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CFTC proposes a divide between prediction contracts and sportsbook wagers

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CFTC proposes a divide between prediction contracts and sportsbook wagers
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced two actions on Oct. 9 seeking to clarify the federal regulatory boundary between prediction-market contracts and traditional gambling. It proposed expressly including sports and other event contracts in the definition of a swap, a category of financial derivative, while announcing a separate interim final rule to codify the exclusion … Read more

Tether freezes $1.4M in TRON vaults and THORChain stalls

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Tether freezes $1.4M in TRON vaults and THORChain stalls
THORChain’s TRON operations were interrupted on Oct. 9 after a USDT vault blocklist, according to reports by its co-founder Chad Barraford and researcher Khal. The researcher put the affected balance at about 1.45 million USDT. Both accounts later reversed the restrictions, according to updates from both accounts. At 3:35 p.m. UTC, Barraford said the addresses … Read more

China’s crypto ban Is failing to stop a $176 billion P2P economy

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China’s crypto ban Is failing to stop a $176 billion P2P economy
China’s underground crypto economy is increasingly shifting toward peer-to-peer stablecoin payments despite Beijing’s longstanding restrictions on digital assets. Chainalysis estimates China generated at least $176 billion of crypto activity during the 12 months through June 2026, with 59.1% occurring through domestic peer-to-peer transfers rather than exchanges and other centralized platforms. That share was 3.5 times … Read more

Open USD supply hits $666 million as 10 wallets trap most tokens

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Open USD supply hits $666 million as 10 wallets trap most tokens
Open USD had $666.3 million outstanding on Oct. 5, but most of that supply remained in launch and custody wallets, according to Crystal Intelligence’s wallet study published Oct. 6. The findings show substantial launch inventory, with little evidence of wider circulation yet. Open Standard created the token OUSD, which launched Sept. 30 on Base, Ethereum, … Read more

Ripple and Circle backs OKX as it targets the next wave of stablecoin users

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Ripple and Circle backs OKX as it targets the next wave of stablecoin users
OKX brought Circle, Ripple and Standard Chartered’s venture arm onto its cap table as the crypto exchange broadens its push into stablecoin-based financial services. On Oct. 6, the exchange’s Chief Executive Officer, Star Xu, confirmed that the company completed a strategic investment from Circle, Qube Research & Technologies, Ripple and SC Ventures by Standard Chartered … Read more

SAP Pay adds USDC payments, with Circle Mint access required

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SAP Pay adds USDC payments, with Circle Mint access required
Circle has added a USDC payment route to SAP Pay through a partnership with payments provider Tereina, letting eligible businesses use stablecoins inside their existing SAP workflows. Access requires an institutional Circle Mint account and depends on regional availability, according to Circle’s SAP Pay page. The Oct. 7 announcement says Circle’s integration with Tereina, the … Read more

Polygon’s 8 million USDT0 holders face scrutiny as 58% of growth matches scam patterns

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Polygon’s 8 million USDT0 holders face scrutiny as 58% of growth matches scam patterns
Polygon’s surging USDT0 holder count masks shrinking balances and suspected scam activity amid its broader push into stablecoin payments. An Oct. 7 investigation by blockchain analytics firm Bitquery found that addresses matching scam patterns accounted for 58% of the net growth in Polygon’s USDT0 holders since August 2025, raising questions about the quality of adoption … Read more

Coinbase rolls out 10x spot leverage, but blocks US retail from it

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Coinbase rolls out 10x spot leverage, but blocks US retail from it
Coinbase plans to introduce spot borrowing with up to 10x leverage, letting eligible traders borrow against collateral to buy crypto on spot markets, but US customers who do not qualify as Eligible Contract Participants will be excluded. The exchange’s Oct. 7 announcement puts the rollout in the coming weeks. Access will depend on customer eligibility … Read more

Coinbase streams $150,000 Singapore trading cup and crowns its first champion

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Coinbase streams $150,000 Singapore trading cup and crowns its first champion
Coinbase streamed an in-person trading competition from Singapore on Oct. 8, advertising $150,000 for the trader crowned Coinbase Champion and presenting the event as a spectator tournament. The company’s Token 2049 Champions Cup page billed the contest as an esports-style perpetual-futures tournament featuring 10 traders and one winner. Its standings tracked the traders’ profit and … Read more