Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Japans biggest payment network opens its doors for crypto via Binance Pay

Japanese payment provider PayPay added Binance Pay on Sept. 30, letting eligible overseas visitors pay from their crypto balances at participating offline stores in Japan. Merchants receive the proceeds in Japanese yen.　　Related Company Binance Global crypto exchange　　PayPays launch announcement says the integration runs through HIVEX, a cross-border payment network. For visiting Binance users, funds held in their crypto accounts can cover a yen-denominated purchase, with conversion handled during payment.　　Binance says the feature is exclusively for visitors who have completed its identity verification and is unavailable to Japan residents. Its launch blog sets out that restriction, while PayPay specifically excludes Binance Japan users residing in Japan.　　This visitor-payment launch does not extend the checkout feature to the exchanges domestic customers.　　How visitors pay　　The payment tools sit inside the Binance app. A visitor can show a PayPay payment code for the merchant to scan, or scan a participating merchants PayPay QR code.　　Both modes use the customers Binance balance, so the new payment option works through QR checkouts rather than requiring the merchant to receive crypto.　　Binances Japan visitor FAQ says users can review the exchange rate before confirming. It says it supports more than 100 cryptocurrencies, including USDT, USDC, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and BNB.　　Related Asset Tether

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Stellar (XLM), Near Protocol (NEAR), XRP Rallies Are Ending: 160% in Exchange Deposits

The latest altcoin rally is running into a potentially serious supply problem. Exchange deposits involving altcoins surged roughly 160% in only two weeks, raising the possibility that holders are beginning to lock in profits after Septembers strong performance.　　More pressure might arise　　According to CryptoQuant data, the seven-day number of altcoin deposits reached approximately 78,000 transactions on September 28, compared with 29,800 on September 14. This is the highest reading since October 2025. More importantly, depositing addresses nearly tripled from 17,600 to approximately 51,600, suggesting the increase is broad rather than being caused by several large wallets.　　Source: CoinMarketCap　　That creates an uncomfortable backdrop for some of Septembers strongest performers. Near Protocol (NEAR) is trading around $5.29 after gaining approximately 21.7% over seven days, according to the supplied market data. Stellar (XLM) remains up approximately 9.9% for the week at $0.2236, while XRP trades around $1.48 after its own substantial September advance.　　Is there more to sell？　　The problem is that these rallies created a much larger pool of holders sitting on unrealized profits. Moving tokens onto centralized exchanges does not prove that investors will sell, but it puts those assets immediately within reach of market liquidity.　　CryptoQuant consequently interprets the surge as evidence of increasing potential

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Seven TRON addresses sanctioned over alleged Tren de Aragua ATM attacks

TRON has been pulled into another U.S. sanctions action after the Treasury Department added seven addresses on the network to its sanctions list over an alleged ATM jackpotting operation tied to Tren de Aragua.　　SummarySeven TRON addresses that received about $6.1 million were added to the U.S. sanctions list over an alleged Tren de Aragua ATM jackpotting operation.All seven addresses were hosted by a centralized crypto exchange, potentially allowing the underlying accounts and connected activity to be identified.U.S. authorities reported $40.73 million in losses across more than 1,500 alleged Tren de Aragua jackpotting attacks as of August 2025.Funds from the sanctioned TRON addresses were sent to other wallets associated with Tren de Aragua, with another connected network receiving about $35 million.　　According to TRM Labs, the seven TRON addresses received approximately $6.1 million in total inflows since March 2022. The blockchain intelligence firm cautioned that not all of the funds were necessarily connected to the alleged ATM scheme.　　The addresses were added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List as the U.S. Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned eight individuals and two Mexico based companies over the operation. A separate Tren de Aragua leader accused by Treasury of involvement in

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Crypto hardware wallets compared for 2026

A hardware wallet is a device designed to protect the private keys used to approve cryptocurrency transactions. In plain terms, your crypto remains on the blockchain, while a hardware wallet holds the keys that let you access it.　　The main differences between wallets are which coins they support, how they connect to your phone or computer, and how you check and approve a transaction. This guide explains those differences and what they mean when choosing a wallet.　　How we assessed these wallets　　Cointelegraph tested Trezor Safe 7, Ledger Stax, Flex, Nano Gen5, Nano X, Nano S Plus and Coinkites Opendime. Testing used smartphones and computers running both Linux and macOS operating systems, with both third-party and official software. The Opendime was used as cold storage; the others were used to test both simple transactions and decentralized application interactions. All the other models covered in the article were reviewed based on publicly available information alone.　　The review units were supplied to the author of the article free of charge by Ledger, Trezor and Coinkite at our request to be able to review the devices. No compensation or promise of positive coverage was made to any of the companies.　　What hardware wallets protect　　A hardware wallet keeps transaction

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FCA opens crypto authorization window ahead of 2027 UK regime

The United Kingdoms Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) opened applications Wednesday for crypto businesses seeking authorization under a regulatory regime due to take effect on Oct. 25, 2027.　　Companies intending to continue operating in the UK should apply by the end of February 2027. The FCA expects to decide applications submitted during that window before the regime takes effect.　　The framework expands the FCAs oversight beyond anti-money laundering and financial promotion requirements. The regulator finalized its rules in June, including requirements covering stablecoin issuance, crypto trading platforms and market abuse.　　“The UK‘s new crypto regime will give consumers greater protections and firms a clear framework to operate in,” said Dominic Cashman, the FCA’s director of authorization.　　Emma Banymandhub, CEO of payments industry trade body The Payments Association, welcomed the opening but urged businesses already registered under money laundering regulations (MLRs) to treat it as a fresh authorization process.　　“MLR registration will not carry over, and firms should be realistic about the standards they will need to meet,” she said in comments shared with Cointelegraph.　　Banymandhub said implementation would be particularly important for smaller and growing businesses.

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Bitcoin ETFs draw $6.3B in Q3 as BTC price rises nearly 43%

US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded about $6.34 billion in net inflows in the third quarter, marking their strongest quarter of 2026 as Bitcoin rebounded from the first half.　　The funds closed September with $2.65 billion in net inflows, down around 25% from $3.52 billion in August and following $172 million in July, according to SoSoValue data.　　The quarterly flows reversed about $5 billion in net outflows recorded in the second quarter. Bitcoin gained 42.71% in the third quarter, its strongest quarterly gain since Q4 2024 and its best third-quarter performance since 2017, according to CoinGlass.　　Bitcoin quarterly returns. Source: CoinGlass　　September inflows ended on a weaker note, with Bitcoin ETFs recording roughly $149 million in net outflows on Wednesday, snapping a nine-day inflow streak that attracted about $3.1 billion.　　US spot Ether ETFs attracted about $3.05 billion in Q3 after roughly $714 million in net outflows in Q2, while Ether gained about 71% during the quarter.　　Among other altcoin funds, XRP ETFs attracted $308 million in Q3, lifting cumulative net inflows to $1.79 billion. Solana and Zcash ETFs also recorded net inflows in September, drawing $272 million and $246 million, respectively.　　Related: Altcoin exchange deposit count jumps 160% in 2 weeks

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Bases Cobalt upgrade adds another rule to affect token balances

Bases Cobalt upgrade, scheduled for mainnet Sept. 30 at 18:00 UTC, will let issuers of B20 tokens configure balance seizures separately from ordinary transfer restrictions. For a token that enables the feature, a holder could remain free to transfer while still being eligible for administrative reassignment.　　B20 is Bases native ERC-20-compatible token standard, offered in Asset and Stablecoin variants. It already gives administrators control over roles and policies governing balance movements, and now it will also govern the administrative powers over those balances.　　Role assignments identify who can exercise a particular power, while policy settings determine which accounts an operation can affect. Changing a tokens rules and executing a balance operation involve distinct permission checks.　　Separate seizure permissions　　The new administrative operation, called seizeWithMemo, moves a specified amount from a holder to another address. It preserves total supply and skips ordinary transfer policies and holder allowances.　　An issuer must configure which accounts lose their exemption before the function can take their tokens. The setting, SEIZE_EXEMPT_POLICY, exempts everyone when left unset. Configuring eligibility alone is insufficient: execution requires SEIZE_ROLE, an unpaused seizure function, a permitted recipient, and sufficient balance.　　B20 issuers can separately allow transfers, enable administrative seizure or burn blocked balances, with seizure disabled by default.　　A

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MetaMask security incident forces Ethereum staking exits, no funds at risk

SummaryMetaMask began exiting affected Ethereum validators after a security incident diverted an estimated 0.36 ETH in block-production payments, though the company said it found no immediate threat to users wallets.A researcher estimated that about 17,000 validators holding roughly 523,000 ETH were being withdrawn, but MetaMask had not confirmed those figures or explained how its systems were compromised.Lido said affected validators could miss rewards during an exit and re-entry process lasting up to about 45 days, while stETH holders do not need to take action.　　MetaMask is pulling Ethereum staking systems out of service after a security incident, with Lido warning of lost rewards and a security researcher reporting that payments from producing blocks were diverted to another wallet.　　The cryptocurrency wallet provider, which also operates staking services, that the incident affected part of its infrastructure, adding it exited affected validators — or the computers that help check Ethereum transactions — as a precaution.　　“At this time, we have identified no immediate threat to MetaMask wallets,” the company said.　　Ethereum security researcher Kaden said on X that 18 of 19 MetaMask-operated validators that had earned payments for producing blocks sent those payments to an unexpected address. He estimated about 0.36 ETH had been diverted.　　Kadens analysis

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Bitcoin Price Forecast After Softer PCE

Bitcoin is trading near $84,116 on October 1, up about 1.3% over 24 hours. BTC briefly topped $85,500 after softer U.S. inflation data, before high bond yields erased much of the move. That leaves the short-term Bitcoin price forecast hinging on one question: can cooling inflation outweigh pressure from the bond market？　　The August Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report, released September 30, came in well below forecasts. Headline inflation rose 3.4% year over year, against expectations of 3.7%. Core PCE eased to 3.0%, below the 3.3% forecast. On a monthly basis, headline prices rose 0.3% and core rose 0.2%.　　BREAKING: Bitcoin and Ethereum just printed their highest monthly close of 2026.$BTC surged +$25,800 and 44% in the past 3 months, delivering the best Q3 returns since 2017.$ETH surged 71.2% in the same period, its best quarter in history.　　Macro indicators confirm crypto has… pic.twitter.com/hY1Z195n2m　　— Bull Theory (@BullTheoryio) October 1, 2026　　Join Coinspeakers $1,000 Prize Drop on BybitHow Did Bitcoin React to the Softer PCE Report？　　BREAKING: US August PCE inflation, the Feds preferred inflation metric, falls to 3.4%, below expectations of 3.7%.　　Core PCE inflation fell to 3.0%, below expectations of 3.3%.　　July headline and core PCE inflation were also revised down by 30 basis points each.　　October

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Google's Gemini 4 Argon Pulls Level With GPT-6 Astra and Brings a Smaller Bill

Google‘s Gemini 4 Argon has matched OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, scoring 53 points. At current launch prices, it also costs less to run per test task.　　Google DeepMind announced the model on September 30. For now, only a group of trusted cyber defenders can use it.　　Introducing Gemini 4 Argon – our new frontier model.　　Sponsored　　Sponsored　　Argon Puts Google Back Among the Top 3 Labs　　Artificial Analysis, an independent benchmarking firm, said the score puts Google back among the top 3 AI labs. Argon also sits 1 point above OpenAIs GPT-6.1 Sol, which scored 52.　　How Google Gemini Argon Performs. Source: X/Artificial Analysis　　The model scored 23 points higher than Gemini 3.1 Pro Preview, Google‘s previous non-Flash model. Earlier in September, Google released Gemini 3.8 Flash alongside a cybersecurity variant. For comparison, SpaceXAI’s Grok 4.7 scored 46 on the same index in September.　　Artificial Analysis credited Argons gains to fewer hallucinations and stronger agentic skills. On its AA-Omniscience test, Argon posted a 15% hallucination rate, compared with 51% for Astra. However, Argon answered 50% of those questions correctly, 13 points below Astra.　　In agentic work, Argon led AutomationBench-AA at 77.5%, ahead of Anthropics Claude Sonnet 5.5 at 71.3%. Still, it trailed Sonnet 5.5, Claude

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