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RBI and FIU-IND are reportedly examining offshore crypto cards linked to Visa, Mastercard and RedotPay over potential FEMA and payment regulation violations.
Indian users have reported card deactivations, while RedotPay had already listed India as a restricted region in an August 2026 notice.
India’s Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) are examining offshore crypto cards that allow residents to spend digital assets on everyday purchases and withdraw cash from ATMs, according to a November 2 report by The Economic Times.
The scrutiny centres on whether these cards comply with Indian payment regulations and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The report, citing two people familiar with the matter, said authorities are also understood to be in contact with Visa and Mastercard. Neither the RBI nor the payment networks confirmed the discussions.
The cards, offered by overseas fintech providers such as RedotPay, allow users to spend stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies through conventional payment networks. When a transaction takes place, the provider converts the required crypto balance into rupees, allowing merchants to receive payment like a regular card transaction.
Users have reportedly used these cards for online shopping, mobile recharges, flight bookings and ATM withdrawals. Some cards cost between $40 and $50 and carry a three-year validity, according to the report.
Several Indian users have also complained on social media that their cards stopped working in recent days. Access to some service providers’ websites has reportedly been restricted.
FEMA and Payment Authorisation Concerns
The scrutiny follows findings shared with authorities by Bengaluru-based Digital South Trust. The organisation obtained a virtual Visa-backed RedotPay card and carried out multiple domestic online transactions in August. Its founder, Sudhakar Lakshmanaraja, said the group documented how offshore card programmes could fund routine payments using cryptocurrencies and dollar-backed stablecoins. He also raised concerns about some programmes advertising limited or no KYC requirements.
Legal experts cited by The Economic Times said the arrangements could raise questions under FEMA and regulations governing prepaid payment instruments. Under RBI rules, entities operating prepaid payment systems in India generally require the necessary authorisation.
RedotPay had already listed India among the regions where residents were ineligible for its virtual and physical cards in a restriction notice dated August 28, 2026.
However, no public enforcement order specifically naming RedotPay, Visa or Mastercard has been announced. The reported scrutiny does not establish that any of the companies have violated Indian law.

Abu Dhabi signed four agreements with OpenAI covering AI adoption in energy, government services, investment and enterprise solutions.
ADNOC will deploy OpenAI’s GPT technology, while a government pilot is already using AI to assist with food import compliance checks.
Abu Dhabi has signed four agreements with OpenAI to expand the use of artificial intelligence across government services, energy operations and investment, following a meeting between Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on November 2.
The Crown Prince witnessed the signing of the agreements, which form part of Abu Dhabi’s plan to bring AI into key areas of its economy and move towards becoming what officials describe as the world’s first fully AI-native government.
One of the agreements involves the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), G42 subsidiary Inception42 and OpenAI. The partnership makes ADNOC the first company in the energy sector to deploy OpenAI’s frontier technology.
The companies will use OpenAI’s GPT models and computing infrastructure based in the UAE to connect AI capabilities across ADNOC’s operations. The initial work will focus on field development planning and linking decisions across production, processing, refining, logistics, sales and trading.
ADNOC said the technology will help teams analyse complex operational and commercial information and prepare development plans in hours rather than months. Human experts will retain oversight of important decisions.
Government and Investment Sectors Included in the Agreements
A second agreement introduces an AI-native Machine-Readable Government initiative between Abu Dhabi’s government and OpenAI. It will convert selected government policies and regulations into a format that AI systems can process, allowing them to assist officials with routine compliance checks, including those linked to permits and certificates.
The first pilot is already operating with the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority and focuses on food imports. The Department of Government Enablement is leading the initiative. Officials will retain responsibility for final decisions, while each AI assessment will be traceable to the relevant regulation.
The third agreement brings together Mubadala, Inception42 and OpenAI to apply AI to investment analysis, identifying opportunities and assessing risks.
Under the fourth agreement, Inception42 and OpenAI will work together for five years to support the adoption of advanced AI across the UAE’s government, business and education sectors. Their work will include developing enterprise solutions for large organisations.
Altman said the UAE was setting a global standard for AI integration across public and private sectors, with a focus on safety, accessibility and responsible innovation.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office did not disclose the financial value of the four agreements. The announcements mark a further expansion of OpenAI’s work in the UAE as the country continues investing in AI infrastructure and wider adoption.

CZ thanked the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and other federal agencies for helping track and freeze funds stolen in Binance’s $6.3 billion hack.
The FBI linked the attack to North Korea’s TraderTraitor hacking group.
The U.S. Secret Service confirmed its investigators helped freeze a significant portion of the stolen assets.
Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao has credited U.S. law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Secret Service and Internal Revenue Service, for helping track and freeze funds stolen in the exchange’s $6.3 billion security breach.
The Binance Hack Breakdown: How Attackers Breached the Exchange and Moved the Stolen Funds
In a November 2 post on X, Zhao praised investigators for their quick response, saying they acted within minutes of the October 29 attack. He credited their speed and cooperation with helping contain the damage and reducing the risk of wider disruption across the cryptocurrency industry and financial markets.
Thank you, @SecretService, and all the agencies and industry partners involved. You acted within minutes to help track and freeze stolen funds, and the work continues. Your speed, expertise, and dedication helped contain the damage and reduce the risk of potential ripple effects across crypto and, may I say, even the broader financial markets. Deeply grateful.
— CZ BNB (@cz_binance) November 1, 2026
Zhao also responded to the FBI’s announcement that North Korea was responsible for the attack. He said the agencies provided important assistance in tracing and freezing the stolen cryptocurrency.
The comments followed an announcement from the U.S. Secret Service, which confirmed that its investigators had joined the effort to track the stolen funds.
The attack took place on October 29, when hackers compromised Binance’s internet-connected hot wallets and stole approximately $6.3 billion in digital assets. Binance said the incident involved unauthorized withdrawals and that its investigation had uncovered multiple points of breach. The exchange has not found evidence that wallet private keys were leaked.
FBI Links Binance Attack to North Korea
The FBI formally attributed the theft to North Korea’s state-sponsored hacking operation known as TraderTraitor in an alert published on October 31.
According to the agency, the attackers began converting the stolen assets primarily into Ethereum. The FBI, working with the U.S. Secret Service and IRS Criminal Investigation, warned that the funds could be moved through decentralized finance platforms and instant swap services to make further tracking difficult.
The FBI is releasing information advising the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) was responsible for the theft of more than $6 billion USD in virtual assets from cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, on or about October 29, 2026. The FBI refers to this specific North Korean malicious cyber activity as "TraderTraitor." The FBI, together with partners at the USSS and IRS-CI, has observed TraderTraitor actors converting stolen assets primarily into Ethereum (ETH). It is expected these assets will then be further laundered by converting them using DeFi and instant swap services as they prepare them for further laundering stages. How You Can Help: FBI, USSS, and IRS-CI are urging private sector entities including THORNode operators, RPC node operators, instant exchanges, DeFi services, blockchain analytics firms, and other virtual asset service providers to block transactions with or derived from addresses TraderTraitor actors are using to launder these stolen assets. A list of addresses associated with this activity is available here: https://t.co/g0oIWx0WeD
— FBI Cyber Branch (@FBICyberBranch) October 31, 2026
Binance previously reported that approximately $3 billion in affected assets had been frozen on-chain through cooperation with law enforcement agencies, blockchain intelligence firms, token issuers and other industry participants. The exchange said it would cover the financial impact of the theft using its Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) and corporate funds.
The recovery effort has continued alongside the restoration of exchange services. Binance said on November 1 that it had replaced 90% of the stolen assets using company funds. Reuters reported on November 2 that the figure had reached approximately 95%, with the remaining tokens taking longer to source because of lower liquidity.
Meanwhile, Binance has also resumed withdrawals in phases. The resumption of withdrawals also led to a significant movement of funds from the exchange. Binance reported $3.64 billion in net outflows between 06:00 and 15:30 UTC on November 1, after processing $4.649 billion in withdrawals and receiving $1.01 billion in deposits.
(Source: Binance)
The net outflow represented 2.1% of Binance’s total assets under management, which stood at $171 billion based on its October 28 Proof of Reserves data. The exchange said withdrawal volumes had declined after an initial surge and were beginning to stabilize, while deposits remained substantial.

Major crypto exchanges Coinbase and Kraken reviewed their security measures following the $6.3 billion Binance hack.
OKX CEO Star Xu called for real-time threat-sharing between crypto exchanges to help identify attacks and freeze stolen funds.
Crypto exchanges are reviewing their security systems after a $6.3 billion hack at Binance raised fresh concerns about how quickly attackers can exploit weaknesses in exchange infrastructure.
The Binance Hack Breakdown: How Attackers Breached the Exchange and Moved the Stolen Funds
Coinbase said it had adjusted the systems used to store cryptocurrency keys offline as a precaution. Kraken, meanwhile, said it was monitoring security incidents across the industry and looking for lessons that could help strengthen its own defences, according to Reuters.
The response comes after Binance disclosed that its hot wallets were compromised on October 29, resulting in approximately $6.3 billion in stolen assets. The exchange said it would cover the losses using its Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) and corporate treasury.
OKX Pushes for Industry-Wide Security Alerts
Beyond individual security reviews, OKX CEO Star Xu has called for exchanges and other crypto companies to establish a real-time alert system to respond to major hacks.
In a post on X, Xu said industry participants should be able to share information immediately after an attack, coordinate their response and temporarily freeze funds suspected of being stolen. Such a system could help exchanges and asset issuers act before hackers move funds through multiple wallets and networks.
The recent security incidents involving Bybit, Bitget, and now Binance should serve as a wake-up call for every leader in the crypto industry. Security should never be an area of commercial competition. It is a shared responsibility to protect our customers and the entire industry. Over the past decade, major crypto exchanges have made significant progress in protecting private keys. We have seen relatively few incidents involving direct private key compromises in recent years. So far, we have not seen conclusive evidence that Binance’s hot wallet private key was leaked. The greater concern may lie in vulnerabilities in access controls and wallet management systems. Companies that have never experienced a major security incident should not assume they are inherently safer or immune to attacks. At OKX, we have built multiple layers of sophisticated security protection and maintained a strong security track record over the past decade. But we also recognize that no system is absolutely secure. We must remain humble, vigilant, and constantly challenge our own security assumptions. A major security breach at any exchange undermines trust in the entire crypto industry, ultimately hurting every company and every customer. I believe CEOs across the industry need to come together, just as we did during the Bitcoin fork crisis in 2017, to establish stronger industry-wide security standards and coordinated response mechanisms. For example, transfers and settlements between verified exchanges could be processed in real time, while large withdrawals to unknown or unverified addresses, as well as transactions granting smart contract permissions, should be subject to additional verification and appropriate security delays. Crucially, these safeguards should be enforced at the cryptographic signing layer, rather than relying solely on application-level controls. Even if an attacker compromises an exchange’s wallet management system, they should not be able to bypass these fundamental security restrictions. We should also establish industry-wide mechanisms for real-time security incident notifications, coordinated monitoring of suspicious funds, and rapid responses to potential attacks. Exchanges, stablecoin issuers, and other major industry participants should work together to enable the rapid, lawful temporary freezing of suspected stolen assets when necessary. We should also work together to accelerate the industry’s transition to quantum-resistant cryptography and strengthen our defenses against emerging AI-powered security threats. These are long-term challenges that no single company can solve alone, and they require coordinated research, shared standards, and collective action across the industry. Security is everyone’s responsibility. No company can protect the future of crypto alone.
— Star_OKX (@star_okx) October 30, 2026
The industry is also looking at the human side of security. Harry Donnelly, CEO of crypto risk infrastructure firm Circuit, told Reuters that companies are planning additional employee training to guard against social engineering attacks, in which hackers manipulate staff into providing access to sensitive systems.
Meanwhile, stablecoin issuers have already taken action linked to the Binance incident. Tether froze nearly $1.57 billion in associated USDT, while Circle froze about $800 million in USDC. Bitcoin and Ether cannot be frozen by a central issuer in the same way.
Binance said on October 30 that approximately $3 billion in affected assets had been frozen on-chain through cooperation with law enforcement, blockchain intelligence firms and industry partners. The exchange is also strengthening security checks across affected infrastructure.
The latest responses show that exchanges are looking beyond individual platform security, with faster information-sharing and coordinated action emerging as key priorities.

Trezor urged customers who bought wallets from CryptoBilis since March 2026 to move their funds to a new wallet with a fresh recovery phrase.
A customer reported finding an additional circuit board with a cellular module inside a Trezor Safe 5.
Trezor has yet to physically inspect the device, and no customer fund losses have been reported.
Trezor has warned customers who purchased its hardware wallets through reseller CryptoBilis to move their cryptocurrency after receiving a report of suspected physical tampering inside a Trezor Safe 5 device. The warning applies to customers who purchased any Trezor model through CryptoBilis since March 2026. Trezor is asking them to transfer their funds to a new wallet and generate a fresh recovery phrase.
The report came from a customer in Indonesia who bought the Safe 5 through the e-commerce platform Tokopedia in August. The buyer contacted Trezor on October 28 after discovering an additional circuit board inside the device.
CryptoBilis update We’ve been made aware, through responsible disclosure, of a single hardware implant in a Trezor Safe 5 device bought from the reseller CryptoBilis in August 2026. No CryptoBilis buyer has reported a loss of funds to us. IMPORTANT: If you bought a Trezor from CryptoBilis from March 2026 onwards, we know this is unsettling. Here’s what to do: Already using it? Move your funds to a newly created wallet with a new seed as soon as possible. Do not reuse the old seed in any wallet, hardware or software. If you don’t have another secure hardware wallet available, we recommend temporarily migrating your funds to a software wallet or an exchange you are familiar with. Not set up yet? Don’t set it up, and never enter your existing wallet backup on it. We haven’t received the device to confirm this report, but based on the customer’s description, we’re treating it as credible and sharing it now so customers who purchased a Trezor via CryptoBilis can secure their funds as a precaution. Our security team will examine the device as soon as it arrives. On October 9, 2026, we removed CryptoBilis as a reseller following reports of tampered Ledger devices sold through it. Since then, we have been inspecting Trezor devices that customers bought from CryptoBilis and have found no signs of tampering on any of the four devices we’ve received so far. NEVER share your wallet backup (recovery phrase) with anyone. Trezor Support will never ask for it. If you are affected by this incident, please keep your CryptoBilis device and contact Support to receive a new Trezor hardware wallet: https://t.co/5EasOVDDQh We’re investigating and will post updates here as soon as we know more. Thank you to the customer who reported this through our responsible disclosure program, and to @SEAL_911 for working alongside our teams on the response. Reports and engagement like this help us protect everyone else. For more information, visit our blog: https://t.co/2LmFV8L2oe
— Trezor (@Trezor) October 30, 2026
According to the customer’s report, the extra component was fitted between the wallet’s main circuit board and its screen. It reportedly contains a cellular communication module and an antenna that could capture information displayed on the screen, including the recovery phrase, and send it through a mobile network.
Anyone who obtains a wallet’s recovery phrase can restore it on another device and access the funds without having the original hardware wallet. This is why Trezor has advised customers to create an entirely new wallet rather than simply moving their existing recovery phrase to another device.
Trezor Investigates Report as CryptoBilis Faces Earlier Ledger Case
Trezor said it reviewed photographs of the device and interviewed the customer through a video call. Although the company considers the report credible, it has not yet received the newly reported wallet for laboratory testing. No customer who purchased a device through CryptoBilis has reported losing funds to Trezor.
Source:Trezor
The warning follows an earlier investigation involving Ledger wallets sold through the same reseller. Ledger began examining reports of stolen funds on October 9 and confirmed physical tampering involving an unauthorized hardware component in an affected device. Trezor removed CryptoBilis from its authorized reseller network on the same date.
Trezor has asked affected customers to contact its support team for a replacement device or a voucher. Buyers who have not yet configured their wallets should avoid using them.
The company is arranging a physical examination of the reported Safe 5 device. Until that inspection is complete, the suspected implant and its ability to capture recovery phrases remain unconfirmed.

Kraken resolved a one-hour trading outage on October 30 that affected its spot and derivatives markets.
The disruption impacted its website, mobile apps, REST, WebSocket and FIX API connections.
Kraken has not disclosed the cause of the outage or the number of affected customers.
One of the leading crypto exchanges, Kraken, resolved a trading disruption that affected its spot and derivatives markets on October 30, after customers experienced problems connecting to the exchange and submitting orders across its trading platforms.
According to the exchange’s official status page, the incident began at 02:42 UTC (8:12 AM IST) and was resolved at 03:42 UTC (9:12 AM IST), lasting approximately one hour.
The disruption affected customers using Kraken’s website and mobile applications, along with traders connecting through its REST, WebSocket and FIX APIs. These services allow users to access market data, connect trading systems and submit orders to the exchange.
(Source: Kraken)
Kraken initially reported that it was investigating connectivity and order submission problems affecting both spot and derivatives clients. The exchange posted another update at 02:55 UTC, saying its investigation was continuing, before marking the incident as resolved less than an hour later.
Kraken Provides No Details on What Caused the Trading Disruption
The outage affected more than just customers using Kraken’s website or mobile app. Traders relying on automated systems and API connections also faced difficulties accessing the platform and placing orders.
REST and WebSocket APIs are commonly used by trading bots and other automated systems to interact with cryptocurrency exchanges. FIX connections are also used by institutional traders to communicate with trading platforms and manage orders.
However, Kraken has not disclosed what caused the disruption or whether it resulted from a technical failure in its trading infrastructure. The exchange also did not provide details about the number of affected customers, rejected orders or any financial losses resulting from the incident.
Kraken’s status page confirmed that the issue had been resolved at 03:42 UTC on October 30. The exchange has not announced any further details about the incident or published a technical explanation.
The disruption comes as cryptocurrency exchanges continue to face pressure to maintain reliable trading services, particularly during periods of market activity when delays in order execution can affect traders.

Binance confirmed a $6.3 billion security breach, with approx $2.7 billion in stolen assets frozen.
The attacker still holds over $2.4 billion in ETH and BTC after moving funds to avoid freezing efforts.
TRM Labs linked the attack to North Korea’s TraderTraitor group and identified a possible compromise of Binance’s hot wallet signing infrastructure.
Binance has confirmed a major security breach involving approximately $6.3 billion in cryptocurrency with nearly $3 billion in affected assets frozen following efforts by the exchange and several crypto companies to stop the stolen funds from moving.
The attack took place on October 29, when billions of dollars in digital assets were transferred without authorization from Binance wallets across 10 blockchain networks. The incident is now considered the largest cryptocurrency theft on record, surpassing the $1.5 billion Bybit hack in February 2025.
Binance said its initial investigation points to a compromised laptop belonging to a DevOps engineer. The attacker allegedly used access gained through the device to enter a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions.
Binance’s initial investigation suggests that the security incident may involve a compromised DevOps engineer’s laptop, which allowed an attacker to gain access to a service container and submit unauthorized withdrawal transactions. We have found no evidence of any wallet private key leak. We will share a detailed technical post-mortem once the investigation is complete and the facts are fully verified. The estimated total impact sits at around $6.3B. We have worked with blockchain partners to freeze affected assets, with ~$3 billion frozen on-chain so far. Binance will cover all losses from the SAFU fund and the company’s funds. User funds are safe. We will also publish an updated Proof of Reserves once the remediation is complete. As an immediate precaution, Binance has: – temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals while security checks are completed; – revoked the affected address authorisation; – engaged law enforcement and blockchain intelligence partners to trace and recover funds. Our teams are working around the clock to resolve this issue safely and thoroughly. We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to confirm the identity of these criminals and bring them to justice. Please rely only on official Binance channels for updates. Please feel free to contact Binance Customer Support if you have any further questions. https://t.co/ywB2mKFy0p
— Binance (@binance) October 30, 2026
Following the discovery, Binance temporarily suspended deposits and withdrawals while carrying out security checks. The exchange also revoked the affected address authorization and contacted law enforcement agencies and blockchain intelligence firms to trace the stolen assets.
Binance said it found no evidence of leaked wallet private keys. It also assured users that their funds remained safe and confirmed that its Secure Asset Fund for Users (SAFU) and company funds would cover all losses.
North Korean Hackers Linked to the Attack as $3B in Assets Frozen
TRM Labs identified TraderTraitor, a North Korean hacking unit, as the group behind the incident. The same group was previously linked to the $1.5 billion Bybit hack in February 2025, which was attributed to North Korean hackers by the FBI.
According to TRM Labs, approximately $6.36 billion worth of digital assets was transferred to attacker-controlled wallets, with most of the funds moved within roughly 20 minutes.
The investigation also revealed how the attacker may have gained control of Binance’s wallet infrastructure. On Ethereum, the attacker reportedly used EIP-7702 authorization to make a Binance hot wallet execute a malicious smart contract. The attacker had prepared 50 pre-signed authorizations, allowing one to match the wallet’s transaction sequence and execute the transfer.
(Source: TRM Labs)
The stolen assets spread across several networks, including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Tron, XRP Ledger and Solana. Ethereum accounted for approximately $3.79 billion of the transfers, followed by Bitcoin at $1.47 billion and Tron at around $628 million.
TRM Labs reported that approximately $2.7 billion in assets had frozen on-chain by October 30. Binance separately reported that the total amount frozen had reached around $3 billion.
Crypto Companies Freeze Billions as Investigation Reveals How Attack Happened
Following the incident, several cryptocurrency companies stepped in to prevent the attacker from moving the stolen assets. Tether, Circle, Ripple and World Liberty Financial froze 2.67 billion dollars in stablecoins linked to the attack. Arbitrum’s Security Council also intervened, freezing 8,426 ETH and 74.6 million ARB.
But, the attacker moved quickly to avoid the freezing efforts. TRM Labs said it sold USDT to market makers and borrowed ETH against USDT via Aave lending protocol. These transactions helped the attacker move part of the stolen funds into assets that could not be frozen directly by stablecoin issuers.
The attacker still holds more than 420,000 ETH and 18,270 BTC, worth approximately $2.4 billion. Unlike USDT and other centralized stablecoins, these assets cannot be frozen directly by their issuers, making recovery more difficult.
(Source: TRM Labs)
The transfers across other blockchain networks also involved valid signatures, pointing to a possible compromise of Binance’s transaction-signing infrastructure.
Binance has not officially confirmed the identity of the attackers. The exchange said its investigation is ongoing and that it will publish a detailed technical report once the facts have been verified.
The incident also affected broader cryptocurrency market sentiment. Bitcoin fell to $76,000, while Ether dropped more than 3% as news of the breach raised concerns about exchange security.

India Blockchain Week (IBW) Conference 2026, India’s flagship blockchain and Web3 gathering, will take place on November 1–2 at Fairmont Mumbai. Hosted by Hashed Emergent, the fourth edition will bring together global industry leaders, founders, developers, investors, enterprises and policymakers to discuss the future of blockchain technology and digital assets.
IBW 2026 returns with Binance as Title Sponsor and CoinDCX, CoinSwitch and BINGOLD as Platinum Sponsors.
The conference will feature prominent voices from across the global blockchain ecosystem, including Kaustubh Dhavse, Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra; Maninder Cheema, Executive Director, SEBI; Dr. Dipesh Shah, Executive Director, IFSCA; SB Seker, Head of APAC, Binance; Sumit Gupta, Co-founder, CoinDCX; Ashish Singhal, Co-founder, CoinSwitch and Lemonn; Sean Ballard, Head of Derivatives and Institutional Business, Bybit; Claire McCafferty, Head of APAC, Tangem; Edul Patel, Co-founder and CEO, Mudrex and Saber Money; and Zachary Williamson, Co-founder of Aztec Network.
Headline Sessions and Conference Highlights
The two-day programme will feature keynote addresses, panel discussions and fireside conversations spanning blockchain infrastructure, decentralised finance, tokenisation, artificial intelligence and real-world applications. Key sessions include “From Policy to Production: What’s Live in India,” examining real-world blockchain deployments across India’s financial institutions; “Fractional Ownership, Real-World Value: Can Tokenisation Change How Retail Investors Invest?”, exploring emerging models of asset ownership and investment; and “Banking the Non-Human Client: AI × Payments,” examining how AI agents could reshape payments and financial services.
Future Asset Forum Debuts on the IBW Main Stage
New for 2026, the Future Asset Forum, hosted by Hashed Emergent, will take place on the main stage on November 2. Built around the question of what becomes valuable when intelligence becomes abundant, the forum will bring together AI founders, owners of sports, entertainment and cultural assets, and investors to explore tokenisation as an ownership layer connecting these emerging asset classes. The forum is open to all IBW 2026 pass holders, with no separate registration required.
IBW Institutional Forum to Convene Senior Financial and Enterprise Leaders
The IBW Institutional Forum will bring together approximately 120 invited senior leaders from regulatory and government bodies, banks, financial institutions, enterprises and the digital asset ecosystem.
Operating as a closed-door forum, it will facilitate candid discussions on institutional blockchain adoption, tokenisation, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), regulatory developments, digital asset infrastructure and the future of financial markets. Discussions will also examine custody and settlement, real-world asset markets and pathways to scaled institutional adoption. The forum will convene senior leaders and decision-makers from IFSCA, RBI, SEBI, NPCI and leading Tier-1 law firms.
Taking place ahead of Devcon, IBW 2026 will anchor a week of blockchain and Web3 activities across Mumbai. The previous edition attracted more than 3,500 attendees, bringing together leading founders, investors and ecosystem contributors.
Registrations, speaker applications and further event details are available at indiablockchainweek.com.
For editorial, creator and media queries, please contact: ibw 2026-pr@brandarcadvisors.com
About India Blockchain Week (IBW)
India Blockchain Week (IBW) is a movement unifying the Indian web3 ecosystem and a platform to connect with the global community. It is India’s biggest pan-industry series of blockchain and web3 events. IBW is a week-long array of 100+ web3 events, including flagship events such as the headline IBW Conference, Devcon, ETHGlobal Mumbai, and many other side-events, networking events, workshops, parties, etc, hosted by Indian & global blockchain industry stakeholders.
About Hashed Emergent
Hashed Emergent is the venture capital arm of Hashed, backing builders from India and emerging markets shaping the on-chain frontier. It invests at the earliest stages of a web3 startup’s journey, using its expertise, experience, and network to amplify their growth and success. The team is rooted in the cultural hubspots of web3 in emerging markets, spanning across Bangalore, Seoul, Singapore, Lagos and Dubai. Hashed Emergent drives web-focused ecosystem and community expansion in these markets through its purpose-built initiatives.
Disclaimer: TheNewsCrypto does not endorse any content on this page. The content depicted in this Press Release does not represent any investment advice. TheNewsCrypto recommends our readers to make decisions based on their own research. TheNewsCrypto is not accountable for any damage or loss related to content, products, or services stated in this Press Release.

Coinbase reported no evidence of unauthorized access to its own systems.
Coinbase says a breach at third-party analytics provider Amplitude exposed contact information of a small subset of customers.
SlowMist’s 23pds claimed more than 70,000 users were affected, but Coinbase has not verified the figure. Customer funds remain unaffected, according to the exchange.
One of the largest crypto exchanges, Coinbase has denied claims that its systems suffered a data breach after a security incident at third-party analytics provider Amplitude exposed contact information belonging to a small number of its customers.
In a statement posted on its official support handle on X on October 28, the cryptocurrency exchange said the incident affected a small subset of Coinbase customer contact data, along with information associated with other companies using Amplitude.
Coinbase said it found “no evidence of unauthorized access” to its own systems and confirmed that customer funds were not affected. The exchange added that it was notifying impacted customers and regulatory agencies in line with its legal obligations.
Coinbase has not had a data breach. Amplitude, an analytics vendor, experienced a security incident which impacted a small subset of Coinbase customer contact data, among other Amplitude customers. We’ve found no evidence of unauthorized access to Coinbase systems, and customer funds were not impacted. We are notifying impacted customers and regulatory agencies in accordance with our legal obligations.
— Coinbase Support (@CoinbaseSupport) October 28, 2026
The company has not disclosed the exact number of affected customers or provided a complete breakdown of the exposed information.
70,000 Coinbase Users Allegedly Affected, but Figure Remains Unverified
The clarification followed claims circulating online that hackers had obtained contact information belonging to more than 70,000 Coinbase users. The figure was attributed to a post by 23pds, the chief information security officer at blockchain security firm SlowMist.
(Source: X)
However, Coinbase has not verified the reported figure, and the exchange’s statement describes the affected group only as a “small subset” of its customers.
Amplitude provides analytics services that help companies understand how people use their websites and applications. So, a security incident at an outside provider can expose customer information even when the company’s own systems remain secure.
The exposure of contact details can also create opportunities for phishing and impersonation scams, in which attackers pose as exchange employees to trick users into revealing account credentials or verification codes.
Coinbase has not reported any impact on customer funds. Also, there is no confirmed evidence that the incident gave attackers access to its internal systems.
The extent of the exposure remains unclear as the exchange continues notifying affected users and working with regulators. Further details, including the number of customers involved and the specific data exposed, have yet to be disclosed.

Bithumb is investigating a reported security breach involving its internal mobile groupware system, with the extent of the data leak still unclear.
South Korean authorities have been notified, while investigators assess whether customer information was exposed.
South Korea’s second-largest crypto exchange, Bithumb, has confirmed a security breach involving its internal mobile system, which employees use to work and communicate. Personal information was leaked after an unauthorized party gained access. The exchange is investigating whether customer information was exposed in the incident.
Bithumb discovered the breach on October 27 and reported it to South Korea’s Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) and the Personal Information Protection Commission on the same day, according to Korean media SBS.
Initial findings indicate that the leaked information mainly concerns employees. However, Bithumb has not ruled out the possibility that customer data was also exposed. The exchange has yet to disclose the number of people affected, the specific information involved or how the attacker entered the system.
Bithumb Probes Data Leak as Two Other South Korean Firms Report Breaches
The compromised system is an internal mobile groupware platform used by employees to access work-related functions. Bithumb is examining the scope of the leak and the method used to gain unauthorized access. The identity of the attacker has not been publicly disclosed.
The breach comes as South Korean financial authorities examine a series of cybersecurity incidents affecting companies across the sector. Bithumb was among three firms reported to have experienced data breaches on October 28, alongside brokerage Daishin Securities and asset manager Mirae Asset Global Investments.
Daishin Securities confirmed that personal and credit information belonging to 38,490 customers had been leaked. The exposed information included names, email addresses and mobile phone numbers. That figure relates to Daishin Securities, not Bithumb.
Mirae Asset Global Investments also reported unauthorized access to some of its web systems. The company said its initial findings did not indicate that retail investor information had been exposed.
South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service is assessing the incidents, while authorities continue to examine the reported breaches.
For Bithumb, the main outstanding question is whether the compromised internal system contained customer information. The exchange has said it will provide further details as its investigation progresses.

Singapore, Singapore, October 27th, 2026, Chainwire
The collaboration begins with Grvt’s subscription to Mirae Asset Securities’ tokenised funding notes, with potential future tokenised products (e.g., tokenised Treasuries, corporate bonds and ETFs) to be explored, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.
Mirae Asset Securities (HK) Limited, the Hong Kong subsidiary of Korea’s leading securities firm, has arranged an issuance of tokenised funding notes under its affiliate’s structured notes programme, to which Grvt has subscribed. Grvt intends to use the resulting exposure in connection with Grvt Earn, subject to applicable requirements.
Grvt Earn is offered and operated independently by Grvt and is available only to eligible users in permitted jurisdictions. Grvt has subscribed for the notes. Any use of the resulting exposure in connection with Grvt Earn is independently determined and managed by Grvt.
From Tokenised Funding Notes to Tokenised ETFs
Tokenised funding notes are the starting point. The two firms will next explore additional tokenised products (including Treasuries and ETFs) on a non-committed and exploratory basis, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and product/compliance clearance.
Mirae Asset Financial Group oversees more than US$1 trillion in client assets worldwide as of Sep 2026. The parties intend to explore opportunities involving selected tokenised products, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.
The transaction represents an initial collaboration between the two firms. The parties may explore further opportunities involving tokenised products, subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements and their respective internal approvals.
Mirae Asset Securities’ Digital Asset Expansion
Mirae Asset Securities has moved quickly to connect traditional finance and digital assets in 2026. In January, it became the first Korean securities firm to issue digital bonds in Hong Kong. In April, Mirae Asset Securities (HK) Limited became the first Korean-owned brokerage to receive the Securities and Futures Commission (“SFC”) approval to offer digital asset trading to retail investors. In July, it launched MAPS in Hong Kong, a single app for traditional and digital assets with products allowed by the SFC.
“When Korea’s leading securities firm explores opportunities in tokenised assets, collaboration with market participants plays an important role. Grvt’s subscription to Mirae Asset Securities’ tokenised funding notes marks an initial step in this collaboration. Together, we intend to explore opportunities involving tokenised Treasuries, corporate bonds and, over time, ETFs for eligible investors in permitted jurisdictions, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.” Hong Yea, Co-founder and CEO, Grvt
“We see tokenisation as an important area of development for capital markets. Grvt’s subscription to this tokenised funding note issuance represents an opportunity to explore the use of tokenised securities in new market structures. We look forward to exploring further opportunities.”
“This issuance marks a step forward in our digital asset strategy, bringing our structured product capabilities into tokenised markets. We look forward to exploring further opportunities with Grvt, subject to applicable regulatory requirements and internal approvals.” Kelly Sohn, Head of Digital Assets, Mirae Asset Securities (HK) Limited
About Grvt
Grvt is an onchain platform, live since 2024. Users trade, invest, and earn from a single account that only their own key can move. Grvt has served more than 198,000 wallets and reached a peak of US$109 million in total value locked on 22nd March 2026. It is backed by ZKsync, Further Ventures, 500 Global and Hack VC, and works with ecosystem partners including Ondo Finance, Aave, Morpho, Plume and OpenEden. Learn more at grvt.io.
About Mirae Asset Securities (HK) Limited
Mirae Asset Securities (HK) Limited (SFC CE No.: BJB333) is a member of the Mirae Asset Financial Group. Its parent company, Mirae Asset Securities Co., is one of the largest securities firms in South Korea. Established in Hong Kong, Mirae Asset Securities (HK) Limited serves as an important platform for connecting clients to global markets, supported by Mirae Asset’s international network, investment expertise, and long-standing commitment to innovation.
Disclaimer: This announcement is for information only and does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities, virtual assets or other products. Grvt is not licensed or registered with the Securities and Futures Commission, and Grvt Earn has not been authorised by the SFC and is not offered to the public in Hong Kong. Grvt Earn is independently offered and operated by Grvt; its availability depends on jurisdiction and eligibility, and yields are variable and not guaranteed. Mirae Asset Securities (HK) Limited and its affiliates do not operate, distribute or recommend Grvt Earn and are not responsible for its operation, availability, performance or returns. Information about Grvt and Grvt Earn has been provided by Grvt and has not been independently verified by Mirae Asset Securities (HK) Limited or its affiliates.
Contact
Lesner ChuaGRVT ASIA PTE. LTDlesner.chua@grvt.io

Castries, Saint Lucia, October 27th, 2026, Chainwire
PrimeXBT, a global multi-asset broker and crypto asset service provider, has announced a major expansion of its offering, introducing Tokenised Stocks, a new category of Crypto Futures available on its native PXTrader 2.0 platform. The launch gives crypto traders access to price movements linked to some of the world’s most prominent companies, bringing opportunities from traditional equity markets into the crypto trading environment.
The new category includes seven USDT-denominated Crypto Futures linked to SpaceX (SPCX/USDT), NVIDIA (NVDA/USDT), Tesla (TSLA/USDT), Circle (CRCL/USDT), Apple (AAPL/USDT), Alphabet (GOOGL/USDT) and Robinhood (HOOD/USDT). Traders can take long or short positions and respond to market developments around the clock, including outside traditional stock exchange hours. The contracts provide exposure to company-linked price movements without ownership of the underlying shares.
“Big Tech remains at the centre of market attention, with AI investment, corporate earnings and growth expectations driving sentiment across global equities. Earnings season in particular can bring significant price movements, as investors reassess company performance and future prospects,” commented Jonatan Randin, Senior Market Analyst at PrimeXBT. “With tokenised stocks, we’re opening up new opportunities to crypto traders, allowing them to participate in major equity market trends through a familiar crypto trading environment.”
Alongside Tokenised Stocks, PrimeXBT has added Lighter (LIT/USDT), Monad (MON/USDT), Venice Token (VVV/USDT), Canton (CC/USDT), Stable (STABLE/USDT), JUST (JST/USDT) and Midnight (NIGHT/USDT) to its PXTrader 2.0 lineup of over 170 Crypto Futures, further strengthening the depth and diversity of its offering across DeFi, AI, Gaming, Payments, Layer 1 and 2 networks, blockchain infrastructure, NFTs, Meme coins and the Metaverse. The broker has also introduced new Crypto CFDs on Monero (XMR/USD), Hyperliquid (HYPE/USD) and Zcash (ZEC/USD) on PXTrader 2.0, with corresponding USDT-quoted instruments available on MetaTrader 5.
PrimeXBT has also expanded its blockchain network support with the addition of Arbitrum, Optimism and Base, joining existing networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tron, BNB Smart Chain and Solana. Additionally, the broker has added Tether Gold (XAUT), a tokenized gold asset, to its internal Exchange, expanding its offering of over 50 cryptocurrencies and digital assets.
The expanded offering is supported by flexible crypto funding and crypto-denominated accounts in USDT, USDC, BTC and ETH, allowing clients to trade without converting their holdings into fiat. PrimeXBT offers competitive Crypto Futures fees of 0.01% for makers and 0.045% for takers, with further discounts through its volume-based VIP program. New clients automatically receive VIP 4 status for their first 14 days, reducing Crypto Futures taker fees by 33%, while high-volume traders can unlock fees as low as 0.015% and Bitcoin CFD spreads from $19 at the highest VIP tier.
The launch reflects the growing convergence of crypto and traditional financial markets, bringing a wider range of global market trends into the crypto trading environment. From artificial intelligence and electric vehicles to space technology and digital finance, PrimeXBT continues to broaden trading opportunities beyond digital assets, reinforcing its position as an innovative multi-asset broker connecting markets through one trading ecosystem.
To learn more about the Crypto Futures offering, users can visit PrimeXBT’s website.
About PrimeXBT
PrimeXBT is a global multi-asset broker and crypto asset service provider trusted by traders in more than 150 countries. The platform bridges traditional and digital markets within one integrated environment, redefining versatility and innovation in online trading. Clients can access Forex, CFDs on indices, commodities, shares, crypto, and Crypto Futures, as well as buy, store and exchange cryptocurrencies. This unified experience extends across both the native PXTrader 2.0 platform and MetaTrader 5, supported by advanced risk-management tools and a wide range of funding options in crypto, fiat and local payment methods. Since 2018, PrimeXBT has focused on empowering traders through broad multi-asset access, fair and transparent conditions, professional-grade technology and dedicated human support. By combining expertise, trust and a client-first approach, PrimeXBT sets a benchmark of excellence in the financial industry and provides traders with the tools they need to trade, grow and succeed with confidence.
Disclaimer: The content provided here is for informational purposes only and is not intended as personal investment advice and does not constitute a solicitation or invitation to engage in any financial transactions, investments, or related activities. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. The financial products offered by the Company are complex and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. These products may not be suitable for all investors. Before engaging, you should consider whether you understand how these leveraged products work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money. The Company does not accept clients from the Restricted Jurisdictions as indicated on its website / T&Cs. Some products and services, including MT5, may not be available in your jurisdiction. The applicable legal entity and its respective products and services depend on the client’s country of residence and the entity with which the client has established a contractual relationship during registration.
Contact
PrimeXBTpr@primexbt.com

Binance applied for a Brazilian crypto service license on October 23, ahead of the Central Bank’s October 30 deadline.
The exchange restricted eight products and removed 22 cryptos from trading for Brazilian users as it adapts to the country’s new regulatory framework.
Binance has applied for a cryptocurrency service provider license in Brazil as the country’s October 30 regulatory deadline approaches. The application comes as the exchange restricts several services and removes 22 cryptocurrencies from trading for local users to comply with the new rules.
Binance Brazil General Manager Thiago Sarandy confirmed the filing in an interview with Brazilian business publication Exame on October 26. The application was submitted on October 23 through BBrasil Sociedade Prestadora de Serviços de Ativos Virtuais Ltda., according to local media reports.
The filing allows Binance to enter the regulatory review process, but it does not mean the Central Bank of Brazil has approved its license. Existing crypto service providers must submit applications by October 30 to continue operating under the applicable transitional arrangements while their requests are reviewed.
Binance Changes Services Under Brazil’s New Rules
The licensing application follows a restructuring of Binance’s Brazilian operations. The company has separated its traditional financial services from its cryptocurrency business.
Binance Brasil Corretora de Câmbio e Valores Mobiliários, formerly known as Sim;paul, will handle Brazilian real balances and payment services. The crypto business will operate through BBrasil, the entity seeking authorization under the new framework. The Central Bank approved Binance’s acquisition of Sim;paul in December 2024, but that approval is separate from the crypto license application.
Following this, Binance restricted access to eight products for Brazilian users, including Binance Loans, margin trading, Binance Pool, Cloud Mining, Launchpool, Megadrop, HODLer Airdrops and Alpha 2.0. Changes to the platform took effect on October 27.
The exchange also removed 22 cryptocurrencies from local trading. The affected assets include Decred (DCR), Ravencoin (RVN), Zilliqa (ZIL), Secret (SCRT), Verge (XVG), Harmony (ONE) and Ethena USDe (USDE). Binance said customers’ holdings would not be automatically sold solely because of the trading changes.
Brazil’s new framework introduces requirements covering governance, internal controls, cybersecurity, capital and anti-money-laundering measures for crypto service providers.
Sarandy has also discussed plans to expand Binance’s Brazilian business beyond cryptocurrency trading, including payment and other financial services. The company’s ability to offer regulated crypto services will depend on the Central Bank’s review of its application.

CoinDCX warned users about phishing emails and fake notifications that impersonate the exchange and direct users to external links.
CoinDCX disclosed a $15.99 million loss after an automated fund-sweeping failure left deposits in old, compromised wallet infrastructure.
The exchange said it would absorb the loss and that customer balances, active wallets and trading were unaffected.
Crypto exchange CoinDCX is facing increased scrutiny after warning users about a phishing campaign involving fake notifications and emails that impersonate the company and direct recipients to external links. The warning comes a day after the exchange disclosed a $15.99 million loss linked to a failure in its process for moving deposits out of old, compromised wallet addresses.
The crypto exchange said other cryptocurrency exchanges have also seen similar activity, and CoinDCX is working with them to investigate. Users should be cautious about messages claiming to come from the exchange, particularly those asking them to follow unfamiliar links or provide account information.
JUST IN: Crypto exchange CoinDCX warns of an ongoing phishing campaign involving fake notifications and emails impersonating the exchange and directing users to external links. CoinDCX says other crypto exchanges have reported similar activity and that it is working with them to investigate. #CoinDCX #CryptoExchange #Security
— TheNewsCrypto (@The_NewsCrypto) October 27, 2026
The reported new warning comes amid questions about the handling of deposits sent to wallet addresses that CoinDCX had discontinued following a security incident in July 2025.
CoinDCX Says Failed Sweeping Process Led to $15.99M Loss
In its update published on October 25, CoinDCX said it had identified unusual activity affecting wallet infrastructure that was compromised during a security incident in July 2025. The exchange said an automated fund-sweeping service had failed for a period, allowing deposits sent to old addresses to accumulate rather than move to its primary wallets.
CoinDCX confirmed that the failure resulted in a loss of 15.99 million USDT, worth approximately $16 million, which the company said it absorbed.
The exchange explained that some users continued depositing cryptocurrency into the inactive addresses despite being advised to use updated deposit addresses available through its app and website. CoinDCX said affected users’ portfolios were credited when deposits arrived, while a separate process was supposed to transfer the funds into its primary wallets.
The company maintained that customer balances remained accounted for, active wallets were unaffected and trading, deposits and withdrawals continued without interruption. It also said customer assets remained in segregated cold wallets.
The loss disclosure followed CoinDCX’s initial denial of claims that its active wallets had suffered a new breach. Blockchain investigators had highlighted suspicious transfers involving approximately $16 million in USDT, prompting questions about activity connected to the old addresses.
CoinDCX has separately advised users to rely on its official communication channels and verify deposit addresses through its app or website. Until the latest phishing notice can be confirmed through a dated primary-source announcement, its specific claims about coordination with other exchanges remain unverified.

Ripple received final OCC approval for Ripple National Trust Bank, following conditional approval in December 2025.
The bank is set to oversee RLUSD reserves and provide digital asset custody services under federal supervision, while Standard Custody & Trust Company remains RLUSD’s issuer.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced on October 26 that the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) had granted final approval for Ripple National Trust Bank (RNTB). The decision completes the bank’s chartering process, nearly a year after the regulator granted conditional approval in December 2025.
Finally, the approval gives Ripple a federally supervised framework for managing reserves backing its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin and providing digital asset custody services. The company said the bank will also act as a collateral trustee for RLUSD reserves, protecting the interests of stablecoin holders. On X (formerly Twitter), Garlinghouse welcomed the OCC’s final approval for Ripple National Trust Bank, saying it provides a federally supervised platform to support RLUSD and offer digital asset custody to enterprises. He said the approval demonstrates how crypto and traditional banking can work together under federal oversight.
Big news heading into @RippleSwell: the @USOCC has granted final approval for Ripple National Trust Bank. This gives Ripple a federally supervised platform to support $RLUSD and provide digital asset custody to enterprises. We’ve always said crypto and banks work better together — this is what that looks like. Real innovation, real accountability, federal oversight. The revolution isn’t happening outside the system. It’s happening from within it.
— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) October 26, 2026
The announcement comes as U.S. regulators establish clearer requirements for stablecoin issuers and other digital asset businesses.
RLUSD Reserves and Digital Asset Custody at the Center
Ripple National Trust Bank will be authorized to manage the segregated reserves supporting RLUSD, act as collateral trustee for those reserves and provide fiduciary custody services for digital assets. These activities will fall under federal oversight by the OCC.
Still, the approval does not mean Ripple has become a conventional commercial bank. A national trust bank operates under a more specialized charter, and the approved activities do not include ordinary deposit-taking or commercial lending.
RLUSD will also retain its existing issuer. Standard Custody & Trust Company, Ripple’s limited-purpose trust company regulated by the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), will continue issuing the stablecoin. The new national trust bank adds federal oversight to the structure supporting RLUSD rather than replacing its current issuer.
Launched in December 2024, RLUSD has reached a market cap of approximately $2.6 billion. The stablecoin is backed by U.S. dollar deposits, U.S. government securities and other cash equivalents. BNY serves as its primary reserve custodian, while Ripple publishes monthly independent third-party attestations covering its circulating supply and reserve assets.
The final approval comes as Ripple expands its institutional services across payments, custody and digital asset infrastructure. The company said it will continue working with the OCC, NYDFS and other regulators as the bank prepares to begin operations.
The decision does not directly change XRP’s status or guarantee a price increase for the token. Instead, it gives Ripple another federally supervised structure for its stablecoin and institutional custody businesses.

New York, United States, October 26th, 2026, Chainwire
Ritual Chain turns AI agents into persistent economic actors that control their own wallets, onchain identity, and private state.
Ritual, a lab for autonomous intelligence founded by former Polychain Capital partners Niraj Pant and Akilesh Potti, has launched Ritual Chain, an EVM-compatible Layer 1. Unlike conventional blockchains built primarily to execute financial transactions, Ritual Chain is designed to support software that can independently use intelligence, control capital, interact with external services, and continue operating without constant human intervention. The network makes AI model access, private computation, and autonomous scheduling native capabilities for EVM applications.
This makes the reason for building a new chain clearer while preserving the technical differentiation.
The most visible demonstration of that combination is long-lived AI agents, the kind designed to operate for months or years rather than a single session. An agent on Ritual Chain persists independently of the machine or operator that created it, controls and spends funds held in its own non-custodial wallet, and can keep sensitive prompts and keys confidential from compute operators through trusted execution environments.
The network launches with integrations to Phala Network, Nous Research, LayerZero and Stargate, following a public testnet that has been live since June and processed over 40 million transactions, both agent- and human-originated. Ritual Chain delivers sub-300 millisecond block times, placing it among the fastest Layer 1 networks in the industry. Ritual Chain includes 15 native precompiles that bring capabilities like LLM inference, web access, and autonomous scheduling directly into the execution layer. The protocol has been audited by Zellic.
Ritual introduces a new execution and verification architecture that allows computationally intensive work to be delegated to specialized nodes and verified by the network, avoiding the replicated execution required by most blockchains. This execute-once, verify-many-times model allows the network to support far larger workloads, including AI inference, without requiring every validator to perform the same computation.
Long Horizon Agents Require Dedicated Blockchain Infrastructure
Most AI agents today live inside a session: they run while a human is watching, on infrastructure someone else controls, with an API key that can be revoked at any time. That is fine for a chatbot. It does not work for an agent meant to manage its own treasury, run a recurring paid service, or coordinate with other agents over long periods. A long-lived agent needs continuity that does not depend on its creator, capital it actually controls, and privacy from the machines it runs on. On Ritual Chain, an agent’s state and identity are held onchain, its scheduled work continues within the permissions and budget it was given, and its sensitive inputs can be processed inside trusted execution environments designed to shield them from node operators.
Continuity is handled at the protocol level. If an agent stops, the chain’s heartbeat mechanism can restart it within the permissions and budget it was given; no keeper network or off-chain cron job is required, and an agent’s state and identity survive beyond its deployer’s involvement. Economic autonomy comes from agent-controlled wallets: an agent controls its own funds, prices its own services, and settles its own transactions without a human signer in the loop. For confidential workloads, trusted execution environments are designed to isolate an agent’s sensitive prompts, keys, and strategy data from the node operators running its compute.
“As we move toward AGI, intelligence is beginning to separate from human agency and enter the economy on its own terms. It can hold assets, make commitments, transact, and persist independently. Once that becomes possible at scale, humans are no longer the only entities capable of forming markets or economic relationships. Ritual provides the infrastructure for those actors to exist and operate on their own,” said Niraj Pant, co-founder of Ritual.
Ritual Chain Launches With Core Infrastructure Partners
Ritual Chain launches with its core infrastructure partners in place. Phala Network provides the GPU-backed trusted execution environments that run Ritual’s confidential inference, so delegated AI work executes on hardware that attests to what it ran. LayerZero serves as the network’s cross-chain messaging layer, with Stargate enabling USDC to move between Ritual Chain and other networks from day one. On the application side, Nous Research is bringing Hermes to Ritual Chain.
Unlike chains that add AI access through external oracles, Ritual Chain makes AI execution part of the protocol. Smart contracts can call a language model, fetch data from the web, run private computation, or schedule their own future execution as directly as they transfer assets. Developers deploy standard EVM contracts and gain those capabilities without new tooling.
Backed by Archetype and Polychain
Ritual has raised more than $30 million from Archetype and Polychain Capital, with advisors including NEAR co-founder Illia Polosukhin, Gauntlet founder Tarun Chitra, and BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. Archetype led the company’s 2023 round.
“Programmable value and programmable intelligence are the two most important technologies since the internet, and Ritual mainnet is where they finally run on the same rails. When we led the round in 2023, a chain that could execute agentic and autonomous work natively did not exist. Today it does,” said Ash Egan, Founder and General Partner of Archetype.
Developers can deploy from day one on external sites hosted at docs.ritualfoundation.org; the network explorer is at explorer.ritualfoundation.org.
About Ritual
Ritual is a lab for autonomous intelligence. Its first network, Ritual Chain, is an EVM-compatible Layer 1 where applications can use AI models, access external services, and carry out private or scheduled work alongside onchain transactions, with delegated computation executed in trusted hardware and verified onchain. Founded in 2023 by former Polychain Capital partners Niraj Pant and Akilesh Potti, Ritual has raised $30M+ from Archetype and Polychain Capital, with a team drawn from Polychain, DeepMind, a16z crypto, Flashbots, and Palantir. ritual.net
Contact
Jody RebakRitualjody@ritual.net

Vitalik Buterin backed Moonshot AI’s decision to limit Kimi K3.1 Pro’s offensive cyber capabilities.
Kimi’s cybersecurity benchmark score fell from 90.5% to 81% after restrictions.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has backed Moonshot AI’s decision to limit the offensive cybersecurity capabilities of its latest Kimi K3.1 Pro model, arguing that reducing dangerous AI functions is preferable to restricting access based on users’ identities.
Buterin shared his position on October 26, following Moonshot’s announcement that it had removed cyber-related material from the model’s training data and reinforcement-learning environments. The Chinese AI startup plans to release the model’s weights on November 4, allowing developers to download, run and modify it on their own systems.
I am okay with Kimi 3.1 deliberately leaving out top-end offensive cyber capabilities from their training data. Discriminating against use cases is MUCH less bad than discriminating against users. And the world does need all the time it can get to prepare, harden, check old code, (properly) formally verify new code, etc before the full weight of very powerful cyber attacks is upon us. And if this first big wave of AI risk is not handled well, then we may well get a dystopia of highly locked down models, KYC gating on everything, highly intrusive surveillance on everything, a society where you may be a second or third or fourth-class citizen in terms of model access based on your credentials and nationality.
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) October 26, 2026
In his post on X, Buterin said he was comfortable with Kimi deliberately leaving out advanced offensive cyber capabilities. He argued that restricting specific uses of AI is less harmful than limiting who can access the technology.
Buterin also warned that society needs time to strengthen existing software, examine older systems and use formal verification to improve the security of new code before more powerful AI-driven cyberattacks become widespread.
Kimi’s Hacking Benchmark Score Falls After Restrictions
Moonshot said the changes reduced the model’s performance on its internal cybersecurity benchmark while preserving its general coding abilities.
The restricted version scored 81% on the test, compared with 90.5% for a similar version without the safeguards. The difference is 9.5 percentage points. The benchmark involved finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities in a controlled environment, and the results have not been independently verified.
Despite the reduction, Kimi K3.1 Pro still scored considerably higher than its predecessor, Kimi K3, which achieved 33.3% on the same assessment, according to Moonshot.
The decision comes as governments and cybersecurity researchers warn that increasingly capable AI tools could make identifying software weaknesses and developing exploits faster and cheaper. China has also proposed export controls targeting AI-driven malware generation and certain AI-assisted vulnerability-discovery technologies.
Open-weight models present an additional challenge because developers can distribute and modify them outside the original provider’s control. Moonshot argues that such models can also help security teams examine vulnerable software, including older systems that receive limited maintenance.
Buterin’s comments highlight the challenge facing AI developers: reducing the potential for harmful cyber activity without imposing broad restrictions on legitimate users. Moonshot’s planned November 4 release will put its approach under closer scrutiny as developers and researchers gain wider access to the model.

Bitcoin rebounded to $80,300 after dropping near $79,200, but remains below its key four-hour moving averages.
The RSI stands near 42, while resistance sits around $80,600 and $81,150. A break below $79,400 could expose BTC to further losses.
Bitcoin recovered toward $80,300 on Monday after falling below the $80K level, but its four-hour chart continues to show signs of weakness. The rebound follows several sessions of selling that pushed BTC down from above $84,000 last week.
At the time of writing, the Binance four-hour chart shows BTC/USDT was trading at $80,303.61. The price had climbed from a recent low near $79,200, although it remained below both the nine-period and 21-period moving averages. Broader market data also placed Bitcoin near $80,400 on Oct 26, with an intraday range of approximately $79,278 to $80,839.
BTC Faces Resistance as Momentum Remains Weak
The chart shows that Bitcoin’s recent decline accelerated after the price reached approximately $84,800. A series of red candles then pushed BTC toward $79,200, with sellers maintaining pressure during the move lower. The latest green candles indicate a recovery attempt, but the price has yet to establish a clear upward trend.
The moving averages remain an important hurdle. The chart places the nine-period average near $80,585 and the 21-period average around $81,152. Bitcoin is trading below both levels, suggesting that short-term momentum remains under pressure. A move above $80,600 could provide the first sign of improvement, while a sustained recovery above $81,150 would offer stronger evidence that buyers are regaining control.
(Source: TradingView)
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) reads approximately 42 on the chart. This is below the neutral 50 mark, indicating that bearish momentum still has the advantage. Still, the RSI is above the typical oversold threshold of 30, so the indicator does not yet signal that a strong rebound is inevitable.
On the downside, the area around $79,400 is the first level to watch. A clear break below it could expose the $79,000 region and potentially lower levels. If buyers defend this support and BTC moves above $80,600, the next test would be the $81,150-$81,200 zones.
For now, Bitcoin is attempting to stabilize near $80,000, but the chart does not yet confirm a trend reversal. Its next move will depend on whether buyers can reclaim the moving averages or sellers push the price below recent support.

Aave V4 launches its first externally curated lending markets on Ethereum, with Sentora managing risk parameters.
The three new markets allow users to borrow RLUSD, PYUSD and OUSD against supported crypto collateral.
Aave has launched its first externally curated lending markets on Aave V4, allowing risk management firm Sentora to oversee specialized markets within the decentralized lending protocol. The launch, announced on October 22, introduces three markets on Ethereum for users to borrow selected stablecoins against approved crypto assets.
The three markets are RLUSD Yield, OUSD Yield and Bluechip. RLUSD Yield allows users to borrow Ripple’s RLUSD against USDe, PRIME, mWIN and PST. OUSD Yield offers borrowing in Origin Protocol’s OUSD against the same collateral assets. The Bluechip market allows users to borrow RLUSD, PayPal’s PYUSD or OUSD against kBTC, a Bitcoin-backed asset.
The first externally curated markets on Aave V4 are now live, with strategy by @SentoraHQ. Users can borrow RLUSD, PYUSD, and OUSD against yield-bearing and blue-chip collateral across three new markets on @ethereum. https://t.co/zFD052SO19
— Aave (@aave) October 22, 2026
The launch marks Aave V4’s first use of external market curation, in which an independent risk manager sets market-specific lending conditions instead of relying entirely on a single set of risk parameters across the protocol.
Sentora Takes on Market Risk Management
Under the arrangement, Sentora manages collateral selection, interest-rate models, price oracles and liquidation parameters for the new markets. These decisions determine which assets users can deposit, how much they can borrow and when collateral may be liquidated if a position becomes undercollateralized.
Aave V4 uses a Hub-and-Spoke design. The Hub holds liquidity, while separate Spokes define the rules for individual lending markets. This structure allows specialized markets to operate within the broader protocol without automatically sharing all their risk settings.
The governance framework also sets safeguards for the externally managed markets. Risk-increasing parameter changes face a 48-hour delay, while risk-reducing changes can be applied immediately. New collateral assets and Hub deployments are subject to a two-week governance review process. Aave DAO retains ownership of the underlying contracts and can revoke Sentora’s operational permissions through governance.
Revenue generated by the arrangement is split equally between Aave DAO and Sentora, according to the governance proposal.
Aave’s announcement did not disclose initial deposits, borrowing volumes, revenue or user numbers for the three markets. A fourth market, PYUSD Yield, was discussed as a future addition in the proposal but was not listed among the three live markets.
The launch gives Aave V4 a way to support specific lending strategies while keeping risk controls separate for each market. Its adoption and financial impact will become clearer as users start supplying assets and borrowing in the new markets.

Ethereum postponed the October 26 Glamsterdam upgrade on Hoodi while developers investigate potential smart contract compatibility issues involving EIP-8037.
The delay affects testnet plans, not Ethereum mainnet. Developers have not announced a replacement date.
Ethereum developers have postponed the planned Glamsterdam upgrade on the Hoodi testnet after concerns emerged about how one of its proposed changes could affect existing smart contracts. The upgrade was scheduled for October 26, but developers have removed the activation date while they investigate the compatibility issues.
The Ethereum Foundation announced the delay on October 22, saying more time was needed to examine EIP-8037 and its interactions with contracts already running on Ethereum mainnet. The postponement does not mean a problem has been confirmed on the live network, and developers have not announced a new date for the Hoodi upgrade.
(Source: Ethereum)
The original schedule also included an increase in Hoodi’s gas limit to 200 million at epoch 132,352. That change has been removed from the postponed activation plan.
EIP-8037 Raises Smart Contract Compatibility Questions
EIP-8037, known as State Creation Gas Cost Increase, proposes changing the gas fees charged when transactions create a new blockchain state, including accounts and persistent contract storage. The aim is to make these fees better reflect the long-term storage costs that Ethereum nodes must handle.
However, changes to gas costs can affect how existing smart contracts behave, particularly when their code relies on specific assumptions about transaction expenses. Security firm ChainSecurity reportedly identified 13 real-world examples of contract patterns that could be affected and has been working with relevant projects to investigate them.
Glamsterdam is a broader Ethereum upgrade that combines changes to the execution and consensus layers. Its planned improvements include enshrined proposer-builder separation, under EIP-7732, and block-level access lists, under EIP-7928. These proposals are intended to improve block production and transaction processing.
The upgrade has already reached the Sepolia testnet, where it activated on October 6. The Hoodi delay gives developers additional time to review the potential compatibility issues before proceeding with further testing.
For ETH holders and Ethereum mainnet users, the postponement does not require immediate action. The delay applies to Hoodi, a public test network, and does not establish a new mainnet launch date. Developers must resolve the outstanding concerns before confirming the next steps for the testnet upgrade.