Live updates: Bitcoin holds above $81,000 as the AI rout fades and oil climbs
Bitcoin went quiet after a week of big swings, with tech futures steadying and Brent hitting its highest level since early May. The Fed meets next week.
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Bitcoin steadies near $81,700 as altcoins rebound, pepe climbs 13%
Bitcoin rose 0.5% to around $81,700 since midnight UTC while the CoinDesk 80 gained 1.4% and memecoins climbed 2.9%.
Bitcoin appears to have decoupled from midterm cycle bottom history
Previous bitcoin bear-market lows followed U.S. midterms, but this year’s recovery raises the possibility that the bottom arrived months earlier.
HSBC rolls out its first stablecoin to over 3 million everyday app users
HSBC and Standard Chartered-led Anchorpoint received Hong Kong’s first stablecoin issuer licenses in April. Anchorpoint began rolling out HKDAP in August.
Sweden’s central bank revives e-krona debate as stablecoins and digital euro loom
The Riksbank sees an e-krona as critical to securing national payments and monetary control.
India's largest exchange denies hack after sleuths pointed to $16 million in suspicious outflows
CoinDCX denies its active wallets were hacked after sleuths flagged $16 million in outflows from addresses linked to the India-based exchange.
Polymarket has reportedly fired its marketing chief, also a close friend of the CEO
Matthew Modabber was reportedly ousted after an internal probe of several instances of misconduct, according to the New York Post.
Ethereum delays Glamsterdam test after security devs flag risk to existing contracts
Developers canceled Monday's Hoodi activation after researchers showed how new gas rules could let smart contracts permanently record failed operations.
Cardano holders are being asked to bet $5 million on copper hitting a new record
Toto Finance wants 22 million ADA from Cardano’s treasury to buy tokenized copper, and the metal would have to trade well above its all-time high for holders to get their money back.
Bitcoin, gold trim early losses as yen gives up gains. Oil stays near $100
Bitcoin and gold pared early losses as the yen gave up gains and Asian stocks rebounded, though oil near $100 keeps inflation risks in focus.
Senate's top Democratic investigator looking into Tether payments to Bo Hines' firm
Senator Richard Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the investigations subcommittee, added a probe of the ex-White House crypto adviser to his list of crypto interests.
A16z is the latest VC giant to widen bets beyond crypto and into AI and emerging tech
The venture investor behind early bets on Coinbase, Solana and Uniswap said is broadening its focus, joining other crypto investment firms looking beyond blockchain to artificial intelligence and tech themes.
Irish central bank fines Coinbase Ireland $3.6 million over fund safeguarding failures
When Silvergate was on the verge of collapse in 2023, Coinbase instructed 30 customers to deposit funds into an alternate account held by Coinbase at another U.S. bank.
Crypto custody specialist Fireblocks denies it's in talks to be acquired by Visa
The company is in talks with Visa over a potential $2.5 billion acquisition, Axios reported.
Crypto is making a splash in U.S. elections — but chiefly in jabs about industry influence
Boosters often say crypto voters can swing elections, but Democrats are seeking mileage out of tying crypto to Trump, corruption and attempts to buy seats in Congress.
Ethereum’s four-minute settlement plan could lower the cost of moving crypto
A new draft targets a fourfold cut in the time it takes Ethereum transactions to become final, which could free up money transfer services tie up while customers’ payments clear.
Crypto traders seek shelter in bitcoin as altcoins slide and ETF flows wobble
Your day-ahead look for Oct. 21, 2026
Bitcoin slides below $82,000 as AI doubts return, with DeFi tokens leading declines
Bitcoin as much as 2.9% to around $81,600 as Nasdaq futures dropped, while the CoinDesk 80 lost 3.5% and DeFi index slid 6%.
Crypto traders price India telecoms company Reliance Jio's IPO at about $110 billion
The pre-IPO Jio contract on Bitget is trading near $12, a roughly 4% premium on the top price band, as India’s largest public offering remains open for subscription.