Cryptocurrency
Visa Stablecoin Settlement Volume Hits $25 Billion Annualized
A tenfold increase in stablecoin activity has pushed Visa’s annualized settlement volume past the $25 billion mark. CEO Ryan McInerney confirmed the milestone during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, highlighting a rapid expansion that now sees the payments giant operating across ten distinct blockchains and five global regions.
Singapore Crypto Users Lose S$3.5M to Tampered Ledger Wallets
Two cases of compromised Ledger hardware wallets in Singapore have resulted in S$3.5 million in cryptocurrency losses since September 10. Investigators discovered that attackers physically modified the devices with malicious hardware designed to intercept recovery phrases, allowing unauthorized access to digital assets once the wallets were initialized by unsuspecting buyers.
Sony Opens Soneium Incubation Program for Entertainment Startups
Creators and startups looking to integrate blockchain into music, gaming, and anime have a new path forward. Sony Group has officially launched the Sony Onchain Entertainment Incubation Program, a global initiative designed to bridge the gap between early-stage development and commercial entertainment products on the Soneium network.
Stellar and Ethereum link via VIA Labs cross-chain infrastructure
Stellar has established a direct interoperability bridge to Ethereum, following the mainnet launch of VIA Labs’ messaging infrastructure. Announced at the Meridian conference in Lisbon, the integration enables Soroban smart contracts to communicate with Ethereum Virtual Machine contracts, facilitating seamless tokenized asset transfers and automated execution across both blockchain networks.
Senator Steve Daines Backs Chainlink Ahead of Institutional Summit
Montana Senator Steve Daines has thrown his support behind Chainlink as the blockchain firm prepares for its Link:NYC summit on October 29. The event, which convenes major financial institutions, aligns with Daines' recent legislative push to modernize U.S. tax frameworks for digital assets and decentralized finance.
Alipay Denies Ties to Peer Crypto Marketplace Following USDC Beta
Conflict emerged this week as payments giant Alipay publicly rejected claims by the Peer marketplace that its platform supports cryptocurrency trading. While Peer announced a beta service allowing users to exchange Chinese yuan for USDC via Alipay transfers, the payment provider labeled the integration unauthorized and false.
Data Provider Allium Scrambles to Restore Services Following Breach
A security breach at blockchain data firm Allium has forced the company to revoke API keys and disable core services, disrupting data feeds used by institutional heavyweights including Visa, Stripe, and Coinbase. The October 25 incident left critical datasets offline, triggering an urgent recovery effort and an independent forensic investigation.
Flare Joins XRP Ledger Validator List as Anodos Retires
The XRP Ledger Foundation has officially added Flare to its recommended validator list, marking a shift in the network's trusted node architecture. Simultaneously, the foundation removed Anodos Finance from the registry, following the latter's decision to cease its validator operations by the end of October.
Bitcoin Search Hits Five-Year Low as Retail Activity Shifts
While Bitcoin trades near $81,000, global Google search interest for the cryptocurrency has plummeted to a five-year low. This decline in public curiosity contrasts sharply with internal exchange data, where smaller wallets are moving coins to Binance at a six-month high, signaling a disconnect between mainstream attention and active participation.
Trenton Johnston sentenced for $13M cryptocurrency laundering scheme
A 20-year-old Canadian national has been sentenced in Miami after orchestrating a sophisticated cryptocurrency laundering operation that siphoned over $13 million from victims. Johnston, who bragged about his illicit gains on Discord, received time served on October 26 following his cooperation with federal investigators in ongoing criminal probes.
Suspicious oil trading on Hyperliquid sparks spoofing concerns
Two accounts on the Hyperliquid platform placed over $170 million in oil-linked perpetual orders during a three-day window of market volatility in March, prompting allegations of spoofing. The activity involved repeated cancellations of large orders alongside smaller, completed trades on the opposite side of the order book.
Blockchain.com adds TRX options with $5 minimum entry
Blockchain.com has integrated TRON (TRX) into its options trading platform, allowing users to purchase call and put contracts with a minimum $5 premium. The service, which operates bilaterally with the company's BVI entity as the sole counterparty, remains inaccessible to residents of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.
Fed Holds Rates as Dissenters Push for Hike Amid Bitcoin Rally
The Federal Reserve maintained its benchmark interest rate at 3.75%–4.00% on Oct. 28, even as two committee members broke ranks to advocate for further tightening. Meanwhile, Bitcoin continues to trade near $80,800, navigating a complex landscape of stubborn inflation and shifting central bank sentiment.
Crypto User Loses $50,000 in Address-Poisoning Scam
A cryptocurrency user recently lost $50,000 in USDT after falling victim to an address-poisoning attack on the Ethereum network. The incident, identified by security platform Scam Sniffer, occurred when the victim mistakenly sent funds to a fraudulent wallet address that mirrored the intended recipient’s first four and last six characters.
Morpho RWA lending hits $2 billion in deposits
Lending protocol Morpho has surpassed $2 billion in total deposits across its real-world asset markets, with outstanding loans climbing toward the $900 million mark. The growth highlights a shift toward tokenized credit and stock-backed financing, though research suggests significant borrower concentration within these specialized collateral pools.
Circle reports USDC growth on Kraken as EURC volume hits 1 billion
A strategic collaboration between Circle and Kraken has spurred a 30% increase in USDC assets under custody since September 2025. The partnership, which integrates stablecoin infrastructure directly into the exchange's consumer products, has also facilitated nearly 1 billion EURC in trading volume across the platform.
Bitwise Raises Bitcoin Price Target to $1.6 Million by 2036
Bitwise Asset Management has adjusted its decade-long outlook for Bitcoin, projecting a price of $1.6 million per coin by 2036. The firm cites deepening institutional adoption, restricted supply, and the asset’s growing role as a hedge against currency debasement as the primary drivers for this long-term growth.
ENSv2 Goes Live on Ethereum With New Registry Architecture
The Ethereum Name Service has officially deployed its ENSv2 upgrade to the mainnet, shifting to a system of individual registries for subnames. While the transition introduces new management capabilities and a commemorative NFT series, the project confirmed that existing .eth names remain functional without requiring immediate re-registration.
NFT Farming Games Face Copycat Allegations Amid Robinhood Chain Surge
A surge of NFT farming games hitting the Robinhood Chain has sparked accusations of mass-produced clones, with critics pointing to the rapid, AI-assisted deployment of nearly identical projects. The trend follows the high-profile sellout of the Yield Fields collection, raising concerns about the quality and sustainability of these digital assets.
Strategy Shareholders Approve Daily Dividends for Preferred Securities
Strategy shareholders have voted to transition four classes of preferred stock to a daily dividend schedule, a shift designed to accelerate income access for investors. The change, confirmed during an October 28 special meeting, will begin with STRC in November before expanding to STRF, STRK, and STRD in early 2027.
Tether and Circle Lead Crypto Revenue as DEX Trading Volumes Cool
Tether and Circle solidified their dominance in the decentralized finance landscape this week, generating a combined $169.34 million in revenue. While the two stablecoin giants continue to capture significant yields from their reserve assets, the broader market faces a contraction, with decentralized exchange trading activity falling by 11.3% over the same period.
DTCC Launches Tokenization Service With 20 Major Banks
Twenty of the world’s largest financial institutions have joined the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation’s new tokenization platform, marking a pivot toward blockchain-based securities. The service allows firms to create digital twins of assets held in custody while maintaining traditional ownership rights and established investor protections.
Ripple Lists RLUSD Stablecoin on Coinbase
Ripple has integrated its dollar-backed stablecoin, RLUSD, into Coinbase’s retail and institutional platforms. The rollout enables trading and custody across the XRP Ledger, Ethereum, and Coinbase’s Base network, marking a strategic expansion for the token, which recently surpassed $2.4 billion in market capitalization following its late 2024 debut.
Google Readies Institutional Crypto Custody Service for 2027
Targeting a 2027 commercial rollout, Google is field-testing a new Multi-Party Compute security architecture designed to prevent the catastrophic failure of single private keys. The service aims to capture institutional interest by distributing transaction-signing authority across independent cloud environments, reducing the reliance on any one device or administrator.
Thai Supreme Court Rules Bitcoin Is Property in Landmark Theft Case
A violent 2022 robbery on Koh Samui has reshaped Thai legal precedent, as the Supreme Court ruled that Bitcoin constitutes property under criminal law. By rejecting claims that digital assets lack intrinsic value, the court upheld a 10-year prison sentence and confirmed that cryptocurrency theft is legally actionable.
SkyAI Raises Tender Offer to $214M After Settling With Bastion Trading
SkyAI has increased its cash tender offer to $214.3 million, securing a settlement with major shareholder Bastion Trading that ends a public dispute over asset valuations. By liquidating its entire two-million-token Solana treasury, the company has cleared the path to finalize the expanded buyback before the November 12 deadline.
Itaú Unibanco registers crypto services under Brazil's new rules
Itaú Unibanco has officially registered its cryptocurrency trading and custody operations with Brazil's central bank, marking the first time a domestic bank has completed the notification process required by new digital asset regulations. The filing ensures the lender remains compliant ahead of a strict October 30 deadline for financial institutions.
Securitize Adds Stellar to Institutional Tokenization Platform
Securitize is expanding its multichain infrastructure by integrating the Stellar network, marking the 17th blockchain to join its ecosystem. Unveiled at the Meridian 2026 conference in Lisbon, the partnership aims to provide institutional asset managers with additional options for issuing and administering regulated financial products on-chain.
Ripple’s New Federal Bank Charter Does Not Alter Stablecoin Issuance
Ripple has secured final federal approval for its national trust bank, creating a supervisory layer for its RLUSD stablecoin reserves. While the new institution will manage collateral and act as a trustee, the company maintains that Standard Custody & Trust Company remains the sole issuer of the token under New York state oversight.
Moody’s assigns investment-grade rating to Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin
Ripple’s RLUSD has secured an A2 long-term and Prime-1 short-term deposit rating from Moody’s, marking the first time a stablecoin has received an investment-grade assessment under the agency's new framework for fiat-backed digital assets.