Author: James Wilson

KuCoin has announced an immediate end to services for users in Russia and Belarus, with affected customers set to receive individual deadlines for closing positions and withdrawing their assets. Summary KuCoin’s withdrawal covers all products, services, and features available to users in both countries. Affected customers will receive account notifications explaining their closure and withdrawal deadlines. MEXC and Bitget announced service restrictions involving the same markets earlier in October. KuCoin cites legal and regulatory requirements without identifying a specific order behind its decision. KuCoin’s official announcement, dated Oct. 29, says the decision takes effect immediately and covers its entire offering…

Circle has urged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to recognize qualifying payment stablecoins as cash in its proposed crypto fundraising rules and cut their broker-dealer capital haircut from 2% to zero. Summary Circle wants GENIUS-compliant stablecoins recognized as cash for payments under the SEC’s proposed framework. A zero haircut would replace the current 2% staff treatment for qualifying broker-dealer positions. Hyperliquid Policy Center’s separate filing targets airdrops, secondary trading, safe-harbor access and automated buybacks. Arc’s validator structure features in Circle’s request for clearer treatment of ongoing technical services. Circle’s October 28 blog outlined a comment letter filed on October…

Grayscale has estimated that the United States accounts for roughly 15–20% of global crypto activity, arguing that adoption will keep moving forward regardless of the outcome of next week’s midterm elections. Summary Grayscale places the US share of Bitcoin hashrate at 36% and Ethereum full nodes at 31%. Payments, trading, and wallet usage show smaller US shares than mining and network infrastructure. The estimate draws on 14 indicators with different reporting periods and geographic coverage. Cambridge’s mining research provides a separate comparison, with US firms heavily represented in its survey. Grayscale’s report, published Oct. 28 by research head Zach Pandl,…

CFTC Chairman Michael Selig has pledged to help reshape regulations for onchain finance during Chainlink’s Link:NYC event, as the agency develops a federal registration pathway for crypto trading platforms. Summary Selig pledged regulatory work supporting onchain finance at Link:NYC. The CFTC’s crypto exchange registration framework remains under consultation. Existing plans distinguish ordinary spot trading from leveraged retail transactions. SEC cooperation and prediction-market oversight form separate parts of the agency’s agenda. Chainlink’s official event updates attributed the remarks to Selig at the Oct. 29 gathering, where he praised companies working on blockchain-based financial markets. CFTC Chair Selig promises work on onchain…

Solana Foundation President Lily Liu has said “unblocked and unmuted” as Solana’s Oct. 29 announcement confirmed its integration with Polygon’s Open Money Stack for stablecoin payments. Summary Lily Liu quoted Solana’s payment integration announcement with the words “unblocked and unmuted.” Polygon’s service connects Solana businesses with bank deposits, wallets, asset conversion and payouts. Solana routing through Polygon Trails was announced in August, before the latest payment release. Polygon’s U.S. payments business has 37 state money transmitter licenses and 11 applicable exemptions. Lily Liu’s post quoted Solana’s announcement that its network was live on Polygon’s Open Money Stack, with bank connections,…

Hyperliquid’s HYPE has climbed 17.4% to $93.74 on Oct. 29 as NYSE owner Intercontinental Exchange has announced plans for regulated U.S. perpetual futures markets using the blockchain’s infrastructure. Summary HYPE trades at $93.74, approximately 4.3% below CoinGecko’s recorded all-time high of $97.96. ICE plans to operate regulated perpetual markets with trade[XYZ], subject to regulatory approvals. Five whales opened HYPE long positions worth $52.7 million, according to Lookonchain’s monitoring. Michaël van de Poppe targets $110–$120 after identifying a recovery above previous support. CoinGecko showed the token trading within a 24-hour range of $78.11 to $94.35, with its market capitalization at roughly…

Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, has partnered with trade[XYZ] to develop a regulated U.S. perpetual futures market on Hyperliquid that would operate around the clock. Summary NYSE owner ICE has partnered with trade[XYZ] to develop a regulated US perpetual futures market on Hyperliquid, with the proposed launch subject to CFTC approval. The planned market would offer 24/7 trading in perpetual futures tied to equities, indices, commodities, foreign exchange and cryptocurrencies through participating brokers and platforms. ICE is making a strategic investment in trade[XYZ], while billionaire investor Stan Druckenmiller is joining a group of investors…

Airtm has partnered with Mastercard-owned stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK to introduce wallet-based payments for users in emerging markets through a new integration built on the Stellar blockchain. Summary Airtm has partnered with Mastercard’s BVNK to allow users in emerging markets to pay participating retailers directly from their digital wallets. The integration will operate through the newly launched Airtm Connect platform, which connects digital asset companies with Airtm’s existing user network. Stellar will serve as the blockchain payment network for the integration, with the companies planning to begin rolling out the service in Q4 2026. The partnership will give Airtm access…

Cardano Foundation has joined Switzerland’s Capital Markets and Technology Association (CMTA), bringing its recently launched programmable token standard into an industry group working on standards for regulated securities. Summary Cardano Foundation has joined Switzerland’s Capital Markets and Technology Association (CMTA). CMTA recognized Cardano’s CIP-0113 token standard as technically equivalent to CMTAT for tokenized shares. The October 6 recognition covers equity securities but excludes tokenized debt and Cardano’s underlying blockchain infrastructure. Cardano has already used CIP-0113 to tokenize shares in Veridian, a company spun out from the Foundation. Individual issuers must still meet Swiss legal and certification requirements before receiving CMTA…

Bitcoin price has fallen below $80,000 following the Federal Reserve’s decision to hold interest rates steady, even as U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted more than $423 million over three consecutive trading sessions. Summary Bitcoin price fell 1.50% to $79,810.94 following the Fed’s October 28 interest-rate decision. Spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $423.66 million across three consecutive sessions, according to SoSoValue data. The Federal Reserve maintained rates at 3.75%–4%, with two officials supporting another increase. Santiment found Bitcoin transaction and active-address counts below their July–September weekday averages. Bitcoin price faces immediate support near $79,700, while a recovery above $82,000 could improve momentum.…