Gate Cryptocurrency News and Market Analysis

Upbit recorded 8.35 trillion won ($6.28 billion) in trading volume for the week ending October 18, 2026, marking a 15.5% decline from the prior week, according to exchange data. XRP nevertheless ranked first on South Korea's largest exchange, ahead of Bitcoin and USDT. The decline occurred against a

MicroStrategy (MSTR) raised its STRC buyback program from $2 billion to $3 billion, according to a report by CryptoTwitter commentator @matthew_sigel. The increase follows STRC shares peaking at $99.9 last week before declining to $97.72 after MSCI announced the removal of MSTR from its indices. Mic

Virtuals Protocol launched private agent payments on its platform, enabling AI agents to execute tasks and receive compensation on-chain. The feature allows agents to perform specific tasks within the BNB Chain ecosystem and get paid for their services. The protocol announced the development via its

US semiconductor analyst Jim Handy rebutted Tesla CEO Elon Musk's criticism of memory pricing, stating that market forces rather than manufacturers set current prices. The Korea Times reported on October 19 that Handy, founder and general director of Objective Analysis, responded to Musk's October 1

Two prediction-market operators linked to Crypto.com and Novig filed federal lawsuits on October 16 challenging Missouri's regulatory crackdown on sports prediction contracts. The companies argue that federally regulated event contracts fall under Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)

Polygon Labs has completed its acquisition of Coinme, a U.S.-regulated cryptocurrency payments provider. The blockchain developer aims to expand into payment processing and establish a new revenue stream beyond its core infrastructure business. CEO Marc Boiron expects the regulated payments

Demand for put options in the Ethereum options market rose sharply over the weekend, while Bitcoin maintained a price range between $80,000 and $84,000 despite broader weakness in risk assets. Crypto Briefing reported on October 19, citing Block Scholes data, that implied volatility on seven-day Eth

Strive purchased 15,462 BTC valued at approximately $1.27 billion over the last two months, according to a report by @lookonchain. Last week, the firm acquired 4,045 BTC for $335 million at an average price of $82,803.

Tools for Humanity's World network launched its World ID for Banking and Finance suite on October 18, partnering with Wall Street institutions including VanEck, Pantera Capital, and Bain Capital to counter AI-driven deepfakes through a new Zoom integration. The expansion aims to provide

Richard Heart, founder of HEX, PulseChain, and PulseX, was detained by Turkish police and the National Intelligence Organization in Istanbul's Beşiktaş district under a Finland-requested Interpol Red Notice issued in December 2024. The detention triggered sharp market declines: HEX fell

Nine listed companies have formally objected to having their shares offered in tokenized form on the proposed tokenized stock platform backed by OKX and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange. The companies—Cerebras Systems, AppLovin, Applied Digital,

SkyAI, a treasury management firm associated with Solana, completed its exit from all $SOL holdings as of October 19, 2026, and now holds $223.8 million in cash. The firm initiated a tender offer to repurchase up to $201.3 million of its shares and warrants at $3 each. This strategic pivot

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and the Stellar Development Foundation announced plans to connect DTCC's asset tokenization service to the Stellar public blockchain. Availability is targeted for the first half of 2027. The initiative aims to expand access to blockchain-based

Pumpfun has established dominance in the cryptocurrency launchpad market, capturing over 92% of the sector's revenue according to influencer @SolanaFloor. The platform leads competitors in both token launch count and trading volume. This market position reflects growing interest in Solana-based

Crypto Tax in India 2026 remains built on a layered regulatory framework that permits private cryptocurrency ownership and trading while enforcing strict taxation and disclosure requirements. The Income Tax Department classifies crypto-assets under the term "Virtual Digital Asset" (VDA), and from

The Blockchain for Good Alliance and the United Nations Development Programme signed a two-year programme agreement on 19 October 2026 to strengthen cybersecurity knowledge and the capacity to use digital technologies responsibly in development. Edward Vrkić, UNDP's resident representative to

SELLAS Life Sciences (SLS) shares rose in early morning trade on Monday after CEO Angelos Stergiou posted on LinkedIn marking the company's 15th anniversary. The post referenced SELLAS' 'next chapter' with its two lead programs, GPS and SLS009, prompting speculation among retail investors about a po

MIAX made its Tini Bloomberg 500 and Bloomberg 100 index futures available to eligible NinjaTrader Group customers, extending the exchange's equity-index products to a platform that serves about 4.5 million users. The futures are designed for retail traders seeking exposure to large-cap US

Kaiko reported on Oct. 19 that Bitcoin's market has not returned to pre-liquidation levels in derivatives positioning or spot liquidity, even after the mass liquidation event on Oct. 10. The digital-asset data firm stated on X that open interest in Bitcoin perpetual futures, measured in BTC terms, r