Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Financial Data Giant S&P Global Moves Deeper Into Crypto With OpenZeppelin Deal

In briefS&P Global has agreed to acquire smart contract security firm OpenZeppelin.OpenZeppelins code libraries have underpinned more than $37 trillion in value transferred through stablecoins, tokenized funds, and DeFi protocols.Financial terms were not disclosed, and S&P Global said the deal is not expected to materially affect its financial results.　　Credit ratings giant S&P Global has agreed to acquire smart contract security firm OpenZeppelin, expanding its risk assessment business to the code underpinning tokenized financial products.　　Announced on Thursday, the deal will give S&P Global access to OpenZeppelins smart contract security tools and technical expertise as banks and asset managers move more financial products onto blockchain networks.　　Myriad: How high will gold prices go？ Click to make your your prediction.　　“As digital assets and tokenized markets continue to mature, OpenZeppelins technology and expertise will complement our smart contract and onchain technology risk assessment capabilities, giving traditional financial institutions and DeFi-native companies alike the confidence to build and transact in this new environment,” Yann Le Pallec, President, S&P Global Ratings, said in a statement.　　While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, S&P Global says its digital assets strategy centers on “bringing trusted data, benchmarks and transparent risk assessment to markets as they move onchain.”　　Founded in

09-18Industry

Bitcoin and US Stocks Rebound as Traders Shake Off Fed Rate Hike

Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $76,500 after Thursdays Wall Street open as investors snapped up US stocks following their recent dip.　　Key points:Bitcoin consolidated after dropping below $76,000 on the back of a 0.25% interest-rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.US equities rebounded, with the Nasdaq Composite Index gaining 1.5% as analysis saw upside continuation.Bitcoin price analysis retained its bullish slant on market conditions, with CryptoQuants Bull Score Index circling 60/100 on Thursday.　　Bitcoin halts losses as US stocks turn green　　Data from TradingView showed that BTC price volatility was cooling over the last 24 hours, with only modest moves to take nearby liquidity.　　Discover more　　News　　Trade Crypto Assets　　Try Operations Software　　Data from CoinGlass showed both bid and ask liquidity thickening around the current spot price, a typical feature of rangebound trading conditions.　　US equities gained on the day, as investors sought to capitalize on the local downside that followed policy tightening by the US Federal Reserve. The S&P 500 Index and tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.9% and 1.5%, respectively.　　On Wednesday, the Fed voted to increase benchmark interest rates by 25 basis points to 3.75-4%. This was its first hike since July 2023, and signaled an end to three years of easing in which the Fed either

09-18Industry

Bitcoin stalls near $76K as US jobless claims drop

Bitcoin has struggled to hold an advance above $76,800 after U.S. initial jobless claims fell by 10,000 to 196,000, strengthening the case for the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates elevated after its latest increase.　　US jobless claims strengthen the case for higher rates　　The U.S. Department of Labor reported that initial claims for unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 196,000 in the week ending Sep. 12, down from 206,000 a week earlier.　　Economists had expected 207,000 claims, making the reading stronger than forecast. The four-week moving average, which smooths out some of the changes in the weekly figures, declined to 203,250 from 206,000.　　Initial claims track new applications for unemployment benefits and provide an early view of layoffs across the United States. Although the Labor Department notes that weekly figures can be volatile, a decline generally indicates that employers are retaining workers.　　For Federal Reserve officials, the latest reading adds to evidence that the U.S. labor market has remained firm despite elevated borrowing costs. Policymakers have less pressure to lower rates when job losses are limited, particularly while inflation remains above the central banks 2% goal.　　The report arrived one day after the Federal Open Market Committee raised its target range by 25 basis

09-18Industry

Stani’s Aave “Uber plan” could turn everyday crypto savers into Washingtons worst political nightmare

The Senate gave DeFi a policy setback on Sept. 15. Then Aave founder Stani Kulechov used it to frame a new product challenge. Aave is a decentralized-finance lending protocol surrounded by consumer and institutional products built by Aave Labs.　　Related Asset Aave #39 AAVE · $126.01 24-hour change: up 8.69% Loading price history… 24H Up 8.69% 7D Up 4.10% 30D Up 40.85%　　At 2:19 p.m. Eastern time, senators rejected cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3633, the CLARITY Act, a federal digital-asset market-structure bill, by 49-50. The procedural vote required three-fifths, so the result blocked the bills immediate route to floor consideration. It was not a final-passage vote and did not erase the authority regulators already have.　　About 46 minutes later, Kulechov wrote on X that DeFi should respond by building products millions want and becoming “too important to ignore.” He called it “The Uber path.”　　Related Person Stani Kulechov Founder and CEO · Aave　　The analogy is a strategy for political leverage, not a claim that popularity changes the law. Aaves own product roadmap shows why the distinction matters. Consumer-friendly accounts, institutional lending against tokenized assets and a proposed securities-finance architecture could expand the number of people and firms with a stake

09-18Industry

Zcash miner Fortitude taps former Hut 8 CEO to lead ahead of public listing

Fortitude Mining has appointed former Hut 8 CEO Jaime Leverton as chief executive as the Zcash-focused miner prepares to go public through a proposed merger with HeartSciences. Leverton will succeed Andrea Childs as CEO on Sept. 21, with Childs moving to chief operating officer.　　Fortitude mined 72,696 ZEC in the first half of 2026, accounting for about 28% of the networks total production during the period. The company reported revenue of $20.9 million for the second quarter.　　It operates more than 60 megawatts of power capacity across seven sites in South Dakota, Nebraska, Texas and New York, and in July agreed to purchase 9,000 Bitmain Antminer Z15 Pro machines, which are expected to add 7.56 GSol/s of equihash hashrate. Shipments are expected in the fourth quarter.　　Fortitude, wholly owned by Digital Currency Group, has mined ZEC since 2019 and launched as a vertically integrated mining platform in 2025.　　The company announced its proposed combination with HeartSciences in June, with the transaction expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026 and bring Fortitude to the public markets. The combined company is expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker TUDE, subject to approval.　　Leverton previously served as CEO of Hut 8, where she oversaw the

09-18Industry

Ric Edelman: Buying Bitcoin Is Like Buying Amazon In 1999

Top financial advisor Ric Edelman has compared buying bitcoin today to Amazon back in 1999.　　Edelman, founder of Edelman Financial Engines, told Bitcoin Magazine TV on Thursday that he also expects the price of the leading cryptocurrency to hit $500,000 by 2030.　　The leading cryptocurrency was recently priced at nearly $76,522 after jumping 1% over the past day. The coin had its best run in years in August after months of trading below $65,000 — significantly below its October record of $126,080.　　“Back in 1999, people were arguing over whether to invest in Amazon,” Edelman said. “Nobody has that argument — everybody owns it, and Bitcoin will have the same trajectory in the future.”　　Regarding price, Edelman said that while he expects bitcoin to hit $500,000, it should reach a higher price if people end up allocating more than 1% of their assets to the coin.　　Edelman said: “If everybody in the world allocates 1% of assets to bitcoin, that translates to a $500,000 price — its really that simple.”　　“You don‘t have to go to a website and look at that arithmetic, and there’s nothing that I see thats going to interfere [with my price prediction] — in fact, just the opposite.”　　JUST IN: $337 billion

09-18Industry

BoE recap: A cautious stance amid rising inflation risks

The Bank of England left Bank Rate unchanged at 3.75% but delivered a distinctly hawkishmessage as its inflation outlook deteriorated sharply. Three policymakers voted for an immediate increase to 4%, while Governor Andrew Bailey warned that a prolonged Middle East conflict and wider second-round effects could require tighter policy.　　A divided MPC and policy tightening on the cards　　The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted 6-3 to maintain the Bank Rate at 3.75%, in line with expectations. Chief Economist Huw Pill and external members Megan Greene and Catherine Mann preferred a 25-basis-point increase to 4%, highlighting the growing concern about persistentprice pressures. The MPC also voted unanimouslyto continue unwinding its gilt holdings.　　Discover more　　News　　NEWS　　FINANCE　　The inflation projections were the most striking part of the decision. The BoE now expects consumer price inflation to exceed 4% in early 2027, compared with a previous forecast for a 3.2% peak in October-November 2026. Although the bank repeated that there was still little evidence of material second-round effects, it acknowledged that inflation risks were tilted to the upsiderelative to its July forecast.　　Bailey said policy might have to tightenif the Middle East conflict persisted for an extended period and the risk of second-round effects increased. Energy prices remain the immediate

09-18Industry

WisdomTree and MoonPay Link Tokenized Funds to Stablecoin Reserves

Alexander Zdravkov is a crypto journalist and market analyst specializing in digital assets, blockchain technology, and the rapidly evolving cryptocurrency market. He entered the industry more than four years ago, drawn to the speed of innovation in crypto and the potential of blockchain-based financial systems to reshape traditional markets.　　His work focuses on understanding the forces behind crypto market movements, from Bitcoin and altcoin cycles to institutional adoption, regulation, exchange-traded products, stablecoins, DeFi, and emerging blockchain ecosystems. Rather than simply following price action, Alexander looks at liquidity, investor positioning, market structure, and macroeconomic conditions to identify developing trends and explain what they could mean for digital assets.　　With a degree in International Relations, he brings a broader perspective to cryptocurrency coverage by connecting developments in the sector with monetary policy, geopolitics, regulation, and global capital flows. This allows him to examine crypto not as an isolated market, but as an increasingly interconnected part of the global financial system.　　Over the course of more than five years in financial journalism, Alexander has written over 5,000 articles covering cryptocurrencies, blockchain, traditional markets, and the global economy. His reporting spans Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, DeFi protocols, institutional crypto adoption, regulation, market infrastructure, security incidents, and major

09-18Industry

Kennedy Center Director Tells Court Building Closed For A Week For ‘Structural Assessments’

Topline　　The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is shuttered for at least a week to assess alleged “safety risks,” its director told a federal court Thursday, after opponents of the Trump administration‘s takeover of the venue called for an emergency hearing over the building’s sudden closure—and President Donald Trump suggested the Kennedy Center could be “ripped down.”　　A security guard stand next to a scaffolding and a large protective tarp covering part of the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on September 15.　　AFP via Getty Images　　Key Facts　　The government submitted a court filing Thursday after Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, asked the court to schedule an emergency hearing over the Kennedy Center being closed to the public on Wednesday.　　The sudden closure, which the Kennedy Center‘s spokesperson confirmed on social media, came amid broader fears of the Trump administration tearing down the historic venue, as the president told reporters Wednesday night that if he didn’t get “recognition” at the Kennedy Center, “its going to close, it will end up being ripped down.”　　Discover more　　NEWS　　Fintech　　Merchant Services & Payment Systems　　In its court filing Thursday, the Trump administration alleged the building was being only temporarily closed due to “acute risks

09-18Industry

'Tokenization Is Coming to America': Robinhood CEO Hails SEC's Historic Ruling

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved a five-year regulatory framework for the “Innovation Exemption.” The decision legalizes, for the first time, the trading of blockchain-based tokenized stocks in the United States.　　Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev commented on the regulators decision on X with a succinct phrase: “Tokenization is coming to America.”　　According to him, U.S. investors will finally gain access to the benefits of on-chain infrastructure: 24/7 trading, instant settlement, and fractional stock ownership by default. Robinhood has already confirmed its support for the initiative.　　The SECs approval came in response to the prolonged impasse in Congress, which has failed to pass the relevant CLARITY Act. Instead of waiting for a comprehensive legislative framework, the commission created a controlled, temporary “sandbox” for testing the technologies.　　Under the new rules, qualified platforms (Tokenized Securities Venues) are allowed to move traditional NMS stocks into an on-chain environment. Trading will be conducted through automated market makers (AMMs) and liquidity pools.　　Robinhood CEO clashed with businesses over “pirate” stocks. The SEC made peace but left a loophole　　The SECs reform also brings an end to the high-profile public dispute Vlad Tenev had with traditional businesses during the first half of September.　　Earlier, AMC CEO Adam Aron criticized the

09-18Industry

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