Latest Crypto News & Market Updates

U.S. Treasury Expands BitBank Sanctions Over Iran Bitcoin Links

TLDR:BitBank sanctions target the Iranian exchange after Treasury alleged it facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin transfers to the IRGC.Treasury also designated BitBank developer Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company and three associates linked to Babak Zanjani.OFAC placed BitBank on the SDN list under Executive Order 13902, which Treasury is using against Irans digital asset sector.U.S. persons generally cannot transact with designated parties without authorization, while certain non-U.S. parties may face sanctions exposure.　　The U.S. Treasury imposed BitBank sanctions on September 17, targeting an Iranian digital asset exchange and its developer. Treasury said BitBank helped move hundreds of millions of dollars in Bitcoin to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Office of Foreign Assets Control also designated three associates of Iranian financier Babak Zanjani.　　Treasury linked the action to Operation Economic Outcast, its broader sanctions campaign against Iranian financial networks. The department said the exchange supported payments connected to sanctioned Iranian entities. The new Iran crypto sanctions also place BitBank and related parties on OFACs Specially Designated Nationals list. OFAC formalizes that listing.　　BitBank Sanctions Target Alleged Bitcoin Transfers to IRGC　　Treasury described BitBank as an Iranian digital asset exchange controlled by Babak Zanjani. OFAC previously sanctioned Zanjani and entities tied to his

09-18Industry

Flight Delays Top 5,000 Thursday—These Airports Are Hardest Hit

Topline　　Flight delays in the U.S. rapidly surpassed 5,000 on Thursday afternoon, impacting Chicago and Boston airports the hardest as the National Weather Service warned of flash flooding in the Midwest and Northern Plains.　　Inclement weather caused over 1,000 delays at Chicago OHare on Thursday.　　Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images　　Key Facts　　Flight delays numbered 5,172 as of shortly before 3:30 p.m. EDT, according to FlightAware, with Chicago OHare International Airport alone accounting for well over 1,000 of the delays.　　Boston Logan International Airport reported more than 350 flight delays and 24 cancellations, as the Federal Aviation Administration said runway construction has caused some arriving flights to be delayed an average of two hours and 16 minutes.　　Discover more　　Try Operations Software　　Compare Exchange Rates　　Access Premium News　　Chicago experienced heavy rainfall Thursday morning, according to the NWS, which forecast scattered thunderstorms and rain Thursday night.　　Chicago Midway International Airport reported more than 200 delays.　　Over 300 flights were canceled nationwide, with nearly 200 of those involving flights scheduled for into or out of OHare.　　Boston Logan International Airport was hit with 356 flight delays and 24 cancellations, as the Federal Aviation Administration said runway construction has caused some arriving flights to be delayed an average of two hours and 16 minutes.　　WHAT OTHER AIRPORTS

09-18Industry

CFTC extends crypto software broker exemption as CLARITY Act stalls

The CFTCs Market Participants Division has extended no-action relief to providers of passive crypto-trading software, sparing them from registering as brokers, two days after the Senate blocked the CLARITY Act.　　The relief is set out in CFTC Staff Letter 26-25, signed by division director DJ Hennes. Division staff said they will not recommend enforcement against eligible software providers that fail to register as introducing brokers, nor against their personnel for not registering as associated persons of an introducing broker.　　The same treatment was given to a single company, Phantom Technologies, in March. However, that position bound only Phantom.　　Other developers that wanted the same cover had to file their own respective requests. What the latest CFTC Staff Letter 26-25 does is lift that limit, offering the relief on substantially the same terms to any passive software provider that meets the conditions.　　Where the line falls between software and broker　　The relief only reaches software that passively connects users to regulated markets. A provider can build and hand out interfaces that let users check market data, review products, and send orders straight to registered venues. It can also bundle that into a self-custodial wallet.　　The cover disappears when brokerage enters into the picture. Under the conditions, a

09-18Industry

Why Is Chipotle Now Working With the CIA-Funded Palantir？

In briefChipotle is piloting a Palantir-built “Food Safety Risk Management Platform”The platform will score restaurants using health inspections, pest incidents, and employee illness reports.Palantir was seeded in 2005 by In-Q-Tel, the CIAs venture capital arm, and still draws nearly half its revenue from government work, including ICEs deportation-tracking ImmigrationOS system.　　Chipotle wants a computer to flag which burrito line might make you sick next. The company it hired to build that computer is Palantir, the data firm that got its start with cash from the CIA.　　Wired reported yesterday Chipotle is piloting a “Food Safety Risk Management Platform” built on Foundry, Palantirs core software. Foundry works like a giant filing cabinet that pulls scattered data into one dashboard, so a company (or an army) can see everything at once. Chipotle confirmed the project.　　Myriad: Which companies will IPO first？ Click to make your prediction.　　The platform reportedly runs on three ingredients: health department inspection scores, pest sightings, and employee illness reports. Blend those together and every restaurant gets a risk score, a digital report card nobody outside headquarters gets to see.　　Chipotles chief corporate affairs and food safety officer, Laurie Schalow, told Wired the company is “piloting a new Food Safety Risk Management Platform designed

09-18Industry

L-BTC Peg-Out Still Shut Down as Blockstream Refuses Hacker Demand – Bitcoin News

Key TakeawaysLiquid‘s hackers gave back 3,400 BTC, but they’re still sitting on 598.50 BTC worth over $45 million.Blockstream says L-BTC‘s 1:1 peg is covered, but 11 days later, holders still can’t use peg-outs.Liquid, Symbiosis and Nomic have now faced 3 exploits, putting BTC-backed projects under the microscope.　　Following the Sept. 6 exploit, around 85% of the drained bitcoin has been returned, but the remainder is still held by the protocol‘s attackers. Blockstream, Liquid Network’s maintainer, has refused to pay for the remaining coins and wants the 598.50 BTC returned. The Liquid Network‘s L-BTC reserves still have a hole, as the protocol shows 4,234.76 L-BTC in circulation, but there’s only 3,632.23 BTC held.　　Liquids Peg-Outs Remain Frozen as 598.50 BTC Stays With Hackers　　While the Liquid Network has resumed, L-BTC peg-outs are still shut down, and Sideswap disclosed that “L-BTC cannot yet be redeemed for bitcoin.” Sideswap added that “Blockstream has said the peg will be covered 1:1 and peg-out returns in a later step.” Blockstream founder Adam Back posted on X and insisted that the 1:1 L-BTC to BTC peg will be covered, and he told holders not to dump L-BTC over-the-counter (OTC) at a discount.　　There has been no official “peg-out is live”

09-18Industry

Hyperliquid News: Kraken Parent Eyes First US-Regulated HYPE Perpetuals

Key InsightsHyperliquid news centers on Paywards plans for regulated US on-chain perpetual futures.Bitnomial would create and clear HIP-3 markets, while NinjaTrader carries client accounts.HYPE trades near $79.29 after recovering from an intraday low near $75.　　Hyperliquid news shifted toward the US derivatives market after Kraken parent Payward outlined plans for on-chain perpetual futures. The company intends to start with Hyperliquid HIP-3 markets for eligible US clients. Bitnomial would create, own, administer, clear, and settle the contracts.　　Meanwhile, NinjaTrader Clearing would hold customer accounts under its registered futures commission merchant structure. Payward said only approved clients on both firms allowlists could trade. HYPE trades near $79.29 following an intraday rebound from about $75.　　Hyperliquid News Focuses on Payward US Perpetual Plans　　Payward plans to use Hyperliquid‘s public blockchain while keeping regulated entities responsible for market operations. Hyperliquid’s on-chain order book would match and record transactions.　　Notably, Bitnomial would act as the HIP-3 deployer for the proposed markets. The company operates a CFTC-regulated designated contract market and registered derivatives clearing organization.　　NinjaTrader Clearing would handle client accounts under its CFTC futures commission merchant registration. It also holds membership with the National Futures Association.　　Discover more　　Open Trading Account　　Trade Crypto Assets　　FINANCE　　Under the proposed structure, US clients would first open futures accounts

09-18Industry

King Charles warns to control AI before it develops 'darker capacities' to take life

During a summit hosted in Scotland, King Charles III told the heads of the worlds largest AI companies that they must find ways to keep the technology under human control. 　　The King warned that the people who built it now fear it could develop “darker capacities” and even be turned to killing.　　What does King Charles III have to say about AI？　　King Charles III spoke at Dumfries House in East Ayrshire, a gathering the Ditchley Foundation organized and that drew roughly 30 executives, officials, and researchers, including Britain‘s AI minister Kanishka Narayan, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis, OpenAI finance chief Sarah Friar, and Anthropic’s global affairs head Tino Cuéllar.　　Discover more　　Digital Currencies　　FINANCE　　Finance　　The private guest list viewed by Bloomberg reportedly also contained names like MI6‘s chief Blaise Metreweli, author Yuval Noah Harari, and Tsinghua University’s Xue Lan.　　Charles, 77, spoke for only about 20 minutes before leaving the room for what he hoped would be productive talks. Those who value humanitys moral core, he said, are “anxiously seeking your reassurance that we will not lose control of our destiny, or our souls.”　　Charles called the technologys pace “both intriguing and deeply concerning in equal measure.” He acknowledged and praised its record

09-18Industry

Polymarket users referred to prosecutors in South Korea: Report

South Korean police have reportedly referred 18 Polymarket users to prosecutors in an illegal gambling investigation involving 26 people who collectively wagered about 17.6 billion won (worth $12.7 million).　　According to Asia Economy, data submitted by the National Police Agency to the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Kun-young showed that the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency had placed 26 people under investigation as of Tuesday and sent 18 of them to prosecutors. The report said the largest amount wagered by a single user was about 5.7 billion won ($4.1 million).　　Police identified users by analyzing publicly available blockchain transactions, the report said. Polymarket lets users buy and sell contracts tied to the outcomes of real-world events and operates on a noncustodial, peer-to-peer structure with automated settlement. It does not maintain a conventional list of users by their real names, the report said.　　Authorities reportedly said Polymarket transactions constitute illegal gambling under South Koreas Criminal Act because users stake assets on outcomes that cannot be predicted with certainty. The users argued that Polymarket should instead be treated as a crypto-based derivatives investment market, according to the report.　　South Korea moves against Polymarket　　In June, Gangwon police launched South Koreas first illegal gambling probe into local Polymarket

09-18Industry

U.S. economic outlook: Economic resilience raises the rate floor

Key ThemesGrowth still appears to be solid.We expect real GDP to expand at a 3.0% annualized rate in Q3, largely reflecting robust consumer and business spending. Though a modest downgrade compared to our previous forecast, our pared-back expectation is mostly a net exports story.AI investment continues to propel strong rates of business investment, even after accounting for imports.We recognize that AI-spend must eventually slow. As investment matures, sustaining spending at elevated levels will provide a smaller incremental boost to growth than it has in recent quarters. That said, we do not anticipate outright declines, especially as capex broadens.Inflation ismoving in the right direction, but not as quickly as the Fed would like.We expect a Q4-over-Q4 inflation rate of 3.2% with new methodological changes incorporated. But putting aside energy prices and a few idiosyncratic quirks, the trend in inflation is largely favorable. Tariff effects are fading, shelter inflation is cooling and budding price pressures are contained to a few categories related to the AI buildout.The labor market is neither hot nor cold.Augusts solid employment report served to further reduce labor market downside risk. We always caution against placing too much emphasis on just one print. However, the unemployment rate remains low,

09-18Industry

CFTC Opens Door for Crypto Apps to Offer Regulated Derivatives Access

In briefThe CFTC issued a no-action letter for passive software providers.The letter covers software that gives users access to event contracts, perpetual contracts, and other regulated derivatives.The position extends earlier Phantom relief to other providers that meet the agencys conditions.　　Crypto apps that want to offer access to regulated derivatives markets got new guidance Thursday from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.　　In the no-action letter, the agencys Market Participants Division said passive software providers can avoid registering as introducing brokers if they limit their role to front-end software and meet a list of conditions.　　Myriad: Where does Solana go next？ Click to make your prediction.　　That could matter for wallet developers and trading apps because broker registration can bring significant compliance requirements. The CFTC letter gives them a path to connect users to registered derivatives markets without acting as the intermediary handling the trade.　　“The Division believes that a no-action position for all [passive software providers] on substantially the same terms as that provided to the software developer in Letter 26-09 is warranted,” the CFTC letter said.　　The letter covers software that lets users view market data, product offerings, and position information, and submit orders for CFTC-regulated derivatives, including event contracts and perpetual contracts, directly to

09-18Industry

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