Google has announced that it will launch a satellite carrying its Tensor Processing Units, the custom chips it uses to run AI workloads, into low Earth orbit. The satellite will reportedly fly aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-18 rideshare mission. A trip to low Earth orbit lasts about 10 minutes, and individual components can face forces of 50 to 100 times gravity along the way. Google’s test will give it data on how the TPUs cope in orbit and with the vibration and acceleration of launch and the radiation and heat swings of space.

Google claims test launch was a success

The company said it already mimicked a launch by shaking a satellite on all three axes. The TPUs involved in that test were also put through a proton beam, and they survived. Project Suncatcher is a research effort Google announced in November 2025, aimed at eventually putting solar-powered AI data centers in orbit. Google says that satellites see near-constant sunlight in low Earth orbit and can generate up to eight times more solar energy than panels on the ground.

Travis Beals, the senior director leading the program, has reportedly stated that the chips can run for only about 15 minutes before they need to shut off and cool down. Google is testing an orbital cooling setup built around heat pipes and radiators to solve that issue. Google plans to put two more satellites in orbit in 2027. Elon Musk announced in February that he would merge SpaceX and xAI in a deal valued at $1.25 trillion, arguing that “space-based AI is obviously the only way to scale.”

However, Cryptopolitan reported in February that SpaceX has since asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to approve its plan to launch up to 1 million data-center satellites to train xAI models. Jeff Bezos’ company Blue Origin has also asked the FCC for permission to deploy close to 52,000 solar-powered satellites for AI computing, following applications from SpaceX and the startup Starcloud. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has also entered the field, buying the launch firm Relativity Space.

The shared logic is that AI’s appetite for electricity is outgrowing what’s available. Schmidt told a House committee that data centers could need 29 more gigawatts of power than they do now by 2027. Google also suggested in an analysis published alongside its 2025 announcement that running a data center in orbit could become roughly comparable in cost to running one on Earth by the mid-2030s.

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Through an internal book transfer, an approved institution moves shares from its Alpaca account to the Ondo Alpaca account. Tokens for these shares are then created on the blockchain by Ondo. The institution redeems its Ondo Stocks tokens, and the shares are returned to its Alpaca account. Conversions don’t require manual approval on each transaction, Ondo said. Alpaca Clearing is a FINRA-regulated broker-dealer that provides the brokerage and custody behind the network. Ondo Stocks also trade on Solana, but the announcement on September 21 only cited conversions on Ethereum and BNB Chain.

Ondo wants to provide deeper liquidity to secondary markets

Ondo expects the new route to give market makers a way to refill token inventory and to provide “tighter spreads and deeper liquidity” to secondary markets. Access is available for approved institutions on Alpaca on a case-by-case basis. Participants must have active accounts on both Ondo and Alpaca. Ondo notes that ITN is not a generally available Ondo Stocks feature.

Ondo says it only provides the tokens to eligible non-U.S. persons and says they provide economic exposure to the referenced securities without being stocks, ETFs, or ADRs. As of September 22, Ondo’s platform had $3.63 billion in distributed assets across 441 products. The stock platform hit $1 billion in total value locked in May, less than a year after its launch in September 2025.

One trader bought QQQon tokens worth about $2.3 million in a single Ethereum trade in August, according to Cryptopolitan. In July, Ondo launched leveraged perpetual futures on U.S. stocks, ETFs and commodities for non-U.S. traders. The launch follows the SEC’s order for temporary, conditional exemptions on some Tokenized Securities Venues on September 17.

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The case highlights the growing risks linked to fake customer support operations across digital asset platforms. 

Authorities said the fraud scheme relied on deception rather than advanced hacking techniques. Investigators traced stolen funds through blockchain records and digital evidence before bringing the operator to justice.

Ronald Spektor, 23, of Brooklyn, received a four-to-12-year prison sentence on September 23 after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $16 million in cryptocurrency from about 100 Coinbase users. He must also forfeit more than $500,000 in cash, crypto assets and personal property while repaying almost the entire stolen amount.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun issued the sentence after prosecutors brought 31 criminal counts against Spektor. 

The charges included first-degree money laundering, first-degree grand larceny and first-degree criminal possession of stolen property, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

Coinbase support scam targeted users through phone calls

Spektor’s Coinbase impersonation scam operated for about a year by convincing customers that their cryptocurrency accounts were under threat. Prosecutors said he contacted victims through phone calls while pretending to represent the crypto exchange’s support team.

The scammer allegedly warned users that hackers could steal their assets unless they transferred funds into a new secure wallet. He then guided victims through moving their cryptocurrency into wallets controlled by him.

Once users transferred their assets, Spektor emptied the wallets and moved the stolen funds through multiple transactions. Some victims lost more than $1 million, according to prosecutors.

The indictment showed that Spektor attempted to hide the movement of stolen cryptocurrency through several swaps across different exchanges. Investigators said the funds eventually moved toward cash-out points, with some money flowing to gambling platforms and online stores.

Prosecutors initially requested a sentence of seven to 21 years. However, the court imposed a four-to-12-year prison term. Spektor also received an order to repay nearly $16 million in restitution.

Blockchain evidence helped investigators track Spektor

Authorities used blockchain analysis, transaction records, digital forensics, and evidence collected through search warrants to identify Spektor. The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Virtual Currency Unit, led by Assistant District Attorney Alona Katz, handled the investigation.

Prosecutors connected Spektor’s home IP address to several cryptocurrency wallets involved in the thefts. They also said he publicly discussed his activities through online platforms, including a Telegram channel called “Blockchain enemies” under the handle @lolimfeelingevil.

Investigators found messages where Spektor claimed he lost millions through gambling and suggested he had earned large amounts from scams. Authorities also said he recruited others through online forums to participate in social engineering attacks.

After allegations emerged online, prosecutors said Spektor abandoned one crypto hardware wallet and purchased another in an attempt to avoid detection.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the investigation showed authorities could track cryptocurrency-related crimes through digital evidence. “We will follow the digital trail wherever it leads,” Gonzalez said.

The case follows a wider wave of Coinbase impersonation scams linked to stolen customer information. In May 2025, Coinbase suffered a data breach after overseas support agents allegedly accepted bribes to expose customer information.

Coinbase said the breach affected less than 1% of its monthly transacting users and did not expose passwords, private keys, or customer funds. However, the leaked information contributed to phishing and fake support campaigns targeting users.

Other investigations have also uncovered similar activity. Blockchain investigator ZachXBT previously linked around $2 million in crypto thefts to a Canadian scammer using a comparable customer support impersonation method.

Separately, Coinbase and Microsoft helped disrupt EvilTokens, an AI-assisted phishing-as-a-service network. The investigation resulted in UK authorities arresting two individuals on September 11.

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Private transaction activity has increased alongside broader interest in the cryptocurrency. Analysts are watching whether the trend continues as adoption patterns develop.

Blockworks data shows Zcash processed 62,375 shielded transactions last week, marking the highest weekly level since 2022. The network also recorded $23.88 billion in transfer volume during the same period. Only one week in Zcash’s history recorded a higher weekly transfer figure, with that record coming during the 2021 bull market.

Source: CoinGecko

The increase comes as Zcash has become one of the strongest-performing cryptocurrencies among the top ten assets by market capitalization over the past year. ZEC trades near $1,500, up about 193% year to date and more than 2,470% from the same period last year. The token traded near $500 just over a month ago, showing a sharp acceleration in market momentum.

Shielded activity rises after months of limited growth

Zcash shielded transactions remained mostly unchanged during the first seven months of 2026. Weekly activity stayed between 8,000 and 12,000 transactions from January through July. The trend changed in August as shielded transactions moved above 15,000.

Source: Blockworks

The increase continued into September, with weekly shielded activity approaching 48,000 transactions before reaching last week’s four-year high. The data shows growing movement through Zcash’s private transaction system.

Shielded transactions use zero-knowledge proofs to conceal transaction details. The technology hides the sender, receiver and transfer amount while allowing network verification. Transparent ZEC transfers operate similarly to Bitcoin transactions, where transaction details remain visible onchain.

Blockworks data suggests the rise in shielded activity reflects more than exchange trading. Traders buying ZEC on platforms typically use transparent transfers. Users seeking private transactions are more likely to interact with the shielded pool.

The network also settled $23.88 billion in weekly transfer volume, around double the previous week’s figure. The amount surpassed the late-2025 rally peak, when weekly transfer volume reached slightly above $10 billion.

However, Zcash’s higher token value contributes to the larger dollar figures. ZEC now trades around six times above its spring levels. This means the same number of coins transferred creates a much larger dollar volume.

Previous transaction record faced challenges

The 2022 shielded transaction record came with limitations, according to network data. During that period, a spam attack flooded Zcash shielded pools with unwanted transactions. The activity increased blockchain load and affected wallet synchronization for months.

Developers later changed the fee structure to make similar attacks more expensive. As a result, the previous benchmark included activity that did not represent normal network usage.

The latest figures still require more confirmation. Weekly shielded transactions fell to around 28,000 during the week of Sept. 7 before recovering. One strong week alone does not confirm a long-term shift in user behavior.

Zcash has also faced short-term market pressure after reaching an intraday high of $1,679. The token declined 4.1% against Bitcoin over the past 24 hours.

Future activity will determine whether the recent increase reflects sustained privacy demand or temporary market speculation. Holding above 40,000 weekly shielded transactions into October would show continued network usage. A decline toward 15,000 transactions could indicate that the latest surge was temporary.

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The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) of the United Kingdom unveiled the strengthened proposals on Wednesday, which would also require Google to ask users if they want to keep or change their default search provider annually. The CMA has now updated the proposal it initially sent in for search choices as AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity become more widely used. The regulator first proposed the rules in early 2026, but now claims the latest changes are a direct reflection of how quickly the way people search for information is changing.

United Kingdom CMA sets deadline for October 9

The proposal’s consultation has a deadline set for October 9, with the CMA expected to make a final decision on the search-choice requirement by the end of the year. Google will be expected to give Android users a list of available search services when they set up a phone, and Chrome users would also receive a similar choice the first time they launch the browser. The company would then have to show the prompt again each year, giving users another chance to change their default annually.

AI assistants could also be included on those choice screens if they meet the CMA’s technical and security requirements. Another important requirement added to the proposal for providers that would potentially make the list is clearly attributing publisher content so users can see where information came from and access the source. UK users can already change their search provider on Android and Chrome, but the annual reminder would be a completely new requirement. Google had argued that showing users a search-choice screen every year could become frustrating.

Instead, the company proposed a permanent option in device settings that would let users change their search provider whenever they wanted. The CMA, however, rejected that approach and kept the annual prompt in its revised proposals. AI assistants also raise a technical issue, as they all work in different ways, which could cause a bit of a problem. Google’s Gemini is built into Google Search, with ChatGPT and Perplexity both being separate services that would need to work differently and have custom integrations.

The search-choice proposal is the latest step in the CMA’s wider case against Google. This case started in October 2025, after the regulator noted the tech giant as having strategic market status in general search and search advertising. The UK regulator has already introduced other measures, including publisher controls in June and new requirements focused on fair ranking and data portability later on. The Professional Publishers Association has sought an exemption, while the News Media Association warned that the changes could send less traffic to publishers.

The post United Kingdom regulator wants ChatGPT and Perplexity available on Android first appeared on Coinfea.

The company’s latest survey showed that trust, security protections, and financial institution involvement remain key factors influencing adoption. Many respondents still associate stablecoins with volatile cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin. 

The findings come as payment companies continue exploring stablecoins for cross-border transactions and digital finance.

Visa survey shows limited stablecoin awareness among U.S. adults

A Visa survey released Wednesday found that 56% of U.S. adults have never heard of stablecoins. Among those familiar with the technology, many incorrectly believe the tokens fluctuate in value like bitcoin.

The findings appeared in Visa’s Money Travels 2026 report, which examined how technology is changing remittances and international payments. Morning Consult conducted the survey for Visa among 2,192 U.S. adults between Feb. 24 and March 2.

The wider study included 45,445 respondents across 20 global markets. Visa said the results show that awareness remains a challenge as digital payment tools expand.

The survey also examined how additional protections could influence stablecoin adoption. When respondents considered a scenario involving bank-level fraud protection and deposit insurance, interest in using stablecoins increased from 36% to 56%.

Visa noted that stablecoins do not currently receive protections from deposit insurance programs such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).

Trust in the provider also played a major role in adoption decisions. According to the survey, 64% of respondents said confidence depends more on the organization offering a payment method than the underlying technology.

When stablecoins came through an existing financial provider, willingness to use them increased from 36% to 45%.

Financial institutions remain central to digital currency trust

Traditional financial institutions received stronger confidence ratings from respondents when asked about digital currency services. Commercial banks gained trust from 61% of participants, while global payment networks received 60%.

The results suggest that many consumers may prefer digital currency products connected to familiar financial providers rather than unfamiliar platforms.

Visa’s research also highlighted concerns around international payment scams. About 36% of respondents said they had encountered fraud linked to sending money across borders.

Fake messages, account impersonation and fraudulent investment schemes ranked among the most common scams reported by participants. The survey found that 24% of respondents had received AI-generated messages that appeared authentic.

Concerns around artificial intelligence misuse also affected consumer confidence. Around 44% of respondents said they feared AI-generated deepfakes could impersonate family members.

The report showed that international payments create financial pressure for some users. About one in five respondents said they reduced their own spending to support family members abroad.

“The future of the industry will be won by the providers that work hardest to earn that trust,” said Vira Platonova, Global Head of Visa Direct.

Visa has expanded its involvement in stablecoin-related payment services. The company said it now supports more than 160 stablecoin-linked card programs, nearly three times the number it had a year earlier.

The survey results indicate that broader stablecoin adoption may depend on improving public awareness, strengthening consumer protections and increasing trust in the companies offering digital payment services.

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While the earlier Reskilling and Career Transition Fund was focused on the company’s workforce, the new funding expands access to students, early-career professionals and business owners outside the company. The telecom company reported $138.2 billion in revenue in 2025, and noted that the initiative was an extension of its efforts to narrow the gap in the digital space. The program brings training from IBM, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, Coursera and OpenAI together into a single portal, and learners will be able to access the courses for free.

Verizon to cover premium training at $700 per person

Verizon estimates that premium training comparable to the courses offered through this program can cost over $700 per person each year. “We are deeply grateful to our tech partners for collaborating with us to bring world-class AI training to local communities entirely free of charge,” Donna Epps, Verizon’s chief responsible business officer, said in the company’s statement. The telecom company is also leaning on community organizations to make the training more practical.

These organizations include The Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship and Goodwill Industries International, and they will support participants with physical coaching and guidance. The upskilling program also comes after a stretch of layoffs from Verizon. Reuters reported that the company’s original $20 million commitment followed its plan to eliminate 13,000 positions. CEO Dan Schulman has called on other large companies to also contribute to the initiative.

He said $50 million to $70 million from each Fortune 100 company could create a multibillion-dollar fund to help workers build skills for AI-related jobs. Schulman stated in the release that AI will fundamentally reshape workforces around the world, adding that companies need to invest in their people with the same urgency they bring to new technology.

Steven C. Preston, CEO of Goodwill Industries International, also said that the community-based approach is important because workforce changes play out locally, claiming real transformations in the workforce occur within the community. Verizon added that the program will be launching nationwide, although the full range of coaching and other types of support will initially only be available in selected regional markets.

The post Verizon pledges $70M to free nationwide AI training first appeared on Coinfea.

The latest assessment focuses on foreign infrastructure, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and private credit. Regulators said these risks could amplify shocks even though Europe’s financial system remains stable. 

They urged banks, funds and insurers to strengthen preparations for disruptions linked to technology and geopolitics.

Non-EU dependencies expose finance to external shocks

The European Supervisory Authorities presented their autumn risk findings to the EU Financial Stability Table on September 10. The Joint Committee includes the EBA, EIOPA and ESMA, which published the findings on September 23.

The regulators said EU finance relies heavily on non-EU providers, markets and currencies across several important functions. Equity UCITS funds and alternative investment funds carry large exposure to U.S. markets. Banks also depend on ICT providers and payment systems located outside the European Economic Area.

Funding gaps in foreign currencies add another layer of risk, particularly in dollars, sterling and Swiss francs. The ESAs also highlighted external dependence in clearing, repo markets and credit ratings. Much of that activity runs through non-EU firms. 

According to the regulators, these links expose EU institutions to foreign rules and political events beyond their control. They warned that geopolitical shocks or operational failures could spread faster through concentrated external relationships.

AI, quantum and private credit widen risk outlook

The ESAs also identified advanced AI as a growing cybersecurity concern. Powerful models can help attackers identify and exploit software weaknesses faster, increasing the potential impact of coordinated attacks.

ENISA reported similar risks in its 2026 threat assessment. The agency recorded more than 48,000 new vulnerabilities in 2025, up 22% from the previous year. It also found that malicious groups increasingly use AI to support cyber operations. 

Quantum computing creates a different long-term challenge. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could eventually derive private keys from exposed public keys and compromise blockchain transactions. However, current machines cannot break the cryptography protecting major blockchain networks today.

Ethereum cited March 2026 Google research estimating about 20-fold fewer resources than earlier estimates for elliptic-curve attacks. The shift has increased pressure on developers to prepare before quantum systems reach the required scale. 

Bitcoin developers are already discussing migration plans. Jameson Lopp and five collaborators submitted BIP-361 in February, proposing a future phaseout of vulnerable ECDSA and Schnorr signatures. 

Ethereum has also accelerated post-quantum planning. The Ethereum Foundation’s protocol team aims to make Ethereum’s execution, consensus and data layers quantum-resistant by December 2029. 

Private credit forms the third major concern. EU and EEA banks hold related exposures equal to about 0.6% of total assets. The ESAs said the market remains relatively small but is expanding quickly and lacks transparency.

Regulators warned that valuation uncertainty, leverage, liquidity mismatches and financial-system links could increase stress during market disruptions. They urged institutions to monitor those exposures while improving crisis preparedness and technology risk management.

The post EU regulators warn of rising AI, quantum and foreign dependency risks  first appeared on Coinfea.

The strong opening comes weeks after Dubai was ranked the world’s number one location for FinTech in the latest Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) — a title Forex Expo Dubai now brings into sharp focus, gathering the very brokers, platforms, and traders driving that leadership under one roof.

Day 1 Captures the Scale of Forex Expo Dubai

Keynotes and panel discussions across five stages drew packed audiences, while busy exhibition booths kept the halls buzzing as the global trading industry came together to connect and do business.

More than 16,000 attendees and 270+ exhibitors filled the floor, building on an already strong edition and setting the pace for the days ahead.

Attendees explored market trends, trading strategies, technology and business growth through focused sessions, while dedicated lounges provided spaces for meetings, networking and downtime between sessions.

The event also attracted prominent personalities, including Dubai-based content creator and entrepreneur Mo Vlogs and Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela, adding to the diverse audience.

Across the exhibition floor, sponsor activations, contests, giveaways, and guest appearances kept the energy high, as businesses and traders connected, discovered new solutions, and explored opportunities under one roof. Traders, IBs, and affiliates also took part in the Gold Lucky Draw, competing for a share of 160g of 24K Gold.

What to expect in Day 2

While Day 1 set the pace, Day 2 on 23 September will bring another full day of sessions, meetings, activities and networking across Halls 1–5.

Expect insights on IB and affiliate growth, AI-driven investing, FX and crypto risk management, and the trading themes shaping Q4 2026. 

Beyond the sessions, attendees arriving on Day 2 can continue exploring the 270+ exhibitor booths, sponsor activities and contests, dedicated lounges and networking areas across the five halls.

For those who missed the opening day, Day 2 offers a chance to experience the atmosphere and scale of the event for themselves. For those who were already there, it provides another day to discover more, meet more people and catch the sessions they may have missed.

Forex Expo Dubai 2026 continues tomorrow, 23 September, at Dubai World Trade Centre, Halls 1–5.

About Forex Expo Dubai

Forex Expo Dubai is one of the region’s leading gatherings for the global online trading and fintech industry, bringing together brokerages, fintech innovators, traders, investors, payment providers, IBs, affiliates, and online trading technology companies under one roof. The expo provides a platform for business networking, technology showcases, industry insights, and conversations shaping the evolution of modern finance. 

The post Forex Expo Dubai 2026 Draws 16,000+ Attendees on Day 1  first appeared on Coinfea.

A September report by Anthropic named seven China-based firms that were reportedly tapping Claude through mass unauthorized access. Besides DeepSeek and Moonshot, that list included Alibaba, Zhipu (also known as Z.ai), SenseTime, MiniMax, and Xiaomi. After the report landed, the Cyberspace Administration of China called in representatives from all seven companies for several rounds of questioning, and officials are now trying to decide if the alleged conduct broke China’s rules on moving data across its borders.

Anthropic fingers DeepSeek for tapping Claude for answers

Anthropic’s own September 2026 threat intelligence report covers activity that the company said it detected and shut down between December 2025 and August 2026. Anthropic accused DeepSeek of relaying selected user requests to Claude while leading those users to believe they were dealing with DeepSeek’s models. Some of the forwarded material was sensitive, including information tied to a Chinese technology firm’s AI program, data linked to a Russian government agency, and records from a Chinese municipal police system.

Anthropic said DeepSeek extracted Claude’s hidden reasoning steps, known as its “thinking signature,” and then used that stolen knowledge to help train its own systems. Notably, during the July period Anthropic examined, DeepSeek rerouted more than 12.1 million of its users’ queries to Claude in just 14 days. Anthropic also revealed that Moonshot AI silently forwarded almost 300,000 customer requests to Claude across a 10-day stretch. The requests were sent through 5,380 fraudulent accounts that mostly appeared to sit in Singapore and Japan.

Anthropic added that it could not confirm whether Moonshot told customers that their requests were going to be sent to a third party. In an earlier account of the report, Cryptopolitan noted one Moonshot-linked user whom Anthropic judged likely affiliated with the Chinese military, using the service to review surveillance footage. Anthropic has previously accused several AI companies of “distillation,” a routine technique in which a smaller “student” model learns from a larger “teacher” model’s outputs.

Anthropic says it has identified and disrupted such efforts at seven Chinese labs since February 2026. Alibaba was the heaviest user of the seven, with more than 151 million exchanges between May and July 2026, a figure Cryptopolitan reported earlier this month. Beijing has pushed back on the distillation narrative, with its officials framing Washington’s complaints as an effort to hold back China’s AI sector. Meanwhile, U.S. and Chinese officials recently agreed to keep talking on AI safety and emergency communication, with another meeting expected in Shenzhen within two months.

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