Bitcoin, which recently hit an all-time high above $125,000 earlier in October, has pulled back and is now trading near $112,800 (as of 05:00 GMT on 29 October 2025). The drop follows broader risk-off sentiment driven by geopolitical and trade tensions and renewed worries about global growth. Ether and major altcoins are also under pressure, with the market giving back part of this month’s aggressive gains.
Even with the pullback, institutional demand remains historically high. In early October, global crypto ETFs posted about $5.95 billion in net inflows in a single week, including $3.55 billion into Bitcoin-focused products. That wave of capital is the backbone of the current cycle: traditional finance money is still flowing in, even as prices cool short term.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is preparing to take on broader authority over crypto exchanges and other cross-border financial infrastructure inside the EU. Regulators argue that supervision fragmented across 27 national watchdogs isn’t good enough, especially with MiCA rules coming online. ESMA chair Verena Ross says Brussels is working on reforms that would shift more direct supervisory power from national regulators to ESMA.
Why it matters: this is basically Europe saying “we don’t want another FTX situation on EU soil.” Centralised oversight would mean stricter, uniform compliance for trading venues, custodians, and stablecoin issuers. Smaller member states like Malta and Luxembourg are pushing back because they fear losing influence — but larger capitals see this as key to investor protection and to building an EU-scale capital market that can compete globally.
Stablecoin issuer Tether says it will propose its own board candidates at Juventus Football Club’s annual shareholder meeting on 7 November 2025. Tether has built a ~10.7% stake in Juventus, making it the second-largest shareholder after the Agnelli family’s Exor (≈65%). The company has also signaled it plans to back a planned capital increase of up to €110 million.
This is a big moment: if Tether secures a seat or pushes governance changes, you’ll have one of the world’s largest crypto issuers sitting inside the boardroom of one of Europe’s most famous football clubs. That’s mainstream penetration of crypto capital, not just sponsorship logos. It also raises questions about how deeply a stablecoin issuer should be involved in the financial steering of a legacy sports brand.
Metallicus announced a partnership with Cornerstone League — an alliance representing 600+ U.S. credit unions — to give those institutions access to a Stablecoin Pilot Sandbox. The program, published publicly by Metallicus and promoted by Cornerstone League in late October 2025, lets credit unions model issuing and moving their own branded stablecoins in a fully simulated, no-real-money environment.
Why this matters: U.S. credit unions are traditionally conservative and heavily regulated. This pilot gives them a safe way to experiment with blockchain rails for payments, settlement, fraud controls, and identity without touching live member funds. In other words, this is crypto infrastructure quietly moving inside regulated finance — not just trading, but core banking plumbing.
