Crypto Industry News & Market Trends

Bank of Russia flags crypto and stablecoins as financial market risk

The Bank of Russia has identified cryptocurrency use as a financial market risk, warning that stablecoins and other digital assets could increasingly be used by Russians as substitutes for the national currency.　　The central bank outlined the concerns in its review, “Main Directions for the Development of the Financial Market of the Russian Federation for 2027 and the Period of 2028 and 2029,” where it warned about potential losses for investors and risks tied to crypto activity outside national jurisdictions.　　Bank of Russia sees stablecoins as a risk to the ruble　　The regulator said increased use of digital currencies, particularly stablecoins, could lead households to use privately issued assets in place of the ruble. Investments in cryptocurrencies carry the possibility of a complete loss of invested funds, according to the central bank.　　Unlike traditional financial instruments, what the regulator described as “money surrogates” may lack an obligated counterparty or underlying collateral. Investors could therefore have no party against which to make a claim if the value of an asset collapses.　　Some cryptocurrencies create another area of concern because transactions can take place through decentralized networks while providing varying degrees of anonymity, the central bank said. It linked those characteristics to increased risks of digital currencies

09-15Industry

Coinbase to Drop Eight Crypto Trading Pairs

Coinbase is removing eight cryptocurrency trading pairs as the exchange continues to consolidate liquidity into its more active markets.　　Coinbase Markets announced that trading in ANKR-EUR, BAT-BTC, BAT-ETH, COMP-BTC, FIL-BTC, GRT-BTC, JASMY-USDT and YFI-BTC will be suspended on Sept. 15.　　The exchange said the decision followed its regular review of markets and was intended to “improve overall market health and consolidate liquidity.”　　Ahead of the suspension, all eight order books have already been switched to limit-only mode on Coinbase Exchange and Coinbase Advanced. Traders can still place and cancel limit orders, while market orders are no longer accepted.　　Importantly, Coinbase is not delisting the eight underlying cryptocurrencies.　　ANKR, BAT, COMP, FIL, GRT, JASMY and YFI will remain available through their USD order books for Coinbase Advanced Trade users in eligible regions. The change instead removes individual markets denominated in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether and euros.　　BAT is particularly affected by the latest cleanup, with Coinbase dropping both its BAT-BTC and BAT-ETH markets.　　Consolidating liquidity　　The latest move is part of a broader pattern that has emerged on Coinbase this year.　　On Aug. 6, the exchange suspended another six non-USD markets: LSETH-ETH, MINA-EUR, GRT-GBP, MASK-GBP, CHZ-USDT and CRO-USDT.　　Coinbase used essentially the same explanation at the time.　　The Graph is therefore undergoing its

09-15Industry

Chip Stocks Sink on AI Slowdown Calls, But Analysts Doubt a Crash Is Near

Chip stocks extended a rout on Monday, triggered by an AI slowdown call from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei that sent the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down as much as 5.9%.　　Nvidia fell 3.4%, Broadcom slid nearly 5%, and Micron and AMD each dropped more than 4%, dragging the Nasdaq 100 down as much as 1.3% and reviving debate over whether AI-linked valuations face a sharper correction.　　AI Slowdown Selloff Reaches Asia　　South Koreas SK Hynix slid roughly 7.6% in sympathy with its US peers, tied to the same AI infrastructure buildout, Seoul Economic Daily reported.　　Sponsored　　Sponsored　　Like its US counterparts, SK Hynix also felt the sting of the AI Safety fears. Image Source: Trading View　　Amodei‘s essay argued the most advanced AI systems risk slipping beyond human control without deliberate restraint. OpenAI’s Sam Altman and xAIs Elon Musk both endorsed the call.　　Is a Crash Actually Coming　　Not every analyst reads this as the start of something bigger. Bank of America semiconductor analyst Vivek Arya called the reaction background noise.　　“We view these events as noise relative to a secular market where AI-capex could surge 3x to $3tn+ by decade-end.”　　Arya noted the chip index still trades near 19 times forward earnings, roughly matching the S&P 500, despite earnings growth running

09-15Industry

CLARITY Act odds fall to 16% as key Democrats resist GOP‘s ’final offer

Odds of the CLARITY Act becoming law this year on Polymarket fell sharply again on Monday after spiking the day before, as key Senate Democrats reportedly said they had not been swayed by Republicans “final” crypto bill proposal.　　Polymarket traders initially saw a newly revised Republican proposal with expanded ethics provisions as a positive sign, sending the odds to 35%. However, their confidence was dashed as reservations about the revised text began mounting, with the odds falling back as low as 16% on Monday.　　US Senator Mark Warner, one of the Democrats involved in negotiations, reportedly said the revised ethics provision was not “near enough,” while Democrats involved in negotiations began preparing a counterproposal on Monday.　　Republicans need 60 votes to advance the bill, and failure on Tuesday could stall legislation that would determine how the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission divide oversight of the US crypto market.　　Key Democrats remain unconvinced by ethics offer　　Punchbowl News Brendan Pedersen reported that Senator Raphael Warnock said Democrats should not advance legislation that fails to address opportunities for corruption that are occurring “in real time.”　　Pedersen reported that Senator Ruben Gallego said the latest ethics offer left “much to be desired” and that

09-15Industry

Less Than 10 Billionaires Have Actually Kept Their Promise to Give Away Their Fortune

Key TakeawaysThe Giving Pledge has 256 signers, but fewer than 10 have fully given away their fortunes.John and Laura Arnold are the only living U.S. couple to fulfill the Giving Pledge after 15 years.Greater Good Charities has delivered $1 billion across 121 countries, showing the scale of the challenge.　　When Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates launched the Giving Pledge in 2010, they challenged billionaires to give away at least half their fortunes. A Fortune report published on March 18, 2026, found that fewer than 10 of the 256 signatories have actually followed through on giving away their wealth, and most of those only did so after death. Among US signatories, Fortune reported that only John and Laura Arnold fully complied with the commitment they signed to give away their fortune. The shortfall is part logistics, part accountability, and, as Elon Musk put it, “Its very easy to give money away to get the appearance of goodness. It is very difficult to give money away for the reality of goodness. Very difficult.”　　A bold promise, and an awkward scorecard　　Silicon Valley loves a public commitment, especially when it comes wrapped in moral purpose. The Giving Pledgebegan in the summer of 2010 as

09-15Industry

Revolut Hackers Publish Client Data and Demand 10,000 Bitcoin Ransom

Attackers who exploited a fake government request to access Revolut customer records have made their first move.　　Attackers who tricked Revolut into handing over customer records published the data of high-profile clients over the weekend and demanded a ransom of 10,000 Bitcoin, warning on September 14 that they would leak more each day until the European fintech pays.　　Revolut confirmed on September 12 that an unauthorized party had impersonated a government agency, sending fraudulent requests for information from an email on the agencys real domain with valid technical authentication, which staff processed as a routine legal request.　　Revolut Blocks Address and Alerts Regulators　　As CryptoPotato covered, the data breach included the disclosure of passports, verification selfies, account statements and IBANs, alongside names, dates of birth and home addresses. A Revolut spokesperson said the company “recently identified a sophisticated external impersonation scam where an unauthorized third party utilized a legitimate government agency domain email to submit fraudulent requests for information.”　　The group calling itself Revolut Smilik posted client files across several Telegram channels and warned it would “start releasing more and more data every day until Revolut pays for leaking their customers.”　　Hackers who attacked Revolut have published the personal data of well-known clients and demanded a

09-15Industry

Strategy repurchases $139M STRC as its treasury hits 845,050 BTC - Details

Strategy is back in the spotlight after it repurchased $139 million worth of its STRC preferred stock on 14th September. Meanwhile, its Bitcoin [BTC] holdings have reached 845,050 BTC.　　These are worth $65.83 billion now following the recent purchase of 4,603 BTC on 31st August.　　So, all this, along with $6.4 billion in USD assets, has given Michael Saylors Bitcoin DAT a substantial liquidity cushion.　　STRC brings Strategy back on track　　Here, it‘s worth noting that STRC’s BTC credit now stands at a 57-basis-point (0.57%).　　In laymans language, this is a measure of credit risk or safety cushion behind the preferred stock. It is calculated using assumptions that Bitcoin will return 10% annually, have 40% volatility, and trade at $77,266.　　All in all, with this move, Strategy is strengthening its balance sheet, reducing some STRC obligations, and maintaining substantial assets to support its financial commitments.　　MSTRs liquidity cushion expands　　On the other hand, MSTR has become more liquid and actively traded during its second Bitcoin cycle, with Strategy arguing,　　Liquidity creates demand. Demand creates liquidity.　　Source: Strategy/X　　For context, during Strategys first period, from August 2020 through 2023, average daily dollar volume was only about $0.3 billion, with annual figures of $82 million in 2020, $509 million in 2021, $179 million

09-15Industry

CoinEx to Shut Down as Trading Volumes Decline

Crypto exchange CoinEx said it is winding down operations, citing a prolonged crypto market downturn, sinking trading volumes and liquidity, and rising regulatory and compliance costs, according to an announcement on Tuesday.　　As part of the wind-down, CoinEx will halt new user registrations, referral commissions and other rewards. Futures contracts will enter a “Reduce-Only” mode. CoinEx will also stop accepting new orders or subscriptions across its fiat, margin trading, lending, earn, staking and strategic trading services.　　“After much reflection, I have come to accept a hard truth. CoinEx did not become one of the industrys leading exchanges, and the security and compliance risks of running a crypto exchange have become increasingly difficult to contain,” CoinEx CEO Haipo Yang said in a post on X.　　Discover more　　Currencies & Foreign Exchange　　Astrology & Divination　　Distributed & Cloud Computing　　The closure adds to a wave of crypto exchanges that have ceased operations this year for similar reasons, including BitMart, BitMEX and AscendEX.　　From Sept. 22, CoinEx will discontinue all non-spot services and onchain deposits, with the exception of CET deposits.　　From Sept. 29, all spot trading services will be discontinued, and non-USDT assets will be processed.　　From Dec. 22, the withdrawal period will end, and the platform will cease operations. Any unwithdrawn

09-15Industry

Oracle Begins New Layoff Round, Stock Falls by Nearly 4%

Oracle has started a fresh round of layoffs as the software giant looks to control costs and commit enormous sums to its artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout.　　The latest cuts began on Monday, Sept. 14, with affected US employees receiving early-morning emails informing them that their positions had been eliminated and that Monday would be their final working day. The total number of employees affected has not yet been disclosed, although earlier reports indicated that some teams could face reductions reaching double-digit percentages.　　US workers affected by the latest layoffs were reportedly offered four weeks of base pay plus an additional week for each year of service. Business Insider previously reported that severance could be capped at 26 weeks.　　Oracles layoffs started well before September　　The latest cuts are part of a restructuring effort. Oracle initiated its fiscal 2026 restructuring plan during the fiscal year that began in June of 2025. By May 31, 2026, its workforce fell from approximately 162,000 to 141,000 employees. This is a reduction of around 21,000 workers, or 13%, in just one year.　　Reports of particularly large-scale reductions emerged in March, when Bloomberg said Oracle was preparing to eliminate thousands of positions as it dealt with the financial demands of its

09-15Industry

Kyrgyzstan Central Bank Taps Certik for CBDC Oversight

Key TakeawaysOn Sept. 9, 2026, NBKR and Certik signed an MoU for Digital Som security.Certik advise regulatory bodies like MAS on setting 100% compliant Web3 frameworks.NBKR aims to deploy Certik supervision tools for 24/7 digital asset compliance monitoring.　　Framework for Cooperation　　The National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic (NBKR) has entered into a strategic partnership with blockchain security firm Certik to strengthen security protocols for the countrys proposed Digital Som and enhance regulatory oversight of digital assets.　　Under a memorandum of understanding signed by both entities, the Kyrgyz central bank and Certik will collaborate on cybersecurity, digital asset custody, anti-money laundering (AML) controls, and the counter-financing of terrorism (CFT). The initiative places Certik inside a central-bank operational framework, establishing a potential model for technical integration within highly regulated state financial institutions.　　“The Memorandum of Understanding that we are signing today establishes a framework for further dialogue and cooperation,” said Sanzhar Abdygaziev, a member of the management board of the NBKR. “We see particular value in exchanging experience and expertise in blockchain and digital asset security, cybersecurity, AML/CFT, and the analysis and monitoring of digital asset transactions.”　　Discover more　　Finance　　FINANCE　　Merchant Services & Payment Systems　　As central banks globally evaluate central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and digital asset frameworks,

09-15Industry

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