Crypto News

Pearl (PRL), a Bitcoin-derived project launched in April, has linked GPU mining to AI inference through its Proof of Useful Work model. PRL rose more than 600% in two months and briefly topped $2, taking its circulating market value to about $700 million, but the rally has coincided with high issuance, concentrated supply and thin trading liquidity. Pearl says AI revenue can help offset mining costs, and it has a production-level partnership with Together AI. However, paid AI workloads have not been shown to make up a meaningful share of mining. A study found that miners could earn PRL with random matrices, while some popular mining software reportedly earns rewards without running AI inference. PRL payments for Pearl services are planned, but the payment market has no launch date; services currently use prepaid credits. Further risks include substantial daily token issuance, undisclosed early holders, technical fixes and possible concentration of mining power. Reports estimate two pools recently produced 75%–80% of blocks, while a planned FP8 upgrade may exclude older GPUs. Pearl’s proposed advantages in cost, privacy and verifiable inference remain under development amid competition from other providers. For PRL traders, the AI narrative offers potential upside, but unproven utility, emissions and liquidity risks could magnify volatility and selling pressure.

Cross River Bank announced on October 15 that it is integrating Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin into its Core Operating System, giving fintech customers access to blockchain settlement through a single API alongside ACH, wire transfers and real-time payment options. RLUSD will be supported on the XRP Ledger, where transactions are designed to settle in about three to five seconds at low cost. Businesses can use RLUSD for cross-border payments, merchant settlement, dollar conversions and treasury transfers around the clock, although the service is initially available only in certain US states. The integration adds a regulated banking channel for RLUSD, following other institutional steps including custody support through Standard Chartered’s Dubai branch, potential collateral use for selected LMAX services and approval in Japan through SBI VC Trade. Adoption, compliance checks, currency conversion and transfers back to bank accounts will affect real-world use and settlement times. The partnership does not signal a change to XRP’s token economics, so its direct price impact is likely limited.

Ledger has unveiled Ledger Atom, a smartphone-style device that pairs an Android-based app environment with Ledger OS on a separate secure chip. Its secure screen is designed to let users verify crypto transactions, digital identity checks and AI-agent actions. Hardware controls for the camera and microphone add privacy features, while Ledger says AI can help prepare transactions but users must approve sensitive actions themselves. The Founders Edition is priced at $849, with a refundable reservation deposit and estimated shipment in the second quarter of 2027. Ledger has also cited an $899 price for the standard version, expected in mid-2027. Specifications and timing may change, and reservations are not purchases of a finished device. Ledger Atom arrives as the company faces scrutiny over reports that genuine hardware wallets sold through Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis were tampered with to steal recovery phrases. Customers have sought clearer answers about compensation and replacements. Atom is a separate product announcement, and its security claims remain untested in customers’ hands; its prominent branding and price have also prompted concerns about physical targeting and value. For crypto traders, the launch has no clear direct effect on token prices, but Ledger’s response to the supply-chain incident may influence confidence in the company and the hardware-wallet sector.

Tether Capital and AI infrastructure firm HIVEN have joined AIsa’s funding extension, taking the AI payments startup’s reported funding to more than $9 million. AIsa previously reported $6.5 million in funding in July; the latest investment amounts, valuation and ownership stakes were not disclosed. Earlier investors include Alibaba, Tribe Capital, Sumitomo Corporation, Draper Associates and Saison Capital. AIsa builds infrastructure that lets enterprise AI agents discover and access paid data, models, software and APIs, with usage-based payments, spending limits and transaction oversight. Tether says the platform supports more than 250,000 operating agents, offers access to over 5,000 services and has processed more than 100 million transactions; these figures have not been independently audited. Payments can use conventional currencies or stablecoins, but the companies did not disclose stablecoin volumes or confirm whether transactions settle in USDT. The investment adds to Tether’s interest in AI, programmable money and AI-powered payments. AIsa is expanding its marketplace, payment systems and enterprise controls, and has begun enterprise pilot programmes. The deal signals interest in AI agent payment infrastructure, but undisclosed funding terms and transaction volumes make its direct impact on crypto markets—and USDT in particular—limited for now.

CoreWeave’s financing risks have intensified as its shares fell 30% in a week and investors demanded higher returns on its debt. Five-year credit default swaps rose above 1,100 basis points, while unsecured bond yields reached about 15%–16%, signalling serious credit concerns. Quarterly interest expense could reach $860 million to $940 million. The latest figures show net debt at about eight times adjusted EBITDA, or 6.4 times excluding leases—above levels commonly considered elevated. CoreWeave continues to report triple-digit revenue growth and rising remaining performance obligations, but capital expenditure is more than two to three times revenue and is expected to remain at a similar level in the second half of fiscal 2026. The company is unlikely to reach earnings or free-cash-flow break-even within the next year or two, leaving it exposed if AI computing demand slows. Project-level financing and industry backing offer some support: CoreWeave secured $8.5 billion in GPU-backed financing rated A3, while Nvidia invested $2 billion and committed to buy $6.3 billion of capacity. These commitments may help sustain operations, but further support could dilute shareholders. For traders, the central risk is that high leverage and heavy investment could magnify losses if AI growth falters, despite no clear sign of a demand slowdown so far.

Crypto trader Machi Big Brother (Huang Licheng) has suffered another full liquidation on Hyperliquid, losing nearly all of the 250,000 USDC he deposited two days earlier, according to Lookonchain. This latest setback follows repeated liquidations on highly leveraged positions. Earlier reports said his account value had fallen from about $12.25 million to $21,800 after he turned an initial $56,000 into more than $12 million over nearly four months. ETH was his largest and most frequently traded position, and he also traded BTC, HYPE, PUMP, UNI, ENA and PONS. A year ago, Machi Big Brother’s unrealised profit on Hyperliquid reportedly peaked at $44.84 million; he has since surrendered those gains and lost an estimated further $36.85 million, putting his cumulative P&L about $81.69 million below that peak. His repeated leveraged bets and liquidations underscore the risks of concentrated crypto trading, but the losses are specific to one trader and do not, on their own, signal broader market stress.

Deutsche Bank expects to launch institutional crypto custody in Germany within weeks, subject to regulatory approval. The service will initially serve companies and professional investors, supporting Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH); it is not a retail trading app. Swiss digital-asset infrastructure firm Taurus is helping develop the platform. The planned launch adds to Deutsche Bank’s work on tokenised deposits and digital securities, while a possible expansion to Asian financial centres in 2027 remains under discussion. Institutional crypto custody may strengthen access to digital assets for traditional finance, but the announcement does not itself change the services’ regulatory status or establish a global rollout.

MSCI has revised eligibility rules for its Global Investable Market Indexes, bringing Bitcoin treasury companies such as Strategy under closer scrutiny. Strategy remains in the indexes for now. MSCI will assess companies’ operating and financial characteristics, and holding digital assets alone will not automatically lead to exclusion. Existing constituents have a buffer, while the impact on Strategy and other Bitcoin treasury companies is expected to become clearer at MSCI’s November review. Any exclusion could prompt index-tracking funds to sell shares, potentially pressuring affected stocks. The change concerns equity-index eligibility, not Bitcoin itself, so its direct effect on Bitcoin trading is likely limited.

Grayscale and investment platform Republic have launched three crypto funds focused on decentralised finance (DeFi), artificial intelligence and blockchain data infrastructure. The crypto funds let eligible US accredited investors gain managed exposure to these sectors without buying tokens directly, with a minimum investment of $2,500. They are private offerings, not available to ordinary retail investors, and may have resale restrictions and lower liquidity than publicly traded ETFs. Their underlying crypto assets remain volatile.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin compared Bitcoin mining costs with AI inference, highlighting different cost pressures for the two industries. Estimates put the cost of mining one Bitcoin at about $93,700. Hardware accounts for roughly $37,600, or 40%, while electricity is estimated at about $40,600 in direct costs and around $43,000 when additional power expenses are included. The figures underline how Bitcoin mining profitability depends on electricity prices, equipment efficiency and operating conditions. AI inference is estimated to cost about $26,260 per GPU-year, with hardware making up roughly 76% and electricity about $1,260, or 4.8%. The comparison also puts facility costs at $700,000 to $1 million per megawatt for Bitcoin mining, versus about $20 million for AI infrastructure. It compares cost structures, not overall spending or energy use. Some Bitcoin miners are exploring AI data centers to diversify revenue and use existing power infrastructure. However, the shift requires financing, costly equipment and reliable customer demand. For Bitcoin traders, the estimates reinforce the importance of power costs to miners’ margins, but do not by themselves signal a change in BTC’s price direction.

A reported $6.3 million consulting arrangement between Tether and Nxum has intensified scrutiny of the stablecoin issuer’s ties to US policymakers. Bo Hines, a former White House crypto adviser who later took charge of Tether’s US stablecoin business, including USAT, retained a one-third stake in Nxum. The first reported payment of $2.49 million was made in May 2025, while Hines was in government and working on the GENIUS Act, which sets rules for stablecoin issuers. The Wall Street Journal reported that payments went through a marketing company and were divided among Nxum’s partners. Hines supported a 36-month transition period for platforms whose stablecoins do not meet the law’s requirements—twice the 18 months initially proposed. Nxum says Hines had stepped away from its operations and was not involved in its Tether work while in government. It also says the final timeline reflected negotiations among multiple stakeholders. Hines’ representatives say he followed applicable requirements. The reporting raises potential conflict-of-interest questions, but does not establish improper influence or wrongdoing. A longer compliance period could benefit established foreign stablecoin businesses, including Tether, but the story reports no change to USDT’s reserves or peg. For traders, the Tether arrangement is primarily a regulatory and reputational risk to monitor, rather than a direct signal about USDT’s market fundamentals.

Nine crypto organisations, including Quantus, American Fortress and Intmax, have formed the Quantum Alliance to develop open standards and tests for quantum-resistant blockchains. Its work covers network migration, post-quantum zero-knowledge proofs, wallet and key security, and cross-chain compatibility. The alliance plans to publish its work publicly, addressing practical gaps between NIST’s post-quantum cryptography standards and blockchain requirements. New signature schemes could increase transaction sizes and fees, while adoption would require coordination among networks, users and node operators. The alliance estimates that about 6.04 million BTC—roughly 30% of Bitcoin’s supply—may be exposed because public keys are already visible on-chain. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could theoretically use Shor’s algorithm to derive private keys. The latest account adds forecasts that the risk window could begin in the late 2020s, with one model pointing to March 2028, and says Google Quantum AI has lowered its estimate of the resources needed to break Bitcoin cryptography to fewer than 500,000 qubits. These are projections, not evidence of an active attack. For traders, the alliance is a long-term security development rather than a near-term price catalyst; the impact depends on adoption by networks, wallets and custodians.

Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark presented scenarios at the IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok suggesting AI could reshape US economic growth by 2030. The model puts US GDP at $34.1 trillion under modest adoption, $36.3 trillion under substantial adoption and $44.4 trillion in an extreme case, in 2025 dollars. The highest estimate is about 32.4% above the model’s baseline and would depend on highly autonomous AI, recursive self-improvement— which Clark said could emerge by 2027—and the creation of new industries and products, not automation alone. These are scenarios, not established forecasts. Anthropic warns that AI-driven productivity gains may not flow evenly to workers, while automation could displace knowledge workers and raise unemployment, with implications for taxes, labor policy and safety nets. Clark called for international cooperation and safeguards. For traders, the AI growth outlook adds to debate over infrastructure spending and technology valuations, but does not point to a direct impact on cryptocurrency prices.

Google says its Willow quantum processor cut errors in specially prepared “magic states” by about 40 times, with accepted states reaching 99.99% fidelity. The result, published in Science, is an engineering advance towards fault-tolerant quantum computing—not a 40-fold increase in computing power or evidence that Bitcoin can be cracked today. Only about 8% of state-preparation attempts were retained, and the method has yet to be scaled for longer calculations. The findings add detail to earlier estimates of the quantum threat to Bitcoin. A separate Google study modeled one attack requiring fewer than 1,200 logical qubits and 90 million Toffoli gates. Another model estimated that recovering a key about nine minutes after its public key is exposed would require a future machine producing roughly 500,000 reliable magic states per second. These are theoretical estimates; error correction and other engineering challenges leave a substantial gap between current hardware and a machine capable of attacking Bitcoin’s elliptic-curve signatures with Shor’s algorithm. Some older Bitcoin holdings have public keys visible on-chain, but recent movements of dormant coins do not prove holders are responding to quantum risk. For traders, Google Willow is a long-term Bitcoin wallet-security development, not a direct catalyst for an immediate price move. The timing and design of any shift to quantum-resistant signatures remain uncertain.

Farcaster has changed hands for the second time in 2026, with Network School, founded by Balaji Srinivasan, taking over the app, code repositories and related products from Neynar. The deal value was not disclosed. Neynar’s co-founders will leave, while most other staff are expected to continue working on Farcaster. The future of Clanker, a token-launch platform included in Neynar’s earlier acquisition, remains unclear. Network School plans to rename Farcaster the Network State Protocol and require users to accept a new social contract. Users who agree will receive an access NFT; those who decline can browse in read-only mode and move their keys, funds, follows and posts to another client. The rules target conduct including scams, threats and impersonation of AI-generated content, with AI-assisted moderation and human verification also planned. Users have criticised the changes, and reports of bans over older posts have not been independently verified. The takeover follows a decline in Farcaster activity and revenue. The article says daily active users once approached 100,000, while protocol revenue, including Clanker, fell from about $27.88 million in Q1 2026 to $246,000 in Q3. Farcaster’s latest ownership change highlights challenges for decentralised social media, including governance, moderation and the gap between an open protocol and the reach of its apps. No direct token or broader crypto-market impact was announced.

Ripple is partnering with Stripe-owned wallet provider Privy to embed XRP Ledger wallets in apps, allowing users to hold and transfer XRP, RLUSD and other XRPL assets without a separate wallet app. The integration also supports private-key export and recovery phrases; policy controls and fee coverage are planned. The partnership, announced on October 13, could support automated payments by AI agents using the x402 standard to pay for online services, data and computing resources. New figures from the XRPL AI Hub show more than 14.3 million AI payment transactions across 169 registered merchants. RippleX engineering head J. Ayo Akinyele previously cited over 13 million x402 payments, around 25% of ledger activity. However, the reported totals—about 6,991 XRP and 12,752 RLUSD—suggest the transactions are mostly low-value payments or early testing, rather than substantial commercial flows. New XRP Ledger accounts also require a minimum 1 XRP reserve. For XRP traders, Privy’s integration may lower friction for developers and support longer-term adoption of the XRP Ledger. But the low payment value, account-funding requirement and lack of disclosed customer commitments or revenue forecasts mean the news has not yet demonstrated a material increase in XRP demand.

Ledger says a criminal group bought genuine hardware wallets, implanted hidden components and resold them through Southeast Asian distributors. The modified devices could steal recovery phrases during setup, enabling attackers to drain wallets. Ledger confirmed at least one implanted device after customers reported losses linked to Malaysia-based reseller CryptoBilis. Blockchain investigator Specter estimated about $86 million was stolen, but Ledger has not confirmed the total losses or number of victims. The attackers reportedly spent millions of dollars building systems to collect recovery phrases, move assets and launder funds. Ledger describes the incident as a distribution-channel attack, not a compromise of its chips, operating system or servers. It has asked distributors in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong to suspend sales while it checks inventory; sampling has found no other tampered devices so far. Ledger has banned resale of returned devices and instructed stores to hand products directly to customers at purchase. The company is working with law enforcement and security researchers to trace funds and dismantle the attackers’ infrastructure. The Ledger hardware wallet attack highlights supply-chain risks for crypto users, amid broader wallet-security concerns, including a reported July theft of nearly $120 million from Coldcard users.

Real Vision founder Raoul Pal argues that most blockchains will fail unless they build lasting demand and network effects, drawing a comparison with start-ups after the dot-com crash. He says more than 13 million tokens had stopped trading by the end of last year, underscoring the high failure rate across crypto projects. Pal identifies four possible paths for a blockchain to survive: become a broad on-chain economy, as he says Ethereum, Solana and Sui have; specialise in a market such as trading, as Hyperliquid does; operate as a Layer 2 that rents security from a Layer 1; or rely on a centralised company’s backing, as Pal says BNB Chain does with Binance. Many newer blockchains, he warns, fit none of these models and lack a durable competitive edge. Low circulating supply and upcoming token unlocks can add selling pressure when demand is weak. For traders evaluating blockchain adoption, Pal cautions that fees, total value locked (TVL) and trading volume can be misleading, as they may rise with prices and speculation. He instead highlights economic activity per active user, capital retention, stablecoin balances during downturns and developer inflows. In an analysis of 12 networks, higher capital turnover around the January 2025 market peak was associated with weaker subsequent performance; capital that stayed on-chain appeared more durable. He says Ethereum, Solana and Sui maintained user-level economic density and grew stablecoin balances during the period examined. Pal disclosed that he works for the Sui Foundation. The analysis is a framework for assessing blockchain resilience, not a short-term market catalyst or a guarantee of which networks will survive. Traders may use it to distinguish durable adoption from speculative activity, while recognising that token prices remain exposed to broader market conditions.

US spot XRP ETFs recorded net inflows for a 13th consecutive week in the October 5–9 period, adding about $11.3 million even as XRP fell 7.3% from roughly $1.52 to $1.40 and briefly touched $1.32. Bitwise led weekly inflows, while some funds, including Canary Capital’s product, saw withdrawals. The demand contrasted with outflows from US Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana funds during the same week. The latest update shows that XRP ETF inflows slowed sharply: on October 14, the funds added just $740,400, all of it to Bitwise. This is far below September’s peak daily inflow of $22.6 million. Cumulative net inflows have reached about $1.803 billion, while combined net assets stand at $1.509 billion; the difference can reflect XRP’s price moves and fund-level factors and does not alone indicate investor losses. Bitwise leads issuers in cumulative inflows, followed by Franklin Templeton and Canary Capital. Persistent XRP ETF demand offers a supportive signal, but the latest slowdown and XRP’s price weakness suggest inflows have not yet overcome broader selling pressure.

Binance delisting plans have weighed on Epic Chain (EPIC) and QuickSwap (QUICK). After Binance announced the decision on October 14, the tokens recorded 24-hour losses; the later report put their declines at 15% and 22%, while earlier figures cited losses of 10.54% for EPIC and 19.67% for QUICK. Binance plans to remove both tokens from Copy Trading on October 21 and close their spot trading pairs at 03:00 UTC on October 28. It will also automatically settle affected futures contracts on October 20, with other services such as margin and loans restricted or discontinued on scheduled dates. Deposits will stop being credited after October 29, while withdrawals are scheduled to remain available until December 28. Binance said balances left after December 29 might be converted to stablecoins, but this is not guaranteed. The exchange did not give a specific reason for the Binance delisting; its review criteria can include liquidity, trading activity, development, security, regulatory compliance and team commitment. Separately, Ethereum network wallet maintenance on October 15 is expected to pause deposits and withdrawals for about an hour, with trading unaffected. Traders holding EPIC or QUICK should check Binance’s deadlines and withdrawal options, as the delisting may reduce liquidity and increase volatility.

Thailand’s crypto ETF framework takes effect on October 16, setting rules for locally listed funds. An earlier account said the initial framework would allow funds focused on Bitcoin or Ether, while later details identify Bitcoin as eligible in the first phase. Funds must be passively managed and maintain average exposure of at least 80% of net asset value to a single crypto asset each accounting year. They must use custodians licensed by Thailand’s SEC, and units can be listed only on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Investors must acknowledge the risks, and securities firms cannot provide margin financing. Thai mutual and private funds may invest in locally listed crypto ETFs, but depositary receipts linked to overseas crypto ETFs are prohibited initially. The Thailand Bitcoin ETF rules establish a regulatory pathway, not a confirmed launch: as of October 9, no issuer, ticker or first trading date had been identified.

Privy is partnering with Ripple to bring programmable wallets to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), expanding infrastructure for fintech stablecoin payments and AI-agent transactions. Developers will be able to create and manage wallets, sign transactions, and use XRP, RLUSD and other XRPL assets. Users can export their private keys and seed phrases, while embedded wallet tools could let fintech customers make stablecoin transfers without managing keys themselves. Privy also cites potential x402 payments for services such as APIs, data and computing resources. Policy controls and gas sponsorship are planned but not yet available; no launch timeline, customer list or adoption figures have been disclosed. Privy points to more than 8 million funded XRPL accounts and over $1 trillion in value moved across the network in more than 14 years. The partnership could support broader XRP Ledger use, but its market significance will depend on real adoption and transaction activity. In the cited market snapshot, XRP was at $1.37, down 0.5% in 24 hours and nearly 7% over seven days, while daily volume rose from $1.4 billion to $1.7 billion.

ENS founder Nick Johnson has submitted an executable proposal asking the ENS DAO to approve ENSv2, a redesigned Ethereum Name Service architecture. If approved, new .eth registrations would pause for several hours while domain records are synchronized and the system switches to the new registrar. Existing names would remain usable and renewable, and holders could migrate to ENSv2 later at their own pace. ENSv2 is designed to provide more flexible domain management, including greater control over permissions, transfers and subdomains. ENS Labs also plans to transfer its remaining administrative powers over the upgraded contracts to the DAO. The proposal requires majority support in a seven-day on-chain vote, with participation of at least 1%—about one million ENS votes. Approval would be followed by a minimum two-day timelock. No voting or launch date has been announced. For ENS traders, the registration pause and governance result are the main near-term developments to watch; the upgrade is a potential long-term infrastructure improvement, not an immediate market catalyst.

MediaMarktSaturn has removed all Ledger hardware wallets from its stores and online shop after reports of tampering, confirming the withdrawal on 13 October as it contacts Ledger. The retailer operates more than 2,000 stores across several European countries, and it has not limited the removal to a specific model.

SWI Group is repositioning Genesis Digital Assets as SWI Digital, shifting its focus from Bitcoin mining to AI and high-performance computing. After investing $500 million, SWI reported holding more than 70% voting control. Genesis Digital has 15 facilities, mainly in the US and Sweden, with 1.3 GW of energized or approved grid capacity. SWI plans to convert those sites for data-centre use and sell its remaining Kazakhstan mining operations. Together with its AiOnX platform, SWI says its power capacity totals 3.6 GW, aimed largely at hyperscalers. On October 12, SWI announced an €800 million raise at a €6.1 billion valuation to expand data centres and power infrastructure. The move follows the resolution of litigation over Alameda Research’s roughly $1.15 billion investment in Genesis Digital, linked to the FTX fallout. For crypto traders, the pivot highlights competition for power and infrastructure between Bitcoin mining and AI, though converting mining sites will require significant investment in cooling, networking and reliability.

Meta has launched Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, its first frontier-class AI models, featuring a one-million-token context window and tools for AI agents. Active Memory carries relevant details across conversations, while Active Focus helps agents stay on complex tasks. Meta says the models perform strongly on its internal coding, legal and memory tests, but independent results are mixed: Artificial Analysis scored Muse Wonder Full 56 and the standard Muse Wonder 52, versus 58 for Claude Opus 5.5. Abacus.AI’s CEO has also challenged Meta’s performance claims and said the company will publish detailed benchmark results. The standard Muse Wonder costs $4 per million input tokens and $20 per million output tokens; Muse Wonder Full is limited to Muse Code subscribers on $50 or $200 monthly plans. Meta has not announced wider free access, and a full safety report is still forthcoming. The launch increases competition in AI, but the reports cite no direct crypto or blockchain integration, so there is no clear immediate impact on crypto prices.

China’s Communist Party Central Committee and State Council have called for a national blockchain network as part of a 19-measure digital infrastructure plan and the 2026–2030 15th Five-Year Plan. The document, dated October 9, 2026, also outlines an integrated computing network, digital manufacturing, stronger data-property-rights systems and pilot data markets. The initiative involves 16 central government departments and 27 state-owned enterprises, and supports links between the real and digital economies. The national blockchain network is state-coordinated infrastructure building on the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), launched in 2020. The policy does not endorse crypto tokens, permissionless blockchains or cryptocurrency trading, and it warns against investment bubbles and herd behavior. It aligns with broader efforts including the “East Data, West Computing” project and digital yuan development. For crypto traders, the national blockchain network signals government support for blockchain technology, not looser restrictions on independent digital assets. The announcement is unlikely to provide a direct near-term catalyst for public crypto tokens. Longer term, data-ownership pilots and details on how the new network connects with BSN could influence regulated blockchain services and data markets.

The XRP Ledger patched a critical payment-engine vulnerability that could have allowed attackers to create counterfeit XRP. Reported through the XRPL bug bounty program in September, the integer overflow had been present since 2015. Hundreds of specially crafted order-book offers could have made a buyer pay very little while sellers received full payment, creating spendable XRP. The ledger’s supply-check mechanism shared the arithmetic flaw, potentially allowing the counterfeit tokens to evade detection despite XRP’s 100 billion supply cap. Maintainers said there is no evidence the vulnerability was exploited on a public network. The fix shipped in xrpld 3.4.1 on 25 September, and more than 80% of validators on the default UNL had upgraded that day. Developers made the fix effective immediately upon upgrade, bypassing the usual amendment process to avoid leaving the XRP Ledger exposed after the patch became public. A separate validation issue involving the Batch feature was also disclosed; its activation was delayed until a fix was ready, and it had not gone live on mainnet. The XRP Ledger vulnerability has been fixed, and no counterfeit XRP or affected funds have been reported. The incident may prompt traders to scrutinize the network’s security and governance, but the swift patch and lack of known exploitation limit the immediate threat to XRP. Operators were advised to upgrade to version 3.4.1 or later. The article reported XRP at $1.38 on Monday, down 1.6% in 24 hours and 9.4% over seven days.

Morgan Stanley has delayed plans to support tokenized stocks on its Trajectory Cross alternative trading system (ATS), moving its target from the second half of 2026 to the first quarter of 2027. The bank says it needs more time to develop custody, settlement and wallet infrastructure, while suitable securities and institutional demand remain limited. The ATS currently handles conventional equities, American Depositary Receipts and ETFs; selected tokenized versions of existing assets are planned to trade alongside them. Eligible stocks, a firm launch date and customer onboarding details have not been announced. The revised timeline reflects both Morgan Stanley’s readiness and wider market infrastructure. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is targeting an October 2026 launch for its tokenization service after production transactions with about 40 firms. Morgan Stanley is also testing blockchain applications through its Digital Asset Lab. Amy Oldenburg, the bank’s digital asset strategy head, has forecast that tokenized real-world assets could reach $3 trillion to $10 trillion by 2030. The delay pushes tokenized stock trading further out but does not cancel the plan. It has no clear immediate impact on crypto prices; traders will watch for launch details and progress in institutional infrastructure.