Treasure Opens a Launchpad for AI Meme Creators
Treasure launched Higgsmart on Solana, a launchpad where creators turn memes made on the Higgsfield AI app into tokens. Creators who link their X account get a badge as the verified original, so copycats can’t pass off their work.
Treasure, the gaming studio behind MAGIC, pitches it as protection from scammers who “vamp” viral memes.
Treasure launched Higgsmart on Solana, a launchpad where creators turn memes made on the Higgsfield AI app into tokens. Creators who link their X account get a badge as the verified original, so copycats can’t pass off their work.
Tokens launch on Meteora’s bonding curve with no presale or team allocation, and graduate to a locked Meteora pool at 85 SOL. The 1% trading fee pays creators 0.40%, above pump.fun’s 0.30%. Only Higgsfield links are accepted, one token per generation.
Treasure, the gaming studio behind MAGIC, pitches it as protection from scammers who “vamp” viral memes.
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Aptos Unveils MonoMove, Up to 55x Faster Engine
Aptos unveiled MonoMove, a new execution engine it calls the biggest scalability upgrade in network history. Aptos Labs rebuilt the Move VM and the stack around it for onchain markets.
MonoMove keeps Move’s asset rules and adds runtime checks against VM bugs. Feature completeness is due by end-2026, with mainnet planned for 2027 pending a governance vote.
Aptos unveiled MonoMove, a new execution engine it calls the biggest scalability upgrade in network history. Aptos Labs rebuilt the Move VM and the stack around it for onchain markets.
On replayed mainnet trades from the Decibel exchange, collateral withdrawals ran up to 55x faster, vault requests 40x, perp market requests 38x and order placement 22x. End-to-end throughput was up to 11x higher in internal tests, before Block-STM and other optimizations. The bottleneck has now moved to storage.
MonoMove keeps Move’s asset rules and adds runtime checks against VM bugs. Feature completeness is due by end-2026, with mainnet planned for 2027 pending a governance vote.
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Cryptomarket Check-In. Major Events & Headlines
Big names kept backing crypto rails: OKX held its $25B valuation with Circle, Ripple and StanChart joining, Spiko raised $90M and ether​.fi launched its own stablecoin. The CFTC opened rulemaking for crypto venues, and Blast shut down its L2.
Big names kept backing crypto rails: OKX held its $25B valuation with Circle, Ripple and StanChart joining, Spiko raised $90M and ether​.fi launched its own stablecoin. The CFTC opened rulemaking for crypto venues, and Blast shut down its L2.
Five that actually mattered:
— Circle, Ripple and StanChart back OKX at $25B
— CFTC opens rulemaking on crypto venues
— Blast shuts down its L2
— Solana launches DvP with J.P. Morgan input
— Polymarket moves to Protocol V2
Abstract Shuts Down Its L2, Funds Due by Dec 15
Abstract announced it is winding down its Ethereum L2 after almost three years. Users must bridge assets out by December 15, after which funds left on the chain will be inaccessible.
Exits run through the Migration Hub or the native bridge, which has a 3-hour delay. It is the second L2 shutdown in a week, after Blast.
Abstract announced it is winding down its Ethereum L2 after almost three years. Users must bridge assets out by December 15, after which funds left on the chain will be inaccessible.
The consumer chain drew 144+ apps, 400K+ users and brands like Red Bull Racing and Disney, and its Abstract Global Wallet became a widely used smart wallet. But growth stalled: a thin DeFi ecosystem, low liquidity, little institutional crossover and a smaller budget than rivals. A year of searching for product-market fit didn’t fix it.
Exits run through the Migration Hub or the native bridge, which has a 3-hour delay. It is the second L2 shutdown in a week, after Blast.
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Mistral Launches Large 4, a 1T-Parameter Model
Mistral launched Large 4, its new flagship with 1 trillion parameters, of which 49 billion fire per answer. Fans already call it “Le Chonk” after a June meme, and Mistral made the nickname official.
Weights are due by the end of October. It is the first model funded by Mistral’s €3B Series D at a €21B+ valuation, led by Samsung.
Mistral launched Large 4, its new flagship with 1 trillion parameters, of which 49 billion fire per answer. Fans already call it “Le Chonk” after a June meme, and Mistral made the nickname official.
It costs $1.36 per million input tokens and $4.18 per million output, about a third of Claude Opus 5.5 on input and a fifth on output. On Finance Agent v2 it scores 54.7, ahead of GPT-6 Astra at 53.5 but behind Opus 5.5 at 58.6. Mistral mostly benchmarks it against Chinese open models like DeepSeek V4 Pro and Kimi K3.
Weights are due by the end of October. It is the first model funded by Mistral’s €3B Series D at a €21B+ valuation, led by Samsung.
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Coinbase Brings Deribit’s Options to US Traders
Coinbase completed its Deribit integration, launching Coinbase Global Exchange and linking US and global crypto derivatives into one regulated liquidity pool.
International traders and Coinbase Prime clients get options in the coming weeks, US retail later in 2026. Coinbase Pro returns by year-end as a separate pro platform.
Coinbase completed its Deribit integration, launching Coinbase Global Exchange and linking US and global crypto derivatives into one regulated liquidity pool.
CFTC guidance from May lets Coinbase Financial Markets connect US clients to global markets, so US institutions can reach options and perps that used to require offshore venues. Deribit, bought for about $2.9B in 2025, holds $30B+ in bitcoin options open interest and handled $1T+ in volume last year.
International traders and Coinbase Prime clients get options in the coming weeks, US retail later in 2026. Coinbase Pro returns by year-end as a separate pro platform.
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Conduit Sues Tether to Unfreeze $2.76M in USDT
Cross-border payments firm Conduit sued Tether in New York federal court, saying the issuer froze its $2.76M USDT treasury wallet in September 2025 without cause.
Conduit wants the funds back plus damages, including the yield Tether earned on Treasuries backing the frozen tokens. The freeze forced layoffs and office closures.
Cross-border payments firm Conduit sued Tether in New York federal court, saying the issuer froze its $2.76M USDT treasury wallet in September 2025 without cause.
The freeze traces to a Brazilian Federal Police probe into Onix, a former Conduit client. Conduit says the wallet was opened after Onix left and never held its funds, and police never flagged it. A police filing shows Tether’s own T3 unit picked which wallets to freeze.
Conduit wants the funds back plus damages, including the yield Tether earned on Treasuries backing the frozen tokens. The freeze forced layoffs and office closures.
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Nano Banana 2.1 Halves Google’s Image Costs
Google launched Nano Banana 2.1, its new image model, at about half the API price of Nano Banana 2: $0.034 per standard image instead of $0.067, and $0.076 for 4K.
The model is live in the Gemini app, AI Mode in Search, AI Studio and the API. The benchmarks come from Google only, independent tests aren’t out yet.
Google launched Nano Banana 2.1, its new image model, at about half the API price of Nano Banana 2: $0.034 per standard image instead of $0.067, and $0.076 for 4K.
What’s new: sharper mask-based editing, steadier characters across repeated edits and better visual design. It takes up to 14 reference images, tracks up to 4 characters and 10 objects, and can ground images in Google Search. On Google’s own tests it scores 1,050 Elo, vs 990 for Nano Banana 2 and 935 for Nano Banana Pro.
The model is live in the Gemini app, AI Mode in Search, AI Studio and the API. The benchmarks come from Google only, independent tests aren’t out yet.
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Early Access Radar: 15 Waitlists to Join Now
Fifteen new projects opened waitlists over the past two weeks. We put them all in our Waitlists Radar, with sign-up links, backers and risk notes.
All of them are very early, and none has a token yet. Joining now usually means priority access at launch. Check each project’s verified or caution badge before you sign up.
Fifteen new projects opened waitlists over the past two weeks. We put them all in our Waitlists Radar, with sign-up links, backers and risk notes.
Most of this round is about trading: AI desks and terminals (Arlo, Meridian, SmartX Terminal), funded and prop perps (Bungee, Northbook) and new prediction markets (functionSPACE, Omnibook). Outside trading, there is a post-quantum L1, a ZK compute network and a fantasy game built on real traders.
All of them are very early, and none has a token yet. Joining now usually means priority access at launch. Check each project’s verified or caution badge before you sign up.
Jito’s Solana Exchange JTX Plans a Mobile App
Jito’s JTX plans a mobile app this fall, Jito Foundation President Brian Smith told The Block. Tokenized stocks and ETFs ship within two weeks, perps maybe this winter.
80% of JTX trading revenue goes to the Jito DAO for JTO buybacks and burns, 20% to referrers. For now the focus stays on spot rather than racing Hyperliquid in perps.
Jito’s JTX plans a mobile app this fall, Jito Foundation President Brian Smith told The Block. Tokenized stocks and ETFs ship within two weeks, perps maybe this winter.
JTX launched in July as a self-custodial spot exchange on Solana, trading cbBTC, SOL, HYPE and memecoins. Smith pitches it as a “permissionless Robinhood” for longer hold times and competitive fees, saying rival apps feel like “walking into the floor of a casino.” The team is also building an onchain data discovery feature.
80% of JTX trading revenue goes to the Jito DAO for JTO buybacks and burns, 20% to referrers. For now the focus stays on spot rather than racing Hyperliquid in perps.
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Ledger Lets Users Borrow Against Bitcoin via Morpho
Ledger launched Crypto Loan in Ledger Wallet: users post cbBTC or wBTC and borrow USDC or USDT without selling their bitcoin. It is rolling out to eligible users now.
Ledger says it secures nearly 30% of retail-held bitcoin. Morpho already powers Coinbase’s bitcoin-backed loans, with $1.4B outstanding as of September 22.
Ledger launched Crypto Loan in Ledger Wallet: users post cbBTC or wBTC and borrow USDC or USDT without selling their bitcoin. It is rolling out to eligible users now.
Loans run on Morpho, with Yield.xyz building the integration. Users can simulate a loan, track the loan-to-value ratio, add collateral, repay or borrow more, and every key action needs confirmation on the Ledger signer. Ledger signers can now also connect to Morpho directly, without a browser extension or software wallet.
Ledger says it secures nearly 30% of retail-held bitcoin. Morpho already powers Coinbase’s bitcoin-backed loans, with $1.4B outstanding as of September 22.
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Stablecoin Payments Firm Noah Closes $38M Seed
Noah closed a $38M seed round after adding $16M from Endeit Capital, FJ Labs, LocalGlobe and Felix Capital, on top of the $22M it raised in June 2025.
The money goes to new licenses, engineering and compliance hires, deeper local payment rails and a New York office for its US push.
Noah closed a $38M seed round after adding $16M from Endeit Capital, FJ Labs, LocalGlobe and Felix Capital, on top of the $22M it raised in June 2025.
The London startup connects stablecoins to local payment rails, so businesses can send money across borders in one click. It works in 150+ markets and 60+ currencies, and added 150+ customers this year, from global platforms and remittance firms to payroll providers. Revenue is up 538% year to date, growing 31% a month.
The money goes to new licenses, engineering and compliance hires, deeper local payment rails and a New York office for its US push.
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Polymarket vs Predict fun: The Token Race
In the last few days, both teased a token. The market believes Predict fun's "Soon." (81.5% odds this year) more than Coplan's "exploring" at Token2049 (14%).
Here's the comparison. Polymarket does 7x the volume and 16x the fees, and out-earned even Hyperliquid in September. But Predict fun is growing: +36% vs August, Polymarket -9%.
In the last few days, both teased a token. The market believes Predict fun's "Soon." (81.5% odds this year) more than Coplan's "exploring" at Token2049 (14%).
Here's the comparison. Polymarket does 7x the volume and 16x the fees, and out-earned even Hyperliquid in September. But Predict fun is growing: +36% vs August, Polymarket -9%.
GSR Puts $100M Behind Hare, an Onchain Vault Desk
GSR launched Hare, a desk that curates onchain credit vaults, built with Turtle. GSR commits $100M, mostly as a multi-year credit line that anchors the first deposits.
Vault curators now manage about $8.6B across 788 vaults, per Vaults​.fyi data cited by CoinDesk.
GSR launched Hare, a desk that curates onchain credit vaults, built with Turtle. GSR commits $100M, mostly as a multi-year credit line that anchors the first deposits.
The first two vaults, coming soon, run on Aave: Hare USD Earn takes major dollar stablecoins, and Hare Gold Earn pays yield on Paxos’ tokenized gold, PAXG and PAXGy. Paxos Labs, Chainlink and Hypernative also back the launch. “Issuers get liquidity from day one, and allocators see GSR’s own capital in the same vaults as theirs,” says Hare CEO Connor Milner, formerly of Re7 Capital.
Vault curators now manage about $8.6B across 788 vaults, per Vaults​.fyi data cited by CoinDesk.
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Base and SMBC Nikko Build a DeFi Gateway for Japan
Base is partnering with SMBC Nikko on an institutional DeFi gateway for Japan that lets regulated investors use onchain pools with compliance built in. It is targeted for mid-2027.
SMBC Nikko set up a dedicated DeFi Technology Department in February. Base runs on infrastructure managed by Coinbase.
Base is partnering with SMBC Nikko on an institutional DeFi gateway for Japan that lets regulated investors use onchain pools with compliance built in. It is targeted for mid-2027.
SMBC Nikko, one of Japan’s major brokerages, signed the MOU on October 2 with Nethermind, Uniswap Labs, Base and Nyx Foundation. SMBC Nikko handles regulators and compliance, Nethermind builds the tech and security, and Uniswap v4 hooks embed AML and counter-terrorism financing checks directly into liquidity pools. Both firms will keep Japan’s FSA updated as it is built.
SMBC Nikko set up a dedicated DeFi Technology Department in February. Base runs on infrastructure managed by Coinbase.
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Lido Is Building a Lending Market on Morpho Blue
Lido unveiled Lido Lend, a lending market on a modified fork of Morpho Blue for passive holders who want yield without hidden risk. Launch is planned this quarter, pending a Lido DAO vote.
Technical specs, market parameters and audit reports will be published before the governance votes.
Lido unveiled Lido Lend, a lending market on a modified fork of Morpho Blue for passive holders who want yield without hidden risk. Launch is planned this quarter, pending a Lido DAO vote.
Each market is isolated and focused on blue-chip, price-correlated pairs like stETH/ETH, built for looping borrowers on one side and conservative lenders on the other. Deposit screening is meant to filter out hacked funds, and lenders get reliable exits even when a market is fully utilized. Lido points to $25B+ staked as stETH and six years without a major security incident.
Technical specs, market parameters and audit reports will be published before the governance votes.
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Early Projects Radar: 9 Fresh Names This Week
This week's theme: trading is turning into a game. Sports bets with XP and card packs, competitions against AI agents, portfolios copied in one click. And the plumbing underneath is growing up.
9 early-stage projects, from a way to buy Waymo without the rest of Alphabet to private transfers on Bitcoin.
Full breakdown 👉 cryptodiffer.com/feed/project-updates/early-projects-radar-9-fresh-names-this-week-oct-7
This week's theme: trading is turning into a game. Sports bets with XP and card packs, competitions against AI agents, portfolios copied in one click. And the plumbing underneath is growing up.
9 early-stage projects, from a way to buy Waymo without the rest of Alphabet to private transfers on Bitcoin.
Full breakdown 👉 cryptodiffer.com/feed/project-updates/early-projects-radar-9-fresh-names-this-week-oct-7
Anthropic’s Haiku 5.5 Costs Up to 90% Less
Anthropic released Claude Haiku 5.5, its cheapest and fastest small model: $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.50 output, 90% below Haiku 4.5 for prompts up to 100K tokens.
It is live on the Claude Platform, AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.
Anthropic released Claude Haiku 5.5, its cheapest and fastest small model: $0.10 per million input tokens and $0.50 output, 90% below Haiku 4.5 for prompts up to 100K tokens.
It is also much stronger: 72.4% on OSWorld computer use vs 15.7% for Haiku 4.5, 45.9% on Humanity’s Last Exam vs 10.2%, and 39.2% on Terminal-Bench 4.0. It is the first Haiku with an effort setting, from Low to Max, to trade cost for capability. Above 100K tokens the price is $0.50 / $2.50, still 50% cheaper.
It is live on the Claude Platform, AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure.
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Bitget Turns Tokenized Stocks Into Crypto Margin
Block Scholes tested Bitget’s unified account, where 125 tokenized US stocks can back crypto positions. On a $1M portfolio, the capital needed fell from $340K to $175K.
The stocks keep working too: they still pay dividends in USDT and can be pledged to borrow stablecoins.
Block Scholes tested Bitget’s unified account, where 125 tokenized US stocks can back crypto positions. On a $1M portfolio, the capital needed fell from $340K to $175K.
The catch is correlation. Stock collateral falls together with the market, so the modeled portfolio hit liquidation after a ~21% correlated drop, versus ~27% if the same value sat in USDT. Since 2022, BTC’s 60-day correlation with the Nasdaq-100 has averaged +0.41.
The stocks keep working too: they still pay dividends in USDT and can be pledged to borrow stablecoins.
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Samsung Wallet Adds USDC Transfers on Solana
Samsung is adding Solana stablecoins to Samsung Wallet and Samsung Pay. From the last week of October, users on 82M US Galaxy devices can send USDC abroad without leaving the app.
Solana says it has processed over $5.25T in stablecoin volume in 2026, with PayPal and Western Union already on the network.
Samsung is adding Solana stablecoins to Samsung Wallet and Samsung Pay. From the last week of October, users on 82M US Galaxy devices can send USDC abroad without leaving the app.
Built-in on- and off-ramps convert to and from local currency, with payouts to bank accounts in 60+ countries. Samsung won’t charge transfer fees, though receiving wallets or banks may. Coinbase custodies the USDC through Coinbase Prime, with Bastion as the licensed US stablecoin custodian. More markets will follow, subject to local rules.
Solana says it has processed over $5.25T in stablecoin volume in 2026, with PayPal and Western Union already on the network.
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