Author: James Wilson

The London Metal Exchange (LME) has begun exploring plans to tokenize metal stored in its Hong Kong warehouses, potentially allowing businesses to use digital representations of physical inventories as collateral for financing. Summary The London Metal Exchange is exploring tokenization of off-warrant metals held in Hong Kong warehouses. Proposed digital representations could allow businesses to secure loans using physical metal inventories. HKEX is targeting a 2027 pilot for tokenized warehouse-receipt financing with designated banks. Hong Kong’s commodity strategy includes new warehousing capacity, tax incentives and blockchain-based collateral management. HKEX is developing a multi-asset tokenization platform incorporating carbon credits and commodity…

Montana Senator Steve Daines has voiced support for Chainlink and the digital asset industry ahead of the blockchain network’s Link event scheduled for October 29 in New York City. Summary Montana Senator Steve Daines has voiced support for Chainlink ahead of its October 29 Link:NYC event, which will bring together financial institutions and blockchain industry executives. The event will feature discussions on tokenized assets, stablecoin payments and blockchain interoperability, with representatives from Swift, Citi and other major financial institutions. Daines recently introduced the ADAPT Act alongside three other senators, proposing clearer tax rules for digital assets, stablecoin payments and cryptocurrency…

The Federal Reserve has held its benchmark interest rate at 3.75%–4.00% on Oct. 28, with two officials favoring another quarter-point hike as Bitcoin trades near $80,800. Summary The Fed kept rates at 3.75%–4.00% after September’s quarter-point hike. Two officials opposed the pause and voted for another 25-basis-point increase. Bitcoin traded near $80,800, while earlier analysis identified resistance above $81,400. September consumer inflation reached 3.7%, compared with 3.4% in August. The Federal Open Market Committee approved the decision by a 10–2 vote, according to its October statement, with Lisa Cook and Beth Hammack dissenting in favor of higher rates. Fed pauses…

Blockchain.com has made TRX options available through its Trading Account as part of a seven-asset launch, with a $5 minimum premium and access restricted to eligible users outside the United States and other excluded markets. Summary TRX is one of seven cryptocurrencies supported in Blockchain.com’s options rollout, with initial expiries up to one week. US, UK and Canadian residents are excluded from the service under Blockchain.com’s published eligibility rules. Options start at a $5 premium plus fees and cannot be sold or closed before expiration. Blockchain.com’s BVI entity acts as the sole counterparty, with contracts settled bilaterally outside an exchange.…

Trenton Johnston has been sentenced in Miami for his role in a cryptocurrency laundering scheme involving more than $13 million in stolen funds, after investigators linked the Canadian to fake support calls and demonstrations of his methods on Discord. Summary Trenton Johnston has been sentenced in Miami over a crypto scheme involving more than $13 million. Investigators said fake Google and Trezor support calls helped the scammers gain access to victims’ wallets. A witness told investigators Johnston shared his screen on Discord to demonstrate his theft methods. Johnston surrendered approximately $3.8 million in cryptocurrency and helped authorities investigate other suspects.…

Bitcoin search interest has fallen to a reported five-year low, with BTC trading near $81,000, while Robinhood has reported a 55% annual decline in quarterly cryptocurrency revenue. Summary Bitcoin search interest reportedly hit a five-year low as BTC traded near $81,000. Robinhood’s crypto revenue fell 55% annually, although trading volume rose 23% from the previous quarter. Retail-sized Bitcoin deposits to Binance reached a six-month high, according to CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost. Galaxy Research left 55% of Bitcoin’s supply unattributed, preventing a verified count of retail holdings. According to Kalshi, Google search interest in Bitcoin has fallen to its lowest level in…

The XRP Ledger Foundation has added Flare to its recommended validator list and removed Anodos Finance at its own request, with the foundation and Ripple now publishing matching sets of 35 validator keys. Summary Flare has joined the foundation’s recommended list, which contains 35 validator keys at the reporting cutoff. Ripple’s published list contains the same 35 keys, including the entry associated with Flare’s validator domain. Anodos requested removal as it prepares to shut down its XRP Ledger validator this month. Flare’s existing FXRP services include vault deposits and borrowing RLUSD against XRP-linked collateral. XRP Ledger Foundation said in its…

Solidus Labs has flagged more than $170 million in suspicious oil-linked perpetual orders on Hyperliquid during March’s energy-market volatility. Summary Solidus reportedly identified two accounts placing suspicious orders during three days of volatile oil trading. Brent crude contracts accounted for most of the activity, with WTI and natural gas involved. Hyperliquid Labs pointed to public blockchain records in its response to the reported findings. Lookonchain said the activity involved two accounts between March 8 and 10, with large orders repeatedly canceled while trades were completed on the opposite side of the order book. Hyperliquid oil orders involved repeated cancellations In…

Morpho has passed $2 billion in deposits across its real-world asset lending markets, with outstanding loans approaching $900 million and tokenized credit and stock-backed borrowing available across its network. Summary Private credit accounted for 58% of RWA deposits in CertiK’s September snapshot of Morpho. Sentora’s October research found substantial borrower concentration in several of Morpho’s RWA collateral markets. Steakhouse Financial curated five Coinbase stock-token markets when they were examined in September. Robinhood Stock Token lending remains unavailable to US persons, according to Morpho’s published announcement. Morpho’s RWA dashboard recorded $2.145 billion in total deposits and $894.18 million in outstanding loans…

Ethereum Name Service has launched ENSv2 on Ethereum mainnet, introducing individual registries for subnames and an optional commemorative NFT for wallets eligible under a June 1 snapshot. Summary Existing .eth names remain usable, with eligible holders able to upgrade through the ENS App. Each name can have its own registry, with separate permissions for managing subnames. NFT eligibility uses a June 1, 2026 snapshot and allows one collectible per eligible wallet. More than 40 teams were ready for ENSv2, according to the project’s launch posts. ENS Labs announced the Oct. 27 release alongside a redesigned ENS App and ENS Explorer,…