Latest Crypto News & Market Updates

Polygon’s 8 million USDT0 holders face scrutiny as 58% of growth matches scam patterns

Polygons surging USDT0 holder count masks shrinking balances and suspected scam activity amid its broader push into stablecoin payments.　　An Oct. 7 investigation by blockchain analytics firm Bitquery found that addresses matching scam patterns accounted for 58% of the net growth in Polygons USDT0 holders since August 2025, raising questions about the quality of adoption figures promoted by the network.　　The findings challenge Polygons recent celebration of surpassing 8.1 million USDT0 holder addresses, the highest among blockchains included in a Token Terminal comparison.　　According to Bitquery, roughly 998,000 of the 1.71 million addresses added over the preceding 13 months exhibited patterns associated with address-poisoning scams.　　The growth came as USDT0 supply on Polygon fell 41%, from $1.35 billion to $798 million. Addresses holding at least $10 also declined 42%, from approximately 1.24 million to 720,000.　　Bitquery found that 48% of holders controlled less than one cent, while 65% had neither sent nor received the token during the preceding year.　　The investigation also identified approximately 1.42 million addresses matching an address-poisoning pattern, with sample-based verification supporting an estimate of 1.1 million scam look-alikes.　　Address poisoning involves scammers creating wallet addresses that resemble legitimate payment destinations and sending tiny transactions to potential victims, hoping they mistakenly copy the fraudulent

2 days agoIndustry

Bitcoin, Ether Prices Hit by ETF Selling as 2-Day Outflows Near $1 Billion

U.S. bitcoin ETFs lost another $244.13 million on Thursday, while ether funds shed $72.54 million for an eighth straight day of redemptions. Combined outflows from the two largest crypto ETF categories have reached roughly $965 million in just two sessions.　　Key TakeawaysBitcoin and ether ETFs lost about $965M in 2 days as institutional selling accelerated.Fidelity led bitcoin outflows while Blackrock drove ether redemptions for an eighth session.Markets will test whether XRP and NEAR inflows can persist as broader crypto demand weakens.　　Bitcoin ETFs Lose $244M as Fidelity Sheds $197M　　The pressure on institutional crypto positioning intensified on Thursday, and trading activity rose with it.　　Bitcoin ETFs followed Wednesday‘s heavy withdrawal with another $244.13 million exit. Fidelity’s FBTC accounted for most of the selling, losing $197.09 million. Meanwhile, Ark and 21Shares‘ ARKB shed $20.29 million, Bitwise’s BITB lost $17.71 million, and Grayscales GBTC recorded an $8.20 million outflow.　　BlackRock‘s IBIT slipped by $5.54 million. Franklin’s EZBC was the lone buyer, attracting $4.71 million. Overall trading value jumped to $3.81 billion across the funds, while net assets fell to $104.91 billion.　　That combination of heavier turnover and persistent redemptions suggests active de-risking. For bitcoin‘s price, the flow picture has shifted quickly from September’s accumulation phase toward a more

2 days agoIndustry

Zcash plans quantum-safe upgrade: Will ZEC price recover？

Zcash developers have set January 2027 as their target for adding quantum-resistant payment support to the network, as concerns over future attacks on cryptocurrency wallets grow and ZEC trades near $1,240 following a sharp weekly decline.　　Zakura engineer Roman Akhtariev announced the timeline in a technical update, explaining that developers intend to introduce new instructions allowing Zcash to verify hash-based signatures. The proposal focuses on transparent transactions, which account for approximately 70% of the cryptocurrencys issued supply. However, the January target does not establish a confirmed date for activating the changes across the network.　　Zcash developers target January for quantum-resistant payments　　The planned upgrade would introduce new signature verification instructions designed to protect transparent Zcash transactions against potential future advances in quantum computing.　　Currently, transparent Zcash payments use elliptic-curve cryptography to verify that someone spending coins controls the corresponding private key. The system relies on mathematical problems that conventional computers cannot practically solve using known methods.　　Researchers have warned that sufficiently powerful quantum computers could eventually weaken this protection, potentially allowing attackers to recover private keys from exposed public keys.　　Zakuras proposed instructions would allow payments to use hash-based signatures, which rely on different mathematical assumptions. The developers are considering constructions such as Winternitz One-Time Signatures,

2 days agoIndustry

Backing Polymarkets primary favorites would have lost 4%, new audit finds.

A hypothetical strategy of backing the favorite on prediction market Polymarket in every scored 2026 US primary would have lost 4%, even though those candidates won 87% of the time, according to blockchain data provider Bitquerys scorecard dated Oct. 9. The result separates two questions for election bettors: who is most likely to win, and whether their contract is worth the price.　　Bitquery found that the candidate with the highest study reference price won 238 of 273 Senate, House and governor primaries. But its hypothetical strategy of putting $1 on each favorite at the studys reference price lost four cents per dollar.　　The strongest favorites did much of the work behind the headline accuracy rate. Candidates priced at 90 cents or more won 177 of 182 races. Among favorites priced between 50 and 90 cents, however, 71% won despite an average price of 77 cents.　　Related Company Polymarket Decentralized prediction market platform　　An outcome share pays $1 when it wins and nothing when it loses. Buying an expensive favorite therefore leaves little profit on a winning share, while a losing share wipes out its purchase cost. Enough losses can outweigh many correct calls.　　Putting the same dollar amount into every race also buys different numbers

2 days agoIndustry

Cardanos Hoskinson challenges Vitalik over AI threats to crypto

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has challenged Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin over his warning that advances in artificial intelligence could weaken quantum-resistant cryptography, arguing that existing security standards already account for decades of mathematical attacks.　　SummaryCardano founder Charles Hoskinson rejected Vitalik Buterins warning about AI threatening quantum resistant cryptographic systems.Vitalik warned that artificial intelligence could discover mathematical weaknesses in currently trusted lattice based cryptography.Hoskinson defended ML-KEM and ML-DSA, citing decades of mathematical research and established security testing against attacks.Ethereums proposed security roadmap favors hash based signatures as developers prepare for possible future attacks.NIST standardized lattice based encryption and digital signatures in 2024 following years of security evaluation.　　Hoskinson responded on October 9 to Buterin‘s concerns about lattice-based cryptography, which is used in several modern security systems. He argued that the Ethereum founder had not identified a credible new attack that would justify abandoning those methods or substantially increasing cryptographic key sizes. The disagreement follows Buterin’s warning that AI could uncover mathematical shortcuts that researchers have not discovered through conventional methods.　　Vitalik is now trying to convince everyone that lattices are bad because he is bag-holding too much hash-based crypto research cant back out. The case against lattices is the GNFS story, a.k.a. a hunch

2 days agoIndustry

Morning Minute: Uptober Turns Sour as Crypto Majors Slide

Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. And check out our daily news show FOMO HOUR covering all of the top stories and market action.　　GM!　　Todays top news:Crypto majors selloff then rebound into Friday; BTC at $82.7kNearly $1B in crypto longs liquidated over the past 24 hours, ETH leadsETF outflows continue as October flips net redCitrini publishes crypto basket betting on AI coming onchain; led by DRV, LIT, ETHFIPump.fun introduced Custom Pairs, allowing any Pump token to be paired　　BitcoinBTC · USD　　$82,662−2.49%　　24H7D1M1YYTD　　Oct 2Oct 4Oct 6Oct 7Oct 9　　$86.7k$84.7k$82.7k$80.7k　　24h HighHigh$83,398　　24h LowLow$80,427　　VolVol$1.1B　　Market projectionsOdds by Myriad　　This week$82,000 to $84,000$82k–$84k62% chance　　→　　Buy Bitcoin with USDT　　Powered by Jupiter　　$50$100$500　　Buy　　Price data by CoinGeckoCoinGeckoMore Bitcoin news and projections →　　???? Uptober Turns Sour as Crypto Majors Slide　　Bitcoin dipped below $81,000 Thursday, Ethereum fell close to $2,400 and the whole top ten board went red on seven days. Uptober is certainly not off to the often-memed start expected.　　The damage was worse further down. Zcash fell 11% in a day, NEAR 16%, Pump.fun 11%, Venice Token 10%. Dogecoin and Chainlink are both down double digits on the week.　　Spot Bitcoin funds shed $484.9 million on Wednesday, the

2 days agoIndustry

UK blacklists Cryptomus, Heleket and TokenSpot over Russia links

The United Kingdom has sanctioned cryptocurrency platforms Cryptomus, Heleket and TokenSpot as part of 38 new Russia-related designations targeting financial services, payment networks, oil companies and suppliers linked to Moscows war in Ukraine.　　SummaryThe UK has sanctioned Cryptomus, Heleket and TokenSpot under a package of 38 Russia related designations targeting financial services and payment networks.TRM Labs found that Cryptomus and Heleket shared infrastructure and liquidity sources, with both services processing transactions involving sanctioned exchanges.TokenSpot transferred more than $950 million combined to A7, Garantex and Grinex, according to blockchain transaction data examined by TRM Labs.The sanctions require UK persons to freeze assets belonging to designated entities, while internet service restrictions apply to several of the listed payment platforms.　　According to an October 8 TRM Labs report shared with crypto.news, the measures cover cryptocurrency exchanges and payment companies suspected of helping Russia bypass financial sanctions, including platforms connected to the Kremlin-backed A7 financial network.　　The UK‘s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office imposed the restrictions under the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. The package covers 12 shadow fleet tankers, two Russian oil companies and 17 individuals and entities involved in supplying goods used by Russia’s military industry.　　Among the financial targets are Canadian company Xeltox Enterprises

2 days agoIndustry

What still works in crypto marketing in 2026 (and what doesn't)

Crypto projects are rethinking their marketing strategies in 2026 as traditional promotional campaigns struggle to turn short term attention into sustained engagement.　　SummaryInfluencer campaigns and airdrops remain common crypto marketing strategies in 2026, but short bursts of attention do not necessarily translate into lasting user engagement.Smaller creators with relevant audiences and rewards linked to genuine product activity can help projects attract users who remain active beyond launch campaigns.Press coverage and SEO continue to offer value by making project information easier to discover, verify and access long after promotional campaigns end.Paid advertising remains restricted across major platforms, while campaigns focused on unknown tokens can struggle to justify their acquisition costs.Crypto teams increasingly need a combination of credible news coverage, useful educational content and incentives that encourage sustained product use.　　Launching a token is easier than ever. Getting people to notice it is not. New projects show up every day, and most of them go after the same audience on the same platforms with the same tactics. Some of those tactics still deliver. Others eat the budget and leave little behind.　　Here is how the main channels crypto teams use today actually hold up.　　KOLs: still useful, but audiences are wiser　　Paying influencers on X, YouTube and

2 days agoIndustry

ESMA questions whether tokenized assets are safe in a crisis

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has launched a review of tokenized collateral used by European clearinghouses, asking financial institutions to demonstrate whether blockchain-based assets can be accessed and converted into cash during a market crisis.　　ESMA announced the consultation on October 9, giving banks, clearinghouses, custodians and technology providers until January 15, 2027, to submit evidence. The regulator is examining how tokenized assets are transferred, protected and sold when a clearing member fails to meet its financial obligations. It will assess the findings during the first quarter of 2027 before deciding whether additional regulatory measures are needed.　　The review follows the introduction of blockchain-based collateral services by European financial institutions, including Eurex Clearing, which began processing live transactions using distributed ledger technology in July 2025.　　ESMA examines whether tokenized collateral can be sold in a crisis　　At the center of the consultation is whether clearinghouses can access and liquidate tokenized assets quickly enough when markets come under pressure.　　Clearinghouses sit between buyers and sellers in financial transactions and require participants to provide collateral to cover potential losses. When a member fails to meet its obligations, the clearinghouse may need to sell or otherwise use the pledged assets to settle outstanding positions.　　Existing European rules

2 days agoIndustry

AI agents can pay for your shopping. Who gets your money back？

Amazons Bedrock AgentCore Payments, built with Coinbase and Stripe, lets AI agents discover paid services, authenticate, and pay with stablecoins and x402 under preset spending limits.　　AI agents are getting wallets before merchants get a court, and shopping agents have started placing orders across the open internet.　　The harder problem arrives once the payment clears, when a buyers agent pays correctly, and the buyer wants the money back. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) put that gap on the record Oct. 6, and Edgars Nemse, CEO of the GenLayer Foundation, argued it caps what agents can buy.　　Nemse told CryptoSlate that payment “is the easy part, because its deterministic: the money moved, or it didnt,” while “the outcome isnt.” Defining if work was delivered as promised is a judgment call.Transaction stageWhat agents can increasingly doWhat remains unresolvedWhy it mattersDiscoveryFind merchants, APIs, content, servicesWhether merchants trust unknown agentsControls who gets distributionAuthorizationUse mandates, credentials, spending limitsWhether the agent stayed within user intentDetermines who bears liabilityPaymentPay with cards, stablecoins, x402 or walletsPayment success does not prove satisfactionSettlement is deterministicFulfillmentReceive goods, services or API accessWas the outcome delivered as promised？Requires judgmentDisputeSubmit complaints or refund requestsWho adjudicates outside a platform？Determines whether open commerce can scale　　AI agents remove the

2 days agoIndustry

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