digital

European Central Bank Executive Board member Piero Cipollone stated during the MNI Connect Webcast that without a pan-European digital payment solution covering various daily transactions, the fragmentation risk between tokenization platforms may increase, thereby undermining Europe's "resilience and monetary sovereignty." He pointed out that the goal of the European Central Bank should be to create a digital euro that can be exchanged between banks and used for daily transactions.Cipollone emphasized, "Our goal is not to replace the role of banks." He stated that the digital euro will provide banks with the infrastructure needed to compete in the digital age and help banks expand the coverage and application scenarios of their own solutions.According to him, the European Central Bank has not yet decided whether to issue a digital euro but plans to complete the legislative process by the end of 2026. If the project advances, a 12-month pilot program will be launched in the second half of 2027, with a potential official issuance in 2029. The European Central Bank first proposed introducing a digital euro in October 2020 as a complementary digital payment option to cash. Critics argue that the central bank digital currency could give EU officials the means to monitor or even control residents' spending. Cipollone stated in September 2025 that the digital euro will ensure that all Europeans can use a free and widely accepted digital payment method at any time, even in the event of significant disruptions.

On the evening of October 6, HTX DAO's "Night of the Future" was held in Singapore. HTX DAO core supporter Sun Yuchen stated via video that the cryptocurrency industry is deepening its connection with traditional finance, promoting the continuous digitization of global financial infrastructure; AI is changing the way wealth is created, while Crypto and digital finance are altering the ways wealth is held and flows.Sun Yuchen pointed out that stablecoins are expected to play a more important role in global payments and settlements, and the on-chain applications of traditional assets such as bonds, funds, and gold will continue to be explored. After AI Agents enter economic activities, there will be further demand for identity, accounts, and independent trading capabilities. He emphasized that the long-term value of technology lies in its transformation into real productivity, and "the free flow of value in the digital world" is the trend he is most concerned about for the next decade, hoping that blockchain will enhance the accessibility, convenience, and efficiency of financial services.This event further strengthened the communication between HTX DAO and global communities and industry builders. HTX Ventures will appear at TOKEN2049 from October 7 to 8, with a booth located at PB5-47&48. From October 6 to 8, HTX DAO will also host several invitation-only events such as reunions and VIP private dinners.

European Central Bank Executive Board Member Fabio Panetta stated that the digital euro will enhance the competitiveness of European banks and is planned for official launch in 2029. The project aims not only to address the shortcomings of the payment system but also to provide a platform for future innovations.The pilot phase will start next year to uphold European monetary sovereignty.

According to official news, the digital asset platform Anchorage Digital announced the expansion of its global business layout. The dollar accounts for qualified institutional clients, which were previously offered through Anchorage Digital Bank N.A., are now also available through Anchorage Digital Singapore.Anchorage Digital stated that it will integrate dollar accounts, digital asset custody, global SWIFT wire transfers, and 24/7 settlement into the same platform.

According to The Block, Kraken's parent company Payward has partnered with Singapore Gulf Bank to provide 24/7 settlement services for institutional digital asset clients.Payward stated that it has connected to the bank's real-time multi-currency clearing network SGB Net. Initially, this settlement service will offer USD transaction settlements to select clients, with plans to expand to more currencies in the future.

The official website of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission shows that "E Fund" has been listed as an unlicensed company, and two related websites are also listed. The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission stated that "E Fund" falsely claims on the related websites that the digital asset private fund has been approved by the Securities and Futures Commission.

According to Crowdfund Insider, U.S. digital asset holders who applied for an extension earlier this year must submit their 2025 federal tax return by October 15, 2026, which is the automatic six-month extension deadline available after submitting Form 4868 before the spring deadline.The extension only covers the filing action; any taxes owed must still be estimated and paid by April 2026, and interest and penalties on unpaid balances have begun to accumulate. Brokers have started reporting 2025 transactions on Form 1099-DA, and taxpayers can verify the income amounts, but the cost basis may still be incomplete. In mid-September, the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act, with a vote of 49 to 50, not reaching the required 60 votes for advancement.The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) stated that they will continue to develop rules regarding trading, custody, and related issues, rather than waiting for Congress. Late filing penalties start at 5% of the unpaid tax per month, with a cap of 25%, and the minimum penalty applies after 60 days.

According to Cointelegraph, the Russian Ministry of Finance stated on Friday that some employees have received their salaries for the first time in digital rubles. The payment of salaries in central bank digital currency is voluntary for Russian citizens and has been implemented since October 1 (Thursday). The ministry did not disclose the number of participants or the total amount of salary payments, nor did it specify the specific departments involved.According to the ministry's press release, approximately 16 million digital rubles (about $192,200) were disbursed in a pilot project for federal budget expenditures in 2025, and the Ministry of Finance has thus applied the verified channels to its own salary payment process. The integration of digital rubles into the budget process is being jointly promoted by the Central Bank of Russia and the Ministry of Finance.The development of digital rubles began in 2021. Cointelegraph reported on July 2 that Russia plans to launch this central bank digital currency on September 1, with major banks and retail businesses starting to support related transactions at that time. This currency is being introduced as a supplement to the fiat ruble, initially processed by financial and credit institutions. EU authorities announced restrictions on this currency in April.

UBS Group recently recruited two heads related to digital assets in New York.Among them, the IB Digital Assets Product Manager will be responsible for promoting tokenized products, stablecoins, settlement infrastructure, custody, and other distributed ledger technology (DLT) business models, with a base salary ranging from $225,000 to $242,500.The other position, Digital Assets Distribution Manager, will be responsible for promoting the distribution of tokenized money market funds and structured products, targeting channels including fintech companies, new banks, brokerages, and digital wealth management platforms, with a base salary ranging from $164,000 to $211,000.

According to The Information, citing informed sources on Friday, Anchorage Digital, a federally chartered digital asset bank in the United States, has laid off 17% of its workforce. CEO Nathan McCauley informed employees of this decision earlier this week. Anchorage was valued at $4.2 billion earlier this year, and as of February, the global workforce was approximately 400 people, meaning this layoff affects about 68 positions.The Information attributes this layoff to the ongoing downturn in the cryptocurrency market that has lasted for a year. Bitcoin briefly rose above $87,000 on Friday but remains far below the peak of $126,000 reached in October last year.At the time of the layoffs, Anchorage is continuing to expand its presence in the regulated U.S. cryptocurrency industry. The company became the first cryptocurrency firm to obtain a national trust charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in 2021 and has since developed into a major cryptocurrency custodian. Recently, its business has expanded into the stablecoin issuance sector, including participation in Tether's newly launched U.S. stablecoin USAT; earlier this year, the company also received a strategic investment of $100 million from Tether.

According to Gate market data, some U.S. storage chip stocks fell before the market opened, with Seagate Technology down 11.4% and Western Digital down 7.1%.

According to The Block, the European Central Bank has proposed three models for introducing central bank digital currency on the blockchain, including direct issuance, establishing bridging mechanisms, and implementation through private intermediaries.These models can provide settlement support for transactions such as tokenized securities, bank deposits, and stablecoins on distributed ledger technology networks.

Payment giant Fiserv announced that its digital asset platform has officially launched for financial institution clients, with the first case being the dollar-backed stablecoin Roughrider Coin introduced by a bank in North Dakota.VersaBank is responsible for issuing, custody, and reserve asset management, while Fireblocks provides digital asset infrastructure and tokenization services, with transactions processed through the Solana blockchain.Roughrider Coin will connect to Fiserv's Commercial Center system, providing interbank fund transfer services for over 90 participating banks and credit unions in North Dakota.The platform also supports applications such as stablecoin cards, cross-border payments, programmable commerce, fund management automation, and tokenized deposits.

ARK Invest's Director of Digital Asset Research Lorenzo Valente published a discussion on the synthetic dollar protocol Ethena: tokenized stocks are changing the landscape in which ENA operates. He stated that the supply of USDe had bottomed out at $3.8 billion and has now risen by about 30%, recovering to nearly $5 billion.Lorenzo Valente: The inverted or low funding rates in the crypto market have forced more USDe collateral to shift towards off-chain yields such as government bonds, with sUSDe's average annualized rate once approaching or falling below SOFR; the market capitalization has remained stable over the long term, and the open interest has also limited the pace of expansion. He noted that basis trading has rebounded to about 20% of the collateral and is growing rapidly, with the U.S. stock market size at approximately $70 trillion, averaging over 8% annual growth. Continued bullish demand is expected to bring sustained positive funding rates, with lower stock volatility and lower hedging costs.He believes this is the first clear path for USDe to expand its supply to over $20 billion, and reaching $30 billion to $40 billion in the next 12 to 18 months would not be surprising, as the upper limit has shifted from crypto open interest to tokenized stock open interest. He also mentioned that Ethena's infrastructure and operations have been validated, and it is expected that Ethena Pay will further drive USDe from the demand side, with the chains, protocols, and vaults supporting USDe's supply and circulation strategies becoming the main beneficiaries.

As of the end of September, the Digital Renminbi International Operation Center has added 39 domestic and foreign financial institutions applying to access the "Digital Currency Cross-Border Settlement Comprehensive Service Platform" (CBETS).This platform supports bilateral connections with foreign currency authority payment systems and legal digital currency systems, and allows foreign financial institutions to connect directly, covering trade and cross-border personnel exchanges.

According to the official announcement from Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank will acquire all shares of Japan Digital Asset Trust Establishment Co., Ltd. (JADAT) held by Bitbank on October 1, 2026, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary.The Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group has identified the digital asset market as an important growth area, believing that highly reliable asset management and custody functions are highly compatible with its trust business. After becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary, JADAT will accelerate the procedures for management trust registration, striving to officially launch digital asset-related businesses as soon as possible.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, Bitcoin futures open interest has risen above $50 billion for the first time this year.David Lawant, Head of Research at Anchorage Digital, stated that this is not a warning signal of excessive leverage, but rather a reflection of market vitality, noting that the increase in spot trading volume and the thinning order book point to an early stage of recovery in the Bitcoin market.In his analysis, Lawant introduced the liquidity absorption ratio and explained how to identify shifts in Bitcoin market mechanisms. He mentioned the Bitcoin options market, which is approximately $60 billion in size, and the volatility curve, explaining why short-term Bitcoin volatility remains elevated through 2026, as well as what information options data can provide that prices themselves cannot reflect.He also shared Anchorage's experience with backtesting 37,000 covered call options and discussed how ETFs and treasury companies are changing the price discovery process for Bitcoin.

Founder of Strategy Michael Saylor posted that he hopes Strive and all well-managed "Bitcoin-driven digital credit" issuers achieve success.Strategy is built on the same foundation as Strive: BTC belongs to digital capital, STRC and SATA belong to digital credit, and MSTR and ASST belong to digital equity. The securities structures and decisions of both parties are independent, although they will compete for individual capital allocations, they can also jointly expand long-term market opportunities.Saylor cited SIFMA data stating that by the end of 2025, the global stock market value will reach $157.8 trillion, and the fixed income debt balance will reach $160.7 trillion, with 0.1% of either market being approximately $160 billion.He proposed a threefold amplification mechanism: corporate financing to purchase supply-constrained Bitcoin can increase demand and improve the asset coverage of related companies; more issuers launching digital credit products can accumulate research, trading, and liquidity foundations, reducing the premium investors demand due to unfamiliarity, and potentially narrowing credit spreads and financing costs; more companies proving that this model can operate in different market environments may enhance market recognition of digital equity.He also emphasized that a single purchase does not guarantee Bitcoin appreciation, Bitcoin itself does not pay interest, and the profit margin between long-term asset returns and financing costs must be obtained through disciplined management; more issuers will not automatically lead to higher valuations.This model depends on a robust capital structure, prudent liquidity, transparent disclosure, and useful products. Weak issuers may undermine confidence in the entire category, while more credible issuers can meet institutional diversification investment needs and attract funds that would not otherwise enter the category.

Jacobs Engineering Consulting will deploy data center digital twin technology for the NVIDIA Research Center.

According to The Block, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is preparing to regulate digital asset and tokenized asset custody platforms under a regulatory framework set to launch in April 2027.The regulator stated that it will issue consultation papers, guidance, and draft rules while monitoring market integrity and risk management.