Crypto News

KuCoin has immediately ended all products and services for users in Russia and Belarus, citing legal and regulatory requirements without naming a specific rule. The exchange has not announced a single account-closure or withdrawal deadline, nor disclosed how many users or assets are affected. Instead, KuCoin says affected customers will receive individual instructions and deadlines to close positions and withdraw funds. Users who have not received a notice need not act for now, and KuCoin urges customers to use official support channels to avoid phishing scams. The KuCoin exit follows service restrictions announced by MEXC and Bitget this month, reducing offshore crypto exchange options for traders in the two countries. The announcements point to a broader compliance shift, but the exchanges have not linked their decisions to a specific sanctions measure. Separately, the Bank of Russia says registered crypto exchange operators and digital depositories have 90 days to join a self-regulatory organization; it has not been stated that this requirement prompted KuCoin’s move.

Blockchain analytics firms Chainalysis and TRM Labs have linked the reported $6.3 billion to $6.4 billion Binance hack to TraderTraitor, a hacking group associated with North Korea. Binance’s initial investigation points to an engineer’s compromised laptop and unauthorised access to a service container; it has found no evidence so far that wallet private keys were leaked. TRM said funds were taken across 10 blockchains, with most moved within about 20 minutes, using rapid, automated transfers. As freezes began, the attacker reportedly converted $325 million in stablecoins into $285 million of ether and moved another $175 million to other wallets. Tether, Circle and First Digital said they froze stolen tokens. Binance reported about $3 billion in assets frozen or protected on-chain, while TRM said the attacker still held more than 420,000 ETH and 18,270 BTC. Binance has reserved more than $6.34 billion to cover losses, including funds already held in the stolen tokens, and plans to update its Proof of Reserves. The Binance hack added to market jitters. Bitcoin fell towards $76,000 and was later reported near $76,700. Total crypto liquidations reached $1.5 billion, including $468 million in BTC and $358 million in ETH, with long positions accounting for most losses. A separate Polymarket security incident involving more than $2.6 million in user funds added to concerns. Traders will watch asset recovery, official investigations and exchange security updates; prices could remain under pressure while the scale of recoveries is unclear.

Binance estimates its late-October security incident affected about $6.3 billion in assets, with partners freezing roughly $3 billion. The exchange said an early investigation points to a compromised DevOps engineer’s laptop and has found no evidence that wallet private keys were exposed. Binance temporarily suspended withdrawals for security checks and says user losses will be covered by its SAFU fund and company resources. The estimates are not final, and a full post-mortem and updated proof of reserves have not been published. Co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) asked Elon Musk to stop mocking the incident on X. Zhao said Binance’s SAFU assets and company holdings could help cover a remaining shortfall, including SpaceX-linked shares he valued at more than $1 billion. Co-CEO Yi He said annual revenue could cover losses without selling those shares. The Binance hack remains a test of exchange security and user confidence; the final financial impact and recovery of funds are still uncertain, which may weigh on short-term market sentiment.

XRP Ledger developers have proposed four protocol changes, bundled in the fixCleanup3_5_0 amendment, to close loopholes that could let restricted tokens reach accounts without issuer approval. The fixes cover trust-line and transaction checks, as well as automated market maker (AMM) pools: accounts would need approval for both pool assets before receiving liquidity provider tokens, and unauthorized trust lines already holding tokens could not receive more. Unapproved holders would generally be able to return restricted tokens to the issuer, which could authorize them later. The changes do not affect XRP or require approval to hold it. The amendment has not yet been merged into the main XRP Ledger software, and activation requires more than 80% support from trusted validators for two consecutive weeks; no activation date has been set. The XRP Ledger Foundation calls the work routine protocol hardening and reports no known outside exploitation or user losses. The proposal follows a 2025 fix for an NFT-related loophole. For XRP traders, the changes could strengthen issuer controls for regulated stablecoins and tokenized assets, but they do not directly alter XRP’s utility or supply.

Objections to OKX-ICE tokenized stocks have risen from nine companies on October 15 to 38 by October 28, including 23 Nasdaq-listed issuers. Walmart, Eli Lilly, Cigna and Carnival are among those opposing the listing of tokenized versions of their shares on this specific venue. The latest report says Nasdaq representatives encouraged some companies to object; Nasdaq did not directly address the claim and said it supports issuer-focused tokenization within established market structures. OKX-ICE, a venture between OKX and Intercontinental Exchange, plans 24-hour trading in tokenized US shares for approved users. The proposed service would use permissioned Uniswap v4 pools on XLayer and stablecoins such as USDC. An SEC exemption gives issuers 30 days after notice to block unaffiliated third-party tokenization on the venue, while limiting eligible stocks and trading volumes. The objections do not prohibit tokenized shares on other platforms. Nasdaq is separately working with Kraken on an issuer-focused project targeted for the second quarter of 2027. Canton Strategic Holdings also plans to offer issuer-sponsored tokenized shares through TSV, potentially from November 2, subject to regulatory and operational requirements. The growing objections add uncertainty for tokenized stocks, but do not represent a blanket rejection of blockchain-based securities.

Bitcoin has weakened in two reported price updates. On 19 October 2026, BTC was trading at 81,987.5 USDT on OKX, up 0.65% over 24 hours. By 30 October, BTC had fallen below 78,000 USDT to 77,999.9 USDT and was down 2.45% over 24 hours, according to OKX data cited by Odaily. The later update shows a lower price and a shift to a 24-hour loss, but neither report identifies a catalyst or provides trading-volume data. The figures offer a snapshot of Bitcoin price action, not enough evidence to establish whether the decline will continue.

On-chain analyst Dickson estimates that a Binance hot wallet hack moved about $6.28 billion in assets across eight blockchains, including roughly $6.07 billion within 55 minutes. The reported haul included 167,464 ETH, 18,270 BTC, USDT, USDC, XRP, SOL and other assets. The attacker reportedly exploited EIP-7702 authorizations signed by Binance wallets after preparing and testing contracts in advance. As Tether and Circle froze addresses linked to the transfers, about $2.8 billion in assets had reportedly been frozen by around 23:50 UTC. Dickson estimated that approximately $3.27 billion remained freely movable, while another $60 million in USDT was tied up as Aave collateral. At the time of the report, funds on Bitcoin, XRP Ledger, Solana and Optimism had not moved. The figures are based on on-chain tracking and are not an official final loss total. The reported Binance hot wallet hack puts exchange wallet security, delegated account permissions and cross-chain liquidity in focus. Traders may watch for official confirmation, further freezes and movement of the remaining assets, which could affect market sentiment and liquidity in the tokens involved.

A Binance-linked hacker sold seven altcoins—UNI, ENA, PEPE, LINK, AAVE, ONDO and WLD—for 70,480 ETH, worth about $158 million, according to on-chain analysts. The sales were completed by 09:01 Taipei time, and the addresses reportedly no longer hold the tokens. UNI accounted for the largest sale by value, while ENA saw the steepest 24-hour decline. The seven tokens fell 8.8% to 15.8%, compared with Bitcoin’s 4.6% loss. The sell-off may add short-term pressure to these altcoins, although the report does not say whether the ETH has since been moved or sold. Most stolen stablecoins and PAXG were reportedly frozen by issuers. Binance said it would cover losses and later reported that about $3 billion had been frozen; estimates of total outflows ranged from $5.3 billion to $5.87 billion. Arbitrum also moved 8,426 ETH and 74.56 million ARB to restrict their movement. Binance has not disclosed a final loss figure.

Google Cloud has previewed a multi-party computation (MPC) service for institutional digital-asset custody. The pre-general-availability service uses threshold signing to distribute signing authority, so a complete private key is not held in one operational location. It also offers transaction policy controls and enterprise governance features. The documentation lists secp256k1 signing for Bitcoin and Ethereum-style networks, while Ed25519 support for Solana is marked as coming soon. Availability and blockchain coverage remain limited. Google Cloud has also expanded Bitcoin security rules to assess transaction amounts, destination address types and change outputs. The documentation references an October 2026 API and a migration path, but Google has not confirmed a full launch timeline. The preview follows Google Cloud’s MPC Symposium in New York on Oct. 28, 2026, with expected speakers from Morgan Stanley, Citi, Wells Fargo and crypto exchange OKX. MPC custody may help institutions manage risks such as key theft, signing interruptions and key loss, but it cannot reverse completed transfers or remove risks linked to approvals, credentials, recovery processes and third-party components. Adoption will depend on wider availability, security assessments and integrations with regulated custodians. For traders, the market effect is indirect: improved custody could lower an adoption barrier, but the preview alone does not signal new demand for BTC, ETH or other tokens. Watch for a general launch, customer integrations and disclosed security evaluations.

Nvidia is reportedly discussing billions of dollars in credit support for Anthropic’s six-year, roughly $45 billion cloud computing deal with AI infrastructure firm Nscale. The agreement, signed in August 2026, covers an initial 460 megawatts at Nscale’s West Virginia campus, with Nvidia’s Vera Rubin chips expected and operations planned for late 2027. The new proposal could add another 460 megawatts, doubling Anthropic’s planned capacity at the site, but the companies have not confirmed the expansion and financing is not finalized. Anthropic’s IPO filing lists about $44.6 billion in compute commitments with Nscale. Nvidia credit support could help fund data-centre construction and secure demand for its AI chips, while underscoring the scale of AI infrastructure spending. The report has no direct cryptocurrency impact; traders may monitor developments for broader sentiment toward technology and AI infrastructure stocks.

Bitwise Asset Management has raised its Bitcoin price target for 2036 from $1.3 million to $1.6 million, forecasting annualised returns of about 34%. The projection assumes Bitcoin captures 25% of the global store-of-value market and 1% of institutional investment assets; Bitwise’s bear-case estimate is $130,686. The firm has also suggested that institutions consider allocating 1% to 5% of portfolios to Bitcoin, while flagging risks such as quantum computing and regulatory changes. CIO Matt Hougan said Bitwise is more bullish than it was a year ago, citing Bitcoin’s long-term store-of-value potential. The long-term Bitcoin outlook contrasts with weak near-term momentum. BTC is trading around $81,000, near or slightly below its 50-day moving average, after a particularly weak October. Daily RSI readings are around 45–46, and MACD remains below its signal line. The 200-day moving average near $76,000 is key support; a sustained break below it could expose the next support near $65,000. Resistance is around $82,000, followed by $85,000–$87,000. With no confirmed bottom and traders watching upcoming Federal Reserve decisions, Bitwise’s forecast has not yet changed Bitcoin’s short-term technical picture.

Ripple said at its Swell conference that it expects its annualized product revenue run rate to approach $900 million by the end of 2026. The figure is a forward-looking estimate based on current activity, not audited full-year revenue. Ripple attributed growth to payments, custody, prime brokerage, treasury management and RLUSD, citing enterprise demand and the integration of acquisitions. Ripple says more than 1,700 institutions, companies and enterprises use or have access to its digital-asset infrastructure, and that customers using multiple products tripled in 2026. Its products enabled more than $16 trillion in transactions in 2025, while its payments network is forecast to reach $150 billion in lifetime volume by year-end. RLUSD’s market capitalization has risen more than 88% this year to $2.6 billion. Ripple also highlighted an expanded BNY relationship involving tokenized trade finance, partnerships with Robinhood and DriveWealth, and final US regulatory approval for Ripple National Trust Bank. The figures span Ripple’s product portfolio and do not represent XRP trading volume or direct demand for XRP. Ripple’s business expansion has not translated into price gains for XRP, which is down nearly 29% year to date. Traders will be watching for recurring revenue, real-world payment activity and measurable use of XRP Ledger transactions or RLUSD settlement to assess whether the growth has lasting implications for XRP.

CoinDCX confirmed a 15.99 million USDT loss after funds were drained from deprecated TRON wallets on Oct. 21. The exchange said the affected wallet infrastructure had been compromised in a 2025 security incident and later retired. An automated deposit-sweeping service had failed, leaving customer deposits in the old wallets even as CoinDCX credited customers’ accounts. The company says it absorbed the loss and that customer balances, active wallets, trading and withdrawals were unaffected. Blockchain analytics firm Bitquery traced activity across 40 CoinDCX-linked wallets, reporting that about 15.82 million USDT came from a single address. Roughly 9.63 million USDT later reached addresses associated with other exchanges, while Tether reportedly froze about 2.21 million USDT across nine wallets. CoinDCX initially described the activity as a false alarm before confirming the loss. It has not disclosed why the sweeping service failed or confirmed recovery of the frozen funds. Traders will be watching for further details on the incident and evidence that CoinDCX can maintain custody and meet withdrawals.

Germany’s DAX 40 advanced from 25,600.82 points, up 1.9% over 24 hours in the earlier report, to 26,003.98 points in the later update. The latest data showed a 1.6% 24-hour gain, with no specific cause reported. The DAX 40’s rise may reflect broader market sentiment, but neither report identified a direct impact on cryptocurrency prices.

The London Metal Exchange (LME) is exploring metal inventory tokenization in Hong Kong, focusing on metal held in approved warehouses without an issued LME warrant. Digital tokens representing these stocks could be used as collateral for loans, potentially opening financing channels for physical commodities that are not covered by active warrants. The proposal is at an early stage, and the LME plans to discuss it with industry participants at a closed-door roundtable in early November. The initiative forms part of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing’s broader push to develop commodity trading and blockchain-based collateral services. HKEX is targeting a 2027 pilot for tokenized warehouse-receipt financing with designated banks, and is also testing carbon-credit tokenization for near-real-time settlement. Hong Kong joined the LME’s approved delivery network in 2025 and has since reported more than 60,000 square metres of warehouse space and over 20,000 tonnes of inventory. Metal inventory tokenization has not yet been implemented, and its safeguards and adoption remain uncertain. The proposal is separate from tokenized gold products such as XGZ, PAXG and XAUT.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded mixed but substantial inflows in late October, while Ether ETF flows weakened. Lookonchain reported $470.15 million in Bitcoin ETF net inflows on Oct. 22, equivalent to 5,766 BTC; BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC accounted for about 92% of the total. Bitcoin ETFs also logged $937.97 million in net inflows over seven days. The same snapshot showed $10.63 million in Ether ETF outflows, led by BlackRock’s ETHA. However, Farside Investors reported inflows to both asset classes for its completed Oct. 21 session, so the daily figures are not directly comparable. In the later update, Bitcoin ETFs recorded $137 million in net inflows on Oct. 28, while Ether ETFs saw $21.41 million in outflows. Since launch, Bitcoin ETFs have attracted roughly $57–58 billion in cumulative net inflows and hold more than $100 billion in assets. Ether ETFs have accumulated about $12.5 billion in net inflows since July 2024, despite October outflows approaching $1.3 billion. Bitcoin traded around $80,000–$81,500 in late October. The divergent Bitcoin ETF and Ether ETF flows signal differing near-term fund demand, but ETF flows alone do not confirm a lasting market trend.

Hyperliquid has permanently burned 49.87 million HYPE tokens, valued at about $3.89 billion and equal to nearly 5% of its 1 billion maximum supply, according to reports. The burn reduces available supply, but does not guarantee a price rise. Over the 24 hours reported, another 19,700 HYPE, worth about $1.59 million, was burned; estimated fees were $1.69 million. Cumulative fee revenue reached $1.38 billion. Meanwhile, prediction-market odds of HYPE reaching $100 by 31 December fell to 23%, suggesting limited confidence in that target. Traders may monitor HYPE’s price and trading volume for signs of a market response.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) named tokenization and evolving market infrastructure as priorities in its fiscal 2027 examination programme, published on October 23. The risk-based programme covers more than 34,000 registered entities, including advisers, broker-dealers, funds and clearing agencies. A 20-page staff document flags tokenization for reviews of clearing agencies and Regulation Systems Compliance and Integrity (Reg SCI), with attention to cybersecurity, access controls, incident response, technology providers and system reliability. The SEC also highlighted Treasury clearing reforms and customer-data protection. Tokenization is a supervisory focus, not a new crypto classification rule, ban or enforcement action: the priorities are non-binding, not exhaustive and may change. The focus follows a September innovation exemption for certain tokenized-stock venues, subject to conditions such as equivalent shareholder rights and auditable smart contracts. For digital-asset firms and traders, the SEC’s tokenization scrutiny signals closer attention to operational resilience, custody, valuation, disclosure and reconciliation with conventional securities systems. The announcement alone does not change market access, establish wider adoption or indicate a token-price move; market effects depend on further guidance and implementation.

CoinShares’ Zcash ETP, ticker ZCSH, resumed trading on Euronext Paris at noon CET on 28 October, hours after a settlement-related suspension delayed its scheduled debut. Euronext cited the central securities depository’s inability to support standard settlement operations; CoinShares said the issue was unrelated to the firm. The exchange had not publicly confirmed the resumption, and no further technical details were reported. The CoinShares Zcash ETP is the fourth European product offering exposure to ZEC, alongside products from 21Shares, Virtune and Valour. The same-day restart points to a temporary market-infrastructure issue rather than a change in the outlook for Zcash, though the interruption may have affected initial trading activity.

CoinDCX confirmed a $15.99 million loss, reportedly in USDT, after an automated transfer process failed and deposits continued accumulating at deprecated wallet addresses. The exchange said users kept sending funds to old addresses after they were retired following a July 2025 security breach that caused about $44 million in losses. On-chain investigator ZachXBT highlighted activity at a disputed address, including deposits reportedly made as recently as April and May 2026, after CEO Sumit Gupta initially suggested reports of suspicious outflows could be a false alarm. CoinDCX says it will absorb the loss and that customer balances, active wallets and trading systems were unaffected. The exchange has not identified who moved the funds or disclosed all technical details, but acknowledged it could have communicated more proactively. The incident underscores legacy-wallet, deposit-monitoring and operational risks at crypto exchanges; CoinDCX says customer funds remain accounted for.

Cancore has raised $7.2 million in seed funding to expand cross-chain trading for tokenized assets on Canton Network and develop AI trading tools. Investors include Paper Ventures, dao5, ArkStream Capital, X Ventures, MH Ventures and Proof of Talk. Cancore’s platform is designed to let users trade Canton-based assets against assets on public blockchains without wrapped tokens or centralized-exchange custody. Atomic settlement aims to complete both sides of a trade together. The platform has been live on Canton mainnet since April 2026 and supports Ethereum, BNB Chain, Arbitrum One, Robinhood Chain and Tron. As of October 1, Cancore reported more than $53.2 million in trading volume across over 84,000 trades and more than $538,000 in protocol revenue. The funding will support additional network and liquidity integrations, security and settlement infrastructure, and AI agents designed to execute trades, rebalance portfolios and allocate capital. Cancore’s expansion reflects growing efforts to connect tokenized real-world assets with cross-chain liquidity, but adoption will determine its broader impact. The funding announcement alone does not establish a direct price catalyst for major cryptocurrencies.

Anthropic has reportedly filed to list on Nasdaq under the ticker ANT, potentially becoming the first major US company focused mainly on advanced AI models to go public. The Anthropic IPO follows a sharp rise in Claude revenue: the company reported $16.3 billion in revenue for the first half of 2026, up 14-fold year over year, alongside a substantial net loss. Its last private valuation was reported at about $965 billion, while later estimates put its potential public valuation at $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion. The listing could test investor demand for frontier AI companies and the economics of developing advanced models. For crypto traders, the Anthropic IPO has no direct cryptocurrency catalyst, though its reception could offer a broader signal about risk appetite for high-growth technology stocks.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at Ripple’s Swell conference that dollar stablecoins could extend the dollar’s global reach and increase demand for US government debt. He linked stablecoins, AI and semiconductors to US competition with China over technology and financial infrastructure, and said dollar-based tokens can give emerging-market users access to dollars outside traditional banks. More than 90% of stablecoins are dollar-denominated. The later report added estimates of the market’s potential financial impact. Stablecoins are valued at about $300 billion, with Tether and Circle together accounting for around 90% of the market and holding an estimated $170 billion to $220 billion in Treasuries and related assets. Issuers reportedly bought about $40 billion in short-term Treasury bills in 2024. A Standard Chartered forecast cited in the article projects a $2 trillion stablecoin market by 2028, potentially generating about $1 trillion in additional short-term Treasury demand. Under the GENIUS Act, payment stablecoin issuers must hold reserves that include cash and qualifying US Treasuries. Bessent also said the Treasury could work with the SEC and CFTC on crypto safeguards, including protections against firms losing access to banking. The broader CLARITY Act did not pass, and agency rules may be less durable than legislation. The outlook for stablecoin adoption and Treasury demand is positive, but large redemptions could force asset sales and heighten market stress. Regulatory durability and reserve liquidity remain key factors for traders.

Bitcoin came under renewed pressure, briefly falling to about $79,280 before recovering above $80,000. The move followed an earlier drop to around $81,000 and rebound to $83,635. In the later sell-off, crypto markets recorded $436.44 million in liquidations over four hours, including $404.15 million in long positions. More than 90% of liquidations in Bitcoin and Ether were longs. Earlier figures showed $820.84 million in liquidations over 24 hours, with longs accounting for $689.11 million; Bitcoin and Ether led losses, and Binance represented 50.6% of the total. A subsequent short squeeze may have supported the rebound, but liquidations alone do not confirm a market bottom. Bitcoin ETF flows were mixed. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw about $679 million in outflows from October 5 to 9, followed by another $65.40 million on October 12. Later, they recorded $773 million in combined outflows on Thursday and Friday, while still ending that week with $304.73 million in net inflows. The withdrawals coincided with price weakness but do not prove its cause. BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes said he had closed Maelstrom’s directional trading book and taken profits on some tokens, citing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. For Bitcoin traders, the immediate test is whether BTC can hold above $80,000. Derivatives open interest, ETF flows, and upcoming U.S. inflation data may help gauge whether selling pressure is easing. Earlier technical levels put support at $80,660, with $74,340 as a lower level to watch, and resistance at $84,000 and $87,145. The sharp Bitcoin long liquidations highlight near-term leverage risk, but do not by themselves establish a lasting trend reversal.

Bithumb says an outsider breached an internal mobile communications system used by employees and stole personal information. The South Korean crypto exchange is investigating whether member data was exposed, how many people may be affected, and whether deposits or withdrawals were disrupted. Bithumb has notified South Korean authorities, including KISA and the Personal Information Protection Commission. The exchange says the compromised system is separate from its trading infrastructure. No customer crypto losses or direct impact on trading systems have been reported, and Bithumb has not disclosed a full timeline or the number of affected accounts. The incident comes amid a broader wave of cyberattacks on South Korea’s financial sector: the Financial Supervisory Service said 16 institutions had been targeted by 14 October. Daishin Securities reported that personal and credit data for 38,490 customers was exposed, while Mirae Asset Global Investments said suspicious access was blocked without investor data being affected. For traders, the key updates are whether Bithumb confirms a member-data breach and how it handles remediation. The investigation could prompt regulatory scrutiny and add pressure to the exchange’s governance as it plans a 2028 listing. The breach also renews attention to Bithumb’s controls following its February error, when it mistakenly credited customers with 620,000 BTC instead of 620,000 won. So far, no direct effect on Bithumb’s trading or customer assets has been reported.

Datavault AI (DVLT) shares plunged 49.6% to about $0.067 on October 27, as trading volume climbed to nearly 250 million shares—around eight times the previous session. The sell-off followed an October 26 SEC filing that disclosed accounting errors and a Bitcoin custody issue. Datavault AI said Bitcoin received in a $150 million 2025 share transaction with Scilex Holding should not have been recognized as a company digital asset. It will restate four reporting periods, reclassifying the amount as a subscription receivable and a deduction from shareholders’ equity. The restatements are expected to reduce reported total assets by $8.1 million to $92.2 million across the affected dates. Company records show that 1,309.04 BTC was transferred to its account. After Datavault AI sold 491.431 BTC back to Scilex for about $40.5 million, roughly 817.609 BTC remained. The company has been unable to withdraw the Bitcoin held through third-party platform Biconomy since seeking a transfer in June 2026. It has not confirmed that the funds were lost or misappropriated, and the filing did not establish why the withdrawal has failed. Datavault AI is reassessing its ability to continue as a going concern and warned of potential filing delays, financing needs, financial-control weaknesses and Nasdaq compliance risks. Recovery of the Bitcoin or collection of the receivable from Scilex remains uncertain. For crypto traders, the disclosure highlights custody and counterparty risks, but the immediate market reaction was concentrated in DVLT shares rather than Bitcoin. Traders will be watching the restatement timetable, the next quarterly filing and whether the Bitcoin is released or Scilex repays the receivable.

Coinbase and payments network Thunes are partnering to connect stablecoin infrastructure with local bank accounts and mobile wallets for cross-border payments. The service is intended for supplier payments, gig-worker wages and remittances. Coinbase will provide the stablecoin infrastructure, while Thunes will handle delivery through its local payment network, which spans more than 140 countries and 90 currencies. The Coinbase stablecoin partnership could broaden practical use of digital assets for international transfers, but the announcement does not name a specific stablecoin, confirm that every corridor is live or provide adoption and transaction targets. Its value will depend on corridor coverage, fees, settlement times, currency conversion and the handling of rejected payments. Traders should view the Coinbase stablecoin partnership as a payments-infrastructure development, not an immediate signal of token-price gains; live transaction volumes and operating costs will be important indicators to watch.

Microsoft is offering a voluntary exit program to about 60,000 employees—more than a quarter of its workforce—in the US, UK, Canada and India. Eligible staff below level 70 in participating teams can receive severance, continued stock vesting, temporary health coverage and career-transition support; they must decide by the first week of December. Some teams, including data centre, marketing, business operations, quantum computing and cybersecurity, are excluded. Microsoft says the voluntary exit program is not a substitute for layoffs, which may continue as business needs change, and says AI was not the reason for the offer. It expects participation below the 30% rate seen in its spring retirement offer, citing comparable programs with participation of 5% to 6%—potentially 3,000 to 3,600 departures. The move follows about 8,750 voluntary retirements this year and around 4,800 job cuts in July. Investors are also weighing Microsoft’s AI infrastructure spending: capital expenditure was $41 billion in its latest fiscal quarter, with about $50 billion expected in the next. Azure growth, Copilot sales, margins and cash flow will be in focus when results are released after US markets close on 28 October. The staffing plan has no direct cryptocurrency catalyst, but Microsoft’s results and AI spending may shape broader tech-sector sentiment and risk appetite.

USDC Treasury minted 250 million USDC on Solana, with the latest report timestamping the event at 10:23 Beijing time on 28 October 2026. An earlier report gave the time as 02:37 but did not specify a time zone. The mint increases the USDC supply on Solana, but neither report says whether the tokens have entered circulation, reached exchanges or been allocated to customers. Traders can track subsequent transfers and exchange balances for signs of added liquidity or trading demand. The USDC mint alone does not confirm fresh buying or a change in market direction.