Former banking official gets four years in prison over false letters of credit and accepting $470,000 in cryptocurrency bribes.
Former banking official gets four years in prison over false letters of credit and accepting $470,000 in cryptocurrency bribes.
APIA, Samoa, Sept. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HTX Research, the dedicated research arm of leading global crypto exchange HTX, has published a new report titled Stock-Linked Memecoins: Issuance, Liquidity, and the Emerging AMM Stack.
The report examines a new category of on-chain assets in which memecoins are paired directly with tokenized equities as their quote asset, narrative anchor, or liquidity base. It covers the market structure, fee flows, liquidity-provider economics, issuance-platform and AMM landscape, risk factors, and a monitoring framework for assessing the sector’s development.
The full report is available at: https://square.htx.com/htx-research-latest-report-stock-linked-memecoins-issuance-liquidity-and-the-emerging-amm-stack/
About HTX Research
HTX Research is the dedicated research arm of HTX Group, responsible for conducting in-depth analyses, producing comprehensive reports, and delivering expert evaluations across a broad spectrum of topics, including cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, and emerging market trends. Committed to providing data-driven insights and strategic foresight, HTX Research plays a pivotal role in shaping industry perspectives and supporting informed decision-making within the digital asset space. Through rigorous research methodologies and cutting-edge analytics, HTX Research remains at the forefront of innovation, driving thought leadership and fostering a deeper understanding of evolving market dynamics. Visit us.
Connect with HTX Research Team: research@htx-inc.com
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Source: HTX
Coinbase wants to bring 24/5 perpetual futures trading to individual US stocks, with its proposed contracts now awaiting regulatory approval.
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has submitted a new regulatory action covering crypto asset transactions and markets for White House review, as the agency moves forward with its approach to overseeing the digital asset sector.
According to a filing with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the action, titled “Regulation Crypto Asset Transactions and Regulation Crypto Asset Markets,” was received on Sept. 17 and is listed at the “prerule” stage. The designation indicates the action is at an early stage of the rulemaking process and has not yet been formally proposed.
The filing does not disclose details of the planned regulation, but comes days after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act, legislation aimed at establishing a federal regulatory framework for crypto markets.
Source: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
A day after the Sept. 15 vote, CFTC Chair Michael Selig posted on X that the agency was “locked in and ready to ship” rules for crypto markets using its existing statutory authority, while SEC Chair Paul Atkins similarly said the securities regulator would move ahead “with or without legislation.”
Both agencies took action the following day. The CFTC issued a no-action position for providers of passive software, while the SEC announced temporary exemptions for certain platforms facilitating onchain trading of tokenized securities.

Source: SEC
The CFTC had been exploring the possibility of advancing crypto rules without new legislation before the Senate vote this week. In remarks at the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee conference on Aug. 20, Selig said the agency was prepared to use its existing authority to establish a crypto asset market regime if the CLARITY Act stalled.
Selig added that he had directed CFTC staff to explore rules that could allow existing registrants and currently unregistered crypto exchanges to become a type of designated contract market called a “crypto asset market,” where leveraged or margined crypto trading could be offered under CFTC oversight.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong also said he expected regulators to move ahead after the vote. In a Sept. 15 post on X, he wrote that the SEC and CFTC had “the tools they need to create clear rules under existing authority” and that he expected them to begin working on the issue “in earnest.”
“So clarity is coming to crypto regardless,” Armstrong wrote.

Source: Brian Armstrong
STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Zcash ETF (Ticker: ZCSH) (the “Fund”), built by Grayscale, today announced its intention to effect a 3-for-1 forward share split of the Fund (the “Forward Split”). The Forward Split will not change the total value of a shareholder’s investment. The details are as follows:
| Product | Split Ratio |
| The Zcash ETF (NYSE Arca: ZCSH) | 3-for-1 |
The Forward Split will apply to shareholders of record as of market close on September 28, 2026 (the “Record Date”), payable after market close on September 29, 2026 (the “Payment Date”). The shares are expected to begin trading on a post-split basis prior to market open on September 30, 2026, the effective date. Following the Forward Split, the Fund’s shares will continue to trade on NYSE Arca, Inc. under the symbol “ZCSH” and its CUSIP number will remain unchanged.
The Forward Split is expected to decrease the price per share of the Fund, with a proportionate increase in the number of shares outstanding. As a result of the Forward Split, holders as of the Record Date will receive two additional shares, to be distributed on the Payment Date. As a result, every one pre-split share of ZCSH will result in three post-split shares of ZCSH, each representing ownership in approximately one-third of the NAV per share of a pre-split share.
Illustration of Forward Share Split
The following table shows the effect of a hypothetical 3-for-1 share split:
| Period | Number of Shares Owned |
Hypothetical NAV per Share |
Value of Shares | ||
| Pre-Split | 10 | $ | 300 | $ | 3,000 |
| Post-Split | 30 | $ | 100 | $ | 3,000 |
For illustrative purposes only
For more information visit TheZcashETF.com
About Grayscale
Grayscale is the world’s largest digital asset-focused investment platform with a mission to make digital asset investing simpler and open to all investors. Founded in 2013, Grayscale has been at the forefront of bringing digital assets into the mainstream. The firm has a long history of firsts, including launching the first Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange traded products in the United States. Grayscale continues to pioneer the asset class by providing investors, advisors, and institutional allocators with access to a broad range of digital assets through a comprehensive suite of investment products spanning ETFs, private funds, and diversified strategies. For more information, please follow @Grayscale or visit grayscale.com.
This press release and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain “forward-looking statements” with respect to the Fund’s financial conditions, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. All statements (other than statements of historical fact) included in or incorporated by reference into this press release that address activities, events or developments that will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions. Actual events or results may differ materially from such statements. Investors are therefore cautioned against relying on forward-looking statements. You should specifically consider the numerous risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, in any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, in any applicable prospectus supplement and in the other documents incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference herein.
Media Contact
press@grayscale.com
Client Contact
866-775-0313
info@grayscale.com
Click here for The Zcash ETF prospectus. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
The Zcash ETF (the “Fund”) is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”) and therefore is not subject to the same regulations and protections as 1940 Act registered ETFs and mutual funds.
Investing in digital assets involves significant risk and heightened volatility, including possible loss of principal. An investment in the Fund is not suitable for all investors, may be deemed speculative and is not intended as a complete investment program. An investment should be considered only by persons who can bear the risk of total loss associated with an investment in the Fund.
This press release is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any security in any jurisdiction where such an offer or solicitation would be illegal, nor shall there be any sale of any security in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.
This information should not be relied upon as research, investment advice, or a recommendation regarding any products, strategies, or any security in particular. This material is strictly for illustrative, educational, or informational purposes and is subject to change.
© 2026 Grayscale. All trademarks, service marks and/or trade names (e.g., G™, GRAYSCALE®, GRAYSCALE CRYPTO SECTORS™, and GRAYSCALE INVESTMENTS®) are owned and/or registered by Grayscale.
Source: The Zcash ETF
Banks are rapidly expanding their presence in Europe’s regulated crypto market, with traditional lenders now accounting for nearly one in four providers listed under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework (MiCA).
The number of banks on the EU’s MiCA crypto provider list doubled to about 80 from roughly 40 between June 26 and Sept. 16, according to a Cointelegraph analysis of MiCA register data from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).
The overall number of listed crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) rose from 243 to 349 over the period, but non-bank providers lost ground in relative terms, with their share falling from about 84% to 77%.
While non-bank providers still dominate the register and grew in absolute numbers, banks expanded much faster, increasing their share from around 17% in late June to nearly 23% in September.
Germany drove much of the banking expansion, with dozens of cooperative and commercial banks appearing on ESMA’s MiCA register.
New names include Deutsche Bank, Germany’s largest lender, which on Wednesday announced plans to launch digital asset custody services for institutional and corporate clients in Europe. A Deutsche Bank spokesperson told Cointelegraph that the bank expects to receive regulatory approval for the offering under MiCA in October.
Related: Binance brushes off Lagarde MiCA speculation, reaffirms Europe commitment
The trend extends beyond Europe’s biggest banking groups. Germany’s additions include numerous Volksbank, Raiffeisenbank and VR Bank institutions, showing that regulated crypto services are spreading into the country’s regional cooperative banking network rather than remaining limited to large international banks.
Unlike crypto companies that must apply for CASP authorization, banks can provide crypto services under MiCA through a separate notification procedure.
Under Article 60 of MiCA, a credit institution may provide crypto-asset services if it submits the required information to its home regulator at least 40 working days before providing those services for the first time.
The notification route gives banks a way to expand into crypto without going through the standard CASP authorization process.
Magazine: Is there any chance left to save the CLARITY Act?
Binance declined to address reports of ECB intervention in its Greek MiCA bid, saying it remains committed to securing authorization in Europe.
Millions of coconut farmers in the Philippines could gain a new route into global carbon markets through digital infrastructure built on Hedera.
EcoGuard Global and the Confederation of Coconut Farmers Organizations of the Philippines (CONFED) have launched the CONFED Carbon Office, moving a partnership announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year from agreement to an operating platform.
The system is designed to let agricultural projects register, collect monitoring data, undergo verification, manage carbon credits and ultimately transact those credits with buyers and investors.
The ambition is unusually large for an agricultural carbon project.
CONFED represents over 3 million coconut farmers. Philippine Coconut Authority figures provide a narrower official measure, showing 2.8 million registered coconut farmers and farm workers across 3.6 million hectares of coconut land, equivalent to 26% of the country’s agricultural area. The authority lists 340 million coconut-bearing palms nationwide.
That scale makes the project more than another enterprise blockchain deployment.
If it works as intended, the Carbon Office could become infrastructure connecting thousands of fragmented agricultural projects with the verification systems, registries and buyers required to turn climate-related farming practices into financial assets.
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The Samar COCAL Agroforestry Project is the first major project being brought onto the Carbon Office.
Located on Samar, the Philippines’ third-largest island, the project has the potential to generate 200,000 carbon credits annually, according to EcoGuard and CONFED. EcoGuard has also invested in the initial tranche of credits expected to be generated by the project.
The companies haven’t disclosed the size of that investment.
They also haven’t disclosed a final price for the credits, the independent verifier for the first issuance or how much revenue would ultimately flow to participating farmers.
Those details will determine whether the project develops from digital infrastructure into meaningful climate finance.
Carbon platforms can improve record keeping and traceability. But the value of any credit still depends on whether buyers trust the underlying emissions reduction or carbon removal.
That distinction has become increasingly important as companies and investors scrutinize the quality of voluntary carbon credits.
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market identifies additionality, permanence, robust emissions quantification, independent verification and protection against double counting among the core characteristics required for high-integrity credits.
EcoGuard is a Swiss climate-technology company spun out of The Hashgraph Group, which develops enterprise applications around the Hedera distributed ledger ecosystem.
Its platform is intended to digitize the carbon-asset lifecycle, including project registration, digital monitoring, reporting and verification, issuance, tracking, trading and retirement.
CONFED and EcoGuard first announced plans for the Philippine Carbon Office at Davos in February.
At the time, EcoGuard said it planned to register 347 million coconut trees and build infrastructure capable of providing more than 3 million farmers with access to carbon finance. Telenym was named as the project’s local technology partner.
The new deployment is significant because the project has now moved from a memorandum and development plan into an operational system.
“The Philippines has significant potential to participate in global carbon markets through its extensive coconut-growing regions, agroforestry landscapes and agricultural communities,” CONFED President Charles Avila said in a statement shared with AlexaBlockchain.
The launch, he added, is intended to turn that potential into “measurable climate impact and practical financial opportunity for farmers.”
EcoGuard is using Hedera as the distributed ledger layer supporting records across the carbon-credit lifecycle.
The idea is to create a tamper-evident audit trail showing when project information was recorded, how credits were created and transferred, and when they were ultimately retired.
Hedera has already been pushing further into environmental markets through Guardian, its open-source platform for digitizing environmental methodologies and managing assets such as carbon credits.
Carbon-standard organization Verra announced a long-term collaboration with the Hedera Foundation in 2025 to integrate Guardian with the Verra Project Hub. The project is intended to automate parts of project registration, methodology management and monitoring while creating more auditable data trails.
That gives EcoGuard’s deployment a broader context.
The Philippine project isn’t the first attempt to use Hedera for carbon-market infrastructure. It is instead a test of whether that technology can be extended to millions of small agricultural producers.
Blockchain also has clear limitations.
Making a record tamper-resistant after it enters a system doesn’t guarantee the original data was accurate. Carbon integrity still depends on reliable field measurements, credible methodologies, independent verification and appropriate baselines.
That is why digital monitoring, reporting and verification — or dMRV — may ultimately matter more than the blockchain itself.
The launch also arrives as the Philippines develops its broader carbon-market framework.
In March, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources adopted a Voluntary Forest Carbon Market Roadmap for 2026 through 2030. The plan focuses on policy development, carbon registries, monitoring and verification, institutional capacity and financing.
The country has also taken a major step toward international carbon trading.
The Philippines and Singapore signed an implementation agreement in April establishing a framework for carbon-credit cooperation under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. The mechanism provides rules for authorizing mitigation projects and transferring internationally transferred mitigation outcomes, or ITMOs.
Corresponding adjustments are central to that system because they are intended to prevent the same emissions reduction from being counted by both the country selling the credit and the country using it toward its climate goals.
EcoGuard says the Carbon Office can support infrastructure aligned with Article 6.
That doesn’t mean credits created on the platform automatically become Article 6 credits. Projects would still need to comply with the relevant methodologies, verification requirements and government authorization processes.
The commercial idea behind the Philippine project is already being tested elsewhere.
Rabobank-backed Acorn has built an agroforestry carbon program focused on smallholder farmers. It uses field information, satellite monitoring and independent verification to measure carbon removals and create carbon credits.
Acorn currently reports 591,761 farmers supported across 555,559 hectares and 372,605 tonnes of carbon dioxide removed. The program says 70% of carbon-credit revenue flows back to participating smallholders.
India offers another recent example.
Grow Indigo this month began distributing more than ₹2.9 crore ($302,607) to 2,550 farmers in Punjab and Haryana for regenerative farming practices tied to verified carbon credits. The government said the program generated more than 50,000 credits across 30,000 acres.
Those projects also demonstrate why agricultural carbon markets are difficult to scale.
Registering farms digitally is only the beginning. Establishing baselines, collecting evidence, monitoring changes, verifying emissions reductions, issuing credits and finding buyers can take years.
The Carbon Office also expands The Hashgraph Group’s growing focus on agriculture.
Earlier this month, THG disclosed a cocoa traceability pilot with Merck and PwC Germany that combines physical authentication technology with records stored using Hedera infrastructure.
The system is designed to trace cocoa origin, authenticity, quality and compliance information across the supply chain, partly in response to increasing European regulatory requirements.
The CONFED project takes the underlying concept in a different direction.
Instead of using digital records mainly to establish where an agricultural product came from, EcoGuard wants to use them to support the creation and movement of a financial asset linked to an environmental outcome.
For farmers, that difference is crucial.
Coconut production has historically provided relatively low incomes for many Philippine farming households. Philippine government have estimated annual farmer incomes of PHP20,000 to PHP30,000 in parts of the sector, underscoring why additional revenue streams remain an important policy objective.
“The go-live of the CONFED Carbon Office is more than a technology deployment; it is the delivery of the promise we made in Davos,” EcoGuard Chief Executive Officer Yashodhan Ramteke said.
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Disclaimer: The information provided on AlexaBlockchain is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Read complete disclaimer here.