Coin Bytes Archives - Timescrypto

WazirX to Relaunch on October 24 with Zero Trading Fees After $234M Hack and Court-Approved Restructuring

Indian crypto exchange WazirX is set to resume operations on October 24 with zero trading fees across all markets, marking its return more than a year after a $234 million hack. The hack remains as one of the largest in crypto history. Supported by 95.7% of its creditors, the exchange’s Singapore court–approved restructuring plan paves the way for reopening access to 6.6 million users locked out since the July 2024 breach linked to North Korean attackers. WazirX is also preparing to issue Recovery Tokens to compensate affected creditors, with distributions scheduled to begin after operations restart. INR withdrawals are already active, while crypto trading and withdrawals are set to go live on Friday.

T. Rowe Price Files with SEC to Launch Its First Crypto ETF

Asset management giant T. Rowe Price, which oversees about $1.77 trillion in assets, has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch its first crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF). The move marks a major step for one of the world’s most established investment firms into the digital asset space. While details on the fund’s structure and holdings are still limited, the filing signals growing institutional confidence in crypto as a mainstream investment option. If approved, the ETF would allow traditional investors to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency market through regulated financial products. T. Rowe Price’s entry could also add credibility to crypto ETFs and drive further adoption across the broader financial industry.

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party Now Accepts Crypto Donations

Nigel Farage is taking his love for crypto to the political stage. His party, Reform UK, will now accept cryptocurrency donations, and he’s even calling himself the “only hope” for UK crypto firms. The move is part of his attempt to connect with tech-savvy supporters and show that he’s backing the future of finance. Beyond the headlines, it’s a sign of how politics is starting to meet the world of digital assets, making fundraising more modern and flexible. Whether you love him or roll your eyes, Farage is clearly positioning himself as the politician who wants to be on crypto’s side, tapping into a growing community of digital enthusiasts.

Coinbase Launches Payments MCP, Letting AI Agents Access On-Chain Finance Without API Keys

Coinbase just made it way easier for AI to play with crypto. With their new Payments MCP feature, AI tools like Claude, Gemini, and ChatGPT can now interact with on-chain financial services without needing complicated API keys. That means these AI agents can handle payments, trades, or pull blockchain data almost like a human user, automatically and seamlessly. For everyday users, it could make AI-driven finance feel smarter and more intuitive, while for developers, it removes a lot of the technical headaches. Essentially, Coinbase is turning AI into a kind of financial assistant that can tap into the blockchain on your behalf, opening up a new world of automated, smarter crypto interactions.

Polymarket in Talks To Raise Funds at Up to $15B Valuation

With a valuation of between $12 billion and $15 billion, Polymarket is in the early stages of talks with investors to seek more funds. Since Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund led a $200 million round in June, valuing the business at $1 billion, the new valuation would represent a more than tenfold increase. The New York Stock Exchange’s parent company, Intercontinental Exchange, agreed earlier this month to spend up to $2 billion at a valuation of $8 billion. This transaction strengthened Polymarket’s relationships with well-known financial institutions and made CEO Shayne Coplan the youngest self-made billionaire. Weekly trade volumes reached $2 billion during the week ending October 19, the largest in Polymarket’s history, reflecting a spike in prediction market activity. With event-based markets serving as sentiment indicators for elections, policy, and sports events, the growth reflects growing demand from both retail and institutional traders.

Aptos Gains $500M in New BUIDL Deposits

Aptos has added another $500 million in BUIDL deposits, propelling it back into the top three real-world asset (RWA) blockchains by total value locked. The surge reflects growing investor confidence in Aptos’s RWA initiatives, which focus on tokenizing tangible assets like U.S. Treasury bills and other yield-bearing instruments. The influx of capital follows renewed activity in the BUIDL ecosystem, where institutional players and DeFi users are seeking safer, on-chain exposure to real-world yields. This momentum highlights Aptos’s strategic positioning in the rapidly expanding RWA sector, a segment that bridges traditional finance with blockchain infrastructure. The network’s strong performance underscores increasing demand for secure, scalable platforms that can support institutional-grade tokenized assets.

Kadena Shuts Down Amid Market Turmoil; $KDA Crashes 60% in 90 Minutes

Kadena, a blockchain platform known for its high-performance smart contract capabilities, announced that it is shutting down operations immediately due to challenging market conditions. The news sent shockwaves through the crypto community, causing its native token, $KDA, to plummet 60% within just 90 minutes. The sudden decision highlights the ongoing pressures faced by crypto projects amid volatile markets, declining liquidity, and heightened investor caution. Kadena’s closure affects not only its development team and investors but also the broader ecosystem of projects built on its platform. The move underscores the risks associated with digital asset ventures, particularly in times of market stress, and serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of emerging blockchain startups.

Ethereum’s Fusaka Upgrade Enters Final Testnet

Ethereum’s Fusaka upgrade has formally entered its last testing phase, prior to its mainnet deployment on December 3. A significant modification brought about by the upgrade is the addition of a petrol cap per transaction, which helps keep a few large transactions from causing the network as a whole to lag. Both users and developers will benefit from improved performance and more effective block usage as a result. Fusaka, however, is more than simply temporary solutions; it also lays the groundwork for parallel execution, a long-awaited capability that would enable Ethereum to handle numerous transactions simultaneously. The community is keeping a careful eye on Ethereum as it approaches one of its most significant updates to date, with testing currently nearing the end.

Majority of Institutional Investors Bet on $130K Bitcoin by Mid-2026: Coinbase

A new survey by Coinbase reveals that 67% of institutional investors believe Bitcoin could reach $130,000 within the next three to six months. The optimism comes amid growing confidence in digital assets, supported by favorable macroeconomic conditions and increasing institutional inflows into Bitcoin ETFs. Many respondents cited Bitcoin’s scarcity, upcoming halving effects, and its strengthening position as a “digital gold” as key factors behind their bullish outlook. Coinbase noted that the sentiment reflects a broader shift among professional investors who are viewing crypto as a viable hedge against inflation and market volatility. The findings highlight renewed institutional enthusiasm following Bitcoin’s recent price recovery and continued momentum in the broader crypto market.

Coinbase Urges U.S. to Use Blockchain Analytics & AI to Fight Money Laundering

Coinbase is urging the U.S. government to adopt advanced technologies like blockchain analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to combat increasingly sophisticated money laundering schemes. As digital assets and crypto transactions grow, bad actors are finding more complex ways to move illicit funds, often exploiting gaps in regulatory oversight. Coinbase, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges in the U.S., argues that integrating blockchain analytics tools and AI-driven monitoring can help authorities detect suspicious activity faster and more accurately. These technologies can track transaction patterns, flag unusual behavior, and provide actionable insights for law enforcement. By leveraging these innovations, Coinbase believes the government can better safeguard the financial system while supporting the responsible growth of the crypto industry.

MANTRA’s Future, Products, and Plans After the OM Crash | Interview with Ekin Gultepe