Crypto News

Bank of America says Microsoft’s enterprise AI position is strengthening as Azure expands and Copilot commercialization accelerates. It expects Microsoft Azure demand to exceed supply through fiscal 2027 and has raised its earnings forecasts for the next three years. The bank forecasts fiscal 2027 capital expenditure, including finance leases, of $220.7 billion, up 51.9% year over year. It estimates revenue of $391.9 billion and earnings per share of $19.70. Bank of America maintained its Buy rating and $600 price target. The report highlights continued investment in AI infrastructure and enterprise services, but does not directly address cryptocurrency markets.

Central bank decisions and crypto company earnings are set to shape crypto markets during the week beginning Oct. 26, 2026. The Federal Reserve and Bank of Canada announce rates on Oct. 28, followed by the European Central Bank on Oct. 29 and the Bank of Japan on Oct. 30. Markets are widely expecting the Fed to hold rates steady, so traders will focus on Chair Kevin Warsh’s comments and signals about the December meeting. U.S. GDP and PCE inflation data, due Oct. 29, could also shift rate expectations and drive volatility in Bitcoin and other digital assets. Coinbase, Galaxy Digital, Robinhood and Strategy report earnings this week, alongside major payment companies. Crypto-specific developments include the closure of Blast’s normal withdrawal interface on Oct. 26, a planned Unichain sequencer transition on Oct. 29, and Balancer’s move toward withdrawals-only pools on Oct. 30. Token supply events include a $20.9 million Collector Crypt unlock on Oct. 29 and a MemeCore unlock worth about $50.34 million on Nov. 1. These macroeconomic catalysts, earnings reports and token events may increase short-term trading volatility.

Bitcoin mining is showing signs of recovery: since July, miners’ daily revenue rose about 78% to $48 million, while the network’s seven-day average hashrate returned to 1 ZH/s by 25 October. Improved revenue has eased miners’ need to sell BTC, although rising hashrate is also pushing mining difficulty to record levels and could squeeze margins again. At the same time, Bitcoin miners that pivoted to AI and high-performance computing face growing financing and execution risks. Short sellers have reported about $6 billion in paper gains on US neocloud and AI data-centre stocks this month. CoreWeave is under particular pressure, with Bernstein estimating a $76 billion funding gap and its unsecured bond yields reaching distressed levels of 15%–16%. Elon Musk warned that debt financing for such companies had largely dried up, while venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya flagged potential project delays and idle computing capacity. Gartner estimates that more than 80% of neocloud providers could stop operating independently by the end of 2030, amid a projected shortfall between infrastructure costs and AI-related revenue. For traders, stronger Bitcoin mining metrics may reduce near-term BTC selling pressure. But tighter credit and doubts about AI profitability pose risks to miner stocks and the sustainability of their AI expansion plans.

Michael Burry has backed Ken Griffin’s warning that AI chip supply could outpace demand and send GPU prices sharply lower. Griffin compared the risk to the telecom fiber glut of 2000, when excess capacity left “dark fiber” unused, and questioned whether older GPUs will retain their value as technology advances. Burry separately estimates that hyperscalers may understate depreciation expenses by about $176 billion from 2026 to 2028 by extending hardware lifespans. The warnings come as the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell 11.4% in a week, its steepest weekly drop since April 2025. Traders will be watching GPU prices, hyperscaler capital-spending plans and depreciation disclosures for signs of AI infrastructure overcapacity.

ViaBTC will attend the ninth Crypto Summit 2026 in Moscow as a strategic partner on 28–29 October. The event will bring together miners, investors, exchanges, technology providers and policymakers to discuss mining infrastructure, digital-asset markets and regulation. ViaBTC says it is one of the world’s four largest Bitcoin mining pools and the largest Zcash pool by hashrate. Business Director Anton will join a panel on changes in the mining sector, including how companies can manage market pressure, improve profitability and find growth opportunities. Business Manager Alina will speak about practical ways to use mining-pool services. The ViaBTC team will also meet miners and industry partners at booth S-02. ViaBTC’s participation is focused on industry engagement and mining services, rather than announcing a new product or market initiative.

Ethereum core developers have delayed the Hoodi testnet upgrade to Glamsterdam after ChainSecurity identified compatibility and security risks involving EIP-8037. The reported issues include gas-accounting errors that could cause some transactions to revert or follow unintended code paths, while other contracts may underestimate gas use. ChainSecurity has identified 13 real-world cases and is working with affected projects through responsible disclosure. Developers plan to investigate further and assess fixes this week; resolving the EIP-8037 issues may require coordination among application developers, core developers, auditors and node operators, or changes to the protocol specification. Application developers and auditors have been urged to check compatibility with EIP-8037 and EIP-8038 and report problems.

After Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s election, JPMorgan downgraded the Brazilian real and Brazilian government bonds from overweight to neutral. It also cut its rating on Brazilian international bonds from neutral to underweight. The changes signal a more cautious outlook on Brazilian assets, but the report does not specify the reasons behind the revised ratings. The Brazilian real and bond moves could affect emerging-market sentiment, although the news has no direct link to cryptocurrencies.

Mitrade is a multi-asset CFD broker that the article says has operated since 2011 and serves more than 7 million users. It offers over 1,100 instruments, including stocks, forex, commodities and cryptocurrency CFDs such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). The promotional article highlights its stated regulatory licences, segregated client funds, negative-balance protection and Lloyd’s-insured coverage, alongside TradingView tools and risk-management features. It also advertises a reader promotion offering eligible new users up to $1,300 in trading credit after completing specified tasks. Mitrade’s products use CFDs, and leverage can magnify losses; fees may include spreads and overnight financing. Traders should verify the applicable entity, regulatory protections, bonus terms and product risks before opening an account.

Crypto market makers face a trust crisis because the industry lacks clear standards for legitimate market-making. Some firms use the label to disguise price manipulation or artificial trading volume, reinforcing traders’ suspicion of market makers. Such conduct is distinct from genuine market-making, which provides liquidity through two-sided quotes and can help markets function smoothly. Unlike traditional stock markets, crypto markets often lack transparent contracts, entry requirements and defined obligations for market makers. Unpublished agreements between token issuers and trading firms, as well as exchanges taking on market-making roles, add to the concerns. The article notes that placing orders with one’s own funds is not inherently illegal, and that frequent order changes or cancellations can be part of routine risk management. A South Korean case illustrates the risks of unclear rules: regulators initially proposed fines totalling 48.7 billion won (about $35 million) against nine securities firms in 2021 over their market-making orders. In 2022, authorities concluded the firms had not acted illegally, after a year in which market makers had withdrawn. The article argues that crypto regulators should assess genuine trading intent, contractual and risk-management compliance, the provision of two-sided quotes, and whether activity reduces risk—not rely on cancellation rates alone. Clearer standards could help restore confidence and support market liquidity.

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) says Japan’s evolving crypto regulation could give Web3 startups more room to raise capital and build global businesses. He noted that Japan’s rules were restrictive from 2017 to 2021, but said the government has become more open in recent years. Binance returned to Japan in 2022 through an acquisition and secured a local licence, according to the article. CZ identified yen stablecoins and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization as key strategic areas. More than 99% of stablecoins are backed by US dollar assets, he said, arguing that Japan risks losing ground in digital payments unless yen-based alternatives develop. Japanese financial institutions and JPYC are already working on yen stablecoins. He also described RWA tokenization as a way to finance assets and infrastructure by selling tokenized claims to global investors. The comments are a broad policy and market outlook, not an announcement of new Japanese rules or a specific token launch. For traders, Japan’s crypto regulation and progress on yen stablecoins are longer-term themes to watch; the article provides no immediate market-moving catalyst.

The SEC has created a five-year exemption pathway for trading tokenized US stocks, but the model has yet to launch and faces resistance from issuers and traditional market groups. Three firms have notified the SEC that they plan to operate tokenized securities trading venues (TSVs): OKXICE, TSV LLC and Kephas Corporation. Being listed by the SEC does not mean a venue has met the exemption’s requirements. OKXICE, a 50-50 joint venture between OKX and ICE, plans to list 63 stock codes. By 24 October, 22 of the 62 companies notified had objected. Under the SEC order, an issuer’s valid objection prevents its stock from being listed on that venue. OKXICE has not announced a launch date or service fees. TSV LLC plans to use Canton Network and says it will tokenize stocks only with the issuer’s voluntary authorisation. Kephas, a subsidiary of Perpetuals.com, plans to operate on its Kronos X Public Ethereum layer-2 network. Neither has announced its initial stock list or begun trading. All three platforms require KYC; their proposed trading pools use stablecoins and charge fees, with portions allocated to liquidity providers. The SEC exemption runs for five years, but Nasdaq, SIFMA and Better Markets have raised concerns about market data, issuer consent and the regulatory approach. Tokenized US stocks remain an unproven market, with launch timing and the scope of available listings uncertain.

Blockworks researcher Jake Koch-Gallup argues that PEARL’s rapid rise is not supported by strong fundamentals, despite its novel Proof of Useful Work (PoUW) model, which uses AI computation to help secure the network. He identifies four key risks for PEARL traders: annual token supply growth of about 85% could create heavy selling pressure; AI customers pay in US dollars, so rising computing demand may not translate into direct demand for PEARL; widely available, rentable data-centre GPUs could leave the network vulnerable to 51% attacks; and early Zcash’s sharp price decline during rapid supply growth offers a cautionary comparison. The article estimates that newly mined PEARL worth about $2.2 million is distributed daily, against average daily trading volume of roughly $8.5 million. It also says the token’s market value has risen about eightfold from its August low, while Coinbase added PEARL to its listing roadmap on 19 October. The bullish case points to PEARL’s 2.1 billion hard supply cap, potential dual revenue for GPU miners and a team with academic and technology-sector credentials. However, the analysis concludes that high inflation and limited token-based demand could weigh on PEARL’s price, even if market enthusiasm continues in the short term.

Samsung began shipping 12-layer HBM4 memory to Nvidia in February 2026 for its Vera Rubin AI accelerators, with reported speeds of up to 11.7 Gbps. Samsung and SK hynix are also preparing 8-layer HBM4 for Nvidia’s Rubin Ultra NVL systems. Initial shipments are planned for February, with volume deliveries targeted for the second quarter of 2027. The shorter HBM4 stacks may help reduce heat and improve manufacturing yields. SK hynix is projected to supply about two-thirds of Nvidia’s HBM4, while Samsung’s reported yield is around 80% and its share could reach 28% or more. The two South Korean suppliers are forecast to control over 80% of the HBM4 market by mid-2027. The ramp-up will be an important test of supply capacity and competition in the AI chip supply chain.

Ultra Clean Holdings (UCTT), a supplier of gas delivery subsystems and integrated modules to wafer-fabrication equipment (WFE) makers, could benefit as semiconductor-equipment spending expands. The article says the WFE total addressable market is expected to exceed $150 billion in 2026, with estimates above $200 billion for 2027 as fabs come online worldwide. Although AI-related volatility has weighed on UCTT and other related sectors, the author expects a sharp recovery over the coming year as business fundamentals regain focus. The outlook is the author’s investment view, not company guidance.

Trader Mk4 holds a NEAR long position worth more than $25 million, with an unrealized profit of about $12.15 million, according to Odaily. That is down from roughly $20.88 million two weeks ago, when NEAR was trading at a higher price. Mk4 also has short positions worth a combined $13.1 million in BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, BNB, ADA and AVAX. The position data highlights one trader’s exposure to NEAR and other major tokens, but does not establish whether the trades have been closed or indicate a broader market trend.

Bitget is upgrading its stock dual investment products with liquidity provider VETA Finance, expanding its range of tokenized US stock offerings. The product pool will add to existing assets including rNVDA, rGOOGL and rAMD, while offering more investment terms and potentially more competitive annualized yields through deeper liquidity. Bitget stock dual investment supports “buy low” and “sell high” strategies. Users can subscribe with USDT or eligible tokenized US stocks, with assets converted at settlement according to the chosen target price and term; users may also receive interest. Bitget plans to work with VETA Finance on additional structured products, including accumulation and decumulation options, broadening its multi-asset investment services.

Gate has added INDEX markets and one-click trading to its event contracts, alongside a limited-time rewards campaign worth 100,000 USDT. The campaign runs from 22 October at 16:00 to 5 November at 08:00 (UTC+8), and users must register before trading. INDEX markets cover BTC and ETH on five- and 15-minute timeframes, with settlement based on Gate contract index prices and separate operation from the existing TWAP markets. One-click trading offers preset amounts of 5, 20 and 100 USDT, as well as a custom option. Rewards include a 5.5 USDT first-trade incentive for the first 1,000 eligible new users, plus pools for trading check-ins and qualifying trading volume. Users who meet the activity requirements can also compete for leaderboard rewards, including a 1,000 USDT minimum prize for traders reaching 150,000 USDT in cumulative volume and an additional 4,000 USDT for the top-ranked trader. Rewards are issued as event contract vouchers. The promotion may encourage activity on Gate’s short-term BTC and ETH markets, but does not itself signal a change in the broader crypto market direction.

Stablecoin payments are growing, but the figures do not yet prove a comparable rise in verified commercial transactions. Allium estimates that stablecoin transfers classified as payments reached $482 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 45.4% from the same period in 2025. Meanwhile, total stablecoin supply was $304.9 billion at September’s end, just 0.4% above its December level. The payment estimate is based on wallet labels and transaction patterns, not verified invoices or merchant receipts. Allium counted $97.9 trillion in raw transfers before filtering out infrastructure and trading activity; its $482 billion payment estimate is a subset, not a confirmed measure of commerce. Tether and Circle accounted for about 84.7% of supply. USDT represented 84.2% of Allium’s classified payment volume, indicating a stronger concentration in payment activity than in supply. But transaction volume does not show which companies capture the profits. Issuers earn returns on reserves, while distributors negotiate a share and payment providers charge for conversion, settlement and local banking access. Circle reported $667.7 million in reserve income in the second quarter of 2026, with $412.5 million in distribution, transaction and other costs. The article highlights how lower interest rates, partner revenue-sharing and tighter fees could squeeze margins. For traders, stablecoin payments signal continued adoption, but the data does not establish a direct near-term catalyst for token prices. Supply, verified repeat business, liquidity and issuer economics are more useful indicators than raw transfer totals.

Eliza Labs founder Shaw says he has reverse-engineered about 90% of Pump.fun’s Solana smart contracts and expects to finish the work soon. His goal is not to build a similar launchpad, but to reproduce the deployed programs byte for byte, including any original bugs. The public GitHub repository contains deployment evidence and partial implementations, but the four core programs have not been fully reconstructed or audited. Shaw argues that closed-source contracts create security risks, citing more than $40 million in funds stolen over the past year from projects with critical vulnerabilities in closed-source contracts. Critics counter that publishing unrepaired flaws could make attacks easier. Shaw is also promoting slop.cash, a security and private bug-bounty project, and says fees from a related meme coin could fund rewards for contributors. The effort could increase scrutiny of Pump.fun and highlight the risks of opaque Solana contracts. However, market observers say an open-source copy alone is unlikely to dislodge Pump.fun: integrations, user trust and network effects remain important advantages. Pump.fun has not publicly responded. The development is primarily a protocol-security and competitive story, with no clear immediate market-wide trading signal.

A packed earnings week puts AI investment and cash flow in focus. Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon are expected to face questions about whether rising cloud and AI demand can generate returns fast enough to justify record capital spending. Their combined property and equipment spending was about $134.9 billion last quarter, roughly double a year earlier. Alphabet’s 2026 capital expenditure guidance implies a sharp further increase, while Amazon has reported consecutive quarters of negative free cash flow. Microsoft’s capital spending has surged, but its free cash flow has grown much more slowly. Investors will watch capital expenditure guidance, depreciation, cloud order conversion and profit margins. Large backlogs support the demand outlook, but orders do not guarantee timely revenue or cash collection. With US 10-year Treasury yields near 5%, comparatively low free-cash-flow yields at major technology firms may leave valuations more sensitive to evidence of future returns. Exxon Mobil and Chevron offer a contrast: analysts expect strong profit growth, and recent cash generation supports dividends, buybacks and debt reduction. Caterpillar’s backlog will test whether AI-related data-centre demand is translating into equipment sales. For traders, the earnings reports could influence sentiment across technology, energy and other risk assets, including crypto, mainly through changes in rates expectations and risk appetite. The central issue is whether AI spending can deliver durable cash flow—not demand alone.

A Tiger Research analysis argues that crypto market makers provide essential liquidity but are often confused with firms that manipulate prices or fabricate trading volume. Genuine market making can narrow spreads, reduce slippage and help traders buy or sell without waiting for a counterparty. It can also support more orderly token markets. The article says the crypto market lacks clear standards for market-making contracts, disclosures and oversight. Risks include undisclosed or conflicted arrangements, exchange-affiliated trading firms receiving special treatment, and market makers withdrawing quotes during sharp sell-offs. It cites the MOVE token case, in which an intermediary allegedly handled both sides of a liquidity agreement and tokens were sold into a market with little demand. It also references the FTX-Alameda collapse and the Gotbit case involving alleged wash trading. The analysis recommends assessing real order-book depth, spreads, slippage and two-sided quote availability rather than trading volume alone. It also calls for transparent contracts, safeguards against conflicts of interest, and clear obligations and incentives for market makers during market stress. These proposals could improve trust and market stability, but the article does not report a new market-wide rule or immediate change in trading conditions.

MetaMask 8.17.0 introduces a broad set of mobile wallet and trading updates, with notable changes to perpetual futures (Perps), token details and account features. Perps improvements include percent-change price alerts, market suggestions, clearer fee and balance information, and support for advanced orders on Lighter. The release also adds open-position profit and loss details, position sharing, and a refreshed token-details security and social experience. Other changes include email one-time passwords and passkey support for account security, improvements to card and Money features, and updates to Virtual Bank Account onboarding. MetaMask 8.17.0 also includes usability fixes for Android, transaction details, swaps and limit orders. These are product and app updates; the release notes do not announce a new token, protocol launch or market-moving financial development.

Cardano (ADA) traded near $0.201 on Monday, extending a decline that has lasted three consecutive weeks and exceeded 20% since early October. Derivatives data adds to the bearish outlook: ADA’s long-to-short ratio was 0.92, while its funding rate fell to -0.0032%, indicating stronger short positioning. CryptoQuant indicators also pointed to sell-side dominance in spot and futures markets. Technically, ADA remains below its 50-day, 100-day and 200-day exponential moving averages, clustered between about $0.218 and $0.237. The RSI is 33, near oversold territory, but the MACD remains negative. Immediate resistance is around $0.213; support is near the psychological $0.20 level. A sustained recovery would require ADA to reclaim resistance and the moving averages, supported by improving momentum and easing selling pressure.

Strategy’s MSTR market capitalization has surpassed that of Nasdaq, placing the company among the 400 largest globally by market value, according to Bitcoin Treasuries on X. The post did not provide a valuation figure or explain the comparison. MSTR’s ranking highlights the scale of investor interest in Strategy shares, but the news alone does not establish a change in Bitcoin’s fundamentals or market direction.

Upbit trading volume reached about $1.47 billion over the past 24 hours, down 28.3% from the previous day, according to CoinGecko data. The decline points to reduced trading activity on the South Korean exchange during the period; it does not, by itself, establish a broader market trend. Upbit trading volume was led by AXIS/KRW at about $178 million, or 12.1% of the total. SOPH/KRW recorded about $99 million, followed by BABY/KRW at $79.8 million, IRYS/KRW at $72.7 million and BTC/KRW at $56.6 million. The leading pairs were predominantly altcoins, while BTC/KRW ranked fifth.

Gavekal Research analyst Rohan Daswani said investors should consider buying the Brazil market if it sells off after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva unexpectedly defeats Jair Bolsonaro. Markets had priced in a Bolsonaro victory and stronger fiscal discipline, so those trades may unwind. Daswani said the longer-term case for the Brazil market remains supported by unusually high nominal and real interest rates, significant commodity exposure and Brazil’s growing role in critical-mineral supply chains. A more conservative Congress could also limit a major leftward shift in economic policy. Brazil’s stock market was due to open at 21:00 Beijing time.

NymVPN v2026.14 focuses on stronger Android privacy and clearer connection feedback across platforms. Android users can protect recovery phrases and account details with device biometrics or a PIN; sensitive information is masked by default and automatically hidden after 10 seconds. The update also improves data-sharing controls and makes the server list faster and more reliable. Across all platforms, NymVPN now reports DNS failures instead of failing silently and notifies users when an app update is required. Other changes include displaying daily bandwidth reset times in local time zones and routing geo-excluded destination IPs individually. The release also includes platform-specific fixes for iOS, macOS and Linux. The update may improve the privacy app’s usability and reliability, but it does not announce token, pricing or broader market changes.

Fhenix has launched its confidential computing technology on Ethereum and Arbitrum mainnets, bringing encrypted smart contract computation to both networks. Its CoFHE coprocessor uses fully homomorphic encryption to process sensitive data offchain and return results to smart contracts without revealing the underlying information. The launch targets privacy-focused decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenization and other applications that need to protect balances, positions or trading strategies. Fhenix says developers can add confidential data types through Solidity, while its dual-mode token design lets users switch between public and confidential balances in one transaction. The company estimates that privacy limitations constrain a potential $1.5 trillion tokenization opportunity. Initial design partners Fluton and Alpha Engine are developing cross-chain encrypted interactions and confidential onchain finance applications. Fhenix says the system underwent security reviews and an audit by Consensys Diligence. It is also working with Tandem on a confidential stablecoin, with no launch timeline announced. Fhenix plans to bring three more decentralized applications to CoFHE in the fourth quarter of 2026 and expects to announce two institutional partnerships. It is also exploring demand for confidential applications on Solana. The launch expands privacy infrastructure on Ethereum and Arbitrum, but adoption and market impact will depend on real-world usage.

A $550,000 Zcash Community Grants program supporting outreach at adult industry events has drawn criticism from some ZEC traders. The ZECsy team says the initiative can help people facing banking and payment restrictions use private cryptocurrency payments. Zcash Community Grants approved the revised proposal on August 31, 2026, authorizing funding for its first nine monthly milestones. The yearlong program includes five adult industry events, four crypto conferences and eight workshops. Grant records show about $461,500 in approved funding, with an initial $45,833 payment made on September 1. After the team shared photos from its booth at New Jersey’s Exxxotica convention, trader TraderSZ said he had increased his ZEC short position. Other critics also objected to the project’s association with the adult industry, while supporters argued that financial privacy could benefit workers who struggle to access conventional banking. ZECsy reported that 20 adult service providers publicly listed ZEC as an accepted payment method in September, and two small businesses had begun accepting it. The team is also demonstrating CipherPay, a point-of-sale tool for ZEC payments. The dispute has intensified debate over how Zcash’s privacy features can be used in everyday commerce.