Crypto News

The Balancer breach moved $70.9 million in staked ETH tokens—6,850 OSETH, 6,590 WETH and 4,260 wstETH—from its Ethereum liquidity pools to a new wallet. On-chain data and alerts from Nansen flagged the exploit, while Cyvers estimates total losses up to $84 million across multiple chains. Analysis suggests attackers exploited inter-protocol liquidity flows and composability weaknesses in smart contracts. This repeated Balancer breach underscores persistent DeFi security gaps and the irreversible nature of immutable smart contracts. Experts call for stronger on-chain monitoring, formal verification and decentralized insurance layers. Traders should reassess their exposure to DeFi liquidity pools and demand real-time risk mitigation strategies to manage smart contract vulnerabilities.

Following Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao’s $2 million ASTER purchase on November 2, 2025, ASTER surged about 20%, briefly peaking at a 35% gain. On-chain data show the ASTER wallet amassed significant USDT reserves, ranking among the largest on BNB Chain. Two whales boosted short positions ahead of the rally, netting $5.9M and $1.4M, while another whale withdrew 6.8M ASTER (≈$6.66M) from Binance over six days. ASTER’s price climbed from $0.91 to $1.26 before settling near $1.00. Despite a 25% TVL decline last month and ongoing token unlock and wash‐trading concerns, CZ’s “buy and hold” endorsement, combined with planned buyback-and-burns, has fueled renewed speculative demand for the Web3 DEX token, which offers spot and perpetual futures with up to 1001x leverage.

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, alongside Marat Sultanov and President Japarov’s son Nurdöölöt Nurgoyoev, proposed Bereket Bank, a private digital asset bank in Kyrgyzstan. The market-driven bank will offer cryptocurrency trading, custody and payment services, integrating the BNB Chain–based KSGT stablecoin and piloting a digital som CBDC. It aims to channel over $2 billion in foreign investment within three years and funnel profits into social welfare programs. To uphold transparency in crypto trading, Bereket Bank will appoint independent directors, undergo external audits, and disclose related-party deals. Kyrgyz authorities will strengthen KYC/AML and stablecoin accounting rules, cementing the nation’s digital transformation and boosting on-chain demand for BNB Chain.

The Bank of England is consulting on draft guidance for central counterparties (CCPs), or clearing houses, that may accept tokenized collateral. The guidance covers existing financial assets represented on a blockchain or distributed ledger and would clarify how CCPs should show these assets meet current clearing standards; it would not create new regulatory obligations or automatically approve any asset. Tokenized collateral must be reliably priced, transferable in a timely manner and convertible into cash during market stress. The Bank also flags risks such as cyberattacks, smart-contract failures, custody issues and network outages. Faster transfers, including across borders, could help firms meet margin calls, provided legal and technical safeguards are adequate. The consultation closes on 12 February 2027, after which the Bank will review responses and set out its final policy. Each asset would still require an application and risk assessment. For crypto traders, the consultation signals regulatory consideration of tokenized assets in financial-market infrastructure, but is not an immediate catalyst for cryptocurrency prices.

The Binance hack has entered a new phase as attackers moved or converted about $242 million in assets through the Tron network over roughly two days, according to blockchain analysts. The transfers do not confirm that the funds were cashed out. About $194 million moved through cross-chain routes including THORChain, Relay, Chainflip and Symbiosis; other reported flows involved services such as Bitget Wallet. Some funds reached Ethereum, including roughly 53,300 ETH, while assets also moved to Bitcoin and other networks. An estimated $7.5 million remained on Tron at the time of the later report, and more than $3 billion in assets on other chains—including BTC, ETH, XRP and SOL—had yet to move. Some destinations remain unclear, and estimated fees, slippage and price movements account for about $22 million in losses. Tether froze about $378.7 million in USDT, while Elliptic estimated that roughly $2.85 billion of the approximately $6.43 billion stolen had been frozen or seized by November 1. The FBI attributed the October 29 theft to North Korea-linked TraderTraitor and published 628 suspected addresses, but its initial list did not include Tron addresses. Binance said withdrawals were stabilising after customers recorded about $3.64 billion in net outflows during the first nine hours after withdrawals reopened. The ongoing Binance hack fund flows highlight the challenges of tracing cross-chain transfers; traders will be watching remaining assets, withdrawal activity and confidence in the exchange.

The Bank of Korea has asked 18 banks and 13 securities firms to report their crypto exposure, including digital-asset activities, staffing, budgets and investments. Sent on October 23, the crypto exposure survey asks firms to assess scenarios such as a major exchange shutting down after a hack, a prolonged crypto-market slump and losses spreading from another financial institution. Responses are due by November 4. The review follows the central bank’s warning about growing links between digital assets and traditional finance. It does not introduce new restrictions, but could inform future rules on exposure limits, capital and liquidity. The survey began shortly before a reported $6.3 billion Binance hack, which US authorities attributed to North Korean hackers. South Korean firms are also preparing won-denominated stablecoin services, while disagreements over issuer eligibility have delayed the Digital Asset Basic Act. Separately, a Financial Services Commission review found cybersecurity deficiencies at 130 of 555 financial firms, prompting plans for stricter security requirements. For traders, the crypto exposure survey signals closer scrutiny of financial-sector and exchange risks, but no immediate change to trading rules.

Circle has asked the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to treat qualifying payment stablecoins as cash under its proposed crypto fundraising rules. In an October 20 comment letter, summarized on October 28, Circle said eligible stablecoins should be accepted as consideration and settlement assets, including for token offerings, without making issuers responsible for the fundraising company’s obligations. It also asked the SEC to reduce the broker-dealer capital haircut on qualifying stablecoin holdings from 2% to zero, subject to safeguards. The request follows February SEC staff guidance allowing a 2% haircut. Circle also wants clarity on technical maintenance and validator work on functioning blockchain networks, including its Arc network, arguing these activities should not automatically count as essential managerial efforts. The SEC proposal includes exemptions for qualifying offerings of up to $5 million over four years or $75 million in 12 months, subject to disclosure requirements. Separately, the Hyperliquid Policy Center has called for clearer rules on airdrops, secondary trading, developer protections and automated buybacks. These are policy requests, not adopted SEC rules. No change to stablecoin settlement or capital requirements is confirmed, and market effects depend on the SEC’s response. For traders, the proposals could eventually affect stablecoin use and balance-sheet costs in tokenized markets, but they do not establish an immediate price catalyst.

Brazil crypto licensing attracted about 40 applicants by the October 30 deadline, far below the 150 to 200 firms previously expected. The rules require capital, audited financial statements, custody safeguards, daily client-asset reporting, monthly proof of reserves and anti-money-laundering controls. Compliance costs have led some smaller platforms to exit or scale back their Brazilian operations. Applicants can continue operating while the central bank reviews their cases, a process that may take up to two years. Firms that missed the deadline have 30 days to wind down. From November 6, banks and payment providers face restrictions on processing transactions for unauthorized crypto firms, limiting their access to local customers and fiat payments. Larger applicants, including Binance and Itaú, may be positioned to provide infrastructure for smaller businesses, potentially concentrating Brazil’s crypto market among better-resourced firms. Despite the limited applicant pool, reported crypto transactions in Brazil reached R$505.5 billion in 2025, up 21.5% year on year. Dollar-pegged stablecoins accounted for about two-thirds of reported volume. Future regulatory discussions are expected to cover stablecoin issuance and real-world asset tokenization. The licensing changes could reshape crypto exchange operations, while stablecoin activity remains a major part of Brazil’s reported market.

Circle has expanded its Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) on Arc to support issuer-controlled ERC-20 tokens beyond USDC. CCTP burns tokens on a supported source chain and mints them on the destination after Circle’s Iris service provides an attestation, avoiding the need for separate bridges or wrapped assets.

Two reports put ETH above major round-number levels but cite different prices. An earlier summary said ETH traded at 2,501.51 USDT, up 1.72% in 24 hours. A later Odaily report citing OKX data on 2 November 2026 put ETH at 2,300.13 USDT, up 1.39%. The later report is the most recent update, but the figures conflict, so the reports do not establish a clear price trend. Both note that ETH was above a closely watched level; neither provides trading-volume or broader market data to confirm the strength of the move.

Talis Protocol said an attacker exploited vulnerabilities in its Injective marketplace and auction contracts on 31 October, stealing about 5,700 NFTs held in custody and selling them through public collection offers. Talis Protocol has halted new listings and auctions on Injective and, as a precaution, paused new activity on other chains while it reviews fixes. The team has returned more than 26,000 NFTs held in its contracts to their original owners and logged the affected NFTs, previous owners and executed bids. It is preparing a plan to return the stolen NFTs and compensate buyers whose offers were executed. No broader market losses have been reported; a full post-mortem is expected later. The exploit could add to security concerns around NFT marketplaces and Injective, but its direct price impact on INJ remains unclear.

EIP-7702 was used in a reported $6.4 billion theft from Binance wallets across 10 blockchains on 29 October 2026. Most transfers reportedly took place within about 20 minutes. TRM Labs and Chainalysis attributed the attack to North Korean group TraderTraitor; Binance said its investigation began after an engineer’s laptop was compromised. On Ethereum, attackers used 50 pre-signed EIP-7702 authorizations to turn a Binance hot wallet into a funds-sweeping contract. Wallets on nine other chains were drained through standard signed transfers. The reports point to compromised hot-wallet signing infrastructure, not a flaw in Ethereum or EIP-7702, whose delegated code can access an account’s funds when authorized. For traders, the incident raises concerns about exchange custody and wallet delegation, but does not by itself indicate a weakness in Ethereum’s protocol.

Silver prices rose in both reports, though the quoted price and gain differed. An earlier Gate snapshot put silver at $57.317 an ounce, up 1.12%, and gold at $4,173.63, up 0.25%. The later report cited silver at $49.831, up 1.96%, and gold at $3,900.63, up 0.53%. The latest update also showed WTI crude down 0.48% to $102.54 a barrel and Brent down 0.12% to $115.25; the earlier snapshot reported larger oil declines. European shares were mostly lower in the later report, while the dollar edged up against the offshore yuan and Japanese yen. Gate says its app and website offer trading in precious metals, foreign exchange, stock CFDs, indices and commodities. These silver prices and broader traditional-market moves do not signal a direct change in cryptocurrency conditions.

XRPL stablecoin supply rose 25.2% in Q3 2026 to a record $1.03 billion, while transfer volume climbed 39.5% to $14.09 billion, according to Blockworks Research. RLUSD drove most of the increase: its XRPL supply grew 49.7% to $1.01 billion, representing 98.1% of the ledger’s stablecoin liquidity. RLUSD is also expanding across blockchains, and Ethereum briefly held more of its supply than XRPL during the quarter. The growth points to rising XRPL stablecoin liquidity and activity, including potential uses such as invoice financing. Robinhood and C2FO expansion plans, along with a proposed XRPL lending protocol, could support adoption, but their effects remain uncertain. XRP ETPs also recorded $355.3 million in quarterly net inflows, lifting assets under management to $3.32 billion. Still, increased XRPL stablecoin use does not necessarily mean stronger XRP buying. XRP is required for network fees and account reserves, but RLUSD users do not need to hold large XRP balances. The figures are a positive infrastructure signal, while the direct impact on XRP demand remains unclear.

Ethereum fell from about $2,320 on October 29 to a low near $2,179 on October 30, then rebounded to around $2,267 by November 1. The recovery came as US spot Ethereum ETFs logged five consecutive sessions of net outflows, totaling about $431.4 million from October 26 to 30, including $155.7 million on Friday. BlackRock’s ETHA and ETHB and Grayscale’s Ether funds recorded withdrawals. Earlier in the period, outflows reached about $170.2 million from October 26 to 28; on October 28, net withdrawals were about $21.4 million, including $44.8 million from ETHA. By contrast, US spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted about $137 million on Wednesday. For Ethereum, traders are watching $2,300 as a level to reclaim, with resistance near $2,400. A sustained break above it could bring $2,500 into view, while a fall below the October low could put support near $2,150 and $2,100 at risk. ETF flows indicate weaker demand through regulated products, though they do not establish broad selling across all exchanges. Traders are also monitoring the delayed Glamsterdam upgrade and staking access for eligible Interactive Brokers customers; neither development alone guarantees stronger ETH demand.

Binance recorded $4.65 billion in withdrawals and $1.01 billion in deposits between 06:00 and 15:30 UTC on November 1, resulting in $3.64 billion in net outflows. The withdrawals followed the phased reopening of services after an October 29 hot-wallet breach that reportedly caused $6.3 billion in losses. The FBI attributed the attack to North Korea’s TraderTraitor group and said stolen funds were being converted mainly into ether. Binance said withdrawal volumes eased after an initial surge and that withdrawal routes across 15 networks were available by 12:36 UTC. The exchange and its partners froze about $3 billion in stolen assets, while Binance said company funds had restored about 95% of affected customer balances. Deposits remained open as the exchange continued reviewing assets and networks. The outflows represented about 2.1% of Binance’s reported $171 billion in assets. Binance’s October 31 Proof of Reserves snapshot predates the withdrawal surge. Zero-knowledge verification was still pending, with publication expected by November 3, later than the November 2 expectation cited earlier. Traders are watching Binance outflows, exchange security and reserve transparency as indicators of customer confidence and possible market spillover.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is still investigating whether North Korea was behind the Binance hack and would raise the issue with its leaders if Pyongyang’s involvement is confirmed. The FBI has attributed the theft of more than $6 billion across 10 blockchains to North Korea-linked group TraderTraitor. It says much of the stolen crypto was converted into ETH and could be laundered through DeFi platforms. US authorities have urged crypto firms to block transactions from linked wallets. Binance says it has used company funds to replace about 95% of affected assets, after earlier reporting that it committed roughly $6.34 billion and worked with issuers to freeze about $2.7 billion. Reserves for 10 major cryptocurrencies, including BTC, ETH, BNB, SOL and XRP, have been restored. Withdrawals are being resumed gradually as security checks continue. The Binance hack remains a security and confidence risk, but asset replenishment and frozen funds may limit immediate pressure on users and markets.

Bitcoin recovered to nearly $78,000 on November 1 after a sell-off linked to a reported $6.3 billion Binance security breach. BTC rose about 1% in 24 hours, trading between $77,303 and $78,134, but remained down 3.7% over seven days. The total crypto market capitalisation gained 0.7% to about $2.68 trillion, with Bitcoin accounting for 58.4%. Binance said it had restored or replaced about 95% of the affected assets and was reopening Bitcoin withdrawals. The Bitcoin price recovery remains fragile. Traders are watching the $76,000–$77,000 support zone and whether BTC can regain $80,000. Lighter’s LIT rose about 18% to $3.19, with more than $100 million in trading volume. ETH gained about 1.1%, BNB and XRP traded near $714 and $1.25, and SOL was little changed near $95.43. Smaller tokens also recorded sharp, mixed moves: Dessa, dKargo and Powerledger rose, while FUNToken and UnifAI Network fell. Analyst Ali Martinez said he was watching INJ, SUI, NIGHT, PENGU and PROMPT. The Bitcoin rebound suggests buyers are returning, but its weekly loss and uneven altcoin performance point to continued volatility.

Elon Musk warned that autonomous AI agents could pose a future threat to crypto security, but there is no evidence AI was involved in Binance’s reported $6.3 billion breach on October 29, 2026. Binance said the attack began after a DevOps engineer’s laptop was compromised and attributed it to North Korea-linked group TraderTraitor. The exchange said about $3 billion in assets had been frozen and pledged to cover customer losses. A wallet linked to the attacker reportedly deposited 60 million USDT on Aave and borrowed 19,762 WETH, then worth about $44.6 million, using the lending protocol’s existing features. Aave temporarily restricted new deposits and borrowing across specified V3 and V4 reserves; repayments, available withdrawals and liquidations remained enabled. The reported position was still overcollateralized. The Binance breach highlights immediate risks from compromised devices and legitimate DeFi tools, while Musk’s AI warning points to a possible future threat. Traders should monitor security developments and lending-market liquidity, but the reports do not establish AI involvement or a direct market-wide price impact.

On October 31, OneKey founder Yishi Wang warned crypto holders against storing wallet seed phrases on older iPhones, citing boot-system vulnerabilities that may not be fixable with software updates. The later report specified the affected devices: checkm8 impacts iPhone 4S through iPhone X, while usbliter8 affects iPhone XS, XR, iPhone 11 models and the second-generation iPhone SE. Both flaws are in BootROM and require physical access and specialised tools to exploit; they do not automatically expose a seed phrase, and device passcodes and Apple’s Secure Enclave provide additional protection. Yishi advised users who stored seed phrases on affected iPhones to generate new phrases on a trusted device and move their assets to new wallets. The warning highlights crypto wallet security risks, but no theft was reported and the news does not indicate a direct market event.

Binance has begun restoring withdrawals in stages, reopening selected assets on Bitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain (BSC), the XRP Ledger and Base. Supported withdrawals include BTC; ETH, USDT and USDC on Ethereum; BNB, USDT and USDC on BSC; XRP; and ETH and USDC on Base. The later update confirms the supported assets and networks but reports no further expansion. Binance says it will resume more withdrawals after completing security checks and will share updates through official channels. The staged Binance withdrawal resumption restores access to key assets, while other tokens and networks may remain restricted.

Binance has reopened Bitcoin withdrawals after suspending them following an October 29 security breach estimated at $6.3 billion. Bitcoin is the first network restored in a phased rollout that initially covers selected assets across 15 networks. The exchange has not set a date for restoring other withdrawal routes, which remain subject to security and stability checks. Binance says deposits are still open, but heavy traffic may delay withdrawals. The exchange says it has replenished about 95% of affected assets and that BTC, ETH, USDT, BNB, SOL, USDC, XRP, USD1, RLUSD and ZEC balances are fully backed. It has published a new Proof of Reserves snapshot and expects full cryptographic verification by November 3. The Bitcoin withdrawal reopening is a step towards restoring Binance services and confidence, though restricted withdrawals and the ongoing investigation remain risks for traders.

Strategy says its balance sheet could support $10 billion to $30 billion in digital credit to finance further Bitcoin purchases, without relying on a Bitcoin price rally or issuing common shares. Chairman Michael Saylor described the range as potential financing capacity, not a confirmed fundraising target. The company holds 848,517 BTC as of 25 October, up 26% year to date, and reaffirmed that it intends to remain a net buyer of Bitcoin. The financing plan centres on preferred securities such as STRC. CEO Phong Le said digital credit is expected to be Strategy’s main route to acquiring more Bitcoin; proceeds from a possible STRC issue could be split between a dollar reserve and Bitcoin purchases. Strategy has also spent billions on buybacks to support its credit products, plans to move STRC to daily dividends, and has authorised up to $1 billion in common-stock repurchases. Preferred dividends rank ahead of common equity, creating obligations for shareholders to monitor. Strategy reported third-quarter net income of $19.53 billion, largely reflecting a $20.91 billion increase in the value of its digital assets. For crypto traders, the credit capacity signals a potential source of future Bitcoin demand, but it does not confirm an imminent purchase or change Bitcoin’s supply and demand fundamentals. Watch actual credit issuance, Bitcoin purchases and the execution of the dividend and buyback plans.

Polymarket has launched 15-minute up-or-down prediction markets for gold and silver, marking its first expansion beyond cryptocurrencies. Chainlink is the official oracle, providing price data through Data Streams and Chainlink Runtime Environment. The markets settle using a time-weighted average price (TWAP) over each 15-minute window. Chainlink already supports Polymarket’s short-term crypto markets, which have recorded more than $11 billion in trading volume. The launch extends Chainlink’s oracle services to traditional assets, while Polymarket plans to add more commodities before expanding into equities and foreign exchange. No launch dates or trading data for the new markets have been announced.

Bitwise has raised its long-term Bitcoin price target for 2036 from $1.3 million to $1.6 million, increasing its projected annualised return from 28.3% to 34.3%. The firm kept its model’s assumed Bitcoin market share unchanged but updated its estimates for the store-of-value market, to $110 trillion, and the institutional investment market, to $303 trillion over the next decade. Its earlier analysis also pointed to potential demand if institutions allocated 1% to 5% of portfolios to Bitcoin, while stressing these were hypothetical amounts, not committed investments. Bitwise sees wider access through wealth platforms, possible demand for assets seen as a hedge against currency debasement, and interest from some public institutions as factors that could support adoption. It also cites continued institutional buying, lower volatility and a shallower drawdown than in earlier bear markets as signs of resilience. However, Bitcoin fell more than 50% from its October 2025 peak to below $59,000 in June 2026, ETF inflows slowed, and gold attracted much of the demand for store-of-value assets. The $1.6 million Bitcoin target is a long-range model estimate, not a near-term trading signal; macroeconomic conditions, ETF flows, leverage, regulation and risk appetite remain more immediate price drivers.

US President Donald Trump said the United States is still investigating the Binance hack and has not confirmed whether North Korea was responsible. He said the US would engage with North Korea if its involvement in the Binance hack is confirmed. His remarks offered no new details about the attack, stolen assets or any possible response, leaving the investigation unresolved.

Chainlink announced CustodySync on October 26, naming Anchorage Digital as its first partner. Chainlink CustodySync is designed to connect qualified custody records with decentralised lending markets, allowing eligible institutions to borrow against assets without moving them out of custody. The service covers collateral deposits, borrowing, repayment and liquidation. Anchorage’s Atlas Collateral Management is intended to monitor collateral and loan-to-value ratios, while Chainlink’s Proof of Reserve, Runtime Environment and price data services support reporting and coordination. If collateral breaches agreed thresholds, an appointed agent can manage its sale, with proceeds recorded onchain before settlement. Borrowed funds go directly from the lending market to the borrower. The launch builds on Anchorage’s existing arrangement with Spark, which allows institutions to borrow against Bitcoin held in qualified custody. Anchorage has said borrowers have used that service but has not disclosed their identities or total borrowing. CustodySync may reduce operational barriers to institutional DeFi, but the announcement provides no CustodySync loan volumes, pricing or evidence of recurring revenue. Implementation and features may vary by custodian. Smart-contract, oracle, liquidation and legal-enforcement risks remain, and adoption does not automatically imply higher LINK demand or price.

Circle’s USDC circulation fell by about $790 million in the week to October 29, 2026, to roughly $69.97 billion, as $11.71 billion in redemptions exceeded $10.92 billion in new issuance. The rounded figures show a weekly decline of about $800 million. It was the second consecutive weekly drop, bringing the two-week decrease to about $1.3 billion. The broader trend also points to net contraction: redemptions exceeded issuance by about $3.12 billion over 30 days and $5.05 billion over 365 days. Circle reported approximately $71.41 billion in reserves, above the USDC in circulation. The reserves include short-term US Treasuries, overnight reverse repurchase agreements and bank deposits. This reported cushion provides backing context, but does not guarantee the price of every USDC trade on secondary markets. The redemptions reduce USDC supply but do not, by themselves, show that the dollar peg is under pressure. The data does not reveal who redeemed USDC or whether the funds left crypto, moved to other stablecoins or remained in bank accounts. A smaller USDC float could affect liquidity and collateral availability, and may reduce Circle’s reserve-related interest income. Traders can monitor issuance, redemptions and reserve composition for signs of changing stablecoin demand; the current decline remains modest compared with USDC’s roughly $70 billion circulation.

The Polymarket hack drained about $2.73 million from 737 user accounts on October 29, according to blockchain analytics firm Bitquery. Investigators traced 985 unauthorised withdrawals made through the platform’s official transaction relayer. The largest reported account loss was about $358,000. Polymarket said malicious code was inserted into a third-party website script, targeting users with the platform open. The incident involved valid wallet approvals, not a confirmed flaw in Polymarket’s smart contracts. Investigators said rapid approvals and withdrawals were consistent with automated activity. The breach was linked to a compromised DebugBear monitoring integration on Polymarket’s international website. The company removed the script, reset active sessions and temporarily suspended trading and relayer operations. Trading resumed after about an hour. Polymarket later said 95% of affected wallets had been fully refunded and that total reimbursements would reach $3.9 million. It referred the incident to UK law enforcement, though a final loss figure and reimbursement schedule were not provided in the earlier update. Most traced funds were converted to Polygon’s POL token and spread across wallets, with some moving towards Ethereum. The Polymarket hack highlights the risks of third-party website integrations and wallet permissions, even when smart contracts are not known to be compromised. Traders may want to review wallet approvals and connected services.