The latest in digital assets, markets and regulation.
First-time users in Scottsdale, Arizona, successfully paid for gyros and coffee using Bitcoin via Lightning wallets. Despite the state's 2025 reserve legislation lacking coin purchases, over 219 merchants now accept BTC, demonstrating practical consumer adoption independent of government action.
Corporate Bitcoin buying slowed sharply in Q3 2026 as stock premiums collapsed, prompting analysts to predict selective future growth. Established players may attract capital first, while smaller firms abandon treasury strategies amid stricter investor scrutiny on funding costs.
IMF warns AI borrowing raises debt costs; U.S. Treasury dismisses $40 trillion debt concerns. Russia attends G20 amid protests, while China sees reduced risk focus due to perceived U.S.-China stability.
AnchorWatch Trust Company launched Nevada-chartered Bitcoin custody with fees capped at $10,000 monthly, offering up to $370 million in client-named insurance via Lloyd’s syndicates. The service includes multi-institution key distribution to reduce concentration risk for public companies and high-net-worth individuals.
XRP Ledger developers added a second amendment to fix the new lending protocol before it goes live. The patch addresses flaws in the original code while it awaits validator approval, ensuring the feature launches securely rather than requiring post-deployment repairs.
Anthropic commits 5% of shares to a Public Benefit Fund before its IPO, totaling ~20% with other pledges. Elon Musk counters by promising SpaceX shares to all U.S. children, citing direct distribution over fund structures.
SkyAI sold its entire Solana treasury and launched a $201.3 million tender offer to repurchase shares and warrants. The company holds $223.8 million in cash post-liquidation, reversing its prior crypto accumulation strategy while continuing to develop an AI-driven financial platform on Solana.
Crypto PAC affiliate Protect Progress spent $362,000 supporting Aisha Wahab in California's 14th district, weeks after she won a special election against a fellow pro-crypto Democrat. The move signals Fairshake's strategy to back incumbents with strong electoral prospects ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Hackers successfully booted iOS 16 on Android phones, breaking Apple's hardware-software exclusivity. Experimental builds on Redmi and Nothing devices lack Wi-Fi, audio, and camera functions, rendering them unusable as daily drivers despite viral demonstrations.
Mastercard launched Stablecoin Security at Money20/20 USA, combining payment data with blockchain analytics to flag fraud and sanctions risks before onchain transfers. Partnering with Borderless.xyz and Keyrails, the tool aims to ease bank adoption amid slowing stablecoin supply growth but rising transaction volumes.
Visa and Mesh enable direct crypto spending at 175M merchants. Users pay from wallets without bank transfers or cards. Merchants keep existing checkouts. Mesh handles conversions and KYC. Rollout details pending.
The SEC closes public comments on its 'Regulation Crypto Assets' proposal after Congress failed to pass crypto legislation. Approximately 140 submissions addressed safe harbors and disclosure rules, with industry figures like Anthony Scaramucci expressing support despite concerns about regulatory durability and agency staffing shortages.