BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink said that any moratorium on new data center construction in the United States would likely push the economy into recession. In a CNBC interview on October 15, 2026, Fink argued that the current pace of data center spending is a cornerstone of economic growth, especially as artificial intelligence expands. He warned that slowing that investment would ripple through the broader economy, reducing output and potentially causing two consecutive quarters of decline.

Moody’s projects that U.S. data center capital spending will total $700 billion in 2026 and could rise to between $2.4 trillion and $2.48 trillion by 2030. Globally, spending on data centers is expected to reach $7 trillion by the end of the decade. Fink emphasized that these facilities employ construction workers, support energy infrastructure and drive demand for specialized hardware, making them a significant source of jobs and economic activity.

Public sentiment toward data centers has grown more negative, with a Pew Research Center survey indicating that 49% of Americans view them as harmful to the environment, local energy costs and community quality of life. Fink dismissed those concerns as largely unfounded, stating that most criticisms stem from misinformation and that data centers are not the primary environmental issue.

At the same time, Fink highlighted the growing strain of federal debt, noting that the national debt has risen from $8 trillion in 2000 to $40 trillion in 2026. He argued that private capital must be mobilized to sustain growth of about 3% annually, suggesting that government borrowing alone cannot meet the demand for credit. "We need to unlock private capital to grow the U.S. economy," he said.

The remarks come amid broader economic pressures, including persistent inflation and higher bond yields. A recession would likely affect investor appetite for riskier assets, including cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin was trading near $81,200 at the time, down slightly over the past 24 hours.

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) has become the largest publicly listed bitcoin fund, accumulating $65.62 billion in net inflows since its launch in January 2024, according to SoSoValue. The firm also reported strong third-quarter results, with $205 billion in net inflows, 19% revenue growth and an operating margin of 47.8%.

Fink’s comments reflect a view that the infrastructure underpinning AI and digital services is too central to the economy to be halted without serious consequences.

Ledger plans to release a new hardware wallet called Atom in mid-2027, designed to function like a smartphone while providing cryptocurrency security. The device will run on Android, allowing users to install applications such as WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok alongside a protected mode for managing digital assets. Ledger also integrated an AI assistant named OpenClaw into the device.

Atom will be manufactured at Ledger’s facility in Vietnam, consistent with its production of more complex hardware. The announcement follows a supply-chain breach involving Malaysian distributor CryptoBilis, in which attackers allegedly modified devices before delivery. Onchain researchers estimated losses of up to $93.2 million across more than 300 wallets, with Tether freezing $10 million of its USDT stablecoin tied to the theft. Investigations indicated that compromised wallets contained hidden chips capable of capturing 24-word recovery phrases by reading screen signals.

Ledger stated that research it cited showed no reported losses in Europe, though the incident primarily affected users in Southeast Asia. To address such vulnerabilities, Atom will include tamper-detection features: a protective enclosure around sensitive components, sensors to detect removal of the screen or back cover, and packaging that reveals unauthorized opening. The tamper system includes its own battery to operate even when the device is powered off. A Ledger spokesperson confirmed these measures specifically target the methods used in the recent incident.

Initially, Ledger intends to sell Atom exclusively through its own website to limit exposure to third-party distribution channels implicated in the breach. The company said it has no plans to offer trade-in programs for affected customers, though it did not rule out future upgrade promotions. This approach contrasts with earlier efforts by projects like Solana, which released smartphones such as the Saga in 2023 and Seeker in 2024, integrating crypto key protection directly into mobile devices.

UPDATE (Oct. 15, 12:05 UTC): Adds manufacturing location details and references research indicating no reported losses in Europe.

Crypto entrepreneur Richard Heart was taken into custody in Istanbul on Wednesday as part of a coordinated operation by Turkish police and intelligence units, according to local media reports.

The detention occurred at a residence in the Beşiktaş district, where authorities also detained his wife. Turkish outlets indicated that investigators seized approximately $4 million in cash, 64 high‑end watches, firearms and various electronic devices.

Heart, whose legal name is Richard James Schueler, has been pursued by Finnish authorities on separate accusations of tax fraud and assault. Finnish prosecutors had earlier circulated an Interpol Red Notice that led to the multinational warrant.

The arrest marks the latest chapter in a series of legal challenges for the founder of Hex, PulseChain and PulseX. In 2023 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Heart and three associated crypto projects raised over $1 billion through unregistered securities offerings and misappropriated at least $12 million in investor funds. A federal judge later dismissed the complaint on jurisdictional grounds, prompting the SEC to close the case in 2025.

Finnish officials have not yet released detailed figures regarding the seized assets, and Turkish police have not confirmed the exact monetary value reported by media outlets.

The operation underscores the growing intersection of cryptocurrency leadership and international law enforcement scrutiny.

Binance Pool, the mining service operated by the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, will cease operations on November 10, 2026, after its share of Bitcoin’s network hashrate fell by about 65% since December 2025. The pool’s computing power dropped from an estimated 26 exahashes per second—roughly 2.3% of the total network—in December to 9.2 exahashes per second, or less than 1% of the network, according to data from Hashrate Index. The service will stop crediting mining shares and processing payouts at 7 a.m. UTC on the shutdown date, giving miners roughly four weeks to redirect their equipment elsewhere.

The closure follows a broader trend of exchange-affiliated mining operations exiting the market. SBI Crypto shut its pool in July 2026 after it accounted for about 2% of Bitcoin’s hashrate, and OKX ended its mining pool services in February 2024. At the time of the announcement, the three largest pools—Foundry USA, AntPool, and F2Pool—together controlled approximately 64% of the network’s computing power, up from 61.4% in December. If Binance’s remaining hashrate were consolidated into these pools, their combined share could approach 65%, further concentrating block production.

Binance Pool used a full pay-per-share (FPPS) payout model, which compensated miners for their contributed work regardless of whether the pool successfully mined a block. The service also offered Pool Savings, cloud mining, and a transaction accelerator, all of which will be discontinued alongside the pool. Users with active Pool Savings positions must redeem their holdings by the cutoff date, and those awaiting final payouts must complete identity verification before 11:59 p.m. UTC on November 10. All pool interfaces will be permanently removed by November 24, after which users can no longer access related records.

The shutdown does not address Binance’s previously disclosed $500 million lending program for miners, launched in October 2022, which offered secured loans with interest rates between 5% and 10% over 18 to 24 months. The announcement provided no details about outstanding loan balances or repayment plans. The move reflects a strategic shift away from infrastructure tied to proof-of-work mining, as the exchange refocuses on other blockchain-related services. While the exit reduces available pool options for miners, it does not inherently alter the technical mechanics of block validation, as mining power can be redirected to alternative pools without transferring hardware ownership.

The consolidation of mining power among fewer pools raises questions about decentralization, though the network’s consensus mechanism remains unchanged. Miners retain the ability to switch providers, and pool shares do not confer legal ownership of mining rigs. The long-term impact will depend on how remaining operators manage growth and whether new entrants emerge to fill the gap left by Binance Pool’s departure.

A theoretical quantum attack could enable an adversary to recover private keys from Bitcoin addresses that have already revealed their public keys, potentially allowing unauthorized transfers of large holdings. Crypto investor Nic Carter outlined this scenario in an October 13 interview with Luke Martin, noting that early Bitcoin coins moving together might undermine confidence in the network. The risk stems from cryptographic exposure, not from immediate quantum capabilities.

Glassnode's May 2023 analysis identified 6.04 million BTC, representing 30.2% of the then-circulating supply, tied to public keys that are publicly visible. These include early pay-to-public-key (P2PK) outputs where keys are directly exposed, as well as other legacy addresses where reuse or prior transactions have made keys accessible. A sufficiently advanced quantum computer using Shor's algorithm could theoretically reverse-engineer private keys from such exposed public keys, granting spending authority without needing to break Bitcoin's core protocol.

The feasibility of moving millions of BTC in a short window depends on Bitcoin's block structure. Ten blocks can accommodate up to 40 million weight units under current protocol rules. A hypothetical scenario involving 50,000 early outputs holding 50 BTC each would require approximately 22.8 million weight units for inputs alone, fitting within the 40 million unit ceiling when distributed across transactions under Bitcoin Core's 400,000-unit standard limit. Actual space requirements would vary based on specific outputs and spending patterns. Inclusion in blocks also depends on fee markets, network congestion, and miner behavior, with confirmation occurring only when transactions are selected for inclusion in a block. With Bitcoin's average 10-minute block interval, ten blocks span roughly 100 minutes, though actual timing may vary.

Jameson Lopp, a security researcher, estimated in May 2023 that around 2.6 million BTC might be permanently inaccessible due to inactivity or loss, though this figure includes both exposed keys and coins tied to known entities. The exposure question intersects with broader debates about cryptographic resilience and network evolution. Proposed solutions include BIP-360 and BIP-361, which suggest new output types like Pay-to-Merkle-Root to reduce long-term exposure risks, and throttling mechanisms to limit the volume of vulnerable funds that could be swept at once. These remain conceptual and require community adoption to implement.

The core challenge lies in distinguishing between legitimate key recovery and malicious use, particularly for bare P2PK outputs where no additional verification layers exist. Concepts like Dan Robinson's PACT proposal aim to create private proofs of ownership that could be recognized post-quantum transition, provided holders preserve such evidence before exposure occurs. Meanwhile, the February 2024 Hourglass V2 draft suggests limiting quantum-era spending to one transaction and one BTC per block to slow potential sweeps.

Ultimately, the network would need to reconcile cryptographic security with user accessibility. Maintaining backward compatibility ensures that valid keys remain spendable, but restricting legacy signature verification could render some coins permanently unspendable if owners cannot migrate. The path forward involves technical evaluation, ecosystem coordination, and careful consideration of trade-offs between security, decentralization, and user sovereignty.

MSCI announced Thursday that it will adopt a methodology first proposed in August, targeting companies it classifies as "non-operating" for exclusion from its global indexes. The new criteria would disqualify firms that do not meet operating asset thresholds and fail at least four of five financial ratio tests. Strategy, Metaplanet and Upexi are among the crypto treasury firms identified as potential candidates for removal, while Sharplink, Inc (SBET), Ton Strategy Company (TONX), Solana Company (HSDT) and DeFi Development Corp. (DFDV) have been placed on a watchlist for possible exclusion.

The methodology will be applied to existing index constituents over two annual reporting cycles before any deletions take effect. MSCI plans to publish the final list of companies slated for removal on November 11, with the changes becoming effective on November 30, 2026.

Conner Brown, executive director of the Bitcoin Policy Institute, noted that exclusion from MSCI’s broad-market indexes could force passive funds to sell holdings, potentially pressuring share prices and diminishing demand for affected securities. JPMorgan analysts previously projected that Strategy’s removal might trigger roughly $2.8 billion in selling, a figure tied to an earlier digital asset proposal rather than the rules finalized Thursday.

Strategy had previously opposed the changes but downplayed the likely impact, stating that funds tracking MSCI’s Global Investable Market Indexes hold about 13 million shares — roughly 3.1% of its outstanding basic shares — and that this represents less than a single day’s trading volume. The company’s latest filing shows holdings of 848,250 Bitcoin.

The revised rules reflect MSCI’s effort to align index composition with operational criteria, though the full implications for crypto-linked firms remain subject to market response and further regulatory scrutiny.

Ripple announced a partnership with Cross River Bank to embed its RLUSD stablecoin into the bank's core payment infrastructure. The agreement, disclosed on October 15, enables the stablecoin to operate through a single API connection within Cross River's proprietary Core Operating System. This integration allows fintech firms to move funds between U.S. dollars and RLUSD using the bank's existing payment rails, which include ACH, wire transfers, and real-time payment services. Cross River described the move as a way to reduce settlement delays and support international transactions outside traditional banking hours. Adam Goller, head of fintech banking at Cross River, stated that businesses should not need multiple providers to transfer money globally. The partnership builds on earlier Ripple collaborations involving brokerage settlement, institutional custody, and developer tools. Under the arrangement, Cross River will add RLUSD to its payment network, enabling issuers and acquirers to settle funds during the day using the stablecoin. Transactions on the XRP Ledger typically settle within three to five seconds and cost fractions of a cent, operating continuously. RLUSD's market capitalization recently surpassed $2.5 billion, with over $1 billion issued on the XRP Ledger alone. New York-regulated Standard Custody & Trust Company serves as RLUSD's issuer, maintaining reserves subject to monthly independent attestations. As of September 24, approximately $2.409 billion in tokens were in circulation against $2.5315 billion in reserves. A separate agreement with DriveWealth will introduce RLUSD settlement into a brokerage network serving over 100 global partners, beginning in Europe before expanding to the U.S. The integration aims to address delays in U.S. equity settlements and international dollar transfers. Institutional custody of RLUSD also launched through Standard Chartered's Dubai International Financial Centre branch, regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. The bank is exploring use cases where RLUSD holdings can support trading positions while remaining in custody. Development tools for application creators were also expanded through a Ripple partnership involving Stripe-owned Privy, which now offers XRP Ledger wallet functionality for businesses building AI-driven payment systems. The collaboration reflects broader efforts to embed stablecoins into existing financial workflows without requiring separate blockchain infrastructure.

The Financial Services Commission disclosed on October 14 that 16 financial entities had experienced data breaches, including two cryptocurrency businesses named Streami and Pravang. The list also comprised major banks such as Shinhan, Kookmin, Busan and Hana, along with firms from other financial sectors. Streami operates the Gopax exchange platform, while Pravang represents the second crypto entity singled out in the commission's release. Across the affected organizations, approximately 100,000 customer records were exposed, containing names, contact information, resident registration numbers and email addresses. The commission's English-language statement indicated that, as of the October 14 meeting, investigators had not yet confirmed the leakage of account passwords or credit card details. Authorities from the Financial Supervisory Service and the Financial Security Institute are examining the breach methods, assessing possible connections between incidents, evaluating whether a shared attacker is involved and determining if artificial intelligence played a role. The total count of impacted firms may increase as companies cross-reference their systems with threat intelligence shared by regulators. A sector-wide security audit conducted after the initial findings revealed additional vulnerabilities beyond the initially confirmed breaches. Of the 555 companies that completed the mandatory 12-point self-assessment by October 8, 425 reported their security arrangements as satisfactory, while 130 identified areas requiring improvement. The audit served as a standardized self-evaluation across the financial industry. Identified weaknesses predominantly related to delayed software patching, insufficient oversight of unsupported systems, absence of continuous monitoring and gaps in authentication or access control mechanisms. Participating firms have submitted remediation plans and begun implementing corrective actions. Regulatory proposals outline a comprehensive overhaul of financial institutions' security protocols, targeting connections to external systems as well as executive oversight responsibilities. The commission intends to conduct a thorough review of external interface management, authentication practices and access controls, while establishing clearer reporting lines for chief executives, chief information security officers and chief information officers. A draft regulation would mandate vulnerability assessments at least twice annually, beginning with large financial entities, moving beyond the current annual testing requirement for financial firms and the existing twice-yearly checks for external websites. Regulators also plan to expedite the sharing of threat intelligence among companies, integrate artificial intelligence-driven threat-level data and deploy AI-powered systems for vulnerability detection. The initiative includes expanded security assistance for smaller firms alongside stricter accountability measures for chief executives and enhanced enforcement sanctions. Discussions are underway regarding the potential relaxation of regulations that currently require physical separation of computer networks, with the aim of facilitating artificial intelligence-based defensive measures. The precise scope and timeline for these financial-sector inspections remain under negotiation, and the commission has not yet confirmed whether the proposed security measures will explicitly encompass virtual asset service providers. Related disclosures from the Financial Intelligence Unit, released on October 13, detailed the blocking of 27 unregistered cryptocurrency platforms, including KuCoin and MEXC, though these actions are separate from the current breach investigation.

Solana price rose above $106 on October 15 after touching $100.62 earlier in the session, according to TradingView data. The rebound occurred as the token attempted to recover from a low that followed a period of declining highs and lows after it fell from the $118–$122 range seen in early October. Daily technical indicators showed bearish momentum, with the MACD line at -1.07 and below its signal line, while the histogram remained negative. The price stayed beneath the $114.95 Bollinger midpoint and below several 4-hour moving averages at $109.21, $112.67 and $114.43. Bollinger Bands placed the lower boundary at $102.83, with the 20-day simple moving average aligned with the midpoint. At $106.21, Solana was about 7.6% below that average. Resistance above the current level included the $109.21 4-hour average, followed by $112.67 and $114.95. A move through those zones would target the $120–$124 area that held price in September. Support on the downside was seen near $102.83, with additional clusters around $97–$99 identified by analyst Aman. Below that, $75–$77 was cited as a potential target if the $97–$99 zone failed to hold. CoinGlass liquidation data showed concentrations near $100 and between $105–$107, with further bands extending toward $110–$115 and $123–$125. The $96–$97 area also appeared on the liquidation map as a possible support level if price fell below $100. U.S. spot Solana ETFs recorded $1.29 million in net outflows on October 14, marking their eighth consecutive day of withdrawals. The outflows coincided with Solana’s decline toward $100, suggesting continued weak demand from institutional products. The daily price action followed a drop from $116 to $112 and then toward $100, after which selling pressure intensified. Technical charts showed the 20-period simple moving average on the 4-hour chart at $106.11, with longer averages above it. A sustained move above $106.11 would target $109.21 next. The Chaikin Money Flow indicator on the 4-hour chart was -0.02, just below zero, indicating marginal selling pressure. Aman noted that $97–$99 needed to hold to prevent further losses, with $75–$77 as a conditional downside target. The rebound placed Solana above that support level at the time of the TradingView reading. No investment advice was provided in the analysis.

Starknet’s native token STRK gained about 25% on Oct. 15, climbing toward $0.096 as a seven-day governance poll opened to gauge interest in researching an independent, quantum-resistant layer-1 blockchain. The rebound followed a low of $0.0718 earlier that day and brought the price back toward the $0.10 level it had fallen below after a week of declines. The daily chart showed resistance near $0.0977, with a subsequent target around $0.1221. TradingView’s Binance STRK/USDT daily chart recorded an opening price of $0.077 and a session high of $0.09874, while the weekly chart still reflected a 22.4% drop from its opening level of $0.12311. The Murrey Math indicator placed STRK just below a pivot at $0.09766, a level that, if sustained, could reopen the path toward $0.10 and beyond. A move above that threshold would mark the first meaningful recovery test since the recent sell-off. On the downside, the daily indicator identified $0.07324 as a key support boundary, with further downside potential toward $0.04883 if breached. The Aroon upward reading stood at 71.43%, indicating lingering bullish momentum despite the pullback. The governance proposal, put forward by Starknet’s forum, does not commit to leaving Ethereum but explores research into an independent post-quantum network. Components such as bridges and data availability remain tied to Ethereum’s security model, and STRK would continue to function as the network’s token under either scenario. No timeline has been provided for any transition. Route 2 FI noted that the vote had attracted approximately 99.8% “yes” responses at the time of reporting, though the outcome would only authorize further research, not an immediate network split. Weekly technical indicators showed a positive MACD crossover and a Stochastic RSI near overbought levels, suggesting mixed but cautiously optimistic momentum. Liquidation data from CoinGlass highlighted clusters of positions between $0.094 and $0.10, with additional bands near $0.107–$0.11 and concentrations below $0.07. Up to 127 million STRK tokens are scheduled for monthly release through March 2027, representing about $12.2 million at current prices. The token’s uses include transaction fees, staking, and governance, and U.S. holders should note that STRK does not confer equity in StarkWare or the Starknet Foundation. Immediate price targets remain $0.09766 and $0.10, with a breakout potentially targeting $0.12207. A reversal would bring attention back to $0.07324 and the weekly low of $0.0718.

The Swedish central bank has signaled renewed interest in developing a digital version of its national currency, the krona, as the European Central Bank advances its own digital euro project and global payment trends shift toward digital assets. In a letter dated October 7 addressed to Sweden’s Finance Committee, the Riksbank called for legislative groundwork to be initiated for a potential central bank digital currency, three years after a prior government assessment found no compelling need for such a tool.

The Riksbank cited the ECB’s planned 2027 pilot and potential 2029 public launch of a digital euro as contextual factors influencing its reconsideration. It warned that Sweden’s domestic payment infrastructure could face competitive disadvantages if it does not adapt to emerging digital currency models. The letter also highlighted growing usage of foreign-currency stablecoins — particularly US dollar-pegged tokens — as a long-term risk to the krona’s domestic relevance, though it characterized near-term threats as limited.

A digital krona implementation, according to the Riksbank, would require a minimum of five years to deploy, including time for legislative adjustments. Consequently, the institution recommends beginning legal and technical preparations immediately, even if a final decision on issuance remains undetermined. The move reflects broader international scrutiny of central bank digital currencies amid shifting monetary policy landscapes and increasing public interaction with decentralized financial instruments.

Related developments include private-sector experiments such as AllUnity’s launch of SEKAU, a stablecoin pegged to the Swedish krona, underscoring private-sector engagement with currency innovation. The Riksbank’s position emphasizes institutional preparedness over immediate deployment, aligning with cautious policy approaches to emerging financial technologies.

Thailand plans to launch its first crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on Friday, but early inflows are expected to be limited. James Butterfill, head of research at CoinShares, told Cointelegraph that initial capital may reach only tens of millions of US dollars across the first products, rather than the billions some had anticipated.

The new rules allow retail investors in Thailand to purchase crypto ETFs listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, while restricting overseas crypto ETF investments through domestic brokers to institutional and ultra-high-net-worth individuals. Before trading can begin, each fund must obtain regulatory approval and establish custody and distribution arrangements.

Butterfill referenced Hong Kong as a cautionary example. Despite its status as an international financial hub, Hong Kong accounts for just 0.42% of assets in global crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs). CoinShares data from late September showed total global crypto ETP assets under management at $172.9 billion, with Hong Kong holding $733 million.

Existing investment options may constrain demand for new Thai ETFs. Some investors already access Bitcoin exposure through foreign funds or direct crypto trading. MFC Asset Management, which Butterfill highlighted as a potential issuer, introduced a Bitcoin ETF Tracker Fund (MBTCETF-UI) in 2024. The fund invests in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), the largest spot Bitcoin ETF by assets under management.

Another firm to watch is ONE Asset Management, which became the first Thai asset manager to receive approval for a Bitcoin ETF-linked fund in 2024. Butterfill noted that local ETFs will need to attract new investors or provide a compelling reason for existing investors to switch.

Neither MFC nor ONE Asset Management has confirmed plans to launch locally listed crypto ETFs, nor have they provided timelines for when products might begin trading. Cointelegraph reached out to Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission, ONE Asset Management, and MFC Asset Management but had not received responses by publication time.

Asia Express Magazine covers emerging financial trends across the region, including developments in digital assets.