Crypto News

A Fox Business reporter says 38 companies have opposed plans to tokenize their shares through OKX and ICE, including 23 listed on Nasdaq. The report says Nasdaq representatives warned issuers against participating in the initiative, which involves TSV tokenized stocks. Nasdaq has raised concerns that tokenized stocks could trade outside traditional market structures and says it has no current plans to launch TSV. Separately, Nasdaq is working with Kraken on a different tokenization model, which it expects to launch in the second quarter of 2027.

The Nomic Foundation has released version 0.1.0-alpha.0 of the Hardhat Slang plugin. The experimental plugin adds support for the Slang compiler in the Hardhat development environment. The announcement did not provide further technical details or a release timeline.

Ripple’s 1 billion XRP released from escrow on October 1 remains in two company-labeled wallets, with no outgoing payments recorded for 26 days, according to ledger checks cited in the report. The balances are 500 million XRP in each wallet. The funds have not necessarily entered the market, and their inactivity alone does not indicate selling pressure. Another 1 billion XRP is scheduled to become eligible for release from escrow on November 1. Under XRP Ledger rules, the tokens require a successful EscrowFinish transaction before they can move; Ripple may retain them, transfer them, or place some back into escrow. Across the previous 12 cycles, 8.4 billion of 12 billion released XRP was returned to escrow, or about 70%. The timing coincides with Ripple Swell 2026 in New York, running from October 27 to 29 alongside the Apex developer conference. Traders will likely watch for post-release wallet movements and any signs that XRP is being transferred toward exchanges, rather than treating the escrow date itself as proof of new market supply.

Polymarket’s share of the prediction market fell from about 95% in September 2024 to 27%, as CFTC-regulated rival Kalshi expanded. In October 2026, Kalshi recorded roughly $65 billion in trading volume, about 10% more than in September. Polymarket US reported $10 billion, up around 15% month over month, while its international platform’s share fell to single digits. Kalshi held about 83% of US-regulated prediction market activity. Its open interest reached approximately $2.05 billion, compared with $384 million for Polymarket US. The article attributes Kalshi’s gains to regulatory clarity, wider distribution through Robinhood and Coinbase, and an expanded range of products, including sports contracts. Polymarket US grew faster by percentage in October, but remains far smaller in absolute volume. Record open interest ahead of the US midterm elections could support activity across the sector. Traders will be watching whether Polymarket can sustain growth after the election-driven surge, whether more brokerages partner with prediction markets, and how regulators approach sports and parlay-style contracts.

The Houthi military said it would issue a statement about operations in Saudi Arabia at 19:50 GMT on 29 October. The Houthi announcement comes amid rising tensions and reported exchanges involving missile strikes and air defences. The group has not yet disclosed details, so it is unclear whether the statement will describe a new operation or a strategic move. The Houthi announcement could raise regional security concerns, but the report provides no confirmed information about targets or market effects.

Polymarket says trading has fully resumed and it will fully compensate all traders affected by the disruption. The platform did not provide further details on the incident or the compensation process in its announcement. The update may help restore confidence among Polymarket users, though traders may watch for details on reimbursements and platform reliability.

Movantis and the Stellar Development Foundation announced that Stellar will be added as a settlement option to Movantis’ multi-rail payments network. The initial corridor will use USDC for transfers originating in the United States and going to recipients in El Salvador. Movantis connects payments to regulated local partners, foreign-exchange services and last-mile payout networks. The company says its existing platform handles more than $60 billion a year across over 200 million transactions, with more than 90,000 payout locations. Those figures refer to Movantis’ overall business, not activity on Stellar. The integration could give Stellar and USDC a practical cross-border payments use case, but the companies have not disclosed transaction volumes, costs or completion times for the new route. Its market significance will depend on measurable usage and end-to-end performance, including how quickly recipients receive usable funds. Movantis described other corridors as possible future extensions; the confirmed launch route is US-to-El Salvador.

CFTC Chair Michael Selig said the agency is willing to help reshape regulations for onchain finance during Chainlink’s Link:NYC event. His comments signal support for the sector, but do not announce new rules or an active registration program. The CFTC is consulting on a possible federal registration pathway for crypto platforms that offer leveraged, margined or financed retail transactions. The proposed framework would distinguish these services from ordinary spot trading and derivatives platforms. Areas under consideration include customer-fund protections, token listings, conflicts of interest and proof of reserves. The consultation is open for public comment until Dec. 14, 2026. Selig has said Congress would need to mandate registration for all crypto exchanges. The agency is also examining how onchain venues operate and how rules might apply to software developers who do not control trades or hold customer assets. For traders, the proposals could eventually provide clearer federal requirements, but the process remains preliminary and may bring additional compliance costs.

Aptos released node version 1.49.8 as a private hotfix. Validators are instructed to upgrade, while fullnode operators are advised to upgrade. The source code is not yet available; operators can use the provided binaries or Docker image. The release says deposits and withdrawals are unaffected. The hotfix commit is 771cd050d4071723c40d6783afd3c68fa320aff2. The announcement does not specify the issue being fixed, so the Aptos hotfix’s technical scope remains unclear.

Hyperliquid Strategies shares rose 19% after news that investor Stanley Druckenmiller backed Trade[XYZ], a partner of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). The announcement drew attention to Hyperliquid’s Layer-1 blockchain and perpetual futures, and was associated with a rise in the HYPE token. The article does not provide a specific HYPE price change or details of the investment, so the size and durability of the token’s move are unclear. Traders will be watching for developments in the Trade[XYZ]-ICE partnership and US regulatory decisions on perpetual futures. The news may support near-term sentiment around Hyperliquid, but it does not by itself confirm a direct Druckenmiller investment in Hyperliquid.

Wall Street firms including Blackstone, Blue Owl Capital and Ares Management are investing in AI data centers, seeking rental income from long-term leases rather than relying on AI companies becoming profitable. AI data centers and related power infrastructure could attract about $2 trillion of investment by 2030, within an estimated $5 trillion in AI-related capital spending, according to Ares. Blue Owl says it owns or is developing more than 130 data centers, with nearly 14 gigawatts of capacity and another 21 gigawatts in its pipeline. Its typical leases run for 15–20 years and include rent increases. Ares generally pre-leases facilities to investment-grade technology firms for 12–15 years, while Blackstone says 96% of its data-center counterparties have investment-grade credit ratings. Long contracts can provide predictable income to data-center owners and lenders, even if AI developers are not yet profitable. But they do not remove risks from construction delays, debt costs or tenants failing to pay. A delay at the Blue Owl-backed Project Jupiter and rising concern over CoreWeave’s roughly $50 billion in debt illustrate the potential pressure on financing and returns. For investors, tenant credit quality and the ability to fill facilities remain key risks as AI data centers expand.

Blockchain security firm PeckShield warned that the Polymarket user interface may have been compromised and advised users not to interact with the website. The warning does not confirm the cause or scope of the suspected incident. Traders should avoid connecting wallets or signing transactions through Polymarket until the platform provides an update. The alert raises security concerns for Polymarket users and could disrupt activity on the prediction market in the short term.

Hardhat Ethers 4.2.2 fixes an authorization bug affecting private keys supplied through configuration variables without a 0x prefix. The update improves reliability for developers using the Hardhat Ethers plugin to configure private-key access. The release note also mentions that the Nomic Foundation is hiring.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is down about 15% over the past month and trades near $0.0000055, with a market capitalisation of roughly $2.9 billion. One potentially bullish signal is that SHIB held on exchanges has fallen to about 86 trillion tokens, its lowest level since April 2021, which may reduce immediate selling pressure. The burn rate also jumped more than 635% in 24 hours after nearly 11 million tokens were sent to a null address, although their dollar value remains small. Some traders see a possible rebound if SHIB holds support around $0.0000047–$0.0000049 and breaks resistance near $0.0000052–$0.0000053. However, declining interest in meme coins and low activity on Shibarium, which has recently processed only hundreds or thousands of daily transactions, remain significant headwinds. The exchange-reserve decline offers a positive supply signal, but weak network demand could limit any SHIB recovery.

OpenAI chief Sam Altman says major memory makers remain wary of building new fabrication plants, despite surging demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI accelerators and data centres. He estimates Samsung Electronics, SK hynix and Micron could each generate about $100 billion in annual free cash flow, but says memories of past overcapacity and near-bankruptcies are limiting expansion. Altman cited an earlier cycle when the sector spent roughly $20 billion on capital expenditure against about $19 billion in revenue. New fabs take years to build, making investment decisions risky when future demand is uncertain. Anthropic also highlighted the possibility of an HBM supply shortfall in its IPO filing. The cautious approach of memory makers could constrain AI infrastructure growth. Investors will be watching capital spending plans and further supply warnings.

Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty has urged the US Treasury to include stronger consumer safeguards in rules implementing the GENIUS Act. In comments filed on October 19, 2026, on behalf of the National Cryptocurrency Association, he supported the law’s 100% reserve requirement for payment stablecoins and proposed redemption grace periods if an issuer loses authorization, recovery routes for stolen assets, and protection for self-custody and peer-to-peer transfers. He also argued that software providers should be distinguished from custodians that hold customer assets. The GENIUS Act’s stablecoin rules are expected to begin taking effect on January 18, 2027. Treasury will determine the detailed requirements after reviewing public comments. The GENIUS Act could shape stablecoin regulation and how users access, redeem and hold digital assets, but the filing itself does not change current rules.

Polymarket users reported on Discord that the prediction market’s front end may have been compromised, with assets allegedly being withdrawn without permission. The reports have not been independently confirmed in the provided article. Traders should treat the situation as a potential platform security incident and avoid interacting with the Polymarket front end until further information is available. Any confirmed breach or service disruption could affect user confidence and activity on Polymarket.

Polymarket has switched its trading platform to cancel-only mode and suspended its relayer service while it investigates an incident. The announcement did not provide details about the incident or say when normal trading would resume. The restrictions may prevent users from placing or executing new trades, while allowing them to cancel existing orders. Traders should monitor Polymarket’s official updates and consider the platform-specific risks until services are restored.

India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched premises linked to Mudrex, Saber.money and Instadapp on Oct. 27 as part of investigations into alleged cross-border crypto transactions. The agency announced preliminary findings on Oct. 29, putting the total amount under scrutiny at more than ₹5,000 crore (about $525 million). The ED alleges that Mudrex operator RPFAS Technologies and Saber.money used USDT and USDC to facilitate unauthorized overseas transfers. Investigators estimate more than ₹4,600 crore in alleged transfers and crypto balances held abroad, and named Binance and Bybit among the platforms involved. The agency said the findings are preliminary; it did not announce arrests or penalties against the exchanges. In a separate case, the ED alleges that Instadapp-related entities routed stablecoin revenue and investor funds through overseas companies and accounts, then sent money to India under purported software and consultancy payments. The agency estimates the alleged foreign-exchange violations at about $40 million. The investigation is ongoing, and the release did not provide transaction-level evidence. The searches add to India’s scrutiny of crypto remittances, offshore exchange activity and compliance with foreign-exchange rules.

Crypto trading platform Frontrun.pro has publicly asked to buy the company behind Blast, offering $50,000 to start negotiations. Frontrun says it has a team ready to improve the Layer 2 network and unnamed investors willing to fund it, but only if a sale goes ahead. The proposal does not identify the purchasing legal entity or investors, specify what assets would be acquired, or clarify whether $50,000 is an initial payment or the full offer. Blast has not announced an agreement or acceptance. The approach follows Blast’s wind-down announcement, which cited operating costs exceeding Layer 2 revenue and a lack of a credible path to sustainability. Blast asked users to withdraw assets to Ethereum; its regular withdrawal interface deadline was Oct. 26. Its public status page nevertheless showed key network services operating on Oct. 29. For traders, the Blast sale proposal is unconfirmed and does not establish a change to the network’s shutdown plans or the outlook for the BLAST token.

Curve yields and protocol updates were mixed in Week 44, 2026. Selected pools offered 19.7% APR for sUSG/reUSD and 7.6% for reUSD/sUSDe. Llamalend v2 showed modeled 20x looped APRs of 37.1% for sDOLA and 23.4% for syrupUSDC, but leverage can magnify losses and rates are variable. Curve launched StableSwap on Stellar mainnet in beta, enabling swaps and liquidity provision. The DAO also approved oracle pricing for the YieldBasis crvUSD/WETH pool using Pyth ETH/USD reports, and approved raising the sreUSD market’s crvUSD lending limit from 30 million to 60 million. Key Curve metrics were mixed: crvUSD mint-market debt rose 2.1% to $69.7 million, while Llamalend TVL fell 3.7% to $247 million. The crvUSD oracle price was $0.9994. These Curve yields are selected estimates, not guaranteed returns; liquidity, collateral and smart-contract risks remain relevant to traders.

A miner using FutureBit’s Apollo Solo setup found Bitcoin block 973,262, earning the 3.154 BTC block reward plus transaction fees from 2,477 transactions. FutureBit said its Apollo device or Solo Node assembled and submitted the block, but the public record does not identify the specific hardware or hashrate responsible. This is at least the fourth block attributed to FutureBit Apollo Solo. Solo mining remains a long-shot: against a Bitcoin network hashrate of about 1,070–1,087 EH/s, a home setup rated around 10–18 TH/s could face expected waits of centuries. The find highlights the possibility of earning a full block reward independently, but it does not change Bitcoin’s network fundamentals or the dominance of large mining pools.

Polymarket users have reported unauthorized asset transfers, including one trader who said about $800,000 was taken from their account after all positions were sold. The trader also said a friend lost about $600,000. Other users reported losses of around $200,000 or unexpected withdrawal-signature requests on the website. The reports have raised concerns about a possible attack on Polymarket’s front end, but the platform had not commented at the time of publication. Polymarket suffered a separate front-end phishing attack in June, linked to a compromised third-party supplier, in which about $2.94 million in user assets was reportedly stolen.

Pontoro and regulated digital-asset firm Archax have launched an Automated Liquidity Pool on Stellar, announced during Meridian 2026. The pilot combines liquid money-market assets with private-market fund exposure, using predefined pricing and allocation rules to manage subscriptions and redemptions. Archax handles regulated tokenization and issuance of permissioned interests; Pontoro provides the pool model and operating infrastructure. The Stellar liquidity pool aims to make private-asset exposure easier to distribute and manage, but it does not make illiquid holdings instantly redeemable. Pool liquidity depends on available liquid assets, credible valuations and how the rules perform under stress. Tokens are permissioned and held in identity-verified wallets, while the fund manager retains authority over asset selection, valuation and governance. The Stellar Development Foundation disclosed investments in both companies. The pilot demonstrates a potential framework for tokenized private assets, but sustained investor demand and redemption performance have yet to be established. Traders should watch for reported subscription volumes, redemption outcomes and results during market stress. The announcement does not by itself establish a liquid secondary market or signal a direct price catalyst for Stellar’s token.

The S&P 500’s ten worst-performing stocks of 2025, tracked as the “Thanksgiving Leftovers,” staged a strong rebound before retreating in October 2026. The equally weighted group bottomed in late September at about 15% below its value on 28 November 2025. It recovered to that starting level on 22 October, but then fell to 94.4% of it in less than a week. The market-cap-weighted portfolio followed a similar pattern. It bottomed at 80% of its starting value on 7 October, climbed to 86.5% on 22 October, and then slipped to 84.3%. The figures show a sharp recovery in the S&P 500’s weakest 2025 performers, followed by renewed losses.

The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged at its meeting concluding on October 28, as markets had widely expected. But the pause does not necessarily signal a dovish shift: the Fed described the economy as strong, while persistent inflation and elevated Treasury yields continue to weigh on the outlook for equities. The article points to energy prices and robust capital investment as factors keeping inflation sticky, potentially increasing the chance of further rate hikes. High long-term yields also make equity valuations look expensive and can pressure corporate free cash flow. The author argues that these conditions do not support broad equity gains. For traders, the key issue is whether inflation and Treasury yields ease enough to change expectations for the Fed’s future policy; the rate pause alone may not provide a lasting boost to risk assets.

Celestia Labs has introduced Voyager, a blockchain architecture designed for high-volume payments between AI agents and online services. In a five-hour benchmark, Voyager averaged 21.2 million transactions per second (TPS), peaking at 21.6 million across 100 million accounts. Celestia says Voyager uses Celestia Fibre for data availability and separates transaction processing into parallel tasks to boost throughput. The benchmark was run on a single node and did not include state-root computation, data replication across machines or real-time transaction-status queries at that scale. Voyager is not yet described as production-ready; Celestia says those capabilities are among the next development steps. The project aims to enable micropayments for agent-driven web services, but its claimed capacity has yet to be demonstrated in a live payment environment.

The crypto industry has spent about $176 million on more than 100 US midterm races this election cycle, but a survey suggests crypto itself is a low priority for voters. Only 13% of Americans say it is very or extremely important for candidates to support technologies such as blockchain, crypto and decentralized finance (DeFi). A broader message about keeping financial technology development in the US resonated more: 35% said it was very important, making it the survey’s top-ranked policy position. Support for that message was higher among Republicans than Democrats, at 45% versus 30%. The survey of 1,545 adults was conducted by Ipsos for the DeFi Education Fund from Sept. 8 to 16, with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points. Reuters’ review found that crypto groups spent about $176 million across more than 100 races, with Fairshake and its affiliates accounting for about $150.8 million through Oct. 20. The industry’s political push comes after the Clarity Act failed a key Senate vote in September. The survey also found that voters are more focused on financial security and personal investment choice: 63% want the financial system upgraded to address threats such as AI and cybercrime, while 49% oppose the government deciding which products they can invest in.

Ledger has published 23 papers from its 2026 Ledger N3XT research competition, spanning the agentic economy, privacy and open research. Students from seven countries examined digital ownership through experiments, hardware prototypes and security audits, with a recurring focus on how to authorize and hold value-bearing AI agents accountable. The three track winners were Charles Sneed of the University of Oregon, who audited a Solana trading agent and identified a gap between its recorded decisions and signed transactions; Drew Manley, who proposed zero-knowledge medical credentials controlled by patients; and Ivan von Greiff of TUM, who built a fuzzing framework to test zero-knowledge virtual machines for soundness flaws. Their work and other submissions also questioned whether hardware-based custody alone can guarantee privacy or prove user intent. Each winner attended Ledger Op3n in Paris on October 15–16. The research offers no direct market-moving announcement, but highlights growing security and accountability challenges as AI agents interact with crypto wallets and onchain markets.