Crypto News

On October 9, 2026, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) proposed classifying certain event contracts as swaps, clarifying its oversight of prediction markets traded on federally registered exchanges. The proposal covers contracts linked to sports, politics, culture and weather. A separate interim final rule excludes sportsbook wagers and casino-style games from the swap definition. The measures address a jurisdictional dispute: the CFTC claims federal authority over qualifying markets, while some states argue platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket should be governed by state gambling laws. Court rulings have been divided, and the proposal does not resolve ongoing cases or immediately change rules for every platform. Public comments on both measures are due within 30 days of publication. The outcome could shape where prediction markets operate and how they are regulated, but no direct cryptocurrency price impact has been identified.

US Senator Richard Blumenthal has asked Cantor Fitzgerald to provide records on its relationship with Tether, the issuer of USDT. The 13-item request, sent to Cantor chairman Brandon Lutnick, is due by October 23. It is not a subpoena and does not establish wrongdoing by Cantor or Tether. The request seeks details of Cantor’s sanctions and anti-money-laundering checks, its custody of Tether’s reserve assets, fees, and communications with officials and regulators. Blumenthal also asks about a possible Tether loan connected to former Cantor chief Howard Lutnick’s transfer of his stake to a trust for his children. The letter claims Lutnick received more than $250 million after Donald Trump returned to office and that Cantor’s reported 5% Tether stake rose in estimated value from $600 million to $10 billion. These are claims and estimates cited by Blumenthal, not confirmed valuations or findings. The inquiry follows a Democratic Senate staff report examining 846 wallets sanctioned or targeted for seizure over alleged links to Iran and regional proxies. The report says 84% had transacted exclusively or almost exclusively in USDT; the selected sample does not represent all USDT activity. Tether says it froze about $550 million in Iran-linked USDT during 2026. For traders, the Tether inquiry adds regulatory and reputational scrutiny, but it does not show a reserve shortfall or change USDT’s backing. Cantor’s reported role is custody of reserve assets, while Tether can freeze specified token addresses. Any market reaction is therefore more likely to stem from changing confidence or further regulatory action than from the records request alone.

Securitize has launched 12 tokenized US stocks on Solana for eligible investors, including Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Alphabet, Tesla, Meta, Amazon, Netflix, Circle, SpaceX, Strategy and Palantir. The tokens are described as 1:1-backed security entitlements under UCC Article 8, rather than direct shareholdings or price-only synthetic products. Securitize says the underlying shares will not be lent. USDC is used for settlement. Trading initially runs on Securitize’s Solana PropAMM, with Jump Trading providing liquidity during extended hours. Holders are not registered shareholders by default. Applicable dividends, voting instructions and corporate actions depend on brokerage and custody processes, and holders must convert their entitlements to obtain registered shareholder status. The companies have not sponsored or endorsed the tokens. Securitize plans to work towards 24/7 trading, while potential listings on planned NYSE- and OKXICE-operated digital venues remain subject to regulatory and operational requirements. For crypto traders, the launch marks a notable Solana tokenization development, but eligibility restrictions, thin extended-hours liquidity, market halts and reliance on intermediaries remain important risks. Around-the-clock access is not yet a launch-day feature.

Ethereum’s Sepolia testnet activated the Glamsterdam upgrade on October 6, raising its block gas limit from about 60 million to nearly 200 million. A review of 25 blocks found gas use of 47.1 million to 85.9 million, roughly 24% to 43% of the new limit. Separately, Sepolia produced all 32 scheduled blocks during a six-minute voting period, with 99.97% of eligible stake voting for finality. These results are encouraging, but they do not show that validators can safely sustain blocks close to the new Ethereum gas limit. The higher limit also does not mean transaction capacity will triple or fees will automatically fall; larger blocks can increase validator and network-propagation demands. Glamsterdam changes transaction processing and data-access costs, so developers may need to retest contracts and tools. The earlier plan for a Hoodi testnet upgrade around October 27 was tentative; the later update says no date has been announced. Ethereum mainnet remains at a 60 million gas limit, with no mainnet upgrade scheduled. For ETH traders, this is a measured scaling milestone rather than an immediate change to network capacity or transaction fees.

Greece is drafting a bill to impose a 15% crypto capital gains tax, according to Reuters and local media. The proposal would exempt the first €500 in annual gains and tax net profits when crypto is converted to fiat or used to buy goods and services. Crypto-to-crypto trades would not trigger tax, losses could be carried forward for up to five years, and staking or lending rewards would be taxed when sold. Officials have also indicated that individual mining may be treated differently from mining conducted through a registered corporation. The proposed Greece crypto tax would apply retroactively from January 1, 2025, with gains declared on tax returns filed in 2027. The bill is expected to go to parliament in November. Separately, EU DAC8 rules will require crypto service providers to report user and transaction data to tax authorities from July 1, 2026; Greece has faced an EU infringement action over implementation. For traders, the proposal could reduce after-tax returns for Greek residents who realize gains, but its effect on crypto prices is likely limited. Tax rules vary across the EU, and MiCA does not establish a common tax regime.

Standard Chartered plans to launch digital asset custody in Singapore, subject to regulatory requirements, for institutional clients and accredited corporate investors—not retail customers. The service is expected to cover selected cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets, and support clients across the asset lifecycle, including safeguarding assets and issuing and holding tokenized versions. The bank has not disclosed supported assets or a launch date. The plan extends its digital asset custody operations in the UAE, Luxembourg and Hong Kong. Standard Chartered is also expanding its Zodia custody business and developing crypto trading and tokenization, including spot bitcoin and ether trading through its Dubai branch, a London bitcoin trading desk and blockchain unit Libeara. The Singapore expansion adds to institutional digital asset custody options in a major Asian financial hub, but does not by itself signal an immediate change in cryptocurrency prices.

Greece has proposed a 10% crypto tax on individual gains, lower than the 15% rate officials discussed in June. The draft bill exempts the first €500 of annual gains, treats crypto-to-crypto swaps as non-taxable and applies the same 10% rate to income from staking, lending and liquidity provision. The proposal is open for public consultation until October 22 and is expected to go to parliament in November; it is not yet law. Greece currently lacks a comprehensive crypto tax framework, and officials say overseas platforms make the market difficult to assess. No revenue forecast has been reported. The proposal would clarify crypto tax treatment in Greece, as European countries move towards clearer digital-asset tax reporting, though rules and rates differ across the region.

Polymarket began production canary testing Protocol V2 on October 5. The trial is scheduled to run through October 30, with November 2 tentatively set for new markets to begin using the upgraded system. No broader migration plan for existing markets has been announced; they can continue settling through their original contracts. The Polymarket Protocol V2 upgrade rebuilds the prediction market’s smart-contract infrastructure. It unifies positions through ERC-1155, standardizes pUSD as collateral for new markets, and updates routing and oracle components. Polymarket says pUSD is an ERC-20 token on Polygon backed 1:1 by USDC. V2 is designed to support Binary, Atomic Neg-risk, Incremental Neg-risk and Combinatorial markets, with an OracleAggregator intended to connect resolution sources including UMA and Chainlink. The code has undergone several audits and formal verification by Certora. For traders, this is primarily an infrastructure change, not a user-interface overhaul or a direct token catalyst. The near-term focus is whether testing proceeds smoothly and whether the tentative launch date holds. A successful rollout could support platform growth and more complex prediction markets, while the limited immediate market impact may leave trading activity largely unchanged.

Aave V4’s Equities Hub on Base has attracted $4.7 million in Coinbase-issued tokenized stocks, with deposits doubling in a week. Meta and Nvidia tokens make up about half of the total. The isolated market, launched on September 25, allows eligible users outside the US to use seven tokenized US stocks as collateral to borrow USDC. The assets are Coinbase B20 certificates backed by shares held in segregated custody, not stocks issued by Aave. Aave V4 supports Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla tokens; the stocks cannot be borrowed or used as collateral for other equities. Collateral factors range from 65% to 79%, with separate collateral, USDC supply and borrowing caps. Chainlink price feeds operate 24 hours a day, five days a week, while the lending market runs around the clock. That mismatch may leave weekend prices stale and increase liquidation risk. The launch adds a new use for tokenized stocks in DeFi lending, but the market remains limited by its US exclusion and unresolved regulatory questions around tokenized securities.

Seeking Alpha published political discussion forum notices on 29 September and 7 October 2026. The notices explain comment moderation rules, risk disclosures and user guidance. They prohibit personal attacks, hate speech and incitement to violence, while noting that forum discussions are not held to the same standards as the platform’s main investment content and do not constitute investment advice. The later notice adds no new political event, market data, economic indicator, company announcement or cryptocurrency development. There are no figures on crypto prices, trading volume, job cuts, the tech sector or fiscal impact. The notices therefore offer no actionable crypto market signal for Bitcoin, Ethereum or wider digital assets. The expected crypto market impact is neutral.

OKX has launched OKX Money, a standalone mobile app for stablecoin savings, cross-border transfers and everyday payments. The OKX Money app is initially available in selected markets across Latin America, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, with access determined by local regulations, licensing and identity checks. Users can fund accounts with more than 50 currencies and convert balances into USDG, USDC or USDT. OKX says supported stablecoins can be held and converted without conversion fees. The app is designed to reduce foreign-exchange costs, which can reach about 2% to 5% through traditional providers, although rates and features vary by market. Eligible users can earn up to 10% APY on USDG without staking or a fixed lock-up. Rewards are paid weekly, but eligibility may depend on deposits, spending activity or VIP status. OKX has not explained how the advertised yield is funded, so traders should distinguish the reward from USDG’s reserves, which Paxos says are backed by cash and short-term US government securities. OKX Money also offers virtual and physical cards, up to 10% cashback through a five-tier loyalty programme and referral rewards. OKX says the service uses its existing security infrastructure and operates within regulatory frameworks across more than 30 jurisdictions. The launch expands OKX beyond crypto trading into stablecoin savings, remittances and payments. It could support longer-term demand for USDG, USDC and USDT, but limited availability, regulatory uncertainty and undisclosed yield funding reduce the immediate price impact.

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT says he infiltrated a Chinese-linked crypto laundering network allegedly handling more than $1 billion for North Korea’s Lazarus Group-related operations. The investigation followed the February 2025 Bybit exploit, in which about $1.5 billion was stolen and attributed to the DPRK-linked TraderTraitor group. ZachXBT posed as a client and used 349,700 USDC to contact a Telegram broker known as “Jimmy Green”. On-chain data linked the broker’s wallet to Bybit hack proceeds. The broker allegedly disclosed laundering activity in Hong Kong and mainland China, including planned transfers to Solana. The investigation traced more than $12 million in Bybit-linked assets across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana and Tron. Tether later froze about $442,000 in related USDT. ZachXBT also identified the use of THORChain, Uniswap liquidity pools and illiquid tokens to obscure stolen funds. The network was allegedly connected to the Poloniex exploit and scam proceeds linked to the sanctioned Huione Guarantee platform. Evidence was shared with private investigators and law enforcement. ZachXBT said he has helped freeze more than $75 million linked to North Korean hacking operations since 2022. The findings highlight persistent cross-chain laundering risks and could lead to further exchange compliance action, stablecoin freezes and short-term volatility in affected assets. However, the news is unlikely to create a broad market move.

OKX has applied to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch a US tokenized stock trading platform, according to Bloomberg. The application was not yet visible in the SEC’s public records at the time of reporting. The proposal follows an earlier OKXICE filing for a regulated tokenized stock exchange. OKXICE is a joint venture between OKX and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. The initial proposal covered 63 NYSE-listed companies. OKX would provide blockchain infrastructure, while ICE would contribute market technology. OKX already offers more than 70 tokenized US stocks and ETFs through its Unified Tokenized Stocks product, powered by xStocks. These assets trade 24/7 in USDT and settle on Solana and OKX’s X Layer network. However, the offshore products are sold under Regulation S and classified as synthetic instruments. They provide price exposure but no dividends or voting rights. The SEC’s five-year Innovation Exemption, introduced on 17 September 2026, allows qualified Tokenized Securities Venues to support secondary trading in tokenized NMS stocks through approved automated market makers and liquidity pools. The rules require tokens to preserve genuine shareholder rights, use auditable smart contracts on public, permissionless blockchains, and halt trading if the underlying stock is suspended. This could force OKX to redesign its existing tokenized stock model for the US market. OKXICE is also seeking broker-dealer and futures commission merchant approvals from the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. If approved, the platform could support near-24-hour trading of US equities, subject to regulatory limits. For crypto traders, the key catalysts are the SEC’s licensing decision and whether OKX can add dividends and voting rights. The OKX tokenized stock platform is strategically significant, but the direct price impact on OKX-related crypto assets is likely limited until approvals and product changes become clearer.

The Bitget hack began on 24 September 2026, when attackers exploited a backend wallet-infrastructure vulnerability to spoof transaction-approval data and move funds from hot and warm wallets. Private keys were not stolen, and Bitget said cold wallets and customer balances remained unaffected. The initial loss estimate was $351.6 million. Lookonchain later placed the figure as high as $356.8 million, with about 102.93 million XRP, worth roughly $157.5 million, identified as the largest stolen asset. Further investigation raised the estimated loss to $387.5 million after additional assets were found on the Zcash and Tron networks. Some funds were reportedly recovered, but Bitget did not disclose the amount. Bitget suspended withdrawals during its security review but kept trading and deposits active. CEO Gracy Chen said the exchange’s User Protection Fund held more than $464 million and could cover the loss without using customer balances. The BGB token fell about 3.3% after the incident. Mandiant, SlowMist and law-enforcement agencies are investigating. IP and VPN patterns may indicate North Korean-linked attackers, although attribution remains unconfirmed. Traders should watch withdrawal restoration, stolen-fund movements, further revisions to the Bitget hack estimate, XRP liquidity and BGB market confidence. The incident also highlights the security risks of centralized exchange backend systems and was reportedly the largest single crypto breach of 2026.

Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade is scheduled to activate on the Sepolia testnet on October 6, 2026, at 13:53:36 UTC, targeting epoch 353,024 and slot 11,296,768. The mainnet launch date remains unconfirmed, while a possible Hoodi activation on October 27 is tentative. Glamsterdam combines the Amsterdam execution-layer upgrade with the Gloas consensus-layer upgrade. Its central feature is EIP-7732, which introduces enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS). Builders will commit to execution payloads, reveal them later and make proposer payments through protocol rules. A payload timeliness committee will assess whether payloads and blob data arrive on schedule. EIP-7928 will add block-level access lists, helping Ethereum clients validate transactions and calculate state roots in parallel. Other changes affect state-creation costs, state-access pricing, calldata, access lists, transaction gas and block gas accounting. Validators, Sepolia node operators, developers and block-building infrastructure teams must upgrade compatible execution- and consensus-layer clients before the testnet fork. Developers should also review smart contracts, gas estimators, fixed gas stipends and hardcoded limits. The Glamsterdam upgrade is a major Ethereum scalability milestone, but it is not an immediate mainnet launch signal. For ETH traders, the short-term price impact is likely limited, while successful testing could support Ethereum’s long-term scalability narrative.

Bitget has restored Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Tether (USDT) withdrawals after the Bitget hack led to about $387.5 million in unauthorised transfers. The breach affected hot and warm wallets, while the exchange said customer balances, private keys and cold wallets were not compromised. Deposits and trading remained available during the suspension. BTC withdrawals initially resumed on Bitcoin and BNB Smart Chain, followed by ETH and USDT across several networks. Other token withdrawals, fiat services and peer-to-peer trading are scheduled to return on 2 October at 08:00 UTC. Bitget said its Protection Fund had recovered to more than $300 million. Its latest proof-of-reserves report showed a 131% overall reserve ratio across 19 assets, including 142% for BTC, 110% for ETH and 107% for USDT. Mandiant and SlowMist are investigating the Bitget hack. The exchange said attackers exploited a vulnerability in a third-party security product to obtain credentials and forge withdrawal commands. The estimated loss rose from $351.6 million after investigators identified additional transfers involving Zcash and Tron. Blockchain trackers also found about $6.3 million in stolen ETH converted into BTC through THORChain. THORChain declined to freeze the addresses, citing its permissionless design. Withdrawals are largely returning, but cross-chain laundering, liquidity concerns and exchange-security risks remain important for traders.

Anthropic has confidentially filed for a potential IPO, creating a major test for frontier AI valuations. The company reported nearly $4.6 billion in 2025 revenue but more than $8 billion in operating losses. Its net loss reached nearly $42 billion, including about $34 billion in non-cash accounting charges linked to convertible financing liabilities. Computing and infrastructure costs rose to $7.33 billion. Anthropic also disclosed roughly $518 billion in future cloud and infrastructure payment commitments, with about 80% reportedly non-cancellable. Google and Amazon account for at least $111 billion and $110 billion of these commitments. Anthropic held $20.28 billion in cash and short-term investments at the end of 2025. Later reports said second-quarter 2026 revenue exceeded $11.5 billion, while annualised revenue reached about $14 billion and Claude Code annualised revenue surpassed $2.5 billion. However, revenue remains concentrated among a small number of customers, and limited long-term contracts create additional risk. Anthropic has also warned that increasingly autonomous AI models could resist shutdowns, damage software or assist fraud. The Anthropic IPO could reportedly seek a valuation above $2 trillion, although the draft prospectus remains private and the timing is unconfirmed. For crypto traders, the Anthropic IPO is not a direct cryptocurrency catalyst. It may nevertheless affect risk appetite, venture funding and sentiment toward high-growth technology assets. Strong AI infrastructure demand could support broader technology themes, while heavy losses and large long-term obligations could trigger concern about excessive capital spending.

Blockchain.com is reportedly targeting a 2026 US IPO that could raise about $500 million at a valuation of $4 billion to $6 billion, Bloomberg reported. The crypto wallet and exchange company may reduce the offering if market conditions weaken. Blockchain.com confidentially filed a draft S-1 registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in May. The company has not disclosed the share count, IPO price range, stock exchange or listing date. The IPO remains subject to SEC review and investor demand. Bloomberg sources said Blockchain.com has achieved adjusted profitability for three consecutive years. The proposed Blockchain.com valuation is far below its reported $14 billion private-market peak in 2022. Its $110 million Series E funding round in 2023 valued the company at less than half that level. Founded in 2011, Blockchain.com operates a Bitcoin wallet, crypto exchange, custody and institutional-services businesses. It says its platform has processed more than $1.1 trillion in transactions and has over 44 million confirmed accounts. The company is also expanding through a memorandum of understanding with NYSE Group to offer tokenised US stocks and ETFs on a planned digital trading venue, subject to regulatory approval. The Blockchain.com IPO comes as crypto listings show mixed performance. Gemini and Bullish completed public listings last year, while Kraken parent Payward is preparing to list. For traders, the deal is a test of public-market appetite for crypto companies, but limited financial disclosure keeps valuation and execution risks high.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $31.1 million in net inflows in an earlier session, with BlackRock’s IBIT attracting $55 million despite outflows from other funds. In the latest data, Bitcoin ETFs posted inflows of 511 BTC, worth about $42.99 million. Seven-day Bitcoin ETF inflows reached 15,196 BTC, or roughly $1.28 billion. Demand also strengthened during the week ending September 25, when Bitcoin ETFs recorded $2.4 billion in net inflows. IBIT accounted for about $1.2 billion, while Fidelity’s FBTC attracted approximately $702 million. IBIT’s assets under management approached $67 billion. Ethereum spot ETFs recorded $17.1 million in an earlier session and later reported 5,648 ETH in daily inflows, worth about $15.37 million. Seven-day Ethereum ETF inflows reached 168,733 ETH, or approximately $459 million, after weekly inflows of about $690 million in a previous period. The latest Bitcoin ETF data shows that cumulative year-to-date flows recovered from roughly negative $5.8 billion in mid-July to positive $934 million by late September. Lifetime net inflows reached about $57.6 billion, while total net assets neared $108 billion. Persistent Bitcoin ETF and Ethereum ETF inflows point to sustained institutional demand and offer a modestly bullish signal for BTC and ETH. However, uneven session-to-session flows suggest that demand remains episodic, so ETF inflows alone do not guarantee further price gains.

The Bitget hack exposed a vulnerability in a third-party security product, allowing attackers to obtain high-level internal credentials and issue fraudulent withdrawal commands. The exchange detected unauthorised transfers from several hot wallets on 24 September and initially estimated losses at $351.6 million. It later revised the figure to about $387.5 million, including transfers involving ETH, Zcash and TRON. Bitget said its private keys and cold wallets were not compromised. Withdrawals were temporarily suspended while the exchange fixed the flaw and strengthened access controls, independent withdrawal verification and anomaly monitoring. The Bitget hack investigation involves Mandiant and SlowMist, while some stolen assets have reportedly been frozen. Bitget has not disclosed the amount recovered and is offering a 5% recovery reward. The exchange asked THORChain to restrict movement of the related funds, although the decentralised protocol cannot selectively blacklist addresses. Bitget cited preliminary similarities to North Korean hacking methods, but attribution remains unconfirmed. The exchange’s protection fund, valued at more than $464 million, is intended to cover potential losses.

Crypto liquidations increased over 24 hours as leveraged traders faced forced closures across Binance, Bybit, OKX, Hyperliquid and Gate.io. Estimates varied by data provider, ranging from about $210 million to $428 million in total liquidations. The latest figures put long liquidations near $309 million, with Bitcoin and Ethereum accounting for the largest share. Solana, XRP and Dogecoin also recorded losses. Long positions made up roughly 63% to 80% of liquidations, showing that bullish traders absorbed most of the damage during the decline. The largest reported single liquidation was an ETHUSDT position worth about $4.6 million, while more than 70,000 traders may have been affected. The crypto liquidations were driven mainly by leveraged perpetual-futures mechanics rather than a clearly identified macroeconomic catalyst. When collateral falls below the maintenance-margin threshold, exchanges automatically close positions. These forced sales can intensify price moves and trigger further liquidation clusters. A 3% to 4% spot-market decline can produce hundreds of millions of dollars in forced selling. September 2026 has seen several daily liquidation totals above $600 million, with the largest sessions approaching $1 billion. The latest event is therefore significant but mid-tier by recent monthly standards. Traders should monitor funding rates, open interest, Bitcoin’s $75,000-$87,000 range, key support levels and liquidation clusters for signs of continued deleveraging or market stabilisation.

Coinbase is expanding its use of AI agents across internal operations. The exchange initially tested agents through Slack and email, including Fred for strategic feedback and Balaji for challenging ideas. It now says about 1,200 full-time AI agents support communications, code reviews, design, strategy and team collaboration. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong wants internal teams and platforms to compete like startups. AI agents may evaluate performance, route work to stronger tools and reduce reliance on underperforming services. The company says code output per developer has roughly doubled year on year, while reported bugs have declined. Armstrong also expects AI agents could eventually outnumber human employees, while Coinbase aims to make it easier for staff to create their own agents. The strategy supports Coinbase’s broader push towards AI-driven transactions. Armstrong has predicted that AI agents could transact online more often than humans, while Circle’s Jeremy Allaire has suggested that billions of agents could move money onchain within three to five years. Coinbase’s x402 payment protocol is part of this infrastructure. For COIN traders, the development is mainly a long-term operational signal rather than an immediate price catalyst. AI adoption could improve productivity, product launches and cost controls, but faulty automation, bias and governance failures remain risks. Traders should monitor disclosures on workforce changes, operating expenses, productivity and AI-related incidents for potential effects on COIN sentiment.

Solana’s Alpenglow consensus upgrade has moved into devnet and testnet testing, but co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko said the cryptocurrency industry is not yet ready for its deployment. Built by Anza, Alpenglow aims to reduce transaction finality from about 12.8 seconds to 100–150 milliseconds by changing how validators reach consensus and process blocks. Validators would exchange votes directly rather than record votes as block transactions, potentially improving network efficiency. Most applications that send transactions or read account balances should not require migration. The Solana upgrade could also reduce reported transaction counts because validator votes may no longer appear in the same way, requiring data providers and analytics platforms to adjust their indexing. The 100–150 millisecond target is based mainly on simulations, while live performance could be affected by validators, wallets and exchange deposit checks. No firm mainnet launch date has been confirmed. Traders should monitor testnet results, validator adoption, upgrade timelines and network stability. Alpenglow strengthens Solana’s long-term scalability narrative, but its short-term price impact is likely limited until mainnet deployment and real-world performance are proven.

The Bitwise Solana Staking ETF recorded more than $110 million in net inflows during the week, up from over $60 million across two days in the earlier report. Its cumulative net inflows have surpassed $1 billion, while assets under management previously exceeded $1.2 billion. The Bitwise Solana Staking ETF holds and stakes SOL to generate yield. Strong fund flows suggest rising institutional and investor demand for Solana exposure and could support SOL sentiment. However, ETF inflows do not guarantee a sustained price rally. Traders should monitor daily ETF flows, assets under management, SOL volume, staking yields, new Solana ETF launches, US regulation and broader crypto-market conditions. SOL was previously trading near $118.57, with a market capitalisation of about $60 billion.

FomoPeek iOS malware was linked by SlowMist to nearly $580,000 in stolen USDT. Versions 1.1 and 1.2, released through Apple’s App Store on Sept. 9 and Sept. 12, contained kernel exploits that could escape the iOS sandbox, gain elevated privileges and access sensitive data from other apps. Working with OKX’s security team, SlowMist found that FomoPeek loaded a remote-controlled exploit framework at launch. The framework targeted wallet and notes applications, including MetaMask, Trust Wallet, SafePal, OKX Wallet and Apple Notes. SlowMist confirmed that the app could collect application data, but did not establish that private keys or seed phrases were extracted from every named wallet. On-chain analysis identified a main hacker address that received about 579,984 USDT across multiple networks. Some funds were sent toward FixedFloat, KuCoin and cce.cash. FomoPeek version 1.3, released on Sept. 17, removed the malicious modules. Users who installed FomoPeek 1.1 or 1.2 should treat all wallet credentials accessible from the affected iPhone as compromised. SlowMist recommends creating a new wallet on a clean device and transferring assets immediately. Uninstalling the app or enabling iOS Lockdown Mode cannot recover data already exfiltrated. The FomoPeek incident highlights the risks of App Store crypto malware and the need for hardware wallets, isolated devices and rapid private-key rotation.

Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy and traded as MSTR, has continued its Bitcoin accumulation strategy. In its latest SEC filing, the company reported buying 950 BTC for $75.7 million between 14 and 20 September 2026, at an average price of about $79,670 per Bitcoin. Its holdings reached approximately 846,000 BTC, with a cumulative cost of $63.8 billion and an average cost basis of $75,416 per BTC. This reinforces Strategy’s position as the largest publicly listed corporate Bitcoin holder. The latest purchase follows an earlier acquisition of 1,587 BTC for about $100 million. That transaction raised holdings to 846,842 BTC and was funded partly through the sale of roughly 1.7 million MSTR shares. Strategy allocated about $100 million to Bitcoin and retained a similar amount for its dollar reserve. Its reported BTC Yield later declined from 13.0% to 12.8% and then 12.5%, prompting critics to argue that continued equity issuance could dilute common shareholders’ Bitcoin exposure. In the latest period, Strategy spent $174 million repurchasing its variable-rate preferred stock, STRC. It reported no MSTR sales through its at-the-market programme, while $875.1 million remained available for STRC repurchases and $1 billion remained for MSTR buybacks. The company reported $5.04 billion in dollar reserves for dividends and debt interest, plus $1.05 billion in cash for Bitcoin purchases, capital management and reserve funding. For crypto traders, Strategy’s Bitcoin purchases are supportive of BTC sentiment, but the direct market impact is likely limited. Traders should monitor BTC price momentum, Strategy’s premium or discount to net asset value, BTC Yield, financing costs and the risk that future equity issuance could weaken investor sentiment.

Coinbase has filed with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to list single-stock perpetual futures, initially linked to Apple, Tesla and Nvidia. The filing uses the CFTC’s Part 40 product-certification process, so trading has not started and no launch date has been confirmed. The proposed contracts would offer leveraged long and short exposure to individual equities without requiring traders to own the shares. They would have no fixed expiry, trade up to 24/5 and use funding rates rather than traditional futures settlement. Coinbase previously launched similar equity perpetual products outside the US and indicated that the product range could eventually expand to around 50 to 60 large-cap stocks. The application is part of Coinbase’s broader US derivatives strategy. Its Designated Contract Market status provides a potential regulatory pathway, while a separate SEC Form 1-N filing seeks national securities exchange registration and access to security futures. Approval would still require regulatory review of margin, settlement, pricing, liquidity and market-integrity risks. For crypto traders, the filing is neutral for now: it broadens Coinbase’s potential derivatives business but does not yet create US trading activity or a direct cryptocurrency price catalyst.

The SEC is preparing to extend traditional stock-market trading toward 24/7 trading, bringing Wall Street closer to crypto’s always-on market model. Chair Paul Atkins said longer sessions could help investors respond faster to market-moving events. The SEC also introduced a five-year innovation exemption for eligible firms testing tokenized securities and blockchain-based trading. Atkins said tokenization could improve real-time inventory management, reduce settlement failures and limit abusive naked short selling. Commissioner Hester Peirce warned that 24/7 trading could widen spreads, increase volatility and make technology, surveillance and overnight risk management more difficult. For crypto traders, the SEC’s 24/7 trading plans and tokenized-securities framework signal gradual regulatory support for blockchain market infrastructure. The immediate effect on BTC and broader crypto prices is likely limited, while liquidity fragmentation, implementation details and operational risks remain important uncertainties.

Bitmine Immersion Technologies bought 27,180 ETH in the week ending 13 September 2026, increasing its Ethereum treasury to 5,956,378 ETH. At about $2,513 per token, the holdings were worth nearly $15 billion and represented roughly 4.9% of Ethereum’s total supply, bringing Bitmine close to its 5% ownership target. The company said it has bought ETH every week since launching its Ethereum treasury strategy in June 2025. Bitmine has staked 5,067,309 ETH, or about 85% of its holdings, through its MAVAN institutional staking platform and partners. Based on a recent seven-day annualised yield of 2.62%, the company estimates annualised staking revenue of $334 million, potentially rising to $392 million if all its ETH is staked. Returns may change with network activity, validator participation and Ethereum issuance rules. The company also reported 212 BTC, $549 million in cash and marketable securities, and investments linked to Beast Industries and Eightco Holdings (ORBS). Chairman Tom Lee said ETH had outperformed the S&P 500 by 5,866 basis points in the third quarter of 2026 to date. He cited possible US crypto legislation, renewed Korean demand, a stronger ETH/BTC ratio, tokenisation and institutional interest in agentic artificial intelligence as potential catalysts. A Senate vote on the CLARITY Act could provide clearer digital-asset rules and define SEC and CFTC oversight, although political and procedural obstacles remain. Bitmine adviser Tom DeMark expects ETH to resume its advance. However, ETH’s resistance near $2,550, weak trend strength and negative Chaikin Money Flow indicate caution among traders. The news is broadly supportive for ETH, but price direction will also depend on Federal Reserve policy, regulation, market sentiment and confirmed institutional inflows. Bitmine’s large ETH exposure also makes its balance sheet and BMNR shares highly sensitive to Ethereum price movements.