Crypto News

Visa’s annualized stablecoin settlement volume has topped $25 billion, up tenfold year over year. The figure is an annualized run rate, not the total processed in fiscal 2026. CEO Ryan McInerney said Visa supports five stablecoins across 10 blockchains and operates settlement services in five regions. Its platform is available in the US, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Switzerland and the UK, with more than 300 prospective partners in its pipeline. Visa also has more than 225 stablecoin-linked card programs, covering about 5 million cards in over 50 countries. Transaction volume from those programs rose more than 150% year over year. Visa Direct’s USDC prefunding service has entered commercial production, with Inyo Global as its first live partner. Separately, Open USD launched on 30 September and had a circulating supply above $800 million as of 15 October. The latest figures point to broader use of stablecoins for payments, blockchain settlement and business treasury services. The growth expands institutional access to stablecoin infrastructure, but does not by itself signal an immediate price move in USDC or the wider crypto market.

Meme coins saw extreme volatility across Solana, BNB Chain, Robinhood Chain and Base between 26 and 29 October 2026, with sharp price swings and rapidly changing trading leaders. The later 24-hour roundup reported Solana top-10 volume of $44.5 million, down from $57.6 million on 26 October. STONK led both periods, with volume easing from $15.4 million to $14.7 million. HOUSECOIN and Grokbot posted striking gains in the later report, while LAUNCH had surged 36,508.5% in the earlier roundup; BTC fell 32.2% initially and 30.0% in the later report. BNB Chain top-10 volume declined from $36.7 million to $33.7 million. The leader changed from IRYS, at $17.5 million, to BNCB, at $20.9 million. Earlier standout gainers included 4AGENT, while JAGENT surged in the later report and GANG fell 36.6%. Robinhood Chain volume rose from $22.5 million to $44.4 million, with PONS leading both reports; NMS and PIZZA recorded large gains in their respective roundups. Base volume climbed from $26.7 million to $90.4 million, but remained heavily concentrated in AXIS. Its reported volume increased from $25.7 million to $89.1 million, while its price fell 35.5% in the later roundup; most leading Base tokens also declined. Overall, the meme coin data show concentrated turnover and fast-changing momentum, not a clear market-wide trend. Traders should verify token data and liquidity and account for the risk of sharp reversals.

A whale sold 1.02 million Solana (SOL) over five days, worth about $104 million, according to blockchain monitoring account Lookonchain. The sale could add short-term selling pressure to SOL, though the report does not identify the whale or say where the tokens were sold.

Gate US has introduced USD balance trading and USD Wire deposits and withdrawals, allowing eligible users to hold and transfer dollars without first converting them into stablecoins. Verified users in supported US jurisdictions can transfer funds from a bank account in their own name; the service is designed to support larger transfers than standard card or in-app options. Users must follow the app’s instructions and include a unique reference code. USD services are unavailable to residents of Colorado, Hawaii, Missouri, New Jersey, Utah and Wyoming. Gate US says it holds 37 state money transmission licences and serves 47 US states and territories.

Pendle reports that STRCx holdings on its platform have surpassed $50 million, setting a new all-time high. Pendle now holds about 30% of STRCx’s total supply. STRCx is described as the largest tokenized equity asset in DeFi. The growth points to rising activity in this tokenized-asset market, but the report does not provide details on the cause or any immediate price impact.

ServiceNow shares fell nearly 18% in after-hours trading after the enterprise software company gave a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter outlook for contracted revenue growth. The decline came despite stronger-than-forecast revenue and an increased artificial intelligence target. Third-quarter revenue rose 20.5% year on year to $4.106 billion, slightly above analysts’ expectations. Subscription revenue grew 21% to $3.988 billion, while adjusted earnings per share of $1.00 narrowly missed the $1.02 forecast. Current remaining performance obligations, a measure of contracted revenue expected within 12 months, climbed 20.5% to $13.65 billion. Investors focused on projected fourth-quarter cRPO growth of about 18.5%, below the 19.8% analysts expected. ServiceNow forecast subscription revenue growth of roughly 22.5% to 23% for the quarter and raised its full-year subscription revenue forecast to $15.78 billion–$15.79 billion. ServiceNow raised its 2026 AI annual contract value target to $1.7 billion and expanded its partnership with OpenAI. However, investors are weighing that AI momentum against slower expected contract growth and acquisition-related costs. The earnings reaction may also influence sentiment toward technology and AI stocks, but the news has no direct impact on cryptocurrency fundamentals.

VIA Labs has launched bidirectional cross-chain messaging between Stellar’s Soroban smart-contract platform and Ethereum mainnet. The integration lets developers coordinate contract actions and build applications for stablecoin transfers and tokenized assets. VIA’s reference VIAT token uses a burn-and-mint process, with transfers typically taking about one to three minutes. Users pay standard network fees in XLM on Stellar or gas on Ethereum; VIA is waiving its protocol fee on Stellar routes during the launch period. Transfers require a funded Stellar account. Announced at Stellar’s Meridian conference in Lisbon on October 28, the launch adds general-purpose contract messaging alongside existing stablecoin-focused connections. It comes as Securitize plans to support Stellar for tokenized assets and DTCC discusses a future Stellar integration. Those are separate initiatives and are not part of VIA’s live Ethereum connection.

US Senator Steve Daines has voiced support for Chainlink ahead of its Link:NYC event on October 29. The gathering will bring together financial institutions, policymakers and blockchain executives to discuss tokenized assets, stablecoin payments, cross-chain interoperability and financial infrastructure. Speakers include representatives from Swift, Citi, Fidelity Investments, Intercontinental Exchange and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, as well as Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov. Daines’ support follows his introduction of the ADAPT Act with three other senators. The proposed bill would clarify US tax rules for digital assets, including certain stablecoin payments, staking and small network transaction fees. It has not been enacted. Chainlink has also announced institutional initiatives involving Anchorage Digital, Swift and the Hong Kong Gold Exchange. These projects include connecting custodial assets to DeFi lending, enabling cross-chain transfers of the gold-backed XGZ token, and helping financial institutions coordinate blockchain transactions. The announcements add to the institutional adoption narrative around Chainlink, but the article reports no new price catalyst or immediate market impact for LINK.

Sony has launched a global Soneium incubation program to help creators and startups turn blockchain entertainment ideas into commercial products. Selected teams will receive technical infrastructure, business development, marketing, community support and opportunities to work with Sony Group companies and meet potential investors. The program targets services for digital content, fan communities and creator revenue. Applications are open from October to December 2026, with selections expected to continue through March 2027; Sony has not said how many teams will be chosen or guaranteed direct funding. The initiative follows two earlier rounds that supported 43 projects since 2024. It comes as Soneium explores tokenized entertainment across music, anime and gaming, alongside a proposed native token and creator-funding tools. No token has launched, and supply and distribution details remain undisclosed. Soneium, an Ethereum layer 2 network developed by Sony and Startale Group, launched its mainnet in January 2025. The program may attract more developers and users to Soneium, but its impact on network activity and the proposed token remains uncertain.

Y Combinator’s latest AI startup opportunities list argues that AI’s biggest constraints are moving beyond models and into the physical economy. The accelerator highlights 11 areas where startups could build the hardware, infrastructure, financing and specialised software needed to deploy AI at scale. The priorities include lower-cost space access; AI tools that help non-specialists deliver expert services; US-made robots and domestic component supply chains; and language models with stronger writing skills. YC also sees openings in government benefits verification, AI-assisted municipal permitting, financing for physical infrastructure, and specialised foundation models for sectors such as manufacturing, energy and life sciences. Other opportunities include data-centre power, cooling and grid connections, as well as AI systems that can operate in secure, air-gapped environments. YC also points to private and open-weight models that give companies more control over their AI systems and costs. The article cites several scale indicators: US factories installed 38,400 industrial robots in 2025, up 12% year on year; China produced 94% of the world’s sintered rare-earth permanent magnets in 2024; and US data-centre projects face transformer delivery lead times of up to three years. YC’s broader message is that AI startup opportunities are increasingly tied to real-world bottlenecks, not just software applications. The list is a set of investment themes, rather than an announcement of specific YC investments.

South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party plans to meet representatives of five major crypto exchanges on Friday to discuss postponing crypto taxation. The tax is scheduled to take effect in January 2027, but the party has proposed legislation to delay implementation until 2029. It cited inadequate tax infrastructure and difficulties obtaining trading data as reasons for the proposed delay. The discussions may affect the regulatory outlook for South Korea’s crypto market, but no final decision has been announced.

Alphabet stock fell about 9% in after-hours trading after the Google parent reported third-quarter results that missed some Wall Street expectations. Revenue rose 25% year over year to $127.58 billion, slightly below forecasts. Net income declined to $26.17 billion from $34.98 billion, while earnings per share came in at $2.12, partly affected by an $8.7 billion loss on equity investments. Alphabet’s results showed mixed trends across its businesses. Google Cloud revenue surged 103% to $30.7 billion, and CEO Sundar Pichai said the Gemini AI app had reached one billion users. Search advertising revenue rose 12% to $63.3 billion, while YouTube advertising grew 9% to $11.2 billion. Investors focused on the cost of Alphabet’s AI expansion. Capital expenditure reached about $51.36 billion for the quarter, and the company reported roughly $9.1 billion in negative free cash flow. Alphabet maintained its 2026 capital expenditure forecast of $195 billion to $205 billion and warned that spending would rise substantially in 2027. The selloff reflects concerns about whether strong cloud growth and AI adoption can deliver returns sufficient to offset the company’s rising infrastructure costs.

Lynas Rare Earths reported record gross sales and record production for the quarter ended 30 September 2026, according to interim chief executive Pol Le Roux. The company said gross sales reached AUD 310, though the available transcript excerpt does not specify the unit or provide further financial details. Le Roux described the quarter as highly rewarding and said Lynas was viewed as a winner in the rare earths sector. The update was delivered during the company’s quarterly results briefing.

CFTC Chair Michael Selig says autonomous AI agents that can hold assets, stake Ether and trade on users’ behalf raise questions for financial rules designed around identifiable people and institutions. At the agency’s Frontier Forum in Washington, he raised whether developers should register, who is liable for an agent’s actions and how regulators can identify the customer behind it. He also floated “know-your-agent” (KYA) requirements. AI agents could give smaller traders access to sophisticated analysis and risk-management tools. But similar models may make correlated trades, and rapid execution could complicate market surveillance and amplify volatility. A September survey found that 79% of US millennial investors and 77% of Gen Z investors use or are open to using AI for investment decisions. Crypto platforms are developing agent tools: Coinbase launched Agentic Wallets in February, and Binance introduced AI Agent Skills in March. The CFTC has not announced specific rules, so this is a regulatory signal rather than an immediate change to crypto markets. Traders will be watching for proposals on registration, accountability and auditable limits as AI agents become more common in crypto trading.

Former FTX chief operating officer Constance Wang has criticised Netflix’s upcoming drama, “The Altruists,” for portraying the FTX collapse as a “toxic love story” between Sam Bankman-Fried and Caroline Ellison. The series is scheduled to premiere on 19 November 2026. Wang says most employees did not know about their relationship until after bankruptcy, describes a core team of fewer than 200 working 16- to 18-hour days, and disputes depictions of a party culture. She also says the show portrayed her without consulting her. Wang’s criticism follows her account of FTX’s November 2022 collapse: staff were told withdrawals were safe as customers sought to withdraw about $6 billion in 72 hours, before Bankman-Fried disclosed an estimated $8 billion shortfall. FTX had misused customer funds to support Alameda Research, contributing to bankruptcy and Bankman-Fried’s 25-year prison sentence for fraud and money laundering. The collapse affected an estimated nine million customers and investors; FTX’s bankruptcy team has recovered about $16.5 billion for repayments based on November 2022 account values. Wang was investigated but not charged and says she lost most of her FTX-related wealth. She later co-founded trading platform Pacifica, which reported $10 billion in trading volume in October 2026.

Ethereum developers have patched a deposit-redirection flaw in draft rules for Glamsterdam, the network’s upcoming upgrade. Under the ePBS design, deposits intended for new validators could have been misattributed to a builder if both used the same public key, potentially leaving the validator uncreated and the staking service without a clear recovery route. A Lido community researcher identified the conditional risk and considered possible exposure at Lido, Origin and Rocket Pool; no attack or fund loss has been reported. After an initial rejection on October 19 over limited client support, the rule change was merged into the consensus specifications between October 23 and 28, 2026. It assigns pending deposits by withdrawal credentials, separating validator deposits even when public keys are shared. Sepolia reportedly tested the update successfully, while Hoodi’s activation was postponed. Client implementation and Hoodi’s rescheduled test remain important milestones. The pre-deployment Glamsterdam fix limits immediate security concerns for ETH staking, though traders should watch upgrade readiness for possible effects on confidence and network stability.

Binance Wallet will host a Predict.fun (PREDICT) Pre-TGE Prime Sale on 29 October 2026, from 16:00 to 18:00 Beijing time (UTC+8). Eligible users must hold at least 60 Binance Alpha Points, and participation will deduct 15 points. Binance has yet to disclose the sale price, allocation or other terms, and says further details will follow. The PREDICT token sale may draw attention to the project, but its direct market impact is uncertain until more information is released.

Hong Kong-listed Ruihe Digital sold 38.76 Bitcoin for approximately $3.1219 million, excluding transaction costs. The company said it plans to use the proceeds as general working capital. The Bitcoin sale is a corporate treasury move; the announcement did not specify when or how the BTC was sold.

IREN is a high-risk, leveraged play on the AI data center buildout, with its shares described as behaving like a long-dated call option. The analyst maintains a Buy rating and sets a $37.65 price target, implying about 48% upside from the roughly $25 share price cited in the title. IREN’s case rests on about $4 billion in contracted annual recurring revenue and its Microsoft partnership. But the company may need roughly $12 billion in additional funding, raising execution and dilution risks. In May, it issued $2.6 billion of convertible notes carrying 1% interest and a conversion price near $73 per share; seven months earlier, it issued $875 million of zero-coupon convertible notes. At 6.3 times the analyst’s base-case FY2028 EBITDA estimate, the valuation reflects substantial uncertainty about whether contracted data center capacity will convert into revenue on schedule. The analyst views IREN as a speculative position and would add only if November results confirm that conversion is progressing as planned. The stock could offer significant upside, but its financing needs and delivery timeline make volatility a central risk.

Moody’s assigned Ripple’s RLUSD an A2 long-term deposit rating and a P-1 short-term rating on Oct. 27, 2026, making it the first stablecoin reported to receive an investment-grade rating. The ratings cover RLUSD issued by Standard Custody & Trust Company on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum. Moody’s said RLUSD’s reserves are predominantly liquid, short-duration US government assets and cash, with a targeted 103% reserve coverage. BNY holds most of the Treasury bills and cash. Eligible institutional holders can redeem RLUSD at par within two full business days after a compliant request; direct redemption is not generally available to all holders. The agency identified limits to the rating: the issuer is not bankruptcy-remote, and holders do not directly own reserve assets. Stronger legal claims over reserves could support an upgrade, while weaker reserves, liquidity, redemption capacity, custody or operational controls could prompt a downgrade. Moody’s also said the GENIUS Act, expected to take effect in 2027, would add statutory safeguards. The rating comes as RLUSD expands institutional links. Ripple has partnered with Robinhood for institutional settlement and related services; Cross River Bank plans to support RLUSD payments and transfers; and Standard Chartered offers institutional custody through its Dubai branch and is exploring RLUSD as trading collateral. The rating may improve RLUSD’s institutional appeal, but its direct price impact is likely limited. Traders will be watching reserve quality, redemption access and regulatory implementation.

Alipay says it does not authorize third-party platforms to use its payment services for cryptocurrency trading, rejecting the impression that Peer’s USDC peer-to-peer service is supported by the payment provider. Alipay warned that unauthorized services could put users’ funds and accounts at risk, and said it has monitored and restricted crypto-related activity for years in line with China’s rules. Peer announced the beta service on October 27. It said that since August 21, the platform had recorded 107 transactions involving 45 buyers, worth about $7,094. Peer’s figures were not independently confirmed by Alipay. The company said yuan payments pass between users while USDC is transferred through onchain escrow, and clarified that it has no formal partnership or integration with Alipay. China prohibits virtual-currency trading and related fiat-to-crypto services. The Alipay warning highlights compliance risks for traders using domestic payment channels, but the reported volume is small and is unlikely to materially affect USDC’s price or the wider crypto market.

BitGo says eligible institutional clients will be able to mint, redeem and custody WisdomTree Treasury Money Market Digital Fund shares (WTGXX) through BitGo Mint. The planned service is intended to let clients access the fund without separate onboarding with WisdomTree. Eligible clients may also be able to transfer beneficial interests through the Go Network while keeping them in qualified custody, subject to availability at launch. The BitGo WTGXX integration is not yet a service available to all users: launch timing, eligibility and peer-to-peer transfer availability may change. WTGXX is an investment fund, not an insured bank account, and its value can decline. The announcement does not establish that the service will generate significant transaction volume or affect crypto prices. Traders should watch for a confirmed launch date, fees, supported payment routes and evidence of actual institutional use. The development adds to the tokenized Treasury and onchain cash-management trend, but its market impact will depend on implementation and adoption.

Crypto token launches and airdrops from three projects are approaching, although their timelines and eligibility rules differ. Flop, launched by BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes, is building computing and payment infrastructure for AI agents. Its planned FLOP token will pay for AI inference and related services. Flop expects to open its devnet soon; testing will not count towards token allocations, and a testnet airdrop is expected in the coming weeks. GenLayer, a blockchain protocol designed to provide AI-based arbitration for smart contracts, plans to move its public network and token to the Arbitrum ecosystem. Its GEN supply is set at 4.2 billion, with 25% allocated to the community. The mainnet and token generation event are expected in Q4 2026. The first-season airdrop snapshot and registration have already closed. Extended, an on-chain perpetual futures platform, plans to launch XTEN in November 2026 and publish its tokenomics on 31 October. It says 30% of the initial supply—300 million tokens—will go to eligible participants in its Extended Points programme. The platform moved from Starknet to Circle’s Arc network in October. These crypto token launches highlight growing links between tokens, product use and community participation, but the projects’ schedules and airdrop conditions differ.

The Federal Reserve held its policy rate at 3.75%-4.00% in a 10-2 vote, but two officials dissented in favour of a 25-basis-point hike. Chair Kevin Warsh questioned whether AI investment is insulated from higher borrowing costs, while markets raised the probability of a December rate hike to 82.6%. Treasury yields were mixed, with the 10-year yield moving above 5%. US stocks closed slightly higher, led by memory-chip and cloud infrastructure shares. SK Hynix reported record results and said HBM orders were booked through 2029. Oracle rose 10.73% after setting long-term revenue and cash-flow targets. In after-hours trading, Microsoft gained on strong Azure growth, while Alphabet fell more than 11% after weaker-than-expected earnings and negative free cash flow. The mixed tech results revived questions about AI spending and returns. Oil prices climbed amid Middle East supply concerns. WTI reached $102.78 a barrel and Brent topped $115, with Goldman Sachs estimating at least $27 of geopolitical premium in oil prices. Traders are also watching US GDP and PCE inflation data, which could influence the Fed rate outlook and risk appetite across markets.

A ransomware attack on a listed subsidiary of Japan’s GMO Internet Group has raised investor concerns and widened the group’s bond spread. The spread on a yen bond due in June 2031 rose to about 174 basis points on 28 October, up from roughly 122 basis points on 20 October, before the incident was disclosed. The 52-basis-point increase reflects concerns about potential damage to earnings and customer compensation costs. The cloud-services subsidiary disclosed unauthorised access on 21 October and said attackers had demanded about 8 billion yen ($50.7 million) in ransom. GMO refused to pay and plans to compensate customers. Attackers later published data they claimed contained customer information. GMO also operates the Z.com EX cryptocurrency exchange, but it remains unclear whether the exposed data involved the exchange. Analysts say growing AI-enabled cyberattacks could affect corporate financing and bond issuance.

A 20-year-old Canadian man, Trenton Johnston, has been sentenced to 25 months in prison by a federal judge in Miami for his role in a cryptocurrency fraud and money-laundering conspiracy. Johnston pleaded guilty and surrendered about $3.8 million in stolen cryptocurrency. He began the scheme in January 2024, when he was 17, by posing as Google technical support staff and representatives of crypto companies to trick victims into revealing wallet access codes. In one case, he and his accomplices stole 185 BTC from a California victim, worth about $13 million at the time. Johnston used proceeds from the crypto fraud to buy a Lamborghini, two BMWs and jewellery, and to pay for private jet rentals.

The US government has announced 43 stock or warrant deals involving more than 40 companies since Donald Trump began his second term, with about $30 billion involved, according to an estimate by the Council on Foreign Relations. The US government stakes cover sectors including semiconductors, critical minerals and quantum computing. One deal gave the government a 35% stake in a company seeking Venezuelan oil business. Intel is a prominent holding. In August 2025, the government acquired a 9.9% stake in the chipmaker for about $8.9 billion. Its value rose to as much as $61 billion as Intel shares climbed, then fell to about $41 billion after a market sell-off. The US government stakes therefore carry substantial exposure to equity-market swings. Some deals also include loans, supply agreements or other special terms, and the legal authority behind certain arrangements has not been fully tested.

Binance’s Agentic Wallet and related tools are helping build an on-chain economy for AI agents, with BNB Chain (BSC) projects launching new token and trading features. Binance says its wallet combines MPC Keyless security with rule-based execution and can connect to AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot. Agent IDs issued through the wallet surpassed 100,000 on 26 October, providing agents with an identity layer for on-chain activity. The emerging AI agent economy spans wallet infrastructure, blockchain monitoring, automated execution, DeFi and machine payments using x402. BSC launch platforms are experimenting with agent-linked tokens and trading access. Flap’s ID Agent Curve, for example, lets developers create agent tokens that can be traded through Binance chat by Agent ID holders. Other projects mentioned include Pathtrade, Nonce Protocol, gangdotfun and Four.Meme. The developments could create new use cases for AI agents and on-chain payments, but they do not establish sustained demand for any specific token. The article also warns of phishing and other security risks. Traders should treat new agent-related assets as speculative and set strict wallet permissions and spending limits.

EU energy ministers are due to meet in Luxembourg on Thursday to discuss energy supply security and rising prices as winter approaches. The talks come amid Middle East tensions, including the Iran war, and Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Ministers will also consider longer-term challenges such as climate change. The meeting could affect energy-market expectations, but the article reports no specific policy decisions. Traders will watch for measures to secure supply or ease price pressures, alongside developments in the Middle East and any changes in OPEC output. Prediction-market pricing cited in the article suggests low confidence in a scenario combining oil below $80 on November 2 with a Republican Senate win; it does not establish a direct link between the EU meeting and oil prices.