The Block headlines
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US targets $1 billion Iran-linked crypto seizure, Bessent says ‘we know where it is’
Bessent’s latest crypto seizure plan follows months of sanctions and freezes targeting Iranian assets.
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New York AG secures up to $35 million from former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky
NY AG Letitia James secured up to $35M from ex-Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky and a permanent ban from the securities and crypto industries.
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Base creator Jesse Pollak says equities and non-dollar stablecoins will lead upcoming ‘tokenization supercycle’
Coinbase launched tokenized stocks on Base six weeks ago, with about $70 million to $100 million in daily volume, according to Pollak.
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Thailand SEC issues bitcoin and ether ETF rules set to take effect Oct. 16
Thailand's SEC has limited initial crypto ETFs to bitcoin and ether, with new custody, exposure, and trading rules taking effect Oct. 16.
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Sam Altman-backed bitcoin life insurer Meanwhile raises $37.5 million round led by Bain Capital Crypto
Meanwhile raised $37.5M from existing investors, bringing the Sam Altman-backed bitcoin life insurer's total funding above $180 million.
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JPMorgan estimates $50 billion has flowed into crypto this year as momentum improves into Q4
JPMorgan analysts estimate around $50 billion has flowed into digital assets this year, equal to an annualized pace of $66 billion.
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NFL tells Supreme Court prediction market sports contracts are gambling, not swaps
The NFL filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to hear New Jersey's case, arguing Kalshi's sports contracts are gambling, not CFTC-regulated swaps.
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Strategy shareholders face dilution drag despite brighter bitcoin forecasts, TD Cowen says
TD Cowen kept its $260 price target on Strategy (MSTR) as dilution limits the benefit of higher bitcoin forecasts.
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The Block GCCI 2026 Country Profile: Inside Korea’s Crypto Market
Section 1: The Block’s Global Crypto Competitiveness Index Crypto markets have historically been measured on their trading volume, ownership, or adoption. While these metrics remain important, they speak to demand-side factors rather than the environment in which crypto companies and capital can...
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Bitwise CEO says ‘tragic’ Dogecoin ETF failure shows gap between ETF buyers and crypto-app users
Alongside its recent spot NEAR ETF launch, Bitwise is prioritizing AI and intends to do more in that area.
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Bitcoin pulls back as analysts forecast $80,000-$90,000 Q4 trading range
Bitcoin traded near $82,000 on Thursday, with analysts at QCP expecting a fourth-quarter range of $80,000 to $90,000.
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Securitize launches 1:1-backed tokenized stocks, starting with Apple, Nvidia, Strategy and more
Securitize launches tokenized US stocks on Solana, backed 1:1 by real shares with dividends and USDC settlement.
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Crypto industry split over Justin Drake’s AI warning
Crypto players disagree over Justin Drake’s AI cryptography warning, with some dismissing it while others urge proactive preparation.
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Standard Chartered to expand crypto custody services in Singapore
The bank said the service would extend its existing crypto custody footprint in the UAE, Luxembourg, and Hong Kong.
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‘Don’t rush anything’: Vitalik Buterin warns against hasty wallet migrations amid growing AI threats
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warned that the crypto industry should take risks to cryptography from AI-accelerated math seriously.
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Samsung to launch USDC transfers on Solana for US Galaxy users
The South Korean tech giant said the feature is built into Samsung Wallet, with fiat on- and off-ramps, rather than a separate crypto app.
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Solana’s Orca merges with Loopscale in push to finance AI, robotics and defense
Orca and Loopscale unite as Formation, targeting financing for AI, energy, robotics and defense.
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Grayscale says crypto ETF market is entering new phase as Zcash ETF tops $1 billion
Grayscale's Krista Lynch says SEC listing standards cover about 15 tokens, letting crypto ETF issuers get selective beyond bitcoin and ether.
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Ethereum researcher Justin Drake calls for ‘bunker mode’ planning over private key recovery risk
Justin Drake recommended moving crypto assets to fresh addresses that keep their public keys hidden behind a hash.
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Hunter Biden says LAPTOP market maker should ‘buy it all back and burn it’
A commissioned report details thin liquidity and market-maker-linked gains during LAPTOP’s launch.
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Moody’s gives Sky Protocol B3 rating as institutional interest in USDS grows
Moody's assigned Sky a B3 issuer rating with a stable outlook, its first rating of a stablecoin protocol. Sky is also rated B- by S&P.
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NEAR’s Polosukhin sees shrinking need for centralized exchanges as onchain tools expand
NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin said users no longer need centralized exchanges for "a lot" of crypto activity.
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Jito’s JTX plans mobile app this fall, eyes perps integration later this winter
Jito’s JTX plans a mobile app, equities feature, and perpetual futures as it expands beyond spot trading on Solana.
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‘Every single exchange’ will have to adopt public blockchain infrastructure to compete, Hyperliquid Policy Center CEO says
Chervinsky says that beyond regulated perps, onchain markets need to enter the U.S. regulatory perimeter, a step he expects will happen soon.
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Robinhood adds $25 million worth of bitcoin to balance sheet as it deepens crypto push
Robinhood SVP Johann Kerbrat says the purchase was intended to signal the company's commitment to the crypto sector.
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Bitcoin briefly slides below $84,000 as crypto long liquidations reach $487 million
Crypto liquidations amounted to $555.6 million over the past 24 hours, including $487.2 million in long positions, according to CoinGlass.
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Coinbase Pro to return; Deribit integration creates Coinbase Global Exchange
Coinbase plans to relaunch Coinbase Pro by year-end and has completed its Deribit integration, creating Coinbase Global Exchange.
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Pudgy Penguins-backed Ethereum L2 Abstract to shut down after losing ‘tens of millions’
Abstract, the Pudgy Penguins-backed Ethereum L2, will shut down on Dec. 15. Users must bridge assets off before then.
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Conduit sues Tether over $2.76 million freeze, says it has ‘no legal entitlement’ to funds
Conduit is suing Tether in NY federal court, alleging the USDT issuer froze $2.76 million of its funds for over a year without explanation.
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Winklevoss group seeks to launch Zcash ETF with 0.25% fee, proposed WINK ticker
Winklevoss Asset Services filed for a spot Zcash ETF under ticker WINK, with Gemini as custodian and a 0.25% fee, rivaling Grayscale's ZCSH.