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Blockchain technology inherently offers transparency, with every transaction publicly visible, but the sheer volume of billions of transactions makes this data overwhelming and impractical to use without specialized tools. Blockchain analytics platforms have emerged to tackle this challenge by structuring and labelling this on-chain data, making it useful for tracking illicit activities, providing crucial context during major market events like the FTX collapse, and informing the strategies of traders and institutions by mapping fund flows and identifying significant market movements. The current state of these dashboard-based tools, however, often presents a steep learning curve, requiring users to invest significant time in training and onboarding to extract meaningful insights.
The next evolutionary phase for blockchain analytics involves the deep integration of Artificial Intelligence, which fundamentally changes the way users interact with the data. AI-powered tools allow users to query complex blockchain activities using simple, plain language, transforming what used to be a day-long research task into an assessment delivered in mere seconds. This shift democratizes blockchain intelligence, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for retail investors, compliance personnel, and casual observers alike. Ultimately, the move to AI-driven, conversational interfaces ensures that the blockchain's promise of transparency is fully realized by making the underlying information genuinely interpretable and accessible to a wider audience. Source
A volatile crypto market has caused a major shift in sentiment on the Myriad prediction platform, flipping the odds from bullish to bearish for markets concerning Ethereum, Solana, and the Pudgy Penguins culture coin, PENGU. The market for Ethereum's next move—either "Moon to $5K or Dip to $3.5K"—has seen a dramatic reversal; after peaking at 81% odds for $5,000 on September 13th, the sentiment has flipped to favour a dip to $3,500 with 68% odds, following ETH's slide below $4,000 and consecutive ETF outflows. Currently, with ETH around 20% off its all-time high, it is about 11% away from the bearish $3,500 target.
Similarly, the market asking for a "New Solana All-Time High By Year End" has also seen a significant change in outlook. Last week, predictors gave a 66% chance of Solana, which is currently trading at $197.14 (32% off its all-time high of $293.31), reaching a new high before the end of the year. However, a 21% drop in SOL's price over the last seven days has pulled those odds down to 43%, despite significant treasury buy pressure and looming SEC decisions on 90 ETFs, many tracking Solana, expected in mid-October. The PENGU price market, which asks if the next stop is a "Pump to $0.05 or Dump to $0.02," also experienced a 30% reversal, moving from favouring $0.05 last week to now giving higher odds to a dip to the $0.02 level, a mark PENGU hasn't hit since July. Source
Asset manager Hashdex has expanded its Crypto Index US exchange-traded fund (ETF) to include XRP, Solana (SOL), and Stellar (XLM), making it the second multi-asset cryptocurrency ETF approved for trading in the United States. Listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker NCIQ, the fund now holds five cryptocurrencies on a 1:1 basis, including its existing holdings of Bitcoin and Ether. This expansion follows the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) recent approval of generic listing standards for ETFs in September, which streamlines the approval process for eligible cryptocurrencies that are classified as commodities or feature futures contracts on reputable exchanges, and are subject to financial surveillance under the US Intermarket Surveillance Group.
This regulatory shift, spearheaded by SEC Chair Paul Atkins, is part of a broader initiative under the Trump administration to modernize digital finance and reduce the regulatory burden on crypto companies, a significant change from the previous SEC leadership. The new standards are expected to result in a flood of new crypto ETF filings, effectively bridging the gap between traditional financial instruments and digital assets, while the SEC has also approved the Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund, the first US multi-asset crypto ETF. Furthermore, Chair Atkins has proposed an “innovation exemption” to create a regulatory sandbox, allowing crypto projects to experiment with new technologies without immediate regulatory fear. Source
Michael Saylor, the executive chairman of Strategy, unintentionally or not, escalated a heated Bitcoin debate by reposting an old video on X that ended with a call to "Run Knots." Bitcoin Knots is a software alternative to the dominant Bitcoin Core, which accounts for 70% of node operators and is preparing to release version 30 with a controversial change: increasing the data limit for the `OP_RETURN` opcode from 80 bytes to 100,000 bytes. This change, which allows data storage in transactions, is advocated by some as a way to unlock complex applications, but critics fear it could lead to network congestion or the storage of illicit content. Saylor's repost was immediately interpreted by Bitcoin Knots supporters as an endorsement, yet many, including a prominent financial services CEO, doubt he was aware of the three-second, pro-Knots message at the end of the clip, arguing he would never intentionally weigh in on such a protocol-level debate.
Despite the ambiguity of his social media activity, Saylor has publicly acknowledged the controversy, echoing a conservative sentiment about protocol changes. Earlier this month, he commented that the debate over `OP_RETURN` limits was a "second-order or maybe even a third-order change," and he viewed the community’s "inflammatory reaction" (to reject the change) as a "healthy response." This stance is consistent with his past comments on similar controversies, such as the debate around Ordinals, where he favoured a "minimum" approach to protocol changes. Although Saylor has not publicly taken a side between Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Knots, his reposted video—whether accidental or intentional—has amplified a divisive debate within the Bitcoin community, highlighting the growing animosity between the two sides. Source
Cloudflare, a cloud infrastructure company, announced plans to enter the digital assets market by launching the "NET Dollar," a US dollar-backed stablecoin designed to power instant, programmatic transactions for AI agents, creators, and developers worldwide. The company envisions this stablecoin enabling autonomous software programs to perform immediate actions, such as paying for the cheapest flight or ordering an item the moment it goes on sale, highlighting a trend of major tech companies exploring crypto, as seen with Google's recent open-source AI payments protocol with stablecoin support. The NET Dollar is intended to be fully backed by US dollars, featuring global interoperability, real-time settlement, and programmability, which Cloudflare believes will drive new business models by enabling pay-per-use, fractional payments, and compensating content creators and developers directly.
The planned launch of the NET Dollar will see it enter a rapidly growing and competitive stablecoin market, which has a total market capitalization approaching $300 billion, with the sector benefiting from clearer regulation passed in Europe and the United States in 2025. While Tether’s USDt ($173 billion) and Circle’s USDC ($73.7 billion) currently dominate the market, new entrants are emerging globally, including BDACS's South Korean won-pegged KRW1 and AnchorX's offshore Chinese yuan-linked AxCNH. The industry anticipates that AI agents will become major users of stablecoins for everyday microtransactions, underscoring the strategic relevance of Cloudflare's move, though the company has not yet disclosed a timeline for the NET Dollar’s availability. Source
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently approved new listing standards for commodity-based trust shares, a policy shift that industry experts believe could significantly shorten the path to launching spot crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Analysts suggest this is a positive step toward a "wave of spot crypto ETP launches," particularly for assets that already have futures on major platforms. While the change has little bearing on assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum that are already well-vetted, it could dramatically cut down the approval time—from years to months—for ETFs tied to digital assets that have not yet been individually reviewed, provided they still comply with all pre-existing standards for ETF formation and trading. This generic standard creates more predictability for issuers and investors by potentially eliminating the need for separate applications for certain eligible assets, allowing an exchange to list a product directly if it meets the generic criteria.
However, the policy change is not without controversy, as one SEC commissioner, Caroline Crenshaw, expressed concern that the new listing standards bypassed requirements for reviewing investor protection for what she termed "new and arguably unproven products." Other experts countered that all pre-existing diligence requirements under the '33 and '40 acts remain in place, suggesting the rule change is more of a clarification than a reduction in standards. Proponents argue the generic listing standards could ultimately help average investors by clearly identifying which digital assets have significant retail appeal in an ETF format. Following the rule change, one asset manager has already expanded its crypto ETF offerings to include coins like XRP, Solana, and Stellar, with speculation that many more coins with futures on Coinbase are now eligible for spot ETF consideration. Source
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The Markethive internal wallet is a comprehensive financial management solution for entrepreneurs within the Markethive ecosystem, designed to secure and optimize business operations with a user-friendly interface. It acts as a complete financial hub, tracking and recording all economic activities, including micropayments, subscription fees, staking rewards, retail sales income, and the distribution/redemption of Promo Codes. Furthermore, it meticulously facilitates loan transactions, including those tied to E1 Upgrade investments, logging interest payments through the Incentivized Loan Program (ILP) to ensure accurate and transparent accounting. The wallet is the core of a complete financial infrastructure that utilizes a range of digital assets, including Markethive Credits, ILP founders tokens, Markethive Tokens (MHVs), and its native token, Hivecoin (HVC).
Markethive places paramount importance on security, employing advanced encryption protocols, multi-factor authentication, and regular audits to protect user data and mitigate threats, making the wallet virtually impenetrable. Functioning as a comprehensive financial accounting hub enhanced by blockchain and decentralization, the wallet features a Vault at its heart for managing finances, including the ILP Report and account balances, where users can acquire Markethive Credits—the internal currency fixed at a 1:1 ratio with the US dollar—for platform services and peer-to-peer transactions. The wallet also supports cryptocurrency management with Hot and Cold Storage options for Hivecoin (developed on the Solana blockchain for fast, low-cost transactions) and a Bitcoin sub-wallet with a Vault Funding Threshold feature that automatically converts Bitcoin to Markethive Credits. Beyond fund management, the wallet serves as a gateway for users to access a suite of products and services, including membership upgrades, various exchanges (E1, Banner, ILP), advertising tools, and content broadcasting, while also managing a tiered system of Promo Codes, including unique Vanity Promo Codes for marketing. Source
Bitcoin’s rally faces a critical test as a record $17.06 billion in Bitcoin options—part of a $22.3 billion total crypto options expiry—collides with a key U.S. inflation report (Core PCE) this Friday. Experts warn that $108,000 is a critical price level due to heavy short gamma positioning among options dealers, who could be forced to sell into a declining market if that level breaks, potentially exacerbating a drop. One derivatives expert anticipates a failure to hold above $108,000, especially combined with market weakness, could trigger a sharp move down to $96,000, independent of the inflation news. All eyes are on the Core PCE release, as a hotter-than-expected reading could worsen Bitcoin’s ongoing correction, while a softer number could loosen the market and allow for a sharp upside rebound.
Despite the immediate, volatile crossroads, experts maintain a long-term bullish outlook for Bitcoin, driven by the anticipated demand for spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and improving liquidity in the fourth quarter. One expert sees prices going "drastically higher" and "easily...above $250,000" if the Federal Reserve eases its inflation-fighting stance. This sentiment is supported by options data showing heavy buying of year-end call options with high strikes, specifically at $120,000 and $140,000. However, the short-term risk remains, driven by uncertainty over the Fed's path and current weakness in risk assets, making the outcome of this week's convergence of the massive options expiry and inflation data crucial for Bitcoin’s immediate trajectory. Source
China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), has launched a new operations center for the digital yuan in Shanghai, focusing on cross-border payments, blockchain services, and digital assets. This hub is part of a broader strategy, outlined by PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng, to advance the yuan's internationalization and promote a "multipolar" monetary vision for the global economy, thereby reducing China's dependence on the US dollar. Officials unveiled three new platforms with the center’s launch: a cross-border payments platform, a blockchain service platform, and a digital asset platform. Experts view this as a significant step that could strengthen China’s influence in the international financial system and offer a "Chinese solution" to improving global cross-border payment infrastructure.
The new digital yuan hub aligns with China’s increasing interest in digital currencies and stablecoins to boost the yuan's global reach, despite a mainland ban on crypto trading and mining in 2021. Recent reports indicate that Chinese authorities are considering authorizing yuan-backed stablecoins for global use, a topic discussed at a strategic meeting in Shanghai and encouraged by state-run media. Further illustrating this push, a Hong Kong-based fintech company recently launched the first stablecoin tied to the international version of the Chinese yuan (CNH), specifically intended to facilitate cross-border payments between countries involved in China’s Belt and Road initiative. This dual focus on the central bank digital currency (CBDC) and stablecoins underscores China's commitment to building a financial ecosystem that promotes its currency internationally. Source
The decentralized finance (DeFi) platform Aave is slated to release its V4 protocol upgrade in the fourth quarter of 2025, introducing a major architectural shift from a monolithic design to a more flexible "hub and spoke" modular system. This new structure will feature a central liquidity hub connected to "spokes," which represent modular lending markets with three different risk profiles and custom parameters, allowing for varied borrowing and lending rates without fragmenting liquidity. The update promises a significantly improved user experience, including a new interface that provides a "unified, wallet-level view" of all modular spokes, allowing users to see detailed information and route trades efficiently through a single overview.
In addition to the architectural overhaul, Aave V4 introduces enhanced risk controls and new user-centric features. It will feature dynamic risk configurations to prevent unexpected liquidations caused by changes to global parameters, a significant improvement over the V3 model. The new liquidation engine will adopt a "health-targeted" model, liquidating only enough of a position to return the loan to desired collateral parameters, rather than liquidating the entire sum. Furthermore, the protocol will offer a "Position Manager" option for users to automatically execute actions like withdrawal, borrowing, and repayment, alongside a multi-call feature that allows users to batch multiple actions into a single transaction for easier execution. Source
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) have reportedly initiated contact with several companies following a review that flagged unusual stock trading activity preceding their public announcements of digital asset treasury strategies. The outreach, which is described as preliminary, stems from an analysis of over 200 firms that disclosed plans to add cryptocurrencies—following a model popularized by Michael Saylor’s Strategy—to their balance sheets. Regulators are reportedly investigating whether these sharp price swings and heavy trading volumes in the days before the announcements were the result of selective leaks or trading based on material non-public information.
The potential violation under review is Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg FD), an SEC rule established to ensure that all investors receive equal access to material corporate information simultaneously. Material non-public information (MNPI) is anything an investor would reasonably consider important that could affect a company’s valuation. A violation occurs if MNPI is traced directly to a company source or tipper who leaks it, or an agent who trades on that information. While the outreach followed only some of the firms reviewed, the investigation of such matters typically begins with unusual trading activity, with authorities looking for a direct link—a "smoking gun"—back to the source through internal communications and device records. Source
Asset manager Bitwise has filed a Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch the Bitwise Hyperliquid ETF, a product that would hold and track the token of the decentralized perpetual futures protocol and blockchain, Hyperliquid. The ETF would directly hold the Hyperliquid (HYPE) token, which is used for discounts and to pay fees on its decentralized exchange (DEX). Similar to existing Bitcoin and Ether ETFs, this product is structured to offer in-kind creation and redemptions, allowing shares to be exchanged for HYPE tokens instead of cash, a method the SEC recently approved as more efficient.
This filing comes as competition in the perpetual futures DEX space intensifies, with rival Aster recently launching a token that has seen its open interest and trading volume surge past Hyperliquid's, tripling its volume over the last 24 hours. Despite the SEC recently approving generic listing standards to speed up approvals for crypto ETFs with underlying assets traded on a CFTC-regulated exchange, the Bitwise filing notes that there are currently no Hyperliquid futures contracts registered with the CFTC, meaning the ETF will still require a Form 19b-4 and could take up to 240 days for approval. The filing, which marks the first step in the launch process, does not yet specify the exchange, ticker, or fees for the proposed product. Source
Analysts anticipate that favorable policy developments, the expansion of exchange-traded products (ETPs), and the growing momentum of stablecoins will be the primary catalysts for the crypto market in the fourth quarter. Grayscale's research team highlighted that the proposed CLARITY Act in the U.S., a piece of comprehensive financial services legislation, could significantly foster deeper integration between crypto and traditional finance. Furthermore, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of a generic listing standard for commodity-based ETPs is expected to attract capital inflows by broadening the range of crypto assets accessible to U.S. investors. The market is also poised to benefit from potential Federal Reserve rate cuts, with the first cut since the previous year having occurred on September 17, although some skepticism remains about the possibility of further cuts without a drop in inflation.
The growth of stablecoins, particularly following the signing of the GENIUS Act aimed at establishing clear rules for payment stablecoins, is forecast to be a key performance driver, benefiting chains used for stablecoins such as Ethereum, Solana, and Tron. Institutional tokenization applications, including tokenized money market funds and bank deposits, are also projected to gain traction. Alongside these trends, a significant Bitcoin rally toward the end of the year is widely expected to trigger a subsequent surge in altcoins, continuing the rotational market pattern observed throughout the year. The analyst predictions suggest that revenue-generating decentralized finance (DeFi) projects, stablecoins, and real-world assets (RWA) will continue to be major themes, with ETFs reportedly consuming a notable amount of Bitcoin daily in 2025. Source
Bitcoin has fallen to a four-week low, dipping below the $109,000 mark, amidst growing signals of market cycle exhaustion, as indicated by on-chain analysis. The recent decline is attributed to long-term holders realizing substantial profits, totaling 3.4 million Bitcoin, and a noticeable slowdown in inflows into exchange-traded funds (ETFs) following a recent Federal Reserve rate cut. This level of cumulative profit-taking by long-term holders has historically coincided with previous market cycle tops, prompting Glassnode to suggest that the probabilities now favor a "cooling phase" ahead for the asset. The drop below key support levels around $112,000 has put Bitcoin in a precarious position, with some analysts warning that a deeper correction is possible if the market breaks below the $107,500 level again.
Further concerning indicators include the Spent Output Profit Ratio (SOPR) nearing a value of 1.01, suggesting some holders are beginning to sell at a loss—a sign of market stress. More critically, the Short-Term Holder Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) is approaching zero, which threatens to trigger liquidations as newer market participants quickly move to cut their losses. Glassnode analysts concluded that without a renewed alignment in demand from both institutions and existing holders, the risk of a "deeper cooling" remains high, emphasizing that the macro market structure increasingly resembles a state of exhaustion, despite some optimistic long-term outlooks for the fourth quarter. 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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