News linked to both this project and an event.
Odaily reports: Data from Public Citizen shows that crypto-related organizations have donated over $200 million in the current U.S. election cycle, seeking to influence the 2026 U.S. midterm elections and push Congress to pass industry-friendly regulatory rules. One of the industry's current priority goals is to advance comprehensive digital asset market structure legislation after the Clarity Act stalled. Fairshake and its affiliated super PACs are backing 33 House candidates, including 19 Republicans and 14 Democrats; Coinbase and Ripple each donated $25 million to Fairshake's midterm election efforts in 2025. The Ohio Senate race is a key battleground. Fairshake said it has spent $55 million this election cycle to oppose Democratic candidate Sherrod Brown, a longtime critic of the crypto industry; his opponent is crypto-friendly Republican incumbent Senator Jon Husted. Stand With Crypto, an advocacy group launched by Coinbase, has endorsed 45 candidates, including 42 House candidates and 3 Senate candidates. The Clarity Act stalled in the Senate in September, with Democratic lawmakers arguing that the bill is insufficient to prevent senior government officials from profiting from crypto businesses. If the bill cannot move forward by the end of the year, the new Congress will need to restart market structure legislation. Coinbase Vice President Ryan VanGrack said that regardless of who is elected, the industry will still gain more regulatory clarity, but whether legislation can ultimately be completed remains uncertain.
Odaily report: A wallet suspected to be associated with the Binance hack incident received tens of thousands of ETH through a Uniswap contract and borrowed 19,762 ETH on Aave using approximately $60 million in USDT as collateral. On-chain records do not show any vulnerabilities in Uniswap or Aave.As of 22:07 UTC, the two wallets held approximately 253,000 ETH, worth about $570 million, with no outgoing transfers recorded. Aave has paused the Ethereum mainnet V3 market, and Kamino has also paused borrowing in the SOL/BTC market; Ripple has frozen approximately $200 million in RLUSD, and more than $2 billion in USDT and USDC has been frozen by stablecoin issuers. (Decrypt)
RLUSD supports deposits and withdrawals across three chains: XRPL, Base, and Ethereum, while Ripple will provide liquidity on Base. Support for Coinbase Global Exchange customers (including the use of RLUSD as collateral) will follow. Launched in December 2024, RLUSD currently has a market capitalization exceeding $2.4 billion.
The Federal Reserve is about to announce its interest rate decision, after which Fed Chair Kevin Warsh will hold a press conference. Markets expect the Fed to keep the benchmark rate unchanged in the 3.75%–4% range, with investors focused on three key signals: first, whether three or more voting members dissent from holding rates steady and advocate for a hike; second, how Warsh assesses the recent easing of financial conditions and the pullback in U.S. Treasury yields; third, what he says about two consecutive months of above-expectation inflation data, oil prices near $100, and record-high U.S. diesel prices.If more officials signal a hawkish tilt, or if Warsh views looser financial conditions as exacerbating inflationary pressure, market expectations for future rate hikes could intensify, potentially lending support to the dollar index while weighing on risk assets such as Bitcoin. Ahead of the decision, Bitcoin stood at $81,411, up more than 2% over 24 hours; Ethereum, SOL, and XRP also posted gains of over 2% over the same period. (CoinDesk)
XRP Ledger developers are testing a new feature that would allow the creation of blockchain accounts with a zero initial balance, with existing accounts covering the reserve requirement for new accounts, in order to lower the funding barrier for payment applications and automated software to create wallets at scale.The proposal was submitted on October 15 as the SponsoredAccountCreate transaction proposal. Under current XRP Ledger rules, each account must hold at least 1 XRP as a reserve, meaning that creating 100,000 separate accounts would require locking up 100,000 XRP. The new proposal would have a sponsoring account cover this reserve requirement, and a broader fee-sponsorship mechanism in the future could also allow applications to pay transaction fees on behalf of users, though the network's overall reserve requirement would not be eliminated as a result.The feature is expected to lower the barrier to use for scenarios such as embedded wallets, RLUSD stablecoin payments, and automated payments by AI agents. However, the relevant code is still under review, and the sponsorship mechanism it relies on has not yet launched on mainnet. As of October 19, the mechanism had received only 11 of the 35 required validator votes, still short of the 29 votes needed for approval. (CoinDesk)
Ripple has partnered with Robinhood, and RLUSD, with a market capitalization exceeding $2.5 billion, is expected to launch on the Robinhood App by the end of 2026.
Ripple and Robinhood have announced a strategic partnership, under which Robinhood's retail and institutional trading platforms will integrate Ripple's stablecoin, institutional markets, and treasury management infrastructure. RLUSD is now live on Robinhood Chain and Bitstamp by Robinhood, and will launch on the Robinhood App later this year; Robinhood will also use RLUSD for institutional settlement on the XRPL.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse announced that the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has officially approved applications related to Ripple National Trust Bank. This approval will provide Ripple with a platform to operate under the federal regulatory framework, allowing it to support its US dollar stablecoin RLUSD and offer digital asset custody services to corporate clients. Garlinghouse stated that this move reflects the integration of the crypto industry with the traditional banking system, emphasizing the importance of innovation, accountability, and federal oversight.
According to The Block, British insurer Aviva’s asset management firm Aviva Investors has partnered with Ripple to launch a tokenized share class for its £22 billion ($29.4 billion) Sterling Liquidity Fund on the XRP ledger. In a Monday announcement, Aviva committed £50 million ($66.7 million) to this new share class. The company currently has investments totaling over £86 million ($114.8 million) across its two tokenized money market fund products, which includes a U.S. dollar liquidity fund share class launched in July. Established in 2002, the Sterling Liquidity Fund invests in highly rated, pound-denominated short-term debt instruments, offers daily liquidity, is registered in Ireland, and qualifies as a UCITS money market fund. Under the fund's "digital twin" model, investor positions are represented on-chain, while the fund itself continues to operate off-chain. Investors must use compliant digital wallets to access the new share class. BNY Mellon holds the fund's assets, while digital asset custodian Komainu and digital infrastructure platform Licuido also support the launch.
According to a press release published on Ripple's official website, Aviva Investors and Ripple have announced the launch of a tokenized share class for a British pound (GBP) liquidity fund on the XRP Ledger (XRPL). This marks the company's second existing fund to undergo tokenization, following the launch of a tokenized share class for its US dollar liquidity fund in July 2026. The GBP liquidity fund is Aviva Investors' largest fund, with approximately £22 billion in assets under management, and is registered in Ireland as a UCITS money market fund. Aviva itself has invested £50 million (approximately $66 million) into the new share class. Combined investments across both tokenized share classes exceed £86 million (approximately $116 million), making Aviva Investors one of Europe's largest providers of tokenized money market funds. The fund utilizes a "digital twin" model, representing investor holdings on-chain while preserving the off-chain fund structure. The tokenized shares carry the same investment objectives, risk characteristics, liquidity, and regulatory protections as traditional shares. The new shares are available to eligible investors holding digital wallets, and are powered by Komainu and Licuido, with assets remaining custodied by BNY Mellon.
Odaily reports: Ripple announced that Aviva Investors, the asset management arm of UK insurance group Aviva, has launched a tokenized share class of the Aviva Investors Sterling (GBP) Liquidity Fund on the XRP Ledger. The fund, with approximately £22 billion in assets under management, is Aviva Investors' largest fund; this marks the second tokenized share class of an existing fund for the company, following the launch of a tokenized share class for its US dollar liquidity fund in July 2026. The two tokenized share classes have now attracted over $116 million in total investments, with Aviva having invested $66 million into the new share class. The fund is an Ireland-domiciled UCITS money market fund that adopts a "digital twin" model, mapping its holdings on-chain while maintaining the off-chain fund structure; the underlying assets are custodied by BNY Mellon, with Komainu and Licuido providing digital asset custody and tokenization platform support, and the offering is open to qualified investors holding digital wallets.
Odaily report: The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has submitted a comment letter to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) opposing its "Regulation Crypto Assets" proposal, stating that the plan could weaken investor protection and limit state government review of issuance projects. DFPI Commissioner KC Mohseni said California opposes federal regulators undermining state-level regulatory authority and protective measures.The proposal would allow eligible issuers to raise up to $5 million over four years through a startup exemption; another crypto fundraising exemption would allow issuers to raise up to $75 million within 12 months. Relevant issuances would need to disclose project details, risks, and other information necessary for investor assessment, and some fundraisings would also require submission of financial statements and ongoing reporting.Federal securities laws still preserve states' authority to investigate securities fraud, deceptive practices, and illegal broker or dealer activities. Blockchain payments company Ripple, crypto exchange Coinbase, and exchange operator Nasdaq all support adjusting the proposal; the DFPI said its scam tracker list added nearly 200 crypto-related scams, an increase of 30% from the previous year. (Bitcoin.com News)
According to The Washington Post, based on U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) data, the top 50 donors in the 2026 midterm election cycle have cumulatively contributed approximately $2.39 billion, with roughly $1.54 billion going to Republican-aligned campaigns, $590 million to Democratic campaigns, and $259 million to special interest groups. The cryptocurrency industry holds multiple spots among the top contributors. Coinbase ranked 11th with approximately $57.7 million, while Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss contributed a combined $55.3 million to rank 12th; Ripple came in at approximately $49.6 million, and Foris Dax at approximately $38.6 million. Among individual donors, Elon Musk leads with approximately $369 million, with his contributions primarily directed toward super PACs and related organizations that support Republican candidates.
According to CoinDesk, the XRP Ledger’s validator support temporarily fell to 26/35, re-triggering the two-week countdown for its vulnerability fix and delaying patch activation to November. Validator support has since rebounded to 31, but due to the reset mechanism, the fix has missed its originally scheduled final activation window.
Odaily reports: Grayscale has announced the launch of an in-kind investing mechanism, allowing investors to directly deliver eligible digital assets in exchange for shares in Grayscale products. Grayscale stated that this mechanism is expected to reduce the burden on investors of self-custodying assets, lower potential trade execution costs, and make digital assets easier to incorporate into traditional portfolio management. Currently, the mechanism covers 10 products, including Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC), Ethereum Staking Mini ETF (ETH), Avalanche Staking ETF (GAVA), Chainlink Trust ETF (GLNK), Dogecoin Trust ETF (GDOG), Hyperliquid Staking ETF (HYPG), Solana Staking ETF (GSOL), Sui Staking ETF (GSUI), XRP Trust ETF (GXRP), and Zcash ETF (ZCSH).
According to CoinDesk, Ripple’s brokerage Ripple Prime (formerly Hidden Road) has enabled institutional clients to trade swap contracts linked to over 100 stocks, commodities, and money markets around the clock, with the option to use its US dollar-backed stablecoin RLUSD as collateral. These swap contracts track the perpetual contracts listed on the Trade.xyz platform on Hyperliquid, are currently provided under Ripple Prime’s British Virgin Islands license, with plans to expand into additional jurisdictions in the future, while trading firm Virtu has already joined as an early client. In a client report, Daragh Maher, Head of Digital Assets Research at HSBC, characterized the offering as a “gradual rather than revolutionary” upgrade, noting that its current market size remains modest compared to traditional finance, with initial activity likely concentrated among market makers, proprietary trading firms, and hedge funds executing basis trades.
According to Odaily, digital hardware wallet manufacturer NGRAVE disclosed on October 19 that attackers hijacked a third-party notification service used by its LIQUID companion app and sent fake security alerts to users, resulting in approximately 70 wallet addresses being stolen for about $2.56 million across 4 blockchains. Among the losses, Bitcoin accounted for approximately $1.77 million, XRP approximately $454,000, Ethereum assets approximately $316,000, and Stellar approximately $18,000.The attackers lured users into clicking on counterfeit websites and entering their 24-word recovery phrases or Perfect Keys, after which automated scripts transferred the assets within minutes. NGRAVE stated that the ZERO hardware wallet and private keys were not directly compromised, and that victims voluntarily handed over their recovery credentials during the phishing process.The unauthorized access may have begun on October 11. After obtaining one access key, the attackers acquired a key with broader permissions and sent fake notifications on October 17. NGRAVE detected the anomaly approximately 1 minute after the notifications appeared, but the first wallet had already been drained 6 minutes later, and the notification system was shut down that evening.NGRAVE's CEO stated that the company failed to fulfill the most basic security responsibilities of a crypto security company, and said that the affected keys have been replaced, with two-person approval, domain restrictions, and emergency shutdown mechanisms added. The company also reminded affected users to create new wallets and contact the support team, noting that some device information, wallet activity, IP addresses, and approximate locations may have been exposed. (Bitcoin.com News)
According to PRNewswire, Blockchain.com has officially launched its options trading feature, which initially supports seven assets including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Hyperliquid (HYPE), Avalanche (AVAX), XRP, and TRON (TRX). Users can purchase Call or Put options and select expiration dates and strike prices.
Odaily reports: Ripple's institutional brokerage business Ripple Prime has launched real-world asset (RWA) perpetual swaps, offering institutional clients continuous trading across more than 100 reference markets including individual equities, equity indices, ETFs, metals, energy, and foreign exchange. Ripple Prime acts as counterparty for these trades, with pricing referenced to perpetual contracts listed by Trade.xyz on the decentralized derivatives platform Hyperliquid, and does not involve ownership of the underlying assets or physical settlement. Clients can cross-margin related positions with other assets on the platform, and eligible clients may use RLUSD as collateral; market maker Virtu is among the early users. The business is currently offered under a British Virgin Islands license and plans to expand to more regions.
Coinbase's outstanding balance for crypto-backed loans has reached $2.3 billion, with the product launching in January 2025. Eligible users outside New York State can pledge Bitcoin to borrow USDC without selling their holdings, with loans routed through the Morpho decentralized lending protocol on the Base network. On September 22, Coinbase added fixed-rate loans through Morpho Midnight, and pledgeable assets have expanded to XRP, DOGE, ADA, and LTC. As of mid-September 2026, floating-rate loans have exceeded $1.4 billion, backed by approximately $3 billion in collateral.JPMorgan's JPMD tokenized deposits have been running on Base for institutions since mid-2026, with Citi and BNY Mellon also advancing related initiatives, and multiple UK banks planning to launch related networks in 2027.