Crypto News

Strategy and Strive continued buying Bitcoin as corporate treasury demand showed signs of resilience despite falling share prices, debt pressure and tighter financing conditions. In the earlier reported week, Strategy bought 950 BTC for $75.7 million, while Strive purchased 1,355 BTC for $107.7 million. Their combined purchases totalled 2,305 BTC, worth about $183 million. A later update showed even larger buying. Strategy acquired 1,665 BTC for $142.7 million, lifting its holdings to 847,666 BTC. Strive added 1,107 BTC for $94.5 million, taking its treasury to 27,462 BTC. Together, the companies bought 2,772 BTC, worth approximately $237.2 million based on the reported purchase values, although the article cites a combined figure of about $232.5 million. The purchases came as Bitcoin recovered above $86,000 before trading near $83,409, while the average cost basis for listed Bitcoin treasury companies was estimated at about $80,500. The recovery returned much of the sector to unrealised profit. However, corporate Bitcoin accumulation has slowed sharply, with listed companies adding roughly 5,900 BTC over three months compared with about 89,000 BTC in July 2025. Strategy also repurchased preferred shares and allocated funds to dividends and debt interest. It plans daily dividends across four preferred-stock programmes. Strive continues to finance Bitcoin purchases through preferred shares and warrant exercises. With Strategy shares down more than 50% and Strive down more than 30% over the past year, traders should monitor whether Bitcoin gains can outpace the cost of corporate financing. The buying is a modestly bullish signal for BTC, but it also highlights the liquidity and leverage risks of the treasury-company model.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a long-term plan to turn Ethereum into a “cryptographic world computer” powered by zero-knowledge proofs, recursive STARKs, advanced cryptography and formal verification. Buterin said the Hegota fork, expected next year, could be Ethereum’s final conventional upgrade. Future Ethereum upgrades may redesign verification, proof-of-stake consensus and block construction. PeerDAS and SNARKs could allow nodes to verify data without re-executing every block, while collaborative block building may reduce hardware requirements. The roadmap targets finality of 8–32 seconds, compared with roughly 200 seconds for 12 confirmations today. Slot times could eventually fall from 12 seconds to 2–8 seconds. FOCIL is intended to improve censorship resistance by requiring blocks to include transactions selected by validator committees. Ethereum’s future privacy tools could include zero-knowledge proofs, private account abstraction, onion routing and mixnets. Applications that divide workloads into parallel components may also benefit from lower gas costs. However, fast and secure zero-knowledge proofs and large-scale state management remain major technical challenges. The plan is broadly consistent with Ethereum’s multi-fork roadmap through 2029. Ethereum could gain speed, scalability, privacy and decentralisation over the long term, but implementation risks and the extended timeline limit the immediate trading impact.

Grayscale’s Zcash ETF, ZCSH, will carry out a 3-for-1 forward share split after attracting more than $233 million in cumulative inflows since its 25 August launch. Shareholders on record at the close of trading on 28 September will receive two additional shares for each share held. Split-adjusted trading is expected to begin before the market opens on 30 September. The Zcash ETF split will reduce the per-share price without changing the total value of investors’ holdings. By 17 September, ZCSH had about $890 million in net assets and more than $11 billion in cumulative trading volume. The fund also recorded roughly $112 million in inflows on 8 September alone. Grayscale said the adjustment could improve accessibility as Zcash’s ZEC token has risen sharply, with earlier reports estimating a gain of about 2,800% over 12 months. Strong ZCSH demand has coincided with a ZEC rally. ZEC rose more than 20% in 24 hours after Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang disclosed an investment in the token, later reaching about $1,521 before retreating. More recent reports placed ZEC above $1,200, supported by privacy-coin interest, ETF demand and short squeezes. Zcash futures open interest has reportedly exceeded $2.3 billion, increasing liquidation and leverage risks. Grayscale is also seeking to launch a high-income ETF using options linked to Zcash investment products. The share split is a mechanical change and does not create additional economic value. Traders should watch ZCSH liquidity, ZEC volatility, futures liquidations and market positioning around the split date.

The Trump administration is considering partnerships with private companies to promote dollar-backed stablecoins overseas, according to Bloomberg sources. Potential participants may include the US Treasury, State Department and US International Development Finance Corporation, but no formal programme, companies, timetable or target markets have been confirmed. The proposal expands on a January 2025 executive order supporting lawful dollar stablecoin growth. It also aligns with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s view that stablecoins can reinforce the dollar’s reserve-currency role and increase demand for US government debt. The White House reported that more than $258 billion of stablecoins were outstanding in July 2025, with dollar-pegged tokens accounting for over 99% of the market. Under the GENIUS Act, qualifying stablecoin issuers must maintain reserves worth at least 1:1 against outstanding tokens. Permitted assets include dollars and short-term US Treasury bills. Wider international adoption could therefore support stablecoin liquidity, dollar settlement and indirect demand for Treasury debt. For crypto traders, the policy is a long-term positive for regulated stablecoins and payment infrastructure. Its immediate market impact is likely limited because the plan remains under consideration. It could also increase regulatory pressure on local-currency stablecoins and fuel debate over monetary sovereignty.

Ethereum price has strengthened from the earlier $1.5K-$1.6K recovery zone. ETH initially struggled near $2.5K, then advanced toward $2.8K before failing to hold above the $2.7K resistance area. It is now consolidating near $2.65K, with traders watching whether the bullish structure can remain intact. Ethereum price support has shifted higher. The key daily support is near $2.4K, while the rising trendline and the $2.5K bullish order block offer additional protection. On the four-hour chart, ETH is moving within an estimated $2.5K-$2.7K range. A sustained break above $2.7K could target the psychological $3K level. A decisive trendline break could instead send ETH toward $2.2K-$2.3K. Earlier, the broader downside support was identified around $2.0K-$2.1K, near the 100-day and 200-day moving averages. The 100-day and 200-day moving averages are now converging near $2.1K and could form a bullish crossover, improving Ethereum’s longer-term market structure. However, the four-hour RSI has cooled from overbought levels and previously approached oversold territory, signalling weaker short-term momentum without confirming a trend reversal. On-chain indicators remain mixed. ETH exchange reserves have fallen from more than 21 million to about 14.6 million, potentially reducing immediately available selling supply. Transaction counts recovered from roughly 1.6 million to above 2 million, but activity weakened during the latest move toward $2.6K. This divergence may indicate greater investor holding rather than aggressive short-term trading. Traders should monitor $2.4K support and $2.7K resistance for the next decisive Ethereum price move.

An unidentified address transferred 30 million USD1 to Binance, bringing its reported USD1 deposits to 130 million across three transactions in four days. An earlier report said a Fireblocks custodial wallet had transferred 19.4 million USD1 to Binance in one hour and about 149.8 million USD1 over 13 days, indicating continued large-scale stablecoin flows to the exchange. USD1 is associated with the Trump-backed World Liberty Financial project. Large USD1 transfers to Binance can precede market-making, asset purchases, liquidity management or redemptions, but they do not confirm that the stablecoin will be sold. The wallet owner and purpose remain unknown. Traders should monitor further wallet movements, Binance USD1 balances, order-book liquidity and USD1 price stability before taking a directional position.

Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger will step down on 16 October 2026, weeks after the US Senate failed to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act in a 49-50 vote. She will remain an adviser until the end of 2026. Mersinger, a former Commodity Futures Trading Commission commissioner, joined the Blockchain Association in June 2025. During her tenure, the group held more than 300 meetings with congressional and agency staff and organised seven member lobbying visits in 2026. Kristin Smith, the Blockchain Association’s founding member and board president, will become interim CEO on 17 October while continuing to lead the Solana Policy Institute. The organisation is searching for a permanent successor. Smith previously led the Blockchain Association until 2025. The leadership change could affect lobbying on crypto regulation, including securities classification, stablecoins, tokenisation, decentralised finance and the division of authority between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. For traders, the immediate price impact is likely to be limited. However, the Senate setback and interim appointment suggest that US crypto regulatory clarity may take longer, potentially keeping volatility elevated around legislative and agency announcements.

Dogecoin (DOGE) has gained about 12%–15% over the past week as whale accumulation and spot DOGE ETF inflows improve market sentiment. In the earlier phase, whales bought about 160 million DOGE worth roughly $17.6 million in 96 hours. The latest update reports purchases of more than 1.14 billion DOGE, valued at about $112 million, suggesting stronger buying from large holders. On-chain data also showed elevated DOGE whale activity, including 739 transactions above $100,000 in one day. Investors holding at least 100 million DOGE increased their combined balance to a record 108.52 billion DOGE. Spot DOGE ETFs recorded nearly $2.90 million in weekly net inflows, lifting cumulative inflows to a record $15.27 million. However, ETF demand remains modest compared with other crypto products, and weak demand previously led Bitwise to close its DOGE fund. DOGE is testing resistance near $0.098, where about 28 billion tokens previously changed hands. A confirmed break could open a move towards $0.11, with $0.20 representing a longer-term resistance target. Traders should also monitor an RSI above 70 and rising exchange netflows, which may signal overbought conditions and potential selling pressure. Whale accumulation and ETF demand are bullish, but confirmation above resistance is important before treating the move as a sustained breakout.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has sued Cash FX Group, CEO Huascar Jose Lopez Castillo, The Conversion Pros executives Ronald Pope and Justin Halladay, and other associates over an alleged $950 million forex and cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme. The CFTC says Cash FX used multilevel marketing to attract deposits by promising returns of up to 15% a week, allegedly generated by professional traders, proprietary algorithms and artificial intelligence. The platform claimed to trade retail foreign exchange contracts, but regulators allege it conducted little genuine trading. New deposits were allegedly used to pay earlier participants, while false account statements showed supposed profits. Investors reportedly lost at least $406 million, and the defendants allegedly diverted millions of dollars. The CFTC is seeking restitution, disgorgement, civil penalties, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction. Cash FX had previously faced regulatory warnings in the UK, Ireland and Australia. The allegations have not been proven in court. For crypto traders, the case highlights risks tied to AI trading claims, crypto investment schemes and multilevel marketing platforms. It may also lead to greater scrutiny of audited performance, custody arrangements and withdrawal records. Cash FX remains under regulatory pressure, but the case has no direct bullish or bearish effect on the price of a specific cryptocurrency.

US authorities froze roughly $83 million to $89 million linked to EQIBank, a Dominica-licensed offshore bank involved in USDT purchases and redemptions. The action formed part of a civil forfeiture case against payment processor Capstone, which prosecutors accused of misrepresenting its business activities to banks. The affected funds were reportedly held through Wells Fargo and JPMorgan accounts and included cryptocurrency assets. EQIBank said the freeze represented about 80% of its financial assets and warned that it could threaten the bank’s continued operations. Dominica’s Financial Services Unit placed EQIBank under enhanced supervision. Tether said it was unaware of Capstone’s alleged conduct and that its main reserves were not held at EQIBank. Tether reported about $187.75 billion in group assets for the second quarter. Its reported EQIBank exposure was below 0.034%, or approximately $63.8 million, although figures in reports require further verification. The limited exposure reduces the immediate risk to USDT’s dollar peg, but the Tether case highlights counterparty, custody and regulatory risks in stablecoin banking. Traders should monitor USDT’s market price, redemption activity, liquidity, reserve disclosures and any further legal action.

Zcash (ZEC) reached a new all-time high of $1,697.45, according to OKX market data. After breaking above $1,600, Zcash was trading at $1,642.22, up 5.79% over 24 hours. The record breakout signals strong short-term demand and renewed interest in privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. Traders should watch volatility, liquidity and profit-taking, as rapid gains can trigger sharp pullbacks. Sustained buying above the previous high would support the bullish momentum, while fading volume could increase downside risk.

Institutional crypto exposure remained resilient after crypto prices fell by more than 50% from Q4 2025 to Q2 2026. A Bitwise survey of 15 large investors found that none reduced their crypto allocations, and several increased their positions. Allocations ranged from 0.5% to 13% of investable assets, with most institutions holding 1% to 2%. Bitcoin remains the core institutional crypto asset. Every surveyed institution with crypto exposure held BTC, often viewing it as a long-term store of value, a hedge against currency debasement and a digital alternative to gold. BTC accounted for about 80% of crypto holdings in some portfolios. Institutional crypto exposure is increasingly becoming a question of allocation size and investment vehicles rather than whether to invest. Spot crypto ETFs are the preferred access route for many investors because they offer simpler reporting, lower operational costs and improved liquidity. Some institutions still prefer direct custody because of regulatory restrictions, disclosure concerns or the need for greater asset control. Ethereum and Solana remain more selective, higher-risk technology investments. Institutions are watching network usage, transaction activity, fees and whether blockchain adoption creates sustainable value for ETH and SOL. Potential exit triggers include weak long-term adoption, regulatory reversals and major security or industry crises, rather than short-term price declines. The findings support a resilient long-term demand outlook for institutional crypto exposure, especially Bitcoin. However, they do not guarantee immediate buying pressure. Traders should treat the report as a longer-term sentiment signal, while monitoring ETF flows, institutional disclosures, regulation and network fundamentals for near-term price catalysts.

KelpDAO parent company Evercrest Technologies has sued LayerZero Labs, LayerZero Labs Canada and co-founder Bryan Pellegrino in the Supreme Court of British Columbia over an April rsETH bridge exploit. The attack moved 116,500 rsETH, worth about $292 million at the time, through a bridge connecting KelpDAO infrastructure with Unichain. The exploit also affected DeFi lending protocols, including Aave V3, Compound V3 and Euler. Evercrest alleges that LayerZero reviewed and approved the bridge’s 1-of-1 Decentralized Verifier Network (DVN) configuration. KelpDAO says LayerZero failed to warn that relying on one verifier created a single point of failure, then blamed KelpDAO after the attack. The lawsuit includes claims of negligence, negligent misrepresentation and defamation. LayerZero disputes the allegations, says the configuration was insecure and had recommended using multiple DVNs. Pellegrino called the case meritless and said he would defend himself. The claims have not been proven in court. For traders, the KelpDAO lawsuit increases scrutiny of rsETH, cross-chain bridges, validator concentration and third-party security reviews. It may raise counterparty-risk concerns and add selling pressure to rsETH in the short term, while potentially encouraging stronger bridge-security standards across DeFi.

Coinbase launched fixed-rate, fixed-term Bitcoin-backed USDC loans on September 22, 2026, using Morpho Midnight infrastructure. Eligible users can choose a repayment term and borrow up to $5 million in USDC without selling their Bitcoin. The interest rate and maturity date are locked when the loan begins, giving borrowers more certainty than Coinbase’s existing variable-rate, open-ended loans. The new Bitcoin-backed USDC loans expand Coinbase’s borrowing options rather than replace its floating-rate product. Morpho said Coinbase’s variable-rate loans had surpassed $1.4 billion in active borrowing and were backed by about $3 billion in collateral at launch. Coinbase manages the user experience, Morpho supplies the lending infrastructure, and Base handles settlement. For crypto traders, the product could increase access to liquidity while supporting continued BTC exposure. However, borrowers remain subject to eligibility rules and liquidation risk if they cannot meet repayment obligations. Traders should monitor BTC volatility, collateral ratios, borrowing demand and liquidity conditions.

IBM has launched a beta ISO 20022 messaging adapter that links its Digital Asset Haven platform with Swift’s blockchain-based shared ledger. Banks can use standard payment messages to initiate tokenized-deposit transactions without adopting blockchain-specific interfaces. Swift’s ledger is designed for 24/7 processing of bank-issued tokenized deposits before final settlement through existing payment systems. Seventeen first-mover institutions are testing the model, while Swift’s network covers more than 12,500 financial institutions across over 200 markets. IBM has also introduced a beta on-premises deployment for IBM Z and LinuxONE. The setup gives regulated banks greater control over data, compliance and operations, with cryptographic keys protected by IBM hardware-security modules. The development strengthens institutional blockchain infrastructure and could support long-term growth in tokenized deposits, programmable payments and faster settlement. However, the integration remains in beta, and no transaction-volume or general-availability timeline has been disclosed. For crypto traders, tokenized deposits are an institutional adoption signal rather than an immediate catalyst for major cryptocurrency prices.

Strive, the asset manager co-founded by Vivek Ramaswamy, has expanded its Bitcoin treasury to 25,000 BTC through purchases funded by SATA perpetual preferred stock. Earlier programmes supported purchases of 220 BTC over 11 days, following acquisitions of 104 BTC and 143 BTC. In late August and early September 2026, Strive bought a further 1,844 BTC for about $145.6 million. This included 1,375 BTC purchased for roughly $109 million between 31 August and 4 September, and 469 BTC for about $36.6 million between 8 and 11 September. The second transaction was funded entirely by SATA share sales. SATA, launched in November 2025, has a $100 par value, a $500 million at-the-market authorisation and a variable annualised dividend of about 13%, paid daily. Its notional value has exceeded $1.04 billion. When SATA trades near or above par, Strive can issue preferred shares and use the proceeds to buy Bitcoin without relying on conventional debt, convertible notes or substantial common-stock dilution. The strategy strengthens institutional Bitcoin demand and highlights perpetual preferred equity as an alternative crypto treasury financing model. However, the 13% dividend creates a substantial funding cost. The model also depends on SATA liquidity and a share price near its $99-$101 target range. For Bitcoin traders, the accumulation is modestly bullish for sentiment but is unlikely by itself to move the global spot market significantly. Traders should monitor further SATA issuance, Bitcoin per share, BTC price momentum and the company’s ability to meet its preferred dividend obligations.

Strategy has proposed daily dividend accruals for its four US-listed preferred stocks: STRF, STRC, STRK and STRD. Dividends would accrue on every calendar day, including weekends and public holidays, and be paid on the next business day. The proposal will go to shareholders on October 28, 2026, with the first daily STRC dividend potentially payable on November 2. Strategy says the change would not alter dividend rates or total regular payouts. Instead, it could reduce reinvestment delays, improve liquidity and market efficiency, and help preferred shares trade closer to their stated values. STRC has traded below its $100 value since May despite a 12% annual dividend, falling as low as $71 during Bitcoin’s June sell-off. Strategy has repurchased about $1 billion of preferred shares under a $2 billion programme, including $174 million of STRC in the week ended September 20. The move also responds to competition from Strive’s SATA preferred stock, which offers a 13% annual dividend on each business day and has remained near $100. Strategy has slowed its Bitcoin purchases amid weaker market conditions. It recently disclosed plans to potentially sell up to $1.25 billion of Bitcoin to fund reserves, preferred-stock dividends, interest expenses and possible share repurchases, while buying 950 BTC for $75.7 million last week in its first purchase since August. Strategy holds about 846,000 BTC, acquired at an average price of $75,416. Its MSTR shares are down nearly 50% over the past year but have risen almost 1,000% since the company began accumulating Bitcoin in 2020.

NYSE and Blockchain.com have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore tokenized securities, including US stocks and ETFs, through the exchange’s planned Digital ATS. The platform could support 24/7 trading, fractional ownership, dollar-based orders, stablecoin funding and near-instant on-chain settlement, while preserving shareholder rights such as dividends and voting. The initiative could eventually connect Blockchain.com’s 44 million verified accounts with NYSE and ICE market data. Blockchain.com may also distribute crypto market data to ICE Data Services customers. NYSE has indicated that the digital market could launch in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory, custody and settlement approvals. The development follows the SEC’s planned five-year innovation exemption for authorised tokenized securities venues. Initial venue filings could arrive in the next quarter, with issuers given 30 days to object before tokenized shares are offered. Tokenized securities already had about $2.92 billion in distributed value and roughly 3.63 million holders as of mid-September, according to RWA.xyz. Regulators caution that 24/7 tokenized securities trading may reduce overnight liquidity, widen spreads and increase volatility. The CFTC supports tokenized real-world assets, blockchain records, tokenized collateral and stablecoins, but says trading hours should vary by market. Crypto and precious metals may suit continuous trading, while agriculture, energy and some financial markets may not. Similar projects include Nasdaq’s partnership with Payward and the xStocks framework. The near-term impact on crypto prices is likely limited, but the initiative could support long-term institutional adoption of blockchain-based assets.

Gold initially fell to around $4,300 per ounce on 23 September 2026, with XAUUSD at $4,298.11, down 0.4% in 24 hours. By 25 September, gold had recovered and broken above $4,300. XAUUSD reached $4,301.97, up 1.2% over 24 hours. The latest rise suggests stronger demand for safe-haven assets, but the reports provide no direct evidence of changes in cryptocurrency flows or digital-asset market conditions. Crypto traders should monitor the US dollar, Treasury yields, interest-rate expectations and geopolitical risk to assess whether the gold rally reflects broader risk-off sentiment that could affect crypto markets.

All 11 Democratic members of the US Senate Banking Committee have asked Chairman Tim Scott to hold a public hearing on prediction markets. The request followed a private meeting between Republican committee members and Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour. Lawmakers want to examine prediction market contracts linked to corporate earnings, securities, economic data and other financial-market outcomes. They said these products could raise overlapping jurisdiction and investor-protection questions for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Prediction markets are expanding beyond politics and sports, while US states challenge some sports-related contracts and federal regulators debate oversight. The hearing request does not change Kalshi’s regulatory status or create new legislation, but it signals growing congressional scrutiny of prediction markets. For crypto traders, the immediate impact is neutral. A hearing could improve regulatory clarity and support wider acceptance of event-based trading over time. However, stricter compliance rules, enforcement risks and uncertainty for platforms operating near financial markets could weigh on sentiment. Prediction markets may also become an important regulatory reference point for crypto-based event contracts.

US diesel prices have climbed to a record $6.53 per gallon, up 74% since the Iran conflict began. The US Energy Information Administration said the rise is a nominal record and the highest inflation-adjusted level since 2022. Earlier reports had put the national average at $6 per gallon, above the previous record of $5.85. The US diesel prices surge is increasing costs for freight, trucking, agriculture and other diesel-dependent industries. Disruptions linked to the Iran conflict have raised concerns about tighter crude oil and refined-product supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Market pricing has also increased the perceived chance that crude oil could reach a new all-time high by December 31. Crypto traders should monitor Middle East developments, crude oil prices, OPEC and International Energy Agency responses, inflation expectations, bond yields and central-bank policy. A prolonged energy shock could weaken broader risk appetite and tighten liquidity, although the reports provide no direct evidence of a specific cryptocurrency market reaction.

Kalshi denies that the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has contacted it over about $5 billion in Ether perpetual futures trading. The statement follows a Wall Street Journal report that the CFTC was reviewing rapid trades clustered around $5,500 and assessing possible wash trading. An earlier report identified nearly one million trades with similar $5,500 order sizes. More than one-third of recent trades were concentrated at that level, involving firms including Jump Trading and Wintermute. The CFTC review could still lead to a formal enforcement investigation, although no wrongdoing has been proven. Kalshi’s head of communications, Elisabeth Diana, called the claims “rumors seeded by competitors”. Kalshi said its liquidity incentive programmes pay market makers to maintain buy and sell orders at set sizes and price ranges. The company said hundreds of separate traders took those orders and that the market maker was often losing money, which it argued pointed to genuine trading rather than wash trading. The Wall Street Journal also reported that Kalshi waived fees, made monthly cash payments and offered some traders potential access to company equity for meeting volume targets. Kalshi did not directly address the equity arrangements. The platform says self-trading is blocked, wash trading is prohibited and monitored, and market makers are rewarded for liquidity rather than raw volume. The CFTC dispute raises regulatory and market-integrity risks for Kalshi’s expanding Ether perpetual futures business. Traders should monitor any regulator response, changes to liquidity incentives and the quality of reported volume. The issue may affect confidence and liquidity on Kalshi, but it does not currently indicate a problem with Ethereum’s network or long-term fundamentals.

Sui Protocol v137 is included in the mainnet-v1.80.1 release, adding protocol, execution, validator and API upgrades. The Sui Protocol update doubles the Ristretto255 range-proof limit from 512 to 1,024 commitment-bit combinations, enabling larger verification batches. Allowances support is also available across the protocol, gRPC and GraphQL interfaces. On devnet, object-fund withdrawal checks now run inside the Move VM. Insufficient withdrawals abort during execution, while the first settled-balance read for each owner and asset type costs 184 internal gas units. Move code with many constants may become slightly more expensive because LdConst now charges based on abstract value size. The release also expands transaction-expiration validity, adds earlier signing checks and new memory-invariant checks for programmable transaction blocks, and supports public(package) constants in Move 2024.alpha packages. Validators can opt into a gas-price-prioritized, pull-based consensus transaction pool. RPC and archival services gain improved effects, query metadata, Move package and historical subscription features. For SUI traders, this is mainly a blockchain infrastructure and developer-focused upgrade rather than an immediate price catalyst. Short-term performance is likely to depend on broader market sentiment, liquidity, network fees and usage. Longer term, higher throughput, better transaction handling and stronger developer tools could support ecosystem growth. Traders should monitor validator adoption, transaction activity and developer engagement.

Circle stock rose nearly 2% in premarket trading after Binance bought 1,237,011 Class A shares for $100 million, or $80.84 per share, through a private placement. The deal closed on 17 September and includes a five-year commercial agreement to expand USDC across Binance’s trading, savings and investment products, particularly in emerging markets. Circle will pay Binance monthly incentives linked to USDC balances held through its wallet infrastructure. Binance is restricted from selling, transferring, pledging or hedging the shares for up to two years, subject to limited exceptions. The partnership strengthens USDC distribution through one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges and reverses Binance’s 2022 strategy of reducing USDC support in favour of BUSD. The agreement could increase USDC circulation, trading activity and stablecoin demand. However, Circle’s earnings remain heavily dependent on reserve income and distribution economics. In the second quarter, Circle reported $701 million in revenue and reserve income, while distribution and transaction costs reached $410.4 million. More than 95% of total revenue came from reserve-related income, and Coinbase received $324.6 million in distribution payments. USDC remains the second-largest stablecoin, with about $75 billion in circulation, compared with roughly $183 billion for USDT. USDC supply and on-chain activity have been growing faster. Traders should monitor USDC balances on Binance, transaction volumes, Circle’s net take rate and distribution costs. The deal is strategically positive for USDC adoption, but it does not guarantee a higher CRCL valuation or stronger earnings immediately.

Kakao Pay and KakaoBank have signed a memorandum of understanding with Fireblocks to explore stablecoin infrastructure and digital-asset services in South Korea. The partners will assess local infrastructure needs and conduct proof-of-concept tests covering regulatory compliance, security and service requirements. The stablecoin infrastructure agreement does not confirm a token launch, issuance plan, blockchain, reserve model, custody structure, commercial product or deployment timetable. It remains an early-stage assessment, with the proof-of-concept process serving as the next key milestone. Fireblocks says its platform is used by more than 2,500 institutions, including over 100 banks, and supports digital-asset activity across more than 200 blockchains. Kakao Pay contributes payments expertise, while KakaoBank provides banking capabilities. The initiative follows Kakao Group’s July 2026 agreement with Circle on blockchain payment infrastructure and potential won-denominated stablecoin services. The projects appear complementary: Circle is linked to potential payment applications, while Fireblocks is focused on the underlying stablecoin infrastructure. KakaoBank CEO Yun Ho-young and Kakao Pay CEO Shin Won-keun reportedly co-lead Kakao Group’s stablecoin task force. For crypto traders, the announcement signals rising institutional interest in Korean stablecoin infrastructure. However, it provides no immediate evidence of new token supply, user adoption or revenue, making the direct price impact neutral.

Binance has launched 24/7 FX perpetuals on Binance Futures, starting with a USDBRLUSDT contract linked to the US dollar-Brazilian real exchange rate. The USDT-settled product offers synthetic exposure rather than spot FX settlement or physical currency delivery. The contract launched on 21 September at 14:00 UTC and offers leverage of up to 100x. Binance FX perpetuals allow trading during nights and weekends, when traditional foreign-exchange markets are closed. Prices may rely on derivatives pricing and external reference feeds during those periods, creating risks of gaps when the underlying market reopens. Traders should monitor leverage, funding costs, liquidity and USD/BRL volatility. Binance said it expects to add more FX contracts. The launch expands crypto derivatives into traditional finance but is unlikely to directly affect cryptocurrency prices.

Kalshi has filed a proposed rule change with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to list perpetual stock futures linked to 58 stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The perpetual stock futures would have no fixed expiry and use periodic funding payments between long and short traders to keep prices close to underlying assets. Most contracts would represent 100 shares, with settlement expected through Kalshi Klear. The proposed eligible securities must have more than 20 million shares available for delivery, a market capitalisation of at least $100 billion and average daily trading volume of at least $450 million over the previous six months. The perpetual stock futures are not yet available. The filing remains subject to regulatory review and approval, with traders also watching for further details from the SEC and relevant derivatives regulators on margins, funding rates and contract terms. If approved, the proposal could extend crypto-style perpetual derivatives into regulated equity markets and increase competition among prediction markets, derivatives exchanges and crypto trading venues. It is unlikely to create a direct price catalyst for cryptocurrencies, but may influence derivatives flows and cross-market trading strategies.

The European Central Bank (ECB) and euro-area central banks want MiCA to extend its stablecoin yield ban to indirect rewards from crypto lending, borrowing, staking and DeFi liquidity mining. The proposal would also cover loyalty benefits and fee discounts that could help platforms bypass current MiCA rules. In a 57-page response to the European Commission, the European System of Central Banks called for EU-wide regulation of crypto lending and borrowing based on economic substance rather than technology. Customer assets transferred to firms promising repayment could potentially fall under EU banking rules. The ECB says stablecoins should remain payment instruments rather than deposit substitutes. The central banks also proposed replacing MiCA’s fixed reserve-deposit requirements with liquidity standards. Significant stablecoins could need 40% of reserves available within one day and 60% within five business days. The proposed thresholds for non-significant stablecoins are 20% and 30%. The consultation closes on 30 September 2026, while the European Commission could propose legislation by mid-2027. The changes are not yet law, but traders should monitor stablecoin liquidity, exchange yield products and DeFi platforms such as Aave and Compound. Tighter MiCA rules could reduce stablecoin and DeFi yields, increase compliance costs and weigh on related tokens, although stronger liquidity requirements could improve redemption resilience over the long term.

The SEC has approved amended exemptive relief for ARK Venture Fund and ARK Investment Management, allowing the $562 million fund to create two new share classes. The Exchange Class is intended for potential listing on a national securities exchange, while the Tokenized Class may use distributed ledger technology to record ownership. The approval follows ARK’s earlier proposal to offer tokenized shares through the fund’s normal subscription process at net asset value. The shares could potentially trade through registered alternative trading systems, approved quotation platforms or peer-to-peer transfers between authorised wallets. ARK is not seeking approval for decentralised finance trading and has not confirmed a blockchain, tokenization provider or launch date. The SEC approval does not mean the tokenized shares are already trading. It is a regulatory infrastructure milestone rather than an immediate product launch. The tokenized shares would remain subject to registered investment company, custody, transfer and investor-protection rules. For crypto traders, the ARK Venture Fund approval is a neutral near-term signal because no cryptocurrency is being issued and no live market has been announced. Over the longer term, the ARK Venture Fund framework could support broader institutional adoption of tokenized funds and blockchain-based ownership records. Any stronger market impact would likely depend on the selection of a provider, blockchain, trading venue and launch date.