Report | Crypto

As of Friday, 22 companies had filed objections as part of the joint venture’s proposed tokenized stock platform under the SEC’s innovation exemption. Six more companies have reportedly filed objections to having their stocks listed in tokenized form on the proposed platform as part of a joint venture between cryptocurrency exchange OKX and the New York Stock Exchange’s parent company, the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). According to a Friday Reuters report, the proposed stock platform, called OKXICE, had 22 companies total objecting to having their US stock listings tokenized. Among the most recent objections reportedly included Wells Fargo, Arm Holdings and Intuit, adding their names to Microsoft and Google’s parent company Alphabet in the last week. Notably, 16 of the companies were listed on Nasdaq, while only six of the stocks were available on the NYSE. Nasdaq released guidance for companies considering the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) innovation exemption for trading tokenized stocks in...

Coinbase reports growing adoption by banks and businesses, even as stablecoin market capitalization remains largely unchanged over the past year. Stablecoins moved more than $400 million an hour in adjusted transfer volume during the third quarter of 2026, as quarterly activity reached $891 billion, more than quadrupling since early 2023, according to a new report commissioned by Coinbase. The report found that 73% of screened stablecoin transfer volume occurred outside US banking hours, including nights, weekends and holidays. Distribution of stablecoin transfer volume by time of day. Source: Coinbase and The Block Research, via Dune Analytics Read more

JPMorgan is reportedly expanding its JPM Coin deposit token to Ethereum, allowing institutional clients to make payments and settle tokenized asset transactions. JPMorgan Chase, the world’s biggest bank by market capitalization, is expanding its JPM Coin deposit token to Ethereum, Bloomberg reported on Monday. JPM Coin represents US dollar deposits held at JPMorgan and lets eligible clients transfer funds within seconds, around the clock. Emma Landriault, global head of Kinexys Labs, said crypto companies could use the token for blockchain payments, while financial institutions could use it to settle trades and post collateral. Read more

Markets in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East see increasing demand for stablecoins. Stablecoin issuer Circle is seeking to enter about 40 developing markets, according to the company’s CEO and ​chairman, Jeremy Allaire. “We’re kind of going through an inflection point...a transition right now, ‌and that transition is essentially moving from the early adopter phase of blockchain technology into the mainstream scaling phase,” Allaire told Reuters, speaking Friday on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank meetings ​in Bangkok. Markets in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East are experiencing increasing demand for stablecoins as businesses and individuals seek to enter the internet-based economic system, Allaire reportedly said.  Read more

Germany’s largest bank reportedly plans to expand its digital asset custody services to Asian financial centers due to the growth of the digital asset economy. Deutsche Bank reportedly intends to debut its crypto custody services in Germany and plans to expand them across Asian financial centers in 2027. The rapid growth of the digital asset economy, including hundreds of billions of dollars held in stablecoins, is driving the bank’s plans, Gerald Podobnik, co-head of Deutsche Bank’s corporate bank, told Reuters in a Friday report. Podobnik added that the move is part of Deutsche Bank’s goals to achieve compound annual growth of 8% in corporate banking by 2028. Read more

The crypto exchange was reportedly looking to use the additional funding to regain market share following Binance’s 2023 settlement with US authorities. Binance.US is reportedly seeking to raise up to $100 million in a funding round that could value the cryptocurrency exchange at $1 billion. According to a Thursday Bloomberg report, the US-based crypto exchange is pursuing private investment as it looks to expand its business. The potential $1 billion valuation would be well below the $4.5 billion pre-money valuation it secured in 2022, when it raised $200 million in seed funding. Binance.US reportedly informed World Liberty Financial, the crypto platform co-founded by US President Donald Trump and his sons, about the funding round, but the company will not be participating. Last year, Binance was embroiled in a controversial $2 billion investment between an entity tied to the United Arab Emirates royalty and World Liberty using the platform’s USD1 stablecoin. Read more

Jeonbuk Bank reportedly began offering Bitcoin-backed loans to corporate customers, with a third-party custodian holding the cryptocurrency used as collateral. South Korea’s Jeonbuk Bank, a subsidiary of JB Financial Group, reportedly started issuing Bitcoin-backed loans to its corporate customers. Local outlet EDaily reported Monday that Jeonbuk Bank became the country’s first commercial bank to accept Bitcoin (BTC) as collateral for won-denominated lending. The bank is reportedly limiting the service to businesses seeking operational capital, while a specialized custodian holds the BTC used as collateral.  The lending arrangement follows amendments to South Korea’s Civil Enforcement Rules that took effect on Oct. 1. According to the Supreme Court, the rules establish procedures for seizing and liquidating claims to virtual assets. In the event of a default, the bank can recover its funds through court-ordered sales.  Read more

There are global concerns following incidents at OpenAI ‌and Anthropic, and fears have arisen that rogue AI agents may venture beyond human control. European Union rules on AI use are more than capable of dealing with rogue agents, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said. There are global concerns following incidents at OpenAI ‌and Anthropic, and fears have arisen that rogue AI agents may venture beyond human control. “We see that the safety and security of very capable models is a very hot ​topic internationally and we in Europe are well equipped for that,” Virkkunen said in ⁠an interview with Reuters on Friday. Read more

The reported cuts come as Anchorage expands its institutional footprint, including stablecoin issuance and a $100 million investment from Tether. Anchorage Digital, a federally chartered US digital asset bank valued at $4.2 billion earlier this year, has reportedly cut 17% of its workforce, suggesting that the prolonged crypto market downturn is weighing on the company even as it expands its institutional footprint. Citing people familiar with the matter, The Information reported Friday that CEO Nathan McCauley informed employees of the cuts this week. Anchorage had about 400 employees globally as of February, according to McCauley’s congressional testimony at the time, meaning a 17% reduction would amount to roughly 68 jobs if its headcount remained around that level. Cointelegraph reached out to a public relations contact representing Anchorage for confirmation but did not receive an immediate response. Read more

EU regulators are reportedly examining Binance’s use of a MiCA exemption to serve customers as ESMA seeks stronger enforcement powers. European regulators are reportedly scrutinizing Binance’s use of a legal exemption to continue serving customers in the European Union without authorization under the bloc’s crypto rules. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and regulators in France, Germany and Greece are examining Binance’s use of reverse solicitation under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Binance withdrew its Greek MiCA application in June and said it would seek authorization in another EU member state. Read more

OpenAI is reportedly seeking another $30 billion from investors as the ChatGPT developer pushes its long-awaited public market debut into 2027. ChatGPT developer OpenAI is reportedly eyeing another $30 billion raise that could value it at $1.4 trillion, making it one of the world’s most valuable companies even before it goes public. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported Tuesday that OpenAI is in the early stages of discussions for the new funding round, with investor demand driving the talks. The proposed valuation would be roughly 64% higher than OpenAI’s $852 billion valuation in March, when it raised $122 billion. Read more

The crypto company is seeking a valuation of up to $6 billion, well below its 2022 peak, as recently listed crypto stocks struggle to hold their gains. Blockchain.com, a crypto exchange and wallet provider, is reportedly looking to raise about $500 million in an initial public offering (IPO) this year, more than four years after the company reached a $14 billion valuation at the height of the previous crypto boom. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported Monday that Blockchain.com was seeking an IPO valuation of between $4 billion and $6 billion. The company was also open to a smaller offering if needed to complete a public listing. As Cointelegraph reported, Blockchain.com confidentially filed draft registration documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in May, paving the way for a potential IPO. At the time, the company didn’t disclose how many shares it planned to offer or a potential price range. Read more

A rogue OpenAI research agent bypassed blocks on the Australian government health-data portal, accessing non-public files in June. The CEOs of OpenAI and Anthropic have reportedly been summoned to appear at an Australian Senate inquiry into AI, just days after news broke that a rogue OpenAI bot had hacked the country’s health data. The Australian Medicare breach is one of the highest-profile incidents of AI agents accessing external systems outside the US, according to a Sunday Business World report. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic’s Dario Amodei were asked to appear at the inquiry in Canberra on Thursday, the report said. Read more

US President Donald Trump previously tapped David Sacks as his AI and crypto czar before Sacks stepped down from the role earlier this year after reaching his service limit as a special government employee. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is reportedly being considered as US President Donald Trump’s next artificial intelligence czar, days after Trump announced plans for an “AI Force” amid mounting concerns about the technology’s risks. Bessent is a frontrunner for the position, three sources familiar with the matter told Semafor. Other candidates include the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, a former managing partner of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross. However, White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Semafor that “any reporting about personnel decisions that have not been officially announced by the administration should be regarded as baseless speculat...

The five-year digital bond reportedly shortened settlement from three to five business days to the same day using Euroclear’s blockchain infrastructure. South Korea’s Hana Bank has reportedly issued a five-year, $100 million digital bond using Euroclear’s blockchain-based platform.  On Monday, Yonhap News Agency reported that the bank used Euroclear’s Digital Financial Market Infrastructure to issue the foreign-currency bond. The report described the transaction as the first digital bond issuance in South Korea to directly use Euroclear’s blockchain infrastructure.  According to Yonhap, the bond’s issuance, registration and settlement were processed on a distributed ledger network. Using the technology for bond allocation and payment settlement reportedly shortened the process from three to five business days to the same day.  Read more

Former banking official gets four years in prison over false letters of credit and accepting $470,000 in cryptocurrency bribes. A former bank official in Hong Kong who falsely authenticated letters of credit for more than $1.6 billion was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to make restitution of more than $470,000 he received in cryptocurrency bribes. Lam Chun-yin, 32, who was a customer relationship manager at China Construction Bank (Asia), had previously pleaded guilty in District Court, The Standard reported on Saturday. Judge Ernest Lin Kam-hung said deterrent sentences are necessary even for first-time offenders, especially in light of the grave nature of the crime and its impact on society. HashKey begins beta distribution of Hong Kong-regulated HKDAP stablecoin Read more

South Korean police reportedly referred 18 Polymarket users to prosecutors in a gambling probe involving 26 people and $12.7 million in bets. South Korean police have reportedly referred 18 Polymarket users to prosecutors in an illegal gambling investigation involving 26 people who collectively wagered about 17.6 billion won (worth $12.7 million).  According to Asia Economy, data submitted by the National Police Agency to the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Kun-young showed that the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency had placed 26 people under investigation as of Tuesday and sent 18 of them to prosecutors. The report said the largest amount wagered by a single user was about 5.7 billion won ($4.1 million). Police identified users by analyzing publicly available blockchain transactions, the report said. Polymarket lets users buy and sell contracts tied to the outcomes of real-world events and operates on a noncustodial, peer-to-peer structure with automated settlement. It does not maintain a conventiona...

Bitcoin miners generated 35% of the state-owned power producer’s revenue last year, but declining reservoir inflows led the utility to prioritize households and manufacturers. Ethiopia has reportedly reduced electricity delivered to Bitcoin miners to 23% of contracted levels as lower water inflows strain the country’s hydroelectric reservoirs. On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that El Niño intensified dry conditions in the east African country, reducing water inflows into its reservoirs by 20%. Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) CEO Ashebir Balcha said the company cut power to miners to prioritize households and manufacturers. Balcha said EEP initially reduced deliveries to 75% of contracted levels, easing to 50% and then 23%. The company will reassess conditions in October and could impose further reductions or even restrict electricity exports to neighboring countries, according to the report. Read more

The DPRK has turned to third-country IT workers to pass job interviews, after which, the positions are usually taken over by North Korean operatives. North Korea (DPRK) is now using remote workers from third countries, including Iran and Lebanon, to aid its efforts to infiltrate US companies and obtain money to fund its weapons programs, NBC reported on Friday. An alert issued in July by the US government and several foreign agencies said North Korean IT workers “seek out contracts with the intent of remitting their salaries to their parent North Korean agencies. They also pose an insider threat to companies and are involved in data exfiltration, cryptocurrency theft, and theft of sensitive information.” As the US and other governments have moved to counter North Korea’s efforts, the DPRK has turned increasingly to third-country IT workers to pass job interviews, the report said. After work contracts are obtained, the positions are usually taken over by North Korean operatives. Read more

The Italian bank is reportedly seeking assistance in launching access to crypto trading, custody and tokenized investment products. UniCredit Bank is seeking a technology provider that would allow it to build infrastructure for digital asset trading, custody and access to tokenized investment products. The Italian bank’s discussions are still in the early stages, with areas of interest including crypto custody and brokerage capabilities, tokenized investment products and stablecoin-based fixed-income securities, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg on Friday. Cointelegraph has approached UniCredit for comment on what technology provider might fill this infrastructure gap. Read more