Regulation & Legal

Bitcoin entered October near $83K and touched roughly $87K within days, retesting an area last seen in late September, with its three-month performance up about 33.23%. Strategy bought 334 BTC for $28.7M in early October while estimating a $20.9B digital-asset gain for the third quarter, and Metaplanet lifted its holdings to 44K BTC after a 1K BTC net increase in the third quarter, targeting 85%-90% of assets in Bitcoin. Coinglass data showed $164.22M of net Bitcoin ETF inflows over one day and $226.41M over seven days. Kalshi's market-implied year-end high rose to $95K, up $6.6K, while CFTC Chairman Selig said the agency is proposing its first crypto market rules. Bitcoin-linked stocks were weaker over the past week, with MARA Holdings down 12%, Cipher Mining down 10%, Robinhood Markets down 8%, Coinbase Global down 6%, Circle Internet Group down 3%, BitMine Immersion Technologies down 3%, and Hut 8 down 2.45%.

The Nasdaq Hearings Panel granted SCWorx Corp.'s request for reconsideration and approved the company's continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, reversing the Panel's September 17, 2026 delisting decision. The Panel determined that SCWorx now meets Nasdaq's continued listing requirements, including the minimum bid price rule 5550(a)(2) and the minimum publicly held shares rule 5550(a)(4). Trading in SCWorx common stock on Nasdaq, suspended since April 14, 2026, will be reinstated on a date to be scheduled by Nasdaq, and the stock will continue to be quoted on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol WORX until then. The decision followed the company's September 16, 2026 private placement, which together with warrant exercises raised publicly held shares to 549,092 as of September 17, 2026, above the 500,000-share minimum, and the closing bid price has been at or above $1.00 per share every trading day since August 4, 2026. As conditions, the Panel required disclosure that each private placement investor agreed not to exercise its termination right, imposed a Discretionary Panel Monitor for a one-year period ending October 2, 2027, and required monthly reports of shares outstanding, insider holdings and public float through October 5, 2027.

A 50/50 joint venture between OKX and ICE, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, has filed to launch 24/7 tokenized US stock trading under the SEC's proposed five-year innovation exemption, the first major attempt by anyone to use that exemption. The initial list will have 63 stocks, including Strategy, Apple, Nvidia, Coinbase, Robinhood, Circle and major banks. Trading would run continuously, 24/7 365, through Uniswap liquidity pools on OKX's X layer and in USDC, USDG and USDT pairs, with users holding assets in self-custodial wallets subject to identity verification, AML and KYC. Unlike Robinhood-style representations, the tokens must be backed one for one by an actual share held through a registered broker dealer, and investors would receive dividends and voting rights just like on any stock. Companies have 30 days to object to having their stock tokenized.

Digital Currency Group founder Barry Silbert said a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission initiative to reform accredited investor rules vindicates a prediction he made about tokenization in 2011. Silbert, described as the "King of Crypto," recalled his 2011 interview with the WSJ and concluded that 15 years later Wall Street had effectively capitulated to his long-term prediction about tokenization. He summed up the outcome with the remark, "I Nailed That One Too." The SEC's move to revisit the accredited investor framework is the development that prompted his comments.

Inspire Medical Systems announced that the American Medical Association's CPT Editorial Panel approved new Category I CPT codes for procedures involving a single lead and implantable pulse generator, including the company's recent launch of the Inspire V system. The new codes, effective Jan. 1, 2028, establish a dedicated coding framework for hypoglossal nerve stimulation procedures and are expected to create a clearer, more consistent pathway for coding and reimbursement while reducing administrative burden for hospitals and physicians. The company credited support from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the International Surgical Sleep Society in seeking a permanent coding solution. The codes now enter the Medicare valuation process, with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expected to weigh recommendations from the AMA Relative Value Scale Update Committee; Inspire Medical expects CMS to publish proposed valuations in July 2027 and final valuations in November 2027. Inspire V, a closed-loop implantable device designed to synchronize with patients' natural breathing to help maintain an open airway during sleep, has treated more than 140,000 patients over more than a decade of clinical experience. INSP stock has lost 1.1% since the announcement on Thursday and is down 24.2% year to date, against the industry's 18.4% growth and the S&P 500's 12.3% rise, with a market capitalization of $2.02 billion.

Crypto asset exchange operator BACKSEAT announced on October 5 that it has obtained a SOC 2 Type 1 assurance report, dated the same day, following an independent third-party assessment of the security posture and internal controls of its custody business, which handles the safekeeping and management of crypto assets. According to the company, this is the first such acquisition by a domestic crypto asset exchange operator in Japan, and it described the move as part of preparations for the anticipated lifting of the ban on crypto asset ETFs in Japan. The assessment was based on the Trust Services Criteria, covering five areas: security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. President Keiji Maeda explained that in the United States, Hong Kong, and elsewhere, major operators serving as custodians for ETFs have obtained SOC 2 reports, and said this acquisition marks a milestone in gaining objective third-party evaluation. The company said it has been preparing for the realization of domestic ETFs in anticipation of revisions to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and other laws, and indicated it plans to provide custody services for a crypto asset market platform in which financial institutions and others will participate. Domestic crypto asset ETFs are expected to be permitted in January 2028.

Tempus AI has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for two next-generation AI cardiovascular products, Tempus ECG-MR and Tempus ECG-PH. Tempus ECG-MR analyzes standard 12-lead resting electrocardiograms to detect signs associated with undiagnosed moderate or severe mitral regurgitation, while Tempus ECG-PH is an AI-enabled software device that analyzes standard 12-lead ECG data and provides a binary output for signs associated with pulmonary hypertension. The clearances come as the AI-ECG analysis market is expected to grow from $2.01 billion in 2025 to $2.40 billion in 2026, a compound annual growth rate of 19.3%, according to the Business Research report. Among peers, GE HealthCare's Advanced Imaging Solutions segment, which combines the former Imaging and AVS businesses, generated $3.77 billion in revenues in the second quarter of 2026, up 5.0% organically, with segment EBIT margin rising 90 basis points to 13.9%. iRhythm Holdings, whose platform is supported by more than 3 billion hours of curated ECG data and more than 12 million patient reports, expanded work with Desert Oasis Healthcare and signed two commercial agreements through Luum during the second quarter of 2026. Tempus shares have declined 17.7% over the past year, and the stock currently trades at a forward 12-month price-to-sales ratio of 7.30X versus an industry average of 4.82X.

Critical Metals Corp. shares rose 13% Monday morning after the company said it received formal mining approvals from the Government of Greenland for its Tanbreez Mine, valid through 2050. The Government of Greenland approved the Mining Plan and Closure Plan for the Tanbreez Project, one of the world's largest heavy rare earth deposits, located in Southern Greenland. The approvals, signed by Minister Múte B. Egede on September 29, 2026, establish a framework for approximately 24 years of permitted operations under the company's existing exploitation licence. They cover the extraction of 19 critical elements, including the heavy rare earths terbium, dysprosium and yttrium, as well as the magnet metals neodymium and praseodymium. The remaining step before construction can begin is obtaining activity-specific operating permits under sections 120 and 121 of the Greenland Mineral Activities Act, covering environmental management, marine transport, health and safety, and the export and sale of minerals. The approvals were granted to the company's Greenlandic subsidiary, Tanbreez Mining Greenland A/S, under Exclusive Licence No. 2020-54, which covers mineral exploitation at Killavaat Alannguat, between Narsaq and Qaqortoq in Southwest Greenland.

Abbott announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for updates to its CardioMEMS HF System that, for the first time, let U.S. CardioMEMS patients view their pulmonary artery pressure readings directly on their smartphones through the new CardioGuide HF App. The new capabilities also include Dynamic Treatment Plan, a software feature that lets clinicians set up personalized medication adjustment plans based on changes in a patient's pulmonary artery pressure and send medication adjustment instructions directly to patients through the app. The CardioMEMS HF System, which measures pulmonary artery pressure through an implanted sensor in the pulmonary artery, has been shown to reduce heart failure hospitalizations and mortality risk, and clinicians have used its readings for more than a decade to identify signs of worsening heart failure and guide treatment. Abbott said it plans to make the CardioGuide HF App and Dynamic Treatment Plan available later this year. Katie Spayde, vice president of Abbott's heart failure division, said the new capabilities help patients stay informed, engaged and connected to their care between doctor visits.

Apple has begun rolling out its redesigned Siri AI Beta, a centerpiece of the company's AI strategy under new CEO John Ternus, as it seeks to restore credibility in artificial intelligence after past delays to the Siri overhaul. The company reported $109.4 billion in revenue for its third quarter of fiscal 2026, up 16.4% from Q3 FY25, with diluted earnings per share rising roughly 29% to $2.02 and operating cash flows of $34.4 billion. Apple is also moving into enterprise servers powered by its planned M8 Ultra processors, which have not yet been released and carry a 2029 launch target with designs featuring either two or four M8 Ultra chips. The Siri AI Beta's initial geographic availability remains limited by regulatory hurdles in China and the European Union, where the beta is not accessible to users, and Apple continues to face App Store and digital markets legislation challenges that could reshape its services business. The stock has gained 29.51% over the past 52 weeks versus the S&P 500's 13.93%, giving Apple a $4.92 trillion market capitalization, while hedge fund ownership slipped marginally to 169 funds in the latest quarter from 170, with short interest below 1% and BlackRock the largest institutional stakeholder at 1.16 billion shares, or 7.97% ownership.

DLH Holdings announced on Monday that it has been awarded a task order to design, develop, and pilot a data governance framework for secure access to controlled biomedical research data by the National Institutes of Health. Under the task order, DLH will serve as a technical advisor to harmonize NIH and federal data policies and integrate governance workflows across biomedical data platforms, piloting a data management approach within the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and at least one other NIH Institute or Center, which could serve as a roadmap for NIH-wide adoption. The company said it will incorporate security, privacy, data rights, and artificial intelligence governance requirements where applicable and collect performance metrics related to usability, compliance, interoperability, and stakeholder satisfaction. DLH said the task order represents new work and carries a total value of $2 million over an eighteen-month period of performance.

Kentucky Power has finalized an amended agreement that would double its contracted electric demand with TeraWulf Inc. to 1 gigawatt at the Muskie Data campus in Grayson, Kentucky, up from 500 megawatts. If approved by the Kentucky Public Service Commission, the deal is expected to provide $100 million in winter bill credits funded by TeraWulf for Kentucky Power's residential customers over the first 10 years of the contract, amounting to roughly $25 per month during the winter heating season for a typical residential customer, with credits beginning in 2029. The agreement also advances planned delivery of the second 500-megawatt phase from 2030 to 2029, subject to Commission approval and Kentucky Power's construction schedule. TeraWulf has agreed to pay all applicable service charges plus the estimated financing costs of Kentucky Power's planned 760-megawatt combined-cycle generation facility at Big Sandy, so that costs of serving the added demand are not shifted to existing customers. Kentucky Power, an operating company in the American Electric Power system serving about 163,000 customers in 20 eastern Kentucky counties, plans to file the amended contract and seek related regulatory approvals later this year.

Teledyne Imaging Sensors announced it has delivered more than 1.3 billion infrared detector pixels in support of the U.S. Space Force and Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, and has been selected to provide infrared focal plane technology for both Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 awards. The pixel deliveries support SDA Tracking Layer programs for missile warning and missile tracking missions. To date, Teledyne has delivered more than 170 infrared focal planes for the SDA Tracking Layer and is under contract to provide more than 115 additional focal planes. The AMDT3 awards, announced by SDA in July 2026, will add more than 30 additional missile warning, missile tracking, and missile defense satellites to the Tracking Layer in direct support of the Golden Dome for America initiative. Teledyne has also advanced its large-format focal plane arrays to formats as large as 6K × 6K and 8K × 8K pixels.

PROEN Corp, or PROEN, has received an investment promotion card from the Board of Investment, or BOI, for its Cloud Service business, granting an exemption from corporate income tax on net profits from the promoted business for up to 8 years, with the total exempted tax amount not exceeding 100% of the investment, excluding land costs and working capital, along with import duty benefits on machinery under specified conditions. Chief Executive Officer Kittiphun Sribua-iam disclosed that this BOI privilege extends the company's digital infrastructure business and opens the opportunity to generate increased revenue from Cloud services in the future. The promotion card requires the project to have an investment of no less than 282.86 million baht, excluding land costs and working capital, and to commence operations within 36 months from the date the promotion card is issued. The project scope covers Cloud Service offerings including Infrastructure as a Service, or IaaS, and Platform as a Service, or PaaS, along with conditions regarding the Data Center, connectivity systems, and standards for security and service provision. The company also plans to organize training to develop knowledge and skills in using Cloud Service continuously every quarter for a period of 3 years from the date the promotion card is received. The Cloud business is expected to help create a new revenue base and support the recovery of operating results in the period ahead.

Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said that Thai Airways International's inbound and outbound flights have been operating at 100% of normal capacity since Saturday, October 3, 2026, with no flight reductions. Cargo remaining at warehouses is down to just 3-4%, and roughly 400 pieces of baggage remain unclaimed, with staff contacting their owners. Airports of Thailand, or AOT, has given Thai Airways its full cooperation and assistance. For the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings 2026, which Thailand will host from October 12-18, 2026, with more than 15,000 participants from 191 countries, the Prime Minister has instructed the Transport Ministry to prepare from the airports onward, especially to ensure baggage handling does not create another backlog. AOT and Thai Airways have already coordinated their plans, and the war room continues to work together at all times. On transport in Bangkok, the Cabinet agreed that government agencies in the Bangkok area will work off-site on October 12, 14 and 15, 2026, while Friday, October 16, 2026, has been declared a special public holiday for government agencies in Bangkok only, to ease traffic problems. Meanwhile, the Transport Ministry, the Department of Highways, the Department of Rural Roads and the Expressway Authority of Thailand will survey cars parked on roads or bridges in flooded areas to coordinate with their owners to move them, and will prepare equipment and high-clearance vehicles together with the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Interior Ministry, and will seek cooperation from the armed forces. Ms. Pavina Jariyathitipong, Chief Executive Officer of AOT, said that on October 8, 2026, AOT will sign a contract with Airport Ground Services Thailand, or AOTGA, as the third operator of cargo warehouses, apron and ground equipment services, ground passenger services and other related businesses at Suvarnabhumi Airport, with a total value of more than 67 billion baht. Services are expected to begin in early 2027, while the cargo warehouse will be built as quickly as possible, taking about 18 months. Having a third operator follows a Cabinet resolution requiring one once passenger numbers exceed 45 million a year, and Suvarnabhumi currently handles more than 60 million passengers a year. AOTGA's contract also sets service performance measured through key performance indicators, along with penalties if the targets are not met, up to and including termination of the contract. These penalty conditions will also be added to the new tender for the second operator. Only Thai Airways' contract remains, with KPIs but no penalties. As for the 25-year contract term, Ms. Pavina said these projects require high investment and appropriate service fee controls, so it takes time to break even, and the appropriate period was calculated at 25 years. AOT is proceeding under the Public-Private Partnership Act of 2019. Having a third operator will ease the burden and give airlines more choices, since previously there were only two, leaving Thai Airways with no alternatives and insufficient capacity, which was one cause of flight delays.

AnyPay Co., Ltd., a fintech provider of electronic payment acceptance systems, has been certified under the ISO/IEC 29110-4-1:2018 standard. Santhawat Sinacharoen, Chairman of the Executive Board, stated that this marks another important step in elevating the organization's work processes and capabilities, particularly in the Payment Technology business, which must prioritize quality, accuracy, stability, and reliability of systems at every stage of service delivery. He noted that the standard is not merely a quality certification mark, but a guideline that helps establish a clear software development framework, covering planning, development, testing, management, and software delivery, while supporting systematic control and monitoring of work processes at each stage. Because the systems involve financial transactions and user data, adopting a software development process standard helps strengthen internal processes and supports building confidence among customers and business partners. Santhawat added that the company continues to develop its organizational standards continuously, alongside technology and security standards, in preparation for business expansion and to meet the demand for digital payments, which tends to grow steadily.

The Air Cargo Subcommittee, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn to discuss ways to improve the efficiency of air cargo management, after Thailand's air cargo volumes continued to grow and caused congestion at some stages of the shipping process. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, or CAAT, the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning, and Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited, or AOT, joined the discussion on 5 October 2026. For urgent measures, the Board of Trade of Thailand proposed bringing in explosive detection dogs, or EDD, to support the cargo screening process in order to increase capacity to handle rising cargo volumes while maintaining aviation safety standards. For long-term measures, it proposed developing a security system for air cargo in line with international standards by promoting Known Consignor, or KC, and Regulated Agent, or RA, systems so that cargo inspection and security begin at the point of origin, helping reduce the burden and congestion at downstream stages. It also proposed setting up a joint working group among the relevant agencies to monitor and drive the various measures so they produce concrete practical results. CAAT and AOT explained that they are currently preparing to bring explosive detection dogs into use to support cargo screening, and that in the first phase they may seek support from AOT first, while discussing with relevant agencies how to increase the number of dogs to meet future demand. AOT, meanwhile, is developing an air cargo management system and will coordinate closely with the Thai Chamber of Commerce. The Minister of Transport has assigned the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport to chair the working group in order to monitor and drive joint operations continuously, aiming to fix the system's limitations in the urgent term alongside laying out a long-term system to support the growth of air cargo and concretely raise the efficiency of Thailand's air cargo transport system.

Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat and chairman of Bitmine, said in an interview with Coinage that Ethereum will set a new all-time high and surge above $5,000 before the end of this year, and he sees the potential for it to reach $60,000 within the next few years, citing past price cycles in which it climbed from below $100 at the end of 2018 to nearly $4,900 in 2021. Lee noted that Ethereum has risen about 80% from its June low near $1,500 to around $2,700 by the end of September, even as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25% on September 16, bringing the target range to 3.75%-4% by a 12-0 vote. On the institutional side, money has flowed in through spot Ether ETFs in the United States, with September 22 recording net inflows of $162.2 million, the third consecutive day of positive flows, as BlackRock's Ethereum fund took in $88.1 million and Fidelity's fund added $33.6 million. Lee also pointed to Robinhood's decision to build Robinhood Chain on Ethereum, which attracted as much as $2.1 billion in tokenized assets in its first two months, with $1.5 billion deposited into applications running on the network. At the same time, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued an innovation exemption on September 17 that allows certain tokenized versions of US-listed shares to trade on blockchain networks, after the draft Clarity Act failed to advance in the Senate by a vote of 49-50.