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Crypto markets experienced a significant surge, with Bitcoin and Ethereum reaching their highest prices this month, which triggered a rally in other major altcoins. BNB, in particular, hit a new all-time high price of over $926. Other cryptocurrencies, including Dogecoin and Solana, also saw substantial gains, with Dogecoin jumping more than 8% in a single day and Solana reaching its highest price since January.
The market rally is largely attributed to investor optimism surrounding the possibility of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates soon, following recent data showing cooled inflation in the U.S. A lower interest rate environment is generally seen as favourable for riskier assets like cryptocurrencies. This positive sentiment was further bolstered by the successful public trading debuts of several crypto companies, including Gemini, which went public with a valuation of approximately $4.4 billion. Source
Bitcoin Core developer Jimmy Song has criticized the Taproot upgrade, claiming it has not fulfilled its promises of enhanced privacy and security. According to Song, the developers behind Taproot failed to anticipate the "social attack surface" that would allow for non-financial transactions, like Ordinals and BRC-20s, to congest the network. He also highlighted that features such as Schnorr signatures, intended to improve multi-signature transactions, were poorly implemented, leading to a negative user experience that made them impractical.
Song's comments contribute to an ongoing debate within the Bitcoin community regarding the network's purpose. While some, including Song, believe Bitcoin should remain a peer-to-peer electronic cash system as originally intended, others, like Ordinals leader "Leonidas," embrace Taproot's new functionality for creating applications. The disagreement has led to some developers switching from Bitcoin Core to a competing software called Bitcoin Knots, which has seen a significant increase in its user base. Source
Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, has announced that the universal ZK rollup protocol Boundless (ZKC) is the newest addition to its HODLer Airdrops program. This program rewards users who hold BNB with new tokens based on historical snapshots of their balances. Boundless is a protocol designed to scale verifiable computations using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) for every blockchain, enabling a marketplace for provers—operators of hardware like GPUs—to compete for requests to generate ZKPs.
The project utilizes ZK-rollups, which are a type of Layer 2 scaling solution that executes transactions off-chain and then submits a cryptographic proof to the main blockchain for verification. Binance is set to begin trading for the new ZKC token, which will carry a "seed tag" to indicate its lower liquidity and potential for high volatility. As a result, users will need to pass a quiz to demonstrate their understanding of the associated risks before they are able to trade the token. Source
Native Markets has won the USDH stablecoin ticker after a governance vote among Hyperliquid validators. The firm's victory followed the withdrawal of competitor Ethena from the race and strong backing from prediction markets and validators. Native Markets' proposal was favoured for its native alignment with the Hyperliquid ecosystem, and it includes a plan to split the yield from its cash and U.S. Treasury reserves between Hyperliquid’s Assistance Fund and its own growth. The reserves will be managed off-chain by BlackRock and on-chain by Superstate via Bridge.
A phased rollout of the new stablecoin will begin with a controlled trial with transaction limits before the USDH/USDC spot order book opens on Hyperliquid. This move marks a significant step for Hyperliquid, establishing it as a fast-growing ecosystem and highlighting the increasing competition in the stablecoin market. While the process drew some criticism for its compressed timeline, Native Markets, with its a-list backers, is now faced with the challenge of competing with dominant stablecoins like USDC and USDT. Source
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has cautioned against using artificial intelligence for crypto governance, citing the potential for malicious actors to exploit the technology through "jailbreaks." His warning came in response to a demonstration showing a new ChatGPT update could be manipulated to leak private data. Buterin argues that a "naive 'AI governance'" approach is flawed, as bad actors will inevitably try to trick the AI into allocating funds or performing other unauthorized actions.
As an alternative, Buterin proposes an "info finance" approach, which involves an open market where anyone can contribute their AI models. These models would then be subject to a spot-check mechanism and a review by a human jury. He believes this method is more robust than relying on a single hardcoded AI, as it promotes diversity among models and creates built-in incentives for participants to monitor and correct issues quickly, thus providing a more secure and reliable system for crypto governance. Source
Markethive is an inbound marketing platform that helps businesses and entrepreneurs expand their global reach through a unique system called Blogcasting. This enhanced broadcasting system goes beyond traditional email notifications, simultaneously sharing content across various social media and blogging platforms. By linking social accounts, members can subscribe to each other's blogs, and a WordPress plugin automatically posts Markethive blog entries to a user's WordPress site. This multi-platform approach, which Markethive calls a "content multiplier," can expose content to millions of users, significantly increasing its visibility and potential impact.
The article explains that this Blogcasting system can create a ripple effect, where one person sharing a blog post can lead to it being seen by their entire network, and so on. This extended reach, which the platform refers to as the “Blog Cloud,” can dramatically increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, and lead to conversions. The platform also offers a "Blog Swipe" feature, which allows users to permit others to copy and republish their articles. This can be used for various purposes like content curation, peer-editing, or creating "cocktail" blends of content for specific groups, all within a collaborative and supportive community environment. Source
The crypto exchange OKX is entering Australia's retirement savings market with the launch of a new platform for Self-Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSFs). This move is aimed at capitalizing on the growing, though still small, interest in crypto assets within this sector. The new platform is designed to provide SMSF trustees with the necessary infrastructure for adding digital assets to their portfolios, including features for custody, multi-signature security, proof-of-reserves reporting, and compliance with local regulations. OKX Australia CEO Kate Cooper stated that the platform was developed in consultation with industry professionals to provide enterprise-level solutions for SMSF trustees.
While official data shows that crypto assets still make up a very minor share of total SMSF holdings, their allocation has seen a significant increase since 2021. OKX's data indicates a substantial growth of 746% in SMSF crypto allocations between March 2020 and March 2025. OKX anticipates thousands of SMSFs will onboard to the new platform in the next one to two years, with many switching from other exchanges. The company's expansion highlights the increasing push by crypto exchanges to integrate digital assets into mainstream financial systems, particularly in countries with large and well-established retirement sectors like Australia. Source
Football's transfer system is currently a slow and bureaucratic process, often plagued by delays and high costs, especially for smaller clubs involved in international transfers. Blockchain technology, particularly through the use of cryptocurrency, can offer a solution to these issues by providing faster, cheaper, and more efficient payment rails. The technology has already been used in a number of transfers, demonstrating its ability to reduce settlement times and bypass complex cross-border payments. Additionally, stablecoins can provide a fixed and reliable value in volatile financial markets, helping to mitigate the risks associated with currency fluctuations.
The article argues that integrating blockchain could also introduce greater transparency and equity into the transfer market. A shared "Financial Fair Play Ledger" could be established on the blockchain to track all transfers and related financials, ensuring clubs adhere to financial rules and avoid penalties. By reducing the time and cost associated with transfers, blockchain could democratize access to the global talent market for clubs of all sizes. This would also help de-escalate the chaotic nature of "Deadline Day," as transactions could be completed in minutes instead of days. Source
Despite a typical September pullback, the prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum have shown resilience, rising 6% and 4% respectively this month. According to options traders and analysts, this rally is only "halfway" through and a year-end surge is anticipated. This bullish outlook is supported by macroeconomic trends, specifically the growing expectation of multiple Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in 2025. This change in monetary policy is seen as a positive for risk assets like cryptocurrency, as it increases market liquidity and investor appetite.
Options data for both Bitcoin and Ethereum show a strong bullish sentiment, with a significant majority of open interest in call options (bets that prices will go up) over put options (bets that prices will go down). The market is assigning a high probability of both Bitcoin and Ethereum reaching new price targets by the end of the year, with a notable chance for Ethereum to close above $5,000 and Bitcoin above $125,000. While some short-term volatility is expected, the overall market outlook remains optimistic for a strong fourth quarter. Source
Galaxy Digital, a digital assets investment firm, has embarked on a major Solana buying spree, acquiring $1.55 billion worth of the token over five days. This aggressive purchasing activity is linked to a private placement deal involving Forward Industries, a medical device company that recently announced its pivot to become a “crypto treasury” company focused on holding a large amount of Solana. Galaxy Digital, alongside Multicoin Capital and Jump Crypto, led a $1.65 billion private placement in Forward Industries, with the goal of positioning the company as a key institutional player in the Solana ecosystem.
The purchases, which involved buying hundreds of thousands of Solana tokens at a time, have been tracked on-chain and sent to a crypto custody firm. While it is unclear if Galaxy Digital's buying is a direct result of the Forward Industries deal, the timing is highly coincidental. This trend of companies, like Forward Industries, adopting a crypto treasury strategy is on the rise, with firms raising billions to acquire digital assets. This institutional adoption is a sign of growing confidence in Solana's potential, as evidenced by its recent price rally and a record high in its total value locked (TVL) on its DeFi projects. Source
In a nationwide anti-scam crackdown, Thai banks have frozen an estimated three million accounts, leading to widespread concern and debate over the reliability of the traditional banking system. This measure, aimed at disrupting criminal "mule accounts" used for money laundering by scam syndicates, has inadvertently affected innocent individuals and businesses. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) and the Bank of Thailand (BoT) have acknowledged that many law-abiding citizens have been caught in the dragnet, with accounts being temporarily suspended for investigation. The situation has prompted some to question the security of centralized finance and to consider alternative, decentralized systems like Bitcoin, which are immune to such government-imposed freezes.
While crypto and Bitcoin trading are popular in Thailand, the central bank has outlawed the use of digital currencies for payments, presenting a hurdle for those seeking an immediate alternative to the conventional banking system. The crackdown has also led to the imposition of daily transfer limits and has caused some merchants to temporarily halt QR code payments. Amid growing public frustration, the Thai central bank is in discussions with the CCIB to find a solution for the arbitrary account freezes and transfer limits, aiming to mitigate the impact on innocent citizens while continuing to combat financial crime. Source
Disclaimer: These articles are provided for informational purposes only. They are not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or any other advice.
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