Markets were driven by a mix of macro pressure and renewed fund inflows, while regulators and law enforcement stayed active across exchange oversight, sanctions and licensing. Outside the market backdrop, infrastructure and institutional-use cases also saw fresh developments.
Bitcoin wobbles, but ETF flows turn positive
Bitcoin traded around $80,000 amid pressure from the Federal Reserve’s hawkish tone and broader tech weakness. At the same time, U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw fresh inflows this week, pushing October back into positive territory and helping offset recent outflows from some hedge-fund and bank strategies.
Sources: CoinDesk, Cointelegraph, Cointelegraph, Decrypt, Decrypt
HTX settles with the FCA over UK promotions
Justin Sun-linked exchange HTX agreed to stop targeting UK consumers in a settlement with the Financial Conduct Authority. Separate reports said the platform has already blocked UK deposits and new registrations and pledged to halt crypto marketing in the UK until October 2031.
Sources: Decrypt, Cointelegraph
Sanctions target North Korea-linked crypto laundering
U.S. authorities sanctioned multiple people over alleged crypto laundering tied to North Korean IT worker schemes. Reporting said the actions included Russian nationals accused of converting millions of dollars in crypto for North Korean networks, with Chainalysis also tracing cash-out activity through Garantex.
Sources: CoinDesk, Decrypt, Cointelegraph
Coinbase moves to secure Brazil authorization
Coinbase said it has applied for a crypto license in Brazil ahead of the country’s Oct. 30 deadline and expects services to continue while regulators review the application.
Sources: Cointelegraph
Other notable developments
Thailand’s Supreme Court ruled that bitcoin is property in a case involving a theft conviction. In infrastructure and institutional crypto, ICE moved toward a U.S. venue for Hyperliquid perpetual futures pending CFTC approval, WalletConnect was tapped for Bermuda’s onchain economy plan, and OpenTrade added former Swift CEO Lazaro Campos as chairman after a reported fundraise.