Central banks are quietly preparing for a different world, with Goldman Sachs estimating they are buying gold at more than four times their pre-2022 monthly pace. More central banks are also refusing to disclose where their gold is stored. Regardless of price, this marks a new world.

Hardware wallet maker Keystone disclosed a customer data breach that exposed names, addresses and purchase details. Private keys remain secure, but phishing risks are rising, adding another security headache for hardware wallet owners in 2026.

XRP has fallen over the past four weeks from a September high of $1.6562 to $1.2775. The drop tracks a broader crypto selloff that has hit Bitcoin, Ethereum and other altcoins. U.S. retail and institutional investors are still buying XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs). SoSoValue data show XRP ETFs added more than $14.5 million in assets this month. Spot Bitcoin funds lost $174 million this month, the same data show. Spot Ethereum funds shed $1.1 billion over the same period, according to SoSoValue. The flows suggest demand for XRP ETFs remains stronger than for funds tracking the larger cryptocurrencies. Since launching last November, XRP ETFs have recorded only one month of outflows, losing more than $31 million in assets in March this year. XRP ETFs now hold $1.48 billion in assets. The Bitwise XRP fund holds more than $542 million. The Franklin XRPZ fund holds more than $398 million. The XRP price has fluctuated despite growing demand for the Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin. The RLUSD market capitalization has risen from $894 million in the same period last year to $2.46 billion. RLUSD is approaching a record market cap of $2.56 billion. USD Coin (USDC) and USDT have lost momentum. The USDC market cap has declined from more than $79 billion earlier this year to $72 billion today. The macroeconomic environment is weighing on XRP and other cryptocurrencies. Oil prices have reached $117. Higher oil prices mean inflation will stay elevated for the foreseeable future, forcing the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. Technical indicators suggest XRP has formed a double-top pattern at $1.6535, with the neckline at $1.2520. A double-top pattern generally signals a reversal, typically confirmed by a price decline below the neckline. XRP has fallen beneath its 50-day moving average. XRP has also breached the Murrey Math Lines level known as Strong pivot reverse. These signals suggest XRP will likely fall further, with the next target at the Murrey Math Lines Strong, Pivot, reverse level of $1.00. A decline below $1.2520 would confirm the outlook.

Keystone has confirmed a customer data breach at its hardware wallet operation, saying hackers gained unauthorized access to its website and exposed customer names, contact information, shipping addresses and order details. The company detected the intrusion on Oct. 20 and confirmed the exposure on Oct. 23 after reviewing Shopify API activity. Payment information, recovery phrases, private keys and wallet passwords were not compromised, Keystone said. It warned that affected customers could be targeted by phishing scams built around fake refunds, replacement devices or order issues. Keystone said it has blocked the unauthorized access, patched the vulnerability and launched an investigation. "We owe you an apology," the company said. "On October 20, we detected unauthorized access to our official website. After verifying API activity with Shopify, we confirmed on October 23 that a third party obtained customer shipping information. You trusted us with those details, and we're sorry."

Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok said extra compute now costs more than the benefit users get, calling demand flat and price sensitive. He said 80% of the top 1% of AI spenders rely on venture capital rather than operating earnings to pay compute bills, and AI has brought no clear financial gain outside the Magnificent Seven. Hyperscalers plan about $800 billion in capex this year.

The number of nonempty XRP Ledger wallets reached a record 8.24 million, according to Santiment data from October 22. The total kept rising through months of XRP price swings. The metric counts funded addresses, not investors. One person or institution can run multiple wallets. The network added 4,772 new wallets in a single day. Santiment ranked that as the fifth-largest daily growth reading since March 2026. Daily wallet creation showed isolated peaks, while the overall wallet count followed a steadier upward path. The XRP price moved in both directions over the preceding months. That did not interrupt the broader increase in nonempty addresses. The figures track account activity, not price performance. Santiment flagged $1.40 as an initial level to watch. XRP could move toward $1.50 if it holds above $1.40 and daily wallet creation stays near 4,000. A drop to $1.30 or fewer than roughly 3,000 new daily wallets could weaken that view. The Santiment network growth measure captures new addresses, while its holder metric tracks addresses that already contain XRP. Neither shows how many unique individuals joined. Ripple and Arf announced on October 22 that Arf will supply settlement liquidity through RLUSD, the Ripple stablecoin, to licensed cross-border payment companies. The service will use the XRP Ledger first, with lending functions planned later. Arf said it will provide initial liquidity directly on the XRP Ledger. Arf aims to serve licensed payment businesses that need working capital while completing international transfers. Payment companies often fund transactions before receiving settlement proceeds. Arf will provide short-term capital that customers can repay after those transactions settle. Repayment generally occurs within one to five days, allowing Arf to redeploy the same capital across successive payment flows. Arf reported about $10 billion in annual settlement volume. The announcement did not give a launch date or specify an RLUSD liquidity amount. Arf also intends to move more settlement activity onto the proposed native lending infrastructure on the XRP Ledger once those features go live. The planned system includes Single Asset Vaults for pooling capital and a lending protocol for structured loans. Under the proposal, Arf would manage capital deployment through on-chain functions while keeping underwriting and working-capital decisions off-chain. This article is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile and can lead to losses. Readers should do their own research before making investment decisions. The post originally appeared on The Market Periodical.

Bitcoin fell below $80,000 as liquidations hit leveraged bulls. Peter Schiff called for $75,000 and warned ETF investors trapped until Monday could face a brutal weekend.

Arthur Hayes closed Maelstrom's directional crypto positions on Oct 24, selling about $26 million in tokens. Ethereum made up nearly three quarters with 8,000 ETH worth roughly $19 million. He also sold ENA, UNI and other tokens. Hayes called the moves profit taking as macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty rose, and said he would stay out until markets give a clearer signal.

The SEC added tokenization to its fiscal 2027 examination priorities on Oct 23, placing blockchain-based securities systems under closer supervisory focus. Its 20-page document lists tokenized securities as a high-risk area for clearing agency reviews, alongside extended trading hours and cybersecurity. The SEC says these are staff views with no legal force and do not amend existing law.