Crypto News

The Stacks Foundation has refreshed all three Stacks Consideration Advisory Boards (CABs), which review Stacks Improvement Proposals (SIPs) before community votes. The Economics CAB covers STX supply, rewards and incentives; the Governance CAB reviews decision-making rules; and the Technical CAB assesses protocol and software changes. The refreshed boards include new members and returning contributors. Xan Ditkoff becomes Economics CAB chair, while Zero takes over as Governance CAB chair. Jesse Wiley remains Technical CAB chair, and six of its seven members are returning. The Foundation also thanked departing members, including former Economics CAB chair Matt O’Connor and Governance CAB chair Jason Schrader. CABs do not decide protocol changes. They provide analysis and recommendations to help STX holders make informed choices. The Foundation says new members were selected through nominations and votes by the relevant CABs, with the Foundation facilitating but not voting. Updated rosters are published on GitHub and the SIP Tracker, and the boards will begin reviewing upcoming proposals in the coming weeks.

Blackstone President Jon Gray rejected claims that artificial intelligence is in a bubble, saying demand is growing so quickly that the industry is struggling to keep pace. He said the current AI build-out differs from the 1990s telecom bubble, when companies built capacity ahead of expected demand. Gray cited Ode, an AI consulting firm established by Blackstone and Anthropic, where customer demand is already outstripping capacity. His comments add to debate over AI investment and whether rapid infrastructure spending is supported by real demand.

A wallet moved 3,000 ETH to crypto exchange Kraken after remaining dormant for nine and a half years, according to on-chain analyst Ember. The ETH was originally withdrawn from Gemini in 2017, when it was worth about $56,000 at a price of $19 per coin. At the time of the transfer, the holdings were valued at approximately $7.23 million—about 128 times their original value. The ETH deposit could signal a possible sale, but a transfer to an exchange does not confirm that the holder has sold.

Corelogix plans to expand the Helium Network along Main Street in Ellicott City, Maryland, where hills and trees have contributed to poor mobile coverage. The project, led by Corelogix founder Corey Freeburger, is set to begin with four internet-connected anchor buildings. Wireless bridges would carry connectivity to nearby properties, avoiding the need for a separate internet connection at each site. Participating businesses are also expected to receive managed guest Wi-Fi. Eligible phones on participating carriers could automatically connect through Helium’s carrier offload service. The plan aims to improve coverage across the historic district, although full Main Street coverage remains a goal rather than a completed deployment. Helium said its network had more than 45,000 locations and served over 1.4 million people daily as of October 2026. The local expansion highlights Helium’s use of shared Wi-Fi infrastructure to address coverage gaps, but the announcement does not specify a deployment timetable or a direct effect on HNT token demand.

Google Gemini outlined a highly speculative scenario in which Sui (SUI) could reach $25–$45 by January 1, 2027, with a stretch target above $70. The scenario assumes major gaming studios, social platforms and consumer technology companies adopt Sui for mass-market applications—a hypothetical catalyst the article says is highly unlikely, not a confirmed development or base-case forecast. The article says SUI has been consolidating around $0.98–$1.05, with resistance at $1.10–$1.20 and support near $0.95–$0.98 and $0.85–$0.90. It identifies a sustained move above $1.50–$2.00 as a sign of stronger intermediate-term momentum, while noting that a broader crypto bull market and improved global conditions would also be needed for the extreme price targets. The forecast is speculative and should not be treated as investment advice.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said no crypto wallet, software or technology is 100% secure, urging users to keep systems updated and manage risk. His warning came amid a series of security incidents affecting crypto-related infrastructure. A critical PHP vulnerability was reported to affect an estimated 70% of websites. Binance said it had deployed preventive measures and completed necessary fixes, while Trust Wallet said its app and core infrastructure do not rely on PHP and were unaffected. Cloud deployment platform Railway disclosed that an unauthorised party may have accessed and decrypted some customer environment variables, which can contain API keys and database credentials. Crypto platform Grailcart reported about $1.2 million was transferred from its hot wallet, but said a link to the Railway breach has not been confirmed. Separately, Polkadot warned that the third-party Fearless Wallet browser extension had exposed users’ private keys since February 2025. The incidents highlight supply-chain risks beyond wallet software itself. Traders and teams should rotate exposed credentials, update software, protect seed phrases and keep large holdings separate from hot wallets.

OpenAI has released php2shell-checker, an open-source tool for checking whether PHP installations may be affected by two critical vulnerabilities, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619. The flaws could allow unauthenticated attackers to run code on a server through specially crafted HTTP requests. The php2shell-checker can run as Codex skills or through a Node.js command. Its URL check sends only a HEAD request and reads server headers; it does not send exploit code. Results are labelled OK, VULNERABLE or UNKNOWN, with JSON output available for automated scans. OpenAI warns that OK is based on version numbers and does not independently verify that a fix is effective. Hidden headers and Linux security backports can also produce UNKNOWN, which does not mean a system is patched. Administrators should verify their PHP version against official security guidance and upgrade to a fixed release. CISA listed PHP 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36 and 8.2.35 as patched versions. The issue matters to crypto businesses because many websites use PHP, including platforms that may host exchange or project pages. A compromised site could be used for phishing or to alter wallet addresses. The checker helps with initial inventory, but does not replace patching or web application firewall protection.

Gold prices fell 1.4% to $4,084.25 an ounce on October 22, a more than two-month low, despite strong estimated central bank demand. Goldman Sachs estimates central banks bought 79 tonnes of gold in August, up from 44 tonnes in July and about 4.6 times the pre-2022 monthly average. China was the largest identifiable buyer, with an estimated 25 tonnes. The World Gold Council reported a lower 39 tonnes in net purchases, reflecting differences in how disclosed purchases and estimated official-sector activity are measured. Rising oil prices have strengthened expectations that the Federal Reserve may keep interest rates elevated to contain inflation. Higher rates can weigh on gold, which pays no interest, and may also pressure risk-sensitive markets. Traders are watching the Fed’s October 27–28 meeting for clues on the rate outlook. Gold’s near-term technical support is around $4,073, with resistance near $4,135. Goldman Sachs maintains a year-end forecast of $4,900, citing central bank buying and potential investor demand, but the article notes that long-term purchases do not guarantee an immediate price recovery. For crypto traders, the key signal is the rate and inflation outlook: tighter policy may dampen appetite for speculative assets, while persistent reserve diversification could support longer-term demand for alternative stores of value.

Western Union (WU) is exploring stablecoins as a potential turnaround opportunity, but the benefits to its profits have yet to be proven, according to Seeking Alpha contributor Jiangwei Li. The company’s digital transaction growth is outpacing revenue, while average revenue per digital transaction fell 14.4% year over year. Its operating margin has also declined to 15%, highlighting continuing pressure on profitability. Stablecoins could help Western Union reduce transaction costs, but investors still need evidence that the strategy can improve margins and cash flow. The article also questions whether the company’s dividend is sustainable amid cash-flow demands. Despite WU’s low valuation, Li maintains a Hold rating and says clearer improvements in margins, cash generation and the financial contribution of its digital and stablecoin initiatives are needed.

GoMining’s GoBTC Pay has launched a free plugin in the official WordPress Plugin Directory, allowing WooCommerce merchants to accept Bitcoin (BTC) through their existing checkout. Merchants can enable the on-chain payment option from the WordPress dashboard without building a custom integration. GoMining says it plans to add instant payment confirmation for GoMining Wallet users in November 2026. The integration aims to make Bitcoin payments easier for online retailers, although its effect on broader BTC adoption will depend on merchant uptake and the customer checkout experience.

Bitcoin gave back its recent rally as weakness in US stocks weighed on market sentiment. The price is testing support near the bottom of an ascending channel, with the 50-day simple moving average also acting as support. A break below the channel could expose Bitcoin to horizontal support at $81,000 and $80,300; if those levels fail, a move into the low $70,000s is possible. Short-term indicators offer a potential counterpoint: the Stochastic RSI is near oversold territory, while the RSI is retesting a month-long descending trendline that could support a bounce. Traders are also watching US equity futures, which were down almost 1% and could add pressure to Bitcoin. On the weekly chart, the 50-week moving average is flattening, a pattern that the article compares with the previous bull market. The near-term outlook depends on whether Bitcoin can reclaim and hold within its ascending channel.

A reported Swell hot-key compromise may have allowed an unidentified actor to manipulate the on-chain exchange rates of swETH and rswETH. Security researcher Spreek said the rates rose without additional ETH backing them, reaching about 3% and 2% above their respective earlier levels by October 22. Four suspicious upgrade contracts were also reportedly queued. If executed through Swell’s timelock, they could access about 2,513 ETH, but the upgrades have not been executed and no loss is confirmed. Swell says it is investigating, the protocol remains operational, and no ETH has moved from or into the affected contracts. Decentralised exchange prices have not kept pace with the reported rate increases, creating a potential gap between token market prices and on-chain valuations. Traders and holders are watching whether Swell can block the queued upgrades and whether any lending or DeFi platforms rely on the affected rates. The Swell hot-key incident remains an unconfirmed security risk, not a confirmed asset loss.

Bitcoin hashrate has rebounded about 45% from July’s low of 726 EH/s to roughly 1,050 EH/s, according to CryptoQuant data. CEO Ki Young Ju called the recovery an “indirect bullish signal” from institutions backing public Bitcoin miners, saying higher hashrate strengthens network security and Bitcoin’s store-of-value fundamentals. The rate remains below its October 2025 peak of 1,305 EH/s. Separately, NIP Group agreed to acquire 4.47 EH/s of deployed mining hardware; across three purchase tranches, its hashrate is expected to reach 13.85 EH/s. Despite improving Bitcoin hashrate, miner stocks fell amid a broader US market selloff and inflation concerns. Bitcoin was trading around $81,843 on Thursday.

S&P Global Ratings has assigned Revolut a BBB+ investment-grade rating for the first time and expects the UK digital bank to issue senior unsecured bonds in 2027. The debt would create a loss-absorbing buffer to help meet regulatory requirements. Revolut’s balance sheet exceeds £40 billion, and S&P expects its loan portfolio to double in 2027 and double again in 2028 as the company expands unsecured lending and introduces mortgages. S&P cited Revolut’s strong consumer brand, scalable technology and broader product range, while warning that its relationships with primary banking customers remain less established than those of traditional banks. Rapid international growth could also increase operational and compliance risks. The rating and expected bond issuance are relevant to investors tracking fintech credit and funding conditions, but have no direct implication for cryptocurrency prices.

Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade is scheduled to fork on the Hoodi testnet on 26 October 2026 at 17:42 UTC. Node operators must upgrade to Lighthouse v8.3.1 or later and use a Glamsterdam-ready execution client before the fork. The upgrade introduces enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS, EIP-7732), separating the execution payload from the beacon block and bringing builders directly into the protocol. Proposers can receive bids from configured builders over HTTP or peer-to-peer gossip, without relying on a relay. Lighthouse’s experimental v8.4.0-rc.0 also supports bid streaming, which lets builders update bids before a proposal is made. Sigma Prime’s Bombora builder will bid on Hoodi from the fork. Hoodi is the final public testnet before Ethereum’s planned mainnet deployment, giving validators and builders a chance to test configurations. The announcement concerns testnet infrastructure and does not report a mainnet launch or a change to ETH’s monetary policy.

Decrypt is partnering with Jupiter to bring Jupiter-powered trading to its news platform, allowing readers to swap tokens through Decrypt Money Accounts without leaving the site or connecting an external wallet. The integration will initially support selected major cryptocurrencies, with plans to expand to Solana tokens and tokenized real-world assets, including stocks and commodities. Decrypt says the feature is part of The Information Exchange, its plan to combine journalism, market data and financial tools. Its Solana-based Money Accounts launched earlier this month, and Jupiter’s Earn product is expected to be added as the partnership develops. The companies have not disclosed a launch date for the trading integration. Decrypt co-founder and COO Ilan Hazan said the aim is to let readers act on information within the same platform. Jupiter COO Kash Dhanda described the partnership as a way to bring trading execution directly to media audiences. Decrypt also says Myriad prediction markets have generated more than $600 million in cumulative trading volume.

DFINITY founder Dominic Williams has accused NEAR’s Chain Signatures and NEAR Intents products of using a threshold ECDSA design that he says was developed by DFINITY and licensed only for use with ICP. He claims the dispute could involve civil and criminal liability. NEAR had not publicly responded at the time of publication. Williams cited a 2021 paper by DFINITY researchers on ECDSA, additive key derivation and presignatures. NEAR documentation links to the paper, which is publicly available. Williams also alleged that NEAR recruited former DFINITY staff and said a recent NEAR code change reflects a move to a version he describes as slower. The cited code change does not mention DFINITY, so its motivation remains unconfirmed. NEAR says its mainnet multiparty-computation network has 17 independent operators and an 11-of-17 signing threshold. Chain Signatures supports NEAR Intents, which NEAR says has processed more than $35 billion in cumulative volume. The dispute’s legal basis is unclear: the research is public, and NEAR’s MPC code is MIT-licensed. Any market impact is likely to depend on a formal response, evidence of enforceable rights, or disruption to NEAR’s cross-chain services.

Allen Helm, co-founder of Bitcoin for Corporations, says institutions increasingly view Bitcoin as more than a speculative asset. In an interview with Bitcoin Magazine, he describes how financial firms are developing credit products and securities linked to Bitcoin, as well as the differing ways institutional and retail investors approach the market. The discussion points to record inflows into BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETFs as evidence of growing institutional interest, and references a J.P. Morgan report characterising Bitcoin as a non-speculative asset. It also examines corporate Bitcoin treasuries, including Strategy, Strive and Metaplanet, and considers whether such companies may move to US markets as treasury firms consolidate. The interview presents Wall Street participation and financial products as important to Bitcoin’s adoption. However, it provides commentary rather than new flow figures or confirmed policy changes, so it does not establish the scale or durability of institutional demand.

Tesla and SpaceX have formed a special committee to explore a possible merger, according to a Bitcoin Magazine video featuring Sean Hagan. A combined company could have a larger index weighting and attract more passive investment flows than either firm alone. The Tesla-SpaceX merger could also bring indirect Bitcoin exposure to S&P 500 investors if the merged company qualifies for inclusion, since Tesla has held Bitcoin. The discussion compares the potential effect of index flows with MSCI’s decision concerning Strategy, a Bitcoin treasury company. The merger remains under consideration; the report provides no deal terms or confirmation that it will proceed.

A U.S. government-linked wallet moved about $1 billion in Bitcoin recovered from the Bitfinex hack to a wallet labeled “unknown,” prompting questions about a possible sale. Arkham Intelligence CEO Miguel Morel said the transaction trail alone cannot establish whether the Bitcoin is being sold or transferred to a new custodian. The move also raises questions about government disposal orders and the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. For traders, the key point is that a large Bitcoin transfer can create selling pressure concerns, but the destination label does not confirm that coins have reached an exchange or are being sold.

Brent crude rose to $112.68 a barrel on October 22, its highest level in five months, after a drone was intercepted near Saudi Aramco’s Shaybah oilfield and attacks on Middle East shipping routes heightened supply concerns. Two workers were killed by falling debris, but Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said oilfield operations were unaffected. Shaybah can produce about one million barrels per day. The price rise came despite Persian Gulf crude exports recovering to around 17.3 million barrels per day in October, above prewar levels. Tanker attacks, higher insurance costs and alternative transport expenses continue to threaten deliveries. Tight global inventories and a reported 3.1-million-barrel decline in US crude stocks also supported oil prices. Brent could rise further if disruptions worsen, while uninterrupted production and exports may ease the risk premium.

The stock market opened lower on Thursday as weak investor reactions to Tesla and Meta earnings interrupted Wall Street’s technology-led rally, while rising oil prices added to inflation concerns. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.48% to 26,308.41, the S&P 500 dropped 0.81% to 7,694.62, and the Dow Jones slipped 0.13% to 52,788.41. Tesla shares fell about 5% in premarket trading after the company lowered its planned 2026 capital spending from more than $25 billion to around $20 billion. The cut raised questions about investment in AI, robotics and autonomous driving, despite Tesla beating earnings expectations and reporting $1.53 billion in free cash flow. Net income fell 44% year over year. Meta reported third-quarter revenue of $64.6 billion, up 26% year over year and above expectations. But operating expenses rose 68% to $51.6 billion, partly due to a $9.89 billion legal settlement charge, and reported operating income declined 37% to about $13 billion. Investors also remain focused on the company’s planned $125 billion–$145 billion capital spending program. Brent crude rose above $112 a barrel after attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and shipping routes. Higher oil prices may intensify inflation and cost concerns, adding pressure to the stock market and risk-sensitive assets.

US initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 to 194,000 in the week ended October 17, below economists’ forecast of 200,000 and close to a 57-year low. The figures suggest employers remain reluctant to cut jobs, even as hiring has weakened. Continuing claims rose to 1.728 million. The data adds uncertainty to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate outlook. Policymakers are expected to hold rates at 3.75%–4.00% at their October meeting, while economists anticipate a possible 25-basis-point hike in December. Higher rates can weigh on risk assets, including cryptocurrencies, but the jobs figures alone do not determine market direction. Bitcoin traded near $84,200 and faced resistance around $85,000. A sustained break could put $87,000 and $90,000 in focus; support sits near $82,200 and $80,000. Ethereum traded around $2,435, below the $2,500 recovery threshold, with resistance near $2,550–$2,575 and support around $2,400 and $2,350. XRP was near $1.36, facing resistance at $1.38–$1.41; a move below $1.33 could expose support near $1.28. For crypto traders, Fed expectations and price levels remain key short-term signals. The jobs report adds macroeconomic uncertainty rather than a clear directional catalyst for BTC, ETH or XRP.

In the second part of an interview with Jin Ming, Justin Sun described his approach to investing and personal decision-making. He said he combines Warren Buffett’s focus on value and risk management with Elon Musk’s technology-led growth outlook and Donald Trump’s personal-brand strategy. Sun said his lawsuit against World Liberty Financial (WLFI) is a commercial dispute over investor disclosures, and does not change his support for US crypto policy. He said the claim could be worth US$400 million to US$500 million under the original agreement, while describing investments of US$4 billion to US$5 billion as the scale of a major position. These are his statements in the interview, not independently verified figures. Sun also said he uses Claude to help assess major life decisions. On health, he described an AI-assisted diet and exercise tracking plan, saying his body-fat percentage had fallen from 26.8% to 25.8% after 20 days. He set a target of getting below 18% by 9 October 2027 and said he would publish an unedited photo for public accountability. For crypto traders, the interview offers no new market data or announced investment, but it revisits Sun’s exposure to US crypto policy and the WLFI dispute. Sun also said a spot TRX ETF had been approved in the US; the interview provided no details on flows or expected market impact.

The zkVM guests v2.3.0-preview release brings significant performance optimizations and passes the tests-zkevm@v21.0.1 test suite. It includes guest binaries for ZisK 1.3.2-alpha, SP1 6.6.0 and OpenVM 2.1.0-rv64. The release provides SHA-256 checksums, an OpenPGP-signed checksum file and build provenance attestations, supporting verification of the binaries. These zkVM updates may matter to developers and infrastructure providers, but the notes do not announce a token, funding or direct change to network economics.

Nirva Labs has raised $33 million to develop its ambient AI pendant, with shipping planned by the end of 2026. The $249 titanium wearable uses microphones and onboard sensors to create a personal journal and offer mood tracking, emotional insights and relationship analysis. Nirva says it processes as much data as possible on the device to limit the transfer of raw information to remote servers. The funding follows an $8 million seed round in July 2026. The company, founded in 2025, first showcased the Nirva AI pendant at CES 2026.

Bitcoin ETF flows have largely followed BTC price moves rather than predicted them, according to DWF Labs research covering 694 trading days since US spot Bitcoin ETFs launched in January 2024. Investors withdrew funds during seven of eight Bitcoin sell-offs of at least 15%, while all nine rallies of that size attracted net inflows. Daily ETF flows had a 0.54 correlation with Bitcoin’s price changes over the previous five trading sessions, but just 0.03 with returns over the following five days. DWF therefore said ETF flows offer little signal for BTC’s near-term direction. The largest withdrawals were $6.9 billion from October 2025 to February 2026 and $8.2 billion during the May–June decline. The analysis did not establish whether institutions or retail investors drove those outflows, and DWF estimated about a fifth of flows may have involved hedged positions. Bitcoin has experienced fewer major sell-offs since ETFs launched, but DWF cautioned that declining volatility was already underway before 2024. For traders, the findings suggest ETF flow data may confirm recent price momentum rather than serve as a standalone leading indicator.

AI stocks fell at the US market open on 22 October, led by Teradyne, which dropped 7.73%. Astera Labs fell 5.75%, KLA lost 5.63%, Marvell declined 5.21% and Dell was down 5.18%. The broader market also weakened: the Dow fell 0.39%, the S&P 500 dropped 0.86% and the Nasdaq slid 1.46%, while the VIX volatility index rose 8.45%. The broad decline in AI stocks and major indices points to weaker risk appetite, although the report gave no specific cause. The move is not a direct cryptocurrency market development.

US technology stocks fell broadly, with SpaceX shares down 4% in trading on 22 October, according to MSX.COM data. Meta Platforms also dropped 4%, while SK Hynix fell 4.5% and SanDisk slid 4.8%. Tesla lost 2.87%, IBM fell 2.5%, Nvidia declined 2.1%, and Micron Technology dropped 3.8%. The moves point to broad weakness across major technology and semiconductor stocks.