Crypto News

Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman says the exchange is prioritising tokenized stocks traded through established market infrastructure, where investors retain direct ownership of the underlying shares. She warned that stock-backed derivatives and trading outside core markets could fragment liquidity, reduce transparency and weaken price discovery. Nasdaq is developing tokenized equities with Payward, Kraken’s parent company, using its xStocks framework. Nasdaq Equity Tokens are scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2027, and Nasdaq Ventures has agreed to invest $100 million in Payward. Separately, the ICE-OKX joint venture has filed to list 63 tokenized US stocks on X Layer, although nine companies reportedly objected.

Bitcoin fell as a sharp decline in US Treasury yields reflected risk aversion rather than easing inflation or a dovish Federal Reserve outlook. On 22 October, the 10-year Treasury yield dropped 17 basis points, from 5.13% to 4.96%, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index plunged 6.7% and the Nasdaq fell 2.6%. The sell-off was led by technology shares, rather than a broad decline across all US stocks. Bitcoin slipped from about $84,400 on 22 October to roughly $81,200 on 23 October, down around 2.5% over 24 hours. Gold also fell, suggesting investors were cutting risk rather than responding to lower yields as a reason to buy growth assets or alternative stores of value. Inflation concerns remain: initial US jobless claims were lower than expected, while oil prices rose, with WTI near $99 a barrel and Brent briefly above $111. Traders will watch the Federal Reserve’s 28 October statement for clues on inflation and rate policy, as well as whether WTI breaks above $100. For crypto traders, the episode is a risk-off signal: a further shift away from risky assets could weigh on Bitcoin and market stability, even if Treasury yields remain lower.

The USDC rewards program offered by Coinbase remains available for now, but its future is uncertain after the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) finalized a stablecoin rule on October 21. Effective January 18, 2027, the rule bans stablecoin issuers from paying interest simply for holding a stablecoin, but leaves intermediary rewards programs to be assessed case by case. It does not give Coinbase’s program a safe harbor or grandfather it in. Coinbase pays eligible Coinbase One members 3.75% annually on USDC, funding the rewards itself while sharing in interest Circle earns on USDC reserves. Banks argue such payouts may circumvent the GENIUS Act’s ban; Coinbase describes them as a loyalty program. The OCC’s approach is less restrictive than banks sought, so USDC rewards can continue for now, but regulators could still challenge the arrangement. The issue matters to Coinbase investors: stablecoin revenue was $292.1 million in the second quarter of 2026, about a quarter of the company’s net revenue. The article does not quantify how much of that revenue depends on rewarded USDC. Any decision to end the USDC rewards program could therefore affect both customer incentives and Coinbase’s stablecoin business.

The US 10-year Treasury yield fell decisively below 5%, but ING analysts doubt the decline will last and expect yields to move higher again. Brent crude rose above $110 a barrel for the first time since May, while weak market sentiment kept investors from repricing rates more hawkishly. French government bond spreads continued to widen, and ING said it sees few catalysts to reverse that trend. The developments highlight uncertainty across global bond and energy markets, which can influence risk appetite and crypto trading.

InDrive plans to begin testing robotaxis in Astana, Kazakhstan, in the first half of 2027, working with Pony.ai and Nvidia. Pony.ai will provide its seventh-generation autonomous vehicles, which will be integrated into the InDrive ride-hailing app. Nvidia will supply its Hyperion computing platform and Halos safety system. The pilot follows agreements between InDrive and Kazakh authorities in 2025 and 2026 to establish a regulatory sandbox for autonomous vehicles. A potential test route could connect Astana’s airport with the city. The initiative is a test programme, not a commercial launch. The partnership adds to Nvidia’s role as a technology provider for autonomous driving, while Kazakhstan’s investment in data-centre GPUs reflects a broader national push in AI. For traders, the announcement has no direct cryptocurrency-market catalyst; any impact is more likely to be limited to sentiment around Nvidia, autonomous vehicles and AI technology.

XAO DAO has approved Proposal 66, authorizing the decentralized autonomous organization to deploy 80% of its XRP treasury into Firelight, a DeFi protocol focused on decentralized insurance and yield generation. The plan uses Flare Smart Accounts to let XRP holders mint and deposit FXRP into Firelight’s vault. Co-founder Santiago Velez called it a pioneering multichain strategy combining insurance and yield. The XRP treasury deployment aims to generate returns for DAO members while supplying capital to DeFi protection services. The decision comes as XAO DAO updates its governance tools, including proposal management, discussion features and donation tracking. At the time of the report, XRP was trading at $1.34, little changed over 24 hours but down nearly 4% in a week and more than 11% over a month. The DAO’s move signals added DeFi utility for XRP, but its effect on the wider XRP market may be limited.

trade.xyz has launched a JIO pre-listing perpetual futures market, according to a post on X. The JIO pre-market contract gives traders a way to take leveraged positions before the token’s listing. The announcement did not provide details on trading volume, contract terms or a listing date, so the market’s immediate price impact remains unclear.

Ethereum postponed the Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet on October 22, removing its planned October 26 activation and the proposed 200 million block gas limit. Developers are investigating how EIP-8037’s changes to state-related gas costs could affect existing contracts. No replacement date or mainnet activation date has been announced. The delay highlights a practical risk for DeFi automation: gas limits can be set in wallets, workflow configurations and nested contract calls. Raising a workflow limit may not fix hardcoded contract allowances or other code-level constraints. Teams should simulate automated claims, transfers and rebalances under the proposed rules and confirm that transactions complete their intended actions. Chainlink’s earlier guidance recommends testing affected workflows on upgraded Sepolia and adjusting or removing fixed gas limits where needed. Hoodi node operators must also install compatible client updates; Nethermind 2.2.1 removes the scheduled fork, while remaining on version 2.2.0 could cause a node to follow the old configuration and diverge. The update concerns testnet readiness, not a confirmed mainnet outage, exploit or universal fee increase.

Gold fell below $4,000 an ounce for the first time since July, extending a sell-off that has erased most of its gains since August. The decline came as the US dollar weakened and Treasury yields fell—moves that would typically support gold—leaving traders uncertain about the cause. Precious metals analyst Jesse Colombo said technology-stock selling, including AI-related shares, may have triggered forced liquidations across markets. He also raised the possibility of Japanese intervention to strengthen the yen, which could have offset the dollar support normally seen during risk-off trading. No intervention has been confirmed, and Colombo described it as a market-based suspicion. Gold is testing a key support zone between $3,900 and $4,000 an ounce. Colombo said a break below that range would warrant closer scrutiny, while a rebound or double bottom remains possible if support holds. Traders are watching whether gold can defend the zone and whether the usual relationship between the dollar, Treasury yields and precious metals returns.

Goldman Sachs says the Japanese yen could offer a hedge if concerns about the AI investment boom weaken US growth expectations. Strategist Jonathon Chryssafis links a potential slowdown in AI spending to lower US yields, narrower US-Japan interest-rate differentials and a possible shift of Japanese capital back home—factors that could support the yen against the dollar. The scale of AI financing is drawing scrutiny. US dollar-denominated project finance issuance reached about $105 billion in 2026 as of 13 October, roughly four times the previous pre-boom record, with most funding directed to data centres and computing infrastructure. Goldman also reported unusually heavy recent net selling in global technology shares. The yen is estimated to be about 40% undervalued against the dollar by Goldman’s GSDEER model, but the bank cautions that cheap valuation alone may not trigger a reversal. Two-year USD/JPY implied volatility is around 9.9, below its 20-year average of 13.8. Goldman sees USD/JPY put options as a potential hedge, while a direct short position carries different risks. Recent correlations between AI shares and USD/JPY have shifted, but the relationship remains early and could reverse. Higher energy prices and inflation are key risks. The Japanese yen trade therefore depends on changing growth expectations, interest-rate spreads and capital flows, rather than AI concerns alone.

Lookonchain reports that 40 newly created wallets have withdrawn 9,458 BTC from crypto market maker Wintermute since 1 October. The Bitcoin is valued at about $772 million. The transfers are notable in scale, but the report does not identify the wallets’ owners or explain why the funds were moved. Bitcoin traders may monitor subsequent wallet activity for clues, while treating the withdrawals alone as insufficient evidence of a change in market direction.

Meta’s higher AI spending plans helped trigger a sharp tech-sector sell-off, as investors questioned whether massive infrastructure investments can deliver adequate returns. The Nasdaq fell 2.6%, its biggest one-day decline since June, while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index dropped 6.7%. Meta shares lost about 7%, wiping roughly $124 billion from its market value, despite quarterly revenue of $64.6 billion and earnings per share of $3.83 exceeding expectations. Meta raised its 2026 capital expenditure outlook to $135 billion–$145 billion and disclosed future spending commitments of about $825 billion. Its plans, including issuing a new class of non-voting shares, fueled concerns about financing needs and investment payback. Meta’s five-year credit-default swap costs also reached a record high. Semiconductor, memory, optical-communications and AI cloud stocks broadly fell. Lam Research and KLA dropped nearly 10% or more, while CoreWeave slid about 10%. Supply constraints cited by Lam added uncertainty about how quickly strong AI chip demand can translate into equipment sales and earnings. Rising Middle East tensions pushed Brent crude above $110 a barrel and added to inflation and growth concerns. Investors moved into US Treasuries: the 10-year yield fell below 5% for the first time in nearly a month. For traders, the sell-off reflects both risk aversion and growing scrutiny of AI capital expenditure, financing and returns. Upcoming results from Alphabet, Microsoft and Amazon may help determine whether AI investment can support further growth.

Bitcoin recovered to nearly $82,000 in Asian trading after falling below $81,000, as the yen surrendered early gains and Asian stocks, gold and Nasdaq futures rebounded. Bitcoin was testing its 50-day moving average, a key indicator of near-term momentum. Crypto futures liquidations totalled $435 million over 24 hours, including $385 million in long positions, indicating that bullish bets had been heavily leveraged. Ether, XRP, Solana and Dogecoin also moved higher with the market. The recovery may face headwinds. WTI oil remained near $100 a barrel, raising concerns that inflation could weigh on risk assets. U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs also recorded $381 million in outflows on Thursday, pointing to weak institutional demand. Traders will be watching oil prices, ETF flows and Bitcoin’s ability to hold above its 50-day moving average.

CZ said AI does not need to break Bitcoin’s cryptography to pose a security threat. Existing data leaks could let attackers use AI to scale up phishing and social engineering against crypto users. He also noted that internet and banking systems rely on weaker encryption than Bitcoin. The comments highlight AI-related cybersecurity risks for the crypto sector, particularly risks to users and their accounts rather than a direct attack on Bitcoin’s protocol.

A derivatives account with cumulative profits of about $30.41 million closed an approximately $1.1 million long position on the S&P 500 and reversed into a short. The short position is currently worth about $10.81 million. The move signals a bearish position on the S&P 500 from this account, but the report does not identify the trader or provide details such as leverage or liquidation levels. The S&P 500 short is an individual positioning signal, not evidence of broader market sentiment.

Brent crude futures for December delivery rose 4% on 22 October to $113.17 a barrel, their highest close since 4 May. US WTI gained 2.4% to $99.47. The rally followed reports that the US and Israel had prepared plans for a possible short, intense strike on Iran after the 3 November midterm elections, potentially targeting nuclear and energy facilities. The White House said the US would not attack Iran before the elections, and the final decision rests with President Donald Trump, so no strike has been confirmed. Iran has warned it could target Gulf energy infrastructure if fighting resumes. Traders are also monitoring security risks in Saudi Arabia, US efforts to boost domestic oil production and refining, and expectations of higher interest rates as energy costs lift inflation pressure. For crypto markets, a sustained oil shock could weigh on risk appetite by strengthening inflation and rate concerns; an escalation could also increase volatility across global markets.

A rapid tech sell-off saw investors shift toward defensive, blue-chip stocks as concerns grew over the returns on billion-dollar investments in artificial intelligence. Meta and Nvidia shares came under pressure. Moderna and Merck also fell after preliminary vaccine results were leaked. The report provided no specific price moves or market statistics. The shift signals a change in equity risk appetite, but it does not directly address cryptocurrency markets.

Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies fell over 24 hours: BTC dropped 3.35%, while ETH and SOL each lost more than 3%. NEAR, ZEC, ENA and UNI were among the bigger decliners. The broad decline sets a cautious tone for the Bitcoin market, although the news offers few clear signals about the next price move. Tesla and SpaceX reported no Bitcoin sales in the third quarter. Separately, a16z Crypto is becoming a16z Frontier, expanding its investment focus to frontier technology, including AI, while continuing to back crypto projects. Other developments include a reported Visa takeover discussion valuing crypto custodian Fireblocks at about $2.5 billion, and Aave founder Stani’s plans for Aavenomics 3.0, which reportedly include AAVE buybacks, staking and token burns. GMGN is testing a cross-chain bridge that will let users buy tokens on multiple networks with USDC. JPMorgan said recent US regulatory steps partly offset the impact of stalled progress on the Clarity Act, but political and legal uncertainty remains. Coinbase warned that proposed UK rules could restrict regulated platforms from connecting customers to DeFi. DWF Labs said spot Bitcoin ETF flows tend to follow price moves rather than predict them. Together, these developments point to continued market sensitivity to prices, regulation and institutional activity.

US stocks weakened on 22 October, with the Nasdaq down 2.6% and the S&P 500 falling 1.21%. The sell-off adds pressure to crypto-related equities as traders assess high interest rates, weaker technology shares and mixed institutional demand for Bitcoin. Bitcoin ETF flows were divided on 20 October. BlackRock’s IBIT recorded $665 million in net inflows, while Fidelity’s FBTC lost $83.63 million and Grayscale’s GBTC shed $54.93 million. The inflow may signal renewed institutional interest, but withdrawals from other funds underline uneven demand. Strategy (MSTR) bought 267 BTC for about $22.1 million during 12–18 October, bringing its reported holdings to 848,517 BTC. It also repurchased $193.1 million in STRC preferred shares, highlighting a shift in capital allocation as its valuation approaches the value of its Bitcoin holdings. Coinbase shares fell 4.51% to $169.09. The article reports second-quarter revenue down 17.34% year on year to $1.154 billion and a net loss of $359 million, with weak crypto trading volumes weighing on the outlook. Markets are also watching the Federal Reserve’s 27–28 October meeting; traders assign more than an 80% chance to unchanged rates. For crypto traders, the key signals are continued ETF flows, Bitcoin’s response to risk-off trading and the Fed’s guidance on future rates.

Sui has published the v1.83.0 framework bytecode snapshot. The release entry credits GitHub Actions as a co-author but provides no further details about code changes, new features or fixes. The Sui v1.83.0 announcement is a technical release update, with no specific information indicating an immediate effect on the SUI token or trading activity.

CoreWeave faces significant refinancing pressure, with a large share of its reported $35 billion debt due within the next year. High bond yields and credit default swap spreads point to greater market concern about the AI-cloud provider’s ability to manage its obligations. The company’s capacity to refinance or restructure its debt will be a key indicator of its financial stability. Nebius appears to face less immediate balance-sheet stress, but its fundraising could dilute existing shareholders. Market pricing suggests investors see CoreWeave’s refinancing risks as more acute. Successful refinancing or support from major partners such as NVIDIA or Microsoft could ease concerns; failure to secure funding could intensify financial stress. The article also cites prediction-market odds of 10.5% for a CoreWeave bankruptcy announcement by 1 January 2028, rising to 24.5% by 1 January 2030.

Global credit spreads have climbed to a 17-month high as investors weigh concerns about artificial intelligence investment and heightened geopolitical tensions, Bloomberg Technology reports. The widening credit spreads signal greater caution about corporate borrowing risk and have coincided with a shift towards perceived safe havens, including US Treasuries, bonds and gold. Credit default swap spreads have risen for AI infrastructure companies such as CoreWeave and major technology firms including Amazon and Nvidia. The International Monetary Fund has warned that a further slowdown in AI investment could affect markets. For crypto traders, the move matters as a broader risk-off signal: tighter risk appetite can weigh on volatile assets, though the article reports no direct cryptocurrency price moves.

The OCC’s final GENIUS Act rule keeps a principles-based approach to stablecoin reserve management but adds a mandatory minimum of 5% in designated readily available funds. It drops the proposed 30% five-day liquidity and 20-day weighted-average-maturity limits, while requiring stress tests and additional reserve buffers when needed. Meeting the numerical minimums alone will not satisfy all reserve-management obligations. The rule retains a $5 million minimum capital requirement for payment stablecoin issuers, including during ongoing operations. It also keeps the GENIUS Act’s ban on issuers paying holders interest or yield merely for holding, using or retaining stablecoins. The OCC will assess affiliate and third-party reward arrangements case by case; routing payments through an agent does not automatically avoid the ban. These requirements matter to issuers such as USDC and USDT, as well as Open USD. Circle’s disclosed USDC reserves and reporting practices may support compliance, but its OCC-approved national trust bank is a separate business and does not by itself grant USDC a GENIUS Act issuance licence.

SK Hyper, a data centre subsidiary of South Korea’s SK Group, is seeking new financing for a planned $350 billion data centre project with a total capacity of 15 gigawatts. The company is in talks with major technology firms and financial investors. SK Hyper aims to complete its first external funding round by late 2026 or early 2027, then raise additional capital over the following three to four years. The project highlights growing investment in AI infrastructure, but the report does not identify any direct cryptocurrency-related plans.

DeFi tokens that increased revenue distributed to holders outperformed Bitcoin during a two-month period of BTC price consolidation. Among 19 major DeFi tokens, those with growing holder revenue gained a median 18.3%, compared with 6.9% for the rest; 14 of the 19 beat BTC. Raydium rose 178%, while analysts cautioned that revenue growth and low valuation multiples do not guarantee future gains. Hyperliquid’s HYPE also faced significant monthly token unlocks. The briefing also covers Aave founder plans for Aavenomics 3.0, including AAVE buybacks, staking and burns; US regulator OCC’s final GENIUS Act rules for stablecoin issuers; and a16z Crypto’s rebrand to a16z Frontier, with the firm saying it will continue investing in crypto. Separately, Standard Reserve is developing liquidity markets for tokenized stocks, while crypto trading frontends are attracting users by connecting to existing protocols. Together, the updates highlight DeFi tokens, holder returns, stablecoin regulation and the growth of tokenized real-world assets.

A market commentator says Bitcoin could find strong support between $75,000 and $80,000, citing large buy orders in that range and more than $1 billion in Bitcoin ETF inflows over three days. The view comes amid a broad sell-off in gold, Bitcoin and equities, which the commentator links to elevated oil prices and tensions involving Iran. The article also cites Goldman Sachs data showing hedge funds’ short-to-long positioning at 5:1, with short exposure near a five-year extreme. US household equity holdings stand at a record 48.2% of financial assets, compared with 38.7% during the dot-com bubble. These figures point to mixed signals: the commentator sees Bitcoin support and ETF demand, while warning that broader market conditions remain fragile. The price levels and market interpretation are the author’s opinion, not a guarantee.

FORT Robotics, a developer of safety technology for physical AI, has secured commitments for about $20 million in additional funding. Existing investor Tiger Global is leading a roughly $10 million financing, with Mark Cuban Companies also participating. The round is expected to close this week. Tiger Global has separately committed $10 million to FORT Robotics’ previously announced public-company PIPE, which is expected to close alongside the proposed business combination with Newbury Street II Acquisition Corp (Nasdaq: NTWO). Including earlier PIPE commitments, total committed capital tied to the proposed transaction has exceeded $50 million. The funding supports FORT Robotics’ growth but has no direct connection to cryptocurrency markets.

Bitcoin is back near the $81,000 ETF cost basis that Glassnode identifies as a key support level. A sustained close below it could expose the $70,000 range. Bitcoin dominance has climbed to 60%, while smaller tokens have underperformed; Bitcoin also slipped below $82,000 after briefly topping $84,000. Analysts say ETF flows have tended to follow price moves rather than predict them, leaving traders watching fund flows and Federal Reserve signals for direction. Broader risk concerns include stalled talks over the Strait of Hormuz, rising oil prices, widening technology credit spreads and a sharp sell-off in South Korean shares. These pressures could weigh on risk assets, including crypto. Meanwhile, a proposed Ethereum upgrade could cut transaction finality from about 16 minutes to four, though the plan remains at an early stage. Crypto industry developments were mixed. Andreessen Horowitz renamed its crypto fund a16z Frontier, while saying it will continue investing in crypto alongside other emerging technologies. Coinbase warned that proposed UK rules could effectively restrict regulated platforms from providing access to DeFi. Visa acquisition talks with Fireblocks were denied by Fireblocks. Separately, on-chain investigators and ZachXBT raised concerns about CoinDCX fund movements and disclosure; the allegations have not been independently established in the reports. Overall, Bitcoin’s support level, macro risk and regulatory developments are key near-term trading signals.

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has listed BTCC as a suspicious virtual asset trading platform. The exchange is operated by Poland-based BTCC Poland Limited, uses only an English-language name and is not licensed by the SFC. The regulator suspects BTCC may be conducting unlicensed activities in Hong Kong. The notice raises regulatory and access risks for local users of BTCC, though the report provides no details of enforcement action or any broader market impact.