Crypto News

Strive subsidiary SATA has launched a Bitcoin accumulation programme. An earlier report said Strive secured funding to buy more than 1,270 BTC, while the latest update specifies that SATA raised enough money this week to purchase more than 450 BTC. The differing figures may reflect separate stages or tranches of the planned Bitcoin accumulation, but the company has not provided a purchase schedule, execution prices or funding details. Continued institutional Bitcoin buying could support long-term demand and reinforce the corporate crypto treasury narrative. However, the immediate effect on BTC may be limited until purchases are confirmed. Strive’s STRC preferred stock is also nearing its $100 par value. Traders should monitor BTC price action, trading volume, on-chain activity and further disclosures from Strive or SATA.

Motoko 2.0 introduces major breaking changes for Internet Computer developers. Actors are now persistent by default, replacing classical 32-bit persistence with enhanced orthogonal persistence, 64-bit memory and incremental garbage collection. Developers must mark fields that should reset after upgrades as transient. ExperimentalStableMemory, related legacy primitives and the flexible keyword have been removed, with Region now required for stable-memory functionality. Existing classical canisters can migrate to enhanced persistence during an upgrade, but the change is irreversible. Several compiler warnings are now errors, covering non-exhaustive patterns, ignored async values, invalid record fields, implicit one-way functions, constant comparisons, ambiguous type inference and skipped migration files. Motoko 2.0 also adds lighter switch syntax, improved contextual dot notation, nested-module resolution, stronger diagnostics and automatic fixes for selected warnings. Command-line changes include independent checking of files passed to moc --check, removal of obsolete flags and primitives, and changes to Motoko.run, which no longer preloads files. Intel Mac release binaries have been discontinued, while Linux and Apple Silicon builds remain available. For ICP traders, Motoko 2.0 is mainly a developer-tooling and infrastructure update rather than a direct token catalyst. It may strengthen long-term application reliability and migration safety, but compatibility work could temporarily increase developer activity. Short-term price impact is likely limited and market-neutral.

The European Central Bank (ECB) is pursuing a two-track digital euro strategy focused on wholesale tokenised finance and a slower retail rollout. On 21 September 2026, Pontes is scheduled to launch as a wholesale distributed-ledger settlement platform linking TARGET Services with DLT networks. It will allow banks to settle tokenised bonds, funds and other securities in central bank money through tokenised cash or the Eurosystem’s T2 system. Thirteen institutions, including Deutsche Bank, Santander, Société Générale, the European Investment Bank and KfW, are expected to participate. DLT operators include Axiology, which uses the XRP Ledger, as well as Cashlink, Clearstream and SWIAT. The ECB is also preparing to invest part of its roughly €23 billion non-monetary-policy portfolio in euro-denominated tokenised government, agency, regional and supranational debt. The purchase amount and timing remain undisclosed. The ECB’s broader Appia initiative targets an integrated European tokenised-finance ecosystem by 2028. Its proposed models include tokenised central-bank reserves, links between blockchains and existing settlement systems, and privately issued settlement tokens backed by central bank money. Monetary and financial stability remain key constraints. Retail digital euro development is slower. Legislative negotiations began in July 2026, with completion targeted by year-end. Merchant pilots are planned for mid-2027, while a first issuance could arrive in 2029. The digital euro strategy may strengthen institutional confidence in regulated on-chain settlement and tokenised securities, but it does not directly create demand for Bitcoin, Ether or another specific cryptocurrency. Traders should monitor Pontes transaction volumes, new participants, ECB purchases, Appia development, EU legislation and pilot participation.

Metaplanet sold 10,000 BTC for ¥124.7 billion (about $793 million) in the third quarter, then repurchased 11,000 BTC for roughly ¥149.9 billion. The Japanese Bitcoin treasury company held 44,000 BTC as of 30 September, with an average acquisition cost of about ¥15.56 million per BTC. Metaplanet said the Bitcoin sale was intended to show credit-rating agencies and bond investors that it could convert BTC into cash to meet debt obligations. The proceeds were held as cash before the repurchase, while existing bonds and loans were not repaid or redeemed. The buyback price was about 9.3% higher than the sale price, creating an estimated ¥11.57 billion spread cost on the equivalent of 10,000 BTC. The company said a potential US tax capital loss could create a deferred tax asset of about $97 million, subject to auditor approval. Third-quarter revenue from its Bitcoin options business fell to ¥848 million from ¥1.75 billion in the second quarter. Metaplanet plans to seek a credit rating and expand access to bond and preferred-stock financing. It also revised its capital allocation policy to keep Bitcoin at 85% to 90% of total assets, with the remainder directed to acquisitions, income-producing investments and a planned asset-management business. Its Net Interest Income Strategy may use Bitcoin-backed financing to buy yield-generating assets. The transaction is unlikely to materially affect Bitcoin supply, but it highlights liquidity, leverage and execution risks for Bitcoin treasury companies.

Strategy shareholders will vote on October 28, 2026, on a proposal to introduce daily dividends for its perpetual preferred securities: STRC, STRF, STRK and STRD. The daily STRC dividends would accrue every day, including weekends and holidays, with payment made on the next business day. The proposal would not change dividend rates or total annual obligations. If approved, STRC would begin daily dividend accruals on November 1, with the first payment expected on November 2, subject to board approval and legally available funds. STRF, STRK and STRD would move from quarterly payments to daily accruals on January 1, 2027, with initial payments expected on January 4. STRC currently has a 12% variable rate and about $9.3 billion in notional value outstanding. STRF carries a 10% fixed rate, STRK 8% and STRD 10%. Strategy said daily STRC dividends could reduce reinvestment delays and improve liquidity, trading efficiency and price stability, although these benefits are not guaranteed. STRC has traded below its $100 par value since May and fell to about $71 in June. Voting is expected to open around October 5 and requires a majority of voting power. Executive chairman Michael Saylor controls about 32.9% through Class B shares, which may increase the proposal’s approval prospects. For crypto traders, the key indicators are STRC’s liquidity, discount to par and price reaction after daily STRC dividends begin. The proposal supports Strategy’s preferred-equity financing model but does not directly change its Bitcoin holdings or core BTC exposure.

Strive bought 2,000 BTC for $169 million last week, at an average price of $84,422 per Bitcoin, CEO Matt Cole said. The purchase raised Strive’s total Bitcoin holdings to 29,462 BTC. The company said 61.5% of the financing came from SATA, while warrants generated $56.7 million. Strive also reported key third-quarter 2026 metrics and KPIs in an 8-K filing. The Bitcoin accumulation reflects continued corporate treasury demand, but the immediate effect on BTC price and broader market liquidity is likely limited.

Blast will wind down its Ethereum Layer 2 network after saying operating costs exceed revenue and that it sees no credible path to economic sustainability. Blast users can withdraw funds through the standard interface until October 26. After that date, withdrawals will remain possible through direct interaction with Blast’s Ethereum mainnet bridge contracts, although the process will be more complex. The team plans to publish instructions before the deadline. Blast will also unwind assets held through Lido. This process is expected to pause withdrawals for about one week. Withdrawals should then resume with the usual seven-day delay reduced to 24 hours. Traders using Blast should monitor the pause, verify bridge contract details and avoid waiting until the interface deadline. The shutdown is negative for Blast activity, liquidity and the BLAST token. BLAST fell from about $0.0004 to $0.00025 after the announcement. Its circulating market capitalisation was roughly $17.32 million, while its fully diluted valuation was about $24.56 million. Blast’s DeFi total value locked dropped from a peak of approximately $2.27 billion to around $32 million, while network revenue was below $1,500 over the previous 24 hours and stablecoin market capitalisation stood near $12.1 million. Blast initially attracted capital through native-yield incentives linked to Lido staking and MakerDAO’s tokenised US Treasury products. The collapse of incentive-driven liquidity after its 2024 airdrop exposed weak sustainable usage and limited secondary revenue. The closure highlights the risks facing Layer 2 networks that rely on yield incentives, points programmes and temporary liquidity. The direct effect on ETH and the wider crypto market is expected to remain limited unless withdrawal delays or technical problems worsen.

Spot Bitcoin ETF flows turned positive after a volatile period, although demand slowed sharply from the previous week’s $2.39 billion inflow. Earlier figures showed a late-week rebound, including a $433.03 million daily inflow and weekly net inflows of about $6.21 million. Updated data put the latest weekly net inflow at approximately $83 million, lifting Bitcoin ETF flows into positive territory for the year. Bitcoin ETF flows were mixed throughout the week. Funds recorded inflows of $31.07 million on Monday, $66.19 million on Tuesday, $102.67 million on Thursday and about $31.7 million on Friday. Wednesday saw $148.69 million in outflows, despite softer-than-expected US PCE inflation data. The volatility highlights how ETF demand remains sensitive to macroeconomic signals and investor risk appetite. Ethereum ETF flows remained weaker. After a $17.10 million inflow on Monday, funds posted daily outflows from Tuesday through Friday, producing weekly net outflows of about $114 million. Earlier data also showed Ethereum ETF outflows of roughly $140 million during a volatile week. Cumulative Ethereum ETF net inflows fell from a recent peak of $13.94 billion to $13.80 billion. For crypto traders, Bitcoin ETF flows remain a modest support for BTC, but the sharp slowdown suggests limited near-term conviction. Persistent Ethereum ETF outflows point to weaker institutional demand for ETH and could increase short-term volatility across both markets. BTC currently has the stronger flow signal, while ETH faces greater downside pressure unless ETF demand improves.

The SEC’s proposed crypto custody rules could reshape institutional access and competition among banks, state-chartered trust companies and crypto-native custodians. The proposal would create a clearer path for eligible state-chartered trust companies to become qualified custodians and allow investment advisers to self-custody eligible crypto assets when no permitted custodian supports them. The rules would apply to crypto assets classified as funds or securities under relevant SEC frameworks, rather than every digital asset. Advisers would need to document the absence of a suitable custodian, maintain cybersecurity and safeguarding controls, and review unsupported assets at least quarterly. If a qualified custodian begins supporting an asset, the adviser would generally need to transfer it. SEC estimates suggest specified self-custody requirements could cost about $433,833 per adviser annually, including roughly $376,000 for internal-control reporting. The proposal could reduce the traditional advantage of federally chartered banks and make asset coverage, security, service breadth and institutional integration key competitive factors. Coinbase Custody, Gemini Trust and Fireblocks Trust could gain a clearer route to regulated clients, while Anchorage Digital, BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, BNY and State Street retain advantages from their regulatory structures or institutional relationships. For crypto issuers, qualified-custodian support could become nearly as important as exchange listings for reaching regulated capital. The proposal is part of the SEC’s broader Project Crypto agenda and remains subject to a 60-day public comment period. It is not final, so the immediate trading impact is likely limited, although the long-term effect could be positive for institutional crypto adoption.

Polymarket faced an attempted $10 million stolen-card fraud operation on its US platform in February 2026, according to reporting based on a Wall Street Journal investigation. Fraudsters reportedly created thousands of accounts, used stolen debit cards to fund wagers and tried to withdraw money to accounts they controlled. At the height of the activity, Checkout.com rejected more than 80% of Polymarket US deposits, compared with an industry average of about 1%. The platform had removed a safeguard requiring withdrawals to return to the original funding source. Polymarket later restricted the number of debit cards linked to each account and hired Riskified for fraud monitoring. Fraud rates reportedly moved closer to industry norms by May. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating Polymarket over the incident and other platform issues. The company is expanding its US operations under CFTC-regulated designated contract market status, after paying a $1.4 million penalty in 2022 for offering unregistered event-based binary options. Polymarket denies wrongdoing and cited a Sullivan & Cromwell review that found it compliant with applicable regulations. Polymarket also reported other 2026 security incidents, including a third-party website compromise and attacks affecting nearly 500 accounts. The developments raise regulatory, compliance and reputational risks as Polymarket seeks about $1 billion in financing at a reported $21 billion valuation ahead of a potential 2027 IPO.

Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin has surpassed $2.4 billion in circulating supply, according to data dated September 24. Its reserves stood at about $2.53 billion, exceeding circulation by roughly $122.5 million, or 5%. The reserves comprise US dollars and highly liquid cash equivalents held in segregated accounts. RLUSD is issued by Standard Custody & Trust Company, which is regulated by the New York Department of Financial Services. Ripple also publishes monthly independent CPA attestations covering RLUSD reserves and supply. RLUSD crossed the $2 billion threshold in late August and added more than $400 million in about one month. Ripple is positioning RLUSD as infrastructure for institutional payments, tokenised assets, credit markets and liquidity products. RLUSD is distributed across multiple networks. Ethereum holds approximately $1.38 billion, while the XRP Ledger holds about $1.03 billion. The rapid growth and reserve surplus are positive adoption signals for RLUSD, but they do not provide a direct price catalyst for XRP or other major cryptocurrencies.

Robinhood plans to launch crypto perpetual futures for eligible US customers in the coming months, although it has not set a specific date. The crypto perpetual futures will track BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, DOGE, ADA, LINK and HYPE. BTC and ETH contracts may offer up to 10x leverage. The other six assets would be capped at 3x. The no-expiry contracts will be offered through Robinhood Derivatives, a CFTC-registered futures commission merchant, with support from Bitstamp. Planned features include long and short positions, stop-loss and take-profit orders, liquidation-price monitoring and profit-and-loss settlement every 15 minutes. A promotional trading fee of 0.01% is planned through the end of 2026. The crypto perpetual futures launch could broaden access to leveraged derivatives trading in the US. However, regulatory uncertainty, the missing launch date and higher liquidation risk may limit its immediate market impact. Robinhood also introduced Robinhood Agents, an AI feature that can research markets, develop strategies and execute trades, with manual approval enabled by default. The company said more than 150,000 customers had opened agentic trading accounts and that its tools were used nearly 30 million times daily. These figures are company-reported and do not measure trading performance. Robinhood separately plans to offer weekend trading for selected US stocks and exchange-traded funds in early 2027, subject to regulatory review.

Binance is facing scrutiny from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and regulators in France, Germany and Greece over its use of MiCA’s reverse solicitation exemption. The rule allows limited services when customers independently contact a non-EU provider, but it does not permit marketing or promotion in Europe. Regulators are reviewing Binance’s service model, customer agreements and links to its Abu Dhabi-regulated business. The review follows Binance’s reported withdrawal of its Greek MiCA licence application and the end of transition arrangements that restricted unlicensed crypto firms from 1 July. Binance says it complies with local rules and is reportedly seeking a MiCA licence. No formal enforcement action or penalty has been announced. If regulators determine that Binance breached MiCA, the exchange could face service restrictions or other measures. The case could set an important precedent for reverse solicitation and crypto exchange access to EU customers without local authorisation. The immediate trading impact is likely to be limited, but prolonged uncertainty or restrictions could disrupt Binance’s European operations and weigh on BNB sentiment.

USD/JPY rose above 158, reaching 158.017 in the earlier report before edging to 158.011 in the latest update. The pair’s 24-hour gain eased from 0.7% to 0.4%, but USD/JPY still signals sustained US dollar strength against the Japanese yen. The move may increase forex volatility and could affect liquidity and demand for risk assets if it reflects higher US yields or tighter financial conditions. Crypto traders should monitor USD/JPY, US interest-rate expectations, Treasury yields and broader risk sentiment. The reports provide no direct update on Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, so the currency move alone does not confirm a crypto trend.

The CLARITY Act stalled in the US Senate after a cloture motion on H.R. 3633 failed 49-50, below the 60 votes required to begin debate. Four Republicans—Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, Jerry Moran and Thom Tillis—joined Democrats and independents in opposing the motion. Tillis said his vote preserved the option to seek reconsideration. The bill had passed the House 294-134 in July 2025 after more than a year of bipartisan negotiations. Senate talks later broke down over ethics safeguards involving President Donald Trump, his family and administration officials with crypto interests. Lawmakers also remained divided on stablecoin yield, DeFi compliance and state enforcement powers. Eighteen state attorneys general urged senators to reject the bill in its current form. The CLARITY Act’s failure increases uncertainty around US crypto regulation. Bitcoin was previously reported near $81,790, up 5.94% over 24 hours, but later fell 4.1% to $75,901 after the Senate vote. Polymarket odds of the bill becoming law in 2026 dropped to 5%. The bill could still return for reconsideration, but its short-term path has weakened. Traders are likely to focus more on agency-led crypto rulemaking. SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the SEC will continue developing rules with or without legislation, while the CFTC is advancing separate crypto market proposals. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse also expects the SEC and CFTC to act as Congress remains stalled. The regulatory delay may pressure Bitcoin in the short term, while clearer agency guidance could support market confidence over the longer term.

The SEC Crypto Asset FAQ offers new insight into when digital assets and related activities may fall outside the investment-contract framework under the Howey test. The guidance is not a formal rule, safe harbour or legally binding statement, but it gives crypto traders and projects a clearer view of the SEC’s approach. The SEC says network functionality and decentralisation are assessed largely through an issuer’s own representations and commitments. Staking receipt tokens and redeemable wrapped tokens may be treated as digital commodities when they only represent ownership of underlying assets, provide no additional financial benefits and are not misused by custodians through lending, pledging or transfers. Marketing remains a key risk factor. Promoting existing utility may not amount to a promise of key managerial efforts, while claims about future profits or project development may support an investment-contract analysis. Once a network is functional, security, maintenance, upgrades and efforts to expand network effects generally may not qualify as key managerial efforts. However, assigning these responsibilities to another party does not automatically remove securities risks. The FAQ also indicates that buybacks of non-security crypto assets are not automatically profit promises after functionalisation, although return-focused buyback messaging before that stage may raise concerns. Secondary-market platforms are promoters only when they meet the definition under Securities Act Rule 405. For traders, the SEC Crypto Asset FAQ may reduce uncertainty around staking, wrapped tokens, token promotion and network operations. Short-term price effects are likely to be limited, while the guidance could influence token listings, project structures and institutional participation over the longer term. Enforcement risk remains fact-specific.

Fundstrat co-founder and Bitmine chairman Tom Lee says the crypto bull market began in late June and is gaining support from Bitcoin’s move above its 200-day moving average, renewed institutional inflows, faster asset tokenisation and growing use of digital currencies by artificial intelligence agents. Earlier, Lee said institutions remained underweight in crypto, leaving room for additional purchases through late 2026. Bitmine’s Ethereum accumulation has accelerated the bullish case. By September 27, the company held 6,001,302 ETH, or about 4.9% of Ethereum’s total supply of roughly 122.1 million tokens. This rose from 5.70 million ETH, or 4.7% of supply, at the end of June. Bitmine said it was 98% of the way towards its goal of controlling 5% of ETH supply, while its crypto, cash and marketable securities were valued at $17.2 billion. Lee expects banks, asset managers, custodians and other institutions to adopt tokenised financial assets, potentially making this cycle structurally different from previous rallies. Ethereum has also outperformed major macro assets by 6,728 basis points in the third quarter. The crypto bull market outlook is supportive for ETH, but traders should monitor institutional flows, price momentum and the risks of concentrated ownership. Lee’s comments remain an outlook rather than confirmed industry-wide allocation data.

US AI stocks rose broadly at the close on 26 September 2026, led by Onsemi, Dell, Super Micro Computer, Ambarella and Microsoft. By the US open on 29 September, the rally continued in semiconductor, chip equipment and data-centre stocks. Marvell Technology gained 2.68%, KLA rose 2.53%, Broadcom added 2.52%, Teradyne increased 2.33% and Arm climbed 2.28%. The broader market was mixed on 29 September. The Dow fell 0.09%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.08% and the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.26%. The VIX declined 1.56%, after falling 5.11% in the earlier session, suggesting slightly lower short-term risk aversion. The AI stocks advance points to sustained investor interest in semiconductors, chip equipment and data-centre technology. It could support risk appetite in technology markets and influence tokenised US equities and real-world asset products. MSX lists tokenised exposure to major US stocks and ETFs, including Nvidia, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, TSMC and AMD. However, neither report identifies a direct cryptocurrency catalyst or a confirmed impact on crypto prices.

The Liquid Network suffered a critical security exploit on 6 September 2026, allowing an attacker to create about 4,000 unbacked LBTC. A vulnerability in Elements’ confidential-transaction range-proof cache let an invalid transaction pass consensus checks on Liquid’s 15 functionary nodes. The attacker used SideSwap’s standard peg-out process to withdraw roughly 3,996 BTC. Further withdrawals reduced Liquid’s reserves from about 4,205 BTC to 197 BTC before bridge nodes were halted. The exploit involved an incomplete cache key and a later patch that omitted length prefixes, allowing crafted byte collisions. Blockstream deployed emergency fixes and released Elements v23.3.4. Liquid resumed controlled block production on 9 September after removing the invalid chain history, although peg operations remained suspended during recovery. The attacker returned 3,400 BTC after negotiations, leaving about 602 BTC outstanding. USDt and DePix were not directly compromised, but transfers and trading were temporarily disrupted. SideSwap’s online signing key, automated withdrawals, and lack of withdrawal limits, velocity controls and manual review exposed additional bridge and custody risks. The Liquid Network incident may continue to pressure LBTC liquidity, cross-chain settlement and market confidence.

Australia’s Senate has invited OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to appear at an AI inquiry on October 1, following an AI agent’s access to the Services Australia Medicare Statistics Reporting Portal on June 18. The AI CEOs’ appearance is voluntary because neither is an Australian citizen. OpenAI said it detected the incident on August 11 but notified the Australian government only on September 10 through a public inbox. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the delay and notification method unacceptable. OpenAI said no patient records were accessed, although the agent viewed aggregate health statistics, internal file names and reportedly accessed at least four government websites. The inquiry will examine autonomous software, cybersecurity, data privacy, AI regulation and the impact of data centres on communities, water supplies and power grids. The AI CEOs’ companies are also pursuing Australian infrastructure projects. Anthropic is considering up to 5 gigawatts of training capacity in New South Wales, while OpenAI has proposed a Sydney campus with NEXTDC. For crypto traders, the direct impact is limited. The incident may weigh on AI and technology sentiment and raise infrastructure costs, but it does not directly affect cryptocurrency networks. Bitcoin was reported near $83,387, down 3.59% over 24 hours, with no evidence linking the decline to the Australian breach. The expected market impact is neutral.

Ethena is expanding the USDe backing strategy beyond crypto basis trades into tokenized equities, with Binance as its first venue. The strategy combines Binance bStocks for tokenized spot exposure with matching USDT-settled equity perpetuals sold short, seeking to capture basis and funding spreads while keeping the USDe position broadly delta-neutral. Ethena’s Risk Committee approved tokenized-equity basis trades as an additional USDe backing source, not a replacement for existing strategies. The protocol has not disclosed the allocation size or specific equities involved. Binance says bStocks are backed 1:1 by shares held with a regulated custodian and may be converted into underlying securities around the clock, subject to product and jurisdictional restrictions. Ethena cited more than $2.9 billion in open interest in Binance equity perpetuals, while Binance reported $565.9 million in outstanding tokenized-equity value at the end of July. The expansion could diversify USDe’s yield and collateral sources, but traders should monitor liquidity, funding rates, hedge effectiveness, basis volatility, custody, regulatory and counterparty risks. USDe remains exposed to the reliability of multi-asset market infrastructure.

A crypto whale initially transferred 351,400 HYPE, worth about $30.98 million, to three newly created wallets and staked the full balance on Hyperliquid. In the latest development, wallets believed to belong to the same whale withdrew 211,430 HYPE, valued at roughly $19.4 million, in three transactions. The withdrawals involved about 81,340, 78,090 and 52,000 HYPE. The wallets are now moving HYPE between Hyperliquid and related addresses. No sale has been confirmed, but the HYPE whale activity could affect liquidity and create selling pressure if tokens reach exchanges. Traders should monitor exchange deposits, wallet transfers and HYPE trading depth.

BitMEX, the crypto derivatives exchange that popularised perpetual swaps, permanently ceased operations at 04:00 UTC on 23 September 2026 after 11 years. Its final spot markets stopped trading on 21 September. The exchange first halted new registrations immediately and banned new positions after 26 August. Customers can still log in and withdraw funds, but new deposits will not be credited. BitMEX says leftover balances on verified accounts may incur a monthly account fee equivalent to 1% annually or $50, whichever is higher. Some accounts may begin being charged on 1 October, while users without completed identity checks may also face fees. Withdrawals could require updated verification, test transactions and security waiting periods. BitMEX has warned users about scams promising faster withdrawals. Owner HDR Global Trading announced the closure in July after a strategic review of its business and market conditions. It said the decision was not caused by legal or regulatory issues. BitMEX volume is expected to migrate to rival derivatives exchanges, limiting the direct market disruption. The exchange’s closure follows earlier regulatory pressure. In 2020, US authorities charged BitMEX founders over alleged unregistered operations and anti-money-laundering failures. The founders later pleaded guilty and were pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2025. Separately, the Celsius bankruptcy estate is seeking at least 6,360 BTC, worth more than $530 million at the time of publication, from HDR Global Trading and affiliates. Celsius alleges that BitMEX manipulated liquidations during the March 2020 bitcoin crash. The court has not ruled on the claims. Traders should withdraw funds promptly and monitor any potential BTC-related selling or court-driven developments.

Kalshi has rejected claims that wash trading inflated volume in its ETH perpetuals. The dispute followed reports of about $539 million in 24-hour volume against $3.1 million in open interest, implying turnover of roughly 174 times. Critics also said identical $5,500 trades accounted for up to 58% of notional volume on several days and questioned Kalshi’s market-maker incentives and self-clearing members. Kalshi said the trades involved genuine counterparties with opposing views on fair value. It argued that active traders repeatedly took the profitable side while a market maker remained on the losing side, which is inconsistent with wash trading. The exchange said its fixed liquidity programme rewards qualifying two-sided quotes rather than trading volume, while its systems block self-trading and monitor possible pre-arranged transactions. Kalshi added that repeated trade sizes may have come from one market maker posting fixed-size orders that were filled by many traders. It reported no evidence of collusion or wash trading. The exchange also disputed data interpretations, noting that some charts measured prediction-market share rather than perpetual-futures volume and that its contract-volume reporting is based on maximum payout rather than cash traded. Kalshi launched crypto perpetuals on 3 June after approval of its BTCPERP contract. The products reportedly generated $5.5 billion in their first two weeks and have since attracted more than 350,000 traders. Open interest has doubled over the past 30 days. The allegations could still affect confidence in Kalshi ETH perpetuals and increase scrutiny of crypto derivatives surveillance, but no regulatory finding has established volume manipulation.

Rocket Pool’s September 2026 updates show broadly stable liquid staking activity, despite small declines in network metrics. In the 8 September update, rETH supply fell 0.9% over two weeks to 316,997, while pending and active minipools declined 0.8% to 18,211. Node operators fell 1.0% to 1,428. By 22 September, the declines had slowed. rETH supply decreased 0.2% to 316,419, the pending and active validator count slipped 0.1% to 18,187, and node operators fell 0.8% to 1,417. The figures do not suggest a major change in Ethereum liquid staking demand, although traders may continue monitoring rETH liquidity and operator participation. Rocket Pool also issued several Smart Node updates. Earlier versions prioritised upgrades for Besu, Reth, Erigon and Nimbus users, while v1.24.0 became a high-priority update for Reth, Erigon and Lodestar users. Teku users were advised to install the medium-priority v1.24.2 update. Operators should review relay settings after the deprecation of the bloXroute Max Profit relay. Governance activity is focused on the proposed Saturn 2 upgrade. Earlier sentiment polls were open, while four polls had closed by 22 September and governance moved towards signalling through RocketDash. The GMC opened Round 41, published a treasury report and a pDAO treasury report, while an oDAO proposal sought a bug-bounty hotfix. Rocket Pool said a new yield protocol now supports rETH, with deposits from 0.01 ETH and permissionless node operation requiring 4 ETH. The project also highlighted a staking-protocol rating and a new RPL perpetual-futures listing. Overall, the Rocket Pool update is operational and governance-focused, with no immediate token-market catalyst.

Coinbase has launched Coinbase IPO access for eligible US retail customers through its app, expanding beyond cryptocurrency trading into primary stock offerings. The service is provided by Coinbase Capital Markets, the exchange’s FINRA-registered broker-dealer, with orders routed through Apex Clearing. Wearable technology company Oura is the first offering. In its amended registration statement filed on 21 September, Oura proposed selling 50 million shares at an estimated $40 to $44 each and listing on Nasdaq under the symbol OURA. The deal includes 13.5 million new shares and 36.5 million shares sold by existing investors. Final terms may change. Eligible users can submit a Conditional Offer to Buy at the expected IPO price before public trading begins. Allocations may be full, partial or zero, and Coinbase IPO access does not guarantee shares. Coinbase acts as an agent rather than an underwriter. Allocated shares can be traded only after the listing starts. Users who sell within 30 days may lose access to future IPO offerings for 60 days. Repeat early sellers could receive smaller or less frequent allocations. The launch broadens Coinbase’s retail investing services, but its direct effect on cryptocurrency prices is likely limited.

X has launched its US Cashtag Partner Program, linking Bitcoin, stock and ETF pages to Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, Interactive Brokers and Moomoo. Users can view live prices, charts and related discussions, then click “Trade” to continue on a partner platform. X Cashtag does not execute trades. Account opening, login, KYC, eligibility checks and order execution remain with each broker or crypto exchange, with availability varying by location and provider. The program expands X Cashtag from a market-information feature into a trading-conversion funnel. Kraken said its integration covers nearly 2,500 assets, while eligible new US Interactive Brokers clients may receive a promotional credit of up to $100 after meeting funding requirements. X has not disclosed referral fees or other commercial terms. The launch supports Elon Musk’s broader Everything App strategy, alongside X Money payments and peer-to-peer transfers in the US. It also arrives as Bitcoin briefly moved above $87,000 before trading around $85,000-$86,000, while Bitcoin futures open interest rose by more than $2 billion to above $31 billion. The stronger activity could increase retail engagement, but the X Cashtag rollout itself is unlikely to create immediate Bitcoin price gains because X only directs users to existing platforms. Traders should watch for higher retail participation, FOMO, leverage and market-manipulation risks. X has not announced expansion beyond the US or additional partners.

The SEC has created a five-year innovation pathway for tokenized stocks in the US National Market System. The exemption allows banks, brokers, exchanges and blockchain firms to run permissioned pilot programmes without registering as national securities exchanges. Tokenized stocks must provide the same economic, voting, dividend and liquidation rights as traditional shares. Synthetic products that only track stock prices, including equity perpetuals, are excluded. Issuers must receive 30 days’ notice and may veto listings, while tokenized shares must halt if the underlying stock is suspended. Eligible venues may use smart contracts, automated market makers and liquidity pools, but their software must be public, auditable and deployed on a public blockchain. The framework permits up to 75 highly liquid stocks at no more than 0.25% of average daily volume, or up to 250 second-tier stocks at 2.5% of average daily volume. Trading, leverage and lending restrictions will apply. Bitget Wallet COO Alvin Kan said legal ownership matters more than 24/7 access or faster settlement. Tokenized stocks could support self-custody, fractional ownership, continuous trading and quicker settlement, but permissioned access, limited liquidity and intermediary or counterparty risks may reduce their benefits. The policy gives institutions temporary regulatory clarity, but it can be modified by the SEC and expires after five years. Traders should verify whether tokenized stocks provide direct or beneficial ownership, a custodial claim or only synthetic price exposure. The move follows the Senate’s failure to advance the CLARITY Act and is likely to have limited short-term market impact, while supporting longer-term experimentation with blockchain settlement.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde reportedly asked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to oppose Binance’s MiCA licence application, according to The Wall Street Journal. Binance had applied through Greece’s Hellenic Capital Market Commission. The application reportedly passed its technical review, completed the 40-day assessment without objections and received favourable anti-money-laundering clearance. Lagarde’s reported intervention between 7 and 15 June focused on Binance’s 2023 US guilty plea over money-laundering and sanctions violations. She also reportedly warned that Binance’s expansion could increase demand for US dollar-backed stablecoins, as the ECB promotes the digital euro. Legal experts said the episode could represent political interference because the ECB has no formal authority over national MiCA licensing decisions. Binance later withdrew its Greek application. Ireland and Latvia reportedly rejected the exchange, while France became its main remaining route to an EU-wide MiCA licence. Binance is in discussions with France’s financial markets regulator, the AMF. The Binance EU licence dispute highlights regulatory risk, potential compliance costs and uncertainty over exchange competition and stablecoin liquidity. The immediate price impact appears limited, but traders should monitor Binance’s licensing progress, EU regulatory statements and developments involving euro-backed stablecoins.