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  • Zcash holders back 25-second blocks, vote to keep ZEC halving schedule
    by Zoltan Vardai on September 16, 2026 at 11:46 am

    Nearly 99% of ZEC holders voted to reduce block times to 25 seconds, while keeping ZEC issuance and halving schedules unchanged.Zcash token holders backed cutting the network’s target block time to 25 seconds from 75 seconds and preserving its existing halving schedule in a poll on the next major upgrade.The faster-block proposal received 99.9% of the Zcash (ZEC)-weighted vote, while 98.9% supported keeping halvings, according to results published Monday. Voting power reflected eligible ZEC holdings, with both percentages including abstentions.The shorter interval would reduce the expected wait for a transaction’s first confirmation, according to the proposal. The amount of new ZEC issued per block would fall to keep scheduled daily issuance unchanged.Read more

  • Circle launches Arc mainnet with USDC as native gas token
    by Helen Partz on September 16, 2026 at 11:39 am

    Circle’s Arc mainnet is live with USDC for transaction fees, support for more than 20 fiat stablecoins and links to over 20 blockchains.USDC issuer Circle has launched the mainnet of Arc, a layer-1 (L1) blockchain targeting stablecoin payments and financial markets, particularly agentic transactions.Arc uses USDC as its native gas asset and offers Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility and deterministic sub-second settlement finality, according to an Arc blog post on Wednesday.The network supports more than 20 fiat stablecoins, including USDC, EURC, JPYC, KRW1 and TRYB, while tokenized assets including BlackRock’s BUIDL and Circle’s USYC are available natively on Arc. Arc also offers interoperability with more than 20 blockchains through Circle’s Cross-Chain Transfer Protocol (CCTP) and Gateway.Read more

  • Deutsche Bank awaits regulatory nod to launch institutional crypto custody solutions
    by Zoltan Vardai on September 16, 2026 at 10:33 am

    Germany’s largest bank is awaiting regulatory approval to launch institutional custody solutions for Bitcoin, Ether and select stablecoins before expanding into tokenized assets.Germany’s largest bank, Deutsche Bank, is awaiting regulatory approval to launch digital asset custody solutions for institutional clients and corporations in Europe. Deutsche Bank plans to go live with the offering for its first clients this year, subject to completion of the applicable regulatory timeline, the bank announced on Wednesday.The bank plans to offer initial support for Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and select stablecoins, including Circle USDC (USDC), EURC (EURC) and AllUnity EUR (EURAU). It also plans to include support for tokenized financial instruments at a later point.Read more

  • Ethiopia cuts Bitcoin miners’ power by 77% amid hydropower shortage: Report
    by Ezra Reguerra on September 16, 2026 at 10:11 am

    Bitcoin miners generated 35% of the state-owned power producer’s revenue last year, but declining reservoir inflows led the utility to prioritize households and manufacturers.Ethiopia has reportedly reduced electricity delivered to Bitcoin miners to 23% of contracted levels as lower water inflows strain the country’s hydroelectric reservoirs.On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that El Niño intensified dry conditions in the east African country, reducing water inflows into its reservoirs by 20%. Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) CEO Ashebir Balcha said the company cut power to miners to prioritize households and manufacturers.Balcha said EEP initially reduced deliveries to 75% of contracted levels, easing to 50% and then 23%. The company will reassess conditions in October and could impose further reductions or even restrict electricity exports to neighboring countries, according to the report.Read more

  • Italy investigates government email breach linked to Revolut data leak
    by Helen Partz on September 16, 2026 at 9:58 am

    Italy is probing the Revolut-linked breach after its cyber agency reported more than 650 cases involving abused or illicit certified email accounts.Italian authorities are investigating a government email breach linked to the leak of Revolut customer data after hackers allegedly used the compromised account to obtain sensitive customer information.Polizia Postale, Italy’s cybercrime police, is investigating the incident for alleged unauthorized access to a computer system and computer fraud, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Tuesday.Some Italian media reports identified the compromised account as belonging to the Prefecture of Reggio Calabria. The agency later denied sending requests to Revolut, according to ANSA.Read more