Tech Headlines

1. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik: ideas for scalability expected to be ready for implementation as short-term roadmap reaches key milestones

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin wrote on X that the Ethereum team has performed extremely well this year and contributed across the board to ensure Ethereum’s long-term scalability, decentralization, and resilience. He said all of these ideas are expected to be ready for implementation as key milestones on the short-term scaling roadmap are reached. In a reposted tweet, Vitalik showed that developers have proposed a minimal zkVM for streamlining Ethereum called “leanVM,” optimized for XMSS aggregation and recursion. Compared with Cairo, leanVM minimizes commitment costs through a four-instruction ISA, multilinear STARKs, and logup* lookups.
https://x.com/VitalikButerin/status/1964408512102171006

2. Crypto wallet OKX Wallet launches Web3 smart accounts, bringing decentralized strategy-level trading experience

On September 4, OKX Wallet officially launched Smart Accounts. The feature uses TEE technology for secure private-key management and policy-validated signing, intended to provide users with a secure, decentralized and efficient on-chain trading experience. It currently supports automated strategy trading on web and app — for example, users can place limit orders and take-profit/stop-loss orders without locking funds or prepaying gas, improving capital efficiency and trading convenience. OKX said the Web3 Smart Accounts release marks a move toward more strategic and intelligent on-chain trading, and it will continue to roll out more on-chain strategy tools to help users capture opportunities while ensuring security and decentralization.
https://www.jinse.cn/lives/475513.html

3. Tether CEO reveals P2P encrypted messaging app Keet may support Bitcoin, USDT, XAUT payments

Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino posted on X that QVAC AI together with the P2P encrypted messaging app Keet could make it a fully on-device conversational-AI-capable messaging app that preserves privacy. It would support translation, transcription, summarization of any (audio) content, chatbot assistants, and payments in Bitcoin, Lightning Network, USDT, XAUT, and others.
https://x.com/paoloardoino/status/1964314488670199829

4. DEX Hyperliquid to issue stablecoin USDH; Paxos, Agora and others submit proposals

On September 5, decentralized exchange Hyperliquid announced it will release the USDH token symbol currently held by the protocol through a validator vote, to be used for issuing a USD stablecoin for the Hyperliquid ecosystem. After a network upgrade, validators will use on-chain transparent voting to choose the team best suited to build native minting and be Hyperliquid’s preferred stablecoin issuer. Interested teams can submit proposals to the forum, including the user address that would be used to deploy USDH if chosen. USDH is intended to be a compliant USD stablecoin tailored to Hyperliquid’s ecosystem. Approved teams must still participate in the normal spot-deployment gas-bidding process after obtaining validator support. Following the announcement, Paxos, Agora, Frax and other well-known issuers submitted their USDH issuance proposals.
https://blockweeks.com/article/166209

Industry Developments

1. Federal Reserve plans meeting on stablecoins and tokenization innovation

The U.S. Federal Reserve will hold a “Payments Innovation” meeting in Washington, D.C. on October 21, 2025, chaired by Fed Governor Christopher Waller. The meeting will focus on the impact of stablecoins, tokenization and AI on payment systems. It’s more than a technical exchange — it’s a key step in the Fed’s regulatory evolution to assess how these innovations can be integrated into the traditional financial framework and potentially reshape policy and blockchain application boundaries.
https://learnblockchain.cn/article/20343

2. HKMA: 77 expressions of interest for stablecoin licenses; only a few licenses to be granted initially

A Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) spokesperson said that as of August 31 there were 77 expressions of interest for stablecoin licenses from banks, tech firms, securities/asset managers/investment firms, e-commerce, payment firms, startups and web3 companies. The HKMA will not publish the names of those who have expressed interest or formally applied. The spokesperson emphasized that expressions of interest or meetings with the HKMA are part of the application process and do not constitute approval or any indication of likely licensing. Final licensing will depend on whether applicants meet licensing conditions. The HKMA said it will initially issue only a few stablecoin licenses and is meeting interested parties to help them assess the necessity and maturity of their plans before deciding whether to apply. It also reminded the public to be wary of unlicensed stablecoin promotions.
https://www.tmtpost.com/nictation/7679531.html

3. SEC and CFTC leaders jointly propose 24/7 trading for traditional markets to keep pace with crypto

SEC Chair Paul Atkins and acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham issued a joint statement proposing several pro-crypto measures, including a “24/7 market” proposal for U.S. traditional markets to adapt to the tempo of digital-asset markets. Since continuous trading was introduced on Wall Street 154 years ago, markets have generally observed fixed trading hours; since 1985, trading has mainly occurred during specific business hours on weekdays. The leaders said this schedule may need adjustment to keep pace with continuously active markets like crypto, gold and FX. They also proposed loosening rules to let “innovators” list event-based prediction market contracts, allowing perpetual derivatives (common offshore in crypto markets but currently restricted in the U.S.) to trade freely across securities and commodity exchanges, and creating an “innovation exemption” for DeFi protocols offering spot crypto and perpetual derivatives. They said these proposals align with a July report from the Trump administration calling for relaxed restrictions on U.S. crypto trading.
https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250906A02AW900

4. Centralized exchanges Coinbase, OKX advance crypto access to Australia’s pension system

Coinbase and OKX are entering Australia’s self-managed super fund (SMSF) market, offering individuals new channels to invest in crypto as part of retirement savings. The exchanges package crypto services — including accounting and legal advice, custody and audit-ready records — into a full-service product for SMSF trustees. Australian Tax Office data shows SMSFs held about AUD 1.7 billion (~USD 1.1 billion) in digital assets as of March 2025. This lowers the entry barrier for mainstream investors and marks the first organized push by major exchanges into a leading per-capita retirement market.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-okx-crypto-australia-retirement-system

5. UK drafts tougher anti-money-laundering rules for crypto firms

The UK Treasury this week published a draft update to money-laundering regulations to address regulatory gaps and evolving risks, including stricter requirements for crypto businesses. The draft says the updates aim to create a more risk-based and proportionate system that effectively tackles financial crime while remaining feasible for industry. The government also pledged to improve industry guidance on AML/CFT compliance and to publish separate guidance on using digital identity for AML/CFT purposes.
https://cn.tradingview.com/news/panews:fb76b2801e3f9:0/

In-Depth Analysis

1. 10 questions and answers to understand Nasdaq’s tokenized equity trading proposal

On September 8, 2025, Nasdaq announced it had filed documents with the U.S. SEC to facilitate trading of tokenized securities on the Nasdaq stock market — a national exchange getting directly involved in tokenizing U.S. equities. The following article uses 10 questions to interpret Nasdaq’s latest tokenization proposal.
https://www.jinse.cn/blockchain/3720723.html