Bitcoin is holding near $84,000 as the 10-year US Treasury yield climbs to 5.22%, its highest level since 2007, and the 30-year yield hits a 22-year peak of 5.51%. The yield surge, driven by strong economic data and rising borrowing costs, has increased financing expenses across markets while offering investors returns above 5% on government debt. Despite the pressure, Bitcoin has shown limited reaction, trading within a $83,000 to $85,000 range after briefly reaching $87,000 earlier in the week. Analysts note that Bitcoin has risen about 22% since August 19 even as real yields increased by roughly 50 basis points. The recent Treasury auction of $44 billion in seven-year notes cleared at 5.085%, the highest yield since April 1993, reflecting strained demand and a bid-to-cover ratio decline. Mohamed El-Erian of Allianz attributed the selloff to sustained borrowing pressures and a shift away from the low-yield environment post-2008 crisis. With yields now above 5%, the opportunity cost for holding non-yielding assets like Bitcoin has risen, as a 100-basis-point yield drop could return 11.9% for bonds, while a rise to 6% would cause only a 1.9% loss. Jurrien Timmer of Fidelity highlighted this asymmetry, noting Bitcoin remains a leading asset in his multi-asset portfolio despite the changing landscape. CryptoQuant data indicate open interest across major exchanges fell by $1.7 billion, a 14.3% drop, while Bitcoin’s spot price declined only about 2.3%, suggesting leveraged positions are being unwound without a proportional price collapse. Liquidation heatmaps show concentrated risk around $85,300 to $85,700 above current levels, with additional exposure near $83,000 and $80,000. Implied volatility remains low, and further yield increases could test Bitcoin’s resilience ahead of upcoming economic data releases.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, regulation, and the forces moving digital assets.
IBM announced on September 24 that its Digital Asset Haven platform has entered a beta connection with SWIFT's shared ledger for tokenized deposits. The integration uses an ISO 20022 Messaging Adapter that allows participating institutions to direct ledger transactions through standard payment messages. This route brings IBM's digital asset platform into an existing SWIFT initiative while enabling banks to work with familiar formats and compliance processes.
The adapter maps ISO 20022 payment instructions to transactions on SWIFT's permissioned ledger, allowing institutions to use payment messages they already exchange to test transfers of bank-issued tokenized deposits. It operates alongside Haven's digital asset controls and Hyperledger Besu connectivity. According to IBM, institutions already participating in SWIFT's program have tested tokenized deposits on the shared ledger using Haven.
Participating clients can move digital assets continuously through the ledger, though final settlement still relies on existing mechanisms such as real-time gross settlement systems. This distinction matters for banks evaluating continuous service: the beta adapter provides a way to instruct and move value on the ledger while established systems complete the underlying payment.
A separate on-premises beta allows institutions to run Digital Asset Haven within their own data centers on IBM Z and LinuxONE, eliminating reliance on public cloud infrastructure. IBM states that both the solution layer and key management layer remain within the client's environment, giving regulated institutions direct control over the infrastructure used for custody and transaction management as they assess digital asset services. The on-premises option uses the same architecture, APIs, and workflows as Haven's SaaS and hybrid deployments.
Tom McPherson, general manager of IBM Z and LinuxONE, described the expansion as a means for regulated institutions to engage with emerging digital asset networks while maintaining control over critical operations.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a ruling on Friday that prediction market operator Kalshi's contracts tied to sports outcomes are governed by state gaming statutes rather than federal commodity trading rules.
The decision resolves two separate lawsuits filed by Kalshi against regulatory actions taken by Ohio and Tennessee authorities. While a federal court in Ohio denied Kalshi's request for an injunction to halt state enforcement, a court in Tennessee granted the company's motion, creating a fragmented legal landscape across jurisdictions.
State officials have increasingly sought to bring prediction markets offering sports-related contracts under their gambling regulatory frameworks since these platforms gained prominence following the 2024 election cycle. Officials argue that such markets directly compete with state-sanctioned gambling operations while avoiding state tax obligations, a disparity that has sparked legislative efforts to close perceived loopholes.
The court acknowledged Kalshi's standing to challenge state regulation but diverged from the company's characterization of its products as federally regulated financial instruments. In its written opinion, the panel stated that Kalshi's contracts do not meet the statutory definition of 'swaps' under federal commodity law because they lack the required connection to financial, economic, or commercial consequences.
Using the example of a New York Giants Super Bowl victory, the ruling illustrated the ambiguity in defining the triggering event. The court noted that if the contract depends on the team winning the championship, the outcome represents the event itself. However, if the contract pertains to whether the game is played, the victory becomes merely an outcome of that event, creating interpretive complexity.
The decision follows earlier appellate rulings that have produced a circuit split on the regulatory status of prediction markets. While the Third Circuit previously asserted CFTC jurisdiction over such platforms, the Eighth Circuit reached a contrasting conclusion. Legal experts view this divergence as increasing the likelihood of Supreme Court review to establish nationwide regulatory clarity.
Kalshi's sports contracts allow users to trade on event outcomes at younger ages than permitted by most state gambling operators, which typically require participants to be 21. This age difference has become a focal point in state regulatory arguments, with officials contending that prediction markets enjoy an competitive advantage through more accessible entry points.
The ruling represents the latest development in an ongoing legal battle that continues to shape the intersection of emerging digital markets, state gambling laws, and federal regulatory authority.
Strategy is seeking shareholder approval for a shift to daily dividend payments on its four U.S.-listed preferred stocks, including STRC, with the vote scheduled for Oct. 28. The change would alter only the timing of payments, leaving dividend rates and total payouts unchanged. If adopted, the first daily dividend would be distributed on Nov. 2. The move is intended to help STRC trade closer to its $100 stated value, which has been under pressure since May and dipped to $71 during the June bitcoin selloff. Currently, STRC offers a 12% annual dividend rate and has struggled to regain its target price, partly due to competition from Strive’s ASST perpetual preferred, which pays daily at a 13% rate and trades near $100. Strategy has allocated roughly $1 billion toward repurchasing preferred shares under a $2 billion program, including $174 million of STRC in the week ending Sept. 20. The company holds 846,000 BTC, acquired for $63.8 billion at an average price of $75,416 per coin. Bitcoin was trading around $83,600 on Friday, and MSTR shares were down 2.15% at $158.64. Daily dividend payments could make STRC more appealing to income-focused investors by enabling faster reinvestment and potentially smoothing price fluctuations around payment dates. The proposal does not affect other preferred stocks, STRF, STRK, or STRD, and would maintain existing payout structures while changing when dividends are calculated and distributed.
U.S.-listed spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds have moved into positive net inflows for the year, reversing a $5.8 billion deficit recorded in July 2026. Data from SoSoValue shows cumulative inflows of nearly $800 million since the start of the year, ending a period of sustained outflows that began in early June. The shift coincides with bitcoin’s price recovery to approximately $85,000, up from below $58,000 earlier in the month.
The turnaround follows a six-day streak of inflows totaling $2.84 billion, during which funds attracted capital despite bitcoin’s price plateauing above $85,000. This streak, while notable, ranks below two prior six-day periods: one in February 2024 that drew $2.35 billion and another in November 2024 that brought in $4.73 billion.
Analysts attribute the recent inflows in part to increased liquidity measures announced by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in August 2026, which included expanded Treasury bond purchases to stabilize yields amid market volatility. The move appears to have supported broader risk assets, including digital assets.
Despite the recent gains, cumulative inflows remain significantly below historical peaks. In 2024 and 2025, U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs recorded $35.2 billion and $21.4 billion in net inflows, respectively. The current annual total of nearly $800 million represents a fraction of those figures.
The reversal marks a technical recovery for ETF flows but does not yet signal a sustained trend. Market participants caution that continued inflows will depend on macroeconomic conditions, regulatory clarity, and sustained price momentum in bitcoin. No official forecasts have been issued by fund managers or regulators regarding future performance.
Bitget has increased its estimate of assets stolen in the September 24 breach to $387.5 million, up from $351.6 million reported earlier. The revision came after blockchain analysis identified additional Zcash and TRON holdings that were omitted from the initial accounting, according to a statement from CEO Gracy Chen on September 25. The exchange first detected unauthorized transfers from hot wallets at 18:31 UTC on September 24 and suspended withdrawals while maintaining deposits and trading. Security teams have since patched the exploited vulnerability, though investigations with forensic firms Mandiant and SlowMist remain ongoing. Bitget has partnered with other exchanges, blockchain projects and security firms to trace and freeze the stolen funds. Binance and Bybit have publicly supported the recovery effort, with Bybit CEO Ben Zhou announcing plans to integrate the stolen addresses into its LazarusBounty tracking platform. Bitget has launched a Recovery Bounty Program offering 5% of successfully frozen or returned assets as rewards, with eligibility limited to voluntary actions that occur before legal processes. The program excludes assets seized through court orders or law enforcement requests. Stablecoin issuers and centralized exchanges can freeze certain assets, but funds moved to self-custodied addresses may remain difficult to block. Withdrawals remain suspended more than a day after the incident, with Bitget indicating it will provide an update on resumption plans by September 26 at 04:00 UTC. Customer deposits and trading continue uninterrupted, and the company maintains that balances are accurate and covered by its User Protection Fund, which held over $464 million at the time of disclosure.
A warning issued by wallet security service Revoke.cash on September 25 highlights a lingering vulnerability in Limit Break's Payment Processor V2 that continues to affect wallets that previously authorized the contract to move NFTs. The flaw allows an approved contract to transfer assets on a user's behalf even after the marketplace that prompted the approval has ceased operations. Security researcher 0xQuit demonstrated the issue by moving 3,832 NFTs from wallets that still held active approvals, describing the transfers as a whitehat rescue. The assets were temporarily held in a custody wallet pending verification of safety. No evidence indicated that malicious actors had seized assets, and the full scope of any loss remained unclear. Magic Eden ended support for its Ethereum-based marketplace on March 9, 2026, removing listings and offers from the site. However, the operator approvals granted for marketplace trading remained onchain, leaving users who had not traded on the platform for months with an unresolved exposure. Revoke.cash advises affected users to revoke the Payment Processor V2 approval on Ethereum and the separate Payment Processor V3 approval on ApeChain. An NFT operator approval grants a contract permission to move assets without further user interaction, and canceling a listing does not eliminate that permission. The service provides an exploit checker to help users determine whether their addresses are impacted and to facilitate revocation. While revocation reduces future risk, it does not recover assets already transferred. The technical details of the vulnerability were not disclosed in the notice, and the incident page does not confirm whether any theft occurred on either blockchain. The situation underscores the importance of routinely auditing onchain permissions, particularly for services that have shut down but left behind active authorizations.
OG.com has formally applied to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to list perpetual futures contracts tied to single stocks, marking a push to bring the widely used crypto derivative to U.S. equity markets.
The company submitted a rule change proposal on Thursday that would permit cash-settled, non-expiring futures tied to individual equities. These contracts would trade around the clock for five days each week.
OG.com emerged from Crypto.com earlier this year as an independent platform focused on prediction markets and derivatives. At the time of its spin-off, CEO Kris Marszalek indicated plans to expand into futures and perpetual contracts. Shortly thereafter, Robinhood acquired a stake in the company as part of a broader agreement to use OG.com’s CFTC-regulated exchange and clearing infrastructure for prediction markets.
Perpetual futures, commonly known as "perps," differ from traditional futures by lacking an expiration date. This allows traders to maintain positions indefinitely without the need to roll contracts. The model was first introduced in crypto by BitMEX in 2016.
The move reflects a broader trend among crypto platforms seeking to expand into traditional financial instruments. On September 18, Coinbase, Kraken’s parent company Payward through Bitnomial, and prediction market Kalshi also filed applications with the CFTC to offer perpetual futures on U.S. stocks.
Regulatory developments have created a more permissive environment for such products. Just days before OG.com’s filing, the SEC approved limited on-chain trading of tokenized stocks under its Innovation Exemption. The CFTC had previously established a case-by-case review process for perpetual contracts and granted temporary relief in June allowing certain exchanges to convert existing crypto futures into non-expiring contracts.
The agency had begun preparing for this shift months earlier, including through a May announcement outlining its approach to evaluating perpetual derivatives. Kalshi had previously received approval for Bitcoin perpetual futures under this framework.
No timeline for implementation has been disclosed, and the applications remain under CFTC review.
Bitcoin slipped to approximately $83,450 on September 25 after climbing above $87,000 earlier in the week, entering a narrower trading band. The pullback coincides with traders weighing a quarterly options expiry against rising U.S. Treasury yields. The daily chart recorded a 1.1% decline, with price settling near $83,476. The 4-hour MACD line fell below its signal line, marking the first bearish signal on that timeframe since the recent rally from $76,000. CoinGlass’s three-day liquidation heatmap highlighted clusters near $83,300 and above $85,000, indicating concentrations of leveraged positions. Dan Khus, chief analyst at LVRG Research, noted that Treasury yields, ETF flows, and oil prices remain key variables under observation. He observed that Bitcoin and Ether held support as the 10-year yield eased toward 5.19% following a 30-basis-point increase. The Federal Reserve’s September 16 rate hike to 3.75%–4.00% continues to influence market expectations, with Khus emphasizing that October tightening odds remain above 70%. Oil market developments tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict could further shape inflation expectations and monetary policy outlooks. Bitcoin’s daily relative strength index stood at 62.03, down from peak levels but still above neutral. The price held above the 20-day Bollinger Band midpoint of $79,951 despite retreating from an upper band near $86,724. On the 4-hour chart, price opened at $84,583, dipped to $83,183, and traded close to $83,454. The MACD histogram registered minus 300.59, reflecting weakening short-term momentum after the advance toward $87,000. The Awesome Oscillator remained positive at 154.98, though its bars narrowed toward zero. Trader Ardi identified $83,000 as a key support zone and former May high, warning that a breach could expose $81,000. Conversely, reclaiming $85,200 might reignite tests of the $87,000 peak. Daan Crypto Trades highlighted the $83,500–$85,000 range as Bitcoin’s consolidation zone over the prior two days, suggesting a breakout could trigger the next directional move. The heatmap’s liquidation bands align with these technical levels, though they do not predict direction. ETF flow data from Farside Investors tracked net subscriptions and redemptions, with Khus citing sustained inflows as a potential absorber of weekend options expiry pressure. The next critical test involves holding the $83,000–$83,500 range; a drop below could shift focus to lower liquidation clusters and Ardi’s $81,000 target. An extended move above $85,000–$85,200 would reactivate interest in the $87,000 resistance area. Technical indicators currently suggest range-bound trading until clearer signals emerge from macro developments or settlement activity.
Tether disclosed that assets held at a bank linked to a seized account represented a fraction of its overall holdings. The company confirmed it had been a customer of EQIBank, which prosecutors alleged directed payments firm Capstone to move funds on behalf of Tether and its sister entity Bitfinex. The Justice Department’s civil forfeiture complaint alleged that Capstone, an unlicensed Montana-based business, transferred hundreds of millions of dollars for the two firms. Federal authorities froze approximately $84 million in Capstone’s accounts as part of the case. Tether’s spokesperson told Cointelegraph the firm had “no knowledge” of the alleged conduct and did not comment on how the seizure might affect its customers. USDT, Tether’s stablecoin, maintained a market capitalization of roughly $184 billion as of the latest report. The filing noted that the bank’s holdings accounted for 0.034% of Tether’s total assets.
A lawsuit filed by KelpDAO against cross-chain protocol LayerZero alleges that security failures in LayerZero’s infrastructure enabled the theft of roughly $292 million worth of rsETH in an April attack. The complaint, filed Friday, claims LayerZero did not disclose risks in its technology and approved KelpDAO’s bridge configuration in writing before the breach occurred. LayerZero co-founder and CEO Bryan Pellegrino is named as a defendant.
Pellegrino dismissed the allegations as “meritless” and said he would defend the case in Vancouver. The dispute centers on whether the loss resulted from compromised LayerZero nodes, KelpDAO’s bridge setup, or both. LayerZero’s April 18 incident report stated attackers infiltrated internal nodes and manipulated its verifier to approve a forged cross-chain message, allowing the bridge to release stolen rsETH. The report noted the bridge relied on a single LayerZero decentralized verifier network, a configuration the protocol later advised against and ceased supporting.
KelpDAO disputes this account, asserting its DVN configuration had been reviewed and deemed secure by LayerZero prior to the attack. The DAO accused LayerZero of failing to warn of risks and announced plans to migrate its bridge to Chainlink’s Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol. The lawsuit adds to a months-long standoff over accountability, with KelpDAO seeking to correct the public record and hold LayerZero responsible for the breach’s impact on the broader DeFi ecosystem.
Cointelegraph attempted to obtain comment from LayerZero but received no response before publication. The case underscores ongoing tensions in cross-chain security practices and the challenges of assigning liability in complex blockchain exploits.
Bitcoin climbed back above $84,000 on Friday as crude oil prices slipped following reports of advancing U.S.-Iran talks.
Bitcoin climbed back above $84,000 on Friday as crude oil prices slipped following reports of advancing U.S.-Iran talks. The move came amid mixed signals from financial markets and ongoing volatility in risk assets.
Two separate reports indicated modest progress in diplomatic channels between Washington and Tehran. Axios cited U.S. officials who said Iran had submitted proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz through Qatar-mediated discussions. CBS News reported that negotiations had entered a technical phase after initial contacts. Iranian sources described the atmosphere as increasingly positive, though no formal agreement had been announced.
The developments contributed to a brief decline in benchmark crude prices. West Texas Intermediate fell more than $2 per barrel during the session, settling at $91.74, a 3% drop for the day. The decrease helped ease pressure on energy-sensitive equities, with the Nasdaq index rising 0.7% in afternoon trading.
Financial analysts noted the complex interplay between monetary policy and commodity markets. Former hedge fund manager Hugh Hendry observed that recent Federal Reserve rate hikes appeared designed to create conditions for future cuts, even as higher oil prices continued to strain household budgets. He described the situation as a "monetary brake applied on top of an energy tax," with both forces affecting consumer spending power.
The U.S. Treasury market showed continued turbulence. The 10-year yield fluctuated between 5.16% and 5.21%, reflecting persistent uncertainty about inflation and monetary policy direction. Bond market movements have increasingly influenced crypto prices, with Bitcoin briefly touching $85,000 before retreating to $83,400 later in the session.
Cryptocurrency markets displayed divergent patterns. While Bitcoin stabilized near $84,000, several alternative tokens posted stronger gains. Quant (QNT) led major cryptocurrencies with a 38.2% increase over 24 hours, followed by Chainlink (LINK) and Ondo (ONDO). No meme-based tokens appeared among the top 10 performers, suggesting capital was shifting toward projects with established utility.
Stablecoin developments also drew attention. A recent Asia-Pacific-focused report highlighted evolving regulatory frameworks and the growing role of regulated digital dollars in international finance. The analysis noted that while stablecoin adoption accelerates, technical and policy challenges remain.
The Japanese yen strengthened against the dollar, rising 0.6% to 158 per dollar, its best single-day gain in over two weeks. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama stated that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had acknowledged Japan's concerns about currency volatility and pledged continued coordination.
Meanwhile, corporate developments continued in related sectors. Sequans, a semiconductor company, completed the sale of its remaining Bitcoin holdings, exiting its treasury operations entirely. The move followed a pattern seen across several firms that had entered the crypto treasury space during the 2025 market peak but reversed course as conditions changed.
Michael Saylor's Strategy announced plans to implement daily dividends on its preferred stock instruments, aiming to enhance price stability and liquidity. The proposal, to be voted on by shareholders through October 28, would begin payments in November for certain instruments.
Analysts continue to debate the trajectory of monetary policy. Macro commentator Ben Cowen questioned whether the Federal Reserve would consider larger rate adjustments, noting that long-term yields have begun to move independently of policy signals. The central bank's next meeting remains scheduled for October, with market participants currently assigning minimal probability to a 50-basis-point move.
The situation remains fluid, with market participants monitoring multiple economic indicators and geopolitical developments for signals about future trends.
Anthropic has asked shareholders to approve a proposal that would grant its seven co‑founders a combined 50.1% voting interest after the company lists on the public market. The plan would allocate special voting shares to the founders, while their economic ownership would remain roughly 2% each. The Long‑Term Benefit Trust, an independent body, would continue to elect a majority of the board, and a separate class of employee shares could influence certain tie‑breaking decisions. The proposal mirrors structures used by firms such as Palantir, where control is separated from equity stakes. Shareholder approval is required before the company proceeds with its initial public offering, which has been discussed at valuations ranging from $100 billion in proceeds to a $2 trillion market cap. The company’s most recent funding round, completed in May, raised $65 billion at a $965 billion valuation, with annualized revenue reported at $47 billion. The SEC filing for the IPO will detail the new share classes and their voting rights, a standard requirement for U.S. listings. In addition, crypto exchanges including Kraken and OKX have introduced contracts that track Anthropic’s private‑market valuation, though these instruments do not confer actual shares, dividends or voting rights. The final IPO price and timing remain subject to market conditions and board decisions.
A new paper released on Thursday outlines a method for conducting private Bitcoin transactions without altering Bitcoin’s core protocol. The proposal, called Shielded Bitcoin, adapts the encrypted payment mechanism used by Zcash to conceal transaction amounts, senders and recipients.
The system would store encrypted transfers on Bitcoin while relying on separate software to validate them. Under this design, a Bitcoin transaction could be confirmed even if the private payment failed its own verification checks. The researchers emphasized that the approach does not require changes to Bitcoin’s network rules.
Privacy has become a growing focus for cryptocurrency developers as digital assets expand into use cases like payroll, business payments and donations. Ordinary Bitcoin transactions expose amounts and addresses permanently, making it easier to trace activity when an address becomes linked to an individual or organization. Shielded Bitcoin aims to address this limitation while preserving the security of the Bitcoin network.
The concept draws on Zcash’s shielded pool architecture, where funds are held in encrypted records called notes. Spending a note would publish a marker indicating its use, along with a mathematical proof that the sender owned the funds and did not create new ones. The amount, sender and recipient would remain hidden from public view.
Zcash validates these proofs directly on its blockchain. In contrast, Shielded Bitcoin would publish transfer data on Bitcoin and delegate verification to external software that anyone could run. This distinction means Bitcoin would store the data but perform no validation of the private payments.
Zcash’s shielded transactions have seen increased activity recently. On Friday, shielded pools held approximately 4.9 million ZEC, representing about 29% of all issued coins and valued at roughly $7.8 billion. The network processed around 63,000 shielded transactions in a single week, its busiest period for private transfers since 2022. Across the Zcash network, transfer volume exceeded $23 billion in the same week, marking the second-highest total in its history.
The price of ZEC has risen sharply over the past year, gaining more than 2,300% and briefly surpassing $1,600 in early September. This surge reflects growing interest in privacy-preserving cryptocurrencies.
Shielded Bitcoin would allow users to reconstruct accepted payments using their wallet keys and viewing keys, enabling them to prove transaction history to auditors without granting spending authority. However, the paper does not address how Bitcoin would be deposited into or withdrawn from the system. The authors note that mechanisms for handling actual BTC transfers would be detailed in a separate document using PIPEs, a technique for locking signing keys until specific conditions are met.
Critics have raised concerns about the proposal’s limitations. Mert Mumtaz, a developer associated with Helius and a Zcash advocate, described the concept as “a synthetic ledger with significant tradeoffs” on social media. He highlighted the reliance on a trusted cryptographic setup and the absence of fee anonymization, noting that the originating Bitcoin wallet would remain visible during transaction publishing.
The research team acknowledges several open questions. The 56-page specification does not clarify deposit and withdrawal processes, and the referenced PIPE mechanism remains undeveloped. Additionally, private transfers would require approximately 700 virtual bytes of data compared to 100–200 bytes for standard Bitcoin transactions, potentially leading to higher transaction fees at equivalent rate levels.
No timeline for implementation has been provided. The proposal remains in the conceptual stage, with further research needed to address technical and operational challenges.
The Blockchain Association announced that former CEO Kristin Smith will serve as interim chief executive officer following the departure of Summer Mersinger, who stepped down after a week marked by a significant legislative loss for the cryptocurrency industry. Mersinger resigned days after the U.S. Senate rejected the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, a bill that would have provided regulatory certainty for digital assets. Smith, who previously led the association from 2018 until 15 months ago and currently holds the board presidency while also serving as president of the Solana Policy Institute, will assume the interim role on October 16. In a statement, Mersinger said she was proud of the organization's progress, including the passage of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act and the advancement of regulatory clarity at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She added that Smith had built the association from the ground up and that the group was in capable hands. Smith, who retained her position at the Solana Policy Institute, noted that Mersinger had guided the organization through what she described as the most consequential period in crypto policy history, including the enactment of the GENIUS Act and unprecedented activity at the SEC and CFTC. The transition comes as the industry navigates a challenging regulatory environment, with recent legislative efforts failing to gain traction in Congress.
The MOVE index, which gauges expected volatility in the U.S. Treasury market, climbed from roughly 80 on Tuesday to 104 on Thursday, reaching its highest point since March. The increase coincides with higher energy prices and rising bond yields that have amplified inflation concerns.
Volatility gauges tied to bitcoin and the S&P 500 remain subdued. The 20‑day correlation between MOVE and the VIX slipped to a slightly negative reading for the first time since April 2024, indicating that the recent uptick in bond market turbulence has not yet been mirrored in equity markets.
CoinDesk data show that Volmex’s 30‑day implied volatility index for bitcoin (BVIV) sits near 37, close to its year‑to‑date low of 35. By contrast, the Cboe VIX, which tracks expected volatility in the S&P 500, hovers around its own year‑to‑date low of 14. Neither index is signaling heightened demand for protection.
Rising volatility in Treasury notes, which underpin global credit conditions, tends to tighten financial circumstances and discourages risk‑taking. Yet the current divergence suggests that bitcoin and equities are not experiencing the same pressure. Government bond yields have been climbing worldwide, a trend that analysts link to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East that have pushed oil and diesel prices higher and complicated inflation forecasts.
The U.S. 10‑year Treasury yield briefly touched 5.2% on Thursday before easing to 5.163%. When MOVE hovered near its current level in March, the S&P 500 was around 6,350; it has since risen to 7,704, a gain of roughly 21%. Despite the broader market gains, bond traders are paying more for hedges against interest‑rate swings.
Over the past 20 days, the correlation between VIX and MOVE has edged to –0.06, while the correlation between BVIV and MOVE stands at –0.37, one of the lowest readings in recent years. As bond volatility has risen, bitcoin’s expected volatility remains near its yearly low.
CoinDesk reported earlier this week that higher Treasury yields have shown limited and inconsistent relationships with bitcoin’s price movements.
Why it matters: The widening gap between bond market turbulence and the relative calm in bitcoin and equity markets highlights divergent expectations among investors about future monetary policy and risk appetite.
A Bitcoin address transferred nearly 4,500 BTC in a transaction confirmed at 02:30:04 UTC on September 25, 2026. The output remained unspent at 13:33 UTC, leaving the funds visible at a single destination address. During the 02:00 to 03:00 UTC window, Bitcoin traded between $84,152.88 and $84,882.18 on Coinbase, placing the transferred amount at roughly $379 million to $382 million. The transaction consolidated eight inputs from a source address into one output, with 1,303 satoshis paid as a network fee. The largest input, received on April 21, 2022, had not moved for over four years prior to the transfer. Smaller deposits totaling 0.00002821 BTC had been sent to the address between December 30, 2024, and September 11, 2026, but these did not alter the scale of the main movement. The receiving address held only the confirmed output at the time of the snapshot, with no additional transactions in the mempool. No identifying information about the owner or purpose of the transfer was included in the on-chain record. The movement did not indicate a sale, exchange activity, or change in ownership, as such conclusions require additional evidence beyond a single transaction. Large transfers of previously dormant coins often attract attention due to potential market implications, but this case did not involve any subsequent spending or off-chain activity that would clarify intent. Further observation would be needed to determine whether the funds are held, traded, or moved elsewhere.
Validators of the Cosmos Hub restored access to 1.23 million ATOM that had been seized during a governance attack on the Neutron network. The breach prompted a 24.5‑hour network halt beginning on September 22, after which the tokens were transferred to a recovery wallet that requires four of six designated signers to authorize any movement. The recovery process hinges on a subsequent Cosmos Hub governance vote, which must approve the transfer before the funds can be returned to their original holders. Cosmos Labs clarified that the Hub itself was never compromised and that user funds remained untouched throughout the incident. The stolen ATOM originated from Neutron, where a malicious governance proposal granted the attacker control over contracts used by Astroport and other protocols. At the moment the network was halted, 1,227,121 ATOM remained in the attacker’s address. Validators restarted the chain on September 23 using Gaia v28.3.0, a software update that shifted the balance to a wallet controlled by six community validators, with a quorum of four needed for any transaction. The secured tokens are currently held while the Neutron recovery team drafts a formal plan. Under the terms outlined by Cosmos Labs, the signers cannot release the funds until a Hub governance proposal authorizes the transfer. Six validators — including Coinbase and Kraken — participated in the coordinated restart, representing more than two‑thirds of the Hub’s voting power. By the end of the day, 174 of the Hub’s 180 validators were online. The update authorized a single transfer of the balance present at the halt height, leaving later transactions and funds that arrived after the restart unaffected. The recovery effort also identified assets that had moved through other chains such as dYdX, Noble, Osmosis, Axelar and EVM networks, though those recoveries are being coordinated separately. The incident follows an earlier Cosmos EVM vulnerability that was exploited in August, resulting in roughly $5.72 million in stolen assets across six chains; Cosmos Labs noted that this prior flaw was distinct from the Neutron attack. The return of the recovered ATOM will depend on a forthcoming governance proposal expected to be submitted by the Neutron recovery team within the next week, after which Cosmos Hub holders will have a direct say in the final disposition of the funds.
A hacker who stole roughly $351.6 million from Bitget has begun swapping the stolen USDC for ETH, reigniting questions about Circle’s ability to freeze funds tied to the breach. Security researcher Taylor Monahan highlighted the transfers on X, noting that the attacker moved USDC through multiple wallets before converting it to ETH. Monahan questioned why the assets remained movable despite Circle’s capacity to block transfers from specific USDC addresses. Bitget reported the breach on September 24, 2026, at 18:31 UTC, estimating the loss at $351.6 million. The exchange suspended withdrawals temporarily, activated an emergency response, and confirmed that deposits and trading continued uninterrupted. Its cold wallets were deemed secure, and account balances were reported as accurate. Investigators have not yet identified how the attackers accessed the exchange’s systems, though Bitget’s CEO Gracy Chen stated that private key leaks were ruled out and the breach involved direct movement of funds from hot wallets without withdrawal requests. On-chain analytics firm Lookonchain later estimated the stolen portfolio at $356.8 million, including 102.93 million XRP, 31,890 ETH, and 21.05 million USDC. Bitget confirmed it had flagged addresses linked to the transfers and notified law enforcement and security firms. Circle’s USDC terms grant it authority to block transfers to or from certain addresses under its blocklisting policy, but the policy does not extend to assets obtained after a swap. Once USDC is exchanged for ETH, the resulting holdings cannot be frozen through that mechanism. Circle has maintained that it only freezes funds when legally compelled, as outlined in its April statement following the Drift Protocol hack. The company emphasized that faster intervention requires clearer legal frameworks that balance security with property rights. Critics, including on-chain investigator ZachXBT, have pointed to more than 15 cases since 2022 involving over $420 million in suspected illicit USDC flows that remained movable despite identifiable patterns. In the Drift case, roughly $232 million was transferred over six hours across more than 100 transactions before conversion to ETH, prompting a U.S. civil lawsuit alleging delayed action by Circle. The complaint cited the ability to freeze 16 USDC-linked wallets in a separate matter as evidence of capacity for earlier intervention. Circle has called for coordinated industry standards to address gaps in response timelines during active exploits.
Summer Mersinger, a former commissioner of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission, announced she will resign as chief executive of the Blockchain Association at the end of the year. Her departure follows a legislative defeat for the group’s central policy objective.
The association confirmed on Friday that Mersinger’s tenure will conclude on October 16. At that point, Kristin Smith, who previously led the organization and now serves as president of the Solana Policy Institute, will assume an interim chief executive role while continuing her existing responsibilities.
Mersinger joined the Blockchain Association in June 2025 after completing three years of a second term at the CFTC, which was set to expire later that year. In a statement released at the time of her exit, she said she had accepted the position because she believed the digital asset industry required clear regulatory frameworks and a unified voice to advocate for them in Washington.
The organization highlighted her contributions to advancing the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act, commonly referred to as the GENIUS Act, and her role in seeking regulatory clarity from both the Securities and Exchange Commission and the CFTC. It did not reference the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, a separate proposal under consideration in the Senate that the association had previously urged lawmakers to back.
The clarification bill failed to secure sufficient support in a recent cloture vote, with opposition from members of both parties. Analysts noted the outcome likely postpones consideration of the measure until the following legislative session.
A spokesperson for the Blockchain Association did not provide details about Mersinger’s plans beyond the transition period. The organization has not indicated whether Smith’s interim leadership will be extended or whether a permanent successor will be named in the near term.
Mersinger’s exit marks the latest leadership shift for the association, which has faced increasing scrutiny over its policy priorities and coalition-building efforts in a fragmented regulatory environment.
XRP traded near $1.61 on Friday, up 9.81% over the previous 24 hours and within 1% of CryptoSlate's December median forecast of $1.63. The token briefly touched $1.44 a day earlier, marking its lowest intraday level before the recent rebound.
The median forecast represents a single projected closing price for December, not a prescribed path for the token to reach that level. CryptoSlate's Market Signal assigned XRP a bullish score of 73 out of 100 on September 25, reflecting current market conditions rather than a guaranteed December outcome.
The model also outlines a range of possible December closing prices, from a 20th-percentile bearish scenario of $1.18 to an 80th-percentile bullish scenario of $2.38. A $0.42 extreme-tail stress marker indicates a potential severe downturn, though it is not presented as a probable outcome.
Earlier forecasts have shifted over time. CryptoSlate had projected a December median of $1.52 on September 19, raised it to $1.69 by September 22, and adjusted it to $1.62 on September 23 before settling at $1.63 on September 24. All five prior forecasts remain pending as of the latest update.
Ripple announced in August that Jeonbuk Bank, a regional bank in South Korea, would use Ripple Payments for cross-border remittances. The announcement did not specify expected XRP volume or direct demand effects. CryptoSlate reported that two automated market maker pools accounted for 97.24% of XRPL.to's seven-day trading volume, but these pools operate without native XRP, limiting immediate implications for XRP demand.
Demand for XRP may increase only if usage expands to include actual XRP holdings in liquidity routes and pools. Broader growth in XRP Ledger activity does not necessarily require higher XRP holdings, as fees and reserves create baseline demand independent of transaction volume.
External factors such as Federal Reserve policy and geopolitical developments also influence XRP's price trajectory. The Fed raised its policy rate to 3.75%–4.00% on September 16, citing persistent inflation and uncertainty from global events. Rising 10-year real yields to 2.76% on September 23 coincided with broader cryptocurrency weakness.
Whether the current rebound sustains through December will depend on continued XRP-specific usage and market resilience amid shifting monetary and geopolitical conditions. Friday's price action placed XRP near its December median, but the true test will come with the December 23 closing figure.
Bitget disclosed on Thursday that approximately $388 million in digital assets were affected by a recent security breach, revising an earlier estimate of $352 million. The exchange announced it would maintain a suspension of withdrawals while a bounty program incentivizes the recovery of stolen funds. Onchain analysis indicated that $387.5 million had been moved to addresses controlled by the attackers, reflecting a more thorough accounting of transfers across Ethereum Virtual Machine networks, the XRP Ledger, Zcash and TRON. The assets taken included XRP, Ether, Tether’s USDT, Zcash, USDC, USDT0, XAUt, BNB, AVAX and TRX. Bitget’s statement noted that the updated figure captures additional transfers that were not part of the initial assessment and emphasized that no further unauthorized movements have occurred. The company did not address remarks from CEO Gracy Chen suggesting a possible link to a North Korean hacking group. The incident ranks among the most substantial breaches in the industry, comparable to the $1.5 billion Ether theft from Bybit earlier in 2025. Independent verification of the figures is recommended.
A cryptography research firm, Alloc Init, has introduced a system that would enable private Bitcoin transfers using techniques similar to Zcash, without altering Bitcoin’s core protocol.
The proposal, named Shielded Bitcoin, aims to hide transaction amounts, sender and receiver identities, and connections to previously spent coins. It relies on encrypted notes and zero-knowledge proofs to achieve this concealment.
In a paper released on Thursday, authors Clara Shikhelman, Mikhail Komarov and Aleksei Moskvin explained that the design would treat Bitcoin as a neutral publication and ordering layer. Instead of requiring miners to enforce privacy rules, separate software called indexers would validate zero-knowledge proofs, ensure funds are not double-spent, and maintain the system’s state.
The architecture mirrors Zcash’s use of encrypted notes and public nullifiers to mark spent coins, but Shielded Bitcoin would not operate its own blockchain or consensus mechanism. Rather, it would layer privacy functionality atop Bitcoin’s existing infrastructure.
Critics have questioned the initial privacy capabilities of such a system. Developer Vadim Zavodil noted that a new privacy layer would begin with a minimal anonymity set, as only a limited number of users might initially participate. "Privacy is a function of the crowd," he wrote, "Zcash has a real shielded pool built over years. A brand new metaprotocol starts at zero, so your first private transfer hides in a crowd of one."
The researchers acknowledged this limitation, stating that large deposits do not automatically generate strong anonymity. They warned that observers could potentially link transfers if only a few actors dominate note creation or if wallets exhibit predictable behavior.
Pierre-Luc Dallaire-Demers, founder of Pauli Group, described the concept as intriguing but highlighted a technical gap: the current design lacks resistance to quantum computing attacks. He noted ongoing work to explore a post-quantum variant, contingent on Bitcoin adopting new signature schemes.
Eli Ben-Sasson, co-author of Zerocash and CEO of StarkWare, expressed support for the broader goal of integrating privacy into Bitcoin. While he had not yet reviewed the full proposal, he emphasized the importance of realizing privacy and scalability through zero-knowledge proofs on Bitcoin’s base layer.
The development comes amid growing interest in enhancing Bitcoin’s privacy features, though no timeline for implementation has been provided. The proposal remains under technical review and has not yet been adopted by major Bitcoin developers or networks.
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This article is based solely on the published research and public statements, without endorsement or speculative commentary.
Bitget disclosed that approximately $387.5 million in assets were moved to addresses controlled by an attacker during a breach detected on September 24. The exchange suspended withdrawals on that day, though deposits and trading continued. Sygnum, a Swiss bank, announced that Bitget’s institutional clients could trade using collateral held at the bank instead of depositing it directly into Bitget wallets. The arrangement, described as a way to keep pledged assets outside Bitget’s balance sheet under Swiss bankruptcy law, was presented as an optional service for eligible institutions. No figures were provided on how many Bitget clients use the service or whether any collateral tied to the incident was held by Sygnum. Bitget initially estimated $351.6 million in affected funds but later revised the total upward after including additional transfers involving Zcash and TRON. The company stated that cold wallets remained secure and that it had contained the breach with assistance from Mandiant and SlowMist. Withdrawal notices indicated that customer withdrawals would remain unavailable until a plan could be announced by September 26. Bitget also referenced a $464 million user protection fund, though the fund’s value fluctuates with Bitcoin’s price and its ability to cover losses depends on ongoing investigations. The distinction between trading balances mirrored at the exchange and actual withdrawable funds remained unclear for ordinary users. The custody model relies on segregated accounts and off-exchange holding of assets, but the public details did not confirm whether any Sygnum-held collateral was impacted or when full withdrawal functionality would resume.
Hester Peirce, a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner known as "Crypto Mom" for her advocacy for clear crypto rules, will leave the agency on October 2, according to a resignation post on X. Her departure concludes a decade-long effort to shape regulatory frameworks for digital assets amid a period of aggressive enforcement by the SEC.
Peirce announced her exit alongside the agency's release of new crypto policy guidance, including a frequently asked questions document addressing how token offerings and project development might be classified under securities law. The guidance clarified thresholds for "essential managerial efforts" and outlined when secondary markets could be deemed promoters of investment contracts, particularly regarding staking receipt tokens.
As head of the SEC's Crypto Task Force, Peirce authored policy statements on mining, staking, and memecoin classification, and helped draft Regulation Crypto Assets, which proposed a pathway for offering digital assets without triggering full securities registration. Her most notable contribution was advancing the "innovation exemption," a five-year pilot to tokenize securities under limited regulatory parameters, intended to inform future permanent rules.
In her resignation letter, Peirce emphasized the need for regulators to balance freedom of choice with safeguards that enable confident transactions. She will join Regent University School of Law as an associate professor. Her departure leaves the SEC with two members, Paul Atkins and Mark Uyeda, who can act as a quorum under current staffing rules. The White House has not yet nominated replacements for the vacant Democratic seats.
The SEC's recent FAQ, issued on Peirce's final day, seeks to address industry concerns about regulatory uncertainty, particularly around marketing practices and project governance. The document reflects ongoing efforts to define boundaries between innovation and compliance in the crypto sector.
Circle and Tether have frozen a wallet tied to the $351.6 million Bitget exchange hack, according to onchain data.
The wallet, labeled "Bitget Exploiter 8" on Etherscan, held roughly $318,000 in stablecoins at the time of the freeze. It contained 170.47 ETH, 218,023 USDT and 99,990 USDC. The action was taken at 05:00 UTC on Friday, after blockchain security firm MistTrack reported that Tether had also banned the address.
The freeze represents only a fraction of the funds stolen in the breach. Other addresses linked to the attack still hold more than 63,000 ETH, a sum that no stablecoin issuer can currently block.
Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said the attackers compromised a backend system in the exchange’s wallet infrastructure, spoofed transaction data and triggered the platform’s authorization process to move funds. She said the breach did not involve a private key compromise. Chen added that Bitget’s user protection fund, which holds over $464 million, would cover the loss.
Circle’s response came more quickly than during the April Drift hack, when roughly $232 million in USDC was moved across chains before any freeze was applied. In that earlier case, critics including analyst ZachXBT argued that Circle could have acted faster to blacklist involved wallets. Circle has previously stated it only freezes assets when legally required.
The incident highlights ongoing tensions between centralized stablecoin issuers and decentralized crypto ecosystems, particularly around the speed and scope of fund freezes following large-scale exchange breaches.
Altcoins gained momentum as bitcoin held steady near $84,342, unchanged since midnight UTC. The cryptocurrency had climbed from below $63,000 in August to nearly $87,000 earlier this week before entering a consolidation phase.
The market appeared unfazed by Bitget's $351.6 million hack, which occurred overnight when attackers compromised a backend system in the exchange's wallet infrastructure. The breach involved spoofed transaction data that triggered the exchange's authorization process. Bitget CEO Gracy Chen stated that a private key compromise has been ruled out and that a $464 million user protection fund covers the loss. Withdrawals remain suspended pending a security review.
Compute and DeFi tokens led the rally, with the CoinDesk Computing Index rising 9.5% over the past 24 hours and the DeFi Select Index up 8.7%. Both metrics outperformed the blended benchmark's 2.5% gain. Ninety-three of the 100 CoinDesk 100 constituents advanced, while the CoinDesk 80 index rose 4.7% against the CoinDesk 5's 1.0% increase.
The movement reflects a pattern observed in previous market cycles, where capital shifts toward more speculative assets after bitcoin experiences sharp gains and stalls. Chainlink (LINK), Internet Computer (ICP), and Bittensor (TAO) drove the Computing Index higher, while tokens such as ONDO and LDO contributed to DeFi's momentum.
Derivatives data showed taker flow returning to neutral territory, with the 24-hour long-short taker volume ratio near 50%. Trading volume declined 17% to $206 billion, while open interest edged up 1.8% to $153 billion. Liquidations dropped sharply, falling 63% to $228 million, suggesting limited forced selling activity.
Bitcoin futures open interest slipped below 700,000 BTC after a brief spike, ending the short-lived signal of renewed leveraged long demand. Binance whale activity remained bullish, with a long-short whale account ratio of 1.33 and a whale position ratio of 1.87, indicating large accounts maintaining exposure despite cooling retail futures participation.
Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and XRP futures showed no movement in open interest over the past 24 hours, pointing to trader inactivity rather than active position adjustments. ZEC's 7% price increase coincided with a 15.9% rise in futures open interest, suggesting new capital inflows rather than short covering. Annualized funding rates near 10% and the most positive 24-hour OI-adjusted cumulative volume delta among major assets supported a bullish bias for the token, which has risen nearly 300% this quarter.
LINK's futures open interest increased 28%—roughly double its 14% price gain—indicating fresh long positions being added. ONDO's futures open interest reached a record 1.07 billion tokens as spot prices hit their highest level since November 2025, reinforcing the price move as more than a temporary spike.
Implied volatility indices for BTC and ETH continued to decline, approaching levels that have historically acted as a floor for price movements. Over $17 billion in BTC and ETH options expired on Friday with minimal market impact, with the most actively traded strikes at $70,000 and $90,000 for BTC, and $2,800 for ETH.
Among standout performers, QNT rose 9.8% to $98.93, while ONDO and LDO gained 8.4% and 8.0% respectively. AI-related tokens including FET and TAO showed mixed daily movement but strong gains over rolling windows. Privacy tokens such as ZEC and XMR extended their quiet uptrend, with ZEC trading at $1,584.86, roughly 16% above its level from a week ago.
Declining assets included SOL-based Raydium (RAY), which fell 3.4%, and BONK, down 2.7%, though both remained higher over 24 hours. Litecoin (LTC) edged lower to $70.78 after a halving-driven rally, but still posted modest gains on the day.
The broader macro environment appeared supportive, with European shares opening higher on reports of potential U.S.-Iran discussions regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude traded at $98.94 per barrel, gold rose 0.26% to $4,287 per ounce, and the dollar index eased to 101.14.
Google disclosed that its PageBreak AI security agent has uncovered more than 500 cross-site scripting vulnerabilities across the company's web applications. The system tests suspected flaws against live applications before forwarding reports to product teams. PageBreak employs Gemini models for the majority of scans and uses separate validation tools to verify whether an exploit is functional. Applications built on Google's high-assurance frameworks contained two XSS findings as of September 4. Google intends to integrate PageBreak more closely with CodeMender, which generates security patches. The Google Product Security team noted that PageBreak originated as a pilot in November 2025 and transitioned to a formal project in January 2026. It evaluates Google's own web services and has detected cross-site scripting flaws even on sensitive internal domains. The company did not specify the affected applications. Cross-site scripting, or XSS, arises when an application permits an attacker's script to execute in a user's browser. Depending on the application and the attacker's access level, the flaw may expose data or enable session hijacking. Google reported over 500 findings across its applications but did not provide a breakdown by product or severity. Validation occurs through a dedicated step that injects a JavaScript payload, loads the affected page, and checks script execution. This process has maintained a false positive rate near zero. The agent also assesses other vulnerability types, such as database query injection, path traversal exposures, and unauthorized access to internal services. Separate checks examine whether applications transmit requests to internal services. Rather than submitting every suspected bug to product teams, PageBreak routes each candidate to a specialized validator. For XSS cases, the validator inserts a payload, loads the page, and confirms script execution. Google stated that this validation step has kept false positives minimal. The system can also test additional flaw categories. Validators are not authored by the AI agent; they are pre-existing components. Google sometimes runs agents through multiple iterations because models may pursue unproductive paths before identifying viable exploits. The validation workflow was developed in response to a challenge faced by security staff: AI-generated reports can describe plausible attack sequences that fail during testing. Under PageBreak's protocol, unverified candidates remain within the security team's workflow. They may inform future scans or assist engineers in building new validators, but Google emphasized they are not presented to product teams as confirmed vulnerabilities. Within protected applications, PageBreak identified two XSS flaws as of September 4, according to Google. Both were limited to internal applications or debug endpoints lacking sufficient security controls. The findings pertain to this category of applications; the overall count of over 500 reflects first-party web applications more broadly. This framework enables Google to evaluate how its application architecture withstands repeated scanning. PageBreak also accesses internal tools that allow inspection at scale. Google noted that its code repository enables the agent to traverse service boundaries, while live web traffic data links requested pages to relevant source code. Existing scanners provide authenticated access to internal sites that external researchers might struggle to reach. These resources help explain the scope of Google's findings without implying that external parties could replicate the results solely by running a Gemini model. The reported count derives from scans of Google's applications that include access to code, traffic data, and testing infrastructure. The challenge of validating AI-generated security reports is not unique to Google. In July, the Ethereum Foundation described a similar process in which agents propose potential findings and independent reviewers attempt to reproduce them. The foundation documented one confirmed flaw in libp2p, later assigned CVE-2026-34219, while cautioning that plausible reports may reference unreachable code or impractical attack conditions. For organizations managing cryptocurrency user funds, distinguishing between a candidate issue and a functional exploit influences response timelines. An August Bitcoin Red Team assessment logged 7,958 findings across 501 open-source projects after 108 hours. Of these, 24.7% had reproducible proofs; the total did not indicate 7,958 exploitable vulnerabilities. Earlier analyses of crypto bug bounty programs revealed comparable review burdens. Cosmos Labs co-CEO Barry Plunkett noted in April that program submissions had increased by 900% year-over-year, encompassing both valid and invalid reports. PageBreak is an internal Google tool, and the company has not indicated plans to make it available to external projects. To reduce the volume of unverified findings reaching product teams, Google is strengthening ties with CodeMender, which generates automated fixes. This integration aims to allow product teams to review proposed remedies alongside confirmed vulnerabilities. The validation process helps maintain a low false positive rate while enabling thorough assessment of potential security issues across Google's infrastructure.
Polymarket, a prediction market platform, has partnered with AI startup OpenWorlds to embed autonomous trading agents into its system. The collaboration enables agents to identify event contracts, assess market data, and execute trades without direct user intervention. OpenWorlds describes its software as a tool to automate repetitive tasks such as market discovery and position placement, mirroring workflows used by institutional investment firms. The agents operate within Polymarket’s ecosystem, which covers contracts tied to politics, sports, and other outcomes. Prices in these markets adjust based on trading activity until an event concludes. The partnership reflects a broader trend of automating interactions with prediction platforms, though it raises questions about user oversight and regulatory compliance. Polymarket’s U.S. operations are subject to distinct rules following a 2022 Commodity Futures Trading Commission settlement that restricted access for American users. The company later reintroduced services through a CFTC-registered exchange after acquiring related assets. Meanwhile, New York State has filed a lawsuit alleging that Polymarket offered unlicensed sports betting contracts to residents aged 18 to 20, including wagers on a July baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. State officials argue that federal oversight of event contracts does not override New York’s authority over sports gambling. Polymarket has contested these claims in court. The integration also involves technical updates to Polymarket’s infrastructure. In September, the company migrated its blockchain indexing system in-house, reducing latency in retrieving trade data by up to 28 seconds. This change supports faster processing of market activity, which may enhance the efficiency of AI-driven trading functions. Other entities, including Fortune Protocol, have developed complementary tools for accessing Polymarket markets, though their approaches differ. OpenWorlds emphasizes that its agents do not store private keys or wallet data, instead relying on user-controlled wallets and third-party platforms to execute actions. The company also records agent configurations and action logs, which may be used to refine its models. Regulatory scrutiny continues to shape how such technologies operate, particularly in jurisdictions with strict gambling laws. The partnership underscores the growing intersection of artificial intelligence, decentralized finance, and event-based prediction markets, though its long-term impact remains subject to evolving legal and technical constraints.
Strategy announced on Friday that it would pay dividends on four of its preferred shares on a daily basis, accelerating cash flow to investors without altering the underlying terms of the securities. The proposal would apply to STRF, STRC, STRK and STRD, with dividends accruing every calendar day and being distributed on the next business day. The company did not specify record dates, an effective date or the approvals required for each series. Current quarterly and semi‑monthly schedules remain in place, with the most recent declaration setting payments of $2.50 per STRF share, $2 per STRK share and $2.50 per STRD share for holders of record on September 15, to be paid on September 30, and two $0.50 payments per STRC share on September 30 and October 15. Those payments reflect annualized rates of 10% for STRF and STRD and 12% for STRC. Dividends on STRF, STRC and STRK are cumulative, while those on STRD are noncumulative. All payments remain subject to board declaration and the availability of legally permissible funds. The proposal does not replace the existing schedules, and any change to the payment terms would require further approvals and amended filings. Strategy’s preferred‑stock disclosures indicate a legal par value of $0.001 and a $100 liquidation preference for STRK, though market prices at the close of trading on September 24 were above $100 for STRF and STRC and in the low $70s for STRK and STRD. Share volumes reported by ChartExchange on that date were 20,313 for STRF, 1,023,834 for STRC, 69,162 for STRK and 93,762 for STRD. The company’s USD Reserve, intended for dividend and debt payments, stood at $5.04 billion as of September 20, with an additional $1.05 billion of USD Cash available for broader treasury purposes. During the week ending September 20, $57.4 million of reserve money was used for preferred dividends and interest, and $174 million of STRC was repurchased while 950 Bitcoin were acquired for $75.7 million. Strategy continues to hold $875.1 million of preferred‑share repurchase authority. The daily dividend proposal could make the preferred shares more attractive to investors if sustained buying activity materializes, but the company has not yet provided amended terms or secured the necessary approvals. Until such approvals are obtained and market reaction is observed, the proposal remains a theoretical adjustment to the payment timetable rather than a confirmed change in funding mechanics.
Jumper has set September 29 at 13:00 UTC as the start date for its JUMP token sale on the Legion platform, with the three-day offering closing on October 2 at the same time. Eligible participants can submit pledges through Legion, but a pledge does not guarantee a JUMP allocation. The sale excludes participants from the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and sanctioned regions of Ukraine, as well as users in other restricted jurisdictions. Within the European Union, access to sale terms is limited to fewer than 150 eligible individuals per member state, according to Jumper. Final allocations will depend on eligibility, offering terms, demand, and Legion’s allocation process; if demand exceeds available tokens, allocations may be adjusted to broaden participation. Jumper described the sale as its first independent fundraising effort and emphasized that it involves no company equity, positioning JUMP as a mechanism for users, contributors, and investors to engage with its growth. The announcement clarified that viewing sale terms or completing eligibility checks does not ensure access to the offering or an allocation. Any purchase of JUMP tokens will occur separately through Legion’s offering process for selected eligible participants. The exclusion of U.S. participants coincides with ongoing regulatory review of crypto fundraising rules in the United States; in August, the SEC proposed exemptions for certain token offerings that could allow qualifying issuers to raise up to $75 million within 12 months without full registration, though Jumper has not indicated whether its sale will follow that framework. Legion has previously supported other crypto fundraising campaigns, including a December 2025 Superform UP token sale on Cookie.fun that garnered $4.7 million in commitments, though that outcome does not predict demand for Jumper’s sale. Jumper is expanding its platform with four product lines: Earn, Advanced, real-world assets, and perpetual futures. Earn, which provides access to on-chain yield opportunities across blockchains, recently reached $10 million in attributed total value locked. Advanced will introduce trading tools such as limit orders, time-weighted average price orders, and recurring purchases. The real-world assets interface will enable trading of tokenized stocks and similar instruments, while Perps will integrate perpetual futures venues alongside JUMP token and USD incentives with Ondo. These developments extend beyond current swap and bridge functions and do not depend on allocation in the token sale. Other platforms, such as Bitget Wallet in June, have also expanded into tokenized stocks, partnering with firms like Ondo Finance and xStocks. Jumper’s real-world asset interface is described independently of such integrations. Participants who can view Jumper’s terms may submit pledges from September 29 at 13:00 UTC through October 2 at 13:00 UTC; the requested amount may differ from the final allocation if Legion adjusts distributions due to high demand. The announcement reiterates that it constitutes general information and not an offer to acquire JUMP; tokens cannot be purchased, reserved, or pledged through the announcement itself, and must be acquired via the separate offering process on Legion.
The Circle Foundation announced two separate grants to support the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme in testing digital payment systems for development and humanitarian work. UNDP will create a Digital Asset Innovation Pool to expand the use of regulated stablecoin payments across more country offices, building on earlier pilots in Syria, Haiti, Guatemala and The Gambia that demonstrated faster transfers and lower costs. The pool will provide tools to measure transaction speed, cost and reach, and will operate alongside existing banking channels. WFP will use its grant to develop governance rules, risk controls, reconciliation systems and compliance tools, and to connect payment platforms with local fintech firms and mobile‑money providers in two to three country corridors over the next three years. The funding aims to generate evidence on efficiency, transparency and resilience of stablecoin‑based aid distribution, with independent research examining cost, speed and operational feasibility. Both grants follow Circle Foundation’s earlier involvement in a UN financial‑operations platform and its broader effort to modernize cross‑border transfers through regulated digital assets.
Strategy is asking shareholders to approve a change that would make each calendar day a dividend record date for four of its preferred stocks, including STRC, without altering the dividend rates or total payout amounts. The board approved the amendment on Thursday, and a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday confirmed the move. Shareholders will vote on the proposal during a virtual special meeting scheduled for Oct. 28. If the vote passes, every day would become a record date, with the corresponding dividend paid on the next business day. STRC would be the first to transition, with its initial daily dividend expected on Nov. 2. The other three preferred stocks — STRF, STRK and STRD — would follow in January, with their first payments under the daily schedule due on Jan. 4. The amendments would become effective after Strategy files updated certificates governing the preferred stocks with the state of Delaware. The proposal builds on a similar shift Strive implemented earlier this year, when it moved its SATA preferred stock to daily dividends, becoming the first public company to adopt the model. Strive announced in May that SATA would begin paying dividends every business day on June 16 at a 13% annual rate and that it had eliminated its outstanding debt in the first quarter. Unlike Strive’s business‑day schedule, Strategy’s plan would treat every calendar day as a record date, with dividends payable on the following business day. According to BitcoinTreasuries.NET, Strive holds 26,355 Bitcoin, whereas Strategy holds 846,000 BTC. Strategy’s chief executive, Phong Le, discussed the company’s leverage exposure on Natalie Brunell’s Coin Stories podcast, noting that unexpected leverage in the STRC market contributed to a sharp price decline in June. The stock fell to an intraday low of $71.25 on June 26, well below its $100 stated amount, before recovering to about $98.41. Le said the company did not anticipate the volume of borrowed capital used to purchase STRC, which created pressure on investors when Bitcoin’s price dropped. To mitigate future unwind risks, Strategy is maintaining a strong US dollar reserve and has adopted a policy to repurchase STRC when it trades below its $100 stated amount. The security currently carries a 12% variable annual dividend rate.
A U.S. court action targeting EQIBank, a Dominica-licensed digital bank, resulted in the seizure of approximately $89 million in assets, representing about 80 percent of the lender's monetary holdings. The seizure, tied to allegations of misrepresentation by payment processor Capstone, could compel EQIBank into liquidation. Tether, the issuer of USDT, stated its assets held at EQIBank constitute less than 0.034 percent of its total assets, valued at roughly $64 million based on its reported $187.75 billion in group assets. The company emphasized it had no knowledge of the conduct by Capstone alleged by the Department of Justice. EQIBank previously provided banking services to Tether, handling wire transfers linked to USDT transactions. While the seizure underscores counterparty risks within the banking network supporting stablecoin operations, Tether indicated no immediate threat to USDT's reserves or dollar peg. The situation reflects broader vulnerabilities in the infrastructure underpinning stablecoin issuance, particularly as regulatory scrutiny intensifies.