The token burn may enhance scarcity, potentially boosting HYPE's value, but market confidence in reaching $100 by year-end remains low.

The post Hyperliquid burns $4B in HYPE tokens, reducing supply by nearly 5% appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Open-weight AI models like GLM-5.3 pose security risks due to their accessibility, potentially enabling misuse despite their capabilities.

The post Z.AI’s GLM-5.3 completes 3 of 13 cyberattack scenarios in Irregular’s simulated tests appeared first on Crypto Briefing.

Disciplined AI spending boosts investor confidence, highlighting the importance of sustainable growth strategies in tech industry valuations.

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The debate highlights the critical need for regulatory clarity in tokenization, impacting investor confidence and corporate governance strategies.

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The Fed's steady rates hint at future hikes, impacting rate-sensitive sectors and highlighting tech's pivotal role amid economic shifts.

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Bitcoin Magazine

Bitcoin Price Trades Above $81,500 as Fed Keeps Rates Steady in Split Vote

The Federal Reserve left its benchmark rate unchanged Wednesday, holding the federal funds target range at 3.75% to 4%. The bitcoin price showed some volatility around $81,000.

The decision passed 10-2, and the dissents carry as much weight as the outcome. Governor Lisa Cook and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack wanted a quarter-point increase. It is the first time since 1992 that a Fed governor and a regional bank president have dissented together on the same side.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh faced reporters after the vote and said politics played no role in the decision, days before the midterm elections. Warsh has said he does not favor forward guidance absent a crisis, which leaves investors to read the data themselves. 

The committee’s statement dropped its earlier language about when a hike might support a return to 2% inflation. In its place is a line saying more information will guide the policy stance. The Fed also described growth as strong, up from solid.

The signal points toward tightening. Fed funds futures and the Fed’s own dot plot lean toward a rate increase by December, and some pricing puts the odds near three in four. Inflation has been running hot, and the two dissenters are the officials who want to act on it.

Bitcoin price reaction

Bitcoin price’s reaction was restrained. The bitcoin price spiked to about $81,700 in the minutes after the announcement, fell below $80,500, and then recovered toward $81,000. Most traders expected a hold, so the muted move surprises nobody.

Bitcoin’s first response to Fed news tends to be modest, and that the real direction often emerges over the following day. Spot Bitcoin ETFs drew $110 million in net inflows on October 26 and $176 million on October 27, a sign that some institutional money is buying the dip. Other observers have flagged large holders selling into strength.

That tension defines crypto’s position right now. Bitcoin sits about a third below its October 2025 record near $126,000. A rate-hike path works against an asset that has thrived on cheap money, and the market has spent months adjusting to the possibility that the easy-money era is over. 

Some traders read the hold as evidence the Fed will move slowly. Others see December as the real test. For now, the level to watch is a bitcoin price of $80,000. It has held as support in recent sessions, and a clean break below it would expose the next floor. 

Warsh and his colleagues have said they will wait for incoming data before acting. Bitcoin will have to wait along with everyone else.

Midterms up next

Bitcoin’s next big political test arrives on November 3, when voters across the country head to the polls. Crypto has not really dominated the campaign trail. 

The crypto industry spent about $176 million on more than 100 midterm races to build a bipartisan bloc in Congress that could protect its interests after President Donald Trump left office. Fairshake, the industry’s largest super PAC, led the effort and directed strategy as it had in the 2024 cycle.

At the time of writing, the bitcoin price is $81,478.

This post Bitcoin Price Trades Above $81,500 as Fed Keeps Rates Steady in Split Vote first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Centralized Exchange and DeFi Losses Dominate 2026 Crypto Hacks Despite Hardware Wallet Failures

Crypto hacks have produced roughly $2.35 billion in net losses so far in 2026 after freezes and returns, according to a report by Lightning.news shared with Bitcoin Magazine. A security researcher by the name of Stacy Muur posted on X compiled “a list of protocols that were hacked for more than $50,000 in 2026.” 230 protocols year-to-date. “Crypto security is absolutely cooked.” September alone accounted for about $768 million in Muur’s tally, driven mainly by centralized exchanges and DeFi rather than pure Bitcoin self-custody hardware wallets, which got significant news coverage at the time.

The largest single loss was Bitget’s September 24 drain of roughly $387.5 million from hot and warm wallets. The exchange and firms including Chainalysis, Elliptic, and TRM Labs have linked the incident to North Korea, citing IP patterns consistent with prior DPRK-linked VPN use, on-chain overlaps with wallets tied to earlier Lazarus Group and TraderTraitor activity, including the 2025 Bybit theft. Attackers used third-party security products to inject fraudulent withdrawal commands without taking private keys.

Liquid Network, Blockstream’s Bitcoin sidechain, took the next-largest hit when attackers exploited an Elements software bug in early September to mint about 4,000 unbacked L-BTC and peg them out for roughly 4,000 real bitcoins, valued near $320 million at the time. The self-described white-hat actors returned 3,400 BTC after negotiations conducted on-chain via OP_RETURN messages and kept about 600 BTC. No federation keys were compromised. The loss came from a type of inflation bug on the Liquid network protocol. 

Samson Mow later called the episode part of an “avalanche of AI-assisted attacks” that had already reached other Bitcoin-adjacent software before hitting Liquid. The network is back and running now, having covered the losses, presumably from investors. 

DeFi platforms showed the same pattern of concentrated, high-value losses. Drift Protocol lost approximately $285–296 million in an April governance and multisig compromise that involved months of social engineering. An investigation commissioned by the project attributed the operation to North Korean actors. 

KelpDAO’s LayerZero-powered rsETH bridge was drained of roughly $292 million in unbacked tokens after a single-verifier design was subverted. LayerZero stated that preliminary indicators pointed to DPRK’s Lazarus Group, specifically TraderTraitor. 

Tectonic on Cronos saw about $120.4 million borrowed against manipulated collateral in late August. Validators later rewound the chain and recovered the majority, though several million dollars that had already been bridged off-network were not restored.

Incidents involving Bitcoin hardware wallets were smaller in aggregate despite the wide news coverage. Galaxy Research placed the Coinkite RNG hack values in the range of roughly 1,596–1,789 BTC, on the order of $100–130 million, with higher upper-bound estimates near 2,055 BTC. 

Ledger losses of roughly $86–102 million traced to devices sold through the authorized Southeast Asian reseller CryptoBilis, where an unauthorized hardware implant captured recovery phrases during setup, a supply chain attack. The company stated that confirmed cases were limited to that reseller’s supply chain and that its own systems and direct sales were unaffected, though there are unconfirmed reports of such bugged devices making it to German markets. Combined, however, these hardware-adjacent events remain well below the single largest CEX and DeFi incidents. 

The year has also coincided with the practical deployment of AI coding agents capable of scanning codebases for vulnerabilities and automating exploit development. Muur has stated that “AI is definitely making it much easier to find and exploit bugs. I think we’re entering a pretty serious cybersecurity arms race.” 

Reports note that code-flaw exploits accelerated after the February release of models such as GPT-5.3-Codex and Claude Opus 4.6, which showed high success rates on smart-contract bug benchmarks at low cost. 

OpenAI has disclosed internal testing cases in which agents accessed unauthorized test-network funds or bypassed controls to complete tasks. Most of the year’s largest heists still relied on traditional vectors such as key compromise, social engineering, and infrastructure flaws, but the lowered barrier for discovering and weaponizing bugs adds a new layer of risk, particularly for complex smart-contract systems and sidechains.

Bitcoin’s base layer itself has not been the source of these losses. The bulk of the 2026 damage has concentrated in CEX hot-wallet infrastructure, DeFi governance, oracle designs, and Bitcoin sidechain code, while pure self-custody hardware wallets, even when imperfect, have accounted for a distinctly smaller share. Nevertheless, calls for an update to self custody recommendations have emerged from industry leaders, pushing forward multivendor multisig wallets as the future of niche industry.

This post Centralized Exchange and DeFi Losses Dominate 2026 Crypto Hacks Despite Hardware Wallet Failures first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Juan Galt.

Bitcoin Magazine

Google Debuting a Bank-Grade Crypto Custody Tool Built on Split Keys: Report

Google is reportedly unveiling Google Multi-Party Compute, a crypto custody system that splits signing keys across separate systems, at its first digital assets symposium in New York today. The product is in private preview with several financial institutions. Alphabet has started using it to secure its own assets, according to CoinDesk reporting.

Google plans commercial availability in early 2027 and has not disclosed pricing.

The system applies multi-party computation to a signing key. The key is divided into fragments held by separate parties or machines, and a transaction requires a set number of fragments to sign. 

The full key is never assembled in one place. A bank could hold one share on its own hardware, another in Google Cloud, and a third with a rival cloud provider. Institutions can set thresholds such as two-of-three or five-of-seven. Before any signature, a policy engine running inside Google’s Confidential Space checks the transfer against limits, destination restrictions, and approval rules. 

Google says it has no access to key shares in unencrypted form, per CoinDesk.

Crypto’s security issues

The pitch rests on a persistent problem. Chainalysis attributed 43.8% of cryptocurrency stolen in 2024 to compromised private keys. DeFiLlama data shows roughly 40% of the $16.69 billion lost to hacks through June came from key compromises. In June, an attacker took seven keys from one developer’s computer during the Humanity Protocol breach and drained wallets across two networks. 

Such incidents show how concentrated signing authority creates a single point of failure. The industry has responded by recommending multi-vendor multisignature setups that spread control across hardware and software providers.

Google also frames the product against AI-enabled fraud. Chainalysis found that scams linked to AI tool vendors averaged $3.2 million per operation in 2025, compared with $719,000 for other scams. The report links the two figures but does not prove that AI caused the difference. 

Ethereum researcher Justin Drake has warned that AI could eventually find mathematical shortcuts that weaken wallet signatures. No AI system has shown that capability. Google’s MPC design targets stolen credentials and unauthorized transfers, not a break in the underlying cryptography.

Quantum computing presents a separate, longer-term risk. Google researchers estimated that a sufficiently powerful future machine could derive a bitcoin private key from an exposed public key in about nine minutes. Roughly 6.9 million bitcoin have exposed public keys. Google says its architecture can adopt post-quantum signatures later without forcing institutions to rebuild their systems, but it has set no timetable. Background on how quantum machines threaten bitcoin explains which addresses are most exposed.

Google enters a market led by Fireblocks, Fordefi, and BitGo. Google argued to CoinDesk that its banking relationships and security expertise give it an advantage. It also positions itself as a neutral supplier for banks that do not want to rely on competitors. 

Banks already use specialized platforms, such as BNP Paribas’s custody work with Metaco, and multi-institution vaults built with BitGo.

This post Google Debuting a Bank-Grade Crypto Custody Tool Built on Split Keys: Report first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Strategy (MSTR) Shareholders Approve Daily Dividends on Four Preferred Stocks

Strategy shareholders have approved the Daily Dividends amendment, the company announced Wednesday. Preliminary results show 99.3% of votes cast were in favor, according to Executive Chairman Michael Saylor.

The amendment allows STRF, STRC, STRK and STRD to accrue dividends every calendar day, including weekends and holidays.

The proposal surfaced on September 25, when the company asked holders to attend a special meeting on October 28. Strategy said the change “would reduce reinvestment lag, enhance liquidity and market efficiency, and increase price stability.”

At the time Strategy said that they “believe these enhancements can also benefit our common stockholders by increasing the attractiveness and utility of our Digital Credit instruments, supporting our ability to access preferred equity capital efficiently and expanding the capital markets toolkit we use to execute our Bitcoin Treasury strategy.

Under the approved structure, dividends accrue every day but are paid on the next business day. Strategy has said scheduled dividend rates and total dividend obligations remain unchanged. The company has argued the change could benefit common stockholders by making its Digital Credit instruments easier to use and easier to fund.

The timing depends on board action. If the board approves the change and required filings are completed, the first STRC record and payment dates would fall on November 1 and 2, 2026. For STRF, STRK and STRD, the first record and payment dates would be January 1 and 4, 2027. Those dates also depend on operational readiness.

STRC pays a variable rate that the company can change at its discretion. Its rate for the month ended June 30, 2026 was 11.50%, according to Strategy’s quarterly report. Shareholders approved moving STRC to semi-monthly payments in June, and the new amendment builds on that precedent.

In short, STRC is designed to help Strategy raise money from investors through a preferred stock offering targeting a stable $100 price and a variable dividend yield, then use that capital to continuously buy Bitcoin regardless of its short-term price movements. This creates a potential global dollar-cost-averaging machine for Bitcoin.

Final vote certification will come in a company filing. Board action remains the final step before any new payment schedule begins.

Strategy’s bitcoin moves this year 

The vote comes after bitcoin fell into somewhat of a bear market. Strategy slowed its bitcoin purchases this year and sold some holdings to fund preferred dividends, interest payments and repurchases. 

The company’s common stock, MSTR, is down near 50% over the past year, though it has risen by a figure approaching 1,000% since Strategy began buying bitcoin in 2020.

Earlier this week, Strategy said they paused Bitcoin purchases for the prior week and maintained its holdings at 848,517 BTC, acquired for $64.02 billion at an average price of $75,446 per Bitcoin. 

The company spent $204.9 million repurchasing STRC preferred stock while retaining a $4.83 billion cash reserve. 

Fellow bitcoin-treasury company Strive pays cash dividends on its Variable Rate Series A Perpetual Preferred Stock (SATA) every business day. This started on June 16, after moving from monthly payments. 

This post Strategy (MSTR) Shareholders Approve Daily Dividends on Four Preferred Stocks first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

Bitcoin Magazine

Bitwise Raises Bitcoin Target to $1.6 Million as Institutions Keep Buying

Bitwise Asset Management this week released its 2027 Bitcoin Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions, raising its 2036 base-case price target for bitcoin to $1,599,766 from $1.3 million a year earlier. 

The forecast implies a 34.3% compound annual growth rate from the roughly $83,557 price the firm used as of September 30, 2026. Bitwise’s bear case is $130,686 and its bull case is $3.67 million.

The base case rests on three arguments. Institutional investors will keep adding bitcoin to portfolios. New supply stays fixed on a predictable schedule. Rising government debt will push investors toward assets that cannot be printed. 

Institutional investors love bitcoin

Bitwise estimates that institutions controlling about $147 trillion could allocate 1% to 5% of their portfolios to bitcoin, which the firm says would mean $1.5 trillion to $7.4 trillion of purchases. The network issues about $14 billion in new coins per year, and Bitwise argues that gap will push prices higher.

Institutional plumbing is already expanding. U.S. spot bitcoin ETPs hold about $108 billion, according to the report. Banks and brokerages are building custody and trading services, and a recent report describes sovereign wealth funds and family offices buying during the 2026 decline. 

Regulators are also moving. A Federal Reserve capital proposal aimed at easing bank custody rules could widen access for large institutions, if adopted.

The past year tested that thesis. Bitcoin fell 53.4% from its October 2025 peak of $126,080 to a June 30, 2026 low of $58,717. Bitwise calls that drawdown the shallowest in the asset’s history. Prior cycle declines were 77%, 84% and 86%. 

Whether the shallow decline signals a new pattern or a pause is less settled. Bitwise expects the four-year cycle to weaken as the investor base broadens. Others see the cycle still at work. 

VanEck argues the current slump follows the historical halving pattern, and Fidelity has pointed to a possible floor around November 2026 if past timing holds. NYDIG has said a repeat of earlier bear markets could push the cycle low near $38,000 to $39,000. Cathie Wood has argued the market is nearly through the downturn. Each view carries a different price floor and timeline.

Bitcoin’s volatility 

Volatility is the other pillar of the forecast. Bitwise models a 27.8% average volatility over the decade, the midpoint between today’s level and its 2036 expectation. Grayscale’s research head recently put one-year volatility at 43%, against a 10-year average of 64%, and lower than the volatility of 19% of S&P 500 companies. Charles Schwab’s research found the asset remains prone to sharp drawdowns despite the lower readings. A Deutsche Bank analyst has described the trend as a sign of a maturing market.

Bitwise also reports that bitcoin’s correlation with gold reached a record 0.58 in September 2026. The firm expects that relationship to deepen, which positions bitcoin as a store-of-value asset. That link cuts both ways. If gold weakens, bitcoin may lose the support it gained from the same investor demand. Gemini has predicted that at least one country will shift part of its gold reserves into bitcoin in 2026, a forecast that has yet to materialize.

The report is candid about what could go wrong. Bitcoin’s track record is short. Its software was developed in 2008 and 2009, trading began on public exchanges in 2010, the first institutional product with bitcoin exposure launched in 2014, and spot ETPs arrived in 2024. 

Bitwise writes that forecasts built heavily on history carry uncertainty because future returns may differ from the past. Regulation is a second concern. The Clarity Act’s failure in Congress, which the report traces to Democratic concerns about ethics provisions, shows that progress can stall, even as the firm argues recent advances are unlikely to be rolled back. 

Technology is a third. Quantum computing, and mathematical advances accelerated by AI, could threaten the cryptography that secures bitcoin wallets. Bitwise says the network will need a major upgrade at some point, and holders who fail to move funds to new addresses could be exposed. The developers have made progress over the past year, the report says, but major issues remain unresolved.

Bitcoin’s price is near $80,500.

This post Bitwise Raises Bitcoin Target to $1.6 Million as Institutions Keep Buying first appeared on Bitcoin Magazine and is written by Micah Zimmerman.

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Anyone looking to buy Hedera today needs three things: a venue with a genuine euro pair, the fee on the chosen order route, and a place to store it afterwards. All three can be settled before the first click. HBAR, the unit of the Hedera network, cost 0.067658 euros in the early hours of October 29; according to CoinGecko data that is 0.075356 US dollars and a market value of around 3.0 billion euros, rank 32. How the price moves from here is tracked continuously in our Hedera price prediction.

Also documented: five reachable venues quoted an HBAR-euro pair within the same hour, and the gap between bid and ask was under a twentieth of a percent at all of them. The difference that ultimately decides the quantity therefore does not come from the market, but from the order route and the fee your provider charges for it.

HBAR is a utility token, not a stake in the network

Hedera is a public network for transactions and data attestations, and HBAR is the unit used to pay inside it. A utility token is a token whose only built-in purpose is access to a network's services, not a participation in its operator. That is exactly how Hedera describes HBAR on its own overview page: as access to the services of the network.

For holders, that means you acquire no stake in a company, no vote over its business and no claim on profit. The network is governed by the Hedera Council, a body of 31 members from eleven industries according to the same page, 16 of them Fortune 500 companies. That body also sets the rate at which staking rewards are paid out. Hold HBAR and you hold a network unit whose rules are made elsewhere. That is neither a weakness nor an advantage; it is the property that separates it from a share.

0.0677 euros: the price sits 39 percent below where it stood a month ago

The starting position belongs in a purchase decision, even though it says nothing about tomorrow. Measured in the early hours of October 29 through CoinGecko market data, HBAR stood at 0.067658 euros. Over 24 hours that was 0.6 percent lower, over seven days 11.5 percent, over 30 days 39.1 percent. Against where it stood a year ago, 61.8 percent is missing; against the all-time high of 0.4813 euros from September 15, 2021, 85.9 percent is missing.

A decline of 39 percent inside a month counts as a correction on the usual reading, and it is not confined to HBAR. We described the most recent occasion of our own on October 25, when assets held in Hedera funds fell: Hedera under pressure. Conversely, the jump after the IBM listing of September 28 shows how quickly the direction can turn. None of that changes the buying route; it does change what to expect of an entry price. Buy in a week with a double-digit loss and a total loss belongs in the calculation as a possibility.

Five venues quote HBAR against the euro

For this article we queried the providers' public price pages ourselves overnight into October 29. Five venues that can be reached from Europe quoted an HBAR-euro pair: Kraken, Bitvavo, Bitstamp, Coinbase and Bitpanda. A euro pair matters more than it sounds. Without one, the purchase runs through a detour, usually a dollar stablecoin, and then you pay the fee twice: once converting euros into the stablecoin and once buying HBAR.

The bid-ask spread, the distance between the best buying and the best selling offer in the order book, was 0.03 percent at Kraken, 0.04 percent at Bitvavo and 0.05 percent at Bitstamp. That is tight. The difference was far clearer in trading volume: Bitvavo reported 11.16 million HBAR over 24 hours, Kraken 5.28 million across 2,959 trades, Bitstamp 473,846 units. Between the thinnest and the thickest book lies a factor of 23. For an order of 100 euros that makes no difference; for one of 50,000 euros it very much does, because a large order clears a thin book upwards.

Spread and order fee: 100 euros counted out in HBAR

The spread in the order book is the smaller item. The larger one is the fee, and that depends on which button you press. Kraken's own fee overview names 0.40 percent for the lowest volume tier in spot trading for an order that rests in the book, and 0.80 percent for an order executed immediately against the book. For the convenient instant purchase it lists 1 percent, and for individually assembled orders 1.5 percent.

Calculated on the ask price of 0.06757 euros that we measured, that means the following for a stake of 100 euros:

• Order rests in the book, 0.40 percent: 99.60 euros are invested, which comes to around 1,474 HBAR.
• Order is executed immediately, 0.80 percent: 99.20 euros, around 1,468 HBAR.
• Instant purchase, 1 percent: 99.00 euros, around 1,465 HBAR.
• Individual order, 1.5 percent: 98.50 euros, around 1,458 HBAR.

Between the cheapest and the most expensive variant at the same provider lie 16 HBAR, or 1.1 percent. That sounds like little, and it is the price of convenience, which you pay again on every top-up. Buy twelve times a year for 100 euros and the expensive route gives away the equivalent of a good half of one monthly contribution. Which providers run which tiers is collected in our overview of the best crypto exchanges. Terms change; read them at the provider itself before buying.

How to check the MiCA authorisation in the ESMA register

Since the European regulation on markets in crypto-assets took effect, a provider may only offer crypto services in the EU with an authorisation as a crypto-asset service provider. The authorisation is granted by one member state's supervisor and then applies across the whole union. What binds is solely the entry in the public register maintained by the European securities regulator ESMA, and not the advertising on a provider's home page.

The route there is short. Search the register for the name of the legal entity, not the brand name: it appears in the provider's imprint or terms of use and is often different from the app. Then compare whether the company you found is the same one you are entering the contract with, and which services it is permitted to offer. What the regulation demands of companies and which deadlines apply we have assembled on our page on the MiCA licence and its obligations.

One note on interpretation: an authorisation is a supervisory permission, not a deposit guarantee and not a promise about the price. The entry documents that a provider is supervised and has to follow rules on segregating client funds. About the price of HBAR it says nothing.

The network fee is set in dollars and paid in HBAR

Here lies the quirk that separates Hedera from most networks and that rarely turns up in buying guides. On most blockchains the transaction fee fluctuates with load and with the price of the network unit. Hedera instead sets its fees in US dollars, starting at 0.0001 dollars per transaction, and converts that amount into HBAR at the moment of the transaction. That is how the network's overview page puts it.

The consequence is uncomfortably symmetrical. If the HBAR price falls, the same transfer costs more units but the same number of cents. If it rises, it costs fewer units and again the same number of cents. For buyers that is mostly good news: the cost of moving coins from the exchange into your own custody stays predictable even if the price halves. Anyone holding HBAR in order to pay with it, by contrast, should know that a falling price burns through the balance faster.

Custody: exchange account, software wallet or your own device

After the purchase the HBAR sit in the venue's account at first. That is the most convenient route and at the same time the one decided by others: the provider holds the keys, and you depend on its continued existence and its withdrawal processes. The second route is a software wallet on the phone or in the browser, for Hedera commonly HashPack, which according to the network page also supports staking HBAR directly. The third route is a device of your own: Ledger lists HBAR in its overview of supported networks, and the keys do not leave the device.

Which route fits depends on the amount and the holding period. For 100 euros meant to be sold again in four weeks, a device costing 70 euros is not a sensible outlay. For a holding meant to sit for a year, that reverses. The differences between devices, from recovery to ease of use, are in our hardware wallet comparison. And whichever route you choose: the recovery words never belong in a photo, never in a cloud and never in a messenger message.

Staking without a lock-up: what the documentation says

Staking means assigning your own units to a node of the network so that it carries more weight in the vote on valid transactions, and receiving a reward for it. At Hedera the process is unusual in one respect: the network's technical documentation states expressly that there is no lock-up period when an account is assigned to a node, and that the balance remains available at all times. You can therefore sell the units without first unassigning them and sitting out a waiting period.

Two caveats belong with that, and both come from the same source. First, the Council sets the reward rate and can change it; a return is therefore not promised. Second, rewards only accumulate for up to 365 days if no payout is triggered in the meantime. Leave an account untouched for years and the part beyond that is given away. For completeness: the documentation contradicts itself in its own FAQ section at this point, where it speaks of locked units. The section on basic concepts is the authoritative one, and in case of doubt check the figure in your wallet before relying on it.

44.33 of 50 billion HBAR are in circulation

The quantity has been capped at HBAR from the start: 50 billion units, and the network rules allow no more. Of those, 44.33 billion were in circulation on October 29, which is 88.7 percent. The remaining 5.67 billion, or 11.3 percent of the total, are not yet in the market.

That is the figure missing most often from buying guides, even though it bears directly on the price. Every unit that enters circulation later spreads the same market value across more pieces. A comparison makes the scale tangible: the 5.67 billion HBAR still outstanding correspond to a good 383 million euros at the October 29 price, while the three euro books we measured together traded just under 17 million HBAR in 24 hours. The pipeline is therefore a multiple of daily euro trading. When which portion is released is a question for the network's publications, not for the price.

One year's holding period and the 1,000-euro threshold

In Germany, crypto assets held privately count as other economic goods and therefore precisely not as investment capital. Section 23 of the German Income Tax Act on private disposal transactions is accordingly the governing provision. Sell your HBAR at a profit within one year of buying and that gain is taxed at your personal rate, not at the flat withholding rate. After one year has passed, the gain from the sale stays tax-free.

On top of that comes a limit that is often misunderstood. Section 23 paragraph 3 sentence 5 of the Income Tax Act reads literally: "Gains stay tax-free if the total gain achieved from private disposal transactions in the calendar year amounted to less than 1,000 euros." The decisive words are total gain and less than. It is a threshold, not an allowance: at 1,000 euros of gain the full amount is taxable, not just the part above the line. And it applies to all private disposal transactions of the year taken together, gold and other coins included.

Staking rewards do not run through this provision. Those earnings belong to income from services under Section 22 number 3 of the Income Tax Act, and there a separate, markedly lower limit applies: such income is not subject to income tax if it amounted to less than 256 euros in the calendar year. Anyone planning to stake therefore keeps two sets of books. Tools that keep the two cases apart and count the holding period per purchase are in our overview of crypto tax tools. That is no substitute for tax advice.

Our assessment: what argues for and against getting in

Our view, with the evidence alongside it: Hedera is one of the few networks whose usage costs are fixed in dollars and whose maximum supply is settled. Both remove two uncertainties that exist elsewhere, and both can be read on the network page. For a buyer who cares more about the technology and the cost side than about the price move, that is a defensible argument.

Against it stand three equally documented points. The price sits 61.8 percent below where it stood a year ago and 85.9 percent below the 2021 high, measured on October 29. Eleven percent of the total supply is not yet in circulation and can reach the market later. And decisions about the network, down to the reward rate, are taken in a body in which a private holder has no vote. We therefore speak neither for nor against a purchase, and a total loss remains possible with any crypto commitment. Which exchanges can show a supervisory permission is in our overview of regulated crypto exchanges, linked in the closing section.

Buying Hedera: without a euro pair you pay the fee twice

The sequence that costs least is also the dullest. Three steps are enough:

1. Settle the provider and its authorisation. Look up the provider's legal entity in the ESMA register and check whether it is listed there with the services you intend to use. A pre-selection of supervised houses is at the regulated crypto exchanges.
2. Buy through the euro pair, not through the detour. All five venues measured quote HBAR against the euro. An order resting in the book cost 0.40 percent at Kraken instead of 1.5 percent, which on 100 euros is around 16 HBAR more. Current tiers are in the comparison of crypto exchanges.
3. Fix custody before the holding grows. Up to a small amount the account at the provider is enough; above that, a wallet of your own pays off. The differences between the programs are in the software wallet comparison.

(As of October 29, 2026. This article is not investment advice. Prices and fee structures change; check the terms with the provider before you buy.)

Tokenised stocks on X Layer added 32 million dollars in market capitalisation over seven days. That is the third-largest weekly gain of any blockchain on which such instruments trade, and X Layer is the blockchain of the exchange OKX. For holders of OKB it is the most interesting figure of the week, because OKB pays the fees there. The price itself gives none of it away: 111.35 dollars on Wednesday evening, 4.19 percent lower than seven days earlier.

That gap between usage and price is the reason to read this article. Below are the figures that are documented, and under them the points an investor has to settle before touching one of these stock tokens. The most important of them has nothing to do with the price, but with the question of which regulator stands behind the product and how the tax office classifies it.

X Layer: 32 million dollars added in seven days in tokenised stocks

The figure comes from an analysis by Cryptobriefing dated Tuesday, October 27, 2026. It also carries the trajectory, and that is steeper than the weekly number suggests. X Layer opened trading in tokenised stocks on June 15, 2026, with market capitalisation at zero that day. By September 12 it stood at around 91.5 million dollars. For October 16 the analysis names just under 200 million dollars in assets under management. Estimates for the end of October range between 259 and 304 million dollars, depending on which data service counts. The report gives that range itself, and it is not smoothed over here: anyone adding up tokenised stocks across several blockchains counts the same instruments differently depending on method.

Put in context, that means X Layer has gone from nothing to one of the larger venues for these instruments in four and a half months. The same report also gives the wider picture. The xStocks ecosystem, which X Layer belongs to, reaches around one billion dollars in market capitalisation across all connected blockchains at the end of October 2026, and roughly two billion dollars in cumulative volume has run through trading partners such as Uniswap.

What tokenised stocks are and how xStocks backs them

Tokenised stock: a token on a blockchain that tracks the price of a real share and is backed one-to-one by the underlying instrument by an issuer. The buyer does not hold the share but a claim against the issuer.

The issuer behind the instruments on X Layer is called xStocks. By its own account, xStocks issues tracker certificates backed one-to-one by the real share, and has run the partnership with X Layer since June 2026. That a token is backed one-to-one, however, says nothing about which rights attach to it. A review of the OKX offering from this year records that these tokens provide pure price participation, without dividends and without voting rights. Buying them means buying the price move, not the share.

Technically the instruments do not sit on X Layer alone. OKX's EU help page names X Layer and Solana as the blockchains over which deposits and withdrawals of the supported stock tokens run. Anyone moving such a token off the exchange therefore has to know which blockchain it lands on, because the routes back differ.

OKB as the gas token: why growth on X Layer touches the token

X Layer is a second-layer zkEVM blockchain built with the Polygon toolkit, and OKB is the means of payment for transaction fees there. A review of the offering from this year describes how OKB took on that role alone after the older OKTChain and the OKB version on the Ethereum main blockchain were discontinued. The database DefiLlama lists X Layer under the identifier okb and reports 173.1 million dollars in deposited capital for the blockchain on Wednesday.

The connection is documented, but it is indirect, and that belongs in the picture: more trading on X Layer means more transactions and therefore more fees in OKB. Whether that turns into upward pressure on the price depends on how much of those fees actually accrues and what happens to them. A second-layer blockchain is attractive precisely because its fees are small. The 32 million dollars added in market capitalisation is therefore not a revenue figure, and it is not converted into one here.

One supply figure can be stated firmly by contrast. Circulating supply and maximum supply of OKB both stand at 21 million tokens, so the supply is fully issued and capped. No new tokens can be created, the quantity can only fall.

OKB price at 111 dollars: the weekly range shows the thin liquidity

The price stood at 111.35 dollars on Wednesday evening, up 1.82 percent on the day and down 4.19 percent over seven days, according to data from CoinPaprika. Market capitalisation therefore comes to a good 2.3 billion dollars.

More interesting than the weekly figure is the range inside it. Daily data from Kraken show a session high of 136.18 dollars against a session low of 110.62 dollars for Thursday, October 23. That is a 23 percent spread in a single day, on a closing price of 111.51 dollars. The weekly low fell to 101.00 dollars on October 22. Swings like that do not come from news but from a thin order book: a few large orders move the price a long way, and different venues produce different prices for the same token. How unevenly OKB trading is spread across venues we examined separately in mid-October.

In practice that matters for an order: a market order for a larger sum can be filled at a markedly worse price than the one on the screen. A limit order protects against that but may sit unfilled instead.

The ICE joint venture: 63 US stocks in continuous trading, and the resistance to it

The second part of the story is bigger than the weekly gain and not yet settled. OKX and Intercontinental Exchange, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange, filed through a joint venture with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in early October 2026 to make 63 tokenised US stocks tradable around the clock. Nvidia, Tesla and Apple are among those named.

The application is pending, and it is running into resistance. According to a report by Bitcoin.com, several of the companies concerned have positioned themselves against the move, among them Coca-Cola, JPMorgan and Dell. That is notable because it is not competitors pushing back but the issuers of the shares that are to be tokenised. How the SEC will decide is open, and no date for the decision has been published. Until then, what is already running stays as it is.

MiFID II instead of MiCA: which licence governs distribution

Here lies the point that price coverage usually leaves out and that matters most to an investor. In regulatory terms, stock tokens are not crypto assets but financial instruments. The European crypto regulation MiCA, which European investors have gone by at crypto exchanges since this year, therefore does not apply to them; the securities directive MiFID II does.

OKX describes this on its EU help page itself: the instruments are distributed by OKX Europe Markets Limited, licensed as an investment firm by the Maltese financial regulator MFSA under the Investment Services Act and MiFID II. Trading there is possible around the clock, seven days a week. Another page from the same provider names purchase in euros as a payment route but points expressly to regional restrictions. At the competitor Kraken the same issuer runs through a Cypriot investment firm.

Three things follow that can be checked before money moves. First: the licence applies to a specific company, not to the brand name. Second: a MiCA licence held by the crypto exchange says nothing about the stock tokens, because they fall under a different set of rules. Third: which of the instruments are actually enabled for your account is not in the licence but in the account terms. For choosing a venue and verifying its licence, our overview of regulated crypto exchanges helps.

Tax on stock tokens: the one-year holding period does not apply here

The second consequence of classification as a financial instrument hits the tax return, and it lands hard. For crypto assets such as Bitcoin or OKB, Germany applies the one-year holding period of the private disposal transaction: hold for more than a year and no tax falls due on the gain. For shares that period does not apply; there, withholding tax falls due on every realised gain, regardless of holding period.

A token that tracks a share is treated, under the regulatory classification described above, not as a crypto asset but as a financial instrument. It therefore stands to reason that the rules for investment income apply for tax as well, rather than the holding period. That is the classification arising from the product description, and not a ruling from the tax authorities: no published administrative guidance exists on the tax treatment of tokenised shares in Germany that an investor could rely on. Anyone holding such instruments therefore settles the classification with a tax adviser before selling, not afterwards.

In practice that also means a portfolio holding crypto assets and stock tokens side by side needs records that keep the two apart, because different periods apply to each. A statement that mixes both pots can hardly be separated after the fact.

Custody and counterparty risk: what separates a tracker certificate from a share

Counterparty risk: the risk that it is not the price that falls but the contractual partner that fails, the one backing or holding the instrument.

For a share in the account of a bank, that risk is small, because the share belongs to the investor and is merely held in custody. For a tracker certificate on a share it is a point in its own right: the value depends on the issuer actually holding the backing and on the custodian delivering. Move the token off the exchange into your own wallet and the risk shifts, it does not disappear. Responsibility for the key then sits with the investor, while the instrument itself still hangs on the issuer. Self-custody trades the exchange's risk for your own key risk.

Add to that a detail often lost with stock tokens: continuous trading runs around the clock, the price formation of the real share does not. Outside US exchange hours there is no running reference price for the token to orient itself by. In those hours the provider's order book alone sets the price, and it is routinely thinner than during the day.

Levels above and below: 101 and 136 dollars as the week's edges

As observation points rather than price targets, the past week's data give a clear picture. On the downside the weekly low sits at 101.00 dollars from October 22, and below it the round 100-dollar level, which did not break this week. On the upside stands the weekly high of 136.18 dollars from October 23, which was a single spike in thin trading and was not confirmed as a closing price. The more reliable resistance sits closer: the highest daily close of the week was 116.58 dollars on October 21.

The price moved between 101 and 116 dollars all week. The three figures named are observations from the daily data and no statement about where the price is heading.

Stock tokens at OKX: the Malta licence decides, not MiCA

The weekly gain of 32 million dollars shows that something is growing on X Layer, and OKB hangs on it as the fee token. For a purchase decision, though, that is the smaller half of the story. The larger half is that the stock tokens themselves fall under a different set of rules and different taxation than the token paying their fees. Hold both in a portfolio and you hold two products with two rulebooks.

1. Settle which company your contractual partner is. With the stock tokens it is an investment firm licensed under MiFID II, not the crypto exchange. If your venue's licence is not established, the overview of crypto brokers helps.
2. Keep the tax file separate. The one-year holding period applies to crypto assets, not to financial instruments. Keep the two apart, for instance with one of the tax tools and portfolio trackers, and have the classification checked before you sell.
3. Decide on custody before you buy. Your own keys remove the exchange's risk and bring your own; the devices for it sit in the hardware wallet comparison.

(As of October 28, 2026. This article is not investment advice. Prices and fee structures change; check the terms with the provider before you buy.)

If you hold Portal to Bitcoin (PTB) at Bitvavo, a deadline is running against you. The exchange is dropping the token from its line-up on Friday, November 6, 2026. Doing nothing does not cost you the tokens, but it does cost you the choice: Bitvavo converts whatever is left into euros automatically and credits the proceeds to the account. The rate of that forced conversion is not fixed in advance, and it applies to a token that has lost roughly three quarters of its value over the past week.

A delisting is not confiscation. It is a changeover with fixed times, and those times decide whether you still pick the moment of the sale or whether the exchange picks it for you. The price history of Portal to Bitcoin makes that difference matter more here than it usually would.

What Bitvavo does with PTB on November 6

Bitvavo announced the removal on October 27, 2026. According to the Bitvavo notice, trading in PTB ends on November 6, 2026. After that there is no market left on the platform on which the token could be swapped for euros or for another cryptocurrency.

Delisting means a trading platform permanently discontinues a trading pair. The token itself continues to exist, its blockchain keeps running, and other venues can keep listing it. What ends is access through this one exchange. For holders, that means the balance stays visible at first, while the tools for moving it fall away one after another.

Bitvavo names two routes that stay open to you until the cut-off date. You can sell PTB or swap it into another asset while trading is still live, which incurs the regular trading fee. Or you can transfer the tokens to a wallet outside the exchange while withdrawals are still possible, which incurs a network fee and requires a destination address in your own name.

The three times on November 6: deposits, trading, withdrawals

November 6 is not a single cut-off but a sequence of three moments. All three fall inside two hours, and they take effect in this order:

• 1 p.m. CET: PTB deposits into the Bitvavo account are no longer possible. Anyone still sending tokens to the exchange from outside at that point risks a credit that never arrives.
• 2 p.m. CET: Trading ends. From that minute on, PTB can neither be sold on the platform nor swapped for another coin.
• 3 p.m. CET: Withdrawals end. After that point the token cannot leave the exchange.

The order has a practical consequence that is easy to miss. Between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. you can no longer sell, but you can still withdraw. In that window only one of the two actions is left. If selling is the plan, it has to be finished before 2 p.m., not before 3 p.m.

Forced conversion into euros: what happens to remaining balances on November 17

Anything still sitting in the account after 3 p.m. on November 6 falls to the automatic swap. Bitvavo converts the remaining PTB holdings into euros on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, or earlier, and credits the amount to the account.

This step is why a delisting rarely ends in a total loss and can still turn out expensive. You receive a counter-value, but you set neither the timing nor the rate. The exchange sells when settlement is due, and it sells into a market the buyers have just left. With thin order books the price achieved therefore comes in lower than the last quoted rate on a regular basis.

A second point concerns size: on very small holdings the proceeds after the swap can land in the range of a few cents. That is not an error on the exchange's part but the product of price and quantity. To work out whether selling ahead of the deadline is worth it at all, calculate the current counter-value once and set the trading fee against it.

Portal to Bitcoin in free fall: down 74 percent in seven days

The numbers behind this delisting explain why the deadline is more than a formality. Portal to Bitcoin trades at around 0.000113 euros on October 28, 2026. Over 24 hours the token lost 18.3 percent, over seven days 74.1 percent and over 30 days 84.9 percent. cryptoticker.io compiled these figures itself on October 28, 2026.

Measured against its peak of October 8, 2025, then around 0.069 euros, the token stands 99.8 percent lower. The total market valuation of all circulating PTB comes to roughly 234,000 euros. For scale: that is less than the price of many apartments. Around 2.07 billion tokens are in circulation out of a total supply of 5.26 billion.

Some context belongs here, and it is an assessment rather than a fact: a price slide on this scale in the same week an exchange halts trading points to selling pressure from holders getting ahead of the deadline. The connection is not documented. What is documented is the deadline and the price history.

All-time low on October 28: what trading volume reveals about the exit

On October 28, 2026, PTB marked a new all-time low at around 0.00010762 euros. The token now sits lower than at any point since records began.

More telling than the price is the ratio of turnover to size. Trading volume over the past 24 hours came to around 1.83 million euros, while the entire market valuation stands at roughly 234,000 euros. In other words, about eight times the value of the whole circulating supply changed hands in a single day. A ratio like that arises when many holders exit at once and the same tokens change owner several times over.

One thing above all follows for your decision: liquidity is there right now, and it does not have to stay there. Experience says the closer November 6 comes, the thinner the order book gets. Selling conditions are better now than they will be in the final hour before trading closes. To see which venues still list a coin and at what fees, look at the crypto exchange comparison.

Sell or withdraw: the two routes before trading closes

Two routes are open to you before November 6, and they lead to different outcomes.

Selling closes the matter. You swap PTB on the exchange into euros or into another coin, pay the normal trading fee and set the timing yourself. That is the route for anyone who did not intend to hold the token anyway and finds the forced conversion too unpredictable.

Withdrawing keeps the position open. You transfer the tokens to a wallet you own yourself and keep them past the cut-off date. That makes sense if you believe in the project or want to hold the token at another venue. It does assume you can handle custody and that another venue still lists the token at all.

Anyone who does not decide decides for the third route: the automatic swap on November 17. It is the only route in which neither timing nor rate is in your hands. This pattern is not new at Bitvavo; the Across Protocol delisting most recently ran to the same script.

Withdrawing to your own wallet: what the network and the address decide

If you want to keep the token, everything hangs on the destination address. Bitvavo requires the wallet to be in your own name. A network fee applies and is deducted from the amount paid out.

Three points decide whether the transfer arrives. First the network: a token often exists on several blockchains, and a withdrawal into the wrong one is generally not recoverable. Second the address, which belongs copied and pasted, never typed out. Third the order: send a small amount first, wait for it to be credited, and only then transfer the rest. That test run costs a second network fee and, in case of doubt, saves the entire holding.

A note on economics: if the counter-value of your holding is below the network fee, withdrawing makes no arithmetic sense. Selling before 2 p.m. is then the cleaner solution.

Tax after the forced swap: the one-year holding period decides

The automatic conversion into euros is no special case for tax purposes. It is a disposal, even though the exchange triggers it rather than you. The German rules for private disposal transactions therefore apply.

Under Section 23 of the German Income Tax Act, a gain from such transactions stays tax-free if more than one year lies between acquisition and disposal. Sell inside that year and the gain counts towards taxable income, as long as it reaches the 1,000-euro threshold together with all other private disposal transactions of the calendar year. Stay below that total and no tax falls due.

With a token standing 99.8 percent below its peak, most holders are not looking at a gain in any case but at a loss. That matters too: losses from private disposal transactions can be offset against gains in the same category. For that you need the acquisition date, the acquisition price and the proceeds from the forced swap. If you have a year of transactions to pull together, secure the records now rather than in the spring.

Delisting risk on small coins: the choice of exchange plays its part

This case does not stand alone. Bitvavo has removed several tokens in recent weeks, and other European venues have withdrawal deadlines open in November as well. The pattern behind it is stable: the smaller the market valuation and the thinner the turnover, the sooner a token drops out of the line-up.

That yields no verdict on any single project, but it does carry a consequence for how you set yourself up. If you hold small tokens, read your exchange's notices instead of waiting for an alert. Deadlines run even when the email lands in spam. And if it matters to you that a platform works under European supervision and announces steps like this cleanly, check that in advance, before a small token enters the portfolio at all.

PTB at Bitvavo: until 3 p.m. on November 6, the call is yours

The deadline is short and the decision manageable. Three steps are enough:

1. Check the holding and its value. Open your Bitvavo account and work out what your PTB holding is currently worth. If the amount is in the cents range, you can let it run and wait for the forced swap. If it is higher, an active decision pays off. To see which platforms work under European supervision, use the overview of regulated crypto exchanges.
2. Sell before 2 p.m. or withdraw before 3 p.m. Put November 6 in the calendar with both times. If you want to keep the token, set up the destination wallet beforehand and test it with a small amount; for the devices that qualify, see the hardware wallet comparison.
3. Secure the paperwork. Download the statement after the conversion and file it with your acquisition data. A tax return needs the purchase date, the purchase price and the proceeds; the tools for that sit in the comparison of tax software and portfolio trackers.

(As of October 28, 2026. This article is not investment advice. Prices and fee structures change; check the terms with the provider before you buy.)

Bitget Wallet launched a feature on October 27, 2026 that connects a crypto wallet to conventional payments: users receive their own account number in US dollars and in euros, and whatever arrives there is converted automatically into a stablecoin. For you as an investor in Germany that first of all means money can flow into a wallet by SEPA without an exchange in between. It also means three things need clearing up before you send money there: which stablecoin ends up in the wallet, who holds the euro balance before the conversion, and what happens to the holding period.

What Bitget Wallet launched with the Virtual Account

The feature is called Virtual Account. According to the company announcement, users receive a personal account number in US dollars and in euros inside the self-custodial wallet. Opening it is free, and no local residence or branch visit is required. Whether a dollar account, a euro account or both are available depends, according to the announcement, on where the user is located.

A Virtual Account is not a bank account in the legal sense but an account number through which a payment service provider accepts money and immediately books it into a digital dollar. According to the company, the feature belongs to the wallet’s Onchain Payments Matrix, which also includes its own payment card. The use case therefore sits clearly in payments and not in trading.

Alvin Kan, Chief Operating Officer of Bitget Wallet, frames the step in the announcement by saying that crypto wallets are developing into everyday financial centres, in the original “Crypto wallets are evolving into everyday financial hubs”. What is meant is a bundle of receiving, managing and sending money without giving up control of the holdings.

Noah in the background: who provides the account number

The account numbers do not come from Bitget Wallet itself but from Noah, a provider of stablecoin payments. By its own account, Noah processes transactions in more than 60 currencies across more than 150 countries and territories and holds over 40 licences, registrations and approvals in the United States, Canada and Europe. Which licence specifically sits behind the euro account, and which supervisory authority is responsible, the announcement does not say.

This is the point to look at more closely, because it decides the legal position of your euro balance in the second between arrival and conversion. Shah Ramezani, founder and chief executive of Noah, describes the offering in the announcement as something that “effectively works like a global neobank, except users control their own keys”. The phrasing captures the construction well and shows its limit at the same time: control of the keys applies to the stablecoins after the conversion, not to the euros before it.

What a payment service provider may and may not do

A payment institution accepts money and passes it on. Unlike a bank, it may not invest client funds on its own account but has to hold them separately from its own assets. That separation protects in an insolvency, but it does not replace deposit insurance. What that means in practice follows further down.

SEPA, SWIFT, ACH and Fedwire: which incoming payments the account accepts

According to the company, the Virtual Account accepts incoming payments over four routes: SEPA and SWIFT for European and international payments, ACH and Fedwire for the United States. The user does not need a US or European bank account for this. For German users SEPA is the relevant route, because an ordinary euro transfer from a current or savings account runs over it.

The company names three target groups. First, freelancers and cross-border workers who receive salaries or fees in dollars or euros without holding an account in the client’s country. Second, recipients of international transfers. Third, users who want to move money from their bank account into stablecoins without going through an exchange or a separate payment provider.

Automatic conversion into USDT or USDC: under MiCA these are not the same

According to the company, incoming amounts are converted automatically into USDT or USDC. Those two names stand for two very different legal positions in the European Union, and this is where the most important checkpoint of the whole offering lies for German users.

A stablecoin is a token whose price is pegged to a currency, in these two cases to the US dollar. The EU treats such tokens in its Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, MiCA for short, as e-money tokens and requires a corresponding authorisation from the issuer. Circle, the issuer of USDC and of the euro token EURC, announced on July 1, 2024 that it had received a licence as an electronic money institution from the French supervisor ACPR, and has since issued both tokens in a MiCA-compliant way by its own account (Circle announcement). Tether has not announced such an authorisation for USDT.

In practice that means which of the two tokens ends up in your wallet is not a matter of taste. Anyone who cares about holding only an e-money token authorised in the EU has to find out before the first transfer whether the target currency can be fixed in the app. Which stablecoins are tradable and how they differ in backing and supervision is set out in our stablecoin comparison.

A second reason to watch the token

The difference bites not only when holding but also when using the token further. An e-money token authorised in the EU can be traded on with supervised providers without detours. With a token lacking that authorisation, the route back into euros can run through providers outside the EU, and that pushes an additional stop between you and your money.

Two dollars on 500 dollars: what the fee figure covers

The company works through an example in its announcement: an ACH transfer of 500 US dollars costs around 2.00 US dollars in wallet fees. As a benchmark the announcement names a global average for remittance costs of about 6 percent, that is roughly 30 US dollars on 500 US dollars, citing World Bank data. Both figures come from the provider and have not been independently recalculated by us.

What matters is the caveat the announcement supplies itself: third-party fees can apply on top, for instance from the sending bank or from the blockchain network over which the stablecoin is delivered. The 2 dollars are therefore the wallet’s share, not the final price. For a SEPA transfer in euros the announcement gives no worked example.

There is also a launch promotion: the company reimburses transaction fees for the first 1,000 eligible users with a qualifying first deposit. What counts as qualifying, and how large the reimbursement is, the announcement does not say.

How to add up the costs yourself

Three items count: the sending bank’s fee for the transfer, the wallet’s fee for acceptance and conversion, and the network fee for delivering the stablecoin. Only the sum shows whether the route is cheaper than a deposit at a licensed exchange followed by a purchase.

Withdrawals are still missing: the account takes money in but gives none out

The company names the biggest gap in the offering itself. Outgoing bank transfers are not available so far; according to the announcement they are planned for the coming months. There is no date. For now the Virtual Account is therefore an inbound channel: euros in, stablecoin in the wallet, and the way back to a bank account runs through another provider.

For planning that means you should settle the exit before the entry. Anyone who wants to swap stablecoins back into euros later needs an exchange authorised in the EU or a broker with euro payouts anyway. The wallet does not replace that step at present, even though it shortens the way in.

No deposit insurance: a Virtual Account is not a bank account

Statutory deposit insurance of 100,000 euros per customer and institution applies to deposits at credit institutions. A payment service provider is not a credit institution, and a stablecoin is not a deposit. For a balance in a Virtual Account and for tokens in a wallet that protection therefore does not apply, regardless of how reliably the provider works.

What protects instead is twofold. Before the conversion, the payment institution’s duty to hold client funds separately from its own assets. After the conversion, the backing of the stablecoin by its issuer, and with an authorised e-money token under the rules of MiCA. Bitget Wallet additionally points to its own protection fund of more than 300 million US dollars, hardware-backed key security, independent audits and real-time risk monitoring. These are company statements, not a legal entitlement.

Holding period under section 23 EStG: what the conversion into stablecoins triggers

For tax purposes the automatic conversion is not a side effect but an event with a date. Crypto assets count in Germany as other assets and fall under private disposal transactions in section 23 of the Income Tax Act. Anyone swapping euros into a stablecoin acquires an asset, and from that day the one-year holding period runs.

The stablecoin itself produces hardly any price gains, because it is pegged to the dollar. The exchange rate between euro and dollar does move, however, and every further swap of the stablecoin into another coin is a disposal of the stablecoin and at the same time an acquisition of the new coin. Anyone buying Bitcoin or Ether out of the Virtual Account therefore starts a new period. Gains from private disposal transactions stay tax-free within a calendar year up to an exemption threshold of 1,000 euros; once it is exceeded, the entire gain is taxable.

In practice you need three details for every deposit: date, euro amount and the quantity of the stablecoin received. Without those lines no period can be documented later. Which tools read such events automatically from wallet addresses is shown in our comparison of crypto tax tools. One note that does not replace tax advice: with a salary flowing in euros into such an account, wage tax is untouched, and the conversion comes on top for tax purposes.

Self-custody with fiat inflows: what your own keys cover here

Self-custody means the private keys to the holdings sit with the user and not with the provider. Bitget Wallet is built that way, and the Virtual Account changes nothing about it: after the conversion the stablecoins sit in the user’s wallet. The quote from Noah’s chief executive describes exactly this mixture, an account number as at a bank and keys as in a wallet.

The mixture has a downside that every self-custody solution shares. Whoever loses the recovery phrase loses access, and nobody can reset it. With an account that will receive a salary in future, that point weighs more heavily than with a wallet holding small amounts. Anyone drawing a salary through such an account in future is therefore better off storing the recovery phrase outside the phone before the first amount arrives.

Availability in Germany: what the announcement leaves open

Three questions remain open after the announcement, and for German users they are the decisive ones. First, the announcement names no list of countries in which a euro account can be opened; it says only that availability depends on where the user is located. Second, it stays unclear under which licence and which supervision the euro account is held. Third, a date for the outgoing transfers is missing.

As long as those three points stay open, the offering cannot be assessed conclusively for Germany. The rest is verifiable: the routes money comes in by, the automatic conversion, the fee figure and the fact that withdrawals are missing. The company announcement is online as a press release via GlobeNewswire.

Bitget Wallet EUR account: without withdrawals it stays an inbound channel

1. Settle the target currency before money flows. Check in the app whether USDC rather than USDT can be fixed as the result of the conversion, and compare the two tokens beforehand on backing and supervision in the stablecoin comparison.
2. Secure the way back into euros. Because outgoing transfers are missing, you need a second provider for the swap back. Which authorised trading venues pay out euros and what they charge for it is in our exchange comparison.
3. Think about keys and records right away. Store the recovery phrase outside the phone before larger amounts arrive; suitable devices are in the hardware wallet comparison. Note the date, euro amount and quantity of tokens received for every deposit.

(As of October 27, 2026. This article is not investment advice. Prices and fee structures change; check the terms with the provider before you buy.)

The US central bank left its benchmark rate unchanged on October 28, 2026. The target range for the fed funds rate stays at 3.75 to 4 percent. What stands out is not the decision itself but how it came about: two of the twelve voting members dissented, and both wanted to raise the rate rather than cut it. Anyone who spent recent months betting that cheaper money would support the crypto market from below has to reorder that expectation.

The target range stays at 3.75 to 4 percent

The Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC, sets the range within which the overnight rate between American banks is meant to trade. Since the decision that range remains at 3.75 to 4 percent, written by the central bank as “3-3/4 to 4 percent”. For investors it is the benchmark against which every other yield is measured, including the yield on a staking product.

The statement describes the economy as strikingly robust. Activity is expanding “at a strong pace”, says the decision text of the Federal Reserve, job gains are keeping pace with the growth of the labor force, and the unemployment rate has changed little. A central bank that sees a strong economy and a stable labor market has no reason to loosen policy. That is what separates this pause from the pauses of last year, which were read as a prelude to a cut.

A target range describes a band with a lower and an upper bound, within which the central bank holds the overnight rate through its operations in the market. There is no single fixed interest rate behind it. As long as that band holds, credit in dollars stays expensive, and expensive money weighs on assets that produce no running income. Bitcoin and Ether are among them.

Ten votes to two: Cook and Hammack wanted a hike

The vote was ten to two. Lisa D. Cook and Beth M. Hammack voted against the decision. According to the statement, both would have raised the target range by a quarter point at this meeting, to 4 to 4.25 percent. Two dissents are rare at the FOMC, and two dissents pointing the same way are a clear signal.

The direction of the objection is what matters for the interpretation. A committee member who votes against a pause because they want a cut is worried about growth and employment. Whoever votes against a pause because they want a hike sees an inflation problem that the majority is still sitting out. In October 2026 the objection came from the second direction. The monetary policy debate has changed its subject. The question on the table now is whether the next move goes up.

For the crypto market that shifts the range of plausible paths. Before this meeting, expectations ran from a pause to a cut in December. After this meeting a hike is in the field as well, documented by two votes cast by name and not by an analyst estimate.

“Inflation remains elevated”: the sentence that carries the decision

The decisive clause of the statement is short. “Inflation remains elevated”, the committee writes. It adds that collecting further information will help the committee determine the appropriate stance of monetary policy so that inflation returns to the 2 percent goal in a timely manner. A sentence that describes the return to the inflation goal as still open does not rule out a hike.

Wording of this kind is known in the trade as forward guidance: the verbal preparation of markets for future steps. This time the guidance is deliberately kept open. The committee names neither a date nor a condition and points to the data instead. Anyone deriving a December cut from it reads an expectation into a text that does not carry one.

The Bitcoin price barely reacted to the decision

Bitcoin trades at around $81,200 on the evening of October 28, 2026, practically level with the previous day. Over seven days it stands at a loss of a good 4 percent. Ether sits at roughly $2,358. The reaction to the decision failed to materialize, even though a Fed rate decision is one of the few dates that can move the entire crypto market at once.

A missing price jump usually means that the market had priced the outcome in beforehand. A pause was expected, so it was already in the price. The two votes for a hike are the real news of the day, and news of that kind rarely works within minutes. What it changes is the frame in which the coming weeks are traded.

A plain consequence for expectations follows from this: the rate path delivers little tailwind this quarter. Anyone who built a position on the argument that money will soon be cheaper relies on an assumption that the decision of October 28 does not support. You will find a crypto exchange licensed under the European MiCA regulation in our comparison of the best crypto exchanges; the way you buy does not change with the rate decision.

Interest on reserves at 3.90 percent: the yardstick for every crypto yield

Alongside the decision the Fed publishes an implementation note with the technical rates. According to the Implementation Note of October 28, 2026, the rate on bank reserve balances, known as IORB, stays at 3.90 percent effective October 29. The discount rate for primary credit stands at 4.0 percent, and the rate for overnight reverse repurchase agreements in the other direction at 3.75 percent.

IORB is the rate the central bank pays commercial banks for parked money. As a point of comparison it serves better than any headline, because it describes what a dollar holding earns without price risk and without counterparty risk. Every crypto yield, whether from staking, lending or a stablecoin product, has to measure up to that number, after fees and with the price risk of the coins involved taken into account.

Ample reserves: the Fed keeps buying short-dated government paper

The committee is sticking to its policy of ample reserves in the banking system. According to the implementation note, the trading desk of the New York Fed is to buy Treasury bills as needed to maintain an ample level of reserves, and if necessary other government securities with a residual maturity of up to three years. Maturing principal from the Treasury portfolio is rolled over at auction, and principal from agency mortgage-backed securities is moved into Treasury bills.

This mechanism matters more to crypto investors than the dry language suggests. Scarce bank reserves have repeatedly caused strains in the money market, and such strains feed through funding costs into every risk asset. A central bank that explicitly announces it will keep reserves ample takes that risk out of the market without touching the policy rate. Monetary policy and liquidity policy run separately here.

Leverage and funding costs until December 9

Leveraged positions react to rate decisions twice over: through the price and through the funding costs. With a perpetual future, a futures contract without an expiry date, market participants pay each other a funding rate at fixed intervals. That rate follows the gap between the contract price and the spot price and rises sharply in nervous phases. A rate corridor with a hike in the room is one source of such nervousness.

The liquidation price is the threshold at which the exchange force-closes a leveraged position because the margin no longer covers it. At five times leverage that threshold sits roughly 20 percent away from the entry, at ten times leverage around 10 percent. Bitcoin lost a good 4 percent over the past week without any news behind it. A move of that size is already enough to put a position under pressure at high leverage.

Six weeks lie between today and the next rate decision on December 9. Anyone who wants to hold a leveraged position beyond that date carries the risk of an unexpected step upward. Topping up the margin or reducing the leverage costs less in quiet weeks than in the hour after a decision.

The one-year holding period under section 23 EStG outranks any rate forecast

Under German tax law, crypto assets fall under the rule for private disposal transactions. Section 23 (1) sentence 1 no. 2 of the Income Tax Act covers “disposal transactions in other assets where the period between acquisition and disposal is not more than one year”. Conversely, the gain stays tax-free as soon as more than a year lies between purchase and sale. On top of that, under subsection 3 sentence 5, gains stay tax-free if total gains from private disposal transactions remain below 1,000 euros in the calendar year.

This deadline is the reason a rate decision works differently for a German investor than for an American one. A sale out of rate anxiety inside the one-year window triggers income tax on the entire gain, at the personal tax rate. At the top rate this effect can be larger than the price decline the sale was meant to protect against. A portfolio tracker with acquisition dates shows which of your coins reach the one-year mark and when.

Keeping the cases apart matters. The one-year rule concerns the sale of coins you hold. A leveraged contract on a price is treated differently for tax purposes, and staking income follows rules of its own as well. For how your specific case is handled, tax advice is responsible, not a news article.

Staking and lending: the premium over the dollar rate is thin

With 3.90 percent paid on bank reserves, the arithmetic for income from the crypto market shifts. Anyone staking Ether currently earns a yield in the low single digits, and that yield accrues in Ether, not in euros or dollars. The Ether price stands around 5.5 percent lower over seven days. A staking yield in the region of two to three percent a year cannot offset a price decline of that size within a week.

Lending offers carry counterparty risk on top. A rate paid by a platform is only as safe as the platform itself, and with a pause at a high level the refinancing costs stay high for every market participant. Self-custodied coins in a hardware wallet do not carry that risk, but they do not earn anything either.

For the comparison between direct ownership and an exchange-traded product, the cost side is worth a look. Investing through an exchange-traded crypto product means paying an ongoing management fee and not holding the coins yourself; in return, custody in your own hands falls away. Both routes still have their place after the rate decision, only the return expectation is lower with expensive money than with cheap money.

December 8 and 9 bring new projections

The next meeting of the FOMC takes place on December 8 and 9, 2026. The date carries an asterisk in the meeting calendar of the Fed, and that asterisk means the committee publishes a Summary of Economic Projections. This document contains the rate expectations of the individual committee members for the coming years, known as the dot plot.

After two votes for a hike, this dot plot is the most important crypto date of the quarter. If the dots shift upward, the turn toward lower rates for 2027 is off the table, and the market has to digest a longer phase of expensive money. If they stay where they are, the objection from October was a minority position. The statement itself leaves this question open and puts the data arriving until then in the foreground.

Between the meeting dates the inflation figures remain the most important metronome. Every release that confirms elevated inflation strengthens the position of the two dissenters. The price levels Bitcoin was orienting itself around before the decision have survived it unchanged.

Fed rate pause: the corridor stays where it is until December 9

The rate decision of October 28, 2026 changed nothing about the price of money and a great deal about expectations. Three steps follow from it for the coming weeks:

1. Set your leverage against the December date. Check the distance to the liquidation price on every leveraged position and work through a move of 5 percent against you. Terms and leverage tiers of the providers are in the comparison of crypto brokers.
2. Look up the one-year deadline before every sale. If the purchase date lies less than a year back, a sale costs income tax on the gain. A tool from our comparison of tax tools tracks the deadline for each position.
3. Measure income against 3.90 percent. Compare every staking or lending yield after fees with the rate the Fed pays on bank reserves, and factor in the price risk of the coin involved. Exchanges with a MiCA licence are in our exchange comparison.

(As of October 28, 2026. This article is not investment advice. Prices and fee structures change; check the terms with the provider before you buy.)

Datavault AI says it has been unable to withdraw its Bitcoin from Biconomy since June and will restate four financial reports tied to a $150 million Scilex deal.

SK Hynix's quarterly revenue topped 100 trillion won for the first time, and the chipmaker says memory demand will outrun supply through 2030, with DRAM and HBM sold out through 2029.

The cloud and AI security firm Upwind says revenue quadrupled in 2026 as it targets risks from autonomous AI agents.

A survey conducted by Ipsos for the DeFi Education Fund found that 22% of Americans have ever owned or used crypto, up from 18%, while past-year use held flat at 13%.

OpenAI, one of Nvidia's biggest customers, reportedly plans to buy Google's TPU chips. Neither company has confirmed the report, and the price and size of the order were not disclosed.

Four major altcoins are cooling after sharp rallies, and each now faces a decisive support test.

The XRP Ledger Foundation has officially added Flare Networks to its recommended validator list, marking a significant milestone for the project and strengthening its involvement in XRPL governance.

Billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper has predicted a seismic shift toward Bitcoin adoption, warning that the eventual abandonment of fiat currencies could trigger widespread bank runs.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse defends XRP utility at Swell 2026 amid a record-breaking $900 million product revenue run rate.

BlackRock spends over $151 million on new Bitcoin purchase as its Bitcoin ETF records a fresh influx of new capital amid growing demand.

TLDR

• Nextpower (NXT) stock jumps as Q3 revenue surges 34% and a $500 million buyback follows.
• Nextpower raises FY2026 guidance after revenue hits $909 million, up 34% year over year.
• Nextpower posts stronger Q3 sales and lifts its earnings outlook while margins decline.
• Nextpower authorizes a $500 million share buyback as cash reserves reach $953 million.
• Nextpower shares climb after strong Q3 results, higher guidance, and global solar expansion.

Nextpower Inc. (NXT) shares climbed 3.32% to $82.08 at market close before rising another 2.14% to $83.84 after hours. The gains followed strong fiscal third-quarter results, with revenue increasing 34% year over year to $909 million. Additionally, the company raised its fiscal 2026 outlook and authorized a $500 million share repurchase program.

Nextpower Inc., NXT

Nextpower Q3 Revenue Climbs 34% as Profitability Improves

Nextpower reported third-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue of $909 million, compared with $679 million in the same period last year. Revenue also edged higher from $905 million in the previous quarter, reflecting continued demand for its solar technology products. GAAP gross profit increased 20% year over year to $288 million.

However, GAAP gross margin declined to 31.7% from 35.5% a year earlier. GAAP net income reached $131 million, compared with $117 million in the prior-year quarter. Diluted earnings per share rose to $0.85 from $0.79, although they fell from $0.97 in the previous quarter.

Adjusted results also showed year-over-year growth, with gross profit reaching $295 million and adjusted EBITDA increasing to $214 million. Adjusted diluted earnings per share rose to $1.10 from $1.03 in the year-ago quarter. Nevertheless, adjusted EBITDA margin declined to 23.5% from 27.4%, indicating lower margins despite higher revenue.

$500 Million Buyback Strengthens Nextpower’s Capital Return Plans

Nextpower’s board authorized a share repurchase program covering up to $500 million of its outstanding Class A common stock. The program will run for three years, although the company may modify, suspend, or terminate it at any time. Furthermore, management will determine repurchase timing and volumes based on share prices, trading activity, business needs, and market conditions.

The company generated $391 million in operating cash flow during the first nine months of fiscal 2026. It ended the third quarter with $953 million in cash and cash equivalents and no outstanding debt. Additionally, Fitch awarded Nextpower an investment-grade credit rating, reflecting its financial position and cash generation.

Nextpower also expanded its operations and product portfolio during the quarter. The company increased domestic tracker manufacturing capacity and opened a Southeast operations hub featuring a Remote Monitoring Center. Meanwhile, its acquisition of Fracsun added panel-soiling measurement software and monitoring capabilities to its solar technology platform.

Nextpower Raises FY2026 Revenue and Earnings Guidance

Nextpower raised its fiscal 2026 revenue outlook to between $3.425 billion and $3.500 billion. Previously, the company projected revenue between $3.275 billion and $3.475 billion. The updated forecast reflects stronger bookings, operating execution, and demand across its business lines.

The company also increased its GAAP net income forecast to $525 million–$540 million, compared with its previous range of $499 million–$529 million. Additionally, management raised its GAAP diluted earnings-per-share outlook to 3.43–3.53 from 3.26–3.46. Adjusted EBITDA guidance now stands at $810 million–$830 million, up from the earlier range of $775 million–$815 million.

Nextpower expects adjusted diluted earnings per share to reach 4.26–4.36 in fiscal 2026. Its previous forecast ranged from $4.04 to $4.25 per share. The company continues to expand internationally, including through Nextpower Arabia, which secured a 2.25-gigawatt supply commitment for Saudi Arabia’s Bisha Solar Project.

The updated outlook assumes the current U.S. policy environment remains intact and permitting timelines follow historical patterns. Nextpower also plans to expand its integrated offerings across solar tracking, electrical balance-of-system products, and power conversion solutions. Together, stronger revenue guidance, international expansion, and the new buyback program provide key context for the stock’s post-earnings gains.

The post Nextpower Inc. (NXT) Stock: Jump as Q3 Revenue Surges 34% and $500M Buyback appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• T-Mobile US Stock Rises as Q3 EPS Jumps 34% and Revenue Growth Accelerates
• TMUS Stock Gains After T-Mobile Reports $3.46 Billion in Quarterly Net Income
• T-Mobile Raises 2026 Cash Flow Outlook as Q3 Earnings Growth Strengthens
• T-Mobile US Shares Climb as Service Revenue Rises 6.2% in Third Quarter
• TMUS Stock Advances After Strong Earnings and Higher Free Cash Flow Guidance

T-Mobile US (TMUS) shares climbed 0.85% to $148.08 at market close before advancing 0.88% to $149.39 after hours. The gains followed third-quarter 2026 results that showed stronger earnings, higher service revenue, and continued customer growth. Additionally, the wireless carrier raised its profitability and free cash flow guidance, reflecting stronger operating performance.

T-Mobile US, Inc., TMUS

T-Mobile US Stock Gains as Quarterly Earnings Deliver Strong Growth

T-Mobile reported third-quarter net income of $3.46 billion, up 27.3% from $2.71 billion a year earlier. Meanwhile, diluted earnings per share increased 33.6% to $3.22, compared with $2.41 in the same quarter. These results highlighted stronger profitability as the company expanded its wireless customer base and increased service revenue.

Total revenue reached $23.58 billion, representing a 7.4% year-over-year increase from $21.96 billion. Furthermore, total service revenue climbed 6.2% to $19.38 billion, while postpaid service revenue advanced 9.3% to $16.27 billion. The growth reflected stronger customer relationships and continued demand for the company’s wireless services.

Core adjusted EBITDA increased 10.8% to $9.62 billion, compared with $8.68 billion in the third quarter of 2025. However, operating cash flow declined 1.6% to $7.34 billion from $7.46 billion a year earlier. Adjusted free cash flow nevertheless rose 5.3% to $5.07 billion, supported partly by lower capital spending.

Customer Growth and Network Performance Strengthen T-Mobile’s Business

T-Mobile added 274,000 postpaid accounts during the third quarter, bringing its total postpaid account base to approximately 35 million. Although additions declined from 396,000 a year earlier, the company maintained positive growth across its core customer base. Total postpaid accounts increased 2.9% year-over-year, demonstrating continued demand for its wireless services.

Postpaid average revenue per account reached $155.73, up 4.2% from $149.44 in the prior-year quarter. This increase supported service revenue growth as the company generated more revenue from its postpaid customer relationships. However, postpaid account churn rose to 1.09%, compared with 0.97% a year earlier.

T-Mobile continued to strengthen its competitive position through network performance and customer experience. PCMag recognized the company across several categories, including mobile network speed, coverage, pricing, and customer satisfaction. Additionally, Opensignal recognized its 5G coverage, while Ookla ranked its fixed wireless access service highly for download and upload speeds.

T-Mobile Raises Financial Guidance Following Strong Third-Quarter Results

Following its quarterly performance, T-Mobile raised the midpoint of its full-year profitability and cash flow outlook. The company now expects core adjusted EBITDA between $37.35 billion and $37.45 billion for 2026. This represents a $100 million increase at the midpoint from its previous guidance range.

The company also increased its adjusted free cash flow outlook to between $18.7 billion and $18.8 billion. That range represents a $150 million increase at the midpoint, while operating cash flow guidance also improved. T-Mobile expects net cash from operating activities between $28.7 billion and $28.8 billion, including payments for UScellular merger-related costs.

Management expects approximately one million postpaid net account additions for the full year. T-Mobile also returned $3.5 billion to stockholders during the third quarter through $2.4 billion in share repurchases and $1.1 billion in dividends. The company maintained its capital expenditure outlook at approximately $10 billion, while its improved earnings and cash flow projections supported the positive after-hours share movement.

The post T-Mobile US (TMUS) Stock: Rises as Q3 Earnings Surge 34% and Revenue Growth Accelerates appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Apple shares slip despite unveiling a new MacBook Pro with advanced tandem OLED technology.
• Apple launches a touchscreen MacBook Pro with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips for professionals.
• Apple’s new MacBook Pro features 2,000-nit brightness, 120Hz refresh rates, and OLED.
• Apple expands MacBook Pro capabilities with touch controls, AI features, and up to 16TB storage.
• Apple’s MacBook Pro launch brings major upgrades, but the stock closes lower in regular trading.

Apple (AAPL) shares fell 0.94% to $343.83 at market close before rebounding 0.27% to $344.75 in after-hours trading. The movement coincided with Apple’s launch of a redesigned MacBook Pro featuring tandem OLED technology, touchscreen controls, and upgraded M5 Pro and M5 Max processors. Despite the product announcement, the stock finished regular trading lower as Apple introduced new hardware targeting professional users.

Apple Inc., AAPL

Apple Unveils MacBook Pro With Tandem OLED Display

Apple introduced its new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models on October 28, featuring the PROLED XDR display. The display combines tandem OLED technology with peak brightness of 2,000 nits and a 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Additionally, ProMotion technology supports adaptive refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz, improving responsiveness and power efficiency.

The new display supports P3 and Adobe RGB color spaces, targeting photographers, designers, video editors, and other creative professionals. Moreover, Apple added an antireflective coating and an optional nano-texture finish to improve visibility under bright lighting conditions. These upgrades position the MacBook Pro as a portable workstation for demanding visual production and color-sensitive projects.

Apple also introduced touchscreen functionality to the MacBook Pro, allowing users to manipulate content directly on the display. Users can zoom images, arrange presentation slides, draw designs, and interact with compatible creative applications through touch gestures. Meanwhile, the Dynamic Island brings Spotlight, Live Activities, and Siri AI access to the Mac for quicker interactions.

M5 Pro and M5 Max Target Demanding Workloads

The new MacBook Pro features Apple’s M5 Pro and M5 Max processors, which target intensive computing and creative workloads. Apple designed these chips to improve CPU performance, graphics processing, and on-device artificial intelligence tasks. Furthermore, the laptops support up to 128GB of unified memory and configurable storage reaching 16TB.

The M5 Max targets professionals working with complex visual effects, 3D animation, large language models, and high-resolution video production. Its GPU includes enhanced shader cores, a third-generation ray-tracing engine, and Neural Accelerators for demanding artificial intelligence workloads. Meanwhile, M5 Pro supports software development, scientific computing, and intensive creative tasks, including multiple streams of 8K ProRes video.

Apple also redesigned the laptops to improve portability without sacrificing sustained performance. The 14-inch model weighs three pounds, while the 16-inch version weighs four pounds, according to the announcement. Additionally, the company claims battery life reaches 24 hours, while fast charging can restore 50% capacity within 30 minutes.

Apple Stock Slips Despite New Product Features

Despite the extensive hardware upgrades, Apple’s regular-session performance remained negative during the launch announcement. The subsequent after-hours recovery narrowed the earlier decline, although the available price movements do not establish whether the announcement influenced trading. The figures provide a snapshot of market performance around the product launch rather than evidence of a direct cause.

Apple will begin taking preorders for the new MacBook Pro on October 28, with availability starting November 6. The launch also introduces expanded connectivity, including Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and support for multiple external displays. These features strengthen Apple’s offering for professional customers who require greater computing capacity and advanced display performance.

The company also highlighted environmental improvements, reporting 55% recycled content across the new MacBook Pro. Its manufacturing process uses 45% renewable electricity across the supply chain, supporting Apple’s broader carbon-neutrality goal for 2030. Nevertheless, the product announcement alone provides no evidence of future stock performance, leaving the launch’s commercial impact dependent on subsequent customer demand and sales results.

The post Apple (AAPL) Stock: Slip Despite MacBook Pro Launch With Tandem OLED Display appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• FedEx revenue climbs 12% to $22.9 billion as adjusted earnings rise in Q3 2026.
• FedEx repurchases $2 billion in shares as $4.3 billion remains for future buybacks.
• FedEx raises 2026 revenue growth guidance to 12% and adjusted EPS to $18.60.
• FedEx GAAP earnings fall sharply after a $1.2 billion loss on its Freight investment.
• FedEx stock drops 2.40% after hours to $297.27 despite stronger adjusted results.

FedEx (FDX) reported stronger quarterly revenue and adjusted earnings, increased share repurchases and raised its 2026 financial outlook. However, the stock faced selling pressure after closing at $304.58, down 0.82%, before falling to $297.27 after hours, a decline of 2.40%. The results reflected stronger package demand, cost savings, and improved operating performance, although a large investment loss reduced reported earnings.

FedEx Corporation, FDX

Revenue Growth and Adjusted Earnings Strengthen Operating Results

FedEx generated $22.9 billion in revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, compared with $20.4 billion a year earlier. The increase represented approximately 12% annual growth, supported by higher package volumes, stronger base yields, and continued cost reductions. Additionally, adjusted operating income rose 16% to $1.20 billion, compared with $1.03 billion in the previous year’s quarter.

Adjusted diluted earnings per share increased to $3.74 from $2.93, representing growth of approximately 28%. Meanwhile, adjusted operating margin improved to 5.3% from 5.1%, reflecting stronger underlying performance despite higher operating expenses. Higher transportation rates, wage costs, variable compensation, and global trade policy changes partially offset these improvements.

GAAP diluted earnings per share fell to $1.21 from $2.73, while net income declined approximately 55% to $290 million. FedEx recorded a $1.2 billion loss on its retained FedEx Freight investment following the June spin-off. The valuation loss reduced quarterly diluted earnings per share by $5.18, while a debt-extinguishment gain and restructuring adjustments affected the reported results.

$2 Billion Buybacks Support Capital Returns

FedEx repurchased approximately 6.3 million shares for $2 billion between June and September 2026. The company reported that reduced outstanding shares contributed $0.02 to quarterly diluted earnings per share. Furthermore, FedEx retained $4.3 billion in authorization for additional share repurchases at the end of September.

The company held $8 billion in cash on September 30, including approximately $2.7 billion in tariff refunds reserved for customers. FedEx also used a dividend of approximately $4.1 billion from FedEx Freight, alongside existing cash, to fund debt tender offers. Those transactions covered approximately $4.9 billion in outstanding debt principal and generated a $627 million pretax gain.

Meanwhile, FedEx completed the sale of FedEx Supply Chain to CMA CGM Group on October 1 for approximately $1.4 billion. The transaction followed the Freight spin-off and advanced the company’s strategy to simplify its business portfolio. These moves reflect FedEx’s efforts to streamline operations, manage its balance sheet, and direct capital toward long-term priorities.

Higher 2026 Guidance Sets a Stronger Financial Outlook

FedEx raised its 2026 revenue growth forecast to approximately 12%, up from its previous estimate of 11%. The company also increased its adjusted diluted earnings per share guidance to 18.00-18.60, compared with 16.90-18.10 previously. These revisions reflect stronger operating results and continued savings from network optimization and business transformation initiatives.

FedEx projected GAAP diluted earnings per share of 35.30-35.90 for continuing operations. However, the previous GAAP forecast excluded certain Freight investment valuation effects and debt-extinguishment gains, limiting direct comparisons between the ranges. The company also lowered its expected effective tax rate to approximately 22.5% from 23%.

FedEx maintained its 2026 capital spending forecast at $3.9 billion and pension contribution estimate at $475 million. Planned investments will support network efficiency, facility modernization, fleet upgrades, and automation. Despite the stronger outlook, the stock’s after-hours decline highlighted the contrast between improving adjusted performance and weaker reported earnings.

The post FedEx (FDX) Stock: Revenue Growth, $2 Billion Buybacks and Higher 2026 Guidance appeared first on Blockonomi.

TLDR

• Microsoft Stock Jumps 3.43% After Earnings as Revenue Climbs 18% to $82.9 Billion
• Azure Growth Hits 40% as Microsoft Shares Rally to $549.20 After Quarterly Results
• Microsoft Earnings Beat Expectations as Net Income Rises 23% to $31.8 Billion
• Microsoft AI Revenue Run Rate Surpasses $37 Billion, Rising 123% Year Over Year
• Microsoft Cloud Revenue Reaches $54.5 Billion as Commercial Backlog Jumps 99%

Microsoft (MSFT) shares rallied 3.43% in after-hours trading to $549.20 following its third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings report. The stock gained $18.19 after closing at $531.01, down 0.06% during the regular session. Strong revenue growth, rising cloud demand, and accelerating Azure sales supported the post-market advance.

Microsoft Corporation, MSFT

Microsoft Revenue and Earnings Rise as Quarterly Results Exceed Expectations

Microsoft reported revenue of $82.9 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, representing an 18% year-over-year increase. Revenue growth reached 15% after adjusting for currency movements, reflecting continued demand across its major business segments. Meanwhile, operating income climbed 20% to $38.4 billion, while adjusted currency growth reached 16%.

Net income increased 23% to $31.8 billion on a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) basis. Additionally, diluted earnings per share rose 23% to $4.27, compared with $3.46 in the corresponding quarter last year. Microsoft also reported non-GAAP earnings growth of 21%, excluding the impact of its OpenAI investments.

The results exceeded management’s expectations for revenue, operating income, and earnings per share. Non-GAAP net income reached $31.79 billion, compared with $26.41 billion a year earlier. Similarly, adjusted earnings per share increased to $4.27 from $3.54, demonstrating stronger profitability across the reporting period.

Azure Growth Hits 40% as Microsoft Cloud Revenue Reaches $54.5 Billion

Microsoft Cloud remained a major contributor to quarterly performance, generating $54.5 billion in revenue. The figure increased 29% year over year, or 25% after currency adjustments, as businesses continued adopting cloud services. Commercial remaining performance obligations also surged 99% to $627 billion, indicating substantial contracted demand for future services.

Azure and other cloud services revenue increased 40% year over year, or 39% in constant currency. The growth highlighted Microsoft’s expanding cloud business and its role in meeting demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure. Furthermore, the Intelligent Cloud segment generated $34.7 billion in revenue, marking a 30% annual increase.

Productivity and Business Processes generated $35 billion in revenue, up 17% from the previous year. Microsoft 365 Commercial cloud revenue increased 19%, while its consumer cloud business recorded 33% growth. LinkedIn revenue climbed 12%, and Dynamics 365 revenue advanced 22%, extending growth across Microsoft’s productivity and business software portfolio.

AI Revenue Expands as Microsoft Reports Mixed Results Across Other Businesses

Microsoft’s artificial intelligence business surpassed an annual revenue run rate of $37 billion, increasing 123% year over year. The company continues expanding its infrastructure and software offerings to support growing demand for AI-powered business applications. These developments complement Azure’s growth and strengthen Microsoft’s position across enterprise cloud services.

More Personal Computing recorded $13.2 billion in revenue, representing a 1% annual decline. Windows OEM and Devices revenue fell 2%, while Xbox content and services revenue decreased 5% during the quarter. In contrast, search advertising revenue excluding traffic acquisition costs increased 12%, providing some support within the segment.

Microsoft returned $10.2 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases during the third quarter. The company plans to provide forward-looking guidance during its earnings conference call and webcast. Meanwhile, the after-hours share price of $549.20 reflected a positive market response to stronger earnings and sustained cloud growth.

The post Microsoft (MSFT) Stock: Rallies After Q3 Earnings as Azure Growth Hits 40% and Revenue Climbs 18% appeared first on Blockonomi.

Bitcoin treasury company Datavault AI has disclosed that it has been unable to withdraw BTC held by crypto exchange Biconomy since requesting a transfer in June.

The revelation saw the company’s shares fall nearly 50% in the latest trading session.

Biconomy Withdrawal Failure Sends DVLT Shares Lower

According to a Form 8-K that Datavault filed on October 26 with the SEC, it received $150 million in Bitcoin from Scilex on September 25, 2025, as payment for an equity purchase agreement, with each unit valued at about $112,915 at the time, bringing the total number of BTC used in the transaction to around 1,328.

However, the actual number sent to Datavault’s Biconomy account was 1,309.04 BTC, after 19.39 BTC was subtracted to account for cash advances Scilex had made to the company. It then transferred 491.431 BTC back to Scilex in September 2025 and January 2026 in exchange for about $40.5 million in cash, with the remaining cryptocurrency kept in the digital wallet maintained at Biconomy.

Interestingly, Datavault says all the transactions were made off-chain, meaning that the assets were recorded on the exchange’s books, not on the Bitcoin network. It later requested a withdrawal of the Bitcoin to an external account in June but had not completed it by the time of the 8-K filing, with no reason given for the delay.

“Subsequent to the issuance of the Affected Financial Statements and following a review of the transaction, the Company determined that the Bitcoin associated with the Scilex Equity Purchase did not meet the requirements for recognition as a digital asset of the Company,” the filing further noted.

As a result, Datavault management is reassessing whether it can stay in business, given that BTC had counted as a source of cash and the company is not sure it can collect from Scilex.

Reaction in the market to the disclosure was brutal, with Google Finance data showing the firm’s DVLT shares closing at $0.067 on October 28, down 49.55%, after trading as low as $0.060 during the session. At the time of writing, its market cap stood at approximately $65 million, with the stock moving up to $0.071 in after-hours activity.

Bitcoin Treasury Firms Carry Risk

As CryptoPotato reported previously, Smarter Web Company CEO Andrew Webley had warned that treasury companies can expose shareholders to Bitcoin’s volatility and often depend on managers whose financing choices could hurt them. The immediate question facing Datavault is whether and when it can access the BTC held with its custodian.

The post Datavault AI Stock Plunges 50% as Bitcoin Withdrawal Stalls appeared first on CryptoPotato.

At the start of the business week, the second-largest cryptocurrency briefly fell below $2,300, but buyers stepped in over the past 24 hours, and the asset is now trading around $2,350.

While many analysts remain bullish on ETH’s prospects, persistent selling from wallets linked to the Ethereum Foundation could hinder the asset’s progress and weigh on investor sentiment.

The Upside Targets

X user Ella noted that the cryptocurrency finally moved out of the $2,300-$2,320 range and claimed the four-hour chart has started printing higher lows, calling it “a good first step.” The analyst said the key level now is $2,400, and reclaiming it could lead to a pump toward $2,440.

For his part, Michael van de Poppe argued that the rebound from around $2,300 is “a strong move,” but a bullish breakout is not yet confirmed.

“Much rather than thinking that we’re going to see another drop, the markets are at the most optimal sweet spot to hold and turn back upwards,” he added.

Ted and MikybullCrypto also weighed in. The former said ETH is currently at a crucial resistance level, and reclaiming $2,400 would be the first major sign of strength. The latter was much more bullish, telling their over 92,000 followers on X:

“See you at $3,600 in the short term.”

The Selling Goes on

A major obstacle to Ethereum’s decisive recovery is ongoing selling pressure from investors offloading coins. As CryptoPotato recently reported, a wallet linked to the Ethereum Foundation (a non-profit organization that supports the development and growth of the Ethereum ecosystem) parted with 2,785 units for around $6.42 million.

Another investor mimicked the move shortly after, dumping 1,500 ETH (worth roughly $3.5 million) after nine years of inactivity. The market participant initially purchased 100,000 coins for only $31,000 through the 2015 ICO and still holds 48,500 ETH (about $112 million).

Just a few hours ago, Lookonchain disclosed that an additional investor linked to the Ethereum Foundation sold 7,594 ETH (around $17.8 million) after a year of inactivity.

“This OG bought 200K ETH (cost $61K) during the ICO at $0.31 and also received 42,654 ETH from the Ethereum Foundation when ETH was trading at $13.82,” the analytics platform revealed.

BitMEX’s co-founder Arthur Hayes added to the selling pressure. Earlier this month, he dumped about $22.28 million worth of altcoins, including 6,400 ETH (roughly $15.2 million).

The post Ethereum (ETH) Attempts a Recovery, but Heavy Selling Persists: Details appeared first on CryptoPotato.

In what was the most expected turn of events, the US Federal Reserve kept the interest rates unchanged after the first hike in over three years in September.

However, the decision was not unanimous: two of the 12 policymakers voted to raise the benchmark to 4%-4.25%.

Fed Holds Rates Steady

Following last month’s hike, which was the first since mid-2023, all eyes turned to the inflation data for September, and both major indices, the CPI and the PPI, showed that inflation has remained a major concern. However, expectations for a new rate hike dropped, and experts were adamant that if there’s a raise, it would be in December.

After keeping rates unchanged today, the Federal Reserve justified its decision by highlighting stronger-than-expected economic activity, and added:

“Job gains have kept pace with the workforce, and the unemployment rate has changed little.”

In the subsequent highly anticipated press conference, Fed Chair Kevin Warsh cautioned that the financial uncertainty and elevated inflation remain due to “geopolitical developments.” He doubled down on the fact that the US economy is “resilient,” and added that the committee will “deliver price stability.”

“Americans, of course, are still dealing [with] inflation that has been running above the committee’s objective for close to six years,” Warsh said. “It’s our responsibility to get inflation down.”

On the question of why the Fed didn’t raise rates today if it will hike them in December, Warsh answered that quashing inflation is not about a specific date or data point but about the broader objectives and a monetary policy strategy. He also refused to respond to Trump comments that rates should be lowered, but reassured the public that “politics played no role” in today’s decision to halt the rate hikes.

BTC Stays Stable

Although there were several on-chain signals suggesting that BTC’s price could tumble after the Fed’s decision, that hasn’t been the case so far. The cryptocurrency had a rather volatile day, jumping from $79,500 to $81,700 ahead of the meeting before dipping to $80,500 just hours prior to its conclusion.

However, it has rebounded swiftly above $81,000 once again after Chairman Warsh finished his press conference. Nevertheless, other major macro developments through the end of the week could drive further price fluctuations.

The post Bitcoin Price Rebounds as Fed Chair Warsh Explains Rate-Hike Pause appeared first on CryptoPotato.

The number-one cryptocurrency by market capitalization rebounded 2% over the past 24 hours and briefly reclaimed $81,000.

Some analysts think it may post a much more impressive short-term price increase, and a certain whale’s actions support the bullish thesis.

Sign of Strength and More

Several hours ago, X user Sweep noted that BTC had reclaimed its 50-day exponential moving average (EMA), backed by strong spot demand. This development suggests buyers are regaining control, with the analyst calling it “the first major sign of strength.”

Another bullish signal Sweep highlighted is the large amount of BTC leaving exchanges. The analyst said more than $1 billion of the cryptocurrency was withdrawn to self-custody over the past 24 hours, arguing that a “supply shock is coming.”

The big event today (October 28) likely to trigger volatility and hint at Bitcoin’s next move is the FOMC meeting. Experts project that America’s central bank will keep interest rates unchanged, while a surprise move could cause major turbulence.

As such, it is important to see how whales are preparing for the event. Max Crypto disclosed that one mysterious investor opened a $72.1 million long position on BTC with 30x leverage.

This has sparked speculation that the market participant may have insider information. After all, whales are often seen as sophisticated investors with more resources than the average retail trader. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee the cryptocurrency’s price will jump after the event.

Pullback Instead?

On the other hand, some analysts warn that the FOMC meeting could be followed by a BTC price correction. One example is Ali Martinez, who recently noted that Bitcoin’s initial reaction to previous Fed interest rate gatherings was often insignificant, with a clearer trend typically emerging over the following 24 hours and frequently persisting for at least a week.

He pointed to several factors that should make people cautious for the upcoming meeting. First, he said Bitcoin whales have recently realized around $156 million in profits, adding to potential selling pressure. Second, Martinez revealed these investors’ total holdings have fallen by 8,162 units in the last 24 hours, suggesting they are reducing exposure ahead of the event. Finally, the analyst said the Coinbase Premium index has plunged to around -0.17, one of its lowest readings since September.

“A negative premium means Bitcoin is trading cheaper on Coinbase than on Binance, suggesting weaker relative demand from US investors,” he stated.

In conclusion, Martinez said key support is near $81,000, where almost one million BTC previously changed hands, and warned that if it breaks, it could crash to as low as $67,000.

“To turn bullish, Bitcoin needs to clear $84,500, where roughly 620,000 BTC traded. Above that, the next levels I’m watching are $92,000 and $104,000,” he added.

The post Bitcoin (BTC) Shows a ‘Major Sign of Strength:’ Price Rally Incoming? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

Ethereum has rebounded toward $2.37K after finding demand near $2.3K, but the recovery remains below its broken ascending channel. Buyers are showing an initial response, while the broader sequence of lower highs keeps the outlook cautious.

Ethereum Price Analysis: The Daily Chart

On the daily timeframe, Ethereum’s correction extended into the highlighted $2.22K–$2.31K demand zone before producing consecutive recovery candles. The rebound suggests that buyers are defending the upper portion of this region, although it has yet to reverse the bearish structure established after September’s peak.

ETH remains beneath the ascending channel’s former lower boundary, which now represents potential resistance. The marked $2.47K–$2.52K supply zone overlaps with this broken structure, creating an important obstacle to a sustained recovery.

Holding above $2.31K could support a further rebound toward $2.4K–$2.44K and subsequently the supply zone. However, until Ethereum reclaims $2.47K–$2.52K and the channel boundary, the advance appears corrective. Renewed weakness beneath the recent low around $2.28K would expose deeper support within the demand zone toward $2.22K.

ETH/USDT 4-Hour Chart

The 4-hour chart shows Ethereum recovering within a descending channel after consolidating around $2.3K. Recent candles have formed a short sequence of higher lows, carrying the price toward $2.37K, but the broader downtrend remains intact.

The immediate resistance area sits around $2.39K–$2.42K, where previous consolidation could attract renewed selling. Clearing this region would bring the descending channel’s upper boundary around $2.46K–$2.48K into focus. Its overlap with the $2.47K–$2.52K supply zone makes this a particularly significant test for buyers.

Conversely, a rejection followed by a loss of the recent $2.33K–$2.35K recovery base would increase the risk of another visit to the highlighted $2.27K–$2.31K support zone. A sustained breakdown beneath $2.27K would favor continuation toward the lower portion of daily demand near $2.22K.

Sentiment Analysis

The two-week Binance ETH/USDT liquidation heatmap highlights nearby estimated liquidation concentrations above the recovering price. Bands around $2.39K–$2.4K and $2.43K–$2.44K could become relevant if the rebound continues, while a broader concentration remains around $2.52K–$2.55K.

The $2.43K–$2.44K cluster sits below the main technical supply zone. A move through it could trigger short liquidations and accelerate the rebound toward descending resistance. However, such an acceleration would not independently confirm a broader bullish reversal.

Below price, a prominent liquidation band remains around $2.27K–$2.29K, with additional concentrations extending toward $2.22K–$2.25K. Losing the recent recovery structure could bring these pools back into focus, potentially amplifying a decline through long liquidations. For now, the heatmap supports the possibility of a short-term liquidity-driven rebound, while the technical trend remains bearish beneath overhead supply.

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