ai

According to a report by Decrypt, a national survey commissioned by the cryptocurrency policy advocacy organization DeFi Education Fund and conducted by Ipsos shows that 22% of American adults have held or used cryptocurrency, up from 18% in 2025, but the usage rate over the past 12 months remains flat at 13%. The survey, conducted from September 8 to 16, interviewed 1,545 adults, with a margin of error of ±2.8 percentage points. The growth almost entirely comes from users who have dropped out: among those who have not used cryptocurrency in the past year, the proportion who had held or used it rose from 5% to 11%; the willingness to purchase in the future also remains flat, with 17% indicating they might hold or use it in the future, compared to 16% last year.In terms of user demographics, the usage rate for men in the past year was 18%, while for women it was 8%, with the former being more than double the latter. Adults under 60 showed a significantly higher usage rate than older individuals. The primary reason for trying cryptocurrency is curiosity (34%), followed by long-term investment (25%). Respondents expressed significant unease about the traditional financial system: only 19% believe it is safe, and 63% think it needs to be upgraded to address cybercrime and AI threats; 60% are concerned about data breaches at large financial institutions, and 54% doubt their ability to withstand AI-driven threats, while 74% indicate that financial privacy is important.This skepticism has not translated into trust in cryptocurrency. Only 4% have high trust in cryptocurrency exchanges, and 5% have high trust in decentralized platforms, while large national banks and credit unions have trust levels of 42% and 48%, respectively. The knowledge gap is also significant: only 2% of Americans are very familiar with DeFi, 6% can identify all four characteristics of cryptocurrency listed in the survey, and 35% are completely uncertain about how to describe cryptocurrency. However, 40% indicate that if DeFi were available, there is at least some possibility they would try it, with over 80% stating they would use it to save money, earn interest, or send money to friends and family; the desire to understand stablecoins and DeFi decreased from 11% to 7% and 8%, respectively.

Federal Reserve Chairman Waller avoided the question of whether the current interest rate level is appropriate. He stated that there is a general consensus that previous actions have shown results, but no clear conclusion has been reached regarding the need for further rate hikes in the future.

Federal Reserve Chairman Waller stated at a press conference that as oil prices continue to rise, interest rates have fallen. He is skeptical about the impact of interest rate hikes on AI, leaving it up to you to decide whether to read it as AI or SI, and has noted that interest rates have an impact on the technology sector.

Federal Reserve Chairman Waller stated at a press conference that the situation of U.S. inflation being above the committee's target has persisted for nearly six years, and this FOMC discussion primarily focused on price stability.He pointed out that in recent weeks, energy and related prices have risen again, and the Federal Reserve must prevent relative price changes in specific areas from spreading throughout the economy and ensure that inflation expectations remain anchored.

Fitch Ratings stated that a significant reassessment of the long-term monetization prospects of artificial intelligence could lead to a reduction in capital expenditures and impact the entire artificial intelligence value chain.

The market maintains a pricing of a 90% probability for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in December.

The Federal Reserve FOMC statement pointed out that despite high uncertainty, domestic spending remains resilient.

The Federal Reserve decided to maintain the federal funds rate target range at 3.75% to 4.00% with 10 votes in favor and 2 votes against. Cook and Harmack cast the dissenting votes, both advocating for a 25 basis point increase at this meeting.The statement noted that economic activity is expanding strongly, and inflation remains high. More information will help the committee assess the appropriate policy stance to ensure inflation returns to the 2% target in a timely manner.

As of October 28, the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision cap in the United States is 4%, in line with expectations, with the previous value being 4.

As of October 28, the Federal Reserve's lower limit for interest rates in the United States is 3.75%, in line with expectations, with the previous value being 3.75%.

Former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Blinder stated that now is an excellent time for Waller to use forward guidance. Blinder pointed out that the Federal Reserve is facing a dilemma, as decision-makers can provide ample justification for either maintaining interest rates or raising them. He believes that the so-called "hawkish pause" can only be reflected through forward guidance.

According to Kevin Gordon, the Chief Macro Research and Strategy Officer at Charles Schwab, the current economic backdrop remains relatively favorable for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. Even as we enter multiple rate hike cycles, the U.S. economy is likely to remain robust.He pointed out that rate hike cycles are often accompanied by significant market volatility. According to historical data he cited, within 12 months of the Federal Reserve initiating a rate hike cycle, the average maximum decline of the S&P 500 index exceeds 10%.Analysis also indicates that interest rate policy is just one of the factors affecting stock prices. Currently, investments in the AI sector and inflation driven by rising oil prices seem to be the main factors driving the stock market.

According to a report by Jinshi Data, Steven Whiting, co-founder of CIO Group, stated that if the Federal Reserve waits until December to raise interest rates again, it will only "prolong our pain." He believes that inflation is still too high, and raising interest rates "might be better" than continuing to wait.The report cites CME FedWatch data, indicating that the market's pricing probability for a 25 basis point rate hike at this meeting is only 7%. Whiting emphasized that he is not predicting a rate hike by the Federal Reserve at this meeting, but he believes the probability of unexpected action is higher than 7%.

According to Jinshi citing CNBC analysis, the market generally expects the Federal Reserve to maintain interest rates at this meeting, but further deterioration of inflation may force it to tighten more in the coming months.TD Securities stated that if subsequent inflation data is significantly high, or if the labor market remains strong, the market may raise expectations for the Federal Reserve to implement a one-time rate hike of 50 basis points at future meetings.

According to CoinDesk, Google has announced a crypto asset custody security product called Google Multi-Party Compute (MPC) aimed at banks and other financial institutions. This product is currently in private preview, with several large financial institutions participating in testing, and it is planned to be commercially available in early 2027.The system decentralizes control of private keys across multiple independent systems, reducing the risk of single-point theft through collaborative signing. Google's parent company Alphabet has used this technology to protect its digital assets on Ethereum and Solana, but the specific types of assets and the list of financial institutions participating in the testing have not been disclosed.

As the "leader" of the Prince Group of Cambodia, Chen Zhi has been apprehended, prompting various judicial jurisdictions to initiate the disposal of assets related to the Prince Group. Local courts have appointed Joint Provisional Liquidators (JPLs) to investigate and preserve the corresponding assets surrounding the 30 British Virgin Islands (BVI) entities actually controlled by Chen Zhi. The bankruptcy proceedings in the British Virgin Islands are collective in nature, and the eligibility for creditor claims is not determined by nationality or jurisdiction; potential victims from any jurisdiction can file claims, which means that victims of online fraud and gambling from China can also submit claims at some point in the future.It is reported that the liquidation list includes 30 BVI companies, including Prince Global Group Ltd, most of which are actually controlled by Chen Zhi, while only 28 BVI companies are listed on the U.S. Treasury's sanctions list. Furthermore, "the scope of liquidation is not solely determined by sanctions," as two companies not sanctioned but included in the liquidation list, Amber Hill Ventures Limited ("AHV") and Lateral Bridge Global Limited ("LBG"), have been mentioned in U.S. judicial proceedings and are considered entities within the widely associated network of the Prince Group, accused of having no other practical use besides participating in money laundering. The prosecution claims that of the more than 120,000 bitcoins confiscated in the U.S., over 90,000 flowed through AHV, LBG, and another company registered in the Cayman Islands, Future Technology Investment; among them, the chairman and shareholder of AHV is Fan Yang, and the chairman and shareholder of LBG is Minyi Tang, who are referred to in the U.S. indictment as "Co-conspirator 6" and "Co-conspirator 7," respectively. Regarding the claims of victims of online fraud and gambling, a claims filing and distribution process has not yet been established. If a liquidation process is initiated in the future and there are sufficient funds to support distributions to creditors, the liquidators will establish a claims process, adjudicate claims, and make distributions in accordance with the British Virgin Islands bankruptcy law.

According to the official announcement, Robinhood Chain has added 8 new stock tokens, namely JP Morgan, Visa, PayPal, BMNR, McDonald's, Disney, Uber, and VanEck Gold Miners ETF.

According to The Block, as the U.S. midterm elections approach, the digital asset industry may face changes in the congressional political landscape. Over the past two years, the Republican-led Congress passed the stablecoin bill GENIUS Act and advanced the broader Clarity Act; the latter passed the House in 2025 but stalled in the Senate due to controversies over stablecoin rewards and ethical issues raised by former President Trump's crypto wealth. Prediction market Kalshi shows that the probability of the Democrats winning the Senate and the House is 64% and 90%, respectively.The chair of congressional committees holds the power to set the agenda. If the Democrats regain the Senate, Elizabeth Warren will become the chair of the Senate Banking Committee. Ron Hammond, head of policy and advocacy at Wintermute, expects that she will actively use subpoena power and may focus on scrutinizing the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's approvals of new bank charters for Ripple, Coinbase, and World Liberty Financial, which is supported by the Trump family.The election situation in Ohio is also under scrutiny, with former Senate Banking Committee chair Sherrod Brown facing pro-crypto Republican Jon Husted. Fairshake PAC has pledged $30 million to support Husted. Hammond stated that if Brown wins, he may become the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which could potentially shelve related crypto legislation. In the House Financial Services Committee, regardless of whether Maxine Waters, Sean Casten, or Bill Foster leads, the Clarity Act is unlikely to advance. Lindsay Fraser, chief policy officer of the Blockchain Association, stated that while congressional control may change, the demand for clear crypto regulations will not.