AI agents are edging closer to everyday economic activity—placing orders, negotiating terms, and settling disputes—yet the industry still lacks a practical, low-cost way to handle misunderstandings when instructions go wrong. A recent concept from the Internet Court ecosystem aims to fill that gap by combining escrowed contracting with AI-assisted adjudication powered by GenLayer, an open proof-of-stake network connected to multiple AI models. Operating in beta for about a year, Internet Court reportedly processes around 12,000 decisions per day. The system verifies certain user inputs (including photos used in specific workflows) and resolves disputes on argue.fun. Mainnet is expected to launch next month, with GenLayer acting as the dispute resolution backbone. Key takeaways Internet Court uses escrowed funds and AI juries to resolve contractual disputes when agent instructions are ambiguous or misapplied. Disputes begin with a small jury (five validators) using majority voting, ...

Hong Kong has expanded its blockchain-based financial infrastructure by enabling 24/7 settlement for tokenized deposits through Project Ensemble. Bitcoin traded at approximately $77,852 on November 2, according to Binance, as the city advanced its digital finance initiatives. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) now supports round-the-clock interbank settlement using tokenized central bank money. Hong Kong Expands 24/7 Tokenized Deposit Settlement The HKMA announced the latest upgrade on November 2, expanding the capabilities of its EnsembleTX pilot. The system allows participating banks to settle tokenized deposit transactions beyond conventional banking hours. Consequently, financial institutions can process eligible transactions throughout the day and night. The pilot currently includes 12 banks and 20 industry participants exploring blockchain-based financial applications. Participating institutions can use the upgraded infrastructure for corporate treasury operations and transa...

Bitcoin stayed above its 100-day moving average on Monday as investors looked ahead to a heavy U.S. macro calendar and a fresh round of big-company earnings. The timing matters: the market is coming off Bitcoin’s weakest October in more than a decade, and traders are also weighing how the outcome of Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections could shape risk sentiment. At the same time, prediction markets are pricing in a strong chance of Democrats taking control of the U.S. House. That backdrop is intersecting with expectations for Federal Reserve policy at the December FOMC meeting—an alignment that has historically influenced crypto via liquidity and interest-rate expectations. Key takeaways Kalshi’s market pricing put Democrats’ odds of winning control of the U.S. House at 93.6% as of Monday. Markets expect the Fed to raise rates by 0.25 percentage points at the December meeting, according to CME Group’s FedWatch Tool. Bitcoin was holding above its 100-day moving average after a late-O...

Bitcoin’s long-running “Uptober” reputation is facing a stress test after a second straight month of losses in October. Instead of the traditional seasonal lift, analysts are now weighing whether recent institutional flows and macro conditions are overwhelming the calendar, or whether the drawdown is simply a temporary interruption. According to CoinGlass data, Bitcoin fell 7.3% in October 2026, following a roughly 4% decline in the same month a year earlier. The underwhelming performance has also fueled darker “October” labels in crypto circles, amid a broader backdrop of security incidents, including Binance’s reported $6.3 billion hack. Key takeaways Bitcoin’s October performance in 2026 broke with the market’s “Uptober” narrative, extending a pattern of weak monthlies. Seasonality signals such as “best median returns in October” are being reconsidered as monthly volatility has fallen in recent years. Analysts argue that ETF-related liquidity and macro variables may be driving...

Hong Kong’s push to modernize the way banks settle tokenized transactions moved into a more operational phase this week, with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) expanding its Project Ensemble work to support round-the-clock real-value settlement. At the same time, HSBC said its Hong Kong dollar stablecoin, RedCoin, has reached 50,000 users roughly 10 days after launch—an important milestone for stablecoins aimed at retail payments. In separate remarks at Hong Kong FinTech Week on Monday, HKMA officials described how the next stage of EnsembleTX is intended to reduce reliance on traditional settlement windows, while HSBC executives focused on consumer adoption of a regulated stablecoin. Together, the updates highlight a dual-track approach in Hong Kong: upgrading settlement infrastructure for tokenized assets and increasing access to tokenized money for everyday use. Key takeaways The HKMA advanced Project EnsembleTX to enable 24/7 real-value settlement, designed to help banks an...

Crypto exchange flows are shifting quickly as Binance restores withdrawals after its record $6.3 billion hack. Data compiled by DefiLlama shows OKX pulling in the most fresh capital over the last 24 hours, while Binance continued to record net outflows as users watched the restart process and other exchanges competed for liquidity. According to DefiLlama’s exchange flow dashboard, OKX logged about $445 million in 24-hour net inflows, the largest among tracked venues. Bybit placed second with roughly $112 million in net inflows, followed by Gate with around $91 million and Bitget with about $54 million. Key takeaways OKX led the last 24 hours with approximately $445 million in net inflows, according to DefiLlama. Binance still showed net outflows exceeding $7 billion as withdrawals resumed in phases after the $6.3 billion hack. Binance’s tracked wallets remained dominant on DefiLlama at about $127.9 billion, compared with roughly $29 billion on OKX. Binance reported replenish...

Binance has said it has covered 90% of the losses from Thursday’s (October 29) $6.3 billion hack. The platform will cover the remaining 10% after it sources the required funds. The hack was the largest in history, sending shockwaves through the crypto ecosystem and leaving Bitcoin (BTC) and other altcoins reeling. Binance Covers Losses From Hack Binance has reiterated its pledge to cover all losses arising from what is being called the largest hack in crypto history, and has created a $6.34 billion war chest to address the financial impact on users. “Binance will absorb the financial impact of these stolen funds, not our users.” Binance suspended deposit and withdrawal services in the aftermath of the exploit. It issued an update on Sunday that withdrawals had been restored on some networks and would resume on remaining networks in a phased manner. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) held North Korea responsible for the exploit. The agency also said the stolen assets had been con...