Author: John Smith

Singapore Exchange has secured CFTC authorization to give U.S. institutional investors direct access to its Bitcoin and Ether perpetual futures, opening its existing crypto derivatives order books to American trading firms. Summary SGX has received CFTC authorization to open its Bitcoin and Ether perpetual futures to eligible US institutions. The contracts have recorded $5.8 billion in cumulative volume since launching in November 2025. US clients will access the contracts through clearing members, with onboarding typically taking two to four weeks. SGX plans to launch dated Bitcoin and Ether futures and options next. SGX Group head of crypto derivatives KC Lam…

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said on Sept. 9 that the exchange is building a financial account for AI, while company documentation shows that agents can already access isolated portfolios and execute supported trades. Summary Coinbase Brian Armstrong said the exchange is building a financial account designed for AI agents. Coinbase for Agents already supports isolated portfolios, cryptocurrency trading, derivatives, equities, and portfolio management tools. Users can limit an agent’s exposure by funding a separate portfolio with controlled account permissions. x402 payments for agent-consumed research, data services, and computing are officially listed as coming soon. Coinbase warns AI agents may misinterpret…

Consensys Software Inc. announced on Sept. 9 that it plans to divide its consumer and institutional operations into two independently operated companies.  Summary Consensys Software will rebrand as MetaMask while transferring protocol and institutional operations into new Consensys. Joe Lubin will lead MetaMask and serve as executive chairman of the new Consensys company. Mike Kriak becomes Consensys chief executive, with David Cunningham serving as president after the separation. Linea, Besu and Teku will remain within Consensys alongside its institutional blockchain infrastructure businesses. Both companies will operate independently, with completion of the corporate separation expected by year-end 2026. The existing legal…

Bitcoin price remained under pressure near $78,500 after a retreat from its Sept. 3 peak of $82,283, while weakening momentum and a possible head-and-shoulders pattern raised the risk of a deeper correction. Summary Bitcoin price fell about 4.6% from $82,283 to trade near $78,500. The 4-hour RSI stood at 43.58, showing that sellers retained a modest advantage. A possible head-and-shoulders pattern places $78,000–$79,000 at the key neckline. Liquidation clusters sit near $80,000 above price and $77,500 below it. Bitcoin price action today According to data from crypto.news, Bitcoin (BTC) price traded near $78,500 late on Sept. 9 after moving between…

World has opened its standalone Solana prediction market platform to more than 1 million waitlisted users after creating over 150,000 markets through its Phantom integration. Summary More than 1 million waitlisted users can now access World through its standalone website. Over 150,000 markets have been created across sports, crypto, politics, finance, economics, and culture. Chainlink Data Streams and its Runtime Environment provide market data and automate contract resolution. World plans to introduce equity, commodity, and weather markets after the initial launch. World gives waitlisted users direct market access World said in a Sept. 9 announcement that world.xyz now gives more…

Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty has urged undecided and opposing senators to hear from an estimated 67 million American crypto holders before the CLARITY Act faces a 60-vote procedural test on Sep. 15. Summary Alderoty has contacted Senate offices and asked lawmakers to speak directly with crypto holders. The Sep. 15 cloture vote requires 60 senators and would open debate, not pass the bill. Ethics rules, stablecoin rewards, and protections for decentralized finance remain points of dispute. Republican senators have warned that the bill could fail without further compromise. Alderoty asks senators to meet crypto holders Ripple Chief Legal…

Mastercard has launched Agent Connect to give merchants one integration for product discovery, cart creation and customer-approved payments across AI shopping platforms. Summary Agent Connect links merchants, AI agents, digital platforms, and payment providers through one connection. Merchants can provide current product, price, and inventory data from their existing catalogs. Agent Pay uses tokenized permissions to verify that customers authorized AI-initiated purchases. More than 30 companies support Mastercard’s payment system for autonomous software and machines. Mastercard Agent Connect reduces separate merchant integrations Mastercard said in a Sep. 9 announcement that Agent Connect allows merchants to participate in AI-assisted shopping without…

The first regulated crypto company to land a Premier League shirt deal did so three months after the Financial Conduct Authority told clubs to stop signing “dodgy” sponsors. Circle is not dodgy. But the product on the shirt exists in a regulatory gap that will stay open until October 2027. Summary Circle (NYSE: CRCL) signed a one-year Principal Partner deal with Chelsea FC worth an estimated 33.6 million to 50 million pounds, placing “USDC by CIRCLE” across men’s, women’s, and academy shirts for the 2026/27 season. The kit debuted on August 31 during Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Brighton, Xabi Alonso’s…

Fintech veteran Wojciech Kaszycki has identified three tests for real bank adoption of Bitcoin: client custody balances, credit-funded spot trades and its use as loan collateral, following Standard Chartered’s launch of deliverable BTC and ETH trading for eligible UAE institutions. Summary Standard Chartered now offers institutional BTC/USD and ETH/USD trading through its existing electronic channels. Kaszycki said bank credit lines, custody, and back-office integration matter more than a familiar trading screen. Bitcoin-backed loans with published collateral haircuts would show that banks can price and manage the asset’s risk. Crypto-native venues may retain their advantage in weekend liquidity, derivatives, and trading…

Coinbase has expanded its Morpho-powered lending product to eligible Brazilian customers, offering market-based returns on USDC without a fixed lock-up period. Summary Brazilian users can allocate USDC to Morpho through the Lending tab in the Coinbase app. Deposits enter an audited vault curated by Steakhouse Financial, with rates set by lending demand. Coinbase said users can withdraw their USDC and accrued rewards at any time. The product has attracted nearly $500 million in deposits since its initial US launch. Coinbase brings USDC lending to Brazilian users Coinbase said in a Sep. 9 announcement that its DeFi Earn product would become…