Crypto News

A 20-year-old Canadian man, Trenton Johnston, has been sentenced to 25 months in prison by a federal judge in Miami for his role in a cryptocurrency fraud and money-laundering conspiracy. Johnston pleaded guilty and surrendered about $3.8 million in stolen cryptocurrency. He began the scheme in January 2024, when he was 17, by posing as Google technical support staff and representatives of crypto companies to trick victims into revealing wallet access codes. In one case, he and his accomplices stole 185 BTC from a California victim, worth about $13 million at the time. Johnston used proceeds from the crypto fraud to buy a Lamborghini, two BMWs and jewellery, and to pay for private jet rentals.

The US government has announced 43 stock or warrant deals involving more than 40 companies since Donald Trump began his second term, with about $30 billion involved, according to an estimate by the Council on Foreign Relations. The US government stakes cover sectors including semiconductors, critical minerals and quantum computing. One deal gave the government a 35% stake in a company seeking Venezuelan oil business. Intel is a prominent holding. In August 2025, the government acquired a 9.9% stake in the chipmaker for about $8.9 billion. Its value rose to as much as $61 billion as Intel shares climbed, then fell to about $41 billion after a market sell-off. The US government stakes therefore carry substantial exposure to equity-market swings. Some deals also include loans, supply agreements or other special terms, and the legal authority behind certain arrangements has not been fully tested.

Binance’s Agentic Wallet and related tools are helping build an on-chain economy for AI agents, with BNB Chain (BSC) projects launching new token and trading features. Binance says its wallet combines MPC Keyless security with rule-based execution and can connect to AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot. Agent IDs issued through the wallet surpassed 100,000 on 26 October, providing agents with an identity layer for on-chain activity. The emerging AI agent economy spans wallet infrastructure, blockchain monitoring, automated execution, DeFi and machine payments using x402. BSC launch platforms are experimenting with agent-linked tokens and trading access. Flap’s ID Agent Curve, for example, lets developers create agent tokens that can be traded through Binance chat by Agent ID holders. Other projects mentioned include Pathtrade, Nonce Protocol, gangdotfun and Four.Meme. The developments could create new use cases for AI agents and on-chain payments, but they do not establish sustained demand for any specific token. The article also warns of phishing and other security risks. Traders should treat new agent-related assets as speculative and set strict wallet permissions and spending limits.

EU energy ministers are due to meet in Luxembourg on Thursday to discuss energy supply security and rising prices as winter approaches. The talks come amid Middle East tensions, including the Iran war, and Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Ministers will also consider longer-term challenges such as climate change. The meeting could affect energy-market expectations, but the article reports no specific policy decisions. Traders will watch for measures to secure supply or ease price pressures, alongside developments in the Middle East and any changes in OPEC output. Prediction-market pricing cited in the article suggests low confidence in a scenario combining oil below $80 on November 2 with a Republican Senate win; it does not establish a direct link between the EU meeting and oil prices.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has urged wider use of detailed, timely and reliable statistics to guide national policy and support Philippine industries, including tourism and local businesses. The call came at the closing ceremony of the 37th National Statistics Month on Oct. 28 in Manila. BSP Assistant Governor Rogelio V. Mercado Jr. said quality data helps assess economic conditions, direct resources and shape monetary policy for sustainable growth. The Philippine Statistics Authority and other government, private-sector and academic representatives also attended. The BSP and the PSA have worked together on National Statistics Month initiatives since 2001.

Bitcoin is trading below the US spot Bitcoin ETF average cost basis of $81,500, with key support around $77,900–$78,000 and resistance at $84,000–$85,000, according to Glassnode. ETF demand has weakened: after $653 million of inflows on 19 October, most of that money flowed back out, leaving just $67 million in net inflows over two weeks. ETF trading activity has also slowed, with volume falling to about $700 million on 23 October. Order-book bids have shifted lower. Binance showed about $42 million of buy orders between $78,000 and $79,000, while bids at $80,000 had dwindled to roughly $3.4 million. Glassnode says Bitcoin has repeatedly held above the $77,900 realized market mean during recent tests, while the $84,000–$85,000 area has often capped rallies. A sustained daily close above $85,000 could turn that resistance into support. Bitcoin’s one-month realized volatility has fallen to around 25%, a historically low reading. With a Federal Reserve rate decision approaching, traders may watch for a catalyst to break the current range.

SmartX founder David says AI can help crypto traders filter market noise and find information suited to their risk profile, but it should support rather than replace human decisions. He warns that convincing AI analysis can make investors overestimate their understanding and take on excessive leverage or position sizes. In his view, AI-driven trading tools may move the market from a search-led model to personalised recommendations, but widely copied strategies could lose their edge. David also cautions against blindly copying traders based on profit screenshots. Investors should check a trader’s verifiable track record, strategy, holding period and risk tolerance. His own approach keeps about 80% of trading positions in large-cap assets such as BTC, ETH, BNB, SOL, HYPE and UNI, with the remainder in smaller tokens. He advises traders to preserve capital, manage positions carefully and set drawdown limits. David says SmartX is developing a social trading terminal that aims to combine centralised exchange usability with on-chain transparency. The product is in an early stage; he said the company is not preparing a token launch and expects trading fees to be its main revenue source. His broader message on AI crypto trading is that tools can improve decision-making, but survival depends on discipline and users retaining control.

Open interest in GOOGL contracts across crypto trading platforms rose 64.32% over 24 hours to about $637 million, according to CoinGlass. On Bitget, GOOGL contract open interest reached $52.69 million, up more than 69% over the same period. The increase followed Alphabet’s third-quarter earnings release, after which its shares fell nearly 10% in after-hours trading. The figures show increased activity in stock-linked derivatives, but do not indicate a direct shift in cryptocurrency market direction.

Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI models, could begin marketing its IPO to investors during the week of Nov. 9, according to the report. The company has filed an SEC Form S-1 and is expected to list on Nasdaq under the ticker ANT, with its public debut anticipated about a week after marketing begins. The filing reportedly shows rapid revenue growth alongside a significant net loss. The Anthropic IPO will put the AI company’s finances and valuation under closer public-market scrutiny. Investors will be watching for roadshow details, updates to the S-1 and any changes to the expected listing timetable.

Nunchuk has updated its off-chain, time-locked Bitcoin inheritance protocol to support a wider range of hardware wallets, including Ledger, Trezor, BitBox02, Blockstream Jade, Keystone, Foundation Passport and Krux. Previously, inheritance keys were limited mainly to Tapsigner and Coldcard. The update lets beneficiaries prove control of an inheritance key by signing a short claim message, so most supported devices no longer require an encrypted backup or its password. Users can instead pass on a written seed phrase, provide an encrypted backup where supported, or use both methods. Nunchuk says its servers never access users’ seed phrases. The protocol uses a “Magic Phrase” to identify an inheritance plan. Nunchuk’s platform key co-signs a withdrawal only after the selected off-chain time lock expires. Users can change the inheritance date, beneficiaries and distribution plan without moving their Bitcoin. A claim also requires the relevant inheritance key and Magic Phrase; optional buffer periods and notifications can provide additional safeguards. The feature requires Nunchuk app version 2.9.0 or later. The update concerns Nunchuk’s off-chain protocol; its separate on-chain inheritance option, which uses Miniscript and Bitcoin’s own rules, is not the focus of the announcement.

Gate Money connects fiat payments, asset conversion and everyday spending through partnerships with banks, payment firms, custodians and clearing institutions. Eligible users can manage fiat funds in their own bank accounts and transfer digital assets on supported blockchains, subject to local rules, partner availability and user eligibility. Gate Money’s services are therefore not available on identical terms in every market. Gate reports regulatory credentials across several jurisdictions: MiCA and payment institution licences in the EU, a VARA licence for its Dubai entity, AUSTRAC registration for its Australian entity, and 37 state money transmitter licences for Gate US, which says it serves 47 US states and territories. The company’s latest proof of reserves showed $8.688 billion in total reserves and an overall reserve ratio of 118.49%. BTC reserves were 25,727 BTC, at 121.60%, while ETH reserves were 449,042 ETH, at 123.78%. Gate Money’s banking and payment partnerships, regional licences and disclosed reserves are intended to support services beyond crypto trading, including payments and asset management.

Ethereum’s EIP-8450 has been updated with a proposal for registering quantum-resistant public keys for validators. It would use hash-based cryptography, including leanXMSS keys and a VRF tree root. Under EIP-8450, validators’ existing BLS signing keys would authorize registration and replacement of the new keys. Key changes would face a delay of at least one epoch, alongside replay protection. The proposal remains in Draft status and has not been deployed, so it does not currently change Ethereum’s validator operations or network security in practice.

Australia’s financial regulator says it has received no licence applications from prediction market operators. ASIC Chair Sarah Court told a parliamentary hearing that prediction markets could fall under gambling rules rather than financial-market regulation, and that any licence application would face strict scrutiny. She compared their all-or-nothing trading structure with binary options, which are banned in Australia, and warned that users of overseas platforms may lack local protections for disputes and customer funds. Polymarket was blocked by Australian internet providers in August after the communications regulator classified it as an illegal online gambling site. The action adds regulatory pressure on prediction markets in Australia, but its direct effect on broader crypto trading is likely limited.

Bitcoin may struggle to hold $80,000 in the near term, according to market commentator Digital Currency Trend Maniac, who says the medium- to long-term buy zone remains $75,000–$80,000. The US Federal Reserve held interest rates steady, while markets reportedly priced in an 80% chance of a rate hike in December. Traders were also watching the 20:30 PCE inflation release; the commentator said high oil prices made a lower-than-expected reading less likely. The article says Fed Governor Kevin Warsh discussed changing two of the eight annual policy meetings into strategy-only sessions, leaving six meetings for rate decisions from next year. That could make each rate-setting meeting more consequential for Bitcoin volatility. The near-term Bitcoin outlook is therefore cautious, while the stated longer-term accumulation strategy remains unchanged.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang unveiled the DSX POD at GTC Berlin, a container-sized system designed to speed up AI data-centre construction. Each pod combines seven liquid-cooled Vera Rubin NVL72 racks, with 504 Rubin GPUs and 252 Vera CPUs. Nvidia says prepared sites could be connected to existing power and cooling in as little as 14 days, compared with deployments that can take up to six months. Deliveries are expected to begin in early 2027, with 17 partners, including Dell, HPE and Lenovo, involved. Nvidia also claims the design can cut power use by up to 30% and nearly eliminate cooling-water consumption. The 14-day timeline depends on sites already having suitable infrastructure, while Huang’s projections for AI-factory revenue rely on sustained demand. The launch strengthens Nvidia’s position in AI infrastructure, but does not directly signal a change in cryptocurrency market conditions.

Sui is adding optional address-alias checking to its gRPC VerifySignature request. When enabled, the request must include an address, and the signature is checked against that address’s current aliases. If no aliases are configured, the address itself is treated as the only alias. The response includes an address_aliases_checked field to indicate whether the server applied the check. Clients must treat a missing field as meaning the check was not performed, since older servers ignore the new request option. With the option disabled, existing behaviour remains unchanged. The update also adds support through a revised Sui Rust SDK dependency and includes simulation tests for alias and signature scenarios.

Ethereum co-founder Mihai Alisie has become a core backer of Ethlabs, an independent nonprofit research and development organization focused on Ethereum. Kraken parent company Payward and Gattaca have also joined as new funders. Founded in June by five former Ethereum Foundation researchers, Ethlabs had previously received support from Ethereum treasury companies BitMine and SharpLink, as well as Ethereum co-founder and Consensys CEO Joseph Lubin. The funding announcement adds to the organization’s backing, but no funding amounts or specific research plans were disclosed.

The Federal Reserve held its benchmark interest-rate range at 3.75%–4% and said it will create more time for long-term policy discussions. From 2027, one of its eight annual meetings will focus on monetary strategy, without a rate vote or policy statement. In 2028, two meetings are expected to be devoted to strategy, leaving six for rate decisions. Chair Worsh said the Fed needs more information before determining the appropriate policy stance and declined to predict the outcome of the December meeting. He said inflation remains above the 2% target, while economic activity, consumer spending and business investment are strong. Financial and credit conditions have tightened somewhat since the September rate increase, but he did not describe them as broadly restrictive. Worsh also argued that interest rates still influence AI-related investment and capital allocation. The meeting changes signal a shift in how the Fed will conduct policy discussions, but do not indicate an immediate change in interest rates.

The Federal Reserve held its policy rate at 3.75%-4.00%, but two members dissented in favour of a 25-basis-point increase. The hawkish split, alongside Brent crude near $115 a barrel, may keep inflation and interest-rate concerns in focus. The 10-year Treasury yield rose to 5.05%, a potential headwind for risk assets, including Bitcoin. Big Tech earnings highlighted a growing divide over AI spending. Alphabet reported revenue up 25% year on year, but capital expenditure of $51.4bn pushed free cash flow to negative $9.1bn; its shares fell nearly 10% after hours. Microsoft shares rose 2.9% as Azure grew 48%, suggesting investors are increasingly judging AI investment by returns rather than spending alone. ServiceNow and Fortinet also dropped sharply after forward growth signals disappointed. In crypto-related equities, Strategy disclosed holdings of 848,517 BTC and is due to report quarterly results. Strive reported 43,000 BTC and is using preferred-stock financing to expand its holdings. Datavault AI said it could not withdraw bitcoin held in a custodial wallet and will restate several financial reports, raising concerns about asset verification and custodian risk across digital-asset treasury companies. For crypto traders, the combination of hawkish rate expectations, elevated oil prices and scrutiny of corporate bitcoin holdings points to near-term volatility. Upcoming inflation data and Strategy’s results are key catalysts.

The S&P 500 rose 0.28% on Wednesday, its third consecutive daily gain, after the Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate at 3.75%–4.00%. The Nasdaq added 0.27%, while the Dow gained 0.19%. The Fed’s 10–2 vote was not unanimous. Lisa Cook and Beth Hammack supported a 25-basis-point rate increase. The central bank described economic growth as “strong” but said inflation remains “elevated.” Traders priced in about an 85% chance of a December hike, and the 10-year Treasury yield moved above 5%. Technology and energy stocks led, while real estate and utilities lagged. Upcoming Alphabet and Microsoft earnings, particularly cloud results, could influence the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. For markets, the prospect of higher rates and elevated Treasury yields may pressure risk assets, including cryptocurrencies, while economic data and big-tech results could shift rate expectations.

Securitize has responded to an anti-tokenization advertisement in The Wall Street Journal with a full-page ad of its own, arguing that regulated stock tokenization can operate within US Securities and Exchange Commission rules. The original ad, published over the weekend of October 24–25 under the name Common Sense Leadership Fund, urged public company executives to opt out of tokenized stock trading. It cited risks including price differences between tokens and shares, unclear ownership, reduced control over capital raising and possible CEO liability. The fund’s backers were not identified in the article. Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo called the warning misleading. The company’s October 28 response promoted “#TokenizationDoneRight” and sought to distinguish its compliant approach from trading on unregulated platforms. Securitize went public through a SPAC in July 2026 and trades on the New York Stock Exchange as SECZ. It is also pursuing tokenized US stock offerings. The dispute comes as dozens of public companies have objected to plans for certain tokenized stock venues. For traders, the debate is a potential headwind for Securitize and the growth of stock tokenization: issuer resistance could slow adoption, while acceptance of regulated models could support the sector. The immediate issue is who controls tokenized shares and which rules govern their trading.

AI spending and cash flow have become key measures for investors assessing Big Tech. Microsoft reported $18.6 billion in free cash flow for fiscal Q1 2027, beating expectations by nearly $10 billion despite $45.2 billion in infrastructure spending. Azure revenue grew 48%, and Microsoft shares rose more than 3% after hours. Oracle shares gained nearly 11% after the company pledged to cap external financing and forecast a return to positive cash flow in the second half of fiscal 2028. Alphabet’s Q3 2026 revenue reached $127.6 billion but missed estimates. Google Cloud revenue more than doubled to $30.71 billion, while capital expenditure climbed to $51.4 billion and free cash flow turned negative by about $9.1 billion. Shares fell nearly 10% after hours amid slower Search growth and concerns about the cost of its AI buildout. The contrasting reactions show that markets are focusing not only on AI investment, but also on whether companies can fund it while maintaining cash generation. Investors will watch Alphabet’s spending plans, Microsoft’s ability to sustain Azure growth and cash flow, and Oracle’s progress towards its cash-flow target.

China’s AI payments sector is moving from experimentation to commercial testing, with UnionPay, Ant Group, WeChat Pay and JD among the firms introducing AI agent payment products or protocols. The near-term direction is to add AI capabilities to existing payment networks rather than build entirely new systems. The report says the longer-term opportunity will depend on whether autonomous payments, interoperable protocols and cross-border settlement can work together. Digital yuan infrastructure, the Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS) and the mBridge central bank digital currency project are also developing. For crypto traders, the trend signals growing institutional interest in blockchain-enabled payment infrastructure, but the brief identifies no specific token catalyst or immediate market impact.

World Liberty Financial transferred 156.31 million WLFI tokens, worth about $8.06 million, to Binance, Gate, Coinbase and MEXC, according to Onchain Lens. The WLFI exchange deposits could put the token on traders’ watchlists for potential selling activity. However, the transfer alone does not confirm that WLFI has been sold.

Lookonchain reported that a newly created wallet deposited 4 million USDC into Hyperliquid and opened a 5x leveraged long position in 3,000 XMR, valued at about $1.77 million. The move highlights a sizable leveraged XMR trade, but the report does not identify the trader or indicate whether the position reflects a broader market view.

Tether froze at least 33 addresses on the TRON network, according to monitoring by TrustSniffer. The addresses held about $27 million in USDT combined when the freeze alerts were issued; the largest single balance was approximately 7.8 million USDT. Tether has not disclosed the reason for the action. The freeze highlights Tether’s ability to restrict USDT held at specific addresses, but the report does not indicate a broader interruption to USDT or TRON network activity.

A whale transferred 152,000 AAVE, worth about $21.3 million, and 45.17 million WLD, worth about $21.4 million, to multiple cryptocurrency exchanges over five days, according to Lookonchain. The combined value of the AAVE and WLD transfers was approximately $42.7 million. Exchange deposits can precede selling and may add short-term pressure to both tokens, although the transfers alone do not confirm that the whale has sold.

The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate at 3.75%–4.00%, as expected, but a 10–2 vote revealed clear divisions. Two officials dissented in favor of a 25-basis-point hike. The Fed said economic activity is expanding strongly while inflation remains elevated. Huobi HTX chief analyst Cloud said the pause should not be read as a dovish turn. With no forward guidance and a continued focus on returning inflation to 2%, the possibility of a December hike remains open. September CPI reached a five-month high, and about 76% of surveyed institutions expect another hike in December. The hawkish signals could keep the US dollar and short-term yields supported, tightening liquidity conditions. Cloud warned that rebounds in both could weigh first on altcoins and then test Bitcoin’s ability to hold support. Crypto traders may face heightened volatility through the US midterm elections and the end of earnings season.

Tencent is shifting its AI strategy towards enterprise tools and practical business applications, rather than focusing primarily on competing for the most powerful foundational model. Dowson Tong, CEO of Tencent Cloud and Smart Industries Group, says the company should treat AI as a “marathon” and offer businesses access to multiple models through its cloud platform. Tencent says its CodeBuddy assistant is used by more than 12,000 engineers and generates over half of the company’s new code, cutting coding time by more than 40%. The company has also released more than 30 Hunyuan model updates over the past year, while its research and development spending reached a record in 2025. The strategy follows an AI team reorganisation that began in December 2025, when Tencent appointed Shunyu Yao as chief AI scientist and combined its AI Lab with the Hunyuan team. For Tencent, the shift puts greater emphasis on enterprise adoption and returns from AI investment. The key test will be whether customers take up Tencent Cloud’s AI services at scale.