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Core Lightning warned that attackers are targeting nodes running version 26.06.7 or earlier, putting funds in unpatched payment channels at risk. The team released version 26.06.8 on September 22 but has not identified which flaw attackers are exploiting. People who run their own Core Lightning nodes need to install the update; wallet app providers usually handle upgrades for users who do not run nodes.

Aurora co-founder Alex Shevchenko says his team has identified the attacker behind a $3.8 million NEAR Intents exploit. He gave the attacker 48 hours to return the funds and listed repayment addresses on four blockchain networks. Shevchenko did not name the attacker, explain how his team identified them or say what would happen after the deadline. A similar warning preceded substantial fund returns after an April exploit of another NEAR-linked service.

Citigroup raised its 12-month Bitcoin price target to $113,000 from $82,000 and its Ethereum target to $3,028 from $2,240. Citi now expects $5 billion of Bitcoin exchange-traded fund inflows over 12 months after forecasting zero inflows in June. However, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $148.69 million in outflows on September 30, the date of Citi's new forecast. Bitcoin traded at $84,591 at press time, about 34% below Citi's target. Ethereum traded at $2,699.46, leaving about 12% upside to its new target.

South Korean crypto exchange operating profits fell 78% in the first half of 2026, according to government data. The Korea Financial Intelligence Unit said average daily trading volume at domestic virtual asset exchanges fell 44% from the previous six months. Market capitalization fell 33%, won-denominated deposits fell 35% and exchange sales fell 41% over the same period. Accounts eligible to trade rose 0.4%.

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs recorded $2.65 billion in net inflows in September, their second-largest monthly total since October 2025. SoSoValue data shows the inflows fell from $3.52 billion in August. Spot ether ETFs drew $832.43 million in September, down from $1.85 billion in August. Zeus Research analyst Dominick John said the inflows suggest institutional demand has not faded.

Jim Cramer said the impact of higher interest rates is his biggest fear for the stock market. He said the coming earnings season should show more clearly how costlier borrowing is affecting companies. The Federal Reserve raised its target range by a quarter point to 3.75% to 4% on September 16, its first increase since 2023. Futures traders mostly expect a pause on October 28, but CME FedWatch shows a 79.4% probability of a higher target range by the December 9 meeting.

Electrum's security update fixes a Lightning backup defect, but affected Bitcoin wallet users need to replace saved backups. Older backups from wallets with non-deterministic Lightning keys may lack the key needed to claim funds from anchor channels after a remote close. Electrum's remedy requires fresh exports from the original wallet data. Upgrading alone cannot recover key material already lost with that data.

Bitget CEO Gracy Chen said she does not expect to recover much of the nearly $388 million stolen in last week's cyberattack. Approximately $1.1 million has been frozen, but Chen said frozen assets have not necessarily been returned. Bitget said customer account balances were unaffected and that it used its own capital to replenish its protection fund to more than $300 million. Investigators found that attackers compromised two third-party security products before accessing Bitget's production wallet systems.

Galaxy Research found that 69.2% of retail Polymarket accounts finished below break-even in a study of 2.9 million wallets. Those losing accounts were down a combined $338.9 million. The study covers Polymarket's international platform, not its separate US app. Within 30 days of a loss, 15.2% of accounts had not traded again, compared with 6.1% after a win. Galaxy cautioned that some apparent quitters may have moved to new wallets.

South Korea's Financial Services Commission proposed rules for issuing and trading tokenized securities, scheduled to take effect on Feb. 4, 2027. The proposal would allow stocks, bonds, funds and certain fractional investment securities to be issued and circulated in tokenized form. Companies that issue tokenized securities while directly managing customer accounts would need at least 4 billion Korean won ($2.8 million) in equity capital. Retail investors would be limited to 100 million won ($70,000) in annual net purchases on each over-the-counter exchange.

Robinhood's stock-token volume will hit some limits in the SEC's exemption for tokenized U.S. stocks, crypto chief Johann Kerbrat said. Robinhood is still assessing the order, which caps trading volume and restricts which assets can be tokenized. The five-year exemption allows certain U.S. venues to trade tokenized listed stocks without registering as exchanges, but Robinhood's existing Stock Tokens are not available to U.S. users. Kerbrat said the company is pursuing wider adoption and coverage of U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds.

Zano said an attacker exploited a Gateway Address vulnerability to create 36.9 million unauthorized ZANO and Freedom Dollar (fUSD) tokens. The team decided to roll back about a month of blockchain history, including legitimate transactions, because the unauthorized ZANO could not be distinguished from legitimate coins. Zano acknowledged that the rollback would hurt trust and said it is working to restore affected balances.

Analyst Frank Cappelleri says Bitcoin could still be early in a bigger bullish move after gaining roughly 20% in August. Cappelleri says breakouts are holding again, this year's weekly chart resembles the start of Bitcoin's 2023 rally, and the rebound began near a rising trend line dating to 2017. However, rising interest rate expectations could test whether the gains last.

Alpha Modus Holdings shares rose 60.68% to $1.88 in after-hours trading Thursday after the company closed a bitcoin-funded private placement. Non-U.S. investors delivered 3,170 bitcoin to its Singapore subsidiary in exchange for 51.62 million Class A shares and warrants to buy another 51.62 million shares. A filing said the transaction lifted stockholders' equity well above Nasdaq's $2.5 million listing minimum. Nasdaq will continue monitoring compliance, and the new shares and warrants dilute existing shareholders.

Core Lightning urged operators running version 26.06.7 or earlier to upgrade immediately after receiving reports of attacks on unpatched nodes. The team did not specify which vulnerabilities attackers were targeting or their potential impact. Core Lightning released version 26.06.8 on Sept. 22 with fixes for reported vulnerabilities, including flaws that could cause node crashes or put user funds at risk.

A Sept. 29 preprint finds that Solana propAMMs offered cheaper quiet-market SOL/USDC fills than public automated market makers. Their reference-relative execution cost proxy was 0.26 basis points, versus 2.59 basis points for public pools. The study also found more favorable two-second maker markouts for propAMMs. However, neither measure establishes depositor returns or shows that professional pools caused aggregate losses for passive liquidity providers. A separate Base test found that Tessera executions were worse than reconstructed earlier pool quotes, raising a distinct question about quote reliability.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission staff told registered exchanges on September 22 that mention markets may be presumptively susceptible to manipulation. Exchanges are expected to address four factors when seeking to list the contracts, but the advisory imposes no new obligations or ban. Mention markets settle on whether someone says a word or performs an action, so the person involved may influence the outcome or know it early. Polymarket lists mention markets only on an international exchange outside CFTC oversight.

California Governor Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump of selling White House access after organizers announced another gala for holders of the Official Trump memecoin. The November 22 dinner will invite the top 185 holders to Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., with VIP access for the top 29. Trump is expected to speak at the event. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.