Cryptocurrency developments saw international regulatory expansion, alongside security breaches and product innovations. Binance pursued licensing in Kazakhstan, while Ukrainian police shut down a major wallet-draining fraud ring. Meanwhile, Better and Coinbase introduced a bitcoin-backed mortgage product, and exchange Orionx announced its closure due to missing funds.
01Company specific
Binance and Kazakhstan Sign MoUs to Expand Digital Finance Services
Securing non-bank payment provider status converts a crypto exchange into sovereign financial infrastructure, locking in fiat gateway access that pure trading licenses cannot protect.
Binance signed multiple memorandums of understanding with Kazakhstan on September 4, 2026, to expand digital finance infrastructure and explore a local . The agreements pave the way for Binance to apply for a Category 1 non-bank Payment Service Provider license, which allows the exchange to build fiat-to- conversion infrastructure and process payments without taking or extending loans. Deputy Chairman of the National Bank Binur Zhalenov signed the accord alongside separate pacts with the Ministry of and Digital Development and the Astana International Financial Centre. The partnership follows the July 2026 launch of Binance Pay across 5,000 point-of-sale terminals in cooperation with Alatau City Bank. Through these joint initiatives, Binance is positioning itself as a core national infrastructure provider rather than operating strictly as a standalone trading platform.
Resolving whether event contracts are CFTC-governed swaps or state-regulated wagers determines whether prediction platforms can scale via a single federal registration or face state-by-state gaming compliance.
Coindesk.com reports that New Jersey filed a petition for a writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, setting up a definitive legal test over whether prediction markets offering sports-related contracts are state-regulated gambling products or federally overseen swaps. The central question asks whether the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act preempts state-level gambling rules for products hosted on federally designated contract markets. If the justices rule that these instruments constitute traditional gambling, operators face the burden of securing individual state licenses and paying regional taxes. A ruling favoring federal oversight under the Trading Commission would instead protect the current federally supervised framework while squeezing pure-play sports betting incumbents. Legal experts note that a recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling created the necessary circuit split to push the high court toward granting review.
Ukrainian Police Dismantle $1 Million Per Month Crypto Fraud Operation
Relying on victim approval of initial micro-transactions to deploy wallet-draining code shows how social engineering bypasses smart contract security, shifting crypto-custody risks entirely onto user-interface literacy.
coindesk.com reports that Ukrainian police dismantled a fraud network that generated up to $1 million a month through fake investment platforms. The scheme targeted users across more than 20 countries using hidden wallet-draining software that executed unauthorized transfers after victims approved fake test transactions. Investigators identified 62 victims and stated that more than 46 Ukrainian citizens participated in the operation, which was allegedly run by a 25-year-old IT specialist from offices in Kyiv and the surrounding region. Operators manually adjusted account balances to simulate growth while collecting personal data including passport details, phone numbers, and photographs during registration. Authorities traced server equipment to the Netherlands to access database records containing victim lists and wallet addresses before executing 34 searches and seizing over 100 computers.
Better and Coinbase Launch Bitcoin-Backed Mortgages Allowing Collateral Reuse
Rehypothecating pledged bitcoin across a dual-lien structure generates yield on mortgage collateral while insulating crypto borrowers from price-driven margin calls.
Coindesk.com reports that Better and Coinbase have launched a -backed product that allows Better to reuse pledged . Borrowers pledge bitcoin at a 250% ratio to fund home down payments, requiring $2.50 of for every $1 borrowed. Pre-applications for the product have reached $360 million in requested loan volume since its public launch last week, exceeding the $260 million waitlist projection. The structure issues two loans at closing, pairing a standard Fannie Mae-conforming mortgage with a second lien secured by both the property and the pledged bitcoin. Better holds the crypto in a Coinbase Prime custody account and retains the right to rehypothecate the while maintaining equivalent bitcoin to return upon payoff. Coinbase acts strictly as a custodian and technology provider without extending credit or participating in liquidation decisions. Bitcoin holdings do not satisfy standard income, credit score, or -to-income thresholds for the primary mortgage. Price drops in bitcoin do not trigger calls, and the collateral is liquidated only if a borrower defaults on their combined monthly payment.
Loan Volume ($M)
Requested loan volume grew to 360 million from the 260 million waitlist.
Dormant Satoshi-Era Bitcoin Wallet Awakes to Transfer 600 BTC
Early-era block subsidies moving via test-transaction patterns signals that long-illiquid supply is prepping for OTC desk execution rather than market-distorting exchange order-book dumps.
Cointelegraph.com reports that a dozen addresses dormant for over 16 years transferred 600 BTC worth about $48 million on Saturday. The coins originated from mining rewards earned across 12 blocks in March 2010, when each block paid a 50 BTC subsidy. tracker Whale Alert stated that its research found no connection between the moving addresses and pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto. Whale Alert noted that one reward moved before the others in a pattern consistent with a test transaction. Nakamoto remained active in Bitcoin development through 2010 before stopping public communications in April 2011.
Bitcoin Block Subsidy (BTC)
The block subsidy has fallen from 50 BTC in 2010 to 3.125 BTC today.
QuFi Launches Post-Quantum Verification Platform With Bitcoin Testnet Proof
Externalizing post-quantum verification off-chain protects Bitcoin's base-layer throughput by shifting the heavy computational and storage burdens of enlarged cryptographic signatures to a separate node network.
QuFi Network has launched a post-quantum verification platform designed to protect digital transactions from future quantum computing threats without altering underlying settlement networks. The system operates as a separate verification layer using a decentralized network of nodes to validate transactions before they settle. Its initial proof of concept, known as uBTC, is running on Testnet4 and uses Bitcoin to generate cryptographic proofs governing value movement. The platform incorporates three post-quantum cryptographic standards: -DSA-65, SLH-DSA, and ML-KEM-1024. By handling verification externally, the architecture aims to avoid the increased storage, bandwidth, and computing costs associated with adding larger post-quantum signatures directly to individual blockchains. At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price traded at $79,717.71.
Orionx to Shut Down Following Audit Finding $7M Custody Gap
Venture backing from major stablecoin issuers provides no guarantee against legacy internal ledger mismatches or unauthorized wallet transfers at regional exchanges.
Chilean exchange Orionx is shutting down after a forensic audit uncovered a custody gap exceeding $7 million. Cointelegraph reports that the Tether-backed platform suspended customer withdrawals and filed a criminal complaint against co-founders Roberto Zibert and Joaquín Díaz. The audit revealed that balances recorded in Orionx systems exceeded actual held in custody for , Ether, XRP, and Polygon. The complaint alleges that assets were systematically transferred to unauthorized wallets between 2018 and 2021, including accounts linked to the former executives. Both Zibert and Díaz have denied any wrongdoing, stating the root cause of the shortfall remains unclear. The closure arrives just 15 months after issuer Tether led a Series A funding round in Orionx to expand regional operations.
Alleged Unauthorized Transfers ($USD)
Díaz allegedly received over $1.5 million across 14 separate transfers.
Mixed operational news across crypto lending and fraud enforcement shows an industry balancing institutional adoption with ongoing security risks. Jurisdiction disputes over prediction markets and exchange solvency issues leave compliance standards uncertain for traders tomorrow.
This, every morning.
SuMarket writes Cryptocurrency and Blockchain every morning, along with every other section of the market and the companies and topics you follow. Free to read.