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The Cardano Foundation has spun off the digital identity project Veridian into an independent Swiss company and has tokenized most of its 1 million shares on the Cardano blockchain. Veridian becomes the first company to adopt the Cardano CIP-0113 standard.This standard allows token issuers to impose transfer restrictions and freeze or seize assets to meet regulatory requirements. Veridian's mobile wallet is now live and is developing related credentials to help individuals, businesses, and AI agents verify identities and permissions without relying on centralized databases.

Analyst Darkfost posted on platform X that short-term holders (STH) of Bitcoin are showing significant panic. In the past 24 hours, short-term holders transferred over 50,000 BTC to exchanges in a single day peak. Among them, over 29,500 BTC were transferred to exchanges at a loss, accounting for about 59% of all inflows of BTC, marking the largest loss realization for short-term holders in nearly four months.Darkfost pointed out that despite the significant selling pressure from short-term holders realizing large losses, the price of Bitcoin has not shown significant fluctuations. Currently, the price of BTC is around $82,000, and it is retesting the previous high area formed in May of this year.

According to NADA NEWS, the Japanese Ministry of Finance held the first meeting of the "National Debt Blockchain Research Committee" today and released explanatory materials, categorizing national debt on the blockchain into three types. Type 1 involves circulating the beneficial rights of funds (MMF) investing in national debt on the blockchain; Type 2 involves placing the transfer ledger on the blockchain under the current transfer settlement system, divided into three forms: single account management institutions, multi-institution collaboration, and interfacing with the Bank of Japan's ledger; Type 3 involves issuing a new form of national debt on the blockchain outside the current system.The Ministry of Finance believes that blockchain can enhance the efficiency of collateral and liquidity management and expand the investor base, particularly benefiting overseas investors. However, it also pointed out issues such as market fragmentation, transmission of severe price volatility, and system transformation costs. All three types are provisional categorizations, and the Ministry of Finance plans to compile a report before January 2027.

Tokenization company Securitize announced today that it will bring 12 U.S. stocks, including Apple, NVIDIA, Tesla, and Microsoft, to the Solana blockchain, launching a new product called "Securitize Stocks." The first batch of covered companies includes Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Netflix, Circle, Strategy, and Palantir.Each stock token is backed 1:1 by actual shares, structurally retaining applicable shareholder rights such as dividends and voting rights, but representing securities interests rather than direct ownership on the company’s shareholder register; once tokenization is adopted by the issuer, it may provide a conversion channel. Initially, the product will be traded on Securitize's existing Solana platform, with liquidity provided by Jump Trading, settled in USDC stablecoin, and is expected to also launch on the NYSE's planned 24/7 digital trading platform and the upcoming OKXICE tokenized securities venue, which is a joint venture between the NYSE's parent company Intercontinental Exchange and OKX, both of which must meet listing and regulatory requirements.

On October 8, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, hosted a regular press conference. A Reuters reporter asked about the allegations made by the American cybersecurity company CrowdStrike that Chinese individuals and related institutions used AI tools to attack South Korean financial institutions.Mao Ning stated: "I am not familiar with the specific situation mentioned. As a principle, China has always opposed and legally cracked down on hacking activities, and even more so opposes the dissemination of false information for political purposes." She also stated that artificial intelligence profoundly affects cybersecurity, and the international community should strengthen cooperation and dialogue, formulate new international rules, and jointly maintain cybersecurity.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has issued an opinion requiring EU crypto firms to stop providing services involving stablecoins that do not comply with the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework, and has given a three-month deadline to address existing risk exposures. ESMA stated on Thursday that national regulators should require relevant firms to promptly address any remaining exposure to non-compliant stablecoins, no later than January 8, 2027.The guidance applies to crypto services regulated under MiCA, including trading platforms, exchange services, order execution, custody, transfers, investment advice, and portfolio management. ESMA stated that crypto firms should implement technical, contractual, and organizational controls to prevent EU customers from obtaining or increasing exposure to unauthorized stablecoins.Regulators may allow limited services to assist customers in exiting existing positions, including liquidation, exchange, withdrawal, transfer, and custody, but such activities must be temporary and closely monitored. This update expands on the guidance issued by ESMA in January 2025, when it required restrictions on trading and exchange services involving non-compliant stablecoins.

The cryptocurrency and fintech investment company Deus X Capital has ceased operations and will officially liquidate on January 31, 2027. The investors behind it will shift to their respective independent investment strategies. The company was led by former Galaxy Digital executive Tim Grant, and Chief Investment Officer Stuart Connolly will remain to oversee the transition. Some of the invested enterprises will continue to operate with the participation of existing shareholders.The Morton family investors behind Deus X Capital are splitting their investment activities. Shane Morton is establishing Darius, which focuses on artificial intelligence, while Owen and Jason Morton have founded 95, which focuses on markets and fintech. Grant will serve as CEO of TensorX, the AI business owned by Darius under Shane Morton. Grant stated that he hopes to become a significant player in the European AI sector.Deus X Capital was established in October 2023, supported by a family office, with $1 billion in existing investments and deployable capital at its inception. Its strategy covers private equity, venture capital, and hedge fund allocations in the fields of digital assets, blockchain, fintech, and institutional capital markets. Its early investments include stakes in Galaxy Digital and asset management company Hilbert Group, with operations in Malta, London, and the UAE.

According to Bloomberg, Shanghai Birun Technology (Hong Kong stock code 6082) plans to raise approximately HKD 4.04 billion (USD 515 million) to support its artificial intelligence business. The company intends to place 130 million new shares at a price of HKD 31.08 per share, with the related arrangements based on documents from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.The placement price represents a discount of nearly 10% compared to Wednesday's closing price. Bloomberg reports that Birun is one of the GPU developers receiving support from Beijing, and this financing is part of a wave of fundraising for Chinese artificial intelligence companies.

The UK HM Revenue and Customs is pushing to expand the investigative powers regarding cryptocurrency asset information, proposing to allow tax authorities to directly obtain customer data from cryptocurrency service providers and update software and electronic record inspection rules.UK cryptocurrency tax software company Recap warned that the proposed regulations have an overly broad definition of service providers, which may include non-custodial wallet software, blockchain explorers, hardware wallet manufacturers, and tax software providers. Due to the public and transparent nature of Bitcoin transaction records, once investors' names, addresses, and tax identities are associated with on-chain wallet addresses, it may expose their long-term asset activity records, increasing the risks of data breaches, extortion, and personal attacks.

Bitcoin collateralized lending is gradually expanding from a cryptocurrency financial scene focused on trading and investment to real credit needs such as tuition fees, living expenses, business operating funds, and real estate, showing a significant change in market usage. Institutions like SALT Lending and Ledn indicate that more and more borrowers are choosing to collateralize BTC for liquidity instead of selling their holdings.Since its establishment in 2018, Ledn has issued loans totaling over $11 billion and expects this scale to grow to $1 trillion in the coming years. Its clients include entrepreneurs and institutional investors seeking operating funds, as well as individuals borrowing to pay for children's education, real estate investments, and short-term living expenses. This trend indicates that the financial attributes of BTC are extending from "tradable assets" further to "collateralizable assets." Borrowers hope to unlock its value without selling BTC while still retaining potential upside exposure.At the same time, institutions like SALT are promoting fixed-rate, long-term products, bringing crypto collateralized loans closer to traditional credit models like home mortgages. Coinbase has also recently launched fixed-rate BTC collateralized loans through Morpho. Ledn further anticipates that similar models may expand from BTC to traditional hard assets like gold, and the boundaries of the collateralized asset lending market are widening.

The cryptocurrency payment company Ripple has expanded into stablecoins, asset custody, and has entered the long-term leveraged exchange-traded fund (ETF) swap financing sector, which has been dominated by large banks, becoming an important participant. According to The Wall Street Journal, leveraged ETF managers achieve target returns through total return swaps and other derivatives, such as amplifying the daily fluctuations of a particular stock or index; banks or brokers sell related contracts and charge fees, then buy stocks or derivatives to hedge their own exposure.According to Morningstar Direct, there are 593 leveraged ETFs in the United States, managing over $256 billion in assets, of which 426 are single-stock leveraged funds, a category that received regulatory approval in 2022. Ripple entered swap financing after acquiring the prime broker Hidden Road, which caters to cryptocurrency hedge funds last year; this business is now called Ripple Prime, which is collaborating with multiple ETF providers and hopes to expand to include other investment managers, including hedge funds.On Tuesday, Ripple Prime announced it would provide prime brokerage, clearing, and financing services to the hedge fund Brevan Howard. Ripple Prime President Noel Kimmel stated that this is a growing and significant part of the company's business. The report cited an example where a fund paid Ripple at a rate of 4 percentage points above the overnight bank financing rate, which as of Tuesday was approximately equivalent to 8% of the fund's assets on an annualized basis; this cost is included in the net asset value of the leveraged fund, separate from the approximately 1% management fee.

Analyst Murphy stated that when the BTC price drops, the liquidity provided by market makers naturally leans towards the Bid (buy side), while traders also place orders at lower prices waiting to take delivery. Data shows that the 5% depth difference in Binance's spot order book reached 80 million dollars when BTC fell to about 83,000 dollars, which is relatively higher compared to the pullback period from September 10 to 16, approaching the level during the bottom consolidation phase of BTC in July.At 83,000 dollars, the buy orders within the 5% depth range roughly cover down to 79,000 dollars, indicating that there is a thick support level in the range of 83,000 to 79,000 dollars, which may reduce the risk of the price being quickly breached. Meanwhile, the difference between the Taker's active buy and active sell transaction volume on Binance has continued to rise during the price decline, indicating an increase in active buying and a decrease in active selling. Murphy believes this shows that traders are not exhibiting obvious pessimism; not only is there sufficient passive support below, but the willingness to actively buy has actually increased during the price decline.

According to reports from Lei Feng Network·Whale Rhino, AI hardware company Loke Technology NOOKLAB has completed several rounds of financing, with investors including Sequoia China, Linear Capital, and others, accumulating a total amount of several hundred million RMB, with a current valuation close to 100 million USD. The two rounds of financing were concentrated at the beginning of this year.Loke Technology's founder Raymond was born in 1996 and has previously worked at OPPO, OnePlus, Anker, and ByteDance, where he was responsible for the second-generation AI glasses in the Byte Ocean team. Its first product, Moonphase Flip, weighs 54 grams and attaches to the back of the phone via MagSafe magnetic suction. The company defines it as a low-disruption AI portable screen, primarily targeting overseas markets. The team currently consists of about 30 people.

According to CoinDesk, citing two individuals with direct knowledge, Kraken's parent company Payward is in talks with Wells Fargo to become its cryptocurrency liquidity provider. Under the potential arrangement, Wyoming-based Payward would supply liquidity for digital asset trading. The individuals requested anonymity as the matter is not yet public, negotiations are ongoing, and an agreement may not be reached. Both Payward and Wells Fargo declined to comment.The report states that cryptocurrency exchanges often serve as a gateway for banks and institutional investors to access digital asset liquidity, providing access to trading venues and assisting in order execution. Wells Fargo previously served as the exclusive capital markets advisor for Nasdaq, which agreed in September to invest $100 million in Payward and deepen collaboration in tokenized stocks and market surveillance. CoinDesk also reported that Payward was in talks last week with custodian bank BNY regarding financial infrastructure collaboration.

Bitcoin Treasuries posted on platform X that the 165-year-old Japanese company Marusho Hotta has been renamed Bitcoin Japan Corp (8105.T) and has newly purchased 5.88 bitcoins, currently holding a total of 17.8 bitcoins.

According to The Information, the former head of Tesla (TSLA.O) Optimus is starting a robotics startup that may raise about 100 million dollars.

According to PRNewswire, the publicly traded company Universal Safety Products (UUU) announced that it will be renamed DeFi Capital Markets on October 19 and will trade under the new ticker "DCM." In the future, it will gradually cease its original product business and focus on asset tokenization, digital assets, market making, as well as quantitative trading and blockchain financial markets.

Illia Polosukhin, co-founder of NEAR Protocol, stated in a live interview at the Digital Asset Summit 2026 held in Singapore that as near.com continues to expand its on-chain services, users no longer need centralized exchanges for "a large amount" of crypto activities. He mentioned that near.com is "almost ready" and has a "large roadmap for continuously adding features," including bank withdrawals, transaction records for tax purposes, and selective disclosure for confidential transactions. He also shared his experience using centralized exchanges, stating that despite knowing the company's CEO, one of his accounts was still deleted.near.com integrates cross-chain spot trading, tokenized stocks, wealth management products, and perpetual contracts into a single interface. Polosukhin indicated that most of the infrastructure for NEAR Intents has been migrated to confidential sharding, keeping transaction activities private, and users can disclose individual transactions when needed. He mentioned that near.com has a lot of fiat-related features coming soon and referenced the collaboration between NEAR and Monerium, allowing users to convert euros in their bank accounts to EURe via IBAN. The ultimate goal of NEAR Intents is to handle "any asset to any asset," such as USD to EUR, SGD to HKD.Regarding tokenized stocks, near.com completed integration with Ondo Finance in September, allowing users to convert euros into tokenized NVIDIA stocks, with NEAR planning to add more stocks from global markets.

According to Globenewswire, the stablecoin payment infrastructure company Noah announced the completion of a $38 million seed round financing, with participation from Endeit Capital, FJ Labs, LocalGlobe, Felix Capital, and several well-known angel investors.The new funds will be used to expand international remittance services, develop regulatory frameworks, and provide cross-border payment services based on stablecoins for businesses and individuals.

Coreweave (CRWV.O) announced its entry into the Indian market, planning to expand its artificial intelligence cloud platform.