Actualités financières en direct

Roman Storm and the XRP army aren’t happy former SEC boss Jay Clayton is Trump’s new AI czar, Peter Brandt flips bullish and says Bitcoin may reach as high as $600K by 2029. Trump …

Roman Storm and the XRP army aren’t happy former SEC boss Jay Clayton is Trump’s new AI czar, Peter Brandt flips bullish and says Bitcoin may reach as high as $600K by 2029. Trump taps intel chief Jay Clayton to lead new Super Intelligence Force President Donald Trump has named Jay Clayton, US director of national intelligence, to lead the country’s new Super Intelligence Force, according to a post on Truth Social on Sunday. “The Super Intelligence Force is tasked with coordinating the effort of the Federal Government to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence,” Trump wrote in his post. Clayton led the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term and launched a prosecution against Ripple for selling securities on his last day in office, and as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York led the criminal trial against Roman Storm for his involvement in Tornado Cash. Storm commented: “It doesn’t look like we’re headed toward a future that supports open-source AI.” Trump’s buddy Elon Musk is renaming SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI to honor the President’s directive to rename “artificial intelligence” to “super intelligence.” Source: Roman Storm NEAR Intents hack has a happy ending NEAR has been riding a wave of positive sentiment lately and has more than doubled in price over the past month. This week it received praise in some quarters — and criticism in others — after its SHIELD AI system blocked Bitget’s hacked funds from its INTENTS cross chain swaps platform. Its Bitwise ETF debuted this week with almost $60 million of inflows. SHIELD also helped to halt a $3.8 million exploit of NEAR Intents due to a “bug in the Omni deposit and withdrawal infrastructure interaction with NEAR Intents smart contract.” Sentiment flipped bearish for about seven and a half minutes, until NEAR Intents general manager Alex Shevchenko posted like a boss “we have identified you, sir” and issued a 48 hour ultimatum to return the funds or to presumably face the full force of the law. “You know better than most how responsible disclosure works — this is the last window to use it. After 48 hours, that window closes.” The funds were duly returned, and Shevchenko urged other exploiters thinking of LARPing as white hat hackers to “use bug bounties instead of disrupting the services.” The move to block Bitget’s stolen funds sparked a lot of debate and was in stark contract to THORChain which has refused to block swaps on its platform, pointing to ideals around decentralization. There is also a live debate over whether SHIELD blocking funds leaves it legally liable for everything that happens on the platform in future. NEAR is down 11% this week. Arthur Hayes says money printing is inevitable Money printing is coming due to the AI revolution, the United State’s debt crisis, and increasing financial stress in France, says Arthur Hayes, chief investment officer at Maelstrom fund. AI companies need trillions of dollars to finance data centers even as the prices of their services fall, Hayes said at a fireside chat at CONNECT by Cointelegraph: Seoul Edition, on Tuesday during Korea Blockchain Week. “They’ve not really given themselves a lot of options other than print money and make it less bad,” he said. Hayes also discussed China potentially moving to monetary stimulus along with increasing financial stress in France, including credit-default swaps tied to BNP Paribas and French government bond spreads. BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes speaking at CONNECT by Cointelegraph: Seoul Edition. Blast to wind down Ethereum L2 after costs outpace revenue Ethereum layer-2 network Blast is shutting down after its operating costs exceeded the revenue generated by the chain. In a Friday post on X, Blast said it sees no “credible path” to making the network economically sustainable and asked users to withdraw their assets to Ethereum mainnet: “Unfortunately, the economics of operating the chain no longer make sense.” Blast was founded by Tieshun “Pacman” Roquerre, the founder of NFT marketplace Blur, in November 2023 with native yield on Ether and stablecoins and a points program tied to an anticipated token airdrop. The strategy helped attract more than $2 billion in deposits before mainnet launched in February 2024. Its DeFi total value locked has fallen by more than 98% since its June 2024 peak, according to DeFiLlama data. Ethereum schedules Glamsterdam upgrade on Sepolia for Oct. 6 Ethereum developers have scheduled the network’s next major upgrade, Glamsterdam, to activate on the Sepolia testnet on Oct. 6. Sepolia node operators must update both their execution-layer and consensus-layer clients before the activation, the Ethereum Foundation said. One of Glamsterdam’s changes is enshrined proposer-builder separation. It will move the handoff between specialized block builders and validators into Ethereum’s protocol, reducing reliance on outside middleware. Glamsterdam will introduce block-level access lists, which record the accounts and storage locations used during each block, and will enable parallel processing by clients to speed up throughput. Winners and Losers At the end of the week, Bitcoin (BTC) is up 1.4% to trade at $85,821, Ethereum (ETH) is up 0.6% to trade at $2,701 and XRP (XRP) is down 0.8% to $1.50. The total market cap is at $2.92 trillion according to CoinMarketCap. Among the biggest 100 cryptocurrencies, the top three altcoin winners of the week are Midnight (NIGHT) with a 60.6% gain, StarkNet (SRK) on 14.5%, and Pump.fun (PUMP) on 26.3%. The top three altcoin losers of the week are Lighter (LIT) which was down 22.2%, Zcash (SEC) down 16.4% and Ethena (ENA) down 14%. Prediction of the Week Peter Brandt says Bitcoin may hit $600K by 2029 Veteran trader Peter Brandt has flipped bullish, after warning in Julyt that prices could fall into the high $40K zone. “There’s a good possibility we have seen the low and now are entering a new bull market cycle in Bitcoin,” Brandt told Cointelegraph on the latest episode of Trade Secrets. Brandt has also raised his sights for Bitcoin’s next peak, putting a late-2029 high of between $300,000 and $600,000, up from the $250,000 to $300,000 range he outlined in July. “The bull market cycle this time has a very good chance of reaching half a million,” he said. Top FUD of the Week Crypto hacks top $768M in September, worst month of 2026 Crypto suffered its worst month of the year for hacks and exploits in September, with two blockchain security firms estimating losses at more than $766 million. PeckShield counted 55 major incidents resulting in $766.5 million in stolen funds, while CertiK recorded 97 incidents and estimated losses at $768.4 million. The month included the $388 million Bitget hack and a $320 million hack of the Liquid Network. More than $270 million was later returned, according to reports. “September was a stark reminder of how quickly the threat landscape can shift,” CertiK said. Other crypto hacks in the month included Safe Wallet, DCENT, and Duelbits, which lost $7.8 million, $6 million and $5.9 million, respectively. Largest incidents in September. Source: CertiK Aave founder says V3 unaffected after third-party adapter exploit drains $305K Aave founder Stani Kulechov said Aave v3 was unaffected by an exploit that drained roughly $305,000 from two Safe multisig wallets through a third-party adapter built on top of the lending protocol. “This is not Aave v3 contract, it’s third party external adapter built on top of Aave, zero effect on Aave v3,” Kulechov said on X. Tether says it helped freeze $550M in Iran-linked USDT this year Stablecoin issuer Tether said it helped authorities freeze nearly $550 million in Iran-linked USDT during 2026, The statement from Tether came as Democratic investigators on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report alleging USDT had become a key channel for Iran to evade sanctions. Investigators found that 84% of 846 crypto wallets sanctioned over ties to Iran had transacted exclusively or nearly exclusively in USDT. The findings prompted US Senator Richard Blumenthal to call on the Treasury and Justice departments to investigate potential sanctions violations. Top Magazine Features of the Week The furious debate over Bitget’s $387.7M of hacked funds comes down to whether ideals around “permissionless and decentralized” tech means never intervening — even if you could. THORChain will not — or can not — block addresses linked to the $387.5 million Bitget hack. Can the devs be prosecuted for money laundering? It’s complicated, says crypto lawyer Yuriy Brisov. Highly liquid and settling 24/7, stablecoins can leave banks and countries at lightning speed. But whether stablecoins are a risk — or an opportunity — depends on your perspective.

Europe's Bitcoin market is up 4% since early September while the US market slipped 3%, even as US spot ETFs posted their biggest week in about a year Bitcoin has a geography problem, and …

Europe's Bitcoin market is up 4% since early September while the US market slipped 3%, even as US spot ETFs posted their biggest week in about a year Bitcoin has a geography problem, and for once Europe is on the winning side of it. Europe’s Bitcoin market has gained 4% since early September. The US market has declined by 3% over the same stretch. The numbers behind the split Start with price. Bitcoin sat near $75,000 in mid-September 2026, a level that had traders nervously checking their stop-losses. By September 23, it had climbed to over $87,000. It then drifted back and has been stabilizing in the $83,000 to $85,000 range. One clue comes from the Coinbase Premium Index. Think of it as a price thermometer comparing what Bitcoin costs on Coinbase, a venue heavily used by US investors, with what it costs on global platforms like Binance. Advertisement When the reading is positive, Americans are paying up to get their hands on Bitcoin. When it’s negative, they’re bidding below the rest of the world. Around October 3, 2026, the index had printed negative values for 29 consecutive days, ranging from –0.01% to –0.03%. The news moving money, markets, and the world—before your day starts. Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy. Email address Subscribe free We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime. Broader demand data paints a similar picture. CryptoQuant’s apparent spot demand metric showed a contraction of around 170,000 BTC over the 30 days leading into early October. Wait, what about the ETFs During the week of September 21-25, 2026, US spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in net inflows of approximately $2.39 billion. That marked the largest weekly net inflow in about a year, with products from BlackRock and Fidelity leading the charge. ETF inflows reflect a specific type of investor: often institutions and advisers buying through brokerage accounts. The Coinbase premium captures a different slice of activity on an exchange. A strong ETF week sitting alongside a negative premium suggests US demand is uneven rather than uniformly strong. Europe builds out its toolkit On September 29, 2026, HANetf launched what it billed as the first euro-hedged Bitcoin exchange-traded commodity, or ETC. An ETC is a listed product that trades on a stock exchange, letting investors get Bitcoin exposure without managing wallets or private keys. The euro-hedged angle is aimed at European investors who want reduced volatility exposure. Bitcoin is largely priced in dollars, so a euro-based investor normally rides two roller coasters at once: the coin’s price and the currency swing. Hedging is designed to take the second ride off the itinerary. The launch arrives as Europe’s regulatory picture firms up under MiCA, the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework. MiCA is the EU’s rulebook for crypto, setting common standards across member states rather than leaving each country to improvise. What this means for the market The ETF inflows offer a counterweight. A roughly $2.39 billion week shows that confidence among certain US investors has not disappeared. The contraction in apparent demand is the bigger caution flag. A drop of around 170,000 BTC in spot demand over 30 days suggests the move up from $75,000 may have been built on thinner support than the price chart implies. That could help explain why Bitcoin slid back from above $87,000 into the low-to-mid $80,000s. Watch the Coinbase premium for signs of US buyers returning, watch ETF flow data for whether institutional appetite holds, and watch European product launches for whether the continent’s 4% outperformance turns into something bigger.

Zcash, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency, has taken a significant step in its advocacy efforts by registering a lobbyist in Washington, DC. The registration involves Divij Pandya, who will represent Zcash under the umbrella of Pretty …

Zcash, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency, has taken a significant step in its advocacy efforts by registering a lobbyist in Washington, DC. The registration involves Divij Pandya, who will represent Zcash under the umbrella of Pretty Good Policy for Zcash (PGPZ), a policy group focused on financial privacy and developer protections. This move aims to influence various aspects of crypto policy, including the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act and digital-asset tax proposals. The lobbying efforts are expected to center on U.S. market structure and tax rules, aligning with Zcash’s emphasis on privacy-preserving technologies. Advertisement In the broader cryptocurrency market, this development is being closely monitored, particularly in relation to Bitcoin’s future price predictions. Markets are evaluating how this lobbying effort might impact regulatory clarity, which could potentially influence the sentiment towards cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Current pricing in markets such as the Bitcoin Future Price Predictions shows a slight increase in the probability of Bitcoin reaching significant price thresholds by the end of 2026. Key Takeaways The registration of a lobbyist for Zcash suggests a strategic move to influence favorable crypto policies in Washington. Market participants may interpret this as supportive of increased regulatory clarity, potentially impacting Bitcoin sentiment. Current pricing trends show modest increases in the likelihood of Bitcoin reaching higher price points by the end of 2026. What to Watch Observers will be keenly watching how U.S. congressional developments on cryptocurrency legislation unfold, especially regarding the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Any progress or setbacks in these legislative efforts could significantly impact market sentiment. Additionally, the actions and statements of key figures in the crypto space, such as Mike Novogratz and the Federal Reserve, will also be crucial in shaping expectations and market dynamics. Pricing remains sensitive to any announcements that could either bolster or dampen confidence in the crypto market’s regulatory environment.

The asset manager's Premium RWA Vault now lends USDC against tokenized real-world assets on Morpho, posting a net APY of 4.79% Bitwise Asset Management has taken its Premium RWA Vault, better known as PAPY, …

The asset manager's Premium RWA Vault now lends USDC against tokenized real-world assets on Morpho, posting a net APY of 4.79% Bitwise Asset Management has taken its Premium RWA Vault, better known as PAPY, to Circle’s Arc blockchain. The vault now sits atop the yield rankings among Morpho vaults on the network, posting a net APY of 4.79%. How the PAPY-USDC vault works The expansion went live on September 16, 2026, timed to coincide with Arc’s public mainnet launch. The new product, called PAPY-USDC, runs on the Morpho lending protocol using its Vault V2 architecture. Users deposit USDC, and the vault lends that money out to borrowers who post tokenized real-world assets, or RWAs, as collateral. Those loans are overcollateralized. Borrowers have to lock up more value than they take out, which gives lenders a cushion if things go sideways. The collateral accepted includes Huma Finance’s PST and sUSDai. The vault may also allocate to cirBTC markets, adding another potential lending venue. Bitwise acts as the curator but stays non-custodial. It never holds depositors’ funds directly. Instead, it sets the rules: which collateral qualifies, what loan-to-value ratios apply, and which interest-rate models the vault uses. Advertisement The numbers behind the vault PAPY-USDC targets a variable APY of 5-6%. As of early October 2026, the vault reported a net APY between 4.8% and 5.55%, with the Morpho app showing 4.79%. The fee structure is light. Bitwise charges a management fee of approximately 0.39-0.4%, and there is no performance fee. The news moving money, markets, and the world—before your day starts. Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy. Email address Subscribe free We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime. Deposits are still modest. In early October 2026, the vault held between $418K and $422K in USDC. The vault’s capacity is capped at roughly $1B. The vault follows the ERC-4626 standard and has no lock-up requirements. Depositors can withdraw when they want, subject to the vault’s available liquidity. A second act after Ethereum Arc is not PAPY’s first stop. Bitwise launched a PAPY-AUSD vault on Ethereum on September 2, 2026. That version pulled in over $20 million in deposits within two weeks. The Arc version arrived just two weeks after the Ethereum launch. The key difference is the currency: Arc’s vault is built around USDC from day one. Bitwise brings an established footprint to the effort, with $9 billion in client assets. What this means for DeFi lending and RWA yield For Morpho, the expansion reinforces its role as infrastructure that curators can deploy across multiple networks. Bitwise now runs PAPY on Morpho on both Ethereum and Arc. The vault’s yields have been variable, ranging from 4.8% to 5.55% in recent reporting, and sometimes falling short of the 5-6% target. Collateral quality is the other key variable: overcollateralization offers protection, but the vault’s safety ultimately depends on how well assets like Huma’s PST and sUSDai hold their value and remain liquid.

The exchange is seeking to take its on-chain equity push into the one market its current products can't touch OKX has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a tokenized-stock trading …

The exchange is seeking to take its on-chain equity push into the one market its current products can't touch OKX has filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a tokenized-stock trading platform in the United States, Bloomberg reported. The filing itself had not surfaced in public SEC records as of early October. The timing still makes sense. Washington has only just carved out a formal lane for this kind of trading. What OKX already sells, and to whom OKX is not new to tokenized equities. On July 15–16, 2026, it rolled out a product line called Unified Tokenized Stocks, also described as xStocks-powered products. The initial lineup covered more than 40 US stocks and ETFs. By September 2026, that menu had grown to more than 70, offered through a dedicated Money app. Users can trade these tokens around the clock, 24/7, priced against the USDT stablecoin. Settlement happens on Solana and on X Layer, OKX’s own network. The tokens are backed 1:1 by underlying shares held by third-party issuers. OKX acts as the distributor rather than the issuer. Advertisement These products are restricted under Regulation S, the SEC rule that governs securities offered outside the US. They are unavailable to US persons, and they are also off-limits to users in the EU. Despite the share backing, the current products are classified as synthetic. Token holders get price exposure, but they do not receive shareholder rights like dividends and voting. The news moving money, markets, and the world—before your day starts. Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy. Email address Subscribe free We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime. The SEC opened a door in September The regulatory backdrop shifted on September 17, 2026. That day, the SEC introduced a five-year Innovation Exemption. The exemption lets qualified Tokenized Securities Venues, or TSVs, trade tokenized National Market System stocks on-chain. NMS stocks are, broadly, the shares listed on major US exchanges. Trading can run through approved automated market makers and liquidity pools. The exemption runs until September 17, 2031. It comes with a firm condition: tokens must preserve actual shareholder rights, including dividends and voting. That condition matters a lot for OKX. Its Unified Tokenized Stocks, as currently structured, are synthetic and do not fit the new framework. Simply flipping on access for US users would not qualify those products under the exemption. The ICE connection OKX also has another route into the US market already in motion. In June 2026, it announced a joint venture with Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the NYSE. The venture is branded OKXICE. It aims to offer tokenized NYSE equities once it secures US broker-dealer and futures commission merchant status. Those approvals are still pending with the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. A broker-dealer license lets a firm handle securities trades for customers. FCM status covers futures and derivatives business under the CFTC. What this means For OKX, a US tokenized-stock platform would open up the largest equity market in the world, the one market its flagship product currently ignores. The Regulation S wall has capped the reach of its offering, no matter how many tickers it adds. The Innovation Exemption rewards tokens that carry full shareholder rights. Any US platform from OKX would likely need to look different from the synthetic tokens it sells offshore, requiring real dividends flowing to token holders and real votes attached to each unit. What to watch next: whether the filing becomes public and what structure it describes, whether OKX’s US product is designed to qualify as a TSV under the Innovation Exemption, and how the SEC and CFTC rule on OKXICE’s broker-dealer and FCM applications.

A CoinGecko analysis of eight major exchanges shows Ethereum's market depth has fallen to 35–45% of Bitcoin's, down from over 60% a year ago. Ethereum’s standing in the liquidity rankings has taken a meaningful …

A CoinGecko analysis of eight major exchanges shows Ethereum's market depth has fallen to 35–45% of Bitcoin's, down from over 60% a year ago. Ethereum’s standing in the liquidity rankings has taken a meaningful hit. A CoinGecko analysis of order-book depth across eight major centralized exchanges shows Ethereum’s median market depth sitting at $13 to $14 million, which puts it at just 35 to 45% of Bitcoin’s liquidity. A year ago, Ethereum was holding above 60% of Bitcoin’s level. Bitcoin’s order book is doing a lot of heavy lifting Bitcoin’s median aggregate depth has reached $29 million on the bid side and $37 million on the ask side, roughly 50% higher than the figures recorded in 2025. Order-book depth in this analysis is measured at approximately 0.15% from the mid-price, translating to about $100 on either side for Bitcoin and $3 for Ethereum. Advertisement Binance leads liquidity for both assets across the exchanges studied. At the other end of the spectrum, MEXC’s liquidity sits at approximately $450,000, making it a clear outlier in the dataset. Why the gap widened The contrast isn’t just that Ethereum got worse. It’s that Bitcoin got substantially better while Ethereum’s liquidity remained roughly flat in absolute terms. That combination mechanically pushes the ratio down. The news moving money, markets, and the world—before your day starts. Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy. Email address Subscribe free We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime. Increased institutional interest in Bitcoin, partly channeled through spot exchange-traded products, is one plausible driver of the deeper order books on the Bitcoin side. Ethereum, despite its own spot ETF approvals, has not attracted the same scale of order-book commitment. What traders and investors should watch The gap between Ethereum’s liquidity and Bitcoin’s is now wide enough to influence how large trades get structured. Algorithmic traders and institutions that slice orders across venues will need to account for Ethereum’s shallower book, particularly during periods of elevated volatility when spreads tend to widen further. For context, the Traders Union report covering this data was published on September 30, 2026. The dynamics it captures reflect a market structure that has been shifting steadily rather than breaking in a single moment.

Leaked financial figures for Anthropic, an AI lab, indicate significant risk in its upcoming IPO, as reported on social media by @laurashin. The confidential IPO filing suggests a valuation of $2 trillion, but with …

Leaked financial figures for Anthropic, an AI lab, indicate significant risk in its upcoming IPO, as reported on social media by @laurashin. The confidential IPO filing suggests a valuation of $2 trillion, but with substantial losses reported, including $8 billion in operating losses and a $42 billion net loss in 2025. These figures have raised concerns about the company’s financial health as it prepares to join the public market. Anthropic has been a prominent player in the AI sector, competing closely with OpenAI, and its last private valuation in May 2026 reached $965 billion. Key Takeaways Market pricing suggests skepticism about Anthropic achieving a market cap exceeding $1.25 trillion at IPO close. Leaked financial data indicating large losses appears consistent with concerns about Anthropic’s valuation. Current pricing reflects a cautious stance, with significant hurdles anticipated for Anthropic’s public debut. What to Watch The trajectory of Anthropic’s IPO will be closely watched, with potential adjustments in pricing and valuation disclosure likely to influence market sentiment. Any announcements from the SEC or changes in underwriter guidance could indicate shifts in the IPO timeline or valuation expectations. Market participants will be monitoring developments closely, as these could alter perceptions of Anthropic’s financial viability and its standing in the competitive AI sector.

Bloomberg and Moody's flag Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Korea as highly vulnerable if AI investment cracks Asia built much of the hardware behind the artificial intelligence boom. Now it may have to …

Bloomberg and Moody's flag Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Korea as highly vulnerable if AI investment cracks Asia built much of the hardware behind the artificial intelligence boom. Now it may have to absorb the shock if that boom goes sideways. Southeast Asia, China, Japan and South Korea face high risk from a potential collapse in the AI market, according to Bloomberg. That puts some of the world’s largest economies in an awkward position: deeply invested in a trend that a growing number of voices describe as a bubble. A boom with a narrow base Bloomberg’s reporting in July 2026 described Northeast and Southeast Asian economies as tightly bound to the global AI supply chain. That link leaves the region unusually sensitive to swings in AI spending and to any broader market correction. The winners are easy to spot. South Korean chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung have been booking substantial profits as AI-driven demand for their products climbs. Their specialty matters here. High-bandwidth memory is a type of chip built to move huge volumes of data quickly, which is exactly what AI systems need to function. Bloomberg’s reporting points to a K-shaped pattern, where one group surges upward while another stalls or slides. Semiconductor and memory producers sit on the rising arm of the K. Sectors outside tech are stagnating. Advertisement Moody’s and the hedge funds sound the alarm In September 2026, Moody’s cautioned that the risks tied to over-investment in AI infrastructure, along with concentration risk, are substantial. The ratings agency singled out South Korea, Japan, China and ASEAN nations, all of which are pouring money into AI-related technology. Moody’s identified a bursting AI bubble as a serious downside risk for Asia-Pacific economies, one that could carry severe consequences for the region. AI, tech, and the markets they move—in one daily briefing. Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy. Email address Subscribe free We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime. Southeast Asia shows how much money is already on the table. Malaysia alone has more than $6 billion in data center projects underway as of September 2026, a level of commitment that raises notable risks if demand cools. In June 2026, Chinese hedge funds flagged what they called an “AI super bubble,” warning of the risk of an imminent collapse. The market has already flinched In September 2026, stocks sold off sharply after leaders in the AI industry raised safety concerns and urged a slower pace of development. Major chip stocks plunged amid fears that AI progress could slow. The MSCI Asia index posted strong performance in 2025, but it ran into headwinds in early 2026 as fears of an AI bubble spread. What this means for Asia’s economies and investors Asia’s AI exposure is not spread evenly across its economies. It is clustered in a small group of booming tech sectors and a short list of companies. For investors, the findings from Bloomberg and Moody’s point toward caution on tech stocks with heavy AI dependence. Semiconductor companies would likely be first in line to feel a correction, given how directly their order books track AI spending. For policymakers, the K-shaped pattern presents its own challenge. Headline growth figures can look healthy while large parts of the economy tread water. The physical buildout adds a longer-term layer of risk. Projects like Malaysia’s data center pipeline represent multi-year commitments that cannot be easily unwound if sentiment turns. Moody’s framed a burst bubble as a downside risk, not a forecast, and the profits flowing to firms like SK Hynix and Samsung are real today.

Official Python client for the CandleFeed crypto market-data API — OHLCV, funding, open interest, liquidations, basis, Deribit options across Binance, Bybit, OKX, dYdX, Hyperliquid and Huobi. Returns pandas DataFrames. A required part of this …

Official Python client for the CandleFeed crypto market-data API — OHLCV, funding, open interest, liquidations, basis, Deribit options across Binance, Bybit, OKX, dYdX, Hyperliquid and Huobi. Returns pandas DataFrames. A required part of this site couldnt load. This may be due to a browser extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a diffe…

Kraken's parent company is plugging into SGB Net to give institutional clients in Asia and the Gulf round-the-clock USD settlement Crypto markets never close. Banks, famously, still do. Payward, the parent company of Kraken, …

Kraken's parent company is plugging into SGB Net to give institutional clients in Asia and the Gulf round-the-clock USD settlement Crypto markets never close. Banks, famously, still do. Payward, the parent company of Kraken, wants to shrink that gap. On October 4, 2026, it announced a partnership with Singapore Gulf Bank (SGB) to offer 24/7 instant settlement for digital assets to institutional clients in Asia and the Gulf region. The deal integrates SGB Net, the bank’s real-time multi-currency clearing network, into Payward’s infrastructure. For institutions, that could mean money moves when the market moves, not when a back office opens on Monday morning. How the Payward and SGB deal works SGB Net is a clearing network that settles fiat transactions in real time across multiple currencies. Payward is connecting to that network. The service will start with USD transactions and a select group of clients rather than opening to everyone at once. The companies plan to bring on more clients and more currencies over time. Liquidity for the setup will run through Kraken Prime, Payward’s institutional prime brokerage arm. Advertisement SGB itself is a fully licensed digital bank regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain. It launched its corporate banking services in late 2024. SGB Net went live in May 2025. The network has reportedly handled over $2 billion in fiat transaction volume each month. The news moving money, markets, and the world—before your day starts. Daily. Free. Join 34,000+ readers across crypto, finance, and policy. Email address Subscribe free We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime. The problem with banker’s hours Digital assets trade around the clock, every day of the year. Traditional banking rails, by contrast, still largely keep business hours. For an institution, that mismatch creates friction: if a bank wire won’t clear until the next business day, a trading opportunity may be gone by the time the money lands. The Payward and SGB partnership targets exactly that problem. The stated goal is to reduce operational friction and speed up how quickly institutional clients can deploy funds. Part of a broader Payward playbook In September 2026, Payward teamed up with SoFi for real-time USD settlement using the SoFi Exchange Network. The SGB deal follows the same template, pointed at a different part of the map. SGB Net already has 24/7 partnerships with Cactus Custody and Fireblocks, both of which serve institutional players in the digital asset space. What this means for institutions and the market The most direct beneficiaries are institutional clients in Asia and the Gulf. If the service delivers as described, these clients could gain the ability to fund positions or pull capital out at any hour, without waiting on legacy banking windows. The choice to launch with USD is worth noting. The dollar sits at the center of global finance and crypto trading alike, so starting there addresses the largest pool of demand first. If USD settlement runs smoothly, extending the model to other currencies becomes an easier sell to both clients and regulators. The rollout starts with a select group of clients. Watch for three things: announcements of new clients joining the service, the addition of currencies beyond USD, and whether Kraken Prime’s liquidity offering expands alongside the settlement rails.