With the US midterm elections looming, a new report from Grayscale estimates that the country accounts for 15–20% of global crypto activity. Research head Zach Pandl argues that the industry’s growth trajectory remains largely decoupled from the immediate political cycle, citing deep institutional and bipartisan participation in digital asset infrastructure.
Circle is pushing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to recognize qualifying payment stablecoins as cash equivalents under proposed crypto fundraising rules. The USDC issuer argues that these assets should face a zero capital haircut for broker-dealers, moving beyond the agency's current 2% valuation reduction requirement.
Cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has officially ceased operations for users in Russia and Belarus, citing vague regulatory compliance requirements. The platform is now forcing an orderly wind-down of accounts, with affected customers receiving individualized deadlines to close their positions and withdraw assets rather than adhering to a single, universal cutoff date.
U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs shed $254.7 million in net assets over the 30-day window ending October 26. While BlackRock’s IBIT product defied the trend by drawing in nearly $962 million, massive withdrawals from competing funds, most notably Fidelity’s FBTC, left the overall sector in the red for the month.
At the Link:NYC conference, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig signaled a shift in federal oversight, pledging to help modernize regulations for onchain finance. His remarks arrive as the agency advances a voluntary registration framework designed to bring crypto trading platforms under a clearer federal compliance umbrella.
Polymarket has shifted to a cancel-only trading mode and suspended relayer operations following an Oct. 29 security incident. While the platform investigates, multiple users have reported unauthorized withdrawals, with social media estimates of total losses reaching as high as $2.68 million as traders suspect a potential frontend compromise.
Crypto trading platform Frontrun.pro has publicly approached the Blast team with an acquisition proposal, opening negotiations with a $50,000 offer. The bid arrives as Blast moves to wind down operations, citing an inability to sustain the Layer 2 network's infrastructure costs against its current revenue generation.
The Enforcement Directorate has launched a sweeping investigation into alleged foreign exchange violations involving over ₹5,000 crore, or $525 million, in cross-border cryptocurrency transactions. Searches conducted on October 27 targeted premises linked to fintech firms Mudrex and Instadapp, marking a significant escalation in India’s regulatory crackdown on unauthorized digital asset flows.
RedStone has secured a 15,775,000 Canton Coin grant, valued at approximately $1.83 million, to develop the Canton Access and Privacy Standard (CAPS). This 12-month initiative aims to provide institutional users with a secure method for sharing reference prices while keeping individual transaction terms and valuations strictly confidential between counterparties.
Solana Foundation President Lily Liu declared the network “unblocked and unmuted” following the October 29 launch of a strategic integration with Polygon’s Open Money Stack. The partnership allows Solana-based businesses to bridge traditional banking services, such as deposits and payouts, directly with the high-speed blockchain’s stablecoin ecosystem.
A $1.5 billion investment strategy has emerged from Abu Dhabi, linking a phased Bitcoin reserve with high-end UAE hospitality and real estate projects. Backed by a member of the Dubai royal family and managed by Coinbase, the initiative positions digital assets as a foundational pillar for local property development.
Hyperliquid’s native token, HYPE, surged 17.4% to $93.74 on October 29 following an announcement that Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) intends to leverage the blockchain’s infrastructure to launch regulated perpetual futures markets in the United States, pending necessary regulatory approvals.
Chainlink has launched a 24/7 pricing service for tokenized real-world assets, effectively bridging the gap between traditional market holidays and the continuous nature of decentralized finance. Aave has signed on as the first major adopter, aiming to provide institutional lenders with reliable collateral valuations even when global exchanges are closed.
The Financial Conduct Authority has secured a court-ordered settlement with HTX, effectively barring the exchange from marketing to British consumers until October 2031. The agreement follows a protracted enforcement campaign against the platform for violating financial promotion laws through its websites, mobile applications, and various social media channels.
Bitcoin reclaimed the $80,000 threshold on Thursday after a brief dip, as traders recalibrated positions against fresh U.S. economic data. While the economy expanded at an annualized 3.4% in the third quarter—surpassing expectations—stubborn inflation figures have fueled speculation that the Federal Reserve may maintain a hawkish stance on interest rates.
Intercontinental Exchange is moving to bridge traditional finance with decentralized infrastructure, partnering with trade[XYZ] to develop a regulated market for 24/7 perpetual futures. The venture aims to bring Hyperliquid’s continuous trading model to U.S. customers, contingent on pending approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Polygon Labs has extended its Open Money Stack infrastructure to Solana, enabling businesses to bridge bank accounts, digital wallets, and cross-chain transfers through a single integration. This expansion allows firms to leverage Solana’s high-volume stablecoin network while maintaining connectivity to traditional financial systems and global payout channels.
European cryptocurrency investors are increasingly viewing digital assets as superior tools for long-term wealth compared to traditional pension plans, according to an October 29 survey from OKX. This shift in sentiment creates a stark contrast with American participants, who continue to favor conventional retirement accounts for their financial security.
By integrating Mastercard’s BVNK infrastructure, Airtm aims to let users in emerging markets spend digital dollars directly at retail merchants. The partnership, slated for a Q4 2026 rollout, leverages the Stellar blockchain to bypass traditional payment bottlenecks, allowing users to move funds natively on-chain without converting to fiat first.
Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko has publicly distanced his network from decentralized trading platform BULK, asserting that any project operating outside the Solana layer-1 blockchain functions as an independent entity. The clash follows BULK’s move to integrate multiple external blockchains into its specialized high-frequency trading infrastructure.
Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, is entering the decentralized finance sector by partnering with Trade.xyz to develop a U.S.-regulated perpetual futures market. The venture seeks to integrate Hyperliquid’s high-volume infrastructure with formal oversight from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
The Cardano Foundation has secured membership in Switzerland’s Capital Markets and Technology Association, marking a significant step toward integrating its programmable token standard into regulated financial markets. This alignment follows the association's recent technical validation of Cardano’s CIP-0113 framework as an equivalent to its own established standards for equity securities.
Bitcoin enters November buoyed by third-quarter gains, yet the sustainability of this recovery remains under intense scrutiny. With US interest rates holding steady at 3.75% to 4% and selling pressure mounting at higher price levels, investors are questioning whether the current rebound marks the start of a genuine bull run.
A massive cryptocurrency drainer has siphoned $95.35 million from 1,486 addresses, with investigators confirming the attacker moved an additional $13.84 million in just the last 48 hours. The breach centers on tampered hardware wallets sold through the Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis, which contained unauthorized components designed to capture recovery phrases.
South Korean investigators descended on Bithumb’s Gangnam headquarters on October 29, reigniting a probe into the alleged diversion of 11.6 billion won in corporate housing benefits. Prosecutors are scrutinizing whether funds intended for executive accommodation were instead channeled into private assets, marking a significant escalation in the long-running oversight of the exchange.
The London Metal Exchange is laying the groundwork to turn physical metal stored in Hong Kong warehouses into digital assets. By creating tokenized representations of off-warrant inventories, the exchange aims to provide businesses with a new, blockchain-backed mechanism to secure financing against their industrial metal stockpiles.
BNB Chain has deployed the Jenner hardfork to its Smart Chain testnet, introducing a dedicated payment processing mechanism designed to prioritize specific transactions during periods of high network congestion. The upgrade reserves a portion of block gas capacity to ensure critical payments bypass general traffic bottlenecks.
Russian brokerage firms will soon act as the primary gatekeepers for the digital asset market, as authorities prepare to roll out a standardized testing framework for retail investors. By passing a single assessment, participants gain access to licensed trading platforms without the need to repeat the examination across different services.
Utah prosecutors have leveled 14 criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi and its co-founders, Tarek Mansour and Luana Lopes Lara. The state alleges the platform functioned as an illegal gambling operation, basing the case on 12 sports wagers placed by an undercover agent from the Attorney General’s Office.
Developers behind the Teku and Besu Ethereum clients have released urgent security updates to mitigate a certificate vulnerability linked to compromised keys from Indian provider eMudhra. The flaw could allow attackers to impersonate trusted services and potentially redirect block rewards from unsuspecting validators.
