Crypto News

Circle plans to expand USDC access across about 40 emerging and developing markets in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, CEO Jeremy Allaire said on October 16. The company has not named the countries or set a rollout timetable. The plan builds on Circle’s renewed five-year distribution agreement with Binance, which also made a $100 million strategic investment in Circle. Circle’s proposed acquisition of Singapore-based Tazapay could add more than 60 banking and fintech partners and payment channels in over 100 markets. The deal remains subject to its terms and process, and Circle has not confirmed which markets will support USDC. USDC circulation stood at $73.3 billion at the end of Q2 2026, up 19% year on year, while quarterly on-chain transaction volume rose 151% to $14.8 trillion. Circle’s transparency page showed $72.7 billion in circulation and $73.0 billion in reserves as of October 12. The figures provide context for the expansion but do not show how much activity comes from the target markets.

Ripple Prime has launched 24/7 perpetual derivatives tied to traditional assets through trading infrastructure connected to Hyperliquid, in an arrangement involving Trade.xyz. Eligible institutional clients can trade price exposure to equities, ETFs, metals, energy and currencies beyond traditional market hours; the contracts do not confer ownership of the underlying assets, and leverage can magnify losses. Clients can cross-margin positions using RLUSD as collateral. The service operates under Ripple Prime’s BVI CIV licence, and market maker Virtu is among its first clients. Ripple Prime says its institutional brokerage supports more than 100 reference markets, but no launch trading-volume or adoption figures have been provided. The launch expands Ripple Prime’s institutional offering and could bring more professional trading activity to Hyperliquid. However, its effect on HYPE or other crypto prices is uncertain: uptake, liquidity and sustained client demand will matter more than the announcement alone. A prediction market’s odds of Hyperliquid reaching $100 by the end of 2026 rose from 43% to 45%, a small sentiment change rather than evidence of a lasting price trend.

Coinbase says Bitcoin faces no imminent quantum-computing threat, but the ecosystem should begin planning for quantum-resistant security. Updating Bitcoin’s cryptographic signatures could take up to seven years and require coordination among developers, wallet providers, exchanges, custodians, node operators, miners and users. BIP-360 and BIP-361 outline possible steps to limit exposure and eventually retire vulnerable address types and older signatures, but neither proposal has been adopted. Coinbase estimates about 1.7 million BTC are held in legacy P2PK addresses with publicly exposed keys. A migration could leave difficult questions over dormant or unmoved coins, including whether to preserve, restrict or burn them. NIST’s post-quantum standards offer potential tools, but do not settle Bitcoin’s technical or governance choices. For traders, Bitcoin quantum security is a long-term coordination risk, not a signal of an immediate price threat.

Kraken’s parent company, Payward, has received final approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) to operate as a regulated virtual asset service provider in the UAE. The approval follows preliminary clearance in May and allows Kraken to serve retail, professional and institutional clients. The Kraken UAE launch is planned to include spot and margin trading, AED-denominated pairs, dirham deposits and withdrawals, on-chain staking, tokenized equities such as xStocks, and crypto transfers through Krak. Institutional clients will also have access to OTC spot trading and Kraken Prime. Derivatives and additional yield products may follow in late 2026 or 2027, subject to regulatory approval. Payward also plans to offer trading infrastructure to regional partners. The approval strengthens Kraken’s regulated international presence; Payward says it holds more than 100 licenses and registrations. The expansion comes alongside reported Nasdaq investment talks and a separate SoFi Technologies arrangement involving crypto order routing and a stablecoin listing. While the Kraken UAE launch could improve the exchange’s regional reach, neither summary identifies an immediate price catalyst for Bitcoin or the wider crypto market.

A suspected Ledger supply-chain attack linked to authorized reseller CryptoBilis may have led to up to $94.5 million in losses across hundreds of wallets, according to blockchain analytics firms. Earlier estimates put losses at about $93 million across roughly 98 wallets; the figures remain unconfirmed by Ledger. Ledger said at least one affected device contained unauthorized hardware, but has not confirmed how recovery phrases or funds were compromised. Researchers have raised the possibility of a hidden module capturing recovery phrases, while phishing and pre-generated phrases have also been suggested. Ledger advised customers not to initialize unused devices bought through CryptoBilis. Customers who initialized potentially affected devices should move their assets to a new wallet using a newly generated recovery phrase. Tether has frozen $10 million in USDT linked to the theft, and investigators are tracing the remaining funds. Some assets were reportedly swapped into USDD, while some ETH moved through Tornado Cash. The Ledger attack highlights risks in hardware-wallet distribution channels and may weigh on short-term confidence in crypto custody, although it does not indicate a flaw in the underlying blockchain networks.

Ledger is investigating reports of crypto theft involving customers who bought hardware wallets from Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis. Ledger asked the reseller to pause sales and shipments, warned customers who bought a device in the past 90 days not to set it up, and advised those who already activated one to move funds to a new Ledger signer with a fresh recovery phrase. Ledger says there is no evidence its hardware or infrastructure was directly compromised, and it has not confirmed the number of victims or total losses. Onchain investigator Specter traced more than $86 million in funds to suspicious addresses across Bitcoin, Ethereum and TRON, including about $42 million in ETH, $17.6 million in BTC and $16.5 million in USDT. These figures are not a verified measure of customer losses, and investigators have not confirmed that all cases are connected. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao said the incident appeared localized and could involve a supply-chain attack by one reseller. Investigators have not established whether devices were altered or supplied with compromised recovery phrases. The case highlights hardware-wallet supply-chain risks, but there is no current evidence of a wider Ledger breach or attack on the Bitcoin, Ethereum or TRON networks.

Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission has finalized 11 notifications creating a regulatory framework for locally established Bitcoin ETFs and Ether ETFs. The rules take effect on October 16, 2026; this is not a confirmed launch date for any fund. No issuers or trading tickers have been announced. Initially, funds must passively track either Bitcoin or Ether and maintain average net exposure of at least 80% to the selected asset over each fiscal year. They must use SEC-supervised custodians in Thailand and trade on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Each Bitcoin ETF or Ether ETF still needs individual approval and a completed SET listing before trading can begin. Retail safeguards include risk disclosures and a ban on broker-provided margin for ETF purchases. Thai securities firms are also restricted from facilitating overseas crypto ETF purchases for most investors. The framework adds a regulated route for local crypto investment, but its market impact will depend on fund approvals, availability and demand. Local activity had weakened: active exchange accounts fell to 121,000 in July 2026, while daily trading value declined 27.13% month over month to 1.378 billion baht. These figures do not measure ETF demand. In the near term, the effect on BTC and ETH prices may be limited until funds are approved and listed.

Samsung plans to launch cross-border Solana USDC transfers for US users through Samsung Wallet and Samsung Pay in the last week of October 2026. The service could reach 82 million Galaxy devices, with more markets possible subject to local regulations. Users are expected to send USDC and convert between stablecoins and local currencies through integrated on- and off-ramps, while Solana processes transfers in the background. The announcement identifies Solana and Circle’s USDC after Samsung had previously signalled stablecoin support without naming a blockchain, issuer or launch date. Details remain unclear, including whether Circle is a direct partner, who controls users’ private keys and what fees will apply. The integration could broaden everyday access to Solana stablecoin payments. Solana’s stablecoin supply has grown nearly 20% year over year, and the network reportedly processed more than $5.25 trillion in stablecoin volume in 2026. However, SOL was down about 3% over 24 hours and traded near $115 at the time of writing; the rollout’s reach will depend partly on regulatory approvals.

Tether and Kazakhstan’s National Bank and Alatau City Authority have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a tenge-pegged stablecoin and tokenized assets. The parties will study issuance models, develop a concept and pilot proposal, and consider projects in Alatau. The proposed Tether tenge stablecoin has no named issuer, blockchain or launch date, and the agreement also provides training for central bank specialists in issuance and reserve management. The announcement adds to Kazakhstan’s broader digital-asset push. The country earmarked up to $350 million for crypto-linked investments in March, and officials said its national crypto reserve reached $700 million in September, with about $200 million invested so far. Kazakhstan also has a separate tenge stablecoin pilot, while KZTE is already operating on Solana; Tether has not said whether either project is involved. The country plans up to $60 million in tokenized Alatau projects by the end of 2026. The Tether tenge stablecoin remains exploratory, with no immediate issuance or liquidity catalyst for traders. Its longer-term market relevance will depend on whether a pilot proceeds, which blockchain and issuer are selected, and whether the project attracts users.

Winklevoss Asset Services filed a preliminary S-1 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on October 6 for a proposed spot Zcash ETF. The fund would hold ZEC directly and, if approved, trade on Nasdaq under the ticker WINK. Its proposed annual fee is 0.25%, compared with 2.5% for Grayscale’s Zcash ETF, ZCSH. Gemini Trust Company is named as custodian, while Winklevoss Capital Fund has expressed non-binding interest in buying up to $100 million in shares. The twins promoted the proposal at Token2049 in Singapore. The filing is not SEC approval: the registration and listing steps must be completed before trading can begin. Grayscale’s ZCSH launched in August 2026 and reportedly recorded more than $233 million in first-month inflows, with assets nearing $890 million. If approved, the lower-cost Zcash ETF could widen access to ZEC and intensify competition, though the related sponsor, custodian and potential buyer connections may raise concentration questions.

The Ethereum Foundation and Open Anonymity Project launched zkAPI on Ethereum mainnet on 1 October 2026. zkAPI lets users deposit ETH, USDC and other supported assets into an on-chain vault, then pay for AI inference and other metered services using zero-knowledge proofs and short-lived API keys. Payment proofs confirm that users have sufficient funds without revealing the specific deposit or payment identity to the service provider. Spending limits can also be applied. The system separates payment data from service usage, while AI providers can still view prompts and responses. IP addresses, timing patterns, writing styles and repeated behaviour may also enable identification. The project is experimental and could later support blockchain RPC access, image and video generation, VPN bandwidth and machine-to-machine payments. For traders, zkAPI strengthens Ethereum’s privacy-payment and AI infrastructure narrative, but its limited anonymity and early-stage status make it a neutral, rather than immediate bullish, market catalyst.

Robinhood reported record third-quarter revenue of $1.42 billion, up 12% year on year, as prediction markets, options and equities offset weaker crypto trading. Crypto revenue was $120 million, down 55% from a year earlier, although it rose 20% quarter on quarter. Robinhood Chain contributed $26 million in its first quarter on mainnet; excluding the new Ethereum Layer 2 network, crypto revenue would have fallen 6% quarter on quarter. The chain, built with Arbitrum technology, processed more than $80 billion in decentralised exchange volume and generated over $50 million in fees. Traditional crypto transaction revenue was $94 million, down 6% quarter on quarter despite a 23% rise in trading volume to about $49.8 billion. Prediction-market event contracts generated $173 million, surpassing crypto revenue. Robinhood’s net income fell 14%; the latest report put it at $415 million, partly reflecting a $67 million unrealised loss on its Ventures Fund I portfolio. The company also agreed to use Ripple’s RLUSD for international settlement, treasury operations, trading and financing. Early fourth-quarter average daily volumes across equities, options and crypto were about 5% below the strong third-quarter pace. The results show Robinhood crypto revenue increasingly depends on new infrastructure while its traditional crypto trading business remains under pressure.

Google has introduced its Multi-Party Compute (MPC) crypto custody platform for banks and other financial institutions. The service splits private-key shares across customer hardware and multiple cloud environments, so no single party holds the complete key. Institutions can set signing thresholds, such as 2-of-3 or 5-of-7, and use policy checks for spending limits, approved addresses and multi-person authorization. Signers can override a policy denial. The MPC crypto custody service is in private preview, with broader commercial availability targeted for early 2027. Google says unnamed financial institutions are testing it, while Alphabet uses the technology to protect digital assets on Ethereum and Solana; the holdings were not disclosed. Planned support includes ECDSA for Bitcoin and Ethereum and Ed25519 for Solana. The launch puts Google in competition with institutional custody providers such as BitGo, Fordefi and Fireblocks. Pricing has not been announced.

Zcash is debating whether to end the 8% block-reward allocation to Zcash Community Grants (ZCG), as the fund’s treasury has grown to an estimated $125 million, including assets after outstanding commitments. Co-founder Sean Bowe argues the fund can cover years of spending and has proposed redirecting future allocations to the Network Sustainability Mechanism. ZCG would keep its existing assets and grant-approval authority, while a separate 12% funding program would remain unchanged. The proposal has not been adopted. Other ideas include phasing out the allocation, abolishing the fund or moving surplus assets to a community pool. The debate follows criticism of a ZCG-funded outreach project, though Bowe’s draft does not address that controversy. For ZEC traders, this is a governance and funding debate rather than an immediate change to the issuance schedule or a clear market catalyst. Its eventual effect on developer funding and tokenomics remains uncertain.

Strive bought 6,182 BTC for about $511.4 million between October 17 and 23, its largest Bitcoin purchase to date. The SEC filing put the average all-in price at $82,732 per BTC, raising the company’s holdings from 36,818 to 43,000 BTC. That follows a rapid October expansion from 28,000 BTC at September’s end. Strive reported $504.4 million in cash and cash equivalents on October 23, up $186.9 million in a week, while its total Bitcoin holdings had cost about $3.8 billion at an average of roughly $87,785 per BTC. Bitcoin was trading near $81,000, below that average cost. Strive also announced a $1 billion at-the-market programme for its 15% Series A Perpetual SATS preferred stock, alongside reported preferred-stock fundraising. However, disclosures do not establish that these financing measures funded the Bitcoin purchase. The acquisition adds to corporate Bitcoin demand, but price volatility, financing costs and potential dilution remain risks.

BTC slipped below the closely watched $80,000 level in both reported market updates. The earlier OKX snapshot showed BTC at 79,990.4 USDT, down 0.79% over 24 hours; the later update put it at 79,993.4 USDT, with the 24-hour loss widening to 1.17%. The price edged up slightly between snapshots, but BTC remained below the threshold. The reports provide no explanation for the move or wider market context.

Bitcoin mining infrastructure firm Luxor has raised $16 million in a strategic round led by CMT Digital, with participation from Canaan, MicroBT, Halo, Steelhead and angel investors. The financing includes primary and secondary capital. Luxor plans to expand its AI cloud platform, fund AI hardware operations, grow compute derivatives trading and market making, and hire staff. The move builds on its Luxor AI launch and its existing mining infrastructure experience in energy, hardware and compute markets. Luxor says its ASIC brokerage has traded $1 billion in mining hardware, its energy business serves more than 75 megawatts of load in ERCOT and SPP, and its cloud platform processed 1.8 million workloads year to date as of September. In a later discussion, Luxor’s CEO and CMT Digital’s Sam Hallene said mining expertise can help companies build and operate AI infrastructure. They also pointed to strong GPU demand, reportedly including Nvidia hardware sold out for the year, and Luxor’s work on AI-agent sandboxes and compute derivatives. Luxor plans to keep Bitcoin mining at its core while pursuing AI and high-performance computing as demand for data-center capacity grows.

Bybit says its Dubai entity, Bybit Fintech FZE, has secured a Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) licence for exchange services, including spot trading. The approval applies to the named local entity, not all Bybit products or global users; derivatives are not covered and require separate approval. Bybit announced the licence on October 22, 2026, while VARA’s register gives a June 20 licence date. A report said the listing still showed “Pending” on announcement day, leaving the status timeline unclear. The licence concludes a process that began with provisional approval in March 2022. Bybit also holds a UAE federal licence issued by the Securities and Commodities Authority in October 2025, and says it plans to seek approval for Dubai derivatives services. The regulatory progress follows the February 2025 theft of nearly $1.5 billion in ETH and other tokens from Bybit, which the FBI attributed to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. The licence could support Bybit’s local operations and institutional relationships, but traders should watch for clarification of the VARA listing, customer eligibility and any further product approvals.

The NBA has named Kalshi and Polymarket its preferred prediction market exchanges, giving them NBA branding and marketing rights and access to authorized game data for settling eligible event contracts. The league will limit which NBA-related markets can be traded, and NBA and team personnel are barred from trading those contracts. The NBA has also set information-sharing procedures for suspicious trading and investigations, signed a cooperation memorandum with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and expanded its existing DraftKings agreement to cover prediction markets. It plans to pursue similar arrangements with other partners. The agreements add formal oversight to prediction markets while leaving unresolved whether sports event contracts are governed by federal derivatives rules or state gambling laws. DeFi Rate data cited in the later report puts Kalshi’s 30-day notional trading volume at about $90.3 billion as of October 26, and Polymarket’s US and international platforms at about $18.7 billion. Separately, NBA-related contracts on Polymarket reportedly recorded $3.44 billion in volume in the 2024–25 season and $4.5 billion in 2025–26; a LeBron James transfer market drew about $275 million across Kalshi and Polymarket. For traders, the partnerships may improve market access and monitoring, but insider-trading risks, market integrity concerns and regulatory uncertainty remain.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed preparing an economy that could operate under possible international sanctions, including measures against the country’s banks. He named blockchain as a possible tool and said he had commissioned a plan, but no proposal or implementation details have been published. The Bank of Israel has rejected the idea, saying cryptocurrency cannot bypass sanctions and urging the country to protect economic ties with major trading partners. More than 100 economists, including former central bank governor Jacob Frenkel and several Nobel laureates, warned that the plan could cost jobs and deter foreign investment. Political opponents also criticized it ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election. The debate underscores the limits of blockchain as a sanctions workaround: transactions on public ledgers can be traced. Israeli authorities have previously sanctioned 37 crypto wallets that the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. No direct market measures have been announced, so the proposal currently has no clear trading catalyst for cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin fell below $80,000 on October 26, reaching an intraday low of roughly $79,279–$79,332 before trading near $79,950. The move keeps the $79,000–$80,000 area in focus and comes ahead of the Federal Reserve’s October 28 decision and September PCE inflation data due October 29. Leverage remains a source of volatility. Bitcoin futures saw about $32.2 million in liquidations over 24 hours, around 84% from long positions. A broader sell-off on October 24 triggered $436.4 million in crypto-market liquidations in four hours, with 92.6% from longs. Bitcoin open interest was about $53.79 billion, and a liquidation heatmap showed potential long liquidations near $79,310. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $773.5 million in outflows on October 22–23, but still had net inflows of $301.2 million across the five-session week. The mixed figures suggest demand has weakened on some days but remains positive for the week overall. Key levels are estimates, not guaranteed support or forecasts. Glassnode’s October 21 research put previous buying around $80,000–$81,500 and its True Market Mean near $77,600; Bitfinex had identified $79,821 as a possible liquidation trigger. A sustained break lower would be more concerning alongside heavier spot selling, further ETF outflows, thin order-book bids and forced long closures. Traders are also watching $75,000 and $70,000 as conditional downside scenarios. A sustained recovery above $80,000–$82,000, backed by spot buying and steadier ETF flows, would ease immediate downside concerns. Bitcoin traders should monitor daily closes, ETF flows, leverage and upcoming macro data rather than treat an intraday break as confirmation of a crash.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw heavy withdrawals late in the week: Thursday’s $635.6 million outflow was followed by $137.9 million on Friday, bringing reported two-day withdrawals to about $773.5 million. Yet Bitcoin ETFs still recorded roughly $301 million in weekly net inflows, ending a two-week run of weekly losses. October outflows reached about $314 million, while cumulative net inflows stood at $57.6 billion. Ethereum ETFs took in $4.4 million on Friday but lost about $221 million over the week and roughly $1.18 billion in October. Solana ETFs recorded no net flows Friday and remained down about $68 million for the month. In the latest snapshot, Bitcoin fell about 1.1% over 24 hours to around $80,490, with Ether and Solana also lower. Myriad traders raised the odds of Bitcoin falling to $77,500 by month-end to 43%, from 32% a day earlier. The outflows and weaker price outlook signal cautious sentiment, although Bitcoin ETFs’ positive weekly total and large cumulative inflows suggest institutional demand has not disappeared.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is asking a court to order NovaTech founders Cynthia and Eddy Petion to pay about $1.37 billion over an alleged cryptocurrency investment scheme. The request includes roughly $1.13 billion in disgorgement and $232.5 million in prejudgment interest; the court has not yet ruled on the amount. A default judgment was entered against the founders in August 2025 after they failed to respond, but the latest filing is not a new criminal conviction and does not guarantee that funds can be recovered. New York alleges NovaTech promised weekly returns of 2% to 4%. Payment processor records cited by the state show about $1.16 billion flowed into NovaTech from August 2019 to May 2023, while only $26 million went to a trading platform, where traders reportedly lost $18.2 million. The state also says Cynthia Petion approved at least $134.5 million in withdrawals to wallets held by the couple and that they have not provided investor records or a financial accounting. More than 11,000 New Yorkers reportedly invested in NovaTech and the founders’ earlier venture, AWS Mining, which authorities say used high-return and recruitment incentives to target Haitian and other immigrant communities. Separately, four promoters agreed to pay a combined nearly $6 million and were permanently barred from the securities, commodities and cryptocurrency industries. The settlements are separate from the claim against the founders and amount to less than 0.5% of the requested judgment; the state has not confirmed that the money has reached investors or outlined how it will collect the larger sum. For crypto traders, the case highlights ongoing enforcement and investor-protection risks, but it does not directly concern a specific traded cryptocurrency. The next key development is the court’s decision on monetary relief and any recovery effort.

Singapore’s Monetary Authority says Malaysia’s central bank and the Bank of Thailand have joined BLOOM as policymaking members, expanding the initiative’s central-bank participation. BLOOM is studying how regulated stablecoins and tokenised deposits could support cross-border settlement, including how different forms of money are accepted, settled and connected across systems. It is also exploring programmable controls for identity checks and sanctions screening, with potential uses in payments, corporate treasury and trade finance. Participants include Mastercard, Visa, Ripple, Circle, Coinbase, Airwallex and the World Bank Group, alongside regional financial and payment firms. Ripple’s RLUSD is the only token publicly identified in a BLOOM pilot so far; Ripple and trade finance firm Unloq announced a test in March. Visa has also said it will pilot weekend and holiday settlement with Nium using unnamed dollar and euro stablecoins. BLOOM has not announced a live service, payment corridor, launch date or confirmed transaction volumes. The expanded initiative signals growing institutional interest in regulated digital money, but provides no clear immediate catalyst for a specific crypto asset.

South Korea’s KOSPI came under sharp selling pressure, with separate Gate data reports showing different market snapshots. An earlier report said the index fell below 6,000 and dropped 5.59% intraday, while a later report put its decline at 4%. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix also fell: the earlier figures showed losses of more than 6% and 7%, respectively, compared with 5% and 4% in the later report. No specific cause was identified. The KOSPI decline signals weakness in South Korean stocks and the technology sector, but neither report cited a direct link to cryptocurrency prices or trading.

France’s crypto tax proposal advanced after the National Assembly approved an amendment by 38 votes to 37; only 100 of 577 deputies voted. It would tax gains from swaps of crypto assets into qualifying MiCA-defined e-money tokens, including euro- or other currency-pegged stablecoins, from 1 January 2027 at France’s 31.4% flat rate on crypto disposals. The France crypto tax amendment would calculate gains using the acquisition cost of the specific assets sold, with a one-time choice for holdings acquired before 2027. Deputies rejected a proposal to carry crypto losses forward for 10 years. The measure is not law: it remains part of a contested budget bill, with further National Assembly consideration expected from 3 November and the Senate able to remove it. Industry representatives warn the tax could discourage regulated stablecoin use and push some traders toward offshore exchanges, peer-to-peer trading or DeFi. If enacted, it could raise the cost of stablecoin conversions and complicate trading and portfolio rebalancing, but the final rules remain uncertain.

Mt. Gox has delayed creditor repayments by one year, moving the deadline from October 31, 2026, to October 31, 2027. Approved by a Tokyo court, the extension applies to Base Repayment, Early Lump-Sum Repayment and Intermediate Repayment. The trustee said some creditors have not completed required procedures or have encountered processing problems, but did not disclose how many remain affected or when individual cases will be resolved. The Mt. Gox repayment delay is the fourth annual extension since the original 2023 deadline; about 19,500 creditors have already received repayments. Arkham data cited by Decrypt showed around 34,388 BTC, worth roughly $2.8 billion, in Mt. Gox-linked wallets on October 20. The estate had made no reported transfers since moving 10,422.65 BTC in June, a transfer that did not indicate a sale or a new repayment round. The Mt. Gox repayment delay postpones uncertainty around potential creditor distributions but provides no new payment schedule. The remaining Bitcoin could draw attention to possible future selling, although the holdings are relatively small compared with current market liquidity and trading volumes.

Strive bought 4,045 Bitcoin between October 12 and 16, lifting its reported holdings to 36,818 BTC. A later SEC filing detailed a 1,223 BTC purchase from October 14 to 16 for about $100 million, at an average price of $81,734; the company had bought another 2,822 BTC earlier that week. The total spending was reported at roughly $335 million, with an average purchase price of about $82,803 per coin. Strive partly financed its buying through warrant exercises that raised about $369.2 million and issued 13.67 million Class A shares, increasing its share count by about 13.5% in a week. It also priced a $630 million offering of 15% SATS perpetual preferred stock, expected to settle on October 20. The purchases reinforce Strive’s Bitcoin treasury strategy and make it one of the largest publicly traded Bitcoin holders. For traders, the accumulation is a notable corporate-demand signal, but its effect on Bitcoin may be limited; dilution and financing costs are risks for Strive shareholders, not direct evidence of Bitcoin’s future price direction.

Circle generated about $1.4 billion in revenue and reserve income in the first half of 2026, but retained only around $103 million in net profit. Distribution partner payments and transaction costs reached $819 million, with another $473 million spent on operations, infrastructure and other expenses—leaving roughly seven cents of profit per revenue dollar. Reserve income is central to Circle’s earnings: it accounted for about 95% of second-quarter revenue and brought in $668 million, even as the average reserve yield fell 66 basis points year over year. The results leave Circle’s profitability exposed to interest rates and USDC circulation. Circle shares reserve income with platforms that distribute USDC; Coinbase-linked average USDC balances rose 44% year over year to $20 billion in the second quarter. Circle also signed a five-year commercial agreement with Binance in September, though it has not disclosed partner-by-partner payments. The costs support a broad network: Circle operates across more than 35 blockchains, works with over 25 banks and has more than 150 distribution participants. USDC on-chain transaction volume exceeded $36 trillion in the first half of 2026, while its share of global stablecoin trading volume rose to 77% in June from 60% a year earlier. Competition is intensifying: Open USD, launched in June, offers free minting and redemption and shares reserve income with participants. For traders, Circle’s figures show strong USDC adoption but also highlight competition over fees and reserve income, as well as sensitivity to rates and circulation.