Today’s crypto headlines were dominated by growing institutional and payments use of stablecoins and tokenised assets across Asia and the West, while a hardware-wallet maker disclosed a customer data breach and Israel’s prime minister outlined a strategic role for blockchain amid sanctions talk.
Keystone discloses customer data breach
Hardware wallet manufacturer Keystone announced on October 24, 2026 that third parties had gained access to customer names, contact details, addresses and order information. The company said it closed the security gap after an audit with Shopify confirmed the exposure on October 23, and it is notifying affected customers. Keystone did not disclose how many people were impacted. Researcher Taylor Monahan highlighted the potential for follow-on physical attacks when personal contact information is exposed. Notifications were sent to customers who purchased more than two years ago, a discrepancy with Keystone’s 2023 statement that it retains customer data for only 180 days.
Netanyahu frames blockchain as a strategic tool
On October 23, 2026 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country is exploring blockchain and cryptocurrencies as a means to circumvent potential banking sanctions, calling blockchain a national strategic tool. His remarks came after twelve Western nations announced sanctions on products from settlements in the West Bank and ahead of Israel’s elections scheduled for October 27. The Bank of Israel responded that cryptocurrencies cannot be used to bypass sanctions, and opponents of Netanyahu criticised his statements.
Stablecoin payments continue to grow
Reports this month show rising stablecoin activity in payments. Allium reported on October 18 that stablecoin payments reached $482 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 45% year-to-date, while total stablecoin supply remained roughly $305 billion, only 0.4% above the start of the year. A Coinbase and The Block Pro Research report dated October 20 estimated over $400 million per hour of stablecoin transactions during the third quarter, with about 73% of that volume occurring outside U.S. banking hours. Major payment firms including Mastercard, Visa and Stripe have also announced services that integrate stablecoins with traditional payment systems. (A stablecoin is a cryptocurrency designed to maintain a stable value, commonly by pegging to fiat currencies.)
BLOOM expands with regional central banks and industry players
On October 23, 2026 the Monetary Authority of Singapore confirmed that the central banks of Malaysia and Thailand joined the BLOOM initiative, which focuses on cross-border payments using regulated stablecoins and tokenised deposits. Participants named by MAS include Ripple, Visa, Mastercard, Circle, Coinbase, JPMorgan and the World Bank. The project is emphasising interoperability and identity and sanctions screening; Ripple is reportedly testing payments using RLUSD on the XRP Ledger. Tokenisation refers to representing assets, such as deposits or fund shares, digitally on a blockchain to facilitate faster, programmable transfers.
Franklin Templeton adds tokenised fund shares to XRP Ledger
On October 22, 2026 asset manager Franklin Templeton added shares of its tokenised money market fund, valued at about $150 million, to the XRP Ledger. The firm now holds nearly 193 million “sgBENJI” shares on the ledger, worth approximately $200 million in total. Those tokens are held in a single wallet that shares signatories with Franklin’s issuance account; Franklin Templeton can approve, freeze or recover the tokens. It is not clear from the firm’s disclosure whether the holdings represent one or multiple investors.
What these developments add up to
Taken together, the items highlight two parallel trends: greater adoption of stablecoins and tokenised financial products by payment networks, banks and asset managers, and continued attention to operational and security risks. The BLOOM expansion and Franklin Templeton’s move onto the XRP Ledger show institutional experimentation with tokenisation and regulated stablecoins, while the Keystone breach and political debate in Israel underscore privacy, custodial and geopolitical considerations that accompany crypto’s broader use.
Note: names or references in the episode may contain errors; this article summarises the programme’s reporting for informational purposes and is not investment advice.