Author: John Smith

Pi Network enters October with a scheduled protocol upgrade and a coin still struggling to hold nine cents. PI changed hands near $0.0888 on October 3, according to CoinGecko, after a week in which it traded between roughly $0.0861 and $0.0935. The difference between a move to $0.115 and a return to the record low near $0.0706 is less about whether the upgrade goes ahead than whether new buyers stay while more coins become transferable. Summary PI traded near $0.0888 on October 3, with about $5.1 million in reported daily volume. Protocol 28 is scheduled for October 16, after an…

Greek police have arrested 17 people in an alleged cryptocurrency investment scheme that authorities estimate collected more than $8 million from at least 10,000 participants. Summary 17 suspects were arrested, including nine military personnel, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT News. Police allege the platform promised to double investors’ money within 50 days without authorization. Investigators seized €295,090 and identified 18 victims who deposited a combined €55,970. Hellenic Police said in an Oct. 2 statement that investigators in Katerini uncovered a suspected pyramid operation using company structures and an online platform to present cryptocurrency investments as legitimate. Greek crypto fraud…

Chainalysis has used its in-house AI to cut more than 20 hours of manual bridge reconciliation to under 10 minutes while investigating the $387 million stolen from Bitget. Summary Chainalysis says AI accelerated cross-chain matching while investigators directed the work and reviewed results. The firm attributes the attack to North Korean actors, putting their 2026 theft above $1 billion. Investigators tracked stolen XRP through cross-chain swaps to Bitcoin addresses controlled by the attackers. Bitget has offered separate 5% rewards for qualifying help freezing and recovering stolen funds. Chainalysis said in its Oct. 1 report that investigators built custom automation to…

Bitcoin traded near $84,600 on Oct. 3 as Quant and Midnight led the week’s top crypto gainers, rising 158.3% and 96.5%, respectively. Lighter fell 28.7%, while MemeCore, Ethena and Zcash posted double-digit losses. Summary Quant led weekly gains following its selection for The Clearing House’s U.S. tokenized deposit network. Midnight nearly doubled as its network opened smart contract deployment to more developers. Lighter led losses after Robinhood outlined a U.S. derivatives rollout involving Bitstamp. Original X posts show bullish views on Quant and Midnight, with valuation concerns around Zcash. CoinGecko’s seven-day top-100 rankings for Oct. 3 placed Bitway and Pump.fun…

NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin has outlined 13 application ideas spanning AI pets, private trading, and cross-chain payments, alongside five suggestions for helping developers reach users. Summary Polosukhin proposed NFT-based AI pets with NEAR balances that would pay for their computing. His payment ideas include a checkout widget and event deposits usable across different blockchains. Private applications would cover trading, code reviews, medical second opinions, transcription, and AI testing. Distribution suggestions include Aurora wallet connections, NEARLegion, other communities, Product Hunt and X. Illia Polosukhin, in an Oct. 3 X post, said new and returning developers had been building on NEAR over…

Crypto financing announcements from Sep. 26 through Oct. 2 included $178.6 million across four disclosed transactions, led by Jeeves’ $110 million equity round. Summary $178.6 million was disclosed across four transactions, with two additional investments carrying undisclosed amounts. Jeeves raised $110 million in an equity round led by CoinFund. World Assets disclosed $49 million in WLD sales carrying a one-year lockup. Solana Company priced a $15 million registered direct offering with accompanying warrants. Jeeves and Walapay accounted for $114.6 million in disclosed funding for business payments platforms. World Assets disclosed $49 million in private token sales, while Solana Company priced…

Brickken CEO Edwin Mata has warned that uneven access to three AI products, Dots, Muse, and Siri AI, could steer European companies’ future hiring and investment abroad. Summary Mata says delayed AI access could influence where founders hire, launch products, and raise capital. Earlier access lets competitors build skills and win customers while European businesses wait, he argues. Austria proposed EU participation in Anthropic in June to reduce dependence on foreign technology decisions. European reforms have extended AI compliance deadlines and expanded support for smaller businesses. Edwin Mata, CEO and co-founder of Barcelona-based tokenization company Brickken, told crypto.news that Europe…

Bitcoin price has retreated toward $84,000 after reaching $87,220, while Bitfinex analysts have identified sustained buying above $86,500 as a condition for further gains. Summary 1.39 million BTC sits within the $84,000–$86,500 purchase range, according to Bitfinex. U.S. Bitcoin ETFs attracted $170.2 million on Oct. 1 after the previous session’s outflows. The daily chart places Bitcoin near the $84,012 Fibonacci level after its latest pullback. Bitfinex says trading below $81,300 alongside continued ETF withdrawals would weaken the market structure. Bitfinex’s Analyst Team, in comments provided directly to crypto.news, said renewed U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF inflows had brought its demand measure…

UK financial institutions have identified faster settlement as tokenization’s biggest benefit, with 71% expecting the technology to reshape financial services. Summary 60% of survey respondents named faster payments and settlement as tokenization’s biggest opportunity. 41% cited better collateral and liquidity management, according to Lloyds’ annual survey. UK banks have tested tokenized deposits for mortgage payments and simulated marketplace purchases. U.S. and UK officials have recommended joint testing of cross-border tokenized financial assets. Lloyds Banking Group said in its Oct. 2 release, that its tenth annual Financial Institutions Sentiment Survey questioned 100 senior decision-makers at major UK banks, insurers, financial sponsors,…

Absa has become Africa’s first bank to offer Bitcoin custody, with BTC making up the largest share of assets held through its institutional service. Summary Bitcoin is the main asset held in Absa’s custody service, according to its digital assets head. The bank launched its institutional custody platform on Sep. 21 using technology from Ripple. Absa plans to serve more client groups and African markets, subject to regulatory approvals. U.S. banks have received regulatory clarification allowing crypto custody and related customer services. Bloomberg reported on Oct. 2 that the Johannesburg-based lender is providing digital asset custody to institutional clients in…