Crypto News

The SEC has created a five-year exemption pathway for trading tokenized US stocks, but the model has yet to launch and faces resistance from issuers and traditional market groups. Three firms have notified the SEC that they plan to operate tokenized securities trading venues (TSVs): OKXICE, TSV LLC and Kephas Corporation. Being listed by the SEC does not mean a venue has met the exemption’s requirements. OKXICE, a 50-50 joint venture between OKX and ICE, plans to list 63 stock codes. By 24 October, 22 of the 62 companies notified had objected. Under the SEC order, an issuer’s valid objection prevents its stock from being listed on that venue. OKXICE has not announced a launch date or service fees. TSV LLC plans to use Canton Network and says it will tokenize stocks only with the issuer’s voluntary authorisation. Kephas, a subsidiary of Perpetuals.com, plans to operate on its Kronos X Public Ethereum layer-2 network. Neither has announced its initial stock list or begun trading. All three platforms require KYC; their proposed trading pools use stablecoins and charge fees, with portions allocated to liquidity providers. The SEC exemption runs for five years, but Nasdaq, SIFMA and Better Markets have raised concerns about market data, issuer consent and the regulatory approach. Tokenized US stocks remain an unproven market, with launch timing and the scope of available listings uncertain.

Blockworks researcher Jake Koch-Gallup argues that PEARL’s rapid rise is not supported by strong fundamentals, despite its novel Proof of Useful Work (PoUW) model, which uses AI computation to help secure the network. He identifies four key risks for PEARL traders: annual token supply growth of about 85% could create heavy selling pressure; AI customers pay in US dollars, so rising computing demand may not translate into direct demand for PEARL; widely available, rentable data-centre GPUs could leave the network vulnerable to 51% attacks; and early Zcash’s sharp price decline during rapid supply growth offers a cautionary comparison. The article estimates that newly mined PEARL worth about $2.2 million is distributed daily, against average daily trading volume of roughly $8.5 million. It also says the token’s market value has risen about eightfold from its August low, while Coinbase added PEARL to its listing roadmap on 19 October. The bullish case points to PEARL’s 2.1 billion hard supply cap, potential dual revenue for GPU miners and a team with academic and technology-sector credentials. However, the analysis concludes that high inflation and limited token-based demand could weigh on PEARL’s price, even if market enthusiasm continues in the short term.

Samsung began shipping 12-layer HBM4 memory to Nvidia in February 2026 for its Vera Rubin AI accelerators, with reported speeds of up to 11.7 Gbps. Samsung and SK hynix are also preparing 8-layer HBM4 for Nvidia’s Rubin Ultra NVL systems. Initial shipments are planned for February, with volume deliveries targeted for the second quarter of 2027. The shorter HBM4 stacks may help reduce heat and improve manufacturing yields. SK hynix is projected to supply about two-thirds of Nvidia’s HBM4, while Samsung’s reported yield is around 80% and its share could reach 28% or more. The two South Korean suppliers are forecast to control over 80% of the HBM4 market by mid-2027. The ramp-up will be an important test of supply capacity and competition in the AI chip supply chain.

Ultra Clean Holdings (UCTT), a supplier of gas delivery subsystems and integrated modules to wafer-fabrication equipment (WFE) makers, could benefit as semiconductor-equipment spending expands. The article says the WFE total addressable market is expected to exceed $150 billion in 2026, with estimates above $200 billion for 2027 as fabs come online worldwide. Although AI-related volatility has weighed on UCTT and other related sectors, the author expects a sharp recovery over the coming year as business fundamentals regain focus. The outlook is the author’s investment view, not company guidance.

Trader Mk4 holds a NEAR long position worth more than $25 million, with an unrealized profit of about $12.15 million, according to Odaily. That is down from roughly $20.88 million two weeks ago, when NEAR was trading at a higher price. Mk4 also has short positions worth a combined $13.1 million in BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, BNB, ADA and AVAX. The position data highlights one trader’s exposure to NEAR and other major tokens, but does not establish whether the trades have been closed or indicate a broader market trend.

Bitget is upgrading its stock dual investment products with liquidity provider VETA Finance, expanding its range of tokenized US stock offerings. The product pool will add to existing assets including rNVDA, rGOOGL and rAMD, while offering more investment terms and potentially more competitive annualized yields through deeper liquidity. Bitget stock dual investment supports “buy low” and “sell high” strategies. Users can subscribe with USDT or eligible tokenized US stocks, with assets converted at settlement according to the chosen target price and term; users may also receive interest. Bitget plans to work with VETA Finance on additional structured products, including accumulation and decumulation options, broadening its multi-asset investment services.

Gate has added INDEX markets and one-click trading to its event contracts, alongside a limited-time rewards campaign worth 100,000 USDT. The campaign runs from 22 October at 16:00 to 5 November at 08:00 (UTC+8), and users must register before trading. INDEX markets cover BTC and ETH on five- and 15-minute timeframes, with settlement based on Gate contract index prices and separate operation from the existing TWAP markets. One-click trading offers preset amounts of 5, 20 and 100 USDT, as well as a custom option. Rewards include a 5.5 USDT first-trade incentive for the first 1,000 eligible new users, plus pools for trading check-ins and qualifying trading volume. Users who meet the activity requirements can also compete for leaderboard rewards, including a 1,000 USDT minimum prize for traders reaching 150,000 USDT in cumulative volume and an additional 4,000 USDT for the top-ranked trader. Rewards are issued as event contract vouchers. The promotion may encourage activity on Gate’s short-term BTC and ETH markets, but does not itself signal a change in the broader crypto market direction.

Stablecoin payments are growing, but the figures do not yet prove a comparable rise in verified commercial transactions. Allium estimates that stablecoin transfers classified as payments reached $482 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 45.4% from the same period in 2025. Meanwhile, total stablecoin supply was $304.9 billion at September’s end, just 0.4% above its December level. The payment estimate is based on wallet labels and transaction patterns, not verified invoices or merchant receipts. Allium counted $97.9 trillion in raw transfers before filtering out infrastructure and trading activity; its $482 billion payment estimate is a subset, not a confirmed measure of commerce. Tether and Circle accounted for about 84.7% of supply. USDT represented 84.2% of Allium’s classified payment volume, indicating a stronger concentration in payment activity than in supply. But transaction volume does not show which companies capture the profits. Issuers earn returns on reserves, while distributors negotiate a share and payment providers charge for conversion, settlement and local banking access. Circle reported $667.7 million in reserve income in the second quarter of 2026, with $412.5 million in distribution, transaction and other costs. The article highlights how lower interest rates, partner revenue-sharing and tighter fees could squeeze margins. For traders, stablecoin payments signal continued adoption, but the data does not establish a direct near-term catalyst for token prices. Supply, verified repeat business, liquidity and issuer economics are more useful indicators than raw transfer totals.

Eliza Labs founder Shaw says he has reverse-engineered about 90% of Pump.fun’s Solana smart contracts and expects to finish the work soon. His goal is not to build a similar launchpad, but to reproduce the deployed programs byte for byte, including any original bugs. The public GitHub repository contains deployment evidence and partial implementations, but the four core programs have not been fully reconstructed or audited. Shaw argues that closed-source contracts create security risks, citing more than $40 million in funds stolen over the past year from projects with critical vulnerabilities in closed-source contracts. Critics counter that publishing unrepaired flaws could make attacks easier. Shaw is also promoting slop.cash, a security and private bug-bounty project, and says fees from a related meme coin could fund rewards for contributors. The effort could increase scrutiny of Pump.fun and highlight the risks of opaque Solana contracts. However, market observers say an open-source copy alone is unlikely to dislodge Pump.fun: integrations, user trust and network effects remain important advantages. Pump.fun has not publicly responded. The development is primarily a protocol-security and competitive story, with no clear immediate market-wide trading signal.

A packed earnings week puts AI investment and cash flow in focus. Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon are expected to face questions about whether rising cloud and AI demand can generate returns fast enough to justify record capital spending. Their combined property and equipment spending was about $134.9 billion last quarter, roughly double a year earlier. Alphabet’s 2026 capital expenditure guidance implies a sharp further increase, while Amazon has reported consecutive quarters of negative free cash flow. Microsoft’s capital spending has surged, but its free cash flow has grown much more slowly. Investors will watch capital expenditure guidance, depreciation, cloud order conversion and profit margins. Large backlogs support the demand outlook, but orders do not guarantee timely revenue or cash collection. With US 10-year Treasury yields near 5%, comparatively low free-cash-flow yields at major technology firms may leave valuations more sensitive to evidence of future returns. Exxon Mobil and Chevron offer a contrast: analysts expect strong profit growth, and recent cash generation supports dividends, buybacks and debt reduction. Caterpillar’s backlog will test whether AI-related data-centre demand is translating into equipment sales. For traders, the earnings reports could influence sentiment across technology, energy and other risk assets, including crypto, mainly through changes in rates expectations and risk appetite. The central issue is whether AI spending can deliver durable cash flow—not demand alone.

A Tiger Research analysis argues that crypto market makers provide essential liquidity but are often confused with firms that manipulate prices or fabricate trading volume. Genuine market making can narrow spreads, reduce slippage and help traders buy or sell without waiting for a counterparty. It can also support more orderly token markets. The article says the crypto market lacks clear standards for market-making contracts, disclosures and oversight. Risks include undisclosed or conflicted arrangements, exchange-affiliated trading firms receiving special treatment, and market makers withdrawing quotes during sharp sell-offs. It cites the MOVE token case, in which an intermediary allegedly handled both sides of a liquidity agreement and tokens were sold into a market with little demand. It also references the FTX-Alameda collapse and the Gotbit case involving alleged wash trading. The analysis recommends assessing real order-book depth, spreads, slippage and two-sided quote availability rather than trading volume alone. It also calls for transparent contracts, safeguards against conflicts of interest, and clear obligations and incentives for market makers during market stress. These proposals could improve trust and market stability, but the article does not report a new market-wide rule or immediate change in trading conditions.

MetaMask 8.17.0 introduces a broad set of mobile wallet and trading updates, with notable changes to perpetual futures (Perps), token details and account features. Perps improvements include percent-change price alerts, market suggestions, clearer fee and balance information, and support for advanced orders on Lighter. The release also adds open-position profit and loss details, position sharing, and a refreshed token-details security and social experience. Other changes include email one-time passwords and passkey support for account security, improvements to card and Money features, and updates to Virtual Bank Account onboarding. MetaMask 8.17.0 also includes usability fixes for Android, transaction details, swaps and limit orders. These are product and app updates; the release notes do not announce a new token, protocol launch or market-moving financial development.

Cardano (ADA) traded near $0.201 on Monday, extending a decline that has lasted three consecutive weeks and exceeded 20% since early October. Derivatives data adds to the bearish outlook: ADA’s long-to-short ratio was 0.92, while its funding rate fell to -0.0032%, indicating stronger short positioning. CryptoQuant indicators also pointed to sell-side dominance in spot and futures markets. Technically, ADA remains below its 50-day, 100-day and 200-day exponential moving averages, clustered between about $0.218 and $0.237. The RSI is 33, near oversold territory, but the MACD remains negative. Immediate resistance is around $0.213; support is near the psychological $0.20 level. A sustained recovery would require ADA to reclaim resistance and the moving averages, supported by improving momentum and easing selling pressure.

Strategy’s MSTR market capitalization has surpassed that of Nasdaq, placing the company among the 400 largest globally by market value, according to Bitcoin Treasuries on X. The post did not provide a valuation figure or explain the comparison. MSTR’s ranking highlights the scale of investor interest in Strategy shares, but the news alone does not establish a change in Bitcoin’s fundamentals or market direction.

Upbit trading volume reached about $1.47 billion over the past 24 hours, down 28.3% from the previous day, according to CoinGecko data. The decline points to reduced trading activity on the South Korean exchange during the period; it does not, by itself, establish a broader market trend. Upbit trading volume was led by AXIS/KRW at about $178 million, or 12.1% of the total. SOPH/KRW recorded about $99 million, followed by BABY/KRW at $79.8 million, IRYS/KRW at $72.7 million and BTC/KRW at $56.6 million. The leading pairs were predominantly altcoins, while BTC/KRW ranked fifth.

Gavekal Research analyst Rohan Daswani said investors should consider buying the Brazil market if it sells off after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva unexpectedly defeats Jair Bolsonaro. Markets had priced in a Bolsonaro victory and stronger fiscal discipline, so those trades may unwind. Daswani said the longer-term case for the Brazil market remains supported by unusually high nominal and real interest rates, significant commodity exposure and Brazil’s growing role in critical-mineral supply chains. A more conservative Congress could also limit a major leftward shift in economic policy. Brazil’s stock market was due to open at 21:00 Beijing time.

NymVPN v2026.14 focuses on stronger Android privacy and clearer connection feedback across platforms. Android users can protect recovery phrases and account details with device biometrics or a PIN; sensitive information is masked by default and automatically hidden after 10 seconds. The update also improves data-sharing controls and makes the server list faster and more reliable. Across all platforms, NymVPN now reports DNS failures instead of failing silently and notifies users when an app update is required. Other changes include displaying daily bandwidth reset times in local time zones and routing geo-excluded destination IPs individually. The release also includes platform-specific fixes for iOS, macOS and Linux. The update may improve the privacy app’s usability and reliability, but it does not announce token, pricing or broader market changes.

Fhenix has launched its confidential computing technology on Ethereum and Arbitrum mainnets, bringing encrypted smart contract computation to both networks. Its CoFHE coprocessor uses fully homomorphic encryption to process sensitive data offchain and return results to smart contracts without revealing the underlying information. The launch targets privacy-focused decentralized finance (DeFi), tokenization and other applications that need to protect balances, positions or trading strategies. Fhenix says developers can add confidential data types through Solidity, while its dual-mode token design lets users switch between public and confidential balances in one transaction. The company estimates that privacy limitations constrain a potential $1.5 trillion tokenization opportunity. Initial design partners Fluton and Alpha Engine are developing cross-chain encrypted interactions and confidential onchain finance applications. Fhenix says the system underwent security reviews and an audit by Consensys Diligence. It is also working with Tandem on a confidential stablecoin, with no launch timeline announced. Fhenix plans to bring three more decentralized applications to CoFHE in the fourth quarter of 2026 and expects to announce two institutional partnerships. It is also exploring demand for confidential applications on Solana. The launch expands privacy infrastructure on Ethereum and Arbitrum, but adoption and market impact will depend on real-world usage.

A $550,000 Zcash Community Grants program supporting outreach at adult industry events has drawn criticism from some ZEC traders. The ZECsy team says the initiative can help people facing banking and payment restrictions use private cryptocurrency payments. Zcash Community Grants approved the revised proposal on August 31, 2026, authorizing funding for its first nine monthly milestones. The yearlong program includes five adult industry events, four crypto conferences and eight workshops. Grant records show about $461,500 in approved funding, with an initial $45,833 payment made on September 1. After the team shared photos from its booth at New Jersey’s Exxxotica convention, trader TraderSZ said he had increased his ZEC short position. Other critics also objected to the project’s association with the adult industry, while supporters argued that financial privacy could benefit workers who struggle to access conventional banking. ZECsy reported that 20 adult service providers publicly listed ZEC as an accepted payment method in September, and two small businesses had begun accepting it. The team is also demonstrating CipherPay, a point-of-sale tool for ZEC payments. The dispute has intensified debate over how Zcash’s privacy features can be used in everyday commerce.

AI funding concerns are weighing on technology stocks as OpenAI reportedly seeks to raise up to $30 billion at a valuation below figures initially presented to investors. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell sharply, adding to concerns about the cost and financial sustainability of AI infrastructure projects involving companies such as Meta and Nvidia. The strain in the tech sector may also affect sentiment around AI-related valuations. The article cites prediction-market pricing on whether Anthropic could reach a $600 billion valuation by year-end, but provides no clear contract details or evidence linking those odds directly to the funding news. Traders will be watching AI fundraising updates, strategic investments and semiconductor-sector performance for signs of whether concerns are spreading.

Pittenger & Anderson’s Q3 2026 letter argues that investors who stay invested through market shocks can benefit from long-term growth. It recalls that the S&P 500 fell about 5% when U.S. markets reopened after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and reached a low in October 2002, roughly 49% below its March 2000 peak. A hypothetical $1 million invested in the S&P 500 on September 10, 2001, with dividends reinvested, would have grown to more than $10 million by September 11, 2026, before taxes and fees. The letter draws parallels between past uncertainty and current concerns about AI investment. It cites strong revenues and earnings among leading AI companies, while flagging risks including data-center demand, power capacity, regulation, spending returns and financing costs. Barclays expects $2.5 trillion in additional AI development spending over the next two years. The authors’ central message is that volatility and uncertainty are persistent market features, and exiting investments during downturns can mean missing subsequent gains.

Evolve Private Wealth says rising US Treasury yields reflect stronger demand for capital and a shift in bond buyers, rather than a sudden loss of confidence in government debt. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed from 4.15% to 5.29% in the year to September 30, 2026, while its inflation-adjusted yield rose from 1.80% to 2.93%. Expected inflation remained nearly unchanged at about 2.36%, suggesting that higher real rates—not inflation fears—drove most of the move. Strong US growth, a 9% annualized increase in second-quarter business investment and heavy AI data-centre spending are adding to borrowing demand. Meanwhile, central banks are reducing Treasury holdings and private investors are demanding higher yields. The firm says this makes bonds more attractive: 10-year Treasury inflation-protected securities offer a real yield near 3%, while the 10-year Treasury yield is about 5.29%. It favors intermediate-term Treasuries and short-term municipal bonds, and is cautious on corporate credit because its yield premium over Treasuries is narrow. For crypto traders, higher real yields can raise the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding assets and weigh on risk appetite, although the article does not discuss cryptocurrencies directly.

Version 1.39.8 introduces three fixes: provider quality metrics are now signed with the correct identity, Hermes failure counts reset after a successful promise, and a guard has been added for nil prices. The release notes also credit IanJohnsons with a first contribution. These software reliability updates are listed in the changelog from version 1.39.7 to 1.39.8.

Arthur Hayes said Flop Labs will open its Devnet to everyone in the coming days. Users can join as miners or validators, and connect agents to the network. Flop Labs says Devnet participation will not count toward any token allocation. The network is intended for public testing, with a Testnet and an airdrop phase planned afterward.

HTX has listed PG/USDT and ABBV/USDT perpetual contracts, allowing traders to take long or short positions with leverage of 1x to 20x. The exchange is also running a new-token futures trading competition through 15:00 (UTC+8) on 29 October. Eligible participants who register, trade the featured contracts and meet the stated requirements can compete for a prize pool of 1 billion HTX tokens and 5,000 USDT in futures trial funds.

Bitcoin yield products in 2026 range from native staking to liquid staking, lending and automated DeFi strategies. Returns, custody arrangements and risks vary, so advertised yields are not directly comparable or guaranteed. Stacks targets about 3% annualized BTC rewards through miner-funded Bitcoin staking. Direct participation requires pairing BTC with STX and committing funds under bonding conditions. Babylon and Core also support native BTC staking, but pay rewards in BABY and CORE, respectively; staking conditions can include slashing, token exposure or timelocks. Liquid and managed products offer other routes. Stacking DAO’s stBTC targets about 2.6% net yield by channeling deposits into Stacks staking. Lombard’s LBTC targets 2.5% net yield through covered-call options. Hermetica’s hBTC uses credit, basis and staking-related strategies, while Zest’s leveraged staking vault targets 6%–8%. Zest lending markets showed a variable 1.33% supply APY in the article’s comparison. These figures are indicative, not guaranteed. Borrowing costs, token prices, liquidity, withdrawal restrictions, custody, smart-contract vulnerabilities and liquidation can reduce returns or put principal at risk. Traders should compare net yields, reward assets and exit terms rather than headline APYs. Overall, the article is a guide to Bitcoin yield choices, not a report of a market-moving event.

Major US banks are restricting or blocking third-party AI agents from accessing customer accounts because they cannot reliably tell whether an agent is acting with the customer’s permission. Axios reported that Morgan Stanley is blocking such agents, while JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citi are restricting access. Customers often give agents their own login credentials, making an authorized agent difficult to distinguish from a fraudster using stolen details. The article argues that this is an identity and authorization problem, not simply an AI safety problem. It proposes giving each AI agent a separate cryptographic identity and requiring a customer-signed, limited delegation before the agent can move money. The author points to Sigma Auth, which uses identities and attestations anchored on the BSV blockchain, as one proposed approach. The piece also notes that banks’ restrictions may protect low-cost deposits from automated transfers to higher-yield accounts, but this motive is presented as analysis rather than confirmed fact. For traders, the news highlights growing demand for secure AI-agent identity systems, while offering no direct catalyst for cryptocurrency prices.

Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon report quarterly results on October 28–29, 2026, as investors assess whether cloud growth can justify heavy AI infrastructure spending. Big Tech earnings arrive alongside the Federal Reserve’s rate decision, creating a busy period for markets. Microsoft is expected to report about $90.6 billion in revenue and earnings per share of $4.71–$4.73. Its Azure cloud growth forecast of 45% in constant currency is a key benchmark. Alphabet is forecast to post roughly $128 billion in revenue, while Amazon is expected to report about $202 billion. The Fed is expected to hold its benchmark rate at 3.75%–4.00%. Traders will watch cloud growth, capital expenditure guidance and the Fed’s comments on future rates. The results and rate outlook could influence technology valuations and broader risk sentiment.

Greenlight Capital’s funds lost 3.3% in the third quarter of 2026, underperforming the S&P 500’s 2.3% gain. The hedge fund said its long positions fell 8.5%, while shorts gained 7.1%. Its largest long-book winner was tanker owner DHT Holdings, up 45%, while several housing, financial and gaming stocks declined sharply. Greenlight Capital also questioned whether AI companies can earn returns that justify the sector’s enormous investment and lofty valuations. It argued that intense competition and open-source models could limit providers’ pricing power, leaving much of AI’s economic benefit with users rather than technology firms. The firm estimated current end-user AI revenue at less than $100 billion and said future demand may not support projected spending. The fund’s macro positions lost 2% in the quarter, largely due to a bet on lower US interest rates. Its year-to-date return was -1.5%, compared with the S&P 500’s 12.7% gain.