Romania’s industrial producer price index (PPI) increased by 3.21% year-on-year in August 2025 compared to August 2024, per data from the country's statistical office INS.
Bitcoin surges despite US government shutdowns delay altcoin ETFs; Brazil rolls out a welcome mat for crypto miners. Bitcoin (BTC) surged into October, defying a US government shutdown that has left altcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications in limbo. But while markets welcomed the arrival of “Uptober,” the headlines elsewhere were dominated by regulatory battles and policy experiments. Two defendants pleaded guilty in what UK police called the world’s largest crypto seizure, a case that has left courts wrestling with whether victims should be repaid at today’s Bitcoin value or at what they lost years ago. Read more
Current compliance rules create data honeypots that endanger users. Zero-knowledge proofs enable verification without exposure and privacy as a competitive edge. Opinion by: Amal Ibraymi, legal counsel at Aztec Labs When cybercriminals breached UnitedHealth’s tech unit in 2025, nearly 200 million people had their data exposed. A few months later, Coinbase admitted that overseas customer support agents had been bribed for access to user data. These are not isolated events; they are symptoms of a broken system. Existing compliance rules meant to protect us force companies to stockpile vast amounts of sensitive personal data, creating irresistible honeypots for hackers. Most businesses don’t want this liability, but regulators demand it. This reality has led to the perception that privacy and compliance are fundamentally at odds. Read more
With 16 crypto ETF applications on the SEC’s October calendar, a new regulatory framework could fast-track approvals for Solana, XRP and beyond, signaling a pivotal shift for US markets. October 2025 is shaping up to be a big month for crypto markets, as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) faces final deadlines on 16 exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications. Unlike past waves, many of these proposals go beyond Bitcoin and Ether, targeting altcoins like Solana, XRP and Litecoin. This week on “Byte-Sized Insight,” we explore what makes this round of filings different, how the SEC’s stance may be shifting and what the potential approvals could mean for both investors and the broader crypto market. On Sept. 17, the SEC approved a set of “generic listing standards” for exchange-traded products tied to spot commodities, including digital assets. Analysts say the move may dramatically simplify the ETF approval process, reducing the need for case-by-case rule changes that had long slowed crypto’s path to m...