Latest Crypto News | Bitcoin, Ethereum and Altcoin Updates

Crypto Council for Innovation and the Blockchain Association have urged the Senate Banking Committee to oppose bank-backed revisions to the GENIUS Act, warning that proposals from the Bank Policy Institute and American Bankers Association could undermine stablecoin regulation, favor large banks, and stifle market competition. Banking lobbyists argue existing GENIUS Act rules allow stablecoin issuers to offer yield products that may divert up to $6.6 trillion from bank deposits, reducing credit for households and businesses. A key dispute centers on Section 16(d), which permits state-chartered bank affiliates to provide cross-state stablecoin services without multiple licenses; crypto groups say repealing it will reintroduce fragmented state rules and hinder interstate commerce and redemption rights. The U.S. Treasury is now soliciting public feedback on the GENIUS Act, highlighting growing regulatory debate over stablecoin regulation and its impact on consumer choice and financial innovation.

Goldman Sachs forecasts the global stablecoin market, currently at $271 billion, to expand to trillions, driven largely by payment use cases. Analysts project USDC to add $77 billion by 2027 at a 40% CAGR, aided by clearer regulations and wider listings on exchanges like Binance. Competition is rising as major US banks plan to issue their own dollar stablecoins and Tether targets a stronger US entry. US Treasury official Scott Bessent predicts stablecoins will boost demand for US Treasuries and reinforce the dollar’s reserve status, potentially swelling the market beyond $2 trillion in the next few years. Recent regulatory advances—such as the GENIUS Act, CLARITY Act, and anti-CBDC measures—have fueled inflows into crypto ETFs, pushing total market cap to a record $4.17 trillion before a mild pullback. Traders should monitor regulatory clarity, issuer competition, and payment-driven adoption for new trading opportunities.

October 2025 marks a critical juncture for XRP as two major U.S. regulators converge. The U.S. SEC must issue a final ruling on spot XRP ETF proposals—submitted by CoinShares, Grayscale, and 21Shares—by late October, facing a statutory deadline that prohibits extensions. A green light would open regulated XRP funds to both institutional and retail investors on U.S. exchanges. Simultaneously, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is concluding its 120-day review of Ripple’s July 2 application for a national bank charter. Approval would authorize Ripple to conduct payment, custody, and banking operations under federal oversight, leveraging its XRP holdings for broader financial services. Market analysts anticipate XRP could climb to $1.50–$2.00 if both the SEC ETF and OCC bank license are approved. Partial approval (bank charter only) may support prices around $0.80–$1.00, while dual denials could push XRP below $0.60. Traders should monitor these regulatory catalysts closely and adjust risk management strategies accordingly.

Binance processed a record $133 billion in new token trading volume in 2025, outpacing HTX ($38B), Bybit ($35B), and MEXC ($34B). Its daily new token trading market share peaked at 54% on July 10 and remained around 34% by mid-August. Over the past month, Binance recorded a daily high of $1.1 billion in new-coin trades. Binance’s dominance in new token trading is driven by deep liquidity pools, strict listing criteria, and a global user base exceeding 100 million. Its Launchpad program continues to attract fresh projects and ensure high visibility for new token listings. Crypto traders favor Binance for its robust liquidity and platform stability. Despite the opportunities, new token trading carries high volatility and risk. Traders should conduct thorough research, set stop-loss orders, and diversify holdings to manage potential losses and enhance long-term portfolio resilience.

Gen Z entrepreneurs are reshaping the AI and crypto sectors with landmark startups. At 21, Brendan Foody, Adarsh Hiremath and Surya Midha launched AI recruitment platform Mercor, securing a $2B valuation and $75M in annual revenue. Meanwhile, Noah Tweedale, Alon Cohen and Dylan Kerler’s pump.fun streamlined meme coin issuance on Solana, generating $7B in protocol revenue and a $4B valuation despite a 1.4% token success rate. These Gen Z entrepreneurs use AI recruiting, one-click token issuance, bonding curves and live streams to democratize finance and attract record VC funding from firms like a16z and Benchmark. Gen Z leaders are also ascending to C-suite roles, with Meta’s AI chief Alexandr Wang and Bybit’s marketing head Claudia Wang both in their twenties. This generational shake-up has boosted DeFi volume for Solana’s SOL and RAY tokens. Traders should monitor Solana-based projects and new meme coin launches for potential market-moving opportunities.

Kraken and Backed Finance have launched xStocks on the Tron blockchain, issuing tokenized stocks as TRC-20 tokens and expanding beyond Solana and BNB Chain. Since its June 2025 debut, xStocks has recorded over $2.5 billion in combined DEX and CEX trading volume. Tokenized stocks enable 24/7 trading, fractional ownership and faster settlement. The expansion taps growing institutional demand for RWA tokenization, which Binance Research warns is nearing a major inflection point reminiscent of early DeFi adoption. Tron’s total value locked (TVL) stands at $6.2 billion, down 15% from $7.3 billion at the start of 2025. By contrast, Ethereum leads DeFi with roughly $89 billion TVL, about 60% of the multi-chain total. Solana and BNB Chain remain key hosts in the tokenized stock sector. The broader on-chain RWA tokenization market jumped from $15.6 billion in January to $26.4 billion by mid-August. eToro plans to issue US equities on Ethereum and Robinhood is rolling out layer-2 support in Europe. Traders should track TVL trends, trading volumes, custody solutions and regulatory frameworks. Industry experts see private markets as the next frontier, where tokenized stocks can resolve liquidity bottlenecks.

Bitget has launched the industry’s first RWA perpetual contract series: RWA index perpetual contracts on tokenized TSLA, NVDA and CRCL. Each RWA perpetual contract aggregates prices from multiple issuers via a composite index. The product features dynamic weight adjustments and fair pricing mechanisms. Traders can access up to 10× leverage under isolated margin mode, with platform-wide position limits to cap risk. A 5×24 trading schedule pauses on weekends and market holidays, with frozen pricing to reduce liquidation risk. Integrated trading bots enable automated strategies. Initial open interest limits offer extra protection. CEO Gracy Chen says this launch bridges TradFi and DeFi, opening new diversification and arbitrage channels. Bitget plans to expand RWA perpetual contract pairs to more traditional assets this quarter, driving liquidity and enhancing crypto derivatives market depth.

OpenServ blockchain division has appointed blockchain expert Joey Kheireddine as Head of Blockchain to accelerate its onchain roadmap and enhance its full-stack Web3 infrastructure for AI-powered applications. Kheireddine joins from Eliza Labs (formerly AI16z), bringing deep expertise in agentic AI and crypto. Since 2017, he has delivered wallets, block explorers, NFT and token contracts, and agent frameworks, managing over $50 million in revenue and 70,000 ETH in trading volume. At OpenServ, Kheireddine will drive faster release cycles, harden the tech stack, and simplify DApp development with a modular SDK, native Telegram support, and advanced agent runtime. This leadership addition bolsters OpenServ blockchain capabilities at the intersection of blockchain and AI, indicating growing adoption potential for traders and developers.

The stablecoin’s liquidity remains intact after a US federal judge lifts a May freeze on $57.6M in USDC tied to the failed February Libra token. Judge Jennifer L. Rochon cited the defendants’ cooperation, the availability of restitution funds, and no asset transfers. The freeze stemmed from a $107M rug pull that collapsed hours after launch, triggering investor lawsuits and an ethics probe into Argentina’s President Javier Milei. Although Milei denied involvement and the probe was disbanded, litigation against promoters Hayden Davis, Ben Chow, KIP Protocol and Julian Peh continues. Traders should monitor USDC liquidity and regulatory scrutiny on token launches, as the unfreeze could boost market confidence and stabilize trading volumes.

At the Wyoming Blockchain Seminar, Senator Cynthia Lummis outlined a timeline to deliver a crypto market structure bill to the President by Thanksgiving. The Senate version builds on the House’s Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, preserving bipartisan stablecoin regulation amendments and key market structure provisions. Stakeholder consultations and a September 30 committee review benchmark have streamlined the legislative timeline toward year-end passage. The crypto market structure bill aims to clarify digital asset regulation, defines SEC and CFTC roles, enhances market transparency and investor protections, supporting long-term crypto adoption.

Kraken and Backed Finance are set to launch xStocks tokenization on TRON’s TRC-20 network, marking the third xStocks tokenization after Solana and BNB Chain. The xStocks tokens, backed 1:1 by US equities like Apple, Tesla and Nvidia, enable fractional ownership, high liquidity and global access. Since the Solana and BNB launches in late June, xStocks have recorded over $2.5 billion in CEX and DEX trading volume, underscoring growing demand for tokenized equities. By leveraging TRON’s $22 billion daily settlements and $26 billion TVL—primarily in USDT—eligible Kraken clients can now deposit and withdraw xStocks via TRC-20. The xStock Alliance, featuring firms like Alchemy Pay, Bybit and Solana, will drive ecosystem growth. Traders should watch for rising tokenized equity activity and expanded multichain trading corridors.

Polkadot Capital Group has launched a new Wall Street–focused division to bridge traditional finance and the blockchain world. Led by Parity co-founder Gavin Wood and managing director David Sedacca, the group will offer educational programs, venture partnerships, and institutional-grade trading and custody infrastructure. The division aims to tokenize real-world assets (RWA) and drive DeFi use cases by engaging asset managers, brokers, and allocators in a $26 billion market. By front-loading institutional capital, Polkadot Capital Group seeks to boost DOT liquidity, stabilize price volatility, and narrow performance gaps with Ethereum and Solana. Upcoming pilot RWA tokenization programs and integrated exchange infrastructure could channel significant capital into DOT, representing a bullish catalyst for traders.

ALT5 Sigma and major shareholder Jon Isaac have denied recent SEC probe rumors that caused ALTS stock to plunge over 10%. The rumors, first reported by The Information, alleged insider trading and inflated earnings tied to a $1.5 billion treasury deal with former President Trump’s crypto platform. On X, ALT5 clarified no SEC investigation exists and that Isaac never served as president or advisor. However, a December SEC filing reveals a two-year consulting agreement under which Isaac converted a $540,000 promissory note into 465,753 ALTS shares in December 2024. Isaac, CEO of Live Ventures, still holds over 1 million ALTS shares worth $5.48 million. He faces an active 2021 SEC civil complaint over alleged earnings manipulation and hidden stock sales. The clarifications underscore ongoing governance and regulatory risks in the crypto sector.

Taiwan-listed WiseLink led a $10 million Bitcoin convertible note deal to invest in Hong Kong’s Top Win International (Nasdaq: SORA). The three-year convertible note offers principal protection, fixed interest and an option to convert into equity, using a Bitcoin convertible note structure. Top Win will rebrand as AsiaStrategy and merge with a crypto fund to build a corporate BTC treasury and integrate cryptocurrency into cross-border finance. WiseLink CEO Tsai Kun Huang cites global inflation, loose monetary policy and geopolitical risks as drivers. Other backers include U.S. investor Chad Koehn and four private individuals. This marks Taiwan’s first public company adopting a Bitcoin treasury strategy, following Asia peers like Metaplanet and North American adopters such as MicroStrategy. Traders should monitor evolving treasury strategies and their potential impact on market dynamics as corporates diversify into crypto assets.

Global interest in an altcoin season is cooling as key metrics turn bearish. Google Trends search volume for “altcoin season” nosedived from 100 on Aug. 13 to 15 on Aug. 20. The Altcoin Season Index also slid to 41, well below the 75 threshold that signals a genuine altcoin season. Over the past week, major altcoins including ETH, SOL, XRP, BNB and DOGE fell by double-digit percentages after brief gains, reflecting weakened market momentum. The shift follows a Bitcoin-led rally driven by institutional investors and spot ETFs, which boosted BTC dominance and drew capital away from smaller tokens. Analysts debate whether recent search spikes were organic or marketing-driven, citing exchange promotions by platforms like Coinbase. Traders are increasingly wary of using search trends as FOMO indicators while ETF offerings expand. Despite the bearish outlook, Coinbase Institutional projects a return of an altcoin season as early as September, based on improving liquidity, growing institutional demand for Ethereum and a potential decline in Bitcoin dominance. For now, muted altcoin performance and fading altcoin season signals suggest limited upside for short-term crypto trading, even as longer-term catalysts remain.

Polkadot Capital Group has launched a $150 million fund to drive institutional TradFi adoption on the Polkadot network. The new arm will invest in tokenizing real-world assets—equities, bonds and commodities—and partner with top custodians and compliance providers to meet regulatory standards. Led by former Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan executives, the division offers data-driven education, market insights and strategic partnerships for asset managers, banks, exchanges, OTC desks and VCs. Services span centralized and decentralized trading, staking and DeFi solutions. By connecting institutions directly to the DOT network, Polkadot Capital Group aims to boost DOT liquidity, onboard pension funds and hedge funds and showcase scalable Web3 use cases amid growing institutional demand and favorable U.S. regulation.

Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman has proposed allowing Federal Reserve employees and their spouses to hold small amounts of cryptocurrency. She argues that hands-on crypto regulation experience is vital for overseers to understand blockchain, ownership mechanics and transfer processes. Currently, a strict ban on crypto holdings and related exchange-traded products hinders recruitment and knowledge development. Since June, the Fed has also eased bank crypto regulation by ending special supervision and removing “reputation risk” from exam criteria. Bowman warns that an overly cautious mindset could prevent regulators from shaping future blockchain-based financial systems. Her stance marks a policy shift toward integrating practical digital assets experience into centralized oversight.

KindlyMD and Nakamoto Holdings merged to form NAKA, a Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin treasury company (ticker: NAKA), led by David Bailey as CEO and chairman and Tim Pickett as chief medical officer. NAKA plans to build a 1-million-BTC reserve, immediately spending about $679 million to acquire 5,744 BTC at an average price of $118,204 per coin, backed by a $540 million PIPE at $1.12 per share and a $200 million zero-coupon convertible bond. Shares jumped 13.4% on the news, extending gains since May, despite Bitcoin’s price drop to $112,757 causing a $31.4 million unrealized loss. With investors such as Arrington Capital, VanEck, Adam Back, Jihan Wu, Balaji Srinivasan and Ricardo Salinas, the transaction positions NAKA among the top 20 public BTC holders. This deal exemplifies the rise of institutional Bitcoin treasury strategies and signals a bullish outlook for Bitcoin adoption and price.

KindlyMD Bitcoin purchase marks the healthcare firm’s first major deal since merging with Nakamoto Holdings. KindlyMD’s Bitcoin purchase saw the company acquire 5,744 BTC for $679 million, or about $118,204 per coin, funded by $540 million in PIPE financing. This raises its total holdings to roughly 5,765 BTC, ranking it the 16th-largest corporate holder. CEO David Bailey, a former Trump campaign adviser, calls Bitcoin the ultimate institutional reserve asset and aims to build a 1 million BTC treasury under the Nakamoto Bitcoin Treasury initiative. Future acquisitions will combine cash flow and external funding. Bailey is also raising a $200 million PAC to promote Bitcoin initiatives in the US. Traders should watch corporate accumulation for potential bullish signals on Bitcoin.

Radiant Capital hack attacker exploited a multisignature wallet with macOS malware in October 2024. He sold 9,631 ETH via strategic ETH trading at an average price of $4,562 for 43.9 million DAI. When the price dipped to $4,096, he used 8.64 million DAI to repurchase 2,109.5 ETH. The wallet now holds 14,436 ETH and 35.29 million DAI, valuing the stolen portfolio at about $94.6 million—an increase of $41.6 million since the hack. Blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain attributes these gains to keeping most funds in ETH during its rally. Attribution of the Radiant Capital hack points to North Korea-linked AppleJeus. Despite involvement from the FBI and security firms, recovery of the stolen funds remains unlikely. Traders should monitor ETH trading risks linked to large hacker-held reserves.

MicroStrategy’s ATM share issuance threshold has been lowered, allowing equity sales when MSTR trades below 2.5× mNAV. CEO Michael Saylor said this change funds debt interest, preferred dividends, and opportunistic Bitcoin purchases, broadening ATM share issuance use cases. Following the guidance update, MSTR shares slid 8% to a four-month low, mirroring Bitcoin’s 8.6% decline from recent highs and contributing to a 21% month-to-date drop. The expanded ATM share issuance raises dilution risk. Traders should monitor MicroStrategy ATM share issuance triggers, the company’s mNAV ratio, and Bitcoin price to gauge future dilution and buying pressure.

Bitpanda has launched its Bitpanda DeFi Wallet, a self-custodial multi-chain DeFi Wallet supporting over 5,000 tokens across eight networks: Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Polygon (MATIC), BNB Chain (BNB), Avalanche (AVAX), Optimism (OP), Base and Arbitrum (ARB). The DeFi Wallet offers one-click swaps with smart routing for optimal pricing, curated yield pools and sponsored gas fees on select Layer-2 chains. Users can recover assets seedlessly with optional Bitpanda Backup and transfer tokens instantly via existing Bitpanda accounts. An upcoming Web3 loyalty program uses the Vision (VSN) token, enabling on-chain quests and VSN staking to boost rewards. The wallet aims to simplify decentralized finance and accelerate on-chain adoption in Europe. Traders can trade, earn and manage assets across multiple chains seamlessly.

Between August 5 and 20, hedge funds doubled their short positions on Ethereum futures from $2.3 billion to $4.19 billion. Sellers pushed ETH back below $4,000 after it surged toward $5,000. Asset managers hold $1.22 billion in long positions, while smaller traders are net short by $397.5 million and unreported positions total $77.5 million long. This unprecedented surge in short positions signals deliberate bearish sentiment, increasing market volatility and price pressure. Crypto traders should monitor net positions and Ethereum futures flows closely, as extreme futures shorts can trigger a rapid short squeeze. To manage risk, traders are advised to diversify portfolios, set stop-loss orders, and maintain a long-term perspective.

Circle has acquired Malachite, an open-source consensus engine and formal verification toolkit from Informal Systems under the Apache 2.0 license, to power its upcoming Arc L1 stablecoin blockchain. The deal brings key interoperability, security, and performance enhancements to Arc, optimized for USDC settlements with formal methods ensuring transaction integrity and cross-chain compatibility. Informal Systems developers will join Circle’s blockchain team while continuing support on other projects. Arc L1 will feature a modular architecture, advanced consensus, and on-chain governance, targeting a global testnet launch in 2025. Traders should monitor Arc blockchain testnet milestones, on-chain governance updates, and USDC liquidity shifts as Circle advances programmable money and specialized financial blockchain infrastructure.

Economist Simon Johnson warns that new U.S. stablecoin legislation—the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act—may trigger a systemic crypto crisis. This stablecoin legislation limits regulators from enforcing capital and liquidity safeguards. The GENIUS Act lets issuers earn zero interest on reserves and invest in high-risk assets. Foreign issuers can back dollar-pegged tokens with non-dollar government debt, worsening asset-liability mismatches. The relaxed oversight and potential conflicts under the CLARITY Act heighten systemic risk and the threat of runs during redemption spikes. Johnson cautions that bankruptcy processes alone cannot prevent contagion. Traders should track stablecoin reserve allocations, redemption rates, and regulatory updates to anticipate liquidity squeezes and market volatility.

Chainlink (LINK) surged over 15% this week, breaking past the $20–21 and $25–26 resistance zones. The rally was backed by strong trading volume and a move above the 200-day moving average, pushing LINK to a seven-month high around $24.20–$25. Whale accumulation was significant: top holders added 1.1 million LINK (≈$27 m) in seven days, and the top 100 wallets increased stakes by over 12%. On-chain metrics confirm robust interest, with 9,600 new addresses and 9,800 daily transfers recorded in mid-August. The launch of the Chainlink Reserve smart treasury adds deflationary pressure on supply. Chainlink’s expansion into real-world assets (RWA) via new ETF and equities data feeds, alongside partnerships with ICE and SWIFT, strengthens its institutional-grade oracle services. Analysts now target $29–$30 as the next resistance, with mid-term levels at $33–$38 and long-term potential beyond $57. Traders also note a potential boost if Bitcoin (BTC) holds above $115,000, though a pullback toward $20 may occur amid broader altcoin weakness.

Dune Research reports LATAM crypto traffic rose from $3 billion in 2021 to $27 billion in 2024, a ninefold increase. This LATAM crypto traffic surge was led by Bitso, handling $25.2 billion for a 93% share. Mercado Bitcoin and Lemon Cash also saw volume gains, highlighting a shift to real-world use cases. On-chain, Ethereum totalled $45.5 billion (75% of flows) through July 2025, followed by Tron at $12.5 billion driven by USDT transfers. Solana and Polygon recorded $1.45 billion and $1.17 billion respectively, benefiting from lower fees and faster settlement. Adoption is fueled by economic instability, high inflation and demand for affordable remittances, while local platforms enhance financial inclusion. Regulatory uncertainty and crypto volatility pose risks. Traders should track regional policies and market sentiment as LATAM crypto traffic expansion presents new trading opportunities.

Qubic community led by Sergey Ivancheglo seized over 77.54% of Monero’s hashrate and executed a 51% attack, prompting concerns about proof-of-work network security after Kraken paused XMR deposits. Following a Discord vote, Qubic is now targeting Dogecoin, which uses the Scrypt algorithm and is merge-mined with Litecoin, forming a combined network hashrate of about 3.47 PH/s (DOGE) and 2.78 PH/s (LTC)—over a million times larger than Monero’s. Mounting a 51% attack on Dogecoin would require months of development; even capturing 0.1% of the Dogecoin-Litecoin network would yield more computational power than the entire Monero network, rising to 1% for an 11,000-fold advantage. Traders should watch for potential volatility as any real threat to Dogecoin’s network integrity could undermine investor confidence and trigger market contagion.

VanEck’s latest ChainCheck report reaffirms its Bitcoin price prediction of $180,000 by December 2025, citing sustained institutional inflows, robust on-chain metrics, and bullish futures signals. The CME basis funding rate stands at 9%, while the call/put ratio has reached 3.21×—the highest since June 2024—with $792 million in 30-day call premiums. In July, Exchange-Traded Products acquired 54,000 BTC and digital asset treasuries added 72,000 BTC, underscoring growing institutional demand. Spot Bitcoin ETFs now hold $151.9 billion in assets with $54.97 billion in net inflows, and on-chain data shows whales and sharks have added 225,320 BTC since March, controlling 13.62 million BTC. On the mining front, the Bitcoin network hashrate hit a record 902 EH/s, with U.S. miners capturing a 31% share. Revenue per EH/s rose to $59,400, while miner stocks like Applied Digital (APLD) and Bitfarms (BITF) climbed 54% and 16%, respectively. However, mNAV ratios for MicroStrategy (MSTR), Marathon (MTPLF), and SolGroup (SMLR) fell by 16%–62% due to low volatility inhibiting convertible debt issuance. Bitcoin ordinals minting surged 43% month-on-month to 109,779 inscriptions, and an October Bitcoin Core upgrade will remove the 83-byte data limit per block. Despite recent price dips around $124,457, VanEck maintains its bullish Bitcoin price prediction based on macro conditions, institutional adoption, and on-chain strength.