Latest news

05:26 Court

Uniswap founder links seven-figure Uniswap.com buy to SBF, while WIPO record stays silent

WIPO transferred Uniswap.com to Uniswap Labs after SushiSwap redirect Uniswap founder Hayden Adams said Sam Bankman-Fried paid seven figures for Uniswap.com before Uniswap Labs won control of the domain in a 2021 WIPO case. The WIPO record confirms the domain redirected users to SushiSwap, and a three-member panel ruled on Sept. 3, 2021 that it was identical to Uniswap’s trademark and had been registered and used in bad faith. WIPO does not name Bankman-Fried as the buyer.

04:27 ETF & Funds

REX and Tuttle list 2x Strive ETF ASSX on Cboe

REX and Tuttle launch 2x Strive ETF ASSX on Cboe REX Shares and Tuttle Capital Management launched ASSX on Cboe on Sept. 18, a leveraged ETF designed to deliver 200% of Strive Inc.’s daily share move before fees and expenses. The fund tracks Strive stock, not Bitcoin directly, even as Strive’s latest filing showed it held 25,000 BTC; ASST rose 6.4% to $30.09 in ASSX’s first session.

03:56 Regulation

House Committee Advances Bill to Put US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Into Federal Law

House panel advances bill to lock US Bitcoin reserve into law The House Financial Services Committee voted 28-21 on Sept. 16 to advance the American Reserve Modernization Act, which would put the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve into federal law and bar sales of qualifying government-owned BTC for 20 years from enactment. The amended bill would also require Treasury to set up the reserve and a separate digital asset stockpile within 180 days, but it still needs full House and Senate approval and the president’s signature.

01:55 Security

North Korean WaterPlum malware campaign hit 30,000 devices and stole $10.7 million

North Korean group WaterPlum hit 30,000 devices in fake crypto job scam North Korean cyber group WaterPlum, also known as Contagious Interview, posed as recruiters for crypto, AI and NFT firms and infected at least 30,000 devices across more than 100 countries, stealing at least $10.7 million, authorities said. Victims were told to run malware disguised as coding tests or video-call fixes, enabling theft from more than 7,000 crypto wallets between December 2025 and July 2026 and giving attackers access that could also compromise employers.

22:25 Security

Fetch.ai and NuNet incidents tied to compromised credentials cost about $2 million

Fetch.ai and NuNet linked to $2M exploit tied to compromised credentials Security firms linked a roughly $2 million exploit across Fetch.ai and NuNet to the same attacker wallet, with 8.7 million FET drained and 408.5 million NTX unauthorizedly minted. Fetch.ai said preliminary analysis points to compromised signing credentials; it later said no Fetch.ai contracts were at risk, while AGIX-to-FET conversions were paused as a precaution. The NTX mint sent the token down about 95% in 24 hours.

21:56 Security

French Family Bound in Home Invasion as Attackers Force €40,000 Crypto Transfer

Armed gang forces €40,000 crypto transfer in French home invasion Four masked men armed with a knife and an iron bar broke into a family home in Vendin-le-Vieil at 4 a.m., tied up the parents and two children with black tape, and forced the father to hand over account codes and login details, leading to a transfer of about €40,000 in cryptocurrency. Investigators said the attackers stayed on the phone with a remote coordinator throughout the raid, suggesting an organized operation.

20:55 Regulation

US Treasury Sanctions Iranian Crypto Exchange BitBank Over Alleged IRGC Transfers

US sanctions BitBank over alleged Iran-linked crypto transfers The US Treasury’s OFAC sanctioned Iranian crypto exchange BitBank, saying it is controlled by already-sanctioned financier Babak Zanjani and was used to move funds linked to Iran. OFAC alleged the exchange transferred payments for Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority and moved hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the IRGC between June and July. BitBank’s developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, and three executives were also designated.

20:11 DeFi

Aave ARFC Proposes Higher ETH and BTC Collateral Limits on V3 and V4

Aave proposal seeks higher ETH and BTC collateral limits across V3 and V4 An Aave Request for Comment proposes raising collateral efficiency for ETH and BTC assets on V3 Ethereum Core, Arbitrum and Base, and on the V4 Ethereum Main Spoke, based on a 99.9th-percentile model of 1-hour liquidation risk. Key changes include WETH to 81% LTV and 84% LT on Ethereum, Base and Arbitrum, wstETH to 79%/82%, weETH to 78%/81%, and WBTC and cbBTC to as high as 81% LTV and 85% LT on Ethereum Core.

15:11 Security

French Police Seek Four After Family Tied Up in Crypto-Linked Home Robbery

French police hunt four after crypto worker’s family tied up in home robbery Four suspects are being sought after a French crypto worker, his wife and their two children, aged 8 and 12, were restrained for more than three hours during a night-time home invasion in Vendin-le-Vieil. Investigators believe the attackers targeted the father over his work in cryptocurrency, forced him to hand over access codes and stole about €40,000 in crypto before fleeing; BFMTV reported he alerted emergency services around 8 a.m.

13:25 ETF & Funds

Bitcoin ETFs Finish Key Macro Week Slightly Positive as Ethereum Funds See Outflows

Bitcoin ETFs end volatile macro week barely positive; Ethereum funds post outflows US spot Bitcoin ETFs finished the week with a slim $6.21 million net inflow after a $433.03 million surge on Friday reversed heavy withdrawals tied to the failed Senate CLARITY Act vote and the Fed’s rate hike, data from SoSoValue shows. Spot Ethereum ETFs moved the other way, ending a 10-week green run with $140 million in net outflows despite strong inflows on Monday and Friday.

13:10 Web3

ZetaChain vote strongly backs 1:1 ZETA migration to Solana

ZetaChain holders back 1:1 ZETA migration to Solana ZetaChain’s Proposal 68 is on track to pass with 99.4% support and turnout above the 40% quorum, setting up a 1:1 migration of ZETA to Solana with no change to total supply. If approved, ZETA would become the canonical Solana SPL token, keep its ticker, and shift from 18 to nine decimals, while a second vote would still be required to set the snapshot, exchange coordination, migration dates, and any L1 shutdown.

04:10 Regulation

South Korea Opens Criminal Cases Over $12.7 Million in Polymarket Wagers

South Korea opens criminal cases over $12.7M in Polymarket bets South Korean police have opened criminal cases against 26 Polymarket users and referred 18 to prosecutors over about 17.6 billion won ($12.7 million) in wagers, with one account allegedly betting 5.7 billion won ($4.1 million). Investigators traced public blockchain records to identify users and argue the trades amount to illegal gambling under Article 246, while the defendants are expected to argue Polymarket functions as a virtual-asset derivatives market, not gambling.

02:40 Infrastructure

NEAR Publishes nearcore 2.14.0 RC With Protocol and Database Changes

NEAR ships nearcore 2.14.0-rc.1 as protocol and database upgrade NEAR has published nearcore 2.14.0-rc.1, a release candidate flagged as both a protocol upgrade and a database upgrade, raising the stakes for validators and node operators ahead of any final rollout. The RC cuts the burnt-gas reward parameter from 30% to 0, adds a size limit for resolved promise inputs, and introduces an ml_dsa_verify host function for on-chain verification of ML-DSA-65 signatures.

02:10 Infrastructure

Avalanche Schedules Helicon Mainnet Upgrade for Sept. 22 at 15:00 UTC

Avalanche sets Helicon mainnet upgrade for Sept. 22 AvalancheGo v1.15.0 schedules the Helicon network upgrade for Sept. 22 at 15:00 UTC, making it a mandatory update for mainnet node operators before activation. The release also bumps the plugin version for Avalanche applications and bundles a new set of Avalanche Community Proposals into the network, giving validators a fixed deadline to move to compatible software.

01:10 DeFi

Lido finishes wind-down of regular Simple DVT clusters after DAO vote

Lido completes shutdown of Simple DVT regular clusters Lido said on Sept. 18 that it has finished winding down the regular clusters in its Simple DVT Module after a DAO-approved shutdown earlier this year. The proposal passed with about 57.4 million LDO in favor and no votes against, and eligible node operators have started receiving the first transition grant tranche of 0.175 stETH per participant.

22:40 Regulation

Four Crypto Exchanges Still Await Brazil Approval Ahead of October Licensing Deadline

Only five crypto firms seek Brazil licenses before October deadline Just over a month before Brazil’s October 30 deadline under its new crypto regime, only five virtual asset service providers have applied for Central Bank authorization, Valor Economico reported; one was already rejected for failing to prove it operated in the country before February 2 and for missing minimum capital requirements. Firms already operating can keep running while applications are reviewed, but new entrants may wait up to three years for permits.

21:43 Court

Former CCB Asia Banker Jailed 4 Years in Hong Kong USDT Bribery Case

Hong Kong banker gets 4 years in prison over $470K USDT bribery scheme Former CCB Asia relationship manager Lam Chun-yin was sentenced to four years in prison after admitting he took more than $470,000 in USDT between April and June 2022 to authenticate false financial instruments with a stated value above $1.6 billion. Investigators said neither CCB nor its sister companies issued the 88 false letters of credit and two collateral letters tied to the case.

21:41 Regulation

Senate Stalls CLARITY Act, Leaving Crypto Firms Dependent on Temporary Agency Relief

Senate blocks CLARITY Act, leaving crypto rules in temporary limbo The Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act on Sept. 15 after rejecting cloture on H.R. 3633 by 49-50, leaving crypto firms reliant on temporary agency relief instead of permanent law. Sen. Thom Tillis filed a motion to reconsider, keeping the bill stalled rather than dead, while the SEC offered a five-year conditional exemption for tokenized stock venues and the CFTC issued limited no-action relief for some software providers.

17:10 Regulation

FCA to Open UK Crypto Authorisation Gateway on September 30, 2026

FCA opens UK crypto authorisation gateway on September 30 The UK Financial Conduct Authority will open applications for its new cryptoasset regime on September 30, 2026, with the main window running until February 28, 2027. The regime itself starts on October 25, 2027, when firms carrying out newly regulated crypto activities will need FCA authorisation, shifting many businesses from the current AML registration framework into the standard Financial Services and Markets Act regime.

15:11 Stablecoins

JPYC Spiked to 37.6 Won After South Korea Listing Before Falling to 8-Won Range

JPYC spikes above peg after South Korea won-market debut Yen-based stablecoin JPYC jumped to 37.6 won on September 17 shortly after listing on a South Korean won market, more than three times its 1-yen reference value, then fell to the 8-won range the next morning and traded at 8.64 won as of September 19. Dailyian said the move was driven by limited initial circulating supply, while restricted redemption and transfer routes and a lack of domestic market makers slowed arbitrage.

13:25 Court

Hong Kong Court Jails Former CCB (Asia) Banker for USDT Bribery in Forged Document Scheme

Hong Kong jails ex-CCB (Asia) banker over USDT bribes in forged guarantee scheme A Hong Kong court sentenced former China Construction Bank (Asia) relationship manager Lam Chun-yin, 32, to four years in jail after he admitted taking more than $470,000 in Tether (USDT) to authenticate forged standby letters of credit and collateral letters with a stated value above $1.6 billion. The ICAC said the bribes were routed indirectly through crypto, and the court also ordered Lam to repay about HK$3.7 million to CCB (Asia).

12:41 Tokenization

Monument Bank Aims to Tokenize Up to £250 Million in Retail Deposits

Monument Bank plans to tokenize up to £250M in retail deposits UK challenger bank Monument Bank plans to put up to £250 million ($335 million) of retail customer deposits on blockchain infrastructure, marking a rare push of tokenization beyond institutional clients. The deposits will pay interest, be redeemable one-for-one in pounds, and remain covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme within applicable limits, while the bank says customers will be able to use the product like a standard deposit account.

11:56 Infrastructure

MultiversX Investigates Potential Mainnet Issue, Promises Update Within 12 Hours

MultiversX probes potential mainnet issue MultiversX said at 10:00 a.m. UTC on Sep. 19 that it is investigating a potential issue on its mainnet, with user protection and secure, reliable network operation as its immediate priorities. The team did not describe it as an exploit, outage, or consensus failure, and said it had no user action to announce in the initial notice. Another update is expected within 12 hours or sooner if a clear finding is reached.

10:55 Regulation

Lemon to Close Brazil Unit as New Crypto Licensing Rules Raise Capital Demands

Lemon to shut Brazil business over new crypto licensing costs Lemon will close its Brazil operation and terminate about 15,000 local accounts, saying the capital required under the country’s new crypto licensing regime is too high relative to its revenue and customer base there. Users have until Oct. 16 to withdraw funds, while Lemon Card payments in Brazil will stop after Sep. 30 as the company redirects capital to Argentina, Peru and Colombia.

10:40 Prediction Markets

South Korean Police Trace Polymarket Traders, Refer 18 in Gambling Case

South Korean police book 26 Polymarket users after tracing on-chain trades South Korean police spent five months identifying Polymarket traders through public blockchain records and booked 26 people on suspicion of illegal gambling, even though the platform was still accessible in Korea at the time. As of Sept. 15, 18 had been referred to prosecutors, with combined stakes of $12.7 million, as authorities argue prediction market trades can qualify as gambling under Article 246.

08:56 Regulation

Bastion gets conditional OCC approval to convert into a national trust company

OCC conditionally approves Bastion’s national trust conversion The OCC has conditionally approved Bastion’s plan to convert its New York trust company into Bastion Platforms National Trust Company, clearing the way for a federally regulated entity that can handle white-label stablecoin issuance, custody, fiat-USDC conversion and issuer services. The charter still requires final conditions to be met, and Bastion will not be allowed to take deposits or receive FDIC insurance.

07:10 Regulation

Han Dong-hoon urges South Korea to delay digital-asset tax and pass phase-two rules first

South Korea lawmaker calls for another delay to crypto tax Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon urged South Korea to postpone its digital-asset tax set for January, saying investor-protection rules and tax infrastructure are still not ready. In a Sept. 19 social media post, Han said the government should first establish asset classification, issuance requirements and supervisory standards, and argued the tax push is not about revenue because collections are already running above target.

05:40 Tokenization

Brazil’s CVM Seeks Board Approval for 60-Day DLT Securities Tokenization Pilot

Brazil’s CVM proposes 60-day DLT pilot for securities tokenization Brazil’s securities regulator CVM has submitted a draft resolution for a 60-day pilot to test distributed ledger technology across capital-markets functions, including issuance, trading, custody, depository services and settlement. The trial would use simulated transactions only, with no real securities or investors, and the results are meant to help refine tokenization rules if the board approves the plan.

05:13 Infrastructure

Zcash Targets Nov. 5 for NU7 Upgrade With 25-Second Block Times

Zcash targets Nov. 5 for NU7 activation with 25-second blocks Zcash developers unanimously backed a Nov. 5 mainnet target for the NU7 upgrade, which would cut block times to 25 seconds from 75 while keeping the current halving schedule. A testnet rollout starts Oct. 6, with the final activation height expected to be confirmed Oct. 20 after developers review network performance.

05:10 Regulation

CFTC Sends Proposed Crypto Market Rules to White House Review After Senate Stall

CFTC sends crypto market rules to White House for review The CFTC has submitted proposed crypto market rules to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, moving them into federal review after the Senate stalled the CLARITY Act this week. The agency has not said which assets, exchanges or activities the proposal covers; once OIRA finishes, the CFTC can publish the rules for public comment before any final adoption.

22:10 Regulation

Argentina Joins OECD Crypto Reporting Framework With Data Sharing Set for 2029

Argentina commits to OECD crypto reporting framework by 2029 Argentina will implement the OECD’s Crypto Asset Reporting Framework by 2029, joining 77 jurisdictions that plan to automatically exchange crypto transaction data for tax purposes. The framework covers user ID data, fiat-to-crypto buys and sells, digital asset swaps, crypto payments, and transfers to and from external addresses, giving Argentine authorities visibility into transactions involving foreign-registered virtual asset service providers.

20:41 Altcoins

Polygon Plans Permissionless Burn of 100 Million POL From Fee Collector

Polygon readies contract to burn 100 million POL from fee collector Polygon is preparing a permissionless contract to permanently burn 100 million POL from a base-fee collector holding 121 million tokens, Polygon Foundation CEO Sandeep Nailwal said. The contracts are on testnet and will move to mainnet after final Security Council signatures; the first call would burn 100 million POL at once, with quarterly burns afterward that anyone in the community could trigger.

20:26 Infrastructure

Bullcheese Debuts on Circle’s Arc With Locked Uniswap v3 Pools Instead of Bonding Curves

Circle launches Arc mainnet with USDC gas and memecoin trading stack Circle opened the public mainnet of Arc on Sept. 16, calling it a Layer 1 for financial services where gas is paid in USDC rather than a native token. Circle said more than 100 projects were live on day one, with Aero, fomo and Uniswap as core trading infrastructure, while memecoin launchpad Bullcheese went live the same day on Arc with tokens trading directly in locked Uniswap v3 pools instead of bonding curves.

16:12 DeFi

LlamaRisk Proposes Aave V3 Cap and Rate Updates Across Core, Base, Mantle, X Layer and Horizon

LlamaRisk proposes Aave V3 cap and rate changes across five markets LlamaRisk recommended a new round of Aave V3 parameter updates and said they will be implemented via the Risk Steward process: doubling the wstETH borrow cap on Core to 14,000, doubling the USDe supply cap on Mantle to 40 million, lifting the USCC cap on Horizon to 7.5 million, cutting WETH Slope1 on Base to 2.30% while raising optimal utilization to 92%, and increasing USDC Slope1 on X Layer to 4.50%.

14:41 DeFi

Morpho Enables USDC Loans Against Five Coinbase Stock Tokens on Base

Morpho opens USDC borrowing against Coinbase stock tokens on Base Morpho has launched lending and borrowing against five of Coinbase’s tokenized stocks on Base, letting holders of AAPLc, GOOGLc, NVDAc, METAc and SPCXc use them as collateral for USDC loans at variable or fixed rates. Morpho data showed $104,401 of stock tokens pledged and $54,652 borrowed as of 9:48 a.m. ET, with all borrowing so far coming from variable-rate markets.

14:28 Regulation

Banks’ Share of ESMA’s MiCA Crypto Register Climbs to Nearly 23%

Banks take nearly a quarter of ESMA’s MiCA crypto provider register Banks now make up nearly 23% of providers on ESMA’s MiCA register, up from about 17% in late June, as their number doubled to around 80 by Sept. 16 while the total list grew to 349. Germany drove much of the expansion, with Deutsche Bank and dozens of cooperative lenders added, showing traditional banks are moving quickly into regulated crypto services under MiCA’s faster notification route.

14:26 Court

UAE and Sweden Arrest Seven in Crypto-Linked $7.1 Million Laundering Investigation

UAE and Sweden arrest seven in $7.1M crypto-linked laundering case The UAE detained a Swedish fugitive wanted on an Interpol Red Notice, while Swedish police simultaneously arrested six suspected members of his gang in a coordinated operation announced Thursday. Authorities said the network moved about 70 million Swedish krona, or roughly $7.1 million, over 10 months and used cryptocurrencies to conceal criminal proceeds, with investigators tracing digital transactions for links to organized crime and contract killings.

10:56 Security

Zimperium Report Says RatHat Android Malware Uses AI to Hijack Phones and Steal Logins

Zimperium details RatHat Android malware using AI to hijack phones Zimperium’s zLabs said a newly identified Android malware strain, RatHat, uses AI to control infected phones in real time, steal banking and crypto app logins, and intercept SMS one-time codes. The malware is spread via smishing and malvertising outside Google Play, abuses Accessibility permissions to enable Wireless Debugging and pair with the device’s own ADB service, and can monitor touch input to reconstruct PINs and passwords.

10:56 Payments

ECB Starts 12-Month Digital Euro Merchant Pilot Ahead of 2027 Operational Phase

ECB opens 12-month digital euro pilot for online merchants The Eurosystem has invited e-commerce and mobile merchants to test beta digital euro payments in a 12-month pilot, with the operational phase expected to start in the second half of 2027. Participating merchants must add a dedicated checkout flow and work with a pilot PSP, while reporting on payment performance, customer experience, support needs, and operational burden; PSPs cannot charge payment-service fees during the test.

08:10 ETF & Funds

Zcash Extends Rally as Grayscale ETF Nears $900 Million and Upgrade Hopes Build

Grayscale’s spot Zcash ETF nears $900M as ZEC extends rally Zcash climbed nearly 11% on Sept. 18 and briefly topped $1,500, extending a surge of about 200% over the past month after Grayscale’s spot Zcash ETF, ZCSH, listed on NYSE Arca in late August. The fund has posted net inflows for three straight weeks and held about $890 million in net assets as of Sept. 18, while traders also point to the late-July Ironwood upgrade and expectations for NU7 as support.

06:27 Regulation

Bolivia Pledges Crypto Oversight Under IMF Program, but Key Rules Are Still Unclear

Bolivia commits to crypto regulation in IMF economic program Bolivia has pledged to build a regulatory and supervisory framework for cryptocurrencies under its economic program with the IMF, aiming to curb illicit capital outflows through digital asset markets and support financial stability. The plan does not yet specify licensing rules, reporting requirements, the lead regulator, or whether the framework will be introduced by law, decree, or administrative regulation.

05:57 Security

IOG warns Cardano users to avoid YouTube channel after suspected takeover

IOG warns Cardano users off YouTube channel after suspected takeover Input Output Group told users on Sept. 18 not to interact with its YouTube channel after an apparent hijack aired a fake Charles Hoskinson giveaway livestream styled as a Project Catalyst event. IOG said users should not follow links, send crypto or share personal data until it confirms the channel is safe again; at the time of review, it had not explained the breach or confirmed recovery.

05:26 Security

Nostra Halts Starknet Money Market After Oracle Manipulation Attack

Nostra pauses Starknet money market after oracle manipulation exploit Starknet lending protocol Nostra halted lending, borrowing, withdrawals and liquidations on Thursday after a manipulated price oracle let one account borrow about $3.5 million against NSTR collateral. PeckShield said $1.92 million was bridged to Ethereum, while Nostra said final losses and potential recoveries are still unknown as it reconciles each asset and traces the funds.

04:55 Infrastructure

XRP Ledger 3.4.0 introduces lending revisions and broad protocol cleanup

XRPL 3.4.0 ships lending overhaul and bundled transaction fixes XRP Ledger developers released xrpld 3.4.0 on Sept. 16, adding LendingProtocolV1_1 with closed-ended vaults and cash-basis interest accounting, plus a FixCleanup3_4_0 package that patches lending, AMMs, MPTs, NFTs, escrow, permissioned trading and signing behavior. The update asks server operators to upgrade, but the new amendments still need validator approval above 80% for two weeks before activation, and current lending-related counts remain below that threshold.

04:28 Prediction Markets

South Korea Refers 18 Polymarket Users to Prosecutors in First Gambling Test Case

South Korea refers 18 Polymarket users for gambling charges South Korea’s Gangwon Provincial Police Agency has referred 18 Polymarket users to prosecutors after identifying 26 bettors who placed a combined 17.6 billion won ($12.7 million) on the prediction market, including one stake of about 5.7 billion won ($4.1 million). Police traced public blockchain records to identify users and argue Polymarket’s yes-or-no contracts are illegal gambling under Article 246, setting up the country’s first court test of whether prediction-market trading is gambling or a form of derivatives trading.

03:26 Regulation

Crypto.com’s Nadex Secures SEC Notice Registration for U.S. Security Futures

Crypto.com’s Nadex gains SEC registration for security futures North American Derivatives Exchange, doing business as Crypto.com Derivatives North America, filed a Form 1-N with the SEC on Sept. 14, and the notice became effective the same day, opening a path to U.S. security futures. The filing outlines plans for 10 cash-settled single-stock futures tied to Apple, Amazon, Nvidia, Tesla and others, but it does not approve any contract for trading; Nadex still must file product-specific listing terms.

02:41 Regulation

CLARITY Act Stalls in Senate as Emmer and Waters Split Over Path Forward

CLARITY Act stalls in Senate as Emmer and Waters split on next steps The CLARITY Act failed to clear the 60 votes needed in the Senate, pausing a major US crypto market structure push. Rep. Tom Emmer said the setback “doesn’t spell doom” and predicted the bill will return after the midterms and pass before year-end, while Rep. Maxine Waters said advancing it now would condone President Trump’s “crypto profiteering” unless Congress first tightens ethics rules.

02:26 Regulation

Report: Lagarde pressed Greece to oppose Binance’s EU MiCA license bid

WSJ: Lagarde urged Greece to block Binance’s EU crypto license bid ECB President Christine Lagarde personally asked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to reject Binance’s MiCA license application in Greece, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the talks. The report says she pointed to Binance’s past US guilty plea over money-laundering and sanctions violations and warned wider dollar stablecoin use could undercut the ECB’s planned digital euro. Binance withdrew the bid in mid-June before a formal decision.

01:55 Altcoins

AVA Surges After Bithumb Launches KRW Market, With Futures Activity Adding Momentum

AVA jumps after Bithumb opens KRW trading AVA, the token tied to Travala, surged as much as 112% after South Korea’s Bithumb launched an AVA/KRW market on Thursday, before easing to about $0.27, still up roughly 72% in 24 hours. Nearly $40 million traded on the new Bithumb pair, while Binance futures open interest rose about 454% to $6.9 million, suggesting leveraged trading and short covering amplified the rally.

00:11 Security

Chainalysis links North Korea and Iran to most of this year’s onchain malware surge

Chainalysis says North Korea and Iran drove most of a 420% jump in onchain malware State-linked hackers were behind about two-thirds of new cases where malware instructions or infrastructure data were stored on public blockchains, Chainalysis said. The firm linked previously unattributed activity across Tron, Aptos and BNB Smart Chain to UNC5342, a North Korea-linked group, warning that blockchain storage makes campaigns harder to disrupt because the data can stay accessible after takedowns.