The Block headlines
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HSBC rolls out its first HKD stablecoin RedCoin to retail users
PayMe users will be able to activate a stablecoin wallet in-app in the coming days for peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant payments.
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Chainlink partners with LG CNS to drive Korean won stablecoin expansion
LG CNS is set to integrate Chainlink's cross-chain, data, and orchestration infrastructure into its digital asset platform.
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Bitcoin slides below $81,500 as tech stock sell-off spreads to Asian equities
The Wall Street sell-off extended to Asian equities on Friday morning, with South Korea's Kospi down 2.3% and Japan's Nikkei 225 down 1.6%.
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JPMorgan says crypto regulatory moves partly offset Clarity Act failure, but risks remain
JPMorgan said actions by U.S. regulators partly offset the Clarity Act setback, but longer-lasting rules are still needed.
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Blockchain Association pushes for crypto tax clarity as broader bill stalls
As progress stalls on a crypto bill, the Blockchain Association is urging Congress to pass legislation to resolve uncertainty around taxes.
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Coinbase Ireland fined $3.6 million over customer fund segregation, oversight failures
Coinbase Ireland fined $3.6 million for safeguarding breaches that left customer funds underfunded and mixed with group accounts.
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Uniswap’s aggregator hooks go live on Ethereum, Base and Robinhood Chain
Uniswap Labs has launched aggregator hooks, allowing Uniswap v4 to route trades through liquidity held on external platforms.
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Visa in talks to acquire crypto custody firm Fireblocks for around $2.5 billion: Axios
Visa is in late-stage talks to buy Fireblocks for around $2.5 billion, according to Axios, citing multiple sources.
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Dune launches onchain trading data feeds as tokenized markets expand
The new real-time market feeds will cover trade data from over 200 onchain venues across 12 blockchain networks.
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SoFi launches interest-bearing, FDIC-insured tokenized deposit for crypto users
SoFi has launched SOFIE, a tokenized deposit offering 4.4% APY and FDIC insurance, with the option to convert to SoFiUSD.
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Bitcoin ETFs draw $528 million as ether funds snap five-day outflow streak
Spot bitcoin ETFs attracted $528 million on Wednesday as BlackRock and Fidelity led a recovery in institutional demand.
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Starknet community overwhelmingly backs research into becoming an independent post-quantum Layer 1
Starknet's community backed research into becoming an independent post-quantum Layer 1, with a draft whitepaper expected in November.
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Layer 2 Scaling Solutions
Layer 2 scaling solutions help blockchains like Ethereum process more activity without forcing every transaction to happen directly on the base chain. Ethereum’s main network is secure and decentralized, but blockspace is limited. When demand rises, fees increase and users can get priced out. Layer...
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South Korea’s crypto bill nears completion while tax debate intensifies: reports
The bill seeks to establish a framework for digital assets, including licensing regimes for exchanges and rules for stablecoin issuance.
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Aerodrome and Velodrome merge to launch Aero across seven blockchain networks
Aerodrome and Velodrome have merged to launch Aero across Ethereum mainnet, Base, Robinhood Chain, Ink, OP Mainnet, Arc, and Arbitrum.
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Robinhood single-stock perps could be a ‘strong positive’ for HOOD shares, Mizuho says
A Mizuho survey of 600+ Robinhood users finds 94% would trade single-stock perpetual futures, mostly with new money.
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American Bankers Association accuses OCC of undermining Congress with final stablecoin rewards rule
The fight between banks and crypto has reignited after a top banking regulator declined to weigh in on third-party stablecoin rewards.
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Dataline raises $10.6 million for decentralized data network for AI agents, plans ICO
The startup also plans to hold a public token sale through Uniswap's auction platform, with details expected next week.
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Grayscale expands in-kind subscriptions to 10 crypto ETFs and trusts
Grayscale expands in-kind subscriptions to 10 crypto funds, letting eligible investors swap tokens for shares without selling for cash.
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Anza’s Alpenglow goes live on Solana, cutting finality to 150 milliseconds
Solana activated Alpenglow, replacing TowerBFT and cutting transaction finality from 12.8 seconds to about 150 milliseconds.
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Standard Chartered signs definitive agreements to acquire Zodia Custody
Standard Chartered has signed definitive agreements to acquire Zodia Custody, subject to regulatory approval.
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Dogecoin Labs launches as DOGE ecosystem seeks growth beyond meme-driven demand
Dogecoin Labs, backed by the Dogecoin Foundation, unites MyDoge, DogeOS and Such App to push DOGE into payments and DeFi.
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Bitcoin volatility nears 2026 lows as traders brace for Fed decision and US midterms
Bitcoin volatility is approaching its 2026 lows, with K33 pointing to weak trading activity ahead of several potential market catalysts.
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First out the gate: OCC debuts final rule implementing Trump-signed GENIUS Act
OCC published its final GENIUS Act stablecoin rule, effective Jan. 18, dropping a proposed presumption on third-party rewards arrangements.
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BitGo launches innovation unit to design crypto’s next breakout application
BitGo Labs will initially focus on the intersection of AI and crypto, stating that the AI economy needs crypto financial infrastructure.
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MoonPay, Upbit parent Dunamu explore collaboration on stablecoin payments, GIWA expansion
The companies also plan to explore ways to broaden global access to Dunamu's Ethereum Layer 2, GIWA chain.
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Crypto firms, Wall Street push SEC to revise Regulation Crypto Assets as comments close
As the SEC’s comment period on a cryptocurrency proposal draws to a close, digital asset firms and Wall Street institutions have thoughts.
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Utah likens Kalshi to a ‘back-alley gambling den’ in lawsuit naming Susquehanna firms
Utah seeks to recover alleged gambling profits and block Kalshi bets across sports, politics and culture.
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JPMorgan issues first long-term bitcoin return forecast, projecting 10% annually
J.P. Morgan Asset Management's first long-term bitcoin forecast projects a 10% annual return but flags 55% volatility as a barrier to portfolio adoption.
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Bitcoin yield platform HoneyB developer raises $5 million at $30 million valuation
Nectar Group, the developer of bitcoin income platform HoneyB, has raised $5 million in a seed funding round.