State hackers drive 420% surge in onchain malware, Chainalysis finds

North Korean and Iran linked hackers were responsible for the majority of the 420% increase this year in malware on public blockchains according to a Chainalysis report. 

State-linked hackers accounted for roughly two-thirds of new activity whereby attackers stored malware instructions or infrastructure information on public blockchains.

Chainalysis also identified UNC5342, a North Korea linked group, to previously unattributed activity spanning Tron, Aptos and BNB Smart Chain.

Chainalysis said using public blockchains increases the durability of malware campaigns because the stored information remains accessible after domains, servers or code repositories are taken down. In 2025, North Korean hackers used a similar technique called EtherHiding to place crypto-stealing code in smart contracts.

North Korea using foreign talent to help infiltrate US companies: Report

North Korea (DPRK) is now using remote workers from third countries, including Iran and Lebanon, to pass job interviews, after which the positions are taken over by North Korean operatives. The aim is infiltrate US companies and obtain money to fund its weapons programs, NBC reported.

KOREA

Polymarket users referred to prosecutors in South Korea: Report

South Korean police have referred 18 Polymarket users to prosecutors in an illegal gambling investigation that had identified 26 users in total by analyzing publicly available blockchain data.

The users had collectively wagered about 17.6 billion won (worth $12.7 million) on Polymarket, which does not collect users real names or verify identities.  

Authorities said that Polymarket transactions constitute illegal gambling under South Korea’s Criminal Act because users stake assets on outcomes that cannot be predicted with certainty. 

HONG KONG

Metaplanet cuts Series 10 stock pool by 41%, plans Hong Kong subsidiary

After last week’s controversy over a plan to hand over as much as 20% of its fully diluted shares to executives, Metaplanet has now slashed the Series 10 stock pool.

Metaplanet will reduce the number of potential shares underlying the rights from 319.464 million to 188.19 million, and reset the conversion ratio to the level it was before its September 2025 international share offering.

The change will extinguish more than $220 million in warrant value and increase the company’s Bitcoin per fully diluted share by about 8.8%, according to Metaplanet.

CLARITY act failure is an opportunity for Hong Kong to seize ‘critical strategic window’

The South China Morning Post says crypto industry insiders are urging Hong Kong policymakers to seize the opportunity opened up by the failure of the CLARITY vote in the US.

The delay has given Hong Kong a “critical strategic window” said Allen Ding, director of Bitfire Research. Shawn Yan, founder of Cregis Technology said the city should focus on “building infrastructure that can operate across regulatory boundaries, rather than waiting for any single jurisdiction to define the market for everyone.”

CoinEx to cease operation after 9 years

The Hong Kong founded exchange said falling trading volumes and liquidity during the bear market, along with rising regulatory and compliance costs, was responsible for the decision to shutter the business. Withdrawals remain open until Dec. 22.

INDIA

India launches tokenized bond pilot with $107M issued

India’s securities regulator and central bank have launched a tokenized corporate bond pilot, with three companies issuing a combined 10.25 billion rupees (about $107 million) through the new market infrastructure. 

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said Demat 2.0 allows corporate bonds to be issued and held as digital tokens on a distributed ledger owned by the country’s statutory depositories. The system connects to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) wholesale central bank digital currency (CBDC) through its Unified Market Interface. 

Parliamentary committee wraps year long crypto review

India’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has completed its hearings on cryptocurrency policy. The government will respond next week before the committee prepares and submits its report.

India’s Enforcement Directorate to beef up crypto investigations

India’s Enforcement Directorate aims to finalize economic crime investigations within 18 months and is beefing up its ability to track crimes involving cryptocurrencies.

VIETNAM

Bitcoin Suisse becomes Bitcoin Vietnam?

Bitcoin Suisse plans to shift up to half of its Swiss jobs to Bratislava and Vietnam.

Founded in Zug in 2013, the company provides crypto trading, custody, staking and lending services. It will establish a new center in Vietnam to look after many of the back office and administrative roles.

Vietnam develops new crypto-asset monitoring mechanisms 

Vietnamese regulators are building a supervisory mechanism covering crypto asset service providers and investor transactions. It draws upon recommendations from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Binance signs MOU to help develop Vietnam finance center

Binance, the world’s largest exchange, has signed an agreement to help develop the Vietnam International Finance Center in Ho Chi Minh City.

SINGAPORE

Singapore Exchange gets nod for US perps

Singapore Exchange has become the first major Asian TradFi exchange to get approval from the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to provide Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures to US institutions.

Singapore’s High Court offers guidance for valuing crypto assets

A recent decision has provided a precedent for valuing crypto assets in claims that departs from the usual breach-date damage assessment principles according to law firm Reed Smith. “The court is unlikely to allow claimants to delay mitigation for years and then seek damages at a higher present-day market price,” it noted.

Six Malaysians jailed for crypto poker robbery

Six Malaysian men were sentenced in Singapore to hefty sentences up to 12 years and 11 months —plus 24 strokes of the cane — over a 2024 armed robbery involving crypto, cash, and luxury items.

THAILAND

Thailand SEC proposes 5 million baht daily stablecoin transfer cap

Thailand’s SEC has proposed new stablecoin regulations that would prohibit users from transferring more than 5 million baht per day, worth around $151,000.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia is one of the more crypto friendly Islamic nations

According to Fitch Ratings Malaysia is one of the most crypto curious Muslim majority nations, with the local Securities Commission declaring Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Stellar sharia-compliant.

After a week of intense momentum, the U.S. Senate failed to advance the proposed CLARITY Act, a major market-structure bill aimed at bringing clearer rules to digital-asset activity. The setback came via a failed cloture vote—49-50—leaving supporters scrambling to preserve any remaining path forward in a Congress that is steadily running out of time.

Even as the bill appears “walking wounded” rather than formally dead, the procedural route opened by a key Republican senator raises questions about how much can realistically be renegotiated before the legislative calendar tightens. Crypto policy watchers are now focused on whether CLARITY can still assemble the 60 votes needed in the Senate, and what changes would be required to win broader backing—particularly on the ethics provisions tied to President Donald Trump.

Key takeaways

• The CLARITY Act lost the Senate cloture vote 49-50, meaning it did not reach the 60-vote threshold required to move toward a final vote.
• Sen. Thom Tillis switched his vote from yes to no on procedural grounds, filing a motion to reconsider that could reopen debate during the current session.
• Supporters face a tight timeline: the Senate is scheduled to leave for recess on October 2, and there are limited legislative days remaining after the midterms.
• The votes that supported advancing CLARITY came entirely from Republicans, while Democrats split, even as several Democratic senators say they remain committed to passing the bill.
• Even if CLARITY stalls in Congress, industry representatives argue U.S. regulators can still move on guidance, rulemaking, and exemptions under existing authorities.

Tillis’s procedural move keeps one door open

CLARITY’s immediate problem was procedural. A cloture vote—used to end debate and allow a bill to move toward a final vote—fell short. According to earlier reporting linked in the article, the failed advance effectively jammed CLARITY into a Senate-shaped hurdle.

But the week didn’t end with a clear “no” that closes the book. Sen. Thom Tillis changed his vote at the last minute from yes to no, then used parliamentary strategy to file a motion to reconsider. The stated purpose, as described by the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) director of U.S. federal affairs Ryan Eagan, is to preserve an opportunity to revisit the cloture vote during the session.

“Senator Tillis’s motion to reconsider would provide an opportunity to revisit CLARITY’s cloture vote at any point this session. Specific timing regarding next steps is not clear, but that desire to preserve that opportunity is in part due to the progress made over the past week.”

Still, preserving an option is not the same as solving the underlying vote math. The same dynamics that drove Democrats and Republicans into a late-stage impasse remain, particularly around the ethics provisions in the bill.

The calendar may decide the bill more than the arguments

Beyond politics, the Senate’s schedule is now a central constraint. The article notes that the Senate plans to head to recess on October 2 before returning after the midterm elections, while the House has already recessed for the election period. That combination makes it harder to coordinate movement through both chambers before the year ends.

Rep. Shri Thanedar, a Democrat who supported CLARITY when it passed through the House in July 2025, described the timing as a “major barrier.” In the article, he cites that there are only 20 legislative days left in the current Congress—all after the midterms—making a 2026 compromise “very low” from his perspective.

The article also points to a prior example from stablecoin legislation: the GENIUS bill missed cloture by a narrow margin in May 2025 before clearing a second cloture vote 66-32 just days later, and eventually passed the Senate the following month. However, the analogy may be imperfect. The same reporting includes Kyle Chassé, founder of MV Global, arguing that the difference this time is not the procedural mechanics but the lack of a ready-to-go deal and the potential for the process to reset under a different political landscape.

As lawmakers shift toward election-adjacent negotiations and reduced legislative bandwidth, the question becomes whether CLARITY can be brought back with enough changes to satisfy swing points without triggering a fresh cycle of opposition.

Ethics provisions are the fault line; Democrats still signal interest

One reason CLARITY’s path looks complicated is that the coalition that supported cloture was narrowly partisan. The article states that none of the 49 votes came from Democrats. Chassé is quoted saying that “every one of the 49 was a Republican” and that “zero Democrats voted to even open debate.”

Yet the story does not end with Democratic disengagement. The article references a statement from seven Democratic senators—who voted against advancing the bill—saying they “remain committed” to enacting CLARITY. Among them is Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, who supported moving the bill out of the Banking Committee earlier in the process and, according to the article, later voted no on cloture while still emphasizing the need to regulate digital assets.

Alsobrooks is quoted saying lawmakers were “ready to strike a deal” close to the vote, but that Republican leadership shut down negotiations at the last minute once it became clear a successful cloture outcome was likely. The quote underscores a key dynamic: CLARITY’s supporters and opponents may agree on regulatory direction, but not on how the package handles ethics.

Tillis, meanwhile, is described in the article as wanting to “convince the Democrats to get on board” and applying pressure so Democrats feel ownership of the outcome. His comments in the piece link the procedural switch to his view that the market needs guardrails.

If CLARITY must be rewritten, what could stay?

For CCI’s Ryan Eagan, the negotiating challenge has moved beyond technical drafting into something more politically sensitive. Chassé is quoted asserting that the failed cloture became “a referendum on the President’s crypto holdings” and that “the text as written can’t survive that.”

Before Tuesday’s vote, Republicans requested a large number of changes—described in the article as 126 substantive alterations—responding to Democratic demands. Those adjustments included tighter restrictions intended to prevent public officials from profiting from crypto ventures, and involving state attorneys general in enforcing parts of the ethics framework.

Still, Thanedar argues Democrats want additional limitations specifically on the President’s ability to use office for personal gain, pointing to reported crypto income in annual financial disclosures. The article cites Reuters coverage about Trump reporting at least $1.4 billion in crypto-related earnings for 2025.

Importantly, Chassé suggests lawmakers and industry participants should not treat ethics alone as the decisive hurdle. He points to stablecoin rewards, arguing for “some kind of cap or circuit breaker on yield” as a potential tradeoff needed to win support from “bank-side senators and a chunk of Democrats,” alongside tighter language on illicit finance and enforcement at the state level.

At the same time, the article says crypto stakeholders view certain protections as non-negotiable. Chassé highlights reluctance to give up self-custody and developer protections, which have been defended throughout negotiations during discussions over how far the bill should shield non-custodial developers from financial and anti-money-laundering obligations.

That mix—ethics and yield-linked mechanics on one side, custody and developer protections on the other—may determine whether CLARITY can regain momentum without collapsing into a wholesale rebuild.

Regulators can keep moving even if Congress stalls

Even with CLARITY stuck, industry voices in the article argue that the U.S. regulatory process does not need to wait for new legislation. Eagan says the SEC and CFTC have already shown an intention to reduce uncertainty through guidance, rulemaking, no-action relief, and exemptions.

The article also notes that implementation work related to stablecoin policy continues outside the CLARITY track—citing ongoing activity at Treasury and banking regulators for the GENIUS Act after its progress in Congress.

Michael Saylor is quoted in the article emphasizing that “Progress need not wait for Congress,” suggesting that existing legal authorities can still produce regulatory movement. That point is likely to resonate with market participants who have grown accustomed to a patchwork approach: agencies can advance piecemeal, but statutory clarity typically takes longer and is harder to unwind once passed.

In practical terms, traders and builders may continue to plan around agency actions and enforcement posture while waiting to see whether CLARITY can return to the Senate floor with enough votes.

For now, the critical watch items are straightforward: whether the motion to reconsider leads to a renewed cloture attempt, what amendments (if any) are deemed sufficient to bring Democrats into the coalition, and whether legislative timing allows a final push before the next session dynamics take over.

WisdomTree and MoonPay have announced a partnership aimed at widening U.S. investor access to a tokenized money market mutual fund tied to U.S. Treasuries. The companies say MoonPay will provide technology that helps power a distribution and access layer for WisdomTree’s tokenized product, the WisdomTree Treasury Money Market Digital Fund (WTGXX).

According to the Thursday announcement, the tokenized fund is designed to maintain a $1 share price, and the issuer will use MoonPay’s infrastructure to connect to a broader user base. The firms also disclosed that MoonPay plans to incorporate WTGXX into its stablecoin reserve management workflow.

Key takeaways

• WisdomTree says MoonPay will supply technology that forms an access point for WTGXX, a tokenized U.S. Treasury money market fund.
• The fund targets a $1 per-share price; the issuer plans to leverage MoonPay’s network of more than 35 million accounts.
• MoonPay intends to use WTGXX as part of its stablecoin reserve management stack.
• RWA.xyz data cited by the companies places tokenized U.S. Treasury market value at about $15.4 billion, with WTGXX representing about $1.23 billion.
• WTGXX saw net token flows of $466 million over the past 30 days, based on the difference between tokens minted and burned.

How MoonPay’s infrastructure plugs into WTGXX

The partnership centers on distribution infrastructure rather than on changing the fund’s core strategy. WisdomTree’s WTGXX is a tokenized money market mutual fund that aims to keep its value stable at $1 per share. Under the deal, the issuer plans to use MoonPay’s technology to build an access point that can route eligible participants into the tokenized fund.

The companies say this access layer is expected to give WisdomTree reach into MoonPay’s broader network, described as spanning more than 35 million accounts. For investors, that matters less for the “tokenization” branding and more for the practical question of whether they can actually reach and transact in these products efficiently. Expanding access points has often been a gating factor for real-world assets (RWAs), where compliance and onboarding complexity can slow distribution.

WTGXX as a stablecoin reserve tool

MoonPay’s involvement is not limited to retail-style access. The company also said it plans to use WTGXX as part of its stablecoin reserve management stack. MoonPay is a financial technology firm that provides infrastructure for moving between fiat and digital assets, and it issues dollar-denominated stablecoins backed by U.S. dollars and other high-quality liquid assets held in segregated accounts.

In the announcement, MoonPay pointed to its earlier buildout of an enterprise stablecoin business, which it says it launched in November 2025. The stated reserve architecture—assets held in segregated accounts—highlights one of the recurring themes in stablecoin infrastructure: reserve management needs can be as operational and regulatory-heavy as they are technical. Using a tokenized Treasury-linked money market product could, in theory, align reserve workflows with on-chain settlement and compliance-friendly custody structures, though the announcement does not detail the mechanics beyond saying WTGXX will be part of MoonPay’s stack.

For market participants, the implication is that tokenized Treasuries are increasingly being treated not only as standalone investment vehicles, but also as building blocks inside broader digital-asset financial plumbing.

Market footprint and recent momentum in tokenized Treasuries

The announcement situates the partnership within the growth of tokenized U.S. Treasury markets. On Thursday, the tokenized U.S. Treasury market was cited at about $15.4 billion, with WTGXX accounting for roughly $1.23 billion, according to RWA.xyz data.

Momentum metrics were also provided. WisdomTree and MoonPay said WTGXX logged net flows of $466 million over the past 30 days. The companies define net flows as the difference between tokens minted and tokens burned. By that measure, WTGXX was not alone in positive movement, but it stood out among tokenized Treasury offerings: Ondo’s U.S. Dollar Yield fund (USDY) was described as the only other tokenized Treasuries fund to show positive net flows in the same period, totaling $66 million.

Those figures matter because they frame the partnership as a bet on demand and distribution at a time when tokenized Treasury funds are competing for inflows. If the tokenization ecosystem’s growth is still concentrated in a small set of products, expanding access via established on-ramps could further skew which funds attract additional capital.

What could follow: more tokenized funds and broader geography

Beyond WTGXX, the partners suggested the collaboration could extend to other tokenized funds. WisdomTree said the arrangement may expand, including into markets outside the United States, though it did not specify which products or regions would come next.

For investors and builders, that “optionality” is a meaningful signal. Tokenized money market funds and Treasury-linked instruments rely on a combination of legal structure, investor onboarding, custody and settlement design, and ongoing operations. If a tech-enabled access point proves effective for one fund—particularly one that aims for a stable share price—it may become a reusable distribution model for additional offerings.

However, readers should also note what is not spelled out in the announcement: the companies did not provide details on timeline, target jurisdictions for expansion, onboarding prerequisites, or how MoonPay’s role changes once investors move from access into ongoing investment/redemption flows. Those are key operational variables that typically determine whether demand converts into sustained AUM growth.

With WTGXX already showing significant net flows over the past month and a substantial share of the tokenized Treasury market by the companies’ cited RWA.xyz data, the partnership’s next test will be execution: whether MoonPay’s expanded access layer translates into continued inflows and whether MoonPay’s stablecoin reserve use case scales smoothly as the stablecoin business grows. Investors watching RWAs and stablecoin infrastructure should look for updates on adoption, jurisdictional rollout, and any additional funds that may be brought into the same access framework.

Mortgage rates are hovering around 7.2% following the Federal Reserve’s first interest rate hike in three years.

The latest move is a bit of relief following a bruising few weeks in which they reached as high as 7.24%, the highest levels since early 2025, according to Mortgage News Daily. 

The Fed doesn’t directly control mortgage rates, and by the time the central bank voted to raise benchmark rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday, mortgage rates had already moved higher in anticipation of that hike. 

The 10-year Treasury yield, which mortgage rates closely track, dropped 6 basis points to 4.94% on Thursday as investors grew confident that the Fed was kicking off a new rate-hiking cycle to address persistently high inflation.

Fed hikes normally aren’t good news for the housing market or the bond market, but the latest move may be an exception. 

Wednesday’s rate hike “is the medicine the housing market needs to recover,” Zillow chief economist Mischa Fisher said in a statement. “Greater market confidence in inflation being under control is more likely to bring mortgage rates lower in 2027 and get the recovery back on track.” 

Freddie Mac, which conducts a weekly survey of mortgage rates, said rates averaged 6.95% in the week through Wednesday, a steep jump from 6.76% a week earlier that reflects rising bond yields before the Fed’s latest hike. 

Read more: Discover the best mortgage refinance lenders

Today’s mortgage rates

Here are the current purchase mortgage rates for today, Thursday, September 17, 2026, according to the latest Zillow data:

• 30-year fixed: 7.01%

• 20-year fixed: 7.00%

• 15-year fixed: 6.44%

• 5/1 ARM: 7.08%

• 7/1 ARM: 6.74%

• 30-year VA: 6.46%

• 15-year VA: 5.95%

• 5/1 VA: 6.30%

Remember, these are the national averages and rounded to the nearest hundredth.

Here are 8 strategies for getting the lowest mortgage rate possible.

Today’s mortgage refinance rates

Here are the current refinance mortgage rates for today, Thursday, September 17, 2026, according to the latest Zillow data:

• 30-year fixed: 7.00%

• 20-year fixed: 6.76%

• 15-year fixed: 6.42%

• 5/1 ARM: 7.14%

• 7/1 ARM: 6.76%

• 30-year VA: 6.62%

• 15-year VA: 6.15%

• 5/1 VA: 5.88%

As with mortgage rates for purchase, these are national averages that we’ve rounded to the nearest hundredth. Refinance rates can be higher than purchase mortgage rates, but that isn’t always the case.

Monthly mortgage payment calculator

Use the mortgage calculator below to see how various mortgage rates will impact your monthly payments.

You can bookmark the Yahoo Finance mortgage payment calculator and keep it handy for future use, as you shop for homes and lenders. Be sure to use the dropdown to include private mortgage insurance costs and HOA dues if they apply to you. These monthly expenses, along with your mortgage principal and interest rate, will give you a realistic idea of what your monthly payment could be.

How do mortgage rates work?

A mortgage interest rate is the fee charged by a lender for borrowing money, expressed as a percentage. There are two basic types of mortgage rates: fixed and adjustable rates.

A fixed-rate mortgage locks in your rate for the entire life of your loan. For example, if you get a 30-year mortgage with a 6% interest rate, your rate will remain at 6% for the entire 30 years. (Unless you refinance or sell the home.)

An adjustable-rate mortgage keeps your rate the same for the first few years, then changes it periodically. Let’s say you get a 5/1 ARM with an introductory rate of 6%. Your rate would be 6% for the first five years, and then the rate would increase or decrease once per year for the last 25 years of your term. Whether your rate goes up or down depends on several factors, such as the economy and the U.S. housing market.

At the beginning of your mortgage term, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest. As time passes, less of your payment goes toward interest, and more goes toward the mortgage principal or the amount you originally borrowed.

Read more: Learn how to choose between an adjustable-rate vs. fixed-rate mortgage.

How are mortgage rates determined?

Two categories determine mortgage rates: those you can control and those you cannot.

What factors can you control? First, you can compare the best mortgage lenders to find the one that gives you the lowest rate and fees.

Second, lenders typically extend lower rates to people with higher credit scores, lower debt-to-income (DTI) ratios, and considerable down payments. If you can save more or pay down debt before securing a mortgage, a lender will probably give you a better interest rate.

What factors can you not control? In short, the economy.

The list of ways the economy impacts mortgage rates is long, but here are the basic details. If the economy — for example, employment rates — is struggling, mortgage rates decrease to encourage borrowing, which helps boost the economy. If the economy is strong, mortgage rates go up to temper spending.

With all other factors being equal, mortgage refinance rates are typically slightly higher than purchase rates. So don’t be surprised if your refinance rate is higher than you may have expected.

30-year vs. 15-year fixed mortgage rates

Two of the most common mortgage terms are 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages. Both lock in your rate for the entire loan term.

A 30-year mortgage is popular because it has relatively low monthly payments. But it comes with a higher interest rate than shorter terms, and because you’re accumulating interest for three decades, you’ll pay a lot of interest in the long run.

A 15-year mortgage can be a good choice because it has a lower rate than you’ll get with longer terms, so you’ll pay less in interest over the years. You’ll also pay off your mortgage much faster. But your monthly payments will be higher because you’re paying off the same loan amount in half the time.

Basically, 30-year mortgages are more affordable from month to month, while 15-year mortgages are cheaper in the long run.

Current mortgage rates: FAQs

What bank is offering the lowest mortgage rates?

According to Yahoo Finance’s weekly survey of lenders with the lowest rates, some of the banks with the lowest median mortgage rates include Chase and Citibank, among others. However, it’s a good idea to shop around for the best rate, not just with banks, but also with credit unions and companies specializing in mortgage lending.

Is 2.75% a good mortgage rate?

Yes, 2.75% is an amazing mortgage rate. You’re unlikely to get a 2.75% rate in today’s market unless you take on an assumable mortgage from a seller who locked in this rate in 2020 or 2021, when rates were at all-time lows.

What is the lowest-ever mortgage rate?

According to Freddie Mac, the lowest-ever 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 2.65%. This was the national average in January 2021. It is extremely unlikely that rates will dip below 3% again anytime soon.

At what rate should you refinance your mortgage?

Some experts say it’s worth refinancing when you can lock in a rate that’s 2% less than your current mortgage rate. Others say 1% is the magic number. It all depends on your financial goals when refinancing, how long you plan to stay in the same house, and on your break-even point after paying the refinance closing costs.