Crypto News

A suspected Binance attacker may have left a trace by using MetaMask’s Gas Station, protocol engineer Justin Kalland says. A newly funded wallet received 175 million USDT, then 2 ETH for transaction fees. Two minutes later, it used MetaMask’s Gas Station despite already having enough ETH for gas. Three transactions were included in the same block: an ETH top-up, an unlimited USDT approval for the Kyber Network router, and a 127.67 USDT payment to the Gas Station. The ETH amount exactly matched the maximum gas budgets for the other two transactions, down to the wei. Kalland suspects the attacker was using MetaMask and may have selected USDT for gas by mistake. Using the service requires MetaMask Sentinel, which could leave off-chain records, potentially including IP metadata. Among the attacker wallets he examined, this was the only one that appeared to use the Gas Station. The finding may provide investigators with a lead, but it does not establish the attacker’s identity.

The Binance hack may have involved attackers manipulating the exchange’s transaction-signing infrastructure, rather than stealing private keys, Blockaid CEO Ido Ben-Natan told Cointelegraph. He described the finding as preliminary and said the suspected method resembled “key misuse”: tricking or compromising a signing system so it authorizes malicious transactions without exposing the underlying keys. Blockaid’s on-chain analysis said attackers bundled 50 EIP-7702 authorizations into one transaction targeting Binance 14. An authorization reportedly matched the account’s required nonce, enabling execution and delegation to an unverified contract that could drain tokens and Ether. Binance has not confirmed how the incident occurred. Arkham CEO Miguel Morel said there was not enough information to determine whether keys were stolen or infrastructure was compromised, and suggested the attack might still be ongoing. The article reports losses of more than $2.5 billion. Ben-Natan compared the suspected Binance hack to the February 2025 Bybit attack, in which attackers compromised a developer’s credentials and deceived wallet signers into approving a malicious transaction. He also said the activity showed similarities to operations attributed to North Korean hackers, though this was not confirmed.

Galaxy Digital research chief Alex Thorn said Bitcoin stayed near $80,000 during recent AI-market concerns partly because trading-focused hedge funds had already reduced their spot Bitcoin ETF positions. Galaxy’s review of 13F filings found that nine major filers cut holdings by 29% to 100% and sold a combined 68,000 BTC by June 2026. Across all 2,200 filers, holdings fell 14%, from 355,000 BTC in September 2025 to 307,000 BTC in June 2026. Thorn said longer-term buyers, including wealth managers, may be less likely to sell in response to short-term macro worries. The next batch of 13F filings, due November 16, will show institutional ETF positions as of September 30.

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), owner of the New York Stock Exchange, plans to develop a US-regulated perpetual futures market with Trade[XYZ] using Hyperliquid infrastructure. ICE will make a strategic minority investment in Trade[XYZ], although the amount was not disclosed. The proposed 24/7 contracts could track cryptocurrencies, equities, indexes, commodities and foreign exchange, with US access subject to regulatory approval and KYC/AML checks. An ICE-OKX joint venture is among the potential distribution channels, but its regulatory status is also pending. Trade[XYZ] says its Hyperliquid markets have processed more than $650 billion in cumulative volume over the past year. Investor Stanley Druckenmiller also disclosed an investment in Trade[XYZ], while Elon Musk amplified his post. HYPE rose by double digits around the announcement, and prediction-market odds of HYPE reaching $100 by the end of 2026 increased to 66% from 24% a day earlier. The proposal does not confirm whether HYPE will be used as collateral or for payments. For HYPE traders, the partnership signals a potential institutional route into the US market, but approvals, launch timing and token utility remain uncertain.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman says the five-year cost of building and operating one gigawatt of AI infrastructure should fall from about $70 billion to roughly $20 billion. The target covers chips, data centres, power systems and electricity; it is not a confirmed cost reduction. Altman says cheaper energy and lower supply-chain margins are needed, while warning that power availability remains a constraint. Semiconductor analyst Dylan Patel estimates current construction costs exceed $60 billion per gigawatt, up from about $40 billion in 2024, and says removing supplier margins could bring costs closer to $20 billion. The issue matters to OpenAI, whose infrastructure commitments exceed $1.4 trillion. Its planned Project Camellia campus in Georgia is valued at $20 billion and has contracted capacity of 3.2 gigawatts, with a phased rollout planned for 2028–2032. Lower AI infrastructure costs could support expansion, but persistent energy and capital costs would put pressure on the industry’s growth plans.

Binance says it is working with law enforcement agencies, asset issuers, blockchain intelligence firms and industry partners to trace and freeze additional assets. The exchange expects the total value of frozen assets to rise and says it will share updates when more information is confirmed. Binance did not disclose a current total or identify the assets in this update.

The Arbitrum Security Council executed a transaction to freeze about $30.5 million linked to the Binance exploit. The action may limit the movement of the affected funds, but the report gives no further details about the exploit or recovery efforts. The Arbitrum freeze is a notable security response, though its direct effect on broader crypto markets is likely limited.

Shares of Nasdaq-listed BNC, a BNB treasury company, fell 4.08% to close at $5.41, according to MSX.COM data. The report provides no reason for the decline and does not indicate whether it was linked to a change in BNB’s price or broader market conditions. The move reflects a drop in BNC stock; its effect on BNB trading is unclear.

Circle and ACI Worldwide are testing USDC settlement in Colombia through a proof of concept that combines Circle’s USDC infrastructure with ACI Connetic, a payments orchestration platform. The project will assess how banks could use USDC alongside conventional transfers and card payments within existing payment, treasury and oversight workflows, without replacing current systems. Colombia was selected partly because ACI supports technology for Bre-B, the country’s instant payments network. Bre-B processed more than 500 million transactions in its first five months, but those were conventional payments—not USDC transactions. The companies have not announced a live connection to Bre-B, participating banks, transaction volumes, cost savings or a commercial launch date. The initiative remains exploratory, with no evidence yet of broad adoption. For traders, the project reflects institutional interest in stablecoin payments and cross-border payment infrastructure, but it does not establish immediate USDC demand or adoption. Watch for pilot results, bank participation and activity in live payment corridors. Onchain settlement speed alone does not ensure quick access to funds; local liquidity, compliance, currency conversion and accounting also matter.

US real GDP grew at an annualised 3.4% rate in the third quarter of 2026, up from 2.2% in Q2, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ advance estimate. The acceleration in GDP growth was driven mainly by increased investment, consumer spending and government spending. Exports declined, while imports rose compared with the previous quarter. The figures show stronger economic expansion, but the report does not provide inflation or Federal Reserve policy details that would clarify the outlook for interest rates.

Nvidia is reportedly discussing billions of dollars in credit support for Anthropic’s six-year, roughly $45 billion cloud computing deal with AI infrastructure firm Nscale. The agreement, signed in August 2026, covers an initial 460 megawatts at Nscale’s West Virginia campus, with Nvidia’s Vera Rubin chips expected and operations planned for late 2027. The new proposal could add another 460 megawatts, doubling Anthropic’s planned capacity at the site, but the companies have not confirmed the expansion and financing is not finalized. Anthropic’s IPO filing lists about $44.6 billion in compute commitments with Nscale. Nvidia credit support could help fund data-centre construction and secure demand for its AI chips, while underscoring the scale of AI infrastructure spending. The report has no direct cryptocurrency impact; traders may monitor developments for broader sentiment toward technology and AI infrastructure stocks.

Shen Yu said Binance 14’s hot wallet had not revoked an EIP-7702 delegation more than two hours after it was flagged. A 2,961 ETH transfer to the wallet remains pending because its gas fee is low. Shen Yu warned that if the transaction is included when the base fee falls below 4.4 gwei, an attacker could sweep the funds. The comments point to an ongoing security risk involving Binance 14, though the report does not confirm that the transfer has been processed or that the funds have been stolen.

Aave Chan Initiative founder Marc Zeller said the Binance hacker’s position on Aave is manageable and does not warrant special intervention. The attacker deposited 60 million USDT and borrowed 19,762 wETH, worth about $44.9 million, before Tether or Aave froze the relevant assets. The position was overcollateralized, with a health factor of 1.04 and about $59.9 million in collateral. Aave’s normal liquidation process could close the debt if ETH rises to roughly $2,365, about 4% above the level cited. The debt represents just 0.9% of wETH reserves in Aave V3 Core. The pool also has 345,000 wETH available, with utilization at 81.6%, which Zeller said is sufficient for withdrawals. He argued that a governance-led forced liquidation would offer little benefit and could affect other USDT depositors. Zeller compared the case favorably with the Kelp exploit, which involved collateral with no value. His comments suggest limited immediate liquidity risk for Aave, though traders may continue monitoring ETH prices, liquidations and protocol exposure.

BTC has fallen further below the $80,000 mark. Earlier OKX data showed BTC at 79,992.7 USDT, down 1.48% in 24 hours; the latest data puts BTC at 77,985 USDT, down 4.1%. The update marks a deeper decline, though no cause was reported. Traders may watch whether BTC stabilises around current levels or continues lower, as well as whether it can recover above the $80,000 threshold.

Glassnode says Bitcoin’s rebound has lost momentum after repeated failures to break through the $84,000–$85,000 resistance zone. The price has slipped slightly below the average cost basis of US spot Bitcoin ETFs, while ETF flows have nearly flatlined: the funds recorded just $67 million in net inflows over the two weeks following a $653 million inflow on 19 October. Trading volume has also remained subdued. Order-book support has shifted lower. Binance buy orders are concentrated around $78,000–$79,000, near the $77,900 True Market Mean. A daily close below that level could expose Bitcoin’s short-term holder cost basis at about $75,800. On the upside, sustained daily closes above $85,000 would be an initial sign that resistance is weakening; Glassnode says a move above $87,500 accompanied by stronger ETF inflows and volume would provide stronger confirmation of renewed demand. The rebound has also underperformed Bitcoin’s 2023 recovery at a comparable point, and the share of leading altcoins trading above their 200-day averages has fallen from 88% to 66%. However, realized losses on recent pullbacks have declined, suggesting limited selling pressure. With Bitcoin volatility near historically low levels, Glassnode identifies the 28 October Federal Reserve decision as a potential catalyst for a sharp move in either direction.

Reports of a potential Binance-linked wallet hack sent crypto prices lower on Thursday. BNB fell 7.2% to about $702, Bitcoin dropped 3.1% to $78,674 and Ether lost 4% to $2,263. The total crypto market capitalisation declined 3.3% to around $2.73 trillion, while trading volume rose nearly 29% to $89.4 billion, indicating heightened activity during the sell-off. Blockaid flagged about $3.3 billion in suspicious transfers, while Arkham Intelligence tracked roughly $5.84 billion in assets held by wallets labelled “binance-hacker-1029.” Neither amount was confirmed as stolen. Binance said it was investigating a potential security issue and that user funds were safe. Tether and Circle said they had frozen more than $2.3 billion in stablecoins linked to the incident. The Binance hack reports remain unconfirmed, leaving market sentiment vulnerable to further updates.

Coinbase applied to Brazil’s Central Bank for a virtual asset service provider (VASP) license on Oct. 28, ahead of the Oct. 30 deadline for existing providers. The Brazil crypto license application is intended to help Coinbase continue serving local customers as regulation tightens; the company says it does not expect the review to interrupt its current services. Firms that applied by the deadline may continue operating while applications are reviewed, but a separate rule taking effect Nov. 6 bars authorized banks and payment firms from facilitating crypto transactions with unauthorized providers. Because the amended rule does not clearly exempt pending applicants, the treatment of firms awaiting decisions remains uncertain. Binance filed on Oct. 23 and has restricted some services, including new loans and margin trading; an earlier report also said it delisted 22 crypto assets in Brazil. Coinbase has outlined plans to expand its “Everything Exchange” strategy in Brazil with foreign-exchange, payment and e-money services, subject to separate approvals. The filing supports continued access to a major Latin American market but does not itself signal an immediate change to Coinbase trading services.

Bybit said on 29 October 2026 that trading and withdrawals were operating normally and user funds remained secure, despite security concerns involving Binance and a separate incident at Polymarket. The exchange urged users to rely on its official channels for updates. The statement follows Bybit’s February 2025 hack, in which attackers stole an estimated $1.46 billion to $1.5 billion in ETH from a cold wallet. Bybit said it continued processing withdrawals and covered the shortfall with corporate reserves within about 12 hours. It reported handling more than 580,000 withdrawal requests after the breach. By mid-2026, about $48 million to $75 million of the stolen funds had reportedly been recovered or frozen. Bybit also says AI-assisted monitoring blocked more than $700 million in potential losses from suspicious withdrawals earlier in 2026; that figure has not been independently audited. The article reports that Tether and Circle froze certain transactions linked to the Polymarket incident, highlighting the role of centralized stablecoin issuers during security crises. Traders should monitor official updates on Bybit, Binance and Polymarket, as well as any further token freezes.

MANTRA is rolling out Privy embedded wallets across its apps to simplify access to real-world asset (RWA) trading while preserving user self-custody. Wallets are already live on MF Markets, with MANTRA Zone and community interfaces planned next. Users can sign in with email, Google or Apple instead of managing a seed phrase. The article says Privy uses key sharding in a trusted execution environment and policy controls; users retain control of their keys, though the setup relies partly on hardware security and linked login accounts. The MANTRA wallet rollout may lower onboarding barriers for RWA users, but the article reports no usage or trading figures. Separately, MANTRA Chain supports EVM and CosmWasm, and the migration from OM to MANTRA tokens is ongoing, with another claim batch scheduled for October 27, 2026.

Bitcoin fell below $79,000 after reports of a possible security breach at Binance, prompting concern across crypto markets. The exchange has not confirmed a breach and says its security teams are investigating. Binance co-founder Yi He urged users to rely on official updates, while former CEO Changpeng Zhao said he expects user funds to be covered. Estimates of suspicious outflows vary. Coinbase executive Conor Grogan cited $5.8 billion, while blockchain security firm Blockaid said it was investigating about $3.3 billion in outflows from Binance hot wallets across Ethereum, Arbitrum and Avalanche. Tether and Circle reportedly froze more than $1.567 billion in USDT and about $823 million in USDC, respectively. The figures remain unverified and continue to change. Bitcoin traded around $78,800, down 2.89% over 24 hours, after falling from a high of $81,890 to a low near $78,177. If confirmed, the suspected theft would exceed the roughly $1.5 billion Bybit hack in February 2025. The reports have intensified Bitcoin selling and concerns about exchange security, but the scale and cause of the incident remain unconfirmed.

Binance has temporarily suspended trading on Binance Alpha as part of its ongoing security measures. The exchange said trading will resume once the security issue is resolved. Binance stated that user funds are safe and promised to share further updates. The pause may affect activity on Binance Alpha, but the announcement did not specify the nature of the issue or identify any affected assets.

Binance hot wallet transfers are reportedly continuing, with about $6.26 billion in assets moved from Binance wallets to addresses described as controlled by attackers. The reported outflows span nine networks: Ethereum, Bitcoin, Tron, XRP, Solana, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism and Base. The scale and ongoing nature of the Binance hot wallet transfers raise concerns about a possible security incident and may prompt traders to monitor exchange withdrawal status, wallet attribution and official updates. The article does not provide details on the assets involved or confirm the cause of the transfers.

Wintermute founder Evgeny Gaevoy said the crypto market maker has less than 20% of its net assets exposed to Binance. He expects no disruption to Wintermute’s market-making operations across any time horizon. Gaevoy said Binance is likely able to withstand the current situation and that user funds are probably safe, but advised users not to deposit funds until Binance identifies and resolves the issue.

A DBS survey published on October 28 found that 88% of businesses in its sample were piloting or deploying tokenized-money use cases. Companies cited needs such as round-the-clock payments, improved liquidity management and cross-border transactions. More than three quarters of respondents also expected artificial intelligence to improve treasury, payment or collection operations within two years. The 88% figure combines limited pilots with live deployments. It does not show that those businesses have replaced bank accounts with stablecoins, or that they are using public blockchains. “Tokenized money” may refer to stablecoins, tokenized bank deposits or other privately operated systems. For crypto traders, the survey signals institutional interest in digital settlement and stable-value payments, but does not establish a surge in crypto demand. DBS did not provide verified transaction volumes or savings in the findings described. The clearest indicators of broader adoption would be disclosures separating pilots from production use, identifying the types of tokenized money involved, and reporting measurable settlement volumes and operating benefits.

The suspected Binance hack attacker is converting stablecoins into ETH through decentralized finance platforms, including Uniswap and Aave. On-chain data showed wallets borrowing 19,762 ETH on Aave against about $60 million in USDT, while other wallets received tens of thousands of ETH through Uniswap contracts. Aave subsequently paused its Ethereum mainnet V3 markets, and Kamino temporarily halted borrowing in its SOL/BTC market as a precaution. Stablecoin issuers have frozen more than $2 billion in USDT and USDC linked to the incident. Ripple also froze about $200 million in RLUSD, according to Binance co-CEO Yi He. But ETH has no issuer able to freeze it. About 253,000 ETH, worth roughly $570 million at the time, remained in two wallets without outgoing transfers as of 22:07 UTC. Binance is investigating the security incident and has not confirmed whether user funds were affected. Security experts suspect the exchange was hacked, with losses reported at a minimum of $5.5 billion and the total still climbing. The scale and uncertainty could heighten market volatility and concerns about exchange security, although the article reports no confirmed flaw in Uniswap or Aave.

Singapore police say users lost about S$3.5 million (US$2.7 million) in at least two cases involving tampered Ledger hardware wallets. The first case dates to September 10, before Ledger publicly warned on October 9 that compromised devices had appeared in the CryptoBilis supply chain. The investigation is at an early stage, and it is unclear when the September case was reported. Ledger says there is no evidence its own systems were compromised and has asked retailers in several Asian markets to suspend sales while investigations continue. The Singapore cases form part of a wider supply-chain security concern. Bitquery estimated that suspected losses linked to devices sold through CryptoBilis reached about US$102 million across 335 wallets on five blockchains. Authorities advise users to stop using suspicious devices, never enter recovery phrases on them and move remaining funds to a trusted wallet with a newly generated recovery phrase. Alongside the Ledger hardware wallet concerns, Asian digital-asset initiatives continue: Malaysia and Thailand joined Singapore’s BLOOM cross-border payments initiative, which explores stablecoins and tokenized deposits. South Korea is considering delaying its planned 22% crypto gains tax until 2029; Hong Kong named Nasdaq-listed Solana Company a strategic enterprise; and China aims to build a national blockchain network by 2030. The wallet cases highlight security risks but have no clear direct effect on broader crypto prices.

Binance said customer funds were safe after on-chain trackers flagged abnormal transfers from wallets labeled as its hot wallets. Estimates differ: one report cited about $5.6 billion moving across Ethereum, Bitcoin and TRON, while a later account put transfers to an Ethereum address at about $3.52 billion. The later estimate included roughly 197,170 ETH, 1.68 billion USDT, 823 million USDC and $564 million in other tokens. Binance has not confirmed a hack or customer losses, and the investigation remains ongoing. Tether and Circle froze stablecoins linked to the receiving address. Reports differ on the amount frozen: Tether’s chief executive said more than 1.567 billion USDT had been frozen, while Unchained’s Ethereum balance count showed about 1.38 billion USDT; reports also cited $823 million in frozen USDC. Binance hot wallet transfers reportedly continued after the exchange’s reassurance, including a further sweep of about 200 million USDT. Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao said the incident looked like a hack and expected customers to be covered. Blockaid said movements across Ethereum, Arbitrum and Avalanche were consistent with unauthorized transfers. The incident has raised exchange-security concerns. It also coincided with more than $600 million in perpetual-market liquidations and temporary pullbacks in major cryptocurrencies. For traders, uncertainty around the investigation, exchange liquidity and possible further transfers could keep volatility elevated. Binance has urged users to use verified channels and avoid phishing or fake compensation links.

Nvidia is discussing credit guarantees to help UK neocloud provider Nscale borrow billions of dollars for a planned 460-megawatt data center expansion in West Virginia. The project’s second building is still under discussion with Anthropic and is expected to use Nvidia’s Vera Rubin chips. A guarantee could reduce Nscale’s borrowing costs and support its expansion, while reinforcing Nvidia’s role as a chip supplier, investor and financing backer. Nvidia previously guaranteed about $860 million of Nscale lease obligations in Texas. Nscale also secured nearly $3 billion in senior secured loan facilities in August 2026. Nscale’s IPO filing reported about $103.4 billion in contracted value but roughly $2.6 billion in active revenue, highlighting the gap between future commitments and current business. Nvidia reported maximum customer-support exposure of $164.5 billion in its July 2026 filing. That figure is not an estimate of expected losses, but it underscores Nvidia’s growing financial links to neocloud partners. For traders, the key risks to monitor are Nscale’s ability to deliver contracted capacity, reliance on Anthropic for demand at the planned building, and any further increase in Nvidia’s support commitments.

Aave says it will continue monitoring the situation and aims to unfreeze all previously frozen V3 and V4 DAO operational markets as soon as possible. The update follows a pause on new deposits and borrowing in those markets; users were still able to withdraw and repay loans. Aave has not provided a specific timetable or further details in the report. The status of Aave DAO markets may affect activity in the protocol, but the announcement alone does not indicate a broader change in market conditions.