Tether is reportedly collaborating with Antalpha to raise at least $200 million for a new digital asset treasury focused on tokenized gold. This initiative aims to stockpile Tether Gold (XAUT), which currently boasts a market capitalization of nearly $1.5 billion, backed by physical gold stored in Swiss vaults. Tether's expansion into gold aligns with its broader strategy, which includes significant investments across various sectors, including Bitcoin mining and AI. The partnership with Antalpha follows a recent agreement to establish a dedicated hub for XAUT-backed lending and custody services.
Tether's CEO, Paolo Ardoino, has been vocal about the merits of gold as a hard asset, with the company holding $8.7 billion in gold on its balance sheet as of June 2025, indicating a strong commitment to diversifying its asset base.
Bitcoin ETFs have seen a significant surge in inflows, with over $2.25 billion flowing into these funds recently, reflecting heightened institutional interest. This influx has coincided with Bitcoin's price climbing above $120,000, approaching its all-time high. The strong performance of Bitcoin ETFs is indicative of growing confidence among institutional investors, as they seek exposure to the digital asset market. Additionally, the CME Group's announcement of 24/7 trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum futures starting in early 2026 is expected to further enhance liquidity and attract institutional participation.
The combination of these developments suggests that the market is gearing up for a potentially explosive phase, with analysts predicting new all-time highs for Bitcoin as institutional demand continues to rise.
Bitcoin's recent rally has been fueled by a combination of macroeconomic factors, including a U.S. government shutdown that has led traders to seek alternative assets. Bitcoin surged 9% this week, reaching $120,000, while gold also saw gains, trading near $3,900. This shift towards hard assets reflects a broader trend of investors losing faith in fiat currencies amid economic instability.
In contrast, the altcoin market is also experiencing upward momentum, with tokens like Ethereum and Solana gaining traction. The overall crypto market capitalization has climbed above $4.24 trillion, indicating a robust recovery and renewed investor interest across the board.
CleanSpark has reported a record production of 629 Bitcoin in September, bringing its total holdings to over 13,000 BTC, valued at approximately $1.6 billion. The company continues to adopt a strategy of accumulating Bitcoin as a core treasury asset, contrasting with rivals like Riot Platforms, which have opted to sell portions of their production for cash flow. This strategic accumulation highlights CleanSpark's commitment to building one of the largest self-mined Bitcoin treasuries in the sector. The company's operational efficiency and recent expansions in capacity position it favorably as it heads into fiscal 2026, reflecting a broader trend of institutional players solidifying their positions in the Bitcoin market.
Last month, Ethereum Foundation made a similar announcement when it said it would convert 10,000 ether (worth $43.6 million at the time).
Riot Platforms released its latest production update on Friday, reducing its total bitcoin held slightly to 19,287 BTC ($2.3 billion).
Coinbase just supercharged crypto accessibility by embedding its elite Coinbase One service directly into Samsung Wallet, unlocking seamless benefits for over 75 million Galaxy users nationwide.
Klarna Group Plc and some of its shareholders raised $1.37 billion in an initial public offering priced above a marketed range, kicking off what is likely to be one of the best weeks of the year for US listings.
Bitcoin is currently trading near its all-time high, with a recent price of approximately $122,478, just 3% shy of the record set in August at $124,128. The cryptocurrency has shown a significant upward trend, rising over 11% in the past week alone. This bullish momentum is attributed to increased demand from U.S. investors and favorable shifts in Federal Reserve monetary policy, which have collectively bolstered market sentiment as we enter the fourth quarter of the year.
BNB has emerged as a standout performer in the altcoin market, surging 24% over the past month and closing at $1,157.05 after a daily gain of 6.06%. The token's technical indicators suggest potential for further gains, with projections hinting at a possible moonshot to $2,000. This rally is further supported by the recent launch of Kazakhstan's Alem Crypto Fund, which is likely to enhance liquidity and investor interest in BNB.
The stablecoin market has surpassed a significant milestone, with its total market capitalization exceeding $300 billion for the first time. This growth reflects a broader recovery in the cryptocurrency market, as investors increasingly turn to stablecoins for stability amidst volatility in other digital assets. The surge in stablecoin adoption is indicative of a growing trend towards using these assets for transactions and as a hedge against market fluctuations.
Zcash has seen a staggering 170% increase in price over the past week, driven by renewed interest from institutional investors, particularly following the launch of the Grayscale Zcash Trust. This uptick in engagement highlights the potential for privacy coins in the current market landscape, as Zcash leverages its zk-SNARK technology to offer secure transactions. However, market indicators suggest that the asset may be overbought, indicating a potential correction could be on the horizon.
Aave has reached a record $74 billion in deposits, solidifying its position as the leading decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol. This surge in deposits coincides with the broader DeFi market hitting an all-time high of $219 billion in assets across various protocols, as reported by DeFiLlama. The recent partnership with the stablecoin-focused chain Plasma has contributed to this growth, with the Plasma lending market on Aave exceeding $6 billion in less than a week.
Lido currently holds approximately $38 billion worth of staked ether, accounting for about one-third of all staked ETH. This dominance in Ethereum staking is further emphasized by VanEck's recent registration of a trust for a proposed staked Ethereum ETF, which aims to provide institutional investors with easier access to staked ETH while maintaining liquidity through derivative tokens.
Shibarium has resumed its operations following a significant security breach that led to a halt in activities for 10 days. The exploit involved a flash loan attack that compromised validator controls, resulting in the draining of approximately $2.4 million in assets. Developers have since implemented long-term security measures to safeguard the network against future attacks.
Stellar's XLM token saw significant volatility, reaching a high of $0.4041 before selling pressure brought it back to $0.4015. This price action occurred as Bitcoin.com Wallet integrated Stellar and its DeFi protocols, which could enhance XLM's utility and payment reach. The trading volume spiked during this period, indicating strong market activity.
Chainlink's native token, LINK, has established a higher low pattern, indicating renewed upward momentum. This comes as Plasma integrates Chainlink's oracle services, enhancing its stablecoin infrastructure. Additionally, the Chainlink Reserve has purchased over 46,000 LINK tokens, further supporting the token's market position.
Panelists from Stellar, Centrifuge, and Moody's predict that real-world assets (RWAs) on public blockchains could reach trillions by 2030. Currently, on-chain RWAs are estimated to be around $30 billion, with expectations for rapid adoption as institutions pilot digital twins of funds and deposits. This shift could significantly enhance liquidity and efficiency in traditional finance.
Coinbase is seeking a trust charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to grow its payments business. This move indicates Coinbase's strategy to enhance its infrastructure and service offerings in the crypto payments sector.
The DeFi ecosystem 1inch has undergone a rebranding and is now integrating its Swap API into Coinbase's app. This collaboration reflects 1inch's commitment to enhancing user experience and underscores the growing importance of decentralized finance in the broader financial landscape.
BNB has surged to an all-time high of $1,114.67, driven by a significant short squeeze and a reduction in transaction fees on the BNB Chain. This rally has positioned BNB as the top gainer among major cryptocurrencies, with its monthly active users doubling to over two million.
Laser Digital, a subsidiary of Nomura Group, is in pre-consultation talks with Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) to apply for a crypto trading license aimed at institutional clients. This move reflects a growing optimism in Japan's digital asset ecosystem, coinciding with Daiwa Securities allowing clients to use Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) as collateral for borrowing yen, indicating a convergence of digital and traditional finance in the country.
The European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) has issued a warning regarding the systemic risks posed by stablecoins, particularly those utilizing "third country multi-issuer" models. The ESRB, chaired by ECB President Christine Lagarde, highlighted the need for immediate policy action to address vulnerabilities, especially as the stablecoin market has surged to over $300 billion, with Tether's USDT dominating 58% of this market. The ESRB has recommended banning such models, which could pressure EU authorities to impose restrictions or outline protective measures.
The ISM services PMI for September fell to 50, indicating stagnation in the services sector and increasing the likelihood of Federal Reserve rate cuts. With the Business Activity index dropping to 49.9, the market now anticipates at least two rate cuts starting as early as the October FOMC meeting. This shift in monetary policy is seen as a potential catalyst for Bitcoin, which has recently surged to a 50-day high of $123,841, reflecting a broader risk-on sentiment among investors.
Coinbase is seeking a trust charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to enhance its payments business. This move aims to bolster innovation at the intersection of cryptocurrency and traditional finance, following a trend among various firms to secure national charters for operational expansion.
The stablecoin market has reached a capitalization of approximately $306 billion, with over 355 different coins available. The emergence of Stablecoin-as-a-Service (SCaaS) models allows businesses to issue stablecoins without extensive infrastructure, although this raises concerns about liquidity fragmentation and regulatory compliance. Paxos Labs has suggested that AI agents could help manage liquidity across different stablecoin issuers, potentially mitigating some of these risks.
The exploit was triggered when a hacker submitted fake data to Shibarium’s Ethereum-linked contracts, leading to an automatic shutdown. The total loss from this incident amounted to $4 million.
On October 2, 2025, Thai authorities arrested a Portuguese national accused of masterminding a cryptocurrency and credit card fraud scheme that stole more than $586 million. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Pedro M., was apprehended in Bangkok after being spotted by a journalist.
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