Crypto News

Zcash (ZEC) has fallen more than 20% over the past month after briefly approaching $1,700 in September, prompting warnings that its rally may have peaked. CryptoPatel identifies $834 as a key support level; a break below it could expose ZEC to declines toward $480, $300, $200 or even $74. Some developments offer support. Grayscale’s ZEC ETF recorded $41.09 million in net inflows last week, ending three weeks of outflows. Zcash’s Network Upgrade 7 is scheduled for mainnet activation on 5 November 2026 and is expected to reduce target block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. Developers are also planning post-quantum signature features for January 2027. Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss called ZEC an “AI hedge” and “quantum hedge” in crypto. He said its price could rise fivefold if Zcash’s market value reached 10% of Bitcoin’s. Despite these longer-term arguments, ZEC’s recent decline and critical support level keep near-term correction risk in focus.

Sui has announced version bumps from v1.82.3 to v1.83.1, with the latest update identified as pull request #28457. The notice credits GitHub Actions but does not detail new features, fixes or network changes. Sui v1.83.1 confirms a software update, but its implications for network performance and SUI traders remain unclear until further release information is available.

Balancer says it has identified more than $500,000 in assets and unclaimed rewards left in the protocol by external users and institutions, including Ethena and Gauntlet. Some Balancer v3 liquidity assets are recorded internally in its Vault and may not appear in blockchain explorers or portfolio trackers. Other funds are unclaimed rewards from users who withdrew liquidity from Balancer v2. The protocol has contacted the owners, and some institutions have begun withdrawals. The discovery comes as Balancer prepares to wind down operations: under a community-approved plan, some pools will switch to withdrawal-only mode on October 30.

MARA Holdings may have sold 1,000 Bitcoin worth about $80.19 million, according to blockchain monitoring platform Lookonchain. The transaction was reportedly made around six hours before the report on 27 October 2026. The sale has not been independently confirmed, and the report does not specify where the Bitcoin was sent. Traders may watch for further on-chain movements or confirmation from MARA Holdings to assess whether the transaction signals a change in its Bitcoin holdings.

Anthropic has selected Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to lead its preparations for a potential US initial public offering, according to the article. Wilson Sonsini will represent Anthropic, while Freshfields will advise the banks. The IPO preparations come as the Claude developer faces potential product-liability and consumer-protection challenges. The article reports that valuation estimates fell to about $1.5 trillion from roughly $2 trillion a week earlier, although it does not specify the source of those estimates. Anthropic has also paused training its next-generation model, citing security and intellectual-property concerns. For traders, the Anthropic IPO is mainly a development in the AI and technology markets, with no direct cryptocurrency announcement. Any crypto-market effect is likely to be indirect, through shifts in risk appetite or broader technology-sector sentiment. IPO timing, legal developments and valuation estimates remain key factors to watch.

Osmosis has ended the inflationary issuance of OSMO. After the latest epoch closed, no new OSMO was minted, ending a previous daily issuance of 91,300 tokens. Governance Proposal 1053 passed with 91.1% support. Going forward, OSMO staking rewards will come from protocol revenue rather than newly issued tokens. Osmosis also says each OSMO burned will reduce the token’s supply. The change removes a source of ongoing dilution, but future staking returns will depend on protocol revenue and token burns.

Donald Trump has urged Mississippi voters to oppose Democratic Senate candidate Scott Colom, backing Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith’s bid to retain her seat. The Mississippi Senate race is rated “likely Republican” by the Cook Political Report. Polymarket pricing cited in the article gives Republicans an 86.5% chance of winning, while Colom’s implied odds recently edged up from 12% to 13.5%. The appeal highlights national Republican efforts in the race, but the article provides no direct cryptocurrency policy development or market catalyst. Traders may view the prediction-market odds as an indicator of election sentiment, not a signal for crypto prices.

A Bank of Korea official expects South Korea’s chip output to rise into the first half of 2027, led by high-bandwidth memory (HBM) demand from AI data centres. The Bank of Korea expects demand to remain ahead of supply because HBM is complex to produce and new capacity takes time to come online. Chip prices are still expected to rise, but more slowly than during the strongest phase of the cycle. Samsung Electronics has contracted 80% of its planned 2027 memory output, including all of its HBM production. New capacity at SK hynix’s M15X facility and Samsung’s Pyeongtaek site is expected to ramp up gradually. The current semiconductor expansion, which began in early 2023, could continue through at least 2027, provided AI infrastructure spending remains strong. The Bank of Korea also estimates that bonuses of 60–70 trillion won at major memory makers could add 0.1–0.15 percentage points to private consumption growth. For investors, the key signals are the pace of AI data-centre investment, HBM pricing and the timing of new chip capacity. The forecast supports continued strength in South Korea’s semiconductor sector, but slower price increases may signal that the most rapid part of the chip cycle is easing.

Analyst Murphy says Bitcoin (BTC) may face less selling pressure below $80,000 than its holder distribution initially suggests. Glassnode research identifies long-term holder (LTH) supply, illiquid supply and network activity as major contributors to BTC volatility, together accounting for 42% of the factors reviewed. An entity-adjusted breakdown of BTC’s UTXO Realized Price Distribution (URPD) shows about 870,000 BTC held by LTHs around the current price area. Murphy notes that a similarly large cluster—about 850,000 BTC—was already present before 1 October 2025 and has changed little, despite a substantial market downturn. He argues this persistence suggests many of these holders may be relatively insensitive to further price declines. Murphy also says overhanging supply above $110,000 has largely disappeared, while holders whose BTC was acquired between $80,000 and $100,000 may be less inclined to sell after prices approached $87,000. LTHs still have profitable coins and do sell at times, but their net holdings tend to fall and realized profits rise more rapidly during bull-market advances than during declines. The analysis therefore views LTH supply as a less immediate source of downside pressure, while not ruling out further BTC selling.

Anthropic’s proposed IPO structure gives public investors economic exposure but limited control. Its S-1 filing describes five share classes and two control mechanisms: a long-term benefit trust (LTBT) selects four of the seven directors, while a single Class F share held by a founders’ LLC carries 50.1% of the company’s voting power. The founders’ Class F vote is not diluted when new Class A shares are issued. Public investors would buy Class A shares, with one vote each, but all Class A votes together are capped at 49.9%. Class N shares, held by strategic partners including Amazon and Google, generally have no voting rights. A single Class T share gives the trust authority to appoint and remove four directors. Class E shares are reserved for employees and have limited voting rights. The filing says Class A shareholders will generally be unable to influence company decisions or director elections. The structure may also limit index-fund ownership and reduce the likelihood of a takeover. Anthropic is a public benefit corporation, so directors must balance shareholder returns with broader stakeholder interests and the company’s stated public purpose. The IPO price and share count were not disclosed in the filing.

The UK government is weighing whether to approve development of the Rosebank oilfield, the country’s largest untapped oilfield, as ministers debate energy security and climate policy. The field lies northwest of Shetland. Its earlier production consent was ruled unlawful by Scotland’s Court of Session in 2025, and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh is responsible for making a new decision under a court-sensitive process. The article says global oil prices are above $100, but does not establish that the Rosebank decision is driving prices. Approval could affect expectations for future UK oil supply, while the outcome will also depend on wider market forces such as OPEC policy and geopolitical developments. For traders, the decision is a potential energy-market catalyst, but its direct relevance to cryptocurrency markets is limited.

bitcoin++ will hold its Antarctica: Cold Storage Edition from January 24 to February 5, 2028. The 13-day bitcoin++ expedition will take up to 22 Bitcoin developers on a ship from Ushuaia, Argentina, across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula, combining an unconference with workshops and informal discussions. Cabin fares range from $14,900 to $16,700 per person. Attendees can pay in five installments or in full, with a 5% discount for full payment in Bitcoin. The fare includes a parka, while required medical and evacuation insurance is extra. The trip explores the Antarctic Peninsula, not the geographic South Pole.

Former CFTC chairman Chris Giancarlo is urging the US to revive constitutional “letters of marque and reprisal” to let authorized private firms pursue state-backed crypto hackers such as North Korea’s Lazarus Group. The proposal followed the group’s theft of an estimated $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion from Bybit. Giancarlo and Franklin Crypto’s Christopher Perkins first outlined the idea in a 2025 opinion article, arguing that competition among firms could improve cyber defenses and help recover stolen crypto assets. Representative David Schweikert introduced H.R. 4988, the Cybercrime Marque and Reprisal Authorization Act, in August 2025. However, a White House memorandum issued in August 2026 focused on transnational criminal organizations, raising questions about whether state-sponsored groups such as Lazarus would be covered. The proposal has not triggered a clear market reaction. Its progress could affect future crypto security policy, but legal uncertainty and concerns about escalation, misattribution and collateral damage remain.

Anthropic’s S-1 registration plans dominated market attention as the Nasdaq moved higher, according to the article. The news came as investors focused on artificial intelligence investment and major corporate updates. Meta said it needs $95 billion to fund AI expansion and its core business. Verizon missed sales expectations but reported stronger-than-expected profits. The S&P 500 also ended a three-session losing streak. For traders, the developments highlight continued investor focus on AI spending and technology-sector sentiment, though the article provides no direct cryptocurrency catalyst.

Ripple has received full approval from the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to operate as a national trust bank, according to a Fox Business crypto reporter’s post on X. Ripple joins Circle, BitGo and Fidelity Digital Assets in the group of firms cited as having this status. The announcement concerns Ripple’s banking authorization; it does not provide details about launch timing or the approval’s immediate effect on XRP.

The Kansas Senate race has become more competitive after scrutiny of Republican incumbent Roger Marshall’s medical billing practices. Reports cited in the article say his practice filed more than 700 lawsuits against former patients over unpaid bills, leading to 81 arrests for missed court appearances. Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton has gained ground, and polls cited by the article show him narrowly ahead in the traditionally Republican state. Marshall retains support from prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump. On Polymarket, the Kansas Senate election contracts were listed at 37.5% and 62%; the article interprets the broader market movement as reflecting a higher perceived chance of a Democratic win. The figures do not identify which candidate corresponds to each contract in the supplied text. Further polling, campaign support and reporting on the billing controversy could affect both voter sentiment and prediction-market pricing.

Replit has shifted its AI services from Anthropic to OpenAI after OpenAI offered a reported discount of more than 30% on a contract worth over $100 million a year, according to The Information. The move took only a few days and required minimal code changes, highlighting how easily some businesses can switch AI providers. The Replit deal underscores growing competition between OpenAI and Anthropic, where pricing and tools such as Codex may help companies win customers. The article also says market pricing reflects concern about a possible decline in Anthropic’s valuation, but the reported deal does not directly involve cryptocurrency markets.

Ripple Prime has launched 24/7 real-world asset (RWA) perpetual swaps for eligible institutional clients, covering more than 100 markets, including stocks, indexes, ETFs, commodities and currencies. Announced on October 15, the contracts reference Trade.xyz perpetual futures listed on Hyperliquid, with Ripple Prime acting as principal to its institutional customers. Ripple says trading firm Virtu is already using the service. Ripple Prime clients can cross-margin positions with supported assets and, where available, use RLUSD as collateral. The swaps provide derivative exposure rather than ownership of underlying assets, and carry funding, margin, counterparty and liquidation risks. While contracts trade around the clock, traditional markets do not provide continuous price discovery. Limited liquidity—especially outside regular market hours—could make large trades costly or move prices. A reported episode saw nearly $52 million in leveraged chip-stock positions liquidated in 10 minutes while the underlying shares were closed. The service is currently available through Ripple Prime’s British Virgin Islands-licensed operation, with access subject to jurisdiction and licensing; Ripple has not disclosed trading volumes. The launch expands Ripple Prime’s cross-asset brokerage and offers institutions a crypto-native route to 24/7 exposure to traditional markets. RLUSD, not XRP, is the stated collateral, and Ripple has announced no direct role for XRP in settlement or collateral transfers. The development therefore signals institutional growth in token-linked derivatives, but does not establish an immediate catalyst for XRP demand.

Macro analyst Michael Howell says Bitcoin’s recent resilience could be an early clue that global liquidity may turn upward sooner than expected, though he does not yet consider this his base-case forecast. He says a sustained Bitcoin price above $70,000, alongside stable or rising bank reserves, would strengthen the case for an earlier recovery and a possible new bull market lasting two to three years. Howell argues that current US bond yields reflect strong nominal economic growth more than fears of a fiscal crisis. He also says Federal Reserve reserve-management purchases and Treasury actions to reduce bond-market volatility are helping support financial liquidity, even as official policy rates remain important to traders. His broader outlook is cautious: he places markets late in the speculative phase of his liquidity cycle, with a more turbulent period possible. Higher refinancing costs and maturing debt could pressure leveraged AI and technology companies. For crypto traders, the key signals to watch are Bitcoin’s ability to hold $70,000, bank reserve levels, Treasury yields and market volatility. The Bitcoin liquidity outlook is therefore conditional, not confirmation of a renewed bull market.

New York’s Gaming Commission has asked a state court to compel Kalshi to comply with an investigative subpoena issued on July 31 under Section 104(7) of the state’s Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law. The inquiry covers Kalshi’s sports event contracts, services for users under 21, advertisements describing its products as betting, and its ownership and corporate structure. The commission says the information will help determine whether to impose civil penalties and how much. Kalshi has not publicly commented. The case adds to regulatory pressure on Kalshi: New York’s attorney general and governor previously sued the prediction-market platform, seeking at least $36 billion. A federal judge denied Kalshi’s request for a preliminary injunction on July 7, while appeals courts have split, with the Third Circuit backing Kalshi and the Ninth and Sixth Circuits siding with state regulators.

XRP whales now control 68.5% of the token’s supply, the highest share since November 2022, according to Santiment. The concentration comes as the number of wallets holding 10 million to 100 million XRP fell from 351 to 339. The data does not establish whether holders sold, split balances or moved into a larger wallet tier. About 47 million XRP, worth roughly $61 million, flowed onto exchanges. XRP was trading near $1.29, with $1.26 identified as a key support level. A break below it could put $1.11 in focus, around 14% below the reported price. The combination of high whale concentration and rising exchange balances may increase concern about potential selling pressure, although on-chain data alone does not confirm that tokens will be sold. Traders are watching the $1.26 support and changes in the largest wallet tiers for signals on near-term XRP market direction.

Bitcoin Core 29.5 has reached its final release, according to the article title. No release notes or details about changes, security fixes or deployment recommendations were provided in the supplied content. Traders and node operators should consult the official Bitcoin Core release information before deciding whether to upgrade. The announcement alone does not indicate a change to Bitcoin’s market fundamentals.

Tuttle Capital Management has filed with the SEC to launch two 2x daily leveraged ETFs tied to Zcash-related assets. The filings, submitted on October 21 through the ETF Opportunities Trust, include a fund tracking Cypherpunk Technologies (CYPH), a company whose strategy is largely based on Zcash holdings, and another designed to deliver twice the daily return of a proposed Winklevoss Zcash ETF. That underlying ETF has not yet launched; Winklevoss Asset Services filed its registration on October 6. The proposals add new potential routes for leveraged Zcash exposure, but neither filing guarantees approval or launch. The CYPH-linked fund would track a company’s share price, which may diverge from Zcash’s price and the value of its holdings. The WINK-linked fund depends on the proposed Winklevoss ETF reaching the market. Both funds target twice the daily move, not twice the long-term return. Daily resets and volatility can magnify losses, making these products higher-risk tools generally intended for short-term trading.

California’s proposed wealth tax is drawing attention from billionaires, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is reportedly considering leaving the state. Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of people worth more than $1 billion who lived in California on January 1, 2026. Moving now may not remove liability tied to that date, and Zuckerberg could face a bill of several billion dollars. The later report adds that an estimated 200–250 billionaires could be affected and the measure could raise up to $100 billion; it also says Zuckerberg has restructured shares amid the potential tax. Governor Gavin Newsom and Sergey Brin oppose the proposal, citing possible economic consequences. Voters will decide on November 3, 2026. Polls show likely voters are divided, while prediction-market pricing puts the measure’s chance of passing at 22% YES. The California wealth tax has no direct effect on crypto prices, though debate over taxation and wealth migration may influence wider investor sentiment.

Poland’s nuclear project has moved into early supply-chain work, despite its first power plant not being expected to generate electricity until 2036. State-owned Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) commissioned Westinghouse to begin procuring key components for Poland’s first AP1000 reactor. Cameco, which owns 49% of Westinghouse, expects about half of Westinghouse’s revenue from initial AP1000 projects to arrive in their first five years. The article also highlights the VettaFi Nuclear Renaissance Index, which includes reactor component suppliers such as Curtiss-Wright, BWX Technologies and Doosan. Poland’s nuclear project illustrates how investment and supplier activity can begin well before a reactor enters service.

Four French institutions have urged the European Commission to allow crypto platforms and other third parties to offer stablecoin rewards under strict conditions, rather than ban them outright. They propose requiring clear disclosures, prohibiting guaranteed-return promises and savings-product marketing, and monitoring effects on bank deposits. France still supports banning stablecoin issuers from paying interest, but opposes extending that ban to staking and lending. The European Central Bank and other EU central banks favor broader restrictions, including indirect incentives and staking or lending. The Commission must submit its review of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) by 30 June 2027 and may propose amendments. The debate could shape future rules for stablecoin rewards and related crypto services in the EU.

Tuttle has filed applications for several niche leveraged ETFs, including funds designed to deliver twice the daily performance of Asian storage stocks and Zcash (ZEC). Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas disclosed the filings in a post on X. The applications do not mean the funds have been approved or launched. If approved, the Tuttle leveraged ETFs would give investors a higher-risk way to gain exposure to ZEC and Asian storage shares.

Blink Wallet is charging a $1 monthly inactivity fee on custodial accounts that have not logged in for more than 12 months. The fee, introduced after a September Terms of Service change, was first collected in mid-October. Users can have fees refunded by logging back in within 12 months. The policy does not apply to self-custody accounts. A source cited by Bitcoin Magazine said about 100,000 accounts qualified as inactive, holding more than $800,000 in total. The first collection reportedly brought in roughly $45,000, mostly from accounts with small bitcoin balances; these figures could not be independently verified. Blink says inactive accounts create ongoing infrastructure, compliance and support costs that are otherwise shared by active users. The fee comes as Blink continues its shift towards self custody. The wallet launched a Spark-supported self-custody option in June 2026, while custodial wallet providers across the sector have faced regulatory and distribution challenges. The article also reports that hackers withdrew 6.61 BTC from Blink custodial users on September 19; the company’s backers said affected users would be reimbursed. The inactivity fee may encourage dormant users to return, withdraw their funds or move to self custody.

Anthropic’s revenue efficiency rose to $2.08 for every dollar spent on AI compute in Q2 2026, up from $0.57 a year earlier, according to figures cited from its IPO filing. The improvement suggests the Claude maker is generating more revenue from its compute spending, an important measure as demand for AI infrastructure grows. Anthropic remains unprofitable, however. The article reports Q2 operating income of $974 million and a net loss of $66.3 billion; the figures are presented as reported and may warrant verification. The company was also valued at $965 billion in its latest funding round. The revenue efficiency gain may support investor confidence, but profitability and the sustainability of its valuation remain key questions.