Articles by Khal
Latest from Khal
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MoonPay acquires SEC-registered North Capital in $60M all-stock deal
MoonPay is acquiring North Capital, an SEC-registered broker-dealer, for $60 million in stock as part of a broader push to build institutional-grade financial services infrastructure.
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RWA perpetual futures surge to $18.8B weekly volume amid altcoin decline
Traditional-asset perpetual contracts filled a volume gap left by declining crypto-perpetual trading, with RWA perps reaching 18.5% of tracked futures volume. Data shows most traders remain segmented by their entry market, creating structural headwinds for altcoins.
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Glencore leads $12B US critical minerals stockpile project
The US Export-Import Bank launched Project Vault on February 2, 2026, pairing $10 billion in public financing with $2 billion in private capital to build a 60-day buffer supply of critical minerals. Glencore and other major commodities traders will source materials, while companies like Boeing and Western Digital will procure from the reserve.
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OECD raises 2026 growth forecast to 2.9% as AI investment offsets energy shock
The OECD upgraded its global GDP forecast in September, citing massive capital spending on AI infrastructure as a buffer against Middle East-driven energy disruptions. However, inflation risks and geopolitical headwinds threaten 2027 growth.
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CFTC Chair Signals Regulatory Shift Toward Mass Tokenization
CFTC Chair Michael Selig has advised regulators to prepare for significant mass tokenization in financial markets, saying the shift could bring more change to financial systems than the previous several decades combined. The remarks signal a regulatory pivot toward accommodating tokenized assets.
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Trump and Lee Jae Myung announce $350B investment deal progress
President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced significant progress on a $350 billion bilateral investment agreement at the UN General Assembly, featuring a $22.3 billion gas-fired power plant in Texas for AI data centers and semiconductor manufacturing.
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Bank of America forecasts BOE rate hikes in November 2026 and February 2027
Bank of America Global Research now expects the Bank of England to raise interest rates by 25 basis points in both November 2026 and February 2027, reversing its June forecast of no 2026 hikes. The shift reflects rising inflation concerns and aligns with projections from major brokerages including J.P. Morgan and Barclays.
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Arch Lending Outlines Safeguards Against Crypto Lending Collapse
Arch Lending, founded in 2022 by Himanshu Sahay and Dhruv Patel, has originated over $350 million in loans with zero client losses by enforcing strict zero-rehypothecation policies and using federally chartered custody. The model contrasts sharply with Celsius Network's 2022 bankruptcy, which wiped out $4.7 billion in customer deposits.
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CFTC Flags Prediction Market "Mention" Contracts as Manipulation Risk
The CFTC's Division of Market Oversight issued a staff advisory warning that prediction market contracts settling on whether named individuals say particular words or take discrete actions are presumptively vulnerable to manipulation, following a $172,000 fine against a former White House teleprompter operator who traded on advance knowledge.
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Anduril launches Armory e-commerce platform for Pentagon weapons procurement
Anduril Industries, valued at $61 billion after a $5 billion funding round, has launched Armory, an e-commerce platform designed to streamline Pentagon weapons procurement. The platform catalogs drones, sensors, and autonomous systems, marking a shift toward modernized defense supply-chain sales.
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China's semiconductor equipment imports surge 16% in August on AI demand
China's imports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment rose 16% in August, signaling a strong second-half recovery as AI capacity buildout drives demand. The rebound reverses a sluggish first half and positions China as the dominant buyer of global chip equipment.
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Guangzhou Futures Exchange to list lithium hydroxide contracts by Q4 2026
Guangzhou Futures Exchange plans to launch lithium hydroxide futures in Q4 2026, becoming the first Chinese exchange to offer the contract. The move targets price discovery in a market currently dominated by bilateral negotiations between producers and buyers.
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Hong Kong to pilot tokenized Exchange Fund Bills by end of 2026
Hong Kong's Chief Executive confirmed the Hong Kong Monetary Authority will tokenize over HK$1.3 trillion in Exchange Fund Bills for operational testing by 2026, marking a significant step in the city's digital finance strategy.
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UBS Initiates Applied Digital at Buy, $38 Price Target
UBS analyst John Hodulik initiated coverage of Applied Digital with a Buy rating and $38 price target, positioning the firm on the conservative end of the analyst spectrum as the AI infrastructure builder posted 407% Q4 revenue growth.
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Trump hosts Xi for Washington summit as tariff truce expires
President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet in Washington on September 23-24, 2026, as a one-year tariff truce negotiated in Busan approaches expiration. The summit's outcome could reshape global trade dynamics and determine the fate of semiconductor export controls affecting major tech firms.
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BlackRock: AI Boom Could Drive New Cryptocurrency Demand
BlackRock believes artificial intelligence could emerge as a major new source of demand for cryptocurrency, citing convergence between the two sectors and the potential for autonomous software to interact with financial systems in novel ways.
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Raiffeisen expands crypto trading to 11 European markets via Bitpanda
Raiffeisen Bank International partnered with Bitpanda to offer digital asset services across its Central and Eastern European network, potentially reaching 18 million customers. Individual banks will determine their own crypto offerings based on local regulatory requirements.
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Former Polish Police Officer Charged in Zondacrypto Collapse Probe
Polish prosecutors charged a former police officer in connection with the collapsed Zondacrypto exchange, while investigators search a fuel depot where the exchange's founder vanished in 2022.
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OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI cut model costs 40–50%, prioritize AI safety
Three major AI labs slashed pricing on frontier models in September 2026, with OpenAI's GPT-6 Sol down 50% and Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 down 40%. The price war signals competitive pressure from Chinese rivals and may create economic room for safety-focused development.
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Bitcoin $16B options expiry Friday amid low volatility
Bitcoin options worth roughly $16 billion in notional value expire Friday on Deribit, with calls heavily favoring the upside. The settlement coincides with two major US economic releases and CME futures expiration within hours, setting up a volatile test of price stability.
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Ripple CTO Schwartz spots SEC-style regulatory tactics in Connecticut case
XRP Ledger co-creator David Schwartz identified the same regulatory strategy used against Ripple in a Connecticut manufacturer's legal dispute with state authorities over product sales restrictions.
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Deep Green secures £200M for AI data center heat-recovery expansion
Deep Green, a UK-based data center operator, has raised £200 million from Octopus Energy Generation to deploy 300 MW of heat-reusing infrastructure across the UK, Ireland, Europe, and North America, addressing AI's mounting power demands.
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EU central banks urge MiCA stablecoin deposit rule removal
The European System of Central Banks is urging the EU to replace MiCA's mandatory deposit requirement with liquidity tests, citing risks from bank-stablecoin entanglement exposed during the 2023 SVB crisis.
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BitMEX ends crypto trading after 11 years, keeps withdrawals open
BitMEX officially ceased exchange operations on Wednesday after more than a decade in the derivatives market. Users can still withdraw funds through the web platform, though API withdrawals will be disabled on September 28.