currency

According to CoinDesk, Hester Peirce, a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has completed her term today. She served in the agency for over 8 years and voted against the committee's decisions to take enforcement actions instead of creating industry-compliant rules multiple times, and she was an early proponent of the token safe harbor proposal.Hester Peirce previously led the Crypto Task Force and stated that the SEC's duty to protect investors includes using regulatory authority to provide regulatory boundaries for the rapidly expanding digital asset industry.

According to the West Midlands Police in the UK, a young couple experienced a suspected premeditated burglary at their residence in Smith's Wood, Birmingham. On December 13, 2025, when the couple returned home and opened the door, three men got out of a nearby vehicle and forcibly entered the residence, demanding that the couple transfer a large amount of cryptocurrency. During this time, a fourth person provided instructions to the attackers via video call.The police stated that the husband was beaten and seriously injured, while his pregnant wife was also threatened with a knife. After obtaining the cryptocurrency and several high-value watches, the attackers fled in a suspected black BMW X3. Currently, Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £10,000 for information, with the reward applicable to information that ultimately leads to the arrest and conviction of those involved.

According to Decrypt, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated the Russian shadow banking network A7 Network as a significant transnational criminal organization, listing its relevant addresses in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has proposed a draft rule that aims to prohibit U.S. institutions from participating in any fund transfers involving the network's "sub-agent companies," covering convertible virtual currencies and not limited to fiat currencies, which is expected to affect approximately 348,000 institutions, including several cryptocurrency exchanges.The proposal is based on six special measures granted by Section 9714 of the Countering Russian Money Laundering Act, ultimately selecting the sixth measure, which is the fund transfer ban. The fifth measure, which restricts correspondent accounts, is considered to have loopholes: research by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs shows that A7A5 transactions completely bypass the correspondent banking system, which the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network views as a core aspect of its business model. A7A5 is a ruble-backed token issued by Old Vector, registered in Kyrgyzstan, operating on Tron and Ethereum, with reserves held at the Russian state-owned defense bank Promsvyazbank.The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network stated that between February 2025 and June 2026, over 180 entities handled at least $17.91 billion in A7A5, which historically circulated almost entirely through the sanctioned exchanges Garantex and Grinex, often used as a non-frozen bridge to convert into USDT and then into fiat currency.

According to Cointelegraph, Arthur Hayes stated that U.S. policymakers may support the AI industry and government debt financing by increasing the money supply, driving up cryptocurrency prices. If China shifts from limited tightening to large-scale monetary stimulus, it may also boost demand for scarce assets. He is also paying attention to financial pressures in France, including credit default swaps related to BNP Paribas and the spread of French government bonds.Catrina Wang, General Partner at Portal Ventures, stated that banks and asset management companies have an advantage in on-chain financial markets due to existing customer relationships. Todd McDonald, co-founder of R3, pointed out that public chains can help institutions reach customers beyond their own networks. Justin Kugel, Executive Vice President of Growth at World Liberty Financial, mentioned that the demand for asset management and investment evaluation still leaves room for intermediaries.Chetan Karkhanis, Senior Vice President of Digital Asset Client Relations at Franklin Templeton, stated that the company has no intention of issuing its own stablecoin and hopes to provide investment returns through tokenized money market funds. Haonan Li, co-founder and CEO of Codex, stated that trade routes connecting Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia are driving demand for stablecoin payments, with buyers paying eastward and manufactured goods flowing westward.Ilya Podoynitsyn, co-founder and CEO of FinHarbor, stated that companies need to confirm they have long-term idle funds that do not affect daily operations before allocating cryptocurrency assets. Michael Camarda, Chief Development Officer of SharpLink, an Ethereum treasury company, stated that both stock buybacks and increasing ETH holdings can enhance the per-share ETH ownership, and the company employs both methods to meet the preferences of institutional and retail investors.

According to The Block, the European Central Bank has proposed three models for introducing central bank digital currency on the blockchain, including direct issuance, establishing bridging mechanisms, and implementation through private intermediaries.These models can provide settlement support for transactions such as tokenized securities, bank deposits, and stablecoins on distributed ledger technology networks.

According to Cointelegraph, the Ministry of State Security of China issued a statement accusing cryptocurrencies of being used by foreign forces for espionage and money laundering, emphasizing their non-anonymity.Data from the same period shows that Singapore's crypto economy grew against the trend by 55.4% to $284 billion, maintaining its position as the regional leader.

On Thursday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed new regulations aimed at clarifying the requirements for investment advisors and regulated funds regarding the holding and custody of client cryptocurrency assets, as well as standardizing record-keeping, federal disclosures, industry operations, and audit requirements. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that the current custody rules primarily focus on traditional assets, and the new regulations will provide a regulatory framework for the custody of cryptocurrency assets.The proposal is open for public comment for 60 days and intends to allow self-custody of cryptocurrency assets and the use of state-chartered trust companies as custodians under certain conditions.

Bitcoin News posted on platform X stating that the Congressional Research Service pointed out in a new report that since 2017, with changes in presidential administrations, federal regulators have repeatedly changed their stance on whether banks can engage in cryptocurrency activities.The report states that Congress could clarify through legislation to explicitly allow or restrict specific activities to reduce the frequent adjustments in regulatory positions. The report mentions the CLARITY Act: the version passed by the House of Representatives would allow banks to use digital assets or blockchain for activities already permitted by current law; the version reported by the Senate committee would explicitly allow 11 types of cryptocurrency activities, including allowing banks to underwrite and trade digital assets more broadly.

Variant Fund investment partner Alana Levin stated in her market thoughts for Q4 2026 that the bottom of the crypto market likely occurred at some point in July. She wrote in early July that the bottom seemed close, with Bitcoin at $59,000, Ethereum at $1,600, and ZEC at $420. She mentioned that the question has shifted to whether the bull market is genuinely starting or if it's a false rally, and which projects will benefit the most in the early bull market, assuming the market is in the early stages of a new crypto bull market.Levin indicated that the increasingly formed consensus is that marginal funds are most likely to flow into value storage protocols as currency and protocols that can generate income. She believes Bitcoin is the dominant asset for digital value storage currently, while other competing assets may be valued based on their market capitalization relative to Bitcoin's market cap and its changes. For income-generating protocols, she expects investors to examine whether the income comes from crypto-native activities (like Pump) or traditional financial activities (like Hyperliquid), whether it persists during market downturns, and profit margins; projects with exposure to real-world assets and stablecoin growth, which are expected to attract institutional users and are still led by founders after surviving a bear market, are more likely to achieve higher multiples.She also categorized on-chain projects that can benchmark against non-crypto businesses as a third category, believing that most belong to narrative trading rather than long-term investment. Themes include routing, reasoning, computing power, data collection, and interface-related directions in artificial intelligence, and she is skeptical about whether most scenarios require blockchain; if such projects significantly outperform, she would view it as a signal of nearing the top.

According to Cointelegraph, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and the Wyoming Division of Banking announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to coordinate the regulation of cryptocurrency companies operating in both jurisdictions, covering license approvals, inspections, and potential enforcement actions. This agreement applies to businesses already regulated in either state, as well as companies seeking approval in both locations simultaneously.Under the agreement, the regulatory agencies in both states will share analytical results and historical inspection data to streamline the application process, coordinate inspection timelines, and promote joint inspections of companies operating across state lines. For businesses already regulated in one of the states, holding an existing license or charter for at least three years, and not subject to enforcement actions, the agreement provides an expedited approval pathway, with the second regulatory agency striving to make a decision within six months.The MOU also establishes a mechanism for sharing regulatory reports, market trend data, and notifications of potential enforcement actions, with regulatory agencies regularly sharing investigative information and being able to take joint, coordinated, or separate enforcement actions. This move connects two states that have historically taken different approaches to cryptocurrency regulation: New York has maintained the BitLicense regime since 2015, while Wyoming has accommodated digital asset businesses through cryptocurrency-related laws, regulations, and specialized banking charters.

According to CoinDesk, the government of Illinois has reached an agreement with the Digital Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Blockchain Association to postpone the 0.2% cryptocurrency tax, originally set to take effect on January 1, 2027, by 6 months to July 1, but still requires approval from a state circuit court judge.If the postponement is approved, both parties will temporarily suspend their request for an emergency injunction and continue litigation regarding the compliance, enforceability, and constitutionality of the tax law.

The CertiK security data dashboard shows that a total of 247 security incidents occurred in the third quarter of 2026, an increase of 12.8% compared to the previous quarter; the total loss was approximately 1.26 billion USD, an increase of 53.9% from 819.4 million USD in the second quarter.

Japanese licensed cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank announced that SBI Holdings has completed its full subsidiary acquisition. Along with Bitbank repurchasing shares from MIXI and Ceres, all previously planned transactions have been realized, making Bitbank a 100% indirectly held subsidiary of SBI Holdings. The total consideration for the share acquisition and capital increase disclosed by SBI earlier is approximately 46.7 billion yen.Bitbank CEO Noriyuki Hirose will remain in position. The company stated that existing exchange services will not be affected by this transaction, and it will further expand its digital asset business relying on SBI's financial capabilities, customer base, and resources.

The Central Bank of the Philippines has implemented partial suspension measures on DCPay Philippines, the electronic money operating entity behind Coins.ph, prohibiting it from receiving external transfers through InstaPay and PESONet. This restriction targets DCPay's peso payment and settlement operations.The cryptocurrency trading business of Coins.ph is operated by another licensed entity, Betur Inc., which has not been directly suspended, but user deposits through local banks will be affected.The regulatory directive still allows DCPay to conduct outward transfers and QRPh merchant payments. The status page of Coins.ph shows that the related deposit services are under maintenance, while withdrawals are functioning normally.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, Market Disruptors podcast host Mark Moss stated that despite the recent interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve, Bitcoin continues to rise. He believes that most people misinterpret the reasons for the long-term increase in interest rates, suggesting that a booming economy could be one of the answers, and noted that Bitcoin benefits from both currency devaluation trades and an optimistic technological future.Moss pointed out that the United States is facing $40 trillion in debt, and that a monetary reset is a process rather than a single event. He outlined four ways to address the debt issue, focusing on the trends from 2029 to 2030. He also discussed stablecoins and the Genius Act, believing that approximately 6 billion people worldwide want to hold U.S. dollars.He mentioned that institutions are buying Bitcoin while retail investors are selling, and referenced Bitcoin's S-curve and compound annual growth rate, providing a price target of $1 million.

According to financing data statistics from RootData, there were a total of 47 financing events disclosed in the crypto primary market in September, of which 34 disclosed amounts that can be accurately counted, with a total financing amount of approximately $1.114 billion. This represents an 85.0% increase compared to about $602 million in August, and a 9.0% increase compared to about $1.022 billion in September 2025; the number of financing events decreased by 4.1% compared to 49 in August, and decreased by 25.4% compared to 63 in the same period last year.From the perspective of sectors, infrastructure had the most financing events in September, with a total of 14 financings completed, disclosing an amount of approximately $263 million; both CeFi and DeFi completed 11 financings, disclosing amounts of approximately $394 million and $369 million, respectively. The three major sectors of CeFi, DeFi, and infrastructure accounted for about 92.0% of the disclosed financing amount this month.The three highest financing amounts in September were Polymarket ($300 million), Félix ($200 million), and Jeeves ($110 million), totaling $610 million, which accounted for about 54.8% of the total financing amount this month; Kraken also received a $100 million investment from Nasdaq. The financing amount this month showed a significant rebound, mainly driven by a few large financings, while the overall number of financing events in the market did not increase correspondingly.In September, a total of 8 RWA-related financing events were disclosed, of which 6 disclosed specific amounts, totaling approximately $52.75 million, accounting for about 17.0% and 4.7% of the number of financing events and total financing amount this month, respectively. Compared to 2 events and $14 million in August, the number of events increased by 300%, and the financing amount increased by approximately 276.8%. The top three projects by amount were OpenReserve ($25 million), Tare ($13.25 million), and CatchBack ($8 million), which together accounted for approximately 87.7% of the disclosed amount in the RWA sector.Additionally, 11 merger and acquisition events were disclosed in September, an increase of 57.1% compared to 7 in August, and a decrease of 42.1% compared to 19 in the same period last year. Among them, the tools and information services sector had a total of 4 events, making it the most active sector for mergers and acquisitions. Representative transactions include MoonPay acquiring North Capital, CoinMarketCap acquiring CoinGlass, Circle acquiring Tazapay, and S&P acquiring OpenZeppelin.In terms of investment institutions, Coinbase Ventures participated in 6 financings, making it the most active institution this month; a16z and Maven11 each participated in 3. Overall, in September, funds mainly flowed towards payments, prediction markets, trading and data infrastructure, CeFi, and RWA, among other directions.

Data shows that the total expenditure in the cryptocurrency industry in the first half of 2026 exceeded 13 million dollars, with approximately 8 million dollars specifically allocated for lobbying the Clear Act. Despite the heavy investment, the bill has not yet passed in the Senate.

According to The Block, the crypto advocacy organization supported by Coinbase, Stand With Crypto, has announced its first round of Senate candidate endorsements.The organization stated that it will endorse Ohio Republican Senator Jon Husted, whose opponent is the crypto-skeptical former Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown. Additionally, it will endorse Ashley Hinson from Iowa and Chris Pappas from New Hampshire.This endorsement comes after the Senate's procedural vote on September 15 failed to pass the Clarity Act, which aims to establish a federal regulatory framework for the industry.Senate Democrats stated that they could not vote for a bill that would allow President Trump to profit personally from the crypto industry. Stand With Crypto's Executive Director Mason Lynaugh mentioned that after the Senate's recent failure to advance the Clarity Act, the organization’s more than 3 million advocates are fully shifting their focus to ensuring the election of candidates who support crypto.In addition to the Senate endorsements, Stand With Crypto also stated that it will increase advertising spending in six House campaigns, including those of Democratic Congressman Don Davis and Republican Congressman Bryan Steil.These newly endorsed House candidates all voted in favor of the Clarity Act when it passed the House last year. The organization has also endorsed more House candidates, including Congressmen Shomari Figures and Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

Former New York Governor and OKX Director Andrew Cuomo stated that if the Democratic Party wins Congress in the midterm elections, the current regulatory progress in the cryptocurrency industry may be overturned. He noted that the ad hoc rules set by regulators are much weaker than legislation and emphasized that "regulation is not legislation."Previously, on September 15, the Senate voted 49 in favor and 50 against to veto the CLARITY Act, which aimed to establish federal rules for the cryptocurrency market, failing to reach the 60-vote threshold; the SEC granted a five-year exemption for tokenized stock trading on September 17. Andrew Cuomo expects the new Congress to closely scrutinize such agency rules and hopes that the lame-duck Congress will pass relevant legislation before January 1 of next year.

According to CBS Atlanta, a 35-year-old woman from Stone Mountain, Georgia, named Mercedes Henry, a former universal bank employee at Ameris Bank, has been accused of unauthorized linking of six customers' bank accounts to the cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase between September and November 2021, and in collusion with others, transferring approximately $931,000 into a Coinbase account under her control.A federal grand jury has charged her with multiple counts of bank fraud, access device fraud, and bribery. Henry was arrested on September 25 and appeared in court, and the case is still under investigation by the FBI.