91%. FDVV and DGRO are forecast to post double-digit growth. The article says TBG’s route to outperforming its peers remains unclear, though the actively managed ETF may suit investors seeking a concentrated portfolio of moderate-to-high-yield stocks with established dividend-growth records. The author maintains a hold rating and says the fund’s appeal is limited.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT criticized the XRP Ledger (XRPL) for paying Veria Labs just $250,000 to report a critical vulnerability. Veria said the flaw, which had existed since 2015, could have allowed a single transaction to create about 18.45 trillion XRP. ZachXBT argued the payout was too small relative to the potential damage and could discourage white-hat disclosures. The XRP Ledger Foundation said there was no evidence the bug had been exploited and that no XRP was created. The flaw was patched after more than 80% of validators upgraded, and XRPL said the fix was reached through community consensus. The foundation has pledged to strengthen its bug bounty programme but has not provided reward levels or a timeline. The incident raises questions about XRP Ledger security incentives, but no supply change or loss of funds has been confirmed.