Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

At GITEX GLOBAL 2025, Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and DePIN protocol Peaq signed a memorandum of understanding to define regulatory frameworks for on-chain robotics and tokenized machines. The pact centers on Peaq’s Layer-1 blockchain and its Machine Economy Free Zone (MEFZ), launched in July as a sandbox for AI-integrated robotics on blockchain. Under the agreement, VARA and Peaq will share anonymized economic data, develop compliance guidelines for VARA licensing, and deliver joint training to technical and regulatory teams. The MoU outlines support for new projects in MEFZ, workforce development, and data exchange to drive research, governance and security. By establishing comprehensive rules for on-chain robotics, the collaboration ensures robust governance and security across automated systems. This partnership advances the UAE’s efforts to standardize virtual asset regulation, fostering innovation and market growth in the machine economy on blockchain.

As bitcoin treasury firms face a broad mNAV collapse, investors are shifting focus to those with clear competitive edges. There are 205 publicly listed companies holding $113.8 billion in BTC, yet market net asset values have plunged due to market saturation and a recent nearly 10% drop in Bitcoin price. Standard Chartered warns smaller players are most at risk. Analysts at Breed and Glassnode predict only a few treasury firms will survive, while TON Strategy labels the trend a bubble spawning a nascent financial segment. KindlyMD CEO David Bailey—who led its merger with Nakamoto Holdings on August 14 to build a 1 million BTC treasury—says new entrants must pursue unique strategies to stand out. Recommendations include tapping untapped international markets, specializing in credit assets or acquiring steady-income businesses. Despite its ambitions, KindlyMD’s share price fell 57% over six months, with a single-day 55% plunge on September 15. This sector maturation suggests a shift toward a healthier ecosystem dominated by differentiated leaders. Traders should watch business differentiation and mNAV trends closely as indicators of institutional adoption and long-term stability.

France’s ACPR has granted a DLT Trading and Settlement license to Lightning Stock Exchange (Lise) under the EU DLT Pilot Regime, enabling Europe’s first fully tokenized SME stock exchange. Backed by BNP Paribas, Bpifrance and CACEIS, Lise combines MTF and CSD functions on a single blockchain platform to offer instant settlement, 24/7 trading and lower counterparty risk. The exchange will launch its first on-chain IPO in early 2026, followed by up to 10 additional tokenized equity offerings by 2027. This approval comes amid a real-world asset tokenization boom—exceeding $33.9 billion to date, led by Ethereum ($12.1 billion) and Solana ($0.686 billion)—and marks a landmark step for regulated tokenized securities in Europe.

In early November, President Donald Trump officially declared a full-scale trade war with China, threatening 100% tariffs on Chinese imports in response to Beijing’s rare earth mineral export restrictions. The announcement triggered a sharp crypto sell-off, with Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) tumbling over 10% as traders liquidated nearly $20 billion in leveraged positions. Smaller tokens saw deeper declines amid forced selling, pushing total crypto market capitalization down to $3.75 trillion. The tariff threat also sent gold to fresh highs, underscoring cryptocurrencies’ status as risk assets. Beyond price impacts, China’s rare earth controls—vital for electronics and mining hardware—are set to raise semiconductor and mining costs, squeeze smaller miners and delay hardware upgrades. Policy experts warn the ongoing trade war may lead to tighter cross-border capital controls and fragmented payment systems, potentially driving demand for blockchain-based alternatives. Institutions are repricing geopolitical risk, reshaping capital flows and increasing market volatility.

Tether has settled a $299.5 million lawsuit with the Blockchain Recovery Investment Consortium, resolving litigation over the liquidation of about 40,000 BTC collateral during Celsius Network’s 2022 bankruptcy. CEO Paolo Ardoino confirmed that all Celsius-related claims are resolved. Tether plans a $20 billion equity raise to strengthen its balance sheet amid scrutiny of its $10.1 billion in secured loans. Separately, stablecoin issuer Paxos accidentally minted 300 trillion PYUSD tokens and burned the excess after 22 minutes, triggering Aave to freeze its PYUSD reserves. On the regulatory front, Erebor Bank received preliminary approval for a U.S. national charter. Stripe’s Bridge platform and Sony Bank have also filed for charters. Bernstein analysts expect Circle’s USDC revenue to remain resilient through upcoming rate cuts. Tether has also launched a GENIUS-compliant stablecoin, USAT. Traders should note these developments showcase evolving legal, financial, and regulatory dynamics in the stablecoin market.

BitMEX Research’s Q3 2025 derivatives report reveals that perpetual swap funding rates are structurally anchored by a built-in 0.01%/8 h interest floor and capped by institutional arbitrage capital. Over 92% of BTC and ETH funding rate intervals remained positive, with BitMEX showing the highest stability—0.01% anchor in 78% of Bitcoin periods and 88% for Ethereum. Binance averages slightly below the baseline, indicating persistent shorting pressure, while Hyperliquid’s hourly window and lower leverage generated spikes above 0.06% and 35% higher ETH volatility than BTC. Traders should avoid betting on sustained negative funding rates and anticipate brief rate surges. These insights guide timing of basis trades and risk management in crypto derivatives.

Ozak AI has closed its sixth presale on Ethereum, raising $3.58 million by selling approximately 938 million OZ tokens at $0.012 each via ETH, USDT and USDC. The next phase will price OZ at $0.014. A tokenomics model unlocks 10% at listing, followed by a one-month cliff and six-month linear vesting to curb sell-pressure, and a 10% referral bonus to drive community growth. Built on Arbitrum Orbit, Ozak AI offers real-time predictive analytics via ARIMA and neural networks on its Ozak Stream Network, a no-code AI deployment interface (Weblume and SINT), plus a live Rewards Hub for staking, governance and performance incentives. Partnerships with Pyth Network, Dex3, Sentient, SOLO and OpenGPU enhance liquidity and data feeds, while Certik and Sherlock audits bolster security. Early investors at $0.012 stand to gain over 8 200% if OZ hits $1, underscoring growing confidence in its DeFi and AI-driven trading solutions.

ODDO BHF has launched EUROD, a euro stablecoin fully backed 1:1 by euro reserves, under the EU’s MiCA regulation. Built on the Polygon network and managed via Fireblocks with liquidity from Flowdesk, EUROD will debut on Bit2Me, one of the first MiCA-authorized exchanges. The stablecoin undergoes external audits and meets strict governance, reporting and redeemability requirements. ECB President Christine Lagarde has warned that unregulated foreign stablecoins could trigger a euro-area run and urged that issuance rights be reserved for EU-authorized entities. EUROD joins Société Générale’s EURCV, Circle’s EURC, AllUnity’s EURAU and a nine-bank alliance planning a compliant euro stablecoin in 2026. With euro stablecoin market cap around $574 million—far below dollar-pegged rivals—MiCA aims to boost EU financial sovereignty. EUROD’s uptake by payment providers and institutional investors will determine its success as a regulated euro stablecoin alternative.

BlackRock is advancing asset tokenization to integrate digital assets with traditional finance. CEO Larry Fink said the firm is exploring tokenization of ETFs, real estate, bonds and retirement products to broaden market access and streamline operations. The initiative remains in early stages, but BlackRock predicts the tokenization market will grow from $2 trillion in 2025 to $13 trillion by 2030. BlackRock launched the $2.8 billion BUIDL tokenized cash market fund in March 2024. The firm has allocated $104 billion (1%) of its $13.5 trillion portfolio to crypto as a gold-like diversifier and is exploring deeper crypto integration. Its digital innovation teams are researching token-based solutions alongside industry pilots such as the UK Finance sterling deposits trial. Traders should monitor new institutional flows, improved liquidity and emerging tokenized products. This push into tokenized assets underscores rising institutional interest and could accelerate the fusion of blockchain and traditional markets.

Japanese-listed Remixpoint has raised its Bitcoin holdings in two steps—first adding 2.66 BTC and then 2.9 BTC—to reach a total reserve of 1,381.8 BTC. The purchases, announced via BitcoinTreasuries.NET and the company’s official X account, highlight Bitcoin’s appeal as a corporate treasury asset and a hedge against inflation. These incremental acquisitions mirror a broader institutional adoption trend, with global firms holding over 640,250 BTC as of October 2025. Traders should monitor further balance sheet purchases amid favorable market conditions and evolving regulatory frameworks, as such moves may underpin ongoing demand and price stability for Bitcoin.

Fundstrat founder Tom Lee and BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes remain bullish on Ethereum. In a Bankless podcast, both set a year-end target of $10,000, with Lee extending to $12,000. They say Ethereum has exited a four-year consolidation after its $4,878 2021 high and is in a fresh price discovery phase. Despite a recent $19 billion crypto liquidation, they see strong fundamental catalysts, including protocol upgrades. Historical Q4 average gains of 21.36% would push Ethereum toward $5,000, but market momentum and upgrades could drive it much higher.

Solmate Infrastructure has acquired $50 million worth of SOL tokens from the Solana Foundation at a 15% discount. The purchase will support its bare-metal infrastructure projects under the Solana By Design initiative in the UAE. The deal also grants the Solana Foundation two board seats at Solmate. This follows Solmate’s $300 million private funding round led by the Solana Foundation and RockawayX. Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest has taken an 11.5% stake in Solmate. Proponents say the discounted sale will accelerate the Solana ecosystem’s on-chain growth. However, critics warn it could dilute early participants’ advantages. Corporate SOL holdings now total $3 billion, reflecting rising institutional interest. Traders should monitor potential increases in SOL demand as Solmate scales its staking and data-centre services.

The DOJ has filed a civil action seeking forfeiture of 127,271 BTC—valued at $15 billion—in the largest-ever BTC forfeiture. Prosecutors allege Prince Holding Group chairman Chen Zhi led a multi-year pig-butchering scam and forced-labor crypto fraud operation in Cambodia. The DOJ’s BTC forfeiture action is paired with US Treasury and UK sanctions against the Prince Group as a transnational criminal organization. If upheld, this record BTC forfeiture could set a legal precedent for tracing and recovering illicit crypto assets, increase compliance pressure on exchanges and OTC brokers, and reshape regulatory and market dynamics in Southeast Asia.

Veteran trader Peter Brandt predicts Bitcoin may briefly retest its $125,100 all-time high before a corrective pullback to $50,000–$60,000. He outlines two scenarios: a rapid washout followed by a fresh ATH within days or a parabolic structure breakdown triggering a deeper decline. Last week’s US announcement of 100% tariffs on Chinese imports spurred over $19 billion in crypto liquidations, sending BTC from $121,000 down to $102,000 before rebounding to $112,400. Capital-risk advocate Charles Edwards and Brandt both warn against high leverage, noting even 1.5× margin can be unsafe amid weekend volatility. Meanwhile, industry veterans Arthur Hayes, Pav Hundal and Lyn Alden point to supportive macro conditions—ending quantitative tightening, potential Fed rate cuts and improved liquidity—as catalysts for a bullish cycle. Traders should watch market volatility, on-chain data and leverage levels for optimal entry points.

SEAL, a cybersecurity nonprofit, has launched a TLS attestation tool to fight crypto phishing scams. The system uses an attestation server integrated into the TLS handshake and a local proxy to capture secure web sessions. It generates cryptographically signed, tamper-proof phishing reports that confirm the exact content delivered by scam websites. By preventing fraudsters from evading automated scanners with benign page wrappers, the tool enhances fraud detection and phishing investigations. Security teams can now irrefutably prove that a URL hosted phishing material without visiting live sites. In the first half of 2025, crypto scam losses topped $400 million, and SEAL’s solution already helped unmask scammers posing as IT professionals to breach crypto firms. This advance in crypto phishing defense aims to boost market confidence and collaboration among researchers.

Tether has agreed to a $299.5 million USDT settlement with the Blockchain Recovery Investment Consortium (BRIC), ending a protracted legal battle tied to the 2022 collapse of Celsius Network. Under U.S. bankruptcy court approval, Tether will distribute 299.5 million USDT in installments over 24 months to Celsius creditors, while BRIC will drop all claims. Though Tether neither admits liability nor wrongdoing, the settlement resolves disputes over Bitcoin collateral liquidations linked to USDT loans, streamlines asset recovery for users and removes a major legal overhang. Traders may see reduced regulatory risk and strengthened confidence in USDT, though the deal itself is unlikely to impact the stablecoin’s peg.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has unveiled a crypto-friendly agenda ahead of the next general election. Key proposals include a £5bn Bitcoin reserve funded by seized digital assets, a flat 10% crypto tax, tax payments in digital assets, and a two-year blockchain sandbox. The plan also bans banks from de-banking lawful crypto users and seeks to halt the Bank of England’s digital pound project. The £5bn Bitcoin reserve (about 60,000 BTC) would require new legislation, as current law mandates asset liquidation. The simplified crypto tax could reshape trading strategies, holding periods and loss harvesting. Meanwhile, the FCA and BoE continue consultations on stablecoin regulation, custody rules and tokenized funds. Traders should watch the digital pound timetable, stablecoin frameworks and any parliamentary progress on Farage’s proposals. Positive regulatory signals may boost market liquidity and institutional participation, but immediate sovereign Bitcoin demand is unlikely without government approval.

Over the past month, Ether.fi has accelerated its ETHFI buybacks, deploying 162 ETH (approximately $715,000) of protocol revenue to repurchase 483,000 tokens. This includes 247,000 bought this week with 78 ETH—137,000 burned and 109,000 distributed to sETHFI stakers—and 236,000 repurchased over the prior two weeks with 84 ETH. To date, the ETHFI buyback program has acquired roughly $7.5 million worth of tokens, underscoring Ether.fi’s commitment to reducing circulating supply, aligning long-term incentives, and boosting staking rewards. Traders should monitor potential price support from ETHFI buybacks and token burns, as well as growing staking rewards, which may drive bullish momentum for ETHFI in the DeFi market.

Binance has launched a $400 million relief fund to support traders hit by last weekend’s stablecoin depeg. The Binance relief fund allocates $300 million in USDC to compensate retail users who faced forced liquidations with net asset losses over 30% and at least $50 in losses. Payouts start within 24 hours and will complete within 96 hours, credited directly to spot accounts. An additional $100 million Institutional Support Program offers low-interest loans to VIP clients and ecosystem partners under liquidity pressure. The move follows a technical glitch that caused USDe, BNSOL and WBETH to depeg, triggering widespread liquidations. Binance has also implemented new safeguards, such as adding redemption prices to index weights, setting minimum price thresholds for USDe, and increasing the frequency of risk-parameter reviews. By launching this relief initiative, Binance aims to rebuild market confidence, stabilize derivatives trading and prevent future depeg events.

Stripe has rolled out USDC subscriptions on the Polygon and Base blockchains, enabling merchants to automate stablecoin billing directly via crypto wallets with fiat settlement through the Stripe Dashboard. The smart contract-powered feature lets customers pre-authorize up to 400 wallets for recurring USDC payments without manual transaction approvals, streamlining billing for AI platforms, Web3 services, and other subscription-based businesses. Alongside, Stripe’s Bridge unit is seeking a national trust charter from the U.S. OCC—joining Circle, Ripple, and Paxos—to enhance regulatory oversight and support its broader stablecoin ecosystem, including the Open Issuance platform. With stablecoin market capitalization exceeding $293 billion and $3.7 trillion in monthly transfers across 29 million active addresses, Stripe’s USDC subscriptions and regulatory push are poised to accelerate on-chain payment integration and cross-border commerce.

Earlier this year, Tether’s USDT and Circle’s USDC held over 90% of the stablecoin market. As the total market grew to more than $300 billion, their combined share dropped to the low 80s. Three trends drive this fragmentation: white-label issuance via providers like Anchorage and Stripe’s Bridge; new yield-sharing stablecoins such as Ethena’s USDe, Paxos’s USDG and Hyperliquid’s USDH; and regulatory shifts under the EU’s MiCA and the proposed US GENIUS Act that open the market to banks and fintech. Incumbents have responded with regulated offerings (USA₮, EU-compliant USDC) and network partnerships. Banks and platforms like PayPal are also exploring dollar-backed stablecoins, intensifying competition. Traders should watch market share shifts, yield incentives and regulatory moves for liquidity risks and opportunities in the evolving stablecoin market.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov credits his personal wealth to early Bitcoin investments rather than app profits. He revealed on the Lex Fridman Podcast that he bought several thousand BTC in 2013 at about $700 per coin and held through deep corrections. Durov highlights Bitcoin’s censorship resistance and fixed supply. He says his Bitcoin proceeds funded private jets and luxury rentals and kept Telegram ad-free until the firm became profitable in 2024. Telegram now generates over $500 million in annual revenue from premium subscriptions and blockchain tools without exploiting user data. Durov forecasts Bitcoin could reach $1 million per coin amid ongoing fiat inflation. His story underscores the long-term HODL mindset, bolsters Bitcoin’s scarcity-driven value and signals growing crypto adoption.

South Korea’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has resumed its review of Binance’s executive change filing for its 67% stake in Gopax, signalling a pivotal step in Binance South Korea re-entry. The Gopax review was halted after AML compliance issues and U.S. legal charges—including a $4.3bn DOJ settlement—cast doubt on Binance’s governance. Following strengthened oversight, regulators may approve by late 2025, enabling Binance to leverage Gopax’s won-denominated licence and enhance market liquidity. Binance’s investment prevented a $47m liquidity crunch linked to Genesis Global Capital, and a failed 2024 stake sale to Megazone ensured its majority control. This milestone comes amid South Korea’s broader crypto regulation tightening—retail lending bans, stablecoin frameworks and spot ETF preparations—highlighting the shift towards institutional-grade oversight. Traders should watch official FIU updates: approval is likely bullish for BNB trading volumes and reinforces confidence in Binance South Korea compliance.

Bhutan has begun migrating its National Digital Identity (NDI) system from Polygon to Ethereum, completing an initial integration and targeting full migration by early 2026. Launched under the National Digital Identity Act 2023 and serving over 200,000 users, the platform employs self-sovereign identity (SSI) principles and decentralized identifiers (DIDs). Verifiable credentials are stored on Ethereum’s EVM smart contracts with personal data kept off-chain, while Polygon remains operational until the switch. Endorsed by the Ethereum Foundation and backed by Druk Holding and Investments for its decentralization and security, this migration positions Bhutan as one of the first nations to run a sovereign digital ID on a public blockchain. The move could boost EVM interoperability, influence gas fee dynamics, and attract security audits. Traders should monitor Ethereum network activity and Polygon status for potential ETH and MATIC trading opportunities.

Over the past two days, a Hyperliquid whale increased its Bitcoin short to $496 million at 10x leverage, doubling a previous $163 million position. Hypurrscan data pins the liquidation price at $124,270 per BTC. This Bitcoin short was opened before the Trump tariff announcement, fueling speculation of insider knowledge. The whale pocketed $192 million during last week’s crash and holds about $900 million in combined BTC and ETH shorts. Researchers tied the wallet to ex-BitForex CEO Garrett Jin, who denies ownership. This aggressive Bitcoin short underscores bearish market sentiment and raises the risk of volatile squeezes. Traders should watch funding rates and open interest for early squeeze signals.

RTFKT co-founder Benoît Pagotto died unexpectedly at 41 on October 12. Pagotto helped launch RTFKT in early 2020 and spearheaded the Clone X x Takashi Murakami NFT collection, virtual sneakers, and digital fashion. He stayed on as Senior Director of Brand and Partnerships after Nike acquired RTFKT in December 2021. His passing triggered a 420% surge in RTFKT NFT token price, a 204% jump in trading volume, and drove Ethereum (ETH) up 8% to $4,174. Nike shares fell 4.2% on the news. Traders attribute the rally to both homage and renewed momentum in the Web3 fashion sector. Pagotto’s legacy lives on through RTFKT’s innovative work and the broader NFT community.

Crypto investment products saw a record $3.17 billion inflow last week, pushing year-to-date investments to $48.7 billion. Bitcoin-focused products led the surge with $2.67 billion in weekly inflows, raising YTD flows to $30.2 billion. Total ETP trading volume doubled to $53 billion, including a $15.3 billion spike on Friday. Assets under management fell 7% to $242 billion amid tariff-related market volatility and end-week selling, yet withdrawals remained low at $159 million—underscoring strong institutional demand for crypto investment products. Regionally, U.S. funds captured $3.01 billion of the inflows, followed by Switzerland ($132 million) and Germany ($53.5 million). Sweden, Brazil and Hong Kong saw outflows. Ethereum funds added $338 million but faced a $172 million Friday pull-out, while Solana (SOL) and XRP products drew $93.3 million and $61.6 million respectively.

Strategy Inc, the largest public corporate Bitcoin holder, continued its Bitcoin accumulation strategy by acquiring 220 BTC between October 6–12 at an average price of $123,561. The purchase, funded by $27.3 million net proceeds from at-the-market preferred stock offerings, brings total holdings to 640,250 BTC. This counter-cyclical move boosts the firm’s year-to-date yield on its Bitcoin accumulation strategy to 25.9% after nine straight weeks of buying over 21,000 BTC for $2.46 billion. Institutional peers such as MARA Holdings also joined the trend, adding 400 BTC for $46.31 million during a $19.35 billion liquidation event that pushed prices from $121,560 to below $103,000. Following the announcement, Bitcoin traded between $113,800 and $114,400, reflecting persistent selling pressure. Technical indicators show easing downside momentum yet confirm a bearish trend until a breakout above $116,500 or a drop below $112,000. Strategy Inc’s shares fell 4.8% post-announcement but recovered in pre-market trading. The firm’s ongoing, capital-markets-driven accumulation underscores growing institutional confidence in Bitcoin as a long-term store of value.

Bitcoin Core 30, released October 13, 2025, delivers major security, performance and scalability enhancements. The standout upgrade in Bitcoin Core 30 expands the OP_RETURN limit from 80 bytes to 100,000 bytes, boosting non-financial data capacity for protocols like Runes. The update also adds optional node encryption to protect peer connections, redesigns the orphan transaction buffer to improve DoS resistance and reintroduces external signing support for Windows. Miners gain a new IPC interface for Stratum v2, while coinstatsindex and RPC APIs receive increased flexibility. The GUI moves to Qt6, adding dark mode on Windows and Metal support on macOS, as legacy BDB wallets reach end-of-life (nodes can migrate via migratewallet). Branches 27.x and earlier are deprecated. While supporters argue the expanded OP_RETURN limit enables new use cases, critics warn it risks blockchain bloat, higher storage costs and slower node sync. Traders should monitor mempool size, transaction fees and node performance as the network adjusts to increased data throughput.