Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

ZWTC 2026 Enters Squad Stage as Zoomex Opens Registration for Competition With Up to 2.5 Million USDT in Prizes

VICTORIA, Seychelles, September 21, 2026— Zoomex, a global cryptocurrency trading platform focused on derivatives, has opened regular registration for the ZWTC 2026 Squad Competition, moving its annual trading championship from the launch phase into the active squad formation stage.　　Traders can now select and join participating squads, with regular registration remaining open until October 3, 2026, at 10:00 UTC. Captain registration will close on September 21 at 10:00 UTC, when the official Squad Competition begins. The competition will run until October 11 at 10:00 UTC.　　The Squad Competition carries a prize pool of up to 2,500,000 USDT, accounting for half of the maximum 5,000,000 USDT prize pool announced for ZWTC 2026. Rather than using a single ranking to determine team performance, the competition divides rewards across three categories:Up to 1,500,000 USDTfor the Squad Profit Rate rankingUp to 700,000 USDTfor the Squad Trading Volume rankingUp to 300,000 USDTfor the Squad Popularity category　　The three-part structure gives squads different ways to compete, whether through trading results, sustained eligible trading activity, or their ability to build an active community around the competition.　　Three Rankings, Three Ways for Squads to Compete　　The Squad Profit Rate ranking places trading performance at the center of the competition. Participating squads will be

09-22Industry

Liquid Network attacker crossed into theft: Immunefi CEO

Immunefi CEO Mitchell Amador has said the Liquid Network attackers lost any claim to white-hat status by retaining 598.5 BTC after returning 3,400 BTC from the roughly 4,000 BTC exploit.　　Immunefi founder and CEO Mitchell Amador told crypto.news that moving user assets without permission cannot be treated as a rescue when the researcher later keeps part of the funds or sets payment terms.　　“Coordinated disclosure ends the moment you set the terms yourself,” Amador said. “The money was never yours to save, so moving it is not a rescue.”　　His comments address the dispute left by the Liquid Network incident, in which unidentified actors withdrew roughly 4,000 BTC, valued at about $320 million at the time, before describing themselves as whitehats. They returned 3,400 BTC after Blockstream patched the affected bridge nodes but retained 598.5 BTC.　　Blockstream has rejected the group‘s demand for a 10% bounty and has said it will not pay for the return of the remaining Bitcoin. The company also rejected the attackers’ claim that the operation amounted to responsible disclosure.　　Liquid Network attackers could not set their own terms　　Amador said a security researcher must use private disclosure channels, preferably through a defined bug bounty program, instead of taking assets and negotiating

09-22Industry

Strategy And Strive Announce $182.7 Million Bitcoin Buy

Bitcoin treasuries kicked off Monday with a bang, with Strategy and Strive announcing they scooping up a combined 2,305 BTC for $182.7 million.　　Strategy said in a filing that it last week bought 950 bitcoins for $75.7 million — its first buy since August — and Strive snapped up 1,355 BTC for $107.7 million.　　The announcement comes as the price of the biggest cryptocurrency surges. Bitcoins price recently stood at $86,008, a 6% 24-hour rise, after hitting as high as $86,282 earlier on Monday.　　Strategy, the biggest corporate holder of bitcoin, also repurchased $174 million of its STRC perpetual preferred shares. The company has hit pause on buying this year to buy back its stock and build a cash reserve.　　On some occasions, the company even sold small bits of its BTC stash — despite founder and chairman Michael Saylor famously preaching to “never sell your bitcoin.”　　After a 10-week hiatus, the company started buying bitcoin again in the final week of August, scooping up nearly $370 million in the leading cryptocurrency.　　Its bitcoin holdings now stand at 846,000 coins — worth $72.7 billion at todays prices.　　Strive has continued its buying every week, going up the rankings of companies holding bitcoin. The Nasdaq-listed company is now

09-22Industry

Coinbase Brings IPO Shares to US Retail Traders, With Oura Up First

In briefCoinbase is opening IPO allocations to eligible U.S. retail customers through its app.Smart-ring maker Oura will be the first company offered through the service.Customers who quickly sell allocated shares could lose access to subsequent offerings.　　Coinbase is making a bigger play for retail investors by adding IPO share allocations to its expanding lineup of traditional investments. The crypto exchange will open the service to eligible U.S. customers this week with smart-ring maker Ouras planned Nasdaq debut.　　According to a Monday announcement, eligible U.S. customers can request Oura shares at the IPO price through the Coinbase app before public trading begins this week.　　Myriad: Which company IPOs next？ Click to make your prediction.　　“This new feature is yet another step toward growing the Everything Exchange, as our US customers now gain early exposure to high-interest companies before they hit public exchanges,” the company said in a statement.　　While Coinbase did not disclose why it chose to start with Oura, the launch comes as the smart-ring maker prepares to list on Nasdaq under the ticker “OURA,” offering 50 million shares at an expected price of $40 to $44 each.　　To participate, Coinbase said, customers select an offering through the IPO page in Coinbases app, fund their accounts,

09-22Industry

Bitcoin reclaims 50-week moving average as analysts eye end of bear market

Bitcoin has closed above its 50-week moving average for the first time in more than 10 months, a development some analysts said could signal the end of Bitcoins bear market.　　Bitcoin closed the week at $81,159 on Coinbase on Sunday, above its 50-week moving average of $78,788, according to TradingView. The last weekly close above the moving average was on Nov. 9, 2025.　　In August, Galaxy Researchs head of firmwide research Alex Thorn described the 50-week moving average as serving as a ceiling during bear markets.　　“In four of the five completed bear markets, once the 50-week moving average was first broken to the upside, the bear market bottom was definitively ‘in,’” he said in a research note.　　“Essentially, retaking the 50w MA has previously confirmed the end of a bear market,” Thorn added.　　Bitcoin closed the week at $81,159 on Coinbase, above its 50-week moving average (blue). Source: TradingView　　The latest close is also Bitcoins highest weekly close in four months, according to data from TradingView.　　On Tuesday, ahead of the weekly close, crypto research company Collective Shift founder Ben Simpson said Bitcoin closing above its 50-week moving average would be “the last thing I need to see before I call this a bull market.” He

09-22Industry

INJ Price Prediction: Upper Band Rejection Risk Looms at $7.81 as Momentum Flatlines Before the $8.17 Wall

Jessie A Ellis　　Sep 21, 2026 10:31　　INJ has ripped nearly 75% above its 200-day moving average and is now pressing against the upper Bollinger Band with RSI in overbought territory and MACD momentum completely drained — a short-term …　　INJs Parabolic Run Hits a Ceiling — And the Chart Is Screaming It　　INJ doesnt do things halfway. Coming into Mondays New York open at $7.81, Injective is sitting more than 72% above its 200-day moving average of $4.53 — the kind of extended positioning that makes momentum traders salivate and risk managers sweat in equal measure. The 24-hour range of $7.53–$8.21 tells the real story: buyers tested $8.21 and got turned away clean, leaving INJ to consolidate just below its pivot at $7.85.　　This isn‘t random chop. The price rejection from $8.21 is happening precisely where it should — within a whisker of the upper Bollinger Band at $7.87 and hard against the immediate resistance wall at $8.17. Anyone calling for a straight-line continuation from here is ignoring the market’s own fingerprints. The setup is textbook: a powerful trend, now overbought, now compressing. Blockchain.news has tracked several Layer-1 cycles where this exact configuration preceded a shake-the-tree pullback before the next leg higher.　　The macro backdrop

09-22Industry

Aurora Intents routed $19M into Zcash NFT auction

Aurora Intents has processed more than $19 million across 1,718 swaps for the zkSNARKS auction, accounting for over half of the assets converted and deposited into the ZEC-denominated sale.　　Aurora Intents handled half of the auction volume　　Aurora Labs CEO Declan Hannon told crypto.news that Aurora Intents processed just over $19 million of the $36.94 million deposited for the zkSNARKS auction, with the conversions completed through 1,718 swaps.　　“Its the value, the dollar value of assets converted into ZEC. Aurora Intents processed over 50% of the total volume swapped and deposited for the auction. Just over $19M out of $36.94M moved through us across 1718 swaps,” Hannon said.　　The figure measures the value routed through Auroras cross-chain infrastructure, rather than the number of bids or completed NFT purchases. Some of the assets were attached to unsuccessful bids and later became eligible for refunds under the auction rules.　　Auction results showed that participants submitted 16,971 bids for 8,000 available zkSNARKS assets. Total submitted volume reached 25,305 ZEC, worth approximately $36.94 million at the time, while the sale cleared at 1.5 ZEC per asset.　　Under the sealed, uniform-price format, bidders placed offers without seeing the full order book. The 8,000 successful bidders paid the same clearing price, regardless

09-22Industry

Avalanche price nears $12 - Can the Helicon upgrade propel AVAX higher？

Avalanche [AVAX] experienced a price surge of 16.91% to $11.23 at press time, as the Helicon upgrade anticipation and stronger trading activity supported its breakout.　　The rally arrived one day before the scheduled Helicon upgrade on the 22nd of September, giving the expansion a clear fundamental catalyst. Additionally, the trading volume surged 29.88% to $1.4 billion, suggesting improved participation during the 24-hour move.　　Reportedly, the Helicon upgrade will reduce the staking unlock times from several weeks to only 48 hours. This flexibility could make staking more attractive to larger investors seeking easier access to capital.　　Meanwhile, the broader Layer 1 rotation also supported the price surge as capital returned toward key blockchain infrastructure tokens. AVAXs price advance aligned with both sector rotation and expectations surrounding a major network upgrade.　　In fact, the timing strengthened the rallys fundamental backdrop instead of leaving the price appreciation dependent solely on speculative activity.　　Whales take AVAX beyond exchanges　　Furthermore, large AVAX movements followed the rally as investors repositioned substantial capital across on-chain markets and exchanges. Reportedly, more than $3.5 million in AVAX was moved across Tier-1 exchanges within 30 minutes.　　Upbit moved 140,000 AVAX, valued roughly at $1.59 million, across four different wallets, while Binance internally shifted 148,600 AVAX, worth nearly

09-22Industry

ECB Launches Pontes to Bring Central Bank Money to Tokenized Finance

ECB launches Pontes for wholesale tokenized asset settlements using central bank money, supporting Europes growing digital financial infrastructure through 2028.　　The ECB launched Pontes on September 21, 2026, enabling wholesale tokenized asset transactions using central bank money. The new system connects tokenized finance with established Eurosystem settlement infrastructure. As a result, banks are able to utilize central bank money in eligible tokenized transactions.　　Pontes is the Eurosystems first effort in tokenized finance. The project adapts central bank money for increasingly digital financial markets.　　How ECBs Pontes Will Support Tokenized Asset Settlements　　Tokenization is the process of turning assets into digital tokens, typically through the use of distributed ledger technology. These networks can facilitate quicker trading, settlement, custody, and other financial processes.　　Related reading:Stable.com Partners With Polygon for Direct Bank Stablecoin Transfers | Live Bitcoin News　　Discover more　　Bitcoin mining hardware　　Blockchain development tools　　Access Premium News　　Furthermore, smart contracts can streamline some of these processes. This may enable financial institutions to integrate multiple phases of an assets life cycle more effectively.　　Pontes expands on the Eurosystem 2024 tests. Those tests looked at the potential of using distributed ledger technology to facilitate settlement with central bank money.　　The ECB stated that the participants believed access to a settlement asset without risk to be

09-22Industry

One wallet links $1.55 million FetchAI theft to massive 408.5 million NTX mint

A coordinated attack drained 8.7 million FET and used a compromised NuNet minter key to create 408.5 million NTX.　　Related Asset Artificial Superintelligence Alliance #93 FET · $0.20 24-hour change: up 11.94% Loading price history… 24H Up 11.94% 7D Up 14.96% 30D Up 19.98%　　The Sept. 19 attack emptied the Ethereum-side conversion contract used by SingularityNETs bridge, removing 8,721,530 FET worth about $1.55 million at the time. Twenty-nine minutes later, a stolen NuNet minter created 408.5 million NTX and sent the tokens to the same receiving wallet, according to an on-chain forensic report prepared by Athena.　　Fetch.ai subsequently paused AGIX-to-FET conversions and its Ethereum-side bridge contract as a precaution. The company said the affected infrastructure belonged to SingularityNET, primarily its Ethereum-Cardano bridge, while Fetch.ais own contracts and normal FET transfers remained operational.　　Related Asset NuNet NTX · $0.00053 24-hour change: up 780.38%　　The forensic report identified the affected contract as TokenConversionManagerV3, the legitimate Ethereum-side lock-and-release component of SingularityNET‘s bridge. Its verified source matches SingularityNET’s public repository, and the contract is tied to the current Artificial Superintelligence Alliance FET token.　　Related Asset Ethereum ETH · $2,747.34 24-hour change: up 4.23%　　Investigators traced the loss to a compromised backend authorization key, not a flaw that let an attacker bypass

09-22Industry

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