World Money expands self-custodial finance as Zcash moves NU7 forward and BOJ hikes to 1.25%; BTC price is near $76.5K as sentiment returns to Greed. The crypto market rebounded from the previous session's volatility. BTC is currently trading near $76.5K and has gained about 0.5% over the past 24 hours. ETH is trading near $2,458 with a 24-hour gain of around 1.3%. Market sentiment also improved as the Fear and Greed Index rose to 56 and returned to the Greed zone. The index stood at 50 yesterday in Neutral territory. Fund flows showed a clear divergence. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded about USD 159 million in total net inflows yesterday. IBIT alone attracted around USD 184 million in net inflows, partially offsetting outflows from other funds. In contrast, spot Ether ETFs recorded USD 39.2445 million in net outflows and have now seen withdrawals for three consecutive trading sessions. This points to a continued difference in institutional fund flows between BTC and ETH. Glassnode data showed that publicly listed companies worldwide added only about 5,900 BTC over the past three months. This was well below the roughly 89,000 BTC added in July 2025 alone. In the derivatives market, Coinglass data showed that a drop below $72,951 could expose about USD 1.501 billion in cumulative BTC long liquidation intensity across major CEXs. A move above $80,127 would correspond to around USD 1.41 billion in cumulative short liquidation intensity. For ETH, the key liquidation zones are below $2,320 and above $2,560. These levels correspond to roughly USD 949 million in long liquidation intensity and USD 710 million in short liquidation. These figures reflect the concentration of leveraged positions that could be affected if specific price levels are reached. They do not represent liquidations that have already occurred. On the macro side, the Federal Reserve delivered its first rate hike since 2023 this week. The Bank of Japan also raised its policy rate by 25 basis points. Major markets are continuing to adjust to changes in the global interest rate environment. Overall, both BTC and ETH have stabilized from the previous trading session. However, ETF flows, corporate holdings, and leveraged positioning continue to move in different directions. The broader market structure has yet to show a fully aligned capital flow signal.

Source: Alternative

Key News Highlights:

World Launches World Money, Expanding Self-Custodial Financial App to Over 150 Countries

World has officially launched World Money, a self-custodial financial app rolling out initially across more than 150 countries. Available features will vary by location. World Money brings digital asset wallets, stablecoin payments, asset rewards, and trading into a single app. Its self-custodial model allows users to remain in control of their assets. Users can send supported digital assets to other people through their World usernames. Supported assets include selected stablecoins, and users do not need to enter a traditional wallet address for each transfer. World has also partnered with Stripe. In the initial rollout, U.S. users can fund their accounts with Apple Pay and purchase stablecoins. The launch also marks a further separation of the identity and financial services previously housed within a single World app. World ID App will focus on identity verification and credentials. World Money will handle wallets, payments, and other financial services. Existing World App and World ID App users can sign in to World Money with their current accounts without creating a separate account. Since launching an app that combined World ID, a crypto wallet, and stablecoin transfers in 2023, World has continued to add third-party apps, asset management tools, and banking-related services. The launch of World Money brings these financial functions together within a dedicated product.

Zcash Targets November for NU7 Mainnet Upgrade With 25-Second Blocks

Zcash developers are targeting November 5 for the NU7 mainnet upgrade. Participating organizations and engineering teams have reached agreement on the upgrade's content and preliminary timeline. NU7 is scheduled to activate on the testnet on October 6. This will allow developers to evaluate how the new version performs under live network conditions. The team plans to review the testnet results on October 20 before making a final decision on the mainnet activation and block height. November 5 therefore remains a target date rather than a finalized activation date. One of the main changes in NU7 is a reduction in Zcash's target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. This would increase the rate of block production to roughly three times the current pace. The amount of new ZEC issued per block will be adjusted accordingly to preserve the existing daily issuance rate and halving schedule. The upgrade also plans to disable Version 4 transactions and introduce the Network Sustainability Mechanism. The selected NSM configuration will preserve Zcash's current halving schedule. ZEC that was previously removed from supply is expected to begin returning through block rewards in February 2031. NU7 will not introduce new transaction formats, so the upgrade is not expected to require major changes for standard wallets. Full nodes, indexers, and block explorers may still need updates to support the shorter block interval and protocol changes. In an earlier vote, 99.9% of ZEC-weighted votes supported reducing the block interval to 25 seconds. Another 98.9% supported keeping the existing halving schedule. These results became important references for the final NU7 design.

Bitcoin ETFs Record USD 159 Million in Net Inflows as Ether ETFs Post Third Straight Day of Outflows

The latest U.S. spot crypto ETF flow data showed continued divergence across asset categories. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded about USD 159 million in net inflows yesterday. Most of the new capital went into IBIT, which posted around USD 184 million in net inflows for the session. FBTC recorded approximately USD 16.6386 million in net outflows. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs now hold about USD 96.247 billion in total net assets and have accumulated roughly USD 54.728 billion in historical net inflows. Spot Ether ETFs recorded USD 39.2445 million in net outflows over the same period. This marked their third consecutive trading session of overall withdrawals. ETHA posted about USD 42.8629 million in net outflows. FETH and ETHV recorded net inflows of approximately USD 1.8291 million and USD 1.7893 million. Spot Ether ETFs currently hold around USD 15.416 billion in total net assets and have accumulated about USD 13.106 billion in historical net inflows. XRP-related funds also saw around USD 5 million in outflows during the session, reversing a small inflow from the previous day. Meanwhile, the U.S. Zcash fund attracted close to USD 47 million in net inflows. This marked one of its stronger daily increases so far this month. In the spot market, BTC briefly moved back above $77K while ETH recovered to around $2,470. Most major crypto assets also posted gains during the session. ETF flows and spot prices therefore moved at different speeds. Bitcoin funds returned to net inflows, while Ether funds continued to see withdrawals even as the ETH price recovered.

Bank of Japan Raises Rate by 25 Basis Points to 1.25% as Bitcoin Briefly Reaches $77.4K

The Bank of Japan raised its benchmark policy rate by 25 basis points to 1.25%. The decision was broadly in line with market expectations and brought Japan's policy rate to its highest level in about 31 years. The BOJ said the move reflected risks that inflation could remain above its 2% target. Higher import costs and energy prices were among the factors under consideration. This was the central bank's second rate hike in three months and marked another step away from the ultra-low-rate environment Japan maintained for years. The yen did not strengthen after the decision. USD/JPY instead rose from around 156.20 to 156.70, indicating further weakness in the Japanese currency against the U.S. dollar. BTC/JPY gained about 0.5% over the same period and briefly reached around JPY 12.06 million. In U.S. dollar terms, BTC recovered from an overnight low near $76.2K and briefly climbed to around $77.4K. Japan's long period of near-zero interest rates made the yen a widely used funding currency for carry trades. Market participants have often borrowed yen at relatively low costs and allocated the capital to higher-yielding assets. As the BOJ gradually raises rates, changes in yen funding costs and global yield spreads remain under close attention across financial markets. Even after the latest increase, Japanese policy rates remain well below U.S. levels. The Federal Reserve raised rates this week and brought the federal funds target range to 3.75%-4.00%. Following the BOJ decision, the yen, bonds, BTC, and other global assets adjusted as markets continued to digest the recent series of policy changes by major central banks.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this section is for informational purposes only and doesn't represent any investment advice or FameEX's official view.