Nomura Holdings, through its subsidiary Laser Digital, is planning to expand its presence in the Japanese digital asset market by seeking a crypto trading license. Laser Digital is in pre-consultation talks with Japan's Financial Services Agency (FSA) to obtain approval for offering crypto trading services specifically to institutional clients. According to Laser Digital CEO Jez Mohideen, this move reflects the company's confidence in the growth and potential of Japan's digital asset ecosystem. Japan's crypto trading market has experienced substantial growth, with transaction values doubling to 33.7 trillion yen, approximately $230 billion, in the first seven months of 2025. This growth is attributed to supportive regulatory reforms, including tax cuts and new rules for crypto-focused funds, as well as the licensing of a yen-backed stablecoin. If approved, Laser Digital plans to provide broker-dealer services to both traditional financial institutions and crypto firms, including digital asset exchanges operating in Japan. Laser Digital, established in 2022, already holds a full crypto business license in Dubai and launched a Japanese subsidiary in 2023. While Laser Digital has faced challenges, including a quarterly loss in Europe, Nomura's expansion plans demonstrate its commitment to the Japanese crypto market, which has seen a 120% increase in on-chain value received in the past year, outpacing other Asian countries. Other Japanese financial firms, such as Daiwa Securities, are also integrating crypto, allowing clients to use Bitcoin and Ether as collateral for yen loans. Nomura's move highlights the increasing convergence of traditional finance and digital assets in Japan.

Ripple and UC Berkeley have partnered to launch the Center for Digital Assets (CDA), a research hub focused on advancing blockchain and digital twin technologies. Ripple is providing $1.3 million in Ripple USD (RLUSD) funding through its University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI). The center aims to develop trusted methods for defining and measuring the value of digital assets, addressing the increasing demand for understanding and utilizing digital content as valuable assets. The CDA will foster research, education, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the digital asset technology landscape, bringing together UC Berkeley faculty, academic affiliates, and Ripple engineers. Joint projects will focus on blockchain and digital finance, building on a seven-year partnership between UC Berkeley and Ripple's UBRI. Additionally, Ripple and the CDA are partnering on the Berkeley Digital Asset Accelerator (BDAX) program to support growth-stage startups in the XRPL public blockchain ecosystem. The funding will support collaborative research and pilots, academic and talent development, and ecosystem growth. Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin is now listed on Bybit Spot with trading pairs including RLUSD/USDT, BTC/RLUSD, ETH/RLUSD, XRP/RLUSD, and MNT/RLUSD.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has delayed its decision on Canary Capitals' spot Litecoin ETF, missing the established deadline. This delay is attributed to two primary factors: the SEC's transition away from 19b-4 filings toward S-1 registration statements for crypto ETFs, and a potential government shutdown which would halt the review and approval of new financial products. The SEC had previously urged firms to withdraw their 19b-4 filings. While the SEC will continue limited operations during the potential shutdown, the review and approval of new financial products will be halted, potentially including registration statements and ETF filings. The SEC has not commented on the specific reason for the delay. This delay places Canary's application in regulatory limbo alongside other altcoin-based ETF proposals, including those for Solana, XRP, Avalanche, Cardano, Chainlink, and Dogecoin. Several asset managers like Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Bitwise have submitted updated S-1 filings for spot Solana ETFs. Bitcoin exchange-traded products currently hold over 1.47 million BTC, representing approximately 7% of the total supply, with BlackRock's IBIT holding 746,810 BTC and Fidelity's FBTC holding nearly 199,500 BTC.

Bitcoin's price surpassed $120,000, reaching its highest level in six to seven weeks, driven by optimism surrounding potential Federal Reserve rate cuts and seasonal 'Uptober' momentum. The cryptocurrency market capitalization exceeded $4 trillion, with Bitcoin reaching $2.37 trillion, surpassing Amazon's value. Altcoins like Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and Dogecoin also experienced gains. The CME Group announced plans to launch 24/7 trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum futures and options by early 2026, pending regulatory approval, to meet growing institutional demand. Sweden is considering establishing a national Bitcoin reserve using seized Bitcoin. Bitcoin futures open interest hit a record high of $32.6 billion. The US government shutdown, starting in October, has injected economic uncertainty into the market, potentially accelerating rate cuts and benefiting Bitcoin as a risk asset. The shutdown has furloughed over 90% of SEC staff and left the CFTC operating with skeleton crews, potentially slowing innovation and denting investor confidence. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson predicted Bitcoin could reach $250,000 by mid-2026 due to geopolitical disruption. Bitcoin's rally is forming a Bearish Butterfly pattern, with a Potential Reversal Zone between $128,000 and $130,000. Analysts point to $117,000, $113,500, and $106,900 as key support levels, and $124,600, $128,000 and $130,000 as resistance targets. A meme-fueled token called Maxi Doge ($MAXI) has raised over $2.6 million in its presale.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has taken significant steps forward in its digital euro project by selecting technology companies to develop the infrastructure for the proposed central bank digital currency (CBDC). On October 2, 2025, the ECB announced agreements with several firms to handle key components of the digital euro system, which aims to complement cash in the eurozone and reduce reliance on non-European payment systems. The selected companies will work on areas including fraud detection and prevention, application development, offline payments, and secure data exchange. Feedzai and PwC will handle fraud detection, with an estimated contract value between 79.1 million and 237.3 million. Giesecke+Devrient, partnering with Nexi and Capgemini, will focus on offline payments, enabling transactions without internet connectivity. Almaviva and Fabrick are tasked with developing digital wallet apps, while Sapient GmbH and Tremend Software Consulting will manage alias lookup services. Senacor FCS will oversee secure information exchange between financial institutions. The ECB has emphasized that the agreements do not involve immediate payments and can be revised based on future EU legislation. A final decision on issuing a digital euro will depend on the formal adoption of the Digital Euro Regulation, which is still under negotiation. ECB Executive Board member Piero Cipollone indicated that mid-2029 is a realistic launch target, pending European Parliament approval. The digital euro faces political hurdles, including concerns about privacy and the impact on commercial banks. The ECB aims to address these concerns with privacy protections, including pseudonymization and encryption. The digital euro project is also seen as a response to the increasing influence of dollar-denominated stablecoins and an effort to strengthen Europes financial sovereignty.

Solana (SOL) is experiencing bullish momentum, with potential price targets ranging from $240 to $360 and even $1000 in the long term. Recent analysis indicates SOL has overcome the $220 resistance level and is trading around $206-$224. A key driver is the launch of Circle's tokenized U.S. Treasury fund, USYC, on the Solana blockchain, which could increase institutional adoption. Additionally, a $400 million Solana treasury from Crypto.com is set to increase liquidity. Speculation surrounding a potential Solana ETF is also fueling positive sentiment. Technically, SOL has retested its breakout zone near $210, establishing it as support and is forming a triangular pattern with rising moving averages, signaling a possible breakout. However, a significant sell wall exists around $250, presenting a hurdle for further gains. Order book data reveals approximately $2 billion in short positions, which could trigger a short squeeze if buying pressure increases. Institutional interest in Solana is rising, as evidenced by a surge in CME open interest for Solana futures from under $200 million to nearly $2 billion. If SOL continues to hold the $183-$210 support zone, analysts suggest potential targets of $250, $300, and even $360, with a long-term logarithmic chart indicating a possible path to $1000.

BBVA, a major Spanish bank, has launched retail cryptocurrency trading, allowing customers to directly buy, sell, and manage Bitcoin and Ethereum through its digital banking platforms. This makes BBVA one of the first banks in Europe to offer such services. The trading is available 24/7, utilizing the same systems BBVA uses for foreign exchange. This initiative is enabled by a partnership with Singapore-based SGX FX, which provides the necessary technology for aggregation, pricing, distribution, and risk management. The move aligns with the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, ensuring compliance. BBVA will manage customer holdings using its own cryptographic key storage platform and will not provide advisory services. BBVA also advises wealth management clients to allocate between 3% and 7% of their portfolios to cryptocurrencies, depending on risk tolerance, and has entered into a custody arrangement with Binance, allowing clients to store assets with the bank. Furthermore, BBVA is integrating Ripple's institutional-grade custody technology to manage Bitcoin and Ether holdings.

JPMorgan analysts project Bitcoin could reach $165,000, arguing it is currently undervalued relative to gold. This projection is based on a volatility-adjusted comparison, noting that Bitcoin's volatility relative to gold has decreased, making it a more attractive investment. To match the scale of private gold holdings, Bitcoin would need to rise approximately 40% from its current level. The analysts point to the 'debasement trade,' where investors buy Bitcoin and gold to hedge against fiat currency devaluation, as a driving factor. Retail investors have significantly contributed to this trend, pouring funds into both Bitcoin and gold ETFs, while institutional investors have primarily participated through CME futures. JPMorgan notes that Bitcoin ETFs initially outpaced gold, but gold ETF inflows have been catching up. The rise in gold prices has also made Bitcoin more appealing. The bank's models suggest Bitcoin is currently about $50,000 below its fair value. Bitcoin's market capitalization would need to increase by approximately $1 trillion to align with the $6 trillion invested in gold. Bitcoin's risk capital consumption is now only 1.85 times that of gold. Spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen significant daily inflows, indicating growing institutional interest. Other analysts and firms have also issued bullish forecasts, with some projecting Bitcoin reaching $200,000.

CME Group plans to offer 24/7 trading for cryptocurrency futures and options starting in early 2026, pending regulatory approval. This move aims to align with the always-on nature of crypto markets and meet growing client demand for continuous risk management. The 24/7 service will be available on the CME Globex platform, with a two-hour weekly maintenance window. Trades executed on weekends and holidays will have the following business day as the trade date, with clearing, settlement, and regulatory reporting also aligned to the next business day. CME's decision is driven by record growth and institutional demand for crypto derivatives in 2025. As of September 18, 2025, notional open interest reached $39 billion. August 2025 saw an average daily open interest of 335,200 contracts, up 95% year-on-year, representing $31.6 billion in notional value, and average daily trading volume reached 411,000 contracts, equivalent to $14.9 billion in notional value. Over 1,010 large open interest holders were active across CME's cryptocurrency products the week of September 25, 2025. The introduction of 24/7 trading may impact the CME gap, which refers to price differences between the CME's closing price on Friday and the opening price on Sunday. CME currently holds $16.8 billion in Bitcoin futures and $9.8 billion in Ethereum futures open interest. CME launched XRP futures in May 2025 and Solana futures in March 2025, and plans to add options trading for Solana and XRP futures on October 13, 2025.

Plasma's CEO, Paul Faecks, has publicly denied allegations of insider selling after the project's native token, XPL, experienced a significant price drop shortly after its mainnet launch on September 25. The XPL token's price fell approximately 45-50% from its all-time high of $1.70, raising concerns of market manipulation. Faecks stated that no team members have sold any XPL tokens, and that all investor and team tokens are locked for three years with a one-year cliff. On-chain data analysis suggested that large quantities of XPL were moved from the Plasma Team Vault to exchanges, potentially through Wintermute, a market-making firm, fueling suspicions of coordinated selling. Faecks clarified that Plasma has not engaged Wintermute for market-making services and has no special insight into Wintermute's XPL holdings. Concerns were also raised about the team's composition, with allegations that many members came from projects like Blast and Blur. Faecks addressed these concerns by stating that only three of Plasma's roughly 50 employees had previously worked at either Blast or Blur and that the team also includes professionals from Google, Facebook, Square, Temasek, Goldman Sachs, and Nuvei. Despite the controversy, the Plasma mainnet has seen rapid growth, with stablecoin supply surpassing $7 billion shortly after launch and its total value locked (TVL) reaching $5.69 billion. Aster, an exchange, reimbursed users in USDT after a price glitch in the XPL perpetual contract caused liquidations during the transition to live trading.

Avalanche Treasury Co. (AVAT) has announced a $675 million business combination with Mountain Lake Acquisition Corp. (MLAC), a Nasdaq-listed Special Purpose Acquisition Company, with the goal of building a $1 billion AVAX treasury. The deal includes approximately $460 million in treasury assets and aims for a Nasdaq listing in early 2026, pending regulatory and shareholder approval. As part of the agreement, AVAT has purchased $200 million worth of AVAX at a discount and secured 18-month priority rights on future token sales from the Avalanche Foundation. This arrangement allows AVAT to acquire AVAX at a 23% discount compared to direct purchases or exchange-traded alternatives, priced at 0.77 times net asset value. AVAT aims to deploy capital into protocol investments, partnerships with enterprises building tokenized assets, and validator resources, focusing on driving Avalanche ecosystem adoption and on-chain activity. Avalanche founder Emin Gn Sirer will serve as a strategic advisor, with Avalanche Chief Business Officer John Nahas also joining the board. The venture has attracted investments from firms including Dragonfly, ParaFi, VanEck, Galaxy Digital, Pantera, CoinFund, and Kraken. FalconX will handle execution and credit, while Monarq will manage assets.