Stay updated with the biggest stories shaping the crypto markets today. From SEC delays on altcoin ETFs to multimillion-dollar exploits, massive gains for the Trump family, and El Salvador doubling down on Bitcoin, here are the top crypto news highlights you need to know.
SEC delays decisions on HBAR and DOT ETFs
U.S. regulators continue to pump the brakes on altcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has once again delayed its review of proposed ETFs for Hedera (HBAR) and Polkadot (DOT). The applications, from issuers Canary and Grayscale, respectively, were filed months ago, but the SEC has now pushed the final decision deadline to November 8. This marks a continuation of a pattern of slow, deliberate movement by the agency as it weighs the rules for digital asset-linked products. Despite the delays, analysts remain optimistic about eventual approval.
Sui’s Nemo Protocol exploited for $2.4 million
The Sui-based decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, Nemo Protocol, was hit by an exploit that drained $2.4 million in stablecoins. The attack was first identified by security firm PeckShield, which reported that the hacker had already bridged the stolen USDC from Arbitrum to Ethereum. In a public statement, Nemo Protocol’s team announced that they have suspended all smart contract activity and are currently investigating the incident.
Binance Futures adds high-leverage WLFIUSDC perpetual contract
Binance Futures has launched a new USDS-margined perpetual contract for WLFIUSDC, offering up to 75x leverage. The contract, which went live on September 8, expands the exchange’s derivatives offerings but has been met with a notable lack of public commentary from either Binance or the WLFI project leadership. This new financial instrument leverages WLFI as its underlying asset and is part of a trend of high-leverage products on the platform.
Trump family’s crypto wealth soars to $1.3 billion
The Trump family has reportedly gained an estimated $1.3 billion in wealth following the trading debut of two crypto projects, American Bitcoin (ABTC) and World Liberty Financial (WLFI). According to a report from Bloomberg, WLFI contributed $670 million to the family’s net worth, while Eric Trump’s stake in ABTC was valued at over $500 million. Both tokens experienced significant price volatility after their launch, but the family’s involvement has increased attention on the crypto sector and influenced a push for more crypto-friendly policies.
El Salvador buys 21 more Bitcoin after gold purchase
El Salvador has reconfirmed its commitment to Bitcoin, buying an additional 21 BTC for “Bitcoin Day.” This purchase comes just a week after the country drew criticism from the crypto community for a surprise $50 million gold acquisition. The gold purchase was the country’s first in 35 years and was seen as a way to diversify its reserves and build credibility with traditional financial institutions.
Analyst predicts dogecoin mega rally
A prominent crypto analyst known as Cantonese Cat believes Dogecoin (DOGE) is on the cusp of a major rally that could see its price reach $4. In a recent video analysis, he presented a multi-time-frame bullish case, arguing that the token is entering its third major cycle. He points to technical indicators like the 20-month moving average holding as support and a “healthy” sideways consolidation as signs of a strong breakout to come.
Vitalik Buterin praises ‘Lean Ethereum’ team progress
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has lauded the development team working on the “Lean Ethereum” roadmap. This initiative is focused on creating a minimal, more efficient zero-knowledge virtual machine (zkVM) to ensure Ethereum’s long-term scaling, decentralization, and resilience. Buterin noted that this long-term roadmap is intentionally lagging behind the current scaling solutions so that all the pieces are ready to work together seamlessly. The next major upgrade for the mainnet, codenamed “Fusaka,” is slated for November and will focus on improving efficiency for layer-2 rollups.
Venus Protocol recovers and returns $11M to phishing victim
Venus Protocol has returned $11.4 million in crypto to Eureka Trading CEO Kuan Sun after a phishing exploit drained his wallet last week. The DeFi lender paused operations within 20 minutes and recovered the funds in under 12 hours through a forced liquidation of the attacker’s wallet, with help from PeckShield, Hexagate, and Hypernative Labs.
– – Compiled from various agencies
