ECB Launches Pontes to Bring Central Bank Money to Tokenized Finance

ECB launches Pontes for wholesale tokenized asset settlements using central bank money, supporting Europes growing digital financial infrastructure through 2028.  The ECB launched Pontes on September 21, 2026, enabling wholesale tokenized asset transactions using central bank money. The new system connects tokenized finance with established Eurosystem settlement infrastructure. As a result, banks are able to utilize central bank money in eligible tokenized transactions.  Pontes is the Eurosystems first effort in tokenized finance. The project adapts central bank money for increasingly digital financial markets.  How ECBs Pontes Will Support Tokenized Asset Settlements  Tokenization is the process of turning assets into digital tokens, typically through the use of distributed ledger technology. These networks can facilitate quicker trading, settlement, custody, and other financial processes.  Related reading:Stable.com Partners With Polygon for Direct Bank Stablecoin Transfers | Live Bitcoin News  Discover more  Bitcoin mining hardware  Blockchain development tools  Access Premium News  Furthermore, smart contracts can streamline some of these processes. This may enable financial institutions to integrate multiple phases of an assets life cycle more effectively.  Pontes expands on the Eurosystem 2024 tests. Those tests looked at the potential of using distributed ledger technology to facilitate settlement with central bank money.  The ECB stated that the participants believed access to a settlement asset without risk to be

09-22انڈسٹری

One wallet links $1.55 million FetchAI theft to massive 408.5 million NTX mint

A coordinated attack drained 8.7 million FET and used a compromised NuNet minter key to create 408.5 million NTX.  Related Asset Artificial Superintelligence Alliance #93 FET · $0.20 24-hour change: up 11.94% Loading price history… 24H Up 11.94% 7D Up 14.96% 30D Up 19.98%  The Sept. 19 attack emptied the Ethereum-side conversion contract used by SingularityNETs bridge, removing 8,721,530 FET worth about $1.55 million at the time. Twenty-nine minutes later, a stolen NuNet minter created 408.5 million NTX and sent the tokens to the same receiving wallet, according to an on-chain forensic report prepared by Athena.  Fetch.ai subsequently paused AGIX-to-FET conversions and its Ethereum-side bridge contract as a precaution. The company said the affected infrastructure belonged to SingularityNET, primarily its Ethereum-Cardano bridge, while Fetch.ais own contracts and normal FET transfers remained operational.  Related Asset NuNet NTX · $0.00053 24-hour change: up 780.38%  The forensic report identified the affected contract as TokenConversionManagerV3, the legitimate Ethereum-side lock-and-release component of SingularityNET‘s bridge. Its verified source matches SingularityNET’s public repository, and the contract is tied to the current Artificial Superintelligence Alliance FET token.  Related Asset Ethereum ETH · $2,747.34 24-hour change: up 4.23%  Investigators traced the loss to a compromised backend authorization key, not a flaw that let an attacker bypass

09-22انڈسٹری

Strategy Bitcoin Purchase Signals Market Confidence Amid Rally

Michael Saylor‘s company is buying Bitcoin again, and the timing says a lot about where the market’s head is right now. Strategy, the software firm turned corporate crypto vehicle, made its first Bitcoin purchase in roughly three weeks last week, snapping up 950 coins for nearly $76million. The move lands squarely inside a broader Strategy Bitcoin purchase pattern that has defined the company for years, but this one comes at a curious moment: a month that has historically been rough for the cryptocurrency, yet Bitcoin is climbing anyway.  Key takeawaysStrategy bought 950 Bitcoin for nearly $76 million last week, lifting its total holdings to 846,000 Bitcoin, or about 4% of the total supply.Bitcoin surged more than 6% in 24 hours to nearly $86,000, pushing Strategy shares up almost 9% to $167.The company also spent $174 million repurchasing its preferred shares, known as STRC, cutting its future dividend obligations.Bitcoin had fallen as low as $58,000 in June, down 53% from its $125,000 peak last October, before this recovery began.Strategy sold Bitcoin four separate times over the past four months before returning to buying as the price rebounded.  Strategy Resumes Bitcoin Buying  Strategy‘s latest disclosure shows the world’s largest corporate Bitcoin holder is back on

09-22انڈسٹری

Big Tech Crypto Hiring Signals Stablecoin Infrastructure Focus

Two of the world‘s biggest technology companies are quietly building out their crypto expertise, and the job listings tell a story that goes beyond typical corporate hiring. This wave of Big Tech crypto hiringsuggests that stablecoins, tokenized deposits and blockchain payment rails are no longer niche concerns reserved for crypto-native firms — they’re becoming standard skill sets inside Google and Apple.  Key takeawaysA Web3 architect position in Hong Kong is being filled by Google Cloud, with the role aimed at helping financial institutions tokenize real-world assets and construct blockchain infrastructure throughout the Asia-Pacific region.The role requires experience with blockchain networks, smart contracts, stablecoin infrastructure, tokenized deposits and custody technologies.Apple is seeking a Financial Product Strategy Lead for Apple Pay based in Cupertino or New York to shape digital-asset strategy for Apple Card, Apple Cash and peer-to-peer payments.Neither company has confirmed a new crypto product launch, but both listings show stablecoins and tokenized deposits becoming relevant in-house expertise.CME Group expanded its Google Cloud partnership in March 2025 to test asset tokenization, including the Google Cloud Universal Ledger, while Samsung is planning stablecoin features for Galaxy phones through Samsung Wallet.  Big Techs Strategic Crypto Hiring  Google and Apple are each recruiting for roles that place

09-22انڈسٹری

What Is VVV? The Privacy-Obsessed AI Token Thats Up 3,000% in 2026

In briefVenice (VVV) hit a fresh all-time high of $34.51 on September 21.The token is up roughly 17% in a day and more than 3,500% since bottoming out at $0.92 last December.VVV is the access key to Venice AI, a privacy-focused chatbot founded by ShapeShifts Erik Voorhees, and the token now ranks as the third-largest AI cryptocurrency by market cap.  The native token of the Venice AI platform just hit a fresh all-time high of $34.51 on Sunday, and it doesnt look to be slowing down.  The token, which trades under the ticker VVV, is up roughly 17% in the past 24 hours and has climbed around 3,000% since bottoming out at $0.92 last December. Its market cap now sits near $1.6 billion, making it the third-largest AI-focused cryptocurrency, trailing only Near and Tao.  Myriad: Where does Ethereum go next? Click to make your prediction.  VVV isn‘t a coin you spend on coffee. It’s an access key for Venice AI, a chatbot and image generator built by Erik Voorhees, the early Bitcoin and crypto entrepreneur who founded ShapeShift.  Instead of billing users per prompt the way ChatGPT does, Venice lets people stake VVV—lock it in a smart contract—to claim a daily share of the platforms

09-22انڈسٹری

ECB launches Pontes to settle tokenized assets without stablecoins

The European Central Bank (ECB) launched Pontes, a system that allows financial institutions to settle wholesale tokenized asset transactions in central bank money, providing an alternative to private settlement assets such as stablecoins.  The ECB announced Pontes‘ launch on Monday as part of the Eurosystem’s strategy for tokenized finance. The system initially offers a core set of services, with full implementation expected by 2028.  Tokenization represents assets as digital tokens, typically on distributed ledger technology (DLT) networks. The ECB said it could make wholesale transactions faster and more efficient by combining issuance, trading, settlement, custody and servicing on a single platform while enabling automation through smart contracts.  “Pontes brings the stability and trust of central bank money to the European tokenised finance ecosystem,” ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone said. “It will give an important advantage to help it scale.”  Pontes builds on the Eurosystems 2024 tests of settling DLT-based transactions in central bank money. The ECB said participants identified access to a risk-free settlement asset as crucial for wider adoption of tokenized finance.  The Eurosystem is also developing Appia, a complementary initiative exploring an integrated ecosystem for DLT-based financial services, with a blueprint expected by 2028.  Related: EU finance groups push to remove tokenized securities

09-22انڈسٹری

Bitcoin price tags $86K as analysis sees crypto in ‘new bull market’

Bitcoin (BTC) spiked above $86,000 after Mondays Wall Street open as US stocks rose amid cooling oil prices.  Key points:Bitcoin gained nearly 6% on Monday to briefly trade above $86,000 for the first time since late January.Crypto short liquidations totaled almost $800 million in 24 hours as analysis called the start of a “new bull market.”US stocks opened the week higher as WTI oil prices dipped below $92 per barrel.  Bitcoin, US stocks head higher as oil drops further  TradingView data showed Bitcoin hitting a new 33-week high of $86,332 on Bitstamp, up 5.7% on the day at the time of writing.  BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView  Upside quickly returned after Sunday‘s weekly close, which, at $81,120, was Bitcoin’s highest since the start of May, as oil prices continued a drop from late last week.  Signals from both Qatars Foreign Ministry and US President Donald Trump that diplomatic negotiations to end the US-Iran war could resume helped send WTI crude oil as low as $91.59 per barrel on Monday.  “Middle East oil flows remain surprisingly strong despite the disruption to Saudi Arabias ‌East-West pipeline,” JPMorgan analysts said in a note on Friday, quoted by CNBC and others.  CFDs on WTI crude oil one-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView  A report by

09-22انڈسٹری

Crypto PAC to spend $30M opposing Sherrod Brown in Ohio, again: NYT

Fairshake, the political action committee (PAC) funded largely by cryptocurrency companies Coinbase and Ripple Labs, plans to spend $30 million opposing Democrat Sherrod Browns bid to return to the US Senate.  In a statement to Cointelegraph, Fairshake spokesperson Geoff Vetter confirmed reporting by the New York Times that the PAC initially planned to spend $30 million opposing Browns 2026 election bid to represent Ohio in the Senate. Vetter said that the PAC expected to announce additional expenditures before the midterm elections on Nov. 3.  Fairshake spent about $41 million supporting Republican Bernie Moreno and opposing Brown in the Ohio lawmakers 2024 reelection bid. Brown, who had been the Senate Banking Committee chair when Democrats were in the majority, lost to Moreno by about four points in 2024 following more than $300 million in spending by Fairshake and other PACs.  The PAC is just one of many aligned with the cryptocurrency industry attempting to influence voters in key races for 2026, when control of the House of Representatives and Senate is up for grabs. As of Monday, many event contracts on prediction market platforms like Kalshi gave Democrats the odds on retaking a majority in the House and the Senate.  Cointelegraph reached out to Brown‘s

09-22انڈسٹری

StonkFun up 48% after integrating AAVE, AVAX - Can STONK reach $500M valuation?

StonkFun [STONK] is fast-tracking Pump.fun [PUMP] to becoming a dominant launchpad in the Solana [SOL] ecosystem. In the past 24 hours, the price of STONK rallied over 48%, pushing its weekly gains past 73%.  This rally resulted in STONK making a new all-time (ATH) of $0.36 at the time of press. High activity on the StonkFun launchpad drove the tokens strength. Here are the details of how it unfolded.  Why is STONK up today?  StonkFun rallied to a new high due to increasing integration of major altcoins. Recently, the launchpad integrated Aave Protocol [AAVE], Avalanche [AVAX], and Near Protocol [NEAR] token launches.  Developers can now launch tokens paired with AAVE, AVAX, and NEAR, among other altcoins.  This move expands the platforms revenue generation. In that case, its cumulative revenue generation reached an ATH of $19.10 million, after the platform collected $1.10 million in the past 24 hours.  The revenue is feeding into the buyback and burn program. Of this over $19 million in revenue, the program has used $11.38 million to buy back the tokens.  Recently, the program has burned more than 10.95 million STONK tokens, worth $2.968 million, in the past 5 days. In total, buybacks and fees paid in STONK worth over $60 million have

09-22انڈسٹری

Crypto Market News: Rally Holds as Japan, Hormuz Risks Rise

Key InsightsDigital assets staged strong performance in the second half of the week despite unfavorable Crypto market news headlines.Market sentiment remains elevated despite the recent run, even as pressure mounts from macro factors such as the Strait of Hormuz closure.Japans economic woes risk another liquidity unwind from risk-on assets.  The crypto market staged an unexpected mid-week bounce back this past week. It completely disregarded unfavorable crypto market news such as the Senates failure to pass the CLARITY Act and the FED raising rates.  Such crypto market news would have normally yielded a bearish reaction. The crypto market had cooled down in the days prior, and analysts saw this as a sign that those events were priced in.  For context, the total crypto market cap bounced from a weekly low of $2.53 trillion on Wednesday. It then peaked at $2.79 trillion on Saturday. Its highest level since late January 2026.  Crypto market total market capSource: TradingView  This recovery signaled that demand was still robust. Under normal circumstances, the FUD around rate cuts and a regulatory setback would have been considered bearish events. But will crypto market news this week trigger a different outcome?  Discover more  Financial technology news  Ethereum market analysis  Crypto market updates  Crypto Market News: Geopolitical Headlines in View  Market

09-22انڈسٹری
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