💰 US Bitcoin ETFs Return to Inflows After $774M Exit
US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $110 million in net inflows on Monday, bouncing back after $774 million was withdrawn over the previous two trading sessions. Despite this recovery, the month of October remains in the red with approximately $202 million in total net outflows.
The rebound occurred as Bitcoin traded near $79,595, marking a 2.6% decline over the past seven days. Market sentiment has shifted slightly downward, with the Crypto Fear & Greed Index falling to 48, keeping the market in Neutral territory.
Data from CryptoQuant shows a divergence between retail and institutional behavior. Retail deposits to Binance nearly doubled to $10.8 billion over 30 days, while whale deposits fell to $3.8 billion. This suggests smaller investors are using price rebounds to exit positions while large holders reduce activity.
💰 Ripple & Aviva: £22 Billion Giant Expands on XRPL
British asset manager Aviva has launched a second tokenized share class on the XRP Ledger (XRPL), investing £50 million ($66 million) into its Sterling Liquidity Fund. This brings Aviva's total XRPL-based investments to over £86 million ($116 million).
The fund being tokenized is a massive £22 billion vehicle. The move utilizes the XRPL Multi-Purpose Token (MPT) standard, allowing Aviva to maintain strict compliance controls, including clawback features and restricted transfers, while using blockchain for issuance and redemption.
Simultaneously, Ripple introduced its 24/7 Returns product at the Swell 2026 conference. This allows corporate clients to generate returns on idle cash using the RLUSD stablecoin and other digital assets held in Ripple wallets, operating outside traditional banking hours.
💰 Bitcoin ETFs Snap 2-Week Outflow Streak with $301M Inflow
US spot Bitcoin ETFs ended last week with $301 million in net inflows, successfully breaking a two-week streak of heavy withdrawals. The recovery follows significant losses of $228 million and $680 million in the preceding two weeks.
The week saw a massive $1.08 billion inflow between Monday and Wednesday as BTC surged to a weekly high of $84,777. However, momentum cooled by Thursday and Friday, with investors pulling out $774 million as the price retreated toward the $80,000 mark.
Research from DWF Labs indicates that ETF investors are not typically "dip buyers." Data shows net outflows occurred during seven out of eight Bitcoin sell-offs of at least 15% since the ETFs launched in January 2024.
🚨 DOJ Extradites Chinese National in $37M Crypto Laundering Case
Chinese national Zheng Zhao, 44, has been extradited from the Netherlands to the United States. He is accused of laundering $36.9 million stolen from 174 American victims through an international fraud network operating from scam centers in Cambodia.
Prosecutors allege the funds were moved from US bank accounts to Deltec Bank in the Bahamas. The money was then converted into Tether (USDT) via a shell company called Axis Digital Limited before being transferred to crypto wallets controlled by the criminal network.
Zhao appeared in a Los Angeles federal court on Oct 23 and faces up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Eight other participants have already pleaded guilty in connection with the scheme, which used fake trading platforms to lure victims.
Payward, the company behind Kraken, has reached an agreement to acquire Saldo Finance Oy, the owner of Lithuania-based Saldo Bank. The deal is projected to close in 2027, pending regulatory approval from authorities.
This move allows Kraken to integrate traditional banking services like deposit accounts, lending, and payment processing directly into its ecosystem. Users could eventually manage Bitcoin holdings alongside protected fiat savings in a single interface.
The acquisition includes Saldo Bank’s existing loan book, which held €129.5 million in gross credit as of June 2026. However, financial reports show the bank faced a €545,000 net loss recently as overdue loans more than doubled during 2025.
💰 Circle Launches Circle Match for Institutional USDC Auctions
Circle has introduced Circle Match, a new service allowing institutional customers to mint and redeem USDC through hourly auctions. This system directly pairs those cashing out of the stablecoin with those looking to mint new tokens.
In this setup, institutions redeeming USDC for dollars pay a fee, which is then passed as a rebate to the institutions minting the tokens. Circle stated it will retain no separate spread on these matched volumes, passing the full fee amount to the minters.
Participants set their own limits: redeemers define a maximum fee they will accept, while minters set a minimum rebate. All matched orders in an auction clear at a single uniform fee. The service is available to eligible Circle Mint customers, aiming to provide more efficient settlement than standard routes.
🚨 US Senator Probes Tether Over $6 Million Payments to Former White House Adviser
Senator Richard Blumenthal has demanded records from Tether regarding over $6 million in payments made to Nxum, a consulting firm co-founded by Bo Hines. Hines served as a White House crypto adviser and helped draft the GENIUS Act, which regulates stablecoins, before becoming CEO of Tether’s US business.
The inquiry alleges that Tether paid Nxum $415,000 per month while Hines was still in government. The payments were reportedly routed through a marketing firm called Notorious before Tether contracted directly with Nxum once Hines left public service.