The US commodities regulator submitted a new crypto market regulatory action for White House review days after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has submitted a new regulatory action covering crypto asset transactions and markets for White House review, as the agency moves forward with its approach to overseeing the digital asset sector. According to a filing with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the action, titled “Regulation Crypto Asset Transactions and Regulation Crypto Asset Markets,” was received on Sept. 17 and is listed at the “prerule” stage. The designation indicates the action is at an early stage of the rulemaking process and has not yet been formally proposed. The filing does not disclose details of the p…
Bitcoin price action made swift gains at the start of Friday’s Wall Street trading session as US 30-year bond yields began rising again. Bitcoin (BTC) jumped past $80,000 around Friday’s Wall Street open as fuel-crisis woes spread through global markets. Key points:
Banks now represent nearly one in four providers on ESMA’s MiCA register after roughly doubling their presence since late June. Banks are rapidly expanding their presence in Europe’s regulated crypto market, with traditional lenders now accounting for nearly one in four providers listed under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework (MiCA). The number of banks on the EU’s MiCA crypto provider list doubled to about 80 from roughly 40 between June 26 and Sept. 16, according to a Cointelegraph analysis of MiCA register data from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). The overall number of listed crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) rose from 243 to 349 over the period, but non-bank providers lost ground in relative terms, with their share falling from about 84%…
The non-profit signaled support for reducing Ethereum block times, citing increasing institutional activity moving onto the smart-contract network. Ethereum Institutional signaled support for Ethlabs’ motion to reduce block times and create a faster Ethereum to address increasing competition from other networks. “Make Ethereum faster,” wrote the non-profit organization in a Friday X post, arguing that reducing block times is needed as “more institutional activity moves onchain.” On Thursday, Ethlabs published an article quoting 20 decentralized finance (DeFi) founders showing broad support for EIP-8198, also known as “Quick Slots,” which seeks to initially reduce Ethereum block times to 10 seconds from 12 seconds.
HYPE hit a record $90.92 after Hyperliquid opened manual borrowing, letting users borrow stablecoins against HYPE and Bitcoin collateral. HYPE, the native cryptocurrency of the Hyperliquid layer-1 blockchain and decentralized trading platform, set a fresh all-time high above $90 on Friday as the protocol rolled out manual borrowing. HYPE surged as high as $90.92 shortly after Hyperliquid announced users can now supply HYPE and Bitcoin as collateral to borrow the stablecoins USDC and Tether’s USDt (USDT). “Manual borrows are live on Hyperliquid,” the protocol said, adding that the feature and its portfolio-margin system use the same underlying HyperCore infrastructure. Hyperliquid co-founder Jeff Yan said the design means every borrowed asset comes from a supplier rather than being created…
Industry watchers are debating the fate of the Zcash development fund after the ZEC token’s rally pushed its value above $95 million. Crypto-focused venture capital firm Dragonfly’s managing partner, Haseeb Qureshi, proposed winding down the Zcash developer fund after it expires under current rules in 2028. “I’m of the opinion that this should be the final Dev Fund,” wrote Qureshi in a Friday X post, arguing that the fund is large enough to fund remaining work on Zcash and that it risks being “politicized” as it approaches $100 million in value. The Zcash development fund held 63,962 Zcash (ZEC) tokens at press time, worth about $95 million, according to ZecStats.
The Fisher Transform indicator produced a rare crossover for only the fourth time in Bitcoin’s history. Bitcoin (BTC) is showing strong signs that its latest long-term floor is already in, according to a classic trading indicator. Key points:
Dtcpay plans to expand its merchant network and payment products after completing a $25 million Series A backed by Japan’s SBI Group. Singapore-based stablecoin payments company Dtcpay has completed a $25 million Series A funding round after securing backing from Japanese conglomerate SBI Group. On Friday, SBI Holdings said it invested through SBI Ventures Asset and the SBI-NTU-Kyobo Digital Innovation Fund, two Singapore-based investment vehicles managed by the group. Neither SBI nor dtcpay disclosed the size of SBI’s contribution or the company’s valuation. Dtcpay said the investment completed its $25 million Series A, which began with a $10 million tranche led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India in April. Genedant Capital and existing investor Kwee Liong Tek also participated in…
Binance declined to address reports of ECB intervention in its Greek MiCA bid, saying it remains committed to securing authorization in Europe. Binance declined to address a report that European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde intervened in its failed Greek crypto license bid and said it continues seeking authorization under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that a vice chair of Greece’s Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) told Binance that Lagarde had asked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis not to approve its application. Greek officials informed the European Securities and Markets Authority in early June that the regulator intended to approve the license, according to the report.
Onchain analyst James Check says Bitcoin may have bottomed near $58,000 after two capitulations and warns against anchoring to an October low. James Check, founder and lead analyst at Checkonchain, said Bitcoin may have already established its cycle bottom after undergoing two capitulation events, arguing that shifts in holder behavior indicate the market has absorbed much of its selling pressure. Bitcoin (BTC) reached a record of just over $126,000 in October 2025 and traded around $77,400 at the time of writing, nearly 39% below its peak. Some traders expect BTC to establish another low in October 2026 based on its historical four-year cycle. In July, analyst Benjamin Cowen said that cycle-duration data and the US midterm-election calendar pointed toward a fourth-quarter bottoming window…
NU7 will cut Zcash block times to 25 seconds and preserve its halving schedule, with testnet activation planned for Oct. 6. Zcash developers are targeting Nov. 5 for NU7 mainnet activation after organizations and engineering teams reached “unanimous agreement” on its contents and estimated timeline. On Thursday, Zcash developer Sean Bowe said the upgrade is scheduled to activate on the testnet on Oct. 6. A final decision on the mainnet upgrade and its activation height is scheduled for Oct. 20, after an assessment of NU7’s testnet performance. The upgrade would reduce Zcash’s target block spacing from 75 seconds to 25 seconds, disabling version 4 transactions and integrating the Network Sustainability Mechanism (NSM). The chosen NSM configuration would preserve Zcash’s halving schedule,…
Input Output Group told users to avoid its YouTube channel after it began livestreaming a suspected AI-manipulated Charles Hoskinson video promising to “double your wealth.” Input Output Group has urged users to avoid its YouTube channel, with the channel on Friday livestreaming a suspected AI-manipulated video of Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson promoting a crypto giveaway. The livestream purported to be a town hall for Project Catalyst, a decentralized community innovation fund and grant program. It was live for nearly two hours. Source: YouTube
World Money is rolling out across more than 150 countries, combining stablecoin payments, digital asset rewards and trading in a self-custodial app. World has launched World Money, a self-custody financial “super app” combining stablecoin payments, digital asset rewards and trading. The rollout began Thursday in more than 150 countries, World said, with features varying by location. Users can send supported digital assets, including stablecoins, to a recipient’s World username, deposit eligible assets to earn rewards, and buy and sell digital assets through exchanges. The app lets users access “Mini Apps” such as Kalshi, Credit and Morpho. A partnership with Stripe allows users to fund their accounts and buy stablecoins with Apple Pay, starting with users in the US.
US Treasury says the Iranian exchange processed payments received through Iran’s Strait of Hormuz maritime scheme and helped move hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the IRGC. US authorities on Thursday announced sanctions against Iranian crypto exchange BitBank, accusing it of processing Bitcoin paid by ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said that as of June, the Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority used BitBank to transfer payments it received to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Treasury alleged it is part of the architecture used by Iranian financier Babak Zanjani to move hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the IRGC. Treasury has previously alleged Hormuz Safe is part of an IRGC-backe…
North Korea and Iran account for the majority of onchain malware, while Malaysia has been named among the most crypto curious Islamic nations. North Korean and Iran linked hackers were responsible for the majority of the 420% increase this year in malware on public blockchains according to a Chainalysis report. State-linked hackers accounted for roughly two-thirds of new activity whereby attackers stored malware instructions or infrastructure information on public blockchains. Chainalysis also identified UNC5342, a North Korea linked group, to previously unattributed activity spanning Tron, Aptos and BNB Smart Chain.
The US regulator’s move could make it easier for crypto wallets and other apps to offer access to regulated derivatives and prediction markets without registering as introducing brokers. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has expanded regulatory relief for “passive software” providers that connect users to regulated derivatives firms and exchanges. In a no-action position issued Thursday, the agency’s Market Participants Division said it would not recommend enforcement against qualifying providers or their personnel for failing to register as introducing brokers or associated persons when facilitating trading with CFTC-registered firms and exchanges. The position could make it easier for crypto wallets and other apps to offer access to regulated derivatives, including perpetua…
MoonPay plans to use WisdomTree’s $1.2 billion WTGXX tokenized fund as part of its stablecoin reserves while helping expand access to US investors. WisdomTree and MoonPay are partnering to expand US investor access to a tokenized Treasury money market fund, which MoonPay also plans to use as part of its stablecoin reserves. According to a Thursday announcement from the companies, the fund issuer is using MoonPay’s technology to develop an access point for its WisdomTree Treasury Money Market Digital Fund (WTGXX), a tokenized money market mutual fund that seeks to maintain a $1 share price. The companies said the arrangement would give WisdomTree access to MoonPay’s network of more than 35 million accounts. MoonPay, a financial technology company that provides infrastructure for moving betw…
CLARITY isn’t dead after failing a key Senate vote, but with time running short and Democrats still demanding changes, its path forward is narrowing. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink may be the sentiment of the crypto industry, lobbyists and lawmakers who’ve spent the last year trying to get the CLARITY Act over the line. No shortage of negotiations, amendments or political wrangling; yet not enough to get the bill moving through the Senate. The CLARITY Act may have rammed into a Senate-shaped hurdle this week, but it isn’t dead on arrival yet — let’s go with walking wounded.
Bitcoin made modest daily gains as US stocks saw upside in the aftermath of the US Federal Reserve’s first interest-rate hike since July 2023. Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $76,500 after Thursday’s Wall Street open as investors snapped up US stocks following their recent dip. Key points:
Former Hut 8 CEO Jaime Leverton will take the helm at Fortitude as the Zcash-focused miner expands its operations and moves toward a planned public listing. Fortitude Mining has appointed former Hut 8 CEO Jaime Leverton as chief executive as the Zcash-focused miner prepares to go public through a proposed merger with HeartSciences. Leverton will succeed Andrea Childs as CEO on Sept. 21, with Childs moving to chief operating officer. Fortitude mined 72,696 ZEC in the first half of 2026, accounting for about 28% of the network’s total production during the period. The company reported revenue of $20.9 million for the second quarter. It operates more than 60 megawatts of power capacity across seven sites in South Dakota, Nebraska, Texas and New York, and in July agreed to purchase 9,000 Bitma…
