StarkWare announced on October 8 that it is actively exploring the possibility of Starknet evolving from an Ethereum Layer 2 into an independent post-quantum Layer 1 blockchain. A non-binding governance poll is now live for STRK holders to weigh in. It is running for seven days, with results visible immediately
South Korea’s Financial Services Commission has announced plans to tighten cybersecurity requirements across the country’s financial sector after an industry-wide review uncovered more problems than anyone wanted to find. A regulatory review of 555 financial companies revealed cybersecurity deficiencies in 130 of them, nearly one in four. In addition, approximately
Circle’s USDC has become the first stablecoin in the European Union to be classified as a significant e-money token under MiCA. It is the EU’s comprehensive crypto asset regulatory framework. The European Banking Authority made the designation after assessing USDC against the criteria set out in the regulation. It makes
France is considering a change to its cryptocurrency tax rules that could make certain stablecoin conversions taxable from January 1, 2027. The proposal would apply the country’s existing 31.4% flat tax on eligible crypto capital gains when investors exchange cryptocurrencies for certain euro- or dollar-pegged stablecoins. The measure is included
Safe Wallet has integrated CoinShares-designed stablecoin yield strategies directly into its platform, giving corporate treasuries, DAOs, and foundations a way to earn institutional-grade yield on idle stablecoin balances without moving funds out of self-custody. Corporate treasuries and onchain organisations sitting on idle stablecoin balances now have a direct path to
Standard Chartered has launched a cryptocurrency trading service for affluent clients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), allowing eligible investors to buy and sell Bitcoin and Ether directly through their existing bank accounts. Announced on October 14, 2026, the service marks the bank’s first offering of this kind globally and
Coins.ph, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the Philippines, is facing potential regulatory action from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The allegations are that it processed transactions for restricted offshore gambling operators. The central bank is weighing sanctions against the exchange, and license revocation remains on the table depending on how
Binance has announced it will discontinue Binance Pool and all related services on November 10, 2026. The shutdown covers Binance Pool, Pool Savings, Cloud Mining, Transaction Accelerator, Telegram hashrate alerts, email notifications, and mining pool API services. After the cutoff, none of these will be available. In addition, no new
South Korea’s KB Kookmin Card has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan’s SBI Holdings and two cybersecurity companies to test identity checks for artificial intelligence (AI) agents and explore cross-border crypto and stablecoin payments between the two countries. Announced on October 13, the four-party agreement also involves South
NFT marketplace Blur has announced it will shut down the blur.io frontend on November 12, 2026. The closure affects the main interface that professional NFT traders have used for bidding, listing, portfolio management, and liquidity. Significantly, the underlying marketplace protocol will remain operational on-chain. The BLUR token will continue to
