Crypto Briefs

A Binance attacker spent at least 36 hours preparing before executing a $6.36 billion crypto exchange hack that began with a $296 million XRP drain on Oct. 28-29, according to an investigation by blockchain intelligence firm TRM Labs. The attacker coordinated transfers across 10 blockchains in the operation.

Hyperliquid perpetuals exchange saw turnover reach $17.44 billion on Oct. 29, with trading fees hitting a 30-day high as volumes doubled. Liquidations climbed to approximately $252 million while outstanding positions declined during the period.

Uniswap processed $5.97 billion in trading volume in a single day, with Ethereum accounting for $4.22 billion of that activity. Trading volume also increased across other major decentralized exchanges including PancakeSwap, Curve, and Raydium, suggesting broader market activity.

Circle will eliminate legacy USDC crosschain transfer limits effective October 31, with pending transfers required to complete before a December 1 contract pause. Noble token holders face a separate January deadline for exiting their positions, according to the announcement.

Curve Finance's total volume jumped to $847 million, with the DAI/USDC/USDT pool accounting for $343 million in trading activity. The 3pool's composition shifted toward USDT while DAI and USDC holdings declined, reflecting changing stablecoin demand dynamics on the platform.

A wallet connected to a past Binance exploit transferred 14,040 ETH to another holding address, according to The Defiant's tracking. Two of the largest tracked wallets from the incident still hold approximately 197,460 ETH and 137,602 ETH respectively, while the transfer recipient now holds roughly 19,740 ETH.

Kraken restored trading on October 30 after a one-hour outage disrupted spot and derivatives markets, with users reporting issues placing orders, accessing the website, and connecting via API. The exchange did not specify the cause of the disruption.

Blockchain analysis firm MistTrack has identified onchain evidence linking recent Binance theft proceeds to a wallet with connections to Phemex, according to The Defiant. MistTrack's records show corroborating wallet transfers and ETH receipts flowing to the shared destination, though the analysis does not establish who executed either theft.

Binance disclosed a $6.3 billion security breach involving unauthorized access to a hot wallet through one of 50 Ethereum authorizations, according to the exchange's investigation. The company froze $3 billion in affected funds. The incident highlights risks in multi-signature wallet architectures used by major cryptocurrency platforms.

The Stellar Development Foundation announced Project Thruput on October 28 as a technology preview aimed at improving blockchain execution engine performance. The initiative demonstrates multi-million transaction execution benchmarks, signaling advances in the network's throughput capacity.

Base has set November 5 for the Denim mainnet upgrade, which will reduce block times to 200 milliseconds. The upgrade will remove Flashblocks subscriptions and pending-state access, requiring developers and indexers to modify their integrations.

Polymarket has added 15-minute betting contracts for gold and silver prices using Chainlink price feeds, with settlement based on spot price comparisons at contract start and end. US traders face approximately $1.74 in fees per 100 contracts traded at 50 cents before applicable rebates.

Twenty institutions have joined the DTCC's tokenized securities service, though only 34 securities currently qualify for the platform. Already-tokenized securities can settle over weekends via registered wallets, while new conversion orders remain restricted to business hours, constraining the scope of the pilot program.

Tether froze 971 million USDT in a wallet associated with a suspected security incident at Binance, according to The Defiant. Binance confirmed it is investigating a potential security issue but has not disclosed whether user funds were affected or the full scope of the incident.

Ethereum traded at a 20% premium on Uniswap compared to Binance, with hundreds of ETH transacting at elevated stablecoin prices while Chainlink's ETH/USD reference feed showed approximately $2,250. The price discrepancy suggests arbitrage opportunity or liquidity constraints on the decentralized exchange.

A wallet labeled as Binance-associated was swept minutes after an EIP-7702 delegation transaction, followed by a 780 million USDC transfer from a smart wallet tied to the same entity. The source does not confirm whether either movement was authorized, raising questions about potential account compromise or misconfiguration related to Ethereum's new delegation standard.

MicroStrategy reported record $20.91 billion in Q3 2026 operating income, largely driven by Bitcoin's price rebound during the quarter. The company faced headwinds including declining revenue, negative year-to-date Bitcoin yield, and ongoing pressure to fund preferred dividends.

Tether, Circle, Ripple, and World Liberty Financial have collectively frozen more than $2.6 billion in digital assets linked to a suspected Binance security incident involving nearly $6 billion in outflows. Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino announced on Oct. 29 that the company had frozen over $1.567 billion in USDT connected to the suspected breach, with other issuers following suit to contain potential losses.

Bitcoin fell to an intraday low of $78,297 on October 29 as transfers reportedly moved funds from Binance hot wallets to Tornado Cash-linked addresses. Binance acknowledged reports of a potential security issue and stated its security teams were investigating the matter, without confirming whether the exchange's systems were compromised.

MANTRA has integrated Privy's non-custodial embedded wallets into its real-world asset applications, according to Crypto Briefing. The integration aims to simplify user onboarding and potentially accelerate mainstream adoption of tokenized RWA products by removing friction from wallet access.

Senators Elizabeth Warren and John Curtis have pressed prediction-market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket to detail their safeguards against illegal election trading, setting a November 3 deadline for responses. The senators seek specifics on how many suspected election-trading violations each platform halted before execution. The inquiry underscores regulatory scrutiny of crypto-native prediction markets amid debate over whether they constitute gambling or legitimate price-discovery mechanisms.

Onchain credit company Ibis emerged from stealth on October 28, announcing a $250 million credit facility backed by FalconX alongside a pre-seed funding round. The facility aims to expand lending infrastructure within the cryptocurrency market.

Etherscan data shows wallets linked to a suspected Binance hack converting frozen stablecoins to Ethereum on decentralized exchanges, suggesting the attacker is seeking liquidity pathways to move proceeds. The move comes as multiple DeFi platforms have paused markets, likely in response to the incident.

Binance halted withdrawals while investigating large wallet outflows and conducting security checks, with Tether freezing over $1.567 billion USDT in response. The exchange stated that user funds remain safe despite the suspected hack and ongoing investigation.

Self-custody platform Bron announced on October 28 that it had joined the Hashgraph Association's Global Membership Program. The membership expands Hedera's ecosystem of custody and infrastructure providers supporting the distributed ledger network.

Approximately $3.5 million in cryptocurrency has been lost in Singapore following suspected tampering with Ledger hardware wallets that exposed users' crypto holdings to unauthorized access. The incident highlights security risks associated with compromised hardware wallet devices.

Stablecoins account for more than 80% of transaction volume on WalletConnect, according to Crypto Briefing. The finding underscores stablecoins' expanding role as payment infrastructure within the cryptocurrency ecosystem and their influence on broader crypto adoption rates.

BitGo froze USD1 stablecoin at an address connected to stolen funds, demonstrating the centralized control mechanisms embedded in stablecoin infrastructure. The action raises concerns about security vulnerabilities and compliance procedures, while prompting debate over operational governance in decentralized finance systems.

A key on-chain metric for Shiba Inu (SHIB) has fallen to its lowest level in five years, according to CryptoPotato analysis. One analyst cited the development as potentially bullish, projecting a possible price increase of around 85% from current levels.

A wallet suspected to be linked to a Binance hacker holds $47.3 million in UNI tokens alongside other significant altcoin positions, according to Crypto Briefing. The large concentration of assets in a single wallet could create market destabilization risks if the funds are moved or sold, potentially impacting investor confidence in the exchange and altcoin markets.