Author: John Smith

The European Central Bank has opened a new program to explore whether AI agents could use a future digital euro for payments, including micropayments and interactions between machines. Summary ECB will test AI-enabled digital euro payments and machine interactions through workshops beginning in 2027. Experimentation participants will build prototypes for e-receipts, conditional payments, multiparty transactions, and new app features. Applications for the innovation platform close November 9, with selected work beginning during early 2027. Thirty-six payment providers will join a separate twelve-month digital euro pilot starting during 2027 operations. Any digital euro launch still depends on EU legislation and a…

XRP has held near $1.51 as demand through U.S. spot exchange-traded funds remains elevated, leaving traders focused on whether the token can break resistance around 1.60-1.62. Summary XRP trades near $1.51 while holding above technical support around the $1.43 Bollinger midpoint level. U.S. spot XRP ETFs have accumulated roughly $1.79 billion in net inflows since launching overall. Bitwise’s XRP ETF charges 0.34% annually and uses Coinbase Custody to safeguard fund holdings securely. XRP faces immediate resistance near 1.60-1.62 while $1.43 remains the nearest chart support level. Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan says advisors value XRP’s longevity and understandable real-world payment applications.…

KB Kookmin Bank has signed a strategic agreement with BNY covering cross-border digital asset payments and remittances as the South Korean lender expands its international payment services. Summary KB Kookmin Bank has signed a BNY agreement covering cross-border digital payments and remittance services globally. BNY named Kookmin Bank among initial users of its newly launched Pay-to-Wallet cross-border payment capability. Pay-to-Wallet uses existing SWIFT messages and correspondent banking infrastructure to reach participating retail digital wallets directly. BNY combines its U.S. dollar clearing network with round-the-clock processing for approved payment markets and corridors. KB previously launched blockchain-based corporate cross-border payments through J.P.…

Gold has suffered one of its most unusual one day declines in two decades as rising U.S. Treasury yields and renewed Federal Reserve rate hike expectations hit non yielding assets, while Bitcoin has faced the same macro pressure near $83,000. Summary Gold fell 3.4% as Treasury yields surged and markets raised expectations for another Federal Reserve rate hike. Bitcoin slipped toward $83,000 as rising yields and a stronger dollar put pressure on non yielding assets. US spot Bitcoin ETFs drew $2.39 billion last week, providing a source of demand despite worsening macro conditions. Bitcoin’s next move could depend on incoming…

Coinbase has secured U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission registration for Coinbase Clearing LLC, giving the exchange its own regulated clearinghouse for fully collateralized derivatives. Summary CFTC registered Coinbase Clearing LLC to clear fully collateralized futures, options on futures, and swaps. Coinbase Clearing completes the company’s U.S. derivatives stack alongside its FCM and designated contract market. The new clearinghouse will use USDC collateral and support settlement around the clock, Coinbase said. Coinbase will keep external partners for margined derivatives and its planned U.S. single-stock perpetual products. Coinbase applied for DCO registration in November 2025 before receiving CFTC approval on September 28.…

Circle executive Nikhil Chandhok has argued that resistance to dollar stablecoins could keep the United States from drawing as much as $1 trillion in overseas demand for dollars. Summary Chandhok said people outside the US could bring $1 trillion into dollar stablecoins. He estimated that roughly $3 trillion remains tied up in international bank transfers at any moment. Recent US policy discussions have linked stablecoin use abroad with demand for Treasury bills. At the same event, Cathie Wood criticized nuclear regulation and discussed the cost of powering AI. Moonshots LIVE brought Chandhok together with ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood, Stability…

Wallet in Telegram has rebranded as Walt, with more than 300 supported assets, as Telegram prepares to extend its separate Gram wallet to its users. Summary Walt offers trading, yield products, tokenized assets, and perpetual futures inside Telegram. Telegram’s self-custodial Gram wallet supports purchases, transfers, and payments within the app. Walt says crypto cards and AI-assisted trading tools will follow in separate launches. Walt will provide a way for users to top up their Gram wallet. In a Sep. 28 announcement shared with crypto.news, Wallet in Telegram said the Walt name covers a product that has grown from a wallet…

Bitcoin price traded near $84,000 on Sep. 28 after retreating from a recent high above $87,000, leaving traders focused on whether U.S. spot ETF demand can help the price hold its September breakout. Summary Bitcoin price traded near $83,960 on the daily chart, above its 20-day moving average of $80,730. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs drew about $2.39 billion in net inflows during the week ended Sep. 25. The 4-hour Supertrend remained bearish near $85,087, while ADX stood at 14.74. Bitget Wallet’s Lacie Zhang identified $81,500–$83,000 as the key area for the pullback. Lacie Zhang, research lead at Bitget Wallet, told…

A wallet linked to the Bitget hacker has swapped about $6.3 million in ETH for Bitcoin through THORChain after the network rejected the exchange’s request to block addresses tied to its Sep. 24 breach. Summary The wallet completed 27 swaps, converting about 2,390 ETH into 75.2 BTC. Bitget asked THORChain to refuse transactions from addresses it had identified as belonging to the attacker. THORChain said its emergency controls can halt network activity but cannot freeze an individual swap. Bitget has raised its estimate of assets transferred to attacker-controlled addresses to $387.5 million. According to CoinDesk’s review of THORChain transaction records,…

The Cardano Foundation has announced a multi-year partnership with the Venture Accelerator at UCLA Anderson School of Management that will bring blockchain coursework, five startup fellowships, and a founder showcase sponsorship to the Los Angeles campus. Summary Five early-stage companies selected for UCLA Accelerate will receive sponsored fellowships. Cardano Academy material will enter a UCLA Anderson blockchain course beginning in 2027. An Oct. 19 masterclass will cover blockchain, AI and business applications. The foundation will sponsor the 2027 UCLA Draper Innovation Showcase. The Cardano Foundation said in its Sept. 28 announcement that the partnership will connect classroom instruction with support…