Author: John Smith

Pi Network has climbed roughly 1.5% over the past 24 hours to around $0.0918 as traders watch a tightening price range and the Oct. 16 Protocol 28 Mainnet upgrade. Summary PI trades near $0.0918 after gaining roughly 1.5% over the latest 24-hour period, CoinGecko shows. Protocol 28 is scheduled for Mainnet on October 16 after successful Testnet deployment this month. Analyst Crypto With Gopal identifies $0.10 resistance and $0.08 support inside a symmetrical triangle formation. RSI at 52.64 remains neutral while PI trades slightly above its 20-day Bollinger midpoint currently. KYC updates recently cleared 417,000 users while a separate fix…

Binance Pay has opened crypto payments to eligible overseas users at millions of PayPay supported merchant locations across Japan through the HIVEX payment network. Summary Binance Pay users from more than 100 countries and regions can make crypto funded payments at PayPay supported merchants across Japan. HIVEX connects Binance Pay with PayPay’s existing QR network, while participating merchants continue receiving settlement in Japanese yen. The service is limited to eligible overseas visitors, with Japanese residents excluded from the Sept. 30 rollout. Binance said on Sept. 30 that the service gives approximately 48 million eligible Binance Pay users from more than…

Illinois has published draft rules explaining when its 0.2% digital asset tax could apply to crypto trades, wallet transfers, stablecoins, DeFi transactions and cross-chain activity starting Jan. 1, 2027. Summary Illinois’ 0.2% digital asset tax is scheduled to take effect statewide on January 1, 2027. Draft rules treat stablecoins as taxable digital assets while excluding nonfungible tokens from coverage entirely. DeFi transactions avoid tax unless platforms collect protocol fees or other qualifying valuable consideration payments. Exchange-to-self-custody transfers can become taxable when a broker charges customers a fee for completing them. Illinois is accepting comments through October 30 before formally filing…

California’s Sep. 27 signing of AB 2409 has put political memecoin conflicts under scrutiny, with Global Settlement Network CEO Ryan Kirkley calling for rules focused on officials’ financial interests rather than restrictions across digital assets. Summary Kirkley says politically linked memecoins can connect public authority with personal financial benefit. California’s listing restrictions cover certain official-linked memecoins issued from Jan. 1, 2027. The GSN CEO favors rules addressing ownership, promotion, control, disclosure and financial benefit. Regulators should distinguish speculative tokens from payment and settlement assets by their economic function, he says. Ryan Kirkley, CEO and co-founder of Global Settlement Network, told…

Riot Platforms has fully repaid its Coinbase Credit borrowing and closed the $200 million Bitcoin-backed facility, releasing the lender’s claims on pledged assets after settling principal and accrued interest on Sep. 21. Summary Riot terminated the Coinbase facility after paying all outstanding principal and interest through Sep. 21. Coinbase’s security interests were released, alongside the termination of its commitment to provide further loans. Riot held 5,821 BTC as collateral as of June 30, roughly 51% of its Bitcoin reserves. The facility carried a fixed 6.15% annual interest rate following an April amendment. Riot Platforms’ Form 8-K, filed with the U.S.…

Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr has renewed his call for further interest-rate increases to bring inflation down to 2%, while market odds of an October hike have fallen to about 50% from roughly 70%. Summary October hike odds fell to about 50% after John Williams signaled patience on further increases. Barr said inflation risks have grown while risks to the labor market have eased. The Fed raised its benchmark rate to 3.75%–4% in September, with all 12 voters supporting the move. August PCE inflation data and September employment figures are scheduled for release this week. Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr…

Crypto ETFs have attracted $2.39 billion in weekly inflows, pushing 2026 net flows back above zero despite Bitcoin’s 4.3% decline as U.S. ten-year Treasury yields climbed to 5.20%, according to Hilbert Group. Summary $2.39 billion in weekly ETF inflows reversed a year-to-date deficit that reached $5.8 billion in July. Bitcoin fell 4.3% to $83,500 as ten-year Treasury yields rose from about 4.95% to 5.20%. Hilbert’s Jesse Marre sees $89,000 as the breakout level that could open a move toward $95,000. Marre warned that agency-led crypto rules could be rewritten under a future U.S. administration. Hilbert Group, the digital asset investment…

U.S. President Donald Trump has predicted that the war with Iran will end “very soon” after American officials spoke with mediators working on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Summary Summary Trump predicted the U.S. would win the Iran war “very soon” after officials spoke with mediators. Talks continue over an amended plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but no ceasefire has been announced. Trump denied offering Iran sanctions relief or frozen funds for nuclear concessions. Bitcoin traded near $83,081 as major cryptocurrencies fell and U.S. Treasury yields remained in focus. Reuters reported that Trump made the…

Aztec Labs has relaunched zk.money on the Aztec Network, bringing back its private payment wallet after a three-year absence and offering users self-custody of their funds. Summary The original zk.money served more than 75,000 unique wallets and processed $100 million in volume before it was retired in 2023. Aztec Labs says the new wallet keeps balances, transfer amounts, and transaction parties off the public ledger. Users can request payments through links and receive funds through readable zk.money handles. The wallet runs on Aztec Network, the company’s privacy-focused Ethereum layer-2. In a Sep. 29 announcement shared with crypto.news, Aztec Labs said…

Bitwise has launched the first U.S. spot exchange traded product offering direct exposure to NEAR, opening another route for investor demand after the token rallied toward $5 ahead of the fund’s debut. Summary Bitwise’s NRR has begun trading on NYSE Arca, giving US investors direct exposure to NEAR through a spot ETF. New NRR share creations could translate into purchases of underlying NEAR if the fund attracts sustained investor inflows. Bitwise plans to stake the fund’s NEAR holdings, with staking rewards flowing into NRR’s NAV while some tokens remain committed to staking. NEAR traded around $4.93 after rallying ahead of…