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This week in crypto: Richard Heart detained, Ledger Atom, Starknet's post-quantum vote
Richard Heart's detention in Istanbul preceded a roughly $246 million drop in HEX's market cap, Ledger unveiled its $849 Atom wallet, and Starknet put a post-quantum layer-1 move to a vote, per Cointelegraph's weekly digest.
Markets slide on AI spending fears and hot CPI data
According to CNBC's Morning Squawk, stocks fell Wednesday on worries over AI-related debt loads, and September CPI came in hotter than expected, marking the 66th straight month above the Fed's 2% target. Chip stocks extended losses in Thursday premarket trading.
Payward Moves to Gain EU Bank License via Saldo Purchase
Bitcoin Magazine reports that Payward, parent of Kraken, signed a definitive agreement to buy Saldo Finance Oy and its banking subsidiary, securing an EU license spanning five markets. Closing is targeted for 2027 and would support deposit interest, loans, credit cards and banking-as-a-service products.
Standard Chartered Debuts Bitcoin Trading for UAE Wealth Clients
Standard Chartered announced bitcoin trading for affluent UAE clients on October 14, allowing direct purchases through bank accounts. The move positions the bank as the first international institution to offer the service in the country and extends its existing crypto operations in Luxembourg and Hong Kong.
UK court rules Chinese law governs claims to 61,000 seized bitcoin
A London court ruled that Chinese law governs claims over 61,000 bitcoin seized from a convicted fraudster, narrowing victims' recovery path, the Financial Times reported. The decision improves the U.K. government's chances of retaining most of the about £3.8 billion holding.
Crypto roundup: Stablecoin accounting rules, FSB warnings, XRP Ledger patch
CoinTelegraph reports on a proposed US accounting change for stablecoins, an FSB letter warning G20 officials about stablecoin oversight gaps and AI risks, and XRP Ledger developers defending a September emergency patch that bypassed the usual vote.
Ledger tampering reports spread to Europe as AI exposes XRP overflow bug
Reports of Ledger hardware wallet tampering have spread to Europe, though Ledger has not confirmed the European case, and an AI-assisted review uncovered a dormant XRP minting flaw. The incidents highlight ongoing hardware and protocol risks in crypto.
Standard Chartered to Offer Digital Asset Custody in Singapore
Standard Chartered intends to launch digital asset custody services for institutional clients in Singapore. The expansion builds on existing operations in the UAE, Luxembourg and Hong Kong plus the 2025 establishment of a London crypto trading desk.
OKX Secures Backing at $25 Billion Pre-Money Valuation
OKX attracted investment at a $25 billion pre-money valuation from Circle, Ripple, Standard Chartered’s venture arm and Qube Research. The round builds on prior support from Intercontinental Exchange and advances the firm’s tokenized asset and platform expansion plans.
Skydance merger closes, Musk regains trillionaire status, AI risks flagged
A $110 billion media merger closed Tuesday while Elon Musk regains trillionaire status and former AI researchers issue safety warnings. Investors are watching these developments as markets open higher.
Schneider Electric Agrees to Buy PTC for $22.6 Billion
Schneider Electric has agreed to acquire PTC in a $22.6 billion all-cash deal. The transaction strengthens Schneider's industrial software and AI portfolio ahead of expected data-center and automation demand.
OKXICE Files for 24/7 Tokenized Stock Trading Under SEC Exemption
OKXICE has notified the SEC of plans to operate nonstop tokenized trading for more than 60 U.S. equities under the Innovation Exemption, with pairs against stablecoins and access limited to verified wallets on XLayer.
SEC Proposes Crypto Custody Rules for Advisers and Funds
The SEC advanced regulations permitting investment advisers and funds to custody crypto assets under defined conditions, establishing a regulatory path following the Clarity Act blockage last month.
Dow drops over 4% in September as Micron posts 11-fold data center revenue jump
The Dow fell more than 4% in September while Micron posted an 11-fold data center revenue increase and beat expectations. Kashkari stated inflation is still too high at around a 3% rate.
MetaMask Withdraws Validators from Lido Following Infrastructure Issue
MetaMask has begun removing Ethereum validators from Lido after a security incident struck part of its infrastructure. The action is precautionary, with no immediate wallet threat identified and ETH returns possibly taking up to 45 days.
This week in crypto: stablecoin payments partnership, BTC rebound, and Strategy buy
Citi and Coinbase launched a stablecoin integration that hides all crypto elements from business users. Bitcoin ETFs recorded modest inflows while Strategy added 1,665 BTC to reach record holdings.
California Bans Public Officials From Issuing Memecoins
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation barring public officials from issuing memecoins and prohibiting companies from using officials' likenesses in such coins. The rules were motivated by reports of roughly one million investors losing an alleged $3.8 billion on a 2025 presidential memecoin.
APAC leads crypto adoption as Bitget revises breach to $388M
APAC nations hold nine of the top 20 spots in the 2026 crypto adoption ranking while Bitget revised its breach figure to about $387.5 million from an initial $351.6 million. Regional banks are also testing 24-hour settlement and blockchain bond issuance.
SoFi moves entire card program to SoFiUSD stablecoin settlement
SoFi has begun settling its card program with Mastercard using SoFiUSD, targeting more than $25 billion in expected annualized volume after migration. The change provides faster onchain settlement while leaving consumer cards and merchant systems unchanged.
Warren Buffett steps down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman
Warren Buffett has stepped down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway and will become chairman emeritus, with his son Howard taking over under a long-standing succession plan at the $1 trillion company he has led since 1965.
Copart Agrees to Buy ACV Auctions for $1.9 Billion in Cash
Copart will purchase ACV Auctions through a $1.9 billion all-cash transaction to secure access to dealer trade-ins and wholesale inventory earlier in the used-car lifecycle. The acquisition merges ACV’s digital marketplace and supporting tools with Copart’s physical assets in a long-term data and logistics approach.
Bitmine buys 28k ETH, hits 97% of 5% supply goal
Bitmine Immersion Technologies purchased 28,086 ETH last week, reaching 97% of its goal to hold 5% of Ether's supply with 5.93 million ETH now in treasury. The move comes as the company reports $15.7 billion in assets and $330 million in annualized staking revenue but faces a $5.1 billion unrealized loss on its holdings.
Nvidia subscribes to US$3.5 billion of MediaTek's record US$3.9 billion convertible bond
MediaTek finalized pricing of a record US$3.9 billion overseas convertible bond on August 31, 2026, with Nvidia reportedly subscribing to US$3.5 billion or roughly 90 percent of the total. The issuance, which exceeds NT$120 billion, is described by the company as the largest overseas CB ever from a Taiwanese issuer.
Stripe Acquires AI Gateway OpenRouter for Over $7B
Stripe has finalized an agreement to acquire AI gateway startup OpenRouter for more than $7 billion according to Bloomberg. The deal values the company far above its $1.3 billion valuation from a May funding round and brings a platform with 8 million users and access to over 400 models into Stripe's portfolio.