CoinPhoton

🔥 Aptos Labs Unveils MonoMove With Up to 55x Faster Smart Contract Execution

Aptos Labs has unveiled MonoMove, a proposed upgrade to the Aptos execution engine. Internal tests showed some smart contract workloads running up to 55x faster than the current Move VM, while separate benchmarks recorded up to 11x higher end-to-end sequential throughput.

The biggest gains included 55x faster collateral withdrawals, 40x faster vault requests, 38x faster perpetual-market workloads and 22x faster order placement.

Subject to governance approval, MonoMove is expected to reach feature completeness by the end of 2026, with a mainnet rollout planned for 2027.

The 55x figure remains an internal benchmark and does not yet represent proven mainnet performance.

Vitalik: Traditional On-Chain Applications May No Longer Exist in Two Years

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said at the OKX NOW event in Singapore on October 6 that falling transaction costs, stronger privacy and rapid AI integration could fundamentally reshape on-chain applications over the next two years.

Vitalik said users may increasingly interact with blockchain through AI agents rather than traditional apps. Instead of manually navigating interfaces, bots could interpret on-chain offers, filter transactions and execute actions on users’ behalf.

The shift could make conventional on-chain applications far less prominent as AI becomes the primary interface between users and blockchain. OKX is already building infrastructure that allows AI agents to read on-chain data, manage wallets and autonomously execute trades across multiple networks.

FinCEN withdraws proposals to tighten rules on crypto mixers and self-hosted wallets

FinCEN, an agency of the U.S. Treasury Department, has withdrawn two controversial crypto regulatory proposals: a rule that would have classified international crypto mixing activity as a “primary money laundering concern,” and a 2020 proposal that would have required financial institutions to keep records and verify identities for transactions involving self-hosted wallets.

FinCEN said the broad definition of crypto mixing could have had a “chilling effect” on legitimate privacy-preserving activities while imposing significant reporting burdens on financial institutions. The 2020 self-hosted wallet proposal was also fully withdrawn.

The move does not change existing legal obligations, but signals a shift in the U.S. approach to crypto toward reducing broad surveillance requirements involving personal wallets and legitimate privacy-preserving activity.

Elon Musk officially returns to trillionaire club as SpaceX stock surges

Elon Musk has officially returned to the trillionaire club after a sharp surge in SpaceX shares pushed his estimated net worth above $1 trillion.

According to Forbes, Musk’s fortune now stands at approximately $1.046 trillion, making him the world’s richest person by a wide margin over the second-richest individual, Jeff Bezos.

Bezos currently has an estimated fortune of around $371 billion, meaning Musk is approximately $674 billion richer and has nearly 2.8 times Bezos’ wealth.

Musk’s fortune has been driven primarily by the rising value of his stakes in SpaceX and Tesla. His net worth reportedly jumped by around $65 billion on Oct. 5 alone as SpaceX’s valuation climbed and Tesla shares advanced.

Musk owns roughly 38% of SpaceX, including options, as well as nearly 11% of Tesla. Following its merger with xAI, SpaceX has become an even more important part of Musk’s technology empire, spanning space, artificial intelligence and social media.

The surge in SpaceX’s valuation is pushing Musk further above the $1 trillion threshold and widening the gap between him and the rest of the world’s wealthiest individuals. $SPCXB

Warren Buffett says many people never reach the income level their talent deserves—not because of the job market, but because they underestimate communication skills.

Buffett has said that improving both written and spoken communication could increase a person’s value by at least 50%. He learned this himself when he was young through a Dale Carnegie course.

The reason is simple: every raise, promotion, deal, and investor pitch depends on moving an idea from your mind into someone else’s. If you cannot communicate it effectively, even a great idea may have little impact.

Buffett once compared it to “winking at a girl in the dark”: you know what you’re doing, but nobody else can see it.

His message: don’t just collect more credentials. Improve the ability to write, speak, and communicate clearly—because that skill can directly determine how much your talent is worth.

🚨 SOL TREASURY: DeFi Development Corp. (Nasdaq: DFDV) purchased another 26,202 SOL worth approximately $3 million, bringing its holdings to around 2.56 million SOL and SOL-equivalents, valued at roughly $302 million. The company continues to pursue a Strategy-style treasury strategy focused on accumulating Solana.

🚨 STRIVE: Strive added 2,000 Bitcoin worth approximately $169 million, marking its largest BTC purchase in four months. The company now holds 29,462 BTC, worth roughly $2.5 billion, further strengthening its position among the largest publicly traded corporate Bitcoin holders.

🚨 INSIGHT: Grayscale says Bitcoin returned 225% over the past three years, compared with a 109% gain for the Nasdaq. However, excluding Bitcoin’s five best trading days would cut its return to just 95%, highlighting the importance of staying invested through periods of extreme volatility.

🔥 Visa and CoinShares: Crypto appetite is growing among consumers and wealthy investors

A new Visa study found that 46% of consumers across 14 Asia-Pacific markets are likely to use stablecoins within the next five years, compared with just 16% who used them in the past 12 months.

The most anticipated use cases include cross-border transfers, online shopping, travel and international payments.

Awareness remains a major hurdle: 66% of respondents have heard of stablecoins, but only 6% say they understand how they work. Among those aware of stablecoins but not using them, 38% cited concerns over scams and fraud.

Meanwhile, a CoinShares survey of 2,230 affluent investors across the U.S. and six European markets found that 54%–70% already own digital assets, depending on the market. Crypto allocations average around 10% of portfolios, putting digital assets on a similar footing with some traditional alternative investments.

More importantly, at least 85% of existing crypto investors in five of the seven markets said they plan to increase their exposure in 2026. The figure rises to 91% in the U.S., UK and Germany.

Bitcoin remains the dominant asset, held by 80% of digital-asset investors, while 89% of Bitcoin holders also own other digital assets.

The broader takeaway: crypto is increasingly moving from a speculative trading niche toward a mainstream portfolio allocation, while stablecoins are emerging as a potential global payments infrastructure.

Bitcoin ETFs attract $134 million as “Uptober” gets off to a positive start

Spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. recorded $134.4 million in net inflows during the first two trading sessions of October, including $102.7 million on Oct. 1 and $31.7 million on Oct. 2, giving “Uptober” a positive opening.

The inflows came after Bitcoin ETFs saw $148.7 million in outflows on Sept. 30, ending a nine-session inflow streak. Despite that, September remained strong, with ETFs attracting roughly $2.65 billion, their second-highest monthly inflow since October 2025.

Market sentiment was also supported by weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data. The economy added just 29,000 jobs in September, while the probability of a Fed rate hike in October, according to CME FedWatch, fell sharply from 70% to 14%.

Bitcoin briefly climbed to $87,173, approaching its September high of $87,354. However, caution remains, with Myriad data showing only a 7% probability of BTC reaching a new all-time high in 2026.

Metaplanet sold 10,000 BTC — then bought back 11,000 BTC

Metaplanet sold 10,000 BTC in Q3 for about $789 million, before buying back 11,000 BTC for roughly $949 million, bringing its Bitcoin holdings to 44,000 BTC by the end of September.

The company said the transaction was designed to demonstrate to credit-rating agencies and bond investors that its Bitcoin holdings are sufficiently liquid to meet debt obligations.

Metaplanet says proceeds from the BTC sale exceeded the principal amount of its bonds, loans and other interest-bearing liabilities.

However, the strategy came at a cost: the company bought back Bitcoin at prices roughly 9% higher than where it sold. Metaplanet estimates the sale could also generate around $97 million in deferred tax assets, although the figure remains unaudited.

The company is now pursuing additional recurring income strategies while maintaining Bitcoin as its core treasury reserve.

Binance Tightens Brazil Cross-Border Crypto Transfers From Nov. 1

Binance will require users in Brazil to disclose the purpose and counterparty details for cross-border crypto transfers starting Nov. 1.

Withdrawals cannot be submitted until the required questionnaire is completed. Deposits may remain pending or, in some cases, be returned if the required information is missing.

The new requirements do not apply to crypto transfers between Brazilian residents.

Binance will report these transactions monthly to Brazil’s central bank under Resolution BCB No. 521/2025.

Transfers of up to $50,000 will use a 10-purpose classification list, while larger transfers will require one of 96 classifications. Some transfers may also be capped at $100,000 if the counterparty is not authorized to operate in Brazil’s foreign-exchange market.

XRP and SOL ETF demand plunges as weekly inflows drop over 94%

Demand for spot XRP and SOL ETFs in the US weakened sharply last week, signaling a significant slowdown in institutional appetite for the two assets.

XRP ETFs recorded $4.74 million in net inflows, down about 94% from $75.59 million the previous week. Despite the decline, XRP ETFs maintained a 12-week streak of positive net inflows. However, the products saw two consecutive sessions with no inflows and recorded $3.28 million in outflows on October 3, marking their first net outflow since September 18.

SOL ETFs saw an even steeper decline. After attracting $188.22 million the previous week, inflows fell to just $2.43 million last week, a drop of more than 97%. Despite the sharp slowdown, SOL ETFs remained in positive territory overall.

The weaker ETF flows come as both XRP and SOL face price pressure, highlighting a notable cooling in institutional demand for the two cryptocurrencies in the short term.

Stellar hits a new DeFi milestone as total value locked (TVL) surpasses $273 million, highlighting growing activity across the network’s decentralized finance ecosystem.

The growth comes as Stellar expands beyond its traditional payments focus, with increasing adoption of stablecoins, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), lending, liquidity and yield-generating applications.

The network’s DeFi expansion is also being supported by the growing use of stablecoins and tokenized assets, positioning Stellar as an increasingly important blockchain for real-world financial applications and PayFi.

The latest milestone signals that Stellar’s role in the crypto economy is evolving from a payments-focused network into a broader platform for DeFi, stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets.

Tom Lee: Continued DAT Buying Could Push Crypto Prices Higher

Tom Lee, Chairman of BitMine, said continued capital raising by Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) companies to purchase crypto could create additional upward pressure on prices as available supply declines.

Speaking to CoinDesk at Korea Blockchain Week on September 30, Lee cited HYPE as an example. He said a Hyperliquid-related DAT currently holds around 14% of HYPE’s supply and continues to accumulate. If its holdings reached 50% of the supply, HYPE could potentially enter a parabolic price move.

Lee’s argument is that when DATs trade above their net asset value (NAV), they can raise additional capital and use the proceeds to buy more crypto. This creates a potential cycle of premium → capital raising → crypto purchases → reduced market supply → higher prices, which could amplify the upside.

However, Tom Lee’s market forecasts have often been optimistic, and specific price targets or timelines may not materialize. The more important point is the DAT mechanism itself: sustained capital raising and accumulation can create additional demand while reducing circulating supply, potentially amplifying price movements.

Michael Saylor: Bitcoin’s 20% Annual Gain Is Enough to Cover the Dividend

Michael Saylor, Executive Chairman of Strategy, said the company expects Bitcoin to appreciate by around 20%–30% annually over the long term. Under that assumption, even STRC’s 12% annual dividend remains manageable.

Saylor described STRC as a credit instrument, rather than a product that requires investors to take on Bitcoin’s full price volatility. He said STRC offers a higher yield than some bank preferred shares, high-yield bonds and private credit, while seeking to maintain relative price stability around the $100 level through Strategy’s mechanism of buying back or issuing shares.

According to Saylor, STRC’s credit foundation comes from Strategy’s large Bitcoin holdings. The company aims to convert part of Bitcoin’s value into a relatively stable, income-generating instrument.

Stablecoin issuers replace over 40% of China’s lost U.S. Treasury demand

Stablecoin issuers are emerging as an increasingly important source of demand for U.S. government debt, helping offset the decline in China’s Treasury holdings.

According to research from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Tether and USD Coin issuers increased their holdings of U.S. Treasury securities and repurchase agreements by around $200 billion over the past five years. That amount represents more than 40% of the decline in China’s Treasury holdings over the same period.

The shift is significant because foreign investors’ share of the U.S. Treasury market has fallen from more than 50% around 2008 to roughly 30% in early 2026. China’s Treasury holdings have declined by more than half from their 2013 peak as Beijing diversifies its reserves.

Stablecoin issuers, however, are not a direct replacement for China. China has reduced exposure largely to longer-term U.S. debt, while stablecoin issuers primarily hold short-term Treasury bills and other highly liquid assets needed to support redemptions.

Since 2023, stablecoin issuers have increased their short-term Treasury holdings by more than Japan, the largest foreign holder of U.S. government debt. If the recent growth trend continues, the San Francisco Fed estimates stablecoin issuers’ Treasury holdings could approach $400 billion by 2030.

Blast shuts down $20M Ethereum Layer 2, sets Oct. 26 exit deadline

Ethereum Layer 2 network Blast is shutting down after concluding that the cost of operating the network exceeds the revenue it generates, with no credible path to economic sustainability.

Blast, which raised $20 million from Paradigm and Standard Crypto, once attracted more than $2 billion in TVL before its February 2024 mainnet launch. Its TVL has since fallen to just over $32 million, according to DeFiLlama.

The project will first unwind its Lido assets, a process expected to take about one week. Withdrawals will temporarily be paused during this period and will later reopen with a 24-hour withdrawal delay.

Users have until October 26, 2026 to withdraw through Blast’s normal interface. After that date, assets will remain recoverable, but users will need to interact directly with Blast’s bridge contracts on Ethereum mainnet.

The BLAST token also fell sharply following the announcement, with its market capitalization dropping to roughly $23 million.

THORChain vs. NEAR debate exposes limits of crypto idealism

A fierce debate has erupted over whether decentralized, permissionless protocols should intervene when stolen crypto passes through their infrastructure.

After the $387.7 million Bitget hack on Sept. 24, roughly $387.5 million of stolen funds began moving across chains, with some routed through THORChain. Bitget CEO Gracy Chen publicly urged THORChain to block addresses linked to the attackers, but the protocol refused.

THORChain developers argue that a truly permissionless protocol cannot selectively block stolen funds because doing so would undermine its neutrality. The network previously allowed hackers to move about $1.2 billion stolen from Bybit through the protocol.

NEAR Intents took a different approach. Its automated SHIELD security system detected more than $50 million in attempted Bitget-related flows and stopped about $503,000, while another $166,000 passed through. NEAR says permissionless infrastructure does not necessarily mean every application must process every transaction.

The dispute highlights two competing approaches to DeFi: credible neutrality and censorship resistance on one side, versus automated security controls and intervention against known illicit flows on the other. The debate is increasingly important as cross-chain infrastructure handles larger amounts of capital.

Crypto’s billions are back, but the premiums aren’t

Crypto companies are once again raising billions of dollars, but investors are becoming more selective about the valuations they are willing to pay.

Prediction market platform Kalshi is reportedly seeking around $1 billion at a $40 billion valuation, nearly double its $22 billion valuation from a $1 billion funding round in May. The latest round is reportedly being discussed with existing investors including Sequoia Capital and Wellington Management, although terms are not final.

Meanwhile, Blockchain.com is reportedly preparing for an IPO that could raise about $500 million, targeting a valuation of roughly $4 billion–$6 billion. That would be substantially below the $14 billion valuation the company reached during the previous crypto bull market.

The difference is even more pronounced among digital asset treasury companies. Research from DWF Ventures found that only 4 of the 20 largest crypto treasury firms trade above the value of their underlying crypto holdings, measured by mNAV above 1. The other companies trade at discounts to the value of their assets.

The report also highlights the challenge facing the crypto treasury model: when a company’s shares trade below the value of its crypto holdings, issuing new shares to buy more crypto can become dilutive, weakening the mechanism that previously allowed treasury companies to rapidly expand their crypto balances.

The broader picture is that crypto capital markets are reopening, but investors are no longer automatically assigning large premiums simply because a company has crypto exposure.